F fLAt trACk AttACk
Transcription
F fLAt trACk AttACk
May 15, 2007 Vancouver’s Best Newsweekly Free Every Other Tuesday www.toothanddagger.com For CITY, LIFE, and CuLTurE fLAt trACk AttACk Jackie wonG learns that the cool Girls rollerDerby F ishnets, skulls, red and black kneehigh socks: rollerskating never looked so badass. The Terminal City Rollergirls are Vancouver’s newest roller derby league, resurrecting a sport last seen here in the 1930s, when coed teams competed at UBC. Founded just over one year ago, the league got its start when a group of rollergirl firestarters posted a Craigslist ad calling out for team members – a move that garnered a flurry of enthusiastic responses. “A woman I work with brought her new roller skates to work and I flipped my wig,” says Andrea Fraser, a.k.a. Andi Struction, the captain of league team the Faster Pussycats. “I said, ‘Where did you get those skates? Why do you have them? Where do you skate? Aieeee!” After the initial ad, word of the league spread quickly. It’s now over 50 members strong, and a hotbed of DIY athleticism and entrepreneurial badditude. CONTINUED ON P. 6 ? the cure, BIODIESEL isn’t a reaDer writes to set us straiGht on last issue’s feature. P.4 Free Computer? VancouVer’s FREEGEEK has a solution to the problem of e-waste. REANNA ALDER learns their secrets P.9 CAMBIE COLLAPSE cuttinG in anD uncoVerinG the truth with MICHAEL LAPOINTE P.3 Table of Contents Vancouver’s Best Newsweekly News P. 2 Cambie Street, Closed for Business Michael LaPointe finds 30 shops closed on Features P. 6 cambie, a big snarl of traffic, and nobody who’ll take the blame. May 15th, 2007 Vancouver Rollerderby P. 9 Tooth and Dagger is published bi-weekly and distributed on Tuesdays. The next issue will be available at all stockists on May 29th, 2007. P. 3 14 Days Sean Orr’s famous wit illuminates a P.4 News Editor Michael LaPointe michael@toothanddagger. com News Sean Orr · Features Reanna Alder , Jackie Wong · Life Duncan M. McHugh, Chris Eng ·Books Kat Siddle, Music Curtis Woloschuk, Rob Peters Sunday Morning Chowdown Duncan McHugh finds himself nonplussed by Occupational Hazards Kat Siddle interviews author/musician/ journalist John Armstrong. He is grumpy. Music P. 10 the wait, and the fare, at Paul’s Place Dancing with myself about architecture Curtis Woloschuk has, for the last year been keeping a secret from you. P. 5 Thanks to all those listed above, and also: Aja Bond, Caroline Walker, Dory Kornfeld, Jen Harvey, Jessica Rosciglione, Kalin Harvey, Kat Siddle, Reanna Alder, and Quinn Omori. Michelle Mayne G33K! Chris Eng is about to school you in Venture P. 11 Bros. lore. You will come away feeling like the world is more fun. P. 8 If you wish to advertise with Tooth and Dagger: [email protected] or (778)885-7741 Our rates are really good right now, and you can get a nice placement. P. 8 Life P. 5 Advertising Books Biomass my ass. A reader finds last issue’s biodiesel feature a little too optimistic. FreeGeek Reanna Alder meets the Free Geeks, who teach linux, collect old computers, and are looking for to start a nonprofit recycling store. Busy, eh? fortnight’s news, and then some. Letters Publisher Graeme Worthy [email protected] Creative Director Will Brown [email protected] Roller Derby Jackie Wong interviews the first ladies of Preview: In the House Festival Reanna Alder hints at what will be inside some living rooms in early June Stop Calling it Circus Music Rob Peters get’s the message from They Shoot Horses’ Nut Brown P. 12 Lightning Dust Curtis Woloschuk finds out what the people behind Black Mountain, Blood Meridian, and Dream on Dreary are up to these days. Cambie Street: Closed for Business Contact Abuse should be directed at the editor. Friendly comments, backpats, salutations, and writing submissions are also accepted: [email protected] Art, photo, fashion, and design submissions to the art director: [email protected] Stockists and Distributors please contact: [email protected] toothanddagger.com Cover By Michael LaPointe Cover Art, as well as the illustration for Lightning Dust by Nicole Ondre 2 May 15, 2007 Tooth and Dagger After more than fifteen years of steady business, Tomato Café is closing its doors on Cambie Street, and you don’t have to look far to understand why. Construction of the Canada Line, also known as the RAV, has severed Cambie Village’s ties to pedestrian traffic. Christian Gaudreault, owner of Tomato, is moving his restaurant to West Broadway in search of greener pastures. “After this long, I don’t want to leave Cambie,” he says from the new location, “but if there’s no access to the street, how can we manage?” Tomato is far from being the only Cambie business to suf- fer. Fairview MLA Gregor Robertson states, “There are over thirty vacant storefronts now. Some have moved, many have closed. It seems that every week there’s another closure.” The devastation of this once-vibrant commercial district has left the community wondering how the mess got started. The Canada Line is a subway system designed to connect downtown Vancouver to the airport. According to the Minister of Transportation, Kevin Falcon, the RAV will generate approximately 100,000 users every day at a total projected cost of $1.9 billion. Initially, it was proposed that the Cambie p. 3>> News +7 14 Days Sean Orr An extra week of news in Bizzaro BC is like a lifetime. I can’t fit it all into one little column without skipping spitting bus drivers, astroturfing Liberals, skyrocketing convention centre costs, corporate sponsorship of Vancouver parks and rec centres, MLAs voting to remove murals at the Legislature, Suzuki’s greenwashing of the Vancouver Sun, and a Three-hundred acre land deal for Whistler area First Nations as part of a bribe, sorry, deal to host the 2010 Winter Games. Then again, some things never change. Gas prices keep going up, The Province keeps complaining about gas prices going up, the Canucks lose, and some government comes out with a green plan that doesn’t go near the root of climate change (this time it’s the Tories). Those clowns in congress did it again. What a bunch of clowns. How does it keep up with the news like that? Sullivan promises free museums at Christmas, a Skyt r a i n d ow n B r o a d w ay, prescription drugs for hardcore addicts, a cure for AIDS, and peace on earth. Opposition city councillors accused the mayor of taking credit for things he had little to do with. Critics also panned the speech for being oddly specific at times: “Civil City means mothers will not hesitate to send their children on a bus by themselves to the downtown eastside to take piano lessons.” Oh come on Sam, everyone knows the mighty Piano Teacher Cartel contributed heftily to your campaign. Is Sullivan losing control of more than just his mind? At a recent party meeting NPA councillor Peter Ladner managed to elect four of his own supporters to the NPA board leaving Sullivan in a minority position. But Steve Burgess reminds us that “these are not opposition parties, remember. This is one NPA councillor staging a power play against a sitting NPA mayor”. Now it seems Sullivan paid city lobbyist Ken Dobell $250 an hour of taxpayers money to tutor him to be a lobbyist. I’d rather the money go to teach him how to be a mayor. But Dobell is also Gordon Campbell’s crony and could face legal action. How could special advisor to the premier, troubleshooter in the forest industry, finance chair for the Olympics, member of the Convention Centre board and 2010 Legacies Now and lobbyist for the City of Vancouver possibly have any dual allegiances? While the BC Rail corruption trial has uncovered some startling allegations, more notable are the accusations of fake radio show call-ins and phony protesters. And then it was revealed by Defence lawyer Michael Bolton that the solicitor general ‘intervened’. Oh man, that would suck being named after the guy Now it seems Sullivan paid city lobbyist Ken Dobell $250 an hour of taxpayers money to tutor him to be a lobbyist. I’d rather the money go to teach him how to be a mayor. from Office Space. I know! We should give these guys a raise! Despite the fact that B.C.’s MLAs sit fewer days in the legislature than they have since 1972, an “independent” handpicked panel recommends they receive a 29% pay hike and 54% for the premier. While minimum wage and welfare rates stay frozen. Yet, a report titled The Vancouver Agreement Hotel Analysis Project revealed that Eighty-five per cent of the SRO hotels charged rates in excess of the $325 per month income assistance shelter allowance for a single employable person. Some hotels charged up to $475 per month and only 230 rooms in the Downtown Eastside were actually available for under $400 per month. The 54 hotels generated 11,269 emergency calls for police, firefighters and paramedics in 2005. Hotels were also rife with welfare fraud, fire code violations, management problems and rodent infestations. Eighty per cent of the hotels had bedbugs. So Campbell buys 12 of them and expects the homeless to live in them. Reminds me of Barbara Bush’s infamous Superdome quote, “And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them. Speaking of Bush, George Bush’s czar on homelessness has seen Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. And he’s not impressed. How fucking bad does it have to get before George W. Bush thinks we have a problem? Although I might have to agree with him if he starts talking about regime change. >>Cambie cont’d RAV be constructed along the Arbutus Street rail corridor. Gregor Robertson says, “Arbutus was the logical, cost-effective choice for rapid transit out to Richmond. It seems crazy to put billions into ripping up Cambie, a strip right through the middle of the city, versus using a rail corridor that already exists.” The Cambie strip was chosen instead, says Robertson, because “there was resistance on the west-side to reinvigorating the Arbutus line, and the development pressure that that would create. Cambie had a less organised, cohesive voice.” Once Cambie became the site of the RAV, construction developers InTransitBC proposed to build the line with a bored tunnel method . Because the vast majority of bored tunnel work occurs under the ground, this method minimises the amount of street disruption as well as environmental damage. “When the environmental assessment was done on the RAV,” explains Robertson, “they approved it under the assumption that it would be bored tunnel.” When InTransitBC began development, however, it was decided that three-quarters of the project would be constructed with the cut-and-cover method. Cut-and-cover involves excavating a trench, building the tunnel within it, and then covering it back up. This above-ground method is responsible for the extreme disruption of traffic on Cambie. “I don’t know how they were allowed to use cut-andcover,” says Robertson. “I assume it was negotiated in the secret dealings of the public-private partnership.” Furthermore, Roberston claims that Cambie Village business owners signed leases under the impression that the RAV would be constructed by bored tunnel. “The construction caught them all by surprise,” he says. “They assumed that there wouldn’t be a major disruption. There has been, and there will continue to be for a couple more years.” As Gaudreault of Tomato says, “No business can wait for years.” In the meantime, the Cambie Village Business Association, a coalition of small businesses of which Gaudreault was once chairman, is calling for government compensation. “These owners are bearing the cost,” says Robertson, “and that’s not fair. There needs to be compensation. So far the government has offered none.” When confronted with reports of closures along the Cambie line, Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon replied, “Businesses open and close every day. That’s what the marketplace is all about.” and insists that business will blossom once thousands of RAV riders are taken through the Cambie corridor. Robertson, however, points out that “the Canada Line stops at 25th and then at Broadway, nowhere in-between.” Indeed, Gaudreault is abandoning his Cambie location because he believes that “no one will stop in that small corridor.” “Clearly, the government is not even acknowledging this major impact,” claims Robertson. Later this month, he will introduce legislature to get property tax refunded for small business owners, an idea that came from the Cambie Village Business Association. “Meanwhile, support those businesses and make some noise,” he says. “Let them know that you think the small businesses deserve respect and compensation for their sacrifice.” For Christian Gaudreault, however, any compensation would arrive too late. “We’ve been in that neighbourhood for years,” he laments, “but now it’s time for me to humbly withdraw. I feel as though I’ve done all I can for the strip.” Tooth and Dagger May 15, 2007 3 Life Sunday Morning Chowdown A B r u n c h R e vi e w Paul’s Place Omelettery 2211 Granville Street (at 6th Ave.) 604.737.2857 Duncan M. McHugh I’ve heard people talk about Paul’s Place. I like omelettes and-apparently-this is the place in town to get them. The lineup was the first thing to bum me out. It took us 30 minutes to get a seat. Of course, Paul’s can’t really be blamed for being too popular, but this was too much of a hassle to deal with on a Sunday morning and an empty stomach. An aside here: do breakfast places ever have little bars or some sort of staging area where those waiting for a table can grab a drink and an appetizer, the way that dinner restaurants sometimes do? Even with my limited grasp of restaurant management, I can tell this is a completely impractical idea. Still, a cup of coffee and a piece of toast would have gone a long way to making our wait more bearable. Once we were finally seated, the service was snappy, given how busy it was. Paul’s doesn’t have much to offer in terms of atmosphere, but it wasn’t too noisy and this accommodated conversations nicely. The menu offered a ton of variety and options, which was nice as well. I ordered the mushroom and cheese omelette, but for a place that bills itself as an omelettery, I was a bit nonplussed. The eggs were bland and it had too much cheese. I know that this might seem paradoxical, but it’s true: too much cheese can happen, especially when dealing with cream cheese. It overwhelmed the rest of the omelette. The hash browns and toast were serviceable, but didn’t pick up the slack left by the cheese-drowned omelette. My friend had the huevos rancheros and French toast (that half hour wait had left him ravenous). His meal looked great, but he said that the eggs were the least exciting part. Paul’s is an alright place, but as my mom used to say, “it’s no great whoop.” If you need an omelette Monday to Friday and you’re in the neighbourhood, I say go for it, but if you’re looking for something on a weekend, I’d head somewhere a little less popular and a little more tasty. Remember, the myriad of possibilities offered by the Granville Island Public Market is only a 10 minute walk away. Brunch served daily, 7am-3pm Price: $14 (including coffee and tip) Lineup: 30 minutes Vegetarian options: plenty! Soy milk: no 4 May 15, 2007 Tooth and Dagger G33K! Chris Eng “Claire!” “Hiro!” “Claire!” “Hiro!” “Claire!” “Or maybe the senator...” “Okay, now you’re just being stupid.” Whether or not this particular water cooler conversation seems familiar to you, the fact is: “favourite character” discussions (or arguments) have been a fact of life for as long as ensemble TV shows have been around. (Perhaps longer: “Capulets!” “Montagues!” “Idiot!” “Mouth-breather!”) Less frequent are discussions about who your favourite supporting cast members are, but in the case of the Venture Brothers it might be more relevant. It’s not that the main cast members aren’t memorable enough – even in a brilliantly-scripted cartoon parody of Jonny Quest, the Hardy Boys and nearly every spy movie ever made, it’s nearly impossible to take characters like henchwoman Dr. Girlfriend (who sports a pink Jackie O outfit and posesses a surprisingly deep voice) and bodyguard Brock Samson (about the manliest protagonist ever put to screen) for granted – it’s just that the supporting cast might be even more inspired. Judge for yourself: Girl Hitler: More-or-less self-explanatory, this is the former villain turned freedom fighter who, you know, happens to share the same hair and moustache as Adolph. Defining quote? “Mess with the girl, you get the Hitler!” Dr. Henry Killinger: Imagine Henry Kissinger. Now imagine him in a black doctor’s uniform and tiny skull mask. Give him a “magic murder bag.” You see where I’m going with this? Jefferson Twilight: Member of the secret society The Order of the Triad and blaxploitation role-model who lives to hunt “blaculas.” Fun fact: decapitating them is the only way to kill them. Catclops: A man with one cyclopean eye-socket in his forehead, but instead of an eye there’s a cat’s head in it. You either inherently get this or you don’t. Molotov Cocktease: Brock’s on-again-off-again lover/ nemesis who wears a slinky leather catsuit, speaks in a Russian accent and sometimes babysits the two young wards, Hank and Dean, when Brock’s not around. Now, having seen the light, I want you to try the initial conversation with Venture Brothers supporting cast members substituted instead: “Molotov Cocktease!” “Girl Hitler!” “Molotov Cocktease!” “Girl Hitler!” “Molotov Cocktease!” “Or maybe Phantom Limb...” “Okay, now you’re just being stupid.” See? Much more interesting. Bone up on Season 2 and try it out at your water cooler today. (And incidentally, Hiro is cooler than Claire. He’s got a sword.) Venture Brothers, Season 2 (Turner) NEWS: - In news that might be “amazing” or “spectacular” but is definitely weird, Spider-Man is coming to Broadway in a musical written by Bono and the Edge. I was going to insert a joke here, but talking about Mysterio singing “Even Better Than the Real Thing” seemed a little obscure and “Sandman Bloody Sandman” was too awful to contemplate using. So be thankful. - China is getting its very own MySpace and in the tradition of the English-language version it’s encouraging people to spy on each other. Oh, hold on a sec’. It’s encouraging people to spy on each other for the government, not just randomly stalk people in their extended circles of friends and collect random photos and bits of information until their hard-drives are a jumbled, cluttered mess resembling the inside of Kevin Spacey’s apartment in Se7en. Yeah, that’s not as cool. - In sort-of-related news, Dell will start shipping PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-loaded on them, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has proclaimed that the iPhone will garner no market share. I mean, seriously – you can keep tightening your grip and deluding yourself about the power of your space station, Tarkin, but this is what it looks like when the star systems start to slip through your fingers. - And in a final story that will cause old school g33ks to try to off themselves by choking on their polyhedral dice, it was announced that both Dungeon and Dragon Magazines will cease publication in August. Remember: they can take away your gaming aids, kids, but they can never take away your 12th level Paladin. JUST RELEASED: In case you thought that dinosaurs and World War II soldiers don’t mix, I want you to know that you’re wrong and that the new DC Showcase collection of The War That Time Forgot will prove it conclusively. If you’re running out of cool things to stick on your notebook/car/pet/whatever, then be sure to pick up the AdHouse Sticker Pack, containing sticky goodness from such artists as James Jean and Paul Pope. Zombie killers can celebrate the release of Resident Evil 4 for the PC and world conquerors can get stoked about Catan for the Xbox Live Arcade. Fans of brilliantly fucked-up cinema will enjoy the new five-disc boxed set of The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky. And hey: Spider-Man 3’s in theatres right now – go see it before it gets turned into a musical. Letters Letters: Biomass, my ass. David Ravensbergen’s article on biodiesel [Tooth and Dagger , April 24th] touches on some important issues surrounding alternative energies and their application as a response to global warming and the eventual decline of global oil production; however, his assertion that “[t]he environmental benefits are undeniable” is questionable. In fact, there are a range of concerns raised by increasing biodiesel use, environmental, infrastructural and social. A more ecologically sound fuel is one that provides a net energy gain while diminishing impacts on the biosphere; biodiesel may do neither. While the numbers are hotly contested on whether manufacturing and processing biodiesel expends more energy than it gains in the form of usable fuel, it seems that the more we consider the “life cycle” of biodiesel, from corn to car, the more likely it’s a losing proposition. Moreover, while environmental benefits are visible to the consumer in the form of reduced emissions, the overall impacts of biodiesel are somewhat disconcerting; many analysts consider biodiesel’s diminished environmental impacts (anywhere from 5 to 20% “less cost” than fossil fuels) simply a result of inadequately developed indicators, such as “impacts on wa- ter, eutrophication, acidification and photochemical oxidant formation” due to intensive (fossil-fuel-based) agricultural practices. Furthermore, an attempt to embed biodiesel into North American infrastructure would be costly, and ultimately damaging to long-term sustainability. The only way to produce such an infrastructure would be to use existing fossil fuels to radically reorient the supply chain, making it profitable to be a farmer again. Noble perhaps, if biodiesel is what its proponents claim, but at what cost? We could be building libraries, schools, hospitals, sustainable urban gardens with the last of this energy. Or we could build more automobile infrastructure. And if, as Rogoza claims, “[t]here’s lots of marginal land available to produce oil-based crops for renewable fuels,” then why is the U.S. push toward ethanol (another biomass fuel) causing Mexican tortilla prices to skyrocket? According to some estimates, it would take the entire continental U.S. to provide enough corn (or comparable biomass product) to feed the American automobile fleet, to say nothing of its heavy industry. If we choose our cars over human mouths, what volumes does this speak of our culture’s ethical orientation? Any analysis of any alternative en- ergy has to look at the whole picture, meaning the environmental and social impacts, but also the long-term cultural implications of our technological choices. When David explains that “[d]ependence on a single source of energy is what sparked the present crisis in the first place” he is right on the money. The only problem is, we can’t just diversify our energy portfolio and maintain our current lifestyle: no amalgamation of energy resources will supply anything near our current energy uses, even assuming maximization of biomass and nuclear (at huge ecological and social cost). Our experiment with oil will end, either by necessity or choice, and our moves in the coming years will determine whether we are remembered as a culture that maintained its standard of living at all costs, or admitted its mistake and simplified. It’s time for us to power down: not just to drive less, but to live without cars, not just to buy organic, but to know the person who grew it, to think not about our lifestyles but about our lives. Matt Thomson Master’s of Arts in Planning Candidate, School of Community and Regional Planning,University of British Columbia GALLERY I LAURA BABAK-NAGY Say that to my Face! Tooth and Dagger would like to hear what you think. Letters should be under 300 words and include contact details so we can confirm your identity. Please send them to: [email protected] GALLERYGACHET I’m Finished With Horses: A Retrospective May 4 - 27 GALLERY II GRACE LAM Growth May 4 - 27 GALLERY I INSIDE THE OUTSIDE Clare Singleton, Jerry Stochansky, Tanis D.A. Laird J. Peachy, Evelyn Brosseau, Carl Alessi June 1 - 29, opens June 1, 7-10pm CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2008 Deadline: July 15, 2007 for our 15th anniversary year Check website for our June workshop for interested artists gallery hours: wed-sun 12-6pm 88 east cordova • 604.687.2468 [email protected] • www.gachet.org VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION May 28, 7pm Dust, Laura Babak Readers’ Choice Tooth and Dagger May 15, 2007 5 Feature elbow Diplomacy The Terminal City Rollergirls Are reviving Flat Track Rollerderby Whether you like it or not. Continued from Page 1 by Jackie Wong >>continued from cover The Terminal City Rollergirls are part of a growing number of urban leagues that have sprung up, seemingly in the wake of the reality TV show that followed the Austin, Texas, Lonestar Rollergirls – a bunch of punkabilly hotties more reminiscent of SuicideGirls than of the roller derbies of the ‘30s. However, this revival has come concurrently with the growth of a thriving burlesque scene, at least in Vancouver. With lots of black and red, crazy flirty names and playful costuming, a shared aesthetic exists between the two. However, derby isn’t about flirting and pasties; it’s about kicking ass and taking names. “It’s a pretty rough, full-contact sport,” says Fraser. “Feisty, competitive girls are attracted to roller derby, so that can fuel some pretty intense rivalries. That, in combination with a 5-foot-10, 185-pound girl in a short skirt and fishnets trying to knock you over, can add some spice to your life.” However, Fraser does point out that there are rules and regulations in derby, such as no hitting from behind, no tripping, no elbowing. During the match, points are scored by each team’s ‘jammer’, indicated by the star on her helmet. She gets one point per opponent lapped, and they don’t make it easy. “Each team thought of their own team name. My team, the Faster Pussycats, is named to pay homage to the old Russ Meyer movies. Each girl picks her own name, or sometimes a name is given to them,” says Melinda Breda, a.k.a. Bella Fortuna, the Terminal City Rollergirls vice-president. Fraser goes on to add, “Our names are combinations of nicknames, homage to famous tough broads, innuendo, puns and plays on words. Sexy/tough/scary will usu- 6 May 15, 2007 Tooth and Dagger ally do the trick. Some of my faves are Blanche Davidian, Bruise Lee and Judith Priest,” The high-impact, hard-loving ways of the sport—ripped T-shirts, full-sleeve tats, busty broads et al—suggests marked differences between the Rollergirls and their Lulu-clad contemporaries. “Most a 5-foot-10, 185pound girl in a short skirt and fishnets trying to knock you over, can add some spice to your life. of our girls were skipping gym class in high school so they could hang out in the smoke pit.” says Fraser. “It’s not usually the gym-class-soccer-team-good-girl type— it’s the kind of girl that doesn’t like to be told what do to or what to wear or what to say. Way more fun than the minivan majority.” The counterculture ethos of the Rollergirls dominates on and off the track, rendering a unique anti-sport league of athletes. Lauren Fullwood, known as Dee Linquent, cites “the moral, environmental and endlessly growing cost of the Olympics” as one of the worst aspects of Vancouver. Such words are seldom heard from a serious sportsperson. Rare for many athletes, too, is the challenge of finding practice space—especially in a city rife with 2010 anticipation. “As the Olympics get closer, it’s getting harder to find indoor places to skate,” says Andi Struction. For now, the Rollergirls practice space and venues change with the seasons, from New Westminster’s Royal City Curling Club in summer months to winters at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre and UBC’s Osborne Gym. Despite this inconvenience, the girls remain optimistic. “We’re a bunch of feisty broads, so we’ll keep trying,” says Fraser. “Derby or Die!” Also, the Rollergirls cite the diversity of its members as one of its greatest strengths. ”It’s a sport where you see women of all ages, sizes and ethnic backgrounds,” says Breda. “We range in age from 19 to 43, I believe, and we have women from all professional backgrounds, from nurses to graphic designers to TV producers to photographers to stay at home moms.” In a league operated solely by its members, all responsibilities are shared, this includes: promotions, basic operations, and organisation of special events. The apparent strength of the year-old Rollergirl community bodes well for it’s continuation and growth. “Every practice is different,” says Fraser. “Some days it’s like we’re playing in the Stanley Cup finals and trying to flatten each other like pancakes. And other days it’s a big love-fest, and we’re hugging and sharing our feelings.” Between cans of whup-ass and buckets of love, the Terminal City Rollergirls are here to stay. Check out a match, and you’ll learn a few things about humanity. Feature The Rules (from the rollergirls event program) Favorite fightin’ tunes “Stooges, Ramones, Motorhead, Andrew W.K. And GG Allin: “Drink Fight and Fuck.”” -Dee Linquent “Mamma Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J kinda makes me want to choke a bitch.” -Andi Struction ”Nothin’ like “Eye of the Tiger” to make me think Rocky and get pumped up to get my game face on!” -Bella Fortuna Books Occupational Hazards. Wages By John Armstrong New Star Books Interview with Vancouver’s John Armstrong by Kat Siddle When I tell local author John Armstrong that I just finished reading my press copy of his new memoir, Wages, he is slightly surprised that I’ve read it at all. “You’re letting your side down,” he says, and warns me that they’ll take away my press pass for doing so. This cynicism is not unwarranted: after 15 years working as a journalist for the Vancouver Sun, Armstrong knows altogether too much about how the media works. “I think journalism is like laws and sausages,” he tells me. “You should never see either one being made. I don’t read newspapers anymore, ever.” In certain circles, Armstrong is probably better known as a musician than as journalist. Under the name Buck Cherry, Armstrong sang and played lead guitar for the Modernettes, a popular local punk band. In 2001, he chronicled this “misspent youth” in Guilty of Everything, a relentlessly entertaining memoir of the Vancouver punk scene in the late 70s and 80s. In Wages, his second volume of acerbic true tales, Armstrong focuses on the other, less fun side of life: shift-work, petty bosses, and punch-clocks. Many people blog and write about this very subject, but Wages might just be the darkest and most bilious meditation on work. At it’s best, the book comes across like a compelling-yet-disturbing bar story told by a guy who’s had a bit too much, but who’s just getting started. Arm- strong’s writing is vivid, propelling the reader through a series of terrible jobs with equal parts humour and anger. Each job has its own particular soul-killing power: one position saw Armstrong beheading live chickens on an assembly line for eight hours a day, the lopped-off heads collecting in a tub near his feet. Wages was written in a stint of unemployment just after Armstrong ended his lucrative but deeply unhappy career as a journalist. Although about a third of his book is devoted to detailing the bleakest aspects of his time at the newspaper, I still felt compelled to ask him about it. “I don’t know if I got to practice journalism,” he says. “I think there’s a world of difference between the ideal of journalism and the daily practice of it. There’s probably places where you get to perform the pure art, but it’s so inextricably bound up now with advertising and share val- one position saw Armstrong beheading live chickens on an assembly line for eight hours a day, the lopped-off heads collecting in a tub near his feet. Preview: The In the House Festival, around Commercial Drive. For those looking to ease into festival season this year, In the House promises to be one of the most intimate and unusual public events of the summer. The two day multi-arts festival features music, theatre, dance, spoken word, puppets, storytelling, burlesque, and more. And it all takes place in the living rooms and backyards of a cluster of houses around the 1100 block of Semlin Drive. Myriam Steinberg, the festival’s artistic director, says In the House is an “outside the box solution” to the dwindling availability of performance venues in Vancouver. The setting, Steinberg explains, creates a “warm atmosphere” and fosters community. She says performers love “being able to feed off the [energy of the] audience. That’s hard to do when you’re six feet higher than them.” The festival, in it’s fourth year, is the annual culmination of a regular series of themed performance events. Upcoming monthly shows include “Cabaret des baguettes,” “History of Vancouver,” and “Film Meets life.” Somehow, Steinberg says, “there are always the exact right number of people for each house.” The exception is the festival’s Sexy Vari- 8 May 15, 2007 Tooth and Dagger ety Show, from which they’ve had to turn people away; Steinberg expects it will sell out again this year. Other festival highlights include a dance program that runs the gamut, from popping by Nelson “Dedos” Garcia, to flamenco by ¡Jaleo! and swing by Lucy Falkner and Léo Newman, as well as a Sunday afternoon blues session, and traditional Vietnamese musicians Khac Chi. Steinberg says she’s looking forward to the grand finale, “The Land of No Return,” a storytelling extravaganza headed up by her sister, Naomi. The latter Steinberg is an accomplished teller who recently traveled to Israel and Palestine. Last year’s story-finale, “Gawain, Ragnall and the Green Knight,” featured audience participation, stilt walkers, puppets, and fire, and this year’s finale promises to be equally spectacular. In the House’s Saturday afternoon features a children’s show, but Steinberg encourages people to bring kids along to all events. “I think it’s important that kids start young,” she remarks. In the House runs June 2nd and 3rd. Tickets available at Highlife Records and online: inthehousefestival.com ues.” When I ask him if he’d like to perform journalism as an art form, without commercial pressures, he laughs. “It’s too late for that. When I was young and keen maybe, but I’m not young and keen anymore.” The funny thing is, Armstrong still loves writing. He’s always been creative, but prior to working as a journalist, songwriting and music were his chief outlets. He cites financial difficulty as his muse: “It wasn’t until I had to write prose for a dollar that I did” he explains, “and if I hadn’t made a dollar, I don’t know if I would have started writing.” So what made him think he’d be able to churn out words as a freelancer? “It didn’t seem very hard! And it turns out it wasn’t. Well, doing it passably well didn’t seem like a great stretch.” When I ask him if he thinks it’s possible for someone to love their job, he’s doubtful. Armstrong is a lonely figure in a culture that constantly insists that people follow their bliss and make a living from their dreams. But his cynicism comes from learned experience and a realistic outlook. “I don’t know many people who love their jobs. Some people say, “I love my job” and they’re the same ones that say “I love people.” Well, how could you love people, in general? I think they might be telling the truth, but I don’t want to sit next to them on a long bus trip.” Life Free Geek, making old computers new again By Reanna Alder D avid Repa and Ifny LaChance, along with the rest of the folks at Free Geek Vancouver, want to give you a free computer. All it will cost to participate in their “adoption program” is 24 volunteer hours. During that time you will help to refurbish six computers. At the end of it, you walk away with number six, a souped-up “Freekbox” outfitted with the latest version of Ubuntu (a user-friendly distribution of Linux, the open source operating system). That’s the plan, anyway. All they need now is a building. “All the energy is there,” says Repa. “Our storage facility is starting to reach capacity.” Back in November of last year Repa, 29, quit his 11 year long stint in auto recycling to devote himself full-time to getting the first Canadian Free Geek of the ground. The original Free Geek of Portland, Oregon, served as a model. LaChance, 32, a local bike activist, was already familiar with the Free Geek concept and jumped on board. “We’re dealing with a very large surplus of [discarded] computers [... and] a lot of people who are desperate to connect and have the same things that a lot of people take for granted,” LaChance says. “We take the two problems and put them together.” The Vancouver group shares its Portland parent’s slogan: “Helping the needy get nerdy since the beginning of the 3rd millennium.” But finding a location is proving more challengDavid and Ifney with their new data-wiper machine, it cleans and sanitizes hard drives. ing than Repa and LaChance expected. Real estate agents and landowners seem reluctant to take Free documentaries like Jennifer Baichwal’s Manufactured Geek seriously. Landscapes and GOOD magazine’s video on YouTube, “[People] need to learn that non-profit doesn’t mean no technology users are starting to see images of the devastamoney,” Repa says. “Free Geek [Portland] runs a half a miltion caused by electronics “recycling” in India, China, and lion dollar budget.” other developing countries. “What would be ideal,” Repa explains, “is a land owner According to the Basel Action Network, a non-profit that is into charitable causes. You say ‘look, can you give committed to bringing the developing world into complius three months for free just to get rolling, and I guaranance with the Basel Convention, “Canada and the USA are tee you it’s going to pay off.’” the only developed countries in the world that have failed Still, Repa says, “even though we don’t have a buildto control export of hazardous electronic waste to develing yet, we’ve affected people’s lives. I was filling out a oping countries.” grant application and one question said ‘What’s one maWe have also failed to demand that electronics manufacjor lesson you’ve learned in this venture so far?’ It was a turers take responsibility for the end-of-life recycling of very simple answer, I wrote: ‘you don’t need a building to the products they produce. build community.’” Canadian lawmakers are finally stepping in. This FebruHe estimates that over 100 people have become involved ary, the province of British Columbia passed legislation, with Free Geek since the group’s inception in November that will come into effect in August, making it illegal to of last year. throw out many forms of e-waste, including computers In addition to monthly meetings and an active mailing and entertainment electronics (this is already illegal in Allist, Free Geek hosts “Windowless Wednesday” Linux clinberta). ics, movie nights, and other events at various locations, Included in the new electronics stewardship plan are including Spartacus Books, SPEC and Video In. All events regulations against exporting e-waste to non-OEPC or nonare, of course, free and open to the public. EU member countries, and the use of prison labour. A recycling fee – about $45 for a desktop computer – The e-waste buzz will be charged to the consumer at purchase. Much of the Location troubles aside, Repa couldn’t have picked volume will be handled byEncorp, the same company that a more opportune moment. E-waste is big news. With handles our glass bottles and tetra packs. But Free Geek is poised to reuse the refuse before it heads to the smelter. And if their application for charitable status is successful, they will have the advantage of being able to offer tax receipts to individual and corporate donors in exchange for second-hand hardware. Open source community values Although there are other non-profits in the Lower Mainland who refurbish and redistribute donated computer hardware to the needy (including the Electronics Recycling Association and Computers for Schools), what sets Free Geek apart is their commitment to the open source ethos. On a practical level, “You couldn’t use older hardware with a Microsoft product, it would just be a slow dog,” Repa maintains that. “A lot of other charities that give out computers use Windows ‘98, or Windows 2000. They either have to charge for the computers, or give out obsolete operating systems.” For those wary of Linux, Repa says open source has come a long way. “I just sent a Linux box to my folks back in Ontario. They’re in they’re 60s, and they love it. It’s completely stable, there’s no viruses, no spyware, nothing. [...] I figure they’re a good litmus test of how Ubuntu is doing.” But open source software is more than just a convenient way for Free Geek to avoid paying licensing fees and make better use of old hardware. LaChance believes that planned obsolescence represents a “cynical relationship” between companies and consumers. She says that the use of open source represents a strong stance against proprietary hardware and Digital Rights Management. “If you don’t want to be promoting the ideologies of a lot of these companies then it’s important not to use their products.” Reduce, reuse In addition to the adoption program, the center will offer a build program for the more ambitious, a variety of free workshops, and a thrift store selling second hand parts and accessories. “Last year [Free Geek Portland] did just under a quarter million in thrift store sales,” Repa notes. What that means is a lot of keyboards, mice, and monitors getting a second chance, and fewer coming off the shelves at Future Shop. Now all you have to figure out is what to do with your broken and obsolete cell phones, pagers, PDAs, MP3 players, stereos, digital cameras, calculators, clock radios, video game systems, TVs, VCRs, walkmans, discmans, ghetto blasters and tamagochis. Tooth and Dagger May 15, 2007 9 Music Dancing with myself about architecture Burn, calendar, burn! Curtis Woloschuk Late last January, I found myself suffering a not uncommon bout of insomnia. As usual, I addressed it by navigating through MP3 blogs in the hope that the persistent buzz would lull me to sleep. It was around 3am that I darkened the doorstep of You Ain’t No Picasso. Front and centre on the website was “Corazon” – a song slated for inclusion on the first of a series of monthly EPs to be self-recorded and released by indie combo Bishop Allen. Never one to let a novel concept (or conceptual novel, for that matter) leave me unmoved, I exclaimed, “An EP a month for an entire year? This I gotta hear.” and magicked payment details to an apartment in Brooklyn. Of course, I already possessed a passing knowledge of Bishop Allen. Four months earlier, I’d seen the band’s singer/guitarist Justin Rice act in Andrew Bujalski’s superb Mutual Appreciation. While most of the film was steeped in social awkwardness, strained conversations and skin-crawling anxiety, it mustered one moment imbued with immediacy and abandon. That occurred when list- 10 May 15, 2007 Tooth and Dagger less, laconic singer/guitarist Alan (Rice) took to a NYC stage and was utterly transfigured as he spat and jittered his way through the convulsive “Quarter to Three” (from Bishop Allen’s debut, Charm School). Upon further examination, “Corazon” revealed itself to be more than just a melodic curiosity. In actual fact, the track was an exemplary piece of autobiographical songwriting that enchantingly documented Rice and bandmate Christian Rudder’s discovery of an abandoned piano. (“Since they cancelled music class, you’ve been a refugee.”) As Rice toyed with the unfamiliar instrument, he uncovered new sounds and songs. (“I was caught, I was stuck; And my thoughts kept on deepening the rut; Until your first chord struck... You’ve given me another chance to learn.”) The songwriting partners soon found themselves in the throes of unprecedented inspiration. Writing at a pace that traditional modes of music distribution couldn’t keep up with, Rice and Rudder opted to take on the audacious monthly EP project. Simply writing, recording and releasing upwards of fifty songs in a year would intimidate anyone this side of Stephin Merritt or Rob Pollard. Yet, Bishop Allen further challenged themselves by pledging to become a better, if not altogether different, band with each EP instalment. Witnessing Rice and Rudder mature musically was a listening experience unlike any other I’d ever been privy to. Every four weeks, you could hear the untrained musicians building upon the experiences of previous efforts. The tentative, basic piano lines of January became full-fledged ivorytinkling by October. They learned banjo in March and ukulele in April. Flourishes of strings, horns, Wurlitzer and glockenspiel began to appear more regularly and with greater assurance. At the microphone, the routinely clever Rice developed into a top flight lyricist as he crafted countless entrancing narratives and cast himself as a myriad of protagonists. While Rice’s skilful wordplay remained a constant, Bishop Allen’s dozen discs saw them exploring every musical avenue at their disposal. “Click Click Click” (July) highlighted the group’s deft pop sensibility. “Like Castanets” (September) seemed like an exotic keepsake carted back from a foreign sojourn. Delicate “Butterfly Nets” (May) had the twee-o-meter redlining, and “St. Ivan’s Day School” (October) drunkenly swung and staggered. Ethereal fare such as “Flight 180” (April) evidenced the heights Bishop Allen were capable of ascending to. On December’s closing “Calendar,” Rice intones, “All that I’ve done is written right here.” As impressive as their 2006 body of work might be, the EPs were but the beginning for Bishop Allen. Dead Oceans will release Bishop Allen and the Broken String on July 24. The band’s sophomore album will feature new songs such as “Rain”, as well as “definitive” versions of nine of the EP tracks. Whittling more than 50 candidates down to nine selections let some of favourites on the cutting room floor. Conspicuous by their absence are made-for-a-mixtape “Queen of the Rummage Sale” (February), morefun-than-a-snowball-fight “Winter Coat” (March), shout-along “The Same Fire” (June), bittersweet “The Envy of the Bees” (November), fists-in-the-air “Last Chance America” (December) and droves of other worthy candidates. Fret not, fair readers. All of the EPs remain available for purchase at www.bishopallen. com. I can honestly say that my year has been better for having known each and every one of them. HEY KIDS! I have surplus copies of Bishop Allen’s July, September and November EPs to give away. Simply answer: “Who played temp Mitchell in Andrew Bujalski’s Funny Ha Ha?” The first three people to get to [email protected] with the correct response receive a shiny four-song platter. Music Lightning Dust Stop calling it circus music. They Shoot Horses’ Nut Brown lays down the law. by Rob Peters By Curtis Woloschuk If “a thousand shades of grey” is a given, it follows that musical darkness would also come in countless variations. Amber Webber and Joshua Wells have already traipsed through rock’s shadows with the likes of Black Mountain, Blood Meridian, Dream on Dreary and a score of other projects. With their sombre new endeavour, Lightning Dust, set to be officially unveiled, one wonders: What permutations of darkness are left for them to plunder? “Melodrama,” offers Wells with a grin. “We wanted to make our music more theatrical than ‘band music’... A little more staged.” Would he go so far as to call it rock opera? “It’s hardly rock,” he counters. “It’s more just opera.” Wells is somewhat of an authority on such matters: He was once a boy soprano in Toronto. Meanwhile, Webber’s CV includes a childhood stint in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. For her part, she suggests that Lightning Dust embodies an element of cabaret. “I just love singing that style,” she says. “We kind of want to keep this project out of the typical night club. It would be nice to just play art shows and events. I love going to those special little nights where there’s something other than music going on.” If Lightning Dust’s aspirations seem modest, examine the project’s humble origins. In 2005, the pair created a six-song EP as a Christmas present for friends and family. When they found themselves “poor and needing something to occupy (their) time” last summer, they decided to record a full album in an extra room of their home. “From the very start, we just went for something really spare,” says Wells. While the arrangements were restrained, the instrumentation proved more daring: Wells abandoned his drum kit in favour of keyboards and vocalist Webber uncharacteristically slung on a six-string. Their homebound experimentation culminated in what Webber proudly describes as a “midnight album.” Opening track “Listened On” immediately establishes a funereal tone. Delicately strummed guitar is augmented by synths that alternate between bubbling warmth and gurgling menace. Elsewhere, “Castles and Caves” offers evocative lyrics laced with minimalist piano. Those familiar with Webber’s voice know that she possesses pipes more mournful than a church organ. Here, her otherworldly vocals afford Lightning Dust’s songs a spectral beauty. On the dirge “Breathe,” a droning electric guitar surges as she wails, “Please don’t forget me.” That seems highly unlikely. This music could haunt a listener for days. Lightning Dust’s self-titled debut will be released by Jagjaguwar (also home to Black Mountain) on June 19. All told, a North American release is a welcome, if a somewhat unexpected, affirmation for the project. “We had no intention of doing anything with (the record) originally,” says Wells, who has nothing but praise for Jagjaguwar. “They didn’t have to put it out. They wanted to.” With a June tour still on the horizon, the challenge immediately facing Lightning Dust is an opening slot for The Black Angels (at Richard’s on May 25). A bill with firebrand psyche rockers seems a far cry from the subdued jazz clubs and soft seaters Webber and Wells feel their music is ideally suited for. “That should be a bit out of our element,” accepts Wells. However, the seasoned performers are far from daunted. “In terms of being nervous, we’ve made fools of ourselves in front of vast numbers of people,” he gamely philosophizes. “We’re open to just about anything.” They Shoot Horses, Don’t They are shown here with their home-made remedy for pimples on the end of the nose Listening to They Shoot Horses, Don’t They feels a little like that day your parents left you alone at the carnival during an apocalyptic parade of clowns. There’s a vaguely happy-sounding tuba bouncing in the distance, but you can’t help feeling a little anxious. If the name of the eight-piece Vancouver art rock band sounds familiar, it’s because the group’s moniker shares the title of a book, a Sydney Pollack movie, and an Apostle of Hustle song. But lead singer Josh “Nut Brown” Neelands doesn’t like talking about names much. (I had to search around to find his real name, and he’s vowed to never again speak of the band name in interviews.) Instead, he and his band would prefer to redefine the word weird. Known for frenetic, arty, and, well, “weird” live shows, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They features a distinctive horn section that has drawn comparisons to gypsy, circus, and carnival music. That said, it’s a lot faster, a lot more abstract and a lot more art rocky. The result is something strangely fierce, dissonant and vaguely uplifting. After all, a band with a prominent horn section can only sound so menacing. It might best be described as disorientingly exhilarating, like those days you wake up after a dream that wasn’t quite a nightmare, but close enough to make you think about all that stuff that resides somewhere in your head. Nut Brown, who earned his nickname from a killer tan, is hesitant to categorize his music as circus, carnival or anything else. He said he’d like listeners to have active imaginations when they listen, and feels these definitions can limit what people hear in music. “I hope everybody walks away with something completely different,” he says, over a gigantic piece of chocolate cake. “One guy sees faces melting and eyeballs falling out of sockets, and another sees neon flowers blooming. Good music is different for different people.” However, Nut Brown is also able to offer an ex- planation for why the comparisons to gypsy and circus music keep coming up. “I like chromatic scales,” Nut Brown says. “Sometimes they are used in those music forms. There is also a certain energy that runs through those types of music that could be likened to the way we play our songs. We get into it; There’s none of that detached nonchalant coolness you may find in the rock-and-roll world.” Nut Brown is one of only two founding members left in the band, which began four years ago while he was in media studies at Emily Carr. Now two full albums in, he hopes it’s going to be a long-term project. “This is music I could get old doing,” he says. “In 20 years I feel like I’ll probably be sitting down and doing it, with a croaky old voice, yelling and screaming. It could get grouchy. It might slow down a bit, but we’ll always try and be as fast as possible.” The band’s second album on Kill Rock Stars, Pick Up Sticks, is scheduled for release on June 5th. Nut Brown says to expect a similar sound to 2006’s Boo Hoo Hoo Boo, but with more polish, focus, and attention to song structure. “There’s also a couple of sexy-time songs on the album,” Nut Brown says. “But it’s not like hotsexy, but more kind of scary-sexy.” He elaborates: “They Shoot Horses is a savage, desperate place where there is very little time for sweet nothings,” he says. “I did manage to squeeze in the lyric ‘Love is the best thing in the world’ on the last album, but of course, that is coming from a sad and lonely place. It’s probably not exactly romantic love.” They Shoot Horses, Don’t They play May 18th at the Lamplighter for their CD release party with The Doers and Hank and Lily. They also play an all ages show on May 19th at Hoko Karaoke Bar. Tooth and Dagger May 15, 2007 11 Tooth and Dagger up and coming • send your events to: [email protected] FILM MUSIC Know yr Bike Rides. Sat, June 2nd Buffy Sing Along I’m betting you’ve never seen a movie quite Come SInG with a theatre full of Buffy fans Blim (17th and Main), 8 – 11 PM to that most amazing hour of television, the $5–10 sliding Buffy musical episode “once More With thu, May 24th Feeling” Cory from Happy Bat Cinema calls this par- Evil film School: Shatner 2! Incubus ticular episode “ The Best 40 Minutes of TV Shatner plays Marc, the pure-hearted hero Ever Made .“ of this epic tale good versus evil on an is- Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe), 1pm land inhabited by demons. also, the film is Sun, May 20th Bizarro film-o-rama: Vanishing Point entirely in Esperanto. 7:30pm the Intruder like it The famous car chase movie, referenced Shatner is a charismatic racist who drifts Wed, May 16th feist, Chad VanGaalen tue, May 22nd JAPANtHEr enormously in Grindhouse. into town and quickly turns neighbor against Orpheum We have heard that there will be dancing The Gaff (684 E. Hastings St.), 8pm neighbor in the wake of court ordered school thu, May 17th Deep Dark Woods these reports as yet unconfirmed. $5.00! integration . 9:15 PM fri, May 25 Second friday 10pm thu, May 24th Blind Beast Blim (17th and Main), 8 – 11 PM Railway Club Pirate Critical Mass Margaret Charles Chopper Collec- $5–10 sliding Largest monthly bike gathering in the tive city. So nice in the summer. Post-apocalyptic art freak-bike ride This Month’s Theme is Pirate. arrr! Second Friday of every month Art Gallery, 6pm Science World Gazebo, 6:30pm Every other thursday third friday Midnight Mass Ladies’ fixed-Gear ride Held on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the Vancouver’s new all-lady bike ride. all fri, May 18th they Shoot Horses, Don’t they? Album release Party They Shoot Horses are celebrating the release of their new record Pick up Sticks, and they’ll be joined by their good friends Hank and Lily and the doers. (see article page 11.) The Lamplighter the Choir Practice CD release! The Choir Practice scheduled their Cd release for exactly the same day as They Shoot The Lamplighter $6-7 This is a wonderfully bizarre tale of the exploration of the senses. It starts out with a Sun, May 27th Hanzo the razor: Sword of Justice Deer Lake Park blind sculptor (Michio) kidnapping a beauti- a ruthless samurai cop uses unusual tor- Wed, May 23rd Lavender Diamond ful model to fully explore her “perfect” body ture techniques and his huge dong to de- to create a masterpiece. The focus of the art- feat evil! Toured with the decembrists, which means, ist and model gradually shifts from the ten- Bizarro Film-o-rama: The Gaff (684 E. Hast- month. ride at Midnight. type of bikes welcome, but bring your you should probably expect librarians to be sion of the imprisonment to the imprison- ings St.), 8pm Grandview Park, 11:45pm fixie if you have one! $5.00! tuesdays Third Friday of every month Hey fixie Science World Gazebo, 7pm Wed, May 23rd Bjork in attendance. ment of the senses. as aki (the model) loses Richard’s On Richards, 8pm her sense of sight, she and Michio search for $14 Fixed Gear Bike Meet, come to practice ever more intense forms of tactile communi- fri, May 25 tricks, or just hang out. cation including beatings, stabbings and the Horses. I suspect a conspiracy, Victoria Vic- the Black Angels , VietNam Lightning Dust toria and The Greenbelt Collective are obvi- read Curtis’s piece on page 11, to find out ously in on it, as they’re playing too. why you should come early and not miss the The Railway Lightning dust tour De fours Richard’s On Richards ies, and teach you some knitting basics, like red Cat records declares: some wednesday this month. freegeek: Windowless Wednesday Collapsing Opposites w/ Chris-a-riffic, Free and open source software can offer Plus you’ll get to walk away with a pair of ..sounds like a genius mixture of Walter Car- fanshaw, Maps community-oriented, nutritious and deli- your very own needles and a ball of yarn! los and the Human League. . a quadruple bill of some of the nicest musi- cious alternatives. Set your computer free. Location: TBA Visit freegeekvancouver.org Material fee: $5 (If you don’t have your own sat, may 28th set of 3-6mm straight needles and a ball of Open Studios #2-252 E. 1st. 9pm $7 Sat, May 19th Bobby Conn, Canned Hamm Bobby Conn has to be amazing because he’s Science World Gazebo, 7pm demented climax (I’m not telling...). cians around. If you havn’t been to Hoko’s this might be a good time to combine a yam roll and live music. Womyn on Wheels ladies fix your bike night at ocb Hoko Karaoke (362 Powell), 8pm COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS the fourth MONDAY of every month casting on, knitting, purling and binding off. “practice” yarn) Suggested donation is $30. No one will be turned away. fri, May 30th Our Community Bikes (3283 Main) thu, June 7th Greenbelt Collective 6- 9pm Learn to fix your bike most infamous Vancouver acts evar. The Aforementionned Conspiracy contin- 5-10 dollars Introduction to bicycle mechanics course. The Media Club, 9pm ues. this is a trans-inclusive space. bring your bike and a snack. $15 advance The Media Club gonna be sharing the stage with one of the mon, may 21th Seamrippers Craft Social Rizome (317 E. Broadway), 7-10pm Whether you are a novice or a pro, grab your thu, June 7th hand craft project and come and join us for a Everyone welcome! Paper, pens, enve- Brickhouse, 8-10 lopes, typewriters, dictionaries, tea, cook- Free! ies and encouragement provided. address- tue, may 27st es required. Seamrippers Craft Social Whether you are a novice or a pro, grab your hand craft project and come and join us for a beer or cup of tea. First Thursday of the Month Our Community Bikes (3283 Main) 6p.m Seamrippers: Beginners knitting Letter Writing Club beer or cup of tea. The first thursday of each month sat, may 26th Free! $40, register early if possible. This workshop will serve you tea and cook- TooTh and dagger • stockists • photographers [email protected] is always looking for someone to talk to: • advertisers • illustrators [email protected] • distributors • newshounds [email protected] • writers • volunteers [email protected] Regional Assembly of Text, 7pm 3934 Main free!! toothanddagger.com
Similar documents
i the biodiesel rush is on
dress well and demonstrate exemplary hygiene, and your folks have probably read about it in The Vancouver Sun. Fortunately, in spite of these yuppie trappings, it’s also totally delicious. My recen...
More information