The Tulsa Voice | Vol 6. No. 14

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ROAD TRIP: OKLAHOMA’S FRESH FRUIT FESTIVALS P22

TAKE TWO: CIRCLE CINEMA FEST RETURNS P28 J U LY 3 – 1 6 , 2 0 1 9

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VOL. 6 NO. 14

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FIRST INDIGENOUS U.S. POET LAUREATE P26

KAREN KUEHN


paradise never sounded So Good.

Tickets On Sale Now thunder from down under july 13

tony danza july 19 reo speedwagon july 27 chicago August 1 dr. ken jeong August 10 nickelback August 16 vince gill August 17 chris isaak August 22

Live Music

Friday & Saturday Nights Starting at 9 PM in 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar and at 10 PM in Margaritaville! Visit margaritavilletulsa.com for a complete schedule.

81ST & RIVERSIDE • (888) 748-3731 • RIVERSPIRITTULSA.COM 2 // CONTENTS

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


WINESDAY

AT THE TAVERN H A L F- P R I C E B O T T L E S O F W I N E E V E RY W E D N E S DAY

4 PM - CLOSE NO ST R INGS. J U S T D E L IC I O U S , H A L F - P R I C E W I N E .

TAV E R N T U L SA .C O M

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

CONTENTS // 3


SUMMERTIME SWEETNESS P22

BY TTV STAFF AND KAYLIE COTTEN

Road trip to Oklahoma’s fresh fruit festivals and farms

July 3 – 16, 2019 // Vol. 6, No. 14 ©2019. All rights reserved. PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

CREATURE COMFORTS

EDITOR Jezy J. Gray ASSISTANT EDITOR Blayklee Freed DIGITAL EDITOR Kyra Bruce

P24

BY M. MOLLY BACKES CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

Solving Tulsa’s regional identity crisis—with snakes

JOY TO THE WORLD

AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf

P26

CONTRIBUTORS Matt Carney, Alicia Chesser Atkin, M. Molly Backes, Meg Charron-Webb, Kaylie Cotten, Kristi Eaton, Charles Elmore, Angela Evans, Barry Friedman, Destiny Jade Green, Jeff Huston, Fraser Kastner, Karen Kuehn, Gene Perry, Michelle Pollard, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Damion Shade, Terrie Shipley, Jessica Vazquez, Valerie Wei-Haas, Brady Whisenhunt

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

Tulsa’s Joy Harjo becomes the first Indigenous U.S. Poet Laureate

TAKE TWO P28

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

Member of

BY JEFF HUSTON, CHARLES ELMORE, MASON WHITEHORN POWELL, MEG CHARRON-WEB

Inside the 2019 Circle Cinema Film Festival

The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

Porter Peach Festival | COURTESY

FOOD & DRINK

NEWS & COMMENTARY

ARTS & CULTURE

7 FOR THE KIDS B Y GENE PERRY

14 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK BY TTV STAFF AND

32 A SMALL WORLD, AFTER ALL B Y TERRIE SHIPLEY

MADELINE EWING

Tulsa’s emerging restaurants of 2019

Oklahoma in the bottom 10 for child well-being

8 CAGED KIDS IN CONTEXT B Y BARRY FRIEDMAN The selective morality of our Oklahoma senators

10 ‘ NEVER AGAIN’ B Y JESSICA VAZQUEZ Internment camp survivors and allies protest child detention in Oklahoma

12 LANGUAGE WARNING BY KRISTI EATON Translators help the City of Tulsa reach more community members during severe weather

12 TO OUR HEALTH B Y FRASER KASTNER New initiative aims to put Medicaid expansion on the 2020 ballot

18 DINING AFTER DARK B Y ANGELA EVANS

Satisfying late-night appetites in Tulsa

21 NATURE’S CANDY (IN A KEG) B Y BRADY WHISENHUNT Nothing’s Left Brewing Co. throws Porter peaches in the mix

MUSIC 40 TULSA CALLING B Y KYRA BRUCE

The city’s premier punk fest returns

TV & FILM 44 FUNNY OR DIE B Y MATT CARNEY A conversation with comedy veteran and Bob Dylan collaborator Larry Charles

Islamic art show invites us to connect

33 ROAD SHOW B Y ANGELA EVANS

Businesses along Route 66 join forces to highlight local vendors, artists

34 GO HOME AGAIN B Y ALICIA CHESSER ATKIN

To Belong opens a dialogue around black placemaking

1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall RECEPTION Gloria Brooks

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to: voices@langdonpublishing.com FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE ON:

36 WHY NOT LAUGH? B Y DAMION SHADE Russell Westbrook’s charity comedy event comes to Tulsa

37 MEET THE FELLOWS B Y TTV STAFF

In the studio with Heyd Fontenot

ROAD TRIP: OKLAHOMA’S FRESH FRUIT FESTIVALS P22

TAKE TWO: CIRCLE CINEMA FEST RETURNS P28 J U LY 3 – 1 6 , 2 0 1 9

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VOL. 6 NO. 14

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FIRST INDIGENOUS U.S. POET LAUREATE P26

ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 38 THEHAPS 42 MUSICLISTINGS 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD 4 // CONTENTS

KAREN KUEHN

ON THE COVER Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate PHOTO BY KAREN KUEHN July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, August 3

TH E94WE S T.COM

RUS TIC MODERN LI V I NG 10 H O M E POCK E T N EI GH BO R H OO D GR A N D L A K E ACCE SS • GAT ED CO M M U N I T Y 56 420 94 Wes t Dr, Monkey I sland, O K THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

CONTENTS // 5


editor’sletter

I

t’s seven minutes before midnight on the 182nd day of the year—the eve, Google tells me, of Second Half of the Year Day. Of all the bogus holidays, I like this one for its practical effect. It spurs reflection on the days behind and the days ahead. How have we lived, Second Half of the Year Day asks, and how can we live better? I scattered my mom’s ashes on a beach in Alabama a few days ago. In the true spirit of a death-related milestone, I thought about time: the months, 28 and counting, since hers ran out. Earlier that night, I saw my oldest niece order a beer for the first time while the youngest danced to “Old Town Road” with toothless, ecstatic abandon. A grief counselor might tell you that death gives our lives a

sort of value, nudging us to honor the preciousness of our time on Earth. I guess that’s probably true, but it sucks. On this Second Half of the Year Day, precious as it is, we’re celebrating the bounty of the season with a road trip itinerary to some of the best fresh fruit festivals in Oklahoma (pg. 22). We’ve also got your guide to the restaurants that have opened their doors in Tulsa over these last 182 days, alongside those that have stood the test of time (pg. 14). You’ll also find the past repeating itself, with a dispatch from the recent protest at the Ft. Sill army installation in southwestern Oklahoma, where 1,400 migrant children are scheduled to be jailed at the same military base where Native and Japanese Americans were once incarcerated (pg. 10).

We’ve also got a look ahead at the new initiative to put Medicaid expansion on the 2020 ballot (pg. 12); a rundown on the second annual Circle Cinema Festival, celebrating the 91st birthday of the iconic theater—including interviews with Seinfeld writer Larry Charles, Tulsa’s own Sterlin Harjo, and a Jenks High School graduate and emerging filmmaker, Crystal Kayiza (pg. 28). This issue also features a Q&A with Joy Harjo, recently named the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States—the first Native person to ever receive the honor (pg. 26). She talked to Mason Whitehorn Powell about where she was when she heard the news, how the accomplishment brings honor to her Muscogee (Creek) ancestors, and the past, present and future of Indigineous poetry

in America today. We’re grateful to the Library of Congress, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Joy above all for talking to a hometown rag like us while media outlets across the globe knock down her door. I don’t know how I’ve lived for the first half of 2019. Not great, probably. But my hope for all of us, to borrow from Dickens, is that we honor Second Half of the Year Day in our hearts, and try to keep it all the year. a

JEZY J. GRAY EDITOR

He Built the Taj Mahal for Her. 1,200 years of Islamic Art. NOW ON VIEW!

Unknown artist from India. Double portrait of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592–1666) and Empress Mumtaz (1593–1631), late 19th century. Painting: colors and gold on ivory; frame: gold, wood, and brass, 2 ½ × 3 ¼”. Newark Museum, Bequest of J. Ackerman Coles, 1926, 26.1133.

6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


okpolicy

O

FOR THE KIDS Oklahoma in the bottom 10 for child well-being

by GENE PERRY for OKPOLICY.ORG

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

klahoma ranks in the bottom 10 states in the nation for child wellbeing, ranking 42 out of all 50 states, according to the 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The 2019 KIDS COUNT Data Book—the most comprehensive annual report on child well-being in the United States— notes measurable progress for the nation’s kids since the fi rst Data Book, which was published in 1990. Nevertheless, more than 13 million U.S. children live in poverty, including about 1 in 5 children in Oklahoma, and serious racial and ethnic disparities persist. The report is evidence that even in years when the economy is strong, far too many Oklahoma kids don’t have the resources they need to thrive. The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks each state across four domains—health, education, economic well-being and family and community. The best ranking for Oklahoma came in economic well-being (35th). Oklahoma was close to the national average for children with at least one full-time employed parent, but the state’s child poverty rate remains signifi cantly higher than the nation’s. One drag on economic security for Oklahoma children is that lawmakers effectively ended the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for most of Oklahoma’s lowest income working families by making it non-refundable in 2016. Now that the state budget has recovered, restoring the EITC should be a top priority. The report also shows a need to address ethnic and racial inequities. A growing percentage of Oklahoma’s child population are children of color, but these children still experience signifi cantly higher poverty rates and are much more likely to have incarcerated parents. Oklahoma’s lowest ranking came for education (45th). The Data Book ranking is based on data from 2017, before lawmakers

funded a teacher raise and began to reinvest in education. Oklahoma’s large decline in fourth-grade reading profi ciency rankings (from 35th in 2015 to 44th in 2017) may relate to the state’s mandate to retain children in the third grade if they don’t pass a reading test. Fourth-grade reading profi ciency jumped in 2015 when those students with the lowest reading scores remained in third grade, but now that this class has moved on to fourth grade, scores have fallen back to the pre-retention trend. Oklahoma ranked 40th in the family and community domain. Although Oklahoma has seen large reductions in teen births since 2010, the teen birth rate is still third-highest in the nation, better than only Mississippi and Arkansas. Finally, the state ranked 43rd in health. For the last three years, Oklahoma’s child uninsured rate has hovered around 8 percent. In 2017, that gave us the fourth-highest share of children without health insurance in the U.S. For the sake of all children, Oklahoma should expand access to Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid for working adults would reduce our child uninsured rate as parents with coverage are much more likely to get their children covered, and it would protect children by making sure all parents can access treatment for chronic diseases and mental illness. As Casey Foundation President and CEO Lisa Hamilton said, “America’s children are one-quarter of our population and 100 percent of our future.” Going forward, we must change course to adopt the policies that support children and families, especially those struggling with low incomes. Far from becoming a top 10 state, Oklahoma has yet to escape the bottom. a

Gene Perry is Director of Strategy and Communications for Oklahoma Policy Institute (okpolicy.org). NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7


Caged kids in context The selective morality of our Oklahoma senators by BARRY FRIEDMAN It was the soap that got me. There’s a woman named Sarah Fabian, a justice department lawyer, who has some disturbing views on hygiene and whether the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals requires sanitary conditions for detained migrant children. Fabian said it depends. The Trump Administration, in fact, for reasons that defi ed understanding, had appealed a 2017 ruling that it failed to provide such needs. Judge A. Wallace Tashima—who spent years in a Japanese internment camp in America—said that, “everyone’s common understanding” is that such requirements are necessary for safe and sanitary conditions. “Wouldn’t everyone agree with that?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you agree with that?” Fabian answered: “Well ... maybe ...”

Maybe. How bad was her answer? Her equivocation was equivocated. When pressed further by a judge about whether a toothbrush and soap should always be provided to detainees, Fabian reportedly said the items aren’t necessarily required depending on the person’s length of stay.

If kids in concentration camps—yes, that’s the phrase, for these camps are concentrated with too many of them (and the term didn’t start with the Nazis)—without soap and toothpaste isn’t enough to move you, then you’re unmovable. If 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

JIM INHOFE AND JAMES LANKFORD CAN HEAR THE HEARTBEAT OF AN EMBRYO BUT SOMEHOW MISS THE CRIES OF A 6-YEAR-OLD SALVADORAN UNDER A TIN FOIL BLANKET. your fi rst instinct upon seeing the images of these kids, snotty and dirty and scared, is to blame Barack Obama, your revisionism is shameless. If your defense of the Trump Administration policy of forced separations to places like Homeland, Florida and Clint, Texas is that they are not as bad as Dachau or Auschwitz, then … you lose me. Which brings us to Oklahoma’s United States senators, Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, two men who can hear the heartbeat of an embryo but somehow miss the cries of a 6-year-old Salvadoran under a tin foil blanket. But this is how the “pro-life” religious right operates: Life begins at conception and ends in a detention facility on the MexicoTexas border. Here’s Senator Jim Inhofe: “Decades of immigration failures, made worse by the Obama Administration, have created such a crisis on the southern border that it is necessary to turn to military resources to assist unaccompanied minors arriving from Central America.”

If you’re keeping score, that’s Inhofe blaming the Obama Administration for Donald Trump’s decision to separate children from their parents and lock them up. While the previous administration deported more people than any in U.S. history—a record Trump himself has yet to match—the policy of ripping kids from their parents and incarcerating them en masse is new. In April 2018, the Trump administration issued a “zero tolerance” policy that directed US attorney’s offices on the border to prosecute as many cases of illegal entry and reentry as possible. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the goal was to reach a 100 percent prosecution rate. When parents were taken into criminal custody, they were separated from their children, who were then turned over to the office of Health and Human Services and treated as unaccompanied minors. Under Bush and Obama, parents and children were not routinely separated to pursue

criminal prosecutions for illegal entry and reentry. (Slate)

Aside from the inhumanity of it all, why this is important is that Oklahoma’s military resources are now back in the game. The federal government plans to place as many as 1,400 unaccompanied migrant children in makeshift housing on the Fort Sill Army installation in Oklahoma, officials announced Tuesday. (CBS)

In 2014, Fort Sill was also used by the previous administration for similar purposes, when unaccompanied minors fl eeing violence in Central America were held there. It was a decision about which Inhofe pouted, worrying that housing children on the base would “impede on the base’s vital responsibility to house and train new recruits.” Now that Trump is proposing the same protocol, with an added twist of cruelty, Inhofe is applauding like a trained seal and insists the kiddos won’t be a bother at all. “ While I am disappointed that Democrats continue to ignore the crisis, I have spoken to the Trump administration and local base officials and am confident that, unlike in 2014, there is an organized, responsible plan for temporarily housing unaccompanied minors at Fort Sill that will not have an adverse impact to readiness or the missions at Fort Sill.”

Problem is, Inhofe’s reassurances come from an agency that doesn’t know how many children it has, how many it has lost, and July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


how it’s going to get all the ones it still has back to their parents. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General published a report on Thursday revealing that the controversial policy to separate immigrant children from their parents was in place up to a year before it was publicly announced. Although the document admitted that, ‘Thousands of separated children’ were put under the department’s care dating from 2017, it said, ‘The total number of children separated from a parent or guardian by immigration authorities is unknown.’ (Newsweek)

For his part, Sen. James Lankford also has a peculiar confi dence in the DHS—even though its keeps losing top personnel— and it’s promise to do a bang-up job at Fort Sill. “ When President Obama’s Administration used Ft. Sill to house UACs, I toured the facility to see the safe environment provided for unaccompanied minors, but I was frustrated by President Obama’s lack of engagement in the problem.”

UAC, by the way, refers to Unaccompanied Alien Children. Nice, huh? Lankford, who was frustrated by President Obama’s lack of engagement, is somehow convinced President Trump has the inner discipline to stay on point. And then there’s this, from Lankford’s website: Five years after UACs were first housed at Ft. Sill, we still face the same crisis at the southern border with more and more people attempting to enter the US illegally or to gain entry via our broken asylum process.

Nothing about those who present themselves at the border to seek asylum, which they’re legally allowed (and required) to do; nothing about the mettle and commitment of those who trudge THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

across South America because it’s their last hope for the survival of their families; and nothing about those who see America as “a shining city upon a hill.” Read Lankford on immigration—it’s on his website—and fi nd for me the humanity. I’ll wait. Go to Inhofe’s. Find me his. I’ll wait. I am not talking about Inhofe’s and Lankford’s support of tax cuts and fewer regulations, or even an environmental policy that mocks climate change and hides scientifi c reports; nor their timidity when the president unconscionably sucks up to despots like Turkey’s Erdogan, Russia’s Putin, the Philippines’ Duterte, North Korea’s Kim, and Hungary’s Orbán; nor their votes for and advocacy of presidential cabinet secretaries who are a loose affi liation of incompetent, tactical-pant-wearing grifters and thieves; nor their support of a thousand other policies, actions, proclamations and legislative absurdities too numerous and embarrassing to list. Rather, I am talking about two senators—our two senators—and their inability or unwillingness to confront a president, this president, on the morality of separating children from their parents and jailing them in cages. Full stop. James Lankford: “Oklahomans and our nation are divided on the issue of when life begins, but most Oklahomans know by now that I believe life begins at conception and that I believe each child in the womb is created in the image of God and has value and worth.”

Jim Inhofe: “At 20 weeks, an unborn child can hear, kick, stretch, yawn & above all #TheyFeelPain.”

If only those kids under foil-wrapped blankets were still in the womb. This is America—a week in which the president was accused for the 22nd time of assaulting a

woman and joked with Vladimir Putin about killing journalists on the anniversary of fi ve reporters being assassinated in Annapolis; a month in which a president enjoyed a good laugh with a Korean dictator over a Democratic presidential candidate and mocked John McCain (again); a year in which the president sided with a Russian leader over his own CIA and lied about women who kill their babies after giving birth to them, and … and … and … And now children, in this America, under his policy, are prisoners in army bases and forprofi t detention centers. How awful is it all? The editor of Highlights Magazine—Highlights Magazine, for the love of God—is calling for it to end. This is not a political statement about immigration policy. This is a statement about human decency, plain and simple. This is a plea for recognition that these are not simply the children of strangers for whom others are accountable. This is an appeal to elevate the inalienable right of all children to feel safe and to have the opportunity to become their best selves. We invite you—regardless of your political leanings—to join us in speaking out against family separation and to call for more humane treatment of immigrant children currently being held in detention facilities. Write, call, or email your government representatives.

When do we ask Inhofe and Lankford—their plus 60 percent approval ratings notwithstanding, their tropes of advocating for our God and guns while protecting us from gays and socialism notwithstanding—to jettison their fealty, if only this once, to a bulbous, self-aggrandizing, incoherent wannabe king and think fi rst of the country? How about now? The kids don’t have soap. a

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Jared Johnson July 17

Mike Cameron Collective Farewell Send Off July 19 + 20

For complete citations, visit the hyperlinked version of this article at thetulsavoice.com. NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9


statewide

‘Never again’

Internment camp survivors and allies protest child detention in Oklahoma by JESSICA VAZQUEZ

O

n June 22, a group of Japanese American WWII internment camp survivors and descendents gathered outside the gates of the Fort Sill Army installation in southwestern Oklahoma to protest the detention of more than 1,400 migrant children. Risking arrest to make their opposition known, they shared their stories of resilience before joining more than 200 supporters to protest the “repetition of history.” Throughout both the press conference on base and the protest in Lawton, advocates protesting the detention of migrant children highlighted Fort Sill’s dark and troubling history of incarcerating minority groups. “Unlike 1942, when America turned their backs on us while we were disappearing from our homes, our schools, our farms and our jobs, we are here today to speak out, to protest the unjust incarceration of innocent people seeking refuge in this country,” said Satsuki Ina, 75, who was born in the Tule Lake internment camp, where her parents were sent for protesting their incarceration during WWII. “We stand with them, and we are saying: ‘Stop repeating history.’” As the fi ve elders shared what is was like to be born and raised inside a U.S. internment camp, a uniformed Military Police offi cer—a lieutenant colonel—repeatedly told organizers they were not allowed to protest on Fort Sill. The offi cer interrupted the press conference while the third survivor, Nikki Nojima Louis, was sharing her story. 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

again,” responded an unidentifi ed organizer. Following the exchange, the unnamed offi cer was suspended and is under investigation. “Additionally, the command has put appropriate measures in place to respect one’s right to protest outside our installation,” Fort Sill Commanding General Wilson Shoffner said in a statement to The Army Times.

Tsuru for Solidarity received more than 30,000 paper cranes from supporters across the country in their quest to end family separation and detention. | JESSICA VASQUEZ

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, you cannot protest on Fort Sill. If you want to protest you have to go across the street by the highway—and that needs to happen right now,” the offi cer said. “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Now! Today!” The elders were undeterred. After another tense exchange with the Military Police offi cer, the organizers confi rmed they would not be arrested and pressed forward with the press conference. However, after only a couple of minutes, the offi cer returned to order the organizers to move.

“What don’t you understand? It’s English. Get out!” he screamed as he approached the group. As Lawton police began to arrive on scene, the Military Police offi cer continued barking commands at the survivors and descendants who refused to move until they all had an opportunity to share their stories. “What don’t you people understand?” the Military Police offi cer shouted at the crowd. “We understand the whole history of this country, and we aren’t going to let it happen

Founded in 1869, Fort Sill itself has a troubling history of imprisonment. In the 1860s and ‘70s, it was used to jail Native American families who were considered prisoners of war, including Geronimo who died and is buried on the base. It was used as a boarding school for Native American children, some of who were in attendance at the protest. During WWII, it was used as an internment camp for 700 Japanese American immigrant men, many of whom were legal permanent residents. More recently in 2014, the military base was used to detain unaccompanied migrant children under the Obama administration. At the protest, Miki Ishii, a descendant of WWII U.S. internment camp survivors and originator of the organizing group Tsuru for Solidarity, described their act of civil disobedience at the gates of Fort Sill. “If they ask [us] to leave, we answer to a higher law—and that is a law that protects children,” Ishii said. He explained why internment camp survivors and descendents risked arrest to July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


protest the detention of migrant children at Fort Sill, a place they call a “U.S. concentration camp.” At the rally, supporters from across Oklahoma drove to Lawton to stand with Tsuru for Solidarity—whose organizers themselves had fl own in from across the United States—to protest the use of Fort Sill as a detention facility for migrant children. Julie Reagle and Hannah Fernandez, trauma-informed teachers with the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association, said they had to do something when they heard Fort Sill would be used to detain migrant children starting in July. “These children are the age of my students, and I teach Hispanic kids, and some of them are undocumented, and I’m just picturing my kids in that situation,” Julie Reagle said as her eyes fi lled with tears. “And it’s just not right.” They were among the Tulsa teachers who gathered supplies for the migrant children who will be detained at Fort Sill. When they learned about the protest, they volunteered to drive supplies to Lawton from Tulsa. “We know what this does to the children who are put in these situations, and we knew if we just stood by we wouldn’t be doing what we are supposed to do as teachers, and that is to help the children,” said Hannah Fernandez. The supplies included personal care items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap—items which the Department of Justice recently argued it did not need to provide for the children in their detention facilities. It is still unclear whether the government will accept the donations gathered for the children set to arrive at Fort Sill.

The speakers and organizations represented at the rally included members of communities who have been historically affected by relocation, detention, and incarceration, such as the American Indian Movement, Dream Action Oklahoma and Black Lives Matter. “Because we share this history, unless we share our stories THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

and talk to each other, we don’t really realize how much we have in common,” said Nancy Ukai, an organizer with Tsuru for Solidarity. Some supporters pointed to systemic racism and white supremacy as the reason for why the detention of children at Fort Sill is not just repeated history, but the latest example of an institution surviving through generations to be repurposed for another minority group. “We’re dealing not with an immigration issue, but with a colonial, white supremacist issue,” said Jordan Lee Harmon, who traveled from Tulsa to speak at the rally. “As all the speakers have said, this is repeated history because this is a nation not founded on immigration, but on settler colonialism, and if we don’t try to reconcile with that then the legacy will continue,” said Allison Childress, who is studying at Northeastern State University to be a history teacher. Speakers also called on white allies to not just show up, but to put their “bodies on the line.” “We’re not just calling you to attend the rallies and say ‘We stand in solidarity,’” said Sheri Dickerson of Black Lives Matter in Oklahoma City, addressing allies. “I’m saying, ‘Get your asses down to the places where the faces don’t look like yours and say we matter!’” Childress agreed, adding that entering uncomfortable spaces and relinquishing power is key to supporting movements like this as an ally. “As a white participant in this … we have to do the work,” Childress said. “There is only white privilege because there is white supremacy, so we have to relinquish the comfort and safety of [privilege], and that’s what this is about.” Organizers from Tsuru for Solidarity brought more than 30,000 handmade paper cranes, folded by supporters across the country, as a symbol of love and solidarity with migrant families. The cranes will be traveling to D.C. in May 2020 next. Organizers hope to grow their collection to 125,000 by then. a

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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11


community

statewide

Theihsakkholhna

LANGUAGE WARNING advertencia Joseph Brooks from Comanche County advocates for Medicaid expansion during the Rally to Expand Coverage at the Oklahoma State Capitol | JEZY J. GRAY

During Tulsa’s recent round of severe weather, official warnings were translated into Spanish, Arabic, Turkish and more.

Translators help the City of Tulsa reach more community members during severe weather WHEN A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK trampled across Oklahoma in late May, officials in Tulsa held regular briefings to share up-to-date information with the public about the evolving situation. While Mayor G.T. Bynum and others shared the updates in English—with an American Sign Language interpreter for live television broadcasts—there was something new on the city’s Facebook page: a reading of the severe weather in several different languages. The briefings were translated and read throughout the on-going situation by volunteers into Spanish, Arabic, Turkish and Zomi/Burmese. “We were trying to reach as many people in the community as possible— especially during severe, life-threatening weather,” said Michelle Brooks, a spokesperson for the City of Tulsa. “It’s just as important to reach everybody in our community as soon as possible.” She said officials were thankful there were volunteers available to translate the updates into other languages and share it with those communities across Tulsa. “It’s really important to have individuals who can create those translations for the community,” she said. The volunteers provided translations free of charge and were connected to the city through the New Tulsans Initiative, which helps immigrants integrate into the city, according to Brooks. The updates came in the form of voice recordings, Facebook posts and Facebook live videos. “They really went above and beyond in our community,” Brooks added. Piang Thang provided the Zomi/Burmese language service. The Zomi pop12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

ulation come from Myanmar and Malaysia and have sought asylum in the U.S. because of their Christian beliefs. Some of the community members don’t know English, Thang noted, and they were receiving updates from a variety of sources. Having the information come from the official City of Tulsa Facebook page gave the warning an air of authority. “Everybody was paying attention to what I shared through Facebook and Facebook Live. They were like, ‘This is official,’ and [were] very happy,” he said. “They listened to it.” Many of the parishioners at Thang’s church don’t speak English, as his pastor noted, and the value of having these warnings translated for them is hard to overstate. These inclusive services, paired with the interactive nature of social media, brought warnings deeper into communities not usually reached in emergency situations. A local Zomi organization also shared the translated Facebook video, bringing vital information to even more people in the community. Thang said he would like to continue to help with the updates or in other capacities. He noted that he was even able to conduct the service during his work hours. The City’s official website includes a feature to translate written text into a variety of languages, from Yiddish to Yoruba, with the hope of making vital information more accessible to non-English speakers—a small step toward making Tulsa more inclusive of the variety of communities who call it home. — KRISTI EATON

TO OUR HEALTH New initiative aims to put Medicaid expansion on the 2020 ballot

IT’S NO SECRET THAT OKLAHOMA’S healthcare system is in crisis. According to a report by the Oklahoma Policy Institute, the state’s uninsured rate rose from 13.8 to 14.2 percent in 2017, the last year data was available, obliterating the national average of 8.7 for the same year. Oklahoma’s poverty rate is also higher than the national average, at 15.8 percent. This gap has been widened every year since 2013. Not only is Oklahoma one of the most uninsured states in the union, but more Oklahomans are becoming vulnerable to the effects of remaining uninsured. But it gets worse. Oklahoma also has the fourth-highest childhood uninsured rate in the country. 8.1 percent of Oklahoma children live without insurance, and that number has grown since 2016. The Affordable Care Act met legal challenges from Republican legislatures as soon as it was passed. As a result of this litigation, states currently have the right to reject federal money intended to expand state Medicaid services. For Oklahoma, that means turning down roughly $3.6 billion over the last seven years. As a result, the rate of uninsured Oklahomans has not fallen at the same rate as the national average, and has even gotten worse recently. Gov. Stitt has issued assurances that his administration would offer a “Plan B” alternative to expanding Medicaid, but has not offered details about what such a plan would look like. But a new initiative aims to change this bleak reality. Earlier this month, Oklahomans Decide Healthcare was formed with the goal of putting Medicaid expansion on

the 2020 ballot. If passed, the plan would bring home roughly $1 billion in federal funds to expand coverage. “Folks in other states are getting healthcare that over 200,000 Oklahomans are not getting,” said Oklahomans Decide spokesperson Amber England. The petition faced a legal challenge from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative think tank, on the grounds that the gist was flawed, and that the proposed law would grant power to the federal government that should belong to the State Legislature. They further argued that expanding Medicaid would create an entitlement program controlled by the federal government at the cost of the state. On June 19, the State Supreme Court rejected those arguments. Critics say expanding Medicaid would place too much financial strain on the state, but the federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost under the plan, providing essential care to Oklahomans who would otherwise go without treatment. Proponents of the initiative see it not only as an opportunity to do right by Oklahoma’s most vulnerable residents, but to reclaim federal tax dollars. “We are losing over a billion dollars a year, that we’re sending out to Washington D.C.,” England said. “That’s taxpayer dollars we’re already sending in to Washington. We’re just not recapturing it into our communities.” Although the exact date has yet to be set by the Secretary of State, the group hopes to begin taking up signatures around the end of July or early August. They will need 178,000 signatures to reach the 2020 ballot. — FRASER KASTNER July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


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THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13


citybites

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Neighborhood JAM | VALERIE WEI-HAAS

Tulsa’s emerging restaurants of 2019 by TTV STAFF and MADELINE EWING

Prospect Local Bar and Kitchen | MICHELLE POLLARD

JULY 2 MARKED 183 DAYS OF 2019, meaning we are officially halfway through the year. Since January, many creative and delicious menus have popped up all over town. From fresh takes on brunch to authentic Cuban fare, Tulsa’s new kids on the block are serving up first-rate cuisine for all tastes and occasions. If you haven’t paid a visit to these new hotspots, what are you waiting for?

MANGOS CUBAN CAFE 317 S. Trenton Ave., Suite A 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Friday–Saturday Authentic Cuban cuisine is the star at this this vibrant new cafe. For those whose hearts are in Havana, Mangos makes a top-notch Cubano, and they’re working on a vegan picadillo recipe that should be available soon.

NEIGHBORHOOD JAM 4830 E. 61st St. S, Suite 300 6:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. daily An extensive brunch menu makes Neighborhood JAM a morning must. With breakfast staples and creative specialties—we’re looking at you, Hot Jam Biscuit—there’s something for everyone.

PUB W 4830 E. 61st St., Suite 100 11 a.m.–midnight Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–midnight Saturday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Sunday Made in house and from scratch, Pub W features tons of irresistible signature menu items, including Squashpuppies, a southern delicacy served with honey butter and jalapeño jam.

Bobby-O’s | GREG BOLLINGER

SWAMP HOUSE 1529 E. 3rd St. 11 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, closed Mondays Across the street from Leon Russel’s iconic Church Studio, Swamp House creates a great environment for drinking, dining and live music. Their patio pairs well with a number of house cocktails, as well as the “Bayou Bites” appetizers. PROSPECT LOCAL BAR AND KITCHEN Located in Hotel Indigo, 121 S. Elgin Ave. 6:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., 4:30–10 p.m. daily Prospect Local Bar and Kitchen serves elevated comfort food in style. You’ll find down-home, stick-to-your-ribs staples inspired by the appetites of oil field workers in the 1920s. Prospect offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.

14 // FOOD & DRINK

BOBBY O’S SLICES & PIES 1502 E. 11th St. 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Tuesday–Wednesday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday Bobby O’s serves “Tulsa-style” pizza by the slice, half-slice or whole pie on historic Route 66. Choose from one of their signature topping combos, or build your own creation. Bobby O’s also offers vegan and gluten free pizzas. SOCIETY New location coming soon “Food and fellowship” is the name of the game at Society. Select from burgers, sandwiches and salads paired with one of their 16 local brews on tap. Their Cherry Street location has been going strong for a year, but a sister restaurant at 101st Street and Mingo Road is set to open this summer. July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


Chef De Cuisine Brian Green At Peacemaker Lobster and Crab Co. Chef De Cuisine Brian Green, who works alongside James Beard Awardwinning Executive Chef Kevin Nashan, has two concerns: “bringing great food and a good time to our customers.” Green believes restaurants are like people because they are unique

in what they offer. His favorite thing on the menu at Peacemaker is the seafood towers. “How can you go wrong on a hot day with a big tower of ice-cold seafood and a glass (or two) of Rosé?” he said. Try it for yourself at Peacemaker — don’t forget to order a lobster roll too!

PEACEMAKER LOBSTER & CRAB CO. 313 E. 2nd St • 918.551.6781 • peacemakerlobstercrab.com

Kirk Anthony Swaby Kirk Anthony Swaby has been cooking since he was seven years old. He grew up in the kitchen with his mom, grandma and aunts teaching him how it’s done in Jamaica. That experience has resulted in his favorite dish: the Market Fish.

“We change and get our fish flown in fresh directly to us a few times per week … it really allows us to introduce our creative side while giving a memorable experience,” he said. Try the ever-changing fish for yourself at Chalkboard.

THE CHALKBOARD 1324 S. Main St. • 918.582.1964 • chalkboardtulsa.com

Philip Phillips Lone Wolf and Chicken and the Wolf’s chef Philip Phillips never went to culinary school. Instead he learned the trade from chefs at several restaurants he hopped to and from. He turned this experience and knowledge toward creating the Lone Wolf Food Truck with his partner, Danielle. Since it’s birth, Lone Wolf has grown to have three store fronts including the spinoff restaurant, Chicken and the Wolf. “Cooking is my life. It’s all I think about, it’s all I do,” he said. “It’s not just food, we are creating an experience.” Phillips also focuses on creating incredible food to get people excited about the food scene in Tulsa. “We always strive to improve what we do so we can make an incredibly fun and inspirational experience for our home town,” he said. If you want to try out his recipes, Phillips recommends the hot Nashville fried chicken sandwich. Don’t forget to order extra pickles, you’re going to need them. LONE WOLF 3136 E. 11th St. (11th Street)

918.861.4232 203 E. Archer St. (Downtown)

CHICKEN AND THE WOLF 1124 S. Lewis Ave. (Mother Road Market)

918.271.5262 chickenandthewolf.com

918.728.7778 lonewolftulsa.com THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

FOOD & DRINK // 15


You can never go wrong with one of these classic Tulsa restaurants, from the first McNellie’s Pub to the one and only Jane’s Delicatessen. Where should you eat tonight? This list is a good start. No hidden gems here, just solid Tulsa standbys that never disappoint. ANDOLINI’S PIZZERIA 1552 E. 15th St. 222 S. Main St., Broken Arrow 500 Riverwalk Terrace #100, Jenks

FAT GUY’S BURGER BAR 140 N. Greenwood Ave. 7945 S. Memorial Dr. HIDEAWAY 1419 E. 15th St. 7877 E. 51st St. 5966 S. Yale Ave. 7549 S. Olympia Ave. 10461 S. Memorial Dr.

ANDOLINI’S SLICED 114 S. Detroit Ave. 1124 S. Lewis Ave., Mother Road Market Bramble Breakfast and Bar | MICHELLE POLLARD

BLUE ROSE CAFE 1924 Riverside Dr.

JANE’S DELICATESSEN 2626 E. 11th St.

BRAMBLE BREAKFAST AND BAR 1302 E. 6th St. 400 Riverwalk Ter., #100

JUNIPER 324 E. 3rd St.

CAZ’S CHOWHOUSE 18 E. Brady St.

LAFFA 111 N. Main St.

CHALKBOARD RESTAURANT 1324 S. Main St.

LONE WOLF BANH MI 3136 E. 11th St. 203 E. Archer St.

COSMO CAFE 3334 S. Peoria Ave.

MCNELLIE’S PUB 409 E. 1st St.

DILLY DINER 402 E. 2nd St. Lone Wolf | VALERIE WEI-HAAS

MCNELLIE’S SOUTH CITY 7031 S. Zurich Ave.

DUET 108 N. Detroit Ave.

PEACEMAKER LOBSTER & CRAB CO. 313 E. 2nd St.

DUST BOWL LANES AND LOUNGE 211 S. Elgin Ave. EL GUAPO’S 332 E. 1st St. 8161 S. Harvard Ave.

SMOKE. ON CHERRY STREET 1542 E. 15th St. SMOKE WOODFIRE GRILL 201 S. Main St., Owasso

ELGIN PARK 325 E. M.B. Brady St.

THE TAVERN 201 N. Main St.

ELOTE 514 S. Boston Ave.

YOKOZUNA 309 E. 2nd St. 9146 S. Yale, Suite 100 a

FASSLER HALL 304 S. Elgin Ave. Jane’s Delicatessen | MICHELLE POLLARD

BES T SE AT S IN TOW N FOR F REEDOM FES T J U LY 4 T H , 2 0 1 9

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$ 5 A DMIS SION L I V E MUSIC W / BC A ND T HE BIG RIG elwoodstulsa July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


Stephen Lindstrom Stephen Lindstrom is the executive chef of Bird & Bottle and The Bramble Breakfast & Bar. His favorite part of his position is the room for creativity and collaboration. “My favorite dishes are the spontaneous ones, we offer a lot of specials through the week and it gives myself and my kitchen staff an opportunity to use the freshest local product that we can’t year-round,” Lindstrom said. “Though I can appreciate the house favorite, like the Brick Chicken, my favorite thing to do is to collaborate nightly with my team.” Lindstrom focuses on creating a healthy space for his cooks to create and grow in. “We try to use the freshest ingredients, make almost all product in house, create positive work environment and encourage growth with our Restaurant Group,” he said. Try his fresh, local and spontaneous dishes for yourself at Bird & Bottle and The Bramble Breakfast & Bar.

BIRD & BOTTLE 3324 E. 31st St., Suite M • 918.895.6468 birdandbottletulsa.com THE BRAMBLE BREAKFAST & BAR 1302 E. 6th St. • 539.664.5635 bramblebartulsa.com

Nico Albert Nico Albert has been in the restaurant industry since she was 17 years old working her way through the ranks of the kitchen until she landed at Duet. “It’s never boring around here,” she said. “I love being able to be creative with our menu and specials.” Albert thinks Duet stands apart because of its affordable luxury. “We make inventive, flavorful food and serve it in a beautiful atmosphere, for a price that will let you eat here every day of the week,” she said. Albert doesn’t think Duet is the only great restaurant in town though. “There are great places to eat here, run by genuinely awesome, hard-working and community-minded entrepreneurs. I’m proud to be a part of this city’s food culture,” she said. Stop by Duet to try her personal favorite, Honey Brined Roast Chicken. Or just try any menu item, Albert said she has a personal attachment to them all. DUET RESTAURANT + JAZZ 108 N. Detroit Ave. • 918.398.7201 duetjazz.com THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

FOOD & DRINK // 17


foodfile

Dining after dark Satisfying late-night appetites in Tulsa by ANGELA EVANS

T

he summer sun washes over Tulsa, fi lling longer days with party-all-night vibes. But when it comes to fi lling our bellies, sometimes we get too distracted by the buzz of activity—and by the time the sun starts to dip, so has our blood sugar. Most respites for hungry solstice seekers shut their doors by 10 p.m., leaving only haggard night owl haunts like Waffl e House or Village Inn. Sometimes, though, you crave something as indulgent as the evening itself. The Tulsa restaurants below embrace the dark side, providing crucial summer sustenance well into the wee hours. So no matter where the sultry midsummer night takes you, you can stay fueled up with some of Tulsa’s best late-night nibbles.

MIXCO Kitchen Hours: Monday-Thursday 4 p.m. to Midnight; Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. The sleek, chilled basement lair of MixCo is the perfect way to transition from brutal summer temps. Known for a stellar list of cocktails and brews, their food menu keeps it sizzling well into the evening with a playful approach to bar fare. The new summer menu features some kicked-up vegan options, like seitan wings served with vegan avocado ranch. And in addition to achiote pork or green chili chicken street tacos, seitan chorizo is now available to make your vegan taco dreams come true. (Also available in taco salad form!) Carnivores can still mix it up, too, with the luxurious Stepdad Burger (half price after 9 p.m.), house-made beef jerky bites for fi ve bucks, loaded chicken nachos, 18 // FOOD & DRINK

For only fi ve bucks, you can get your choice of a burger or half order of wings and half a Guinness, or an order of fi sh and chips, sans beer.) TACOS DON FRANCISCO Kitchen Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Phat Philly’s is a late-night staple for hungry night owls in Tulsa. | VALERIE WEI-HAAS

or pimento cheese and chicharrones. (It is common knowledge that dipping a warm, crispy pork rind in ooey-gooey pimento cheese will offset any damage done from the previous hours of celebratory deeds.) HODGE’S BEND Kitchen Hours: Monday-Thursday 4 p.m. to Midnight; Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. This cozy coffee shop and highend cocktail bar hybrid serves up Tulsa’s favorite latte and Old Fashion, but it is also a top spot for high-end, end-of-the-night bites. Open daily, Hodge’s kitchen churns out sophisticated bar food like charred green beans with pepitas (pumpkin seeds), goat cheese, and chipotle crema. But they also knock it out of the park with their Hodges Burger, featuring ground beef from Prairie Creek Farms, an addictive garlic aioli, red onion and arugula. They have a variety of vegetarian

offerings, too, like the cashew tikka masala and spicy caulifl ower wings, but keep it balanced with a fried chicken offering and a farmfresh pork chop with cheddar grits. And with a kitchen that stays open until 1 a.m., you can get a satisfying last meal before last call. KILKENNY’S IRISH PUB Kitchen Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. This Cherry Street haunt has long been a late-night headquarters for post-adventure meet-ups with friends to either keep the party going, or to slow it down with some rib-sticking Irish fare. With a menu chock-full of dainty delights like mussels or brie in pastry drizzled with honey, or the hefty traditional Irish breakfast, Kilkenny’s has something to please every palate and appetite. (Pro-tip: Kilkenny’s off-menu specials are available after 10 p.m.

The real Don of late-night dining is hands down Tacos Don Francisco, satisfying booze-induced appetites with the most heavenly post-last-call meal you’ll never fully remember, but always appreciate. Tacos, of course, are in order—with seven meats to choose from—but their enormous tortas and burritos are an excellent choice as well. And if you are truly pulling an all-nighter, the Tacos Don has got your back with their restorative breakfast burritos starting at 9 a.m. daily. PHAT PHILLY’S Kitchen Hours: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. The latest of the late-night crawlers know that Phat Philly’s is a post-bar grub oasis, a secret stash for those who are looking to end the evening with a glorious gut bomb of cheesesteak goodness. Phat Philly’s munchie-centric menu puts their classic cheesesteak front-and-center, loaded up with chopped and griddled steak, grilled onions, bell peppers and whiz, then rolled up tight. Their tots and waffl e fries can also be whizzed up with cheese, and you won’t want to sleep on their buffalo wings. Honestly, if you haven’t woken up hung over, face covered in Phat Philly’s cheese sauce from the night before, then you’ve never had a proper latenight rager in Tulsa. a July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


201 S MAIN ST

DOWNTOWN OWA S SO

918 401 4353 MADE ATSOK.COM

1542 E. 15th St., Tulsa • 918-949-4400 201 S. Main, Owasso • 918-401-4343 smokewoodfiregrill.com

Honey, I drizzled the pizza! Fan favorite The Pollinator is back!

Call in the troops! Our all-new pizza The Fort is covered in smoked burnt ends and crushed BBQ chips!

The Stillwater-inspired 3rd Street Special is in your ‘hood!

Take a saucy,meaty,cheesy bite of The BBQ Burnt Ends Sandwich!

Enjoy Limitless Flavor for a Limited Time! | 7 Tulsa Metro Locations | HideawayPizza.com THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

FOOD & DRINK // 19


Not just an ordinary bar T U L S A’ S P R E M I E R E D A N C E C L U B

Voted Best LGBTQ+ Bar & Best Nightclub THURS, FRI, SUN 18+ to enter, 21+ to drink SAT 21+ only

Join us for the tastiest Chicken & Waffles in Tulsa! 18 East M. B. Brady St. 918-588-2469 cazschowhouse.com

Hardesty Center Tulsa Arts District

Arrive Early. Stay Late. The Tulsa Arts District is home to retail and service shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, galleries, museums, parks, private businesses, residences and historic music venues. Plan to arrive early and stay late in the Tulsa Arts District!

21 E M.B. Brady St 918-585-8587

124 N. Boston Ave 918-584-9494 clubmajestictulsa.com

FIRST

TULSA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP

FRIDAY

Everyone is Welcome. Everyone is Creative.

FIRST FRIDAY HOURS /// 6-9PM

ART CRAWL

JULY 5TH

ARCHER STUDIOS

109 N. MLK, JR. BLVD. E.

facebook.com/TulsaArtsDistrict @TulArtsDist

#TulArtsDist

TheTulsaArtsDistrict.org

20 // TULSA ARTS DISTRICT GUIDE

CAMERON STUDIOS 303 N. MAIN ST.

Join us at both our Archer and Cameron Studio locations for open studios, group exhibitions, pop up performances and more. Free and open to all.

@TulsaArtistFellowship #TulsaArtistFellowship

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


downthehatch

Nothing’s Left Brewing Co. will soon be rolling out new offerings featuring fresh peaches from Livesay Orchards in Porter. | LACY RICHARDS

NATURE’S CANDY (IN A KEG)

Open Tues. - Sat. 11am - 7pm 217 E. Archer Historic tulsa Arts District (918) 619-6353

Nothing’s Left Brewing Co. throws Porter peaches in the mix

OPEN NOW

KING OF THE BOOGIE THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

NOTHING’S LEF T BRE WING CO. founder and head brewer Travis Richards is known for bold, attention-grabbing recipes. With a roster of beers that boast ingredients like Quaker’s oatmeal packets, blueberry muffins, peanut butter, and cotton candy, his beers are designed with purpose, spontaneity and playfulness. They’re meant to taste good—and to make you smile. With summer in full swing, the brewery is currently whipping up seasonal specialties made with Livesay Orchard peaches from Porter, Oklahoma. One barrel of a peach milkshake IPA and two barrels of a Porter peach sour ale are already in production. Porter peaches were chosen because they evoke a sentimental feeling that’s quintessentially Green Country. Richards says they remind him of family. “It’s just one of those things, man. We’d take small little trips out there just to visit,” he said. “We grew up eating [Porter peaches], and I just want to put them in a beer.” Of all the ever-expanding styles of craft beer, there is perhaps none more hedonistic than the milkshake IPA. Richards describes his brewery’s basic formula for the style: “It’s a hazy IPA base. We add lactose which adds just a bit of sweetness, but really what it does is it kind of bulks up the mouthfeel and the body, so it becomes

just a hint softer. And we also brew ours with some wheat, and some flaked oats as well, which lends to the softness of the mouthfeel as well. Then we add just a hint of vanilla.” The peaches will be added after the main fermentation. With the addition of New Zealand Motu and Idaho 7 hop varieties, the result should turn out not unlike a chewy, hoppy, sweet peach creamsicle with a hint of pineapple. The sour ale will be brewed using a more improvised process, but Richards plans to dial in the tartness to compliment the flavor signature of Porter peaches. “I try to temper my beers with flavor, taste, and kind of course correct from there,” Richards said of his brewing process. The Nothing’s Left taproom is less than a year old, but Richards’ beers have already made a splash in Tulsa. “It’s been awesome. We have not had an empty tank since we opened our doors,” he said. They plan to open a new 2,400 square foot brewhouse next door to add more brewing capacity. The special edition Porter peach should be available in the taproom by the second week of July, and if customers’ responses to their past fruit-based beers are any indicator of what to expect, these batches should be gone quick. Check Nothing’s Left’s social media for details on release date. — BRADY WHISENHUNT FOOD & DRINK // 21


The berries have bloomed, the peaches are ripe, and summer’s bounty has officially arrived in Oklahoma. You’ll find fresh fruit festivals in every corner of the Sooner State, and we’ve put together the perfect road trip itinerary for hitting the highlights. So grab your bushels, pack up the fam and head out to experience these home-grown celebrations.

JAY HUCKLEBERRY FESTIVAL July 4–6 • South Main Street; Jay, OK The huckleberry capital of the world invites you to a citywide festival celebrating these delicious farm-to-table huckleberries. The carnival runs from July 3–7 at the RFC Pavilion Parking lot in Jay. On July 4, the city will have a fireworks show at the RFC Outdoor stage. The action ramps up July 5–6, with car races, foot races, music, arts, crafts and more. Visit jaychamber.org for a full schedule of events.

Porter Peach Festival | COURTESY

Summe ime sw tn s Road trip to Oklahoma’s fresh fruit festivals and farms BY TTV STAFF AND KAYLIE COTTEN

Porter Peach Festival | COURTESY

MCLOUD BLACKBERRY FESTIVAL July 11–13 • Citywide; McLoud, OK Founded in 1895, the town of McLoud has been celebrating the harvest of local blackberries since the 1940s. The McLoud Blackberry Festival kicks off July 11 and continues through July 13. The parade steps off at 10 a.m. July 13, and the fun continues with a blackberry baking contest, cobbler eating contest and on-stage performances. The festival wraps up with fireworks at 10 p.m. Visit mcloudchamber.org for a full schedule of events. PORTER PEACH FESTIVAL July 18–20 • Main Street in Porter off Highway 51B Since its inception in 1960, the Porter Peach Festival has offered bushels of fun for all ages. The festival opens July 18 with a carnival, games, an art show, a talent show and live music. The celebration continues July 19 with a cooking contest, street games and a rodeo. The Peach Festival Parade steps off at 11 a.m. July 20, with free peaches and ice cream at 1 p.m. Visit porterpeachfestivals.com for a full list of events. STRATFORD PEACH FESTIVAL July 20 • 701 S. Pine Ave.; Stratford, OK There’s no such thing as too many fresh peaches. Stratford’s festival packs all the fun into one day, making it a perfect day trip destination. For the earlybirds, the annual Stratford Peach Festival features a free pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. Throughout the day, there will be festival games, a classic car show and live entertainment. Don’t leave without picking up a bushel of peaches from one of the seven local orchards. VALLIANT WATERMELON FESTIVAL July 26–27 • Citywide; Valliant, OK Each summer on the third Saturday in July, Valliant hosts their annual watermelon festival. Celebrate your favorite summer fruit with a watermelon slice in one hand and a horseshoe in the other. There are plenty of friendly competitions—the horseshoe tournament, turtle races, seed spitting, softball tournaments and pageants. Not the competitive type? Check out the quilt and photography shows, the petting zoo or the dozens of vendors. RUSH SPRINGS WATERMELON FESTIVAL Aug. 8–10 • Jeff Davis Park; Rush Springs, OK This watermelon festival has been around since 1948. Over 20,000 watermelon lovers show out to this festival each year. The event includes over 100 vendors, carnival rides, a seed-spitting contest, and much more. Find out what all the fuss is about and check out the annual car show and live performances for some family fun.

22 // FEATURED

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


YOU-PICK FARMS Endicott Farms | MICHELLE POLLARD

Bursting blackberries and sweet strawberries are a mid-summer necessity—but did you know you can get them fresh from the farm, all within a stone’s throw of Tulsa? From their farm to your table, these you-pick farms have fresh produce waiting for you. Before you go, be sure to have containers to carry your berries (and other items). Some farms have containers, but others expect you to bring your own, and most farms charge by the pound. If you go pickin’ in the middle of the day, be sure to stay hydrated—the Oklahoma sun does not show mercy on produce pickers. You also might want garden gloves, as some blackberry bushes have thorns. Here are a few area farms that invite you to pick your own produce. UNCLE BUCK’S BERRIES Just a quick jet down U.S. 75 and you’ll find Uncle Buck’s Berries in Schulter, a farm with more than 7,000 blueberry and blackberry plants. By July, blueberries are winding down, but Uncle Buck’s should be booming with blackberries. Uncle Buck’s is open from 5 p.m to dusk Tuesday and Thursday and by appointment on Saturday. They encourage families to bring children who are sure to get a kick out of picking their own fruit. You don’t have to BYOB (bring your own basket) at Uncle Buck’s; they’ll provide one for you. Check their Facebook page for hours and updates. GIBSON GARDENS If you can’t catch them at the Rose District Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in Broken Arrow, head out to Bixby and visit Gibson Gardens. Grab a bucket and fill it up with fresh blackberries, or purchase their delicious heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes for the perfect sauce or sandwich. Follow their Facebook page for updates on when the farm is open for business. ENDICOTT FARMS Berries abound at Endicott Farms in Liberty-Mounds. The 35-acre farm is home to luscious blueberries and delicious blackberries, open for the season Thursday–Monday. Check out endicottfarms.com for hours and more information. JOE’S FARM Another Bixby gem, Joe’s Farm offers a variety of fresh vegetables to take home to your table. From cabbage, onions, beets, kale and more, Joe’s Farm invites visitors out to get nutritious, organic produce that will make your meals unforgettable. Check back with them on Facebook for updates on hours and crops available.

F d d e oasis

GREG BOLLINGER

GREENWOOD FARMERS AND ARTISAN MARKET BRINGS FRESH PRODUCE TO NORTH TULSA

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

Of the many disparities faced by communities in North Tulsa, few have more of an impact on the health and wellbeing of residents than access to fresh, healthy food. In a community peppered with greasy spoons and fast food joints, fruits and vegetables are much harder to come by. “There’s a two-mile radius to even get to a grocery store,” said Angelia Barnett, administrative manager for Crossover Health Services on 36th Street North. “You try walking two miles with groceries. It’s not going to happen.” The Greenwood Farmers and Artisan market is trying to change that. The weekly market brings fresh produce straight from the farm to the community, along with local art and hand-crafted products every Saturday during the summer months. Launched in 2018, the market has grown to more than a dozen vendors and offers locally grown produce, farmfresh eggs and more. In addition to summer harvests and dairy products, you’ll find fresh flowers, local honey, and artisanal food products like the perfect barbecue sauce for your next cookout. Whether you’re a part of the North Tulsa community yourself, or you’re just looking for a fresh alternative to your usual farmer’s market fare, the Greenwood Farmers and Artisan Market is a great place to connect with your neighbors and reap the bounty of summer. Drop by the Greenwood Farmers and Artisan market from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Sept. 28 in the Greenwood Cultural Center parking lot at 914 N. Greenwood Ave. – TTV STAFF

BASKET OF PEACHES BY KEN HADA In afternoon sun, golden strands glow just right under a bright red rim, blend with pink, soft purple fruit – one stacked against another, one on top peaking above the others

the one you will touch first, and hold like the hand of a child, feel skin soften your own callous flesh

then set it aside to inspect two or three more, considering the paradox of firm skin covering a river of juice, anticipating a sticky stream from the corners of your mouth dripping down to your elbows.

You decide on the whole basket. They belong together.

For a time everything fits. The world is fine, an eternal garden.

You set the basket on a dependable table covered with patterned cloth, adjust window shades – evening sunbeams slip through yellowing a basket, rimmed in red, full of the sweet promise of tomorrow.

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C R E A T U R E C O M F O R T S Solvi n g Tu lsa ’s r eg i o nal i dent i t y c ri si s— w ith sna kes BY M. MOLLY BACKES

I

s Tulsa in the Midwest? This is the question I have been most frequently asked since I moved here from Wisconsin in January. My kneejerk reaction is to say no, but I am the kind of Midwestern purist who doesn’t consider Kansas to be part of the Midwest (the Great Plains are a separate region!) and will only grudgingly include Missouri. After growing up in Wisconsin, I went to school in Iowa, and later moved to Chicago, all of which are so solidly Midwestern that it’s hardly worth discussing. But in Oklahoma, the central hub where so many geographical regions—Midwest, Southeast, South, Southwest, West—converge, our regional identity is much more ambiguous. Oklahoma as a whole is not part of the Midwest, that much seems certain. The western half of the state has more in common with New Mex-

ico’s high desert plains, while the southeastern corner so closely identifi es with the South that it calls itself “Little Dixie.” But Tulsa—maybe? In a 2012 essay for This Land Press, “South by Midwest: Or, Where Is Oklahoma?” TTV contributor Russell Cobb—similarly perplexed by the Midwestern question—examined Oklahoma’s regional identity crisis through a variety of metrics like dialect, religion and politics. But the Tulsa question deserves its own consideration. To determine where Tulsa truly belongs, we could use any number of measures—music, food, architecture, climate—and perhaps arrive at as many different conclusions. But when I was most recently confronted with this question, the fi rst thing that came to my mind was … snakes. Specifi cally, the cottonmouths who were then haunting Tulsa’s fl ooded streets. The Midwest doesn’t have venomous water snakes, but Tulsa does. Therefore, I argued, Tulsa belongs to whatever region has the most venomous water snakes. This line of thinking made me consider how much could I learn about Tulsa by investigating its creepier, crawlier residents. Could I fi gure out which region Tulsa belongs to by researching who might try to bite me? Well, I could certainly try.

S N A K E S Of the 46 species of snake native to Oklahoma, only seven are venomous, and of these, only four—the copperhead, northern cottonmouth (also known as the water moccasin, among 24 // FEATURED

other names), timber rattlesnake, and western pygmy rattlesnake—live in Tulsa County. They share overlapping ranges across the southeastern United States. While the cottonmouth and pygmy rattlesnake spread across the Gulf Coast region and up along the South Atlantic, the copperhead and timber rattlesnake’s ranges cover the entire American South and even stretch into parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Based on our venomous snake population, Tulsa is part of the greater American South. V E R D I C T: T H E S O U T H

S P I D E R S There are at least 32 different species of spiders in Oklahoma, but the three most vexing are the brown recluse, black widow and Oklahoma brown tarantula. (Unlike the other two, tarantulas are not venomous, but they are extremely large.) The easiest way to describe the tarantula’s range is that it covers Oklahoma and every state that Oklahoma touches, plus Louisiana, which means that it stretches from the Mississippi River in the east to the Four Corners in the west. Brown recluse spiders signifi cantly overlap tarantulas, but their range extends much farther east, nearly to the Carolinas, and does not extend past Oklahoma in the west. Based on our brown spiders, Tulsa belongs to a region I’m calling the Southern Middle. Black widow spiders are the outliers here. Central Oklahoma marks the southwestern tip July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


PRAIRIE RATTLESNAKE WESTERN DIAMONDBACK TIMBER RATTLESNAKE COPPERHEAD COTTONMOUTH PYGMY RATTLESNAKE

U. S . SNAKES BY REGION of their range, which extends north and east through Appalachia and into the Mid-Atlantic, reaching all the way into southern Ontario. In fact, recent studies suggest the black widow’s range has been moving north over time, and may soon reach as far as Montreal. Based on these spiders, Tulsa belongs to the Upland South, and possibly Canada. V E R D I C T: T H E S O U T H E R N MIDDLE AND UPLAND SOUTH

T I C K S Oklahoma is home to a number of tick species, several of which pose a threat to livestock and poultry, but there are four species most likely to bite humans: the American dog tick, also called the wood tick; the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick; the Gulf Coast tick; and the lone star tick. (With regional differences and overlapping identifi cations, tick names can be confusing. I’m using names from the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension.) Of the four, the American dog tick and the black-legged tick cover the most ground: Their ranges stretch across the entire eastern half of the country, from Mexico to Canada and from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Ocean. The lone star tick has the next-largest range, also covering the eastern half of the country but not quite reaching into the upper Midwest. However, recent studies indicate that the lone star tick’s range may be larger than scientists originally believed, and currently expanding. The Gulf THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

WESTERN M A S S A S AU G A

Coast tick has the smallest range, which—as the name suggests—stretches along the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic states, plus Arkansas and Oklahoma. In other words, we share the majority of our ticks with the eastern half of the U.S., but our Gulf Coast ticks get us into a much more exclusive club. One more interesting bit of tick-related data: While Oklahoma has high incidences of a number of tick-borne illnesses, including Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichiosis, we have a very low incidence of Lyme disease, which shows up most frequently in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin) and Northeast. V E R D I C T: T H E E A S T A N D G U L F C OA S T

BONUS ROUND

A L L I G A T O R S Tulsa does not have alligators, but Oklahoma does: There is a small nesting population in the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in McCurtain County. (Sightings have also been reported in Lake Texoma.) Like the Gulf Coast tick, the American alligator’s range includes all states along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic, plus Arkansas and Oklahoma. Unlike the Gulf Coast tick, the American alligator can grow to be more than 11 feet long and weigh close to 1,000 pounds. V E R D I C T: A B S O LU T E LY N O T THE MIDWEST

C O N C L U S I O N Based on this data, Tulsa has the most in common with the southeastern U.S., and specifi cally with the states along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic. As I mapped it out, I was struck by an invisible line that kept appearing to divide the species of the eastern half of the country from those of the west. As it turns out, this line, approximately following the 100th meridian west, has long been considered the boundary between the humid east and arid west. Tulsa, of course, is on the eastern side of this divide, so it makes sense that we share more species with the warm wetlands of the Gulf Coast than with the dry deserts and grasslands of the West and Southwest. However, recent data suggests that this invisible line has been moving slowly eastward due to climate change—which means that Tulsa may one day fi nd itself on the other side. a FEATURED // 25


JOY HARJO | SHAWN MILLER, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

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July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


F

rom her 10 collections of poetry to her memoir Crazy Brave (2012), Joy Harjo blends traditions and myths drawn from her Muscogee (Creek) heritage, poignant insights into relationships and ordinary life, the power of womanhood, and a language that confronts both the spiritual and natural worlds. Her place among American poets reached its highest recognition on June 19 when she was named U.S. Poet Laureate—the first Indigenous writer to ever hold the honor. Harjo speaks truth to power regarding the significance of Native American life and its complex role in world history. Her poems are studied in high schools and universities across the globe. Harjo’s work draws from her early years in Tulsa, her time studying in New Mexico, and her career in New York City. But in her poem “The Last Song” (1975), Harjo writes, “oklahoma will be the last song / i’ll ever sing.”

MASON WHITEHORN POWELL: First off, congratulations from myself and The Tulsa Voice. JOY HARJO: Aw, thank you. POWELL: Where were you when you received the news? HARJO: I was sitting here in my studio on Archer [Street] and I had been sent a message a day or two before asking if I had time to speak—they just had a simple question and I figured it was about something else. So when I called and got the news from the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, to tell me they wanted me to be the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate it was—it’s a momentous event. What can you say? Nothing compares to it except maybe a kind of tornado that works in another direction. POWELL: Since the announcement, you’ve commented that this accomplishment is bigger than yourself. Can you talk about that? HARJO: When I say it’s “bigger than myself,” it brings honor to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, to all those relatives and ancestors on both sides of my family that have everything to do with the poetry in the first place. It’s an accomplishment that represents—I can’t represent everybody—but it’s symbolic I suppose. It’s an honor that extends to and opens the door for all Indigenous poets and writers, and young writers and poets everywhere who often come up through different pathways than the usual trajectory of a poet. POWELL: In what ways have you noticed the landscape of Indigenous poetry change since your first publication, The Last Song, in 1975? HARJO: Oh, it’s so different now. The Last Song came out when I was an undergrad student at The University of New Mexico and I had gone from being a pre-med back to art and then eventually a creative writing degree—and there was no internet then, no cellphones, no texting; it was such a different world. Publishing was a different world. It’s shifted greatly. I came in at a time when there was a great flowering of Native poets and writers, multicultural writers—African American, Mexican American, Chicano, Asian American—it was a huge flowering going on in the late ‘70s. And then through the ‘80s and ‘90s it started to get a little thin, but lately there’s been this huge blossoming again of Native poets, so much that there are three major anthologies of Native poetry coming out—two of them are out, and another one is getting ready to be published next fall. None THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

JOY TO THE WORLD TULSA’S JOY HARJO BECOMES THE FIRST INDIGENOUS U.S. POET LAUREATE BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

of them are repetitive; there’s so much going on. So many fine young Native poets. POWELL: What’s in store? What’s the future for Native poets and writers?

HARJO: Well I think every book I’ve done has everything to do with cultural trauma. I see almost every poem as some sort of investigation of it, triumph over it, or acknowledgement of it. POWELL: Do you think that today in the 21st century, younger Indigenous people might be in some ways further from those cultural traumas? How can they understand their history and connect with it in a meaningful way? HARJO: Oh, I don’t think they’re far from it at all. They may not know the exact names, they may not know the exact details, but they carry it. We carry these things forward until we undo the knot, until we find a way to transform the materials into something beautiful and useful. So they’re doing the same thing. They’re dealing with so much. I really feel for these young people. POWELL: Thank you for saying that. I can only approach this from my own Osage perspective. We always have to understand that there’s so many other Indigenous cultures and peoples, and sometimes it’s hard to bridge those gaps of understanding. HARJO: There are. I think most of the country doesn’t realize that we’re such diverse nations: Indigenous Nations—that’s a particular layer, and then you have the layer of immigrant cultures which are very diverse. I mean there’s diversity even in a family. We’re all not the same person. We may have very divergent takes on culture and the world. We’re not a stereotype. We’re not one person. We’re not locked back with the Calvary killing us all off. We’re here and we’re vibrant and living and we have so many stories to tell and so many songs to sing—we’ve barely touched it. So, the young people have so much to explore and so much work to do alongside the rest of us who have been at it for such a long time. POWELL: An American Sunrise is forthcoming this year. What can readers expect from this new collection?

HARJO: Let’s see, the future. Well poetry is the art that often speaks beyond what you know and it can often be prophetic. Sometimes I think of a poem like a pocket—a kind of basket or container that contains a particular moment in history and time, and usually there’s a season and a part of land associated with it; and when you enter that space and come out the other side of a poem, you’ve been changed. Also, if you’ve listened, you know yourself a little better.

HARJO: That collection is built around—well, one of the American stories, which is the removal of Native peoples from the east to Oklahoma, so I take a particular thread with that from my own family. Following one Trail of Tears for one part of my family—there were many of them— because there’s a lot of relatives and a lot of family lines [that] go into a genealogy. So I follow one of my sets of grandparents, their trail, and it’s about how we got here, and maybe where we’re going.

POWELL: More than most poets, your work has a very strong spiritual element. What’s it like translating those aspects of your life into words?

POWELL: What does it mean to you personally to return to Tulsa as a Tulsa Artist Fellow and be firmly rooted in that place right now?

HARJO: I don’t know that I try to do it consciously, I just do what I was given to do. That means I write about sort of what nudges me or taps me on the shoulder and what touches me. A lot of people have the misconception that poets—that our lives just go from inspiration to inspiration and if we’re not inspired then we do crazy things to make ourselves inspired. But it’s often a lonely art, and you get to know yourself because you spend long hours sitting and thinking and not thinking and reading and engaging— really engaging with the unseen presence of what words mean, how they mean, history, the earth-herself and so on. That’s what we poets do and then we render our perceptions and the sounds and the questions and the understandings, we render them into these constructions called “poems.”

HARJO: Well, coming home is a long, long story [laughs]. There’s a lot of artists all over the world. There’s always this story of people all over the world, of leaving and coming back and the return home. I came back in 2011 to help my mother, and when she passed, I had moved back within a month. It surprised me. And I had been gone since I left to go to Indian boarding school in the late ‘60s. So, that was a big thing, to come back, because it meant facing all the challenges I fled from—you always have to come back and face them. But it also meant a renewal. It became very clear to me that this is where I was planted, and this is where the rest of my work was to be done. Of course, my work is all over the world, but ever since coming back, everything has clicked into place. It’s interesting. My destiny is so tied in with Oklahoma—it’s so tied in with my Muscogee (Creek) people. I’ve probably known that since I was a little child, because they were always—the ancestors—they’re always with all of us. But I could always feel them right there with me. a

POWELL: I’m curious about how you approach cultural trauma and other historical elements in your work. I think it’s a sensitive subject and it’s often hard for non-Natives to understand these issues.

FEATURED // 27


TAKE TW What started last year as a 90th birthday bash has become a flagship anchor for Tulsa’s iconic independent theater. The 2nd Annual Circle Cinema Film Festival kicks off July 11 and runs through July 15. It’s the kind of Tulsa movie-going experience that only the Circle can provide. Following last year’s success, Circle Cinema President Clark Wiens and Film Programmer Chuck Foxen realized that Tulsa’s sole independent theater had a unique ability to present indie and local cinema with Oklahoma roots in a whole new way, and that people would show up for it. “Every year we get the opportunity to screen films on the festival circuit,” Foxen said. But not all receive distribution or have an opportunity to fit into Circle’s schedule. “The Circle Cinema Film Festival allows us to program about three months of films into a week-long celebration.” It’s also a chance to showcase local talent. “Every film has a special guest and an Oklahoma connection,” Foxen said. From four world premieres to other acclaimed movies that have debuted at prestigious festivals like Sundance and South by Southwest, Foxen is excited about “a kick-ass lineup” that ranges from feature films to documentaries to shorts, along with a range of after-party blowouts and can’t-miss special events.

THURSDAY, JULY 11 EDGECOMBE (2018) – noon Directed by Crystal Kayiza | Documentary Short | Meet the Filmmaker This documentary examines how the traumatic history of the African American experience continues to haunt, repeat and reinvent itself in rural black communities. Jenks High School film teacher Clifton Rapheal will moderate a discussion with Crystal Kayiza, a Jenks graduate, about the making of her film. A “Kitchen 66 box lunch” will be provided with each ticket purchase. See pg. 30.

CCFF All Access Pass $175. Individual screenings $12 unless otherwise noted. All events are ticketed except for those listed as free. For tickets and more information, visit the Circle website at circlecinema.org.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT BY CHARLES ELMORE

Editor’s note: Charles Elmore is a cinematographer and participated in the production of “Terlton” and “America Heretics.” In 1985, just weeks before Independence Day, on a hot summer day in Pawnee County, the town of Terlton, Oklahoma, was devastated after a deadly explosion at a local fireworks manufacturing plant. 34 years later, filmmaker and Oklahoma native Sterlin Harjo examines a community fading in the margins, still dealing with the loss while keeping an optimistic eye to the future. The film came out of frequent interactions between Harjo and Terlton native Bobby Dean Orcutt. One interaction in particular lead Orcutt to explain the history of his hometown and the tragic events of June 25, 1985, when a fluke explosion reduced the local fireworks factory to rubble. The factory employed many of Terlton’s residents.

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Terlton examines tragedy and triumph in rural Oklahoma Orcutt and Harjo spent a day hanging around the community, and Harjo was hooked. “I like telling stories that I feel no one else would tell,” Harjo said. “If I didn’t tell this story, no one [would].” Harjo treats the subjects of Terlton with grace and humility. Growing up in Holdenville, Harjo feels a special kinship with stories from rural Oklahoma, depicting its inhabitants with respect and dignity. What Terlton strives to show is the tenacity of a community that pulls itself together, choosing to not be defined by tragedy. Years later, the residents opt to reclaim what was a defining part of their community, putting on an annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration. The annual spectacle, which residents of Terlton fundraiser entirely on their own, draws record crowds from all over. Harjo leans into that tenacious spirit. “I didn’t want to approach the story as a tragedy,” he said. Rather he “[I want] to show how the residents of Terlton celebrate, how happy they are, and how friendly they are.”

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


WO RED DOG (2019) – 7 p.m. Directed by Luke Dick | Documentary Feature | Filmmaker Q&A Luke Dick interviews his mom and other regulars at a notorious Oklahoma City strip club in this hilarious and shocking story of dancing, drugs, danger and a never-ending party. Q&A with Luke Dick follows. TU student short film La Fleur, directed by Jack Dean, will play prior to this Opening Night feature presentation. See pg. 30. THE OUTSIDERS (1983) – 7:30 p.m. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola | Narrative Feature | Walk of Fame presentation The Tulsa-set timeless classic returns to Circle Cinema. At 6 p.m., in partnership with the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Coppola’s Academy Award-winning producer Gray Frederickson will be on hand for a special Walk of Fame dedication followed by a “Conversation with Frederickson.” (Walk of Fame / Conversation exclusive event available only to a limited amount of all-access festival ticket holders.) OPENING NIGHT PARTY – 9:30 p.m. Following the screening of The Outsiders, join the “Greaser or Soc” themed After Party at the Ambassador Hotel. DJ sets by Danny Boy O’Connor and Speed Bump, along with snacks, a cash bar and special guests.

FRIDAY, JULY 12 BLUEBIRD (2019) – 7 p.m. Directed by Brian LoSchiavo | Documentary Feature | Filmmaker Q&A Dubbed Nashville’s accidental landmark, The Bluebird Café has played host to emerging singer-songwriters including eventual megastars like Taylor Swift and Oklahoma’s Garth Brooks. Q&A follows with Bluebird Café general manager, film co-producer Erika Wollam and producer/ director Brian LoSchiavo. THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

INSIDE THE 2019 CIRCLE CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL BY JEFF HUSTON

‘THE SPIRIT LIVES IN THE VOICE’ KIDS (1995) – 9:30 p.m. Directed by Larry Clark | Narrative Feature A provocative, graphic look at the lives of teenagers in New York City (directed by Tulsa native Larry Clark and written by Harmony Korine). Scott Stulen from Philbrook Museum, which is currently hosting a Larry Clark photo exhibit, will introduce the film. FRIDAY NIGHT AFTER PARTY – 8:30 p.m. Republican Hair performs at on the outdoor stage at Bar 473, with opening act David Horne and the David Hornes. $5 at the door and free for Circle Cinema Film Festival badge holders.

SATURDAY, JULY 13 HANSON 360 (2019) – Free to screen from noon to 8 p.m. Directed by Mark Steele | VR 360 Experience | World Premiere This free 360 Virtual Reality experience (available in the Circle gallery) takes the viewer into Hanson’s 3CG Records studio for a private session as Tulsa’s brotherly pop-rock trio records their single “Compromise.” Produced by Tulsa-based Steelehouse Productions. OKIES IN SILENT FILM (1920s) – 11 a.m. Silent Era Filmmakers | Film Archive Presentation | Free This curated retrospective of clips showcases the six Oklahoma actors from the Silent era, set to live musical accompaniment on Circle’s 1928 theatre pipe organ. Presented with community partner the American Theatre Organ Society (Sooner State Chapter). Hosted by Dr. Joseph Rivers, Coordinator of Music & Film Scoring and Film Studies Dept. Chair, University of Tulsa.

Words from a Bear celebrates the life and art of N. Scott Momaday Kiowa writer Navarro Scott Momaday (b. 1934) heralded what is referred to as the “Native American Renaissance” when his novel House Made of Dawn (1968) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Following this sudden success with The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969) and his esteemed poetry collection Angle of Geese (1974), Momaday’s literary output paved the way for generations of Native American writers. Kiowa director Jeffery Palmer takes on the life and vision of Momaday in his new documentary, Words from a Bear (2019). Co-produced by the PBS series American Masters, Momaday is the first Native American artist to be featured on the show in its 30-year history. Few documentaries expose an artist in so revelatory a way—capturing what writer Rilla Askew describes on-screen as Momaday’s “ineffable, unfathomable essence.” Askew is not the only Oklahoma writer attesting to Momaday’s influence. Tulsa’s own Joy Harjo, recently named U.S. Poet Laureate, says of Momaday in the film: “The Spirit lives in the voice, so everybody could hear that he was carrying something very profound.” The milestones of Momaday’s and Harjo’s successes—if separated by 50 years—are important in exposing the truth of Natives living and writing in a country that often overlooks them. Filmed before she was named the first Indigenous U.S. Poet Laureate in history, Harjo said of Momaday winning the Pulitzer: “To be a Native person and to win that was astounding, it still is. So yes, it opens doors because we were recognized as being literary.” Palmer tells Momaday’s story by using the same mythic and poetic tone animating the author’s novels and poetry. With Momaday’s personal history as the vehicle, the documentary shows how the writer translates Kiowa oral traditions into modern truths. “He understands the world in a certain way,” Palmer said. “And has always been able to unpack issues and American history, all these different things he’s unpacked through the lens of a Kiowa person’s eye and what I wanted to do was visually do that.” Momaday life is explored here, along with the landscapes and traditions that shaped him. Light is shed on several Kiowa oral traditions through animated segments, preserving these cinematically on the one hand and revealing Momaday’s relationship to them on the other. “I wanted to create an educational opportunity for young people,” Palmer said. “This is our life source. This is what’s going to keep our tribal traditions alive.” — MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

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DANCING IN THE DARK

STUDENT SHORTS: PROGRAM A – noon Young & Emerging Filmmakers | Student Shorts Program | Free The first of two programs comprised of short films made by local high school and college students. Hosted by Katie Hader.

A conversation with Red Dog director Luke Dick

OKLAHOMA SHORTS – 1 p.m. Oklahoma Filmmakers | Documentary Shorts Program | World Premiere

The Red Dog, a strip club in Oklahoma City, was notorious in the 1970s and ‘80s. Luke Dick’s mom was a dancer there when he was just a toddler, and his new film Red Dog explores the humanity and hilarity of that wild world.

TERLTON (2019) – directed by Sterlin Harjo. A World Premiere presentation, this stirring documentary is a testament to the power of community. Q&A follows with Harjo. See pg. 28.

You’ve called yourself first and foremost a storyteller. When did you know that about yourself? It wasn’t actually until I got behind the camera for the first time, which was when I was living in New York roughly 10 years ago. … I didn’t know if I’d ever have a budget for something, or if it was just gonna be me running and gunning with a camera or something like that, but that I could put things together and that it would be a craeative outlet for me. I saw the film [Red Dog]. I really didn’t know what to expect going into it. It’s a family piece. It is! It’s this great love letter to your mom to your childhood experience. How old were you when you realized that she worked there and the full story of it? I mean, I always knew that she worked at the Red Dog and I knew what the Red Dog was. But it wasn’t until I was probably somewhere between 10 and 12 that I realized she was a dancer. There wasn’t that much digested about the fact at the time. I mean, what can you do with it? … It wasn’t until I started asking her to tell me stories … there’s something, I don’t know, wild about that lifestyle, and I wanted to know more of the particulars. What was that community like for her? Those were her best friends. Her best friends are still people from the Red Dog. … When I was growing up, the Red Dog people would come out once a year for a party and pitch tents in the yard and it was crazy. My dad Randy had a bunch of crazy friends from there and they would bring like, explosives and shit like that. It was pretty nuts. It wasn’t nuts to me. It was awesome. So what is the biggest message you want people to take away after seeing this film? Obviously I love my mom and I love the people that she was around. There’s humanity everywhere, you know? There’s humanity in the strip club. Like there’s humanity in the trenches of your enemy, you know? So really, it made sense to me to paint a picture of what that was like. It wasn’t like I set out to make a movie about humanity. All you have to do is set up a camera and talk to someone and it’s really easy to see. — MEG CHARRON-WEBB

THE THIRD (2019) – directed by Kyle Bell. The inspiring story of Lindy Waters III, a Cherokee/Kiowa basketball player for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Q&A follows with Waters and Tulsa filmmaker Kyle Bell, who was recently selected for the 2019 Sundance Native Filmmakers Lab. THE STAND-IN (2019) – directed by Yousef Kazemi. Tension hovers over a wedding for Bryan and his partner Jack when Bryan’s biological mother refuses to attend. Inspired by true events. THE GRAVE (2018) – directed by Kyle Roberts. A crusading reporter becomes a dark avenger against local oppressors who consider themselves above the law in this noir set in Oklahoma City during the 1920s. ALL WE HAVE IS NOW (2019) – 2:30 p.m. Directed by Josh Downing | Narrative Feature | Filmmaker Q&A | World Premiere Filmed in Oklahoma, a seemingly monotonous weekend turns toxic for three different relationships that converge on one fateful night. Q&A follows with Tulsa writer/director Josh Downing.

JUICE: HOW ELECTRICITY EXPLAINS THE WORLD (2019) – 4:30 p.m. Directed by Tyson Culver | Documentary Feature | Filmmaker Q&A | World Premiere From stateside cities like Manhattan and Boulder to international locales like Beirut, Reykjavik, Kolkata and San Juan, Juice explores the human story of electricity and why power equals power. Q&A follows with writer/director Culver and Tulsan co-writer Robert Bryce. TO THE STARS (2019) – 5 p.m. Directed by Martha Stevens | Narrative Feature | Q&A Filmed and set in Oklahoma, Tony Hale (Veep), Malin Akerman (Billions), and Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) star in this drama about a withdrawn farmer’s daughter who, facing small town scrutiny in the 1960s, forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl. Q&A follows with representatives from the Oklahoma Film and Music Office. WORDS FROM A BEAR (2019) – 7 p.m. Directed by Jeffrey Palmer | Documentary Feature | Filmmaker Q&A Equal parts documentary and spiritual journey, this intimate portrait examines the poetry, prose, art and life of Pulitzer Prize-winning Kiowa writer Navarro Scott Momaday. Q&A follows with filmmaker, moderated by Tulsa writer and literary activist Teresa Miller. See pg. 29. ARROWS OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE (2019) – 8 p.m. Directed by Mickey Reese | Narrative Feature | Filmmaker Q&A OKC filmmaker Mickey Reese continues his prolific annual output of signature bizarre, off-beat dark comedies with this story of an estranged son who is granted a mansion in the will of his deadbeat (and now

Crystal Kayiza | ANDREA GUITIERREZ

CRYSTAL BRIDGES An exciting new filmmaker returns home

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July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


dead) father. The mansion also happens to be filled with insane women. Filmed in Oklahoma. Q&A follows with Reese. SLUMBER PARTY X – beginning at 10 p.m. Horror Movie Marathon | Narrative Features | All Seats $30 Friday the 13th Part III (1982) in 3D, Tourist Trap (1979), Nightbreed (1990), StageFright (1987) and a 35mm print of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986).

SUNDAY, JULY 14 WHY CAN’T I BE ME? AROUND YOU (2019) – noon Directed by Harrod Blank & Sjoerd Djik | Documentary Feature | Filmmaker Q&A An inventor/mechanic/drag racer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rusty Tidenberg embarks on a journey of gender transition. Q&A follows with producer/director Blank and Rusty Tidenberg. STUDENT SHORTS: PROGRAM B – noon Young & Emerging Filmmakers | Student Shorts Program | Free The second of two programs comprised of short films made by local high school and college students. Hosted by Michael Wright. AMERICAN HERETICS: THE POLITICS OF THE GOSPEL (2018) – 2:30 p.m. Directed by Jeanine Isabel Butler | Documentary Feature | Filmmaker Q&A Believers in the Gospel of Inclusion rethink literal interpretations of the Bible and refuse to wield their faith as a sword. Q&A follows with filmmakers Jeanine Butler and Catherine Butler. Filmed in Oklahoma. Presented with community partner All Souls Unitarian Church. See right.

MASKED AND ANONYMOUS (2003) – 6 p.m. Directed by Larry Charles | Narrative Feature | Meet the Filmmaker Bob Dylan stars in this meta-fictional tale of an old singer making a comeback, joined by an all-star cast that includes Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and many more. Director Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Borat) will host this special screening, presented with community partner The Bob Dylan Center, that includes a tasting of Dylan’s new “Heaven’s Door” bourbon, whiskey and rye. Q&A moderated by writer/ poet Robert Polito of the New School in NYC. All seats $20. Read an interview with Larry Charles on pg. 44.

MONDAY, JULY 15 91ST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION (WITH CAKE!) – 6 to 7 p.m. This free public event features Harvey actress and Tulsa philanthropist Peggy Dow Helmerich and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum. COLE JUSTICE (1989) – 7 p.m. Directed by Carl Bartholomew | Narrative Feature | Filmmaker Q&A | Walk of Fame presentation 30th Anniversary screening of the action-adventure filmed in Tulsa. A school teacher seeks revenge after one of his students is killed by a drug overdose. This closing night event will include a Circle Cinema Oklahoma Walk of Fame dedication to Tulsa filmmaker, beloved “Uncle Zeb” children’s TV show host, and creator of the iconic “8’s The Place” campaign, Carl Bartholomew. Q&A follows the movie with actors from the film, Bartholomew family members, and Channel 8 coworkers. a

An emerging filmmaking voice out of Brooklyn got her start in Jenks, Oklahoma. And now she’s back. Crystal Kayiza, director of the documentary short Edgecombe which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and now opens the 2019 Circle Cinema Film Festival, won her first award (an Emmy) as a Jenks High School student in 2012 for a film she produced in Clifton Raphael’s filmmaking class. Now a graduate of Ithaca College, Kayiza follows her time at the ALCU (where she worked with attorneys on poverty law) with a return to her passion: filmmaking. She brings that spirit of social justice to Edgecombe, which tells the stories of three African American residents in North Carolina. Through them, Kayiza examines the ways that trauma repeats and re-invents itself in rural black communities. “My film started with the support of the Jacob Burns Film Center where I was a Woman Filmmaker Fellow in the Creative Culture program,” Kayiza said. “It was a very supportive space with mentorship and collaboration with other emerging filmmakers.” Sundance Ignite, the Sundance Film Insitute’s program for next-gen filmmak-

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

HERETICS AND HEALERS New documentary explores ‘the politics of the Gospel’ With the feature length documentary American Heretics: The Politics of the Gospel, director Jeanine Butler takes on faith, politics and race in the buckle of the Bible Belt. Jeanine Butler, along with her producer (and sibling) Catherine Butler, sought not only explore how faith has been used as a weapon, but also how a new generation of church leaders are taking the core tenants of Christ’s teaching and extending an olive branch to communities often discarded or villainized by the evangelical right. One of these leaders is Oklahoma City’s Rev. Robin Meyers, whose Mayflower Congregational Church is spreading the Gospel by becoming a sanctuary church for undocumented immigrants. The film also features Tulsa’s own Rev. Marlin Lavanhaar and the All-Souls Unitarian Church who have welcomed the LGBTQ+ community with open arms. Jeanine Butler hopes the film will “promote a civil dialogue and thoughtful conversation around the issues explored” without coming across as condescending. She also hopes it will shed light on evangelical communities like Rev. Lavanhaar’s and Bishop Pearson’s, which are trying to heal historical wounds while providing an inclusive, nurturing haven for those who simply want to hear the good word without being bludgeoned by political acrimony and venom. Catherine Butler hopes people of all creeds and backgrounds will feel that commonality as the credits roll. Her hope is that American Heretics will “promote that ah-ha moment that we’re not all that dissimilar.” — CHARLES ELMORE

ers, offered more of a sense of community. “Screening at Sundance was a great experience,” Kayiza said. “It was wonderful to have Edgecombe in conversation with such incredible work.” But it was her time in Jenks that laid the foundation, thanks to the school’s willingness to invest in film studies. “Being a part of Mr. Raphael’s class taught me how to be a storyteller first and foremost,” Kayiza said. “It was great to have my identity as a filmmaker cultivated in that space. Film was the medium, but the education was focused on creating better storytellers. That background is vital in my work now. Having that as the core of my craft informs all of my decision making.” And now, after garnering festival acclaim and media coverage including a profile in Teen Vogue, Edgecombe has brought Kayiza, well, full circle. “I spent a lot of time at Circle as a high school student, so it’s such an honor to be able to screen there,” Kayzia said. She finds it a fitting place to present and discuss what she’s been drawn to as a filmmaker. “Trauma and memory is something that I’ve been exploring in my work. Home is an important place to examine these things.” — JEFF HUSTON

FEATURED // 31


artspot

W

ith intentionality and a celebratory spirit, Philbrook Museum of Art opened its latest exhibit, Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam through Time & Place. Make no mistake: by bringing in the most extensive Islamic art show that Oklahoma has ever seen—in a political climate swirling with xenophobia, including Islamophobia, violence against religious minorities, and Tulsa County’s own white supremacist court clerk—Philbrook is doing something special. “This is an example of the power of art to inspire, open us to new ideas, educate us, hopefully change some lives, and truly be an inclusive place for all Tulsans,” Director and President Scott Stulen said at a June 20 press conference. The conference included speakers from Tulsa’s religious community: Rev. Courtney Richards of Harvard Avenue Christian Church, Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman of Congregation B’nai Emunah and Rev. Amy Venable of Boston Avenue Methodist Church. Fitting with the Philbrook’s new strategic plan “to be the most welcoming and inclusive cultural institution in Tulsa,” the themes of connection and oneness were on full display at the conference. All three religious leaders used sibling terminology when referring their “Muslim brothers and sisters.” It makes one wonder why the term “Judeo-Christian” is still a thing. The phrase erases the second most populous religion in the world (at roughly 1.8 billion), and all of its many similarities as an Abrahamic religion. “The Quran and the Bible share so many stories and so many heroes and heroines,” Venable said. “The fear comes out of not knowing.” By showcasing a wide assortment of media—ceramics, textiles, paintings and architectural forms, to name a few—which span over 1,200 years and come from across the globe, there is an obvious but profound point: It’s a small world.

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for us to see beautiful, amazing objects that artists have been inspired by the Islamic religion and culture to create.”

The Philbrook’s latest exhibit is the most extensive Islamic art show ever displayed in Oklahoma. | COURTESY

A SMALL WORLD, AFTER ALL Islamic art show invites us to connect by TERRIE SHIPLEY In one section are ceramic vases made by Middle East artisans whose fl oral motifs and sancai ( “three color”) style show a clear Chinese trade infl uence beginning as early as the 8th century; in another, there is a 20th century ritual bowl from Mali which is covered with religious inscriptions in meticulous Arabic calligraphy. Almost everything in the exhibit was made for use, and many are commonplace objects— butter jars, a necklace, a hair comb. By highlighting the everyday lives of Muslims around the world and in our own community, Philbrook encourages visitors to create connections between the items under the plexiglass and the treasures we may have in our own homes and histories. “I’m so completely drawn by objects and the stories that they might tell,” said Susan Green, Philbrook’s associate curator for special collections, archives and research. “[This art show] has completely enriched me, so that then I think

about my own life … and what do I have in my home, and how does that express who I am?” In that spirit, here are two standouts from the show. TENT PANELS As soon as you enter the exhibit, you are humbled by two stunning tapestries. Large in scale, vibrant in color, and distinctly Islamic in its geometric patterns and calligraphy, these Egyptian textiles from the early 20th century have been beautifully preserved. Set against a navy wall, they fl ank a Moorish “horseshoe” archway which invites visitors to step further inside. Traditionally, panels like these were meant to enclose a space for celebrations, weddings and get-togethers. Green meant for these panels to set the tone: “We wanted to hang these right in front to show that this is a celebratory space,” Green said. “It’s a space for blessings; it’s a space for us to learn; and it’s a space

HAND OF FATIMA The hand of God factors into all three Abrahamic religions, such as the hamsa in Judaism, or the distinct positioning of a saint’s hands in Christian artwork. This piece, from Algeria or Morocco, features a hexagram, known as the Seal of Solomon in Islam and the Star of David in Judaism. It is also prevalent in Hindu art, representing the union of masculinity and femininity. Made of brass, it is sturdy, yet delicate with its dizzying ornamentation. Combining artistic designs and fl owing calligraphy, it looks like the beautiful henna work of an Indian bride at her wedding. As this object was likely placed at the entrance of a house to offer a blessing or for protection, one may liken it to a framed “Bless this Home” needlepoint, or recall an especially memorable housewarming party, such as one in the Jewish tradition in which a mezuzah is hung in celebration. Objects like these offer an insight into the force of connection animating this remarkable exhibit, and they might just help us understand our neighbors and ourselves. “In justice work, we say that representation matters; we say we cannot be what we cannot see,” said Rev. Courtney Richards of Harvard Avenue Christian Church. Aliye Shimi, executive director of the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, agrees. “For a place like Tulsa, Oklahoma, to have such an exhibition—I cannot tell you how important it is for the Muslim community.” a

WONDROUS WORLDS: ART & ISLAM THROUGH TIME & PLACE Philbrook Museum of Art 2727 S. Rockford Rd. June 23–Oct. 6. July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


artspot

Towering space cowboy and Tulsa’s newest eligible bachelor, Buck Atom, greets visitors on Route 66. RHYS MARTIN

ROAD SHOW Businesses along Route 66 join forces to highlight local vendors, artists

Best Wine List Come check out our seasonal menu featuring a new selection of wines by the glass, refreshing cocktails, and craft beers. Cheers! #wineforall 324 E . 1S T S T. | 918.76 4.9255 | W I N EBA R T U L SA .CO M

by ANGELA EVANS THE STRIP OF 11TH STREET BETWEEN Peoria and Lewis avenues has practically bloomed with new businesses, eye-popping murals and even a 21-foot space cowboy named Buck. The previously forgotten stretch of Route 66 is slowly being revamped, thanks in part to the community of entrepreneurs, artists and bon vivants who have taken up residence. A local artist and musician, Jeremiah Anthamatten was looking for a more public place to not only create his art, but also to show it. “Painting is so isolating, so I found this retail space, and I was able to get into it,” Anthamatten said. When Anthamatten opened his studio about three years ago, most of the spaces that flanked him were boarded up, and crime was persistent. Now, every unit is filled with new life. Anthamatten’s studio, which will soon go under the moniker “Studio 66,” has become a collaborative space, featuring local artists and vendors. The spirit of collaboration has become strong within this small group of kindred spirits along this newly-settled piece of the famous route. “We all have our own personal agenda for the kind of business we want to run, but I think everyone has the same kind of concept in their head, that if we all work together, we can do something awesome while helping each other,” Anthamatten said. When towering space cowboy and Tulsa’s newest eligible bachelor, Buck Atom, THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

landed at his new home at Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66, he brought with him crowds of curious onlookers and, hopefully, a new fan base for the new-and-improved route. The big block party held in his honor inspired the local businesses to make it a more regular occurrence, and they are planning their second Route 66 Market for July 6. Vendors like Good Mischief, The Nap Nook, and Fannie’s Attic will be selling handcrafted and vintage items, while live music and chalk art for the kids will round out the area in front of Buck Atom’s and gourmet popsicle shop, The Pop House. Across the street, Anthematten’s studio will host live painting by local artist Scott Taylor, and will feature clay-crafted pieces from Foxypots. The Joseph Gierek Gallery next door will also be showing the newest Route 66 Group Show, featuring a variety of art depicting the vibrant spirit of America’s famous thoroughfare. Upscale consignment shop, SoBoCo, will be having a sidewalk sale, perfect for picking up that must-have ensemble or to-die-for accessory. The festivities will begin at 9 a.m. and will roll through the afternoon until 3 p.m. and is located among the group of shops just east of Peoria Avenue on 11th Street in the Meadow Gold District. And if maps aren’t your thing, just keep driving down 11th until you see a handsome space cowboy smiling at you from 21 feet above. a

◼ OPEN AT NOON ◼ FREE HURTS DONUTS ◼ CHAMPAGNE MIMOSA BAR ◼ LIVE EVENT BINGO @ 2pm ◼ $4 JAMESON SHOTS ◼ FREE GAME PLAY FOR

4p – 6p HAPPY HOUR

MON – FRI

SERVICE INDUSTRY FRIENDS

$2 DOMESTICS & FREE GAME PLAY

FREE GAME PLAY ◼ TEAM TRIVIA NIGHT ◼ QUESTIONABLE COMPANY @ 8PM ◼ DJ MOODY @ 9PM ◼ FREE GAME PLAY FOR THE LADIES

7/5 ◼ JEFFEE FRESH 7/12 ◼ DJ KYLIE 7/6 ◼ DJ ALI SHAW 7/13 ◼ DJ AB NEVER A COVER/21 & UP FREE WIFI SKEE BALL & PIN BALL THEMAXRETROPUB

BLUE DOME DISTRICT ◼ 114 S ELGIN ARTS & CULTURE // 33


artspot

Go home again

To Belong opens a dialogue around black placemaking by ALICIA CHESSER ATKIN

E

yakem Gulilat kept seeing them all over North Tulsa when he started making photos there in 2012: steps that once led up to a house but now led nowhere, the house having been abandoned, demolished, visibly erased but still present in memory or hope through the invitation of those steps. Gulilat, a Norman-based photographer, is a native of Ethiopia who has lived in the U.S. since 1996. His work looks with a curious, serious eye at the surreal reality of cross-cultural co-existence, particularly in the landscape of Oklahoma. That 2012 project, Site Unseen, raised questions Gulilat expands on in a multidimensional exhibit called To Belong, which opens July 5 at the Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education. Where is the home that ought to be at the top of those stairs? And what does “home” mean to a community that has been continuously displaced, whether through outright massacre in 1921 or gentrifi cation in 2019? Gulilat described his work in To Belong as merely the background theme for a community conversation about the space-reclaiming potency of home. First, he layered images of North Tulsa—from 1920s Greenwood through his own photos taken very recently—into a single landscape. “My process of using this approach is to collapse all of the narratives that happened into a single image,” he said. “Some of the images depict highway bridges, railroads, Sand Pipe Hill, and historic maps. These are all clues to the ways spaces are developed, and with a deeper look, we become aware of how this 34 // ARTS & CULTURE

To Belong features layered images of North Tulsa, exploring the space-reclaiming potency of home. EYAKEM GUILLAT

development involves markers of delineation.” Within his layered landscape of displacement, Gulilat then built a prototype of a tiny house that he and exhibit curator Christina Beatty (along with a curatorial team including Liz Blood and Marjorie Bontemps) invited people who live in North Tulsa to co-create. “The whole idea was to recreate the homes that once existed in those spaces,” he said. “The community is interpreting the term ‘home’ with their own photographs, which will make up the shingles and siding of the house. I wanted the community to help me create this idea of home in a space that is now overtly commercialized through the arts.” For Beatty, a fi rst-time curator but longtime community arts advocate working here within the Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellowship (a project of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition), the exhibit is an opportunity for a dialogue to happen around what she called “a lived landscape.”

“This is about historical context, but more so about what’s happening right now,” she said. “North Tulsa is a place that many people call home. What’s their daily experience of that? I’m interested in the ways people carve out and create spaces for themselves regardless of the circumstances they’ve been handed, how they express that agency over the space they do have.” “This is an opportunity for people who live in North Tulsa to sit at the table,” Gulilat explained. “People in that community already know what it means ‘to belong.’ We wanted to see that defi nition extend to a space that’s so far away, in the Arts District, though you can literally throw a rock from North Tulsa into it.” That “far away” space was once known as Black Wall Street, and today its distance is more than physical. “From North Tulsa to the Arts District is a short road on the map, but a very long road psychologically,” Beatty said. Elizabeth Henley, who runs Black Moon, an arts collective

based in North Tulsa, helped organize the community arm of the exhibit. “People were really excited to participate,” she said. “The responses were very creative and abstract. Negative connotations are so easily attached to North Tulsa by residents outside the community. It’s a powerful thing to see our community capture images that are positive and cherished refl ections.” Beatty and Gulilat, who both work for the Oklahoma Arts Council, see To Belong as an introduction to what they hope will be an ongoing conversation around the experiences it explores. “Tulsa art organizations like to bring in people from North Tulsa or other outlying communities to their establishments,” Henley said. “I would love to see art spaces and galleries established and placed inside North Tulsa. Like grocery stores or retail outlets, art organizations need to have a physical presence within a community to best impact it and work within it to inspire positive change.” The team invites members of the black community in North Tulsa to continue submitting photographs for inclusion in the exhibit even after the opening, through the North Tulsa Photography Project Facebook group or to northtulsaphoto@gmail.com. “North Tulsa is full of hope, dreams, and desire, just like any society,” Gulilat said. “I want to share their desire.” a

TO BELONG Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education 124 E. Mathew B. Brady St. Opens July 5 July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The Lemon-Aid Project Will Celebrate 25 Years With 100 Lemonade Stands to Raise Money for the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless!

FREE LEMON-AID KITS will be made available to the first 100 volunteers who sign up to sell lemonade around Tulsa over Labor Day weekend. All money raised will benefit the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Volunteers will receive enough lemonade for 50 glasses, cups, t-shirt, poster and instruction manual. Donate your time, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit over Labor Day Weekend. Then join the 25th anniversary celebraton on Labor Day at Guthrie Green!

Sign up at thelemonaidproject.org to volunteer. Remember: It’s Free. It’s Fun.

1964: THE TRIBUTE

Celebrity Attractions July 12 ALADDIN JR.

Theatre Tulsa July 12-14

RENT: SCHOOL EDITION

Theatre Tulsa July 18-21

SUMMER HEAT INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

Choregus Productions July 25-28 EXCHANGE CHOREOGRAPHY FESTIVAL

July 26-27

MICHAEL CAVANAUGH

The Music of Elton John & Billy Joel August 1

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C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO THE WINNERS MARY K AY PLACE AWARD JAMES WATTS OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST OF CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION

- AMERIC AN THE ATRE CO.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION DAVID BLAKELY

- CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN AND DÉCOR RICK HARRELSON

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN GRANT GOODNER

OUTSTANDING MARKETING THE GUN SHOW

OUTSTANDING PROPERTIES LISA BERRY, JOHN CRUNCLETON III, & DAVID BLAKELY

CARLY CONKLIN

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL WORK AS YOU LIKE IT

– CIRCLE MIRROR TR ANSFORMATION

– THE GUN SHOW

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN ANNA PUHL & DAVID BLAKELY – THE GUN SHOW

OUTSTANDING COSTUME, HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGN PAULETTE RECORD & AYLIN REYES - TR ADE PRIVILEGES

– CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME – DENIM DOVES

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL WORK TRADE PRIVILEGES – DAVID BL AKELY

LAS NINAS DE LA TIERRA – SHADIA DAHL AL

– MIDWESTERN THE ATRE TROUPE

– CL ARK YOUTH THE ATRE

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION SECOND RUNNER UP: THE GREEN BOOK – THE ATRE NORTH

FIRST RUNNER UP: CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION – AMERIC AN THE ATRE COMPANY

WINNER: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME – THE ATRE TULSA

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE // 35


lolz

Demetrius “Juice” Deason for Russell Westbrook’s Why Not? Foundation comedy event | COURTESY

WHY NOT LAUGH? Russell Westbrook’s charity comedy event comes to Tulsa by DAMION SHADE

Benefitin Sutton Avi g an Research Center

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NBA SUPERSTAR AND OKLAHOMA CITY Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook grew up in Long Beach, California, in a crime-ridden neighborhood with more liquor stores than places to buy groceries. Despite their challenges, Westbrook and his brother were taught to respond “Why not?” whenever someone told them they couldn’t accomplish their dreams. Since his rise to stardom, the NBA player has sought to instill this type of hard-earned resilience into another generation of kids in Oklahoma. In 2012, Westbrook started the Why Not? Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping children who grew up in the same types of traditionally marginalized communities gain the strength and support to chase their dreams. This group has hosted events to support regional food banks, reading skills for elementary school children and partnered with national groups like the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now the foundation is hosting a charity comedy event in Tulsa with the organization “Layups2standup” on Thursday, July 11 at Cain’s Ballroom. The event will feature acclaimed national and local comedians, hosted by Russell Westbrook and Demetrius “Juice” Deason. Westbrook and Deason have been close friends since the sixth grade. Their business collaboration began with the Why Not? Basketball Camp for kids nearly a decade ago. Like Westbrook, Deason grew up facing a number of challenges. “I come from a single [parent] household. I lived in a motel growing up. I was homeless a few

times,” Deason said. “I was going through it, playing basketball trying to figure it out. That’s how Russell and I became such good friends. He was there with me through some of the toughest times of my life.” It was during the process of working on the camp that Deason and Westbrook came up with the idea of using a comedy event to raise money for kids in need. “I’ve been doing comedy for about five years now. Me and Russell are best friends and business partners,” Deason said. “I run his basketball camps in L.A., Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Some parents saw me performing comedy and suggested that Russell and I should do a comedy show together for the kids. So I put together the pieces for a show in Oklahoma City a few years ago, and everyone kept asking when we were gonna do a show in Tulsa. So I found a venue and organized it.” Each of the previous Why Not? Comedy events have raised money for a different children’s charity. This year a portion of the proceeds from the July 11 event will go to the Light It Up Foundation. This foundation was created by Seattle Seahawks player and Tulsa native Tyler Lockett. The Light It Up Foundation partners with churches to identify and serve underprivileged youth and families in the Tulsa and Seattle communities struggling with food insecurity. “Tyler’s work is exactly the kind of model we want to lift up for athletes and people in the business community,” Deason said. “Returning to the place you grew up and trying to improve the lives of kids is one of the most important ways to give back.” a July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


inthestudio

Tulsa Artist Fellow Heyd Fontenot | DESTINY JADE GREEN

MEET THE FELLOWS In the studio with Heyd Fontenot

MEET THE FELLOWS TAKES YOU INSIDE the studios of the 2019 Tulsa Artist Fellowship recipients for a look at their life and work. Since 2015, Tulsa Artist Fellowship has recruited artists and arts workers to Tulsa, where they “have the freedom to pursue their craft while contributing to a thriving arts community.” For more information, visit tulsaartistfellowship.org.

Can you tell us a little about your background and work? I’m a visual artist working with painting, drawings, installation of environments, to some degree sculpture, performance/staging and also film … I have mostly worked creative jobs through my life—in theater, advertising, film and television. … The (latest) show is called “The Lodge of Saint Reborlaro,” and it’s thematically playing with the idea of fraternal lodges and secret societies. Can you talk about your history at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and its impact on your work? I came to Tulsa in January of 2018 to be an artist fellow from another artists’ residency in San Antonio called ArtPace. People will often ask how a different location affects an artist’s work and ideas, and of course so many elements of our environment affect us. To be honest, it’s hard to get Tulsa’s violent history out of my head. Bits and pieces are regularly coming to light, and it’s devastating. Our studios and residencies for the fellowship are in the former Greenwood neighborhood, which was the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. So, as you can imagine, occupying this very specific space is profound. Your work features a lot of nudity and has often been described as queer. Why is it important to render and beautify THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

queer bodies in today’s political climate? I consider it a political act to render nudes and to present a different perspective on the subject. I don’t feel that nudity is rare in our culture, but it is most commonly presented in a “sexualized” context. … And then that shuts down any further processing about these awkward fleshy things that we all walk around within. … We all have such difficult relationships with our bodies, oftentimes resentful or embarrassed about them. With these portraits, I try to get people to have a kinder relationship to themselves—to see themselves as beautiful as I see them. In terms of queerness … I think everyone and everything is queer. In a sense, something that insists on its “regularness” is hilariously queer. Any future shows or projects on the horizon you’re excited to share? I’d like to take the idea of “The Lodge of Saint Reborlaro” a bit further and have it installed for a longer period of time, so that people become quite comfortable with the idea of being in a collaborative “free space.” … In a capitalist society such as this one, art often has to be justified by a product. The product is of premium importance and undermines the importance of what happens in the creative process. And while I’m providing prompts for activities and projects and interactions within the installation, I have to be patient and witness what actually occurs there. I don’t want to dictate too specifically what happens in the space—and it will be largely up to the participants that show up and ideas that they have and interpersonal connections they make. … I think it’s time we look at how the arts can actually foster community and be accessible and welcoming without pandering—and I think an excellent start is by listening and being present, open and generous. — TTV STAFF

JUNE 21-OCT. 13 Experience contemporary art from Tulsa Artist Fellows inspired by the Gilcrease collection and grounds, and by Oklahoma’s distinct history.

The University of Tulsa is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action institution. For EEO/AA information, contact the Office of Human Resources, 918-631-2616; for disability accommodations, contact Dr. Tawny Rigsby, 918-631-2315. TU#

gilcrease.org/taf

ARTS & CULTURE // 37


FOLDS OF HONOR FREEDOMFEST 5 – 10 p.m. • River West Festival Park and Veterans Park

The Folds of Honor Freedom Fest is a classic street fair type of Independence Day celebration. This year it will be held at two locations. At River West Festival Park there will be face painting, balloon animals, bounce houses, laser tag, balloon flights, zip line, rock wall, pony rides, Welltown Brewing, Red Bull skydive team and the “largest firework show in Tulsa.” You can also expect live music from Empirerocks and Corey Kent. Veterans Park will include most of the same activities and live performances by The Nightly Dues, Casii Stephan and The Midnight Sun and Black Water Bridge.

TULSA FREEDOMFEST Noon – 11:30 p.m. • Tulsa River Parks

The Tulsa FreedomFest is another classic 4th of July tradition. “One of Oklahoma’s largest free fireworks displays” will be set off from the 21st Street bridge in the midst of live music, concessions and dozens of food and drink vendors. Not to mention face painting, live music and a bicycle parade! This is your traditional 4th of July celebration where you can play yard games with a hot dog in your other hand.

A D D I T IO NA L F OU RT H O F J U LY C E L E B R AT IO N S The Mayo’s rooftop bar offers great views of downtown, but on the 4th it offers stunning views of fireworks! Blues-rock outfit Antry hosts this ‘Rock the Rooftop’ hangout that will also offer gourmet food and drinks. Celebration starts at 6 p.m., tickets are $55. From 6–9:30 p.m. Blue Rose will have DJ Matt spinning only the most patriotic dance jams. Blue Rose’s on the river location makes it a perfect place to see the River Parks’ firework show while also eating a burger! KillerWail Barbecue will be parked at Pearl Beach Brew Pub from 5–9 p.m. as just one part of their Independence Day parties. For all you runners out there, Fleet Feet Sports is hosting a 4th of July Firecracker 5K at 7:30 a.m. For a less strenuous exercise, there is also a 1k fun run and walk at 8:30 a.m.

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Inner Circle will kick off their Star Spangled 4th of July party at 8 p.m. with a DJ, $7 beer pitchers, $5 bombsicle cocktails and yard games. The Tulsa Drillers play against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals for their 4th of July game at ONEOK Field. Ticket proceeds go towards the Lemon-Aid Project and The Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Lawn seats are $8, the game starts at 7:05 p.m. and will include a stunning firework show! For a more fabulous 4th, The ReVue hosts Fireworks: a 4th of July Drag Show. Host Sara De La Hoya kicks things off at 10:30 p.m. with her guests Stacey McBride O’Neil, Shalula Queen and Tucker Downtown. The punk festival, Fuck You We Rule offers an alternative 4th of July party at Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill at 8 p.m. Music by Fast Eddy, Killer Hearts, The Whiffs and The Stiffies. Read our story about the fest on pg. 40. $5

For a more romantic 4th Foolish Things hosts a Date Night for patriotic (or not) love birds from 5 p.m.–midnight. They have discounted flower bouquets, a happy hour, biscuits and cocktails. The Oklahoma Aquarium hosts their Fish and Fireworks event at 6:30 p.m. for $17.95 a pop. The aquarium’s exhibits will be open for viewing before the fireworks begin, then attendees make their way outside to see the display. BYO(Blanket). Gilcrease Museum is showing a handwritten cop of the Decleration of Independence from 1777 that Benjamin Franklin used as part of his diplomatic communication with the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia. It is on view from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on the 4th. Signature Symphony performs everyone’s favorite classic patriotic songs at VanTrease PACE during their annual 4th on the 3rd event. Tickets range from $18-$30, music begins at 7:30 p.m.

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Taproom and Tacos Ride // 7/3, Every Wednesday night Pearl Beach hosts a bike ride around their neighborhood that meets back up at the taproom for some beers and tacos. // 5:30 p.m., Pearl Beach Brew Pub, facebook.com Tulsa Holiday Summer Circuit // 7/4 - 7/7, An equestrian event featuring junior, senior and amateur Western pleasure and trail riding, high point and amateur roping to name a few. // Ford Livestock Complex at Tulsa Expo Square, tulsaholidaycircuit.com Yoga and Drink with Lale // 7/6, For $15 you can enjoy a one hour yoga class and a mimosa of your choice! Bring your own mat and towel. // 10 a.m., 473, $15, facebook.com Tattoo Punks // 7/6, Tattoo artists from across the country take over Black Gold to tattoo some of their flash for the Fuck You We Rule festival. // 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Black Gold Tattoos and Piercings, facebook.com Buck’s Market on 66 // 7/6, Several local vendors set up tables in the Meadow Gold District, hosted by Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66. // 9 a.m., Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 Kendall Whittier Mercado // 7/6, Twice a month from May to October Kendall Whittier hosts this cross-cultural open-air market. // 10 a.m., Kendall Whittier District, visitkendallwhittier. com/mercado Garden Tour // 7/6, A guided tour of the garden. // 10:30 a.m., Tulsa Botanic Garden, tulsabotanic.org Burn Co. Brunch // 7/7 & 7/14, All you can eat brunch hosted by Burn Co. Barbecue, what more could you ask for? // 10 a.m., Cain’s Ballroom, $15, facebook.com Tulsa Movie Trivia // 7/7, Trivia pertaining to movies filmed or set in Tulsa. Free to play and the winning team wins $50 cash! // 7 p.m., Fuel 66 Tulsa, facebook.com LGBT+ Women’s Network July Happy Hour // 7/8, Hosted by the LGBT Women’s Network and Oklahomans for Equality, this event allows likeminded women to meet and network over a few beers. // 5:30 p.m., 473, facebook.com Taproom and Tacos Ride // 7/10, Every Wednesday night Pearl Beach hosts a bike ride around their neighborhood that meets back up at the taproom for some beers and tacos. // 5:30 p.m., Pearl Beach Brew Pub, facebook.com Circle Cinema Film Festival // 7/11 7/15, See our guide on pg. 28 for a detailed run down. Circle Cinema, circlecinema.org Storytime for Grown-ups: And the Pursuit of Happiness // 7/12, 12:15 p.m., Central Library, events.tulsalibrary.org

THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

Family Movie Friday: “Ralph Breaks the Internet” // 7/12, 10 a.m., Central Library Tandy Garden, events. tulsalibrary.org Affair of the Heart // 7/12 - 7/14, A unique marketplace and one of the largest arts and craft shows in the United States. // Tulsa Expo Square, aaoth.com Tokyo in Tulsa // 7/12 - 7/14, Oklahoma’s largest anime, japanese and pop culture event. // Cox Business Center, tokyointulsa.com Brew Dog: Lab Rescue Adoptions and TagOK // 7/13, See some adoptable Labs and custom tags while enjoying some brews! // 1 p.m., Cabin Boys Brewery, facebook.com Ultimo Cigar Class // 7/13, Atendees will roll their very own Amber Double Ligero, the perfect partner to Dead Armadillo’s flagship Amber beer. // 6 p.m., Dead Armadillo Brewery, facebook.com Tulsa Punk Rock Flea Market // 7/13, Over 40 vendors will be selling clothes, patches, pins, music, art, oddities, jewlery and so much more. // 11 a.m., The Bond Event Center, $5, facebook.com Second Saturday Architecture Tour // 7/13, A walking tour through downtown Tulsa’s most arcitecturally interesting buildings. // 10 a.m., Topeka Coffee in The Mayo Hotel, $13, tulsaarchitecture.org Was Your Grandmother Really an Indian Princess? // 7/13, A talk pertaining to the Dawes Rolls and the creation of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes. // 11 a.m., Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, tulsahistory.org Tulsa Rock and Mineral Society Gem and Mineral Show // 7/13 7/14, This two day event includes vendors selling unique gemstones, art created from minerals and much more. // Tulsa Expo Square, tulsarockandmineralsociety.org

PERFORMING ARTS 4th on the 3rd // 7/3, Signature Symphony’s annual concert. // 7:30 p.m., VanTrease PACE, $18 - $30, tulsacc.edu 1964: The Tribute // 7/12, 8 p.m., Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, $25, tulsapac.com/events Aladdin Jr. // 7/12 - 7/14, Tulsa PAC John H. Williams Theatre, $20 - $25, tulsapac.com/events Mary Poppins // 7/12 - 7/13, 7:30 p.m., VanTrease PACE, $15 - $49, tulsacc.edu Poets vs. Rappers // 7/13, 7 p.m., Living Arts of Tulsa, $12, livingarts.org Mary Poppins // 7/13 - 7/14, 2 p.m., VanTrease PACE, $15 - $49, tulsacc.edu

VISUAL ART My Black Life // 7/5, An exhibit by Black Moon. // 6 p.m., Tulsa Artist Coalition, facebook.com/ blackmoontulsa First Friday Art Crawl // 7/5, Voted one of the Best Public Entertainment Events in Tulsa, on the first Friday of each month the Tulsa Arts District opens its doors to the public. // Galleries, studios, museums, shops and more are free to visit from 6 - 9 p.m. 6 p.m., Tulsa Arts District, facebook.com Neo Expressionist Paintings by Byron John Barcus with music by Sammy Poison of Without Adjective, Birds Beak and Infinite Crustacean // 7/6, An art opening for painter Byron John Barcus with jazzy musical performances. // 7 p.m., Lot NO. 6, facebook.com Uncontrolled Self // 7/6, The last day to see this exhibition. // Liggett Studio, liggettstudio.com/uncontrolledself Art Focus // 7/9, Individuals with earlystage Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers engage the mind through art. // 10 a.m., Philbrook, philbrook.org Mosaic Mirror Class // 7/9, During this three hour class attendees will create a 24” x 24” mosaic mirror from broken pottery, found objects and tiles! // 5:30 p.m., Soul City of Tulsa, $150, facebook.com Tour: Nature in Islamic Art // 7/11, // 10 a.m., Philbrook, $19, philbrook.org The Past, Present and Exciting Future of Route 66 // 7/13, A talk led by Route 66 Allience Executive Director, Ken Busby. // 2 p.m., 108 Contemporary, 108contemporary.org Second Saturday // 7/13, Family friendly activities, scavenger hunts, story time and free admission. // 9 a.m., Philbrook, philbrook.org Hard Copy Zine Fair // 7/13, Dozens of zine makers descend on Whitty Books to share their zines. The event will also have a creative space where attendees can try ther hand at zine making as well. // 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Whitty Books, facebook.com Trauma to Transformation: The Power of Photographs as Catalysts for Change // 7/14, A talk about how powerful images can serve as an impetus for policy change. // 2 p.m., Gilcrease Museum, gilcrease.org/ events

COMEDY Shane Mauss // 7/5, 8 p.m., 10 p.m., Loony Bin Comedy Club, tulsa.loonybin.com Whose Line Rip Off Show // 7/5, 8 p.m., Rabbit Hole Improv, $8, rabbitholeimprov.com/shows

Shane Mauss // 7/6, 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Loony Bin Comedy Club, tulsa.loonybin.com Comfort Creature // 7/6, 8 p.m., Rabbit Hole Improv, $8, rabbitholeimprov.com/shows Triple Feature Extravaganza // 7/10, 8 p.m., Loony Bin Comedy Club, tulsa.loonybin.com Hump Day Improv // 7/10, 8 p.m., Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com/shows Why Not?? Comedy Show // 7/11, A comedy show featuring Russell Westbrook, Layups2Standup, Demetrius “Juice” Deason, Ron Taylor, Velly Vel, Alexis Miranda, Lance Woods and Yasamin Bayatfar // 8:30 p.m., Cain’s Ballroom, $40 - $125, cainsballroom.com Triple Feature Extravaganza // 7/11, 8 p.m., Loony Bin Comedy Club, tulsa.loonybin.com Insult Attack Roast Comedy Battle // 7/11, 8 p.m., Renaissance Brewing Company, facebook.com Triple Feature Extravaganza // 7/12, 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m., Loony Bin Comedy Club, tulsa.loonybin.com Triple Feature Extravaganza // 7/13, 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Loony Bin Comedy Club, tulsa.loonybin.com Tulsa Night Live // 7/13, 8 p.m., Rabbit Hole Improv, $8, rabbitholeimprov.com/shows

SPORTS Tulsa Drillers vs NW Arkansas // 7/4, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs NW Arkansas // 7/5, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com The Cherry Bombs vs Red Dirt Rollers // 7/6, 5 p.m., Ninowski Recreation Centre, facebook.com Tulsa Drillers vs NW Arkansas // 7/6, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs NW Arkansas // 7/7, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Springfield // 7/8, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Springfield // 7/9, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Tulsa Drillers vs Springfield // 7/10, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com Compound Pro Wrestling presents: Downtown // 7/12, Live pro wrestiling in the heart of downtown Tulsa. 11 p.m., IDL Ballroom, $19 - $24, facebook.com Dodgebrawl // 7/13, The eighth annual charity tournament benifitting charities picked by the players. Free admission. // 11 a.m., BOK Center, tulsadodgebrawl.com Tulsa Drillers vs Frisco // 7/16, 7:05 p.m., ONEOK Field, tulsadrillers.com ARTS & CULTURE // 39


musicnotes

Tulsa calling The city’s premier punk fest returns

Fuck You We Rule OK returns to The Vanguard for its seventh annual “punk rock family reunion.” COURTESY

by KYRA BRUCE

P

icture a “punk” in your head. Is it a neon mohawk-ed, pierced kid wearing a vegan leather jacket? What do you picture that punk doing? Trashing a hotel room? Smashing their guitar on stage? Pogoing in a mosh pit? How about spending a whole year meticulously planning a three-day festival jam packed with events, shuttles, coordinating schedules and performances? Meet Tony and Michelle Cozzaglio. They own a local punk shop, organize the annual Punk Rock Flea Market, Oddities and Curiosities Expo, plan countless shows throughout the year, and organize the annual punk festival Fuck You We Rule OK. “It occupies the majority of my life. We just enjoy doing it. Over time it’s turned into something now where we can call kind of the umbrella of it all ‘our job,’” Tony said. “We’ve tried to maneuver our lives as best we can so we

40 // MUSIC

get to work in things that we’re interested in.” The couple hasn’t always planned the festival. It started with Tony’s group of friends. They all traveled, played in bands and took turns putting on small DIY festivals around the country. Tony eventually moved to Tulsa to be with Michelle and fi gured it was the perfect place for FYWROK to call home. “I always end up saying it’s equally inconvenient for everybody,” Tony said with a laugh. “[Tulsa] is more geographically centered so it had all the same friends that would always come from up north and we also had all these new faces from Texas and Georgia and different surrounding states.” It’s not just people in surrounding states that attend the fest. Punks from all over the world fl y in for Fuck Yeah We Rule. Steve Stackhouse of the Potato Pirates said he met people

from Belgium and Mexico City at last year’s fest. Stackhouse’s band has played every FYWROK since the beginning. “Obviously when it started, I mean it was pretty big, but it was nowhere near the caliber that it is now,” he said. Tony agreed that the fest has grown exponentially since it started. “The most easily-seen thing about how it’s grown over time is all the events. The attendance is probably 90 percent outof-towners so there’s this massive infl ux of people who don’t know the town and want to do stuff when bands aren’t playing so we try to provide opportunities of other fun stuff to do,” he said. This year there are more events than ever: a pre- and post-party, two brunches, a tattoo event, all on top of the actual two-day festival. The pre-party kicks the weekend off on the Fourth of July with a killer four-band lineup, including locals The Stiffi es. The band’s Niah Berven said he was happy

to have alternative Fourth of July plans during a time where patriotism feels strange. Tony said that is no accident. “We’ve always tried to have it around the Fourth of July and intentionally have it be an alternative to the standard fi reworks, waving fl ags thing. We typically encourage there to be no fi reworks around,” he said with a laugh. After the pre-party is the main event: the fest itself. Thirty bands will decimate The Vanguard stage over three days starting at 3 p.m. every afternoon. The lineup boasts street punk staples like Defi ance, The Unseen, and Monster Squad. Tony said FYWROK is a perfect introduction to punk. “I feel like this is the perfect example of everything that drew me into this music,” he said. “The crowd’s energetic, the band’s energetic—you know, everyone’s crowd surfi ng, laughing, having fun, just everything in my mind that I want a punk rock show to be.” July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


If you need a break from the circle pit, drop by one of the festival’s brunch parties on July 6-7 at The Rabbit Hole Bar and Grill. Each morning features a lineup of DJs spinning punk rock classics. Stackhouse said the brunch parties are a great way for all of the people who travel to Tulsa for the fest to mingle and occupy themselves before the shows. “Tony and Michelle do such a great job of making sure there’s something for all hours of the day,” Stackhouse said. “The show itself only goes from like three until midnight so you’ve got all those hours of the day and all these people who come in are like ‘I kind of want something to do,’ you know? So it gives them a reason to meet up and just continue that hangout.” Outside of the brunch parties, pre-party and the actual festival, there is also a tattoo event at Black Gold Tattoos and Piercings hosted by Tattoo Punks on July 6. Tattoo artists from across the country are taking over Black Gold and giving people their pre-drawn fl ash for as little as $50. Niah Berven of The Stiffi es will be there giving tattoos as ‘Nuke ‘Em Niah.’ After all of those festivities are over the post-party still remains—a fi nal goodbye to your punk-rock family. Nashville’s Wrekt and Chicago’s Sopa Charge give a fi nal performance at Rabbit Hole for one last mosh before everyone gets back in planes, cars, and Ubers home. Leaving the festival doesn’t mean it’s over, though; the attendees carry their community with them for the rest of the year. “It’s not just music or clothing. It’s the community aspect of it,” Stackhouse said. “Things like this are one of the few times a year that a lot of these people get to see their community and hang out with them. Obviously in the beginning it’s a punk festival, you know—it’s got that chaotic element to it. But through the years it became this sort of self-sustaining thing, almost like a family reunion. Everybody loves it so much they want it to keep going every year,” he said. Berven also said it is always the best weekend of the year. The only time he ever missed the fest was for the birth of his child. “[FYWROK] put Tulsa on THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

the map for the punk rock scene. Before the festival I had never even thought of Tulsa as a place to go see punk shows. Lots of people have ended up moving here over the years, including myself.” Stackhouse urges people from all walks of life to come out to the fest. “It’s not your typical show. Everyone is there for the same reason: to have a good time, to meet new people and to see old people,” he said. “You’re never not going to make a new friend when you go there.” a

FUCK YOU WE RULE OK 2019 Pre-party • July 4 - Rabbit Hole, 8 p.m. FYWROK • July 5-7 - The Vanguard, 3 p.m. Brunch parties • July 6-7 - Rabbit Hole, noon Tattoo Punks • July 6 - Black Gold Tattoo and Piercing, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. After Party • July 7 - Rabbit Hole, 11 p.m.

MUSIC // 41


musiclistings Wed // July 3 The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project – 8 p.m. Duet Jazz Club – Collective Impro. Night w/ Chris Foster – 8 p.m. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - The Joint – Don McLean – 8 p.m. – ($19.50) Juicemaker Lounge – Tori Ruffins Juicemaker Jam Open Mic Jazz Blues Funk Rock – 9 p.m. Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Barrett Lewis Duo – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Brent Giddens Band – 6 p.m. Mother Road Market – Live on the Patio: VOTH – 6 p.m. Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – 7 p.m. – ($10) Peggy Helmerich Library – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – 11 a.m. Whitty Books – Anti-Feds, The Shame, Soaker – 10 p.m. Wyld Hawgz – Wednesday Night Jam w/ Joe White, Heather Buckley, Phil Gross and Dave Russel – 7 p.m.

Thurs // July 4 The Colony – David Hernandez Happy Hour – 6 p.m. The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Western Night – 9 p.m. Duet Jazz Club – Collective Impro. Night w/ Chris Foster – 8 p.m. The Mayo Hotel – Rock the Rooftop w/ Antry Music – 6 p.m. – ($55) Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Usual Suspects – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Weston Horn – 3 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Squad Live – 7 p.m. Rabbit Hole Tulsa – FYWROK! Pre-Party w/ Fast Eddy, Killer Hearts, The Whiffs, The Stiffies – 8 p.m. – ($5) Soundpony – Dismondjs Lady Fingers Edition 2 – 10 p.m.

Fri // July 5 The Colony – Adrienne Gilley – 10 p.m. – ($5) Duet Jazz Club – Crusade Quartet – 8 p.m. – ($10) Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - The Joint – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – 8 p.m. – ($19.50) The Hunt Club – Smuntty Voje Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Recommended Dose – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – The Downbeat – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Owasso – Wesley Michael Hayes Trio – 6 p.m. The Max Retropub – Jeffee Fresh Mercury Lounge – RADKEY, Carlton Heston – 10 p.m. Peggy Helmerich Library – Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – 2 p.m. Soundpony – Soft Leather – 10 p.m. The Shrine – Mountain Sprout – 9 p.m. Thunder Bar & Grill – Signal 29 – 8 p.m. The Vanguard – Fuck You We Rule OK! – ($30 - $75)

Sat // July 6 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Get Down Live – 9 p.m. Bad Ass Renee’s – Mudd Flux, PitterSplatter, AlterBlood, Decayus – 9 p.m. – ($5) Black Bird on Pearl – Dark VooDoo II: DJ Axis, DJ Bone, DJ 950 Dave, DJ Jessy James – 9 p.m. – ($5) The Colony – Melissa Hembree, Taylor Atkinson, Jared Tyler Band – 5 p.m. Duet Jazz Club – Grady Nichols – 8 p.m. – ($20) The Fur Shop – The Classless, Faintheart, All For More – 9 p.m. Guthrie Green – Rock the Block: Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, The Smithereens, Golden Ones – 7 p.m. The Hunt Club – Let Slip the Dogs Imperio – Conjunto Primevera – 9 p.m. Juicemaker Lounge – FayeDay: Faye Moffett, Starr Fisher, Mrs. Val, Kieran Boykins, Leah Shields, Selma Drake – 8 p.m. – ($5) Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – The Downbeat – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Stereotype – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Owasso – HiFi Hillbillies – 6 p.m. Mangos Cuban Café – Bossa – 6 p.m. The Max Retropub – DJ Ali Shaw Mercury Lounge – The Lawless – 10 p.m. Rabbit Hole Tulsa – FYWROK! Brunch Party w/ DJ Sambo Strap-On and RooFTops – 12 p.m. SAX Entertainment – Sexy Saturday 4th of July w/ Yung Joc - featuring DJ YG and DJ Celly 2 Times – 10 p.m. – ($20 - $200) Soundpony – Soul Night – 10 p.m. The Shrine – Murdock’s Independence Day: Fist, Dryvr, Goo Fellas, Drawing Blanks – 7 p.m. 42 // MUSIC

The Vanguard – Fuck You We Rule OK! – ($30 - $75) Whitty Books – The End Timers Tape Release Show w/ Creepozoidz, Grass Giant and Blurt – 8 p.m.

Sun // July 7 Cain’s Ballroom – Jim James Uniform Distortion Live Stream – 12 p.m. The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing – 10 p.m. East Village Bohemian Pizza – Mike Cameron Collective Guthrie Green – Sunday Concert Series – 2:30 p.m. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Track 5 – Phil McGarrah, Runnin On Empty – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Dave Kay – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band – 6 p.m. Rabbit Hole Tulsa – FYWROK! Brunch Party w/ DJ Alan Torres – 12 p.m. Rabbit Hole Tulsa – Fuck You We Rule After Party – 11 p.m. Red River Saloon – The Vagrants, Red Sawyer – 12 p.m. Riverbend Floats – Protect Our Watershed Benefit Concert – 4 p.m. Soundpony – DJ A Dre – 10 p.m. The Vanguard – Fuck You We Rule OK! – ($30 - $75)

Mon // July 8 Cain’s Ballroom – Chase Atlantic, Lauren Sanderson – 8 p.m. – ($15 - $18) The Colony – Seth Lee Jones – 9 p.m. Heirloom Rustic Ales – Short Fictions, W/out Adjectives, Matt Williams – 6 p.m. Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective – 9 p.m. Mass Movement Community Arts – Facewreck, Piece of Mind, Omen, Tell Lies – 7 p.m. – ($10) Soundpony – Short Fictions, W/out Adjectives, Exciton – 10 p.m.

Tues // July 9 473 – Singer/ Songwriter Night w/ Mike Gilliland – 8 p.m. The Colony – Deerpaw – 6 p.m. The Colony – Dane Arnold and The Soup – 10 p.m. Mass Movement Community Arts – Silenus, Castaway, OTM, Fratricide – 7 p.m. – ($8) The Taproom at Marshal Brewing – TuesJay Night – 6 p.m. Whittier Bar – Tuesday Bluesday – 7 p.m.

Wed // July 10 Bad Ass Renee’s – Berdoo, Willie Psycho, Ridiculas Trixx – 6 p.m. Cellar Dweller – Grazzhopper – 8:30 p.m. The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project – 8 p.m. Heirloom Rustic Ales – Infinite Crustacean, Birds Beak, Nathan Alexander Pape – 6 p.m. Juicemaker Lounge – Tori Ruffins Juicemaker Jam open mic Jazz Blues Funk Rock – 9 p.m. Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Jacob Dement Duo – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Daniel Jordan – 6 p.m. Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – 7 p.m. – ($10) Slo Ride – Chris Hyde – 6:30 p.m. Soundpony – THE HUMAN CIRCUIT, Beta Betamax, Dachshund – 10 p.m. TAF Cameron Studios – Street Sects, Bonemagic, Zusammenbruch, Narco Alms, Moonbeam Terror, Holy Void, IMGONNADIE – 7 p.m.

Thurs // July 11 Black Bird on Pearl – Jake Marlin – 8 p.m. The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Western Night – 9 p.m. Duet Jazz Club – Leon Rollerson – 8 p.m. – ($10) IDL Ballroom – HE$H, Bommer – 9 p.m. Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Patron Presents Local Spin Duo – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Nick Whitaker Duo – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Owasso – Caleb Fellenstein – 5 p.m. Soundpony – Sol Y Motion – 10 p.m. The Colony – David Hernandez Happy Hour – 6 p.m. Utica Square – Mary Cogan – 7 p.m. Whittier Bar – Glassing and Sun Vow – 8 p.m.

Fri // July 12 473 – Unfinished Buisiness w/ David Horne and Friends – 9 p.m. 473 – Republican Hair – 8:30 p.m. Black Bird on Pearl – Midday Static – 9 p.m. Duet Jazz Club – Ashlee Elmore – 8 p.m. – ($12) Fassler Hall Tulsa – Damion Shade and Fair Trade Music – 7 p.m. The Hunt Club – Dante and the Hawks Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Band Camp – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Brandi Reloaded – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Owasso – Jacob Dement Duo – 6 p.m. The Max Retropub – DJ Kylie Mercury Lounge – Taylor Smith Trio – 10 p.m. Osage Casino & Hotel Skyline Event Center – The Fray – 7 p.m. – ($50 - $150) Pearl Beach Brew Pub – Rush Fest w/ Chantae Cann, Dane Arnold & the Soup, The Stylees and more – 7 a.m. Soundpony – Afistaface! – 10 p.m. The Vanguard – Corusco, Cavern Company, The Gales, Kinda Collective – 8 p.m. – ($10) Tulsa VFW – Tulsa Funk Festival – 5 p.m. – ($15 - $65) Tulsa VFW – Groovement, G-Force – 5 p.m. Whitty Books – Whitty Books 1st Anniversary w/ Space Horse and Graveyard Party – 10 a.m.

Sat // July 13 Barkingham Palace – Yung Trunkz, Dylvn Howell, Ray Burnz, Gangar, Yung Halloween, Tatum Ultimatum, 9ight – 9 p.m. Black Bird on Pearl – Jack Waters and The Unemployed – 9 p.m. Duet Jazz Club – Siembra Salsa Dance Party – 8 p.m. The Hunt Club – Casii Stephan and the Midnight Sun Juicemaker Lounge – The Stylees – 8 p.m. Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – The Aviators – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – Fuzed – 7 p.m. Los Cabos - Owasso – Rockwell Duo – 6 p.m. Mass Movement Community Arts – Pine, Team Chino, The Beaten Daylights, The Others Like Us – 7 p.m. – ($8) The Max Retropub – DJ AB Mercury Lounge – Jamie Lin Wilson, Osage County – 10 p.m. The Shrine – The Schwag – 9 p.m. Soul City of Tulsa – Jennifer Marriott Band – 9 p.m. Soundpony – Steph Simon Live – 10 p.m. The Vanguard – Dead Metal Society – 9 p.m. – ($10 - $20)

your

voice for

live music

Sun // July 14 Bad Ass Renee’s – Enter Self, Center Of Disease, Hersker, Solid Ground – 8 p.m. – ($5) Brady Theater – The Head and the Heart – 7 p.m. – ($42 - $265.50) Chimera – Hallucination Realized, Tomb Warden, Blurt, W/oE, Flora Morte – 7 p.m. The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing – 10 p.m. East Village Bohemian Pizza – Mike Cameron Collective Guthrie Green – Sunday Concert Series – 2:30 p.m. The Hunt Club – Mikayla Lane Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Zene Smith – 6 p.m. Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band – 6 p.m. Mass Movement Community Arts – Wits End, Fester, Strangled – 7 p.m. – ($7) Soundpony – Labadie House, Potty Movth – 10 p.m. The Vanguard – Patternist, Telehope – 8 p.m. – ($10)

Mon // July 15 BOK Center – Michael Bublé – 8 p.m. – ($68 - $158) The Colony – Seth Lee Jones – 9 p.m. Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective – 9 p.m. Mass Movement Community Arts – Downward, Gumm, Death Trap, End on End – 7 p.m. – ($10)

Tues // July 16 473 – Singer/ Songwriter Night w/ Mike Gilliland – 8 p.m. The Colony – Deerpaw – 6 p.m. The Colony – Dane Arnold and The Soup – 10 p.m. The Shrine – Spose – 7:30 p.m. The Taproom at Marshal Brewing – TuesJay Night – 6 p.m. Whittier Bar – Tuesday Bluesday – 7 p.m.

Send dates, venue and listings to kyra@ Langdon Publishing. com July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

MUSIC // 43


onscreen

Funny or die

A conversation with comedy veteran and Bob Dylan collaborator Larry Charles by MATT CARNEY

Y

ou’d be hard-pressed to name somebody who wrote more great comedy in the last 50 years than Larry Charles. After starting out in stand-up and writing sketch in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Charles wound up on the writing staff of a little show called Seinfeld, where he breathed frantic, paranoid life into Jerry’s kooky neighbor, Cosmo Kramer. After Seinfeld’s iconic 180episode run through the ‘90s, Charles went on to direct many notable boundary-pushing satires and documentaries, most notably Borat, the 2006 mockumentary that netted $262 million internationally as well as inquiries from the Secret Service and the FBI. The fi lm’s star, Sacha Baron Cohen, often dealt with these and other domestic law enforcement offi cers without breaking character as the Kazakh public access reporter Borat Sagdiyev. Charles is also the director of 2003’s Masked and Anonymous, which he wrote with Bob Dylan, and a recent Netfl ix series, Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy. The Bob Dylan Center is sponsoring a screening of the rare Masked and Anonymous as part of this year’s Circle Cinema Film Festival, which will be followed by a conversation between Charles and the author/poet Robert Polito.

MATT CARNEY: What’s Bob Dylan’s sense of humor like? LARRY CHARLES: He has a very dry, very esoteric sense of humor. If he thinks something’s funny, it’s funny. And if he don’t, that’s your problem. Which is very different from most comedians. Most 44 // FILM & TV

CARNEY: Is it true that you and Bob pieced together the script [to Masked & Anonymous] from scraps of paper he’d scribbled on while on tour?

Larry Charles and Bob Dylan on the set of Masked and Anonymous. | COURTESY

comedians are seeking the greatest amount of laughter they can amass. But he doesn’t care about that. He has a fantastic sense of humor, he just doesn’t care if anybody else gets it. CARNEY: Watching Masked and Anonymous, I noticed that it had a lot in common with both Borat and your Netfl ix special [Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy], these unvarnished shots of unsexy, real-life violence. CHARLES: Yes. CARNEY: Do you feel particularly interested in violence and danger? And if so, why? CHARLES: Let me back up a few steps if I may. I agree with your premise that those three shows and movies share that in common. Another thing that Masked and Anonymous shares with Borat that very few people know is that there’s a much longer cut of that as well. My original cut of [Masked

and Anonymous] is three-and-a-half hours long. Basically, I was coerced for a variety of reasons to cut it down to the commercial version. The version that Bob and I intended is a much larger, more epic tapestry than the movie that went out. That longer version has much more humor, and much more stuff that refl ects that side of Bob. It also has 11 more songs with a great band. We shot about 22 songs, and only half of them got used. And you asked about the violence. I’m very interested in a number of things but among them is the juxtaposition between what’s funny and what’s not. I’ve been exploring that line in my work from the beginning, even before I was a professional, I found that fascinating. And I’m trying to see where those two things merge, what they have in common, what’s the source of those things. I’m trying to excavate the essence that’s underneath comedy and tragedy.

CHARLES: It started that way. The fi rst time I met him he had this really cool, embossed box. He spilled all this scrap paper out on the table and said “I don’t know what to do with this.” I started picking them up and it’s like hotel stationery from Norway or wherever. And [written on them] are all these little aphorisms, phrases, names or a line that could be a line from the song, and I said, “Oh this could be the name of a character and this could be a line that the character says, and this could be a different character,” and he said “You can do that?” and I said “Yeah!” That’s like William Burroughs, or how you write songs. He will just take these pieces and juxtapose them and see if any greater truth emerges from it, in almost unconscious fashion. So that was the process that began the screenplay. But there needed to be structure, there needed to be bridges and segues, so we eventually took those scraps that we cobbled together and followed in a stream-of-consciousness way and that eventually became our 150-page script. CARNEY: I read that all these accomplished actors appeared in it for union wages just to meet Bob. Is that true? CHARLES: Absolutely. I actually kicked back my salary for the production, but I think most people did it for nothing. They did it to hang out with Bob, which is a very magical thing, by the way. It’s a magical, mystical, unforgettable July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


experience and I consider myself fortunate in that respect. CARNEY: You directed a bunch of very accomplished actors in this fi lm. Do any of those scenes stand out to you as especially fun to shoot? CHARLES: Yes. First of all, the musical numbers were exhilarating to shoot. Bob and I talked a lot about how to shoot those, and we’d watched these old 1950s country and western shows— Porter Wagoner and those kinda guys—and they would sing and the camera would be one shot, moving through the set and moving amongst the musicians. So shooting the songs in one take and choreographing the take was exhilarating. Also, watching Bob’s process versus all the other actors. Bob’s not a trained actor, so he had his own methods to sculpt his performance. Sometimes he would be so into the scene—I remember one with John Goodman, Jessica Lange and he in a trailer and he’s listening to them go at it and he was supposed to jump in, but he missed his cue—he didn’t say anything! “Oh, I just enjoyed listening to them,” [Bob said.] He was into the scene like he was watching it! There was a lightheartedness on set that made even the heavy scenes fun and surreal to be involved with. Directing people like Jeff Bridges, Ed Harris, Jessica Lange, John Goodman—it was crazy and fun and it was like riding the highest wave you possibly could. CARNEY: What did you learn about comedy from producing [Dangerous World of Comedy] that you didn’t already know? CHARLES: First of all, growing up in America, with the comedy I grew up with, I didn’t think of comedy as a healing tool. In most of the world, where people have oppression and they don’t have any rights and they lack resources or hope, or a future. Comedy is essential in those places. They need to laugh like they need to breathe and eat. And when you walk in those worlds—for me it wasn’t clear until I was there. These are people willing to die for the right to vote. The stakes are different. We’re a complacent country and our humor refl ects THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

that. These countries have much more desperation, and their humor refl ects that. Not just in the hard edge of it—which is true sometimes—but also in the softness of it, in order to give people respite from the horrors of their daily life. And that element of comedy is something you don’t really see [in the U.S.] very much. At the same time, Western comedy is the dominant mode of comedy in the world. Everywhere you go, everybody knows Eddie Murphy or Dave Chappelle. And all comedy structure—setuppunchline-jokes, routines, sketches—most of that stuff is Western-oriented … You go to Nigeria and they have [the structure] along with their reference points, and they also have the money to produce stuff. You go to Liberia and they have no money. They’re shooting their version of it on iPhones. CARNEY: Here in Oklahoma, it’s kind of a place where the South meets the Midwest. There’s a little of each, but neither overrides the entire culture. What’s your read on people from this part of the country? CHARLES: When I think about musicians I’ve loved, there’s a lot of Oklahoma—and Tulsa particularly—connected to that. And it seems like Tulsa now is almost like sort of a new Austin, with a great college and arts and culture. I’m really excited to come. I think about Leon Russell and Woody Guthrie and the fact that Bob’s archives are there is a massive statement about what’s important to the people of Tulsa. And I know also that you guys have been through incredibly insane tornadoes and environmental disasters and have survived that, so I think whatever preconceptions people have about Tulsa, I left behind. I’m very interested in what’s going on now there. CARNEY: One last question for you. Did you give yourself a cameo as the guy getting crucifi ed at the end of Borat? CHARLES: Yes I did. Nobody else could do it, really. Sacha really enjoyed putting me up there, after all the torture I put him through.

22nd Annual

July 10th - 14th, 2019 Okemah, OklahOma

Arlo Guthrie | John Paul White Willie Watson | John Fullbright Jamie Lin Wilson | Joel Rafael Ellis Paul | The Red Dirt Rangers Jaimee Harris | Jacob Tovar Folk Uke | Count TuTu | Joe Purdy Levi Parham | Randy Crouch Carter Sampson | Butch Hancock |David Amram | Jude Johnstone Annie Guthrie | Tim Easton Dan Navarro | Wink Burcham | Miss Brown to You & MANY, MANY MORE! Special Tribute to Pete Seeger Wednesday, July 10th 7pm @ The Crystal Theatre

Tickets & more info available: www.woodyfest.com! Featuring songwriting workshops, artist panels, & educational programs for adults & children!

MikE RiCE

CARNEY: [Laughs] Every actor’s fantasy, I’m sure. a FILM & TV // 45


…let us love… in deed and in truth. (I John 3:18) July 14 Bible Lesson: Sacrament July 21 Bible Lesson: Life

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.

924 S. Boulder Church & Sunday School • 10:30am Wednesday Meeting • 6:00pm Reading Room • One hour after services

poison.health.ok.gov Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

REAL COLLEGE RADIO

Tune into Tulsa’s eclectic, uniquely programmed, local music loving, commercial free, genre hopping, award winning, truly alternative music station. @RSURadio | WWW.RSURADIO.COM 46 // ETC.

July 3 – 16, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE


THE FUZZ THE TULSA VOICE SPOTLIGHTS: TULSA SPCA

2910 Mohawk Blvd. | MON, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 918.428.7722

FERRY is a sweet baby. Her mother was found in the streets pregnant, but SPCA had an open foster home so she could raise Ferry and her siblings in a safe environment. All of her babies, including 2-month-old Ferry, are so sweet with humans!

ACROSS 1 Really overcook 5 Purposes 9 Radio switch letters 13 Uncommon eye color 18 Buckeye state 19 Deceptive scheme 20 Hinge (on) 21 Asteroids game company 22 Upper-story studio 23 Juvenile rebuttal 24 Dog with a dark tongue, informally 25 Classical Greek order 26 Marriage challenge (Hint: Enter the sum of two numbers ... in square 4) 29 Regular guy (... in square 4) 31 Tendency 32 IRS form expert 33 Spoken 34 Solar and lunar events 38 Abbr. in an organizer 41 Book borrower’s concern 46 Online talks 47 Mosaic piece 50 Way-out cases, on TV 51 Have a hangover, say 52 Warning signs 54 Coin flip 56 Trace of disgrace 57 Unforeseen obstacle 59 In ___ (coordinated) 60 Eyelashes 61 Blizzard bit 62 CBS cop series (... in square 7) 64 On the loose 66 Air leak sound 67 ___ Di Santo wedding gowns

One-year-old JAZZ is calm around humans and seems to enjoy playing with other dogs. This good girl would do well in almost any home! She keeps her kennel so clean, is eager to please and will be happy to learn new tricks from her people.

68 Deck supports (... in squares 1 and 4) 70 “Iliad” war god 72 “Sesame Street” home 75 Commonplace 77 Mohawk tribe’s confederation (... in square 1) 81 Actress Dern 83 Nick of “Cape Fear” 84 “Phooey!” 85 Pace faster than a walk 86 “Up” star 87 Where Anna taught 88 Unfreeze 89 Full show letters 90 Articles of faith 92 ___ value (old car statistic) 94 Take care of 96 Cityscape feature 98 Org. that assigns R’s and G’s 99 Signaled 102 Army outpost 104 ___ chi 106 Move like a moth 107 High salary, informally (... in square 1) 111 2016 Denzel Washington movie, with “The” (... in square 12) 116 Championship game 117 Hard to come by 119 Brought to a close 120 Wander around 121 “My Fair Lady” lady 122 Unrestrained joy 123 Nephew’s sibling 124 Falafel wrap 125 Yelp contributor 126 Send forth 127 Bit of bloodwork 128 Burnett or Brockovich

DOWN 1 Skedaddle 2 “Here comes trouble!” 3 Abounding 4 Zilch (... in square 4) 5 Add bubbles to 6 Anatomical duct 7 Playlist contents 8 Football throw to a specific place 9 Walk-through monument 10 “Whatevs” 11 1988 Olympic track star, familiarly 12 “Good gravy!” 13 Was a bad dancer (... in square 4) 14 At the peak of 15 Spanish fashion giant 16 Actor Idle 17 Puppy’s “kiss” 19 Composer Saint-___ 27 Terse assents 28 Uppercase, for short 30 ___ de cologne (scented liquids) 34 Digital dough 35 Cabinet members? 36 ’80s-’90s legal drama 37 Office pool member, once 39 Small French cake (... in square 6) 40 Gnomes’ kin 42 Knob 43 Wanted sign listing 44 Medium distance races, informally 45 “Blue Bloods” actor Will 48 Ref. book 49 Where Mongolia is 52 Willow tree 53 Early sitcom featuring the Douglas family (... in square 3)

The Tulsa SPCA has been helping animals in our area since 1913. The shelter never euthanizes for space and happily rescues animals from high-kill shelters. They also accept owner surrenders, rescues from cruelty investigations, hoarding, and puppy mill situations. Animals live on-site or with foster parents until they’re adopted. All SPCA animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and treated with preventatives. Learn about volunteering, fostering, upcoming events, adoptions, and their low-cost vaccination clinic at tulsaspca.org.

JUPITER is a giant puppy with the goofiest grin! He has done well as in indoor dog since his rescue and would prefer a home with people who want to play with him often. At 72 lbs., Jupiter would do best in a home with children over 12 years old.

55 Lake group in the Adirondacks 58 Moo goo ___ pan 60 Psychic Edgar 63 Specifically 65 Prepare Parmesan 68 Slightly below maximum spiciness (... in square 1) 69 Computer image format 71 Take a load off 72 Tectonic chunk 73 Predicated (on) 74 Branch of Islam 76 “___ seems” 77 Sort of circus or binder (... in square 1) 78 1987 skating champ Brian 79 U-turn from sur 80 Put a load back on? 82 Boating hazard 84 Agnus ___ 88 Apt job for someone named Buster? 91 Battle remnant 93 Computer input 94 Bic Clic ___ (pen brand) 95 A Muse 97 Come to light 100 Outcome 101 Microscope insert 103 Biblical song 105 Navel type 107 Box office bargain (... in square 1) 108 Adidas rival 109 Still competing 110 Intense look 111 Get together 112 March 15, e.g. 113 Crime film genre 114 Hulot portrayer Jacques 115 Smallest kind of band (... in square 1) 118 Outdoor sports chain

SISTER is happy to be a lap dog on your couch or take a run around your yard, as long as you are with her! This excited 2-year-old would do best without small children in the home and does well with other dogs but may be too much for a relaxed dog.

UNIVERSAL SUNDAY CROSSWORD PIECES OF EIGHT By Alan Olschwang, edited by David Steinberg

© 2019 Andrews McMeel Syndication THE TULSA VOICE // July 3 – 16, 2019

Like Ferry, TUGBOAT’s mother was found pregnant in the streets but was able to raise her kittens in a clean, loving foster home. Sweet Tugboat is about 2 months old and would love to be your buddy.

7/21 ETC. // 47


SATURDAY

08.17

TERRY FATOR

8PM

TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP SCAN TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Schedule subject to change.

CNENT_65741_HR_TerryFator_TulsaVoice_PrintAd_9x12-25_1926629.indd 1

Pleas e re cycle this issue.

7/1/19 9:34 AM


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