jAn.21-Feb. 3 2015 vol. 02 issUe 04 UrbAniteneWs.coM
rediscovering. p.04
the lost art of tailoring
strings attached border of fear p.07
p.03
dalbello carves guitars from nature
border security at AgW show
just the right type p.03
detroit developers unveil distraction free, typewriter-esque tool
scan with
Q
The City of Windsor is proposing to increase fees for its downtown parking garages by eliminating the ‘first hour free’ policy. The City of Windsor argues that it has some of the lowest parking rates in the province and must increase fees in order to maintain aging infrastructure. Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association opposes the fee, and some downtown merchants argue that parking costs are prohibitive especially when they are competing against retailers in other parts of the city that offer free parking. This issue boils down to a fundamental question — what is the purpose of public parking spaces? Is it a revenue tool or an economic development tool?
»ROSE CITY POLITICS
What is the real purpose of public parking; revenue or development? studies like the one Regina just completed even though they have far less parking assets than Windsor. Revenue to pay the costs of maintaining assets and creating new off-street parking for areas is also important. There are many ways to do it that don’t contradict the primary goal such as extending metre time, two tiered meter rates for more and less popular areas.
There’s so much wrong with the parking rate increase recommendation that it’s difficult to know where to begin.
But first we should allocate that money. I’d like to see us identify what it will be used for. Is it to purchase a lot in Walkerville? Beautify the garages? I think we have a right to know what this tax will be used for specifically.
Let’s start with the primary and fundamental purpose of pay parking, to turnover spaces. There are many other goals but they should be achieved in a way that doesn’t contradict the primary goal.
Secondly, it’s difficult to say which particular method is best without completing a proper study but as a minimum we should adhere to a Hippocratic type oath of “first do no harm.”
In Windsor there is a secondary goal of raising revenue. Other progressive cities use parking to achieve even more than that such as economic development, retail recruitment and planning. But that requires
And if you don’t want to deal with me on the media then end the detente between the city and the DWBIA so that you hear their concerns before you float these ill thought out trial balloons.
Mark Boscariol
Don Merrifield Jr. Public parking space’s main function these days is basically a revenue generator for municipalities. It becomes an economic development tool when the municipality is trying to encourage the public to patronize a particular area of the city. The usual reason for that is there is a lack of people using the services of the businesses in a specific area. In this case being downtown. Let’s deal with two big misconception residents of Windsor seem to have about downtown. First, there is lots of parking downtown, and two, it’s cheap. If you have visited other cities, especially larger ones, you will appreciate the cost and availability of Windsor parking. That said I can see both sides of this issue. The city in its effort to “hold the line on taxes” has to look for ways to generate other income aside from raising property taxes. Some, like myself, would argue any public service that cost me more money is a tax no matter what you want to call it. The businesses downtown are at a disadvantage from your regular strip mall, in that parking outside the core for shopping is generally free.
From personal experience, I will say I have started to feed my shawarma addiction at locations outside of the downtown mainly for the simplicity of not having to look for parking. Now if I am going to have to pay to pop in for 15 minutes to grab take out, sadly I will probably just abandon downtown and go somewhere else. There are still many ways to save the projected increase in revenue the extra hour parking will generate for the city by looking at all the city operations. Don’t make me eat shawarma from a location outside my favourite downtown one. My god, the humanity.
In the DWBIA defence, (old man opinion
Don Merrifield Jr.
Fourteen years as a Windsor realtor, musician, father of one son Miles, politicsrun financially conservative yet socially liberal. Merrifield Jr. was a candidate in the 2010 municipal election in Ward 3 for city councillor, a cigar aficionado, motorcycle enthusiast and lover of travel.
Publisher/Editor: Natasha Marar (natasha@urbanitenews.com) Art Director: Stephen Hargreaves Contributors: Jamie Greer, Dan Savage, Jay Verspeelt, Emily Adams, Clara Benedek, Shelbey Hernandez
alert) back when I was a kid and walking through six feet of snow with no shoes uphill both ways, downtown had lots of street parking right on Ouellette Avenue. After years and numerous attempts at “streetscaping” the downtown to be more pedestrian friendly, many of the storefront parking spaces are gone. If you want to run down and just grab some take out, or pop into a shop for a quick visit usually you’ll end up at a parking garage and now have to pay from the get go, losing the free hour that has been the case until now.
Inquiries and sales: 226-674-0140 Information: info@urbanitenews.com News tips: tips@urbanitenews.com Letters: letters@urbanitenews.com
Mark Boscariol
Husband, father, and entrepreneur, owner and/or creator of Snack BarB-Q; The Willistead Restaurant; Tecumseh Roadhouse; Walkermole; Bedroom Depot; Chanosos; Oishii; Buda; Flying Monkey; Automatic Slims and Windsor International Film Festival, advocate for Windsor and supporter of all things good.
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»MADE IN DETROIT
A farewell to distractions Detroit entrepreneurs create a new age typewriter jay verspeelt Where newspapers, calendars, rolodexes and fax machines once sat, desks are now cleared save for a single screen. A pair of Detroit entrepreneurs are trying to change that.
screen players actually use really old DOS computers or alphasmarts to write distraction free … He had this vision for a stand alone consumer electronic that just wrote,” said Paul.
Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul are the co-creators of the Hemingwrite digital typewriter, a machine with a mechanical keyboard and what is more-or-less a Kindle screen with Wi-Fi connectivity for syncing to Evernote or Google Docs. The idea behind it all: distraction free writing.
“I mean we’re not professional writers, I certainly never got paid for writing but the point is Patrick’s telling me about the software and there’s a lot of software but do people actually use it?” said Leeb. “It turns out they do. iWriter is an app on Mac that’s been downloaded three or four million times.”
“You might say ‘why would I carry an additional device that’s bigger than my laptop just to do less?’” said Leeb. “So that’s really hard for people to reconcile, but as soon as you try it you see the actual qualities of the Hemingwrite for writing are much better in that respect.” The machine is robust and heavy, sporting a custom aluminum chassis, a Poker II keyboard, a month’s work of battery life, no Facebook and a $500 price tag. The project was started last August at a co-op space in Detroit. Leeb, lead designer and MIT grad in mechanical engineering; and Paul, an international relations grad turned software developer, put in 500 hours of research and development into two prototypes. The machine was crowdsource backed via Kickstarter with over 1,000 people funding beyond their $250,000 goal with $324,000. “[Leeb] had been reading up on how a lot of professional writers, authors and
The idea isn’t exactly original, which they admit to, as there’s similar products on the market. The Alphasmart from Renaissance Learning is a keyboard with a screen that can log up to 200 pages of keystrokes to be sent to a computer later. Although it was discontinued last year and doesn’t feature the same sleek design or connectivity of the Hemingwrite it’s about $470 dollars less and has a longer battery life. That doesn’t concern the pair, however. “People can introduce something that’s cheaper but not something that’s better because we’re already using top components,” said Paul. The keyboard used in the machine for instance costs over $100 to buy off the shelf. Hemingwrite is only available through Kickstarter and the shipping date hasn’t yet been announced but will be available for purchase online this autumn.
Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul, the duo behind the Hemingwrite, a digital typewriter designed to reduce the distractions of laptop computers » Photo Jay Verspeelt
»visual arts
Don’t smile, you’re on camera
AGW exhibit explores cross-border observation and the culture of fear CLARA BENEDEK Now in its second year, the Art Gallery of Windsor is set to release its third installment of the highly-regarded Border Cultures exhibit.
The second installment featured mobility issues and the crossing of borders in search of secure work, as money flows between boundaries, leaving lasting changes on the economy.
Border Cultures is a three-part exhibition exploring ideas on the geographic and political implications of being a border city in the 21st century. The first installment focused on home, citizenship, land and Windsor as a point of arrival and departure of settlers and indigenous people. The exhibition began as a platform for research and understanding the implications of national borders, bringing many artists from around the region and the world.
“Because we are a border city, we want to look at the border through different lenses,” said Srimoyee Mitra, curator. “Windsor has a very unique culture.” X-47B by Mahwish Chishty, Gouache on paper » courtesy Art Gallery of Windsor
According to Mitra, the third installment, Border Cultures: Security and Surveillance, is an attempt to understand the many changes between borders, especially after the 9/11 attacks. “Now you need additional documentation and some people don’t have it or can’t afford it.”
Gallery goers will be able to explore the idea of surveillance and security through regional, national and international artists’ interpretations of life on a geographic border. The implications of surveillance in the technological era will be explored as well. “Looking at the infrastructure of the border as a highly militarized place, lots of cameras, from satellites to drones, there’s a lot that we don’t see that isn’t visible,” said Mitra about the new exhibit. “Security is not just about military security — it is also about food, climate change, the water that we drink.” see crossing borders on pg. 06>>
JAN.21-FEB.3 2015 the urbanite 03
»FASHION
A stitch in time
Rediscovering the lost art of tailoring
Mike Vonella, who has been tailoring in Windsor for 50 years, fears the craft is dying Marie Glas, 28, opens her new tailoring shop next month » Photo Emily Adams
eMily AdAMs The art of tailoring is a dying entity that may be getting superseded by bricolage contemporaries. During the past 50 years the number of tailors that design and produce clothes in Windsor has diminished from over 35 businesses to half a dozen. Mike Vonella has tailored since 1965 and has witnessed the trade fizzle out for several years. He predicts that “it will disappear in the future.” Vonella began his studies in Italy at the ripe age of seven. It would take four years for him to cut his first pair of pants and another five to be able to tailor a full suit. Vonella believes that people today lack the desire to get into tailoring. “I worry because young people today should be interested ... but people don’t want to know and don’t have passion,” he said. Vonella offers classes at Vonella Custom Clothing, his shop on Erie Street, for those who may find the inspiration to make custom garments. 04 the urbanite jAn.21-Feb.3 2015
Outsourcing to other countries seems to be the downfall of custom and locally made clothing. Vonella mentions Chinamade clothes in a joke, saying that China would someday win a war against America because, “How can you win a war with no uniforms?” He suggests Western countries rely heavily on clothes made in China, which will lead to their downfall. Franco Angileri agrees that purchasing cheap clothes from other countries is a concern. Angileri has also been a tailor since childhood and is now an entrepreneur and co-ordinator for the fashion design program at St. Clair College. “It’s all about mass production ... they (North Americans) want to get the max for the minimum and it’s too fast.” Angileri sees a light at the end of the tunnel for future generations and the art of tailoring. His students learn hands-on skills, as well as creative design in their program. They also have become familiar with recycling old materials to make new garments. Angilieri attributes bricolage trends to the economy.
“The economy has a lot to do with it … you buy it for next to nothing because it’s handme-down, and you want to put a modern twist on it,” he said. It seems to be a common theory that the idea of a bricolage lifestyle is influenced by socio-economic standards. Julie Sando, a visual arts instructor at the University of Windsor, defines bricolage as a design practice/an expression, “one that is inseparable from economics, aesthetics, attitudes.” Culturally, because Windsor has been in a recession, this kind of fashion has been making a comeback. Sando refers to this as “Recession Chic,” saying it isn’t uncommon for rich people to borrow inspiration from lower classes. It isn’t unusual for those who have fewer resources to become creative with what they have. A new addition to Windsor, Marie Glas is opening Aardvark Tailoring and Custom Clothier, located on Wyandotte Street East at Hall Avenue, at the end of Feb-
ruary. She believes that the do-it-yourself habits of the underbelly of society seeps into all aspects of life. “The maker-movement is coming across all aspects of things we interact with … people are getting into gardening, growing their own food.” Glas attributes the new interest in how things are made to the way people have been “disconnected from the way that they acquire things, the way that things are made … it’s coming into garments as well.” Glas specializes in alterations but has knowledge of proper tailoring. She stresses that she accepts all body types and sexual orientations, saying that “I want people to not be afraid to come in and ask questions about their clothes.” She also exemplifies how new-age tailoring may have evolved, saying, “It’s a bit generational. There’s a little less shaming of different body types … don’t be afraid to come in and show it off.”
»DIY KNITS
drop the needles Make a boho scarf with your arms one
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» Photos Emily Adams
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eMily AdAMs You can never own enough scarves, especially with the recent blast of cold weather. Once you get the hang of making these 30-minute scarves, you may never shop for another. Materials: 2 skeins of bulky yarn (at least #6, but you can go thicker) scissors Step one: Generally when you are about to do a project with yarn you would re-roll the skeins into nicely rolled balls, it’s easier to unroll it while you knit. This step is optional. Step two: Bring out about six feet of yarn from both skeins equally, this will be your working material.
» LIP MAINTENANCE
drop the balm
DIY orange and mint lip balm » Photos Emily Adams
Step three: Tie a slip knot. Step four: When placing the knot onto your arm keep it loose, it will need to go further up your arm as you cast on. Step five: Casting on will be the most difficult part of this project. Start by grabbing the nonworking yarn (the yarn still attached to the skein) with your pinky finger and wrapping the yarn around your thumb. It should be in a position where the yarn is now crisscrossed around your thumb and still being held in your pinky. Next, using your index and middle finger grab the working yarn so it’s pulled tightly between them. Once the yarn is in this position you can start
to cast on. Put the hand you are casting onto through the loop you have made with the yarn around your thumb. Allow the loop to fall around your wrist. Next, go up and around the yarn held in your index and middle fingers and loop that around your wrist as well. Lastly, go back down through the other loop made by your thumb and let go of the yarn. You should have just casted on once. Pull the yarn gently so it’s loosely on your arm. Repeat this 10 times. Step six: Start knitting. Once casting on is finished you can start the actual knitting, which is incredibly simple. Hold the non-working yarn in the hand you have casted on and pull off each cast over the yarn, making a loop. Slide your
other hand through the loop and onto your arm. Repeat until all casts are on your other arm. Continue doing this until the scarf is as long as you would like it to be. Step seven: Once you have reached your desired length you need to cast off (not as difficult as casting on). You want to knit two onto your arm and then bring the first knit (furthest from your wrist) over the second and onto the nonworking yarn (which should be held in the hand you are casting off of). Once it’s off of your wrist tighten the knot. Repeat this step until there are no more stitches left. Step eight: Cut off loose pieces of yarn with scissors. Voila, you have just made an arm knit scarf!
eMily AdAMs With the winter winds blowing in your lips are going to suffer. This simple recipe cuts out the unknown ingredients in store bought lip balms and gets back to the basics.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp Beeswax 1/2 tsp pure vitamin E essential oils Step one: In a double boiler melt down coconut oil, beeswax and vitamin E.
cup, or something with an easy-to-pour spout, and add essential oils. For this recipe I used five drops of spearmint, five drops of orange and three drops of tea tree oil.
Step two: Pour melted mixture into a measuring
Step four: Enjoy your new lip balm!
Step three: Quickly pour into three small containers (can be found at the dollar store) and let cool.
jAn.21-Feb.3 2015 the urbanite 05
»ASK A BREWER
»vISuAL ARTS
camaraderie crossing borders among craft brewers Paul Brady, head brewer, Walkerville Brewery
Tell me about camaraderie among craft brewers. I know dozens and dozens and dozens of brewers. I do come from the Michigan market though so I’m learning and meeting and enjoying doing all that with the Ontario craft brewers as well. Today I send out an e-mail and it hit 90 brewers in one second. I had a question: I’m looking for a particular type of gasket for replacement that I can’t seem to source. I got six answers in an hour from brewers all over the country saying ‘have you tried here? Have you tried there?’ And what drives that relationship? We don’t think of each other as competing necessarily but more as competing to create something great together against those who aren’t. If everyone in the community is making better craft beer than we all shine together. Any chance you get to help someone else in that endeavour only strengthens you and your cause as well. I don’t like to think about market share, I like to think about quality. What does the Ontario Craft Brewers do for brewers? They’re actually working with ways to benefit distribution laws and the whole fiasco with the beer store, they’ve got their finger on the pulse with that and finding ways to educate [breweries] on how to benefit from new law changes and trying to get legislation passed to help us in moving forward as a small community. We’re all putting our products out there and getting more adventurous in what we’re
willing to offer the public and the LCBO is slowly opening up the door and making a wider and wider space for all of us to come in. The more we succeed as a whole the people will follow. How do you think the Michigan market differs from the Ontario one? Michigan has been there longer. There has been craft in Ontario, don’t get me wrong. Michigan has had a community longer so the Ontario community I see as a beautiful opportunity to grow and blossom if not as good or better than the Michigan market because it seems like the Canadian market is really friendly. I’d like to leave the door open for anyone in the community anytime they want to contact us. Our door is always open, be it a home brewer, a small brewer or even a larger brewery. Do you feel like you’re still learning from other brewers? I’m never going to stop learning as long as as someone has some insight. I’ll often call old guys I’ve worked with and ask them questions. Have you seen brewers that are overly competitive? I have and it never works well for them because they alienate themselves from a beautiful opportunity to share and gain a lot of knowledge. The more respectful you are to the community the more the community will openly respect and reward you.
Thinking about starting your own business?
We can help you do it.
Interested in finding out more? Give us a call at 519-997-2888 or email info@downtownaccelerator.com
downtownaccelerator.com 720 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor
FOR ENTREPRENEURS. BY ENTREPRENEURS.
MQ-9/2 by Mahwish Chishty, Gouache, tea stain and gold leaf on paper » courtesy Art Gallery of Windsor continUed FroM pg. 03>>
There will be artists exploring the issues of personal safety and others depicting military infrastructure. Chicago-based Mahwish Chishty, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia, focuses her visual art on the cultural interpretations of drones and surveillance. The tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East compelled her to consider the anonymity of these machines. She actively challenges and transforms images of modern warfare. “I was interested in traditional Pakistani art and the symbolism of death and destruction, which I use in my work,” said Chishty. Her work is influenced by the truck-art genre — Pakistani truck drivers decorating and personalizing their vehicles because they spend so much time away from their homes — which she said was a contrast to her work depicting anonymous and generic drones. “These trucks are decorated with so much visual information that tells us about them whereas the drones are not personalized and are controlled by people far away from them.”
Chishty’s work aims to integrate Pakistani folk art in an attempt to stylize and personalize the appearance of the drones. “I feel I’m bringing a visual element in terms of identification, because there is so much information in the media of what drones are supposed to look like, yet to it is difficult to tell them apart from regular airplanes,” said Chishty. This is a topic that Mitra also finds interesting. “There’s been so many deaths related to drones— the people operating them are in comfy chairs so I think [Chishty] tries to juxtapose that contradiction,” added Mitra. Ultimately, she focuses her time on “the juxtaposition of terror and cultural beauty.” Border Cultures: Security and Surveillance gives artists a platform in the WindsorDetroit area to continue engaging with these issues. The opening of the exhibition will be held Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. featuring live DJs, snacks, bar and an activity where participants can create their own passport. The event is all ages and the exhibit will run until May 10. For more information, visit agw.ca.
»artisans
Behind the wood
The handmade guitars of Kingsville’s Larry Dalbello
Guitars of Kingsville luthier Larry Dalbello; the semi-hollow electric Silva (left, courtesy Dalbello Guitars) and an inlaid neck ready to install on an acoustic » Photo Shelbey Hernandez
Shelbey Hernandez When Larry Dalbello was a child he would spend countless days climbing a tree that stood on his property. Although the tree is long gone, his love for nature still consumes him and influences his career as a luthier, handcrafting acoustic guitars, electric guitars and ukuleles. Dalbello creates each instrument through careful concentration. Each piece of wood is not just wood to this man of 48, they are opportunities to take a beautiful part of nature and transform it into something that can continue to please for years to come. He takes his time with each instrument, spending anywhere from two weeks to three months depending on the type and modifications. “Larry doesn’t just look at it like he’s making a guitar. He’s making a piece of art that will … allow people to speak and hopefully say something good,” said Dusty D’Annunzio, a local musician who uses Dalbello guitars. D’Annunzio said Dalbello flipped a switch in his brain so that no other guitars seem to really compare. As someone who has played guitar for 35 years, D’Annunzio said there is a level of respect for someone who works as hard as Dalbello does in creating more than just an instrument, but a piece of art. “This (guitar) wasn’t just spit out by a com-
puter (CAD) lathe and they didn’t make 40 guitar bodies an hour .... you can feel that difference when you pick up a [Dalbello] instrument,” said D’Annunzio
with a tree,” said Dalbello.
Growing up, Dalbello was always into rock and roll music. His first guitar was given to him by his aunt and uncle when he was eight. Since he was 18, the guitar he owned has been with him through all of his life stages.
Although he loves making guitars, he still works part-time at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens in Kingsville, where he is the head carpenter and is often in charge of making the props for the Haunted Hayride each year.
“That one right there,” said Dalbello pointing to his prized guitar. “That thing’s been through hell. It slept in subways in Toronto, it’s travelled everywhere. It went to college with me, survived a flood. I woke up one morning in my basement apartment and it was floating beside me … in the case, that case. It’s been through a lot. I actually modelled my guitars after that one in certain respects.”
After all, his business has only been operating for about a year, so there is still a long way to go before he will be able to work on his instruments full-time.
Flash forward to his adult life, Dalbello spent 20 years as a cabinet maker but found making instruments creates lasting enjoyment for its user. “I just got tired of building boxes that’s what it all came down to. I told my wife I spent my life building boxes, there’s no way I’m going out in one. Ya don’t stick me in a box. I will be cremated and sprinkled on a tree. I want to be physically and spiritually linked
Dalbello uses only local wood, unlike mainstream brands.
But people are already using Dalbello instruments, including Jody Raffoul, who has opened for well-known artists such as Kid Rock, Nickelback and Counting Crows; Wayne Durant from No Drama; and Andre Courtemanche from Windsor band The Sellouts. The instruments can be customized, but start at $1,250 for a ukuleles, $1,800 for electric guitars and $2,500 for acoustic guitars. “Guitar making is courage more so than skill; you just need courage because you’re constantly on the brink of disaster. One little slip and you could ruin something or something could crack or even fall off the bench,” said Dalbello.
Although making money is essential, making guitars is special. Dalbello has a connection to the wood he uses. “I find it spiritually fulfilling and being able to transfer that onto somebody else makes it even better. To just see somebody else up there having so much fun ... with something you made and then they come over and tell you that’s how they feel, that’s what makes it all worth it right there,” said Dalbello. “Being able to wake up a dead piece of wood and give it to somebody else and let them get that energy that used to be in that tree standing out in the yard and let it rip … that’s what makes it worth it.” In the next few years, Dalbello hopes to refine his electric guitars to make them lighter in weight and more comfortable. He also has plans to create seven-string electric guitars, bass guitars and mandolins, plus a different sized acoustic guitar. Many musicians have probably gone to a music store and picked up their fair share of instruments. And although those instruments are well-known, there is something to be said about the intimacy a musician can feel when being given the chance to design their own instrument. When a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound? If it didn’t before, it sure does now. JAN.21-FEB.3 2015 the urbanite 07
»ALBuM REvIEWS
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JAMES BURROWS PARADISE CINEMA S/R
Imagine, if you will, an alternate reality where Bruce Springsteen and Brian Setzer were able to impregnate Yukon Blonde as their surrogate. If you can accomplish and enjoy such a dazzling mental experience dear reader, you may be ready for James Burrows. Paradise Cinema is the debut album of the Toronto singer-songwriter. It is an interesting depiction of roots rock with the occasional hillbilly twang and a distinctly Canadian indie sound. The album is well executed and full of soul, but with a feeling of a certain emptiness. It is left feeling unfulfilled, I suspect Burrows’ live performance is a more enjoyable experience. That said, it’s a pleasant listen. At times it sounds like the Boss himself was singing. The record takes its name from a Toronto movie theatre that closed nearly a decade ago. The cover features the shuttered doors with Burrows standing a front of the building. The mood it sets fits the mood of the music. “Disco” is by far the most radio friendly track on the album. It drives throughout and has a sort-of motown backup vocal on the chorus. It’s the kind of thing Grant Lawrence would probably put on one of his shows. “Cadillac” is also notable as having a sublimely masterful hold on rockabilly guitar playing, it’s sort of like if Elvis Presley was a little punk. The album offers its own mission statement, inscribed “this album is inspired by the stories of survival in a time then we are too often confronted with only bad options.” That melodramatic and supercilious seriousness comes across, just like the Boss himself, James Burrows sounds like he’s singing to save you. — JAY VERSPEELT
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SIREN PHASE GRIND AND OBEY S/R
Local prog grunge rockers Siren Phase, the new project from former Anonymous Bosch frontman Corey Woodrich, released a teaser EP to announce their arrival on the local music scene. It was well received due to its obvious influence to the 90s grunge era, and now the band finally releases their full length debut, Grind and Obey. A concept album driven by blankets of guitar, impressive vocal layers and attack, and a solid musical performance, Grind and Obey shows is incredibly complex and must be absorbed in more than one listen. The opening assault of “Captive, I Found You Near Death” immediately hauls you in for an epic rock and roll ride, and the ride never stops. Corey Woodrich’s vocal stylings and melodic undertakings are hypnotic and a welcome breath from the normal attack employed so often. Bold and engaging, his style is almost distracting from the lyrics – it becomes the sound of an instrument. Full, dark, swampy and operatic, Siren Phase are pulling away from the local metal standard and adding some much needed diversity and philosophies. — JAMIE GREER
rÓisÍn tUohy
the Windsor scene
silent Movie type
eMMAnUel jAl
w/Jamie Greer
»LOCAL MuSIC
scottish singer swings in for sing-along
Silent Movie Type drops a new LP and Toronto’s Emmanuel Jal brings peace and hip-hop The weather has been great so far and that always makes for more exciting (and well attended) local shows in the area. There’s lots of cool stuff coming up in the next couple weeks, including a new album releases.
and late 90s one-hit-wonders Wheatus (“Teenage Dirtbag”). Performing at the Windsor showcase is a line-up of young up-and-coming talent, such as SieraSlave, Drown the Noise, Screwtape, Mandala M, Arcanum and more.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, Edinburgh singersongwriter Róisín Tuohy hosts another installment of the Chan Bang Club at Villains Beastro (256 Pelissier St.). A traditional Scottish sing-along jam session, Tuohy — who has recently relocated to Windsor — is hoping to carry on this Scottish traditional pastime. Like a less formal open mic, the idea is to create a fun but less pressured open mic jam session, hopefully pairing musicians together who may not be as familiar with each other and creating a wonderful “kitchen party” type atmosphere.
Post-punk rockers Silent Movie Type are dropping their latest CD, Crickets, Friday, Jan. 23, with an album release party at the City Cyclery (553 Lincoln Rd.). The event is sponsored in part by MacLean’s Ales, City Cyclery and The Urbanite. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door and includes a copy of the record and live performances from Silent Movie Type and special guests Orphan Choir.
Gary Van Lare (formerly of Surdaster and the unquiet dead) is performing an early set of old and new compositions at Rino’s Kitchen & Ale House (131 Elliott St. W.) Friday, Jan. 23. A short set, starting at 7 p.m. sharp, Rino’s Friday Evening After Work musical showcases are great start off for the weekend. Tara Watts is doing one at the following week, on Jan. 30. Ontario indie label Blacktop Records, run by Ben Andress, is holding a showcase to discover new talent at the Dominion House Tavern (3140 Sandwich St.) Friday, Jan. 23. Blacktop is not only home to Andress’ own project, The Smile Case, but also for Brent Jackson (The Junction), Brian Byrne (I Mother Earth) and Kevin Seconds (7Seconds)’ solo offerings, as well as Trevor James & The Perfect Gentlemen
Longtime CJAM DJ and hip-hop promoter DJ Needle 9:14 is throwing a combined hip-hop and comedy showcase at Villains Beastro Saturday, Jan. 24. Headlined by local hip-hop legend Kayyce Closed, along with Young P, D Bomb and Meekz, it will also feature stand-up from area comics like Chris Lamb, Squeaky Wheelz and Jarret Sorko. It’s a charity event, only $5 at the door, with all proceeds going to Street Help/ Unit 7 Homeless Services.
Longtime local singer-songwriter Charles Benn (TUG, Charles & The Righteous) is performing an intimate solo performance at Phog Lounge Tuesday, Jan. 25. A passionate and profound storyteller, Benn will be joined by Better Weather’s David John Zelko for a beautiful night of songs and Local hardcore legends Days Fade are unleashing their new EP, Decade, Saturday, stories. Jan. 24 at the Dominion House Tavern. Tickets for the show are $5 and this all-ages George Manury has been an iconic staple in our music scene for decades now as a affair kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Joining Days Fade will be Windsor bands Monolith, An- member of such acts as ten indians, itzjunk, tagonizer and Revoltor, plus Exit Life from Magic Hall of Mirrors, Two for the Cascade and The Jetsons. An all around consumLondon, Ont. mate musician and one hell of a nice guy, Perhaps 2014’s band of the year, folk rock- he’s hosting a night of eclectic music at ers James OL & The Villains kick off their Villains Beastro Thursday, Jan. 29, with a first show of 2015 Saturday, Jan. 24 at The line-up that includes Mrs. Smith, the amazing guitar work of Guitar Eddie and a solo Windsor Beer Exchange (493 University performance from Jeff Stiles (First Fall, Do Ave. W.). A monster of a line-up, it also features two of the best indie rock offerings or Diatribe, the StiG). This is a free show the city has right now, Better Weather and with a great cross section of local veteran songwriters. Of The Pack, opening the show. Relative newcomers Rivers headline a showcase of emerging talent at Phog Lounge (157 University Ave. W.) Saturday, Jan. 24, that also includes Breakkr, Paul the Tailor and Ghost Buffet.
Toronto hip hop artist Emmanuel Jal brings his tour to Windsor Thursday, Jan. 29 at The Windsor Beer Exchange, in support of his latest album, The Key (which includes performances from the likes of Nelly Furtado
and Niles Rodgers). Jal is a former child soldier in Africa who has battled the odds, moved to Canada and become a profound voice for peace. Tickets are $7 advance and $10 at the door and all proceeds from ticket and merch sales go the Emmanuel Jal’s The Key is E, a group that supports new entrepreneurs in Africa to start businesses to assist children. Former Windsorites Crawl return to their hometown as part of their Winter 401derland Tour, with a stop at the Dominion House Tavern Saturday, Jan. 31. These hard rockers have been tearing up Ontario of late after a lengthy hiatus with a new singer and attitude that has been blowing people away. Another duo of former Windsorites, Kate & Rich, return from their new home in Halifax with a high energy show featuring the sounds of ragtime, balfolk and klezmer, all on the accordion and clarinet. They’re performing at Phog Lounge Saturday, Jan. 31, and joined by Windsor’s own Max Marshall (Windsor Salt Band) and Richard Garvey from Kitchener/Waterloo, Ont. Local noise dictators Poughboy have risen from the murky depths for their first show in ages and will be assaulting the senses Saturday, Jan. 31 at Villains Beastro. A preview of their upcoming new album, Jingle Business, Poughboy is joined by Butchers, the new power trio supergroup featuring Jay Drummond and Ben Guthrie of fiftywatthead with Poughboy’s own Adam Craig. Be warned. This show will melt your face. Perfect for the expected chilly weather coming up. jAn.21-Feb.3 2015 the urbanite 09
»savage love w/Dan Savage
Porn and circumstance
Q:
My fiancée is extremely bothered by me looking at porn. It revolves around insecurities that have gotten so bad that even other girls bother her. (We can hardly go to a beach anymore.) I don’t have any weird relationship with porn—no addiction, no violent stuff, and I look pretty infrequently. She acknowledges that it’s a normal thing but is unable to get past it. She has gone through two counselors on her own, and we have gone through two couples counselors. They have ALL said the same thing: “It’s completely reasonable to want him to not look at porn, and if he loves you, he won’t look at it anymore.” I have been asked how often I look at it, why I won’t stop looking at it, why is it so important to me. They have recommended “clinics” to help me abstain from porn. This all happens after both of us say that our goal is for this—me looking at porn very occasionally—to not be a problem and even after we’ve told them that she used to be totally okay with it (four years ago) but now she feels crazy and doesn’t want to feel this way about it. Our last therapist said my refusal to go to a clinic showed that we had a toxic relationship! I’m dumbfounded. Every time we see a therapist like this, it damages our relationship. Lack Of Sane Therapists
A:
“The therapists seen by LOST have drunk the Kool-Aid: Porn is automatically bad, stopping porn use is always the best answer, the person who doesn’t like porn is always right,” said Dr. David Ley, writer, clinical psychologist, and author of The Myth of
Sex Addiction. “Such therapists develop target fixation when porn is involved and lose sight of other, real issues that need to be addressed.” The most obvious issue that needs addressing is your fiancée’s evident and apparently metastasizing insecurity. (Yesterday you had to stop watching porn, today you can’t go to the beach, tomorrow you won’t be able to have female friends.) But since all the therapists you’ve seen thus far were batshit-crazy sexphobes—or “fixated” on porn, as Dr. Ley put it—her issues haven’t been addressed. “LOST’s fiancée probably sees his use of porn as a reflection of his level of attraction to her,” said Dr. Ley. “Or she’s worried that a man who looks at porn is a man who will cheat. I understand and empathize with her fear.” But Dr. Ley wonders if something else is at work here. “LOST’s fiancée might be dealing with a form of anxiety disorder, where obsession is sometimes expressed through irrational fears of infidelity,” said Dr. Ley. “A therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (the ‘other kind of CBT’) for anxiety disorders may be helpful, and less likely to get distracted by blaming porn.” To find a therapist who specializes in CBT and isn’t a batshitcrazy, smut-shaming sexphobe, Dr. Ley suggests you find a therapist through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (aasect.org) or the “Kink Aware Professionals Directory” at the
10 the urbanite JAN.21-FEB.3 2015
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (ncsfreedom.org). “The therapists LOST will find there are more likely to be sexpositive,” said Dr. Ley, “and less likely to jump on the ‘porn is the root of all problems’ bandwagon.” You can follow Dr. David Ley on Twitter @DrDavidLey.
A:
“Increased porn use in men is very often a response to loneliness—due to divorce, separation, etc.—or stress or depression,” said Dr. Ley.
Deployment to a war zone, needless to say, can be highly stressful and very lonely. My husband and I “Sexual arousal is VERY good have been married for at diverting us from things we’re 10 years and have two bothered by,” said Dr. Ley. “For children. We had a wild sex life many people, that’s fine, and it in the beginning, but his job (he’s works great to let off steam. But military) took him away so many if you’re not taking care of the times that our relationship (and real issue—loneliness, depresthe sex) took a nosedive. Upon sion, stress—then the porn use coming back from deployments, he can sometimes become its own would always have an addiction problem.” to porn. I would believe him when he’d tell me that he stopped, but Which is what seems to have every time he’d come back it would happened in your case, PAR. Dr. start again. Last fall, he was gone Ley agrees that your husband for four months, and the addicshould get some solo counseling tion is still there. For the past year, in addition to the couples counhe was going onto anonymous seling you’re planning on getting webcam sites and engaging in mu- together. tual masturbation with random women. I found out, and we are As for your out-of-sync libidos, talking now about our problems PAR, try to bear in mind that and working to resolve them. The all of this—the discovery that it camming has stopped and we are wasn’t just porn, the communicagoing to attend counseling as a tion that’s happened in the wake couple, but I also think he should of that revelation, the reawakenattend counseling for himself. Our ing of your libido—basically just newfound communication and in- went down. It may take some timacy has reawakened my libido, time (and counseling) before you and now I want it more than him. two reconnect and reestablish I’m angry that the lack of frequent your sexual groove. sex is what drove him to porn, but now the problem is that I want “PAR’s husband might be it too much! I don’t know how to intimidated by his wife’s libido handle my newfound libido and and desire—if he is a guy who is his lack of interest. I need him to struggling with unmanaged feelbe more adamant about showing ings of depression and anxiety,” me he wants me. Am I reading too said Dr. Ley. “So he could benefit much into it and being too needy? from seeing a therapist and doing Paranoid And Reawakened some work around how he is coping with these feelings while
Q:
on deployment, and how he communicates these feelings to his wife. This way, she would know that when he’s not interested in sex, it’s because he’s stressed or depressed, not because of the porn.”
Q:
My boyfriend likes to watch porn, but I do not. (Male couple, both 22, together two years.) He sometimes wants to watch it “with” me, and this is our compromise: He sits on my face, I rim him while he watches porn, we stroke ourselves. He’s not “present” when we do this—he’s focused on his porn. My best friend says this isn’t sex and isn’t healthy. She says I’m being used and she thinks less of my boyfriend now. I don’t feel like I’m being used. We still have good “regular” sex with no porn. But it’s true that I wouldn’t do this (rim him while he basically ignores me) if it weren’t for my boyfriend’s desire to watch porn sometimes instead of having “regular” sex with me. Should I stop doing this? Am I being used? Really Into My Man
A:
“If it’s working for him and his boyfriend, RIMM shouldn’t let anybody tell him what he should be feeling,” said Dr. Ley. “This is the epitome of healthy GGG compromise. Rim away.” On the Lovecast, Dan and Heather Havrilesky of Ask Polly discuss unfortunate tattoos: savagelovecast.com.
» BY DAN SAVAGE » MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET » @FAKEDANSAVAGE
event listings
FIND AND SUBMIT EVENTS AT Randazzos URBANITENEWS.COM/EVENTS PJ’s Lager House (Detroit) | 9 p.m. | $5
COMING UP WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21 Job Fair – A Partnership to the Future! St. Clair College Centre for the Arts | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mix @ The Max feat. Shanghai Restoration Project Detroit Symphony Orchestra | 7-10 p.m. | $15-$49 The Business of Art Ponyride (Detroit) | 6 p.m. | $5 Mick Foley Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle (Royal Oak, Mich.) | 7 p.m. | $27
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 DJ Double A Phog Lounge Dancing with the Stars Caesars Windsor | 4 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Windsor Chive Meetup The Bull n’ Barrel | 10 p.m. THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 Rock and roll barber and The Chang Bang Villains Beastro Comic Book Syndicate – Live TV Filming Phog Lounge
Motion City Soundtrack St. Andrew’s Hall (Detroit) | 7 p.m. | $25
Detroit Tonight Live Music Hall Jazz Cafe (Detroit) | 7 p.m. Kathy Griffin MotorCity Casino Hotel Sound Board (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $40-$60 Fuzzballs! Comedy With Puppets Go Comedy! Improv Theater (Detroit) 8 p.m. | $10 A Year in New York w/ Prima Vera Magic Stick Lounge (Detroit) | 8 p.m.
The Drunken Retort The Huma Room at HopCat (Detroit) | 12 p.m. TUESDAY, JANUARY 27
Art in Survival movie premiere The City Grill | 7-11 p.m. | $20 Grand Circus Media presents: The Appleseed Collective The Huma Room at HopCat (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $5
David J. w/ Planet D Nonet The Huma Room at HopCat THURSDAY, JANUARY 29 (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $20 ADV/$25 ATG Mrs Smith w/ George Manury Villains Beastro | 8 p.m. Derek Grant Magic Stick (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | Engineering Employment Event $10-$12 Holiday Inn & Suites Windsor | 4-9 p.m. | $699 Eddie Money Andiamo Italia (Detroit) | 8 p.m. Logic | $35-$69 St. Andrew’s Hall | 8 p.m. | $20 Simon Rakoff Comedy Quarry | 9 p.m. | $12 SATURDAY, JANUARY 24
Boombox The Majestic (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $17 ADV/$20 ATG
WEEKLY
Sweeney Todd Kordazone Theatre | 8 p.m. | $20
Open Mic Surgery w/ James O-L Phog Lounge | doors 9 p.m.
MONDAYS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31 Phillip Phillips Caesars Windsor | 8 p.m. | $25+ Kate and Rich w/ Richard Garvey and Max Marshall Phog Lounge
Free One-on-One Entrepreneurial Coaching WEtech Alliance | 12-1 p.m.
Open Mic w/ Jamie Reaume Umphrey’s McGee w/ Tauk The Manchester Pub The Fillmore (Detroit) | 7 p.m. | $25-$35 Open Mic w/ Pat Robitaille The Willistead | 8:30 p.m.
Ian Sirota Comedy Quarry | 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. | $15 Selwyn Birchwood The Huma Room at HopCat (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $12 ADV/$15 ATG
WEDNESDAYS P.U.K.E. (People Using Karaoke Equipment) Villains Beastro Vice Aerial Phog Lounge | 10 p.m.
Sweeney Todd Kordazone Theatre | 8 p.m. | $20 Max Marshall w/ Richard Garvey & Kate & Rich Phog Lounge | 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m.
Kids Cooking Class Rino’s Kitchen & Ale House | 2 p.m. | $40
Simon Rakoff Comedy Quarry | 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. | $12
Emmanuel Jal Windsor Beer Exchange | 9 p.m. | $7 ADV/$10 ATG
Sweeney Todd Kordazone Theatre | 4 p.m. | $20
Bones Maki & the Treble-Aires w/ DJ Savage Matt, Babe Miller & the Tear Droppin’ Fools The Huma Room at HopCat (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $5
Latin Night Level 3 Vodka Emporium | 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
Superbowl Sunday The Bull n’ Barrel | 5 p.m.
Rick Fines Trio B.A.R.F - Boardgames Are ReMackenzie Hall | 8-11 p.m. | $23 ally Fun Villains Beastro James O-L & The Villains w/ Better Weather & Of The Pack Sushi-Beer-Wine Pairing: Midori The Windsor Beer Exchange | 8 Sushi w/ Pelee Island Wines & p.m. | $7 ADV/$10 ATG Bayside Brewing Co. The Windsor Beer Exchange Hip Hop & Comedy Villains Beastro | 9 p.m. | $5 Dustbowl Revival w/ The Jalopy Brothers The Huma Room at HopCat Cuba Libre Celebration (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $10 The Bull n’ Barrel | 10 p.m.
Open Stage Night w/ Andrew Macleod and Leigh Wallace Dominion House | 5 p.m. V.O.M.I.T. (Vocal Open Mic Instrumental Talent) Villains Beastro
J. Drew w/ DMK & Host Coopc- Butchers w/ Poughboy Villains Beastro | 10 p.m. | $5 ity The Huma Room at HopCat SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $20
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
The Absinthe Musical Experiment Milk Coffee Bar | 10 p.m.
Ian Sirota Comedy Quarry | 9 p.m. | $15 TUESDAYS
Sweeney Todd Kordazone Theatre | 8 p.m. | $20
Rivers w/ Breakkr, Paul the TaiSam Smith lor & Ghost Buffet Masonic Temple (Detroit) | 6:30 Phog Lounge p.m. #RockaHeadshot: Free Professional Headshots Rockefeller Lounge | 7-9 p.m.
Bow and Brush: Vaughn Beneteau & Nadine Marais Capitol Theatre | 4-6 p.m. | $15
Charles Benn w/ David John Seether w/ Papa Roach, Kyng & Zelko Islander Phog Lounge The Fillmore (Detroit) | 5:30 p.m. | $33-$45.50 Women Economic Forum: New Year … New You A Tribute to Windsor Opera Spago Trattoria E Pizzeria | 5:30 Soprano Emilia Cundari p.m. | $29 members/$27 guests Giovanni Caboto Club | 6-9 p.m. | $40 WEBNESDAY, JANUARY 28
Windsor Express vs. Halifax Rainmen: Clash at the Colosseum II Jerry Seinfeld Caesars Windsor | 7:30-10 p.m. WFCU Centre | 7:30 p.m. Grand Circus Media presents: Woven Tangles w/ Chris Emmerson The Huma Room at HopCat (Detroit) | 8 p.m. | $5
SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
August Burns Red w/ Miss May I, Northlane & Erra St. Andrew’s Hall (Detroit) | 5:30 p.m. | $23 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Trivia Night w/ Francois Jacques The Manchester Pub | 7 p.m. Dave Russell Dominion House Tavern FRIDAYS Sky High Fridays Level 3 Vodka Emporium | 10 p.m. Loveless Fridays w/ Daniel Victor The Loop | 10 p.m. After Work Party
Rino’s Kitchen & Ale House | 7 p.m. SUNDAYS Dusty
Dominion House Tavern
ONGOING EXHIBITION: It’s Like Toys In Here Detroit Artists Market | until Feb. 14 Back to the Drawing Board Artist Think Tank ArtSpeak Gallery | until Jan. 23 EXHIBITION: Soft Tissue by Bevan Ramsay Artcite | until Feb. 21 EXHIBITION: Joyce Wieland Art Gallery of Windsor | Jan. 24-May 3
Winter Running Series Windsor Squash & Fitness Club | 5:30 p.m. | $0-$75 Marilyn Manson The Fillmore (Detroit) | 6:30 p.m. | $32.50-$63
EXHIBITION: Border Cultures – Part Three (security, surveillance) Art Gallery of Windsor | Jan. 31May 10 EXHIBITION: Larry Towell Art Gallery of Windsor
JAN.21-FEB.3 2015 the urbanite 11