The Comet - May 2022

EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE everything will be fine

THIS issue

Ron Evans

issue #43 - may 2022

crossword..................................PAGE 7

write on the river.............. .....PAGE 12

anamnesis................................. PAGE 14

collin estrada.........................PAGE 8 honorable harvest..................PAGE 16 lead pencil studio...................PAGE 20

Star wars burlesque ............. PAGE 24 poetry........................................page 28

motel pastel.................................PAGE 26

art beat......................................PAGE 30

dear moxie.................................PAGE 32

star bitch..................................PAGE 38

Sarah Sims, Holly Thorpe, Cory Calhoun, Skylar Hansford, Lance Reese, Lindsay Breidenthal, Bill Griffith, Christopher F. Hart, JessicaDawn.Co, Anna Spencer VISIT

editor:

contributors:

Honey Bee of the Radar Dames performing LIVE Friday, May 6 - Page 24

COMET HEADQUARTERS

Greetings,

I hope you have all been able to get out and utilize all the amenities of the surreal yet comforting wackiness that is the Apple Blossom Festival. It seems to be a bit more chaotic than it’s been in recent years. I spose 2 years of gentle lockdown will stir up some angst and…other emotions. Nothing like the insanity of the festival of yore though.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw real life -in the flesh- boobies. Twas a warm ‘main Saturday’ night and bumper to bumper cruisin’ was in full swing. Also in full swing were two titties belonging to an exceptionally drunk elderly woman doing a makeshift pole dance on the light post out in front of Wally’s Tavern. Right in front of two cops on foot patrol. They yelled at her to get down and kept on trotting. Ah the 80s.

Speaking of times past, the photo here features a miniature sculpture I recently made of the nostalgia-inducing (forcing?) Vue Dale Drive-In sign. While making it I was in constant sorrow that we don’t have that place anymore. And it’s almost worse that the screens, snack shop and even the classic sign (albeit now boasting of RV parking and Storage Rentals) all still sit there - like ghostly reminders of a past that doesn’t know it’s dead yet. And when the projectors stopped flickering at Vue Dale it left a massive hole in the community. I mean, where else did you get to pee in a giant metal trough? That was a men’s room only perk I’m guessing (praying?). Over the years I had heard mutterings of someone looking into buying the place but there were allegedly clauses in the contract forbidding it to continue as a drive-in - whether that’s true or not, the sale never happened. I’ve also heard talk of a few groups trying to raise money to build a brand new drive-in but those never seem to go anywhere. I’d like to see what has happened in other cities like Seattle, Portland and Austin - pop up drive-ins. Roaming locations, publicly funded equipment and other fees. Food trucks ready to load you up with the perfect heartburn-inducing treats that will last you the whole double featch.

We gotta get back some of that old timey “movies under the stars” feeling somehow. The movies in the park events over the years gave a little of that feeling back to us but it wasn’t quite the same as being in your own car - for all the reasons I surely don’t have to list (or admit to) - but I read somewhere that insurance costs were making that an impractical endeavor so they have all but dried up. I did see movies happening in the Town Toyota Center parking lot recently (and I think people were in cars!) and that seemed to be pretty popular. So maybe that spark will inspire someone out there with a chunk of land, a chunk of change -and a big fat chunk of nostalgia- to make something happen. God knows there’s money in this town and people are spending it on stranger things.

Did you know there’s a local secret underground (literally and figuratively) record library/collector’s club with hundreds of thousands of rare vinyl and state of the art audiophile players that is accessible by invitation only? It’s there/ I seen’t it. Then I talked about it on my podcast and I’ve never been invited back.

Fair enough - I was in clear violation of rules one and two of Record Club…

Happy Trails, Ron Evans Editor of The Comet

I pained over which movies to list. In the end I kept it authentic - but somewhat biographical.

CORY "DAMN YOU" CALHOUN'S

Puzz e Coorner

CROSSWORDS & MORE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE COMET

THE 3 R D PUZZLE OF 2022'S "MEGA-META" EVENT!

Welcome to the halfway point of 2022's Mega-Meta Event! This is both the 3rd meta puzzle of the year and Mega-Meta puzzle #3. As a reminder, the meta answer from each of 2022's 6 meta puzzles are all clues themselves for the Mega-Meta hint, to be announced in November's issue. (The more Mega-Meta answers you keep track of, the better!) What awaits those who solve the Mega-Meta? Cool mystery prizes, plus a custom 21x21 crossword made for you by me! View 2022's previous meta answers, plus full entry and contest details, at tinyurl.com/2022megametarules.

On to 2022's 3rd meta crossword! If you've never tried a meta crossword before, give it a shot—and note that entering to win this puzzle doesn't obligate you to enter to win the Mega-Meta You can enjoy (or suffer from?) this puzzle on its own. For a chance to win this month's mystery prize, keep reading—and remember, it's OK to use Google if you need help! ... HOW TO ENTER: 1. Solve the crossword below. 2. Solve its meta puzzle (instructions at tinyurl.com/corymetas). 3. Email just the meta puzzle answer for the hint (don't send the solved grid!) to cscxwords@gmail.com by 12am PT, May 24, 2022. (One submission per entrant, please.) We'll randomly pick a winner from the correct entries, and announce the winner and puzzle answers in the next issue. Good luck!

Hint: Find a 5-letter place associated with metal alloy.

ACROSS49. Mint and oolong, for two

50. Supply/demand coll. subj.

52. Surgery sites, for short

9. ___ -tat-tat

10. -friendly

11. Microbe

The M in MSG

13. Ooze

15. Halt

16. Well-informed of recent developments

18. Pronounce

19. "How about that!"

20. It connects a southpaw's writing hand to their elbow

22. Baglike structure

23. Some cameras, for short

24. Actress Mazar or skater Thomas

27. Oft-mocked online typo

30. Dry out, informally

33. Alpha's opposite

35. ___ place (jogged on a treadmill)

37. Abbr. for a software edition

39. Knocked out, in boxing

42. Early people of Brazil 43. Laser printer component 44. New Haven college student, informally 45. Heron cousin 47. Hydroelectric project

54. What to ask your doctor a medication might be, per many a commercial

59. Punk-meets-reggae genre

62. Lauder cosmetics

63. Starting point of outward movement, often

65. "Get of this!"

66. They Might Be Giants song about 4 consecutive letters of the alphabet that young children often think are a single letter

67. After-bath powder

68. Breather

69. Opposite of NNE

70. Syringe, for short

DOWN

1. Overly pleased with oneself

2. Bound along

3. Chip in chips

4. Bleacher bum's shout

5. Quality

6. Atoll protector

7. Pedal pushers

8. Loathe

14. Common email attachments

15. Medium of exchange

17. Hearst's captors: Abbr.

21. Nostalgic tune

22. Communicate with the deaf

24. Extinct bird

25. Be theatrical

26. Add fake hair to a mannequin

28. Commits a faux pas

29. Loathed 31. Small egg

32. City near Dayton, Ohio whose name has one more letter than TV's "Warrior Princess" of the '90s 34. Impacted 36. Drag racing org. 38. Hwys. 40. Words before sight and mind 41. Feed bag contents

Prepare leftovers in a microwave

Certain farm animal, to a toddler

ANACROSTIC CHALLENGE

Instructions @ tinyurl.com/coryanacrostics

SOLUTION TO PREVIOUS CROSSWORD

TRAVELVLOG MOAB ROSEPARADE ALTA UTTERBORES IDAS NOR OOOO TERI CROC RMSTITANIC AOLER SAIDHI TOOTED LEE ASC ITGIRL BEAT NIL NEE EVIL LAOTSE GRR LITUP BRITA

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS DOUBLE ANAGRAM CHALLENGE

Prefixmeaning"all"

Theme of new words: One-namefemalesingers REACH - A = CHER, SAID - D = SIA, EYELASH - E = HALSEY, EASED - E = SADE, ROLLED - L = LORDE Leftover letters A, D, E, E, and L anagram into ADELE.

I CRAVE FEEDBACK! Thoughts? Suggestions? Lemme have it. CSCXWORDS@GMAIL.COM

" SEE INTRO FOR INSTRUCTIONS "

FEATURING:@caestrad Collin Estrada

Dark stuff. Pretty stuff. Sometimes some pretty dark stuff.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Always a tough one. As to not name 15 different movies I’ll just play it safe - The Lord of the Rings, Two Towers specifically

FAVORITE BOOK: House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

FAVORITE BAND: END or The Mars Volta

FAVORITE ARTIST: Virgil Finlay or Vania Zouravliov

FAVORITE QUOTE - AND WHO SAID IT: Oh, so many quotes. I’m a big fan of Marcus Aurelius so I’ll pick one of those.

“Ask what is so unbearable about this situation? Why can’t you endure it? You will be embarrassed by the answer.”

ITEM YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: My Pen!

DREAM COLLABORATION: My dream collaboration would be with master illustrator Aaron Horkey

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITER: ROSE WEAGANT

By Holly Thorpe

About Rose:

Rose was born and raised in the NCW area. The product of two artists, she is a writer, teacher, roller skater, and budding farm-type person living on the Methow River. She finds pleasure in making up stories about people and taking a morethan-necessary amount of photos. Follow Rose’s blog at dinmutha.medium.com.

In 2021, Rose Weagant won first place for her fiction story “The Piggly Wiggly” in the Write on the River writing contest. It was her second time placing in the contest. She recalls getting the news the first time, in 2019, while at a hotel in Portland, Oregon.

“Susan [Lagsdin] called me when I was in a hotel room and I was so frickin’ excited,” she said. “It signified that my stuff was worth publishing again.”

Since then, so much has changed.

First, the pandemic. Weagant, like many,

became more isolated, and writing became more difficult.

“It’s hard to focus on things and be like, ‘I’m going to write,’ and then there’s more pandemic and more people dying,” she said

Still, she kept her blog, writing about her hobby farm near the river in Okanogan County.

Then, George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis in 2020.

“I was writing on my blog and I was feeling really good about starting this farm and writing about the farm, and then George Floyd was killed,” she said, “and I was like ‘Why am I, a white woman in the middle of the world, trying to demand attention at this moment?’ ”

Her writing changed after that and turned inward.

“I got really reflective, really private, and all of my writing has been private since then,” she said. “I got to a point where I didn’t think I was worthy of being read. And I’m still working on that. And it’s a process. Because everything is upside down.”

Her work changed as well. Weagant

went from working at the Confluence Art Gallery in Twisp, Wash. to teaching grade 7-12 art at Okanogan High School. She has taught for three years at the school.

“I got to focus on teaching and my students and getting my shit together,” she said. “Teaching is the best way to get rid of ego in the entire world. You can think you’re a badass intelligent person, but when a 12-year-old looks at you like you’re an idiot, you really believe them.”

She also started a master’s of education program at Central Washington University and is expected to graduate this August. Schoolwork has consumed her writing these days.

“I am writing a lot of papers and I am working on my thesis and things like that, but honestly, I’ve written two books and a play 60% through in the past few years,” she said. “Then I get to that dreaded 60%, where I go ‘Oh, there’s a hole!’ and I stare at the plot hole until the whole thing withers and dies.”

She writes in starts and fits, filling notebooks with observations and ideas.

“I’m constantly writing little things, but it’s gotten to the point where I’m really

Dickinson-ing right now. I have notebooks in every room,” she said. “If I die and somebody has to go through all of these notebooks, that’s going to be a wild ride.”

“Piggly Wiggly” came from a similar old notebook. When asked what advice she would give to new writers, she recalled picking the story for submission when she realized it was an idea worth pursuing.

“If it makes you giddy, it might make someone else giddy, she said. “If you’re getting off on something, someone else in the world is getting off on it too.”

She said she misses sharing her work, and she hasn’t resigned from submitting.

“I’d like to pick it up again, but it’s like getting together with an old love, and it’s super awkward,” she said. “This is not the rest, but the recoil. I’m going to get enough stuff done where I can have this even ground and I can just write again.”

To learn more about Write on the River, become a member, or register for events, visit writeontheriver.org. Membership is $35 per year, and offers free or discounted access to all WOTR events. Questions?

Contact info@writeontheriver.org. c

It begins at the far end of a Piggly Wiggly parking lot on a gray Sunday afternoon. Most folks don’t park back there on account of the long trudge to and from the grocery store. But it is, as contractually stated in many a divorce, a nice, neutral space for transition. Parents lean on Fords and Chevys with their kids tucked neatly in the king cabs, thumbing devices and gnawing candy as they wait for their particular form of deliverance.

Happily married people do not see these ghosts at the end of the parking lot. It’s only those who know the dance that see it happening, when the far end of the Piggly Wiggly turns into a shipyard, transferring the most precious cargo from one parent to another.

Roy was there, too, a big heap of a fella. He sighed and checked his watch. The sky’s indifference made him a bit drowsy. And anxious. He yawned and looked at Nathaniel, sitting in the Harley’s sidecar, still in his helmet and goggles. They didn’t bug him too much.

Roy is a fella who tried, but (admittedly) not all of the time. He could have done better for Ellen. He wished he could really show her, but that’s done now. Still, he has Nathaniel. He can show him.

On weekends, they play catch and take walks on the pier. Nathaniel likes to sit on the tailgate and watch Roy tinker with his motorcycle. Mostly, they do this in silence. Sometimes, they listen to the radio. Whatever the case, they have a good time.

Roy hated this part and had hated it for the last five years. There was nothing good about letting Nathaniel go back to Ellen; well, Ellen and George.

Ellen and Roy used to spend the weekends drinking up the sun and loving Nathaniel. But at some point, even Nathaniel wasn’t enough to keep them together.

When Ellen got fed up with Roy and his greasy jeans and Harley, she walked out, taking Nathaniel. It was rough, but they made it work. Then Ellen met a nice pair of khakis named George, and they got married. It still nibbled at him. And worse, Ellen still made his heart flutter.

On this particular Sunday, George came to collect Nathaniel, per Ellen’s instructions. And, according to Roy’s watch, George was a whopping 7 minutes late. Bullshit. A Lincoln Continental turned into the parking lot. Roy tucked his flutter away when he saw the balding silhouette, and not the smooth lines of his former wife, in the driverseat.

The Continental purred to a stop next to the Harley. Roy took a calming breath and wiped his sweaty hands on his greasy jeans.

From inside the Continental, George saw Roy out there--leaned up on a big, beefy Harley like he didn’t have a care in the world. Roy could snap George in half. Easily. George gulped.

Roy couldn’t help but judge his replacement, George the accountant. He looked well enough to do--timeshare well enough. George looked like a man who played golf and a lot of it. But could he provide for Nathaniel with the love and kindness that he was so accustomed to? Roy doubted it.

This is tough, thought George. But it’s what Ellen wants, and he opened the car door.

“Roy.”

“George.”

“How you been?”

“Fair to middling.”

“All right.”

Roy watched George shake his legs out and smooth the wrinkles in his khakis. Khakis. The mere word chafed him. Of course khakis. After decades of dirty jeans, she gave up and found herself a khakis man.

No matter now. Roy grimaced.

The men stood in front of each other, a respectable distance apart. Roy crossed his arms and looked down at George. From his long, blonde hair to his tattooed forearms and his big boots, he made guys like George shake in their loafers. And yet Roy was, and would always be by George’s standard, cool.

George craned his neck around Roy’s girth to take a peek at Nathaniel, still wearing his helmet and goggles. “How’d our little guy do?”

Roy held his breath. How dare you, he thought. How’d he do? I’ll tell you how he did. Just great, as always. You little turd. Hell, Nathaniel’s been everywhere with me and that won’t ever stop. You get me? Just because your Ellen’s husb—

“Hi, Nat!”

What a little shit.

“It’s Nathaniel. Nuh-THAN-yel. Ellen and me never called him that.” Roy flustered and looked at Nathaniel who perked up at George’s voice--a harder blow to Roy than anything George could ever physically muster.

Roy looked down at Nathaniel, excited, his tail wagging.

Of all the best dogs in the world, why do I have to share mine with this dink?

Roy scooped Nathaniel into his arms and held his face close. Nathaniel licked Roy’s nose.

I can’t leave our baby with this guy. It’s just not right.

“Look, I know this is strange,” George reasoned. “But it’s what Ellen wanted.”

Roy didn’t look. He stared into Nathaniel’s eyes, tears spluttering down his cheeks. His boy, his good boy is all he has now. He buried his wet face into Nathaniel’s coat and sobbed.

Eventually, Roy wrung himself out, and handed Nathaniel over to George who loaded him into the Continental.

“Good service, huh?” said Roy, voice quivering. He mopped his nose with a dirty bandana.

“Yup.”

It was a good service. Ellen would be proud.

The sadness kept them facing each other. Roy wanted to be indignant. He loved her for longer, deeper (though maybe not better). He looked at George. He was wrung out, too. They shared the emptiness, a void big enough to swallow them whole. If not for Nathaniel, the two would hold hands and jump together into their sorrow.

But the accountant and the mechanic, knit together inextricably by four legs and a wet nose, made a promise to Ellen.

ANAMNESIS: OPENS @ COLLAPSE THIS FRIDAY

Robin has been showing her work locally for the past fifteen years and has had her work published in several national magazines. She teaches workshops in encaustics, textile art and mixed media several times a year, most often at Gallery One in Ellensburg.

Scott and Robin curated and coordinated exhibits at the 420 LOFT Gallery for several years and had a blast doing it. At the end of 2021, the building owner made the tough decision to forgo the gallery space in order for Pretty Fair Beer, a popular local establishment, to expand.

The name of the upcoming show at Collapse is Anamnesis, which evokes the idea of reminiscence. Both Scott and Robin’s work explores memory, re-discovering what was forgotten, and the way what we think we remember fades over time. Robin’s work has a hazy, layered quality that asks the viewer to consider what lies beneath the surface. Scott’s pieces each tell a story of the interactions between everyday objects and the unexpected and sometimes whimsical re-interpretations of what we thought we knew. His most recent work centers around toys from his childhood in the 70s and 80s, setting them against fauna who interact with the toys in dynamic ways. What do you remember about the toys you played with?

Artistic styles and workflow process: Scott considers his work magic realism, especially after working under Peter Saul at University of Texas. Also, labels are limiting.

his art career but keeps his work fresh and engaging.

The work exhibited in Anamnesis includes paintings on found boards, hanging mixed media sculpture and drawings in pen and ink.

Robin creates a steadily growing body of work, primarily working out of her studio at Gallery One, a space she feels wildly privileged to enjoy. She prefers to work on several pieces at once and to bounce between encaustic painting, textile art and mixed media. For Anamnesis she’s exhibiting a series of encaustic paintings on cradled board and cardboard.

On collaboration with each other: Scott and Robin have shown collaboratively about a dozen times over the past five years. They have found that their pieces, though entirely different in style and technique, complement each other. They have repeatedly discovered that without any outward discussion, they move toward working in similar palettes and unearthing similar inward experiences. When their work is shown as a collection, it brings the best out in both of them.

About the show at Collapse: Anamnesis is a collection of imaginative, textured work that will delight the viewer’s senses and bring them into a deeper story of the inner life and the power of everyday experiences.

SCOTTMAYBERY

This Friday Collapse Gallery in Wenatchee opens a new joint show exhibit from Ellensburg artists Scott and Robin Mayberry titled Anamnesis. We reached out to the artists for more information on this show and they sent back an in-depth look into their work along with their history in the arts.

A little background: Scott holds a BA and MA in art from CWU, and an MFA from University of Texas at Austin. Since graduation he has continued making artwork on a regular basis and has shown his work locally and nationally. His work focuses on paintings, drawings and mixed media sculpture with a narrative quality.

Robin’s encaustic work is abstract and created through multiple layers until they reveal a story. Realism does not interest her in the same way that organic unfolding of shapes and colors does.

Scott creates in frenetic bursts between his multiple responsibilities, including running a small business and maintaining family life. He tends to work in series from ten to twenty pieces until he has fully explored an idea, and then drastically changes his style for the next series, usually diving into new imagery using a different palette and. This refusal to repeat himself creates challenges for

What’s up next: Scott and Robin’s next mutual exhibit will be at Gard Vintners in Ellensburg WA in October.

Links/Social media:

Scott: scottmayberryart.com

IG @scottmayberryart

Robin: robinmayberry.com

IG @robinomayberry

Anamnesis premieres this Friday at Collapse Gallery at 115 S. Wenatchee Ave. with an opening reception from 4-9pm. c

SCOTT MAYBERRY (CROPPED)

SCOTT MAYBERRY

ROBIN MAYBERRY (CROPPED)

ROBIN MAYBERRY (CROPPED)

ROBIN MAYBERRY

By Ron Evans

Out in the rugged lands of the Methow Valley lives one of the most unique humans I have met. Harmony Cronin. A self-proclaimed Viking Warrior Princess For The Apocalypse, which may sound like hyperbole now - but likely won’t by the end of this article. This May 13-15 Cronin is holding her sixth 3-day class on killing, butchering and utilizing entire animals in a respectful and thoughtful way. I sat down for an interview with Cronin who arrived at our meeting looking exactly as you’d imagine. Adorned with clothing and accessories handmade from animals she has killed or road kill she found, slightly wild hair and an enthusiastic grin that widened as she slid into the chair across from me.

And a warning: this will likely be a very polarizing story even among meat eaters. Vegans may just wanna skip it, but everyone else -including vegetarians- should truck forward. It’s a fascinating look into a more natural and timeless perspective on how we eat. And if you only feel more drawn toward the veggie side of life after you read this, that’s fair. But even for the rest of us, it may be a good time to reassess what it actually means to eat organically and ethically.

So tell us about this class and the philosophy and experience you put into it.

One of the things that I’ve dedicated a lot of my life to is figuring out how to become worthy of asking an animal to die, so that I can live. A lot of people struggle with that guilt, and they want to have more intimacy with their food, so they want to learn how to kill an animal and to use every part.

That’s kind of the perennial question for me - how can I become worthy of that act?

It’s not enough to simply kill efficiently.

So in the Honorable Harvest class we go really slow. We talk a lot about it and we really explore what it means to kill an animal and all the different ways…and then we’ll kill animals. And we’ll do our best to honor the gifts that they give us in class.

I also talk about living off grid and I love to show people that you don’t need fancy tools, expensive knives and big metal hooks to properly butcher an animal. After we kill and butcher the animal I show them how to treat the meat in the traditional ways, curing and smoking. All using materials you already have around you. I talk about the importance of maintaining the environment and food sources for the animals we eat. You are supposed to feed what you eat. We have lost some of that.

We provide guests with two fine crafted meals a day using locally harvested ingredients and we camp out for all three days of the class. It’s beautiful.

How did you get going down this road? Were you born into it?

Oh god no. I was born in Denver and my family are all city folk through and through. They’ve never seen a dead animal except on styrofoam packages in supermarkets so my awakening happened later on when I was living in Olympia. It really started with me picking up road kill.

I was riding my bicycle and there was a dead squirrel and as I rode past it I could hear the squirrel say, if I was a dead human, would you just ride past? And I

stopped and I thought holy shit, how have we become so numb and disgusted by animal death? And how is there this life hierarchy now where human death is somehow more potent or important than animal death? And so I went back and I picked up the squirrel and couldn’t even touch it. I was so afraid even though I knew it was dead. But I just sat with it until I could touch it. I took it home and buried it in my yard.

And I just kept doing that because I figured if they’re left on the asphalt they’re going to bring in more animals that are going to get hit by a car. So I started burying them. And they were so beautiful. I remember holding that squirrel and thinking … people used to use every part of the animal, right? We have that kind of cultural story that in some golden past, we used every part and I wondered - what does that even mean? How would I skin this animal? The first animal I ever killed was a rat in my house, because we had a really bad rat infestation on the west side. And it was so massive for me, I wept, holding this rat and I thought…I’m gonna use every part. So I skinned the rat and I ate it. And then I tanned the hide. And that kind of started me on this whole path of like, picking up as much road kill as I can, skinning it, tanning it, eating it. And the more I did that the more road kill I would find and then I got on this hunter’s path. Now I’m a big game hunter as well, and I teach people how to use every part of an animal and so it developed from an obsession into kind of an anthropological obsession.

So you eat all road kill you come across? Skunks, coyotes…kitty cats?

You know, for some reason I can’t eat domesticated animals. It just feels…different

and I can’t even really explain it. Maybe because I know some little kid loved that cat and it seems incorrect to consume it. But skunks, hell yes.

Is there any critter that you have found to be better (or much, much worse) to eat than others?

It’s all actually pretty good, but you know what’s really good? Porcupine. I was surprised.

Let’s talk about ethical killing. If someone is a vegan, and they just tell me that they don’t like the idea of killing animals and eating animals, I totally get it. What I don’t get are meat eaters that are fine buying stuff off the styrofoam platters but have trouble with the notion of hunting and slaughtering your own meat. In an age where so many people seem interested in grass fed, organic, cruelty free, free range…take your pick - we still have this pocket of people who don’t understand why you’d kill a perfectly good animal when you can just go buy one that’s already dead.

Yeah and that also supports a terrible industry - the meat industry. If you eat meat I strongly suggest you kill at least one animal. Experience it. Understand it and truly respect it. Just once.

Even if you decide to not continue doing it, it will have a lasting impact on how you think about your food.

When I’m hunting, I bow hunt, and I rifle hunt. But when I’m slaughtering a domestic animal, I use a knife. I used to use a gun.

Why don’t you use a gun anymore?

Well that’s a complicated answer… I think I’ll start with the logistical side. First, I like roasting heads, I like eating the cheeks and the eyeballs and the tongue. And when you shoot an animal in the head, you can’t really do that. So it helps preserve more of the meat and makes it easier to collect the blood because we eat the blood too. We use it for baking and all kinds of things. And then the philosophical side…guns are really, really new. And in nature, animals usually die slowly, right? Wolves and coyotes can take 24 hours to kill an animal. And I think that they’re actually evolved to bleed out. They’re not evolved to have their brain exploded in an instant. And every animal that I’ve ever shot, there’s a lot of thrashing and it feels violent. And when I bleed an animal out, it’s a whole different matter.

Attendees of this class will be killing their own goat. Have you ever had anyone show up to your classes and decide they can’t be a part of it and flee back to the safety of the grocery store meat section? Or go all salads all the time?

No, everyone that has been part of my class over the past several years has continued to use and grow with what they learned there. Everyone will kill, harvest and take home an entire goat as part of this class. It’s pretty unique.

One of the things you talk about is the use of animal products in foods that most people might think are vegetarian. Like cheese. Tell us about that.

Okay, so rennet is an enzyme compound that lines the stomach of a baby cow or goat. This enzyme curdles milk which is an essential step in making cheese. In the dairy industry the cows need to have

one calf a year to keep the milk coming. So they have all these calves that they just kill. They then process the rennet for cheese, the meat for veal and the rest is likely wasted. So if you’re a vegetarian you’ll wanna make sure your cheese is rennet-free.

You mentioned not wanting to waste anything earlier so I have to ask… you do eat the eyeballs?

Eyeballs are delicious. You can also use them for lots of things like beauty products - it’s really good for the face. It’s also a medium, I paint with it.

Do blue eyes make blue paint and brown makes brown?

Hmmm. That’s interesting because most animals have brown eyes and it does make a brown pigment. But, I’m not really sure about that one. You can also extract the clear goo inside the eye without the iris and you will get a clear substance you can add pigment to. I actually cover a lot of this stuff in the class. There are all kinds of parts of the animal you can use for all kinds of things, people are surprised.

(Here Cronin proudly displays her bladder purse.)

How do people sign up for the class?

You can sign up on my website gatheringways.com - the class is $800 for three days and I promise it will change your life. Also coming up: May 28 - One Day Class: The ancient, magick, medicine, and methodology of mead-making. Each student leaves with one gallon of their own mead. $70 per person - limited spots available. c

Photos by Matt Hamon

KITTITAS COUNTY OPEN SHOW

This May, Gallery One in Ellensburg will feature works of art by artists from Kittitas County in their annual all-media exhibition. This year’s juror, Davin Diaz of DrewBoy Creative selected 103 pieces by 92 individual artists and will distribute $5000 in awards donated by local businesses and individuals. Meet some of the artists in the show and see their studios during their free self-guided Kittitas County Studio Tour taking place June 4, 10am-4pm.

About the juror:

Davin Diaz is the president and founder of DrewBoy Creative (DBC). DBC develops art exhibitions and events that create experiences that stimulate conversation and community by celebrating and supporting emerging, outsider, and professional artists. They prioritize and promote art from individuals who are emerging artists, from diverse or marginalized backgrounds, or challenge the traditional school of thought related to art.

Davin has been recognized for his service to the community and is the recipient of the 2019 Washington State Governor’s Arts and Heritage Award in the Community Category, recipient of the 2019 Richland City Arts Contributions Award, 2018 Kennewick City Arts Commission’s Energize the Arts Award, a member of the Port of Kennewick’s 2018 Friend of the Port Award, and the 2017 Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Community Leader of the Year.

Opening Reception 5-7pm (awards announced at 6pm)

Information provided by Gallery One

Sam Albright

Megan Hansen

Crista Ann Ames

Mandi Griffin

This May, Music Theatre of Wenatchee will be filling the stage at Numerica PAC with wizards, witches, flying monkeys and all the spectacle that one would expect from a production of The Wizard of Oz. Amidst the chaos of all the pre-show magic, we reached out to costume designer Sheryl Sutherland (who has been involved with MTW for 25 years) about what goes into the suit-making process for these major productions.

Tell us where you start with a big project like this, logistically. I’m assuming each production has allocated funds for each department? How does all this work?

Before a director presents a musical production to the board of MTW they have to have all their production staff in place. So, when I know I’m working on a production I start by researching the play and finding out what has been done in the past. Usually I look up Broadway shows. I also have discussions with the director to get an idea of what they would like to see for their show. Each production gives you a budget and the director usually asks how much you think you will need for the show. Every show is a little different and we have an idea of what costumes we have available from our costume room at the theater.

So you’ve got your budget and a list, are you sketching up patterns yourself - or using licensed franchise patterns? Are you free to get creative how you see fit or are there guidelines you have to stay in when working with a licensed (especially with such an iconic) production? For the Wizard of Oz, I’ve been gathering “green items” from around the area for over a year. We’ve already discussed with the scene designer/lighting director and play director the color scheme and know what they propose for background scenes. From there we start pulling items we can use and what we can combine together to make costumes for the various scenes. The Munchkinland scene, Emerald City scenes and Winkie guard scenes involve the entire ensemble so there are a lot of costumes to be created. I have an idea in my head of what I’d like the costumes to look like so sometimes I sketch them out or make a template or just sit at the sewing machine and create what I can from what materials I’m working with.

Walk us through the stages of the fitting process.

After the cast has been chosen they have a “read through” night and that’s when we measure everyone so we can fit them prop-

erly. I’ll go through the patterns that we have at the theater to get an idea of what we have as a base to create a costume. For the lion costume, I used a basic adult animal costume pattern and adjusted it to look the way I wanted the lion to look. I also had to order a lion hair/head wig that I colored to match the fur I ordered for the costume. The Tin Man costume was made with EVA foam. I have never worked with that before so I had to research how to work with it. I made a poster board pattern first to fit the actor before I cut out the foam and molded it with a heat gun.

Where do you do the actual work/sewing once you’ve ironed out a list of wardrobe needs?

I sew/create all the costumes in my sewing room at my home. It looked like a bomb went off in the room. Connie Morris has been my right hand gal/helper on this project. We have worked together on several projects. I can give her my ideas for a scene and she will put it together. Vicki Michael has done an amazing job with the hats for this production. I couldn’t do this without their help. Sometimes I have people offer to help and I work with them to give them things they feel confident about working on.

Were there any specific challenges you had to overcome with this production? Or any major challenges from past shows?

I love a challenge so it was fun coming up with costumes for Oz. There is a pride you see in an actor when they like the costume they are wearing and it shows in their confidence and the way they act on stage. This has definitely been a fun show to costume. Spamalot had some challenging costumes, Mary Poppins was fun to figure out the quick changes/ flying and Hello Dolly in Leavenworth was a big costume show.

Spoilers…word on the street is there may be some flying involved in The Wizard of Oz. Talk about working with costume design when specific devices may need to be employed.

We are flying several characters in this show so that’s a challenge to make a costume that can accommodate the flying harness. When I came up with the Flying monkey costume I needed to design it to fit the wires and make sure the wings weren’t in the way when they made the flying motions while jumping around the stage.

See the Numerica PAC ad on page 2 for more information about this production. C

LEAD PENCIL STUDIO

By Ron Evans

For the month of May, MAC Gallery at WVC will be hosting an installation by the acclaimed Seattle-based multi-disciplinary duo Lead Pencil Studio (Annie Han + Daniel Mihalyo).

Their works, drawing on their backgrounds in architecture and studio arts, have appeared throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, at museums of all scales, non-profits, commercial galleries, independent projects, international art fairs and private/public commissions.

For their MAC Gallery exhibition, LPS presents a suite of wire sculptures and line-based drawings that lend material presence to the geometry of windows and framed light that lands on interior spaces. This work continues their ongoing interest into the ephemeral and emotional qualities inherent in constructed space.

- MAC Gallery

I reached out to the artists to learn more about this show and how they conceive, plan and install their unique and complex works.

When experiencing your work there’s a lot to take in - angle, contrasts, reflection and texture and often elements of the abstract. When creating your pieces, are you in constant “stand back - take note - and make adjustments” mode all along the way? In other words, is there room for Bob Rossian “happy accidents” here and there or are you engineering all aspects with specific intention?

When we work on public projects that involve a ton of collaborators and vetting with agencies, we have to make nearly all the decisions years in advance of the actual fabrication. As such, with these works we are forced by the process to keep spontaneity to minimum. We do however make nearly all of the work ourselves in our shop. Keeping fabrication in-house does allow for a great deal of adjusting

along the way. Other types of work, such as gallery, museum and art fair shows, are typically studio-based or made on-site during the installation phase, and with these works there is a fair amount of ‘standing back’ and reconsidering along with going with the process of making. So yes, there are many happy accidents or unexpected surprises along the way.

On a similar note, tell us about the earliest planning and prep stages for your works. How much are you typically locking into in this phase vs. shooting from the hip and letting some of the work manifest how it will?

We prefer to talk it over until the last possible hours before a deadline and then execute. We suspect that this is because there are two of us and we must both love the idea. It is natural that delaying decisionmaking continues the dialogue and we both have a chance to reflect, critique and modify. If we worked alone, it would be far easier to convince yourself that the

first idea was the best one and the one that needed doing. While our collaborative method misses some of the ‘shots from the hip,” it benefits from lots of dialogue and a lot of version 1.0 ideas sent to the dustbin.

Talk about the use of contrast, depth and texture along with an interest in both real world objects and fractal, more organic (chaotic?) shapes and lines. The first three are techniques that we employ to improve the legibility of the work and we think a lot about the use of them, constantly adjusting as we go along – both in sculpture as well as 2D work. The latter half of this question pertains to the subject matter. We are very attracted to artworks that can exist in the real world – objects that are aware of the gravity and that are at least tangentially familiar. We use architecture as our lexicon to communicate our observations and feelings specific to a topic, site or subject at hand. We do employ a fair amount of reduction and abstraction in forms, and shy from organic shapes for the

Non Sign II in Blaine, WA.

STUDIO AT THE MAC

most part – although we always seem to make exceptions when trees are involved.

Is there a difference in how you approach these varied styles and elements, conceptually?

Well, we would say that there is a wide spectrum of ideas that we are pursuing conceptually across time. Ideas and notions are often revisited, as is the case with this show, but methods and materials are also revisited for cross purposes. In other words, we might have been interested in the significance of windows 15 years ago and chose to use only drawings and video to explore some thoughts – where now we are revisiting the idea using steel and wire filigree to cover explore some different angles on the subject.

Would you call yourselves designers of sorts?

For years, and on the advice of artists in the generation above us, we were told to suppress our education as architects –

since the professional divide was so stark and mutually exclusive. These days, with everyone claiming a multi-hyphenate pedigree it’s something of a non-issue, which is a welcome change. We are interested in and concerned about architecture and the City as a project of human expression. We do have architecture projects so the clients do refer to us as designers or architects when we do those projects.

Is there a conscious effort to decide how ‘open to interpretation’ any one piece should be? In other words, how interested are you in steering the viewer in one direction or another concerning their takeaway?

We try to say as little as possible about work in pretext. This grew out of our feeling that an artwork is visual and therefore the physical qualities should be the primary form of communication of what is presented. We sometimes write or provide background to those who are interested but are not big believers in wall-text and

didactic or scripted meanings. We prefer people to be drawn to a work on its own visual merit and if there is deep interest, to make available some more thought – but not at the expense of closing down the possibility of alternate interpretation. People will interpret work on a first impression anyway and many of the most meaningful words said about our work come from people who say exactly what they feel and without curatorial text as a guide.

Intention aside, artists often hear interpretations of their work they find surprising. Have either of you seen or heard a response to your work that really stuck with you for one reason or another?

It is rare to be able to really hear the internal reaction with most people, but there have been a few notable occasions over the years and they nearly always come from eavesdropped gleanings. On our first museum show at the Henry Art Gallery in 2005, we happened to be at the museum on a typical

weekday to do something else, and there was a large class of maybe first or second graders with a chaperone, a teacher and a docent walking them through our installation Minus Space. They asked the children to sit on the floor in a semi-circle near the artwork and somebody asked, “Does this artwork make you feel anything?” A boy who was excitedly kneeling (instead of sitting cross-legged with the others) put his hand up with exuberance and said “I just feel so lucky to be able to see this.” We’ve no idea who that young person was, but that was enough right there to fuel us for a lifetime of art-making.

Talk about the logistical side of planning and successfully installing some of your larger (heavier) assemblies. This must be something you have to think of pretty early on I’m guessing?

As the work grew larger, we had to up our game on being prepared and professional on job-sites. We are often operating under a larger general contractor and there

4 Corners

again under a larger municipal or Federal agency and so we are routinely required to perform as though we were a professional sub-contractor. Aside from operating our own heavy equipment and dealing with some rather serious life-safety concerns, the most difficult thing to keep up with are the constantly evolving safety and training protocols that the pro’s get updated on or trained monthly. We, on the other hand, often show up on a job and are suddenly required to prove this or that certificate or training card, so that has been a continual moving target and a challenge to anticipate.

Have you had any particular installations that proved especially challenging? And are permits required for some of the structures?

Most artwork operates in a gray-area with regard to permitting and certain projects

are allowed to proceed without a permit, where others – though small, are examined by the building department to the hilt. Our project in Portland Inversion +/- , was by far the most challenging if only because the site was over a complex right-of-way at the end of a bridge, over a sidewalk and parallel to a four-lane highway with constant semi-truck traffic. We had little room to maneuver, no room for error and had to setup lane closures for overhead welding on a weekly basis with a bunch of very angst-ridden commuters. It would be hard to imagine a more difficult situation to install an artwork.

Tell us a little about what we can expect at your upcoming exhibit at MAC Gallery in Wenatchee.

We believe in Scott (Bailey) and Natalie (Dotzauer) at the college and have always wanted to show with them in their gallery

space. We’ve long wanted to revisit the subject of architectural openings and the shape of light they provide. This invitation from Scott has given us this opportunity to think fresh on the topic, take a step back from our larger work and make some art for pure pleasure and exploration. Nothing could be more enjoyable for us.

Is there a dream project you have in mind that may be out of reach at the moment but something you are working toward?

Well, we’ve always wanted to find barren 40 acres with a cliff somewhere in Eastern Washington and use it as a platform for something crazy. We’re still looking for just the right site – but we’ve also been searching ever since our Maryhill Double project in 2006.

Anything coming down the road you

would like to mention?

We are chipping away on a 100 year old building next to our shop and hoping to open this year with the first public segment that might lead the way to more arts-supporting venue spaces in the years to come. We are also in the final stretch of fabrication on a large sculpture up in Vancouver BC that will look something like a narrow slice of a stadium bleacher. It’s been in planning for 10 years and we’re very excited to see that come together after a 2 year pandemic delay.

Lead Pencil Studio: Shadow Aperture WVC MAC Gallery

May 6—June 17, 2022

First Friday Opening Reception: May 6, 5:00—7:00pm

Artists’ Talk: May 6, 4:00—5:00 in the MAC Grove Recital Hall

Friday night, May 6th, Wenatchee’s naughtiest stage revue The Radar Dames returns to the Riverside Theater with a brand new show. The Radar Dames Strike Back is the second Star Warsthemed event by the local burlesque troupe.

The 21 and over show is Friday at 9pm (doors at 8pm) and there will be burlesque,

comedy and a cosplay contest with prize packages provided by Krampus Kave in Leavenworth and The Time Capsule in Wenatchee so get your outfits ready!

To get you into the spirit of things we asked the performers a few questions about the show, Star Wars and their favorite memories about being in The Radar Dames.

POPPY BOOBLÉ

HONEY BEE

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames?

One summer, a bunch of us went to the river and had a very fun time! Can’t wait to go again this summer!

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character?

Padmé Amidala’s makeup, hair, and costumes were so iconic to me! My sister was her for Halloween when we were kids. I was a little jealous.

Tiny hint of something you have planned for this upcoming show: I can’t wait to show off my headpiece I made for one of my performances.

MR.PIP

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames?

Singing Minnie The Moocher and having Moxie dance with me. I just love that. She’s so sultry, it makes playing with her so much fun. I just adore being with the Dames.

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character?

My favorite Star Wars character is C3-PO. He’s fabulous and has been in all of the films. Who can’t love a mainstay?

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames? My most memorable moment as a Radar Dame is from my very first show. I did a number with Bebe Doblevei and Justin Sox. We had planned to pie Justin Sox at the end of the number, so we filled our tins with whipped cream and had them set and ready on a ledge. It was so damn hot in the RadarStation, that by the time we went to pick up the pies, it was just super smelly warm cream in a pie tin. We continued with the plan, and Justin became a giant walking milk bear. We all smelled so bad for days!

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character? I don’t necessarily have a fave Star Wars moment, as I’ve only seen the series a handful of times, but I am a sucker for a good love story. The moments surrounding Padmé screaming “YOURE BREAKING MY HEART ANAKIN!” and Obi Wan yelling his heartache from slicing him to pieces made me bawl like a baby. I had enough of Ewan’s broken heart in Moulin Rouge, adding another movie where his heart broke was just too much for my tear ducts. I snot cry every damn time.

MISS MUFFINSTUFFER

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames? The first show I did. Only one song I performed to that evening was one I actually chose due to a little mix up. One song ended up being a Bob Dylan song that was so long I thought it was never going to end. I’m pretty sure I was just running around for several minutes hoping it would be over soon. But I made it through and it made me feel like if I can perform to a song I’ve never even heard before (and hope I never hear again) then I can do anything.

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character? I totally asked a friend of mine for an answer, but it was too good and I think everyone who knows me would see right through the BS. So, to answer your question, I don’t know much about the Star Tales other than everyone hates Jar Jar for some reason, but Luke is such a baby and I think he’s the worst.

Tiny hint of something you have planned for this upcoming show? I’m a little bit Yoda, a little bit I don’t know what’s going on.

MOXIE ROSE

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames? We started this adventure with myself and three other women and there were times where we would spend hours together at RadarStation rehearsing, sitting on the floor making costumes, choreographing shows. We took four people that only had loose connections to each other and created a lifelong bond. And then we added more dancers and struck gold again. We are a family. We’ve been able to pull off some of the most wild themed shows and some of the best traditional burlesque shows and I can’t think of another group of people that I could do this with. We miss having a home base in RadarStation but we love continuing to make memories and carrying-on the chaotic good that came out of there.

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character? These were the movies that brought me joy even if I was still too young to understand parts of the original trilogy I grew up on. But honestly if I had to pick one that has always stuck with me from childhood that I absolutely love, it’s a tossup between the scenes on Hoth in “The Empire Strikes Back”and the scene in Jabba‘s palace from “Return of the Jedi.”

Tiny hint of something you have planned for this upcoming show? In this show I’m bringing back a number I did in a previous Star Wars show that was a big hit and was super fun to do… But I am also adding a new number that will give a little wink and a nod to everyone’s favorite captain of the Millennium Falcon.

TNT

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames? Coming back after the pandemic felt like coming alive again. Our first live show - I felt like I was gonna shit myself, so much excitement and I’m just happy to be back with my burly fam.

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character?

My wife is a huge Star Wars fan, So I married into this! She actually walked down the aisle to the Imperial March for our wedding. Her mama worked for George Lucas during the making of Star Wars !

Tiny hint of something you have planned for this upcoming show? Wild thoughts …

ROCKABILLY MCGREGOR

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames? The lights going down for my very first live number. I knew I should’ve been nervous, but I wasn’t. The reaction from the crowd as I walked on stage….. just took me over. It’s a feeling everyone should feel at least once in your life.

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character? Watching Return of the Jedi with my uncle when I was about 5 years old. Something about the forest scenes and the racers. That memory will stay with me forever.

Tiny hint of something you have planned for this upcoming show? Skin. Lace. And more skin. You’ll be begging for more.

GYPSY MOON

Fondest memory of your time with The Radar Dames? Hands down our first Pride performance! It was one of the BEST nights of my life thus far. The energy and emotions felt in that entire building will forever give me chills.

Favorite Star Wars scene/memory/character?

I’m the Resident Trekkie! But I do love me some Ewoks. I still own my Ewoks VHS from the 80s and watch it often.

Tiny hint of something you have planned for this upcoming show?

“Nrrrgghhhrrrrnnnlln”

Some Big Hairy Guy

THIS IS CONFIRMATION OF YOUR MAY 13TH CHECK-IN AT THE PASTEL MOTEL. ENJOY YOUR STAY.

BY LANCE REESE

Ifirst met Pastel Motel coming on the heels of their 2016 release East A Street, a Pink Floydian mega-opus with 20-minute-long songs (remember Animalism parts 1 – 26? Anyway this midtwenty-something group of guys – Ricky and Ryan Maxey on guitar and vocals, Eric Deleon on bass and Jerry on drums – are flying on this new launch so I book them to headline our annual Beardfest. Total pros, they hype the shit out of the event, and I’m getting messages from all their groupies “what time is Pastel Motel playing at the festival,” and of course I respond with “sometime after dark and after the luchadores finish their wrestling matches.” Obviously the only way to follow a bunch of short dudes in masks body slamming each other is to throw a psychedelic jam band on the opposite stage. And it pretty much goes down just like that, and the band’s still young enough that they can keep it together and slay a set - even black out drunk, total rock star style, wasted but still tight - keep playing as they’re blowing fuses - crowd packed up against the stage, and at the end of the night despite all the booze and endorphins they still remember

to collect their check. Pure pro. So some six months later I run into Ricky and we hatch a plan to put on a small show at my bike shop. He lines up the bands, Bad Habit and Take Back, and I handle the venue and equipment. I’m completely new to all of this, my gear’s shit, I’ve got some shit Mackie analog mixer and I order some cheap stage lights off the internet. Half the lights don’t come on when I get them so I open up the cans and find most of the wires were never connected. Yeah for cheap Amazon shit – but a little bit of solder and I get it proper and working like they should.

Now to give some historical perspective: in the years that have followed, putting on shows has become a thing, Ricky and I have put on over 100 events and I’m now humbly considered by many to run some of the best sound and lighting for music in Central Washington. But back then, we were a complete shit show. Sure we pulled it off and it was a blast, but all night Ricky’s a mess ‘cause he thinks not enough people are showing up and the show’s a total failure, then he realizes he’s run most of the first set with the mains muted - all the room sound coming through the stage monitor (I think we just had one back then). I wasn’t any better, technically I mean, emotion-

ally I’m all business so I kept my shit together, but a couple hours before the show I picked up a Chauvet DMX lighting controller. I have no idea how to set the whole thing up but I can push sliders up and down so I just address the lights as 001, 002, 003, 004. I understand that, like me at the time, that will mean nothing to most people, but rest assured it translates to not being able to do anything practical – at all. Push slider 1 up and it turns on light number one. Push slider 2 up and it turns on light number two, but it also makes light number one strobe… And it goes on and on and sure enough all I get is a color changing flashing mess (FYI it was still cooler than what most venues have or do.) As a bonus I picked up a $20 fog machine – actually I think I paid a couple bucks more and splurged on one that had a wireless remote so I could control when the thing went off. The fog machine took forever to heat up, it could only go off every five minutes or so, but when it did it was like uncontrolled flatulence from a dying dragon who’d eaten chili for its last meal. By the end of the night we’d kind of found a rhythm and turned up a small crowd who had a blast and kicked down enough cash that each musician was able to pocket thirty bucks.

Still, Ricky insisted that it was mostly a failure, he’s a pessimist – but it motivated me and I started getting better equipment, some real stage lights, lighting software and a pro level mixer. So I tell Ricky he should come down and check it out, maybe jam a little. He pretty much tells me to get fucked. Politely, but get fucked none the less. In fairness Pastel Motel has started recording another album by this point, doing it on their own – so he’s buried in that project and I get it. He’s doing his thing and I keep doing mine, keep working on the venue, more lights better acoustics, hook up with some other artists and we put together a monthly songwriter (hate that fucking term) concert series.

That goes on for a while till out of the blue I get a call “you still got that jam space?”

Ricky asks me over the phone. See, things have turned to shit for Pastel Motel. The new album they’ve been slaving over?

The computer it was on crashed and they lost EVERYTHING – like six months of recording and mixing (back your shit up kids). On top of that they lost their drummer and their practice space. “Yeah, I got a spot. Come check it out and see if it would work for you,” and he’s desperate – would probably settle for a cardboard box to play

Photos by TIME MAGIC STUDIOS

in if I offered, but I still remember he kinda told me to fuck off the last time I invited him to check it out so I reserve the right to be a little bit of a passive aggressive dick about the whole thing. He comes down and I casually walk him into the venue, stage set up – I make sure the lighting’s turned on and I ramble on about “not sure if this space will work for you or not….” “Uh…. Yeah. This will work…” he says, a little bit in disbelief. “well check with your guys, don’t make any quick decisions…” now I’m being a dick. “They will definitely be okay with this,” he says. “our last spot was in a storage unit behind a warehouse in Selah. We have a space heater in the winter and a box fan in the summer. This place has AC and a stage?” “Well, better check with them anyway, don’t want them stuck somewhere they’re not comfortable.” I’m really laying it on thick at this point, but in the end we strike a deal and they’ve been practicing on that stage a couple times a week since.

It turns out to be an emotional transition for the band, going from a four piece to a three piece. Ryan’s decided to switch from playing guitar to mastering the drum instead. He’s a phenom and can play any instrument he touches, so the band’s still tight, perhaps tighter than ever. But going from the front of the stage to the back behind the kit changes the interaction on stage and with the crowd. Plus there’s way more space in the music to fill without a second guitar. Practically, there isn’t time to deal with the emotion – they’ve got gigs lined up all summer and they need to put a set together, rework their songs to fit the new arrangement - how to strip down the previous dueling guitar interplay but keep the energy and experimentation. And going forward they still want to record their new album, some songs may work, others will have to be scrapped and new ones will have to be written so they can get back in the studio come winter.

I’m down hanging at practice with them

every week, not that I don’t trust them, but I can’t really give them the keys to the building just yet, and I dig their music and it gives me a chance to work on running light and sound. I’m there bearing witness to a band that’s doing what they can to hold it together through change. Gotta keep them moving forward, making music. They still don’t trust me, practicing in the venue is almost too good to be true coming from a storage unit. They’re pretty sure I’m going to drug them and sell them as sex slaves to gypsies, or something like that. So on a Thursday night I put them on the spot. “I have a problem and I need your guys’ help. Not sure if you’re up for it, but I really need you to come through on this.” I can see the concern on their faces. They’ve been anxiously waiting to hear what the “catch” to practicing on the stage would be and here it finally is. “See… I have these two leftover kegs from a wedding this weekend, they really need to be finished off. I really need you guys to put some work in tonight and finish them off so the beer doesn’t go bad.” There’s a perplexed look, then a look of relief, then finally Ricky volunteers “well, you know we’ve certainly done our share of drinking. No guarantees but we’ll certainly do what we can.” So practice begins and the IPA and stout are pouring and the music swirls in the lights from green to red and the band’s silhouettes swim in that light and sound. Sometime early in the morning Ryan rolls off the stage onto the floor laughing. Soon after, I see tail lights swerving their away… dear god no one should be driving and I hope no one dies…. At least one of the kegs is blown, the other is not far behind and the band - well they’re kind of sorted after that. A new path forward. They settle in, find their groove, play some shows and start recording.

PLEASE PAUSE FOR THIS COVID 19 INTERRUPTION.

To be clear, life didn’t stop for 2 years during covid, but damn it wasn’t easy. At least once Pastel Motel broke up for a couple days (maybe a week) then they got past it and moved forward. Instead of rehashing the life of musicians during a pandemic, I’ll sum it up by saying - shows got booked, shows got canceled (they actually played two days before the lockdown at the Central Saloon in Seattle, it was a fucking ghost town.)

Ultimately the pandemic became the perfect time to work on their new album, and after all my Dr. Doofenshmirtz back story (did I mention which eastern European village I was abandoned in by my parents as a child?) we finally get to Confection, Pastel Motel’s newest release scheduled for May 13th.

Conceptually this album is a journey through the daily struggle of life. It wasn’t written as a pandemic album, but the melancholy and hopelessness that comes through both the lyrics and music certainly tie into the emotion that heavily permeated so much of society for the last two years. The feeling of being alone, suppressed, lacking control but ultimately realizing that life is what you make it and it’s up to the individual to take control of their own happiness. To own their decisions and the emotions along with it. The lyrics are there to paint this picture, but they’re able to adapt to individual interpretation as well. The band is careful to leave enough vagueness that listeners can relate their own experiences to the songs, create their own meanings and connections. That doesn’t mean there isn’t truth to every lyric. Everything written is from the heart and every time they sing they are sharing their pain and insecurities. It’s this naked exposure of their souls that makes every performance so real, they’re never faking it.

As meaningful as they are, the lyrics are always the last piece of the puzzle when writing a new song. I’ve heard many

nights of “da da – daaa da da” during the process. If there was a formula for a Pastel Motel song it’d be this; how can we take a complicated polyrhythmic song and make it seem simple for an average listener. “If it’s not challenging to play I’d rather not waste my time on it,” Ricky once told me. So they write songs where everyone plays in a different time signature and somehow Ryan can sing in 4/4 while he drums in 13/8 while Ricky’s playing something like 33/11 and Eric’s chugging along in who knows what, but all those moments line up and it’s magic.

It’s this individual complexity of each instrument that helps this album evolve over their previous releases. With out multiple swirling guitars to take up space, each note becomes so critical; the bass becomes much intricate and prominent in establishing the melody.

This album is a more matured Pastel Motel. There isn’t the distorted angst of the past (they can still play that stuff too, and do) but life is less of a fight and now the battle is an introspective challenge, overcoming the daily repetition grinding down and move forward.

Let loose on the reigns that tether to the chains that hold you down – but prevent you from floating away. Trying not to slip – bound to lose your grip.

Despite its evolution this is still vintage Pastel Motel and fans of previous albums will feel right at home with these songs and they translate spectacularly live as a frame work to explore on stage. That’s always the real experience, familiarize with the album, then see them live. The album drops May13th 2022, you can check out their new music video for the album’s penultimate song “Grip” now, then get tickets to one of their release shows.

May 13th in Yakima at The Bearded Monkey and May 14th at Wally’s in Wenatchee. See you there. C

THE MYSTERY PARCHMENT

Over the years at the Wenatchee Valley Museum, there have been some odd and strange things that have been donated to the collection. While currently there is a screening process and procedures in place for donating items, this wasn’t always the case. We occasionally find oddities lying around for years gone by with little or no explanations.

More recently, this old piece of parchment with a large wax seal was found in the collection with no information linked to it. The place of origin, date, and language are all unknown so for now we can only speculate. It could be an important governmental document or someone’s very detailed shopping list.

LOCALLY WRITTEN POETRY

UNTITLED

By Jo Fine Bow

I would search to the ends of the world for remnants of you

Cut from the same cloth

I no longer fear losing anything else

Because There is no greater heartache then you being gone

I dreamed of you last week I was younger much more a child then I have ever been where have you gone?

Are you still waiting on us?

Some where in that ancestral plane

In the great beyond

I envy that you will have our father much longer then I had you both

There are no words of comfort in these days ahead

My November kin what have you left me

And Who am I now?

who am I yet to become?

All the future ahead of me

Set aside is the realization that at some point I will be older then you

We were merely water

Nothing but an ocean

Seeking that urge to venture out

Hiding our fears

keeping our thoughts to ourselves

And yet the damage carries on

Did I make you proud?

My hope is that someday I will stop chasing that high

That someday I can say your name with out crying

Today is not that day

so for now I will keep searching for what Was lost

Curated and written by Anna SpencerCollections Coordinator at Wenatchee Valley Museum And Cultural Center wenatcheevalleymuseum.org

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2022 AT 9 PM Boss’ Daughter, Doc Hammer, The Nightmares, The Emergency Exit - Wally’s House of Booze

FRI, MAY 13 AT 5:30 PM Live Music with Rylei Franks Union Hill Cider Co.

SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2022 AT 9:30 PM Pastel Motel, Himiko Cloud, Dustin Hays Wally’s House of Booze

TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022 AT 7 PM WVC Music Department Presents- An Evening with Peter Eldridge & Rosana Ecke - Wenatchee Valley College

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2022 AT 4:30 AM – 9 PM Lake Chelan Wine & Jazz Festival chelanwinejazz.com for more info

SAT, MAY 21 AT 7 PM An Evening with Pierre Bensusan Stage B - Cave B Estate Winery

SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2022 AT 8:30 PM The Toasters, The Kings and Not All There Wally’s House of Booze

Wanna plug your kickass event? Send it our way at thecometmagazine@gmail.com

ARTBEAT

Tumbleweed : Pop up floral shop, 5-7pm

-

The social momentum is picking up and this Art Beat list is getting longer by the month. The NCW Arts Alliance is on it’s way to developing a shiny website with a calendar of events, opportunities, and news to help artists connect with the community as well as connecting the community with the Arts. The printed version of the Art Beat here in The Comet will shape shift as the Alliance website takes on the bulk of the list and the First Friday Artwalk info becomes more of a focus. The vision is to have a lovely, newsprint flyer to carry around in your sweaty little hands as you experience the fruits of creative labor. We’re excited to roll this out so be on the lookout in July!

Reach out here: arts@ncwarts.org

FIRST FRIDAY

Collapse Gallery : Scott and Robin Mayberry

4-9pm

Two Rivers Gallery : Phyllis Emmert illustrations, 5-8pm

MAC Gallery : Lead Pencil Studio: Shadow Aperture, Opening Reception 5-7pm Artists’ Talk: May 6, 4:00—5:00 in the MAC

Grove Recital Hall

Wenatchi Wear : Rob Lewis paintings & prints and Full Bloom Flowers 4-7pm

Lemolo Cafe : Pybus Market : Art Alley, honoring the work of Robert Wilson, 5-8pm

Ye Olde Bookshoppe : Mystic North Jewelry and palm readings with Connor

Gallery One : Kittitas County Open Show, 5-7pm (awards announced at 6pm), Ellensburg WA

UPCOMING EVENTS

4 -Apple Blossom Musical: Wizard of Oz, Numerica Performing Arts Center

5 -Environmental Film & Speaker Series: The Winter’s Tale, Wenatchee Museum 7-9pm

8-Art Lover’s Sunday: Pubus Market’s main concourse,10-4pm

13-‘Expedition Reclamation’ film showing inperson at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, 7pm

14 -Twisp Art Walk: see Methow Arts for info, Twisp WA

- Fresh Air Art Celebration: see Larson Gallery for info, 12-5pm, Yakima WA

20, 21 - ‘Unsettled’ a performance by Dangerous Women, Icicle Center for the Arts, 7:30pm

22-Birdfest Songbird Concert, Icicle Center for the Arts, 2pm

27, 28 -‘A Blythe Spirit’ presented by Full Circle Theater Company at Numerica Performing Arts, 7:30pm and 28, 29 at 2:00pm

28,29,30- She Se Puede’s One Year Fest: 11-4pm,Riverwalk Park, Chelan WA

OPPORTUNITIES & DEADLINES

1,2 - Artwork entry for May/June: Two Rivers

SCAN QR CODE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NCW ARTS NEWSLETTER

Gallery members, 10-2pm

4 -Life Drawing: at Collapse Gallery , 5:307:30

14 - Writing Workshop with Kristen Millares Young: The Power of the Personal Essay, presented in Spanish, 1-4pm Mighty Tieton , Tieton WA

15 -Mural Proposal Deadline: Wenatchee Downtown Call to Artists Contact: Linda@wendowntown.org

18-Life Drawing: Collapse Gallery 5:30-7:30

-Inspire WA’s Cultural Futures Virtual Event : Inspire WA will breakdown the wins from this year’s State Legislative Session and ensure you know how to claim funding for your cultural organization, business, or program. 7pm (In-person event coming to Wenatchee June 12th)

20 - Poetry Podium: Collapse Gallery, doors at 4, reading starts 4:30pm

25 - LitFuse Poets Unite!: Reader/open mic series featuring Raul Sanchez, 7-9pm, Mighty Tieton, Tieton WA

29 - Artwork Entry for June: Two Rivers Gallery for new members, contact Russ Hepler (509)470-5944

HEADS UP FOR JUNE

9 - Mighty Tieton 10x10x10 Deadline: see Mighty Tieton for info, Tieton WA

12 - Inspire WA Cultural Futures: Claim funding for your ideas and organization, learn what is happening in our legislature regarding the Arts!, Numerica PAC, Wenatchee WA, 1pm

“In life that is truly life, everything overlaps and merges.”

John Dewey

ARTS-CENTERED RESOURCES, OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS IN

BY LINDSAY BREIDENTHAL

Dear Moxie Rose, Can you talk about why some people (especially those with vaginas) will sometimes lose their hearing after an orgasm?

Absolutely! Quick point of clarification: I am not a medical professional or an ear nose and throat specialist. The information for this is purely based on what we know about human sexuality and human anatomy.

To better understand this it’s important to know the different “phases” of the human sexual response cycle. First there is the excitement phase, followed by the plateau phase, then the orgasm phase, and finally the resolution phase. During the excitement and plateau phases your blood pressure, your heart rate, and your respiratory rate all increase (during these phases some muscles may contract voluntarily and some involuntarily). All of this then comes to a climax, so to speak, during the orgasm phase. This is also when your brain floods your body with hormones like oxytocin. All of the things that begin to culminate during the orgasm phase cause a very complex interplay between your sympathetic and your parasympathetic nervous systems. And then it all basically comes crashing down during the resolution phase - blood pressure starts to drop again, heart rate slows down, body and muscles begin to relax, so on. Because of that, one of the leading theories for why hearing loss occurs is the sudden reduction of blood flow to the inner ear and the change in pressure to the middle ear. Changes in pressure to the middle ear can cause it to change the way sound is transmitted, The acoustic properties of sound transmission through the eardrum and other hearing bones (this would result in more of a muffled hearing

loss). In addition to that, a loss of blood flow to the cochlea is going to cause it to basically not fire correctly. The sudden loss of nutrients means it’s not receiving what it needs to work properly the way it had been just moments before - causing it to essentially temporarily malfunction (this would cause more of a ringing, tinnitus type of effect). Another theory has to do with which parts of your brain are more actively firing during sexual activity. For example, one of the areas of the brain that is less active during sexual activity is the temporal lobe, which is in charge of your hearing. So that, coupled with the sudden release of endorphins, can temporarily screw with your neurotransmitters.

The reason I use the term “ theories” for this is because these effects are still being studied and as of right now those are the most conclusive results

My top recommendation would be to submerge the toy into a glass of ice water or just run it under cold water, depending on your desired temperature.

Dear Moxie Rose, You actually helped me shop for a lubricant in your store a while back. I’ve reached the point in my life (thanks menopause) where I need to use lubricant that has hyaluronic acid in it. I remember you saying that it helps with inflammation and acts as a sort of reparative for that skin. But I am also now venturing into using toys. Is a lubricant with hyaluronic acid safe for silicone toys?

Dear Moxie Rose, I’m not new at all to buying “adult toys“ but I did recently purchase a glass toy for the first time. I know one of the things it can be used for his temperature play, so is it safe to put my glass toy in the freezer?

Safe for the toy? Sure. Safe for you? Probably not. Things like glass and metal can become extremely cold (but still dry) when placed in the freezer and when you couple that with the natural moisture that you’ll find inside your body… let me put it this way: do you remember the tongue and frozen pole scene from A Christmas Story (or Dumb and Dumber)? But it doesn’t take much to get glass extremely cold so there are definitely alternatives.

Yes! Absolutely. The more important thing to look for when you look at material compatibility is the base of the lubricant. So whether it is oil based, water-based, or silicone based. A silicone lubricant shouldn’t be used with silicone toys. So if you’re using a water-based lubricant that has hyaluronic acid in it, that’s absolutely safe for silicone toys.

Dear Moxie Rose, With travel starting to kind of be a thing again… Are there any TSA laws around toys? Like can I travel with my… “Spicy toys?”

To my knowledge there are no actual laws surrounding not being able to travel with motorized adult toys (but you do want to also adhere to whatever laws there are of the destination you are going to, some countries have laws about things like that). If you want to double check it’s

always good to go to tsa.gov just to be sure. But let’s talk a little bit about traveling with motorized toys. There are two forms of packing and traveling with your things on an airplane: your carry-on or your checked bag. Now when you travel with your toys in your carry-on bag you do run a bigger risk of being stopped by security. Sometimes they can see what it is just through the x-ray and that’s good enough for them, but they may ask you to turn it on, or put the batteries in and turn it on (depending on if it’s rechargeable or battery powered) and prove that it is what it is. And while that’s not a super common occurrence, you definitely don’t want to be the one it happens to. For that reason a checked bag is usually safer since it goes through security on its own. If you go this route I would use the travel lock on your toy, if it has one, or remove the battery. Basically try to do everything possible to ensure it doesn’t accidentally turn on in your bag, attracting attention. The other thing you want to think about doing is putting your toy in a clear plastic bag. I know this is something usually done just with carry-on bags but on the off chance TSA does stop your checked bag to examine it, the plastic bag can allow for there to be a sanitary buffer between your toy and whoever is inspecting your bag.

Moxie Rose:

(sex and kink advice/education) from For The Love Of It in Wenatchee, WA.

The information provided in this column is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice.

Questions or comments: dearmoxierose@gmail.com c

ORIGINAL PHOTO BY KEITH FRIEDLE

THE FUNNY PAGES COMICS

AND NOVELTIES

“What do a tick and the Eiffel Tower have in common?” “They’re both Paris sites.”

“What do you call a factory that makes okay products?” “A satisfactory.”

“How does the moon cut his hair?” “Eclipse it.”

xkcd “Entwives”

1) In a recent interview, Nic Cage shared that he turned down THIS major role in lieu of spending time with his family. I found this to be a bit shocking. Which role did we almost get a Nic Cage version of?

A) Neo from the Matrix

B) The Voice of Shrek

C) Aragorn from Lord of the Rings

D) ALL OF THE MOTHER FUCKIN ABOVE

2) A man in Florida, who I shit you not, has the state of Florida tattooed onto his head, ended up in trouble with the law, after around 4am when he drunkenly called THIS NUMBER over and over again, asking if he could get a ride home. Where was he calling?

A) The Taco Bell Drive thru

B) A local landscaper who’s flier he found on the ground

C) His 16 year old child bride’s COUSIN AND BROTHER (ONE PERSON)

D) 911

3) On average, how long would it take a SLOTH to travel a whole mile?

A) 5 days

B) 12 Days

C) 20 Days

D) An entire month

4) Judith Love Cohen, who helped create the Abort Guidance System that helped rescue the Apollo 13 astronauts, went to work the same day she was in labor. She took a printout of the problem she was working on to the hospital, called her boss to tell him she had worked the problem out and then proceeded to give birth to her baby, who would later become a famous actor. Who was her baby?

A) Jack Black

B) Halle Berry

D) Charlize Theron

D) Tom Hanks

5) A 43 year old woman has taken to TikTok to share her story of cancer survival. After she developed cancer on her tongue, doctors replaced half of her tongue with some flesh from her thigh. Now, some time later, she shared on TikTok that this started happening:

A) Her tongue pulses with her legs whenever she works out

B) Her tongue has began growing leg hair

C) Her tongue sweats when she is warm

D) The leg flesh has begun developing tastebuds

It’s Taurus season and you know what that means… Something about comfort and self-care and luxury and tasty food probably. In honor of the Apple Blossom Festival, here are your horoscopes based on what Food Fair item you would be if you were a tasty little snack.

Aries - An undercooked burger that leaves you in the porta potty for the rest of the day.

Taurus - Baklava. Thick, decadent, sexy af. If you don’t love baklava then you’re just wrong.

Gemini - Foot long corn dog. Crispy and delicious on the outside, questionable meats on the inside.

Cancer - Candy apple. Hard exterior that we break our teeth on, only to get to an ultimately underwhelming center.

Leo - Funnel cake. Greasy, deep fried goodness with all the fixens and no regrets. Get it girl.

Virgo - Chicken skewers and noods. Simple yet overconfident, mild yet overzealous. Delicious all the same.

Libra - Piroshky, but the stinky salmon and cream cheese one.

Scorpio - Lamb Gyro. Because you’re a risk taker and nothing says “risk” like shaving meat directly off a lamb leg that’s been hanging out in the open air all day.

Sagittarius - Tater Twist. Twisted semi-cooked oily taters, because you’ve already given up long ago.

Capricorn - Bratwurst with minced onions and sauerkraut. You smell bad, but we still love you.

Aquarius - Shishkaberry. Fruity, sorta healthy, and just plain adorbs.

Pisces - Shave Ice. Colorful but overall lacking personality and depth. You’re just ice with corn syrup dude, get over yourself.

entire month. 4 - A) Jack Black. 5 - B) Her tongue has began growing leg hair!