A Life Well Lived

Clayton Bahr’s impact on Oklahoma City is immeasurable. As he faces his own mortality, he shares lessons learned along the way.

FRE E EVE RY OTHER WE DNESDAY | OKLAHOMA’S INDE PE NDE NT BI WEE KLY |

In living memory

By Ryan Spencer and Matt Dinger

The heat clung to the final summer Sunday of the year as dozen after dozen poured into the Tower Theatre to mourn a man still amongst them.

Those hundreds gathered for “A Toast to the Good Life — A Celebration of the Life and Community of Clayton Bahr” were there to pay their respects to a man who’s lived just beyond a half-century. A man who has left an indelible impression on: Oklahoma’s service industry as one of the finest wine, spirit, and cigar connoisseurs; on the Oklahoma City metro area’s homeless people and volunteer community; on the Okie music scene as host of The Spy FM’s “B Sides” and “Tasting Notes.”

On that deceitfully luminous Sunday, the overbearing gloom typical of such events was slight, shunted by an off-kilter carnival atmosphere tempered with a hue of shared anxiety because Bahr chose to throw — and attend — his own wake.

The man himself looked into our thousand eyes and hugged us, caroused with us and gave us and himself the chance to visit together in a grand manner before his time comes to a premature end because of cancer. Fuck cancer.

Though the occasion was dire, he wasn’t stingy with his resonant gut laugh. He never is.

“It just got to the point, I have to drop this on everyone. Mostly because I want to do this event,” Bahr said. “I’m now at the point where I’m like, ‘All right, this is what’s happening. Let’s do it.’ We had no clue what was going to happen. No idea.”

A public Facebook post extending an open invitation to the celebration set the notion in stone, then it spread far and wide.

“A lot of people have told me since, ‘We just didn’t know what to expect walking in,’ yet they walked in anyway. Afraid. Probably having to feel feelings they don’t want to feel. To walk through those doors, not knowing… I’m asking you to come into the public eye and share your emotions,” Bahr recalled weeks afterward.

“I had three friends die during the pandemic. One suicide. One had cancer but COVID got him, one of my mentors. And a best friend died

of diabetes. I didn’t find out about his death until a month later. I didn’t even get the opportunity to try to grieve for him. Going through those three experiences during the darkness of those times… I want others to have the opportunity I wish I’d had with those three people. There was nowhere to put the grief,” he said.

So he turned our death process on its ear. The Tower piled close and hummed loudly that day as Clayton’s son Landon — Ludivine bartender and creator of the celebration’s heady cocktails — began lubing up the crowd alongside his colleagues. Things started to swing.

Great and small knots of folk coalesced, broke apart, reformed, with a steady stream of attendees making their way outside the venue, splaying down the sidewalk and smoking both right- and left-handed, then rejoining the impassioned fray of the funeral party.

COVER STORY

“It was like being in a flood,” Bahr said. “I’d go upstairs every now and again to take a break, then come back down and get mauled by people in the hallway as I told myself, ‘I gotta go dive back into this pool.’ I would see somebody and say, ‘Holy fuck, I haven’t seen that guy in ten years,’ make eye contact,

then never see them again. So that sucked. It happened a lot. It was a lot. A lot of people. I took Monday off. On Tuesday my boss said, ‘Man, you know if you’d talked to every person there, it would’ve taken 48 hours, and you had four.”

Another gut laugh.

Early on, Clayton spoke to us from the stage, backed by a cohort of family and friends as he took great pains to thank all involved, all present, and all whom he loved which, at this contributor’s last count, included pretty much everyone. The guy’s a giver.

Then, mid-speech, a wrinkle to validate that giving. Dan Straughan and Kinsey Crocker of the Homeless Alliance took the stage with an enigmatic poster board, coyly turned away from all.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Clayton hazarded into the mic.

The Turkey Tango Thanksgiving dinner serving hundreds annually at the Homeless Alliance and across the metro was co-founded by Clayton 15 years ago and is in essence his baby, brought to life through his force of will, manifold contacts made over the years throughout the Oklahoma culinary industry and days upon days of volunteer time. It has only grown.

When their posterboard flipped to reveal the annual volunteer effort had been rechristened Clayton’s Turkey Tango, if there was a dry eye in the house, I’d be damned if I saw it.

“I want the food scene and the wine scene here to just be amazing. I think we have the ability to do that. I would love to see us continue to fight homelessness, fight for justice. My belief with the homeless community is that it’s a really solvable problem. It shouldn’t be happening. We have the resources to do it. It’s a lot of work, but I’d love to see this community strive to treat them like people, and stop creating the conditions that put them on the street,” Bahr said.

The swirl of memory and feeling at the Tower was, to use the oftheard term since used, overwhelming. The darkness of the American funeral tradition, gone. The brightness of the whole thing left us stunned. The 90-degree Oklahoma sunshine couldn’t compete.

I lost track of the faces, so many so close in thought yet unseen for years. Fake hugs were absent. Some bowed out, others stayed on, but all were buffeted by the swirl — most let it sweep them up. Many swam headlong with that current. The phenomenon was palpable and often itself dominated conversation, the thing ratcheting ever higher under its own power, seemingly independent of all of us. It just kept happening.

Around sundown, the action spilled from the Tower into the event space above and the adjacent Ponyboy. That’s when true partying soared. Few held back. Raucous guffaws and brazenly

CLAYTON BAHR MAY NOT LONG FOR THIS WORLD, BUT HIS PRESENCE REMAINS LARGER THAN LIFE.

Clayton Bahr | Photo by Berlin Green

“It is the one of the most unique, all encompassing things in the world that we encounter, and so to be able to experience it, for a person who is in the realm of the dying, with everyone else, it’s fascinating. It’s a study in humanity. I would say psychology, I don’t even know if it’s that. It’s more of just about being a human being.”

-Clayton Bahr

cheered voices caromed throughout the barspace. No one gave a single damn. Clayton was there. We had him, for a time, and he us.

“I stayed until two. I don’t remember the last couple of hours very well. I know I made another speech at some point but I don’t remember what I said. I remember ‘Hip! Hip! Hooray!’ Everyone was really drunk by that point. One of my favorite moments I was told about… I was kind of using the wall to help me get to the bathroom, and my son Landon stood on the bar and said, ‘Hey everybody, I just want to let you know I drink with my dad all the time, and for my dad to be this drunk, that is a feat in and of itself,’” Bahr said.

Another gut laugh, followed by a second.

“In the service industry you go to a lot of funerals, and not good ones. They’re not good. Usually something horribly tragic has happened. After the event, people were saying, ‘Thank you for doing this.’ But I was just thinking in terms of let’s all have a good time, a last hurrah. If you want to say something to me, say it. If you want to make peace with me, make it. Before I try to go aggressively enjoy life,” he said.

“They were talking about a gift I was giving them. But I’m not giving them a gift, they’re giving me one by coming to this function, right? I didn’t understand it until afterwards. They were right, that’s what it was, just having that opportunity to… One last hug or one last whatever. Hang out one last time. I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. It was just pure joy and love, the whole time. It was sweet.”

The first interview took place at Guyute’s in early autumn and was interrupted by people dropping by the table to shake Clayton’s hand and say a few words, something that was repeated during the second interview the last week of fall at Ponyboy.

waking up ill has become a guessing game. Is it a seasonal ailment or is the ravenous growth finally winning the battle? The thing about cancer, Bahr said, is that you can seem mostly normal but eventually, your health goes off a ledge and never recovers. In light of that, his doctors have given him two pieces of advice: eat heartily and stay busy.

“I’m fighting cancer by working and eating steak,” he said.

A gut laugh, this time interrupted by a few coughs.

“I brought the family down to reality last week, and I said, ‘Hey, I want to do these things because this may be our last Christmas together. I have no idea,” Bahr said.

Bahr’s doctors gave him six months to a year to live after his diagnosis in April, but to date, he outwardly shows no signs of slowing down, but either the cancer or the treatments he’s taking take a toll behind closed doors.

“Before, if I hit the wall, I would just go past the wall and just keep

going. And now when I hit the wall, I have to stop. There is no going past the wall. I’ve got to stop and shut down and sleep for a day or whatever,” he said.

And in some ways, he can’t slow down, and is still working as a wine rep for Premium Brands.

“We live in a country that does not tie insurance to the person. They tie it to the job. And so if I want insurance and I want to continue to get any kind of treatment, or be seen by anybody, I have to work or I don’t have insurance and I gotta pay COBRA, and COBRA is $7,000 a month. There’s no retirement. I’m 50 years old, so I may have been starting on retirement or had a small retirement I was working on,

like, ‘Okay, I’m out. I don’t need insurance.’ But I still do for hospice care. It’s insane… That’s just the way America is. It’s fucked up. It’s really, really fucked up,” he said.

Bahr has been experimenting with psilocybin and will escape the first wave of frigid winter temperatures by leaving for Mexico for 10 days just after the beginning of the new year. He doesn’t know how many days he has left, but he still has plans to skydive in March.

Whatever comes his way, Clayton Bahr intends to face it head on until his final day.

“I love talking about this. I can’t change anything. I know what’s coming. I’d rather deal with the reality of what is happening … We’ve all experienced it in different forms or fashions in our life, and we all have different ways we approach it based upon those experiences. It is the one of the most unique, all encompassing things in the world that we encounter, and so to be able to experience it, for a person who is in the realm of the dying, with everyone else, it’s fascinating. It’s a study in humanity. I would say psychology, I don’t even know if it’s that. It’s more of just about being a human being.”

To donate to Clayton Bahr’s medical bills and end of life care, please follow the QR code to his GoFundMe page.

An entry sign to Clayton Bahr’s living wake.| Photo by Ryan Spencer.

COMMENTARY

What momentum?

By Robin Meyers

Just after the election of Kevin Stitt for a second term as Oklahoma’s governor, the photo and headline in The Oklahoman said it all: RED WAVE IN OK! Stitt is seen raising his arms high above his head, his mouth open in a kind of sport’s happy primal scream, hoopin’ and hollerin’ over his goodold-boy butt-kicking of Joy Hofmeister. The mythical red wave did not sweep over the rest of the country, as moderates won the day, but in Oklahoma, Democrats were swamped again.

For those of us who were born and have lived most of our lives in Oklahoma, it was no surprise. After all, a red wave is all that can come out of a red sea. As a “bottom ten” state led by Oklahoma’s corrupt governor, we can expect things to get even worse in the next four years, which is what made Stitt’s self-congratulatory rhetoric so strange—so reminiscent of Orwellian double-speak. His focus, he said, was on “continuing the momentum” of the last four years. What momentum?

“Oklahomans stated loud and clear [that] they are proud of how far we’ve come,” Stitt said.

How far we’ve come? Is he talking about that “top ten” thing again? Has anybody looked at how far we’ve actually come, or in what direction we are actually moving? We are 43rd in quality of life, and in some measures, now 50th—dead last—in education. So, if we continue the Stitt “momentum” on education, we have run out of room. We are 47th in education spending per student, so there is some room for Stitt to make a little more downward progress here. Stay tuned.

Our economy ranks 37th in the nation, so we might make the top ten someday, but only if enough secret deals are made with taxpayer money behind closed doors. Not even bribery works these days, because to get companies to move to Oklahoma, you need to be the kind of place where people want to live and raise their kids. But the barbecue is good here, especially Swadley’s. Has anyone heard anything lately about the real price of that brisket?

We are the seventh least-educated state in America, behind only Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia. God bless those kissin’

cousins for stopping Stitt’s “momentum” in its tracks. Our crime rate per capita is higher than New York or California (look it up—it is actually true, despite Stitt’s ignorant guffawing at the fact). Our public transportation system is almost nonexistent, but our worship of guns is a priority.

To add insult to injury, the top three states for quality of life, educational excellence, and health and wellbeing are all blue states where apparently not everyone is a Satan-worshiping pedophile. Taxes are higher, but so are the services that people want and need. As for Oklahoma? We are a welfare state, meaning that we receive more from the federal government than we pay in federal taxes. Does Stitt’s “momentum” include closing that gap?

The three largest urban counties voted for Hofmeister, but the rural counties voted overwhelmingly for Stitt, proving that the thesis of Thomas Frank’s book, What’s the Matter with Kansas? also applies to Oklahoma— people vote against their own economic self-interests because they are perpetually foaming at the mouth over culture war issues. Once the fever breaks, and they feel safe from the radical “woke” crowd, they also wake up to poorer schools, more foreignowned pot farms and human trafficking, and teachers who must carry guns to class to feel safe—that is, if we can even find enough teachers. Is this the educational momentum that Stitt is talking about?

“We want to relook [sic] at education and give parents more options,” Stitt said. Translation: We want to give vouchers that allow more people to use tax dollars to send their kids to white, urban, private schools, while rural schools continue to wither on the vine, and we mock the separation of church and state. Stitt is a Christian, so he must be thinking of Matthew 25:29: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Now

that’s biblical momentum!

We are definitely number one when it comes to the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, which really means that we are dead last when it comes to our respect for the dignity and autonomy of women. How’s that for momentum? Or consider Stitt’s war against the state’s largest tribal governments , first over casino fees and later over matters of tribal sovereignty. He might want to read David Grann’s bestseller, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murder and the Birth of the FBI. It might remind him what white people have been doing to Native Americans since the beginning. Is that the momentum we need to continue?

Perhaps the biggest challenge Stitt will face now is to decide whether to support an insurrectionist for president and a party that wants to sweep the treason of Jan. 6, 2021, under the rug. You can’t be for the rule of law unless it applies to everyone. Imagine if President Barack Obama had refused to accept the results of an election and engineered an attack by his all-Black followers that resulted in the death of police officers and the desecration of the Capitol? He wouldn’t be running again. He’d be in prison.

So, what exactly is this “momentum” that Stitt wants to continue? The continued collapse of public education? Setting women back another hundred years? Praying as

the self-declared spiritual leader of Oklahoma that God would, “Claim Oklahoma for you. Every square inch,” he prayed, “We claim it for you in the name of Jesus.” How’s that for interfaith momentum?

God will no doubt instruct Stitt to cut taxes and reduce regulations so that the divine myth of trickle-down economics will continue the momentum of the rich getting richer. Perhaps he can also continue the dangerous momentum of banning books and firing teachers for telling our kids the truth about the diversity of the human experience or the brutal reality of racism?

With this kind of momentum for friends, who needs enemies? Or maybe Pogo was right: We have met the enemy and he is us.

The Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers is pastor of First Congregational Church UCC in Norman and retired senior minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC in Oklahoma City. He is currently Professor of Public Speaking, and Distinguished Professor of Social Justice Emeritus in the Philosophy Department at Oklahoma City University, and the author of eight books on religion and American culture, the most recent of which is, Saving God from Religion: A Minister’s Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age. Visit robinmeyers.com.

AS WE MOVE INTO GOV. KEVIN STITT’S SECOND TERM, MANY OKLAHOMANS ARE WONDERING WHETHER WE LIVE IN THE SAME STATE HE DESCRIBES IN HIS SPEECHES.

Robin Meyers | Photo by Berlin Green

by Jerry Bennett

No jokes this time.

The fact that Susan Hanchett died on her twelfth day in the Cleveland County jail is no laughing matter.

It’s impossible to find humor in the fact that she languished behind bars over an astonishingly minor infraction until they found her dead inside a cell after nearly two weeks. And all because she called 911 a couple of extra times because she wanted a welfare check on her children. Mental episode or no, how does a simple request for a domestic contact between a willing father and a distraught mother result in an arrest and not a ride home or to a crisis center? Why was sitting in the Cleveland County jail a better

choice? Who did this protect? How did it serve justice or the com munity? How?

All we have is bodyworn camera footage that shows a calm if not entirely collected woman no longer begging but demanding that law enforcement check on her children ending up in handcuffs. And now she’s dead, in part because no one came to post a couple hundred bucks in cash bail.

Make it make sense. Because even after the launch of 988Oklahoma, a mental health advocate, bakery owner and a community ally and pillar in the

college town of Norman, still died alone because a police officer chose punishment and threw her into a criminal

Illustrations

justice system that cared not about caring for her.

How the system works is complex, but the long and short is that the authority was birthed just after World War II to connect Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The tolls were expected to pay for the construction and then the turnpike would be free to drivers. Except, less than a decade later, the rules were rewritten so that if another turnpike was constructed, then the tolls would pay for those new roads before the costs of the previous turnpikes. And then, once all the construction costs were paid, the roads would be free.

It’s absolutely true that Oklahoma

is going to need more highways constructed as time goes on and linking them to existing roads will be necessary. But should that responsibility be left to six people plus the governor? A district judge recently ruled that the authority violated the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act when it did not release relevant details about the ACCESS Oklahoma expansion, which will cut through and east of Norman on yet another turnpike, so not only is this small group making big decisions, but it’s brazenly doing so under its own shroud of secrecy.

$132.8 million, spread among 12 engineering firms, and funded such work from money allocated for other capital improvement projects, including a new midway toll plaza on the Turner Turnpike. The turnpike authority also purchased

several homes in the path of the proposed Norman area turnpikes,” according to The Oklahoman.

So maybe more ouroboros than Cthulhu.

Best of 2022

AS THE YEAR COMES TO AN END WE REVIEW OUR FAVORITE SELECTIONS OF 2022 THAT ARE PERFECT FOR RINGING IN 2023. outing way the second

Whether you’re celebrating the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023, Luc Belaire provides a sparkling finish or start. The citrus notes keep this brut from being too dry and enjoyable outside of celebratory occasions.

This full-bodied California red comes primarily from Monterey County grapes, which make it a gentle wine to enjoy outdoors in the spring or during one of those occasional balmy Oklahoma winter days.

Creyente - Mezcal

Smoky on the front end and sweet on the finish, this Oaxacan mezcal might be a little too much for most to sip neat, but its rich flavors make for a bold base for cocktails.

Luc Belaire - Brut Gold

Sea Sun - Pinot Noir

The GlenlivetCaribbean Reserve

This was definitely the most unique outing this year, which is really just another way of saying “strange.” The clash between the rum barrel and The Glenlivet takes a second to get used to, but you’ll likely find yourself thinking about another glass after the first.

The rumors came out early on this one and definitely lived up to the hype. This year’s batch of Oktoberfest was a little maltier than it has been in years past, which is definitely not a complaint.

Anthem dialed in this perennial seasonal Märzen where it needs to be and we’re already looking forward to the next round.

StoneCloud Brewing Company - Nite

Stonecloud Brewing Co. just won Oklahoma Gazette’s Best of OKC for both best brewery and taproom and if you’ve been there, you get it. Stonecloud has built on its impressive roots the past couple of years, and with endless experimentations hitting the shelves, their seasonal dark lager is still a treat when it rolls around. This one is also currently on tap.

Anthem BrewingOktoberfest

GAZEDIBLES

Healthy Mediterranean fare to start the new year

The new year is here to usher in all the resolutions, many of which include eating better. Often hailed as one of the healthiest ‘diets,’ Mediterranean fare is anything but boring and bland, which is a common reason people jettison their New Year’s pledges by the time February rolls around. Whether your style is Greek, Persian or perhaps Lebanese, here are seven spots around the city to find healthy, flavorful cuisine inspired from our friends out east.

By Berlin Green Photos provided

405-601-4067 • 1749 NW 16th St. luaokcplaza.com

In the heart of the Plaza District, you’ll find Lua offering a modern twist on traditional Mediterranean cuisine. From flavorful wraps to bowls of greens that excite the taste buds, the menu is filled with healthy options. Try the modern Greek salad, or the burrata salad but if you’re in need of something a bit heavier go for the shawarma bowl, which features your choice of protein over hummus and saffron rice.

405-947-7788 • 6014 N May Ave. Zorbasokc.com

Whether you start with dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) or spicy gulf shrimp and end with chicken bandarri or beef brochette, Zorba’s offers a menu of healthy eats that will ignite your palette and make hitting any diet goals a delicious piece of cake. When you do feel like treating yourself, do so with a tiramisu or a baklava creme brulee for something that’s not too “guilty.”

405-810-9494 • 5620 N May Ave. Medimportsokc.com

An OKC staple for over 40 years, Mediterranean Imports is a trusted place to find flavorful salads, savory soups and gyros fresh off the spit. Choose from any number of healthy entrees, salads and sides, then replicate your favorites at home through their gourmet deli and extensive selection of international groceries you won’t find anywhere else.

Lua Mediterranean

Zorba’s Mediterranean Restaurant

Mediterranean Imports, Deli & Gastro Goods

405-789-8008 • 3913 N MacArthur Blvd. Zamzamgrill.com

For over a decade, ZamZam has been supplying Oklahomans with fresh and flavorful cuisine and a space to relax and connect. Among the highlights of their delicious menu is a selection of kabobs. Try the marinated shrimp with a fattoush side salad or skip the kabobs and go straight for the lamb chops, either way you get a healthy protein packed meal that will leave you feeling full.

405-286-1646 • 14600 N Pennsylvania Ave. shawarmaandcompany.com

Brothers Mohammad & Odai Abuobead wanted to put a fresh focus on beloved family recipes, so they founded Shawarma & Co. to share their love of Mediterranean street food with OKC. From classic shawarmas and hearty wraps to bowls packed to the brim with tabouli, hummus and baba ganoush, there’s something healthy and delicious for everyone.

405-231-4976 • 7202 W Hefner Rd. haydehsbistro.com

In this bright little bistro, you’ll find Haydeh herself serving up traditional Persian cuisine, including savory kabobs, fresh salads, and savory falafel. For something both healthy and refreshing, try the Persian salad made with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, parsley and lemon juice. The baba ganoush features roasted eggplant in rich spices, served cold with pita bread.

405-751-7000 • 3131 W Memorial Rd. nunuscafe.com

Using recipes passed down through generations, Nunu’s relies on fresh and healthy ingredients to create a flavorful menu that is 90 percent gluten-free and caters to carnivores, vegetarians and vegans. In this bright and colorful space you’ll find freshly made salads, soups, hummus and much more. Whether you like them stuffed with beef or without it, the cabbage rolls might become your new favorite comfort food.

ZamZam Mediterranean Grill Shawarma & Co.

Haydeh’s Bistro

Nunu’s Mediterranean Cafe

FILM

Corsage (2022, Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Marie Kreutzer) once idolized for her beauty, Empress Elisabeth of Austria upon turning 40 is deemed an old woman by society begins rebelling against her royal duties, 5:30 & 8 p.m., Jan. 6-7; 12:30 & 3 p.m., Jan. 8. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

FRI-SUN, JAN 6-8

Holiday Film Series: Gremlins (1984, USA, Joe Dante) a young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town, 6 p.m., Dec. 28. Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave., 405-235-3456. WED, DEC 28

Merry Little Christmas: Classic Holiday Films from the 1940s timeless classics from the golden age of Hollywood Christmas films featuring Meet Me in St. Louis, The Bishop’s Wife, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and Remember the Night, 2 p.m., Dec. 31. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT, DEC 31

The Story of Film: A New Generation (2021, USA, Mark Cousins) a documentary by Mark Cousins that looks back at the films that have pushed the boundaries of cinematic style, narrative and technology over the past decade, 7 p.m., Dec. 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI, DEC 30

HAPPENINGS

Christmas in the Park drive-thru, walk or ride the Santa Express Train through an almost three mile light display featuring over five million lights and over 500 one-of-a-kind lighted displays, through Dec. 31. Yukon City Park, 2200 Holly Ave., 405-354-1895, cityofyukon. gov. THU-SAT, THROUGH DEC 31

Coffee and Cars OKC the largest monthly gathering of car enthusiasts across the state, featuring automotives of all types spanning from classics to hotrods, exotics to luxuries, sports to supers, there is something for every car lover, first Saturday of every month, 8 p.m. Chisholm Creek, 13230 Pawnee Dr., 405-728-2780, coffeeandcars.com. SAT, JAN 7

Downs Family Christmas Lights a synchronized light display with over 280,000 lights comprised of two

OKG PICKS

mega trees that are 70 feet tall, 20-foot long arches and more, Through Jan. 1, 2023. Downs Family Home, 2900 72nd Ave. SE, downsfamilychristmas.com. THUSUN, JAN 1

Hygge from our Rainforest to Home explore the Scandinavian philosophy of embracing feelings of wellness and contentment and fostering the coziness in our environments, company and practices of life, 10-11 a.m., Jan. 7. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT, JAN 7

Knit Night an evening of fellow knitters working on their projects while enjoying the store’s atmosphere, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Jan. 10. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks. com. TUE, JAN 10

New Year’s Eve Stay Experience celebrate the ball dropping with a special themed evening inspired by the Swing Era of the 1930s and Benny Goodman’s “Rhythm Club” concerts, come dressed and enjoy food, drinks, dance and jive, Sat., Dec. 31. Bradford House, 1235 NW 38th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118, 405451-3693. SAT, DEC 31

Noon Year’s Eve for those who never make it till midnight, enjoy artmaking activities, snacks and punch, exploring the galleries and a count down till noon with a balloon drop, 10 a.m. - noon, Dec. 31. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT, DEC 31

Opening Night celebrate the New Year with live music, food and drinks, children’s crafts and midnight fireworks, 7 p.m. to midnight, Dec. 31. Downtown OKC, 211 N. Robinson Ave., 405-235-3500, downtownokc.com. SAT, DEC 31 ‘Tis the Season at Scissortail Park explore the park all season long with holiday lights throughout including a 40-foot tree, a giant menorah and the Union Station Illumination synchronized music and light display, as well as the Cocoa Cottage, through Jan. 1, 2023. Scissortail Park, 300 SW 7th St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark.org. FRI-SUN, THROUGH JAN 1

FOOD

Cocoa Cottage a special holiday shop featuring coffee, hot cocoa and holiday treats for the season, 5-9 p.m., Dec. 14-16; 4-10 p.m., Dec. 17-Jan. 1. Scissortail Park, 300 SW 7th St., 405-445-7080, scissortailpark. org. FRI-SUN, THROUGH JAN 1

New Year’s Eve Dinner enjoy a five-course meal created by Executive Chef Caleb Strangroom and the Bradford House Culinary Team, 6 p.m., Dec. 31. Bradford House, 1235 NW 38th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73118, 405-451-3693. SAT, DEC 31

New Year’s Eve Eve Auction and Fundraiser

explore the museum and enjoy a VIP dinner with special guest, ventriloquist, Darci Lynne along with live music from Kyle Dillingham, Kyle Earhart, and more., 5 p.m., Dec. 30. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

FRI, DEC 30 Photo provided

OKC Brew Tours jump on the bus and visit three local breweries within the OKC metro area with multiple tasters at each stop as well as take a behind the scenes tour and learn how beer is made, 6-9 p.m., Fridays and 2-5 p.m, Saturdays through Jan. 31. OKC Brew Tours, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-822-0285, okcbrewtour.com. FRI-SAT, THROUGH JAN 31

YOUTH

Drop-In Art each Saturday will feature a different craft for children including holiday card creation, Shrinky Dink ornaments making, holiday picture frames and more, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT, DEC 31

Incredible Ice children will learn about ice through experiments to see how it behaves followed by a sparkly winter craft and making of a mystery matter that feels just like snow, 10-11:30 a.m., Jan 7. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT, JAN 7

Kids Take Over the Cowboy: outLAWman children will learn about the American West and how the lines were often blurred between law-abiding, lawless and law-enforcing individuals with art activities and storytime, 10 a.m. - noon, Jan. 7. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-4782250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. SAT, JAN 7

Storytime with Miss Julie enjoy snacks, crafts and story time, 10:15-11:30 a.m., Saturdays, ongoing. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT, ONGOING

PERFORMING ARTS

Adèle Wolf’s Burlesque & Variety Show presents the 11th Annual New Year’s Eve Bash enjoy a custom craft cocktail while you’re treated to a true, old-school variety revue, complete with some of the most talented burlesque dancers in the nation, vocalists, belly dancers, aerial artists, and cabaret acts. Door prizes, audience participation games and a costume contest will heighten the fun. Guests are encouraged to dress to impress and pose in the photo booth, 8 p.m.-midnight, Dec. 31. The Auditorium at the Douglass, 600 N. High Ave., 405-673-6162, adelewolf. com. SAT, DEC 31

Bang Bang Queer Punk Variety Show a variety show featuring drag, burlesque, belly dancing and more, Thu., Jan. 5. Blue Note, 2408 N. Robinson Ave., 405-600-1166, thebluenotelounge.com. THU, JAN 5

Cats the story of one special night each year when the tribe of Jellicle Cats reunites to celebrate who they are through singing about their unique abilities and special traits, created by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dec. 30-Jan. 1. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. FRI-SUN, DEC 30-JAN 1

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) instead of the traditional holiday Dickens’ A Christmas Carol show, enjoy a performance of every Christmas story ever told, seasonal icons both new and old, traditions from around the world and, of course,

every carol ever sung too, 7 p.m., Dec. 29-30. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-601-7200, theboomokc. com. THU-FRI, DEC 29-30

OKCPHIL Classics: Nordic Soundscapes a performance of AnnaThorvaldsdottir’s Aeriality, Björk’s 3 Songs, Kjartan Sveinsson’s Credo and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 82, 8 p.m., Jan 7. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. SAT, JAN 7

Ron White a live stand-up comedy performance, 8 p.m., Dec. 31. River Spirit Casino Resort, 8330 Riverside Parkway, Tulsa, 918-299-8518, riverspirittulsa.com. SAT, DEC 31

Weirdlesque Fest an all-out burlesque festival, live in the heart of Uptown23rd, celebrating the weird and wonderful, presented by Terre Rouge Burlesque, leading up to the grand showcase, Jan. 7. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. SAT, JAN 7

ACTIVE

Devon Ice Rink enjoy outdoor ice skating with seasonal food and beverage offerings, through Jan. 29, 2023. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, downtownindecember.com/devon-icerink. FRI-SUN, THROUGH JAN 29

Lifeshare Winterfest and Snow Tubing tube down snow slides in a controlled environment and explore a winter wonderland with special holiday lighting and décor, through Jan. 1, 2023. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000, okcballparkevents.com. FRI-SUN, THROUGH JAN 1

Myriad in Motion: Tai Chi dress in your comfy clothes and flat shoes for an entry-level Tai Chi class led by Ling Miller, 4:30-5:30 p.m., every other Monday. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-4457080, myriadgardens.com. MON, ONGOING

Myriad in Motion: Yoga bring your mat and water for an all-levels yoga class with instructors from YMCA, 6 p.m. Tuesdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. TUE & SAT, JAN 3, 7, 10

New Year’s Stickball Game join in a co-ed, tournament-style stickball game on the FAM field, there will be games for both youths and adults, sticks will be provided for those without, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Jan. 7. First Americans Museum, 659 First Americans Blvd., 405-594-2100. SAT, JAN 7

VISUAL ARTS

The Art Market: Locally Made, Gift Inspired Works an art show centered around gift giving items featuring eight artists that have created smaller works that can be purchased and taken home that day, in addition there will be snow globes made by over 30 local artists, through Jan. 8, 2023. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com. THU-SUN, THROUGH JAN 8

The Collector’s Eye a private collection of work from LBA player and Edmondite, Ekpe Udoh, carefully selected body of work featuring artists such as Taha

Clayton, Jeffrey Henson Scales, Frank Morrison, and Kevin Williams, Jan. 5-Feb. 18. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THU-SAT, JAN 5-FEB 18

Crossroads featuring works from printmaker Karen Sova and painters Cameron Choate and Weylin Neyra whose works express multidimensional moods, experiences and identities, Dec. 1-31. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THU-SAT, THROUGH DEC 31

The Elevate at 21c a program that presents exhibitions for local artists in the community which currently features works by Virginia Sitzes and a collaboration between Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman, through Jan. 31, 2023. 21c Museum Hotel, 900 W. Main St., 405-982-6900, 21cmuseumhotels.com.

THROUGH JAN 31

Exquisite Corpse Exhibition features work by 12 different artists who have carved three pieces of linoleum to create a corpse, each piece is then interchanged with the other artists to create a one of a kind collaborative piece, through Dec. 31. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THROUGH DEC 31

Fugitive Speech features seven artworks by artists Emily M. Chase, Jerome Ellis and Anita Fields explore acts of personal testimony in the face of social, cultural and historical odds through distinct perspectives and approaches to media, including textiles, video, photography and ceramics, while considering the relationship between voice, memory and time, through April 30, 2023. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 11 NW 11th St., 405-951-0000, okcontemp.org. THU-MON, THROUGH APRIL 30, 2023

people involved in its creation, ongoing. First Americans Museum, 659 First Americans Blvd., 405-594-2100.

ONGOING

One Hundred Years of Revolution: French Art from 1850 to 1950 features works arranged in chronological order to show how the French artists changed from creating realistic depictions of the world to abstract compositions over a 100 year period, through Feb. 19, 2023. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

THROUGH FEB 19, 2023

Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery Walk peruse art from over 80 artists with 25 participating businesses for a night of special themed exhibits, refreshments and a variety of entertainment opportunities, 6-9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. Paseo Arts District, 3024 Paseo St., 405-525-2688, thepaseo.org.

FRI, JAN 5

Perception and Technique in Abstract Art features works covering two different techniques of abstract styles through various artists, through Jan. 15, 2023. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THROUGH JAN 15, 2023

Safari Lights a larger-than-life light display featuring wildlife themed light sculptures, animated displays, mu sical light show, interactive exhibits, photo ops, festive treats and more, through Jan. 1, 2023. The Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Place, 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT-SUN, THROUGH JAN 1 Sombreros Texanas and Bosses of the Plains explore the evolution of the cowboy hat from the woven sombreros to today’s working cowboy hats and highly decorated hats of rodeo riders and entertainers featuring hats worn by John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Tom Selleck, Shirley Jauregui, Johnny Lee Wills and more, through Jan. 8, 2023. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI-SUN, THROUGH JAN 8

Synesthesia Factory Obscura’s newest immersive art experience focusing on color and textural elements while guests open their senses to discover what colors sound and smell like. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., 405-325-3272, ou.edu/ fjjma. THROUGH JUNE 4, 2023

Traditional Cowboy Arts Exhibition and Sale a showcase of saddle making, bit and spur making, silversmithing and rawhide braiding, Sept. 30-Jan. 2. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. FRI-SAT, THROUGH JAN 2

Visual Narratives: First American Photography features works by five First American photographers, Philip Busey Jr, Peggy Fontenot, Lester Harragarra, Kelly Langley and Jim Trosper who represent different tribes, including Cherokee, Chickasaw, Patawomeck, Kiowa and Otoe-Missouria, through Feb. 2023. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., 405-767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com. MON-SUN, THROUGH FEB 2023

Inspiration in Detail an exhibit featuring works by Ranell Zurmehly using media such as oil, acrylic, colored pencil and graphite as she depicts her growth as an artist through her drawings, Jan. 5-28. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE 3rd St., 405-815-9995, 1ne3.org. THU-SAT, JAN 5-28 Photo provided

Highlights from the Rose Family Glass Collection this private curated collection showcases a broader look at the Studio Glass movement that began in the 1950s in America and continues to present date, through Jan. 15, 2023. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. THROUGH JAN 15, 2023

Kiarostami: Beyond the Frame features a multimedia collection of artwork by Iranian filmmaker, photographer and visual artist, Abbas Kiarostami, through April 9, 2023. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT-TUE, THROUGH APR 9, 2023

Leticia Galizzi/Jim Keffer/Stella Thomas an exhibition featuring works by three different artists, through Dec. 31. JRB Art at The Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave., 405-528-6336, jrbartgallery.com. FRI-SAT, THROUGH DEC 31

Of the Earth: Creating First Americans Museum view the architectural history of the museum being constructed from the stage of construction to the

Winter 2022 Group Exhibition organized by Gallery Director Helen Opper, features the work of Joan Wegener, Michael McDaniel, and the student artists of Captivating My Creative Culture, through Jan. 31, 2023. The Art Hall, 519 NW 23rd St., 405-456-9504, arthallokc.com/winter-2022-groupexhibition. SUN-SAT, THROUGH JAN 31

You Have Died of Dysentery an exhibit showcasing Western-themed games, books and videos, such as The Oregon Trail and Red Dead Redemption, through May 7. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

SAT-TUE, THROUGH MAY 7

Submissions must be received

For the record

By D. Collin Hudson

It might not be the same iconic Double Stop Fiddle Shop that stood as a cornerstone of Americana for a quarter century, but the spirit of Byron Berline filled the music hall on a Saturday night in November.

The Hunt Brothers Band — now the shop’s house band — recorded a live performance there which will soon become the band’s first full-length album.

Like a live version of Hee Haw, the band kept fans laughing between each song and told some stories as they laid down one bluegrass and roots country song after another.

Byron Berline, a legendary fiddle and mandolin virtuoso as well as the founder of Double Stop Trolley Shop, died in summer 2021.

“It is so meaningful to us it’s beyond expression really. We have a long history of hanging out here. We took lessons here starting at 8 and 11 years old, of course that was at the original building across the street,” fiddle and mandolin player Andrew Hunt said.

“When we were kids Byron would have us get on stage and play with the band. Eventually he had us stay on stage for the entire second half of the show. We learned how to perform live and even improvise from those experiences. I would say it’s just been an honor to have these opportunities,” banjo and guitar player Jonathan Hunt said.

Born in Caldwell, Kan., Berline began playing the fiddle when he was just 5 years old. Quickly developing his talent, he recorded

and toured with a lengthy list of legendary performers, including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elton John, The Eagles, The Byrds, John Denver, Rod Sterwart, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, just to name a few from the top of the list.

A three-time National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Championship winner, he had movie roles in Basic Instinct and The Rose . He ap -

MUSIC

peared on the aforementioned Hee Haw as well Star Trek: The Next Generation and made a 1979 Austin City Limits appearance with Marty Stuart.

“He just knew what notes to play for a song,” Byron’s daughter, Becca Berline, said the night of the Hunt Brothers show. “I saw him play a session once for a Disney movie and it took him about five minutes, and they said, ‘Okay, that’s good.’”

In 1995, after moving here from southern California, he opened Double Stop Fiddle Shop, which became a favorite place for pickers from around the world to stop by and purchase their instruments and jam with whomever might be there.

“His talent was that he could

walk into any kind of session and fit a fiddle break to whatever kind of music it was. And that is what kept him busy and the spotlight. We were married for 53 amazing, wonderful years,” Betty Berline, Byron’s widow, added.

In February 2019, a stray cigarette set Double Stop alight, along with dozens of coveted instruments inside. A single prized mandolin, locked inside a safe, was all that survived the fire. In a show of community support, the people of Guthrie pitched in to help finance a new location across the street from the original shop, where the Hunt Brothers record, set to be released in early 2023, was recorded.

“It means a lot to carry on what Byron was doing. I think he would be glad to know it’s still going on,” guitarist Samuel Grounds said.

THE HUNT BROTHERS ARE KEEPING THE MEMORY OF RENOWNED PICKER BRYAN BERLINE ALIVE BY RECORDING A LIVE ALBUM AT THE DOUBLE STOP FIDDLE SHOP AND MUSIC HALL IN GUTHRIE.

The Hunt Brothers. | Photo provided.

Generation LosslessAdvertising Films

By Evan Jarvicks

In the old 4:3 aspect ratio of an outdated television screen, a teaser trailer for Advertising Films explains that the term generation loss refers to a condition under which recorded media degrades as it is copied and transferred over time. It is especially evident in the VHS format where horizontal waves of static and warped audio tracks leave stained technological fingerprints on a once-pristine tape. Like other art forms such as stop-motion animation or kintsugi, however, these imperfections have come to be regarded as a mark of character worth celebrating.

Generation Lossless, an electronic solo project with a strong taste for synthesized soundscapes, dives into the fuzzy lines between vintage and modern context on its sophomore LP. Inspired by old Japanese TV commercials from the late 1970s through the 1990s compiled and uploaded to YouTube from low-fidelity sources, Advertising Films is a wholly original work that

borrows both lossy VHS aesthetics and the Japanese tongue to create a new experience.

Unlike the heightened, cheery facade of those vintage ads — they seem satirical by today’s standards — Generation Lossless slows down, taking a cue from vaporwave to explore the frontiers of microscopic space that lie between tube television’s analog scan lines. Here, in an otherworldly plane, the album meditates with friendly ghosts of the past and uncertain omens of the future to reclaim the present.

Advertising Films is not a spoon fed listen. With Japanese passages painstakingly translated and recorded for accuracy via the help of consulting collaborators Phantom Bear and Maxolotl, it weaves in a handful of hazy “commercials” that English audiences will not comprehend in a literal sense. However, the vocal tones and musical effects inform a sense of drama that hints at the album’s hidden layers that await the curious repeat listener. It is more than the weird, self-

THE ELECTRONIC ARTIST’S SOPHOMORE ALBUM IS A MEDITATIVE POSTVAPORWAVE ODE TO VINTAGE JAPANESE CULTURE OF THE 1980S.

Album art for Advertising Films by Generation Lawlessness | Photo provided.

indulgent electronic album by a Japanese culture nerd as some will inevitably conclude.

The hints are everywhere, though. The album title itself is a mistranslation of the word “commercials,” underscoring that notion of beauty in imperfection. The cover art depicts the artist holding symbols of the album’s themes of death and rebirth. Hints are even in the artist’s name, Generation Lossless, which contradicts its namesake. Generation loss is considered a destructive force, but Advertising Films proves that it is also a creative one. Artistically, the LP comes to the same conclusion as the first law of thermodynamics. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only altered in form.

Lest there be any doubt that an album could be this lofty and insightful with so few lyrics over so much time — Advertising Films breaches the one-hour mark — a beautifully, tragically pure moment of clarity comes in at track 15 to confirm in English that all of this is intentional. “Divorce” begins to accept loss as a necessary aspect of linear time. Through poetic lines such as “like grass in the yard, please know we grew,” it wrings emotion while nodding to the many more hidden treasures in the album’s Japanese scripts, which are translated both on the Generation Lossless Bandcamp page and in the physical booklet included with the limited CD release (complete with old-school jewel case).

There is more still which can be discovered in Advertising Films The creative spirit of Ryuichi Sakamoto is reflected in a closing tribute as well as the album trailer, which references the music documentary Tokyo Melody in its directorial eye. There is a macrocosmic angle about what globalization once meant and now means today. The dream state reflects the pandemic limbo during which Generation Lossless composed it. Millennial and Gen-Z fascinations with lost media, analog horror, and other internet mysteries relate to this LP’s cryptic coding and retro inspiration. The list goes on.

More than anything, though, with its hypnotic chimes, ruminating rhythms, and atmospheric effects, Advertising Films provides a graceful realm where listeners can sink in solace as they are. Here, imperfection is not a mistake. It is the most human art there is.

This can lead to complications, including asthma attacks, ear infections, missed school days, cancer and a lifetime of addiction.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28

Kendrick McKinney Trio, 51st Street Speakeasy. JAZZ

Kick Tree/Thru It All/Anchorway/TBF, The Vanguard, Tulsa. METAL

Kinky Slinky, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COVER Nights of Neo-Soul, Ponyboy. R&B/SOUL Trett Charles, River Spirit Casino Resort, Tulsa. COUNTRY

The Wednesday Band, The Deli. COUNTRY

THURSDAY, DEC. 29

405 Nation/Steph Simon/SoufWessDes/ Nayborhood/Barbie/Lil South, Blue Note. HIP-HOP

Brent Giddens, River Spirit Casino Resort, Tulsa. COUNTRY

Country Music Group Therapy/Biscuits & Groovy, The Deli. COUNTRY

Joel Forlenza, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. INSTRUMENTALISTS

Red Dirt Rangers, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. COUNTRY

Shelly Phelps and The Storm, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES

Short & Broke/The BlueRays/JL Jones, Mojo’s Blues Club. BLUES

FRIDAY, DEC. 30

Brandon Bethel/Yacht Club, River Spirit Casino Resort, Tulsa. COUNTRY/BEACH ROCK

Chebon Tiger Band, Blue Note. BLUES

Fragmented Tranquility/Saving Seles/The Treatment/Dog Will Hunt/It Kills You, The Vanguard, Tulsa. METAL

Heartbreak Rodeo, Grand Casino Hotel & Resort, Shawnee. COUNTRY

Joel Forlenza, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. INSTRUMENTALISTS

John the Franklin, Frenzy Brewing Company. COVER Nerver/Glitch/Alumnus/In Periculum, The Sanctuary. ROCK

Parker McCollum, Paycom Center. COUNTRY

Rainbows Are Free, Beer City Music Hall. ROCK Soft Hands, Tower Theatre. ROCK

Souled Out, UCO Jazz Lab. CLASSIC ROCK

SATURDAY, DEC. 31

The Get Down/One Night Stand, River Spirit Casino Resort, Tulsa. ROCK

HeartWerk, The Vanguard, Tulsa. TECHNO

Kyle Reid & Levi Parham, Grand Casino Hotel & Resort, Shawnee. JAZZ

McKee Brother Jazz Band, Bourbon Street Bar. JAZZ

New Year’s Eve with My So Called Band, The Jones Assembly. COVER

The River Gypsies, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. BLUES

Uptown Get Down: New Year’s Eve Party, Tower Theatre. VARIOUS

SUNDAY, JAN. 1

Hangover Ball feat. Cody Canada/Mike McClure/ Stoney LaRue, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. VARIOUS

MONDAY, JAN. 2

The Aints/Bailey Gilbert & Friends, The Deli. AMERICANA

These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

William Clark Green took the pandemic as a time to reflect on his career by challenging himself and his sound.. He began exploring outside of his contemporary base and into indie folk, ballads, swamp country, and rock anthems which led to the creation of his latest album Baker Hotel. Currently on tour, see him with The Damn Quails Sat., Dec. 31 at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St., Tulsa, 918-584-2306,.cainsballroom.com. SAT, DEC 31 Photo provided

Caleb

Kendrick

The

Trett

THURSDAY, JAN. 5

Country

Joel

Italian Restaurant, Norman. INSTRUMENTALISTS

Shelly Phelps and The Storm, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES

Short & Broke/The BlueRays/JL Jones, Mojo’s Blues Club. BLUES

The Steel Woods, Beer City Music Hall. COUNTRY

FRIDAY, JAN. 6

Caleb McGee/John Elisha, The Deli. BLUES Cody Hibbard, Beer City Music Hall. RED DIRT

Dirty Red and The Soul Shakers, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. BLUES

Joel Forlenza, Othello’s Italian Restaurant, Norman. INSTRUMENTALISTS

Kat Lock/Killing/Em/The MotherSuperiors, Blue Note. POP/ROCK

Sabertooth/The Normandys/SouthAberdeen/ FaceDancer, The Vanguard, Tulsa. METAL

Shortt Dogg, UCO Jazz Lab. COVER

The Texas Bluesmen - The Ultimate Blues Brothers Experience, Tower Theatre. TRIBUTE

SATURDAY, JAN. 7

Harakiri/A Dim Light/Reliquario/Spadez, The Vanguard, Tulsa. METAL

McKee Brother Jazz Band, Bourbon Street Bar. JAZZ

Net/Ash Bros/Emma Goldman Sachs, Blue Note. ROCK

Old Bulldog Band, UCO Jazz Lab. CLASSIC ROCK

Pop Punk Nite: with a Twist of Emo, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. COVER

Still the One: Shania Twain Tribute, Beer City Music Hall. TRIBUTE

SUNDAY, JAN. 8

Hosty, The Deli. ELECTRIC

Tin Can Gramophone/Hosty, The Deli. FOLK

MONDAY, JAN. 9

The Aints/Bailey Gilbert & Friends, The Deli. AMERICANA

Livid/Bashed In/Nuldeath/Grandpa Vern, The Sanctuary. METAL

TUESDAY, JAN. 10

Bruce Benson & Studio B, 51st Street Speakeasy. BLUES

Caleb McGee, The Deli. BLUES

Defeated Sanity/ Malignancy/Prophecy/ Strangle Wire/Peelingflesh, 89th Street— OKC. METAL

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Visit okgazette.com to submit your lisitngs or email listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

THE HIGH CULTURE STRAIN REVIEWS

Strain name: Mac

Grown by: Xclusive Cannabis

Acquired from: Xclusive Cannabis (Classen)

Date acquired: Dec. 15

Physical traits: frosted light green and purple

Bouquet: gassy and earthy

Review: Xclusive Can nabis locations have been popping up across the OKC metro. Per the name, the line of dispensaries offers their exclusive brand of cannabis flower in a variety of strains Prepare yourself for a heavy hitter with their MAC run. This “indica”-dominant cross between Alien Cookies, Columbian and Starfighter offers a hazy and euphoric high before pulling you down into a strong, relaxing body high. MAC stands for Miracle Alien Cookies, which is fitting because your body

may feel a bit alien and you

Strain name: Lemon Pepper

Grown by: Tea H Sea

Acquired from: Kush & O’Juice

Date acquired: Dec. 15

Physical traits: green and orange

Bouquet: floral, sweet, citrusy

Review: In the open and spa cious space of Kush & O’ Juice, you’ll find an expansive variety to choose from. Intrigued by the name, aroma and appearance, the Lemon Pepper was an easy choice. This flavorful cross of Lemon Pebblez and Lemon Cooler brings the citrus notes to the forefront. The bright, frosty buds offer a light, energetic high with a relaxing vibe that’s not too heady. You won’t find much about Tea H Sea online but this grower definitely puts an emphasis on quality. This strain is a great companion for taking in some live music or a walk during one of the city’s

busy districts on one of our warmer winter days.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

WEEK OF DECEMBER 29

Homework: What one element could you add to your life that would bring a major enhancement?

Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor,” writes Aries author Anne Lamott. “It will keep you cramped and insane.” I think that’s a key theme for you to embrace in 2023. Let’s express the idea more positively, too. In Navajo culture, rug weavers intentionally create small imperfections in their work, like odd-colored beads or stray pieces of yarn. This rebellion against unattainable exactitude makes the art more soulful. Relieved of the unrealistic mandate to be flawless, the rug can relax into its beauty.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Here are my four decrees for you in 2023, Taurus. 1. You are cleared to be greedy if it’s in service to a holy cause that fosters others’ well-being as well as yours. 2. It’s permissible to be stubborn if doing so nourishes versions of truth and goodness that uplift and inspire your community. 3. It’s proper to be slow and gradual if that’s the best way to keep collaborative projects from becoming slipshod. 4. It’s righteous to be zealous in upholding high standards, even if that causes less diligent people to bail out.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

In 2023, many interesting lessons will arrive via your close relationships and collaborations. You will have the potential to learn more about the art of togetherness than you have in a long time. On occasion, these lessons may initially agitate you. But they will ultimately provide more pleasure and healing than you can imagine right now. Bonus prediction: You will have an enhanced talent for interweaving your destiny together with the fates of your allies.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Here are some projects I’d love to see you pursue in 2023: 1. Teach your allies the fine points of how to cherish you

but not smother you. 2. Cultivate your natural talent for appreciating the joys of watching and helping things grow: a child, a creative project, a tree, a friendship, or your bank account. 3. If you don’t feel close to the family members that fate provided you with, find others you like better. 4.

As you explore territories that are further out or deeper within, make sure your Cancerian shell is expandable. 5. Avoid being friends with people who are shallow or callous or way too cool. 6. Cultivate your attraction to people who share your deepest feelings and highest ideals.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Mystic teacher Terence McKenna said, “You have to take seriously the notion that understanding the universe is your responsibility, because the only understanding of the universe that will be useful to you is your own understanding.” This will be key advice for you in 2023. You will be wise to craft an updated version of your personal philosophy. I suggest you read a lot of smart people’s ideas about the game of life. Make it your quest to commune with interesting minds who stimulate your deep thoughts. Pluck out the parts that ring true as you create a new vision that is uniquely your own.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

How should we refer to your romantic adventures in 2023? We could be whimsical and call them “Ritual

Mating Dances on the Outskirts of History.” We could be melodramatic and call them “Diving into the Deep Dark Mysteries in Search of Sexy Treasures.” Or we could be hopeful and call them “A Sacred Pilgrimage to the Frontiers of Intimacy.” I think there’s a good chance that all three titles will turn out to be apt descriptors of the interesting stories ahead of you— especially if you’re brave as you explore the possibilities.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

“Coddiwomple” is an English slang word that means to travel resolutely and dynamically toward an as-yet unknown destination. It’s not the same as wandering aimlessly. The prevailing mood is not passivity and vagueness. Rather, one who coddiwomples has a sense of purpose about what’s enjoyable and meaningful. They may not have a predetermined goal, but they know what

they need and like. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the next six months will be an excellent time for you Libras to experiment with coddiwompling.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

In the theater of ancient Greece, the term anagnorisis referred to a pivotal moment when a character discovered a big truth they had previously been unaware of. Another Greek word, peripeteia, meant a reversal of circumstances: “a change by which the action veers round to its opposite.” I bring these fun ideas to your attention, dear Scorpio, because I think 2023 could bring you several instances of an anagnorisis leading to a peripeteia. How would you like them to unfold? Start making plans. You will have uncanny power to determine which precise parts of your life are gifted with these blessings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Winters are cold in Olds, a town in Alberta, Canada. Temperatures plunge as low as 24 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. But an agronomist named Dong Jianyi has built a giant greenhouse there that enables him to grow vegetables year-round. He spends no money on heat, but relies on innovative insulation to keep the inside warm. In 2021, he grew 29,000 pounds of tomatoes. I propose we make him your inspirational role model for 2023, Sagittarius. My guess is, that like him, you will be a wellspring of imaginative resourcefulness. What creative new developments could you generate? How might you bring greater abundance into your life by drawing extra energy from existing sources? How could you harness nature to serve you even better?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

In accordance with your astrological omens in 2023, I’ve chosen a quote from Capricorn storyteller Michael Meade. I hope you will make it one of your core meditations in the coming months. He writes, “All meaningful change requires a genuine surrender. Yet, to surrender does not simply mean to give up; more to give up one’s usual self and allow something other to enter and redeem the lesser sense of self. In surrendering, we fall to the bottom of our arguments

and seek to touch the origin of our lives again. Only then can we see as we were meant to see, from the depth of the psyche where the genius resides, where the seeds of wisdom and purpose were planted before we were born.” (The quote is from Meade’s book Fate and Destiny, The Two Agreements of the Soul.)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

In addition to my career as a horoscope columnist, I have written novels and other books. I have worked as a singersongwriter in rock bands and performed a one-person show in theaters. As I survey my history, I always break into sardonic laughter as I contemplate how many businesspeople have advised me, “First, you’ve got to sell out. You’ve got to dumb down your creative efforts so as to make yourself salable. Only later, after you have become successful, can you afford to be true to your deepest artistic principles.” I am very glad I never heeded that terrible counsel, because it would have made me insane and unhappy. How are you doing with this central problem of human life, Aquarius? Are you serving the gods of making money or the gods of doing what you love? The coming year will, I suspect, bring you prime opportunities to emphasize the latter goal.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

I’ve chosen a sweet taste of advice for you to keep referring back to in 2023. It’s in rapt alignment with upcoming astrological omens. I suggest you copy my counsel out in longhand on a piece of paper and keep it in your wallet or under your pillow. Here it is, courtesy of author Martha Beck: “The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim. This is well within your power, whatever fate might have dealt you.”

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes / daily text message horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

PUZZLES

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE | STEP ON IT!

Laura Taylor Kinnel,

Newtown, Pa., teaches math and is the director of studies at a Friends boarding

near Philadelphia. This is her sixth crossword for The Times, most of them Sundays. Laura’s son and his fiancŽe asked her to construct a crossword for their outdoor wedding reception last June. The result was printed on a large foam board, and guests worked on it with dry erase markers. The completed puzzle now hangs in the newlyweds’ living room. — W.S.

school

ACROSS

Letting up

51 Implement at a regatta 52 Doesn’t comply with 53 A Kool-Aid flavor 56 Serve 58 Ham it up 59 Member of the fam 60 Eliot’s “____ Marner” 61 Cause of class struggle? 66 Boor 67 Symbol of Irish heritage 69 Garnish on a Moscow mule 70 Some young ladies abroad: Abbr. 72 Things frequently stolen 73 Pierre ou Marie 75 Auditioners’ goals 76 Like some lips 78 Common frequency for college classes 80 Bum 84 Non reversal? 86 Langston Hughes classic 87 Insta blurb 88 Invertebrate with a floral eponym 89 “The Pink Panther” character 92 Having successfully made it, slangily 94 Top-level foreign policy grp. 95 Avant-garde 96 ____ de leche 97 Internet star Majimbo known for her comedy videos 99 Prince, but not a princess 101 “Go jump in a lake!” 105 Oil alternative, in baking 106 Durable furniture material 107 Texter’s transition 108 ____ Antipova (“Doctor Zhivago” character) 109 Gallic greeting 110 Composer who studied under Joseph Haydn 115 Bit by a bit 116 Tournament favorites 117 Group of tonal languages 118 Day originally marked by a full moon in the early Roman calendar 119 Hunk 120 Like some forecasts and complexions

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS Puzzle No. 1204 which appeared in the December 14th issue.

121 Wish otherwise DOWN 1 Leader of the pack 2 Gulf Coast habitat 3 Fragrant oil 4 Resident of the most populous city in western Asia 5 Income source for some older folks, in brief 6 Do more than nudge 7 Day-____ 8 “Mean” Joe Greene, e.g. 9 Simple shelter 10 When doubled, overly enthusiastic 11 Windshield annoyance 12 Rapper with the 2018 No. 1 album “Invasion of Privacy” 13 Midwest college town 14 Biden or Harris, for short 15 One on a rack 16 “In witness whereof,” “as hereinbefore mentioned,” etc. 17 Disorder from which Dostoyevsky and many characters in his novels suffered 18 Cozy spot 21 Approach 24 Protein-mimicking molecule 29 Compound at a nail salon 31 Ink on a contract 32 Beats around the bush .?.?. or bushes 33 Sublime soprano 35 Brings up, as a subject 37 39+ weeks, for a pregnancy 39 Mane character in “The Wizard of Oz”? 41 Leaves out 42 Prefix with constriction 43 Wedding-cake supports 44 Charm 45 Didn’t participate 46 Big cheese’s place? 47 Physicist Schrö dinger 52 Like carbon monoxide 54 James who sang “A Sunday Kind of Love” 55 Like sumo wrestlers, medically speaking 57 Single-handedly Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). VOL. XLIV NO. 26

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WE FINANCE CANNABIS