The Georgia Straight - Holiday Arts - Nov 22, 2018

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 | FREE

Volume 52 | Number 2654

RENTAL REVIEW

Carr revisits Vision’s scheme

BOYGENIUS

DIY stars bond beautifully

WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL Uwe Boll uncensored

Holiday Arts East Van Panto: Wizard of Oz proves there’s no place like home; plus, our guide to seasonal shows, from nostalgic movie sendups to duelling Nutcrackers

EAST VAN CROSS || HOT POTS || EUROPEAN CINEMA || PHILANTHROPY

2 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

* WE I R D LY CO LO U R FU L

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NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3

CONTENTS

November 22 – 29 / 2018

31 COVER

Our Holiday Arts guide, from an East Van panto that heads to Oz to an improvised movie parody.

By Janet Smith Cover photo by Tim Matheson

9 NEWS

Straight publisher Dan McLeod will get a star on Granville as a member of the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame.

By Charlie Smith

24 TECHNOLOGY

Coding school Lighthouse Labs is teaching refugees and immigrants how to enter the tech industry.

By Kate Wilson

43 MUSIC

There’s no drama with boygenius, which is just the way the indie supergroup’s members like it.

By Mike Usinger

46 MOVIES

We offer a few choice titles from the Cinematheque’s European Union Film Festival, which returns to Vancouver in better shape than you’d think.

By Adrian Mack

e Start Here

21 BOOKS 30 THE BOTTLE 22 CANNABIS 45 CONFESSIONS 29 FOOD 28 HOROSCOPES 29 I SAW YOU 49 MOVIE REVIEWS 12 REAL ESTATE 51 SAVAGE LOVE 39 THEATRE

9:30PM – 1:30AM

e Online TOP 5

e Listings DOUBLE DOWN KEYS

41 ARTS 45 MUSIC

RETRO FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24

LEE NICOL BAND RETRO FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30

Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 52 | Number 2654 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 T: 604.730.7000 F: 604.730.7010 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com

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

1 2 3 4 5

Nicole Hasselmann had injuries “indicative of foul play”, police say.

Victoria cyclist gets even with driver by detonating bowels.

Polling shocker: NDP candidate has narrow lead over B.C. Liberal.

Video: Freddie Mercury’s real Live Aid performance.

New supermarket opens in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

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 © 2018 Vancouver Free Press, Best Of Vancouver, Bov And Golden Plates Are Trade-Marks Of Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. SUBMISSIONS The Straight accepts no responsibility for, and will not necessarily respond to, any submitted materials. All submissions should be addressed to contact@straight.com.

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

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PERFORMANCE REALTY

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 5

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6 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7

NEWS

Carr wants developers to play fair with Rental 100 City staff report expected to go to council in spring

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Coun. Adriane Carr is expected For West Side developments, the to play a major role in the review maximum starting rents are $1,646 of Rental 100, which subsidizes de- for a studio, $1,903 for a one-bedvelopers of what are supposed to be room, $2,756 for two bedrooms, and affordable market rentals. $3,702 for three bedrooms.

In the previous council, Carr These rents apply starting on the successfully introduced a motion day of the public hearing by counto audit projects completed under cil. Developers can increase rents the program and its predeces- every year, based on the maximum sor, the Short Term Incentives for rate allowed by provincial legislaRental, or STIR. tion, until the project is A staff report on completed. This means Carr’s motion is that the first tenants expected in the will be moving in spring, and the with rents higher Green councillor than those preanticipates that sented to city the new councouncil. cil may introMoreover, the duce significant starting rents changes. apply only to first “The likelihood tenants. Developis very high that this ers can charge as rs o ay council will,” Carr much as they want for sh su Ls C n it s told the Georgia Straight subsequent tenancies. w it h o u t D in a phone interview.

“People have actually The changes are expected to come to me to say, ‘Look, you, as a focus on making sure that rents council, passed these projects. The are affordable in such projects that rents that were listed in the report are supported by various incentives to council were never the rents that from the city. These incentives in- got charged. These projects got declude waivers on paying develop- layed or whatever and it just took ment cost levies, or DCLs. time and then the rents even from “I’ve seen a lot of interest in mak- the very beginning were not those ing sure that the rental housing that rents,’ ” Carr said. we build—and especially the rental “And the other thing they say is housing that’s subsidized by DCL that ‘Yeah, people come in and then waivers—is coming in at rents that they somehow get people to move people can afford,” Carr said. out and they jack the price way up,’ ” The rental-incentive guidelines Carr continued. “So both of those for 2018 provide a picture of what the concern me, of course, especially city considers “for-profit affordable because in those Rental 100 projects rental housing” under Rental 100. and the previous STIR program, you In order for projects on the East know, we forgave, like, just millions Side to be eligible for DCL waivers, of dollars of tax money.”

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n May 17 this year, new measures protecting renters in British Columbia took effect.

One of these gives residents in properties with at least five units the right of first refusal to enter into a new tenancy agreement if their occupancy is ended for renovations.

However, tenants cannot return with their old rents. It will be at rates set by the landlord.

That’s a familiar story for Vancouver city councillor Jean Swanson, who is calling for additional means to safeguard renters.

“The owners’ business plan is they’re relying on the fact that they can get rid of the tenants and raise the rents as much as they like,” Swanson told the Georgia Straight by phone.

Swanson also said that landlords employ another tactic: tenant buyouts. On Tuesday (November 27), council will take up a motion

by Swanson that provides steps to protect renters’ rights in relation to renovations and buyouts. Her motion includes exploring ways to “regulate and publicly register all tenant buyouts”.

Another measure is to require landlords to offer tenants the opportunity to “temporarily move out for the necessary duration of the renovations without their leases ending or rent increasing”.

However, the city’s chief planner has informed council that Vancouver does not have the power to do these things.

In a memorandum, Gil Kelley, general manager for planning, urban design, and sustainability, wrote that the city is “only able to exercise jurisdiction within the specific powers allocated to it by the Provincial government in the Vancouver Charter”.

“At present the City has no authority to regulate and publicly register private agreements such as tenant buyouts,” Kelley stated.

Kelley also wrote that although the city has a tenant relocation and protection policy for cases involving redevelopment or major renovation activity, it “cannot require that landlords offer tenants the opportunity to temporarily move out for the duration of the renovations without their leases ending or rent increasing”.

Kelley explained that these leases are governed by the Residential Tenancy Act, provincial legislation, and that the city has “no authority to impose additional requirements on those agreements”.

Responding to Kelley’s points, Swanson said that her motion also calls for the city to ask the province to implement “vacancy controls” across B.C. Or, as the motion states, give the City of Vancouver the power to “regulate maximum rent increases during and between tenancies”.

“If we have vacancy controls, landlords couldn’t raise rents as much as they want when tenants leave or are forced out,” Swanson explained.

“And it would be good for everybody because it will help preserve the stock of affordable housing.”

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NEWS

McLeod joins the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame

by Charlie Smith

Dan McLeod is a big promoter of the arts.

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he publisher and cofounder of the Georgia Straight, Dan McLeod, will soon receive his own star on the Walk of Fame sidewalk along Granville Street. This is one of the honours associated with his election to the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame.

On November 18, McLeod and opera singers Ben Heppner and Nancy Hermiston were inducted in a ceremony filled with music at the Old Auditorium on UBC’s Point Grey campus. One of the highlights was Heppner’s lively performance of “Haben Sie GehĂśrt das Deutsche Band?â€?, accompanied by UBC sessional lecturer David Boothroyd on the piano.

Before McLeod went on-stage to receive his B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame pin, arts producer Bill Allman told the audience that the Straight “has played a critical role in forging a thriving arts and culture community in Vancouver�. “Through its comprehensive coverage of theatre, music, dance, comedy, film, visual arts, and multimedia, Dan McLeod’s vision has advanced Vancouver’s creative economy and helped countless rising artists and creators come to the attention of one another, as well as to readers, to audiences, and to funding agencies,� he said.

McLeod cofounded the newspaper in 1967 in the bar of the old Cecil Hotel with artists Michael Morris and Glenn Lewis. They called it the Georgia Straight because radio broadcasters in that era used to regularly offer marine forecasts for the body of water known as the Georgia Strait. The trio figured that the name would elicit free publicity.

On Thursday (November 22), McLeod’s name, along with a star, will be embedded in the concrete on Granville not far from where the paper was christened. He told the audience at the Old Auditorium that it was nice to be back on the Point Grey campus, where he studied mathematics. “When I first came to UBC, in my first year, I was intent on being a nuclear engineer or a nuclear physicist,� McLeod revealed. “That ambition soon went sideways because I was assigned George Bowering as my first-year English teacher. He went on to become Canada’s [parliamentary] poet laureate many years later.�

McLeod started writing for a poetry publication called Tish, which was cofounded by Bowering.

In those years, celebrated poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Charles Olson visited UBC. “I think some of the best poets are orators,â€? McLeod said. “That’s what I would have liked to do, but I don’t see myself as that.‌I think rather than being an orator, the next best thing I could do was to give a voice to other orators—be they underrepresented or didn’t have a voice.â€?

This, he added, was the spirit that drove the founding of the Straight.

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10 reasons to visit Penticton this winter (This story is sponsored by Travel Penticton.)

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hether you’re searching for a family vacation, a romantic escape, or a weekend package deal, you’ll find exactly what you are looking for in Penticton. With cozy accommodations and plenty of entertainment, it’s easy to see why Penticton is a favourite destination for B.C. winter getaways.

Located in the heart of Okanagan wine country, Penticton offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities year-round, making it perfect for a Christmastime vacation—and beyond. Just a four-hour drive or 45-minute flight from Vancouver, Penticton is easily accessible for a mini break that’s sure to become your Don’t let the cold weather stop you from enjoying everything that Penticton has to offer. Fat biking is the perfect way to explore every terrain, including snow-capped trails. annual retreat. take a guided tour and learn about Here are 10 reasons to take a trip of lessons and formats to suit every head up to Apex Mountain Resort for BOOK A WINERY TOUR With over 80 wineries less than 20 the history, flora, and fauna of Penability, from the beginner to the more a spectacular alpine experience. to Penticton this holiday season. minutes away, Penticton is a wine- ticton’s winter wonderland. experienced skier hoping to hone their APEX MOUNTAIN RESORT lover’s paradise. A number of winerskills. All instructors are certified with TOUR LOCAL ART GALLERIES A short 30-minute drive from Pentic- the Canadian Association of Nordic The Penticton Art Gallery has been ies remain open year-round including SHOP THE WINTER FAIRS & ton, the resort offers downhill skiing Ski Instructors (CANSI), and the ski open since 1967 and offers the per- during the quieter winter months, so MARKETS and snowboarding plus a handful of school is managed by one of CANSI’s fect opportunity to indulge in some you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a If you’re looking to pick up some other activities for all age groups. Be top certified instructors. culture on your next South Oka- more personal tasting. You may even souvenirs, gifts, or just want to get sure to check out the online events calnagan vacation. The gallery’s exhibits meet a winemaker or two. Relax with into the holiday spirit, Penticton’s endar, which kicks off with the opening TRY INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING change monthly with the goal of in- a Craft Beer at a Microbrewery In Farmer’s Winter Market takes place day of the winter season on December With over 2,000-square-feet of climb- terpreting, preserving, and promot- Penticton there’s a saying that it takes every second Saturday until De8. Lace up your skates and try the one- ing, Hoodoo Adventures offers options ing the visual artistic heritage of the a lot of great beer to make fine wine. It cember 22, and offers plenty of inkilometre adventure skating loop or for climbers at every level. If you’re not region and the province in relation to is a natural fit then, that in the middle spiration. Don’t miss the Santa Claus challenge some friends to a game on the quite sure how to get involved, intro- national and international art. There of wine country, you’ll also find a dy- Parade in Downtown Penticton on NHL-sized outdoor hockey rink. The ductory indoor courses are available. are also several galleries located in the namic craft beer scene with five local December 1. resort also has a tube park that’s ideal downtown core featuring talented lo- breweries. In fact, craft beer has beRENT A FAT BIKE AND HIT THE for younger children or nonskiers. cal artists for your touring pleasure. come so popular in the area that exTRAILS pedia.ca recognized Penticton as one But if you are still looking for some guidance CROSS-COUNTRY SKI AT NICKEL Fat bikes have wider tires with a much INDULGE IN LOCAL CUISINE on how to make the most of your next of Canada’s Best Beer Towns. lower pressure that provide incredible Whether you want to savour a multiPLATE NORDIC CENTRE trip, make the Penticton Visitor Centre Only seven kilometres from Apex traction and a smooth, comfortable course, wine-paired dinner or enjoy EXPLORE THE BACK COUNTRY ON (888 Westminster Avenue West) your Mountain Resort, Nickel Plate Nordic ride. They’ll take on snow, gravel, and some hearty gastropub fare, Pen- SNOWSHOES first stop when you arrive. The friendly Centre boasts 50 kilometres of cross- regular terrain making them the best ticton can deliver. With more than Nothing is quite as invigorating as and knowledgeable staff will help with country ski trails groomed for both set of wheels for exploring the places 140 eateries, offering internation- a winter hike, with the sound of the suggestions on things to do, where to dine, classic and skate skiing. Day passes, that you couldn’t go otherwise on a ally inspired dishes with a bit of local crisp white snow crunching beneath places to taste local beverages, and even lessons, and equipment rentals are all standard bike. Spend a day exploring flair, you’re sure to find something to your feet. Rent a pair of snowshoes provide a list of local events. Visit www. and discover some hidden trails or visitpenticton.com/ for more information. available. The centre also offers a range the famous Kettle Valley Rail Trail or satisfy the most discerning palate.

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A Dialog rendering shows the planned project by the Monument for East Vancouver.

he City of Vancouver has received a revised application to develop a building near the famous East Van Cross.

From the previous height of eight storeys, the new proposal calls for a 10-storey office building at 2102 Keith Drive. The building will serve as the new headquarters of Nature’s Path Foods, a Richmond company that produces organic foods.

The original application filed by design firm Dialog in June this year provided for a building height of at least 117 feet. In the new proposal, the building’s height goes up to more than 147 feet.

Dialog indicated in a letter to the city’s department of planning, urban design, and sustainability that the increased height is being backed by city planners. “We appreciate that the City Planning team has been very supportive of pursuing the conditional increase in density and height,” Dialog architect Martin Nielsen wrote.

Nielsen recalled that the city’s urban-design panel unanimously supported the proposed development at a meeting on September 5 this year. “The Nature’s Path team was very encouraged by the response of the panel and their support for additional density and height on the site,” Nielsen stated.

The East Van Cross is formally known as the Monument for East

Vancouver. The artwork was commissioned in 2009 by the City of Vancouver as part of the art program for the 2010 Olympics. Vancouverborn artist Ken Lum created the west-facing light-art piece.

Lum, who is currently chair of fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania’s school of design in Philadelphia, does not favour the proposed development.

In a statement in September, Lum noted that the vacant lot in front of the monument, where the office building will be constructed, “should have long ago been dealt with by the city, if the city had any sense of the cultural weight that this work has come to accumulate and also bear”.

“While I was apprised of the development plans I always voiced my strongest opposition in return,” Lum stated. “Despite the earnest efforts of the design team, the end result will be comical with much of the building obscuring in close proximity the Monument, possibly turning it into a symbolic tombstone embodying the very real and depressing relationships of power and struggle that continue unabated in the city of my birth and formation.”

The city is receiving comments from the public regarding the project until December 7. The proposal will be taken up by the development permit board on January 21, 2019.

F orum OF THE WEEK

OAKRIDGE CENTRE 604 257 0707

BLUBIRD.CA

1108 ALBERNI ST 604 257 0700

*Some Exceptions Apply.

COHOUSING IS about more than just getting a home for everyone in the group. It’s a housing model that puts a deliberate emphasis on community.

Originating in Denmark, cohousing is a collaborative effort from start to finish. People come together and decide they want to become neighbours.

They go on to purchase land, plan a development, and manage their community.

While residents live in their self-contained homes, they share common amenities and decide matters affecting them by consensus.

g

According to the Canadian Cohousing Network, around 160 cohousing communities have been formed in North America since 1991. More than 100 more are being established. In Vancouver, the first cohousing community opened in 2016, and at least two more are on the way.

For those who want to know more about cohousing and how it works, Hive & House Consulting is holding a session on Saturday (November 24) at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (800 East Broadway). The event starts at 2:30 p.m.

g

Roger Ross Selling the West End! Award Winning Realtor Connecting West End buyers & sellers for over 13 years!

Macdonald Realty Ltd.

Telephone: (604) 623-5433 Email: rogerr@shaw.ca

Coming: 1236 Bidwell Alexandra Park View! View! View! Glorious South West corner English Bay view 2 bedroom plus den split level, pet friendly home. Call Roger for all the details today!

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1740 Comox #2006 Sold Over: $758,000

1720 Barclay #502 Sold: $340,000

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1838 Nelson #601 Sold: $869,800.

12 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

PRESENTED BY

WILLAMETTE WEEK PORTLAND’S ALTERNATIVE NEWS WEEKLY WWEEK.COM

Portland is one of the greatest cities on the West Coast.

That, in itself, isn’t exactly headline news. Over the last decade, you can hardly open a magazine or turn on a television without hearing someone waxing enthusiastic about this strange, beer-soaked and bridge-covered Oregon river town.

But no matter how many New York Times travel pieces you’ve read, or how many episodes of Portlandia you’ve seen, the only way to really know Portland is to experience it for yourself.

As anyone who’s lived here for any length of time will tell you, the city has changed. The buildings have grown taller, the highways more congested.

Not only are there more people, but there’s more to do than ever before. It can be overwhelming, even for residents.

That’s where Willamette Week comes in.

For over 40 years, we’ve been curating the Portland experience for Portlanders, helping them navigate the city’s rapidly shifting cultural landscape on a weekly basis. Now, we’re here to do the same for curious Vancouverites.

In the following pages, you’ll find a roadmap to getting the most out of your visit, written by people who know this place better than anyone. We’ve rounded up the best restaurants, the best bars and the best shops. We’ve given you a primer to recreational cannabis—where to get it, how to consume it and where to go with it. We’ve let you know where to stay. And we’ve told you where to find some of that signature Portland weirdness.

Of course, as with all travel guides, this is only meant as a starting point.

Our hope is that you’ll begin with our recommendations, then go out and get lost. Because when you do, you’ll find that Portland still has plenty of secrets left to discover. — Matthew Singer, WW Arts & Culture Editor

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 13

Where to Eat Portland is a food-lover’s heaven.

Here are seven ways to reach nirvana.

HAN OAK

Canard

Kachka

Ox

Matt’s BBQ

734 E BURNSIDE ST. 971-279-2356 CANARDPDX.COM 4 PM-MIDNIGHT DAILY.

960 SE 11TH AVE. 503-235-0059 KACHKAPDX.COM 11:30 am-2 pm; 4-10 pm SUNDAY-THURSDAY; 11:30 am-2 pm; 4-11 pm FRIDAY-SATURDAY.

2225 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD. 503-284-3366 OXPDX.COM 5-10 PM SUNDAY-THURSDAY; 5-11 PM FRIDAY-SATURDAY.

4233 N MISSISSIPPI AVE. 503-504-0870 MATTSBBQPDX.COM 11 AM-7 PM DAILY.

It didn’t take long for Kachka to outgrow its hole in the wall. Upon opening on Southeast Grand in 2014, the regional Russian restaurant was the talk of Portland’s food scene. In July, Kachka finally moved into a much larger, more refined venue several blocks away, and immediately began firing on all cylinders, delivering old standbys like the herring under a fur coat and new favorites such as gluttonous potato vareniki. But the owners didn’t just abandon their smaller digs: At the same time, Kachka’s new sister restaurant, Kachinka (720 SE Grand Ave.), took over the old space. Here, the Russian pop is loud, the doors stay open until midnight every day, and you can order several of Kachka’s best dishes at happy-hour prices all night long. And don’t forget the vodka: Potent Moscow mules cost $3 less than at Kachka, and the Dacha Martini, seasoned with savory celery bitters and cucumber brine, will make you hungry.

MATTIE JOHN BAMMAN.

At a steakhouse, you expect the big chunk of meat to be the star of the show. At Greg and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton’s Argentine-inspired Ox, steak is only a player in a meal whose gargantuan flavours present with admirable balance. In the spacious, exposed-brick and wood-table dining room on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, almost everyone orders the chowder. The soup is a masterpiece: rich from milk, cream and the smoked marrow bone that sits atop a pile of fat clams, and heated gently with slivers of jalapeño.

The chorizo is airy and rounded with warm spice, and the sweetbreads are like umami gumdrops.

The taters, even, are terrific. And even if the flatiron is a little blandly beefy, the skirt steak is set off with a masterful chimichurri. Though the ox at Ox feels like it takes a back seat to everything else, the Dentons remain two of the few chefs in Portland who can make a 1,200-pound cow dance.

WALKER MACMURDO.

Canard is the third restaurant by Gabriel Rucker, the Portland chef WW has called the most talented of his generation. At his other two restaurants, Le Pigeon and Little Bird Bistro, Rucker’s innovative menus are equally inspired by Americana junk food and French fine dining. Canard’s is no less shocking. There’s foie gras-infused bourbon, foie gras dumplings and the Duck Stack—fluffy pancakes with Tabasco onions, duck gravy and a fried duck egg—with optional foie gras for $15.

Most dishes take equally bold chances: steak tartare ($16) with Chinese sausage and cashews; uni “Texas toast”; dry-aged petite New York steak with French onion soup sauce. The prices at Canard are generally inexpensive, with nothing over $20. The lack of pretension is matched by the buzzy atmosphere, especially during late-night happy hour on weekends, when bumping bass from the upstairs Bossanova Ballroom can strum stacks of sauté pans like a washboard.

MATTIE JOHN BAMMAN.

Fact: Matt’s BBQ has the best smoked brisket and ribs in Portland. There is no second place.

At Matt Vicedomini’s dual-smoker barbecue cart—which moved next to North Mississippi Avenue beer bar Prost last year, fortifying that pod’s status as the hottest in town—only the pulled pork can be found better elsewhere. The sliced brisket is the showstopper, with thick, smoky black bark and a texture that usually perfectly straddles the line between moist and sloppy. The ribs are taut, with a peppery crust that yields to the tooth in the most satisfying way. Then there’s the sausage. The links are made in-house, and in a town with a lot of good sausage, the smoky heat of the jalapeño cheddar is peerless. And with “The Whole Shebang for 2,” you can try everything with sides for just $25. That’s insane.

MARTIN CIZMAR.

Where to Drink No matter if it’s a dive, brewpub or dance club, you’ll find the soul of Portland in a good bar.

Bailey’s Taproom

Holocene

213 SW BROADWAY 503-295-1004 BAILEYSTAPROOM.COM NOON-MIDNIGHT DAILY.

1001 SE MORRISON ST. 503-239-7639 HOLOCENE.ORG 8:30 PM-2 AM WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY 9 PM-2 AM FRIDAY-SATURDAY. CLOSED SUNDAY-TUESDAY, EXCEPT FOR EVENTS.

In a world of beer-geek dens, Bailey’s Taproom welcomes all. Rounding into its eleventh year in existence, it’s by far the best and most popular beer bar on the westside, often packed to the rafters with equal shares of old-school beer nerds, tech dudes and tourists alike. There are apparently spreadsheets and formulas behind this success; beer buyer Bill Murnighan tries to keep just the right balance of esoteric, trendy and accessible beers on the 26 house taps. If the crowd gets too thick for your tastes, retreat upstairs to the Upper Lip, a sanctum of rare beers where you may find Bailey’s owner Geoff Phillips or one of the bartenders drinking from one of 10 excellent taps they chose for themselves. If all those imperial porters and Belgian tripels give you a case of the munchies, don’t forget that Santeria, the tiny Mexican restaurant across the alley, delivers fantastic drunk food directly to the bar.

PETE COTTELL.

In a city that lionizes dive bars, night clubs often feel like an afterthought. On a blustery Friday in January, however, Holocene felt like anything but.

Local scenester VNPRT was playing Lil Uzi Vert’s infectious “444+222” for a crowd of impossibly hip 20-somethings, small in number but packed tightly on the sunken dance floor of this split-level warehouse conversion. In the space above, which functions as Holocene’s primary venue for touring bands, a young couple posed artfully on the empty stage with some found props. At the long bar to its side, partygoers refueled with candy-coloured blueberry vodka lemonade slushies ($7) and surprisingly tasty tacos ($3-$3.50; order the citrus carnitas). Fifteen years in, whether Holocene is hosting a dream-pop trio, a live podcast or its birthday party for Drake, it still feels like the coolest place in Portland.

WALKER MACMURDO.

14 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

WHITE OWL SOCIAL CLUB

White Owl Social Club 1305 SE 8TH AVE. 503-236-9672 WHITEOWLSOCIALCLUB.COM 3 PM-2 AM DAILY. HAPPY HOUR 3-6 PM DAILY: $4 DRAFTS, $6 COCKTAILS, $5 FOOD SPECIALS.

White Owl Social Club is as close as Portland gets to a bar that everyone can agree on. During the day, it functions as a relaxed post-work hangout thanks to a dozen spacious booths inside and rows of picnic tables on the enormous patio, half of which is tented for outdoor drinking during wet winter months.

This real estate is bolstered by a stellar happy hour, with $4 pints from a diverse and ambitious tap list, as well classic $5 happy-hour snacks like nachos and wings, all of which come in a tasty vegan variation.

At night, especially during warmer months, White

Owl transforms into a good-natured but nonetheless line-out-the-door party bar, with DJs and live bands scheduled most nights. Though the cocktails are closer to dive-bar quality than they are upscale, White Owl still has plenty to offer for larger groups in search of lively place to drink and be seen.

WALKER MACMURDO.

Hale Pele 2733 NE BROADWAY 503-662-8454, HALEPELE.COM 4 PM-MIDNIGHT SUNDAY-THURSDAY, 4 PM-1 AM FRIDAY-SATURDAY HAPPY HOUR 4-6 PM DAILY: $6 COCKTAILS, FOOD SPECIALS.

Recently named third-best tiki bar in the world

by Critiki, Hale Pele is a Disneyland-like experience where rum lovers crowd around bowls

Apizza Scholls 4741 SE HAWTHORNE BLVD. 503-233-1286 APIZZASCHOLLS.COM 5-9:30 PM MONDAY-FRIDAY 11:30 AM-2:30 PM & 5-9:30 PM SATURDAY-SUNDAY.

The more fancy new pizza we see in Portland the more you have to hand it to Brian Spangler. The maestro’s neo-Neapolitan-style pies with a thin-but-stratigraphic crust and hyper-flavorful toppings have been the best in the city since 2005. Spangler’s secrets are many, and include days of proofing for the dough, an electric oven that provides consistency you can’t get from wood, and a strict three-topping limit to ensure even baking. The rest of the formula is pretty simple. The salads are crisp, the beer list is small but well-curated, and there’s an arcade room to keep you busy while you wait out the lines, which are more manageable than legend suggests.

MARTIN CIZMAR.

APIZZA SCHOLLS

Han Oak

Tusk

511 NE 24TH AVE. 971-255-0032 HANOAKPDX.COM 5:30-9:30 PM FRIDAY-MONDAY.

2448 E. BURNSIDE ST. 503-894-8082 TUSKPDX.COM DINNER NIGHTLY, BRUNCH WEEKENDS.

When a menu says “homemade,” it’s usually a euphemism. At Han Oak, it’s literal. The sideyard Korean spot behind the Ocean on Northeast Glisan Street is half open-kitchen restaurant, half modernist loft where chef Peter Cho and his family actually live. Most of the ever-changing menagerie of plates hover around $10, and always seem to include a plate of thick-breaded and juicy Korean fried chicken. Elsewhere are delicate chive-pork dumplings, a beautifully salty and crispy blood sausage drenched in over-easy egg, and a Korean-Chinese jja jang myun handpulled noodle dish made with fermented black beans. On the right night, when those thickly al dente noodles come with butternut squash that melts into the bean sauce, that jja jang murders every other version in town.

MATTHEW KORFHAGE.

Everything about Tusk, a spot that uses Middle Eastern cooking methods to highlight the best and brightest seasonal ingredients, is well-executed.

Omnivores and vegetarians alike are seduced by the ever-evolving menu that features the best-tasting and most interesting salad…well, anywhere, served alongside simple but delicious meat and fish offerings. The drink menu is equally polished and ensures that by the end of your meal you’ll be as blissed out as the massive photo above the bar depicting Keith Richards floating in a pool.

DONOVAN FARLEY.

of colourful drinks while cracks of thunder and curls of smoke dance around the thatched ceiling.

Bartenders help you navigate the dangerously large cocktail menu, which presents tiki classics like Trader Vic’s original mai tai ($11) alongside signature creations such as the award-winning Lost Lagoon (rum, pineapple and cold brew; $11), each with a set of volcano icons below to suggest how much of a punch it packs. Reservations are available only for parties 8 to 12 deep, but you’re allowed to knock back a few near the newly installed magma pools while you wait for a table.

This allows plenty of time to ogle other patrons’ orders, which often arrive tableside with flames leaping to the ceiling. Order a Volcano Bowl ($25, serves 2-3), and you, too, can enjoy the eyebrow-scorching delight of rum, citrus, pineapple and cinnamon that’s been set ablaze.

ARTHUR WILSON-LASALLE.

the off-dry sherry notes to channel everything you want in a tiki drink, minus the sweetness.

Palomar’s beauty is in its refusal to overthink anything. Portland didn’t need another bar that specializes in unpronounceable vermouths and celery bitters. What it needed was a bar with a gin and tonic that also tastes like pineapple, and a daiquiri that tastes like a daiquiri. With Palomar, that’s now what it has.

WALKER MACMURDO.

Palomar 959 SE DIVISION ST. 971-266-8276 BARPALOMARCOM. 4 PM-2 AM NIGHTLY MINORS WELCOME UNTIL 9 PM.

When it opened in April, in the new building on Southeast Division Street with a 70-foot mural painted on the side, Palomar was said to be inspired both by owner Ricky Gomez’s Cuban heritage and his hometown of New Orleans.

Going in, I thought that meant I was visiting a New Orleans-themed Portland bar. Turns out, Palomar is more like a New Orleans bar that just happens to be in Portland. Here you will find classic cocktails with simple twists. The frozen daiquiri ($9) is among the best in Portland, a rich blast of mango with a velvet-smooth texture.

The Cobbler ($11) is a master class in balance, a mix of dark rum, sherry, guava, lemon, orange and bitters in which each ingredient amplifies

* Prices listed are in USD

Sandy Hut 1430 NE SANDY BLVD. 503-235-7972 2 PM-2:30 AM MONDAY-FRIDAY 11 AM-2:30 AM SATURDAY-SUNDAY. HAPPY HOUR 2-7 PM DAILY: $1 OFF DRAFTS, WELLS & WINE; $6 FOOD SPECIALS.

Old Portland still mourns the loss of Club 21, and its wake is held nightly at Sandy Hut. The time frame in which owners Marcus Archambault and Warren Boothy purchased this Bukowskian den of vice, scraped off the grime and then dumped Club 21 does raise a few eyebrows, but rest assured, its cult of heshers, bikers and myriad other boho bad boys has transitioned painlessly since their hobbit hole shuttered last winter. The sprucing up has revealed the Hut to be a wood-paneled rumpus room of the highest degree, with stunning details like a rare Al Hirschfeld mural and a pool table adorned with gold lions for those who care about the finer things. Most do not, but a steady flow of cheap Rainier, dusty soul music and the Fat Man—a hulking monstrosity of Painted Hills beef, ham, bacon, fried egg and “million island sauce” ($10)—are above and beyond what one would expect from a bar once known colloquially as the “Handy Slut.”

PETE COTTELL.

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 15

Where to Stay A glance at the glitziest features of Portland’s new luxury hotels. Every time you look up, Portland’s skyline seems to get fancier.

The city is in the midst of a hotel boom.

They’re sprouting out of the ground almost as fast as apartment complexes.

So where should you stay?

It’s hard for us to tell you—we live here. And, uh, our couch is...at the cleaners. Yeah. But we want to help you decide. So we toured a dozen of the new and remodeled hotels that have opened in recent years, searching out their unique features. We didn’t find any gold toilets or complimentary foie gras truffles, but we did discover basement rec rooms, human-sized Jenga sets and secret rooftop hideaways.

The Society Hotel 203 NW 3RD AVE. 503-445-0444 THESOCIETYHOTEL.COM

THE ROOF DECK Part boutique hotel, part hostel, the Society occupies a corner of Old Town still reflecting traces of the neighborhood’s pre-Portlandia seediness. A refurbished 19thcentury boarding house originally meant to provide lodging for sailors, it sat empty for years before getting repurposed in 2013, and the new owners have made sure to maintain certain historical touches. But the ground-floor cafe, which sits right off the lobby, is pure millennial chic.

You can sip a rose petal-infused gin and tonic by the communal fireplace, but you really should heed the advice of the sign behind the counter and ask about the roof deck. An elevator deposits you on the top floor, at a slatted-wood terrace cozy enough to make it feel like you’re at a garden party at your own apartment complex.

MATTHEW SINGER.

HI-LO HOTEL

Jupiter Next

The Duniway

320 SW HARVEY MILK ST. 971-222-2100 HI-LO-HOTEL.COM

900 E BURNSIDE ST. 503-230-9200 JUPITERHOTEL.COM/JUPITER-NEXT

545 SW TAYLOR ST. 503-553-7000 DUNIWAYHOTEL.COM

THE INSTAGRAM LOBBY The Hi-Lo Hotel has revamped the inside of the Oregon Pioneer Building, turning it into a glam, ‘Grammable lounge space. The hotel has dark green couches, pastel pink chairs and gray curtains, but the main attraction is the cushioned swings hanging from the ceiling that make an ideal prop for vacation shots in the lobby.

They ask guests to share the photos with the hashtag #swinghilo or the hotel’s slogan, “Welcome, wanderer.”

KATIE SHEPHERD.

THE CBD LATTE Mixing coffee and CBD—the non-intoxicating, highly relaxing cannabis compound—seems like a vodka-Red Bull situation, in which your body won’t know whether to chill or start doing the running man. Clearly, though, Jupiter Next is hoping you’ll feel vibey enough to stay awhile.

Outfitted with modernist furniture, the hotel’s ground-floor cafe—basically a pastry counter set off from the lobby—serves mochas and lattes with beans from Proud Mary and sweetened with infused caramel from Grön.

MATTHEW SINGER.

ABIGAIL’S HIDEAWAY You’re up on the 11th floor, and you’re watching the cornholers go.

The Duniway’s upper deck of lawn games features a cornhole set with a pyramid of gold-and-black beanbags ready for tossing, along with two oversized wooden Jenga sets. Nearby, you’ll find a warm and waveless indoor swimming pool, gently sloshing in fluorescent blue.

AARON MESH.

Jackpot Records

BOOKS

3574 SE HAWTHORNE BLVD. 503-239-7561 JACKPOTRECORDS.COM

Powell’s City of Books

magazines and cookbooks, you can make special orders at no extra charge.

Broadway Books is also a good spot for picking up signed copies by local authors like Cheryl Strayed.

LAUREN YOSHIKO.

Canopy

Hi-Lo Hotel

425 NW 9TH AVE. 971-351-0230 CANOPY3.HILTON.COM

THE BASEMENT REC ROOM Tucked one flight of stairs beneath the lobby of Canopy is an absurdly large basement commons area. It has been dubbed a “winter garden” because it sits under a skylight, but it looks much more like a bougie interpretation of a summer-camp recreation room.

The defining feature is a sleek black foosball table, but the massive room, with its long wooden tables and forest of potted ferns, is genuinely cool, like discovering a national park lodge buried just west of the Park Blocks.

AARON MESH.

Though Jackpot’s Records’ downtown location may have shuttered, this local dealer is hanging on at its Hawthorne spot with a well-curated selection of new and used vinyl, along with rare finds and bizarre one-offs acquired when the shop bought a special collection of 125,000 records.

PENELOPE BASS.

POWELL’S CITY OF BOOKS

Where to Shop

Whether you’re looking for rare vinyl, hot threads or taxidermied animals, you can find it in Portland.

MUSIC

Music Millennium 3158 E BURNSIDE ST. 503-231-8926 MUSICMILLENNIUM.COM

Founded in 1969, Music Millennium is the Pacific Northwest’s oldest, and arguably its most beloved, record shop—although it’s much more than

just a place to purchase music. Owner Terry Currier’s store hosts upward of 250 live performances and meet-andgreets a year from touring artists of the highest caliber, as well as enjoyable local showcases. Currier was among the group of record industry insiders who helped start Record Store Day, and that ethos of celebrating music and record collecting permeates the shop year round.

DONOVAN FARLEY.

16 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

1005 W BURNSIDE ST. 503-228-4651 POWELLS.COM

There are only a couple of spots in Portland that “need no introduction,” and Powell’s, the palatial bookstore-cum-tourist attraction, is atop the list. No matter who you are, if you find yourself in Portland, you will eventually end up in the best bookstore in America.

WALKER MACMURDO.

Mississippi Records

Mother Foucault’s

5202 N ALBINA AVE. 503-282-2990

523 SE MORRISON ST. 503-236-2665

Rightly regarded as one of the truly special record stores on the West Coast, if not the entire country, Mississippi Records piles all manner of curios—mostly of the blues, gospel and folk varieties, a good chunk of which were reissued via owner Eric Isaacson’s label of the same name—into a room resembling the den of that eccentric hermit at the end of the street you’ve been dying to become friends with.

MATTHEW SINGER.

Free of the crowds and sheer magnitude of Powell’s, a visit to Mother Foucault’s is like falling in love with reading all over again—that is, if classic literature, avant-garde poetry and philosophy in a cozy, multilevel library à la 1910s Paris is your cup of tea. Mother F’s does deal in used books, but don’t even think about trying to sell ’em your tattered copy of Old Yeller…unless, that is, it’s in Italian.

LAUREN YOSHIKO.

Broadway Books 1714 NE BROADWAY 503-284-1726 BROADWAYBOOKS.NET

Among the OGs of indie bookstores, Broadway Books has been doing its thing since 1992. Besides new and used books,

CLOTHES

Wildfang 1230 SE GRAND AVE. 503-208-3631 WILDFANG.COM

Birthplace of the “Wild Feminist” tee, Wildfang has become the outfitter of the modern woman with a tomboy edge.

This location—though more mild-tempered than the West End’s flagship— boasts the same tailored button-ups, patterned two-piece suits, gleaming patent-leather oxfords, and Carharrt jackets that appeal across the gender spectrum to all seeking a well-fitted, street-smart addition to their wardrobe.

LAUREN YOSHIKO.

Kiriko Made 325 NW COUCH ST. 503-222-0335 KIRIKOMADE.COM

A truly singular boutique, the team at Kiriko Made imports rare, discarded Japanese fabrics and uses traditional garment production techniques to make contemporary, stylish streetwear, homewares and decorations in a backof-house workshop.

WALKER MACMURDO.

THE DOSSIER HOTEL

The Dossier Hotel

The Porter

750 SW ALDER ST. 503-294-9000 DOSSIERHOTEL.COM

1355 SW 2ND AVE. 503-306-4800 CURIOCOLLECTION3.HILTON.COM

LOCAL, WEIRD & RARE ART A lot of hotel art tends to resemble a tacky bedspread—abstract watercolor floral arrangements in pastels. Dossier actually put in some effort. Each guest room features paintings, prints and illustrations by Portlanders that are a visual nature walk, with arcing ferns, moss-covered stones and mushrooms sprouting from tree trunks like tiny shelves. The lobby holds the hotel’s international collection, including a jarring multimedia commentary on surveillance by Tony Oursler, a Darth Vader helmet-shaped installation playing video of TV static and darting eyeballs.

The real talker, though, is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by photographer Chris Levine—said to be the only image of the monarch with her eyes closed.

TVS IN THE BATHROOMS The Porter is filled with quirky features that add a little levity to the serious tone of its dark, decadent décor. The guest rooms have televisions inside the bathroom mirrors—yes, you can catch up on the news while you brush your teeth or enjoy an episode of Shark Tank in the shower. When the TVs are on, the mirrors allow the television image to fill the lower third of the glass. Head-on the picture looks like that on any television screen, but from an angle the reflection in the mirror becomes more prominent.

KATIE SHEPHERD.

ANDI PREWITT.

Laundry PDX

Cargo

204 SE ALDER ST. 602-820-1038 LAUNDRYPDX.COM 1-6 PM MONDAY-THURSDAY, NOON-6 PM FRIDAY-SUNDAY.

81 SE YAMHILL ST. 503-209-8349 CARGOINC.COM

Packed with racks of vintage Trail Blazers jerseys, Starter jackets sporting the logos of every NBA and NFL team across satin, and T-shirts emblazoned with the scowling, keg-shaped skull of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Laundry has become a fixture in Portland’s thriving streetwear scene since opening in May 2017. Owner Christopher Yen works with other resellers, creating a treasure trove that strikes the rare balance between curation and a generous stocklist.

WALKER MACMURDO.

RANDOMNESS

Paxton Gate 4204 N MISSISSIPPI AVE. 503-719-4508 PAXTONGATE.COM

This thriving curios shop—described by Time Out London as “Martha Stewart meets David Lynch”—is inimitable proof that Portland retains a population of devoutly proud weirdos. The 1,200-square-foot space is decked out in neo-Victorian curiosities and a taxidermy jungle. Get your inner witch or warlock on among the carnivorous plants and zoological jewelry.

JANELLE LASSALE.

Remember Oriental Trading Company party supply catalogues? This is not that. Cargo’s enormous retail space is a foreign voyage in itself, abounding with high-quality goods and art from across the world. Find gold-leaf lanterns and ornately carved wooden furnishings next to crisp cotton yukata robes and chic, stackable beaded jewelry, all sourced directly from the artists in Guatemala, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mali and beyond.

LAUREN YOSHIKO,

Things From Another World 2916 NE BROADWAY 503-284-4693 TFAW.COM

One of Portland’s beloved destinations for pop culture merch and comics, both the Broadway and Milwaukie locations of TFAW are frequented by gamers and comic book lovers alike. In addition to the latest graphic novels, there are action figures, Funko Pops and Stranger Things No.1, a comic based on Will’s unseen journey during Season 1 of the Netflix show.

LAUREN YOSHIKO.

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 17

Where to Get Weird In case you didn’t know, Portland is an odd place.

Here are a few of the places making sure it stays that way.

Freakybuttrue Peculiarium 2234 NW THURMAN ST. 503-227-3164 PECULIARIUM.COM

Meet Bigfoot and Krampus! Taste the worm-topped ice cream!

Brave the haunted doll house!

Bury yourself alive! Photo-op the reverse-engineered alien autopsy!

Equal parts outsider art gallery and threadbare curio shop, the Peculiarium exhibits a fun-sized hodgepodge of the bizarre that promises budget thrills as a veritable roadside attraction for side-street wanderers.

JAY HORTON.

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House 707 SE 12TH AVE. 503-232-2640

Writing publicly about this gem of a coffee house hidden in plain view feels wrong, but it’s been flying below the radar long enough now that its crowd of adherents shouldn’t feel at all threatened by the public knowing about its great desserts, espresso drinks and oldtimey ambience—which includes a novelty bathroom and motorized tables that spin so gradually you won’t know it until your drink is no longer in front of you.

PETE COTTELL.

Creepy’s 627 SE MORRISON ST. 503-889-0185 CREEPYS.BUSINESS.SITE

Despite a gallery of sad-clown paintings and an animatronic eyeball in a vise, Creepy’s isn’t actually creepy. The bar is less horror house than self-consciously quirky sideshow—a design-happy display case of dolls, deer heads

and big-eyed kitsch, presided over by a giant painting of John Quincy Adams with moving eyes.

MATTHEW KORFHAGE.

Glowing Greens 509 SW TAYLOR ST. 503-222-5554 GLOWINGGREENS.COM

What do you expect to see in the middle of downtown in a semi-large American city?

How about a pirate-themed, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course in the basement of a Hilton? At Glowing Greens, you’ll enter through an inauspicious side door that may or may not be manned by a skeletal pirate, from which you’ll descend into a world of swashbucklers, zombies, mermaids, zombified mermaids and just about every other creature or theme you would think appropriate for a mini-golf course awash in the soft glow of ultraviolet light and the sound of pulsating EDM. WALKER MACMURDO.

The Hat Museum 1928 SE LADD AVE. 503-319-0799 THEHATMUSEUM.COM

The historic Ladd-Reingold House, built in 1910 by early Portland mayor William Ladd, is an attraction all by itself, with backward doors, secret hiding spots and a ceiling mermaid mural. It is also home to the Hat Museum.

With more than 1,000 hats from vintage to novelty to modern, the museum boasts the largest collection in the country. Note: Reservations are required for the tour.

PENELOPE BASS.

CREEPY’S

Ground Kontrol 115 NW 5TH AVE. 503-796-9364 GROUNDKONTROL.COM

Part classic video game arcade, part classic video game arcade-themed bar, the recently renovated Ground Kontrol now sports a retro sci-fi sleek bar to complement its dozens of mostly ’80s and ’90s throwback classics—plus a list of inexpensive cocktails to keep the gaming lively once the bar closes to little kids in the afternoon.

WALKER MACMURDO.

McMenamins Kennedy School 5736 NE 33RD AVE. 503-249-3983 MCMENAMINS.COM

This massive, refurbished structure contains a hotel, multiple bars, pool tables, a cigar room, a movie theatre, a restaurant and

an outdoor soaking tub. You can take your drinks from bar to bar as you roam the historic, circa 1915 elementary school—where original art and historic photos are preserved in the winding hallways.

ELISE HERRON.

Devil’s Point

including Dave Chappelle, who stopped by to perform Radiohead’s “Creep” after a show in 2016.

MATTHEW SINGER.

Hippo Hardware and Trading 1040 E BURNSIDE ST. 503-231-1444 HIPPOHARDWARE.COM

5305 SE FOSTER ROAD 503-774-4513 DEVILSPOINTBAR.COM

Devils Point advertises itself as “Portland’s Rock-’n’-Roll Strip Club.” Honestly, it’s harder to find a strip club in Portland that doesn’t cater to the rocker crowd. but this deep-red cubbyhole at the nexus of Foster-Powell certainly leans into the idea harder than most. For instance, Stripperaoke is a Sunday night tradition where patrons live out their ‘80s metal video fantasies by singing “Girls Girls Girls” flanked by girls, girls, girls. It’s become famous enough to attract the famous,

It is an exceedingly strange thing indeed to say a hardware store is an attraction worth visiting whether or not you have anything to build, but that’s exactly what Hippo Hardware, the most Portland hardware store ever, is. Photographers have staged photo shoots in the store’s otherworldly environs, like the sea of vintage lights and chandeliers that make up the store’s top level. It’s the kind of place Tim Burton would swing by when finishing his kitchen remodel.

DONOVAN FARLEY.

FOREST PARK

EIGHT INCREDIBLE PORTLAND VIEWS

Forest Park

Revolution Hall Roof Deck

Tilikum Crossing

4099 NW THURMAN ST.

1300 SE STARK ST.

Skidmore Bluffs

dos—flock for the undisputed best sunset views in North Portland.

Forest Park is 10 times more forest than park, one of the largest urban parks in the country at more than 5,000 acres. The Tolinda-Ridge Trail Loop, which winds through the quieter, wooded northern reaches of Forest Park before looping back down for a spectacular vista of the St. Johns Bridge, feels light-years away from any city but is just a 15-minute drive from downtown.

Portland’s rooftop bar scene has been a little lackluster, but Revolution Hall’s Roof Deck doesn’t disappoint. You feel fancy even just walking in, as a bouncer stamps your wrist before you take the elevator to the top. Once you’re up, it’s like being in Manhattan, only cocktails are $8.50 and there are only a few dozen people.

Pedestrian-savvy Tilikum Crossing is the first major U.S. bridge to cater to pretty much every form of transportation except cars. Trust us, the IKEA-friendly Scandinavian design and bird’s-eye views of the Willamette River will keep you on your toes.

Overlook Park

Mount Tabor

NORTH FREMONT STREET AND INTERSTATE AVENUE

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The Overlook neighbourhood’s namesake park has, of course, an overlook, and while the shipping yards of Swan Island aren’t exactly postcard-ready, you’ll be hypnotized as the sky turns into an oil painting above the West Hills.

At a peak height of about 193 metres, Mount Tabor is not exactly Everest. Still, the volcanic cinder cone offers a beautiful view from the top and makes Portland one of only four cities in the U.S. to have a dormant volcano within city limits.

2230 N SKIDMORE COURT

It’s basically a rite of passage to hit the bluffs

towering above the dangerously steep drop down to Swan Island where the stoned masses—plus families and teenage hickey aficiona-

18 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

Powell Butte Nature Park 16160 SE POWELL BLVD.

East Portland’s Powell Butte features a network of trails circling and crisscrossing the 600 acres of meadowland and woods covering this giant mound. It’s well-posted and virtually impossible to get lost, but we recommend circling the park’s perimeter for about seven kilometres of beautiful vistas of the city.

Portland Aerial Tram 3303 SW BOND AVE.

Straight outta The Jetsons, the two trams— nicknamed Jean and Walt—connect to stylish Oregon Health & Science University hospital, itself a local landmark that attracts thousands of visitors daily. There is a lowkey art museum within the hospital awaiting any visitor who travels 1,000 metres above ground from the South Waterfront.

Where to Get Weed The Do’s and Don’ts of Cannabis in Portland Welcome to the most interesting place in the world to enjoy cannabis. We stand by the assertion that you’ll find the finest, safest and most trustworthy cannabis in the world here. Whether you intend to smoke it–or not, here’s what to know about recreational Rip City.

DO: Smoke at your house or a friend’s—so long as you’re at least 21 years of age and out of public view when you light up.

DON’T: Smoke on the street or at a park. Technically, cannabis can only be consumed within a private residence, but... there is some wiggle room.

DO: Enjoy that wiggle room at one of Portland’s cannabis house parties–from the women-only Tokeativity events, where you can dance, get a tarot reading, and shop local artisans, to Live at HiFi Farms concerts and the crafty Make & Mary art classes.

DON’T: Forget your ID when you visit a dispensary, even if you don’t intend to buy anything. To see inside, you’ll need state-issued identification or a passport.

DO: Buy something at a dispensary. Oregon has the strictest testing laws in the world, bans the most pesticides, and is home to the cleanest iterations of cannabis’s ideal growing climate.

DON’T: Just walk to the nearest shop. There are over 300 shops in the Portland area—all offering their own unique experiences.

LAUREN YOSHIKO. PORTLAND’S MUST-VISIT DISPENSARIES

Farma 916 SE HAWTHORNE BLVD. 503-206-4357 FARMAPDX.COM. 10 AM-9 PM MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, 10 AM-9:50 PM THURSDAY-SATURDAY, 11 AM-7 PM SUNDAY.

The brainchild of renowned grower Jeremy Plumb and a powerhouse support team, Farma has been, from its inception in 2014, something more intricate than a dispensary—it’s part neighborhood bar, part think-tank, part spaceship. There’s a reason why it’s been named Oregon’s best dispensary for years running by basically everyone. WM. WILLARD GREENE.

GREEN HOP

Serra

Green Hop

Jayne

Oregon’s Finest

220 SW 1ST AVE. 971-279-5613 2519 SE BELMONT ST. 971-803-5580 SHOPSERRA.COM 10 AM-10 PM MONDAY-SATURDAY, 10 AM-7 PM SUNDAY.

5515 NE 16TH AVE. 971-301-5859 GOGREENHOP.COM 10 AM-2:30 PM MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, NOON-9 PM THURSDAY-SUNDAY.

2145 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD. 503-719-5665 JAYNEPDX.COM 10 AM-9:45 PM DAILY.

Standing out like a pair of Cross Colours on a residential block, the green-and-yellow converted Craftsman home claims to be “the world’s first historical hip-hop dispensary.”

Where most new dispensaries resemble acupuncture studios, Green Hop is truly like a chill session at your best DJ friend’s house. More than the unique vibe, the shop is also one of the few black-owned dispensaries in Portland.

MATTHEW SINGER.

Centrally located, Jayne is an oasis of high-quality products in a serene, plant-filled space, totally free of the pretension or vape-bro vibes that keep consumers from feeling comfortable going into a dispensary.

With a major selection, both in variety and substance, there’s literally something for everyone.

LAUREN YOSHIKO.

736 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD; 1327 NW KEARNEY ST. 503-239-1150 OREGONS-FINEST.COM. 8 AM-10 PM DAILY.

Serra is often referred to as “the Anthropologie of pot.” Everything from the gilded chopsticks used to measure each gram of flower to the greenhouse-shaped glass cases for edibles and vaporizers is curated to photogenic perfection. It carries items you won’t find elsewhere under one roof, like Summerland ceramic bongs and wearable tampers by local artist Soothsayer.

LAUREN YOSHIKO.

With high-profile locations in the Pearl and directly across from the Convention Center, Oregon’s Finest is well-positioned as the face of Portland pot tourism—and that face has stubble and smells of steak sauce. The heavy wood interior brings to mind a luxe cigar store, and the menus resemble the cocktail list at an upscale whiskey bar.

MATTHEW SINGER.

Portland’s Best Music Venues Aladdin Theater 3017 SE MILWAUKIE AVE. 503-234-9694 ALADDIN-THEATER.COM

There isn’t a bad seat in the house at the Aladdin Theater. It first opened as a vaudeville house in the late ’20s and since then has played a number of roles, including a short stint as an adult movie theater. Today, the Aladdin screens films and hosts comedians like Dave Chappelle and international music groups like Hapa.

Crystal Ballroom 1332 W BURNSIDE ST. 503-225-0047 MCMENAMINS.COM

The Crystal Ballroom is kind of a concert venue turned upside down. On the top floor you’ll find the venue, replete with a spring-loaded floor (to assist with dancing, of course) that serves as one of the city’s most popular spaces for midlevel touring acts. Go one floor down and you’ll find the more intimate Lola’s Room, plus an in-house brewery that supplies the spacious ground-floor pub.

Doug Fir Lounge 830 E BURNSIDE ST. 503-231-9663 DOUGFIRLOUNGE.COM DOUG FIR LOUNGE

The Doug Fir, housed in the Jupiter Hotel, is a multifaceted facility with a

world-class music venue, a super-cool patio and a restaurant serving up tasty vittles. A beloved Portland staple whose design makes it seem you’re drinking in the world’s hippest log cabin, whether you’re there to check out a show in the cozy basement, chilling with a date by the fireplace or with pals on the ample patio, the Doug Fir is always a great time.

Mississippi Studios 3939 N MISSISSIPPI AVE. 503-288-3895 MISSISSIPPISTUDIOS.COM

What’s known today as one of the city’s most prominent music venues was once a Baptist church before being converted into a recording studio. It’s an intimate, dark and grungy hole for you to headbang, shuffle or dance the night away.

Wonder Ballroom 128 NE RUSSELL ST. WONDERBALLROOM.COM

A varsity player in the realm of Portland concert venues, the Wonder hosts metal acts, indie folk, Danish punk rock and everything in between. The 100-year-old building has been revived with Keith Haring-esque murals that sprawl across the entryway and main hall. Downstairs holds a second bar and a secluded smoking patio shrouded in bamboo, which transitions into outdoor seating for an outpost of Bunk Bar.

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 19

20 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29 / 2018

BOOKS

Channelling Paris terror into literature

I

by John Lucas

t was a Friday night like any other, or at least it started out that way. For lifelong rock ’n’ roll de­ votee Erwan Larher, it offered the chance to be a part of what promised to be a sweaty night of loud music by a cool touring band.

Larher couldn’t convince any of his friends to come to the Bataclan with him, so he headed to the legen­ dary Paris theatre on his own. What happened on that night—November 13, 2015—was a shared experience that would forever entwine Larher’s story with all the strangers in atten­ dance. While the headlining band, Eagles of Death Metal, performed on-stage, three gunmen—French na­ tionals working for ISIL—entered the venue and opened fire on the crowd, killing 90 and injuring many others.

Larher was among the wounded, a bullet having passed through his body. While his body and mind re­ covered, he was certain of one thing: there was no way in hell he was going to write about it.

“It didn’t go through my mind, in fact, to write about it, because I’m a novelist—I invent stories, I create characters, I write fictions usually— and what happened in Bataclan was part of my private life,” he says when the Straight reaches him by phone in Ottawa, where he’s on a promotion­ al tour. “So, I was writing another

Thinking of

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better. I was feeling at ease with the whole text and the whole story, like if I was becoming really a fiction char­ acter, you know? And the second person helped me also grab the read­ er, like you could have been lying on this floor bleeding, you could have handled the gun and shot.”

In retrospect, Larher feels that he needed to write the book, even though he truly hadn’t wanted to do it at all.

It’s not a shot-by-shot account of a terrorist attack—if that’s what you’re after, try Wikipedia—but what the au­ thor describes as a work of literature.

“I tried to have a different voice, a literary voice,” Larher says. “We had journalistic voices, political voices—we had a lot of speeches.

And literature hadn’t taken the sub­ ject, so I tried to do it. I felt it was my duty, in a way.”

T alk OF THE WEEK

Erwan Larher survived a terrorist attack at Paris’s Bataclan theatre in 2015.

novel, but after talking with friends and thinking, it appeared to me that it was not only a personal tragedy but a national tragedy, and maybe a worldwide tragedy. So, the novelist woke up—because as a novelist I try to question the world we live in and what we make of it, and the human beings agitating in this world, and what do we do to change it or not change it, and why and how?”

Those questions formed the basis of the aptly titled The Book I Didn’t Want to Write, which describes Larher’s per­ sonal Bataclan horror in grippingly intimate detail, but also imagines the events of that November night from the terrorists’ perspectives.

He admits that writing the book was a struggle at first. Paradoxically, even though it was about something that he had lived through, he didn’t want it to be about him, per se. Then he hit upon a solution.

“I wrote the whole book in the first person first, and I was embar­ rassed with that,” he notes. “I was not feeling at ease. I was not comfortable.

I started to write the book in April, and I said to myself, ‘If nothing satis­ fying is written by the end of August, you stop the project, you do some­ thing else.’ By the end of August, beginning of September, I had de­ cided to just rewrite the whole book second-person. And then it worked

HAVING ONLY one love isn’t the way for some people.

They are also in a romantic relationship with another one or perhaps more. When everyone involved is agreed, this is what is known as poly­ amory.

In cultures where monog­ amy, or the ex­ clusive pairing of two, is the norm, it’s not easy to under­ stand this complex type of bonding.

Also referred to as consen­ sual nonmonogamy, polyamory

g

works for lots of people. Toron­ to journalist Jenny Yuen is one of them. Yuen is also the author of Polyamorous: Living and Loving More, which was re­ leased by Dundurn Press this month.

Yuen will talk about polyamory and her new book on Monday (November 26) at the Vancouver Public Library cen­ tral branch (350 West Georgia Street). The event is scheduled to take place at the Montalbano Family Theatre from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

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NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 21

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he legalization of cannabis has some employers wondering about their powers to discipline workers who are high on the job. This issue becomes more complicated when weed is being used for medicinal reasons and the employee is operating heavy equipment.

Two 2015 legal decisions—one at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal and the other involving a Calgary city employee’s grievance—offer some guidance.

In the first case, B.C. Human Rights Tribunal member Robert Blasina ruled that a northwestern B.C. logging contractor did not violate the provincial human-rights code when it terminated a cancer survivor, John French, who smoked cannabis on the job to manage his pain.

French did not have a card from Health Canada designating him as a medicinal-cannabis user, though his doctors condoned his consumption as long as it worked. According to the ruling, French insisted that he was never high on the job, even though he would smoke a joint in the morning, in the middle of the day, in the evening, and before going to sleep “if there’s pain”.

He was dismissed three weeks after he “struck a moose on the road while driving company truck to work”, according to Blasina’s decision.

Selkin Logging claimed that workplace safety trumped any duty to accommodate his cannabis use.

It maintained that its policy of no drugs in the workplace was permissible under B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

Even though French’s complaint was dismissed, Blasina noted that the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation “does not provide an absolute prohibition against substance use at the workplace”.

Rather, it concerns whether “the person’s ability to work is affected by alcohol, a drug or other substance so as to endanger the person or anyone else.”

“Zero tolerance for marijuana at the workplace, as a safety standard, surpasses the standard of not being impaired at the workplace,” he wrote.

In the Calgary case, heavy-equipment operator Chuck Hanmore had a card from Health Canada authorizing him to consume up to three grams of cannabis per night to deal with chronic pain from a degenerative neck disease. He testified that he only used one-third of a gram each evening.

The city determined in 2012 that he could not return to “safety-sensitive service”. An addiction doctor concluded that he “suffered a dependency on marijuana”, based on an admission that he had been consuming weed for 15 years. This specialist did not speak to Hanmore’s physician.

After Local 37 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees filed a grievance, two of three arbitrationboard members concluded that the employer “fundamentally created the ‘dependency’ issue”. The majority also concluded the city’s investigation was designed to look for ways to prevent Hanmore from performing his duties rather than to establish the facts.

He was reinstated to his position on the condition that he submit to random testing for substances and that the employer could perform random work-performance monitoring. Hanmore was also instructed to consult with his doctor about asking Health Canada to reduce his monthly allowable medicinal-cannabis allotment to 0.3 grams per day.

This year, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario upheld the dismissal of a high-rise painter who smoked marijuana at work to deal with chronic pain. “The evidence is overwhelming that this is a safety sensitive workplace,” wrote tribunal member Colin Johnston in his February ruling. “Prohibiting the use of impairing drugs seems more than reasonable in the context of this job site and the risks involved in any workplace errors.”

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NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 23

HIGH TECH Helping newcomers get started in tech

E

by Kate Wilson

arlier this month, the Canadian government announced that it will increase the country’s intake of new immigrants. Aiming to admit 350,000 people per year by 2021, federal leaders are hoping international talent will help address a national skills shortage and help grow Canada’s economy.

Given the country’s rapidly expanding tech industry, the most indemand workers include software developers and computer programmers. But although many immigrants and refugees have worked in technology in their home country, it can be difficult for new arrivals to step into a new role in a local company. Often individuals have been taught to do their assignments in ways that differ from Canadian norms, and with many employers not having an intimate knowledge of foreign-university credentials, it can be tough to land a good role.

In 2016, Kate Armstrong, director of Emily Carr’s Living Labs, wanted to find a way to help refugees and new immigrants find jobs in Vancouver’s tech market. After gathering various industry individuals to help those who had just landed in Canada, she convinced some businesses to commit to hiring, funding, or teaching new arrivals. Then, after aligning with the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. (ISSofBC), she reached out to people in local organizations to finalize her ambitions. One of them was Jeremy Shaki, cofounder and CEO of coding school Lighthouse Labs.

“The program is called TechStart,” he tells the Georgia Straight on the line from Toronto. “What it’s been trying to do is to help people who are specifically coming from abroad

Jeremy Shaki, CEO of Lighthouse Labs, says inclusion is crucial in the tech sector.

get into the technology industry and into jobs. The ISSofBC covers 50 percent of the fees, and we offer scholarships worth the other 50 percent. We teach our students languages—JavaScript, Ruby, HTML, CSS, jQuery, these kind of things. And we teach them how to work within a modern developer function. So the tools they need—GitHub and GitFlow, the way they’re meant to collaborate on projects—they do it as if they were working as a developer in Canada.”

Despite successfully graduating a number of students from the program into Vancouver companies, however, Shaki is unsure whether the initiative will continue into the next year.

He notes that ending it would be unfortunate, given the federal government’s increased targets for settling immigrants into tech jobs and the shortage of talent in the industry.

But although the future of TechStart might be up in the air, ISSofBC and Lighthouse Labs have partnered on another initiative—one that Shaki believes is vital both for helping new arrivals to Canada and

for changing the face of the sector.

Named TechWomen, the part-time program taught at the school offers female immigrants and refugees the skills to break into the industry.

“I’m a believer that any underrepresented group needs to be as properly and equally represented in tech as they are in the world,” he says of the initiative’s importance. “In reality, tech is about finding solutions. If there’s only a certain group of people finding solutions, they’re only going to find solutions to their problems.

There’s a basic practical aspect [to the need for inclusion], which is that jobs are going to change, and you don’t want one group to have all of those skills. But I think, from a philosophical aspect, if one group is not really capable to function with that technology, or understanding it, or are intimidated by it, or can’t build it in a way that works for them, they are going to struggle to keep up with the evolving world. That creates too big of a divide. And when there are huge socioeconomic divides, sometimes it’s too difficult to catch up.”

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FEATURE

Donors need to focus on their values

A

by Charlie Smith

t this time of year, Vancouver resident and author Harvey McKinnon is used to being asked for advice. That’s

because he’s one of North America’s top fundraising experts—and people seek his guidance when giving money to registered charities and

Archery at the 10th Annual Kettle Camping Trip

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other nonprofit organizations over the holiday season.

In a recent phone interview with the Georgia Straight, the lighthearted president of Harvey McKinnon Associates recalled being approached by an “incredibly generous couple” who donate about $100,000 per year.

“They give to about 100 charities—and some of them significant sums, and others maybe $50 or $100,” McKinnon said. “Their question is, should they narrow down the giving and focus on certain areas?”

He then cracked a joke about there being two kinds of donors: those who focus all their giving in one area and those who are more “promiscuous” with their charitable contributions and support many causes.

“I, as a lapsed Catholic, am in the latter category because there are lots of things I care about,” McKinnon quipped.

He pointed out that people generally give because they’re good people, but they also get something back from this activity, even if that’s not their primary motivation.

For example, they might feel good about supporting women escaping violence, or ensuring that everybody in the community has food, or taking steps to provide refugees with a safe place to live so they’re not constantly on the run from warlords.

He counsels prospective donors to think about their values as well as what moves them emotionally. He added that people should also draw on the prefrontal cortex of their brain and think logically about the most important topic to address. He acknowledged that, for some, that could be climate change.

“But then you get an appeal for, say, a homeless shelter,” McKinnon said.

“That may seem more immediate, more emotional. But in the overall scheme of things, giving to help the climate might help build a healthier society, which will have a positive impact on new jobs.”

Fundraising consultant Harvey McKinnon endorses ramping up donations each year.

This, in turn, could conceivably lead to employment for homeless people, he added.

McKinnon worked for Oxfam Canada for 10 years before launching his company in 1989. He’s the author of four books, including the best-selling The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All, which was cowritten with Azim Jamal. It advanced the concept of “escalator giving”, which involves increasing the percentage of a person’s income devoted to charity every year.

“Azim had a friend in India who gave a copy to a friend of his,” McKinnon said.

“This friend’s parents both died within 15 days of each other and he was totally depressed.”

The man read the book and decided to build a pediatric hospital in his parents’ name.

Some registered charities promote positive ratings that they receive from an

organization called Charity Intelligence Canada. On its website, CIC states that it rates charities by analyzing financial metrics, social results, and management.

These ratings sometimes generate media attention, but McKinnon is not a fan of this approach.

“They have an unsophisticated way of evaluating a charity,” he insisted. “It’s completely shallow.”

To illustrate his point, the veteran fundraiser said that an international development agency might only spend one percent of its revenues on administration, which would elicit a high rating. But if it’s not hiring staff in the country where the money is being distributed, there would be a higher risk of it being stolen.

Alternatively, McKinnon emphasized, the charity could employ two people in that country to monitor where the funds are going. The administration costs might go up somewhat, but there would be a far lower chance of donations disappearing.

He also pointed out that charitable events might have higher administration costs as a percentage of overall revenues, but they can attract donors who make annual contributions. In his view, it’s unfair to criticize these events if they’re also helping to build community connections and educating the public.

“All good fundraising is built on longterm thinking,” McKinnon said. “You could spend $100 to get a new monthly donor, and they only give $50 because there are only three months left in the year. But they give for 25 years.”

He revealed that when he was at Oxfam Canada, he once bought coffee for three journalists who were short of funds.

Then he gave them three forms to make monthly donations to the organization.

“Two of them are still on the program,” McKinnon said. “They’ve given over $20,000 since then.”

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I give to my community and with Vancouver Foundation, my giving lasts forever.

75 years ago, a single gift started Vancouver Foundation and that gift is still making a difference in the community today.

We can help you create a fund that gives forever.

Get started at vancouverfoundation.ca/create or call Kristin at 604.629.5186

6Q ƂPF [QWT NQECN EQOOWPKV[ HQWPFCVKQP X KUKV communityfoundations.ca

26 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

HEALTH

Gifts boost evidence-based care

by Charlie Smith

Donate this holiday season

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Donate today at

variety.bc.ca or text ‘KIDS’ to *45678 to donate $20!

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Foundations are funding health-worker training to improve outcomes for drug addicts. Photo by Travis Lupick

he obituary for Dan Sealey was heart- thropic support to be able to bring the voices of breaking. Described as a “brilliant, hil- drug users forward as well.” arious, happy kid”, he had a dream of Recently, in its magazine, the Vancouver becoming a physics teacher. But “mental Foundation stated that it has made almost $2 health and addiction” struggles later in life led to million available to help deal with the opioid his death from an accidental drug overdose. The crisis. Some of this money has gone to help Victoria man was only 23 years old, the stepson fund frontline agencies, clinical trials, and of Agriculture Minister Lana Popham. public engagement.

These horror stories are occurring with One of the first calls for foundations to get shocking regularity in British Columbia. Ac- involved in this issue came back in 2012. Ann cording to the most recent statistics from the Barnum, senior program officer overseeing B.C. Coroners Service, 128 people succumbed substance-use disorders for the Health Founto illicit-drug overdoses in September. More dation of Greater Cincinnati, wrote a comthan 100 a month is the new normal. mentary headlined “What Foundations Can It’s a vexing challenge confounding the Do to Fight the Opiate Epidemic”. health-care system. Dr. Evan Wood, executive She noted that between 2003 and 2012, there director of the British Columbia Centre on Sub- were more overdose deaths involving opioid stance Use (BCCSU), says a great deal more must analgesics than heroin and cocaine combined. be done nationally to promote “For every unintentional awareness of evidence-based overdose death related to an addiction care. opioid analgesic, nine per“The province still has a sons are admitted for sublong way to go in terms of havstance abuse treatment, 35 ing a functioning system for visit emergency departments, substance-use care,” Wood 161 report drug abuse or deWe really benefit told the Georgia Straight by pendence, and 461 report from philanthropic nonmedical uses of opioid phone. “That, in large part, is due to the lack of training for Barnum wrote. support to be able to analgesics,” health-care providers.”

She suggested that founbring the voices of He credited Goldcorp Inc. dations can play a major role for stepping up with a $3-mildrug users forward. in supporting grassroots lion donation to the St. Paul’s prevention efforts by fund– Dr. Evan Wood Hospital Foundation and the ing drug take-back proUBC Division of AIDS that grams and funding unusedfunded the BCCSU Addiction medicine disposal units in Medicine Fellowship. With hospitals and police stations. this—and through the generIn addition, she pointed out osity of other donors aligned that foundations can fund with the Vancouver Foundation—87 fellows needle exchanges and community-based dishave graduated through a one-year fellowship tribution of naloxone, which saves the lives of program. Beyond that, more than 300 trainees, people who have overdosed. mostly medical students, have also been trained “One of the most common health consein addiction medicine for shorter periods. quences of injection drug use is endocarditis, “We also host rural physicians and health- or inflammation of the inner lining of the heart care providers from other health authorities, chambers,” Barnum wrote. “One heart valve coming and doing training,” Wood added. replacement costs at least $250,000, while an “It’s pretty impactful around the province.” entire needle exchange program generally costs He said that, traditionally, addiction care was between $50,000 and $60,000 per year.” “an unwanted stepchild of the health-care sysFive years later, Alexa Eggleston of the Contem”, in part due to the stigma attached to people rad N. Hilton Foundation and Tym Rourke of who use drugs. According to Wood, this societal the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation stigma has also existed within health care be- wrote an article calling for a national philancause of a lack of adequately trained providers. thropic agenda to combat addiction. They stated “Either people were turned away at the door that “philanthropy stepped up” in response to at places like the emergency room or in health- the AIDS epidemic, leading to health-care incare providers’ offices,” he noted. novations that gave people with HIV the potenThis, in turn, has manifested itself in poor tial to live a full life with what became a “chroncare for people who’ve also been criminal- ic, manageable condition”. ized because of their disease. In recent years, “And that work paved the way for dramatic he emphasized, the dedication of people keen civil rights advances for people who are gay, lesto fight the stigma has been “slowly bringing” bian, bisexual, and transgendered,” Eggleston an impact to the health-care system. In par- and Rourke wrote. “We can do the same with adticular, he cited people who use drugs, families diction—but philanthropy must lean in further.” who are affected by drug use, and people makHere in Vancouver, foundations are leaning ing efforts to improve recovery services. in, with the St. Paul’s Hospital fundraising arm “Historically, given the criminalization of at the forefront. “In addition to [examining] the people who use drugs, policymakers are mak- impact of things that has direct relevance for ing decisions that affect the lives of people that patient care, there’s also innovative research aren’t even in the room to share their stories,” being done with a view to creating critical social Wood said. “So we really benefit from philan- change in this area,” Wood said.

#TreeOfHearts

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www.supportsja.ca/gift/ NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 27

HOROSCOPE

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merican Thanksgiving pro­­ duces one of the most travelled times of the year.

Black Friday, an Amer­ ican import adopted into Canadian culture, produces one of the most lucrative shopping days of the year.

People travelling, celebrating, shopping. Sagittarius month, begin­ ning Thursday, gets a big kickoff not only from U.S. Thanksgiving and Black Friday but also from the full moon in Gemini. There’s plenty of talk and plenty of action, too. Per­ haps we’ll feel it as too many people, too many opinions or options, and not enough substance, clar­ ity, or truth. It could look different but still add up to the same thing.

A full moon in Gemini pits the many against the one, the story or the fake news against the truth, or the left brain against the right brain. Watch your blind spot. Accidents can hap­ pen when we don’t pay close atten­ tion. Something or someone could be exposed; something lost can be found; something interrupted can be resumed.

One week of Mercury retrograde is now out of the way, and there are two more to go. Use the transit to reconnect, revisit, and revise, but remember it isn’t the right time to go big with plans, purchases, or promises. Don’t take it at face value; don’t buy into the hype. Take extra time to observe and to feel your way along. While the full-moon peak happens late Thursday and through the nighttime, Friday is the one to watch. Don’t assume—play it safe and double-check instead. Use added caution and patience. Do not drink and drive. Keep it simple. When in doubt, let it go; cancel out.

The end of Neptune retrograde on Saturday can produce a subtle shift, an undercurrent, or defuse recent tensions or confusion. Pay attention to signals, body language, and intui­ tion. Monday keeps the action going strong. Tuesday is an excellent day for making the most of it.

April 20–May 20

Jade Stone Photography

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MAINLAND, HAMILTON AND DAVIE STREETS IN YALETOWN | DETAILS AT YALETOWNINFO.COM CANDYTOWN SPONSORS: 28 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

F

VIRGO

August 22–September 22

You can feel stretched thin at the end of the week thanks to the full moon. Likely, it isn’t much of a sur­ prise. Don’t push it Friday. Relax, avoid spinning wheels for nothing. You’ll get better goods out of Saturday/Sunday.

Go by feel. Back-to-it Monday requires your all, but as of Tuesday, success and satisfaction are on ready dial-up.

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LIBRA

September 22–October 23

Be forewarned: on Thurs­ day/Friday, it is easy to overspend or overdo it. Thursday to Sunday can see you find it, reclaim it, re­ visit it, repeat it, or go one better.

Pin it on USA Thanksgiving or not, there can be reason to celebrate.

Visits, news, and catch-up are a big deal. Emotions resurface Monday; people do too. Tuesday, you’ll feel pleased with results.

H

SCORPIO

October 23–November 21

Thursday can be slow to start and strong to finish. Friday has plenty going for it too. Let your fin­ gers do the shopping. The best part of the day is the escape part. Use the weekend to replenish and unwind; pamper self or cater to loved ones.

Monday, impulse, indulgence, or cravings run the show. Tuesday, the getting is good, perhaps even great.

B

TAURUS

YALETOWN’S FREE WINTER FESTIVAL

One thing leads to another Thursday/Friday. Something un­ expected could sidetrack you or get you thinking along new lines. Enjoy but know there’s a propensity to go too far, expect too much, or pay too much. Chill out Saturday/Sunday.

Monday, there’s stuff to sort out.

Right time, right place, right play; the Leo moon loans you great sway and swagger on Tuesday.

J

Don’t make assumptions; ask more questions, instead. Play it moment to moment; allow the pro­ cess to unfold, and shift gears as the circumstance dictates. Thursday through Monday can see you get caught up in it, but there are mo­ ments when intuition and creativ­ ity kick in quite nicely. Tuesday is the best of the week to meet, talk, and plan creative projects and social activities.

ONLY TWO MORE SLEEPS ‘TIL CANDYTOWN

July 22–August 22

A

March 20–April 19

The “ALL I WANT…” Gift Market Food Trucks • Live Ice Carving Horse Carriage Rides by donation Visits with Santa • Live Music Visits with Ice Queen Candy Making at the Candy Hut Christmas Tree Lot • Public Disco Inflatable Igloo • Puppet Theatre Vancouver Whitecaps ‘Caps Cruiser’ Science on the Spot from Science World Cocktail Tour (self-guided)

E

LEO

I

ARIES

FEATURING A “SLEIGH-FULL” OF ENTERTAINMENT:

NOVEMBER 22 TO 28, 2018

The full moon can sneak up on you. Spilling over into Friday, out of nothing or out of nowhere, comes something more, added, extra, or re­ peated. Watch for a second wind or chance. Versions, opinions, plans, or interests may not be one and the same. To each their own can be the best way to play it. Sunday/Monday, extra caretaking is needed.

C

GEMINI

May 21–June 21

SAGITTARIUS

November 21–December 21

The full moon sets wheels in motion late Thursday and into Fri­ day. Plans can change. Something could get lost or found. Someone could extend an invite, come clean, or deliver news. Go for the extra. A revisit, another attempt, or a second go-around could do the trick. Fri­ day evening through Sunday, chill out. Tuesday is best for getting the show on the road.

CAPRICORN

December 21–January 19

Put health and safety first; don’t let stress run the show. Thurs­ day/Friday can take it out of you.

Added work, output, expense, or trav­ el time is in the full-moon mix. Stock up on a good deal. Allow extra time; ask more questions; keep extras on hand. Friday night through Sunday, ease up, cozy up. Tuesday, go for it.

K

AQUARIUS

January 20–February 18

You may not know what to say or how to play it until you are in the thick of it. Thursday’s full moon ends the day and keeps on rolling through Friday. Go with the flow; if it requires too much, ditch the plan.

Same goes for the weekend. Monday requires hands-on attention. Tues­ day goes great.

Thursday can start slow and steady, but as the day advances, the full moon can send it over the top.

Expect to gain a late second wind.

Something out of the blue could strike a chord or push a button. Fri­ PISCES day can be something of a challenge.

February 18–March 20 Don’t waste your time or money. Sat­ The full moon can keep you urday/Sunday, go easy on it. Monday, doing double time late Thursday and emotions run the show. into Friday. An impulse or instinct CANCER could place you ahead of the game.

June 21–July 22 Retrace your steps and repeat your­ Thursday/Friday, the full self, or make them tell it to you again. moon could take you out of the Uncertain? Confused? On a drain? loop or out of the action. On the Chill out and cozy up this weekend. other hand, you could find yourself Monday, aim for full steam ahead. swamped with too much on your Tuesday runs very well. plate. You can’t avoid facing the work, the crowds, the overload, or the music, but one way or another Book a reading or sign up for Rose’s free you’ll get it handled just fine. Sun­ monthly newsletter at rosemarcus.com/. day/Monday puts you back in action.

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FOOD

Hot pots heat up at Haidilao

WAITING FOR THE MUSIC TO BEGIN...

MAN WITH A SILVER CANE.

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by Tammy Kwan

or those who didn’t grow up in an Asian household, hot pot may be a foreign term.

Most people enjoy this type of Chinese communal cuisine at home, but more hot-pot establishments are opening in the city due to increasing demand. Its convenience and affordability (in comparison to buying and preparing all the ingredients yourself) makes it highly attractive for food lovers.

Haidilao Hot Pot, a megapopular hot-pot chain based in China, is scheduled to open its first Canadian location in Metro Vancouver next month. Located at 200–5890 No. 3 Road in Richmond (formerly occupied by HML Seafood Restaurant), the dining spot is a short walk from the Richmond-Brighouse Canada Line station.

According to Haidilao Canada’s marketing manager, Ryan Pan, 150 employees are being trained for the establishment’s mid-December opening. Its menu—think sliced meats, fish balls, veggies, spicy broths, and more—will mostly feature local ingredients, but guests can expect to find some items that are imported from other countries.

Messy eaters, don’t fret: the eatery offers aprons to all guests, which can help prevent any greasy stains caused by its tasty dipping sauces or broths.

What makes Haidilao different from other hot-pot restaurants is its customer-focused business model. Each location offers a variety of free services and entertainment while guests wait for a table, and even after they sit down. Expect to be amused with everything from board games to snacks to manicures to its signature “noodle dance” performances.

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

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WHERE: CHAN CENTER UBC You filed in with a slow building crowd to attend the same piano concert I was there to hear. You were my height, fit stature and middle aged like me. I had grey streaked auburn hair, a brown vintage style coat on and was with a white curly haired female friend. We made eye contact as you came in and during the break as you sat on a bench and talked to another man while my friend and I stood near you. You were a subtle shining jewel among many stones. If you are free to see me and remember... let’s meet.

The popularity of hot-pot dining is increasing in Vancouver. Photo by Tammy Kwan

The hot-pot franchise also takes birthdays very seriously. In addition to serenading the special guest with a classic “Happy Birthday” song (often in multiple languages), restaurant staff may or may not hold up a bright LED birthday sign that makes for great photo opportunities.

We’re sure that die-hard hot-pot

fans will be excited to learn that one of the world’s most popular hot-pot chains will soon make its debut in Metro Vancouver. Haidilao was founded in China’s Sichuan province in 1994 and has since rapidly expanded around the globe. It operates 300 restaurants in various countries, including Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.

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Food TIP SHEET

d YUSHANG HOT POT (202–950 West Broadway) Upscale à la carte hot-pot restaurant with great customer service that features various meats, seafood, and unique broths.

d LANDMARK HOT POT HOUSE (4023 Cambie Street)

Award-winning Hong Kong–style eatery known for its fatty beef, geoduck, and dipping sauces, among other high-quality dishes.

d NABEBUGYO (3190 Cambie Street) Japanese dining spot

that offers individual hot pots that are personalized with your

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS & MORE!

choice of meats, veggies, and broths.

d DOLAR SHOP (720–5300 No. 3 Road, Richmond) High-end

hot-pot franchise with a modern setting, offering a menu that includes everything from Ocean Wise seafood to fresh meats to fish paste made in-house.

d GARDEN CITY HOT POT (1205–8788 McKim Way,

Richmond) Casual Chinese restaurant serving up no-fuss hot-pot items alongside a saucecart service, as well as dim sum.

VIMFF

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 13, 2018 WHERE: Rio Theatre The biker that forgot his ticket.

Not sure what, but it was definitely something special about you (besides your name).

EASTSIDE FLEA

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 17, 2018 WHERE: Eastside Flea Crossed paths at the Eastside flea this weekend. We talked about Pink Floyd and T. Rex and you didn’t talk down to me which is a refreshing change of pace compared to other music lovers I know. You were cute and I was nervous and isn’t that always the way? Not sure what your deal is, but I’d love to chat bootlegs with you.

ONLY ONE DAY, ONE HOUR, ONE MINUTE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 17, 2018 WHERE: Cactus Cafe at English Bay You know who I am. Thanks for a wonderful conversation and marvelous night. I really appreciate your honesty. Coffee next time in Michigan or perhaps Mexico?

INDIAN GUY ADIDAS HOODIE. WHOLE FOODS 8TH & CAMBIE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 18, 2018 WHERE: Whole Foods Cambie & 8th You were wearing black Adidas hoodie with the white Adidas logo on the front. Black hair, black beard, grey sweats.

Looking a little scruffy, but still something was intriguing. You were with another male, maybe your dad, who had a greying beard. South Asian/Indian heritage. You were also getting a smoothie at the same time that I was there with my young child who was sitting in the shopping cart. I was checking you out. I also saw you again by the egg section but didn’t want to make it obvious. Maybe you were in your late twenties, 30’s. Nice to see you : )

PRINCESS AT PORTSIDE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 17, 2018 WHERE: Portside Downtown On Sat 17th we met at Portside, I told you that you were gorgeous because you are, half Asian, I think (you wouldn’t tell but I am too) in a green shirt, your name starts with C, mine with Y, half black guy in a brown jacket. You were with a friend, we talked about age, your friend's situation with an older guy. I wish we talked more and exchanged numbers because I’d love to get to know you more.

DARK CURLY HAIR OF BRAZIL

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 17, 2018 WHERE: Small Victory Café, Yaletown Your hair and features caught my attention. You were waiting for your order with an intense focused presence. I was glad to catch you by the coffee lid counter and ask your name & where you're from. I guessed your religious heritage right ;).

You seem to have an interesting background. I'd love to know more about you. Where was I from?

I REMEMBER YOUR NAME BUT I WON’T POST IT HERE

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s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 8, 2018 WHERE: Junction We met in line for drinks. You and your ex were hanging out with me and my roommate during the drag show. You had glasses and a pocket-square, and you were sharply dressed because you had been to the Troye Sivan concert beforehand. I thought you were handsome, clever, and absolutely charming, and I really wish I had asked for your contact info before you left.

REMEMBRANCE DAY VICTORY SQUARE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 16, 2018 WHERE: Victory Square Remembrance Day Parade I saw you at the Victory Square Remembrance parade, you’re a blonde guy, Mid 40s - Early 50s with blonde hair and sunglasses, you look like you could be military/police/ firefighter? - You were with a guy who looked a little younger and had brown hair but I couldn’t take my eyes off you.

I was walking home and by chance saw you again with your friend going into a colourful apartment building opposite Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain Station. I’m 23, blonde and would love to get to know you/see you without your sunglasses :)

AT THE ROCK SHOW

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: NOVEMBER 10, 2018 WHERE: Main St. We looked at each other a bunch throughout the night (I had blue lipstick, u had longish hair) and then I was startled to see u outside and got really shy suddenly. When I came back u were talking to two friends, and I wish I had stopped and talked to u. It felt pretty electric, maybe u read these things...

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2019

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 29

DRINK

Como toasts fun Spanish vibe

STUDIO #212 1000 PARKER ST. www.christinebreakell-lee.com

A fresh wine list flowing with cava and sherry complements tapas menu

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THE

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s Tammy Kwan reported here at the Straight back in early July, Mount Pleasant is soon to be the home of Como Taperia (201 East 7th Avenue).

The local take on casual tapas bars found in the major centres of Spain is being brought to us by front-of-house veterans Shaun Layton and Frankie Harrington, with Justin Witcher (most recently at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort) at the helm of the kitchen.

I’m well acquainted with two of the three gents. I worked with Harrington when I was running Gastown’s Salt Tasting Room back in the late aughts, before he went to a gig at Chambar and then cocreated and built the Meat and Bread mini empire, eventually stepping away to figure out what was next.

“What was next” ended up being marriage and a kid, and then this new venture.

Layton received the Vancouver Magazine bartender of the year award in 2010. He’d just wrapped up his tenure at the now shuttered George Lounge in Yaletown and was heading to run the bar at L’Abattoir in Gastown, where he knocked it outta the park for years. After that, he opened Juniper in Chinatown, did plenty of consulting, and had a good amount of quality time with his dog, Pablo Pawcasso.

Now, these guys are among the kindest, most genuine I’ve met in our local industry, and as much as I’m looking forward to tucking into patatas bravas, clams in vermouth, anchovies in oil, and the like, it’s the wine program of new joints I usually look to first.

I recently arranged a sit-in on Como’s staff wine training to get a sense of what we can expect on the vinous front. Spearheading the wine side of things is Shiva Reddy, formerly of Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar and Royal Dinette.

Along with the floor staff, I learned of the program being nice and tight, with a focus on Spanish grape varieties most often coming from Spain—but if they find an Okanagan Albariño or an Aussie Tempranillo that strikes their fancy, they’ll welcome it with open arms. Wine will be on equal footing with cocktails, beer, food, and vibe of the room.

That vibe, mind you, will be quite casual. As those accustomed to Barcelona and Madrid wine-bar adventures may expect, the wine won’t always be poured from the right, you may have

Marcello

Shiva Reddy oversees the wine side at Como Taperia, set to open in Mount Pleasant.

to pass a glass to the gal standing behind you, and the glassware won’t be varietal-specific.

The music, which will be a playful mix of disco, funk, and soul, will be a little loud. Plates, glasses, and elbows will jostle for position at the standup bar as the cava flows. Four of them by the glass, in fact: they include Bonaval Brut Nature, a citrusy, briny sparkling that’ll give the Galician octopus a nice little spike, while Segura Viudas Brut Rosé will add a little fruitiness to their mushrooms-and-sherry dish.

Of course, there will be a fun mix of sherry, too. I know I’ll be clamouring for González Byass “Tio Pepe” Fino Extra Dry sherry, which will be (you ready for this?) served on tap! A fresh-as-a-daisy pour of the stuff will always be on hand, ready to wash down those olives. I’m pretty sure we’ve never seen sherry on tap around these parts.

There’s a freshness with pretty much all the wines that’ll be available. As I listened to Reddy run through the wines with the staff, sharing stories of sunny vineyards and stubborn winemakers, I was curious as to how little-known wines like the Atlantis Albariño from Rías Baixas—with its crisp, mineral texture—will resonate. Will people feel comfortable ordering the Gaba Do Xil Mencia from Telmo Rodriguez, attempting many of those words out loud for the first time?

On the upside, Como looks to be the casual and fun type of place to venture by simply going with the flow.

Hey, if they’re not fussed about stuffy service or providing a Riedel Tempranillo glass with your Rioja, don’t worry if that Spanish lisp doesn’t roll off the tongue when you’re saying “Mencia”. You’ll be rewarded with a glass full of fresh and crunchy red fruit nonetheless. And if you want to learn a little more about it, the team appear to be savvy enough to share their knowledge, but they’re not gonna start rattling off a lengthy dissertation.

Pretty much all wines poured will be organic or biodynamic, with many fitting under the minimalintervention, “natural wine” umbrella. As you might imagine, the team aren’t going to be sanctimonious about these things; they’re simply eager to offer an experience with as much authenticity as possible.

It’s funny, really. The thought of dozens eating at the bar while standing, a wine program dominated by cava and sherry, and all these traditions that have been going on for generations in Spain—yet here I am wondering if (and hoping that) Vancouver will be ready for this “new” style of wine bar.

As of press time, Como Taperia is slated to open imminently, the last week of November. You’ll probably find me checking out the place, perched close to that fino on tap.

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Holiday arts

Clockwise from left, Kate Dion-Richard and Matthew Macdonald-Bain star in Miss Bennet (photo by David Cooper); the Goh Ballet Nutcracker; Jim Byrnes in Bah Humbug!; and Arwen Myers from Festive Cantatas.

Seasonal shows ready to make merry

Y

by Janet Smith

es, nostalgia packs the calendar this year—think odes to Jane Austen and a musical trip into George Bailey’s wonderful life. But those averse to sentiment have options too: check out this city’s newer, less treacly traditions, from a solstice concert to a gritty resetting of A Christmas Carol in the Downtown Eastside. Below, some of the seasonal highlights.

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY (At the Granville Island Stage to December 30) Attention, Jane Austen fans: Miss Bennet is a modern sequel to Pride and Prejudice. In it, Lizzy and Darcy host an unexpected visitor for a family get-together, and he may hold out romantic hope for bookworm sister Mary. Kate Dion-Richard plays Mary, and Roy Surette directs.

HOLIDAY VIBE: Georgian England and Regency charm.

MERRY KISS-MAS (At the Improv Centre to December 24) Vancouver TheatreSports League leaves the Christmas Queen behind to launch a new seasonal tradition. Using all their improv skills, the cast send up every romantic holiday movie you’ve ever sipped eggnog to.

HOLIDAY VIBE: Miracle on 34th Street meets Love Actually.

CHEZ NOUS: CHRISTMAS WITH ELEKTRA (At Shaughnessy Heights United Church on November 24 and Surrey’s Good Shepherd Church on November 25) Famed B.C. tenor Ben Heppner brings his legendary voice to the city’s premier women’s choir, with a program spanning traditional carols from a range of cultures.

HOLIDAY VIBE: Heavenly voices with added star power.

A CHARLIE BROWN HOLIDAY DOUBLE BILL (At the Waterfront Theatre from November 25 to December 30) Carousel Theatre for Young People doubles the fun with both A Charlie Brown Christmas and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown hitting the stage. Andrew Cownden dons the iconic yellow-and-black shirt to take on the role of Peanuts’ lovable loser.

HOLIDAY VIBE: Snoopy dancing and the world’s most droopy-butadorable Christmas tree.

EAST VAN PANTO:WIZARD OF OZ (At the York Theatre from November 28 to January 6, 2019) Expect everything from controversial pipelines to cannabis shops to pop up as Dorothy

Theatre from December 7 to 9) The RWB retells the holiday classic in a turn-of-the-last-century Canadian setting, complete with pond hockey and Parliament Hill. All the traditional touches are there, combined with the polished dancing of what is arguably the country’s top classical ballet troupe. HOLIDAY VIBE: Sparkling white-tutu perfection as crisp as fresh snow.

and the gang land in the magical East Side of Vancouver. Theatre Replacement’s twisted tradition returns for a sixth year, with playwright Marcus Youssef scripting the fun for the first time. HOLIDAY VIBE: British holiday tradition warped through the lens of modern-day East Van.

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (At the Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre from December 1 to HANDEL’S MESSIAH (At the OrJanuary 6, 2019) The Arts Club brings pheum on December 7) Jon Washburn back its beloved holiday musical, with takes the baton for his 48th Messiah, its Broadway-lavish sets and costumes, his Vancouver Chamber Choir joined all under the direction of Bill Millerd.

Watch for Michelle Bardach as Belle Holiday Baking Time. Photo by Emily Cooper by the Pacifica Singers and the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra. A topnoand Jonathan Winsby as Beast, as well as a live six-piece band. HOLIDAY favourites and Broadway classics from tch cast of soloists are on hand for VIBE: Kids breaking out their Sunday the likes of George and Ira Gershwin, George Frederick Handel’s resounding best in the Stanley’s historic digs. with arrangements by Nico Rhodes. masterpiece: soprano Nathalie Paulin, Nick Fontaine plays down-on-his-luck countertenor Daniel Cabena, tenor CHRISTMAS WITH THE BACH George Bailey and Greg Armstrong- Isaiah Bell, and bass-baritone Stephen CHOIR (At the Orpheum on December Morris is Clarence, the angel trying to Hegedus. HOLIDAY VIBE: Grand, 2) The VBC gathers eight choirs to join get his wings. A live orchestra provides glorious hallelujahs. it in song. We’re talking 400 voices, backup. HOLIDAY VIBE: Aw-shucks A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS (At plus an organ and the Touch of Brass 1940s musical nostalgia. the Kay Meek Centre on December 13, ensemble, bringing to life traditional favourites and newer works. High- HOLIDAY BAKING TIME (At Pres- the Centennial Theatre on December lights include the debut of the winner entation House from December 6 to 16) 14, the Bell Performing Arts Centre on of its seasonal composition contest Doughy characters Bun and Bap return December 15, the Michael J. Fox Theand the children’s choirs performing a with a new Christmas-themed twist on atre on December 16, and St. Andrew’s– transcendent “Ave Maria”. HOLIDAY their popular live bread-making show Wesley United Church from December Baking Time. This one’s aimed at kids 20 to 22) William Rowson conducts VIBE: Hark! The herald angels sing. three to six years old and their parents. the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra LITTLE DICKENS: THE DAISY HOLIDAY VIBE: Grandma’s kitchen in a concert sprinkled with readings by Bard on the Beach’s ChrisTHEATRE (At the Cultch Historic on Christmas morning. topher Gaze. The UBC Opera EnTheatre from December 4 to 22) Marionette master Ronnie Burkett pulls ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET NUT- semble and EnChor add their vocal the strings for one of the quirkiest CRACKER (At the Queen Elizabeth power to Christmas songs and carols. offerings on the holiday calendar.

Aimed at adults only, the show finds the cast of Burkett’s popular The Daisy Theatre taking on A Christmas Carol, this serene Vetta Chamber Music with faded diva Esmé Massengill play- ARE THE Christmas carols and concert, Jane Hayes takes the keys ing Scrooge and beloved Schnitzel as Santa suits getting to be a bit much for the likes of Gustav Mahler and Tiny Tim. HOLIDAY VIBE: Offbeat, at this time of year? Here are some Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Violinist shows to celebrate the season rowdy, and occasionally raunchy.

Joan Blackman, violist Yariv Aloni,

Holiday Arts TIP SHEET

without the holiday motifs.

BAH HUMBUG! (At SFU Woodward’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts from December 6 to 22) Blues legend Jim Byrnes helps bring local socioeconomic relevance to A Christmas Carol in this musical rendition set in the Downtown Eastside. Here, Scrooge is a renoviction-happy landlord. The music-filled show is put on by SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs, Vancouver Moving Theatre, and Full Circle. HOLIDAY VIBE: Woke.

and cellist Brian Yoon join her.

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THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (From November 30 to December 29 at Pacific Theatre) Enter the wintry wonderland through a closet in the Pevensie household in this spare but sparkling adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s tale, by Ron Reed. Sarah Rodgers directs.

d(At theVIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS Chan Centre for the Performing

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (At the PIANO QUARTET Gateway Theatre from December 6 to FAVOURITES (November 29 and 31) Local musical master Peter Jor- 30 at West Point Grey United Church gensen puts his own spin on Frank and December 2 at Pyatt Hall) In Capra’s 1946 classic, blending holiday

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Arts on December 21 and 22) Fastrising young American violinist Benjamin Beilman (shown here) displays his sizzling stuff, joining the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for the beloved Baroque concertos.

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HOLIDAY VIBE: Sprigs of holly, sleigh bells, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

WINTER HARP (At the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts on December 12 and 13, and St. Andrew’s–Wesley United Church on December 15) The mesmerizing candlelit concert tour celebrates its 25th year, complete with ethereal harps and rare instruments like the bass psaltery and organistrum. As usual, its musicians and singers will sport medieval costumes and perform a mix of carols, Celtic songs, and centuries-old music. HOLIDAY VIBE: The marvellously medieval.

HOME ALONE (At the Orpheum on December 14 and 15) It’s easy to forget that John Hughes’s Christmas movie boasts a kick-ass score by John Williams. So instead of watching it on TV this year, head down to the gilded halls of the Orpheum to see the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra celebrate the music as well as the laughs. HOLIDAY VIBE: Sweet yet sadistic, as Macauley Culkin’s eightyear-old Kevin sets booby traps for some bumbling yuletide burglars.

MIXED NUTS (At the Vancouver Playhouse from December 14 to 16) The dancers at Arts Umbrella turn The Nutcracker upside down and inside out in this holiday program that reimagines the classic ballet in the forms of hip-hop, ballroom, and much more. HOLIDAY VIBE: Tradition with a dance-savvy twist.

A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS (At Pacific Spirit United Church on December 14) The Vancouver Chamber Choir is shopping for a new artistic director, and trying out its stellar candidates in front of audiences. Germany’s Nicol Matt is on deck here, showing his stuff over a program that spans Francis Poulenc’s Hodie Christus natus est, Benjamin Britten’s A Hymn to the Virgin, Ola Gjeilo’s Spotless Rose, and much more.

HOLIDAY VIBE: Exquisite, shiny ornaments of every shape and colour.

CHRISTMAS WITH CHOR LEONI (At St. Andrew’s–Wesley United Church on December 14, 16, and 17, and West Vancouver United Church on December 15) A cappella harmonies, surprising new works, and traditional selections round out a diverse program for the all-male choir. HOLIDAY VIBE: A mix as fun as a box of chocolates. see page 33

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 31

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HOLIDAY ARTS

East Van Panto heads to Oz

Marcus Youssef and Christine Quintana help put new twist on ’hood tradition

ILLUSTRATION: LYDIA AVSEC ILLUSTRATION: LYDIA AVSEC

by Janet Smith

V

Raugi Yu, Craig Erickson, Christine Quintana, and Dawn Petten follow the Yellow Brick Road to East Van. Photo by Tim Matheson

ancouver playwright Marcus Youssef has done a lot of things over his career.

For one, in 2017, he won the highest Canadian honour in his field, the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. His Winners & Losers, written with James Long, has toured the globe, and now film director Mina Shum is making it into a movie. He was recently in Berlin, where his play Jabber, about a hijabwearing teen trying to fit into high school, just saw a successful opening and will run for the next five months.

And his collaboration with Niall McNeill, King Arthur’s Night, is set for a run in Hong Kong this spring.

Those are big deals, no doubt, but there’s one thing he’s longed to write— an East Van Panto. And he’s finally getting to try his hand at the warped, satirical holiday tradition this year.

“I wanted secretly to be asked to write a Panto from the beginning,” says Youssef, sitting outside Strathcona’s Russian Hall during a rehearsal break on a recent sunny day. “It’s getting to write absurdity and politics and satire about this neighbourhood I’ve lived in for 30 years.…Being able to pay homage to my home, and in the community of these artists who are really like family, is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Earlier incarnations of the East Van Panto, based on the wacky British traditions delivered hyperlocal spins on familiar fairy tales. But when Youssef discovered that The Wizard of Oz is used occasionally in U.K. pantos, he knew he’d found his inspiration. And the ideas, apparently, flowed fast and furiously from there.

“Honestly, for me the first idea was the scarecrow—and what’s he gonna be stuffed with in East Van? And then with the legalization happening… So we have Stoned Crow whose job is to scare under-19s away from Eggs Canna.”

Cue a Munchkinland centred at Nanaimo and Hastings, a Wicked Witch who bears a striking resemblance to a certain Alberta premier, and a pipeline threatening to burst.

Youssef, some of whose works—like The Adventures of Ali and Ali and the Axes of Evil—have eagerly torn down institutions, taken on the corporatization of our world, and bitten into politics, is clearly feeling at home with the material.

IT’S SERENDIPITOUS, to say the least, that Christine Quintana will play Dorothy in this eagerly anticipated Panto. Last year, as one of the duties that went with his Siminovitch prize, Youssef chose her as his protégé playwright. At the moment, she’s filling in for him as interim artistic director of Neworld Theatre, as Youssef takes an administrative leave. Among her own achievements, she recently came back from a yearlong stint as the Urjo Kareda Emerging Artist Resident at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. Performing in her first East Van Panto is something she’s also wanted to do for years—especially since she cut her teeth as a young actor in Metro Theatre’s traditional, Britishstyle pantos, and because she grew up on this side of town. The whole experience with this new show is, all too fittingly, reminding her there’s no place like home.

“It was really meaningful for me to do this, because I spent the last year in Toronto, so I missed last year’s Panto and last year’s everything, and it sort of feels like the end of the movie, where I’m back in my apartment in Vancouver,” says the artist, sitting outside at the nearby Union Café. “I mean, I live two blocks down from where I grew up and a block from my old school. So I’m seeing everything anew and appreciating it so much, and getting that community vibe again.”

Not that what she’s taken on as the

from page 31

MUSIC FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE (At Heritage Hall on December 19 and 20) Music on Main returns with its fifth annual edition of this intimate concert, welcoming singer Corey Payette, along with pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa and violinist Karen Gerbrecht. The program is all about luminous new music, including Nicole Lizée’s Solstice Noir, as well as two songs from Payette’s own critically acclaimed musicals—Les Filles du Roi (which he wrote with Julie McIsaac) and Children of God. HOLIDAY VIBE: No tinsel or treacle here. Music on Main puts it best in marketing materials that say “minus the mistletoe”.

GOH BALLET NUTCRACKER (At the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from December 21 to 23) Our locally created Nutcracker puts the emphasis on fun, with its real magician, cheese-hurling mouse army, and dancing bear. Bonus: members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra play the score live. HOLIDAY VIBE: Sugar Plum Fairies and Cavaliers.

red-shoed heroine has been easy. “It takes a ton of energy,” says the upbeat star, who will be on-stage for most of the time during the 48 shows at the York this season. “I’ve been so tired at the end of every night. At one point I’m singing and dancing and holding a microphone and playing with a kid.…And at the York you want to make sure every single person in there feels included.”

What has her mentor Youssef brought to the Panto party? “I would say it’s more boldly political than it has been in the past,” she observes.

“These are intense times politically, and our understanding of home is central to the way we conduct ourselves in the world.”

Take her Dorothy, for instance: she lives with her aunties in PoCo on $4,000 a month for a “tiny tiny home”. “She feels that PoCo isn’t just woke enough or progressive enough for the life she wants to live,” Quintana says.

Youssef’s clever twist, she reveals, is that not everyone in the Land of Oz/ East Van is as progressive as they pretend to be. “He’s such a smartypants,” she quips. “But there’s something Marcus and [director Stephen] Drover do, and that’s, as funny and edgy as it is, there’s nothing putting people down.”

At this moment, as cyclists whip by on the Adanac bike route, she’s sitting at a patio table where a cat has taken up residence. It’s stretching out around her cappuccino and purring.

“Peak neighbourhood times, here—this is just peak East Van!” she enthuses.

Yes, and pretty much the same thing could be said of the Panto. There’s no place like home, after all.

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The Cultch and Theatre Replacement present East Van Panto: Wizard of Oz at the York Theatre from November 28 to January 6.

CHRISTMAS REPRISE XVI (At Holy Rosary Cathedral and New Westminster’s Queens Avenue Church on December 22) The Vancouver Cantata Singers offer respite from last-minute shopping during their matinee in one of downtown’s most serene spaces. Expect traditional favourites as well as a few surprising gems. HOLIDAY VIBE: Warm shelter from the consumer storm.

FESTIVE CANTATAS: A MONTEVERDI CHRISTMAS VESPERS (At the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on December 23) Early Music Vancouver breaks out the violins, cornetti, sackbuts, theorbos, and keyboards in an attempt to re-create the Christmas Vespers of 17thcentury Venice, with sacred music by Claudio Monteverdi. David Fallis leads the likes of Cappella Borealis, sopranos Arwen Myers and Danielle Sampson, tenor Colin Balzer, violinist Marc Destrubé, and many more.

HOLIDAY VIBE: Time-travelling back to Christmas Eve at the chapel of the doge.

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Nathalie Paulin soprano

Daniel Cabena countertenor

Isaiah Bell tenor

Stephen Hegedus bass-baritone

8pm Friday, December 7, 2018 The Orpheum Vancouver Chamber Choir and Orchestra Pacifica Singers | Nathalie Paulin, soprano Daniel Cabena, countertenor Isaiah Bell, tenor | Stephen Hegedus, bass-baritone Jon Washburn, conductor In this 48th season of the Choir, Jon Washburn will conduct his 48th performance of Messiah, Vancouver’s perennial Christmas favourite. It features the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Pacifica Singers, Vancouver Chamber Orchestra and a stellar roster of Canadian vocal soloists.

1.855.985.ARTS (2787) vancouverchamberchoir.com

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 33

HOLIDAY ARTS FESTIVE CANTATAS

A MONTEVERDI CHRISTMAS VESPERS David Fallis music director

AT THE CHAN CENTRE

DEC23 "Nothing less than splendid, one of the best musical treats of the holiday season."

Vancouver Sun

Tickets from $36 | earlymusic.bc.ca rlym | 604.822.2697 This concert is generously supported by the Drance Family and Sharon E. Kahn

Merry Kiss-mas goes to the movies TheatreSports’ new seasonal show digs out all the tropes for its satire

by Janet Smith

T

here are some people who start the holiday countdown by watching Christmas movies and TV shows every night once November hits. And, for the record, Vancouver Theatre­ Sports League’s Margaret Nyfors is one of them.

“Especially if you have a day that’s really busy, you just go back home and get your bottle of wine and grilled cheese and turn one on,” she explains with a self-effacing laugh, sitting in the VTSL headquarters. “There are the standards, like Love Actually and It’s a Wonderful Life—my mustwatch movies—and then there are the things like Netflix and Hallmark originals. A lot of those are shot here, actually, with a lot of our ensemble starring in them.”

That real-life experience has made her an excellent choice to cocreate Merry Kiss-mas—VTSL’s new im­ provised ode to all the cheesy clichés you know and love in the season’s TV specials and films. And to do the work, the company’s ever-rotating cast of improvisers had to walk the walk—and watch all the holiday hits as homework.

“There are hundreds of tropes!”

Nyfors marvels. “There are the magic­ al elements; someone who’s secretly Santa; or an ornament that’s been passed down through generations and brings love.…So definitely the ensemble has to be aware of them all.”

Because the first half of Merry Kiss-mas uses short-form scenarios and audience suggestions to poke fun at popular holiday shows, the per­ formers need to know the entire cast of characters they can draw from.

And in the second half, they have to

VTSL’s improvised ode to romantic holiday-special clichés is ready to roll.

use that knowledge to improvise a new Yuletide romantic comedy using all the clichés they have in their ar­ senal. Counterintuitively, rehearsal is essential when you’re flying by the seat of your pants each night.

“The whole idea of genre work is being familiar with the elements— especially if you’re doing parody,” explains Jay Ono, VTSL executive director, who’s joined Nyfors to talk about the company’s first new holi­ day show since its gender-bending Christmas Queen debuted five years ago. “So when you’re on-stage, you’re not saying ‘Which should I think of next?’ You have to react quickly and be in the moment.”

Which brings us to the bingo cards. Nyfors created the sheets, filling them with every movie cliché she could think of, so performers

could blot them off every time they hit one. “So they get one if it’s some­ one spotting snow for the first time, an unexpected sleigh ride, someone offering gingerbread,” she relates.

All that legwork has led to a show aimed at all ages. “I believe improv is really accessible to everybody,” Ono says. “We added five matinees and I think it’s great: having a theatrical experience that a parent could bring their young one to.”

And Nyfors hopes that even the unobsessed will have a ball. “These stories are such a universal thing that even if people haven’t been at home with a bottle of wine, the way I have, you’ll still get it,” she says.

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Merry Kiss-mas is at the Improv Centre from Wednesday (November 21) to December 24.

Nutcracker presents Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Choreography Galina Yordanova & Nina Menon Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

One of Canada’s most popular holiday productions!

Tickets from $25 Family Packs Available

December 7 | 7:30pm December 8 9 | 1:00pm & 6:30pm Queen Elizabeth Theatre balletbc.com 34 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

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PHOTOS LEFT/CENTRE: RWB COMPANY DANCERS. PHOTOS RIGHT: LIANG XING AND YAYOI BAN. PHOTOS BY DAVID COOPER.

YORK THEATRE

Written by Marcus Youssef | Directed by Stephen Drover Music by Veda Hille

“If the East Van Panto isn’t part of your holiday tradition yet, what are you waiting for?”

—GEORGIA STRAIGHT

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NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 35

36 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29 / 2018

HOLIDAY ARTS

Elektra welcomes Heppner to women’s world of song

M

by Alexander Varty

orna Edmundson makes it easy. Not content with simply picking the repertoire and rehearsing the singers, the Elektra Women’s Choir artistic director also writes an in-depth “listener’s guide” for each of her ensemble’s concerts and posts it online in advance of the show. To find it requires reading the fine print on Elektra’s “concerts & events” page, but it’s worth the effort. After absorbing Edmundson’s precise yet charmingly informal musings, audience members will bring informed curiosity to the concert experience, while music journalists will be able to zero in on what’s notable in any particular show.

Which, for Elektra’s upcoming Chez Nous Christmas concerts, is the presence of Ben Heppner as the choir’s special guest. The Fraser Valley–born tenor has retired from the operatic stage, but is still giving song recitals. Given that Edmundson was one of his classmates at UBC when they were both embarking on their musical careers, it seemed natural for her to reach out to him during this festive season. And in fact, she went a little beyond that, commissioning Elektra’s regular accompanist, Stephen Smith, to come up with an arrangement of a Mennonite carol from the 18th century, “Sweet Was the Song”, in the process honouring both the season and Heppner’s cultural heritage.

“Everybody in Elektra adores Stephen’s music, and they’re always begging me to sing more,” Edmundson explains, in a telephone interview from her Surrey home. “So I immediately thought he should write something.

And then the cool thing is, Stephen himself went off and started looking

for Mennonite hymns or carols, and came upon this beautiful melody.

“It really features Ben, but it’s not a showoff kind of piece,” she continues. “It’s calm and beautiful and introspective. It’s not going to be like ‘Here’s a tenor showing off his high notes.’ So that’s the door through which Ben’s in this concert. The piece just hits the nail on the head, I think.

And then he’s also doing his own set of four songs, with Stephen on piano.”

With repertoire that runs from a variety of traditional European carols to Minnesota composer Abbie Burt Betinis’s “Romance in Waltz Time”—and, rather bravely, with only one number culled from the choir’s recently released Silent Night CD—Chez Nous reflects Edmundson’s desire to present a balanced program rather than one geared to promoting its new recording.

“Especially at Christmas, you have to be all the things that people expect, and all the things that you want,” she explains. “And the thing that I want is for the person who walks in the door who never goes to concerts, who got dragged there by somebody, to say ‘Oh, that tune that I’ve heard forever on Muzak, it has words!’ Or, you know, it has an origin—it comes from somewhere. So the familiar Christmas tunes have to be part of it—and, being Elektra, I want to find arrangements that might be of some of those familiar tunes, but that have a freshness to them, or that come from some composer I believe in.”

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YEFIM BRONFMAN PLAYS BRAHMS

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HOLIDAY HOORAY!

MASTERWORKS DIAMOND One of the greatest pianists of our time performs the monumental Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2.

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Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra 2018 takes place at Shaughnessy Heights United Church on Saturday (November 24), and at Surrey’s Good Shepherd Church on Sunday (November 25).

TINY TOTS Let’s play in the snow! Sing-along to frosty favourites while you move-along with miniatures from The Nutcracker and other sparkly holiday classics.

DEC FROM JOHN HUGHES 14/15 HOME ALONE®

VETTA CHAMBER MUSIC 2018 - 19 33rdSeason

IN CONCERT: FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA Watch the holiday classic on the big screen at the Orpheum with the VSO playing John Williams’ beautiful score live.

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DEC A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS 12–22 VARIOUS VENUES & TIMES

The Lower Mainland’s most beloved music tradition, the VSO’s Traditional Christmas concerts, feature heartwarming music associated with Christmas, carols, and plenty of audience sing-alongs.

DEC VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS! Hailed as one of the most significant artists 21/ 22/23 of his generation, young American violinist Benjamin Beilman makes his VSO debut leading a performance of Vivaldi’s timeless classic, The Four Seasons, in an enduring VSO Holiday Season tradition.

JANE HAYES piano JOAN BLACKMAN violin DAVID HARDING viola EUGENE OSADCHY cello

JAN 1

SALUTE TO VIENNA

NEW YEAR’S CONCERT The 23rd annual Salute to Vienna concert ushers in the New Year with a glittery celebration of singing and dancing that will delight the senses.

ˇ MOZART • MAHLER • DVORÁK

THU, NOV 29 at 2pm

PREMIER EDUCATION SPONSOR & VSO AT THE MOVIES PRESENTED BY

TINY TOTS SERIES SPONSOR

West Point Grey United Church

FRI, NOV 30 at 7:30pm West Point Grey United Church

SUN, DEC 2 at 2pm Pyatt Hall

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Fri $25 / Thu $20 / Stu $10

visit vettamusic.com MARTHA LOU HENLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION season media sponsor

THE VSO’S TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CONCERTS HAVE BEEN ENDOWED BY A GENEROUS GIFT FROM SHEAHAN AND GERALD MCGAVIN, C.M., O.B.C.

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NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 37

ARTS

Dance Me celebrates the songs of Leonard Cohen

by Janet Smith

AKRAM KHAN COMPANY (UK) CHOTTO DESH “AN ABSOLUTE TRIUMPH.” THE SCOTSMAN

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Dance Me is the biggest show in BJM’s storied history. Photo by Marc Montplaisir

NOVEMBER 21–24, 8PM NOVEMBER 24, 2PM NOVEMBER 21–24, 8PM

November 22, 2018, NOVEMBER 24,8pm: 2PM Presented in French | Présenté en November 22, 2018, 8pm: français Presented in French | Présenté en français November 24, 2018, 2pm: November 24, 2018, 2pm: Performed with ASL ASL Interpretation Interpretation Performed with

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Karen Lorena Parker VISIT THE FEMININE WILD

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LANDSCAPE FLORALS POLITICS 38 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

hen Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal artistic dir­ ector Louis Robitaille was offered the chance to create something epic for Mon­ treal’s 375th celebrations, he knew immediately what he wanted to do.

“It took me between, maybe, 30 to 60 seconds to put together the idea of BJM and Leonard Cohen. And it’s been quite a journey ever since,” the artist says, reached on a ferry en route to Vancouver after Dance Me, the company’s ode to the legendary poet-singer, has just enjoyed three sold-out shows in Victoria.

Robitaille, the former platinumhaired star at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens who’s run BJM since 1998, is referring to the massive effort re­ quired to secure Cohen’s permission before he died, as well as the rights to his music. Dance Me is the biggest project in the company’s 46-year his­ tory. The multimedia endeavour cost $500,000 to make, and took three years to bring to fruition—including six intensely focused months of cre­ ation, pulling the ever-touring BJM off the road for the entire period.

“Mr. Cohen remembered well the Ballets Jazz de Montréal, and the fact that we were both from Montreal appealed to him,” Robitaille recalls of the artist, who died in November 2016, before getting the chance to see Dance Me. “For all of us on the project, we were very emotionally in­ volved. We wanted to do something not only exceptional but something right for Mr. Cohen and, of course, when he passed away the pressure and the stress was even more. Our goal was to reach that canon, that monument of Leonard Cohen.”

Cohen’s stipulations also hap­ pened to fall in line perfectly with Robitaille’s own vision for the dance project: that it should be about the music and not his private life, and that it should be more than a string of his old hits like “Suzanne” and “So Long Marianne”.

“It was our luck that his last album [You Want It Darker] and songs went darker, and music critics considered it a masterpiece,” Robitaille says. “We use three songs from that album, so we really use songs from the begin­ ning, from 1967, to the very last one.”

BJM, known for dancing the work of the hottest contemporary chor­ eographers on the planet, brought in three cutting-edge artists to cre­ ate the show. Greek-born Andonis Foniadakis (whose Kosmos Vancou­ ver saw BJM perform at DanceHouse in 2017) took a physically charged approach, digging into the mean­ ing of Cohen’s lyrics, Robitaille says, while Colombian-born Annabelle Lopez Ochoa put a more lyrical flow to the movement. As for Turkishborn, U.K.–raised Ihsan Rustem, he’s working with the company for the first time—and he’s someone Robi­ taille has long sought to bring in.

Rustem has choreographed “Dance Me to the End of Love” as a series of revolving romantic duets between a male soloist and different women who then abandon him.

But the show is about much more than Cohen’s well-known take on love. Throughout, video projections evoke the grand cycles of the sea­ sons—and allude movingly to the mortality that Cohen so often wrote about before his death.

“Whether it’s Victoria or the many different countries where we have been, the reception is magical everywhere,” Robitaille says of the show that elicited standing ovations when it debuted in Montreal in 2017.

“I haven’t seen reactions like these before. And I think it’s because with this show, something like grace hap­ pens in the evening—and that grace happens because a strong aspect of it is that Mr. Cohen is not with us. But it’s a celebration, not sad.”

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Dance Me is at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Thursday and Friday (November 22 and 23).

ARTS

Mortified is a bracing success

PIECES OF EIGHT LD FOR SALE O S

NOV 21 - DEC 1

tickets.theatrewire.com Ella Storey, Emily Jane King, Nolan McConnell-Fidyk in Mortified. Photo by Emily Cooper

THEATRE MORTIFIED

By Amy Rutherford. Directed

by Anita Rochon. A Studio 58 production, in association with Touchstone Theatre. At Studio 58 on Saturday, November 17. Continues until December 2

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THE EXQUISITE pain of a girl growing up—Canadian playwright Amy Rutherford captures it in all its excruciating, awkward detail in her new play Mortified.

Studio 58 brings her coming-ofage story to life with strong lead performances and a production that’s as metaphorically visionary as it is physically charged.

In it, an unnamed Woman (Lindsey Angell) reflects on—and goes back to confront—her younger self, Girl (Emily Jane King), after running into an old boyfriend in the mall. She’s still traumatized, more than two decades later, by the memories that play out in front of her—of a naive, overscheduled 13-year-old hooking up with a 21-year-old dirtbag named Ty (Isaac Mazur).

In Pam Johnson’s brilliant set, the play takes place surreally on the bottom of an old swimming pool, with a diving board overhead, chipped blue tiles along its rim, and watery light dancing on its walls. The set transforms easily from high-school hallways to the lonely headspace where a girl feels like she’s sinking, alone. The play’s sinister, stiletto-wearing swim coach (Jessie Liang) often prowls the diving board above Girl.

An ever-changing chorus, as everyone from dance-clubbers to students in sweat suits, moves the action along at a buzzy pace. At one point the group holds a sheet, stuffies, and pillows aloft to give us an overhead view of Girl’s bed.

Elsewhere, they don satin and nose clips to perform a slapstick synchronized-swimming routine.

Between director Anita Rochon’s blocking and choreographer Amber Funk Barton’s physical chops, the piece is a kinetic marvel.

But it wouldn’t all work without the natural, nuanced performance

by King. As gangly as a fawn, and always wearing jelly shoes that remind us she’s on the edge of childhood, she finds an honesty and a guileless curiosity. Most important to Rutherford, it seems, is that Girl is never a victim.

When she makes mistakes—and, dear God, they’re whoppers—we understand why. She’s feeling alienated in a new school, she’s in a perfectionist sport, and she’s constantly being fed sexualized images of teens.

Angell, too, finds raw, real-feeling emotion as her older, together-butfalling-apart self. Ian Butcher paints a fantastic portrait of loserdom as the middle-aged and utterly untormented Ty. And Mazur builds threat behind his dense man-child—the kind you’ll instantly recognize from the mall, complete with five-sizestoo-big jeans hanging off his ass.

The play goes to some incredibly dark places, but Rutherford, surprisingly, finds a lot of laughter. Sometimes

it comes from Girl’s Ward Cleaver– esque dad (Nolan McConnell-Fidyk), who thinks a good game of Boggle can solve anything; sometimes it comes from the absurdities of the timetravelling premise (note the reaction when Woman shows her cellphone to high-schoolers who have only ever seen a pager). Rutherford has a knack for vivid and unpretentious detail; we know Ty smells like the “inside of a cardboard box”. And she’s unafraid to go there: in one scene, King’s character learns how to use a tampon.

Come to think of it, the very fearlessness of Mortified is the biggest strength of a play that has many. In this #MeToo moment, Rutherford is drawing from real-life experience to shade in the complexities of consent and shame. And 25 years later, society is sending teen girls more mixed messages than ever. If you know one, or you were one who made mortifying mistakes of your own, you need to see this show.

Studio 16

A new play about coping with Vancouver housing costs publiusproductions.com

by Janet Smith

BACIO ROSSO

At Queen Elizabeth Park on Tuesday, October 30. Continues until December 31

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BACIO ROSSO IS unlike anything Vancouver has ever seen.

Where else do you get a room full of strangers breaking into an impromptu dance party while a powerhouse cabaret singer encourages the limbo in an evening where plates fly, a magician reads minds, and a pair of muscular trapeze artists strip down to their sparkling skivvies, all within a few feet of your dinner table?

Complete with a fantastic live band that includes accordion, clarinet, and trumpet, the show is boisterous and fun. The cast is stellar. But the production isn’t perfect.

The three-and-a-half-hour event, which includes a four-course meal, takes place near the public tennis courts at Queen Elizabeth Park in a spiegeltent, or “mirror tent” (because of the hundreds of bevelled mirrors inside). Named the Magic Cristal, it was imported from Belgium just for the run and is draped in red velvet.

Meaning “red kiss” in Italian, Bacio Rosso is full of surprises. Suffice it to say this is a show that breaks down the fourth wall. There are two stages, one for the musicians and one in the centre of the intimate room where much of the comedy, acrobatics, dancing, and magic take a place; however, performers also make their way through much of the space, whether they’re playing percussion or impossibly pulling dollar coins from behind spectators’ ears.

The artists are standouts in their respective fields, with Russia’s Dima Shine standing on one hand atop a rotating pole, the shirtless former Cirque du Soleil member wowing with his graceful strength. Unlike in most other circus shows, though, performers here are so close that we can see beads of sweat forming on their sculpted bodies; their proximity makes the physicality of their acts all the more impressive.

We couldn’t get enough of two see next page

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 39

from previous page

performers in particular. New York’s Lady Rizo, a.k.a. Amelia ZirinBrown, has an Eartha Kitt–meets– Lady Gaga voice that she uses to seduce and to rouse; she also has a fierce comedic streak and has no problem sending up the conventions of cabaret, the very form she soars in. And let’s just say that irresistible Seattle comedian and performance artist Kevin Kent transforms in the most dazzling way.

Actor-comedian Colin Heath, of The Overcoat and The Number 14 acclaim, is underutilized for his considerable talent.

The event’s weakness is the food service. Granted, I attended the show on a preview evening, so it’s possible that early kinks have since been smoothed out. Guests get a choice of three mains; go for the succulent beef or the vegan polenta with mushrooms, as the chicken leg was bland.

On a logistical note: there’s parking and a drop-off zone, but in case you end up having to walk from your car to the venue in the rain, consider bringing a flashlight and/or wearing flats. It’s awfully dark in Q.E. Park at night. Once you get inside that tent, though, you’ll have a hoot.

T I C K E T S O N S A L E N OW !

by Gail Johnson

THE ENEMY

Adapted and directed by Donna Spencer. A Firehall Arts Centre production. At the Firehall Arts Centre on Wednesday, November 14. Continues until December 1

Complete Festival Guide available now at JJ Bean locations

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IS THE MAJORITY always right?

That’s the question that the The Enemy appears to ask at first. Adapted and directed by artistic producer Donna Spencer, from Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 An Enemy of the People, the play examines tensions between ethics and public interest. The Enemy does a nice job of transplanting Ibsen’s story into a contemporary setting that B.C. audiences can relate to.

However, the play could benefit from some refinement, as the dialogue feels a bit unnatural, and there are a few too many extraneous pieces.

The Enemy takes place in an unnamed B.C. town where Dr. Stockman (nicely written as a female character in Spencer’s version) discovers evidence of water contamination. However, the town’s economic prosperity from its tourism industry will crash if Dr. Stockman releases her findings, and she also soon learns the consequences of challenging political authority.

Therefore, the play examines whether one should follow one’s ethics or respect the majority preference.

Rather than natural conversation, the play’s dialogue sometimes comes across as a series of opinion editorials read aloud by advocates for different causes, especially in the first act.

We hear the characters express their opinions on a number of topics, such as lack of voter participation and how the public-school system is designed.

The play tends to painfully spell everything out for audiences. For example, when Jenn Griffin, who plays

Paul Herbert and Jenn Griffin star in The Enemy. Photo by Pedro Meza

Dr. Stockman, explains the mechanics behind the water pollution, she speaks as if she’s filming an educational video. While I appreciated the thorough explanation, the delivery could have been subtler.

In fact, much of the play could use more subtlety, as the characters frequently state the obvious. At one point, the publisher of the town’s news site, the Daily Dose, has to compromise with the mayor’s agenda to keep her media outlet in business, and Howie, a journalist (Daniel Arnold), turns to the audience and says, “It’s still difficult for women in business.”

The Enemy’s flow is also disjointed.

The plot is fairly simple in the first act, but the second act is infused with subplots and twists, from blackmail schemes to deals to get Dr. Stockman to stay silent. And while these additions may give further substance to the story, it gets confusing to keep track of what each character’s agenda is.

The show does boast some great performances, particularly Griffin’s, which displays how an upstanding individual can be driven to the edge of sanity when the ruling powers gang up on her. Griffin’s calm erodes as the story progresses, and her character desperately hangs on to her cause.

Paul Herbert is also strong in his role of Mayor Stockman, sibling to the doctor. His cold-hearted disregard for his sister’s well-being shows how greed can override family love. But Herbert also capably switches into a cartoonlike mode when his character is in the spotlight at the town’s public meeting—adding some welcome comic relief to the production.

The Enemy digs deep to reveal how people and organizations, fuelled by apathy and self-serving interests, can push the majority to support their causes—as well as the consequences of not complying.

The play makes all of this relatable to local audiences, as tensions between environmental concerns and commercial profits are no strangers to B.C. However, The Enemy could gain from simplified plot lines and a subtler way of weaving its messaging into the dialogue.

by Vince Kanasoot

“Fearless…and very funny” —The New York Times

Starring Tess Degenstein A Spontaneous Theatre creation by Rebecca Northan playing at

ONE ACTOR. ONE AUDIENCE MEMBER. ONE BLIND DATE. COMMUNITY PARTNER | 2018–19 SEASON

Playing now till Dec 30!

40 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

stanley industrial alliance stage

Tess Degenstein; photo by Little Blue Lemon Photography

granville island stage

goldcorp stage at the bmo theatre centre

CURIOUS IMAGININGS Vancouver Biennale 2018-2020 is excited to present the groundbreaking immersive sculpture exhibition Curious Imaginings. For the first time ever, renowned Australian artist Patricia Piccinini is taking her hyperrealist, fantastical creatures outside the museum. The intimate setting of a wing of 18 rooms in Strathcona’s historic Patricia Hotel will be transformed for the Curious Imaginings exhibition. To Dec 15, Patricia Hotel. Tix $16-40.

DOUGLAS COUPLAND’S VORTEX Douglas Coupland’s radical art installation takes an imaginative journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, immersing viewers in the ocean-plastic pollution crisis. To April 30, 2019, Vancouver Aquarium. $22/39.

TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION Exhibition focuses on the legendary RMS Titanic’s compelling human stories through more than 120 authentic artifacts and extensive room re-creations. To Jan 11, 2019, Lipont Place.

THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 604-684-5050, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with pro-am night Tue at 8:30 pm, showcase Wed at 8:30 pm, and featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Cover $8 Tue, $10 Wed, $15 Thu, $18 Fri, $20 Sat. CHRIS LOCKE Nov 22-24 GINA BRILLON Nov 29-Dec 1.

YUK YUK'S COMEDY CLUB 2837 Cambie, 604-696-9857, www.yukyuks.com/vancouver/.

Comedy club with Top Talent Tue at 8 pm, amateur night Wed at 8 pm, and professional headliners Thu-Fri at 8 pm and Sat at 7 and 9:30 pm. Cover Tue $10, Wed $7, Thu $10, and Fri-Sat $20.

THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT: REFLECTING ON NORTHWEST COAST ART to spring 2019 MARKING THE INFINITE: CONTEMPORARY WOMEN ARTISTS FROM ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA to Mar 31 BILL REID GALLERY OF NORTHWEST COAST ART BODY LANGUAGE: REAWAKENING CULTURAL TATTOOING OF THE NORTHWEST to Jan 13 INTERFACE: THE WOVEN ARTWORK OF JAAD KUUJUS to Jan 9 MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER WILD THINGS: THE POWER OF NATURE IN OUR LIVES to Sep 30 HAIDA NOW: A VISUAL FEAST OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION to Dec 1, 2019 IN/FLUX: ART OF KOREAN DIASPORA to Jan 6 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY A CURATOR'S VIEW: IAN THOM SELECTS to Mar 17 GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND to Jan 20, 2019, 10 am–5 pm DANA CLAXTON: FRINGING THE CUBE to Feb 3 THE METAMORPHOSIS Nov 24-March 17 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY’S OFFSITE POLIT-SHEER-FORM OFFICE to Mar 31 THE POLYGON GALLERY LOOKING AT PERSEPOLIS: THE CAMERA IN IRAN 18501930 to Jan 13 BATIA SUTER: PARALLEL ENCYCLOPEDIA EXTENDED to Jan 13 SENSE AND SENSIBILITY Renowned both as a classic novel and a celebrated film, playwright Michelle Deines brings Jane Austen’s story of two sisters in challenging circumstances to fresh life on stage.

Presented by The BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts. To Nov 24, BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts. Tix $22/15/10 at www.capilanou.ca/centre.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Fresh take on Shakespeare’s comedy, directed by UBC BFA acting and MFA directing alumna Lois Anderson. To Nov 24, 7:30 pm, Frederic Wood Theatre. Tix $24.50/16.50/11.50.

THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN Aeschylus’s tragedy from 463 B.C., which looks to find meaning in forced migration. To Dec 2, 8 am, Jericho Arts Centre. Tix $22-28.

THE ENEMY Political drama adapted and directed by Firehall Arts Centre artistic producer Donna Spencer. To Dec 1, Firehall Arts Centre. Tix from $20.

PINOCCHIO The Karen Flamenco Dance Company performs its latest production. To Dec 8, 5-6 pm, The Improv Centre. Tix $10/$15.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE Dumb Instrument Dance presents the premiere of Vancouver dance artist Ziyian Kwan’s newest creation.

To Nov 24, Left of Main. Tix $25.

CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE Finely handcrafted ornaments and decorations by artisans in our community. To Dec 22, Place des Arts.

WINTER TREASURES ARTISAN MARKET Boutique-style show featuring locally handcrafted gifts, art, décor, and fine crafts. To Dec 23, Port Moody Arts Centre. Free.

RING OF FIRE, THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH First Impressions Theatre presents a celebration of the life and music of Johnny Cash. To Dec 1, Deep Cove Shaw Theatre. Tix $25/$23.

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's holiday confection filled with classic Jane Austen charm. To Dec 30, Granville Island Stage. Tix from $29.

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ADAPTED FROM HENRICK IBSEN’S AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE

ENEMY

THE

ONGOING

A FIREHALL ARTS CENTRE PRODUCTION

ARTS LISTINGS

18/19

DIRECTED AND ADAPTED BY

DONNA SPENCER

FEATURING

JENN GRIFFIN & PAUL HERBERT

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Tickets from $20

NOV 10 -DEC 1 TUE - SUN

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STUDIO 58 / LANGARA COLLEGE , IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOUCHSTONE THEATRE PRESENT

2 8 0 E C o r d o v a S t re e t

604.689.0926

firehallartscentre.ca Paul Herbert and Jenn Griffin

MORTIFIED

by Amy Rutherford

N OV

15 DEC

2

Youth. Influence. Rebellion. Belonging.

Supported by the Studio 58 Legacy Fund

#Studio58Season53 | #Mortified | @studio58theatre

Photograph: Pedro Meza

TICKETSTONIGHT.CA 604.684.2787

STUDIO58.CA

TOUCHSTONETHEATRE.COM

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 CHOTTO DESH Vancouver premiere of Akram Khan Company’s solo work. Nov 21-24, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Tix from $35.

ART IN THE CITY: ICONS OR EYESORES? Free public forum on the value of public art.

Nov 21, 6:30-8 pm, Douglas College. Free.

THE COMING WOMAN: FEMINISM FROM 1868 A reading of feminist absurd comedy from 1868. Nov 21, 7-8:30 pm, The Heritage Grill. Pay what you want.

UBC CONCERT WINDS Works by Delle

BACH COLLEGIUM JAPAN

BACH • HANDEL • VIVALDI Masaaki Suzuki music director | Joanne Lunn soprano

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

Tickets start at

AT THE CHAN CENTRE

DEC09

PAUL LEWIS “The performances are of unmatched excellence.”

Gramophone

Tickets from $36 | earlymusic.bc.ca rlym | 604.822.2697 This concert is generously supported by Zelie & Vincent Tan and Adele Lafleur

$25

PIANO

SUN DEC 9 at 3pm I VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE An exciting musical journey into the late piano music of

BEETHOVEN I HAYDN I BRAHMS TICKETS: 604 602 0363 I VANRECITAL.COM

SEASON SPONSOR:

CONCERT SPONSOR:

SUPPORTED BY:

Elaine Adair

see next page

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 41

ARTS LISTINGS from previous page Cese, Grainger, Meechan, and Holst. Nov 21, 7:30-9:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Tix $8.

ALBIREO World premiere of a new musical

by UBC creative-writing alumna Annahis Basmadjian. Nov 21-24, 7:30-9:30 pm, Redgate Revue Stage. Tix $21.69.

IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY The Fictionals celebrate eight years of comedy. Nov 21, 8-10 pm, Rio Theatre. Tix $12.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22 SOUL SAMURAI Samurai revenge epic set in a postapocalyptic Manhattan. Nov 22–Dec 2, Studio 1398. Tix $27.

HIR Pi Theatre presents the Canadian premiere of American playwright Taylor Mac’s work. Nov 22–Dec 8, Orpheum Annex. Tix from $26.

BLIND DATE Rebecca Northan's fly-by-theseat-of-your-pants fusion of clown, improv, theatre, and social experiment. Nov 22–Dec 30, Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre. Tix from $29.

DISCOVER DANCE! DANCERS OF DAMELAHAMID Indigenous company from the Northwest Coast of B.C. performs masked dance. Nov 22, 12-1 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre. Tix $15/13.

WRITERS SHOWCASE Authors Yvonne Adalian, Miriam Clavir, John Donlan, Ruth Kozak, and Nisha Paul share their work. Nov 22, 6:30 pm, Vancouver Public Library Central Branch. Free.

SISTERS OF THE ICE The intertwined histories of the St. Roch and Canada's Arctic tall ship, North Star of Herschel Island. Nov 22, 7:30-9 pm, Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Tix $11.

MILLENNIAL LINE Featuring poets Samantha Nock and Selina Boan and standup comedians Ava Julien, Maddy Kelly, Cassidy Anhorn, and Katie-Ellen Humphries. Nov 22, 8 pm, Red Gate Arts Society. Tix $7-10.

QUEER AS JOKES SHOWCASE Comedy night hosted by Steve Sidi. Nov 22, 8 pm, Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club. Tix $10.

JOKES PLEASE! Standup comedy show hosted by Ross Dauk. Nov 22, 9-10:40 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. Tix $7.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24

EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY'S LEGENDARY STUDENT ART SALE Work of emerging designers and artists. Nov 23-25, 12-5 pm, Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Free.

WINTER ARTISAN MARKET Handmade jewellery, textiles, and woodcraft by B.C. artisans. Nov 23-24, 4 pm, Leigh Square Community Arts Village's Gathering Place.

MAKER MARKET 2.0 Night market for small batch and handmade goods. Nov 23, 5 pm, The Ellis Building.

COLLECTIONS TOUR Explore model totem poles with Pacific Northwest Coast art specialist Christopher W. Smith. Nov 23, 6-8 pm, Museum of Vancouver. $100.

STORYTELLING FOR THE MODERN WORLD Storytelling by Helen May, Mary Gavan, and Jennifer Martin. Nov 23, 7 pm, Canadian Centre for Peace. Tix $7.

CODA 2.0—SOFTWARE FOR PEOPLE: THE UPGRADE Live computer coding meets improvised sonics and visual art performance.

Nov 23, 7 pm, Performance Works. $12.

BRUNCH: A COMEDY SHOW—YEAH, WE HAVE A PODCAST NOW Sketch and improvcomedy show. Nov 23, 7-9:30 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. Tix $10/$12.

DOUBT: A PARABLE Seven Tyrants Theatre presents John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prizewinning drama. Nov 23–Dec 14, 7 pm, Tyrant Studios. Tix $32.

MUSIC ON THE POINT: SCENES FROM CHILDHOOD Music by Strauss, Dvořák, Bragato, and Kenneson. Nov 23, 7:30 pm, Roy Barnett Recital Hall. Tix $20/10.

KABABAYANG PILIPINO: TATAK Pieces inspired by traditional Filipino folk-dance movement. Nov 23-24, 7:30 pm, Vancouver Playhouse. Tix $30.

J.J. WHITEHEAD Comedian performs two nights of standup. Nov 23-24, Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club. Tix $20.

FUSE: OBJECT LESSONS The VAG's signature evening merges visual art, music, and performance. Nov 23, 8 pm, Vancouver Art Gallery. Tix $29/$15.

HOUSE NOCTURNAE—DEEPER & DARKER Eclectic dancers, burlesque stripteasers, and torch singers. Nov 23, 10:30 pm, Havana Theatre. Tix $20.

DISNEY—THE LITTLE MERMAID JR. The stage musical The Little Mermaid presented by the Children's Theatre of Richmond Association. Nov 24-25, Massey Theatre. Starting at $24.

A CHARLIE BROWN HOLIDAY DOUBLEBILL Carousel Theatre for Young People presents "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown". Nov 24–Dec 30, Waterfront Theatre. Tix $35/$29/$18.

HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR Shop items created by 50 crafters and artisans. Nov 24-25, 10 am–4 pm, West End Community Centre. Free.

ELDERS WINTER BAZAAR Indigenous Christmas Craft Fair. Nov 24-25, 10 am–5 pm, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre . By donation.

SPIRIT OF THE SEASON Original artworks at accessible prices. Nov 24, 11 am–5 pm; Dec 8, 11 am–5 pm, Van Dop Gallery.

CAG FAMILY DAY | FOUND WORD POETRY CAG invites all ages to drop in for short exhibition tours and free art-making activities that respond to its current exhibitions. Nov 24, 12-3 pm, Contemporary Art Gallery. Free.

THE DRIFT & ART JAM Art show will host over 40 local artists and have open studios with dance and music performances. Nov 24, 2-10 pm, Renegade Broadway. $12/36 80'S REDUX Author-photographer Mike Hipple talk and book signing. Nov 24, 2:304:30 pm, The Beatmerchant Record Store.

Free.

COASTAL CITY BALLET'S FALL FOR BALLET Program includes Three Preludes by Ben Stevenson and Night Sweats by Thys Armstrong. Nov 24, 7 pm, Chief Sepass Theatre.

Tix $30/$25.

CHEZ NOUS: CHRISTMAS WITH ELEKTRA Christmas concert featuring the Elektra Women's Choir, tenor Ben Heppner, pianist Stephen Smith, and the VYC Kids. Nov 24, 7:30 pm, Shaughnessy Heights United Church. Tix $15-$35.

UNFINISHED: TWU'S CONCERT BAND AND ORCHESTRA An evening of pieces that are "unfinished" in one way or another. Nov 24, 7:30-10 pm, Peace Lutheran Church. Tix $10.

LAVANYA ANANTH Bharata natyam performance by dancer from India. Nov 24, 8 pm,

Roundhouse Community Centre. Tix $25/22.

BECOMING BURLESQUE CLASS 35 GRADUATION RECITAL Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society presents Vancouver's newest burlesque performers. Nov 24, 8-11:30 pm, WISE Hall. Tix $20-26.

THE COMIC STRIP David Thomas Newham and Dave Harris host standup comedy by Ari Matti, Colin Sharp, Darcy Boon Collins, and headliner Simon King. Nov 24, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios. Tix $18.

THE LIST Comedians perform standup and improv in list form. Nov 24, 10:30 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. Tix $10.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 BURNABY LYRIC OPERA Operatic arias, duets, and trios interspersed with Christmas stories and carols. Nov 25, 3 pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Tix $15.

CHEZ NOUS: CHRISTMAS WITH ELEKTRA Christmas concert featuring the Elektra choir, tenor Ben Heppner, pianist Stephen Smith, and the VYC Kids. Nov 25, 3 pm, Good Shepherd Church. Tix $15-$35.

VCMS: CHARLES YANG & PETER DUGAN Violinist Yang performs with pianist Dugan.

Nov 25, 3-5 pm, West Vancouver United Church. Tix $25-$35.

KITS CLASSICS + WORLDS BEYOND Chamber music by Mozart and Rebecca Clarke. Nov 25, 4 pm, St. James Hall. Free.

CUADRO! FLAMENCO DANCE SHOWCASE Mozaico dancers dance Cuadro Flamenco.

Nov 25, 7:30-10 pm, Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tix $12-25.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26 12 MINUTES MAX STUDIO SHOWING New works in progress by Megan Hunter, Alexa Mardon, Katherine Vincent, and Britta Wirthmüller. Nov 26, 6 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre. Free.

WITCHES, WITCH-HUNTING, AND WOMEN The Spartacus Book Club discusses the book by Silvia Federici. Nov 26, 7-8:30 pm, Spartacus Books.

NASTY WOMEN COMEDY: FORBIDDEN Female-fierce comedy/improv show. Nov 26, 7:30-10 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $10/$14.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27

Arts

HOT TICKET

HIR (November 23 to December 8 at the Annex) Brace yourself for Pi Theatre’s local premiere of Hir, the deliciously radical play by celebrated New York theatrescene wild child Taylor Mac. It’s pronounced “here”—and it’s the preferred gender pronoun of the play’s protagonist. That gives you a hint that this black comedy is about gender, but it’s also about dysfunctional families, toxic masculinity, and so much more. Amid raves wherever it’s played, the Guardian wrote that it “reminds us of theatre’s potential: to be a brilliant conduit that makes ideas alive and accessible”.

EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY STUDENT ART SALE

(November 23 to 25 at ECUAD) An early present for gift-hunters, the massive annual show serves up paintings, drawings, ceramics, and sculpture, not to mention photographs, wearable works, and handmade cards.

There’s much, much more in this massive celebration of the school’s talent—and it’s a chance to check out its new digs on East 1st Avenue.

THIS DUET THAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE (SO MANY TIMES) Frédérick Gravel and Brianna Lombardo create a tableau in which movement portrays the poetry of everyday life. Nov 27–Dec 1, 8 pm, Cultch’s Historic Theatre. Tix $24-$51.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 EAST VAN PANTO: WIZARD OF OZ When a pipeline bursts, Dorothy and Toto are flung to the magical Land of Oz, aka Nanaimo and Hastings. Nov 28–Jan 6, 2019, 7 pm, York Theatre. Tix $10-$69.

YUNDI "TOUCH OF CHOPIN" 2018 WORLD TOUR Pianist performs with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. Nov 28, 7:30 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tix $49-$249.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29 VETTA PRESENTS Piano quartets by Mahler, Mozart, and Dvořák. Nov 29, 2 pm; Nov 30, 7:30 pm, West Point Grey United Church. Tix $20-25.

MUSEUM WITHOUT A HOME Join Oxfam Canada for an evening of art, food, and music.

Nov 29, 6:30-9 pm, Museum of Vancouver. Free.

ED THE SOCK'S "WAR ON STUPID" TOUR Comedy show featuring an angry sock that talks. Nov 29, 9 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $20-$45.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15

25TH ANNIVERSARY WINTER HARP Winter Harp is one of the most hauntingly beautiful Christmas concerts you will ever attend. Harps, medieval instruments, flute, violin/fiddle, singers, and percussion combine to perform festive carols and stories to warm your heart and wrap you snugly in the Christmas spirit. The concert also features beautiful costumes and rare medieval instruments. Dec 15, 7:30 pm, St. Andrew's–Wesley United Church. Tix $25-40 (plus service charges) at Tickets Tonight.ca,

42 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

ANONYMOUS ART SHOW

(November 22 to December 15 at CityScape Community ArtSpace in North Vancouver) Here’s how this fun sale works: more than 300 local artists, established and emerging, create 738 eight-by-eight-inch works that are layed out like mosaics on the wall, at 100 bucks a pop.

Only after your purchase do you find out who made it. Visitors get to take the piece home as soon as they buy it, so the exhibition shifts every day into visually pleasing new patterns.

Proceeds go to CityScape’s community programs.

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by phone 604.684.2787 x2, or toll-free 1.877.840.0457 ARTS EVENTS 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.

music

Friendship binds boygenius together

by Mike Usinger

O

ne of life’s sad realities is that the older you get, the harder it becomes meeting people who become truly close friends. Double down on that if you live a seminomadic existence as a working musician, away from home for months at a time, days consisting of long hours in vans and endless nights in a parade of clubs.

That surreal disconnect from the normal world is one of the hardest parts of being a touring artist. Never mind the nonexistent odds of meeting your new best friend during a 16-hour stay in a strange and new town—it’s hard to maintain existing bonds when you’re constantly missing out on birthdays, dinner parties, anniversaries, movie dates, and coffee-shop hangs.

That reality was the inspiration for “Ketchum, ID”, the gutting closing track on the eponymous debut from boygenius, the new indie supergroup consisting of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker. Sadness positively drips from lyrics like “I am never anywhere/Anywhere I go/ When I’m home I’m never there/ Long enough to know.”

When the three songwriters, who are all in their early 20s, are reached on a conference call in St. Louis, they acknowledge that the life they’ve chosen to lead as artists has both endless rewards and difficult challenges. One of the greatest things about boygenius is the bonding that they’ve done since what started out as a package tour for a trio of solo artists spun off into an actual band.

“For me at least, our type of friendship is really rare,” Dacus offers.

“Making friends once you become a touring musician isn’t necessarily easy because you’re in a different city every night and you don’t really have the time to share, I don’t know, community experiences in the way that you do growing up in one particular place. It takes a lot of extra effort, which is something that I’m glad that we’ve made.”

The roots of boygenius date back to Dacus, Bridgers, and Baker all signing on for a package tour, something that makes sense in an era when indie rock has taken a back seat to the culture-shifting juggernaut that is urban music in all its various guises. Playing alone on past swings through Vancouver, Baker and Dacus

Left to right: Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus of the indie supergroup boygenius. Photo by Kristy Benjamin

found themselves booking into the intimate Cobalt. By joining forces with Bridgers, they’ve jumped up to midsize rooms like the Commodore on their current tour, which features them playing both individually and as boygenius.

All three have been lauded as being at the top of their class.

Dacus first surfaced with the ragged DIY stunner No Burden in 2016 after abandoning film school for music, following up that breakthrough with this year’s critically hailed, orchestral-pop triumph, Historian.

Baker turned battles with depression and anxiety into 2015’s strippedraw confessional Sprained Ankle, the Memphis singer returning last year with the equally gripping Turn Out the Lights. Bridgers, meanwhile, hit indie-rock gold with last year’s official debut, Stranger in the Alps, the album spawning devastatingly sad “Funeral”, which will one day be remembered as one of the greatest songs of the decade.

As much as their individual careers are flourishing, there’s something liberating about being able to share the spotlight.

“I feel like this is a confidence builder,” Bridgers says. “Having to take responsibility for your project 100 percent is hard. When it’s just your name on something, you’re not able to deflect any responsibility or stress, and that leads to a lot of inner

turmoil. That’s totally diffused when you’re in a band. Normally, I’ll spend four days asking myself ‘Is this a good idea?’ before doing something.

I’ve never done that in this project.”

Baker adds: “Even if there are questions about whether an idea is good, the answer is nothing is ever stupid or minimalized in boygenius. It’s more ‘Let’s try this anyway.’ We really trust each other’s intuition, and that’s

something that I don’t always trust in other writing contexts. I’m often very defensive or protective when I share my songs with other people.”

Initially, the plan was to cut a single to promote the tour. The collaboration quickly spiralled into an EP, the collaborative nature of boygenius best reflected by the fact that the record often sounds nothing like the solo works of those involved. Laced with

Q&A Q. When did you discover each other?

A. [Dacus] “I think Julien was the first person to get out there and start touring and get recognized for her work. I met Julien just before Sprained Ankle came out, and then she really turned Phoebe and I on to each other’s music. I think in some ways that was the genesis of boygenius.

She’s kind of like the band’s godmother.”

Q. What’s in the future for boygenius?

A. [Baker] “We’ve all expressed a desire to make a full-length at some point, but I don’t know if that will happen, because we’re

all engulfed in our own personal pursuits with prior engagements.

But because there was no hype around this project, and because of so much freedom, I don’t feel like there’s an expiration date for it.”

Q. What’s surprised you about boygenius?

A. [Baker] “One thing that I get out of the record is that, when our voices—figurative and literal—are placed next to each other, you can really see the contrast in them. That dismantles the inclination to categorize us into a single, one-dimensional trope. It’s no longer the ‘sad girl’ artist or the ‘bookish’ artist.”

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heaven-sent harmonizing, “Bite the Hand” starts out a grey-skies reverie before the clouds suddenly part and the sun floods in. “Salt in the Wound” connects the dots between sunset country and Crazy Horse folk, while “Stay Down” time-travels back to the golden era of college rock—right down to the incandescent guitar outro.

All three members of the group have been labelled, as is typically the case, popular narratives being that Dacus is the bookish nerd, Baker and Bridgers the brooding loners.

With boygenius, that pigeonholing becomes harder.

“You don’t really know what people are going through from their work, and I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” Dacus says. “Think about how comedians often have a lot of sadness or turmoil in their personal lives. In the same way, Julien and Phoebe are often talked about as sad girls, but behind the scenes they are always cracking jokes and being really funny.”

That hasn’t stopped outsiders from pursuing the idea that, when you’re dealing with three artists whose work embraces the dramatic in the most personal of ways, there’s bound to be drama behind the scenes.

“It’s funny—I’ve become really paranoid about making jokes in interviews,” Baker says. “People keep asking us things like ‘So, was there ever a time when you guys have fought about stuff?’ I guess they are looking for some kind of conflict, so I’ve had to try and make it super clear that there’s not.”

And that’s because, Bridgers suggests, sometimes you’re lucky enough to meet the kind of friends where bonds always triumph over bullshit.

“I think it’s pretty easy to not be a fucking dick,” she says to great laughter from Dacus and Baker. “I really do think that. There’s no great challenge to being nice and humble when you are around others. There’s this idea that music is full of licence to be an asshole, but all of my favourite people have never been tempted by that.

That’s why we laugh at the question ‘How do you settle your feuds?’ The answer is ‘We don’t have to.’ ”

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Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker play individual sets and as boygenius at the Commodore on Friday (November 23).

Finland’s Yotto has global perspective d

EUROPE HAS long been known as the world centre of dance music. Firmly embedded in the culture of cities and towns like Berlin, London, and Ibiza, electronic records have been a mainstay on radio stations since the ’80s.

Over the past 10 years, however, North America’s EDM boom has created its own cultural identity—one that, according to Finnish DJ and producer Yotto, has its own unique benefits.

“In North America, it’s obviously in a very good place right now,” he tells the Straight on the line from a Philadelphia tour stop. “It really blew up there a decade ago, with the boom around the big festivals and everything that came with it. It’s turned into a big business. I think that’s a great thing, because everything is so professional. And people listen to all types of music— they don’t differentiate. You have kids that go to a techno party, and the same people might go to a dubstep show. That’s not very common in Europe, and these places where dance music has been around for longer. In North America it’s always seemed to be like that—that everyone works together a bit more.”

The artist has an authoritative take on the global ecosystem. First experiencing electronic music after picking up records from the Finnish public library system and now signed to

Yotto has been playing internationally since 2015.

U.K. deep house label Anjunadeep, the producer—born Otto Yliperttula—has been playing around the world since 2015 and is a regular in renowned international clubs. His latest set of dates showcases his first full-length release, a 13-track collection named Hyperfall, that Yliperttula released in September this year.

“I felt that I wanted to put out an album because an album can do something a bit

different from the club singles mixes that I keep releasing,” he says. “So I had these huge tracks that I really liked that didn’t make sense as singles. It came together quite fast.

I built it like a DJ set would be, so that it had some sort of flow. At the beginning, there are a couple of tracks that I can never play out when I’m DJing. And then there’s ‘Nada C’, which leads to a more chilled-out, deeper midsection, and then it takes off towards the end a bit more with big tracks, and stays up.”

The typical Yotto sound—muscular, 120-bpm bass lines with staccato melodies—underscores every track on the record, with the producer using those elements to craft songs that range from dark underground bangers to more commercial EDM pop. Conscious that ticket-buyers are keen to experience those offerings live, Yliperttula has chosen to construct this tour’s sets around the album’s multiple moods.

“I have to deliberately play as much of my own music as I can, because that’s usually what people want to see—especially on an album tour,” he says. “But there’s just so much good new music out on a weekly basis. It’s crazy.

I go through promos and new music every day.

And then when I’m on-stage, I have five brandnew tracks I want to play, and have to work out

where to fit them in. I always build a set around my own tracks, trying to make sure they actually stand out, and then I use others as transitions, as functional tools. It’s a balancing act.”

by Kate Wilson

Yotto plays Celebrities on Saturday (November 24).

CUEVAS’S LATEST ALBUM IS A LOVE LETTER TO HER TROUBLED HOMELAND

d

AFTER FIVE albums of smooth, multicultural vocal jazz—rooted in Latin music but with touches of funk, flamenco, and radio pop—Eliana Cuevas knew that it was time to get in touch with her Venezuelan roots. But with riots in the streets of her native Caracas, and with two young children to care for, making a record in the land of her birth seemed like an unfulfillable fantasy, or even a dangerous extravagance.

Fortunately, technology came to her rescue.

Working with her husband, keyboardist, and producer, Jeremy Ledbetter, Cuevas turned to file-sharing and Skype sessions to see next page

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 4 3

MUSIC

Catching up with 1980s icons

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by Mike Usinger

The Beatmerchant Record Store is proud to present Award Winning Photographer

New-Used Records New CDs & DVDs New Posters T-Shirts British Soccer Lots of Goodies

MIKE HIPPLE

Author of “80’s Redux”

LIVE in STORE Saturday Nov. 24th 2018 2:30-4:30pm Steveston Village This book signing is part of an ongoing series “Sessions at the Store”.

12240 SECOND AVE., STEVESTON VILLAGE, RICHMOND

604.204.0044 |

WWW.BEATMERCHANT.COM

NEW ORLEANS INSPIRED CUISINE

FAT TUESDAYS! $9.95 PASTAS 5pm to 9pm

HAPPY HOUR DRINKS & FOOD EVERY DAY FROM 4PM TO 6 PM THURSDAY NOV 22

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BLUEMARTINIJAZZCAFE.COM 1516 YEW STREET, VANCOUVER, BC | 604 428 2691 44 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

ne of the great things about the Internet is that it makes catching up with old friends and onetime casual acquaintances easy. And, no, we’re not talking about reaching out to someone from the distant past to reconnect over coffee, dinner, or a tag-team trip to the Bella Dolls Mansion. All that typically leads to is 45 minutes of awkward conversation where, halfway through things, you realize you’d rather be watching The Haunting of Hill House.

Who has time for real long-lost people when you can find everything there is to know about them on Face­ book, Instagram, and Twitter? The only problem being that can also be dangerous from a time-suck perspective. One minute you’re on Facebook looking up that guy who used to insist that everyone at Burnaby North call him the Colonel. The next thing you know, three hours have passed as you’ve hopped from one friends list to another, patiently scrolling along to creep the profiles of everyone you went to school with from grades 9 to 12. If only someone would do you a favour and put all that information in one easily accessible place.

That brings us to 80s Redux: Your Favorite Musicians Today.

First the traumatic news: it’s an oldfashioned book—a little bigger than a 7-inch single—which means, horror of horrors, you’re probably going to have to put down the iPhone for five minutes and focus on something other than flitting endlessly from Instagram to Facebook to Twitter.

The good news? It’s an obvious labour of love that covers half the ’80s bands you loved. Seattle-based photographer Mike Hipple not only turns his camera on musicians from the decade that gave us new wave, synth-pop, and pre-Nirvana alternative rock, but fleshes things out with interviews that bring us up-to-date on where those musicians are today.

Hipple’s personal tastes colour the book, which is to say that if you’re looking for Pat Benatar, Angus Young, Madonna, or Huey Lewis, you’re going to be disappointed. Instead, 80s Redux: Your Favorite Musicians Today is

Martha Davis of the Motels, as seen in photographer Mike Hipple’s book 80s Redux.

partly devoted to breakthrough weirdos like the B-52’s, Concrete Blonde, and Romeo Void—acts that somehow crashed radio and MTV in the Me Decade despite coming directly from the freaks-and-geeks lunch table in high school. The book spends just as much time catching up with acts that will be unfamiliar to all but underground obsessives, including Alice Bag of the Alice Bag Band, Kurt Neumann of the BoDeans, and Steve Mack of That Petrol Emotion.

Curious why Dave Wakeling seemed to suddenly drop off the radar after being everywhere in the ’80s with the English Beat and General Public? After having kids, he took a job with Greenpeace in his adopted city of L.A., enabling him to be home for his kids. Wakeling tells Hipple he wanted to be “Coach Dave on the soccer team or the dad who could really help with the algebra”.

Laurie Sargent of Face to Face (“10-9-8”) eventually traded the mike for organic farming and painting. And Tommy Heath—who scored a megahit as Tommy Tutone with “867-5309/Jenny”—hauled up stakes and moved to Nashville to write country songs, before reinventing himself as a computer programmer in the Pacific Northwest.

Interestingly, music maintains a pull on almost everyone interviewed, from legends like Wire and Robyn Hitchcock to semifootnotes like Valerie Day and John Smith of Nu Shooz. Well aware that they’ll

never again hit the heights that landed them on music television—not to mention in the pages of 80s Redux: Your Favorite Musicians Today—almost everyone still writes, makes records, and tours for audiences on the booming retro circuit.

Rather than raiding the archives for photos that have been seen a thousand times before, Hipple starts fresh for his fan project. The results are fantastic, whether it’s a funereal-looking black-and-white portrait of Rose McDowall leaning on a shotgun in the forest, or Martha Davis of the Motels being surveyed by watchful billy goats on her Pacific Northwest farm.

No matter whether the stories in 80s Redux are coming from Gene Loves Jezebel’s Michael Aston or the Cure’s once-troubled Lol Tolhurst, they are pretty much 99 percent more interesting than anything you’ll unearth while scouring Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on people you haven’t seen for years.

Should one of those folks reach out to you, wanting to get together, tell them you’re spending time catching up with old friends. Assuming you had even a sliver of good taste back in the day, 80s Redux: Your Favorite Musicians Today is packed with them.

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Mike Hipple will be signing copies of 80s Redux: Your Favorite Musicians Today at the Beatmerchant Record Store (12240 Second Avenue, Richmond) from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday (November 24).

from previous page

produce her latest release, Golpes y Flores. The result, with Cuevas’s lilting melodies bolstered by the complex Afro-Venezuelan rhythms of percussionists Yonathan “Morocho” Gavidia, Javier Suárez, and Juan Carlos Segovia—who contributed their parts digitally—is by far the most compelling record of her career. It’s also an albumlength love letter to a country that, for now, she has to adore from afar.

“In the last few years, since the situation has deteriorated so much in Venezuela—economically, politically, socially—it has really affected me emotionally,” Cuevas explains, reached at her home in Toronto. “Of course I’m in Canada, and here I don’t have the kind of problems that a lot of my family are facing right now. But it still matters to me, and I know that despite all of these problems that Venezuela is facing, there are so many beautiful people, so many beautiful places, and such a rich culture there. So I felt really strongly that I wanted to highlight some of the beauty that is still in my country, even during such a terrible time.”

To symbolize the strength of the Venezuelan people, Cuevas turned to the rhythms of the hot Atlantic coast— rhythms brought to South America by slaves. Like AfroCuban beats, which they closely resemble, these patterns were originally associated with African ritual, and although they’ve become secularized over time—and blended with elements from Venezuela’s Spanish and Indigenous populations—they’ve retained a sense of passionate intensity.

Cuevas points out, however, that Golpes y Flores is not some kind of ethnomusicological experiment. “We have included the rhythms, but we’re using them in the context of my own songs,” she stresses. “And I didn’t really grow up in the Afro-Venezuelan community: I’m from Caracas, and in the city you don’t see it as much, right?

People know about it, but the communities are not there, so you don’t get to see the rituals, you don’t get to see how it is used—because it still is used very much in rituals.

But occasionally there will be people who come to perform, or you’ll hear music on the radio that has the influence of the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms. That was how I came across this music, but it was only after I moved to Canada that I was able to explore adding these beautiful rhythms to my music.”

Eliana Cuevas loves her native Venezuela, but in this time of unrest, the singer has to adore the country from afar.

Integrating the Golpes y Flores drummers with her band remains an unfulfilled dream; for Cuevas’s upcoming Frankie’s Jazz Club shows, she’ll be working with Ledbetter and a local rhythm section. But some day, she hopes, it will be possible. “We’ve Skyped, we’ve been in contact through the Internet, which is a great tool, and we’ve managed to make a record together, but we have not met in person,” she says. “But we want to meet in person, believe me. I would love to be able to bring them here—and, actually, I’d love to go there, too, once things are a bit better.”

by Alexander Varty

Eliana Cuevas plays Frankie’s Jazz Club on Saturday (November 24).

MUSIC LISTINGS

CONCERTS JUST ANNOUNCED ALL STAR BRASS Trumpeter Jens Lindemann and friends. Dec 2, 3 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre . Tix $19-$48.

CHRISTMAS JAZZ CONCERT Jazz featuring local artists Miles Black, Glenda Rae, and Brett Wade. Dec 2, 7-9 pm, The Sanctuary at Brentwood. Tix $25/$30.

SULTANS OF STRING—CHRISTMAS CARAVAN Original world-music-inspired classics and seasonal favourites. Dec 5, 7 pm, Centennial Theatre. Tix $28/$20.

MICHAEL KAESHAMMER Pianist performs boogie-woogie blues. Dec 6, 7:30 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre . Tix $19-48.

A JAZZY NUTCRACKER Bill Mays and the Toronto Chamber Jazz Septet give holiday classics a jazzy edge. Dec 7, 7:30 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre . Tix $19-$48.

FESTIVUS WITH THE BIG EASY FUNK ENSEMBLE New Orleans funk and holiday classics. Dec 8, Fairview Pub. Tix $10/$15.

MARTINA GRIFFITHS Jazzed-up selection of holiday-themed songs. Dec 8, 7 pm, XY. Tix $20.

ROEDDE HOUSE JAZZ SERIES Fran Jaré, Saul Berson, and the Paul Blaney Trio. Dec 13, 7-9 pm, Roedde House Museum. Tix $15/$12.

CORY WEEDS & THE LITTLE BIG BAND Thirteen Vancouver jazz artists perform together. Dec 13, 8-10 pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Tix $30.

GOOD TIDINGS! A GOOD NOISE GOSPEL CHRISTMAS An evening of gospel, soul, and jazzy Christmas favourites. Dec 14-15, Christ Church Cathedral. Tix from $10.

PLAY. PIE & PINT Rio Samaya performs Latin flavoured tunes, followed by a pie and beverage. Dec 19, 12 pm, Centennial Theatre.

Tix $25/$22/$15.

A CARPENTERS' CHRISTMAS The Creber Family and guests perform festive classics by The Carpenters. Dec 22, 7:30 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre . Tix $15-48.

STRUT All-star party band performs top 40 hits at a New Year's bash. Dec 31, 8:45 pm, The Park Pub at English Bay. Tix $10.

WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS Nashville-based singer-songwriter, with guest Eddie Berman.

Jan 21, 9 pm, WISE Hall. Tix on sale Nov 23, 10 am, $20.

INFECTED MUSHROOM Israeli electronica/ house duo. Jan 26, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix on sale Nov 23, 10 am, $22.50.

TRACYANNE AND DANNY New collaborative project between singer-songwriters Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura) and Danny Coughlan (Crybaby). Feb 1, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $20.

DRAMA Chicago-based duo, with guest Claire George. Feb 10, 8 pm, Biltmore Cabaret.

Tix on sale Nov 23, 10 am, $15.

CHALI 2NA & THE HOUSE OF VIBE American rapper, with guest The Gaff. Feb 14, 9 pm, Imperial. Tix on sale Nov 21, 10 am, $25.

CURRENT JOYS American singer-songwriter Nicholas Rattigan. Feb 26, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $13.

THE COATHANGERS Punk rock/garage band from Atlanta, Georgia. Mar 2, Imperial .

Tix $17.50.

SID SRIRAM R&B singer-songwriter and producer. Mar 6, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix on sale Nov 20, 10 am, $20.

ONE OK ROCK Japanese rock band, with guests Waterparks and Stand Atlantic. Mar 22, Vogue Theatre. Tix $39.75.

LIGHTHOUSE Canadian pop-rock band celebrates its 50th anniversary. Mar 22, 23, 7:30 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre . Tix $29-$56.

LAURA JANE GRACE & THE DEVOURING MOTHERS Punk rockers from Florida, with guests Mercy Union and Control Top. Mar 27, 8 pm, Venue. Tix $22.50.

JOHN 5 Hard-rock guitar hero, with guest Jared James Nicols. Mar 31, 6:30 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. Tix $23.50.

GIRLPOOL Indie rock band from L.A., with guests Hatchie. Apr 13, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $14.99.

ROCKIN' RIVER MUSIC FEST Countrymusic festival featuring headliner Jason Aldean. Aug 1-4, Merritt, B.C.. Tix on sale Nov 23, 10 am.

A lbum OF THE WEEK OLD MAN CANYON A GRAND FACADE

When Old Man Canyon sat down with the Straight for 2016’s deliciously trippy Delirium, he was more than happy to discuss the wonders of drugs and how they affect the creative process. In addition to labelling himself a dedicated cannabis connoisseur, the artist known to his mom as Jett Pace also copped to being more than a casual fan of psychedelics.

Such information inevitably colours the way one’s work is viewed, so keep in mind that Old Man Canyon might have sworn off everything but caffeine and refined sugar before starting work on A Grand Facade. But goddamn if the album doesn’t sound like the work of someone spoken-word artist Vanessa Panton. Nov 22, 8 pm, Kings Cafe. Tix $10.

NASTI WEATHER, JEN DAVIDSON & NATHAN TURNER Three local singersongwriters. Nov 22, 8-11 pm, WISE Hall. $10 Donation.

JOEY LANDRETH Member of the Bros. Landreth performs tunes from debut solo album Whiskey. Nov 22, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix $15.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 LIVE AT THE GALLERY Local acts Kyla Coopman and the Rocket Fuel Band perform. Nov 23, 7-9 pm, Deer Lake Gallery. Free.

JULIEN BAKER AND PHOEBE BRIDGERS WITH LUCY DACUS Coheadlining show featuring American singer-songwriters Baker and Bridgers with Dacus. Nov 23, 7:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix $28.50.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH Indie-folk singer-songwriter from Sweden. Nov 23, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Tix $49.50/39.50.

ROBERT DELONG Electronic musician from

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22 THE WHITE ALBUM REVISITED Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' White Album at a gala benefit concert for PAL Vancouver. Nov 22, 7:30 pm, St. James Hall.

Tix $45.

NIKITA AFONSO Vancouver singer-songwriter, with guests Mac Ramsay, Ria Jade, and Caitlin Canning. Nov 22, 8 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. Tix $10.

GUTTER DEMONS & IN THE WHALE Hardrock bands from Montreal and Denver. Nov 22, 8 pm, SBC Restaurant. Tix $15.

RODNEY DECROO + THE WISE BLOOD Celebration of the life and work of Canadian poet Al Purdy. Nov 22, 8 pm, The Cultch. Tix $25.

ROOT DWELLERS MUSIC SHOWCASE Performances by bands Clay Ravens, Year of the Wolf, and Small Town Artillery, plus

by Mike Usinger

Bothell, Washington. Nov 23, 8 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $20.

CLAY RAVENS AND BUFFALO JONES Local singer-songwriters, with guests Cassidy Waring and Hollow Groves, Nov 23, 8 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. Tix $10.

ELIANA CUEVAS Venezuelan native blends Latin, jazz, folk, and world music. Nov 23, 8 pm, The ACT Arts Centre. Tix $25/22.

AN EVENING WITH HARAM AND EZRA KWIZERA Album release featuring world music. Nov 23, 8-11 pm, WISE Hall. Tix $20.

FRIDAY JAZZ Classic piano jazz by the Jimi James Trio. Nov 23, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios.

Tix $10.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 POP UP PARTY Pop Up features performance by Scenic Route to Alaska. Nov 24, 3-6 pm, Big Rock Urban Brewery & Eatery. Free.

WEST COAST CHICAGO Tribute to horndriven rock band Chicago. Nov 24, 7 pm, Eclipse Lounge. No Cover.

Scan to confess Changes In the past month I’ve spent money on fatty food and beer out of stress. And I’m not feeling good at all. I just want to live a healthy sober life so as of tonight, I’m cutting the chips and booze out of my life for good. My new mission is to get skinny again and stay that way.

Some like it hot I hate electric stovetops. I hope I never have to live with cooking on one for the rest of my life. Once you switch to a gas stove there is no turning back.

Any way is okay If you’ve been in a relationship with someone who has been abusing you, and you decide to end it, I think that any way you do it is okay. Short of physical violence that is, unless that’s your only way to escape. People who act all injured and victimized because their victim finally got the strength to walk away make me sick. If you’re being an abusive jerk then you should expect that sooner or later you’re going to lose that person one way or another.

I hate my partner My partner is a narssastic bully. We never talk about anything but how fantastic he is. I’m desperately lonely and counting the days until I can escape. I have dreams of my own home where I will be free from his cruelty and constant demands. I hate him so much that some times I’m afraid I will blurt it out.

Meanwhile everyone thinks my life is fine... even if my partner is a bit of a jerk.

Visit

to post a Confession

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 WEDNESDAY NIGHT BLUES & BREWS Local blues-rockers the Steve Kozak Band, with guest guitarist Dave Vidal. Nov 21, 7:30 pm, Pat's Pub & Brewhouse.

CHASE ATLANTIC Alt-pop band from Australia, composed of Christian Anthony and brothers Clinton and Mitchel Cave. Nov 21, 9 pm, Fortune Sound Club. Tix $17.50.

KODALINE Irish indie-folk quartet. Nov 21, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix $32.75.

MUTUAL BENEFIT Indie-rock project created by singer-songwriter Jordan Lee. Nov 21, 9 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $15.

who sprinkles acid tabs on his cornflakes while spinning everything ever recorded by the Three O’Clock, Tame Impala, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre.

A Grand Facade kicks off with “Good While It Lasted”, where f if th-dimension vocals, flanged guitars, and watery waves of synths give you an idea what your dad’s C-90 cassettes sounded like being eaten by a Teac A-510 tape deck. From the pillowy “Let You Down” to the space-drift oddity “Run Away”, it’s unrelentingly lovely stuff, as great for watching the clouds roll by on the beaches of Ibiza as it is settling in for happy hour at the Korova Milk Bar, a Moloko Plus only guaranteed to heighten the experience.

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.

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254 East Hastings | rickshawtheatre.com UPCOMING SHOWS NOV 22 GUTTER DEMONS, IN THE WHALE & THE SHIT TALKERS NOV 24 DESERT DWELLERS WITH KAMINANDA NOV 26 PALAYE ROYALE WITH BONES & DEAD POSEY NOV 29 STIFF LITTLE FINGERS WITH THE MAHONES DEC 1 THE MARIAS & TRIATHALON DEC 2 JOHN MAUS WITH ACTORS

THI THURS S!

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 45

movies

Don’t quit staring at European cinema The union is faltering, but an annual fest brings yet another strong slate from across the pond

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by Adrian Mack

not. There are clever touches, like the creeping incursion, thanks to bad plumbing, of stagnant water into a setting that couldn’t be more removed from Don’t Look Now’s crumbling Venice. And some key moments of truly haunting imagery keep Gozo from spinning its wheels with too much time-filling visual abstraction.

Look for a cameo from U.K. film vet Nicky Henson, remembered for riding his tiny hog out of the grave as the undead biker of Psychomania (also from 1973, as it happens). November 23 (8:30 p.m.)

urope itself might be looking increasingly wobbly these days, but its big, hands-across-the-continent film festival remains solid as ever. We’ll be treated to entries from 26 member states when this year’s European Union Film Festival gets under way at the Cinematheque on Friday (November 23). Here are the first of our recommendations. Check Straight.com for more.

MADEMOISELLE PARADIS

(Austria/Germany) Barbara Albert’s opulent period piece starts with surely one of the most arresting images of the entire festival: the contorted expression of blind musical prodigy Maria Theresia von Paradis as she makes her way through a strenuous Bach composition.

We’re being asked to check our reaction to the faintly absurd sight in contrast to the high-society Paradis family, ashamed of the young harpsichordist’s unprepossessing disability. They send her off to doctor of animal magnetism Franz Mesmer in this playfully trenchant retelling of a true story. Interestingly, while the film is merciless in its view of unf laggingly cruel 18th-century Vienna, Mesmer’s results (if not the man himself) are spared our 21st-century scorn. He does actually cure Paradis—although that comes with its own unique problems. Rich both visually and in its subtler pleasures—chief ly an astounding central performance from Maria Dragus—this opener sets the bar pretty high. November 23 (6:30 p.m.)

QUIT STARING AT MY PLATE (Croatia/Den-

Maria Dragus is spellbinding as a blind harpsichord prodigy in the EUFF’s opening night feature, Mademoiselle Paradis.

thriller that pays homage to 1973’s classic Don’t Look Now. Here, the guilt infecting Joe camp from grimy, cold London to dry, sun- and Lucille’s getaway is considerably harder to blasted Malta in this moody psychological escape, as is their dialled-up self-absorption.

GOZO (Malta/U.K.) Two young lovebirds de-

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46 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

Fortunately, we have attractive Joseph Kennedy and Ophelia Lovibond to keep us invested; by the time Joe has completely unravelled, he’s won our sympathy, deservedly or

mark) Here’s the kind of movie that almost begs to be abhorred by the middlebrow while supplying the more adventurous with a grisly kind of pleasure. Young Marijana lives with her appalling family in a squalid apartment in the worst part of a Croatian coastal town. When corpulent, bullying Dad is felled by a stroke, she becomes his caregiver of sorts, largely because brother Zoran is a simpleton and Mom is an even bigger pig than her husband. (She leaves him at home, drooling and shitting himself, during a trip to the beach.) The arc here is from Marijana’s browbeaten status to a kind of cool, sadly necessary independence, complete with tawdry gang sexual encounters with the local delinquents. She barely rises above likable on this journey, which is where the film has come unstuck with North American critics, who seem to have forgotten Monty Python’s dictum “There’s some lovely filth down here.”

I found its mordant appreciation of the rituals of family torture—for which we all volunteer—utterly exhilarating. November 29 (6:30 p.m.)

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MUSIC LISTINGS from previous page

PARK SOUND PRESENTS Performances by Bre McDaniel, Jess Vaira, and Ian Badger. Nov 24, 7-11 pm, Park Sound Studio. Tix $8-$10.

NORTH SHORE CELTIC ENSEMBLE Youthful Celtic fiddling music. Nov 24, 7:30 pm, Centennial Theatre. Tix $25/$15.

SHALLOU L.A.-based electro-house artist.

Nov 24, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix $16.

TOKYO BLEU Local alt-rock band, with guests Beyond Land, PigpeN, Matt Cairns, and Will Horning. Nov 24, 8 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. Tix $10.

WEST COAST GUITAR NIGHT Twentieth annual event features acoustic-guitar performances by Kent Hillman, Edgar Avelino, Les Finnigan, Simon Fox, Itamar Erez, and John Gilliat with Rossi Tzonkov. Nov 24, 8 pm, Historic Theatre. Tix $29.

ELIANA CUEVAS The Coastal Jazz & Blues Society presents Venezuelan-Canadian songstress. Nov 24, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club.

Tix $17.50.

HEADSTONES Guitar-rockers from Kingston, Ontario play two shows, with guests the Matchstick Skeletons. Nov 24-25, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix $42.50.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 JAZZ VESPERS Original songs and jazz standards. Nov 25, 4-5 pm, St. Andrew's United Church. By Donation.

JENNIFER SCOTT QUARTET Vancouver jazz vocalist accompanied by bassist Rene Worst, guitarist Bill Coon, and drummer Dave Robbins. Nov 25, 4-5 pm, Northwood United Church. By donation.

JONI MITCHELL & FRIENDS SING-ALONG Sing along to the songs of the great Canadian artist. Nov 25, 4:30-7 pm, Princeton Pub & Grill. Tix $20.

CHOKING SUSAN Female-fronted punk band from Detroit, with local guests Wett Stillettos and Daddy Issues. Nov 25, 7 pm, Pat's Pub & Brewhouse. Tix $15.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26 ZAPPOSTROPHE Eight-piece Vancouver band plays the music of Frank Zappa. Nov 26, 7:30 am, Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre.

DEAN BRODY Rock.It Boy Entertainment presents Juno-winning country artist, with guest Tenille Arts. Nov 26, 7:30 pm, Massey Theatre. Tix from $52 to $77.

NATALIE MacMASTER & DONNELL LEAHY Canadian fiddle virtuosos perform A Celtic Family Christmas. Nov 26, 8 pm, Bell Performing Arts Centre. Tix $55/35.

MURS L.A. rapper performs material from his latest album A Strange Journey Into the

Unimaginable. Nov 26, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret.

Tix $20.

Music

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 DIRTY CATFISH BRASS BAND The sounds of the New Orleans brass tradition. Nov 27, 8 pm, The Roxy Cabaret. Tix $7-$10.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 PLATO/MADDOCK/RUSHKA JOY OF JAZZ CONCERT Celebration of bebop queen Sheila Jordan's 90th birthday. Nov 28, 7:30 pm, Hood 29. Tix $15.

POP EVIL Hard-rock/alt-metal quintet from Muskegon, Michigan, with guests Royal Tusks. Nov 28, 8 pm, Venue. Tix $25.

TANIKA CHARLES Edmonton-based soul singer and bandleader. Nov 28, 8-9:30 pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Tix $40.

WINGTIP L.A.-based dance-electronica artist and producer performs material from latest release Ghosts of Youth. Nov 28, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix $13.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29 JOE BONAMASSA American blues-rock singer and guitar wizard. Nov 29-Dec 1, 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tix at www. ticketmaster.ca/.

FUSIONFEST: MUSIC TECHNOLOGY CONCERT Concert by the Douglas College Fusion Bands Nov 29, 7-9 pm, Douglas College Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre. Free.

JOHN STETCH Jazz pianist fuses melodies from all around the world. Nov 29, 7-10 pm, Old Crow Coffee. Tix $20/$25.

INDIE NIGHT AT THE ANZA Featuring local bands Dark Dials, Rat Silo, and Gun Control.

Nov 29-30, 7 pm–2 am, ANZA Club. Tix $15.

JASPER SLOAN YIP Local musician celebrating the release of Post Meridiem on vinyl, with guest Wallgrin. Nov 29, 7:30 pm, The Red Gate Revue Stage. Tix $10/$20 with vinyl.

MARY GAUTHIER American folk singersongwriter. Nov 29, 8-11 pm, WISE Hall. Tix $30/$35.

THE WASHBOARD UNION Local country band plays tunes from latest album, What We're Made Of, with guests Aaron Goodvin and Nice Horse. Nov 29, 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. Tix $29.50.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS Irish punk rockers from the '70s, with guests the Mahones. Nov 29, 9 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. Tix $39.50.

6LACK Hip-hop artist from Atlanta, with guest Summer Walker. Nov 29, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Harbour Event Centre. Tix $40.

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD American blues/psych-rock band featuring former Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson. Nov 29, 9 pm, Venue. Tix $27.50.

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TIP SHEET THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH (November 23 at the Chan Centre) No, Sultan Kösen has not taken up a musical career.

Kristian Matsson is of slightly below average height, but the Swede writes damn good songs.

POP EVIL (November 28 at Venue) If the guys in Imagine Dragons had been raised on a steady diet of melodic heavy metal, the result might sound a little something like this.

A CELTIC FAMILY CHRISTMAS (November 26 at the Bell Performing Arts Centre) Canadian fiddle greats Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are wise enough to know that it’s never too early for Christmas.

ROBERT DELONG (November 23 at the Biltmore) If you like your electro-pop to come complete with pop hooks and indie-rock sensibilities, Robert DeLong is your man.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 TIM HICKS Canadian country singer-songwriter performs on his Get Loud tour. Nov 30, 6:30 pm, Abbotsford Centre. Tix $30.50/40.50/46.

NOVO AMOR Welsh folk singer-songwriter.

Nov 30, 8 pm, St. James Hall. Tix $20.

MAGIC SWORD Electronic trio from Boise, Idaho. Nov 30, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix $18.

KWEKU COLLINS Rapper from Illinois, with guest Joseph Chilliams. Nov 30, 8 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. Tix $15.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 PALE WAVES Indie-pop band from Manchester, England. Dec 1, 7 pm, Venue. Tix $22.50.

MUSIC EVENTS 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.

MOVIES

Whistler Film Fest throws a snow Boll An affectionate documentary asks us to reconsider the so-called world’s worst filmmaker

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by Adrian Mack

from 2007. “Because it’s the craziest one. It offended the most people. It’s his political views boiled down into an insane comedy, although it’s hard to even call it a comedy. But there’s no other movie like it. The first time I saw that movie, I was horrified.

Totally offended.”

Beyond all that, the fact remains that Boll was determined from childhood to become a filmmaker (seeing clips from his 1991 debut, German Fried Movie, is weirdly thrilling), and he did it by entirely outpacing a system bent on destroying him. He

also persuaded, among many others, Sir Ben Kingsley, Burt Reynolds, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, and J. K. Simmons to do it with him.

“He worked out this amazing formula,” Shaul explains. “He’d shoot a lot over Christmas break or during the hiatuses of various shows, and call them right at the end. ‘Can you work in two weeks?’ ’Cause he knows if they’re answering the phone, they aren’t working right now. So, yeah, J. K. Simmons was probably ‘Sure, I’ll come up to Vancouver for a couple

days and a paycheque. Why not?’ ” For a hundred bucks, Michael Madsen could have sat on his ass and trashed the guy. Instead, we’re treated to the rather bracing sight of long-time Vancouver producer and Brightlight Pictures chairman Shawn Williamson—who certainly doesn’t need to die on this particular hill—describing the nowretired filmmaker as “a visionary”.

Or, as Shaul elaborates: “Everybody told him no. And the more he did it, the more they told him no. And he still made 32 movies.”

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sked by Michael Mad- prior to pitching his documentary sen’s “people” how much idea to Boll that he was expecting to he would pay for an inter- meet “the type of guy that’ll punch view with the actor about me out in his own restaurant if I say his work on Uwe Boll’s 2005 pic- the wrong thing”. ture BloodRayne, local indie filmInstead, after they bonded over maker Sean Patrick Shaul offered their mutual hatred of Terrence $100. He didn’t hear back. Mad- Malick movies, an enthusiastic Boll sen’s participation would have been turned out to be “just the nicest guy”. nice, but Shaul still ended up with “The whole time we were making plenty of folks willing to dish—in this movie, he was over-the-top acways you wouldn’t expect—about commodating,” Shaul says. “And he the man universally reviled as a completely respected me as a filmpox on cinema itself. maker. But then he’d say something “I think he might accrazy during an interview tually be one of the best and we’d be like, ‘Oh, producers ever, if not yeah—Uwe Boll.’ ” Indeed, F*** the best director,” You All won’t Shaul says in a disappoint anycall to the Georgia Straight. one looking for “I don’t know a good dose of Boll’s uncenhow you get sored belligerpeople to give ence and almost you money afmagical indifferter you’ve done, ence to whatever say, 15 movies that ea w the rest of the world n have progressively ly Pa n o tric been called ‘the worst thinks. k S ha ul t h e film ever’.”

“At the core, he’s just honShaul is being a tad disingenu- est to a fault,” Shaul suggests. “That’s ous. His portrait of the pugnacious Uwe Boll in a nutshell. He just can’t Vancouver-based director, F*** You keep his mouth shut. So when someAll: The Uwe Boll Story—which pre- one pisses him off, bad career move mieres at the Whistler Film Festi- or not, he will call them out on it and val next Wednesday (November make it very public.”

28)—makes it fairly clear how the He inspires the same sort of honman behind House of the Dead, esty in his friends and collaborators.

Alone in the Dark, Attack on Dar- Blubberella star Lindsay Hollister is fur, Rampage, and some 28 other particularly frank in her assessment critic- and viewer-despised feature of the man, both personally (“I don’t films managed to keep working in think he’s all there…”) and as a filmthe industry when the forces of the maker, while adding that she’d work cosmos were all seemingly arrayed with him again in a heartbeat. Ditto against him. his close compadres Michael Paré Shaul’s film takes us right back to and the great Clint (brother of Ron) Boll’s childhood in Germany, where Howard, both approaching 20 years his wild personal contradictions inside Boll-wood. Howard cheerwere evidently forged between the fully recalls on camera that he once abuses levelled by Dad and the af- saw his friend shout “Cut, print” fection he received from Mom. Thus without ever glancing up from the we arrive at the fascinating creature boxing magazine he was absorbed who famously shitkicked five film in. These people clearly revel in the critics crazy enough to accept his man’s extremes. challenge to enter the boxing ring And those extremes are really with him in 2006 but who also ap- something. In the earlier part of his pears here as a loving husband and career, Boll’s punchy temperament father, not to mention an award- surfaced in his insistence on makwinning restaurateur and epicurean ing video-game adaptations in the (Boll owns Bauhaus in Gastown), face of unprecedented fan contempt and a man who commands the deep and an actual petition to make loyalty and affection of almost any- him stop; later, it manifested in the one he’s worked with (Madsen ex- compulsion to push buttons with cepted, presumably). pedophile jokes, movies like 2011’s Shaul observed Boll’s unusual Auschwitz, or putting poor Brendan style while working as a crew mem- Fletcher in blackface for Blubberber on the director’s 2013 release ella. (A very fine actor and another Assault on Wall Street—he was par- good friend, Fletcher gives his anticularly impressed that the day’s guished account of that unhappy shoot always ended whenever a caper in F*** You All.) hockey game began—but he didn’t “Postal was very important to him,” know what to expect from an up- Shaul offers about Boll’s demented close encounter, confiding to a friend but apparently quite personal feature

Movies TIP SHEET

The most chill (in all senses) of local film festivals is back. Here are some of the titles we’re excited about as the Whistler Film Festival takes off once again, from next Wednesday to Sunday (November 28 to December 2).

c IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

This acclaimed adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel by Moonlight director Barry Jenkins opens wide on Christmas Day, but WFF is offering a sneak peek on November 29 and 30.

c AT ETERNITY’S GATE The

Straight is proud to present the first Canadian festival screening of Julian Schnabel’s film, a revisionist portrait of Vincent van Gogh, played to the hilt by Willem Dafoe. Screens November 29 and 30.

c WOODLAND Rapidly becoming

one of the busiest of filming locations, supernatural Haida Gwaii is the setting for this thriller about a photographer haunted by his own premonitory images.

Screens November 29 and 30.

c PSYCHONAUTICS: A

COMIC’S EXPLORATION OF PSYCHEDELICS Standup comedian Shane Mauss picks up where Bill Hicks left off in this uproarious appreciation of thirdeye work. Screens November 29 and December 2.

c BELLA CIAO! In a role that mirrors her own life, Carmen Aguirre is among the ensemble players in this hymn to Commercial Drive and incantation against rising fascism. Screens November 30 and December 1.

NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 47

PUBLIC ALERT ICCRC is the national regulatory body that serves and protects the public by overseeing licensed immigration consultants. Its mandate stems from the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. ICCRC suspended Oleksandr Arbetov’s license to practice as an immigration consultant as of September 11, 2018. He is no longer authorized to advise or represent any new or existing clients on immigration matters.

Oleksandr Arbetov nor the firm ARIS Consultants Immigration Inc. are authorized to provide immigration advice.

MALTA

AUSTRIA

Mademoiselle Paradis (Licht)

Gozo

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 - 6:30PM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 - 8:30PM

This sumptuous, sensuous historical drama tells the extraordinary story of an unusual musical prodigy in late-18th-century Vienna.

London filmmaker Miranda Bowen’s first feature is a stylish psychological thriller set on titular Gozo, Malta’s second-largest island.

ROMANIA

HUNGARY

Octav

Aurora Borealis: Northern Lights

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 - 4:30PM

The latest from preeminent Hungarian filmmaker Márta Mészáros is a superbly acted, beautifully shot drama set in two time periods.

Serge Ioan Celebidachi’s beautifully wrought drama is a nostalgic tale of lost love and lost causes recalling Bergman’s Wild Strawberries.

If you filed your application with Oleksandr Arbetov/ARIS Consultants Immigration Inc., they can no longer continue to represent or advise you.

The processing of your application will not be suspended by the Canadian government (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC), however IRCC will no longer communicate with Oleksandr Arbetov. IRCC will only communicate directly with you. Make sure that IRCC has your current contact information to avoid any delays in the processing of your application.

You can also appoint a new representative.

For more information about this and other disciplinary actions, visit www.iccrc-crcic.ca.

(Aurora Borealis: Északi fény)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 - 6:30PM

Indigenous International Film Festival

FRANCE

THE NETHERLANDS

Life Beyond Me (Une vie ailleurs)

Tonio

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 - 8:40PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 – 4:30 PM

French writer-director Olivier Peyon returns to the difficult subject of child abduction in this affecting, immersive transcontinental drama.

The agony of losing a child is handled with sensitivity and formal sophistication in Paula van der Oest’s impressionistic drama.

VIFF‘18

BELGIUM

ESTONIA

The Ardennes (D'Ardennen)

Rodeo: Taming a Wild Country

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 – 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25 – 8:30 PM

With visual panache and surprise tonal shifts, Belgian director Robin Pront crafts a taught, twisting tale of criminal life and fraternal dysfunction.

This compelling political documentary focuses on the chaos that surrounded Estonia's first free election since WWII.

PORTUGAL

FINLAND

Mother Knows Best (A Mãe é que Sabe) Wonderland (Joulumaa) Writer-director Nuno Rocha's fantastical, crowd-pleasing family comedy was a box-office smash in its native Portugal.

A trio of women face life's Big Questions over the holidays in writer-director Inari Niemi’s female-centred relationship comedy.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26 - 6:30PM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26 - 8:20PM

VIFF‘18

VIFF‘18

Cinema Salon

SPAIN

LITHUANIA

Hopelessly Devout

Master and Tatyana

Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz's debut feature is a hilarious screwball comedy that presents a fresh perspective on female empowerment.

Vitas Luckus, a major photographic artist nearly lost to the dustbin of history, is profiled in this award-winning documentary.

(Mi querida cofradía)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 - 6:30PM

(Meistras ir Tatjana)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 - 8:20PM

CYPRUS

1181 Seymour St | 604-683-3456 | viff.org

GREECE

Sunrise in Kimmeria (Kimmeria)

Success Story

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 - 6:30PM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 - 8:30PM

The idiosyncrasies of modern Cypriot society are winningly satirized in writer-director Simon Farmakas’s screwball comedy-drama.

VIFF‘18

Greece’s financial crisis is fodder for acerbic satire in seasoned Greek filmmaker Nikos Perakis’s dark ensemble comedy.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...

Vancouver Vancouver Symphony TheatreSports Orchestra

vtsl.com 48 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT NOVEMBER 22 – 29 / 2018

vancouversymphony.ca

MOVIES

Haida wildman ready for his close-up REVIEWS EDGE OF THE KNIFE

Starring Tyler York. In Haida, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

d THE FIRST feature shot entirely

in the Haida language is an incantatory visit to a faraway time and place that is somehow still with us, in more than ghostly form.

Shot in various parts of Haida Gwaii, or what used to be called the Queen Charlotte Islands, Edge of the Knife takes place in an unspecified part of the 19th century, with very little visible intrusion from Europe.

(That changes by the time of the film’s very brief coda.)

Two extended families meet on a small island ideal for summer hunting, cooking, and hanging out. Solid, slightly pudgy patriarch Kwa (Willy Russ) has been looking forward to seeing his buddy Adiits’ii, although he knows the guy is a somewhat troubleprone handful. (First-timer Tyler York resembles a shambolic Adam Driver in this part.) In any case, Kwa’s young son admires the lanky fellow’s free-spirited ways—a problem when he joins his hero on a fishing trip Dad is against, due to darkening weather.

Adiits’ii eventually rows home

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Salary: $26.50 per/h. Skills requirements: Experience 3-4 years, Good English. Education: Secondary school. Main duties: Read and interpret blueprints, Determine specifications ;Operate measuring, hand and power tools; Measure, cut and join lumber and wood materials or lightweight steel; Prepare layouts in conformance to construction blueprints; Build different wood forms and install trim items as required; Supervise helpers and apprentices; Follow established safety rules.

Company’s business address: Unit 103, 17 Fawcett Rd, Coquitlam BC, V3K 6V2 Please apply by e-mail: scggroupinc@gmail.com

Tyler York plays the fabled Gaagiixid in the Haida-language feature, Edge of the Knife.

sleek carvings appearing strikingly modern in this arboreal context. And it’s fascinating to see the young people of more than a hundred years ago display different tastes in piercings, tattoos, music, and humour than their elders. In that and other senses, this Knife stays very sharp indeed.

by Ken Eisner

WIDOWS

Starring Viola Davis. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles.

Rated 14A

d

CAN A popcorn movie have too high a pedigree and still do its job?

That’s one of many intriguing questions raised but not really answered

by Widows, which tackles the Big

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Coon’s character proves a noshow—one of many dead-end subplots here—so the gals recruit a tough runner from the projects (Bad Times at the El Royale’s versatile Cynthia Erivo) to be their getaway driver. Somehow, a sidetrack with Alice working as an escort takes the story to Colin Farrell as Jack Mulligan, running against said gangster for alderman in a mostly black ward. Mulligan is hoping to inherit this power position from his corrupt father (Robert Duvall), but wants to play it straight, even though the district was created through ruthless ethnic gerrymandering.

As you can tell from this thumbnail outline, McQueen has attached a lot of hot-button issues to an ostensibly pulp story. His frequently preposterous script, adapted from a British TV series of the ’80s (and a U.S. copy from 2002), was cowritten with high-trash priestess Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects), and they throw several kitchen sinks into the works, but forget to add the fun.

The movie wants to be taken seriously as a feminist and class-minded call to arms. And yet it never even bothers to interrogate the women’s complicity in their dead partners’ nasty careers. In the end, it’s neither profound social study nor bubbly caper flick, but just a kind of upscale widow dressing.

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First off, this is from British director Steve McQueen, following his 12 Years a Slave success with a seemingly commercial genre exercise: an all-female heist movie. Like Ocean’s 8, it boasts an A-list cast caught up in a high-concept crime. Topping the bill, and probably Oscar-bound, is Viola Davis, as Veronica, happily married to Harry (Liam Neeson)—a doting husband, as we see in an early-morning preamble set in their swanky Chicago penthouse. He’s also a big-time thief, as we also discover in the tightly crosscut opening sequence. So the real trouble with Harry is that he’s dead.

The famous Five Stages of Grief are mentioned at one point, after Veronica starts meeting the women left behind by the other three men who died with her husband’s crew. Having to pay back a cool two mil, stolen from a Chi-town gangster (Atlanta rapper Brian Tyree Henry) looking to buy his way into local politics, is not usually on that list. This time it is, especially when the guy’s sadistic brother (Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya) is on the case. In fact, she’ll have to process her heartache by getting widows Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), and Amanda (Carrie Coon) to help her pull off that One Last Job her hubby left behind.

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alone, and runs into the dense forest to escape punishment, if not shame.

Most others assume he has died, and they all decamp to warmer climes while our guilt-ridden screwup struggles to survive the winter. As the man gets more desperate, he gradually loses his human bearing and begins to transform into a wild creature, known in Haida lore as a Gaagiixid, presented here with a simian gait and weird facial protuberances: part Sasquatch, part porcupine!

Back among the civilized folk, Kwa still yearns for revenge, although his wife, Hlaaya (Adeana Young), counsels restraint, insisting that if Adiits’ii should ever be found alive, there would be ways to reclaim him.

Their dilemma could be seen as relevant to the task of recovering First Nations strays who wander into the lost world of drugs and alcohol, or are simply cut off from history and community. First-time codirectors Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown don’t overstate their intentions.

The foreground story is interesting, even if somewhat slowed by stiff staging and the notably phonetic recitation of nonpro actors. But look at the degree of difficulty they are working against, with fewer than 30 fluent Haida speakers on the planet today! What really sticks is the reconstructed slices of everyday life, with woven clothes and

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SAVAGE LOVE

Take a partner break if escorting

by Dan Savage

things (he wants monogamy and a defined relationship, you don’t want any of that shit); you don’t feel for him the way he feels for you (he’s in love, you’re not); and you’re a busy single mom and full-time student— all perfectly valid reasons to end a relationship, NTE. You aren’t obligated to tell him that something you were thinking about doing but haven’t yet done, i.e., escorting, factored into your decision to cut him loose.

While I definitely think people have a right to know if their partners are escorts, I don’t think people have an absolute right to know if their partners were escorts. So if the sex is really good and you think there’s a chance you could one day feel as strongly for him as he does for you, and you’re planning to escort only until you get your degree, NTE, you could tell him you want to take a break. Explain to him that you don’t have the bandwidth for a boyfriend just now—kid, school, work—but you’re open to dating him after you’re out of school if he’s still single and still interested.

b I’M A RECENTLY divorced single mom

and full-time student. I’m really beginning to hurt financially and have decided to start working as an escort.

I am at a point of great emotional stability, happiness, and confidence—all reasons that led to my decision—and I’m surrounded by people who love me and won’t judge me. (Not that I will be telling most of them.) I’ve been seeing a man who I like, but I’ve made it clear that I am not committed to him and can see him only once a week. I’ve explained that I don’t think I can ever be monogamous and I do not want a relationship. He has struggled with this and told me early on he was in love with me. We have AMAZING sex, and I think this causes him to have a hard time understanding why I don’t want a relationship. I do not want to tell him I am escorting. I feel the fewer people who know, the better. And I don’t know him that well, as I have been “seeing” him for only six months. I know he would want to know, and a huge part of me feels that the right thing to do is be honest with him if I am going to continue seeing him. I also know that cutting him loose would hurt and confuse him, especially without being able to give him a reason. How do I handle this? What is the right thing to do? My site goes live in three days, and what’s keeping me up at night is not how best to verify clients, it’s what to do about the man in my life who I respect and love, even if I am not in love with him.

He’s still dealing with the end of his LTR, and I am only just coming out as bisexual. I love this person and our friendship is important to me, but I can’t stop thinking of the possibility of us being together. I’m confused by the timing and I wonder if this is real or just something I’ve allowed to distract me—or both! Also, what would this mean for my bisexuality? I’ve been to this rodeo before—meaning oppositesex relationships—but what about the part of me I haven’t fully explored?

fortable, it’s red-hot-poker-in-my-ass painful. Can you give me any concrete, practical advice to get to a point where I can enjoy anal?

- Beyond Uncomfortable Tushy Trauma

P.S. Do some women actually enjoy anal? After my experiences, I find that b I AM A 30-year-old hetero woman.

Any ideas on how a person can build really hard to believe. up to healthy intimate relationships If you’re still interested in exploring again while recovering from trauma? anal after all those red-hot-poker-in- I’m afraid in normal sexual situayour-ass-painful experiences—and tions. How can I get to a point where you are by no means obligated to I can have sex for fun and not in a way explore any further—focus on anal where I’m triggering my fight-or-flight stimulation, BUTT, not anal pene- response? Yes, I am seeing a therapist. tration. Try rimming, try a vibrator - Traumatic Experience Nullifying pressed against your anus (not shoved Sexual Energy into it), try running his lubed-up dick up and down your crack (across your anus, not into your anus), and try Here’s an idea, TENSE, but please all of these things during masturba- run it by your therapist before givtion, vaginal penetration, and oral ing it a try: find a guy you like and sex. Having a few dozen orgasms— propose a different kind of friendsor a few hundred—while your anus’s with-benefits arrangement. You will sensitive nerve endings are pleasur- be in charge—you will do all the inably engaged could create a positive itiating—and while he can say no to association between anal stimulation anything you ask, he isn’t to ask for or initiate anything himself. You set the and sexual pleasure.

It’s going to take some time to cre- menu, you make the rules, you give ate a positive association powerful the orders. He’ll need to be someone enough to supplant the negative asso- you trust, and it’ll help if he’s someciation you have now—an association one who thinks following orders is with echoes of regicide (google Ed- sexy—and trust me, TENSE, those ward II and red-hot poker)—so your guys are out there. You said that norhusband shouldn’t expect to get his mal sexual situations aren’t working dick back into your butt anytime soon, for you. Maybe an abnormal one if he ever will at all. Some people, for would? reasons physiological or psychological or both, just can’t experience pleasure during anal intercourse. If you’re one On the Lovecast, what evangelical Christianity of those people, BUTT, your husband does to women: savagelovecast.com. Email: mail@savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter will just have to grieve and move on.

P.S. I find it hard to believe that a @fakedansavage. ITMFA.org.

- Between Every Thorn Solitude Yearns

as a monogamist—so, yeah, entering into a committed relationship with this man would prevent you from exploring your bisexuality. And the timing feels off: he may be on the rebound, and you’re still coming to terms with your bisexuality. So don’t enter into a committed relationship with him, BETSY, at least not yet. Date him casually and keep hooking up with him with the understanding—with the explicit and fully verbalized and mutually consented-to understanding—that you will be “exploring” your bisexuality, i.e., you’ll be getting out there and b I’M A 30-YEAR-OLD single monogam- eating some pussy. ist and I recently realized I’m bisexual.

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