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10

START HERE

NEWS

More than two dozen patients previously enrolled in a prescription-heroin program have transitioned from needles to oral medications, which has been welcomed by physicians as an unexpected success. > BY TR AVIS LUPICK

17

COVER

Our 20th Golden Plates issue covers everything from star chefs and restaurant interiors to international coffees and Asian cuisine, plus a whole lot more on wine, beer, and cocktails.

49

ARTS

Dálava makes generations-old Moravian folksongs feel new again, just as Julia Úlehla’s great-grandfather might have wanted. > BY ALE X ANDER VART Y

44 14 71 57 13 71 66 64 65 12 11 71 40 68 9 54

The Bottle Commentary Confessions Dance Health I Saw You Local Discs Local Motion Pop Eye Real Estate Renters of Vancouver Savage Love Straight, No Chaser Straight Stars Straight Talk Theatre

TIME OUT

59

MOVIES

Documentaries this week include a scary look at the demise of the free press and a delightful look at Turkey’s street cats; plus, Window Horses, The Last Word, and more.

58 Arts 15 Events 67 Music

SERVICES

63

DIVORCE ❤ FAMILY LAW WE’RE HERE TO HELP CALL NOW SLIDING SCALE FEES AFFORDABLE LEGAL SERVICES WHO DO WE SERVE? PROFESSIONALS, WORKING POOR, SELF LITIGANTS, LEGAL AID CLIENTS.

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68 Careers 12 Real Estate

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Most songs by Vancouver cult fave the Courtneys are fun—except for that one inspired by a savage personal assault. > BY K ATE WILSON

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straight talk GREEN MLA WANTS TALKS debate about legalizing drugs.

“I am in favour of starting that TO LEGALIZE HARD DRUGS

The leader of the B.C. Green party has said that the fentanyl crisis is a reason for Canada to have a national debate about legalizing drugs, including heroin.

“This is a very important discussion that we need to have,” Andrew Weaver told the Straight. “If you want to deal with organized crime in the drug area, legalization is the way forward. But we’re not ready for that here in Canada yet.”

Weaver is the MLA for Oak Bay– Gordon Head and a distinguished climate scientist. He explained that although studies show that there are benefits to legalizing drugs for both individual addicts and society as a whole—improving people’s physical health and reducing crime, for example—the general public requires more time and education to better understand those issues and the controversial policies to which they relate.

Weaver emphasized he would not want the legal distribution and sale of narcotics to occur without improved access to treatment. He said that all three levels of government would need to coordinate on complementary programs that must be deployed in conjunction with any legal system for the government distribution and sale of heroin.

“In isolation, no single policy like legalization or decriminalization is actually going to deal with the issue,” Weaver said. “Because there are a multitude of issues.”

Last year, 922 people in B.C. died of an illicit-drug overdose. The synthetic opioid fentanyl was detected in about 60 percent of those deaths.

Weaver said his opinions on legalization and his decision to call for a debate on the issue were partly inspired by Dr. Hedy Fry, the longtime Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre.

Last February, the Straight reported that Fry wants an open debate about legalizing narcotics in response to the fentanyl crisis.

“This is the discourse that we must have now,” Fry said. “Nobody is ramming anything down anybody’s throats. I’m not saying ‘Let’s legalize.’

But I am saying ‘It’s time we discussed this, openly and publicly.’ ” The previous month, Don Davies, the NDP MP for Vancouver Kingsway and Opposition health critic, similarly told the Straight he wants an open

dialogue,” he said.

> TRAVIS LUPICK

4/20 ORGANIZER VOWS TO DEFY PARK BOARD BAN

The park board has voted to ban Vancouver’s annual 4/20 festival from all public lands it controls, but that won’t stop the event from happening at Sunset Beach this April 20, an organizer says.

“Not probably, definitely, it is still happening at Sunset Beach,” Dana Larsen told the Straight. “There is no question.”

In a telephone interview, he said he had hoped that commissioners would approve a permit for the event to facilitate cooperation between organizers and authorities.

“All the vote does is remove the park board’s ability to regulate our event,” Larsen said. “But staff, they just want to make sure that this event is safe and peaceful and goes off without any problems, and we’ll still work with them closely to make sure that happens.”

Last year, the annual protest and celebration of all things marijuana relocated from its long-time home on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery to its new waterfront location in the city’s West End. In a telephone interview, NPA parks commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung said that prompted complaints from area residents. She stressed that the vote was not about any position for or against marijuana but was simply a matter of upholding city bylaws that forbid smoking in public parks.

“Even if it were legal, we would not permit the event because we have a nonsmoking bylaw and it is not something that people want in their park,” she said.

Larsen noted that, in fact, quite a few Vancouver residents do want 4/20 hosted at Sunset Beach.

According to an estimate by the Vancouver Police Department, the event attracted a peak crowd of some 25,000 people in 2016.

“If it was an alcohol event, they would have loved to give us a permit,” Larsen argued. “Cannabis events are safe and peaceful with no problems; alcohol events are full of problems. But they’ll license the boozers and they won’t license the tokers.”

Kirby-Yung remains optimistic organ-

The National Core for Neuroethics

ANNUAL DISTINGUISHED NEUROETHICS LECTURE

izers will find a home for the event that is not on park-board property.

“I think that is where the energy should be focused,” she said. > TRAVIS LUPICK

PARK BOARD, COMMUNITY CENTRES TALKING AGAIN

The simmering dispute between the Vancouver park board and community-centre associations over the operation of recreation facilities has been prevented from spilling over.

Park commissioners have deferred a decision on a new joint operating agreement that community associations previously vowed to reject.

Commissioners were supposed to vote on a deal Monday (March 6) but chose to send the contract back to staff. More important, the board heeded the call by community associations to have lawyers from both parties discuss outstanding disagreements.

“We really want this to be a careful document that everybody feels they’re respected and that they’re heard,” vice chair Erin Shum told the Straight in a phone interview.

According to Shum, a new version is expected to be presented to the board on April 10. With city and community-association lawyers working together, Shum said that both sides may finally come to an agreement.

The past and current park boards have been trying to seal a new pact with 20 community-centre associations regarding their joint operation of recreation complexes across the city. In 2013, the park board at the time tried to evict six associations from their respective centres but was stopped by a court injunction.

Most of the existing operating agreements date back to 1979. The city has been trying to revamp these deals since the 1990s.

A majority of the community associations have told the present board that language in the current draft of a new agreement undermines their independence and their ability to serve their constituencies.

Sherry Breshears, president of the Hastings Community Association, said that she is “encouraged” by the move taken by park commissioners on March 6. “They listened to us when we were trying to communicate to them very clearly that we need to resolve some issues from the legal perspective,” she told the Straight. > CARLITO PABLO

The Georgia Straight | Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 51 Number 2566 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 www.straight.com Phone: 604-730-7000 / Fax: 604-730-7010 / e-mail: gs.info@straight.com Display Advertising: 604-730-7020 / Fax: 604-730-7012 / e-mail: sales@straight.com Classifieds: 604-730-7060 / e-mail: classads@straight.com Subscriptions: 604-730-7000 Distribution: 604-730-7087 EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Yolanda Stepien GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith SECTION EDITORS

Janet Smith (Arts/Fashion) Mike Usinger (Music) Steve Newton (Time Out) Adrian Mack (Movies) Brian Lynch (Books) EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Doug Sarti ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Gail Johnson, John Lucas, Alexander Varty STAFF WRITERS

Tammy Kwan, Lucy Lau, Travis Lupick, Carlito Pablo, Amanda Siebert, Craig Takeuchi, Kate Wilson SENIOR EDITOR Martin Dunphy EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jennie Ramstad PROOFREADER Pat Ryffranck CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Gregory Adams, Nathan Caddell, David Chau, Jack Christie, Jennifer Croll, Ken Eisner (Movies), George Fetherling, Tara Henley, Michael Hingston, Ng Weng Hoong, Alex Hudson, Kurtis Kolt,

Robin Laurence (Visual Arts), Mark Leiren-Young, John Lekich, Amy Lu, Bob Mackin, Michael Mann, Rose Marcus, Beth McArthur, Verne McDonald, Allan MacInnis, Guy MacPherson, Tony Montague, Kathleen Oliver, Ben Parfitt, Vivian Pencz, Bill Richardson, Gurpreet Singh, Jacqueline Turner, Andrea Warner, Jessica Werb, Stephen Wong, Alan Woo ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER

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SFU PRESIDENT'S FACULTY LECTURE SERIES Investigating Paranormal Investigators: The Lived Spaces of UFO, Ghost, and Sasquatch Research Organizations

Dr. Paul Kingsbury Wed March 15, 2017 5:30 PM: Reception & refreshments 6:00 PM: Lecture, followed by Q&A SFU's Surrey Campus 250-13450 102nd Ave. Room 2600

Despite the formation of a secular society, researchers have observed a global surge in beliefs and practices associated with the paranormal. Central to these new paranormal cultures is the increase in popularity of investigation organizations that study anomalous phenomena such as UFOs, ghosts, and “cryptids” such as Sasquatch. Addressing the lack of theoretical and empirically grounded studies on paranormal investigation cultures, Dr. Kingsbury’s lecture will explore the lived spaces of paranormal investigations, conferences, and community events located in Greater Vancouver and the Western United States.

RSVP

This event is FREE but registration is required

get.sfu.ca/AFytcd

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AMNESTY International www.amnesty.ca MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 9

NEWS

Vancouver resident and activist Dianne Tobin is the first person in North America to exit a prescription-heroin program and not go back to using opiates.

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Heroin by prescription leads to abstinence > B Y TR AVIS LUPICK

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10 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

T

wo long-time addicts have taken an unconventional road to sobriety: prescription heroin.

They are the first participants in a Vancouver experiment to graduate to abstinence, according to the program’s operator, Providence Health Care.

Since November 2014, Crosstown Clinic in the Downtown Eastside has seen a select group of addicts visit three times a day to receive clean, legal, and regulated doses of heroin, paid for by B.C. taxpayers. It’s the only facility like it in North America.

Critics describe the program as giving up on people. Supporters respond by noting prescription heroin is proven to stabilize entrenched addicts’ lives, helping them secure employment and housing, reduce tendencies to commit crimes, and improve their health.

Now those two patients constitute another measure of success.

They’re part of a growing number who have used diacetylmorphine—the medical term for heroin—to transition to abstinence or to stop using needles in favour of opioids taken orally.

“There are a couple that are now abstinent,” Crosstown’s physician lead, Dr. Scott MacDonald, told the Straight. “So this is not an end-ofthe-line treatment. It is a way for people to get some stability, regain some health, get their minds clear, and then move on to other things.”

Since enrolling at Crosstown, 25 former injection-drug users have transitioned to oral therapies, according to statistics provided by Providence Health Care. Nine transitioned to oral hydromorphone and 16 to methadone, Suboxone, or slowrelease oral morphine.

Dianne Tobin was the first to go completely free of drugs. On the phone from her family’s home in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, she recounted how she did it.

Over the course of four decades, Tobin told the Georgia Straight, she tried and failed many times to get clean, sometimes putting herself through terrible bouts of withdrawal. Each time, she returned to heroin that she was forced to buy on the street.

Then, on March 15, 2006, Tobin became one of the first Vancouver residents to receive prescription heroin as part of an academic study at Crosstown. A similar research project followed, beginning in 2011. Then, in November 2014, she began receiving heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) outside of those experiments.

Her life became increasingly stable and, in late 2016, Tobin transitioned to oral hydromorphone. For the first time since she was 17 years old, she spent an extended period of time without using needles. Next, with the help of her doctor at the clinic, she lowered her hydromorphone intake

in increments, from 425 milligrams per day to 125 per day and then to a 75-milligram dose just twice a week.

On December 5, she visited Crosstown for the last time.

Tobin remained in the Downtown Eastside for a short while after that. But the fentanyl crisis began to get to her.

“I’d hear somebody else died, somebody else died,” she explained.

“You didn’t have time to grieve.

You couldn’t go to the memorials.

I would have been at a memorial every day. I just finally got tired of it and I told Doc, ‘I’m going home, where I don’t have to hear ambulances all day.’ ” Last year, 922 people in B.C. died of an illicit-drug overdose. The synthetic opioid fentanyl was detected in about 60 percent of those deaths.

Today it’s only a select group of 91 entrenched addicts that is allowed to access prescription heroin. At Crosstown, patients have used opioids for an average of 26.6 years and failed with traditional treatments such as methadone an average of 11.4 times.

In response to the arrival of fentanyl and a sharp increase in overdose deaths, MacDonald said he wants to lower the threshold for access to diacetylmorphine.

“If you’ve had a resuscitation attempt with Narcan and you’ve got opioid-use disorder, you should be offered treatment on demand,” he said. “For some people, that will be methadone or Suboxone. But if they won’t accept one of those, we should be offering injectable treatment.”

In a telephone interview, Health Minister Jane Philpott said she supports a medicalized model for prescription heroin. Asked what the Liberal government has done to facilitate the expansion of heroin-assisted treatment beyond Crosstown, she responded: “This isn’t anything that the federal government can do on its own, because the delivery of health-care services falls largely into the jurisdiction of provinces.”

But MacDonald argued that it is the federal government that must act to facilitate wider access to prescription heroin.

“It’s a complicated process to prescribe, dispense, and store diacetylmorphine,” he explained. “If it is going to be available, those regulations need to be streamlined and some of the obstacles removed. This [diacetylmorphine] needs to be produced, stored, just like any other pharmaceutical or opioid.” With files from Sam Fenn, Gordon Katic, and Alexander Kim. This article was written in partnership with Cited Podcast and Life of the Law, a program distributed on NPR stations across the United States. Visit Straight. com to listen to a related radio documentary about the fentanyl crisis and a controversial fix for addiction.

HOUSING

Sewage flooding, a soaked mattress, mould fears, and an elusive landlord led this tormented tenant to feel trapped—until recently. Kate Wilson photo.

Renters of Vancouver: “sewage in my suite� > B Y KATE WIL SON

Renters of Vancouver takes an intimate look at how the city’s residents are dealing with the housing crisis. Tenants choose to remain nameless when they share their stories.

“I

wasn’t anticipating. I already work 60 hours a week with two jobs to try and cover all the rent and bills.

It’s rough. “Throughout all of this, I told the house manager how frustrated I was.

She wanted me to send her pictures of the damage, and when I messaged them, she said that it wasn’t a good representation of what was going on.

She then told me that if I wanted her to solve the issue I needed to send better pictures. I said that she should come over and view the place, so we could go over it together and talk through exactly what was going on. We set a date and time, and she never showed up. “I then found out that she wasn’t the landlord at all but was working for the guy who owns the house, who is the CEO of a really big company.

She’s his assistant. I don’t think she gets paid to deal with his properties, so it doesn’t matter to her how bad the living conditions are. But when I called the actual landlord to tell him that he needed to rip up all the porous material that the sewage had touched, he said, ‘I am of no help to you.’ He told me that the house manager dealt with this property, so he wouldn’t do anything. He didn’t care what was happening to his suite. “I think I’ve just had some good news, though. The basement suite is split into two different units, and the girl next to me also deals with similar sewage, flooding, and leaks. She actually found out today that both our suites are illegal. They don’t follow the building codes of Vancouver, and they are not registered with the province—so no one knows that there are people living down there. “Now that she’s discovered this, I hope I don’t have to go through all the hassle of trying to persuade the landlord to end the tenancy. My neighbour said that she has just received a notice from the city saying that it’s okay to move out without written agreement from both parties because the suite is illegal. I’m not sure if it’s true, because I can’t see it anywhere in the tenancy act, but I hope it is. I’ll have to talk to her in detail. I’ve felt so trapped for so long in this horrible situation, because I signed on to a one-year lease. I thought there was no way out. I’ll take any opportunity to go. “Although I’m superexcited to leave, though, I’m also worried about finding a new place. I’m now in the same situation as I was at the start— and I’m not sure I will have a better experience this time around.� -

lived with my boyfriend of seven years in Coquitlam.

We broke up, and after that I decided that I wanted to be closer to my friends, so I moved to Vancouver with my dog, Rocco.

Owning a pet made finding a place nearly impossible. “I subletted my friend’s room while she was in Berlin for a month and threw myself into looking for an apartment. For the four weeks I was searching, I would send out at least five emails a day, but I was only able to get one viewing—a 400-squarefoot basement suite, which was on the market for $1,175. “When I went inside, the place was horrible. There was a hole in the bathroom floor right in front of the toilet. It was really nasty looking. But it was the only unit available anywhere near my budget. I needed somewhere to go, so I signed the oneyear contract I was offered. “On December 19, the sewage from the house started overflowing into my suite. I couldn’t live there, especially with my dog, so I had to temporarily move out. The woman who managed the building was out of town for the holidays and refused to do anything about it until she got back. The suite sat for two weeks with sewage congealing in it, until I could move back in on December 30.

I would’ve been okay with that time frame if she had hired contractors to do renovations, but for days it literally sat with sewage everywhere, just absorbing into my bathroom’s wood flooring. “I moved back in for a few weeks after everything had been cleared— and then at the end of January, it happened again. There was another sewage overflow, but this time it was even worse. The pipes burst and there was a lot of additional flooding all over the suite. And then, to make matters worse, there was another dump of sewage into my home the next month. Since the middle of December, I’ve been dealing with this on and off. “The water has soaked through the bottom of my mattress. I’ve been able to put it up on paint cans so it can air out correctly, so I’m hoping that it doesn’t get mould.

But once I move out of the apartment I’m going to have to get rid For more Renters of Vancouver stories, of it, which is another expense I visit www.straight.com/.

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MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 11

HOUSING

Proposed tower raises fears of displacement

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cross the western edge of the produced flyers to inform neighbours Vancouver General Hospi- outside the complex about what’s tal complex is a row of blue going on. townhouses situated behind In their leaflet, the residents state trees and other greenery. For decades, that the proposed development at 1002 the dozen or so rental units at the West 10th Avenue will “displace and southwest corner of Oak Street and evict” families, including seniors and West 10th Avenue have been homes low-income tenants. for many residents.

As well, the flyer states, the proA development sign for a proposed ject will worsen parking “in an al12-storey building ready tight parking has gone up in neig hbou rhood front of the comalong a popular pound, though, bike route”, the Carlito Pablo which means a bikeway situated time is coming when the tenants will along West 10th Avenue. have to leave.

The residents also write that the “It’s going to be tough,” David development will “remove valuPapineau told the Georgia Straight at able green space and block out sunhis door on March 2. light”, as well as “create a precedent Papineau and his wife have lived for future tower apartment buildin one of the two-storey townhouses ings” along West 10th and West 11th for 25 years. They have two teenage avenues. They also claim that the daughters who haven’t known any planned tower may pose a “danger” other neighbourhood. to helicopter emergency services at The 48-year-old graphic designer the hospital. and running enthusiast, originally The project doesn’t require apfrom Alberta, has lived there longer proval by city council. That will than anywhere else in his life. be up to city staff, because no reAlthough he has always known zoning is involved. The zoning of that the day might come when he the site allows for high-rise apartand his family would have to move, ment buildings. it was hard seeing the development Iredale Architecture filed the design go up. velopment application for 1002 West “I do not have a clue what we’re 10th Avenue on behalf of the propgoing to do,” Papineau said. “Rental erty owner. The proposed 12-storey properties in the city are hard to building will have 62 housing units come by.” to be rented out at market rates.

He and the other residents are There will be 25 underground parkgoing to lose more than just their ing spaces. homes. They’ll have to say goodbye The architectural firm didn’t reto the small community they have turn a call from the Straight before built. The back doors of the town- deadline. houses open up to a large shared According to Papineau, there are yard, where children come together 13 homes in the complex, which, he to play and adults talk over coffee. said, may have been built during When Papineau’s younger daugh- the 1940s. ter came home from school and saw Members of the public have until the sign, she became distraught. March 16 to comment on the pro“She went upstairs and she had a bit posed development. of a cry,” Papineau related.

When Papineau and Sylvester The common backyard at the were interviewed on different days, complex also has a garden that is they said residents had not received tended by Robin Sylvester, who has any notice from their landlord about been a resident at the compound for the development. About a week beabout seven years. fore the Straight knocked on his Sylvester shares her townhouse, door, Papineau said, a woman who and they pay $1,200 in rent per month, used to live at the complex before his a rate she said she’ll likely never find time stopped by when she saw the elsewhere. “This will be a lost oppor- development sign. tunity, completely,” Sylvester told the The unexpected visit was touching, Straight in a phone interview. he said: “It’s pretty wild to meet people According to her, she and other resi- who had been here before us, who still dents had a meeting on March 4 and feel an attachment to this place.” -

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APRIL 27 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

PROVINCIAL GENERAL ELECTION Will the public’s desire for change unseat the B.C. Liberals?

Or will Premier Christy Clark’s handling of the economy and other issues give her party its fifth straight majority?

In our April 27th issue, we will examine key issues that could decide this election.

12 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

To Advertise Contact 604.730.7020 sales@straight.com

Vancouver barber clips to help kids in hospital Ridge Salon and Spa owner Frank Rota is celebrating his 40th year in business by raising funds to buy medical machinery

F

rank Rota, the owner of Ridge Salon and “Maybe that’s what’s kept me in business for Spa (2585 West 16th Avenue), counts 40 years,” Rota said. “It’s a thank-you. They didn’t himself among the fortunate ones in his have to patronize me. It’s the least I can do.” business. He’s celebrating his 40th year That same generous spirit has motivated in business in tiptop shape, fresh with a suntan him to do something extraordinary to celeacquired during a recent trip to Hawaii. brate his longevity in business. Until June, In a recent interview in Ridge Salon and Spa is colhis shop with the Georgia lecting money from clients Straight, he explained how and Rota is throwing in tough it is for many to resome of his own to buy a Charlie Smith main working on their feet machine to help patients at for that many years. That’s to say nothing of B.C. Children’s Hospital. the challenges of high lease rates and taxes for “They gave me three options,” he said. “It those who own their shops. depends on how much I raise.”

“Some barbers basically don’t last 20 years The most expensive piece of equipment is because of knee problems,” Rota revealed. a GE Aisys Carestation anesthesia machine, “Usually, it’s the knees and the back that go which costs $90,000. According to a couple first. A lot of my colleagues can’t work any- of posters hanging in the salon, it “provides more. Touch wood. I’ve been lucky.” critical life support and pain relief to children Rota immigrated from Italy to Vancouver in treatment”. as a young child and started his barbering apAnother option is an electric operatingprenticeship in 1975. In those years, it took room table, which is priced at $44,219. It altwo years to get a licence, and he opened his lows children to be placed in the best possible first shop at West Broadway and Trafalgar in position for surgery. The third is an Olympus 1977. Those were the days when long hair was video rhinolaryngoscope. It costs $16,717 and in style. He later opened a shop near the Ridge “provides a clear diagnostic picture and inTheatre, which accounts for the name, before stant, reliable recording, playback, and storage moving to West 16th Avenue near Trafalgar of clinical images of a child’s ear, nose, throat, in 1985. Over the course of his career, he has and respiratory system”. sometimes given haircuts to members of four It’s not the first time Rota has done somegenerations in the same family. He’s even gone thing like this. In 2013, he donated the use of on house calls to seniors’ homes to continue a shop for a health fundraiser in which fathcutting clients’ hair long after they’ve left the ers and sons shaved their heads. He recalled immediate neighbourhood. that about $15,000 to $20,000 was collected.

Health

Frank Rota (right) with his son Mike have thrived in a challenging industry by giving their clients what they want—and now they’re trying to do the same thing for B.C. Children’s Hospital.

So why is he so keen to raise money this year for B.C. Children’s Hospital? He said he’s seen a lot of kids grow up over the years who have benefited from its services. Then, with a laugh, he added that some of his customers are “really generous”.

Rota’s sense of humour has kept him going through some hard times. He recalled that in the early 1980s it was tough to stay in business during a brutal recession because many people tried to save money by not going to the barber. As taxes and lease rates rose in later years, he had to make a transition to cutting women’s hair to help pay the bills. One of the secrets to his success has been to give customers what they want.

“I used to go to seminars and they would always say to you, ‘You’re the artists. The customer knows nothing. Give him what he should have.’ I didn’t believe that,” Rota said. “It’s like going to a restaurant and you want your steak well-done. Burnt. And the chef comes up to you and says, ‘Why would you want to ruin this piece of steak?’ It’s because you don’t want blood in your steak!”

He’s passing along this customer-driven philosophy to his son Mike, who works alongside him in the salon. And he’s hoping that Ridge Salon and Spa carries on for another 40 years.

“Get an idea what the customer wants and just do it,” Rota said. “Give the customer exactly what he wants. I don’t have to like the haircut.” -

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MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 13

Environmental issues shift B.C. political axis

R

ecently, the provincial media went into overdrive following a news conference held by Premier Christy Clark and members of the Ironworkers Local 97.

It was over the declaration by the union’s business agent, Doug Parton, that he and other members are supporting the B.C. Liberals because they back various megaprojects that employ his members. And he slammed the union’s traditional ally, the B.C. NDP, for questioning the wisdom of these policies.

“For years, they’ve been known as the labour party,” Parton said.

“But when they come out against the George Massey bridge [sic], that’s a direct attack on the ironworkers. I can’t take that any other way. That’s our bridge.”

The comment that the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project was “our bridge” is rather ridiculous, given Ironworkers Local 97 business agent Doug Parton prefers Christy Clark’s approach to the NDP’s increasingly green policies. that it will belong to the public, not to a bunch of construction workers. More- and childcare, stronger regulations, almost a decade and has helped ViOthers argue that it would be far over, this $3.5-billion bridge will be and changes to the tax system. sion Vancouver retain control of city smarter to invest the same amount paid by public tolls and could be a big The right tends to see the govern- hall for three straight elections. That’s of money in rapid transit. They say money loser. After all, the Port Mann ment as the source of most problems. because Mayor Gregor Robertson moves like this help stave off the types toll bridge is expected to lose $86 mil- It wants to “starve the beast” by cut- and some of his councillors are in of extreme-weather events that have lion in each of the next two years. ting taxes and slashing regulations the camp of those who seriously fret become commonplace as greenhouseMany mayors across the re- to reduce the government’s capacity about the future of the planet. Vot- gas emissions have surpassed 400 gion oppose the to interfere in the ers sense this, and even if they dislike parts per million in the atmosphere.

George Massey marketplace. This their policies around development or They also believe that scrapping Tunnel Replacesentiment was en- public finances, a majority will still the bridge idea and the Site C Dam ment Project for capsulated in for- vote for them. Burnaby mayor Derek will preserve B.C.’s food security as Charlie Smith env i ron menta l mer U.S. president Corrigan and City of North Vancou- climate change wreaks havoc on Calreasons. The only one who is un- Ronald Reagan’s statement: “The ver mayor Darrell Mussatto appeal to ifornia’s agriculture industry. abashedly in favour is Delta’s nine most terrifying words in the the same types of voters.

There’s a generational divide, as Lois Jackson.

English language are, ‘I’m from the Can anyone seriously believe, well. Younger people are far more The Ironworkers’ decision to sup- government and I’m here to help.’ ” however, that Premier Clark gets up likely to fret about the future of the port the B.C. Liberals is an example Nowadays, however, the schism is in the morning fretting about the planet because they’ll have to live of a paradigm shift taking place in not so much left-right, though that future of the planet? It’s laughable with the consequences of climate politics in this province. Traditionally, still exists in B.C. in a big way. when you consider her support for change. Many older voters, though B.C. voters have divided along ideoThe growing divide is between all things endorsed by the Canadian not all, don’t give a hoot about logical lines of left and right. The left those who seriously fret about the Association of Petroleum Producers. that. This was apparent during a tends to see government as offering future of the planet and those who Those who share her views, includ- regional plebiscite on a 10-year, $7.5solutions to problems and as a useful put this issue much further down on ing many members of the building billion transportation plan, which tool to promote greater equity in soci- their list of priorities. trades, are migrating to the B.C. was soundly defeated in 2015. ety. That comes through investments In Vancouver, this schism has been Liberals. In their mind, how much The challenge for the B.C. NDP is in public health care, public education, at the centre of municipal politics for harm can another bridge cause? to attract enough climate-concerned

Commentary

voters—including young people— to win seats in places where people care about the environment. That includes North Burnaby, North Delta, the northeast sector of Metro Vancouver, and the Comox Valley.

In the past, the B.C. NDP has tried to play it both ways by pandering to the building trades while promising environmental salvation. That left room in the political marketplace for the Greens, who eagerly pointed out the hypocrisy of this approach.

But under B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan, the Official Opposition has adopted a more consistent environmental message. It cost the B.C. NDP the support of Ironworkers Local 97 and it may well cost it the support of other building-trades unions. However, this is not the political calamity that some columnists might think it is. The B.C. NDP’s concerns about megaprojects could bring young voters onside, including some of the same young voters who helped Justin Trudeau become prime minister.

In Quebec, the political divide used to be over the power of the Catholic Church. Nowadays, it’s still not purely a left-right dichotomy; rather, it tends to be sovereigntyfederalist. In India, the divide is also not left-right; it’s secularism versus religious communalism.

In both these places, people of wildly different ideological perspectives end up in the same party because they agree on the fundamental issue of concern.

So if the divide in B.C. becomes whether or not you fret about the future of the planet, we shouldn’t see this as a problem. In fact, it’s something we should all welcome.

Anyone who is paying attention to the potential of abrupt climate change recognizes that it could wipe out humanity in fairly short order.

Could any political issue be more important than that? -

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14 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

events/ timeout FORUMS TAKE ACTION BENEFITS FASHION FOOD AND DRINK ET CETERA KIDS’ STUFF SPORTS OUT OF TOWN

< < < < < < < < <

FORUMS 2JUST ANNOUNCED GWYNNE DYER: THE CLIMATE HORIZON Journalist, author, and speaker Gwynne Dyer discusses the climatechange crisis and a possible way through it.

Mar 22, 7 pm, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W. Hastings). Tix $25, info www.sfu. ca/sfuwoodwards/events/events1/20162017-fall/GwynneDyerClimateHorizon.html/.

2THIS WEEK PRESIDENT’S DREAM COLLOQUIUM ON UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA: CANNABIS AND PAIN MANAGEMENT Family medicine and anesthesia associate professor Mark Ware discusses cannabis and pain management. Mar 9, 4-5:30 pm, SFU Burnaby (8888 University Dr., Burnaby). Info www. sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/events/dream colloquium/DreamColloquium-Marijuana/ DrMarkWare.html/.

CANADA’S CARBON TAX: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ECONOMY Take part in a panel discussion and Q&A session and learn more about Canada’s environmental policies and the impact of the carbon tax on day-to-day lives and the country as a whole. Mar 9, 5-6:30 pm, CIRS Building (2260 West Mall, UBC). Free admission, info goo.gl/hzihUW/.

LULU SERIES: ART IN THE CITY The Vancouver Mural Festival’s David Vertesi discusses collaboration as innovation and art’s importance in establishing connections between citizens and their communities. Mar 9, 7 pm, Richmond City Hall (6911 No. 3 Rd., Richmond). Free admission, info www.richmond.ca/culture/ about/events/lulu.htm/.

ABORIGINAL SPEAKER SERIES: THE BRANDON INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL Katherine Nichols explores how to begin the conversations that create the opportunities to do meaningful research with a community. Mar 14, 7 pm, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W. Hastings). Free admission, info www.sfu. ca/sfuwoodwards/.

NATURE VANCOUVER/MARINE BIOLOGY SECTION Jennifer Ingram and fellow divers discuss the photographs they took of a variety of marine environments in the Raja Ampat Islands (off the coast of West Papau) New Guinea and Bali. Mar 9, 7:30-9 pm, Unitarian Church of Vancouver (949 W. 49th). Free admission, info www.naturevancouver.ca/.

TAKE ACTION

WHY POVERTY? Bill Hopwood discusses why poverty is on the rise in Canada.

Mar 9, 7:30-9:30 pm, SFU Harbour Centre (515 W. Hastings). Free admission, info www.socialistalternative.ca/.

IWD FORUM: WOMEN’S LIBERATION AND BUILDING THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT Celebrate International Women’s Day with a discussion of women’s liberation and their role in building the antiwar movement. Mar 10, 7:30-11 pm, Joe’s Cafe (1150 Commercial). Info www.mawovancouver.org/.

THE HTML500 Lighthouse Labs hosts a one-day event where Canadian tech companies come together to teach people how to code. Mar 11, 9:30 am–5 pm, Rocky Mountaineer Train Station (1755 Cottrell Street at Terminal Avenue). Free admission, info www.thehtml500.com/.

ALL ABOUT ROSES Increase your enjoyment and decrease the challenges of growing roses successfully in your garden. Mar 11, 10 am–12:30 pm, VanDusen Botanical Garden (5251 Oak). Tix $42/35, info www.vandusengarden.org/.

PROTECTING HOWE SOUND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS Executive director Ruth Simons discusses how the Future of Howe Sound Society has been engaging with various levels of government, First Nations, and stakeholders to encourage the development of an integrated, sustainable land and water management plan for Howe Sound. Mar 11, 2-4 pm, West Vancouver Memorial Library (1950 Marine Dr., West Van). Free admission, info www.westvanlibrary.ca/.

WHAT IS SOCIAL LICENSE? Grand Chief Edward John, Terry Beech, Susannah Pierce, and Harry Swain discuss social license, how it is obtained, who grants it, its scope, and its limits. Mar 14, 6-9 pm, Musqueam Cultural Education Centre and Gallery (4000 Musqueam). Free admission, info www.mcgill.ca/misc/channels/event/ what-social-license-266442/.

2THIS WEEK STOP THE PIPELINES; START THE MUSIC Fundraiser for the Unist’ot’en Camp features music by the Boom Booms and reports from the anti-pipeline front lines of northern B.C. Mar 11, 7:30 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix $20, info www. facebook.com/events/254490611652762/.

BENEFITS 2THIS WEEK FLOURISH Gala fundraiser showcases the work of VCC’s students, faculty members, and alumni. Proceeds go to the Vancouver Community College Foundation, which provides scholarships and training materials for current and future VCC students.

Mar 9, 7 pm, Vancouver Community College Broadway (1155 E. Broadway). Tix $150-1,000, info www.vcc.ca/gala/.

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For up-to-the-minute, searchable Events Time Out listings, visit

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BANDS FOR TINY HOUSES Four local bands take the stage to support the B.C. Tiny House Collective. Includes performances by Wazonek, Jess Perkins, Pale Red, and Lucky Money. Mar 9-10, 8 pm, Studio Records (919 Granville). Tix $10, info www.bctinyhousecollective.com/.

STORY STORY LIE: WOMAN’S FUNDRAISER Interactive, live storytelling game show invites the audience to separate fact from fiction. Proceeds go to the Chrysalis Society, an organization that helps women overcome abuse and addiction. Mar 10, 9-10:30 pm, Café Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial). Tix $10, info www.eventbrite.ca/e/story-story-liewomans-fundraiser-tickets-31673174317/.

FASHION 2THIS WEEK BROWN PAPER COUTURE Langara’s design-formation students recreate 28

iconic designer dresses as they transform modest materials such as craft paper, cardboard, coffee filters, tape, thumbtacks, tissue, and string into haute-couture fashion.

To Mar 14, Oakridge Centre (650 West 41st Avenue). Info www.oakridgecentre.com/.

TRUVELLE SOCIAL ATTIRE POP UP Get an exclusive first look at the made-toorder collection that boasts special cuts, unexpected details, and inseam pockets.

Mar 8-12, Truvelle Flagship (235 Cambie).

Info www.truvelle.com/products/socialattire-pop-up/.

FOOD AND DRINK 2THIS WEEK SAVOUR OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD 2017 Event features a sampling of bites from a variety of Mount Pleasant eateries paired with beverages from local microbreweries and B.C. Wine Studio. Proceeds go to the Mount Pleasant Family Centre Society. Mar 9, 5:30-9:30 pm, Heritage Hall (3102 Main). Tix $40-50, info www.savour ourneighbourhood.ca/.

MEET NETTIE CRONISH The vegetarian, organic chef and author of six cookbooks discusses Indian pantry staples such as coconut milk, chickpea flour, ghee, lentils, rice, yogurt, paneer, curries, and masala.

Mar 13, 7-8:30 pm, Alma VanDusen Room (Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia).

Free admission, info www.bestway.com/.

EAST SIDE BEER FEST Liberty Merchant Company presents an evening featuring craft beers from all over the world along with samplings from Commercial Drive food purveyors.

Proceeds go to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Mar 15, 7-9 pm, WISE Hall (1882 Adanac). Tix $24.99, info www.libertywinemerchants.com/.

ET CETERA

KIDS’ STUFF 2JUST ANNOUNCED VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL The 40th edition of the kid-friendly event features theatre, music, dance, circus, puppetry, and storytelling. May 29–Jun 4, Granville Island. Info www.childrensfestival.ca/.

2THIS WEEK INSPECTOR TOVEY INVESTIGATES THE ORCHESTRA Conductor Bramwell Tovey leads pianists Iman Habibi and Deborah Grimmett and the VSO in a kidfriendly exploration of the instruments of a symphony orchestra. Mar 12, 2 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Info www.vancouversymphony.ca/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS PLAYDOME Western Canada’s largest indoor carnival features more than 45 rides and attractions, plus carnival snacks and games. Mar 22-26, BC Place Stadium (777 Pacific Boulevard). Tix $49, info www.bcplace.com/events/2017/ playdome/.

SPORTS 2THIS WEEK CANUCKS VS. BRUINS The Vancouver Canucks take on the Boston Bruins in National Hockey League action. Mar 13, 7 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Tix $78.75-240.75 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

OUT OF TOWN

2THIS WEEK

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS

POP THIS! LIVE PODCASTING EVENT Watch a live recording of the engaging weekly podcast Pop This! with broadcaster Lisa Christiansen, author Andrea Warner, and producer Andrea Gin. Mar 9, 7-9:30 pm, Vancouver Public Library Central Branch (350 W. Georgia). Free admission, info www.vpl.ca/events/.

SNOWBOMBING Snowboarding and music festival includes ski and snowboard competitions and DJ battles. Apr 6-10, Sun Peaks Resort (1280 Alpine Rd., Sun Peaks).

Info www.snowbombing.com/.

EASTSIDE FLEA SPRING MARKETS Highlights include a Friday evening shop and bop, over 50 local vendors, five artisan showrooms, a food truck, an outdoor courtyard, music, and pinball. Mar 10-12, 24-26, The Ellis Building (1024 Main). Tix $3-5, info www.eastsideflea.com/.

TIME OUT EVENTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. We can’t guarantee inclusion, and we give priority to events taking place within one week of publication.

Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

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MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 15

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2183 WEST FOURTH AVENUE | 604.738.2025 www.bishopsonline.com @BishopsOnline | BishopsOnline | 16 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

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648 MAIN ST. | 604-683-4440

GOLDEN PLATES

Phil Scarfone credits a tough mentor and some A-list stops in the U.K. and Vancouver for giving him the confidence to oversee his own kitchen—and win chef of the year in the Golden Plates. Tracey Kusiewicz photo.

Scarfone soars at Nightingale

minute, he phoned his parents before the fall session to say he wanted to pursue culinary training instead.

He made that decision after getting some work experience that summer for which he hadn’t bargained.

Wanting to get out of Hamilton, Scarfone, then 18, saw an ad that mentioned a The head chef at David Hawksworth’s newest dining moneymaking stint in the room succeeds with passion and by focusing on details States but few other details.

Phil Scarfone’s first restaurant job was not, He ended up getting hired to do dishes at an all-girls as the story so often goes, the thing that made him camp in the “middle of nowhere” in Maine.

BY G AIL JOH N SON dream of one day becoming a chef. In fact, the “It was a really old chef, and I showed up and executive chef of Nightingale, the newest addition said, ‘I’m your pot washer,’ ” Scarfone recalls. to the Hawksworth Restaurant Group, hated it.

“He was like, ‘No. We can get anybody to wash He was 16 and spent eight months making pots. I need help in the kitchen.’ ” Did he ever: the sandwiches at a Tim Hortons in his hometown elderly man and a skeleton crew of international of Hamilton, Ontario. Afterward, he vowed he’d students, few of whom spoke English, were tasked never work with food again. with making breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks A lot has happened in the 16 years since for Scar- daily for 200 hungry campers. fone, who has been selected by readers as chef of the Two things stuck with Scarfone: how much he year in the Georgia Straight’s Golden Plates Awards. was enjoying himself and what his boss had to say Sitting with Scarfone before lunch service recent- about a culinary career. “I liked working with my ly on the second level of the spectacularly designed hands,” he says. “I learned a lot, and he [the head restaurant, adorned with golden origami-style birds chef] was really enthusiastic. He taught me how seemingly in flight, it’s clear that he has drive. Wear- to communicate in the kitchen, how to be cordial. ing jeans, nonslip chef’s clogs, a dirty apron, and a “I remember him saying, ‘If you’re good at this, Nightingale T-shirt that reveals his colourful right- you could have a job anywhere. You can see the arm tattoo sleeve—a pig’s face here, a spot prawn world. It’s fun, and you’ll meet the best people. there; some garlic, rosemary, Brussels sprouts, even All the fun happens back here.’ ” sriracha, among other foods he loves—he speaks at Scarfone started at Niagara College soon after. If a swift clip, explaining how he initially enrolled in that initial exposure to a cook’s life was a gentle one, a journalism program after high school. At the last the training he got the following summer was not.

He worked at a renowned resort called Taboo Muskoka, where the head chef at the time ran the kitchen in the style of Gordon Ramsay. Although Scarfone had a year of culinary school under his belt, he didn’t know that frozen chicken stock should never be thawed in hot water, a method that can result in the growth of harmful bacteria.

“I remember hearing him yell across the kitchen, ‘Who the fuck did this?’ ” Scarfone came clean, but not before the chef took the block of stock, which had started to melt in the middle, and threw it into an empty sink. “Liquid shot up and hit the ceiling; it was all over everyone. He just yelled, ‘Never, ever do that again! You could kill someone!’ ” Even on days when he wasn’t having major screwups, Scarfone felt out of his league.

“You come off your first year of culinary school thinking, ‘Yeah! I know how to make a roux!’ But I knew nothing,” he says. “And I just got destroyed.

I got broken down. I went into his office one day and said, ‘I can’t do this. I’m scared to come to work.’ But, looking back, I can see what he was trying to do. He said, ‘I wouldn’t give you shit if I didn’t think you have what it takes.’

“And I was learning every time,” he adds. “As I was learning, I was getting better and more organized.”

After graduating, Scarfone worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs resort before a month-long stay at the U.K.’s three-Michelin-star rated Fat Duck restaurant. This involved everything from shucking 300 oysters a day (hands blistered as a result) to observing some of the world’s top chefs in action.

“I got to hang out in the actual kitchen. You just wedge yourself in a corner and watch,” he says. “I absorbed everything—how neat and tidy everyone was see next page

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

CHEF

BURNABY

RICHMOND

1. PHIL SCARFONE (NIGHTINGALE)

1. THE PEAR TREE RESTAURANT

1. KIRIN

4120 East Hastings St. 604-299-2772 2. Anton’s Pasta Bar 4260 East Hastings St. 604-299-6636 3. Hart House Restaurant 6664 Deer Lake Ave. 604-298-4278

7900 Westminster Hwy 604-303-8833 2. Dinesty Dumpling House Various locations 3. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant 102–4930 No. 3 Rd 604-273-8208

NORTH SHORE

SURREY, DELTA, WHITE ROCK, LANGLEY

2. Trevor Bird (Fable) 3. Ryan Reed (Nomad)

NEW RESTAURANT 1. KISSA TANTO

263 East Pender St. 778-379-8078 2. Nightingale 1017 West Hastings St. 604-695-9500 3. Virtuous Pie 583 Main St. 604-620-0060

NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR RESTAURANTS 1. GASTOWN

2. Kitsilano 3. Mount Pleasant

1. CANYON

3135 Edgemont Blvd.

North Vancouver 604-987-8812 2. BLVD Bistro 636 Queensbury Ave, North Vancouver 604-971-5559 3. Tomahawk 1550 Philip Ave. North Vancouver, 604-988-2612

1. MY SHANTI

15869 Croydon Dr., Surrey 604-560-4416 2. Tasty Indian Bistro 8295 120th St., Delta 604-507-9393 3. Tap Restaurant 101–15350 34 Ave., Surrey 604-536-1954

NEW WESTMINSTER, PORT MOODY, COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM

SQUAMISH RESTAURANT

1. THE BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT

37801 Cleveland Ave. 604-892-2603 2. Zephyr Café 38084 Cleveland Ave. 604-567-4568 3. The Salted Vine Kitchen + Bar 37991 Second Ave. 604-390-1910

Various locations 2. Longtail Kitchen (tie) 116–810 Quayside Dr. New Westminster, 604-553-3855 2. Wild Rice (tie) 122–810 Quayside Dr. New Westminster 778-397-0028 3. El Santo 680 Columbia St. New Westminster 604-553-1849

BARTENDER 1. PHILIPPE C. GRANDBOIS (CHAMBAR)

2. Kevin Brownlee (AnnaLena) 3. Guy Stowell (Anh and Chi)

1. HOWE SOUND BREWING

WHISTLER RESTAURANT 1. ARAXI RESTAURANT + OYSTER BAR

110–4222 Village Square 604-932-4540 2. Bearfoot Bistro 4121 Village Green 604-932-3433 3. Rimrock Cafe 2117 Whistler Rd 604-932-5565

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 17

18 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 / 2017

Scarfone soars

from previous page

and how organized it was.”

After going back to Taboo for a time, then working in Majorca, Spain, Scarfone returned to Canada, landing in Vancouver. He worked at db Bistro Moderne, headed by internationally renowned New York chef Daniel Boulud, and then ORU Cuisine at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, before applying at Hawksworth Restaurant. When he was asked during his interview what station he would want there, his answer—“p.m. veg”—raised eyebrows.

“It’s the hardest station in the kitchen by far,” Scarfone says. “Usually, cooks want to be the meat guy or the fish guy. The meat guy passes the plate to me, and at Hawksworth there were probably five or six garnishes on every plate. So you have four pans going for one plate. Then you’d have a six-top [table of six] who ordered all different things. And we were busy. You fill up your flattop [stove] full of pans, and you’d have to prioritize and be the most organized. You have to talk to yourself for the whole service [all night]. I wanted them to know I was serious about the job, that I was willing to work through that.”

He proved himself, ultimately earning his first head-chef gig at Nightingale, which opened last year. Its concept is very different from that of Hawksworth, which showcases more upscale, detail-oriented cuisine. Scarfone makes changes to Nightingale’s menu regularly, depending on weekly fresh sheets, with a focus on what’s in season. He’s just as proud of the recipe his team developed for hand-pulled pizza dough (the pies being baked in a wood-fired oven) as he is of standouts like pork belly with shaved apple and house-made sauerkraut or yellowtail crudo accompanied by orange, scallion, and Fresno chili.

Other popular dishes include a bright apple salad with toasted walnuts, Szechuan pepper, and Avonlea cheddar cheese dressed with lemon vinaigrette, as well as shaved bison

tongue with carrot escabeche, celery root, and grilled bread. There’s crispy fried chicken with preserved-lemon yogurt, dill, and Espelette pepper— simple but addictive. The food—best shared—is delicious, not pretentious.

David Hawksworth says he chose Scarfone to lead the Nightingale kitchen because of his commitment to, and obvious passion for, his craft.

“He’s a hard worker, he listens really well, he has a great palate, and he’s dedicated, organized—all of the things you want in a chef,” Hawksworth says by phone. “He’s very reliable, and he’s really into working with great products. It’s been fantastic to see him start on the veg station and come all the way up—just fantastic.”

What Scarfone has found most challenging about switching from fine dining to more casual fare has been the restraint required in creating new dishes.

“It’s about peeling back the layers, figuring out what makes a dish tick, what makes it delicious, and knowing that what’s on the plate was just picked this morning or yesterday,” he says. “You have to be willing to tweak it or scrap it and start again. That’s the biggest thing—being humble.”

And although he doesn’t run his kitchen with the same rage as Ramsay, he is stern when he needs to be. (“If you burn the bone marrow, you get the Phil eyes,” he says. “That’s what they [the cooks] call it; I give them the dead eyes. We’ll have a chat in the back.”) Leading a team of almost 40 cooks and six dishwashers, he hopes to be as influential for his staff members as those chefs out east were for him so many years ago.

“I want all these guys to leave here feeling like they’ve accomplished something, like they’ve been a part of something and have taken responsibility for their work,” Scarfone says. “I want to run a kitchen with a culture that is friendly and professional and clean and that’s about the team. I want this to be a formative kitchen. I want to lead by example.” -

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

GREEK

1. WEST

1. STEPHO’S SOUVLAKI GREEK TAVERNA

2881 Granville St. 604-738-8938 2. Bishop’s 2183 West 4th Ave. 604-738-2025 3. Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro 7–1128 West Broadway 604-568-8971

CONTINENTAL

Various locations 2. The Greek

by Anatoli 1043 Mainland St. 604-979-0700 3. Takis’ Taverna 1106 Davie St. 604-682-1336

1. CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

MEDITERRANEAN

568 Beatty St. 604-879-7119 2. Le Crocodile 100–909 Burrard St. 604-669-4298 3. Les Faux Bourgeois 663 East 15th Ave., 604-873-9733

ITALIAN 1. ASK FOR LUIGI

305 Alexander St. 604-428-2544 2. Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway 604-428-0072 3. CinCin Ristorante + Bar 1154 Robson St., 604-688-7338

FRENCH 1. BISTRO PASTIS

2153 West 4th Ave. 604-731-5020 2. Les Faux Bourgeois 663 East 15th Ave. 604-873-9733 3. Au Comptoir 2278 West 4th Ave., 604-569-2278

MEXICAN 1. LAS MARGARITAS RESTAURANTE Y CANTINA

1999 West 4th Ave. 604-734-7117 2. La Taqueria, various locations 3. La Mezcaleria, various locations

1. CAFÉ MEDINA

780 Richards St. 604-879-3114 2. Siena 1485 West 12th Ave. 604-558-1485 3. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca 1133 and 1129 Hamilton St. 604-688-7466

SPANISH 1. ESPAÑA

1118 Denman St. 604-558-4040 2. Bodega on Main 1014 Main St. 604-565-8815 3. Havana 1212 Commercial Dr. 604-253-9119

LATIN AMERICAN 1. CHICHA

136 East Broadway 604-620-3963 2. Baru Latino 2535 Alma St. 604-222-9171 3. Cuchillo 261 Powell St. 604-559-7585

Free RUM PUNCH with this coupon.

19+ ONLY

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

GOLDEN PLATES Thank you, Vancouver, for awarding us

#1 Best Restaurant for a First Date #3 Best Restaurant Atmosphere #3 Best Restaurant Wine List (BC) #3 Best Chef (Ryan Reed)

in the 2017 Georgia Straight Golden Plate Awards!

3950 Main Street, Vancouver 604-708-8525 • www.nomad-vancouver.ca

Seriously, thank you.

earnesticecream.com

We’re proud to serve up Vancouver’s favourite ice cream.

The interior design of Anh and Chi honours Vietnamese culture with cross-generational appeal. Provoke Studios photo.

Local designers go global > B Y LU C Y LA U

W

hen siblings Vincent and Amelie Nguyen decided to take the reins at their parents’ restaurant—the long-standing Pho Hoang on Main Street—in 2015, a revamp was in order. But before the aging space was gutted and transformed into the bright, welcoming room that, today, is known as Anh and Chi, there were a few ground rules to establish.

First, the Nguyens would continue to offer the traditional, homestyle Vietnamese dishes, such as pho’ and bún bò Hu —a spicy noodle soup that often includes beef shank, oxtail, and pigs’ feet—that their mother and late father had perfected. Second, the restaurant’s new interiors, though

updated, were to maintain elements of the family’s heritage. “We opened Anh and Chi to honour and showcase Vietnamese culture,” explains Amelie by phone. “And part of that is respecting, recognizing, and showing certain aspects that we remember as kids, what our parents experienced during their time growing up in Vietnam, and what we’ve seen during our travels back.”

Working with local design firm House of Bohn, the brother-and-sister team created a space that propels Vietnamese cuisine into the realm of midrange to upscale dining while staying true to their humble roots. Gold and brass fixtures—including a dramatic cascade pendant modelled, by request of the Nguyens, after the shape of a Vietnamese conical hat—shine

alongside layers of elegantly stained wood and graphic French-colonialera tiles. Numberless metal chopsticks form an intricate fan pattern behind the bar, while punches of earthy green in the tropical stained-glass window, Vietnam-sourced oil lanterns, and the bathroom’s banana-leaf wallpaper evoke the lush terrain of the Southeast Asian nation.

“Every piece that we picked out, there’s a meaning behind it and why we did it,” says Amelie. Indeed, the grand, contemporary space is a far cry from the no-frills pho’ joints that have earned spots on countless cheapeats lists. But the nods to Vincent and Amelie’s native Vietnam are also indicative of the far-flung destinations restaurateurs and interior designers see page 23

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

OVERALL

HOTEL RESTAURANT

SERVICE

1. CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

1. FORAGE (LISTEL HOTEL)

1. HY’S STEAKHOUSE & COCKTAIL BAR

568 Beatty St. 604-879-7119 2. Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway 604-428-0072 3. Hawksworth Restaurant 801 West Georgia St. 604-673-7000

1300 Robson St. 604-661-1400 2. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar (Sutton Place Hotel) 845 Burrard St. 604-642-2900 3. Tableau Bar Bistro (Loden Hotel) 1181 Melville St. 604-639-8692

FINE DINING

HOTEL CAFÉ

BRUNCH

1. HAWKSWORTH RESTAURANT

1. BEL CAFÉ

1. CAFÉ MEDINA

801 West Georgia St. 604-673-7000 2. giovane cafe + eatery + market 1038 Canada Place 604-695-5501 3. Elysian Coffee 1100 Burrard St. 778-379-1512

780 Richards St. 604-879-3114 2. Burdock & Co. 2702 Main St. 604-879-0077 3. Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe 2095 West 4th Ave. 604-732-6810

BREAKFAST

CHAIN RESTAURANT

1. THE FLYING PIG

1. YOLK’S RESTAURANT & COMMISSARY

1. CACTUS CLUB CAFE

Various locations 2. Nook Various locations 3. Tacofino Various locations

Various locations 2. Jam Café 566 Beatty St., 778-379-1992 3. ACME Cafe 51 West Hastings St., 604-569-1022

Various locations 2. White Spot Various locations 3. Earls Restaurant Various locations

801 West Georgia St. 604-673-7000 2. Bishop’s 2183 West 4th Ave. 604-738-2025 3. L’Abattoir 217 Carrall St. 604-568-1701

Thanks for voting us on of the best beers from one m beyond the Lower Mainland... bey 20 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

MIDPRICED

637 Hornby St. 604-683-7671 2. Bishop’s 2183 West 4th Ave. 604-738-2025 3. Giardino 1328 Hornby St. 604-669-2422

NI C

TIC A

PI Z

L I AN

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THANK YOU

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62 East Cordova Street Vancouver, BC V6A 1K2 604.669.6985 niclipizzeria.com

DINE IN A VIBRANT, CULTURALLY UNIQUE LOUNGE ENVIRONMENT & TASTE THE AWARD WINNING MALAYSIAN CUISINE

great things can happen book your table online @ www.kayamalay.com

Thank You to everyone who voted us as a First Runner Up for

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between Oak & Spruce

MARCH 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

22 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 / 2017

Dining design

from page 20

are increasingly paying homage to in subtle—and highly Instagramable—ways.

“I think that, in Vancouver specifically, there’s been a push away from the typical West Coast Modern style that’s been predominant over the past few years,” says House of Bohn’s media assistant, Todd Mitchell, who also worked alongside director Karin Bohn in the execution of vegan-pizza joint Virtuous Pie. “And that’s why a lot of our designs…have a little more of a global feel.”

At Chinatown’s award-winning Japanese-Italian eatery, Kissa Tanto—a moody, upper-level space that pulls heavily from 1960s Tokyo jazz clubs—curtains fashioned from vintage Japanese fabrics divide the narrow staircase from the dining room and gilded sensa adorn the dark, dual-toned walls. Curvy Italian midcentury-modern lines juxtapose sharp corners, while banker’s lamps, floral wallpaper, and cushy forest-green carpeting help ground the pastiche of details in a retro, recroom-like setting. “Each element on its own didn’t look very good,” Tannis Ling, co-owner of Kissa Tanto, reveals during an interview at the restaurant. “But once it came together, it was magic.”

Craig Stanghetta, founder and principal of local agency Ste. Marie Art and Design, was the creative mind behind that intimate 80-seat room, which was voted best new restaurant in this year’s Golden Plates. His establishment, Savio Volpe, an osteria in Fraserhood that he co-owns and engineered, draws from Italian influences too—specifically, the simplicity and modesty of the country’s cooking. “That’s what sort of drove the design, that kind of idea about Italian culture,” he tells the Straight at Ste. Marie’s East Van office. “Not people shouting and stuff like that—we’ve seen that version a bunch of times.”

Stained woods and red-and-white checkered tablecloths typical of Italian eateries are swapped out for whiteoak furnishings with a Scandinavian sensibility and houndstooth- and herringbone-upholstered seats that host guests chowing down on tripe

alla Parmigiana, tender tortiglioni with beef braciole, and other rustic plates. According to Stanghetta, the restaurant is a cabin belonging to Savio Volpe’s muse—a sophisticated, firewood-toting fox—and the art, books, and trinkets scattered throughout make it all the homier. “We thought of the place as his inn,” says the designer, who looked to the Italian-penned Pinocchio for inspo. “He’s carrying the wood and you can see his tools and groceries all over.”

Local designer Shiloh Sukkau, meanwhile, didn’t have to draw far from home when dreaming up the interiors of Tacofino’s Gastown and Yaletown outposts. “They’re really different in terms of the aesthetic,” she explains by phone, describing the two tacoand-burrito bars. “But I think that the references are coming from the same place, which is this West Coast, Vancouver-to-Baja kind of thing that is really reflective of their food.”

From the handwoven Moroccan throws and macramé plant hangers to the funky porcelain light fixtures crafted by local artist Meghann Hubert, an eclectic mix of handmade objects conjures a laid-back, hippiechill vibe that does Tacofino’s Tofinomeets-SoCal fare justice. Even the crisp lines on the Gastown spot’s hexagonal green tiles—the subject of innumerable #ihavethisthingwithfloors posts—were applied by hand. “The owners really, really loved that tile,” says Sukkau, “so we tried to fit it in where we could.”

And while visually pleasing interiors—borrowed from overseas or otherwise—are today more integral to the dining experience than ever (“People are eating with their eyes and they’re telling people about it through their phones,” notes Stanghetta), the look and feel of a restaurant space serves a larger purpose. For Amelie, it ties back to the at-home pho’ pop-ups her parents conducted as a way to unite fellow Vietnamese refugees when they arrived in Vancouver nearly four decades ago.

“That’s kind of the bigger picture with Anh and Chi,” she says. “Yeah, we want to elevate Vietnamese food, but we also want to bring cross-cultural and cross-generational populations together in a beautiful space and have people really feel connected.” -

Thank-you to Georgia Straight Readers for making us the #1 French Restaurant 30% off select bottles of wine on Mondays.

Now Open 7 days a week!

2153 West 4th Ave. between Arbutus St & Yew St Make a reservation today www.bistropastis.com (p) 604-731-5020 • Pastis@telus.net

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

VIEW 1. SEASONS IN THE PARK

Queen Elizabeth Park (West 33rd Ave. at Cambie St.) 604-874-8008 2. Cactus Club Cafe Various locations 3. The Observatory (tie) 6400 Nancy Greene Way North Vancouver 604-998-5045 3. Salmon House on the Hill (tie) 2229 Folkestone Way West Vancouver 604-926-3212

USE OF LOCAL INGREDIENTS 1. FORAGE

1300 Robson St. 604-661-1400 2. Fable 1944 West 4th Ave., 604-732-1322 3. Farmer’s Apprentice 1535 West 6th Ave., 604-620-2070

FOR A WORKING LUNCH 1. CACTUS CLUB CAFE

Various locations 2. Earls Restaurant Various locations 3. Joey Restaurants Various locations

CONSIDERED A VANCOUVER ICON

PRETHEATRE

1. BISHOP’S

2183 West 4th Ave. 604-738-2025 2. Keg Steakhouse & Bar Various locations 3. White Spot Various locations

568 Beatty St. 604-879-7119 2. Homer St. Cafe and Bar 898 Homer St. 604-428-4299 3. West 2881 Granville St., 604-738-8938

ATMOSPHERE

PATIO

1. THE BELGARD KITCHEN

1. DOCKSIDE

55 Dunlevy Ave. 604-699-1989 2. Homer St. Cafe and Bar 898 Homer St. 604-428-4299 3. Nomad 3950 Main St. 604-708-8525

1. CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

1253 Johnston St. Granville Island 604-685-7070 2. Tap & Barrel Restaurant Various locations 3. Bridges Restaurant 1696 Duranleau St. Granville Island 604-687-4400

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 23

GOLDEN PLATES

Cultural twists on coffee > B Y C R A IG TA K EU C HI

W

THE IRISH HEATHER Best Pub Food (1st place)

210 Carrall Street • 604.688.9779 irishheather.com

ere it not for immigration and multiculturalism, Vancouver’s food scene would be far more staid and pedestrian than the ever-evolving and multilayered one it has developed into. That’s become evident in numerous facets of local food and drink, including one of our most enduring love affairs: coffee.

Ever since Starbucks picked Vancouver to open its first spot outside of Seattle (back in 1987), coffeehouses have been opening up on almost every retail block in the city.

But downing the same cup of joe and ordering from the menus of doppelgänger coffee chains can get a little monotonous after a while, no?

Thankfully, a recent wave of additions to Vancouver’s caffeine scene is Nusa Coffee owner Liza Wajong donates five percent of her shop’s earnings to ushering in some fresh perspectives Indonesian farmers, particularly female berry pickers. Craig Takeuchi photo. to our local bean culture. Here are a few highlights for some international steamed milk but it doesn’t have the opened Klaus’s Kaffee Haus (291 East twists on your daily cup.

Pender Street) on October 3. foam on top,” she says.

AUSTRALIA While the f lat white While they also operate Klaus’s While the main draw is their has been adopted by many a cof- meat pies (kangaroo, anyone?) and Schnitzel in North Vancouver, fee shop, you have to leave it to an other baked goods, you can also or- where they serve Austria’s naexperienced Aussie to get it done der other Australian-style coffees: a tional dish, the Chinatown locaright. For the real deal, check out short black (Oz-speak for espresso) tion focuses on strudel, with an Peaked Pies, which started up in or a long black, a double shot of es- Austrian-influenced kaffee menu Whistler and opened its second presso poured over hot water. Need- to complement it. There are quite location in Vancouver’s West End less to say, this is a prime launch pad a few intriguing offerings based on (975 Denman Street) on December from which to start off a g’day. their fragrant Viennese coffee (fea11. Although many chains serve turing notes of chocolate and nuts).

North Americanized versions AUSTRIA You probably wouldn’t The Viennese Mélange is made in various sizes, co-owner Kerri expect an Austrian coffeehouse from one shot of espresso with Jones, originally from Newcastle, to be all dolled up in Chinese dé- partly steamed milk and topped Australia, explains that the size of cor. But this is Vancouver, after up with a generous serving of milk all, where east is west. Austrian foam. The Franziskaner (a Gerthe cup is important.

“It’s an eight-ounce cup, so your chef Baron Klaus Erich von Ho- man word for a Franciscan monk) coffee-to-milk ratio is much smaller, chgotz and Indonesian-Chinese- builds upon the mélange by adding so you get more coffee flavour in the Canadian local Jensen Sadinkin see page 27

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

SALT TASTING ROOM Best Wine Bar (2nd place)

45 Blood Alley • 604.633.1912 salttastingroom.com

COMFORT FOOD 1. BURGOO

Various locations 2. MeeT Various locations 3. Fable Diner 151 East Broadway 604-563-3463

DINER 1. LUCY’S EASTSIDE DINER

SHEBEEN WHISKEY HOUSE Best restaurant for a stiff drink (1st Place) 210 Carrall St • (604) 688-9779

Thank you for your votes!

24 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

RESTAURANT TO CURE A HANGOVER 1. DENNY’S RESTAURANT

Various locations 2. Yolk’s Restaurant & Commissary Various locations 3. The Red Wagon 2296 East Hastings St. 604-568-4565

FRIES

2708 Main St. 604-568-1550 2. Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe 2095 West 4th Ave. 604-732-6810 3. Fable Diner 151 East Broadway 604-563-3463

1. FRITZ EUROPEAN FRY HOUSE

BISTRO

POUTINE

1. TABLEAU BAR BISTRO

1. FRITZ EUROPEAN FRY HOUSE

1181 Melville St. 604-639-8692 2. Au Comptoir 2278 West 4th Ave. 604-569-2278 3. The Oakwood Canadian Bistro 2741 West 4th Ave. 604-558-1965

718 Davie St. 604-684-0811 2. Belgian Fries 1885 Commercial Dr. 604-253-4220 3. Romer’s Burger Bar Various locations

718 Davie St. 604-684-0811 2. La Belle Patate 1215 Davie St. 604-569-1215 3. Belgian Fries 1885 Commercial Dr. 604-253-4220

RESTAURANT FOR A FIRST DATE

BURGER

1. NOMAD

1. ROMER’S BURGER BAR

3950 Main St. 604-708-8525 2. Tacofino, various locations 3. Chambar Restaurant 568 Beatty St., 604-879-7119

Various locations 2. Vera’s Burger Shack Various locations 3. White Spot Various locations

3 A.M. MEAL

SANDWICHES

1. THE NAAM RESTAURANT

1. THE DIRTY APRON COOKING SCHOOL & DELICATESSEN

2724 West 4th Ave. 604-738-7151 2. Denny’s Restaurant Various locations 3. Lucy’s Eastside Diner 2708 Main St. 604-568-1550

540 Beatty St. 604-879-8588 2. Meat & Bread, Various locations 3. Finch’s Tea House 353 West Pender St. 604-899-4040

SOUPS 1. THE STOCK MARKET

1689 Johnston St. Granville Island 604-687-2433 2. liquids + solids Various locations 3. The Soup Meister 103–123 Carrie Cates Court North Vancouver 604-983-2774

BAGEL 1. ROSEMARY ROCKSALT

Various locations 2. Mount Royal Bagel Factory 701 Queensbury Ave. North Vancouver 604-904-1116 3. Siegel’s Bagels (tie) Various locations 3. Solly’s Bagelry (tie) Various locations

TAKEOUT /DELIVERY 1. PEACEFUL RESTAURANT

Various locations 2. Szechuan ChongQing Restaurant Various locations 3. Hon’s Wun-Tun House Various locations fish and chips

FISH AND CHIPS 1. GO FISH

1505 West 1st Ave. 604-730-5040 2. The Fish Shack 1026 Granville St. 604-678-1049 3. Pajo’s Various locations

MARCH 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25

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26 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 / 2017

Cultural twists

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

DOUGHNUT SHOP 1. CARTEMS DONUTERIE

Various locations 2. Lucky’s Doughnuts Various locations 3. Lee’s Donuts 122–1689 Johnston St. Granville Island 604-685-4021

INDEPENDENT COFFEE SHOP 1. REVOLVER COFFEE

325 Cambie St. 604-558-4444 2. Kafka’s Coffee & Tea 2525 Main St. 604-569-2967 3. Timbertrain Coffee Roasters 311 West Cordova St. 604-360-0068

COFFEE SHOP (LOCAL CHAIN) 1. 49TH PARALLEL COFFEE ROASTERS

Various locations 2. Matchstick Coffee Roasters Various locations 3. Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House Various locations

FAIR TRADE COFFEE SHOP 1. BEAN AROUND THE WORLD COFFEES

Various locations 2. Trees Organic Coffee & Roasting House Various locations 3. Ethical Bean Coffee 1315 Kootenay St. 604-431-3830

from page 24

cream. For those needing a wakeup call, the strong Einspänner is a double espresso with hot water, chocolate, and generous dollops of whipped cream. Meanwhile, those looking to combine their daily drink with dessert will be interested in this playful choice: Wiener Eiskaffee (or Viennese iced coffee), which consists of one-third coffee, one-third milk, vanilla ice cream, and—of course—whipped cream.

COFFEE SHOP (NATIONAL CHAIN) 1. STARBUCKS

Various locations 2. Blenz, various locations 3. Tim Hortons Various locations

TEAHOUSE 1. THE SECRET GARDEN TEA COMPANY

2138 West 40th Ave. 604-261-3070 2. Neverland Tea Salon 3066 West Broadway 604-428-3066 3. O5 Rare Tea Bar 2208 West 4th Ave. 604-558-0500

JUICE BAR 1. THE JUICE TRUCK

Various locations 2. Jugo Juice Various locations 3. Glory Juice Co. Various locations

ENERGY DRINK 1. RED BULL

2. Monster 3. Beaver Buzz (tie) 3. Body Energy Club (tie)

CASINO FOR EATS 1. RIVER ROCK CASINO

8811 River Rd, Richmond 604-273-1895 2. Edgewater Casino 760 Pacific Blvd South 604-687-3343 3. Hard Rock Casino Vancouver 2080 United Blvd, Coquitlam 604-523-6888

HAWAII Luckily for us, Honolulu Coffee chose Vancouver to say aloha to for its first North American location in June 2016. As if that wasn’t enough, this coffee chain has since opened a second in Kerrisdale (2096 West 41st Avenue), with a third on the way (548 West Broadway at Cambie Street) to open in May. The company draws its Kona coffee from its own 80-acre farm in Hawaii and roasts its own coffee in order to create the desired f lavour profile and quality. Its 100-percent-Kona pour-over coffee, best taken black, features notes of strawberry and lime.

For a breezy change of pace from your everyday latte, the Hawaiian equivalents are made with macadamia nut syrup, coconut syrup, espresso, and milk. Delish. There are also three ice-blended versions: the Hawaiian Kona Frost, with the same ingredients except coffee replaces espresso; the original Kona Frost, which consists of coffee and sweetened milk, topped with whipped cream; and the Mocha Kona Frost, which adds chocolate syrup to the previous ingredients.

INDONESIA Leave it to one of Vancouver’s first Indonesian coffee shops to remind us where the name java comes from. Entrepreneur Liza Wajong began importing Indonesian coffee to Vancouver, then turned her Nusa Coffee popup at 2766 West 4th Avenue perma-

The West End’s Peaked Pies knows the real deal on the Aussie flat white.

nent on January 12 to help people learn more about not only Indonesian coffee but also the culture.

In addition to traditional Indonesian sweets, the coffee menu runs the range from espressos to lattes, made by drip, pour-over, French press, or syphon. Wajong uses beans from five areas of the archipelago nation: Sumatra Gayo; Bali, from highlands using subak, or traditional irrigation and planting; shade-grown Flores; Toraja, from Sulawesi Island, which is one of her strongest offerings; and Java, from the Ijen Crater region in East Java. Curious about the pricey delicacy kopi luwak, made from coffee berries partially digested by the Asian palm civet? They’ll be serving it at special tasting events.

To add a feel-good element to your purchase, five percent of their earnings will be donated to Indonesian farmers, particularly to the all-female berry pickers.

“I think it’s about time for Indonesian coffee to be featured in such a prominent way,” Wajong said.

ITALY Since contemporary coffee shops are derived from Italian formats, there’s not much new to introduce about Italian caffeine culture, right? Wrong. Thomas Eleizegui has reopened Musette Caffè, originally located at 1262 Burrard Street with a back-alley entrance, in a modern, bright, high-ceilinged space at 1325 Burrard Street. Growing up in Italy, Eleizegui was influenced by the world of Italian cycling, which is evident in how he’s transformed his shop into a tribute to the sport.

While the walls are covered in his massive collection of cycling paraphernalia, from international jerseys to wall-mounted bicycles, his tables are built of wood taken from 1938 velodrome tracks from Antwerp, Belgium. Furthermore, booths along the north side of the café were designed to resemble the famous shower stations at the Paris-Roubaix in France, one of the oldest cycling races in the world. There are also cycling apparel and accessories for sale, fitness-oriented cycling tours and bike rentals available, and more on the way. With Vancouver’s appreciation for both cycling and coffee, could there be a more perfect combination for this city?

TAIWAN Would you like some salt

on your coffee? While there are salted caramel mochas, you might want to consider the fact that many Asian dessert flavours have a tradition of skewing towards the savoury (red bean, matcha, black sesame) and not just the sweet. At 3 Quarters Full, a smartly designed Taiwanese coffeehouse nestled just off Denman Street at 1789 Comox Street in the West End, you could order espressos, macchiatos, or mochas—or even classic Taiwanese bubble teas. But if you want a Taiwanese take on coffee, try the sea salt coffee, which is iced coffee topped with a wonderfully foamy layer of cream and sea salt. The salty layer stimulates the taste buds, accentuating the sweetness and preparing you for your dip into coffee in a different way. Cheers to that. -

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28 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

R

aised by her Italian mom in a co-op in Vancouver’s Chinatown, Maya Sciarretta remembers having to pick up hard-to-find items from the local grocery store when she was little.

It was during those early years that she developed a love of cooking and an inventive streak, two qualities that helped her realize her dream of opening an Italian eatery in the neighbourhood she still calls home.

“I learned a lot by being Italian living in Chinatown,” Sciarretta says during an interview at Pazzo Chow (620 Quebec Street). “I was sent out to buy romaine. You couldn’t buy romaine in Chinatown when I was a kid. You’d have to figure out other things: what could you use instead?

“What we do at Pazzo Chow is Italian fundamentals, very simple food but creative mixes of things,” she says. “We feed people food that we’re excited about and that’s really healthy. It’s like having my kids come home for lunch.”

Although Vancouver landmark Tosi Italian Food Import Co., which opened its doors in 1906, is up for sale in that area, Italian food is becoming easier to find in the historic neighbourhood.

Sciarretta, who got her start in the food industry by making her Sugo line of pasta sauces (with names like Puttanesca “Whore Style” and Arrabbiata “Angry Style”) and selling them at local markets, operates the teeny-tiny spot with Ashley Watson, who is behind the artisanal ice-cream company Brown Paper Packages (well known for its icecream sandwiches). In addition to selling those products, the two make three main dishes a day, along with soup, salads, and sweets. The everchanging menu features items like breakfast focaccia with cherry tomato, Kalamata olive, goat cheese, and dill; fennel and wild local cod on chili focaccia; and turmeric noodle soup with beans and lentils.

On one side of the lively little space is a small retail section, with everything from Sicilian olive oil to East Van Roasters chocolate bars.

Pazzo Chow uses Milano beans for its rich espresso-based drinks, and when the weather is warm enough to be sipping them on patio tables outside underneath the striped canopy, you could be sitting in an Italian piazza.

A block away is the recently opened grocery, kitchen, and café called Dalina (687 Main Street), named after the late matriarch of the Bosa family. At the back of the gleaming contemporary space are shelves stocked with a broad range of foodstuffs, from locally made vegan spreads and grain-free granola to fresh produce and dried pasta. There are products from Rabbit River Farms and Two Rivers Specialty Meats as well as 99-cent cans of beans and dog treats. A focus on local purveyors means goods such as cookies from Cadeaux Bakery, probiotic beverages by Moonbrew Tonic

Co., decadent vegan brownies and peanut-butter squares from Edible Flours, and more.

“There wasn’t a place where you could get milk, eggs, bread, a sandwich, and a coffee in the neighbourhood,” says manager Natalie Charbonneau,

who studied gastronomic sciences in Italy. “We want to be the place where you can get great steel-cut oats on Monday morning and salami for Saturday afternoon with your friends and where you can have an aperitivo see next page

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

CHINESE

MALAYSIAN

1. DYNASTY SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

1. BANANA LEAF

108–777 West Broadway 604-876-8388 2. Kirin Various locations 3. Peaceful Restaurant Various locations

THAI

Various locations 2. Kaya Malay Bistro 1063 West Broadway 604-730-9963 3. Tropika Various locations

INDIAN 1. VIJ’S

VIETNAMESE

3106 Cambie St. 604-736-6664 2. Sitar Restaurant 8 Powell St. 604-687-0049 3. Chutney Villa (tie) 147 East Broadway 604-872-2228 3. Indian Oven (tie) 2006 West 4th Ave. 604-730-5069

1. AHN AND CHI

AFRICAN

1. MAENAM

1938 West 4th Ave. 604-730-5579 2. Salathai Thai Restaurant 102–888 Burrard St. 604-683-7999 3. Bob Likes Thai Food Various locations

3388 Main St. 604-874-0832 2. Phnom Penh Restaurant 244 East Georgia St. 604-734-8898 3. Mr. Red Cafe Various locations

MIDDLE EASTERN 1. AFGHAN HORSEMEN RESTAURANT

202–1833 Anderson St. Granville Island 604-873-5923 2. Nuba Various locations 3. East Is East Various locations

KOREAN 1. SURA KOREAN ROYAL CUISINE

Various locations 2. Royal Seoul House Restaurant 1215 West Broadway 3. Damso Restaurant Various locations

JAPANESE 1. MIKU RESTAURANT

70–200 Granville St. 604-568-3900 2. Tojo’s 1133 West Broadway 604-872-8050 3. Minami 1118 Mainland St. 604-685-8080

1. HARAMBE ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT

2149 Commercial Dr. 604-216-1060 2. Simba’s Grill 825 Denman St. 604-974-0649 3. Axum Ethiopian Restaurant 1279 East Hastings St. 604-253-2986

CARIBBEAN 1. CALABASH BISTRO

428 Carrall St. 604-568-5882 2. Reef Various locations 3. Jamaican Pizza Jerk 2707 Commercial Dr. 604-876-3343

LEBANESE 1. NUBA

Various locations 2. Jamjar 2280 Commercial Dr. 604-252-3957 3. Saj & Co 813 Davie St. 604-559-2447

PERSIAN 1. CAZBA RESTAURANT

Various locations 2. Zeitoon Various locations 3. East Is East Various locations

The new Chinatown grocery, kitchen, and café Dalina focuses on local suppliers for items ranging from vegan spreads and fresh produce to baked goods.

and snacks on the patio.” (A yearround outdoor seating area and liquor licence are coming soon.)

Ready-made salads and meals, meanwhile, change seasonally, with recent offerings including a squashand-fennel salad with cherries, hemp hearts, and chives; a bright apple-andbeet salad with candied pecans and goat cheese; and Cornish game hen with roasted Meyer lemon. Dalina has a private-label espresso, and for those who like to leave room in their coffee cup, there’s milk, soy milk, almond milk, and cream all available on tap.

Across from Dalina and expected to open in May in the former home of A20 Pizza is Straight Outta Brooklyn NYC Pizzeria (648 Main Street). The takeout/eat-in spot with two existing locations is run by Frank and Dom Morra, the same brothers behind Via Tevere on Victoria Drive. It will offer whole pies and pizza by the slice.

Among the popular types the new spot will carry are W.O.P (Without Peppers), with salami, ham,

mushrooms, artichokes, and olives, as well as White, which consists of mozzarella, smoked provolone, ricotta, grana, garlic, and oregano.

New York–style pizza goes back to 1905, when an immigrant pizzaiolo from Naples named Gennaro Lombardi started serving pizza by the slice in his grocery store in Little Italy, according to Straight Outta Brooklyn’s website. The thincrust slices took off, with ItalianAmerican pizzaiolos making them throughout Brooklyn’s immigrant neighbourhoods. The Morras’ aim is to “bring a little New York to Vancouver”, and they’re excited about their forthcoming location.

“The food scene in Chinatown is still up-and-coming,” Dom tells the Straight. “Many great spots have recently popped up, and we see that trend continuing. Plus, I feel every neighbourhood needs their go-to slice and delivery pizza joint. I like the eclectic feel of Chinatown, the interesting mix of people and cultures.” -

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Foodies love Kisso Tanto > B Y TA M M Y K WA N

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hef Joël Watanabe is the co-owner and culinary mastermind behind the critically acclaimed eatery Kissa Tanto, which offers a menu that seamlessly blends Italian and Japanese flavours.

His restaurant has scooped up plenty of awards over the past few months, so it’s no surprise that his Vancouver peers have voted him best chef of the year and awarded Best New Restaurant to his Chinatown establishment in the Straight’s Industry Insiders survey of more than three dozen local chefs and restaurant managers. (See the box below.)

Watanabe came up with his menu concept by drawing from his own heritage. His father is Japanese and his mother Corsican, with a portion of Italian behind that Corsican background.

“Aesthetically, I find the two cultures similar in the sense of when it comes to food,” explained Watanabe

to the Straight in a phone interview.

“It has simplicity, is ingredientdriven, and is very local.”

Some people may categorize Watanabe’s culinary creations at Kissa Tanto as fusion because of their marrying of two different food cultures, but he’s against using that word.

“To me, fusion is not a great word not just because it was done so terribly in the ’90s, but also because it kind of gives a sense that you are forcing two things together as opposed to commingling two things together,” said Watanabe. “When it works for us, it feels natural and comes together naturally.”

Does he see this cooking trend expanding in the city? Yes. “The world is being so globalized, and chefs, as opposed to when I was very young, where you trained in very specific kitchens, now have more opportunity,” explained Watanabe. “More and more young cooks and chefs don’t want to be pigeonholed into cooking something that they had to learn

when they were younger. They want to cook foods that come to their imagination and things that inspire them when they travel.”

If food lovers want to try some of his Japanese-Italian dishes in the near future (such as the porchetta agnolotti that Watanabe really enjoys), you’ll have to adjust their preferred dining schedule. That’s because reservations at this popular spot have blown up ever since it accepted a couple of high-profile restaurant awards—by “blown up”, we mean getting 500 reservations within a 24-hour time span.

But don’t dwell on having or not having dinner at 10 p.m. at Kissa Tanto, because there are several other great restaurants that industry insiders have picked for 2017.

From Italian to French to Indian categories, they include long-time favourites (Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca, Le Crocodile, Vij’s) and new establishments (Masayoshi, Cacao, Savio Volpe) that are making a mark in the city’s food scene. -

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1. MAENAM

1 West Cordova St. 604-974-1147 2. Chambar 568 Beatty St., 604-879-7119 3. España (tie) 1118 Denman St., 604-558-4040 3. Cinara (tie) 350 West Pender St., 604-428-9694

1938 West 4th Ave. 604-730-5579 2. Phnom Penh Restaurant 244 East Georgia St. 604-734-8898 3. Mr. Red Cafe Various locations

2. Phil Scarfone (Nightingale) 3. Andrew Richardson (CinCin Ristorante + Bar) (tie) 3. J-C Poirier (Ask for Luigi) (tie)

NEW RESTAURANT 1. KISSA TANTO

E XC E P T I O N A L I TA L I A N C U I S I N E

263 East Pender St. 778-379-8078 2. Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway 604-428-0072 3. Cacao 1898 West 1st Ave. 604-731-5370

ITALIAN 1. ASK FOR LUIGI

305 Alexander St. 604-428-2544 2. La Quercia 3689 West 4th Ave. 604-676-1007 3. Cinara (tie) 350 West Pender St., 604-428-9694 3. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca (tie) 1133 and 1129 Hamilton St. 604-688-7466

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CHINESE 1. BAO BEI CHINESE BRASSERIE

163 Keefer St., 604-688-0876 2. Dynasty Seafood Restaurant 108–777 West Broadway 604-876-8388 3. Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant (tie) Various locations 3. Dinesty Dumpling House (tie) Various locations

AFRICAN 1. SIMBA’S GRILL

825 Denman St. 604-974-0649 2. Fassil Ethiopian Restaurant 5–736 East Broadway 604-879-2001 3. Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant 2149 Commercial Dr. 604-216-1060

JAPANESE

INDUSTRY: LATIN AMERICAN

1. MASAYOSHI

1. LA MEZCALERIA

4376 Fraser St. 604-428-6272 2. Toshi Sushi 181 East 16th St., 604-874-5173 3. Zest Japanese Cuisine 2775 West 16th Ave., 604-731-9378

Various locations 2. Cacao 1898 West 1st Ave. 604-731-5370 3. Cuchillo 261 Powell St. 604-559-7585

FRENCH

INDIAN

1. AU COMPTOIR

1. VIJ’S

2278 West 4th Ave. 604-569-2278 2. Le Crocodile 100–909 Burrard St. 604-669-4298 3. L’Abattoir 217 Carrall St. 604-568-1701

3106 Cambie St. 604-736-6664 2. Sula Indian Restaurant 1128 Commercial Dr. 604-215-1130 3. House of Dosas 1391 Kingsway 604-875-1283

INDUSTRY: CHEAP EATS 1. LA TAQUERIA

Various locations 2. Tacofino Various locations 3. Hawker’s Delight 4127 Main St. 604-709-8188

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Ramen unfurls across city > BY C R A IG TA KEU CH I

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ver the past year or so, every other new place opening up seemed to be an ice cream, Hawaiian poké, or ramen shop. While some frozen-treat places have since shuttered and poké places continue to pop up all over the city, ramen is shaping up to be a sustainable successor to sushi.

One needs only to consider the area around the Robson and Denman street intersection. There’s Kintaro, Motomatchi Shokudo, Marutama, the Ramenman, Touhenboku, Menno Kura, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Danbo, Koyuki Sapporo Ramen, and Hida Takayama (inside the Robson Public Market). Is it overkill? Well, with Benkei Ramen and Hapa Ramen being the only closures in the area thus far, local appetites for the Japanese noodles appear bottomless.

Another consideration is other developing hot spots, including one within the downtown core. Ramen Gojiro (501 Dunsmuir Street), opened in March 2016 and specializes in Gatsuri-style bowls, which offer thicker noodles and heaps of bean sprouts.

(It’s run by the Menya Koji Group, which also operates Ramen Butcher at 223 East Georgia Street.)

Japanese chain Yah Yah Ya Ramen, which opened its first location in Richmond, launched its second Metro Vancouver location at 570 Robson Street in November. It specializes in iekei ramen, in which pork, soy sauce, chicken bone, konbu, and vegetables are boiled for 12 hours and flavoured with green onions and garlic.

Meanwhile, California-based Jinya Ramen will be relocating from 270 Robson Street to a spot across from Yah Yah Ya in the Telus Building at 541 Robson Street. The new 2,961-squarefoot location will seat 61 inside plus 28 on the patio and is aiming for a mid-April opening. It’ll feature an expanded menu to offer more small dishes and drinks in an updated setting more stylish than the current location, which opened in 2012.

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#1 chocolate shop Outside the ramen hot zone at Robson and Denman streets, there are spots like Kokoro Ramen, which serves bowls like spicy tan tan ramen, in East Vancouver.

(2129 West 41st Avenue), they’re also expanding into Burnaby with a third location to open this spring at Metrotown (at 4575 Central Boulevard in Burnaby) featuring seating for 54 inside and 48 on the patio.

The nexus of West Broadway and Cambie Street is also becoming a new noodle destination, with the lineupattracting Hokkaido Ramen Santouka joining nearby Benkei Ramen and Menya Japanese Noodle.

Santouka’s second Vancouver location (558 West Broadway) features décor highlighting the culture of the indigenous Ainu people of northeastern Japan and offers two items not on their Robson Street menu. One is zangi, a Hokkaido style of chicken karaage served with tartar sauce. The other is the wonderfully cilantro-flavoured jalapeño ramen with tomatoes and onion (definitely one to check out).

Some inventive ramen bowls are also coming to East Vancouver at the inviting Kokoro Ramen (5695 Victoria Drive) in November. As kokoro means “heart” or “spirit” in Japanese, owner Yasu Hiro aspires to help infuse the neighbourhood with a little Japanese heart and soul.

While the menu already offers everything from kombu-and-shiitakeinfused vegetarian ramen to typhoon ramen with ground pork (mazemen, or ramen without broth), Hiro handily serves his choices in either black bowls

for authentic recipes or white ones for healthier options (with reduced or removed fat, oil, and sodium). Plus, there are three new offerings to look forward to. (All have chashu, bamboo shoots, and green onions.) Tonkotsu bubble ramen, with pork broth blended “like a latte” (Hiro says), will be rolled out on March 15. In April, there’ll be salmon ramen with lettuce. Coming this summer is yuzu shio ramen, featuring a citrusy combination of pork and chicken broth with arugula.

For those seeking to avoid meat, the North Shore’s Workshop Vegetarian Café (296 Pemberton Avenue, North Vancouver) serves two organic vegetarian ramen choices: shoyu ramen, made of mushroom broth with greens and truffle shallot oil; and spicy tan tan ramen, featuring butternut squash and sesame miso broth with kale greens, mushrooms, and nuts.

But if size is what matters most, Ramen Koika (1231 Davie Street) has the ultimate answer. This Davie Village spot launched the Big Bowl Challenge, a test to see if you can finish the equivalent of four bowls of ramen in merely 10 minutes. Successful slurpers receive their meal free, plus a regular ramen bowl for free on the next visit.

Thus far, there have been 69 participants and only 9 winners.

Think you can do it? Good luck. Of course, if you need practise, there are plenty of options to consider. -

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

CHICKEN

SUSHI

SALADS

1. HOMER ST. CAFE AND BAR

1. TOJO’S RESTAURANT

1. TRACTOR EVERYDAY HEALTHY FOODS

898 Homer St. 604-428-4299 2. Juke 182 Keefer St. 604-336-5853 3. Nando’s Various locations

1133 West Broadway 604-872-8050 2. Miku Restaurant 70–200 Granville St. 604-568-3900 3. Minami 1118 Mainland St. 604-685-8080

Various locations 2. Field & Social 415 Dunsmuir St. 778-379-6500 3. Culver City Salads Corner of Hastings and Thurlow streets

DIM SUM 1. KIRIN

Various locations 2. Red Star Seafood Restaurant Various locations 3. Empire Seafood Restaurant 200–5951 No. 3 Rd, Richmond 604-249-0080

NOODLES 1. LEGENDARY NOODLE

1074 Denman St. 604-669-8551 2. Noodlebox Various locations 3. Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle Various locations

STEAK 1. HY’S STEAKHOUSE & COCKTAIL BAR

637 Hornby St. 604-683-7671 2. Keg Steakhouse & Bar Various locations 3. Gotham Steakhouse & Bar 615 Seymour St. 604-605-8282

TACOS 1. TACOFINO

Various locations 2. Gringo (tie) 27 Blood Alley Square 604-721-0607 2. La Taqueria (tie) Various locations 3. Sal y Limon 701 Kingsway 604-677-4247

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1. HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA

1690 Robson St. 604-681-8121 2. Jinya Ramen Bar Various locations 3. Kintaro Ramen 788 Denman St. 604-682-7568

SEAFOOD 1. JOE FORTES SEAFOOD & CHOP HOUSE

1. LITTLE SHEEP MONGOLIAN HOT POT

777 Thurlow St. 604-669-1940 2. Blue Water Cafe 1095 Hamilton St. 604-688-8078 3. YEW seafood + bar 791 West Georgia St. 604-692-4939

Various locations 2. Fatty Cow Seafood Hot Pot 5108 Victoria Dr. 604-568-6630 3. Landmark Hot Pot 4023 Cambie St. 604-872-2868

KID-FRIENDLY

FOOD TRUCK

1. WHITE SPOT

2. Mom’s Grilled Cheese 3. Roaming Dragon

604 739 0475 www.chocolatearts.com

RAMEN

HOT POT

1. TACOFINO

1620 West 3rd Avenue Vancouver, BC

Various locations 2. Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. Various locations 3. De Dutch, various locations

Authentic Greek Food Extensive Wine & Bar List

1830 Fir St. Vancouver | 604.736.9559

www.apolloniagreekrestaurant.com CLOSED MONDAYS

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 33

GOLDEN PLATES

Afghan Horsemen (since 1974)

Thank you for voting for us

1

# Middle Eastern!

1833 Anderson St. (2nd Floor) Vancouver BEFORE THE ENTRANCE TO GRANVILLE ISLAND, RIGHT BEHIND THE STARBUCKS

604.873.5923 Open 7 Days A Week www.afghanhorsemen.com

THE RED CROSS Canadian Red Cross / Croix-Rouge Canadienne

www.redcross.ca

Dosas rule on Fraser Street > B Y C HA R LIE S M ITH

D

oes the high cost of eating out sometimes keep you at home? One way to stretch your dining dollar is to head to Vancouver’s dosa zone along the southern section of Fraser Street, where it’s possible to gorge on healthy South Indian fare at McDonald’s prices.

By now, most Vancouverites know that dosas are zesty and very lengthy Indian-style crepes made from rice and black gram, a.k.a. mungo bean.

These meals were first made popular in Vancouver by Kerala immigrant Raj Muttavanchery at House of Dosas (1391 Kingsway). He offers a bargain price of $5.95 for all dosas on Mondays, and his success has given rise to many others, including the nearby Dosa Factory (1345 Kingsway).

Farther south, you can find Madras Dosa House (5656 Fraser Street), Madras Spice Restaurant (6260 Fraser Street), Kalai’s Dosa Hut (7233 Fraser Street), and Dosa Corner (8248 Fraser Street).

So what sets each of these Fraser Street joints apart? Like their counterparts in South India, they all offer affordability, stunningly unpretentious service, and a big-screen TV. At Madras Dosa House, a plain dosa is only $4.49 and comes with two chutneys and sambar, which is a hot lentil stew made with tamarind.

It’s often used as a dipping sauce.

The most expensive vegetarian option, a potato-filled ghee masala dosa, is $7.99. The only other dosa

We do than Just more WIne 10am - 11pm

prices this low along Fraser Street are at Dosa Hut. Because Madras Dosa House is a Sri Lankan joint, you can also order chicken 65, which is a super-spicy dish commonly eaten in the island nation. Here, you won’t find much North Indian fare.

However, my favourite dosa along Fraser Street is the $8.99 spinachflavoured beauty at Madras Spice Restaurant. This place is slightly more expensive than the other three.

Black gram is renowned for its health benefits. It’s filled with fibre and packed with protein. According to Ayurvedic tradition, it helps reduce pain and inflammation. Its high potassium and magnesium levels are associated with better heart health. With some additional spinach, which is seen in the West as a superfood, you can pig out without any feelings of remorse.

In South India, people tend to eat plain or masala dosas, so some see next page

ST E R E C N I S Our o

Best private liquor store

Best private beer st ore

open 365 days a year

The tasty spinach dosa at Madras Spice Restaurant has a greenish hue, which might make it look like a western bastardization to residents of South India.

1218 West Pender Street, Vancouver 604.685.1212

www.coalharbourliquorstore.com

gratitude

t

E N Y R E EV

d e t r suppus who

this year

Downtown | 534 West Pender

Best Donut Shop

Mount Pleasant | 2190 Main St Kitsilano | 3040 West Broadway CARTEMS.COM

765 BE AT T Y ST. THANK YOU, READERS, FOR VOTING FRANKIE’S JAZZ CLUB BEST EATERY WITH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT!

Live music every Thurs–Sun, 8pm Happy Hour Wed–Fri, 4–6pm, no cover

upcoming highlights:

FROM NYC: PETER BERNSTEIN Fri & Sat March 17 & 18 B3 FOR BUNNY: FROM NYC MIKE LEDONNE W/ CORY WEEDS Fri & Sat April 7 & 8

Reservations: coastaljazz.ca/frankies 34 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

might view a spinach dosa or even a chicken dosa as a western bastardization. With sambar, the spinach dosa is enough for lunch, though you might want to add an appetizer for dinner.

Madras Spice Restaurant is in the heart of what’s becoming known as Downtown South Vancouver. The area around Fraser Street and East 49th Avenue is where first-generation immigrants of South Asian, Chinese, and Philippine ancestry shop in each other’s stores and eat in each other’s restaurants. So it’s no surprise that Madras Spice Restaurant has a more extensive menu than the others, including plenty of Chinese-Indian and North Indian dishes.

But if sambar’s your thing, you might prefer Kalai’s Dosa Hut,

which is 10 blocks to the south. It’s expertly flavoured, not too spicy but anything but bland. This is a South Indian gathering spot with some of the lowest prices in Vancouver. And its masala dosa, at $10.99, offers the largest serving of potato along the street. It’s delicious.

The southernmost dosa destination, Dosa Corner, isn’t just a dosa joint, though it serves plenty of them every day. And they’re outstanding, especially when dipped into what might be the best coconut chutney in the city.

But what sets Dosa Corner apart is its curries. The chicken korma, in particular, is exquisite. Sure, go ahead and order the dosas if you like. I’ll stick with the dishes that can’t be replicated anywhere else along Fraser Street. -

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

SPECIALTY GROCER

GLUTEN-FREE DINING

1. URBAN FARE

1. THE ACORN

Various locations 2. Whole Foods Market Various locations 3. Choices Various locations

STORE TO BUY ORGANIC PRODUCTS

3995 Main St. 604-566-9001 2. The Wallflower 2420 Main St. 604-568-7554 3. The Naam 2724 West 4th Ave. 604-738-7151

1. WHOLE FOODS MARKET

ORGANIC DINING

Various locations 2. Choices Various locations 3. Donald’s Market Various locations

GROCERY STORE CAFÉ 1. URBAN FARE

1596 Johnston St. Granville Island 604-682-6681 2. Fable 1944 West 4th Ave. 604-732-1322 3. The Acorn 3995 Main St. 604-566-9001

VEGETARIAN

GROCERY DELIVERY

1. THE ACORN

1660 East Hastings St. 604-215-7783 2. Save-On-Foods Various locations 3. Stong’s Market Various locations

We’ve been making families happy since 1928. From our award-winning burgers and signature fries, to our fresh salads, pastas, Spot Classics and our NEW interactive Pirate Paks. At White Spot, there’s something for everyone.

Download the WS Kids app at www.whitespot.ca/kids and join the ‘Cluckaneers’ as they set sail on some legendary misadventures!

1. EDIBLE CANADA

Various locations 2. Whole Foods Market Various locations 3. Choices Various locations

1. SPUD

Thank you for voting us “Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant”!

ORDER ONLINE

CALL 310-SPOT

KITSILANO WHITE SPOT 2518 West Broadway 604-731-2434

CARDERO WHITE SPOT 1616 West Georgia 604-681-8034

at whitespot.ca

7768

MARINE & ROSS WHITE SPOT 1126 SE Marine Drive 604-325-8911

OAKRIDGE WHITE SPOT 613-A-650 41st Ave 604-261-2820

DUNSMUIR WHITE SPOT 405 Dunsmuir Street 604-899-6072

3995 Main St. 604-566-9001 2. The Naam 2724 West 4th Ave. 604-738-7151 3. MeeT Various locations

VEGAN-FRIENDLY

VEGGIE BURGER

1. THE NAAM

1. MEET

2724 West 4th Ave. 604-738-7151 2. The Acorn 3995 Main St. 604-566-9001 3. MeeT Various locations

Various locations 2. The Naam 2724 West 4th Ave. 604-738-7151 3. Alibi Room 157 Alexander St. 604-623-3383

We love the love! xo The Gringo Boys

12properties, properties,22golf golfcourses, courses,22shopping shoppingcenters, centers,spas, spas,and andan anendless endlessarray arrayofofactivities activitiesand anddining diningoptions options 11 Homeofofthe theHawaii Hawai‘iFood Food && Wine Festival Home FestivalKa‘anapali Ka‘anapali BEST tacos

www.kaanapaliresort.com @KaanapaliResort MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 35

Thank you for voting us 1 #

THREE YEARS IN A ROW

KITSILANO | GRANVILLE ISLAND | MOUNT PLEASANT | OLYMPIC VILLAGE

1st Place - BierCraft Best Restaurant Import Beer Selection

TAP & TAPAS 1191 Commercial Dr. (604) 254 2437

WESBROOK @ UBC 3340 Shrum Lane (604) 559 2437

BISTRO 3305 Cambie St. (604) 874 6900

FOR VOTING US BES ST IRIS ST SH PUB!

JOIN N US FOR ST. PATR RIC CK’S S DAY! F R I D A Y ,

36 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

M A R C H

1 7

T H

GOLDEN PLATES

THANK YOU VANCOUVER for voting us

Bao Down co-owners Matt Adolfo and Greg Edwards are hoping to introduce more Vancouver diners to Filipino dishes by presenting them in modern ways.

BEST CATERING COMPANY

Filipino food crossing over into mainstream > BY C R A IG TA KEU CH I

W

ith the popularity of Asian food in this city, it’s quite easy to forget that it took decades for such items to become palatable to local diners.

One cuisine that has been underrepresented and underappreciated in this city is Filipino food. While there have been a handful of Filipino establishments, such as Josephine’s or Pinpin, most of them have remained popular primarily within FilipinoCanadian communities.

Bao Down co-owner Matt Adolfo hopes to change that. While he says he’s been called out for not serving authentic Filipino recipes, that’s the point.

“What we’re trying to do with Filipino cuisine is…add a little fusion into some dishes to make it more familiar to other palates, therefore it’ll be easier to accept it,” he told the Georgia Straight.

His first location in Gastown (12 Powell Street) focuses on bao (steamed buns), while his gastropub and raw bar in Olympic Village (115 West 2nd Avenue) features pan-Asian inspiration, with everything from lettuce wraps to noodle dishes. A third location, which opened in November at 221 Carrall Street, focuses on Filipino items, such as adobo fried chicken, paksiw (pulled pork lechon, or roasted pig), and kare kare (braised oxtail with tempura bok choy, pickled papaya, and eggplant). There’s also a Filipino-style brunch menu with everything from breakfast wraps

with fried bao, tocino (pork-belly bacon), longanisa (sweet sausage), water chestnuts, poached eggs, and taro hash to tocino grilled cheese with pandesal (sweet rolls), cured pork collar, cheese, and calamansi (Philippine citrus fruit) hollandaise.

A fourth spot will open in March at 1408 Commercial Drive, with a return to a focus on bao. Location number five will open in May or June in UBC’s U Boulevard area.

As if that’s not enough, a San Francisco location (a partnership with Filipino screen star Marvin Agustin) will open soon.

Another local Filipino restaurant that has expanded is Kumare Restaurant and Bakery, which opened an express spot at 5183 Joyce Street on January 14. This petite location is turoturo–style, in which customers point at prepared to-go dishes in display cases for takeout. The menu is a condensed version of those at its Richmond and Delta restaurants, and breakfast is available all day at this location.

There are dishes from palabok (thick noodles with shrimp, tofu, and ground pork) and miki-bihon (stir-fried egg noodles with shrimp, pork, Chinese sausage, and vegetables) to desserts like sago gulaman (tapioca and gelatin with brown syrup) and buko pandan (coconut, pandan jelly, and cream).

While this city may have lost a number of Filipino eateries, such as Galing Galing and Rekados Grill, the growing number arising to replace them will certainly help to expose more people to the full range of food from this Southeast Asian nation. -

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

DESSERTS

GELATO

1. THOMAS HAAS CHOCOLATES & PATISSERIE

1. AMATO GELATO CAFE/ MARIO’S GELATI

Various locations 2. Thierry 1059 Alberni St. 604-608-6870 3. Faubourg Various locations

78 East 1st Ave. 604-879-9011 2. Bella Gelateria Various locations 3. La Casa Gelato 1033 Venables St. 604-251-3211

ICE CREAM 1. EARNEST ICE CREAM

Various locations 2. Rain or Shine Homemade Ice Cream Various locations 3. Rooster’s Ice Cream Bar 1039 East Broadway 778-379-6889

CHOCOLATE SHOP 1. CHOCOLATE ARTS

FROZEN YOGURT

1620 West 3rd Ave. 604-739-0475 2. Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie Various locations 3. Beta 5 413 Industrial Ave. 604-669-3336

1. MENCHIE’S

FOOD FESTIVAL/EVENT

Various Locations 2. Qoola Frozen Yogurt Bar Various locations 3. Yogen Früz Various locations

1. DINE OUT VANCOUVER

2. YVR Food Fest 3. EAT! Vancouver

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 37

Edible art.

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

PLACE FOR CASUAL COOKING CLASSES

BREAD BAKERY

1. THE DIRTY APRON COOKING SCHOOL & DELICATESSEN

Various locations 2. Purebread 159 West Hastings St. 604-563-8060 3. Bâtard Bakery 3958 Fraser St. 604-506-3958

540 Beatty St. 604-879-8588 2. Nourish Cafe & Cooking School 3742 West 10th Ave. 604-222-8350 3. Cook Culture, various locations

1. TERRA BREADS

PASTRY BAKERY PROFESSIONAL CULINARY 1. BEAUCOUP BAKERY & CAFÉ SCHOOL

French kitchen 319 Mountain Hwy, North Vancouver | 604 980 1811

tourdefeast.com

hiddengem_tdf

1. VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

250 West Pender St. 604-443-8300 2. Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts 101–1505 West 2nd Ave. 604-734-4488 3. Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver 2725 Main St., 604-876-7653

COOKING STORE

SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

CATERING COMPANY

1. THE GOURMET WAREHOUSE

1. THE LAZY GOURMET

1340 East Hastings St. 604-253-3022 2. Bosa Foods (tie) Various locations 2. Meinhardt Fine Foods (tie) Various locations 3. The August Market 3958 Main St. 778-889-7278

1605 West 5th Ave. 604-734-2507 2. The Butler Did It Catering 620 Clark Dr. 604-739-3663 3. Emelle’s Catering 177 West 7th Ave. 604-875-6556

1. GRANVILLE ISLAND PUBLIC MARKET

DRAWING TIMES:

MONDAY - THURSDAY 8PM | FRIDAY - SATURDAY 9PM | SUNDAY 6PM EARN BALLOTS BY PLAYING SLOTS & TABLE GAMES. 4X BALLOTS EVERY THURSDAY.

THANK YOU, VANCOUVER! RUNNER-UP FOR

BEST CASINO FOR EATS

1. LEMONADE GLUTEN FREE BAKERY

Various locations 2. The Gourmet Warehouse 1340 East Hastings St. 604-253-3022 3. Cook Culture Various locations

PICNIC SUPPLIER

MARCH 1 - 31

GLUTEN-FREE BAKERY

3385 Cambie St. 604-873-9993 2. The Gluten Free Epicurean 633 East 15th Ave. 604-876-4114 3. East Village Bakery 2166 East Hastings St. 604-568-5600

1. MING WO

BRITISH COLUMBIA

2150 Fir St. 604-732-4222 2. Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie Various locations 3. Purebread 159 West Hastings St. 604-563-8060

HOLE-IN-THE-WALL 1. THE TEMPLETON RESTAURANT

1087 Granville St. 604-685-4612 1689 Johnston St., Granville Island 2. The Narrow Lounge 604-666-5784 1898 Main St. 2. Urban Fare 604-839-5780 Various locations 3. Argo Café 3. The Dirty Apron Cooking 1836 Ontario St. School & Delicatessen 604-876-3620 540 Beatty St., 604-879-8588

DELI 1. OYAMA SAUSAGE CO.

126–1689 Johnston St. Granville Island 604-327-7407 2. Santa Barbara Market 1322 Commercial Dr. 604-253-1941 3. Cioffi’s Meat Market & Deli 4142 East Hastings St., Burnaby 604-291-9373

BUTCHER 1. WINDSOR QUALITY MEATS

RESTAURANT TO HANG OUT ON A RAINY DAY 1. BURGOO (TIE)

Various locations

1. STORM CROW TAVERN (TIE)

1305 Commercial Dr. 604-566-9669 2. The Bimini Public House 2010 West 4th Ave. 604-733-7116 3. The Naam Restaurant 2724 West 4th Ave., 604-738-7151

PIZZA BY THE SLICE

4110 Main St. 604-872-5635 2. Jackson’s Meats and Deli 2214 West 4th Ave. 604-738-6328 3. Cioffi’s Meat Market & Deli 4142 East Hastings St., Burnaby 604-291-9373

1. STRAIGHT OUTTA BROOKLYN PIZZERIA

SEAFOOD STORE

1. PIZZERIA FARINA

Various locations 2. Pizza Garden, various locations 3. Uncle Fatih’s Pizza, Various locations

PIZZA TAKEOUT/DELIVERY

915 Main St. 604-681-9334 2. Pizza Garden Various locations Various locations 3. Pizza Carano 2. Granville Island Public Market 4241 Fraser St. 1689 Johnston St., Granville Island 604-877-1270 604-666-5784 3. 7 Seas Fish Co., various locations

1. THE DAILY CATCH SEAFOOD COMPANY

SPECIALTY CHEESE STORE

Vancouver’s Only Downtown Casino 760 Pacific Blvd. South Vancouver, BC V6B 5E7

Across from BC Place P 604.687.3343

38 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

EDGEWATERCASINO.CA

1. LES AMIS DU FROMAGE

Various locations 2. Benton Brothers Fine Cheese Various locations 3. La Grotta Del Formaggio 1791 Commercial Dr. 604-255-3911

PIZZERIA

1. NICLI ANTICA PIZZERIA

62 East Cordova St. 604-669-6985 2. Pizzeria Farina 915 Main St. 604-681-9334 3. Via Tevere 1190 Victoria Dr., 604-336-1803

Indian restaurant

10 OFF!

$

ed.

When 2 meals are purchas

✃

Not valid for delivery or spe

cials.

er.

Dine in only, Lunch or Dinn Expires: March 23/17

• One coupon per 2 people p per p table • Max: 3 coupons

Ru nn er - up Be st Ind ian

8 POWELL ST., VANCOUVER (IN GASTOWN) 604.687.0049 / 604.484.2236 W W W. S I TA R R E S TA U R A N T. N E T

Open Daily 11am-11pm (Across from the Gassy Jack statue in Gastown)

3 4 t h A N N I V ER SA R Y

A big thank you to the readers of the Georgia Straight for voting Urban Fare the Best Specialty Grocery Store, Best Grocery Store Cafe and Runner-up for Best Picnic Supplier.

Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro, located on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish People, would like to express their gratitude to the readers of the Georgia Straight.

Hy ch’ qa! Thank you!

We are elated! #community #wildsalmon #wegotgame

Overwaitea Food Group LP, a Jim Pattison business. Proudly BC Owned and Operated.

7–1128 West Broadway, Vancouver 604 568–8971 salmon.n.bannock@gmail.com Reservations recommended

Thanks for voting us #1 Gelato in Vancouver!

ncouver a V u o y k n a Th voting for us for Kid friendly Bestwinning award restaurant KITS MAINST

1876 West 1st Ave 4186 Main Street

604.730.0321 604.566.9779

www.rockymountainflatbread.ca

78 East 1st Ave. (at 1st & Quebec) 604-879-9011 • AmatoGelato.com MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 39

GOLDEN PLATES 701 Queensbury Ave, North Vancouver 604•904•1116

Fresh, boiled & baked Montreal style

BAGELS

made daily in North Vancouver.

We also serve coffee & bagels with cream cheese to go!

FRESH IS BEST

Our family business has been serving the North Shore for over 17 years at our Queensbury location and supplying major retailers, coffee shops and cafés.

“Thank-you for voting us one of Vancouver’s Best Brewpubs.”

The Keefer Bar’s Amber Bruce says everything from a scent on a breeze to a poem can be the starting point for a complex new cocktail. Amanda Siebert photo.

Straight No Chaser: the Keefer’s Amber Bruce The mistress of mixology talks high-test, tequila, Miami bars, and all the inspiration under the sun > B Y M IKE USIN GER

Straight, No Chaser looks to Vancouver’s talented mixologists for stories from behind the stick. We find out how they create, what they love, where their favourite bar is, and what they grew up watching their parents drink.

WHO ARE YOU

A CELEBRATION OF CRAFT

Heya, I’m Amber Bruce, the bar manager at the Keefer Bar. You can find me behind the bar making drinks four nights a week and on the other side of the bar every other night.

MY PARENTS MIXED

Mom doesn’t drink much but has a penchant for proper Champagne, and dad always had a two-four of Extra Old Stock in the garage and the next batch of home made wine, or “plonk”, on the go.

come join us for: • beer inspired menu • brewery tours • tastings • beer shop

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

I look for inspiration in everything under the sun. Whether it be a poem, a moment in nature, a scent on a breeze, an old legend, or a great meal—there is an opportunity to find a f lavour palette you might have never considered before. Because of this, I don’t really have a formula for making drinks.

Some take longer than others and some get nailed right on the first shot. Some never get past the drawing board. There’s nothing like the feeling of getting the mix just right—it’s pretty magical.

BEST DRINK I EVER HAD

310 West 4th Avenue 40 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

Oh boy, so many great drinks.

I have to say at the top of the list has to be the Tsukemono made

by Tyson Buhler at Death & Co in Manhattan. I had just come off of the World Class National finals and had been out touring around drinking all the things and needed something low ABV (alcohol by

volume). He must have read my mind because this drink was light, refreshing, and zippy. It reminded me of a sunomono salad, something that I go gaga for. Whether he used telepathy or just nailed it by a f luke, it was an unforgettable experience.

WORLD’S BEST BAR

Currently my favourite bar has got to be the Broken Shaker in Miami.

They’re situated off the beaten path, about a 20-minute walk from South Beach, and they’re built into the Freehand Hostel. The little cocktail bar opens into an inner courtyard fit with a pool, bocce, games, outdoor furniture, and another little satellite bar that serves up only one or two cocktails per day. There is also a great restaurant with another cocktail bar just on the other side of the courtyard. Each of the bars specializes in fresh, tropicsinspired drinks, using odd ingredients like chiles, chorizo, and purple cauliflower. World-class cocktails, cheap accommodations, and a pool are a recipe for perfection.

SIGNATURE CREATION

I make up a lot of cocktails, but usually I’m working with a guest one-on-one to create something that suits their tastes. It can be quite personal and intimate, so it’s best to dive into their favourites, what sort of mood they’re in, and ask about any f lavours that they don’t particularly like. From there I will dive into classics, contemporary classics, and make minor twists along the way. I, personally, am quite partial to tequila, so I usually try to turn people on to agavebased cocktails. That and cocktails with more than one type of spirit as a base. Using multiple spirits as a base of a cocktail can create incredible complexity in a relatively simple cocktail recipe. see page 42

MARCH MADNESS

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NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT QUESTION, WHO’S HUNGRY?

Your votes kept Gastown on top as the best neighbourhood for restaurants.

RESTAURANTS 131 Water Kitchen & Bar: 131 Water Street Al Porto Restaurant: 321 Water Street Bao Down: 11 Powell Street Bauhaus Restaurant: 1 W. Cordova Street Brioche: 401 W. Cordova Street Chill Winston: 3 Alexander Street Crab Park Chowdery: 221 Abbott Street Gringo: 27 Blood Alley Guu Otokomae: 375 Water Street Haru Korean Kitchen: 324 Cambie St. Joe Pizza: 2 West Cordova St. Jules Bistro: 216 Abbott Street Kofta Meatball Kitchen: 320 Cambie St. Kozakura: 280 Carrall St. L’Abattoir: 217 Carrall Street La Casita: 101 W. Cordova Street La Mezcaleria: 68 E. Cordova St. MeeT: 12 Water Street MoMo Sushi: 375 Water Street Mosquito: 32 Water Street Nicli Antica Pizzeria: 62 E. Cordova Street Old Spaghetti Factory: 53 Water Street Peckinpah: 2 Water Street Pidgin: 350 Carrall Street Pourhouse: 162 Water Street Revel Room: 238 Abbott Street Rodney’s Oyster House: 52 Powell Street Salt Tasting Room: 45 Blood Alley Sitar: 8 Powell Street Six Acres: 203 Carrall Street Steamworks: 375 Water Street Tacofino: 15 W. Cordova Street The Alibi Room: 157 Alexander Street The Black Frog: 108 Cambie Street The Diamond: 6 Powell Street The Flying Pig: 102 Water Street The Greedy Pig: 307 W. Cordova Street The Irish Heather: 210 Carrall Street

The Sardine Can: 26 Powell Street TUC Craft Kitchen: 60 W. Cordova Street Water Street Café: 300 Water Street Vera’s Burger Shack: 213 Carrall Street COFFEE SHOPS / DELI’S Bambo: 301 W. Cordova Street Buro Coffee: 365 Water Street Coffeebar: 10 Water Street Cottage Deli: 131 Water Street David’s Tea: 164 Water Street East Van Roasters: 319 Carrall Street Hi-Five: 22 E. Cordova Street Meat & Bread: 370 Cambie Street Mensch Jewish Delicatessen: 212 Carrall Street Milano Espresso Lounge: 36 Powell Street Nelson the Seagull: 315 Carrall Street Revolver Coffee: 325 Cambie Street Silvestre Deli: 317 Water Street Smart Mouth Café: 131 Water Street Soft Peaks: 25 Alexander Street Starbucks Coffee: 199 Water Street Strike Mvmnt: 299 Cordova Street The Birds & The Beets: 55 Powell Street Timbertrain: 311 W. Cordova Street Trees Organic: 321 Water Street PUBS & BARS Alexander Gastown: 91 Powell Street Clough Club: 212 Abbott Street Guilt & Company: 1 Alexander Street Lamplighter: 92 Water Street M.I.A.: 350 Water Street Portside Pub: 7 Alexanders Street The Blarney Stone: 216 Carrall Street The Bourbon: 50 W. Cordova Street The Cambie: 300 Cambie Street The Charles Bar: 136 W. Cordova Street The Metropole Pub: 320 Abbott Street

The Poke Shop: 306 Water Street

@MYGASTOWN

MYGASTOWN

@GASTOWN

Get the inside scoop on food, fashion & fun at www.gastown.org.

The warmth of the island.

Thank you for voting us

#1 BEST

PATIO

in VANCOUVER

in the Granville Island Hotel

The heart of the city.

Book a table at docksidevancouver.com

1253 Johnston Street, Vancouver | 604.685.7070 MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 41

one it’d be the CPBA president Trevor from page 40 Kallies. He’s just got it all together, the full arsenal. Every time I chat with him I’D LOVE A COCKTAIL WITH I walk away incredibly inspired and Oh man, I would be happy to grab a asking myself how can I do more. drink with any one of our Canadian Professional Bartenders Association After taking home the Canadian title in (CPBA) members and shoot the breeze Giffard’s Iron Mixologist 2017 competion anything. These are incredibly pas- tion on March 6, Amber Bruce will repsionate people who share my interest in resent Canada this June in the Giffard growing our little community, so we’d West Cup in France. The Keefer Bar is have plenty to rap about. If I had to pick located at 135 Keefer Street.

Amber Bruce

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

PREGAME RESTAURANT 1. LIBRARY SQUARE PUBLIC HOUSE

300 West Georgia St. 604-633-9644 2. Shark Club, Various locations 3. The Pint Public House 455 Abbott St., 604-684-0258

RESTAURANT FOR WATCHING THE GAME 1. BOSTON PIZZA

Various locations 2. Shark Club Various locations 3. Red Card Sports Bar + Eatery 560 Smithe St.,604-689-4460

BARBECUE

your pre / post GAME DESTINATION

Various locations 2. Dixie’s 337 East Hastings St. 778-379-4770 3. Peckinpah 2 Water St., 604-681-5411

WINGS 1. LIBRARY SQUARE PUBLIC HOUSE

300 West Georgia St. 604-633-9644 2. Wings Tap & Grill Various locations 3. The Pint Public House 455 Abbott St. 604-684-0258

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS MONDAY - FRIDAY

$4 DRINKS

1. MEMPHIS BLUES BARBEQUE HOUSE

3-6PM & 10PM-CLOSE

HIGHBALLS & STADIUM LAGER SLEEVES

RESTAURANT FOR COCKTAILS

$6 FOOD

1. POURHOUSE

10PM-CLOSE

DRY RIBS, BANDERA BREAD & CACTUS CUTS 808 Beatty Street

162 Water St. 604-568-7022 2. The Keefer Bar 135 Keefer St. 604-688-1961 3. The Blackbird Public House 905 Dunsmuir St. 604-899-4456

LOCAL DISTILLERY

PROVINCIAL GENERAL ELECTION

APRIL 27

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Will the public’s desire for change unseat the B.C. Liberals?

Or will Premier Christy Clark’s handling of the economy and other issues give her party its fifth straight majority?

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1. ODD SOCIETY SPIRITS

1725 Powell St., 604-559-6745 2. Long Table Distillery 1451 Hornby St., 604-266-0177 3. Sons of Vancouver Distillery 1431 Crown St., North Vancouver 778-340-5388

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RESTAURANT FOR DRINK SPECIALS 1. COLONY MAIN STREET

2904 Main St. 604-565-6246 2. The Metropole Community Pub 320 Abbott St. 604-408-5822 3. Granville Room 957 Granville St. 604-633-0056

RESTAURANT FOR A STIFF DRINK 1. SHEBEEN WHISK(E)Y HOUSE

210 Carrall St. 604-688-9779 2. Pourhouse 162 Water St. 604-568-7022 3. The Shameful Tiki Room 4362 Main St. 604-999-5684

PUB 1. DOOLIN’S IRISH PUB

654 Nelson St. 604-605-4343 2. Storm Crow Tavern 1305 Commercial Dr. 604-566-9669 3. Dublin Crossing Irish Pub 466 Southwest Marine Dr. 604-428-8577

PUB FOOD 1. THE IRISH HEATHER GASTROPUB

210 Carrall St. 604-688-9779 2. The Charles Bar 136 West Cordova St. 604-568-8040 3. The Cascade Room 2616 Main St. 604-709-8650

BREWPUB RESTAURANT 1. GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWING

1441 Cartwright St., Granville Island 604-687-2739 2. Big Rock Urban Brewery 310 West 4th Ave. 604-708-8311 3. Steamworks 375 Water St. 604-689-2739

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GOLDEN PLATES

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

HOTEL LOUNGE 1. LOBBY LOUNGE TERRACE + RAWBAR AT THE FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM

1038 Canada Place 604-695-5502 2. Opus Bar 322 Davie St. 604-694-2107 3. 1927 Lobby Lounge at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia 801 West Georgia St. 604-682-5566

INDEPENDENT BAR LOUNGE 1. THE KEEFER BAR

An enjoyable accompaniment to Pizzeria Bufala’s Napolitana-style green peas and ham pizza is a glass of Cirelli Montepulciano 2015. James Iranzad photo.

Cheers to Vancouver’s best wine pairings

A

llow me to run my own at Railtown’s cozy Ask for Luigi (305 little awards corner in this Alexander Street). I’m no expert on the Golden Plates edition of the subject, but wherever I am, if there’s Straight. a carbonara on the We’ll call it the menu, I’m going Golden Glasses, to order it, and and it’ll be a Poirier’s is my Kurtis Kolt ridiculously arbifavourite one yet, trary, subjective quartet of the city’s a pitch-perfect rendition made with best wine pairings, at least according house-made pasta, perfectly balanced to this writer. with pancetta, a soft-poached egg, Here goes: plenty of pepper, and then a flurry of Parmesan cheese atop all of that goodBEST BRUNCH AND TUMBLE ness. Perfectly suited to the pasta (and Though some may consider it some- brunch) is Leone de Castris 2015 “Five thing for a little later in the day, I have Roses” Negroamaro out of Salento, no issues tucking into a steaming Italy ($12.50 per glass). It’s a fresh and dish of pasta when brunching. I’m crisp rosé with an assortment of red particularly prone to do so when it’s and dark berries; house style has it bechef Jean-Christophe Poirier’s taglio- ing served in a tumbler, which suits its lini alla carbonara and poached egg see page 46

The Bottle

44 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

135 Keefer St. 604-688-1961 2. Pourhouse 162 Water St. 604-568-7022 3. Shameful Tiki Room 4362 Main St. 604-999-5684

RESTAURANT WINE LIST (B.C.) 1. BLUE WATER CAFE

1095 Hamilton St. 604-688-8078 2. Burdock & Co. 2702 Main St. 604-879-0077 3. Nomad 3950 Main St. 604-708-8525

WINE FESTIVAL/EVENT 1. VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL

2. Cornucopia 3. Okanagan Wine Festivals

RESTAURANT WINE LIST (IMPORTED)

B.C. WINE/WINERY (RED)

1. CINCIN RISTORANTE + BAR

1. BURROWING OWL ESTATE WINERY

1154 Robson St. 604-688-7338 2. Hawksworth Restaurant 801 West Georgia St. 604-673-7000 3. L’Abattoir 217 Carrall St. 604-568-1701

500 Burrowing Owl Pl., Oliver 877-498-0620 2. Blasted Church 378 Parsons Rd, Okanagan Falls 250-497-1125 3. Black Hills Estate Winery 4190 Black Sage Rd, Oliver 250-498-0666

WINE BAR 1. UVA WINE & COCKTAIL BAR

900 Seymour St. 604-632-9560 2. Salt Tasting Room 45 Blood Alley Square 604-633-1912 3. Vancouver Urban Winery 55 Dunlevy Ave. 604-566-9463

WINERY/ VINEYARD RESTAURANT 1. MIRADORO RESTAURANT, TINHORN CREEK WINERY

537 Tinhorn Creek Rd, Oliver 250-498-3742 2. Old Vines Restaurant, Quails’ Gate Winery 3303 Boucherie Rd, West Kelowna 250-769-4451 3. The Sonora Room Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 500 Burrowing Owl Pl., Oliver 877-498-0620

B.C. WINE/WINERY (WHITE) 1. JOIEFARM WINERY

2825 Naramata Rd, Naramata 250-496-0073 2. Poplar Grove Winery 425 Middle Bench Rd, North Penticton, 250-493-9463 3. Blasted Church 378 Parsons Rd, Okanagan Falls 250-497-1125

B.C WINERY/VINEYARD TASTING ROOM 1. POPLAR GROVE

425 Middle Bench Rd, North Penticton, 250-493-9463 2. Burrowing Owl 500 Burrowing Owl Pl., Oliver 250-498-0620 3. La Frenz Winery 1525 Randolph Rd, Penticton 250-492-6690

PRIVATE WINE STORE 1. LIBERTY WINE MERCHANTS

Various locations 2. Legacy Liquor Store 1633 Manitoba St. 604-331-7900 3. Marquis Wine Cellar 1034 Davie St., 604-684-0445

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MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 45

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Best wine pairings

from page 44

crushability very well. It’ll lap up all that salty goodness in the pasta, leaving you bright and ready for each forkful that follows.

BEST THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

Over in Kerrisdale, James Iranzad and Josh Pape’s (Wildebeest, Lucky Taco) Pizzeria Bufala (5395 West Boulevard) has been packing ’em in since opening in the summer of 2014. Although can’t-miss starters like burrata with pear, honey, and basil are a must for setting the scene, it’s the Napolitana-style pizzas out of their stone oven that regularly cause lineups. While it’s tempting to order one and keep it to yourself, do round up a crew of pals so a variety can be shared. The green peas and ham version, with smoked ham, English peas, Taleggio, and truffle oil, is a personal favourite, but I’ve also never met a finocchiona (fennel sausage) pizza I didn’t like. A fun exclusive that Iranzad has lined up with local importer Sedimentary Wines is a three-litre bag-inbox of Cirelli Montepulciano 2015 from Abruzzo, Italy ($9 per glass).

This organic wonder bursts with fresh berries and herbs, and the packaging ensures that each glass poured is as fresh as can be.

BEST CONTROLLED CHAOS

Thank you readers for voting JoieFarm

BEST BC WHITE WINE We look for ward to welcoming you to the new farmhouse opening May 2017

Chef Trevor Bird’s Fable Kitchen (1944 West 4th Avenue) has been walking the walk of farm-to-table cuisine since opening its doors in Kitsilano almost five years ago.

A constant hit on the menu—in fact, it’s practically criminal to have a Fable experience without it—is what Bird has dubbed “the Best ‘Canned Tuna’ ”. This starter involves a sealed Mason jar packed with albacore tuna, lemon marmalade, fingerling potatoes, tomato confit, tarragon, and olive oil; it’s quite the flavour bomb. Mashed all together and then dolloped upon a side of crostini, it’s quite addictive and its

popularity is quickly obvious. Do up the ante with SOAHC Estate Wines Chardonnay 2015 ($12 per glass), a biodynamic gem hailing from Fruitvale in British Columbia’s West Kootenay region. Along with French biodynamic farming consultant Philippe Armenier and Alain Sutre, a winemaking consultant out of Bordeaux, ownerwinemaker Jamie Fochuk has quietly been making some of the most fascinating wines in B.C. of late. This Chardonnay has waves of apples and citrus fruit crashing down on a nutty, mineral undercurrent; plenty of stuff going on to complement all of those flavours sailing across your palate. Oh, and the name SOAHC? It’s chaos spelled backwards, a nod to the marvels of biodynamic farming.

BEST CULTURE CLASH

How does an Indian-style, vegetarian pizza served with B.C. wine in Chinatown sound? Since opening this past autumn, Main Street’s plant-based pizza joint, Virtuous Pie (583 Main Street), has become a constant in my life. Hey, I’m an omnivore, but I’m outright smitten with their offerings, from $4 mouthwatering side salads—roast butternut squash, roast parsnip, kale, shaved Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, and roasted pumpkin seeds, with miso-tahini-orange vinaigrette, is just one example—to the creative array of pizzas that are in your hands within six minutes of ordering. My favourite of the moment is the India-inspired Curry Mile, with butter chickpea curry, mint raita, roasted cashews, mango chutney, and pea shoots. Bring a little West Coast f lavour to the mix by accompanying it with Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire 2015 Pinot Gris ($8 per glass—or just $6 per glass during weekday happy hours, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.), a fantastic British Columbian wine served fresh on tap. All of its lime, grapefruit, and herbal notes provide a fantastic lift to each bite. -

Th ank you Vancouver

1

#

BEST SPANISH FOOD

1118 Denman St. Vancouver | 604.558.4040 | espanarestaurant.ca 46 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

GOLDEN PLATES

Brewing up fresh spins on old faves > BY A M A NDA SIEBE R T

B

rewmasters at Vancouver’s newest breweries are making their mark on the city’s craftbeer scene with delightfully different takes on traditional styles.

The Straight reached out to them to find out what Vancouverites have developed a taste for and to learn what each brewer plans on bringing to the table as we look forward to peak beer-drinking season.

The eldest of the newbies, Strathcona Beer Company (895 East Hastings Street), opened in July, and Brewmaster Michael “Fezz” Nazarec says it’s been interesting to see how local imbibers react to different offerings.

“Of our three flagship beers, the British IPA is at the top at this point in time, but our premium pilsner and Belgian Gold are very close behind,” Nazarec says. “Local IPAs are usually very forward, sharp, and hop-heavy, but the British IPA we’ve made is a lot more balanced, and for people that don’t always like that sharpness, they really seem to like it.”

Looking ahead, Nazarec notes that while kettle sours seemed to take over in the summer of 2016, he expects local brewers to start experimenting with how sour beers are fermented: think wine barrels and foudres, large oak vats that originated in France’s Rhone Valley.

“I think we’ll also see more beers using brettanomyces and hybrid yeasts, trying different things with yeasts for a certain flavour,” he adds.

His latest style, a rye ESB, is currently fermenting and should be offered in cans this spring.

Over at Faculty Brewing Co. (1830 Ontario Street), co-owner and brewmaster Mauricio Lozano says he’s “hit a home run” with a unique style that customers can’t get enough of.

“Our Mineweizen is booming like crazy,” Lozano says. He adds that

Faculty Brewing Co. brewmaster Mauricio Lozano likes experimenting with yeast, and he had a hit with his peppermint-tea-infused hefeweizen. Alison Page photo.

the popular peppermint-tea-infused hefeweizen is being featured on tap at more establishments every week, including a guest spot at Postmark Brewing.

For Lozano, who worked as a food engineer before opening Faculty, the idea of playing with different yeast strains is appealing—especially strains that he might not have on hand.

Thankfully, local brewmasters like to share, and Lozano hopes to brew a Belgian Trappist or tripel style in the coming months.

As brewers like Nazarec create new renditions of the IPA, Lozano sees breweries moving away from the bitter iterations that once characterized the West Coast toward something more palatable.

“We’re going past the really strong taste for more round, full flavours,” he says. “We’ve had the hoppiest and the darkest, but now we’re going for what’s most balanced.”

For Ryan Parfitt, part owner and head brewer at Luppolo Brewing Co. (1123 Venables Street), which opened at the end of October, all things IPA round out the brewery’s list of most popular picks. Given that its name comes from the Italian word for hops, it makes sense.

“Our IPAs, including our regular and double IPA, are definitely our top sellers, next to our pale ale,” says Parfitt.

He says the hops used in both IPAs lend themselves to tropical and citrus notes, and like Nazarec and Lozano

before him, Parfitt acknowledges that the style isn’t what it used to be.

“What’s interesting to me is how much the IPA has changed over the years. The popular ones over the last decade have been more bitter and more hoppy, where now, there’s a focus on low bitterness and hops that are more juicy,” he explains.

Without a doubt, Parfitt says this new “milkshake” IPA (also referred to as the East Coast or “muddy” IPA) will be the beer of 2017.

Inside Vancouver’s newest taproom, Andina Brewing Company (1507 Powell Street), head brewer Andrew Powers works with owners to develop uniquely South American takes on different styles.

Powers explains that, as at Strathcona and Faculty, one of Andina’s most popular brews is also its most distinct.

“Our Passion Fruit Black IPA is a favourite, and I think people seem to like it because it’s very different from any other beer using passion fruit. It’s a really sessionable beer,” he says. “We are bringing the passion fruit in from Colombia, and I found that it was a bit resinous, with some slight pine characteristics, so I thought it might pair nicely with something hoppier.”

On the way, Powers says he’s working on final batches of an orangeinfused seasonal that may end up as a Gose. He’s also looking at bringing on an imperial red, “for contrast, and to offer something on the other end of the spectrum”.

He thinks 2017 will likely see a continuation of the sour trend, but he’s also noticed that customers are taking a liking to anything crushable.

“People seem to be looking for more session ales, and they’re really excited when they find stuff that they can have multiple of,” he says. “I’m not sure if it’s a trend or part of the market, but it’s obvious that people want something they’ve never tried before.” -

HEY YOU. CRAFT BEER LOVER. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING

BRASSNECK. WE LOVES YA RIGHT BACK. (ALMOST AS MUCH AS WE LOVE BEER!)

BRASSNECK.CA

UPCOMING ISSUES MARCH 16

Style Green Vancouver MARCH 23

Spring Travel

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 47

READERS’ CHOICES OF BEST...

EATERY WITH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

NEW BREWERY

1. EAST IS EAST (TIE)

1830 Ontario St. 778-819-6794 2. Luppolo Brewing Co. 1123 Venables St. 604-255-4997 3. The Parkside Brewery (tie) 2731 Murray St., Port Moody 604-492-2731 3. Strathcona Beer Company (tie) 895 East Hastings St. 778-379-9050

1. FACULTY BREWING CO.

Various locations

1. FRANKIE’S ITALIAN KITCHEN & BAR (TIE)

765 Beatty St. 604-688-6368 2. Blue Martini Jazz Cafe 1516 Yew St. 604-428-2691 3. Guilt & Co. 1 Alexander St. 604-288-1704

BREWERY TASTING ROOM

RESTAURANT B.C. BEER SELECTION

S

t ill

1. BRASSNECK BREWERY

2148 Main St. 604-259-7686 2. Strange Fellows Brewing 1345 Clark Dr., 604-215-0092 3. Granville Island Brewing 1441 Cartwright St. Granville Island, 604-687-2739

1. CRAFT BEER MARKET

85 West 1st Ave. 604-709-2337 2. Alibi Room 157 Alexander St. 604-623-3383 3. Tap & Barrel Restaurant Various locations

RESTAURANT IMPORTED BEER SELECTION 1. BIERCRAFT RESTAURANTS

Various locations 2. St. Augustine’s 2360 Commercial Dr. 604-569-1911 3. Chambar Restaurant 568 Beatty St. 604-879-7119

NORTH VANCOUVER 3 LONSDALE AVE 604.904.0933

MT. PLEASANT 3096 MAIN ST 604.873.1441

burgoo.ca

KITSILANO 2272 WEST 4TH 604.734.3478

DOWNTOWN 1100 BURRARD ST OPENING SOON

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1. GRANVILLE ISLAND BREW ING LIONS WINTER ALE

1441 Cartwright St. Granville Island 604-687-2739 2. Parallel 49 Brewing Gypsy Tears 1950 Triumph St. 604-558-2739 3. 33 Acres Brewing Company 33 Acres of Sunshine 15 West 8th Ave. 604-620-4589

PRIVATE LIQUOR STORE POINT GREY 4434 WEST 10TH 604.221.7839

LOCALLY BREWED BEER

1. LEGACY LIQUOR STORE

B.C. BEER BREWED OUTSIDE VANCOUVER

1633 Manitoba St. 604-331-7900 2. Brewery Creek 3045 Main St. 604-872-3373 3. Liberty Wine Merchants Various locations

1. DRIFTWOOD FAT TUG IPA

2. Four Winds Brewing Company IPA 3. Hoyne Brewing Dark Matter

PRIVATE BEER STORE

CANADIAN BEER BREWED OUTSIDE B.C.

1. BREWERY CREEK

1. STEAM WHISTLE BREWING

3045 Main St. 604-872-3373 2. My Liquor Store, various locations 3. Coal Harbour Liquor Store 1218 West Pender St. 604-685-1212

2. Mill Street Brewery 3. Dieu du Ciel!

LOCAL BREWERY

2. Corona 3. Stella Artois

1. RED TRUCK BEER COMPANY

295 East 1st Ave., 604-682-4733 2. Brassneck Brewery 2148 Main St., 604-259-7686 3. Four Winds Brewing Company 4–7355 72nd St., Delta 604-940-9949

IMPORTED BEER 1. GUINNESS

BEER FESTIVAL/EVENT 1. VANCOUVER CRAFT BEER WEEK

2. Whistler Village Beer Festival 3. Brewery and Beast

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ARTS

There’s a book

B Y ALEX ANDER VAR T Y

in the Vancouver home that Julia Úlehla shares with her husband, Aram Bajakian, and their two small children. It’s a big book, revered in Úlehla’s ancestral country, the Czech Republic, and a talismanic one: it contains much of the singer’s past, and in a way it also holds her future.

It’s probably not the book you’re thinking of.

The Úlehla family Bible is actually Živá Píseň (Living Song), written in the 1940s by Julia’s great-grandfather Vladimir Úlehla, a biologist who somehow maintained a parallel career in ethnomusicology. Active in rural Moravia during the first half of the 20th century, he was the Czech equivalent of Béla Bartók, although unlike his Hungarian contemporary he didn’t transform the folk melodies he collected and transcribed into scintillating avant-garde compositions. That work, it seems, has been left to his great-granddaughter and her partner, who are just on the cusp of releasing The Book of Transfigurations, the second effort from their band, Dálava.

It’s astonishing music—and the story behind its creation is emblematic of how Old World traditions can be born again, thousands of miles and several generations away from their roots.

As a child, Úlehla didn’t quite comprehend her extraordinary heritage. At home, in New York, she led a fairly typical American life, but on family visits to the old country she was struck by the stern portraits of Vladimir that hung in her grandparents’ home, and by the reverence they provoked. Like Einstein, Freud, or Beethoven, her ancestor was known by a single name: Úlehla.

In the States, things were different. “What my dad says to me is that he always thought it was a little bit overdoing it, the way that they talked about Vladimir,” Úlehla explains today. “And also he didn’t care about the folk music; he wasn’t interested in it, and his brother, who was a rock musician, really wasn’t either. And then the kids—me and

Finding new life in Old World folk

Dálava is the sound of Julia Úlehla delving into centuries-old Moravian music, but with her voice set in many unconventional ways. Farhad Ghaderi photo.

But this never overwhelms the music’s essentially Moravian At Music on Main and the Western Front, Vancouver’s Julia Úlehla character. That’s proof, perhaps, that Vladimir excavates her extraordinary heritage to make artful new sounds Úlehla was right when, my sister, and the kids of my uncle—no one cared in Živá Píseň, he advanced the then-radical notion about it until I started working on this project. that folk music grows organically out of the contours “Since then, my father is having this new ro- of its birthplace. mance with traditional music,” she adds. “It’s “He thought that somehow features of the landreally cute, actually, to see him waking up to it. scape were responsible for forging the melodies,” His tastes, of course, are much more conserva- Úlehla explains. “For example, in South Moravia tive: he loves it in its traditional form, even if he there are these big alluvial fields, and a lot of the also, I think, is embracing what we’re doing.” songs have this sort of carry. People sing in these big, On its simplest level, Dálava is the sound of sweet, robust voices, and they sing outside a lot. Like, Úlehla delving into centuries-old folk melodies, many of the folk festivals are outside, and people and the lyrics—often dealing with love, death, sing outside at wineries; the way that the songs are and the aftereffects of war—that went with them. sung is somehow part of these big, expansive places.”

She plays the music relatively straight, sticking The older Úlehla also viewed folksong as a livclose to the old tunes, but Bajakian sets her voice ing entity, and part of the Dálava project is ensurin many unconventional ways. A guitarist who ing that the organism survives, even though it now has worked with John Zorn, Diana Krall, and the finds itself half a world away from its rural origins. late Lou Reed, he obviously has a deep affinity for “He [Vladimir] spoke about people and generahis wife’s heritage, but cradles her Moravian tunes tions being responsible for moving culture through in layers of psychedelically fuzzed-out guitars and time, and that there were different things that clattering percussion, sensitive fingerpicking, or threatened its survival,” Úlehla says. “There’s a enigmatic avant-jazz arrangements. A who’s who whole part at the end of his book where he mediof local improvisers—cellist Peggy Lee, keyboard- tates on ‘Well, should it be protected, like an enist Tyson Naylor, bassist Colin Cowan, and drum- dangered species?’ He collected through the first mer Dylan van der Schyff—contribute some of four decades of the 20th century, so there were a their most emotionally gripping work, too. lot of changes: many people were leaving, there was

THINGS TO DO

Julia Úlehla and Aram Bajakian present Sonic Ecosystems at the Western Front on Thursday (March 9). Music on Main hosts a CD-release concert for Dálava’s The Book of Transfigurations at the Fox Cabaret on Tuesday (March 14).

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice LIGHT THE FUSE It may be subtitled “A celebration of refusal and denial”, but the next edition of FUSE is definitely an invitation worth accepting. At the city’s biggest art party, we plan on heading to the Vancouver Art Gallery’s rooftop patio, where Vancouver artist Julian Hou is staging a live audio environment with the ambient duo You’re Me amid costumed models. You can also escape into the serenity of Elaine, a room full of sculptural, drawn, and printed works by Derya Akay and Anne Low, all based on “radical hospitality”. And don’t miss screenings of An Emo Nose, an animated film by Hong Kong’s Wong Ping that takes a surreal look at alienation. There’s dance and other performances; add cocktails and art and you have an offer you can’t refuse. FUSE: Refuse is at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Friday night (March 10).

rapid industrialization, and there was brass music coming in from Germany that he thought was threatening the string music from Slovácko. But his ultimate conclusion was ‘No, it shouldn’t be protected, but things should be done to help it survive.’

“I feel like, in some way, this whole Dálava project is a continuation of that idea and that research,” she adds. “Like, can a song be alive, when you think about it moving through migration, moving through the Communist regime, moving through western industrial culture… Or just think of electric guitar with these songs! That’s the big experiment of what we’re trying to do.”

It’s not the only experiment that Úlehla and Bajakian have embarked on. He’s studying composition, working with the Armenian scales and modes that he’s inherited from his own family; she continues to explore theatrical concepts gleaned from her studies with famed Polish director Jerzy Grotowski. And together, the two have been looking into the aesthetic links between Moravian, Haitian, and American song, as part of an electronically assisted presentation called Sonic Ecosystems. But that’s just scratching the surface—there’s much more to come. -

Five events you just can’t miss this week

1

FLORIAN BOESCH AND MIAH PERSSON (March 16 at the Vancouver Playhouse) A wowworthy Austrian baritone and Swedish soprano.

2

ANTIGONA (March 12 at the Chan Centre) Noche Flamenco fiercely fuses the Spanish form with Greek tragedy.

3

DAIRAKUDAKAN (March 10 and 11 at the Vancouver Playhouse) Butoh surreal enough to give you nightmares for weeks.

4

BAD PEOPLE (To March 18 at Hot Art Wet City) The faces of the dark and the damned, in the gallery’s final show.

5

AMAZONIA (March 9 to January 28, 2018, at the Museum of Anthropology) We could use a little dose of the tropics right about now.

In the news ARTSPEAK To mark Canada’s 150th anniversary, the Vancouver Art Gallery is launching two yearlong speakers’ series. The Marking Place events will look at visual art, design, and art institutions as they relate to indigeneity, colonialism, immigration, and national identity. Speakers include Wanda Nanibush, Anishinaabe-kwe [Ojibwe woman] and assistant curator of indigenous and Canadian art at the Art Gallery of Ontario; artist Jin-me Yoon (shown here); cultural historian and curator Michael Prokopow; and curator Michelle Jacques. The Work in Progress curators’ talks will look at the VAG’s history. Five of the gallery’s curators—Ian Thom, Daina Augaitis, Diana Freundl, Grant Arnold, and Bruce Grenville—will each discuss an exhibition they have organized and compare it to ones in the past. Check out www. vanartgallery.bc.ca/ for a schedule. MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 49

ARTS

MARCH 1 – 2 5

2017VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCEFESTIVAL

INFO & BOX OFFICE: 604.662.4966 · VIDF.CA

Soprano Mihoko Kinoshita gives voice to the great works of Bizet and Puccini at the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra’s next concert. Amanda Siebert photo.

Orchestra takes a grandly operatic turn > B Y A LE XAN DER VAR TY

A

OKUNI – Mother of Kabuki

Crumbling

Kai Kairos

YAYOI THEATRE MOVEMENT

MATTHEW ROMANTINI

MOLLY MCDERMOTT

March 1-4 & 7-10, 8pm Matinees on March 4 & 5, 3PM

March 9-11, 5PM KW Production Studio

March 9-11, 7PM FREE at Roundhouse Exhibition Hall

$25-$30 at Studio 1398

$10-$15

with $3 Membership

lifeDUETS

Paradise

Dancers Playing Basketball

KAEJA D’DANCE

DAIRAKUDAKAN

March 9-11, 8PM

March 10-11, 8PM

DEANNA PETERS / MUTABLE SUBJECT & KTL COMPANY

$25-$30 Roundhouse Performance Centre

$50-$60 Vancouver Playhouse

March 12 &19, 2pm & 3pm FREE Woodwards Atrium

Alonzo King LINES Ballet photo of Michael Montgomery by RJ Muna

50 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

s far as audience-friendly programming goes, it’s hard to fault what the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra has on offer for its annual Morihiro Okabe Kinen spring concert. Not only is the ensemble presenting Johannes Brahms’s magisterial Symphony No. 3 in F Major, it has arranged for the return of soprano Mihoko Kinoshita, last seen here in Vancouver Opera’s 2016 production of Madama Butterfly.

Back then, you may recall, our own Janet Smith praised the singer’s “particularly lustrous” voice, and the audience followed suit, giving Kinoshita a tumultuous ovation on opening night. This time out, she won’t reprise the role that has brought her worldwide fame, but she will get to shine on an assortment of arias that are every bit as renowned as Giacomo Puccini’s “Un bel dí vedremo”, including “Mi tradi quell’alma ingrata” from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni; “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” from Georges Bizet’s Carmen; and “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” from Puccini’s La Bohème.

As delightful as this combination of a symphonic classic and a rising-star soprano should be, however, conductor Ken Hsieh says that his primary focus is on providing an extraordinary experience for his players, most of whom are just setting out on their professional paths.

“The Brahms symphony is a very tough piece, first of all,” the VMO’s music director explains, on the line from his Vancouver home. But beyond that, he adds, excerpts from the score are often used to test aspiring symphonic musicians. “Sitting on so many audition panels,

I’ve seen that this is the standard repertoire for violinists, and for a lot of cellists and French-horn players,” he says. “They have to play this in an audition, and so the piece is really for our musicians to get a taste of what Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 is in an orchestral setting, rather than just playing their parts by themselves. To really know what’s going on will prepare them better for auditions for the professional orchestras, I think.”

Backing a singer of Kinoshita’s stature will also be a new experience for the Metropolitan players.

“Working with a singer requires the orchestra to be even more attentive,” Hsieh notes. “With a pianist or a violinist, you can see the motion of their playing, like with the bow arm or how they approach the keyboard. You can always anticipate something like that, whereas with a singer, when she wants to hold a high note, for example, you don’t know how long she’s going to hold it for. So you have to kind of get a feeling inside for where is she going to land that last note. Maybe her condition might be so good that she can hold that note for, like, 30 seconds, whereas if a singer isn’t really in top form, they might only be able to hold it for five seconds. So it’s much more difficult for an orchestra to accompany a singer—and it’s all about being very attentive.”

The trick, of course, is to make the difficult seem effortless—and with Kinoshita at centre stage both audience and orchestra will know exactly where their attention must lie. Mihoko Kinoshita joins the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra at Shaughnessy Heights United Church on Friday (March 10).

ARTS

Talea Ensemble sheds light on the little known > BY A LEX A NDER VA R TY

F

austo Romitelli. Pierluigi Billone. Olga Neuwirth. If you recognize those names, chances are that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pursuing an advanced degree in musical composition. As far as household recognition goes, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lagging far behind even the likes of Evan Ziporyn, Helmut Lachenmann, or Caroline Shaw. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly why their music is being performed, here and across North America, by New York Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Talea Ensemble: theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not known, but they should be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The mission of the ensemble is to present, basically, pieces and composers that deserve to be heardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in our opinion, of course,â&#x20AC;? explains Talea percussionist and executive director Alex Lipowski.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The aesthetic of the group stems from composers and music that we felt werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t being presented in the United States. That certainly could be American music, but our initial artistic interest or taste was for the European avant-garde.â&#x20AC;?

Lipowski has a particular fondness for Billoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work: Talea brought the Italian composer to New York for the 2014 edition of its American Immersion concert series. Vancouver New Music artistic director Giorgio Magnanensi shares that respect, which provided the spark for Taleaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local debut this weekend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Billoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music is so important to us because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a composer who is looking to reinvent things,â&#x20AC;? the New York Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Talea Ensemble has percussionist notes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He experia taste for the European avant garde. ments with the instruments firsthand. He owns f lutes and a cello to write special things for a gong, and a double bass, and if he wants he gets a gong and figures it out.

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than that with him.

Actually, the real beauty of playing his music was working with him really closely. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear it explicitly in his music, but especially with Ebe und Anders, the piece youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to hear, he talks about Miles Davis, and these blue, jazzy kind of solosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but the soloist speaks through his f lĂźgelhorn. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wild stuff.â&#x20AC;?

The members of Talea will also have the chance to work closely with the fourth composer on their program, Stefan Maier. The young Canadian has written territories III especially for the ensembleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vancouver appearance, and will contribute live electronics to the mix. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We worked with him at a composition seminar at Harvard,â&#x20AC;? Lipowski says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we already knew his music and had played one of his

pieces when Giorgio suggested him as someone who would fit well, coming from the starting point of Billoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music and this idea of timbral, colourful sound worlds. We agreed, and he was able to write a new piece, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interested in noise music, and his score is rather loose,â&#x20AC;? Lipowski continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s composed, but he wants people to explore and dig deep into the sounds. In that sense, he is asking us, more or less, to improvise. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s these long periods of what would seem like, on the page, a thundersheet being scratched by a fork, but he really wants us to find the insides of these textures that he has in mind.â&#x20AC;? T h e Ta l e a E n s e m b l e p l a y s t h e Orpheum Annex on Saturday (March 11).

UPCOMING CONCERTS ALESSIO BAX WITH THE VSO SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 8PM Orpheum MONDAY, MARCH 13, 8PM Bell Performing Arts Centre, Surrey MORAWETZ Railway Station BERNSTEIN 3UHOXGH )XJXH DQG 5LÎ?Vr MACDOWELL Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor* COPLAND Symphony No. 3 %UDPZHOO 7RYH\ conductor -HDQHWWH -RQTXLO clarinet°

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604.876.3434 MARCH 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 51

Final in collaboration with Journeys Around the Circle

ARTS

Week e

nd!

“Theatre for Living creates theatre that reaches out and connects… fascinating and profoundly theatrical.”

–David C. Jones

Firehall Arts Centre 280 E. Cordova St. Vancouver

March 3 to 11, 2017 | Tue-Sun @ 7:30pm 2 x 1 preview March 2

Operating Funders:

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Vancouver cellist Marina Hasselberg admits she was scared when she saw at least one of the 11 new works she’ll tackle at Sonic Boom. Morgan Burke photo.

Media Sponsors:

Cellist leads the way in Boom’s sonic explosion > B Y A LE XAN DER VAR TY

V

of its 11 works world premieres, but they come from sources as musically diverse as veteran composer John Oliver, Vancouver Island Symphony conductor Pierre Simard, and avantfolk musician Martin Reisle, late of cult band Maria in the Shower.

“He wrote this piece that looks really scary, because it’s full of 32nd notes, and it has two lines, even though it’s for cello, which usually only has one line,” Hasselberg says of Reisle’s At a Distance. “I have to play pizzicato with the left hand continuously, while playing with the bow and using the left hand also to change the notes that I’m playing with the bow. And it’s super long!

My only reason to be calm about it is that he’s a cellist, so I know it’s playable—except that I saw him at a party, and I said, ‘So, don’t you feel tired when you get to the end of the piece?’

And he said that he actually couldn’t play it. So I hope that it will be fine!”

Hasselberg also praises Sonic Boom’s openness, calling the festival, now in its 30th year, “a fantastic opportunity for both composers and performers to collaborate and get to know each other and experiment.…I think it enriches the new-music community a lot, and that’s beautiful.”

Just how does it enrich the scene?

Well, in Hasselberg’s case, this year it’s given her a whole new repertoire, with a particular focus on her emerging passion for adding electronics to her cello.

“I have these 11 pieces that I’ll be able to play forever—and they’re tailored to me, because I told them what I wanted and what I can do,” she happily says.

“So, for me, it’s like Christmas.” -

ancouver Pro Musica’s annual Sonic Boom Festival is unlikely to feature Scandinavian death metal, Bulgarian women’s choirs, or South African gumboot rhythms—although, a week before the event begins, it’s impossible to rule them out. Designed to promote B.C.’s flourishing contemporary-music scene, Sonic Boom takes a remarkably inclusive approach to what that might entail, as the festival’s composer in residence Dorothy Chang explains.

“When it began, there was no adjudication; they really wanted to accept everything,” the UBC prof recalls in a telephone interview from her home. “I think when I interviewed for the UBC job, I was brought to a Sonic Boom concert, and I remember that one had a piece for nose flute and maracas! But even though they have to adjudicate now because of the number of submissions, it’s highly valuable for its inclusiveness, which encompasses emerging composers all the way through to established composers.

“In fact, on this year’s program there are two former composers in residence of the VSO, but also many students,” Chang continues. “So you’ll get to hear a showcase of everything that’s being written now, across stages of career development, across genres and styles.

There are people working on world music, in electronic media, or delving into serialism… Really, anything and everything is embraced.”

For a good example of Sonic Boom’s eclectic approach, check out the program that cellist Marina Has- Sonic Boom takes place at various selberg will present on the festival’s venues from next Thursday to Sunday third night. Not only are almost all (March 16 to 19).

BEN ALLISON QUARTET • MAR. 10 @ 8 PM Renowned for inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and an ‘instantly identifiable sound’ (MTV)

VENUE: WESTERN FRONT

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE • MAR. 31 @ 8 PM WITH “A” BAND & NITECAP

One of the most exciting young jazz musicians in the world today

GERMÁN LÓPEZ • APR. 2 @ 8 PM

Stunning music from the Canary Islands featuring the timple and guitar

VENUE: PRESENTATION HOUSE THEATRE

Tickets: 604.990.7810 • Online: capilanou.ca/centre Capilano University • 2055 Purcell Way • North Vancouver

52 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

ARTS

Abraham fuses history, hip-hop, and much more > BY JA NET SM IT H

T

o understand the multilayered fusion that is Kyle Abraham’s dance, it helps to dig into the celebrated New York City choreographer’s roots.

Today, he’s one of America’s fastestrising talents, artistic director of his own Abraham.In.Motion. He’s received national awards (a 2016 Doris Duke award, a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship, a 2012 Ford Fellowship, and a 2010 Princess Grace Award, to name a few), and created commissions for the likes of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

He’s a unique voice on the American stage, conjuring pieces that layer history, styles, and music from different eras. One of his best-known works, Pavement, reimagined the seminal flick Boyz n the Hood in his native Pittsburgh, circa 1991, interweaving street scenes from his hometown and the 1960s blues of Mississippi Fred McDowell. In Absent Matter, he took inspiration from the Black Lives Matter movement, meshing jazz with hiphop samples and featuring large projections of riots and burials. Like so many of Abraham’s works, the piece managed to reflect on several sociopolitical pasts while looking to the future, melding the movement and music in the same way.

Abraham was raised in Pittsburgh’s historically black Hill District. He studied cello and classical piano, giving him a taste of the traditional arts. At the same time, he was growing up amid the hip-hop boom of the ’80s—but he emphasizes it was a different, more open kind of hiphop in those early days.

“At house parties and any and all social events, the records would come on and it would be a kind of unifying experience,” he says, reflecting on the fact that hip-hop has since become more “consumerized”. He’s

Abraham.In.Motion’s The Gettin’ melds eras through its movement, projections, costumes, and music. Ian Douglas photo.

talking to the Straight from Los Angeles, where he’s teaching at UCLA at the moment. “It’s been funny seeing how people are twisting it now as a dance style with a lot of attack—with a fake roughness to it. But back then it was a social-dance thing.”

Within the kind of hip-hop he grew up with, Abraham says he could find a range of emotion and nuance. But it wasn’t till he was in his teens that he saw another form that would take him further. “The first ‘dancing’ I saw was the Joffrey Ballet, and they were doing a show to [the music of] Prince,” he says.

“The only reason I went was because of Prince’s music. I had never seen ballet.

“That opened my eyes more to a lot of the possibilities of movement.

So then I started asking if I could

watch a friend’s dance class and it went from there.”

He never stopped moving after that, eventually making his way to a master’s at New York University’s acclaimed Tisch School of the Arts before launching his company. Now he’s known for his flowing mix of hip-hop, urban, and contemporary dance styles.

But where did his interest in identity and history start? It’s a complicated subject for Abraham, who prefers the term ownership to identity.

Abraham prefaces the discussion with this: “I’ve been interested in storytelling, about who I am and what I want to be,” he explains. “But it’s a curious thing that happens: because I’m talking about these things and because I’m a black man, or a black gay

man, some of these things take on a political tone because of the colour of my skin or my sexual orientation. But some of these are a love letter to who I was when I was 13 or 14, and as you reflect you see the conflicts that resonate in today’s society. But a lot of my works are looking at a previous time.”

Really, he says, a lot of his themes stem from the love of history he’s had since he was a kid. “It was probably the only academic course that I enjoyed,” he says.

That passion will certainly be evident in one of the works coming here on his mixed program. The energized The Gettin’, from 2014, was created for the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery in the U.S., as well as the end of South Africa’s racist apartheid regime.

It’s a seamless pastiche, set to Robert Glasper’s interpretation of the 1960 jazz album and civil-rights declaration “We Insist!”, otherwise known as Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, while the costumes, and some of the social-dance references, refer to the 1950s. Signs from apartheidera South Africa, including one declaring “White Area”, fill the projections at the back of the stage.

“You think about the perceived changes in our cultures, but there’s so much more to be done,” he reflects. “It was a work that was referencing and honouring the hope for change, celebrating the hope for change from a previous time.”

Also on the bill is 2011’s Quiet Dance, a subtler quintet set to pianist Bill Evans’s sentimental rendition of the Leonard Bernstein classic “Some Other Time”.

And, giving audiences a full view of his trajectory, Abraham will also be debuting excerpts from his new work, Dearest Home.

The era-crossing, genre-fusing works you’ll see on display at Abraham’s Chutzpah Festival run should resonate strongly in these divided times—especially with what’s going on south of the border. OUT magazine once called Abraham one of the “best and brightest creative talents to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama”. But how does he situate his work now that that other guy is in charge of the White House?

“I don’t have that much to say about that man. I think we do a better job if we don’t mention his name, he’s so hungry for celebrity,” he says.

In the case of Abraham, movement and imagery speak louder than words. Abraham.In.Motion is at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre from Saturday to Monday (March 11 to 13) as part of the Chutzpah Festival.

SINGERS’ CHOICE A Choral Hit Parade

8pm Friday, March 17, 2017 Ryerson United Church Vancouver Chamber Choir | Jon Washburn, Conductor In 46 years, there have been only 136 singers as full members of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. Each was asked to recommend a favourite madrigal, motet, folksong and encore. From 122 nominations of 93 different pieces from singers past and present, Jon Washburn has selected madrigals by Morley, Gibbons, Ward and Weelkes; a major motet by JS Bach; folksongs by Washburn, Smith and Erb; encores by Quick, Schafer and Billy Joel; and other pieces by Debussy, Corigliano, Chilcott and Biebl. It’s a veritable choral hit parade!

1.855.985.ARTS (2787) vancouverchamberchoir.com

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 53

ARTS

Bonjour’s provocative story prompts questions TH E AT RE

the comic rhythms of Charlotte’s selfpity, and Joey Lespérance is a deeply grounded Armand; his recollection of hearing his children’s voices for the first time is one of the show’s most affecting moments.

Drew Facey’s expressionistic set, with its fading wallpaper and an upstage tower of chairs, evokes the drab, oppressive stasis of the characters’ lives, and his costumes are period-perfect. Jeremy Baxter’s lighting and Poulin-Denis’s sound enhance the claustrophobic atmosphere.

I’m grateful for this opportunity to see a classic done well—and to ask questions about what it might mean to us today.

BONJOUR, LÀ, BONJOUR

By Michel Tremblay. Directed by Gilles Poulin-Denis. A Théâtre la Seizième production. At Studio 16 on Tuesday, February 28. Continues until March 11

And you thought your family

2 was dysfunctional! Bonjour, là,

bonjour shows a young man claiming himself from his kin—but it’s not your typical coming-of-age story.

This excellent production is likely to inspire fierce postshow discussion.

Michel Tremblay’s 1974 script (revised in 1986) is a symphony of overlapping voices, as Serge’s family welcomes him back from a threemonth visit to Europe. His separate visits to his father, aunts, and four older sisters are piled on top of each other in time and space, amplifying the extent to which everyone seems to need something from him.

Serge’s retired father, Armand, lives with his own two perpetually dissatisfied sisters, Gilberte and Charlotte.

Serge’s oldest sister, Lucienne, has married an Anglo doctor, but is so bored with her material wealth that she’s taken a younger lover. Sisters Monique and Denise both seek relief from their loveless marriages, one in pills, the other in food. Read no further if you don’t want to know the play’s big secret, but chances are you can figure it out just from reading a listing. The only happy sister is Nicole, and that’s because she and Serge are unapologetically in love with each other. Determined to escape from the fug of disappointment that surrounds everyone else in the family, Serge and Nicole commit to their incestuous relationship.

The play’s celebration of incest was taboo-shattering in 1974, but in 2017, it’s just perplexing. How are we meant to take this? Is it an allegory for other forms of forbidden love—less forbidden now than they were 40 years

> KATHLEEN OLIVER

ELBOW ROOM CAFÉ: THE MUSICAL Book and lyrics by Dave Deveau.

Music and lyrics by Anton Lipovetsky.

Directed by Cameron Mackenzie.

Musical direction by Clare Wyatt.

A Cultch presentation of a Zee Zee Theatre production. At the York Theatre on Thursday, March 2.

Continues until March 12

As a work of musical theatre,

2 Elbow Room Café is a bit loose

Actors Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin and Siona Gareau-Brennan boldly take on the taboo in Bonjour, là, bonjour at Studio 16. Emily Cooper photo.

ago? It’s also hard not to feel uneasy about the fact that three of Serge’s sisters overtly treat him as a sexual object, and that almost all of the play’s female characters are harpies from whom the men need to be rescued.

Sure, the play is billed as a tragedy, but if Serge is the tragic hero, it’s hard not to read this as misogynistic.

That said, there are great pleasures

to be had in director Gilles PoulinDenis’s staging. Tremblay’s characters are richly textured, and this terrific cast skillfully handles the script’s rapid-fire overlapping dialogue while mining the bleak humour of their situation. With her tightly coiled hauteur, Lyne Barnabé’s Lucienne is riveting, as is Émilie Leclerc’s limply desperate Monique. Thérèse Champagne finds

on its hinges, but as a celebration of community, it’s flamboyantly fun.

Dave Deveau and Anton Lipovetsky’s script is an adoring tribute to Davie Street’s legendary breakfast establishment and its owners, Bryan Searle and Patrice Savoie. We meet them here along with their employee, Nelson, and an assortment of patrons: Tim and Tabby, a straight Tennessee couple visiting Vancouver to celebrate their anniversary; Jackie, a lesbian getting together with Jill, the ex she dumped almost a year ago; and Amanda, a runaway bride coming off an all-night stagette with her friends Beth and Stephen.

The common thread here is com-

mitment, with each table playing off the central partnership of the owners. Despite their nonstop vituperative banter, Patrice and Bryan are deeply devoted to one another.

Patrice wants to get married; Bryan doesn’t. The bigger stakes—Patrice’s desire to retire and let someone else run the restaurant before he and Bryan get too old—don’t emerge until the end of the first act.

Deveau’s comedy is very local, very gay, and way over the top; the real-life Elbow Room’s rules (e.g., “Watch your ass—gay men behind you”), posted on the upstage wall, set the tone. There’s a self-consciousness here that can be tremendously fun: Tim doesn’t seem to realize he’s in a musical, for example, and uptight bridesmaid Beth’s attempt to invoke “the customer’s always right” earns her a sting from the on-stage drummer. But it can also be overly earnest: Patrice and Bryan spend a lot of time explaining who they are instead of just being themselves, and the restaurant’s history and value to the community are awkwardly tacked onto the story, which moves in fits and starts.

But how often do you get to see a real place you love depicted on-stage?

Elbow Room fans are unlikely to complain about the script’s dramaturgical deficiencies or the fact that some of Anton Lipovetsky’s songs feel forced, especially given the talent that director Cameron Mackenzie has heaped onto this show’s plate. As Tabby, Emma Slipp commands both the stage and her husband Tim, hilariously portrayed by Steven Greenfield in a state of hapless perplexity at these people so unlike the “friendly, apologetic” Canadians he’s read about. Justin Lapeña is a sassy Nelson and a vocal chameleon as various fantasy figures that torment Tim. As Amanda, Synthia Yusuf is a powerhouse singer, and along with Nathan Kay’s loose-limbed Stephen see next page

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54 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

> KATHLEEN OLIVER

’ T (HOME) ŠX W AM Directed by David Diamond. A Theatre for Living production, in collaboration with Journeys Around the Circle Society.

At the Firehall Arts Centre on Sunday, March 5. Continues until March 11

Joe (the always great Sam Bob) is

2 an indigenous man and residen-

> ANDREA WARNER

Noche Flamenca’s Antigona Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca unite ancient Greek tragedy and flamenco in this poignant, multidisciplinary triumph.

C H A N C E N T R E AT U B C

Tickets and info at chancentre.com

moa.ubc.ca

Museum of Anthropology at UBC A place of world arts + cultures

March 10, 2017 – January 28, 2018

tial-school survivor who is finding it harder and harder to connect with his college-age daughter, Siya (portrayed through a terrific performance by Madeline Terbasket). As she embraces her ancestral connections to the land through activism and decolonization, and confronts her friend, Chase (Mutya Macatumpag) who refuses to acknowledge her settler privilege, more questions emerge about her father’s background and their rift deepens.

Siya also helps open the eyes of her friend Lucas (Asivak Koostachin), a young indigenous man adopted and raised by Doug (Tom Scholte), a white colleague of Joe’s, and his wife, Sarah (Rev. Margaret Roberts). Unacknowledged racism and fear have kept the couple from telling Lucas anything about his biological parents, his real name, or that he’s Cree. When Siya gives Lucas her medicine pouch, it sets off a chain of confrontations. Doug’s racism (obvious to everyone but him) also causes a work situation to go off the rails when he berates the new guy, Vincent (a powerful turn from Nayden Palosaan), an indigenous man he hired as a favour to Joe. It’s a lot of story to squash inside 30 minutes, and things escalate sharply, convening at a real crisis point. But there’s no tidy resolution. Instead, this is where director David Diamond invites the audience inside the action. Theatre for Living’s forum style is ultimately an interactive approach wherein the play’s actors restage key scenes—moments of potential reconciliation that were blocked for any number of reasons—and any audience member can call “Stop” and come on-stage to take over a role of their choosing, with Diamond helping to facilitate different outcomes.

It’s a brave thing to put oneself inside this vulnerable piece of theatre, and Diamond recontextualizes the

world of the play versus the outside world by reminding everybody that nonindigenous people are just now starting to contemplate what reconciliation means and are taking baby steps, whereas indigenous people have already been doing the work for a long time.

This is an important thing to verbalize, because very quickly the night morphed into Theatre of White Fragility and ballooned from an estimated two-hour running time to almost three hours. Save for one or two genuinely moving interactions that had many people in tears, particularly a nuanced retelling of the scene in which Joe opens up about the trauma of his residential-school days, it became kind of exhausting, even embarrassing, how many whitepresenting audience members wanted to come up on-stage and re-centre the conflicts around, seemingly, their own whiteness and/or the white person’s feelings and experiences. A number of white-presenting people opted to take over from the indigenous actors and erase their characters almost entirely.

Twice, white-presenting people took over the character of Doug, the racist adoptive father, employer, and friend, and just decided to make him not racist. Pretending someone just isn’t racist or denying racism is one of the most significant Canadian blockages to reconciliation! In the final instance of Doug’s takeover, the central issue became the adoptive white parents’ feelings about finally revealing their adoptive son’s Cree heritage. As the family wrestled with a path forward, the volunteer turned to Joe and suggested he could weigh in because “he has more experience with this kind of thing”. Bob, improvising Joe’s response, reacted as diplomatically as possible, replying, “I’m not Cree, but maybe I can offer some practical suggestions.” This is markedly different than what is scripted, which is a highly charged confrontation that challenges racism and white fragility, and prioritizes the fears and feelings of the young indigenous people, Lucas and Siya.

In that final restaging, the character of Siya was asked by Diamond to voice her most secret thoughts after witnessing a particularly revisionist scene. “Fuckin’ white tears,” Siya improvises, Terbasket’s delivery a perfect combination of contempt and resignation. What is asked of the indigenous actors here—some of whom must go to very dark, triggering places—just so the audience can spend a lot of time trying to erase the racist behaviour of the white male character? šx w am’ t (home) is a provocative and powerful piece of theatre and engagement. The barriers it breaks down are significant, and I would like to see it again with a different audience because it was deeply frustrating to be surrounded by so many people who believe they’re good allies—those who show up to theatre like this and have an opportunity to engage in truly daring ways, but default to what they know: fuckin’ white tears indeed. This piece deserves so much more and I hope it gets that chance throughout the rest of its run, and with a tour next year.

AMAZONIA

and Stephanie Wong’s tightly wound Beth, she creates some of the show’s best physical comedy. Christine Quintana and Olivia Hutt are immensely likable as Jackie and Jill. As Bryan, David Adams anchors Allan Zinyk’s unrestrained Patrice. This is a true ensemble piece, and everyone seems to be having a blast.

Designer Marina Szijarto’s set affectionately re-creates the bright, celebrity-studded walls of the café, with a clever forced-perspective kitchen backdrop; and her costumes are as colourful as the show’s language.

Musical director Clare Wyatt leads a tight all-female three-piece band.

Elbow Room Café has a few false endings; like the giant pancake breakfasts served up at its namesake, it can be too much of a good thing. But its power as a gesture of love for the people who have spent decades “changing lives, one egg at a time” is undeniable.

The Rights of Nature Opening party: Thursday, March 9 7–10 pm. Free admission.

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by Michel Tremblay Translated by John Van Burek & Bill Glassco Directed by MFA Candidate Diane Brown

INFLECTION Alternative Assets Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver

56 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

March 16 — April 1, 2017 Frederic Wood Theatre Tickets: theatrefilm.ubc.ca

ARTS

Kinesis lights the way for a wildly surreal trip D ANC E

Still, you have to hand it to Kinesis, which, after three decades, pushes onward to offer up this kind of fearless work. Terezakis is clear and confident in his intentions, and more committed than ever to conjuring them, making it a real trip to head under that light-bulb canopy with him.

IN PENUMBRA A Kinesis Dance somatheatro production. A Vancouver International Dance Festival and Dance Centre presentation. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre on Thursday, March 2. No remaining performances

> JANET SMITH

CARMINA BURANA

The star of In Penumbra is its

2 spangly light-bulb canopy, a scal-

loped silver mesh covered in an array of glowing glass. Sometimes it buzzes like its own energy force; at others in this whimsically surreal production, it pulses along with the dancers’ heartbeats. Not surprisingly, it was Instagrammed like crazy at Kinesis Dance somatheatro’s show last week.

In his company’s 30th-anniversary production, Kinesis founder Paras Terezakis is interested in the grey area between light and dark (penumbra is the half-light of shadows), and that overhang, with its dimmable lights, is an apt artistic expression of that. Similarly, his performers seem to be suspended in some kind of dreamlike purgatory.

In his program notes, the veteran choreographer says he’s continuing his study of characters searching for utopia in a dystopian universe.

(That search for utopia stems from the Greek-Canadian artist’s ongoing interest in the Odyssey myth.)

The idea plays out in Terezakis’s physically charged dance-theatre style, with five people awkwardly almost-coupling, stripping off their clothes and putting them back on, as if the performers can’t quite connect.

In a recurring sequence, two dancers waltz while the other three grab on and try to follow, forming a clumsy, desperate dance train behind them.

Another moment finds four of the dancers lifting the fifth repeatedly toward a dangling tangle of lit light bulbs on cords, only to have them

A

A Spellbound Contemporary Ballet production. A Chutzpah Festival and Italian Cultural Centre presentation.

At the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre on Saturday, March 4. No remaining performances

Can an artwork be bawdy and

2 sophisticated at the same time?

In Penumbra features a scalloping light-bulb canopy that creates a striking look for Kinesis Dance somatheatro’s 30th-anniversary show. Chris Randle photo.

rise just out of reach. It’s a direct metaphor for people reaching for enlightenment, but being held back by themselves and others.

Sometimes the imagery reaches bizarre, David Lynch–ian heights, such as when a couple repeatedly poke to kiss each other through a red scarf while, under the throbbing mass of light bulbs, another dancer lies on his stomach and unsuccessfully flaps a cape to get liftoff. The mood is one of restless, circling frustration, with the action reaching a buzzing chaos in the final act, that five-person waltz now devolving into a crouched-over mess.

As ever, Terezakis gets playful with his entrances and exits, the dancers entering on a surprise ladder, the show ending abruptly and rather wittily. (We’ll leave that staging element a surprise.)

The troupe of dancers—Arash Khakpour, Elissa Hanson, Hyoseung Ye, Renée Sigouin, and Diego

Romero—is strong and never less than committed, affecting just the right expression of stern deadpan in this strange world. Natalie Purschwitz’s costumes evoke a cool nostalgia, especially in the women’s ’40s-style coats, giving the work an even more disorienting, suspended-time feel. And the magic Terezakis and lighting designer James Proudfoot achieve with their glowing bulbs is atmospheric to the max—enhanced by Nancy Tam’s heady electro score.

The show works best on the level of hallucinogenic imagery, enjoyed with a dream logic. Yes, it could be more taut, as a few sequences feel like studio tasks sewn together: playing with a microphone, wrapping and unwrapping bulbs on cords around the dancers, and fooling around with LED headlamps (though a bunch of them create a truly frightening, lit-up mask at one point).

In the case of Carmina Burana, yes.

That’s the beautiful paradox of Spellbound Contemporary Ballet’s fascinating and fun new dance work in the Italian company’s second visit to the Chutzpah Festival. The episodic piece, like the medieval poetry and songs it’s based on, is basically all about lust. But choreographer Mauro Astolfi stages it all with such fast, flickering, light-asChampagne-bubbles movement, it’s as gorgeous as it is rude and risqué. It feels like the highest form of play.

Set amid the kind of dramatic shadowy lighting you’d see in a Goya painting, the dancers splay their legs, stick their heads under skirts, and windmill their arms. The impression is of restlessly arcing, scissoring, tangling pale limbs.

Astolfi, costume designer Sandro Ferrone, and set designer Stefan Mazzola give everything a sleek, contemporary look.

The female dancers wear modern grey dresses emblazoned with stark red crosses on the chest—more like the appropriated symbols of today’s T-shirts even as they’re a nod to the clerics’ wear of the 12th century.

A monastic bench and long table,

as well as a big cabinet, dominate the stage, and Astolfi moves, upends, and innovates with them throughout. At several moments, men tilt the tables so women slide down toward them; at others, they jump and reach at the females trying to flee over the top. Late in the piece, the cabinet becomes an even more fun device, almost literally referring to the skeletons we hide in our closet, the doors opening and shutting to reveal an ever-naughtier array of entwined, humping couples.

Rome’s Spellbound is known for its dancers, and the nine here show up with the balletic finesse, otherworldly suppleness, and endless energy needed to pull off Astolfi’s dazzling, inventive movement. Stage-filling group numbers give way to solos and duets, set not only to some of Carl Orff’s epic Carmina Burana cantatas but to Antonio Vivaldi’s Dixit Dominus. The dancers embody the melodies and harmonies in dizzyingly complex patterns. Nothing here is angular; limbs scallop through the air, and spines curve back into spectacular Cs. Yes, the guys get a bit handsy with the women, who spend a lot of their time either trying to flee them or pushing and high-kicking them away.

You could read it as a nod to the puritanical times the Carmina Burana manuscripts were defying, and the way females weren’t supposed to give in to their desires (maybe still aren’t, to some degree). The original 11th- to 13th-century manuscripts are really about religious hypocrisy and mockery, and our more base human urges.

So is this rendition an elegant game of guys chasing girls, flirtatious fun, or the occasional slip over the line into harassment?

Whatever the answer, and however base the urges on display here, you can’t really go wrong with this much stunning dancing, beautiful music, and stage magic. > JANET SMITH

rare and remarkable evening of lyrical songs and duets

spanning the creative life of ROBERT SCHUMANN with acclaimed Swedish soprano

MIAH PERSSON and FLORIAN BOESCH ,

compelling Austrian baritone

underpinned by the “exquisitely sensitive pianism” of

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Theatre (8th floor, 581 Cardero). Tix $27, info www.westerngoldtheatre.org/.

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LATE-NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE Spectral Theatre presents two scripts read in the manner of Golden Age radio shows. Mar 11, 8 pm, Revue Stage (1601 Johnston Street).

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NOCHE FLAMENCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ANTIGONA Noche Flamencaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistic director Martin Santangeloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adaptation of Sophoclesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic play Antigone melds flamenco and ancient Greek tragedy. Mar 12, 7 pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall (6265 Crescent Rd., Chan Centre at UBC). Tix at www.chancentre.com/.

< < < < < < < <

THEATRE 2JUST ANNOUNCED THEATRE UNDER THE STARS Annual outdoor-theatre event features productions of Mary Poppins and The Drowsy Chaperone on alternating evenings. Jul 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Aug 19, 8 pm, Malkin Bowl (610 Pipeline Road, Stanley Park). Tix $70/50, info www.tuts.ca/.

2OPENINGS THE WIZARD OF OZ BMSS Theatre presents a musical based on the book by L. Frank Baum. Mar 8-10, 7 pm, Michael J. Fox Theatre (7373 MacPherson Ave., Burnaby).

Tix $15/10, info www.mountain.sd41.bc.ca/.

SPRING AWAKENING Rock musical set in late 19th-century Germany tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality. Mar 8-11, 8-10:15 pm, Pacific Theatre (1440 W. 12th). Tix $25, info www.pacifictheatre.org/ boxoffice/rentals/.

ALMOST A STEPMOM A darkly comic tale about the ups and downs of becoming a stepmother, created and performed

by Keara Barnes. Mar 14-18, 8-9 pm, Havana Theatre (1212 Commercial). Tix $15-18, info www.standingroomonlytheatre.org/.

THE HATTER Way Off-Broadway Wednesday presents Andrew Wadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show that reimagines one of literatureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most memorable characters to tell the story of a once-mad man trying desperately to find his way home. Mar 15, 29, 7:30 pm, Heritage Grill (447 Columbia St., New West). Admission by donation, info www.facebook.com/wayoffwed/.

WHAT A YOUNG WIFE OUGHT TO KNOW Play tells the story of a young working-class wife who has a lot to learn about love, sex, and birth control. Mar 15-18, 8 pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby). Tix $15-38, info tickets.shadboltcentre.com/.

BELFAST GIRLS Canadian premiere of the award-winning Irish play that tells the story of five young women who escape the famine in 1850 aboard a ship bound for Australia. Mar 15-18, 8-10 pm, The Cultch (1895 Venables). Tix $25, info www.peninsulaproductions.org/.

2ONGOING

FLAMENCO GOES GREEK Want to see and hear more passion on-stage? Contemporary flamenco and ancient Greek tragedy meet head-on in Antigona, at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts this Sunday (March 12). The multimedia production by New York company Noche Flamenca explores one of the classics of western dramaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;about a woman defying the authorities, determined to honour her dead and disgraced brother. It could be the Middle East, circa 2017. Artistic director Martin Santangelo brings theatre, live music, and dance to his creation based on the play by Sophocles. The charismatic Soledad Barrio performs in the lead role of Antigona. forbidden love, directed by Gilles PoulinDenis. Presented in French with English surtitles on Tue, Thu, and Sat. To Mar 11, 8 pm, Studio 16 (1545 W. 7th). Tix $26-30, info www. seizieme.ca/saison/bonjour/?lang=en/.

â&#x2DC;&#x2026;

OUT OF THE GARDEN Play tells the story of Eve in four different eras, tracking the journey out of the Garden of Eden and the evolution of sexuality in western civilization.

Mar 10-17, Douglas College Studio Theatre (700 Royal Ave., New West). Tix $10-20, info www.douglascollege.ca/about-douglas/ groups-and-organizations/theatre/.

TWELFTH NIGHT Western Gold Theatre presents an all-senior production of Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s romantic comedy, directed by Anna Hagan. Mar 10-19, PAL

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS GOT HER HEAD CHOPPED OFF Joan Bryans directs Liz Lochheadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raw tale of the enmity between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. To Mar 11, 8 pm, Jericho Arts Centre (1675 Discovery). Tix $25/20, info www.vitalsparktheatre.com/.

DR. SEUSSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; THE CAT IN THE HAT Carousel Theatre for Young People presents a kid-friendly stage version of the Dr. Seuss book about two bored children who have their lives turned upside down by a talking cat. To Mar 26, Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St., Granville Island). Tix $35/29/18, info www.carouseltheatre.ca/ production/dr-seuss-the-cat-in-the-hat/.

BONJOUR, LA, BONJOUR Quebec playwright Michel Tremblayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tragic story of

ELBOW ROOM CAFE: THE MUSICAL Zee Zee Theatre presents a candid look inside Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most iconic eatery, the home of raucous service, celebrity sightings, and hearts of gold. Contains mature content. To Mar 12, York Theatre (639 Commercial). Tix from $20, info www.thecultch.com/.

â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ĺ XW AM T (HOME) Theatre for Living, in collaboration with Journeys Around the Circle Society, presents director David Diamondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production about what reconciliation really means. To Mar 11, Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova). Tix $15 (plus service charge), info www.theatreforliving. com/present_work/sxwPamet/index.html.

see page 60

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MOVIES

Past presidents like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush don’t escape untarnished in All Governments Lie’s bracing look at media manipulation and the steady degradation of the corporate press.

In search of the free press

But it certainly documents the steady degradation of corporate media that led to this unpretty impasse.

The film holds “friendlier” administrations (like those of LBJ and Obama) accountable for misleading the public, and the press for cheering them on. Noam All Governments Lie spotlights reporters still holding presidents Chomsky and Ralph Nadaccountable; Window Horses boasts a dazzling array of artists er are also on hand to talk about the manipulations and worse that mark every administration.

REVIEWS Peabody’s tour is bracing, but it spends too ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE: TRUTH, much time on the spirit of I.F. Stone and not DECEPTION, AND THE SPIRIT OF enough on the man himself, who died in 1989. We I.F. STONE learn that both Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein subscribed to his reader-funded I.F. Stone’s A documentary by Fred Peabody. Rated PG Weekly—in significant ways, a progenitor to paThe first part of the movie’s title was a mantra pers like the one you are presently reading. Still, for I.F. Stone—the epitome of the independ- it would have been helpful to include some of his ent journalist, and one who turned his lack of ac- own words and personal history. We need all the cess into a badge of investigative honour. In this inspiration we can muster right now. > KEN EISNER 90-minute overview, CBC veteran Fred Peabody introduces us to a number of nonmainstream reWINDOW HORSES porters who carry on in his tradition.

In particular, activist filmmakers Jeremy Scahill Featuring the voice of Sandra Oh. In English, Farsi, and Michael Moore, Democracy Now’s Amy Good- Mandarin, and German with English subtitles. Rated G man, Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi, and gadfly In a world increasingly driven by fear and the Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald are singled out for misunderstanding, Window Horses comes carrying the indie torch. Still, as interviews with Carl Bernstein indicate, it’s a lot easier to keep a as a breath of animated fresh air. For the breezy, president in check, or even to bring one down, when 85-minute film, Vancouver multimedia veteran Ann you have an editor as civic-minded as Ben Bradlee, Marie Fleming joins forces with a dazzling array of his boss at the Watergate-era Washington Post. (The guest cartoonists (15 artists from all over, including Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur found the limits of that Sadaf Amini, Bahram Jahaveri, and Janet Perlman) for a delightful tour of Persian culture, allowing for sort of support in his six months at NBC.) One of Stone’s key tenets was that almost any some of its built-in contradictions.

These artists work well with her stellar jam problem in democracy can get fixed if the press brings it to light, “but if something goes wrong with session of vocal talents, starting with Sandra the free press, the country will go straight to hell.” Oh as Rosie Ming, a Chinese-Persian Canadian All Governments Lie was completed before the spray- who confronts family history when invited to a tan Mussolini ascended in a manner that may yet poetry festival in Iran. Ellen Page and The World make Watergate look insignificant by comparison. of Suzie Wong’s Nancy Kwan are among friends

2

2

and family; when Rosie gets to Shiraz, the voices include Iranian film greats Peyman Moaadi (the male lead in A Separation) and Oscar-nominated Shohreh Aghdashloo (for House of Sand and Fog), as well as Don McKellar as an unctuous but ultimately sympathetic German traveller.

The youth-aimed movie leans a little too much on sentimentality and coincidence, especially concerning Rosie’s seeming abandonment by her Iranian father. Rosie herself is thinly drawn—literally, as a stick figure lacking the richly textured dimensionality of the other characters. She shows up in a black chador when the other women wear comfortable and colourful hijabs, and her dogged naiveté helps propel the story even if it limits her likability.

Still, the film’s beautiful interludes of music and poetry suggest more deeply shaded complexity, and this Window will definitely help open some doors. > KEN EISNER

THE LAST WORD Starring Shirley MacLaine and Amanda Seyfried.

Rated PG

An obituary writer meets her match in The

2 Last Word, a haphazardly written comedy

that still manages to remain entertaining for its almost-two-hour running time. That’s because of the screen real estate handed to Shirley MacLaine, now 83, who has no doubts about how to use it.

La MacLaine plays Harriet Lauler, a wealthy advertising pioneer who came up when women didn’t do that sort of thing. Long retired and alone in an overmanicured mansion in Bristol, California (southeast of unmentioned Los Angeles, where this was filmed), despised by the few folks forced into contact with her, she’s ready to pack life in. But then she notices all the glowing notices other old-timers get when they shed this mortal coil.

Harriet runs down to the office of the local newspaper—one her company helped build, now see page 61

WINDOW HORSES’ SANDRA OH WELCOMES FILM’S DIVERSITY >>>

F

ilms rarely get more culturally diverse than Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming. The locally animated film centres on the naive only child of a Chinese mother and Iranian father who heads to Shiraz for an international poetry festival. The voice work was cast with equal diversity behind the scenes, with Korean Canadian Sandra Oh taking on the role of the lead, Rosie, and several prominent Iranian actors voicing the roles of others. (Shohreh Aghdashloo is a Tehran University professor and A Separation’s Peyman Moaadi reads a moving Rumi poem.)

There’s dialogue in Farsi, Mandarin, and German, as well as English.

For actor Oh, who’s been a pioneering force for strong Asian characters in her hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy, it runs in stark contrast to the other cartoons she’s seen cast on the big screen.

“I have strong thoughts about how Hollywood is casting animation,” she told the Straight from the Toronto International Film Festival

Sandra Oh says she’s never faced the issues of race in Hollywood that she has seen in animation. Window Horses is the happy exception.

last fall, where the film was premiering, back when a Trump America and an Iranian travel ban were almost inconceivable. “We have characters that can be voiced by different cultures and stories from different cultures and those voices are never

reflected. I have never faced issues of race in Hollywood as I have faced in animation. So you have a film, say, where the main character should be Japanese or mixed race and it isn’t reflected in the voices.”

Oh had met Vancouver filmmaker

Ann Marie Fleming years before she was offered the role in Window Horses, making the connection, as she recalls, through Mina Shum, who had helmed such star-making Oh vehicles as Double Happiness. And she already knew who Stick Girl was, the primitive, unformed little figure that stands in as Rosie amid the lush, multi-artist tapestry of Window Horses’ unique visual world.

“I had read her graphic novels,” Oh said of Fleming’s work. “The simpler the character, the more the audience can read into the character. As Ann Marie has said before, Rosie is almost unformed and she’s still forming through this process. And the simpler it is, the deeper the symbolism.”

Oh said she loved the story, part coming-of-age tale and part cultural awakening for the naive character.

“This film has such a heart and talked about diversity in such a warm way that I said I would do the role.” Oh added she’s partial to the transcendent Persian poetry of Hafiz and Rumi that appears throughout the film.

Rosie’s culture shock arriving in

> BY JANET SMITH

☞

the strict but warmly hospitable Middle Eastern country, and her journey finding her own identity, makes the Nepean, Ontario–born Oh think back to her own journey to acceptance in an adopted homeland.

“As a Canadian I moved down to the States in my early 20s and that was one of my first real culture shocks,” Oh said. “The States are such a big sibling to us and share the same kind of pop-culture references. But I would say my major cultural awakening came when I moved there.”

The rising xenophobia there, and elsewhere, is what makes Window Horses—a film that showcases the beauty of diversity and the need to listen to each other’s stories—resonate so much now. And a big part of that, Oh said, is the cultural richness of the actors behind the scenes.

“One of the reasons we got some amazing actors for this is because they said ‘We love these characters,’ ” she said. “So often you’re put in a special box because you have a specific skin tone or you look a certain way.” -

MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 59

from page 58

TRANSIT Writer-director Emilio Merritt presents his play set in an immigration holding centre at Vancouver International Airport. To Mar 12, 8 pm, Go studios Theatre (210-112 E. 3rd). Tix $20, info www.facebook. com/events/250517322058949/.

DANCE 2THIS WEEK VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL Annual celebration of dance features performances by Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Kitt Johnson, Kaeja d’Dance, Compagnie Virginie Brunelle, Kinesis Dance, Karen Jamieson, Margaret Grenier, Jane Osborne, Kim Stevenson, and Dairakudakan. To Mar 25, various Vancouver venues. Info www.vidf.ca/.

LOOK. SEE. Contemporary dance production by Kimberly Stevenson, Vanessa Mayrand, Kezia Rosen, Sarah Robinson, and Joanna Anderson. Mar 10-11, 7:30 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie). Tix $20/17, info www.mirrordance.ca/events/.

CHIAROSCURO Contemporary dance and music featuring the Catalyst Mentorship Program and musical guests

the End Tree. Mar 10-11, 8 pm, Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre (7646 Prince Albert).

Tix $25, info www.dezzadance.com/.

DAIRAKUDAKAN The Vancouver International Dance Festival presents the Japan-based ensemble performing its full-length work Paradise, which asks whether paradise is something that can only be found within. Mar 10-11, 8-10:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton). Tix from $50, info www.vidf.ca/tickets/.

DANCE-A-THON: ARTS UMBRELLA DANCE COMPANY Watch over 40 Arts Umbrella Dance Company members dance for 10 hours during a fundraiser for their upcoming 2017 European tour.

Mar 12, 10 am–8 pm, Arts Umbrella (1286 Cartwright). Free admission, info www.artsumbrella.com/audctour/.

MUSIC 2THIS WEEK 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT Elektra Women’s Choir welcomes Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian for a compelling and unique collaboration on International Women’s Day. Mar 8, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd., UBC). Tix $20-50, info www. elektra.ca/concerts-events/galaconcert/.

SKYPE Q&A WITH DIRECTOR FRED PEABODY MARCH 10!

UBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: HOLST—THE PLANETS Under the direction of maestro Jonathan Girard, the UBC Symphony Orchestra performs Holst’s The Planets. Mar 9, 12 pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall (6265 Crescent Rd., Chan Centre at UBC). Free admission, info www.music. ubc.ca/calendar-index/2017/3/9/ubcsymphony-orchestra/.

don’t miss out!

For up-to-the-minute, searchable Arts Time Out listings, visit

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IN PRAISE OF WOMEN Vetta Chamber Music presents a concert in celebration of International Women’s Day. Includes performances by pianist Jane Hayes, violinist Joan Blackman, saxophonist Julia Nolan, and composer in residence Eileen Padgett. Mar 9, 2 pm; Mar 10, 7:30 pm, West Point Grey United Church (4595 W. 8th). Info www.vettamusic.com/.

CONSENSUS The Sound of Dragon Ensemble presents original works by Vancouver composers John Oliver, Mark Armanini, Farshid Samandari, Bruce Bai, and Lan Tung, Toronto composer Tony Leung, and Italian composer Marco Bidin. Mar 9, 8 pm, Orpheum

Annex (823 Seymour). Tix $15/10, info www.soundofdragon.com/.

VMO MORIHIRO OKABE KINEN SPRING CONCERT 2017 Soprano soloist Mihoko Kinoshita and the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra present a program of music by Brahms, Mozart, Hoffmann, Puccini, and Mascagni. Mar 10, 7:30 pm, Shaughnessy Heights United Church (1550 W. 33rd). Tix $25-30, info www.vmocanada.com/.

WOMENSPIRATION Musica intima celebrates Canadian women in the arts through the heights and depths of the female voice.

Mar 10, 7:30-9:30 pm, Heritage Hall (3102 Main). Tix $25/15, info www.eventbrite. ca/e/womenspiration-tickets-24444386819/.

UBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Maestro Jonathan Girard leads the UBC Symphony Orchestra for the Canadian premiere of Saariaho’s Asteroid 4179: Toutatis, Holst’s The Planets, and Navarro’s Concerto for Clarinet. Mar 10, 8 pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall (6265 Crescent Rd., Chan Centre at UBC). Tix $8, info www. music.ubc.ca/calendar-index/2017/3/10/ ubc-symphony-orchestra/.

ALESSIO BAX WITH THE VSO Bramwell Tovey conducts pianist Alessio Bax, clarinetist Jeanette Jonquil, and the VSO in a program of music by Morawetz, Bernstein, MacDowell, and Copland.

FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

OLIVER STONE

STARTS TOMORROW! “A LABOUR OF LOVE” Toronto Life

“URGENT AND FASCINATING” Variety

“A DAMNING INDICTMENT OF “WHAT EVERY ASPIRING MAINSTREAM MEDIA” JOURNALIST NEEDS TO KNOW” Los Angeles Times

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March 8 – 12, 2017 at the VIFF Vancity Theatre

BREATH (Iran) A young girl negotiates childhood and issues beyond her years amidst the tumult of the Iranian Revolution.

Wednesday, March 8, 7:30pm International Women’s Day

ANISHOARA (Moldova) A fifteen year-old has to navigate everyone else’s desires, instead of enjoying her own.

Friday, March 10, 9:00pm

STINGRAY SISTERS (Australia) Three sisters drill down - into themselves, their community, and their environment - before an oil and gas company can take it all away.

Sunday, March 12, 3:00pm

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Mar 11, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). The concert also runs Mar 13, 8 pm, at the Bell Performing Arts Centre, info www.vancouversymphony.ca/.

LANDSCAPES: A NORTHERN ODYSSEY The Borealis String Quartet presents a musical journey across the northern hemisphere, from 20th century northern Europe to present-day British Columbia. Mar 12, 3 pm, Orpheum Annex (823 Seymour). Tix $15-45, info www.borealisstringquartet.com/.

MIRIAM FRIED Music in the Morning presents the Romanian-born Israeli classical violinist. Mar 15-17, 10:30-11:30 am, Vancouver Academy of Music (1270 Chestnut). Tix $38/35/17, info www.music inthemorning.org/.

CHRIS BOTTI IN CONCERT WITH THE VSO William Rowson conducts trumpeter Chris Botti and the VSO in a program of pop classics and jazz standards such as “When I Fall in Love”, “Emmanuel”, and “The Very Thought of You”. Mar 15, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe).

Info www.vancouversymphony.ca/.

COMEDY 2JUST ANNOUNCED BILL MAHER American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, media critic, and TV host. Oct 14, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix on sale Mar 10, 10 am, $115.50/85.50/65.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

2ONGOING YUK YUK’S COMEDY CLUB 2837 Cambie, 604-696-9857, www.yukyuks. com/vancouver/. Comedy club with Top Talent Tue at 8 pm, amateur night Wed at 8 pm, and professional headliners Thu-Fri at 8 pm and Sat at 7 and 9:30 pm. Cover Tue $10, Wed $7, Thu $10, and Fri-Sat $20.

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THE SOUNDS OF WOMEN To mark this week’s International Women’s Day (March 8), Vetta Chamber Music is saluting a bunch of talented females. Thursday and Friday (March 9 and 10), at West Point Grey United Church, In Praise of Women, features Vetta’s first-ever composer in residence, Eileen Padgett, as host. She’ll debut her new Resilience: In Praise of Women, while another local composer, Dorothy Chang, reworks her Bagatelles. Two other female composers, Nicola Resanovic and Fernande DeCruck, round out the program, ably played by—you guessed it—some more ambassadors from our music scene’s wealth of women: Jane Hayes on piano, Joan Blackman on violin, and Julia Nolan on saxophone.

THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 604-684-5050, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with pro-am night Tue at 8:30 pm, showcase Wed at 8:30 pm, and featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Cover $8 Tue, $10 Wed, $15 Thu, $18 Fri, $20 Sat. 2RYAN BELLEVILLE Mar 9-11 2GRAHAM CLARK Mar 16-18 2DAVE NYSTROM Mar 23-25 2SARAH TIANA Mar 30-Apr 1 2DAN SODER Apr 6-8 2IVAN DECKER Apr 13-15 2CHARLIE DEMERS Apr 20-22 2DINO ARCHIE Apr 27-29 2BRYAN CALLEN May 4-6 VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS LEAGUE Some of the world’s most daring and innovative improv. Firecracker! (Wed, 9:15 pm); #NoFilter (Thu, 9:15 pm); Ok Tinder (Fri and Sat, 11:15 pm); Rookie Night (Sun, 7:30 pm); TheatreSports (Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sat, 7:30 pm; Fri and Sat, 9:30 pm). Mar 8-15, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island). Info www.vtsl.com/.

2THIS WEEK

Visit: womeninfilm.ca #viwiff Over 30 other films + panels, parties, and more.

#NOFILTER Interactive improv-comedy show uses live-stream social-media feeds and audience suggestions to drive the action. To Jun 30, 9:15 pm, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island).

Tix $7.50, info www.vtsl.com/show/nofilter/.

see page 62

60 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

The Last Word

KEDI Directed by Ceyda Torun. In Turkish, with English subtitles. Rated G

from page 59

strugglingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and demands to see obituary specialist Anne Sherman, played by Amanda Seyfried, whose acting presence is maturing nicely.

Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already a frustrated writer who dreams of more independence. So you can imagine how much she likes having her words shaped by someone who isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even dead yet.

The filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director, Mark Pellington, has handled some genre stuff plus a number of music videos, and he has a music promo manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill at narrative arcsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is to say, none. Individual sequences are handled well but often make no sense when butted up against the scenes around them. The worst incongruities come down to firsttime screenwriter Stuart Ross Fink, who tries to shoehorn too many ideas into too few characters.

After establishing that Harriet is full of prejudices, he has her troll an impoverished community centre (in

You might expect a documentary

2 about street cats to feature emaci-

The documentary Kedi finds a warm symbiotic relationship between street cats and their human neighbours in the beautifully shot port city of Istanbul.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;South Bristolâ&#x20AC;?) to mentor a small black girl (AnnJewel Lee Dixon) whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;at riskâ&#x20AC;?. But the child is neither troubled nor at risk of being an actual character; sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a decorative appendage to the story, just as she is to that future obituary.

Harriet grew up in the 1940s, but is suddenly revealed to be a big fan

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of psychedelic free-form radio and, swear to god, gets a disc-jockey gig so she can play the Kinks and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s soul.

Yuh-huh. If living life to the fullest means being someone different in every scene, MacLaine certainly sells that idea, with sappy vim and some saving vinegar.

> KEN EISNER

ated feral creatures even more disposed to killing us than are those mini tigers we have at home. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the case with Kedi, which explores whole Istanbul neighbourhoods and finds a delightfully symbiotic relationship between these titular nonpets and their special humans.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to imagine how much time filmmaker Ceyda Torun (who works as an assistant director in Hollywood) spent following cats and kittens on the streets of her hometown. The material she ended up with is guaranteed to make feline fanciers look at their preferred subject in a different light.

Mostly that light is the gold-dipped, late-afternoon sun of a beautiful port town that feels part of its own history is tied in with the animals that rule its side streets and cafĂŠs. The sidewalklevel cams are especially revelatory.

It turns out that, if properly indulged, wild cats do the regular stuff: foraging for food, looking for fun places to hide, watching over kittens, fighting over turf, and lolling in the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the original meaning of lolcats, as far as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m concerned. For a fast-trotting 70 minutes, this is supported by a clever mix of spare marimba music and antique Turkish rock songs. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a shame the lyrics of these tunes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t share subtitles with the shopkeepers, restaurateurs, and apartment dwellers we meet along the way.

All keep a keen eye on their favourites, and vice versa. Some folks even keep photo albums of the tabbies, Persians, and Siamese they hang out with, and can name generations that came before them. The movie has no political content, although some humans express concern for the future of these furry freedom-lovers, especially in old, tree-lined quarters that are being abruptly redeveloped for condos.

The rich and powerful love straight, predictable lines. Cats donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

> KEN EISNER

â&#x20AC;&#x153;SANDRA OH, ELLEN PAGE AND DON MCKELLAR lend their voices to this warm and witty animated feature by Ann Marie Fleming.â&#x20AC;?

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;AN ENTERTAINING, EDUCATIONAL, AND POIGNANT TALE about identity and imagination that is filled with stories and poetry.â&#x20AC;?

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;BEAUTIFUL.

A tribute to poetry, especially the deep, rich history of the art form in Iran.â&#x20AC;?

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from page 60

RYAN BELLEVILLE Canadian comedian and actor performs three nights of standup.

Mar 9-11, The Comedy MIX (1015 Burrard).

Tix $15-20, info www.thecomedymix.com/.

straight choices

OWEN BENJAMIN Standup comedian and actor known for appearing on The House Bunny and Jack and Jill. Mar 9-11, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club (2837 Cambie). Tix $19.05, info www.yukyuks.com/vancouver/.

SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO American standup comedian performs on his Why Would You Do That Tour. Mar 11, 6 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix $250/59.75/49.75 (plus service charges and fees) at www.voguetheatre.com/.

TEEN ANGST NIGHT Sara Bynoe hosts an evening of comedic readings of bad poetry, journals, stories, and essays. Mar 11, 8-10 pm, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Tix $15/10, info www.sarabynoe.com/shows/teen-angst/.

LADIES AGAINST HUMANITY Funny Vancouver women perform comedy based on the cult-hit card game Cards Against Humanity. Mar 15, 8-10 pm, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix $10, info www.thefictionals.com/.

LITERARY EVENTS 2THIS WEEK GROWING ROOM Feminist literary festival features appearances by Amber Dawn, Marianne Apostolides, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Carleigh Baker, Adèle Barclay, Meghan Bell, Juliane Okot Bitek, Ali Blythe, Nicole Breit, Kat Cameron, Roxanne Charles, Cyndia Cole, Karla Comanda, Lorna Crozier, Francine Cunningham, Jen Currin, Dina Del Bucchia, Junie Désil, Samantha deVriesHofman, Dora Dueck, barbara findlay, Cynthia Flood, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Chantal Gibson, Hiromi Goto, Jane Eaton Hamilton, Rachel Hartman, Leah Horlick, Aislinn Hunter, June Hutton, Kyla Jamieson, Rachel Jansen, Evelyn Lau, Jen Sookfong Lee, Alex Leslie, Christine Lowther, Audrey Thomas, and more. Mar 8-12, various Vancouver venues.

Info www.roommagazine.com/festival/.

LAUGHTER CRAFTER Canadian standup Ryan Belleville started spinning jokes on-stage at the age of 17 and he hasn’t stopped since.

In the ensuing couple of decades, he’s racked up as many stats as he has laughs: he became the youngest person to tape his own Comedy Now! special for CTV; he’s appeared multiple times at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and CBC’s The Debaters; and he was a series regular on the FOX sitcom Life on a Stick.

There’s much more, but what you are probably figuring out by now is that the guy is funny—crafting an act that falls somewhere between brutally honest (we love his “I hate the gym” bit) and fearlessly silly. Catch him Thursday to Saturday (March 9 to 11) at the Comedy MIX—but don’t expect a kid anymore: one of Belleville’s funnier bits these days is about the fact he’s officially a dirty old man.

GALLERIES

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, 604-662-4719, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/.

2WE COME TO WITNESS: SONNY ASSU IN DIALOGUE WITH EMILY CARR (Sonny 2THIS WEEK Assu creates a new series of digital tags on a body of Emily Carr paintings) CHUTZPAH FESTIVAL Celebration of to Apr 23 2SUSAN POINT: SPINDLE Jewish performing arts features dance, theWHORL (exhibition surveys Point’s entire atre, comedy, and music by local, Canadian, career through more than a hundred and international artists. To Mar 13, Norman artworks that take the spindle whorl as and Annette Rothstein Theatre (950 W. their starting point) to May 28 2PACIFIC 41st). The event also runs at York Theatre, CROSSINGS: HONG KONG ARTISTS IN Scotiabank Dance Centre, and Biltmore VANCOUVER (exhibition presents works Cabaret. Tix $23-50 (plus service charges from well-known Hong Kong artists creand fees), info www.chutzpahfestival.com/. ated after their relocation to Vancouver throughout the 1960-90s) to May 28 FUSE: REFUSE Evening of art, music, 2HOWIE TSUI: RETAINERS OF ANARCHY and performance featuring audio by (solo exhibition featuring new work from Julian Hou with You’re Me, hospitalHowie Tsui that considers wuxia as a narity by Elaine (Derya Akay and Anne rative tool for dissidence and resistance) Low), dance by Justine Chambers, and to May 28 performance by Ron Tran. Mar 10, 8 pm, Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby).

MUSEUMS Tix $24, info www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/.

ET CETERA

SPRING BURLESQUE SHOWCASE Kitty Nights presents 10 performances of innovative burlesque. Includes intermission go-go dancing and a postshow dance party. Mar 12, 8-11 pm, Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward). Tix $10, info www.kittynights.com/.

THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, 604-8225087, www.moa.ubc.ca/. 2LAYERS OF INFLUENCE: UNFOLDING CLOTH ACROSS CULTURES (exhibition features more than 130 diverse cultural garments, from Japanese kimonos, to colourful Indian saris, to the elaborate feather cloaks of the Maori people of Aotearoa/New Zealand) to Apr 9 2AMAZONIA: THE RIGHTS OF NATURE (exhibition features Amazonian basketry, textiles, carvings, feather works, and ceramics both of everyday and of ceremonial use, representing indigenous, Maroon, and white settler communities) Mar 10–Jan 28, 2018

CURATORS ON CURATING: KRISTY TRINIER Banff Centre director of visual, digital, and media arts Kristy Trinier discusses her work and the work of others.

Mar 13, 11:30 am–12:30 pm, Charles H. Scott Gallery (Emily Carr University, 1399 Johnston, Granville Island). Info www.kristytrinier.ca/.

TIME OUT ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

WOMEN’S ART: WOMEN’S ISSUES Join curator Beth Carter and education programmer Samantha Nock in a guided tour and discussion on themes of indigenous women’s art and issues in the exhibition Judy Chartrand: What a Wonderful World. Mar 11, 2 pm, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art (639 Hornby).

Tix $11, info www.billreidgallery.ca/.

62 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

MUSIC

Guess which member of Vancouver pop-rock trio the Courtneys has never watched so much as a single football game in her life, but did see Straight Outta Compton. Lindsey Byrnes photo.

Summery songs of heartache

“I like that our songs are fun and make people happy and whatnot,” Payne comments, “but sometimes for me they don’t really follow that vibe at all. I’m glad that it comes across that they’re deeper on this album.”

The new record has The Courtneys are known for their catchy garage pop, been a long time coming. but the Vancouver trio’s lyrics go to deeper and darker places Having kept fans in suspense for four years, the Right around the time that Vancouver cult band credits The Courtneys II’s slow genesis to its favourites the Courtneys were beginning to write inclination, as Payne sings on “Tour”, to “slack off their second album, lead vocalist and drummer and hit the open road”. Landing opening spots for

BY KATE W ILSON Jen Twynn Payne was the victim of an unpro- indie giant Mac DeMarco and pop darlings Tegan voked attack in the Downtown Eastside. and Sara, the three-piece spent time in the interven“I used to live in the area,” Payne recalls, reached ing years playing around the globe—which, coupled in a Vancouver café after her ballet class, where, she with their focus on fun, meant the band members tells the Straight, she’s comically bent over a plug felt little pressure to release a quick follow-up. socket so her phone doesn’t run out of battery dur“We’re just really slow,” Payne says with a laugh. ing the interview. “I was walking home one night “We pretty much jam once a week, no more than from my aunt’s, and this woman just hit me in the that. It was like we were writing the album once a face with a bat. I passed out, and the next thing I re- week. When we do write stuff we’re really picky, so member is some hot firemen taking me to the hos- we threw a lot of songs away. I feel like the way that pital. It was crazy. I had two black eyes for months.” we operate is that we have this line of, ‘Okay, we’re A staunch believer in writing about her own just enjoying ourselves.’ And if it ever crosses that experiences, Payne used the unexpected attack as line to where we’re doing something for some other inspiration for “Iron Deficiency”, a standout track reason, and we’re not having fun, we take a step back on the band’s long-awaited LP The Courtneys II. and re-evaluate. Because we’re always trying to do “The context surrounding that song was really what’s most gratifying for us, it’s a longer process.” dark,” she remembers. “As well as that incident, I was Geographical differences have also played a also really struggling with my day job as an archival part in the trio’s productivity. After finishing the researcher for true-crime TV shows. My job was to album, guitarist Courtney Loove relocated to Los get hold of crime-scene photos and court documents Angeles, and bassist Sydney Koke took up resiand give them to the editors. I was looking at a lot of dence in Strasbourg, France. Now reuniting in the very intense images every day. So I was stuck in a dif- city where the Courtneys began, the band is exficult life moment where I really wanted to move out, cited to return to Vancouver for its album-releaseand also quit my job. Which is funny, if you think party show, and the first concert of its upcoming about it, because the song is really catchy.”

25-date North American headline tour.

“It’s exciting because we haven’t played here in a Payne’s description rings true for a number of the tracks on the Courtneys’ new record. Al- while, and it will be great to see Courtney and Sydthough famed for its summery and whimsical ney again,” Payne says. “We chat every single day, but garage pop, the group has peppered most of the we’re mostly talking about band stuff, so I don’t really songs on its second full-length offering with more know what they’re doing in their everyday lives.

“We’ve done headline shows before.” she conmelancholy lyrics. Upbeat “Minnesota”, rich with major-key guitar riffs and a driving drumbeat, tinues, “but not a full tour. The Vancouver show details an inability to “talk to those around you”, will be special, particularly because the album just while catchy melodies duel with the heartache of came out, but also because there’s a lot of stuff gomissing the eponymous protagonist of “Frankie”. ing on for us. It’s the first time we’ll be physically

CHECK THIS OUT

TA-TA TROUBLE Azealia Banks had a warrant issued

Monday for her arrest after she missed a court date to face the charge of biting a female bouncer on the boob back in 2015.

The rapper was in France for Paris Fashion Week, salivating at the side of the city’s runways.

ALL OF THE STARS Ed Sheeran told Rolling Stone he slept

CELTICFEST VANCOUVER If major life regrets include

not catching one of the Dropkick Murphys’ fabled St. Patrick’s Day shows in Boston, you’ve got a local option to take the sting out of things. CelticFest Vancouver runs from Friday (March 10) to March 18. Over nine hopefully Guinness-fuelled days you can catch some of the city’s most enduring Shamrock-flavoured acts, including Tiller’s Folly, Delhi 2 Dublin, the Wheat in the Barley, the Paperboys, and the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. If your teeth end up a greenish brown, you’ll be well prepped for that trip to Dublin (the one in Ireland, not Kentucky). Go to www.celticfestvancouver.com/ for full details. -

The Courtneys play a Courtneys II release party at the Biltmore on Tuesday (March 14).

in + out

The Courtneys’ Jen Twynn Payne sounds off on the things that enquiring minds want to know.

On public bathing: “We used to have this tradition where after we were done practising, we would go to the YMCA downtown, and get in the hot tub. We’ve had a lot of great band meetings in there. Whenever we’re together, it’s become a ritual that we have to go to some spa, or hot springs, or whatever. So at the end of the tour, we’re going to this crazy nude hot springs in Portland. I’m excited for that. Is it better than the YMCA hot tub? We’ll have to see.”

On getting signed to seminal indie label Flying Nun: “When we started, I remember finding their email, and deciding to write them a letter. Kind of like a fan letter, almost. We sent them our first music video, telling them we loved them. A couple of months later, they responded. They hadn’t seen our email because it went into their spam folder, but their intern had been playing our first record a lot. Flying Nun said, ‘We really like you, and we want to distribute your record in New Zealand.’

Once we’d finished recording the second album, we emailed the rough mix to them and started talking about releasing it together. We’re the only non-New Zealand act they’ve ever signed.”

On working on true-crime TV shows: “I felt really weird about why the victims’ families wanted to be involved. I know a lot of them used it as a kind of therapy, but I felt like we were using their story for entertainment.

It made me realize that I’d rather be working in the justice system than making a TV show about crime.”

MUSIC Let’s talk about

You gotta see

selling the records, and we have some new merch that we’re really happy about. And the bands that we’re playing with on the Vancouver date are great.

It’s going to be a really fun time.” -

with some of Taylor Swift’s famous pals when he toured with her in 2013. That’s impressive, because Swift’s squad includes top models, and because, well, have you seen Ed Sheeran?

INSTANT FAN According to TMZ, rapper Young Thug

has been accused of slapping a woman who was arguing with his fiancée out front of an Atlanta club. Chris Brown promptly phoned to ask if the MC was into collaborating again.

TRUMP FEST ’17 South By Southwest has clarified the

terms of its artist contract, which seems to threaten foreign acts with deportation for playing unofficial shows during the fest: “SXSW does not have the power to deport anyone.” Well, duh.

Fresh and local YY AN UNEVEN ELEVEN Peanuts and Corn isn’t the most prolific label, putting out only one or two records a year. When you consider, however, that the local imprint’s head, rapper mcenroe, also produces pretty much everything it releases, that number seems more impressive. Yy’s An Uneven Eleven bears all the hallmarks of mcenroe’s work: spare beats that favour head-nodding grooves and atmosphere over hooks. Sure, Yy lives in Winnipeg, but screw it: this is as “Vancouver” a hip-hop record as you’ll hear this year. Yy is a student of the old school of backpack rap, almost to a fault. With his lyrical reference points including Kool Moe Dee and Organized Konfusion—to say nothing of track titles that include “Veteran’s Day” and “Of Another Time”—he clearly has no interest in keeping things current. And good for him, because modern life is rubbish. MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 63

MUSIC

Subversive Dirtwire relishes sonic diversity As political statements go, Dirtwire’s newly

“Any time you celebrate a culture that’s being ostracized, especially right now in America, that’s a good thing,” Satori says. “We wear mariachi pants on-stage as part of our look because we’re celebrating the music. We feel like we come from Mexicali—we’re in a place that’s just as much Mexico as it is California. So when we play, we dedicate songs to our brothers and sisters south of the border. We’re so not for the wall that we’re even talking about trying to do an antiwall show in Tijuana. So, yeah, a lot of what we do is a lot of political statement, but not where we’re being super-direct.”

2 released Showdown is as sneakily subversive

as it is powerful, starting with the album’s title.

“It’s us trying to take some action,” says the San Francisco electro collective’s cofounder David Satori, on the line from nearby Oakland.

“This is a time in history where everything is a showdown thanks to different political views.

Our overarching message is that we’re for an all-inclusive global culture—one where we are able to celebrate each other’s beauty.”

Fittingly, then, Showdown is a record that’s all about building bridges. Dirtwire—which includes Satori’s fellow multi-instrumentalists Evan Fraser and Mark Reveley—bills itself as a band that “sits on the front porch of Americana’s future”. And to truly understand the sentiment behind that, start with Showdown’s radical reimagining of “Lost Highway”, which was made famous in 1951 by pioneering country legend Hank Williams.

Starting out with one dusty boot in Krautrock Berlin and the other in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, Dirtwire’s take on the classic is about a million miles removed from the world of Gilfillan tube radios and 78rpm records. But not satisfied with pushing Americana forward there, the trio pull a radical U-turn halfway through the proceedings, riding exotic and haunting Middle Eastern strings across the finish line.

“In that song we’re actually singing in an East African melodic scale with ‘Now you’re rolling down the losssst highwayyyyy.’ And that’s not how Hank Williams would have done it,” Satori says with a laugh.

And, whether the members of Dirtwire are embracing their inner beatmakers or breaking out world-music instruments like the mbira, cümbüş, or kalimba, the mixing of different worlds doesn’t stop there. Showdown starts out in territory that will be familiar to most Americana fans, with the guitars in the bigbeat blues explosion “Struttin’ ” authentic enough for Black Betty and the harmonicahonking “Shishkabob” coming on like Wolfman Jack doing trailer-park funk.

But halfway through the record there’s a shift, with “Mueve Mueve” built around tribal vocals that sound straight outta Africa, and the sung-in-Spanish “Viento” lighting out for the sun-parched Mexican border.

> MIKE USINGER

Dirtwire plays the Rickshaw next Wednesday (March 15).

Ben Allison writes tuneful songs, even though he’ll never sing them Bassist Ben Allison was forever changed when he heard ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man”.

The sonic exploring is rooted in Dirtwire’s belief that—sorry, Donald Trump—it’s multiculturalism that has really made America great.

“I’m from Vermont, but I always had an affinity for Berkeley and the Bay Area because of the San Francisco music scene from the ’60s and ’70s,” Satori says. “I was a big fan of that music growing up, and still am. When I first came here I really loved the diversity—it’s one of the most diverse places in the whole country with all kinds of different ethnicities and cultures mixed together, especially in the East Bay, where we live. I’m a big fan of musics from around the world, so being able to go see gamelan music and then West African music, and then amazing Indian music and then Middle Eastern music—all within a couple of blocks—is really special.”

Once upon a time, the United States was the kind of place that welcomed immigrants, with other cultures changing not just the country’s social fabric, but also its artistic landscape. Dirtwire is determined to bring back that embracing of others, and not just in the studio. Consider the band’s favoured stage attire, which, quite intentionally, makes a brilliantly subversive statement.

Generally, one thinks of jazz musicians as

2 writing riffs or tunes or, if we want to get

words first, and then seeing what notes might go along with them.”

Wait a minute: Paul Simon? Now there’s a New York story.

“I was walking down the street with my bass, and he called me from the other side of the street,” Allison says. “Like, ‘Hey, bass player!’ Sometimes that happens and you’re just like, ‘Yeah, whatever, dude…’ But this time I looked over and went, ‘Wow, that looks like Paul Simon,’ so I walked over and said, ‘Hey, man, what’s going on?’

“He said, ‘You know, my dad was a bass player.’ And then 45 minutes later we’re still hanging out on the corner, talking about music. But New York is like that. If you live in New York long enough, you just kind of get used to it.”

Despite Simon’s input, Allison isn’t about to start singing on-stage. “I would never inflict that on anyone,” he says, laughing. “I don’t see that happening.” But even those who prefer their songs to be sung would do well to check his music out. For one thing, his touring band has two sublimely melodic soloists in the form of guitarist Steve Cardenas, Allison’s bandmate for more than a decade, and trumpet player Kirk Knuffke, a relatively new addition who can pivot from sweet tunefulness to abstract sound with impressive ease. (Versatile drummer Allan Mednard rounds out the quartet.)

Making things even more rock- and popfriendly is that on this tour Allison and band will be concentrating on new material, much of which finds the leader on electric bass for the first time since he was in high school. There’s a story behind that, too.

“For the last few years, Steve Cardenas and I have been going to the Philippines every year to play,” Allison explains. “And in the Philippines, it’s like 95 degrees and super humid: not conducive to acoustic basses, which are held together with hide glue. There was no way I was going to subject my bass to that, so I thought, ‘Well, why don’t I pull my electric out of the closet?’

“I started to really dig into it, so on this tour I’ve been playing quite a bit of electric—and it’s been so much fun! It’s a very different instrument, but it has its own set of possibilities.”

all vernacular, heads. But, talking to bassist and bandleader Ben Allison, I find myself asking a question about his songs—and it turns out to be an inspired mistake.

“It’s funny you should say songs,” the New York City–based musician replies, by phone from a tour stop in Fort Bragg, California. “I have, for almost my entire professional career, written almost exclusively instrumental music. But, you know, in the last 10 years or so, I’ve been increasingly thinking about the tunes almost as if they were songs, only without lyrics—and sometimes I actually write lyrics that I don’t perform. The idea of writing music that you could sing, in a way, forces you into a certain kind of lyricism, with melodies that have a certain character.

“Actually, I had an interesting conversation with Paul Simon about that recently,” Allison continues. “We were talking about songwriting and song phrasing. You know, we were comparing our two approaches, him obviously being a songwriter. And he’s like, ‘The lyrics are the first thing I work on, and then I can put a melody to > ALEXANDER VARTY that.’ And I’m the other way around; I think of melodies and maybe see if I can find some lyrics.

But now I’m starting to approach it more along Ben Allison plays the Western Front on Friday the lines of what he does: thinking about actual (March 10)

Blasphemy’s black metal is far from dead

A

sk your average Vancouver metalhead to list the progenitors of black metal—a movement to restore evil and brutality to the genre—and they’ll probably start in 1980s Scandinavia, with bands like Bathory and Mayhem. They might name-check England’s Venom. But they probably won’t mention Blasphemy, which came together in Vancouver back in 1984, around the time that Mayhem was just getting started.

At that time, Blasphemy’s singer Gerry Buhl, who performs under the name Nocturnal Grave Desecrater and Black Winds (or Black Winds for short), was a teen. His musical tastes involved “basically, anything I could get my hands on that was really fuckin’ Not pictured here are Blasphemy members Vengeful Oviraptor and Foul brutal”, he tells the Straight by phone.

Stench of Defecation, Luciferan Majesty and Sandpaper Handjob, and Nigel.

That ranged from punk like Discharge and GBH to the early demo femur or whatever,” he says with an in Vancouver and Victoria, though it tapes of Flint, Michigan, grindcore in- evil chuckle. “Especially when I was also toured the U.S. and Europe. novators Repulsion, known at the time just awarded a silver-plated shovel “There were some metal bands as Genocide. (“They had the fastest from the Ross Bay Cult!” around” in Vancouver at that time, But while there was plenty of talk of he remembers, “but more thrash/ drummer going, his name was Dave Grave. Oh, man, they were fucking Satanism in 1980s metal, there wasn’t death/speed-metal-type bands, like much, locally or elsewhere, quite as Witches Hammer. That’s who we outstanding, they were ballistic.”)

Black Winds scoured zines and intense as the music Nocturnal Grave generally played with.”

Desecrater and traded tapes; the Then, starting in 1994, the band Black Winds had took a long hiatus, not playing localthank-yous inin his head. cluded in Blasly until the early 2000s.

“I can’t figphemy’s 1990 If Blasphemy has been absent from Allan MacInnis ure out too many stages in Vancouver since then, the debut, Fallen Angel of Doom, include scores of pub- bands that were like us then,” he group has built up massive respect lications and artists who inspired says. “I just knew that I wanted to in Europe, with heavy hitters like outdo them, like, shut ’em down. Behemoth’s Nergal and Mayhem’s the band or showed support.

He also had an interest in Satan- Like Slayer—that’s a pretty hard act late founder Euronymous paying reism and demonology, though he to shut down! I mean, those guys are spects in interviews. Studio albums doesn’t go into detail when asked brilliant musicians. But we weren’t like 1990’s Fallen Angel of Doom and about his association with the Ross looking to be brilliant musicians, we live outings like last year’s DesecraBay Cult, a Vancouver Island group just wanted to be brutal on-stage.” tion of São Paulo—Live in Brazilian with ties to the band that’s centred It took a while for Blasphemy— Ritual Third Attack have found a dearound the storied Ross Bay Cem- which used to cover Slayer’s “Chem- voted underground audience. etery. (The graveyard was the back- ical Warfare”—to realize its own Beherit has covered Blasphemy’s drop for some of the rituals that vision. “We were pretty poor, as “War Command”. Fenriz of Darkinspired the infamous satanic-panic far as being able to record,” Black throne included the band’s atmosbook Michelle Remembers.)

Winds remembers. “And our first pheric, creepy “Winds of the “Y’know, I wouldn’t want to be gig wasn’t until 1988.”

Black Godz”—made with tape caught in some unlucky boneyard In its initial incarnation, the band manipulations and slowed-down, digging up a corpse or a skull or a played somewhere around 20 shows back-masked German opera—on a

Local Motion

64 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

compilation (Fenriz Presents… The Best of Old-School Black Metal).

You can even get a backhanded sense of their importance through what some might call a disrespectful poke in Metallica’s recent video for “ManUNkind”. The clip—which riffs on the tropes of black metal—features the cast members of the upcoming Lords of Chaos movie playing Metallica’s instruments. Metallica’s logo is altered to ape Mayhem’s in the video, and a Blasphemy T-shirt is seen on the faux band’s drummer.

“They’re just making a joke of black metal,” Black Winds says of the video.

“What a bunch of jokers! I mean, I’m not out makin’ fun of them. I grew up loving Kill ’Em All, that was one of the albums that got me on the go.”

There’s a long list of other bands that Black Winds shouts out to, including Vancouver’s Antichrist, Edmonton’s Revenge, Sweden’s Watain and Nifelheim, and Brazilian acts like Goatpenis and Sarcófago. Another favourite, Mystifier, has the unusual distinction, in the sometimes racially intolerant world of black metal, of having members who—like Blasphemy’s lead guitarist, Caller of the Storms—are actually black.

Blasphemy also owes a nod to Florida’s Black Witchery, with which it presently shares a drummer, Vaz. (Other current members include DeathLörd of Abomination and War Apocalypse on rhythm guitar, and “on and off” bassist VK666.)

The most relevant of the bands Black Winds pays respects to, however, is Finland’s Archgoat, which will be coheadlining an upcoming and rare local appearance by Blasphemy at the Rickshaw.

“We’ve been turning down Vancouver gigs,” Black Winds says, “but we thought this time we would say yeah, because we have played at least 10 shows in Europe with Archgoat and they’re pretty good

friends of ours. So it’s kind of hard to say no!”

So what are the most extreme things Black Winds has seen in his years on the metal scene?

He vividly recalls a gig in the 1990s in Freiberg where “the whole front row yarded out a bunch of box cutters and just really shredded up their arms. I happened to be wearing a shirt of another favourite band of ours, Blood, and they scooped me up off the stage and that Blood shirt got pretty bloody, I tell ya.”

He pauses. “It’s not something I would do myself. I wouldn’t want to hack up my tattoos.”

Surprisingly, though, some of the most violent shows he’s seen were in Vancouver. “I saw one particular thing at the Waterfront where two guys were holding a guy like a battering ram, and rammed him through the front doors. And I guess it was at the Town Pump where the crowd went a little crazy. There were a couple of other bands playing.”

Among those bands was Procreation, featuring a bassist, Jay Martin, who was later briefly in Blasphemy.

“A couple cops got beat up the second they walked in the door,” Black Winds continues. “I’d never seen that happen anywhere before!”

There is another story, findable online, about how former drummer 3 Black Hearts of Damnation and Impurity assaulted a cop and ended up doing time. While that sort of thing might—might—have seemed cool to a younger man, I confess to Black Winds that at age 48 (the same age as the gravel-throated singer, it transpires), I don’t have a lot of desire for that kind of drama in my life.

Neither does Black Winds, I’m relieved to hear. Or as he puts it, “I got no time for jail!” Blasphemy plays the Rickshaw Theatre on Sunday (March 12).

MUSIC

This is already a freaky year

R

egardless of what happens Tavern regular will tell you, is Midover the next nine months dle-earth speak for “You’re fired!” and 23 days, when the Meanwhile, Depeche Mode was time capsules are dusted suddenly back in the news for the off 100 years from now, 2017 will be most bizarre of reasons: American remembered as the year that shit got white supremacist Richard Spenbeyond crazy. cer declared the famously progresAnd by “crazy”, we don’t mean sive trio “the official band of the Jack White’s recent revelation that alt-right”, this having everything he’s got a private bowling alley in to do with his being a lifelong fan. his house with Bob Dylan’s personal Because that’s kind of like Ted NuJohn Wayne–emblazoned ball as part gent calling PETA a friend to bow of his collection. hunting, it surprised no one that Let’s blame Donald Trump for Depeche Mode asked Spencer to go turning the world as we once knew it fuck himself, but not before permacompletely upside down. Thanks to nently deleting Construction Time the man Americans are now dubbing Again, Violator, and Music for the SCROTUS (So-Called Ruler of the Masses from his iPod. United States), we’ve got poor tortured Elsewhere, Michael McDonald of Lana Del Rey publicly embracing the the Doobie Brothers is suddenly and dark arts. Forget inexplicably cool singing about beagain, dueting ing born to die, with everyone fucking her way from Thundercat Mike Usinger to the top, and to Solange (who’s how her pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola, finally becoming known for somethese days the States’ most enchanting thing other than being the Knowles chanteuse is taking to Twitter to sug- sister not named Beyoncé, and begest her fellow citizens use witchcraft ing the woman who tried to punch to get rid of Trump. out Jay-Z in an elevator).

February 23 found the singer But one of the greatest signs yet that cryptically posting the following: this year is headed for the Freaky Hall “At the stroke of midnight Feb 24, of Fame came this week, courtesy March 26, April 24, May 23. Ingredi- of Father John Misty. The man who ents can b found online.” For those looks more like an urbane Amish not trained in the Wiccan arts, the hair farmer than one of alternative ingredients in question include a America’s most colourful stars rolled “tiny stub of an orange candle”, out a new song in which he seemingly a bowl of water, a Tower tarot card, suggests he might enjoy having carnal and—in the not-exactly-difficult-to- relations with Taylor Swift. unearth category—“an unflattering Father John—a.k.a. Josh Tillman— photograph of Donald Trump”. is hardly the first high-profile artist As for what you do with those sup- to leave folks thinking he’d happily plies at midnight over the next three use America’s reigning sweetheart crescent moons (that would be the as his own personal Fleshlight; recall three remaining dates above), Goo- Kanye West last year rapping “I feel gle “Extranewsfeed + A Spell to Bind like me and Taylor might still have Donald Trump and All Those Who sex” in “Famous”.

Abet Him”. Don’t forget to yell “So The former evangelical Christian mote it be!” at the end of the proceed- (Misty, not Kanye) has copped to a ings, which, as every Storm Crow fascination with Tay-Tay before, and

Pop Eye

has recorded covers of her songs. Last year Tillman reminisced with Rolling Stone about seeing Swift in Australia while he was on acid: “It was holy. It was psychedelic. She fully impregnated my dilated soul with her ideology.”

So should we be surprised that Misty’s new song “Total Entertainment Forever” contains the line “Bedding Taylor Swift every night inside the Oculus Rift/After mister and the missus finish dinner and the dishes”?

Well, yes, because it turns out, in yet another bizarre 2017 surprise, that Father John doesn’t actually want to bang the living snot out of Swift.

The 35-year-old is now telling anyone who will listen that the song is actually his way of holding up a mirror to the disgusting throng that is modern western civilization. More specifically, he’s worried that our endless appetite for new and more realistic forms of entertainment is leading us down a path to where, before long, we’ll be able to have virtual sex with any celebrity we choose.

Including Donald Trump.

As Misty told Exclaim!, “That face recognition stuff? I mean, there are people working on it right now. It’s absurd. Someone sitting with this headset on, you know? Oh God, it’s just—how many different ways do human beings need to masturbate?”

At least Misty clarified all this with the caveat that he definitely wouldn’t want Swift to have to have sex with him, virtual or otherwise, because that was possibly the “worst thing” he could think of.

And then, a day later, someone came up with something worse, as news broke that Korean K-pop girl group Mamamoo had debuted a video where they cover the Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars hit “Uptown Funk” in blackface.

Mamamoo is now apologizing to anyone who will listen. It’s going to be a long, strange year. -

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Tei Shi comes out of hiding LOCAL DIS CS TEI SHI Crawl Space (Arts & Crafts)

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years between Vancouver, Colombia, and Quebec before hitting music school in Massachusetts, and then finally settling in New York. It was in Boston that she hooked up with producer Gianluca Buccellati, who has been a frequent collaborator ever since. Buccellati helped make Tei Shi’s first releases, the EPs Saudade (2013) and Verde (2015), as well as her cover of Beyoncé’s “No Angel”, which set the blogosphere ablaze in 2014.

Tei Shi is no mere singer, though, on Crawl Space. For all of Buccellati’s input, Tei Shi owns her music as a writer-producer. In fact, she tried to hide herself in her early music, blending her vocals into a layer rather than making them the focal point lest she be boxed in by misogynistic creative assumptions.

She has spent a fair amount of time hiding, in general. Fear of the dark led a young Teicher to spend time in her claustrophobic crawlspace in order to overcome it. If nothing else, Buccellati helped her come out of her shell so she could share more of herself with us, and Tei Shi has put herself way out there with Crawl Space. There is as much creativity as vulnerability on this album. Her gorgeous voice projects confidently as she explores deep yet relatable autobiographical themes, while her instrumentals deconstruct pop and R&B like a more polished Evy Jane or a less eccentric Grimes.

Her whole life has led to this album, and she has clearly grown up well. > ALAN RANTA

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Swerving Lines (Pizza/Pop)

Protestants first banded to-

century as a strict and joyless bunch of dissenters looking to purify the church. Postpunk trio Puritans follows a different kind of doctrine, one that’s been developed in skid bars and DIY squats over the last 40 years via brooding baritone vocals and fuzz-filthy distortion. Both will find their followers, though the musical Puritans’ new Swerving Lines EP is easier to swallow than a life of moralistic servitude.

“Self Control” begins with a wash of effect-soaked feedback, a propulsive thud, and a maple-sticky bass groove, the band’s death-rock feel accentuated by bleakly growled lines like “bodies push, bodies fall” and verbal images of burning gardens. A melancholy discordance takes over the midsection, but Puritans takes the piece towards an interesting finale with a posi-vibes-smooched change into a major key. “Helping Hands” finds bassist-vocalist Cameron Davenport smoothing out his singing voice, using a beguilingly caustic croon to ask someone to “softly constrict me with your helping hands”.

Though the EP is generally surging with the kind of guitarbass-drum tension exemplified

by Southern Death Cult or local creepers Spectres, crystal-coated keyboard work takes the lead on melodic highlight “This Weight”.

We’re blessed for the change-up. A different kind of Puritan might not have been as bold about working off-script. > GREGORY ADAMS

254 East Hastings | liveatrickshaw.com UPCOMING SHOWS

MAR 10 HAWKING WITH UGLY MEN, VAULTRY, ELYSIAN SUN MAR 12 ARCHGOAT & BLASPHEMY WITH VALKYRJA, WEREGOAT, HELLFIRE DEATHCULT MAR 29 KREATOR, OBITUARY, MIDNIGHT, HORRENDOUS 66 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

GENTLE PARTY Jouska (Independent)

Bring on the vinyl!

I’m listening to a download of local chamber-pop innovators Gentle Party’s first album, and my computer speakers just aren’t cutting it—not because Jouska isn’t a good recording, but because there’s just too much go-

2

We’re not totally certain, since we haven’t seen Flashdance in 30 years, but we think Jennifer Beals wore the same outfit Valerie Teicher sports here.

ing on here for anything less than the best in audio-delivery tech.

Gentle Party has the instrumentation of a chamber-music quartet— harp, violin, cello, vocals—but its ambitions are symphonic, and this incredibly assured debut delivers stunning, wide-screen sound. Describing that sound, however, is a lot more difficult than simply falling into it. There are moments here that have a kind of Disney-princess preciousness—the swelling, dreamy “Ghost Writer”, for instance—but harpist Elisa Thorn undercuts the equally impressionistic “Little Tiger”’s sweetness with unsettling electronic swirls and aggressive plucking.

Elsewhere, the band moves a surprising volume of air for a drummerless quartet, cellist Shanto Acharia being largely responsible for its more prog inclinations. Violinist Meredith Bates adds keening, ecstatic melodies, while vocalist Jessica Ylirussi combines jazzy elegance with indie-folk fragility to deliver lyrics that speak of tenderness and vulnerability.

Some Vancouver music pundits have been beating the drum for the return of rock, but what’s far more exciting is that there’s a new crop of bands in town that are forging their own sound with little regard for guitar-bass-and-drum orthodoxy.

There’s always going to be a place for crunchy six-strings, but albums like Jouska and Only a Visitor’s soonto-be-released Lines offer proof that there’s a beautiful world to be won by looking beyond old patterns. > ALEXANDER VARTY

KID KOALA Music to Draw To: Satellite (Arts & Crafts)

It’s been said before but bears re-

2 peating: Eric San is a genius. The

Vancouver native’s latest Kid Koala project, Music to Draw To: Satellite, presents ever more irrefutable evidence of his brilliance.

Fans of his 2011 soundtrack/ graphic novel, Space Cadet, will find familiar ground here, insofar as the album’s theme revolves around two beings tragically separated by space travel, but there is an important distinction. Where Space Cadet was still largely shaped by his incomparable turntable skills, Music to Draw To was composed using synths, keys, guitar, and other odd studio tinkerings, alongside the contributions of Icelandic singer-

songwriter Emilíana Torrini. As a result, its sound is unique in San’s catalogue, a kind of blissfully meditative ambient and mournful postrock that is frequently lifted up into electro-pop territory by the breathy, evocative vocals of Torrini, whose lyrics were written with San, and delivered in earnest. Even if it doesn’t inspire you to draw, it does invite deep contemplation. > ALAN RANTA

SHIT BOYS The Literal Death (Independent)

Whether it’s the rise of Trump’s

2 America or the uncovering of

conservative trolls on this side of the border, there’s an argument to be made that the political climate is making it too depressing to get out of bed anymore. It’s being suggested right on local pop-punk quintet Shit Boys’ debut tape, The Literal Death, where the band contemplates the end of days on the dour, societydamning “I Quit”.

“What’s the point of trying when the system’s rigged,” vocalist Gary Byrne spits over cranked-Marshall power chords in a glass-and-gravelchewing growl. That said, getting behind the mike is a sign that he’s not given up quite yet, the group’s seven-song set acting as a tacit stand against utter complacency.

“Cold Case” tries to shake things up by asking why so many missingpersons cases get dropped. Notably, proceeds from Shit Boys’ recent tape-release show went to WISH Vancouver, which is dedicated to improving the health and safety of women who are involved in the city’s street-based sex trade.

“Ditch the Pitch” is an anthemic shout-out to “the proletariat” delivered with punchy one-two drums and razor-wire guitar hooks in the vein of U.K. legends Leatherface. It’s a formula the Vancouver outfit follows a little too closely, leading to a fairly uniform release. The title track, however, unfortunately stands out quite awkwardly with its clownish, circus-style ascending guitar lead and phaser effects.

The Literal Death tries to make sense of this failing world the best it can. Though Byrne occasionally edges towards hopelessness, it’s clear he’s still got a few upstanding, defiant howls in him before his final breath. > GREGORY ADAMS

music/ timeout CONCERTS < CLUBS & VENUES < OUT OF TOWN <

CONCERTS 2JUST ANNOUNCED CJ RAMONE American punk-rock singersongwriter tours in support of new solo album American Beauty, with guests Big Eyes. May 4, doors 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). Tix on sale Mar 10, 10 am, $17.50 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketfly.com/.

THURSTON MOORE GROUP American rock singer-songwriter and former Sonic Youth member. May 8, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix on sale Mar 10, 10 am, $25 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

don’t miss out!

For up-to-the-minute, searchable Music Time Out listings, visit

www.straight.com

SOUNDS OF SOLIDARITY United Rebellion Productions presents a fundraising concert featuring music by Alita Dupray, Peach Pit, BabyHarry/Kings of Soul, Kimmortal, Steeven K. and Da Godz, and MC Kwasi Thomas. Proceeds help displaced Syrian refugees living in Athens, Greece. May 12, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). Tix $20, info www.rickshawtheatre.com/.

GIRLPOOL Los Angeles punk duo tours in support of upcoming release Powerplant.

May 27, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward). Tix on sale Mar 10, 9 am, $13 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketfly.com/.

A LIFE AQUATIC: A TRIBUTE TO DAVID BOWIE Coastal Jazz presents Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Seu Jorge in a musical tribute to the late David Bowie. Part of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Jun 22, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix $59-76, info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

AN EVENING WITH SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX Coastal Jazz presents the American jazz-fusion group in a concert that reimagines contemporary pop, rock, and R&B hits in older musical styles, from ragtime to Motown. Part of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Jun 30, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe).

Tix $54-70, info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

FVDED IN THE PARK Urban music festival features performances by the Chainsmokers, Wiz Khalifa, PartyNextDoor, Dillon Francis, Ty Dolla $ign, Yellow Claw, Getter, Russ, What So Not, NGHTMRE, Matoma, Madeintyo, Lost Frequencies, Louis the Child, Vanic, Jai Wolf, Kyle, BadBadNotGood, the Funk Hunters, Claptone, Lane 8, 24hrs, Zaytoven, Nebu Kiniza, Nora En Pure, Jax Jones, Harrison Brome, Brasstracks, Night Lovell, Boogie, B Traits, Lophiile, Andrew Luce, So Loki, Kempeh, and Live Evil. Jul 7-8, Holland Park (King George Hwy. & Old Yale Rd., Surrey). Info www.fvdedinthepark.com/.

RANCID AND DROPKICK MURPHYS American punk-rock band coheadlines with American Celtic-punk ensemble on their From Boston to Berkeley Tour, with guests the Selector and Kevin Seconds.

Aug 15, doors 4:30 pm, show 5:30 pm, Thunderbird Arena (6066 Thunderbird Blvd., UBC). Tix on sale Mar 10, 10 am, $60/55/50/40 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

dance, family activities, artisan vendors, food trucks, and beer gardens. Performers include Delhi 2 Dublin, the Paperboys, Tiller’s Folly, Wheat in the Barley, Pat Chessell Band, Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, North Shore Celtic Ensemble, Jocelyn Pettit Band, and Sharon Shannon.

Mar 10-18, various Vancouver venues. Tix and info www.celticfestvancouver.com/.

BLACK MOUNTAIN Canadian psychedelic-rock band, with guest Destroyer.

Mar 10, doors 8 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix $26 (plus service charges and fees) at www.bplive.ca/.

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK English romantic-pop singer (“Release Me”, “The Last Waltz”) performs on his 50th Anniversary Tour. Mar 10-11, 8 pm, River Rock Show Theatre (River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd.). Tix $99.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticket master.ca/.

BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS Canadian roots-rock band featuring singersongwriter-guitarists Colin Linden, Tom Wilson, and Stephen Fearing perform tunes from latest album Kings and Kings, with guest Thompson Wilson. Mar 10, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix $45 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

BLACK MOON OVER ROSS BAY Music by black-metal bands Archgoat, Blasphemy, Valkyrja, Weregoat, and Hellfire Deathcult. Mar 12, 7 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). Tix $30 (plus service charges and fees), info www.rickshawtheatre. com/910/black-moon-over-ross-bayarchgoat-amp-blasphemy-co-headliningvalkyrja-weregoat-hellfire-deathcult/.

THE WOOD BROTHERS American rootsblues band featuring Oliver and Chris Wood tours in support of latest release Paradise. Mar 12, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix $25 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

SHARON SHANNON Irish folk musician incorporates reggae, Cajun, Portuguese, and French Canadian stylings. Mar 12, 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th). $40, info www.roguefolk.bc.ca/concerts/ev17031220.

A MONTH OF TUESDAYS Music on Main presents music by Moravian-folk duo Dálava (Mar 14) and Montreal’s Plumes Ensemble (Mar 21). To Mar 21, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Info www.musicon main.ca/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS PETER BERNSTEIN As part of the jazz scene in New York since the early ’90s, his swinging, effortless guitar sounds have made him one of the most important guitarists of his generation. Presented by Coastal Jazz. Mar 17-18, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club (765 Beatty). Tix $20, info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

STEVE KOZAK BAND The Canadian Pacific Blues Society presents local blues guitarist-vocalist, with guests Matt Rogers, Shawn Hall, Jerry Cook, and Dave Vidal.

Mar 19, doors 6 pm, show 7 pm, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix $20 at Highlife, Zulu, Beat Merchant, Red Cat Records, and www.riotheatretickets.ca/.

U2 Irish rock quartet kicks off its Joshua Tree Tour 2017 by performing the 1987 album in its entirety, with guests Mumford & Sons. May 12, BC Place Stadium (777 Pacific Boulevard). Tix from $35 to $280 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

band (“Sweet Child o’ Mine”, “November Rain”) performs on its Not in This Lifetime Tour. Sep 1, doors 6 pm, show 7:30 pm, BC Place Stadium (777 Pacific Boulevard). Tix $275/150/115/35 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

CLUBS & VENUES ALEXANDER GASTOWN 91 Powell, 778-379-0407. 2THEY. Mar 8 2CANADA LOVES DILLA TOUR Mar 9 2VALLIS ALPS Mar 11 2THE MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOUR Mar 16 2XENIA RUBINOS Mar 22 2NICK HAKIM Mar 25 BACKSTAGE LOUNGE Arts Club Theatre, 1585 Johnston, Granville Island, 604-687-1354. 2THE RAT BASTARDS Mar 8 2ROBOTS AND GODS Mar 10 2EYE BENDER Mar 12 2WORLDBEAT SESSIONS Mar 18 2BRIGHT RED KITE Mar 25

2THIS WEEK

BILTMORE CABARET 2755 Prince Edward, 604-676-0541. 2SEX WITH STRANGERS Mar 10 2JOSEPH Mar 18 2BLACK ATLASS Mar 20 2PRINCESS NOKIA Mar 23 2JEREMY ALLINGHAM, SKYOTE & SOPHIA DANAI Mar 24 2LISA LEBLANC Mar 25 2JAIN Mar 27

CHRISTINE TASSAN ET LES IMPOSTEURES The Rogue Folk Club presents the Canadian Gypsy-jazz ensemble.

Mar 9, 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th).

Tix $30, info www.roguefolk.bc.ca/ concerts/ev17030920/.

CELTICFEST VANCOUVER Celebration of all things Celtic features live music and

FOX CABARET 2321 Main. 2A MONTH OF TUESDAYS Feb 21 2SHRED KELLY Mar 25 FRANKIE’S JAZZ CLUB 765 Beatty, 778727-0337. 2STRONG WOMEN STRONG MUSIC 2017 Mar 8 2PETER BERNSTEIN Mar 17 2CONNOR STEWART & THE BON TEMPS Mar 24 2HEATHER KEIZUR & STEVE CHRISTOFFERSON Mar 26 FUNKY WINKER BEANS 37 W. Hastings.

Evil Bastard Karaoke Experience Sun-Thurs.

THE IMPERIAL 319 Main, 604-868-0494.

2STOP THE PIPELINES; START THE MUSIC Mar 11 2THE WOOD BROTHERS Mar 12 2THE INTERNET Mar 16 2CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH Mar 18 2STRFKR Mar 22 2AGNES OBEL Mar 25 2ALINA BARAZ Mar 28 IVANHOE PUB 1038 Main, 604-608-1444.

Pub with live bands on weekends and open jam night Sun from 4 to 8 pm. Open at 9 am with breakfast and daily food specials. Pool tourney Thu. No cover.

LAMPLIGHTER PUBLIC HOUSE 92 Water, 604-687-4424. Pub trivia with Nice Guys Inc. Tue; bourbon and bingo Wed; Rocksteady with DJs Arems, Hoppa & Rexx Thu; FKYA DJs Fri; DJ Antonia & Friends Sat. MEDIA CLUB 695 Cambie, 604-608-2871.

Live music most nights. 2ALPHA OMEGA & THE LEISURE PRINCIPLE Mar 8 ORPHEUM THEATRE 601 Smithe, 604-6653050. 2COLIN JAMES Mar 8 2PASSENGER Mar 25 2KALEO Apr 4 2TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB Apr 18 2A LIFE AQUATIC: A TRIBUTE TO DAVID BOWIE Jun 22 2RYAN ADAMS Jun 27 2AN EVENING WITH SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX Jun 30 2BRYAN FERRY Aug 13

NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED CUISINE

QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE 650 Hamilton, 604-665-3050. 2THE LAST WALTZ REMEMBERED Apr 4 2CITY AND COLOUR Apr 6 2BRIAN WILSON Apr 8 2THE FLAMING LIPS May 15 2BONNIE RAITT Jun 19 2BILL MAHER Oct 14 REPUBLIC 958 Granville, 604-669-3214.

House, hip-hop, EDM, chart, and reggae.

Open nightly from 10 pm to 3 am.

RICKSHAW THEATRE 254 E. Hastings, 604-681-8915. 2HAWKING Mar 10 2BLACK MOON OVER ROSS BAY Mar 12 2DIRTWIRE Mar 15 2THE DREADNOUGHTS Mar 17 2TRUCKFIGHTERS Mar 21 2TEENAGE FANCLUB Mar 25 2KREATOR Mar 29 RIVER ROCK SHOW THEATRE River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd., 604-247-8900.

2ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK Mar 10-11 2ABBAMANIA Mar 18 ROGERS ARENA 800 Griffiths Way, 604899-7400. 2RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Mar 18 2ARIANA GRANDE Mar 24 2CHRIS STAPLETON Mar 27 2SNOOP DOGG Apr 14 2JOHN MAYER Apr 19 2THE WEEKND Apr 25 2LIONEL RICHIE Apr 27 2JOHN LEGEND Jun 1 2DEF LEPPARD Jun 6 2FUTURE Jun 9 2QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT Jul 2 2J. COLE Jul 18 2NEIL DIAMOND Jul 24 2BRUNO MARS Jul 26 2LADY GAGA Aug 1 2TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Aug 17 2ONEREPUBLIC Aug 21 2NICKELBACK Oct 1 2DEPECHE MODE Oct 25 2ROGER WATERS Oct 28

FAT TUESDAY!

9

Pasta is $ 95 from 5 till 9 Come down for 1/2 price pasta and free live jazz!

BLUEMARTINIJAZZCAFE.COM 1516 YEW STREET, VANCOUVER, BC | 604 428 2691

THE ROXY 932 Granville, 604-331-7999.

2JIM BEAM MAKE HISTORY TALENT SEARCH Mar 9 2DOWNTOWN RIOT, HONEST, THE CROW Mar 10 2WIELER AND COMPANY, BUFFALO JONES Mar 18 2THE HEELS Mar 19 2ROYAL OAK Mar 25 2 SHAUN VERREAULT Mar 30

METALLICA Heavy-metal legends from the States (“Enter Sandman”, “Master of Puppets”), with guests Avenged Sevenfold and Gojira. Aug 14, doors 4 pm, show 6 pm, ST. JAMES HALL 3214 W. 10th, 604-736-3022.

BC Place Stadium (777 Pacific Boulevard).

2CHRISTINE TASSAN ET LES IMPOSTEURES Tix $183/135/81/55.50 (plus service charges Mar 9 2SHARON SHANNON Mar 12 and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

2MARTYN JOSEPH Mar 17 2DAVE GUNNING Mar 25 GUNS N’ ROSES Los Angeles hard-rock

DEPECHE MODE English electronica band performs on its Global Spirit Tour. Oct 25, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Tix on sale Mar 10, 10 am, $125/95/75/49 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

COCO LOVE ALCORN & KHARI WENDELL MCCLELLAND Local singers perform a double-bill of soul and gospel. Mar 9, 7:30 pm, Massey Theatre (735 8th Ave., New West). Tix $35/$25, info www.ticketsnw.ca.

FORTUNE SOUND CLUB 147 E. Pender, 604-569-1758. 2THE COATHANGERS Mar 18 2ISAIAH RASHAD Mar 22 2DELICATE STEVE Mar 26 2KATE TEMPEST Mar 29

BLUE MARTINI JAZZ CAFE 1516 Yew, 604-428-2691. Live jazz, soul, and blues.

COMMODORE BALLROOM 868 Granville, 604-739-4550. 2THE CADILLAC THREE Mar 8 2BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS Mar 10 2CHRONIXX Mar 18 2JAPANDROIDS Mar 20 2THE AGE OF ELECTRIC Mar 24 2MOTHER MOTHER Mar 25 2THE TEA PARTY Mar 31

VENUE 881 Granville, 604-646-0064.

2TRENTEMOLLER Mar 10 2ROYAL TUSK, THE PRETTYS Mar 11 2J. ELIAYE Mar 13 2HAVOK, WARBRINGER Mar 14 2BIG WILD Mar 16 2SAVE FERRIS Mar 18 2LADYHAWKE: CANCELLED Mar 24 2WHY? Mar 25 VOGUE THEATRE 918 Granville, 604-5691144. 2BLACK MOUNTAIN Mar 10 2MØ Mar 17 2ZUCCHERO Mar 22 2CLUB ESKIMO IN VANCOUVER Mar 23 2DAN + SHAY Mar 25 2MARC MARON Mar 26 2BIFFY CLYRO Mar 31 WISE HALL 1882 Adanac, 604-254-5858.

2LIVE AT THE WISE Mar 11 2PETUNIA AND THE VIPERS Mar 13 & 20 2DROP IN ROCK CHOIR Mar 14 2ROSE COUSINS Mar 19 2THREE FOR SILVER Mar 23 2JESSE WALDMAN Mar 24 2VIPER CENTRAL Mar 25

OUT OF TOWN 2THIS WEEK ELTON JOHN English piano-rock superstar tours in support of his latest release Wonderful Crazy Night. Mar 11-12, Save-OnFoods Memorial Centre (1925 Blanshard St., Victoria). Tix at www.sofmc.com/.

TIME OUT MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

MARCH 16

Style Issue to advertise contact 604.730.7020

sales@straight.com MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 67

straight stars

> BY ROSE MARCUS

March 9 to 15, 2017

may be unwanted extras, or health to to let it go and move on.

Mercury into Aries, starting Mon- deal with. You’re only human! hrough the middle of April, day, speeds up the process of getting CANCER Venus retrograde takes us from A to B. June 21–July 22 through a critical reassessARIES Venus retrograde puts you ment, especially regarding fiMarch 20–April 20 under added pressure to come up with nances and relationships. Right now, For the next six weeks, or adjust to something new, but its not the most important relationship to sort out is the one you have with your- Mars in Taurus puts added concen- an easy thing to do. Allow time to feel self. Are you at war or at one? Are you tration on finances and on making your way along. Mars into Taurus, hearing an inner voice speaking more the most of what you have to work starting Thursday, gives you someurgently? Aim to develop the art of with. Even within limitations, Mars thing more tangible to go on. Friday is listening, it is the chief asset offered to loans you more steadiness and re- your better day. Saturday/Sunday, it’s sourcefulness. You may feel done hard to get a good handle on it. you by this cycle.

Venus retrograde in Aries calls for with it, but it may not be done with LEO you to take the primary focus off the you. Sunday, do what you can; reJuly 22–August 23 issue or the other and to put it back on linquish the futile struggle. Some Over the next six weeks, yourself. Are you staying true to your- things cannot be fi xed.

Mars in Taurus will help you to make self, to your better interests? Are your TAURUS better strides. First, there’s Sunday’s actions reflecting the best of you? Are April 20–May 21 full moon to get through. Do as much you getting what you want? When in While Venus travels in as you can on Thursday/Friday while a state of need, fear, or overcompensation, we will act through those filters reverse motion, as of Thursday Mars the getting is good. Ease up for the and tend to override the inner wis- hits Go in Taurus. Together, they aim weekend. Something inconvenient or doms of instinct and intuition. This is to get your attention better on the unexpected could set you back on Sunnot a call toward selfishness, although target and to supply you with enough day. Mercury into Aries, starting Monothers might label the switch to “me fuel to put a move on it. Sunday’s full day, puts you on the upswing again. first” as such. Rather, it is a time for a moon brings an opportunity to fi ll VIRGO in a missing blank, to correct, fi x, or courageous personal regroup.

August 23–September 23 While Venus in Aries prompts you heal. You may have to give up to gain.

Thursday/Friday, take full to break new ground and forge new GEMINI advantage of time and opportunity. responses, Mars in Taurus, starting May 21–June 21 Saturday/Sunday could be write-off Thursday, loans you more staying Venus is now on a social days. Mercury/Saturn and the full power and more consistency. Mars will get you better onto target regard- pullback. As of Thursday, Mars prefers moon are building up to something, ing what is most lucrative or beneficial. quality over quantity. Together, they but you might not see it coming. AcSunday can be a tough or slow go suggest out of sight—or off doing your cept what is, work with what you thanks to the Virgo full moon. Rath- own thing—is the best use of your time have, relinquish the rest. Control or er than see yourself as shortchanged through Sunday. Thursday/Friday can containment is difficult, at best. As or done in, see it as an opportunity to be quite productive. Sunday’s full of Monday/Tuesday, Mercury into make a necessary improvement—or moon can deflate or deplete you. There Aries puts you back in action.

T

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‫ﺐ‬

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LIBRA

September 23–October 23

With so many planetary inf luences in Pisces right now, it’s easy to get lost in your day or in your process. Building to Sunday’s full moon, Mercury/Saturn can water down your effectiveness, keep you uncertain or in the dark.

As of Monday/Tuesday, Mercury in Aries helps you to be quicker on the uptake. Venus retrogrades sharpen your skill at observation and objectivity.

‫ﺕ‬

SCORPIO

October 23–November 22

Mars into Taurus, starting Thursday, pushes you to chase the money down and/or to get it under better control. A social or personal involvement can give you a run for it too. Venus retrograde keeps you searching for more and better. Saturday/Sunday, let yourself off the hook. Things have their own sense of timing. By next Friday, you’ll have worked through plenty.

‫ﺖ‬

SAGITTARIUS

November 22–December 21

HOSPITALITY/FOOD SERVICE

TRADES

$17/hr, Min 1 yrs exp. Speak basic English/Thai an asset. Duties: prepare & cook complete Thai meals,oversee kitchen operations, supervise & train kitchen staffs, maintain inventory & records of food, supplies & equipment.

Thida Thai Restaurant 1193 Davie St. Vancouver BC V6E 1N2 Email: wanchawee_t@hotmail.com

Hiring one full-time Cook TILESETTER

www.straight.com

Glaziers (All Levels)

Install window and door systems for commercial projects. Must have transportation to job site and must be fit as some heavy lifting required.

Send resume to: admin@glastech.ca Fax 604-941-3113 www.glastech.ca

MBS

AESTHETICS $50 Steam plus Massage 604 -709- 6168

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS A Soldier's Guide To Survival Post Trauma Stress Recovery solutions4stress@shaw.ca

CERTIFIED MASSAGE

We Are Hiring!

Front & B F Back k off H House P Positions i i A Available il bl

December 21–January 20

Thursday/Friday can see you accomplish easily and well.

Communication and social connection are on a good f low too. The full moon could put a damper on the weekend. Take it as it comes and don’t dwell on the negatives.

As of Monday, Mercury is on the upswing. The week ahead is prime, put it to good use.

‫ﺋ‬

AQUARIUS

January 20–February 18

Relationships and activities run smooth on Thursday/Friday. Saturday/Sunday, the full moon can put you under extra strain and/ or bring up something unexpected.

It’s a chance to get it fi xed, cleared away, or healed. As of Monday, Mercury into Aries sets you onto a faster upswing. Tuesday/Wednesday, stay flexible; consider more options; take it as it comes.

‫ﺌ‬

PISCES

February 18–March 20

The work is well done Thursday/Friday. The play also nets good reward. Blow off steam this weekend in a healthy way. By Sunday, you may not be able to hold back on speaking up or out.

It’s good to get it out in the open, but try not to let resentment or frustration get the better of you. -

As of Thursday, Mars in Taurus can help you simplify and/or make better gains on what has been giving you a run for it of late. Through the weekend, the full moon can keep you guessing or stressing. Watch for a natural progression to give you better clarity Book a reading or sign up for Rose’s or options. By Monday, Mercury is free monthly newsletter at www.rose marcus.com/astrolink/. on a better cut to the chase.

EMPLOYMENT

ARV Construction Ltd. Salary: $25.25hourly Job Type: FT, Permanent. Minimum Education: High School. Position Available: 1 10207 143A St. Surrey BC V3T 5C1 Main Duties: Prepare, measure and mark surface. Clean and level the surface to be tiled.

May prepare cost estimates and orders.

Work Location: Various locations in Lower Mainland, BC. Qualification: 2 years of relevant experience required.

To apply please send your resume to arvconstructionltd@gmail.com

‫ﺊ‬

CAPRICORN

Facial Rejuvenation & Weight Loss Treatment Black Jade Power Bath. Acupuncture, acupressure, RMT.Laser Rejuvenation and Hair Removal.

Ins acc. Couple Special $68/120min 778-893-3422

Thai Massage

CAREER TRAINING

778-886-3675 D/T.

Leelawadee Thai Spa 889

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CODA: Co-dependency Anonymous 12 step Recovery: 604- 515-5585 Drug & Alcohol Problems?

Free advanced information and help on how quit drinking & using drugs. For more information call Barry Bjornson @ 604-836-7568 or email me @livinghumility@live.com

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CALLBOARD

AUDITIONS

Heart of Richmond - AIDS Society operates a confidential support group for persons with HIV/AIDS, or persons affected (family, friends or care givers) by the disease.

For info - 604-277-5137 www.heartofrichmond.com

United Players of Vancouver Audition Notice Game Of Love and Chance

EDUCATION

Call 604-224-8007 for appt.

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

HOME & GARDEN SERVICES

Mar 11+12 Director Brian Parkinson

THE WONDERS OF THE SALISH SEA Discover the wonders of our coastal waters with the guidance of local scientists, naturalists, and environmentalists.

April 11 to May 2, ages 18+, $30.00/6 sessions 1 Kingsway. 604-257-3080

MOVING & STORAGE TwoGuysWithATruck.com Moving & Storage, Free EST. Visa Okay.

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NAHANEE MOVING Professional Movers 604-782-3973

MUSIC

Work on Vancouver’s Hottest Patio this Summer!

Open House Interviews March 15th-18th from 11am-4pm You can also email your resume to bridgesapplications@gmail.com

@BridgesGI /BridgesRestaurant @BridgesVancouver

bridges Restaurant

1696 Duranleau - Granville Island 604-687-4400

68 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017

LESSONS

Learn ABLETON Live No Experience Required "Hands-on" Workshops. All Gear Supplied.

All Ages Welcome.

One 2hr Ableton Live Workshop: $27 Three x 2hr Intermediate Workshops: $119

www.wiredmusic.ca getwired@wiredmusic.ca

RECORDING STUDIOS Celebrate Canada's 150th in a Professional Studio For 150 days starting April 1, 2017, we are offering full day recording for $150.00 + tx.

Engineers with over 40 yrs. experience.

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Suna Studios Rehearsal M-F 6-12, Sat/Sun 12-12 East Van Hourly ($16.66/hour) & L/O, www.sunastudios.ca 604-563-5460

REPAIRS

BASONE • GUITAR SHOP •

EVERYTHING YOU THINK A

GUITAR

SHOP

LD BE! SHOU

318 E. 5th Ave • 604.677.0311

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MUSICIANS WANTED The Main on Main St. is looking for Wednesday through Saturday night acts. All Genres welcome.

For more info email mainbooking@hotmail.com

Music - Musicians MUSIC

ale. nd om.

LESSONS & WANTED AVAILABLE

OL KITSILANO ROCK SCHO and adults. Fully Rock band classes for kids instruction. Private ied qualif , studio ped equip durms also available. F lessons on guitar, bass & chuk @ 604-737-4984 details contact Dave Danyl hnine.com e-mail daved@noa

$

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70

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DATING SERVICES

CITYLOVE SINGLES CLUB

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Call Susan: 604-771-6512 (Office) 305 s Tower-5811 Cooney Rd, Richmond

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60 4 7 604 738 38 3 3302 3 02 MARCH 9 – 16 / 2017 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 69

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5531 Victoria Dr. & 40th Ave, Vancouver | 604-564-1333

WWW.FOXDEN.CA www.theswedishtouch.com

savage love My wife and I have a decent sex life. Pretty vanilla, but we’re busy with work, chores, and life in general with two small kids, so I can’t complain too much. About a year after having our second kid, I went down on my wife.

As usual, we both enjoyed it greatly.

Unfortunately, about a week later she got a yeast infection. She attributed the YI to the oral, and since then I am strictly forbidden from putting my mouth anywhere near her pussy.

I understand that YI are no fun, painful, and embarrassing. I understand her reluctance. But I’ve never heard of oral sex causing YI, although I realize I might be misinformed. How do I win back her trust to let me go down on her? No one is about to mistake me for Sting when it comes to my endurance during intercourse, so having the ability to pleasure her without penetration is important.

frequency of sex, so it may not happen next time. Also, if her symptoms developed one week later, it could have been pure coincidence.”

A coincidence—that was my hunch when I read your letter, DMG. “Luckily, they are easy to treat— over-the-counter miconazole or the single-dose pill fluconazole—and are basically just a nuisance and present no major health risks,” Denali Luengo said.

I got divorced five years ago after a 15-year marriage that produced two children who are now 13 and six. When their mother moved out, she left pretty much everything.

I took the wedding mementos— dress, video, photo albums—and threw them in a trunk. I have not looked at them since. Last night, my girlfriend of almost a year told me > DIRTY MOUTH GUY she thinks it is “really fucked up” that I still have this stuff. Is it?

“Yeast is not an STI,” said Dr. Anika > BOX OF MEMENTOS BOTHERS Denali Luengo, an OB-GYN in Portland, Oregon. “Yeast (candida) is a It’s not, BOMB. Your marriage is a normal denizen of the vagina, and part of your past—it shaped the man an infection simply means there is you are today, the man your current an overgrowth of it on the vulva or girlfriend claims to love—and your children are a product of that marin the vagina.”

People are likelier to get a yeast riage. Even if you never looked at infection—or likelier to experience those items again, even if they held yeast overpopulation, since yeast is a no sentimental value for you (and it’s citizen of Vagina City—when they’re fine if they do), one day your children on antibiotics, they have diabetes, or might want to see those pictures or their immune system has taken a hit. watch that video or handle that “Oral sex can be a slight risk fac- dress. And any attempt to erase your tor in transmission of candida,” said first marriage—by stuffi ng those Denali Luengo, “but the frequency items down the memory hole—could of candidiasis is not increased by the be interpreted by your children as

> BY DAN SAVAGE evidence that you would have erased them too, if you could have.

Your girlfriend is a grownup, and she needs to act like one. She’s free to think it’s fucked up that you still have those wedding mementos, of course, but it’s ultimately none of her business and she needs to STFU about it.

I’m a 31-year-old

gay man.

I grew up in a conservative town and got a late start exploring my sexuality. I lost my virginity at 26, but I lacked the confidence to really allow myself to enjoy sex until I learned how to enjoy the present moment.

I really hit my stride a couple of months ago, and now the floodgates have opened. I get on Grindr and have sex up to three times a week.

I feel in my gut that this isn’t a compulsion so much as an exploration, and something I need to get out of my system while I search for a monogamous relationship. As long as I’m safe, do you see any problem with me fucking around for a while? > PLEASE DON’T USE MY NAME

You’re on your cumspringa, PDUMN. Most gay men have at least one. Be safe, get on PrEP, remember that HIV isn’t the only sexually transmitted infection (use condoms), enjoy yourself, and be kind to the guys you meet on your cumspringa (even those you don’t expect to see again). And if a monogamous relationship is what you ultimately want—and monogamy is a fi ne choice—telling yourself that sexual adventures are something

The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.

you have to get out of your system fi rst is a mistake. People who convince themselves that serious commitment means the death of sexual adventures—particularly people who enjoy sexual adventures—will either avoid commitment entirely or murder the ones they make so they can have sexual adventures again.

I’m not saying you have to be nonmonogamous, PDUMN. I’m saying a couple can be exclusive and sexually adventurous at the same time. I’m also saying the person you are now—a person who enjoys sexual adventures—is the person you’re likely to be after your cumspringa is over and you’re ready to make a commitment.

I’m a straight-identified

guy in my early 30s. I am married, but my wife lives in another part of the country and we’re doing an open relationship until she moves to live with me. Last weekend, I met a girl at a bar who ended up coming home with me, and she turned out to be a pre-op trans woman. I’d never been with a trans person before, so I decided to just roll with it and ended up having a pretty good time. Over the course of the weekend, I started to get the sense that she really liked me and maybe even considered me boyfriend material. I want to see her again, but I’m not really available for a serious relationship.

Knowing the kind of unbelievable shit trans people have to deal with, I feel like it would be unfair to string her along. She is not aware of

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 4, 2017 WHERE: Saje on 4th Ave

This is Hard Usually being a 24/7 single parent doesn’t bother me. Like most things, you get used to it and move on. But on days like today, when I am sick and can barely force myself out of bed...but have to anyway.... this is hard.

Love him My bf is the best! He’s so sweet and treats me so well. However he’s one of those “nice guys” and never really had a relationship before because of that he’s got really low self esteem and needs constant reassuring that I’m not going to leave him. I don’t want to leave him but it’s just so draining to have to tell him all the time that I don’t want to leave him. I wish he had more confidence, he’d go so much further in life if he had more confidence.

On a buying hiatus Over the winter break, I did some tidying. And I realized I buy way too much shit. Creams, lotions, scrubs, cleansers. Makeup: lipsticks, eyeliners, eye shadows, lip balms. London Drugs has me by the gonads. So since the beginning of the year, I’ve stopped buying. I’m using everything up. It feels good to actually USE UP this stuff rather than leave it in the bathroom cupboard where I eventually forget about it (and then go buy more). Drugstore addiction halted.

hey shrink somehow I think I could be comfortable telling a therapist “i think i can time travel” or “i think i’m a squirrel” but not “I spend 6 hours a day rereading online posts hoping someone who hasn’t spoken to me in years is thinking about me”. But I can’t time travel and I’m not a squirrel.

How is it fair that professional photographers on instagram, who stay in the wilderness all day and camp out all night, happen to be the most beautiful and photogenic? I get to take a shower and brush my teeth each day, yet I wake up with acne, bed head, and bad breath..

Visit

Came in with my mom and her boyfriend visiting from Eastern Canada. I was tall, brown hair, black rimmed glasses. You had an awesome smile, and it was awesome chatting with you. We introduced ourselves, and I want to see you again!

Maybe you were just being nice, you were at work after all... but if you’re into grabbing a coffee I’d love to show you around the city. You mentioned you were new here, it’s the least I can do! :)

AT THE BUS STOP ON NANAIMO AND BROADWAY, I ASKED IS IT WAS ALRIGHT IF I HAD SMOKE....

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 2, 2017 WHERE: Nanaimo and Broadway

to post a Confession

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We were waiting for the number 7 Dunbar around 12:15pm. This was at Nanaimo and Broadway. I asked you if it was alright I had a smoke... and I said it is weed. You said it was alright and I offered you a toke. You accepted had a couple puffs and then the bus came. We chatted on the bus, you said you work at Moxies and only worked an hour. I said I am a sous chef. We exchanged names. You said you had some beers with co workers and I said I am dying for a beer after a bit of a rough day at work. Anyway, you got off at your stop, you have such a sweet smile and would love to smoke the rest of that joint sometime! Hope you read this...

GALLERY CUTIE

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How is that fair

> CAN’T THINK OF FUNNY ACRONYM

O, brave new world that has such straight-identified guys in it.

Anyway, CTOFA, here’s what you should do: get in a time machine and go be completely—what’s the word?— oh, right, go be completely straight with this woman before you take her home from that bar. You’re married and doing the LDR thing and the marriage is open and you’re available for fun but nothing more.

No time machine? Then handle it the same way you would if you’d deceived some cis woman—excuse me, if you’d accidentally gotten some cis woman’s hopes up by failing to mention the wife. Level with her—you’re married—and let the nips fall where they may. She might be angry or she might not give a wet squart. (She may not be as interested as you think she is.)

If she accuses you of making up a wife because you don’t want to date a trans woman, it shouldn’t be hard to prove your wife—and your marriage—exists.

Finally, CTOFA, you say it would “be unfair to string her along” because of the “unbelievable shit trans people have to deal with”. It would be unfair—it would be wrong—to string a cis woman along, too. Stringing people along is wrong, period. On the Lovecast , we love Lindsey Doe from Sexplanations, and you will too: savagelovecast.com. Email: mail@savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage.

> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < SUPER FRIENDLY SAJE LADY

Scan to confess

my marital status. What should I do?

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FLOWERS

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CUTE POLICEMEN AT RUGBY 7’S 2016

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 27, 2017 WHERE: Robson St. @ Bidwell I was choosing flowers to buy. You were buying flowers too? I thought you were a babe, and got too nervous to interact with you. What’s up Buttercup?

JUST A BERRY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 27, 2017 WHERE: LA Riva Studio I saw you twerking in a Zumba class. You were the instructor. I think you said you were JZ or Bear? I tried, but I have a flat bum and small legs. You said I was unique and had buck teeth, I was flattered. I’d really like to show you my buck teeth again, you have my number

TROUT LAKE DOG OWNER

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 26, 2017 WHERE: Trout Lake You: Orange toque, east side Van bag, sunglasses, black/grey dog Me: Green jacket, blue jeans, hanging out with 2 friends, white Husky. You walked by us and we all nodded ‘hi’. Let’s have a doggy date =)

RENT CHEQUE BLONDIE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 24, 2017 WHERE: Astoria I was the “green cricket t-shirt” South African standing next to you most of the night at Rent Cheque. You’re blonde, collar tattoo ~ with your Asian friend. I think you’re amazing.

Odds you see this: 0%.

WICKED GAME

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 2, 2017 WHERE: Winsor Gallery

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 25, 2017 WHERE: Princeton Pub

I spotted you at Winsor Gallery last night during the opening reception of their new show. You were wearing a pink sweater with patchwork all over it with cute green glasses. The way I observed your examining the art close up and diligently made my heart flutter a bit.

Would love to see you again.

Our eyes caught a few times, the last time as you crammed into a cab with all your friends, some Sunday a few months back. You were wearing a red shirt I think. I can’t remember what I sang, probably Heart.

Keep thinking about you.

You’re kind of scruffy, it’s just right. You sang "Wicked Game", it was dreamy.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 12, 2016 WHERE: BC Place Stadium You were one of the Village People-esque police men at the Rugby Sevens last year.

Sexy short shorts and big sunglasses. I was one of the bagpipers, kilted, dressed in pink with a Springbok on my hat.

You helped clear the crowd in front of our many concourse parades. Will we be seeing you again this year? Looking forward to seeing you again.

12 KINGS CUTIE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 24, 2017 WHERE: 12 Kings Friday Night outside of 12 Kings. You lent my friend your lighter. We talked about Trump, country music and my conservative parents. I wish I didn’t go back to the Biltmore.

SILLY SITUATIONS IN THE BATHROOM LINE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 25, 2017 WHERE: Bathroom Line at SweetP I spaced on the opportunity to have a magical group bathroom sesh with you and your friends. Then never got a proper chat after either, pesky dance floor politics.

Your outfit had daisies on it and you said your name was common. I was pastel pink and worked in the forest.

Wish those laughs lasted longer, another time?

TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME LULULEMON DT QT

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 25, 2017 WHERE: Lululemon Downtown To the tall, dark haired guy working at the checkout counter at the Lululemon downtown, you are super handsome! Great eyebrows and a sweet smile. We locked eyes a few times as I was strolling through the store - I had a brown leather bag, dark grey coat, and long, dark brown hair. I think that you were wearing plaid? Just thought that someone should tell you that you’re very attractive and seem like a good person, too :)

HELD THE DOOR FOR YOU

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 22, 2017 WHERE: London Drugs at Bute and Robson Held the door for you at the London Drugs on Robson, exchanged a few glances while we stood in the same isle a few feet from each other! I’m such an idiot for not introducing myself! You had the most gorgeous lipstick on!

WINKING AND DRIVING

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 24, 2017 WHERE: Along the Kingsway Your navy coloured vehicle’s license plate started DXO and you kept pace with me along the Kingsway for something like 20 blocks. All the while flirting, smiling and waving at every red light. At one point you motioned for me to join you at the roadside. I had to get to work, and did not. What if?

BLONDE AUSSIE AT THE NAAM

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 23, 2017 WHERE: The Naam, Kits A fateful encounter at the Naam. You, blond in red with a leather jacket, were with your two friends. I mistook you for a fellow Kiwi but it’s possible that I used that just to say hi, ha ha. Caught eyes as you were leaving and am annoyed at myself for not giving you my number. Grab a drink sometime?

CUTIE ON AN MEC BIKE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: FEBRUARY 21, 2017 WHERE: Main/Union I see you every now and then around town on the bike routes. You: Short black hair, super cute, and sexy calves.

You ride a MEC bike with black paniers and white helmet. Me: Tall, dark, and handsome with glasses riding a bike with a black bike and yellow pedals. We smiled at each other at Main/Union the other day while going in opposite directions. Oh how I wished I turned around and chased you. I’d love to cruise the seawall with you...

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