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With two shops closing and rents rising, what does the future hold for the 16th Street Plaza District?

BY LAURA EASTES P.4

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inside COVER P.4 With two major stores closing due to rising rents, what does the future hold for 16th Street Plaza District?

By Laura Eastes Photo by Keith Rinearson

NEWS 4 Cover Is the Plaza District

growing too quickly?

7 City PlanOKC’s Complete Streets

9 State Represent Oklahoma seeks

to curb gerrymandering

10 Chicken-Fried News

EAT & DRINK 13 Review Hacienda Tacos 14 Meet the Brewer

Lazy Circles Brewing

16 Feature US Roaster Corp.

17 Feature Wagyu Japanese BBQ 18 Gazedibles chicken wings

ARTS & CULTURE 21 Theater Heisenberg at

CitySpace Theatre

Musical at Civic Center Music Hall

22 Theater School of Rock: The

24 Film 40 Minutes or Less series

25 Culture Krewe de Banjo Mardi

Gras at American Banjo Museum

Arts at Capitol Hill High School

Museum Oklahoma

designed in OKC

26 Youth OKCPS’ Academy of Fine 27 Youth Kid Inventor at Science 28 Youth LUX baby bottles 29 Calendar

MUSIC 31 Event Judah & the Lion

at The Jones Assembly

32 Feature Trolley Stop Record Shop 33 Live music

FUN 34 Puzzles Sudoku | crossword 35 Astrology OKG Classifieds 35

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COV E R

NEWS

What’s next?

Amanda Martinez relaxes outside her store Dig It! in the 16th Street Plaza District, one of the city’s most popular districts. | Photo Laura Eastes

With two Plaza District shops closing and rents rising, it’s a good time to ask about the future.

By Laura Eastes

A decade ago, what started with DNA Galleries and Collected Thread settling in a charming little niche along NW 16th Street was followed with another wave of new businesses up the street, including Bad Granny’s Bazaar and PhotoArt Studios. This led to an avalanche of development with the crowds to support it. Now, as one of the city’s trendiest districts, 16th Street Plaza District offers boutiques, art galleries and eateries as well as $6 yoga classes, a naturopathic medicine office, a tattoo parlor and a professional theater company.

“It’s a place where people bring their family or their friends from out of town when they want to show off Oklahoma City,” said Amanda Martinez, owner of Dig It!, a boutique specializing in vintage and retro items located in the middle of the commercial district at 1739 NW 16th St. “It’s one of those places you are proud to take them. … Every restaurant here is amazing. You can’t go wrong. All the shops are local. It is very affordable.”

The Plaza District finds favor among locals and out-of-towners alike because of the neighborhood’s not-like-everywhere-else charm. Where else can one find a commercial district with all locally owned businesses? asked Cayla Lewis, the district’s director.

“Everyone here will tell you this 4

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tlers are forced out. Or could the Plaza District remain the dynamic and truly authentic culture scene that attracted the crowds to begin with?

New challenges place feels like home,” Lewis said.

“These people are family. You walk into any of the restaurants or the retailers and it has that small-town vibe almost.

There is no overarching corporate vibe.

These people are building their businesses upon relationships.”

For a district that has prospered in ways its pioneers could have only dreamed of, the new year began with news that popular retailers Collected Thread and Tree & Leaf, at 1705A and 1705B NW 16th St., respectively, would close their doors in February. Lindsay Zodrow, owner of the handmade boutique Collected Thread, and Dusty Gilpin, owner of the screen-printed apparel shop Tree & Leaf, cited an increasingly difficult retail business environment and rent increases as the causes for their shops’ closures.

The upcoming closures of Collected Thread and Tree & Leaf raised eyebrows in the Plaza and sparked questions about the future of the district. To those who have followed urban arts districts around the county, it raised questions about whether OKC’s Plaza District would follow an age-old story: creative scene moves in, developers follow, gentrification ensues and the original setCayla Lewis | Photo provided

With the waits for a table on a weekday night or the heavy foot traffic through the district during the holidays, it’s almost hard to believe that not that long ago, the goal of 16th Street Plaza District Association was to attract a crowd.

A once-a-month block party with live music, vendors and the shops staying open late was the key strategy for attracting new visitors and introducing them to the Plaza District. Live! on the Plaza, which began about a decade ago, achieved the association’s goal by building an audience that continued to come back.

“Getting people to the district is no longer an issue,” Lewis said. “The associa-

tion started to build the district. The term ‘revitalization’ was thrown around a lot, and it was a big goal. I feel it is safe to say that the district has been revitalized.”

With regular crowds and building vacancy rates at their lowest levels, the Plaza district now faces different challenges and opportunities. Some of those challenges are out of the association’s control, like tenant rent and parking.

Luckily for Plaza visitors, property owners Steve Mason and Jeff Struble have both contributed solutions to the parking struggles. Mason opened a vacant lot in the 1500 block of NW 15th Street for parking. A second lot owned

by Struble at the corner of N. Blackwelder Avenue and NW 15th Street is under construction. Additionally, bike racks are strategically placed throughout the area to promote an alternative mode of travel to the district.

When it comes to renting commercial space, property owners set the terms. As the Plaza grows in popularity, rising rents are on the minds of tenants — more so now with the announcement from Collected Thread and Tree & Leaf.

The two businesses occupied a building owned by Tazoma LLC. Oklahoma County property records show that the commercial corridor is divided up among various owners and some include the developers who initially took a chance on the dingy district, rehabbing the old brick buildings and later recruiting the businesses.

Over the years, several property owners have served on the association’s board.

“I think property owners recognize there is a particular culture of businesses, services and retail that fits here,” Lewis said. “I think they are internally aware of what makes the culture of the Plaza District.”

With the district’s culture and audience established, the association sets its sights on the businesses themselves.

Moving forward, the association will develop strategies around business retention and the growth of existing business and look for opportunities to engage patrons with business owners, Lewis said.

As the district continues to evolve, it will do so without Lewis. After serving the district for five total years, Lewis is moving on and the association is hunting for a new executive director to lead the district through its next phase.

Shifting role

The Plaza District’s shop owners recognize the changing role of retail at a time when an increasing number of Americans are shopping online.

Those who stroll in and around the Plaza’s retail shops will quickly notice that few items for sale mimic what’s available online. That’s what Plaza visitors want to see: one-of-a-kind items unique to the district, said Martinez, who views the Plaza District as helping to “harvest the creative energies of Oklahoma.”

“It’s not just a one-stop place. It’s more continued on page 6

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NEWS

continued from page 4

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of an event,” she said. “You will eat, you will get dessert with pie or ice cream and you might see a show.

You feel good about supporting local, and you wouldn’t break the bank.”

Down the block at Bad Granny’s Bazaar, 1759 NW 16th St, a retro and vintage shop where dozens of vendors sell their clothing, furnishings, jewelry and art, owner Diana Harris explained her customer base closely resembles the shop’s earliest shoppers in 2009. For the most part, young creative types from Oklahoma City University and neighborhood high schools Classen School of Advanced Studies and Harding Fine Arts Academy support Bad Granny’s Bazaar.

In recent years, Harris has noticed more and more shoppers from Edmond and Norman and out of state.

I think property owners recognize there is a particular culture of businesses, services and retail that fits here.

Cayla Lewis

FOLLOW OUR CELEBRITY CHEF @MarcusCooks

“The future is good,” Harris said from behind the cash register.

New Plaza District shop Rough Hand Collective, 1708 N. Gatewood Ave., also sees its success as a retailer tied into experiences. The collective is part studio and part showroom of the local leather goods brands Hix Design and Simpleton Goods.

“We want this to be an attractive experience,” said Tyler Carder of Simpleton Goods. “It is not a whole lot to look at right now, but we’ve got a vision to really attract people and, hopefully, host some events with catering and coach people through handstitching. We’d like to base some event around bringing people into the craft.”

Family feeling Photo Credit: Matt Dutile 6

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One of the Plaza district’s greatest

District House, the 16th Street Plaza District’s coffee joint, fills up with those seeking a cup of coffee or during performances or events. | Photo Gazette/file

strengths is its unity and desire for all business to succeed together, said Abbigail Deason, general manager of District House, 1755 NW 16th St. “All of us support one another,” Deason said. “We get together and discuss what we can do to draw more business and support one another’s business. What events can we do to support the neighborhood and involve the community?”

With such strong bonds between business owners, it’s never easy to say goodbye to a fellow owner locking up for the final time, Harris said.

“You have your family, and then you have your Plaza family,” Harris said.

For many, including Harris, it’s hard to image a Plaza District without Collected Thread and Tree & Leaf.

Zodrow opened Collected Thread less than a year before Bad Granny’s got its start. Zodrow and Amanda and Dylan Bradway of DNA Galleries are viewed as the initial creative entrepreneurs who took a chance and invested in the Plaza District. In 2013, when DNA Galleries moved into a larger location at 1709 NW 16th St., established screen printer and artist Gilpin moved his Tree & Leaf business into the vacant space. Gilpin will continue to be a familiar face in the district, working from his studio space in Plaza Alley.

“Their presence has inspired us in ways,” Carder said of Collected Thread and Tree & Leaf. “It’s hard to know or anticipate what it will turn into, but we are excited about the future.”

While no one can truly predict the Plaza District’s future, many view the district as being headed in the right direction. On the east and west end, there are signs of new commercial construction to further expand the boundaries of the Plaza District.

While each business is part of the Plaza family, each has its own journey and knows when it is time to move on, explained Lewis.

“Anybody coming in or coming out will only essentially benefit from the Plaza District,” Lewis said, “and benefit from being part of the family.”

CIT Y

Safer routes

City and community leaders believe a better OKC includes livable streets. By Laura Eastes

As a runner with strong connection to Oklahoma City’s running and fitness circles, Mark Bravo has his finger on the pulse of the city’s health and wellness, including its dark days when it ended up on national lists for “least active” cities in America.

The introduction of public walks and runs were key in encouraging residents to get active, he explained.

“The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and others like it have really created a wellness initiative where people wanted to get out,” said Bravo, the business developer at OK Runner.

“They saw that they could do it. It didn’t matter where they were in their physical fitness. They could do it. Livable streets make it easier to do just that.”

The transportation policy Livable Streets, also called Complete Streets, might appear to be an odd point to raise in a discussion on health and wellness.

While the term “livable streets” might be mostly unknown to the general public, its principles and benefits typically find favor amongst residents.

“Livable streets” describes safe roads, sidewalks and paths for pedestrians, runners, walkers and cyclists as well as motorists. The end result of livable streets is a transportation network that provides safe travel, promotes public health and creates stronger, more livable communities.

It’s a concept with growing favor in urban communities, including Oklahoma City, where there are signs of the livable streets philosophies woven into the city’s transportation structure. Outside City Hall, green bike lane markings along Walker Avenue ensure cyclists’ safety.

Around the city, many bus stops are located in places with sidewalk connections. Through the MAPS 3 program, the city has constructed a dedicated bike and walking trail connecting Lake Hefner to the Oklahoma River as well as a separate

trail connecting Lake Overholser to the river. More is on the way.

Recently, OKC voters approved the Better Streets, Safer City initiative, which calls for investing over $1 billion into the city’s infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks and transit. This month, the city council cemented its support for the livable streets transportation policy through the passage of a Livable Streets resolution. When it comes to the city’s redesign and improvement of streets, building a system for all will be a top priority, when appropriate, city leaders said.

Bravo views the city’s commitment to livable streets as a “powerful next step” in building a healthier city as well as a safer city.

“The initiative will allow more thought towards walkers and runners, but also bike trails,” Bravo said. “The default will no longer be cars.”

If nobody is really promoting it, especially those of us who have a stake in it, then there really are no benefits that can be garnered.

Randall Lee

En route

For years, OKC’s streets and roads were mostly for one thing: moving vehicles around quickly and safely. In the last decade, OKC leaders have approached streets differently. Could streets also serve pedestrians safely? What about other vehicles, like bicycles? The concept known as Livable Streets or Complete Streets began to infiltrate the city’s planning department.

In 2015, the city’s leaders passed

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PlanOKC, the city’s first comprehensive plan since 1977 created to guide policy, infrastructure and planning decisions for the future. Tucked inside the 422page document was a philosophy to look for opportunities for complete or livable streets. Even the first bullet point under “Big Ideas,” reads, “Develop a transportation system that works for everyone.”

Following a biannual review of PlanOKC — the first update since the plan’s adoption — planning leaders endorsed adding the Livable Streets principles to the document. Additionally, planning leaders promoted the Livable Streets resolution, later adopted by the council. The resolution recognizes the city’s “commitment to a built environment that facilitates healthy lifestyles and safe active transportation options such as walking, cycling and public transit,” according to a memo to the council from City Manager Jim Couch.

Advocacy

Livable Streets’ strong connection to improving public health has drawn the interest of American Heart Association — Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“What research is telling us right now is what’s good for the heart is good for the brain,” said Randle Lee, director of advocacy and strategic partnerships for the Oklahoma chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, when asked about the association’s support of Livable Streets.

“We are very much looking at it from a standpoint that Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death. There is no way

The concepts of livable streets are peppered through Oklahoma City’s transportation system, like the bike lanes along Walker Avenue downtown. | Photo Laura Eastes

to prevent it, cure it or even stop it. Yet, what we are trying to do is educate the public that you may be able to delay the onset by living a healthy lifestyle.”

Living a healthy lifestyle can be as simple as taking a brisk walk each day, Lee explained. Sidewalks running parallel to streets and pedestrian signals at intersections can go a long way to ensure pedestrian safety but also motivate people to get out for that walk or run.

Livable Streets will provide opportunities for everyone to walk or bike to a destination, whether they are headed to a job, school, a restaurant or a local shop, said Steven Embree, director of communications at the American Heart Association — Oklahoma City.

Lee believes Oklahoma City’s commitment to livable streets could serve as an example to other communities as well as the state. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have adopted policies related to Complete Streets.

Key to the ongoing discussion around livable streets is public support, Lee said.

“It is one thing to build it and create it,” Lee said. “If nobody is really promoting it, especially those of us who have a stake in it, then there really are no benefits that can be garnered. It is up to us as the nonprofit community — as advocates — to preach the gospel of using those livable streets.”

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NEWS Rico Smith leads efforts to bring a ballot initiative to launch an independent redistricting

S TAT E

commission. | Photo Laura Eastes

ing. “They want to see it fixed. They identify that a group of citizens separate from the Legislature is the fix to that problem.”

redistricting cases this term alone.

Like Oklahoma, the conversation of an independent redistricting commission is underway in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Similar to the Sooner State, groups in those states are working to earn November ballot access. If approved by voters, those commissions would be ready to proceed in 2020, when states review electoral maps.

Under Oklahoma law, the Legislature must pass congressional and legislative redistricting plans within 90 days of the 2021 session.

While Represent Oklahoma is keeping an eye on the court’s decisions, it feels confident in its proposal, which isn’t finalized yet.

“Our reform would be the fairest in the nation, and that’s something we are very proud about,” said Smith, who serves as executive director of Represent Oklahoma. “Unlike other states, we actually remove politicians from the process altogether. Other states allow members of the legislature to appoint the commission. We remove that access.

Secondly, we guarantee access to this commission to any registered party. We feel if you can get a candidate on the ballot, you should have a seat at the table when determining districts.”

National discussion

Word out

Drawing lines

Represent Oklahoma wants to get state lawmakers out of the business of drawing congressional and state legislative districts.

By Laura Eastes

As outlined in the Oklahoma Constitution, two years from now, state lawmakers will draw district lines for state legislators and Congress members.

In the last year, when Rico Smith explained the process to fellow Oklahomans, he often received worried looks and concerned comments about gerrymandering, which refers to the drawing of elected districts to benefit individual candidates, political parties or both.

“Everyone pretty much agreed that there was a problem beginning with whether politicians should be able to draw their own lines,” Smith told Oklahoma Gazette. “There was also uncertainty about the best way to move forward.”

Smith, along with others seeking to get the Oklahoma Legislature out of the redistricting process, began to ponder the idea of Oklahomans entrusting congressional boundaries and legislative district maps to an independent commission. In other words, the authority belongs to the people, not lawmakers.

After examining the performance of independent redistricting commissions in other states — the evidence suggests the commissions yield more competitive races — a movement was launched to propose an independent redistricting commission in the Sooner State.

In the coming weeks, the newly created coalition Represent Oklahoma plans to file a ballot initiative calling on Oklahoma voters to decide whether to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to establish an independent redistricting commission. This spring, the group seeks to collect enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot.

“I think people from across the political spectrum recognize that this is a problem,” Smith said of gerrymander-

If Represent Oklahoma’s initiative petition succeeds in earning a spot as a state question on the general election ballot, it wouldn’t be the first time an independent redistricting commission arrived on a statewide ballot. In 2000, an Arizona ballot initiative ultimately led to the establishment of an independent commission, which strives to be fair and balanced in redistricting the state’s congressional and legislative districts.

I think people from across the political spectrum recognize that this is a problem.

Rico Smith Other states seeking to reduce partisan gerrymandering have formed bipartisan redistricting commissions by their respective state legislatures. Proponents of these commissions say they produce fair electoral district lines that ultimately yield more competitive races.

The twists and turns of district boundaries, which have led to accusations of gerrymandering, are nonexistent.

Those who have followed the national discussion around independent commissions watched closely in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court split 5-4 to uphold the constitutionality of such commissions. Redistricting remains an issue to watch through the federal courts. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear three

Represent Oklahoma has kept a relatively low profile since it established a website and social media presence this fall. In the last few months, the primary focus has been on finalizing its proposal and raising money for a statewide campaign.

The group has a supporter in former Gov. David Walters, who spoke in support of Represent Oklahoma’s efforts at a community event at Full Circle Books earlier this month. Walters is a Democrat, but Smith ensures that the organization has supporters on both sides of the aisle.

The movement’s vision of ending even the slightest motive of political mischief in creating electoral maps is finding an audience in Oklahoma.

Traffic is steadily increasing on Represent Oklahoma’s website and social media pages.

“You get sensible legislators,” Smith said. “I think one of the other benefits of a nonpartisan or independent commission is what I call true party registration. No longer do you have to register with a party that you don’t agree with in order to participate in the political process and choose your representative. We will have more balanced districts. You can register with the party you most identify with and select someone from a primary process to go on to the general election.”

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chicken

friedNEWS Call it improvements!

Are lawmakers finally getting serious about their role in creating legislation to help the citizens of Oklahoma?

We at Chicken-Fried News wish we could answer that question by nodding our heads, giving a thumbs-up and yelling the word yes.

Unfortunately, we can’t do that just yet.

However, we do see some positive growth from our lawmakers.

Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Colgate, who authored a bill to bring covenant marriage to the state last year, filed legislation to amend the law that requires a portion of public construction projects to set aside money for public art installations. Under Senate Bill 884, the requirement for 1.5 percent of each building’s costs going to the Oklahoma Arts Council would be canceled in years when the state faces a budget shortfall, according to NewsOK. Sen. A.J. Griffin, R-Guthrie, who once pushed a measure to require public bathrooms to display anti-abortion signs, filed legislation to limit income tax credits for wind power generation and other zero-emission electricity sources, the newspaper reported.

Sen. Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, who proposed a Senate resolution to ask voters to decide whether public money or property could be used for a Ten Commandments monument, filed a bill to limit the time period for claiming zero-emission tax credits.

We know these proposed bills won’t find favor with everyone, like arts advocates and supporters of wind energy and alternative energy. But it is worth applauding these lawmakers for focusing on issues like revenue and the budget and not spending time on issues surrounding marriage, abortion and Ten Commandment monuments on state property when the state budget is millions in the hole.

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Tracking mystery

There’s nothing we li ke more at C h ic ken-F r ie d News than a good old-fashioned mystery that seems like it was ripped from the most recent season of Better Call Saul.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is investigating the reason Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore) found a tracking device underneath his truck in December, as first reported by NonDoc. McBride, a vocal supporter of the oil and gas industry, suggested to police when they arrived at his home Dec. 4 that someone connected to the wind industry could be trying to spy on him. Mark Yates, the head of the Oklahoma Wind Coalition, flatly denied the accusation, according to the Associated Press.

McBride was tipped off to the device after he was told that a private investigator had been contacted to follow him, according to NonDoc. He checked his truck at the suggestion of a friend and found the device attached to the undercarriage. He has now sued Eastridge Investigations and the private investigator, H.L. Christensen, for unspecified damages in excess of $10,000, according to Associated Press.

It looks like somebody hasn’t caught up on the latest season of Better Call Saul,

in which cartel members hide tracking devices inside a gas cap lid. He mig ht not even have thought to look there! Wait; you didn’t hear that from us.

OSBI is investigating the case as a potential for stalking charges, and McBride said that he will introduce legislation to amend stalking statutes to prohibit the use of GPS or other monitoring devices.

McBride said he has spent thousands of dollars on extra security to protect his family. When it comes to the power struggle between energy sources in Oklahoma, it might be best to pull a Switzerland and stay neutral.

Erroneous erogenous

Controversial statements from former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys are becoming more frequent and harder to keep up-to-date on than new The Fast and the Furious movie sequels.

Oklahoma Gazette has spent several stories this year reporting on the community backlash surrounding comments Humphreys made on local television comparing homosexuality to pedophilia.

At a time when local anger was begin-

ning to die down against the John Rex Charter Elementary School board member and former University of Oklahoma regent, The Lost Ogle threw gasoline on the fire when it published undated, unsourced audio clips from Humphreys. The clips are uploaded to YouTube and attributed to an account with the name “David Humphreys.”

The quotes in the former mayor’s voice are candid and cringeworthy. Topics range from the roles of husbands (“to lead,” he says) and wives (“to follow”) to how a woman’s appearance affects the way he interacts with her.

Included in the many sound bites are some of Humphreys’ thoughts on your favorite fiercely local and independent newsweekly.

“The front half is fairly good on news,” he said in an undated clip. “The back half is kind of the erogenous zone of the city.”

It’s funny; we here at Chicken-Fried News think President Donald Trump has probably described Playboy in the same way.

Humphreys, at least in the provided audio clip, did not elaborate

on which parts of the paper he thinks qualify as “erogenous.” Our mouthwatering restaurant reviews certainly get things hot and heavy, so it could be that. Or maybe Humphreys is worried about the music stories. You know, kids with their gyrating hips and their electric guitars and (probably) smoking that danged devil’s grass.

But no, we can’t give the writers too much credit. The former mayor was almost certainly talking about the occasional advertisements for lingerie, bars and adult businesses. Heaven forbid the city’s innocent eyes should fall across things that are actually — gulp — fun.

Still, Humphreys had other things to say about the paper’s writing content. He said in a subsequent clip that Gazette has a tendency to “embrace any kind of goofy idea that comes down the road.” You know, wacky concepts like gender equality and the rights of people with non-hetero orientations.

It’s OK, Humphreys; we don’t need you to be a fan. We wear our “erogenous” badge with pride.

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REVIEW

EAT & DRINK

Relic wranglers

Hacienda Tacos is good enough to get people to go back to the mall. ByJacob Threadgill

Hacienda Tacos 12086 N. May Ave. haciendatacos.com | 405-254-3140 What works: The chef’s in-house smoker shines on the brisket.

What needs work: Al pastor shouldn’t be served as pulled pork.

Tip: The hard-shell Hacienda taco is a menu item sleeper.

Like many millennials, far too many of my childhood memories revolve around weekend excursions to the mall with my parents when I was younger and as a respite in my teenage years.

Part of me still gets excited to go to the mall, even though it seems like a relic of a different time, before online shopping and easy-access strip malls took indoor malls’ shoppers.

During a recent trip to Northpark Mall, I was surprised to see many of its shops closed before 7 p.m. In fact, the only retail space with any sort of a crowd was Fun N Games, a dedicated space for Oklahoma City’s Duplicate Bridge Club, which isn’t exactly helping the mall’s outreach to Generation Z. Even on a Tuesday night when temperatures dropped below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, healthy crowds showed up at Rococo, which is long established as one of Oklahoma City’s institutions in East Coast fine dining under Bruce Rinehart, five-time Gazette Best of OKC winner of best chef in the city, and Hacienda Tacos.

Hacienda Tacos opened in the location formerly occupied by a City Bites in 2016.

A collaboration of restaurateurs Bryan Neel (the B in S&B’s Burger Joint) and Robby Vernon (a top server at La Baguette), Hacienda Tacos markets itself as a mixture

of Neel’s Tex-Mex roots in Oklahoma and Vernon’s home of Roswell, New Mexico.

As the menu has expanded from five items at opening to more than 25 items, not including a dedicated weekend brunch service, its street taco combo ($10) remains the most popular item.

If it’s my first trip to a restaurant, I feel that it’s my duty to eat its most popular item because it’s an indicator of the restaurant’s success. I ordered the combo, which includes three corn tortilla tacos made with al pastor, barbacoa and carnitas, preferring to leave the mojo chicken for a second entrée, a combination plate featuring chicken enchiladas and a hard-shell Hacienda taco.

The street tacos serve as a fantastic vehicle for chef Stephen Schmidt’s meat smoker, which is nicknamed Norma Jean. The smokiness is in full force through pulled pork (carnitas and al pastor) and barbacoa (brisket) — so much so that I even had a thought during a second taco: Is it possible to have too much smokiness? Of course it’s not, but it is what lingers in my memory longest and overpowers the other ingredients.

Despite its name, only the carnitas, with a traditional preparation of onions, lime and cilantro, is what I would actually consider a “street taco,” but enough on semantics; I’ve got a bigger issue with that later.

The barbacoa, which is piled high with beautifully smoked brisket, is topped with avocado and sour cream. The brisket is already heavy and full of fat; it doesn’t need more fat. I would’ve preferred a traditional preparation on the barbacoa because the onions, cilantro and lime would cut through the richness of the brisket.

The carnitas once again showcase a great product in Hacienda’s pulled pork, but it would’ve benefitted from getting

crisped up on the flat-top before being added to the tortilla. The crunch is my favorite part of a carnitas taco, and I found it lacking in an otherwise highquality product.

Al pastor is my favorite taco ingredient.

I consider it the pinnacle of sweet, savory and spicy and the barometer by which I judge a taco establishment. Once again, the smokiness of the pulled pork dominated the taco, but that’s just it. Al pastor isn’t slow-braised pork shoulder. It should be marinated blade steak that is layered and cooked on a rotating spigot or standing upright in an oven. In fact, al pastor’s history is traced back to Lebanese immigrants to Mexico, which is why it looks similar to shawarma when being cooked.

The smoke of the pulled pork made it hard to denote the dried chilies and spices of its normally bright-red marinade. It’s a good product, but it is not what I would consider traditional al pastor.

As a place that Neel considers “Mexican outside the box,” I understand Hacienda Taco’s commitment to using its smoked products because they’re really good, but it’s disappointing when your craving doesn’t exactly get scratched.

The chicken enchiladas are smothered with a sour cream-based sauce and two types of cheese. They’re probably my favorite iteration of chicken enchiladas I’ve

Hacienda Taco’s most popular item: street taco combination with carnitas, al pastor and barbacoa | Photo Jacob Threadgill

had in Oklahoma City, benefitting from juicy and smoked mojo chicken.

As slightly disappointed as I was for the street tacos, I found the hard-shell Hacienda taco somewhat of a revelation.

I’ve been so conditioned to expect sad ground beef at the bottom of a hard shell taco — be it Taco Bell or a grocery store kit — that Hacienda Taco’s version might’ve been my favorite item of my meal. The beef had more of a braised texture than normal ground beef, and it was a pleasant surprise to end my visit.

When I read about Vernon’s New Mexico heritage, I was hoping that it would make a bigger mark on the menu.

Outside of a green chile pozole special, I didn’t see anything that I would classify as New Mexican food, which is some of my favorite cuisine in the world. Can we at least get a dang sopapilla as dessert?

I don’t think anyone will get Hacienda Tacos confused for a neighborhood taqueria, but it is certainly good enough to get people to go back to the mall, which, in 2018, is no small task. left The chicken enchilada plate comes with a hardshell taco. right Customers decide how chunky to make the DIY guacamole. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8

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EAT & DRINK Brewmaster Stephen Basey draws some beer for testing at Lazy Circles Brewing. | Photo Mark Hancock

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The reason for opening Lazy Circles Brewing was simple enough.

“We just thought our town needed more breweries,” said Stephen Swanson, taproom manager at Lazy Circles, which opened last month in Norman. “We always kind of thought it would be a cool thing to do, and it was one of those things where the urge to open a brewery overcame the, I guess, common sense not to.”

The reasons not to brew his own beer began adding up since Swanson got a one-gallon brew kit from his wife Holly as a Valentine’s Day gift. Though Swanson, who previously worked as a bartender at McNellie’s The Abner Ale House, had been interested in the process of brewing beer, he soon found it to be more trouble than it was worth.

“You have to meticulously clean everything,” Swanson said. “All the equipment, all the instruments, everything has

to be cleaned and sanitized and if you’re not sure, you gotta sanitize it again. Not to mention that, to make five gallons of beer, you’ve gotta start out with seven or eight gallons of water and 20 pounds of grain or something like that, depending on the recipe. So it’s heavy. There’s a lot of picking up and putting down. A brewing day for a five- or 10-gallon batch is gonna take you six or seven hours. You kind of get bored or you get frustrated, especially when you’re new to it. And if you do it by yourself, you’re kind of wondering, ‘Am I doing this right?’”

After realizing the batch might take a month to ferment before it could even be taste tested, Swanson decided he was better off just making a trip to the corner store.

“I kinda stopped doing it because it was labor-intensive,” Swanson said, “and after you wait four to six weeks to get your bottle-conditioned beer — and sometimes

you’d maybe get three six-packs, 18 beers, and you’re like, ‘This is more work than it is just to go buy somebody’s beer that tastes better than mine.’”

So when brother-in-law Stephen Basey asked him if he’d like to start brewing beer, Swanson wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be in it by himself.

“I said, ‘You know, I’ve brewed a few batches of beer and it’s really fun if you have people to do it with you, but it kind of sucks if you’re by yourself ’cause it’s so much work,’” Swanson said.

But he realized having a brewing buddy made all the difference.

“If you have a friend there, you get to drink beer while you do it and you only have to do half the cleaning and you can bounce ideas off each other and you feel a little bit more confident about things you’re doing,” Swanson said.

We’re probably the smallest if not the second-smallest brewery in all of Oklahoma.

Stephen Swanson

Basic beginnings

Swanson said he and Basey began making their own batches of beer about four years ago, working from out-ofthe-box, simple recipes.

“We bought some kits and we started brewing with really basic, really easy ones, the beginner ones,” Swanson said.

“It wasn’t long before we all wanted to progress and brew our own recipes and get out of just remaking something that came out of a box.”

After reading articles on small-scale breweries in Colorado, some of which brewed only 10- to 30-gallon batches, Swanson said he realized breweries could be operated at a “very small scale.”

Lazy Circles Brewing, which operates from left Holly and Stephen Swanson, with co-owner Stephen Basey, are keeping it simple and strong at Norman’s Lazy Circles Brewing. | Photo Mark Hancock

on a five-barrel, 150-gallon system, opened Nov. 17 at 422 E. Main St. in Norman with five beers available on tap: a 9 percent stout, a “robust” porter, a “hoppy” red ale, an American-style pale ale and an India pale ale. Swanson said the brewery will soon expand the menu to include eight to ten beers, including a New England-style IPA he describes as “tropical,” with more of a cloudy color and “creamy” texture. Even if the brewery is bigger than some of the small Colorado operations that inspired it, Lazy Circles is still a modest, familyowned operation with Swanson as taproom manager, his wife Holly as business manager and Basey as brewmaster.

“We’re probably the smallest if not the second-smallest brewery in all of Oklahoma,” Swanson said. “We’re still really small.”

Swanson still works part-time at a day job to help make ends meet.

“Right now, we’re just basically living off of tips,” he said.

Though the menu is expanding, Swanson said the brewery is still mastering the basics.

“We always wanted to prove that we could brew good, traditional beers, so right now, you won’t find a lot of superexperimental beers in our taproom,” he said. “We’ll start mixing in the stuff we want to experiment with down the road.”

Lazy Circles takes its name from the lyric in the title song of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! in which a hawk draws “lazy circles in the sky.” Swanson said the hawk is the brewery staff’s spirit animal. The establishment currently offers beer on tap and also to-go growlers. The beer is only available at the brewery for now, but Lazy Circles plans on opening up distribution to other businesses next year, depending on state laws. Even though they’ve gone into business together, the Lazy Circles attitude is still the same as it was when Swanson and Basey first began brewing beer together as a pastime.

“We say in the craft beer scene,” Swanson said, “‘It’s like an excuse to have drinking as a hobby.’”

Visit lazycirclesbrewing.com.

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15

EAT & DRINK Dan Jolliff’s US Roaster Corp. developed the industry’s first electric roaster that doesn’t require a vent and has cloud communication

feature

technology. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

Sooner roasters

Oklahoma’s US Roaster Corp. is on the cutting edge of the coffee industry. By Jacob Threadgill

Dan Jolliff didn’t foresee the explosion in neighborhood coffee shops when he first entered the industry in 1979; he was only following the family lineage.

His father was a salesman for Oklahoma-based Cain’s Coffee back when coffee was mostly enjoyed at home, in the office or in a restaurant. Jolliff primarily used those markets when he founded Coffee Professionals in Wilson.

As that company grew and his brother and parents joined as partners, Jolliff said he wanted to explore the mechanical side of the coffee industry and embrace his natural proclivity to tinker.

Jolliff sold his shares in Coffee Professionals (which was rebranded to Jolliff Coffee in 2008) to his family, started US Roaster Corp. around 1996 and moved into a downtown Oklahoma City building at 1530 W. Main St. in 1998.

“I’m an experimenter,” Jolliff said with a sly smile.

US Roaster Corp. started with Jolliff and one employee refurbishing old Cassidy Oldham retrieves roasted coffee beans from US Roaster Corp’s Coffee Dan’s shop. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

roaster equipment for sale, but by 2004, they started to develop their own 3-kilo roaster. Between 1991 and 2005, the number of independent dedicated coffee shops in the United States grew from approximately 1,650 to over 24,000 and was at more than 31,490 by 2015, according to global marketing agency Mintel.

US Roaster Corp’s growth has mirrored the industry’s expansion. It has gone from

building 3-kilo roasters to designing, fabricating and engineering 300-kilo roasters that are bigger than some houses, all under one company with 50 employees.

Roaster Corp’s main building houses a drafting office, sales, a small shop called Coffee Dan’s and production on smaller units. Across the street, US Roaster Corp’s production expands in a 100,000 square-foot facility, where it is putting the finishing touches on its first 300-kilo roasters that will be sent to the Dallas metro’s Parks Coffee and Bellevue, Nebraska’s Scooter’s Coffee and sell at about $500,000 per unit.

The 300-kilo roaster was developed in a partnership with Oklahoma State University’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT) that supplies senior engineering students looking to gain hands-on experience.

Jolliff said CEAT has been instrumental in facilitating US Roaster Corp’s growth and is one of the state’s resources to help small businesses. US Roaster Corp has also received two matching grants from the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science & Technology.

“Oklahoma has a lot of things built into the state to help small businesses grow. It is amazing how much help you can get, but you have to try hard and put

your money on the line. Many times, my house was hocked to make the next debt, but I cannot think of a better place to be in business than Oklahoma,” Jolliff said.

While the 300-kilo is big and exciting, Jolliff knows US Roaster Corp’s niche in the marketplace is small roasters and coffee shops and cafes. It used its second OCAST grant to develop a cutting-edge, environmentally friendly 12-kilo roaster called The Revelation, which he refers to as a “mini Rev.” “For a coffee roaster manufacturer, we are by far on the cutting edge, which we don’t promote enough,” Jolliff said.

“Our competitors are running around saying that they got the first on something, and they really didn’t. We beat them by a long time.”

Running on electricity, Jolliff said the mini Rev is the only roaster on the market that is totally smokeless and doesn’t require a vent. It also has the ability to connect to the cloud, which allows users to share settings or for a company to program uniform settings across multiple locations.

“Every doughnut shop can put in a mini Rev, and it would be a profit center for them,” Jolliff said. “It will make the average shop somewhere about $60-$80 an hour, and it runs automatically. All they have to do it clean it at the end of the day.”

The development of the mini Rev has allowed US Roaster Corp. to begin to break into the Chinese market, where the company has already sold 60 to 70 machines, once they’re finished.

“Folks in China and Korea have tried to develop something similar, but they haven’t been successful. Many Chinese coffee shops are small because rent is so high,” Jolliff said.

The next challenge for US Roaster Corp. is to reduce production time on the mini Rev. It currently takes about 30-40 days to make a 12-kilo model, which leads to $7,500 invested in each machine once labor, insurance and overhead are factored in. Through the CEAT partnership, Jolliff said production could be reduced to three to four days.

“That way, we can sell the machine for less but make a higher profit and increase market share,” Jolliff said.

Visit usroastercorp.com.

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J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

F E AT U R E

Sizzling grill

Wagyu Japanese BBQ brings the yakiniku concept to Oklahoma City. By Jacob Threadgill

Japanese cuisine in American culture has been dominated by sushi and hibachi the last few decades, but the traditional open-flame barbecue tradition of yakiniku has started to gain a burgeoning foothold in the United States.

Wagyu Japanese BBQ, 3000 W. Memorial Road, Suite 105, brings the trend to Oklahoma City thanks to an enterprising couple.

Li and Jade Chen met as students at the University of Oklahoma. After Li Chen graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering in 2015, the price of oil dropped and he found work in his degree field difficult to find.

He took a job as an air conditioning technician, but he missed his days working in kitchens, where he worked for 15 years, primarily in hibachi restaurants in Houston and Dallas.

“My father owned a restaurant, but I never thought I would do the same thing; it’s fate,” Li Chen said. “I enjoy cooking and working in a kitchen because it’s familiar and I’m good at it.

I have a lot of confidence there.”

Concept inspiration

With Li Chen’s background in hibachi and Jade Chen’s experience in the front of the restaurant, the couple wanted to invest in a growing trend. The idea for yakiniku came after seeing the concept in Dallas, but it would be two years before their own restaurant would open its doors.

Once the Chens secured a location in the newly developed Quail Springs Shopping Center, they had to work with the designer to create a layout that connected each table’s flame grill, which was imported from Japan at about $4,000 per unit, into the restaurant’s ventilation system.

“It was a challenge, and many that I never would’ve imagined,” Li Chen said.

“The designer has to think about the airflow and keeping static pressure balance in the house.”

Wagyu beef is similar to that of the famed Kobe beef for its high marbling content. Wagyu Japanese BBQ gets its

American Wagyu from A Bar N Ranch in Sherman, Texas.

The consumption of beef was prohibited in Japan until 1871, and as yakiniku became more popular, particularly after World War II, Japanese barbecue culture developed heavily from already-popular Korean marinades like bulgogi. It is common for Korean dishes like kimchi and bibimbap to accompany yakiniku, something that Wagyu BBQ continues.

“If you go to a Korean restaurant, the most common meats are short rib, pork and (beef) bulgogi,” Jade Chen said. “We try to have more cuts of beef so that we have a variety of texture and taste.”

Unique service

Items can be ordered a la carte, and each piece of meat has one of six marinades, all of which are made in-house. The highest quality only get salt and pepper to showcase the natural flavor, but there is also a miso-based marinade for more lean cuts like hanger and skirt steak.

Toro (beef bacon) and zabuton (chuck eye roll) are served with tare, a soy-based sauce mixed with sake, mirin, garlic and kiwi. Chicken gets either basil or gingergarlic marinade while seafood picks up flavor from a white soy marinade.

At dinner, the restaurant offers three prix-fixe barbecue courses for two ($55$75) that include appetizers, assorted

left Meats cook on a personal grill imported from Japan. below left The prime filet is infused with applewood smoke that pours out when brought to the table. below right Korean dishes like bibimbap

Jade and Li Chen opened Wagyu Japanese BBQ in December 2017. | Photo Jacob Threadgill

meats and vegetables destined for the personal grill at each table and dessert.

Service becomes a balancing act between front and back of the house, as servers have to communicate with the kitchen to get the plentiful number of dishes to each table on time.

“Everyone is constantly bringing out food to different tables. It’s a lot of food,” Jade Chen said.

“We were really excited when we first opened, but there are still challenges,” Li Chen said. “For most customers, it’s the first time to try this, so we have to educate them and how long each meat has to cook on the grill.”

Thin cuts like tongue and toro only need 30-45 seconds on each side, while other cuts cook for at least a minute and fatty pieces like toro should be cooked on the edge of the grill to prevent flareups. Seafood, pork and chicken get two to three minutes per side, and vegetables steam in a foil packet on the grill.

The experience of grilling your own meat at a restaurant might be a new concept for many diners in the Oklahoma City market, but the Chens believe it will catch on once people realize how fun it is to cook with family and friends without having to do the dishes when they’re done.

“You get a chance to be a chef while having fun,” Li Chen said. “We believe a good dining experience is not just how the food tastes, but it is also what you experience and learn while you’re here.

We want our team to deliver the best service for you.”

are also on Wagyu’s menu. | Photos Jacob Threadgill

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8

17

g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Fly wings

The Buffalo wing catapulted from upstate New York regional delicacy to nationwide food trend when Domino’s Pizza added it to their menu in 1994. There was a time when chicken wings were the cheapest part of the bird, but now they’re the most expensive. From traditional Buffalo style to more Asian-inspired wings, these seven eateries are the best in the OKC metro for chicken wings.

By Jacob Threadgill | Photos by Jacob Threadgill and Gazette / file

18

J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Chae

Mama E’s Soul Food

Chae has elevated Korean food in Oklahoma City, but it’s not just a good spot for elegant oxtail soup or colorful bibimbap. Chae’s chicken wings are not coated in a super spicy sauce; instead, it uses gochujang, which is a fermented Korean paste that is equal parts sweet and spicy. Your heat choice really comes with the selection of a spicy or sweet garlic dipping sauce.

Do you love chicken wings but have a tough time deciding if you want the drum or the flat? Why not have both at Mama E’s, which serves its wings whole?

Battered and deep-fried, the wings are famously paired with its waffle, which is as good as anything outside of Belgium, but they’re great on their own.

1933 NW 23rd St. chaeokc.com | 405-600-9040

3838 Springlake Drive facebook.com/mamaesoulfoodokc 405-424-0800

Chick N Beer

715 NW 23rd St. chicknbeerokc.com | 405-604-6995

Even with a straightforward name, there is more to Chick N Beer, a Koreaninspired chicken wing joint, than just poultry and fermented grain. The sliders and skewers are tasty, but Chick N Beer has 10 creative flavor combinations for boneless or traditional wings that range from yellow curry to root beer barbecue.

Pizzeria Gusto

Tez Wingz

Wing Supreme

Pizza and chicken wings might be the pinnacle of food combinations for watching the big game or enjoying family time. Before you enjoy a woodfired oven pizza from Pizzeria Gusto, munch on their wings, which are drummies tossed in Sriracha hot sauce with the cooling element of creamy Gorgonzola dressing.

There are only two options for sauce at Tez Wingz — mild or hot — but it’s anything but a butter-and-hot-sauce base of Buffalo wings. It delivers Chicago-style wings, which are breaded before being fried and topped with a lemon peppery mix. Customers add the sauce in as much or as little as they want, and be sure to leave some for dipping your fries.

Owner Eric Johnson has been serving wings since 1989, first in Norman and later in Washington D.C., before opening the Lincoln Boulevard location. Wing Supreme sets itself apart from the competition by finishing their wings in the sauce as they cook. Choose from 18 sauces, including Buffalo lemon pepper and honey love.

2415 N. Walker Ave. pizzeria-gusto.com | 405-437-4992

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Wings & Things

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This Yukon eatery offers a wide menu, including gumbo, po-boys and fish, but its wings will keep you coming back. It offers a pair of Asian-inspired sauces like orange sesame, but its most popular flavors are honey flames and garlic Parmesan. Celebrating its four-year anniversary, Wings & Things continues to turn out happy customers from its small location next to a 7-Eleven.

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j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

ARTS & CULTURE from left Actors Ben Hall and Stacey Logan use on-stage chemistry to bring vibrant life to CityRep’s production of Heisenberg. | Photo Oklahoma City

t h eater

Repertory Theatre / provided

Possibilities abound

CityRep unveils the regional debut of the two-person play Heisenberg for Valentine’s season. By Ben Luschen

Twentieth-century German physicist Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle states that one cannot know the precise position and velocity of an object at any given time. The term is also used outside of physics to describe how life is generally unpredictable.

Fortunately, fans won’t need a science degree to enjoy the regional premiere of Heisenberg, the intimate 2016 Tony Awardnominated musical Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre (CityRep) is bringing to Civic Center Music Hall’s CitySpace Theatre. It also is not a show with deep underlying symbolism that people need to “get.” Instead, audiences are in for a relatable and reassuring look at love and life.

“You’ll leave feeling uplifted and happy and fresh,” said Stacey Logan, Oklahoma-born actress based in New York who plays Heisenberg’s female lead. “It’s just a nice, nice play.”

The play, ideal for Valentine’s season, premieres 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2 in the 90-seat basement theater at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. The show has seven other scheduled showtimes running through Feb. 11. Tickets are $8-$42.

The show opens up in an English train station. Georgie Burns, an eccentric and talkative American in her 40s played in the CityRep production by Logan (an Oklahoma City University graduate known for Broadway roles like Rita in 2002’s Sweet Smell of Success and Babbette in 1994’s revival of Beauty and the Beast) meets Alex Priest, a quiet, 75-year-old English butcher played by longtime local theater fixture Ben Hall.

Georgie plants a kiss on Alex’s neck.

Why? The audience has no idea — at least not right away. The chance encounter leads to an adventure to the

United States in search of Georgie’s lost son. Viewers get a personal and relatable fly-on-the-wall glance at the couple’s developing relationship.

“From the first scene, you get enough information to know that it’s open to enough possibilities for this to go just about anywhere,” Hall said.

While Georgie and Alex often appear as opposites on the surface, there are similarities the deeper one goes.

CityRep artistic director Donald Jordan said Heisenberg is not the slick, quirky romantic comedy some might be expecting — though it is both romantic and funny. The feel is true to a mature, real-life relationship.

“Each of these human beings finds themselves in a spot where they’re dealing with the challenges of a damaged life,” Jordan said. “One of them is kind of in perpetual motion — running and fleeing.

The other one is stuck in the relative comfort of routine without engagement.

There’s a way in which — if they can — they can each add to the richness and the fullness of each other’s lives.”

Director Ruth Charnay said the play — which includes no more than two actors, two tables and two chairs — is a treat for those who enjoy the kind of acting beauty that can only occur in a stripped-down, intimate theater setting.

“This is the opposite of spectacular in that the theatrics in this are that you have two fabulous actors,” she said. “If we do it right, you never notice that there’s a play going on.”

Simple beauty

The idea to do Heisenberg at CityRep was born immediately after Logan attended the show’s off-Broadway pre-

miere in 2015 at Manhattan Theatre (starring Mary-Louise Parker as Georgie and Denis Arndt as Alex. Logan is usually involved in at least one CityRep production per year and often pitches ideas to Jordan for what she’d like to work on.

“Stacey has a keen instinct,” he said.

CityRep must make several considerations before it can add a play to one of its upcoming season. Not only must the play be of high quality, but they must be able to attain the rights and everything has to work within their budget and with their provided space. “[Heisenberg] does all of those things,” Jordan said. “It’s a lovely play in this space.”

Logan said the rawness of Heisenberg is what sold her on the concept for CityRep. She also enjoys the work of playwright Simon Stephens, who is also known for writing the 2015 Tony Award winner for Best Play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

“I loved the simplicity of the set,” Logan said. “It felt almost like an acting class. It felt very real and immediate and fun and spontaneous. You left the theater feeling really good about humanity and life. It was uplifting.”

Jordan said the Feb. 2 premiere date marks not only the first time Heisenberg will be performed in the state, but anywhere in the region — a distinction of which the company is quite proud.

“If you live in a poor, slow, backwards city like Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston or Kansas City, you didn’t get to see it yet,” he said, laughing. “You have to be in a hip city like Oklahoma City.”

details about what happens in the play or what it means. They are not being coy, Charnay said. Heisenberg carries a mysterious tone with it. The audience does not always fully understand why things are happening. The conclusion, to a degree, is open to interpretation.

“Every scene ends with a question mark,” the director said, “which is part of the joy of the play.”

Earned trust

It is no secret that the local arts community has taken some financial hits in the last several years. Jordan said CityRep has not been immune to that but is looking forward to a strong conclusion to its 2017-18 season.

On March 9, CityRep will welcome legendary singer-songwriter Judy Collins for one night only. She will perform her special A Love Letter to Stephen Sondheim.

The company is also scheduled to bring back Greater Tuna, the most popular play in CityRep’s history, for an extended run March 15-April 8.

Logan said the reason she regularly comes back to the state to perform with the company is because it is filled with quality people.

“I love the people involved, and I trust them,” she said. “I know they do good work and they’re smart people and they know what they’re doing.”

That level of trust is part of the reason she thinks CityRep’s Heisenberg works so well.

“If I didn’t know this guy and I had to come in and do this very sort of intimate piece, it wouldn’t be as good,” she said.

Visit cityrep.com.

‘Uncertain’ times

Jordan said Heisenberg is a very real and true piece of theater. It keeps the audience on the edge of its seat, truly wondering where the play will go.

“It’s uncertain like life is uncertain,” he said.

Uncertainty of any kind tends to feel unsettling to most. Surprises can be scary, even if they eventually turn out to be positives. Hall said his character eventually comes to the conclusion that uncertainty can actually be a source of hope, optimism and a type of comfort different from the perceived safety of routine.

“As Americans, and maybe as Westerners, we tend to go from uncertainty to the fear of the unknown and equate those two things,” Hall said.

“And yet uncertainty also means open possibilities.”

No one ever really knows what the future holds, and Hall said that should be cause for excitement.

The cast and crew do not give precise New York-based actress Stacey Logan returns to CityRep for Heisenberg. | Photo Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre / provided

Heisenberg 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2, 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 3, 1:30 p.m. Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 11 CitySpace Theatre | Civic Center Music Hall 201 N. Walker Ave. | cityrep.com 405-848-3761 $8-$42

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Rock show

School of Rock: The Musical amps up the production with talented child actors.

By Ben Luschen

It has been nearly 18 years since Jack Black’s breakout Hollywood role in 2000’s High Fidelity, and while the comedic actor has been cast in many memorable roles since then, his lasting film legacy might come from his turn as School of Rock’s Dewey Finn, the disheveled but energetic imposter substitute teacher who goes rogue and leads a classroom full of kids to rock band greatness.

Black won’t be coming to Oklahoma City as part of the School of Rock: The Musical touring production set to run Feb. 6-11 at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., but the Broadway musical adapted from the 2003 film captures his signature charm. (Actors Rob Colletti and alternate Merritt David Janes both shine as Dewey in the stage show.)

The production, presented to local audiences by OKC Broadway, also features a dynamite score from legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose titanic body of work includes Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats and many more.

Above all else, the most fascinating thing about School of Rock: The Musical is its cast of young actors who not only act and deliver lines but actually play their instruments live on stage.

Oklahoma Gazette recently caught up with Matt Bittner, the actor who plays Dewey’s roommate and longtime friend Ned in the touring musical.

Bittner, like many millennials, has strong memories from his first time seeing the film version and now enjoys bringing the story to life in theaters across the country. from left Emily Borromeo, Rob Colletti and Matt Bittner share a scene in School of Rock:

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The Musical. | Photo Matthew Murphy / provided

Oklahoma Gazette: When was the first time you saw the movie? School of Rock is one of those movies where a lot of people remember their first exposure to it, especially if they saw it as kids.

Matt Bittner: I remember being at the movies and I remember watching it and being with a group of friends. I remember knowing it was really hilarious but also being stressed out the whole time. Because the whole premise of movies like this — the whole dramatic action — is, ‘When is he going to get caught?’ And I just couldn’t let myself enjoy it. I kept going, ‘Someone is going to hear these kids playing this rock music! And they’re going to get in trouble!’ Watching it the second time was much more enjoyable because I already knew the whole story.

OKG: Are there any differences between the stage version and the movie that people should know about?

Bittner: The story pretty much follows the same arc. There are some iconic scenes in the movie that are still in the play. The main differences are you get a little more insight into the kids’ lives.

You get to see them interact with their parents a bit and you get to see their story arc growing as people. And you also get new music in there that Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote; it’s pretty catchy.

And you get to see all of it done live — that’s probably the coolest part. You get to see all the kids play their instruments live right in front of you. And you get to see Rob [Colletti], or sometimes Merritt [David Janes], depending on the day you’re coming, playing Dewey — the Jack Black role — but live on stage, bringing all that insane energy right to your face. It’s pretty fun.

OKG: It’s pretty impressive that Andrew Lloyd Webber did the score for this. A lot of people are going to want to show up just for that.

Bittner: Yeah, it’s pretty cool, too. He got his start writing rock music. That was his thing.

OKG: So the kids on the stage show, they’re actually playing their instruments?

Bittner: Yeah.

OKG: How do they find these kids that are so talented? They can play instruments, they can act and they can be on a stage in front of thousands of people.

Bittner: It’s quite the nationwide sweep, from what I understand. They have to scour the country looking for these kids, and we’ve got some kids from all over the place. Obviously, you’ve got some who are from the New York metropolitan area, but we’ve got some kids from California and they’re from all over the place.

OKG: How many kids are in the show?

Bittner: We have 16 kids, all told. Or, as our choreographer JoAnn (Hunter) likes to call them, young actors. We have 16 young actors in the show. Twelve of them perform every night, and then we have four swings. We have two boys and two girls who understudy all the boy and girl parts. They’ve got to know the instruments and be ready to jump in at a moment’s notice.

OKG: Have you ever been around a show like this that has such a strong contingent of young actors?

Bittner: No, never. It’s been pretty interesting. They’re a great group of kids, though.

OKG: What’s that make the touring like? Is there someone assigned to them?

Bittner: Yeah, the way it works is that there are people assigned to the company of the show. We have tutors and we have what are called child wranglers.

OKG: And that’s the official title?

Bittner: That is the official title. That’s always been a little strange to me. They’re just there with the kids and work with them backstage. The kids have to go to school, so when I’m here and chilling in my hotel room and talking with you, the kids are going to school at the theater only to go and do the show later. Their schedule is quite rigorous.

The cast of School of Rock: The Musical includes more than a dozen young actors who actually play all their own instruments. | Photo Matthew Murphy / provided

OKG: One of the interesting things about School of Rock is that it genuinely did inspire a generation of kids to pick up an instrument for the first time. It’s left quite a legacy.

Bittner: Yeah, and the musical has a similar effect. But also, Andrew Lloyd Webber is a huge advocate of music education and education of the arts.

One of the things he’s done with this show, in particular, is right after it opened on Broadway, he gave away the rights to do this show for free scholastically. So any school could do School of Rock anywhere for free.

OKG: Is he involved with the show?

Have you all ever met with him?

Bittner: Yeah, he came to visit us on the tour once. He came to Columbus, Ohio. It was pretty surreal to be in a room with him. All the kids wanted to take selfies with him.

OKG: How did you come to be cast in the show as Ned? Bittner: I actually had been auditioning for the show as Dewey since 2015.

I went through all these different rounds of auditions for Dewey and ensemble members who understudied Dewey and all this stuff. I guess there’s something about me that wasn’t quite what they were looking for. But one day they were like, ‘Well, what if we brought him in for Ned instead?’ So I went in for Ned for the tour and it worked out.

OKG: How is the crowd? What type of people do you see coming to the show?

Bittner: It spans the whole spectrum, because you’ve got Andrew Lloyd Webber fans, you’ve got kids who want to see other kids on Broadway, you’ve got people who want to see a rock musical, you’ve got people who remember the movie and love the movie. It’s a diverse group of people who come to the show. It’s got something for everybody.

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School of Rock: The Musical 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6-8, 8 p.m. Feb. 9, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Feb. 10, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 11 Civic Center Music Hall | 201 N. Walker Ave. okcbroadway.com | 877-737-2929 $33.51-$103.54

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film

ARTS & CULTURE

Sweet shorts

[Artspace] at Untitled and OKC Film Society debut their free short film series with a night of surrealism. By Ben Luschen

In the pantheon of surrealist short films, Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel’s Un Chien Andalou has a place at the very top.

“If you’re going to make a Mount Rushmore of short films, that goes on there,” said Oklahoma City Film Society founder Alex Palmer.

The iconic 1929 French short will conclude the first night of [Artspace] at Untitled’s new 40 Minutes or Less short film series, the downtown art gallery’s partnership with OKC Film Society.

Untitled plans to host a new themed 40 Minutes or Less event once every other month.

Surrealism Night will also feature screenings of Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid’s 1943 Meshes of the Afternoon and Erick Oh’s 2012 animated short How to Eat Your Apple. The event runs 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday at [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St. Admission is free, and snacks from Urban Johnnie Bar & Grille will be provided.

Each 40 Minutes or Less event will bring in guest hosts who will offer expertise and guide discussion on the films being show that night. Palmer and Untitled staff member Jessica Williams will co-host the first event.

Post-viewing discussion is one of the critical principles of the new series.

Palmer said he is particularly excited to lead a discussion for Surrealism Night.

“Surrealism, I feel like, is sometimes best in shorts,” he said. “When you get a longer film, sometimes people are more interested in the narrative than the symbolism.”

There is no one type of crowd Untitled hopes to attract for this series.

Palmer said anyone with any interest in the event is welcome.

“You’re going to get people who are well into surrealism and have seen these shorts probably a hundred times, but you’re also going to get some people who just like movies and haven’t seen it yet,”

he said. “We want to make sure we can keep it accessible for everybody there and make sure everyone feels comfortable in the dialogue.”

Holly Hodge, director of program operations for Untitled, said 40 Minutes or Less will be free of intimidating art house pretension.

“We’re trying to make it where anyone can come in, have a good time and learn and talk about movies,” she said.

Opening shot

OKC Film Society, formerly OKC Movie Club, celebrated its five-year anniversary in March. The group started by hosting regular, free screenings at what is now The Venue OKC in 16th Street Plaza District. Palmer has since seen its programming expand. In 2017, OKC Film Society partnered with deadCenter Film Festival for the Filmography series at 21c Museum Hotel.

Since then, Palmer has been looking for new programming opportunities across the city. He was happy when Untitled approached him about a potential partnership that would emphasize education and discussion.

“After talking with everyone over at [Artspace], we just started pitching different ideas about what would work best in the space,” he said. “That’s when we felt that short film would be a more interesting programming idea than just going, ‘Hey, this is a good movie; look at it.’ It’s more interactive.”

Untitled celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017. As the art gallery looks ahead toward the next two decades, it is looking to bring in programming and events that will interest a new generation of art enthusiasts.

“We’re trying to come up with new programs that we think are fun and exciting and relevant to the community,” Hodge said.

Palmer and Hodge designed 40

Minutes or Less to be both entertaining and educational. The best way to do that, Hodge said, was to feature short films.

The average film shown in the 40 Minutes or Less series will last no more than five minutes. Un Chien Andalou, which features a runtime of 21 minutes, will probably be one of the longest films they ever show.

“We felt like the best way to make it educational and bring in that dialogue was to have the short films that would last two to five minutes,” Hodge said.

“Then you could have that discussion with everyone without them sitting through an hour-and-a-half-long screening.”

Seeing Society

Palmer’s first OKC Movie Club screening was David Lynch’s 2001 cinephile favorite Mulholland Drive in 2013.

“Only one person who was not a friend of mine showed up,” Palmer said.

“Thankfully, it’s expanded from there.”

OKC Movie Club, and later OKC Film Society, was Palmer’s way of creating a community around the thing that he loved. Movies were one of his favorite things, and he wanted to build a circle of people who also appreciated watching and talking about movies together.

“In and of itself, [film] is kind of an alone hobby,” he said. “You just kind of sit at your home and you watch something or you go to the theater and watch something. I wanted something that could get a little more of the community involved.”

From the beginning, openness and affordability have been two of Palmer’s main goals. Like the 40 Minutes or Less series, few, if any, of his screenings have charged for admission.

“I wanted to make sure we kept things free, because everything is so easy to get at your fingertips at home,” he said. “I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to come out and watch a movie and just discuss afterwards.”

Short focus

[Artspace] at Untitled also has a history of showing film, and Hodge said 40 Minutes or Less is an attempt to return Husband-and-wife duo Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid shot the experimental short Meshes of the Afternoon in 1943. The 14-minute flick is one of three

j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

The silent short film classic Un Chien Andalou helps kick off [Artspace] at Untitled’s 40 Minutes or Less series. | Photo provided

to that history.

While going through old photographs preparing for Untitled’s 20-year anniversary celebration, Hodge discovered an old photo of a time several years ago when the art gallery had previously screened Un Chien Andalou. The film was projected outdoors to a large crowd, something Hodge said Untitled would like to return to someday with 40 Minutes or Less.

“All of these will be inside,” Hodge said, “but I’m hoping, eventually, maybe we can do that again.”

Palmer is also excited about restoring the film legacy of Untitled, which hosted several deadCenter Film Festival screenings back in the event’s early days. He also said Untitled is an ideal home for short film showings.

“Short films, the way that they live is really through art galleries and things like that,” Palmer said. “So I think showing short films in an art gallery really fits well.”

There are advantages to showing shorts as opposed to feature-length films, too. The longer the movie, the harder it is for most viewers to zero in on specific shots and technique. The 40 Minutes or Less series will focus mainly on style and contextual meaning.

“You can focus more on the art of making a film and the different processes they use,” Hodge said.

Palmer certainly does not want to discount the story aspect of a film.

Instead, his goal is to highlight other aspects of the art form.

“While there are interesting narrative aspects to what you can tell in a short film, because it’s shorter, sometimes there’s more emphasis on what is shown on screen — the mechanisms of filmmaking and the different aspects of that,” he said. “I think it’s going to create a little bit different discussion.”

Visit 1ne3.org.

40 Minutes or Less: Surrealism Night 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday [Artspace] at Untitled | 1 NE Third St.

films to screen at [Artspace] at Untitled’s first 40

1ne3.org | 405-815-9995

Minutes or Less event. | Photo provided

Free

Fiddle player Shelby Eicher and his band will lead music for the third annual Krewe de Banjo Mardi Gras at the American Banjo Museum. | | Photo provided

life

Tickets for the evening event are $20$25. In addition, the Shelby Eicher Jazz Band will perform a mini concert from 3-4 p.m. (The afternoon event is included with admission to the museum.)

American Banjo Museum is no stranger to hosting live music, but Baier said the Mardi Gras event hosts some of its most fun shows. “[The audience’s] reaction to live music is always fun to watch, but when it is tied to a fast–paced New Orleans style jazz setting, the excitement level is always greater,” Baier said. “You see people getting up to spontaneously dance, moving at the tables in a way that doesn’t happen at most events. It’s quite the amazing phenomenon.”

String scene

American Banjo Museum celebrates the instrument’s connection to jazz with a Mardi Gras party. By Jacob Threadgill

No city is more synonymous with Mardi Gras than New Orleans, but if Louisiana isn’t an option, the American Banjo Museum is using the instrument’s connection to jazz to host a celebration worthy of the French Quarter.

American Banjo Museum, 9 E. Sheridan Ave., will host its third annual Krewe de Banjo Mardi Gras fundraiser 6-9 p.m. Feb. 10.

Museum executive director Johnny Baier said that the banjo is “inextricably” linked to the earliest days of jazz in New Orleans, the genre’s mecca.

“In the early stages of jazz, many of bands didn’t have drummers and were looking for percussive sound,” Baier said.

“Also in New Orleans, the mobility of the bands, being able to march or go into halls that didn’t have pianos was important.

The key here is the banjo in the Dixieland Kirkpatrick Family Fund sponsored a new learning lounge at the American Banjo Museum the weekend of Feb. 10. | Photo provided Kirkpatrick Family Fund sponsored a new learning lounge at the American Banjo Museum that will debut the weekend of Feb. 10. | Photo provided

setting is the quartile instrument, similar to a piano or guitar, but it is also a percussive rhythmic instrument because of its drumlike body.”

Krewe de Banjo Mardi Gras features live music led by acclaimed fiddle player Shelby Eicher and Cajun cuisine including jambalaya, red beans and rice, crabmeat macaroni and cheese, rosemary bread and doberge cake.

“Shelby is a legendary fiddle player.

Fiddle is not normally considered a Dixieland jazz instrument, but when you slide it into the jazz violin realm, it becomes a very cool instrument,” Baier said, noting that the evening’s music will be a mixture of New Orleans jazz, Western swing and a little bit of Hot Club de France, the music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.

“In years past, we’ve done straightforward Dixieland, but because we’ll have so many people coming year after year, we though we’d put a new edge on it,” Baier said.

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Museum additions

Fast-paced jazz music isn’t the only reason to tour the American Banjo Museum the weekend of Feb. 10. The museum will debut a new learning center sponsored by Kirkpatrick Family Fund that weekend.

The learning center features banjos on hand to play and video lessons from the likes of Tony Trischka (Skyline), John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) and Jens Kruger (Kruger Brothers) as they guide beginners through 3-minute instructions.

“In addition, there is a workstation to peruse archives and connect with other banjo resources,” Baier said. “If you want to, you can sit around and pick all day.”

You see people getting up to spontaneously dancing, moving at the tables in a way that doesn’t happen at most events.

Johnny Baier The new learning center pairs with the museum’s current special exhibit, a look at the career of Oklahoma’s Roy Clark, the banjo player known as “America’s super picker,” through his own words, artifacts and photos. The exhibit will be on display through March.

The museum is putting together its next special exhibit, which will feature Philadelphia’s Mummer culture, Baier said. The Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day is the oldest folk festival in the country, and in addition to flamboyant costumes, the Mummers have a deep connection to string music, and the banjo in particular. Baier said the exhibit will be in place by the summer.

Visit americanbanjomuseum.com.

Krewe de Banjo Mardi Gras 6-9 p.m. Feb. 10 American Banjo Museum | 9 E. Sheridan Ave. americanbanjomuseum.com | 405-604-2793

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YO U T H

ARTS & CULTURE

Take a bow Capitol Hill High’s Academy of Fine Arts provides unique opportunities for performing and visual arts students who want to hone their craft and take it to the next level. By Laura Eastes

Jesus Medrano has always wanted to go to college. When he entered middle school, Medrano was encouraged to not only perform well in his academic classes but choose an elective to boost his college application. He signed up for the school’s band program and was handed an instrument case; inside, there was a trumpet.

To Medrano’s surprise, he not only took to the instrument, learning just how to make that bold and brassy sound, but enjoyed the time he spent in rehearsals with fellow students. When he completed eighth grade, Medrano made the decision to apply for Capitol Hill High School’s Academy of Fine Arts, the state’s only fine arts academy connected with the National Academy Foundation. In its third year, the academy draws a diverse group of talented student musicians, actors, dancers, vocalists, visual artists, creative writers and even aspiring filmmakers and fashion designers.

Through the four-year program, students split their time at the southside high school between core academic classes and curriculum designed around their arts discipline or technique.

“Being in the academy has really opened my mind to a lot more things than just band, but the arts in general,” said Medrano, who is now learning percussion instruments as well as honing his trumpet craft.

In the academy’s geography course, Medrano completed a research project on Germany for which he performed a German folk song on his trumpet in his final presentation.

“I hope to learn a lot more,” he said.

Medrano has no doubt that he will. In Students in Capitol Hill’s Dance Diversity Company practice a piece for a spring contest. | Photo Laura Eastes

addition to his coursework and involvement in the school’s marching band, he is required as an academy student to complete 100 hours of community service and 120 hours in a paid arts internship to graduate. Those requirements don’t give the teenager pause; instead, they encourage him to look forward to what’s ahead.

Academy launch

Oklahoma City Public Schools launched Capitol Hill’s Academy of Fine Arts in fall 2015. The academy, certified by the National Academy Foundation, joined a handful of other career academies offered at the district’s high schools.

Designed as learning communities around a subject area, like health sciences, engineering, finance or entrepreneurship, career academies put students on a pathway from high school to further education and the workplace.

It was no small task for the district to create the arts academy, explained Erika Reyes, who served as its site coordinator.

Capitol Hill’s arts programs, which ranged from visual to performing arts, served as the foundation, but teachers worked to recruit local professionals to serve on the advisory board, built relationships with community partners for student community service and internship opportunities and designed a four-year curriculum in nearly a dozen disciplines. Each academic year, the academy hosts around six major performances, which includes winter and spring concerts and drama productions.

“We wanted to build this academy into something where kids were held accountable and followed the curriculum for four years, becoming more prepared for higher education in their disciplines or not,” said Tristianne Asbury, one of the academy’s directors who teaches studios in the disciplines of band, drumline and piano.

Future track

By design, the district’s career academies serve as a springboard to the professional world. So far, arts academy students have completed internships at local dance studios, yoga studios and businesses. The district’s academies also hold strong graduation and college acceptance rates. The arts academy is on track to follow district trends, its leaders said.

Reyes, who is the head dance director, beamed with pride when she shared that each of the 14 dance seniors applied to college and many face auditions for acceptance into dance programs in the coming weeks. In May, half of those students will wear white robes at graduation to signify their high grade-point average.

“As freshmen, they begin with an elective academy class and a technique (discipline) class,” Reyes said. “By the time they are seniors, they are in their fourth technique class. For dancers, they must complete a senior capstone, which is to choreograph a piece on their own. It gets more and more challenging as they grow, but it prepares them.”

Angelica Herrera, a senior at the arts academy and Capitol Hill’s Academy of Engineering, has completed two internships, one with Antioch Energy and a second with Everything Goes Dance Studio. Both internships taught her real-life skills, like how to be patient when working with preschool children in a dance class.

“For my future career, I want to be an engineer, but I love dancing,” said Herrera, who specializes in jazz dance and was accepted at Oklahoma State University to study architectural engineering. “I hope I keep doing it whether as a hobby or coming back to Capitol Hill to help out.”

from left Angelica Herrera and Jesus Medrano, seated in their school’s auditorium, are two of the 143 students enrolled in Capitol Hill High School’s Academy of Arts. | Photo Laura Eastes

see students strike flamenco dance moves. In the band room, one might hear the sounds of “Como Te Voy A Olvidar.”

“We stay true to our roots,” Reyes said.

“Our kids are able to express themselves.”

The academy’s juniors, through their event planning course, present Dare to Dream, a showcase of the students’ talents, 6 p.m. Feb. 8 in the school’s auditorium. Since August, the students have learned the ins and outs of producing a performance or show, learning about production, design, marketing and more.

Currently, there are 143 students enrolled in the art academy.

There are signs that the program is reaching its goal of serving students and providing them opportunities to advance in the arts and be connected to the local community. Academy students are a familiar sight at events like Fiestas de las Americas, Día del Niño (Children’s Day Festival) and the groundbreaking of Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Automobile Alley.

This fall, Asbury held a meeting for parents of juniors in the academy, and parents filled up every seat in the classroom. Questions centered on how to support their children through the program. Last week, Reyes met with a Midwest City parent about their eighthgrade daughter joining the dance program next fall. The meeting ended with the parent completing the academy’s application.

“We are on a whole new level of arts education,” Reyes said. “We’ve come so far. These kids are getting experiences that they will never forget.”

Community production

As the school’s Dance Diversity Company practiced on the school’s auditorium stage, dance teachers Reyes and Cameelah Pennington discussed how the academy’s teachers infuse culture into lessons. At Capitol Hill, 72 percent of the school’s population is Hispanic.

In the dance program, it’s not usual to 26

j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Academy of Arts Showcase: Dare to Dream 6 p.m. Feb. 8 Capitol Hill High School | 500 SW 36th St. okcps.org 405-587-9000

YO U T H

Creating creativity

Science Museum Oklahoma opens up the possibilities of design in new exhibit Kid Inventor.

By Ian Jayne

Think about Thomas Edison’s first lightbulb. It didn’t work. Neither did the supposedly hundreds of experiments that followed it, but Edison continued to experiment. Persistence and creativity are two hallmarks of scientific experimentation, and a new exhibit at Science Museum Oklahoma puts these attributes front and center.

Kid Inventor runs at the museum, 2020 Remington Place, until March.

Featuring three areas — design, build and test — the exhibit allows children and their parents to experiment and implement their creative ideas.

What the exhibit doesn’t feature, though, are overtly descriptive instructions on how to use the space or the materials in it. There are very few signs in the exhibit, according to Eileen Castle, director of Oklahoma Museum Network, which designed Kid Inventor.

“We want them to take the materials and go from one end to the other, building whatever they want to,” Castle said of the exhibit’s open-ended nature. “It’s a chance for primarily kids, but all ages, to get an experience of what the engineering and design process is and just use their imagination and create new and different things.”

Kid inventors who attend the exhibit can practice designing in a variety of ways. Castle said the exhibit includes computers for coding or designing a game system, 3-D sculpting and a space for experimenting with electronic sounds and music. There is also a workstation to draw out designs, Castle said.

The exhibit includes a wide variety of tools, including paper, straws, Legos and large-scale blocks.

“We have all sorts of materials you can build with, and once you build in all those areas, then we have areas where you can test,” Castle said. “We want people to use a wind tube in as many different ways as they can. We don’t want it to have one purpose.”

The testing area includes wind tubes, an airstream table, a shake table and a raceway, Castle said. By focusing on the comprehensive design process, the exhibit draws on the museum’s philosophy of “tinkering.”

“Tinkering or making is taking an idea that you have or taking something that already exists,” Castle said, “and changing it, making it better, coming up with a completely different application for it.”

The raceway lets visitors test their new Lego vehicles in the Kid Inventor exhibit at Science Museum Oklahoma. | Photo Science Museum Oklahoma / Provided

Castle said the exhibit also shows kids that they can push themselves beyond their comfort zones as inventors and that this experimentation might lead to an even better creation. By testing what they’ve built, kid inventors will also have the opportunity to think about failure as a positive mechanism built into the scientific process.

“Failure is not a bad thing. In inventing, it’s actually oftentimes a way to make things even better,” Castle said.

It’s a chance for parents and children to work on an equal playing field, as opposed to parents telling their child how to do something.

Eileen Castle With its focus on kid inventors’ independence and autonomy, the exhibit aims to spark creativity on both individual and collective levels. Castle said Kid Inventor was designed so an individual child would be able to design whatever she or he wanted but the space could also be reoriented for families.

“I think it’s a really wonderful chance to experience design with your families,” Castle said. “It’s a chance for parents and

Get one. Get some.

Showcase your romantic gift selection!

Children use Legos in experiments in the Kid Inventor exhibit at Science Museum Oklahoma. | Photo Science Museum Oklahoma / provided

children to work on an equal playing field, as opposed to parents telling their child how to do something.”

The exhibit also features tools, design technology and testing elements that are not always available at home or school, which makes it a unique, open and tactile environment for trying new things, Castle said.

Kid Inventor shows that creativity is not a one-time event, but rather a process of trial and error, of creation and revision. The exhibit, from its title to its application, demonstrates that “kid” and “inventor” are not disparate concepts, but rather symbiotic, a scientific application of creativity.

“The idea is for them to design something, to build it, to test it, re-design it and just go back and forth until they get products that they like,” Castle said.

Science Museum Oklahoma is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sundays. Admission is free-$15.95.

Visit sciencemuseumok.org.

Kid Inventor 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays Science Museum Oklahoma 2020 Remington Place sciencemuseumok.org | 405-602-6664 Free-$15.95

PUBLISHING JANUARY 31 & FEBRUARY 7 Ad Deadline is 7 days prior to Publish Date

book your ad space today!

CALL 405.528.6000 OR EMAIL ADVERTISING@OKGAZETTE.COM O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8

27

ARTS & CULTURE

Welcome to Pet Gazette,

Lisa Blacknoll-Hyche, a local mother of three, created LUX baby bottles in 2017.

a quarterly Glossy maGazine published by OklahOma Gazette.

| Photo LUX / provided

mature baby’s heart rate and breathing, according to parenting website Today’s Parent.

“The LUX nipple is soft and has a wider base, or areola, which is very soft and feels like skin. Other nipples are narrow, straight and rigid, which means the baby can’t latch and nurse naturally,” Blacknoll-Hyche said. “Our nipple is perfect; when a baby latches, the milk or formula shoots out without the child working, like a natural nipple works.”

next issue January 31, 2018

YO U T H

Family business

LUX idea

A local woman made a business out of baby bottles when faced with the difficulties of returning to work and continuing breastfeeding her baby.

By Christine Eddington

to place your ad in Pet Gazette, call your account executive at 405-528-6000 or email specialsections@okgazette.com

28

j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Oklahoma City mom Lisa BlacknollHyche might have made the perfect baby bottle. Last year, the mother of three launched her company, LUX, which distributes a bottle featuring a silicone nipple she designed and developed. Her company was developed out of necessity five months after she gave birth to her youngest child, Myles.

Though Blacknoll-Hyche was no stranger to baby products as a mother of three, she spent her days working in the aerospace industry and was a little worried about returning to work and breastfeeding after Myles was born.

“I am a proposal manager, which means for the last 12 years, I have been all about airplanes,” she said. “I knew I was going to have to go back to work fairly quickly, and although Myles had latched immediately and was nursing fine, as a mom, I wanted him to continue to have the comfort of a mom even when using a bottle. I worried that he wouldn’t take a bottle. If he wouldn’t, then how would I run between his childcare and my office several times a day

while I continued to breastfeed?”

Blacknoll-Hyche said.

Scientifically sound

When an infant latches properly, he or she draws the nipple all the way to the soft palate, which creates a seal between the baby’s mouth and the mom’s breast. The seal allows milk to be ingested and blocks out air, which reduces or eliminates colic and allows the baby to fill up on milk.

A correct latch also enables a mother’s milk to flow more easily.

Another important benefit of breastfeeding is that mom and baby experience skin-toskin contact, which helps calm baby and mom but also aids in helping baby’s mental development and sleep habits and can even stabilize a pre-

When the idea for LUX hit her, Hyche’s oldest child, Meciah, was sitting with her. She was worrying aloud about returning to work and had, at that point, tested lots of nipples. She’d found a bottle base that she loved, but the perfect nipple remained elusive.

“I looked at Meciah and I said, ‘Let’s make the perfect baby bottle,’” Blacknoll-Hyche said. “And he said, ‘Mom, you always have great ideas, but you never do them.’ I decided that day.”

Now all of her kids are involved.

Myles was the chief bottle tester and Meciah helps with marketing and brand management and helped come up with the company’s name. Blacknoll-Hyche’s daughter London helps her mom deliver samples to shops and boutiques.

Hyche’s husband helps foster the business by feeding Myles and, perhaps more importantly, washing bottles.

“We made the bottle base and nipple nice and wide, so even a man’s hand can fit inside them to wash them,” Blacknoll-Hyche said.

After her initial conversation with Meciah, Blacknoll-Hyche called the manufacturer of the bottle bases she liked and got to work. She learned that she could customize the nipples to her heart’s content and was elated.

“We have shipped samples all across the United States, and we have filled orders from all over the country, as far away as Hawaii, New York, California and Florida,” she said. “I get letters and emails from parents who are thrilled to see their babies latch immediately and eat.”

LUX plans to branch into other products in the future, but for now, the bottles and nipples, available in two sizes and several colors, are available on amazon.com and luxbabybottle.com.

LUX baby bottles are made of soft silicone that mimics the feeling of skin. | Photo LUX / provided

calendar are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS Sheikh Mohammad Abdulah’s Reflections On Kashmir, Nyla Khan discusses his book of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s speeches, interviews and letters with research on the political history of Kashmir, 6-8 p.m. Jan. 25. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. THU Storytime with Miss Julie, Bring the kids for storytime with books Miss Julie picked herself. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Art Adventures, bring your young artists ages 3-5 to experience art through books with related art projects, 10:30 a.m.-noon Tuesdays through June. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE Reading Wednesdays, share the love of reading with your young children with seasonal, naturethemed books and interactive song and crafts, 10 a.m. Wednesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. WED Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies, enjoy a lecture presented by author Ross King about his book on Claude Monet and the full story behind his painting “Water Lilies,” 6-8 p.m. Jan. 31.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. WED Read for Adventure, the OKC Zoo and Metropolitan Library Systems have partnered to publish the children’s book, Our Day at the Zoo‚ and to create a community Read for Adventure program enabling readers to check out the new book from any of the 19 Metro Library locations, through March 31. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org.

FILM The Florida Project, (2017, UK, Sean Baker), covers a single summer of precocious six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her rebellious young mother Halley (Bria Vinaite), 8 p.m. Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27, 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Jan 28.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI The Passion of Joan of Arc, (1928, France, Carl Theodor Dreyer), a silent movie with synchronized soundtrack about the trial of Joan of Arc (Renee Maria Falconetti), 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 25.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Lover for a Day: The Autobiographical Cinema of Philippe Garrel, (2017, France, Philippe Garrel), following a difficult breakup, 23-year-old Jeanne (Philippe’s real-life daughter Esther Garrel) is forced to move back in with her unmarried professor father, Gilles, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 26, 8 p.m.

Jan. 27. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, (2017, USA, Martin McDonagh) Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand)

paints three billboards with controversial messages directed at the chief of police to find her daughter’s murderer, 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. Jan. 28. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SUN

HAPPENINGS Leadership Development, a seminar for business professionals and innovators about profitable relationships, overcoming fear and building confidence, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 24. Chesapeake Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., 405-602-8700, chesapeakearena.com. WED A Kaleidoscope of the West, Don Reeves, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture, concludes his 38 years at the museum with a talk on the collections, ideas and friendships he has made, 1-2 p.m. Jan. 24. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED The 2018 Social Report: Predicting Digital Marketing Trends, explore trends, tips and predictions for 2018 with Amy Pyles, vice president of digital, Jessica Robbins, associate creative director and UX strategy and Madison Bryan, digital strategist, 6 p.m. Jan. 25. Saxum, 621 N. Robinson Ave., ad2okc.com. THU The Kirbas institute Dinner Event, features speaker John Sutter from CNN who was recently nominated for the Emmy Award for his special series 2 Degrees 6-9 p.m. Jan. 25. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-5220765, kirbasinstitute.org. THU Legislative 101, Jami Longacre provides information on the Oklahoma Legislative process, how to communicate with Legislators and how to get involved in community advocacy efforts, 9:30 a.m.-noon Jan. 26. NorthCare, 2617 General Pershing Blvd., 405-858-2700, northcare.com. FRI Plant Science, How do leaves eat? How does water move in plants? Here’s your chance to find out with learning the basic needs of plants, 10-11:30 a.m.

Jan. 27. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT Bold Your Vision, a Vision Board Brunch created to help women activate their vision for the New Year by manifesting happiness and living your best life, 11 a.m.3 p.m. Jan. 27. Langston University, 701 Sammy Davis Jr Drive, Langston, 405-466-2231, langston.edu. SAT Fins and Pins Bowling Tournament, silent auctions, raffles and games to raise additional funds for Faith 7 Activity Center in Shawnee and The Work Activity Center in Moore, noon-5 p.m.

Jan. 27. Windsor Lanes, 4600 NW 23rd St., 405942-5545, copa-nut.com. SAT Repticon Oklahoma City Reptile & Exotic Animal Show, shop vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages and merchandise as well as live animal seminars and free raffles for coveted prizes, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan 27-28.

State Fair Park Hobbies, Arts and Crafts Building, 3100 General Pershing Blvd., 405-948-6700, repticon.com.

Single Space, reflect, prioritize and renew your perspective for 2018 with women like you, 3 p.m.

Jan. 28. Studio 7, 520 NW 23rd St., 405-409-2878, studio7okc.com. SUN Free Winter Geekland Event, Calling all geeks!

Come in your favorite character’s outfit to participate in activities for the kids and take some photos, 1-3 p.m. Jan. 28. My Chic Geek, 4413 N. Meridian Ave., Warr Acres, 405-367-7955, mychicgeek.com. SUN

In Their Element: A Showcase of Native Photographers Featuring Native American photographers Brad Woods, Jim Trosper, Lisa Hudson and Cara Romero, In Their Element showcases their individual photography styles through Feb. 28 at Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave. Call 405-767-8900 or visit exhibitcgallery.com.

THROUGH FEB. 28 Photo Exhibit C/provided

Leadercast Women, learn how to maximize your skills to become a leader worth following with breakfast, lunch and workshop materials provided, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 31. Embassy Suites OKC Downtown - Medical Center, 741 N. Philips Ave., 405-239-3900, embassysuites3.hilton.com. WED

Discovery Time, a program for preschool and elementary-age kids with a hands-on activity of stories, crafts and discovery table specimens, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SUN

Museum Theory and Practice, explore the research, preservation, management and interpretation of historical and cultural resources, through April 27. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Harry Potter at Hogwarts Painting Class: Canvas & Cupcakes, choose your house at Hogwarts and paint your colors on a pre-drawn canvas; while it dries, enjoy a cupcake! 3:30-5 p.m. Jan. 28. Artsy Rose Academy, 7739 W. Hefner Road, 405-6038550, artsyrose.com. SUN

FOOD

continued on page 30

A Perfect Finish, a night of wine and beer tasting, auction and fun in the heart of the Boathouse District benefiting the OKC Riversport Junior Crew, 7-10 p.m. Jan. 27. Devon Boathouse, 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., 405-552-4040, riversportokc.org. SAT Whiskey Tasting, finish out the month of January with a tasting of fifteen whiskeys and bourbons in the museum cafe, 6-8 p.m. Jan. 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. TUE The Lost Ogle Trivia, for ages 21 and up, test your knowledge with free trivia play and half-priced sausages, 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays through Nov. Fassler Hall, 421 NW 10th St., 405-609-3300, fasslerhall. com. TUE Geeks Who Drink, weekly trivia with fun audio and visual rounds where teams compete to win free pints and gift cards, 7-9 p.m. Mondays. Stonecloud Brewing Company, 1012 NW 1st St., 405-602-3966, stonecloudbrewing.com. WED

YOUTH Culinary Arts: Krafty Kids Night, while learning about the culinary side of arts and making tasty treats, kids will gain knowledge about kitchen utensils, nutrition and measuring, 6-9 p.m. Jan. 26.

Artsy Rose Academy, 7739 W. Hefner Road, 405603-8550, artsyrose.com. FRI Kids’s Collagraph Printmaking, kids age 7-14 will learn how to make a collagraph print with local artist and print maker, Annalisa Campbell of Brayer&Brush, 1-4 p.m. Jan. 27. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org. SAT

Human Trafficking Awareness Month Candlelight Vigil Take a stand this year against human trafficking with a candlelight vigil to remember, honor and pray for human trafficking victims and survivors. Leaders in Oklahoma’s movement against human trafficking will also speak. The event is 6-7:15 p.m. Thursday at Oklahoma Bar Association, 1901 N. Lincoln Blvd. Visit facebook.com/okhttf. THURSDAY

The Coded Life: Intro, Angel Little teaches the basic concepts of computer programming, code jargon and resource/ research tactics to create your own website, 1-4:30 p.m. Jan. 27. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Explore It!, answer all your questions of what, why and how about the natural world we live in, 11:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SAT

Photo The Dragonfly Home/provided

Sox of Love Sock Drive Create sock cupcakes that will be given out to homeless Oklahomans on Valentines Day. The sock drive celebrates Sox of Love’s second birthday and welcomes participants age 6 and up. Sock donations for adults and children are appreciated. The event is 2:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday at Paper Arts, 632 W. Edmond Road. Call 405-494-0005 or visit soxoflove.org. SUNDAY Photo Sox of Love/provided

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8

29

calendar Past, Present & Future, represents contemporary artists from well-established artists to emerging artists and the artists of right now, through Jan. 28. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405528-6336, jrbartgallery.com.

l isti n gs

continued from page 29 Little Sapling Series, enjoy songs, games and interactive fun for the whole family exploring the world of gardens with mud pies, observing caterpillars and more, 10-11 a.m. every other Tuesday. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

Resolutions, a group art show with a diverse group of artists working in the theme of New Year’s Resolutions, through Feb. 4. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. THU SHIFT, Factory Obscura presents a fully-immersive, experiential art installation that challenges the participant to physically explore the full-sensory environment, Thu-Sun noon-6 p.m. through Feb. 25.

Current Studio, 1218 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-6731218, currentstudio.org.

Kid Inventor, design, test and build unique creations using a variety of materials and technologies such as Legoes, string, paper and more, through March. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place , 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Space Burial, an exhibit using satellite dishes as a burial object for a space-faring culture and facilitates the dead’s afterlife journey to the stars, Jan. 26-April 8. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

PERFORMING ARTS Ages of the Moon, in Sam Shepard’s play, two friends reunite over bourbon on ice to reflect and bicker over fifty years of friendship and rivalry that is put to the test, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25, 8 p.m. Jan. 26-27. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare.com. FRI Young Choreographers’s Showcase, features new and innovative choreography created by School of Dance students with works of movement styles and lighting design by students, 8 p.m. Jan. 25-27, 3 p.m. Jan. 28. Reynolds Performing Arts Center, 560 Parrington Oval, Norman, 405-325-7370, ou.edu. THU Distinguished Artists Series: Vince DiMartino, honored with the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, trumpeter Vince DiMartino headlines with Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra, 8 p.m. Jan. 26. Bass School of Music, OCU, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405208-5227, okcu.edu/music. FRI

Glitter Ball: Glam Rock Glitter Ball is a winter dance party and art extravaganza featuring live performances, a massive dance floor, hors d’oeuvres and a premium bar along with several surprises throughout the evening. The ball begins at 8 p.m.

Friday at Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $100, and sponsorships are available. Call 405-246-9233 or visit deadcenterfilm.org. FRIDAY Photo Aaron Gilliland Photography/provided

ACTIVE

Heroes & Villains, takes audiences on a musical journey through songs from their favorite heroes showcasing feats of strength, skill and grace, 8 p.m.

Jan. 26-27. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. FRI

Line Dancing Lessons, perfect your dancing skills with some country music, Wednesdays. Chisholm’s Saloon, 401 S Meridian Ave., 405-949-0423, facebook.com/chisholmssaloon. WED

The Centennial Rodeo Opry, an evening of live music and the best performers representing country, folk, blues, gospel, rock, bluegrass and more, 6 p.m. Saturdays. Centennial Rodeo Opry, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-297-9773, ohfo.org. SAT

Devon Ice Rink, bundle up, grab your friends and family and enjoy a great day of fresh air and skating in the prettiest spot in town, through Jan. 28. Monday-Thursday 3pm-9pm, Friday 3pm-11pm, Saturday 11am-11pm Sunday 11am-7pm. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-2001547, myriadgardens.com.

Moscow Festival Ballet, features the Best of Russian Ballet Gala, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and The Best of Tchaikovsky, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29-30. Armstrong Auditorium, 14400 S. Bryant Rd., Edmond, 405-285-1010, armstrongauditorium.org.

Learn-to-Swim Program, giving residents of all ages and financial situations the opportunity to learn to swim with proper technique and basic water safety at their own pace offered by the King Marlin Swim Club, ongoing, Lighthouse Sports, Fitness and Health, 3333 W. Hefner Road,405-8455672, marlinswimamerica.com. SAT Beer and Yoga with Fusion Fitness, bring your own mat; Lazy Circles Brewing will supply the beer!

Classes are taught by Lindsey from Fusion Fitness, 2 p.m. Jan. 37. Lazy Circles Brewing, 422 E. Main St., Norman, 405-310-5364, lazycirclesbrewing.com. SAT Yoga in the Gardens, an all-levels class led by Lisa Woodward from This Land Yoga; class participants should bring a yoga mat and water, 5:45 p.m.

Tuesdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE

VISUAL ARTS Art Chat with Steve Hicks, all are welcome with free admission to hear award-winning artist Steve Hicks discuss his art and creative process, 2 p.m.

Jan. 28. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

As I See It, features paintings of Oklahoma Artist Steve Hicks ranging from landscapes to abstract art, through Feb. 25. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org.

Cartoons & Comics: The Early Art of Tom Ryan, the drawings of acclaimed Western artist Tom Ryan are displayed showcasing his creativity, talent, and humor from his teenage imagination, high school and coast guard years and his school paper’s sports page, through April 1. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Nghiem’s Fairytales: 2016 Wasn’t So Bad A storytelling show featuring BradChad Porter and an eclectic group of OKC’s funniest comedians telling their tales of 2017, Nghiem’s Fairytales: 2016 Wasn’t So Bad centers on what made 2017 such a rough year and why 2018 can only be better. The show is for all ages, but be warned there is adult content. Bring your own beer and pay $5 to attend 8:30-10:15 p.m. Saturday at New World Comics, 6219 N. Meridian Ave. Visit okccomedy.com.

SATURDAY

Curator’s Tour: Francesca Giani, explore The Question of Beauty, an investigation of how artists used, ignored or rejected beauty as mode of expression, with curator Francesca Giani, 6-7 p.m.

Jan. 25. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Decomposition: Discovering the Beauty and Magnificence of Fungi, the kingdom of fungi is on display at SMO’s smART Space Galleries exploring the uses, benefits and beauty of fungi, through Aug. 12. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Docent-Guided Signature Tour, see some of the finest Western art in the country with ethnographic material from Native Americans and mountain men, and learn about frontier military life, Saturdays and Sundays through Feb. 25. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Drop-In Art: Wire Sculptures, join teaching artist Hilary Jones as we create wire sculptures inspired

by Jonathan Hils’s sculpture Bedfellow, seen in The Art of Oklahoma exhibition, 1-4 p.m. Jan. 27.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Eclectic Eye, a diverse showcase of different mediums, such as oil pastels, acrylics and photography with Margaret Hoge, Jane Morgan, Stephanie Halley and more, through Jan. 28. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo St. #A, 405-525-2161, inyoureyegallery.com.

Fine Print! Posters from the Permanent Collection, arranged chronologically and thematically with five topics: artists, entertainers, patriotism, products and ideas reflecting the twentieth century’s conflicting values, through May 27. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Generations in Modern Pueblo Painting: The Art of Tonita Peña and Joe Herrera, documents and celebrates in particular the art of Tonita Peña (1983-1949), the only female Pueblo painter of her generation, and the work of her son, Joe Hilario Herrera, through April 8. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Strange Tide, Danny Joe Rose III’s paintings are abstract and reminiscent of places he’s been, a sort of visual history, through Feb.17. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org.

The Art of Oklahoma, celebrate the 110th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood with a diverse collection of art created by or about Oklahomans and the cities and landscapes they call home.

Enjoy works by John Steuart Curry, Oscar Brousse Jacobson, Nellie Shepherd, David Fitzgerald and Woody Big Bow, through Sept. 2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

The New Art: A Controversial Collection Fifty Years Later, the 150-piece permanent collection purchased from the Washington Gallery of Modern Art is dedicated to the collection of contemporary art and features abstract expressionism, post-painterly abstraction, color field painting and pop art, through May 13. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

The Question of Beauty, presents modern and contemporary art from the permanent collection that employs beauty as a mode of expression, together with work that either rejects or ignores beauty, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. through Feb. 11. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

Turn the Page 2018, artists Holly Bjorkstrom, Kafie Gibson Carman, Annalisa Campbell and more express what turning the page means through their art, noon-5 p.m. Tue-Sat through 27.

Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.com.

Watercolor Class: Winter Watercolor, get in touch with your creative side with watercolor artist Jim Pourtorkan for a hands-on session with supplies provided, 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 27. Ralph Ellison Library, 2000 NE 23rd St, 405-424-1437, metrolibrary.org. SAT

Head Space, engage in a process of discovery and exploration with University of Oklahoma MFA students Camila Linaweaver and Sean Mueller, through Feb. 2. The Lightwell Gallery, 520 Parrington Oval, Rm. 202, Norman, 405-325-2691, art.ou.edu.

I-35 Toy Trucks, BJ White paints abstracts on man’s imprint on the earth from constructions and habitats to trucks, through Feb. 17. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-815-6665, 1ne3.org.

Introduction to Glassblowing, a workshop for beginners focusing on safety, the movement of glass and creating glass paperweights, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 27. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT Life and Legacy: The Art of Jerome Tiger, one of Oklahoma’s most celebrated artists, Jerome Tiger, produced hundreds of works of art and won numerous awards throughout the country.

Celebrate the life and legacy of this remarkable painter, through May 13, 2018. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI OFF-SPRING: New Generations, explore the development of both personal and group identity, childhood, family, history, and gender politics through sculptures, paintings, photographs, and videos, through Apr. 2018. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com.

Open Impressionism: The Works of Erin Hanson, a large selection of paintings by Erin Hanson showing works from the past decade and her evolution into one of the most sought after artists of her generation, through Feb. 22. The Goddard Center, 401 1st Ave SW, Ardmore, 580-226-0909, goddardcenter.org.

Submissions must be received

by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg live music

see page 33 30

j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

EVENT

MUSIC

Lion’s share

Judah & the Lion brings its unique Folk Hop n’ Roll to The Jones Assembly. By Ben Luschen

There was a point in time when Judah & the Lion pictured itself as a standard folk-rock band. The Nashville-based trio’s earlier work sounds like something that would fit well as an opener on a bill with Mumford & Sons or Alabama Shakes.

It is not as if either of those pairings would suddenly be surprising today, but the first time banjoist Nate Zuercher heard a producer couple one of their existing songs with synthesized hip-hop bass, he wondered where exactly the band would fit on the music spectrum in the future.

“I remember personally being really uncomfortable like, ‘No, that’s a terrible idea. Why would we ever do that? That’s not who we are,’” Zuercher said. “But he was like, ‘Just trust me; try it.’”

Adding a distinct hip-hop flavor to its mandolin- and banjo-led folk pop sound (including rap verses from vocalist, guitarist and band founder Judah Akers), Judah & the Lion released its album Folk Hop n’ Roll in March 2016. The band returned to the studio after the release to further explore its hip-hop influence, adding several new songs and switching up the track order for Folk Hop n’ Roll (Deluxe), released March 2017. Many will recognize the upbeat, festivalfriendly single “Take It All Back,” which is certified gold by Recording Industry Association of America.

Judah & the Lion plays 8 p.m. Feb. 3 at The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan Ave. Tickets to the show have sold out.

The decision to experiment with electronic and hip-hop sounds was one that might have puzzled Zuercher at first, but the banjoist told Oklahoma Gazette that he tries to keep open to new ideas. Judah & the Lion’s bandmates come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds and upbringings, and the result is an eclectic blend of tastes and a musical identity that has shown a tendency to evolve over time.

“You have to kind of have that ability to take that leap, like, ‘I don’t really know about this, but I trust you,’” he said.

Eclectic upbringing

Before Zuercher ever picked up a banjo, got his first tattoo or grew his long, brown beard, he was growing up in an orchestra household as the son of a pianist and trumpet player for Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Classical music was everywhere around him all the time, whether he wanted it to be or not.

Naturally, he sought to latch onto something that was the opposite of his upbringing. In late elementary school and early middle school, Zuercher began to fall for punk and metal music.

“I saw School of Rock when I was in sixth grade,” he said. “That’s when I kind of started playing guitar.”

The guitar was the first instrument Zuercher loved, and he invested a lot of time into getting better at it. He also got into skater culture and was a loyal fan of the Tony Hawk video game series. He would hang out at local skate parks, where he got constant exposure to different subgenres of punk rock.

As he got older, he saw another shift in his interests. He joined the high school jazz band and began studying bluegrass music on his own time.

“In my mind, [bluegrass] is very similar to metal music,” he said. “That’s why I love it. It’s very rhythmic, the way I think about both of those.”

Zuercher got a banjo as a high school graduation present. He went to Nashville’s Belmont University to study music. As a sophomore there, he met and befriended future Judah & the Lion mandolin player Brian Macdonald at the many jam circles that would form around the city and college campus.

The two had been hanging out together for about six months when Zuercher got a call from Akers, asking him to record banjo on some songs he was working on for a solo project.

Akers and Zuercher had hardly ever spoken to each other before that call, but they were not exactly strangers either.

“I knew who he was because he was kind of an all-star baseball jock at Belmont,” Zuercher said. “And he knew who I was because I was the big, bearded, banjo-playing guy on campus.

So we were both somewhat familiar with who we were but hadn’t actually spent time together.”

Akers told Zuercher he also needed a mandolin player, so Zuercher invited Macdonald to join them as well. (They were also joined by drummer Spencer Cross, a founding member of Judah & the Lion who, in December, announced he was leaving the band because of travel demands.)

The banjoist said he was in disbelief

by how natural — and good — those recording sessions were.

“Sometimes people say you’ll know when you meet your spouse,” he said. “You just kind of know, and that’s how this felt.”

After the planned recording sessions were over, Zuercher called Akers back to tell him how get he thought they sounded together. It would be madness, he said, if they stopped playing now. Akers said he felt the same way, and the group of players cemented the band that would challenge genre convention in the years to come.

You have to kind of have that ability to take that leap, like, ‘I don’t really know about this, but I trust you.’

Nate Zuercher

Future direction?

Folk Hop n’ Roll and its later deluxe reissue were produced by Dave Cobb, who also produced the band’s less synthy Kids These Days in 2014. Cobb won a 2015 Grammy for Producer of the Year for his work on Chris Stapleton’s Traveller (which won Best Country Album) and Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free (Best Americana Album).

Judah & the Lion felt it was necessary to return to Folk Hop n’ Roll and add songs that more eloquently captured the hip-hop influence they envisioned for the album in the first place. The album’s deluxe version features new tunes like “Suit and Jacket” and “Going to Mars,” which fit more of a space feel than a radio-friendly dance aesthetic — perhaps more in the vein of Sturgill Simpson’s alt-country gem A Sailor’s

Judah & the Lion | Photo Connor Dwyer / provided

Guide to Earth.

“I think it’s more of what feels like our sound,” Zuercher said, “but I also would say there’s all kinds of possibilities that we may not even know about.”

Will hip-hop and electronic influences continue as part of Judah & the Lion’s sound in the future, or will Folk Hop n’ Roll stand as a distinct era in the band’s history?

The short answer, it appears, is that no one really knows for sure yet.

Zuercher said the new direction has undoubtedly become a part of who they are, but the band reserves the right to continue evolving in the future.

“We really like it, and I think we enjoy incorporating that,” he said, “but also we want to have the roots of where we started and we’re adamant about recording that too without worrying about what that looks like.”

Zuercher enjoys being in a band that is flexible and open to new ideas, though that admittedly can make his work more complicated.

“If we were a bluegrass band and we were always going to put out bluegrass records, it would be a little less strenuous,” he said.

Like any group of people, Judah & the Lion is not in full agreement on everything all the time. Some directions are taken as a compromise or in faith of other bandmates. The constant giveand-take has its pros and cons, but Zuercher has seen firsthand how the process can elevate the unit.

“I think when we record, there’s always a little bit of tension as far as wanting to be progressive and trying these new things,” he said. “It’s exciting, but it’s not so easy to always get on board with.”

Visit judahandthelion.com.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8

31

MUSIC This issue is all about getting right with your body, mind and spirit as we explore the best places in okc to eat healthy, put in your steps and get in the right frame of mind for an active and positive 2018.

Deadline January 24 Call your account executive at 528-6000 or email advertising@okgazette.com today to reserve your space!

Wed, Jan 24

whisky priesT thurs, Jan 25

clinT hardesTy Fri, Jan 26

buffalO rOgers & dylan sTewarT sat, Jan 27

The dang Ol’ Mike black band Wed, Jan 31

abbigale dawn Fri, Feb 2

The cake eaTers sat, Feb 3

ben Mckenzie & isaac Mcclung Wed, Feb 7

blake lankfOrd thurs, Feb 8

sTephen baker Fri, Feb 9

JOhn bOMbOy sat, Feb 10

The dennis brOThers Wed, Feb 14

cOlin ryan Weekly events Mondays

Open Mic w/caleb Mcgee tuesdays

Tanner Miller 405.928.4550 32

J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

F E AT U R E

PUBLISHING JANUARY 31

Tables turned

Trolley Stop Record Shop brings vinyl records and live music to the Classen Ten Penn neighborhood.

By Ben Luschen

Modern record collecting often involves flipping through racks in nook corner shops, searching for hidden gems. These stores range in age and size, but it can be rare to find a local shop as large and open as Trolley Stop Record Shop.

The locally owned record store recently moved from its small former location near NW 16th Street and Classen Boulevard to the old Penn Theater in the burgeoning Classen Ten Penn neighborhood. Trolley Stop, 1212 N. Pennsylvania Ave., uses its spacious interior to host concerts and other events. But the space is otherwise completely dedicated to selling and housing owner John Dunning’s massive record inventory.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Dunning said, gesturing toward Trolley Stop’s many racks and boxes of vinyl records and CDs, which easily number in the thousands. “I’ve got like three warehouses full of records, plus we buy records almost every day. There’s hardly a day where we don’t buy records.”

Dunning needs a large collection to support his healthy flow of business. Next door to Trolley Stop is Current Studio, which currently houses Factory Obscura art collective’s wildly popular Shift immersive art installation. Shift has been a boon to many of the nearby businesses as it continually draws in new guests and tourists who otherwise might not have visited the Classen Ten Penn area.

Trolley Stop is certainly among the biggest beneficiaries of that boost, but the shop is building a name in its own right — partly due to the resurgent popularity of record collecting among younger audiences. Dunning said Trolley Stop has no target demographic.

“Probably 10-12 would be the low end, and 77 would be the high end,” he said. “And it’s every age in between.”

The shop is open for business every day of the week: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. MondaySaturday and usually around 1-6 p.m.

Sundays. Nearly every genre of music

imaginable can be found between its brick walls, but it puts an emphasis on vintage records.

Trolley Stop is also growing in popularity as a venue. Dunning built a large wood stage and green room against the shop’s east wall. The shop hosts an open mic most Saturdays and a jazz jam the third Sunday of each month. Trolley Stop has held concerts for acts like Clint Hardesty’s blues band The Cake Eaters and acclaimed Illinois folk musician Pokey LaFarge.

Dunning said the space can be booked for private events and has already hosted birthday parties and high school reunions. When Dunning moved into Penn Theater, he envisioned his shop as a neighborhood meeting place.

“Everything we’ve had here, people love it,” he said. “It’s just a fun place to have a party.”

Miner mentality

In addition to Trolley Stop, Dunning owned former antiques and Route 66-style collectibles shop Western Trail Trading Post, 9100 N. Western Ave. He has been in the antiques business since the 1970s.

Before he ever dreamed of owning his own record shop, Dunning got a call one day at Western Trail from someone who wanted him to come out and look at his large collection of books and to give him a quote.

Dunning drove out to see the books, which turned out to be mostly crummy.

But while in the man’s house, he saw he had several shelves full of records.

Dunning told him that Western Trail also buys records.

The man’s face lit up when he heard this. He led Dunning back behind the house and into a backhouse full of thousands of records. And the man owned several more sheds packed with vinyl in the same way. Dunning saw an opportunity to turn a large chunk of the man’s collection into his own.

“I spent 30 days from morning to

Trolley Stop Record Shop owner John Dunning keeps thousands of vinyl records in stock at his new store location in the old Penn Theater. | Photo Ben Luschen

dark every evening just mining it,” Dunning said.

With his newly acquired stock, he opened Trolley Stop in 2012 on Classen Boulevard. Dunning said they would host shows in the small storefront, but it soon became clear to him that he would need more space.

Trolley Stop moved into the old Penn Theater shortly after Dunning saw a sign posted about the space’s availability. The record shop has been open in its new location since July.

The space is currently flooded with colorful records, pieces of music memorabilia and a handsome hand-built stage. But when Dunning moved into the space, there was nothing but the brick walls and cement floor.

As soon as he stepped inside, though, Dunning knew what the future could hold.

“I could see everything just like it is now,” he said. “It was like boom, it was in my head.”

‘We’re the boss’

One winter day, several customers entering Trolley Stop were greeted by a sweet and quiet gray schnauzer who mingled among the patrons. When the dog grew tired of socializing, it returned to a large, plush pillow under a table of new arrivals. The schnauzer is not the only dog frequently seen at the record shop.

“I guess I have a knack for finding dogs, or they find me,” Dunning said.

“We’ve always had dogs at the Trolley Stop. Some of them get kind of famous.

They get their picture taken and it’s all over the internet. People like them.”

Dunning runs the shop each day with the help of only a couple other staffers.

He is still in the process of moving out of the old Classen storefront. Once that is finished, he will be able to focus all his time on Trolley Stop and bolstering its event offerings.

The shop does not have any set goals or plans for what it will do with its stage in the future. Dunning is open to bringing in anything that sounds like a good idea. He does not want Trolley Stop to limit itself.

“There’s not a bunch we can’t do,” he said. “People say, ‘Well, can you do this?’

And I say, ‘Well heck, we’re the boss.

We can do anything we want to do.’”

LIVE MUSIC These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

WEDNESDAY, 1.24 Margo Price, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY Whisky Priest, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. ROCK

Fri, FEB 9

blackberrY smoke w/ lukas nelson

Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY

wEd, FEB 14

Serious Matters, Red Brick Bar, Norman. ROCK Samantha Fish, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. BLUES

THURSDAY, 1.25 Clint Hardesty, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. ROCK The Roamin’ Jasmine, The Chameleon Room.

JAZZ

Alan Doyle, The Blue Door. FOLK Brent Kruger & Jon Murchison, Chisholm’s Saloon. ROCK The Big News, The Deli, Norman. PUNK Datsik/Space Jesus/Riot Ten, OKC Farmers Public Market. ELECTRONIC Christophe Murdock/Justin Kaleb Driggers, Your Mom’s Place. COUNTRY

FRIDAY, 1.26 Drunk on Mondy/Munkie Gun, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK Amarillo Junction, Henry Hudson’s Public House.

COUNTRY

Stephen Hooks, 89th Street - OKC. HIP-HOP Gregg Standridge/Terry Buffalo Ware, Midway Grocery & Market, Norman. FOLK Tyler Lee Band, JR’s Pub & Grill St. ROCK Alan Doyle, Sauced on Paseo. HIP-HOP Breakup/Smokey Motel/Acetate, Opolis, Norman. INDIE Buffalo Rogers & Dylan Stewart, Blue Bonnet Bar. FOLK Keller Williams, Tower Theatre. ACOUSTIC Jared Deck/Caleb McGee, JJ’s Alley. ACOUSTIC Beau Jennings/John Calvin Abney, The Blue Door. FOLK Kestral & Kite, Full Circle Bookstore. INDIE The Big News/Flip and TCE/LFNC, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. PUNK

SATURDAY, 1.27 Kiss This/Next Halen, Oklahoma City Limits.

ROCK

Tyler Lee Band, Brewskeys. ROCK Jonny Lang, Diamond Ballroom. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

Dang Ol’ Mike Black Band, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. FOLK Nellie Clay, The Deli, Norman. COUNTRY Reckless Kelly, Tower Theatre. ROCK

keYs n kraTes w/ PromniTe, Jubilee DK the Drummer with Sucré Darren King, performing as DK the Drummer, incorporates his personal favorites from his record collection and his own original music. King has co-produced and performed songs for Kanye West and Travis Scott. He collaborates with vocalist Stacy Dupree-King to form Sucré. The show starts 8 p.m. Thursday at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. Tickets are $12. Call 405-708-6937 or visit towertheatreokc.com.

Fri, FEB 16

THURSDAY Photo DK the Drummer/provided

TUES, MAr 27

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Derek Harris, Noir Bistro & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Travis Linville, Blue Note Lounge. FOLK The Okie Tramps, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery.

COUNTRY

Jamie Bramble, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK The Arcane Septuples, Chesapeake Arena. POP The Chad Todd Band, Whiskey Barrel Saloon.

COUNTRY

TUES, FEB 20

noThinG more w/ The conTorTionisT, biG sTorY ThUrS, MAr 1

maTisYahu foresT of faiTh Tour SUn, MAr 11

floGGinG mollY life is Good Tour Fri, MAr 23

JeezY w/ Tee GrizzleY

ThUrS, MAr 26

sYlvan esso w/ suzi analoGue k. flaY w/ YunGblud

wEd, MAy 10

SUNDAY, 1.28 Chloe-Beth, Red Brick Bar, Norman. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

World War Me/Oh, Weatherly/Sunsleep, The Paramount OKC. PUNK The Fitzgeralds, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, Norman. JAZZ Michael Kleid’s Touch Of Sax, Flint. POP

dr. doG w/ son liTTle

SUn, MAy 14

fleeT foxes

wEd, MAy 16

JimmY eaT world w/ The hoTelier, microwave Tulsa ok

423 norTh main sT

TickeTs & info cainsballroom.com

Chris Knight, The Blue Door. SINGER/

SONGWRITER

MONDAY, 1.29 Parker Twomey, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. INDIE Elizabeth Speegle Band, Saints. JAZZ On the Cinder/Los Eskeletos, Blue Note Lounge.

ROCK

TUESDAY, 1.30 Jared Deck, Hollywood Corners Station, Norman.

ACOUSTIC

Aaron Cole, Chesapeake Arena. CHRISTIAN Hosty, JJ’s Alley. BLUES Dirty Fences/Trap Queen/The Killings, Blue Note Lounge. ROCK Rapper Propaganda/Dre Murray, Tower Theatre.

RAP

WEDNESDAY, 1.31 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Mr. Carmack/Tsuruda, Tower Theatre.

ELECTRONIC

January 25 dK THE dRuMMER January 26 KEllER WilliAMs January 27 RECKlEss KElly January 30 PROPAgAndA February 4 R.luM.R February 10 REAd sOuTHAll bAnd

Sleepwalking Home, The Root. ROCK Raina Cobb, Hollywood Corners Station, Norman.

wade bowen w/kaiTlin buTTs, brYce dicus

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date.

Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com.

Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

Dresden Bombers, Bison Witches Bar, Norman. PUNK

February 17 WAndA jACKsOn February 18 lAlAH HATHAWAy

Tickets and Info TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @towertheaterokc 405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd St. OKC

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8

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puzzles New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle SUPREME INTELLIGENCE

VOL. XL No. 4 1

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By Joel Fagliano | Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz | 0114

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1 Mike who was the 2017 NBA

Coach of the Year 8 Presidential advisory grp.

11 Covers 18 Worked on some screenwriting?

19 Major work 21 Like the French directors Eric

Rohmer and Jean-Luc Godard 22 Poseur 23 Kid’s creation out of pillows 24 Kind of elephant 25 Last monarch of the House of Stuart 26 Destructive sort 29 Photographer Adams 30 Lines in geometry 31 Android’s counterpart 32 ____ Xtra (soda) 34 Scoundrel 36 Worked from home?

39 Cease communication 41 Bug-studying org.

42 Steinbeck novella set in La Paz 46 Topic for Sun Tzu 47 Has as a tenant 49 Shakespearean king 50 Retired chat service 51 Military term of address 52 Perry of fashion 53 “I knew that would happen!”

58 Twelfth Night twin 62 Thin pancake 63 Spa treatment 64 Flowery 66 ____ Nation (record label for

Jay-Z and J. Cole) 67 Illegal interference … or what

can be found in this puzzle’s

1st, 3rd, 7th, 15th, 19th and

21st rows?

71 Stewbum 72 Noted brand of guitars 73 Use an ice pack on 74 What a conductor might conduct 75 Online admin 77 Where a big bowl is found 79 Indication to bow slowly, say 80 Creator of the Planet Money podcast 82 Like a boiled lobster 83 Buoy

85 Poe ode 89 Nicknamed 90 Largest moon in the solar system 91 Got down 92 Discharges 94 Reasons for sneezin’ 95 They might be backless 97 Fan favorite 98 Frequent Twitter poster 99 Thick hairstyle 103 For the case at hand 105 Hooded cloak 109 Home to the historic Moana Hotel 110 Connecticut city near New Haven 112 ____ speak 113 Kind of race 115 Dum-dums 116 In ____ (entirely) 117 Bit of advice before taking off?

118 Evasive basketball move 119 Brooding sort 120 Häagen-Dazs alternative

DOWN

1 Big name in Scotch 2 Appliance brand 3 Word before goat or state 4 Sporks have small ones 5 Suffix with crap 6 Bird bills 7 Now there’s a thought!

8 Sign by a pool 9 Features of monarch

butterfly wings 10 Add salt to, maybe 11 Santa ____ 12 Former Buick sedwans 13 “Victory is mine!”

14 Covered with water 15 Sleek fabrics 16 Closest to base?

17 Dry, as wine 20 Daze 27 Jessica of The Illusionist 28 Empty 33 Chocolate purchase 35 Language with six tones 36 180s 37 Dallas pro

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61 Nail-polish remover 63 Trivia venue 65 Margarine container 68 Sign of wind on water 69 Range that’s home to the

Mark Twain National Forest 70 Unit of 74-Across 76 It stands for January 78 Raiders’ org.

79 Big name in chips 81 Hamlet’s plot in Hamlet 84 “To what ____?”

85 Bill 86 Italian castle town 87 Advance warning 88 Nancy Drew’s boyfriend 89 “Finally!”

90 Roman Empire invader 93 Part of SSN: Abbr.

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94 Wrap tightly 96 Looks for purchases 98 Crested ____ (Colorado ski resort) 99 Like Santa’s suit on Dec. 26 100 Short-story writer Bret 101 The slightest margin 102 Shows nervousness, in a way 104 Taking action 106 Kids’ character who says,

“People say nothing is

impossible, but I do nothing

every day” 107 What has casts of thousands?

108 Hair-removal brand 110 Grate stuff 111 Potent venom source 114 “____-haw!”

T S R IA C A M I I B N I T C H S E A I N O I L R O B S S E E E D

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New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers Puzzle No. 0107, which appeared in the January 17 issue.

J U D A H

j a n u a r y 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Accounts receivable Karen Holmes

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Limit on what can be charged “All right, let’s play!”

Butcher’s stock Nickname for Springsteen Comics superhero with filed- off horns Joins forces?

Run off Actor Wheaton Prefix with -nomial Joins forces Insurance giant whose name begins with a silent letter Spoke tediously, with “on” Just for laughs Marble marvel Cuban province where the Castros were born Found (in)

Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison

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Sudoku medium | n°17741 Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com

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3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 www.okgazette.com Copyright © 2018 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

free will astrology Homework: Imagine that you’re still alive in 2090. What’s your life like? Testif y at Freewillastrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Anders Haugen competed for the U.S. as a ski jumper in the 1924 Winter Olympics. Although he was an accomplished athlete who had previously set a world record for distance, he won no medals at the games. But wait!

Fifty years later, a sports historian discovered that there had a been a scoring mistake back in 1924. In fact, Haugen had done well enough to win the bronze medal. The mistake was rectified, and he finally got his long-postponed award. I foresee a comparable development happening in your life, Aries. Recognition or appreciation you deserved to have received some time ago will finally come your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) In 1899, Sobhuza II

became King of Swaziland even though he was less than five months old. He kept his job for the next 82 years, and along the way managed to play an important role when his nation gained independence from the colonial rule of the United Kingdom. These days you may feel a bit like Sobhuza did when he was still in diapers, Taurus: not sufficiently prepared or mature for the greater responsibilities that are coming your way. But just as he received competent help in his early years from his uncle and grandmother, I suspect you’ll receive the support you’ll need to ripen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) In my ideal world,

dancing and singing wouldn’t be luxuries practiced primarily by professionals. They would be regular occurrences in our daily routines. We’d dance and sing whenever we needed a break from the numbing trance.

We’d whirl and hum to pass the time. We would greet each other with an interpretative movement and a little tune. In schools, dance and song would be a standard part of the curriculum -- as important as math and history. That’s my utopian dream, Gemini. What’s yours? In accordance with the astrological omens, I urge you to identify the soul medicine you’d love to incorporate into your everyday regimen. Then go ahead and incorporate it! It’s time for you to get more aggressive about creating the world you want to live in.

cLASSIFIEDS

Jobs.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Psychology pioneer Carl Jung believed that most of our big problems can never be fully solved. And that’s actually a good thing.

Working on them keeps us lively, in a state of constant transformation. It ensures we don’t stagnate. I generally agree with Jung’s high opinion of our problems. We should indeed be grateful for the way they impel us to grow. However, I think that’s irrelevant for you right now. Why? Because you have an unprecedented opportunity to solve and graduate from a major long-running problem. So no, don’t be grateful for it. Get rid of it. Say goodbye to it forever.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Between now and March 21,

you will be invited, encouraged, and pushed to deepen your understanding of intimate relationships. You will have the chance to learn much, much more about how to create the kind of togetherness that both comforts and inspires you. Will you take advantage of this eight-week opportunity? I hope so. You may imagine that you have more pressing matters to attend to. But the fact is that cultivating your relationship skills would transform you in ways that would best serve those other pressing matters.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) In December, mass

protests broke out in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. Why? The economy had been gradually worsening. Inflation was slowly but surely exacting a toll. Unemployment was increasing. But one of the immediate triggers for the uprising was a 40-percent hike in the price of eggs. It focused the Iranian people’s collective angst and galvanized a dramatic response.

I’m predicting a comparable sequence in your personal future, Virgo. A specific irritant will emerge, motivating you to stop putting up with trends that have been subtly bothering you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) In the late 1980s,

Budweiser used a Bull Terrier to promote its Bud Light beer in commercials. The dog, who became megafamous, was presented as a rich macho party animal named Spuds MacKenzie. The ad campaign was successful, boosting sales 20 percent. But the truth was that the actor playing Spuds was a female dog whose owners called her Evie. To earn money, the

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poor creature, who was born under the sign of Libra, was forced to assume a false identity. To honor Evie’s memory, and in alignment with current astrological omens, I urge you human Libras to strip away any layers of false identity you’ve been pressured to acquire. Be your Real Self -- to the max.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) The giant panda is a

bear native to China. In the wild, its diet is 99 percent bamboo. But bamboo is not an energy-rich food, which means the creature has to compensate by consuming 20 to 30 pounds of the stuff every day. Because it’s so busy gathering its sustenance, the panda doesn’t have time to do much socializing. I mention this, Scorpio, because I want to offer up the panda as your *anti*power animal for the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should have a diversified approach to getting your needs met -- not just in regards to food, but in every other way as well.

Variety is not just the spice of life; it’s the essence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You’re the star

of the “movie” that endlessly unfolds in your imagination. There may be a number of other lead actors and actresses, but few if any have your luster and stature. You also have a supporting cast, as well as a full complement of extras. To generate all the adventure you need, your story needs a lot of dramatis personae. In the coming weeks, I suggest that you be alert for certain minor characters who are primed to start playing a bigger role in your narrative. Consider the possibility of inviting them to say and do more to advance the plot.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Thirty-five miles

per hour is typically the highest speed attained by the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. That’s not very fast. On the other hand, each ship’s engine generates 190 megawatts, enough to provide the energy needs of 140,000 houses, and can go more than 20 years without refueling. If you don’t mind, I’m going to compare you to one of those aircraft carriers during the next four weeks. You may not be moving fast, but you will have maximum stamina and power.

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Health

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) The pawpaw is a tasty

fruit that blends the flavors of mango, banana, and melon. But you rarely find it in grocery stores. One reason is that the fruit ripens very fast after being picked. Another is that the pollination process is complicated. In response to these issues, a plant scientist named Neal Peterson has been trying to breed the pawpaw to be more commercially viable.

Because of his work, cultivated crops have finally begun showing up at some farmers’ markets. I’d like to see you undertake metaphorically similar labors in 2018, Aquarius. I think you’ll have good luck at developing rough potentials into more mature forms of expression. You’ll have skill at turning unruly raw materials into more useful resources. Now is a great time to begin.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) An iceberg is a huge

chunk of ice that has cracked away from a glacier and drifted off into the open sea. Only nine percent of it is visible above the waterline. The underwater part, which is most of the iceberg, is basically invisible. You can’t know much about it just by looking at the top.

This is an apt metaphor for life itself. Most everyone and everything we encounter is 91 percent mysterious or hidden or inaccessible to our conscious understanding. That’s the weird news, Pisces. The good news is that during the next three weeks you will have an unprecedented ability to get better acquainted with the other 91 percent of anything or anyone you choose to explore.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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