The Georgia Straight - Emily Molnar - May 12, 2016 by The Georgia Straight

SUNDAY

O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L F LU E VO G DAY F LU E VO G E R S W I L L R E J O I C E I N D E A L S F E S T I V I T I E S S U R P R I S E S A N D G I V E AWAYS AT T H E I R LO C A L FLU E VO G S TO R E S TO MAR K OU R T H YE AR I N BU SI N E S S WE’ LL B E R ELE ASI NG O N E CELEB R ATO RY & VERY LI M ITED ED ITIO N D E SIGN ‘ TH E SPAR KLER ’ E XCLU SIVELY O N FLU EVO G DAY !

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2 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

MAY 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 3

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4 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

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Barcelona

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Travel Jun 13 – Jun 19

Paris

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Lima Travel Jul 4 – Jul 18

Sydney Bangkok

1299 1199

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Rome Travel Jun 14 – Jun 28

Johannesburg

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1825 1675

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nights beachfront Kauai hotel on the Coconut Coast, 2 nights Oahu hotel in Waikiki and 3 nights Maui hotel across from the beach in Kihei. ADD 4-day Kauai car rental with free^ upgrade to a Jeep or convertible from $169. ADD East Maui waterfall and rainforest hike from $199.

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Thailand Islands

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London

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Southern Discovery

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New Orleans July 4th

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All advertised prices include taxes & fees. Conditions apply apply. Ex: Vancouver Vancouver. All advertised pric prices include taxes & fees. Air only prices are per person for return travel in economy class unless otherwise stated. Package, cruise, tour, rail & hotel prices are per person, based on double occupancy for total length of stay unless otherwise stated. All-inclusive vacations include airfare. pp=per person. Prices are for select departure dates and are accurate and subject to availability at advertising deadline, errors and omissions excepted, and subject to change. Taxes & fees due in destination are additional and include, but not limited to, local car rental charges & taxes, one-way rental drop fees which are to be paid upon arrival, resort fees & charges, tour ‘kitty’, airline baggage fees and cruise gratuities. ◊Price is per person for quad occupancy (2 adults & 2 kids ages 2-17) for total length of stay unless otherwise stated. *For full terms and conditions please speak with a Flight Centre Airfare Expert or visit flightcentre.ca/sale. ^For full terms & conditions speak with a Flight Centre travel consultant or visit flightcentre.ca/travel-deals. †We will beat any written quoted airfare by $1. Additional important conditions apply. For full terms and conditions visit flightcentre.ca/lowestairfareguarantee. BC REG: #HO2790 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40009178, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Georgia Straight, 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9

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With less than a year before the next provincial election, the B.C. Greens say they’re going for all the marbles, which is why they’re planning on running candidates in all 87 constituencies. > BY TR AVIS LUPICK

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FOOD

Even though Vancouver is often described as Canada’s most expensive city, there’s still a bounty of bargain-priced meals. > BY GAIL JOHNSON

THE BOTTLE

Here’s some advice on which wines to choose for a picnic in hot weather, a late-afternoon lunch, and a barbecue with plenty of beef. > BY KURTIS KOLT

COVER

After 30 years, Ballet BC is unlike any other company in the country, building a bold, varied repertoire and preparing to tour the U.K. > BY JANE T SMITH

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Confessions I Saw You Real Estate Red Meat Savage Love Straight Stars

TIME OUT 31 Arts 41 Music

SERVICES 43 Careers 23 Healthy Living 42 Real Estate

MOVIES

Dreamy Mustang is one of the year’s best; things go very awry in promising Dheepan; Marvel launches an exhilirating Civil War; Friday the 13th goes back to the beginning.

MUSIC

Think of Groundwerk’s large-scale local-sample listening party as a kind of 100-mile diet for electronic-music fans. > BY K ATE WILSON

COVER PHOTO

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straight talk B.C. GREENS PREPARING FOR NEXT ELECTION

The province’s 2017 general election is less than one year away and the B.C. Green Party is clicking into campaign mode. “I made the decision [to run] about 24 hours after the last election,” Adam Olsen, the party’s deputy leader and former interim leader, told the Straight. “Frankly, I’ve been running for the last three-and-a-half years.” In the 2013 provincial election, Olsen placed third in Saanich North and the Islands, missing a seat in the legislature by just 379 votes. “It was the closest three-way race in the province,” he recalled. A second confirmed candidate for the Greens is Matt Toner, the party’s other deputy leader. He placed second in Vancouver–False Creek in 2013 and second in a byelection for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant held last February. In a telephone interview, Toner told the Straight he doesn’t have a constituency yet but that he’s narrowed it down to two, both of which fall within the City of Vancouver. “A breakthrough in Vancouver would be huge for the party, so we want to make sure we line things up,” he explained. The B.C. Greens’ annual general meeting is scheduled for June 5. Candidate nominations will take place later this year. According to party spokesperson Mat Wright, the plan for 2017 is to run a Green candidate in all 87 constituencies across B.C. To that end, the party has recruited a relatively high-profile name in backroom politics from the Liberal Party of Canada (a separate entity from the B.C. Liberals). That’s Brian Rice, former president of the federal Liberals’ B.C. chapter. Rice was at the helm in B.C. when the Liberals jumped from two seats in the 2011 federal election to 17 seats won last October. A third Green candidate confirmed to run in 2017 is Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Greens and the lone Green MLA in the legislature (representing Oak Bay–Gordon Head). In a telephone interview, he described a strategy that will seek to capitalize on the success of the federal Liberals while exploiting the weaknesses of the provincial Liberals and NDP.

Green MLA Andrew Weaver calls B.C. Liberals “yesterday’s Harper Tories”. “More than 50 percent of British Columbians say they would vote federal Liberal today if there was an election,” Weaver explained. “That is a huge demographic that really has no home with the B.C. Liberals.” He argued the federal Liberals have nothing in common with their B.C. counterpart, describing the latter as “nothing more than yesterday’s Harper Tories”. “In British Columbia, we have a dichotomy of dysfunction,” Weaver continued. “We have two parties that, really, are tired. There is room for a new, vibrant, visionary third party to come and govern in B.C.” > TRAVIS LUPICK

LOMBARDI TELLS MINISTER THANKS, BUT NO THANKS

Vancouver school board chair Mike Lombardi has rebuffed a suggestion from the province regarding the board’s budget problem. Meanwhile, the district has begun issuing layoff notices to nonteaching staff affected by the funding crunch. Lombardi told the Straight that Education Minister Mike Bernier recommended hiring EY (formerly Ernst & Young), the auditing firm that previously proposed closing 19 schools in the city. Lombardi said Bernier wanted the company to review the $24 million worth of cuts submitted by district staff to balance the budget for school year 2016-2017, as required by law. The board rejected the proposed $447-million Vancouver district operating budget in a 5-4 vote on April 28. It has until June 30 to present a balanced budget or get fired by the province.

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According to Lombardi, Bernier’s suggestion would have simply meant that EY would be looking for other services to slash to fill the same $24-million deficit. “I said, ‘I thank you very much for the call, Minister, but that’s not what we agreed to,’ ” Lombardi told the Straight by phone, referring to a talk he and vice chair Janet Fraser had with Bernier on May 3. Lombardi said he reminded Bernier they agreed that schoolboard senior staff and the Education Ministry will try to find “some alternative solutions” to give Vancouver “more money”. Until that money is found, Lombardi said, the district is required by law to proceed with the balanced budget rejected by the board. This means complying with collective-bargaining agreements, which provide giving two-month layoff notices to affected personnel. Lombardi said about 70 to 80 nonteaching staff may lose their jobs by the end of June. Lombardi also said that about 80 teaching positions will be abolished through attrition. Retiring teachers will not be replaced. > CARLITO PABLO

RCMP OFFICER FACES SEXUAL-ASSAULT CHARGE

For a long time, Tim Shields was the most famous RCMP officer in B.C. That’s because the clean-cut, articulate Mountie was an oftquoted media spokesperson for the force. Today, the criminal-justice branch announced that Shields, an RCMP inspector, has been charged with one count of sexual assault. “At the time of the alleged incident, Timothy Shields was the Officer in Charge of the Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) at E Division Headquarters, operating out of the old RCMP headquarters on Heather Street in Vancouver,” the branch stated. “The complainant was a civilian employee with the RCMP and worked in coordination with the SCU at the time of the alleged offence.” The allegations have not been proven in court. Shields is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Vancouver on June 27. > CHARLIE SMITH

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The Georgia Straight | Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 50 Number 2524 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 www.straight.com Phone: 604-730-7000 / Fax: 604-730-7010 / e-mail: gs.info@straight.com Display Advertising: 604-730-7020 / Fax: 604-730-7012 / e-mail: sales@straight.com Classifieds: 604-730-7060 / e-mail: classads@straight.com Subscriptions: 604-730-7000 Distribution: 604-730-7087 EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Yolanda Stepien GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith SECTION EDITORS

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

Gail Johnson, John Lucas, Alexander Varty STAFF WRITERS

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

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

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

Janet McDonald SENIOR DESIGNER David Ko 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 DIGITAL PRODUCT MANAGER

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10 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

urban

Two houses were combined into the Union Street EcoHeritage Project (above and below, Eric Scottt photos) by, left to right, architect Nick Sully with owners Dick Hellofs and Karli Gillespie. Amanda Siebert photo.

Heritage meets sustainability in unique project water heat exchangers, insulated concrete formwork, and passive ventilation are just a few important aspects of the building that brought the project’s final EnerGuide score to 89. “As far as bells and whistles, we’ve used low–VOC [volatile organic compound] paints and adhesives, energy-efficient appliances, and low-flow toilets and fi xtures,” Gillespie says. Sully says that by focusing first on the EnerGuide requirements, it was easy to meet all the prerequisites for LEED. They scored additional points for recycling more than 40 tonnes of material from the original site, and being adjacent to one of the city’s busiest bike routes made for an excellent walkability score. Having more small, well-designed rooms also bumped up their score even further.

> BY A MA NDA SI E BE R T

fter selling their Strathcona home, Karli Gillespie and Dick Hellofs found themselves in search of the holy grail: an affordable house that had a heritage feel but operated in a sustainable manner. Having worked as developers on various small-scale renovation projects, the couple initially looked at the Edwardian home located at 666 Union Street and feared that renovating it would be too labour-intensive. However, after learning that the seller also owned the home next door, their idea mushroomed: without anything on the market that met their needs, why not combine households to develop an energy-efficient, multi-unit dwelling without destroying the building’s classic exterior? “What was really a tiny idea, just looking for housing, turned into this enormous, ambitious project for us,” Gillespie tells the Georgia Straight during an interview with her partner, Hellofs, and architect Nick Sully outside the home. Sully and his team at Shape Architecture have developed similar urban infi ll projects throughout the neighbourhood. A project on East Georgia Street inspired Gillespie and Hellofs to contact him to find out if their largerthan-life idea could become a reality. “It’s not new, this idea of combining the social space between houses,” Sully says. “Retaining heritage isn’t really a new thing either, and everybody is talking about sustainability. What’s different is the fact that Karli and Dick were talking about doing all three of these things on one property. It’s a development where all of those things play equal parts, without sacrificing one for the other.” The two single-family homes at 662 and 666 Union Street have since been transformed into seven separate units that are collectively referred to as the Union Street EcoHeritage Project. The LEED Platinum–certified development has received international attention and was recently awarded the top prize in the urban-architecture category of the National Urban Design Awards. ADDITION TO a 1,600-square-foot laneway house—Gillespie’s and Hellofs’s home—each building houses three units, each between 500 and 550 square feet in size. During construction, the project quickly drew interest from eager locals, and each

of the additional units was sold before the project’s completion in 2013. After significant rebuilding that involved removing the top floors of both homes, constructing additional lower-floor units, then putting the upper floors back in place, the development has space to house up to 17 people. One might jump to the conclusion that squeezing so many individuals onto two 25-by120-foot lots is excessive, but Gillespie, Hellofs, and Sully assure that each person living on the property has ample space, both inside and out. “It was paramount for us to have privateamenities space, so even though there was going to be so many units here, we wanted everybody to have a patio or deck,” Gillespie says. Despite what Sully describes as “some really fine adjacencies”—a matter of inches in some areas of the property—private space is abundant. In the couple’s laneway unit, a deck off their bedroom overlooks the back alley. Through the kitchen and across the unit, a rooftop pond overlooks the yard, offering a quiet place to reflect. In addition to each unit’s own private outdoor area, the shared space between homes provides an inviting yard for neighbourhood get-togethers and barbecues. A large garden off the laneway house provides each person living on the property with an abundance of homegrown vegetables, and a secure locker has space for more than a dozen bicycles. Inside, bright, open areas are configured to maximize space. Massive windows placed cleverly near amenities like one unit’s sunken garden patio or another’s rooftop deck

make indoors and outdoors seem to merge. Gillespie says this illusion of extended space “makes you want to open your window and participate in what is going on outside”. For Hellofs, self-described as “a little highstrung”, the design is soothing. “Whatever it is that happened in there, whether it’s the light or the features of the architecture, it’s a really calming atmosphere,” he says. “I think there’s a lot of fear for people doing developments like this, because neighbours might think you’re going to have people looking in your back yard all the time, but if you are working with guys like Nick, they can explain to you how to get light into the buildings, and where to place windows so that you’re not overlooking your neighbours,” Hellofs says. “It proves that you don’t have to make a sacrifice to live in higher density.” THE

DEVELOPMENT’S

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VANCOUVER’S IMAGE AS a leader in the “green” movement might suggest that completing a project of this scale would include some sort of incentive for developers and architects, but it seems that the City of Vancouver has yet to implement an expedited approval process for developments that are clearly aligned with the city’s goal of becoming the greenest municipality by 2050. In total, it took two years for the necessary building permits to be approved—far longer than anyone, including Sully, expected. “There are probably some small cities in China that were completed more quickly than this project,” Sully jokes. “If the city wants us to do projects like this, they have to create incentives. We’ve got half a dozen projects with similar ambitions over the last few years that have been locked up in processing time, and a few of them have walked away.” Even Sully’s own home, an energy-efficient fourplex, took more than two years to be approved. “If we want to be the greenest city by 2050, that has to change now,” Hellofs says. Despite the struggles, the couple are happier than ever in their home on Union Street. Sully says that if it hadn’t been for their tenacity, the idea would never have come to fruition. “This is a great example of working with motivated clients. This sort of density is what the area was built for, before this massive diff usion to the suburbs. All we’re doing now is putting people back where they were originally, in a more efficient way.” -

status, non-negotiable from the start, is what sets it apart from other projects that have fused a modern aesthetic with heritage retention. Many people might be familiar with LEED certifications, but Gillespie, Hellofs, and Sully were keen to score high on the EnerGuide scale, a benchmark that measures a home’s energy use against how much energy it creates. “With 100 being a net-zero house—one that creates as much as it uses—we wanted to get as close to 90 as possible,” Sully says. “The average Canadian house is probably in the 60s or lower, so that played a huge part in trying to maintain For a video tour of the laneway home and an energy efficiency across the board.” Rooftop solar hot-water panels, two air-to- extended interview, visit Straight.com. .

MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 11

URBAN LIVING

For condo dwellers who want to grow their own produce, LifeSpace Gardens offers compact, self-watering planters designed for space restraints, some of which also double as outdoor furniture.

Self-watering condo gardens get growing > BY L UC Y LA U

each planter employs a patented self-regulated watering system—a hidden water reservoir that allows moisture to naturally absorb into the toplevel soil. A fill-up tube and float gauge monitor the reservoir’s water levels and store extra in an overflow, so gardeners can simply wet it and forget it.

Food for thought before you get your green thumb on

So you want to build your own edible garden at home but have no idea where to start? Before you even set foot in your local garden centre, there are a few elements of your existing space—and eating habits—to consider. We’ve tapped LifeSpace Gardens’ Wesley Hooper for the goods. YOUR DIET Hooper stresses that the first question you

should ask yourself prior to planting is, “What do you like to eat?” Growing produce that you genuinely enjoy not only increases the likelihood that you’ll keep up with your new hobby but also allows you to experiment and get your hands on products that aren’t available in stores. “Commercial growers focus on durability, like: ‘How easily can these be

Handcrafted from locally sourced western cedar, the pieces, starting at $349, look much like the condos that they’re designed to inhabit: sleek, modern, and incredibly efficient. “We go by the philosophy that your garden should be beautiful at all times,” Hooper says. “It’s something people

shipped 10 miles?’ ” Hooper says. “Whereas if you grow locally, you can experience flavours that, quite literally, money can’t buy, and it’s really incredible.” YOUR SPACE RESTRICTIONS “You’re in a compact

space, so grow things that are compact,” Hooper says. “And there are some amazing varieties that are just that.” Your petite balcony may not be ideal for a full tomato vine, but Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes are a great alternative.

YOUR LIGHT EXPOSURE Unless you are blessed with a south-facing apartment or condo, you’ll want to assess your outdoor area’s natural-light situation. If you find your space mostly shaded throughout the day, consider a menu that’s more tolerant of low levels of sunlight. Think kale, spinach, and collards, plus veggies like beets, broccoli, and radishes, for optimal—and delicious—results. -

want to be around; it’s a showpiece.” LifeSpace partners with local collectives like Gardenworks, Victory Gardens, and the Edible Garden Project to offer its clients hands-on classes. Budding green thumbs can also purchase one of LifeSpace’s seasonal “growing menus”, a selection of edible seedlings that are planted together for maximum success and flavour. The menus work with three-, nine-, and 16-square-foot planters and include everything from culinary herbs to leafy spring greens to “sexier crops” like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Hobby chefs will love the Asian Spice package, for example, which consists of veggies such as bok choy, carrots, and Chinese cabbage, while those who love waking up to a good green juice may find the Juicer set (Scotch curled kale, Italian parsley, and Swiss chard) exceptionally handy. “We can come as close to guaranteeing as possible that if people follow through with these menus, they’re gonna have some really excellent success,” Hooper says. -

H CO IS M SU IN M G M E R

ownsizing to a condo often means sacrificing private green space, which can make gardening all but a distant dream for spatially challenged dwellers. By recognizing the health and social values of at-home growing, however, one North Vancouver–based company is determined to bring gardening to the masses—regardless of one’s available square footage. “Growing food is awesome. It’s healthy; it’s delicious,” Wesley Hooper, president and cofounder of LifeSpace Gardens, tells the Straight. “The question, then, was: ‘Why don’t more people grow their own food?’ ” In addition to the space constraints, the answer to that question consists of two excuses that you’ve likely cited for not tackling tasks in your own life: time and experience. Hooper and LifeSpace cofounder Cooper Pantages found that the time aspect posed the biggest obstacle for potential green thumbs. As a result, they set out to build a line of

foolproof, self-watering planters that could accommodate an assortment of greens—edible and otherwise. Launched in October 2012, LifeSpace offers a variety of compact planters designed for small rooms. From boxes that double as outdoor furniture to three-tiered vertical containers,

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14 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

URBAN LIVING

When Emily Carr University of Art + Design industrial-design students were challenged to create marketable home accessories, they developed a chic salt box, a portable meditation seat, and a sleek coat rack.

Students’ handmade homewares go high-design > BY L UC Y LA U

salt box that would look as good on your vanity as on your kitchen counter, an expandable fruit basket shaped like a Viking ship, and a compact coat rack that collapses in a jiffy for easy storage: these are just some of the functional (and student-made) items that make up Vancouver Special’s latest shipment of home goods. “People can’t believe that they’re handmade,” shop owner Anne Pearson says in a phone interview. “People keep asking me, ‘So, who designs them and who makes them?’ and I say, ‘Well, actually, students are making them, and they’re all handmade in Vancouver.’ ”

The six-piece collection—made primarily from wood and starting at $35—is the culmination of Design + Make, a semester-long course at Emily Carr University of Art + Design that tasks third- and fourthyear industrial-design students with producing a marketable home accessory that retails for a reasonable price. For the third year, Pearson has partnered with instructor Christian Blyt to mentor the students as well as to curate the pieces that will ultimately sell in her space. Among the aforementioned items on display at the boutique at 3612 Main Street are three other objects seemingly designed for Vancouver living, including the Zazen, a portable meditation seat inspired by Japanese minimalism and the curved

tiers of the traditional pagoda. Made from Baltic birch plywood, the lightweight bench can be easily assembled and disassembled for impromptu meditation sessions on the road. “The fact that it has reference to Japanese culture with the pagoda makes it very distinct compared to the regular yoga blocks and bolsters out there,” says student designer Dylan Moffat by phone. The Træ, meanwhile, is designed to maximize storage in the oft overlooked entryway. Named after the Danish word for “tree”, the sleek coat rack consists of six “branches” that remain hidden in the object’s elongated body until they’re extended outward. The result is a no-nonsense—and aesthetically pleasing—play on the typical coat rack that controls clutter and

blends seamlessly into décor schemes when not in use. “Many existing designs are these hooks that are at the top of the door,” says Sharonna Chan, one of four student designers who worked on the model, “so we thought we would utilize the vertical space as well.” Designers Jordi Vilanova and Peter Orlowsky also tapped into the potential of Vancouver’s increasingly tight foyers with the Two-Up, a rounded double coat hook that takes after the shape of a bow tie. Vilanova and Orlowsky wanted to encourage residents to celebrate their preferred outerwear in a stylish and convenient manner rather than hurriedly tucking them away. “That whole design—the bowtie shape—was one that came from

the idea of ‘suiting up’,” Vilanova relays by phone. “But then we were like, ‘Well, it kind of looks like two peaks,’ and we thought that was very fitting for Vancouver.” All six home accessories—branded and wrapped in packaging that the students crafted themselves—will be available for purchase at Vancouver Special throughout the summer. If the items do well, Pearson notes that they may become part of the store’s permanent stock—an amazing feat for a set of up-and-coming designers who are still learning the ropes at school. “It was quite a challenge,” Chan says, “but the payout—to see clients trying it out, and seeing it in-store, and seeing people very interested in and interacting with it—was really worth it.” -

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Vintage bulbs meet local wood in handmade lamps From the stitched cords to the deco-style sockets and knob-style switches, East Van Light’s retro designs are lovingly crafted > B Y M IKE USING E R

he real beauty of East Van Light’s simple but striking lamps is the way that they aim for something bigger than aesthetic perfection. To sit down with creator Dan Emery in his under-renovation East Vancouver heritage home is to ruminate on a whole host of big-picture topics. Understandably, the former Montrealer is proud of the way his creations are all about attention to detail: gorgeous walnut bases, gleaming retro-style sockets, and vintagelooking cords that throw back to the days of 1930s parlour radios. But Emery gets really excited when he talks about the philosophy of East Van Light. After moving to East Van from Quebec, he was struck by how much West Coasters are into locally sourced artisanal goods, a great example being the craft-beer explosion. “I’m really after local wood—the story of keeping things local is really important to people,” says Emery, whose day job involves approving Telus Optik funding for local filmmakers in British Columbia and Alberta. “People in this town love locally sourced materials.” With East Van Light, that starts with the wood that Emery sources in the Lower Mainland and then works with alongside his carpenter, Brad Seiber of East Vancouver’s ReForm + Design. Sometimes that involves heading out to a property where a homeowner has taken down a tree, and sometimes it’s picking up “shorts” from a supplier—end pieces too small for a dining room table or fireplace mantel that would otherwise end up in a landfill or fireplace. “My carpenter put me in touch with these guys in the Fraser Valley—they

East Van Light’s lamps act as a fitting showcase for the kind of antique-style light bulbs that have become all the rage.

have barns full of hardwood,” Emery says. “They are sort of weird recluse guys who are known as the guys to call if a developer is going to go in and do a bunch of clear-cutting for a development. Or if a family has bought a home and is going to knock it down and rebuild. These guys will come and take down the tree, bring it back to their barn, and cut it into slabs that are airdried or kiln-dried slowly over a year, two years, or three years. Some of them have had slabs drying in their barns for 10 years because they know people like us will come out and buy it.”

For his lamps, Emery has a major thing for walnut, noting the English and black varieties that can be found on the coast are striking enough that they require no stain, only varnish to bring out their natural beauty. After being cut, routered, and wired, they’re fitted with the deco-looking sockets and knob-style switches that will look familiar to anyone who’s ever picked up the favoured guitar of giants Joe Strummer, Chrissie Hynde, and Buck Owens. “They’re not official Fender Telecaster knobs, but they are modelled

after Fender Telecaster knobs,” Emery says, noting that all his lamps are UL–certified, that safety certification a rarity at the handcrafted level. Ultimately, East Van Light’s lamps act as a showcase for the kind of antique-style light bulbs that have become all the rage at retro-cool diners and bars over the past few years; if you’re going to spring for a gorgeous Edison-style or Victorian quad-loop bulb, the last thing you want to be sticking it in is a $19.99 standup lamp from Canadian Tire’s discount aisle. Instead, give them

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the platform they deserve with East Van Light lamps like the Block ($125 at eastvanlight.com) or the Edison ($150). Emery—who has an old-school gramophone proudly displayed in his living room—freely confesses to loving old things, this tied into his renovating houses back in Montreal. The vintage-style stitched cords (houndstooth patterns include tealand-beige and black-and-brown) that have become big selling points for lamps are inspired by time spent in old homes back east. “The pattern is typical to the turn of the century—1910 to 1930s era— and the colours as well,” he says. “I chose colours like Merlot, burgundy, and teal because of my memories of peeling wall layers in old houses and coming across, at the very end, the original wallpaper or paint colours from earlier eras.” And why do many of us love old things? Well, consider that Vancouver is a city where the past is being mowed down at an alarming rate, heritage houses torn down to make way for profit-maximizing duplexes on the East Side and monster homes on the other side of Main. Looking like set pieces from Double Indemnity or Shadow of a Doubt, East Van Light’s lamps seem straight from an era when everything was simpler, which is exactly the point. “I think people like that they aren’t distracting,” Emery posits. “Because the lamps are simple pieces, they don’t overpower the room. And it’s a functional item. Not only does it provide ambient, warm light, it’s guaranteed to be a conversation piece. People spend a lot of time talking to me about the back story of the lamps—it’s important, I think, because they want to share it going forward.” -

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MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 17

URBAN LIVING

Pull up a stylish seat to the condo kitchen party Whether it’s with sleek upholstered dining stools or tables that hide away in an island, small spaces are making counters the big focus > BY JA NET SM IT H

he kitchen used to be a place that was hidden away, a place where someone would labour away at the stove and sink. It was a mysterious room that food magically appeared from and dirty dishes disappeared into while visitors enjoyed themselves in the candlelit dining room. But all that’s changed radically. For one thing, thanks to celebrity chefs and the Food Network, cooking has come out of the closet, and it’s a skill everyone wants to show off. At the same time, the kitchen is becoming most homes’ gathering place—for making dinner, for entertaining, or for finishing up your office work. Now pair those trends with Vancouver’s ever-shrinking condo floor spaces and you see something really interesting happening. Urbanites are finding innovative ways to centre life around their counter and culinary pursuits—even when they don’t have any room at all for a dining table. “They’ll have enough room for a sofa but no dining space, so often the kitchen counter will become the dining space,” explains Jesper Langballe, general manager at Danish furniture importer Möbler (3351 Sweden Way, Richmond). “It’s simply because most condos nowadays are getting smaller and smaller and the kitchen is becoming a more and more central part of our lives. “In Northern Europe, where they’ve been living this way for a long time, they actually have a name for this kind of kitchen being installed now in North America,” he adds. “They call them conversation kitchens. It’s where the family meets, where the homework gets done at the kitchen counter.” The biggest effect of all this is a boom in stylish, comfortable kitchen

To save space, smaller units at the Milano show suite (left) feature pull-out tables off the counter; at right, Möbler’s cool Diamond stool features wipable faux leather.

stools. Think upholstery, padding, hydraulics, chrome, and sleek lines. These aren’t the utilitarian, hard, backless barstools of old. If you and your guests are spending more time at your kitchen counter, you want to have higher-quality seating and

make a style statement at the same time. And as Langballe points out, “You can’t put old-fashioned barstools into a hypermodern kitchen.” Langballe is seeing more and more people opt for a clean, white palette. Check out the Rachelle

or Diamond, with their futuristic upholstered seats in white PU—a faux leather that wipes up easily with a damp cloth and mild soap solution. Now picture it with white quartz counters, white appliances, and a white glass backsplash.

Langballe says another popular style is the Loft, a cool faux-leather style on a chrome trumpet base that features subtle walnut trim—a perfect tie-in for wood cabinets if you have them. It looks smart in basic white or black. see next page

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.00 $ 99 * oom g Z in iten Wh At left, Inspiration’s chic Cavalli counter stool features tufted white-leather seats and a space-saving C-shaped base; at right, Moe’s more classic Pippa.

But Langballe reports the strongest colour trend for upholstered stools is grey, and of the store’s many new fabric styles, true blue and navy are also picking up strength. For the smallest of condos, look for styles with cutout seats or unobtrusive leg styles. At Möbler, look for the gorgeous, crescent-shaped Eve with the cutout back or the Simeon with its almost deco-flavoured shell-like cutout back, both in sleek PU. (Prices range from about $89 to $239.) Amid the large selection of contemporary counter stools over at Inspiration Furniture (1275 West 6th Avenue), we like the ultrachic Cavalli counter stool ($995), with its chunky, tufted white leather seat and a floating, C-shaped steel frame that makes it seem weightless when it’s tucked under a counter. For a more stripped-down, almost techy look, we like the versatility of the shop’s simple, airy Toro, with its steel-chrome base, swivel seat, adjustable height, and comfortable leather-covered seat ($1,395). At Moe’s Home Collection (1728 Glen Drive), assistant manager Irma Mele is noticing another trend to go along with the greatlooking new stools. “A lot of homes are built with an island but we are getting a lot more of the freestanding bar tables in as well,” she tells the Straight. “A lot of the kitchens are long and narrow and sometimes it’s harder to find a diningroom table that will fit.” The solution? Slide a slim Riva bar table ($799) against that bit of wall at the end of your galley kitchen, with its brushed-steel legs and walnut or clean white top. Pair it with a couple of stools that slide neatly under it when it’s not in use. With its stainless-steel legs, the half-swivel upholstered Giro ($399) makes a nice match, in wipeable white, grey, or black faux leather.

For tighter fits, Mele recommends the almost backless, space-agecurvy white and chrome Cain ($280), with its metal footrest. Moe’s has a number of more traditional upholstered stools, too. Check out the almost winged Pippa ($465), elegant in grey cotton, and old-school silver upholstery studs, with solid oak bistro-style legs. Mele says more and more customers are mixing styles and eras, and the new kitchen areas are no different. Still not convinced you want to sit high on your perch to enjoy dinner and drinks? We have one more innovative solution for a tight condo where you have to eat at the counter. In the showroom at Solterra’s new Milano apartmentand-townhome development (4247 Lougheed Highway, Burnaby), designer Phyllis Lui and her team have installed unique tables that can extend from the counter. “We wanted to add another element of flexibility for people,” she explains. “Everybody’s entertaining a lot more, and these islands need a lot more functionality.” In the smaller suite, a table pulls out of the end of the island for a little, lower dining area—enough to seat two and a place where you can eat or work on your laptop. Lui has put the white pullout with two bright-blue upholstered dining chairs. In bigger suites, the island has a flip-up that becomes a dining table that can fit four comfortably off the long front of the island— dark wood in the show suite, with intricately detailed gold chairs. “You can still have your little dining area and can yet have a decent-size living area,” Lui says. “It’s different than just having an overhang.” So whether they’re sitting high or sitting low, condo dwellers are keeping the kitchen party alive and well. -

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Any prices exclude taxes. StreetSide Developments reserves the right to make modifications and changes to the building designs, specifications and features should they become necessary. Floor plans, elevations, room sizes and square footages are based on preliminary architectural drawings and may vary from the actual built home. E.&O.E. Sales by Qualico Realty.

> LUCY LAU

MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

URBAN LIVING

Grilling gadgets and more to get you outdoors Eclipse umbrella shade (on sale for $67). The chic screen breaks all the rules of your typical outdoor shelter, trading in a solid colour for a blackand-white stripe and the rounded shape for an out-of-the-box square. The curved frame can be easily adjusted to various heights and angles, so you can hang alfresco from early morning to sunset in comfort. Just try not to stare at the hypnotic pattern for too long, or you may find yourself spending a little more time outside than needed.

BAR ON WHEELS Roll West Elm’s

retro Jardine Bar Cart out at your next patio party and you will become the instant centre of attention. Or just tuck it into the corner of your pintsized Vancouver condo balcony and rotate the decorations and drink options: vintage spritzers, conch shells, Champagne on ice, votive candles, Mexican glass, potted flowers, neatly rolled linen napkins… We love this compact, practical number crafted from sustainably harvested, weatherresistant tropical hardwood that looks weathered but chic. It’s on sale for $239 (regular $299) at 2947 Granville Street or online at www.westelm.com/.

> LUCY LAU

Add a vibrant punch to your outdoor décor with Pottery Barn’s (2600 Granville Street) embroidered pillows ($80.50). The whimsical cushions are adorned with stitchings of some of your favourite childhood animals—deer, peacocks, wolves—and drenched in bright hues like fuchsia and kelly green. The waterresistant fabric is perfect for Vancouver’s unpredictable forecasts and resists fading and stubborn stains. PUNCHY PILLOW

> LUCY LAU

We’ve all had it happen: you’re happily barbecuing away, and then when it comes time to lift the turkey burger or salmon fillet off the grill, it falls apart. Now aspiring Bobby Flays can try out Cookina’s Barbecue Reusable Grilling Sheet, which basically turns your grill into a nonstick surface—it’s no waste, and you’ll still get those essential grill marks. Just set a sheet from the black roll across the cooking area and place food on the sheet. Then wash the sheet and reuse it. Find it for $14.99 at select Canadian Tire, Home Depot, and RONA stores. > JS

GRILL HELPER

> JANET SMITH

Left to right: Cookina’s Barbecue Reusable Grilling Sheet, Pottery Barn’s outdoor pillows, West Elm’s Jardine Bar Cart. HANDY ROASTER Barbecue season will soon be in full swing. And if drumsticks are on your must-grill list, try Outset’s chicken drumstick roaster ($25) that will take away the hassle of constantly flipping your meat. The nonstick contraption can roast up to 16 drumsticks at once. Use it in the oven once the weather cools down. Find it at Chapters and Indigo stores or online at www.chapters.indigo.ca/.

COOLING BUCKET What’s worse

than not having a drink in hand under the summer sun? Having to down a warm can of soda or glass of wine. Keep your beverages cool with OXO’s steel ice and wine bucket, which comes with a pair of tongs, on sale for $55.98 (regular $69.98). The ice bucket has an insulated double wall that can maintain ice-cold temperatures, while a grid at the bottom > TAMMY KWAN of the bucket separates melted ice

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from the solid cubes. Its stainlesssteel exterior coupled with the matching pair of tongs will blend in easily with your other patio-perfect décor. The clear and f lip-top lid opens and closes easily. Find it at select Ming Wo store locations or online at www.mingwo.com/. > TK Outdoor umbrellas get a much-needed update with CB2’s (1277 Robson Street) high-contrast

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MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

FOOD

Belly-filling meals that won’t break the bank

ore and more people may be priced out of Vancouver’s housing market, but at least there are still affordable options when it comes to eating out. Below is just a handful of places offering budget eats. You may not have a million dollars, but at least you can have a full belly.

There are plenty of places to find slabs of meat around town, but Donair Dude is one place that does it right. With three locations (including one recently opened on Lonsdale Avenue in North Van), it offers your usual choice of slow-roasted ground meats—beef, lamb, or chicken—with a wicked selection of toppings, including pineapple, OLD-SCHOOL Two West Side dining estab- shredded purple cabbage, and tangy pickled lishments have stood the turnip. You get your pick of test of time with their dewrap, too: grilled pita or torcent prices and portions. tilla. The Dude—also servCome for the sushi shooting falafel, samosas, and Gail Johnson ers and stay for the zany other heft y stuff—brings in décor at the Eatery (3431 West Broadway), fresh veggies from local farms daily. where the menu is massive and the vibe unpretentious. Only at the Eatery can you get HOT POTATO Splurge on spuds at the recently yam fries in a roll with cucumber and spicy opened Russet Shack (288 Robson Street), the tuna (the Japanese Fortress) or breaded city’s first and only baked-potato takeout spot. and deep-fried bacon (Bacon Striptease). The Thai version comes topped with sweet chili You’ve also got donburi; udon, soba, and sauce, roasted eggplant, string beans, and fresh yellow-curry dishes; sushi bowls, sashimi, basil; the Japanese one, meanwhile, has teriand salads… The list goes on and on. (You yaki tuna, cucumber, and ginger. Broccoli stars can even pick up a G-string emblazoned in the Canadian jacket potato, which also has with the resto’s signature expression—look mozzarella cheese, tomato, and hot sauce. You it up.) Make sure you’re not in a rush when can design your own baked potato or go crazy you visit the Naam (2724 West 4th Avenue). and build a meal using sweet or baby potatoes. Not known for its speedy service, it offers vegetarian fare like pita pizzas, black-bean ANTI-ATKINS Do you love your carbs? Does chipotle chili, stir-fries, burritos, Thai noo- the “paleo” diet sound completely unappealing dles, a “steak” platter featuring a veggie-nut to you? Well, luckily for you, there’s no shortpatty with miso gravy, and burgers made age of spots where you can fill up on all things with tofu, soy protein, marinated tempeh, or starchy. Check out the steamed buns at New Town Bakery and Restaurant (148 East Pender brown rice and toasted nuts. DAMN FINE DONAIR

Best Eats

THINGS TO DO

Affordable eats abound in the city, ranging from Japanese joints, like the zany Eatery with its massive menu, to Mexican establishments, such as Bandidas Taqueria (above), which offers tacos and burritos.

Street, plus locations in Richmond and Surrey), stuffed with everything from spicy pork to Chinese sausage. The fries are superfine at MeeT on Main (4288 Main Street) and MeeT in Gastown (12 Water Street): there’s the version topped with house-made almond satay sauce and chipotle mayo; the Hocus-Pocus comes with onion rings. Fresh pasta made daily by hand takes the spotlight at Verifood (1795 Robson Street). Spinach and ricotta ravioli come in a buttery sage sauce, while the carbonara version of their tagliatelle is full-on with bacon, eggs, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. There’s risotto, gnocchi, and tortelli too, the latter being potato-filled dumplings smothered in meat sauce.

MAKE IT MEXICAN Build your own burrito at the friendly Hungry Guys Kitchen (988 Granville Street), with pinto or black beans, brown or white rice, and a choice of grilled chicken or steak, organic tofu, or pork carnitas. When you order enchiladas at Bandidas Taqueria (2781 Commercial Drive; closed for renos until May 24 and soon to be open 24 hours), you get three corn tortillas filled with black beans, organic squash, or sweet chipotle tofu. Tacos take centre stage at La Catrina Tacos (1187 Denman Street): try some with beef tongue in green salsa, slow-cooked beef cheeks, or mole chicken. Other dishes include roasted poblano pepper and papas Mexicanas with parsley and drizzled cream. -

FOOD High five

Meal ticket SPOT PRAWNS Presented by the Chefs’ Table Society of B.C., the 10th annual Spot Prawn Festival takes place on Sunday (May 15) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at False Creek Fishermen’s Wharf (1505 West 1st Avenue). This free, family-friendly event will offer entertainment, kids’ activities, and cooking demonstrations. Live and fresh prawns will be available for purchase. Looking for a bite? Purchase an advance ticket for the spot-prawn boil to indulge in a tasty plate that includes three spot prawns paired with side dishes and breads from Terra Breads. Access to the drink tent with beer and wine samples is also included. (It’s restricted to those 19 and older.) Choose one of four time slots for your plate to be served to limit wait time at this high-volume festival. Tickets ($17.50) can be purchased online at www.eventbrite.ca/. -

Five places to find satisfying cool treats

ROCKY POINT ICE CREAM (2800 Murray Street, Port Moody) Delicious, small-batch, handcrafted ice cream with unique flavours.

TANGRAM CREAMERY (2729 Arbutus Street) Ice cream with flavours like London Fog and Hojicha (Japanese green tea) served in langue de chat cones.

JOHNNY’S POPS (various locations) A food cart that serves handmade artisan ice bars created with fresh fruits and local ingredients.

DOOLAMI DESSERT (8030 Granville Street) Everything from shaved ice to “grass jelly” (an Asian plant-based treat) is at this Chinese dessert shop.

SOFT PEAKS (25 Alexander Street) Organic soft-serve ice cream with various toppings and a newly debuted ice-milk bar.

Cocktail of the week

ROSEMARY GIMLET They say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, though we’ll gladly make an exception for the new rosemary gimlet at the Keg (various locations): a play on the classic gin-lime combo that uses limoncello and fresh lemon juice in place of the lime. The Italian liqueur offers enough tartness to cut through the gin while maintaining a pleasant sweetness that makes the cocktail a delight to sip. Try one alongside the equally refreshing blackcurrant ginger (pictured left) and the sparkling peach (right)—two other drinks from the Keg’s recently launched summer cocktail menu. -

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22 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

FOOD

Wines for three seasonal vignettes

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awfully sunny, the mercuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rising, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re thinking a midday picnic would be perfect. Preparing everything at home smacks of effort, though, so you and a few pals decide to grab a little takeout sushi. You end up with a wide array laid out after you unfurl your picnic blanket and settle in. Among the spread are a few California rolls, some scallop sashimi, and a good amount of spicy tuna Yalumba 2015 Christobelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moscato rollsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;your favourite. You want to is a great match with a sushi picnic. drink something cheery and refreshing to go with it all, but you also donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a container of Salt Spring Island goat cheese, and a couple rashers of bacon. want to get too lethargic or boozy. Fortunately, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve picked up a You decide to do your take on a Cobb nicely chilled bottle of Yalumba 2015 salad with what you have on hand, Christobelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moscato (South Aus- throwing it all together and splashing tralia, $15.99, B.C. Liquor Stores). it with a simple citrus vinaigrette. You Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re charmed by those notes of lem- then recall that a friend left behind a onade, lime leaf, and cream soda, and bottle of Errazuriz 2015 Estate Series that smattering of white flowers makes Sauvignon Blanc (Acongagua, Chile; $12.29, B.C. Liquor things all the more Stores) when you pretty. That little had a few folks touch of fizz perover the other fectly suits the efKurtis Kolt night, so you decide fervescence of the day, and although thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely a to twist off the cap and give it a whirl. good dollop of sweetness on the finish, Surely, it was meant to be! The wine sings with lime and lemthat balances out the heat of the spicy tuna roll and slight saltiness of the on, along with plenty of fresh summer others. You love that the 8.5-percent peas and just a pinch of white pepper alcohol level in the wine keeps you on the finish. Sometimes you find Sauhappy and spry. Even betterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve vignon Blancs have too much of that picked up this bottle at B.C. Liquor bitter green-bell-pepper character, but Stores before June 4, when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selling youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re delighted that this one doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t carry that note at all. You really do for a limited time at a dollar off. have to get to that laundry youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LATE AFTERNOON on a week- putting off; another glass of wine will end full of household chores and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surely put you in the moodâ&#x20AC;Ś time for a little light lunch on the balcony. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fairly hungry, but you did A BARBECUE? SURE! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to have a hearty brunch and that later-income to a barbecue! You get a heads up the-day sunshine is really starting to that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely going to be a carnivset in. Nothing too heavy. You look in orous one, with spareribs, steak, and the fridge to see what you can muster hamburgers. Although many of the and remember you have half of that ro- other guests are likely to bring beer, tisserie chicken you bought yesterday. youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more in the mood for red wine Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also an avocado, some and know that once it starts being romaine lettuce, a few pea shoots, poured, there will be others who flock

to the bottle. A Cabernet Sauvignon would be perfect. You normally head to the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s California section, but you decide you want to try a little something different. The guy at the store recommends Jim Barry â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Cover Driveâ&#x20AC;? 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra, Australia; $27.99, B.C. Liquor Stores). You normally associate Australia with big, jammy Shirazes, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re told that this fruit is grown in Coonawarra in South Australia, where cool Antarctic breezes come flowing up across the Great Southern Ocean, moderating the temperature. You learn that this, combined with the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique terra rossa and limestone soils, makes it a perfect place to produce well-built Cabernets that have good acidity and arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overly rich or sweet. When you get to the barbecue and are served your first burger, you go to

pour your first glass of the stuff when a friend recommends you put the wine on ice for a few minutes first. A big red wine? Really? Yes, she confirms. Having been outside for a little while, the wine may be a touch warm, and that will make the alcohol stand out too much and the overall structure of the wine will be out of whack. You do that, and once you have your first sip of that slightly chilled wine, you get what sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talking about. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s showing really well. The first things you note are aromatics of eucalyptus and cedar, then those first few sips are loaded with blackberries and red currants, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a nice little earthy character to it as well. You tuck the wine behind the cooler, just out of view from the crowd. While youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re enjoying the company and conversation, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re now smitten with this wine and have just decided youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather not share. -

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ARTS

It’s a surreal sight,

BY JANET SM IT H

but somehow it encapsulates everything about where Ballet BC sits today, on its 30th anniversary. Dancers are ricocheting around the sunlit studio, bookended by the two black-and-white signs that performers will later hoist up and walk across the stage. One, tucked into the barres at one end, reads THIS IS A BEGINNING. The other says THIS IS NOT THE END. The piece they’re rehearsing is artistic director Emily Molnar’s 16+ a room, a clever play on time and space where the dancers often move like they’re trapped in an ever-tilting box. The larger picture is that Ballet BC, for all the ground it’s gained in its recent years, is still just beginning to reach its potential. Or at least that’s what Molnar thinks. And her dancers are gamely finding their footing in an ever-changing roster of new work. Ballet BC is a rarity in the dance world. It’s one of the few major ballet companies in the world, let alone Canada, run by a woman. Since taking over in 2009, Molnar has created a unique model for the troupe: one that is project-based and tours large-scale new work, but that also has a steady rep season in its home city. Instead of featuring one or two in-house creators, it’s generating an unusually long roster of commissions by international contemporary names. And its touring is taking off. In its 2013 and 2015 appearances at Massachusetts’s influential Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Ballet BC won rave reviews and standing Os. This year, in May and June, Ballet BC heads to the U.K. for the first time, as well as to New York’s Joyce Theater. The program it’s taking out into the world will be similar to the one it debuts here this week, with Israeli sensation Sharon Eyal’s clubbeat-driven Bill, and Molnar’s cleverly reworked 16+ a room. On the road, those works join Vancouver star Crystal Pite’s wintry, poetic take on mortality, Solo Echo; in the show here, Program 3,

Dancing into bold new terrain

Emily Molnar (with Kirsten Wicklund and Brett Perry) faced difficult years when she stopped dancing, but found her true passion was direction. Emily Cooper photo.

Emily Molnar reflects on her own career and the reasons she’s forging a new kind of company as Ballet BC marks 30 years

would have to seriously statement. Talk to any visiting choreographer about differentiate itself from why they’ve travelled to this relatively remote city to its competition. work and they will tell you it’s because of the excitLooking back, Molnar can see things more clearly. ing reputation of Ballet BC, and the versatility and they join the remount of the ever-spinning I and I “I was given an opportunity at a time for the skill of its corps. As Belgian talent Celis told the Am You by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo. “We just want to get out to some major festivals company where we either try something and really Straight last year, “They are phenomenal dancers; now; those doors are starting to open, and getting try to do it, we really try to be contemporary…or they’re so open and so hungry.” an agent has been a big part of it,” Molnar says in we don’t survive,” she explains. “And we know to TO UNDERSTAND WHERE Ballet BC sits her office on a break from rehearsal. “We’re go- just exist in Vancouver doesn’t make sense. today, it helps to reflect on Molnar’s pering to Birmingham, so that’s a start. I think it will If we’re going to make contemporary art, sonal journey. we need to move outside of our city. You show itself more over the next few years. Check out… Rigorously trained at the National “What I’m happy about right now is I feel so need to have an international converSTRAIGHT.COM Ballet School of Canada from the grateful and inspired that our audience is open to sation and that does require a comVisit our website young age of 10, she went on to dance a discussion about what dance is—that they are pany to tour.…To try to do it we have for morning-after for that company before being handopen to going on the journey with us. I’m happy to say, ‘This isn’t going to be just one reviews and local arts news picked as a soloist for William Forthey question the piece and get thrilled about it, person, this is going to be many people sythe’s seminal Frankfurt Ballet. Even and it’s not always having to be this end thing coming to this conversation.’ And our there, in her early 20s, she was already fothat is good or bad. They go there with us and we audience showed up for it. They didn’t say no, they actually went, ‘Oh, I had no idea that bal- cusing on the administrative side. want to keep going there.” “I would just always study the company. I would let and now dance in general could look like this.’ ” WHEN MOLNAR TOOK over in 2009, it was The choreographers who have joined “this con- just go, ‘So why are we doing this?’ ‘How are we still unclear whether those risks would pay off. versation” so far include Kevin O’Day, Cayetano coaching?’ ‘Why are we directing audiences to The regional company was coming off of more Soto, and Stijn Celis. In the upcoming program, this?’ ” she explains. “I guess that made me a bit than a decade of neoclassical ballet and had fi led Eyal’s edgy, techno-driven Bill, an urban-tribal epic of a difficult dancer, because it wasn’t about me, for bankruptcy. What it had been doing was not that puts the dancers in matching nude bodysuits, it was about why were we doing this whole thing working. And Molnar saw that so many bal- will push the company into new movement vo- and how were we doing this whole thing. I wantlet companies, like the Royal Winnipeg and the cabulary, and a work by Israeli star Ohad Naharin ed to know that everything we were doing was see next page National, were visiting the city that the troupe on the roster next season will mark another strong

THINGS TO DO

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice FOUR’S FOR GOOD Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Dale Barltrop might be stepping down from his post at this season’s end, but his return to Australia doesn’t mean he’s going to sever his Vancouver connections. That’s what we’re deducing from the Archytas Quartet’s upcoming Music on Main show. Who could walk away from playing chamber music with violinist David Gillham, violist David Harding, and cellist Ariel Barnes? The string supergroup’s program spans Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz, Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, and the world premiere of VSO trumpeter Marcus Goddard’s Three Wings—a mix of intellectual rigour, familiar beauty, and the unknown that should satisfy every craving. Music on Main presents the Archytas Quartet at the Fox Cabaret on Tuesday (May 17).

Five events you just can’t miss this week

REVOLVER THEATRE FESTIVAL (At the Cultch to May 22) Bold new plays from exciting young talent.

JOYCE YANG (At the Orpheum May 14 and 16) A gifted musician plays one of Mozart’s most important piano concertos with the VSO.

IAN BOSTRIDGE (At the Vancouver Playhouse on May 18) A transcendent tenor joins the Vancouver Recital Society.

THE SERIOUSNESS OF PLAY (At the Bill Reid Gallery to October 2) Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’s Haida manga rocks.

BALLET BC PROGRAM 3 (May 12 to 14 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre) Israeli Sharon Eyal’s Bill alone will be worth the price of admission.

Guest pick

KOICHI MAKIGAMI Our guest this week is Straight arts writer and musician Alexander Varty. Here’s the show he’s most looking forward to this week: “If you’re looking for high weirdness this weekend, the place to be is Studio D at SFU Woodward’s. The main attraction is Japanese avantgarde musician Koichi Makigami, a master of the jew’s-harp, the theremin, and various Central Asian throat-singing techniques whose music ranges from sunny, pastoral freak folk to scarifying noise rock. Even more intriguing is that he’ll be performing with violist and electronic composer Stefan Smulovitz and Kokoro Dance’s Jay Hirabayashi. The collision of cultures, genres, and creative minds promises to be both strange and wonderful—and it’s likely a one-time-only event.” Koichi Makigami is at Studio D in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Woodward’s on Sunday (May 15).

MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25

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about moving the art form forward. It wasn’t just about my name on the casting list. It would have been easier if it was.” Molnar came back to Canada in 1998 to join Ballet BC as a principal dancer under John Alleyne. There, she made her name with signature roles like Puck in his story ballet The Faerie Queen. In 2003, she left to pursue her choreography. And Molnar admits now it was a rough period when she stopped dancing. “I was questioning dancing,” she reveals. “When I left, I thought I was going to quit, and I said, ‘You can study anthropology.’ Because I was defeated by the politics of dance, not dance itself. I just didn’t know that at the time. I thought I just didn’t want to dance anymore, but just didn’t know how to do it anymore. It wasn’t because of anything I didn’t get from a company. It was because something in me wanted to do it a different way or something wasn’t lining up and I needed to reconnect.” She started to find her purpose by directing kids’ programs for Arts Umbrella, where she now regularly recruits dancers and apprentices. “I said, ‘Okay, I’m getting as much out of this as I would dancing,’ ” she says candidly. “I was like 25, 26, and that really screwed me up! I thought, ‘This is exactly when I’m supposed to want to dance. These are the years to dance; I’m not 15 and I’m not 45. So these are the years and I’m not happy.’ But directing these kids and having that conversation: that made me very happy.” None of it really made sense, she reveals, till she started the job of rebuilding Ballet BC, taking its helm in the wake of its near-death financial crisis. “It didn’t mean I wanted to stop being an artist; it didn’t mean I didn’t want to keep being creative. I just didn’t need to keep being the dancer on-stage in front of the audience anymore,” she says. “I knew I didn’t want Ballet BC presents Program 3 from to start a company just based on my Thursday to Saturday (May 12 to 14).

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own work. I really wanted to learn and work with people that had ideas. Producing—I really love that role where you’re putting things together, you’re curating and hosting other people to help and support them.” Molnar stresses that Ballet BC’s new model might not have worked elsewhere. She credits the 30-year presence of the company, along with an openness in this city to contemporary art—an openness, she says, that’s been cultivated everywhere from the interdisciplinary PuSh International Performing Arts Festival to Dancing on the Edge. At the same time, Vancouver’s dance culture as a whole is garnering international buzz, whether it’s through Pite, who’s working everywhere from London to The Hague to Paris these days, or Arts Umbrella, which is currently feeding graduates to the world’s top contemporary-dance companies—including Nederlands Dans Theater and Batsheva Dance. (See story page 27.) And as for Molnar, these days she’s known as a mentor and coach as much as an artistic director—a position that makes her laugh when she recalls someone once telling her she was too nice to direct a company (a comment that is probably offered to a lot of women). “I love discussing the work with the artists, I love getting in there and saying, ‘How are we doing?’ I mean, we put as much attention on process as we do on performance,” she explains. “There are some companies that just aim at performance and they just perform and perform.…But we want to treat a work in a certain way. That takes time in the studio: it’s not just about learning a step, it’s about actually discussing what it is. But we also have a lot of work we have to get through. That does make it a challenge.” That means this is not the end of the hard work of making Ballet BC a bold, one-of-a-kind company. It is, and perhaps will be as long as Molnar helms the troupe, a beginning. -

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26 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

ARTS

Arts Umbrella student pleased to work with Pite

> BY JA NET SM IT H

t has been a long, globe-spanning journey for young dancer Charlie Prince to this moment. Just back from a tour of the Middle East with Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cutting-edge company Alias, he is now moving amid 50 dancers who are all clasped together, hunched, and undulating like some giant, gorgeous amoeba. Above them, standing on a chair, is celebrated choreographer Crystal Pite, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s using dance students at Arts Umbrella to workshop ideas for her big Paris Opera Ballet debut this fall. Even when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trying to catch up to the others, Princeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expressive, supple frame stands out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You feel everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pulse,â&#x20AC;? he marvels on a break while talking about the work, which will appear in excerpt at Arts Umbrellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upcoming Season Finale show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also sending a pulse to everyone else. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very empowering feeling.â&#x20AC;? Prince says when he told members of Alias that he had worked a few times with Pite already at Arts Umbrella, they were incredulous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Crystal Pite? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ridiculous! People move companies to work with her.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to believe today that Princeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s route to Arts Umbrella began on a boat, fleeing war-torn Lebanon when he was 14. With only his sister as a companion, he found his way to Montreal and began to build a life centred in the arts. An athlete who swam competitively in his home country, Prince had never danced. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t till he was 17, studying composition at McGill University, that at the urging of a dancer girlfriend he tried his first ballet class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I went to the class barefoot and in jeans and got kicked out,â&#x20AC;? he says with a laugh. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then the next time I went in pyjama pants and socks because I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any sweatpants. But right away the teacher came up and said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You have a lot of dance talent.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;? From there, Prince went into classical ballet, but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enjoy it. Choreographer Gioconda Barbuto, who lives in Montreal and has close ties to Arts Umbrella, spotted him, and coaxed him to apply for the more contemporary program out here in B.C. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So then Arts Umbrella became this sort of dream for me, because from afar it has this crazy-good reputation,â&#x20AC;? he says. Prince came out for a summer intensive, and then dance-program director Artemis Gordon asked him to stay, on scholarship, in the preprofessional program.

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Scholarship student Charlie Princeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long journey to Arts Umbrella began on a boat as a refugee. Michael Slobodian photo.

Recently, things have come almost perfectly full circle for Prince. In April, Aliasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Middle Eastern tour took him back to Beirut for a dance festival. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My whole village rented

a bus to come to see it,â&#x20AC;? he says, referring to his small hometown of Deir al-Qamar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mother said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Who would have thought when you left at 14 that you would come back

Expressions Festival showcases Arts Umbrellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theatre talent

One thing Paul Moniz de SĂĄ wants you to know about school shows is that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just kids doing theatre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we underestimate the talent and the passion that young actors have,â&#x20AC;? says the artistic director of theatre and music at Arts Umbrella. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very good at what they do.â&#x20AC;? The preprofessional program in the theatre and music department at Arts Umbrella consists of four different troupesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;junior theatre, senior theatre, musical theatre, and laboratory theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and one theatre intensive program. Audiences have previously been invited to one weekend of a yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of work, but this spring, the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival will enjoy an extended run. Moniz de SĂĄ says the expansion of the theatre and music Expressions Festival is partly to share the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young actors with more people, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a great learning opportunity for the students. Two weeks in the theatre â&#x20AC;&#x153;will [show] students what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to really take a show through an entire run,â&#x20AC;? says Moniz de SĂĄ. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many of them are going to become the next actors in the theatre community here and we want to expose them a bit more and give them that chance.â&#x20AC;? Arts Umbrellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Expressions Festival will also feature the season finale and recital of its dance programs, as well as exhibitions and a showcase of its visual, applied, and media arts programs. Works being presented as part of the theatre and music festival include the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone, performed by the musical theatre troupe; Dangers of a Total War, an original work looking at the stories of children evacuated from England to Canada dur-

ing World War II, created and performed by the laboratory theatre troupe; and Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Julius Caesar, tackled by the senior theatre troupe, which Moniz de SĂĄ directs. Moniz de SĂĄ believes Shakespeare is important for every actorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process. Classic repertoire, as well as shows like Story Stew: A Fairy Tale Revue, which will be performed by the junior theatre troupe at the festival, was selected in part based on what would be appropriate for touring to schools. By the time these productions hit the stage at the Waterfront Theatre during the festival, the students will have rehearsed during their visits to elementary and high schools across the Lower Mainland. Experience adds up. Moniz de SĂĄ himself is a graduate of the program, and bumps into fellow alumni on set and stage around Vancouver. The city will see Arts Umbrella graduates Luisa Jojic and Kayla Deorksen at Bard on the Beach this summer, and other graduates in recent films, like Roan Curtis in Before I Fall and Anja Savcic in Extraterrestrial. Arts Umbrellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theatre and music department has long been a training ground for a future generation of theatre artists and, beginning this fall, will go one step further by launching the Theatre Conservatory. The conservatory will be an intensive eight-month, 30-hour-a-week program, and will be an option for students who are not ready to enter a professional theatre training program at college or university, but want to further invest in their skills. The programs at Arts Umbrella continue to grow, and not just as training for the local theatre community, but, as Moniz de SĂĄ stresses, as an extension of it. > BRITTANY DUGGAN Theatre and Music at Arts Umbrella presents the Expressions Festival from Thursday (May 12) to May 22 at the Waterfront Theatre.

Paula Kremer, Artistic Director

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here on a dance stage?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; You never know where life is going to take you.â&#x20AC;? The tour visited Jordan, Palestine, and Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;where he worried for days about crossing the border. Because

he was born in Beirut, officials there pulled him aside for six hours of questioning before letting him in. The entire trip was intense, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s returning to Vancouver that has made him feel surprisingly uneasy, he admits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It feels so, so peaceful; I feel a bit spoiled,â&#x20AC;? he says after spending a month amid the intensity of the Middle East. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I miss the chaos.â&#x20AC;? Even after he graduates in June, things wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t slow down for Prince. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll head back to Montreal to work with Paris-based iconoclast JĂŠrĂ´me Bel and then spend time with icon Marie Chouinard in August. But for now, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immersed in preparing for Season Finale, which features work by big contemporary names like Sharon Eyal and Mauro Astolfi. And of course thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the chance to work on an epic piece with Pite, a choreographer whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in demand around Europe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life-changing for every dancer here,â&#x20AC;? says Gordon while rehearsals continue at the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s East 7th location. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not just because of her name but because of the work she does and the vocabulary and the images sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s developed. Nothing she does is superfluous or without purpose; the dancers have to be engaged at an extraordinary level of physicality, of coordination, of intent and focus.â&#x20AC;? For students like Prince, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge opportunity. But for Pite, too, there are benefits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This would be something very, very hard to do without bodies,â&#x20AC;? she says of working through her ideas for Paris. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have five weeks there, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like I have exclusive access to the dancers [there]. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a lot here. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to prioritize the finicky; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing the hard stuff for me.â&#x20AC;? The work, she says, reflects her continuing interest in the natural worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; an interest she has shown in pieces such as the hivelike Emergence for the National Ballet of Canada. In the end, Prince credits Arts Umbrella with giving him a chance and opening the world of dance to him with work like this. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I could have imagined working with so many rich and profound artists,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arty [Gordon] doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bring anyone who is mediocre here. She brings people who will bring something really important to teach us,â&#x20AC;? he adds before heading into a choreographic mentoring session with Pite. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only trap is you begin to take it all for granted. I have to remind myself not to do that.â&#x20AC;? Arts Umbrellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Season Finale takes place at the Vancouver Playhouse as part of the Expressions Festival from May 26 to 28.

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MAY 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 27

ARTS

Friends face 50 in fierce play > BY ANDREA WARNER

“H Bruce Cockburn •Oysterband •Oh Pep! •Lord Huron The new pornographers • The Wainwright Sisters M. Ward • Mexican Institute of Sound • San Fermin Little Scream • Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton Shane Koyczan and the Short story long • Yemen Blues Lee Fields and the Expressions •Ramy Essam •Faris Amine Martin and Eliza Carthy • Land of Talk • Élage Diouf Hayes Carll • Birds of Chicago • Jojo Abot • Moulettes Betsayda Machado Y La Parranda el Clavo • Lisa O’Neill Nahko and Medicine for the People • Terra Lightfoot Ten Strings and a Goat Skin • The crooked brothers Henry wagons • Les noces gitanes EARLY BIRD TICKETS Trad.Attack! • the weather station ON SALE NOW! Lucy Ward • Lisa Leblanc +MORE

The New Pornographers

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Oysterband Faris Amine

The Wainwright Sisters

thefestival.bc.ca

e puts the cock in Caucasian!” Diane Brown may be in character as she says her line, but there’s a sparkle in her eyes. It’s a groaner of a joke, but also winkingly provocative and deliberately shocking, just like the play it comes from. Brown is in rehearsals for the North American premiere of 5 @ 50, Brad Fraser’s wickedly raw and ribald script about five friends forced to face up to some hard, complicated truths when they clumsily attempt to stage an intervention after one of the group overindulges at her 50th birthday. But right now, Brown and the rest of the powerhouse, award-winning ensemble of theatre vets—Beatrice Zeilinger, Donna Yamamoto, Deborah Williams, and Veena Sood—are getting punchy. The music cue starts just as lunch break is called and it sparks a spontaneous sing-along to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ’n Roll”. Fraser himself couldn’t have hoped for anything more perfect when he crafted 5 @ 50, which is a welcome overcorrection to the oftdepicted notion that women over 50 are sexless, soft, and simple. “It’s the best part of Sex and the City—the brazenness and the friendship between the gals—but it’s Brad Fraser, so it’s way more in-your-face, and it feels more relevant and powerful,” Brown tells the Straight. She’s seated next to director Cameron Mackenzie, who was Brown’s assistant during theatre school a number of years ago, coincidentally on a production that starred Zeilinger. He pitched the script to Brown, suggesting a coproduction between their two companies: her Ruby Slippers Theatre and his Zee Zee Theatre. The characters, they agree, are a mess, but also heartbreakingly human.

2015/16 Season 30th Anniversary Season

Left to right: Beatrice Zeillinger, Deborah Williams, Veena Sood, Diane Brown, and Donna Yamamoto tackle aging in 5 @ 50. Victoria Black photo.

“They’ve left some issues they probably should have dealt with earlier,” Brown says with a laugh, “but that doesn’t mean it’s not relevant, doesn’t mean it’s not true. They’re not sentimental, it’s not cute, it’s real.” They’re not “just” grandmas or stay-at-home moms, Brown continues. “They have their flaws and they have their larger lives, they have their internal lives and struggles. It’s tragically rare that women of a certain age get to be onstage or on-screen.” “And the piece was written in that vein,” Mackenzie adds. “Brad has a beautiful introduction in the script, he came to it from that desire to put five fully rounded, three-dimensional characters on-stage who happen to all be women and who happen to all be of a certain age. That’s so important, that we have this work out there so we can break some of these stupid stereotypes of what women should be and shouldn’t be. I love their brazenness and the way they talk about sex and drugs and alcoholism, and the way they deal with each other and their friends. There’s nothing, as you said, sentimental about it, but there’s nothing too stereotyped either.” 5 @ 50 also upends the tired cliché

that all women are catty or inevitably turn on each other. The characters go all the way back to high school, their friendship forged in the commiseration of being left on the sidelines at a dance. These are complicated, fraught relationships and 5 @50 affords them the space to explore conflict and evolve. Brown says it’s important to note the relationships, because that’s what differentiates these women from their classic male counterpart going through a “midlife crisis” with the secretary and the sports car. “The women turn to each other and talk really frankly about it, and it takes them awhile to actually do some personal growth, but their first reaction is to bond and go to each other,” Brown says. “That’s their saving grace, their love for each other, and that’s what saves their dignity. But it also gives them hope to carry on, deal with some shit, and leave these addictions behind. Everybody grows a little bit in this play, so there’s some hope. It comes at a great price, but they start to gain some awareness, some responsibility.” Ruby Slippers Theatre and Zee Zee Theatre present 5 @ 50 at the PAL Studio Theatre to May 28.

“Bostridge sings as if from inside the music, as if he has found a way to produce pure, disembodied emotion.” - Los Angeles Times

Program 3 May 12 13 14, 2016 Choreography Jorma Elo Sharon Eyal Emily Molnar

IAN BOSTRIDGE tenor

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28 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

ARTS

Disability and sex meet on-stage > B Y B RITTA NY DUG G AN

Mis Papás photo by Travis Jeffers, Point Blank Photo

espite over 60 years of activism, persons with disabilities still face stigma around their sexuality. A new burlesque theatre cabaret by Realwheels is working to deepen awareness and advance the conversation. The 18-year-old local theatre company has been working on SexyVoices, a community-based performance exploring sexual identity, in weekly rehearsals since February. The process began with an open call to the community, including a question-and-answer period at the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre last year. Choreographer Jenny Magenta and director Rachel Peake were on hand to begin what has been an ongoing dialogue around the individual experiences and challenges of people with disabilities, with a special focus on sexuality. These conversations were the creative starting point that now links various scenes throughout the show; they also united the cast and team. “We started by sharing our stories, going, ‘Oh my God, someone said that to you, too,’ ” Magenta, a performance artist who herself lives with an invisible disability, tells the Straight over the phone. Realwheels, despite the company name, is inclusive of all persons with disabilities. The cast consists of individuals with cognitive disabilities, hearing loss, mobility impairments, and invisible disabilities, which means that the direction and choreography must be specifically for the bodies present. For Magenta, what is most interesting about working with this group is how each person embodies and performs the choreographic direction. One example she gives is how, in one section, when she asks everyone to raise their arms in the air, the response looks like arms, a head, shoulders— whatever the various individuals are

SexyVoices is a burlesque-style collage of performers’ stories, all exploring the still-taboo terrain of disability and sexuality. Kevin Statham photo.

able to do. And for this work, that’s perfectly fine. SexyVoices is a collage of performers’ stories, expressed as solos with text and gestures, and through group dance pieces. Magenta and Peake began by asking each member of the group to write a love letter to their disability, as well as to bring in a piece of sexy clothing. “No matter what people’s disabilities, there was a commonality there around sex and sexuality. You know, we’re all sexual beings,” Magenta says with a laugh. The sharing of common experiences and desires has been a highlight for Magenta. But, of course, there have also been challenges. The biggest throughout the creation of this work has been the reality

of collaborating with people with complex health conditions. “There are days when, right in the middle of rehearsal, somebody can have a flare-up, they can go from being very present to having pain come up,” explains Magenta, who herself had to miss some rehearsals due to a health issue. And yet, despite unavoidable hurdles, the journey and its culmination in a performance are an example of the impact art can have on a community. By giving voice to persons with disabilities, a larger shift takes place, turning an unsupportive environment into one of understanding and inclusion. SexyVoices runs Thursday to Saturday (May 12 to 14) at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre.

FESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT THEATRE

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371 ARTWORKS / 156 ARTISTS / 30 CURATORS / 3 YEARS IN THE MAKING

FINAL WEEKS! ALL 4 FLOORS UNTIL MAY 15, 2016

THREE LECTURES ON THE NORTH MAY 18-21, 8pm

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Theatre Replacement Replacement/Rough House Productions Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in association with the Shadbol NEW IDEAS ON THE NORTH PERFORMED NIGHTLY BY NEW PERFORMERS IN A STAGED ENCOUNTER FOR BOTH AUDIENCE AND ACTOR.

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MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 29

ARTS GUEST SPEAKERS

Choir takes songs of light into dark of space centre > B Y A LE XAN DER VAR TY

Thur, May 19 7:00 pm Norie Sato, Visual Artist, Seattle, WA

The City of Richmond’s annual series of talks about art in the city and its importance to creating connections between citizens and their communities.

SITE AND SPECIFICITY: MEANING THROUGH A PERSONAL LENS Artists who make public art are often asked to make the projects relate to the site and context, and to respond to the various conditions and parameters. But what does it mean to “respond” to a site? Seattle-based artist, Norie Sato will examine several of her projects from ideas to completion, describing her process, what she looks for, how she approaches the characteristics of a site and which are most important to her in each project. Sometimes, rather than simply “responding”, her projects can set the tone for the identity of a place itself. This talk will be preceded by a short performance by 16-year-old professional yoyo competitor, Harrison Lee. Richmond City Hall Council Chambers, 6911 No. 3 Road FREE, but seating limited. Please RSVP to lulu@richmond.ca

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aula Kremer readily admits that she’s not the creative force behind Lux Antiqua: Songs of Light, the Vancouver Cantata Singers’ new collaboration with the Redshift Music Society. The project, initiated by the local choir’s former manager in conjunction with composer and Redshift founder Jordan Nobles, predates Kremer’s tenure as the singers’ artistic director. Lux Antiqua is something she’s inherited, she explains in a telephone interview from her home, although it’s a legacy she’s happy to take on. Still, she’s going to be a little in the dark on opening night—but only because it’s going to take place at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, where the lights will spin orbital circles on the ceiling instead of being focused on the performers’ sheet music. “I had a lit-up baton that I got for this show, but the white light of the baton is too similar to the white light of all the stars,” the conductor explains of this planetarium presentation. “So I am using the kind of stuff you might use at a rave: outdoor glow sticks. I have a glow stick, and I’ll just wave it around in the middle, and that’s how we’re doing it.” She laughs: it’s an amusing image lodged neatly into an otherwise serious program. Lux Antiqua opens, appropriately enough, with Latvian choral superstar Eriks Esenvalds’s “Stars”; the 10 pieces that follow will include three new works commissioned especially for the event, and for its setting. Two of those have sacred implications. Kathleen Allan’s “Ave Maris Stella” sets a Latin text extolling the Virgin Mary as a beacon of hope for all those tossed on life’s stormy seas;

VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE VANCOUVER, CANADA MAY 26 - 29, 2016

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The Vancouver Cantata Singers and the Redshift Music Society present Lux Antiqua at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre on Friday (May 13).

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Craig Galbraith’s “Axis Mundi” attempts to reconcile the spiritual light of Christianity to the scientific understanding of light as energy, citing Galileo Galilei along the way. Peter Hannan’s “The Time Between” is a far more secular undertaking, however. “It’s a challenging piece for the singers,” Kremer says. “He took a different approach to the idea of stars and space and light, but in a way it connects, very much, to the texts of the other pieces. Kathleen’s piece talks about the path of our journeys through life; it’s almost a prayer to Mary to keep us safe on that path. And Peter was inspired to write his piece by personal experiences in his life: he had a very close friend pass away, and he’s also had a very close friend give birth. Someone told him that life is just a series of starts and ends of things, so his piece has a section that gets reprised a lot, with the words ‘it starts and ends.’ “He wrote the text himself, and the ‘Break my heart’ section gets quite graphic,” she continues. “You know, ‘Crush my heart with a hammer. Feed it to sharks. If you’re going to break my heart, at least pour me a drink.’ It’s maybe not what you’d expect to hear, going to a planetarium concert!” The accompanying images should work, however: the Heart Nebula, as seen by the Hubble space telescope. “Light is simply awe,” Kremer concludes, thinking of the vast reaches of space and also the inner light of music. “And all that entails: beauty, safety, fear, wonder, mystery—and rest.” -

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Museum of Anthropology at UBC A place of world arts + cultures 30 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

straight choices presents

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

< < < < < < < <

THEATRE

DANCE DRAMA Diskordanse director Nela H used to work in film, and that may explain why her company’s hyperathletic work is so theatrical and cinematic. The troupe’s season culminates in Coalesce at the Orpheum Annex this Sunday (May 15), and they’re describing it, in characteristically dramatic style, as a “Steampunk meets Supervillain Dance Art Spectacle”. Think wild costumes and lighting effects, multimedia touches, and lots to take in. The show repeats at the Surrey Arts Centre on June 4.

2JUST ANNOUNCED

Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville). Tix from $29, info www.artsclub.com/.

TODRICK HALL PRESENTS: STRAIGHT OUTTA OZ Broadway actor, MTV star, American Idol finalist and YouTube star presents a new musical take on L. Frank Baum’s classic tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Jul 7, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $32.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

SEXYVOICES: A BURLESQUE THEATRE CABARET Realwheels Theatre presents a community-based performance that explores sexual identity from a disability perspective. May 12-14, 8 pm, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews). Info www.realwheels.ca/.

2OPENINGS REVOLVER THEATRE FESTIVAL 2016 Theatre festival features an eclectic mix of mainstage, site-specific, and cabaret shows, including works by Cause & Effect Circus, Delinquent Theatre, Hong Kong Exile, May Can Theatre, and Urban Ink Productions. May 11-22, The Cultch (1895 Venables). Tix $20/15, info www.revolverfestival.ca/. THEATRE AND MUSIC EXPRESSIONS 2016 Arts Umbrella’s annual showcase features five diverse productions performed by young actors in the preprofessional theatre program. May 11-22, Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St., Granville Island). Tix from $10, info www. artsumbrella.com/expressionstheatre/. BILLY ELLIOT The Arts Club Theatre Company presents the musical story of an 11-year-old boy who discovers he loves ballet dancing. Book and lyrics by Lee Hall. Music by Elton John. May 12–Jul 10, Stanley

5 @ 50 Ruby Slippers Theatre and Zee Zee Theatre present the North American premiere of Brad Fraser’s play about friendship, addiction, and codependence. May 13-28, 8-10 pm, PAL Studio Theatre (300-581 Cardero). Tix $28, info tickets.theatrewire. com/shows/5%20@%2050/events/.

2ONGOING TOWARDS ZERO Suspenseful whodunit sees a seaside party derailed when the host (a wealthy widow) is found dead in her bed. Based on the book by Agatha Christie. To May 21, Metro Theatre (1370 SW Marine). Tix $24/21, info www. metrotheatre.com/. ITHAKA Canadian premiere of Andrea Stolowitz’s play about a woman who returns from combat to find that nothing makes sense. To May 14, 8-10 pm, Havana Theatre (1212 Commercial). Tix $22-25, info www.facebook.com/ITHAKA2016/. ALWAYS ... PATSY CLINE Claude A. Giroux directs Ted Swindley’s musical-

theatre tribute to ‘60s country icon Patsy Cline. To May 21, 8 pm, Deep Cove Shaw Theatre (4360 Gallant Ave., North Van). Tix $18, info www.firstimpressionstheatre.com/.

AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS WITH ANIMALS I’VE F*CKED Stages Theatre Co. presents Rob Hayes’s darkly funny and disturbing psychological examination of mental illness and loneliness, starring Chris Lam and directed by Cory Haas. To May 14, 8 pm, Studio 16 (1545 W. 7th). Tix $25, info www.facebook.com/ stagestheatreco/.

DANCE 2THIS WEEK BALLET BC PROGRAM 3 Ballet BC concludes its 30th anniversary season with a remount of artistic director Emily Molnar’s 16+ a room, the Canadian premiere of Sharon Eyal’s Bill, and a remount of Jorma Elo’s I and I Am You. May 12-14, 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix $30-90, info www.balletbc.com/performance/program-3/. HERE AND NOW Continuum Dance Company performs works choreographed by Kathleen McDonagh and artistic director Donna Redlick. May 13-14, 8 pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby). Tix $12, info 604-205-3000, www.shadboltcentre.com/.

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Sexy Voices A BURLESQUE

THEATRE CABARET

A sassy and robust new show featuring members of the disability community!

THURSDAY - SATURDAY

MAY 12, 13 & 14 8:00 PM

ROUNDHOUSE PERFORMANCE SPACE

181 ROUNDHOUSE MEWS (CORNER OF DAVIE & PACIFIC)

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT

www.sexyvoices.bpt.me

Tickets and Info 604.322.7325 www.realwheels.ca >L HJRUV^SLKNL [OL Ä UHUJPHS HZZPZ[HUJL VM [OL 7YV]PUJL VM )YP[PZO *VS\TIPH

The Hylcan Foundation The Leonard Foundation Lohn Foundation The Mclean Foundation

NICOLA BENEDETTI

The Arts Council of New Westminster, New Westminster Public Library, Douglas College and the Royal City Literary Arts Society present:

PLAYS MOZART

Diverse/City May 13-19 2016 MAYOR JONATHAN X. COTÉ • UJJAL DOSANJH • JOE WIEBE • STEPHEN QUINN GRANT LAWRENCE • ART BERGMANN • JOE KEITHLEY • CAROLYN MARK • D. TREVLON EDEN FINE DAY • SEAN NELSON • LORI HENRY • POET LAUREATE CANDICE JAMES MICHELLE DEINES • DAVID BLINKHORN • SYLVIA TAYLOR • BENNETT R. COLES • BONNIE NISH RUTH KOZAK • TREVOR CAROLAN • GAYLE MAVOR • JACQUELINE ROLSTON BETSY WARLAND • ESMERALDA CABRAL • BEN NUTTALL-SMITH • KATHLEEN FORSYTHE KEVINSPENST•JANEBYERS•KURTISFINDLAY•CHIEFRHONDALARRABEE•ARIADNESAWYER YILIN WANG • DR. AJAY K. GARG • LUCY ORTIZ • TOMMY K. TAO • SELENE BERTELSEN JACQUELINE MAIRE • HAE YOUNG KIM • ANITA AGUIRRE NIEVERAS • YAMAN SALEH SATTAR SABERI • MOVIN SABERI • WORLD POETRY • NEW WEST WRITERS STEEL & OAK • FOUR WINDS • DAGERAAD

Readings / Interviews / Performances Discussions / WORKSHOPS Multilingual Poetry / Marketplace Community Events / MUSIC New Westminster Public Library Douglas College The Gallery at Queen’s Park Anvil Centre Century House

LITFESTNEWWEST.COM

DALE BARLTROP

NICOLA BENEDETTI

FRI & SAT, MAY 20 & 21 8PM, CHAN CENTRE, UBC Dale Barltrop leader/violin

Nicola Benedetti violin*

BARTÓK Rumanian Folk Dances MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, Turkish* SHOSTAKOVICH ARR. BARSHAI Chamber Symphony (arrangement of String Quartet No. 3)

Nicola Benedetti is an artist of astonishing depth and musicality, and constantly dazzles critics and audiences alike wherever she performs. Outstanding VSO Concertmaster Dale Barltrop leads from the violin, in his final VSO concert at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. @VSOrchestra

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Arts time out

from previous page

DANCE ALLSORTS: DEZZA DANCE The May edition of New Works’ Dance Allsorts features a mixed program of contemporary dance showcasing Desirée Dunbar’s latest works Illuminating Shadow and Submerge. May 15, 2 pm, Studio 1398 (1398 Cartwright, Granville Island). Tix $15/5, info www.newworks.ca/2015/09/ may-15-2016-dance-allsorts-dezza-dance/. COALESCE Original dance performance by Diskordanse combines the worlds of steampunk and supervillains. May 15, 7 pm, Orpheum Annex (823 Seymour). Tix $35, info www.diskordanse.ca/.

MUSIC 2THIS WEEK HANDEL SOCIETY OF MUSIC CELEBRATES 50 YEARS Musicians and singers from the Handel Society of Music perform Bach’s B Minor Mass. May 13, 7:30 am, Willoughby Heights Canadian Reformed Church (7949 202A St., Langley). Tix $25/20, info www.handelsociety.ca/. VANCOUVER CANTATA SINGERS: LUX ANTIQUA The Vancouver Cantata Singers and the Redshift Music Society present an a cappella program that spans the centuries and features three premieres. May 13, 7:30 pm, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (1100 Chestnut). Tix $10-30, info www.vancouver cantatasingers.com/. TURNOUT 2016: SONGS OF HOPE Socialjustice choir Aequitas presents a concert to raise public awareness of the support services available to vulnerable youth in our communities. May 14, 7 pm, Surrey City Hall (13450 104 Ave., Surrey). Tix $10, info www. surrey.ca/culture-recreation/19657.aspx.

“ELECTRIFYING” Ben Dickinson, ELLE

“It moves with a spirited, edge of your seat momentum that

WILL KEEP YOU GLUED TO THE SCREEN ...JODIE FOSTER’S MOST IMPRESSIVE WORK as a director to date”

Silas Lesnick, COMINGSOON.NET

“OSCAR WINNERS George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jodie Foster are a TRIFECTA OF TALENT” ®

Gayle King, O

straight choices

JAZZ-AGE GEMS We can’t think of a concert quite so fitting for a spring day: the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra ends its season by transporting audiences to Roaring-’20s New York with the concert Gorgeous Gershwin on Sunday afternoon (May 15) at the Orpheum. Among the highlights, musical director Leslie Dala takes on the dual role of conductor and solo pianist, leading the young orchestra through hits from works like An American in Paris and Porgy & Bess Suite, and then hitting the keyboards for a rendition of the Jazz Age-y Rhapsody in Blue. Expect to be humming your whole way home. OUR SPIRIT AND OUR SOUL Cyrilika Slavic Chamber Choir performs choral music from Russia, Serbia, Macedonia, Ukraine, and Croatia. May 14, 7:30 pm, Ryerson United Church (2195 W. 45th). Tix $20/15, info www.cyrilika.com/. BRAVE THE ELEMENTS The Rainbow Concert Band performs musical numbers inspired by the elements of air, fire, wind, and rain. May 14, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Community College Broadway (1155 E. Broadway). Tix $20/15, info www.face book.com/events/492574784200331/. KEN LAVIGNE WITH THE BRITISH COLUMBIA BOYS CHOIR Founding Canadian Tenors member and local choral ensemble performs familiar classics and audience favourites. May 14, 7:30 pm, Centennial Theatre (2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Van). Tix $28/25/21, info www. centennialtheatre.com/production/anevening-of-song-with-ken-lavigne/. JOYCE YANG PLAYS MOZART Joshua Weilerstein conducts pianist Joyce Yang and the VSO in a program of music by Schnittke, Mozart, Beethoven, and Valentyn Silvestrov. May 14, 8 pm; May 15, 2 pm; May 16, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Info 604-876-3434, www.vancouversymphony.ca/. GORGEOUS GERSHWIN The Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra closes its season with a journey through the American songbook. May 15, 2 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix $10 , info vam.eventbrite.ca/. SPRING AND LOVE Second Sunday Concert Series presents soprano Catherine Laub, mezzo Melanie Adams, and pianist Rita Attrot in a concert of works by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn. May 15, 3 pm, Roedde House Museum (1415 Barclay). Tix $15/12, info www.roeddehouse.org/en/ activities/cultural-activities/second-sundayconcert-xbq. VANCOUVER MEN’S CHORUS The Vancouver Men’s Chorus performs classic car tunes and songs of the open road. May 15, 7:30 pm, Queens Avenue United Church (529 Queens Ave., New West). Tix $20/15, info www.queensavenue.org/.

Coarse language, Sexually suggestive scenes

STARTS FRIDAY IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE Check Theatre Directory or SonyPicturesReleasing.ca for locations and showtimes

32 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

ARCHYTAS QUARTET Music on Main presents classical musicians Dale Barltrop, David Gillham, David Harding, and Ariel Barnes in a performance of works by Webern, Goddard, and Schubert. May 17, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Tix $29/15, info www.musiconmain.ca/.

see page 34

MOVIES REVIEWS MUSTANG Starring Günes Sensoy. In Turkish, with English subtitles. Rated PG.

Too bad Mustang didn’t screen sooner, be-

2 cause it is certainly one of the best films of 2015. The tone and setting are notably different from those of Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, but it is a lyrical depiction of five adolescent sisters in unexpectedly dire circumstances. It’s also a beautifully realized debut feature for its Turkish-born, Paris-based writer-director, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, scripting with French filmmaker Alice Winocour. Like Virgin, which was adapted from a popular novel, Mustang has a literary feel, emphasized by a voice-over reminiscence from the youngest sibling, Lale, played by Günes Sensoy. The device is dropped halfway in—one of the few flaws in this foreign-language Oscar nominee. The girls seem to have an idyllic existence in Turkey’s far northeast, a thousand kilometres from Istanbul, with little to indicate when the story takes place, except that it starts on the last day of school before summer vacation. They join local boys for an innocent frolic in the Black Sea, and by the time they get home, news of their “indecency” has reached their remote village. This triggers a dynamic that escalates throughout: first, their grandmother (Nihal G. Koldas) beats the girls; then she defends them against the even more volatile threats of their uncle (Winter Sleep’s Ayberk Pekcan).

Lock up your daughters

Five orphaned sisters are locked away for so-called indiscretions in Alice Winocour’s Oscar-nominated and ethereally beautiful French/Turkish feature Mustang,

grab a nine-year-old orphan (instantly lovable Claudine Vinasithamby) so they can emigrate in a hurry. This ad hoc trio’s dissimulation gets them all the way Mustang attacks patriarchy with a spellbinding fable; to Paris, where Dheepan the art house goes boom in Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan snags a job as caretaker of When he locks them in, and then adds ever a crumbling suburban tower block. His impromore bars to the windows and doors, Mustang visatory survival skills prove useful, covering takes on fablelike qualities, with the exception- his lack of language and emotional expression, ally beautiful sisters—orphans, it turns out—re- and they drift toward making this ersatz unit a sembling five Rapunzels languorously waiting to real one. But the Paris projects have their own be rescued. Things turn more serious after that, war going on, mostly involving drug deals in the and we’re reminded that almost every religion next building over, and this eventually infects and social order is packed with justifications for the Tamils and other immigrants trying to forget keeping women locked away—and not for their troubles back home. Writer-director Jacques Audiard already atown safety, either. Do these untamed horses break tained worldwide attention for fatalistic dramas free? You’ll have to leave the house to find out. > KEN EISNER like A Prophet and Rust and Bone. And this received the top prize in Cannes last year. But the DHEEPAN subject must have overwhelmed him, and he simply loaded the second half with extra conStarring Jesuthasan Antonythasan. In French, English, and Tamil, with English subtitles. Rated 14A. f lict because, well, that’s what filmmakers do. The fact that the “daughter”, having become The superb first half of this fish-in-two- the crucial link between strangers, completely waters drama is so packed with fresh, tender disappears for the last quarter suggests that he insights, it’s a shock when the art-house-aimed overlooked his story’s tensile core: the tenacity Dheepan suddenly goes full Neeson, complete of impoverished refugees to find their own with explosions, gunfights, and an ending far too ways, and each other, in the face of utter disfacile for what has gone before. location. Revenge is one luxury they, and we, The taciturn Sri Lankan refugee capable of can truly live without. > KEN EISNER Liam-like ass-kicking is a Tamil Tiger played compellingly by Jesuthasan Antonythasan, himself a former child soldier who became an ac- CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR claimed French playwright after escaping his Starring Chris Evans. Rated PG. civil-war-wracked land. Here, in a prologue set It is a tradition in comic books for heroes during the brutal denouement of that conflict, to fight each other, often during first meethis dazed fighter assumes the name of a dead comrade and quickly finds an ignorant village ings when good/evil orientations are not clear, or girl (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) with the nerve to under the influence of some mind-boggling spell

WEEK IN WIDESCREEN

MAPPLETHORPE Debbie Harry, Brooke Shields, and Fran

Lebowitz are among those taking an unflinching look at the life and work of New York’s enfant terrible of photography, in this latest from master celeb documentarians Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Inside Deep Throat). Coinciding with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival brings Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures to the Vancity on Tuesday (May 17). -

> RON YAMAUCHI

MOVIES

The projector

What to see and where to see it

FRIDAY THE 13TH Director Sean S. Cunningham’s seminal 1980 slasher isn’t any good or anything, but it had an impact all the same, and it’s still better than any of the sequels or the remake, right? Jason returns to the Rio Theatre on, yes, Friday (May 13).

NUMB We really liked this B.C.–set thriller when it opened here in early March. Here’s a chance to see it with stars Marie Avgeropoulos and Aleks Paunovic in attendance, along with director Jason R. Goode, when Numb comes to the Vancity on Monday (May 16).

I SMILE BACK Stepping away from the mike, Sarah Silverman won huge raves for her performance as a mother with mental-health and addiction issues in this decidedly straightfaced indie drama from 2015, coming to the Cinematheque on Wednesday (May 18).

Picture this

or brain serum. It makes sense to do this once in a while, to show the comparative power levels to fans, and give the writers a break from having to come up with new villain fodder. In this, the 13th episode in a pulp serial of Marvel movies launched by 2008’s Iron Man, the needling tension between alpha heroes Captain America and Iron Man becomes overt. They have to pull their punches, because they are good guys, so the cost of their battle is really counted in broken alliances and hurt feelings. It’s a credit to the creators and performers assembled by Marvel that a crisis between adventurers in colourful spandex and plastic feels earned, authentic, and gripping. The plot is serviceable. If 2011’s The First Avenger was a tribute to Second World War movies, and The Winter Soldier (2014) was a conspiracy thriller, Civil War is a murder mystery. A bombing shocks the world, and all signs point to Captain America’s friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan), now a brainwashed assassin trying to break his conditioning. Bucky has done even worse crimes, but this time he’s innocent. So who did it? And why? It’s also a political film, for a comic-book movie. It’s about accountability, responsibility, and unintended blowback of well-intended interventions. These were the same points that Batman v Superman tried to make before it flew up its own behind with bad dialogue and grimdark portentousness. The Marvel version offers better stunts, fight choreography, character surprises, and even a touch of humour, but it is treading some of the same narrative ground. What might really have separated it would be a full war, where the fighters did not pull their punches. But then, they would not be good guys in a movie suitable for kids. That would be real life, which is suitable for so few.

Rave on

MOVIEHOUSE ROCK We’re not sure what, exactly, local

film scholar Michael van den Bos has assembled for this mashup of musical moments from the movies, but it looks at the very least like we’ll get a dose of the Yardbirds, ABBA, the Ramones, Spinal Tap, and Gary Busey playing the wrong guitar in The Buddy Holly Story. Obviously the best way to spend a hard day’s night, Moviehouse Rock comes to the Vancity on Wednesday (May 18). MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 33

DOXA FEST

Radical DOXA fest raps up with a flying exit

here are still a few days left and plenty of choice movies to catch before the 15th DOXA Documentary Film Festival comes to a close with Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson on Sunday (May 15). Here are some of our picks. Go to Straight.com for even more. INAATE/SE/ (Canada/USA) Film-

makers Adam and Zack Khalil build this spellbinding work of agitprop around the Ojibwa Nation’s Seven Fires Prophecy, which described with unsettling accuracy the arrival and activities of colonial settlers, while pointing to a hard but not impossible future rebirth of the Ojibwa after a long period when “our spirits were asleep.” This reclamation of ancestral myth carries into the very structure of INAATE/SE/. Taking a wide overview of aboriginal life in the Sault Ste. Marie region of Ontario and Michigan—where progressive youth, residential-school survivors, shack-dwelling derelicts, and Jesuit priests jockey for their version of history—the Khalils submerge everything in a caustically witty collage of sound and vision that gleefully upends conventional (read: colonial) storytelling and aesthetics. The effect is often rousing, at other times genuinely transcendent, and always righteous as fuck. Vancity, May 13 (12:30 p.m.); May 14 (7:15 p.m.) > ADRIAN MACK

“

Ava DuVernay hanging with the boyz at L.A’s fabled Good Life Cafe, from the filmmaker’s inspiring tribute to conscious hip-hop, This Is the Life. LOOKING FOR EXITS: CONVERSATIONS WITH A WINGSUIT ARTIST

(Denmark) The “fastest flying woman in the world”, Ellen Brennan, speaks seductively of the feeling she has while leaping from cliffs in the French Alps, with possible catastrophe as part of the allure. (The average career span of a BASE jumper is six years, and it usually ends with injury or death.) Brennan gave up a good job as an ER nurse for the full-time work of playing human flying squirrel, which clearly provides an even more potent dose of adrenaline and Thanatos to a woman unusually hungry for the mix. And that—breathtaking photography aside—is the kind of insight director Kristoffer Hegnsvad is looking for in

+++++ A RADICAL AND ASTONISHING FILM

THAT TURNS CONVENTIONAL THINKING ABOUT IMMIGRANTS ON ITS HEAD.” KALEEM AFTAB, THE INDEPENDENT

“AN

IMMENSELY POWERFUL THRILLER.” ANDREW PULVER, THE GUARDIAN

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“AN EXCELLENT, SEARING AND COMPASSIONATE DRAMA. THIS IS AUDIARD OPERATING AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME.” OLIVER LYTTELTON, THE PLAYLIST

a doc that sometimes strains a little too hard for depth. But it’s a fascinating subject, no matter how you slice it, especially when you consider, dear Vancouver, that Brennan considers bike-riding to be a far more dangerous and frightening activity than plummeting thousands of feet to the Earth. Vancity, May 13 (7 p.m.); Cinematheque, May 15 (6:15 p.m.) > AM THIS IS THE LIFE (USA) Long be-

fore emerging as a major filmmaker with Selma, Ava DuVernay was a regular fixture at South Central L.A.’s Good Life Cafe, rapping with Figures of Speech under the name Eve. DuVernay made This Is the Life in 2008, interviewing all the major

players in a scene that was ground zero for underground and conscious hip-hop in the early ’90s. What emerges is a picture of pure, youth-driven creativity (and frequent genius), unsullied by market forces and driven by love and respect. While Ice Cube and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, among others, were skulking around and winning Grammys with styles jacked from the Good Life, a crew like the astounding Freestyle Fellowship was turning its back on the majors for reasons that’ll outlive any lower definition of “success”. There’s a slew of unmissable films at this year’s DOXA, and this insanely inspiring effort is easily one of them. Vancity, May 13 (2:45 p.m.) > AM THE BALLAD OF OPPENHEIMER PARK (Mexico) Oppenheimer Park, at

the corner of Powell Street and Jackson Avenue, can look rough to outsiders, but it serves as a vital space for people who feel unwelcome elsewhere. The Ballad of Oppenheimer Park is a “western in the style of John Ford”, according to DOXA’s program summary—but that’s said with a wink. The unscripted film gives us a candid glimpse into this small section of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Many of the First Nations people who gravitate to the park are severe alcoholics, reduced by desperation to drinking Listerine. In creating a snapshot of their lives, Juan Manuel Sepúlveda’s film offers no judgment, but neither is it flattering. To gain

access to a group justifiably unfriendly to cameras, the filmmaker spent two years at Oppenheimer. He captured camaraderie in hard times, dark humour in the face of oppression, and, more than anything else, simple community. Cinematheque, May 14 (4:30 p.m.) > TRAVIS LUPICK NUTS! (USA) One of the more un-

usual things about this quirky feature doc—other than its protagonist’s claim to fame—is the unorthodox conceit of using its subject’s biographer as narrator. This enables a story line that makes it possible, even ethical (and, perhaps, essential), to entertainingly mislead the viewer before the big reveal. In the case of infamous Depression-era doctor John R. Brinkley, this takes place, in finest Perry Mason hubris-destroying style, in a courtroom. The good doctor rose from Dust Bowl anonymity in Milford, Kansas, to regional and national fame because of his freakish male-impotence therapy: grafting goat testicles to human scrotums. With both medical-profession and political enemies gunning for him, the ultrarich Brinkley made a run for the office of governor and, at the onset of commercial radio, set up the first pirate station with the world’s most powerful signal. Director Penny Lane’s eccentric mixture of animation, archival shots, and live interviews scored a Sundance jury editing award and holds the attention. Cinematheque, May 14 (9 p.m.) > MARTIN DUNPHY

Arts time out

Susan Sarandon

Rose Byrne

And

J.K. Simmons

“AN INSISTENTLY WINNING, HOPELESSLY IRRESISTIBLE MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUET.” –Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“SUSAN SARANDON IS A STAR SHINING ON HER HIGHEST BEAMS. ONLY A FOOL WOULD WANT TO MISS THOSE FIREWORKS.” –Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

++++ ! ++++! “SWEET AND FUNNY.” CRITICS’ PICK -Stephen Whitty, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

-David Ehrlich, TIME OUT NEW YORK

from page 32

SONGS OF WORLD WAR I Tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist WenWen Du perform music by Mahler, Stephan, Butterworth, Weill, and Britten. Presented by the Vancouver Recital Society. May 18, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton). Tix from $25, info 604-602-0363, www.vanrecital.com/.

COMEDY 2ONGOING THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 604-684-5050, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with pro-am night Tue at 8:30 pm, showcase Wed at 8:30 pm, and featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Cover $8 Tue, $10 Wed, $15 Thu, $18 Fri, $20 Sat. 2BEN GLEIB May 12-14 2IVAN DECKER May 19-21 2GABRIEL RUTLEDGE Jun 2-4 2CHAD DANIELS Jun 9-11 2DEANNE SMITH Jun 16-18 2CHRIS LOCKE Jun 23-25 YUK YUK’S COMEDY CLUB 2837 Cambie, 604-696-9857, www.yukyuks.com/ vancouver. Comedy club with Top Talent Tue at 8 pm, amateur night Wed at 8 pm, and professional headliners Thu-Fri at 8 pm and Sat at 7 and 9:30 pm. Cover Tue $10, Wed $7, Thu $10, and Fri-Sat $20.

don’t miss out!

“URGENT. SMARTLY PROVOCATIVE.”

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

DAVE CALHOUN, TIME OUT

www.straight.com

“UTTERLY GRIPPING. SUPERBLY ACTED.”

VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS LEAGUE Some of the world’s most daring and innovative improv. Improv After Dark (every Fri and Sat, 11:15 pm); Off Leash (every Wed and Thu, 9:15 pm); Rookie Night (every Sun, 7:30 pm); TheatreSports (every Wed, 7:30 pm; every Fri and Sat, 9:30 pm); Throne and Games: A Chance of Snow (every Thu, Fri, and Sat 7:30 pm). May 11-18, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island). Tix $8-22, info www.vtsl.com/.

JONATHAN ROMNEY, THE OBSERVER

2THIS WEEK TRACY MORGAN American comedian, best known for his work on TV’s Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, performs a standup show. May 13, doors 7 pm, show 9 pm, Molson Canadian Theatre at Hard Rock (2080 United Blvd.). Tix $59.50/49.50/39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www. ticketmaster.ca/. THE LADY SHOW Monthly comedy show features Diana Bang, Fatima Dhowre, Katie-Ellen Humphries, Morgan Brayton, Robyn Daye Edwards, and Emma Cooper. May 13, 8 pm, 10:30 pm, Little Mountain Gallery (195 E. 26th). Tix $15/10, info www. facebook.com/TheLadyShowComedy/. COARSE LANGUAGE, DRUG USE

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VANCOUVERITE: A COMEDY SHOW Brent Constantine and Amber HarperYoung present local comedy by Alex Biron, Stefan MacNeil, and Graham Clark. May 14, 8 pm, Hot Art Wet City Gallery (2206 Main). Tix $10/7, info www.hotart wetcity.com/vancouverite-may2016/.

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34 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

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A TRUE ORIGINAL Any responsible comedy consumer knows thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no such thing as an unknown comedian. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never heard of the headliner at your local club, Bing him or her. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never heard of Bing, then go Ask Jeeves. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a world of information and video at the palms of your fingers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite possible comic Ben Gleib falls into this category for you, unless you were a regular viewer of Chelsea Lately or the Game Show Network, where he hosts Idiotest. But check out some video of his standup online. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got an original voice. His bit on spiders is enough to see why Esquire named him one of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the six comedians who could be comedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next big thingsâ&#x20AC;? (we learned that from the Bing machine, too). If you like what you find on your computer, go see him live at the Comedy MIX from Thursday to Saturday (May 12 to 14). As a special bonus, Dino Archie will be the emcee. Levi McCachen middles.

APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD 5:45 pm "Avril et le monde truquĂŠ" From the mind of renowned graphic novelist Jacques Tardi [ge]k Y jan]laf_ k[a%Ă&#x161; Y\n]flmj] k]l af Yf Ydl]jfYl]$ kl]Yehmfc ogjd\& *French w/ English subs. *Also screening Saturday, May 21 at 4:00 pm. THE TIMEBOMB VIDEO 8:45 pm Vancouver Premiere

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FRIDAY THE 13th )10(!&&& gf >ja\Yq l`] )+l` Gmj Friday Late Night Movie gets meta at midnight&

IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY The Fictionals present an evening of improv comedy based on cult-hit game Cards Against Humanity. May 18, 8-10:30 pm, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix $12/10, info www.thefictionals.com/.

LITERARY EVENTS ALLITERASIAN ANTHOLOGY LAUNCH Book launch features readings by Carolyn Nakagawa, C.E. Gatchalian, Jackie Wong, Rita Wong, and Crecien Bencio. May 12, 7-8:30 pm, Centre A (229 E. Georgia). Info www.eventbrite.ca/e/alliterasian-anthol ogy-launch-at-centre-a-in-asian-heritagemonth-tickets-24919382544/.

MAY 14

2THIS WEEK

THE LOBSTER +2,- he Yorgos Lanthimos \Yjc [ge]\q k]l af Yf g^^%cadl]j \qklghaYf kg[a]lq o`]j] kaf_d] h]ghd] af[dm\af_ Colin Farrell$ Rachel Weisz$ Yf\ John C. Reilly! emkl Ă&#x161;f\ eYl]k oal`af ,- \Yqk$ gj jakc Z]af_ ljYfk^gje]\ aflg YfaeYdk& Jury Prize, 2015 Cannes Film Festival

I don't care, pretty baby... Just take me with you. PURPLE RAIN /2(( he )(2(( he jmk` gfdq ! <]Yjdq Z]dgn]\$ o] Yj] _Yl`]j]\ `]j] lg []d]ZjYl] làk làf_ [Ydd]\ da^] Zq []d]ZjYlaf_ l`] emka[Yd _]famk Prince oal` àk ]d][lja[ lmjf af l`] ]ha[ PURPLE RAIN&

LITFEST NEW WEST Celebrate readers and writers with a two-month exhibit, a multilingual poetry event, a communication workshop, a literary marketplace, vendors, local authors, author workshops, author readings, and a singer-songwriter panel. May 13-19, various New Westminster venues. Info www.litfestnewwest.com/.

ET CETERA

MUSEUMS THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, 604-822-5087, www.moa.ubc.ca/. 2LAWRENCE PAUL YUXWELUPTUN: UNCEDED TERRITORIES (Vancouver-based artist is showcased in a presentation of works that confront the colonialist suppression of First Nations peoples and reflect the ongoing struggle for indigenous rights to lands, resources, and sovereignty) to Oct 16

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

FOR THE LOVE 7:00 pm Vancouver Premiere screening

BLADE RUNNER 12+( he Harrison Ford stars in Ja\d]q K[gll k \qklghaYf k[a%Ă&#x161; [dYkka[& Last chance to see this on the big screen, replicants!

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, 604-662-4719, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/. 2MASHUP: THE BIRTH OF MODERN CULTURE (exhibition offers an international survey of mashup culture, documenting the emergence and evolution of a mode of creativity that has grown to become the dominant form of cultural production in the early 21st century) to Jun 12

PURPLE RAIN 7:00 pm Big screen. Big sound!

IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY 8:00 pm Join The Fictionals Comedy Co. Yk l`]q j]lmjf lg l`] Jag L`]Ylj] oal` l`]aj egfl`dq keYk`%`al aehjgn k`go ZYk]\ gf l`] `al _Ye] Cards Against Humanity& >gj `gjjaZd] h]ghd] gfdq!& #IAHatRio

GALLERIES

SOLD +2+( he Vancouver Premiere Gillian Anderson and David Arquette star in this egnaf_ Ă&#x161;de Y\Yhl]\ ^jge l`] Y[[dYae]\ Z]kl%k]ddaf_ fgn]d Zq Patricia McCormick (which was itself afkhaj]\ Zq ljm] klgja]k!& Hjg\m[]j Jane Charles af Yll]f\Yf[] ^gj I 9 lg ^gddgo&

10 CLOVERFIELD LANE 12+( he John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead star in l`ak dYl]kl fYad%Zalaf_ afklYdde]fl g^ l`] ;dgn]jĂ&#x161;]d\ ^jYf[`ak]&

SIGN O' THE TIMES 12+( he Mabl aZk]&mh&Ă&#x203A;g] *210 \hg\^km fhob^ ]blmbeel Zee h_ ma^ Purple One's powers into one divine housequake." Jgddaf_ Klgf]! <aj][l]\ Zq Prince&

MAY 20

SEIKATSU Evening of improvised music and dance featuring musicians Makigami Koichi and Stefan Smulovitz and dancer Jay Hirabayashi. May 15, 8 pm, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W. Hastings). Tix $25/15, info www.facebook. com/events/252139341801392/.

LEAGUE OF EXOTIQUE DANCERS .2+( he L`ak [jala[Yd Yf\ Ym\a]f[] ^Yngmjal] ^j]k` g^^ Hot Docs and DOXA Ă&#x161;de ^]klanYdk ! ^gddgok l`] dan]k g^ l`] d]_]f\k Yf\ hagf]]jk g^ Zmjd]kim] Yk l`]q hj]hYj] lg _an] Y dan] h]j^gjeYf[] Yl l`] D]_]f\k g^ :mjd]kim] @Ydd g^ >Ye] af DYk N]_Yk& PURPLE RAIN 9:00 pm Final screening! 9dd Y_]k GC af l`] ZYd[gfq& JURASSIC PARK <ggjk ))2+( he& Da^] Ă&#x161;f\k Y oYq gflg gmj k[j]]f Yk Y Friday Late Night Movie&

MAY 27

DREAM FACTORY CIRCUS Circus West presents a steampunk-influenced production that follows young dreamers as they traverse into their fantasies. May 12-15, PNE Garden Auditorium (100 N. Renfrew). Tix $23/17/15, info www.circuswest.com/.

MAY 15

2THIS WEEK

THE ROOM Live Script Reading & Movie Screening /2(( he Qgm dd dYm_`& Qgm dd [jq& Qgm dd ogf\]j&&& O`Yl l`] `]dd ak _gaf_ gf7 Lg []d]ZjYl] l`] )+l` Yffan]jkYjq g^ Ma^ <bmbs^g DZg^ h_ bad movies, Y[lgj Greg Sistero YcY EYjc ! oadd Z] bgafaf_ mk af h]jkgf ^gj Y k[jahl j]Y\af_ g^ l`] kg%ZY\%al k%_gg\ [mdl%[dYkka[& PAN'S LABYRINTH <ggjk ))2+(& Guillermo del Toro's kh]ddZaf\af_ h`YflYkeY_gja[ ^YZd] _]lk l`] >ja\Yq DYl] Fa_`l Egna] lj]Yle]fl&

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36 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

Please help us.

BY KATE WI LSON

MUSIC

lectronic music often happens at a distance. With the rise of the Internet, producers can swap sounds over a global network without meeting face to face. Dissatisfied with how this remote production eclipses the joy of “record-store run-ins”, one Vancouver event is putting the personal back into dance music. Groundwerk is the 100-mile diet for electronic-music enthusiasts. Dubbed a “listening party” by its founders, the event has a simple premise: Vancouver’s producers submit their tracks to be played end to end, and an audience that includes Lotusland label reps, promoters, and dance music fans offers feedback. With its smorgasbord of genres, Groundwerk cooks up a feast of local samples. Founder Joel Cottingham—a seasoned DJ under the name Joel West—first identified the need for this city-based network. Frustrated by Vancouver’s lack of integration, he created Groundwerk as a hub to connect homegrown talent, firmly believing that community pushes each artist to improve. His event offers a noncompetitive space for dance musicians to hone their skills. “In electronic music we’re basically all shy, introverted nerds,” Cottingham says with a laugh, hunched over a table in a booth at the ANZA Club. “We spend a lot of time alone with a laptop—we don’t actually socialize, generally. Especially not with so many of us together. Groundwerk is about cultivation, it’s about sharing, it’s about peer mentorship. There’s the party and the consumptive side of electronic music— and this feels like family.” Cottingham practises what he preaches. Along with fellow organizers Steph Parkes and Nickolas Collinet, Cottingham boasts a comprehensive address book and a willingness to call in some favours. Each Groundwerk event features a keynote speaker drawn from Vancouver’s expansive musical network. With past presenters including producer and performer Queensyze, BCIT’s Music Business Program instructor Chris Brandt, and Nordic Trax label head Luke McKeehan, the event brings a wide range of local mentors into the Groundwerk fold. “Everybody in the room has something to share,” Cottingham says. “It’s the Bill Nye quote:

Laying the Groundwerk

Groundwerk organizers (left to right) Joel Cottingham, Steph Parkes, and Nickolas Collinet prove that black T-shirts aren’t just for Swedish metal acts.

Cottingham’s event might be about connecting local talent, but recent months have seen musicians from Vancouver event organizers have made it their mission Groundwerk’s communto bring local electronic-music producers together ity gain traction out‘Everyone knows something you don’t!’ This is a side of Canada. Now entering its second year, place to be curious and inquisitive, and you don’t the collective plans to cement its status in the global arena—and it’s off to a f lying start. have to be a producer to be here.” The group’s last showcase saw two Groundwerk Cottingham is quick to point out how Groundwerk’s ethos of collaboration has trans- artists spinning alongside Detroit techno godfather Kevin Saunderson and his son Dantiez. formed its artists’ success. “In one of our early events we gave away some Next month, a number of the society’s DJs will studio time—a four-hour session,” Cottingham re- support U.K. legend Dave Angel in two venues calls. “It was a random draw. Karsten Sollors—who across the city. Aiming to capitalize on this sucrecently signed a track to Toolroom Records and is cess, the group has some exciting news. “Groundwerk is going to launch a label,” Cotone of Vancouver’s most talented producers—met Sam Steele from [local duo] Diana Boss that night. tingham says. “We’ve spent the last year lookThey hit it off so much they decided that if one of ing inwards, building an in-person network them won, they’d take the other into the studio for Vancouver’s DJs, producers, and enthusiwith them. Karsten won, honoured the pact, and in asts. Now we have all this talent and wonderful those four hours they wrote a track called ‘Serve’. music, and we’re going to send it out beyond our borders. We want to make another tool for our And they signed it to Deko-ze’s label in Toronto. “Are they both great and should they both be re- community of artists.” leasing music? Yes, absolutely,” Cottingham says. “But Groundwerk’s expanding model is part of that wouldn’t have happened without Groundwerk.” a larger movement across the city. Vancouver

CHECK THIS OUT

THE OZZMAN GOETH Ozzy Osbourne has moved out

of the home he shares with his wife, manager, and reality-TV costar Sharon Osbourne. “Thash woo fa fuckin’ buzzle,” Ozzy reportedly told a close friend. “Na wa Sharon diz fuckin’ mash.”

A REAL HOLE? In an Instagram post with classic-era

THE PACK A.D. Evolving isn’t always easy—ask the Ramones,

who unapologetically made the same record from cradle to grave. Mad respect, then, to the Pack A.D., whose records today make it hard to believe that the duo originated as throwback-blues traditionalists. Consider the band’s new single, “So What”, where singerguitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller find the sinfully sweet spot between shimmering ’90s shoegaze and hyperlush pop. Which is to say that the Pack A.D.’s Thursday-and-Friday stand (May 12 and 13) at the Cobalt won’t sound anything like the songs from Funeral Mixtape. Or, for that matter, the Ramones. -

Groundwerk takes place at the ANZA Club on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Its one-year showcase is at Lost + Found café on May 28.

MUSIC Let’s talk about

You gotta see

Art & Leisure’s f lourishing event Around B.C. exclusively showcases DJs from the province. Long-standing online group Vancouver Producers Forum has begun orchestrating meetups to swap technical composition tips. And Fortune Sound Club’s new offering Cooking links the city’s premier producers with aspiring Lotusland artists. “Groundwerk and all these other exciting events are growing as a grassroots pushback against commercial EDM,” Cottingham says. “The big-room stuff and all the hype was great for a few years. Now the world is ready for local nuance. You see the rise of arts groups and label crews. This is the new thing. “There’s so much stuff bubbling up across Canada right now,” he continues. “And we’re starting to make a very connected scene in our region. I think that by building strength in our local area, we can take the ethos of community support nationally. Groundwerk helps local artists. And when we provide a stage for each other’s music, our community can go so far.” -

bandmates Melissa Auf der Maur and Patty Schemel, Courtney Love promised she’s “serving up a Hole lot of something. maybe”. Hopefully, this means a reunion to erase the complete stench of the “Hole” she’s fronted for the past half-decade.

DOWN THE HALL Facing a US$5-million lawsuit for publicly accusing Arsenio Hall of supplying Prince with drugs, Sinéad O’Connor was less than contrite toward Hall in a Facebook post last week: “He can suck my dick.” Never change, Sinéad—nothing compares to you. SITTIN’ SHITTY Axl Rose made his debut with AC/DC at a Portuguese show where—thanks to a broken foot— he sang from a thronelike chair. At least get the man a mobility scooter so he can ride around the stage.

Fresh and local SKYOTE SKYOTE Ian Johnston might be known to a few Straight readers as the mastermind behind the dreamy downtempo electronica project Shaky Snakes. His band Skyote couldn’t be more different; the four songs on its new self-titled EP could be described as urban roots rock. It’s mostly fairly straightforward stuff—gritty guitar rock enlivened by synthesizer melodies—but the closing number, “Stormy Petrel”, demonstrates an affinity for stargazing atmospherics. Johnston has a rough-around-the-edges quality to his voice, a certain world-weariness that gives these songs a “lived-in” feeling— sort of like a Strathcona basement suite, but in a good way, and without the mushrooms growing on the windowsills. MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 37

JAZZ FEST

Jazz fest brings crowd-pleasers, innovators > BY A LEX A NDER VA R TY

he full lineup for the 2016 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival was released at a news conference on Wednesday (May 11), and once again organizers have struck a fine balance between a full plate of crowd-pleasing headliners and a deep roster of musical innovators. On the big-ticket front, look out for neosoul diva Lauryn Hill, the beautifully rootsy Tedeschi Trucks Band, and the locally beloved Sarah McLachlan, with one of the mostanticipated shows being a muchbuzzed-about project featuring k.d. lang, Neko Case, and Laura Veirs. “We’ve been trying to get k.d. for years,” Coastal Jazz and Blues Society artistic director Ken Pickering told the Georgia Straight in a telephone interview before the launch. “She was actually confirmed last year, and then had to cancel for family reasons. So there’s a bit of a make-good aspect to this show.…They reached out to me and said k.d.’s working on this special project with Neko Case and Laura Veirs. And that was, like, ‘Holy smokes!’ “This is in some ways just more

interesting than doing a normal show by any one of these artists,” Pickering adds. “I wasn’t that familiar with Laura’s work and started checking her stuff out, and was totally blown away by that Warp and Weft album.” Although former Vancouverite lang is still considered an alt.country icon, in recent years her inspired reinterpretations of standards—and a Grammy-winning album of duets with veteran crooner Tony Bennett—have given her a fair bit of jazz cred. Case, another onetime Lower Mainland resident, often hires improvisers to add spice to her more rock-oriented but essentially uncategorizable releases. And while the Portland-based Veirs is the least well-known of the three, she might have the strongest ties to jazz: her husband and producer, Tucker Martine, is a drummer and recording engineer who has worked extensively with jazz-fest favourites Bill Frisell and Wayne Horvitz. Smaller concerts to consider during the jazz festival, which runs from June 24 to July 3, include the effusive Japanese pianist Hiromi, the deeply emotive singer Gregory Porter, and the masterful saxophonist Joe Lovano, all

Hiromi has a system to remember which fingers go on which keys.

at the Vogue, and a strong North Shore lineup topped by Tom Waits/Elvis Costello sideman Marc Ribot’s scarifying avant-rock project, Ceramic Dog. All the above, along with a plethora of free outdoor shows and some new international developments, mean that taking a Vancouver staycation towards the end of June makes more sense than ever. The festival’s Made in the U.K. and Spotlight on French Jazz initiatives both turn five this year, and both offer local listeners a rare opportunity

to tour the best of London and Paris without having to stray far from home. Pickering cites French artists Emile Parisien and Donkey Monkey as among those to watch; frequent visitor Benoît Delbecq also returns, sharing his otherworldly piano with locals François Houle, Gordon Grdina, and Kenton Loewen. The ever-radical saxophonist Evan Parker, another honorary Vancouverite, is at the core of the English program, and in that context he’ll debut a new string-trio-assisted quartet with B.C.’s Peggy Lee, Torsten Müller, and Meredith Bates. Pickering cites pianist Alexander Hawkins as another performer not to miss, along with newcomers Mammal Hands and Christine Tobin. He’s also excited by new exchanges with jazz promoters in Poland and Italy as further evidence of his event’s international outlook. “Both of these are an outcome of my visits to Jazz Ahead, a conference that happens on an annual basis in Bremen,” he explains. “I also met Piotr Turkiewicz, who’s the Jazztopad [Festival] guy in Wroclaw, Poland, at the Take Five project south of London. That was a very interesting educational

project where the idea is that they invite musicians who are ready for prime time, in that 30-ish zone, who were ready to make the next step up— not just in terms of music, but in terms of learning about the business of music and everything that you need to know to really survive in today’s climate. “The jazz festival’s commitment to Vancouver musicians has also deepened this year, with the hiring of Pugs and Crows guitarist Cole Schmidt as its first-ever guest programmer. “He’s one of our favourite young musicians, and he’s also done a lot of grassroots presenting at venues like Merge and the Lido,” Pickering says. Another new, locally focused initiative is Common Grounds, which will find jazz trumpeter and composer Al Matheson’s septet teaming up with keyboardist Alexander Weimann and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra for an evening at Christ Church Cathedral. The intent is to locate and examine the links between the music of Johann Sebastian Bach’s time and that of our own, with improvisation and counterpoint the through-lines. For more details and a complete festival schedule, visit www.coastal jazz.ca/. -

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Amon Amarth doesn’t trust happy endings Jomsviking, the 10th album by Viking-metal heroes Amon Amarth, is a departure in many ways. The band has changed drummers, altered its colour scheme—going for cold blues and whites instead of its usual apocalyptic reds and blacks—and, most surprisingly, abandoned Norse mythology as its central lyrical inspiration. “We wanted to try something new,” guitarist Johan Söderberg, reached on the road in Omaha, tells the Straight. “It’s more like a story,” he explains. “We’re not going to say we’re not going to go back and write about mythology again. It’s just on this album we wanted a story of a guy instead.” Their main character is a young Viking, exiled after a murder, who joins the Jomsvikings, a real-life order of pagan mercenaries and warriors that existed in 10th- and 11th-century Scandinavia. After many battles, the protagonist returns home to find that the girl he loves has forgotten him, and his father holds him in scorn. After one last battle, he’s dispatched to Valhalla forevermore. The story may be grim—Söderberg says unhappy endings are “more convincing”, and that “a little darkness makes the story more appealing to us”—but the music, this time out, is some of the band’s most anthemic, melodic, and empowering. Söderberg explains this is partly because the album was written without a drummer. (Fredrik Andersson left the band in 2015, after 17 years behind the kit; he was replaced on the album by Tobias Gustafsson, and on the road by Joakim “Jocke” Wallgren, who might become a permanent member.) Not having a drummer when writing “gave more room for us”— Söderberg and his fellow guitarist Olavi Mikkonen—“to also write the drum parts, and not to have so much kick drums all the time, which makes the melodies stand out more.” The two wrote music based around singer Johan Hegg’s narrative framework; Hegg then added the finished lyrics to their music. Söderberg’s contributions include most of “A Dream That Cannot Be”, “One Thousand Burning Arrows”, and “One Against All”. You can roughly tell who wrote what by following who plays the lead guitar in concert. “If I write the song,” Söderberg explains, “then usually I play the lead part, and if Olavi writes the song, usually he plays the lead part. But sometimes, of course, that switches.” The band will be bringing to Vancouver the “biggest production we’ve ever had on an American tour, and the most theatrical”, which is saying something, considering that past productions have seen a whole Viking ship on-stage. “We have a very big Viking helmet as a drum riser, we change backdrops lots, and we have two guys who do some Viking fights on-stage.” As for Norse myth, there are still hints of it—references to Odin, Thor, and the dragon Níðhöggr. But its presence or absence is of no great concern to Söderberg. “For me, it’s just a cool theme to write music to.” It’s hard to resist asking at least one question about the Viking world-view, though. Like, how does he understand the concept of Valhalla, the Viking afterlife? “To live back in those days must have been really hard,” Söderberg offers. “So it was an image that made everyday life easier, so they wouldn’t be afraid of dying, or adventure—to not be afraid to go out on the sea on a small boat. They really believed ‘When I die, I’m going to go to a big hall and drink beer and eat roasted pig every night.’ ” Does the idea have any bearing on his own conception of the afterlife? “I think there’s probably something that’s going to happen when you die,” he says. “I don’t know what it is, but I would think it strange if it’s only, you fade to black and nothing

2 Swedish

We’re not saying that there’s an image to which all Swedish metal bands (like Amon Amarth) must conform, but we’re not not saying that either.

else happens. But I’m pretty sure I’m wrote it, he said he was falling in one love and out of another; the words not going to wake up in Valhalla!” > ALLAN M AC INNIS were just love thoughts, but they didn’t mean anything. And then he Amon Amarth plays the Commodore said that when he heard my rendition Ballroom on Monday (May 16). of it, he just broke down crying—he finally understood his song. “To have a songwriter feel that you’d looked inside his song and took care of it and expressed some of the things that were in his heart Bettye LaVette thinks that is extremely f lattering,” LaVette Worthy, the fifth record she’s adds. But, really, it’s artists like made since beginning her remark- Hayward, Chapman, and Gauthier able late-career comeback a decade who should feel honoured—writago, is simply a collection of songs ing songs that are worthy of Bettye that she likes to sing. This listener, LaVette is no small feat. > ALEXANDER VARTY however, will argue that it’s an emotionally acute concept album centred around the acquisition of wisdom, Bettye LaVette plays West Vancouver’s Kay Meek Centre on Tuesday (May 17). often by way of pain. We’re probably both right. It’s true that when the Georgia Straight reaches the soul icon, on her tour bus somewhere in the mountains near Phoenix, Arizona, she Having spent the day chilling in makes light of the notion that there’s one of the great culinary capitals any kind of big picture behind the of the world, Young Empires singer Matt 2015 release. “What do you mean, ‘a big pic- Vlahovich perhaps fittingly reaches for ture’?” LaVette says. “I don’t know a food metaphor when he describes his that I’m a message singer at all. I’m band’s approach to songwriting. not a deep singer.” Informed that there are those who think otherwise—which she, of course, already knows—she relents, a little. “I mean, they’re deep to me, but there isn’t any message or narrative that I’m trying to carry,” she explains. “It’s just what I felt like singing at the time. When I choose a couple of songs, if I see which way the CD is going to go, then I start to choose songs to complement those I’ve chosen. So I May 13 SAVAGE don’t just pick them out of the air; I try May 14 SAVAGE to have them have some kind of coMay 15 SONS OF THE HOE hesiveness. And this one just turned out to be very personal, it seems—but WED: KARAOKEE IS BACK • THUR: POOL TOURNAMENT it wasn’t by design.” 1038 Main St • (604) 608-1444 LaVette highlights the organic na1 block North Main St SkyTrain ture of her process by noting that she hadn’t even heard her latest record’s title tune, written by Beth Nielsen Chapman and Mary Gauthier, until the night before she was due to start work on Worthy with producer Joe Henry and his cast of handpicked musicians. Once she did, though, the FRI MAY 13 whole album fell into place, from its SO HIDEOUS * BOSSE-DE-NAGE * AND focus to its feel—and in that light she LOCALS * FINITE * SEVEN NINES AND doesn’t deny that the record is all about TENS * giving voice to hard-won experience. “Oh, well, sure! That’s what it turned SAT MAY 14 out to be. I just turned 70 in January, * GALGAMEX * GROSS MISCONDUCT so almost everything I say is like that,” * CADAVERIC LIVIDITY * BUSHWHACKER * she says, laughing. “You know how THURS MAY 19 grandmothers are. Everything I say is * THAT FILTHY SHOW * BURLESQUE either a word of caution, or ‘I used to COMEDY MUSIC * BLOODY BETTY walk 25 miles to school…’ ” * PICKLES LAVEY * STEVIE SLEEZBURGER LaVette clearly wears her wisdom * HOSTED BY DAVID DJ ROY * $7 ~ 9PM as lightly as she carries her age. As * FOLLOWED BY KARAOKE * a singer, she mixes jazzy musicality FRI MAY 20 with a bluesy rasp that reflects her * SHITLIVER [ONT] * CRYPTIC [EDM] speaking voice; hers is a very per- * FEMINAL FLUIDS [EDM] * sonal approach, and one that’s wellsuited to finding new depths in even SAT MAY 21 the most overfamiliar tunes. For * ZUCKUSS * ASSIMILATION * REGRETS confirmation of that, just ask Justin * DREGS * Hayward of the Moody Blues, whose “Nights in White Satin” was covered by LaVette on 2010’s Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook. “We were just reading some wonderful things that he had written,” LaVette reveals. “He said that for him, that song was just a bunch of random thoughts that I seemed to have put together and sung correctly. When he

LaVette gives voice to hard-won experience

Young Empires enjoys its music with all the fixings

music. Basically, what it means is if you’re not getting onto these Spotify playlists that have grand exposure, it’s even more challenging to build an audience. Fortunately, we’ve had three songs on The Gates that I think have over a million plays on Spotify.” It would seem that most of those plays are people living in a major metropolis, which makes sense considering Young Empires’ shimmering, forward-thinking rock sounds like it was made for modern cities of steel and glass. Vlahovich reports that the band indeed does great in big urban centres like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with smaller markets being more of a challenge. But that’s a challenge that he not only is up to, but actually sees as fuel for his art. It’s no accident that, for all its sonic exploring, The Gates ends on an uplifting note with the straightahead but sparkling “Uncover Your Eyes”, where Vlahovich starts off with “I used to be afraid of myself so I covered my eyes/I was blinded by the fear of the devil inside” before going on to sing “And now I know and now I see that I’m my own worst enemy.” “You put a lot on the line when you pursue an artistic passion where there are no certainties,” the singer says. “When there’s no job security, it just adds more anxiety and stress into your daily life, and that definitely affects the songwriting. It’s also the nature of the beast of being in a rock band and touring—there are issues we all deal with, be it alcohol or drugs or whatever. There’s a reason a lot of artists gravitate toward these things and it becomes cyclical. But we want to do this for the next 10 or 15 years, and I think that’s where our optimism comes in, knowing our music is positive and helping people get through some negative times.” > MIKE USINGER

Young Empires plays Fortune Sound Club next Thursday (May 19).

NO COVER

“The way I personally see it, it’s like when you’re cooking food for someone,” the Toronto-based frontman says, speaking on his cell from a tour van rolling out of New Orleans. “Sometimes when you’re cooking for someone, a simple meal will work. But we like all the fixings—we want there to be a wide range of flavour profiles in whatever it is we’re eating. When we’re writing songs it’s like that too. It’s all about different textures, like the spices that you put on your food.” The band’s 2015 full-length The Gates was indeed all about textures. From the space-cowboy synth-funk of “So Cruel” to the starbursting pop of “Mercy”, the songs show a crazy attention to sonic detail, Young Empires leaning winningly on looped vocals, swooping synths, and arena-ready vocals. A noticeable shift from the band’s considerably more percussion-driven DIY debut EP, Wake All My Youth, the record scored Young Empires a Juno win this year for breakthrough group. Just as importantly, The Gates caught the attention of enough tastemakers that the trio has been on the road as often as it’s been at home in Toronto, touring both as a headliner and opener for acts ranging from Dragonette and Japandroids to Girl Talk and Vampire Weekend. The countless hours in the tour van have both their advantages and undeniable challenges (not the least of which is that Vlahovich has a young child at home from whom he is often apart for weeks at a time). “In terms of building a market presence in America, when you don’t have a hit on commercial radio it’s hard,” he says. “It seems like there’s been kind of a decline in the strength of music blogs over the past five years. Now we’re really seeing an upsurgence on Spotify. This is how people are now really finding their music. When we meet new fans, I’d say that 90 percent of them found us on Spotify. That’s definitely changed the dynamic in

MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 39

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Sometimes Ashley Webber sits and thinks, and sometimes she just sits, but sometimes she stands and walks—just like Rory Calhoun.

Ashley Shadow sings of struggles overcome

hat Ashley Webber named her This was all captured at the latter’s new project Ashley Shadow is Balloon Factory studio in early 2015. a stroke of genius. Over the Popping up online a year before last decade and a half, she’s the rest of the record, album openlaid down the low end as the bassist of er “All for You” is an acoustic track early-’00s postpunks the Organ, per- that finds Webber’s soft vibrato laformed in the live iteration of twin sis- menting the southbound trajectory ter Amber’s synth-folk unit Lightning of a relationship. On it, she solemnly Dust, and sung backup on an album by reflects: “It could never last for me, U.S. alt-country icon Bonnie “Prince” you’ll be better off by feeling free.” Billy. After playing supporting roles “It’s basically about men that with these artists, Webber is now com- date women that are younger than ing out of the darkthem. The women basically have ness, if you will, to their whole lives stand in the spotahead of them, light herself. It’s an Gregory Adams and they’re just paapt narrative arc, but the Vancouver-based singer-song- thetic 40- to 50-year-old men that writer says there’s not much back story are dating 20-year-old women,” she behind the Ashley Shadow name. Sim- says of the introductory strummer, adding that it’s sung from the male ply put, it’s her birthright. “My middle name is Shadow, there’s perspective. “They’re clearly dating no secret weird thing,” she says bluntly someone that doesn’t have a lot in with a smile, while spending a late Sun- common with them.” day morning with the Straight at Fraser Running throughout the nine-song Street’s Prado Café. “I’m obviously a release are reflections on a number twin. I was born second, so I got Shad- of personal experiences. “Sun” was ow. My sister got Erica, which was my inspired by a dream Webber had folmom’s favourite aunt’s name.” lowing the death of her great-uncle, Webber’s sipping a creamy iced and plays out as an Icarus-like tale coffee beside cookie-chomping band- with its foreboding delivery of “Don’t mate Ryan Beattie the day after a re- get too close to the sun.” lease party for the group’s self-titled Elsewhere, Ashley Shadow can debut LP at the China Cloud. The handle romantic heartbreak, or hint singer calls the packed show the best at the songwriter’s time at Insite. The the band’s had yet, though adds that dusty “Another Day” has Webber it was only its third overall. And all weighing in on women she met on the of them took place recently. The first job who, she explains, fell into addicwas for 20 regulars at a bar in Rob- tion “to kill whatever pain they were erts Creek, and a follow-up show at dealing with”. “Tonight” is mauveBroadway drinking spot the Lido— tinted psych-country filled with ruswhere both Webber and Beattie tend tic guitar patterns, ear-bleeding bass bar—wasn’t actually advertised. fuzz, and crushing harmonies about The buildup to Ashley Shadow’s being “taken away from your family”. debut was likewise low-key, given There’s a heaviness threaded into that Webber had attempted to get a Ashley Shadow’s debut release, but solo effort off the ground five years the struggles presented are intended ago. After she penned a few cuts she to be overcome. Webber mentions now calls “throwaways”, a career that there’s a general theme of feshift toward working with women in male empowerment on the LP. From the Downtown Eastside at the super- the start, she’s faced music-industry vised-injection facility Insite put her misogyny, but she’s determined to music aspirations on hold. push through the bullshit and pig“It wasn’t really coming together, and gishness for her craft. then I was distracted by thinking that I “When you’re playing music and wanted to work with women in addic- you’re a female, it’s kind of a bummer tion,” the artist explains, adding that sometimes. Being in the Organ, and her time as a coordinator for the non- having sound guys come on-stage profit was often tough. “I got into that and tweak my amp the way they full-time, but then I realized it wasn’t like… You’d never do that to a dude! for me, so I got back to songwriting.” Stuff like that throughout the years Reinvigorated, Webber’s next shot can get you down.” at music yielded the folksy cuts that She reflects on her art and all of its now make up her album. While her obstacles for a moment before addcurrent backup band comprises Beat- ing, “But getting past all that and still tie, Acorn restaurateur Shira Astra on doing an album…I’m not going to let keyboards, and drummer Matt Skil- that get in the way.” lings, she recorded the album with a crack team of musicians, includ- Ashley Shadow opens for Black ing Ladyhawk’s Darcy Hancock and Mountain at the Commodore BallBlack Mountain drummer Josh Wells. room next Saturday (May 21).

Local Motion

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40 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

Thing, Peggy Lee’s Echo Painting, Soul & “Pimp” Sessions, Petunia, and Gordon Grdina’s Haram. Jun 24–Jul 3, various Vancouver venues. Tix and info www. coastaljazz.ca/, info www.coastaljazz.com/.

FVDED IN THE PARK Urban-music festival features performances by Jack Ü, Zedd, Travis Scott, Bryson Tiller, Carnage, RL Grime, Galantis, Kaytranada, DJ Mustard, Tchami, Marshmello, Belly, Seven Lions, Goldlink, Gallant, Jazz Cartier, Troyboi, Giraffage, Shiba San, Anna Lunoe, Elaki, Sam Gellaitry, POMO, Rezz, D.R.A.M., HUMANS, Slumberjack, and Unlike Pluto. Jul 2-3, Holland Park (King George Hwy. & Old Yale Rd., Surrey). Tix at www. fvdedinthepark.com/.

music/ timeout CONCERTS < CLUBS & VENUES < OUT OF TOWN <

CONCERTS 2JUST ANNOUNCED WORLDBEAT SESSIONS Includes music by DJ Michael Laycock, DJ Ernesto “Kut” Gomez, and percussionist Raphael Geronimo. May 21, 10 pm, Backstage Lounge (Arts Club Theatre, 1585 Johnston, Granville Island). Tix $10, info www.electropical.ca/. BLUEBIRD NORTH: WHERE WRITERS SING AND TELL Music by Canadian songwriters Scott Cook, Murray McLauchlan, Winona Wilde, and Shari Ulrich. May 25, 7:30-10 pm, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews). Tix $18, info www.songwriters.ca/. KIÉRAH The Rogue Folk Club presents Canadian folk artist, with guests Adrian Dolan and Adam Dobres. Jun 3, 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th). Tix $20/16, info www.roguefolk.bc.ca/concerts/ ev16060320_1.

Nichols. Aug 25, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

8 pm, show 9 pm, Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward). Tix $14 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

LEE SCRATCH PERRY Jamaican reggaedub artist, with guest Mad Riddim. Sep 15, doors 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $29.75 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

DJEMBA DJEMBA AND GANZ Electronica artist coheadlines with Dutch multigenre artist, with guests Rico Uno and LeChance. May 13, Fortune Sound Club (147 E. Pender). Tix $15, info www.fortunesoundclub.com/.

SLAYER American thrash-metal legends, with guests Anthrax and Death Angel. Oct 20, 7 pm, Abbotsford Centre (33800 King Rd., Abbotsford). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $69/49 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

EDERLEZI BALKAN BRASS FESTIVAL Caravan World Rhythms and Slivovica Productions present two evenings of music, dance, food, and drink featuring performances by Orkestar Slivovica, Fanfare Zambeleta, and M9. May 13-14, 7 pm, The Legion on the Drive (2205 Commercial). Tix $25/23/12, info www. caravanbc.com/2016/03/ederlezi-balkanroma-brass-festival-2016/.

straight choices

FRANK SOLIVAN AND DIRTY KITCHEN The Rogue Folk Club presents bluegrass band, with guest Annalisa Tornfelt. Jun 8, 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th). Tix $24/20, info app.arts-people.com/index.php. GOLDROOM HIGH SEAS BOAT TOUR Music by Wmnstudies, Can I Live, and Momantix. Jun 11, 2:30 pm, M.V. Abitibi (750 Pacific Blvd.). Tix $35-45 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketweb.ca/. ALPHA BLONDY AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM Festival African Heritage Music and Dance Society presents the African reggae artist, with guests Camaro 67, Mr. Fantastik, and Ketch Di Vybz Dancers. Jun 17, 8 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix $47/45 (plus service charges and fees), info www.festivalafrica.org/. LLOYD COLE English rock-pop singersongwriter plays hits from his career from 1983 to 1996. Jun 18, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $25 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. DUCKTAILS Los Angeles-based pop musician and Real Estate member tours in support of latest release St. Catherine. Jul 9, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Cobalt (917 Main). Tix on sale May 13, 12 pm, $13 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/. STEVEN TYLER American hard-rock singer-songwriter and Aerosmith frontman performs with his new Nashvillebased band Loving Mary. Jul 10, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix on sale May 14, 10 am, $169.95/99.95/69.95 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. THE JAYHAWKS American alt-country band tours in support of latest studio album Paging Mr. Proust. Jul 18, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, The Imperial (319 Main). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $35 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. PHOEBE RYAN American pop musician tours in support of latest EP release Mine, with guests Cardiknox. Jul 23, doors 8 pm, show 8:30 pm, Alexander Gastown (91 Powell). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $13 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

BIF NAKED Some people are not only survivors but turn the shit life throws at them into something positive. Take muchloved Vancouverite Bif Naked, whose Twitter feed is famously about gratitude and the spreading of positive vibes. As outlined in her new memoir, I, Bificus, the singer born Beth Torbert has had a life where the curveballs have been whoppers, including cancer, sexual assaults, and disastrous marriages. Naked has, however, persevered to write some of the greatest songs to ever come out of Vancouver’s underground, from the grungy heartbreaker “Daddy’s Get Married” to the strutting alt-glam rocker “I Love Myself Today”. Such songs, and the tales behind them, will make up a night of stories and music when Naked plays an intimate show at Venue on Thursday (May 12) in support of I, Bificus. If you like a happy ending in the face of adversity, this might be the most inspirational gig of the month. PET SHOP BOYS British electropop duo (“West End Girls”, “Go West”) performs on its Super Tour. Oct 24, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $99.50/69.50/46.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

2THIS WEEK

PIGS Ghostfinger Productions presents a tribute to legendary prog-rock band Pink Floyd. Jul 29, doors 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). Tix $35.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketfly.com/.

DYLAN CRAMER AND RON JOHNSTON Roedde House Jazz Concert Series presents an evening of jazz featuring Dylan Cramer on saxophone and Ron Johnston on piano. May 12, 7 pm, Roedde House Museum (1415 Barclay). Tix $15/12, info www.roeddehouse.org/en/activities/ cultural-activities/jazz-nights-xbq.

THE DESLONDES New Orleans-based country-folk band tours in support of latest self-titled release, with guest Petunia. Aug 3, doors 8 pm, show 9:30 pm, Cobalt (917 Main). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $13 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

SONGWRITER’S NIGHT The Rogue Folk Club presents an evening of songwriting and storytelling with Ian Sherwood, Maria Dunn, Khari McClelland, and Lydia Hol. May 12, 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th). Tix $24/20, info www.roguefolk.bc.ca/ concerts/ev16051220/.

FLUME Australian electronica artist performs in support of upcoming album Skin, with guests AlunaGeorge and Mura Masa. Aug 7, 4 pm, PNE Amphitheatre (2901 E. Hastings). Info www.facebook.com/ events/1546287752342518/.

BIF NAKED Canadian pop-rock singersongwriter performs songs from her 10 hit albums and tells stories from new memoir I, Bificus. Presented by the Georgia Straight. May 12, doors 8 pm, Venue (881 Granville). Tix $25, info www.venuelive.ca/.

FOUR YEAR STRONG American punk band tours in support of latest self-titled release, with guests Like Pacific and Safe to Say. Aug 14, doors 7 pm, show 7:30 pm, Cobalt (917 Main). Tix on sale May 13, 10 am, $20 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/. ZAKK WYLDE American hard-rock/metal guitarist tours in support of new LP Book of Shadows II, with guests Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown and Jared James

THE PACK A.D. Vancouver-based garage-rock band returns home to play two nights in support of its upcoming album, with guests Dead Soft and Glad Rags (Thu) and Les Chaussettes and Tough Customer (Fri). May 12-13, 8 pm, Cobalt (917 Main). Tix $17 (plus service charge) at www.ticketweb.ca/., info www.facebook. com/events/758266284205608/. CATE LE BON Los Angeles–based Welsh singer-songwriter tours in support of latest release Crab Day. May 12, doors

THE WHO British rock legends (“My Generation”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”), featuring original vocalist Roger Daltrey and original guitarist Pete Townshend, with guests Slydigs. May 13, 7:30 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Note: postponed from Sep 29, 2015; tix for original date will be honoured. Tix $161.70/99/51.70 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. MODERN TERROR Skull Skates presents live punk-rock and hip-hop music by Modern Terror, Moka Only, and the Rodfather. May 13, 8 pm, SBC Restaurant (109 E. Hastings). Tix $5, info 778-846-6775. LA CHINGA Vancouver riff-rock power trio plays a release party for new album Freewheelin’, with guests Black River Killers, Doctor Claw, the Highway Kind, and Smash Alley. May 13, 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). CRYSTAL SHAWANDA First Nations blues-roots singer-songwriter tours in support of new album Whole World’s Got the Blues. May 13, 9 pm, At the Waldorf (1489 E. Hastings). Tix $10, info www.atthewaldorf.com/. SELENA GOMEZ American pop singersongwriter and actor performs on her worldwide Revival Tour, with guest Tyler Shaw. May 14, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Rogers Arena (800 Griffiths Way). Tix $89.50/69.50/49.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. ALBERTA CROSS Anglo-Swedish indierock band featuring singer-guitarist Petter Ericson Stakee, with guests Sky White Tiger and Grand Canyon. May 14, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Fox Cabaret (2321 Main). Tix $14 (plus service charge and fees) at www.livenation.com/. SINGER-SONGWRITER PANEL AND CONCERT LitFest New West presents a singer-songwriter panel and concert featuring Art Bergmann, Joe Keithley, Sean Nelson, Carolyn Mark, and Eden Fineday. May 14, 7 pm, Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre (Douglas College. 700 Royal Ave., New West). Tix $10, info www.arts councilnewwest.org/litfest/. LIGHTS Toronto-based electro-pop artist tours in support of latest acoustic album Midnight Machines, with guests Kieran Mercer. May 14, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Tix $37.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. DAMIEN JURADO Seattle indie singersongwriter tours in support of latest release Visions of Us on the Land, with guest Ben Abraham. May 14, doors 7 pm, show 8:30 pm, Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward). Tix $18 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/. BLOWPONY! New York City rapper, with guest Dai Burger. May 14, 9 pm, At the Waldorf (1489 E. Hastings). Tix $10, info www.atthewaldorf.com/. LEFT RIGHT TOUR Rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti perform with guests D Kay and Sailor Gerry. May 14, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Alexander Gastown (91 Powell). Tix $20 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketweb.ca/. DANIEL WESLEY Canadian alt-rock singer-songwriter performs acoustic and electric hits, with guest Jeremy Allingham. May 14, doors 8 pm, show 9:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix $25 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. OVERTIME JAM SESSION Featuring performances by Aaron Pritchett, Bobby Wills, and Odds. May 15, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Molson Canadian Theatre at Hard Rock

(2080 United Blvd.). Tix $27.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

FMLYBND MRG Concerts West & Fource Canada present Santa Barbara indie-electronic band FMLYBND, with guests Olivver the Kid and Dark Waves. May 15, 7 pm, Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward). $12 plus applicable s/c’s.

straight choices

EDERLEZI Bring in the summer with a hot blast of brass at the sixth annual Ederlezi Balkan Brass Festival at the Grandview Legion (2205 Commercial Drive) this Friday and Saturday (May 13 and 14). The bill this year features three West Coast bands—San Francisco’s Fanfare Zambaleta, Seattle’s the m9, and Vancouver’s own Orkestar Slivovica, Ederlezi’s hosts. Serbia’s master trumpeter Demiran Cerimovic is a special guest performer. Add folk dancers, freak dancers, shots of fiery Slivovitz, and an assortment of dried sausages, and you have one wild Balkans-onBurrard-Inlet party. VIOLENT FEMMES Alt-rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tours behind its first full-length album in 15 years We Can Do Anything, with guest Phoebe Bridgers. May 15, doors 7 pm, show 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix $39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. AMON AMARTH Swedish metal band performs with guests Entombed A.D. and Exmortus. May 16, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix $39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. NADA SURF American alt-rock band tours in support of upcoming release You Know Who You Are. May 17, 8 pm, Venue (881 Granville). Tix $22 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.bplive.ca/, info www.bplive.ca/ events/nada-surf/. BETTYE LAVETTE American R&B vocalist performs hits from her over-50-year musical career. May 17, 8 pm, Kay Meek Centre (1700 Mathers Ave., West Van). Tix $55/48/25, info www.kaymeekcentre.com/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS Grammy-winning hip-hop duo from Seattle (“Thrift Shop”) performs tunes from new album This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, with guest Raz Simone. May 25, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, PNE Forum (2901 E. Hastings). Tix $60.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. ALABAMA SHAKES American blues-rock band tours in support of latest release Sound & Color, with guests Kurt Vile and the Violators. May 28, doors 5:30 pm, show 7 pm, Deer Lake Park (6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby). Tix $49.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/. LEVITATION VANCOUVER The Reverberation Appreciation Society and Timbre Concerts present concerts in downtown Vancouver at Malkin Bowl, the Rickshaw Theatre, the Imperial, and the Cobalt. Performers include Flying Lotus, Tycho, the Growlers, Thee Oh Sees, Of Montreal, Fidlar, Allah-Las, White Lung, Hinds, Cherry Glazerr, Dead Ghosts, Boogarins, Louise Burns, Holy Fuck, Sunns, Summering, Night Beats, Morgan Delt, Holy Wave, Froth, Com Truise, and Did You Die. Jun 16-18, various Vancouver venues. Tix at www.ticketweb.ca/. TD VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Coastal Jazz presents its 31st annual jazz festival, featuring top performers from Vancouver and around the world. This year’s performers include Joe Jackson, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, Hiromi: The Trio Project, the Oliver Jones Trio, Lauryn Hill, Sarah McLachlan, the Downchild Blues Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Joe Lovano Classic Quartet, Case/ Lang/Veirs, Los Straitjackets, Gregory Porter, Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, the Dan Brubeck Quartet, Ron Samworth’s Dogs Do Dream, Georg Graewe, the Larry Fuller Trio, the

VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL Performers of the 39th annual folk fest include Martin Carthy, Shane Koyczan, the New Pornographers, Jojo Abot, Lisa O’Neill, Lakou Mizik, Ajinai, Yemen Blues, Bruce Cockburn, Oysterband, the Bills, Emilie & Ogden, and Lord Huron. Jul 15-17, Jericho Beach (1300 Discovery). Tix at thefestival.bc.ca/, info thefestival.bc.ca/. BURNABY BLUES + ROOTS FESTIVAL The Georgia Straight presents live blues and roots music by Colin James, Frazey Ford, Cyril Neville and the Royal Southern Brotherhood, Como Mamas, Lindi Ortega, Cecile Doo Kingue, Shred Kelly, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Dawn Pemberton, Ben Rogers, Billy Dixon, and Wes Mackie. Aug 6, doors 12 pm, show 1 pm, Deer Lake Park (6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby). Tix from $50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.burnabybluesfestival.com/.

CLUBS & VENUES ALEXANDER GASTOWN 91 Powell, 778-379-0407. 2LEFT RIGHT TOUR May 14 2BREAKBOT May 28 2JMSN Jun 20 2JESSY LANZA Jun 21 2BAS Jun 23 2PHOEBE RYAN Jul 23 AT THE WALDORF 1489 E. Hastings, 604-253-7141. Woo Hoo Simpsons Trivia every third Mon, Tank Gyal and guests Thu; three-room party with Vinyl Ritchie, Casual Encounters, and ping pong/ arcade games Fri; Tiki Bar Sat. 2CRYSTAL SHAWANDA May 13 2BLOWPONY! May 14 2AN EVENING WITH May 19 2AN EVENING WITH...... May 19 2HIATUS MUSIC FESTIVAL Jul 23 BACKSTAGE LOUNGE Arts Club Theatre, 1585 Johnston, Granville Island, 604-6871354. Vancouver’s only live-music venue on the water, with music nightly. Hot Jazz Jam night on Tue. 2WORLDBEAT SESSIONS May 21 BILTMORE CABARET 2755 Prince Edward, 604-676-0541. 2THE BILTMORE CABARET EIGHT-YEAR ANNIVERSARY May 11 2CATE LE BON May 12 2DAMIEN JURADO May 14 2FMLYBND May 15 2BIG BLACK DELTA May 19 2THE TOURIST COMPANY May 26 2LA LUZ May 27 2WE LOVE DRAKE III May 27 2TITUS ANDRONICUS May 28 2ISLANDS Jun 4 2KATHRYN CALDER & THE BURNING HELL Jun 25 2DAVID BAZAN Aug 28 2THE BOXER REBELLION Oct 23 BIMINI PUBLIC HOUSE 2010 W. 4th, 604733-7116. Twenty-four taps of rotating and interesting craft beers. Pub trivia Mon; beer club Tue; Wing Wed; dance party Fri-Sat; happy hour 3-6 pm. COBALT 917 Main, 778-918-3671. 2THE PACK A.D. May 12 2NO SINNER May 20 2JOSEPH ARTHUR May 21 2THE SO SO GLOS May 29 2ADIA VICTORIA Jun 12 2THE FLATLINERS Jun 16 2NORTHCOTE Jun 25 2YOU WON’T Jun 26 2DUCKTAILS Jul 9 2WE ARE SCIENTISTS Jul 10 2MITSKI Jul 12 2THE DESLONDES Aug 3 2MARISSA NADLER Aug 7 2FOUR YEAR STRONG Aug 14 COMMODORE BALLROOM 868 Granville, 604-739-4550. 2DANIEL WESLEY May 14 2VIOLENT FEMMES May 15 2AMON AMARTH May 16 2CHARLES BRADLEY AND HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES May 20 2BLACK MOUNTAIN May 21 2THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE May 23 2MATT CORBY May 26 2OH WONDER May 28 2BARONESS May 29 2THE KILLS May 31 2AT THE DRIVE-IN Jun 7 2TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS Jun 23 2TIGER ARMY Jun 24 2ECCW WRESTLING: BALLROOM BRAWL VI Jul 16 2BIG WRECK Jul 22 2CRYSTAL CASTLES Jul 23 2QUEER AS FUNK! Jul 29 2THE CAT EMPIRE Aug 2 2THE MAVERICKS Aug 4 2FOALS Aug 7 2ZAKK WYLDE Aug 25 2EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY Sep 4 2JAKE BUGG Sep 7 2LEE SCRATCH PERRY Sep 15 2ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Sep 24 25440 Oct 7 2THE PROCLAIMERS Oct 11 2I MOTHER EARTH Oct 14 DOOLIN’S IRISH PUB 654 Nelson, 604605-4343. Live music Sun-Thu, with acoustic soloist or duo Sun-Wed and live band Thu DJ Fri-Sat. FORTUNE SOUND CLUB 147 E. Pender, 604-569-1758. 2BOEHM May 12 2SMASH BOOM POW/YOUNGBLOOD AND PASSIVE May 13 2DJEMBA DJEMBA AND GANZ May 13 2YOUNG EMPIRES May 19 2LOUIS THE CHILD May 20 FOX CABARET 2321 Main. 2ALBERTA CROSS May 14 2ARCHYTAS QUARTET May 17 2ART BERGMANN May 20 2RAPP BATTLEZ WEZT COAZT May 21 2KAKI KING Jun 6 2SHRILL Jun 8

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MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 41

HOUSING Music time out

from previous page

FUNKY WINKER BEANS 37 W. Hastings, 604-764-7865. 2SO HIDEOUS, BOSSE-DE-NAGE, FINITE, SEVEN NINES AND TENS May 13 2GALGAMEX, GROSS MISCONDUCT, CADAVERIC LIVIDITY, BUSHWHACKER May 14 2THAT FILTHY SHOW May 19 2SHITLIVER, CRYPTIC, FEMINAL FLUIDS May 20 2ZUCKUSS, ASSIMILATION, REGRETS, DREGS May 21 THE IMPERIAL 319 Main, 604868-0494. 2SAINT MOTEL May 22 2NOTHING BUT THIEVES May 25 2SAVAGES May 27 2YEASAYER May 28 2CHELSEA WOLFE May 29 2DIRTY RADIO Jun 3 2PLANTS AND ANIMALS Jun 16 2BENJAMIN CLEMENTINE Jun 25 2THE JAYHAWKS Jul 18 2THE WHITE PANDA Sep 3 IVANHOE PUB 1038 Main, 604-6081444. Pub with live bands on weekends and open jam night Sun from 4 to 8 pm. No cover. 268 LIPS May 13 2CHRIS NEWTON BAND May 14 2SONS OF THE HOE May 15 2RHYTHM ST. May 20 2HONEYBOY WILSON May 21 LAMPLIGHTER PUBLIC HOUSE 92 Water, 604-687-4424. Pub trivia with Nice Guys Inc. Tue; bourbon and bingo Wed; Rocksteady with DJs Arems, Hoppa & Rexx Thu; FKYA DJs Fri; DJ Antonia & Friends Sat. LIBRARY SQUARE PUBLIC HOUSE 300 W. Georgia, 604-6339644. Free pinball Wed, Show Me Love ‘90s party Fri; Saturday Night Special dance party Sat. Canucks and Whitecaps pregame.

QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE 650 Hamilton, 604-665-3050. 2PAUL SIMON May 26 2LAMB OF GOD Jun 1 2JOE JACKSON Jun 24 2LAURYN HILL Jun 26 2SARAH MCLACHLAN Jun 27 2TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Jun 28 2CASE/LANG/VEIRS Jun 29 2DISNEY’S NEWSIES Jul 5 2BRIT FLOYD Jul 16 2SIGUR ROS Sep 18 2TEGAN AND SARA Oct 5 2ALICE COOPER Oct 19 2PET SHOP BOYS Oct 24 2IL DIVO Nov 6

don’t miss out! For up-to-the-minute, searchable Music Time Out listings, visit

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REPUBLIC 958 Granville, 604-6693214. House, hip-hop, EDM, chart, and reggae. Open nightly from 10 pm to 3 am. RICKSHAW THEATRE 254 E. Hastings, 604-681-8915. 2LA CHINGA May 13 2MOLOTOV CARAVAN 5 May 14 2DIANA ARBENINA & THE NIGHT SNIPERS May 19 2BUZZCOCKS May 21 2CARAMELOS DE CIANURO May 22 2KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD May 28 2THE SADIES Jun 3 2GONDWANA Jun 4 2DAGOBA Jun 10 2VOIVOD Jun 13 2ILL NIÑO Jun 15 2LEVITATION VANCOUVER LAUNCH PARTY Jun 16 2LEVITATION VANCOUVER Jun 17-18 2THE BLACK SEEDS Jun 24 2PICKWICK Jul 8 2LETLIVE. Jul 26 2PIGS Jul 29 2PIGS Jul 29 2DAVID LIEBE HART Sep 29 RIVER ROCK SHOW THEATRE River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd., Richmond, 604-247-8900. 2CHICAGO Jun 16 2DIANA ROSS Jun 30 2DONNY & MARIE Dec 20

MOLSON CANADIAN THEATRE AT HARD ROCK 2080 United Blvd., 604-523-6888. 2OVERTIME JAM SESSION May 15 2ROGER HODGSON Nov 25

ROGERS ARENA 800 Griffiths Way, 604-899-7400. 2THE WHO May 13 2SELENA GOMEZ May 14 2HEDLEY May 20 2CITY AND COLOUR Jun 3 2JAMES TAYLOR AND HIS ALL-STAR BAND Jun 11 2DIXIE CHICKS Jul 7 2ADELE Jul 20 2DEMI LOVATO AND NICK JONAS Aug 24 2GWEN STEFANI Aug 25 2DURAN DURAN Aug 28 2KEITH URBAN Sep 10 2DRAKE Sep 17 2DOLLY PARTON Sep 19

ORPHEUM THEATRE 601 Smithe, 604-665-3050. 2ANDREW BIRD May 21 2FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS Jun 23 2STEVEN TYLER Jul 10 2MIIKE SNOW Aug 12

THE ROXY 932 Granville, 604-3317999. House band Tattoo Alibi Sat & Mon; country band Locked & Loaded Sun; the Bulge and DJ Joe Pound Tue; Troys ‘R Us Wed-Thu. 2TODD KERNS Jun 2

MEDIA CLUB 695 Cambie, 604608-2871. 2SHAUN RAWLINS May 27 2VAN DAMSEL May 28 2KEVIN MORBY Jun 7 2BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH Jul 22

ST. JAMES HALL 3214 W. 10th, 604-736-3022. 2MICHAEL CLEVELAND AND FLAMEKEEPER May 11 2SONGWRITER’S NIGHT May 12 2STEPHEN FEARING May 28 2KIÉRAH Jun 3 2FRANK SOLIVAN AND DIRTY KITCHEN Jun 8 2DANNY MICHEL Jun 10 VENUE 881 Granville, 604-646-0064. 2BIF NAKED May 12 2NADA SURF May 17 2AUTOLUX May 28 2PRONG May 29 2CHUCK RAGAN Jun 10 2LEFTOVER CRACK Jul 1 2SWANS Sep 6 2PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT Nov 1 2SONATA ARCTICA Nov 28 VOGUE THEATRE 918 Granville, 604-569-1144. 2SANTIGOLD May 12 2LIGHTS May 14 2CHE MALAMBO May 20 2MODERAT May 23 2THE SMOKERS CLUB TOUR May 31 2MAZ JOBRANI Jun 3 2ALPHA BLONDY AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM Jun 17 2HIROMI: THE TRIO PROJECT Jun 24 2OLIVER JONES TRIO Jun 25 2THE LEGENDARY DOWNCHILD BLUES BAND Jun 27 2JOE LOVANO CLASSIC QUARTET Jun 28 2GREGORY PORTER Jul 2 2TODRICK HALL PRESENTS: STRAIGHT OUTTA OZ Jul 7 2JOHN PRINE Jul 9 2BROODS Aug 16 2COLVIN & EARLE Aug 20 2FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS Aug 24 2THE GIPSY KINGS Aug 26 2PARQUET COURTS Aug 27 2BRIAN REGAN Aug 28 2GAD ELMALEH Sep 6 2BOYCE AVENUE Sep 10 2GOJIRA Oct 9 2ANJELAH JOHNSON Oct 26 2TERRI CLARK Nov 12

OUT OF TOWN 2THIS WEEK BEYONCE American R&B/ pop superstar performs on the Formation World Tour. May 18, CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field, 800 S. Occidental Ave., Seattle, Wash.). Tix from US$45 to US$280 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

TIME OUT MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit listings online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

Density bugs neighbours

ome East Vancouver residents are Chapelle doubts they can sway a majority cautioning against precedents that of councillors during the public hearing: “No may be set by a development in their housing project of any type that’s made it as far neighbourhood. Lee Chapelle, speak- as a public hearing has ever been rejected.” ing for the Cedar Cottage Area Neighbours, said the changes might lead to intrusions into BURNABY council has endorsed the idea of essingle-family-dwelling districts across the city. tablishing Metrotown as the city’s downtown. Chapelle’s group is opposing a proposed rental- According to councillor Colleen Jordan, it’s apartment complex comprising a six-storey about “identity”. “We’re not just a suburb city anymore,” Jorbuilding on Commercial Drive with a three-anddan told the Straight by phone on May 10. a-half-storey wing on East 18th Avenue. The previous evening, He said city guidelines council approved a staff proregarding rental projects posal to begin the process of on arterial roads like updating the development Commercial don’t include Carlito Pablo plan of Metrotown to create single-family neighbourhoods among areas where additional density a “true downtown”. Before it was incorporated in 1892, Burnaby was an expanse of land that may be considered. Chapelle also explained that the policy on connected Vancouver and New Westminster. As the city’s future downtown, Metrotown developments within one-and-a-half blocks of an arterial, which in this case is the East 18th will have central downtown, core residential, Avenue block, allows only ground-oriented and town-centre residential areas. For years, forms of up to 3.5 storeys, such as stacked according to Jordan, Burnaby has always been a place “on the way to somewhere else”. townhouses, but not apartment buildings. “We want to have everything within the city “This is a precedent-setting move to encroach into single-family dwellings,” Chapelle so that people can live, work, and play here, all told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. within the city of Burnaby,” Jordan said. “And Council has referred the project for a public it’s not necessary to have to go somewhere else.” hearing on May 24. In a report to council, city staff wrote that A 33-STOREY office tower proposed for current policies permit the kind of development downtown Vancouver plans to provide additional public access to rapid transit. proposed by the Cressey Development Group. The proposed high-rise at 753 Seymour Cressey, which did not make a spokesperson available for an interview before deadline, in- Street is designed to connect with the underground Vancouver Centre Mall. The mall altends to build 110 rental units. The company will also move a heritage home lows riders access to either the Canada Line’s to a different location on the site and convert Vancouver City Centre Station or the Skyit into two strata housing units. The plan in- Train’s Granville Station. The location is currently a parkade with 539 cludes a new building with two strata homes stalls, according to a city staff report. The parknext to the restored heritage house. The development is planned for a 0.3-hectare ade will be replaced by 12 storeys of parking in plot of land comprising five lots. One of these is the new building, seven underground and five aboveground, with 586 spaces. owned by the city. City staff indicated that a portion of the “The City has entered into an agreement with the applicant to sell the lot, but such purchase aboveground parking may be converted into and sale is conditional on Council’s unfettered office space in the future. HOOPP Realty Inc., London Life Insurance consideration and approval in principle of the land use matters reflected in this rezoning ap- Company Inc., and The Great-West Life Assurance Company Inc. have fi led a rezoning application,” the staff report said. Chapelle’s organization prefers a scaled- plication to increase the floor area that can be down development of townhouses. They also built at 753 Seymour. A public hearing will be held on May 17. would like the city to use its lot for a park.

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redhotdateline.com 18+ MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 45

savage love Straight male, 48, married 14 years, three kids under age 10. Needless to say, life is busy at our house. My wife and I have stopped having sex. It was my decision. I get the obligation vibe combined with a vanilla sex life, and it just turns me off. We’ve had many conversations about it and we want to find a balance. But it always defaults back to infrequent and dull, making me frustrated and cranky. For the past two months, I’ve tried to just push sex out of my mind. We live mostly as parenting roommates. We used to be pretty kinky—dirty talk, foursomes, toys, porn, et cetera—but all those things wear her out now, and her interest has disappeared. My guess is that she was just playing along with my kinks to keep me happy and is now over it. Is this just life as a 48-year-old married father of three? Am I being selfish for wanting more in my sex life than my wife is willing to offer?

> HARD UP HUSBAND

Is sex wearing your wife out, HUH, or is raising three kids wearing your wife out? I suspect it’s the latter. But in answer to your question: infrequent and underwhelming sex, sometimes with an obligatory vibe, is not only the sex life a 48-year-old married father of three can expect, it’s the sex life he signed up for. There’s nothing selfish about wanting more sex or wanting it to be more like it was. Kids, however, are a logistical impediment—but a temporary one, provided you don’t go nuclear. A couple’s sex life can come roaring back so long as

they don’t succumb to bitterness, recrimination, and sexlessness. To avoid all three, HUH, it might help to ask yourself which is the likelier scenario: for years your wife faked an interest in dirty talk, foursomes, toys, porn, et cetera in order to trap you, or your wife is currently too exhausted to take an interest in dirty talk, foursomes, toys, porn, et cetera. Again, I suspect it’s the latter. My advice: masturbate more, masturbate together more, lower your expectations so you’ll be pleasantly surprised when a joint masturbation session blows up into something bigger and better, carve out enough time for quality sex (weekends away, if possible, with pot and wine and Viagra), discuss other accommodations/contingencies as needed, and take turns reminding each other that small kids aren’t small forever.

I’m one of those bi guys. I had

trouble dating girls in high school and at 18 found guys so much darn easier. And as sexual promiscuity in the gay world goes, I got around there easily. Fastforward a few years. I’m in college now and desiring women and stability more. But women find me weird and awkward—I admit I am—something I was never judged for in the gay world. This has been going on for a few years now, and it just gets worse when I’m supposed to be parading around presenting as a horny straight guy. I’d love to find a bisexual woman to start a family with who is up for mutually agreed-upon swing-and-fun sessions with others. But from what I’ve experienced with girls so far—always on the

> BY DAN SAVAGE watch for a “player”, zero understanding of male bisexuality—that seems far from possible. Lately, I’ve just been sitting on my hands in social situations, afraid to even interact with women. Is this therapy-worthy? > UPSET PITTSBURGHER IN TROUBLING TIMES

Therapy couldn’t hurt… unless you get a terrible therapist… in which case it could. Start your therapist hunt at the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (aasect.org), and you’re likelier to find a good/sex-positive one. As for why your “weird and awkward” first impression seemed to be less of an impediment when you were sleeping with men: men aren’t subjected to male sexual violence at the same rates that women are. Women have a lot more to fear than men do, UPITT, and a weird-and-awkward first impression is far likelier to turn off a woman into dudes than it is to turn off a man into dudes. The man you flirt with at a party might think, “Dude’s weird and awkward but he’s hot,” and jump into bed with you. But the woman you flirt with at a party is likely to think, “Dude’s weird and awkward and he’s hot, but he’s just too weird to risk it.” Something else that couldn’t hurt: getting on a site like OkCupid and approaching bisexual women there. You may have better luck with women if your initial interactions are over email. And finally, UPITT, there are gay and bi men out there who desire stability, too—and stability and “promiscuity” aren’t mutually exclusive.

About your answer to WHAT, the lady whose boyfriend “accidentally” ass-fucked her. I am a queer lady with a number of men in my sexual history, and I have many straight women friends who get around. “I didn’t mean to stick my dick in your ass” is a lie that men tell—men who are embarrassed to ask for anal, men who want it so bad they’re prepared to hurt their partner, or men who think their partner will say no if asked and just don’t care. In all cases, these are men who do not even begin to understand how anal sex works. As you say, it’s not an accident. But what you don’t say is that these men are telling lies in order to get out of taking responsibility for their desires and the fact that they’ve hurt their partners. Men who want to have anal sex need to talk that through with their partners and then either figure out how to do it safely and pleasurably, accept that it’s not happening, or break up if it’s a deal-breaker. I have had way too many conversations with women friends about the pain and anger and sometimes shame that they’ve felt when male partners have just stuck it in abruptly, unlubricated, and without permission. It makes me really angry that this is something that men can describe as an “accident” without any pushback, and honestly it was kind of gross and disappointing when your answer was just jokes about butt plugs. > WHATEVER ACRONYM STRONGLY STRESSES UNDERLYING POINT

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Over the years, I’ve met men and women who lived in destructive relationships, had constant affairs or paid for sex. But the SAA program helped them stop the compulsive behaviour that was damaging their health and well-being.”

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46 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016

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“I had no idea my regular use of porn was a problem. But it was. It caused me a lot of shame and suffering. It almost destroyed my marriage. Then one day I made a call to Sex Addicts Anonymous®, a fellowship of men and women who are overcoming their sexual addiction. It helped transform my life for the better.

On the Lovecast , Dan chats with writer Anna Pulley about all things lesbian: savagelovecast.com. Email Dan at mail@savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ fakedansavage/.

SEXY MOM!

“It was one of the hardest phone calls I ever made, but it saved my marriage”

I’m with you, WASSUP. I don’t think anal happens by accident. Anal has always, in my vast experience, required lube, focus, precision, and deep breathing. But on the two occasions when I’ve urged straight female callers on the Savage Lovecast to dump boyfriends who “accidentally” penetrated them anally—the pushback from male and female listeners was overwhelming. Scores of people called in to insist that anal can and does happen by accident. WHAT’s boyfriend has accidentally penetrated her anally four times in a year. That raises a red f lag. But WHAT was convinced it was an accident (all four times) and seemed to think her boyfriend felt genuinely terrible about it (all four times), and I deferred to a reader’s POV (just one time). And here’s a detail that was cut from WHAT’s letter for space: “People have suggested going slow, but I like it a little rough.” Perhaps I should’ve come down harder on WHAT’s boyfriend—okay, I should’ve come down harder—but it seemed possible, at least in WHAT’s case, that anal might’ve been an accident (all four times?!?). I still believe “accidental anal” is much more likely to be “intentional, nonconsensual anal”, aka not an accident at all. -

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straight stars May 12 to 18, 2016

ife is precious. It’s also a juxtaposition of so many varied realities. Last week, the message hit home with major impact, especially for the citizens of Fort McMurray. So often, it is in times of great tragedy that we fi nd the heart of humanity. Imagine if the spirit of generosity, patience, and kindness that was so prevalent during the wildfi re crisis propelled our everyday reality. What a wonderful world it would be. Terrorism, guns, violence, and the Donald Trumps of the world could be obliterated. Mercury retrograde continues for another 10 days. Over the next few, Mercury teams up with Venus in Taurus. Together they put head and heart on the same page. It’s an expressive, creative, and responsive combination; an excellent one for reconnecting with the people who touch you, for holding sacred space for yourself or another, and for speaking about what is most precious/valuable to you. Reassessment and revision are a Mercury-retrograde specialty, so it’s an appropriate time to crunch the numbers again. Mercury and Venus in trine to deep-pocket Pluto puts potential investment and potential profit on a substantial growth curve. Friday is optimum for money matters, heart-to-heart talks, and for date night. Sunday, catch up with yourself or another, replenish, do errands, clean up, et cetera. Thanks to the Virgo moon hitting

> BY ROSE MARCUS

it just right, time, energy, and resources are likely to be well spent. Back-to-work Monday is best used for making headway with people rather than paperwork. Tuesday/ Wednesday stars keep us on the move-along.

cury/Venus makes for a heartwarming or a romantic reconnect. Relax, enjoy, indulge; gift family, a friend, or your lover with more quality one-on-one time. Saturday can be a dip or wasted day, but Sunday/Monday puts you back on track quite nicely.

weekend. Saturday can be something certain amount of revisiting is in orof a missing-in-action day, but come der. Next weekend sets you/it free. Sunday/Monday, the stars have you CAPRICORN nicely refuelled and pacing it well.

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‫ﺑ‬

If you have a refund coming or money due, you could see it as early as Thursday/Friday. Use these days to refinance or to discuss money matters with your significant other. Venus, Mercury retrograde, and Pluto are also in the mood; indulge, enjoy, give it up for love or lust. Sunday is good for a top-up. Monday starts the week on the upbeat.

ARIES

March 20–April 20

Thursday/Friday, go by feel, think creatively, express what’s in your heart; get your sexy on. You can revisit, repeat, or reuse to great satisfaction. Mercury retrograde well aligned with Pluto and Venus helps you to call it just right. The trio can keep you magnetically drawn and/or turned on. You’ll get full value out of the time you spend at it or with them. Makes you feel that things are coming together naturally and well.

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TAURUS

April 20–May 21

What is it worth to you? Is it worth it? Starting over, starting fresh, retracing your steps, picking up where you left off: you’ll do it better and get more out of it this time. Over the next couple of days, Mercury retrograde and Venus in Taurus put you back in touch with another and/or, more importantly, yourself. Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday keep you on a productive, lucrative, and pleasing upswing.

CANCER

June 21–July 22

As is typical of Mercury retrograde, expect to hear from folks or to run into someone you know. A change of plans, mind, or heart could lead to something better. Listen to your instincts and intuition. Refinance; return it or upgrade it. Pre- and postweekend are ideal for revisiting a conversation, touching base again, or gathering more advice, input, or information.

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LEO

July 22–August 23

You’re in stellar favour. Watch for good feedback or a favourable response. An intuitive sense of timing works to your favour Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. You’ll have a very good handle on what it’s worth and what it’s worth to you, this in regard to shopping, bargain-hunting, or considering how much time and effort to put into it or them.

‫ﺓ‬

VIRGO

August 23–September 23

Friday can be a goodnews, moneymaking, or opportunMay 21–June 21 ity-generating day. You could get a The next few days can see callback, hear results, or gain a fayou reclaim lost ground, lost time, or a vourable response. Friday evening misplaced item. Thursday/Friday Mer- is the best social or date night of the

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GEMINI

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‫ﺕ‬

LIBRA

September 23–October 23

SCORPIO

October 23–November 22

Mercury/Venus helps you to make the most out of it as the workweek comes to a close. You’ll get great enjoyment out of your activities, conversations, and visits. Saturday could be something of a spin-your-wheels type of day, but as of Sunday, the move-it-along should prove to be a productive one. Sunday/ Monday is built for ease. Tuesday/ Wednesday builds more traction.

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SAGITTARIUS

November 22–December 21

‫ﺊ‬

December 21–January 20

Some parts of life and love can be flourishing; some parts are in need of a rethink. Even if plans or people reroute you, the next few days should keep you moving along a good track. Friday and Sunday are best for moneymaking, creative projects, gifting yourself, your lover, or another. Monday is a productive people day.

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AQUARIUS

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PISCES

January 20–February 18

Whether there’s a special event to mark or not, entertaining at home, or sharing quality time with family, is the place to be this weekend, especially Friday and Sunday. While you may face added expenses now, there is nothing more worthy than upgrading the quality of your home and family life or spending for your personal gain. February 18–March 20

Friday is ideal for another interview, talk, or meet-up. A repeat or revisit tops you up and/or gives you more to go on. Plans or good intentions can fall by the wayside on Saturday. Go with the flow; easy and simple does it best. Sunday/Monday are good for connecting and sharing. Tuesday/ Wednesday, you’ll work through it. -

It seems you have your work cut out for you. Although you may feel inundated, and/or have to retrace or revise, Mercury retrograde, Venus, and Pluto are in a productive alignment. You should feel you are sorting through it well, especially Thursday/ Book a reading or sign up for Rose’s Friday and Sunday/Monday. While free monthly newsletter: www.rose Mercury continues in retrograde, a marcus.com/astrolink/.

> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < PITCHER AT UBC GAME MONDAY AT 5:45 - URBAN REC

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 9, 2016 WHERE: UBC

Babe throwing some great pitches and hits for the home team. You, looking good with Tom Selleck-est moustache and tattoo on your leg. Me, tall blonde swinging oppo and playing rover/3rd. Private practice?

SERVER AT THE UNION

BIG BLONDE DOOR MAN @ SBC (SMILIN’ BUDDHA)

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 6, 2016 WHERE: SBC 109 E. Hastings You hold the door for all the girls. You keep the bad guys honest. You run the best joint in the city. You’re polite and strong and funny and beautiful and I WANT YOU!!! I'm the mature curvy redhead. You told me I was your viking goddess. See you on friday. Drinks after the show???!!!!

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 6, 2016 WHERE: The Union (Union St.)

YOU COMPLIMENTED MY BOWTIE AND SAID YOU LIKED IT

I was captivated by your perfect man bun/beard combo that I’m sure you get 1,000 compliments a day on. You were real tall and very friendly, and I was with a group of ladies (we were all wearing white shirts for some reason) that stopped by for drinks and food on Friday evening. I wish I had chatted with you more than the standard server-patron interactions - my friends made/convinced me to post in here (in the slight chance you’re single!). I wouldn’t shut up about the “server with the perfect beard” all night. Maybe we could grab mangaa lasings when you’re not working?

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 9, 2016 WHERE: Yaletown

COOLEST NYRSD EVER AT VGH ON MOTHER’S DAY

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 8, 2016 WHERE: VGH Emergency Check In You came out to chat to me from around the EMERG counter cause of my sexy raspy voice. You were funny, kind and a vegetarian. I was the chef with food poisoning. I’ll make the vegetarian dinner and you bring the wine and we’ll both bring the laughs and the mischief.

CAT EYES ON THE 99 B-LINE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 2, 2016 WHERE: 99 UBC B-Line

For all I know a woman of your calibre is already spoken for but I’ve occasionally admired your style and beauty from afar on my morning commute and wished it were easier to start a conversation on a crowded bus. Today you got on at Main and sat down beside me after a few stops listening to music on your phone. You were wearing ox blood coloured oxfords and carrying a canvas tote with an illustrated print of the alphabet. I was the loser in the navy cardigan, wearing Persol sunglasses, a black five-panel and black Asics trainers.

You were one of our Customers that came in and bought Gelato at my workplace around 8pm ish maybe? You were Asian wearing a Nurse Uniform, I’m guessing you work at St. Paul’s? anyway Thanks for complimenting my Bowtie. I wanted to say that I like your smile too and its cute but I didn’t cause I got shy. Hope you see this! Coffee??

IS ANYONE WORTHY OF YOU

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 5, 2016 WHERE: Cresting Victory Square You: the ultimate Nordic goddess prototype for all time - pure blonde hair and your face the perfect realization of the most beautiful child’s face, flawless and perfectly symmetrical in every way, a radiant testate to the fact that there seems to be no limit to how beautiful a woman can be. Me - it’s inconsequential really - just another an involuntary gawker - a mortal trying to hide been totally blown away by you - a desperate wannabe to the guy accompanying you (who was probably your boyfriend) wondering how he managed to rate for the greatest privilege of all time?

BUY LOW FOODS - FRASER

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 7, 2016 WHERE: Buy Low Foods - Fraser You work at Buy Low Foods - blond hair, super friendly, always smiling. I come in there often but am always way too nervous to talk to you; plus I don’t think its appropriate to ask you out for a coffee while you’re at work. I was there today - you mentioned someone got arrested for shoplifting. Ugh. I feel like such a weirdo posting on here; but if you’re available, it’d be great to grab a tea or coffee one of these days.

NICE SMILE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 8, 2016 WHERE: Guildford Walmart Waiting in line, you; blk bzd, tan pants, brn deck shoes, leopard print key loop, aviators w/lady. Me 6’ brn jacket blonde blue w/Asian family. You were helpful with the divider we exchanged a Cpl smiles... Coffee ?

GELATOS ON FRIDAY NIGHT

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 6, 2016 WHERE: Gelataos on Venables I walked into the Gelatos ice cream shop on Venables May 6th and saw the most handsome guy working behind the counter. I was wearing the long green dress with tattoos and an eyebrow ring. You were checking me out but I was too scared to ask for your number. Coffee sometime?

RED HAT, BEARDED SKATER ON MILLENIUM LINE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 6, 2016 WHERE: Millenium Line SkyTrain You are a guy with a beard, white baseball style shirt, skateboard and red hat. I have blue hair and tattoos. We made eye contact a few times at about 5:30pm on the Millenium Line, but I was too shy to do anything about it. Anyway, you’re kind of a babe.

CONSTRUCTION GUY NAMED CLAY

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 5, 2016 WHERE: Starbucks on Davie I was with my guy friend and I heard you telling your name to the barista so I had to say hi. I'd love to actually go for a coffee with you after your work one day if you're not taken :)

WRESTLING AT THE WISE HALL

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 30, 2016 WHERE: Wise Hall

You: I said, “You look like a movie star, Alicia Silverstone from Clueless.” You were wearing a pretty black dress and looked really beautiful. Me: The funny heckler in a black jacket. I was heckling and you were laughing. It was so much fun. Next time we should bring some tomatoes!! But alas you looked like you were on some kind of blind double date. If you see this I hope it makes you smile. If you do decide to call the Big Macs are on me.

ORGANIC MEAT AT THE EAST END CO-OP

PACIFIC CENTRE CONTRACTOR WHO HELPED WITH DIRECTIONS

A BEAUTIFUL ENTITY PHARMASAVE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 5, 2016 WHERE: East End Co-op Meat Section

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 2, 2016 WHERE: Pacific Centre, W. Georgia St.

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 4, 2016 WHERE: Caulfeild

Thursday at the East End Co-op. You were in the meat section wearing a plaid shirt and baggy shorts. I was the hipster looking for organic yogurt. You decided not to buy any meat because there wasn’t any organic ground turkey, I think I fell in love at that moment. It could be an organic match made in heaven.

We both were waiting at the elevator and you asked if I needed some help with my directions; you also were so kind to tell me how to get where I needed to go! You were so sweet and handsome; I was kicking myself for not saying more than “thank you”. You appeared to be working as a contractor and walked thru Pacific Centre. Dark hair and features with a killer smile

I decided to drop off my prescription at your Pharmasave not knowing the beauty I was about to encounter. Before me at the drop off desk I looked up to see the most beautiful man with sharp brown eyes, the kind of eyes that tell of a lone ghost waiting for his love. The glimmer of your bald head shone like a lighthouse in the distance guiding me towards the conquest of love. Your hands were adorned with rings that obviously must hide a treasure cove of past experiences I’d love to revist with you. If only I can drop off my scripts here all the time for I come from a far away exotic world. I long to have a taste of the delicacy that is the divine trifecta of Vancouver class, sugared maple, and the intensity of those razor sharp eyes.

SHELLY IN SOUTH GRANVILLE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 4, 2016 WHERE: Hemlock and 11th

SAW YOU IN THE WAITING ROOM AT THE COPEMAN CLINIC...

Shelly, we met one night, months ago now, at The Marquis on South Granville. Things went pretty well the night that left you walking me home. I never got your number because my phone was dead so I gave you mine instead. When you never got in contact the following days I assumed you weren’t interested. Smiled at a pleasant memory, and went on my way. However, I walked by you the other day and I got quite the death stare. Just want to make sure in my inebriated idiocy I didn’t give you the wrong number by accident.

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 2, 2016 WHERE: Copeman Clinic

STUNNINGLY STUNNING GODDESS, WHOLE FOOD KITS CHECKOUT

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 4, 2016 WHERE: Kits, Whole Foods You; very, very tall, super-smiley brunette working the checkout around 5:15 PM Wednesday. I was in the next lane but you greeted me with intensity and I commented on how you’re always so incredibly radiant and cheerful. We chatted about you being done school but that you’re taking one summer school course. Every time I see you, you’re equally as cheery and warm and bubbly and I think you’re a knockout. I am slightly older dude with the earpiece in his ear, wearing blue and black for work. I’d love to take you out.

SAW SOMEONE FROM PARIS @ SAFEWAY LAST SUMMER

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 22, 2015 WHERE: Safeway Vancouver Last summer, we were at ice-cream section in Safeway and had a nice chat. You moved to Vancouver 6 years ago from Paris. Currently live and work in Burnaby. Would like to reconnect!

Monday early afternoon... me... black shirt, black shorts, crutches. You... pretty hat, lovely face, radiant smile and a warmth of energy that’s hard to describe. I was trying not to stare but every time I looked, you were looking my way, with that gorgeous smile. Our staring got interrupted and you were gone when I came out. You have questions and I have answers. And some questions of my own. Jeez, I hope you see this.

LEATHER JACKET ON LONSDALE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 1, 2016 WHERE: Lower Lonsdale You: tall, wearing a leather jacket, and holding a video camera with a group of other guys on Lonsdale Avenue. Me: curly hair, blue headphones, and standing beside you at the crosswalk. To shy to say hi in the moment, but noticed you sneaking looks. Just letting you know, you seemed like my type :)

LOTTIE FROM OXFORDSHIRE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 1, 2016 WHERE: Stanley Park by the Marathon Route Lottie, you enchanted me with your beauty, intelligence, warmth and sweetness. We met at Stanley Park during the marathon... I wanted to ask you out but 1. I was on duty and 2. it appears you have a boyfriend? Nonetheless, you made me something simple yet beautiful and it really touched me. What’s going on? I really would love to get to know you...

UNEXPECTEDLY NICE CUSTOMS OFFICER

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 30, 2016 WHERE: Truck crossing in Blaine You were the awesome Canadian customs officer at the far right side of the border crossing. I think I was there around 11:30am. I remember you because of your eye colour, which were way too mesmerizingly light in colour to look at. Not sure if you could tell but I was trying my hardest to avoid eye contact without looking like a suspicious person. I was the one telling you about rock climbing in Leavenworth and you had no idea what bouldering was. And I think you were surprised that a female would climb and camp on her own but we do! Anyway, you are way too good looking to be a customs officer but thank you for being so nice and pleasant about my trip down into the States. Cheers!

TWO GIRLFRIENDS WALKING ON DAVIE

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: APRIL 26, 2016 WHERE: Davie Corner Denman You the two hotties wearing black walking in front of me from Denman to Cardero on Davie. You commented on how my cuties were so adorable. I over-heard you talking about your lhasa-poo Rolstan. I was a bit distracted dealing with work stuff over the phone and thinking about what should I cook that night, but now with hindsight, I still can’t forget your smiles and fragrances. When do we meet again?

Did you see someone? Go to straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _ MAY 12 – 19 / 2016 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 47

48 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 12 – 19 / 2016