The Georgia Straight - Capture Returns - April 4, 2019

APRIL 4 - 11 / 2019 | FREE Volume 53 | Number 2672

REEL 2 REAL

Smart cinema for kids

AFFORDABLE RENTALS Region considers new model

PORTUGUESE WINES Kurtis Kolt’s picks

Capture Returns At Vancouver’s annual photography festival, Kali Spitzer recasts old tintype-style images as tools of Indigenous empowerment

JENNIFER KOH || ROCK STEADY || ANDREW PETTER || DIRTY RADIO

PETER WALL’S YALETOWN 1310 Richards Street, Vancouver | 778.903.5066

NOW RENTING

Rental Incentives Available!

Call for details!

YALETOWN’S FINEST LIVING

Studio ■ 1 Bedroom ■ 2 Bedroom Located in the heart of Yaletown, overlooking English Bay and False Creek, Peter Wall Yaletown is a rare residential leasing opportunity www.pwme-yaletown.com | suites@pwme-yaletown.com

PETER WALL’S SHANNON MEWS 1515 W. 57th Avenue, Vancouver | 604.261.0732

NOW RENTING

Rental Incentives Available!

Call for details!

Studio ■ 1 Bedroom ■ 2 Bedroom ■ Townhouse Stunning, historical neighbourhood with many urban amenities.

Close to shopping. www.pwme-shannonmews.com info@shannonmewsandappartments.com 2 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

A DEBATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE DISINFORMATION AGE 7:00–9:00PM, APRIL 11, 2019 VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY, CENTRAL BRANCH TICKETS: $5-$10 | SFU.CA/PUBLICSQUARE/DEBATE See all SFU Public Square 2019 Community Summit events at sfu.ca/publicsquare/2019summit

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3

CONTENTS

April 4 – 11 / 2019

13 COVER

We speak to Kali Spitzer, Deanna Bowen, and some of the other bright lights at this year’s Capture Photography Festival.

By Alexander Varty Cover photo by Shimon Karmel

7

NEWS

SFU president Andrew Petter is proud of the youth component in this year’s Community Summit.

By Charlie Smith

11

FOOD

Who would want to watch a YouTube video of a Victoria woman eating honeycombs? Actually, 30 million of us.

By Tammy Kwan

23 MOVIES

The Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth demonstrates again that you never talk down to kids.

By Adrian Mack

WHAT CONNECTS YOU? The City is developing conceptual plans for improved pedestrian

26 MUSIC

After racking up 40 million streams of its singles on Spotify, Dirty Radio is ready to embrace the LP again.

By John Lucas

and cycling connections across Granville Bridge.

Tell us what connects you to the bridge by sharing your input at an open house or online.

We're seeking feedback on the project goals, how you use the bridge today, and your aspirations for the kind of connection Granville Bridge could be.

PHASE 1 Share your Input OPEN HOUSES

CityLab 511 W Broadway April 12 11am-7pm April 13 11am-4pm

Central Library Promenade

e Start Here 11 THE BOTTLE 9 CONFESSIONS 22 DANCE 9 HEALTH 10 HOROSCOPES 9 I SAW YOU 24 MOVIE REVIEWS 6 REAL ESTATE 31 SAVAGE LOVE 8 TECHNOLOGY

e Online TOP 5

e Listings 22 ARTS 28 MUSIC

350 W Georgia April 16 4-8pm

ONLINE SURVEY

Submit between April 4 - May 10 at vancouver.ca/granvilleconnector Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 53 | Number 2672

2019 City of Vancouver A19-024

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

North Vancouver Physiotherapy

Wing’s Tap & Grill

Red Card Sports Bar

northvancouverphysio.ca

greatwings.ca

redcardsportsbar.ca

4 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 T: 604.730.7000 F: 604.730.7010 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING: T: 604.730.7020 F: 604.730.7012 E: sales@straight.com

CLASSIFIEDS: T: 604.730.7060 E: classads@straight.com SUBSCRIPTIONS: 604.730.7000 DISTRIBUTION: 604.730.7087

Here’s what people are reading this week on Straight.com.

1 2 3 4 5

B.C.’s Kevin Loring says Indigenous-theatreseason funding denied.

Stuart Parker: Justin Trudeau’s politics of poison and politeness.

Mick Jagger heart problem makes Stones postpone tour.

Police arrest suspect in connection with fire at Langara College.

Study says more than 10 percent would prefer open relationship.

GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight

The Georgia Straight is published every Thursday by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. Copies are distributed free every week throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, North and West Vancouver, New Westminster, and Richmond. International Standard Serial Number ISSN 0709-8995. Subscription rates in Canada $182.00/52 issues (includes GST), $92.00/26 issues (includes GST); United States $379.00/52 issues, $205.00/26 issues; foreign $715.00/52 issues, $365.00/26 issues. Contact 604-730-7087 if you wish to distribute free copies of the Georgia Straight at your place of business. Entire contents copyright © 2019 Vancouver Free Press, Best Of Vancouver, Bov And Golden Plates Are Trade-Marks Of Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. SUBMISSIONS The Straight accepts no responsibility for, and will not necessarily respond to, any submitted materials. All submissions should be addressed to contact@straight.com.

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40009178, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Georgia Straight, 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C, V6J 1W9

SPECTACULAR SQUAMISH

ONLY 30 MINS TO WHISTLER/WEST VANCOUVER BE 1574 DEPOT ROAD, LO ST SQUAMISH, BC OT RENOVATED DESIGNER 3 BED/2.5 BATH HOME SK HUGE CORNER LOT WITH STUNNING MOUNTAIN Y.C VIEWS, SPACIOUS DECK, ALL DAY SUN, OM QUALITY FINISHING

$978,000 PETER@BELOSTOTSKY.COM

1.604.848.4279

Amazing scenic property completely remodeled, renovated & rebuilt from the studs in 2014. This beautiful house sits on a large 8580 sqft, RS2 (duplex) corner lot. Virtually a new home created by an interior designer. New plumbing, electrical, drywall, insulation, siding, flooring, roof, bathrooms, kitchen, windows, deck, fireplace, doors, fixtures, appliances, & fencing. Quality finishing, include wall hung toilets, black corian counters, heated tile floors, dark alder hardwood, Navien on demand hot water, & energy efficient gas fireplace. Stunning panoramic mountain views, huge backyard, & all day sun. Short-term the property offers carriage house potential & long-term subdivision may be possible. A great real estate opportunity.

PETER BELOSTOTSKY quality real estate services

PERFORMANCE REALTY

...your cycling real estate agent!!

0LNH &DUULHU LISTINGS WANTED!

PUFDUULHU#VKDZ FD

W G NESTIN LI

Vancouver’s only realtor,

powered by legs

LISTING AND SELLING PROPERTIES IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY

4457 JOHN ST. OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY: 2 TO 4PM

$2,395,000

Once in a very long time a family home like this becomes available just around the corner from Le Marche St George.

With 3 Bedrooms / 2 baths upstairs, a beautiful open plan on the main with an office and family room. Downstairs is a full basement with separate entrance sumptuously finished with wine room / entertainment room currently ooperating as legal Airbnb!

YYou will love the West facing, pprivate backyard and incredible ddeck / landscaping!

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 5

HOUSING

April 14, 2019 11am - 6pm

Heritage Hall 3102 Main St., Vancouver

NiftyFifty

12TH ANNUAL 11TH ANNUAL

for

SALE

n i f t y fo r f i f t ys a l e e.c c o m | @ n i f t y fo r f i f t ys a l e

30+ LOCAL INDIE DESIGNERS, JEWELLERS AND MAKERS OFFER High quality handmade designs for blowout prices!

EVERYTHING IS PRICED $50 AND UNDER! 1 DAY ONLY! Adhesif Clothing Allison Wonderland Amara Blue Jewelry Bitter Melon Bindery Birch Street Studio Black Bird Studio Bronsino Dahlia Drive

Daub + Design Devi Arts Collective Dig It Vintage Ebbandfl o Designs Elle and Zeine Designs Gl a s e a Irit Sorokin Designs

LanaBetty Luli Designs Make More Happy Mixers and Elixirs MysGreen Nomad by Elroy Nostalgic Links Piton Pottery

Revol Girl Sarah Mulder Jewelry Sinbi Collection Slate Jewelry Shi Studio Streetcat Designs The Hive Printing Wallis Evera

Admission $2 • Join us for day of good times and great deals with locally made refreshments!

TOAH funds boost affordable housing

M

by Carlito Pablo

etro Vancouver is considering an innovative approach to help develop affordable rental housing near transit locations.

It’s a model inspired by what is being done in a number of metropolitan regions in the U.S., including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver.

It involves the creation of a regional fund as a low-cost financing tool to support the development of what is known as “transit-oriented affordable housing”, or TOAH. Raymond Kan, a senior planner with Metro Vancouver, wrote in a report that this fund could “incrementally improve the delivery of affordable rental housing”.

As in peer jurisdictions in the U.S., this regional fund will blend public and private contributions, according to Kan. “In Metro Vancouver, this form of partnership would be novel, and would entail a deeper integration of regional land use and housing objectives with the business side of housing development,” he explained.

An attachment to Kan’s report noted that regional funds in places like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver range in size from US$21 million to US$93 million.

“These funds are not intended to bend regional market forces, but rather to target a modest amount of financial resources towards the

creation or preservation of affordable rental housing in specific geographies consistent with regional plans,” the document notes.

The paper said that in the four U.S. regional cities, transit-oriented funds have either created or preserved

orum FOF THE WEEK WHEN INVESTMENT analysts say a stock is “fully priced”, it means the share’s value is at equilibrium: it’s not expected to either rise or fall excessively.

Organizers of a forum have now applied the phrase to real estate and asked: is the Vancouver market fully priced? That’s a question that demands some answers, and not just for homes. There are also office, retail, and industrial. Put together by the events group Informa PLC, the annual Vancouver Real Estate Forum will cover a wide range of topics, including housing affordability and foreign investments.

The daylong event will be held on Thursday (April 4) at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. g

3,000 affordable rental-housing units.

The funds were established in the past three to eight years.

The paper also related that major regional employers in the tech sector are pledging contributions.

It noted that Microsoft, in January 2019, promised US$500 million for affordable and middle-income housing in the Seattle region.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative— of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan—announced a partnership that pledged US$500 million.

The attachment noted that minimum amounts for a TOAH fund in Metro Vancouver have been identified in order to “send appropriate signals to potential recipients” that it is a “serious source of financial support”.

“A TOAH fund with a focus on pre-development would likely require a minimum $10 million fund size,” the paper explained.

“A TOAH fund with a post-construction/permanent financing focus would likely require a minimum of $200 million.”

In his report, Kan wrote that there will be an estimated supply gap of 24,000 to 27,000 units of affordable housing in transit-oriented locations across the region during the next 10 years. This refers to housing for renters earning less than $50,000 annually. g

APRIL 26 & 27 | 2019 Experience the latest audio technologies

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

VSO vancouversymphony.ca

Fairmont Pacific Rim

FREE ADMISSION 433 Carrall St | Vancouver | 604 688 5502 | hificentre.com

fairmont.com/pacifi c-rim-vancouver

— THE BEST CAREER IS ONE THAT KEEPS EVOLVING. PART-TIME STUDIES FOR A COMPLEX WORLD. With over 875 part-time courses available, you can work toward the career you’ve always wanted. Whether it’s one course, a certificate, or a degree, BCIT Part-time Studies offers a pathway that will work for you.

Register now at bcit.ca/pts

6 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

NEWS

KERRISDALE

SFU summit explores disinformation

L

ANTIQUES FAIR

250 tables & booths of Antiques & Collectibles under one roof!

Vintage & estate jewelry, mid-century Modernist decor, retro glam accessories, sterling & silver-plate, funky kitchenalia, primitives, old toys & dolls, period lighting, textiles & linens, memorabilia, fine art, decorative china & glassware, antiquarian books, chintz, country & formal furniture, nautical collectibles & much more...

by Charlie Smith

ike many Canadians, Andrew Petter is profoundly disturbed by the rise of nativism and the shameless use of false information to try to move people. In a phone interview with the Georgia Straight, the Simon Fraser University president said that he would have been shocked had he been told 10 years ago about how these trends would be shaping the world today.

He expressed concern about how people’s inability to differentiate between reliable and unreliable information can undermine society.

And he’s worried about polling data showing that even in Canada, people are beginning to lose faith in their democratic institutions and in their ability to make a difference.

“Overall, I think it represents a threat to democracy,” Petter said.

“When we have a fractured, unreliable information landscape, people wonder about how they can make decisions.”

This month, the seventh SFU Community Summit, called Confronting the Disinformation Age, will consider how false information is challenging individuals’ and communities’ capacity to make informed decisions. Taking place over nine days, starting on Wednesday (April 10), the summit will include a series of free forums, public gatherings, and art exhibits focusing on everything from municipal policy to an inclusive digital society to innovations in research.

SFU president Andrew Petter says fake news is posing a threat to democracy.

Petter cited a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study published last year indicating that false news travels more quickly than true stories over Twitter. Moreover, the MIT scholars found that this was due not to bots but human beings, with the fake stories 70 percent more likely to be retweeted.

He said that this can have an impact on public health with the spread of incorrect information by the antivaccination movement. And climate-change deniers can distort the public debate over environmental issues. He also said that social media

enables people who traffic in hate to find others who share their views and target minority groups.

“The proliferation of information… actually privileges information that is less reliable,” Petter said. “So the question is: what do we do about it?”

On the first day of the summit, there will be a Philosopher’s Café discussion about truth in the modern age and a session on climate populism at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. On April 16, the former executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, Sue Gardner, will share the stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie and Atlantic senior editor David Frum.

Another event, Youth Take Action: Digital Citizenship Day, will bring together secondary-school students for a one-day workshop to learn how to avoid being taken in by fake news and misinformation. There’s also a student-led queer-friendly event, Fake News, Real Talk, showing how disinformation can shape pop culture, politics, and people’s personal lives.

“I’m particularly pleased that we are focusing on youth,” Petter said, “because we know that in terms of participation rates in elections, getting youth voters to turn out continues to be a challenge.” g

April 6 & 7 • 10am - 5pm Kerrisdale Arena 5670 East Boulevard at 41st Avenue Vancouver, BC • Free Parking General Admission • Saturday & Sunday 10am - 5pm • $8 at Door Children Under 13 Free with Adult Admission • Cafe & Snack Bar 21st Century Promotions • 604 980 3159 • 21cpromotions.com

Confronting the Disinformation Age runs from next Wednesday (April 10) to April 18.

Bill Reid Gallery

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

billreidgallery.ca

Cioffi’s cioffisgroup.com

LADNER

RICHMOND

NORTH VANCOUVER

OPEN SUN 2-4 #8-3871 RIVER RD Spectacular home!

Spectacular view! over 2000 sf custom design and finishes... unobstructed view

ROOF TOP DECK crowns this 1390 sf 1 bdrm + den + flex space...

2 cozy f/p, all wood floors, concrete float

21ST CENTURY LIVING is a reality in this sleek new home... full appliances, gas f/p, concrete float, 1 bdrm plus loft

$649,000

$369,900

$559,900

N PE O

W

LANGLEY

NE

COMING SOON Spacious one bedroom with 3 large decks... serene setting

$188,000

Westside APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7

HIGH TECH

Digital screening helps young people in need

CALL ME FOR EXPERT ADVICE

A local startup has developed a tool that lets kids open up about their mental state and sexual health

W W W.TOFFOLI.CA | PAUL@TOFFOLI.CA MASTER M E DA L L I O N MEMBER

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

604.787.6963

T

by Kate Wilson

Bauhaus

Vancouver Theatre Sports

Chambar

bauhaus-restaurant.com

vtsl.com

chambar.com

209 1823 E GEORGIA ST I $639,000

3 503 E PENDER ST I $889,000

he conversation around youth mental health is slowly improving in Canada. TV shows like 13 Reasons Why are helping to reshape the cultural zeitgeist around depression, and a spate of recent movies are reframing conditions like anxiety as treatable and manageable.

Vancouver startup Tickit Health is moving the needle one step further by helping young people open up in a clinical setting.

When kids arrive at the doors of a doctor’s office, they are typically presented with a paper questionnaire that asks them about their mental state and sexual health. Not only do they rarely fill them out, individuals often don’t give truthful information, and the surveys are often ignored by doctors.

Dr. Sandy Whitehouse—whose experience includes the role of medical director and division head of pediatric emergency at B.C. Children’s Hospital—believed there could be a better way. By putting the questionnaire onto a digital platform and making it fun and engaging for youths, she hoped that the tool could help kids be more honest and allow doctors to have more meaningful conversations. With Whitehouse as cofounder and CEO, the idea became the basis of Tickit Health. “Sandy [Whitehouse] was dealing with a lot of youths who were coming in at moments of crisis,� says Hatley McMicking, chief business development officer at the company. “No child wants to be filling out paperwork, let alone on their mental state.

We’ve developed a [digital] specific screener that is based on preexisting psychosocial youth assessments and adapted it to be more user-friendly.

We’ve validated it so that we know the information is reliable, and now we get youth sharing more about their lifestyle than they normally would. “We’re identifying students that people thought were healthy and they’re actually saying that they’re contemplating suicide,� she continues. “We are identifying students who are saying they’re sexually active when no one knew they were, so now they’re getting additional STD screening and education. Those are the achievements we’re proud of as a company.�

A number of health organizations are using Tickit’s surveys to get more detailed, honest information from their patients. B.C. Children’s Hospital, Coast Mental Health, and Los Angeles Health Services have all used the company’s designs to help doctors spend time with individuals more efficiently and allow health organizations to understand trends in the data among those visiting hospitals and practices. Tickit now counts 18 different clients across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and is looking to expand into Europe, where it is developing questionnaires for understanding adults’ health and lifestyles. “We’ve had quite a bit of interest from countries there,� McMicking says. “We are looking to help patients more holistically in terms of what they are doing outside of the four walls of care and how we can support them best.� g

707 231 E PENDER ST I $774,900 2 bed, 1 bath, 791 SF Condo Rainscreened building off The Drive Pets & rentals allowed

2 bed, 1 bath, 819 SF Condo City & mnt views pets & rentals allowed

OPEN HOUSE: THURS April 4, 5 - 7pm SAT April 6, 2 - 4pm SUN April 7, 2 - 4pm

OPEN HOUSE: SUN April 7, 1 - 3pm

2 bed, 2 bath, 1204 SF Townhouse Fully rainscreened south facing yard

305 2055 PENDRELL ST I $888,000

2 bed, 2 bath, 1,087 SF Co-op On the edge of Stanley Park & seawall roof top deck to wow you

STONEHOUSE T E A M

R E A L

E S T A T E

A D V I S O R S

604 255 7575 EMAILUS@STONEHOUSETEAM.COM

AGENT OPEN: FRI 10 - 12pm SAT April 6, 12:30 - 1:30 - BY APPT

OPEN HOUSE: THURS April 4, 6 - 7pm SAT April 6, 2 - 4pm

Sutton West Coast Realty I 301-1508 W Broadway

BODY POSITIVE UNDERGARMENTS FOR ALL GENDERS Whether you want to push up, bind, reveal or cover up, we got ya!

2018

XXX XPNZOTXBSF DPN

PS $PNNFSDJBM %SJWF 7BODPVWFS #$ 5 PS 8:. 8"3& 8 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

$PNNFSDJBM %SJWF 7BODPVWFS #$ Â… 5

XXX ZPVSPQFODMPTFU DPN

HEALTH

Punching out Parkinson’s in the gym

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.

O

by Charlie Smith

n the face of it, this looks like many other fitness classes. It starts with the music, in this case the uptempo “Love Is a Beautiful Thing”, and participants are encouraged to do hip circles before folding their upper body over their lower body. With the encouragement of the group leader, Allie Saks, they later pair up with exercise partners and start running back and forth across the large workout room at Ron Zalko Fitness and Yoga in Kitsilano.

“Remind yourself what you want to get out of this class,” Saks says with her headset on and her voice blaring through the loudspeakers.

But this is no ordinary workout.

Every person in the class has Parkinson’s, a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting movement, balance, and speech. These and other symptoms—including depression, chewing and eating problems, and sleep disorders—are brought on by a loss of neurons in the brain that produce a chemical messenger called dopamine.

“When people think of Parkinson’s, one of the biggest misconceptions is that it’s only for old people— and that all people with Parkinson’s have a tremor,” Saks told the Georgia Straight in an interview at the gym.

“That’s not really the case.”

Participants in her class cover a wide range of ages and fitness levels. And don’t call Saks a “personal trainer”, even though she could easily be mistaken for one in the way she dishes out instructions in the class.

In fact, she’s a registered occupational therapist and a coach at Rock Steady Boxing Vancouver, which offers exercise programs tailored for people with Parkinson’s disease.

The Straight visited the class to draw attention to April being Parkinson’s Awareness Month in Canada.

Scan to confess I do confess that this

Paul Willis has Parkinson’s disease and he’s trying to keep symptoms at bay by working out at Allie Saks’s Rock Steady classes at Ron Zalko Fitness and Yoga.

This was no easy workout regimen.

Each person went twice through 10 stations featuring different exercises, spending a minute on each. There were four stepping routines, including an agility ladder along the floor, three boxing stations, a twisting exercise, medicine-ball squats, and a mat for doing planks.

“I didn’t find the planks that difficult because I’m already as stiff as a board,” quipped one of the participants, Vancouver resident Paul Willis.

He and the others punched a boxing bag hanging from the ceiling—10 times with their right fist and 10 times with their left—then repeated it. They stood with their back to another bag, punching it from behind to improve their balance. Then they start hitting the speed bag, just as the pros do.

Saks said there’s a “big cognitive component” to boxing. And researchers have demonstrated that vigorous exercise can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

“We always want to keep them challenged and using their brain in different ways,” she noted.

Saks was working with people with Parkinson’s disease in a hospital several years ago when she discovered the Rock Steady program on a TV show. She later travelled to the nonprofit Rock Steady headquarters in Indianapolis to take the training.

From there, she formed a Vancouver affiliate—one of about 800 around the world.

“We’re always concerned about balance, first and foremost,” Saks emphasized. “We want to work on posture. We want to work on spinal rotations, so that’s why we do a lot of twisting in class.”

The owner of the gym, Ron Zalko, told the Straight that he admires the spirit of the participants.

“I like people that fight—and they don’t give up,” Zalko said.

As for Willis, he said it’s good for him physically and mentally— and he highly recommended it to anyone else who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

“You sweat a bit,” Willis conceded. “Ally says, ‘What do you want to get out of it?’ I say staying alive.” g

Is a boring confession. I’ve spent the past 45 years working full time, paying my bills, being a responsible person. Just recently retired and feeling “genuinely” happy for the first time in my life. It’s a shock to my system, I walk down the street smiling just cuz I feel good. This is very new, never knew what “happy” meant until now.

Lunch For the last 20 years of my working life I’ve been working in kitchens that don’t really have full breaks. We just snack when we can, tasting here and there. I started a union job this month and we have to sit down for lunch. Simple confession, but what a life changer. That’s why people do it! I’ve never felt better.

BC Legislature Yes, women should cover up. This is coming from a woman. If women want the right to go sleeveless, let’s ensure men can do the same, and wear tank tops to the BC Legislature too.

Bare shoulders is not professional ... (con’t @straight.com)

I saw the sign To the guy outside of Costco who yelled at me for slapping his Jeep. Ya I did it, and I would do it again. I understand you were upset and even shocked, ... (con’t @straight.com)

Sorry I do not yell Thank You to the bus driver. But I don’t feel comfortable yelling in public.

Visit

to post a Confession

> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < INTRIGUING JAPANESE BEAUTY

r

s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 31, 2019 WHERE: 99 Bus Westbound You wore a black Adidas jacket and carried a Sprott Shaw canvas bag. I’m the older guy with ball cap and black vest. After smiling at each other, and discreetly glancing at each other, I got off at Granville with my friend. I turned back and you were looking at me. Can we meet for a chat?

THE CUTE GIRL WITH THE RED HAIR

r

s

DUBH LINN GATE

s

r

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 27, 2019 WHERE: Dubh Linn Gate Pub on Main St We were both at Wednesday night trivia. You were at the table behind mine but we were facing each other. You had dark hair and a few tattoos. I was wearing a black leather jacket and have long blonde/brown hair. I thought we made eye contact several times. But you were sitting with two girls and I wasn't sure if you were with one of them. If you're single and interested...

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 30, 2019 WHERE: Starbucks Upper Lonsdale

MILLENNIUM LINE TO VCC CLARK-COMMERCIAL STATION

I'm at Starbucks almost every day before work, and your bright hair and cute face under those big glasses caught my attention. You left before I could introduce myself, so this is what I call a hail marry. From the guy in the black jeans and brown aviators.

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 28, 2019 WHERE: SkyTrain to Commercial.

s

r

You were gorgeous as you were putting on a show loading your purchases in your SUV. I walked by and commented that "you made my day"... you gave me a beautiful smile and thanked me. I smiled back but kept walking... my mistake :)

I saw you in the SkyTrain (March 28th, around 5:00-5:30). I thought you’re cute. We kept making eye contact for a while (sorry if I creeped you out) but unfortunately we never talked. I wanted to come up to you and say hi but am super shy when it comes to these stuff... I was wearing red/black shirt with my dark curly/wavy hair down. You were wearing a black hat and hoodie, standing by the doors. I was sitting by the window with 2 of my friends. We both got off at Commercial Station but I lost you in the crowd, couldn’t see which route you took afterwards. I hope I see you again and talk. :) Please contact me if you ever see this and feel the same!

YOU ARE OUT OF MY LEAGUE

TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ALIVE.....

COSTCO DOWNTOWN P1

r

s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 28, 2019 WHERE: Costco Downtown Parking Lot P1

r

r

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 29, 2019 WHERE: Kitsilano

I know it's a long shot, but this time 2 years ago I met your through the queer softball league. You had red hair, great style, and a perfect face. I was the overly eager, curly haired one with the ripped softball pants. If it was love at first sight for you too, come travel South America with me.

r

s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 28, 2019 WHERE: #14 Bus @ Granville and Broadway We were riding the #14 bus together from downtown, and I saw you right before I got off. I told you that I thought you were the most “beautiful woman”, I had ever seen, and you shyly smiled and thanked me before I left. I hope we see each other again.

COMMERCIAL STATION

s

r

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 28, 2019 WHERE: Commercial SkyTrain You were wearing a black Carhartt toque, listening to music, and have really nice blue green eyes. I have brown hair with blond curls, blue eyes and black matte nails I was strumming by the door. Caught you looking at me several times and I was not mad but too shy. We both got off at Commercial.

Meet me for coffee sometime and tell me about the music you were listening to?

IT WAS A BAD DAY

r

s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 16, 2019 WHERE: The Fringe Cafe We met at The Fringe Cafe, you’d had a bad day. A bad week in fact, and we talked about that. You’re a journalist, and dainties are all Kates. I bought you a beer but the bartender put it on your tab. I’m just not good at hanging out in bars.

I owe you a beer and an apology. Maybe we could talk again?

We’re good at that...

BEAUTIFUL BLONDE CROSSING STREET

r

s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 27, 2019 WHERE: Lynn Valley - North Vancouver You: crossing Mountain Hwy (at Lynn Valley) with two kids in tow about 4ish on Wed March 27. Me: brown guy, in red sports car. We exchanged glances and smiles and we both turned to look.

Wishing I had stopped and said ‘hello’. Coffee?

BOY AT VIAGRA BOYS

s

r

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MARCH 26, 2019 WHERE: The Fox

I saw you beside me at the edge of the pit and wanted to know you. You had long hair and were wearing prayer beads. I have red hair and was wearing a high pony tail and a white button up. Let's dance?

Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _ APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 9

$

HOROSCOPE

10 OFF!!

INDIAN N RESTAURANT

When 2 meals are purchased

6 87- 0 0 49 6 0 4 4 8 4 -2236

Expires: June 15, 2019

Not valid for delivery or specials.

Dine in only. Lunch or Dinner.

8 POWELL ST. (IN GASTOWN) 604

✃

www.sitarrestaurant.net Open Daily 11am-10pm Across from the Gassy Jack statue in Gastown

Please recycle this newspaper.

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

Ru nne r- up Be st I ndi an

36 t h A N N I V ER SA R Y

A Suite Deal for a Golf Getaway Stay & Play Golf $ Package

Just 20 minutes north of Whistler in the spectacular Pemberton Valley, our spacious all-suite hotel features personalized service with world-class golf just moments away.

It’s urban style and comfort meets mountain adventure.

From

192

*

per person

Golf package includes: One night accommodation in a one bedroom suite and one round of golf at Big Sky Golf Club (18 holes per round)

STUDIO, ONE & TWO BEDROOM SUITES OUTDOOR POOL & HOT TUB COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI FITNESS STUDIO MASSAGE STUDIO COMPLIMENTARY PARKING CAFÉ YPS

*All prices listed subject to tax. Rates based on 2 players with shared accommodation. Subject to availability.

1490 Sea to Sky Highway

pembertonvalleylodge.com

1.877.894.2800

Reservations

Aarm Dental Group We’re in your neighborhood to make you smile…

0 9.0 $9 om Zo ening it Wh

NOW OPEN...

Aarm Dental Group

on Main

Family & Cosmetic Dentistry Dr. Jim Armstrong, DMD & Dr. Ashleigh Sran, DMD

2270 Main Street Vancouver, B.C.

(corner of Main & 6th near Mt. Pleasant Community Center)

604-255-0060 Zoom In-Office Whitening for $99.00.

Dr. Ashleigh Sran, DMD

EMERGENCY & NEW PATIENTS WELCOME OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY WE DO NOT CHARGE ABOVE BCDA FEE GUIDE

WE ACCEPT MOST MAJOR DENTAL INSURANCE PLANS

NEW PATIENTS & EMERGENCIES ALWAYS WELCOME

www.aarm-dental.com 10 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

H

APRIL 4 TO 10, 2019

by Rose Marcus

as clarity, certainty, hope, or faith eluded you in recent weeks? That’s about to change. Friday’s new moon can feel like the unofficial push/start to what is sure to be a history-in-themaking month. It will be life-altering for some.

First a pressure buildup, then a release. This new moon in Aries hits a critical turning point with heavyweights Saturn and Pluto. It is the first of three acceleration triggers regarding the reshaping of the reality. (Saturn and Pluto intensify all matters to do with taking control, accountability, self-governance, parenting, relationship to external authority, empowerment agendas, and career development.) As of the middle to the end of next week, the Aries sun will also hit fast-forward, first with Saturn (Wednesday) and then with Pluto (next Saturday). Both are significant dates regarding the EU and Brexit. Both planets will begin retrograde cycles later in the month.

Saturday/Sunday, the Taurus moon holds it steady while also providing fresh stimulus to keep hearts, minds, and wallets in action. Monday/Tuesday, the Gemini moon is mobilizing.

Late Tuesday, Venus/Neptune launch a new cycle holding significant creative potency. This fertile and resources-rich planetary pairing sets optimal conditions for dreamers, creators, lovers, spiritual seekers, and chosen ones. Early Wednesday morning, sun/Saturn makes it real.

(Divorce for England is imminent.)

Coinciding with the two aforementioned transits, Ceres in Sagittarius turns retrograde on Tuesday; Jupiter in Sagittarius turns retrograde on Wednesday. Both are tideturning and trendsetter influences.

Just when you think you know the score, something additional or multifaceted is tossed into the equation. Watch these few days for big news, a watershed moment, or, at the very least, a fresh insight, perspective, opinion, or option.

A

ARIES

March 20–April 20

Where there is a will, there is a way. Friday’s new moon in Aries gets the ball rolling. Consider it an initial springboard. The sun in Aries will gain more significant momentum as of mid–next week. News, an insight, a revealing conversation, or something else: Tuesday/Wednesday puts you in the know or on the go in some unforeseen and opportune way.

B

TAURUS

April 20–May 21

Tuesday and hits full steam ahead from Wednesday onward.

E

LEO

July 22–August 23

A new moon in Aries ends the workweek on an energy surge. It’s a hint or a first flint strike regarding what’s already building steam. Make the most of your weekend while your time is yours to own. As of mid–next week, Ceres and Jupiter are on a rerouting mandate. They assist the sun to cut to the chase and cover new ground with reality-check Saturn.

F

VIRGO

G

LIBRA

H

SCORPIO

I

SAGITTARIUS

J

CAPRICORN

August 23–September 23

Ready for your next page to begin? Whether you have been building up to it, it springs on you, or you pounce on it, everything changes as of this Friday’s new moon, the cluster of transits happening next week, and also over the weeks that follow. While no pain/no gain is in the mix, once you go live, you’ll be glad you did.

September 23–October 23

It’s the right time to put yourself out there in some new way, to test-drive a new you. Friday’s new moon and a host of dynamic stars over the next couple of weeks help you to do exactly that. A change of conversation, opinion, or heart could get the ball rolling. It’s important to consider all options or points of view.

October 23–November 22

Friday’s new moon is well timed for taking on a new job, work project, employee, agent, study, or health regimen. Challenge is in the mix, but that’s not going to stop the necessity or what’s already building steam. Saturday to Monday, you’ll stay the course well. Wednesday onward, the lid comes off. You’ll know, see, feel, do, and have more to go on.

November 22–December 21

Jupiter in Sagittarius turns retrograde next Wednesday within 12 hours of Ceres in Sagittarius.

You’ll feel it as a major shift of momentum and perspective. You may feel the need to regroup, to distance yourself more, to rethink your plans, intentions, and goals. At the same time, the Aries sun is on a breakaway track and providing you with ample cut-to-the-chase incentive.

December 21–January 20

Whether it’s a feel or something real, new-moon Friday can signal the start of a lot more to come. You can hold to a steady pace through the start of next week but as of next Tuesday to Thursday and the week that follows, the brakes come off. Your new reality hits full steam ahead.

Friday night through Monday, the stars are in your favour. Your timing is good—especially Saturday/ Sunday while the moon transits Taurus. On the way to next Wednesday/Thursday’s action peak, Tuesday can go either way. The evening can be good for socializing, performing, AQUARIUS shopping, or romance, but also know January 20–February 18 there’s a propensity to splurge, overFriday’s new moon in Aries shoot, or overindulge in food, drink, can launch a new conversation or or what have you. whole new line of thinking. Along GEMINI with next week’s transits, it is an May 21–June 21 ideal time to go exploring and to sign The workweek ends with a up for something new. Jupiter retronew moon in Aries adding fresh fuel grade can redirect your objective, to the fire. Mercury in Pisces is still goal, or social involvement. A goodtrying to sort through what’s real and bye or hello can be said. One thing viable and what’s not. Despite two changes everything. major planetary influences turning PISCES retrograde, mid–next week puts you February 18–March 20 or it into full swing. It can be a matter A new reality (financial, of exposing, relinquishing, taking on, emotional, career, personal) gains a or gaining more than anticipated. strong headwind as of next Tuesday CANCER to Thursday and through the week June 21–July 22 that follows. Whether noticeable or A new reality is setting into subtle, Friday’s new moon in Aries play. The most difficult parts are get- could kick-start the action. Potential ting past the past and getting started. is ripe for the taking. Choose new, You can face a few firsts or hurdles in not old. Risk is in the mix, but when the month ahead. Having said that, is it not? g Friday night to Monday runs along a mostly smooth and productive track. Book a reading or sign up for Rose’s free The future shifts course starting monthly newsletter at rosemarcus.com/.

C D

K L

FOOD B.C. YouTuber eats her way to fame

A

by Tammy Kwan

Victoria-based YouTube creator who goes by the name SAS has amassed more than a billion views of her uploads, which are categorized as ASMR–mukbang videos (online broadcasts of hosts eating large amounts of food). ASMR is an acronym for autonomous sensory meridian response. Essentially, she eats good food and chews loudly to engage her audience (read: make a healthy living).

For those who aren’t familiar with this Internet subculture, ASMR–mukbang (mukbang is a blend of the Korean words meokneun [“eating”] and bangsong [“broadcast”] )—or ASMR-eating—videos have become a global phenomenon because the featured noises (slurping ramen noodles, biting crispy fried chicken, or chewing into squishy candies, for instance) supposedly help people experience a minor euphoria defined by tingling sensations and positive feelings.

Beyond the scientific explanations of what makes ASMR–mukbang videos so popular with people around the world, the simple act of watching people eat gourmet foods can bring satisfaction to viewers looking to destress or build up an appetite for their next meal.

SAS’s first upload was back in November 2016, when she filmed herself eating sushi—specifically, a dynamite roll. In the 15:39-long video with more than 350,000 views, she whispers, chews, and gulps. Her newest video has her eating candied and fresh strawberries with a side of whipped cream and features extremely loud crackling, crunching, and chewing sounds.

But her most popular upload, which has reached almost 30 million views, shows her eating raw honeycomb.

22NDAnnual

2019

ASMR–mukbang videos feature slurping and chewing sounds that some find pleasing and others find disgusting.

The video features the same type of triggering noises: sticky chewing and crunchy biting.

It’s obvious that the Victoria-based YouTuber has found success with her content: she has 5.7 million YouTube subscribers and 1.3 million Instagram followers. SAS uploads to her YouTube channel every day, eating a range of foods that includes fried chicken, cheesy-spicy noodles, lobsters, frozen fruits, macarons, doughnuts, sashimi, and jelly.

Although many people find ASMR–mukbang videos triggering and satisfying, some find them rather disturbing and disgusting. Visit Straight.com and we’ll let you decide if this video trend is your cup of tea. g

Authentic Greek Food

Extensive Wine & Bar List 1830 Fir St. Vancouver | 604.736.9559

www.apolloniagreekrestaurant.com C L O S E D M O N D AY S L U N C H • W E D N E S D AY to F R I D AY 11:30A M ͳ 2:30 P M D I N N E R • T U E S D AY to S U N D AY 4:30 ͳ 9:30 P M

Portugal’s wines worth your attention

T

by Kurtis Kolt

he folks from Wines of Portugal just wrapped a brief tour through Vancouver, leaving me quite enthusiastic about the myriad of grape varieties unique to that country.

It is a historic wine-producing nation; they’ve been at it since 2000 BC. Although we’ve had millennia to get to know their wines, with more than 250 grape varieties being produced, it can still be a challenge to get to know them well.

Of course, the country is wellknown for port wine, those deep and rich fortified wines commonly served at the end of a meal, but it’s their “regular” table wines I lean toward.

With a wealth of indigenous varieties to play around with, the country’s wines are charismatic and unique and often offer excellent value, whether you’re grabbing a bottle for a casual Tuesday dinner or something to lay down for a few years.

While many of their grape varieties may be unfamiliar, Portuguese wines are generally quite approachable and enjoyable; we should be paying more attention to them.

Encruzado is a variety that’s been floatin’ my boat of late. It’s a white grape that’s common in the Dão region, known to make full-bodied wines with citrus and stone fruit. Its style can vary, often dependent upon whether it’s been treated with oak or left to shine on its own. Think of it as an exotic take on Chardonnay.

Cabriz Dão Reserva Branco 2016 ($20.99 until April 27, B.C. Liquor Stores) is a spirited example, with fresh lime and grapefruit in the aromatics, then peaches and nectarines on the palate, and with oak aging providing a light, creamy texture.

Grilled salmon or any creamy seafood pasta would ride along well.

Arinto, also known as Pedernã, is a late-ripening white grape that harbours minerality and acidity well, often with fresh elements of lemon, apples, and pears. Quinta da Murta Lisboa Bucelas Brut Nature 2013 ($28.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) illustrates how well the variety lends itself to traditional-method sparkling wines. The fruit here was biodynamically farmed, and there was no dosage added after the wine went through its second fermentation, so it’s quite dry. Salty sea air wafts out of the glass, leading to vibrant lemon, lime, and yellow grapefruit, with a good bite of Granny Smith apple on the finish.

A couple years on the lees gives it a good undercurrent of toasty sourdough. This could very well be a dark horse for your new favourite bubble of the moment.

ked Meat The Best Montreal SmoVan couver tinee in utin out PPou Sandwiches & Po

t i c n e h t Au NEW!

Wines have been grown in Portugal since 2000 BC. Photo by Wines of Portugal.

Touriga Nacional is one of the more common Portuguese red varieties, used for both port and table wine. It makes inky reds, lush with dark berry fruit, often with a little black tea in their core. Quinta das Carvalhas Touriga Nacional 2014 ($29.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) from the Douro region provides a generous spotlight. It exhibits those previous notes but adds a savoury edge with Kalamata olives and

rink D OF THE WEEK

GOLDEN PLATES’ 2019 bartender of the year, J S Dupuis, turned to Bigallet China China to make his Jambe de Bois cocktail at Tableau Bar Bistro sing.

Pronounced “sheena-sheena”, the liqueur from France’s Loire region consists of macerated sweet and bitter orange peels blended and distilled with aromatic plants, including gentian and cinchona (which produces quinine). “The saline solution brightens the cocktail, making it pop,” Dupuis says.

JAMBE DE BOIS

1 1/2 oz Havana Club 7 3/4 oz Bigallet ChinaChina 3/4 oz Aperitivo Luxardo 2 dashes saline 1 dash Bittered Sling LemMarrakech Bitters Put all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir to mix. Using a julep strainer, strain into a Riedel rocks glass. Add ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

by Gail Johnson

sun-dried tomatoes. Although a good hunk of roast beef would be ideal, a rich mushroom risotto wouldn’t be too shabby either.

Blending is common in Portuguese wines; we often see Touriga Nacional bolstered by other varieties.

Baga is one of those, a mighty expressive grape bringing plenty of powerful red fruit and tannins to the mix.

Luis Pato Beira Atlantico Baga Touriga Nacional 2014 ($20.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) has Baga in the lead, composing 60 percent of the blend, the rest Touriga Nacional. I get a good dose of fruity dark chocolate here, with stewed cherries, raspberries, and blackberries in abundance. Enjoyable stain-your-teeth kinda fare.

The blends are often more about the sum than their parts. Sure, when talking about Segredos de São Miguel Alentejano ($14.99, B.C. Liquor Stores), we can totally drill down into its components. Alicante Bouschet (peppery, dark berry fruit), Aragonez (fruity tobacco and plums), Touriga Nacional, and Trincadeira (blueberry jam and balsamic reduction) are all there for a reason, but at 15 bucks, let’s not get too fussy about particulars.

This is a berry jamboree with pretty much the whole rack of baking spices thrown in for extra pizzazz. Although it’s fruit-forward, there’s a solid mineral component, and the acidity is on point, bringing a good mouthwatering, more-ish nature to your glass.

What resonates with me most about these wines is the incredible value on offer. I can’t help but think that any wines of similar quality to these would be a good five or 10 bucks more if they hailed from better-known wine regions around the world, from Napa to Rioja. There’s a whole world beyond port and Vinho Verde and so much to learn about Portugal’s diverse landscape of wine. With what I’ve been tasting of late, consider me in for more delicious education. g

Roasting Chicken

w/ St. Hubert

Sauce

- Or

✄

or F EE - Mini Poutineany FR of se cha pur w/ ie am Ste S 6oz sandwich with this ad

le - We carry Labatt 50 ale for e Lat en - Op games Montreal Canadian tio ns - Call for reserva Laz yMeal) by ery liv (de e lin der On

2470 MAIN STREET

604.253.4545

frenchies-diner.com

New Late Night Menu 22NDAnnual

2019

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 11

A P R I L 2 0 19 UBC CHOIRS: ONE WORLD Fri Apr 5, 7:30pm

Presented by the UBC School of Music The University Singers perform repertoire from their upcoming tour to Italy. The UBC Chamber Choir performs music from around the globe. Graeme Langager and Steven Hamilton, conductors.

CRISTINA PATO QUARTET Thu Apr 11, 8pm

Presented by the Chan Centre Known for her high-energy performances and mastery of the gaita (Galician bagpipes), Cristina Pato leads her quartet in a celebration of the rich complexities of Latin and Celtic music.

CHOR LEONI VANMAN SUMMIT CONCERT Sat Apr 13, 7:30pm

Presented by Chor Leoni The magnificent sound of more than 300 voices fills the concert hall for Chor Leoni’s VanMan Summit Concert. A must for choir lovers.

HANDEL CORONATION ANTHEMS Sun Apr 14, 3pm

Presented by Early Music Vancouver The Pacific Baroque Orchestra performs Handel’s monumental Coronation Anthems and Marc Antoine Charpentier’s triumphant Te Deum.

MARIZA

Wed Apr 17, 8pm Presented by the Chan Centre Portugal’s queen of fado and immensely gifted vocalist Mariza returns to Vancouver in support of her seventh studio album, produced in collaboration with industry legend Javier Limón.

MATT ANDERSEN & THE MELLOTONES Thu Apr 25, 8pm

Presented by Live Nation New Brunswick-born songwriter Matt Andersen performs songs from justreleased album Halfway Home by Morning. With the Mellotones and special guests Wild Rivers.

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR Sat Apr 27, 8pm

Presented by the Chan Centre Gifted sitar player Anoushka Shankar performs a program based on recently released album Reflections that includes both classical ragas as well as more contemporary works.

CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 6265 Crescent Road, Vancouver (UBC)

Tickets and info at chancentre.com SERIES SPONSOR:

12 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

arts

Artists capture portraits of resilience

by Alexander Varty

“P

Left to right, Kali Spitzer’s Sister and Holland Andrews, at the grunt gallery, and a shot from Alana Paterson’s Sk−wx−wú7mesh Nation Basketball series, at the Polygon Gallery, as part of the Capture Photography Festival.

hotography is a tricky medium, and I think that it’s not always used in a good way,” says Kali Spitzer, and for proof of that one need only look at the steady stream of deceptive, altered, or stereotype-reinforcing images being pumped into our homes every minute of every day. And so Spitzer, in her exhibition An Exploration of Resilience and Resistance, as elsewhere, is trying to do something different by applying Indigenous ethics to an old but alluring technology.

Spitzer is a devotee of a 150-year-old photographic technique called tintype, which uses a layer of emulsion on thin sheets of metal. She calls the resulting images “the most fancy kind of Polaroid you could ever do”, and indeed they combine the slightly smeary look of old instant

photos with the layered, chiaroscuro quality of large-format black-and-white camerawork.

Not coincidentally, the process is similar to that used by the turn-of-the-20th-century ethnographer Edward Curtis, famous—or infamous, depending on who you ask—for making beautiful but romanticized and unrealistic images of Indigenous people from the Pacific Northwest, perpetuating the stereotype of the so-called noble savage.

Spitzer’s images are also primarily of Indigenous people: often women, and frequently individuals who identify as trans or nonbinary.

Her richly textured black-and-white photographs are also often beautiful, but she doesn’t romanticize her subjects. In fact, she doesn’t have subjects, per se; she has collaborators.

“We’re making these tintypes together, and then we go into the darkroom to develop them, and that person’s able to look at that image and they can critique it on the spot, if they want,” the artist—whose heritage is Kaska Dena on her father’s side and Jewish-Romanian on her mother’s—tells the Straight in an interview from her Vancouver home. “So I really view it as a collaboration between me and the person I’m making images with. And I think that part of making this practice in a good way is giving people autonomy over image—which also means that if I get a model release signed but a few years down the road the person doesn’t want the image used, I don’t use it anymore.”

This consideration extends to the often autobiographical voice recordings that accompany

each image in An Exploration of Resilience and Resistance, jointly presented by grunt gallery and the Capture Photography Festival. These offer a more in-depth and intimate look at what’s being shown than the usual artist’s statement or curatorial essay. Spitzer’s cocreators are invited to provide their own audio statement, in their own voice, without editing or time limits.

Does this consideration reflect a specifically Indigenous way of making art?

“I don’t speak for any other Indigenous people, just myself,” Spitzer says thoughtfully.

“But I feel that the values that were built into me growing up by my Indigenous roots—and also by my mother, who’s Jewish—were that you listen, and that you do things with respect, see next page

Bowen resurrects a Harlem Nocturne

A

by Robin Laurence

rchival materials, family documents, and personal mementos, some of them passed down to Deanna Bowen when she was young, have proven a deep source of inspiration for the multidisciplinary artist.

Initially, however, two items—an oral history of a black settlement in northern Alberta and an actor’s scrapbook celebrating the vibrant black entertainment community of mid-20th-century Vancouver—were something of “a burden”, she tells the Straight, speaking by phone from her Toronto home. The two volumes of remembrances by the early-20th-century black pioneers of Amber Valley, including her great-grandparents, were particularly overwhelming.

“I inherited them when I was about 24 and the weight of that history was well beyond me at that time,” she says.

In anticipation of her solo exhibition, A Harlem Nocturne, at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Bowen is patiently providing background to her life and art practice. Opening on Friday (April 5) as part of the Capture Photography Festival, her show is complemented by two off-site works: a billboard at Fraser and Kingsway and a one-hour video to be screened at the Western Front. Foundational to the new work is Bowen’s family history. This includes the migrations of her ancestors, freed slaves from the American South, to all-black towns in Oklahoma and Kansas following the American Civil War and then, in 1909, to northern Alberta to homestead.

Artist Deanna Bowen drew on deep family research. Photo by Ella Cooper

“The Canadian government was actively encouraging white settlers in the United States to come to Canada, but their research wasn’t so great,” Bowen says. “They were accidentally placing ads in black newspapers.”

To say that the black settlers weren’t welcome in their new home is a cruel understatement. A racist campaign by local white officials, threatening violence against their black neighbours, caused the federal government to block their further immigration.

Bowen, who grew up in Vancouver, studied at the then Emily Carr College of Art and Design before moving to Toronto in 1994. She produced and exhibited art across multiple disciplines before earning her master’s

degree in visual studies at the University of Toronto in 2008. Although she was already exploring ideas of family, it was “really opaque, experimental work, trying to get to a mental plane to understand what I had grown up in,” she says. “And then I ran out of ways to metaphorically speak about them and had to engage with the history as directly as I could.”

A Canada Council grant enabled her to deeply research multiple generations of her family in both Canada and the U.S., resulting in a video and performance piece.

The new works on view at the CAG also represent years of research—and family connection. On Trial: The Long Doorway is a four-channel video installation, commissioned by the CAG and Toronto’s Mercer Union artistrun centre. It restages a mid-1950s teleplay about a black lawyer assigned to defend a white university student charged with violently assaulting a black athlete. Bowen encountered a reference to the original work while looking for information about her great uncle, the actor Herman Risby, who had a supporting role in it. Sifting through the CBC’s archival materials, she recovered the script and set designs. (No videotape of the performance had survived.)

In 2017, Mercer Union provided a space in which Bowen could workshop and videotape the drama, opening rehearsals to the public on weekends. “We were just riffing off what was on the page,” Bowen says, adding that she turned things around a bit by

Arts

inverting gender roles. The videotaped workshops included conversations with the actors as a means of grappling with black Canadian identity.

The most recent body of work on view at the CAG again builds on archivTHE CAPTURE al materials and family memorabilia PHOTOGRAPHY Festival, (including Risby’s scrapbook) to create which runs from Wednesday a multifaceted history of Vancouver’s (April 3) to April 30 around town, black entertainment community from has a strong speaker series this the 1940s to the 1970s. Through the year. Here are just some of the highlights of a program that use of lightboxes, sculpture, large-scale gives you the stories behind photographs, hand-painted signage, a the lens. Find more info at bookwork, and video, Bowen evokes capturephotofest.com/events. the bodily presence of leading black singers, dancers, actors, songwriters, d KRISTA BELLE STEWART and choreographers of the time. Many & TANIA WILLARD— of the people Bowen cites are related to ORTHOGONAL HEART her in some way, including a distant LINES (April 16 at Inform cousin, Choo Choo Williams. “She was Interiors) The artist whose Earthbound Mnemonic was a shake dancer for a nightclub called chosen for the 2019 Dal Grauer the Harlem Nocturne, which is where Public Art Project discusses the name of the show comes from,” the meaning behind the work Bowen explains. with curator Tania Willard.

Originally located near the intersection of Hastings and Main, once d PERSONALITY/PERSONA the hub of the black entertainment (April 23 at Inform Interiors) Artists Carol Sawyer, Elizabeth district, the Harlem Nocturne is no Milton, and Kali Spitzer longer there—nor is the community discuss photography’s role in it represented. “I’m trying to map the creating identity in this selfieblack spaces that Vancouver has now obsessed age. largely forgotten,” Bowen says. “The failure to acknowledge that extended d PUSHPAMALA N (April 27 at the Vancouver Art Gallery) The history speaks to something a little bit Bangalore-born provocateur dark, but I can’t quite put words to it.” talks about her photo and For now, it seems, she puts images to video work amid Moving Still: it instead. g

TIP SHEET

A Harlem Nocturne is at the Contemporary Art Gallery from Friday (April 5) to June 16 as part of the Capture Photography Festival.

Performative Photography in India, a major multi-artist exhibit opening April 19 at the VAG. g

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 13

a job in a male-dominated field skyand that you try to do things with the rocket. If you’re a high-level female least amount of ego possible.” executive, your chances of having been involved in sports is 92 percent.

ALANA PATERSON is not Indigen- If you’re a CEO or higher, it goes to ous, but the subjects of her contri- 96 percent. That’s pretty incredible. bution to the Capture Photography And who knows if the cart comes Festival are. In her gallery show and before the horse or how it works, but public-art initiative Sk −wx −wú7mesh why not hedge your bets and try and Nation Basketball, she’s looking at keep your kids in sports, right?” young female athletes, with the express intent of empowerment and ONE THING that links Paterson and encouragement. That they’re from Spitzer’s work is that both photo the Squamish First Nation is inci- series depict people as they would dental—up to a point. One of the side like to be seen. But while the young effects of showing these teenagers women in Sk −wx −wú7mesh Nation outside a readily identifiable cultural Basketball are looking boldly into context, beyond their satin uniforms the future, the historical connections and brick-orange basketballs, is to that emerge in An Exploration of Rehighlight their individuality. Shown silience and Resistance are among its in starkly lit, three-quarter-length most moving aspects.

“A lot of the time, when we’re develportraits of the kind sometimes used on sports trading cards, they’re not oping these images, people have told stereotyped “Natives”, but self-pos- me that they look like their grandsessed young women on the verge of mother, or they feel that the images really represent them, or that they moving into the adult world.

Dismantling stereotypes is not feel strong or beautiful,” Spitzer says.

Paterson’s main concern, though, “There’s a lot of really positive things although she considers that “in- that happen in that darkroom.”

That’s the “resilience” part of teresting”. Instead, she hopes to honour the role sports can play in Spitzer’s equation: the survival of encouraging self-awareness and Indigenous beauty and Indigenous values under a colonial system self-assertion.

A skateboarder herself, she has a that continues to work against such knack for capturing bodies in mo- things.

“Being alive today: that is resistance tion, and when a 2017 photo series focusing on women’s hockey caught in itself,” Spitzer adds. “That’s through the attention of a Squamish youth the resistance and the strength of our counsellor, Paterson was invited ancestors, who fought for us to be to shoot the young women’s side of able to be here today. Existing in this 2018’s Junior All Native Basketball colonized world, we are inherently Tournament, made up of over 80 resistant. And the people in the images, a lot of them are doing language teams from 50 nations.

“She had seen the hockey project, revitalization in their communities, and it got her a bit excited,” Pater- and art, and advocacy. I also feel that son tells the Straight from Kelowna, the mothers in these images are teachwhere she’s on her way to a shoot. ing their children to be strong, proud “She thought [the photo shoot] Indigenous people—and that is a form would be a cool way to keep the girls of resistance, too.” g excited and interested in sports, ’cause keeping teenage girls in sports An Exploration of Resilience and Resistance is really difficult. They drop out at a runs at grunt gallery until April 27. rate six times higher than boys their Sk−wx− wú7mesh Nation Basketball is on view age.…But, keeping them in sports, at the Polygon Gallery from April 13 until their chances of graduating college May 12, and at Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain skyrocket. Their chances of getting Station through March 1, 2020. from previous page

VOLVO CAR CANADA PRESENTS

MUSIC & POWER VSO SPRING FESTIVAL

STARTS THIS FRIDAY!

Join Maestro Otto Tausk and the VSO for an exploration of the relationship between Music and Power.

APR 5

Liberation: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Wagner’s Götterdämmerung: The Berlin Phil’s last performance before the fall of Nazi Germany. Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The first music they played after the 1945 surrender.

PRE-CONCERT DEBATE 7PM IN ORPHEUM LOBBY

APR 6

From Russia with Jazz RIMSKY-KORSAKOV The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Buffoons GERSHWIN Piano Concerto RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2 in E minor

APR 12

Revolutionaries: Stravinsky, Prokofiev & Shostakovich STRAVINSKY Funeral Song PROKOFIEV Violin Concert No. 2 in G minor SHOSTAKOVICH Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk: Suite (arr. James Conlon) PRE-CONCERT DEBATE 7PM IN ORPHEUM LOBBY

APR 13

Visions of Joy: Beethoven’s 9th IVES The Unanswered Question BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 in D minor

604-876-3434 vancouversymphony.ca/springfest

APRIL 5, 6 CONCERT SPONSOR

APRIL 13 CONCERT SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSOR

PRESENTED BY “Tyson is a real poet of the piano.”

— BBC Radio 3

Petal

by Petal...

There's more to experience, than just their beauty.

APRIL EVENTS FOR VANCOUVER EVERYONE CHERRY BLOSSOM 4 – 28 VCBF.CA IN THE FAMILY FESTIVAL 2019 NEW EVENT!

NIGHTS OF LIGHT April 12

THE BIG PICNIC April 13

SAKURA DAYS JAPAN FAIR April 13 + 14

THE BIG SING April 27

SAKURA NIGHT May 5

Tickets start at

$25

ANDREW TYSON PIANO

SUN APR 14 at 3pm I VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE This exciting young American pianist has emerged as a distinctive and important new musical voice, picking up competition prizes and stellar reviews along the way. Don’t miss his Canadian debut!

BERG | POULENC | CHOPIN | LISZT | RAVEL TICKETS: 604 602 0363 I VANRECITAL.COM

#vancherryblossomfest 14 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

SEASON SPONSOR:

SERIES SPONSOR:

CONCERT SPONSOR:

The Late Edwina & Paul Heller

Anonymous

SUPPORTED BY:

IN TRANSIT: REFLECTIONS Arts Umbrella students ages 13-19 unpack the intersection of darkroom and digital photography

EXHIBITION Saturdays & Sundays, April 6-15, 12-4 pm

Remington Gallery 108 East Hastings St.

APRIL 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 15

Albert Normandin Myanmar - An Obsession April 1 to April 30, 2019 Opening - Thursday, April 11, 5 - 8pm

The Adventures of Travel January 24-May 5, 2019

Artists talk - Thursday, April 25, 6-7:30pm 7DNHQ ZLWK WKH )XMLƓOP *); V FDPHUD DQG *) PP ) OHQV

Beau Photo Supplies 1401 W. 8th Ave www.beauphoto.com

Sales

•

Rentals

•

Mirrorless and medium format cameras that let you capture what you see wherever you travel.

Advice

VANCOUVER HOLOCAUST EDUCATION CENTRE 604.264.0499 | WWW.VHEC.ORG

Trucker Bomb 12 (detail), 2014, digital photo transparency lightbox.

FRAME YOUR

PHOTO!

Save 20%

Bring this ad to your local Opus Art Supplies and save 20% OFF your next Custom Frame Order.

Expires April 30, 2019 Promo Code: CAPTURE

Opus Art Supplies opusartsupplies.com

18 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

where the hour floats

WE WILL BUY YOUR DREAMS Louise Francis-Smith Photographic installation

April 12 to 27 Opening Reception: Friday April 12 6-9pm Artist Talk: Saturday April 20 1pm

By All Means Create /OpusArtSupplies

Studio 884

884 East Georgia, Vancouver BC Hours: 12-6pm (Fri, Sat, Sun) or by appointment Contact: 604 813-2700

ARTS

Sons of Sissy slaps new life into old schuhplattler

by Janet Smith

A

Sons of Sissy plays with ideas of masculinity and nudity. Photo by Rania Moslam

s a child growing up on an organic farm in the idyllic Upper Austrian countryside, Simon Mayer was surrounded by folk music, yodelling, and the traditional schuhplattler dance—the one in which leathershorted performers stomp, clap, and slap their feet, thighs, and knees.

Later on, when he went off to study and perform at the prestigious Vienna State Opera Ballet, he left the quaint Alpine forms behind.

“I would hide that I was a farmer,” the young contemporary dance star confesses to the Straight, speaking over the phone from Brussels. “When you weren’t dancing very well, they’d say, ‘You’re dancing like a farmer!’ ” But as Mayer moved away from ballet and into contemporary dance, transferring to Belgium to work at the cutting-edge Performing Arts and Research Studios (P.A.R.T.S.), he started to gain a new appreciation for the schuhplattler. Around him, he saw other contemporary dancers reimagining the folk styles of their own cultures—from the Argentine tango to India’s bharata natyam. So he started to delve deeper into the symbolic, social, and gender connotations of the fun, slap-happy form he had grown up with.

The result is Sons of Sissy, in which the choreographer, dancer, and musician not only daringly upends and deconstructs tradition, but quite literally strips it to its essence. Yes, over the course of the show, the four male performers go beyond playing folk instruments and dancing the schuhplattler. They eventually get naked.

“I found myself in studio in my underwear doing the schuhplattler, and then I thought, ‘Maybe this is not enough,’ and tried it naked,” explains the artist, who nabbed the 2017 outstanding-artist award from the Austrian Chancellery, among other accolades. “Leather pants would normally protect you from the slapping. But naked, it would get red and painful.

Anytime I would perform this dance in the countryside, I remember guys would yell, ‘Hit harder!’ That meant it would be more percussive, but also it

BUY NOW taxes included

meant a lot more pain. So it became this whole story of ‘I want to show off masculinity, but also...the self-torturing for the sake of masculinity.’ ” The themes go much more than skin-deep, however. Mayer went back to the centuries-old birthplace of the schuhplattler, where it rose as a kind of mating ritual at farmers’ weddings. A guy “either out of being totally drunk or just self-empowerment”, Mayer says, would basically act like a chicken to ask a woman to dance with him.

That slapping dance would become more of an acrobatic game of oneupmanship over ensuing generations.

Mayer became fascinated by the humour woven into the dance throughout history. He notes that in the 20th century, after the Nazis celebrated such traditional folk dances, the only way to rekindle them was with laughs. “On TV, folk dances had to be funny, so humour had to be used to take it away from National Socialism,” he explains. “So you would always see it in these contexts.”

As Mayer explored the form more, he became fascinated by how the schuhplattler would reflect the roles of the male and female. “Why would it still not be possible for a guy to dance with a guy in this? Women danced with women a lot,” he comments. “That’s what brought me to men. In the region where I grew up, intimacy between men is a very taboo topic.”

Mayer found additional inspiration in the stories of one of his dancer-musicians, who had experienced homophobia growing up in rural Austria.

So Sons of Sissy plies complex territory—while never forgetting the laughter that drives the art form. The result is a weird, liberating, and often hilarious folk-music-fed dance—with nudity. If that makes it seem hard to describe, Mayer offers insight. “It’s really this combination of, on one hand, playing with the stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, but also showing this vulnerability.” g Sons of Sissy is at the Scotiabank Dance Centre from Thursday to Saturday (April 4 to 6).

VANMAN MALE CHORAL SUMMIT CANTUS & CHOR LEONI

Friday April 12 | 7:30pm Two renowned ensembles collaborate in a thrilling showcase of male singing.

“Cantus sings with astonishing perfection of tone and diction.” — Gramophone Magazine

SUMMIT CONCERT

Saturday April 13 | 7:30pm with

CANTUS VOCAL ENSEMBLE CHOR LEONI MEN’S CHOIR CHOR LEONI’S MYVOICE CHOIRS VANMAN FESTIVAL SINGERS 300+ men’s voices soaring together in song — an exhilarating VanMan finale!

CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

chorleoni.org | 604.822.2697 ERICK LICHTE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

Steamwhistle

Switzercult Creative

Calabash Bistro

steamwhistle.ca

switzercultcreative.com

calabashbistro.com

“Full of charm and quiet humanity....

Delightful” —Montreal Gazette

playing at stanley industrial alliance stage

By Mark Crawford Now playing to May 4

granville island stage

goldcorp stage at the bmo theatre centre

PRESENTING SPONSOR

mark crawford and paul dunn in centaur theatre’s production of bed & breakfast; photo by andrée lanthier

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 19

ARTS

Koh tackles 17 new pieces in one night

J

by Alexander Varty

ennifer Koh’s original title for the Music on Main program she’ll present next week, Folie à Deux, just wasn’t cutting it. The term, which refers to a kind of mutual psychosis, captures the intensity of the music the acclaimed violinist will perform, but has an undertone of violence that wasn’t sitting well with her.

So she’s switched the title to Shared Madness. Yes, it’s mad to present 17 brand-new compositions for solo violin in a single night, but that the undertaking is a shared endeavour makes it far more doable.

The new title might refer to the intense relationship that Koh shares with her instrument, which she refers to as “my voice”. Or it might refer to the

contract Koh signed with philanthropists Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, who loaned Koh the money to buy that violin, a vintage treasure worth more than any classical musician could earn in his or her lifetime. Remarkably, her patrons didn’t ask for repayment in cash, but in premieres—a task shared

by Koh’s composer friends, who gladly stepped up to advance her cause.

“I called everybody in a very short time span, and I ended up with over 30 pieces,” the violinist relates from her New York City home. “Basically, everybody that I called said yes. It was unbelievable to me, that sense of community, that sense of generosity, their willingness to help. Even now, it makes me choke up when I think about it.”

Jennifer Koh says her composer friends really stepped up. Photo by Jűrgen Frank

Koh sees the Shared Madness collection—which includes works from living legends such as Philip Glass and Kaija Saariaho, from respected midcareer artists Julia Wolfe and

David Lang, and from relative newcomers like the National’s Bryce Dessner—as the 21st-century equivalent to Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, a set of brutally difficult extravagances that were for two centuries the last word in virtuosity.

“What do you think is virtuosity now?” was the question she asked her volunteer composers. “And a lot of them actually said, ‘Well, everybody can play fingered octaves. Obviously, you can play fingered thirds, you can jump around the instrument, you can play fast. Those are things that maybe in the 1800s not every violinist could do, but Paganini could,’ ” Koh explains.

“But for a lot of them, the most challenging thing is how one phrases, so their

pieces are going to be all about phrasing. For other composers, it was about stillness and quietness. With others, it was about extended technique.”

What Koh will share with the audience, then, is a survey of what her instrument is capable of. And the sharing might even extend to the future; there’s a good chance that these works will be used in violin pedagogy as often as Paganini’s were.

“I kind of feel like that’s my duty in life, to create an environment in which people can explore their curiosity through these different works.” g Music on Main presents Shared Madness with Jennifer Koh at the Fox Cabaret on Tuesday (April 9).

PRESENTS

MOMIX (US) VIVA MOMIX THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

SIMON MAYER AUSTRIA

SONS OF SISSY Main photo Arne Hauge/other photos Rania Moslam

“…BEGUILING, EYE-FILLING…”

GLOBAL DANCE CONNECTIONS SERIES

Traditional folk dances, masculine stereotypes – disrupted

April 4-6, 2019 | 8pm

Scotiabank Dance Centre

Tickets 604.684.2787 | ticketstonight.ca

Info 604.606.6400 | thedancecentre.ca

APRIL 12 & 13, 8PM VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE TICKETS FROM

TICKETS & INFO: DANCEHOUSE.CA

PRODUCTION PAR TNER

SE ASON PAR TNERS

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

Red Truck Beer redtruckbeer.com

MeeT meetonmain.com

20 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

ARTS

Love of Gershwin drives Goodyear at Spring Festival

HANDEL

CORONATION ANTHEMS

S

by Alexander Varty

tewart Goodyear has won acclaim for playing some of the world’s most revered music, including Ludwig van Beethoven’s complete cycle of 32 piano sonatas—which he’s recorded for the Marquis Music label—and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations. But the piece that might be closest to his heart just happens to be the one he’ll perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as part of this year’s Spring Festival: George Gershwin’s Concerto in F. “I first heard Gershwin’s Concerto in F when I was four years old,” the piano virtuoso reveals in a telephone interview from Toronto, where he’s visiting his mother. “And I was first introduced to Gershwin because of this LP collection, The Gershwin Album, which had the Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and Porgy and Bess, in [Robert Russell] Bennett’s arrangement for orchestra. I was really captivated, and I just knew it was going to be my favourite concerto, not only to listen to but to learn and to perform.”

Nothing in the subsequent 37 years—not even writing his own piano concerto, Callaloo, which he recently performed with the Victoria Symphony—has changed his mind. If anything, time has only deepened Goodyear’s love of the Concerto in F, and of Gershwin’s ability to invoke both his era and the places he knew best.

Those would be Paris, where both the composer Maurice Ravel and the famed composition teacher Nadia Boulanger refused to take him on as a student for fear of spoiling his already mature and distinctive style, and New York City, where he’d been born Jacob Bruskin Gershowitz in 1898.

But there’s another locale that played a role in shaping Gershwin’s musical approach: Russia. Although he never set foot in his parents’ native land, both Goodyear and VSO music director Otto Tausk think the connection is clear—and in Saturday’s program, From Russia With Jazz, the Concerto in F will be played alongside Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Buffoons and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E Minor.

“Gershwin’s pianism is very much inspired by the Russian school,” he says. “Even the beginning of the Concerto in F, the crescendo is very much like a Tchaikovsky or a Rachmaninoff crescendo, with the buildup of the brass and then the octaves in the strings. As a composer, I just love how Gershwin arrives at these colours with his orchestration. And because of Gershwin’s being a gifted creator of melodies, like Rachmaninoff and Rimsky-Korsakov, I see all three of them as very willing to share a program together.

“Artists are always responding to their environment, and whatever they compose, I think that, instinctively or not, they always transcend that inspiration to create work that is timeless,” he continues. “The Rachmaninoff second symphony is a product of that, and the Gershwin Concerto in F is a product of that.”

This might explain why Gershwin’s work, written in New York City in 1925, so appealed to a four-year-old in Toronto in 1982. But there’s another connection: Goodyear, like Gershwin, is the son of immigrants to the New World, his father being English and his mother Trinidadian. Gershwin invented a sonic universe in which European and African-American styles could happily coexist.

“Being a child of Toronto, I come from a multicultural background, listening to multicultural music, and there were never walls,” the pianist explains. “There was just a love of music and a love of people, with those two being the exact same thing.” g Stewart Goodyear joins the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in From Russia With Jazz at the Orpheum on Saturday (April 6).

Pacific Baroque Orchestra Alexander Weimann music director Vancouver Cantata Singers Paula Kremer VCS artistic director

AT THE CHAN CENTRE

APR14

9

Tickets from $36 | earlymusic.bc.ca | 604.822.2697 This concert is generously supported by Helen & Frank Elfert

A WOMAN’S PLACE IS ON HOME ICE

8pm Friday, April 19, 2019 The Orpheum Vancouver Chamber Choir & Orchestra Pacifica Singers Vancouver Youth Choir Jon Washburn, conductor Jon Washburn draws all his soloists, choirs, alumni and orchestra together for a wonderful evening of music to celebrate the passage of his 48 years as leader of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. The music is resplendent J.S. Bach’s marvellous Missa brevis in G minor, Tarik O'Regan’s mystic and evocative Solitude Trilogy, a premiere performance of Jon Washburn’s Two Canadian Folksongs and a celebratory massed performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ glorious Five Mystical Songs.

INSPIRATIONAL DRAMA

GLORY

By Tracey Power

Apr. 4–13, 2019 ੏ MainStage MAKE IT A GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT! Save $5 per ticket with our Ticket + Wine combo* *See website for details

Tickets from $29!

GatewayTheatre.com

1.855.985.ARTS (2787) vancouverchamberchoir.com

, H GatewayThtr

Media Sponsors

Production Sponsor PProduction roductioon Sponsor

Morgan Yamada & Arielle Rombough Photo: Photo: Erin Wallace.

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 21

“CHARMING IRANIAN CINEMA AT ITS PUREST. DEFIANTLY MODERN IN ITS LIBERATING MESSAGE.” — HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

ARTS VIDF wraps with Tjimur’s heartfelt energy

by Janet Smith

DANCE

3 FACES A FILM BY

JAFAR PANAHI

STARTS FRIDAY!

STARRING BEHNAZ JAFARI JAFAR PANAHI MARZIYEH REZAEI MAEDEH ERTEGHAEI NARGES DEL ARAM DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AMIN JAFARI EDITED BY MASTANEH MOHAJER EDITING ASSISTANT PANAH PANAHI SOUND DESIGNER ALIREZA ALAVIAN SET COSTUME AND MAKE-UP DESIGN LEILA NAGHDI SOUND RECORDIST ABDOLREZA HEYDARI POST PRODUCTION POOYA ABBASIAN LINE PRODUCER NADER SAEIVAR INTERNATIONAL SALES CELLULOID DREAMS WRITTEN DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY JAFAR PANAHI

VANCITY THEATRE 9 , ) ) 2 5 * ¿OPVweOLNH ¾OPVZHOLNH FRP TICKETS

1181 SEYMOUR ST • VANCOUVER

SHOWTIMES

See the Trailer •

VARHUNG—HEART TO HEART

A Tjimur Dance Theatre production, presented by the Vancouver International Dance Festival.

At the Vancouver Playhouse on Friday, March 29. No remaining performances

d SERENE, SUBDUED, and languid are words often used to describe the dance that comes out of Asia. They were terms that could be applied to the work of Taiwan’s Legend Lin Dance Theatre when it brought the mesmerizing, dreamlike The Eternal Tides to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival last year. But they are not at all the descriptives you’d use for Taiwan’s Tjimur Dance Theatre.

Passion, pure joy, and raw emotion emanate from the stage in the company’s aptly titled Varhung—Heart to Heart. Through driving movement that grows out of haunting songs, the dance work builds to a physically

Tjimur gives old Paiwan traditions a contemporary, abstract new edge.

pummelling climax. It made for an inspiring end to the Vancouver International Dance Festival.

The feel of Varhung reflects the culture it celebrates. Tjimur draws from the traditions of Taiwan’s Indigenous Paiwan people, but in the most abstract and contemporary-feeling way possible. The ancient weaves easily

into modern choreography here, the score a mix of pulsing electroacoustic music and the sounds of nature.

The flowing choreography is based on the movements of the shell-ginger harvest so integral to the Paiwan people. At times the five dancers rock rhythmically together, rooted to the ground and swaying like the grassy fronds farmed in their mountainous homeland. That groove builds to a sweaty test of endurance. Other times, they move as a throbbing, single, sculptural organism or break out in their own convulsing, cathartic solos.

Amid it all, their wailing songs, often presented in call and response between the men and the women, echo through the hall. Even if you don’t know what their words mean, you can somehow feel what they’re expressing, whether it’s almost unspeakable yearning or unfettered happiness.

The troupe’s boundless energy came across clearly too, the standing O proving nothing was lost in translation in this warm heart-to-heart from across the Pacific. g

ARTS LISTINGS ONGOING THE ORCHARD (AFTER CHEKHOV) The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Sarena Parmar’s timeless family drama set in the Okanagan Valley. To Apr 21, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Tix from $29.

PERSUASION Jane Austen’s work depicts a young woman’s struggles with love, friendship, and family. To Apr 20, 7:55 pm, Metro Theatre. $25/22.

THE TASHME PROJECT: THE LIVING ARCHIVES Verbatim theatre play that traces the history and common experience of the Nisei (second-generation Japanese Canadians).

Apr 2-13, Firehall Arts Centre. From $25.

MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC aIN A DIFFERENT LIGHT: REFLECTING ON NORTHWEST COAST ART to summer 2020 aSHAKEUP: PRESERVING WHAT WE VALUE to Sep 1 MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER aWILD THINGS: THE POWER OF NATURE IN OUR LIVES to Sep 30 aHAIDA NOW: A VISUAL FEAST OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION to Dec 1 aTHERE IS TRUTH HERE Apr 5–Dec 31 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY aFRENCH MODERNS: MONET TO MATISSE, 1850–1950 to May 20 aAFFINITIES: CANADIAN ARTISTS AND FRANCE to May 20 aDISPLACEMENT to Jun 9 aMOWRY BADEN to Jun 9 MORRIS AND HELEN BELKIN ART GALLERY aHEXSA'AM: TO BE HERE ALWAYS to Apr 7 THE POLYGON aA HANDFUL OF DUST to Apr 28 TECK GALLERY aEYE EYE to Apr 27

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 INCITE: FORGED IN FIRE Readings by authors Yasuko Thanh, Lorimer Shenher, and Catherine Porter. Apr 3, 7:30 pm, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. Free.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4 GLORY In 1933, four friends set out to prove to Canada that hockey isn't just a sport for men.

Apr 4-13, Gateway Theatre. $20/29/55.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Royal City Musical Theatre presents the classic musical comedy.

Apr 4-20, Massey Theatre. $19-49.

BED & BREAKFAST The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Mark Crawford's comedy about being out and finding home. Apr 4–May 4, Granville Island Stage. Tix from $29.

SEAN LACOMBER Alberta-based comedian performs three nights of standup. Apr 4-6, Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club. $10/20.

TALENT TIME: RENAISSANCE FAIRE Comedy/variety/talk show with a medieval theme.

Apr 4, 8 pm, Rio Theatre. $12/14.

SIMON MAYER The traditional folk dances and music of the Alps are joyously subverted in Austrian choreographer-musician Simon Mayer’s Sons of Sissy. Apr 4-6, 8 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre. $33/25.

ALMOST, MAINE A midwinter night's dream

by John Cariani. Apr 4-20, 8-10:30 pm, In the Theatre at Hendry Hall . $20/18.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 GET REEL! Pandora's Vox and Espiritu Vocal Ensembles perform movie music. Apr 5-6, West Vancouver United Church. $30/15.

VANCOUVER METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA Spring concert featuring pianist Bogdan Dulu. Apr 5, 7 pm, Shaughnessy Heights United Church. $25-$30.

VIBF PRESENTS: THE SHOWPONY SOIREE Burlesque artists from all over North America perform comedy, drag, and sensual striptease.

Apr 5, 7-11:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. $28-125.

UBC CHOIRS: ONE WORLD Music from around the globe performed by the University Singers, UBC Chamber Choir, and Choral

22 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

Union. Apr 5, 7:30-9:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $8.

CHERRY DOCS A Jewish lawyer is assigned to defend a skinhead. Apr 5-28, 8-10:15 pm, Pacific Theatre. $20-36.50.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 SALMON GIRL Raven Spirit Dance Production follows the journey of a young girl into a magical adventure. Apr 6-14, Waterfront Theatre. $18-35.

VIBF PRESENTS: THE GLAMORAMA GALA Performances by striptease artists from all over North America. Apr 6, 7-11:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. $28-125.

UBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Works by Stravinsky, Britten, and Berlioz. Apr 6, 7:30-9:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $8.

THE COMIC STRIP Standup comedy by Ryan Gunther, Randee Neumeyer, and headliner Byron Bertram. Apr 6, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios. $18.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 CAPTURE PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL— DOWNTOWN PUBLIC ART PROJECTS: GUIDED TOUR Capture Photography Festival public art walking tour. Apr 7, 1-3 pm, Robert Lee YMCA. Free.

NELSON GOERNER Argentine pianist performs works by Brahms, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin. Apr 7, 3 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. $15-50.

MONDAY, APRIL 8 DBLSPK: ARYO KHAKPOUR Reading of and discussion on the translation and adaptation work of Suddenly, This God Lover Died by Aryo Khakpour. Apr 8, 7:30 pm, The Fishbowl. $10.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY LECTURE Lecture by Sophie Barthélémy on the work of Henri Matisse and his life-long friendship with Fauvist painter Albert Marquet. Apr 9, 7-8:30 pm, Vancouver Art Gallery. $10-15.

JENNIFER KOH Violinist performs her project Shared Madness, comprising short works by Phillip Glass, Bryce Dessner, Kaija Saariaho, and Julia Wolfe. Apr 9, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix $29/10.

NEVER THE LAST Story follows the relationship between composer Sophie Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté and painter Walter Gramatté.

Apr 9-20, 8-10 pm, Orpheum Annex. From $10.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 STORY STORY LIE: THE HANGOVER Outrageous stories told by Paul Anthony, Graeme Duffy, Emma Cooper, Ally Baharoon, Jessica Pigeau, and Lydia Rickards. Apr 10, 7-8:30 pm, Rio Theatre. $10/12.

POETRY AND PUBLISHING Join poet Heidi Greco for a reading and writer Megan Williams for a discussion of trade versus self-publishing.

Apr 10, 7-9 pm, BC Alliance for Arts +Culture. $10.

NEW ORFORD STRING QUARTET Junowinning chamber-music group. Apr 10, 7:30 pm, Pyatt Hall. $10-50.

THE GOOD BRIDE One-woman comedy about a Quiverfull Christian girl. Apr 10-13, 8-9:30 pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. $15-36.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 MODUS OPERANDI SPRING DANCE INTENSIVE Dance classes led by David Raymond and Tiffany Tregarthen. Apr 11-13, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. $157.50.

GIGGLES & GAGS Comedy show with proceeds to Backpack Buddies, which feeds Metro Vancouver children living in poverty.

Apr 11-13, PAL Theatre. $25.

KING RICHARD AND HIS WOMEN Seven Tyrants Theatre presents a new adaptation

Arts

HOT TICKET

SALMON GIRL (April 6, 7,

13, and 14 at the Waterfront Theatre) Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in choreographer Michelle Olson and Musqueam playwright Quelemia Sparrow weave together theatre, dance, music, and puppetry in this story of the importance of salmon and the delicate balance of nature.

Following the adventures of a young girl, the family-oriented show by Raven Spirit Dance should be as visually stunning as it is eco-relevant.

NEVER THE LAST (April

9 to 20 at the Orpheum Annex) Delinquent Theatre is ready to unveil the world premiere of actor-playwright Christine Quintana and string queen Molly MacKinnon‘s romantic tragedy about the passionate relationship between early-20th-century violinist-composer Sophie Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté and expressionist painter Walter Gramatté. The show features multimedia storytelling, movement by Kayla Dunbar, and MacKinnon playing a live score of Eckhardt-Gramatté’s solo violin pieces. g

of Shakespeare’s Richard III. Apr 11-19, Tyrant Studios. $29.

CAPTURE PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL— COLLAGE IN THE CITY: MEET THE ARTISTS Meet artists Barbara Strigel and Mark Mizgala. Apr 11, 6-8 pm, The Listel Hotel. Free.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 SAKURA DAYS JAPAN FAIR Annual two-day family-friendly cultural event during the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, featuring Japanese festival foods, kids' crafts and activities, performances, exhibitors and vendors, and cultural handson experiences including a sake salon, tea ceremony, yukata, taiko drumming & more!

Join the SDJF Ondo parade Saturday at 5:30.

Apr 13-14, 10 am–5 pm, VanDusen Botanical Garden. $5-14.

ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit events 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.

Reel 2 Real brings challenging fare for wised-up kids

by Adrian Mack

Vancouver gets A Colony thanks to the International Film Festival for Youth.

L

ast Sunday (March 31), the Québécois film A Colony walked off with the Canadian Screen Award for the year’s best motion picture. On Monday (April 8), it receives its second-ever Vancouver screening at, of all places, the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth.

“It’s a film you could see at VIFF or playing at a mainstream theatre if Canadian film was better supported,” Tammy Bannister, the R2R director of programming, tells the Georgia Straight. “But it’s told from the perspective of a young person. And that’s one of our key guiding principles.”

A bittersweet tale of the relationship between a 12-year-old white girl and an Indigenous outcast in semirural Quebec, A Colony is precisely what Bannister means when she talks about films “not always intended for young people but suitable for young people to see”.

That notion surfaces across the nine features and multiple shorts programs coming to the festival, where the more contemplative, naturalistic beats of China’s A First Farewell sit in contrast to titles obviously designed for juvenile viewers, like the animated Andean fable Pachamama: The Sacred Treasure.

Having hunted for content from the Berlinale to the mammoth Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam, Bannister points out that R2R is one of the last outfits still thinking about the children on this more market-driven side of the Atlantic.

“We’re so paternal here with our culture, and the kids in Europe, the things they’re watching are just miles beyond what we are,” she reports. “It’s definitely a sustainable industry in Europe, whereas in North America it’s not supported. Even TIFF Kids has folded. That leaves the New York International Children’s Film Festival, Reel 2 Real, the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival—I guess those are the biggest three left in North America, and I don’t think we’re at the level of Chicago and New York.”

If our screens, big and small, are otherwise dominated by the mainstream product churned out by the corporate conditioning complex, R2R might have the fix. Beyond its famous opening-day pancake breakfast, the festival includes a busy program of discussions, Q & As, panels, and workshops further committed to raising the media-literacy and critical-thinking skills of kids at both the elementaryand high-school level. Which, in turn, reflects the broader mandate, practised for the festival’s 21 years, of simply respecting the intelligence of its audience members in ways that never occurred to the bean counters at Disney.

“Their bullshit detectors are just so good,” Bannister says, “But as a young person, you might just not have the language to say what you think, and so you can’t communicate with the adult world in that way. What we offer is the ability to learn that language and have a seat at the table.”

Bannister adds that the festival “can complement the school system in this way, where they don’t have the resources”.

No less important, and to the relief of many, R2R is doing a pretty good job of complementing the parenting system, too! g

MOVIES

A white lion, an alien, and four girls

W

by Adrian Mack

ith its Indigenous Spotlight and program titles like It’s a Girl’s Life, the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth yet again stuffs its schedule with a selection of excellent shorts. But if it’s the big flicks you’re looking for, here are three that shouldn’t be missed.

MIA AND THE WHITE LION With no special effects to comfort us, behold a full-grown lion rearing up to tackle a barely adolescent girl and the way she folds beneath it like a wet tissue.

Mercifully, the lion, a.k.a. Charlie, is just being playful. Opening R2R this year with a gala screening, Mia and the White Lion is loaded with such unforgettable moments, constituting perhaps the cat video to end all cat videos. The film takes place in a South African reserve and was shot over five years, so we watch a cast that includes Inglourious Basterds’ Mélanie Laurent age in real time, and we also get to meet rare white lion Charlie, initially as a weeksold cub. He bonds with Mia, who’s pissed at being relocated from London to the family farm. Her desire to protect Charlie leads to a wild climax and a sermon about canned hunting, the sincerity of which has been met with skepticism from some wildlife groups. That aside, this is almost as crazy as the legendary Roar! Vancity Theatre, April 7 (4:30 p.m.), 9 (10 a.m.), and 12 (10 a.m.)

family farm hardly looks so privileged, although it’s a lot more pristine and automated than Mariana’s barn, where she squeezes milk into an old bucket. While the obvious economic differences are already striking, Sunday’s curriculum includes lessons on how to spot land mines after a war that has already cost her a father, while Noura treks across hard, barren ground to a makeshift school with a clear view on the horizon of a Jerusalem she’s not allowed to visit. At one point, she declares: “Life is beautiful here,” Reel 2 Real roars into action on Sunday with the wild feature, Mia and the White Lion. easily providing one of the most bracing jolts of human joy and rethe more ineffable mysteries of life Noura, Finnish teen Oona is staring silience you’ll receive this year. Vanseen here, in a Japanese film that at a phone when we’re introduced city Theatre, April 9 (12:30 p.m.) and otherwise is about an ET. In this to her. Still, her daily routine at the 13 (11:45 a.m.) g case, she’s the very pretty daughter of a woman working for 11-yearold Satoshi’s mother, although Makuko makes no effort to conceal that she and “Mom” are both offplanet visitors, of a species that can never die, or change. Thus, young Satoshi’s existential trauma over aging, wet dreams, and the general frailty of the human condition becomes wonderfully confabulated with a first love who craves the experience of those very things.

(Okay, maybe not the wet dreams.)

This is a beautiful film: modest, warm, and unflashy in all ways, not counting its sometimes startling photography. Vancity Theatre, April 12 (noon) and 13 (1:45 p.m.)

MAKUKO It’s inconceivable that an American film would include a scene in which a pubescent boy and his father compare their balls. (“They’re disgusting,” is Dad’s take on his own junk.) It’s no more likely that a Steven Spielberg would ever produce the subtle riff on time, entropy, or

ONE GIRL A brilliantly simple idea that must have invited some complex logistics, Rosa Russo’s doc follows four 13-year-old girls as they go about their day in four very different parts of the world. In contrast to South Sudanese Sunday, Romanian Mariana, and Palestinian

VIFF‘18

The Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth takes place at the Roundhouse Community Centre and the Vancity Theatre from April 7 to 13.

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 23

MOVIES

A Bella Ciao! to old Commercial Drive Stories from a car, a bike, and the back of a neck

by Adrian Mack

REVIEWS 3 FACES

Starring Behnaz Jafari. In Farsi and Turkish, with English subtitles.

Rating unavailable

I

Carmen Aguirre and Taran Kootenhayoo join an ensemble cast in filmmaker Carolyn Combs’s sweet love letter to East Van.

t was in December 1973 that author-playwright-actor Carmen Aguirre’s family f led the Pinochet regime in Chile, eventually landing in Vancouver and taking up residence in an East 3rd

Avenue co-op that would come to be named the Paloma.

Now Aguirre plays a central role in Bella Ciao! as Constanza, a woman facing terminal illness while haunted by Chile’s past. Closing the

“MAKES A CASE FOR CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY AND THE MAGIC OF OLD WAYS.” — GLOBE & MAIL

A FILM BY

RON MANN FEATURING

ESZTER BALINT CHRISTINE BOUGIE (BAHAMAS) NELS CLINE (WILCO) KIRK DOUGLAS (THE ROOTS) ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER BILL FRISELL DALLAS GOOD (THE SADIES) TRAVIS GOOD (THE SADIES) DAVE HILL JAIME HINCE (THE KILLS) STEWART HURWOOD JIM JARMUSCH LENNY KAYE (PATTI SMITH GROUP) MARC RIBOT CHARLIE SEXTON (BOB DYLAN BAND) AND OTHERS

Carmine Street Guitars STARTS FRIDAY!

See the Trailer ÀOPVZHOLNH FRP ÀOPV FDUPLQH VWUHHW JXLWDUV

THE MOVIE NETWORK AND THE MATCH FACTORY PRESENT A SPHINX PRODUCTION FILM “CARMINE STREET GUITARS” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN M TRAN, BECKY PARSONS SOUND MICHAEL GUGGINO MUSIC SCORE THE SADIES SOUND DESIGN TED ROSNICK EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS CARTER LOGAN, MICHAEL HIRSH EDITOR ROBERT KENNEDY WRITTEN BY LEN BLUM PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY RON MANN

THE CINEMATHEQUE ¿OPVweOLNH ¾OPVZHOLNH FRP 1131 HOWE ST • VANCOUVER

See the Trailer •

24 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

circle, Constanza’s apartment in the film is actually Bella Ciao! director Carolyn Combs’s apartment in real life—at the Paloma.

“Her bedroom is our living room,” Combs reveals during a call to the Georgia Straight. “There’s a real connection between Carmen and the role and this place.”

Indeed, Bella Ciao! is maybe the sum of its connections. In Combs’s words, it’s a “homage” to the East Van she and her family fell in love with after relocating from Montreal in the mid-2000s.

The leisurely paced film observes a homeless First Nations kid (Taran Kootenhayoo), Italian restaurant owner Arnaldo (Tony Nardi), women’s-rights activist Hester (filmmaker Marie Clements), and sundry other folk—the East Side’s Carnival Band included—who interact with Constanza and her daughter Soledad (Alexandra Lainfiesta) over the course of a day.

If there’s an elegiac quality to Bella Ciao!, it’s because the dramatic changes Vancouver has experienced in the past 10 years have belatedly reached the Drive, making it doubly poignant for those playing spot-thelocation with Combs’s film.

“Caffé Amici closed before the script was finished,” the filmmaker laments. “We used to meet there to write and hash out ideas. It was sad to see it go. It informed the kind of nostalgia that you see in Arnaldo’s coffee shop. But rents go up, the independents move out, and the chains move in. It’s unfortunate.”

Still, if the Drive’s personality is flagging a little these days, alongside its “culture of resistance”, both are hard-coded into Bella Ciao!. Whatever serendipity brought Aguirre together with the filmmaker radiates out, resonating with a global battle increasingly obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

“Certainly,” Combs affirms, “that part of the film is quite timely, particularly with what’s happening in Venezuela.” In Canada, meanwhile, a national creep to the right is “less obvious”, she says, “but still happening all around us. We live with that, don’t we? That edge of despair.

“But then,” Combs continues, suddenly roused, “the Carnival Band comes marching through on a beautiful sunny day! And someone gives you 20 bucks! And you think, ’Okay, it’s not so bad!’ ” Absolutely! And so Bella Ciao! becomes something of a poem to the notion that art and resistance nourish each other.

“I hope so,” she says. “That’s a really nice way to think about the movie. And we do see so many movies that don’t reflect the values that we really do actually have as a society, you know? We’re not as mean as we come across! We do have compassion for each other! We do care!” g Bella Ciao! receives its red-carpet premiere at the Vancity Theatre, with the Carnival Band in attendance, on Wednesday (April 10).

d FOR A GUY under house arrest, Jafar Panahi sure gets around! In Taxi, he played a version of himself, reduced to making clandestine filmlets about varied customers stuck in Tehran traffic. For 3 Faces, he travels to Iran’s far northwest, near Azerbaijan, where more people speak Turkish than Farsi.

Screen Panahi wants to help a friend—veteran TV star Behnaz Jafari—solve a grim mystery. A young woman from this dusty region has sent her a video of what looks like her own suicide. Both travellers suspect the cellphone footage was staged, but are shaken enough to seek out the remote mountain village referred to in the message.

The resulting movie is an episodic adventure that grows more mythical as it moves through harsh terrain and our sojourners encounter language barriers on multiple levels. Along their way they encounter strangers who ply them with sweet tea and odd stories, as well as the usual resentments against “urban elites”.

The locals recognize Jafari from TV soaps, but women are otherwise expected to stay hidden in supportive roles. The notion of a crumbling patriarchy becomes clearer with references to someone called Scheherazade, an actress who has retired on a nearby hillside. We only glimpse her from a distance, but her tales dominate the landscape. The movie could have used a little more visual magic to go along with its sly metaphors, but the final shot—with women literally leading the way—is one for the ages.

capitalism are omnipresent, and yet that doesn’t ruin the pleasure of this light-touch gem.

by Ken Eisner

SUNSET

Starring Juli Jakab. In Hungarian and German, with English subtitles.

Rated PG

d IT’S A GOOD thing Hungary’s Juli Jakab is a compelling screen presence.

Because in Sunset’s two hours and 22 minutes, viewers spend more time with the back of her head than they do with most actors’ faces in other movies.

Here, writer-director László Nemes follows his central protagonist so closely that everything is reduced to one perspective, with limited peripheral vision. The POVer is young Írisz Leiter, arriving in 1913 Budapest to reclaim her stake in the family business, a high-class hat-making salon that burned down a decade earlier.

Since being rebuilt, the place has been run by Mr. Brill (Vlad Ivanov), who’s not all that happy to see her.

Soon, everyone is slipping her warnings and contradictory information, and Írisz learns that she may have had an older brother, known as a mysterious bandit. But did he have something to do with the fall of the House of Leiter? Or might this figure be some kind of revolutionary, aiming at effete rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire, visiting from Vienna?

Knowing a lot about what triggered the First World War does one little good in sorting out what Nemes is trying to say about the changing of the European guard a century ago.

Admirable efforts have been made to dress everything with late-belleépoque elegance, but that’s mostly seen as out-of-focus background to Írisz’s hours of traipsing. A coda is even more enigmatic. Still, if movies won awards for best neck, Sunset would definitely

by Ken Eisner clean up.

ARABY

by Ken Eisner

Starring Aristides de Sousa. In Portuguese, with English subtitles.

Rating unavailable

CARMINE STREET GUITARS

d APPEARANCES ARE deceiving in this gently humanistic fable. It begins with teenage Andre (Murilo Caliari), seen riding his bike to the unexpected strains of Townes Van Zandt’s “I’ll Be Here in the Morning”. He needs to be there for his sickly little brother, running out of medicine since their parents pretty much abandoned them on the industrial outskirts of Ouro Preto, an old mining town in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state.

Fortunately, their good-natured aunt (Gláucia Vandeveld), a community nurse, checks in and takes Andre on her rounds. That’s how he meets Cristiano (Aristides de Sousa), a taciturn worker at a nearby cement factory. He and we think little of that until the guy has an accident that puts him in a coma. When Andre fetches some of the man’s things, he finds a notebook stuffed with stories, and the perspective suddenly switches to Cristiano and his previous decade of wanderings, narrated in the first person.

In flashbacks, his 20s unfold with a bout in prison and a spate of joe jobs.

Although Cristiano rarely speaks, we learn a lot about the inner yearnings and contagious humour of the people around him. He does chat at length with an old-timer about “what’s worst to carry”. (The answer, fatefully, is “cement”.) And he eventually meets the more middle-class Ana (Renata Cabral), whose affections remain prime motivation for the rest of the journey.

This picaresque adventure is also illuminated by many jokes about human nature—one of which provides the otherwise cryptic title. The tale never really returns to Andre, but the unresolved ending leaves things open for the bewildered children of Brazil as it faces its darkest challenges since the dictatorship. The hard politics of

d WHEN IS A guitar more than just a guitar? If you ask Rick Kelly, luthier nonpareil of a long-standing Greenwich Village music shop, he’ll demonstrate that it’s an opportunity to reclaim big chunks of old New York and turn them into instruments with history built in.

Kelly’s not the most charismatic subject, but this doesn’t matter much, since top six-stringers like Bill Frisell, Wilco’s Nels Cline, and Bahamas guitar ace Christine Bougie stop by to play. Other highlights include visits from quirkmeister Marc Ribot and the guitarists from the Sadies, who also provide incidental soundtrack music.

The shop is not just a boys’ club anymore. There are enigmatic songs from Eleanor Friedberger and Eszter Balint, known for her work in the films of Jim Jarmusch, a wire-haired presence who’s also an occasional guiding spirit here. In a kind of subplot that bodes well for coming generations, filmmaker Ron Mann also focuses on gothtatted apprentice Cindy Hulej, who wandered into Kelly’s shop looking for work and stuck around to become a master builder in her own right. At the other end of the age spectrum, the owner’s 90-something mother watches the till and does paperwork.

Surpassing everyone else’s lifetime is recovered wood from Manhattan landmarks, stacked in a back room for special orders. Kelly’s bench knows one electric-guitar format best: the Fender Telecaster. But within that classic design he allows many tones and textures. A key through-line for the movie follows a thick plank saved from a fire at McSorley’s Old Ale House, established 1854, as it gets gradually transformed into an intoxicant of a different sort. Long may it twang.

A documentary by Ron Mann.

Rated PG

by Ken Eisner

APRIL 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 25

MUSIC

For Dirty Radio, it all starts with a beat

I

by John Lucas

n the wake of the abuse allegations revealed in the documentary Leaving Neverland, Michael Jackson has been, in the parlance of our rapidly changing times, “cancelled” in many quarters, as if erasing his contributions to pop music will somehow make it all better.

When the Straight gets Dirty Radio members Farshad “Shadi” Edalat and Zachary “Waspy” Forbes on the phone, it’s certainly not to talk about anything as disturbing as Finding Neverland. The topic comes up, though, because one of the songs on the Vancouver group’s forthcoming third album, Pleasures (out April 12 via 604 Records), includes several references to Jackson in its lyrics.

“You’re the baddest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on/Now let’s dance to ‘Billie Jean’,” Edalat sings over the track’s elastically funky groove, following that up with “Now you’ve got me moonwalkin’.”

“Everyone has an opinion, obviously, and the world is full of people on the Internet typing what they think about everything,” Forbes reflects.

“Regardless of how you feel about it, Michael Jackson had major impact on music and musicians and songwriters. To try and tell anyone anything is pointless, because everyone is going to have their own personal perspective on it. The way I feel about it personally is that you can’t convince anybody of anything they don’t want to be convinced of, so everybody should be free to feel how they want to feel.”

“Zach had a good point earlier, when I watched it,” adds Edalat, referring to the controversial doc. “He was like, ‘Do you separate the art from the artist? Because a couple of people are saying this stuff happened, is his

Zachary “Waspy” Forbes and Farshad “Shadi” Edalat of Vancouver dance-music act Dirty Radio. Photo by Brandon Artis

music now garbage?’ The impact he had on the music industry, and on shaping music—is that all gone?”

Forbes chimes in again: “And then at that point, do you go back to all the allegations you’ve heard about, like, David Bowie or James Brown, or countless other massive musicians from the past 30 years who have impacted culture and changed music and inspired people, and do you go and cancel everybody else?”

All good questions, and well worth asking, but they take the mind to a dark place that is at odds with Dirty Radio’s usual life-affirming vibe. An unfailingly upbeat stew of pop and R&B with liberal doses of electronic-dance-music styles, Pleasures is

26 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

the long-overdue follow-up to the group’s last full-length release, 2012’s Cassette. Since then, Dirty Radio has largely focused on releasing singles, a strategy that has worked out incredibly well, with the act having racked up more than 40 million streams on Spotify to date. Why, then, bother returning to the album format at all?

“I think the biggest thing for us was that we just had so many songs,” Forbes says. “We write every single day, we’re constantly collabing with different people and making our own stuff. We were just sitting there, being like, ‘Fuck, we have so much music.’ And it also helps when you have an agent looking at you, and management going ‘You guys should

drop a record, then you can tour the record.’ You know, that whole thing.”

Dirty Radio is nothing if not a prolific trio. (Anthony “Tonez” Dalhai is still a member of the group, but prefers to stay out of the spotlight, working in the studio but not performing on-stage, and no longer appearing in the band’s promo photos.)

The songwriting process varies depending on whether the group is working with outside producers or doing everything in-house, but it almost always starts with one crucial element: the beat.

Says Edalat, “If we’re doing a collab with a producer from Berlin or Paris or something like that, usually their management will reach out to us and say,

‘Hey, we liked that last song you did with so-and-so; here’s a bunch of beats so you guys can collab.’ And they’ll send a beat pack, and I’ll go through them, and if something resonates with me I’ll come up with melodies, and we’ll sit around and write lyrics. But if it’s our stuff, usually Zach will have a bunch of beats, or he’ll make a beat, or we’ll sit around and make a beat together—we’ll all kind of jam out on instruments. Anthony is a dope piano player, Zach plays keyboards, and both him and I are drummers. And we’ll just kind of jam in the studio. But typically a beat will start with Zach.”

“There are so many different ways that a song can create itself,” Forbes adds. “I make beats every day, so I like to think that there’s a lot of content that we can always write on. But sometimes, like Shadi said, just jamming out and being creative inspires a lot of good stuff too.”

Dirty Radio is looking to take that good stuff on the road this summer during festival season, and to give audiences the opportunity to take a piece of it home.

“We’re definitely planning on making vinyl for merch,” Forbes reveals, noting that local fans will be the first to hear Pleasures, albeit in a different, less fashionable format.

“The reason I’m super stoked about this show on the 5th is that we’ll have physical CDs—which is hilarious because I don’t even own a CD player anymore. You can basically get the CD a week before it goes up on Spotify and all that shit. So we’re just going to sell those and be like, ‘Please don’t upload this a week early.’ ” g Dirty Radio plays Fortune Sound Club on Friday (April 5).

MUSIC

Jon and Roy see good in the world

NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED CUISINE

Voted BEST EATERY with LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

22NDAnnual

2019

FAT TUESDAYS! $9.95 PASTAS 5pm to 9pm

HAPPY HOUR DRINKS & FOOD EVERY DAY FROM 4PM TO 6 PM WEDNESDAY APR 3

THURSDAY APR 4

FRIDAY APR 5

Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jon and Roy have toured in Europe five times since an exploratory sojourn there in 2016. Photo by Sierra Lundy

d FEW THINGS in life expand oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world-view more than travelling, something that Roy Vizer has been fortunate enough to do as a member of Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jon and Roy. When the drummer calls the Straight, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the road in Vienna and happy to report that shows on the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current European tour have been going smashingly. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fifth trip over the Atlantic since an exploratory sojourn in 2016, and triumphs this time have included playing for a crowd of just under 600 in the mecca of cool known as Berlin.

Vizer works as a schoolteacher when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not in the studio or onstage with his Jon and Roy bandmates Jon Middleton (vocals-guitar) and Louis Sadava (bass). Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a firm believer that being able to see the world has benefits that are as educational as they are illuminating.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important at a time when to consume the news is to be left thinking that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been more doomed as a species, thanks to a

We kind of just wanted to create the kind of music that we like playing. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Roy Vizer

fundamental inability to get along on the planet we all share.

Jon and Roy arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afraid to acknowledge the tense climate weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re living in on their eighth and latest album, Here. At the same time, the group also gives every indication that it might be nice to strive for something better. Consider the smoky and world-weary â&#x20AC;&#x153;Damnâ&#x20AC;?,

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

which contains the lyrics â&#x20AC;&#x153;All I know is the peak of this life is loving and living/Giving and connecting right/Not gaining money or power for personal wealth/ Thinking of just ourselves.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We definitely talk about current events when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the road, or even just hanging out,â&#x20AC;? Vizer says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that we look at things in a futile way, which is easy when you see some of the shittiness thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on. But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also inspired by the things that are going on right in front of us and are really great and beautiful.

When you actually get out there and meet people, you realize that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more goodness in the world than bad, I guess. Sometimes the shitty stories overwhelm the good ones.â&#x20AC;?

The band knows something about pretty good stories. Middleton and Vizer first met while attending university in Victoria, hung out during a stint in Australia, and then began playing music together around Vancouver.

see next page

SATURDAY APR 6

SUNDAY

APRIL 7

TUESDAY APRIL 9

WEDNESDAY APRIL 10

THURSDAY APRIL 11

SUNDAY

APRIL 14

GEOFF GIBBONS ADAM THOMAS BAND DAVID STEELE BAND SPECTRUM UNO MAS BAND LINDSAY MARTELL NEIL RYAN MIKE HENRY BAND ARSEN SHOMAKOV BAND es Venueweek... u l B / hts a azz Voted Best J usic 6 nig VANCOUVERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SPOT FOR LIVE Live M JAZZ BLUES

BLUEMARTINIJAZZCAFE.COM 1516 YEW STREET, VANCOUVER, BC | 604 428 2691

APR

22

C OA S TA L JA Z Z P R ES EN T S

FILTHY FRIENDS FEAT CORIN TUCKER OF SLEATER-KINNEY & GUITARIST PETER BUCK, FORMERLY OF R.E.M

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS: EYELIDS

BUDDY GUY

WITH SPECIAL GUEST TOM HAMBRIDGE M O N DAY, A PR I L 22 | 8 PM O R PH EU M T H E AT RE

Media Sponsor:

MAY 10 - RICKSHAW THEATRE VANCOUVER, BC 19+

TICKETS AT MRGCONCERTS.COM, EVENTBRITE.CA & RED CAT RECORDS

T I C K E T S & I N FO AT C OA S TA L JA Z Z .CA @ C OAS TA L JA Z Z APRIL 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 27

from previous page

“We definitely did every gig that we could—everywhere from pizzerias to Café Deux Soleils,” he remembers. “Playing a lot in a lot of different scenarios really helped us.”

Song placements in television commercials and TV shows helped spread the word as Jon and Roy made the transition from live band to serious recording act gifted at fusing easygoing, summer-breeze reggae with sun-splashed folk. Here winningly serves up more of the effortless sound forged on past records like Another Noon and Let It Go. Think numbers like “In My Arms”, which is buoyed, quite infectiously, by strutting, straight-outta-Kingston horns. At the same time, Jon and Roy once again serve notice that they’re also not afraid to step outside of their comfort zone; “Headstrong” serves up blue-eyed R&B, and “That Is You” takes an authentic stab at blackhearted country.

As for the Mexican-cantina waltz “The Border’s There To Be Crossed”, the title not only speaks volumes, but has an added resonance when you consider the premium Vizer and Middleton place on forging the kind of connections that make the world a better place. For that, they’ve received plenty of love back, and Vizer has a theory about why that is.

“From the very beginning, we kind of just wanted to create the kind of music that we like playing, and really wanted to enjoy doing it,” he says. “We never went through a stage where we turned into something where it felt like a job or a slog. Anytime it did, we’d take a step back and chill for a bit. We’ve also got other things going on in our life, which has limited how much we can do music, which has turned out to be a blessing. That’s given us a longevity. We haven’t overdone it and burned ourselves out, which helps keep you inspired.”

Throughout his career, former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman Bob Mould has made everything from hardcore to electro.

SPACE ELEVATOR HAS GOT SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

d ALL OF MIKE WT ALLEN’S musical dreams are coming true— and this, he admits, worries him deeply. In his band Space Elevator, he has successfully assembled 20 of Vancouver’s most adept young musicians to play his complex charts, which combine crunching metal guitars with a billowing horn section and prog-rock keys. The band’s first show sold out, as has every subsequent outing. And this week, Space Elevator will release its self-titled debut album on the prestigious Redshift label, known for its selection of adventurous art music from some of Canada’s finest composers.

Sometimes it all seems too much.

“I keep waiting for us to have a bad concert so I can break up the band and don’t have to keep organizing everything,” Allen tells the

by Mike Usinger Straight in a telephone interview from his East Van home. “It’s just Jon and Roy play the Commodore Ballroom so much work, and it’s an expensive on Saturday (April 6). undertaking.”

And then, of course, he laughs.

Self-mockery is a big part of the dreadlocked saxophonist, clarinetist, conductor, and composer’s makeup; he jokingly ascribes Space Elevator’s genesis to his being an “artistic type” who needs to express himself through “odd time signatures and atonal harmonies”. But the group 7 DAYS also pays tribute to Allen’s focus as a A WEEK leader, to his knack for writing com9:30PM-CLOSE positions that are as accessible as they are ambitious, and to an interesting HOSTED BY: EVIL BASTARD moment in Vancouver’s musical hisKARAOKE EXPERIENCE tory. One reason why Space Elevator can exist, he contends, is that we have FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM! a surplus of excellent musicians and OPEN UNTIL 3AM a shortage of work; people can’t live FRIDAY AND SATURDAY comfortably within a single genre, so

KARAOKE

they’re open to music that blurs stylistic boundaries—and to working hard for minimal pay.

“I’m extremely happy to have the people that I have in this band, because the music that I’ve written for them is crazy difficult,” he says. “The musicians are all so talented and so incredible and should be paid, like, three times what I pay them for the amount of work I make them do. But I’ll message them and say, ‘Hey, guys, I’ve got this gig,’ and they don’t care that I can only pay them so much.

They just say, ‘Yes, that’s fine. We’ll be there.’ I’m eternally grateful for my musicians and the amount of enthusiasm that they bring to it, because if it wasn’t for them it would just be me standing on an empty stage waving my arms around.”

As for those sold-out shows, there’s always the fact that when you’ve got 20 people in the band, they’re going to bring a lot of partners, parents, and friends along with them. But Space Elevator’s music also has something for almost everyone, as Allen points out.

“If someone’s coming into the concert expecting big-band jazz, then they’re going to latch on to those really pretty, jazz-leaning things,” he says. “Maybe they’re going to shy away from the heavy-metal riffs, but you can more easily put up with a bunch of heavy-metal riffs if some kind of beautiful trombone chorale is happening right afterwards—and vice versa, you know.

If someone is coming in looking for a big, loud rock concert, they might go, ‘Wait a second, what are all these saxophones doing on-stage?’ And then they’ll make their way through the saxophone solos and they’ll get a nice big heavy-metal riff. So I think that may be part of the appeal of the band: there’s always enough of every-

thing in there that people can take different things away from it.”

by Alexander Varty

Space Elevator plays the Rickshaw Theatre on Saturday (April 6).

BOB MOULD FINDS A FAMILIAR GROOVE IN HIS BERLIN BASE d BOB MOULD is hanging out on a conference line in San Francisco, taking on journalists in sequence to promote the second leg of his Sunshine Rock tour. When the Straight dials in, he’s talking with another interviewer about his plans to renew his visa to continue his stay in Berlin, his current home base.

So we begin there, when the previous interviewer signs off: since Mould seems happy in Berlin, what’s with his video for “Lost Faith”? The video has Mould being interrogated

by German journalists and police and pursued by menacing hooded figures, first into a gay bar and then into an abandoned building that looks from above—he acknowledges the point—like an enormous cock and balls. It’s pretty angst-ridden, paranoid stuff, no?

“Ah, it’s all right!” Mould says in a jocular tone. “We were looking at the resources we had in Berlin to make the most impressive video that we could. Since we were doing this on a modest budget, and just looking at the song and how we could craft a story, that’s what I arrived at as an idea, talking about me migrating and not being able to fit in, chased by drones, surveilled. It’s sort of a European pop-music video, actually, they all look like that—at least the ones I see at the gym!”

The cock and balls, it turns out, are an abandoned U.S. listening station in Teufelsberg that Mould and

company had access to. The gay bar is Woof, a bear bar in Mould’s neighbourhood, run by friends of his.

Looking back on his last four albums (including 2012’s Silver Age and 2016’s Patch the Sky), you realize that Mould and his bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster have now been together for nearly as long as Hüsker Dü was.

The consistency of the four albums they’ve released seems to run afoul of Mould’s stated principle that “the best way to survive is to mutate”—referring to his restless and continual self-reinvention. It’s a tendency that has seen him play blustering hardcore, artful psychedelic-tinged rock, ’90s college pop, and even modularsynth-driven electro, at different phases of his decades-long career.

So is the newfound constancy an effect of his working with the same musicians for so long, or has Mould finally found his groove?

“I think I’ve found this groove, which is a familiar groove,” Mould replies. “When we got together at the beginning of 2012 to make Silver Age—the three of us, and Beau Sorenson, our engineer—my m.o. was making these highly crafted, highly demo’d-out studio albums, and that’s where we started. And over the course of the four albums, the trust has gotten built up as we’ve made records and played these songs live, and we’ve got our shared language now.”

Mould has occasionally been described as a control freak, but having so solid a unit has helped him relax a bit. “We’ve gotten better as a band, and it affects the way I write for these records. It’s like—Silver Age was a win, and then we just kept building—I kept having maybe less control, and just letting people do what they do, and I think we’re getting better results.”

One of the talking points about Sunshine Rock—particularly germane to the title track, which is as cheery a love song as Mould has written—is how upbeat it is, but there are definitely troubled moments, too; it’s still identifiable as a Bob Mould album.

“I totally agree,” Mould says. “The first four songs are real bright, vibrant, and outgoing, and sort of set the stage, but Act 2, songs 5 through 9, are a little more interior, definitely darker, but not terribly so. Then the last three could have gone either way, and I chose the brighter stuff. It worked out well, and ‘Western Sunset’ is such a great closer. We tried that song for Silver Age, and I think we tried it again for Beauty & Ruin.

The third time’s a charm on that one—it’s the perfect closer for an album about sunshine!”

by Allan MacInnis

Bob Mould plays the Rickshaw Theatre on Sunday (April 7).

MUSIC LISTINGS THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

APRIL 4

APRIL 5

APRIL 6

APRIL 7

THE PHONIX FREE COVER

BACKSTAGE LAGER $2.50 (10oz) POUTINE $12

BIG BROWN BEAVER PRIMUS TRIBUTE CHEAP PURPLE MEDUSA (UK) RED TRUCK $5.85 JUGS $16.50 GROLSCH $6.25

CURDS & WHEY (ROCKIN’ THE DECADES)

RED TRUCK $5.85 JUGS $16.50 GROLSCH $5.50

OPEN

NOON-7PM

PRIVATE EVENT (7PM TO CLOSE)

CAESARS $6.75 GROLSCH $5.50 RED TRUCK BEER $5.85

MONDAY – FRIDAY OPEN AT 4 PM, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NOON TILL LATE. LAST SHOW APRIL 18TH

The Phonix ...are back!

Playing every Thursday Night

F REE COVER

JANUARY TO APRIL 2019

1585 Johnston St. Granville Is | 604.687.1354 |thebackstagelounge.com *** VISIT US ONLINE FOR UP TO THE MINUTE LISTINGS, DRINK SPECIALS AND MORE www.thebackstagelounge.com ***

28 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

CONCERTS JUST ANNOUNCED

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

BLACKBEAR R&B singer-songwriter Matthew Tyler Musto, with guests Elohim. May 16, 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $59.50/39.50/29.50.

JONY J Hip-hop artist from China. May 26, 9 pm, Fortune Sound Club. Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $100.

OKKERVIL RIVER Indie-rock band from Austin, Texas, with guest Christian Lee Hutson. Jun 21, 8 pm, WISE Hall. Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $25.

SONREAL Local alternative hip-hop artist. Jul 11, 9:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix on sale Apr 4, 10 am, $25.

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS & JAMES Rock bands play a coheadlining bill, with guests Dear Boy. Jul 31, 7 pm, Orpheum Theatre. Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $75/65/50/40.

AMOS LEE American soul-funk singer-songwriter, with guest Madison Cunningham. Aug 21, 7:30 pm, The Centre in Vancouver. Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $95/69/55/35.

GHOST Rock band from Sweden, with guests Nothing More. Sep 20, 7:30 pm, Pacific Coliseum. Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $85/59.50/39.50.

SNARKY PUPPY Fusion-influenced jam band from Brooklyn. Oct 1, 7:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix on sale Apr 5, 9 pm, $55.

LUKE COMBS American country artist, with guests Morgan Wallen, Jameson Rodgers, and Dee Jay Silver. Oct 19, 7 pm, Rogers Arena.

Tix on sale Apr 5, 10 am, $55/40/30/20.

FKJ Electronica/R&B artist from France.

Apr 4, Vogue Theatre.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 AGAINST THE CURRENT Pop-rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York, with guests Chapel, Armors, and Chase Your Words. Apr 3, Imperial Vancouver. $20.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5

ALICE IN CHAINS Grunge rockers from Seattle, featuring guitarist Jerry Cantrell.

Apr 10, 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11

P!NK American pop superstar, with guest Julia Michaels. Apr 5-6,, 8 pm, Rogers Arena. $259.70/209.70/169.70/119.70/89.70/59.70.

SATANIC SURFERS AND BELVEDERE Swedish and Canadian punk bands play a coheadlining show. Apr 11, 9 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $22.50.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6

FRIDAY, APRIL 12

JON AND ROY Folk-rock and reggae trio band from Victoria. Apr 6, 9:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $25.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 WEEZER AND PIXIES American alt-rock bands play a coheadlining gig. Apr 7, 7 pm, Rogers Arena. $135/99.50/79.50/65/49.50/35.

BOB MOULD BAND American rocker leads his band, with guests Mystery Machine. Apr 7, 7:30 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $29.50.

MONDAY, APRIL 8 A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE Rapper from the Bronx, with guests Don Q and Trap Manny. Apr 8, 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix $29.50.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9 THE MUSICAL BOX French Canadian band performs the classic ‘70s music of Genesis.

Apr 9, Vogue Theatre.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 LENNON STELLA Canadian singer-songwriter and actress performs two shows. Apr 10-11, Vogue Theatre.

MICHAEL BUBLÉ Pop superstar from Burnaby showcases tunes from new album love.

Apr 12, 8 pm, Rogers Arena. $189/99/69.

SUNDAY, APRIL 14 ALSARAH & THE NUBATONES This Brooklynbased outfit is a mash-up of styles with its exciting new “East African retro-pop”. Apr 14, 8 pm, St. James Hall. $25/30.

TUESDAY, APRIL 16 KOBO TOWN Founded and fronted by émigré Trinidadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Juno Award winners Kobo Town’s music has been variously described as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae and trombone-heavy brass” and a “unique, transnational composite of rhythm and poetry.” Both intense and highly danceable. Apr 16, 8 pm, WISE Hall. $25/30.

MUSIC LISTINGSare a public service provided free of charge. Submit events 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.

Employment EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT Callboard

JAPAN SAKURA STUDIO www.sakuramassage.net

Careers

Volunteers

604-565-8771 D/T VAN

HIGHRISE GLASS LTD

NAAIP - Free Legal Assistance, Research and Representation. Sir/Dr. James Charles Chapala BA LLB PhD (NAAIP - Estd. 1995 in England and British Columbia) McKenzie Friend. General Practice. No Means Test. "Lawyers are the only people who uphold, protect and defend individual rights " Dean Peter Burns UBC Law School in Welcoming the Law Class of 1985.

Contact Telephone Number : 604-876-6944

LILLY WELLNESS SPA

is looking for Glaziers,Greater Vancouver, BC. Permanent, Full time. Wage - $ 26.50 per/h Skills requirements: Experience 3-4 years, Good English. Education: Secondary school Main duties: Read and interpret blueprints; Lay-out frame and window wall position; Install pre-build glass panels and metal panels in frames; Position and secure glass; Assemble and install panels on exteriors of building;Fabricate metal frames;Repair and service windows, aluminum doors;Replace damaged glass or faulty sealant;Measure, mark and cut glass; Assemble, erect and dismantle scaffolds, swing-stages.

Company’s business address: #221 – 17 Fawcett Rd, Coquitlam BC V3K 6V2 Please apply by e-mail: hrg.jerzy@gmail.com

Hospitality/Food Service

Eurohouse Construction Inc. is looking for Drywall Installers and Finishers Greater Vancouver, BC. Permanent, Full time Wage - $ 26.00 /hour, extended medical benefits.

MAIN DUTIES: Measure, mark, and cut drywall sheets; Position and secure drywall sheets; Measure, cut and install metal corner beads; Patch, trim, and smooth rough spots and edges; Apply tape and sealing compound; Sand all joints and holes, completely prepare surfaces for priming and painting.

In order to succeed in this role, you will need: 2-3 years of experience in the trade, Good English Completion of secondary school Company’s business address: 2474 Marine Dr, West Vancouver, BC V7V 1L1 Please apply by e-mail: admin@eurohouse.ca

Mind EMPLOYMENT Body & Soul Certified Massage

SPRING SPECIAL Bodyscrub $79/70min. Waxing 20% off. Massage $28/half hour 8 - 4287 Kingsway 604-438-8714

Gay EMPLOYMENT Personals Massage

BODYWORK MASSAGE In a peaceful setting in Langley Because you deserve it! 9am - 8pm

Robert 604-857-9571

Home EMPLOYMENT & Garden Services Cleaners

EUROPEAN HOUSECLEANING

Tantra

Exquisite Tantra Massage Mature Beauty~Sensual Mastery Shakra. 604-783-3483 Kitsilano www.shakra.ca Healing for Sexual Problems Control Ejaculation, Maintain Erection, Cure Herpes herbalbathclinic.com 604-271-4148

GOOD MORNING GENTLEMEN Enjoy time well spent with a Sexy, Mature, Lady, pampered by a Sensual Session!

By appt. only. Thank you!

Mon-Fri 10-6PM Sat & Sun 10AM-4PM 604.540.0082

Sensual Therapeutic Bodywork

Annoucements EMPLOYMENT Notices

NOTICE OF DISPOSITION OF PERSONAL PROPERTY QuadReal Property Group LP is in possession of the following personal property abandoned at Unit 1308, 1529 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, V6G 3J3: Furniture, Bedding, Bathroom accessories and supplies, Kitchen & Laundry Supplies, Clothing & Shoes, Accessories and Electronics & Entertainment.

The items will be disposed of after 30 days of this Notice being served or posted unless you take possession of the property, establish a right to its position, or make an application to the Residential Tenancy Branch or Supreme Court to establish your right to these items.

Landlord Contact: QuadRealProperty Group LP. Address: Park Place, Suite 800, 666 Burrard Str. Vancouver BC, V6C 2X8. Tel: 604-975-3506

Gentle lady, compassionate experienced massage, peaceful oasis. Over 35, Central Vancouver, 778 863-1852 blissfulgrace.com

MARIA Downtown. 7 days, 10am-Mid. No text. 236-788-8994

RELIEVE ROADRAGE 202-1037 W.Broadway 604-739-3998 Hotel Service

4095 Oak St. Vancouver 604-266-6800

Filipino & E/Indian (48) Van & BBY & Hotel Services

604-512-3243 No text!

Entertainment Services

Kitsilano 604-739-6002

Lily’s Relaxation Massage Servicing North Van for 18 years!

10am - 9pm

604.986.8650

1050 Marine Drive

(by McKay) parking at rear

SPRING SPECIAL BODY SCRUB

(Incl. 45 min. Hot oil massage)

75 MIN

Reg $ 120

NOW $

70

(& Blenheim)

604-558-1608 WWW.

COMFYSPA .CA

Bath Houses

STEAM 1

80 MINS

MEN’S BATH

HOUSE

49 E. Broadway @ Quebec St. open 7days/9am-midnight

HIRING NEW GIRLS

#3 - 3003 Kingsway @ Rupert, Van. - N/E Corner

604-568-2248 NOW HIRING

TOKYO Body

Massage

3517 Kingsway, Van.

SEA SIDE SPA 604-535-9908

CoverGirlEscorts.com is now Hiring.

7-15223 Pacific Ave White Rock

$100

Seeking all nationalities 19+ No experience necessary.

MASSAGE

HIRING FEMALE ESCORTS Attractive girls of all races.

Must be reliable.

Call 604-779-7747 Massage

Beautiful Czech Lady

4095 Oak St. Vancouver

236.880.5116

778-323-0002

778-513-3882

MERIDIAN SPA LTD.

778-791-4475 All Over Asian Massage Offers great service! Hot & Sexy!

Burnaby 604-375-8661 E/Vancouver 604-375-8860 New arrival girl.

Dongguan style service.

SPRING FEVER!

A bit of pampering is all you need! $80/40MIN.

MON-SAT: 10AM - MIDNIGHT SUN: NOON - MIDNIGHT

We’re Hiring 426 HOM HOMER M

®

WEEKDAYS 5PM-7PM

3041 Main St & 14th Ave

$80 Package NEW MANAGEMENT!!

HOT & NEW

604-681-0823

4th Floor - 59 5 595 5H Hornby b St, St Van. V Mon-Fri • 10am-Midnite Sat-Sun • 12pm-Midnite

www.theswedishtouch.com di h h

Always Hiring | Accepting all major CC’s

JAPANESE, CAUCASIAN & CHINESE GIRLS!

BoBo’s Massage 778-297-6678 1090 – 8580 Alexandra Rd. Richmond

HIRING

HIGH CLASS FEMALE ESCORTS & INTIMATE COMPANIONS

Variety of Masseuses #1 Friendly Service

3286 Cambie St. & W. 17th, Van. 10am – 10pm

dragonspa.ca dragonspa a .ca NOW HIRING

$80

(Across Macpherson Ave)

Platinum Club platinumclub.net

10 am - 8 pm

Send me a message by text 778-918-8605

SPECIAL

101-5623, Imperial St. BBY

straight.com

778.379.6828

Proffesional massage is gentle and considerate.

Service-oriented. Young and beautiful.

Massage

438-8979

HIRING

HAPPY HOUR

incl. tips!

Friendly Thai Jessica Burnaby 604-566-5544

778.979.0679

604

NOW

Monday - Friday 10am - 2pm & Saturday & Sunday 12pm - 4pm

$60 37 Pender, Chinatown

GARDEN CITY & CAMBIE, RICHMOND

$ 120/40 MIN 240/100 MIN

$

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL

Call or Text for Pics & Details Anytime.

NURSE MASSAGE $60

HOT & NEW ASIAN & CAUCASIAN GIRLS!!

for Women Only

SPASIA WELLNESS 604.683.2582

Full Service, Accompanied Shower and LOTS MORE!!

EVENING MASSAGE & HOT BATH Miriam 604-347-6965

MASSAGE

604.336.9955

Employment

COMFY mins | incl. tip) WELLNESS SPA (30 HIRING 3272 W. Broadway

New Management 30 | HIRING $

Relaxation Massage Deep Tissue Thai

Service-oriented!

Wan style service

DEEP RELAXATION Tues, Wed & Thurs

604-568-5255

Rose Body Massage

NEW MASSAGE

www.ladyluckvancouver.com

Gentle & Beautiful Girl!

GREAT ASIAN MASSAGE 604-782-9338 Surrey

Emax Massage

Grand Opening!

Tease 1/2 HR $80!

Mature. Over 40, by appointment only.

Richmond. 604-719-1745

BBY. $40 & up! No F/S 10am - 8pm 604-619-7453

Repairs

Date Russian & Ukrainian Ladies 604-805-1342

1000 Beach Avenue #111 Text 778-697-0448 to book an appointment or call 604-423-2468

COCO'S THAI MASSAGE

MATURE MAGIC TOUCH

Dating Services

JAPANESE $60

New Staff! Relaxation Massage.

604-985-4969 HIRING

EMPLOYMENT Music

Personal EMPLOYMENT Services

604-558-4498

Asian girls massage starting from 39.99!

236-668-2022

Bodywork

Move in & Out. 20yrs. exp. References avail.

Rose 604-760-7702

MOMO BEAUTY SPA

Call 604-438-7119

EMPLOYMENT Personals

RIO GARAGE DOOR LTD is looking for Supervisor, Garage Door Installers, Greater Vancouver, BC. Perm, F/Time, Shifts, Weekends.Hours of work: 40 h/week Wage - $ 32.50/hour. Good English, customer service oriented. Several years of experience in garage door installation is required.

Education: high school. Main duties: Supervise the activities of garage door installers; Prepare and control work schedules; Resolve work problems; Prepare work progress reports;Hire and train of new employees; Order garage doors parts and supplies; Maintain records of stock.

Company’s business address: 35 W 49th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 2Z4 Please apply by E-mail: riogaragedoor@gmail.com

GREAT SERVICE & PACKAGE! 4159 Fraser St. Van@ 26th Ave.

GRAND OPENING MASSAGE SPECIAL 30min/$80, 45min/$100, 60min/$120 (incl. tips) Pretty, Young (19+) Asian & Caucasian Girls ready to melt away your stress & pain! 4 hands avail. too!

856 Kingsway, Van. 778-881-9992 NOW HIRING!

INTERVIEWS DAILY C OV E RGI R LE S C ORT S .C OM

604.872.8938 10AM -8PM

604.558.2526 | 778.636.2882 2639 W. 4th Ave. Kitsilano

I Spa

19+ SWEET GIRLS

BLACKOUT PARTY

SATURDAY APRIL 13TH STEAM 1 11AM ‘TIL 7PM

BLACKOUT PARTY SUNDAY APRIL 28TH 11AM ‘TIL 7PM CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS

10AM - 10 PM Hiring

604.568.9238 $80/30 min.(incl.tips)

WWW.STEAM1.COM

#3-3490 Kingsway

New Westminster • 430 Columbia Street

NEAR JOYCE NEXT DOOR TO SUBWAY

APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 29

ORGANIC TOUCH Japanese $100 HEALTH CENTRE

NEW

Close to Patterson Skytrain Stn. Kingsway & Wilson

$80/30min (all incl)

761-8355

have joined

15244 Russell Ave. 604 White Rock 998.7831

Atlantis ASIAN + CAUCASIAN in calls 10am-11pm 604.207.9388 8080 Leslie Rd, Unit 140, Richmond

www.atlantisspa.ca

Sa Sa Massage

121 W Broadway @ Manitoba St., Van.

Diamond Bodycare 3671 EAST HASTINGS

604.270.6891 778.881.5588

RAINBOW MASSAGE

New Management

tips $60 incl.

OPEN 7 DAYS 10AM -10PM

$80/30 MIN INCL. TIPS

604.433.6833

Close to Airport Plenty of Parking 604.566.0700 HIRING

3519 KINGSWAY, VAN NEAR BOUNDARY • HIRING

Companion

FANTASTIC ASIAN GODDESS 5517 Victoria Drive, Van. 604-569-2685 or 604-568-6623

12551 Vickers Way, Richmond (NEAR YVR) 1973 E. 49TH AVE. VANCOUVER 778.513.5008 7805 6TH STREET, BURNABY 778.512.6500

Sweet & Petite Hot Mature Female loves to pamper!

GRAND OPENING!

$80/30 min F/S! Royal Oak Skytrain Station

7 DIFFERENT GIRLS DAILY

236-889-9293

20 GIRLS

$62 (Tip inc.) 2 for 1 Free FR EE

(FREE HOT STONE)

Kayla 604-873-2551

604-671-2345 One Girl FREE

604-957-1030

50% OFF

8642 Granville & 71 Ave., Van.

10AM MIDNIGHT

REASONABLE RATES!!!

In/Out calls. Early risers welcome!

BEAUTIFUL OLDER WOMAN 36D - 26 - 36. 36th@ Victoria

BIRTHDAY MASSAGE

$28 / Fun & Stress 50mins nt me joy En ee Fr 8652 Granville St.

Male Companion and Escort for Women An Elegant Solution to Your Intimate Longings AMANFORYOU.CA

(Including Tips) Every Day New Beauties close to IKEA

NOW HIRING

MARPOLE WELLNESS

Male Companion

$80/40mins

604-568-0123

4969 Duchess St. Van. Just off Kingsway Between Earles and Slocan NOW HIRING CHINESE, THAI, JAPANESE, VIETNAMESE & CAUCASIAN GIRLS

Servicing Tri-Cities, Pitt Meadows & Maple Ridge

Blossom

30 min / 30

604.430.3060

604-459-8068

604.875.8844

$

$80/30 MIN (INCL. TIPS)

Try the best Massage!

OPEN 10AM-9PM • 7 DAYS

BEST MASSAGE IN TOWN

VARIETY OF GIRLS (19+) V.I.P. ROOM

SpaMiya New Opening

New Management

604-

STAFF

N OW H IR IN G

604-568-6601

straight.com

MING, Nice & Mature.

BEST MASSAGE Daily Different New Girls!

Discount Price!

3322 Main St. 604-872-1702

BEST MASSAGE ♦ BEST SERVICES 872 Seymour St. (@ Smithe St.)

$10 off with this ad (FREE Parking at Rear) 604.568.1112 / 778.316.9983

Celebrating 25 Years! Best Experience! Best Service!

Best Choice! Steam Room & Infra Red Sauna.

7 DAYS 10AM -11PM HIRING

604-738-3302

2525 Arbutus Street Van.

NOW HIRING

World Class Breasts

from page 31

Genuinely Spectacular NATURAL G CUP! Come visit Hooter Heaven! Canada's #1 Erotic Destination.

Private 778-838-9094 GENTLEMEN DISCREET ATTRACTIVE MATURE EUROPEAN LADY OFFERS DELIGHTFUL RELAXATION SESSIONS.

604-451-0175 EuropeanLady.ca www.EuropeanLady.ca

SE X Y

SOCCER

MOM 5PM TILL 2AM

604-901-1725

$100

FULL SERVICE Petite Oriental Beauty East Vancouver

778.926.1000

ADULT CLASSIFIEDS Canada’s Only Donation-Based Site

✔ Girls GALORE! ✔ FREE to join! ✔ FREE to post! ✔ FREE to bump!

HappyEndings.cc INDEPENDENT CHINESE PLEASURE PROVIDER For polite gentlemen Accompanied shower Submissive or curious also welcome Discreet,North Burnaby location Parking available Actual Recent Photo.

Fluent in English.

ANGELA

778-317-3888

REAL SEXY DOLLS

6341-14 TH AVE. BURNABY 11AM - 10PM CALL/TEXT

778.956.9686

5-3490 Kingsway, Van.

X

- These Really Anti-Social Homos

assholes just because they’re hot—yeah, you’re not doing yourself any favours there, TRASH, and you’re not doing those assholes any favours either. Sooner or later, they’re going to age out of hot—and if they haven’t learned the importance of not being assholes by that point, they’re going to be lonely old assholes. Losing friends due to your assholery is an important learning experience for many.

Don’t cheat these guys of it. g

Putting up with

On the Lovecast, Dan chats with sexworkers-rights advocate Kaytlin Bailey: savagelovecast.com. Email: mail@savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage. ITMFA.org.

MORE SAVAGE LOVE ONLINE AT STRAIGHT.COM

Fabulous Asian Flight Attendant Service

WWW.ASIANFIERYFLIGHTATTENDANT.COM BOOK NOW • OUTCALL ONLY

604.767.1005

FOR SALE OR RENT!

www.greatpharaoh.com ESTABLISHED 1993

b I’VE FALLEN INTO a social group of gay men who are kind of homophobic. They talk about bottoming and gayness as if they’re embarrassing things. It’s like they’re aspiring to be gay people who are really heterosexuals but just accidentally have gay sex. The other challenge is that I find them attractive.

AFFA

NOT INFLATED SIZE 136 – 170CM

604.436.3131

encounter your fair share of assholes in kink spaces, of course, but kinksters—particularly kinksters in your hipper urban locales—are often more open to trans folks than vanilla types. (Tyler McCormick, a trans man, won the International Mr. Leather competition way, way back in 2010.)

spa

HIRING: 778.893.4439

anadu

BEST RELAXATI RELAXATION EAST VANCOUVER

5281 VICTORIA DR.

10am - 10pm

604 . 998 . 4885 NOW HIRING

Who are you after dark?

Free trial for men, always free for ladies.

1-604-639-3011

PHOENIX MASSAGE

New Back Door Entrance from Underground Parking

1st Time Visit FREE HIRING

FOR NEW CLIENTS Mon - Fri 12pm - 6pm

2263 KINGSWAY

FREE PARKING HOTEL SERVICE

@

NANAIMO

6043770028

y m A & t Swee

Beautiful our Le t me lickbyaby! c a nd y c a ne

6 3 06 604.7 10.6 O N LY) (O UTC A LL

ONE HOUR FREE

TALK MEN OFF GET TALKED OFF

More Numbers: 1-800-700-6666 Redhotdateline.com 18+ 30 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019

1-604-639-3040 MORE NUMBERS: 1-800-550-0618 INTERACTIVEMALE.COM

SAVAGE LOVE

A primer on dating trans women

by Dan Savage

b I’M AN ADULT man, and I have developed a trans attraction after following a particular Tumblr blog. That blog is now gone, sadly, since all adult content has been purged from Tumblr.

It wasn’t just porn; it consisted of all the things I really enjoy—images of oil paintings and antique furniture, scenic landscapes, wild animals, and then pictures/gifs of trans women.

Some women appeared to have had top surgery while others didn’t. But all of the women featured on this blog had penises. I had never considered a relationship with a trans woman before, but after browsing the blog for a year, I can honestly say I’d do it in a heartbeat. I would actually like to date a non-op trans woman. I know that many trans women don’t like having their male parts touched or acknowledged, but I didn’t know that a trans woman can only have a functioning penis if she isn’t taking female hormones, and I hadn’t considered the effect that might have on somebody’s gender dysphoria. How can I meet a trans woman who is hopefully comfortable with her male parts and seeking a relationship? I live in a conservative Bible Belt state—Utah—and I am woefully uneducated on this subject.

- Girl’s Heart, Man’s Parts “My penis and balls aren’t ‘man’s parts’,” said Bailey Jay, the three-time AVN Award–winning transsexual

porn star. “They’re mine. I own them.

Not some random man.”

In fairness, GHMP, you acknowledge being woefully uneducated on trans issues, something your letter demonstrated again and again.

But let’s start here: a trans woman doesn’t have boy parts. She has girl parts—unique girl parts, as girl parts go, but girl parts just the same.

“I’m on hormones and my cock works great,” said Jay. “Every trans woman is going to be different and have different experiences, and that’s the best first bit of advice I can give GHMP. We can smell it a mile away when we are all being lumped in together as a concept. Treat any trans woman you’re romantically interested in as an individual.”

As for places to find trans individuals who might be up for dating cis men, well, you might want to sit down, GHMP, as this is pretty shocking.

“I’ve heard OkCupid is inclusive, and I have friends on there whose profiles even help people navigate discussing their bodies in a respectful way,” said Jay. “And finding a trans woman to date who hasn’t undergone bottom surgery is pretty easy. The surgery is expensive and even scary to some. It’s not terribly common that a trans woman has had that particular surgery.”

But just because a trans woman hasn’t had bottom surgery doesn’t mean she doesn’t want bottom surgery,

so you shouldn’t assume a trans woman with a penis plans to always keep her penis.

“The real question is what her relationship is with her current genitals,” said Jay. “Maybe she’s very dysphoric about them. Maybe she doesn’t even want you to see them or touch them. Even if her body is your preference, there’s a chance it isn’t hers. I personally love my penis and even like talking about it. But bringing up genitals right away can make you seem insensitive or like you’re dehumanizing your date.”

Jay recommends looking for trans women on mainstream dating apps and then following their lead.

“Now, genitals and curt sexual dialogue are kind of my jam,” said Jay, “so I wouldn’t even flinch or blush. But this can be a very charged subject for people.”

Look to the profiles of trans women you’re interested in for cues about their approach to personal subjects.

One woman might put it all out there and welcome questions about her experiences as a trans woman; another woman might be open about being trans but prefer not to focus on it.

“Still, never use genital questions as an icebreaker,” said Jay. “You’ll know when your evening with someone is going well enough that there’s a certain amount of trust,” and at that point, you may be able to bring it up.

“And please make sure to talk about both of your bodies,” added Jay. “This isn’t all about if her body is right for you. Make sure your body meets her standards and preferences, too. I always joke that cis men should have to disclose as well. Any expectation you find yourself putting on her, split the responsibility.”

You can find Bailey Jay at her foradults-only website TS-BaileyJay.com. b I’M A 36-YEAR-OLD trans man in Portland, Oregon, and I’ve never been to a gay bar/venue while presenting male. I’ve only been once or twice years ago when straight friends went to watch drag shows and used the gays as entertainment. (Yeah, my old life was CIS HET as all fuck.) I have two questions: (1) I’ve heard a lot of stories about “gold star” gays who shame trans men and blacklist us. Any truth to that? Am I welcome in a gay space?

(2) As someone who’s never dated/ hooked up within the gay male culture, any newbie tips? As for what I’m looking for, it’s really just about feeling validated and comfortable being in a men’s space. Sure, I’m horny as hell and would love nights full of hot anal sex, LOL, but I’m cool just starting with finding my swagger. I have no idea how my personality will develop around other guys. I have a puppy side, a pain-slut side, and a sadistic-top side—and I’m supercurious

about exploring all my sides!

- The Deep End

welcome in gay spaces—of course—but there are assholes in gay spaces just as there are assholes in every other kind of space. There may be fewer assholes as a percentage in gay spaces (untested hypothesis!), TDE, but that doesn’t make gay assholery any less aggravating. And, yes, there are gay men out there who don’t want to sleep with trans men. But there are gay men out there who don’t want to sleep with tall men, short men, masculine men, femme men, big men, small men, vanilla men, kinky men, and—yes— even cis men. Focusing on the guys who don’t want to fuck you—whether they’ve never slept with a woman (gold star) or just slept with a woman (homoflexible)—is a waste of time and energy. Focus on the guys who do want to fuck you. And they’re out there.

2. All things in moderation (including moderation), don’t fuck around with meth (or with guys who do), get on PrEP (to protect yourself from HIV), use condoms (to protect yourself from everything else), tip your bartenders, ask before you touch, and don’t make the bars your whole life.

And, finally, TDE, seeing as you’re kinky, you might want to explore mixed kink clubs and spaces, online and off, in addition to gay bars. You’ll

1. You are

see page 30

T T U B T THE

E

na G n n it o o g g t n o i t n t by si You’re T

N A W U YO

Get in shape faster, tone, firm, strength, with our unique programs.

LET’S GET MOVING!

Ron Zalko Fitness & Yoga.

Specializing in strength, yoga, core, pilates, aerobics, spinning, weight training, cardio & personal training. Co-ed & Ladies Only sections.

1807 West 1st @ Burrard, Kitsilano

|

www.ronzalko.com

|

604.737.4355 APRIL 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 31

GST INCLUDED

North Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Value 723 Marine Drive, North Vancouver Open daily from 12-5pm (closed Friday) marineandfell.com 604.770.1966

* This is not an offering for sale. Promotions, prices and availability are subject to change without notice. Such offering can only be made by way of disclosure statement. Please see sales representative for details.

Marine + Fell is developed by Anthem 725 Marine Developments LP. E&O.E.

32 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT APRIL 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11 / 2019