The Georgia Straight - Urban Living - April 26, 2018

Field-Ripened ‘Jet Fresh’ Hawaiian Pineapples

Unlike 'supermarket grade' pineapples, these are naturally sun ripened and only picked when perfectly juicy and sweet.

$6.99 ea Regular price $12.99 each

While supplies last. Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Pricing in effect Friday Apr. 27 to Thursday May 3, 2018. Overwaitea Food Group LP, a Jim Pattison business. Proudly BC Owned and Operated.

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LIVE LIVE LI VE

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING BR REA R RE E EAK EA AK A K ING KI ING N IN NEWS EWS

LIVE LI VE

LIV LI VE E

Tina Chandler Lepik Passed away tragically on March 26th, 2018 at the far too young age of 46. She will be greatly missed by all her family & friends who truly knew what a wonderful loving woman she really was. I miss you every minute of every hour of every day & will love & remember you for the rest of my life.

We were so much in love & had so many plans about how we’d spend the rest of our lives together.

We are best friends & soulmates & it gives me the tiniest bit of comfort that I know you were the happiest you’ve ever been in love & the happiest I’ve ever been or will ever be.

My heart is broken & can never be put back together.

BREAKING NEWS

LIVE LI VE

‘Your smile is like the ocean, your kiss the seven seas.

Your eyes like magic potion, they just enrapture me.

I promise my affection, for all eternity.

You are my resurrection,you mean the world to me.’

AND YOU ALWAYS WILL. I loved you then, I love you now & I’ll love you forever.

R.I.P. My Gorgeous & Beautiful Tina Apil 29 1971 - March 26 2018

BREAKING NEWS

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4 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

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APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 5

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> BY K ATE WILSON

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TECHNOLOGY

Being diagnosed with an illness leaves many people feeling lost and alone. Vancouver-based app Curatio lets patients share experiences and support each other with a private social network.

COVER

In our Urban Living feature, meet the artists behind the new Crafted Vancouver series; plus, patio must-haves and a look at Yaletown’s livability factor.

START HERE 28 28 35 15 24

Confessions I Saw You Savage Love Straight Stars Theatre

TIME OUT

16

FEATURE

Not all summer camps feature sunburns and archery. How about running away to the opera or a museum or climbing cliffs? > BY TAMMY K WAN

1

8 19

26 Arts 32 Music

DĂƩƌĞƐƐ ͘ >ŝŶĞŶƐ ͘ WŝůůŽǁ ͘ ƵǀĞƚ ͘ ĂƚŚ ͘ zŽŐĂ tĞ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ƚŚĞ ĨŽƵŶĚĂƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ŐŽŽĚ ŚĞĂůƚŚ ŝƐ ŚĞĂůƚŚLJ ƐůĞĞƉ͘ ĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ŚĞĂůƚŚ ƐůĞĞƉ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ ůŽŶŐ ůĂƐƟŶŐ ĐŽŵĨŽƌƚ͕ ŽƵƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ĐƌĂŌĞĚ ůŽĐĂůůLJ ĨŽƌ ŽǀĞƌ ϯϱ LJĞĂƌƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƉƌĞŵŝƵŵ ŽƌŐĂŶŝĐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ŶĂƚƵƌĂů ŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ͘ ƵƐƚŽŵ ƐŝnjĞƐ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ͘ Ϯϳϰϵ DĂŝŶ ^ƚ͘ ΛϭϮƚŚ͕ ϲϬϰ͘Ϯϱϰ͘ϱϬϭϮ

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SERVICES 33 Careers

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THE BOTTLE

All good winemakers know the value of expanding their palates, and if you follow this advice about tastings, you will too. > BY KURTIS KOLT

GeorgiaStraight @ GeorgiaStraight

19

ARTS

Fusing acrobatics and music by Dmitri Shostakovich, Australia’s Circa company continues to push the bounds of its art form.

@ GeorgiaStraight

> BY TONY MONTAGUE

27

MOVIES

The Endless brings a lot of love to its craft; it’s horse-opera time again with The Rider; a stellar Grace Jones pulls up to the Bami; musical Jeannette leaves us in the d’Arc.

31

MUSIC

From jingle singer to international artist, R&B vocalist Niia discusses how a chance encounter helped her find her voice.

> BY K ATE WILSON

33

CLASSIFIEDS

Automotive | Education | Services | Travel Marketplace | Employment | Real Estate Property Rentals | Music | Announcements Callboard | And more...

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APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 7

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Entrepreneur Lynda Brown-Ganzert created Curatio to connect individuals living with illnesses. Daniel Jones photo.

App ends silent suffering > B Y K ATE WILS O N

W

hen a person is diagnosed with an illness, it can be terrifying. New symptoms, medications, and hospital appointments can transform an individual’s daily routine, preventing them from enjoying activities they love. Many patients feel isolated, and unable to discuss their condition in public.

Local entrepreneur Lynda BrownGanzert is no stranger to that situation. Fighting through a complicated pregnancy, she wanted to talk to those struggling with the same condition, but found that there was no private, safe platform to share her experiences.

After discovering that her friends also suffered in silence, she created her own solution—an app named Curatio.

The platform uses cutting-edge technology to connect individuals living with illnesses. A social-networking app with a heavy focus on maintaining privacy, Curatio uses proprietary software to match users with the same diagnoses, and lets them communicate with people they’ve chosen to add to their circle. By giving patients the opportunity to talk to others, the app aims to improve their physical and mental well-being.

“When you have a health event, you go into a bit of a tailspin,” BrownGanzert, the founder and CEO of the company, tells the Straight, on the line from Kelowna. “There’s a lot to understand in terms of the specifics of the condition, and what your options are.

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8 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

together. The research team had to go back and rework things a bit so they could stay in contact, and now some of them have met face to face.

“A big thing for us is when our users have found folks with a similar condition to them, and they’ve never met anyone else with those same symptoms,” she continues. “They’re able to share best practices and information across cultures. That’s always really incredible. We’re able to get that user feedback on a daily basis, and that’s what helps us feel that our work is so meaningful.”

A community-driven app, Curatio doesn’t charge individuals to use the platform. Instead, the company makes its money from hospitals and healthcare providers who subscribe to the service, and sign up their patients. Now operating in 65 countries and three languages, Brown-Ganzert is proud to have grown the business from humble origins in Vancouver to become one of the only global platforms to offer peerto-peer support for patients.

“We’ve been really privileged to have created this business here,” she says. “We’re really lucky to have the ecosystem for innovation. In Canada you can tap into the resources that can help nurture a company, and that’s helped us grow Curatio to where it is today.

“Our mission is to put this in the hands of every patient on the planet,” Brown-Ganzert continues. “Anyone should have access to this kind of support. It’s our goal to help democratize health.” -

The Georgia Straight | Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 52 Number 2624 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 www.straight.com Phone: 604-730-7000 / Fax: 604-730-7010 / e-mail: gs.info@straight.com Display Advertising: 604-730-7020 / Fax: 604-730-7012 / e-mail: sales@straight.com Classifieds: 604-730-7060 / e-mail: classads@straight.com Subscriptions: 604-730-7000 Distribution: 604-730-7087 EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Yolanda Stepien GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith PRODUCT DIRECTOR

Chet Woodside SECTION EDITORS

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

Gail Johnson, John Lucas, Alexander Varty STAFF WRITERS

Yuly Chan Grand Chief Stewart Phillip Dimitri Roussopoulos Karen Ward

Most people—if not all people—want to be able to discuss things with someone who has experience of what’s happening. That’s really hard to find, especially if your illness is not something you want to post about socially or publicly, or if it’s a rarer diagnosis. There’s been literally decades of research that shows that when people and their families have that kind of support and guidance, they not only cost less to the health-care system, but they have much better health outcomes.”

Alongside its social-networking feature, the app offers a number of tools to help patients manage their conditions.

The platform lets each person browse curated articles and research papers about their illness, allowing them to educate themselves about their situation. On top of that, Curatio offers a daily tracker, which gives patients the chance to monitor their health, mood, and energy. The experience is guided by an AI agent in the app, which highlights useful features for each individual, and users are awarded karma points for helping support others.

Despite being a young company, Curatio is already making an impact in the health community.

“One story that always comes to mind is our first users when we were in closed beta,” Brown-Ganzert says.

“We had a group of women using the app from across the country who had heart disease. It was part of a 10-week research study. At the end of that time, we said, ‘Thank you very much—off you go.’ They were so distraught, because they wanted to stay

Piper Courtenay, Tammy Kwan, Lucy Lau, Travis Lupick, Carlito Pablo, Craig Takeuchi, Kate Wilson SENIOR EDITOR Martin Dunphy PROOFREADER Pat Ryffranck CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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

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

Alfonso Arnold, Rebecca Blissett, Trevor Brady, Louise Christie, Emily Cooper, Randall Cosco, Krystian Guevara, Evaan Kheraj, Kris Krug, Tracey Kusiewicz, Kevin Langdale, Shayne Letain, Matt Mignanelli, Mark “Atomos” Pilon, Carlo Ricci, William Ting, Alex Waterhouse-Hayward LEAD WEB DEVELOPER Jeffrey Li WEB DEVELOPER Tina Luu (On Leave) JUNIOR WEB DEVELOPER Riva Ridley WEB ADMINISTRATOR Miles Keir

ART DEPARTMENT MANAGER

Janet McDonald

SENIOR DESIGNER David Ko PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Mike Correia PRODUCTION

K.T. Dean, Sandra Oswald

AD SERVICES ASSOCIATE

Jon Cranny

DIRECTOR OF ARTS AND SPONSORSHIP

Laura Moore SALES DIRECTOR

Tara Lalanne

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

Glenn Cohen, Robyn Marsh, Manon Paradis, David Pearlman, Catherine Tickle

CONTENT AND MARKETING SPECIALIST

Tori Macnab ADVERTISING + PROMOTION ASSISTANTS

Maya Keeven (On Leave), Ahlia Moussa

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT

Johnnie Smart CIRCULATION MANAGER

Dexter Vosper

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR

Dennis Jangula

CREDIT MANAGER Shannon Li ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR

Tamara Robinson

ACCOUNTING CLERK Dillan Winn

The Georgia Straight is published every Thursday by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing SUBMISSIONS The Straight accepts no responsibility for, and will not Corp. Copies are distributed free every week throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, North necessarily respond to, any submitted materials. All submissions should be and West Vancouver, New Westminster, and Richmond. International Standard Serial addressed to contact@straight.com.

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urban

BMX rider–turned–furniture maker Jay Miron (left) and self-taught rug maker Michelle Sirois-Silver (Andrea Sirois photo) are among the local artisans showcasing their wares at the inaugural Crafted Vancouver.

Meet the Vancouverites who get crafty

F

> BY L UC Y LA U

eaturing works from over 50 artisans, galleries, and designoriented organizations, the inaugural Crafted Vancouver will offer locals an intimate look into the city’s gifted creative community. From Japanese knife-making to the meticulous production of handcrafted furniture, ceramics, and even brooms, the event spotlights local and international talent through a number of exhibitions, demos, and talks taking place around Metro Vancouver. But with so many artists and objects to explore, where does one begin? We caught up with three participating artists in Strathcona, at a recent media preview for the monthlong fete, so you have an idea what to expect.

JAY MIRON The worlds of professional BMX riding and woodworking may seem far removed from one another, but for Jay Miron—yes, the same “Canadian Beast” credited with developing over 30 tricks during his two-decades-plus BMX career—the two actually have more in common than you may think. “The creativity’s huge, the being in the zone,” Miron explains. “When you’re on a bike performing moves or when you’re in the woodworking shop: if you’re not in the moment, you’re gonna get hurt.”

A retired BMX legend who racked up nine X-Games medals before hanging up his bike in 2010, the Thunder Bay–born Miron is now based in B.C., where he’s been sharpening his furniture-making skills for the past few years. Drawn to the craft because it “seemed like a super-cool thing to

do”, the former athlete learned the trade on the Sunshine Coast before moving into his own East Vancouver studio in 2014. There, he produces solid-wood tables, television stands, and chairs with a distinct midcentury-modern influence. “It’s kind of the pinnacle of furniture to me,” he says of the period from which he borrows. “It’s when the quality was super high, the design was super beautiful, and it wasn’t about a price point.”

Favouring curvy lines and sleek silhouettes, Miron makes an effort to incorporate quirky design details that ensure his pieces stand out. His Patricia coffee table, for instance, boasts a gingham-pattern top, and his ergonomic Orca lounge chair— modelled after a traditional African chief’s chair that the artist came across during a trip to Tanzania in

2008—is upholstered with luxe red velvet so it has the feel of a plush auditorium seat. “I don’t worry about price or anything when I’m designing,” says Miron. “I make the most beautiful piece I can and then I figure out how to manufacture it, how to price it.”

You can catch Miron at Crafted Interiors, an exhibition of handcrafted furnishings and design objects at the Pipe Shop Venue (112 Victory Way, North Vancouver), from May 20 to 24, and as part of the Balvenie After Hours Series, which will see the artist share his design process during an intimate whisky-tasting at his studio (1997 Pandora Street) on May 16. “For me, it’s a continuation of my bike career,” he says. “It’s not so hard on the body, I can do it until I grow old, and I intend to.”

EVENT SHOWCASES ECLECTIC CREATIONS

Crafted Vancouver will feature Brent Comber’s solid wooden spheres. Carrie Marshall photo.

small group. We feel we have this fresh format.

What we’re really trying to do is create these new avenues for people to connect.”

In many ways, the programming is as eclectic as the creations themselves. Larger events include the five-day Crafted Interiors event at the Pipe Shop Venue at the Shipyards on North Van’s waterfront. In an exhibition space styled by interior designer Suzanne Ward, visitors can peruse everything from handcrafted wallpaper to metal art and woodworking, with daily demonstrations and evening talks. Elsewhere, look for everything from a behind-the-scenes

10 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

munications grad with a background in television, Michelle Sirois-Silver never had the intention of becoming a full-fledged artist. But when she witnessed a woman craft ing a handhooked rug during a visit to a Surrey farmhouse nearly 25 years ago, she knew she had to get into the craft .

“It was the fi rst time I saw anyone doing that,” she recalls, “and I just fell in love with what she was doing immediately.”

Today, Sirois-Silver specializes in rug hooking, which involves pulling strips of fabric through a woven backing to create a loop-pile rug. At the start of her career, the mostly self-taught artist made the pieces out of necessity (“I needed functional rugs for my home,” she says), but see page 12 > BY JANET SMITH

C

arrie Ross is an ardent traveller who often hits craft festivals on her trips to Europe and elsewhere. And those celebrations of fine artisanship, like London Craft Week, have always made her aware that there’s something missing from the Vancouver cultural scene. We have big open-studio happenings and we have a lot of craft fairs. But— until now—we haven’t had an event that illuminates forms like pottery, weaving, and furnituremaking on a deeper, more intimate level.

“I started thinking about how wonderful these events are—and these are not huge events,” Ross tells the Straight over the phone, adding Vancouver is a hotbed of craft and a natural fit for that kind of fest.

“I wanted to sort of introduce that thrill of seeing fine craft to others. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the craftspeople who devote their lives to making things with their hands.”

The result is the launch of Crafted Vancouver, from next Friday (May 4) to May 28, a celebration of local, national, and international craft with a variety of disciplines and smaller-scale events.

“We’ve tried to just create a sampling for our first year of what we want to expand on—workshops, demonstrations, international craftspeople, getting galleries involved, artist talks and presentations, and collaborations,” explains Ross, who’s gathered an organizing team of like-minded crafters and craft enthusiasts.

“There are events we’ve put together especially for the festival that you wouldn’t be able to do the rest of the year, like guided studio tours in a

MICHELLE SIROIS-SILVER A com-

tour of the sets and stagecraft departments at Vancouver Opera to an inside look at the outside art at UBC and a studio tour of Granville Island.

One of the unique offerings is the Balvenie After Hours Series, in which tastings led by the makers of the fi nely crafted single-malt Scotch whisky pair with immersive studio and design events. Amid the offerings, for the May 17 edition at Hycroft Manor, glass artist Brad Turner has created special whisky glasses for the tastings, while heritage expert John Atkin will speak about the artisanship of the historic building.

And two groups of visitors put the spotlight on craft from opposite corners of the globe. Several masters from Korea’s Icheon Potters Association will show the subtleties of their craft in demonstrations, workshops, an exhibition, and other events at Performance Works from May 19 to 21.

Elsewhere, a diverse and colourful trio of U.K. artisans will be hosting workshops and other events at Crafted Vancouver. They include Edinburgh-based metalsmith Bryony Knox, whose demonstrations include a family-friendly class on how to create a literary-themed brooch out of recycled soda-can tin and wire at the Vancouver Public Library on May 19. Sinead Black of Northern Ireland’s Bricolage Quilts will lead a session at VanDusen Botanical Garden on the same day, while U.K. textile artist and milliner Bridget Bailey heads an exclusive workshop at the same location May 19 and 20.

Whether drawing internationally or locally, Ross has big long-term plans to build Crafted, with hopes to expand the galleries collaborating on its programming and breakout events that focus on the about 40 craft disciplines her team has identified.

If the first Crafted Vancouver has any immediate effect, its executive and artistic director hopes it’s to get Vancouverites to discover the fine craft being made all around them— and how it might give an artful new touch to their own décor. “We’re trying to start off slow and get people to think about how they’re curating their lives,” says Ross, “and what they are bringing into their homes and what they’re spending their money on.” -

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APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 11

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Pillow Fight Factory’s new outdoor collection includes waterproof cases emblazoned with a pink flamingo, a setting sun, and a number of booze-themed motifs for those who prefer to do their summertime imbibing alfresco.

Kick back with patio trends DINE OUT Seemingly crafted for Vancouver’s increasingly tight patio spaces, EQ3’s (2536 Granville Street) outdoor dinette ($1,695) doesn’t skimp on the style despite its surprisingly compact shape. The sleek set, which boasts a design inspired by coastal architecture, seats four comfortably, and, thanks to its lightweight aluminum construction, can easily be moved once your summer soiree becomes standing-room-only.

The teak accents are a nice West Coast touch, too. Kicking back solo? With its adjustable back and convenient casters, the Canadian retailer’s outdoor chaise ($699)—from the same pristine-white Cape collection—was practically made for lazy afternoons in the sun. > LUCY LAU PILLOW TALK Get the patio party started with Pillow Fight Factory’s new outdoor collection. Made by hand with waterproof cases, the cheery array includes a setting sun, a pink flamingo, and a rainbow-

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hued Happy, available against crisp white or grey. There are also some on-trend grey appliqués, including a chic heart and a peace sign. But our favourites are the ones that get right to the point: the simple word tequila in margarita-lime green against white, or, depending on your taste in tipples, a pair of grey versions emblazoned with gin and tonic, respectively. Each Vancouver-made design has an insert that’s washable, hypoallergenic, and mildew-proof ($89 to $109 at www.pillowfightfactory.com/. > JANET SMITH

STRENGTH AND STYLE Patio furniture doesn’t get much sleeker than the Dodeka line, a Victoria-designed collection that conceals innovative touches beneath its thick foam and modular metal frames. The rustproof aluminum frames come with a lifetime guarantee, in powder grey, satin black, clean white, and other hues. The flow-through foam prevents water retention, and it’s

mould- and mildew-resistant. Resist a neutral and go for a strong matador red or Aruba teal for the fabric.

Check out Premise, Lemma, and Fugue styles at retailers like Patio and Home Direct (250 East 5th Avenue). > JS TOUCAN SAM See ya, f lamingos; hello, toucans. The folks at the Real Canadian Superstore (various locations) are predicting the big-beaked bird is going to be a hot décor trend this summer—printing a cheeky illustration of the tropical animal on everything from goldrimmed glassware to plush beach towels. The toucan features heavily in the retailer’s outdoor tropical collection, which runs the gamut from cups and bowls to oversized serving trays. The best part?

Each alfresco-friendly piece (from $2.50) in the line is crafted from eco-conscious bamboo fibre, so you can extend your Earth-saving habits outdoors. > LL

from page 10

as she has grown more comfortable with the art, she’s increasingly come to push the medium’s boundaries by employing recycled fabrics and unconventional accents such as zippers.

“It tends to vary,” she says of the materials that make up her mats, which include everything from hand-dyed silk to screen-printed hosiery. “It might be a thrift-store find, something that someone’s brought to the studio and given to me, or it might be something that I’ve mailordered from a woollen mill in the United States.”

Describing her work as “process-driven”, SiroisSilver estimates that a collection of rugs can take her anywhere from four months to three years to produce.

Her attention to detail is reflected in the quality of the items, many of which look equally at home on the floor and hanging against a wall, thanks to the liberal use of bold, graphic prints and hues. “My work is always a combination of traditional and contemporary,” explains Sirois-Silver, “and they’re always engaged in a conversation with one another.”

Attendees can find Sirois-Silver at Crafted Interiors, during which she will also conduct a presentation (May 22) and rug-hooking demonstration (May 23) that will introBrad Turner’s shapely, dual-toned glass vessels are duce neophytes to the art she’s so passionate about. “This inspired by what the artist calls utopian architecture. is the type of craft form where you could create a design Most recently, the Alberta College of Art and Design from start to finish that’s truly yours, that reflects your interests…and you can really personalize it as well,” she says. grad has been producing a series of shapely, dual-toned vessels inspired by what he calls utopian architecture.

BRAD TURNER When Brad Turner graduated from Topped with stoppers that resemble oversize pipettes, high school, he found himself choosing between a career the containers combine attractive hues such as peach in the arts or kinesiology. In an effort to “rebel” against and yellow and jade and turquoise—a task for Turner, his brothers, both of whom opted to study the former given that he is partially colourblind. “I choose colours field in postsecondary, Turner chose to pursue physical I’m familiar with, but it’s always a bit of a gamble for me,” education. Years later, however, the arts would call his he says. “I’m never sure how it’s gonna turn out.” name in the form of glass blowing.

At Crafted, Turner will be showcasing his glass art Now the studio manager of Vancouver’s Terminal City at Crafted Interiors and at Spark, a special event that Glass Co-op, the only nonprofit cooperative glass-arts will see Turner and Terminal City Glass members confacility in Canada, the Calgary native has built a name duct live glass-blowing demonstrations at the co-op for himself over the past decade as one of the country’s (1191 Parker Street) on May 26. He will also supply the most skilled glassmakers. His works, which range from glassware for the Balvenie After Hours Series, which experimental lamps and lighting fixtures to fantastical combines whisky tastings and design talks at the Marsculptures reminiscent of flying saucers, challenge and ine Building (355 Burrard Street), Miron’s studio, and push forward a medium that, for a long time, those un- Hycroft Manor (1498 McRae Avenue) on May 15, 16, and familiar with the craft associated mostly with colourful, 17, respectively. decorative bowls. “To be able to mix that physical component with the creative component that I sort of forgot Crafted Vancouver takes place from next Friday (May 4) to May 28 at various Metro Vancouver venues. for a little while is nice,” notes Turner.

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or Adrian Crook, moving back to Yaletown was like coming home. The video-game designer and father of five grew up in Port Moody, lived downtown, and bought a house in North Vancouver after getting married.

But the suburban life on the North Shore didn’t suit him well at all. Over coffee outside the Small Victory Bakery on Homer Street, Crook tells the Straight how out of place he felt when he would venture into his Lynn Valley neighbourhood.

“I would just be walking up the road with no one else and nothing but cars flying by,” he recalls.

That got him thinking much more deeply about urban issues and why he was so attracted to the downtown lifestyle. After splitting with his spouse, he returned to the Yaletown neighbourhood he loves and launched his 5 Kids 1 Condo blog. It tells the story of him raising his children, ranging in age from 6 to 11, in a sustainable, minimalist way—and without a car—in a joint-custody arrangement. Dad and the kids can regularly be spotted cycling through the area on delineated bike lanes.

“Housing to me is much more than just a roof over your head,” Crook explains. “It ties into everything. Obviously, every housing choice is a transportation choice. It underpins pretty much everything.”

As he immersed himself in urbanism, he came in contact with some of Vancouver’s leading authorities on the subject, including Happy City author Charles Montgomery, former mayor Sam Sullivan, and former city director of planning Brent Toderian. Over time, Crook came to appreciate why he feels so comfortable in Yaletown— from its first-rate Roundhouse Com-

munity Arts and Recreation Centre to its close proximity to the Vancouver Public Library’s central branch to the plethora of grocery stores. “It’s clean,” he adds. “There isn’t a ton of crime.”

He also loves the wide sidewalks, tree-lined streets, abundant park space, Canada Line station, and how traffic seems to move more slowly through the area. He concedes that if he had his way, the city wouldn’t allow so many sandwich boards on sidewalks along Mainland and Hamilton streets. But for him, that’s a minor inconvenience in comparison to the drawbacks of raising his family in other parts of the region.

The neighbourhood has also attracted some of the city’s savviest developers, including Peter Wall, who’s been in the business in Vancouver for 60 years. A few years ago, when condo prices were lower, his company, Wall Financial Corporation, developed the 880-unit Yaletown Park project.

His new development, PETER WALL Yaletown, is a 50-storey tower with 273 rental units at 1310 Richards Street. It’s built on a 6,000-square-foot floorplate, giving it a sharper, more piercing appearance than some of the blockier high-rises in the area.

“It’s completely strata,” Wall tells the Straight by phone. “But we decided to rent it because we feel that Yaletown is such an important part of the building of our city.”

He emphasizes that he wanted younger Vancouverites to have a chance to live within walking distance of downtown workplaces—and that wouldn’t be possible if these units were put up for sale. If he can find the right site in Yaletown, he says he’ll build more of these units in the future.

“A big city needs apartments,” Wall adds. “I am more for building rentals—but strata rentals—so you can finance it better.”

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With hardwood floors, floor-toceiling windows, and a professionalgrade gym, PETER WALL Yaletown offers a deft combination of luxury and amenities to attract discerning tenants seeking upscale accommodation.

As part of the rezoning application, Wall Financial Corporation contributed $23.6 million to the city toward an 11-storey housing and social-services centre at 1107 Seymour Street. It includes 81 units of social housing and four storeys of social-services space, providing a new home to Positive Living B.C. One person who’s been keeping an eye on Yaletown since the 1980s is former city councillor Gordon Price. That’s when the former warehouse zone began its conversion into a hip, high-density restaurant and shopping district.

Price tells the Straight by phone that the intent from the start was to keep some of the district’s older touches— such as the balustrades, overhead wires, Dumpsters, and canopies—to retain a more rugged look than neighbourhoods such as Gastown. “I think in that respect, it’s done fine,” he says.

But he also notes that the realestate rush of the 1990s led to a really rapid buildout even as the area continued being used for warehousing and storage. That meant it bypassed some of the stages of growth of other neighbourhoods that were also home to a Vancouver streetcar line.

Price believes the biggest question for Yaletown is how retail will evolve over the next 10 years in Vancouver.

“One thing you can be confident of is it will retain its appeal as a restaurant area because that’s basically what almost all the streetcar neighbourhoods are evolving into,” Price declares.

“They become the dining rooms for the surrounding neighbourhoods and have some regional appeal.” -

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hether you are facing the end of a semester, the end of tax month, a get-down-to-business wrap-up, or some other personal goal post, the stars are in accord and supporting your time investment.

Apply yourself; get the job done. Accomplishment should prove to be a (mostly) straightforward recipe.

Having said that, there can be a thing or two to clear away before Sunday’s full moon in Scorpio delivers the goods. Friday and (more notably) Saturday, the Libra moon manufactures added steam. You could find yourself pulled into more than expected. To maintain neutrality or stay on an even keel could be something of a challenge. Emotional triggers are on a ready dial-up. Expenses could ding you too. On the other hand, it can be a good weekend to enjoy something social, to give yourself a well-deserved break, or to let the moment set up the adventure.

On Thursday, Mars and Pluto in Capricorn reach the end of a two-year explore-more, expand-the-scope trajectory. Together, they have been setting the long-range future into play.

Their next two-year project is directed toward reaching a completion goal post. They’ll now focus on adding finishing touches and cementing the reality in a more written-in-stone, consequential way. When it comes to building it better, there is no time to waste between now and tomorrow.

Sunday’s full moon is accompanied by the sun’s trine to Saturn, a successgenerating alignment. Take control; keep it real; get it accomplished; sign the contract; make it official. Monday begins a productive, upswing week.

ARIES

March 20–April 19

The time is right; the time is now. Roll up your sleeves; take charge; put ambition into play; make it happen. As of Thursday, Mars and Pluto begin a new two-year build-itbetter project, especially regarding your career, reputation, and material status. Lay down the law where necessary. Sunday’s full moon in Scorpio keeps you well motivated! The week keeps you going strong.

TAURUS

April 20–May 20

Thursday’s Mars/Pluto conjunction can put wheels in motion in some major way. The transit can help you lock it down where it is important to do so, especially when it comes to facing facts and holding yourself accountable. Your success is up to you. Sun/Saturn aligned with Sunday’s full moon is an excellent transit for making your power play.

GEMINI

May 21–June 21

Make yourself look and feel better; make it look good: Venus at the start of a four-week tour of Gemini is good for spruce-ups of all kinds. Venus also sets you onto a positive attention-and-attraction track.

Thursday to Sunday hits all systems go on all official undertakings directed toward getting it under better control, especially regarding debt/overhead reduction and personal goals.

CANCER

June 21–July 22

You can wrestle with it or them on Friday/Saturday, but don’t let that stop you! Timing is everything.

Overall, the stars support action. Make it official. Aim for short-term or immediate results and don’t fret the big stuff. You are at a finish line but, more importantly, you are heading on to a significant next phase/chapter. Thursday through Monday, your stars are optimized.

LEO

July 22–August 22

PREMIUM MARIJUANA

it’s officially a wrap. Sunday’s full moon can verify that fact. The sun’s trine to Saturn can see you gain substantial results and/or provide the satisfaction of a job well done.

Thursday’s Mars/Pluto is an opportune transit: clean up your act; start a new job, project, or health regimen.

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Endings and beginnings are intertwined. Thursday’s Mars/ Pluto begins a new home life or family chapter. It’s a good transit for borrowing, renewing a mortgage, buying and selling property, and for setting sail on a new personal or career goal. Friday/Saturday can keep you on the go, perhaps with something added or unexpected.

Sunday through next Thursday, the getting is good.

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Thursday, put the finishing touch on paperwork, repair work, negotiations, or the conversation. Your timing is good. Mars/ Pluto makes for a productive resultsgenerating or wrap-it-up day. Friday/ Saturday can produce extras or give you a run for it, but by Sunday’s full moon you should feel you are conquering what you need to and that you are on the gain regarding acknowledgment, results, or reward.

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November 21–December 21

Thursday is an optimum day to take care of business. In fact, it could prove to be your most productive day of the week. Friday/ Saturday, keep your schedule open and take it as it comes. Sidetracks are likely. Something unexpected could require immediate attention. Sunday’s full moon puts everything in its rightful place or perspective. The week ahead should keep you on the upswing.

December 21–January 19

Saturn and Pluto are both retrograde in your sign; Mars in Capricorn is the one driving the bus.

Thursday is a great take-charge-andget-it-done day. Friday/Saturday, the balancing act can present added challenge, but as of Sunday’s successand reward-generating full moon, sun/Saturn has you back at the helm and in good command.

AQUARIUS

PISCES

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Confidence-building stars provide you with good background support through the weekend. Friday/ Saturday, the Libra moon could light a fresh spark, produce added strain, or kick-start something more or unexpected. Sunday’s full moon in Scorpio helps you get it under better control and/or see actual results. Monday begins a good flow, a move-along week.

February 18–March 20

Eye on the ball? The stars keep you well occupied; the goal post or finish line is well in sight. Despite some strain, drain, or unexpected extra on Friday/Saturday, overall, Thursday’s Mars/Pluto and Sunday’s full moon suggest a strong and successful wrap-up with plenty to show for yourself. Congratulations, you made it! A full-swing week lies ahead. B o o k a re a d i n g o r s i g n u p f o r

Even if you have a bit Rose’s free monthly newsletter at more to finish off, as of Thursday rosemarcus.com/.

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Cool summer camps create skills and thrills A huge array of local programs teach kids to build robots, scale cliffs, hone musical chops, and set up game-winning goals building and f lying kites, making ice cream, canoeing on Deer Lake, baking bread from scratch, and soap carving, among many others. There’s also an after-camp club that kids can enroll in, if parents need more time for pickup— think extra games and activities.

After spending some time having fun without tech, maybe campers will realize there’s more to life than pocket-sized screens. Burnaby Village Museum’s summer adventure camps are available to kids aged five to 12 years, and run in July and August. For more information, visit www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/.

> BY TA M MY KWAN

S

ummer break is quickly approaching for those who are enrolled in the Septemberto-June school system, and elementary and secondary students are likely counting down the days to sweet freedom. Two months of carefree bliss can go by extremely quickly—think hangouts at the mall, play dates at the park, or trips to the local ice-cream parlour. But if children and youths want to make the most of their time off, they should consider joining one of many summer camps around Metro Vancouver. From building their skill sets with an educational computer-science and coding course to meeting new friends at the rock-climbing gym, there are plenty of opportunities for summertime memories. Here are six local institutions offering seasonal courses to kids around town.

COLLEGE Roaming through college grounds even before they’ve graduated high school gives teens something to boast about when September comes around. For those who enjoy picking up new skills and have a thirst for knowledge, we suggest the wide array of camps at Langara. Students can tap into their creative and brainy sides with oneand two-week programs, such as digital music production, graphicnovel and manga creation, photography, and coding and game design.

Two new summer camps have been added this year: an acting intensive that focuses on script work and providing an understanding of how to work in television, film, and theatre (taught by renowned local actor Bob Frazer of Bard on the Beach); and a VEX robotics course that will have campers build their own custom

LANGARA

High-energy youths learn about everything from technique to safety at Cliffhanger’s Kidrock summer climbing camp.

VEX competition robot—consider it a friendly challenge with other keen ’bot fans. Langara’s summer camps are available to teens aged 13 to 17 years, and run in July and August. For more information, visit www.langara.ca/.

We’ve all heard kids sing in the shower (usually the latest radio hit or movie theme song), but have you considered that they may have actual potential to hone their vocal talents? Vancouver Opera will be offering summer camps designed to provide kids and teens with an interactive musical and theatrical experience. They will get to learn all about how an opera

VANCOUVER OPERA

is produced, including everything from writing the libretto (the text of an opera) and score to designing costumes to performing on-stage.

The teen intensive program will also offer master classes and opportunities to create and build a set, which is arguably the most exciting and visually important part of an opera stage. Even if they don’t end up becoming the next opera production star, at least they’ll sound more refined in the bathroom. Vancouver Opera’s summer camps are available to kids and youths aged eight to 16 years, and run in July. For more information, visit www.vancouver opera.ca/.

BURNABY

VILLAGE

MUSEUM

Many parents think their young ones spend too much time using technology these days, whether it’s browsing the Internet, watching online videos, or playing games on a smartphone. Burnaby Village Museum aims to give kids a break from this 21st-century habit by offering summer heritage adventure camps—where time will turn back and children will learn, play, and experience life in the 1920s.

Several themed camps are available, such as Outdoor Escapes, Food Capers, Back to Nature, Toy Adventure, and Apprentice Week, among others. Activities include

CLIFFHANGER Little monkeys seem to roam through residential areas all the time—we’re talking about kids with high levels of energy, who always seem to be climbing, jumping, and running around homes. Why not enroll them in a program where they can exert all their enthusiasm for movement? Cliffhanger, an indoor rockclimbing gym, will be offering its Kidrock summer climbing camps to children and teens. This active workshop will allow youths to learn the skills to properly rock-climb, and instructors will be teaching them about climbing safety, equipment, belaying (technical rope work), knot-tying, stretching, and movement techniques. The facility features over 15,000 square feet of climbing terrain, which is more than enough space for kids to develop a lifelong skill and passion.

This could be the starting point for a young boy or girl to make it onto a competitive climbing team or into international competition, and you can take credit for being the one to help kick it off. Cliffhanger’s see next page

Early bird ends May 15!

YOUTH CAMPS

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Our fun, focused camps are for boys and girls of all skill levels.

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whitecapsfc.com/camps 16 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

summer climbing camps are available to children and youths aged nine to 16 years, and run in July and August. For more information, visit www.cliffhangerclimbing.com/.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS Any-

one can kick a soccer ball, but it takes dedication and guidance to become a skilled soccer athlete.

The Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club youth camps will take place this summer, offering kids and teens the opportunity to hone their

soccer abilities through expert coaching. Three types of camps will be running, allowing young soccer lovers to learn important skills, meet Whitecaps FC players, receive professional training, and perhaps get a chance to be scouted.

All campers will be learning in a fun and focused environment, and select players from all summer camps will be invited to participate in the skills challenge finale at the Whitecaps FC National Soccer Development Centre at UBC, as well

as attend a Whitecaps FC home match at B.C. Place at the end of the summer. Don’t expect to go empty-handed—boys and girls will get to take home a camp T-shirt and skills-challenge certificate.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s summer camps are available to kids and youths aged seven to 18 years, and run from June to August. Registration is open, and those who sign up before May 15 can save $20.

For more information, visit www. whitecapsfc.com/.

BLUERIDGE CHAMBER MUSIC WORKSHOP It’s never too late

for an adolescent to discover their inner Mozart or Andrea Bocelli.

Blueridge Chamber Music Festival will be holding a summer workshop for avid musicians and singers, with two weeks of rehearsals, coaching, and master classes for those who want to develop their musical talents. A typical camp day will include ensemble rehearsals, private lessons, and a movement class; during lunch, the young

students will be able to take a break and perhaps participate in a game of soccer. What else do campers get out of this summer intensive?

A feature spot in the gala final concert, and new friendships with other individuals who share the same passion for music. Blueridge Chamber Music’s summer workshop is available to instrumentalists and singers aged 13 to 19 years, and runs in August. For more information, visit www.blueridge chamber.org/. -

SUMMER OPERA CAMP Write, stage and perform an original opera!

JUNIOR SUMMER CAMP (8  12 YEARS OLD) JULY 16TH JULY 20TH | 9:00 AM TO 4:30 PM TUITION: $275 PLUS GST TEEN INTENSIVE (1216 YEARS OLD) JULY 3RD  JULY 13TH | 9:00 AM TO 4:30 PM TUITION: $550 PLUS GST

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Summer Camp Fun

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APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 17

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he work of a winemaker can by looking toward wineries and rebe gruelling, particularly gions that excel with various varieties. when many of them wear I’ve said here before that I truly bemore than a few hats. It’s not lieve the four best varieties we have uncommon to have the winemaker in B.C. are Riesling, Chardonnay, also be the general manager or vine- Pinot Noir, and Syrah (a.k.a. Shiraz). yard manager of a property, especial- If you’re reading this, it’s likely you ly the smaller or medium-sized ones. have favourites from at least a couple Not to mention that for many of these categories.

British Columbian small-scale operHere are a couple examples of each ations, the winemaker can also be I consider classic (or modern clasthe one in the tasting room, greeting sic) examples of these varieties. Next visitors and sharing samples. time you’re reaching for one of your The large amount of time spent at favourite B.C. versions, perhaps pick one’s winery or, broader, in one’s re- up an example or two from this list gion has the capand do your own acity to tighten the tasting to see parameters of palwhich attributes ate—and it could B.C. wines have in Kurtis Kolt be easy to lose track common with their of the diversity of wine styles out there international brethren—but also what in the world. Most agree that it’s im- makes our wine unique. (Hint: look portant to keep the palate wide open for fresh, lively acidity, a good crack of to ensure quality is kept up to speed minerality, and a concentrated purity with international colleagues, which of fruit.) Really, it’s not about which is also can lend inspiration. better; it’s an enjoyable study of the difMany local winemakers are ferences that make each region special. aware of this and spend those chilly months travelling to other wine re- PEWSEY VALE RIESLING 2016 gions. In the Okanagan, I am aware (Eden Valley, Australia; $19.99, B.C. Liof winemakers who regularly meet quor Stores) Close your eyes, and you in groups that f luctuate from 12 to may think this bone-dry, citrus-laden 24 to taste international wines fit- Riesling could be out of Kelowna. This Eden Valley bottling has its own thing ting an always changing theme.

To raise the bar, you have to going on, though, particularly lime know where the other bars are. leaf, white pepper, and a balance of It’s impressive to see how our lo- acid well-integrated with the fruit. cal wines can now stand shoulder to shoulder with other similarly WITTMANN RIESLING TROCKEN priced wines of the world, par- 2016 (Rheinhessen, Germany; $22.99, ticularly when tasted blind. I often B.C. Liquor Stores) The citrus is on run seminars for trade or consum- point here—lemons, limes, and grapeers where we do just that, and al- fruit—with river stones and minerals though it’s always a gamble, I’ve yet bringing a touch of salinity. to see the home team humiliated.

Of course, I end up tasting more LAFON MACON-MILLY-LAMARB.C. wine over the year than those TINE 2015 (Burgundy, France; $38 from anywhere else. It’s important to to $44, private liquor stores) Lifted me that I also keep my palate on point cedar and puffed wheat are in the

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ARTS

Yaron Lifschitz is

BY TONY M ONTAG UE

stuck in traffic on the highway between Brisbane and Australia’s Gold Coast, where the Commonwealth Games have just wrapped up. As creative director of the concurrent arts-and-culture festival, he’s headed for what he calls a “debriefing” meet with his team of performers, but he’s happy to change hats and, as artistic director of new-circus company Circa, talk about a project close to his heart—the groundbreaking production Opus.

Made in collaboration with France’s Debussy String Quartet, Opus takes the integration of circus arts and music to dizzying new heights, with an 18-member ensemble—14 multidisciplinary performers and the four musicians, who sit on-stage in the middle of the action playing string quartets by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

“I’d been working with classical music in various forms for a long time. It’s one of my great passions, and being able to embody it and to bring it to new audiences through its combination with our circus is something I love to do,” says Lifschitz.

“Dominique Delorme, who’s the director of the festival Les Nuits de Fourvière in Lyon, wanted to commission a project, and while we were in discussions their programmer told me, ‘When I see your shows I hear the music of Shostakovich.’ And I said, ‘That’s really interesting, because it’s music that’s incredibly important to me—although I’ve never used it in a show because it’s so precious.’

“He said that Lyon had the only French quartet to have recorded the entire Shostakovich cycle,” he continues. “So I met the musicians and we got on very well, and decided we were going to do a program that would include one Shostakovich quartet. Then Shostakovich just sort of took over, and the whole program became his music—which has been an absolute blessing to work with.”

String quartet meets acrobats

Opus takes the integration of circus arts and music to dizzying new heights, displaying Circa’s fast and fluent ensemble work. Justin Nicholas photo.

when you have music trouble, the quartets were where he could let in this form—complete his heart speak, because you just needed four pieces, played right people in an upstairs room of the Moscow Conthrough—it gives you servatoire to play them, rather than the huge, a lot of your structure. state-subsidized orchestral apparatus. They beUsing on-stage musicians, Australia’s Circa finds new In one way, it makes life come these intimate statements, but of course quite easy because you highly inf luenced by the experience of the polinspiration in Dmitri Shostakovich for the show called Opus know why you’re doing itical environment.”

There were compelling reasons why Shostako- things; on the other hand, you have to pick [the Tensions between the individual and the vich’s mid-20th-century quartets attracted Lifschitz music] really well—for a long time we were work- group, the public and the private, run through as one of the leading directors of new circus—the ing with a different Shostakovich quartet, but it Shostakovich’s quartets, and through the cirmultifaceted, nontraditional form that has de- became evident after a few weeks that it wasn’t go- cus fabric of Opus. “It’s not explicit, but I think veloped in recent decades. “Shostakovich has a very ing to work as the closing piece. It also gives you you get a sense of the strong emotional pulls on high degree of formal rigour and his quartet com- a great kind of freedom, because you know you individuals in different ways. I want my shows positions are exquisitely and densely structured. have, say, a six-minute development section to create an emotion that doesn’t yet have a At the same time, he’s not afraid to be unabashedly to apply an idea to. It’s very rich.” name. That’s the ultimate high point. I’m cinematic, emotionally schmaltzy, talking directly Circa’s hallmark is incredibly not saying we always get there. It comes to the heart. Those two things—formal discipline tight, fast, and f luent ensemble Check out… from a place of meaning. I’m not conSTRAIGHT.COM and the mainlining of emotion—work very well for work that blends acrobatics, dance, cerned with the audience linearly Visit our website us as a physical performance company. And it’s just and physical theatre. In Opus most understanding the thematics, but for morning-after great music.” of the action is on the f loor and we can create a strong, visceral reviews and local Circa, founded in 1987, has previously included often happens simultaneously at emotional response, and ideally that arts news on-stage musicians in productions, but never as the front and back of the stage. Just mixture of fear and hope feels like intimately involved in the project as the Debussy a few props are used—hoops, ropes, something new. When that happens, it’s String Quartet. “We’ve had enough time to work chairs, two fixed trapezes, aerial straps— really powerful. Our work asks audiences to with them in subtle and sophisticated ways. They as the emphasis is on the human body and bod- feel—and I think that’s the best way to experiwere amazing collaborators—I mean, they didn’t ies. While Lifschitz, as usual, avoids narrative, ence things, pre-words or besides words. I love laugh at me when I asked if they’d be able to learn there are clear allusions in Opus to time, place, being in a big theatre with Opus, and more than the whole of the quartets by heart, or when I asked and society. The circus choreography and the 2,000 people—many of whom have never heard if they’d be able to do it in blindfold. They were costumes, like the music, evoke Russian life in him before—are watching a Shostakovich incredibly adventurous and would happily do a lot the tumultuous 1930s and ’40s. string quartet, listening in rapt silence. That’s more things than they currently do on-stage.”

“What I was really interested in was this idea an extraordinary opportunity and privilege.” Lifschitz sees Circa’s tight choreography as of the public versus the private. Shostakovich the creation of the ensemble, which for Opus in- lived through these terrible times of Stalinism. Circa performs Opus with the Debussy String cluded the four musicians. “We got them to talk to Unlike his symphonic works, which were major Quartet at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts us about what was happening musically, because public utterances and got him periodically into on Saturday (April 28).

THINGS TO DO

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice DANCE DAY Free events will get the downtown core moving on Sunday (April 29) as Vancouver celebrates International Dance Day. It’s a chance to fete the art form, but also to recognize the mindblowing amount of dance that’s coming out of this city right now.

Amid the highlights organized by the Dance Centre, follow the sound of clicking heels and castanets to Mozaico Flamenco’s show at the Vancouver Public Library main concourse at noon; and at 6 in the evening at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, catch Lesley Telford and her troupe Inverso’s smart contemporary work Spooky Action, a piece inspired by Albert Einstein’s theories about closely linked particles. In short, two works that will get both your brain and feet hopping. International Dance Day takes place at venues around town on Sunday (April 29); see www.thedancecentre.ca/ for details.

Five events you just can’t miss this week

1

THE OVERCOAT: A MUSICAL TAILORING (April 28 to May 12 at the Vancouver Playhouse) An old favourite with a new twist at the Vancouver Opera Festival.

2

SARAH CHANG (April 28 and 30) The divine violinist joins the VSO for one of her signature works.

3

TAKASHI MURAKAMI (To May 6 at the Vancouver Art Gallery) If you haven’t checked out the Japanese art star’s fun show, time’s running out.

4

RYAN BELLEVILLE (April 26 to 28 at the Comedy MIX) A Canadian comic who’s as brutally honest as he is gut-bustingly goofy.

5

CAPTURE FESTIVAL CLOSING (April 29 at the Polygon Gallery) A talk by art historian Kaja Silverman and a reception bring the photo fest to the finish line.

In the news

CHAN CONCERTS ANNOUNCED South Africa’s celebrated Ladysmith Black Mambazo, sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar, Mexican mariachi queen Aida Cuevas, and a cappella master Bobby McFerrin are just a few of the names highlighting the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts’ eclectic, just-announced 2018-19 season. Cuevas and the band Mariachi Juvenil Tecalitlán kick off the program on September 22, followed by folk trio I’m With Her on September 30; Goran Bregovic and his Weddings and Funerals Orchestra on October 21; jazz sax god Joshua Redman’s Still Dreaming show on November 13; Bobby McFerrin’s choralinspired Circlesongs project on February 17, 2019; South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo on March 2; Galician-bagpipe master Cristina Pato and her quartet on April 11; and sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar (shown here) on April 27. Subscriptions are now on sale; single tickets are available starting June 12. APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

ARTS

Armour reflects on the past and future of PuSh > BY JA NET SM IT H

W

hen Norman Armour finishes his job at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival on Friday (April 27), it will be hard, at first, for the city and its artsgoers to extricate the man’s name from the event. This may be in part because, in the early days, the festival’s cofounder would often have to introduce himself at the same time he introduced the event.

“The first five years of PuSh were tough, travelling around, introducing myself and saying ‘I’m from Vancouver, my name is Norman Armour, and I’m with something you’ve never heard of called the PuSh festival,” he recalls with a laugh, sitting in the Post at 750, the mod downtown arts space the organization helped get built in 2014 and shares with Touchstone Theatre, Music on Main, and DOXA. Nowadays, not only do droves of arts aficionados know exactly what PuSh is—more than 17,000 of them attended this year—many artists in places as far-flung as Melbourne and Brussels instantly recognize the fest’s name. And, very often, Armour’s too.

But Armour, who is heading to a post with the Australia Council for the Arts, wants to stress that PuSh has a strong-enough identity of its own to build on the success it’s already had.

There is still progress to be made—in getting government and corporate funders to step up to match PuSh’s potential for a start, he says—but the fest is a huge success by any measure.

“It can be easy to associate the things at the festival with me,” he admits, adjusting the cashmere scarf given to him by Taiwanese dance icon Lin Lee-Chen at this year’s fest.

“But the values are in the festival, they’re in the organization. It’s in all the staff. It’s in the DNA of the organization, you know—it doesn’t get

Outgoing PuSh International Performing Arts Festival helmer Norman Armour remembers trying to promote an event that no one had heard of before.

here unless it is, it doesn’t breathe it grim and wordless re-enactment of in the way the festival does. So those Auschwitz performed with thousands of tiny grey figurines and scale modvalues will continue.” els across the stage floor at the RoundTHOSE VALUES HAVE been there house Community Arts and Recreafrom its modest beginnings in 2003, tion Centre. “Artists have always when Armour, coming from Rumble told us that Vancouver audiences are Theatre, and Katrina Dunn, from amazing—incredibly diverse, incredTouchstone Theatre, sought to fill a gap ibly attuned and listening.” in the Vancouver scene. Not much was Almost five years ago, when PuSh happening on the cultural calendar in was feting its 10th anniversary, playJanuary and February, and they saw a wright and actor Marcus Youssef need for more interdisciplinary, chal- explained to the Straight that the fest lenging work, from here and around has actually changed the performthe world—stuff like you might see at ances now created here, at the same the Six Stages Festival in Toronto or at time exposing artists and presenters Next Wave in Melbourne. from around the world to our creIn the ensuing years, as PuSh ations. “It’s transformed the city. It’s moved from a small series to a city- connected us to the world. It’s had wide happening, it built a trust in an impact on the kind of work being audience members that made them made and where we’re able to take willing to shell out for shows by art- our work around the world.” ists they might never have heard of.

Armour has many of his own fond And you can thank the festival, in memories. One of them is a 2016 propart, for expanding their tastes. duction of Jack Charles v. the Crown, “They’re an incredibly discern- in which an aging member of Ausing audience. They’re open, and tralia’s Aboriginal Stolen Generation the artists will say the same thing,” recounted his traumatic past. “It was Armour observes, recalling how, in that power of theatre, of an indi2010, he had to turn away crowds vidual who has travelled such great from a show that was not, on the distances,” Armour says, remarking surface, an easy sell: KAMP, a on the relevance of that story to the

stolen Indigenous children here, and on seeing Charles take the impressive Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre stage. “You hope that this idea—of inviting a show and staging it in a certain place—that it will be something, and hopefully more than what you imagined.”

Another standout was the locally created Crime and Punishment, which turned the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel into musical theatre, integrating a cast of mature artists, theatre students, and people from the Downtown Eastside.

“They were tackling this mammoth, iconic work and making it so alive and contemporary,” he says, marvelling at this production featured at the first PuSh fest, in 2005. “That was, for me, one of the key changing points where I said, ‘Man, this work could stand up anywhere in the world.’ ” And he warmly remembers staging the 2008 launch of his colleague Veda Hille’s album This Riot Life, based on personal trauma she’d endured the previous year. “When we premiered it at the Cultch, I was sitting there just so proud,” he says.

“She’s worked with so many people in the city in theatre and dance, and to honour her craft there—it’s like, why wouldn’t we? And it’s a great acoustic room. I’ll never forget that.”

The concert was a perfect example of the way Armour excels at parlaying his personal connections into unique artistic partnerships. “It comes down to people and relationships. People connect to the festival because the fest is grounded in a very human way,” he says.

THAT ABILITY TO CONNECT and to see untapped artistic possibilities helped make him a strong candidate for the Australian post. In his new role, he will lead the development and implementation of the Australia Council’s international strategy in North America. Most importantly,

he will stay based in Vancouver, and continue some of his extracurricular work—say, sitting on an advisory committee for Vancouver’s new Creative City Strategy. He’ll fly to Australia, he says, maybe five or six times a year, travelling frequently throughout North America to meet with artistic and governmental groups.

Notably, his post in North America, one of four the Aussies fund globally, has been located in New York City or Los Angeles before. “I very expressly said basing it in Vancouver would be a statement that had real substance to it, in terms of the scene here, in terms of it being a Pacific Rim city, in terms of its desire to connect outwards, and its interdisciplinary scene, the visualart scene, the music scene, the literary scene,” says Armour, who’s always programmed strong Australian work at his festival. “I said, ‘If you were to choose a place that would make people pay attention, make it Vancouver,’ and they said yes.”

That’s Armour, always pushing people’s expectations and presumptions. And perhaps the presumptions he finds himself pushing most these days are his ideas about his own identity. And the fact that he is more than the festival that has so consumed his life for the past 14 years.

“You know, PuSh was not to be the last thing I would do,” Armour reflects. “I mean, I had 15 years at Rumble and 14 years at PuSh. This felt like an opportunity for me to take a break from fundraising, take a break from committees, take a break from supervising staff, take a break from all the pressures of the last 29 years of cofounding and leading up to the building of two organizations. But I get to take all of that thinking that gets me going and all that excitement into a situation that is challenging in a different way. I really want to get into that space of not knowing a lot and tapping back into that sense of curiosity.” -

Métis Mutt mines identity

S

“Faced with such excellence, a mere critic can only abandon paper and pencil and listen to this heroic but deeply moving artist with awe and amazement”

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> B Y JA NET S M ITH

heldon Elter has to revisit a lot of painful moments in his one-man show Métis Mutt. But some of the hardest to face are the jokes the Grande Prairie–born actor, comedian, and writer used to tell when he was an 18-year-old standup working Alberta bars and pool halls in the 1990s.

In fact, he uses his old racist one-liners about “Indians” in the opening for the show—a cringe-inducing barrage that he’s now juxtaposed with a laugh track in this new version of the hit theatrical work.

“It’s a difficult show: I have to revisit the demons in my closet,” says Elter from Edmonton. “When I was a young man, I’d get all those great laughs and someone would say, ‘I got one, maybe you can use this one in your act,’ and tell me some terrible racist one-liner. And I was not quite understanding that whatever I was doing made people feel like it was okay to tell me that.”

That all changed, Elter recalls, when some prominent people from the Indigenous community confronted him about his act. “They said, ‘Do you have to do this?’ I said, ‘I was crushing it, I was killing it!’ One woman asked me, ‘Why do you think they’re laughing?’

“That didn’t scare me away from comedy, just standup,” adds the affable artist, who ended up going to theatre school. “At least in theatre I felt I have support and people with me. I felt standup was a little lonely for me.”

These days, Elter has a whole production team assisting him with his play, which was born in the early 2000s as a seven-minute monologue, grew into a full work at Edmonton’s Nextfest, and became a phenomenon that toured the country and even New Zealand. In Métis Mutt, Elter uses his comedic edge to ply some rough territory—his own upbringing by an abusive, alcoholic father, and his struggles with addiction and identity as a mixedrace kid disconnected from his Indigenous side but still the target of insults for being Indigenous.

“I had this guilt for not being Native enough and at the same time I’m being constantly called an ‘Indian’. It’s a word I use a lot in the piece, but a word that’s not used anymore, and it’s a trigger word,” the artist says. “Fortyyear-old Sheldon has to look at that and say, ‘Okay, I literally fought people over that.’ ” All of this makes performing Métis Mutt difficult enough that Elter took an extended break from the show to do other projects—including a starring role in Matthew MacKenzie’s Bears, which, coincidentally, he’ll appear in at the Cultch early next month. But a recent invitation to remount his solo show from Toronto’s Native Earth Performing Arts company allowed him to

Sheldon Elter’s show tackles the racism he faced, and that he once mirrored as a standup. Marc J. Chalifoux photo.

restructure it, and add some multimedia projections and a soundscape. Yet, even after all these years, he’s still finding tricks to help him perform it night after night.

“When we rehearse the show, I have to find ways to disassociate from it that they don’t teach you in theatre school,” he says. “They don’t teach you in theatre school how to turn it off.…So it helps me to find good ritual practices. I literally shower after every show—it helps me say ‘I’m just telling a story.’ ” Elter has come a long way since those early standup experiments. He’s had a successful career that’s included award-winning writing for TV’s Caution: May Contain Nuts. And he has a surer, more nuanced grasp on his identity. In Métis Mutt, listen to Elter’s story of a medicine man who tells him his soul is grieving and that he has to go out into the woods to heal. But Elter wasn’t raised in the ways of the wilderness, and he doesn’t know how to use a shotgun.

“So I never ended up going; I was too scared,” he says.

“But I realized over time that spirituality and telling stories has been my church—my solace is to come back and to express myself. Then I can set my compass back.” Métis Mutt is at the Firehall Arts Centre from Wednesday (April 25) to May 5.

FREE

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APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

ARTS

Chor Leoni shows off snippets from Asian trip > B Y A LE XAN DER VAR TY

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Paula Kremer, Artistic Director

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Saturday, May 12 2018 7:30pm Christ Church Cathedral, 690 Burrard St Vancouver

For more information and tickets: vancouvercantatasingers.com or 604-730-8856 22 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

Chor Leoni celebrates its 25th anniversary on Saturday (April 28), with concerts at West Vancouver United Church (1:30 p.m.) and St. Andrew’s– Wesley United Church (8 p.m.).

Gamelan glides into new territory at Roundhouse

VANCOUVER BACH CHOIR MEETS

KANTATEFEIER!

f you’re the kind of person who agonizes over what to take on a weekend vacation, spare a thought for Erick Lichte, who’s currently packing for 48. That’s how many Chor Leoni singers will soon be jetting off to Singapore and Bali to take part in a pair of high-profile international choral competitions. And while Lichte isn’t responsible for making sure that they’ve all brought their phone chargers, he does have to ensure that they’re singing the best of their repertoire at the peak of their abilities.

“I’ve just been trying to do this jigsaw puzzle of what’s going to show the choir off, and what’s going to make us really, really happy,” Chor Leoni’s artistic director tells the Straight from his Kitsilano home. “So many people think that, for my job, it’s ‘Well, Erick picks the music he wants to do.’ And that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m always thinking about who Chor Leoni is, what’s going to be great for them, what are maybe some skills that we need to develop and what sort of pieces would help us develop those skills, what’s going to be good for the audience. And what are the venues that we’re going to be singing in? Is it a church? Is it a concert hall? Is it a Bard on the Beach tent? These are the sorts of things that come into play.

“In some ways we’re showing what male choirs can do,” Lichte continues, noting that his singers will often be competing in the “equal voice” category, which puts Chor Leoni up against children’s choirs and all-female ensembles. “But then we’re also ambassadors for Canada, so we want to be presenting music that is near and dear to our heart.”

Local audiences can get a taste of what he means while celebrating Chor Leoni’s 25th anniversary this

weekend. Bookending the program will be a choral adaptation of the classic French-Canadian folk song “Un Canadien Errant” and a song-anddance version of Bollywood soundtrack artist A.R. Rahman’s “Wedding Qawwali”. Further emphasizing Canada’s cultural diversity will be the choir’s take on Oji-Cree composer Corey Payette’s “Gimikwenden Ina”, from his musical Children of God. And Chor Leoni will also get a chance to show off the winner of its 2018 Canadian Choral Composition Competition, as judged by composers Jocelyn Morlock and Rodney Sharman and entrepreneur James Carter.

“It’s one of the stronger pieces that has come my way in a really long time,” Lichte says of Marie-Claire Saindon’s “Mer Calme”. “It’s a bit of a tone poem: she has set this French romantic poem that’s ostensibly about the sea.…The idea is that this person is looking out over the sea and seeing how calm it is, and wishing that their soul could be as tranquil as the sea. It’s so evocative; it’s one of those pieces that you don’t even have to understand the French to get.

And we’re pairing that with one of the competition pieces that we’re doing in Asia; it’s a work by Veljo Tormis [Incantatio Maris Aestuosi] commemorating the sinking of the Estonia, that ferry liner that went down in the Baltic in the 1990s. So we’ll have this lovely, evocative sea set.

“I don’t necessarily always believe in competition in music,” he adds, “but it does have this wonderful effect of making us work as hard as we possibly can, and I think the audience will be in for some real treats.” -

ith ensembles representing the traditional musics of Bali, Java, and Sunda, the twoday Gamelan at the Roundhouse festival offers local listeners a useful survey of classical sounds from the Indonesian archipelago. But this year, more than ever, it’s also a crash course in how gamelan, the intricately rhythmic and primarily percussion-based music of that region, continues to influence and interact with the rest of the world.

A case in point, Gamelan Gita Asmara director Michael Tenzer says, is the career of the UBC–based ensemble’s latest guest artist, I Putu Gede Sukaryana, who performs under the stage name Balot.

“He’s 30, and basically he never knew the old Bali of the romantic, idealized ‘other’ culture,” the UBC ethnomusicology prof explains in a telephone interview from his Point Grey home. “Ever since he got into music as an early teen, he’s always been about collaborating with people from all over.…He also plays tabla very competently; he does all sorts of world percussion; there’s a couple of pretty well known metal guitarists in Bali that he plays with.”

The multimedia work Balot will premiere this week, Kala Raung (Time and Space), is going to be typically forward-thinking. “He’s got a style which is influenced by all of these collaborations he’s been doing and an open ear.

It’s not signature Balinese stuff anymore,” Tenzer says. “He doesn’t think in terms of his cultural inheritance, necessarily.…So a lot of his music involves conceptual thinking: working out of patterns, some mathematics, designing patterns of different lengths that go together in interesting ways.”

The conceptual framework for Gamelan Alligator Joy’s contribution to Gamelan at the Roundhouse is somewhat different: the local ensemble, whose mandate is to play contemporary music for traditional Javanese instruments, is collaborating with pianist Rory Cowal to look at how that most European device, the piano, can coexist with tuned bells and gongs. Cowal will join Alligator Joy to perform an excerpt from intercultural music pioneer Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Piano With Javanese Gamelan, and then will star in the premiere of a new work by composer Michael O’Neill, Mode of Attunement. In that, he’ll play an electronic piano tuned to match the nonwestern tuning of the gamelan ensemble—or, rather, the tuning it had before it was reworked last summer.

“When the gamelan was retuned…

I found that one thing that I liked had disappeared,” O’Neill notes from his East Vancouver home. “So what I did was retune the piano to the pitches that used to be, which gave kind of delicious, very small intervals that created waves or beating—which in Java and Bali is called ombak. ” Alligator Joy and Gita Asmara are the two longest-running ensembles in the program, but such is the strength of the local scene that they’ll be joined by a number of new or newish groups, including O’Neill’s own Beledrone Ensemble, which performs new music for bagpipes, Balinese instruments, viola, and Ukrainian singers. If Balot wants to make music that’s inspired by Indonesian tradition but expands the language of gamelan, he’s going to be in very good company. Gamelan at the Roundhouse takes place at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre on Thursday and Friday (April 26 and 27).

Tapestry International Celebration of Women’s Choirs

MAY 4-5, 2018 FEATURING

CHORAL THREADS

ELEKTRA WOMEN’S CHOIR Morna Edmundson, Artistic Director

7:30 pm, Friday, May 4 St. John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church, 1490 Nanton Ave, Vancouver

FRISCHES EI (Japan) Mariko Miura, Artistic Director

FREE ADMISSION

GARDABAER WOMEN’S CHOIR (Iceland) Ingibjörg Guðjónsdóttir, Artistic Director

CELEBRATION CONCERT 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 5

VOX FEMINA LOS ANGELES (United States) Christ Church Cathedral, 690 Burrard St, Vancouver Tickets available through Iris Levine, Artistic Director

ticketstonight.ca | 1.877.840.0457

SEASON MEDIA SPONSOR

Adults: $35 | Senior: $30 senior (65 and over) | Students $15 (with valid ID) Ticket prices include all taxes and fees

CHAN CENTRE PRESENTS SERIES SEP 22 Aida Cuevas: Totalmente Juan Gabriel SEP 30 I’m With Her OCT 21 Goran Bregovic and His Wedding and Funeral Band NOV 13 Joshua Redman: Still Dreaming FEB 17 Bobby McFerrin: Circlesongs MAR 2 Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Habib Koité and Bassekou Kouyate APR 11 Cristina Pato Quartet APR 27 Anoushka Shankar

BEYOND WORDS SERIES OCT 3 Kealoha FEB 24 No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW!

Cristina Pato Aida Cuevas

I’m With Her

Bobby McFerrin

chancentre.com APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 23

ARTS

Me and You’s sister act soars T HEAT RE ME AND YOU Written by Melody Anderson.

Directed by Mindy Parfitt. An Arts Club Theatre Company production.

At the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre on Wednesday, April 18. Continues until May 6

Melody Anderson’s new play, Me and You, is funny, charming, and deeply affecting. There are just two characters, Liz and Lou, sisters whom we watch grow from young children to old women. It’s a quietly powerful thing to be part of the premiere of this women-centred, women-driven piece of theatre. For 80 minutes we watch their lives unfold and witness the perpetually shifting dynamics of their relationship.

Me and You avoids the bossy older sister/irresponsible younger sister clichés in favour of something much more real and nuanced. Yes, Liz is older and bossier, but she doesn’t know herself the way Lou does. She sticks with the checklist of life goals: go to college, find a husband, have a career, have a kid. Lou is younger and more impulsive—she travels to Europe instead of going to college and then gets pregnant at art school—but she ends up being the dependable one, a confidant to her niece and caretaker for their aging mother. Feminist themes arise throughout, and the various male figures in the sisters’ lives are sources of both comfort and deep disappointment, and the sisters must turn to each other to navigate them.

Patti Allan and Lois Anderson are wonderful as Liz and Lou. The ways in which they adjust their bodies, movements, postures, and voices as they inhabit the characters at their varying ages is already a sizable acting challenge, but they’re also wearing Melody Anderson’s incredible masks throughout the production. Amir Ofek’s set design is stunning: two huge walls that not only are composed of functional drawers, doors, secret compartments, and other surprises, but can also be climbed by the actors.

Mindy Parfitt’s direction feels seamless, and in part that’s a testament to her skill, but it’s also a team effort.

Allan and Anderson are charming and natural, even behind their masks, and Melody Anderson captures something truly special in her play. For better or worse, sometimes nobody knows you like a sister. Me and You beautifully conveys the complications of sisterhood—and if you’re lucky enough to have your own Liz or Lou, go see this tiny marvel of a play together while you have the chance.

2

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Tickets: $35.00 and VIP $75.00 Ticketmaster: 604-6871644 or Little Sisters – 604-669-1752 ALL PROCEEDS TO: A Loving Spoonful (feeding Men, Women and Children with HIV AIDS), East Side Women’s Centre, Drug Free Kids in Canada, Second Chance at Life Dog Rescue, Moving Forward counselling PAY WHAT YOU CAN! Zajac Ranch for Children (children with spinal injuries)

25 > ANDREA WARNER

CHOR LEONI A 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Saturday April 28, 2018

1:30 PM | WEST VANCOUVER UNITED CHURCH 2062 ESQUIMALT AVE, WEST VANCOUVER

8 PM | ST. ANDREW’S-WESLEY UNITED CHURCH 1022 NELSON ST AT BURRARD, VANCOUVER

SECTION A $40 | SECTION B $35 | SECTION C $30 | SECTION D $25 | STUDENTS WITH ID $10

TicketsTonight.ca | 1.877.840.0457

24 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

Erick Lichte

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

chorleoni.org

SPIRIT HORSE

THE EXPLANATION

Adapted by Drew Hayden Taylor from the play Tir Na N’Og by Greg Banks.

Directed by Greg Banks. A Roseneath Theatre production, presented by Carousel Theatre. At the Waterfront Theatre on Sunday, April 22.

Continues until April 29

Written and directed by James Fagan Tait. A frank theatre company production, presented by the Cultch.

At the Cultch’s VanCity Culture Lab on April 18. Continues until April 29

The presentation of The Explan-

2 ation is as simple as can be: two

It’s not an easy thing to com- men telling us the story of how they got together. But James Fagan Tait’s realism, but Spirit Horse succeeds. new play is also complicated, because Drew Hayden Taylor’s script, an In- both men profess to be straight. digenous adaptation of an Irish play by We start with John, recalling the this production’s director, Greg Banks, thrill he got the first time he decided moves fluidly through different times to try dressing as a woman: “It just and places. It begins with young sisters came to me on a Saturday morning Angelina and Jesse telling their grand- in spring. It was a project. I could just father how much they miss their late as easily have repotted my plants.” Inmother, then jumps ahead to a scene stead, he goes to Value Village to pick with a pair of police officers interro- up a couple of cheap miniskirts. A few gating the girls’ father, who has no idea Saturdays later, he takes the bus downwhere his daughters are. The officers town to hang out at the Central Lipoint to a television, where the girls are brary’s literature–DVD section. That’s all over the news, accused of stealing a where Dick sees John for the first time, rodeo horse. Pa insists that the horse takes him for a woman, and is smitten. belongs to the girls—and then we It’s not long before he realizes John is a learn the story of how the Spirit Horse man, but the two go for coffee anyway, came from a magical lake on Wild- and later go dancing at a nightclub, wind Mountain to live in the family’s marvelling at the fact that they’re “two apartment in Calgary. Angelina and straight guys dancing at a gay bar”.

Jesse name her after the mountain, but Their friendship is cemented, and soon when Wildwind is taken away and sold they’re getting together every week. to the rodeo, the young girls decide to Though neither of the men can go and take her back to their ancestral explain what they’re doing in a way land. The journey sees them eventually that makes sense—they’re not gay!— finding a deeper connection to their they value each other’s company. departed mother.

They also get a thrill from being each Racism is subtly but insidiously other’s secret. woven into the fabric of the family’s Under Tait’s direction, Kevin Maclife. A pawnshop owner calls Jesse a Donald and Evan Frayne are warmly “lousy little Indian”, and Pa endures natural as they navigate the inevitable both verbal insults and physical abuse vulnerabilities of their ever-changing, from the police. After watching a impossible-to-explain relationship. western movie, Angelina asks if it’s “We were happy, and I didn’t spend too possible to be a cowboy and an Indian. much time being confused,” Dick says.

“I wanna be a cowboy,” she explains, Tait’s script doesn’t linger in the awk“because the cowboys always win.” ward moments, preferring to puncture Banks’s direction demands energy them with humour. and physical commitment from his Noam Gagnon’s playful choreogthree performers, who each take on raphy makes the nightclub scenes a multiple roles. Lisa Nasson keeps Ange- highlight of the show; MacDonald lina grounded in innocence and intel- and Frayne bust some joyful moves to ligence, Rain Richardson’s Jesse is full James Coomber’s disco soundtrack. “It of zest, and Brendan Chandler takes was fun” is the characters’ simple exrelish in the many parts he plays. Glenn planation—and we believe them. > KATHLEEN OLIVER Davidson’s set—a tepee-shaped assembly of scaffolding pipes and pallets that allows us to imagine locations as di- WORLD WITHOUT US verse as trains, trees, and TV screens— Written by Alexander Devriendt, supports the show’s physicality. So Karolien De Bleser, Valentijn does the exquisite music, composed by Dhaenens, and Joeri Smet. Directed Anne Lederman and performed live by by Alexander Devriendt. At the Cultch’s Emilyn Stam on accordion, fiddle, and Historic Theatre on Thursday, April 19. drum, infusing the production with an Continues until April 29 additional layer of vividness.

Spirit Horse is both a lively adven“Hue by hue, line by line, the ture and a springboard for meaningnothing takes shape.” ful conversation. Take your kids.

World Without Us is full of lovely

2 bine magic with hard-hitting

2

> KATHLEEN OLIVER

see next page

ARTS

Performing-arts troupe gives audiences input > BY DA NNIELL E PI PE R

C

This was the case with “It All Fades Away” from the musical The Bridges of Madison County. Participants were encouraged to submit entries that did not appear in the poll.

Although “It All Fades Away” did not make it into the top 10, King included it anyway.

After the list, King began the audition process. Well-acquainted with the skills and repertoire of Vancouver’s small musical-theatre community, King noted that his knowledge and experience made it easier to choose what number each cast member would perform.

“I picked a few songs that I thought would be great for certain people,” King said. “If I knew their voice well, I would assign them certain songs.”

The show comprises 11 cast members, a 14-piece orchestra, and a choir consisting of 13 students from Capilano University’s musical-theatre program. It will be in a concert format, with each singer performing in front of the mike.

King mentioned that his favourite number in the show is “Heart and Music”, from the 1998 musical A New Brain.

“It’s a complex one,” King said.

“And it’s one of the core numbers and a group number at the same time. So it kind of involves everybody.” -

ircle Bright Productions, a new Vancouver-based performing-arts company with a passion for audience input, is preparing its first show, From Broadway With Love.

The company, which strives to give Vancouver patrons what they want, takes their input and incorporates it into the production, along with selections chosen by the musical director, Chris King.

“The producers wanted to do an online poll,” King explained. “So they put out a poll online and people voted on the song they would like to hear.”

This is what sets Circle Bright Productions apart from others. The poll, which lasted for six months, featured some of Broadway’s well-known numbers. The top 10 numbers from the poll were put on the program of From Broadway With Love, and a further 10 were added by King.

A notable theatre veteran, King has music-directed works such as The Music Man and The Wizard of Oz. He explained that From Broadway With Love spans several decades of musical theatre.

“I wanted to try and get people a taste of different musicals they may not have heard,” King noted to the Straight by phone. “I also wanted to touch on certain eras or composers, From Broadway With Love runs from depending on what we had already Thursday to Saturday (April 26 to 28) at Richmond’s Gateway Theatre. chosen from the poll.”

World Without Us

from previous page

lines like this: descriptions of absence, of what arises in the place of absence, and the ways in which the planet survives and adapts after human extinction. These are all delivered in a 70-minute monologue by performer-cowriter Karolien De Bleser’s soothing yet clinical voice as she takes us through the immediate aftermath of a world without people and, eventually, millions of years into the future.

The first half of World Without Us is the most immersive and the most effective. There’s no music as De Bleser begins to speak, and in the darkened room, she asks the audience to note the ambient noise that surrounds us all the time, and what happens when that falls away—how you can hear “this concert of breathing in different tempos” from the audience.

De Bleser’s accounts of what we would feel, see, hear, and observe in the minutes and days after humans vanish are fascinating and engaging, even at their most graphic and chilling. Cities filled with “ticking time bombs”, fires and explosions, and nuclear meltdowns; a long and detailed look at a rat liberated by this new world, her eventual death, and the phases of decomposition.

Some of the information comes during an extended blackout, the show’s best and boldest decision.

The further the audience disconnects from its own reality, the deeper we slip inside World Without Us. There’s already a nice tension from De Bleser’s delivery—the warm lilt of her voice juxtaposed with the almost scientific detachment of her observations—and the darkness heightens the mounting anxiety as we get farther and farther into the timeline.

The deeper we get inside World Without Us, the better our understanding of our utter insignificance. We are not the world; the world carries on without us just fine. The elk might be radioactive, but Earth carries on, nature adapts, and a world without us isn’t an abomination but rather a foregone conclusion.

Still, even at just 70 minutes, World Without Us drags in certain places. The blackout is great, but it goes on too long, particularly in combination with a hot theatre and De Bleser’s dulcet tones. And, though beautifully written, it’s also repetitive, occasionally devolving into more of a drawn-out dystopian fairy tale than thrilling piece of experimental theatre.

Des Arbres MAY 8 – 12, 2018

STUDIO 16 | 8 PM

" A distinctive, off-kilter love story [...] brutally honest, funny, edgy and current. " — The Guardian

ENGLISH SURTITLES ON TUE, WED, THU & SAT.

Tickets available at seizieme.ca

> ANDREA WARNER

APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25

Some Assembly Theatre Company presents

ar ts/ timeout THEATRE DANCE MUSIC COMEDY LITERARY EVENTS GALLERIES MUSEUMS

< < < < < < <

THEATRE

May 2-5, 2018

2OPENINGS

Sometimes you have to shake things up a bit

THIS Bill Dow directs a new comedy by playwright and House of Cards head writer Melissa James Gibson. Apr 26–May 5, 8 pm, Studio 16 (1555 W. 7th). $15-38, info www.kindredentertainment.com/.

a new play with the RHYTAG project, created by Youth in Collaboration with Professional Artists

2ONGOING

Show times

MISERY The Arts Club Theatre Company presents William Goldman’s thriller, based on the novel by Stephen King. To May 5, Granville Island Stage (1585 Johnston, Granville Island). Tix from $29, info artsclub.com/shows/2017-2018/misery/.

WEDNESDAY MAY 2 1:30PM THURSDAY MAY 3 11:00AM THURSDAY MAY 3 1:30PM FRIDAY MAY 4 7:30PM SATURDAY MAY 5 7:30PM

ME AND YOU The Arts Club Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Melody Anderson’s comedy about sibling rivalry. To May 6, Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre (162 W. 1st).

Tix from $29, info www.artsclub.com/ shows/2017-2018/me-and-you/.

Reservations 604-603-5247 www.someassembly.ca

don’t miss out!

Venue The Roundhouse at Davie & Pacific www.roundhouse.ca / 604-713-1800

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

www.straight.com

The Release Party is a celebration of youth expression in a pursuit to manage struggles with mental health, bullying, and suicide prevention.

THE EXPLANATION James Fagan Tait’s chamber play is a playful exploration of the fluidity of gender and sexual identity. To Apr 29, 8 pm, Vancity Culture Lab (the Cultch, 1895 Venables). Tix $27, info thecultch.com/.

SPIRIT HORSE Carousel Theatre for Young People present a play about two youths who are caught between the traditional ways of their Stoney Nation heritage and the modern ways of the city. To Apr 29, Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St., Granville Island). Tix $35/29/18, info www. carouseltheatre.ca/production/spirit-horse/.

MÉTIS MUTT Performance piece uses standup comedy, original songs, storytelling, and multi-character vignettes to share the journey of a young Métis man who pulls himself out of a destructive cycle to carve out a creative life for himself.

Apr 25–May 5, Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova). Tix from $20, info www.firehall artscentre.ca/onstage/metis-mutt/.

DANCE 2THIS WEEK

TICKETS ON SALE now!

JIMMY

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VANCOUVER CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY The Dance Centre presents three events celebrating the art of dance, with performances by Mozaico Flamenco, students from Windermere Secondary School, and Lesley Telford/Inverso. Apr 29, 12-7 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie).

Free, info www.thedancecentre.ca/.

MUSIC 2THIS WEEK VANCOUVER OPERA FESTIVAL Second annual event includes an intimate series of instrumental and vocal chamber music concerts. Apr 28–May 6, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Free to $161.75, info www.vancouveropera.ca/VancouverOpera-Festival-2018/.

CHOR LEONI 25 Chor Leoni celebrates its silver anniversary with audience favourites and new works. Apr 28, 8 pm, St. Andrew’s– Wesley United Church (1022 Nelson). Tix $10-40, info www.chorleoni.org/.

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WONDROUS WORLDS The Vancouver Pops’ symphonic tribute to film composer John Williams, featuring his works from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park.

Apr 29; May 26, 3-5 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (UBC). Tix from $15, info www.vancouverpops.com/.

STANDING WAVE PRESENTS LEVIATHAN Vancouver new-music ensemble presents a musical exploration of our interaction with different environments; the natural, social and political.

Apr 29, 7:30 pm, The Annex (958 Granville Street). Tix $25/15, info standingwave.ca/.

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26 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018

MOVIES

A cult with Endless appeal RE VIEW S THE ENDLESS Starring Justin Benson. Rated 14A

All sorts of subterranean modern

2 American anxieties get filtered

through this smart and agreeably pulpy exercise. Chief among them: what’s worse? Being in a suicide cult or not being in a suicide cult?

Life in the outside world has been anything but rosy for brothers Aaron and Justin in the 10 years since they escaped their desert-based doomsday community. The mysterious arrival of a beaten-up old videotape draws them back, which is fine for Aaron, eager for a return to the group security he remembers, mandatory castration aside. For the far less enthusiastic Justin, here’s the chance to remind his little bro: “Told ya so.”

Arcadia does indeed appear to be idyllic, mind you, to the extent that nobody in the congenial, craftbeer-brewing commune has apparently aged in a decade. If there’s a leader, he’s played by Tate Ellington (Shameless) as more of a cardiganwearing young fogey than a Marshall Applewhite. Although he does make it fairly clear that Justin is welcome to the barely legal charms of group member Lizzy (Kira Powell).

Sex with his old crush Anna (Callie Hernandez, La La Land) is also an inducement to awkward and virginal Aaron, but if this all seems “kinda culty” to the determinedly skeptical Justin, it becomes increasingly difficult for the older sibling to explain the freaky supernatural incidents piling up around their visit. Especially after a sit-down with fringedweller Shitty Carl (James Jordan, Veronica Mars), who appears to be in two places at once, in the pre- and post-suicide sense. And where did that tape come from, anyway?

In the spirit of the H.P. Lovecraft quote that opens the film, The Endless ultimately goes all-in with its embrace of dark and fearful things, wisely showing about as much of the unshowable as it can get away with, and largely keeping its focus on the grief inflicted on a hard-core rationalist suddenly confronted with the relentlessly irrational. (He might be suffering for all of us right now.)

Starring in their own movie, directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson turn out to be equally slick on either side of the camera (Benson takes the writing credit), and The Endless improves greatly on their 2014 festival hit, Spring, which was too fussy about explaining itself.

Here, they have a ball with the film’s screwy internal logic and effective visual design, somehow landing on a breezy tone despite a seriously heavy nucleus of unthinkable dread. > ADRIAN MACK

GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI A documentary by Sophie Fiennes.

In English and French, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

Like its subject, this profile of

2 Grace Jones in winter is de-

manding, idiosyncratic, and worth surrendering to for the greater good.

It is also rambling and frustratingly incomplete—even if it’s hard to imagine how her complete story could be contained in a paltry two hours.

Collected and edited over a 10-year period by British docmaker Sophie Fiennes (sister of Ralph and Joseph), Grace Jones finds the singer and fashion icon reviving her brand of goodhumoured hauteur with virtually no loss in pungency. By spending so much time with Jones in settings both deeply intimate and gloriously public, the movie makes the case that her ascension for decades was no right place, right time fluke.

The film celebrates her long career as a top model, actor, video pioneer, and writer or cowriter and -producer of tunes as indelible as “My Jamaican Guy”, “Nipple to the Bottle”, and “Pull

Actor-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead prove their considerable chops on both sides of the camera in the H.P. Lovecraft–inspired The Endless.

Up to the Bumper”. A restless self-inventor, she has also stitched together disco, hard rock, reggae, new wave, French chanson, and modern art song through sheer force of personality. In fact, it seems almost criminal that she is regarded by some as a 1980s novelty act when her ambition, talent, and skill at self-invention should actually put her on a level with Madonna or David Bowie.

Certainly, the performances seen here, mostly from a concert in Dublin, show Jones still strong in style, voice, and room-filling charisma. (The hats alone are worth the price of admission.) These are balanced by visits to London, Tokyo, Moscow, and, most revealingly, what’s left of her family in Jamaica, where she was abused by a literally Bible-thumping stepgrandfather, and is seen recording an album with rhythm masters Sly & Robbie.

There are also several trips to Paris, where she takes her teenage son to his father, fashion photographer Jean-Paul Goude. None of this background is provided or explained in the film. (The subtitle Bloodlight and Bami refers, obscurely, to the red studio light and a kind of Jamaican flatbread.) There are no archival clips or even identifying title cards, so viewers are thrown in the deep end with a surprisingly vulnerable, if sometimes imperious, Ms. Jones. Slipping in and out of languages and accents to suit the place and time, she provides some interesting insights regarding her dedication to performance. She finds the stage “a fascinating, lonely place”, and has yet to tire of it.

Grace Jones turns 70 next month. > KEN EISNER

THE RIDER Starring Brady Jandreau. Rated PG

trajectory are supported by having his gruff father and developmentally challenged sister played by the real deals, Tim and Lilly Jandreau.

Pete’s lead character was also damaged and motherless, and the postadolescent Blackburn shares his lack of direction, made even more frustrating by highly developed equestrian skills. The best scenes here show him whispering at the horses he’s hired to train. But occasionally riding them isn’t enough. And he seems unwilling to trade his cowboy hat for a sensible helmet. In fact, the theme of the movie might actually be the unspoken codes of masculinity, in which something—the rocky terrain, the Indigenous people, the untamed animals—must be dominated in order for men to feel like men.

Brady occasionally visits a buckaroo who’s even more incapacitated than him (although actor Lane Scott was actually crushed in a race car, not at a rodeo). It’s hard not to relate this subplot to the decades’ worth of “wounded warriors” America has produced since 9/11—soldiers sent on misbegotten adventures only to have their injuries valorized and quickly forgotten. The movie doesn’t display a lot of social introspection, though, or variety of tone. One standout scene, however, finds our resident nice guy showing his darker side; after generously donating his gear and advice to a young up-and-comer, he then pointlessly— and dangerously—wrestles him to the floor. “What the hell, Brady,” the kid protests. What the hell indeed. > KEN EISNER

MONTPARNASSE BIENVENÜE Starring Laetitia Dosch. In French, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

Hitting Americana notes re-

More impressive as an act-

Lean On Pete, The Rider has a young hero who fixates on creatures representing independence in a hostile rural environment.

Where Pete came from a British director and made stylistic nods to coming-of-age classics like The 400 Blows, the grittier Rider was written and directed by a Chinese filmmaker who went to school in England and is now based in the U.S. This new feature is a byproduct of the time Chloé Zhao spent on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for her first feature, Songs My Brothers Taught Me. Here, she follows the format of pushing nonprofessional actors to convey stories based on their own experiences, and the results are both illuminating and somewhat dully conventional, in the narrative sense.

The Dakotas are a place where the Indigenous population and those of European heritage live in close proximity and share love of the land, country music, and rodeos.

That’s how Zhao met Brady Jandreau, whose near-fatal bronc-riding concussion ended his career in the saddle. He plays Brady Blackburn, and the parallels with his personal

movie, Montparnasse Bienvenüe is a showcase for powder keg Laetitia Dosch, who creates a highly improvised character whose many contradictions are united by a kind of guile-free obnoxiousness. Her character’s struggles make you care for her while feeling glad she’s stuck on the other side of the screen.

With her dark-red hair and metropale skin, Dosch’s Paula greets us by banging her head so hard against a Parisian door she ends up in the hospital. Judging by what writer-director Léonor Serraille shows us in her feature debut, Paula just goes from one head trip to another. Apparently, she’s been dumped by her long-time boyfriend, a well-known photographer, and is panicking at having to fend for herself. It doesn’t help that she has saddled herself with the boyfriend’s purloined and unfriendly cat.

Eventually, she finds a job as a nanny for a rich woman who, incredibly, asks for no references but is simply impressed by the manic enthusiasm of a dishevelled stranger with a bandage on her forehead.

Paula later lands a second job at

2 markably similar to those of 2 ing exercise than as an actual

see next page

APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 27

Arts time out > Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message <

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 24, 2018 WHERE: Waterfront

In front of Waterfront St. while waiting for transit, you passed by and gave me a beautiful smile, you made my day! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to buy you lunch/coffee.

Beautiful hair btw.

SLOAN CONCERT AT THE IMPERIAL

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 23, 2018 WHERE: Sloan Concert at the Imperial You stood in front of me on the floor at the Sloan concert at the Imperial. You were worried I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see so, you bent down a little. I said you were a gentleman for doing that. I thought you were nice looking, fit, and had a great hair-cut. I have long black wavy hair, brown eyes, and was wearing black. You chatted a bit with me and my two girlfriends and made a remark about the guy in the band with the beard and the striped shirt playing the tambourine. You went to get drinks and we moved closer to the front... didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see you after that. Wish I had given you my number.

AT THE DOC IN WEST VAN THIS MORN

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 23, 2018 WHERE: Doc in West Van Both of us tall. You dark and handsome. Me forgetful of my name. Saw you outside Starbucks afterwards. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m too old for you, but would love to play with that hair.

HANDSOME BLACK GUY AT YALETOWN BREWERY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 22, 2018 WHERE: Yaletown Brewery I was dancing with a friend on Despacito when you arrived with your buddy. You had a beautiful smile and a nice skin tone. You looked at me but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure if you really saw me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to chat with you. Coffee maybe?

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STRAWBERRY HILL

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 13, 2018 WHERE: Chipotle on Howe, Vancouver I was waiting for my girlfriend near the bathrooms & you were in line. Then you sat at the window. You're tall, dark hair, dark eyes, camo trucker hat, & shorts. Margaritas sometime?

STARBUCKS WILLINGDON GUY ON LAPTOP

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 20, 2018 WHERE: Starbucks in Lougheed & Willingdon, Burnaby You (tanned skin, shaved head, tatts on both arms) were seated at a long, high table, on a laptop.

I (brunette, raincoat, jeans) breezed in for a coffee with just enough time to rustle up a too small of a shy smile. Maybe I can sit with you next time?

POLYGON GALLERY, SUNDAY 15 APRIL 2018

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 15, 2018 WHERE: Polygon Gallery You sat in the back row for the Dislocating N. Vancouver lecture - black top, shoulder-length hair, grey eyes, wicked smile (you seemed to be amused). I was sitting 2 seats over: salt & pepper hair, black metal glasses - wish I had said hi after... if you see this, make a noise... testing testing 123...

IN RICHMOND AT A BAR YEARS AGO

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 13, 2015 WHERE: It Was a Pub in Richmond B.C. Deborah we met at a bar after a big day on the job and you were invited back to my home rental and we ended up hooking up in my bedroom and it was basically the best romance I have had in my life.

I tried to find you again but I lost your phone number and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to find you again.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 20, 2018 WHERE: Strawberry Hill Long shot but I saw you walking in that white and black track suit but couldn't make first move. You're really cute tbh.

FALSE CREEK CHILDREN PLAYGROUND

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 20, 2018 WHERE: Park Next to Science World Yesterday night around 8pm.

You are the platinum blonde, fit mom who glanced at me few times! You were chasing and playing with your son, Dom. Holding your Lex car keys. I was with my daughters and wondering how nice, caring and nurturing you were. Hope to see you again very soon and get to know you better.

SUCH COMMITMENT

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 20, 2018 WHERE: Granville

YUK YUKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COMEDY CLUB 2837 Cambie, 604-696-9857, www.yukyuks.com/ vancouver/. Comedy club with Top Talent Tue at 8 pm, amateur night Wed at 8 pm, and professional headliners Thu-Fri at 8 pm and Sat at 7 and 9:30 pm. 2MYQ KAPLAN Apr 26-28

LITERARY EVENTS 2THIS WEEK VERSES FESTIVAL OF WORDS Eighth annual alternative literary festival features spoken-word poetry, storytelling, pagebased poetry, singer-songwriters, and improvisers. To Apr 29, various Vancouver venues. Tix and info www.versesfestival. ca/, info www.versesfestival.ca/.

GALLERIES VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/. 2EMILY CARR IN DIALOGUE WITH MATTIE GUNTERMAN (new exhibition features the paintings of

we raced down Granville today after 420. You had two pigtails but the right side of your head was shaved.

Asymmetry is underrated.

TEMAKI SUSHI AT BROADWAY AND ARBUTUS

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MEDIA SPONSOR

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 14, 2018 WHERE: Temaki Sushi

Me: salt and pepper hair, glasses, black sweater, gold earrings and bracelet. You: salt and pepper hair, glasses. I was seated at the bar catching up with two friends. We were hurrying because we had tickets to a nearby concert. I did not see you sit down to my left, as my back was turned. If I had realized earlier that you were seated beside me, I would have chatted with you. Ironic, because I'm always complaining that in Vancouver, strangers don't chat with each other when eating at the bar.

You asked me whether the food was good. I recommended the spicy sashimi. Coffee?

Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _

APRIL 28

The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private livesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.

Scan to confess I hate 420

APRIL 29

I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bought any Heinz product since they closed their Canadian plant. Frenchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tastes better as well.

Realist or pessimist?

I sit here and dream of having a drier. Fucken cheap-ass east Van rental landlords.

Visit

to post a Confession

1660 EAST BROADWAY @ COMMERCIAL

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TIME OUT ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t guarantee inclusion, and we give priority to events taking place within one week of publication.

Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

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NO, I do not want to come over and see your stone counter top! You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t invite people over to see your shit! Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you have any dreams other than owning shit? If your lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is owning shit, you should give serious consideration in exiting this world because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a failure.

THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, 604-822-5087, www.moa.ubc.ca/. 2CULTURE AT THE CENTRE (collaboration between six First Nations communities offers insight into the work Indigenous-run cultural centres and museums in B.C. are doing to support their language, culture, and history) to Oct 8

MAY AY Y2

I honestly think we are beyond the point of no return. Destroying everything is not slowing down and none of us give a fuck.

Do I keep trying? Cutting down on showers, eating less meat, taking the bus, sorting my recycling? Or do I just enjoy the calm before the storm and y the Vegas for weekends and buy slave made fast fashion while replacing my iPhone every year so workers keep killing themselves over the conditions all while clean drinking water disappears. This is both the most privileged and scariest time in history.

Dreamless?

MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER 1100 Chestnut Street, 604-736-4431, www. museumofvancouver.ca/. 2HAIDA NOW: A VISUAL FEAST OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION (exhibition guest-curated by Kwiaahwah Jones features more than 450 works by carvers, weavers, photographers, and print makers, collected as early as the 1890s) to Jun 15

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Cannabis is great but 420 sucks. Capitalism disguised as counterculture. Rude, destructive, entitled jerks. Let it die.

Frenchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ketchup and Mustard is Canadian

MUSEUMS

TUESDAY, MAY 1

APRIL 26

CHIPOTLE

thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with pro-am night Tue at 8:30 pm, showcase Wed at 8:30 pm, and featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. 2RYAN BELLEVILLE Apr 26-28

APRIL 27

SMILE

from page 26

Carr with 48 photographs by U.S.-born photographer Gunterman) Apr 28â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Sep 3

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28 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT APRIL 26 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 3 / 2018

Movie reviews

from previous page

a mall boutique, where she earns the initial scorn and then tentative friendship of a smart-dressing security guard named Ousmane (Souleymane Seye Ndiaye). Her encounters with new people, old friends, and medical professionals are fraught with unpredictable behaviour; she can be a charming blabbermouth or a threatening presence, full of regret and ill-placed blame.

This volatility extends to a pair of encounters with her estranged mother (veteran Nathalie Richard), who literally runs in the other direction the first time she sees her daughter.

Later, when Paula heads to Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place in rural France, the meeting is violent but its causes remain unexplained. A subsequent meeting with the absent photog (GrĂŠgoire Monsaingeon) is similarly ambiguous; after spending most of the movie begging him to take her back, she now blames him for stifling her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I should have gone back to school,â&#x20AC;? she shouts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen you finish a bookâ&#x20AC;? is his quiet retort.

The film follows her with a jazz score, recalling Louis Malleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows, and remains enigmatically conflicted. This applies to the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple French title, Jeune Femme, made stranger by the fact that Dosch, then 37, is playing a 31-year-old. The export title, Montparnasse BienvenĂźe, is no more revealing, since Paula already lives in the fabled Left Bank neighbourhood when the story starts. Such odd cinematic riddles can probably best be answered by this young directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next venture. > KEN EISNER

JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC Starring Jeanne Voisin. In French, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

Quick: name another female figure from Christian Europe before 1500. I mean, one we still talk about. Personally, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d go with Hildegard of Bingen, the 12thcentury composer who codified a lot of what later became classical music.

But how many movies and TV shows have been made about her versus tales of Jeanne dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arc, the teenage warrior who died a fiery martyrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death? (One or two, it seems, as opposed to the 63 I got with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joan of Arcâ&#x20AC;? in the title.)

Still, if you had to explain her persistent allure, what would it be?

That religious epiphanies drove her to wield a sword against other Christians on behalf of an uncaring aristocracy, and she was betrayed and burned by fellow Catholics? This is useful to us how, exactlyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I mean, as opposed to knowing what scales to practise on a recorder? Some might say she remains the embodiment of sexualized violenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that is, a young woman momentarily lionized for her aggressive agency, then tortured to death before she can get very far.

Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trouble itself with that grotesque denouement, but begins in 1425, in the midst of the Hundred Yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; War. The future fighterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous visions have been moved from her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden to a scrubby beach in northern France, where 13-yearold Jeannette (Lise Leplat Prudhomme) spies future saints Catherine and Marguerite (played by twins Aline and Elise Charles) levitating in the trees above a shallow creek.

She vows to Brexit the overbearing occupiers. And singing about it just might help. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the thinking of writer-director Bruno Dumont, who specializes in creating odd musicals about unlikely subjects, using nonprofessional casts. Here, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riffing on dialogue from a century-old play

by Charles Peguy, with the words set to almost alarmingly eclectic music by someone called Igorrr. The dominance of electronic drums and doommetal power chords quickly becomes overbearing, though, and viewers are left to wonder how the dirgelike melodies and oddball choreography (is

2 historical

see next page

there really a nod to The Exorcist?) improve the story.

Halfway into the somewhat punishing 100-minute film, the lead role is taken over by the older Jeanne Voisin, who has some natural screen presence and a much stronger singing voice. The music is most effective when she sings a cappella with her best pal (Victoria Lefebvre), and they argue about the rather small ethical and religious differences between the English and the French, relying entirely on hearsay. But they soon resort to head-banging antics as well.

There are some eye-popping images, to be sure, but too bad Dumont didn’t go to Bingen for the music.

too. He’s about to go on a mission to East Africa when he meets Danny Flinders, a “bio-mathematician” played by bespectacled Alicia Vikander, at a fancy French hotel by the beach at Dieppe.

Flinders’s work makes her part of a project to map and sample remote parts of the ocean floor. “There’s no such thing as oceanography,” she coos seductively, and he asks if she has a yellow submarine. She does.

They both live the life aquatic, then.

And, thanks to an unflaggingly dismal script by Erin Dignam, who has written several stinkers for Sean Penn, everything gets a wash of waterly metaphors. Or at least I think it does, since the dialogue is likewise submerged in a sea of reverb, microphone distortion, sonic effects, and a soupy orchestral score that never shuts up.

After a few plunges in the icy Atlantic followed by cozy fireside chats about class differences and thermal dynamics, they go their separate ways. Danny’s soon on a research

> KEN EISNER

SUBMERGENCE Starring Alicia Vikander. In English and Arabic, with English subtitles. Rated PG

Viewers yearning for another Wings of Desire from Wim Wenders may have to wait a few more decades, judging by this

2

Is there such a thing as Wim Wenders? Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy ponder this and other questions in the filmmaker’s dreary Submergence.

soggy love tale. Appealing leads and noble intentions centre this tech-minded thriller. But the famed German director neither edumicates nor thrills, and he doesn’t

S TA R T S N E X T W E E K!

handle his cast in a convincing way.

A bulked-up James McAvoy plays More, James More, a Scottish MI-6 agent masquerading as a water engineer. Well, he may actually be that

vessel, mostly studying her phone for texts that never come. James really wants to write, but it’s tough when you’re busy being beaten by the local Al-Qaeda franchise in war-torn Somalia.

Our alleged engineer is physiquizzed by a mistrustful warlord (Mohamed Hakeemshady) and his brutal henchman (Reda Kateb, fresh from playing a guitar god in Django).

But these sequences, randomly intercut with Danny searching for her octopus’s garden, only click when James gets to wax philosophical with an educated doctor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Alexander Siddig) who believes that jihad is necessary when the West has more money for bombs than for refugees or rebuilding. Maybe their scenes just work because you could hear the actors talking. These two also seemed to click better than does James with his leading lady, despite all the marinated longing. Then again, maybe there’s no such thing as chemistry. > KEN EISNER

5 BEST PICTURE SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS INCLUDING

“A BOLD, EXACTING VISION. BRADY JANDREAU…GALVANIZES THE VIEWER’S ATTENTION.” -A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS

“AS INDELIBLE AS IT IS UNMISSABLE. ONCE IT HOOKS YOU, THERE’S NO WAY YOU WILL EVER FORGET IT.” -Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

Dreaming Murakami

Lovers of the Night

FRI MAY 4 | 6:45 PM | VANCITY SUN MAY 13 | 6:15 PM | CINEMATHEQUE

SUN MAY 6 | 4:15 PM | CINEMATHEQUE SUN MAY 13 | 2:30 PM | CINEMATHEQUE

The Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami is read by millions of fans around the world who know his prose only through the art of translators. In Denmark, that translator is Mette Holm.

This delicate study of seven monks living at a remote Irish monastery achieves a rare level of intimacy as these elderly men prepare for the ultimate union with the divine.

Co-Creators: The Rat Queens Story

White Ravens: A Legacy of Resistance

SUN MAY 6 | 8:30 PM | SFU SAT MAY 13 | 5 PM | VANCITY

FRI MAY 11 | 7 PM | MOV SAT MAY 12 | 2 PM | VANCITY

Vancouver director Lonnie Nadler follows Kurtis Wiebe, writer of the bestselling comic book series Rat Queens after his co-creator is arrested for domestic abuse.

Shot entirely on the remote islands of Haida Gwaii, White Ravens is a critical lesson about how people can stand together and fight back with dignity.

Denmark

Canada

“NOT ONLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS OF 2018, ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS PERIOD.”

Germany/Ireland

- Randy Myers, MERCURY NEWS

Mexico

A CHLOÉ ZHAO FILM WINNER WINNER WINNER C.I.C.A.E. AWARD GRAND JURY PRIZE BONNIE AWARD CANNES Golden Dawn Girls

Six Portraits XL no. 1

TUE MAY 8 | 6:45 PM | VANCITY

FRI MAY 4 | 6 PM | CINEMATHEQUE

Filmmaker Håvard Bustnes explores why the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party has become a legitimate political option for a significant percentage of Greek voters. The result is bizarre and chilling.

In the untouched bourgeois house invaded by swallows and dust, Jacquotte wanders through her childhood. Year after year, she takes inventory and saves her past until it is “saved for eternity.”

Norway

France

FILM FESTIVAL

DEAUVILLE FILM FESTIVAL

SPIRIT AWARDS FILM INDEPENDENT

TELLURIDE TORONTO SUNDANCE SXSW FILM FESTIVAL

FILM FESTIVAL

FILM FESTIVAL

FILM FESTIVAL

COARSE LANGUAGE, DRUG USE

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

STARTS FRIDAY

88 WEST PENDER • 604-806-0799 Check theatre directories for showtimes

APRIL 26 – MAY 3 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 29

THU APR 26 BIG CITY DREAMS w. guests

Live Acts & The Live Agency present

FRI APR 27

Toddcast Podcast presents

Owlface W. HALE ROAD + BOBBY’s CANE 1pm-4pm

SAT APR 28 Blues brunch w. rob montgomery 4:30pm-7:30pm

saturday sessions the original jam session Safe & Sound presents FROM Brooklyn, NY W. PRECIOUS THINGS

$ DRINKS …

EV ERY DAY: 5

PINK MEXICO

26 27

APRIL

Live Acts & The Live Agency present w. GLENEAGLE / ghulo late night takeaway

SUN APR 29 MARINE DRIVE

Apr 30 OTOW pres. THE STEW CYPHER JAM W. LIVE BAND May 3 Live Acts & Live Agency pres. MIC CHECK MASH-UP May 4 The Railway Stage presents THE MOJO STARS

THURSDAY

5 HIGH TIDE SATURDAY

THE BACKSTAGE LOUNGE PRESENTS

WEST COAST THURSDAYS WITH MIKE WETERINGS DOORS 8PM SHOW 9:30PM $5 BACKSTAGE LAGER(10OZ) $2.75

FRIDAY

THE BACKSTAGE LOUNGE PRESENTS

JEREMY TARDIF BAND, ETHAN HENTHORN, SAIL WITH KINGS DOORS 9 SHOW 10PM - $10 BIG ROCK DRAFT $5.75

THE BACKSTAGE LOUNGE PRESENTS WITH THE USUAL SUSPECTS: KELSO, RIDEOUT ,RAWTHORNE. QUALITY HOUSE MUSIC DOORS 9PM- $12

6 ALEXANDER MARR QUARTET SUNDAY

THE BACKSTAGE LOUNGE PRESENTS

HARD-SWINGING 60’S JAZZ DOORS 7PM SHOW 8PM -$5

28 EL CAMINO 11WHOLE MILK 3 12 AURORAS SATURDAY

THE BACKSTAGE LOUNGE PRESENTS

AFRO-LATIN ROCK WITH SPECIAL GUESTS! RED TRUCK LAGER OR PALE ALE $5.75/ JUGS $15 • DOORS 8PM SHOW 9:30PM - $10

MAY

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Many artists struggle

for years to meet someone who can give them their big break. For Niia Bertino, a trained jazz singer from Needham, Massachusetts, her introduction to the music industry was a happy accident.

“I was moonlighting in New York as a jingle singer, and I got booked for a job,” the artist, who performs under her first name, tells the Straight, on the line from a tour stop in Chicago. “By chance, the session was at Wyclef Jean’s studio.

The engineer for the jingle company forgot about the booking, so when Wyclef was walking by, he saw me and said, ‘Who are you? What are you doing in my studio?’ I ended up singing him a song on the piano, and he said that he wanted me to be his artist. He took me under his wing and showed me how the music business worked, and said, ‘Hey—you could do this for your job.’ ” The road to becoming a solo musician has been a long one for Bertino. A self-described introvert, the performer grew up in an exuberant musical family.

She was schooled by her mother in classical piano and voice. Her grandmother was an Italian opera singer, and her extended family includes vocalists trained at

An artist finds her own voice

American R&B singer-songwriter Niia Bertino sought to make her debut album, I, a fully realized work unto itself rather than a collection of singles.

to speak Spanish in school—it was looked down upon. Like, if you spoke Spanish, you were stupid.

“It’s a very real thing—that there’s an English superiority that exists,” Flores continues.

It took Niia several years to get used to the idea that “My mom always wanted her music could be a way of connecting to other people kids to learn English because the Juilliard School. Surrounded by so much talent, it of the racism that she received from people. That took her a long time to recognize her own. caused a lot of trauma for her, and I took on some “I never got into music to share or perform it,” of that. It wasn’t until later that I felt really proud Bertino says. “I always found that funny, because to be able to speak multiple languages. That’s what that’s the reason most people do. Everyone I knew moved me to this style of Afro-Mexican music.” was musical, so I thought everyone could do it, Las Cafeteras started with Flores bonding with and that everyone was good at it. Even on Christ- like-minded progressives at community-activist mas Eve, when everybody sings in my house, centres around Los Angeles, one of their collective I would turn my back to my family. I didn’t love obsessions being Son Jarocho, a strain of folk music being in the spotlight. Music has always been my from Veracruz, Mexico. The singer notes that to personal outlet—it’s a very selfish thing for me.” consider yourself Chicano is to embrace the fact It took years of soul-searching for Bertino to find that you bridge different cultures. Flores and his her voice. Spending her days after university sing- bandmates do just that on last year’s great Tastes ing jazz classics—a pursuit she enjoyed because it Like L.A. Las Cafeteras hits the Veracruz town allowed her to hide behind the lyrics of others—she square in traditional finery for the woozy “Vamos was eventually talked into performing James Bond to the Beach”, captures the spirit of Cape Verde on theme songs for a New York show dubbed Best of “La Morena”, and lovingly embraces classic Amer007. The production, which featured a 14-piece ican hip-hop with “If I Was President”. orchestra, was a resounding success. Her friends “What I liked about traditional Afro-Mexbegan to ask when she would write her own songs, ican music was that it was African and Mexand, with their encouragement, Bertino started ex- ican, but also indigenous,” Flores says. “It was ploring her identity as a solo artist. Four years later, like, ‘Whoa—I didn’t learn any of that growing she released her debut album, I—a timeless R&B up. Nobody was there to teach me, but now I’m record marked by sultry vocals, high-end produc- learning about my own history through music.’ tion, and original classical interludes.

That was really powerful for me—being able to “I took a long time writing this record because embrace it was a very healing thing for me to do.

I wanted to make it a full body of work,” Bertino The same for a lot of people in the band.” says. “I wanted to define my sonic palette, not just my With healing, of course, come acceptance and the vocal style. As a new artist, you can get forced into knowledge that sometimes one needs to do everysessions with a lot of different kinds of producers, thing one can to find a better way forward. Given the and you sing in a lot of different styles—Rihanna can endless bullshit that Donald Trump has been spewput out a reggae track one week, and a dubstep track ing about Mexico and its citizens ever since he startthe next, for example. I wanted to focus on creating ed talking about building his still nonexistent wall, a cohesive sound. I think that’s why so many people the members of Las Cafeteras have had no shortage are resonating with it, because it feels authentic, of reasons to be angrier than golden-era Public Eneand—in a market that’s so singles-based—I’ve tried my and Rage Against the Machine (both of which to define myself with a full collection of songs. the band’s members are huge fans of).

“It’s taken a long time to get to this point,” she What bleeds through on Tastes Like L.A., continues. “When people started saying that I though, is positivity. Las Cafeteras isn’t afraid to moved others when I sang, I found it intimidating make folks think, with the very act of covering the at first, rather than exciting. I was really scared by traditional “This Land Is Your Land” in both Engthat pressure, and also that power—especially the lish and Spanish somehow brilliantly political. power I would have on-stage when I was looking Flores is of the mind that, at a time when everydown at people. A couple of years ago, though, one in America seems to be looking for reasons to I started realizing that performing was a really hate their fellow citizens, maybe the best way to amazing connection that I was making with a move forward is to bring people together, and not bunch of people that I didn’t know. I’m able to re- just on the dance floor. late to them, and help them go through things. The “The beautiful thing about our group is that perception of being a solo artist changed for me—it many of us have different spiritual practices which made me really happy to be able to affect people in have really allowed us to ground our group in the a positive way. Now, I’m excited to get up on-stage.” kind of world that we want to build,” he says. > KATE WILSON “There’s a point, as an activist, as an organizer, as a child, as a brother, and, for us, as a band, where Niia plays at the Biltmore on Friday (April 27). you make a decision. Do you want to be against things, or do you want to be for things? More than anything, we want to be for things. There’s a lot of anger in the world, which is justifiable, but what we’re really pushing for is love. We’re a band about building a world where many worlds fit.”

Proud as he is of his Chicano heritage to> MIKE USINGER day, that wasn’t always the case for Hector Flores when he was younger. It was learning to Las Cafeteras plays the Imperial on Saturday (April love his own history, and to accept that everyone 28) as part of the World Music Festival. has something valuable to bring to the party, that heavily influenced what he does today: front a sextet that melds revved-up Mexican folk with dusty Americana and African music.

“I was a first-generation Mexican kid who grew Laura Lee has one theory about why her up in East L.A. in the San Gabriel Valley,” the singband, Khruangbin, can sound like it’s from er says, on the line from the City of Angels. “I can remember being in the fourth grade, where some- everywhere and nowhere at the same time: its one said ‘Stop speaking Spanish. If you speak Span- latest record, Con Todo el Mundo, was created in ish, you’ll go with all the dumb kids.’ I didn’t know an unusual location.

“We record in a barn,” the bassist reveals in a what that was at the time, but they were talking about the ESL class. Teachers really pushed kids not conference call from a Minneapolis–Saint Paul

Las Cafeteras celebrates Chicano heritage through eclectic songs

2

Khruangbin sounds like it’s from everywhere and nowhere at once

2

tour stop. “And when you listen to music, I think you are easily transported to where the music was recorded. Stuff that’s recorded in a studio, you can feel that the musicians are in a studio. Or if somebody’s rented out a church, you can hear the church. But I think that not a lot of music is made in a barn, so it feels maybe atmospheric or timeless or cinematic, in a way.”

“I would definitely agree with that,” says drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson, who’s on another line.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say that our music has a lot of space in it, and I think we can attribute that to the amount of space that’s out there in the field where we’re recording. I think that really comes out on the record.”

“Because there’s just hills and cows and space, it makes you relaxed—even though, technically, that record was recorded in freezing cold, so there was one aspect where we were very tense, physically,” Lee adds. “But the vibe was nothing but relaxed.”

When it comes to why Con Todo el Mundo comes across like sun-dazed surf one minute and gritty funk the next, however, or why Khruangbin would sound just as much at home in the streets of Chiang Mai as the salons of Paris, both Lee and Johnson defer to guitarist Mark Speer, who’s expected to join the call any minute.

“Mark’s the best person to answer that,” Lee says.

“If I can get him on, he can rant on and on about this stuff.”

When he enters the conversation, Speer does not disappoint. The guitarist happily admits to being both a crate-digger and a musical tourist, with a special interest in pop music from the early stages of globalization, before corporate homogeneity took over the club scene.

“Right now I like to listen to funk from all over the world,” he explains. “And the thing is, it’s directly influenced by American culture; a lot of the time it’s James Brown and P-Funk. But it’s also very clearly from their region.…It’s mixing a local thing with this other culture that was coming up in dance clubs.

“If you go to a dance club in Turkey right now, you might hear the exact same shit you’d hear in a dance club in L.A. or New York—and I don’t really like that,” he adds. “I’d rather hear something that’s like, ‘Oh, man, I heard this record when I went overseas to visit, and I want to bring this style back and mix it with what we already do.’ Like, I want that cultural exchange to happen—and I don’t think there should be any rules about what you can or cannot pull from.”

That’s likely why so much of Khruangbin’s music sounds so untethered from genre or geographic norms—and yet the band’s aesthetic is strongly, if subliminally, rooted in a very specific time and place.

“In my community, growing up in Houston, Texas, that’s what we did,” Speer says. “I worked for a long time in hip-hop production, and the whole idea was to grab the wackest record you could think of, the lamest record, and then you’d clip it, you’d sample it and make it into something new—and you’d have to make it dope. That’s the challenge, right? It was remix culture, and that’s what we’re doing, too. The music we play is from everywhere—but without Houston, Khruangbin doesn’t sound like it does.” > ALEXANDER VARTY

Khruangbin plays the Rickshaw Theatre on Friday (April 27).

Wild Child feels good to be alive on its new album, Expectations Wild Child’s Alexander Beggins suggests that

2 fans of his Austin-based band will have little

trouble connecting the new full-length Expectations to past records. A definite sense of melancholy runs through the album’s 12 tracks, but the main message see next page

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seems to be that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to be alive, with art indeed reflecting reality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that all of the songs on all of our records kind of stem from the same open place in our journals,â&#x20AC;? Beggins says, on his cellphone in a tour van thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headed to Lawrence, Kansas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all kind of laid out in chronological order, like a window into whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened in our personal lives.â&#x20AC;?

To dissect Expectations is to conclude that Beggins and his fellow singer-songwriter Kelsey Wilson continue to go through rough patches on the romance front. After starting out with a small child intoning â&#x20AC;&#x153;Silly Alexâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that way,â&#x20AC;? the leadoff track, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alexâ&#x20AC;?, gets serious with lines like â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to hold you close/ Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re acting like I want to hold you down.â&#x20AC;? Featuring ghost-town guitar violence and gorgeously downcast cello, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Townâ&#x20AC;? has Wilson wringing every bit of torchy emotion out of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Get out of my heart and my head.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been writing some of these songs for the past couple of years,â&#x20AC;?

Beggins says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was in a long, kind of unhealthy relationship, and a lot of writing was sort of a reflection of that relationship. Our last record, Fools, dealt with the sadness that comes with the aftermath of a relationship.

This one is more about inward reflec-

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JANELLE MONAE American singer-songwriter and rapper, with guest St. Beauty. Jun 12, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix on sale May 2, 10 am, $85/59.50/42 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

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JOSHUA HEDLEY Singer-songwriter from Nashville tours behind his debut album Mr. Jukebox. Oct 22, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret.

Tix on sale Apr 27, 10 am, $15 (plus service charge) at www.ticketweb.ca/.

POST MALONE American rapper performs material from new album Beerbongs and Bentleys, with guests SOB x RBE. Apr 27, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Tix $84.25/64.25/54.25/44.25 (plus service charges and fees) at www. livenation.com/.

ARCTIC MONKEYS Indie-rock quartet from Sheffield, England, with guests Mini Mansions. Oct 25, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Pacific Coliseum (Hastings Park, 100 N. Renfrew). Tix on sale Apr 27, 10 am, $69.50/59.50/49.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

BISHOP BRIGGS British indie-pop singer-songwriter performs as part of the Straight Series, presented by Skullcandy.

Apr 27, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville).

Tix $25 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

SIMPLE MINDS Pop rockers from the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t You Forget About Meâ&#x20AC;?) perform on their Walk Between Worlds Tour. Oct 29, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix on sale Apr 27, 10 am, $85/69/39 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

LAS CAFETERAS This â&#x20AC;&#x153;magneticâ&#x20AC;? band has become known for their â&#x20AC;&#x153;uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hop, beat music, cumbia and rock.â&#x20AC;? [LA Times] With special guests Locarno. Apr 28, 8 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix $30/25 at www.capilanou.ca/centre/.

2THIS WEEK THE FUGITIVES Canadian folk band performs at a release show for new album The Promise of Strangers as part of the Verses Festival of Words. Apr 26, 8-11:55 pm, WISE Hall (1882 Adanac). Info www. facebook.com/events/502522930155980/.

VANCOUVER UKULELE FESTIVAL GALA CONCERT Featuring the jazz-pop sounds of international ukulele superstars Sarah Maisel and Craig Chee, Hawaiian virtuoso Kalei Gamiao, Abe Lagrimas Jr, Californian King of Swing Casey MacGill, the flamenco flair of Daniel Ward and Heidi Swedberg, and Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daphne Roubini and Andrew Smith, performing as jazz/folk duo Ruby & Smith. Apr 27,

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TIME OUT MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

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Tromsø, Norway to Wilsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abandoned childhood home in Texas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It made the record more fun,â&#x20AC;?

Beggins says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because there was this complete lack of pressure. Our label [Dualtone] gave us the green light to take as long as we needed. Having that kind of leash proved really helpful. The thinking was â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go into this session and be willing to try anything, and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to use it if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like it.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;?

In the spirit of past Wild Child records, then, even during down times the last thing the singer and his bandmates are interested in is morose navel-gazing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a real beauty in sadness, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that I think about a lot,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good buddy of mineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an old college roommateâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was engaged and then everything kind of fell apart. His father told him â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is the worst thing ever, but the good thing is that not a lot of people get to experience this feeling, this amount of pain and sadness. So you should kind of cherish this, and reflect on these kinds of moments.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always really stuck with me, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve really tried to make sure that kind of feeling comes out in my workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the idea of finding something good in something really bad.â&#x20AC;?

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tion. The song â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Alexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in particular is about that voice that you hear in your head that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always battling. Having a little girl go â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Alexâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that wayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; makes it a little more fun, but the message is ultimately â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Try not to take yourself too seriously.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;?

He continues with, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get a song like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;My Townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is selfexplanatory. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is my town, my friends, and my place.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Woe is me.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more confident and bold, like a statement that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve realized everything is going to be okay.â&#x20AC;?

Lyrically, then, the message of Expectations is that sometimes you have to dig deep through the tough times.

Musically, Wild Child shows why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the great indie acts of America.

Drawing on everything from orchestral DIY pop to sugar-smacked soul to stripped-down Americana, the group salted Expectations with Easter eggs like the ghost-of-Phil-Collins drums in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Think It Overâ&#x20AC;?.

Even when you practically smell the instant coffee and yellowed kitchen linoleum in the bare-bones breakup ballad â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Oneâ&#x20AC;?, the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to be alive.

Part of that might be because the members of Wild Child had a completely life-affirming time recording Expectations. Rather than book themselves into a single studio for a month, they recorded with multiple producers across the globe, from Philadelphia to

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savage love I’m a straight male in my 30s. I’ve been with my wife for 12 years. I have had several affairs. Not one-nightstand scenarios, but longer-term connections. I didn’t pursue any of these relationships. Instead, women who knew I was in an “exclusive” relationship have approached me. These have included what turned into a one-year affair with a single woman, a threeyear affair with a close friend of my wife, a seven-month affair with a married coworker, and now a fairly serious four-months-and-counting relationship with a woman who approached me on Instagram. On the one hand, I do not regret my time with any of these women. On the other hand, I have been deceitful and manipulative for almost my entire adult life. I am a terrible husband in this respect. Also, I’m going to get busted eventually, right? Finding out about this would crush my wife. I love her, we get along great, and the sex is good—if I wasn’t such a lying piece of shit, you could even say we make a pretty good team. We are also very socially and financially entangled. I don’t want to leave, but I suspect I should.

And if so, I need help considering an exit strategy. Part of my motivation for writing is that I am particularly attached to the woman I’m having an affair with now, and both of us fantasize about being together openly. I’m a liar, a cheat, a user, and a manipulator— and it just keeps happening. > A SERIOUSLY SHITTY HUSBAND ON LOSING EVERYTHING

P.S. I expect you to rip me to shreds.

It doesn’t “just keep happening”, ASSHOLE, you keep doing it. And these

women didn’t “turn into” one-year, three-year, seven-month, and fourmonths-and-counting affairs on their own. You turned them into affairs by continuing to show up. And while you claim that each of these women pursued you despite knowing you were in an exclusive relationship, it doesn’t sound like you ran from any of them.

At best, you broke into (or slowed to) a trot, which allowed each one of these lady predators to overtake you.

The first step toward holding yourself accountable for your appalling actions—a close friend of your wife?

Really?—is doing away with the passive voice. Don’t ask yourself, “How’d that happen?!?”, as if the universe were conspiring against you somehow. You weren’t hit by a pussy meteor every time you left the house. You did these things. You had these affairs. You. Zooming out: if all it takes for some rando to get her hands on your otherwise committed cock is to DM you on Instagram, you have no business making monogamous commitments. If you’d sought out a partner who wanted an open relationship—a wide-open one—you could have had concurrent, committed, nonexclusive relationships and avoided being “a liar, a cheat, a user”, et cetera.

Seeing as you’re a reader, ASSHOLE, I suspect you knew an honest open relationship was an option—that ethical nonmonogamy was an option—but you didn’t pursue that. And why not?

Maybe because you don’t want to be with a woman who is free to sit on other dicks. Or maybe the wrongness and the self-loathing—the whole badboy-on-the-rack routine—turn you

> BY DAN SAVAGE on. Or maybe you’re the wrong kind of sadist: the un-self-aware emotional sadist. You say you love your wife, but you also say she’d be crushed—destroyed—if she discovered what you’ve been doing. Be honest, ASSHOLE, just this once: is the destruction of your wife a bug or is it a feature? I suspect the latter. Because cheating on this scale isn’t about succumbing to temptation or reacting to neglect. It’s about the annihilation of your partner—a (hopefully) subconscious desire to punish and destroy someone, anyone, fool enough to love you.

The tragedy is how unnecessary your choices have been. There are women out there who aren’t interested in monogamy; there are female cuckolds out there (cuckqueans) who want cheating husbands; and there are masochistic women (and men) out there who get off on the thought of being with a person who would like to crush them. So long as those desires are consciously eroticized, fully compartmentalized, and safely expressed, you could have done everything you wanted, ASSHOLE, without harming anyone.

So what do you do now?

It seems like you want out, and your wife definitely deserves better, so cop to one affair, since copping to all of them would crush her—or so you think. People are often way more resilient than we give them credit for, and convincing ourselves that our partners can’t handle the truth is often a convenient justification for lying to them. But on the off chance it would crush your wife to be told everything, just tell her about Ms. Instagram. That should be enough.

P.S. Get your ass into therapy, half gets to hook up with others while the other half doesn’t. But they were ASSHOLE. cuckold couples, GMHC, and the half I’m a 42-year-old gay man. I’ve who didn’t “get to” hook up with others been with my husband for 21 years. didn’t want to hook up with others. The We met in college and, except for a six- cuck half of a cuckold couple gets off month break, we’ve been together ever on their partner “cheating” on them. since. I made an open relationship a re- While people outside the relationship quirement at the start. While my hus- might perceive that as unfair—one band had jealousy and trust issues, he gets to cheat, the other doesn’t—what’s hooked up with others regularly. After more ideal than both halves of a couple a few tense years, we started couples getting just what they want?

If an eroticized power imbalance— therapy. During therapy, my husband revealed that he was never in favor of an honestly eroticized one—doesn’t the openness. After trying some new turn you on, the creepily manipulative arrangements—only together, only arrangement your husband is proat sex parties, DADT—he realized he posing certainly isn’t going to work. wasn’t comfortable with any situation. Which means it’s both ultimatum and He told our therapist that every time I bluff-calling time.

So long as your husband thinks he hooked up with someone, he was retraumatized because it reminded him can dictate terms by pointing to his of the time I broke up with him for triggers and his trauma, GMHC, he six months 20 years ago. I agreed to a has every incentive to continue being monogamous relationship, and I’ve triggered and traumatized. So with gone a year without hooking up with your couples therapist there to medianyone else. He seemed genuinely re- ate, tell him your marriage is either lieved and said he felt more secure. But open or closed. You’re not interested in almost immediately, he began talking being his cuckold and he can’t point to about how he wanted to hook up with his trauma to force you into that role. others. I’m at a loss. I feel tremendous You’re a handsome couple—thanks for guilt for even thinking about splitting enclosing the lovely picture (it’s nice to up, so I keep hoping we’ll stumble on see the face of the person I’m respondthe thing that will work for us. I don’t ing to!)—with a long history together, know what to say when he says I should and here’s hoping things work out. But be monogamous to him while he gets if they don’t, neither of you will have a to hook up with others. He says this problem finding a new partner. He can would be best, since my hooking up get himself a guy who likes being dictriggers him. We are at an impasse. It tated to. You can find a guy who wants sucks that we could break up over this. an open and egalitarian relationship, > GAY MARRIAGE HAVING CRISIS which is what you deserve.

P.S. If your therapist is taking I’ve written about a few gay couples— your husband’s side, GMHC, get a and a few straight ones—where one new therapist. -

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