The Georgia Straight - Khatsahlano - July 4, 2019

JULY 4 - 11 / 2019 | FREE Volume 53 | Number 2685

INDIAN SUMMER

Climate change and comedy

DANCING ON THE EDGE Artists show different sides

CARNAVAL DEL SOL

Vancouver’s Latin American plaza

Khatsahlano Hey Ocean! showcases an unbreakable bond on The Hurt of Happiness; plus, Old Man Canyon and five acts you need to see

VIKKY ALEXANDER

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TECH’S LABOUR SHORTAGE

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DOG DAYS

DEAD BROKE

by Dan Venes

New British blues LP available at Vinyl Records (321 West Hastings) . . . . .

Digital version available on streaming platforms

2 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT JULY 4 – 11 / 2019

MOR ST YL E ADD ES ED

J O H N F LU E VO G S H O E S G R A N V I L L E S T · · | WAT E R S T · · F L U E V O G C O M

JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3

CONTENTS

July 4-11 / 2019

10 COVER

Khatsahlano headliner Hey Ocean! has survived the Warped Tour, a three-year hiatus, and Bronies.

By John Lucas Cover photo by Gabriel Hall

6

NEWS

Little Mosque on the Prairie creator Zarqa Nawaz doesn’t believe that comedians should have carte blanche to pick on marginalized groups.

By Charlie Smith

8

TECHNOLOGY

Galvanize has a new solution for one of the biggest challenges in the Vancouver tech scene: finding talent.

By Kate Wilson

15 FOOD

Carnaval del Sol will offer a colourful melting pot of Latin-American flavours.

By Tammy Kwan

17 ARTS

Two well-known local artists break new ground in the 31st Dancing on the Edge fest of contemporary dance.

By Janet Smith

e Start Here 6 BOOKS 11 CONFESSIONS 9 HOROSCOPES 16 I SAW YOU 14 MOVIE REVIEWS 7 REAL ESTATE 23 SAVAGE LOVE 20 THEATRE 21 VISUAL ARTS

e Online TOP 5

e Listings 21 ARTS 11 MUSIC

e Services 21 CLASSIFIEDS

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

1 2 3 4 5

Dumpster-dived papers show site of Granville SkyTrain station.

Cyclist killed by SUV renowned for supporting students.

Video: Pamela Anderson strips down for killer whale.

Canucks Free Agent Grades: Tyler Myers gets big money.

Motorist fined $250 after leaving dogs enclosed in hot vehicle.

GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight

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

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Dave Hartney – July 4th, 7:30pm He’s a rising star in the Canadian Country music scene and hails from North Vancouver. Dave has played with headliners Dallas Smith, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and Dierks Bentley to name a few. His new single “Everything Girl” includes a music video for the song, directed by CCMA Director of the Year Stephano Barberis. Dave Hartney’s live show is sure to impress and win over new fans.

Wolfeels – July 5th, 8:00pm Local west coast band performing original/rock/blues fusion with a touch of traditional styles along with classic and modern rock covers. First established in 1998 and have been entertaining locally at different venues for over 20 years. Guaranteed to get you off your seats and entertain all ages!

Gotta B George Michael – July 6th, 6:00pm In partnership with GustheGreek.com

The 80’s and 90’s are alive and well on stage at Greek Summerfest 2019! Gotta B George Michael hits the stage with your favourites, including Faith, Father Figure, Freedom ‘90, Careless Whispers, and more… Photo opportunities too!

Dr. Ashleigh Sran, DMD

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Yannis Sahamis – July 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 8:00pm Hear the sounds of Greece through the magical fingers of Yannis Sahamis as he plays the traditional Greek instrument, Bouzouki.

Yannis and his band will entertain you and have you dancing the night away!

Grupo Asi-Somos – Sunday, July 7th, 4:00pm Established in Vancouver, members perform regularly in Latin folk groups and choirs for West Coast audiences. Mainly performing music from Venezuelan folk traditions that encompass Spanish, Native, Caribbean, and African influences – engaging yet unpredictable and haunting.

Jim Byrnes with Simon Kendall – July 8th, 7:30pm 3-time Juno Award winner Jim Byrnes is a phenomenal blues musician. The sheer joy you can hear in the music Jim Byrnes creates is the real reason to celebrate. Jim Byrnes is a living musical treasure, who will continue to bring his music to stages all over the world. Joined by award-winning keyboardist/composer Simon Kendall of Doug and the Slugs.

Pat Chessell Celtic Band – July 9th, 7:30pm Proven to be a hit with audiences of all ages from concert halls to corporate shows, Chessell is one of the most exciting Celtic acts in Western Canada, playing at the region’s top festivals, nightclubs, theatres, and special events.

Dolphin Jazz Band – July 10th, 7:30pm A varied group of friends that love to play jazz. All the musicians who participate under the Dolphin banner are accomplished musicians in their own right, but get together to share their diverse talents. An instrumental quartet, backing the very talented jewel Maxwell, songstress extraordinaire.

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Mostly Marley – July 11th, 7:30pm Formed in 2001 with the idea of bringing Classic Reggae to an otherwise starving audience. Mostly Marley performs with passion while always remaining true to the spirit of Reggae. A band that takes you on a musical odyssey – and makes you get up and groove!

Urban Myth – July 12th, 8:00pm Upbeat party/dance band performing pop, disco, funk, country and rock covers from the 1970’s to today. Regulars at clubs, casinos, concert halls, festivals in Vancouver, Toronto & Whistler.

Fronted by former Warner recording artist Jasmine Bharucha.

Band members also include Larry Lemieux, Dan Dittrick, Tim Koutsandreas and Blaine Booth.

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JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 5

BOOKS

NEWS

Nawaz: Comedy doesn’t have to offend Climate crisis causes Ghosh to rethink fiction

C

by Charlie Smith

omedian Ricky Gervais has a gift for saying outrageous things. For this reason, he has traditionally appealed to his liberal-minded fans, including Zarqa Nawaz, creator of the hit TV series Little Mosque on the Prairie.

But in a recent phone interview with the Georgia Straight, Nawaz said that one of her daughters wasn’t nearly as impressed when she saw Gervais on TV making fun of trans people.

As Nawaz continued watching, her daughter walked out of the room, saying she could no longer listen to him.

That prompted Nawaz to think more deeply about the impact of comedy on marginalized people.

“You know, I’m embarrassed to say I thought it was funny,” she said. “And I had to think about it and say [to myself]: ‘How could this hurt people? And why should it matter?’ If it had been Muslims, I would have cared more.”

She acknowledged that it’s human nature to care more about one’s own tribe. But she also recognizes the importance of being aware of how comedy affects other communities.

She thinks that this is especially so when a comedian tries to get laughs by “punching down” on those who are weaker.

“People say comedy is the last bastion of free speech and we should be allowed to do anything we want— I think that’s wrong,” she said. “We bring all our prejudices. Comedians can be just as horrible as other people and can hurt people. Just because they’re funny doesn’t give them carte blanche.”

At this year’s Indian Summer Festival (July 4 to 14), the Regina-based Nawaz will join Vancouver comedian Yumi Nagashima and Ladner’s Darcy Michael to discuss whether there should be boundaries on comedians’ right to offend. It will be

T

by Charlie Smith

Little Mosque on the Prairie creator Zarqa Nawaz reconsidered her appreciation for Ricky Gervais, thanks to her daughter’s reaction to him. Photo by Ridwan Adhami

moderated by Richard Side, creator of the CBC Radio One comedy show The Debaters.

When asked which comedians she admires, Nawaz immediately mentioned Ally Wong, the San Francisco–born standup who has four dates later this month at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.

“She’s so smart, so clever,” Nawaz said. “I find that I like the people who can look at society—look at the changes—and call them out, and do it for a reason, for a purpose.”

In a similar vein, she’s impressed by the edgy Sarah Silverman, who isn’t afraid to deliver stinging jokes to highlight abortion rights. Nawaz also mentioned Vancouver’s Charlie Demers as another comedian who can make broader points about society without “punching down”. Then there’s Hasan Minhaj, who wasn’t afraid to mock Indian prime minister Narendra Modi for his followers’ persecution of minorities.

“Those socially conscious comics are raising the bar on comedy,” Nawaz said.

Most comedians succeed as standups before they get their own TV series and write books. Nawaz, on the other hand, is trying to do the opposite: she first wrote and created a TV show, Little Mosque, then wrote a book called Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, which was a series of comedic essays. Now she’s eager to practise standup comedy.

“Comedy is always a way of processing the world and helping other people process the world in a way that’s accessible. ’Cause when people laugh, they’re willing to let down their guard and think about something more critical,” she said.

“Whereas if you sort of give them a lecture, their minds turn off because it’s not entertaining.” g Zarqa Nawaz will be part of a panel discussion called “Trigger Me This: An Evening of Comedy, Outrage, and Debate” at the Indian Summer Festival at the SFU Woodward’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on Wednesday (July 10). On Thursday (July 11), she will be on a panel called “Laughter for the Dark Days” at the festival’s PAUSE Pavilion.

hree years ago, Indian writer Amitav Ghosh wrote a nonfiction book arguing that fiction was the best cultural form to explore the climate crisis. However, in The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, Ghosh pointed out how the literary world has largely overlooked this topic, even though it’s the most urgent issue facing humanity.

He’s now out with a new book, Gun Island, which does precisely this, bringing forth terrifying cyclones, ocean acidification, and stories of migration in a tale narrated by a Kolkata rare-book dealer.

“The reality is we are in a new world, in a new epoch,” Ghosh told the Georgia Straight by phone from his home in Brooklyn. “And I think everything that we write about this world and of this epoch has to register this new reality that we’re in.”

Scientists have been pointing out for decades that long-lasting droughts, heat waves, and atmospheric rivers of sudden rainfall would result from rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Ghosh saw the impact during a recent book tour in India. He arrived in Delhi on the day that the sprawling city recorded an all-time-high temperature. Then he went to Mumbai, where there was a devastating drought just 160 kilometres away.

“From there, I went to Chennai, which is out of water—historic drought, epic heat,” Ghosh noted.

He returned to his home in Brooklyn, only to learn of record flooding back in Mumbai. According to Ghosh, the haywire climate change, the unravelling of political systems, and mass displacements are interrelated.

Amitav Ghosh wants writers to address the new epoch. Photo by Ivo van der Bent

“They’re effects of the same thing, which is a kind of acceleration that we’ve been going through, really, for the past 200 years—but most of all, in the last 30 years,” he said.

Ghosh called Canadian author Naomi Klein “the greatest theorist of climate change”, noting that she’s set a wonderful example for the world.

Yet he believes that there’s been a “kind of greenwashing rhetoric turning up in Canadian public discourse on climate change”—including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In the face of climate-created calamities, he hopes that people can learn to appreciate what is important.

“I have my friends, I have my family, I have my writing…seeing this disaster actually makes all of that more precious and more valuable,” he said. g As part of the Indian Summer Festival, Amitav Ghosh will speak at the SFU Woodward’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on Sunday (July 9).

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HOUSING

Health improves in ’hoods with parks

P

by Carlito Pablo

eople who live in walkable neighbourhoods are 39 percent less likely to have diabetes than those in cardependent areas.

Residents in these complete communities, which have a median housing density of 60 units per acre or 0.4 hectare, are also 28 percent less likely to suffer from hypertension. In addition, they are 23 percent less likely to develop stress than those in least walkable or car-dependent communities, which have a median residential density of five units per acre.

These are some of the findings of groundbreaking research led by Larry Frank, a UBC professor and director of the university’s Health and Community Design Lab. The results of the study, titled Where Matters: Health and Economic Impacts of Where We Live, were presented in a report by Erin Rennie, a senior regional planner with Metro Vancouver.

The West End neighbourhood of Vancouver, North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale, and the downtown area of New Westminster are examples of walkable neighbourhoods.

The research also showed that people with the lowest incomes or those who earn less than $60,000 a year benefit a lot from living in walkable communities. Low-income earners are 51 percent more likely to achieve the recommended physical activity if they live in complete and compact neighbourhoods, compared to car-dependent localities. People are encouraged to have 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.

The study also looked at the health benefits of having access to local parks: residents who can walk to six or more parks are 53 percent less likely to have diabetes than those in neighbourhoods with the fewest parks or those with only one park or none.

If the area where you live is walkable, like the West End, it could extend your life.

Dwellers in park-rich communities are also 35 percent less likely to have high blood pressure. Moreover, they are 39 percent less likely to get heart disease.

Access to parks is particularly good for low-income earners. The study noted that the “impact of park access on physical activity was especially high for lower income earners

(annual incomes below $60,000)”.

They are 54 percent more likely to “meet physical activity rates when living close to many parks” than similarly situated residents in parkpoor neighbourhoods.

Rennie’s report is included on Friday’s (July 5) agenda for Metro Vancouver’s regional planning committee.

Rennie indicated that the research was a pioneering inquiry.

“While there is a general recognition of the association between walkability and park access and better health outcomes, prior to the Where Matters study the extent of that relationship had not yet been quantified in this region,” Rennie wrote.

Rennie noted that the study also found that “more walkable neighbourhoods could be associated with lower direct health care costs related to chronic disease.”

Direct health-care costs in walkable neighbourhoods are 52 percent less for diabetes, 47 percent less for hypertension, and 31 percent less for

T alk OF THE WEEK IS IT TOO LATE? Is the planet

irreparably doomed by climate change? Is the human species inexorably marching toward extinction?

“Time is running out to prevent the irreversible and dangerous impacts of climate change,” warned the sixth Global Environmental Outlook, released by the UN in March 2019.

For Paul Richard, instructor and chair of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s environmental protection technology department, the Earth and humankind can be saved. There is no need to be

see next page

paralyzed into inaction by fear.

“We already have the technology necessary to address the problem and alleviate its worst consequences,” Richard wrote in the blurb for a talk he will deliver in Vancouver. “It’s simply a matter of using it, and the first step is awareness.”

Titled “Optimism in an Era of Climate Change”, the event happens on Wednesday (July 10) at Science World at TELUS World of Science (1455 Quebec Street).

Doors open at 6 p.m.; the talk starts at 7 p.m. g

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JULY 4 –11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7

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HIGH TECH

Galvanize wants to keep grads local

G

by Kate Wilson

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BROADWAY PLAN

alvanize, the recent rebrand of Vancouver stalwart ACL Services, has been a mainstay of the local tech industry for more than 30 years. The company, which started out by creating audit software, has since expanded to building security, risk management, and compliance solutions—a meaty field for developers to sink their teeth into.

But despite its stellar local reputation and nationally recognized culture—it has earned top marks in the coveted Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Canada’s Best Managed Companies lists— the business is still plagued by the biggest problem in B.C. tech: it just can’t find enough qualified professionals.

Kathy Enros, the vice president of talent at Galvanize, has a greater understanding of the industry’s staffing challenges than most. While amassing more than 20 years’ experience in human resources, and with 13 in Vancouver’s tech sector, Enros has kept a close eye on the hiring trends as the local ecosystem has expanded.

In her view, the crux of the issue is that the sector is growing faster than schools can graduate students.

“When you look at certain roles within tech—I’ll call out software developers and salespeople with that tech background in particular— there’s a limited pool of people here in Vancouver, and it’s also very competitive at the same time,” Enros tells the Georgia Straight by phone. “We’re fighting to find talent to deal with the growth, but to be honest, too, I’m also focusing on retention, because once you find that great talent you don’t want to lose them anywhere else.

“I think, historically, software development isn’t something that was really taught in schools,” she continues. “Of late, the curriculums are changing, but it hasn’t caught up to where we’re at and meeting people today. I think we are dealing with a bit of that gap. The people coming out of those schools doesn’t quite deal with the volume that all of the software companies really need, especially in Vancouver.”

One reason that local tech companies are missing out on new grads is the lure of the States. Although B.C. loses fewer newly qualified individuals to

Galvanize’s VP of talent, Kathy Enros, helped create the Industry Partnership Program, which offers UBC students the chance to work as part of the company.

If more people stay...I think you’ll see more companies starting to set up shop here.

– Kathy Enros, VP of talent at Galvanize

America than some schools in Ontario, some talented workers are inspired to head south to pursue the prestige and paycheques that come with jobs in hubs like Seattle or Silicon Valley.

In an attempt to show local grads the benefits of staying in town, Galvanize has established a new initiative in collaboration with UBC. Named the Industry Partnership Program, the enterprise will allow the university’s students to gain experience working for the company and show them what it’s like to be a part of a fastmoving tech organization. That initiative builds on an existing relationship with UBC, which saw the company give tours and educate students about careers in tech and help to advise the university on its curriculum to make sure it is teaching the right skills.

“Partnering with UBC…was almost an automatic for me,” Enros says. “UBC has a fantastic comp. sci. program and we have been hiring coop students from there. That, for us, has been fantastic because it gives us the chance to try out their students, and vice versa. And because they’ve been so great, we have been hiring a lot of them back—so once they graduate, they come back to work for us. So for us, it’s sheer gold to be able to have someone come back that’s already somewhat experienced; they know us well and they know they love us. Having that has been so great.”

Enros believes that there are a number of benefits for new grads who choose to enter the local industry. Packed with startups and smaller companies, the Vancouver ecosystem offers employees a much greater role to play and the opportunity to learn new skills quickly. As a result, an individual can rise up the ladder much faster in those organizations. She believes that the impact on the ecosystem will be overwhelmingly positive if Vancouver is able to retain its talent.

“If more people stay and the pool is bigger, I think you’ll just see more companies starting to set up shop here,” she says. “I think it’s going to be a win-win for the economy and the more companies wanting to stay. And that’s only going to be better for the whole tech community and make us way more competitive on a global scale.” g

Help Shape the Future of Broadway

from previous page

Over the past four months, we’ve heard from thousands of people who have helped identify key ideas, interests, and opportunities that are important to the community for the area of Broadway between Clark Drive and Vine Street. Now we’re sharing what we heard at our upcoming open houses:

heart disease than in car-dependent neighbourhoods.

Similarly, communities with six or more local parks are associated with lower direct health-care costs.

These are 75 percent less for diabetes, 69 percent for hypertension, and 69 percent less for heart disease.

According to Rennie, the Where Matters study has policy implications.

“The connection between walkability and improved health outcomes demonstrates that local governments have a role to play in supporting health and wellness,” Rennie wrote. “Communities can support better health outcomes by building compact residential areas, increasing intersection density, supporting compact commercial development, building mixed-use neighbourhoods, and improving access to parks.”

Rennie also noted that the results of the study point to the need for affordable housing in walkable and park-rich communities.

“Additional regional policies are required to support inclusivity of all income groups in existing and emerging walkable neighbourhoods,” Rennie wrote. “This includes policies that increase the supply of affordable rental and family-friendly housing in walkable centres and corridors. Failing to do so is likely to result…[in] widening inequities in health outcomes across income groups.”

Rennie recalled in her report that the Where Matters study was funded

by Metro Vancouver, TransLink, Vancouver Coastal Health, the City of Vancouver, the Real Estate Foundation of B.C., and UBC’s Health and Community Design Lab. g

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Wednesday, July 17, 2019, 3 – 7 pm Kingsgate Mall, 370 East Broadway Join us to review the community values and guiding principles which will help set the direction as we work on a plan for the area that integrates new housing, jobs and amenities around the Broadway Subway. It’s your chance to provide feedback, learn more about the planning process, and get involved in shaping the future of Broadway.

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HOROSCOPE

H

JULY 4 TO 10, 2019

by Rose Marcus

appy Fourth of July to all celebrating! Birthdays that fall on or near an eclipse mark an active and notable year with beyond ordinary circumstances or challenges. That statement is relevant to both Canada and the USA. Both countries have already been dealing with plenty beyond “business as usual” and will continue to do so through this year and next.

The recent total solar eclipse in Cancer marks the beginning of a new living-with-yourself chapter. It is well supported by Mars, freshly into Leo, a transit that is helpful for personal recentring, for checking in with your heart chakra. Venus, freshly into Cancer, aims to put you back in touch with your deeper needs.

Mercury in Leo begins a retrograde cycle on Sunday afternoon. Stay flexible; don’t take unnecessary risks; double-check everything; save your receipts; count your change; safeguard; revisit and revise as necessary.

Monday starts the week on a lively social track. Venus/Uranus keeps the news and money circulating too.

Spontaneity can deliver quite nicely.

Mercury/Mars can spark an impulse or impulsiveness or trigger the sudden, the unexpected, or the provocative. This duo can incite an aggressive, angry, or reactive moment.

Tuesday, there’s stuff to work through or to finish off. Effort applied ends the day on a progressive note. Wednesday evening provides a relaxing reprieve from Venus and sun/Neptune.

Thursday, anything goes! Mars/ Uranus kicks off the day with the sudden, unexpected, exciting, or freeing.

energy, or plans. Monday begins the week on a social, lucrative, or spending-spree note. Mercury/Mars can trigger something spur-of-the-moment or provocative. Tuesday/Wednesday, you can run up against it. Added effort, patience, or time is required.

F

VIRGO

August 23–September 23

The moon in Virgo keeps you quick on the ball and going strong Friday/Saturday. Sunday/Monday, roll with it. The start of Mercury retrograde can shift the plan, the momentum, or your attention. Monday, choose social, innovative, spontaneous, or fresh. Watch for the sudden or unexpected to overtake you.

Tuesday through Thursday, it’s tough, then smooth, then onto a next trigger, stressor, or breakthrough point.

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September 23–October 23

For the most part, the stars keep it rolling well through Monday.

Even so, note that Mercury retrograde, starting Sunday afternoon, can derail plans or priorities. Monday is a good day to connect and to catch up. Venus/Uranus and the moon in Libra keep you and spontaneity in full swing. Tuesday to Thursday, some things are a tough go and some things run real smooth.

October 23–November 22

Put reward at the top of the list. Through Saturday, you’ll make good use of the time you spend. Sunday/Monday, stay flexible and take it as it comes. Mars and Mercury retrograde can trigger something that reARIES quires your immediate attention or a March 20–April 20 quick response. Tuesday, there’s someMercury and Mars in Leo thing to finish off or get out of the way. continue to boost creativity, “can- Wednesday/Thursday there’s somedo”, and opportunity. Venus, freshly thing more, fresh, or unexpected. into Cancer, keeps emotional responSAGITTARIUS siveness dialled up. Go by feel; go November 22–December 21 gentle on yourself and on others. Use While Mars, freshly in Leo, Mercury retrograde, starting Sunday, to recentre and reward yourself more. can have you feeling mighty fine, the Monday could trigger a conversation, pressure is on with the sun through sudden impulse, or heated moment. next Tuesday and with Venus/Saturn Tuesday to Thursday, there’s some- through the midmonth lunar eclipse.

Health-, wealth-, or relationshipwise, thing important to surpass. there is something important to face, TAURUS to wrap up, or to make official. MerApril 20–May 21 cury retrograde, starting Sunday, is The next couple of days (and good for another check-in with yourweeks) can give you a better feel for what self. Tuesday through Thursday runs you are getting out of it, where happi- the gamut. ness lies, and what constitutes success.

CAPRICORN Look to Mars and Mercury in Leo to December 21–January 20 boost incentive. While Mercury retroProgressively, the stars are grade, starting Sunday, can run interference, keep focused on “so good, so helping you to get a better grip on far” and don’t let yourself buckle under what you want, what you need, and what’s real in the way of both pospressure. Next Thursday is hot-wired. sibility and reality. Although the GEMINI going is mostly good, something May 21–June 21 potent/something more is on brew.

Friday/Saturday are good Mars triggers Mercury retrograde on for a top-up and catch-up—with Monday and Uranus on Thursday. folks and family, yourself, the chores, Once it fires up, it needs immediate and projects. Go easy on it Sunday. action and/or spurs a chain reaction.

The start of Mercury retrograde can AQUARIUS derail plans and the best of intentions.

January 20–February 18 Even so, on Monday synchronicity and Despite Mercury starting instincts are at peak. Tuesday/Wednesday, there’s something import- retrograde Sunday, you’ll navigate ant to face or finish, to work through well through activities, plans, and and get past. Next Thursday triggers conversations through the beginning of the new week. Monday could spark a next step or issue. aggression or an anger episode, someCANCER thing spontaneous, surprising, or cutJune 21–July 22 to-the-chase. Past Tuesday’s jam-up, Eclipses set you up to experi- big push, or finish-up, you’ll fast-track ence life in some larger-format way. onto something fresh, revised, or next.

As you realign with your soul’s deepPISCES er needs and desires, you’ll find your February 18–March 20 instincts are readily geared toward It is as good as it gets choices that reflect your better-seasoned consciousness. Over the next through the weekend and into the couple of weeks, the eclipses will push start of the new week. A mixed-bag you to reconcile with the past and face week of planetary alignments follows front in some major way. Next Thurs- the start of Mercury retrograde on Sunday. Despite what may crop up or day fast-tracks you/it. challenge you on Monday/Tuesday, LEO

by Wednesday you should feel that it July 22–August 23 is smoothing out. Thursday triggers For the most part, the going something fresh. g is good through Monday, but note that as of Sunday Mercury retrograde Book a reading or sign up for Rose’s free can prompt a change of mind, mood, monthly newsletter at rosemarcus.com/.

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JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 9

MUSIC

Catching a big wave with Hey Ocean!

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by John Lucas

hen it was announced earlier this year that My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was ending after nine seasons, the show’s fans—who include little kids and adult Bronies alike—were saddened.

The announcement arguably had its biggest impact right here in Vancouver, however. It’s in our city that DHX Media produced the animation and recorded the voices for the series.

Vancouverite Ashleigh Ball was a part of Friendship Is Magic from the start, voicing the characters Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Ball was even the subject of A Brony Tale, filmmaker Brent Hodge’s documentary focusing on the show’s adult-fan subculture.

When the Straight meets up with Ball at the Victoria-and-Powell JJ Bean, the main interview topic is Hey Ocean!, the musical project that has been a major creative conduit for her since 2004. We can’t, however, pass up the opportunity to get Ball’s reaction to having one particular chapter of her life come to a close.

“Ten years of my life was ponies, so it’s kind of strange,” she admits.

“It’s weird having that missing from my life now.”

Ball has developed a considerable following for her voice-acting work, and Hey Ocean! has gained its own fan base thanks to years of touring and crafting invariably great indiepop records like last year’s The Hurt of Happiness. There have been times, the singer and flutist says, when fans from one group have crossed over into the other camp.

“This was probably, like, four or five years ago,” she says, recalling one amusingly surreal example. “We played a show in Denver, Colorado.

We’d never been to Denver. There

Left to right: Ashleigh Ball, David Beckingham, and David Vertesi of Hey Ocean!. Photo by Christopher Edmonstone

was no reason for us to have any people in Denver, really, other than random fans who’d maybe heard of us through a friend or whatever. And we heard that the show was sold-out.

We were like, ‘This is crazy, what’s going on in Denver? Why here?’ And we pulled up and people started coming in, and it was like a PonyCon was happening in this venue.

“I found out that the Denver Brony community had made it an official Brony meetup,” she continues.

“So they were obviously excited that [the voice of] Rainbow Dash and Applejack was coming to town.

People were in cosplay outfits. There were rainbow wigs and cowboy hats and whatever, like, pony paraphernalia was happening there.”

All of this was, as you might imagine, the cause of some bemusement

When we sing together and play those songs together, it feels amazing.

– Ashleigh Ball

for Ball’s Hey Ocean! bandmates, singer-guitarist David Beckingham and singer-bassist David Vertesi.

“I think they were happy that the show was sold-out,” Ball says.

“Obviously, that was amazing, but they’re here for a different reason, kind of. So that was a bit of a mindfuck. It was like ‘We have a fan base, but is it our fan base? No, it’s a pony fan base, but at least they’re paying customers.’ We sold tons of merch that night, and it was great.”

Large-scale Brony encounters might not have been the norm for Hey Ocean!, but pulling up to venues in strange cities was. As Ball tells it, the band reached a point where it was saying yes to every opportunity, from slogging it out on the Warped Tour to hitting the road all summer even if it meant missing friends’ weddings and other milestones.

It all became too much, and it eventually drove the group apart.

Hey Ocean! took a hiatus between 2014 and 2017, during which all three

members made solo records.

The Hurt of Happiness, then, is an LP that almost never happened, showcasing the sound of an older and wiser Hey Ocean!—one equally inclined toward world-class up-tempo pop-rock numbers (“Sleepwalker”, “Mama Said”) and harmony-laced long-night-of-the-soul heart-wrenchers (“Just Enough”, “To the Sea”).

You could call it a comeback, certainly, but you could just as easily describe it as a major triumph for three individuals who clearly still have something to say when they come together as a unit.

For her part, Ball says the time apart gave her a new appreciation of both her role within the band and the value of expressing herself outside of it.

“We did an acoustic tour recently, just a minitour of a couple Gulf Islands and up the coast,” she says.

“Just the three of us singing together was so nice. We have a bond, you know? They’re like family to me, and when we sing together and play those songs together, it feels amazing; it’s like nothing else. But I think it’s also really important to stretch yourself out and do other things.

“The solo thing freaks me out so much,” Ball admits. “I have so much fear surrounding it, so I think it’s really important for me to do it—because with the Daves there’s so much safety, and it’s like ‘Oh yeah, this is easy. We got this.’ Whereas shooting out to do solo endeavours is, for me, way more uncomfortable, and way scarier.”

Is anything truly daunting, though, when you’re the best flier in all Equestria? g Hey Ocean! plays the West 4th Khatsahlano Street Party’s TD Burrard Stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday (July 6).

Five local acts to catch at Khatsahlano

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Left to right: Harlequin Gold, Nite Sun, and the Intelligence Service play the West 4th Khatsahlano Street Party this weekend.

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10 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT JULY 4 – 11 / 2019

f you’re looking for all of the excitement of a summer music festival contained within a single bustling Kitsilano street, look no further than the annual Khatsahlano Street Party, being held once again on West 4th Avenue between Burrard and Macdonald streets, on Saturday (July 6). The festivities will be going on for a full 10 hours, beginning at 11 a.m. and wrapping up around 9 p.m., featuring everything from food, sales of local crafts, fashion exhibitions, and yoga classes to, of course, a nonstop flow of live performances across seven stages from some of the city’s best musical artists. Oh yeah, and did we mention it’s free?

Headliners taking the stage this year include sunshine-y indie-pop trio Hey Ocean! and funk-and-soul ensemble the Boom Booms. Here are a couple more acts that we think you should check out.

“My Body”, which sets her beautifully downbeat almost jazz-slurred vocals to soft-focus synths and pianos and muted percussion.

NITE SUN (Still Creek Press Maple Stage at 3 p.m.) Originally from Calgary, rapper Nite Sun—also known as Tipiskâw Pîsim—delivers hard-hitting and heartfelt verses about the historical injustices and present-day realities faced by Indigenous peoples. Self-described as a “Cree-Queer-Métis carrier of culture”, Nite Sun has aspirations of carving out a career as a motivational speaker, suggesting that, as bleak as the subject matter sometimes gets, there is always hope shining through the darkness.

THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (Coast Capital Vine Stage at 3 p.m.) If you’re jonesing for garage rawk with extra psychotic-reaction guitar fuzz and a heaping helping of acid-swirled organ, a dose of the Intelligence Service might be the perfect prescription. If the Jesus and Mary Chain tripped back in time to Haight-Ashbury circa 1967 and started a Suicide tribute band, it might sound a little bit like this. The prolific four-piece, led by guitarist and lead shouter Alex Pen, has two full-length LPs slated for release this year, including a concept album called Beatrice’s Guitar, which is due out in the fall.

HARLEQUIN GOLD (TD Burrard Stage at 6:30 p.m.) As everyone from the Everly Brothers to First Aid Kit has demonstrated, those who share genetics often craft the best vocal harmonies. Elle and Avery O’Brien carry on this grand tradition of sweet sibling sounds. As Harlequin Gold, the Vancouver sisters have released a mere handful of songs so far, but they have already shown themselves to be as adept with propulsive indie rock as they are with dream-pop meditations on lost youth and CALLE VERDE (Khats Kids Trafalgar Stage at 8 p.m.) thwarted love.

Offering what’s probably the perfect way to conclude a SAM LYNCH Kater Macdonald Stage at 3 p.m.) Every- long day of browsing the craft booths and lounging on one’s got an inner saddo, which explains why the sunni- patios, Calle Verde will bring an all-out flamenco party est of summer days can sometimes feel like the greyest of to the streets of Kitsilano as the sun starts setting. FeaNovember Sundays. The great thing about Sam Lynch is turing accomplished guitarist Peter Mole, the group will the way she’s able to transport you to a more melancholy transport viewers to Spain with its traditional stylings place without ever coming across as maudlin or mopey. and dancers. Flamenco is all about improvisation, so For a great illustration of this, check out her latest single, you’ll be sure to have a one-of-a-kind experience. g

MUSIC

Devours finds himself in his music d THERE’S A LOT TO process when Jeff Cancade talks about what he’s out to achieve with his solo project Devours. So it’s somehow appropriate that the Vancouver-via-Nanaimo singer begins a dissection of his new album, Iconoclast, with “I don’t even know where to start.”

That doesn’t stop him from quickly diving right in on an art-star electro-pop record that’s packed with bass-overdriven synths, reverb-dusted vocals, and art-pop percussion.

“I suppose a major thing is letting go of heteronormativity and all the normal straight trajectory of how we expect our lives to turn out,” he says, on the line from his apartment in Vancouver. “And it’s about embracing being part of a minority group and living as an alternative person, in a way.”

Looking back, he was nowhere near as bold on his debut full-length, Late Bloomer, which he released in 2016.

“I wanted to make that record very universal,” Cancade recalls. “I wanted to get on the map and try to see if I could play some shows, so the lyrics were pretty broad. I think that, with this album, they are way more gay and defiantly queer. It was a really good step for me to just own myself more and not try to appeal to everyone.”

Cancade’s journey hasn’t always been an easy one. The artist has dealt with self-esteem issues related to everything from embracing his sexuality to the daunting challenges that come with trying to carve out a career in music. Born into a strongly Catholic family in Nanaimo, he graduated from the University of Victoria with a psychology degree, and then moved to Montreal to try to establish himself as an artist.

During his three years back east, which started when he was 22, he released solo DIY music that no one ever heard.

Cancade moved back to Vancouver at around age 25, at which point, he says, things began to change for him.

The initial Devours EP, Avalon, found him creating the music and then cut-and-pasting vocal samples to complete the songs. By Late Bloomer he was becoming secure enough to show the world what he had as a singer. With Iconoclast, he believed in himself to where he was ready to step up and make a statement.

“I do have a shy side, so I think it’s taken quite a while for me to own who I am,” Cancade confesses. “I guess in terms of my body and my sexuality I have a lot of insecurities that I’ve tried to work through. And I’m working through them in a very public way—through my music.”

Given his Catholic upbringing, interviewers sometimes focus on numbers like the driving, Casio-blipped nightmare “Beyond Love and Beneath You”, with lyrics that include “I was a liar on my knees for you.” Thanks to endless support and love from his parents after he came out, Cancade downplays the religion angle.

More interesting to him, in songs like the electro-soul meditation “Gimp Mask” and the careening artpop banger “Taxidermy the Musical”, were delving into things like queer identity, putting his own spin on toxic masculinity, and exploring ever-shifting attitudes toward sexuality. “ ‘Taxidermy the Musical’ is

As Devours, Jeff Cancade has crafted an image that includes oversized eyebrows.

special to me because I feel like it kind of sums up the album and the major themes that I wanted to get across,” Cancade says.

Going deep on issues was something he was more than willing to do on Iconoclast.

“I feel like there’s still quite a bit of internalized homophobia, just being in the gay community for eight years now,” Cancade offers. “The gay community is fantastic in Vancouver.

I was specifically part of the bear community and still sort of am. And I feel like there’s still a bit of misogyny—like an obsession with masculinity and trying to seem more straight. When I was starting to write the album, I was very frustrated dating people who were obsessed with that.”

If you’ve seen Cancade’s promo photos for Devours, you’ve perhaps noticed a penchant for cartoonishly thick, drawn-on eyebrows (often accessorized by black Xs on his hands and an upside-down cross on his forehead). The way he looks is a response to those who expected him to wear flannel and look more masculine. With Devours, it’s often about turning negatives into positives— one of the greatest signs in life that someone is looking forward rather than dwelling on the past.

“That’s part of why I have these feminine big eyebrows and I wear pink Keds,” he says. “My style is very masculine-meets-feminine—it’s always been a real mix of the two. It’s subversive. And that’s what a bunch of lyrics on the album are about.”

by Mike Usinger

Devours plays the West 4th Khatsahlano Street Party’s Coast Capital Vine Stage at 7 p.m. on Saturday (July 6).

OLD MAN CANYON IS HAPPY OUTSIDE HIS COMFORT ZONE d JETT PACE, THE man behind indie-pop project Old Man Canyon, heads straight for the outdoor garden area at Platform 7 Coffee and sits down. “Jeans were a bad choice today,” he says, taking in the heat.

The Vancouver-based musician is preparing to play the Khatsahlano Street Party off of his third album, A Grand Facade, but he never stops thinking about the future. In fact, he says he has to be ready at all times since he never knows when inspiration will strike.

“The little glimpses of inspiration that come through are so random that you almost feel like it’s not you coming up with it,” he says. “You feel

like it’s just something that you get to take part in feeling once in a while, so I’ve got to be in the studio as much as possible, waiting for whatever comes.

I’ve heard a few artists say that they always think that the previous song they wrote is the last song they’ll ever write, and I relate to that.”

Thankfully, right now is one of those special times. Pace’s music has gradually shifted over the years from acoustic indie folk to more electronic pop, and he’s striving to cover even more sonic territory in the future.

“I feel like I’m always adapting, finding new dynamics and sounds, new feelings,” he says. “That’s the only way I can really continue, trying to find new ways of being excited about music.” This versatility has continued throughout his life—he discovered his love of music as both a rapper and a cellist.

A Grand Facade mostly concerns the troubled political landscape of the world. Pace says he intended it to be a satirical wake-up call of sorts, taking a closer look at how people have an “inherent kind of ignorance to what’s going on around us, and our ability to just sort of continue on in our little comfort zones”.

“We’re just continuing doing what we always do, getting high and hanging out, and there are all these things going on in the world that need our attention, and we need some light brought to them,” he says.

While travelling the world, he often immerses himself in nature to “remember what’s real”, and while he’s at home he makes frequent trips to North Vancouver’s forests.

“I wanted to get away from my comfort of Vancouver and be in an area where I could really consume and hear the music in a way where I felt free. So I rented a house out in Joshua Tree, out in the desert in California,” he says. “I got a couple of my best buds out there, and we just spent a week listening to all the songs and tinkering with little things.”

Even if you’ve never heard of Old Man Canyon, you’ve probably heard one of Pace’s songs. They’ve been used in everything from Pretty Little Liars to Sons of Anarchy, and the songwriter is currently excited about yet another placement—in an episode of the new HBO show Euphoria.

“Thirty years ago, a band would have to tour, like, 20 years to be able to get that many people to hear a song as I get from one episode of a show.

So it can be pretty amazing, and I’m very lucky to have that going on,” he says. “It’s always amazing to see how a show uses your song. What emotion they see it representing and how it fits into a scene is always so interesting to me, because it’s not like anything how I would have imagined it.”

Pace will be ready to draw people away from all the other Khatsahlano festivities and make sure that all eyes are exclusively on him and his backing band this weekend.

“It’s nice to finally be up there in the top tiers,” he says, regarding his prominent lineup placement. “Hopefully, I keep moving up.”

by Ben Boddez

Old Man Canyon plays the West 4th Khatsahlano Street Party’s Kater Macdonald Stage at 5 p.m. on Saturday (July 6).

MUSIC LISTINGS

CONCERTS JUST ANNOUNCED EAST VAN GARAGE FEST Local arts and music festival features short sets by Mecca Normal, Great Speckled Fritillary, Primp, Pudding, Non La, Rambone & the Wet Reality, the Psychic Alliance, Yep, Shitlord Fuckerman, the Plodes, Tim the Mute, Kylie V, and Hitori.

Jul 13, 5:45 pm, WISE Hall. $15.

TY KOCH Eighteen-year-old Vancouver blues-rocker, with guests Jane Doe, Dante’s Paradise, and Holy Tokes. Jul 18, 7:30 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. $10.

PARTYFEST 2019 Featuring performances

by Devours, Shitlord Fuckerman, Freak Dream, Spencer Owen Timeshare, Joey Chaos and the Ghosts, and Okibi. Jul 19, 8 am, Red Gate Arts Society. $10.

AHFOMAD19 FESTIVAL Featuring performances by Nigerian Afro-pop superstar 2Baba, Congolese recording artist Ferre Gola, Mexico’s Golden Ganga, and B.C.’s OHR Africa Collective, Nanya and Jaap. Jul 19-21, 7 pm, Vogue Theatre. $45/55.

RICK SCOTT WITH PIED PUMKIN AND ROOTS & GROOVES A celebration of Rick Scott’s induction into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame. Jul 29, 8-10:30 pm, St. James Hall. $30/26.

HAYES CARLL Country-folk singer-songwriter from Texas. Aug 31, 7:30 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix on sale Jul 5, 10 am, $24.50.

JUANES Latin-pop/cumbia artist from Colombia. Sep 4, Orpheum Theatre. $59.50-129.50.

YUNGBLUD Alt-rock artist from England, with guests Missio. Sep 11, Vogue Theatre. $25.

YUKON BLONDE Vancouver-based indierockers, with guests the Sunset Kids. Sep 12, 10 pm, Imperial Vancouver. $26.50.

JON BRYANT Dream-pop singer-songwriter from Halifax. Sep 14, Biltmore Cabaret.

MORMOR Indie-pop singer-songwriter from Toronto. Sep 15, Imperial Vancouver. $24.50.

SHEER MAG Punk-rock quartet from Philadelphia. Sep 16, Biltmore Cabaret. $16.

JAY SOM L.A.–based bedroom-pop singersongwriter. Sep 17, 7 pm, Imperial Vancouver. $17.

MAHALIA Singer-songwriter and actor from England, with guest Jvck James. Sep 27, 7 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. $15.

SABRINA CLAUDIO American R&B/pop singer-songwriter. Oct 1, Vogue Theatre. $42.50.

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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 Lazy I confess to having the laziest long weekend. Part of me is guilty for not getting out much to enjoy the nice weather and happening events. I did get out some, and I got the house chores done. But I’m tired. I work hard and commute during the week. Once the work was done, all I wanted was a few tokes, a drink or two and more Netflix.

My ex Is the most high functioning person who does drugs I have ever met. Holds down a really high paying job, owns two properties, has lots of friends and family around him, super fiscally responsible. There’s good reasons why he’s my ex, but buddy had more money in the bank than most people. You know those ads with the clean cut people... (con’t @straight.com)

Camping It’s so bourgeois now. RVs, Audis, Marmot tents. No campfires. Propane everything. Who wants to smell like campfire at the bank on Monday, right? It’s like a winemum instagram holiday now, nothing rough or primitive about it anymore. I can still recall a time when camping... (con’t @straight.com)

What do they do?

You see them everywhere. Yellow vests. In pairs, talking only to each other off to the side or in a corner out of the way, ignoring the many passengers that walk by. Or on their phones with their backs to the public, and the content of their calls are personal, not work related. And they’re certainly well-fed a’s most are quite...uh...wide, and I heard they’re well paid, but outside of referring me to a sign... (con’t @straight.com)

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see page 14 JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 11

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In Wild Rose, a genuine star is born d “WHAT HAPPENS to a dream deferred?” Langston Hughes famously asked. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” No chance of shrinkage for Rose, a preternaturally talented country singer marooned in Glasgow poverty, or for Jessie Buckley, who portrays her in a careermaking turn of the juiciest kind.

The Irish-born upstart made strong impressions in two Russian-based tales, as an irradiated fireman’s bold wife in Chernobyl and as timid Marya Bolkonskaya in the recent BBC take on War & Peace. She came in second on one of those telly talent shows, and has since been championed on the London musical stage by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Here sporting a sturdy Glaswegian burr, she dominates the proceedings as 23-year-old Rose-Lynn Harlan, who dreams of hightailing it to Nashville and the big time, but is tied down by two young children and a tendency to make bad choices. The worst of these got her 18 months in the slammer for (gulp) smuggling heroin.

The kids have been with her longsuffering mom (Julie Walters, terrific, as always), who wants Rose to get her act together. Of course, that ankle bracelet does get in the way of gigs. Rose eventually gets hired as a cleaning woman for transplanted Londoner Susannah, played by Sophie Okonedo, a Brit-TV veteran who snagged a Tony for her stage turn in A Raisin in the Sun (the play that popularized Hughes’s line). Posh Susannah pulls some magical strings to get her new “day woman” noticed by a top DJ at BBC radio. And our girl almost muffs that too.

Anyway, what exactly is her dream? from page 11

CORNELIUS Japanese alt-pop artist. Oct 2, Imperial Vancouver. $35.

KNOCKED LOOSE Hardcore punk band from Kentucky, with guests Candy and SeeYouSpaceCowboy. Oct 8, Rickshaw Theatre. $27.50.

PUP Punk quartet from Toronto, with guest Charly Bliss. Oct 8-9, Vogue Theatre. $24.99.

JONATHAN BREE Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from New Zealand.

Oct 23, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. $15.

JONATHAN RICHMAN Oct 30, 8 pm, Hollywood Theatre. $27.50.

DANIEL CAESAR Nov 28, Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Tix on sale Jul 5, noon.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 WEDNESDAY NIGHT BLUES & BREWS Local blues-rockers the Steve Kozak Band, with guest Al Walker. Jul 3, 7:30 pm, Pat’s Pub & Brewhouse.

THURSDAY, JULY 4 COVENANT FESTIVAL V Three-day deathand black-metal festival features performances by Dead Congregation, Antediluvian, and Sortilegia. Jul 4-6, 6-11:30 pm, WISE Hall.

WHEN THEY RISE Local rockers, with guests Cadillac Blood, Banquet Lights, and Sick Logic.

Jul 4, 7:30 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. $10.

In a career-making turn, Jessie Buckley portrays Rose-Lynn Harlan, a talented country singer marooned in Glasgow poverty in director Tom Harper’s Wild Rose.

Apart from tattooing “Three chords and the truth” on Rose’s arm, Nicole Taylor’s scattershot script doesn’t explain where this love of country music came from, or how she learned such perfectly polished phrasing of sophisticated, obscure originals. In fact, her singing style is exactly the same at the end, so there’s no real arc for her character or her art—just a series of plot contrivances intended to keep those fantasies at bay just a little bit longer.

Susannah has two children roughly the same age as Rose’s, but few parallels are drawn between them, nor is there any stab at reconciling that serious drug conviction with the upbeat person we spend all this time with.

Director Tom Harper’s solution to such messy contradictions is to let his actors do the heavy lifting. The story isn’t especially believable, but if they buy it, that’s really all that matters.

Wild Rose may be a kind of cut-rate Star Is Born, but in Jessie Buckley, it does birth a genuine star.

by Ken Eisner

FRIDAY, JULY 5 FVDED IN THE PARK Two-day music festival featuring headliners Khalid and Zedd. Jul 5-6, Holland Park. $189.99/299.99.

CIVILIANA Local alt-rock trio, with guests Sonic Stones from South Korea and the Dead Zones. Jul 5, 7-10:30 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. $12-15.

YES WE MYSTIC Winnipeg indie band plays tunes from new album Ten Seated Figures.

Jul 5, 8 pm, WISE Hall. $12.

SATURDAY, JULY 6 KHATSAHLANO STREET PARTY More than 50 Vancouver bands and artists perform on multiple stages at the 10-block street fair, which features a wide variety of food and licensed beer gardens. Jul 6, 11 am–9 pm, West 4th Avenue. Free.

IDENTITY Music festival meant to create a safe space for all identities in Metro Vancouver. Jul 6, 12 pm, Red Gate Arts Society. $10.

SLAPSHOCK Filipino rock/metal. Jul 6, 6:30 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $50/55/65.

LA CHINGA Vancouver riff-rockers, with guests Eleanor Rising and Harlot & the Tramp.

Jul 6, 8 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. $10.

QUINN BACHAND & BRISHEN Gypsy jazz meets traditional Québécois. Jul 6, 8 pm, St. James Hall. $24/20.

BLISK & ZLATAN MOUNTAIN: AN EASTERN EUROPEAN MUSICAL VOYAGE

AFGHAN HORSEMEN RESTAURANT SINCE 1974

BECAUSE WE ARE GIRLS

A documentary by Baljit Sangra. In English and Punjabi, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

d MORE INCENDIARY in substance than in style, Baljit Sangra’s new documentary takes a straightforward approach to some pretty bleak family history. The film’s innate humanism, and the thoughtful qualities of its sisterly subjects, emphasize their disturbing past without sensationalizing it.

To oversimplify things, Kira, Jeeti, and Salakshana Pooni were already coping with everyday questions of assimilation as a Punjabi family in rural Williams Lake, B.C., when their otherwise loving and supportive parents brought relatives from India. Because of entrenched patriarchal roles, the girls were often put in the care of an older cousin, and didn’t feel capable of fighting back when his bullying turned

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Folk music from Eastern Europe. Jul 6, 8 pm, Polish Community Centre. $15/20.

PAUL McCARTNEY Former Beatle performs on his Freshen Up Tour. Jul 6, 8 pm, BC Place Stadium.

NT100 Nordic Trax celebrates its 100th release with various Vancouver artists. Jul 6, 10 pm, Open Studios. $15/20.

SUNDAY, JULY 7 THE ARISTOCRATS Instrumental rockfusion trio, with guests the Travis Larson Band.

Jul 7, 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $29.50.

MONDAY, JULY 8 CATHY FINK & MARCY MARXER Eclectic folk music. Jul 8, 8 pm, St. James Hall. $24/20.

TUESDAY, JULY 9 SKYE WALLACE Toronto vocalist performs at an album-release party, with guests BB. Jul 9, 7-11 pm, WISE Hall.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10 QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT Rock legends from the ‘70s perform with frontman Adam Lambert. Jul 10, Rogers Arena. From $49.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND Canadian actor and singer-songwriter. Jul 10, 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $39.50/four-packs $140.

THURSDAY, JULY 11 AUGUST BURNS RED Metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with guests Silverstein and Silent Planet. Jul 11, Vogue Theatre.

SONREAL Local alternative hip-hop artist. Jul 11, 9:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $25.

FRIDAY, JULY 12 GREYSON CHANCE American pop singersongwriter. Jul 12, Fox Cabaret.

SATURDAY, JULY 13

AWARD WINNING

AFGHAN CUISINE

SUNDAY, JULY 14

Open 7 Nights A Week from 5pm to close

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA Mexican acousticguitar duo composed of Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero. Jul 14, Vogue Theatre.

BRIT FLOYD Pink Floyd tribute band from Britain. Jul 14, 7 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. $79.50/65/45/35.

BEFORE THE ENTRANCE TO GRANVILLE ISLAND, RIGHT BEHIND THE STARBUCKS

For reservations visit www.afghanhorsemen.com or call 604.873.5923

JULY 4 – 11 / 2019

2019

KELLY FINNIGAN & THE ATONEMENTS Frontman for the Monophonics leads his eight-piece soul band. Jul 13, 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $17.

SINCE 2008

1833 Anderson St. (2nd Floor) Vancouver

14 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

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

FOOD

Sol shines on Latin-American eats

by Tammy Kwan

++++ ++++ ++++ TELEGRAPH

“WILD

TIME OUT

DEN OF GEEK

ROSE ANNOUNCES THE BRILLIANT,

ELECTRIFYING JESSIE BUCKLEY TO THE WORLD.” THE GLOBE & MAIL

“BUCKLEY SOARS OFF THE SCREEN. IT’S A DAZZLING, RAW, INTOXICATING PERFORMANCE, AND WHEN SHE SINGS, IT’S SIMPLY ELECTRIC.” THE WRAP

Carnaval del Sol will bring a wide variety of foods from Central and South American countries to Concord Pacific Place.

I

t’s impossible to generalize about Latin-American food as one entity, because it’s an umbrella term that encompasses many diverse cuisines. Luckily for Vancouverites, a highly anticipated cultural festival is coming to the city this weekend where eventgoers will be able to try everything from Chilean street food to Mexican bites to Brazilian snacks.

Known as the largest Latin-American festival in the Pacific Northwest, Carnaval del Sol returns to Concord Pacific Place (88 Pacific Boulevard) on July 6 and 7 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) with a host of activities, entertainment, and, most importantly, delectable food.

Each year, its organizers make an effort to recruit a variety of food vendors that can represent Central American and South American countries. It takes a whole team to go through the applications and figure out if a vendor will be a good fit for the outdoor summer celebration.

“This year we tried to make a mix to have more countries represented,” Juliana Fiallo, cultural manager at Carnaval del Sol, told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. “It was a lot of hard work, but everyone was applying. This year is one that we prepared the most for the food, and it’s really a diverse offering.”

You may not have heard of some of these culinary creations, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious.

Some of the items you’ll find at this weekend’s massive fete are bolis de sabores, frozen treats from Panama; Cuban-style barbecue, made with beef, chicken, and pork with rice and

This year, we are celebrating our Latin Indigenous and Afro roots.

– Juliana Fiallo

salad; arepas, gluten-free corn bread popular in Colombia and Venezuela; and pastel, crispy fried pie with assorted fillings from Brazil.

Although most vendors will be serving up items from a specific country or cuisine, there are a few dishes that are known as crossculture treats: classic bites created differently depending on which destination you’re eating them in.

“One of the interesting things are empanadas [baked or fried pastry with fillings],” Fiallo explained. “They are not new but good this year because they are one of the few foods that unite Latin America. Different countries use different ways to make it. We’ll have empanadas from different countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and you’ll have different kinds.”

The same goes for arepas and tamales (steamed corn dish filled with protein or veggies, and wrapped in a

from previous page

sexual. Although they compared notes, the siblings were afraid to alert the adults for more than the usual ramifications.

“Bad girls get shipped back to India” is the dry way one now explains their reticence. The Pooni sisters were thus forced to endure torment and intimidation until they were of legal age to stay in Canada. The film is framed by their joint court case against the cousin—an event so recent it caused the film’s intended VIFF premiere last fall to be postponed.

To fill out a National Film Board tale that mostly consists of rather indifferently filmed interviews, Sangra uses Bollywood clips, family photos, and archival footage to convey the complexity of the family’s appalling situation.

“There is shame all around,” admits the women’s chastened father, during one confrontation. But somehow, he’s still not quite sure where the blame really belongs.

by Ken Eisner

banana leaf), well-known foods that can be prepared in a multitude of ways throughout the South American continent.

Besides the 30 food vendors at Carnaval del Sol, cooking demonstrations are another culinary highlight for visitors to discover. Local and international chefs will take the stage, and word of mouth tells us that some of the cooking demos will incorporate edible insects.

“This year, we are celebrating our Latin Indigenous and Afro roots.

We will showcase this type of food through the recipes at the cooking demonstrations,” Fiallo said. “We will have chefs talk about the history of the cultures and talk about the roots that we have in our foods.”

Whether you’ll be indulging in mango on a stick sprinkled with chili flakes, drinking a piña colada bubble tea, or digging into a mac and cheese with a Latin-American twist, one thing’s for sure: Carnaval del Sol will offer an unrivalled selection of mouthwatering and unique flavours.

“Come to the festival ready to taste and travel around Latin America, and discover all the foods. Be ready to get a little bit of everything,” Fiallo said. “You will see modifications for the local styles, homegrown ingredients, and flavours from so many different regions. Metro Vancouver is a blend of so many colourful cultures, and you’re going to see it reflected in the food.” g

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Carnaval del Sol takes place on Saturday and Sunday (July 6 and 7) at Concord Pacific Place.

TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG

VIFF‘18

Starring Demian Hernández. In Spanish, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

d THIS SMARTLY observed mood piece is set in a rural commune outside of Santiago, Chile, in 1990, just as the cloud of fascism has been lifted from young people, who suddenly have a lot to look forward to. For all their particularities, though, the place and time are secondary—as usual—to teenagers trying to test whatever hands they’ve been dealt.

In her third feature, otherwise generous writer-director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo is stingy with the background info that would tie together characters of many ages and temperaments. Eventually, things narrow down to a pair of long-time pals whose horseplay has turned flirtatious now that they’ve turned 16. Also as usual, the boy—a shy, see next page

JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 15

s

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 1, 2019 WHERE: Denman Street, English Bay, Mediterranean Grill I was at Mediterranean Grill on Denman near English Bay, Canada Day 7:30 ish. I was getting up and said CUTE ONE and looked at you. You locked eyes with me and we had a moment.

My friend standing between us had an honest to god giggle. I was wearing a cheetah print dress. Brown hair, fringe, green eyes and freckles. I only saw your blue eyes.

YOU THERE WITH THE SIDE SHAVE!

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 28, 2019 WHERE: Red Bull's "A Day In Vancouver" Struck by your beauty, I was caught looking a few times at Friday night's party: first while you enjoyed the music from the outer ring of the dance floor then again in my double take to and from the washroom while you chatted with your girlfriend. Loved your vintage/future style in that two tone patterned (leopard print?!) black sleeved jacket and dirty blond lopsided locks.

I was the tall handsome bespectacled fellow emblazoned with a colourful shopping cart... who got all tongue tied. If you happen across this, come join me on my cloud? better still, let’s meet on the dance floor...

PARK NEAR NEW WEST CITY HALL

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 30, 2019 WHERE: New Westminster I was enjoying an edible enhanced stroll through the park near City Hall in New West when I interrupted you.

We locked eyes as people do in an embarrassing moment, then I rode away on my bike.

I’d like to see if we could put this aside and find friendship or more.

GROUSE GRIND

s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 27, 2019 WHERE: Grouse

UNEXPECTED VISIT

r

I think we exchanged eye contact a few times while I was trying to survive the Grind, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to seem awkward. You were wearing a black t-shirt with dark grey shorts and only had a bottle of water with you. I was in a black hoodie.

DEER LAKE GODDESS

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s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 30, 2019 WHERE: Deer Lake Park VSO You were waiting in line for a food vendor while I was cutting through. We exchanged smiles, and then second looks, and then more smiles, then third looks? It was so lovely! You had the yellow top, pleated brown skirt, long hair and a fully tattooed sleeve. I had the outdated blond bun (majestic when it’s down tho) in the jeans and tucked blue t-shirt. I feel like that was a perfect moment to say hello and don’t know why I didn’t!

Afterwards I was hoping to run into you again serendipitously, but alas, no such luck. I hope we cross paths again sometime!

r

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 30, 2019 WHERE: Gilford Street

Very brief, I stepped aside so you could pass with your dog.

Me: striped shirt, black 3/4 pants, sun hat. You: tall, Auburn hair, said ‘Thank you’. You were lovely, coffee?

r

s

I was with some pals and sat next to you at Tavola. You were with your mom I assume. We talked about how gross/awesome anchovies are. You had a cool vibe, something about you made me want to talk to you more. I was the guy with tattoos and a beard.

Let's go back to Tavola sometime?

HITS

(second entrée of equal or lesser value) up to $15. (se Val Valid until August 4, 2019. Not valid with other cou coupons or other in-house offers or event nights.

Gra Gratuities based on TOTAL bill before discount.

You were on call this weekend and made an official visit. Was not expecting such a pleasant meet. All I could think of during the site inspection was this lady is smart, attractive and hopefully single. Should have asked about the doggy treats.

Perhaps you thought the same? Drop me a line if you did.

Free Street Parking!

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER

#thetipperrestaurant #lovestories #dineindiner #thetipperr

GUY IN HOME DEPOT PARK ROYAL

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r

I was in Home Depot this evening and you came to my rescue to help find what I needed.

You went out of your way to speak with me while you should have been shopping for yourself. You were handsome and made me laugh, and I wished I passed along my number. I know this is a long shot, but hopefully I hear from you.

Girl in the power tool aisle :)

FEMME WITH BANGS AND DYED FUNKY HAIR!

r

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 26, 2019 WHERE: Joyce Station

You came up to me at Joyce and said I looked cute! I wanted to say you were cute too and ask for your # but I was shy.

Hope we can grab a coffee or a beer sometime.

LOVE ON THE LINE I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 27, 2019 WHERE: Canada Line

s

We crossed paths on the Canada Line. I was entranced by your stunning eyes when you gazed then upon me 1.5 times. You got off at Richmond before I got the chance to say hello. Regretting it now. I was the guy that looked like batman with a small Chinese woman (don’t worry, she’s just a friend). I will be back later in the summer - drinks at the casino?

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

5X15 VANCOUVER PRESENTED BY

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Demian Hernández gives an assured performance in Too Late to Die Young.

from previous page

floppy-haired kid called Lucas (Antar

2066 KINGSWAY (at Victoria) Victor | 604.873.1010 | www.thebottletipper.com Machado)—is lagging behind in the

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 27, 2019 WHERE: Home Depot Park Royal

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TAVOLA I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 27, 2019 WHERE: Tavola

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GILFORD STREET

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 29, 2019 WHERE: The Parking Lot

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CUTE ONE, IS IT YOU?

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maturity department. Mercurial Sofía already has her eye on older lads, and is looking for a way to leave her dad, a taciturn luthier, and move back to Santiago, where her absent mother, a well-known singer, still lives.

Her coming-of-age is further complicated by the assured yet edgy performance by first-timer Demian Hernández, a trans actor who has since transitioned to maleness. This adds more ambiguity to Sofía’s dilemma, although neither the director nor any of the characters make a big deal of it. Still, the movie could use a bit more clarity in some departments. It’s never readily apparent how some events, including a burglary, a fire, a big New Year’s Eve party, and a lost dog, relate to the commune and its people.

There are a lot of scenes built around people smoking and striking the kind of philosophical poses that bring more padding than depth to an already thin story. And it occasionally strains for more commercial montage effects that don’t sit well with the naturalistic flow.

The film also bears a remarkable resemblance to Summer 1993, from two years ago, in which Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón hit very similar notes about a premillennial childhood among the “Bohemians”. Still, Too Late weaves its own spell, one that will resonate with many people who were once young and are starting to forget what that was all about.

!

w o nN

O

Fri. July 5, 8PM | Roundhouse | $20-$25

Featuring literary ‘Global Soul’ Pico Iyer, Trickster trilogy titan Eden Robinson, literary bluesman Arthur Flowers, comic genius Kamal Pandya and poll pundit Shachi Kurl.

CONJURING THE FUTURE Sat.July 6, 8PM | Imperial | $30-$40

From Inuit throat singing to 808-hip-hop beats, join us for an immersive evening of genre-bending music and diasporic dancefloor beats. Featuring: Humble the Poet • PIQSIQ • HanHan • Sikh Knowledge • Dame Vinyl • Immigrant Lessons • Chimerik Collective

AMJAD ALI KHAN & SONS WITH SHARON ISBIN

STRINGS FOR PEACE WORLD PREMIERE PRESENTED BY

Fri. July 12, 8PM | Chan Centre | $42-$95

The undisputed living master of the sarod, comes together with three-time Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin. These outstanding musicians make an eloquent and impassioned call for harmony – in music, in religion, in cultures, and in the world.

IDEAS SERIES SPONSOR

HARI KONDABOLU

Sat. July 13, 9PM | Vancouver Playhouse | $25-$45

Named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch, Hari Kondabalu is a political comedian, who has performed on The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live and John Oliver's NY Stand-Up Show.

16 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT

JULY 4 – 11 / 2019

July ̡ ͼ̡̞

9th Edition

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by Ken Eisner

arts

Artists face fears at Dancing on the Edge

by Janet Smith

O

ver its 31-year history, Dancing on the Edge has offered artists a chance to show a different side of themselves.

And that will be especially true of the 2019 festival, as two well-known local dancers break bold new ground.

In the past, Ziyian Kwan’s eclectic work has riffed on everything from the punk poetry of Patti Smith to feminist camaraderie, employing props as unexpected as vintage suitcases, animal masks, and giant balls with the word LOVE on them. But at the Edge, the Dumb Instrument Dance artistic director is venturing into more vulnerable, personal territory for the first time, mining painful experiences from her Vancouver childhood.

And while audiences are used to seeing Kirsten Wicklund carve up the stage on and off pointe as one of the athletic and expressive standouts in Ballet BC, she’s exploring her emerging choreographic voice at the fest.

Here’s what they had to tell the Straight about their new works, which share a double bill in the Edge Six program.

Ziyian Kwan (left) delves back into difficult memories of immigrating here from Hong Kong in The Odd Volume (photo by David Cooper); Ballet BC dancer Kirsten Wicklund finds a dark and gritty choreographic voice (photo by Cindi Wicklund).

ZIYIAN KWAN The Odd Volume c Kwan’s new piece is autobiographical, drawing from her experiences while immigrating here from Hong Kong in the 1970s, and the sense of displacement she grew up with in Vancouver at that time. And this artist who’s so fearless on-stage is now finding it difficult to journey back into those memories.

“It’s probably one of the hardest pieces for me to talk about that I’ve done, because it’s related to the racialization I’ve faced,” she reveals over the phone to the Straight. “It’s been an unsilencing of some of the self-imposed silence. And it’s coming to terms with how much of me has been shaped by being an immigrant and trying to fit and wanting to belong, but not feeling that I’ve arrived.”

Memories formed between the ages of four and 10 started surfacing as Kwan researched and explored the subject with a group of young female artists over the last year. To Kwan’s own surprise, their conversations in the studio kept circling back to 1973, when Kwan’s family arrived here.

“Vancouver was so different then: at my school there were only three people of colour,” she recalls. “I remember coming home and looking in the mirror and feeling aghast.

“But it [The Odd Volume] is not even really about facing those things, but more about who I am as a result and how I reacted,” she stresses.

“What’s the new relationship I can have with this displacement and destabilization?”

In true Kwan form, that’s meant playfully abstracting stories from her childhood—especially one about piano lessons. The piano becomes a symbol for some of her marginalization—and how she finally finds belonging through creativity. Kwan plays a real, full-sized piano here, but a keyboard appears in miniature form as well. Expect other quirky Kwan touches in the solo: “There are worlds from the last 50 years in the piece,” she hints, not wanting to give away too much.

The title plays with the idea of raising her voice, but also on the word volume as a measure of space.

“It’s how much I as a person of colour take up space differently—or perceive that I do,” she says. The word odd captures the struggle to fit in, and the awkwardness she has felt in talking about these issues—at least until now.

“I’m trying to give a sense to the audience of the impact of those things and also how unsilencing and untrapping those things is a way to erase the negativity,” she says.

Edge TIP SHEET DANCING ON THE EDGE fills the Firehall Arts Centre and other parts of the city with movement from Thursday (July 4) to July 13.

Here are some other highlights:

c TRANSVERSE ORIENTATION (July 4 to 6 at 1490 East Georgia Street) One of the atmospheric highlights of last summer’s arts calendar was former Ballet BC dancer Rachel Meyer’s haunting, late-night Transverse Orientation. The exploration of moths returns with a new group of dancers: Stéphanie Cyr, Eowynn Enquist, Livona Ellis, and Josh Martin, with Meyer returning alongside live violinist Janna Sailor. Some of the dance has changed, and the warehouse setting offers even more possibilities this time.

KIRSTEN WICKLUND Afloat amidst the steam of my combustion c When the Straight reaches Kirsten Wicklund, she’s in Massachusetts, performing with Ballet BC at the buzzing contemporary-dance hub that is the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Next, she and the troupe

c EDGE ONE (July 5 and 6 at the Firehall Arts Centre) We like the diversity of this mixed program, with Seoul’s quirky young Dab Dance Project; a fun and fearless dance-theatre take on modern-dance history

by Calgary’s Linnea Swan; and local choreographic bright light Meredith Kalaman’s exploration of the near-death experience, with dancer Matthew Wyllie. c ECOUTE POUR VOIR (July 10 and 11 in the Granville Island Public Market courtyard, 3 and 5 p.m.)

In this cool interactive work, Danse Carpe Diem connects whimsical performances throughout the outdoor space by giving spectators headphones to listen to the score. g

will head to a prized spot at the Grec Festival de Barcelona in Spain and the COLOURS International Dance Festival in Stuttgart, Germany, and arrive back in Vancouver the day before her Dancing on the Edge performances. All of this raises the question: how and where does this busy dancer find time to

rehearse her new solo?

“I’ve always done extra projects— it’s just kind of in my personality as a creator. But logistically it’s been very difficult,” the upbeat artist admits. “Our days are so jam-packed.

I had a day off down here and rented the conference room at the hotel and worked there, and then there’s the big lawn at Jacob’s Pillow—I used that. I just go with the flow.”

Her work at Ballet BC inspires Wicklund, even while she blazes her own trail in choreography. “What I’m working on as an artist at Ballet BC is totally relevant to what I’m doing with my own work,” she explains.

“I’m really encouraged to bring myself to what we’re working on here [at Ballet BC]. But I really like to explore new things in the work I do.”

Afloat amidst the steam of my combustion has evolved over the past year, first as a solo last summer for dancer Lara Barclay at the Dance Deck series (an intimate back-yard project by Ballet BC alumnus Sylvain Senez and current Ballet BC dancer Alexis Fletcher). Now Wicklund performs the intense piece herself.

“It’s my first time putting anything in a proper theatre space,” she says.

“I’ve shifted things in the space completely, reimagining the environment.”

Wicklund drew inspiration from images in Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey, instilling them with female energy and exploring themes of history repeating and relentless change.

“The passage of time in some of these [Homer’s] stories spans many, many lifetimes,” she observes.

She has also been exploring ideas of barriers, emotional and spatial— through the use of light and plastic sheets. In the trailer for the abstract piece (filmed by Ballet BC colleague Peter Smida), Wicklund reveals a different, turbulent side of herself—convulsing, cramped by space, sweating and jittery. The intensity is heightened by hot-pink light and the throbbing, choppy percussion of electronica artist Forest Swords, as well as the breathless sounds of sax expressionist Colin Stetson.

“The trailer inspired more of a dark feeling,” she says, comparing it to the sunlit performance at Dance Deck. “It feels like I’m moving the piece from daylight to underground. It’s more gritty.…It’s hard, but I’m just trying to be more fearless.” g Edge Six is at the Firehall Arts Centre on July 12 and 13. The Dancing on the Edge Festival runs from Thursday (July 4) to July 13.

At fest, Jolene Bailie builds wild visual world

A

by Janet Smith

scarlet skirt, fake blood, and 38,000 rose petals: the colour red shows up in several forms in Winnipeg choreographer Jolene Bailie’s Schemas, 1-5.

In the new dance work, the hue pops against an otherwise neutral palette of beige body suits and black, grey, and white sets and costume pieces.

“Red is a complicated colour,” the artist, who returns to Dancing on the Edge for her fifth time since 2002, tells the Straight over the phone. “It evokes happiness and passion and brightness and enthusiasm, but there’s also a darkness to it.

“In 2004, I painted a wall of my bedroom red and someone said, ‘That’s really bold, and it’ll be good for a while. And then it will be bad.’

That was a prophecy—it really did! It changed,” she adds. “And sometimes the things that give us the greatest joy can also give us the greatest sorrow and pain; there are always two sides.”

Red set and prop pieces help bring to life Bailie’s wildly visual world, one that includes an electric fan, dishes, and much more. The choreographer loves creating artful environments— but always in a way rooted in the movement

A mountain of rose petals helps make red a key colour in Schemas, 1-5. Photo by Leif Norman

and emotion. Her work is more of an intimate human journey than a surreal spectacle.

“There’s a deeply visual scale to my work, but the visual elements come because I feel like the dance requires it; they make the idea more

visible to me,” explains Bailie. “Even though they’re heightened by putting them on-stage and putting them in lights, these are the emotions I feel every day of my life. They can be difficult to come to terms with; people think, ‘I’m not going to go there.’ And that’s what I love about contemporary dance—it can express that.”

Still, there’s something about Bailie’s abstract explorations and their use of space that grows directly out of her Prairie setting.

“I love Winnipeg—I was born there and it’s my home—but Winnipeg is very isolating.

And that’s also what makes the Prairie voice really distinct,” she observes.

“We have a different kind of sense of space,” allows Bailie, who bases her company, Gearshifting Performance Works, in the ’Peg. “It comes from living in a larger space or being able to see the horizon. The geography is just so different, and that really impacts the work you create and even how you interact with people.…Even that we have these really long harsh winters can impact the work. You might have to shovel snow for

90 minutes before you even leave the house.

It’s either too hot or too cold, and there’s always too many mosquitoes. Just loading in for rehearsal if there’s a snowstorm—that plays to different energy drives.”

All these challenges make artists in this thriving but small scene “hardy and sturdy”.

And she’s grateful Dancing on the Edge’s artistic director, Donna Spencer, has brought her voice to the coast along with three huge garbage bags full of those red rose petals.

Schemas, 1-5 is Bailie’s first full-evening work at the festival—and she welcomes the chance to connect with dance artists from here and across the country.

“You feel like ‘Oh my gosh, this is my tribe,’ ” she says. “There’s a real sense of relief that we’re all in this together. And just the act of bringing your work to another city and to a festival is really profound.” g Gearshifting Performance Works presents Schemas, 1-5 at the Firehall Arts Centre on Saturday and Sunday (July 6 and 7).

JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 17

ARTS Kondabolu pushes beyond comfort zone

S

by Guy MacPherson

ince we last checked in with Hari Kondabolu, back in 2014, he’s released a standup special on Netflix (Warn Your Relatives), been named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch, and put out his second album (2016’s Mainstream American Comic) and the controversial documentary The Problem With Apu. Success has its privileges, but his life isn’t all that different.

“I get free coffee now at my local coffee shop,” he says on the phone from his home in Brooklyn. “I think that’s about it. Other than that, I think it’s pretty much the same.”

But he is busier. And not just with standup, although that remains the bulk of his career.

“There are a lot more projects,” he says. “What’s nice now is I get to do a lot of other things.”

The New York City native started his career in Seattle, where he still goes whenever he wants to fly under the radar and develop new material.

“It was a hobby that took off,” he says. The “hobby” has been ongoing for about 15 years now.

Kondabolu has always been a

18 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT JULY 4 – 11 / 2019

socially progressive and at times a political comedian, so it should have been no big deal when he released a 2017 doc on racial stereotypes embodied by lovable cartoon characters like The Simpsons’ Apu. Kondabolu is a guy who looks at big issues and has strong opinions. But in our instantopinion culture, he sparked outrage.

“The idea that we had to beef up security at shows because of death threats, it’s embarrassing,” he says. “Like, really?

This is how we have discourse? Most people didn’t watch the film. They’re angry at what they think it’s about. The film was a fan writing about something that bothers them about something they love, as well as a personal experience that a lot of other people share. It’s not a ‘I hate this thing; I wish it didn’t exist.’ Nobody wants to do the work, because in order to watch my documentary, it costs three to four dollars, and an uninformed opinion is free.”

But he believes comedy is in its golden age. And he embraces any restrictions society may place on a performer. “Maybe some people feel like they can’t say what they used to be able to say, but to me it’s like,

‘Why do you want to talk about the stuff that’s been talked about?’ ” he says. “There’s new opinions no one’s ever heard before. That’s the exciting part. Isn’t that ultimately what the audience wants, is things they’ve never heard that will surprise them?”

With the exception of a few bits from his Netflix special, Kondabolu is going to surprise when he takes the Playhouse stage during the Indian Summer Festival. He’ll talk about the big topics of race and sexuality, but he’s also going to dive into more personal ones: depression, family, relationships, which are all out of his comfort zone.

“There are takes on certain things I’ve never really wanted to get into because it felt too personal, and now I feel like ‘What am I holding off for?’ ” he says. “You’re more connected to the performer when you hear something that’s personal.…For me creatively it’s harder, which makes it good. If it’s uncomfortable for me, that means it’s good. I have to try.” g Hari Kondabolu plays the Vancouver Playhouse next Saturday (July 13) as part of the Indian Summer Festival.

ARTS

Alexander queries Extreme Beauty at VAG

I

by Robin Laurence

n 1983, the acclaimed Canadian artist Vikky Alexander was living in New York, working with images appropriated from popular culture—especially from high-end fashion magazines. Her conceptual practice, which posed questions about advertising tropes and the nature of desire, was generating buzz from East Coast critics, curators, and gallerists.

It also attracted the attention of Vancouver’s Bill Jeffries, who invited Alexander to show at his Coburg Gallery, which specialized in photographic art.

“At the time Bill asked me, it was spring and all the magazines that I was using were featuring Christie Brinkley,” Alexander tells the Straight, standing in front of her multipanel work Obsession. It consists of 10 large, grainy, numbered images of the famous model. Framed and mounted in a tight grid, it serves as an introduction to the exhibition Vikky Alexander: Extreme Beauty. Installed on the second floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery and curated by the VAG’s Daina Augaitis, this big, shiny, and seductive survey of Alexander’s stellar career spans the years 1981 to the present day.

Alexander, who was based in New York City from 1979 to 1992 and in Vancouver from 1992 to 2016, and who now lives and works in Montreal, was struck by the ubiquity of Brinkley’s image all those years ago.

It was reproduced “everywhere” at the time she conceived Obsession, she recalls—from Time magazine to British Vogue—provoking her curiosity about Brinkley’s appeal to advertisers and art directors.

“I started collecting images of her and then I rephotographed them on a copy stand and enlarged them to poster size,” Alexander says. To distinguish her work from mainstream black-and-

In her major new survey at the VAG, Vikky Alexander (centre) poses questions about advertising tropes and desire (photo by Ian Lefebvre); coloured Plexiglas gives a new sheen to her Obsession (left, detail) and Between Dreaming and Living Series #5 (right).

white photography, she mounted the grainy prints under yellow Plexiglas.

“And I added these numbers, one through 10, because I thought this is the opposite of what ‘straight’ photography does. I’m not trying to capture a personality in one image—that’s impossible—so I thought, ‘Well, this is a series that could keep going ad infinitum. This is another Christie Brinkley and this is another one.’ ” While previewing her exhibition with the Straight, Alexander talks about some of her subjects and strategies. Like many concept-driven artists, she employs whatever form, medium, and materials are needed to convey her ideas. Her exhibition includes installations of commercial photomurals, digital prints in light boxes, mirrored glass “furniture”, and collages printed on canvas. It also features her most recent works: four spectacular site-specific inkjet prints

on self-adhesive vinyl, installed floor to ceiling—the ceiling in this instance being more than 7.5 metres high.

Alexander’s photo-based practice employs not only appropriated images but also original prints. She has shot theme parks and shopping malls, classical gardens and conservatories, and clothing-store windows and furniture showrooms, her locations ranging from Las Vegas and Disneyland to Paris, Tokyo, and Istanbul.

In the mid-1980s, Alexander shifted her focus from the human figure to forms and images that speak to landscape conventions, modernist architecture, utopian ideals, the romantic notion of the sublime, consumer culture and retail display, and the places where nature and culture intersect.

Mirrors, windows, and other reflecting surfaces recur throughout the show. These surfaces function as both the subject of Alexander’s photographs

and her actual materials, which beam viewers back at themselves.

“That’s something that is a thread that goes through a lot of my work, the moment of self-reflection,” she says. “This is a literal moment, when you’re going, ‘Oh, I’m a viewer looking at this thing.’ ” Alexander walks around her installation Vaux-le-Vicomte Panorama, which is composed of eight mirrored columns set in V-formation in front of a large screen on which wide, low-res images of that famous 17th-century French garden are projected. She recounts something of the garden’s history and describes taking photos of the place with a disposable camera. She also speaks of the inspiration for the mirrored columns: a gay disco she visited in Vancouver. “There were mirrored surfaces all around kicking light around the place and I thought,

‘This is so good. How can I use it?’ ” Her mirrored columns serve to fracture, pull apart, and break up the panorama, she says.

In an earlier work, Lake in the Woods, Alexander used mirrored tiles, faux-wood panelling, and a large photomural of a northern lake to conjure up a classic rec-room aesthetic, the kitschiest of decorative materials grappling with the modernist ideal of bringing the outside in. At the same time, this installation presents a second- or even third-hand version of the natural world, musing on the ways society has long attempted to frame and control nature. Alexander mentions the Claude glass, a small convex mirror that 18th-century travellers in Europe were advised to use, back turned, to view what might otherwise be overwhelming vistas. “You could compose the landscape perfectly in this mirror instead of falling into the sublime yourself,” she explains. Lake in the Woods, she adds, “is kind of a funny pop version of that”.

When Alexander was young, before committing herself to visual art, she contemplated becoming an architect—and allusions to the built environment play a large role throughout her work. “I glean ideas from architecture,” she says, “but I’m not a builder because I like to use things that already exist in the world somehow.” Early on, she realized she was too dedicated to her own creative vision to meet the demands of architectural clients. “I could never have put the client first,” she says with a laugh. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I’m just the wrong personality.” g Extreme Beauty opens at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Saturday (July 6) and runs through October 27.

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JULY 4 – 11 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 19

ARTS

All’s well with acting in Bard’s landmark, India-set adaptation

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ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Written by William Shakespeare.

Directed by Johnna Wright and Rohit Chokhani. A Bard on the Beach production. At the Howard Family Stage in the Douglas Campbell Theatre on Sunday, June 30. Continues to August 11

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d JOHNNA WRIGHT and Rohit Chokhani’s adaptation of All’s Well That Ends Well feels like an important cultural moment for Bard on the Beach.

In part, that’s because of Wright and Chokhani’s decision to set this production in a British-occupied India at the turn of independence. It isn’t just a compelling creative choice, but a powerful recontextualization of a 400-year-old text. It also paves the way for Wright and Chokhani’s brilliant act of translation in Act 2, wherein Hindi is spoken on-stage, in multiple scenes, between several actors of South Asian descent.

Occupied India necessitates that colonization inform every relationship in this adaptation, and the implicit colonial violence and coded racism further complicate All’s Well That Ends Well’s class and gender issues. Helena (Sarena Parmar) is a privileged Hindu woman. Her late father, a doctor, left her in the care of the Countess (Lucia Frangione), and Helena is now deeply in love with the Countess’s son, Bertram (Edmund Stapleton). When Bertram departs for Delhi to see the ailing Viceroy (Bernard Cuffling), Helena is convinced that she can restore the Viceroy’s health using her father’s teachings. The Viceroy agrees to let her try, but tells her that if she fails and he dies, she will be executed. Helena accepts with a condition: if she’s successful and he lives, he must let her choose any husband she wants.

The Viceroy lives, Helena chooses Bertram, and he’s forced to marry her even though he loudly and repeatedly objects, saying she is beneath him. To further communicate his displeasure at their matrimony, Bertram abandons his bride to go fight in the North, and leaves her two impossible tasks if she wants to win him back: secure the family heirloom ring that sits on his finger and become pregnant with his child. This leads to a whole messy plot that’s a disturbing violation of consent no matter what century All’s Well is performed in, but eventually Helena wins Bertram over and, well, it’s right there in the title.

Wright and Chokhani’s reinvention can’t utterly eliminate the play’s inherent “ugh” factor, but it does showcase some excellent performances. Pam Patel as Diana, the woman Bertram tries to seduce and with whom Helena conspires, is an enchanting delight on-stage, funny and fiery in equal measure. Jeff Gladstone is hilarious as the preening Parolles, a schemer who loves to cause trouble. But the person who almost walks away with the whole show is Parmar. She brings so much vitality and warmth to the stage; her Helena is complicated and strategic, strong and vulnerable, determined and sexy. It’s a star-making performance in one of the most important adaptations in Bard’s history. g

ARTS LISTINGS

Arts

ONGOING MATILDA THE MUSICAL The Arts Club Theatre Company presents an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s novel. To Jul 14, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. From $39.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW The 2007 spaghetti-western version of Shakespeare’s work is the inspiration behind this Wild West love story. To Sep 21, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. From $26.

MOM’S THE WORD: NEST 1/2 EMPTY The Arts Club Theatre Company presents a new generation of laughs from the creative team behind the Mom’s the Word series. To Jul 20, Granville Island Stage. From $29.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block. To Sep 18, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. From $26.

ROCK OF AGES The songs of Journey, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake underscore a tale of big dreams in Hollywood. To Jul 6, Metro Theatre. $24-55.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL New staging of Shakespeare’s work set in India during the waning days of British occupation. To Aug 11, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.

From $26.

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY aMOVING STILL: PERFORMATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY IN INDIA to Sep 2 aVIEWS OF THE COLLECTION: THE STREET to Nov 17 aALBERTO GIACOMETTI: A LINE THROUGH TIME to Sep 29

At the Polygon Gallery until September 1

SYMPHONY AT SUNSET

(July 7 at Sunset Beach) The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra once again takes to the shores of Vancouver, after attracting 14,000 people to its inaugural familyfriendly seaside concert last year.

This time, maestro Otto Tausk will be conducting renditions of Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, the “Love Theme” from Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet, songs from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, and “Adventures on Earth” from John Williams’s E.T. score.

Head down in the late afternoon for the VSO School of Music’s Instrument Fair Zone and then a 7 p.m. prelude concert, before the big event at 8. g

THURSDAY, JULY 4

adults, free for kids under 13. At the WISE Hall monthly, at 1882 Adanac Street in Vancouver. Jul 7, 11 am–3:30 pm, WISE Hall. $2 for adults, free for kids.

MOZAICO FLAMENCO PRESENTS THE SHOUT! Al Mozaico Flamenco Dance Academy presents a gala flamenco featuring 80 dancers. Jul 7, 7 pm, BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts. $15-20.

DANCING ON THE EDGE FESTIVAL Annual festival of contemporary dance features productions from Canada, Brazil, and Korea.

Jul 4-13, Firehall Arts Centre. $22-28.

INDIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL 2019 Ninth annual South Asian arts festival features futurists, novelists, comedians, musicians, and storytellers. Jul 4-14, various Metro Vancouver venues. Free, by donation, and ticketed.

FLAMENCO, TANGO & WINE Dancers from Flamenco Rosario and Argentine Tango Lab perform. Jul 4, 6:30-9:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. $25/35.

MONDAY, JULY 8 UBC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL Program includes works by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Sibelius. Jul 8, 7:30-9:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $8.

FRIDAY, JULY 5 THEATRE UNDER THE STARS Alternating performances of Mamma Mia! and Disney’s Newsies. Jul 5–Aug 17, Malkin Bowl.

VERDI’S MACBETH Heroic Opera presents Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy. Jul 5-6, 7:30-10 pm, Orpheum Annex. $25-32.

TUESDAY, JULY 9 AMITAV GHOSH ON THE GREAT DERANGEMENT Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh charts the complicity of fiction in shaping the priorities and consumer choices of the world we have created. Jul 9, 8-9:30 pm, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. $15-50.

SATURDAY, JULY 6 CARNAVAL DEL SOL Two days of live music, art, dance, sports, and poetry in celebration of Latin American culture. Jul 6-7, 10 am–10 pm, Concord Pacific Place. $2-15.

SILK ROAD FESTIVAL Two-day outdoor festival featuring visual and performing arts from Asia, Africa, and Europe. Jul 6-7, 11 am– 8 pm, Vancouver Art Gallery. Free.

ART SLAM Live-painting showcase featuring 12 local artists. Jul 6, 7-11 pm, Studio 580. $25.

SUNDAY, JULY 7 THE VANCOUVER MARKET The Vancouver Market is a new market in East Van, featuring garage sale-style items, vintage clothing and home decor, original artwork, crafts, handmade items, and more. Featuring DJ Nikki Nevver. $2 for

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DOG DAYS

ARI MATTI: IMPORTED GOODS Estonian comedian headlines a comedy showcase hosted by Andrew Packer. Jul 3, 9-11:30 pm, Rio Theatre. $18/25.

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ARTS

d IN THE PAST couple of decades, we’ve had to recognize the remarkable intelligence of an increasingly large number of animals. That is, animals other than ourselves, from elephants and dolphins to ravens, octopi, squirrels, and bees. Still, the creature to which we continue to feel the most bonded, the creature that hooked up with us more than 20,000 years ago, is the dog. Part of the dog’s appeal—one that somehow extends to photographs of it—is the loyalty and adoration it bestows, unasked, upon us. And part of it is the way we see ourselves reflected back in its actions and expressions, a dynamic that is as much adaptation as it is anthropomorphism.

Dog Days at the Polygon Gallery may be the most engaging photographic exhibition on view this summer. Curated by photographer and long-time gallery manager Diane Evans, the show trots, tail wagging, from the 19th century to the 21st, from anonymous portraits of family pets, police hounds, hapless mutts, and best-in-show winners to the focused works of acclaimed photographers, past and present. These include Eadweard Muybridge’s sequential images of a retriever being fed, on the move, by a naked woman; Jacques Henri Lartigue’s unnerving shot of a man tossing a terrier across a stream in the Bois de Boulogne; and Elliott Erwitt’s photo of a long-legged white

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UBC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL Program includes works by Stravinsky and Mendelssohn. Jul 10, 7:30-9:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $8.

SHIFT FESTIVAL 12 Three short works created and performed by Tai Amy Grauman, Kelsey Kanatan Wavey, and Claire Love Wilson with Sara Rickrack. Jul 11-13, Orpheum Annex. $15/19.

ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge. Submit events online using the event-submission form at straight. com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.

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pooch perched on the crossed arms of a French shopkeeper. This alert critter, along with a Chihuahua dwarfed by its human and Great Dane companions, reminds us of the special canine chapter in Erwitt’s acclaimed career.

William Wegman’s ever-amusing Weimaraners are here in both video and photolithographic form, intently watching a moving object outside the frame or dressed and posed as fairytale characters. Other canines in drag include an English bulldog with a face that is both grumpy and ghostly, costumed as a pipe-smoking sailor (“an old sea dog”) and as a little old lady in a patterned dress, lace collar, and bonnet. Both photos were taken anonymously about 1905. There are also ridiculously dressed Pup Star canines, shot by David Strongman in 2017. (The human impulse to put clothes on dogs is one of life’s enduring mysteries.)

Contemporary local photographers are well represented. Look for Marian

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From Dog Days, David Strongman’s Tiny, photographed on the set of Pup Star.

Penner Bancroft’s close-up colour image of an antique poodle figurine with a miniature fruit basket dangling from a hook in its terracotta chin. (This image is also on view in Penner Bancroft’s solo show at the Republic Gallery.)

See, too, Nina Raginsky’s hand-tinted photo of a broadly smiling hazelnut vendor and his very reserved-looking Weimaraner; Art Perry’s black-andwhite photo of Lou Reed lying on the floor with his little terrier Lolabelle in his arms; and Geoffrey Wallang’s contemporary tintype portraits of a series of cherished dogs—and one cat.

The show is also graced by four colour photos by Sharri Hatt, who has raised the practice of dog portraiture to a high art. Even as she takes seriously beautiful images of dogs, examining long-standing (human) portrait conventions, she walks a tightrope across the dubious realm of kitsch. Her large shots of purebred dogs are remarkable for their presence. Each is characterized by saturated colours, extreme detail, and the rapt attention that the dog model is paying to the camera. Gazing straight at us, these animals evoke the recent discovery, as reported by Science magazine, that when our dogs “stare into our eyes, they activate the same hormonal response that bonds us to human infants”.

Hatt’s amusing video Screen Tests (After Warhol), made in collaboration with Garry-Lewis James Osterberg, features a series of googly-eyed Chihuahuas, looking at the camera with a mix of perplexity and boredom. Their expressions vary only slightly, all of them suggesting the eternal existential question of man and dog alike: “What the hell am I doing here?” g

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SAVAGE LOVE

Rethink your ideas on race and desire

by Dan Savage

b I’M A MAN from a very liberal background. Recently, a girl I started dating—a girl from a similar background—mentioned that she has “a thing for black guys”.

She also met my childhood best friend, a man of Korean descent, and commented to me that she found him handsome despite not typically being attracted to Asian guys. The position that I’ve always held is that we’re attracted to individuals, not types, and it’s wrong to have expectations of people based on race—especially when it comes to sexualizing/fetishizing people.

I think we should date and have sex with whomever we want and not carry prejudiced expectations into our relationships. I am worried she sees black men as stereotypes of athleticism, confidence, and the other complicated constructions we’ve made about the black body, like black men having bigger dicks.

I also worry that she might see me as less masculine and less wellendowed because of my race. I eventually asked her about these issues, and we had a tense conversation.

I tried to ask if she had ever checked herself for possible prejudice where her sexual desires are concerned, and she shut the conversation down by accusing me of trying to control her. I reassured her that I wasn’t trying to control her, but it is possible I was projecting the insecurity her comments stirred into the conversation. I’m trying to balance two components: my own insecurity and the possibility that she’s holding a legitimately prejudiced

opinion that makes me uncomfortable. their assumptions about their desires.

Any advice?

Declaring one Asian guy an exception - Seeking To Interrogate Newish allows someone like your girlfriend Girlfriend’s Statements to have her racist cake (“I don’t find Asian guys hot”) and eat it too (“But It’s a big leap from “I have a thing for this Asian guy is hot”). black guys” to “White guys aren’t masIt’s a shame your girlfriend reacted culine or well-endowed,” STINGS, defensively when you tried to bring and you made that leap on your own. all this up, STINGS, but sometimes So in addition to confronting your people react defensively in the monew girlfriend about her attitudes and ment and then keep thinking about it. assumptions…you might want to give My advice: keep bringing it up—but some thought to your own? it would help if you owned your own That said, the things your girl- shit during these conversations (and friend has said about black and Asian you have some shit of your own) rather men are legit problematic. When than just self-righteously going after someone describes their attraction to your girlfriend for her shit. I have to a certain group, racial or otherwise, as say, though, I disagree with you on one “a thing”, that usually means they see thing: people do have types, and there’s members of that group as things— nothing wrong with having types. It’s a and in a society that dehumanizes good idea to ask ourselves whether our black people, white people can easily “types” are actually ours and not just come to see black people as objects. assigned to us by conventional stanAs for her comment about your dards of beauty (white, slim, young) Korean friend: prevailing beauty stan- or a thoughtless/fetishizing reaction to dards shape our ideas about attractive- those standards (a desire to transgress ness, and those standards are shaped with nonwhite, larger, or older folks). by our rabidly racist culture. A person socialized to only recognize the beauty b I’M A MIDDLE-AGED African-Amerof men or women of European descent ican man. I’m single; I dress well; I’m may not even consider—they may not fit; I cycle to work; I eat healthy; et ceteven be able to perceive—the attrac- era. I live in a basement apartment on tiveness of people who aren’t white. a narrow street in a large city. My only And then when someone of a different window faces the street. After showerrace does manage to make a blip on ing, and pretty much whenever I’m their sex radar, it comes as a surprise. home, I’m naked while walking around But instead of reconsidering their ideas my apartment. A young white couple about attractiveness, a dumb fucking moved in across the street, and they white person—even one from a liberal have an unobstructed view into my background—is likelier to say some- apartment. At first I would notice the thing stupid like “I don’t usually find woman standing at the window lookAsian guys hot, but your Korean friend ing my way as I towelled off. Then the is attractive,” rather than rethinking male as well. And when I masturbate,

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I once dated a guy who was arrested in

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which I sometimes do after a shower, I noticed them both making several passes by their windows to look. Later I noticed the male coming out late in the evening when the view into my apartment is at its optimum to watch me masturbate. He seems very interested. The woman will come outside and sit on the steps in the morning and look directly into my apartment at me while drinking her coffee. More than once she has run her hand up the inside of her thigh as she’s watching. Also I’ve noticed that their shades, which used to be closed most of the time, are always wide-open with lights on so I can clearly see them in their apartment.

I’m sure the woman knows that I want her—and the male seems to be exhibiting bi tendencies (something I’m not interested in at all). In your opinion, are these two a voyeur couple or a submissive cuckold couple? How should I approach to seduce? If she’s sitting on her steps, can I go over and say “Good morning” to break the ice? The other day, I left just as she was going out, and we walked past each other. I thought about saying something, but I don’t want to appear to be chasing her.

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all the ways African-American men are targeted by the police, I feel obligated to warn you—well, I feel obligated to warn you about something you already know: cops are always looking for an excuse to arrest or harass a black man, and your exhibitionism could attract the attentions not just of horny neighbours but also the authorities.

That said, DANGLE, if everything is as you describe it—if this isn’t a case of dickful thinking on your part—it sounds like this couple is interested. “Interest” is a spectrum, of course, and they could find it interesting to live across the street from a hot, in-shape exhibitionist and difficult to look away without actually wanting to be fucked (her) or be cuckolded (him) by you. But if they’re staring into your apartment while you walk around naked and throwing open the curtains so you can stare into theirs, I’d say the ice has already been broken.

So say hello the next time you run into them on the street. Keep that first convo light, neighbourly, and nonsexual, and see where it leads. But if during that first convo they invite you over for a beer sometime…well, that’s a Yahtzee. But even then, don’t make any assumptions or sudden moves: use your words, draw them out, make sure everyone is on the same page.

P.S. Maybe he’s bi. Maybe he’s a cuck. Maybe he’s the woman’s gay roommate. There’s only one way to find out what’s up with him: say hello and get to know them. g

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24 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT JULY 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11 / 2019