The Georgia Straight - Cannabis Concentrates - Dec 28, 2017

2 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

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

DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 3

CONTENTS

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NEWS

Health Canada is backing a new plan by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to make hydromorphone pills available to reduce the number of opioid addicts dying from fentanyl overdoses. > BY TR AVIS LUPICK

10

COVER

Trained cannabis extractors Phil Kwong and Travis Lane want to create Canada’s first legal extraction lab for concentrates. > BY AMANDA SIEBERT

One lucky couple will win

15

ARTS

Hot Brown Honey is as inclusive about the diverse women in its show as it is about art forms like circus, hip-hop, and burlesque.

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I, Tonya achieves an almost perfect score; Jessica Chastain skims up in Molly’s Game; Ferdinand will barely keep the kids awake; Italy’s great Tavianis return with Rainbow.

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MUSIC

We look at Nardwuar, Jay-Z, Liam Payne, Sam Tudor, and more while reflecting on the year that was.

Bridal gown appointments with Monte available.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Automotive | Education | Services | Travel Marketplace | Employment | Real Estate Property Rentals | Music | Announcements Callboard | And more...

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4 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

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The Bottle Confessions Food Health I Saw You Renters of Vancouver Savage Love Straight Stars

TIME OUT 18 Arts 28 Music

SERVICES

MOVIES

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START HERE

29 Careers 9 Real Estate

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NEWS

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ancouver has a history pioneering harm-reduction programs. In 2003, it opened North America’s first supervised-injection facility, Insite. In 2014, it moved a prescription-heroin program beyond the confines of an academic study.

Now B.C. will launch its most radical drug program yet. It’s a plan that one of the province’s top doctors says could be a partial solution to the province’s opioid crisis.

Tentatively scheduled to begin in March 2018, Vancouver will dispense hydromorphone—a synthetic opioid similar to heroin—in a way that, if all goes according to plan, will not require a doctor’s visit and possibly not even a prescription for the powerful drug.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Mark Tyndall said the program’s primary goal is not to address addictions but to reduce overdose deaths.

“We’ll put our concerns with fixing addiction on the back burner right now while we deal with this crisis,” the executive director of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control told the Straight.

“This is a public-health response, not an addiction-medicine response,” Tyndall continued. “People need access to safer drugs.”

B.C. is on track for more than 1,400 illicit-drug overdose deaths in 2017. That compares to an average of 204 deaths per year from 2001 to 2010. In 2017, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues have been detected in more than 80 percent of drug-overdose deaths in B.C. Searching for answers, Tyndall submitted a proposal to Health Canada’s substance-use-and-addictions program to remove the risk posed by fentanyl. He outlined how B.C. could give people access to a regulated supply of opioids distributed by the government and its partners in health care and social services.

Health Canada approved the application and is providing $1 million to run the program for three years.

Tyndall emphasized that the details are still being worked out but said the proposal describes three options for distribution. All three create scenarios in which someone addicted to opioids would no longer have to purchase unknown substances on the street but would instead obtain pure and regulated opioids of an exact and known dose.

A very blunt memorial to the many victims of B.C.’s overdose epidemic was erected in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in April. Travis Lupick photo.

Hydromorphone pills (sold under the brand name Dilaudid) could be dispensed inside social-housing projects where nonmedical staff already provide residents with methadone and Suboxone (traditional medications for the management of an opioid addiction).

The proposal also suggested a pilot project could see hydromorphone available at certain supervisedinjection facilities, such as Insite.

The third option is for select storefront pharmacies to provide access to hydromorphone pills, again similar to how they already provide methadone and Suboxone to registered patients.

Regarding who will qualify to receive hydromorphone as a substitute for street drugs, Tyndall described a group that could be quite large.

“People who are at risk of overdosing and who have an opioid dependency,” he said.

In this respect, the program could differ significantly from Vancouver’s prescription-heroin program, which operates out of a Downtown Eastside clinic called Crosstown.

Crosstown’s prescription-heroin program was designed to stabilize the life of a person who’s been severely addicted to opioids for many years. For Tyndall’s hydromorphone patients, the bar could be set significantly lower.

Another key area where the two programs differ is money.

The average Crosstown patient costs B.C. $27,000 a year. That’s because diacetylmorphine—the medical term for heroin—must be imported from Europe. As well, dispensing the drug requires a full-time staff consisting of both doctors and nurses and a stand-alone building

with stringent security requirements specific to diacetylmorphine.

Meanwhile, the cost of an eightmilligram Dilaudid pill obtained via B.C.’s PharmaCare program is just 32 cents. If a patient is given three pills three times a day, the cost of one patient’s drugs works out to about $700 annually. Then, because the distribution model Tyndall envisions integrates the program into existing social services, and because it may not require the involvement of doctors or nurses, administration expenses will likely also be significantly lower than those of prescription heroin.

“It [Crosstown] is not nearly addressing the scale of what we’re up against,” Tyndall said. “The next step, to me, is that we get people something that’s cheap and scalable, which is hydromorphone pills.”

Tyndall named two of Vancouver’s largest nonprofit-housing providers as possible partners.

The first is Lookout Housing + Health Society, with which he said talks are progressing. He also mentioned the Portland Hotel Society (PHS) as a potential “natural fit”.

(As the Straight reported last June, PHS quietly launched a hydromorphone program of its own in December 2016. It continues today but is different from what Tyndall has proposed in that its primary focus is addictions management rather than preventing overdose deaths.)

Tyndall acknowledged the program will not be perfect.

“For some people with high tolerance, this might not be an option for them, because we can probably only give out so many pills at a time,” he said. -

The Georgia Straight | Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly | Volume 51 Number 2608 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 www.straight.com Phone: 604-730-7000 / Fax: 604-730-7010 / e-mail: gs.info@straight.com Display Advertising: 604-730-7020 / Fax: 604-730-7012 / e-mail: sales@straight.com Classifieds: 604-730-7060 / e-mail: classads@straight.com Subscriptions: 604-730-7000 Distribution: 604-730-7087 EDITOR + PUBLISHER Dan McLeod ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Yolanda Stepien GENERAL MANAGER Matt McLeod EDITOR Charlie Smith SECTION EDITORS

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6 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

FEATURE

Budget-friendly options on New Year’s Eve Here’s a guide to having loads of fun ringing in 2018 without having to worry about not being able to pay your rent the next morning NYE 2018 AT CELEBRITIES (From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Celebrities, 1022 Davie Street) What’s in it for me?

Promoters seem to have a secret pact that on New Year’s Eve, every event will be at least four times as expensive as it should be. Fortunately, Celebrities missed that memo. Offering a night out at one of Vancouver’s best-respected mainstream clubs that won’t break the bank, the venue promises huge sets from resident DJs Yurie, Johnny Jover, and Seb C with bangers that will fire up your 2018. Is there a dress code? General clubbing attire. How much will this set me back? $30 at clubzone.com/.

> B Y KATE W IL SON AND L UC Y LA U

N

ew Year’s Eve is, frankly, Christmas for promoters.

Every venue in the city is booked up and the nightclub industry can already smell the money—and don’t get us started on those events with a compulsory dress code. (Let’s be honest: the last time our formal wear got an outing was at a second cousin’s wedding, and we haven’t been to the gym since.)

If you, like us, are hoping to have some cash left over to make rent on January 1, there are a few alternatives. We’ve collected a list of the most exciting no-frills events popping up around the city, from techno marathons to gay-friendly sweatfests. Think of this as your personal guide to what are, if we might toot our own trumpet, the coolest places to forget that 2017 ever happened.

SUNWAVE NYE 2018 (From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. at the Red Gate Arts Society, 855 East Hastings Street) What’s in it for me? Frankly, great music. Four topnotch house and techno DJs are slated to keep the party going for seven hours—yes, you read that right— and you can be sure that there will be no cheesy A.F. pop tunes or trap bangers on the stereo. Sunwave is one of the summer’s hottest outdoor parties, so its winter appearance is only testament to the event’s demand. Is there a dress code? I mean, is it really a techno party if everyone isn’t wearing black? How much will this set me back? Tickets are available for $30 at eventbrite.ca/.

BACKDOOR NEW YEAR’S EVE

(From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. at VAL Villa, 494 Railway Street) What’s in it for me? Decadence on a budget. No-

NO PRESSURE NYE (From 7 p.m.

From techno to gay-friendly sweatfests, we’ve listed some great places to party. Getty Images/Marko Novkov photo.

toriously sexy, Backdoor is Vancouver Art and Leisure’s hot and sweaty LGBT party that reclaims unconventional spaces and turns them into thumping dance floors. At VAL Villa—a massive, two-level shipbuilding warehouse decked out with a spiral staircase and eye-catching décor—revellers can expect five DJs and a party that goes on long after the Granville strip shuts its doors. Is there a dress code? The less you wear, the better—or you can always take it

off. How much will this set me back? biggest struggle was winding back Tickets are currently $50 at leisure. the tape in your well-worn Guns N’ Roses cassette once it was inevitably events/ and cost more at the door. eaten by your stereo. Expect to hear ’80S NEW YEAR’S EVE (From 7 ’80s vinyl all night. Is there a dress p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Devil’s Elbow, code? Break out the fanny packs, ski 562 Beatty Street) What’s in it for jackets, and shoulder pads: those me? What better way to forget the rocking the best ’80s ’fits will be up Dumpster fire that was 2017 than for some sweet prizes. How much completely immersing yourself will this set me back? $25 at clubin another era? In this case, the zone.com/ for the dance-party porDevil’s Elbow is taking it back to tion, which includes a midnight the ’80s—a simpler time when your drink and door-prize entry.

to 2 a.m. at Colony Bar, 3255 West Broadway) What’s in it for me? The clue’s in the name. If getting hyped up for a 10-second countdown to celebrate the end of a really shit year isn’t your thing, there’s nothing like heading to a chill bar for a chill evening with some chill people. No cover, $5 snacks, $4.75 lagers, and $18 buckets make this a welcome alternative to blowing your entire December paycheque on an evening you’re probably not going to remember anyway. Is there a dress code?

Come as yourself. How much will this set me back? Zero dollars.

METROPOLIS NOIR NEW YEAR’S EVE: AN EVENING OF TRAGICALLY HIP SONGS (From 8 p.m. to

1 a.m. at the Rickshaw Theatre, 254 East Hastings Street) What’s in it for me? Raise your glass to one of Canada’s most influential musicians, the late Gord Downie, with a feel-good evening of Tragically Hip tunes. The tracks will be performed by members of local bands Black Mountain, Needles/Pins, Blackout Lights, and see next page

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DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 7

Budget-friendly options

from previous page

wee hours of the morning. Is there a dress code? Whether it’s a tux and glittering six-inch-high stilettos or a T-shirt and jeans, come dressed as you please. How much will this set me back? Tickets start at $8 at queersandbeersmanupnye.brown papertickets.com/, with a portion of proceeds going directly to the WISH Drop-In Centre Society.

others. Proceeds from the event go toward the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, which works to improve the lives of First Nations people in Canada. Is there a dress code?

Nope, but rocking a feather-adorned hat or any Tragically Hip merch you have lying around would be a sweet gesture. How much will this set me NYE 2018 AT DOOLIN’S (From back? $17 in advance at ticketfly.com/ 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Doolin’s Irish Pub, 654 Nelson Street) What’s in and $25 at the door. it for me? A high-energy night at QUEERS & BEERS X MAN UP a low-key pub that knows how to NEW YEAR’S EVE (From 6:30 p.m. pour a real (i.e., 20-ounce) pint. to 3 a.m. at the Cobalt, 917 Main For the price of a typical Friday Street) What’s in it for me? A queer night’s cover, you can boogie down A.F., gender-bending good time to a bevy of live performers and complete with a whopping 26 beers local DJs and rest easy knowing on tap and a special NYE brew. Host- you can spend your extra coins at ed by Queers & Beers, organizer of the Pizza Garden or Donair Dude inclusive craft-beer-tasting parties, down the street once those inevitand Man Up, a local multi-gender able “drunchies” kick in. Is there drag show, the event will also fea- a dress code? Hell no. How much ture food-truck grub, arcade games, will this set me back? Tickets start and of course, a dance party and at $10 at eventbrite.ca/ and include fabulous drag show that run into the a glass of sparkling wine.

BODY LANGUAGE NYE (From 9:30 p.m. to 3:15 a.m. at Beaumont Studios, 316 and 326 West 5th Avenue) What’s in it for me? Breakin’ it down, cutting a rug, bustin’ a move—whatever you wanna call it, dancing is highly encouraged at this NYE rave at one of Vancouver’s coolest creative hubs. Featuring an eclectic lineup of Canuck DJs like Isis Graham, Ricco, and Andy Clockwork, the event also promises aerial hoop and dance performers, out-of-this-world visuals, and— wait for it—a vegetarian sushi bar.

Is there a dress code? No, though the principles PLUR and ROAR— right of admission reserved—will be in effect. How much will this set me back? Tickets are $40 at showpass.com/bodylanguage/.

M.I.A. NEW YEAR’S EVE 2018

(From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at M.I.A., 350 Water Street) What’s in it for me? Honestly? The price. Definitely the cheapest party in an established club, M.I.A.’s New Year’s jam will only set you back $20 to pull on

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8 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

your dancing shoes. Offering R&B classics alongside new-school jams, the club’s resident talent Kempeh, Hustle, and Yakobe will be hitting the ones and twos, spinning smooth, sultry, and soulful music that will definitely get your S.O. in the mood for some 2018 loving. Is there a dress code? Not officially, though you’d be remiss not to at least try to be as stylish as Rihanna.

How much will this set me back? $20 for early-bird tickets at clubzone.com/.

FORTUNE SOUND CLUB NEW YEAR’S EVE 2018 (From 9 p.m. to

4 a.m. at Fortune Sound Club, 147 East Pender Street) What’s in it for me? A bargain, considering that Fortune is home to one of the best sound systems in the city, the event will boast three separate spaces where resident DJs Sailor Gerry, Geni3, and My!Gay!Husband will be hammering out beat after beat until 4 a.m. For even more hits, find Strictly Afrobeats and GET LITT in Fortune’s experimental

“Hope we will see you living on the water in 2018”

rooms. Is there a dress code? Look good, feel good. How much will this set me back? Tickets are $30 at clubzone.com/.

VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS LEAGUE’S YEAR IN REVIEW

(Shows take place at 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and 11:15 p.m. at the Improv Centre, 1502 Duranleau Street) What’s in it for me? A chill, laughout-loud night in a non-bar-or-club environment where you can witness the VTSL’s best improvisers finding the humour in some of 2017’s most talked-about headlines. Whether it’s “fake news”, Prince Harry popping the question to Meghan Markle over roast chicken, or the finally complete Burrard Street bike lanes, no audience suggestions are off-limits as they’re mashed up and reinterpreted on the fly. Catch the 11:15 p.m. show, which includes bubbly, to ensure you enter the New Year on a funny note. Is there a dress code? Nada. How much will this set me back? Tickets start at $10.75 at tickets.vtsl.com/. -

HOUSING

This single mother wanted her kids to grow up with a family, so she opened her home to international travellers.

Renters of Vancouver: “We’ve had over 500 people live with us” > B Y KATE WIL SON

Renters of Vancouver takes an intimate look at how the city’s millennials are dealing with the housing crisis.

Tenants choose to remain nameless when sharing their stories.

“T

he story begins when his dad left us. I had two boys—a four-year-old and a one-and-a-halfyear-old—and I was living under the poverty line. I was a single mom with two kids, and I didn’t want to hide in a basement somewhere.

“I decided to rent out a big house and open it up to other tenants and invite as many people as possible to stay for free as well. It was a way of creating a better quality of life for my kids and of making connections— because the most important thing in life is connections.

“Now we’ve been sharing our houses for 25 years, and we’ve had well over 500 people live with us.

“We belonged to the precursor to Couchsurfing, called Servas. It started a long time before the Internet. The guy that invented it wanted to know how we can promote peace, and his idea was that we needed to invite strangers across our thresholds with complete trust. We took that philosophy to heart, and we’ve hosted hundreds of people from around the world.

“Now individuals come to us from Couchsurfing, Servas, and GlobalFreeloaders. They stay for two to four days and they don’t pay anything. We welcome them into our house and our family. We don’t just offer a bed—for us, staying in our home is about conversations and understanding who people are and what their culture is.

“We’d also take in ESL students, predominantly Asian or Brazilian, and they’d stay for up to 18 months.

One of them, Sean from Taiwan, liked

it so much that he kept extending his schooling. Another time, a woman from Japan wanted to get married in Vancouver and we were her Canadian parents. After she set a date, we organized everything, including where she could stay and have her reception. I was even the person who conducted the ceremony.

“We’d also have people we found on Craigslist—mainly those in their 20s and 30s—with international visas. We love meeting visa travellers because they’re really interested in finding out new things about the city. During the Olympics, for example, we happened to have two people from Japan and one from the Czech Republic. We put a Czech flag on one cheek and a Japanese flag on the other and went to a Czech versus Japan sledge-hockey game.

“I never paid attention to who was or wasn’t paying rent. I know people who take in students and keep a really close eye on things like not giving them a particular kind of cheese because it costs slightly more. I never cared about that. I just wanted quality and connection. Whoever stayed with us was part of our family.

“We’ve had everyone from elephant trainers to ornithologists.

There was one Thanksgiving dinner where we had a person from nearly every continent, apart from Antarctica. Our record for the number of people staying with us was 32. We had a full house and also a group of 24 cyclists from Austin who brought their tents and pitched them all over the yard. We did that four times.

“We really enjoy introducing people to our culture. We had a girl stay with us for a short while, for example, who didn’t want to talk to us at all, but we wanted to make an effort to ensure she had a good time. She had school during the day, but we’d pick her up and take her to things like discussions in the forest,

where we’d learn about eating needles and berries. And then we went to a workshop at the seashore and learned about how important seaweed is in ecosystems. At the end, she was smiling. She still communicates with us all the time online and wants her brother to come and stay with us even though he’s just nine. Recently she went offline, and I thought we’d lost her. When I went home, I found a written letter explaining that she’d lost all her contacts and gave us all her details so we could still stay connected. It was huge for us that she had such a strong desire to keep in touch when she initially didn’t want anything to do with us.

“It’s not all been great, though.

There was one guy who had a daughter and she lived with his ex. He would often vanish for periods of time. One day I got a call from the bank to verify that I’d written a cheque for $230—and I knew that I didn’t. This guy had gone to the back of my drawer, flipped to the end of the chequebook, and taken out two cheques for himself. I think he was totally desperate, and that it was a down payment for a place because he wanted to be near his daughter.

When I phoned the police, they told me to lock the door, inform him that his stuff would be left on the porch at a certain time, and it was up to him to pick it up. When he came by he knocked on the door and I asked him about the cheques. He looked me in the face, and said: ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ That was a sad thing to happen to us—but out of literally hundreds of people, that was the only negative experience.

“We love having people in our home. In 25 years, we never missed paying our rent. And when we moved out, the house would be cleaner and in better shape. We’ve always been really good tenants.” -

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DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 9

CANNABIS

The founding partners of Levity Solutions, Phil Kwong and Travis Lane, are hoping to open Canada’s first legal extraction laboratory to create high-quality concentrates. Amanda Siebert photo.

Extraction experts shatter norms

“Well, the ratio is about Lane and Kwong are working closely with the the same,” Lane says, “but company to create a similar program geared to the difference is the bot- Canadian extractors.

Being legal extractors in the U.S. doesn’t make tle of vodka can actually them legal in this country, but Lane insists that their kill you.”

He and Kwong believe training, standard operating procedures, and qualthat although making ity assurance set them apart from illicit extractors.

“We do everything we can to be compliant: we concentrates shouldn’t be undertaken by just any- pay taxes; we distribute to municipally licensed busione, consuming them has ness owners; and we try to make sure that we hold Travis Lane and Phil Kwong say training and quality control been unfairly branded as ourselves to a higher standard than just some blackset them apart from others in this area of cannabis production nonmedicinal and even market extraction company. There might be people dangerous by lawmakers trying to imitate our products, but I haven’t seen any Canadians are looking forward to buy- and health officials intent on putting THC limits of them making any overtures to try and become ing legal cannabis in July 2018, but those who on legal cannabis products. In U.S. jurisdictions legal. Most are making as much money as they can prefer to use concentrates will have to wait up to with legal cannabis, concentrates are the fastest- in the meantime, but that’s not what we’re about.”

B Y AM ANDA S IEB ER T another year before they can purchase extracts growing sector of the market.

In the unregulated system we have now, anlike shatter, crumble, or wax that have the govern“Extractions are something people want ac- other concern of Kwong’s takes him back to his ment’s seal of approval. cess to, and at the end of the day, not every- initial search for product information: without That’s because after pushback from industry body wants to smoke a joint,” says Kwong, who any rules about how extractions are made and stakeholders to include concentrates and edibles uses them and other cannabis products to help no mandatory testing at dispensaries, consumers in the legislation, the Cannabis Act was amended manage the symptoms of his multiple sclerosis. aren’t always aware of what they’re inhaling. in October to give the federal government up to He knows firsthand that the generalizations he “When concentrates are made in the U.S., a set 12 months after Bill C-45’s implementation to cre- hears about dabbing just aren’t true. of lab results goes with them,” Kwong says. “A lot ate specific laws around the production and sale of After three years of failed pharmaceutical of what I hear in dispensaries when I ask about edibles and concentrates. treatments and eight relapses that left him with concentrates is that they’re ‘dank’, but are they Although some U.S. jurisdictions with legal permanent damage to his eyes and right arm, safe for human consumption?” cannabis have indicated to the Canadian govern- he finally found relief from pain and vision Lane and Kwong know these regulations are on ment that these products are more challenging loss with cannabis, but he became wary when the way, but they fear it’s unlikely that the governto regulate because of the way they are manufac- he couldn’t find any product information about ment is going to get it “right” at first. tured, critics say not including them from day one concentrates at local dispensaries.

That’s why Lane says that participating in govof legalization could give the black market an edge.

Instead of chancing it on untested products ernment roundtables and providing feedback to Local extraction experts Phil Kwong and Travis that might be carrying residual solvents or tox- federal, provincial, and municipal governments Lane of Levity Solutions pose an entirely different ins that could exacerbate his illness, he began to at every opportunity has allowed Levity to make scenario with the extra year’s wait: it could also look into making his own. connections and establish relationships with polbe a potential safety hazard if consumers decide “Holistek basically started as an R & D pro- iticians and officials that others in the industry to take making extractions—a potentially dan- ject for my own health,” Kwong says. “I wanted have not. He says that of late, these meetings have gerous process that can involve highly flammable to do it properly from the beginning, so we been “impressively optimistic”, with a recent one solvents—into their own hands. spent many hours doing tests at different points even ending in laughter and applause.

It’s why they’re working closely with growers, li- of extraction, finding out at which point solvent “I think we’ve seen the lobby efforts that we censed producers, and stand-alone extractors to es- leaves the product, and so on.” were putting forth over the last year that felt like tablish safe extraction practices and, ideally, open they were falling on deaf ears actually didn’t,” Canada’s first legal extraction lab, with a focus on KWONG REACHED OUT to ExtractionTek Solu- Lane says, mentioning the federal consultation tions (ETS) in Denver, Colorado, one of the first paper released last month that proposed adding hydrocarbon solvents like propane and butane.

“It’s a question of using safe solvents and safe companies in the United States to develop a safe, to the existing Cannabis Act a tier of licensing for procedures, and we believe we’ve developed closed-loop system for hydrocarbon extraction. Not “micro” cultivators and producers. He says Levity those,” Lane says over coffee one afternoon with only do ETS-manufactured extraction machines would fit right into these new categories.

Kwong and the Georgia Straight. “If you think the make the process of extracting cannabinoids and “It’s good to see that the government realized 18-year-old kid who wants to do this in his base- terpenes far more efficient, they are also much safer that these jobs and economic factors really do ment is going to look up safety protocols before than any existing black-market backyard operation. matter,” he says.

Working closely with regulatory agencies and Denthey blast solvent through a tube, you’re wrong.”

Kwong says he and Lane are optimistic that As a small-business owner and long-time can- ver County fire marshals to have its equipment rec- they will have a legal facility for extraction up and nabis cultivator, Lane has expertise in the area ognized, the company is certified to train licensed running within the next five years, but they’ve of converting standard grow operations to or- extractors throughout the U.S., where more than also floated ideas of establishing a U-brew–type ganic ones. At Levity, that knowledge goes hand 500 ETS machines are currently in operation. facility where consumers can bring their own Both Kwong and Lane underwent ETS’s inten- cannabis to be extracted in a safe environment. in hand with that of Kwong, the founder of and lead extractor at local extraction brand Holistek, sive training course and received certification Until then, Lane is content to attend every as extractors after learning how to use the com- meeting and consultation with the intention of which Lane is also part owner.

Together, they offer consulting to vetted grow- pany’s closed-loop machines safely; how to build a of speaking not just for Levity but for selfers, producers, and extractors, building safety safety-compliant extraction, or “blasting”, room; proclaimed dabheads everywhere who just want protocols, creating standard operating proced- where to find accredited gas dealers; and more. access to safe, quality product. ures, and offering training.

While the taboo around cannabis is being lifted What are cannabis concentrates and how are they used? with impending legalization, Lane and Kwong agree that the use of concentrates—or “dabbing”, Don’t let names like shatter, budder, or wax confuse you: simply speaking, concenas it is more colloquially referred to—is still quite trates are the material that’s left after an extractor has stripped compounds like THC misunderstood by the public. and CBD from a bud to produce a substance far higher in cannabinoids and terpenes “To me, the biggest misconception about conthan dried cannabis. (If a flower with 20-percent THC has been used, the resulting centrates is that it’s something different from concentrate might be as high as 80 or 85 percent THC.) In many cases, a solvent like smoking a joint,” Lane says. “It’s not. It’s the same propane, butane, or C02 is used to facilitate this process, but some concentrates can be made without soldrug, just at a higher concentration.” vents. Consuming concentrates with a dab rig like the one on our cover isn’t unlike smoking from a bong, Consider them in the context of liquor, he says. though a few more tools are required. Instead of filling a bowl with dried flower, concentrates are placed What’s the difference between wine with 12 peron a heated nail often made of quartz or titanium. As the substance vapourizes, simply inhale and enjoy. cent alcohol and vodka with 40 percent alcohol, > AMANDA SIEBERT versus dried flower with 20 percent THC and concentrate with 80 percent THC?

2

10 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

Vancouver a hotbed for heady glass pieces > BY A M A NDA SIEBE R T

M

ost cannabis users have a story about their first homemade smoking contraption: remember that water bong you made out of a pop bottle in Grade 11?

Fortunately, Vancouver’s obsession with all things cannabis means there’s no need for DIY smoking devices.

Consumers in this city have access to some of the best glass in the country.

Since 1995, Wes Kuitenbrouwer and Moss Tomlinson of Puff have been working closely with renowned glass artists from across North America.

Having been part of the scene for so long, Kuitenbrouwer says it’s exciting to see how designs and styles of pipes, bongs, and other pieces have changed during the past two decades.

Walk into one of Puff ’s four Vancouver shops and you’ll find everything from a standard, scientificstyle bong with a beaker bottom (for about $150) to a one-of-a-kind recycler or dab rig that glows under UV light (for more than $1,000).

That might sound steep, but for a collector who sees a piece as a work of art rather than a way to consume cannabis, it’s just the tip of the (very expensive) iceberg.

“It’s hard to keep track of the styles, because the artists bring the trends,” he says. “When something is hot on the market, they’ll say: ‘Everything’s sandblasted this year,’ or ‘Everything is reactive to UV light.’

“Then people are trying to adjust their style to the trend before everything changes again or before it gets knocked off.”

Ignite Smoke Shop’s Rhiannon Chernencoff says that beyond the changes in styles, colours, and techniques in glass blowing, she’s seen the consumer base become much

2018 CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING Lions Club Chipping Events

IN VANCOUVER

Saturday, January 6 and Sunday, January 7 10 am to 4 pm

A one-of-a-kind skull jammer dab rig by artist 3 Dot Blaine, at Puff.

more aware of B.C.’s local talent.

“Glass blowing was much more of a ‘hippie’ thing in the early days, in that it wasn’t discussed or well understood,” she tells the Straight by phone.

“Ten years ago, you couldn’t find a third of what’s available now. There’s definitely been a real renaissance in terms of glass, and that’s been good for the consumer, because the price has gone down a bit, too.”

Both Kuitenbrouwer and Chernencoff say the rise of “dabbing”, or using concentrates, in 2012 opened the door to a shift, with some artists focusing on materials like quartz.

Those who aren’t in the market for a “heady” or fancy piece might look to a simple scientific import, like the cheap beaker bottom mentioned above. Although these pieces put function before visual appeal or quality, the rise of celebrity trademarking means that if you’d prefer to pay a little extra for a piece featuring the mug of Tommy Chong, Snoop Dogg, or one of the Trailer Park Boys, you can.

“It would be nice to see a celebrity put their name on something that isn’t import glass,” Chernencoff says, “but that’s why I like to sell work by local artists.” -

EVENT LOCATIONS • Kerrisdale Community Ice Rink parking lot • Kitsilano Beach parking lot • Sunset Beach upper parking lot • Trout Lake Community Centre parking lot Please remove all decorations and tinsel!

Donations of cash and non-perishable food will be accepted and distributed to local charities.

DROP-OFF TO DEPOT CURBSIDE RESIDENTIAL PICK UP Christmas trees will be collected the weekend of January 13-14.

Set out your tree before 7 am on January 13 for pick up. Trees should be set out on their own and laid on their sides. Do not place your tree inside your Green Bin or bag or bundle it.

Winter

Trees can be dropped off at no charge to the Vancouver South Transfer Station or Vancouver Landfill in Delta until January 31.

For more information: vancouver.ca/christmastree

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sportsjunkies.com DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 11

It’s not just female celebrities pumping iron

V

ancouver fitness guru Ron the star of the 2017 Wonder Woman Zalko has seen many work- film, Gal Gadot. “I do cardio,” Gadot out trends come and go in told E! News, “but I don’t like it as his 37 years in the indus- much. I’d rather do weights.” try. He recalls exercising with Jane Others who enjoy weight training Fonda at the height of the aerobics include Blake Lively, Sports Illuscraze in the 1980s. trated swimsuit Then there were model Kate Upthose martial-arts ton, singer Gwen oriented moves of Stefani, and OsCharlie Smith the 1990s, followed car winner Emma by the rise of street-dance exercises Stone. Scarlett Johansson is another in the early part of this century. one, bluntly telling French Elle magaShortly before the new year dawned, zine several years ago that she works Zalko sat down for an interview with out like a guy. the Georgia Straight at his Kitsilano Zalko said that one of the benegym to discuss what’s most popular fits of weight training is it can also nowadays. Some of his observations delay the loss of bone density and might surprise you. the onset of osteoporosis. And he insisted that lifting weights will WEIGHT TRAINING FOR WOMEN help a person lose weight.

Zalko revealed that during the past He also dismissed any concerns year, weight training has become that women will bulk up and become increasingly popular for female unattractive through this activity. members of his gym. “It gives you “Women don’t have the same tesmore toning, firming, definition, tosterone levels as men unless they and self-esteem,” he said. “Women take steroids or if they eat up to 5,000 who do weight training have won- calories a day,” Zalko quipped. derful bodies.”

One member of his gym is actor Several Hollywood actors have Eric McCormack, who was recently gone public about the benefits that nominated for a Golden Globe for this is having for them, including his role in Will & Grace. And, yes,

Zalko said he devised this approach after seeing how much difficulty a friend had running a race from Ambleside Beach to the top of Grouse Mountain. “He couldn’t do the climb,” he said. “It’s a different workout. It’s a different muscle. It’s different breathing.”

The fitness guru has a warning, however. Anyone who gets involved in high-intensity interval training is going to do a lot of sweating. But he also noted that this type of exercise can produce 450 percent more human growth hormone than normal, which increases the burning of calories and slows down the aging process.

Health

TEENAGERS WORKING OUT Zalko said that there are about 10 teenagers who come to his gym with the blessing of their parents. It thrills him to Ron Zalko, owner of Ron Zalko Fitness & Yoga, says that high-intensity interval see these young people working out training and weight training for women top his list of emerging fitness trends. rather than texting, doing drugs, McCormack lifts weights in addition variations, but Zalko’s preferred drinking, or playing video games to doing cardio and sometimes sing- approach begins with 10 minutes and getting fat. “One of them wants on a treadmill. It starts with low- to be a policeman,” he said. ing on the treadmill. intensity slow walking for two HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAIN- minutes, then switches to high TWERK AND AFROBEAT FITNESS ING For people who don’t have a intensity for one or two minutes, Miley Cyrus might be the world’s great deal of time, this type of then back to low intensity for an- most famous twerker after her percardiovascular exercise is seen as a other one or two minutes, and then formance with Robin Thicke at the relatively quick fix. There are many back to high intensity (and so on). 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

At the end of 10 minutes, the But since then, twerk fitness has person switches to an elliptical ex- become a hot craze in Los Angeles. ercise machine. Again, the move- It’s as you can imagine: swivelling ments are adjusted between low and jerking the hips while working and high intensities during one- or the glutes, accompanied by some two-minute periods. Again, this full-throttle music.

In 2018, Zalko will offer classes lasts for 10 minutes.

Stylish natural living since 1981 Next, the person moves to the step in twerk fitness at his gym. “Lots of mill, again interspersing low- and ladies love it,” he said. “I wanted to high-intensity exercises by adjusting spice it up a little bit.”

He’s also introducing classes in the tension level. That’s followed by Afrobeat fitness, which will comple10 minutes on a stationary bicycle.

Mattresses, linens, pillows & duvets One of the benefits of this ap- ment the zumba, boxerfit, Pilates, proach is that it exercises differ- yoga, and early-morning indoorWell made locally for over 35 years from premium organic cotton, ent muscle groups. The StairMaster cycling workouts. “I like to see people linen, hemp, wool, buckwheat, and kapok. Thoughtfully designed for and the stationary bike essentially reaching their goals, changing their optimal comfort and durability. We also carry bath, yoga, clothing & baby train the body to move horizontally, lifestyle, and being happy for where whereas the elliptical machine and they are,” Zalko declared. “That’s 2749 Main Street (12th & Main) Tel 604.254.5012 dreamdesigns.ca the step mill train the body to ascend. where I get my high.” -

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straight stars > B Y ROSE MA RC U S

December 28 to January 10, 2018

H

ungover or not, extra caretaking is in order on New Year’s Day. The super full moon in Cancer could target a sensitive or vulnerable spot or trigger a much-needed release. Cozy up or cuddle up for the evening.

Uranus ends its four-month retrograde tour on back-to-work Tuesday, January 2. The day could hold edginess or excitability, or be all over the map. Take it in stride.

On Saturday, January 6, Mars teams up with Jupiter in Scorpio, Mercury trines Uranus, and the Virgo moon makes a host of planetary contacts.

Get moving; seize advantage. It is an opportunity day. On a caution note, play it smart; avoid dangerous places, people, or drugs.

Monday, January 8, and Tuesday, January 9, are auspicious for all official, professional, money, and relationship undertakings. Sun/Venus begin the next nine-month manifesting cycle. Sun/Venus are also drawing extra turbo from power planet Pluto and action planet Mars.

The year 2018 brings three major planetary changes. If you are ready to work for it, Saturn, newly in Capricorn, will reward you with substantial results. During the next couple of years, Saturn will bring endings of great significance and simultaneously cement a new reality baseline.

Uranus will give us our first taste of its eight-year transit through Taurus.

Uranus in Taurus reinvents survival requirements and social and monetary value systems. (Yes, the Bitcoin and pot industries are lucrative investments.) We will also get our first taste of Chiron’s nine-year transit through Aries. Chiron’s message? Some things are worth fighting for, no matter what price must be paid up-front. Live your life brave and bold.

Best wishes for the new year!

ARIES

TAURUS

March 20–April 19

With friends or on your own, New Year’s Eve is what you make of it. Noting the super full moon and the end of Uranus retrograde, the stars aren’t wasting any time getting 2018 launched and neither should you. Roll up your sleeves, put ambition to work, start building now. The year ahead can set you onto a substantial career- or wealthbuilding trajectory.

April 20–May 20

Play it safe New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day, sensitivity is greatly heightened. One way or another, January 6 sets big wheels in motion. The week of January 8 is optimized for all official undertakings, major overhauls, and fresh starts. You’ll have something more substantial to work with in 2018.

A steadier, success-generating, buildit-better year lies ahead.

GEMINI

May 21–June 21

A Gemini moon keeps you going strong New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day, opt for no fuss/no work.

As the week finishes out, Mars/Jupiter put work, renovations, wealth, or health on a major overhaul. January 8, Venus/sun marks an auspicious time to make a substantial investment or an official commitment, to sign a contract, launch a new business, start a family, et cetera.

CANCER

June 20/21–July 22

LEO

July 22–August 22

Stay in or go out; New Year’s Eve is what you make of it. New Year’s Day, the Cancer full moon could oblige you into more than you’d prefer, but it’s still a good top-it-up day before heading back to the grind on Tuesday. The year 2018 is optimized for a professional, educational, health, and skills upgrade, as well as selfemployment, downsizing, and investing in renovation projects.

VIRGO

holiday markdowns on now!

August 22–September 22

At work, playing it up, or ignoring it, New Year’s Eve delivers as expected. The Cancer moon on New Year’s Day takes the lid off emotions you’ve tried to hold back.

January 6 is a full-steam-ahead, setwheels-in-motion day. January 8, 9 are substantial for moneymaking, investing, banking, or working it out relationshipwise. Take charge; make it official.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

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September 22–October 23

An evening out or in fits the entertainment bill for New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day, you may feel emotionally or physically stretched but you’ll find a knack for doing what needs to be done, to make it good on all ends.

January 6, 8, and 9 are auspicious for all official launches, especially regarding home, family, real estate, selfemployment, and money matters.

October 23–November 21

One on one or on your own does it right for you New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day brings an end or sense of finality. Travel or feeling it out requires time and patience. January 6, Mars/Jupiter can set wheels in motion in some jump-start way.

2018 is a build-it-better, get-more-toshow-for-it year.

November 21–December 21

Play it up or not, you’re well-entertained on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day, cozy up with one you love or give yourself some well-deserved time off. Uranus hits full steam ahead as of January 2; Mars/Jupiter do the same on January 6. Regarding financial security, relationship commitment, parenting, or a professional goal, January 8, 9 are auspicious dates to make it official.

December 21–January 19

January 1, don’t go by should; go by feel instead. Although it’s important to take another’s needs or preferences into consideration, it must work for you, too. January 6, it’s full steam ahead. January 8, 9 set a momentous springboard for money/ material, professional, or relationship matters. Lock it in, take it on, or lay it all on the line.

AQUARIUS

PISCES

January 20–February 18

With friends, your lover, or the TV, New Year’s Eve is mostly a smooth go. Added catering is in order on New Year’s Day. Uranus is back in full-tilt action as of January 2; Mars/Jupiter as of January 6; and Venus as of January 8, 9. There’s no time to waste and plenty to be gained.

February 18–March 20

Home is a good place to be for New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day, gift them with the best of you. January 2, hit the ground running. January 6, 8, and 9 are especially prime/ lucrative for travel, action, sweeping change, breaking new ground, and goal-reaching. Launch it; go for it; invest big; make it real. -

Whether or not New Year’s resolutions are your thing, the Cancer full moon makes you very aware that you are at a time-hascome threshold. You can’t turn back; the reality is already well under way.

January 6 to 9 is optimized for getting a move on and/or taking it on. Find out what 2018 has in store for 2018 fast-tracks sweeping change. you personally. Book a reading with More and better is on the road ahead. Rose at rosemarcus.com/.

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DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 13

FOOD

Welcome the new year with a full stomach

M

aybe you have plans to be at a glitzy party when the clock strikes midnight, or perhaps you prefer to count down to 2018 in your cozy pyjamas at home.

Whichever way you intend to ring in the new year, you can’t do it on an empty stomach. So what better way to end 2017 than with a celebratory meal?

Here are six places to find delicious New Year’s Eve dinner menus around town.

(1038 Canada Place) Enjoy a five-course tasting menu at this celebrated restaurant inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Indulge in dishes like roasted acorn squash with honey and chestnuts, and striped bass with preserved lemon and caviar, and finish off with a Champagne creamsicle for dessert.

The early seating ($125 per person, plus taxes and gratuity) begins at 5 p.m.; the second seating ($148 per person, plus taxes and gratuity) is from 8:30 onward, and includes live music. A glass of Champagne and party favours will be given out at midnight to start off the new year on a cheerful note. Reservations can be made by calling 604-695-5500.

BOTANIST

tasty dishes. Instead of a prix fixe menu, guests will be able to order from à la carte offerings—New Year’s Eve dinner features items such as a shellfish trio and primerib meal. The early seating begins at 5 p.m., and the late seating kicks off at 8 p.m. ($60 cover charge per person) with party favours, a glass of bubbly at midnight, and live enHONEY SALT (39 Smithe Street) This tertainment. Reservations can be highly buzzed-about eatery inside made by calling 604-669-1940.

Parq Vancouver is offering guests a chance to celebrate the end of 2017 MINAMI (1118 Mainland Street) inside its comfortable but chic living- Yaletown’s hottest Japanese restauroom-style space. Its multicourse New rant will be ringing in 2018 with a Year’s Eve menu ($95 per person, plus special New Year’s Eve menu ($110 taxes and gratuity) includes caviar pie per person, plus taxes and gratuas a shared starter, with mains and ity). The five-course dinner will desserts such as truffle and cauliflower feature its most popular culinary risotto, crab-stuffed king salmon, and creations, including fresh sashimi, key lime pie. Guests will find party fa- butter-poached Atlantic lobster vours at their tables, and a champagne tail, sterling silver AAA beef tentoast at midnight and live music in the derloin, and its signature aburi lounge will set the tone for an enjoy- (f lame-seared) sushi. An exclusive able night out. Reservations for the New Year’s Eve dessert will also be first seating (5 to 8 p.m.) and second served: Valrhona chocolate caraseating (8:30 p.m. to midnight) can be melized banana with chocolate mousse, espresso crumble, and made by calling 778-370-8200. yuzu (Japanese citrus) ice cream.

JOE FORTES SEAFOOD & CHOP After this meal, your stomach will HOUSE (777 Thurlow Street) Join be satisfied, so you can fully enjoy executive chef Wayne Sych at the countdown to midnight. Resthis legendary Vancouver dining ervations can be made by calling establishment as he prepares some 604-685-8080. -

off your meal with tasty sweets from the dessert station, featuring cappuccino parfaits, praline cheesecake, lemon chocolate tarts, truffles, cookies, lollipops, and a chocolate fountain. A glass of bubbles will also be included with your meal for a toast to 2018. Reservations can be made by calling 604-691-6966.

> BY TA M MY KWAN

The fare at H2 Rotisserie & Bar (left) and Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is certain to help you close out 2017 on a gastronomical high note.

RESTAURANT (1253 Johnston Street) Ring in 2018 at this Granville Island Hotel dining establishment with a three-course New Year’s Eve menu ($75 per person, plus taxes and gratuity). Guests will be able to choose from dishes including Dungeness crab and shrimp cakes, grilled Haida Gwaii halibut, Two Rivers grilled beef tenderloin, and coconut milk cheesecake, among others. Your meal will be accompanied by live jazz and pop music by Melanie Dekker, and includes admission to the ’80s dance party in the lounge from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (This theme pays homage to the hotel’s former Pelican Bay nightclub, one of the nightclubs for yuppies

DOCKSIDE

in the ’80s!) A Champagne toast and party favours will also be offered at midnight—a stellar way to end 2017.

Reservations can be made by calling 604-685-7070.

H2 ROTISSERIE & BAR (1601 Bayshore Drive) The Westin Bayshore’s relatively new restaurant will be hosting a scrumptious New Year’s Eve gala buffet ($95 per person and $47.50 for children six to 12 years old, plus taxes and gratuity). Guests will be able to roam between food stations, which will feature fresh seafood and sushi, cheese and meat boards, rotisserie chicken, Peking duck, a salad bar, and a live-cooking spot. Finish

High-end wines prove B.C. can do big reds

W

e’re going out with a bang, here at the tail end of 2017, with five heartily recommended, highend, big B.C. reds.

windswept Similkameen Valley constantly raises the bar, vintage after vintage. Winemaker Michael Clark is methodical and precise in his stewardship of their biodynamically farmed vineyards, and he doesn’t miss a beat when making well-built whites BLACK HILLS ESTATE WINERY CABERNET and reds in the winery. We have all five of the main SAUVIGNON 2014 (Okanagan Valley, B.C.; Bordeaux red varieties here: Cabernet Sauvignon, www.blackhillswinery.com/) From the winery Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbehind the iconic Nota Bene Bordeaux-style red bec. Fresh-cracked black peppercorns and violets dominate the nose, and then comes their first-ever singlethe silky, juicy palate is loaded varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. with blueberries, blackberI’ve just had a sneak preview ries, and dark chocolate, of it (it’s not being released Kurtis Kolt with fresh minerality and welluntil next year), and it’s very good. It’s a limited-edition wine, such a rarity woven tannins. Although the 17 months spent in that the only way you’ll be able to get a bottle is French oak may give some people pause, the wine by becoming a member of their wine club. The is by no means overoaked: it’s a perfect balance of aromatics are full of toasty gingerbread and black toasty baking spices holding everything together. fruit with fresh leather notes, a little balsamic reduction, and a hint of sage. On the palate, that OSOYOOS LAROSE LE GRAND VIN 2011 black fruit gets rather showy with blackberries, (Okanagan Valley, B.C.; $94.99 for 1.5 litres, B.C. currants, and plums. Very good concentration, Liquor Stores) The Osoyoos Larose brand has and the tannins are already folding in well. been going strong since 2001, the first vintage Check out their website to see wine-club options, of what was then a partnership between Groupe and you can be at the front of the line for various Taillan of Bordeaux and Constellation Brands of exclusives like this, plus other fun opportunities. Canada. It’s now under full ownership of Groupe Taillan, maintaining a goal of making one of CLOS DU SOLEIL ESTATE RESERVE 2013 the best Bordeaux-influenced wines in Canada.

(Similkameen Valley, B.C.; $59.90, www.clos The current release is the 2014 vintage, but I find dusoleil.ca/) This gem of a winery in the these wines are much better after they have a few

The Bottle

more years of development on them. Fortunately, you can still find some of the well-balanced 2011 edition at B.C. Liquor Stores in town, and as an added fun factor, it comes in a 1.5-litre (or magnum) format. For those who want to go all out, there’s also a handful of three-litre bottles coming in at $191.99. The best supply by far is at the 39th Avenue and Cambie Street location, and what a festive addition to New Year’s Eve parties these would make. All five Bordeaux red varieties are in here, too, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon taking the lead, then a smattering each of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec rounding things out. Cradled in new and one-year-old French oak, there’s plenty of earthy dark berry fruit and forest-floor notes on the nose, with some tasty smoked-meat elements on the palate, along with sun-dried tomato, cloves, and a hint of basil.

Well-integrated and drinking wonderfully.

allowing optimal exposure for late-day sun and ideal ripeness in the fruit. The wine has been turning the heads of international critics for years, and it’s easy to see why. Plush black fruit and red currants are met by Provençal herbs, dark chocolate, and fresh-carved roast beef, along with just a hint of spicy peppermint on the finish. Tannins are nice and ripe, too; you can drink it now or lay it down a few years.

QUAILS’ GATE “THE CONNEMARA” 2015

(Okanagan Valley, B.C.; $59.99, www.quails gate.com/) Quails’ Gate’s Stewart family and tiptop winemaker Nikki Callaway made only 10 barrels of this fancy-pants nod to Bordeaux, so you best be on it; they’re likely to sell out fast. Forty percent Cabernet Franc, 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30 percent Merlot come together in polished, fine form. Purple fruit like mulberries and Italian plums is nice PAINTED ROCK RED ICON 2015 (Okanagan and lively, carried by a current of mocha and Valley, B.C.; $47.79, www.paintedrock.ca/) The sage, with enough light but grippy tannins to Red Icon is the star of the show at this Skaha make it ideal with anything grilled and meaty.

Bench winery, a Bordeaux-inspired blend that swaps up the balance of varieties each vintage.

Impressive outings by all. It’s hard to beThis vintage is Merlot- and Cabernet Franc– lieve it was fewer than 20 years ago that there dominant, with 18 months spent in 30-percent- seemed to be a consensus among locals that new French oak. This vineyard, which used to be “B.C. can’t do big reds.” It’s nice to see how the largest apricot orchard in the British Com- far we’ve come and that both locals and those monwealth, is on the east side of Skaha Lake, from faraway shores are taking note. -

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Call or email: 604.730.7020 | sales@straight.com 14 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

ARTS

What, exactly, is Hot Brown Honey? The

BY JANET SM IT H

show’s posters—which seem to send up ’70s blaxploitation fi lms, with their voluptuous lettering, wild ’fros, and snarling tawny-skinned women— are only a small taste of the subversive sass its female performers will bring here in the new year.

For a start, the wild, genre-mashing performance is what happens when “black, brown, and mixed beauties”, long pushed to the margins of performing arts, finally own the spotlight.

It’s a wild mix of burlesque, circus, hip-hop, cabaret, and club party.

It’s a piece of theatrical disruption where women step into stereotypical roles and then detonate them.

And it’s a show, created in Australia by a group of women with Indigenous, African, Polynesian, and Asian backgrounds, that’s hitting a chord elsewhere in the world—from the Edinburgh Fringe to Manchester, where the Straight reaches its two cocreators by Skype.

“We just saw so many awesome honeys working on the fringes, and we thought, ‘Why aren’t they taking centre stage?’ How did that happen?” explains Kim “Busty Beatz” Bowers, speaking with her costar Lisa Fala’afi. “So Hot Brown Honey started almost like a club night where everyone would get together with whoever was in town and make a little show for one night only. And that’s when Lisa and I said, ‘Wow, we know so many awesome artists. How do we write them onto the stage?’ ” And so the artists started making a show, and in the process, forging an interdisciplinary art form all its own. The two had met several years beforehand, teaching workshops in isolated Indigenous communities in Queensland and the outback; but a show was another way to bring diversity to the stage—and change to the world.

One of the guiding forces was that they would do it through ample use of costumes, spectacle, popculture references, and—most of all—comedy.

Hot Brown Honey finds its groove

Above, Hot Brown Honey’s Busty Beatz pumps up the jams from atop a giant hive; below left, Lisa Fala’afi dances away Polynesian clichés. Dylan Evans photos.

South African roots, and we’ve become shameful of our bodies.” and whose hip-hop In the show she wants to reclaim that emStraight outta Australia, women from the margins take drives Hot Brown powered body, but that means revealing tradHoney. “We’re from a itional tattoos that, these days, many of her centre stage in sassy, stereotype-exploding style whole range of differ- people feel should be covered and kept sacred.

“All of our work has been funny and our cultures ent cultures. And, you know, we’re intersecting “Every time I go on-stage and reveal my anceslaugh a lot,” Fala’afi says. “Laughter has been a way in Australia, which is stolen land, we’re inter- tral marks I am torn,” she admits. “There’s that that, you know, we can deflate the bigger things. secting as performers, and what we’re finding push and pull.”

Clearly, the women who call themselves the “We don’t want people who don’t have our are our similarities in our vast cultural Honeys are as willing to ask tough questions lived experience to close off, so we were like, heritages—like laughter.” of themselves as of their audiences. In ‘This is also a good tool that people are “And food!” adds Fala’afi.

Check out… fact, the festive spectacle takes a toll on familiar with to help them get over the “Yeah,” Bowers says with a laugh.

STRAIGHT.COM levels far beyond the sheer party energy line or to open their minds—even if it’s “So we’re really interested in those Visit our website it requires to stage each night. just for one hour!’ ” connector points where things for morning-after “This show feels so much bigger The result is a multifaceted evening, all come together and explode.” reviews and local than us,” Fala’afi says. “I think we centred around a giant, disco-lit hive. In “If you feel excluded all the time, arts news always felt it had the roots of a moveone sequence, Fala’afi, who’s a dancer and for so long,” Fala’afi explains, “you ment. But when it started to roll out of choreographer Down Under, sends up want to create a space where everyone control we were like, ‘Ah, this is way bigger clichés about “exotic” Polynesian women is included as well. We’re not just going to with a sort of reverse striptease. And in exclude you like we have been. We’re going to than us. This is a platform, this is people rising another segment, a performer literally show you what an inclusive environment can up with us.’ You know, that added to the pressure. breaks out of her colonial bonds by rip- feel like, just for an hour. So we create this hot- And it’s an hour after the show as well, having ping through a proper Victorian dress brown-honey world, and for a minute show what deep conversations, having photos or celebrations with audience members. It does take a lot.” made out of the Australian flag. The the world could be.”

Nobody said changing the world was going to production brings together a range of For most of the women in the show, that means personal experiences of its cast—and confronting body image, and “decolonizing” be easy. But, then again, as Busty Beatz raps in the they coalesce in a way that speaks to Hot their bodies—an act that has been a complicated show, “Fighting the power never tasted so sweet.” Honey messages of diversity.

Brown Honey’s process for Fala’afi. “It’s different for each of us,” “Particularly with this show, it is about how she explains. “For myself as a Samoan girl, we’ve Hot Brown Honey is at the York Theatre from we intersect,” says Bowers, who hails from been very heavily influenced by the missionaries January 9 to 27.

THINGS TO DO

ARTS High five

Editor’s choice LAUGHING AWAY 2017 Bike lanes, avocado toast, and a certain orange-hued world leader—nothing and no one will be off-limits as the improv masters at Vancouver TheatreSports ring in 2018. In fact, it’s been such a bizarre year that the possibilities are endless: much as you might want to forget fidget spinners, “covfefe”, or unicorn frappuccinos, maybe the best strategy is just to laugh them out of your system before the clock ticks into 2018. The big event happens New Year’s Eve, when the funnymen and -women perform a late-late show at 11:15 p.m., complete with party favours and a complimentary glass of bubbly. Vancouver TheatreSports League presents The Year in Review from Tuesday to Sunday (December 26 to 31) at the Improv Centre.

Five events you just can’t miss this week

1

ALBERTA BALLET NUTCRACKER (December 28 to 30 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre) Try to find a more serene way to tippytoe into the new year.

2

N. VANCOUVER (To April 29 at the Polygon Gallery) The holidays are the perfect chance to check out North Van’s striking new gallery.

3

NYE 2018 (December 31 at the Comedy MIX) A kick-ass standup roster, with names like Charlie Demers, Graham Clark, and Dino Archie.

4 5

In the news

GALLERY GOES UNDER WRAPS The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art is now closed until the spring of 2018 for a renovation that will create more exhibition space, a dedicated programming space, and a more welcoming lobby. For now, the gallery is running a Satellite Shop located at the SFU Bookstore in Harbour THE PIPELINE PROJECT (January 10 to 20 at Centre (555 West Hastings Street). The aim is to finish the $1.5-milthe Firehall Arts Centre) We can’t think of a more lion overhaul by April, with plans for the gallery’s 10th-anniversary ripped-from-the-headlines theatre work right now. gala in June. The makeover of the gallery at 639 Hornby Street is being funded in part by the Department of Canadian Heritage’s ONEGIN (To December 31 at the Granville Island Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Stage) Your last chance to catch one of the best Infrastructure Grant Program, as well as the province and private stage shows of the year—maybe even the decade. donors. Vancouver-based Merrick Architecture, the original designers of this purpose-built gallery (and whose drawing of the new mezzanine gallery is shown here), will oversee the project. DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 15

16 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

> BY A LEX A NDER VA R TY

A

lthough the program that the China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra has assembled for its return to Vancouver looks festive, we can’t help but think conductor–artistic director Pang Ka Pang has missed an opportunity to link it to the upcoming lunar new year. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2018 is the year of the dog, and who wouldn’t want to hear live interpretations, with accompanying film, of the soundtracks to 101 Dalmatians, Lassie Come Home, or, of course, Beethoven?

Reached in Pudong, China, where he’s rehearsing with the coastal financial centre’s resident orchestra, Pang laughs when the Georgia Straight runs that notion by him, with the help of his assistant and translator, Julie Chou. But for now he’s going to stick with his original plan: leading the Beijing-based ensemble through an assortment of scores from worldwide movie hits such as Braveheart, Casablanca, and Pirates of the Caribbean, alongside pieces that the orchestra recorded for China’s own burgeoning film industry. (Established in 1949, the orchestra has been responsible for more than 2,000 film, dance, and theatre soundtracks.)

Pang readily admits that his Cinema in Concert program is aimed primarily at overseas Chinese. “The orchestra is very famous, and all the people like it,” he says through Chou. “And the Chinese in Canada, the residents, they want to listen to film music, including western films and also Chinese films. They want to hear both. But the main thing is that I’m using Chinese film music.”

At press time, it wasn’t clear which Chinese films will be featured at the orchestra’s Orpheum concert, although Pang says they will be familiar to enthusiasts of Asian cinema.

The China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra, now led by maestro Pang Ka Pang, has been responsible for more than 2,000 soundtracks.

For non-Chinese cineastes, then, the evening will offer a chance to survey that country’s greatest movie hits— and for people whose tastes run toward sound more than screen, there are other inducements to go.

Just as Hollywood’s soundtrack industry persuaded many top musicians to head west during the 1930s and ’40s, the China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra has given many of China’s most gifted instrumentalists steady employment. And Maestro Pang hasn’t limited himself to film scores. As a student in 1996, he won the prestigious Kondrashin Master Class Award, and he has since won kudos from sources as diverse as Austrian music critic Cinco Vicki, who praised his “uniquely elegant style”, and North Korea’s minister of culture An Tong-chun, who was apparently deeply impressed by his performance at a 2011 music festival in that isolated country. “He is the conductor

that has most moved me,” the senior bureaucrat pronounced. Pang is also emerging as a leading advocate for contemporary Chinese symphonic music, and plans to return to Canada later in 2018 with an all-Chinese program of orchestral scores.

Leading the CBFSO through a celebratory selection of film soundtracks must seem like a bit of a holiday compared to some of his other assignments, but Pang says that’s not entirely the case.

“There are many tempo changes and different kinds of mood, and I need to change them very fast,” he explains. “Also, each piece lasts only 10 to 15 minutes, but I need to tell people everything in the film during that time. So it’s a challenge!” The China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra presents Cinema in Concert at the Orpheum on January 12, 2018.

A F IRE H A LL A R T S C E N T RE PRE S E N TAT ION

Orchestra brings films to life

C O - P RODU C E D BY S AVA GE S OC I E T Y A N D I T S A ZOO P RODU C T I ON S I N A S S OC I AT I ON W I T H N E WORL D T HE AT RE

ARTS

THE PIPELINE PROJECT SEBASTIEN ARCHIBALD KEVIN LORING QUELEMIA SPARROW

How are we all complicit?

DIRECTED BY

CHELSEA HABERLIN

280 East Cordova Street

604.689.0926

firehallartscentre.ca

JAN 10-20 Tue 7pm Wed-Fri 8pm Sat 3pm & 8pm Sun 3pm Wed 1pm

(PWYC Jan 10 & 17)

DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 17

Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St., Granville Island). Tix $35/29/18, info www. carouseltheatre.ca/production/the-lionthe-witch-and-the-wardrobe/.

CHINA BROADCASTING FILM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR PANG KA PANG

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

EAST VAN PANTO: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES Theatre Replacement’s kid-friendly production sees the title character flee the wicked Queen of North Vancouver across the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, landing at the PNE. To Jan 6, York Theatre (639 Commercial). Tix from $22, info www.thecultch.com/events/eastvan-panto-snow-white-seven-dwarves/.

ar ts/ timeout

A M E N CI ONCERT IN C RELIVE THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES WITH LIVE ORCHESTRAL ACCOMPANIMENT FEATURED FILMS: BRAVEHEART CASABLANCA CHINESE MOVIE MUSIC COLLECTION JURASSIC WORLD LEGENDS OF THE FALL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN AND MANY MORE!

THEATRE DANCE MUSIC COMEDY LITERARY EVENTS ET CETERA GALLERIES MUSEUMS

< < < < < < < <

THEATRE 2JUST ANNOUNCED MISERY Arts Club on Tour presents William Goldman’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel about a successful romance novelist who is held captive by an unhinged fan.

Jan 5, 2018, 7:30 pm; Jan 6, 2018, 2 pm, Kay Meek Centre (1700 Mathers Ave., West Van).

Tix $29-50, info www.kaymeek.com/.

2OPENINGS LITTLE WOMEN Bring On Tomorrow Co. and Kay Meek Centre present a musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about the lives of the four March sisters. Dec 27-30, 2-9 pm, Kay Meek Centre (1700 Mathers Ave., West Van). Tix $25, info www.kaymeek.com/little-women/.

2ONGOING

JANUARY 12, 2018

ORPHEUM THEATRE

TICKETS FROM $29 | TICKETSTONIGHT.CA

ONEGIN The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Amiel Gladstone and Veda Hille’s musical about a dissipated rogue whose romantic charms stir the passions of the residents of a country estate. Based on the poem by Pushkin and the opera

by Tchaikovsky. To Dec 31, Granville Island Stage (1585 Johnston St., Granville Island). Info www.artsclub.com/.

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST The Arts Club Theatre Company presents a stage adaptation of the Academy Award–winning animated film. Includes music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. To Jan 13, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville). Info www. artsclub.com/.

don’t miss out!

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

www.straight.com

THE GRAND OLD DUKE OF YORK Norman Robbins’s kid-friendly pantomime tells the story about a conniving baron who cancels an annual fair and outlaws fun and laughter. To Dec 30, Deep Cove Shaw Theatre (4360 Gallant Ave., North Van). Tix $16, info www.deepcovestage.com/.

DANCE

NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH TOQUE FLAMENCO Live flamenco music and dance. Dec 31, 8:30 pm, Kino Cafe (3456 Cambie). Info www.toqueflamenco.ca/.

MUSIC 2JUST ANNOUNCED VSO NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s fifth annual event shines a spotlight on new creations by Canadian and international composers, featuring collaborations with Early Music Vancouver and Standing Wave.

Jan 18-22, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe).

The festival also runs at Christ Church Cathedral and the Orpheum Annex, info www.vancouversymphony.ca/.

CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR: THE MUSIC OF THE BEATLES Martin Herman conducts Classical Mystery Tour and the VSO in a performance of Beatles tunes such as “Yesterday”, “A Day in the Life”, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Jan 31, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe).

Info www.vancouversymphony.ca/.

2THIS WEEK QUIRING IN THE NEW YEAR The Quiring Chamber Players, violist Reg Quiring, and pianist Rosemary O’Connor present a concert with cellist Rebecca Wenham and violinist Ian Swenson. Dec 31, 8 pm, Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). Tix $42/38/15, info www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca/ event/quiring-new-year-2017/.

SALUTE TO VIENNA NEW YEAR’S CONCERT Event features singers and dancers with the Strauss Symphony of Canada and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Jan 1, 2:30-5 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix $57.50-150, info www.salutetovienna.com/vancouver/.

COMEDY

2JUST ANNOUNCED SHEN YUN Take a journey through five millennia of Chinese culture with a multimedia show featuring ancient legends and stories, classical Chinese dancers, animated backdrops, and a live orchestra.

Mar 23-25, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Info www.shenyun.com/van/.

2THIS WEEK THE NUTCRACKER Ballet BC presents Alberta Ballet in a performance of the holiday classic featuring choreography by Edmund Stripe and Tchaikovsky’s score performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Dec 28-30, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix $35-95 (plus

2ONGOING THE COMEDY MIX 1015 Burrard, Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 604-684-5050, www. thecomedymix.com/. Comedy club with pro-am night Tue at 8:30 pm, showcase Wed at 8:30 pm, and featured headliners Thu at 8:30 pm and Fri-Sat at 8 and 10:30 pm. Cover $8 Tue, $10 Wed, $15 Thu, $18 Fri, $20 Sat. 2IVAN DECKER Dec 28-30 2NYE 2018 Dec 31 2BIG JAY OAKERSON Jan 11-13 2MATT BRAUNGER Jan 18-20 YUK YUK’S COMEDY CLUB 2837 Cambie, 604-696-9857, www.yukyuks. com/vancouver/. Comedy club with Top

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THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Carousel Theatre for Young People presents Joseph Robinette’s adaptation of the C.S. Lewis book about four siblings who step through a wardrobe into an enchanted land. To Jan 6,

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE PANTO The White Rock Players’ Club presents director Alex Lowe’s kid-friendly pantomime about a hunchback named Quasimodo.

Based on a script by Dave Baron. To Dec 30, 7:30 pm, Coast Capital Playhouse (1532 Johnston Rd., White Rock). Tix $22/15, info www.whiterockplayers.ca/.

service charges and fees), info www.bal letbc.com/performance/nutcracker-2017/.

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THE ETERNAL TIDES. ORIGINAL PHOTO: CHIN CHENG-TSAI

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Kick start your new year!

18 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

“A beautifully formed mezzo-soprano voice” - The New York Times

Celebrate the Georgia Straight’s 50th Anniversary with a limited edition Bob Masse poster!

Available for a limited time and is signed by the artist Bob Masse and Georgia Straight’s publisher Dan Mcleod

Visit straight.com/shop to buy the poster

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TARA ERRAUGHT mezzo-soprano JAMES BAILLIEU piano SUN JAN 14 at 3pm I VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE LISZT | MAHLER I QUILTER I STRAUSS I ROSSINI Don’t miss the rich, radiant voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence of this dazzling mezzo-soprano.

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

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REDHEADED PUNK GIRL

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s

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 5, 2017 WHERE: 885 W Georgia

I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 3, 2017 WHERE: 333

We got on the same elevator while I was going to work. I commented on your blue suit and you asked if I had christmas plans. Let’s go for a drink?

Saw your band play 333 on Sunday. Thought you were really attractive. I was too shy to introduce myself and I wasn’t sure if your bassist was your boyfriend.

Would love to see you again. I’ll be at your next show working up the nerve to say hello.

GROUSE MOUNTAIN SKIING TOWARDS THE BLUEBERRY BOWL

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 20, 2017 WHERE: Grouse Mountain I took a fall down the run and you picked up my ski pole and handed it to me while you were skiing with you friends. You made a remark about how cool the fall looked and I tried to find you after the fact to ask you out for coffee, but I could no longer catch up to you.

MADE THE DAY

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 20, 2017 WHERE: granville and 12th You were driving your truck off of Granville St. We were there picking up. You did not laugh at my failed attempt to help. MY partner says I was mad not to ask for your number. He was right.

GASTOWN GLANCES

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 14, 2017 WHERE: Cambie @ Water Street We glanced at each other waiting to cross the street right by the Cambie pub. It was dark out, maybe around 6 pm. We looked up at each other again and sheepishly smiled. Crossing the street, we both walked northbound in the same direction. A block later, you turned right and headed east on Water Street, but not before smiling at me again and saying something briefly, likely in the spirit of “goodbye” or “good night”.

Thank you. I have spent a couple of months getting over someone, and I got a bit jaded. It’s that kind of moment that reminds me of what love or a spark feels like.

Gives me hope....

SAVARYFEST RED SHIRT

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: AUGUST 5, 2017 WHERE:

We danced until it was dark and when everyone began leaving I lost you. You said you moved to the islands because you were disenchanted with the city. I regret not getting your name, and I hate losing track of someone good. If you see this i’d love to talk again.

FORCE THE HAND OF CHANCE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 2, 2016 WHERE: Red Gate

s

We crossed paths in the threshold, and locked eyes for longer than strangers would. We were not strangers. And later, we would know more about each other than anyone else.

SATURDAY DEC. 16TH I PASSED YOU WALKING YOUR DOG ON THE SEAWALL UNDER THE BURRARD BRIDGE

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 16, 2017 WHERE: Seawall under the Burrard Bridge I passed you on the Seawall under the Burrard Bridge, you were in a wheelchair out with your dog. Me, a blonde with a purple long coat, we looked at each other and kept going for a bit, we then both turned around at the same time and looked back at each other. I immediately regret not stopping and talking to you. If by chance you see this a coffee would be nice.

BLOND HAIR ASIAN GIRL IN YOUR 20'S

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 12, 2017 WHERE: Wholefoods on Cambie Hey, can’t forget your eyes! I was having a quick talk coming from the bakery section and bang! we looked at each other it seem like the clock frozen in time. Can’t wait to see you again. Lets meet for coffee and pastries.

CELIS IN RICHMOND

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 2, 2017 WHERE: Celis in Richmond I saw you at celis in Richmond.

I was wearing a burgundy suit.

You were staying at the executive Inn next door. You had to leave for work in the morning and I forgot to get your number before I left. Its bugging me now. Hopefully you see this and are still In town.

TAP & BARREL SMILER

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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: DECEMBER 8, 2017 WHERE: TAP & BARREL VANCOUVER This might be an odd way but for me it seems as the last way I can think of for now.

Together with five other colleagues, I was dining in TAP & BARREL, sitting in the back compartment close to an emergency exit. Diagonally across from me were you - sitting with another dude on a table for two at the window.

Your dark hair and your light pullover stayed in my mind.

We were constantly starring and smiling at each other.

Even my colleagues saw that after a while. I am sorry that I didn’t take my chance to come over and introduce myself as you were in company and I didn’t want to bother you (which today I highly regret). I really hope to see your smile again after trying to look for you on the general applications and contacting Tap & Barrel, even from overseas. Merry X-mas

V A N C O U V E R

OPERA

Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _ DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 19

Tickets from $25 Family Packs Available

“A JEWEL OF A PERFORMANCE” —VANCOUVER OBSERVER

The Nutcracker Ballet BC presents Alberta Ballet

Choreography Edmund Stripe | Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Featuring Live Music by The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Arts time out

from page 18

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

2KATHLEEN MCGEE Dec 29-30

VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS LEAGUE Some of the world’s most daring and innovative improv. 2017 Year in Review (Wed 9:15 pm; Fri 9:30 pm, 11:15 pm; Sun, 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, 11:15 pm); TheatreSports (Wed, 9:15 pm). Dec 27–Jan 3, 2018, The Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau St., Granville Island). Info www.vtsl.com/.

2THIS WEEK 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW The Vancouver TheatreSports League presents an improvised-comedy show that takes a look at the stories that made the news in 2017. To Dec 31, The Improv Centre (Granville Island). Tix $10.75-39.50, info www.vtsl.com/show/2017-year-in-review/.

THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW Vancouver comedians present live improv comedy based on classic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Dec 27, 8 pm, Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway). Tix $14/12, info www.riotheatre.ca/.

SAY WHA?! SARA’S LEAST FAVOURITE THINGS Performers put their comedic spin on some of the worst writing in print.

Dec 27, 8-9:30 pm, Cottage Bistro (4470 Main). Tix $10 at the door, info www.sara bynoe.com/shows/say-wha/.

IVAN DECKER Canadian standup comedian performs a solo show. Dec 28-30, The Comedy MIX (1015 Burrard). Tix $20/18/15, info www.thecomedymix.com/.

THE QUIPLASH COMEDY SHOW: DECEMBER DELIGHT Join the Fictionals and some of Vancouver’s improvisers as they battle it out for the Quiplash Crown. Dec 28, 8-9:30 pm, Seven Dining Lounge. Tix $7, info www.thefictionals.com/.

I’M NOT JUST AN ITALIAN AT CHRISTMAS Performance by Italian standup comedian Enrico Rennella. Dec 28, 8-10:30 pm, Centennial Theatre (2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Van). Tix $35, info www.enricorennella.net/.

December 28 29 30 | 7:30pm December 29 30 | 2pm

KATHLEEN MCGEE Standup comedian performs a solo show. Dec 29, 30, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club (2837 Cambie). Tix $20, info www.yukyuks.com/.

Queen Elizabeth Theatre | balletbc.com SUPPORT FOR BALLET BC HAS BEEN GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY

PHOTO BY DARREN MAKOIVICHUK.

VSO NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL

THE CULT: AN IMPROVISED MOCKUMENTARY Improvised mockumentary features live interviews with ex-members and never-before-seen footage of life in a cult. Dec 29, 10:30-11:30 pm, Havana Theatre (1212 Commercial).

Tix $10, info www.facebook.com/ events/174632719762916/.

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT YUK YUKS! Laugh your way into the New Year! Talent Line-up TBA. The show starts at 10 pm and ends with the countdown on stage. Showonly tickets $60 each; include taxes and a champagne toast, hors d’oeuvres, & party favours. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Dec 31, 10 pm, Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club (2837 Cambie). Tix $60, info yukyuks.com/.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2018 Local comedian and author Charlie Demers hosts an evening of comedy by Dino Archie, Graham Clark, and Simon King. Dec 31, 10 pm, The Comedy MIX (1015 Burrard). Tix $50, info www.thecomedymix.com/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS

TICKETS MAKE A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT! 5-CONCERT FESTIVAL JANUARY 18–22, 2018

RACHEL BARTON PINE

The VSO's 5th annual New Music Festival shines a spotlight on new creations, featuring great Canadian and international composers, renowned guest artists, and collaborations with Early Music Vancouver and Standing Wave. Curated by Maestro Bramwell Tovey and VSO Composer-in-Residence Jocelyn Morlock, the New Music Festival also features internationally renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine.

ADAM SANDLER American actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer, and musician. Jan 24, 7:30 pm, Orpheum Theatre (601 Smithe). Tix at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

LITERARY EVENTS 2JUST ANNOUNCED ANDREA GIBSON American spoken-word artist, poet, and activist tours in support of upcoming album Hey Galaxy, with guest Chastity Brown. Apr 16, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, St. James Hall (3214 W. 10th). Tix $23.50 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/.

2THIS WEEK READINGS IN DECEMBER Readings by local artists and writers Chandra Melting Tallow (Dec 23) and Don L’Orange (Dec 30). To Dec 30, 6 pm, Lucky’s Comics (3972 Main). Free admission, info www.face book.com/events/1964305430510947/.

STANDING WAVE

@VSOrchestra

TICKETS: vancouversymphony.ca 20 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

NICHOLAS WRIGHT MEDIA SPONSOR

604.876.3434

PERSIAN PARADISE The musical traditions of Persia, among the oldest in the world, find new expression in the presentation A Persian Night with Vancouver Opera Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre next Saturday (January 6).

The concert features an ensemble of 65 musicians, with conductor-pianist Shardad Rohani (shown here), vocalist Alireza Ghorbani, violinist Puya Firouzbakhsh, kamanchech-player Ardeshir Kamkar, tar-player Alborz Rahmani, oud-player Ali Sajjadi, santoor-player Saina Khaledi, and percussionist Hamin Honari on daf and tonbak. The works by five contemporary Iranian composers include the world premiere of a symphonic poem by Kambiz Roshan Ravan.

BRAIN CANDY LIVE MythBusters alum Adam Savage and YouTube star Michael Stevens present an interactive, hands-on, minds-on theatrical experience. Apr 17, 7:30 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre (650 Hamilton). Tix $49-125 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

LAURIE ANDERSON: ALL THE THINGS I LOST IN THE FLOOD Using spoken word, video, live music, and electronics, multimedia artist Laurie Anderson explores the power and perils of language and storytelling and dissects the relationship between words and images. Apr 23, 8 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd., UBC). Tix $46-94, info www. chancentre.com/.

2THIS WEEK KURIOS: CABINET OF CURIOSITIES Cirque du Soleil presents a new production that takes you into the curio cabinet of an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space, and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him. To Dec 31, Concord Pacific Place (88 Pacific). Tix from $49, info www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios/.

GALLERIES THE POLYGON GALLERY 101 Carrie Cates Crt., North Vancouver, 604-986-1351, www.thepolygon.ca/. 2N. VANCOUVER (Polygon Gallery’s inaugural exhibition explores how a specific locale can be reflected through existing and newly commissioned artworks by artists from Vancouver and beyond) to Apr 29 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY 750 Hornby, 604-662-4719, www.vanartgallery. bc.ca/. 2ENTANGLED: TWO VIEWS ON CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN PAINTING (exhibition offers insight into two distinctly different modes of painting that have come to dominate contemporary painting in Canada) to Jan 1 2TRUE NORDIC: HOW SCANDINAVIA INFLUENCED DESIGN IN CANADA (exhibit highlights the enduring legacy of Scandinavian design principles in Canada through works by Niels Bendtsen, Bocci, Karen Bulow, Kjeld and Erica Deichmann, Thor Hansen, Andrew Jones, Janis Kravis, molo, Carl Poul Petersen, Rudolph Renzius, and Marion Smith) to Jan 28 2CAROL SAWYER: THE NATALIE BRETTSCHNEIDER ARCHIVE (exhibit presents the latest findings of Vancouver-based artist Carol Sawyer’s ongoing research project that deftly reconstructs the life and work of the genre-defying, fictional artist Natalie Brettschneider.) to Feb 4 2PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST: AN EXHIBITION FROM THE ROYAL COLLECTION (exhibition of more than 90 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculpture highlighting both the richness of the Royal Collection and the complex relationship that the British monarchy has had with artists for the last three and half centuries) to Feb 4

MUSEUMS

IT’S JUST DRAG Joan-E hosts a drag show featuring Shea Coulee and Chi Chi Devayne (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and 20 local performers. Jan 19, doors 8 pm, show 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville). Tix $31 (plus service charges and fees) at www.livenation.com/.

THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC 6393 NW Marine Drive, 604-822-5087, www.moa.ubc.ca/. 2AMAZONIA: THE RIGHTS OF NATURE (exhibition features Amazonian basketry, textiles, carvings, feather works, and ceramics both of everyday and of ceremonial use, representing Indigenous, Maroon, and white-settler communities) to Jan 28 2THE FABRIC OF OUR LAND: SALISH WEAVING (exhibition takes visitors on a journey through 200 years of Salish wool weaving) to Apr 15

CRYSTAL Cirque du Soleil presents its first ice-skating production, which sees gymnasts and skaters perform acrobatics on the ice and in the air, combining synchronized skating and freestyle figures with traditional circus disciplines like swinging trapeze and aerial traps. Apr 11-15, Abbotsford Centre (33800 King Rd., Abbotsford). Tix from $35, info www.cirquedusoleil.com/.

TIME OUT ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. We can’t guarantee inclusion, and we give priority to events taking place within one week of publication.

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

ET CETERA 2JUST ANNOUNCED

BRAMWELL TOVEY

straight choices

PORT RAIT of the ARTIST AN EXHIBITION FROM THE ROYAL COLLECTION

OCT 28, 2017 - FEB 4, 2018

Presenting Sponsor:

Visionary Partner for Historical Exhibitions: Huaijun Chen and Family

Artemesia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura), c. 1638–39, oil on canvas, Photo: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 21

MOVIES

American flash, trash, and tragedy on ice Disgraced Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding receives a surprisingly compassionate portrayal in the Margot Robbieâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;produced I, Tonya RE VIEW S

you find the other characters unrealistically cartoonish, stay for the credits and catch the videotaped interviews upon which some scenes are based. They help illuminate the selfserving and plainly contradictory stuff these unreliable witnesses work up for the viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sometimes directly, as when Janney turns to the camera and says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening to my story line? What. The. Fuck.â&#x20AC;? Exactly.

I, TONYA Starring Margot Robbie. Rated 14A

It takes a while to adjust to the

2 notion of Margot Robbie play-

> KEN EISNER

MOLLYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GAME Starring Jessica Chastain. Rated PG

Jessica Chastain is a perfect

2 match for Aaron Sorkin, the

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, Nancy Kerrigan walks into a bar...â&#x20AC;? Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) and Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) in I, Tonya.

Coming in 1994â&#x20AC;&#x201D;same year as the O.J. Simpson and JonBenĂŠt Ramsey crime capersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the assault was largely ascribed to Gilloolyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pal Shawn Eckhardt (Kingdomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paul Walter Hauser), who might be described as The Simpsonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Comic Book Guy if he presented himself as

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an international counterespionage specialist while still living with his parents.

One curious deficit in the story is the shallow presence of Hardingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main coach (Julianne Nicholson, who played a mom more like LaVona in the nun-centric Novitiate). But if

JAN 10

Stan). That volatile approach, of course, figures heavily into Tonyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undoing, with the infamous attack on Olympic rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver, glimpsed briefly here), really another party girl but packaged by the press as the apex of middle-class propriety.

West Wingâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;ian master of rapid-fire overlapping dialogue, here making his directorial debut after more than two decades of writing and producing major projects for other people.

On the surface, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see why he would want to tell the fact-based tale of a woman sharp enough to run her own high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York. How high? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say that guys (always guys) like Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio would pay 250K a pop just to sit at the green-felt table, with beautiful waitresses handing them free RĂŠmy. The real-life Molly Bloom, played here by Chastain, wrote a book about her years in the bigs, changing most of the names. But that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to keep the FBI (back when they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t liberal commies like they are now) off her tail for â&#x20AC;&#x153;rakingâ&#x20AC;? money for her gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the part that makes them illegalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and for covering for Russian mobsters (back before they became good guys). Consequently, the film is divided into several time frames, covering her upward climb in

JAN 13 & 14

ing disgraced skater Tonya Harding.

In the real world, women who look like the former often get treated differently than the latter. Still, this was a passion project for the Aussie actor, who helped produce I, Tonya and gets a lot of things right.

Crucially, Robbie masters the mousy Hardingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crumpled grimaceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a mask made of intense chutzpah doing battle with bottomless self-pity. The roots of this general loathing are pretty well-explained by director Craig Gillespieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scattershot yet giddily satisfying movieâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; written by Steven Rogersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which turns out to be a darkly raucous satire rather than the true-crime character study you might expect. It ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pretty, but it sure is good.

Poverty, abandonment issues, isolation, and, oh yeah, the worst mother in the world have something to do with Tonyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s troubles. In a performance that could find Lady Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laurie Metcalfe forced to fight for her supporting-mommy Oscar, Allison Janney provides the biggest laughs as the absurdly named LaVona Golden, a chain-smoking prison guard of a parent who recognizes her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innate skating talent and absolutely nothing else about the girl. (Young Tonya is played by well-matched Mckenna Grace until Robbie takes over.)

LaVona smacks the kid for the slightest slacking or back talk, until that job is taken over by Tonyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future husband, Jeff Gillooly (Captain Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Romanian-born Sebastian

the world of poker, and her attempts to stave off the feds, via high-priced lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba, going Yank again); he’s intrigued by her case, despite the fact that all her money has been frozen. There’s also a back story about her youthful rise as an Olympic ski hopeful, pushed forth and emotionally hindered by a stage father (Kevin Costner) who doesn’t know when to quit, even when injuries say otherwise. (In that regard, Molly’s Game is like an upper-class version of I, Tonya, coincidentally opening this week.)

What ties together all these time codes and settings (mostly Ontario, despite what’s said) is the most relentless voice-over narration since Goodfellas, which it also resembles thematically. Like that Scorsese gangland tale, it doesn’t really say that much about society, preferring to dwell in the nether reaches of smoke-filled rooms where the powerful make their own rules and crack wise. Hollywood sharkiness is represented by Michael Cera, of all people,

whom she calls Player X; he enjoys winning mostly “for the pleasure of destroying other people’s lives”.

The good news is that most of that narration, and the dialogue, is pretty crackling stuff. Still, at 140 minutes, this Game feels padded out with side issues about drugs, depositions, and Daddy. (There’s a bookending face-off with Costner that feels more contractually obligated than organic.) At the same time, Molly has no friends, lovers, or other interests, so all we know for sure is that she’s one hell of a hostess. But does she have the mostest? > KEN EISNER

RAINBOW: A PRIVATE AFFAIR Starring Luca Marinelli. In Italian, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable

Vittorio and Paolo Taviani, born in 1929 and ’31, respectively, directed international hits like Padre Padrone and Good Morning, Babylon. They also grew up in

2

Valentina Bellè plays the debutante Fulvia in Rainbow: A Private Affair.

Mussolini’s Italy and reached their teen years as it came to a violent end. In their latest effort, Rainbow: A Private Affair—coming to the Vancity Theatre courtesy of the Vancouver Italian Film Festival—they

3

return to the themes of Night of the Shooting Stars, their 1982 meditation on the fluidity and chaos that happens when war is almost over.

Although credited to Paolo as sole director, Rainbow was written by the brothers, adapting an autobiographical novel by Beppe Fenoglio, who died in 1963, soon after writing it.

Like Fenoglio, the protagonist here is a former English-lit major who joins the partisans when Germany occupies his country.

Nicknamed Milton, after the author of Paradise Lost, he’s played by lanky Luca Marinelli in a far cry from his role as a psychopathic gangster in They Call Me Jeeg. Milton can kill if he has to, and his ragtag comrades are frequently engaged by the black-shirted Italian Fascists they call “roaches”.

But when we meet him, in the fogenshrouded Piedmont area, he’s utterly preoccupied by memories of the paradise he shared before the war with a local debutante named Fulvia (Valentina Bellè).

A chance encounter with her nowshuttered family mansion makes him recall their mutual love of Wuthering Heights and Judy Garland’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, giving rise to the film’s unwieldy and somewhat misleading English title. While Milton certainly does feel nostalgia for his faded Oz—which existed only about a year earlier, in fact—and is now a private in a nameless army, the matter really bugging him is the thought that Fulvia may have dallied a bit more deeply with his self-assured pal Giorgio (Lorenzo Richelmy, star of Netflix’s Marco Polo), now a fellow partisan.

When he goes looking for his friend, he discovers that Giorgio has just been captured by Fascists, and we don’t know if he wants to rescue the guy or just find out for sure what happened in their summertime triangle. This tone of existential rumination dominates the tale, making for a somewhat stagey drama in which everyone seems to know each other and all take turns see page 26

GOLDEN GLOBE® NOMINATIONS

BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)

BEST ACTOR (DRAMA) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Armie Hammer Timothée Chalamet

ONE OF THE BEST PICTURES OF THE YEAR!

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NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE ROLLING STONE VULTURE VOGUE VANITY FAIR THRILLIST WALL STREET JOURNAL SLATE THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER SIGHT & SOUND US WEEKLY SLANT MAGAZINE TIME ATLANTA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE THE PLAYLIST ROGEREBERT.COM

WINNER WINNER 2GOTHAM AWARDS NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

BEST PICTURE

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR Timothée Chalamet

ONE OF THE BEST TOP 10 FILMS BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR Timothée Chalamet OF THE YEAR

++++

“ONE OF THE YEAR’S VERY BEST FILMS.

LUCA GUADAGNINO’S STUNNING ACHIEVEMENT.”

A new B.C. performers contract forbids harassment on film sets like this one on Pender Street. WendyNordvikCarr/iStock /Getty Images Plus photo.

Union to shield actors from sex harassment

-Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

++++

“A MASTERPIECE OF BREATHTAKING BEAUTY.” -Rex Reed, NEW YORK OBSERVER

ARMIE HAMMER

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET

Local performers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of enhanced protection for their safety and welfare > BY C RA IG TA KEU CH I

I

n the wake of the #MeToo movement and a wave of sexualharassment allegations levelled against screen-industry figures, ranging from producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey to comedian Louis C. K., a British Columbia union has taken action by ramping up the ways that local performers will be protected from intimidation, harassment, and assault.

A whopping 94 percent of Union of B.C. Performers (a branch of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists) members voted on December 19 in favour of a new contract that will include what the union is calling “precedent setting increased protections” against sexual harassment.

Under the British Columbia Master Production Agreement (BCMPA) for 2018 to 2021, producers will be required to create a statement on harassment and violence prevention that must be conveyed to cast and crew members either prior to or on the first day of production. What’s more, a zero-tolerance policy will shield performers who file a legitimate complaint about harassment from retaliation by producers or anyone acting on behalf of a producer.

One of the new stipulations regarding where auditions take place states that auditions or meetings in private hotels or residences in which a performer would be alone with a production representative will be forbidden.

Specific definitions for sexual and racial harassment are listed. Those terms are followed by a more general definition of personal harassment, which covers any comment or conduct that is known to be “unwelcome or offensive”, “creates an unduly intimidating working environment”, “denies individual dignity or respect”, or “threatens the economic livelihood of that individual”.

Meanwhile, UBCP/ACTRA has also been offering free counselling services through Battered Women Support Services for members who have been harassed or assaulted.

Men who wish to speak to someone are being referred to the B.C. Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse.

Beyond harassment and assault, the BCMPA also has added other elements to address the safety and welfare of performers. Following news in September that Riverdale actor K. J. Apa crashed his car while driving home after working on-set, the new deal also includes provisions that fatigued performers must be provided alternatives to driving themselves home after work. Requirements for producers to provide a tutor for minors (defined as students enrolled in grades 1 to 12) have also been increased, depending on the number of school days that the performer must miss.

Over the three-year term of the BCMPA, performers will also receive a nine-percent increase in wages. The new contract will take effect on April 1 and ends on March 31, 2021. -

A FILM BY

LUCA GUADAGNINO

MICHAEL STUHLBARG AMIRA CASAR ESTHER GARREL BASED ON THE NOVEL BY ANDRÉ É ACIMAN SCREENPLAY BY JAMES IVORY DIRECTED BY LUCA GUADAGNINO SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE SCENES, SEXUAL CONTENT

NOW PLAYING

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EVENTS COMING THIS MONTH CLASSIC C S FILMS TM

DAVID HOCKNEY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

VANCOUVER The Park Theatre - 3440 Cambie St.

24 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

FATE/STAY NIGHT

For tickets and participating theatres visit Cineplex.com/TheParkJanuary

ITALIAN FILM FEST

From Springfield to Fellini’s La Strada > BY A DRIA N M A C K

I

t would no doubt do Il Maestro proud. Coming to the Vancouver Italian Film Festival next Saturday (January 6), In Search of Fellini quotes lovingly from the canon of the legendary filmmaker while making a swoony phantasmagoria out of its largely true-life tale of screenwriter Nancy Cartwright’s 1985 pilgrimage to Italy.

If the name rings a bell it’s because Cartwright would eventually find success playing a 10-year-old miscreant called Bart Simpson.

Only a few years earlier, however, she was a moderately successful voice actor studying under the famed acting coach Milton Katselas. For reasons best known to him, he advised his young student to screen Fellini’s heartbreaking 1954 Oscar winner, La Strada.

“I think that he could see that I was very clownlike,” Cartwright suggests, calling the Georgia Straight from Los Angeles. “I was studying people like Judy Holliday; I appreciated people like Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Lily Tomlin, so this was a way, I think, for Milton to have me look at a quality that I have to communicate a certain kind of pathos through humour.”

Whatever his intentions, Katselas’s instincts were phenomenal. Cartwright’s subsequent obsession with La Strada would take her to Italy and lend the experiences and material for a onewoman stage show written with longtime collaborator Peter Kjenaas in

1995. With some liberties to the story and a voluptuous style courtesy of first-time director Taron Lexton, those adventures have now provided Cartwright with her debut as a producer.

The film is an obvious fit for a festival that has traditionally mixed contemporary with classic titles— including, this year, both La Strada and Fellini’s wild 1980 epic City of Women. Eagle-eyed fans will spot the callbacks to the latter film in In Search of Fellini, along with The Nights of Cabiria, Fellini’s Casanova, La Dolce Vita, and a great deal more.

A playful cameo by Cartwright herself is charged with meaning, meanwhile, not least of all because Screenwriter Nancy Cartwright as she’s seen to give some magical advice Cosima in In Search of Fellini. to her younger self, here renamed Lucy and played with immensely naifish Cosmo; he spoke seven languages, charm by Orphan Black’s Ksenia and it turns out that he had been in Solo (who also stars in opening gala some orgy scene in Satyricon,” she film Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle on January 5).

Cartwright initially planned on playing her own mother but was concerned, among other reasons, “that people might think about Bart Simpson when I’m on-screen”. The role went to Maria Bello, so Cartwright wrote herself into the film at Lexton’s insistence, basing her character of Cosima on a man she met in a park days after losing her luggage and finding herself lost and exhausted in Milan. And here’s where it gets crazy.

“There was a guy there in a Swedish naval uniform: he was about 75 years old, had maybe four teeth, sounded like Mickey Mouse. His name was

ITALY THEN AND NOW

says, pausing to laugh. “I mean, of all the people to meet! Spiritually, he was in great shape but poor as a church mouse and feeding bread to the birds, and here I am talking to this guy. So surreal, and quite Fellini-esque.”

But there’s more. There’s a reason Cartwright’s acting partner in her brief but crucial scene looks familiar.

“That’s Bruno Zanin,” she says with a sigh. “The young man who starred in Amarcord. We found that he was living about three miles away from where we were shooting in Venice, so they pulled him out of retirement and had him play my husband.”

Cartwright laughs again. “It was such a charmed project, I’m telling you…” The Vancouver Italian Film Festival runs at the Vancity Theatre from January 5 to 11. More info is at www.viff.org/.

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> BY ADRIAN MACK

With its dual focus on contemporary and classic titles, the Van-

2 couver Italian Film Festival offers a remarkably well-rounded ap-

preciation of one of the world’s richest cinema cultures. The Taviani brothers fall into both those categories this year, the festival’s fifth, with their latest, Rainbow: A Private Affair, screening alongside 1977’s Padre Padrone and their 1982 masterpiece, The Night of the Shooting Stars.

Elsewhere, we see Ettore Scola represented by 1977’s A Special Day, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren, while the fest also offers the chance to catch both Gerard Depardieu and Robert De Niro in their prime with the rare five-hour cut of Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900.

Newer titles include the engagingly absurd Ears and the gritty Gran Turismo–set drama Italian Race, while The Great Beauty’s Toni Servillo returns as yet another misbehaving senior in Let Yourself Go. The Vancity Theatre also welcomes a return visit by Luca Guadagnino’s sumptuous I Am Love, still fresh since its run in 2009, and made especially timely by the recent release of the director’s worldwide smash Call Me by Your Name.

The seven-day rave continues with documentaries, biopics, and more— all of it kicking off next Friday (January 5) with the highly touted Tulipani: Love, Honour and a Bicycle.

And lest we forget: Federico Fellini is always making a comeback at this festival. See our interview above with Nancy Cartwright—a.k.a Bart Simpson!—for more about that. -

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Movie reviews

FERDINAND from page 23

declaiming home truths about love and war. Anyway, was Fulvia, who seems pretty annoying in f lashbacks, really worth the effort?

The Taviani brothers may be old, but as we saw in their recent Wondrous Bocaccio, they know a lot of young, attractive actors (even if Marinelli looks 10 years older than Milton’s supposed to be). Viewers can be forgiven for wondering if these longhaired partigiani are actually from rival grunge bands.

Still, the brief movie’s last 10 minutes finally jolt to life in an action sequence that makes things matter again.

Featuring the voice of John Cena.

Rated G

What the new animated fea-

2 ture Ferdinand lacks in action it

somewhat makes up for in heart. But that’s not likely to be enough to lure your eight-year-old from the lightsabre rattling down the hall at the multiplex.

Not that nonstop action should be expected here: this is, after all, the story of a bull who would rather stop Kate McKinnon aside, bland and smell the roses than charge at a Ferdinand could use a lot more bull. matador in the ring. Based on Munro That’s kind of ironic when you considLeaf’s classic 1936 book, the new movie stays true to the source material’s er that the real themes—though adeptly gentle warmth, but will likely bore glossed over here—are quite brutal. Fer> KEN EISNER anyone other than smaller children. dinand is raised by a loving farm girl

and her father, but when he grows into a giant, he’s taken to the Casa del Toro, where his only options are to fight in the ring or get sent to “the chophouse”. He’s relentlessly bullied by the other toros in training for being “soft”.

Ferdinand gets a little more fun when Saturday Night Live’s warped Kate McKinnon arrives to voice a daffy, bucktoothed goat—a kind of furry farmyard Dory—who tries to train the benevolent beast. And there’s a comical dance-off between them and the judgy German show ponies who share the pasture, leading to a wellhyped bull-in-a-china-shop, or at least Andalusian-ceramics-store, scene.

The folks at BlueSky, the studio behind Ice Age, have a knack for

physical humour, and the characters here are a fun blend of rubbery faces and storybook cuteness. The settings, too, including the idyllic Roman bridge and rolling hills around Ronda, Spain, create a vivid world. But, compared with, say, Coco, there’s relatively little cultural flavour to this outing—most noticeably in a bland, flamenco-guitarfree soundtrack.

Ferdinand provides the kind of be-yourself, make-love-not-war, antibullying messages kids probably need right now. But unfortunately, as adorable as its flower-crazy bovine hero may be, it doesn’t do that with enough magic to get them to actually stick.

> JANET SMITH

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MUSIC

The best and worst of a wild musical year In 2017, we saw the death of a Canadian icon, the reunion of a legendary local band, and the political awakening of Eminem radio marathon and a live all-ages blowout with his band the Evaporators. The celebrity interviewer’s determination to know all things about his subjects started at West Vancouver’s Hillside Secondary School, where, as student council president, he’d point the mike at future legends like Art Bergmann before student dances. Since then, the Nard has become legendary not only for landing interview time with the biggest names in popular music—Drake, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga— but, more importantly, for keeping them engaged by rolling out trivia that inevitably leads to the blurtingout of “How do you know that?” As a proud Canadian, Nardwuar is fittingly humble about his status as one of the country’s most-loved cultural icons. “I guess the way that I work is scared,” he told the Straight in a September profile. “It’s good to be scared because it shows that you care. A lot of people aren’t scared, and because of that they do a bad job and bad interviews.”

> B Y JOHN L UC AS, M IKE USINGER, AN D KATE W IL SON

S

tarting with a certain orange-crayon-coloured clown taking the White House down south in January, a lot of crazy shit happened this past year. Some good things happened too, not just internationally but locally.

Here’s a selection of highlights, both good and bad.

DEATH WITH DIGNITY

A Canadian great goes out with class

Before he was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer in 2016, Gord Downie’s legacy was showing Canadians you don’t have to make it stateside to become an icon at home. After learning his time would be short, the Tragically Hip singer gave the world a clinic on going out in style, hitting the road for a series of devastatingly emotional farewell shows, recording a final solo album (Introduce Yerself), and working tirelessly to draw attention to the way Canada has historically treated its Indigenous peoples.

Someday, they’ll build a monument to one of the greatest Canadians ever. In the meantime, don’t be embarrassed about tearing up every time you hear “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)”.

BEST NEW TREND

The meat-and-greet

DEFINITIVE PROOF THAT MUSICIANS ARE IDIOTS

Who comes up with those baby names?

If you thought the names of musicians’ offspring couldn’t get any stupider than Apple Martin, North West, and Jermajesty Jackson, you need look no further than new parents Liam Payne, of One Direction, and Cheryl Cole, reality-TV-show judge. The pair apparently decided to call their son Bear Payne after spending a week “getting to know the infant”, from which we can only surmise that their child felt most at home playing with the family’s garbage. In fairness to the couple, it could have been worse—the U.K. edition of Marie Claire announced that the duo had named the tot Wayne “Window” Payne: a joke that was billed as an April Fools’ prank, but was actually published in March.

MOST DISAPPOINTING APPEARANCE

Liam Payne pops up—briefly—at the PNE

Speaking of Liam Payne: when it was announced that the singer would be headlining the iHeartRadio Beach Ball at the PNE this past September 3, Directioners everywhere (certain Straight staff members included) rushed to lock down their tickets.

Unfortunately, the star fell short of expectations. As he stood on-stage for a sum total of six-and-a-half minutes, more of the performer’s set was soundtracked by screaming teenage girls than by his own music. Sure, Payne had only released two (reasonably disappointing) singles by the start of September—“Strip That Down” and “Get Low”—but surely he could have, we don’t know, at least attempted a One Direction cover? (Not bitter or anything.)

UNINTENTIONALLY SUBVERSIVE

Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, “Despacito”

“Despacito” is not a political screed by any stretch of the imagination.

(Like most pop songs, it’s about screwing.) There’s something deliciously ironic, though, about the fact that a single by Puerto Rican artists, performed almost entirely in Spanish—Justin Bieber’s cameo on the remix aside—became the chartdominating song of the summer in the U.S. the same year that saw the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who doesn’t seem to realize that Puerto Rico is actually part of his country. The English translation of the title, “Slowly”, is a good

Clockwise from top: Slow in the old days (June Boe photo); Vancouver’s Sam Tudor; Liam Payne, father of Bear.

description of the pace at which Trump’s government is sending desperately needed aid to the hurricaneravaged island. ¡Ay, bendito!

SLOW STEPS UP AGAIN

Local legends stage a triumphant return

Vancouver protogrunge unit Slow did everything right during its initial run in the ’80s. The quintet burned just long enough to write a landmark EP (Against the Glass) containing the greatest song this city’s fabled underground has ever produced (“Have Not Been the Same”). Live shows, meanwhile, were famously complete anarchy—ask your parents about the pig’s-blood shower when the band backed up the Cramps, or how Slow cancelled an entire underground-rock festival at Expo 86 in something like 14 minutes. Thirty-odd years after imploding, the classic lineup of singer Tom Anselmi, bassist Stephen Hamm, drummer Terry Russell, and guitarists Christian Thorvaldson and Ziggy Zigmund shocked Vancouver this past November by announcing they’d re-formed. Initial shows have been tightly wound and powerful, with new material on the way. Welcome back.

Out to promote 4.44, his first album in four years, the rap superstar swiftly discovered that he’d overestimated his popularity. Not only did he fail to sell out the venue, there were ample tickets left on Ticketmaster going for less than $40, StubHubbers were flogging theirs for under US$15, and scalpers outside the arena were practically giving them away. Could it be that literally nobody can be bothered to pay for TIDAL to hear his new album? Could it be that a man who cheated on Beyoncé is not worthy of the people’s love? We’ll take both of the above.

WORLD-CLASS WONDER

Sam Tudor gives a gift with “Truthful”

feel mad that Trump’s sold people a dream that’s never coming true. I want the division in this country to stop.”

BEST CLIMAX

Nick Cave floors fans with a captivating curtain call

Long famous for his gripping live shows, Nick Cave mixed things up on his Vancouver stop for his latest, Skeleton Tree. Understandably, given the record was informed by a momentous personal loss, the night—at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in June—balanced moments of quiet introspection with exorcisms like “From Her to Eternity” and “Tupelo”. Just when it looked like Cave was happier on the dark side, he delivered an encore that was jawdropping. Climbing into the audience at the opening notes of “Red Right Hand”, he then shepherded fans onto the stage for “Stagger Lee”.

By the time he returned to the floor of the Queen E. for “Push the Sky Away”, there were 100 people alongside the Bad Seeds on the stage. Cave, meanwhile, stood godlike among his ticket-buying disciples, the spectacle projected in rich black-and-white on the floor-to-ceiling screen behind the band. The singer described it all as “fucking fantastic”. That was actually shortchanging things.

Even though it’s never been harder for artists to make a go of it in this increasingly unaffordable city, somehow our creative community not only endures but often proves itself world-class. Sam Tudor’s “Truthful” is the kind of song that sinks its hooks into you on first listen, creating a vibe that’s as dark and melancholy as it is weirdly uplifting. Sonically, the Vancouver singer-songwriter infuses folk-tinted indie rock with a menacing electro undercurrent, turning something great into a local classic with a chorus that makes resistance THE PRIDE OF VANCOUVER futile. Cue it up the next time the #StraightUnplugged concert series rains roll in, if for no other reason It was a very musical year around the than it’ll prove there are rewards for Georgia Straight offices. Way back toughing it out in Canada’s hardest- HOPE FOR THE FUTURE Vancouver births new festivals in January, Yukon Blonde kicked to-live-in livable city.

Yes, the last few years may have seen off a series of unplugged performthe deaths of Squamish, Levitation, ances at Straight HQ in celebration RAP BEEF OF 2017 and the mighty Pemberton festival, of this publication’s 50th anniver- Eminem vs. Donald Trump sary. Highlights of the series—which At the BET Awards in October, Emi- but this year revealed green shoots in featured a roster of high-calibre lo- nem dropped a freestyle called “The the live-music ecosystem. Two new cal acts who have been featured on Storm”, in which the veteran rapper three-day events were announced our cover in recent years—included tore U.S. president Donald Trump a in 2017: the Stanley Park–situated Dan Mangan leading a rousing sing- new one for his hypocrisy and race- SKOOKUM festival and the multialong version of “Robots” and the baiting politics. Choice lines included: venue Westward Music Festival, Zolas sharing the local indie love by “And any fan of mine who’s a sup- which featured headliners like Vince covering We Are the City’s “Keep on porter of his/I’m drawing in the sand Staples and A Tribe Called Red. Dancing”. The Harpoonist and the a line, you’re either for or against/And Throw those parties in with Contact, Axe Murderer, the Pack a.d., Mother if you can’t decide who you like more FVDED in the Park, Seasons, and Mother, Hannah Georgas, Said the and you’re split/On who you should Music Waste, and we’re not doing Whale, and the Gay Nineties also stand beside, I’ll do it for you with this: half bad for local showcases. fuck you!” The man born Marshall stopped by to play a few tunes.

Mathers softened his stance somewhat STILL RAWKIN’ IN THE FREE BIGGEST BARGAIN in an interview with Vulture, noting WORLD Jay-Z comes up short on the sales that Trump’s tax cuts for the rich and The Nard reaches a milestone Jay-Z caused a stir when tickets for his efforts to dismantle Obamacare hurt Proof positive that a little bit of December 11 Rogers Arena concert everyone, including the people who tenacity will take you a long way, hit the market earlier in the year with elected him. “I don’t want any voters Nardwuar the Human Serviette celeprices well beyond the means of, frank- to get fucked; everyone’s trying to im- brated the 30th year of his remarkly, anyone who pays rent in Vancouver. prove their lives,” Eminem said. “I just able career in the fall with a 20-hour

Ticket sales are down, downloads are down, and with artists earning less than a tenth of a cent for every play on Spotify or Apple Music, their bank balances over the last few years have taken a hit. As a result, stars such as Drake, Bieber, and Kanye have set up pop-up shops, offering fans the chance to score hideously overpriced merch while catching a glimpse of their idol standing behind a large police escort. This year, as the craze started to tire, publicists tried to put a creative spin on it. Food was officially the new m.o. of pop-ups for rap stars in 2017, with Eminem opening the doors of a one-time “Mom’s Spaghetti” shop, and Lil Yachty launching “Yachty’s Pizzeria”. We’re only disappointed that we didn’t get to visit D.R.A.M’s organic “Broccoli” outlet or 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop”.

THE YEAR IN DRAKE

Mr. Playlist vs. the Grammys

The playlist has become the primary medium through which people consume music, a point driven home this past spring with the release of Drake’s More Life. Drizzy pointedly refused to call More Life an album, or even a mix tape. He also opted not to submit the 22-song collection for Grammy consideration. Then again, he’s not a big fan of the Grammy Awards, even though he’s snagged three of them. Back in February, Drake skipped the Grammys and played a show in Manchester instead of accepting the awards for best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration, both for “Hotline Bling”. The next day he told a U.K. radio host, “I won two awards last night, but I don’t even want them, ’cause it feels weird for some reason, it doesn’t feel right to me.…I’m apparently a ‘rapper’ even though ‘Hotline Bling’ is not a rap song. The only category that they can manage to fit me in is a ‘rap’ category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past, or because I’m black—I can’t figure out why.”

MOST INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT

Grammy nominations show real progress

Suffocating Planned Parenthood, encouraging KKK rallies, and threatening LGBT rights, Donald Trump has spent the last 12 months trying to undo 50 years of social progress. Kudos to the Grammys’ voting members, then, for making sure that the same isn’t true for the music industry. Absolutely zero white men were nominated for the album-of-the-year award, which means that there will be no Daft Punks stealing the podium from Kendrick Lamar, and, much to Kanye’s delight, no Becks to take the limelight from a Beyoncé. 2018 is looking brighter already. -

DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 27

Redemption Sound, Supafly, and Kemo.

Dec 31, doors 6 pm, dinner 7 pm, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown (6083 McKay Ave., Burnaby). Tix $99/60 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

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

CONCERTS 2NEW YEAR’S EVE METROPOLIS NOIR NEW YEAR’S EVE: AN EVENING OF THE TRAGICALLY HIP SONGS New Year’s Eve Tragically Hip tribute night and charity event features members of local bands Black Mountain, Bison, S.T.R.E.E.T.S., Needles//Pins, Pride tiger, Oldage, Seven Nines and Tens, the Waning Light, and Blackout Lights.

Proceeds donated to the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund. Dec 31, 8 pm, Rickshaw Theatre (254 E. Hastings). Tix $25 at the door/17 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.rickshawtheatre.com/.

NEW YEAR’S AT THE HOTEL VANCOUVER Ring in 2018 with music by Smalltown DJs, Wmnstudies, Waspy, Kenny Mac, Zynth and Co., Tainted Lovers, the Orchid Club, Phil David, Niña Mendoza, Mr Pablo, Doza, Ingrid Hakanson, Kelso, Sivz, Innezz, Switch feat. Roxy Motorola, Syd Woz, and Donna C. Dec 31, 8 pm, Hotel Vancouver (900 W. Georgia). Tix $75-249, info www.hotelvancouvernye.com/.

FROZEN IN TIME NYE 2018 VANCOUVER Celebrate the new year with local DJs Physik, Arems, Maiyah, and Chimes. Dec 31, Harbour Event Centre (750 Pacific Blvd.).

Tix $40, info www.frozenintimenye.com/.

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR Celebrate the new year with live sets by Queer As Funk and DJ Slade. Dec 31, 9 am, WISE Hall (1882 Adanac). Tix $55/45, info www.face book.com/events/127322261301129/.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2018 GLITZ AND GLAMOUR GALA Have dinner and dance away to music spun by DJs Alibaba, Earl da Pearl, Daddy Mikey, El-Nino, Rexx,

CLASSIC ROCK-N-ROLL NYE CELEBRATION Ring in the new year with Brent Stewart’s Rod Stewart tribute, the Dreams Fleetwood Mac tribute, and Colin Wiebe’s Guess Who tribute. Dec 31, 7 pm, 9 pm, Molson Canadian Theatre at Hard Rock (2080 United Blvd.). Tix from $59.50 (plus service charges and fees) at www.ticketmaster.ca/.

NYE Celebrate the new year with music

by Geoff Berner, Carolyn Mark and Her New Best Friends, and Hank and Lily. Dec 31, 8 pm, ANZA Club (3 W. 8th Ave). Tix $35/30, info www.anzaclub.org/.

THE JAM NYE Celebrate the new year with music by High Stakes, Where We Wander, Mollys Reech, ELdjLOCO, and Rex the Drummer. Dec 31–Jan 1, 2018, 8 pm–2 am, Railway Stage and Beer Café (579 Dunsmuir). Info www.showpass.com/ thejamnye-railway/.

don’t miss out!

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

www.straight.com

RAISE ’EM UP NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY The Roxy presents music by country artist Blackjack Billy. Dec 31, 9 pm, Vogue Theatre (918 Granville). Info www. facebook.com/events/349344018863019/.

NYE 2018 Nordic Trax presents music by headliner Brett Johnson and support

by Luke McKeehan and Joel Armstrong.

Dec 31, 10 pm, Open Studios (200-252 E. 1st). Tix $40/30, info www.facebook.com/ events/463358614058750/.

2UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS CELEBRATED PIANIST MONTY ALEXANDER Expect an evening of endless melody making, sophisticated, effervescent grooves, and romantic spirit.

Alexander’s extensive repertoire is a journey through jazz and Jamaican musical expression. Presented by Coastal Jazz. Jan 11-13, 8 pm, Frankie’s Jazz Club (765 Beatty).

Tix $35, info www.coastaljazz.ca/.

CLUBS & VENUES BACKSTAGE LOUNGE Arts Club Theatre, 1585 Johnston, Granville Island, 604-6871354. 2THE PHONIX Dec 28 2UNDER THE BRIDGE: NYE 2018 Dec 31

BLUE MARTINI JAZZ CAFE 1516 Yew, 604-428-2691. Live jazz, soul, and blues.

Closed on Mondays.

COMMODORE BALLROOM 868 Granville, 604-739-4550. 2BIG BOI Jan 9 2WOLF PARADE Jan 12 2IT’S JUST DRAG Jan 19 2BALLROOM BRAWL IX Jan 20 2K.FLAY Jan 21 2MESHUGGAH Jan 23 2PASSION PIT Jan 26 2MATT MAYS Jan 27 FRANKIE’S JAZZ CLUB 765 Beatty, 778727-0337. 2MONTY ALEXANDER Jan 11 2GEORGE FLUDAS QUARTET Jan 19 FUNKY WINKER BEANS 37 W. Hastings.

Evil Bastard Karaoke Experience seven days a week.

IVANHOE PUB 1038 Main, 604-608-1444.

Pub with live bands on weekends and open jam night Sun from 4 to 8 pm. Open at 9 am with breakfast and daily food specials. Pool tourney Thu. No cover.

RAILWAY STAGE AND BEER CAFÉ 579 Dunsmuir, 604-564-1430. 24 taps of local craft beer. Comedy Tue, darts Wed, live music Wed, Thu, Fri, and all day/night Sat. 2HONEY LAROCHELLE Dec 28 2ONE SEXY CHOKEHOLD Dec 29 2BLUES BRUNCH Dec 30 2TOBACCO BROWN Dec 30 2THE JAM NYE Dec 31 2DANIEL JAMES Jan 6 RICKSHAW THEATRE 254 E. Hastings, 604681-8915. 2METROPOLIS NOIR NEW YEAR’S EVE: AN EVENING OF THE TRAGICALLY HIP SONGS Dec 31 2BOWIE BALL 2018 Jan 6 2PUNK ROCK KARAOKE Jan 7 2JP MAURICE Jan 122CAIRO KNIFE FIGHT Jan 13 2RED FANG Jan 16 2CONVERGE Jan 19 2WAR BABY AND DEAD SOFT Jan 20 2THE FLESH EATERS Jan 25 ST. JAMES HALL 3214 W. 10th, 604-736-3022.

2STEVE GUNN AND JULIE BYRNE Jan 12 2CONNIE KALDOR Jan 13 2JIM BYRNES Jan 19 2BEPPE GAMBETTA WITH LIZ STRINGER Jan 26 VOGUE THEATRE 918 Granville, 604-5691144. 2RAISE ’EM UP NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Dec 31 2CORB LUND AND IAN TYSON Jan 11 2BØRNS Jan 20 2DVSN Jan 21 2YUNG LEAN Jan 24 2FIRST AID KIT Jan 27 2LIGHTS Jan 30 WISE HALL 1882 Adanac, 604-254-5858. Live music by local artists and international touring acts. 2IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR Dec 31 2SING UNDER PRESSURE Jan 9

TIME OUT MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. We can’t guarantee inclusion, and we give priority to events taking place within one week of publication.

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

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.

KARAOKE 7 DAYS A WEEK

Scan to confess Haven’t I Been Here Before?

I wouldn’t ever say so, but I find it strangely comforting that my new lover’s apartment layout is virtually the same as my last one’s/

9:30PM-CLOSE

EVIL BASTARD KARAOKE EXPERIENCE

HOSTED BY:

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM!

OPEN UNTIL 3AM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Dating... Where’s the masculinity?

All the men have been feminized. They lost their manners too.

They do not have a spine anymore and they therefore cannot find the mental strength to open a door for a woman. - single female lawyer, forever, in Vancouver

In 1997 I was amazed when someone showed me porn on the internet.

Took a minute or so for the image to load....how things have changed in just 20 years!

iDownload The only time I paid for a movie on the internet, I wasn’t able to watch it because I am in Canada. That was the first and last time.

But I’m open minded and if this is how people are raising their children these days then I’m all for it!

I really don’t care when it comes right down to it.

My answer in 2018 is going to be...”I really don’t know enough about that topic to offer an opinion”.....

Visit 28 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT DECEMBER 28 / 2017 – JANUARY 11 / 2018

to post a Confession

Thursday Dec. 28

Harpdog Brown

DEC 28 HARPDOG BROWN DEC 29 WOODY JAMES DEC 30 HARPDOG BROWN DEC 31 NEW YEARS EVE WITH RHYTHM STREET 9PM TO 3AM JAN 5 BLIND PIGEON JAN 6 BLIND PIGEON JAN 7 SONS OF THE HOE (4-8PM) NO COVER OVER • DAILY HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS

NO COVER

I confess I’m not completely up to date on the “Non-Binary” gender debate.

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SUPPORT GROUPS Healing Our Spirit B.C. First Nations AIDS Society has volunteer opportunities for hospital visitation, information booths, office assistance & preparation of pamphlets & condoms for distribution. We offer volunteer orientation, training & recognition & bus tickets.

If interested, please call 983-8774 Ext. 13.

We are dedicated to preventing and reducing the spread of HIV in the aboriginal communities of B.C. Healthy & loving relationships alluding you?

CODA: Co-dependency Anonymous 12 step Recovery: 604- 515-5585 Infertility Awareness Assoc. of Canada (IAAC) provides educational material & support to individuals or couples experiencing infertility.

Meetings: 7 pm the 2nd Wed of the month.

Richmond Library & Cultural Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate. Info 523-0074 or www.iaac.ca

411 Seniors Centre Society 704 – 333 Terminal Ave. Van 604 684 8171 An inclusive centre for older adults, 55+ on low income, and those with disabilities, offering year-round educational, health-related, recreational activities. Information & Referral to assist seniors with resources & services in the community ie seniors benefits, income tax preparation & government services.

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm Fertility Support Group Discover new perspectives make positive changes and learn simple tools to take charge of your reproductive wellness while connecting with other women.

The meetings provide a space for open discussion.

2nd Tuesday of each month 7:45 - 8:45pm (Sign up required) Reg & Info call: 604-266-6470 or www.familypassages.ca IBD Support Group Suffer from Crohn's and ulcerative colitis?

Living with IBD can often be overwhelming, but you're not alone! 3rd Wed of each month the GI Society holds a free IBD support group meeting for patients & their families to come together in an open, friendly environment. 7:00pm at RavenSong Community Health Centre (2450 Ontario St). or more information call 604-875-4875.

LIVING THROUGH LOSS COUNSELLING facilitated support group for people who are grieving the death of a significant person.

Monthly drop-in- last Wed of every month YLTLC #201 – 1847 W. Broadway Van. 604-873-5013 www.ltlc.bc.ca

MOOD DISORDERS SUPPORT GROUPS We have peer-led support groups all over the Lower Mainland for people with depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety led by well-trained facilitators.

Group sessions during days, evenings, or Saturdays.

For location and times of groups:

www.mdabc.net 604-873-0103 WAVAW - Rape Crisis Centre has a 24-hour crisis line, counselling, public education, & volunteer opportunities for women.

All services are free & confidential.

Please call for info: Business Line: 604-255-6228 24-Hour Crisis Line: 604-255-6344

Parkinson Society BC offers over 50 volunteer-led support groups throughout BC. These provide people with Parkinson's, their carepartners & families an opportunity to meet in a friendly, supportive setting with others who are experiencing similar difficulties.

Some groups may offer exercise support.

For information on locating a support group near you, please contact PSBC at 604 662 3240 or toll free 1 800 668 3330.

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS Does someone else's drinking bother you?

Al-Anon can help.

We are a support group for those who have been affected by another's drinking problem.

For more information please call: 604-688-1716 Anorexics & Bulimics Anonymous 12 Step based peer support program which addresses the mental, emotional, & spiritual aspects of disordered eating Tuesdays @ 7 pm @ Avalon Women's Centre 5957 West Blvd - 604-263-7177 Anxiety? Depression?

Free Mental Wellness Support Group held on Saturdays (10:30 am – 12:30) Promotes a holistic approach to healing (body, mind & spirit). Networking and interactive learning experience in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

For more information call 604-630-6865 or visit www.mentalwellnessbc.ca

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savage love I have been

with my unicorn boyfriend for four months. The sexual chemistry between us is out of this world! I’m a woman who’s very open-minded when it comes to trying new things: I’ve had threesomes and foursomes, tried every toy on the market, done anal sex, BDSM, and many other things. He is sexually experienced but he’s not open-minded.

One thing he won’t do is kiss me after I’ve swallowed his load. We’ve been together only four months, so maybe I just need to wait and hope that he’ll come around. Or is there something I can do to get him to try it? > CAN’T UNICORN MAN UP?

If that’s the only thing he won’t do—if every toy on the market is on the table, along with threesomes, foursomes, BDSM, et cetera—then he’s pretty adventurous. But if kissing after you’ve swallowed is the only mildly kinky thing you’ve attempted with him and it was a no, he may not be adventurous enough to deserve unicorn status.

But I will say this in his defence…

Kissing someone who has just swallowed your load (or snowballing with someone who wants you to swallow your own load) presents a challenge for many men. Some silly straight men worry that tasting their own come will turn them gay or make them look gay—I’ve gotten letters from girlfriends who thought their boyfriends were gay because they were too willing to kiss them after a blowjob. But there are gay men out there who don’t want to deepkiss the guy who just blew them—and they’re obviously not worried about

turning gay (already are) or seeming gay (ditto). So what gives? Blame what’s known as the “refractory period”, CUMU. Immediately after a man ejaculates, his dick starts to go soft and he loses all interest in sex—hormones have been released into his bloodstream that short-circuit sexual arousal. Bodily fluids and orifices a man was happily lapping up or at a minute ago are suddenly repulsive, not because the dude is necessarily inhibited or insecure, CUMU, but because he’s having his period—his refractory period.

> BY DAN SAVAGE

You recently said it’s okay to

fantasize about other people so long as we keep it to ourselves. Social media and dating apps have given us access to tons of spank material, from that new crush on OkCupid to the (monogamously) married neighbour you always wanted to bang. In this era, we can see actual pictures of the people we’re fantasizing about more often than not.

Facebook stalking for spank-bank purposes is fine—we all do it—but does it cross a line to actually download the pictures for later? I feel like it’s at least a little creepy to be taking screenshots of people’s photos. But as long as you’re the only one using your phone, what’s the practical difference between looking at Facebook and looking at saved screenshots?

I’ve been seeing this guy who keeps making D/s-ish jokes and moves—he smacks my butt a lot, for example. When I let him know I like it, he’s suddenly not into it. > SCREENSHOT PORN AS NEW He says it’s “disturbing” that I like KONTENT what he’s been doing. Two questions: (1) Smacking my butt is okay so long as I don’t want it? (2) Keep whatever you want on your Enjoying what he’s doing makes me phone, SPANK, so long as you keep it to yourself and your phone is passa freak? > JOKING ABOUT word-protected.

CONSENSUAL KINKS

Two options: (1) He goes in for domineering head games and “playful” violence because he’s abusive and controlling. (2) He’s got kinks but he hasn’t managed to incorporate his kinks into his sex life in a healthy, consensual manner—and now that he knows you enjoy the same things he does (but you’re healthier about them than he is), he’s projecting his self-loathing onto you. Either way, JACK, you’re going to need to DTMFA.

I am a 29-year-old

straight woman on the West Coast in a new relationship. My boyfriend and I have just begun exploring anal sex. Question: how do I avoid poop leakage?!?

The first time we had anal sex, my boyfriend came in my ass and then pulled out. Then we decided to go for a run. (We didn’t think it through, > I’M NOT GOOD AT ACRONYMS clearly.) A few minutes in, I was leaking all over my pants. In short, gross.

Obviously, it wasn’t a good idea to go He knows what he wants, and he for a run afterward (noted!), but what can’t or won’t tell you. Either he can’t can I do in the future immediately because he’s so sexually repressed

NEW CLASSES HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training Twerk Fitness AfroBeat African Dance Yoga

after anal to avoid poopy come from that he’s incapable of pushing the words out of his mouth, or he won’t leaking out of my butt? > ANAL NEWBIE AVOIDING because his nonvanilla desires are LEAKAGE so extreme as to be deal-breakerlevel repulsive to anyone who doesn’t Yeah, don’t go for a run immediately share them. But complaining about after anal. Spend a few minutes on your sex life without elaborating or the toilet instead—bring your phone, giving you any constructive feedback post something to Instagram, let at all is disqualifying assholery, INgravity do its thing. And that wasn’t GAA. You’ll also have to DTMFA. poop leaking out of you on that run, ANAL, it was santorum—“the frothy I just read your reply to a woman mix of lube and fecal matter that is who wrote to you regarding her partsometimes the byproduct of anal sex”. ner’s lack of libido. Although I found the article somewhat interesting, No one aroused by BDSM could I would have preferred that a woman ever truly love someone, could they? who was an actual lesbian was render> VIOLENCE ISN’T LOVE, EH? ing advice to other lesbians. As a man, you are not qualified to deal out sex adOf course not, VILE. But only the vice to women—especially to lesbians. > STATING THIS OBVIOUS POINT Duggar girls and Princess Diana’s boys are capable of truly loving someTake it away, Free Dictionary: “ad•vice: one. The rest of us are just playing. opinion about what could or should My boyfriend complains be done about a situation or probthat our sex life is too vanilla. I want lem”. The only qualification you need him to be satisfied, but he won’t tell me to give someone your opinion? Somewhat else he wants to do. Recently, he one asked you for it. Full stop, STOP. suggested an open relationship. I don’t So I’m going to continue giving adwant to be in an open relationship and vice to straight people despite not beI told him as much. But I’m fully open ing straight, to lesbians despite not to being more kinky or whatever else being a lesbian, to bisexuals despite he needs. I’ve tried mixing it up, but not being bi, to trans people despite not he just looks at me strangely and asks being trans, to monogamous people me to stop whatever I’m doing. Can I despite not being monogamous. Hell, I do anything to fix this? Any insight sometimes give advice to Republicans would be appreciated. despite not being a heartless idiot. -

Give the gift of the magnum Savage Lovecast at savagelovecast.com! Email: mail@savagelove.net. Follow Dan on Twitter @fakedansavage. ITMFA.org.

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