Raspberry - June 2016, Issue 1

Issue 1 June 2016

magazine

Cover photo

by Nick Ubels Artwork by Stephen Chen

Editors

Anthony Biondi Katie Stobbart Nick Ubels

Contributors

Alex Rake Dessa Bayrock Gail Gromaski Glen Ess Joe Johnson Kier-Christer Junos Lianne Mitchell Nadine Moedt Sasha Moedt

Published by

Red Press Society

red

PRESS

The Red Press Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the growth of the literary arts in the Fraser Valley; publishing works which stimulate local arts and culture, including Raspberry magazine; and promoting awareness and readership of contemporary Canadian literature.

Contents

Stories at the core Located in the Sikh Historical Museum at the Gur Sikh Temple, Evolving Interpretations: Sikhism and Women explores Sikhism throughafemenist lens.

p.10

Art Battle at the Reach p.7 State of the Arts p.10 Aboriginal art and culture at Kariton p.12 Freud’s Last Session p.16 Q&A with Blessed p.21 Twilight Market comes to Yarrow p.29 Fresh Art: Shannon Thiesen p.32 My World art show p.39 Beyond the garden wall p.42 Fresh Fiction: Alex Rake p.52 Raku in the valley p.56 Spring Artists’ Café p.58 Wetern Jaguar documentary Plans & p.61 Disguises album review Punk rock p.64 Punk rock at the basement p.67 June Fresh Picks p.68

www.raspberrymag.ca

Editorial note

The art of

reinvention The Fraser Valley has long experienced a kind of localized brain drain, with its young adults seeming to migrate, salmon-like, toward Vancouver and beyond.

The culture here reflects this pattern, with most public activities catering strongly to families — parents and young children — and those who retire here in calmer waters. It is repeated so often that sometimes it seems the slogan of this area is, “There’s nothing to do here.” Nowhere to go in cities that shut down at dinnertime. So why stay?

But a slow shift has begun.

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A local culture is building with the emergence of concerts in small restaurants and church basements, readings and art shows in independent coffee shops and breweries: the twinning of local, grassroots businesses and the arts scene.

With rising costs to the west, migration is becoming less viable. And as new establishments and events take root, and the larger trend of valuing local and handcrafted or homegrown items spreads, there seems to be a corresponding desire for community engagement and local art growing in the Fraser Valley.

As people stay and that creative culture thrives, the question of our relationship to and our responsibility for art, and each other, takes on renewed importance. What kind of community are we building? What role do we play in artistic creation and cultural legacy?

Often, when we think of denser population and community gathering spaces, we look to Vancouver, thinking, “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel”; we can look west and model our tributary life after the sea.

Mimicry is present in artistic practice, too. When I expressed an interest in drawing, for example, my mother (an artist) encouraged me to start by copying over drawings I liked onto translucent

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sheets of tracing paper, to teach my hand to draw those forms. From there I could develop my own style.

Vancouver is a lovely city with much to admire. I’m often struck by the attendance and energy at cultural events there. People, not unlike ourselves — laden with debt, anxieties, or regrets — gather to become renewed and joyful. Art has this ability to transport and transform us into something closer to what we are.

Yet the Fraser Valley is not Vancouver.

We are a growing arts community in a place with an entirely different character and resources, and have an opportunity to create something different, rather than simply trace onto a new page. Copy the idea of the wheel, but reinvent it with our own curves and spokes and our own way of rolling forward.

There are many thresholds into art, if we allow ourselves to be open; we are each art’s small doors, and when we create, we find ourselves in a larger room, or a wider sea, all facing each other. This magazine is an effort to celebrate those moments of meeting each other in creative places, and of building community with a rich, unique culture we can call our own, here in the river valley.

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“UNCOMFORTABLE, ME AND EXHILARATING”

ESSY,

Art Battle #398 takes over The Reach Nick Ubels

Four artists stand, palettes and brushes in hand, staring at the empty canvases before them. The air is electric with pulsing dance music and anticipation. Raw talent ready to shine. One of the artists shouts, “I have no idea what I’m doing!”

But it’s too late to turn back: it’s the final round of Art Battle #398 with a trip to the regional finals in Vancouver on the line.

The crowd of roughly 85 people gathered at The Reach on May 13 had been waiting all night for this showdown between previous champions Stephen Chen, Cindy Dohms, and Shannon Thiesen and new challenger Rose Ross.

Soon, the volume from the CIVL DJ booth dipped and MC Aaron Levy began the countdown. As the crowd finished shouting out the final numbers, a flurry of activity took over the floor, paint splashing off canvases as runners were dispatched to fetch beer and wine for the painters racing against the clock to complete their pieces in under 20 minutes.

The audience started circling the painters in what Levy refers to as a “slow-moving tornado,” casting shadows across the canvases, further obscuring the artists’ already compromised light. Passers-by keenly scrutinized the emerging images, considering which painting might win their vote to crown the Art Battle #398 champion.

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Art Battles are a compelling marriage of visual and performing arts. Painters burdened with obsessive tendencies must learn to let go of their perfectionism or quickly fall behind in these contests. Regional finalist and fifth-grade art teacher Shannon Thiesen says, “it’s very freeing to paint this way.”

“It also makes me feel completely neurotic,” she says. “It is uncomfortable, messy, and exhilarating.”

Earlier in the night, first-time art battle contestant Matthew Coburn admitted that it’s easy to feel nervous making art in such a public and high-stress environment.

“I don’t even like people looking at me painting or looking at my paintings after I’ve finished,” he said, “So during? It’s… it’s a little nauseating.”

While the atmosphere provides a unique setting for artists to loosen up their technique, or maybe overcome a creative block, the pressure can prove too much for even the most talented studio artists. Organizer Zoe Howarth has seen enough Art Battles to know this well.

“Some do amazing pieces out there in the 20 minutes,” Howarth said, “and some amazing artists bomb.”

You can count Art Battle #398 champi-

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on Cindy Dohm among those who thrive under pressure.

“This was a wing-it,” Dohm said, pointing to her winning painting. “I didn’t think I was able to make the second round because I already had a spot in the regionals. As soon as I realized I had to come up with something I was like, okay… we’ll try a face?”

Dohm incorporated the peacock feathers adorning the head of her subject as an homage to one of her first Art Battle paintings. In a field of mostly veteran Art Battle contenders, Dohm was able to draw on her considerable experience and creativity to best her opponents.

So how would this newly crowned Art Battle champion characterize what it’s like?

“Terrifying fun,” she said. “I think I’m a junkie now.”

Runner-up Shannon Thiesen provided one of the most entertaining performances of the night, engaging with the crowd and shouting to her fellow painters. She sees Art Battles as an significant way to bring the community and artists together.

“It brings art to life and connects people,” she said. “It has changed the way I see art as well as the way I teach it.”

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State of the Arts

Growth of arts and culture relies on symbiotic partnerships Gail Gromaski

During my three and a half years as Executive Director of the Abbotsford Arts Council (AAC), I witnessed a distinct shift in the way the major cultural institutions in the city operated. When I started working in the arts community in 2012, these institutions seemed to operate largely independently of each other. There was some collaboration among them, but it was limited, and the atmosphere felt fragmented.

Over time, however, communication between the entities improved, and partnerships developed. This may have started with a few staff members from each institution coming together and discovering opportunities for collaboration, but it eventually evolved into entire boards coming together in solidarity.

These institutions came to realize that although they each have a unique and important role in serving the community, many of their goals complement each other, and by combining their strengths, all would benefit. As a result, the arts, heritage, and culture community in Abbotsford became stronger and more vibrant. That strength and vibrancy continue to flourish today.

When operating in a sector that is so strapped for funding like the arts, partnerships are essential to the cultural growth of communities. These partnerships need not be limited to exist

between organizations whose missions compliment each other, however. The arts are so versatile that an arts organization can have a symbiotic partnership with other organizations that use art to support their mandates. Such a partnership evolved between the AAC and BC Teen Challenge Women’s Centre, and I am incredibly thankful to have had a role in developing it. BC Teen Challenge Women’s Centre is an organization that provides faithbased residential addiction recovery support for adult women suffering from any type of addiction. The women made jewellery as part of the recovery process and sold it at art markets, craft fairs, and other venues selling artisan goods. In doing this, the women not only enhanced their artistic abilities but also developed sales and business skills.

The Centre approached the AAC about selling the jewellery in the Kariton Art Gallery’s Boutique Gift Shop, which features a variety of locally-made artwork by artists of all levels and backgrounds.

The women’s work was juried, accepted, and subsequently featured in the Boutique. This may seem like a simple business relationship between two organizations, but it actually meant much more to both the Centre and the AAC. The Centre shared with me how much it meant to the women to have their work

When operating i for funding like t essential to the c communities.

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Photo by Joe Johnson

featured in a real art gallery, which motivated them to create more and to be innovative in their creations. In featuring the work, the AAC was not only supporting its own mandate but also supporting the women’s addiction recovery process, which was valuable to the organization from a public relations perspective. Over time, the Centre and the AAC discovered more opportunities to work together beyond the Boutique, and the relationship progressed and became even more synergistic.

I would encourage arts organizations desiring growth to seek out partnerships that would reciprocally benefit all parties involved. A good place to start this process would be by visiting the Abbotsford Arts Council’s website (abbotsfordartscouncil.org), which has more than 90 arts and culture organizations of a wide variety of genres listed. Arts coun-

cils in other cities typically have similar membership directories available.

Don’t stop there, however. Think about where your organization wants to go in the future and the people and resources it needs to get there, whether they be arts or non-arts related. Once identified, think about what your organization can offer in return. Focus not on what their organization can do for yours or what yours can do for them, but what you can achieve together for the benefit of the community.

in a sector that is so st the arts, partnerships cultural growth of Raspberry Magazine

Gail Gromaski is a freelance marketer in Abbotsford. She was the executive director of the Abbotsford Arts Council from 2012 to 2015,, was listed among Abbotsford’s 100 most influential people in the first year of that position, and is also a member of the Professional Writers’ Association of Canada Fraser Valley chapter.

You can find her online at www.gailgromaski.com or on Twitter @gailgromaski

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Photos provided by Abbotsford Arts Council

Aboriginal artists to showcase living culture at Kariton Gallery Nadine Moedt June is Canada’s Aboriginal Awareness month, yet some feel Abbotsford falls short in bringing local First Nations culture to the forefront. Public events that highlight Aboriginal art and worldview are scarce, despite Abbotsford’s presence on unceded Stó:lō territory.

This absence has been long apparent to Tery Kozma, who has been volunteering with the Abbotsford Arts Council for 20 years.

“I’ve always noticed, being Aboriginal myself, that Abbotsford really doesn’t embrace their local First Nations people. There’s not too many events out there recognizing Aboriginal arts and culture.”

This year, Kozma and the Abbotsford Arts Council are working to provide Aboriginal artists with a platform to share their culture. On June 4, the Kariton Gallery will host its first Aboriginal Arts and Culture Celebration, an event honouring National Aboriginal Awareness month.

The day will showcase a wide variety of artists

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and performers in action, from Métis jiggers to Stó:lō storytellers and everything in between. Artists will not only have their wares for sale but will be demonstrating their craft on site.

“The public will have a chance to be able to interact with the artist while the artist is doing their work,” says Kozma.

“Sometimes you’ll go to places where the art is for sale but you don’t have the artist there. In this event the artists will be there and working on something so that the public will be able to really engage with them.”

Gracie Kelly, a member of Stó:lō Nation, is one of these artists. Kelly is used to sharing her craft; through her business Texmewx Teachings (In Halq’eméylem “earth, land, and people”), Kelly offers Stó:lō cultural teaching workshops in schools and in the community. She gives credit for her skill to the wisdom of her elders.

“My inspiration is just learning through the years through many teachers, many mentors who had these gifts,

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and I always had the curiosity to learn how to do them myself.”

Kelly will be working with cedar at her booth, a traditional craft for local First Nations groups.

For Valerie Davidson, another featured artist, art is a way of connecting with her Ojibway ancestry. Davidson runs Giggy’s Beads, a Facebook page named after her mother.

“It’s my way of keeping our culture going. It’s a spiritual thing with me. I love beading. I used to watch my aunts bead when I was a kid,” Davidson explains.

“Beading is an expression of my culture.

Through this expression I stay connected to it. I love sharing this art that has been around for thousands of years. I feel blessed to be able to express my culture through my bead work.”

“Beading teaches me a lot of things too, to just take it easy, be careful with what you are doing and that it’s okay to make mistakes.”

In addition to the artist booths, a centre stage will feature four storytellers: Dr.

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“It’s my way of keeping our culture going. It’s a spiritual thing with me.”

Naxaxalhts’i, Albert (Sonny) McHalsie, a member of the Shxw’ow’hamel First Nation and cultural advisor/historian at the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre; Eagle Child, a holistic artist and flute player from Saddle Lake First Nation; Jay Havens, artist-in-residence from the Abbotsford School District; and Darren Charlie (Qwetoselten), a Salish drum-maker from the Sts’ailes band. The Matsqui Youth Drum Group will also grace the stage between storytellers.

The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., aims to be family friendly, with a children’s tent featuring games, face-painting, and craft stations.

It will be a full day that will close with a bang, Kozma says.

“At the end we are going to invite everyone who has a drum and drum out the event ‘til close and my goal is that everyone hears us on the other side of the lake.”

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community snapshots

photo by Joe Johnson

Unity Statue In the Civic Square behind the Clearbrook Library, two bronze figures lift a torch and dove respectively toward the sky as a gesture of unity and peace. The Unity Statue was created by sculptor Norm Williams as an initiative of the Abbotsford Arts Council in 1997.

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A colourful mosaic of theatre

Freud’s Last Session finishes 25th season of Gallery 7 Theatre Anthony Biondi

Photos by Dianna Lewis Photography

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Gallery 7 Theatre closed its 25th anniversary season with a bang at the end of May. Its final performance, Freud’s Last Session by playwright Mark St. Germain, depicts a fictional debate between C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud about the existence of God and what that means for humanity.

Freud, a devout atheist, argues the insanity of believing in a god. He invites over author C.S. Lewis, a former atheist now converted to Christianity. Their conversation takes place at the beginning of World War II, just following Hitler’s invasion of Poland. The air of war, death, fear, and horror makes its mark on the debate as it unfolds, allowing drama to spice up what would otherwise be a staged philosophical talk.

“It’s a really intimate play,” says Gallery 7’s executive and artistic director, Ken Hildebrandt, “and fits really well with the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium,

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which is a smaller more intimate space.”

Upon entering the auditorium, the audience was greeted by a curious set designed by Brian Ball. Freud’s office is represented in a two-wall raised set made of bookshelves bent into a forced one-point perspective, decorated in mid-century furniture, including Freud’s famous patient’s chair. All of it was staged upon another layer of books, lining the raised flooring. The set design was gorgeous, well-crafted, and artful. The forced perspective allowed the two players to visually find places of power on the stage, helping the dynamics of the debate hit with emotional and academic precision.

As stated in the program, Ball aimed to create a set “foreshadowing the destruction of London during the blitz.” What was achieved is a masterwork that visually captured the play in setting.

Actors Jay Danziger and John Dawson dominated their roles and filled their characters with life. They greeted the stage with energy, bringing Lewis and Freud, respectively, out of the history books. Dawson played an old and frail man well, who could find his strength in moments of great emotion, and with a impeccable German accent. Danziger worked well off of his co-star, portraying a meek yet fiery Lewis.

Their discussion ranged far, centering on the idea of disproving or proving God. “It’s them having a conversation about some of life’s biggest questions: love, relationships, world circumstances, and of course sex has to be a part of that conversation, considering Sigmund Freud,” says Hildebrandt.

Although the discussion technically ends in a stalemate, theological ideal-

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today’s world we need to pen to relationships. You er a new friend, and heavyou may learn something the world around you.” ism colours the entire production. Even Freud, who vehemently makes points against religion, uses the language of the bible to support arguments against it. The irony works against him. For instance, an anecdote of his time in the hospital, after being treated for his cancer, sees him being rescued by a crippled dwarf described in Christ-like fashion.

“One of the things that attracted me to the play [is] that there are two high-profile people engaging in a debate about big issues,” Hildebrandt explains. He believes the play brings forth a discourse about how we engage in discourse. Hildebrandt also notes that he fears that social media may be polarizing us, ruining our ability to have open discussions.

“I think in today’s world we need to be more open to relationships. You may discover a new friend, and heaven forbid, you may learn something new about the world around you.

“When [you] see Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis — in this albeit fictional piece — going at it, you sense that they have this respect for one another.” This plays

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into one of Gallery 7’s central prerogatives; as Hildebradnt describes, “What we’re trying to do here is help people to engage on multiple levels: spiritual, emotional, intellectual about real issues in the world.”

The house was full for the May 27 evening performance. Ken Hildebrandt welcomed everyone on stage and Freud’s Last Session began with the sounds of war. It was the refined talent of the entire cast and crew at Gallery 7 that helped make the performance a highly effective one.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish here at Gallery 7 over the last 25 years. It’s been a colourful mosaic of theatre,” said Hildebrandt, proudly. He went on to thank all of the supporters he’s had over the years, including long-time staff, actors, artists, and the community. “It’s a huge milestone. It’s a huge milestone for any organization, and I think it’s very significant for a live theatre, especially here in the Fraser Valley,” he says.

Gallery 7 had its beginnings in 1991

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performing sketch collections, according to Hildebrandt, and has since grown into performing full-length plays regularly, with a diverse selection, including faith-based plays. When asked where he sees his company in the next 25 years he said he’d like to, “keep the doors open,” as well as focus on finding the theatre a building to call home. He would also like to see the theatre increase its programs for children and expand into after-school programs.

Now that the theatre season has drawn to a close, we can only now wait for their upcoming 26th annual season starting next winter. The lineup includes Halo by Josh McDonald, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin, and starts with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women in November 2016.

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“You can’t be a dumbass forever” In-depth with Blessed’s Drew Riekman Nick Ubels After years spent paying their dues in talented bands stunted by half-hearted commitment and wasted potential, the four members of Abbotsford’s Blessed are ready to make good.

Their new EP is four tightly wound tracks of sophisticated and raw post-punk that recalls the muscular intricacy of Television at their Marquee Moon peak. This is especially evident in their live show. I spent much of their set at Mission’s Captain’s Cabin last month exchanging “holy shit” expressions with the rest of the crowd. It’s clear that these guys are the real deal.

I called guitarist and lead vocalist Drew Riekman in Lloydminster, a few days after the band escaped a freak May snowstorm in Revelstoke, to discuss touring, the band’s complicated relationship with ambition, and his long history in the Fraser Valley music scene.

Blessed’s six-week, cross-Canada tour wraps up June 25 in Victoria. In the fall, they’ll play 67 shows, travelling across the U.S. from New York to San Diego and back home in support of their debut release.

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Photo by Jaimi Wainwright

How did Blessed come to exist?

I was living in Montreal playing in Oh No! Yoko. I had moved there with my girlfriend and she was getting homesick and I wanted to be touring a lot more than we anticipated touring. I messaged Reuben [Houweling] and said, “I’m going to move home and I want to start a new band and I want it to be...” am I allowed to curse?

Go for it.

The whole thing was I messaged him that we want a no-fucking-around band.

Like we’re going to tour, and if you’re going to join, understand that this is what we want to do and we want it to be full time. We used to compromise in the past with members who would say, “Oh no, I

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don’t want to tour at this time,” and this time we said, “there’s no saying no.”

And Jake [Holmes], before I moved, had talked about wanting to be in a band together, so he was the first person we got in touch with.

And then we asked Corey [Myers] because we were playing in another band with him.

[Editor’s Note: Mitchell Trainor has since replaced Corey Myers on bass]

What’s your experience in the Fraser Valley music community?

Oh man, that’s a huge question. I’ll do my best to answer this, but I feel like it won’t be very complete. My experience in the Fraser Valley music scene. It’s weird because I started playing shows

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when I was 13, which is now 11 years ago.

We were playing in Chilliwack more, because we were in a punk band, like a traditional three-chord, no one can play their instruments, shitty punk band.

And it was super easy for bands like that to get shows in Chilliwack because there was a really prominent punk scene with young promoters putting stuff on.

We kept playing shows locally and it helped us interconnect with a bunch of great people. The Fraser Valley music scene over the last eleven years has just had a super strong community of people who actually care about having something to do in the city. It seemed like every time a venue got shut down, someone would put on shows at their house until we found a new one.

Abbotsford is definitely a city that doesn’t seem like it cares much about culture and art. It’s always been a city where you’ve really had to fight for being in the music community, but I think that’s just made everyone more resilient.

When I was around 15 and I was playing in The Progressive Thinker with members of You Say Party and all those guys, that was a very peak time, and GSTS would have been playing at the time, and Damn Fine Cop and Oh No! Yoko. I think right now we’re coming back up on another peak with Cheap High, The Sylvia Platters, Western Jaguar. With all the bands in town that are going right now, I feel like we’re coming up to another peak in the Abbotsford music scene.

It’s good to have someone like Aaron Levy champion the Fraser Valley Music Awards and stuff like that. I’m not exactly the biggest supporter of the idea of having the awards; I don’t really like the competition aspect of creating music in small communities, but at the end of the day, it is doing its duty of shining a light on the fact that there’s so much talent

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and culture that doesn’t get pushed forward in the Fraser Valley. Hopefully the spin-off from this can be that maybe the city will finally give us a venue or something. Who knows?

It’s a hard question to answer because I feel like I could talk for hours.

Why don’t we get a little bit into talking about the EP that you guys are putting out in about a week officially?

Sure!

What were the circumstances of recording it?

We actually recorded 10 songs way back and then we didn’t end up liking the production and the mixing on them, so we scrapped it and hired Curtis Buckoll from Rain City in Vancouver. We had him bring a portable studio rig to our jam space and we set it all up and built sound baffling to help make it a little more studio working friendly. Curtis is just a great engineer and a great mixer so we actually did it all in our jam space and then had it mastered by John Velasquez [John Vez] who we’ve been working with since we were fifteen. He did our first punk bands. And he’s kind of gone on to be part of the gospel community, but he’ll still always master and mix our stuff when we want it just because we’ve had such a good, long-standing relationship with him.

Some of the early tracks have been getting a lot of good press and stuff online from blogs. Is that kind of thing important to you guys?

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The punk thing would be to say that it’s not, we don’t care, we’re only in it for the music, and it doesn’t matter what’s happening. But the reality is that it totally matters because, without it, we’re just going to be a band that constantly goes on tour and if you’re only winning fans over by going to their city and playing for three people, that’s going to take forever.

We definitely made a conscious choice for the first time in our lives to be like, let’s actually be getting people to care about the record that we’re going to go out and tour. Previously, we’d go out and tour records and we just built any band we were in on the strength of playing shows in cities five or six times, which we’re still doing now… I mean, the conscious shift [is] to say let’s try and make it. It feels like such a faux pas to say it, but it totally matters to us to have people listening to it.

The way I’d like to put it is I don’t think it matters to us where it’s coming out.

Obviously it was really cool that Noisey and Stereogum have been premiering our tracks and the Brooklyn magazine Impose, they’re doing the EP stream on Monday. It’s cool, but to us, anything is great. We’re just so happy that people are stoked on it and want to have it on their site.

My feeling listening to the EP, and I got this impression too from your live show, is that there’s this interesting balance between intricacy and simplicity in the type of music that you guys make. Was that something you have strived for?

I honestly don’t think at this point I can

escape the way that I play guitar and the way Reuben writes with me. I started with punk, which is I think where the aggressive, simplistic side of it comes, but then, as time went on, all of us played in really weird math rock-y bands. I shouldn’t say all of us but everyone has a background of listening to it: Jake listens to a tonne of jazz, and Mitch with Rush, and I used to love a tonne of weirdo math rock bands ... I’m definitely trying to write more songs, but I just can’t escape playing weird stuff. I have such a huge affinity for weird music and noisy music and no matter how hard I try, I’m always just going to get bored at some point, like, okay let’s play an eleventh.

We don’t sit down and say “let’s write something that’s…” We don’t sit down and say anything, really. It’s very collaborative and very me bringing in a couple riffs and then we all interpret the structure. And songs that are on the EP are even changing in the live show. Everything’s constantly evolving and we always say songs are never done; if you think of something better, just change it.

We’ve never set out goals for ourselves, it’s just, “this is what this song wants to do” and if we like it, we follow it.

Do you have any tracks on the EP you’re partial to?

Because it’s so short, I’m pretty proud of the whole thing.

Are there any subjects or topics, themes that you find yourself coming back to as a songwriter, or is it kind of on a song-by-song level that you find yourself drawn to different things to write about?

“It’s always been a city where yo being in the music community, bu everyone more resilient.”

I’m a 100 per cent song-by-song person.

My iPhone is just a — I literally just have one massive note, bullet point by bullet point throughout the day, mostly at work or if I’m reading. I have no set structure in how I do anything, but it’s worked for me for the last 11 years, so I don’t see it shifting any time soon. Maybe it will, but I don’t have a process. My process is just writing down little bullet points and I’ll expand on it later.

Lyrics are something we usually touch on last because I’m a fairly private person … I know it pisses everyone else off in the band because they didn’t even hear any of the vocals until we recorded them. That’s probably something I have to work on in the future, but I’m just a pretty closed-off person.

I have a weird time with the trial and error part of the lyrics and vocal process but with the music, that’s never been an issue. It’s totally just a weird, emotional thing that I just can’t separate myself from the anxiety of it.

You guys have a knack for conjuring a particular mood. If you’re working on a song and something like that starts to emerge, do you try to zero in on that? The beginning of “Feel” has this anxious, clock-ticking feeling and that’s something that comes through on the whole track.

We do try to follow a philosophy of whatever the part is trying to do, to try to do

it to the utmost that we can. A lot of the new stuff we’re working on, the parts where we were saying, let’s make a really intricate guitar line, we made them way more intricate. If parts are anxious and dissonant, we’ve said, “Well, let’s push it really far and see how anxious and dissonant we can make it.”

Those four songs, it’s totally a band figuring itself out. It’s really hard to deconstruct those songs, because writing them was such a weird experience. We were so fresh and I didn’t think Jake liked heavy music at the time and bringing that song [“Feel”] to the table was very weird because I wondered if this guy’s going to hate it cause we were so new to playing with each other.

It was very anxious, trying to make sure everyone was pleased and wondering if everyone was on board, because everyone can be cryptic and people don’t want to offend people when they’re fresh to working with each other. But I think the new stuff, it’ll shine through that we’re more comfortable writing with each other and that the songs are becoming more and more democratic as time goes on, which is something I really aspire to.

Have you done a six-week tour before or is this a new length of time to be out there?

In terms of consecutive days without going home, it’s the longest, but it’s not the longest set of dates for a particular release. It will be a definite test of our fortitude and how good we are at being

ou’ve really had to fight for ut I think that’s just made Raspberry Magazine

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“We do try whatever t try to do it diplomats with each other.

So far, so good?

So far, so good. We’re all pretty passive people. It’s not the hardest guys in the world to get along with out there. We’re not on tour with some weird dictator or anything like that. Maybe I am. Maybe I just don’t know.

If you don’t know who it is, it might be you.

Exactly. Maybe I’m just covering up some massive thing right now.

What’s the hardest thing about being on the road?

I’d say the hardest part is waking up with a hangover. That can be bad.

[Drew flags down bassist Mitch Trainor and asks him the same question.]

Mitch: Normally, I have four university classes and four days of work so I always have something to do. But out here, all you have to do is play a show and once you get to the show it’s just sitting around, wasting time.

Drew: But the nice part about being on tour, especially with members who have done it before, is that we have a lot of friends in these cities now so usually we have somewhere to go, or we have people to hang out with. It’s not driving into cities blind and sitting at Starbucks. I mean we do sit at Starbucks, it’s just not for six and seven hours.

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y to follow a philosophy of the part is trying to do, to t toDothe utmost that we can.” you have any travel vices that And then we’ll go down to South by make it easier to be out driving for six or seven hours a day?

We haven’t listened to a lot of music on this tour, which is a first. It’s actually been pretty quiet in the van. I don’t know if that has something to do with being so far into touring in our lives that maybe we just appreciate the silence between the shows now above everyone freaking out, showing each other music, laughing.

Actually, one of the craziest things on this tour is some of us are exercising, just to stay sane, and trying to eat healthy. We haven’t done fast food yet.

It’s much more adult than any tour I’ve done before, but that’s just a natural evolution of if you’re going to do this for long, you can’t be a dumbass forever. Not to say that Jake and I aren’t without our dumbassery. The other guys don’t drink, but Jake and I, we’re not adults all the time.

At some point you switch from it being, “we’re going on tour to be free and have fun and do whatever we want” to this is now a job, we have places to show up to. It’s treated like a much bigger responsibility.

You’ve got the tour in the fall and you’re on tour right now. Do you have any other plans in the summer? What’s next for the band?

The summer is all just working and saving for the American tour. After that, we’re probably just going to do a 7-inch [record]. We had talked about doing a full-length next but I think just a 7-inch again is going to be really nice and easy.

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Southwest in March of next year. We’ve kind of made a plan to say, after South

by Southwest, we’re going to take stock of where we are as human beings and go from there.

We’re trying, on one hand, to plan insanely far in advance, and on the other hand, not plan too far in advance in case any of us go crazy doing all this. Plan for the worst, hope for the best is the plan for the future right now.

And the EP is coming out [on vinyl], we just confirmed yesterday. We’re pressing it to one-sided 12-inch with an etching on the B-side and it’s going to be a split release between Kingfisher Bluez, the Vancouver label, and Coin Toss Records from New Mexico.

Any idea on the time frame for when that might be available?

With vinyl the way it is right now, I’m going to say… six months? Who knows?

It’s so shitty. We have a split 7” coming out, a split 7” with Dodgers with “Swim” on it, the first song we ever recorded and it was sent off in December and we still don’t have it.

One final, quick question: do you have any favourite local places to eat after practice?

No, not really. … But every time we go to Vancouver we eat at Budgie’s Burritos.

That would be our restaurant, I’d say.

Is there anything you’d like to add that I haven’t really touched on?

In terms of the Fraser Valley culture

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thing … I think more people need to get involved with the Fraser Valley music scene because we’re coming up on this really great peak with a tonne of great bands right now. And it’s a great time to push for having more people coming to each other’s shows.

I think the scene in Abbotsford is really guilty of only going to shows that they’re playing, you know what I mean?

And I can be guilty of that too. I’m not saying that we’re the solution and everyone else is the problem. I think everyone’s the problem.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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Twilight detour through Yarrow yields new market splendours Sasha Moedt

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Yarrow is a little pocket of a community, right between the sprawling green of Chilliwack farms and the vivid, touristy Cultus Lake area. Between the beauty and function of each, Yarrow has grown into an artistic and alternative village.

A market in such a place seemed obvious, but this is the first year that Yarrow has hosted one: the Yarrow Twilight Art and Farm Market. Located off Yarrow Central Road in Yarrow Pioneer Park, the market displays an array of vendors, from Greendale Produce and Baking to Cariboo Candle Holders.

When Megan Olsen moved to Yarrow in September, she knew the area would be ideal for a market. “I was very surprised the Yarrow didn’t have a farmers’ market considering it’s in the middle of agricultural communities.”

Megan Olsen’s company, Arbutus Events, has been putting on craft fairs for seven years, and helped begin a farmers’ market in Parksville, seeing it through two seasons.

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The city was helpful straight away, and Olsen said there wasn’t much in the way of obstacles to get the market going. She chose the market time to be at twilight (5 to 8 p.m.) because she had done the same in Parksville with success.

“Most farmers and are doing farmers markets already on Saturday and Sunday — so it made sense with the Cultus Lake traffic on the Friday evenings as well.”

For the most part, Olsen wanted locals to be able to access the products from the farms that surround them, but she hopes that people from all over the Fraser Valley will check them out.

“Lots of people love to do the drive out to Yarrow and Cultus. But also being in Yarrow and not having a real grocery

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store or anything... it’s really nice for the locals to be able to grab local products right there instead of having to drive into the city.”

There were about 20 vendors open at the May 20 market. Many were for the essentials — farm goods, soaps, jams, baking, herbs, and beer stands — but there were a couple of interesting gift and art vendors as well, including jewellery, wooden signs, flowers, portrait-drawing services, and holistic dog treats.

Amy Neels of Yarrow Flowers Apothic Herbal says meeting locals and fellow vendors has been a highlight for her.

“It’s a nice community thing, getting to people, you know. So I do make all my products myself, and that’s part of it, but

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I also consult, so this is a good venue to meet people who are like-minded, and looking for local stuff.”

Yarrow is a bit out of the way for some, but over summer there is a constant stream of traffic headed to cool off by Cultus Lake. So far the turnout has been good, Megan Olsen noted, estimating that between 500 and 700 people went through the market the first evening.

“It’s really hard to guess because it’s a park and people are coming at you every which way, so it always looks like a lot more when you’re in close proximity.”

Vendor Joanna Pawley, owner of Beauty Bath Bomb Boutique, noted that the first week was busier than the second. “It slowed down for sure the second week, but we’re hoping there will be some repeat customers.”

Her products could be mistaken as candy next to the produce and baking vendors. “I like things that look pretty,”

she laughed. “I like them to look like little gifts, like cats or hearts... because they’re more fun that way.”

She started out making products for her six kids. “I make all these products … based on things that we use ourselves, day to day. Whether it’s my daughter who has eczema... Or my son, who sometimes smells like a dump truck.”

The market will run May 13 until September 16, 2016, every Friday from 5o 8 p.m. We can also look forward to a special market on Canada Day, where Olsen hopes to bring in more home-based business vendors and to keep the market open longer from 2 to 8 p.m.

From the first market nights of the season, Olsen hopes to see it flourish into a “go-to” place for locals to shop for their necessities.

@thereach exhibit learn access collaborate Professional development for up and coming artists in the Fraser Valley through mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and programming

Join today at thereach.ca/emerge 32388 Veterans Way Abbotsford | 604 864 8087 | kbradford@thereach.ca

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fresh art Shannon Thiesen Shannon Thiesen is a local painter in Abbotsford who primarily works with acrylic and oil, and is famous at live art shows like Art Battle for bringing along a set of palette knives as her tools of choice. She also experiments with other media and found objects.

Much of her work is characterized by skilled use of bold colours and strokes that break the borders between subject and background.

Thiesen also shares her passion and skill in art with her students as an elementary school teacher at the Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts (ASIA) North Poplar.

Images provided by Shannon Thiesen

Piece pictured: Blue Heron (18x24 canvas; sold at auction at Art Battle)

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Shattered (oil on 16x20 canvas; sold)

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Refections (acrylic on 24x36 canvas; sold)

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Smoke Break (oil on 12x16 canvas; for sale)

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Autumn (acrylic on 20x24 canvas; donated to Holmberg House Hospice)

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Indian Blanket, Gaillardia (36x36; sold)

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Alert (oil on 12x12 canvas; sold)

Interested in having your FRESH art featured in Raspberry magazine?

Visit raspberrymag.com/Fresh-submissions to view our submission guidelines.

My World art show sheds light on the lives of Mission youth Lianne Mitchell

Minutes from bustling downtown Mission is the Rock Family Gallery. Entering the Mission Arts Centre building that houses the gallery, I was immediately struck by the history of the space, which features a large front porch and exposed wooden beam ceilings. Juxtaposed against all this history is an abundant array of artwork created by Mission teenagers.

This is the fourth annual student art show hosted by the Mission Arts Centre.

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The theme, My World, was created to encourage students to share where they draw inspiration from and what is important to them.

The show featured a plethora of styles, subject matter, and media ranging from drawing and painting, to photography and sculpture. From my perspective, the show would have benefitted from being more selective, only showing pieces that truly reflected the theme, as some works are obviously the result of teacher-directed school projects.

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That being said, I did appreciate the glimpse into the minds and worlds of some of these students. Theirs is an uncontrived perspective, simply showing the world as they see it, without the need for concepts and theories as they explore different techniques and materials. Some of the pieces are unique to the adolescent viewpoint, such as the watercolour painting entitled “Boys in the Library.”

The piece depicts a scene so mundane and everyday I’m instantly transported back to my own high school days when I was bored out of my mind, and I wonder if that artist feels the same way.

Another piece that stood

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out to me was “Platonic” by Jaden from Hatzic Middle School. It’s a photograph of a young girl, presumably a friend of the artist, who stares directly at the viewer without apology. The title is curious.

Why would the artist feel the need to point out that nature of the relationship?

Perhaps it points to key issues at play in the lives of teenagers today — those dealing with relationships and sexuality. Regardless, it is a beautiful portrait, expertly composed, and certainly left an impression on me.

Art shows like these are important because they give young artists an opportunity to have their work showcased to a wider audience. My World ran from May 10 to 28 and featured student work from

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Hatzic Middle School, Mission Secondary School, and the Summit Learning Centre.

For many of these students, this is their first taste of artistic success. The show was juried to determine the winner of Best in Show in both secondary and middle school categories. The winners were announced on May 28.

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Beyond the garden wall: a look inside the International Friendship Garden Katie Stobbart

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

—Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden It is easy to drive past a garden. It’s easy to go to the library, peruse shelves, borrow books, without really looking out the window at it, or poking around the eastern side of the building to its door, an unimpressive entry at the bottom of a flight of concrete steps. It isn’t the only way in, but it’s closest to the parking lot.

Maybe the surrounding fence is meant to preserve beauty somehow, or to make it feel as if one is stepping out of life’s mundane bustle and into a separate world. Either way, it feels curated: a carefully maintained show of plants and sculpture, seemingly pristine.

In 2008, the grassy knoll in front of the Clearbrook Library, where spring daffodils and about a dozen conifers once grew, was replaced by Abbotsford’s Cul-

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tural Gateway and International Friendship Garden. One third of the $1.5 million project was funded by the provincial government as part of BC Spirit Squares, an initiative which devoted partial funds to the creation of outdoor and public meeting spaces in honour of BC’s 150th anniversary.

The International Friendship Garden idea came from Abbotsford’s Sister-city Committee and was designed to echo the style of a Japanese garden, as a way to commemorate Abbotsford’s cultural relationship with its sister city, Fukagawa. Since 1998, Abbotsford and Fukagawa have cultivated a series of friendly exchanges which include sending delegates between cities every few years.

The memorandum of understanding between the two cities explains: “Since both Fukagawa and Abbotsford are cities in the northern region of their countries, and share similar conditions of climate and weather, it must be signif-

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icant for both parties concerned to deepen mutual understanding and exchange of friendship through mutual education on culture, economics, history, and other areas of mutual interest.”

The mark of this friendship on the garden is subtle, with the inclusion of a few stone pagodas, as well as the design of the garden itself. But in a 2008 press release from the Office of the Premier, the garden is described not in terms of celebrating Abbotsford’s relationship with its sister city, but of showcasing Abbotsford’s cultural diversity in general.

Then-MLA John van Dongen said in the release that “Abbotsford has a rich and diverse cultural, ethnic, and historical background, which will be showcased and celebrated in this new Spirit Square.”

While it’s true that Abbotsford is diverse and culturally wealthy, there seems to be little in the garden itself to highlight that diversity. The word “welcome” is translated into several languages in the paving stones that form the more official entrance to the garden, which is pedestrian-accessible from George Ferguson Way. And there are the pagodas.

While not strictly representative of cultural diversity, 2015 saw the addition of the farm workers’ memorial statue, which commemorates the lives of three female farm workers who died in a devastating accident in 2007: Sarabjit Kaur Sidhu, Amajit Kaur Bal, and Sukhvinder Kaur Punia. The Golden Tree, a permanent art installation created by Mission artists Dean and Christina Lauzé, features the forms of three women reaching up as the 22-foot tree’s branches, toward the light that shimmers through green, iridescent leaves.

The other prominent feature of the garden is not an intentional one, but a result of cohabitation: the entrance to a relatively new (2012) annex of the University of the Fraser Valley, where con-

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tinuing studies and some courses from other programs are held. The intersection of education, community space (the library itself) and the beauty of the fenced garden, support the spirit of Abbotsford and Fukagawa’s relationship and the promotion of cultural improvement.

But as a gathering space, the garden seems to falter. It may be populated on occasion by private event bookings or wedding photography sessions, unseeable from the other side of its walls, but the overall impression of the garden is of a beautiful but empty place, rather than one where the community may come together or celebrate culture and mutuality. By establishing an “other world,” it separates itself from this one, and so some of that beauty is possibly diminished by its removal from the open public gaze.

There’s a simple way to resolve this and honour the way the garden tries to unite multiple, perhaps dichotomous elements as a celebration of Abbotsford’s complex, at times disparate culture. Spend time there.

Back when the garden was a grassy knoll fringed with simple, yellow flowers, people used to go with a couple of friends or family members to enjoy informal picnics or appreciate the sunshine. Don’t let the garden wall keep you from experiencing the garden and its features that have been included to bring us together.

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community snapshots

photo by Joe Johnson

The Golden Tree

The Golden Tree stands tall within the International Friendship Garden, located beside the Clearbrook Library. Crafted by the team at D’Arts, it’s a monument to the exploited farmworkers in Canada and inspired by the tragic accident on the Trans-Canada highway where three women lost their lives.

The tree itself stands 22 feet in height, is wrapped in gold leaf, and flows from twisting bark to three figures representing maiden, matron, and matriarch.

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Stories at the core Two gurdwara exhibits explore new interpretations of scripture and history

Sasha Moedt Evolving Interpretations: Sikhism and Women is the eighth official exhibit since the Sikh Heritage Museum opened in 2011, and will be open for viewing for the remainder of the year.

The exhibit is unique because it is located underneath a fully functioning gurdwara. Opened in 1911, the Gur Sikh Temple on South Fraser Way in Abbotsford has been a national historic site since 2007; it’s the oldest standing gurdwara in the western hemisphere.

The Sikh Heritage Museum opened in 2011, 100 years after the gurdwara’s construction, and is curated by the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies (CICS) at the University of the Fraser Valley.

Sharanjit Sandhra, CICS Coordinator, led a tour of the museum and gurdwara.

She noted that the building structure is very unique and one of a kind for a gurdwara.

“Because this temple was built in the early 20th Century,” Sandhra said, “the Sikhs kind of wanted to mimic the frontier style of the houses 100 plus years ago.

So that’s why they built something that was kind of enmeshing East and West.

They wanted to be able to show that we are just as much Canadian as you.”

The temple has stories down to its very

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lumber, Sandhra explained. The wood that was first used to build the walls remains intact and preserved.

“It was donated by the Trethewey family. Many of the Sikh men who would have worked for the Trethewey family asked if they could get some lumber, and the family donated the lumber. So it’s a great connecting history that we have [between] those two communities.”

The museum is divided in two exhibits, one a more permanent fixture, and one that will change annually.

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Evolving Interpretations: Sikhism and Women was launched March 6, 2016 and curated by CICS in partnership with the visual arts department at UFV. The exhibit looks at the different articles, symbols, and texts of the Sikh faith with a feminist lens. It acknowledges the patriarchal influence on Sikhism, but seeks to re-see and reinterpret these perspectives from the female perspective and experience. Evolving Interpretations articulates the power of interpretation

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of these symbols and texts, and seeks to empower Sikh women as they move forward with the faith. It establishes that the patriarchal influence on Sikhism is malleable, and not present at the faith’s backbone, or core. [Pullquote] The exhibit is divided into two parts.

The first part, by artist Suvi Kaur Bains, examines the five articles of faith, or the five kakkars, from the female perspective. The five kakkars are worn by baptized Sikhs — Sikhs initiated into the Khalsa Panth, or larger community of Sikhs — to symbolize their commitment to the Sikh way of life. These articles are the kesh and keski (uncut hair and turban), the kangha (a wooden brush for the grooming of uncut hair), the kirpan (small sword), the kara (an iron bangle) and the kachera (a specific type of cotton undergarments). Each article is represented both physically and in a photograph, and then interpreted through a feminist stance.

For example, the panel notes, “The kirpan represents an egalitarian commitment for all Sikhs towards social justice, fighting oppression, defense of the weak, conquering narcissim, maintaining personal dignity and personal power at all times with an unconquerable spirit.”

Part of the interpretation from a feminist perspective is as such: “The word kirpan finds its origins in the word kirpa, meaning compassion and grace as exemplified in the sant/sipahi (saint/soldier) tradition that is accorded to all genders.

Sikh women and men commit to courage that will allow her/him to respond to oppression of any kind through thought, action and deed by codifying both internal (personal character and behaviour) and external responses.”

Responding to oppression — and addressing internal assumptions that may contribute to oppression — and working

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for social justice is the pinnacle of feminism. These interpretations don’t need to make a jump to identify Sikh symbols within feminist context; feminism is naturally present.

The second part is a group of translations from Punjab to English from the Sikh holy text. Four panels hold four passages from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, from three male translators and one female — American feminist Sikh scholar Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh. Sandhra noted that while this part of the exhibit is text-heavy, it left the greatest impact on her. “This for me when I was curating it, was one of the most fascinating experiences, because I was grappling with my own sense of, ‘oh my gosh, I’ve always known it to be this way, and now I’m hearing something that’s totally different,’ right? It totally trumped a lot of the assumptions that I had.”

The text is taken from Bara Mah Tukhari, written in Tukhari raga (musical composition) by the Guru Nanak — the first Guru of the Sikhs. It presents the disciple or devotee as a woman

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in love, who has been transformed into spiritual form. The composition is based off of the twelve months of the year; the translations are taken from the last four months.

For example, these are a few of the translations of the last lines of Poh: Nanak says, the bride who is in love with her Groom, revels in the brilliance of her Reveller.” – Nikky Guninder Kaur Singh “O Nanak, the Lord enjoys, savors and ravishes the bride who is in love with him.” – Srigranth.org “Nanak says, with love and pleasure, God, the Enjoyer enjoys the bride, who hears his love and affection.” – Pritam Singh Chahil The translations are subtle yet powerful in their differences. It brings forward the significance of not only who the translators are, but how they experience and identify with the holy text.

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The second half of the museum is more of a permanent fixture, honouring the pioneers who helped build the temple. The walls display panels on the pioneers and their families. “Every year we’ll be updating these, but it’ll always be about pioneering families,” Sandhra explained.

The linking stories of Indian and European settlers, notably the Sikhs and the Mennonites, form a compelling narrative. Sandhra noted that the MSA Museum Society, the Reach, the Mennonite Museum, and the Sikh Heritage Museum are in talks about the concept of bringing these pioneer stories together in the form of a circle tour.

“We very much want to do that ... and just to bring those communities together, because there is a connecting story.”

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community snapshots

photo by Joe Johnson

MSA Centennial Library Opened in 1967 for Canada’s 100th birthday, the MSA Centennial Library is a historic and iconic part of Downtown Abbotsford. Architecturally, the building is unique within the city. While no longer functioning as a library, the building now is promising beacon of advancing arts and culture scene that’s emerged in Abbotsford in recent years. It is currently being renovated to house the Jubilee Arts Centre, which will include gallery and community arts spaces, as well as offices for the Abbotsford Arts Council and the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association.

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Editor’s note: In our next issue, we’ll be bringing you details on this building’s historical context and new development.

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fresh fiction A selection of 3 poems

by Alex Rake

the skull of my life you are a suture on the skull of my life connecting its face to its head. when im dead come see it. or am i dead already awaiting the excavation? (you know i only write this so you read it will some hamlet hold it as example — will it be thrown into catacombs for touring cameras — will its smile be recognized by experts at last and its form credited where credit is due?

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rainbow i am a rainbow. people wanna see me like im something special but im ashamed to admit im a trick of the light. i am seven layers of nothing hung inside your sky which is nothing between the ground and great nothing of space. if i am beautiful then so is the void. gaze there awhile then tell me you love me. gaze there awhile then return to me with disappointed eyes begging me to cleanse them. cant, i will say. sorry, i will say. im just here to inform you you missed it. you missed the rain.

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fraser valley mountains of cloud surrounded by mountains mountains of an ancient unclaimable power mountains wet with snow and hot with real estate mountains i dont care to climb mountains i cant climb mountains of cloud mountains of culture wow look at me mountains of samosa and sushi mountains making grown men drool mountains of appetite forming in their trousers mountains of trousers that need replacing so hop in the truck lets go to the store mountains of totalled trucks that fishtailed on the oilslick of drool in their racist roadrage on the way to the store mountains of convolusion smoking in their wreckage mountains of cloud mountains of fast food and slow food and no inbetween mountains of perfectly good food going rotten in locked dumpsters mountains of negative space in mountains of stomachs beside mountains of these dumpsters mountains of complaints about where the hungry sleep and how dare they not have a home mountains of empty homes around why dont they buy some mountains of good ideas tell me more mountains of meaningless vapor steaming from mouth to mouth mountains of cloud

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mountains of crafts praised as art mountains of art praised as kindling mountains of pseudo-religious well-meaning mothers of bigots telling me what art is mountains of silent fuck yous echoing ashamedly in my skull mountains of fear felt as righteousness mountains of young little-L liberals who criticize all fear and oh my god am i one of them mountains of i love you mom i love you dad but i think i need to become myself mountains of marijuana take the edge off mountains of vision bring it back all only mountains of cloud mountains of hoarded trading cards mountains of laughter for sale unused mountains of lives not crossing paths mountains of books not being read mountains of religious pamphlets clogging mountains of toilets flooding mountains of churches ruining mountains of fancy sunday shoes inciting mountains of goddammits from mountains of outwardly pious souls mountains untouched acting as majestic inescapable shroud that floats like a hissing canadian goose on the air mountains on mountains on mountains of cloud been here so long i forget that theyre there

Interested in having your FRESH art featured in Raspberry magazine?

Visit raspberrymag.ca/Fresh-submissions to view our submission guidelines.

Never too rainy to raku

Despite the weather, Chilliwack potteryglazing event fired up attendees Joe Johnson If you don’t like the rain, you may have missed out on one of the Chilliwack Community Arts Council’s first events of the summer: the second annual Raku in the Valley at Thompson Regional Park.

Yet the setting was perfect to practice an old Japanese technique of glazing pottery. Nestled into the cloud-filled valley a short drive up Chilliwack Lake Road, the wet weather lent a sense of mysticism. And luckily, it didn’t keep too many people away.

“We still had lots of people here,” said Patti Lawn, executive director of the Chilliwack Community Arts Council (CCAC). “We have a whole bunch of people coming to watch, because it’s a fascinating thing if you don’t know about that pottery form.”

Raku produces beautiful ornamental cracked- or metallic-finish pots. One begins by choosing the type of glaze: either clear, which results in blackened spider-web cracks, or an eye-catching, rainbow-coloured metal glaze.

At its maximum temperature, the pot is taken out of the kiln, transferred to the ground, and covered in shredded pa-

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Classes for all ages • Community events • Gallery • Gift Nook

per, which ignites. Then, metal tins are placed overtop to hold in the heat and smoke. This part of the process cracks the clear-glazed pots, allowing black smoke to set into the cracks. With the metallic glaze, the sheen is brought out by the heat without cracking it.

The entire process takes roughly an hour and a half, from glazing to firing to cooling. Once cool, the pots are wiped clean of excess smoke and residue.

All 65 pots made for the glazing process sold out well in advance of the event. While pots can be any size, depending on the tins that cover them, the pots used at the event were smaller for portability and ease.

“Last year, because it was the first time, we had pots we could sell here,” Lawn said. “This time we don’t.”

The event is made possible by a partnership between the arts council and Devon Road Pottery and Rainforest Pot-

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tery. Potters from the local studios perform the raku portion, and the arts council puts on the event, which also includes vendors and food, as well as providing volunteers to clean the finished pots before handing them over.

To the right of the raku pit where two portable kilns were located, were pottery vendors, artisan soap-makers, and hand-crafted jewellers. The Chilliwack River Valley Fire Department was also on scene to manage any possible issues from the heat and flames that go with the raku process, and to host a barbeque by donation.

With the success of this year’s Raku in the Valley, the CCAC plans to expand next year.

“We’re going to try to double the number of pots,” said Lawn.

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Central Heights’ second artists’ café showcases local musicians and artists Katie Stobbart

At first glance, Central Heights appeared to be empty. Many of the doors facing McCallum Rd. were locked and lightless.

Then, after being let in at the Nikkel Hall entrance, I discovered roughly 200 people, the vast majority of them under 30, mingling and pursuing art as they waited for the performances to start at Central Heights’ second Spring Artists’ Café on May 29.

The two hours of performances mainly featured soloists, primarily playing acoustic guitar but some switching things up on the piano. Skill level ranged from talented novices to more experienced musicians. Only a few, nearly imperceptible signs pointed to the former — an off note here, a stilted moment there where the voices and instrumentals didn’t quite meet up — and the latter were tingle-inducing. In particular, Natasha Stobbe on the piano and an acoustic set by Scott Currie, a member of local band Oh Village, stood out as exceptional. Following Oh Village’s most recent release, Ocris, Currie is currently working on his own EP, which he aims to complete by June.

Each performer was introduced with

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two truths and one lie, with the audience having to guess the lie. This gave audience members a small glimpse of the musicians behind the music, and created a sense of familiarity and inclusiveness.

While onstage, performer Alexandra Pahl shared another artistic initiative she is currently working on as part of a program called Rewarding Wardrobes.

The program receives clothing donations to be auctioned on Facebook in support of We Cultivate, a mentorship group for girls.

Recently Pahl created three unique dress designs to be auctioned through the program; she then got to expand into a line of nine outfits for a fashion show.

“I came up with designs for what I wanted [the clothes] to look like, then did a model call and gauged the amount of fabric based on [their measurements],” Pahl explained, adding that her designs were simple styles to fit various body types — that worked in her favour when a couple of models dropped out at the last minute and she needed to find replacements.

The experience twinned her interest in sewing with an ability to contribute to We Cultivate.

“Not a lot of people my age get the opportunity to design for a fashion show … and it’s amazing to see how I can give back to the community by sewing scraps of fabric together.”

Central Heights’ second artists’ café was well attended by an enthusiastic crowd — so enthusiastic that you won’t have to wait a full year to attend the next one; they plan to host another in the fall, with details to be posted to their Facebook page.

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community snapshots

photo by Joe Johnson

West Railway and Essendene The corner of West Railway Street and Essendene Avenue is often transformed into a place for community gatherings, such as the annual Christmas tree lighting or BerryBeat Festival in July. However, most days it’s just another beautiful location in Downtown Abbotsford. The cyclist in the photo is riding past an agricultural art bench, one of several art benches located downtown.

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The making of Empty Houses, Empty Towns: a music documentary

Film explores Western Jaguar in its most exciting but finite version Kier-Christer Junos Raspberry Magazine

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When some tragic character finally punches through the sky of their testing world, their audience happily applauds them from Everest, at eye-level.

If you’re the type to climb with your Davids as they mount their Goliaths, you’ll be pleased to find a whole snowsled of underdogs to cheer for in my 22-minute debut music documentary Empty Houses, Empty Towns, which premiered May 13.

It’s a film about the Fraser Valley band Western Jaguar, which I also perform in, on a short Vancouver Island tour with tourmates The Sylvia Platters. More importantly, the film illustrates the wavering propensity to pursue music as a small-time, college-aged band. It’s about deferring the expectations often filled by people of our socioeconomic background. It challenges us, as bands, with the amount of time we can devote towards our music projects in this capacity.

I wanted to create a tour documentary more effective than the reels of candid tour footage typically produced by amateur bands. I found that my film could be unique

“I wanted to cr tour documentar effective than th of candid tour f typically produ amateur bands.” in that it simply includes a deeper narrative and message, which are naturally absent in collections of candid video clips.

Producing this film required constant awareness in capturing material. I felt that the film would rely on narrative exposition, so I actively noted what people were saying and revealing about themselves. It was a practice I exercised heavily off-camera.

When I told my bandmates I

reate a ry more he reels footage uced by would be producing this film, I told them that the only way it would work is if I had their honesty. I largely felt they exhibited that virtue.

But the people in Western Jaguar are my friends, and that posed challenges. I knew I had to be unapologetic about the footage I included, even if that footage was potentially unbecoming of a certain person.

Jeffrey Trainor, our principal songwriter, complains in the film that Platters’ frontman Nick Ubels should have been more comprehensive in booking our show at Vinyl Envy in Victoria. Or, he characterizes the would-be-openers that bailed on us in Duncan B.C. as “dicks.”

He lightly suggested that I omit the latter. I didn’t. But Jeffrey acted genuinely and that bolstered the film’s effectiveness.

I wasn’t always successful at being unapologetic. When anxiety (and possible food poisoning) prompted Jeffrey to recede into the hostel chambers at The Cambie near the start of our set, I failed to follow him up there. I didn’t know if I should have. Yes, it would have produced more appropriate footage about the con-

flict at hand, but I’m not confident that an ailing Jeffrey would have appreciated being cornered by a DLSR mounted with a shotgun mic.

By the time I started editing the first cuts of the film, I realized I got so caught up in production that I forgot to ask myself the questions that my bandmates were asking, and the questions about my general identity as a musician. Why am I pursuing music in this way? Is it sustainable? How will I feel if I can’t pursue it this way?

As the other deadlines in life materialize, and push Western Jaguar towards further transience, I’m slowly finding the answers.

You can watch Empty Houses, Empty Towns on YouTube at: youtube.com/watch?v=3iA30drpk4c

In review Plans & Disguises, Plans & Disguises Dessa Bayrock Remember local powerhouse Pardon My Striptease? They’re back — with a new name and a bigger pop sound.

Meet musical duo Dylan Weightman and Brendan Woodroff, better known as Plans & Disguises, whose self-titled, premiere full-length album dropped March 15.

The new name marks some big changes and a new sound: less grunge and less distortion makes for a cleaner, more decisive move towards the pop genre. (They’re eager to brand themselves as “disco/ grunge,” but if it walks like pop and sounds like pop, it might be better to call it pop.)

But perhaps the best description of this new sound is typical early-2000s rock. After all, this album somehow manages to embody both the best and worst of Matchbox 20-era pop hits: catchy hooks, passion bordering suspiciously on angst, a decent dose of cliché metaphors, insistently infectious drums. If you’ve got a thing for turn-of-the-millennium alternative rock (think Our Lady Peace, Matchbox 20, or Goo Goo Dolls), then Plans & Disguises is the local

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band for you.

The album has a couple tracks you won’t want to miss: “Ask” swims in cliché waters by bringing in keyboard and punctuating handclapping, but impressively brings it together into something cohesive and catchy. “Sunrise” is the clear hit of the album, featuring vocals from former Pardon My Striptease lead singer Andrew Christopher and marking one of the rock-ier tracks of the album in sound and temperament. It’s a catchy call-toarms, and the only song on the album with the edgy accreditation of an “explicit” tag.

But there are also a few tracks worthy of a hard pass: “Make This Real” features the eager vocals of Danielle Marie, but suffers a setback in its problematic lyrics. “If I had more time, I’d find somebody else,” she croons. “But I can’t waste mine spending it by myself… who’s going to pick me up this time? Am I ever going to be okay? Stay with me. Make this real.” Come on, Danielle! You’re a strong, independent individual! You don’t need anyone else to make you complete!

Then again, weak lyrics seem to

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be the album’s Achilles’ heel overall. While the album’s sound is catchy enough to make itself into an earworm, the lyrics don’t hold up. Take the opening line of “Believe,” for example: “It’s done. Get away, you told me, turned and then walked away. So I begged you to stay — for reasons I don’t believe anyway.” Sometimes clichés work for a reason, but sometimes they’re just clichés. (“Believe” is unfortu-

nately an example of the latter.)

Plans & Disguises is a strong premiere tempered with nostalgia for the band’s roots. Their lyrics fall down in places, but that’s hardly new for pop music — all in all, this album is catchy as hell.

Interested in having your FRESH Tracks featured in Raspberry magazine?

Visit raspberrymag.com/Fresh-submissions to view our submission guidelines.

community snapshots

photo by Joe Johnson

Atangard Community Project New Passage to India The Spotted Owl This building is one of Abbotsford’s oldest, having opened in 1927 as the Atangard Hotel. Today, it houses four distinct businesses and groups important to the city’s arts and culture. To the left is The Spotted Owl, the newest in a string of bars on this corner, at the back of the building is a liquor store. New Passage to India is at its centre, a long-standing provider of Indian cuisine downtown. To the right, and encompassing the former hotel’s upper storey, is the Atangard Community Project, which opened in September 2009. This group plays a significant role in the revitalization and youth infusion that has been finding its way to the city’s downtown.

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Four punk bands shake the basement Abbotsford’s Like Bears and Nic Fit split the bill with Montreal’s Riot Porn and Vancouver’s Slow Erase at Red Tape Production’s May 20th revue

Photos by Glen Ess

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fresh picks Music Open Mic at O’Neill’s June 2 at 6 PM

Share your original music, poetry, and stories, or sit back and watch some of the Valley’s emerging artists share their latest work while enjoying a delicious O’Neill’s breakfast sandwich.

O’Neill’s Home Cooking 33771 Gosling Way, Abbotsford

Envision Twilight Concert Series Every Weds. and Sat. at 7 PM

Enjoy twice weekly musical performances at beautiful Fraser River Heritage Park. This month’s lineup features Soundscape Singers, Kat & Tony, and many more. Bring your own lawn chair and snacks.

Fraser River Heritage Park 7494 Mary Street, Mission

Envision Concert Series Saturdays at 7 PM

Catch Jackson Hollow, Brennan Sinclair, and Groovedaddy performing at local coffee shops before the series moves outdoors for Western Jaguar at Mill Lake Park on June 25 House of James, Clik Coffee Bistro, and Mill Lake Park Abbotsford

DANCE 2016 Footsteps June 16 at 6 PM & June 18 at 3 PM

Award-winning choreography, stunning costumes, and talented young dancers come together for this compelling performance.

Chilliwack Cultural Centre 9201 Corbould Street, Chilliwack Tickets $16 for adults and $12 for seniors and under-12

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June 2016 Visual Arts Black and White Exhibit Black and White with a Splash of Colour features Sharon Blythe and Jackie Coughlin. Showcasing the duo’s whimsical acrylic and watercolour paintings, this exhibition will have the Art Room Gallery awash in vibrant hues from May 18 to June 23.

Until June 23

The Art Room 20-5725 Vedder Rd., Chilliwack

Community Aboriginal Arts and Culture Celebration Abbotsford Arts Council will be showcasing various traditional and contemporary First Nation artists, performers, and storytellers along with a children’s tent and more. Find our complete preview on pg. 12

June 4 from 11 AM to 4 PM

Kariton Art Gallery 2387 Ware Street, Abbotsford

Art Under the Umbrella Celebrate Chilliwack’s local arts community with engaging multi-media art installations, artist demonstrations, and live performances while shopping for handcrafted artisan creations for sale. Art Under the Umbrella is rain or shine!

June 11 from 10 AM to 4 PM

Central Community Park Corner of Victoria Ave and Young Rd., Chilliwack

Made in Chilliwack Market Experience community, shop handmade, and connect with local artisans for a fun, family friendly, outdoor event showcasing Chilliwack’s own talented makers.

June 18 from 10 AM to 3 PM

Watson Glen Park 44975 Keith Wilson Road, Chilliwack

For complete and up-to-date event listings, visit raspberrymag.ca

Our contributors Alex Rake is a musician from Mission, where he has a great view of the mountains and eats poems for breakfast, which is said to be beneficial to one’s level of metaphor in the viscera.

He recently masqueraded as Shakespeare dragging a corpse.

Alex did not write this bio, but gave us permission to make stuff up. We didn’t.

Anthony Biondi is an artist and writer living ni Abbotsford. He has been previously published in The Louden Singletree, and served four years on The Cascade’s editorial board as Art Director and Production and Design Editor. He is a humourless crab, and fundamental contrarian, whose cholesterol may be higher than his IQ. www.anthonybiondi.com Dessa Bayrock iis an ex-journalist with a soft spot for the Fraser Valley. She currently lives in Ottawa and studies the apocalypse as part of her M.A in English. You can find her reviewing books online at Bayrock, Bookrock and for Ottawa Review of Books. If you rearrange the letters of her name you can spell “abyss croaked,” “as bark decoys,” or “brocade as sky,” all of which describe her in one way or another. @YoDessa www.bayrockbayrock.wordpress.com Glen Ess is the arts and culture editor at The Cascade, and host of The Shuffle Spot, a weekly music program that airs on CIVL 101.7FM Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Joe Johnson is keenly interested in exploring new creative outlets and has always been drawn to photography and the arts. Having been through the rigors of working at a student newspaper, coming to Raspberry magazine is a natural progression for him. Other passions of his are found in writing, running, and the outdoors. He also has his roots in web operations and digital marketing.

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Katie Stobbart is a writer and editor from Abbotsford. She has edited The Cascade newspaper, Louden Singletree literary magazine, and the Pacific Rim Review of Books. A selection of her poems will appear in a co-authored chapbook soon to haunt local library shelves, dentists’ offices, and hotel lobbies: It looks like a chicken. Katie is also working hard to improve her patio gardening game.

Kier-Christer Junos is the lead singer of the Fraser Valley band Casinos, and plays guitar in Western Jaguar. He’s also a fourth-year journalism and economics student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Lianne Mitchell is an artist who graduated from Emily Carr University and is currently the volunteer gallery coordinator at the Abbotsford Arts Council.

Nadine Moedt is a UFV graduate who works at the Abbotsford School District. She loves to travel, but is always happy to return to the Valley, where she spends as much time enjoying local art, food, and nature as possible. She currently lives in Abbotsford with her husband and three cats.

Nick Ubels is an editor, musician, and event planner living in Abbotsford with his wife and three cats. He loves black coffee and tennis but is terrible at both. His life story served as inspiration for the events of Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Sasha Moedt is a UFV grad and a former arts editor at The Cascade. She currently works as a residential support worker as well as a copywriter. When she’s not working, she’s writing, and when she’s not writing, she’s out enjoying local culture, food, thrift shops, and all the cool things the Fraser Valley has to offer.

Raspberry magazine is a monthly Fraser Valley magazine devoted to arts, culture, and community life. Established in June 2016, Raspberry publishes reviews, event coverage, and other arts-friendly content online as we work toward our goal of publishing in print.

You can follow us on social media for updates on our progress, information and insights on the Fraser Valley arts and culture scene, and fresh arts coverage.

RaspberryZine

@RaspberryZine www.raspberrymag.ca

@RaspberryZine

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magazine Raspberry magazine publishes arts reviews, event coverage, and other community content.

To contribute writing, art, or photography to this emerging Fraser Valley publication, contact Katie@raspberrymag.ca

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