The Georgia Straight - Craft Beer Week - May 24, 2018

Burger, Fries and a Beer $ 0 .00 Enjoy our delicious Certified Angus Beef burger made fresh to 10 order with our famous beer battered fries and a cold beer or selected soft drink. Choose from beef, chicken breast OR our new Beyond Meat vegan burger!

Regular price $16.49 to $16.99

Orders with alcoholic beverage must be consumed on premises. Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Pricing in effect Friday May 25 to Thursday May 31, 2018. Overwaitea Food Group LP, a Jim Pattison business. Proudly BC Owned and Operated.

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CONTENTS

1601 W. 4th Ave. 604-737-6014 www.therightshoe.ca

Grouse Mountain. Tara Lowry photo.

8

TECHNOLOGY

> BY K ATE WILSON

9

FEATURE

B.C. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip draws on a lifetime of activism for his principled stand against the Kinder Morgan pipeline. > BY TR AVIS LUPICK

13

COVER

Inclusion and community are buzzwords as Vancouver Craft Beer Week organizers look beyond the city where they started. > BY MIKE USINGER

17

11 16 24 16 13 24 7 31 12 6 22

Books The Bottle Confessions Food I Saw You Movie Reviews Real Estate Savage Love Straight Stars Straight Talk Theatre

Theatre you can taste: amid music and puppets, Baking Time invites children to touch dough, smell freshly cooked bread, and even eat it. > BY JANE T SMITH

Organic Natural Healthy Sleep

SERVICES 28 Careers 7 Real Estate

IN DE

ER V U

CO N VA ͘ Ɛƚ

TIME OUT 23 Arts 28 Music

ARTS

27

START HERE

MA

Power gloves, smart mirrors, and virtual-reality games: students at two local secondary schools create off-the-wall products under mentorship from Microsoft and get a taste of the tech industry.

1

8 19

DĂƩƌĞƐƐĞƐ͕ ƉŝůůŽǁƐ͕ ĚƵǀĞƚƐ͕ ůŝŶĞŶƐ͕ ďĂďLJ͕ ďĂƚŚ͕ ĂŶĚ LJŽŐĂ

MUSIC

Its name might have been partly inspired by a legendary jazz guitarist, but Vancouver’s Jo Passed is anything but a bebop outfit. > BY JOHN LUCAS

GeorgiaStraight @ GeorgiaStraight

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@ GeorgiaStraight

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vancouversymphony.ca 604.876.3434 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40009178, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Georgia Straight, 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9

MEDIA SPONSOR

MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 5

straight talk

INSITE COFOUNDER ASKS FOR ROYAL COMMISSION

BIKE to WORK WEEK

presented by

A pioneer of Vancouver’s harmreduction movement has called for a federal investigation into Canada’s opioid epidemic and drug-overdose deaths.

“The barriers that have prevented harm reduction service innovations are not scientific, medical or epidemiological,” reads a letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that is dated May 15, 2018. “The barriers are implicit and explicit values, the bedrock of our culture and institutions, regarding addiction and drug use.

“As such, in the public interest, I ask that you establish a royal commission to examine the variables that have accounted for the dramatic overdose tragedy.”

The letter was written by Dan Small, a medical anthropologist who previously worked for the Portland Hotel Society, where he played a key role in establishing North America’s first supervised-injection facility, Insite.

“Should an Inquiry or Commission not be struck, then it will, in my view, provide a further illustration of systemic violence towards a population of people that has been failed repeatedly when the circumstances that took their lives were entirely amenable to efficacious intervention,” the letter continues.

A royal commission is a research body appointed by a government’s cabinet to “carry out full and impartial investigations of specific national problems”, according to Library and Archives Canada.

In a telephone interview, Small, who is an adjunct professor at UBC, said he suspects a royal commission would find that some of the blame for Canada’s overdose crisis lies with the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper.

“One of the most startling examples of the need for an inquiry, and evidence of a structural intervention, is the response from the federal government under the Conservatives to essentially, structurally, hamper the creation of supervised-injection services across the country,” Small told the Straight. “That was specifically done to structurally make it complicated, to put barriers in place, for the development of supervised-injection services across the country. Those kinds of things need to be looked at carefully.”

At least 5,869 people in Canada

The biggest paycheque, of $311,656, went to Carol Mason, administrator and chief administrative officer of Metro Vancouver.

Politicians who sit on the Metro Vancouver board and committees got a combined basic salary of $840,505 in 2017. They also rang up expenses totalling $111,799. > CARLITO PABLO

HIGHER BORROWING CAP NEEDED FOR TRANSIT

An Insite pioneer wants an inquiry into overdose deaths. Travis Lupick photo. died of an opioid overdose between January 2016 and September 2017, according to the federal government.

In B.C. alone, there were 1,448 illicitdrug overdose deaths in 2017, up from 991 in 2016 and 552 in 2015.

Small suggested a royal commission could serve as a truth-andreconciliation process for victims of the war on drugs.

“How did we allow this type of dramatic, astonishing tragedy to happen?” Small asked. > TRAVIS LUPICK

MORE THAN 350 METRO EMPLOYEES IN 100K CLUB

Politicians on the Metro Vancouver board recently took a lot of heat over a pay increase and retirement allowance they voted for themselves.

Following a public backlash, the board rescinded the plan in April this year. It would have cost taxpayers $131,333 for a one-time salary raise and $498,000 in retirement allowance retroactive to 2007, plus $62,500 per year going forward for retirement money.

As for its staff, Metro Vancouver is a generous employer.

According to a statement of financial information ending December 31, 2017, the regional district paid more than $135 million to its employees in base salaries last year, excluding benefits and expenses.

The report, which is included in the board’s meeting agenda for Friday (May 25), also shows that 352 employees each earned more than $100,000 in basic pay.

A separate group of seven took home at least $200,000 each.

TransLink is proposing to raise its borrowing limit to pay for its share in new transportation investments like the Broadway subway in Vancouver and two light rail lines in Surrey.

The suggested increase of $1.5 billion will bring the regional transportation body’s borrowing limit to $5.5 billion from the current level of $4 billion.

TransLink recently finished public consultations on the second phase of its 10-year plan, which is estimated to cost $7.3 billion.

According to TransLink, the plan’s second phase will require $6.41 billion for capital investments, $855 million for operating costs, and $390 million for financing charges.

The federal government has committed $2.01 billion for capital costs, and the provincial government is contributing $2.55 billion.

This means that TransLink has to come up with $1.85 billion as its portion of the capital investments in the plan.

Funding for the overall plan will also include an increase in transit fares in 2020 and 2021. Single fares are expected to cost 10 cents to 15 cents more, and monthly passes an additional 50 cents to $1.

In addition, property taxes will increase beginning in 2019 by an estimated amount of $5.50 for an average household to help pay for phase two.

The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation is scheduled to vote on the plan on June 28.

Provincial legislation requires the council to consult the Metro Vancouver regional government regarding investment plans that involve increases in borrowing by TransLink.

Metro Vancouver staff have recommended support by the regional district for the new borrowing limit.

The board is expected to agree with the advice at its meeting on Friday (May 25). > CARLITO PABLO

The Georgia Straight | Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 52 Number 2628 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 www.straight.com Phone: 604-730-7000 / Fax: 604-730-7010 / e-mail: gs.info@straight.com Display Advertising: 604-730-7020 / Fax: 604-730-7012 / e-mail: sales@straight.com Classifieds: 604-730-7060 / e-mail: classads@straight.com Subscriptions: 604-730-7000 Distribution: 604-730-7087 EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Yolanda Stepien GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith PRODUCT DIRECTOR

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May 28 June 3, 2018 REGISTER TODAY at BTWW.ca

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6 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

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NEWS

Men in heels help refugees Techie with Liberal ties

I

magine a walkathon in stilettos.

It sounds painful, but that’s the point of the Foundation of Hope’s annual Strut Vancouver fundraising stroll.

According to the foundation’s vice president, Chad Wilkinson, the goal is to “walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes”—namely, LGBT people in other countries facing vicious persecution for their sexual orientation and gender expression.

“For them, doing something like wearing a heel could be very dangerous,” Wilkinson told the Georgia Straight by phone. “It could be lethal in some countries.”

By donning heels to benefit groups that serve LGBT refugees, Vancouverites might experience a bit of discomfort, but Wilkinson sees this as a way of acknowledging those who are suffering abroad. This year’s walk from Sunset Beach Park along the seawall takes place on June 9.

Foundation of Hope’s Carl Meadows “At the same time, the stiletto repdevised Strut. Craig Takeuchi photo. resents a metaphor for us,” he noted.

“Even in our own society, it wasn’t with the federal government to help until last year that we actually made it groups sponsor LGBT refugees. The illegal for employers to force women to Rainbow Refugee Society also offers wear these shoes in support to LGBT the workplace.” people on student Since its invisas, LGBT temception in 2014, porary foreign Charlie Smith the Foundation workers, and LGBT of Hope has distributed more than people lacking documentation to be $150,000 to various organizations in the country. serving LGBT refugees across the “We’ve had folks tell us that they country. This is mostly thanks slept on the beach for the first three to its popular flagship event near nights because they didn’t know English Bay. what to do or where to go,” cofound“In fact, Inland Refugee Society re- er and board member Chris Morrisceived a grant from us to assist them sey told the Straight by phone. with their safe house that they estabOne of the Rainbow Refugee Solished in Richmond for LGBT hous- ciety’s core missions is encouraging ing for newcomers,” Wilkinson said. people to form a “circle of hope” to “That’s one example of housing that sponsor a refugee. These circles of we have contributed for.”

Good Samaritans raise money, comHe and his friends at the Founda- plete application forms, create a settletion of Hope are big supporters of ment plan, communicate with the the Rainbow Refugee Society, a Van- person prior to their arrival, and offer couver registered charity that works encouragement and emotional support.

Real Estate

NORTH VANCOUVER VE

W SI NE U

CL EX

NORTH VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

is set to run for mayor > B Y C HARLIE SMITH

A

s this week’s Georgia Straight was about to be distributed, it looked like another candidate might enter the crowded race to become the next mayor of Vancouver.

In a media advisory, tech entrepreneur Taleeb Noormohamed was scheduled to make an announcement on May 23 “regarding the Vision Vancouver” nomination.

“He will deliver a message of inclusion and the great potential of Vancouver to a diverse group of supporters, at a public event at Steamworks in Gastown,” the advisory stated.

Noormohamed is no greenhorn in the field of electoral politics. In 2011, he ran as a federal Liberal in North Vancouver, losing to Andrew Saxton of the Conservative Party. As a 27-year-old, Noormohamed challenged Hedy Fry, the longest-serving female member of the House of Commons, for the nomination of the Liberal Party in Vancouver Centre in 2004. Fry prevailed and went on to win a fourth term.

Noormohamed was born in Ottawa to Ismaili Muslim parents who immigrated from Kenya. The family moved to the North Shore when he was a young boy and he attended the elite St. George’s School in Vancouver as a high-school student. Noormohamed then went to Princeton University on a scholarship to study international relations, and he was also on a scholarship when he did doctoral work in geography at Oxford University.

More than a decade ago, he worked closely with former Liberal leader Bob Rae on a federal review of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 over the Irish Sea in 1985. He was involved in organizing the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

As vice president of strategy and partnership for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, he handled files related to revenue,

Taleeb Noormohamed is ready to go after a Vision Vancouver nomination.

government and international relations, and client services.

More recently, Noormohamed has been chief growth officer of Farfetch, a retail startup. He was also a vice president of global business development with HomeAway, a vacation-rentals marketplace that was later acquired

by Expedia.com, and he was also president and CEO of Serebra Learning Corporation, which was also purchased by another company.

Noormohamed did not return messages from the Straight by deadline.

The only other declared candidate for a Vision Vancouver mayoral nomination is Squamish hereditary chief Ian Campbell. Party members will choose their mayoral candidate on June 24.

In the meantime, there are three candidates battling for the NPA mayoral nomination, which will be decided on June 3. NPA park commissioner John Coupar is competing against entrepreneur Ken Sim and anticorruption crusader Glen Chernen. Sim and Chernen have never been elected to any public office before.

Other candidates in the race include ProVancouver’s David Chen, NDP MP Kennedy Stewart, and SFU publicpractice professor Shauna Sylvester. With files from Carlito Pablo.

RICHMOND LD O S

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They also assist the refugee once the person has made it to Canada.

“Some circles are all gay men, some are all lesbians, but we also have mixed circles,” Morrissey says.

“We have allies. There is one circle, for example, where all the women are straight and all the men are gay.”

She estimated that about 25 people have been sponsored to come to Vancouver and about 120 to the rest of the country since the program launched in 2011.

However, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring that housing is available to the refugees for 12 months after their arrival. That’s a requirement of sponsorship.

“These days, most people in our circles either have one-bedroom apartments or one-bedroom condos, so it’s impossible for them initially to provide housing for them while they look around and try to figure out where they would like to live,” Morrissey said.

To address this issue, she sought help from Vancouver city councillor Tim Stevenson. He then worked out an arrangement with McLaren Housing Society to provide two subsidized units in the 100 units of social housing that will be built on top of the new Qmunity centre slated for the corner of Burrard and Davie streets.

“Upon arrival, refugees will have temporary one-year housing while sponsors look for permanent housing,” Stevenson announced at a May 17 LGBT breakfast in downtown Vancouver. “It means we can guarantee immediate housing for refugees when they escape queerhating countries.”

For Morrissey, Stevenson’s work will not only help alleviate the housing crunch for LGBT refugees but will also put them in close contact with Qmunity. This can help these LGBT newcomers make an easier transition to living in Canada. -

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MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 7

TECH

Secondary students get busy in the Garage Participants in the Microsoft program have created cutting-edge products, going from designing to exhibiting in about a month

I

> B Y KATE WIL SON

n 1975, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard. Deciding that he’d rather found his own company than continue his studies, the 20-year-old teamed up with his friend Paul Allen to tinker away on a software demo in his garage. They released the results under the name Microsoft—and the rest is history.

The garage is integral to the mythology of startups, a symbol of creativity and innovation. Multiple world-conquering businesses—including Amazon, Hewlett-Packard, and Google—have grown from ideas hatched in such a space. But although the garage may have shaped the early stages of high-profile companies, for Microsoft it is also transforming its current output.

Four years ago, the company launched Microsoft Garage: a program that lets any employee toy with a new idea, regardless of its use to the organization. Offering a spot to design, code, build, and release a new product, the Garage encourages experimentation and off-the-wall ideas.

Microsoft Vancouver teams have produced everything from holographic brains to mobile chest X-rays—and now the local office has opened up that workshop to high schoolers.

Since mid-April, a small group of students from Port Coquitlam’s Riverside Secondary and Coquitlam’s Centennial Secondary have been visiting the downtown Garage space after school. Supported by their enthusiastic teachers, three teams of individuals have had the opportunity to work under the mentorship of Stacey Mulcahy, the senior program manager of the Microsoft Garage, to create three cutting-edge products to exhibit at the recent B.C. Tech Summit.

“When we came to Microsoft, we

Four years ago, Microsoft launched the Garage, a program allowing employees to build new products. Pamela Saunders photo.

were given the option to play with all of the equipment they had there,” Alex Redwood, a Riverside student, tells the Georgia Straight. “We started off trying out virtual-reality headsets, and we thought we could definitely invent something with it. And then someone on the team came up with the idea of creating a smart mirror that could help track your mental health. We wanted to make something that could help people and that we could be proud of, so we focused on that.”

Along with teammates Paige Ackerman and Marcus Cheng, Redwood created a mirror with a mounted

camera that takes a snapshot of a person’s face. The technology can send the picture to Microsoft’s face application program interface (API), which reads the photo and determines what kind of emotion an individual is displaying. The data is then transferred back to the mirror.

“Our bigger goal is that the mirror is also a monitor,” Redwood continues, “so if it looked like you were feeling sad, it would show you a scene of a beautiful sunrise for 30 seconds, so you can take some time to be mindful and think of yourself and how to improve your mental health.”

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“I built the frame from scratch,” Ackerman adds, “and Marcus took apart three computer monitors to understand the circuitry. I don’t think any of us would have known that we could just make a smart mirror in a few weeks. It just seems kind of crazy.

Now that we’ve done a project like this, it seems like anything is achievable.”

The Centennial high schoolers, too, managed to take their concepts from idea to reality in about a month. Completing their time at the Garage with workable prototypes, that school’s two teams had the chance to experience the highs and lows of working in

the thriving Vancouver tech sector.

“We made a virtual-reality game based on the mobile game Crossy Road,” says Jeremy Schmidt, who teamed up with classmates Conrad Kim and Victor Li. “You have to get across the road to the other side by avoiding the cars. Instead of being the third-person view, we put a firstperson spin onto that idea so people can look around and feel like they’re actually in that world.”

“We made a power glove that tracks the movement of your hand and lets you draw on a screen by waving in the air,” Hunter Thomas, a member of the second group, tells the Straight. “When our team [including Jasmine Li and Ralph Bustamante] tilts the glove forward or backward, the line moves on the monitor. The glove is wired up to a flex sensor, so when the sensor is bent, the size of the pen on the screen changes and gets bigger if you use more force. We didn’t get time to put all the sensors into the glove, but Ralph 3-D–printed the housing for the chip and some rings, which would hold them in place.”

All six Centennial students had wanted to get into the tech industry in the future but didn’t know how.

After spending time working in the Garage with Mulcahy, the teenagers believe they have found a path into the sector after graduation.

“Being at Microsoft in their Garage space, it’s been very cool to see what it’s like to work over there and what their area is like,” Schmidt says. “It makes that dream we have of working in coding so much bigger and almost come true. When people working in the tech industry were our age, they didn’t have these same technologies to work with.

We’re fortunate that we have those skills now.” -

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FEATURE

A crowd of hundreds had come together in

BY TRAVIS L UP ICK

downtown Vancouver very quickly.

Late in the afternoon of June 17, 2014, politicians in Ottawa gave conditional approval for the construction of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines project, which was planned to traverse the Great Bear Rainforest from north of Edmonton, Alberta, to Kitimat, B.C. The former Conservative government hadn’t signalled that its decision would come that day, so there was no demonstration planned in advance.

But in just a few hours, hundreds of Vancouver residents gathered downtown in a spontaneous protest against the approval.

The crowd was boisterous and energized by the momentum of an event coming together so quickly. At the intersection of Georgia and Hamilton streets, it grew to more than one thousand strong.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip was driving home to Penticton when he heard the news. He pulled over to an orchard at Spirit Ridge, near Osoyoos, and took a moment to think. Then he turned his trusted Chevy Tahoe around and began the drive back to Vancouver.

Four hours later, he stood before the crowd at Georgia and Hamilton.

The People’s Chief of B.C.

How a life of activism led the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, Stewart Phillip, to stand before Kinder Morgan “I could sense the energy, and it was way up at the top of the Richter scale,” Phillip tells the Georgia Straight almost four years later.

“It’s official: the war is on!” he cried, to which the crowd responded with a thunderous roar.

Interviewed at his office in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the long-time president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) smiles as he recounts that day. “I had no idea I was going to say that,” Phillip recalls. “I never use speaking notes.”

His battle cry breathed power into the demonstration over and above the momentum it already possessed.

“I’ve been around for a long time and I could sense that this crowd was not simply going to hear the speakers and then politely applaud and go home,” Phillip continues. “And then it took off down the street.”

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipelines were never built.

They were added to a long list of industrial projects that Phillip has had a hand in defeating during almost half a century of his life as an activist. An expansion of the Apex ski resort south of Kelowna, Taseko Mines’ New Prosperity project southwest of Williams Lake, and Pacific NorthWest LNG’s export facility that was planned for Lelu Island near Kitimat are just three examples of many.

Today Phillip stands in the way of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline-expansion project.

For years, the Texas company’s Canadian subsidiary, Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd., has wanted to twin a pipeline that runs from Edmonton—where it receives diluted bitumen from the Alberta tarsands—to a port in Burnaby. Upon completion, it would triple the amount of bitumen transported to the Lower Mainland, increasing the number of oil tankers that sail past Vancouver through Burrard Inlet from some 60 ships per year to more than 400.

Phillip and a majority of B.C.’s Indigenous people, led by members of the local Tsleil-Waututh Nation, have vowed to prevent the project from going ahead.

Sustained protests have continued for years now, and Indigenous people’s allies have steadily grown in numbers. On March 10, thousands of people marched to Kinder Morgan’s gates on Burnaby Mountain. More than 200 people were arrested that day and at various demonstrations throughout the month.

On April 8, Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. issued a lengthy statement declaring that it was “suspending all non-essential activities and related spending on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project”. For the first time, the company issued a deadline for progress.

“If we cannot reach agreement by May 31st, it is difficult to conceive of any scenario in which we would proceed with the Project,” the statement reads.

STEWART MICHAEL PHILLIP was born in Penticton, B.C., on November 17, 1949. But he didn’t stay in the Okanagan Valley for long. Less than a year after his birth, Phillip’s parents fell victim to a wave of tuberculosis that was sweeping through B.C. Both of them, members of the Penticton Indian Band, were sent to the Coqualeetza Indian Hospital, a sanatorium in Sardis, B.C., that operated until 1969. For a short time, one of Phillip’s older sisters tried to care for him. But she was only nine years old. As soon as authorities became

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip has inspired many young Indigenous people by focusing on doing what’s right for future generations. Yolande Cole photo.

aware that the children were alone, Phillip was sent to live with a white woman who lived an hour’s drive west, in Hedley.

Phillip had a relatively uneventful upbringing there. His foster mother was single when she took Phillip in but met a man a few years later. They married and Phillip remembers they took care of him well. He was never beaten, never went hungry, and always had a warm bed to sleep in.

“It was a small little bungalow,” he says of their home in Hedley. “We had a lawn.…We had the white picket fence and little trellises for roses. She grew raspberries.”

When Phillip was five or six, the Hedley mill shut down and his new father lost his job. The family relocated six hours north, to Quesnel, and that’s where Phillip attended school.

In Grade 8, Phillip looked across the classroom and caught the eyes of a girl. As soon as they were old enough, there was a wedding. “I was 19, but emotionally I was 12,” Phillip says. They had two baby girls, but before long, it was clear a divorce was imminent.

When he was working construction at age 23, his boss called him to the phone. His wife was on the line, Phillip was told, which was strange. She never called him at work.

“I picked up the phone and she said: ‘I’m calling because your dad’s here. You better get home right away,’ ” Phillip recalls.

Sensing his confusion, she clarified: “Your real dad.”

The job site was 40 minutes’ drive from the house where they lived in Quesnel, and Phillip broke the speed limit the entire way.

“I was speeding because I thought my ex-wife was in harm’s way,” he says. “I had been taught that Indigenous people, First Nations people, were dangerous.…I was thinking there was this drunken man in our home, shabbily dressed, lurching after my ex-wife.”

Phillip’s emotions fluctuated out of control.

“Wow, I have a father,” he thought farther down the road. “I felt a sense of pride come up.”

When he pulled into his driveway, there was a new Ford Fairlane waiting for him, robin-egg blue with a white vinyl top.

“And I went into the house and I met him for the first time,” Phillip says. “He had these big, enormous Popeye arms. He had a brush cut and his hair was a kind of white, silver hair. He was a real imposing figure.…And that’s when I asked him, ‘What kind of Indian am I?’ ” For the first time, Phillip learned that he belonged to the Penticton Indian Band.

“We spent about six hours at the kitchen table,” Phillip continues. “And he left and I knew, at that moment, I had been lied to. I was told by my foster parents that my parents were really bad people, that Native people were dangerous. But my dad was an incredible person.”

Shortly after, Phillip and his former wife visited Penticton together and spent the weekend with Phillip’s father. He remembers it was a wonderful family reunion. On the drive back to Quesnel, Phillip knew he had already started down a new path.

“When you and I break up,” he remembers thinking then, “I know where I’m going.

“And that’s pretty much what happened,” Phillip continues. “I went home [to Penticton]. And that’s when my life began.”

Today Phillip remains angry and sad about what happened to him as an infant.

“When you get apprehended, you go alone,” he

explains. “You are completely isolated, alienated from your family, your community, in terms of language, songs, and all of that. I grew up in Quesnel not having any sense of who I was.”

From the 1950s to the late 1980s, tens of thousands of children like Phillip were forcibly taken from their Indigenous parents and placed with white families across Canada.

A stated objective of Canada’s residential schools was to “kill the Indian in the child”, Phillip notes.

“Apprehension had the same goal,” he says. “It was to assimilate our people into so-called mainstream Canadian society. That was another mechanism, another strategy to accomplish that goal.…

To kill the Indian within the child.”

TODAY PHILLIP WEARS his hair short, perfectly

combed with an off-centre part. His shoes are clean, his pants are pleated, and he wears buttonup shirts and beautiful ties that often incorporate Indigenous artwork. In the 1970s, Phillip had hair down to his shoulders, wore a red headband and sunglasses, and often sported military fatigues and combat boots. He was still finding himself as an activist and was growing increasingly militant.

“I was very angry,” he remembers. “Without realizing it, the origin of that anger was that I had been apprehended. And the more I learned about our people, the more I resented the fact that I had missed out on that part of my life.”

Living with his birth family in Penticton, Phillip immersed himself in the Indigenous culture from which the government had taken him when he was just 10 months old. He went to work in one of B.C.’s new band offices there and was active in the community. But Phillip didn’t become the man he is today until he met the woman with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

Without Joan Phillip, there is no Stewart. That comes through in every story the grand chief shares over hours of interviews that cover events spanning more than half a century.

“She’s my kindred spirit,” Phillip says. “She’s the most incredible person you will ever want to meet.”

In the mid-1970s, Joan Carter, as she was known then, was a radical.

She was a member of the Native Alliance for Red Power, a militant group of Indigenous people that was established in Western Canada in the late 1960s. She was also an ally of the Black Panthers and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In 1975, Joan led a delegation of 18 Indigenous people from western B.C. to the People’s Republic of China. “Before the doors were opened to the West,” Joan remarks today.

“I’d been involved in politics since I was about 16 years old,” she adds.

Joan had never heard of Phillip, but Phillip knew of Joan.

“At that time in my life, there were certain books that any red-blooded activist was expected to read,” Phillip says. “Prison of Grass by Howard Adams, The Unjust Society by Harold Cardinal, Custer Died for Your Sins by Vine Deloria Jr.” And a book by Joan’s sister, Lee Maracle.

“Lee Maracle’s first book was Bobbi Lee: Indian Rebel, and it was a must-read. So I bought the book,” Phillip says. “And right when I opened it, there in the pictures, there was a headshot of Joan.

And it was mesmerizing.”

In the mid-1970s, Phillip accepted a position with a group called the Vancouver Indian Centre Society.

“I go to my first board meeting and I’m looking see next page

MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 9

North America’s colonial societies.

“What most people don’t realize is, with residential schools it was about destroying our culture, our language, our customs and traditions, but the real goal of residential school was to destroy our spiritual connection to the land. That was the real goal.”

The People’s Chief

from previous page

at the board members, I look down the table, and there’s Joan sitting there,” Phillip remembers. Later that day, the meeting moved to the King’s Head pub in Kitsilano, and the two of them got to talking.

“Eventually, we came together,” Phillip says. “And we’ve been together ever since.”

Joan began to “educate” him, Phillip recalls.

“He was quite conservative,” Joan says. “He was more connected to the community itself, though. Which was a good thing.…it was a good relationship that way.”

They’d found each other, but it was on again, off again for a while.

Phillip had been drinking since he was 15 years old, and his alcoholism contributed to a rocky relationship with Joan.

“He wouldn’t stop at one, ever, ever in his life,” Joan says.

Phillip recounts the strain this placed on the period of their relationship that they spent in Vancouver. Both of them had young children from previous marriages, so it was important to have a car.

And Phillip totalled two of them in quick succession.

“Those were the family vehicles, so we had to walk everywhere for months with little kids,” Phillip says.

“So it was bad.”

He remembers he was very much still struggling with the conflicting identities he was left with after he was born Indigenous, taken from his parents and raised by a white family, then not reconnected with his birth family until he was more than 20 years old. “I felt, literally, caught between two worlds,” he says. “It was traumatic.”

The drinking got worse.

“I started to think about killing myself,” Phillip says. “I’d be so sick and hungover, I would tell Joan: ‘Why don’t you take the kids and go for a drive?’ And while they were gone, I was going to shoot myself.

“What kept me alive was my son,” Phillip continues. “I thought he would have to grow up with that stigma. And then and only then, I began to think, ‘Maybe I’m going to have to quit.’ ” One night in 1987, Phillip broke down.

“I did a crash and burn,” he says.

“I was in a Chinese restaurant and I just started crying. And then I just started howling.”

It was after midnight when Joan heard the phone ring at their home in Penticton. “He was crying and he wanted me to pick him up,” she says.

Three years earlier, a close friend named Emery Gabriel had faced a series of impaired-driving charges. To beat the rap, he had agreed to enter treatment. Initially, it was only to stay out of prison. But Gabriel had remained sober ever since.

Now, at 1 in the morning at the Bamboo Inn, Phillip asked Joan to drive him to Gabriel’s.

“I was praying that Emery was awake, up, and by himself,” Joan says. Thankfully, he was. “And we talked all night.”

Gabriel impressed on Phillip that getting sober could be a scary thing, and not something to be taken lightly. “Are you sure you want to go into treatment?” he repeatedly asked.

Phillip finally was. “I was sick and tired of alcoholism, depression, the black hole,” he explains. “It’s such a bullshit lifestyle. Joan and I would argue about my drinking buddies, my friends. And then when I sobered up, not one person came to visit me.

Because I wasn’t going to Cheers anymore. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not eternally grateful for not carrying that baggage anymore.”

The next week, Phillip entered the Nechako Centre in Prince George.

He hasn’t had a drink in more than 30 years since.

“Now he had the energy and he had the time and he had the clarity of mind to do all these things,” Joan says.

Stewart Phillip credits his wife, Joan, for always advising him to do the right thing. Zack Embree/Rogue Collective photo.

Phillip says proudly. “We’ve been in the trenches since the ’70s.”

One battle that left a mark—indeed, one that left a lasting memory in the minds of most Indigenous people across Canada—it occurred during the summer of 1990, Phillip begins.

On July 11 of that year, Jean Ouellette, the mayor of Oka, Quebec, requested that the province’s police force, the Sûreté du Québec, intervene in a dispute with the Mohawk people. The Mohawks had protested plans to expand a golf course onto their land. When the Sûreté du Québec became involved, officers responded to a road blockade with tear gas and concussion grenades. Gunfire followed, the standoff intensified, and the Mohawk demonstrators fortified their positions.

When news reached Penticton, Phillip was at his band office, reviewing a spreadsheet that detailed housing developments. The radio was on and a news reporter said something about the RCMP having arrested the chief of the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation, which was then known as the Pavilion Indian Band.

“What was that about?” Phillip asked.

“Some chief with Pavilion was arrested for blocking the road,” replied an elder who was in control of the radio. “I don’t know. Mohawk or something.”

In a show of solidarity with the Mohawk people in Quebec, Pavilion chief Butch Bob had erected a blockade on the highway that runs from Cache Creek to Lillooet. The RCMP had arrested him.

“We ran into the boardroom and we turned on the TV and that TV stayed on for the entire summer,” Phillip says.

In Penticton, a community meeting was convened on Saturday. “We don’t even know those people,” some said. “They’re way over there. What have they ever done for us? It’s not our fight.”

The meeting continued for a second day. “Sunday, we packed into the community hall and it was said, ‘We have no choice. It is our fight,’ ” Phillip says. “Monday, the barricades went up.”

From Penticton, Phillip and Joan travelled to Seton Portage, which is east of Lillooet.

“There was a decision to set up a rail blockade at Seton Portage,” Phillip says. “We had the rail line blockaded and they had to stop all trains. It took a couple of days for the RCMP to organize. And then they deployed. They came in by helicopter across the lake.

“They came across the lake in formation,” Phillip continues. “It looked like a scene right out of Vietnam. They flew right over the top of us, to intimidate us. Then they came marching up the road in a long column, deliberately stomping their one foot in a march.”

As the RCMP’s helicopters circled AMONG B.C. ACTIVISTS, the overhead, the blockade’s organizers Phillips are often referred to as a decided that two of their members single unit. “It’s ‘Joan and Stewart’,” would refuse to leave the train tracks, 10 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

positioning themselves for arrest.

The St’át’imc First Nation selected one of their members and the Okanagan First Nation selected Joan.

“So Joan was sitting in the chair straddling the tracks and another lady was on the other side,” Phillip says. “And there was drummers, songs, the choppers flying over, the RCMP coming up that little road.”

As they got closer, Phillip and other members of the blockade joined Joan and the other woman on the tracks. Eventually, there were more than 15 of them waiting.

“And then the RCMP were there and took us away one by one,” Phillip says. “They took us down in riot straps and loaded us into helicopters.”

They were flown to Lillooet Airport, where more RCMP officers were waiting for them with old school buses that were painted grey and modified to transport prisoners. The group spent the rest of the day on those buses, left on the tarmac to bake in the B.C. Interior’s summer heat.

At one point, another contingent of RCMP officers returned via helicopter from the blockade at Seton Portage. From the buses, Phillip watched and listened to them celebrate.

“Did you see that big fucking Indian? Did you see him go down?” he remembers one shouting.

“They had marched right through the centre of the village and taken the barricades down by force,” Phillip says. “They had dogs. And it was just absolute violence. It was horrific.…

The RCMP were clubbing people; the dogs went crazy.”

The following morning, the group was transported to a jail in Vancouver and then made to appear in court.

“I said to everybody, ‘When we walk into that courtroom, I don’t want to see anybody with their head down. When we walk in there, we are going to walk in there with our heads up,’ ” Phillip recounts.

The judge found in their favour and everyone was released. “And we were just so happy to be free,” Phillip says. “Because when we were locked up, we had no idea what was going on back east. And we realized we were of no value sitting in a jail cell. And as soon as we were out, we went back to our summer-long campaign of supporting the Mohawk people.”

It was the first time that Phillip was arrested for an act of civil disobedience, and a personal experience with police oppression and state power.

Reflecting on that summer, Phillip says it also taught him strategy.

“In my early beginnings in activism, I hated the RCMP and I hated the military,” he says. “But I began to realize that I had to be completely and totally aware that they are agents of the state that oppresses our people.

But it gets in the way, if you carry that emotion into it. And so you have to be more strategic.”

That doesn’t mean that you back down, Phillip continues. (B.C.’s grand chief says he has lost count of the number of times that police have removed him from a demonstration.) It

means you weigh when an arrest is worth it, and if it’s inevitable, plan for it to happen on your terms.

“The number one principle is Joan’s: we have to do the right thing.

No matter what,” Phillip says. “No matter what the risk.”

Joan says that by 1990, she’d had hard feelings about police and Canadian authorities for a long time. But the Oka Crisis solidified the state’s position as an opponent and made that position clear for any Indigenous person who might have previously remained ambivalent.

“We learned not to trust the RCMP or police,” she says. “We learned not to trust governments.”

It also solidified Indigenous unity, and on a scale that hadn’t existed before.

“After the Mohawk crisis, we had a deep, deep, lifelong relationship with the St’át’imc people that will be there for generations to come,” Phillip says. “Because we went through the crisis together.…That’s the nature of solidarity. Once you forge these friendships and alliances in the heat of battle, they are there forever.”

FOR A DECADE NOW, B.C. In-

digenous people’s hardest-fought battles have been over oil pipelines.

On a drive out to Burnaby Mountain, Phillip lists them off.

There was Energy East, a pipeline that was proposed to carry diluted bitumen from the oilpatch in Alberta more than 4,500 kilometres to terminals in New Brunswick. The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines project was similarly proposed to transport product from the oilsands, but west, through the Great Bear Rainforest, to Kitimat, B.C., and to carry LNG condensate east. And despite fierce resistance from Indigenous groups in both Canada and the United States, TransCanada Corporation continues to push for Keystone XL, an extension of the Keystone Pipeline System that would run from Alberta to refineries and ports on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

With Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain project, Phillip’s specific target is not the pipeline expansion itself. He says the true goal is nothing less than to keep the tarsands bitumen where it is: in the ground.

“For Indigenous peoples, the lands, the waters, and all living things—it’s Mother Earth,” he explains. “That is universal throughout the entire world, for Indigenous people’s core beliefs and values, centred around an inherent responsibility to protect and defend Mother Earth. Now, a diametrically opposed worldview is the Euro-Canadian view, so to speak, that the lands and the waters are a collection of commodities that one takes to the market for profit.”

The dispute is much bigger than any one pipeline or even the entire oilsands, Phillip continues.

The conf lict over Kinder Morgan is only a manifestation of a divide that runs through many intersections of Indigenous peoples and

ON A CRISP AFTERNOON in April, Phillip walks across a field near Kinder Morgan Canada’s oilstorage facility at the foot of Burnaby Mountain. At the field’s far side, an Indigenous group called Protect the Inlet, which is primarily an initiative of Tsleil-Waututh members, has established a camp to serve as a physical symbol of opposition to Kinder Morgan’s plans to expand its oil operations on Burrard Inlet. It’s called the Watch House.

“A Watch House, (‘Kwekwecnewtxw’ or ‘a place to watch from’ in the henqeminem language, used by members of the Coast Salish Peoples) is grounded in the culture and spirituality of the Coast Salish Peoples,” reads a description of the camp on Protect the Inlet’s website. “It is a traditional structure they have used for tens of thousands of years to watch for enemies on their territories and protect their communities from danger.”

Before Phillip is halfway across the field, Indigenous people and allies manning the camp spot him and wave and greet him with smiles. He visits regularly and it’s obvious how much his presence is appreciated.

“Uncle,” calls the camp leader, Sways n Will George. The two sit down together over stew and bannock and discuss the latest developments related to Kinder Morgan. It was one week earlier that the corporation announced it was “suspending all non-essential activities and related spending on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project” and setting a May 31 deadline for political progress.

George remained skeptical. “I’m not going to cheer in any way until this is absolutely dead,” he says. Phillip nods in agreement.

Asked how he views his role in the movement to stop Kinder Morgan, Phillip emphasizes it is not one of leadership. In this fight, that responsibility rests with members of the Tsleil-Waututh, he explains, and others on the frontlines, including the Squamish Nation and Coldwater band.

“We [UBCIC] play a supporting role and a role of political advocacy,” Phillip says.

It keeps him on the front lines.

Phillip’s most recent arrest was in November 2014, not far from the Watch House.

“There was a lot of drumming and singing, there was prayers,” he recounts. “When I crossed the line, I said: ‘I’m doing this for all of our grandchildren.’ It was very emotional.”

“Ta’ah [Amy George]—who is one of the most respected elders in TsleilWaututh—and myself crossed the line,” Phillip continues. “There were about a dozen seniors from all parts of the province that had organized themselves to cross the line with us, and they were all arrested.”

Rueben George was there that day. He’s a manager of the Sacred Trust—another initiative of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation—and the son of Ta’ah Amy George.

“I put on some paint, some protection on them,” George tells the Straight. “At that moment, I could see the spirit was guiding him. And then I put the paint on him and he was very serious about that and about the action that he was about to take. It was a beautiful moment.…A warrior ready to go to battle.”

Will B.C.’s Indigenous people ever step out of Kinder Morgan’s way?

Is there anything in the world that could force Phillip to back down?

“We have 15 grandchildren, and that’s what drives us,” Phillip replies.

“Joan always reminds us: what we don’t accomplish we leave for our grandchildren. So we have to undertake as much of this challenge as possible during our time here. So that’s what we do.” -

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you on Stop. Rather, it is set up for getting your fill/soaking it up and making the most of it. Back-toupiter in good shape with work Tuesday keeps every part of Neptune and Mercury in you doing double time. good shape with Pluto bring VIRGO the workweek to a smooth finAugust 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;September 22 ish. Use your charm and sassy to upsell Saturday/Sunday, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t and score yourself a better deal. For the most part, folks are interested, willing, miss a thing. Your powers of obserand easily convinced. The top of the vation, persuasion, and recall are at day is best for a scouting mission, plan- their peak. Someone or something ning ahead, and putting creative or so- can make quite an impression. The cial skills into action. As the day wears moment prompts a deeper insight, on, it can require more push. Call it an a richer conversation, a change of early night. Aim for early at â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em Satur- opinion or mind. Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go-thedistance full moon takes you into day morning.

The moon tours Scorpio for the further discussion, fact-checking, weekend. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no place else to be sorting out or looking around. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s but exactly where you are. Put an time to get going. agenda into play and dive in deep; it LIBRA will prove worthwhile.

September 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;October 23 Coinciding with travellers on their The jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well done; plans, way home from the American long weekend, the moon slips into Sagit- activities, and talks stay on track; tarius Monday evening. Full-moon satisfaction comes easily. The tranTuesday can put big wheels in mo- siting moon in Libra makes for tion and/or deliver more into more a smooth and social finish to the than anticipated. Expect to see more workweek. Saturday/Sunday keeps money changing hands, people on you completely wrapped up in the the go, and more information, too. It moment or conversation. One way could be a day (or a few) of big news or another, Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full moon puts or announcements. A sports event is you on the move. Expect to go fursure to draw a large viewing audience. ther, to do, hear, see, discuss, buy, or Are you/is it heading in the right spend more. direction? Are you/are we getting SCORPIO what we want? What do you believe October 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C;November 21 and is it true? On the one hand, a full Thursday/Friday, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all moon in Sagittarius can put the future into question. On the other, the good behind the scenes. Saturday future can shape up like a racehorse through Monday, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on their radar again. The moon in Scorpio taking the lead.

Mercury treks into Gemini a few has you feeling freshly refuelled hours after the moon rises full. Watch and keeps you quick on the uptake. for a key person or agent to be a news- Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full moon sets you onto the next task. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good day to maker or a catalyst. travel, set wheels in motion, track it ARIES down, pin them down, call the shot, March 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;April 19 or call the spade.

Friday brings you to a finSAGITTARIUS ish line, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no place to park it.

November 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;December 21 Soak it up and feel your way along.

Social, flexible, and/or Venus in Cancer can see you re-meet or remember. As of full-moon Tues- casual bring the workweek to a good day, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re onto something next. wrap-up. Aim wherever you like; Monday through Wednesday are Saturday through Monday, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll optimum for travel and getting the extract the best of the moment. Acshow on the road. Catch up, speak companied by Mercury, which is fresh at it in Gemini, Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full up, talk it out, and explore more. moon in Sagittarius puts extra fuel TAURUS in your tank. Hit the road, aim for April 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;May 20 a second shot, give it a first try, and Running out of steam? take it up a great big notch.

Venus/Saturn brings the workweek CAPRICORN to a well-timed wrap-up. Overall, December 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;January 19 you should feel that plans and activCooperation and comities run as they should, that intention and expectation are well met promise are on ready mix Thursthrough the weekend. By Monday day/Friday. Common ground is afternoon, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to switch gears. easily found. The weekend is ideal Tuesday/Wednesday, the full moon for a getaway or for diving deeper. in Sagittarius and Mercury in Gem- Tuesday, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of action behind the scenes. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t secondini set it onto full swing. guess; ask more questions. Trust GEMINI intuition and first impressions.

May 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 21 The full moon can clue you in or let Great minds think alike the cat out of the bag.

Thursday/Friday. Mercury/Pluto and AQUARIUS the transiting Libra moon keep it January 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;February 18 stimulating and fresh. CommunicaNever a dull moment, tion tracks, social plans, profit, and satisfaction are on the upswing. Sat- Mars in Aquarius keeps it and urday/Sunday, do/explore more; get you clipping right along. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll more out of it. As of Tuesday, you continue to make great social and should feel freshly refuelled and good personal strides. Saturday through to go. Mercury into Gemini and the Monday could see you make an imfull moon thrust you onto a next page pact or a significant turnaround.

One way or another, Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or phase, pronto. take-f light full moon sets you onto CANCER all systems go. Mercury helps you June 21â&#x20AC;&#x201C;July 22 stay quick on the uptake.

Reconnections are timely.

PISCES Venus in Cancer can prompt a look February 18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;March 20 back, throwback, or rehash. Back-toIt could be the weekend work Tuesday could reveal a loophole or a hidden advantage or give you a or something more, Fridayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Venus/ second chance. Work- or healthwise, Saturn brings you to a long-awaited the full moon could also give you a run goal or finish line. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a total-immerfor it. You could face a stack-up, pile- sion weekend. You can make a big up, higher price, news, health chal- impression on someone, or they on you. Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full moon is approlenge, or something else unforeseen. priate for travel, making a big move LEO or announcement, or taking it on.

July 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C;August 22 Watch for news. The weekend couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be better timed, especially if it is a Book a reading or sign up for Roseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long one for you. You could do with free monthly newsletter at rose a break, but it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one that puts marcus.com/.

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Brewing up a community AFGHAN HORSEMEN > B Y M IKE USING E R

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arlier this year, Vancouver Craft Beer Week cofounder Leah Heneghan found herself halfway around the world, exploring the majestic ruins of Angkor in Cambodia’s exotic Siem Reap. To get a handle on what she loves most about our province’s booming craft-beer movement—inclusion and community being major buzzwords—it helps to flash back to that trip. Heneghan was a stranger in a strange land in Cambodia, but that didn’t stop her from making fast friends with strangers.

“In Siem Reap, me being me, I was like, ‘I wonder if there’s any beer here?’ ” she says, kicking back in her West End apartment on a sunny Vancouver spring day. “There were a couple of brew pubs, one in particular called the Local, run by a couple of American guys. We went in there, sat down at the bar, and started talking and talking about beer. They said, ‘What do you do?’ and I said, ‘I run Vancouver Craft Beer Week.’ ” Along with technical director Tyler Olson and business-development director Paul Kamon, Heneghan has been part of VCBW since launching the yearly event in 2010. If she has learned anything over the years, it’s that there’s something about sitting down with a pint or a flight that brings people together.

“Immediately, I had a community around me in Cambodia,” she marvels. “They wanted to show me the brewery, tell me where to go in town, and other places that I might want to see. I built this instant little beer family in the middle of Cambodia.”

THE SAME THING might very well have happened on these shores had Heneghan been visiting Vancouver from halfway around the world. With the ninth edition of Vancouver Craft Beer Week (Friday to next Sunday [May 25 to June 3]) on the horizon, she’s been thinking about what makes British Columbia special. A major thing, of course, is that Vancouver is able to throw something as big as a weeklong celebration of all things beer, which includes daily events across the city, from tap takeovers to fruit- and sour-beer showcases to a Port Moody brewmaster’s dinner to a Gastown pub walk. (For a full rundown of events, as well as dates and ticketing, go to vancouvercraftbeer week.com.)

Over 180 craft breweries now operate across the province, meaning more businesses competing for a share of an ever-expanding market.

That’s done nothing to dampen the original spirit of B.C. craft brewers.

“One of the things that I really love is that, right from the beginning of this whole movement, everybody is really supportive of each other,” Heneghan says. “Everybody wants everyone to do well. Look at all the breweries in East Van or Mount Pleasant or [Port Moody’s] brewers’ row—everyone

works together to make each other successful. And using the Port Moody breweries as an example, they’re working with a lot of local businesses—bringing in meat from local butchers, promoting those businesses to help them succeed.”

In that spirit of teamwork, one of VCBW’s signatures is its collaboration beer. Heneghan and company bring together multiple breweries to produce a special one-time beer; this year’s offering is a double dry-hopped pilsner from North Vancouver’s Beere Brewing, Whistler’s Coast Mountain Brewing, and Squamish’s Backcountry Brewing. The Sea-to-Sky breweries helped develop the recipe and participate in the brewing process at Backcountry.

THAT VCBW’S COLLAB beer for

2018 brings together breweries from beyond city limits isn’t an accident.

Heneghan points out that craft beer is now a provincewide phenomenon.

For proof, look no further than the B.C. Ale Trail, a tourism initiative by Destination British Columbia and the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild committed to building the profile of the province’s microbrew community. This year’s collaboration, available in select specialty liquor stores, bars, and restaurants, is one way of making sure that Vancouver Craft Beer Week isn’t just about Vancouver.

“We wanted to bring people who are a little bit further afield together for our collaboration brew,” Heneghan says. “The craft-beer community is throughout B.C.” For Backcountry brewer John Folinsbee, the fun of this year’s collaboration process was working with, and bonding with, like-minded folks from across the province. After Backcountry sat down with Beere and Coast Mountain brewmasters over pizza and—you guessed it—beer, to work out this year’s pilsner, the real fun happened.

“One of the greatest things you can do as a brewer is go and show up at another brewery where they are making the beer,” Folinsbee says with a laugh. “You kind of get to just hang out for the day, shoot the shit and talk beer while drinking beer. It’s always more fun to watch other people than work yourself. The VCBW collaboration beer is kind of a notorious party.

You’ve got 40 to 50 breweries showing up, usually with samples to try. We’ve got a full tap list, so everyone gets together to just hang out.”

As part of that, the beer community grows. While Folinsbee wasn’t familiar with Beere Brewing at first, he now raves about their IPA. And he notes that things like the VCBW collaboration are indeed only going to boost the profile of breweries outside Vancouver.

“There are so many breweries opening up on the Sea-to-Sky that the Craft Beer Week people really wanted to showcase what we’re doing up here,” he says.

As in past years, this year’s offering will benefit Eastside Boxing

Club, which will use the money for its free female self-defence program, offered, Heneghan says, to “people who female-identify, nonbinary folks, and members of the LGBTTQQ2S community”.

Eastside Boxing founder Dave Schuck says the nonprofit club is committed to helping at-risk youths and women who’ve been victims of violence. The youth program runs five days a week, and includes an organic meal, clothing, tutoring, and access to scholarships.

“It’s almost a one-stop shop for kids—we’ve even got a doctor that comes in and sees them,” Schuck says, interviewed by phone. “Vancouver Craft Beer Week and the collaboration beer is just another example of how the community comes together and works towards a great good.

We wouldn’t have these programs if things like Vancouver Craft Beer Week wasn’t involved.”

Noting she grew up in East Van in the pre-gentrification years, Heneghan adds: “Eastside Boxing is a place for kids to go and hang out if their folks are working and they don’t have anywhere to go after school. Hanging out at the gym means they aren’t getting into trouble. Being from East Van, I can totally relate to that. I probably could have used some place like Eastside Boxing to go after school.”

And Eastside Boxing recently gave the city’s craft brewers, as well as those associated with the industry— canners, hops producers, and event planners—a chance not only to hang out, but also to hone and then display their boxing skills with something called Beer Wars. The event, which culminated in an evening of boxing at the Croatian Cultural Centre on April 8, had industry players train and then step into the ring. Beer Wars raised $50,000 this year for the day-to-day running of the gym.

“People from all different breweries get together and train, and then end up fighting each other,” Schuck says.

“What’s great is that it’s not an adversarial thing. They get together and train as a team, and get to know each other, which is great for networking.

It shows everyone how everyone is willing to work together despite being competition. It’s intensive training for three months, and then, boom, the big show. It’s a healthy alternative to what they often normally do, which is events that tend to be beer-based.”

VCBW’S EAST VANCOUVER roots

run deep, with the event’s first-ever festival in 2010 taking place at Heritage Hall on Main. This year’s launch happens at the Maritime Labour Centre just off Victoria Drive, with beers from over 25 breweries on offer. Also featured will be feats of strength like lifting barstools, thumb wars, and planking with a pint of beer on one’s back. The choice of the Maritime Labour Centre was carefully thought out, starting with its proximity to see page 15

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 20, 2018 WHERE: Johnny Rockets Vancouver I was working behind the counter 'n noticed you walk in with your beautiful smile and cool hair. So decided to come out of the kitchen and serve you your meal. Then I heard your voice and melted. I was hooked from then. Please come back and see me. Could listen to you speak all day.

Yes, I was flirting with you handsome.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 21, 2018 WHERE: Dollarama West End Denman Place Mall Oh hi! We crossed paths at Dollarama in the West End on Monday morning, while you were picking out dishes and I was taking too long to choose storage containers. You’re tall, wore a dark t-shirt, and have killer freckles! I was in a zip-up hoodie with glasses. We kind of shuffled by each other as you were listening to music and smiled. I roamed around the store a few minutes later to say hi but you must have beat me to the cashier. Let’s grab a drink?

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 20, 2018 WHERE: Home Depot South Surrey We were both inquiring about the same decking material with the same sales associate. Me : 5'7", stocky build with a more salt than pepper beard. Thought you were gorgeous. Would you be interested in a coffee/drink?

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You are Asian, have the most beautiful face, cutest smile and beautiful hair. You work at Chez Christophe. I would love to ask you out but don’t want to put you on the spot at your work place. I wish I’d meet you somewhere else so we could chat. You served me today, I dropped a spoon when I was putting my dishes away and you picked it up. I wish we could meet sometime.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 19, 2018 WHERE: Whole Foods Kits Beautiful Asian girl buying cheeses etc. You donated to the fellow on the sidewalk on your way out. At the crosswalk, I asked you if it was going to rain. You are stunning! I would love to learn more about you !

SERVER AT JETHRO'S

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 19, 2018 WHERE: Jethro's on Fraser You are the tall, purple-haired, tattooed server (hopefully that narrows it down enough) at Jethro's on Fraser. I came in alone and ordered way too many pancakes for one human. I love your hair and you have beautiful eyes. Let's get drinks!

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 15, 2018 WHERE: My Workplace, 3000 Block St John Street Port Moody Tuesday May 15 you - athletic, leggy, fair skinned redheaddelivered pizza from Freshslice to the front reception at my workplace. Because it was a surprise for me, I wasn’t expecting it, and when I came down to the lobby to see what was going on...

I was STUNNED to see you there.

We had a fun and flirty interaction and you spelled out your first and last names for me after blowing me a kiss... unfortunately, I was SO stunned that I couldn’t remember how to spell your last name, so I can’t look you up and ask you out that way.

I would LOVE to meet you for a drink and some fun - you’re one of the most gorgeous and fun women I have ever met, period.

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: MAY 12, 2018 WHERE: East Van Moksha Yoga Studio I started talking to you in the East Van Moksha Lounge post Yin yoga on Saturday. The ease of our conversation may have been facilitated by post yoga bliss. You told me about how you murder oysters and we talked about bees and honey. I left before telling you my name. You had a kind presence and energy.

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CRAFT BEER

Dare to pair these superb suds and buds From East Vancouver to the West End, here are the city’s hotspots for both craft breweries and cannabis dispensaries > B Y PIPER C OUR TE NAY

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friendly neighbourhood guide to tracking down weed during craft-beer week.

EAST VAN Better known as Yeast Van, the city’s hot spot for craft beer will be buzzing with beer-themed crawls and boozy theme nights all week. While the selection of incredible breweries vastly outnumbers the neighbourhood’s brick-andmortar pot shops, there are a couple to check out while you bike-hop your way between suds sellers.

In East Van you’ll find (left to right) Luppolo Brewing, Doan’s Craft Brewing, and Strathcona Brewing, all within easy The Medicinal Cannabis Disbicycling distance of the Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary and Eggs Canna, both on East Hastings Street. pensary (880 East Hastings Street) is located across the street from Hastings Street) and within walk- (1123 Venables Street) and Callister you’re making a pit stop at Doan’s Strathcona Brewing (895 East ing distance of Luppolo Brewing Brewing (1338 Franklin Street). If Craft Brewing (1830 Powell Street) to sample one of the city’s best Kölsch offerings or are in need of a little creative inspiration for the Strange Fellows art session (May 28), you can also check out Eggs Canna (2303 East Hastings Street) for a solid selection of f lower.

Dare to pair: Blue Cookies from Eggs Canna and Powell Brewery’s Yippee-Ki-Yay Nordic Table Beer.

The indica-dominant hybrid is the heavy-hitting love child of two very famous parent strains, Blueberry and Girl Scout Cookies. The sticky, rich notes of mixed berries in the bud complement the aromas of blueberry, tangerine, and tropical fruits brought out in the light and refreshing ale.

the Gastown Pub Walk (May 31), make sure to stop by one of the friendliest and most iconic weed lounges in the city, Cannabis Culture (307 West Hastings Street). If you’re looking for a quick pit stop, Farm Cannabis (369 Columbia Street) is a sweet hole-in-the-wall shop with a solid selection of prerolls to cut down on the preparation ahead of your adventure.

Dare to pair: Hawaiian Punch from Farm and Postmark Brewing’s Gose. This energetic and uplifting sativa will keep you going as you check off some of the city’s finest watering holes, while the tangy notes of lemon and pineapple will play nicely with the tart Germanstyle wheat beer. There’s also something about the salty aftertaste of the brew and the tropical aromas of the strain that creates the perfect staycation duo.

WEST END The West End is no-

toriously brewery-free. In fact, it may be the only neighbourhood in Vancity with more f lowers than f lights. In an effort to share the wealth, a collective of Yeast Van’s finest are coming together for one night (May 31) to bring B.C. beer to the West End crowd. That night, Timber Gastropub’s (1300 Robson Street) taps will only serve a selection of the best suds from Callister Brewing, Strange Fellows, Andina, Bomber Brewing, and more.

If you’re looking for something to stir the appetite pre–bison burger and brew, just a 10-minute stroll south of Timber you’ll find the reputable West End Medicinals (1162 Bute Street). Green Panda (1707 Robson Street) is another dispensary requiring only a brisk jaunt down Robson.

Dare to pair: Purple Urkle from West End Medicinals with Strathcona’s Blackberry Berliner Weisse.

The infamous indica boasts mouthwatering notes of grape and berry that balance nicely with the tart, fruity summer beer. The strain also promises to enhance your postdinner stroll to English Bay after enjoying Timber’s classic Canadian comfort food. -

GASTOWN There are a few options to ring in craft-beer week if you’re on the downtown waterfront. Postmark Brewing (55 Dunlevy Avenue) offers some topnotch local brews— including a B.C. classic, West Coast Pale Ale—alongside the sharable tapas-style menu of the Belgard Kitchen. You could also soak in the people-watching on the patio of one of the city’s landmark breweries, Steamworks (375 Water Street), just a few blocks west of the Gassy Jack statue. When it comes to Gastown, however, beer is best on the go.

This historic neighbourhood is the meeting spot for Vancouver Brewery Tours, because truly celebrating craft is not about limiting yourself To s e e m o r e n e i g h b o u r h o o d to just one pub’s beer offerings.

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Brewing up

from page 13

breweries like Parallel 49 and Doan’s Craft Brewing.

“East Van is such a huge beer district,” Heneghan says. “I grew up there, Paul grew up there, and Tyler lived in East Van, and we all love it there. It’s very close to all of our hearts.”

Talk to anyone living in the shadow of the mighty East Van cross, and they’ll tell you that craft-beer culture has helped change the fabric of their neighbourhoods. Whether you’re talking Main Street’s Brassneck Brewery and Red Truck Beer Company, Strathcona’s Luppolo Brewing and Off the Rail, or the Drive’s Doan’s Craft Brewing and Parallel 49, breweries have become go-to destinations in the community. Sit at a long table at your local establishment and chances are good you’re going to get to know your neighbours.

“People often ask us, ‘Why do you think that craft beer has grown so much?’” Heneghan says. “I don’t know if this is Vancouver-specific, but we actually do like to get to know the people who live and work around us. Being able to go down to your local brewery and hang out with your neighbours, bring your family or meet your friends, is great for making you feel like there’s a certain energy in your community. We went through so many years of not knowing who lived next door. Now you’re going down to your local watering hole and getting to know the people who live around you.”

Given VCBW’s East Van roots, and the number of breweries on the East Side of the city, it’s no accident, then, that one of the weeklong celebration’s most wildly popular events—its craftbeer festival—takes place at the PNE Fairgrounds on June 2 and 3.

THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL will fea-

a new VIP area with catering and specialty products, and a beer garden spotlighting B.C.–bred musical acts like Youngblood and Tanglers.

A B.C. Ale Trail area will highlight offerings from different regions of the province, with over 10 beers pouring on an “ale trail(er)”. Also in the same area will be a craft-beer market lounge with games.

“It’s a big, big festival and another example of different groups coming together in one place,” says Heneghan, who acts as the festival’s director. “We’re working with the Vancouver Mural Festival, so we’ll have artists painting on-site, so people can talk to them and meet them while they are creating beautiful pieces for VCBW.” Heneghan notes that’s she excited to see ciders becoming a bigger part of the Vancouver Craft Beer Week Festival.

“There are going to be 12 different cideries on-site, and quite a few haven’t been to the festival before, and wouldn’t be able to come if we weren’t doing what we’re calling Cider Row,” she says. “They are another great example of how fast craft is growing in B.C. I’m a huge proponent of cider. I lived in England for eight years and drank cider the whole time I was there. There was a handful of cideries when we first started VCBW, and now there are something like over 30.”

More than ever, Heneghan enthuses, Vancouver’s craft-beer scene is bringing people together in a city that has a reputation for being cold and aloof. That’s reason enough to be excited about VCBW, no matter how you might be involved.

“In a day and age where we’re all tied to our phones and social media, it’s good to have reasons for people to be in the same room,” Heneghan says. “Beer gives us a common thread.

It gives us a great opportunity to sit down and talk.” -

ture a cavalcade of food trucks, more than 300 beers and ciders For more information on Vancouver (including 30-plus beers from 15 Craft Beer Week, go to vancouver different breweries in the States), craftbeerweek.com/.

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FOOD

First of the summer wines Hit these local patios

A

lthough it’s not officially summer for almost another month, the longer days and higher temperatures are summery enough for me.

I can definitely say my vinous tendencies have had me feeling like we’re well into the season, with my glasses full of sparkling or rosé on a regular basis. Here are some of the latest local pours I’ve enjoyed.

pink, this could very well be your wine of the summer.

DIRTY LAUNDRY VINEYARD HUSH 2017 ($18.99, www.dirtylaundry.ca/)

for food and brews

N

othing says summer like a pint of thirst-quenching craft beer. No, wait…

Nothing says summer like outdoor dining. Okay, how about this: nothing says summer like having a cold craft beer on a glorious sun-splashed patio. Now we’re talking.

Add excellent eats to the mix, and you might find yourself dreaming of an endless summer…

Here are a few places where the food is as good as the brews and where you can take it all in with fresh air.

While Summerland’s Dirty Laundry Vineyard is widely renowned for its array of Gewürztraminers, I’d venture that this annual pink outing is a dark horse for the favourite of many local enthusiasts. It’s loaded with mandarin orange, peach, nectarine, SUMMERHILL PYRAMID WINERY and ripe pineapple, and a pinch of CIPES BLANC DE BLANC 2012 fresh sage and a good arc of acidity (Okanagan Valley, B.C.; $46, www. keep all of that fruit aloft. There’s just Bottles from Summerhill Pyramid, summerhill.bc.ca/) The Cipes family Dirty Laundry, and Chic Fille wineries. enough residual sugar to envelop any of Kelowna has long been acclaimed heat carried by Thai curries or hearty THE SANDS OF JERICHO Want to for its sparkling-wine program. Be- increasing market demand for spark- Mexican food. fall in love with Vancouver all over sides the ever popular Cipes Brut, ling, all of that fruit is now turned into which has been the stuff of legend for fizz. The base wine fermented for six CHIC FILLE PINOT MEUNIER ROSÉ again? Hit the Galley Patio and Grill many years, labels include a sparkling months in neutral oak barrels. After 2017 ($30.35, www.joiefarm.com/) at the Jericho Sailing Centre (1300 Cabernet Franc and a fizzy Pinot Noir going through a second fermentation Although Chic Fille is a brand-new Discovery Street) and take in the Red Truck Beer Co. delivers live finished off with a splash of icewine. in the bottle, the wine was aged for two name in the British Columbian wine most glorious ocean, mountain, and music along with bites and beer.

Here we have Charyears on lees, then scene, it comes with the pedigree of city views. While you’re at it, share a donnay sourced disgorged earlier winemaker and JoieFarm winery pro- pitcher of Granville Island Infamous NORTH SHORE STYLE Situated in from their home this year, topped prietor Heidi Noble, who named this IPA, R & B Raven Cream Ale, R & B a newish complex next to a yoga stuvineyard along up with a small side project of hers. JoieFarm’s wines East Side Bitter, or some such. To go dio and the North Shore’s first Stong’s Kurtis Kolt with hotter vinedosage of their 2015 are always traditionally structured with, there’s plenty of fish: Baja fish Market, the patio at Deep Cove Brewyards in both Oliver and Osoyoos. Af- Pinot Noir. What a treat! Cherry cola and rather consistent in flavour pro- tacos, fish and chips (with Alaskan ers and Distillers (170–2270 Dollarter the second in-bottle fermentation, and brambly forest-floor notes domin- file, but this second label allows her to cod), oyster po’ boy with chipotle ton Highway) overlooks a vegetable the wine sat on the lees for four years, ate the aromatics, with a spoonful of play around and experiment without slaw, salmon melt with Havarti, and herb garden where the business sources ingredients which brought plenty of toasty good- both cherry clafoutis and plum pud- the limitations of the widespread ex- and grilled wild for its food menu salad ness. Pop that cork and enjoy a good ding on the palate, finishing off with pectations of JoieFarm. In short, it’s a salmon and where some whiff of fresh-sliced Granny Smith a head-turning amount of fresh ginger dip into the “natural wine” pool. Here, with mango vinof the botanicals apples and a hearty clutch of jasmine. and lime (so much so, I actually wrote grapes were destemmed, then pressed aigrette. Classics, Gail Johnson grow for its madeThe palate is drenched in Anjou pears, Moscow Mule in my tasting notes). At and soaked with the skins, which meanwhile, inwith juicy lime and lemon notes, cul- a pinch under 28 bucks, this wine is a gives the wine a deep ruby colour. It clude nachos, poutine, the quarter- in-house gin. Beerwise, you’ve got was then naturally fermented in neu- pound Classy Dog, and a black bean Picnic Apricot Pale, Sake Dark Lager, minating in a quite dry finish carrying bargain. tral oak for a couple of weeks, giving and roasted spaghetti squash tostada. Watershed Witbier, the creamy and a little grapefruit pith for good texture.

CULMINA FAMILY ESTATE WIN- it a solid backbone, then went through chocolate-y Crawl Stout, and more.

TANTALUS VINEYARDS BLANC ERY R & D ROSÉ 2017 ($19.99, B.C. five months of aging on the lees. This GOT CRAFT? With the False Creek Eats include bao, bowls, and flatbread; DE NOIR 2015 ($27.83, www.tan Liquor Stores) Although this delight- is not a tutti-frutti pink wine. It drinks breeze on your cheeks, Olympic Vil- craft beer shows up in several dishes, talus.ca/) For a few years in the re- ful pink offering is available to order more like a red with quince, Italian lage hot spot Craft Beer Market (85 like the spicy pretzel fondue and the cent past, Tantalus winemaker David direct from the winery, I was pleased plum, and notes of balsamic reduction. West 1st Avenue), in the historic Van- Cove Reuben.

Paterson was using an estate planting to note it can be found in many B.C. There’s a decent weight to it, too—and couver Salt Co. warehouse, is nirvana of Pinot Noir Clone 93 (a German Liquor Stores, making it easily access- it definitely comes across as more sav- for those who take their craft serious- MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU Spätburgunder clone) to make a deli- ible for many. On the nose, there’s cot- oury than sweet. There’s a complexity ly. Wheat ales, white ales, saisons, The Bauhaus Group recently took cious red table wine, often exhibiting ton candy strewn through a sun-baked here; a decanting of the bottle helps the and blondes; amber, hazy, and black; over the Blenheim Pub (3293 West umami notes of sun-dried tomato patch of rhubarb, followed by a good wine present itself well. I’m thinking a IPA, pilsner, porter, and stout—you 4th Avenue), which has an expansive rounded out by the sweeter, fruity bite or two of Gala apple and a dollop hearty lamb shank or other savoury, name it, they’ve got it. Then there street-side patio. Uwe and Natalie Boll character of Concord grapes. With an of grapefruit marmalade. Pretty and meaty delights should be in order. - are anomalies like the quinoa-and- own the Bauhaus Restaurant in Gasamaranth-based Glutenberg White town, and they know good food. To go (with “hints of coriander and cura- with pours like Red Truck Golden çao”). If the beer menu reads like a Ale, Parallel 49 Gypsy Tears, Strange global wine list, food choices are just Fellow’s Talisman, Driftwood Fat Tug as diverse: dark-beer-braised beef IPA, Krombacher Pilsner, and Erdbrisket; Phillips beer-can chicken; inger Weißbier, opt for untypical pub TLT (seared tuna) sandwich with fare like soft-shell-prawn tacos, applepea shoots, avocado, and togarashi walnut salad with blue cheese and a aioli; ahi poké bowl; butternut- cider vinaigrette, schnitzel sandwich squash ravioli; Craft’s four-cheese on marble rye, mushroom-and-kale mac ’n’ cheese with bacon and pob- pizza, or the quinoa-based Kits Bowl with chicken. lano peppers; and more.

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KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ The warm weather means the patio at Red Truck Beer Co. (295 East 1st Avenue) is open—and that the monthly Truck Stop Concert Series under the water tower is back. (It kicks off on June 16, featuring Coleman Hell; see truckstopconcertseries.com/ for more info.) There’s also live music at the Truck Stop every Friday and Saturday, with tap choices including Red Truck lager, IPA, and red pilsner; then there are cool brews like blackberry-bourbon ale and Totality Imperial stout. You’ll find hearty fare like brisket or veggie chili, double-decker grilled cheese sandwich, deep-fried beer-battered pickles, a variety of all-beef hot dogs and burgers, and five all-day egg dishes (including corned-beef hash with Texas toast). Best of all? Dessert: an ice-cream float for adults made with your fave beer.

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TAPPING THE MARKET With three killer locations (False Creek, the Vancouver Convention Centre, and North Van’s Shipyards), Tap & Barrel has got patio season down pat. Draft craft options are immense, from Beere Mental Floss Double IPA and 33 Acres Life to Howe Sound Sky Pilot Northwest Pale Ale and Brassneck Passive Aggressive Pale Ale. Yellow Dog, Strange Fellows, Fuggles & Warlock, Whistler, Moody Ales, Steel & Oak, and Powell Street are among the numerous other breweries represented. (Wines and ciders are also on tap.) To fill your belly, there’s pulled-bacon poutine, gyozas, tuna tataki, and local wildmushroom-and-arugula wood-board pizza, among other shared plates.

Heftier dishes include a P B & J Burger (with chipotle peanut butter and bacon jam), pesto chicken linguine, and rigatoni with a pork-and-beef craft-beer Bolognese sauce. -

ARTS

With hands-on participation, vivid pup-

BY JANET SM IT H

petry, live music, and the smell and taste of fresh bread, Baking Time is a kids’ show with a recipe that appeals to all the senses.

“When you come in, you can feel the ingredients, you can smell bread getting baked, you can smell what yeast smells like when it’s active. Plus, there’s music, so there’s a sensory experience for the ears,” says director Kim Selody, speaking to the Straight from the early-childhood-focused WeeFestival in Toronto.

These days, theatre for young children is blossoming in North America, but when Selody, then artistic director of Ontario’s Carousel Players, created Baking Time for two- to fiveyear-olds with England’s Oily Cart Theatre in 2002, it was a relatively new field.

“This is where their interest lay,” Selody says of the U.K. kids’-theatre pioneers. “All their shows were operating on the premise of firing on all the senses—all of their shows would start with ‘What are they going to see? What are they going to touch? What are they going to taste?

What are they going to smell?’ With this work, you’re trying to engage the audience and put them in a world that opens up their sensors.

There’s an actual scientific basis for this: if you’re anxious or scared, your little receptors close things off. And if your sensors are stimulated, then your sensors open up and you learn more.”

Two years ago, Selody, who was by then in his current position of artistic director of Presentation House Theatre, returned with a creative team to England to revisit the work with Oily Cart’s Tim Webb, Angela Bond, Max Reinhardt, and designer Claire de Loon.

Just like the fi rst time around, the process of rebuilding the play was meticulous, taking into consideration everything from health and safety

Combining the right ingredients

Leslie Dos Remedios stars in Baking Time, a stage show that will give families an appetite for cooking at home again. Emily Cooper photo.

wasn’t what it is now,” Selody notes, adding At the Vancouver International Children’s Festival, Baking Time only half jokingly: “It fires up all the senses with fresh bread, puppets, and music ended up being perhaps the most political regulations to the unpredictability of having piece I’ve ever done. So we have gluten-free oppreschoolers interact with the work. “Tim would tions, we’ve created a character who doesn’t eat always say, ‘It’s a military operation,’ ” Selody wheat, we show that just because you’re celiac says with a laugh. “The logistics and develop- doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy baking.” It’s also ing the piece had to be done in phases, so you meant carefully containing a small f lurry could see how three- and four-year-olds of flour that takes place on-stage. “I abrespond to certain things, on top of solutely love the challenge,” Selody working with educators and adults adds.

Check out…

STRAIGHT.COM who work with children to deal with In many ways, Baking Time is Visit our website their concerns. even more relevant today than it for morning-after “You use trial and error,” he conwas 16 years ago. With families’ reviews and local tinues. “You get a small group of ever-more-harried lives and the arts news children and try a section out, see convenience of processed foods, the how they respond, and rework it.” fun and magic of baking together is Selody says the team added live music by often forgotten or lost. cello and accordion to Baking Time’s story of “In a way it kind of reminds people about master chefs Bun and Bap, who are wrangling what a joyful experience it is—and how easy an accidentally overyeasted batch of dough. it is,” Selody says. “All it takes is yeast, f lour, They also redesigned the puppets, which take water, salt, and a little oil. A pinch of sugar and the form of everything from a Yeasty Beasty to that’s it! In 23 minutes it’s done!” a newly baked baby bun.

New dietary ideas also had to be worked into The Vancouver International Children’s Festival presents Baking Time on Monday and Tuesday the updated plot.

“What’s been fascinating is the understand- (May 28 and 29) and next Friday through Suning of gluten and controversy around it; it day (June 1 to 3) at Performance Works.

THINGS TO DO

2

Four picks for kids’ fest

From rock ’n’ roll circuses to motivational hip-hop, the shows at this year’s Vancouver International Children’s Festival appeal to all tastes. Here are some of the best bets, May 28 to June 3. Find a schedule at www.childrensfestival.ca/.

LES PARFAITS INCONNUS When the acrobats of this inventive circus troupe hit town a few years ago, we raved about the off-the-hook guitar and called it “hilarious, endearing, and gravity-defying”.

I.AM.ME DANCE CREW The 2011 winner of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew blends positive messages with popping and locking; nonstop energy entices even easily bored kids.

NEW OWNER For ages five and up, Australian troupe the Last Great Hunt melds performance, puppetry, and animation, plus the world’s cutest pooch.

POGGLE Scotland’s Barrowland Ballet welcomes babies and toddlers into a magical world of natural wonder. > JANET SMITH

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice PSYCHIC STREAMING Of all the amazing work coming to North Van’s shiny new Polygon Gallery from legendary multimedia pioneer Susan Hiller, we’re most looking forward to Psi Girls, a frenzy of colour-saturated film clips. In the multiscreen installation, everyone from The Fury’s Amy Irving to Firestarter’s Drew Barrymore works her telekinetic magic. The driving soundtrack, featuring the drumming and clapping of a gospel choir, builds to a cinematic crescendo, explodes into white noise, then falls into silence. In the Altered States exhibit, the American-born, Brit-based artist’s other video work and photographs explore the dreamlike, the psychic, and popular culture in similarly mind-blowing ways. Altered States is at the Polygon Gallery from Thursday (May 24) to September 2.

Five events you just can’t miss this week

1

REVOLVER FESTIVAL (To June 3 at the Cultch) Seriously, some of the riskiest theatre you will see all year.

2

LES FILLES DU ROI (To May 27 at the Cultch) Absolute raves for this astute live musical/history lesson.

3

CONTES CRUELS (To May 26 at the Firehall Arts Centre) See Serge Bennathan’s “cruel tales” before he creates a Ballet BC piece next season.

4

ARTS OF RESISTANCE (To October 8 at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC) Latin American folkloric arts with a powerful political punch.

5

ROBERT SILVERMAN (May 29 at the Orpheum Annex) Music on Main helps the piano star fete 80 years with an all-Chopin program.

In the news ART HORS D’OEUVRES The West of Main Art Walk is giving visitors a sneak preview of what’s in store for them the weekend of June 2 and 3. The 26-year-old openstudio tour is holding its Roundhouse Exhibit Thursday (May 24) at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, and it’s a good way to map out your tour.

Check out everything from paintings (including Klara Cooney’s Luminosity, shown here) to textile art to ceramic sculpture in the daylong show of Art Walk artists’ work, opening at 10 a.m., with an evening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Check out several fundraising artworks created by Walk participants to help Coast Mental Health acquire art supplies for free programs in downtown Vancouver.

Elsewhere in the lead-up to the main event, local stores, restaurants, and businesses will be displaying art in nearby shops. -

MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 17

ARTS

Aeriosa bonds with bamboo > B Y JA NE T S M ITH

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18 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

eriosa’s aerial performers have brought their unique combination of contempor ary dance, rock climbing, and acrobatics solely to outdoor settings since 2011. Locally, they have swung high on the rock cliffs of the Stawamus Chief, through the treetops of the Greenheart Canopy Walkway at the UBC Botanical Garden, and from the heights of a grove of old evergreens in Stanley Park. They have danced vertically along the sides of buildings like the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Taipei’s city hall, and Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House.

So, unlike most dance companies, when Aeriosa actually heads inside a theatre—as it will for its new work Second Nature at the Scotiabank Dance Centre—it’s big news. And its first indoor show since 2011 holds its own challenges for a group accustomed to fluctuating weather, crowd management, and flowing breezes.

“It’s daunting and inspiring at the same time,” says choreographer Julia Taffe, over the phone between rehearsals in Vancouver. “Even though it’s in the theatre, it’s still site-specific.

You’re not sure what you’re going to be able to build on it. I did miss having a team of designers you get to work with in a theatre and having a little bit more control over the environment.

“One of the reasons I don’t often work in theatre is because I’m really sensitive to light and to nature,” she adds. “I’m always looking for ways to pull what I love into the work.”

She achieves that with Second Nature, a bamboo-themed work that carries on Taffe’s long interest in communing with the natural world. She traces its inspiration back to Hong Kong, where Aeriosa performed in 2015.

“I was stunned by the scale of the architecture in Hong Kong, and the

In Second Nature, Aeriosa’s acrobatic dancers move back into the theatre to dangle from, spin amid, and attach themselves to a new material: bamboo.

designs were really powerful,” she says of the shiny skyscrapers that reminded her of Transformers robots that might shape-shift at any moment.

“Some were very high-tech, but others were encased in this skin of bamboo scaffolding. It was this organic skin against this modern infrastructure, and I found it really profound.”

As she delved deeper into her subject, she was struck by how many different ways bamboo is used around the world. She found it had cultural significance in diverse countries, and loved its architectural, aesthetic, and sensory appeal. “As a tourist I’ve walked through bamboo forests in South Pacific islands,” she says, “and there’s the sounds of it gently knocking against each other, the smooth texture, the rustle of leaves, the smell of it.”

Working with installation artist Dan Law and safety and rigging designer Colin Zacharias, Taffe’s created an environment where six dancers move amid, and with, the bamboo.

Sometimes the bamboo columns hang down and sway like pendulums while the dancers float and twirl in the air among them on wires; at other times,

the bamboo bends and attaches to the dancers’ bodies like long, spindly spider limbs. Jordan Nobles has created a haunting orchestral soundtrack for the work.

From the earliest, wide-open brainstorming sessions she and her team had about all the ways the material could be used, “It’s become very much the movement of the bamboo with the dancers,” Taffe says. “I don’t really feel like it is a set. It’s almost like a presence or a character.”

Bamboo has so inspired the troupe, Taffe’s not quite sure whether she’s ready to let it go. The dance artist, who’s also a rock-climbing enthusiast, has devoted years to exploring aerial choreography across buildings and atop trees, and bamboo might warrant that lengthy attention too.

“I’m at a crossroads. I feel like it takes seven years to fully explore things,” she says. “It’s been a great material for bringing our work into the theatre.” Second Nature is at the Scotiabank Dance Centre from Thursday to Saturday (May 24 to 26).

A F U G U E T H E AT R E / R AV E N T H E AT R E P R O D U C T I O N I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H U R B A N I N K & T H E C U LTC H

F ROM TH E C R EATO R S O F TH E MUSICA L “ C H IL DR EN O F G O D”

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“it’s heartfelt, ambitious and tremendously earnest. More than a romance, it’s a tale of reconciliation that the play suggests is the direction Canada needs to take.”

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MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

ARTS Vancouver Moving Theatre in association with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre and EartHand Gleaners, and with the development assistance of PTC and Native Earth Performing Arts, invites you to witness l Tour • M a y 1 7 t o June 17 2018 Nationa

Mochrie brings improv to life > B Y G U Y M A C P HE R S O N

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few weeks ago, comedianimproviser Colin Mochrie tweeted, “Had a dream that I literally died on-stage and no one noticed because they were too busy yes anding....”

It’s a funny little quip that implies maybe the principal building block of improv goes a little overboard with its need for performers to immediately accept wherever a fellow performer takes a scene. (“Yes, and…” means an improviser should agree with what another participant has stated and then expand on it.)

But it was just a quip. No slag intended. In fact, Mochrie, one of the most famous improvisers in the world thanks to his years on the seemingly never-ending Whose Line Is It Anyway?, has taken things to a new level.

“It’s something, actually, Deb [his wife, actress-comedian Debra McGrath] and I have been trying to put into our lives, where we’ll say yes to things that maybe make us a little leery, something that may worry us,” he says on the phone from his home in Toronto.

To that end, when World Vision approached the couple to do some commercials about sponsorships for children in the Congo, their probable onetime no turned into a yes, with a gulp.

“In previous years, it may have been something we may have been a little afraid or leery of because we’d heard some horrible stories about the Congo,” he says. “And we thought, ‘No, let’s do it.’ We were in the jungle in these villages that were beyond poor, just meeting these great people who had nothing but there was still a joy to them. Deb had all the kids doing the Hokey-Pokey by the river. It was truly one of the best experiences of our lives.”

On-stage, Mochrie may also feel like saying no on occasion, but doesn’t give in to the urge.

“There are some times, but you shouldn’t,” he says. “It’s the hardest

Master improv artist Colin Mochrie has learned to take a leap of faith on-stage, but these days he’s taking that attitude to places as far-flung as the Congo, too.

thing to teach new improvisers.

Everyone has an ego, so it’s very hard to let that go. If you’re entering a scene with someone and they get their idea out first, even if you had the greatest idea in the world, it doesn’t matter; you have to push it aside and go immediately for whatever idea came out first and support that and make it work.”

But if a weak link is constantly jumping in with terrible offers, Mochrie has his own solution.

“Those are the people who end up being shot during a scene,” he jokes.

“We kill them fairly quickly.”

Mochrie works often with his Whose Line? costars, but still finds time to play with less well-known improvisers, as he will do this week with the company he started with, Vancouver TheatreSports League.

Getting him out of his comfort zone keeps his priorities sharp.

“A lot of times I work with people I don’t know just because it makes me go back to the basics of doing the ‘yesand’ and listening to them rather than bulldoze and get my ideas through,” he says. “So that’s why I always love going

to, well, Vancouver. I get to work with these great improvisers who I don’t work with all the time and don’t really know that well, so it really makes me get back to basics and do what you’re supposed to do as an improviser.”

He’s quick to point out that fame is not the only indicator of greatness.

He’s constantly blown away by unknown talent.

“It’s all luck,” he says. “The fact that you’re talking to me is only because this show came along at the right time for me to take advantage of my one skill and get us all out there. People always talk about the cast of Whose Line? being the best improvisers in the world. We’re not. We’re the bestknown improvisers in the world because of this show that just happened.

And we were lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time. But there are thousands of amazing improvisers out there who do amazing work every night.” Colin Mochrie plays the Improv Centre on Thursday (May 24) and Saturday (May 26), and two shows at the Vogue Theatre on Friday (May 25).

Stanhope straddles scandal > B Y G U Y M A C P HE R S O N

I

t seems every other week a comedian is being eviscerated on social media for miscalculated, or misperceived, words. And yet somehow, beyond all comprehension, Doug Stanhope floats along unscathed. He’s been one of the most controversial comics throughout his 28 years on-stage. Take a gander at a selection of tracks off his various albums: “Abortion Is Green”, “Giant Black Cock”, “AA Is a Poorly Constructed Cult and Doesn’t Work”, and “F**k Your God”.

He’ll have you believe he flies under the radar because he’s not a celebrity, so he’s got no career to lose. And Comedian Doug Stanhope has long courted controversy, but maybe he’d have a point if it weren’t for all his sold-out a mix of factors has kept him unscathed. Brian Hennigan photo. shows around the world. There’s got to be another reason he hasn’t been the subject of mass ire. that. But if you go, ‘Yeah, why’s it your business?’ they go, “There’s no scandal if you’re not embarrassed,” he says ‘Aw, fuck, there’s no story here.’ ” on the phone from his home in Bisbee, Arizona, relaxing Maybe he enjoys shocking the unshockable who are after recent tours of Australia and Southeast Asia. “We his fans, but Stanhope’s material is nuanced, too. He’ll want you to be ashamed and apologize and we can milk see page 22

MAY 25 ∞ 26 ∞ 27 FRIDAY NIGHT SOIRÉE 6-10pm Collector’s Night $ 20 online | $25 at door

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20 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

Brewing

MaY 28 – JuNe 3, 2018 oN GrAnViLlE IsLaNd

Poggle (Scotland) Theatre | Dance Come on an adventure inspired by nature!

Vince wants to explore the forest but he’s too scared. Until one day he meets Poggle.

A joyous and stimulating experience for the youngest of audiences. Ages 0–3, Relaxed Performance Ages 0–14.

New Owner (Australia) Theatre | Puppetry Bernie is a boisterous puppy waiting to be chosen from the animal shelter. Mabel is a lonely widow, trying to fill an emptiness in her heart. The day they find each other is the beginning of a profound friendship and an epic adventure.

Ages 5 and up.

Les Parfaits Inconnus (Québec) Circus Armed with a bicycle, balls, a table, a barrel and a board, 6 totally outrageous characters are let loose on the stage. Don’t miss this playful extravaganza of circus, music, theatre, and comedy all rolled into one spectacular show! All ages.

Baking Time (BC/UK) Puppetry | Theatre Follow the enchanted adventures of bakers Bun and Bap as they encounter mischievous doughy characters, venture through forests of breadsticks and sift through magical flour storms – all while the heavenly smell of freshly baking bread fills the theatre! Ages 3–8.

Masabo Celebrates Africa!

(BC/ON/West Africa) Music | Storytelling | Splash'N Boots Live (ON) Music Are you ready to move and groove? You’re invited to a dance party with Splash’N Boots. Energy, dance and music are all rolled into a wild tornado of fun and joy. Bring your dancing shoes and get up off your feet!

Ages 1–8 (Babes in arms welcome).

One of a Kind (BC) Storytelling | Theatre Unique! Exceptional! One-of -aKind! There really is no one quite like you!

One of a Kind is a series of stories performed by a talented group of extraordinary, emerging storytellers.

Ages 5 and up.

I.aM.mE Dance Crew (US) Dance The baddest (and by bad we mean good) dance crew around, the I.aM.mE crew will blow you away with their fancy tricks, mad skillz and diverse styles! Positively popping, these reigning champions of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew will leave you chanting for more! All ages.

Dance Feel the explosion of energy when Fana Soro and Masabo hit the stage! Come celebrate this beautiful and thrilling expression of West African history and culture. All ages.

Vancouver Youth Choir (BC) Music Uplifting songs come to life through the talented voices of one of Canada’s finest youth choirs. The Vancouver Youth Choir carry audiences away with their engaging performances of diverse and eclectic music. All ages.

Le sentier des rêves (Québec) Marionnettes | Théâtre Dans ce conte fascinant, Ashini, un jeune innu se lance dans un monde de rêves à la recherche du collier perdu de sa grand-mère et de sa culture oubliée. Là, il se retrouve dans le monde étrange des Onis, dans un Japon du VII ème siècle, où il rencontre une petite fille avec un destin particulier. Pourra-t-elle l’aider ? Âges 5+.

The Jocelyn Pettit Band (BC) Nimihitowin! (AB/BC) Dance Pow wow dance, hoop dance and Métis jigging are beautiful expressions of Indigenous Peoples’ spirituality, history and culture.

Come celebrate this rich cultural treasure with the Cree, Blackfoot and Métis dancers of Nimihitowin! All Ages.

Music Singing, stepdancing and fiddling take center stage when Jocelyn Pettit and her band come to the Festival! A lively concert of Celtic and Canadian folk music, the rhythmic energy and pulse of the music will get kids’ toes tapping and hands clapping! All ages.

Site Activities

Make a day of it! Your day at the Festival includes your show and access to our Activity Village with over 19 hands-on creative art stations.

Spend the day being creatively playful in our Activity Village.

BuY YoUr TiCkEtS SoOn Shows are filling up quickly - Visit childrensfestival.ca for more information and to purchase tickets. Tickets start at only $5.

Premier Sponsor

MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

ARTS

Les Filles hits all the right notes T HEAT RE LES FILLES DU ROI Book and lyrics by Julie McIsaac and Corey Payette. Music by Corey Payette.

Directed by Corey Payette. A Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre production, in association with Urban Ink and the Cultch. At the York Theatre on Thursday, May 17. Continues until May 27

FEATURING mia susan amir Centre for Embodied Performance Elysse Cheadle DustyFootProductions La Fille du Laitier Francesca Frewer and Erika MitsuhashI Little Mountain Lion Productions manidoons collective Nebula Company Theatre 10402281 Pandemic Theatre Christine Quintana with Molly Mackinnon Resounding Scream Jess Amy Shead SNAFU

12 Minute Madness photo by Chris Randle

Openingek!

This we

Creating a new musical is always

2 a risky undertaking. How about

a musical that seeks to inject feminist and Indigenous perspectives into an account of Canadian history? And is trilingual? The level of ambition in Les Filles du Roi is off the charts; its overall success is a triumph.

Colonizer history romanticizes les filles, young women recruited in the mid-17th century by the government of Louis XIV to go to New France to become wives and mothers. Creators Julie McIsaac (whose maternal lineage includes a fille du roi) and Corey Payette focus their story on one of these women, Marie-Jeanne—but equally on a brother and sister from the Kanien’kéha:ka (Mohawk) territory where the French fort is situated. Jean-Baptiste reluctantly agrees to bring his sister, Kateri, on a trading mission, where they meet MarieJeanne shortly after her arrival.

Marie-Jeanne takes a sisterly interest in Kateri and a romantic one in JeanBaptiste; against the odds of their circumstances, the friendship persists.

Under Payette’s direction, the show—which is spoken and sung in English, French, and Kanien’kéha— gets off to a bumpy start: in the first couple of songs, the musical elements feel like they’re competing with each other. But things begin to settle in “Prière en Marchant (Walking Prayer)”, as the whole company walks ritualistically around the stage to sinuous strings and drumbeats. The piece marks the beginning of an otherworldly mood that permeates the rest of the show; it’s followed by the first of a number of dazzling transformations, when the chorus of filles unfurl their cloaks and become French soldiers.

The play’s immersiveness owes a lot to the work of production designer Marshall McMahen, whose set and costumes create a rich sense of the worlds—settler and Indigenous—that the show moves in and through. Seamless transitions—from fort to forest to lodge—show how arbitrary and permeable are the imagined borders between them. Musical director Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa ably leads a small string ensemble; their minimalist, sometimes scratchy underscoring creates a sense of possibility and danger, along with Jeff Harrison’s evocative lighting.

There are a number of exceptional performances here. Kaitlyn Yott gives the young Kateri a precocious, assertive charm without glossing over the character’s vulnerability. As JeanBaptiste, Raes Calvert’s gentleness and understatement are magnetic;

Stanhope

Julie McIsaac and Raes Calvert star in Les Filles du Roi ’s tale of a woman sent to New France who makes Indigenous connections. Tim Matheson photo.

he also gets some of the script’s best lines. When Marie-Jeanne says she’s been sent by the king to populate the New World, Jean-Baptiste replies simply, “It’s already populated.”

When Chelsea Rose emerges from the chorus as the Clan Mother late in the show, her assured presence and gorgeous voice make the song “Skén:nen Gowa (Great Peace)” a highlight. And throughout, McIsaac’s beautiful singing and the luminous innocence she imparts to Marie-Jeanne are an anchor for the story.

Like Payette’s earlier musical Children of God, this collaboration with McIsaac is a work of monumental importance. Its reappraisal of some ugly history includes an abundance of beauty. Go see it. > KATHLEEN OLIVER

MAMMA MIA! Book by Catherine Johnson. Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. An Arts Club Theatre production. At the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage on Wednesday, May 16.

Continues until August 12

It’s wedding season—and if you

2 think you’ve been to an over-

the-top wedding before, try going to one that involves dancing queens, guys in scuba-diving gear, and three men who could all be the biological father of the bride.

Throw in ABBA’s greatest hits, set the wedding on a sizzling Greek island, and you get Mamma Mia!. This fun, disco-dancing musical is the Arts Club Theatre’s season finale at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. And what better way for long-time Arts Club choreographer Valerie Easton to make her directing debut at the Stanley?

Setting it to classic ABBA tunes such as “Waterloo”, “Take a Chance on Me”, and, of course, “Mamma Mia”, book writer Catherine Johnson has crafted a humorous and touching story about a young bride-to-be who launches a risky plan to find her biological father, just in time—she hopes—for him to walk her down the aisle. And while some audience from page 20

members may show up thinking “The Name of the Game” here is just ABBA’s music, Easton makes sure the story comes first in her version.

In fact, many of the earlier numbers in the production are slightly understated. The signature song “Dancing Queen” is a joyous reminiscence of youth by the bride’s mother, Donna, and her two best friends, jumping on her bed and using household items as microphones. While these numbers are crowd-pleasing, Easton lets the cast tell the story through their acting and characterdriven singing, and saves the glitzy song-and-dance for later in the show.

Michelle Bardach delivers a refreshing portrayal of young bride Sophie, offering impressive singing that can belt when needed and switch to a beautifully resonating head voice at other times. Stephanie Roth, who plays Donna, is simply electrifying.

The sensible, matter-of-fact delivery of her lines shows her character’s wisdom, earned through the school of hard knocks. But her singing weaves a tapestry of spectacular colours, thanks to her amazing vocal range and her ability to convey her character’s emotions through song. Roth also has an excellent ability to mix legitimate musical-theatre and pop singing styles, so we know we’re still watching a musical as opposed to a cover-band performance of ABBA. Additionally, the show features a dynamite cast that plays entertaining supporting characters such as Sophie’s best friends, her fiancé and his buds, and, of course, her three possible fathers.

Audiences may flock to Mamma Mia! for ABBA’s hit songs, but they will also be moved by a relatable story that touches on the dynamics between parents and children, and the excitement and joy that can come from taking chances at any stage in life. And for those who crave the ABBA experience, don’t worry: the hot dance moves and sequined costumes, complete with bell-bottoms and platform shoes, still make a splash during the show. > VINCE KANASOOT

over precise wording after years on-stage when all the beer and shots made for a, er, more fluid approach to the material.

“I’ve talked about ‘Hey, it’s just a word,’ ” he says, referring to a certain racist n-word and homophobic f-word. “In this climate, I definitely back off of those things, because when I was doing those bits, there was some kind of false hope that we were evolving. And you go, ‘Oh, it’s going backwards now. I don’t want to fuel anyone’s fire.’ You just have to choose your words more… Not delicately, but you have to be more imaginative with your words.”

So he’s changing, but it’s not just out of fear for his career. Get that straight.

“A lot of the theme of This Is Not Fame is how much shit I would get if I was famous, how much I’ve gotten away with because I’m not famous, where if I were famous, oh shit, I’d be hiring a lot of lawyers and making a lot of fake apologies,” he says. “I can pretty much do whatever I want because I don’t work for anyone. There’s no network to fire me, there are no sponsors to drop me.

That’s why I have the niche fan base that I have, because they know I can say whatever and fucking Burger King’s not going to drop me from a commercial.” -

hit you with a gut punch to your restricted area before revealing himself to be an ally. Sure, some may run away and never come back after the initial blow, but that’s just collateral damage in his line of work.

“I’ve noticed I have a lot of Twitter followers that, when you click on their profile, they’re fuckin’ pro-Trump guys,” he says. “I’m like, ‘Why would you be following me? What the fuck?’ I look back over things. Like, I have a track called ‘I Hate the Jews.’ But it’s not about that. If you didn’t listen to the entire bit, you’re not going to get it. Not that you necessarily would if you did listen to it if you’re a fucking moron. But the same way that people can get offended by just buzzwords without hearing a point, they can also become fans by hearing a buzzword and not getting the point.”

Stanhope’s subject matter always has been and most likely always will be teetering on the edge of acceptability, if not fully careening down that slippery slope to hell. He’s unapologetically used all manner of vocabulary over the years and been able to justify it because his intentions always tend toward the good. But he’s smart enough to choose his words more carefully these days.

Maybe it’s from having recently authored two books, Doug Stanhope plays Lafflines Comedy Club in New Digging Up Mother: A Love Story and This Is Not Fame: Westminster on Friday (May 25) and the Rio Theatre on A “From What I Re-Memoir”, where he had to sweat Saturday (May 26).

22 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

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

< < < < < < <

EXPRESSIONS THEATRE FESTIVAL Theatre festival features young artists performing theatre classics, re-imaginings, and an original new work that highlight such themes as self-image, family dynamics, and gender roles. To May 26, Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St., Granville Island). Info www.artsumbrella.com/ events/expressionstheatre/.

SOLDIERLAND New play about the psychological effects of war on individuals and communities and the crippling changes it brings to society. To May 24, Orpheum Annex (823 Seymour). Tix from $12-22, info www.skytheatregroup.com/.

DANCE

straight choices

SALON EVENT One of the East Side’s most lively studio complexes comes alive this weekend as the Parker Art Salon showcases more than 60 artists. The event at 1000 Parker kicks off Friday (May 25) at 6 p.m. with a Collector’s Night Soirée, featuring local food, drinks, a silent auction, and Small Art Exhibition (with every piece priced at $200).

Then the main, salon-style event invites you to linger over a wide range of artwork amid the open studios, on both Saturday and Sunday (May 26 and 27) from 1 to 5 p.m. 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. 2TOBY HARGRAVE May 24-26

Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island). Tix from $89, info www.vtsl.com/ show/colin-mochrie-at-the-improv-centre/.

MIA—MIXED IMPROV ARTS Two improv directors go head-to-head as they put a team of improvisers through a set of gruelling improv formats. May 24, 9:15 pm, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau, Granville Island). Tix from $10.75, info www.vtsl.com/show/mixed-improv-arts/.

THE COLIN MOCHRIE EXPERIENCE Canadian improv master performs with Vancouver TheatreSports players. May 25, 7:30 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville).

Tix from $39, info www.vtsl.com/show/ colin-mochrie-at-vogue-theatre/.

ET CETERA DOUGLAS COUPLAND’S VORTEX Coupland’s new radical art installation takes an imaginative journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, immersing viewers in the ocean-plastic pollution crisis.

To April 30, 2019, Vancouver Aquarium (Stanley Park). Info www.vanaqua.org/.

2THIS WEEK

2OPENINGS REVOLVER THEATRE FESTIVAL Upintheair Theatre presents a program of new works by distinct voices from across the Canadian live-theatre scene. May 23–Jun 3, The Cultch (1895 Venables). Tix $20/15, info www.revolverfestival.ca/.

AERIOSA: SECOND NATURE As part of its Global Dance Connections series, the Scotiabank Dance Centre presents the acrobatic-dance company in a performance of work by artistic director Julia Taffe. May 24-26, 8 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie). Tix $32/24, info www.thedancecentre.ca/.

2ONGOING

MUSIC

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.

2EMAN EL-HUSSEINI May 25-26.

WET ITSAZOO presents the Western Canadian premiere of David James Brock’s drama, set during the height of Canada’s involvement in the Afghanistan War. To May 27, Russian Hall (600 Campbell). Tix from $25 at www.theatrewire.com/, info itsazoo.org/wet-by-david-james-brock/.

2THIS WEEK

2THIS WEEK

WEST OF MAIN ART WALK OPENING EXHIBIT & RECEPTION Artists in our Midst presents an exhibit of works by artists participating in the West of Main Art Walk, which takes place June 2-3 on Vancouver’s west side. May 24, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews). Free, info www.artistsinourmidst.com/.

AROUND THE WORLD AND BACH AGAIN The Vancouver Children’s Choir performs choral music from various countries and cultures. May 26, 3 pm, Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard). Tix $20/15 (children under 6 free), info www.face book.com/events/171353110356846/.

COLIN UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Canadian improv legend Colin Mochrie plays with members of the Vancouver TheatreSports ensemble, followed by a Q&A session. May 24, 7:30 pm, The

PARKER ART SALON 2018 Salon-style exhibition showcases the work of more than 40 fine artists. May 25-27, 6-5 pm, 1000 Parker Street Studios (1000 Parker Street).

Info www.parkerartsalon.com/.

TOLKIEN The tale of how Narnia and Middle-earth came to be is chronicled in a new play by Pacific Theatre’s artistic director Ron Reed. To Jun 9, 8-10:40 pm, Pacific Theatre (1440 W. 12th). Tix $20-36.50, info pacifictheatre.org/season/20172018-season/mainstage/tolkien/.

LES FILLES DU ROI (THE KING’S DAUGHTERS) Urban Ink presents the world premiere of a new Canadian musical by Corey Payette and Julie McIsaac. To May 27, York Theatre (639 Commercial).

Tix $10-46, info www.urbanink.ca/.

WEAVING RECONCILIATION: OUR WAY New work weaves Indigenous storytelling,

WONDROUS WORLDS The Vancouver Pops’ symphonic tribute to film composer John Williams, featuring his works from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park. May 26, 3 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd., UBC). Tix from $15, info www.vancouverpops.com/.

WEST OF MAIN ART WALK Experience the works of over 60 visual artists in garden studios, work spaces, galleries, and gathering places from Point Grey to Main Street and from Granville Island to 41st Avenue. Jun 2-3, various Vancouver venues.

Free, info www.artistsinourmidst.com/.

GALLERIES VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, 604-662-4719, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/.

2EMILY CARR IN DIALOGUE WITH MATTIE GUNTERMAN (new exhibition features the paintings of Carr with 48 photographs

by U.S.-born photographer Gunterman) to Sep 3

MUSEUMS

2THIS WEEK

THEATRE

MAMMA MIA! The Arts Club Theatre Company presents a feel-good musical featuring the music of ABBA. To Aug 12, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville). Tix from $29, info www.artsclub. com/shows/2017-2018/mamma-mia/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS

MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER 1100 Chestnut Street, 604-736-4431, www.museumofvancouver.ca/. 2HAIDA NOW: A VISUAL FEAST OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION (exhibition guest-curated by Kwiaahwah Jones features more than 450 works by carvers, weavers, photographers, and print makers, collected as early as the 1890s) to Jun 15 THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, 604-8225087, www.moa.ubc.ca/. 2ARTS OF RESISTANCE: POLITICS AND THE PAST IN LATIN AMERICA (exhibition illustrates how Latin American communities use traditional or historic art forms to express contemporary political realities) to Oct 8

TIME OUT ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge.

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.

He said. She knew.

ROBERT SILVERMAN Legendary pianist performs in celebration of his 80th birthday. May 29, 8 pm, Orpheum Annex (823 Seymour). Tix $39/$15, info www.musicon main.ca/.

STARTS NEXT WEEK

C’MON, ANGIE!

COMEDY 2ONGOING THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 604-684-5050, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with

Photos by Bold Rezolution Studio

songs, cultural teachings, traditional languages, and the ancient stick game of Slahal into an original play giving voice to those who have lived within Canada’s long shadow of colonialism. To May 26, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre (1607 E. Hastings). Info weaving-reconciliation-our-way.ca/.

BY AMY LEE LAVOIE MAY 31 – JUNE 9, 2018 FIREHALL ARTS CENTRE

26 Take a Walk on the Art Side

Directed by Lauren Taylor | Starring Kayla Deorksen & Robert Moloney Tickets FROM $20 AT 604.689.0926 or tickets.firehallartscentre.ca touchstonetheatre.com

/TouchstoneTheatre

@TouchstoneInVan #CmonAngie

ROUNDHOUSE EXHIBIT Thursday, May 24, 10am - 9pm Opening Reception, 7pm - 9pm

OPEN STUDIO TOUR & SALE

Saturday & Sunday, JUNE 2 & 3, 11am - 5pm Info & electronic maps: artistsinourmidst.com

ARTS OF RESISTANCE

May 17 – October 8, 2018

Media Sponsor

Politics and the Past in Latin America

MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 23

MOVIES

British artist Andy Goldsworthy retains a childlike attitude to his earth-shaping projects in Leaning Into the Wind.

Wind carries inspiration REV IEWS LEANING INTO THE WIND: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY A documentary by Thomas Riedelsheimer. Rated PG

What immediately grabs you Andy Goldsworthy’s work is its simplicity. Unlike most conceptual artists, the northernEngland-born sculptor, photographer, and unintended naturalist retains a childlike attitude to earth-shaping projects that can be as massive as recurving an old-growth tree or as unassuming as a stripe of coloured leaves on a rainy walkway.

Some of his momentary impositions, like dyed icicles or white powder shaken from leaves, are so ephemeral, he may be the only person who sees them in real life. At one point, he and his grown daughter Holly lay out a huge white canvas to register the hoofprints of local sheep. Other projects involve laboriously mounted stone archways or

2 about

cryptlike structures that mimic primitive and fairly permanent building patterns in the parts of Scotland he has explored thoroughly for more than four decades. Documenting his process has become part and parcel of the art, something explicated and, obviously, abetted by German filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer, who here presents a stand-alone sequel to his award-winning profile Rivers and Tides, from 2001.

Again using nature sounds and a superb score from guitarist Fred Frith (the perfectly complementary music ranges from medieval mystery to free-jazz abstraction and enigmatic minimalism), Leaning Into the Wind lets Goldsworthy be Goldsworthy, with no experts or colleagues to contextualize his stuff. Good thing he’s such a likable, no-bullshit fellow, then, although when we first meet him, in rural Brazil, he is fascinated to learn from a poor farm wife how she made her Gaudí-like f loors from white clay and cow dung.

We also follow the grey-haired innovator, here still a boyish 60, to Spain, southern France, and other climes, the better for him to keep discovering new materials. In the end, though, his main substance is himself, as he climbs through bushes and faces down a winter windstorm in the Highlands, as the title suggests. Frequently, he reclines on cobblestones to feel urban vibrations or just to see the outline he leaves on a rainy street. His goal—one sure to inspire similar impulses in viewers after a quietly transporting 90 minutes—seems to be measuring the outline of humanity in the world, and to do so without colonizing it.

> KEN EISNER

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ A documentary by Kate Novack. Rated PG

Fashion can be an unforgiv-

2 ing mistress, but the playbook

referenced by the title of this affecting profile of André Leon Talley see next page

The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.

Scan to confess Used to love Spilling out of the club on Granville head full of sound and head home up Nelson or the next one over and worship with a full reverence each and every great tree I’d meet...

Disgusted I recently watched a documentary about Milawi and how happy the people are there, faced with such intense struggles, and me here, standing in line to buy groceries at Whole Foods, feeling miserable about how long it’s taking to work off my gut, and thinking about baby Trudeau wanting to bail out Texas billionaires. We’re so fucked.

Harmless crush I have a harmless crush on a parent of my child’s friend, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. That is all.

Look into the elevator before entering It never ceases to amaze me when adults enter an elevator with their heads downs without looking to see if anybody is in the car. This should be a basic life skill you learn when you’re a small child.

Sweet smell There is a woman that is usually on my bus in the morning that wears a perfume that I just love the smell of. When she’s on the bus and try to sit near her so I can be in the area of the scent. Brightens my day. Thank you, perfume lady.

SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE SCENES

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

NOW PLAYING

24 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

88 WEST PENDER • 604-806-0799

Check theatre directories for showtimes

Visit

to post a Confession

is also the Bible itself—or, more accurately, African-American rituals related to it. Raised by a doting, house-cleaning grandmother in deeply segregated North Carolina, he was first transfixed by the big-hatted church ladies of his childhood.

And it went from there.

Casual clothes-watchers and Vogue-fanciers who recognize this extremely corpulent, gaudily dressed character from Met galas, America’s Top Model, and various docs featuring long-time champion Anna Wintour may be surprised to find what a strikingly debonair beanpole he was in his youth. He earned a master’s degree in French literature from Brown University—something that later came in unexpectedly handy when he was breaking down couture barriers in the Paris of the 1990s. Before that, he worked a desk job (and then as a writer) at Andy Warhol’s nowdefunct Interview magazine. He worshipped aging icon Diana Vreeland and became her amanuensis when she was curating the Met’s then-new fashion department. (Which is how we ended up with those glamorous fundraising balls.) Eventually, he would become a groundbreaking editor at Vogue, W, and other publications.

A solo feature debut for director Kate Novack (who also produced Page One: Inside the New York Times), the movie isn’t always scrupulous about, or terribly interested in, the chronological particulars of Talley’s long-distance rise. It also tries to get under his heavily ponchoed skin. (His face lights up when he describes the purchase of “My first cape!”) But that’s not easy, as the toll of being the first at everything in his field—a gay black man with a Continental education—seems to weigh heavily on him as he pushes 70.

Whether he’s showing off his spacious country house, or chatting with some old friends on returning to his childhood home, it’s clear that money and health worries, plus a life’s worth of snubs and disappointments, hold sway. Watching the election of 2016 on TV doesn’t seem to help. (He did go on to personally dress Melania, however.)

Remarkably for a man of his grandiose character and appetite, Talley admits he has never enjoyed a sustained romantic relationship, and is not happy about it. Working so hard and so well at being unique has, unfortunately, kept him unique.

In Deadpool 2 the foul-mouthed antihero is recruited by the X-Men.

so crammed with distractions anyhow, who’s gonna notice?

In fact, the metahumour and popcultural references are so densely packed that numerous jokes either zing past or fall flat. Yet their sheer volume keeps the screwball comedic rhythm

hurtling forward and propelling the film’s smart-ass, foul-mouthed appeal to the forefront.

Like the dialogue, the cast is cluttered with an excess of characters.

For instance, the minimal screen time given to Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and her girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) could have been allocated to further developing the cool Domino (Zazie Beetz). A character that does get a surprising amount of screen time is Vancouver, with recognizable shots of the Lions Gate Bridge and the Granville Street Bridge, and even an aerial view of Stanley Park.

And Reynolds remains among the most fitting castings in the X-Men films, up there with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

That all said, while Deadpool has managed to stick out as the Jackass of the superhero pack, it does make one wonder: when you’re simultaneously raising and lowering the bar, where do things go from here?

THE GREEN MUSIC BOX THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK

MAY 26-27

> CRAIG TAKEUCHI

WEST COAST TAP + THE CINEMATHEQUE PRESENT

NATIONAL TAP DANCE DAY!

221A + THE CINEMATHEQUE PRESENT

CASEY WEI: MURKY COLORS + VATER UND SOHN/ FATHER AND SON/父与子

NO MAPS ON MY TAPS + ABOUT TAP FRI, MAY 25 - 7PM

SUN, MAY 27 - 2PM

INTRODUCED BY MICHAEL VAN DEN BOS

CURATED BY JENN JACKSON

> KEN EISNER

DEADPOOL 2 Starring Ryan Reynolds. Rated 18A

He may be called the Merc

2 With a Mouth, but a more fit-

ting nickname for the cinematic version of Deadpool would be the Merc With the Mania. While the movie series entertains by upending the superhero genre with its erratic energy, the whole endeavour also feels unstable and patchy.

Of course, that goes with the territory—Deadpool is all about taking asinine risks, and the movies overcome their flubs by simply bulldozing through them with hyperactive pacing. While the first film’s freshness may be missing here, there’s an overall honing and ramping up of previously introduced elements.

In this rollicking round, our chatterbox antihero is recruited by the X-Men to contend with an emotionally distraught young mutant named Russell Collins, aka Firefist (Julian Dennison). The volatile lad is rallying against abuse at an orphanage, which is actually a covert antimutant facility. However, he’s setting off upon a dark path, one that the partially bionic soldier Cable (Josh Brolin) has travelled from the future back to the present to stop. While an underlying theme of resisting the impulse to exact revenge offers Deadpool opportunity to offset his often juvenile antics by demonstrating he has ethical values and heart, it simultaneously undercuts his subversive nature with a conventional morality tale. But, hey, the screen’s

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ustralian author Saroo Brierley’s story would be hard to believe were it not so well-documented. As a poverty-stricken boy of five, he was separated from his older brother, Guddu, while they were riding trains and begging for food near his hometown of Khandwa, which is in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

In the nearby city of Burhanpur, Brierley fell asleep on a bench at the station after his brother told him to stay there for a while. When Brierley woke up, he saw an open door on a train and wandered inside, half expecting his brother to be there.

Unbeknownst to him, Guddu had been killed by an oncoming train at the station. Brierley fell asleep again, and when he woke up he was locked in the carriage, travelling east toward an unknown destination.

“I must have been on that train for two days,” Brierley, 37, said in a recent interview at the Georgia Straight office.

“I ended up in Calcutta [now Kolkata] in this sort of massive train station with three different platforms.”

He was 1,600 kilometres from his hometown, and he didn’t know the Bengali language used in Kolkata.

“I walked out of the train station,” Brierley recalled. “I saw food on the ground and started eating that. I got some water and kept myself alive.”

His time in Kolkata was filled with terror. He said he nearly drowned twice in the Hooghly River. He also mentioned nearly being abducted by some men and fleeing from a gang of boys who threw glass bottles at him.

For a few weeks, Brierley stayed with a teenager before winding up in a government juvenile detention prison. Nobody knew where his family lived, so he couldn’t be sent home.

“I was there for a few weeks and then taken to an orphanage,” Brierley

Saroo Brierley’s memoir, A Long Way Home, inspired the dramatic biopic Lion, which starred Dev Patel, but the true tale behind the film is just as enthralling.

said. “Then I was adopted from India to Australia.”

If it sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because Brierley’s life story was featured in the dramatic 2016 biopic Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman. The film was based on Brierley’s 2013 memoir, A Long Way Home.

Brierley spoke to the Straight before attending a May 19 fundraising dinner to benefit the Indian Summer festival, which will be held in July. The story of growing up with his Australian adoptive parents, John and Sue, couldn’t be more different than the terror he experienced in Kolkata. Warm, loving, and respectful of his Indian heritage, they provided a stable home in the Tasmanian city of Hobart.

After Brierley learned English, he tried to explain to them what happened to him in India.

“I think they were quite shocked,” he said. “But they may have thought at the same time, ‘Is he making this up?’ ” Like many Australian boys, he grew up playing a lot of sports, and he later studied business and hospitality.

But Brierley couldn’t let go of his past, often wondering what had become of his childhood family. In his early 20s, he discovered Google Earth, which

gave him the capacity to use his laptop to search for his hometown.

“I was thinking, ‘How am I going to find the needle in the haystack?’ which, as you know, was Burhanpur train station,” he said.

He thought about the architecture of the station and that of his hometown, often working well into the night on Google Earth. In 2011, he experienced what he called his “eureka moment”: he’d found the suburb where he had grown up, within the city of Khandwa.

“I told my parents about it,” he said. “They were quite gobsmacked.”

The following year, Brierley reunited with his birth mother in a story that captured headlines around the world.

“My mother and I were both in tears,” he said.

Later, he bought his natural mom a house, and he remains in contact with her and his nieces and nephews.

“I think I’ve seen her about 18 times within five years,” Brierley said. “It’s a mental cleanse [visiting India]. I come back to Australia feeling pretty good.” The Indian Summer festival takes place in Vancouver from July 5 to 15.

MUSIC

Jo Hirabayashi has a bachelor’s degree

BY JOHN L UCAS

in jazz studies, but you would never mistake his band for one that might have held court at the Cellar on a Friday night. Jo Passed, in fact, is an indie-rock act—whatever that means in 2018.

The Vancouver-based quartet’s first fulllength release, the forthcoming Their Prime, slithers from the baroque-leaning shimmer pop of “Lies” to the slanted-and-enchanted guitarrawk violence of “MDM” and the grunge-gaze of “Millennial Trash Blues”. Hirabayashi has an uncanny ear for an infectious melody and an apparently unlimited supply of mind-twisting guitar riffs. That combination led one friend to describe Jo Passed as being something akin to a “fucked-up Beatles”, which delighted Hirabayashi to no end.

It turns out, though, that his band’s name is indeed a reference to legendary jazz guitarist Joe Pass. Sort of. “It’s partially that, and also, in my friend group, we have this thing where we all say ‘I’m passed’ for when we’re really tired,” Hirabayashi tells the Straight in a phone interview. “It’s like a form of our own slang. Everyone has their own friend lingo, right?”

It was, however, while transcribing a Joe Pass recording that Hirabayashi had an epiphany:

Jo Passed and all that jazz

Left to right: Bella Bébé, Megan-Magdalena Bourne, Jo Hirabayashi, and Mac Lawrie make up Vancouver indie-rock outfit Jo Passed. Reese Voyer photo.

The local quartet’s off-kilter rhythms and odd time signatures underscore an uncanny knack for hooks there’s more to being a musician than slavishly committing to memory and perfectly executing someone else’s solos.

“I was doing a transcription of ‘Relaxin’ at Camarillo’ and then halfway through I was like, ‘What am I doing? I should be writing songs,’ ” Hirabayashi recalls. “I know a lot of people who study jazz. There’s kind of like a cult or a religion of jazz. It can be really all-consuming, and it’s also tied into this male ego thing, and you want to get really good at it. It ends up taking up a lot of your time, and it’s a game, essentially, at the end of the day. I feel appreciative of what I’ve learned from going through it, and I love the music, but it’s not necessarily exactly who I am as a musician.”

Who the singer-guitarist is has been shaped not only by his background in jazz studies and his classical piano training, but also by his stints making jagged posthardcore with SSRIs and mind-expanding lysergic art rock with Sprïng. What Hirabayashi’s doing now might be the closest thing he’s done to creating fullon indie pop, but he can’t seem to help lacing Their Prime cuts like “Glass” and “You, Prime” with off-kilter rhythms torn from the playbook of Captain Beef heart’s Magic Band.

“I write stuff fairly intuitively, and the weird time signatures just kind of come out,” he insists. “I feel like in some cases it’s less of a jazzoriented thing and more that I have a weird sense of rhythm.”

That makes it sound as if it would take a very special—and well-rehearsed—crew of fellow musicians to do justice to Jo Passed’s songs, and Hirabayashi confirms that drummer Mac Lawrie, bassist Megan-Magdalena Bourne, and multi-instrumentalist Bella Bébé more than pull their weight.

“We practise a lot, and I feel like the current

CHECK THIS OUT

live band is playing some of those tunes better than they were played on the record in a bunch of ways,” he says.

This bodes well for the monthlong North American tour that will follow the release of Their Prime, to say nothing of the European tour Jo Passed has in the works for the fall.

Before that, though, the quartet will play a local show that marks two very important occasions: their LP coming out and the closure of underground arts hub the Red Gate.

“It’s their last show at that location, because they’ve been kicked out,” Hirabayashi says of the Red Gate Arts Society, which runs the popular-but-doomed gallery and venue on East Hastings. “I think they found a new location, which is cool. I don’t know if it’s fully official yet. But they’re great. I’m so glad that we get to do the release there. That’s definitely been one venue that this project’s developed at.”

Hirabayashi notes that one of the Red Gate’s more endearing aspects was its welcoming attitude toward artists, even completely unknown ones from far-f lung places. “At the same meeting I sat in on to pitch my show,” he relates, “there was this lady who came in from Texas who was like, ‘Hey, I’m a theremin player and I sing over it. I’m in town for a week and I’d love to do something here. I just read about you guys in the paper.’ And they were just like, ‘Sure, why not Thursday?’ She comes in and just immediately books a show, this stranger from out of town. That was so amazing to witness.”

According to Hirabayashi, it’s crucial that such DIY spaces be allowed to continue their work. “I just think it’s important to have spaces where people can develop and don’t feel like they have to make tons of money initially,” he says, “and consistent venues where people can go and see each other’s bands and they support one another. That’s the number one thing you need for a successful music scene.”

SUCK THIS On a Nine Inch Nails forum, Trent Reznor told a fan to “suck my entire cock” when said fan asked why the upcoming Bad Witch was being called an LP when it’s actually EP–sized.

That’s right—don’t bother licking just the head or the shaft, but instead suck the whole thing. Who said romance is dead?

ALEX LAHEY Once described as sounding like the Runaways

fused with Carly Rae Jepsen, Australia’s Alex Lahey is part of a growing wave of female singer-songwriters who understand there’s an upside to life being less than fabulous. There’s gold to be mined from a mundane and semidepressive existence, especially when you’re a woman armed with a guitar.

So, like the great and critically adored Courtney Barnett and shithot upstart Lucy Dacus, Lahey often writes about what she knows, namely being a piss-broke artist and surviving ruinously dysfunctional relationships. All this would be more of a downer than Kurt Cobain reading Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure if it didn’t come with a sweet hard-candy coating. Catch Lahey at Fortune Sound Club on Wednesday (May 30), and life might actually seem worth living. -

Jo Passed plays an album-release show for Their Prime at the Red Gate on Friday (May 25).

in + out

Jo Hirabayashi sounds off on the things that enquiring minds want to know.

On not being mistaken for Joe Pass: “There’s a really famous interview with Joe Pass where he does a blindfold test listening to a bunch of music. Someone plays him Hendrix and he’s like, ‘Turn off this garbage!’ That type of guitar-playing—the more kind of live, distorted, feedback-y guitar thing—was not his vibe, so starting a band where I did that a lot, it felt like I was going to steer clear of any confusion.”

On why “fucked-up Beatles” is flattering: “The Beatles were so good at creating a universality within what would normally be fringe genres of music, and they found a way to make them more universally appreciated—like getting into Stockhausen, or Paul McCartney’s avant-garde period, and incorporating that into ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’.

And somehow that band is the ultimate kids’ band too, but also the band that brought classical Indian music to western pop music.”

On not taking the “MDM” video’s Kubrick nods too seriously: “It’s funny.

It’s one of those things that I can get really heady and rant about, but at the end of the day we made this kind of hilarious rock video.” -

MUSIC Let’s talk about

You gotta see

And after all, the next SSRIs, Sprïng, or Jo Passed will need somewhere to play, won’t they? -

KELLY KILLS IT After Spotify removed R. Kelly from its service in the wake of sex-abuse allegations too numerous and gross to fully recount here, streams of the controversial R&B singer actually skyrocketed on other platforms. Dare to dream, XXXTentacion.

RAP IS CRAP On a recent podcast, Wynton Marsalis laid into hip-hop, calling it “a pipeline of filth” and “more damaging than a statue of Robert E. Lee”. So, no Snoop Dogg cameo on his next record, we’re guessing.

BOYZ II MEN The Backstreet Boys recently noted, via Twitter, that they’ve been at it for 25 years. You’d think that after a quarter-century, they would have developed enough confidence to call themselves the Backstreet Men.

Fresh and local D.G. ADAMS THE OLD HEART

The grizzled beard displayed in the cover art of The Old Heart suggests that D.G. Adams isn’t a newcomer, and the fact that the record was produced by Torquil Campbell (of Stars, Memphis, and Broken Social Scene) suggests that he has some serious connections in the musical world. As it turns out, Adams likely knows Campbell from his other gig, as a Shakespearean actor. Adams has trod the boards a few times himself, and he actually is a (relative) newcomer to music. The Old Heart is only his third record, and it’s not bad at all. Adams has a decent singing voice, for an actor, and if the production occasionally veers toward an odd kind of ’80s slickness, the lyrics to numbers like the street-person anthem “Fuck Life and Fuck the World” inject a dose of needed edge. MAY 24 – 31 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 27

MUSIC

Hall experiments with pop Over several decades, Berlin has tion with acoustic sounds, playing with different timbres and textures to go-to city for experimental electronic knit a blend of digital noise and warm music. Underground techno, indus- tones. The musician made a point of trial, and noise-based genres are flour- embracing more melodic sounds on ishing in its centre, drawing producers her new album.

“It was a challenge to myself to see to the European hub. For left-field Vancouver musician Lief Hall, it proved the whether I could make more poplike perfect place to explore her solo project. songs, and be comfortable with that,” “I played in bands with people local- she says. “It’s the opposite of most ly for many years, in groups like Myths people, but I come from a different and Mutators,” she tells the Straight on musical background, and so for me pop the line from her home. “But I wanted music is an experimental process to to move to Berlin and my bandmates dabble in. I still wanted to keep it really true to where my origins in music are, decided to stay here.

“When I first began making music though, so songs like ‘Snakes’ which as a solo artist,” she continues, “I was devolve into this big cacophony of noise doing a lot of extended-voice stuff. The and voices are nice to have as well. first album I created was a piece that I don’t think I could release an album was all vocal, called Voices, which put and just have it be pop music, but also together different textures and layers I don’t want to just be entirely experiof sound. I wanted to flesh those ideas mental either.”

Lyrically, too, Hall takes elements of out with electronic music, and engage with the thriving experimental pop pop music and stretches them in new directions. Taking inspiration from electronic scene in Berlin.”

The result was her second full-length the classic love narrative, the musician record—an atmospheric, brooding weaves mentions of technology, idencollection named Roses for Ruins. Join- tity, and feminism into her discussions, ing forces with a Vancouver harpist, drawing on contexts and lectures bordrummer, cellist, and guitarist, Hall rowed from her grad-school research.

“In pop music, we have this love set out to mix her electronic produc-

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song that we’re always hearing, and we can break it down to the interactions between two people,” she says. “And that’s important to all of us, that kind of human attraction, but it’s also influenced by the larger context of our society and our culture, and our fears about the future environment and economy—everything plays into those relationships.”

Now having returned from Berlin and settled back in Vancouver, Hall—a seasoned traveller—is raring to depart on her North American tour.

“The hardest transition is from being in a band to a solo artist playing live, because you have to be really comfortable with playing on-stage,” she says. “I think that was one of the biggest adjustments for me. You can always play off the energy of other people on-stage, but when you’re solo you have to create that energy for yourself, and make your own little feedback loop. It’s hard at first but I’m feeling better about it now, and I’m ready to show off the new songs from the album.” > KATE WILSON

Lief Hall plays the Biltmore Cabaret on Friday (May 25).

*** VISIT US ONLINE FOR UP TO THE MINUTE LISTINGS, DRINK SPECIALS AND MORE www.thebackstagelounge.com ***

SHANNON AND THE CLAMS Rock ’n’ roll band from California performs tunes from latest album Onion. Oct 4, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, WISE Hall (1882 Adanac).

Tix on sale May 23, 10 am, $18 (plus service charge) at www.ticketweb.ca/.

music/ timeout CONCERTS 2JUST ANNOUNCED JACQUI NAYLOR San Francisco-based jazz vocalist and songwriter Jacqui Naylor is considered “one of the most superbly arresting vocalists around” (Jazz Times) known for her impressive vocal range and effortless ability to mix genres. Presented

by Coastal Jazz. Jun 1-2, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club (765 Beatty). Tix $25 at www.coastaljazz.ca/.

GOOGOOSH Iranian pop singer-songwriter performs on her Memory Makers Tour. May 26, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix $179/139/99/59 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

LAKE STREET DIVE Brooklyn-based jazz-pop band performs tunes from latest album Free Yourself Up. May 29, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix $35.25 (plus service charge) at www.ticket master.ca/, info www.timbreconcerts.com/.

2THIS WEEK TASH SULTANA Australian indie-rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her singles “Jungle” and “Notion”. May 24, doors 5:30 pm, show 7 pm, Malkin Bowl (610 Pipeline Road, Stanley Park). Tix $39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

KINA GRANNIS American pop singersongwriter, with guest Imaginary Future.

Jul 17, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix on sale May 25, 10 am, $29.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

THE CULT, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, BUSH Three veteran rock bands coheadline the Revolution 3 Tour, with guests Bones. Aug 28, doors 5 pm, show 6 pm, Abbotsford Centre (33800 King Rd., Abbotsford). Tix on sale May 25, 10 am, $149/99.50/79.50/59.50/39.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

MODIFIED GHOST FESTIVAL III Music by Bloodbath, Black Dahlia Murder, Beyond Creation, Gatecreeper, Kataplexis, and WTCHDR (May 24), Bongripper Yob, Ruby the Hatchet, Electric Citizen, Dead Quiet, Hoopsnake, and Seer (May 25), Carcass, Sacrifice, Nails, Midnight, Bat, Aggression, and Wormwitch (May 26), and Power Trip, Sheer Mag, Fury, Waingro, Red Death, and Woolworm (May 27). To May 27, 6 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). Tix at www.rickshawtheatre.com/.

CURTIS SALGADO The Canadian Pacific Blues Society presents American blues artist, with guests Mojo Stars. May 25, 7:30 pm, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix $30 at www.riotheatretickets.ca/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS TD VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Coastal Jazz presents its annual musical celebration in Vancouver, featuring performances by Robert Plant & the Sensational Shape Shifters, Macy Gray, Kamasi Washington, Dirty Projectors, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and the Jerry Douglas Band. Jun 22-July 1, various Vancouver venues. Tix and info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL Forty-first annual folk fest features performances by Neko Case, Ry Cooder, Rodney Crowell, Wallis Bird and Mick Flannery, Melingo, Wazimbo & Banda Kakana, Archie Roach, and James McMurty. Jul 13-15, Jericho Beach Park (3941 Point Grey Rd.). Tix and info www.thefestival.bc.ca/.

TODD KERNS Acoustic performance by Canadian rocker. May 25, 9 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café (579 Dunsmuir). Tix $8, info www.donnellygroup.ca/railway-stageand-beer-cafe/.

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Flea markets are held in the West End Community Centre Auditorium. Admission is $1/person.

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BON IVER Indie-folk band from Wisconsin.

May 26, doors 5:30 pm, show 7:30 pm, Deer Lake Park (6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby). Tix $49.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

TIME OUT MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge.

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

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Visit www.squirt.org to hook up today 30 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT MAY 24 – 31 / 2018

HIGH CLASS FEMALE ESCORTS & INTIMATE COMPANIONS

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savage love I like watersports, and I heard about a guy in a rural area who holds piss parties in his backyard. I found a mailing list for those interested in piss play, and it wasn’t long before he posted about one of these parties.

People on the list talk a big game, but no one else has stepped up to host something, including me. (I would, but four neighbours look into my backyard.) The host has very simple rules for who can attend: you have to identify as a guy and wear masculine attire. I get to the party, and there were about four guys and the host. I had a good time. The host had plenty of drinks out, towels, chairs, canopies, and candles to ward off the mosquitoes. I’ve been back a couple times. Everyone is friendly enough and there’s the right amount of perversion. So what’s the problem? The host. He’s loud and annoying. He insists on putting classical music on (it doesn’t set the mood very well).

He tells the same lame jokes every time he’s pissing on someone. He will complain that people say they’re coming and don’t show. If you are having a moment with someone, he will invariably horn in on the action. Without being rude, I’ve tried to make it clear that we are not looking for company, but he doesn’t take the hint. It’s his party, and props to him for hosting it—but it takes the fun out of it when the host doesn’t know when to back off. I’ve gotten to the point where it’s not worth the effort to go. Do I just get over it or say something privately?

The advice I gave a different reader about dealing with a guest horning in on the action at an orgy applies in your case: “Even kind and decent people can be terrible about taking hints—especially when doing so means getting cut out of a drunken fuckfest. So don’t hint, tell. There’s no rule of etiquette that can paper over the discomfort and awkwardness of that moment, so you’ll just have to power through it.”

Swap out “drunken fuckfest” for “drenchin’ piss scene”, and the advice works—up to a point, PEE, because the person in your case who needs telling, not hinting, isn’t one of the guests, he’s the host. (And he sounds like a gracious host. I mean, drinks, towels, and canapés* at a piss party? Swank.) But your host’s behaviour sounds genuinely annoying. Hosting a sex party doesn’t give someone the right to insert himself into someone else’s scene, and stupid jokes have the power to kill the mood and murder the boners.

So what do you do?

Well, you could send your host an email or give him a call. Thank him for the invite, let him know you appreciate the effort he goes to (such delicious canapés!), and then tell him why some people say they’re coming and don’t show: you’re too loud, your music is awful, you have a bad habit of horning in on the action, and you need to learn some new jokes to tell when you’re pissing on someone (or, better yet, not tell any jokes). But I don’t think ticking off a list of his shortcomings is going to get you anywhere other than crossed off the invite list to future parties. > PERSON EXASPERATES ENTHUSIAST So why not make your own piss

> BY DAN SAVAGE party? You don’t need a big backyard—I mean, presumably your place has a tub. Supplement your tub with a couple of kiddie pools on top of some plastic tarp laid down on the living room or basement floor. Ask your guests to keep it in the tub, pool, or on the tarp. You get to choose the guys; you get to select the music; and, as host, you can lay down the law about making jokes and horning in on the action: both are forbidden, and joke-telling horner inners will be asked to pull up their pants and leave.

One last thought: if you have it in you to invest some time in getting to know this guy—if you treat him like a human being—you might be able to draw him out on something that clearly frustrates him: guys who say they’re coming to the party but don’t show. If he seems genuinely baffled, PEE, that’s your opening to ask if he’d like some constructive feedback. If he says yes, you can very gently run through your list of ways to improve his parties: no jokes, better music, and a “no horning in” rule for all (not just for him). *Yes, I know: there were canopies at the party, not canapés—tents, not hors d’oeuvres. But I read it as canapés at first, and the mental image of piss players daintily eating canapés between scenes was so much more entertaining than the mental image of piss players huddling under canopies that I stuck with my original reading.

I had an MMF threesome with my

husband and a man we met on Instagram (of all places)! Everyone had a good time, and there was no awkward-

ness afterward. I think things went so well because after years of reading Savage Love, we knew to “use our words” and treat our “very special guest star” with respect! Thanks, Dan!

seem bi. I guess I’m looking for permission and absolution. Would this make me a “bad” lesbian? Or would it mean I should identify as bi? > GIRL ASKING YOU

> MY ULTIMATE FANTASY FULFILLED

You’re welcome, MUFF!

I’m a cis

woman and recently came out as a lesbian after identifying as bisexual for three years. After having sexual encounters with men and women, I fi nally admitted to myself that I am gay. Now that I’m fi nally out, I don’t want to do anything that would make me feel like denying it again. My question is, am I a bad lesbian if I sleep with a guy? I’m currently working 50 hours a week and going to school. I don’t have time for a relationship, and fi nding casual hookups with women is difficult. A male friend I know and trust recently propositioned me. At fi rst I said no, but now I’m rethinking it. Sex with men doesn’t compare at all to sex with women for me. On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s defi nitely in the below-5 range. But my mind says “It’s still sex!” and I would enjoy it to a point. But I worry that doing this would call my sexuality into question. I feel like I’d defi nitely have to hide this from my friends. And if I feel guilty enough to hide it, maybe I shouldn’t do it?

Finally identifying as a lesbian was like breathing out for me. I feel way more like myself and am way happier now. But I worry that even being willing to consider this makes me

I’ve often been accused of having a pro-dick-sitting bias, GAY, so I decided to recuse myself and pass your question on to a couple of lesbians.

“She is way too concerned with labels,” said Lesbian #1. “I used to slip on a dick once every few years—before I quit drinking tequila—and that didn’t make me any less of a raging, homo-romantic dyke. And if her friends give that much of a fuck about who she bones, she needs friends with more interesting hobbies.”

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with her or any lesbian wanting to sleep with a guy,” said Lesbian #2. “I wouldn’t sleep with a guy, but I do agree that women trying to casually hook up with other women is much more difficult than men with men or even men with women. Women instantly want to be your long-term partner after one hookup—the UHaul jokes are fucking real. But if identifying as something is important to her, I think identifying as queer might be a better option for now rather than struggling to figure out if she is only bi or only lesbian and only those forever.” On the Lovecast , porn by women, for women? Yes, please. Listen at savagelovecast.com . Email: mail@ savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage. ITMFA.org.

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