The Georgia Straight - Retail Redefined - Dec 20, 2018

FREE | DECEMBER 20 - 27 / 2018 Volume 52 | Number 2658

CANNABIS

What stoners want

NUTCRACKER

Goh's 10-year tradition

HOLIDAY BITES Where to find them

Retail Redefined As Boxing Week looms, some store owners are learning how to transform their businesses to compete against e-commerce giants

MAYOR’S OVERDOSE TASK FORCE || VITAMIN D || TOP 10 RECORDS

2 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3

CONTENTS

December 20 – 27 / 2018

12 COVER

E-commerce is transforming Vancouver’s retail landscape—and not always for the better.

By Charlie Smith Cover illustration by Shayne Letain

11

CANNABIS

Stoners might have Christmas lists, but given how pot legalization is playing out, a wish list is more apropos.

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

1 2 3 4 5

Andrew Wong will shut down Wild Rice eatery in New Westminster.

Mayor tells unlicensed dispensaries to “get with the program”.

Yellow-vest movement in Canada criticized for attracting extremists.

Brandon Yan named Out on Screen deputy executive director.

Kate Winslet heads back to Deep Cove’s Honey Doughnuts.

GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight

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NEWS

See the light this Christmas

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anta Claus lives at the North Pole, but there’s no reason for Vancouver residents to travel thousands of kilometres to find a winter wonderland.

This holiday season, there are a number of dazzling displays that the family can visit around Metro Vancouver and beyond.

“The lights of the Aurora Borealis are about to appear, and with them, our magical world for a season of holiday splendour,” teases a description of the Aurora Winter Festival, which is holding its inaugural run at Concord Pacific Place (811 Carrall Street). Visitors can ride a Ferris wheel, slide down a tube park, or simply stroll through the Mystical World light display.

Just outside Vancouver’s downtown core is VanDusen Botanical Garden’s annual Festival of Lights.

A long-time Christmas tradition for people across the Lower Mainland, the six-hectare park (5251 Oak Street) is large enough to reveal new treasures every year.

Across Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver, Capilano Suspension Bridge

Park’s Canyon Lights winter festival literally takes attendees up into the trees. It’s a uniquely West Coast attraction (3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver), featuring Douglas firs that are more than 250 years old. The trees are decorated for the holidays with brilliant lights and connected

Santa

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to the Downtown Eastside. A Christmas workshop has appeared at 62 East Hastings Street. Under a teepee and holiday decorations, children can visit for a picture and chat with Saint Nick, and parents can enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. The holiday celebration runs until Monday (December 24), and it’s open on weekdays from noon to 7 p.m. and on weekends from 1 to 7 p.m.

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by suspended walkways that carry visitors 110 feet above the forest floor.

For families looking for an afternoon escape from southwestern B.C.’s four-month winter deluge, Langley hosts a holiday celebration that is consistently dryer than most other holiday events taking place across Metro Vancouver. Christmas Glow (6690 216th Street, Langley) offers a massive lights display, a holiday market, live entertainment, visits with Santa Claus, and a playground for little kids, and it all happens indoors, where it’s perfectly warm and dry even through the Fraser Valley’s darkest days of December.

Finally, if you’re looking for an activity that can keep the family busy for longer than a single afternoon, Harrison Hot Springs hosts a holiday event that doubles as a great reason to get out of town for a weekend.

Lights by the Lake is a free display that’s visible from just about anywhere along the town’s waterfront.

It also includes story times for children and Christmas trees spread out among Harrison Hot Springs’ shops and restaurants.

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BOXING DAY December 26

SHOPPING. DINING. BOXING. MORE SHOPPING.

Get the inside scoop on restaurants, shopping and events at gastown.org 6 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

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DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7

8 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

HIGH TECH

Solius replicates sun’s rays

V

by Kate Wilson

ancouver is a gloomy place in the winter. Short, dark days are punctuated by weeks of rainfall, and few have the inclination to get outside.

Locals rarely get enough sunlight during the season, and that leads to poor vitamin D production.

Despite its name, vitamin D is not a vitamin but a hormone, and studies suggest that it likely plays a role in preventing broken bones, osteoporosis, depression, schizophrenia, aging, and cancer. Although individuals can increase their concentrations by eating oily fish, the body synthesizes the hormone itself more efficiently from the sun’s rays as they hit the skin. Because the country has such long winters, almost 60 percent of Canadians are deficient in vitamin D. For Rick Hennessey, CEO of Washington-state-based company Solius, finding a solution to that issue was personal. A number of his family members suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—a form of cyclical depression—during the winter, which is associated with low levels of the hormone. After joining Solius as an investor in the company’s sunlight-based medical therapy for autoimmune issues, the serial entrepreneur soon stepped into the role of CEO. Together with the team of scientists, Hennessey oversaw the creation of the company’s flagship product: a walk-in booth that replicates the positive effects of standing in direct sunlight on a summer’s day.

“We’ve taken these nanospectrums of light, isolated them down, and eliminated the harmful rays that are responsible for skin cancer and aging, which are in the UVA range,” he tells the Georgia Straight on the line from his Bainbridge Island office. “We’ve built a special light that only does a certain target,

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Solius has developed technology to help users’ bodies synthesize vitamin D.

and then we bend the light to reduce the energy and spread it back out.

We started developing this science initially for autoimmune disease.

But as we were developing it, we realized that the same spectrums of light that were producing the immune response were also in the peak area for optimally producing vitamin D.” The Solius booth looks like a prop from a science-fiction movie. The twoand-a-half-metre-tall, glowing purple kiosk emits light from three walls all around the individual, while the fourth is a lockable door. Clients walk inside, stand on the two footprints on the floor, and face a touchscreen TV. The voiceover invites users to stay in the booth for two to six minutes, which is enough to let them synthesize the vitamin D they need.

Hennessey believes that the booth provides a better alternative to taking vitamin D pills, which, he says, are questionable in their effectiveness.

“Supplements aren’t solving the problem, and can be very controversial,” he says. “The reason is that they don’t go through a rigorous regulatory process, and they don’t bind correctly to proteins. If you take something that’s made from an extract from fish organs, it might

get your D up, but it’s not offering the same benefits to you as if you produced vitamin D yourself from light. You don’t know if you have too much or too little, because you’re just jamming this stuff into your bloodstream. With light, there’s this very elegant regulatory process so you can’t overdose. It just makes as much as you need, and then it stops. That’s one of the benefits of our machine.”

Hennessey launched the service in Vancouver in September with two booths, one at the BioPro Biologics Pharmacy on West Broadway and the second at the Wellness Garage in White Rock. Over the next year, the company plans to expand considerably in the city.

“We are going to put a couple more in [Vancouver] in January,” he says.

“We have a long list of groups that want our machines [for] things like sports medicine, where they really understand the correlation between vitamin D and bone and muscle health. It’s also very helpful for autoimmune disease, which often comes with fat-malabsorption conditions. Those conditions need a lot of vitamin D because it helps reduce the flare-ups. I imagine we’ll end up putting 20 or so into Vancouver in the next 12 months.”

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10 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

CANNABIS

A Kushmas listicle stoners will love

by Piper Courtenay

M

PRODUCT DIVERSITY

erry Kushmas! Happy Chronukkah! And, for the nondenominational folks, Happy Winter

Bowlstice!

It’s the time of year when even the most radical of publications feast on the low-hanging consumerist clickbait fruit: listicles. I hate listicles, and none more than the patronizing Christmasshopping listicle. December 1 rolls around and Twitter morphs into a barrage of purchasing pointers for every type of person you’ve ever met: the tech diva, car fanatic, bookworm, and, most recently, luxury stoner.

These crude marketing devices parade as journalism to hawk expensive sponsored items that fit in seamlessly with the gentrified-chic design aesthetic of your bestie’s Gastown pad. And this year, with the advent of legal adultuse cannabis, it’s all about the bud.

The Internet is rife with lists pushing designer weed accessories—engraved grinders, hand-stitched hemp stash bags, periwinkle rolling papers—all to help communicate to your guests at this year’s ugly-sweater potluck that you’re down with legalization.

Now, capitalism isn’t a seasonal phenomenon, but the recent surge of cannacentric wish lists certainly sheds light on the salient fact that our attentions have yet again been pulled away from some of the more pressing matters surrounding Canada’s latest political shifts. And since legalization really wasn’t the Christmas miracle we were all hoping for, here are a few things that “stoners” actually want this year.

All that cannabis consumers want this year is fair access. Getty Images photo

legislative overhaul, it delegated things like consumption bylaws, zoning restrictions, and retail licensing to the provinces and municipalities.

In early October, the B.C. government released updated regulations, including new laws dictating where you can smoke pot—or, rather, a list of all the places you can’t smoke pot.

For example, you can’t smoke or vape in indoor public places of any kind, or at a bus stop, or near a school, or on a boat or patio or sidewalk, or within six metres of the doorways, windows, and air intakes of public buildings.

You can, however, smoke in your private residence, if your landlord hasn’t already slipped an amendment under your door saying smoking anything is now against the building’s policy. What the government hasn’t done, yet, is offer any publicly condoned or safe smoking spots or a licensing program for lounges to faCANNABIS AMNESTY APPROVED CONSUMPTION cilitate respectful consumption. Yes, For almost a half-million Canadians, SPOTS this means you can kiss the beloved the number one ask in their letter After the federal government decided hotbox hot spot, the Amsterdam to Canna Claus is a criminal record to move forward with a weed-friendly Café, goodbye. cleared of convictions for crimes no longer considered illegal.

Cannabis Amnesty, a nonprofit advocacy group headed by criminal lawyer Annamaria Enenajor, has spent the better part of 2018 trying to refocus political attention on the individuals denied career opportunities, international travel, and financial assistance, all because their records are tarnished by a minor drug offence.

On October 17, the organization won a minor victory when the federal government announced it intends to issue pardons to those convicted of simple cannabis possession. Once applicants complete the paperwork, however, their convictions are simply suspended, which is not the permanent deletion of a charge. Without expungement, those charged are still at risk of having pardoned convictions reinstated or disclosed.

Q&A CANNABIS IS LEGAL in Canada, and that has a lot of Canadians picking up bongs, pipes, and old-fashioned joints for their very first time.

From indicas to sativas and edibles to shatter, there’s a lot for a virgin smoker to catch up on.

Luckily, Amanda Siebert’s Little Book of Cannabis: How Marijuana Can Improve Your Life is here to help you out (and it’s a perfect size for holiday stockings). The Vancouver-based author recently answered the Straight’s questions.

Although weed itself may be legal, cannabis-infused edibles and topicals, like creams and bath bombs, are not. No, not even that scrumptious Miss Envy THC-infused raspberryvanilla lip balm. (Resistance has never smelled so good.)

When the federal government unveiled legalization earlier this year, the framework only extended to flowers, oils, and seeds. The oils are simply tinctures, which aren’t the same as the high-concentrate so-called Phoenix tears that some cancer patients rely on. Seeds aren’t currently available through the province’s legal channels (unless you accidentally get one in your bud). And, frankly, the flower isn’t up to snuff yet.

To top it off, smoking is not the preferred consumption method for many Canadians. For consumers who don’t like to inhale their cannabis, or medical patients who dose at a higher cannabinoid concentration, there isn’t much in the way of selection. The upside is we may just wake up to this wish neatly wrapped in our stocking this year: a little elf told me that Trudeau’s New Year’s resolution includes a framework for the legalization of edible products to be released in the coming weeks.

BETTER WEED

Legalization has been a divisive topic on all fronts, but none so distinct as the brawl between the federal-licensed cannabis producers (LPs) and the black-market growers.

On one side, there is a shortlist of legally approved producers, including industry behemoths like Aurora and Canopy Growth. On the other side, there is a network of illicit growers who, through their dedication to dank

horticulture, gave B.C. bud its infamous reputation.

Right out of the gate, LPs had the nearly impossible task of measuring their mass-produced product against locally grown small-batch cannabis. So customers have taken to social media to post images of odourless crumbs of weed encased in prescription-style bottles and limp, dusty excuses for prerolls. And LPs have snapped back, asking for more time and patience.

Unfortunately, until smaller-scale growers (microcultivators) are allowed into the market (no one really knows when this might happen), the pressure to keep up with the endless demand doesn’t bode well for the state of legal weed.

Just two months into legalization and, despite its already being a somewhat played-out trope, the system is a work in progress. This stoner wish list is less an indictment of the first shot at the federal legalization of cannabis and more a call to refocus. As we go into the holiday season, it’s totally cool to gift your best bud a scented candle replicating the OG Kush terpene profile, but let’s not forget that the fight for fair access and quality product is far from over. While children may be dreaming of sugar plums, there are opioid-substitution programs that need licensing and support, medical patients who need consistent and costeffective cannabis, and advocates being slapped with fines for services that massive corporations are now suddenly green-lit to provide.

The good news is governments and policymakers seem willing to correct, adjust, and amend. The better news is the black market is thriving and the weed is spectacular.

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even when I used cannabis “recreationally”, I experienced improved sleep, reduced stress, and relief from anxiety and depression. As a journalist, hearing firsthand accounts of the multitude of other ways cannabis can be used for health and wellness convinced me that it had therapeutic value.

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A. In my early 20s, I realized that context, and practical advice for

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NEWS

Retail redefined by digital revolution

T

by Charlie Smith

he last classical-record store in Vancouver, Sikora’s, still has a fair number of regular customers. As one of the owners, Ed Savenye, surveys his 3,000-square-foot palace of vinyl discs and CDs in the 400 block of West Hastings Street, he can see a couple of them looking through the containers of LPs. When one asks for help, Savenye leaps into action.

But Savenye, who became a partner in the store with long-time employee Roger Scobie in 2001, readily acknowledged during an in-store interview with the Georgia Straight that there are fewer of these customers than in its predigital heyday.

At the heart of his concern on this day is Amazon, a Seattle-based e-commerce giant that generated US$177.9 billion in revenue last year. That’s up from US$61 billion five years ago. This year, the behemoth founded by former Wall Street executive Jeff Bezos, now the richest CEO in the world, is on track to top US$200 billion in sales. Amazon’s success has had a devastating impact on booksellers and record-store owners.

“For the sake of time and just a couple of bucks, a lot of our customer base just simply walked away,” Savenye said wistfully.

As a result of declining sales, Sikora’s will close at the end of February after 40 years in business. It’s one of a multitude of local businesses that have been felled by rapid transformations in retail. Shortly before Christmas, the Comicshop at 3518 West 4th Avenue announced that it will be shutting down after 44 years in business. Last year, HMV Canada called it quits. Ingledew’s, a centuryold Vancouver shoe business, also folded in 2017. After 82 years in business, two Umbrella Shops were shuttered. Nicole Bridger closed her eponymous Gastown clothing store, shifting to online orders and pop-up shops. Savenye worries that the list of local retailing fatalities will grow, undermining community connections and severing long-standing friendships between shopkeepers and their customers.

It’s not just Amazon that’s gobbling up local shopping dollars. There are many other foreign-owned digital platforms, including Wayfair, Etsy, and Alibaba, that are having an impact on different retail sectors. Savenye predicted that within a couple of decades, many suburban malls will have to close—or be converted into “fulfillment centres”. That’s Amazon-speak for its massive distribution facilities, which will be increasingly reliant on robots and artificial intelligence in the years to come.

“You’re looking at a bunch of minimum-wage monkeys running around in an Amazon warehouse

Ed Savenye, co-owner of Sikora’s Classical Records, will close his shop because he can’t compete with e-commerce giants.

For the sake of time and just a couple of bucks, a lot of our customer base just simply walked away – Sikora’s co-owner Ed Savenye

packing cardboard boxes—that is the future of retail,” Savenye said. “It isn’t pretty.”

He didn’t blame his landlord for the looming closure of Sikora’s—in fact, he had nothing but praise for the building owner’s efforts to help the store survive. Instead, Savenye focused on the “five Ds” that have eroded his business: downsizing, digitization, distribution, desertion, and demise.

People living in smaller apartments—including empty-nesters who have downsized by selling their houses—don’t have enough space to house large record collections.

The second D, digitization, has enabled former customers to download music from online sites and listen to streaming services. This has transformed the third D, distribution, as wholesalers focus more on these areas rather than moving physical products to stores. That, in turn, has led customers to desert Sikora’s in favour of online services. Finally, there’s the demise of his older customer base. He noted that if someone started visiting Sikora’s at the age of 48 back in 1979, this person would be in their late 80s today.

“Do they even need to buy any

12 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

more classical music?” Saveyne asked.

“And let’s be blunt: are they still with us? Or have they passed away?”

He expects the rise of Amazon will lead to hollowed-out shopping districts in downtown Vancouver and along major shopping strips like Main, Commercial, South Granville, and Lonsdale. This stands in sharp contrast to the vision articulated by Alexandre Gagnon, vice president of Amazon Canada and Mexico, at a Vancouver news conference in April.

Gagnon, a software engineer and self-described “homegrown British Columbian”, was there alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce that the company will occupy the former Canada Post office building at 349 West Georgia Street.

Gagnon pointed out that Amazon already employs 6,000 workers in Canada. He claimed that its new Vancouver expansion will add another 3,000 high-tech positions.

“As a Canadian, I am very proud to see Amazon creating these jobs

here,” Gagnon said. “These jobs provide an opportunity for talented engineers to work on a global scale on innovative projects right here in British Columbia.”

Amazon employs more than 560,000 people worldwide, according to last year’s annual report. Some work at its fulfillment centres in New Westminster and Delta.

SO WHAT gives? Is Amazon stimulating the Vancouver economy or undermining it? It depends on the person’s perspective. Politicians like Trudeau, Premier John Horgan, and former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson seem to love Amazon. The proprietors of family-owned brickand-mortar retailers have a tendency to loathe it. They also despise “showrooming”: the term for when a person visits a shop, takes product shots with a cellphone, and returns home to order these goods online.

In the words of Brad Stone, author of The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos

Boxing Day

TIP SHEET

HERE ARE THREE can’t-miss outdoor shopping zones in the week after Christmas.

c WEST 4TH AVENUE is one of

Vancouver’s premier outdoor malls, featuring everything from ski and snowboard gear east of Burrard to high fashion, technical apparel, beauty, music, travel, and shoe retailers all the way from Fir to Balsam streets. Plus, there are more dining choices than anywhere outside of the downtown core.

c GASTOWN is Vancouver’s

oldest neighbourhood, yet in a

retail sense, it’s also one of the most contemporary. Whether it’s shoes, jewellery, clothing, eyeglasses, or furniture, the latest styles are available in the blocks bounded by Water, Cordova, Alexander, and Columbia streets.

c PARK ROYAL SOUTH was

the first mall in the region to pioneer the high-street concept, creating a scenic outdoor village of shops, restaurants, food retailers, and greenery. If you’re not into driving through the snow to reach Whistler, this pedestrian-friendly enclave is the next-best thing.

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and the Age of Amazon, the corporation may be the “most beguiling company that ever existed”.

Vancouver retail consultant David Ian Gray told the Straight by phone that e-commerce platforms should be viewed through different lenses. He started with employment. According to B.C. Stats, there were 290,400 people employed in retail in 2017. Another 83,600 worked in wholesale last year.

“That side of retail doesn’t get discussed as much,” he said. “But, you know, when Sears Canada goes under, there is a big effect on communities, at least in the short run.”

He pointed out that shoppers often claim they value those local jobs and want to buy from Canadian stores.

At the same time, Gray suggested, “they’re going crazy over Black Friday deals and complaining when retail is not on sale as much as they like.”

He explained that this desire for the lowest price is increasing pressure on retailers to embrace artificial intelligence and automation to drive down labour costs. And that will, inevitably reduce frontline employment in this sector, which can undermine this segment of the population’s buying power.

That could have the unintended effect of undermining overall sales.

“Physical retail is not dead,” Gray insisted. “There’s no apocalypse, but there’s an incredible transformation happening—very fast.”

Gray’s company, DIG360, and market researcher Leger recently released a survey of Black Friday sales to Canadians in 2017. Among those who bought items, 58 percent made their purchases in Canadian stores, and 55 percent bought online from Canadian websites. The survey revealed that 17 percent bought from U.S. websites and another 10 percent visited U.S. stores.

Interestingly, more Canadians bought goods on Boxing Day than on Black Friday—22 percent to 17 percent—according to the survey.

Gray said that between seven and 11 percent of all retail purchases in Canada (excluding automotive) are occurring online, depending on the source. To him, this indicates that the role of stores is changing and retail now has to be more of a “technology play”, even as people continue flocking to shopping districts.

“Almost every retailer needs a core competency in technology,” Gray declared. “So while there could be staff lost at the front end of retail, from the store side of it—and the stores are getting smaller, with some more automated processes—there are other jobs opening up in retail in terms of technology and data.

“That doesn’t mean someone at the frontlines suddenly gets a job as a data analyst, because it’s a different skill set,” he continued. “There’s

see page 14

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from page 12

a transition period.”

This trend is evident in the appearance of self-checkout machines in London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart, grocery stores, and other retailers. While Amazon is seen as an online retailer, Gray noted that it has also opened more than 650 heavily automated brick-and-mortar stores in the United States. To him, it’s a sign that “the future is going to be a hybrid” between in-store and online.

COMMERCIAL-LEASING veteran Sherman Scott has noticed the impact of online retailing in some areas of Vancouver but not others. The associate vice president of Colliers International told the Straight by phone that his company has had no trouble attracting restaurants to lease space on West 2nd Avenue in Southeast False Creek. Some are being turned away because there are enough eateries. But it’s more challenging attracting conventional retail stores.

“So we’re focusing on service-type

David Ian Gray sees no retail apocalypse.

retailers at the moment,” Scott told the Straight by phone.

He thinks that online retailing has likely contributed to vacancies in recent years in the 1100 block of Robson Street. The Gap is one major store that abandoned this area. However, he also stated that retail is thriving in Gastown and pointed to a signifi-

cant increase in luxury-oriented retail shops on nearby Alberni Street.

According to Scott, the expansion and upgrading of Pacific Centre, including the addition of a Nordstrom store, has altered the dynamics downtown, attracting more shoppers into Cadillac Fairview’s mall. “They changed up the tenancies,” he said.

“They’ve done a really good job.”

He suggested that this is not only having an effect on Robson Street but is also making things more challenging for retailers in the South Granville area. Some locations have been vacant for an extended period of time.

“Also in the last few years, we’ve just seen a massive increase in property taxes,” Scott said. “And that’s had an impact, because all that gets passed on to the tenants. I’ve seen some cases where property taxes are close to what the landlord is getting.”

Part of the reason is the city’s policy of taxing on what could potentially be built on a site under existing zoning rather than what actually exists. It’s one of several issues with which Sharon Townsend, the executive director of the South Granville Business Improvement Association, and her members must grapple. She told the Straight by phone that the city government needs to stop looking at local retailers as a cash cow.

“There’s no real road map, and… the playing field is changing so fast,” Townsend said. “And consumers are extremely fickle.”

The owner of Diane’s Lingerie on Granville, Sharon Hayles, acknowledged that online shopping is taking a toll on some businesses. Her company has responded by creating its own e-boutique—and she said that the European brands in her store are not available on Amazon.

“Because of the personalized service that we do, from a bra-fitting perspective, we don’t probably notice this as much as some of the other retailers,” Hayles said.

The Straight spoke to two millennial consumers with sharply different approaches to shopping. Ali Najaf, a recent grad from the SFU Beedie School of Business, said by phone that he’s signed up to Amazon Prime, which guarantees delivery in two days. The corporation provides free six-month memberships to college and university students, which appealed to many of his former classmates. It also offered unlimited photo storage in the cloud.

Another millennial, Spice Radio

In the last few years, we’ve just seen a massive increase in property taxes – Leasing veteran Sherman Scott

broadcaster Safeeya Pirani, said by phone that she’s a fan of in-person shopping. That’s because she likes personal interactions with staff and being able to see what she’s buying. Pirani also expressed concerns about the reliability of e-commerce shipping.

“I prefer having that connection to the store,” she said.

Neither of them mentioned one of the e-commerce giants’ secret weapons: gathering information about customers’ purchases, which can be deployed to market other products to them. Amazon can data-mine in a variety of ways: through its Alexa voice interaction, its IMDb subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, Prime Video, and Prime Wardrobe, which was launched last year. This can force others to work with the corporation.

“I remember when Nike said they would never play with Amazon,” Gray commented, “and yet, now they actually are on Amazon.”

see page 17

14 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

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from page 14

He said that e-commerce really thrives in heavily congested urban environments, such as Seoul or Tokyo, where it’s difficult to reach desired shopping destinations. That’s not such a problem in Canada.

“We’re kind of in an ideal place for physical retail,” Gray said. “As much as we complain about traffic in Vancouver, it’s not bad.…We’re in proximity to most things we want.”

But if the public takes a greater interest in the impact that e-commerce is having on the vibrancy of local communities, there could be a backlash against the e-commerce giants. Already in the Queens borough of New York City, there is growing outrage over Amazon’s placement of its second headquarters there. That’s because of fears it will gentrify the neighbourhood and drive up housing costs.

In the 2015 book Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few, U.S. political economist Robert Reich noted that as platforms like Amazon are able to collect more data about consumers, they’re better equipped to stifle innovations from potential competitors. That’s why he’s argued for strengthening competition laws and busting up large tech companies that consolidate too much control over certain sectors—in effect, to save capitalism from the excesses of the modern monopolists.

It’s something anticipated by author Stone in The Everything Store, which was released in 2013.

“Will antitrust authorities eventually come to scrutinize Amazon and its market power?” Stone asked in his book. “Yes, I believe that is likely, because the company is growing increasingly monolithic in markets like books and electronics, and rivals have fallen by the wayside.

“But as we have seen with the disputes over sales tax and e-book pricing, Amazon is a masterly navigator of the law and is careful to stay on the right side of it. Like Google, it benefits from the example of Microsoft’s antitrust debacle in the 1990s, which provided a powerful object les-

Amazon lured Ali Najaf as a student.

son of how aggressive monopolistic behavior can nearly ruin a company.”

Another lesson for Amazon: investments in government relations can pay dividends. In 2013, the corporation spent almost $3.5 million on lobbying in the United States, according to Reich’s book. As the Straight went to the printer, Amazon had four active lobbyists listed in the B.C. lobbyists registry and another 12 listed in the federal lobbyists registry.

Back at Sikora’s Classical Music, Ed Savenye said that if online shopping keeps growing, it will contribute to a growing compartmentalization of society, fewer social interactions, and more isolation. He emphasized that it goes beyond the stereotypical image of someone in their T-shirt and underwear pointing and clicking while lounging on the couch and extends to seniors living alone, who sometimes visit stores to interact with others.

“I’m not walking away from customers,” Savenye insisted when discussing the looming closure of his store. “I’m walking away from friends that I’ve known for 10 or 15 years. I am probably closer to many of these customers than I am to some of my own distant-branch family members. It’s sad.”

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HEALTH

Task force calls for more action

A

by Travis Lupick

major report on Vancouver’s overdose epidemic states that five years into the crisis, there is no end in sight. “Despite concerted efforts by government and community partners,” the report begins, “Vancouver continues to be severely impacted by the convergence of a long-standing mental health and addictions crisis and increasingly potent and toxic drug supply.”

The city’s rate of overdose deaths stands at 58 per 100,000 people.

That’s high enough to rank Vancouver alongside the worst-affected areas of the United States.

The document is scheduled to go to council on Thursday (December 20). It is the first major product of the Mayor’s Overdose Emergency Task Force, a body that Vancouver’s new mayor, Kennedy Stewart, established shortly after he was elected to office last October.

Although most of Vancouver’s fatal overdoses continue to occur in the Downtown Eastside, the ratio of overdose calls to fatal overdoses is significantly wider there than in most other areas of Vancouver, the report notes.

In the Downtown Eastside, there are 27 overdose calls for every one fatal overdose; in neighbouring Grandview-Woodland, there are 38 overdose calls for each overdose death.

This suggests that the harmreduction programs deployed there— supervised-consumption sites, for example, and outreach teams trained in overdose response—appear to be doing their jobs.

Meanwhile, in Kitsilano, there are 18 calls for every one death. In Fairview, there are 11; in Mount Pleasant, there are 13; and in South Cambie–Riley Park, there are 12.

In Kensington, though, a community that includes a concentration

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18 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

Vancouver’s overdose-death rate stands at 58 per 100,000. Photo by Travis Lupick

of survival sex workers along Kingsway, there are just four overdose calls for each overdose death. That has prompted special attention from the city. “The gap in services and programs in this area has created barriers to accessing services and support for survival sex workers, many of whom are affected by the opioid overdose crisis,” the report reads.

It repeatedly recommends that harm-reduction programs that have proven effective in saving lives in the Downtown Eastside expand into other areas of the city.

For example, during the winter of 2016, supportive-housing providers such as Atira Women’s Resource Society, the Portland Hotel Society (PHS), and RainCity Housing integrated supervised-consumption spaces for drug users, essentially decriminalizing drugs inside their buildings.

This has had the effect of reducing stigma and promoting safer practices for using drugs. City staff have now recommended that other nonprofithousing providers and privately owned buildings copy those examples.

The report also recommends the city work with provincial partners, including the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), to make clean prescription drugs available to people ad-

dicted to opioids who are risking their lives with fentanyl on the streets.

In a telephone interview, Jordan Westfall, president of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD), described the report as encouraging, but he criticized the review for failing to devote much attention to how policing and the criminalization of addiction are exacerbating the crisis.

“We are very disappointed the city still refuses to discuss the role that the VPD plays in worsening the overdose crisis,” Westfall said.

As of December 16, there had been 353 fatal overdoses in the city of Vancouver during 2018. That compares to 367 during all of 2017. From 2001 to 2010, the average number of fatal overdoses in Vancouver each year was 57.

Karen Ward is a former Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) board member and more recently has served as a consultant on drug use for the BCCDC. She criticized the report for a lack of urgency.

“It does not acknowledge that the constant state of emergency in this neighbourhood [the Downtown Eastside] needs to end,” Ward told the Straight. “It implies that the status quo in this neighbourhood is fine, and it is not.”

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HOROSCOPE

S

by Rose Marcus

un/Uranus marks the start of Thursday as the best part of the day. ’Tis blessed to give or to volunteer. Friday, Venus/Neptune puts creativity, romance, kindness, and the spirit of generosity into full play. Mercury/Jupiter has more to say, show, do, buy, or farther to go. On the other hand, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the onslaught or crowds. Allow yourself extra time to get to the finish line or your destination. These transits also hold a propensity for taking on too much or for talking yourself into more than is warranted or wise.

Well timed for shifting gears, the winter solstice begins with the sun’s entrance into Capricorn on Friday afternoon (2:23 p.m.). Building to Saturday morning, the full moon in Cancer can increase emotionalism, nostalgia, a sense of a time crunch or of running out of steam or patience.

By Sunday, the full-moon strain is likely to be mostly washed away. The heart continues to feel what it feels, but from a go-gentler-on-yourself or sweet-spot place.

By early Monday evening, Mercury/Neptune diffuse the pressure from earlier in the day. If you have partied for the afternoon, don’t get behind the wheel. Keep an eye on your valuables and on the details, too.

Despite recent hardships and the uncertainty that lies ahead, the Leo moon on Christmas Day provides a better stellar backdrop than many of the recently past holidays. No matter how you spend it, you should feel that the day did all right by you. The Virgo moon on Boxing Day keeps us on a good bounce-back.

May the holidays warm your heart and soothe your soul!

DECEMBER 20 TO 26, 2018 it down as best you can. Saturday/ Sunday, catering is in order. Put yourself on the list. You’ll find yourself in the mood to sign off work and get an early start on Christmas Eve. The Leo moon keeps you feeling the love on Christmas Day.

F

VIRGO

August 22–September 22

An attitude of roll up your sleeves and get out of the way serves you well Thursday/Friday.

Despite the extra volume, pressure, or work, you should find that you accomplish things easily and well, perhaps even better than anticipated. If Saturday’s full moon or the Christmas holiday slows you down, it won’t be for long. As of Boxing Day, you’ll feel freshly refuelled.

G

LIBRA

September 22–October 23

Your mailbox could be inundated Thursday/Friday. Mercury/ Jupiter can find you overwhelmed by too much to do or too many people to deal with, but even so, it’s all good. Travel, shopping, gifts, news, and social activity keep you on the upbeat too. Saturday/Sunday, go by feel. Extra caretaking is in order. Christmas Eve through Christmas Day, the flow is good.

H

SCORPIO

October 23–November 21

Mercury has kept you going strong since October. During this time, your output has been substantial, especially on the creative and the manifesting end, perhaps on the spending end, too. As of Friday, Mercury/Jupiter reach a completion track. Along with the winter solstice, a next phase sets into play.

ARIES Sunday through Christmas and March 20–April 19 Boxing Day, soak it up; love, laugh, Despite the extra activity gift, and enjoy. and pressure, the stars keep your SAGITTARIUS winning streak and your good spirNovember 21–December 21 its going strong Thursday/Friday. As On a plane, a stage, a ski hill, best you can, carve out time to rest up and replenish yourself on Saturday. or making it happen in some other Regarding the holidays and looking way, on Thursday/Friday, Mercury/ beyond them, the winter solstice sets Jupiter brings the best out in you. a fortuitous backdrop for the future. Nothing is small; it’s all over-the-top.

Christmas Day, contentment reigns. Synchronicity and intuition work Boxing Day, you’re good to go again. like a charm. Friday evening through Sunday, you could feel nostalgic or TAURUS soft around the edges. Christmas April 20–May 20 Day, the Leo moon keeps you feeling Thursday/Friday can keep quite all right. you doing double time or secondCAPRICORN guessing yourself. It is easy to spend December 21–January 19 more money or time than you plan.

Thursday/Friday is likely to These days are good for travel, giftgiving, and all that goes with the keep you especially busy finishing off holidays, but know that Mercury/Ju- what you need to and getting yourpiter can also produce overly high ex- self to your destination. Friday afterpectations, yours or theirs. Whether noon through Sunday, you should Christmas is a big family affair or not, feel that you have it under better control. The stars keep your tender heart overall, it’s a good one this year. out on show. Christmas and Boxing GEMINI Day keep up their end of the bargain May 21–June 21 quite well.

Thursday/Friday are fullAQUARIUS swing, high-volume days, but for the January 20–February 18 most part the going is good. Friday’s Despite the demands or inwinter solstice and Saturday’s full moon produce a significant shift of tensity, Thursday/Friday keeps you momentum. You should be able to upbeat. You could hear delightful wrap up the last-minute stuff without news. Beyond spending more or too much hassle. Whether you enjoy doing more, Mercury/Jupiter also it with family, friends, or on your makes for an optimum couple of own, the Leo moon sets up a pleasant days to travel, cash in, or start a vacation. Saturday/Sunday, ease up backdrop for Christmas Day. on and minimize the extra work or CANCER pressure. The Leo moon sets you up June 21–July 22 for a heartwarming Christmas.

Go by feel Thursday/Friday.

PISCES If you aren’t clear, take a pause or February 18–March 20 keep searching. Watch for answers or Guests arriving? Finishing best choices to reveal themselves. Despite Saturday’s full moon, smooth- off to do? Thursday/Friday keeps running stars help you to get it under you busy with one thing after anbetter control—to create, cope, navi- other, but for the most part, it’s all gate, and interact with ease. Sunday, good. Saturday can produce stress, you are especially emotional. Christ- but by Sunday, it is smoothed out. mas and Boxing Day run smoothly, Quit early Monday afternoon; drive carefully; keep track. Christperhaps better than you expect. mas and Boxing Day are good for LEO a top-up on sharing, caring, and July 22–August 22 love.

Thursday can keep you in full swing, but once the winter solstice Book a reading or sign up for Rose’s free arrives (Thursday), it’s time to wind monthly newsletter at rosemarcus.com/.

A B

I J

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D

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FOOD

Memories of an enjoyable wine year

R

by Kurtis Kolt

eflecting on the year that was, I can certainly say it was a busy one.

We hit the ground running in January, with the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers B.C. Chapter crowning Sean Nelson as the best sommelier in the province after a nail-biter of a service competition. After years spent pulling corks at Vij’s Restaurant, he recently joined wine director Bryant Mao at Hawksworth.

In February, Johannes Selbach of the renowned Selbach-Oster winery in Mosel, Germany, was in town to visit with local wine-industry folks. At Kitsilano’s Maenam restaurant, he copresented a Riesling seminar with David It’s time to toast 2018. Photo by Getty Images Paterson of the Okanagan Valley’s Tantalus Vineyards. It was a deep dive, where the grape (Mosel, Germany; $16.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) or shone brightly, whether via the grapefruit-and- Paterson’s apple-and-lime filled Tantalus “Old honey laden Selbach Riesling “Fish Label” 2016 Vines” Riesling 2015 (Okanagan Valley, B.C.;

$30.43, www.tantalus.ca/).

Winemaker Grant Stanley from Kelowna’s Spearhead Winery hit Vancouver to release his newest slate of wines in March. I’m really digging the winery’s focus on Pinot Noir, bottling various cuvées from a mix of clones and vineyard sites. I recently tasted the Spearhead Pinot Noir Cuvée 2017 (Okanagan Valley, B.C.; $38, www.spearheadwinery.com/) and loved the toasty integration of French oak, mulberries, and dried herbs, all perfectly placed.

I zipped over to Croatia in April and was dazzled by the country’s aromatic white wines.

If seafood is hitting the table this holiday season, grab a bottle of Stina Cuvée White 2016 (Dalmatia, Croatia; $19.99, B.C. Liquor Stores). Indigenous varieties Posip and Vuguva are rounded out with a splash of Chardonnay, culminating in an aromatic, citrusy profile with lively acidity.

Eight delicious holiday treats

W

by Tammy Kwan

kinds of bûches de Noël and bûchettes de Noël. Flavours include pistachio, rose-and-raspberry, milk chocolate with biscuits, and dark chocolate with Caribbeanchocolate mousse. Its snazzy Scandinavian-themed holiday boxes also make great gifts.

hat makes the holidays the most wonderful time of the year? Festive treats. We may be slightly biased, because Georgia Straight staffers are known to have major sweet tooths, but who doesn’t love indulging in Santa-themed pastries or colourful yule logs while listening to Michael Bublé’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? From eggnog-flavoured confections to candy-cane chocolate bark, here are eight places around town to find holiday treats that can truly bring out your seasonal cheer.

BEL CAFÉ (801 West Georgia Street and 1780 West 3rd avenue)

GIOVANE CAFÉ AND EATERY AND MARKET (1038 Canada Place)

Besides its festive bûches de Noël, stollen, and cakes, guests can also find Giovane’s most popular holiday Cool snowman. Photo by Chez Christophe treat back in stock: the Santa Belly.

Essentially sugar buns stuffed with cream, these sweets are dressed up the carousel chocolate showpiece, a as Saint Nick, complete with red suit Christmas-tree chocolate lollipop, and black belt. Ho, ho, ho! mulled-wine truff les, or the candycane bark kit. A selection of Yule BUTTER MERE PATISSERIE logs is also offered at the shop.

(958 Main Street)

In keeping with the Father Christmas theme, this pastry shop has created a cake called Drunk With Santa, made with Guinness stout sponge, orange crèmeux, red-wine gelée, and Guinness mousse. The chefs definitely chose an appropriate name for this goodie.

Other holiday-themed cakes (full-size and pillow-size) are also available.

CHEZ CHRISTOPHE (4717 Hastings Street, Burnaby)

This Burnaby Heights gem is offering a number of unique items for the holiday season that range from chocolate showpieces to festive truffles to do-it-yourself chocolate-bark kits. The hardest part will be deciding which ones to get:

PURDYS CHOCOLATIER (various locations)

CHRISTMAS MARKET DOUBLE TAKE

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99 B-LINE LAST NIGHT

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 15, 2018 WHERE: Downtown Christmas Market You were working in one of the artisan booths at the market, wearing a white toque with a big white pompom. We met eyes and smiled, and then met eyes and smiled again as I walked by. I had on a green coat. Coffee sometime?

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THIERRY (1059 Alberni Street)

CANADIAN TRIVIA IN A SQUAMISH KITCHEN

Marcello

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I saw you flying sign at Grandview Park. A Captain Jack Sparrow type in a Nausea hat with black jeans held together with dental floss. I was the Princess Ogle type talking about my Seeking Arrangement account. What's up? Want to come over, shower, wash your clothes and see what happens from there

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 12, 2018 WHERE: Squamish Hey Bronwyn, you were up visiting my roommate last week. We played this circa 1980’s Canadian trivia game in the kitchen until you had to go back to the city. The game was fun but as we played I found that the only trivia I cared about seemed to be during your turn. Coffee?

LOL DOLL

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 15, 2018 WHERE: London Drugs Park Royal My daughter explained what these dolls are to your daughter. My attempt at flirting was in stumbling into a comment about supporting the plastic industry. Care to chat over a reusable mug of coffee?

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 12, 2018 WHERE: 99 B-Line You stood beside me on the bus late last night. We both got off at Fraser. It was raining softly and I was too jet lagged to speak. Maybe this will work, or maybe I will be lucky to see you again.

ANDROGYNOUS FOX AT THE BIRDS AND THE BEETS

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GRANDVIEW HONEY I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 13, 2018 WHERE: Grandview Park

Self-proclaimed to be the official chocolate of Christmas, Purdys has been filling local stockings since 1907 and rolls out new creations each year. Besides the company’s signature chocolate boxes, check out its cranberry-pistachio bar, eggnog truffles, holiday-themed foil-wrapped sweets, BETA5 CHOCOLATES and various Christmas character (413 Industrial Avenue) Beta5’s seasonal offerings never dischocolate lollipops. appoint. If you’re looking for stockLADURÉE ing stuffers, check out its choco(1141 Robson Street and 737 late snowballs, lumps of coal, and Dunsmuir Street) peppermint patties. Its holiday Find a bit of jolly Parisian f lair cream puffs are always a hit, with at this popular macaron estab- festive flavours such as Douglas fir, lishment, which is offering various eggnog, hot chocolate, and more.

see next page

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

Mouthwatering beverages like eggnog lattes and spiced-pear hot chocolate can be found at Bel Café this month, but its festive sweets are just as enticing. Highlights of its seasonal collection range from vanilla shortbread cookies to Christmas cake, and from tonka-bean palmiers to cinnamon marzipan. Don’t worry about calories: they don’t count during this time of year.

Downtown’s Thierry has rolled out many desserts synonymous with holiday cheer. Five yule log selections are available that are so aesthetically pleasing you may have a hard time devouring them.

Flavours like chestnut, coffee-andtoffee, and maple-and-pralines are featured. Other seasonal treats like hazelnut tarts, holiday chocolates, and gingerbread macarons can also be found here.

Top Drop Vancouver, the small, terroir-driven wine festival I cofounded five years ago, kept the month of May very busy. It was a privilege to welcome everyone from Elisabetta Foradori (try her peppery Foradori Dolomiti Teroldego 2016 [Italy; $35.99, B.C. Liquor Stores]) to Jay Drysdale from the Okanagan Valley’s Bella Wines sparkling house.

In June I took my first visit to Alsace in France.

The picturesque region’s lofty white wines like Hugel Muscat 2013 (Alsace, France; $28.99, B.C. Liquor Stores), with its white flowers, litchi, and apples, were a perfect pairing for the local cheeses, onion tarts, and other regional fare.

July was spent in Barolo, Italy, as one of the Vancouver wine-industry guests at the wedding of Joey Restaurants’ Jason Yamasaki and Medina Café’s Jenna Briscoe. The ceremony and recep-

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 15, 2018 WHERE: Gastown You - butter on a thick slice of toast, a little tattoo visible behind your ear, dark hair buzzed on the sides, jeans tucked into work boots, alone at the bar height tables - perhaps a lil’l bit disgruntled? Me - tall & long brown hair, headphones, young-lookin, probably sad expression, laptop with stickers about women’s rights. I was gonna approach you but you left. You did not put your own dishes away, which is kinda rude, but you’re so cute, so here is this "I saw you".

FRIDAY TRAFFIC: HEADACHE 100

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 14, 2018 WHERE: East Bound Marine Drive Vancouver You: Stuck behind a bus Me: Lady in the red car who let you in. You then waved and talked to me at the next traffic light I couldn't hear a word you said above the noise, but smiled and nodded because you seemed happy. I thought you were friendly and good looking. We kept passing and waving as we headed east for quite a while. It made me feel good all day thinking about this. If you aren’t married or attached we should get a coffee sometime and discuss the rules of the road.

(Tell me the make, model, and colour of your car so I know it’s you.)

“IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNING OUTSIDE”

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 14, 2018 WHERE: Restaurant near King Edward and Main I served you vegan food in a restaurant on Main. The dry weather must have made you happy. Your smile left me speechless and after you left, I was distracted for the rest of the day. You have olive skin and dark hair. We locked eyes for a split second over the check. I should have offered to pay. Realistically, I know it's a next to nothing chance you see this, but knowing a smile like yours exists in the world makes me happy. If you do to see this, coffee?

GORGEOUS AT YVR AIRPORT WEDNESDAY NIGHT

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 12, 2018 WHERE: Vancouver Airport I was jet lagged hard, You were waiting in the parking garage by your car at the Vancouver airport on Wednesday night around 8pm, wearing a black wool long coat. You had perfect blonde hair and the most beautiful eyes I think I have ever seen. You smiled as I walked up near you, and my heart was racing. Not sure if you are taken or not, if you are he's one lucky dude, but maybe we could have a little gin and Perrier sometime?

TALL WITH NICE SMILE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 14, 2018 WHERE: Burnaby, Bus 130 Heading to Metrotown.

I saw you riding the 130 bus at 7:30am on Dec 14, (and other mornings as well). I don’t always catch the same bus. Me, blonde girl with a red checked scarf. I would love to say hi to you but I get anxious just looking you in the eyes... you have a nice energy. This my attempt at being gutsy without alerting an entire bus load of people. I can't help but smile every time I look at you. Tea, Coffee? Answer this message with the stop I usually depart at :)

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from previous page

tion were on the terrace of Marchesi di Barolo, where plenty of the Abbona family’s classic clove- and rose-petal Barolo 2013 ($75.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) flowed.

Argentina was the big destination in August. What resonated most from the trip was a visit with Sebastián Zuccardi, whose dedication to terroir expression is quite laudable. A great example is Zuccardi Q Chardonnay 2017 (Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina; $26.74, Legacy Liquor Store); enjoy its flinty, fresh citrus fruit, hint of sea salt, and crisp acidity.

September saw the big 2015 Bordeaux release around town. Although I’m not plunking down thousands for a bottle, I was impressed by the value offered by gems like Château la Chandellière Médoc 2015 (Bordeaux, France; $30, B.C. Liquor Stores). Think fresh-carved roast beef, black currants, and a good smattering of dried herbs.

I had the privilege of attending a vertical tasting of Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Sangiovese wines out of Chianti, Italy, at Chambar in October.

For those wanting to reach deep into their pockets, there are commendable back vintages available at B.C. Liquor Stores up around the $130 mark, although the Fontodi Chianti Classico 2015 (Tuscany, Italy; $37.99, B.C. Liquor Stores) punches above its weight, offering velvety red and black fruit dusted with pitch-perfect oregano.

The Vancouver premiere of the film Somm 3 went down at the Rio Theatre last month, with a prescreening tasting featuring a host of local and international wines. For those who missed the third installment of the winefuelled film series, it’s now available on iTunes and other online platforms.

And here we are in December, with no shortage of opportunities to raise a glass or two. Here’s wishing our readers the best of the season, perhaps with a hearty pour of Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco Reggiano Frizzante 2016 (Emilia-Romagna, Italy; $19.99, B.C. Liquor Stores). Do revel in its cherry red fruit, white pepper, and zippy finish while enjoying the holidays. Cheers!

Drink OF THE WEEK CANDY CANES might make kids happy,

CANDY CANE WHITE RUSSIAN

but they’re not exactly high on most food

¾ oz Kahlúa

lovers’ wish lists. That said, when crushed up they make for a versatile culinary ingredient. “They can be used in hot chocolate, cappuccino, to rim your glass for a wicked martini, in peppermint milkshakes, for candy-cane white-chocolate bark, sprinkled on ice cream with hot fudge sauce, or as décor on cakes, cookies, and whipped cream,” says Angie Quaale, owner of Well Seasoned

¾ oz vodka ¾ oz peppermint schnapps Half and half Ice For the garnish: Crushed candy canes Agave syrup Lightly dip the edge of an old-fashioned glass into the agave and then dip the glass into crushed candy canes to crust the rim. Fill the glass with ice. Pour

Gourmet Food Store and Cooking School.

in the Kahlúa, vodka, and schnapps. Add cream to

Here, Quaale uses the colourful pieces for a

fi ll. Serve with a candy-cane stir stick.

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By Gail Johnson

festive twist on a White Russian.

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arts

Goh Nutcracker fetes a 10-year tradition

by Janet Smith

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Chan Han Goh (left, Kharen Hill photo) says building a new Nutcracker was a huge investment for the company. But 10 years later, attention to the details has allowed it to grow into an ever-evolving success.

t this time of year, Goh Ballet director Chan Han Goh keeps a pen and notepad on her bedside table. That’s because pulling off a 250-dancer Nutcracker involves a lot of moving parts.

Wrangling an army of cheese-throwing mice and separating the gauzy tutus from the candy-coloured soldier costumes: these are the kind of details that can keep you up at night.

“The worst thing for me is I’m so afraid I’ve forgotten something,” the former National Ballet of Canada dancer tells the Straight, laughing as she talks over the phone from the company’s busy heritage quarters on Main Street. “If I wake up, as soon as I think about it I have to write it down.”

Hitting the new venue of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Goh Nutcracker is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It’s met with such success, it’s easy to forget that, when the company built its full-scale new version in 2009, it was a huge feat. Goh and her team brought in former Kirov Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet star Anne-Marie Holmes to choreograph it and secured live accompaniment by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. Costing $700,000plus, it was years in the making.

On one level, it was a personal passion project for Goh, whose parents launched the academy in 1978 soon after emigrating here from China.

Her own first principal role with the National

Ballet was in The Nutcracker. Going further back, as a young ballet student at her parents’ school, she had never had the chance to make the holiday classic her own yearly tradition.

“In big cities, people will go to The Nutcracker every year as a nostalgic thing. But growing up here we never had a regular Nutcracker to go to,” she explains. “So I’m hugely emotionally invested. But it was a huge financial stride to build it properly.…We had hoped to build a tradition and we really didn’t know what that entailed.

We just knew that if we had a good enough production audiences would come. And many come every year now.”

Goh attributes some of that success to the version’s crowd-pleasing blend of true-to-theclassic story line mixed with innovations like Mother Ginger, who has up to a dozen gymnasts tumble out of her giant hoop skirt each year. The show also brings in stars from outside of Vancouver: this Christmas season, dancers from the New York City Ballet take on the roles of the Cavalier Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy, with two artists from National Ballet of China in the roles of the Snow Queen and Snow King.

“We bring in artists from companies that would not necessarily tour to Vancouver,” Goh says. “We’ve had dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet.”

Over the years, the show has evolved and grown. Goh admits her team learned a lot

I think my role is more complicated than when I was a dancer.

— Chan Han Goh

from the first year, when it had closer to 200 performers. “We have a template now to go from,” she reflects. “I think I’ve learned it’s the same as when I was a dancer: you’re never happy with the performance you just did, you always want to do better.”

This year, look for new unicorns in the Snow Scene; elsewhere, there are now dragonflies in the Waltz of the Flowers and a naughty black lamb in the Marzipan sequence.

Along the way, scenery, costumes, and props have been either meticulously restored or redesigned. One of the most daunting tasks

is fixing the immense scrim. “It takes a lot of repair work,” Goh concedes. “We need either a gymnasium to spread it out, or sometimes in summer, when there are no dancers here, we can do it here. The people sewing it are actually working on the floor repairing the tears.”

It’s all worth it, she feels, for what the annual production offers the young dancers, allowing its performers to grow up along with it, working toward newer, more challenging roles. A party girl might someday take on the role of, say, the Arabian or Spanish dancer. There are still original cast members from 2009 who mentor younger members.

Making sure they’re all on track is a job that Goh admits is even harder work than her days as a ballerina at the National.

“I think my role is more complicated than it was when I was a dancer,” she admits. “When I was a dancer, I could just focus on what I needed to do and what I should do to perform well—all the things like having the right physio appointments or putting the right protein in my diet. This is so much more.

“I’m just super, super happy that it’s lived up to what we always hoped,” she adds, “and for that we thank the community for its support.”

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The Goh Ballet presents The Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from Friday to Sunday (December 21 to 23).

Star prizes a Stradivarius for all Seasons

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by Alexander Varty

hen the Georgia Straight reaches Benjamin Beilman at home in New York City, the first thing he does is put his instrument down carefully. Extremely carefully: after all, it’s not every 29-year-old who gets to practise on a 1709 Stradivarius.

Beilman is currently in possession of the “Engleman” Strad, an exceptional example of an iconic builder’s work. The honour of playing such a fabled instrument is not lost on him, even if it’s only on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. “Yesterday I just had it polished, so it’s looking particularly pristine—and very, very beautiful,” he reports fondly.

But even a violin that’s worth many times more than the average Vancouver home isn’t the reason why Beilman is attracting attention worldwide. He has an impeccable sound, of course, and takes an impassioned approach to performance that some critics even consider slightly violent, although forceful is perhaps a Young violin virtuoso Benjamin Beilman plays a Stradivarius that dates back to 1709. more appropriate term. But no matter how virtuosic he’s asked to be, he happy to be told that a sense of singing “I would definitely agree with that. always displays deep humanity in his runs through all of his work.

Actually, I sang in a boys’ choir beinterpretations—and he’s not un“Yeah!” he says enthusiastically. tween the age of six or seven until

I was 12—until my voice changed, essentially—and every once in a while I’ll still sing in choirs. So I do think there is very much a grounding in breath and everything like that.

The violin is most tied to the human voice; it has more of a soprano-type feeling. So the bow is the breath, and the notes and the range are roughly the same as the human voice.”

Beilman takes a similarly emotive approach to all the music he plays, whether he’s debuting a brand-new piece by Frederic Rzewski—check out the veteran radical’s Demons on YouTube—or revisiting something as familiar as Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, which he’ll soon perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

“When somebody thinks of classical music, they think of Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’, or even the ‘Summer’ movement,” Beilman says.

“Even now, it’s still used in films, and in the Netf lix cooking show Chef ’s Table, they do a version of Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ as kind of the theme music. But now we have better authentic readings and editions of some of Vivaldi’s manuscripts—

better, more authentic sources, so we can get one step closer to what Vivaldi intended.”

It’s not that he’s going to hew to early-music performance practice— his Stradivarius, ancient though it is, has been adapted for modern strings, for instance—but he’s going to do his best by the composition as it’s written, and the audience for whom it’s played.

“It’s important to understand exactly what the traditions and what the style is, but ultimately we are using modern equipment, and we’re performing in venues that are much, much, much bigger than the music rooms where these pieces would have been played,” Beilman says. “So there has to be a kind of constant balancing between understanding and honouring that style of authenticity, but also the practicality of ‘How do we make this a successful performance, which everyone in the hall can hear and can understand?’ ”

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Benjamin Beilman joins the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on Friday and Saturday (December 21 and 22) and the Massey Theatre at 2 p.m. on Sunday (December 23).

DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 23

ARTS

Sounds as fresh as new snow

With new faces, Music on Main mixes it up for the Winter Solstice concert

by Alexander Varty

I

n just five years, Music on Main’s annual Music for the Winter Solstice concert has become a true seasonal tradition, its blend of sonic innovation and convivial warmth a welcome alternative to frenzied shopping streets and the winter blues. But with acceptance comes expectation. How can MoM’s programmers retain the holiday spirit while also keeping the mix fresh?

For MoM artistic director David Pay, it’s a matter of gently tweaking the established formula, while thinking equally carefully about who he invites onboard.

“When I’m talking to people about playing this show, I’m talking to them about the feeling in the audience and the feeling in the space,” he explains, in a cellphone conversation with the Straight. “And, obviously, I’m thinking about musicians who can share that feeling of warmth and all the feelings of glad tidings, but without any of the feast-days necessities.

“It’s not Christmas; it’s not Hanukkah; it’s not a pagan solstice,” he continues. “It’s just that this time of year, things get dark but also warm and cozy. So how can we have a beautiful feeling where we can all come together? And when I talk to musicians about that, they’re always onside.”

This year, only pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa returns from previous Music for the Winter Solstice productions, but a few familiar songs will reappear, including MoM–commissioned works from Alfredo Santa Ana, Nicole Lizée, and Caroline Shaw. Joining Iwaasa on the Heritage Hall stage will be violinist Karen Gerbrecht and singer Corey Payette: the former will present a selection of what Pay calls “violin bonbons” from Fritz Kreisler, Edward Elgar, and Antonín Dvorak, while the latter will offer songs from his musicals Les Filles du Roi and Children of God. Payette will also introduce a new instrument to the Winter Solstice stage: the Indigenous frame drum on which he accompanies himself in the song “Gimikwenden Ina (Do You Remember?)”.

It’s an appropriate choice, the OjiCree composer notes. “The drum in that song plays an enormous role,” Payette relates, on the line from Armstrong, B.C., where his new musical, Sedna, has just opened at the Caravan Farm Theatre to immense acclaim. “It’s such a low, bassy instrument that it provides us with a sense of warmth. It almost warms us from the inside.”

For Payette, tradition is a powerful source of warmth and sustenance, and that’s at the heart of “Gimikwenden Ina”. “In times of darkness, in what can seem like a cold feeling or isolation, if we share

24 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

Music on Main’s David Pay says he looks for artists who get the idea of a seasonal concert that exists outside of Christmas, Hanukkah, or even pagan practice.

language and share songs, that is a way that we, as people, have always connected to one another,” he says, noting that he sees Music for the Winter Solstice as part of “a very, very old tradition of storytelling and sharing song”.

Musicians who can share that feeling of warmth...without any of the feast-day necessities.

– David Pay, Music on Main

“For me, winter has been a time of reconnecting, of deep thought, and of new beginnings,” he continues.

“Like, what is happening with the solstice is that it’s a way of marking a change in time that we all collectively experience. And I think that having an opportunity to witness that as part of a concert is something that, hopefully, will be a new tradition, where every year we’ll have a chance to mark this feeling—and the time that we’re all living in.”

Warmth, the changing seasons, and the prospect of sunshine are also the focus of “Cold Isn’t Permanent”, which Payette wrote with Julie McIsaac for Les Filles du Roi. “That whole show…looks at the seasons as almost being characters in the stories that we tell,” he explains. “Winter is a villain to these people. It’s feared, in a way. It affects health in a deep way.

And so songs like ‘Cold Isn’t Permanent’ remind us of the broader cycle, and that spring will return, and that we have ways of keeping ourselves healthy and reminding ourselves of who we are and what makes us strong. And then outside of the context of the show, I think ‘Cold Isn’t Permanent’ might just be something that people can tell themselves, you know. Like ‘We can make it through this. We can overcome this because we know that spring will come, and that light will return.’”

Holding on to that knowledge was one way Payette got through his long childhood winters in northern Ontario, where there’s sometimes snow on the ground well into May. It might not be quite as pertinent here on the Wet Coast, but change one word in his song’s title and Music for the Winter Solstice might have a new motto: rain isn’t permanent either.

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Music on Main presents Music for the Winter Solstice at Heritage Hall tonight and Thursday (December 19 and 20).

ARTS

CoexisDance hits West Coast

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by Janet Smith

he template for CoexisDance is simple: “No more than two dancers, no more than two musicians, at least one of each.” But the evening of live improvisation, which started in Toronto and is now coming to Vancouver, offers myriad surprising possibilities when it takes place.

Having lived in the Ontario capital, York University dance grad Olivia C. Davies has taken part in the mixed program of short works more than a dozen times. And now she’s bringing it here as part of an ambitious, wide-ranging residency at the Dance Centre—one that finds her doing as much curation as creation.

“I witnessed one CoexisDance and thought, ‘Wow, this is amazing! This is so cool that I want to get involved,’” she tells the Straight over the phone from the Skwachàys Lodge, where the artist, of mixed Welsh, Métis, and Anishinaabe heritage, coordinates programs.

CoexisDance was founded in Toronto by the late Colin Anthony in 2005, and it’s grown to have regular events as far afield as Buffalo and Zurich. The way it works, Davies explains, is that the host puts out a call to artists. and those who want to participate pick either a specific musician to work with or a certain type of instrumentalist—from a harpist to an electric guitarist. Organizers then track down the right artist and hook them up with the dancer; CoexisDance gives the collaborators space to meet up and work with ideas for a few hours, and then they improvise a short piece for the show.

“I’m really invigorated about the spontaneity that lives in improvisational structures and the opportunity to work through conceptual curiosities,” says Davies, whose own

Olivia C. Davies brings the T.O. improv night here; Carol Sawyer (right) lends her voice.

O.Dela Arts company not only serves to develop her dance works but is a platform for educational workshops and community-engaged projects.

“They have seven minutes on-stage to examine and explore whatever they want to explore together.”

Curatorially, she’s also just as excited to see, say, what happens when a butoh dancer and a guitarist improvise work together—which will be the case when dancer Salome Nieto and musician-composer Jeff Younger hit the stage. Elsewhere, Julia Carr, who codirects the Body Narratives Collective and has danced for Aeriosa, joins singer and visual artist Carol Sawyer.

“They’re using voice and dance for inthe-moment composition, and from an artistic point of view they’re both very fun,” says Davies. Contemporary dance artist Emmalena Fredricksson joins forces with composer and sound artist Ben Wylie. “He’s bringing a lot onto the stage—synthesizers as well as instruments and a looping pedal,” Davies says.

Other bold pairings include contemporary dancer Lori Hamar and violinist Joshua Zubot, dance artist Sophie Brassard and guitarist-

percussionist Rémi Thibault, and aerial artist Emily Long with singer Marisa Etchart.

Davies, who hopes to continue CoexisDance, says the pay-whatyou-can event brings in new audiences and reveals the multiple ways dancers can interpret a live score.

“It really felt like this bridging and deeper connecting of both of our worlds,” she says of dancers and musicians. “So it’s providing performance opportunities…and exploring new ways of collaborating and getting inspired. And that will build a richness out of our practices overall.”

Watch for Davies to continue to use her residency to build more bridges between performers in work next year. In March, she and writer Rosemary Georgeson will helm Home: Our Way, a series of women’s creative writing and dance workshops, and then in June, she kicks off Matriarchs Uprising, a weekend of performances and other events focusing on women in the arts.

.ca COMING UP AT THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY DEC VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS 21-23 Hailed as one of the most significant artists 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.

SALUTE TO VIENNA NEW YEAR’S CONCERT

STRAUSS SYMPHONY OF CANADA FEATURING THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY Usher in the New Year with Vancouver’s beloved 23 year tradition of waltzes, polkas and operetta hits with European singers, ballroom dancers and ballet.

SUPPORT AT THE CHAN CENTRE BY

SALUTE TO VIENNA PRESENTED BY

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A HEARTWARMING HOLIDAY MUSICAL FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

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IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Dec. 6 – 31, 2018

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TEA & TRUMPETS Celebrate the VSO’s 100th Anniversary with the very first piece ever performed by the VSO – Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture – and celebrated works important in the VSO’s history.

THE HOCKEY SWEATER

KIDS’ KONCERTS One of the most famous of Canadian stories, author Roch Carrier’s short story The Hockey Sweater, set to music by Abigail Richardson.

TEA & TRUMPETS SERIES SPONSOR

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE TEA & TRUMPETS SERIES IS PROVIDED BY A GENEROUS GIFT FROM THE MCGRANE-PEARSON ENDOWMENT FUND.

GatewayTheatre.com , H GatewayThtr Nick Fontaine.

Photo: David Cooper.

VSO POPS Trace the musical path from the golden age of swing through the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, including chart-topping hits by Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. You’ll be In the Mood to Sing Sing Sing!

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JAN WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’: 11/12 FROM SWING TO ROCK

JAN 13

Pick a card from the Tree of Giving at Kingsgate Mall and help make a needy child’s wish come true this Christmas!

Without your help, so many dreams will go unanswered.

Take a card from the tree located near Mark’s – it tells you the age and gender of the child and their special interests. Find a suitable gift and place it (unwrapped) in our Tree of Giving House with a the card attached. Our elves will ensure it is delivered in time to create Christmas memories.

Thanks to the generosity of our community over 1,200 gifts were collected last year.

CoexisDance: Western Edition 1 is at the Scotiabank Dance Centre on Saturday (December 22).

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JAN 10

UNTIL Dec. 22

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DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 25

ARTS LISTINGS presents Rebecca Northan’s fly-by-the-seatof-your-pants fusion of clown, improv, theatre, and social experiment. To Dec 30, Goldcorp EAST VAN PANTO: WIZARD OF OZ When Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre. From $29. a pipeline bursts, Dorothy and Toto are flung A CHARLIE BROWN HOLIDAY DOUBLEto the magical Land of Oz, a.k.a. Nanaimo BILL Carousel Theatre for Young People and Hastings. To Jan 6, 7 pm, York Theatre. presents “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and $10-$69.

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”. To Jan 6, DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST The Waterfront Theatre. $35/$29/$18.

Arts Club Theatre Company presents the THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDbeloved fairy-tale musical. To Jan 6, Stanley ROBE Reimagining of C.S. Lewis’s classic Industrial Alliance Stage. From $39. tale of hope, change, and sacrifice. To Dec 29, LITTLE DICKENS: THE DAISY THEATRE Pacific Theatre. $20-$36.50.

Ronnie Burkett’s raucous, adults-only take on STAND-UP AND DELIVER! COMEDY OPEN the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Carol.

MIC Professionals, amateurs, and new comedTo Dec 22, 8 pm, Historic Theatre. $24-$69. ians are welcome at a comedy open mike. Wed., IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE New musical 8-11:30 pm, Charqui’s Grill. Free. adaptation of the holiday classic by Peter DOUGLAS COUPLAND’S VORTEX Douglas Jorgensen, based on the Frank Capra film. To Coupland’s radical art installation takes an Dec 31, Gateway Theatre. From $29. imaginative journey to the Great Pacific MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERGarbage Patch, immersing viewers in the LEY The Arts Club Theatre Company presents ocean-plastic pollution crisis. To April 30, Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s 2019, Vancouver Aquarium. $22/39. holiday confection filled with classic Jane TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION ExhibAusten charm. To Dec 30, Granville Island ition focuses on the legendary RMS Titanic’s Stage. From $29. compelling human stories through more than MERRY KISS-MAS New Christmas parody 120 authentic artifacts and extensive room melts TV tropes and Christmas clichés together. re-creations. To Jan 11, 2019, Lipont Place.

To Dec 24, The Improv Centre. From $15.75.

SANTA IN SPACE Seasonal pantomime. To BLIND DATE The Arts Club Theatre Company Jan 5, Deep Cove Shaw Theatre. $16.

ONGOING

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 SHAKEUP: PRESERVING WHAT WE VALUE to Sep 1 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 TECK GALLERY EYE EYE to Apr 27 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 ITALIAN CULTURAL CENTRE WOMEN’S WORK: REFLECTIONS ON THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN TEXTILE to Dec 30, 10 am–6 pm 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 to Mar 7 CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY DOVE ALLOUCHE: NEGATIVE CAPABILITY to Dec 30, 12-6 pm KAMEELAH JANAN RASHEED to Mar 17, 12-6 pm

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GOLDEN GLOBE® NOMINATION BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“THE WORK OF A MASTER IN FULL COMMAND OF HIS ART.

A work of such emotional delicacy, you’re barely prepared when it knocks you sideways.”

JUSTIN CHANG

“A FILM THAT STEALS IN AND SNATCHES YOUR HEART.” ROBBIE COLLIN

STILL WALKING, LIKE

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF FATHER LIKE SON AND

NOBODY KNOWS

A F I L M B Y KO R E - E D A H I R O K A Z U SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE SCENES, NUDITY

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

STARTS FRIDAY

26 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

88 WEST PENDER • 604-806-0799

Check theatre directories for showtimes

LIBBY LESHGOLD GALLERY DOROTHY CROSS: STALACTITE to Jan 6, 7-5 pm

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IZZARD FINE ARTS GALLERY EXHIBIT BY DANIEL IZZÁRD AND LYLE SOPEL to Dec 30

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POLYGON GALLERY LOOKING AT PERSEPOLIS: THE CAMERA IN IRAN 1850-1930 to Jan 13 HANNAH RICKARDS: ONE CAN MAKE OUT THE SURFACE ONLY BY PLACING ANY DARK-COLOURED OBJECT ON THE GROUND to Jan 13 BATIA SUTER: PARALLEL ENCYCLOPEDIA EXTENDED to Jan 13 KEVIN SCHMIDT: RECKLESS to Mar 10, 4-11 pm

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VANCOUVER ART GALLERY’S OFFSITE POLIT-SHEER-FORM OFFICE to Mar 31

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SILK PURSE ARTS CENTRE REMIXING: ARTISTS EXPLORING THE ELEMENTS to Dec 20 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.

ANONYMOUS ART SHOW FUNDRAISER Sale of original art by local artists. To Dec 22, 7 pm, Cityscape Community Art Space. Free.

ROYAL CITY YOUTH BALLET PRESENTS THE NUTCRACKER Full-length Nutcracker ballet.

To Dec 23, Various Lower Mainland venues.

ALL TOGETHER COLLECTIVE POP-UP SHOP Works by Amy Stewart, Shira Gold, and Crissy Arseneau, To Dec 24, 11 am–6 pm, Granville Island. Free.

VANCOUVER CHRISTMAS MARKET Yuletide celebration features over 80 vendor huts.

To Dec 24, Jack Poole Plaza. $12/11/5.

PHOTOCLUB VANCOUVER MEMBERS EXHIBITION Black-and-white photographs in many genres. To Jan 11, Sidney And Gertrude Zack Gallery. Free.

THE PANTO—KING ARTHUR’S COURT Family holiday musical pantomime. To Jan 5, Metro Theatre. From $28.

NUTCRACKER SUITES Karen Flamenco Dance Company performs Tchaikovsky’s work. To Dec 29, 5-6 pm, The Improv Centre. $10/$15.

MIGARTION Community gathering and art exhibition. Dec 18-19, 6-4 pm, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. Free.

PACK ANIMALS: A VERY CAMPY CHRISTMAS Raunchy Christmas comedy for adults.

Dec 18-22, 8-9:30 pm, Havana Theatre. $15.

AMATEUR NIGHT Amateur comedians at their best and worst. Dec 19, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club. $7.

see page 32

MOVIES

The smallest crimes pay in Shoplifters REVIEWS SHOPLIFTERS

Starring Lily Franky. In Japanese, with English subtitles. Rated PG

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A DEEPLY humanistic core connects all of Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda’s work, no matter how different in tone or subject. The writer-director’s most recent film, The Third Murder, unravelled a complex homicide case with cold precision that revealed a beating heart of compassion underneath its police procedural. His new one involves crime as well, but of a very different sort.

Shoplifting is just one of the many low-key hustles associated with one family on the leafy but still crowded outskirts of Tokyo.

Things are particularly cramped in the two-room apartment of a retired granny (After the Storm’s Kirin Kiki) who makes everyone hide when the landlord comes around.

She’s supposed to be there on her own, not bunking down with her rough-talking daughter Nobuyo Shibata (cast standout Sakura Andô) and even shadier son-in-law Osamu (the quirkily named Lily Franky, who played the poorer dad in Kore-eda’s Like Father, Like Son).

On top of that, there’s teenage daughter Aki (Mayu Matsuoka), who works in a porntastic strip club, behind a one-way mirror.

(Customers have to pay extra to go in the real-life “chat room”.) And also sweet-natured preteen son Shota (Jyo Kairi), who sleeps in a cupboard with hoarded trinkets, and whom Dad takes on those titular store-raiding expeditions for snacks and toys.

The latest from director Hirokazu Kore-eda is a masterful work of deeply felt humanism.

No one’s going to school and almost everyone’s working, albeit at tenuous jobs. Finances, and floor space, are already overstretched when they take in neighbour Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), an adorable five-yearold apparently abandoned by her abusive mother in the dead of winter.

The Shibatas do everything wrong, and yet they really enjoy each other and things always seem to work out for them. Until they don’t.

Along the way, our patient director keeps dropping hints that these connections might not be what they seem.

Indeed, as we travel some other familial byways, as when “Grandma” visits her late ex-husband’s other offspring, it becomes clear how little, or much, blood relations can mean. Kore-eda always casts a keen eye on the plight of children, and on the general leftbehinds of a supposedly advanced society. Here, in what might be his best picture yet, he beautifully makes the case for picking your own parents.

THE FAVOURITE

Starring Emma Stone. Rated 14A

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THERE ARE plenty of costume dramas with aristocrats vying for power, prestige, and the biggest of all possible wigs. But few have reached the level of delicious, fastmoving fun The Favourite breezily achieves in its perfumed two hours. Call it Hilarious Liaisons— although that would obscure a vein of melancholy that gives the movie an unexpected tug.

The battle royale here, set at the very start of the 18th century, is mostly between women. Written by Britain’s Deborah Davis and Australian Tony McNamara, and developed over two decades, the tale offers a ripe triumvirate of aristocrats (and actors) competing for centre stage. Top laurels are worn by Queen Anne, played by superb TV veteran Olivia Colman,

by Ken Eisner who coincidentally takes over from

6 CRITICS’ CHOICE

AWARDS

NOMINATIONS

SCREEN ACTORS

GUILD AWARD NOMINATIONS

®

Claire Foy as QE II on The Crown.

Last of the Stuart dynasty, Anne is riven by doubt, gout, and other maladies, and leaves most decisions to her bossy-boots lady in waiting, Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz, at her devious best). Sarah favours the warinclined Whig party associated with her husband, Lord Marlborough, currently leading the English into yet another battle with the French.

Into this powdery cauldron comes Churchill cousin Abigail Hill (an extra-resourceful Emma Stone), fallen on hard times because of her father’s gambling debts. Initial employment as a scullery maid doesn’t cut it. So Abigail soon starts finagling her way into the queen’s good graces, and bedchamber, drawing Lady Marlborough’s ire, and the attentions of a Tory chief played

by About a Boy’s grown-up Nicholas Hoult, unrecognizably coiffed after his Mad Max: Fury Road run.

Shot with an extra-wide-angle lens at massive palaces built for Henry VIII and others, the plot turns are too delicious to spoil. A surprising amount of frivolity comes at the hands of Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose previous efforts in English, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, were more creepy than amusing.

He’s not afraid to underline the catty script’s many purposeful anachronisms with outrageous black-and-white costumes and delightful sight gags, like having courtiers jitterbug to baroque party music. When not relying on Henry Purcell and other period composers, the director employs aggressively dissonant modern sounds to ramp up the tension.

Most shockingly, much of the story is based on fact. Our record of the real Queen Anne comes largely from a revenge journal written by the jilted Sarah (direct ancestor of both

Winston Churchill and Princess Diana), who happily smeared her ambitious cousin. The filmmakers truncate Anne’s realm by writing her Danish husband out of the picture, and by ignoring her political accomplishments—she put the “United” next to “Kingdom”—and cultural interests. The movie is terrific, but you’d never know this queen nurtured the talents of Jonathan Swift, George Frederick Handel, and Isaac Newton. As they must have said back then, “How do you like them apples?”

by Ken Eisner

see next page

Movies

TIP SHEET

c THE AGE OF ADULTING Director Mark A. Lewis’s angsty, Vancouver-set millennial drama has arrived on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play, among an array of other VOD platforms. More information at www.theageofadulting.com/.

c THE MYSTERY OF PICASSO

Called “a miracle” by François Truffaut, this 1956 portrait of the artist by Henri-Georges Clouzot comes in its restored version to the Cinematheque for a weeklong run starting Thursday (December 20).

c ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE

From the U.K. with blood and guts, this highly touted, Christmas-themed zombie musical (yes, zombie musical) gets the first of three screenings at the Rio Theatre on Sunday (December 23).

“A GORGEOUSLY CRAFTED ADAPTATION. ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST FILMS.”

“THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR” Todd McCarthy, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“THE ENTIRE CAST IS SENSATIONAL” Pete Hammond, DEADLINE

The New York Times

“BALE…ASTOUNDS IN A TRANSFORMATIVE ROLE” Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Christian BALE Amy ADAMS Steve CARELL Sam ROCKWELL Tyler PERRY

VIOLENCE

SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE SCENES, COARSE LANGUAGE, NUDITY, VIOLENCE

IN THEATRES CHRISTMAS DAY STARTS CHRISTMAS DAY

FIFTH AVENUE

DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 27

MOVIES Brandon Yan moves on Vancouver critics hail up inside Out on Screen Reformed Paul Schrader

by Adrian Mack

by Craig Takeuchi

MOVIE NOTES

rently being accepted, with an earlybird deadline of January 31.

n December 17, Out on Screen, which runs the Vancouver Queer Film Festival and the Out in Schools program, announced that education director Brandon Yan has been appointed to the newly created position of deputy executive director.

Yan will be responsible for leading the operations of the nonprofit organization and will work with executive director Stephanie Goodwin to develop its impact and reach. Goodwin told the Georgia Straight that the new position “reflects an emphasis on higher-level external engagement”.

“It’s to create extra capacity so he and I can effectively engage governments, stakeholders, and wider LGBT2Q communities,” she explained.

As education director for the past two years, Yan helped double the reach of the Out in Schools program across British Columbia by expanding from 10,000 students to an expected 25,000 in 2018. The program screens LGBT–related films and facilitates workshops and discussions about safe spaces, discrimination, and sexualorientation and gender-identity issues in schools across the province.

Yan, who has been with Out on Screen for four years, also ran as a OneCity candidate for city council in the 2018 municipal election.

Meanwhile, Out in Schools program manager Gavin K. Somers will take over Yan’s former position.

Submissions for the 2019 Vancouver Queer Film Festival, which will run from August 15 to 25, are cur-

TREK AND WARS STARS TO COME

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Although Fan Expo Vancouver was held from October 12 to 14, it’s returning this spring—the season when it was originally held annually.

The eighth edition will run from March 1 to 3. According to Fan Expo Vancouver public-relations representative Carine Redmond, the shift to the new dates will allow the event to retain this time frame at the Vancouver Convention Centre into the future.

The upcoming edition will feature Star Trek alum George Takei. Takei portrayed Hikaru Sulu on the original Star Trek TV series and in the Star Trek films, and has become a vocal activist for LGBT, Asian American, and other causes.

Another guest will be Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian in Star Wars films and is slated to appear in the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. WEB FEST HITS PAUSE

The Vancouver Web Fest—which showcases digital storytelling and web-content creators—will be temporarily suspended in 2019.

VWF founder and executive director Suzette Laqua announced in a video posted on social media that it’s due to personal health concerns.

However, Laqua and VWF correspondent Susie Lee explained in the video that they hope to mount the following edition, in 2020.

Laqua and Lee also said that they will continue to support content creators.

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THE MYSTERY OF PICASSO DEC 20-22, 27

THE MAGIC FLUTE DEC 22, 26, 28

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n what should presage a spectacular comeback for filmmaker Paul Schrader during the coming awards season, First Reformed collected three of the Vancouver Film Critics Circle’s top international prizes, announced Monday (December 17). Schrader himself took the award for best director and best screenplay, with Ethan Hawke beating out Christian Bale (Vice) and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) to collect a well-deserved best-actor (male) honour for his role in First Reformed as a priest seriously embattled by issues of faith and health.

Schrader’s storied career hit rock bottom with 2013’s The Canyons, in which Lindsay Lohan was stunt-cast alongside porn star James Deen in a work reasonably described as one of the worst movies ever made by a major filmmaker. First Reformed returns the writer-director to his natural turf. In her review for the Georgia Straight, VFCC member Janet Smith points out the thematic similarities to Schrader’s screenplay for Taxi Driver, while praising the film as a triumph of composition and formal reserve.

The award for best international film, meanwhile—and perhaps not surprisingly—went to Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, otherwise known as the Netflix production that definitively upturned any arguments about the equivalence between big and small screens (and that continues its run at the Vancity Theatre until January 3). Roma was also named best foreign-language film.

If the sharing of those five major awards reflects a certain sort of diplomacy among the VFCC’s members, the race for best female actor was so

FRENCH CANCAN DEC 21-22, 26

FANNY AND ALEXANDER

THE COMPLETE VERSION

DEC 23, 27

35mm Print!

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK DEC 28-30, JAN 2

WINGS OF DESIRE DEC 29-30, JAN 2

2019 ANNUAL PASS NOW ON SALE NOW!

28 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018

from previous page

MIRAI

Featuring the voice of Moka Kamishiraishi. In Japanese, with English subtitles. Rated PG

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Ethan Hawke scores a win for First Reformed.

tight that it forced a three-way split between Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), and Regina Hall (Support the Girls). Opening in Vancouver on Friday (December 21), Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite also scored a best-supporting-actor (female) nod for Rachel Weisz. Richard E. Grant was named best supporting actor (male) for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, described by the Straight’s Ken Eisner in his review as one of the thesp’s meatiest performances since Withnail and I. Finally, Minding the Gap—a portrait of three skateboarding friends shot over 12 years in Rockford, Illinois— was named best documentary. As ever, the VFCC is holding back the winners of its Canadian awards for its ceremony on January 7, when Edge of the Knife, Fausto, and Roads in February duke it out for the best-picture honour.

Chaired by Straight contributor Josh Cabrita, the Vancouver Film Critics Circle was founded in 2000 by critic David Spaner and the Straight’s late, great Ian Caddell.

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AN UNUSUALLY introspective anime, veteran toonsmith Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai homes in on one urban family quietly enduring fairly standard growing pains, starting with a grouchy working mom (voiced

by Kumiko Asô) and a stay-at-home architect dad (Gen Hoshino) about to expand their little brood.

Those pains are not very quiet for four-year-old Kun (Moka Kamishiraishi), utterly freaked out by the arrival of baby sister Mirai. In Japanese, that means “future”, and this is underlined by a magical version of the more grown-up Mirai, voiced by Haru Kuroki, also central to Hosoda’s widely travelled Wolf Children. The apparition begins to infiltrate Kun’s consciousness to show him where his life is headed—if, you know, he doesn’t kill the little brat first.

When the train-obsessed Kun ventures from their tiny but incredibly well-designed house, he makes sporadic journeys through time, in both directions, from surprising intimations of trauma left over from the Second World War to an overwhelming stop at a massive Tokyo train station—with lost children exiled to a frightening place called Lonely Land.

The two-hour film, so gentle for its first quarter, is unexpectedly revealing of aspects of daily life Japanese entertainments don’t typically broach, including postpartum depression and gender-role expectations. The tale never loses its rare and deeply forgiving intimacy, and Hosoda keeps his finger firmly on the pulse of childhood, refusing to let sentimentality obscure scary truths about growing up.

by Ken Eisner

music

The albums that got us through 2018 Hip-hop’s women, local indie stars, and Polaris winners caught our critics’ ears this year

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Brasstracks For Those Who Know LOTS OF THINGS in 2018 were These guys used to make future shit. These albums weren’t. bass. Thank god they pivoted to jazzinfused hip-hop. Both members of Jungle For Ever The Independent the duo—drummer Conor Rayne called this record “hollowed-out”. and trumpeter Ivan Jackson— Burn that review. For Ever trained at the Manhattan has been four years in School of Music, and it the making, and it’s shows.

Hammond more than worth the organs, silky chorwait. Similar to the uses, and three feagroup’s first poptures from Robert funk collection, Glasper (yes, him the album conagain) make this stantly hits the album both techmark of stompnically proficient ing choruses, slick and instrumentalinstrumentals, and ly epic. Especially if on excellent studio proyou like trumpets. vi ne nc duction. Sure, it’s not a ng e yo o s u e ve r y million miles away from Jean-Michel Blais Dans Jungle’s debut—but if it ain’t Ma Main A largely instrubroke, don’t fix it. mental release, Dans Ma Main is an arresting record from the FrenchKurt Vile Bottle It In Kurt Vile’s Canadian artist. Want to put it on latest record manages to pull off the in the background? Good luck with holy grail of songwriting, creating that. With its soft, emotive score, this feelings as much as tracks. The al- album demands full attention, drawbum is packed with rambling ear- ing in the listener until it’s impossible worms, with the artist’s psychedelic to focus on anything else. For Dans commentary floating over the top of Ma Main, Blais has ventured down unpretentious, repeated guitar riffs. the Ableton rabbit hole, adding light Whole songs are composed of just touches of strings and occasional two chords, and are fuelled with a electronic drumbeats to his pieces, simplicity that belies their building cinematic soundpower. Few other musiscapes that create narracians can keep a pertives without words. son hooked for a full 10 minutes with Jeremy Dutcher the same four Wo l a s t o q i y i k bars, but Vile is Lintuwakonawa all vibe.

It’s easy to write about the cultural Stephen Malksignificance of mus and the Jicks this album. HeadSparkle Hard ing to the archives Kudos, Mr. Malkof the Canadian tc c he mus, for creating the Museum of Civilizans rb ti o rin g album we never knew tion, Dutcher listened to s First N a we wanted, but most definthe songs of his ancestors on itely needed. Songs about bike lanes! wax cylinders, and used those tradBizarre uses of Auto-Tune! A nod itional lyrics and melodies to write to Germany’s cultural stereotypes! arrangements in the language of his Pavement this is not, but that’s just Tobique First Nation. In doing so, he fine—Sparkle Hard is further evi- literally brought part of his commundence that Malkmus’s talents are ity’s culture back to life. The importmore versatile than anyone could ance of that story, though, might have have predicted in the ’90s. Bonus been buried in New Brunswick if the points, too, for being significantly music he created weren’t so goddamn better than his previous offering, powerful. Dutcher is a classically Wig Out at Jagbags, which sounded trained operatic tenor with an envilike your dad made it with his mates ably rich voice, and his vivid arrangein the basement of his $4-million ments with piano, strings, drums, East Van teardown. and more are both complex and inspiring. There’s a very good reason Noname Room 25 Noname does that we chose this record to win this have a name, and it’s Fatimah Ny- year’s Polaris Music Prize. eema Warner. Initially a slam poet before her spoken-word-esque rap Rhye Blood Mike Milosh’s latest made it onto tape, Noname has bars record cements his status as one of that would make Kendrick Lamar the sexiest men alive. Not only has weep with jealousy—see “My pussy he managed to land a girlfriend like teachin’ ninth-grade English/My Geneviève Medow Jenkins—the parpussy wrote a thesis on colonial- ticularly striking woman on the cover ism”—with a cosmic jazz backing of the record—his music is full of the that sounds like Robert Glasper’s sultry, whispering vocals that made solo work on crack (the good kind). listeners (if not record execs) swoon.

Secrets about Milosh’s love life Maribou State Kingdoms in Col- abound on Blood, as do metaphors see next page our U.K. duo Maribou State spent

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from Jamaican dub to fuzz-bombed the past three years touring its debut record around the world. Those inindie rock. fluences have rubbed off on the pair Advance Base Animal Companion- for its sophomore offering. Layering ship The idea of sitting alone in a international sounds on a downrundown apartment watching the tempo base, Maribou State blends a snow fall on the street below has host of different sounds—think the never seemed more magical. Osten- Chinese guzheng and the melismatic sibly a record about folks finding vocals of India—each played in the solace in their furred, feathered, and traditions and with the scales of its finned friends, Animal Companion- native culture. At no point does this ship actually explores something feel like appropriation—rather, the bigger, with indie-rock veteran album is a homage to the countries Owen Ashworth finding beauty and that the pair has visited since 2015.

And you can dance to it. truth in the mundane.

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But also I don’t want you to be gone.” “I Like It”—especially if you have a thing for Balenciagas, hot tamales, Peach Pit Being So Normal Anyone and texts from your exes. who has ever been an awkward highschooler will relate to Peach Pit’s ex- boygenius boygenius Cool kids humation of adolescent angst, and Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoethe Vancouver band’s tuneful indie be Bridgers make a sometimes winrock will please anyone who pos- some, sometimes distortion-flared sesses the conviction that every song record every bit as great as you’d Old Man Canyon A Grand Facade needs an awesome guitar solo. expect from three of indie rock’s A few things become quite clear brightest young stars. The only diswhen you listen to A Grand Facade. CupcakKe Ephorize Sure, it’s the appointing thing about the superOne is that Jett Pace obviously listens riotously filthy likes of “Duck Duck group’s first offering is that it’s a to a lot of Tame Impala, and another Goose” that made Elizabeth Eden six-song EP—more, please, and prefis that he smokes a lot of weed. Both Harris go viral. But CupcakKe spits erably sooner than later. of those habits have evidently shaped just as hard whether she’s enhis aesthetic in wonderful ways, gaging in some unflinchArt d’Ecco Trespasser Afthough, and this dreamy haze of ing introspection on ter years of toiling away an album is the sonic equivalent of “Self Interview” or on the fringes of the floating in a warm bath.

Vancouver music standing up for scene, Art d’Ecco LGBT equality on Rico Nasty Nasty Looking for “Crayons” (“Ain’t makes the most of the perfect workout-playlist track no his closeup with a confusion, guaranteed to get more adrenaline everybody hulipstick-smeared coursing through your system than man/Get to know fusion of glittertwo litres of Red Bull? Fire up Rico people instead of dust glam, blackNasty’s ode to not giving a fuck, just assumin’ ”). hearted postpunk, “Bitch I’m Nasty”. Or, better yet, the This was the year and string-swept ’s e ow cl righteously furious “Rage”, a bass- when, while the men chamber pop. Add e nA n r t d’E c c o is a bombed shard of seething hatred of hip-hop were busy a little greasepaint and that inspired one YouTube com- mumbling their way into ira pageboy wig that Rodmenter to observe “this song makes relevance, the women took over with ney Bingenheimer would be proud me want to throw a chair through a vengeance. to wear, and you’ve got a great case the window.” that—whether you’re talking Bowie Art d’Ecco Trespasser Just when or ’70s Berlin—everything was better Jo Passed Their Prime When I you have Art d’Ecco pegged as a back in the day. wrote about Their Prime back in glam rocker with an appreciation May, I observed that Jo Passed for a Phil Spector–esque Wall of Rico Nasty Nasty Mean-streets rap leader Jo Hirabayashi “has Sound, the guy throws you as raw as it is insanely rage-filled. an uncanny ear for an a curve ball that makes Nasty positions Rico Nasty as the infectious melody you think you really most swaggering badass on the block, and an apparently don’t get him at the Brooklyn MC rasping away like unlimited supply all. Consider “No- someone who pours Drano on her of mind-twisting body’s Home”, cornflakes. The 21-year-old christened guitar riffs”. I’m which improb- Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly might be too lazy to come ably sounds like filed under hip-hop at record stores, up with a new Marc Bolan and but at her core she’s punk as fuck. description for Joy Division the local group’s com ma ndeer i ng Liza Anne Fine But Dying Even a b s t r ac t- e x pre s the dance floor at when life is at its blackest it’s imports ad sionist noise-pop.

Studio 54. Or “Dark ant to look into the light, something is p re ra na Days”, a throbbing that Liza Anne does on her beautili n e - c h a r g e d We Are the City At Night salvo of synth-punk that fully conflicted third full-length.

On first listen, the fractured beats will have you digging out your This is indie rock as its most majesand towering drones of “Ones You old Tubeway Army LPs. You might tically harrowing, the Georgia songLove” and “When I Dream, I Dream never figure d’Ecco out, but you’re writer wringing maximum drama of You” seem to suggest that We Are guaranteed to have fun trying. from lines like “I think I wanna die,

by John Lucas but I guess I know I’m fine.” the City has finally let its experimental tendencies overtake its pop senDRAKE AND POST MALONE IDLES Joy as an Act of Resistance sibilities. At its core, though, this is a collection of songs firmly rooted in owned Spotify this year, but $200 In an act of mind-bending subvermelody, and although the progressive and a classic 160 GB iPod says sion, forward-thinking U.K. punks elements are more than mere window that neither of them would last 30 IDLES take ultraheavy issues—aldressing, you don’t need an engineer- seconds in an alley with Rico Nasty coholism, racism, male toxicity, and or Cardi B. As for the rest of ing degree to love it. rampant self-loathing—and this list, there’s a case to then argue that the fuThe 1975 A Brief Inquiry Into On- be made that—most ture is nowhere near as line Relationships Imagine if Radio- of the time—women bleak as it seems. Joy head filtered its love of postpunk and do almost everyas an Act of Resisavant-garde music into unironically thing better. tance is righteously Auto-Tuned modern pop instead of angry, but in the Superorganism pretentious twaddle. most positive and Superorganism uplifting of ways.

Soccer Mommy Clean Sophie Alli- A trainspotter’s son may name Taylor Swift and Avril dream for those Soccer Mommy Lavigne as formative influences, but who love playing Clean Sometimes Li then again, she was born in 1997. connect the influit’s okay to feel sad, s ke e Those who lived through more of the ences, the debut from which is what whipIt ” ti v r o w as a tran sp ’90s than Allison did will probably one of the Interweb’s smart lo-fi star-in-waiting hear echoes of Liz Phair and Tanya most buzzed-about new bands Sophie Allison excels at on her Donelly in Soccer Mommy’s earn- draws on everything from slacker- official debut, Clean. If you’ve finally brand college rock to dime-store had enough of being treated like a estly sardonic guitar pop.

Atari electronica to 20th-century doormat by, well, everyone, get ready Mount Eerie Now Only Following psych. Anchoring the wonderfully to love lyrics like “I don’t wanna last year’s A Crow Looked at Me, weird pop-mart collage is 18-year- be your fucking dog that you drag this is Phil Elverum’s second album- old vocalist Orono Noguchi, who’s around.” length response to his wife’s tragic mastered the art of sounding as bored early death. If that first record was with life as she is bemused by it all.

Peach Pit Being So Normal Vancoua thing of fragile beauty but almost ver’s Peach Pit got ambitious on its fullpainful to listen to, Now Only lets Cardi B Invasion of Privacy Hip- length debut after initially surfacing as a few shafts of light into the dark- hop’s reigning freak of the week puts a Tropicália-tinted pop band perfect ness, suggesting that Elverum is past her money where her motormouth is for white-sand-beach bars. So while the worst of it. The opening lines of with a collection that shows some- there are moments that still go “Earth” neatly summarize the push- times you can believe the hype. There great with happy-hour piña coladas pull of grief: “I don’t want to live with was no more transportive summer (hello, “Techno Show”), dig deep this feeling any longer than I have to/ jam than the Latin trap-salsa mashup and you’ll find nods to everything

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f you were to judge my musical tastes based strictly on this list, you would assume that I mostly like guitar-based indie pop (primarily of the local variety), but have a seemingly antithetical fondness for foul-mouthed female MCs. That’s not entirely inaccurate, come to think of it.

DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 29

of Jimmie Rodgers’s “Gambling Bar sweet music, but that doesn’t take away from Frisell’s deep musicality and Room Blues” is a standout. whimsical sense of the surreal.

Buddy Guy The Blues Is Alive and Well Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, and Julia Holter Aviary From an opener Keith Richards crank up the guitars, that sounds like Björk jamming with churn out the wild licks, and head Swans to other passages that oscillate between the best of prog and the straight to blues-rock heaven on haunting sound of a lonely “Cognac”. ’Nuff said.

André Lodemann The Deeper You trumpet, this music has Go If you ask me—and, since you’re Robert huge ambition and a Connely reading this, I suppose you are—no Farr & the Rebelheart to match. top-10 list is complete without a tone Boys Dirty little tech-house. German electronic- South Blues Who François Houle/ music veteran André Lodemann is knew that music Alexander Hawthe master of making Goldilocks this raw and honkins/Harris music—minimal, but not too min- est and true to the Eisenstadt You imal; deep, but not inaccessible. This s out he r n-blu e s Have Options We record is full of classic Lodemann vibe was being can’t show 2018 moments—think slow-burning string made in Vancouthe door without s Av h solos in the middle of a drum break, ver by a transplanted a nod to the contrid ia n ry and bright acoustic guitar riffs over a Mississippian? Keep ’em butions of the late Ken h a s a b it i o n a m gritty industrial beat. The producer coming, I say.

Pickering, whose discernhas built his reputation on his unment will continue to shape the locanny ability to start a song in one The Beatles The White Album 50th cal and global music scene for years mood and end it in another, and The Anniversary Edition I believe that to come—a case in point being this Deeper You Go does not disappoint. The White Album is the best Beatles clarinet-piano-drums trio, which he

by Kate Wilson album ever, so hearing previously put together for the 2014 TD Vanunreleased demo versions of tunes couver International Jazz Festival.

THIS YEAR I picked some instru- like “Cry Baby Cry”, “Sexy Sadie”, Compared to the group’s wild, freemental rock, some hard rock, some and “Mother Nature’s Son” just form Ironworks debut, which I witsouthern rock, and some Beatles, makes me happy as all hell. nessed, You Have Options is a more

by Steve Newton contemplative undertaking, but still but the underlying thread running through most of this stuff is marked by extraordinary musicianI’M NOT GOING to ship and near-psychic rapport. the blues. You just can’t pretend it’s been a beat the blues. great year; there Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret The have been too Other Side of Air It’s hard not to Joe Satriani What many deaths in hear this music as the perfect riHappens Next my own circle and poste to the lunatic currently occuBay Area guitar beyond to end pying the Oval Office: two Africanwizard hooks up 2018 with any- Americans, two immigrants, and a once again with thing other than woman making a collective sound Langley produa sense of loss. Yet that is compassionate, considerate, cer Mike Fraser music continues and often quite beautiful. It also, at and—with the noto offer not just sol- times, indicates horror and sorrow— frills help of bassist as e -l ea er ace but hope, and the but hey, life’s like that.

Glenn Hughes (Deep v rne u d his Van c o recordings here, for the Purple) and drummer most part, demonstrate what Miles Okazaki Work ElkHorn plecChad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)—concocts a dozen tracks humans can do when they band trist Tom Wherrett tipped me off of technically dazzling and beauti- together around a shared purpose. to this online-only tour de force, in The exceptions, of course, are the which jazz educator Miles Okazaki fully melodic music. solo guitar recitals of Bill Frisell has arranged all 70 of Thelonious Joe Bonamassa Redemption I saw and Miles Okazaki, which are more Monk’s durable compositions for solo Joe Bonamassa play the first of three about the beauty that can be found guitar. Okazaki’s knack for translatnights at the Queen Elizabeth The- in deep contemplation. Thought ing Monk’s pianistic vocabulary to atre last month, and the sound was and action: along with clean water, the guitar is uncanny, and of course so bad that the show was ruined for they’re the essentials of life. the tunes themselves are me. Fortunately, the sound is great genius.

Dutcher on Redemption, as is Bonamassa’s Jeremy famously intense guitar-playing, Wolastoqiyik LinJoshua Redman/ especially on the soul-stirring “Self- t u w a k o n a w a Ron Miles/Scott Utterly deservInflicted Wounds”.

Col ley/Brian ing of its Polaris Blade Still The Markus King Band Carolina Prize win, JerDreaming ComConfessions When I interviewed emy Dutcher’s pared to most of Warren Haynes in advance of a Gov’t W o l a s t o q i y i k the rest of the imMule show in Vancouver last year, Lintuwakonawa is prov on this year’s I asked him if there were any gui- a brave and stunlist, Still Dreaming az beautiful tar players who’d blown him away ningly is easygoing, swingak on ip sM recently, and he mentioned Markus voyage deep into the ing stuff—proof that la y u s T hel o nio the jazz tradition conKing without skipping a beat. Caro- Indigenous singer’s herittinues to be elastic and expanage. Responding to archival lina Confessions proves why. recordings of the endangered Wolas- sive, because 60 years ago the music Rich Hope I’m All Yours Vancouver’s toq language, Dutcher has enshrined that inspired Joshua Redman’s allhometown hero ups his local legend this source material in a web of star band was considered not just status with an album that raucously beats, shimmering string arrange- new, but threatening. The saxoblends world-class blues, R&B, garage ments, and his own operatic tenor, phonist’s pianoless ensemble shares rock, and a hint of country. And holy and the end result exemplifies the instrumentation with Ornette Colenotion that sometimes you’ve got to man’s classic quartet, and reminds crap can his drummer keep a beat. us just how songful the late radical’s look back to move forward. innovations always were.

Blackberry Smoke Find a Light Anyone else who misses the down- Danish String Quartet PRISM 1 home, southern-tinged boogie of the I’ve been listening to more chamber Sons of Kemet Your Queen Is a RepGeorgia Satellites would do well to music than usual of late, although tile Shabaka Hutchings’s incandescheck out this quintet from Atlanta. primarily older recordings on vinyl. cent quartet uses tenor sax, tuba, and One of the new ensembles two drum kits to explore the many Tracks like “The Crooked I’m following is the Dan- colours contained in blackness— Kind”, “Nobody Gives ish String Quartet, thus, as any painter knows, encoma Damn”, and “Best which has just fol- passing the entire visible spectrum.

Seat in the House” lowed up an extra- Audible here are reggae, Afro-Cuban are catchy AF. ordinary record and Afro-Brazilian ritual drumming, of Scandinavian Ethiopian jazz, Nigerian funk, Detroit Slash featuring music with the house, and New Orleans second-line, Myles Kennedy first in a five-part all wrapped up in a roiling mass that’s & the Conspirseries examining liberating, celebratory, and fierce. ators Living the the links between Dream It’s getJohann Sebastian Dan Weiss Starebaby When Dan ting harder and rd Bach, Ludwig van Weiss’s Starebaby quintet made its harder to find decent o ’s mu Beethoven, and more local debut at last summer’s TD hard-rock music these aw n i sic i s a b al m contemporary music, in Vancouver International Jazz Festidays, but you can always this case that of Dmitri Shosta- val, the audience was split between rely on the top-hatted one to bring the dynamite when he’s in the kovich. Sublime playing; revelatory those who were stunned and those who were screaming for more. That’s stellar company of Myles Kennedy & concept. understandable, for the virtuoso the Conspirators. Who needs Guns N’ Roses when you’ve got these guys? Bill Frisell Music IS A meditative drummer’s music combines the solo excursion from the man who pyrotechnics of technical metal with John Mellencamp Other People’s basically invented 21st-century jazz the rhythmic intricacy of contemStuff John Mellencamp is one helluva guitar, Music IS finds Bill Frisell re- porary composition—and having songwriter—as anyone who’s heard interpreting some of his “greatest hits”, the astounding keyboardists Matt “Rain on the Scarecrow” knows—but including the title track from his 1983 Mitchell and Craig Taborn in his I also love how he interprets other debut, In Line, and his gorgeous mod- band doesn’t hurt either.

by Alexander Varty people’s songs. His powerful cover ern standard “Rambler”. It’s generally from previous page

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and double-entrendres. (I’m pretty confident that the thing that’s rising in “Phoenix” is not a bird.) Yes, every track has a similar, laid-back feel to its soft-core R&B, making it hard to distinguish between songs—but when it’s this sexy, who cares?

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ARTS LISTINGS from page 26

FOX HOLE COMEDY Vancouver’s only weekly comedy room where women, nonbinary folks, people of colour, and queers are the majority of performers. Dec 19, 26, 8-10:45 pm, Projection Room at Fox Cabaret. $5.

COMEDY SHOWCASE Vancouver comedians perform short sets. Dec 19, 8:30-10 pm, The Comedy MIX. $10.

THE BOMB SHELTER STAND-UP COMEDY OPEN MIC Standup comedy open mike Thursdays 7:30pm Dec 20; Jan 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Feb 7, 14, 21, 28, 7-10 pm, Goldies Pizza. Free.

THE SMOKE SHOW Modern dance cabaret under the direction of Jen Oleksiuk. Dec 20, 27, 8-11:30 pm, XY. $20.

FATALE FRIDAYS—ALL LADYISH STANDUP COMEDY All-femme and nonbinary standup comedy. Dec 21; Jan 4, 11, 18; Feb 1, 8, 7-8:45 pm, Goldies Pizza. $5/7/10.

THE BOMB SHELTER FRIDAY LATE MIC Standup comedy open mike 10pm Fridays Dec 21; Jan 4, 11, 18; Feb 1, 8, 9:30-11:55 pm, Goldies Pizza. $5 (Free for performers).

THE SUNDAY SERVICE Weekly improv show.

Dec 23, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. $10.

COMEDY BASEMENT Weekly standup comedy by professionals and up-and-comers.

Dec 29, 9-10:30 pm, Goldies Pizza. $5/7/10.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 IMPROV AGAINST HUMANITY: HO HO HORRIBLE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Live comedy performances and game show. Dec 19, 8-10 pm, Rio Theatre. Tix $12.

MUSIC FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE Music by composer in residence Nicole Lizée and past composers in residence Caroline Shaw and Jocelyn Morlock. Dec 19-20, 8 pm, Heritage Hall. $39/32/15

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 STORY CIRCLE FOR ADULTS Drop-in program for adults with developmental disabilities. Dec 20, 10:15 am, Vancouver Public Library Renfrew Branch. Free.

DANCERS OF DAMELAHAMID STUDIO SHOWING Excerpts from Mînowin. Dec 20, 4-5 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre. Free.

LUST UNFILTERED BY LOVE Angel Edwards book launch. Dec 20, 5-7 pm, Hood 29.

TOBIAS HARGRAVE Comedian performs three nights of standup. Dec 20-22, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club. $10/$20.

JOKES PLEASE!—FESTIVUS EDITION Standup comedy show hosted by Ross Dauk. Dec 20, 9-10:45 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. $7.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 GOH BALLET’S THE NUTCRACKER Goh Ballet’s rendition of the holiday classic features a cast of over 250 performers. Dec 21-23, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. $37.75-$184.75.

A CHRISTMAS STORY—DOWNTOWN A cappella ensemble musica intima performs. Dec 21, 7:30 pm, Christ Church Cathedral. $15-$30.

FOREVER AND EVER Christian musical benefits the MS Society. Dec 21, 8 pm, Michael J. Fox Theatre. $30.

UNCLE JANES: CRYSTAL QUEER COMEDY Improv comedy show for queer-identifying folks. Dec 21, 8-9:30 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. $10.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 CHRISTMAS REPRISE XVI Traditional and contemporary music to celebrate the season.

Dec 22, 2 pm, Holy Rosary Cathedral. $10-35.

NUTCRACKER SUITE Live Flamenco dance and theatre. Dec 22-29, 3-4 pm, 5-6 pm, The Improv Centre. $10/$15.

OLIVIA C. DAVIES/O.DELA ARTS: COEXISDANCE—WESTERN EDITION 1 Improvisational duets featuring local dancers and musicians. Dec 22, 8 pm. Pay-what-you-can.

Arts HOT TICKET

motets. The instruments, played by the musicians of Cappella Borealis under the direction of David Fallis, include bass viola da gamba, two theorbos, two cornetts, and four sackbuts.

FESTIVE CANTATAS (December 23 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts) Celebratory seasonal music of the 1600s will fill the Chan Centre when Early Music Vancouver presents Claudio Monteverdi’s Christmas vespers.

The works featured are from the composer’s 1641 collection of sacred music performed in Venice’s magnificent Church of San Marco, with contributions by his contemporaries Alessandro Grandi and Tarquinio Merula. Eight singers alternate between the simplicity of plainsong, the grandeur of psalm settings, and the intimacy of YALDA: A WINTER SOLSTICE CONCERT Chamber music for voice and intercultural strings. Dec 22, 8-10:35 pm, BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts. $35/$25.

ST. JAMES MILONGA Classic Argentine tango favourites. Dec 22, 8-11 pm, St. James Hall. $10/$5.

THE COMIC STRIP Standup comedy by Yumi Nagashima, Darcy Boon Collins, and headliner Dino Archie. Dec 22, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios. $18.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 WINTER’S DREAM (VIS DE IARNA) Christmas concert. Dec 23, 5 pm, Grand Villa Casino. $75/$55.

EAST VANCOUVER IMPROV LEAGUE Instant Theatre presents a battle between two groups of improvisers. Dec 23, 7:30-8:30 pm, Havana Theatre. Tix $12.

JOKES N TOKES COMEDY Comedian Andrew Packer hosts a night of laughs. Dec 23, 30; Jan 6, 8 pm, Cannabis Culture Headquarters. $10.

THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE Actors on script.

Improvisers without a clue. Dec 23, 9-10 pm, Havana Vancouver. $12.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN NIGHTS AT MOV Experience MOV’s intriguing exhibitions by donation. Dec 27-29, 5-9 pm, Museum of Vancouver.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 JAMES BALL Two nights of short-form standup comedy. Dec 28, 8 pm; Dec 29, 9:30 pm, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club. Tix $20.

SO I WAS AT A THREESOME LAST WEEK Comedy by Alex Sparling and Dion Arnold. Dec 28, 10:30 pm, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club. $15.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 CAG FAMILY DAY | PAPER MARBLING CAG invites all ages to drop in for short exhibition

SOLSTICE GREETINGS (December 20 to 22 at the Firehall Arts Centre) Celebrate the advent of longer days with songs of the season, featuring singers Krystel Dos Santos (seen at the Firehall in Chelsea Hotel) and Michael Scholar Jr. (who appeared in The Enemy). The music is interwoven with stories written by students at Strathcona Elementary School.

CHRISTMAS REPRISE XVI (December 22 at Holy Rosary Cathedral and Queens Avenue Church in New Westminster) At press time, the Vancouver Cantata Singers’ beloved downtown matinee concert of traditional and contemporary songs was sold out, but tickets were still available to the evening’s New West show— in a suitably atmospheric setting for one of the city’s top vocal groups.

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tours and free art-making activities that respond to its current exhibitions. Dec 29, 12:30-3 pm, Contemporary Art Gallery. Free.

THE COMIC STRIP Standup comedy by Aaron Charles Read, Robert Peng, and headliner Ivan Decker. Dec 29, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios. $18.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 CAG SUNDAY AFTERNOON TOURS Join CAG visitor coordinator Jocelyn Statia for a Sunday afternoon tour of the current exhibitions. Dec 30, 3-4 pm, Contemporary Art Gallery. Free.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 COUNTDOWN OF CURIOSITIES - DINNER & CABARET SHOW - NYE 2019 New Year’s Eve dinner and cabaret show with 10 variety acts. Dec 31, 7:30 pm, Second Floor Eatery + Bar. $75/$40.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY NEW YEAR’S EVE VARIETY SHOW Vancouver Cabaret Arts presents a show that includes circus acrobatics, magic, comedy, and music. Dec 31, 8-10 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. $20-$89.

NEW YEAR’S AT LITTLE MOUNTAIN Nathan Hare and Graeme Achurch host a comedy-based variety show. Dec 31, 9 pm, Little Mountain Gallery. $10.

BYRON BERTRAM Canadian comedian performs a New Year’s Eve standup show. Dec 31, 10 pm, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club. $49.95.

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.

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MUSIC LISTINGS

CONCERTS JUST ANNOUNCED SIRIUSXM WORLD JUNIORS AFTER PARTY Featuring headliner the Glorious Sons. Dec 30, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $40.

CONCORD’S NEW YEAR’S EVE VANCOUVER New Year’s Eve bash features an outdoor DJ stage and roving entertainment.

Dec 31, 7 pm, Vancouver Convention Centre.

NYE PARTY Geoff Berner with guests Kitty & the Rooster. Dec 31, 8 pm, ANZA Club. $30/$35.

ROCKING ON THE RIVER New Year’s Eve bash featuring top-40 dance music by Dr. Strangelove. Dec 31–Jan 1, 2019, 8 pm–1 am, The Deck Kitchen + Bar. $75.

NEW YEAR’S AT THE LOBBY LOUNGE Featuring live music by the Paul Filek Band.

Dec 31–Jan 1, 2019, 9 pm–1 am. $125.

JAZZ VESPERS Performance by the Maria Ho Quartet. Jan 6, 4-5 pm, St. Andrew’s– Wesley United Church. By donation.

KATE McGARRY Joy of Jazz Concerts presents American jazz singer. Jan 10, 8 pm, Pyatt Hall. $30.

THE YAWPERS WITH BLACKFOOT GYPSIES Rock bands from the States. Jan 16, 8 pm, The Flamingo Events Centre. $12.

A CELEBRATION OF ROBBIE BURNS Celebrate Scotland’s national bard with Celtic band Blackthorn. Jan 19, 5:30-9:30 pm, Place des Arts.

TRAVIS SCOTT Rapper from Houston. Jan 25, 8 pm, Rogers Arena. Tix on sale Dec 20, 10 am.

LISTENING LOUNGE—ROOTS AND GROOVES Veteran folk artist Rick Scott joins forces with keyboardist Nico Rhodes. Jan 25, 8 pm, The ACT Arts Centre. $25/22.

BLACK ART JAZZ COLLECTIVE Original jazz tunes and form-hugging improvisation, featuring Jeremy Pelt. Jan 25-26, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club. $32.50.

LIVE AT THE GALLERY Monthly concert series features local musicians Eddie Lam and Silken.

Jan 26, 8-10 pm, Deer Lake Gallery. By Donation.

PERFECTLY PETTY JAMMING WITH GIANTS Hit songs by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and other rock legends. Feb 2, 7-10 pm, Rio Theatre. $35.

CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! Sing ABBA’s disco classics. Feb 7, 8 pm, Vogue Theatre. $22.50-30.

ANALYN ALMERINO Electropop singer from Japan. Feb 9, 1:30-3 pm, Richmond Cultural Centre. $10.

SNOOP DOGG & FRIENDS American rapper, with guests Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Warren G, Kurupt, and Luniz. Feb 22, 8 pm, Rogers Arena. Tix on sale Dec 20, 10 am, $109.50/99.5 0/89.50/69.50/54.50/$39.50.

FRASER VALLEY ACOUSTIC GUITAR FESTIVAL Featuring Russian/USA guitarist Piotr Pakhomkin. Feb 23, 7:30-10 pm, Auditorium - KPU Langley. $25/$20.

AN EVENING WITH EAGLE EYES: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF THE EAGLES Eagle Eyes is a tribute to the legendary music of the Eagles. Eagle Eyes has taken great care and dedication recreating the harmonies and capturing the live, true magic within the harmonies that the Eagles are renowned for. Hailing from Southern Vancouver Island, BC, the four members of Eagle Eyes have over 120 years of combined experience.

Mar 16, Centennial Theatre. $25-$40.

THE SWINGLES The BC Choral Federation presents vocal group from London. Mar 21, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $30/$42/$56/$68.

CASS McCOMBS American singer-songwriter performs tunes from new album Tip of the Sphere. Mar 25, 8 pm, St. James Hall. $20.

SHANNON SHAW Vocalist, bassist, and founder of Shannon & the Clams. May 9, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. $15.

CHER American singer-actress, with guests Nile Rodgers and Chic. May 30, Rogers Arena.

Tix on sale Dec 20, 10 am.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 PLAY. PIE & PINT Rio Samaya performs Latin flavoured tunes, followed by a pie and beverage. Dec 19, 12 pm, Centennial Theatre. $25/$22/$15.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BLUES & BREWS The Steve Kozak Band performs with guest guitarist Dave Vidal. Dec 19, 7:30-11 pm, Pat’s Pub & Brewhouse. No cover.

Employment EMPLOYMENT Door Aid Solutions Inc.

is HIRING an Administrative Assistant.Permanent, full time (35 hr/week).Wage - $ 23.00 per/hour Requirements: Good English, previous clerical experience 1-2 years. Education: Secondary school.

Main duties: Provide administrative and clerical support to management; Maintain electronic and hard copy filing system, co-ordinate the flow of information; Assist with generating/reviewing reports, invoices, purchase logs etc.; Take responsibility for sorting, filing and storing data using computer software; Conduct telephone conversations and answer calls;Schedule and confirm appointments and meetings; Order office supplies and maintain inventory.

Company’s business address and job location: #810 - 180 Switchmen St, Vancouver, BC V6A 0C7 Please apply by E-mail: dooraidhr@gmail.com

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A lbum OF THE WEEK CHERRIE LAUREL A FURNACE, A FIRE

You may know Brittney Rand as half of the local duo Mu, along with Francesca Belcourt. We haven’t heard much from Mu lately, but the act made a splash a couple of years ago with its gauzy electro-dream sound, which I described in a 2016 feature as “darkwave’s pastel-clad sibling”.

Rand and Belcourt, I wrote, create “songs of cotton-candycloud ethereality, with heavensent vocal harmonies and pillowy synths”.

The music Rand is making now as Cherrie Laurel, as heard on her new six-song EP A Furnace, a Fire, isn’t exactly worlds away from that aesthetic. It is, if anything, a more refined version

of Mu’s ethereal synth music.

It’s more immediate-sounding, darker, and more brooding.

Rand has, one suspects, been listening to a lot of Fever Ray. (Or maybe the Knife. Probably both.)

Her vocal delivery on “A Little Noise” and “Alkaline” is eerily reminiscent of Karin Dreijer’s.

“Pleases Me” and “Love Song”, on the other hand, find Cherrie Laurel exploring pop songcraft in a way that is entirely Rand’s own.

The melodies are gorgeous and the production is seamless and enveloping. There’s something haunting about the whole thing, a lingering aura of melancholic nostalgia that’s hard to shake even after the EP ends. If you’re anything like me, that’s when you’ll hit Play again.

by John Lucas

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27

THE VANRAYS East Van soul and R&B band.

Dec 20, 8 pm, The Roxy Cabaret. $7.

THIEVERY CORPORATION American electronic-music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Dec 27, 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $59.50.

DING DONG! ON THE WEST SIDE Blues-, jazz-, and folk-inspired show. Dec 20, 8 pm, St. James Community Square. $15-$30.

UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY Fundraiser featuring house band Groove & Tonic supports Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon.

Dec 20, 8 pm, Venue. $33.50/$55.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21 SOULGOOD XMAS PARTY Hip-hop, rap, trap, dancehall, R&B. Dec 21, Studio Nightclub. Free admission.

THE STEVE KOZAK BAND Local blues-rock band. Dec 21, 8-11 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club. $17.50.

FRIDAY JAZZ New Orleans–style jazz by Nathan Barrett. Dec 21, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios. $10.

THE FUNK HUNTERS Vancouver electrofunk DJ duo, with guests Mat the Alien and Neon Steve. Dec 21-22, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $30.

ELI ESCOBAR New York City house and disco DJ. Dec 21, 10 pm, Open Studios. $30.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 A VERY MERRY CABANA CHRISTMAS PARTY Featuring resident DJs Physik, Arems, and Freeky P. Dec 22, Cabana Lounge. Free.

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

DEEP SEATED Local funk-soul dance band.

Dec 22, 8:30 pm, The Roxy Cabaret. $14.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 HARD ROCK MINERS CHRISTMAS EVE SINGALONG Sing along to your favourite Christmas songs. Dec 24, Railway Stage and Beer Café. $10.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18 PETUNIA AND THE VIPERS Monday lounge residency. Dec 24, 8-11 pm, WISE Hall. $10 Suggested Donation.

INTIMATE CONCERT IN A HISTORIC MANSION An intimate, unplugged concert in a mansion. Dec 28, 7-9:30 pm, West Point Grey Community Centre. $28.

POLAR EXTERIOR INC.

is looking for Carpenters, Greater Vancouver, BC. Permanent, Full time. Wage - $ 27.00 per/h Skills requirements: Experience 2-3 years, Good English. Education: Secondary school Main duties: Read and interpret blueprints, determine specifications; Measure, cut, shape, assemble and join materials made of wood, lightweight metal and other materials; Operate measuring, hand, and power carpentry tools (i.e. drills, saws, guns). Fit and install trim items as required;Supervise helpers and apprentices; Follow established safety rules.

Company’s business address: 1265 Benneck Way, Port Coquitlam BC, V3C 5Y8 Please apply by e-mail:polarexteriorinc@gmail.com

Mind EMPLOYMENT Body & Soul Laser

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 BASED/HOLIDAY PARTY Featuring DJs Physik, Arems, and Freeky P. Dec 28, Studio Nightclub. Free.

CONTACT WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL Two-day electronic-music festival features headliners the Chainsmokers and Skrillex.

Dec 28-29, BC Place Stadium.

CHEAP TRICK American guitar-rockers from Classified Header the ‘70s. Dec 28, 8 pm, Hard Rock Casino Vancouver. $131.25.

SAM BAGLIER QUARTET Bebop saxophone jazz. Dec 28, 9 pm, Tyrant Studios. $10.

BETTER DAYS DJ Beaubien joins Luis Machuca on the decks spinning house music.

Dec 28, 9:30 pm, XY. $5.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 THE DUDES Calgary rockers, with guest Skye Wallace. Dec 29, 8 pm, WISE Hall. $23.

MARK FARINA House-music DJ, with guests Jesse Hills, Krown, and Luke McKeehan. Dec 29, 9 pm, The Imperial. $25-30.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE GLITZ & GLAMOUR GALA Dec 31, 7 pm, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown. $50/60/110.

NEW YEAR’S AT THE IVANHOE Featuring live music by Rhythm Street. Dec 31, 8 pm, Ivanhoe Pub. TIMES SQUARED—NYE 2019 New Year’s Eve bash with four distinctly iconic parties.

Dec 31, 8 pm, At the Waldorf. $50.

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. $10.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2019 GLITZ & GLAMOUR GALA Top-40, funk, Latin, old-school. and Caribbean music on four dance floors. Dec 31, 9:30 pm, Hilton Metrotown. $60.

KARAOKE

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

Scan to confess I see here that a lot of people Criticize New West. Well here’s a positive: I’m 61 and I feel young here.

All I Want For Christmas It’s to move into a pet friendly place and adopt or foster a couple of cats.

People and their dogs A lot of people with dogs don’t really seem to like their dogs.

I see them out walking, they are impatient and angry with the animal. Why get a dog if you don’t want to deal with it. I wouldn’t want a dog, so I don’t have one. But you don’t seem to want a dog either, yet you have one. People and their dogs.

Are we Hypocrites?

We sit here and protest any petroleum pipeline through our region yet B.C.s number one commodity export is Coal we export 3 to 5 Billion dollars worth a year and it goes out of our ports of Vancouver and mainly to China. None of us are protesting Coal.

Coal is the dirteist of the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Thats us baby.

3 main bus CAN people stop getting on the bus through the back? Wtf. Half the people don’t pay. That’s no fair. And everybody’s waiting in line half the time. I’ve called translink before. Nobody is supposed to do that. Drivers don’t speak up in case passengers would hurt them. But I get so pissed not being able to get on cuz some jerks think they can skip the line and be smart by getting on the back. The hell.

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MUSIC 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.

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b

I’M A KINKY single woman who keeps attracting the wrong men for me—specifically, submissive guys into face-sitting. I’m submissive myself, and face-sitting is not a turnon for me. But the vast majority of men who hit on me have this fetish.

I think it’s a size-related issue—a my-size related issue. I’m a full-figured/curvy woman with a big butt.

Granted, it’s a fabulous butt, but my butt sends the wrong signals, apparently. I’ve tried several times to word my FetLife and other dating profi les so that I’ll attract dominant men, but the messages from submissive wannabe face-sittees pour in. Dating when you’re not thin is hard enough.

Help, please.

- Baby Got Back You’ve worded your dating profi les to attract Doms, BGB, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve worded your profi les to repel—and crush the hopes of—submissive wannabe face-sittees.

Let’s fix that: “I get a lot of messages from submissive guys into face-sitting. I’ve got a great butt, I realize, but I’m a sub, I’m not into face-sitting, and I only want to hear from Dom guys.” Some submissive guys will message you anyway—guys who will be letting you know they have a hard time taking no for an answer, BGB, so not guys you’d ever want to meet up with IRL. Delete their messages and block their profi les.

I (a guy) had used it with a previous partner (another woman). I conceded that I had. She refused to let me use it on her on the grounds that it had already been inside someone else. I pointed out that since I am not a virgin, her objection did not seem principled: my penis has been in someone else and she lets me put that in her. Nevertheless, she remained adamant. Do you think she was being reasonable?

- Very Interested Boyfriend Enquires I do not ,

VIBE, but since you don’t want to stick your old vibrator in me—presumably—what I think is irrelevant. When it comes to who gets to stick what in our bodies, we’re allowed to be arbitrary, inconsistent, capricious, and even illogical. That’s why “But my dick has been in other women and you let me stick that in you!” isn’t quite the slam-dunk argument you think it is. So toss that old vibrator and get yourself a new one—but save the packaging so you can pass it off as new with your next girlfriend.

b

MY COUSIN WAS a victim of revenge porn. A bitter ex-boyfriend of his sent several videos they’d made to everyone on my cousin’s contact list, including me. I’m a straight woman who prefers gay male porn, and my cousin and his ex are beautiful men—they’re both dancers—and I couldn’t help myself: I watched the b WHILE HAVING SEX one night with videos, more than once, before deletmy girlfriend, I pulled out a vibrator ing them. So how bad a person am I? - Sick And Wrong for the first time. She asked whether

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services, but all the potential subs I’ve met with haven’t seemed like a good fit for various reasons. Last night, I had a first meeting with a man who is a good fit on paper but who turned out to be an obnoxious asshole in person—a misogynistic, b YOUR LIFE IS a monstrous affront mansplaining frat-boy type. Can to God, and your life’s work, your someone be too much of a dick for ridiculous “advice” column, en- you to let them do your laundry?

- Sub Is Subhuman courages people to act on their worst impulses. Advice column?

Take the “D” away! You write A If you wouldn’t be in a vanilla relaVICE column! I was involved in tionship with someone, SIS, why the gay life once, Mr. Savage, but would you want to be in a D/s relathe love of Jesus delivered me from tionship with them? homosexual sin. Embrace Christ and you too can be delivered. I pray b I’VE BEEN IN a lesbian relationship for you every day. Someone has to. for about two years. Recently, I was - Christ Even Saves Savages listening to your podcast, and you P.S. I have read what you’ve written were talking about the Big/little about your mother, who you claim kink. I remember thinking my girlto have loved. Your mother died friend could be into that. Today, my relatively young. I’m not suggesting girlfriend texted this to me: “I want God punished you by cutting your you to hold me like a child, rock mother’s life short. No, your moth- me to sleep, and tuck me in and er died of shame. kiss my forehead.” I almost asked her right then if she was into Big/ You pray for me, CESS, and I’ll gay for little play, but then I realized that you—because all the delicious dicks I’m not sure what I would do if she you left behind when Jesus raptured said yes. If she came to me and said, you out of homosexual sin aren’t “Hey, I’m into this stuff!” I would gonna suck themselves, are they? consider it. But I am not into this P.S. “Jesus is love,” my Cath- stuff—not independently—or at olic mother liked to say. If she was least I don’t think so. My question right, CESS, he surely finds the is this: if you suspect your partthings going into my mouth less of- ner is into something that you’re fensive than the shit coming out of not into, should you leave it alone? yours.

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On the Lovecast, sex-toy expert Erika Moen discusses strap-ons for men: savagelove cast.com. Email: mail@savage love.net.

Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage.

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DECEMBER 20 – 27 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 35

36 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT DECEMBER 20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 27 / 2018