September 14, 2016 | THE MIX Kamloops | PAGE 1
Photo by Ben Verway, Oxygen Photography
Jennilee Fraser gets caught up in the excitement at July’s Art Battle competition.
KAMLOOPS SEPT. 14, 2016 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
WHERE WE’VE BEEN
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Morrigan living it up at Riverside.
Catching the rapier fighters at SCA fight practice.
The last days of summer at the beach.
Farmer’s Market.
What the people are saying about us:
MEET Juli Harland Publisher & Editor j.harland@ themixkamloops.com
Great articles by great people! Thanks for bringing some hip news to the paper world - Chelsie
Todd Sullivan Design Guru guru@ themixkamloops.com
I loved the first issue, can’t wait for more! It’s a great source for everything related to the Kamloops arts and entertainment scene! - Jillian
Jamie Horsley Tone Soup tonesoup@ themixkamloops.com
Trina Budai Organizer of Things info@ themixkamloops.com
So awesome and informative!! - Brian
Where You’ve Been
Just picked up your newspaper, what a great surprise — well done and congratulations! I love it. - David
Photo by Boni Braem
Caitlin Goulet’s CD Release party.
Where we’re going Marian Hartley & Muriel Keller Fairy Godmothers
Your voice. Your community. Your Mix. 250-682-0260 970 Victoria Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 2B9 www.themixkamloops.com info@themixkamloops.com
BY JULI HARLAND Well here it is, issue number two! We made it, and we’re back. Thank you for continuing on our adventure with us. It’s going to be a wild ride. We’ve talked to some fantastic, interesting people over the last couple of weeks, and been to some very cool events. It is hard to believe how much there is going on out here in Kamloops. One could easily fill a calendar with creative endeavours. In fact, we’ve been doing just that. This issue we’ve talked
to a woman who stuffs tiny animals, people who compete with paint and brush, we’ve dabbled in open mic culture, and thrown ourselves into the wide world of music. Our heads are reeling from meeting new faces, hearing new stories, and being able to share them with you. We’re already plotting issue number three! Hard to think that time can move so quickly. Stay with us while we look into the art of building a better beer, dig deep into the punk rock scene in town, and sit down with
a wicked local large scale artist. We want to keep meeting folks, getting out and sharing the vibes. Keep us posted on your events, your happenings, your creations, your cause. We want to know about you. Without you, we’d have no-one to spread the love with. So in my very best Jewish mother voice I say: “Call me.” In the meantime, sit back, grab a coffee, maybe a glass of wine, and enjoy our offering to you, our readers, from us here at The Mix.
Awesome first edition!! Here’s to many, many more! - Lindsey I read it yesterday at work - Kim I spent a lot of time at the burlesque story... - Jeremy Can I be in it all the time? - Morrigan I always knew you could do anything you wanted to! - Mom
Let’s get social! Here’s what we’re doing online @themixkamloops
@themixkamloops
@themixkamloops
We’ve got a photo scavenger hunt going on with over $150 worth of prizes. Swing by our Facebook page for details and get your entries in before the draw on September 11.
Tag us in your photos on Instagram to have a chance to get your photo chosen for page three of The Mix. #InYourMix — Let us be part of your creative spirit.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter to keep tabs of what we’re doing, where we’re going, and to have a chance at winning our instant giveaways. Tweet tweet!
PAGE THREE
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COMMUNITY
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Kaitlyn and Kai, playing dress up in the Nature Playground.
Celebrating Canadian culture with the kids of Kamloops BY JULI HARLAND Photo by Wenda Noonan
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On September 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, during Culture Days, the nonprofit Kamloops Child Development Centre will join with other groups to celebrate the many cultures that make up BC and Kamloops. This open house will focus on diversity in culture, and will showcase games, dance, foods, and activities highlighting some of the rich cultures that are predominant here in Kamloops. Teachers are already hard at work preparing their
teams’ showcases on the Japanese, Hindi, First Nations, and African worlds. Each of the classrooms are in friendly competition with each other to build the best experience with a small budget of $75 per classroom, and a wealth of creativity. Art pieces that are created for the event will be auctioned off later in the evening. “It will be a jampacked event and families are invited to bring their children down right at 5:30, enjoy a hot dog dinner [by donation], and move right into the activities,”
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says Kamloops CDC representative Wenda Noonan. “It will start winding down around 7:30 as everyone will be invited out, for the last hour, into our naturebased playground to participate in a drum circle, watch the dancers and then listen to an evening story.” There will even be bugs. “A friend I work with is an entomologist and she’s going to take the kids on a bug walk,” Wenda says. “I’ve been collecting bugs, as well, and we’re going to make a shadow box with spiders and bugs and creepy crawly things.” The CDC has some reasons to celebrate. “The Center has gone through a huge transition in the last couple of years, and this is our way to give back to the community that has been so generous,” says Wenda. “Now financially, it’s a charity, so it will always be a struggle, but it’s not on the brink anymore. There is blue sky ahead.” Part of the excitement around the CDC is the opening of the Nature Based Playground, that will be opening before the Cultural Days. “The whole idea of being nature based,” says Wenda, “is just to get outside.” And in an age
where technology reigns supreme, getting outside is something that is desperately needed. “There is such a thing as Nature Deficit Disorder,” says Wenda, “we need to spend time with the Earth. Where do you think the term ‘being grounded’ comes from? We need to be outside. “The whole idea of nature based play is to get outside. Our babies, they sleep outside. They take their mats and every day under cover they sleep outside. It was a slow evolution. But if one child wakes up, they can just go play in the playground, which is right there. So every child can wake up in their own circadian rhythm. But they’re outside, there’s fresh air, they sleep well. For kids with behaviours, it is so much better.” The Child Development Center is in its 49th year, this year. And through that time has become an integral part of children’s programs and, well … development, since its inception. Come help them celebrate our youth, our nature, and the arts that help to create our cultures. For more information, please contact Cindy McKinnon, 250-3762233 or Wenda Noonan at 250-318-4444.
Tiny taxidermy brings death to adorable life STORY AND PHOTOS BY JULI HARLAND Local artist, Madi Lowe, loves playing with rats, mice, and other small furry animals. Except they’re dead. Anthropomorphic taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal through taxidermy and endowing it with human characteristics. In this case, small animals dressed up and set up in humorous dioramas depicting the everyday lives of folks like you and me. “I’ve always wanted to, not in a weird way, when I see stuff on the side of the road, I’m like, ‘Why can’t I take that?’” Madi laughs. But when all’s said and done, you can see the whimsy and attention to the details that each furry little one has received. Madi took her training for anthropomorphic taxidermy during a trip to England where the practice is far more commonplace than here across the pond. She also takes inspiration from books and like artists, and even takes an annual trek to the Torrington Gopher Hole Museum in Alberta to fuel her fire for the small and furry. “It’s just a room with 47 gophers. And their tiny little activities. I go every summer,” says Madi. “It’s a pretty big inspiration, actually. It’s in the tiniest town, and so many people have been to this place, it’s so cool.” Maybe someday, she says, she’ll have a museum of her own. In the meantime she has plans to build on her craft and is excited about the plans she already has for her small animals chilling in the freezer. “You gotta have them in there so that when you’ve got a free couple of hours .... there they are,” she laughs. These days, Madi gets her animals from local farmers and friends, or even Petland’s feeder mice and rats. “So mice and rats are what the snake foods are, so it’s really easy for me to get those. I found a couple of squirrels, I’ve got a couple of groundhogs right now. They’ve all died naturally. I get a lot from local farmers from a Facebook group. I find it hard to word [to ask for found animals] but some people are awesome. I’ve picked up bunnies from Logan Lake from a farm,” Madi explains. “It’s a little weird, not gonna lie. I live at home
right now, so that’s where I do it. Sorry guys, you gotta deal with it. They’re good, really. They like it when it’s finished.” To be fair, the family hasn’t had that long to get used to the idea of a household full of tiny taxidermy. Madi has only just begun her adventure with these lovely creations, having had her start late 2016. Time, however, is something that each little creation is given. “It’s not a quick thing,” Madi says. “It’s a lot of patience. Every little finger and part needs to be set properly. I usually do it in two parts. The
skinning in one part and the rest the next day.” She gets an extra kick out of dressing up the tiny creatures within their scene, giving them their human edge. “I spend most of my time in thrift shops looking for Barbie clothes,” she laughs. “All over my room is Barbie clothes and shoes all organized. It looks like a child’s room. I’ve got friends who bring me Barbie clothes and other things that they’ve found. Every time I see something [miniature] I’ll think of things to do with it.” And she’s been getting some attention for her crafts, too.
“At the market,” says Madi, “I was ready for any kind of responses, but it was so positive. People thought it was so funny or they were not sure if it was supposed to be creepy. But no. It’s hard to explain, I think that once people see it themselves, the response is a lot better.” Especially the kids, she says, who have been very inquisitive when she sets up shop at the local Artisan Market. “They just want to touch them and feel them,” she says. “A lot of the kids are really into it. I want to get more creative for them.” But right now her sights
are on the immediate future. With Halloween and Christmas coming up, Madi is out on the hunt for tiny pumpkins, tiny red eyes, and Christmas trees. And taking orders. “This is really the first time that I’ve thought about selling them,” she says. “They’re keeping me busy and they make me laugh. I’m just hoping that people think it’s funny like I do.” Madi will be at the Artisan Market again before it is done for the season. You can check out her schedule on her Facebook page at www.facebook. com/Mad-Mad-WorldTaxidermy.
COMMUNITY
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LITERATURE
From slam jam to dance man By Juli Harland Over the last six years, a community has been growing, evolving, and spreading their love on a small stage at a downtown coffee shop. The Art You Are is an open mic for creative expression, says current host and director, Lindsay Curry. “We’re trying to be as broad as humanly possible. We’ve even had interpretive dance. We’ve had stand up comedy, the usual music, singing, poetry, and spoken word. If you are an artist and want to come down and explain your inspiration for a painting, come on down. If people have written non fiction or fiction and they want to share some of it, they are more than welcome. We’re trying to bring in as many different forms as possible.” The Art You Are started out as more
of a poetry slam, but has evolved and changed over the years. The evolution, says Lindsay, is part of what makes this group so special. “The people are so varied. I couldn’t describe a typical person other than to say it’s someone who loves what they do. Whatever it is,” says Lindsay. “And most of them want to share. I think that creating can be a very lonely place, and I think that a lot of people that come out to The Art You Are, are looking for community. Maybe not full time community forever, but they want some interaction. So we get people who are extremely talented,and people who are extremely brave, and the people are all so delightful.” If it’s community they’re looking for, it seems that they have it in spades. A couple of us from The Mix got a chance to hang out at a recent The Art You Are night, and the
crowd, though diverse and large, was singing along, laughing along, and cheering on the performers on stage as the night went on. Typical, says Lindsay, of the artistic community that she’s been a part of here. “I have never met anyone through the open mic night that wasn’t supportive of everybody else. I think that people who perform, or who might perform, realize that you’re putting yourself in a vulnerable situation and they have an appreciation for that. The people that come out understand the risk that people take by performing,” she says. And that support extends to her, as well. “I’m a poet, and I like public speaking, but I was terrified to read my poetry out loud, and I said this [getting on stage] would be good for you. “I get [shudders] when I look at something and it
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scares me. But I just said, no, you might not do this forever, but you’re going to go and you’re going to do it. And I got here, and I loved it. It’s always been very encouraging and supportive. It’s its own little community, and it’s just wonderful to see people come for the first time, be absolutely terrified and conquer that. To stand up at the end of it and say ‘You know what? I did that,and I didn’t die. And it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. And people are cheering.’ “It’s helped me to realize that I’m not as vulnerable as I always believed I was. I can do more than I ever thought I could.” The Art You Are happens the
second and the last Wednesday of the month at The Art We Are. The list opens at quarter to seven, and the performers start at 7 pm and go until 9 pm. “We generally give everyone seven minutes, and they can do whatever they can do in seven minutes,” says Lindsey. “And once we’ve gone through the list we open it up to anyone who wasn’t on the list that wants to go ahead. Sometimes people see that it’s accepting and encouraging and they say, ‘Oh you know what, I could share here.’ Not everyone gets there the first time, but lots of people do.” And then they do it all over again.
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“It’s about having a time and a place to express yourself,” says Lindsey. “Everyone from the ten year old who gets up and recites her poem that she wrote about her teacher to the person who’s performed a thousand times. Everyone is equal. Everyone gets their time. And everyone gets applauded. It’s a really good space for someone to try out for their first foray into performance.” And a great place to connect with others in the Kamloops creative community. For more information check out their Facebook page at facebook. com/groups/140130 6990085870/ or email Lindsey at dannancurry@ gmail.com.
Out of My Mind BY WENDY WESEEN If your world goes out of its mind And life flutters down like confetti at a funeral If the ring around your bathtub won’t rub off And your bed stays unmade so you cannot lie in it If your heart aches with swollen grief And your breasts contract with the pain of a hungry baby Join with the spinning Earth and its more-than-human-world Take off your heavy shoes Curl your toes in the peaty moss Let ants march across your feet and the centipede wrap around your heels Touch the bark of a tree and lean against its trunk Let its roughness massage your back Surrender to the light filtering through leaves and flickering onto your face Tend your ears to bird song and your nose to the forest scent And push your body into the wind and your cheek onto the Earth
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LITERATURE
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POP CULTURE
Facebook memes don’t raise any anything but my temper BY TODD SULLIVAN The Hangover Let’s talk about breast cancer for a minute. As reported on the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s web site, Breast cancer is a complex disease that will affect 1 in 9 Canadian women during their lifetime. According to the latest statistics, it is estimated that 25,000 women and 220 men in Canada will have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that 5,000 women and 60 men will have died from the disease in 2015. Now let’s talk about mammograms, which are one of the ways that breast cancer can be detected in its early stages. According to the BC Cancer Agency, it is recommended that women who are age 40 to 74 with a first degree relative (mother, daughter, sister) with breast cancer get a mammogram every year. Women with a family history of breast cancer are almost two times more likely to develop breast cancer. A doctor’s referral is not needed. Women who are age 50 to 74 without a family history of breast cancer, are recommended to get a mammogram every two years. Women between 40 and 49 without a family history are encouraged to talk to their doctors about the benefits and limitations of mammography. Okay, that’s all I have to say about breast cancer, and right there, in those few paragraphs, I feel confident that I have done more to raise awareness of breast cancer and its surrounding issues than any Facebook meme ever has.
You know the kind I’m talking about. You’re supposed to put something silly as your Facebook update, like how you used your cleavage to get out of a speeding ticket (that was one I saw recently), and then if someone comments on it, you tell them, “Hey, this is to raise awareness for breast cancer! Now put something silly from this list of silly status updates onto your Facebook status, and you can help raise awareness for breast cancer too!” And then nothing more about breast cancer is said, effectively doing nothing to raise awareness. These sorts of things drive me nuts because they allow people to put in the absolute bare-minimum of effort while still being able to fool themselves into thinking they’re doing something useful. And worse yet is when someone decides to get on their soapbox and try to argue about how much good they’re doing. Which is what happened to me when I accidently commented on one of these posts, and got the pre-written reply that I would now be expected to put one of those status updates on my own Facebook status. I politely declined the offer, and explained that I didn’t participate in those sorts of memes, because I didn’t not believe they did anything to raise awareness, thinking, of course, that would be the end of it. But it wasn’t. This person wanted to argue that it did, in fact, raise awareness. I continued to, increasingly vehemently, disagree. Long story, which is already quite long, slightly shorter, he ended up unfriended and blocked. And if you knew
Mammograms play an important part in diagnosing breast cancer. some of the people I had on my Facebook friends list, you’d see that it takes a lot for me to unfriend and block you. But enough about Facebook and breast cancer. What else is going on in the world? Turning to the US presidential race, Hillary Clinton reportedly fainted last week at an event commemorating the September 11, 2001 attacks. Doctors reported she was suffering from pneumonia. Which is something that happens from time to time, so no big deal, but I can’t help but wonder how this might feed into the rumour mill that Clinton is actually suffering from some substantial illnesses.
In fact, I saw a tabloid cover last week with a photo of a very deathly-ill looking Hillary alongside a list ailments that were reportedly straight from her medical file – Three strokes! Alzheimer’s! Liver damage from booze! Violent rages! Here’s hoping she gets some rest, gets her health back on track, and can get back on the campaign trail. On a slightly more upbeat note, Monday was National Video Games Day, a day I would probably would have celebrated with some marathon-length video game sessions, but instead I was busy putting together the magazine you’re holding in your hands right now.
Let us deliver your message. The Mix: Kamloops is an arts and entertainment magazine that’s targeted to the artistic community in Kamloops. If that’s your market, that’s our audience. Advertise in The Mix: Kamloops and we’ll get your message out.
Contact Juli Harland at 250-682-0260 or email j.harland@themixkamloops.com
But if I was going to binge out on some video gaming, I’d probably play Star Wars: The Old Republic, which I’ve found myself drawn back to lately, because who doesn’t want to be a Jedi? The answer to that, by the way, is no one There is no one who doesn’t want to be a Jedi. And with that, we’ll bring this edition of The Hangover to a close. May the force be with you! As before, you can shoot me an email at guru@ themixkamloops.com and you can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/ lewzr. Let me know what is giving you a headache this week and maybe we can commiserate.
BY WENDY WEESEN I once froze a woodpecker that killed itself by flying into my kitchen window. It was warm when I found it but definitely dead. Not knowing what I planned to do with it, I put it in the freezer, had some wild notion of getting it stuffed, maybe putting it into an art work like surrealist Joseph Cornell did with his Cockatoo series. When birds crash into windows, they must see their enchanting reflection on the glass, think it’s another bird and try to merge with it, never recognizing themselves in the glass. The dead woodpecker reminded me about my preoccupation with the magical other: that person who can make me happy, meet my deepest needs, and repair my childhood wounds. Being crazyout-of-your-mind in love is like that as we cast ourselves onto another with the magical belief they’ll give us the happiness and connection we yearn for and are promised. More of us at the tip of the Baby Boom have lost our long time spouses to illness as we live longer or have embraced separation as an alternative to hanging in there when a marriage no longer works. But even with the wisdom of our mature experience, we’re still driven to find that magic person. However, the landscape of romance has changed. Dating and the rules that govern it have been transformed by the collision of tenacious old expectations and an exploding technological age. Most of us are a lot wiser than we were at 21, but the dream is alive and well, thriving in vivid clarity on dating sites. We’re floundering in a strange new world of Internet dating, where sites have reproduced exponentially like bunny rabbits promising warm fuzzy bits but never the hard herbaceous pellets. Sites for Christians, Dharma lovers, seniors, and all those other fish in the sea looking for lava light, promise a magical union with the elusive missing piece in our lives. We sign up timidly to sites that guarantee to match us with a like-minded person. If we’re lucky, when we meet there will be that unexplainable chemistry. I faithfully posted a ream of photographs of myself and responded to questions about my likes and dislikes, preferences, interests, values, and character. I was assured I wouldn’t have to spend hopeless hours leafing through oodles of profiles by myself. They would send me only the ones that matched my own. I don’t want to be critical of men, but so help me, their actual profiles are thin on the ground. Most men say nothing at all about themselves — if you’re lucky they might have posted a photograph, but 80 per cent of the time there’s no written profile or anything that
“
Dating and the rules that govern it have been transformed by the collision of tenacious old expectations and an exploding technological age. would distinguish one man from the hundreds of other men on the site. Those who do take a full five minutes to include a profile, are honest, caring, always have a sense of humour, and know how to treat a woman. They love their grandchildren, don’t smoke, drink occasionally, love dogs and are looking for someone to kayak, golf or motorcycle with. All this is very nice, but totally generic and repeated in profile after profile in identical words. They like to cuddle on the couch, drink a nice glass of wine and every one of them loves to cook. If they articulate what they want in a partner, it is a woman without baggage (good luck with that!), comfortable in her own skin (what woman ever was?), and who doesn’t play mind games (as if they never do.) Meanwhile, they respond to flirts or messages with comments like, “Your photo indicates you’re not my kind of woman or one I would want on my arm.” Or they pronounce beneath their own photograph of a bald, wrinkled-faced man with a pot belly: “I prefer a slimmer, younger woman.” So I tried a new tactic: if I did a thorough honest profile of myself, including my values and some personality things a man might worry about, then the match could decide for himself if he really does want an honest woman and to make contact. It hardly ever happens and when it does the man lives in Timbuktu. If you don’t do rejection well, don’t try this at home alone. I am finally overriding the merciless litany of desired coupledom perpetuated by our culture. I might dig that woodpecker out of the bottom of the freezer, stuff it and stick it in a box of love paraphernalia — wine, roses, a paper moon, perhaps a cardboard prince ù as my own surrealist artwork. And however wonderful, even compulsory, it seems to follow the magic dream, I think I’m gonna go it alone. Oh and by the way, I can’t hit a golf ball and my kayaking days are over, though I’d try motorcycling.
LITERATURE
Crazy woodpecker love
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VISUAL ARTS
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Aries: If you are involved in any financial or legal matters in your personal life, you should find that they go especially well this week. You will be especially level headed and find little attraction in taking unnecessary risks. Everything of a legal or financial nature that you tackle will be approached with forethought and planning. Your caution will be seen to pay off very quickly, as you find that you save yourself considerable expense. Help could be offered unexpectedly, from a very reliable source. If so, take it! Spend time with your lover; they will be very affectionate this week. Leo: You at last you should start to realize that you need to get on with your life and not spend your entire time in the past. Things that have been and gone, and are no longer in your control, although, still significant, should now stop preventing you looking to the future. You could have the tendency, to use other people. You may not consider whether these people mind being used, or indeed, whether they will suffer a personal lose as a result. In your efforts to put the past behind you, you could develop a “devil-may-care” attitude. You may be very impulsive in your search for adventure and danger. Taurus: Nothing that you have got planned will go quite as expected. Although recently, things should have been going quite smoothly, you will quickly notice a change. You could start to question your own plans and actions as your levels of selfconfidence start to diminish. You may even start to long for a freedom from your responsibilities, wishing that you were back in your childhood with little to worry you. This certainly will not be a good time to make any major decisions. You also need to keep a careful eye on your finances as you may spend more than you can afford as a way to comfort yourself. Gemini: You are unlikely to have a great deal of interest in your own needs this week, preferring instead to dedicate as much time as you possibly can to helping other people. You may find that you offer some time to charity, alternatively, you could make a cash donation. If you choose to keep closer to home, you could offer help to a friend or relative. This is not necessarily going to be strictly kept on an emotional level. It is likely that you will offer help of a more practical kind. Perhaps you may find yourself repairing a friend’s car or helping to redecorate a relative’s living room. Cancer: A chance meeting could be the start of a very physical and exhausting love affair. It is unlikely to be long lived, but you may find that this is to your benefit. Although you will greatly enjoy your time together, you could find that you struggle to keep up with your partner who could appear to have an unending supply of energy. Perhaps it will be for the best that this affair is destined to last only a few short hours. Any longer and you would run the risk of burning yourself out.
HOROSCOPE
Virgo: If you are in a relationship, you are likely to find that you are happy to do anything for your partner. As luck would have it, the chances are that your partner is also prepared to do anything for you. This should be the ingredients for a marvelous time and if you can, you will find the most satisfaction from spending the days only with your partner and not seeing anyone else. There is much love to share between you and distractions are not likely to be welcomed. It will be easier to talk in an open and honest way producing a sense of closeness not previously found. Libra: This looks as if it could be a time that you will want to put aside and dedicate entirely to having fun. You will be invited to a large gathering of your friends and you will be especially keen to go to parties, since all around you are likely to be in equally as good a mood. If you are in a relationship at the moment, especially if it is new and you are still getting to know each other, you could find that things now start to proceed to a new and more permanent level. If you have been considering proposing to your partner, you are unlikely to find a better time than now!
Scorpio: If you wake up one morning this week with a dream still fresh in your mind, grab a pen and paper and write it down. There may be a message hidden in it that if you can decipher, will prove invaluable. You will find that you are influenced by someone with a religious background. Perhaps you will come into contact with a priest or religious figure that makes an original suggestion to you. This would also be a good time to offer help, particularly of a physical kind to a charity. You will be surprised by the end of the week, how much satisfaction this gives you. Sagittarius: Don’t try to make any major changes to your life this week. These decisions will be far better left to another time. If you are artistic, particularly if you are involved in music, you will have an exceptionally lucky week. A project that you have been working on or considering is finally likely to get the financial backing that you could only dream about. Wednesday evening looks likely to be an especially happy time when you will want to surround yourself with as many friends and family as you possibly can. Romance also could be in the air. Capricorn: Good news should come your way this week, and you could start your week with a bright and optimistic outlook. There are likely to be many unexpected and perhaps unusual opportunities that will come your way when you are least prepared. This certainly will not be a tedious week! If the chance arrives for you to travel to a strange and exciting place, you would do well to accept the opportunity. Even if this involves a lot of upheaval in your domestic and working life, the rewards should be huge.
Aquarius: This week is going to be good for those of you with an interest in sport. You are unlikely to be happy to simply sit on the side lines; you will feel the need and the ability to participate. If this is not usually your cup of tea, perhaps this will be the time you take a look at your general level of fitness and do something about it. If you decide to lose weight or to get fitter, action taken should prove invaluable in the future and success in these areas is more than likely. Avoid waffle and get straight to the point in your dealings with other people. Pisces: Good news should arrive at the start of this week! This unexpected and possibly unusual news will bring an opportunity that you would be very well advised to take advantage of. If you do, you could easily find that your cash flow will improve. Cash will at last start to flow in the right direction! Into your bank account instead of out of it! You will find that you have plenty of time on your hands, virtually everything that you have planned for, will go far more smoothly and quickly than expected.
Battling it out with brushstrokes BY JULI HARLAND Photo submitted by Mike O’Brien Picture a bar, and in it a battle circle, lines drawn. Within twenty minutes a victor arises, cheered on from the engaged crowd, circling the contestants and watching their every move. Throw in some paint brushes, a bunch of artists, and the spilling of paint instead of blood, and you’ve got Art Battle. In its eighth season Canada-wide, Art Battle is a national arts competition pitting visual artists against each other in twenty minute speed painting battles. Started in Toronto by Chris Pemberton and Simon Plashkes, Art Battle gives an interactive and competitive edge to the usually introverted art. “Each battle consists of twelve artists battling it out over three 20-minute rounds,” local organizer Mike O’Brien explains. “They paint whatever they want on the same size canvas. They get the same set of paints to work with. And from there it’s up to them to paint whatever they want. “I always suggest they paint what’s in their wheelhouse, so they are comfortable enough. It’s their job to razzle and dazzle and try to earn the votes of the judges.” The judges, in this case, are the audience. “We call it the slow tornado,” says Mike. Spectators watch the creation process from blank canvas to finished piece over twenty minutes, and decide who the top two winners are from each round through ballot votes. In the third round, the four battle it out for a $100 cash prize and a seat at the city finals. All the paintings created are put up for auction during the evening, giving the general public a chance to own a piece of original art for amounts that won’t break the bank. The winner of the city finals will go on to regionals, which, this year, are held in Vancouver, BC in the Spring of 2017. From there, the winner of regionals goes on to represent BC at the nationals. The two day event combines wildcard events, long format competitions, and 20-minute battles. “So there’s all these different time levels of painting going on,” says Mike. “Really stretching everybody’s creativity and giving buyers a chance to buy different pieces of art done at different levels. “We’re on a national stage. Which I think is fantastic. And a lot of the
people who come to the Art Battles don’t necessarily know that. they think that it’s isolated, it’s just Kamloops, it’s fun, until we start talking about it. It’s huge.” And it’s for any genre of visual artist. In fact, says Mike, diversity is part of what makes it awesome. “We don’t want all landscape artists, or all portrait ones. We want a landscape versus a portrait versus a tattoo versus a graffiti versus a mom who’s a biologist but paints on the side... and just have something fun. And, of course, the more friends they bring, the more votes they get.” This is the first year that Kamloops has taken part in the Canada-wide event. The very first battle took place at the tail end of the seventh season, nationwide. “We were able to use that as our city final. So it allowed it to reserve a spot at the regionals. So we sent our winner right off the bat to the regionals in Vancouver. “We sent Debbie Lively. She won. She kicked ass. She’s an interesting story. She’s an older artist, like us. But she’s part of the Federation of Artists. And the Federation is made up of all these well-to-do artists, so she sells her paintings for thousands and thousands of dollars, so people were really stoked to be able to get a painting of hers for relatively on the cheap, which was nice. But she was really nervous that she was going to be up against all these young pups, that she wasn’t going to do well. And she kicked butt.” This month’s battle is on Thursday, September 15 at CJ’s Nightclub. Doors open at 6:30 pm, battle starts at around 7 pm. It’s never too late to get involved! Artists wishing to register can go to artbattle.ca. You could also, on the night, sign up for a wildcard spot. “So if I have an artist that has to work, gets the jitters, doesn’t show up, we do the Wildcard,” says Mike. “So everyone who wants to battle, on the night, but that’s not on the bill, can put their name in the wildcard. If I have a spot open we’ll do the wildcard draw. We’ll have supplies and everything ready for you, and then you go to town. So far at every event we’ve had a wildcard draw each time. It’s very exciting.” Tickets are $20 or $10 for students. If you buy your tickets before the show online they are $15. So buy your tickets early and save some money for a drink! Come on out and cheer on your favourite, and help send Kamloops art nation-wide!
PAGE 12 | THE MIX Kamloops | September 14, 2016
MUSIC
Music at Work concert to benefit charities Infernol Art Productions, Lee’s Music, 98.3CIFM and The Blue Grotto are proud to present the Music At Work Benefit Concert on Thursday, September 22 starting at 8 pm at The Blue Grotto. Tickets are available online at thebluegrotto.ca for $35. This is a 19+ event. Come enjoy local Kamloops musicians Dave Coalmine, Wolf 359, Electrik Novak, 60Hz, Nicole Clay, Caroline & Kelly, the Decoys, Angie Heinze Band, Forum and more perform the music of The Tragically Hip with Interior BC’s only Hip cover band, The Hip Replacements. Proceeds from the Benefit Concert will be going towards televisions at the Kamloops Cancer Clinic for patients receiving treatments and a portion to the Sunnybrook Foundation, The Tragically Hip frontman Gordon Downie’s charity of choice. “As performers ourselves, what we have to offer is an escape through entertainment, so raising funds through entertainment to provide cancer patients with an escape during their treatments seems fitting,” says KaraSheen Inferno of Infernol Art Productions. “I wanted to find a way to pay it forward for all the help my
family received throughout my childhood.” Inferno is no stranger to the battle against cancer. Her mother, a four-time cancer survivor, battled a rare form of hairy cell leukemia and breast cancer on and off throughout Inferno’s childhood. “We want a portion of the funds raised to stay in the community because I know firsthand how important community is for cancer patients and their families. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer for the first time she had a newborn [Inferno], a toddler and a four year old. When she beat cancer for the
fourth time she had three adult children. “From the beginning of her battle to remission the people of our community helped out anyway they could, from casseroles, to cleaning, to childcare. It really did take a village to raise my brothers and me.” Infernol Art Productions is asking for sponsors to donate items for a silent auction to run during the evening. “This is going to be great,” says Arron Butowski, also of Infernol Art. “This isn’t about covering songs. This is about a sing-along with your friends to help
your community while honouring the amazing talent of a Canadian legend.” Infernol Art
Productions located at 9-355 4th Ave. Call 250-682-5099 for more information or check them out
on facebook.com/ InfernolArt and on Instagram at www. instagram.com/ infernolart.
1960s GOGO DANCE! Join Miss Coco and dance holes in your soles to the best music from the 1960s Mondays 7:15 - 8:15pm
Teen Class at Akimbo Dance Studio akimbodancestudios.ca
Mondays 8:15 - 9:15pm
Adult Class at Akimbo Dance Studio akimbodancestudios.ca
Wednesdays 8:00 - 9:00pm
13 and up at Let’s Move Studio akimbodancestudios.ca
Making your life clean & simple From cleaning your home or office to picking up your groceries, we’re here to make your life a little easier. Kamloops • (250) 682-2344 facebook.com/spotlessandsorted
Listening to Britney Spears and other new tracks for September BY JAMIE HORSLEY Tone Soup Well hello again! How’ve you been? Heard any good music lately? I was getting a little worried that there wasn’t going to be anything really good to talk about. In the first week of September there was nothing interesting happening at all. There was a new Britney Spears album and my girlfriend was like, “You should review that. I’ll listen to it with you.” So one morning as we were making breakfast together I gave it a shot. I put it on. And I don’t think I got through four songs before I turned it off. There really aren’t any redeeming qualities to her music are there? So I sat down on the 9th, prepared to tell you about a bunch of albums that were released months ago, and found a couple albums I’d been waiting for are finally available and I discovered some other cool stuff too. As part of Chesky Records’ Binaural+ series of recordings, Macy Gray has released a live session recording called Stripped. The album was recorded over two days in a decommissioned church on “a ‘dummy’ human head with specially calibrated microphones where the ears would be,” (as Chesky Records’ website explains of their Binaural+ series). The album is designed to be listened to on headphones giving the listener the virtual experience of being in the middle of the room at the time of recording. This recording method is more raw and constrained than the common method of putting a mic at every instrument, allowing producer to create a mix in which they can edit and add or remove tracks. Macy recalls, “there’s nothing you can do about it after you put it down. You don’t even mix it—there’s no mix. That really freaked me out.”
The album has a couple new tracks, a couple new and revisited covers, and even some jazzy remakes of her own classics — including, of course, ‘I Try’. The last track, ‘Lucy’, is basically a live jam. Jazz critics are giving the album great compliments. I would definitely recommend this album to anyone that enjoys good music. And yes, it sounds great on my headphones. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds just released a (nearly) perfect record, or so says everyone. On the day of its release, Metacritic.com tallied a 99% score, with four of six critics giving it a perfect review and the others not giving it less than 80%. Skeleton Tree is subdued and dark and haunting. It’s gripping but not in as thrilling a way as Push the Sky Away was. It’s full of typical tragic stories and gloomy poetic imagery that we love Nick Cave for, but the Skeleton Tree is indeed more bare. The sound is less musical and more like an ambient-gothicindustrial wrist-cutting soundtrack. There’s definitely a couple songs on here for your next self-pitying breakup playlist. It really is a great album, but is it really for the uninitiated? Maybe. Give it a listen and let me know.
Jack White released an album called Acoustic Recordings 1998 – 2016. The title feels like a bit of lily-gilding to me. I mean, I think it’s a little redundant to call it an “Acoustic Recordings” collection when most of the original album versions of the songs are acoustic in the first place. A few of these songs aren’t even actually acoustic. To be fair there are a bunch of remixes of some studio tracks that emphasize the acoustic elements. There’s also some cool B-sides and rare tracks, including a song that was written as a Coca-Cola ad jingle that aired once and has never been made commercially available otherwise. This is a nice little compilation that your Jack White collection won’t be complete without. It’s full of classics you can sing along with and fresh favorites you didn’t know were in your top 10. Now on to something that’s not exactly a new release, but certainly current, and I kind of doubt you’ve heard this one yet. Plus I’ve been kind of dying to tell you about it. I discovered this randomly by listening to a Soundcloud station based on some other song I accidentally clicked on when trying to play my home stream. Happy accidents.
So I’m half listening to this stream and the song is funky and upbeat and groovy. It’s reminding me of late-90s / early 2000s electronica that rambles along these funky beats, like The Orb or Plastikman or Underworld (a friend later said he hears elements of Massive Attack) and suddenly the music falls away and an announcer-lady’s voice says “new research indicates that your brain got broken and you shouldn’t have done this.” Wait- WTF? So of course I had to stop and look at what it was. The album is called Charade and it’s by Supersillyus. I proceeded to play the album in full and it instantly became a new favorite. The album
is only six tracks but almost every track is seven minutes or more of very danceable lighthearted, care-free, psychedelic electronica. If you were at an EDM festival this summer, you need to put this down and go listen to this album now. Go now. Follow Tone Soup on Facebook at facebook. com/tonesoup/
MUSIC
September 14, 2016 | THE MIX Kamloops | PAGE 13
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
PAGE 14 | THE MIX Kamloops | September 14, 2016
NIGHTLIFE:
Retro Rock Trivia takes places every Wednesday at the Rockin’ Firkin’ starting at 8pm. Test your music knowledge and win prizes! For more information phone 250-371-2328 Retro Rock Trivia takes places every Thursday at the Dirty Jersey starting at 8pm. Test your music knowledge and win prizes! September 15, 2016 Art Battle @ CJ’s nightclub! Live Painting! The Art battle is held at the Cactus Jack’s Nightclub on Thursday, Sept. 15. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and the painting will start at 7:00 pm. For tickets and info GO TO ARTBATTLE. COM General admission $20 students with ID $10 earlybird online $15. For more information phone 2503747289 September 16, 2016 The Comic Strippers are coming to the Sagebrush Theatre! A male stripper parody and improv comedy show. A show for all genders. No extreme nudity, just extreme hilarity. A fictitious male stripper troupe (played by a cast of some of Canada’s best improvisational comedians) performs a sexylarious improv comedy show. These guys try to be sexy… it just comes out funny. Constantly grooving and gyrating in between scenes they banter with the crowd and perform their hilarious twist on improv sketches. They sing, they “dance”. These guys are oiled up and ready to make you laugh at them. Semi undressed and completely unscripted, The Comic Strippers take off their shirts and take on your suggestions to create a whole new genre of comedy. 19+. 8:00pm. Tickets available at www.kamloopslive.ca September 28 - 29, 2016 Brewloops Brew University @ Noble Pig Brewhouse is open and you can tour the inner workings of The Noble Pig Brewhouse,
Photo by Trina Budai
Juli Harland snagging selfies with Steve Puhallo who just announced candidacy for next election with the BCLiberals. learn about mash, wort, hops, yeast and of course, taste some great examples of the final product between 6:00 and 8:00pm. For more information phone 250-374-5483 September 30, 2016 Brewloops Block Party at Red Beard Cafe is the place to taste dozens of beers from all participating breweries. Plus check out Food Trucks, donuts, ciders, live music and more!For more information phone 250-374-5483
THEATRE
September 8 - 24, 2016 Western Canada Theatre presents Made In Italy. An Italian teenager growing up in Jasper in the 1970’s, caught between two worlds and determined to make his mark. Could singing on TV’s “Search for Talent” be his ticket out of here? Filled with great songs (Italian and Disco!) this is a hilarious coming of age story about a kid with the heart of Rocky Balboa and the moves (and hair) of John Travolta. All ages welcome. September 18, 2016 As part of the sec-
ond day of the Kamloops Arts Council’s Children’s Arts Festival Bobs & LoLo will be performing at the Sagebrush. A ticketed event, preschoolers and their families are in for a treat when award-winning singersongwriters Bobs & LoLo visit Kamloops for a live performance. For more information phone 250-372-7323 September 21, 2016 Toopy and Binoo at Sagebrush Theatre! Sunwing.ca presents Toopy and Binoo Fun and Games. Tickets available at www.kamloopslive.ca. For more information phone 250-374-5483 September 30 - October 2, 2016 Ice Age on Ice presented at The Sandman Centre is The Coolest Ice Show on Earth! Stage Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products have announced that Ice Age on Ice will tour 20 cities across Canada including Kamloops’ Sandman Centre for four shows from Friday, September 30 to Sunday, October 2. Based on the incredibly popular Ice Age movie franchise, the
all-new story and live show will bring an avalanche of adventure to audiences everywhere. Ice Age on Ice features the coolest crew on the planet including Sid, Scrat, Manny, Ellie and Diego. Tickets available through Ticketmaster. For more information phone 1-855-985-5000
VISUAL ARTS
September 7 - October 1, 2016 Kamloops Arts Council presents local artist Nancy Donnithorne in their Main Gallery. An Art Exhibition- Through my eyes in Blue A collection of watercolour and ink images of nature in various shades of blue. Meet the artist at the Opening Reception: Thursday September 8, 6-8 pm at the Old Courthouse. For more information phone 250-573-6047 September 15, 2016 Art Battle @ CJ’s nightclub! Live Painting! The Art battle is held at the Cactus Jack’s Nightclub on Thursday, Sept. 15. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and the painting will start at 7:00 pm. For tickets and info GO TO ARTBATTLE.
COM General admission $20 students with ID $10 earlybird online $15. For more information phone 2503747289
MUSIC
Jam Night Every Tuesday @ Pogue Mahone with Bluesfoot starts at 8:30pm For more information phone 250-376-4397
COMMUNITY
Now - October 29, 2016 Saturday Kamloops Farmers’ Market @ 200th Block of St. Paul Street every Saturday 8:00am to 12:00pm. On St. Paul Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Crafts and home-based businesses in the Stuart Wood school yard. Now - October 26, 2016 Wednesday Kamloops Farmers’ Market @ 400th Block of Victoria Street every Wednesday 8:00am to 2:00pm. On Victoria Street, between 4th and 5th Ave. September 17, 2016 VW 15th annual Turtle River Race Day @ Riverside Park from noon - 3 pm. Come down for some family fun activities and
cheer on your turtle as they race down the river! For more information phone 250372-3216 ext. 521 September 17, 2016 Kamloops Children’s Arts Festival @ Riverside Park is in its 17th year, this year’s theme,”Around the World,” will feature performers and interactive arts workshops that explore the roots, rhythms, designs and traditions from the four corners of the earth! All for FREE. For more information phone 250-372-7323 September 18, 2016 Smith Chevrolet 5th Annual Kamloops Show n Shine @ 950 Notre Dame Drive Brought to you by: Smith Chevrolet Cadillac & the Vintage Car Club of Canada Kamloops Chapter If you own a vintage GM vehicle, 1990 or older, bring it out and celebrate 100+ years of General Motors! Preregistered Participants receive a free T-shirt, pancake breakfast and dash plaque. Gates open at 7:30 AM for participants. Show starts at 10:00 AM and runs until 3:00 pm. For more information phone 250-372-2551
September 21, 2016 CONNECT 2016: A Business Tradeshow @ Coast Hotel & Conference Centre The only business tradeshow of its kind in Kamloops, CONNECT provide the public the opportunity to learn more about some of the amazing 60+ businesses and services that are provided in our city, have a chance to win some great prizes and make some new connections. Join us for CONNECT 2016! For more information phone 250-372-7722 September 23 - 26, 2016 Provincial Winter Fair @ North Thompson Agriplex Come experience agricultural fun for the whole family! Attend the live auction September 26th to purchase high quality 4-H beef and lamb projects to fill the freezer this
Photo by Trina Budai
Photo by Trina Budai
Pogue Mahone’s own Shayne Cummings shows off the new sound system and the band sounded great!
Sean Luciw of the Sassy Gents is ready for fall! Now how will he drink his hot chocolate?
winter! For more information phone 250 320 5078 September 23 - 26, 2016 78th Annual Provincial Winter Fair @ Circle Creek Equestrian Centre Showcase of 4-H projects and local agriculture in Kamloops region since 1939. Focus on livestock, photography, 4-H. Also featuring a Kids Zone, Food Trucks, Little Tykes “Rodeo”, Petting Zoo, Farm2Chef grazing event with wine pairings, Sunday Farmers Market. Fair runs September 23-26, 2016. Live auction of 4-H beef and lamb, photography projects on September 26th. For more information phone 250-374-8898 September 23, 2016 Join us at the BC Wildlife Park for an exciting day full of wildlife activities!
Bow Sinister Archery
Kids Camp - Age 6 to 10 Friday, September 23rd - “Beautiful Birds” Registration is required! Please visit http://www.bcwildlife. org/kidscampsage6to10.htm. For more information phone 250-573-3242 ext.226 September 24 - 25, 2016 Trails in Motion The World’s Trail Running Film Festival - 2016 World Tour @ DoubleTree by Hilton This year you are invited to enjoy an evening of wine tasting, film watching, silent auction and visiting with friends as a fundraiser for the Kamloops Food Bank the evening before the run in Kenna Cartwright Park. It includes 7 films from 7 min-
utes to 45 minutes in length. Monte Creek Ranch will be presenting some great wines to taste while you socialize with your friends! Many great items from our sponsors will be available to bid on for the silent auction and some prizes to win too!Everyone is welcome - tickets are on sale for $15, follow the link to register to the event to buy tickets! - limited seating! 5:00pm. Trail Running Race on Sunday - 5km, 10km and 21km. September 24, 2016 Make Motion and Take Days at The BIG Little Science Centre! Using provided designs and materials, make your own rockets, cars and more. Use
balloons to make them move and take them home to show your friends. Or design your own from 10am-4pm. For more information phone 250-554-2572 September 25, 2016 World Rivers Day @ Riverside Park. Organized by the City of Kamloops, World Rivers Day is a free, family event to celebrate the rivers and culture in our community. Enjoy multiple entertainers, live music and arts and crafts as you learn about our rivers, watershed stewardship and other sustainability issues. Look for the KAG booth to find out about our programs and to participate in fun river-related art activities. Free for all ages
September 28 - October 2, 2016 Brew Loops is a beer and bike festival celebrating Kamloops Culture. What does that mean? Special events in locations all around the city over many days. VIP Cask/ Theatrically Inspired Event, Tailgate Style Outdoor Block Party, Brewery Dinners, Tap Takeovers, Beer Brewing Seminars, Home Brew Competition, Mountain Bike Races, Beer Pairing Brunch, Farmers Market Tasting, Guided Group Mountain Bike Rides. This is no convention center slosh-fest, this is a multi-day experience in beautiful Kamloops, BC with some of the best beer, food and mountain biking the world has to offer.
New and recycled high-end fashion Clothing, footwear, and accessories
A service-oriented small business offering you a wide variety of quality archery equipment and custom leather work Hours: Saturday and Sunday 9:00am - 6:00pm
250-571-8841 www.bowsinisterarchery.com
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
September 14, 2016 | THE MIX Kamloops | PAGE 15
265 Victoria Street • 250-828-RUBY (7829)
PAGE 16 | THE MIX Kamloops | September 14, 2016
The ďŹ rst one was such a hit, we brought it back Don't miss out on the 2nd annual Art in the Dark! This engaging 19+ evening of interactive arts activities and performances will not disappoint.... black light, bodypainting, live music and dance performances and much more! Ticket price gets you a full night of activities + performances... bring cash for cocktails, wine, beer, food + silent auction. Tickets $40 ($30 KAC members) at kamloopsarts.ca All proceeds support the KAC's community arts programming.
Art in the Dark 2016 is generously sponsored by: Lansdowne Village | TRUSU | Jordan Rinke | Urban Systems | Ra Hair Studio | Art Battle