Innocent ≠ Not Guilty

FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | METRO OKC’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY | APRIL 27, 2016

innocent ≠ not guilty Oklahoma City law students work to exonerate people convicted of crimes they did not commit

BY LAURA EASTES P. 4

2

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

inside

Mission statement Oklahoma Gazette’s mission is to stimulate, examine and inform the public on local quality of life issues and social needs, to recognize community accomplishments, and to provide a forum for inspiration, participation and interaction across all media.

Photo illustration Chris Street

4 An estimated 2.3 to 5 percent of the nation’s prisoners are innocent of the criminal

convictions linked to them. Wrongful convictions challenge the idea of a legal system built upon truth, justice and fairness. In 2011, Oklahoma City University School of Law launched Oklahoma Innocence Project, a campaign to remedy these ills and provide hope to those who are wrongly convicted. By Laura Eastes

4

Cover Oklahoma Innocence Project

news

8 State mass incarceration 10 Education arts cuts 12 State CarePortal 14 Chicken-Fried News

19 Review El Fogón de Edgar

32 Visual Arts O. Gail Poole 33 Film Green Room 33 Film The Adderall Diaries

29

34 Film Criminal 35 Calendar

37 Feature Lincka

20 Feature Revolver drinks 22 Feature Free The Night

music

EAT & Drink

16 Letters | Commentary

Arts & Culture

cover

37

23 Briefs 24 Gazedibles grilled cheese

38 Event Subsonix 40 Event Krystal Keith 42 Feature touring economics

27 Culture Cinco de Mayo 28 What Mama Wants 29 Culture Pop Up Shops in the Park

FUN

Arts & Culture

44 Live Music

45 Puzzles Sudoku | Crossword 46 Astrology

29 Performing Arts Blue Man Group 30 Visual Arts Arts on the Corner 31 Visual Arts garage artwork

classifieds 46

19

MAY 6 8PM Tickets Starting at $30

GRANDRESORTOK.COM

I-40 EXIT 178 | SHAWNEE, OK | 405-964-7263 O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

3

NEWS

cov e r

Christina Green discusses the Oklahoma Innocence Project at the Oklahoma City University School of Law. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Legal liberation By working on real cases, students involved in a local university law school’s Oklahoma Innocence Project realize the criminal justice system is far from flawless. By Laura Eastes

An estimated 2.3 to 5 percent of the nation’s prisoners are innocent of the criminal convictions linked to their name.

Eyewitness misidentification, misapplied forensic technique, false confessions, procedural failure and inadequate defense can lead to wrongful convictions and the imprisonment of an innocent person.

Last year, 149 people were either declared innocent or otherwise cleared of their convictions or guilty pleas, the most ever recorded, according to a report from the University of Michigan Law School.

Wrongful convictions challenge the idea of a legal system built upon truth, justice and fairness. But how can legal professionals rid the justice system of such injustice?

With the institution of the Oklahoma Innocence Project in 2011, Oklahoma City University (OCU) School of Law launched a campaign to redress these ills and provide hope to those wrongly convicted. As a member of the nationally known Innocence Network, the project evaluates post-conviction claims of innocence and plays a unique role in Oklahoma’s criminal justice system.

“There are always two sides to the story,” Shannon Walcher said.

Walcher, a third-year law student, points out that the public uncritically assumes the justice of criminal convic4

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

tions. Often, it considers someone guilty until proven innocent.

“This has opened my eyes,” Walcher said, sitting in the clinic of the Oklahoma Innocence Project.

“When you go into these investigations, you find out about certain doubts eyewitnesses might have had. You see investigative procedures done in different ways. …

This is an opportunity to represent real people that don’t have much hope in going forward in the post-conviction process without our help.”

Critical need

Earlier this month, the work of post-conviction relief made national headlines when a Virginia inmate was exonerated after more than 33 years in prison.

Keith Allen Harward was convicted of a 1982 rape and murder in Newport News, Virginia, but had always maintained his innocence. Two years ago, the Innocence

Project — a founding member of the Innocence Network — took on Harward’s case and secured DNA tests on crime scene evidence, including a rape kit. The results excluded Harward and prompted a debate on bite mark evidence, which proved to be the most powerful piece of evidence in Harward’s trial.

In Oklahoma, 29 people have been exonerated since 1989, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

Oklahoma inception

In 2010, OCU law dean Lawrence Hellman told Oklahoma Gazette that at that time, Oklahoma had 18 incidents of people wrongly imprisoned. Additionally, the state ranked among the top 10 in the nation for the number of known wrongful convictions.

The statistics prompted action by law school leaders, who began raising the $1.5 million needed to operate an innocence clinic at the school for the first five years.

“When people see that this happens,” Hellman told Oklahoma Gazette in 2010, “I think they will want to help us put into place this clinical program where our students, working with professors and volunteer lawyers, will examine cases where there is a possible claim of innocence and a legal remedy that can be obtained.”

Well-known Oklahoma City attorney and former federal prosecutor Vicki

To be able to help provide a voice to someone who has no voice is an incredible opportunity and experience.

Vicki Behenna

Behenna advocated for an innocence clinic at her alma mater. She joined the staff as executive director in 2015.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my career, including high-profile cases,” Behenna said. “To be able to help provide a voice to someone who has no voice is an incredible opportunity and experience.”

Letters from Kansas City’s Midwest Innocence Project, which previously handled Oklahoma cases, met the arrival of the Oklahoma Innocence Project.

“It spread like wildfire,” Christina Green said. “As soon as word got out about our opening through news outlets, we were inundated with letters from mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and clients.

Everybody just started writing. That first year, we had so many requests for assistance.”

Green was part of the first group of students to work in the project’s clinic in 2011.

She graduated in December but returned as a project fellow. Following passage of the bar exam, Green was hired to continue working on the project in 2012.

Currently, she serves as legal director, overseeing and authorizing student-led investigations, filing post-conviction relief petitions and representing clients in court.

Over 1,253 requests for help have reached the clinic since it opened.

Submission of a request does not guarantee innocence; however, each request is reviewed after a client completes a 19-page questionnaire.

The project’s case criterion is clear: The applicant must have been convicted by either a federal or state court for crime(s) occurring in Oklahoma, and students must identify a viable claim of innocence. continued on page 6

UNI_16-RP-99_Hat&Bowtie_Gazette.indd 1

4/20/16 1:225 PM

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

NEWS continued from page 4

cov e r

Capital cases are not accepted because the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, a state agency, guarantees counsel in those cases.

Cases opened meet the criteria and move to a waiting list for assignment to students. Typically, the clinic works through two to five cases a semester, but many of the cases carry over into the coming semesters.

Students commit 12 to 15 hours a week to the clinic with at least three hours dedicated to working in the clinic’s office housed at the law school. Research and interviews take students out of the clinic office and into county courthouses, police stations, law libraries and living rooms of key witnesses.

Research conducted by students can take anywhere from three to five years. A petition for post-conviction relief can include a lengthy brief followed by dozens of pages outlining various exhibits.

Then there is the litigation, which can take years.

“We always try to explain to our clients and their families,” Green said, “from the date we receive a letter asking for assistance to the day that we may potential get a ruling on their case can take between seven and eight years.”

Significant case

Four and a half years ago, Green and other students involved in the project’s clinic first read Malcolm Scott’s letter, a plea for post-conviction relief.

In 1994, 19-year-old Karen Summers was murdered during a drive-by shooting as she stood outside a crowded north Tulsa house party. Scott and Demarchoe Carpenter, both teenagers who attended the party, were arrested and charged of the crime.

At a glance • The Oklahoma Innocence Project opened in August 2011 at Oklahoma City University School of Law. The project works toward exonerations of the wrongfully convicted in Oklahoma.

• The project consists of three staff members: Vicki Behenna, executive director; Christina Green, legal director; and Joyce Mayer, legal assistant. Law students apply to work in the project’s clinic each semester. The students develop and investigate cases.

• The project is a member of the Innocence Network, an affiliation of organizations providing pro

Despite evidence in their favor, such as the murder weapon and car used to commit the crime discovered by police in another man’s possession, eyewitnesses told police the two teens were responsible for the shooting. Both Scott and Carpenter were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The case was atypical, Green said. A private investigator answered Scott and Carpenter’s pleas for help and re-examined the drive-by shooting in 2007. It was known that witnesses were willing to recant on the record by the time the newly established Oklahoma Innocence Project received Scott’s letter.

“That was clearly enough to get my interest sparked,” Green said, referring back to the initial work she conducted as a student. “When we got into the case itself, we quickly realized those were true suspicions.”

Green’s desires to gather evidence and conduct countless interviews to prove Scott and Carpenter’s innocence strengthened after meeting with Scott.

“I left that prison visit so fired up,” Green said. “The passion inside of me was boiling. I just knew that I had to get out and do as much work as I could and as quickly as I could. I wanted their cases heard and, ultimately, exonerated.”

On Feb. 21, 2014, the project filed an application and brief for post-conviction relief of Scott.

A month earlier, the project secured its strongest piece of evidence. An attorney for the Oklahoma Innocence Project interviewed Michael Lee Wilson, the man police found in possession of the drive-by vehicle and murder weapon.

Inside an Oklahoma prison, Wilson confessed to firing the shots that killed the young woman in 1994 and identified the two other people in the car; neither was Scott or Carpenter.

Wilson was executed by the state for the 1995 slaying of a convenience store clerk days after the videotaped confession.

The confession was one of many pieces of evidence presented during a post-conviction relief hearing for Scott and Carpenter in Tulsa January 2016.

Green represented Scott, while attorneys Ken Sue Doerfel and Behenna represented Carpenter. The seven-hour hearing ended with no ruling by Judge Sharon Holmes, who stated she needed more time.

Holmes is expected to rule May 4 to order a new trial, deny their application for post-conviction relief or reverse their conviction and vacate their sentences.

Vicki Behenna, executive director, joined Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University School of Law last fall. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

The project is optimistic that the evidence presented in January proves Scott and Carpenter played no role in the driveby shooting death of Summers. For the past 22 years, the men have claimed they were innocent.

Justice fight

A case like Scott and Carpenter’s is a prime example of the momentous work conducted by the project’s staff and students.

This semester, six students are working on behalf of the wrongfully convicted in the state. Currently, students are researching three active cases. In addition to Scott and Carpenter’s cases, one other case is in litigation.

“Its not a case in a case book or a fictional fact pattern that we are working through,” said Courtney Zamudio, a thirdyear law student who plans to pursue a career in prosecution. “This is a real person’s case, and these are real people we are interviewing.”

The Oklahoma Innocence project ranks small when compared to other members of the Innocence Network. In total, three staff members and a handful of students work on the project during a semester.

Project

Oklahoma Innocence Project impact

August 2011-January 2016

1,253 total requests for assistance

612 cases closed 252 cases awaiting review process

107 cases waiting to be assigned to students

3 cases under investigation by clinic law students 2 cases in active litigation Source: Oklahoma Innocence Project

leaders hope to see it grow and work to prove the innocence of more clients.

After all, in any system of justice, there is an inherent risk that innocent people might be wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit.

“It doesn’t serve any benefit to get it wrong,” Behenna said. “The perpetrator is still out there. It doesn’t suit law enforcement, defense attorneys or the individual to get it wrong.”

bono legal and investigative services to clients seeking to prove their innocence in crimes for which they have been convicted.

An application for post-conviction relief report at Oklahoma City University School of Law | Photo Garett Fisbeck 6

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

UNI_16-CGR-26_60K_Giveaway_NP_9.25x12.25.indd 1

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l3/29/16 2 7, 2 0 1 6 7 11:27

AM

s tat e

NEWS

Reform talks

A recent community forum targets the criminal justice system and discusses a need for change.

By Laura Eastes

In front of a crowd of Oklahomans with different backgrounds, ages and ethnicities, Rev. Jesse Jackson held up his hand and tucked fingers into his palm.

His thumb and index finger formed a “C” shape no larger than 2 inches. With the crowds’ eyes on the hollow space, Jackson (unrelated to the ’60s-era civil rights activist and reverend of the same name) explained Oklahomans caught with marijuana fitting in such a minuscule area spend years behind bars.

“I’m not an advocate of marijuana, but I am an advocate for the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana,” Jackson told the crowd at an April 19 panel discussion called Mass Incarceration in Oklahoma: When Will It End? “We have too many people in prison right now for very, very small amounts of marijuana,” he said.

The crowd replied with a loud round of applause. Earlier, many in the audience raised their hands when asked if a family member was currently or formerly incarcerated.

The public discussion, held at First Christian Church of Oklahoma City, was hosted by a number of faith organizations and peace advocacy groups.

Jackson, the pastor of East 6th Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), joined former Oklahoma House of Representatives Speaker Kris Steele and Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater for the event, moderated by Rev. Don Health, pastor of Edmond Trinity Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Prater challenged Jackson’s analysis of sentences for possession of marijuana, doubting that anyone with small amounts of marijuana serves serious jail time.

Instead, Prater cited past studies supporting his assertion that most prisoners serve time for third, fourth or fifth nonviolent felony offenses, which can include

drug charges.

“My job is about public safety,” Prater said. “My job is not about incarceration.

If incarceration is part of making this community safe and it is necessary, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

Community action

“We don’t have a lot of options these days,” Prater said. “Frankly, the lack of options is what I believe causes a lot of people to be incarcerated who would otherwise not need to be locked up.”

The district attorney said he supports the use of more diversion programs, which are designed to help offenders avoid charges and criminal records through working a specific court-approved program. Such programs focus on individuals with substance use and mental health issues.

Prater described an intimate relationship between the rise in extreme poverty, lack of educational opportunities, generational cycles of gang activity, the breakdown of the nuclear family and crime.

Mass incarceration and criminal justice reform are community problems not expressly limited to law enforcement, the judicial system or lawmakers, Prater argued.

“It is not a one-stop shop,” Prater said.

“You can’t just point to the DA or a legislator. … We have an incarceration problem in Oklahoma. … We all own it, every one of us.”

In 2014, Oklahoma had the secondhighest incarceration rate in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

This spring, the state’s prison system operated at 120 percent capacity, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections officials.

The numbers are well-known to Steele.

During his time at the Capitol, he worked

Collin Walke signs the Yes on 780 and 781 petition as Abby Luna helps and Terry Fife looks on at Ralph Ellison Library. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

to pass the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, which listed recommendations for enhancing public safety, addiction treatment and mental health as well as strengthening post-release supervision programs.

Despite passage in 2012, the plan was never fully implemented.

Initiative petitions

The call for change continues as Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, a group chaired by Steele, pushes for similar measures through an initiative petition. If successful, State Question 780 could go to a public vote in November.

SQ 780 reclassifies certain low-level offenses such as drug and simple property crimes.

If approved by state voters, a person found with methamphetamine would face a misdemeanor charge with up to one year in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Currently, a person caught with methamphetamine for the first time faces a felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $5,000.

Additionally, another initiative petition, State Question 781, creates the County Community Safety Investment Fund, which would allow county leaders to implement criminal justice reforms in

LISTEN EAT SHOP EXPLORE 8

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

their own communities. Savings created from implementing the reforms of State Question 780 would be sent to the counties to fund treatment services, mental health services and diversion programs.

Similar sentencing measures are in place in other states, but Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform looks to address the root causes of criminal behavior and push more low-level offenders into treatment or programs instead of prison.

“Just because a person battles mental health or has an addiction does not make that person a criminal,” Steele said. “It does not make them a bad person. We need to get to a point where we help those who are sick in our society.”

Circulators will collect signatures for the state questions through June 7. If more than 66,000 valid signatures are collected, the questions will appear on the November ballot.

When prompted by the crowd, the panel briefly debated racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. The link between poverty and crime was also discussed. All panelists and many members of the crowd agreed on one thing: The system needs to be changed.

UNI_16-CGW-83_SarahSilverman_9.25x12.25_OnSale_Now.indd 1

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 4/22/16 2 7, 2 0 1 6 9:59 9 AM

NEWS

Join Okl ahOMa Ga zette fOr a celebr atiOn Of dininG acrOss the Okl ahOMa cit y MetrO

Music programs, such as the mariachi program offered at southside elementary schools, might not return next year. | Photo Gazette / File

Pa r t i ci Pat i n g r e s tau r a n t s:

Off the hOOk hudsOn’s Public hOuse lOt tinvilles PObl anO Grill

e d u c at i o n

okcrestaurant week.com

Sour notes

The state’s financial crisis puts OKCPS arts education in danger.

By Laura Eastes

fl atire burGers PatrOnO the r anGe café 1492 new wOrld l atin cuisine eGGinGtOn’s the MeltinG POt rOck & brews and more coming soon!

benef iting:

total beverage 10

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Cleveland Elementary School students placed their hands in small youth scissors, followed marked lines and carefully cut colorful construction paper. The vibrant swirls dangled from a clothesline in the school’s hallway.

Down the hall, another handful of students wrapped colorful streamers around cardboard rolls. Students shook them and heard the sound of their newly created rain sticks, small percussion instruments.

The activities were just a sample of February’s Celebrate the Arts, an event hosted by the Cleveland Elementary Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and a highlight of the year for students and parents alike.

“Our families are very focused on the arts in their children’s lives,” explained Falisha Melott, Cleveland PTA president and mother of a Cleveland student.

Celebrate the Arts enhances an already well-established fine arts program at the northwest Oklahoma City grade school, Melott said.

In addition to offering music and visual art programs, the school invites arts groups like Oklahoma Children’s Theatre to campus for special events.

“All of the parents at Cleveland believe art is a fundamental part of our children’s education,” Melott said. “The children

wouldn’t be able to achieve as much as they do without having access to these arts programs and activities.”

Parent-teacher associations, commonly referred to by their initials, are well-known for supporting their local schools. Such groups build strong working relationships among teachers, parents and school leaders.

PTAs often recruit and coordinate school volunteer opportunities, organize unique events to enhance learning, host teacher appreciation events and raise funds for field trips, playground equipment and classroom supplies.

Cleveland PTA, along with other PTAs in the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) district, see their roles shifting, as the state’s largest school district expects to operate with $30 million less in the 2016-17 school year. In the wake of state budget cuts, OKCPS recently announced 208 classroom teacher and 92 administrative layoffs.

In the weeks following, parents learned of elementary fine arts teachers who wouldn’t return for the coming school year. The Cleveland PTA was told its school stands to lose music and visual arts teachers.

In late April, Melott penned a letter to parents and community members asking

for help to raise $45,000 to fund Cleveland’s visual arts program. Days later, the PTA created a GoFundMe page.

Community donations could be a solution to saving arts in their school.

District response

District leaders are formulating guidelines and procedures for groups that wish to raise funds to support specific programs that were cut after rounds of budget cuts.

Associate Superintendent Aurora Lora first previewed such plans during the April 4 Oklahoma City Board of Education meeting.

Fifteen days later, Lora gave more details on her district equity fund proposal, which she plans to present to the school board for a vote.

The fund collects assets by retaining a percentage of money raised by school community groups. The district equity fund benefits schools that are unable to raise large sums of money to support their programs. Those schools could apply for grants from the district equity fund.

“Unfortunately, not all schools would have the ability to [raise funds],” Lora said.

“Every school has dire needs and things they would love to put back into their schools. … We want to make sure every school is getting what they need.”

District officials have not disclosed the exact classroom positions and schools affected by the cuts. Following the district’s typical attrition process, which includes retirements, relocations and resignations, the specific impact to each school and positions eliminated will be determined, said Mark Myers, district spokesman. The effects of attrition will be finalized Sunday.

At least two OKCPS elementary schools, Quail Creek and Nichols Hills, informed parents that school visual arts programs were at risk. Social media posts by parents confirm similar circumstances for at least five other district elementary schools.

The district provides fine arts programs, including band, dance, drama, guitar, keyboard, orchestra, visual art and vocal music, at various schools.

During the 2014-15 school year, 266 visual and performing arts programs were offered and 15 elementary schools participated in the Oklahoma A+ Schools arts integration program.

Cuts, consequences

A 2012 study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that students who have access to arts in or out of school tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities and more civic engagement. More specifically, low-income students who receive high school arts education were more likely to complete a high school calculus course than those without exposure to the arts.

Many educators contend fine arts education — including music, theater, dance, drawing, painting or sculpture — is part of a well-rounded curriculum. Fine arts courses provide students with a creative outlet, increasing their self-confidence and building teamwork skills and self-

discipline. Additionally, they provide youths opportunities to engage outside of school with performance and art shows in their community.

“Arts education is another avenue for learning which helps to grow the gifts of kids in our schools,” said Julia Kirt, executive director of Oklahomans for the Arts, an arts advocacy organization.

Various community arts groups, Kirt said, approached her about possible OKCPS arts education cuts. As a Cleveland parent, Kirt was only familiar with what she heard from her children’s school. She started a Facebook group, OKCPS Parents & Supporters Concerned About Arts Education, and an online petition for supporting arts in all Oklahoma schools.

“I thought, ‘If this is happening at Cleveland, where one-third to one-half of the arts is getting cut, what’s happening at other schools?’” Kirt said when asked what prompted her to create the page.

More than 1,450 people follow the newly created group, where users post about fine arts cuts and opportunities to support arts education.

“If this is happening districtwide, it will change arts education for thousands of kids,” Kirt said, “and arts educators will be out of work.”

Typically, community arts organizations are asked to fill the void left when fine arts programs are eliminated. Given the state’s financial crisis, those organizations also are experiencing funding hits.

“Now, [community arts groups] are going to be called on to do more in the midst of cuts from private and public donors,” Kirt said.

Funding future

With the state facing a budget shortfall in excess of $1.3 billion for the coming year, dire cuts to public education were prompted by early numbers from the Capitol.

OKCPS joins other districts in discussions and actions on staff reductions, program elimination and calendar changes.

School boards across the state faced tough decisions during their April meetings, said Shawn Hime, Oklahoma State School Boards Association executive director. With the new fiscal year starting July 1, districts must plan financially for the coming year and begin staff contract offers.

Statewide, students and parents could see cuts in athletics, fine arts and vocational programs next year. Additionally, Hime said, class sizes will increase for core subjects.

“The impact on all students will be less one-on-one time with teachers,” Hime said. “This budget crisis is proof that we need to bring everyone together to work on long-term solutions for public schools.”

As a parent and school advocate, Melott called it heartbreaking to strip arts from Cleveland students and other schools in the district and state.

“We think all Oklahoma City children should have arts programs in their schools,” Melott said. “Hopefully, in the future, that will be the focus of our school system.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

11

s tat e

NEWS

Go to BestPlacestoWorkOK.com to register Application deadline: May 20, 2016

Family reunions CarePortal arrives in Oklahoma County, granting resources and opportunities to improve child welfare. By Laura Eastes

(405) 605-6789 Partners: okc.BIZ, Oklahoma Gazette, OKHR, The State Chamber of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

12

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

A common goal in child welfare is returning children from temporary out-of-home care back into the arms of their families.

Terika Mackey, an Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) child welfare worker, is close to seeing reunification happen for a Spencer mother and her 2-year-old son. After securing employment, meeting home requirements and mastering DHS parenting education training, the mother faces her final obstacle: Pay $110 for court-ordered hair follicle tests. It is a cost the mother must save for, as the state is unable to cover it.

“The only thing left is to get the money for this hair follicle test,” Mackey said.

“Then we can start the process of reunification with unsupervised and overnight visits.”

That might not seem like much, but the amount is enough to keep one child out of the state’s care and return him back to his mother. Often, a simple need — car seats, beds, bus passes or even home repairs — can stand in the way of reuniting families or welcoming foster or adoptive children into homes.

Oklahoma County communities can now be alerted to needs and offer help.

Through CarePortal, DHS workers submit needs of biological parents, foster parents and children to an online database. They are then emailed to participating churches.

A church, group or individual replies and provides the need to the family or child.

In the case of the Spencer mom, Bethany’s Council Road Baptist Church helped finance the tests, expediting the mother-and-son reunion.

Chris Campbell, 111 Project executive director, said CarePortal is simple. His organization oversees the program in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. With grant

support from CrossFirst Bank and Life.

Church, CarePortal launched April 20 in Oklahoma County at the state Capitol.

“These are significant needs related to children and families in child welfare,” Campbell said. “This is not for things that are frivolous and unnecessary. These are for things that help children stay out of foster care. This helps families get their kids back. It supports foster families that want to take placements, but are missing some things. … It is for adoptive families that are trying to adopt or hold a placement.”

Outside help

Five years ago, Campbell launched the Oklahoma chapter of 111 Project, which mobilizes churches to respond to the orphan crisis. In 2015, 5,262 children entered state custody, a drop from 6,019 a year before. Additionally, the state recorded 2,186 adoptions in 2015, nearly 800 more than the average for the past nine years, according to DHS. For years, faith-based nonprofits have assisted the state in providing foster care and adoptive services. Campbell believes as church members became more aware of the plight of foster care, families stepped up. The faith community has worked to recruit families, which he said has played a role in the current downward spiral.

“We are so close to seeing this tide change of having enough foster and adoptive families that we could become the first state to have more foster and adoptive families than we need,” Campbell told Oklahoma Gazette. “We could find the right place and the best place for children instead of just a place.”

The faith community’s involvement coincides with the state’s Pinnacle Plan, a five-year improvement plan of Oklahoma’s

Chris Campbell leads efforts of CarePortal in Oklahoma County. | Photo Laura Eastes

foster care system.

Since 2013, the agency has strived to place children directly into homes with families instead of emergency shelters.

Last fall, Oklahoma City’s Pauline E. Mayer Shelter, a state-run emergency children’s shelter, closed as children were placed directly with foster families.

Deb Shropshire, a pediatrician and the deputy director of DHS child welfare community partnerships, said the state’s mission runs parallel to many churches and faith organizations. Child welfare services are committed to improving the outcomes for children and families served

by DHS. “The Department of Human Services has known for a while the work of taking care of children and families and trying to protect families is not ours to do alone,” Shropshire said. “It sounds simple; we just have to get our hands around a generation of people and let them know they are worth something. The agency is very interested in doing that with families and children. The church is very much interested. We have a lot in common.”

A solution

More than a dozen Oklahoma County churches are registered for CarePortal, but more are needed. In time, Campbell hopes to expand the program to serve other counties with local DHS offices.

Campbell emphasized metro-area children will benefit from the program.

In Oklahoma County, 506 families are investigated for child welfare issues each month. Of those, Campbell said, 213 children have been removed from their homes.

CarePortal participants can expect to see requests for toddler beds and children’s furniture as well as individual requests. A DHS worker in Tulsa even requested funds to rent a tuxedo so a teenage foster boy could attend his high school prom.

“For a long time, the church had not gotten involved,” Campbell said. “We didn’t know about it. … I believe with all my heart we will fix this.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

13

chicken

friedNEWS

Beached criminal

Criminals can kayak, but they can’t hide.

Georgia police launched a manhunt earlier this month after a suspect, 38-year-old Cody Magee, disappeared one day before a court date on firearm and child sexual abuse charges.

Police concluded Magee staged his disappearance after finding his kayak washed up on a Tybee Island, Georgia, beach, according to Savannah Morning News reports. His wife also called police to report him missing when he didn’t return from the trip, reported The Associated Press. A two-day land and sea search turned up nothing.

But Magee wasn’t lost at sea. He was afloat in Oklahoma City, where alert police pulled him over after running a routine license plate check and discovering he was reported missing. Officers also discovered a handgun and rifle in his automobile, AP reported. Magee was taken to a local hospital.

Savannah police said they plan to extradite him and requested he be hospitalized because he was a “danger to himself,” according to a police news release. He also was a danger to children, and we’re relieved he was arrested.

If Magee thought he could just “go away” for a while until the outrage of his alleged prior crimes quieted down a bit, well, he inadvertently discovered the most effective way to do it.

Relative statements

A University of Oklahoma human relations theory class has come under scrutiny after a student voiced her concerns about some of the things being taught.

A woman who wished to remain anonymous sent a letter to Fox News contributor Todd Starnes. In it, she said she was told that singing a Rihanna song if you are not a woman from Barbados is insulting and a microaggression.

“I was literally told to go sing ‘The StarSpangled Banner,’” Starnes quoted the student in a post for his Todd’s American Dispatch Fox News opinion blog.

The student also showed Starnes two assignments, one about microaggression and the other a 100-item checklist used to determine whether students are “privileged.”

The checklist included items like “I am white,” “I have never done my taxes myself,” “I have had an unpaid internship,” “I’ve used prescription drugs recreationally,” “I had a car in high school” and “I’ve always had cable.”

The College Fix pointed out that “almost 90 percent of American households had cable in 2010” and “approximately twothirds of those designated as ‘poor’ have cable (or satellite) television services.”

Starnes said the checklist results would consider “Atheists, Muslims and anyone who works at a fast-food joint … underprivileged.”

“They teach you that if you are not part of the minority, you cannot be discriminated against,” the anonymous student told Starnes.

The assignment on microaggression included conversations that could be considered either harmless or microaggressions, but all of the scenarios ended up being microaggressions. In one, a woman stated that she believes only women and men should marry because that’s what the Bible says, but she respects others’ choices.

“That blew my mind. If I’m asked my opinion, I can’t say it because it’s offensive?” the student told Starnes. “If we can’t express differing views, how can we learn?”

She was also upset because “Christian students are being taught to question their values. They’re being told their values are wrong.”

OKCFOX.com reported that the university’s human relations department is investigating the student’s claims.

And people continued to discuss these issues and strove to be open-minded (or not) and tried really hard not to offend everyone in the world for the rest of eternity. The end.

Least of burden

Oklahoma turns out to be a great home for people who cringe at the thought of giving their money to local government.

ANTI-AGING SERvICES

MICRODERMABRASION $30 First Treatment $200 Package of 5 MICRODERMABRASION ADD-ONS $10 Glycolic Peel $20 Jessner’s Peel

Facials

starting at $30 JUVEDERM • RADIESSE

BOTOX Always $10 Per Unit

Schelly’s Aesthetics

Schelly Hill, R.N.

Shoppes at Northpark, 12028 May Ave. 405-751-8930 Open Mon-sat www.skincareokc.com Gift Certificates Available

14

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

A recent study by personal finance website WalletHub found Oklahoma ranked No. 45 nationally in total tax burden as a percentage of personal income.

In plainer speak, state residents pay little in state taxes for the wages they earn.

The study looked at state property tax, individual income tax and sales tax in all 50 states and compared those rates to average state incomes.

New Yorkers, Hawaiians and Mainers find themselves facing the largest tax burden, according to the metric. Residents of Alaska, Delaware and Tennessee carry the smallest loads.

Oklahoma ranked last with the least amount of property tax. Its burden is just 1.42 percent. The highest in the category was New Jersey with 5.41 percent.

The Sooner State also found itself low on the income tax burden list, as it takes 1.8 percent of the average income. New York tops that list, taking 4.76 percent.

The state’s spot near the bottom of the tax burden chart is unsurprising, considering its recent political history.

WalletHub found that red states had an average tax burden rank of 32 while the average rank for a blue state was about 19.

Whether that light state burden is something to celebrate or bemoan in the face of statewide budget cuts, however, is a tangential question for another day.

Itchy inmates

Jail is not a particularly nice place to be.

The food’s not good. Sometimes people get stabbed. Sometimes they have to poop where other inmates might see them.

But the Oklahoma County jail, a historically bad place to be locked up, has upped its game with a monthlong bedbug infestation.

Inmates were shuffled out of three pods housing about 50 and into the rest of the already overcrowded jail while the sheriff’s department tries to clear out the infestation. The pods will remain quarantined until the bedbugs are eradicated.

One local business already tried and failed to kill off the itchy pests. Now others are bidding to come in and do the job.

The jail failed a March 7 health inspection due to a lack of cleaning supplies for inmates. There also are faulty doors and locks in the facility, which contributed to inmate assaults. And a budget shortfall means fewer jailers to watch inmates, making it more dangerous for everyone.

Yes, it’s jail, and it’s not supposed to awesome. But the substandard conditions could end up costing taxpayers more in lawsuits than we would spend on a new, higher capacity, safer-for-everyone facility.

Median mayhem

Remember when droves of citizens attended Oklahoma City Council meetings to speak out on the proposed median or “panhandling” ordinance last fall? We do.

Remember when American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma sent a letter to the city requesting leaders redraft the ordinance “by protecting, rather than suppressing, the First Amendment rights of Oklahoma City’s citizens”? We do.

Remember when the city revised the median safety ordinance, but still got pushback from organizations like ACLU, T he Curbside Chronicle and VOICE (Voices Organized in Civic Engagement) OKC? We do.

To many, including us, it came as no surprise when, earlier this month, ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance.

As it stands, it is illegal to stand, sit or stay in city medians at intersections. The law prevents panhandlers and others from using those skinny slabs of concrete and grass to solicit donations or rest from exercising.

ACLU and the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, which include Red Dirt Report and Libertarian Party of Oklahoma, argue the ordinance violates the First Amendment by restricting freedom of speech.

A lawsuit’s complaint only presents one side of a dispute; however, those who paid attention to last fall’s hotly debated ordinance probably saw this coming.

Quote of the week

“Our air is cleaner today than it has ever been,” said U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, in an April 22 media statement responding to Sec. John Kerry signing the Paris international climate treaty. “Instead of focusing on these actual bipartisan achievements, the Obama administration alongside climate diplomats will be celebrating the newly rebranded ‘International Mother Earth Day’ by signing the hollow Paris climate agreement. … Even with the Clean Power Plan, the administration will miss its emission reduction targets by 45 percent, and that number grows to 60 percent if the regulation is overturned. It makes sense that confidence around the Paris agreement is beginning to crumble.”

Source: The office of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works (EPW).

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

15

co m m en ta ry

NEWS

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

Detente means trade with Iran

letters

Two and a half years ago, Iran’s moderate Hassan Rouhani was elected president over swaggering Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, raising hopes for improved relations.

Rouhani and his foreign minister Javad Zarif successfully negotiated the nuclear agreement signed last year with the six nations of the U.N. Security Council. As a condition for lifting sanctions, Iran agreed to regular inspections by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency with unprecedented access to sites of interest.

In Iran’s February elections, reformists won 30 contested parliamentary seats in the capitol. Fourteen women, all moderates, won seats across the country. Seven others are headed for late April runoff elections. Victories by moderate candidates show positive change is happening from inside Iran.

President Rouhani and his allies appeal to Iranians eager for modernization and fed up with the stagnation of the past. The 60-percent voter turnout in February’s elections reflects interest in Rouhani’s objectives of economic progress and social reform. The election results were a setback to anti-Western hardliners. They had opposed Rouhani’s negotiations for a nuclear agreement because they knew it could improve relations with Western nations and their own power would be diminished.

President Rouhani and his allies appeal to Iranians eager for modernization and fed up with the stagnation of the past.

The potential for trade is huge. Iran has the fourth-largest oil reserves and secondlargest natural gas reserves in the world.

International corporations are flocking to Iran to establish trade agreements. Iran has negotiated a $27 billion deal with Europe’s Airbus for 140 civilian airliners. That sale might have gone to Boeing, had not sanctions at the time blocked U.S. trade with Iran.

Eager for beef, wheat and modern technologies, the Iranian people’s desire for trade with the West looks strong.

Two-thirds of Iran’s 80 million people are under 35 years old, with no memory of the 1979 revolution or historic hostilities with the U.S. Women are now 60 percent of university students. Iran’s young adults want more civil rights, human rights, women’s rights, improved global relations and international trade.

Iran’s population is almost three times that of Saudi Arabia, but Iran spends onetenth as much on military preparedness.

Iran’s annual military budget is $6 billion,

Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com.

Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

The truth

Sorry all of you, but Oklahoma’s oil and gas economy is dead and Oklahoma needs to find a way to be innovative and relevant with a new, forward-thinking economy.

We know that soon there won’t be any kind of oil and gas generation in the U.S. This has nothing to do with fracking, earthquakes or an oversupply of fossil fuel, but with the fact that with 7 billion people on earth, we can’t continue using methane- and carbon dioxideproducing fuel. This is the truth, and no amount of denial about climate change is going to change it. If they don’t change, our energy producers are going to go the way of the dinosaurs that helped give us the oil, gas and coal in the first place: extinct.

So what can be done? Oklahoma needs two things: a relevant energy industry and an infrastructure that gets the energy to the people who are going to use it. And where will that come from? The oil and gas industry.

Let’s ask them to put their amazing, innova-

16

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

tive energies into energy and manufacturing systems that will fuel the future. Devon could build renewable energy research and development and delivery systems. Oil and gas entrepreneur Harold Hamm can do the same.

Chesapeake can put its employees to work finding ways to build renewable infrastructure.

These actions will build a workforce that isn’t dependent upon a Middle East that dictates oil and gas prices. Think about it: an Oklahoma that sets its own standards and is really independent. This would make Oklahoma a true exporter of energy and home-state-manufactured energy products to underserved areas in the United States and the world, as well as troubleshooting, service and repair to ensure those systems continue to run.

This will mean we need a well-schooled, intelligent workforce. Our existing energy companies can help provide those, too. They could work with our public colleges and universities to educate engineers and technicians and give them apprentice programs so they get the experience they need. We could even start those programs in high school.

If our energy companies don’t fuel the future, the Devon Tower will become the symbol for oil and gas hubris in the face of disaster and Classen Boulevard and 63rd Street will be a ghost town.

Carolyn Dershem Oklahoma City

‘State interest’

In the April 13 Gazette article about State Question 777 (News, “Loaded question,”

Nathaniel Batchelder is director of The Peace House in Oklahoma City and a member of AANW, Americans Against the Next War. Photo Garett Fisbeck / File

compared to $60 billion for Saudi Arabia and $600 billion for the U.S. The improvements in relations with Iran are a vindication of the U.S. administration’s outreach and diplomacy. Congress is still understandably cautious after decades of Iranian extremism and isolation but should support efforts toward better relations.

Hardliners in Iran would still welcome a reversal of the westernization and modernization they oppose.

Let us particularly take note of and celebrate the results of diplomacy instead of military action in bringing about this new day in U.S.-Iranian relations. Open trade and travel will be a win-win situation for the people of both nations.

Laura Eastes), Amanda Rosholt is paraphrased saying, “The amendment benefits all farmers and ranchers equally.”

This is blatantly false and an example showing farmers being harmed is why SQ 777 should be defeated.

An Oregon community of organic farmers is seeking protection against their farms being contaminated by genetically engineered plants from nearby fields. Previously passed SB 863 changed the state statues to pre-empt legislation like SQ 777 is designed to do.

A new bill, Transgenic Contamination Prevention Bill (HB 4122), has been introduced that would, if passed, repeal part of SB 863, which preempted local governments in Oregon from protecting organic family farmers from contamination of their crops with transgenic properties. This contamination would destroy the future crops from being labeled organic. In this case, since SB 863 is just a statute change and not a constitutional change, as SQ 777 would be, HB 4122 could simply repeal the preemption.

To reverse SQ 777 would require another constitutional change and be considerably more difficult.

The Oregon example is not hypothetical but a real threat to another group of farmers, despite Rosholt’s assertion. Should SQ 777 pass and when an Oklahoma organic farmer finds his farm has been contaminated, will that be ruled a “compelling state interest,” the phrase added to make any reversal even more unlikely?

Chadwick Cox Norman

Largest Local Selection. 9 Convenient Locations.

www.partygalaxy.com

connect to

Confidence at Central

U N I V E R S I T Y TM

TM

(405) 974-2000

•

O F

w w w. u c o . e d u

C E N T R A L

uco.bronchos

O K L A H O M A

UCOBronchos

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

17

18

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

review

EAT & DRINK

Dense Fogón

Arroz con pollo

Colombian food finds a great showcase at El Fogón de Edgar. By Greg Elwell | Photos Garett Fisbeck

Probably the most enticing item is the first one you’ll see, both on the menu and at everyone else’s table at the restaurant: empanadas ($1.50).

Joyous pockets of fried dough stuffed full of potatoes and chicken and beef come to the tables piled on top of each other like puppies eager to play. Except, unlike puppies, you will eat the empanadas.

Wait!

I know they look good, but I have an urgent message from future you.

“Cut one open and let it El Fogón de Edgar sit for a second. That thing was just in the fryer, and it 2416 NW 23rd St. facebook.com/elfogondeedgar needs to cool down. And 405-370-2959 don’t forget to put some of What works: Caldo de pescado and empanadas that bright green verde are irresistible. sauce on it.”

It’s weird that future What needs work: An untopped arepas is a boring arepas. you didn’t have any stock tips or lottery numbers or Tip: It’s closed on Mondays, which just makes anything. It’s also weird Mondays even worse. that future you didn’t mention how you’re required by law to order the caldo de pescado ($9.25).

I am happy to report it does, in fact, exist. It’s in a tiny house on 23rd Street,next Another dish that requires a maddening to a barbershop that specializes in fades. wait before you can eat it, this fish soup has There’s a small transom between the a thin, creamy broth that hides big chunks kitchen and the counter at El Fogón de of fish and tender potatoes. It also comes Edgar. Every time I eat there, without fail, with rice, which confused me at first since the chef looks through the hole in the wall they’re both starchy. But if you add the rice and asks how everything was. to the soup, it begins to soak up the broth Empanadas, tender steaks slathered in and becomes more stewlike in consistency. sauces, delicate fish chowder with potatoes By the end of the meal, you’ll be picking and rice — I can’t imagine your answer up the silver serving bowl it came in and would be any different from my own. trying to pour every last drop of it into “It was so good. I can’t wait to come your mouth.

I hesitated ordering the arroz con pollo back.”

If we’re being honest — and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be — I don’t really know anything about Colombian food.

It’s not like Oklahoma City is overrun with Colombian restaurants. If you haven’t eaten any Vietnamese food after being here for a few years, you made that choice yourself. If you haven’t eaten Colombian food, it might be that you didn’t know El Fogón de Edgar, 2416 NW 23rd St., existed in the first place.

Bistec a caballo

($9.75) simply because it seemed too simple. But it’s those simple dishes that really show the skill of the chef. Here was something similar to fried rice, but with more texture and big chunks of shredded chicken hidden in every bite.

Like many dishes, the arroz also comes with sweet fried plantains. There must be plantain trees all over Colombia, because they are all over this menu. You will also see patacones: green plantains that are smashed and fried. Those are more starchy but still quite tasty.

If you’re still trying to wrap your head around the cuisine, I quite enjoyed picada ($14), an enormous sampler plate with sausage, pork, beef, chicharron (a big strip of fried pork skin), morcilla (blood sausage), an arepa, tomato and fried yuca. It’s a lot of food. I liked it a lot.

Arepas are corn cakes cooked on a grill.

The flavor is pretty mild, though, so be sure you’re putting some sauce on it or getting it with toppings, like on arepa con

jamon y queso ($5.50). Don’t bother having a polite-off for the last bite of this one.

Creamy cheese and perfectly cooked ham make for an irresistible bite. You might as well order two.

Or just have one and get bistec a caballo ($9.99). The thin, broiled steak could have been bland or overdone, but the house tomato sauce El Fogón cooks it in kept it moist and flavorful. If you want your egg runny, you should mention it to your server.

They tend to come to the table with the yolk past medium.

That’s the kind of nitpicking you can do at El Fogón de Edgar. Everything is so tasty, everyone is so friendly, the restaurant is so charming that it is legitimately difficult not to enjoy all of it.

It turns out I do know something about Colombian food, and that’s what El Fogón taught me: I love it.

Like I told the man in the transom, I can’t wait to go back.

Empanadas O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

19

EAT & DRINK

Green Salmon

Pad Thai

Chris Barrett prepares a record-breaking cocktail at Ludivine.

UCO student discount

1333 N. Santa Fe • Edmond 405-471-6587

Taste of Thai

lunch special-$6.50 3 entrees with soup OCU student discount

1614 NW 23rd • OKC 405-528-8424

Thai combo lunch special Military discount 1801 S. Air Depot MWC • 405-732-1519

f e at u r e

Join us for daily lunch & dinner menu specials

Record maker

Ludivine’s Chris Barrett plays Dr. Robert with his Revolver-inspired concoctions based on The Beatles’ classic 1966 album.

By George Lang | Photos Garett Fisbeck

Ludivine’s Chris Barrett fell in love with The Beatles’ Revolver when he was in eighth grade, long before he could legally drink but right on time to appreciate what many critics and fans consider the band’s best album. Now, the Midtown restaurant’s bar manager raises a toast to Revolver on the LP’s 50th anniversary, offering 14 drinks carefully crafted to pay tribute to each song.

“It’s diverse, and that’s also why it works for the cocktails. There’s a range, and there needs to be range on the menu,” Barrett said. “Revolver’s always been my favorite because it still has really good rock tunes influenced by what they were doing before, and then it has them pushing the barriers with orchestral songs like ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and kids’ songs like ‘Yellow Submarine’ and whatever ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ is. And there’s the ballads like ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ and ‘For No One.’ It’s all

I’m Only Sleeping 20

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

there in 14 songs.”

Before beginning his mixology career, Barrett played guitar in multiple Oklahoma City bands, including Twenty Minutes to Vegas and Model 2551, two acts that worshipped at the altar of 1960s rock.

Barrett’s personal Beatlemania was particularly acute, reflected in his songwriting and his stagewear. He said it was only a matter of time before his two passions merged, but his first impulse was to pay tribute to Revolver’s predecessor, 1965’s Rubber Soul.

“At the end of January, I was listening to Rubber Soul and thinking we could do a cocktail menu based on that, but Rubber Soul seemed like more of a fall menu to me,” he said. “So then I switched over to Revolver and thought, ‘This will be a lot more fun, a lot more diverse and a lot more springtime.’”

Barrett and fellow Ludivine bartender Colby Poulin found considerable

Taxman

Cocktails inspired by The Beatles’ album Revolver

success with their previous special menu, a drinking tour of OKC that featured fare such as Wrong Way on Western, Bombs Over Bricktown and Stockyard Roots. For the Revolver menu, Barrett and Poulin repeatedly listened to the album, pored over lyrics, took note of musical motifs and tone and analyzed the songs’ constituent parts in search of perfect flavors.

Sound flavors

Like so many teenagers who studied album covers, read lyrics and even played songs backward to gain insight into The Beatles’ methods, the flavors and ingredients revealed themselves in due time.

Barrett decided that a base of Quiet Man Irish whiskey was appropriate for landmark opening track “Taxman” by “quiet one” George Harrison.

Some drinks, like Yellow Submarine, can be identified by sight, but others require a deep analysis of the lyrics.

“For instance, with ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ I just picked up the lyric which said, ‘Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church,’ and my first thought was that sake is made from rice, so I was going to play with that and see if it worked,” Barrett said. “‘Wiping the dirt from his hands’ suggests earthiness, and agave brings an earthiness to the cocktail.”

Sometimes, like for “I’m Only Sleeping,” the mood made the mix.

“Well, you start with absinthe, and I

She Said She Said

just happened to have an absinthe called Lucid Absinthe, for lucid dreaming. While ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ is trippy, it’s also light and poppy, so there’s strawberry and Aperol, which is a bittersweet, rhubarblike liquor. It’s familiar yet not familiar, like the backward guitar solo.”

The Beatles always left a few songs entirely open to interpretation, so Barrett decided to leave Tomorrow Never Knows” as Ludivine’s “freedom from choice” drink. Rather than trying to find inspiration in the The Tibetan Book of the Dead, as John Lennon did for the song, Barrett lets his customers turn off their minds, relax and float downstream as he mixes something original.

The Revolver menu continues through June, which gives Ludivine customers plenty of time to work through all 14 tracks. While Revolver is easily consumed in a 45-minute session, Barrett said he recommends spacing out the bar menu.

“Hey, if seven people wanted to come in and do the whole thing, two each, we could set that up,” he said. “And we’re going to run it for three months, so it’s very easy for someone to just go down the line. I wouldn’t suggest doing it in one night.

“I’m still waiting for someone to come in and say, ‘This doesn’t taste like Eleanor Rigby to me,’” Barrett said.

Your choice for

lunch, dinner & drinks

Yellow Submarine

open daily 11am - 2 am

corner of classen & Boyd, norman 405.329.3330 | themont.com O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

21

EAT & DRINK bar for more cocktails.

The reason for the change: More people left because of the smoking than stayed.

And people are much more likely to buy a drink in a bar if they’re in that bar.

Cleaning costs also drop, as do employee sick days, Thomas said. And longterm exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to increase the risk of lung cancer by up to 30 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

It’s a message that has resonated locally. Oklahoma City bars JJ’s Alley, Henry Hudson’s Hideout, Baker St. Pub & Grill, The Mule, Apothecary ThirtyNine, The Wreck Room, Pelotón Wine Bar & Cafe and Whiskey Chicks Parlor have all joined Free The Night’s list of smokefree establishments.

f e at u r e

Other avenues

Free the Night campaign manager Kathleen Thomas | Photo Garett Fisbeck / File

Butt out

Bars and clubs are going nonsmoking with a nudge from Free The Night.

By Greg Elwell

The haze is immediately apparent. Smoke washes over all who open the door. By the end of the night, whether they lit up or not, everyone in the bar leaves smelling like cigarettes.

But Free The Night campaign manager Kathleen Thomas said more longtime smoking establishments in Oklahoma City are changing.

For some customers, that’s music to their ears.

“I just hate the smell of it in my hair and my clothes,” Michelle Bui said. “It makes my eyes sting, and I almost can’t focus on the conversation I’m having with my friends while I’m there because I’m so miserable.”

That’s why she said she won’t visit most bars where smoking is allowed.

Smoking kept Geoff Eaton from supporting musicians he loves.

“There were many bands I would have liked to see at the Bricktown Wormy Dog [Saloon], but I didn’t go due to smoking.

Best news ever was when they went nonsmoking. Same with Grady’s 66 [Pub] in Yukon. They went nonsmoking, and now I check who is playing,” he said. “Honestly, most people I associate with now don’t go to smoking bars. If I was invited, I would probably make a nonsmoking suggestion.”

Thomas said surveys taken by Free The Night at community events show nearly 22

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

80 percent of Oklahomans prefer smokefree bars and clubs.

The group works with bar and club owners to implement nonsmoking policies. This month, both The Boom and Night Trips became smoke-free venues.

Sipango Lounge, 4301 N. Western Ave., became a nonsmoking bar in November, and owner Mike Hyde said weekend business has climbed 30 percent.

“My only regret is that I didn’t go smoke-free earlier,” he said.

The ask

Even with good data, suggesting a change in policy to bar owners still requires a soft touch, Thomas said.

“We go in with an outreach packet. It’s a no-pressure way to start a conversation,” she said.

The main worries owners have is that they’ll lose business and offend regulars.

Thomas said over the span of years, many customers come to feel ownership in a place, and any change causes an uproar.

“They don’t want to alienate those longtime customers,” Thomas said.

But they do come back in a matter of weeks. She said regular patrons like “their” bar for more reasons than just smoking. The other customers and staff become like family, so in the end, going outside to smoke isn’t that big a deterrent.

There are lots of positives to explore as well, she said.

As in the case of Sipango, revenues can climb when an establishment makes the switch. Despite being a fan of cigars, Outside the Box Hospitality Management Group chief operating officer Clayton Bahr helped WSKY Lounge, 228 NE Second St., end its smoking policy. Now patrons can buy cigars and take them outside to smoke before returning to the

Performers have supported Free The Night in hopes of getting more venues to send smokers outside. Melanie Schmidt of the band Willow Way gave a testimonial the organization uses in its information packet about why she supports the idea.

“As a vocalist, it’s my priority to take care of my vocal chords, and even secondhand smoke can begin to take a toll,” she said. “I value businesses and organization that recognize the positive impact a smoke-free working environment can hold for music artists.”

Bui, a Norman Music Festival organizer, spends time at music venues supporting local bands and said smoke-free venues also bring in bigger crowds.

“I know for sure some bartenders have told me attendance for shows has gotten better when bands can play smoke-free,” she said. “So if that isn’t a plus, then I wouldn’t know what is.”

I just hate the smell of it in my hair and my clothes. It makes my eyes sting, and I almost can’t focus on the conversation I’m having.

Michelle Bui

Kitty Bob Aimes and Norma Jean Goldenstein perform the Sunday Gospel Brunch at The Boom, which recently went nonsmoking. | Photo Gazette / File

b r i e f s By Greg Elwell

Photo Wayback Burgers / Provided

•Wayback coming

•Happy beerthday

Photo Gazette / File

Edmond craft beer bar and food truck haven The Patriarch, 9 E. Edwards St. ( pictured), celebrates every occasion with beer, so it’s no surprise that its first birthday will be a keg-tapping extravaganza.

Patriarch Anniversary Week, May 9-15, will be a 100-percent Oklahoma beer week for the bar. Breweries from across the state will be stopping by with some limited edition and one-off beers.

Iron Monk Brewing Company is scheduled for May 10, 405 Brewing Co. is May 11, COOP Ale Works and Elk Valley Brewing Co. are May 12, Roughtail Brewing Company and Anthem Brewing Company are May 13 and Marshall Brewing Company, Prairie Artisan Ales and Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing are set for May 14.

The ever-competitive hamburger culture in Oklahoma is getting as crowded as the chicken finger industry as another national brand seeks a foothold in the state.

Connecticut-based Wayback Burgers (pictured) arrives this summer in Edmond with local franchisees Jonathon and Maria Unruh at the helm.

The restaurant will offer burgers — beef, turkey and vegetable — milkshakes, housemade chips and fries in the style of a “hometown burger joint.”

“We believe that the area is a great fit for the brand, and we look forward to bringing excellent service and top-notch burgers, fries, shakes and more for foodies in Edmond and beyond,” Jonathon Unruh said in a press release.

Wayback Burgers’ first Oklahoma location will be 3217 S. Broadway in Edmond.

Mobile munchers

Monthly food truck gathering event Eats on 8th Food Truck Festival & Night Market saw a successful return in March with more than 4,000 guests.

This month’s event is 6-11 p.m. Friday on a U-shaped footprint including NW Eighth Street and Harvey Avenue and Robinson Avenue to NW Ninth Street.

Featured food trucks include Wolf’s BarB-Q, Norma’s Food Truck, Yum Pig, Trevino’s Mexican Street Beast, The Popcorn Patch, La Gallina Azul, Bacon N’ Cakin’, Smokey Ray’s BBQ, Metro Minis Gourmet Mini Donuts, Cutie Pies Concession, The Fried Taco and Just Desserts OKC. Learn more at eatson8th.com.

Vineyard voice

Stella Modern Italian Cuisine and Thirst Wine Merchants host an evening of food and wine with rockstar vintner Steve Clifton 6:30 p.m. Monday at the restaurant, 1201 N. Walker Ave. Clifton is an owner of Santa Barbara’s Palmina winery, Brewer-Clifton and his newest project La Voix Winery.

Stella executive chef Melissa Aust will prepare a five-course menu paired with Clifton’s Palmina wines, and the dinner features the Oklahoma debut of his new boutique pinot noir project, La Voix, the voice of the vineyard. The dinner is $75 per person, available at 405-235-2200. Reservations are required.

$3 Off Family Pack or

$5 Off Xl Family Pack

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

23

g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Cheese it!

Somewhere, Prometheus is still chained to a rock, waiting for that eagle to come back and eat his liver again. Does he regret stealing fire from Zeus and giving it to mankind?

No, because we’ve done more with it than all the gods on Mount Olympus combined when we tamed the flame and used it to create grilled cheese sandwiches.

By Greg Elwell Photos Garett Fisbeck

The Mule

Picasso Cafe

Hobby’s Hoagies

The first name in grilled cheese in Oklahoma City is The Mule. But before you dig into a plate of fried cheese curds, tomato soup and a Macaroni Pony, get a little green in your diet with the restaurant’s signature Caesar salad. Not only is the romaine lettuce replaced by the more flavorful arugula, but check out those croutons — they’re tiny grilled cheese sandwiches.

There’s something classic about pimento cheese. Despite a history that has seen it ridiculed and crammed in grocery store refrigerator cases next to the hate crime that is ham salad, pimento cheese is a lovely mix of shredded cheese, mayonnaise and chopped cherry peppers. At Picasso, they grill it with slices of avocado for an ultra-rich and strangely familiar twist on a sandwich that hasn’t gotten much love.

The worst part about going to Hobby’s Hoagies is trying to choose which to get, the Philly cheesesteak or the grilled cheese. Well, fret no more, friends, because the clouds have parted and the sun is shining on the grilled Philly cheese sandwich. Gorgeous thick slices of Texas toast are cooked to a beautiful gold.

Those sturdy slabs of bread are just enough to hold back a torrent of melted cheese and delectable steak and onions.

1630 N. Blackwelder Ave. themuleokc.com | 405-601-1400

3009 Paseo Drive picassosonpaseo.com | 405-602-2002

222 S. Santa Fe Ave., Edmond hobbyshoagies.com | 405-348-2214

AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE

It’s time for

Spring (rolls)

10% OFF lUnCH & Dinner BUffet with coupon

A lA CArte | Wine & Beer | HAlAl MeAt PrivAte Dining UP to 60 | CAtering AvAilABle lunch buffet M-F | 11am-2pm 709 N. MOORE, MOORE 701-3900 WWW.HIMALYASOK.COM 24

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Now RolliN RolliN Now

Slaughter’s Hall

221 N. Central Ave. slaughtershall.com | 405-606-6063 It turns out I went through all that hassle for nothing. Slaughter’s Hall doesn’t even check IDs when you order Uncle Joe’s Lunch Box. So forget going to the courthouse and changing your name to Joseph R. Uncleson; you can just head straight to Slaughter’s for a grilled cheese, tomato basil soup and a chocolate chip cookie to go with your beer. Oh, and they will ID you for that, just so you know.

Power House

1228 SW Second St. powerhouseokc.com | 405-702-0699 Of all the houses you can visit — ranchstyle, haunted, halfway — the best is always Power House. Located next to OKC Farmers Public Market, this patio-heavy, mood-lit bar and restaurant is a favorite for strong — some might even say powerful — drinks. Be sure to line your stomach with something that can handle all that alcohol, like the delightful grilled cheese panini. It will have you eager to make this Power House your new Power Home.

Elemental Coffee Roasters 815 N. Hudson Ave. elementalcoffee.com | 405-604-9766

The C’est La Brie sandwich at Elemental is so good it’ll make you feel stupid. How did you never think to put creamy, buttery Brie next to a thick slice of country ham, drizzle on some fig jam and grill it all between two superior pieces of bread? It doesn’t take a genius to know that’s going to taste good.

Chow down on that glorious combo while sipping one of Elemental’s pour-over coffees.

And save room for a salted chocolate chip cookie!

VISIT OUR BELLE ISLE LOCATION! I-44 & NW Expressway OTHER LOCATIONS IN MOORE, NORTH MEMORIAL & THE OUTLETS

JOIN THE SMASHCLUB™ EAT THE BENEFITS

Off the Hook Seafood & More

125 W. Britton Road offthehookokc.com | 405-840-3474 The image that springs to mind when one hears the phrase “melted lobster” is not nearly as appetizing as the reality of this Off the Hook staple. Cajun boiled lobster meat is joined with Monterey Jack cheese, roasted peppers, grilled onions and garlic butter Texas toast for a sandwich that is overflowing with both flavor and cheese.

One bite and you might melt in your seat, because it’s just that good.

BUY ONE ENTRÉE Expires 6/30/16. Buy one entrée and receive an additional entrée of equal or lesser value. Limit one per person per visit. Not valid for alcohol sales.

Not valid for online orders. Not valid with other offers or discounts, Taxes not included. No photocopies. No cash value. Offer valid at participating restaurants only. ©2015 Smashburger IP Holder LLC. PLU 6107

SMASHBURGER.COM O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

25

$

DO YOU LIK E T O ORGANIZE & ANALYZE RECEIVABLES? (as well as collect and deposit money?)

THEN, WE MAY HAVE THE JOB FOR YOU.

Accounts Receivable APPLY NOW by sending your resume to mharrison@tierramediagroup.com

26

a p r i l 2 6 , 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

ARTS & CULTURE

C U LT U R E

reason [to celebrate],” Ruiz said.

Through relationships Plaza Mayor has formed, Ruiz said it has been able to bring in many different artists, dancers and dignitaries from Puebla and seek guidance on customs appropriate for the event.

“For a lot of municipalities across the United States, they sometimes struggle with how to really capitalize on their sister city relationships beyond just saying that we have this diplomatic tie and it’s kind of a feel-good thing,” he said. “I think here in Oklahoma City, we have a chance to create a real exchange with our sister city that could benefit the entire community.”

It’s an exciting time for Plaza Mayor and the relatively young Hispanic community in Oklahoma City. Cultural traditions don’t stretch back nearly as far here as they do in cities like San Antonio. Ruiz said part of the goal with OKC Cinco de Mayo is to establish a tradition in the community that could be around for decades to come.

“It’s a little bit of a golden age right now Los Viejones de Linares performs at last year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration at Plaza Mayor. | Photo Sandra Pagan / Provided because there’s a lot of pioneering things that are happening right now in the al components of the Hispanic community,” festival that he and he said. “There are a lot others in the Hispanic of things that are hapOKC Cinco community are so paspening for the first de Mayo Oklahoma City’s relationship with the birthplace sionate about. time.”

Ruiz said because no Part of the reason of Cinco de Mayo sets its celebration apart.

Noon-9 p.m. May 1 the celebration at Plaza other city can claim such Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads

By Ben Luschen Mayor has set itself a close tie with Puebla, 7000 Crossroads Blvd. apart is due to Oklahoma City is in a plazamayorok.com Oklahoma City’s unique unique position to estab405-631-4422 In just a few years, Plaza Mayor at the true to the Puebla region of Mexico will status as a sister city to lish itself as a travel desFree all be there for the public to enjoy.

Crossroads’ Cinco de Mayo celebration has Puebla, Mexico. In tination nationwide for This year, the festival is introducing a become the biggest in the city. Organizers Mexico, Cinco de Mayo those looking for a hope it will one day be counted as one of carnival component featuring 22 rides, is not celebrated nationwide. The one place unique observation of the historic battle. the biggest in the nation. fair food and a full-sized Ferris wheel. The where it is celebrated in a big way is Puebla.

“I would definitely love for this to one The free OKC Cinco de Mayo festival rides opened outside Plaza Mayor in midRealizing there was no large-scale Cinco day be a multiple-day event in which over begins noon Sunday outside Plaza Mayor April and will remain open through the de Mayo festival in the city, Ruiz and other 100,000 people are coming to it, not only from all over Oklahoma but from all over at the Crossroads, 7000 Crossroads Blvd. day of the festival. organizers sought to take advantage of the United States,” he said.

Crowds in excess of 15,000 are expected.

“This is all in anticipation that this will Oklahoma City’s ties with Puebla and create OKC Cinco de Mayo has earned its folbecome a multiple-day celebration,” said the most authentic celebration in the nation.

Plaza Mayor Marketing Manager Robert lowing in part because it represents an OKC Cinco de Mayo wants to show that Ruiz. authentic celebration of the holiday comthe holiday can be enjoyed in more ways than just drinking. memorating Mexico’s surprising victory In establishing OKC Cinco de Mayo as over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. a fun family destination, Ruiz said he “Even though people can enjoy an adult Traditional food, dance music and culture hopes to continue to build up the culturbeverage at this festival, it’s not the only

Puebla partners

Cinco events Dancing in the Gardens: Cinco de Mayo Kick Off with Salsa Night 7 p.m. May 5 Seasonal Plaza Myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. Reno Ave. 405-445-7080 myriadgardens.com | Free Dancing in the Gardens runs May to September, and Myriad Botanical Gardens kicks off the series with a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Instructors from 3Sixty Dance Studio give a dance demonstration at 7 p.m. followed by a free lesson. Salsa music will be pumped in at 8 p.m. Drink and food specials also will be offered.

Cinco de Mayo at Calle dos Cinco

Cinco de Mayo at Iguana Mexican Grill

Festival 5 de Mayo

May 5

Cinco de Mayo Mexican Night: Edible Adventures

6-10 p.m. May 6 Calle Dos Cinco

Iguana Grill

6-10 p.m. May 5

May 8

319 SW 25th St. | 405-632-0133

9 NW Ninth St. | 405-606-7172

Platt College

Imperio Event Center

historiccapitolhill.com | Free

iguanamexicangrill.com | Free

OKC North Campus

14007 E. 21st St., Tulsa

Historic Capitol Hill’s board of

Iguana Grill is a local option for

2727 W. Memorial Road

tulsahispanicchamber.com

directors brings back its Cinco

chips and queso this Cinco de

405-749-2433

918-664-5326 | Free

de Mayo celebration after a

Mayo. The restaurant has be-

Platt College – Moore Campus

Tulsa’s largest Cinco de Mayo

successful first year. Visitors can

come a favorite gathering place

201 N. Eastern Ave., Moore

celebration is a multiday festival

walk the district’s main street

for locals celebrating Mexican

405-912-3260

featuring a carnival atmosphere

and browse shops. A variety of

victory in the Battle of Puebla

plattcolleges.edu | $75

with live music attractions.

food trucks will provide food

or any other worthy occasion.

There’s more to Mexican cooking

Festival 5 de Mayo is organized

and drink. Dance demonstra-

This holiday, Iguana features live

than tacos and burritos. Platt

by the Greater Tulsa Hispanic

tions and salsa instruction

bands, DJs and food and drink

College proves that this Cinco de

Chamber of Commerce and

will be available. There will be

specials.

Mayo with instructional courses

celebrates the diverse Hispanic

plenty of activities for children,

on Mexican cooking techniques

community in Tulsa. About

including games by OKC Energy

as part of its Edible Adventures

5,000 people are expected

FC and Party Galaxy and a

series. The classes make a fun

to pass through during the

youth boxing exhibition by Rival

date night alternative to grabbing

weekend.

Boxing Gym OKC.

a margarita or cerveza in a loud

5-10:30 p.m. May 6, 2-10:30 p.m. May 7, noon-6:30 p.m.

and crowded restaurant.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

27

T A H W A M A M

!

S T N WA

A Mother’s Day Gift Giving Guide

OKC’s PreMIer hIgh eNd | Consignment Furniture Store

gIVe MAMA WhAt she reALLY WANts A gOOd NIght’s rest

NOW FeAtUrINg the FINest seLeCtION OF sIMMONs BeAUtYrest MAttresses

3704 N WesterN 405.521.0012 m-S 10am-6pm 2229 NW 138th 405.749.3500 Sun 12pm-5pm

KNInteriorConsignment.com 28

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

c u lt u r e

ARTS & CULTURE

Family fun

Pop Up Shops launches its spring event at Hafer Park in Edmond.

By Kaley Patterson

Pop Up Shops in the Park 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday Hafer Park 1034 S. Bryant Ave., Edmond popupshopsok.com Free

performing arts

For the first time, Pop Up Shops plants its stakes in Edmond with its spring show 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Hafer Park, 1034 S. Bryant Ave. “We have a ton of people that have little, local businesses here in Edmond that they are starting out on Facebook or through mobile boutiques,” said Kristina Vernon, Pop Up Shops cofounder. “We really just want to let people keep it small, keep it local and really support people that are trying to grow their businesses.”

Pop Up Shops is a traveling show featuring over 130 local vendors and dozens of activities, including boutiques, small businesses, wine and beer tastings, crafts, face painting, junkers, inflatables, a petting zoo and more. Food trucks are also on-site, along with live music from Saige Cross, Willow Way, Annie Oakley, Ben Brock and Mark Vollerson. Live music starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m. Event admission is free.

Food truck vendors include The Sugar Shack Sweets & Treats, Macarena’s Mexican Street Cafe, Fresh Ice, Rolled Up, OKCity Grill and Metro Minis OKC. Vernon and cofounder Heather Eldridge said they both anticipate Hafer Park will become home to Pop Up Shops’ annual spring show.

The women started Pop Up Shops because they wanted a show that attracts a diverse variety of vendors, draws larger crowds and supports local causes.

Vernon said their vendor selection process is thoughtful and thorough.

“No. 1 is we don’t allow direct competi-

tion. That helps the vendors make more money, and it also helps the local shops and people that are trying to build their businesses grow,” Vernon said. “Keeping it local is a really big deal for us. We don’t allow outof-state vendors.”

Attendees can also buy raffle tickets for prizes such as a cruiser bike, double-park season passes for four to Frontier City and White Water Bay and a four-admission package to Science Museum Oklahoma and The Oklahoma City Zoo. Raffle proceeds benefit Guthrie-based nonprofit Peppers Ranch, which strives to break the cycle of childhood abuse with services that offer stability, education, nurturing and tutoring

Face painting, a petting zoo, food trucks and more are available Saturday at Pop Up Shops in the Park. | Photo bigstock.com

as youths and families work through the foster care system.

Vernon said Pop Up Shops always chooses an organization to support at its various events. Organizers selected Peppers Ranch since it offers vital services, but it’s not wellknown.

“We’ve met the kids, and we met the family from Peppers Ranch, and they are really great people,” Vernon said. “We can’t volunteer a bunch of our time to go out and help, so to be able to help them and be a part of that is really nice for us.”

For more information on Peppers Ranch, visit peppersranch.com.

Body language What started as a three-man ‘street disturbance’ in New York has transformed into a wordless worldwide sensation. By Wilhelm Murg

Blue Man Group performs three times in before joining the show.

Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday in “I collaborated with some former Thelma E. Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre members on another project, so it was on at Civic Center Music Hall. my radar as a cool show,” Wendt said. “I Blue Man Group is celebrating its 25th auditioned for it, and it was an arduous callanniversary. Three friends in Manhattan’s back process; it was three days. They offered Lower East Side launched the troupe in 1991 to train me, so several months later, after with their street “disturbances.” The group taking several drum lessons, I went up to grew into small shows and then theatrical New York and trained and ended up starting productions and eventually gained worldin the show.” wide attention, releasing music albums and Wendt described Blue Man Group as a opening in theaters across “rock show.” The group has the globe. toured with musicians such Blue Man Steven as Moby, Tracy Bonham, Blue Man Dave Matthews, Gavin Wendt, who will perform Group in Oklahoma City, has been Rossdale and Venus Hum. with the group for four This month, the group re8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and years. Originally from leased its third studio 8 p.m. Saturday Kansas City, Missouri, he album, Three.

Thelma E. Gaylord graduated from California “It’s been 25 years, but Performing Arts Theatre Institute of the Arts in it’s still a current show; the Civic Center Music Hall 2009 and worked in excreative team has kept ev201 N. Walker Ave. perimental theater and as erything up-to-date with okcciviccenter.com a puppeteer for Cartoon commentary on art and 405-297-2264 Network and Kids’ WB culture today just as much $32-$77

Blue Man Group | Photo Lindsey Best / Celebrity Attractions / Provided

as when the show was created,” Wendt said.

“Because we don’t use language — we’re nonverbal — we can communicate on a whole different level.”

Wendt described Blue Man characters as engaged, creative beings without all the habitual behaviors taught through socialization.

“Each Blue Man acts a little different because it is about who they are as a person, so their characters are inherently different,” he said. “Even though everyone behaves differently, there is still this core way that we can communicate with each other. It’s not a specific language we use; it’s more of a trust, you know? We can trust each other to be there in the moment and to support whatever we’re doing.”

Being a Blue Man is demanding because performers must be actors and musicians and also a “team player,” he said.

“A lot of our show is improv, so it really takes a grounded actor who is able to think on his feet,” Wendt said. “We make it look easy, but every night, we are meticulously picking apart every scene. … We hone in and tighten up our behaviors because that’s our only way of communicating.”

Wendt said that he has learned skills as a Blue Man that help him as a performer.

“I’m also writing music, and I’ve noticed that after doing a show for a while, my approach to music has become more instinctual,” he said. “It’s still very relevant for me as an artist; I love it.”

Blue Man Group has permanent productions in five U.S. cities, plus Berlin, and two touring companies. Wendt estimated there are 40-50 Blue Men populating the world at any given time. For more information, visit blueman.com.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

29

ARTS & CULTURE

v i s ua l a r t s

Campus Corner near the University of Oklahoma in Norman | Photo Gazette / File

Cornering creatives

Arts on the Corner marks the return of an arts festival to a popular Norman retail district. By Ben Luschen

In the absence of Dustbowl Arts Market, sidewalk chalk stations will encourage Erin Patton sought a new art festival to youths to draw and liven up streets, orgabring to Norman. Arts on the Corner runs nizers said.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 7 on Buchanan Avenue “Everyone’s really excited to have an in Campus Corner. arts festival coming back to Campus Patton, Campus Corner Association Corner,” Patton said.

Though the festival is a one-day event executive director, said she hopes the free event fills that void. its inaugural year, over time, she hopes to Dustbowl Market gave vendors a spot grow it into something more. in the university area’s commercial dis“The goal is every year to add more trict. When its organizers moved away, time, eventually add another day and to the event fell by the wayside. Patton said add more aspects to it to make it a big comwhen she was hired in 2015, one of her first munity festival,” she said. goals was to bring a festival back to the A portion of event proceeds will benefit district. a Norman Public Schools Art Foundation The corner buzzes with activity during program that offers local teachers utility University of Oklahoma home football carts stocked with whatever they might games, but Patton said need to teach their curriculum for that the area also has a lot day. Patton said it to offer on the other Arts on the Corner takes between $800 days.

“We have such an and $900 to start one 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 7 of the carts. awesome area that it Campus Corner really is a great back“We’re hoping to 542 S. University Blvd., Norman get at least three or drop for an arts festioucampuscorner.com val,” she said. four funded this year,” 405-928-1509 Local vendor she said.

Free booths will set up Many local vendors a long Bucha na n have been accepted to Avenue. Additionally, participate in the works by local elementary school students event, but a handful of spots are still left. will be displayed inside the visual arts Organizers are seeking artists, photogratent. Artists also will perform demonstraphers and people who create their own tions, and a Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art unique and interesting things. booth features hands-on, take-home craft “Campus Corner is such a beautiful projects. area to have something like this,” she said.

A performing arts stage will showcase “The trees will be nice and green, and area dance troops, glee clubs and other hopefully … the weather will be perfect groups. for walking around.”

Free parking will be available at First Arts on the Corner also features musicians stationed across the festival area.

Presbyterian Church of Norman, 555 S. And to foster family-friendly creativity, University Blvd.

30

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

2ND ANNUAL

OKC GARDEN FEST Herbs | Plants | Lavender | Jewelry | Garden A | Soap | Local Wine | Roses | Po ery Fresh Produce | Bu e ly Habitat Plants | Food Trucks | Children’s Activities

SATURDAY, MAY 7TH | 9AM-4PM

OKC Farmers Market, 311 S Klein Ave | Free Admission

OKCgardenfest

v i s ua l a r t s

“Small Talk About the Weather” at Arts District Parking Garage | Photo McNeese Motion + Stills / Provided

Cloud nine

A parking garage art installation enhances daily weather talk.

By Ben Luschen

People call some artwork eye-catching.

Those passing by a new installation inside a downtown parking garage park themselves in front of it. It practically demands attention.

The Arts District Parking Garage, 431 W. Main St., is now home to “Small Talk About the Weather,” a colorful, cloud-mimicking overhead piece that interacts with pedestrians and its surroundings.

LED lights illuminate nine long bands wisping along the garage corridor. The lights are meant to pick up on the colors and patterns worn by those who walk by.

When not responding to those around it, the piece displays historic Doppler radar patterns. A small ledge for a smartphone also gives visitors the option of streaming a video and having those colors translated onto the clouds above.

Artist Joe O’Connell helped conceptualize the piece for Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) with teammates at design firm Creative Machines. The group was chosen from an open call to artists from the Oklahoma City Arts Commission in part because their weather-inspired concept was unique to the community.

While exploring the city and developing the concept the group would later pitch, O’Connell, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, said he noticed weather-related talk was a common greeting around the state. He soon picked up on the fact that small talk about the sky or the temperature was a very Oklahoma thing.

Small talk sometimes gets a bad rap.

O’Connell said it shouldn’t.

“What should people be talking about instead?” he asked. “World peace? The human condition? Sometimes talking about the weather or talking about other things is your way of talking about bigger things.”

Creative Machines got its start working

on museum exhibits but didn’t limit its mission to that focus alone. Over time, it has taken on an increasing number of public art projects, though the request from COTPA was unique.

“It was intriguing to get a call from a parking garage, which is not a place you would normally associate with art, but I kind of like those unusual juxtapositions,” O’Connell said.

Robbie Kienzle, arts and cultural affairs liaison for Oklahoma City, now walks by the installation regularly on the way to her car after work. Its presence makes a difference in her day.

“Having a piece like this downtown that’s on the way as I walk out to my car makes it seem really safe,” she said.

Kienzle isn’t the only one excited about “Small Talk.” She said she has gotten emails from people who say they go out of their way on the way to their car to see the installation.

One person she talked to said they got home late because they spent 30 minutes after work playing around with the piece.

Kienzle said she has already had conversations with the parking lot manager about future art opportunities.

“Small Talk” is as much an engineering feat as it is an art installation. Kienzle said a handful of artists or firms do big digital works like this. It’s a new trend she expects to see expanded in the future.

“Those artists who are recently graduating who grew up as digital natives, I think we’re going to start seeing a lot more of this interactive kind of artwork,” she said.

O’Connell said he mostly hopes his work will be a popular attraction and an excuse for strangers to talk to each other.

“If I had to say one goal, I would hope people come to the parking garage from time to time not because they’re parked there, but just to visit,” he said. “I hope it becomes a little bit of a destination.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

31

ARTS & CULTURE O. Gail Poole’s eclectic works form multiple exhibits in Oklahoma City and around the globe. | Photo provided

The Cowboy Returns: Photographs by Bank and John Langmore

John Langmore, Ken Saucier, Diamond A Ranch – Seligman, Arizona, 2013. Gelatin silver print, Collection of the artist.

See it now through May 8, 2016

An intimate view of the cowboy in a collection of 100 black-and-white plus color photographs, depicting the iconic cowboy’s gritty reality of working and living in the American West. Includes select work from Bank Langmore — considered a preeminent photographer of the American cowboy in the 1970s — and his son, John Langmore, a celebrated artist in his own right, who spent the last three years photographing many of the same people and ranches his father documented over 40 years ago.

A nationally traveling exhibition organized by the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

1700 Northeast 63rd Street Oklahoma City, OK 73111 Open daily 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. www.nationalcowboymuseum.org

32

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

v i s ua l a r t s

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum® invites you to

Purr-fection

O. Gail Poole’s daughter scratches out a place in history in which to showcase her late father’s work. By Jack Fowler

The paintings in the south lobby of Myriad Botanical Gardens’ Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory are quite different from one another. There’s a still life, a few lavishly gilded cat paintings and abstract portraits.

There’s even a vibrant poster advertising a long-forgotten stage act, “Delmonico Tempts His Cats,” complete with the tiger that eventually killed and ate Delmonico.

Their subject matter and execution swing widely from wall to wall, as if the exhibit was curated by distracted children.

“Well, he did get bored easily,” said Norman-based artist Nicole Poole of her late father, O. Gail Poole. “His sketchbooks were always full, and I have tons and tons of them. ... He was always searching for his voice, and I don’t think he ever thought that he found it. His searching was his voice.”

The exhibit, Flora and Felines, is Nicole’s latest effort to show the world her father’s work. The renowned American master and Oklahoman died three years ago.

Ever since, Nicole has booked and curated dozens of shows showcasing some of the thousands of original works she has saved.

“Dad went to Happy Mountain three years ago, and I made it my mission in life to make sure people knew his work,” she said. “He just worked too damn hard, and I want to educate people on how you recognize a Poole.”

That might be a tall order. Just visit any of his current or upcoming exhibits for proof.

On his website, his works are broken down into no less than eight categories ranging from “pen and ink” to “imaginative realism.”

His paintings swerve from the muted tones and soft realism of painter Edward Hopper to the vibrant, almost cartoonish swagger of Leroy Neiman.

Despite the stream-of-consciousness timeline of Poole’s work, one thread does knit all the paintings together: They’re all good. It was as if Poole mastered the style he

O. Gail Poole: Flora and Felines Through May 27 Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory Myriad Botanical Gardens 301 W. Reno Ave. myriadgardens.com www.ogailpoole.com | Free

was curious about before moving on to a new challenge.

“I totally understand that. If I was an actor, I wouldn’t want to play just one role,” Nicole said. “That may have been a detriment to his career, actually, but he didn’t care.”

When asked what her father taught her as an artist, Nicole laughed. “Well, he kept me from painting most of my life, for starters,” she said. “But on top of that, I know what’s effective and good because of what he showed me. It’s almost like these are my paintings. I feel like I’ve done them, like when you’re in a dream and can speak a foreign language. That’s how familiar they are to me.”

Flora and Felines runs through May 27 inside Myriad Botanical Gardens’ Crystal Bridge south lobby, 301 W. Reno Ave. Another exhibit, O. Gail Poole: Rediscovered Oklahoma Master, launches May 12 at Gaylord-Pickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive. It runs through Aug. 27.

After that, Nicole said she is taking her father’s work to the world. A show she’s calling Cowboys and Popes debuts in August at Galerie Arludik in Paris and will feature approximately 30 of her father’s works.

“I’m just not stopping,” Nicole said of her mission.

film

ARTS & CULTURE

White riot

Green Room pits D.C. punks against rural skinheads in a bloody mosh.

By George Lang | Photo Scott Patrick Green / A24 / Provided

film

Even if Green Room did not take a sharp turn into unvarnished, visceral terror, its bleakly realistic view of a punk band’s life in a van would qualify as horror. Put those musicians in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest and surround them with a small army of Aryan Nation skins and it becomes a pitch-black nightmare.

The Ain’t Rights, a D.C.-based punk group on a grimy, long-haul tour of small clubs, find themselves running on fumes on the last leg of the journey and siphoning gas when those fumes run out. When a Seattle gig turns out to be barely worth beer money, the hapless fan who organized the date comes up with a desperate antidote to the band’s cash-flow issue: a performance at a rural Oregon outpost crawling with Nazi punks.

Bassist Pat (Anton Yelchin), singer Tiger (Callum Turner), guitarist Sam (Alia Shawkat) and drummer Reece (Joe Cole) are smart kids with liberal arts values, but money being money, they take the gig and almost immediately regret it. After tweak-

ing the skins with an ill-conceived classic cover and finishing the set, they retreat to the green room, where musicians usually go to relax after a gig, to find their situation going south at light speed.

The balance of Green Room feels like Deliverance with double-time drums instead of banjos, and the man giving orders, Darcy Banker (Patrick Stewart), wields his influence like a machete. In an effort to take care of their own, the skins will do what it takes to erase The Ain’t Rights.

Much of Green Room’s success comes from simply nailing all points in the

Darcy Banker wields his influence like a machete.

From left Callum Turner as Tiger, Alia Shawkat as Sam and Anton Yelchin as Pat in Green Room

culture, from the earnest stage snarling of The Ain’t Rights to the mad barking of the skinhead bands that share the bill.

But the film’s greatest dramatic masterstroke comes from the naturalistic performances, especially from Yelchin and Shawkat on the side of good and Stewart on the side of evil.

Banker speaks directly and authoritatively, only raising his voice when he needs to be heard, and lies with impunity. He looks professorial, but the cauldron of hate roiling within him is his energy source.

Stewart established his bona fides by mostly playing heroic and altruistic figures, but in Green Room, he shows his capacity for exuding menace. Imogen Poots also stands out as Amber, a wild card

skin whose presence at the inciting murder proves pivotal in the film’s outcome.

Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin), Green Room gets horribly bloody in short order and continues its wave of mutilation to the bitter, bitter end. Yet the ultraviolence feels entirely earned by the situation and the actions of the antagonists. It never feels overindulgent, and Saulnier avoids easy scares and opts for extended, grinding tension as his weapon of choice.

It’s easy to see Green Room as a political allegory at a time when the extreme ends of the body politic seem ready to carve one another up, but in the end, this is a classic story of prisoners fighting their way out.

Aimless stimulant

Pamela Romanowsky’s The Adderall Diaries follows the tumultuous experiences of author Stephen Elliott. By Jacob Oller

Pamela Romanowsky’s solo directorial debut after collaborating with James Franco and a stable of student filmmakers to make The Color of Time, The Adderall Diaries (based off Stephen Elliott’s memoir) details the trial of Linux guru Hans Reiser (Christian Slater) for the murder of his wife.

Franco, playing Elliott living in the tumultuous afterglow of his first book’s success, weaves a tale of abuse and loss without searching for pity. His is a matterof-factness that disguises pain with emotional immaturity. His mother has died of cancer and his father beat him until he became a ward of the state, bouncing from group homes to homelessness. A lilting indie-synth score gives the opening montage’s cancer, adultery and abuse a candy coating culminating in the dramatic undercut reveal when his father (Ed Harris), supposedly dead, per Elliott’s creatively written book, crashes his publisher’s gala.

Aside from this presumably careershattering revelation (it doesn’t really

affect his career), the film doesn’t shy away from its alleged source, showing him writing — nothing more exciting than words appearing on a blank screen — intercut with the bad decisions of his youth.

The film huffs and puffs its way to the finish line like a series of montages without drama or conflict. The trouble with watching someone fail to write is that we are sentenced to their procrastination through no fault of our own. Their drug abuse can be seen as either the last desperate move of a victim or the lazy flailings of someone in over their head. The difference is all in the direction. In The Adderall Diaries, we get the latter. Franco can only do what he’s told. He does the drugs, writes the silly index card notes with his publisher’s name on them (“Penguin!!!!”), and relives his flashbacked teenage delinquencies.

Without artistry, like match-cuts from particular moments of adolescent suffering and its repercussions, we get disconnected images that fail to impact.

Aside from this, we get a meet-cute with

an invented New York Times reporter (Amber Heard) at Reiser’s trial, which Elliott has decided to chronicle, but it isn’t quite satisfying. Their relationship alternates between voyeurism into her life (What did your stepdad do to you?), projecting his own “dads are bad” thesis on trauma into the world and “I think you’re perfect; I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

They’re both motorcycle-riding badasses, which is intended to represent a bad-boy persona that the formerly homeless runaway author simply doesn’t embody so stereotypically.

The author has written a response to the film, saying that its fidelity to both his life and his published work is tenuous. Did a New York Times reporter in her mid-20s

Ed Harris as Neil Elliott and James Franco as Stephen Elliott in The Adderall Diaries Photo Anna Kooris / Provided

really exist and date Elliott? This doesn’t matter so much for perfect word-to-screen adaptation but for artistic and thematic believability.

In making a story about abuse, sadness and dependence, Romanowsky ironically focused on the mixed truths and realities that infect our different perspectives.

Memories are inconsistent but not so inconsistent that they forget about the real person behind the story. Desperation should be felt in these movies — not the way we might feel desperate, like when losing a love, but how the character might feel desperate, like being utterly alone, trapped with his past.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

33

ARTS & CULTURE

film

Kevin Costner stars as Jericho Stewart in Criminal.

Positively illegal

Despite an all-star cast, Criminal fails to break out of its cookie-cutter action flick boundaries.

By Tyler Talley | Photo Jack English / Lionsgate / Provided

Action schlock is often unfairly looked down upon these days in favor of grit and realism.

The days of enduring, big-budget films that actually employed levity like Face/ Off and Independence Day are largely gone.

Exceptions such as the recently revitalized Fast and the Furious franchise and last years’ Kingsman: The Secret Service continue to carry the torch by providing audiences popcorn entertainment spearheaded by talented filmmakers who have a blast making them. They are gems in a genre currently overflowing in self-serious garbage. Criminal is not one of those.

The basic premise of the film is promisingly schlocky: Kevin Costner plays Jericho Stewart, a gruff, brain-damaged convict facing death row.

Jericho finds himself subject to a new procedure aimed at implanting the memories and skills of recently deceased CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds in what basically equates to an extended cameo) in the hopes of completing Pope’s final mission involving terrorists and a MacGuffin in the form of a computer program capable of taking control of the entire US military network.

There is a fun idea resting in Criminal.

It’s your basic Freaky Fridayesque scenario in which one or more parties is forced to switch places, picking up new skills and learning valuable lessons along the way. We’ve seen it countless times in one variation or another. It’s a wacky premise too stupid to take seriously.

However, if implemented in a clever way, it can lead to a fun, albeit convoluted romp.

One could easily see Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal appearing if this was released 20 years ago and delivering

another “so bad, it’s good” addition to their respective film canons.

Sadly, in this particular instance, it unfolds in a film too self-serious to actually have any fun with it.

The thing that almost immediately sticks out about Criminal is just how dire the proceedings are. Director Ariel Vroman opts to keep the tone gritty and straight-faced as Jericho traverses the gloomy streets of London. There is not a smidgen of irony.

For every henchman Jericho dispatches, there is an innocent civilian he wantlessly assaults. This would be all fine and good if there was so much as wink the audience’s way. It’s a telling sign that the film is at its best when it embraces its madcap premise as Jericho begins utilizing his new skill set, such as speaking French or employing equally foreign concepts such as manners.

It’s too bad these moments are too few and far between as the buzzkill of a plot keeps butting its ugly head in.

Another frustration is the level of talent rounding out the film’s supporting cast.

The likes of Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Gal Gadot are criminally wasted.

But it would be a mistake to write this off as a terrible film. It’s not, and in many ways, it’s a completely serviceable one.

If Criminal were to be guilty of any crime, it would not be its quality, but what a missed opportunity it represents.

Instead of sticking out and succumbing to its inner lunacy, it adheres to the standard dull drum currently defining action cinema.

The basic premise of the film is promisingly schlocky.

34

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

calendar These are are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS Book Signing, The Library of Congress honors poet Allison Hedge Cook with a reception and book signing, 6:30 p.m., April 28. Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave., 405-2318650, metrolibrary.org. THU Book Launch, celebrate the release of Caleb Lack’s Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience: Why You Can’t Trust Your Brain with one of his notably informative and hilarious lectures on a topic from the book followed by a Q&A, 6:30-8:30 p.m., April 30. UCO Education Building, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, 405974-2000, uco.edu. SAT

FILM Songs My Brothers Taught Me, (FR, 2015, dir. Chloe Zhao) Johnny and Jashaun live with their single alcoholic mother and when Jashaun learns of her brothers plans to move she’s forced to confront her future with their mother alone, 5:30 p.m., April 29-30; 2 p.m., May 1.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN Meet John Doe, (US, 1941, dir. Frank Capra) A reporter writes a fictitious column about someone named John Doe, who is distraught at America’s neglect of the little people and plans to kill himself and then hires a ballplayer-turned-hobo to pose as Doe; in a series of radio addresses written by a publisher with fascist leanings, Doe captures the public’s imagination, 8-10 p.m., April 29. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc.com. FRI The Invitation, (US, 2015, dir.

Karyn Kusama) Will and his new girlfriend attend a dinner party at his ex-wife’s house and as the night unfolds the group starts to question Eden and her new husband’s motives, 8 p.m., April 29-30; 5:30 p.m., May 1. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. FRI-SUN US Drone Film Festival, view short films from around the world, networking opportunities and

games, crafts and more, 1-4 p.m., April 30. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road, 405-297-1429, okc.gov/parks/ martin_park/martin_programs. html. SAT

TED Talk-style presentations, April 30. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-92363100, okcmoa.com. SAT The Outlaw, (US, 1943, dir. Howard Hughes) The life of legendary outlaw Billy the Kid, including his partnership with Doc Holliday and his clashes with lawman Pat Garrett, 8-10 p.m., April 30. The Paramount, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-517-0787, theparamountokc. com. SAT The Salt of the Earth, (US, 2014, dir. Juliano Ribeiro Salgado) film follows photographer Sebastiao Salgado, who has been traveling across the continents in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity for the past 40 years and has witnessed some of the major events of recent history including international conflicts, starvation and exodus, 2 p.m., May 1. Meinders School of Business, NW 27th Street & McKinley Avenue, 405-208-5351, okcu.edu/business. SUN Climate Hustle, (US, 2016, dir.

Christopher Rogers) film reveals the history of climate debate; after the film, view an exclusive panel discussion, 7 p.m., May 2.

Cinemark Tinseltown, 6001 N. Martin Luther King Ave., 405-4240461, cinemark.com. MON

HAPPENINGS MiniMemoir Group Writing: Our Mothers, Our Motherhood, Ourselves, writing class geared toward beginning writers of personal essays and anecdotes; practice the major steps in the writing process, drafting, and workshopping attendees’ personal stories, 10-11:30 a.m. & 7-8:30 p.m., April 28. Northwest Library, 5600 NW 122nd St., 405606-3580, metrolibrary.org. THU Oklahoma Songwriters Festival, three-day festival features performances by Oklahoma songwriters and prolific Nashville songwriters; daytime writing sessions, live music and networking, April 28-30.

ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave. , 405-974-4700, acm.uco.edu. THU-SUN Iron Thistle Scottish Heritage Festival, entertainment includes rousing Celtic and pipe bands, Scottish and Irish dance troupes, traditional Scottish heavy athletics and sheep herding demonstrations; Celtic shopping, Scottish and American cuisine and youth crafts and games, April 29-May 1. Kirkpatrick Family Farm, 1001 Garth Brooks Blvd., Yukon, 405-350-8937. FRI-SUN

Clay Self-portraits, using the museum’s portraiture collection, learn basic clay techniques to create and glaze slab self-portraits; ages 9-12, 10 a.m.-noon, April 30.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT

Farm-to-Table Dinner Oklahoma City’s veggie lovers know that Urban Agrarian is the go-to spot when they need to stock up on fresh local produce. Its April Farm-toTable Dinner series features guest chefs Anna Johnston with Holey Rollers, Jon Grupe with The Loaded Bowl and Patrick Clark with The Red Cup. They join Timothy Mort to prepare a vegetarian meal that includes spring produce from Progressive Farm in Bixby and strawberries from Doyle Farms in Stilwell. Sommelier Ian Clarke of Putnam Wines Ltd. pairs wine with each course. April’s dinner is 7 p.m. Thursday at Delmar Gardens Food Truck Park, 1225 SW Second St. Tickets are $60-$85. Visit eventbrite.com.

Thursday Photo bigstockphoto.com

Gardens Walking Tour, highlights plants in season around the gardens, 10-11 a.m., April 30.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens. com/events. SAT Hort 101 Series: Planting Under Trees, join Matthew Janda, gardens and grounds manager, as he takes you through the ins-and-outs of navigating a tough planting space under trees and discusses landscape design tips and the best plants for this tricky area, 11 a.m.-noon, April 30.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens. com/events. SAT The Steve Reynolds Program, live talk show with special guests, comedians, prizes and more, 9 p.m., April 30. Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, opolis.org. SAT Brown Bag Lunch Series: Wild Weather, a casual conversation about the museum’s current exhibitions; James T. Bialac associate curator of Native American and Non-Western Art at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art discusses wild weather in the West from a Native American perspective, noon-1 p.m., May 5. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. THU

FOOD Riesling & Cheese, learn about the different varieties of Riesling wines, take an in-depth look at one style of wine by comparing different producers and pairing with cheese, 6:45-8:15 p.m., April 29. Forward Foods-Norman, 2001 West Main St., Norman, 405-321-1007, forwardfoods.com.

FRI

Tony Bennett Tony Bennett brings his legendary vocals and charming stage presence to Oklahoma City 7:30 p.m.

Thursday at Civic Center Music Hall’s Thelma E. Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre, 201 N. Walker Ave. The 18-time Grammy winner and Kennedy Center honoree celebrates his 90th birthday in August. Tickets are $71-$166 and may be purchased online. Visit okcciviccenter.com or call 405297-2584. Thursday Photo Larry Busacca / Provided

Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., April 30. OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 405-232-6506, okcfarmersmarket.com. SAT Saturday Cooking Demo, learn to make a delicious shrimp scampi, 1 p.m., April 30. Uptown Grocery Co., 1230 W. Covell Road, Edmond, 405-509-2700, uptowngroceryco.com. SAT

Raw Vegan Living Food Recipes, Victoria Singer explains how raw, living foods and detoxification healed her body while also teaching three raw vegan recipes including creamy carrot dip, coleslaw and carrot cake, 1-2 p.m., April 30. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SAT

Youth Art Class: Exploring Still Life, students ages 5-7 use their eyes to spy a bowl full of goodies, then use a variety of materials and techniques to produce their own still life, 10 a.m.-noon, April 30. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org. SAT Ladies’ Only Chess Club, gives girls and women a venue to build and maintain social relationships with other chessplaying girls and women; all skill levels are invited, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., April 30. District House, 1755 NW 16th St., 405-633-1775, districthouseokc.com. SAT OP-Art Gifs, using cameras and computers provided by the museum, students find inspiration in the galleries and use a variety of materials to create GIF animations, 1-4 p.m., May 1. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. SUN Free First Monday for Kids, complimentary museum admission for children 17 and under, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., May 2. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401

Cretaceous Period. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, snomnh. ou.edu. SAT

PERFORMING ARTS Greg Warren, his comedy attracts a diverse audience spectrum, performing on networks such as BET and CMT, 8 p.m., April 27-28; 8 & 10:30 p.m., April 29-30. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 405-239-4242, loonybincomedy. com. WED-SAT Light Up The Sky, comedic shenanigans make this Moss Hart classic one of the best looks at how a new play evolves in spite of everyone’s intentions, 8 p.m., 28-30; 2:30 p.m., May 1. Jewel Box Theatre, 3700 N. Walker Ave., 405-521-1786, jewelboxtheatre. org. THU-SUN Shrek the Musical, Harding Fine Arts Academy students perform the musical adaptation of the hit movie Shrek, 7 p.m., April 29; 2 p.m., April 30 & May 1. Harding Fine Arts Academy, 3333 N. Shartel Ave., 405-702-4322, hardingfinearts.org. FRI-SUN

ACTIVE Big Green Dot 5K Color Run, family Color Run and a 5K Color Run; food, face painting, bounce houses along with live music and green fun, 5-9 p.m., April 27.

Henderson Hills Baptist Church, 1200 E. I-35 Frontage Road, Edmond. WED

Dutch Oven Cooking, learn a variety of historic recipes and discover how to use a Dutch oven in your backyard, 1-5 p.m., April 30. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, 405-521-2491, okhistory.org/historycenter. SAT A good4u Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day!, discover why eating a complete breakfast can help you throughout the day with improved cognition, metabolic and cardiovascular support and overall health; learn and try a new recipe, noon-1 p.m., May 3. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 405-840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. TUE Wines from the Willamette Valley: May Wine Dinner at Vast, dinner showcases a selection of fine wines from Raptor Ridge Winery located in the Willamette Valley in northern Oregon; sample wines while enjoying a four-course meal prepared by the Vast culinary team, 6:30-9:30 p.m., May 3. Vast, 333 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-7027262, vastokc.com. TUE

YOUTH Homeschool Art: Light In Art, teaching artists work with each child to create a personal artistic project in an open, meaningful and structured environment; become familiar with various creative processes to develop their critical thinking skills and creativity while exploring diverse 2-D and 3-D media, ages 6-13, 10 a.m.-noon, April 15. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. FRI Party for the Planet, family-fun Earth Day celebration; live entertainment, Keeper Connections, youth safari and other activities, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., April 30. Oklahoma City Zoo, 2000 Remington Pl., 405-424-3344, okczoo.com. SAT Earth Fest, eco-friendly outdoor festival celebrates Mother Earth; family fun with recycling, outdoor

go to www.okgazette.com for full listings!

Hairspray Put on your dancing shoes and make sure your hair won’t move as you groove on the Corny Collins Show with Tracy Turnblad and her friends and coax Baltimore into racial integration. The Pollard Theatre Company’s production of classic Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray is directed by W. Jerome Stevenson and features Phoebe Butts as Tracy, Willie Hill as Seaweed and Timothy Stewart as Edna Turnblad.

It runs 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m.

May 5-7. Tickets are $15-$30. Visit thepollard.org.

Friday-Sunday, ongoing Photo Joshua McGowen / Provided

Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu. MON Art Adventures, young artists are invited to experience art through books and related projects for children ages 3 to 5, 10:30 a.m., May 3. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE Be the Dinosaur, exhibit features video game stations that require each player to decide whether they want to be an herbivore or a carnivore. The decision leads them on a virtual adventure for survival; deciding to eat the wrong plant or turning the wrong corner could spell the end of the game, set in an recreation of the

Drop-In Yoga, yoga class in museum galleries, 5:45-6:45 p.m., April 28. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. THU Walk MS: Central Oklahoma, an opportunity for people living with MS and those who care about them to connect, join together, be inspired and raise critical funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society; half-mile, 1 mile, or 1.4 mile walk, 10 a.m., April 30. Wild Horse Park, 1201 N. Mustang Road, Mustang, 405-376-3411, cityofmustang.org. SAT

continued on page 36

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

35

calendar These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

Dancing in the Gardens, the seasonal plaza is transformed into an urban dance space; instructors from 3Sixty Dance Studio give a salsa dance demonstration followed by a free lesson for all, 7-10 p.m., May 5. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/ events. THU

VISUAL ARTS 102nd Annual School of Art and Art History Student Exhibition, the gallery is transformed into an exhibition space for students at the University of Oklahoma; expect to see top student works in multiple mediums, including photography, design, video, sculpture and painting. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night 51st Street Speakeasy provides the booze, but Saturday night’s entertainment is strictly BYOV — bring your own vinyl. An otherwise regularly DJed dance set by Carte Blanche is spiced up as guests request a few spins from their personal LP collections. (Please bring upbeat records.) The records spin 9 p.m. Saturday at 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St. Admission is free.

Call 405-463-0470.

Saturday Photo Carte Blanche / Provided

continued from page 35

Accoutrements, finely crafted jewelry and weaving by Andrea Kissinger. In Your Eye Gallery, 3005 Paseo St. #A, 405-525-2161, inyoureyegallery.com.

April Featured Artists, Oklahoma City based artist Kelly Rogers creates embroidered paintings inspired by her collection of antique family photos and sketches of her family; Sarah K. Coffman works with a variety of mediums, including ink, paint, paper, wood, thread, leather, and found objects, and loves experimenting with woodburning; Reagan Kloiber uses watercolors and ink on fabric placed on embroidary hoops, then adds stitching to the final works. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 405-525-3499, dnagalleries.com.

Brown Bag Lecture Series: Ranches across the West, photographer John Langmore discusses his work in his new exhibition, noon-1 p.m., April 28. National

Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. THU Edmond People, Edmond Politics, political memorabilia and historic photographs illustrate the many ways Edmondites have participated in local, state and national politics.

Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Boulevard St., Edmond, 405-340-0078, edmondhistory.org.

Erratic Fieldwork: Doing Art and Art History in the Anthropocene, public panel discussion led by OU art faculty and forum fellows Robert Bailey and Todd Stewart on their exhibit. 6-8 p.m., April 28. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. THU Beginning DSLR Photography, class focuses on the basics of digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, their operation and photo composition, 1-5 p.m., May 1. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SUN Fringe Women Artists of Oklahoma, annual group show featuring works from 19 Fringe artists. Graphite Gallery, 1751 NW 16th St., 405-919-0578, graphiteokcart.com.

Honeybadgers, Blair Thurman’s work emphasizes his broad range of media with neon being one of his main materials. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.

In One Ear, a kaleidoscope of overlapping video clips in constant flux, ruled by a soundtrack broadcast on radio frequency 99.9 FM; David Steele Overholt chose more than 200 mostly ’80s and ’90s video clips to conjure nostalgia among the generations raised in front of the TV. Oklahoma Contemporary Showroom, 1146 N. Broadway

Rugged Maniac, adrenaline seekers from across the region tackle 25 obstacles along a three-mile off-road course, including tunnels, trampolines, warped walls, balance beams and a 50-foot water slide, 9:45 a.m.-5 p.m., April 30. Water Zone Cable Park, 3501 NE 10th St., 405-702-4040, cablewakezone.com. SAT

Barre3 Community Workout, free workout in Myriad Gardens, 7 p.m., May 2. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. MON OKC Dodgers vs. New Orleans, minor league baseball, 7:05 p.m., May 2-3, 5; 11:05 a.m., May 4. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-218-1000.

MON-WED

36

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Photo bigstock.com

Drive, 405-951-0000, oklahomacontemporary.org.

405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Natural ImpressionsEvolved, Stacey Dianne Miller creates mixed media artwork with a focus in printmaking.

The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-3079320, pasnorman.org.

Spring 2016 Show, oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, handmade jewelry and ceramic sculptures. The Studio Gallery, 2642 W. Britton Road, 405-752-2642, thestudiogallery.org.

Natural ImpressionsEvolved, works by mixed media artist Stacey Dianne Miller. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405307-9320, pasnorman.org.

Spring Selections, new works from gallery artists.

Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com.

NEXT COURSE! A taste of the epic life that awaits, solo show of whimsical artwork by OSU alum Shel Wagner; meant as both a celebration and inspiration for new graduates, or for anyone looking ahead to a fresh chapter. Stillwater Multi Arts Center, 1001 S. Duck St., Stillwater, 405-747-8084, multiartscenter.org.

The Photographic Legacy of Dr. Charles Simmons, show curated by Bill Broiles for the Ntu Art Association; celebrates of the contributions of Simmons, who retired from the United States Air Force as a highly decorated Master Sergeant and then embarked upon a career in education. Owens Arts Place Museum, 1202 E. Harrison Ave., Guthrie, 405-6026664, owensmuseum.com.

Philip Van Keuren: Murmurations, although each work stands on its own, the body of images is considered one work of art.

Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St. , 405-815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Training with Green Strength, enjoy an uplifting workout on the Whole Foods patio and lawn, 10-11 a.m., May 1. Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western Ave., 405-879-3500, wholefoodsmarket.com. SUN Parkinson’s Rally Walk and 5K, one of Oklahoma’s largest events to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s care, support and research; enjoy running or walking along the Oklahoma River, 2 p.m., May 1. Wheeler Park, 1120 S. Western Ave. SUN

Listen to Your Mother Get geared up for Mother’s Day by listening to mothers’ stories and raising some money for a good cause. Listen to Your Mother is an international movement that gathers stories of motherhood told by women from all walks of life. Oklahoma City’s show features stories by 12 mothers, including two former servicewomen, a pageant queen, a petroleum landman, a banker and the self-proclaimed “meanest mother in the world.” The show is 3 p.m. Sunday at Will Rogers Event Center, 4322 N. Western Ave. Tickets are $18. At least 10 percent of proceeds benefit local nonprofit school Positive Tomorrows. Visit listentoyourmothershow.com. Sunday

2016 Air Sex Championship National Tour Forget all those air guitar contests you used to try to win when you were a youngster. What you’ve really been training for is the 2016 Air Sex Championship National Tour. The competition is described as “a comedy show that brings people together in a respectfully dirty, unpredictably ridiculous and oddly touching celebration of sexual freedom and expression.” “Airsexuals” of all kinds are encouraged to sign up and participate. It’s a combination of sports and art that gyrates into Oklahoma City 10 p.m. Thursday at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma’s (ACM@UCO) Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. Visit airsexworld.com. Thursday Photo Henry Linser / Provided

Photography Exhibit, photographer Ron Brandon. 50 Penn Place Gallery, 1900 Northwest Expressway, Suite 113-R, 405-848-5567, 50pennplacegallery.com.

Riding The Whirlwind: Weather in the West, interactive exhibit focuses on the way the rugged weather conditions of the Western United States influence and shape Western culture, through May 8. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.

Scattering Light-The Optics of Clouds, oil paintings by David Holland focus on how light interacts with clouds and also features educational components. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Pl.,

go to www.okgazette.com for full listings!

Calendar 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.

Fax your listings to 405-528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette. com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

For okg live music

see page 44

f e at u r e

MUSIC

Missing Lincka The 2016 Best Latin Woody Award winner balances Mexican heritage with an American upbringing. By Ben Luschen

Lincka Elizondo, known onstage simply as Lincka, messaged everyone she could when she heard she won a 2016 “Best Latin” Woody Award during the Gazette Music Awards in early April.

This voting category was introduced in 2016, making Lincka, a second-year student at the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO), the first artist honored.

As amazing as taking home the Woody was, looking down the list to see guitarist Edgar Cruz among the names she beat out was even more awesome.

“I grew up listening to that guy,” she said. “I would go to his shows, and it would be so amazing.”

Lincka’s parents were both born in Mexico, but they had her in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas. Her bilingual pop rock is melds traditional Mexican and contemporary American influences. Like the sons and daughters of many migrant families, Lincka struggles to balance two worlds while pursuing opportunities her parents uprooted their lives for.

She came up for the idea for the song’s melody while working at her dad’s business. In the middle of the day, she was going to take off for lunch, but her shoes were uncomfortable and bothering her.

She took them off and ran across the street to a nearby taqueria. Suddenly, the song in her head had a name.

Lincka grew up Catholic but always had questions about the faith. “No Shoes” also alludes to a time during her confirmation at age 11.

“I turned to the cross, and it was just too much,” she said. “I kind of grew into my own and rather than going through the motions, I looked around and I was like, ‘What am I even doing?’”

She took off her heels and dramatically ran out of the service and back home just a block away.

Her debut EP was recorded in Rat Fink’s house, but her follow-up album is being recorded in ACM@UCO’s second floor studio. She’s planning to release her first single from that album, “Another Land,” in the near future before she puts out the complete project at summer’s end.

I have so many passions, and right now.

I just happen to be focusing on this one, which is trying to make a name of myself through music.

Lincka

No Shoes

Lincka released her No Shoes EP in October. The three-song effort, produced by frequent collaborator Rat Fink, is a sufficient way for fans to whet their palates before the artist puts out her first full-length album later this year.

There’s no Julio Iglesias crooning to be found here. Instead, the EP sounds like something that could not only fit in with English radio but deserves to be on the airwaves.

The title track is a good example of the way Lincka tiptoes the line between playfulness and contemplation. The frequently barefoot Lincka explained that “No Shoes” has a dual meaning.

“It’s going to be bigger and better,” she said. “I’m still keeping that feel of the first EP, the weird harmonies and little quirky things that we would do, but it’s just a lot more versatile than the first EP, for sure.”

Fulfilling destiny

Maria Elizondo was walking with her daughter, a 2-year-old Lincka, in the grocery store as a strange man stared. The man creeped her out, but she tried to ignore him. Then, suddenly, the man approached Lincka and grabbed her cheeks.

“This little girl is going to be famous,” he said.

They never saw him again.

For now, national fame is still a faraway

Lincka Elizondo plans to release a full album this summer. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

prospect, but music and performance has always been a natural fit for Lincka.

Growing up, she remembers her father, Jesus Elizondo, coming home from work and grabbing his classical guitar as her mother made dinner, singing the play-by-play as she cut the vegetables or stirred the pot.

“It was just a lot of fun,” Lincka said.

“It was always normal for me to have a dad that has always played guitar.”

During her days at Edmond Santa Fe High School, Lincka envisioned herself doing plays in musical theater, not as a solo performing artist.

“When I was onstage, I was like, ‘This is it,’” she said.

Lincka has come across several passions in her life, giving whatever she has picked up at the time her full attention.

Currently, writing her own songs and playing her own gigs occupies her time, but she also said it’s possible her solo music career could lead to other opportunities in the future.

“I have so many passions, and right now, I just happen to be focusing on this one, which is trying to make a name of myself through music,” she said.

Speaking up

In today’s social and political environment, with talks of border walls and mass

deportations, Lincka can’t keep her thoughts to herself. When there’s something big going on in the world, she has to write about it.

“Although I am Mexican-American, it still bothers me as much as if I was fully Mexican,” she said.

These issues will be addressed on her new album. Lincka hopes to be the kind of artist people look to when something major happens. What good is having a platform or a voice when the message is meaningless? It’s also a way for her to cope with the problems of the world.

Lincka has spent all her life in the United States, which is why many of her songs are Americanized. Still, while she spoke English at school, at home, it was always Spanish. A change in environment didn’t rob her of her heritage.

The same Latin passion and emotion buried in every kitchen serenade from her father can be found mixed among Lincka’s Norah Jones-esque vocals.

“Those little things really did influence me, and [I’m] trying to incorporate that into the style that I do have,” she said. “It’s kind of flip-flopped, but I do feel like it’s more indie pop rock. I don’t know what it is. It’s kind of everywhere.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

37

event

MUSIC

Embracing EDM

Subsonix hopes to help push Oklahoma City onto a new platform in the electronic music community.

By Ben Luschen

A SeASonAl Guide to CentrAl oklAhomA P u b l i S h i n G m Ay 4 , 2 0 1 6 Summer never seems long enough so Gazette is giving its readers the go-to guide for filling every second with fun across the state.

Featuring a 3 month CAlendAr including: Fairs and Festivals Concerts Museums

Art Exhibits Theater Day Trips

Classes Workshops Summer Camps

AlonG with exPAnded editoriAl Content

38

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Elite Productions hosted its first Filling a void Subsonix electronic dance night in March Robotic Wednesdays at Kamps, 10 NE 2015 for 75 people. One year later, 10th St., used to be one of few regional Subsonix draws party crowds of as many EDM events that didn’t involve driving as 800. across state lines. Garrett Sellars, known Semi-regular Subsonix events at OKC onstage as Gurt, is one of three resident Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., Subsonix DJs at OKC Farmers Public Market events. He said the addition offer a club atmosphere with an emphapushes the local market forward with sis on die-hard electronic dance music (EDM) culture and friendly competition. growing the local DJ Exactly what it scene. means to be competiPaper DIamond Elite, a promoter tive is something at Subsonix with and event planner, Subsonix DJ Travis Styles&Complete also puts on Subsonix Tester (also known as nights up the turnpike Travis Traps) said had 7 p.m. May 20 at IDL Ballroom, 230 to be developed over OKC Farmers Public Market E. First St., in Tulsa. time.

311 S. Klein Ave. In its year of exis“There was a time eliteproductionsokc.com tence, Subsonix has and place when we did 405-232-6506 also attracted big try to do something $20-$35 EDM and DJ names similar and go headlike Oliver Heldens, to-head,” Tester said.

Pegboard Nerds, Paper Diamond and “Then we realized we have the bigger Herobust. venue, maybe we should just do the bigger Waylon Clark co-founded Elite shows.”

Productions with partner Dusty Phillips.

Similarly, Clark said he felt like Elite puts on a wide range of events — Oklahoma City’s ability to attract bigger from weddings to MMA fights — but names and bigger shows was handcuffed Clark always envisioned making a sigin the past by small venue options. A soldnificant contribution to the Oklahoma out EDM show at OKC Farmers Public City dance scene.

Market holds about 1,300 people.

“When I was younger, I did raves and “We want to make it possible for those warehouse parties in Dallas and some bigger artists to come through regularly, around here in armories and stuff like where every month we can have a big that,” he said. “It lit a spark in me. I got show,” Clark said. nostalgic and I was like, ‘Man, I’d love to Early on, Subsonix relied on a solid create a regular EDM event that’s going street team to promote shows and usher to be on a bigger scale but still have that newer and larger crowds into the spacious very relaxed vibe.’” venue. Sebastian Madsen, known on the

Exhibit OpEn

Through September 15 at

Oklahoma History Center Come and view the photographs of an Oklahoma Legend!

Due to limited access, please call first.

From left Dusty Phillips, Sebastian Madsen (Dropshop), Travis Tester (Travis Traps), Garrett Sellars (Gurt) and Waylon Clark of Elite Productions at OKC Farmers Public Market | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Subsonix stage by his DJ name Dropshop, said the team started at around 10 people but at one point grew as large as 30.

“The hardest thing to do was to just get people in the door, but once they come in, they realize that we have something big going and they come back,” he said.

Electric experience

Clark said Elite Productions recently signed a deal with Disco Donnie Presents, an EDM promoter that will help them bring acts into Subsonix that were unavailable in the local market before.

Subsonix also has heavily invested in creating an exciting party backdrop. With almost every show, Elite Productions adds to its collection of lasers and LED walls.

Clark said there’s an emphasis on putting up unique stages and always changing up the way the event looks from night to night.

It’s at a value price too, for the most part. Event tickets are usually $15-$20, though admission into larger shows might go for as much as $35.

“We try to keep it fun,” Clark said. “It’s like a family that just keeps growing.”

Clark has friends from outside the EDM scene who come out to Subsonix just to support him. Those friends usually come in expecting a dark and smoky room but always leave surprised and excited by the electric atmosphere inside.

“I don’t see it as a rave or a concert,” Sellars said. “I see it as a party. In my dayto-day life, I don’t just constantly listen to EDM. But whenever I go to these shows, electronic music, it’s party music.”

Loving local

The goal of Subsonix isn’t only to bring in big EDM names. It’s also to help cultivate a local DJ scene.

Subsonix is built off the work of its three in-house DJs. The idea, Clark explained, is to use the platform to help local talent gain exposure. Once those

artists outgrow Subsonix, it opens up an opportunity for a new batch of local DJs. “They helped us in the beginning.

Now, hopefully we can help them,” Clark said. “It’s kind of a give-and-take partnership. They’re just as much a part of it as we are.”

Madsen said he loves that local fans are willing to travel elsewhere for shows but if the local scene wants to continue to grow, people also need to attend more shows here.

“I feel like people here have gotten so used to traveling to the bigger shows and for music festivals because it wasn’t something that was always offered here,” he said.

Heavily attended local events would help lure bigger performers to OKC. “Don’t sleep on what’s happening in your own city because it’s just as cool and it’s down the street,” Madsen said. “It’s something you can support, and if they support that kind of stuff, we’re more likely to grow and do even better shows.”

Images of “The Commerce Comet” “The Mick” His professional and personal life

800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. • Oklahoma City, 73105

405-522-0765 • okhistory.org

Going further

Madsen said Subsonix hopes to sell out its EDM venue in its second year.

“If we sold out the Farmers Market at full capacity, that would mean we’re throwing some substantial stuff,” he said.

Though Subsonix takes pride in creating a more competitive local EDM market, Clark said he hopes for the best for all DJ-centered events in the city. If a solid subculture is going to be built, local artists and promoters can’t focus on dragging others down.

“I feel like if an event going on is more successful, that’s going to help us become more successful,” he said. “More artists that are coming into the city and having a good experience, that word travels to the booking agencies. It’s so important that we get out and support each other.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

39

MUSIC

Follow Us on

instagram to see all our

#selfies!

@okgazette

Oklahoma Gazette

APRIL

29

BRETT ELDREDGE THOMPSON SQUARE

405-273-1637 • FIRELAKEARENA.COM 18145 OLD RANGELINE RD • SHAWNEE, OK FIRELAKE.ARENA 40

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

FIRELAKEARENA

event

UPCOMING EVENTS AT FIRELAKE ARENA

Father-daughter dance Krystal Keith returns to the stage and prepares a follow-up to 2013’s Whiskey & Lace. By George Lang

Six months ago, Krystal Keith gave birth not one who really gets nervous, but I to her daughter, Hensley Jack Sandubrae, haven’t played in about a year, so I have and over the course of endless feedings, to remember the words and everything,” rockings and diaper changes, she realshe said. “But once I get back onstage, I know I’ll be fine.” ized her repertoire had changed dramatically. Somehow, the rough-hewn Since she is the daughter of a country eclectic country of her 2013 debut superstar, Krystal Keith garnered conWhiskey & Lace had given way to somesiderable attention for her debut album, thing more akin to Formula Bottles & but then Whiskey & Lace stood up on its own and received strong reviews. Much Spit-Up Cloths. like Keith herself, Whiskey & Lace was “I’m always singing,” Keith said co-produced by Toby Keith, but as a coduring a phone interview while Hensley writer on much of the album and voice cooed and gurgled in the background.

“Being a singer, you’re at the center of it all, Krystal Keith was constantly working proud to earn the your voice, and your Krystal Keith voice will get out of praise. shape and lose some of “It’s really easy for 8 p.m. May 5 the fine tuning if you a celebrity’s kid to say, The Sooner Theatre, Norman ‘Hey, grab me 10 songs don’t use it. But I sing 101 E. Main St. all the time — I’ve sang and let me just go cut soonertheatre.org more lullabies in the them,’” she said. “But $25-$35 past six months than I if you really work at it 405-321-9600 and look at it as an art ever thought I would in my entire life. I joked form, I think people to my bandleader that I’ve written so can tell the difference. I worked for three many lullabies in the past year that we years on that album, and you get nervous might have to tour on a lullaby album.” about putting your blood, sweat and tears out there, but you get it out there and you Daughter songs just hope everybody likes it. The fact that But with Hensley off to a great start in I got the reviews I got, that’s a success, life, Keith is ready to get back onstage and I just hope the second album can live and will perform her first hometown up to the standard I set with my first show in three years 8 p.m. May 5 at The album.”

Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St., in In 2004, when she was 18, Keith made Norman. her nationa l music debut on “It’s good to be playing home again,” “Mockingbird,” a cover of the Inez and she said. “It’s a little nerve-wracking. I’m Charlie Foxx R&B hit made famous in

Motherhood hasn’t slowed Krystal Keith’s music career. | Photo Kristin Barlowe / Provided

the 1970s by Carly Simon and James Taylor. The duet with her father, which appeared on his Greatest Hits 2 album, whetted Keith’s appetite for a music career, but Toby Keith insisted that his daughter go to college first and get some more life behind her before making her move as a country singer.

“I give my dad some credit for making me wait until I was a little bit older and a little wiser. The song selection was a lot more mature than it would have been if I had come out with an album at 18,” she said. “My skills as a songwriter I’d honed [when] I had more depth and life experiences.”

One of the greatest surprises that came out of Whiskey & Lace was “Daddy Dance With Me,” which became a viral hit on YouTube (5.6 million plays) and is becoming a standard for father-daughter dances at wedding receptions. Almost like a Christmas song, Keith said it’s a song that continually renews itself, and while she said she had no idea “Daddy Dance With Me” would achieve this kind of longevity, it keeps gaining traction after three wedding seasons.

“We were like, ‘This is one of those songs that’s kind of niche, and it’s going to hit the wedding market if it’s going to hit anywhere,’” she said. “It’s a yearround thing, but at wedding season, people email and message saying, ‘Hey, congrats on your new song!’ And I’m like, ‘It’s not new, but thank you!’ It’s one of those songs that could be a classic, stands the test of time and sticks around for a while.”

Musical art

Before her pregnancy, Keith said she had five songs ready to record for her followup, and now she is back at work, hoping to release an EP by the end of the year.

The style will continue along her eclectic

My skills as a songwriter I’d honed [when] I had more depth and life experiences.

Krystal Keith

bent, in which she brings the elements of country, rock, pop and R&B she loves into the mix. While she is first and foremost a country singer, her personal tastes are varied.

“I hear people all the time who say, ‘I’m a country fan, and I hate rap,’ or ‘I hate rock, and I like just country,’” Keith said. “I don’t understand that at all. In my mind, it’s all music and it’s all an art form. There’s people like Bruno Mars and Pharrell who are just complete geniuses who can go to any genre and pull it into what they do. I can’t help but appreciate that.”

This is a skill she pulled from her father, who regularly meets and befriends fellow songwriters in disparate genres, from Barry Manilow to Sammy Hagar. When she was growing up, Toby Keith would play his daughter artists that would seem unlikely for casual observers of the man who cowrote “Beer for My Horses.”

“Honestly, it was Alanis Morissette,” Keith said. “My dad is a big fan of her writing, and we’ve sat and listened to her together a lot. He listens to everything.

I turned him on to Bruno Mars, he turned me on to Alanis Morissette.”

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

41

f e at u r e

MUSIC

Music money

Local musicians explain that there’s a lot more to going on tour than most people would think.

By Adam Holt

Being a working musician is not easy. To make a living at it, you must be creative, emotional and constantly watch the world, translating its actions through words and vibrations created by manipulating carefully constructed instruments. It also helps to lack or have firm control of any sense of stage fright. The ability to work well with others also is useful.

Those are the initial demands one might point to when contemplating life in music and would be correct. However, they represent the creative aspects of the working musician. When it comes to the “working” part, particularly on the road, the days and nights are often marathon stints of being uncomfortable, spending long hours on the road, hauling heavy equipment and performing in hot venues.

All of it is costly. Bands and artists looking to make a name for themselves either see razor-thin profits or overall losses, the price of being seen and heard.

For many, it is a true labor of love, a passion supported by second jobs that have to be scheduled around.

So when these artists do go on the road, how much does it cost?

“Phillip and I do basically all the planning. We will have a meeting where we will map out everything we’re doing, everywhere we’re going. We have a pretty tight itinerary when we go out on tour,” said 27-year-old Tulsa musician Fiawna Forté

“One of our cars, a Dodge Durango, and a trailer, probably a 10-foot by 8-foot, is what we travel with,” said guitarist Walt Blythe. “Brandon’s (Brewer, bassist) dad used to be in a band out in Nevada. We kind of have some hand-me-down gear from him, and the trailer is one of those.”

Along with using your own vehicle comes the cost of upkeep such as oil changes and tire changes, pains we all experience, yet touring haunts musicians with these cost more frequently.

Fueling these vehicles are musicians’ largest expense while on the road. Even with the recent rise in prices, gas is still in a comfortable rate at around $1.80 a gallon in the Oklahoma City area, compared to a high of $3.52 a gallon in July 2014. A price drop of almost half allows bands to add dates onto their tours.

Forté remembers the high prices during a past trip.

“We went on a New York tour about four years ago, and it was expensive,” she said.

“Gas, especially in a big, 15-passenger van, it was expensive. It gets difficult.”

She said a two-and-a-half-week tour starting in Tulsa, including dates to and from New York City, usually costs between $1,000 and $1,500 in gas.

Not only is she fueling a van to take her, her husband and two other bandmates to the northeast and back, it is weighed down with multiple electric guitars and basses,

Members of Space4Lease said touring can get expensive. | Photo Travis Warren / Provided

It’s a 24-hour job when you’re on the road.

Fiawna Forté

about how she and her husband and bandmate Phillip Hanewinkel develop tour schedules.

“I basically go through and budget everything. Budget gas, food, lodging, a van, every little detail, and then I add 20 percent on top of it.”

Road trippin’

Obviously, transportation is key when touring. Forté said she usually rents vans from other musicians, often at a discounted rate. For a two-and-a-half-week stint, it still adds up.

“That’s a big chunk of your money if you are renting a van. It’s going to be over $2,000 for a tour,” she said.

Other bands use what they have available. Space4Lease, a space-aged, psychedelic four-piece rock group out of Oklahoma City, combines an everyday vehicle with a lucky gift.

42

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

an upright bass, amps, drums, cymbals and stands and other equipment and supplies. Every pound makes the gas light come on a bit more quickly.

Before the tour can kick off, most, if not all, of the tour needs to be paid for.

“We save up. We work our asses off and save up to pay for the entire tour before we even go,” Forté said. ”For the last big tour we did, it was probably close to four grand that we spent.”

Forté and Hanewinkel are interior painters specializing in faux painting.

They also use money made by playing local venues and album sales.

Another essential drainage of musicians’ money is food. Currently planning shorter four- to five-date tours, Space4Lease lives on modest means.

“Usually, our budget for one day, gas and food, is $100, give or take a little, depending on where we eat and how far we’re

Fiawna Forté spends a lot of time meticulously budgeting before going out on tour. | Photo Phillip Hanewinkel / Provided

traveling,” Blythe said.

The band’s tours take them to Arkansas, Kansas and Colorado, though the group plans to expand east to Memphis soon.

Keeping the trips short allows Space4Lease to worry more about expanding recognition rather than their wallets.

“When we play shows and tour a lot of the time, we aren’t going to be bringing home necessarily personal money,” Blythe said. “It usually stays with the band

because some of these shows we are doing as a smaller act, getting into these places that we’ve never been to before, we’re not going to make a lot. It’s going to be more just trying to get new fans.”

Keeping things simple doesn’t mean the band can’t spend money.

“One meal of the day will be fast food, like a Chick-fil-A,” Blythe explained. “For our dinner, or second meal of the day, we like to go somewhere unique or well-

known in the city, treat ourselves a bit.”

In the case of Forté’s lengthy tours, a little more in-depth planning is involved.

“Usually, before the tour, I will go to the grocery store and buy a ton of stuff that will keep,” she said. “I’ll stock it up in the van. Like a lot of finger food, a lot of stuff that doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Phil and I spent a grand on everybody’s food,” Forté said.

Another big-ticket item is lodging.

Touring experience pays dividends. The more familiar a scene is with an artist or band, the more likely people there will allow them in their homes.

“I am blessed in a way that I know a lot of people across the States,” Forté said.

A lifelong traveler, she has built a network of friends and family throughout the country. However, touring new places isn’t uncommon, so she budgets $800 to $1,000 for hotels.

dollars a week, so we come as close to matching that if possible.”

Miscellaneous money

On top of everything else, things break.

A pack of guitar strings costs $6 to $10, and bass strings can cost $30 or more.

Drumsticks start at around $8.

Drumheads run $10 to $50. Things quickly add up.

Then there are toll roads, which are found in almost every metropolitan area.

The larger the city, the more expensive the toll.

“Going to New York, if you are going in and out of the city, especially playing in the cities around it, you end up spending like $200 on tolls alone,” Forté said.

No one ever factors carelessness into budgets.

“We got two parking tickets on our last tour, while in New York City.” Forté said.

These hotels will allow us to use a certain amount of points and pay the rest in cash.

Walt Blythe Space4Lease takes advantage of hotel perks when there is no couch to crash on.

“These hotels will allow us to use a certain amount of points and pay the rest in cash,” Blythe said. “We are able to get rooms at around a 25 percent discount that way.”

Since Forté is the main act in her band, she and her husband have an extra expense other bands do not.

“Phillip and I are also very good at paying our musicians, the people who play with us,” she said. “That goes into our cost as well. We make sure everybody comes away feeling like they were valued.

“We make sure we pay them the best we possibly can. You have to think of it as a job, too. It’s a 24-hour job when you’re on the road. If they were working a normal job, they would be making X amount of

“It was about $250. We had a couple of days off, and we just parked the van. We were like, ‘Let’s just leave it here.’ Of course we were being idiots and didn’t think, ‘Oh, the street sweep comes through tomorrow.’”

Hard knocks aside, the musician life is not easy. When one dreams of rock stardom, no matter how minute, one often doesn’t consider the need of moving-man muscle to haul equipment, the mind of a day care manager to plan and make sure everyone eats and sleeps with a roof over their heads and the banker-level skill of calculating budgets.

To make a living through music, you need more than a way with words; you need an investment of body, mind and money.

Space4Lease | Photo Travis Warren / Provided O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

43

HAPPY HOUR $2 BUD & BUD LIGHT Monday - friday 5pM - 8pM

$2 COORS & COORS LIGHT SaTUrday & SUnday noon - 8pM

$2 BUD & BUD LIGHT SUnday 10pM - 12aM

live music These are events recommended

by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

WEDNESDAY 4.27 Grant Wells, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Maurice Johnson, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club. JAZZ The Barr Brothers, The Criterion. FOLK Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/ Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

THURSDAY 4.28 Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club.

ROCK

OPEN MONDAY - FRIDAY 5PM - 2AM SATURDAY & SUNDAY 12PM - 2AM

ote ugly y o c r u o t u o k c e h c merchandise NO COVER FOR LADIES OR MILITARY WITH VALID ID

121 E CALIFORNIA AVE | IN BRICKTOWN NEXT TO MICKEY MANTLES | 405.602.UGLY FACEBOOK.COM/COYOTEUGLYSALOONOKC COYOTEUGLYSALOON.COM

Corey Smith, Tumbleweed Dancehall, Stillwater. COUNTRY Dave Thomason Band, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COVER David Morris, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. PIANO Duane Brownen/SNL/Tango Posse, Sauced on Paseo.

VARIOUS

Klaus Johann Grobe, Opolis, Norman. VARIOUS Michael Fracasso/Kirston White, The Blue Door.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Monuments/Entheos/Via The Verge, 89th Street Collective.

ROCK

Replay, Remington Park.

COVER

Shaun Suttle, Ember Modern American Tavern. COVER

Griffin House, The Depot, Norman. FOLK

SATURDAY 4.30

Michael Kleid, Flint. VARIOUS

100 Bones Band, S&B’s Burger Joint Midwest City. ROCK 2AM, Baker Street Pub & Grill.

ROCK

Boogie Fever, Remington Park.

COVER

DJP/Josh Sallee/ Trash TV, The Deli, Norman. HIP-HOP Electric Avenue, Riverwind Casino, Norman. POP

The Stir, Noir Bistro & Bar.

Erick Taylor/Zac Copeland, Hillbilly’s. VARIOUS

FRIDAY 4.29

Howard Brady, IAO Gallery.

Blind Date, Fort Thunder Harley Davidson. COVER

Joe Baxter/T Z Wright with In The Clouds, Norman Music Institute, Norman. SINGER/

Bread & Butter Band, Chevy Bricktown Events Center.

BLUEGRASS

Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Daniel Jordan, Fuze Buffet & Bar. ACOUSTIC DJ Josh Tullis, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. VARIOUS Elix Risque/Bone Kapone/ VELOX, 89th Street Collective.

VARIOUS

Eric Dunkin, S&B’s Burger Joint, Midwest City. ROCK Jamie Bramble, Full Circle Bookstore. ACOUSTIC Jason Cloud and The Max, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES Joel Rafael, The Blue Door.

FOLK

Lee Mullen band, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY Peter Erickson, Noir Bistro & Bar. SINGER/ SONGWRITER

Sandi Patty, Crossings Community Church. CHRISTIAN Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/ Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER Animal Collective/Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. POP

MONDAY 5.2 Davey Suicide/Deadstar Assembly/Funeral Portrait, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

TUESDAY 5.3 Joe Bonamassa, Civic Center Music Hall.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

BLUES

SONGWRITER

Saliva/Locust Grove/Munkie Gunn, Diamond Ballroom.

Laura Tatum/Will Huckabee/ Southern Company/George Garrison, Rodeo Opry.

Graham Nash, Brady Theater, Tulsa. SINGER/SONGWRITER

COUNTRY

Life of the Party, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. COVER

ROCK

WEDNESDAY 5.4 Eliza Rickman, Graphite Gallery.

Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. VARIOUS

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Mike Updegrove, Bourbon Street Bar. BLUES

Levitation Room/Sugar Candy Mountain, Opolis, Norman.

Peter and Will Anderson, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Raina Cobb, Noir Bistro & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Stealing Saturn, Oklahoma City Limits. VARIOUS Steve Crossley Solo, Bellini’s Underground. VARIOUS The Big News/Limp Wizurds/ James Bond Dracula, First Pastafarian Church of Norman. ROCK Parachute/Jon McLaughlin/ Brett Taylor, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Superfreak, Baker Street Pub & Grill. Cover

SUNDAY 5.1

The Mills Band, Chevy Bricktown Events Center.

Danny Bonham Memorial Concert, Oklahoma City Limits. VARIOUS

COUNTRY

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Wino Browne, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

The Garage Band Jam, Bourbon Street Bar. ROCK COVER

44

B.J. Thomas B.J. Thomas has become known as an American icon in pop, country and gospel music. His signature hits include “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” His concert is 8 p.m. Thursday at Riverwind Casino, 1544 State Highway 9, in Norman. Show proceeds benefit The S.H.I.N.E. Foundation of Oklahoma.

Tickets are $45-$55. Visit riverwind.com or call 405322-6000. Thursday Photo Provided

ROCK

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. Fax your listings to 405-5284600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette. com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

go to www.okgazette.com for full listings!

puzzles

VOL. XXXVIII No. 17

New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle Expanded worldview

1

3

4

5

6

19

By Howard Barkin | Edited by Will Shortz | 0424 ACROSS 1 Kind of chip 6 Novelist Tillie who wrote Tell Me a Riddle

11 1950s sci-fi terror, with “the” 15 Pro-baller-turned-commentator for NBA on TNT

19 Upper reaches 20 Last method of death in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None 21 Letter sign-off 22 Modern movement inits.

23 *1978 movie in which Kevin

Bacon made his film debut 25 Minicar, say 27 Makeup for a Wizard of Oz character?

28 Cooperate (with) 29 Didn’t exist 30 Sufficient, in brief 32 *Having it made 35 Deg. in the boardroom 38 Fails to brake in time for, maybe 40 “I see what you did there!”

41 Comments from a crossword kibitzer 43 It’s sold by the yard 44 If all else fails 47 Actor Morales 48 *Progress preventer 53 Some Vegas attractions 55 Prophet whose name means “deliverance” 56 Southern Italian port 57 Lock combination?

59 Helmeted deity 60 Cravings 63 Sing loudly 67 Non-____ (modern food label) 68 *1990s-2000s HBO hit 71 A, in Amiens 72 Feeling 74 “Chilean” fish 75 Typewriter type 76 Family symbols 79 Mexican sauce 80 “Natural” way to serve a roast 81 “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette,” e.g.

84 *Laos or Vietnam 88 Start to -matic 89 “Oh jeez, don’t look at me”

2

8

32

33

44 51

55 59

41

45

57 61

62

3 8 8 1 9

9 1 6

77

83

70

92

100

101

3 2

2 8 7

66

Accounting/HR Manager Marian Harrison

80

86

Accounts receivable Sue Auld

87

94

95

102

103

106

Receptionist/calendar Arden Biard, Coordinator

96

97

104

98

99

105

107

112

108

113

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

Account EXECUTIVES Stephanie Van Horn, Saundra Rinearson Godwin, Elizabeth Riddle, Sarah Brigance Nathan Ward EDITOR-in-chief Jennifer Palmer Chancellor jchancellor@okgazette.com

93 Meal 95 Mogul 96 Churned 97 Star of Hitchcock’s The Birds 98 Egressed 99 Nymph turned into a laurel tree, in Greek myth

102 “Calvin and Hobbes” girl 103 Tennis situation after deuce 104 Border county of New York or Pennsylvania 106 “omg” or “lol,” say 108 Phantasy Star maker 110 Indian mausoleum opening?

111 NYSE debut 112 With 49-Down, singer with the autobiography It Wasn’t All Velvet 113 Guys’ dates, informally 114 ____ Pacis (Roman monument)

5 3

E T E R N A L

E R N I E

O L G E E O R S O H I C S I D A O I L T A R A B N O T A S N O R S R S N E W Y A V A T H A R D

R U P I N E J G E R A O S I N R U N E R A F T R A D O R E V E R E S E N R O O R O B W A C O A N K E R I A N S E S T E C T S T B A I F E R R Y O R K H A A R A G L Y N O

A U T O S I T A S C A A H E M R E W

L A M O D A E A L A N T U B C O A A L E R V E R G R A S S T T S M A T A S P E N H A N T R A E S A P P P A A I T R R U T B O R O N E A Y

Staff reporters Greg Elwell, Laura Eastes, Ben Luschen Contributors Jack Fowler, Adam Holt, George Lang Jacob Oller, Kaley Patterson Tyler Talley Photographer Garett Fisbeck Marketing & Editorial Intern Kylie Kallsen Circulation Manager Chad Bleakley ASSISTANT Circulation Manager Duke Fleischer Art Director Chris Street

Advertising/Marketing Design Coordinator Erin DeMoss

Puzzle No. 0417, which appeared in the April 20 issue.

H A V E A G O

Assistant EDITOR Brittany Pickering

Print Production Coordinator Ashley Parks

New York Times Crossword Puzzle answers C L A S S I C

Advertising Director Christy Duane, cduane@okgazette.com Account Executive / Advertising assistant Leah Roberts

109 114

65 Like some DVD-exclusive releases 66 Mess with, as hair or siblings 68 What covers parts of 80-Down?

69 Poetic shades 70 L.A. locale 73 Cartoon Great Dane, informally 75 Coup d’état 77 Cable channel whose first initial

stands for its founder 78 Drama that can go on for years 80 See 68-Down 81 Order in the court 82 Cabinet dept.

83 El ____ 85 The year 2510 86 Average 87 Thirty, en français 89 Thorough 92 River past Orsk

VP, CORPORATE AFFAIRS Linda Meoli Marketing Manager Kelsey Lowe

90

93

39 Third-largest island in Italy, after

Sicily and Sardinia 42 “____ the Beat” (1982 Go-Go’s hit) 44 Broadly smiling 45 Gang in Grease with an

automotive name 46 Reggae precursor 48 Fetches 49 See 112-Down 50 Deliver to, as a pickup line 51 Agile mountain climbers 52 Explorer’s grp.

53 Guitar bars 54 One way to sit by 58 Storklike waders 60 Dissuade 61 La saison chaude 62 PI, in old slang 64 Board displaying the alphabet

65

71

89

91

publisher Bill Bleakley

64

79 85

Please address all unsolicited news items (non-returnable) to the editor.

First-class mail subscriptions are $119 for one year, and most issues at this rate will arrive 1-2 days after publication.

75

78

84

88

2

5

37

Oklahoma Gazette is circulated at its designated distribution points free of charge to readers for their individual use and by mail to subscribers. The cash value of this copy is $1. Persons taking copies of the Oklahoma Gazette from its distribution points for any reason other than their or others’ individual use for reading purposes are subject to prosecution.

Associate Publisher James Bengfort

74

76

5

7 6 6 1 8

36

54

63 69

73

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. www.printmysudoku.com Grid n°7691 diabolic

8

35

58

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute).

6

18

47 53

68

Sudoku Puzzle Very Hard

17

42

46

52

60

111

16

26

34

56

82

15 22

40

50

72

14

25

43

67

13

21

39

49

12

29

31

38

110

11

28

30

81

10

24

27

48

9

20

23

90 Sue Grafton’s ____ for Ricochet 91 Result of overexposure?

94 Where phone nos. might be stored 95 Burst through, as a barrier 100 Prefix meaning 118-Across 101 *Sobriquet for ardent Boston fans 105 Tetra- plus two 106 Superficially repair 107 Things always kept on hand?

109 Quick jump in the pool 110 Like some photography 113 *Popular app that can view any

of the places named at the ends of the answers to the starred clues

115 Tippy-top 116 Disturbance 117 Bach composition 118 See 100-Across 119 Shock to the system 120 “____-Team” 121 Blackjack option 122 Duck Dynasty network

DOWN 1 More likely to win a handwriting award 2 When many start the workday 3 Achebe who wrote Things Fall

Apart 4 Designer line?

5 Like some medication 6 Available 7 Sarges’ superiors 8 March composer 9 Curves seen in sports car ads 10 Formerly 11 Instrument in a metalworker’s union?

12 Soloist?

13 Lose control at the buffet 14 Appear 15 Blind part 16 Elev.

17 Prez on a penny 18 15 mins. of an NFL game 24 Rich Richie 26 Tolkien creatures 31 Purchase at an optometrist’s 33 Cry of pain 34 “Vamoose!”

35 Work well together 36 Seasoned pork sausage, informally 37 “No warranty”

7

P E I C O A N N G N E I S S W E R E H E R E

O D E T S V L A D

V E X

A S T R L A I N O C E A T U S B O N T A N D O L C A N A L M I L E N A B E I A S K E R S A E R K E B A O B C R O S H O T E E L I N E L E C P O S E

Y E N

P A L L E T S

Graphic Designer Anna Shilling www.okgazette.com Order mounted or ready-to-frame prints of Oklahoma Gazette covers, articles and photos at okgazette.yourheadline.com 3701 N. Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73118-7102 Phone (405) 528-6000 Fax (405) 528-4600 Copyright © 2016 Tierra Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Y E S L E T S

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

45

free will astrology Homework: Describe how you’ve fought off the seductive power of trendy cynicism without turning into a gullible Pollyanna.

Freewillastrology.com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

The oracle I’m about to present may be controversial.

It contains advice that most astrologers would never dare to offer an Aries. But I believe you are more receptive than usual to this challenge, and I am also convinced that you especially need it right now. Are you ready to be pushed further than I have ever pushed you?

Study this quote from novelist Mark Z. Danielewski: “Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

You’re in a phase of your cycle when you’ll be rewarded for your freshness and originality. The more you cultivate a “beginner’s mind,” the smarter you will be.

What you want will become more possible to the degree that you shed everything you think you know about what you want. As the artist Henri Matisse said, if a truly creative painter hopes to paint a rose, he or she “first has to forget all the roses that were ever painted.”

What would be the equivalent type of forgetting in your own life?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

“Am I still a hero if the only person I save is myself?” asks poet B. Damani. If you posed that question to me right now, I would reply, “Yes, Gemini. You are still a hero if the only person you save is yourself.” If you asked me to elaborate, I’d say, “In fact, saving yourself is the only way you can be a hero right now. You can’t rescue or fix or rehabilitate anyone else unless and until you can rescue and fix and rehabilitate yourself.” If you pushed me to provide you with a hint about how you should approach this challenge, I’d be bold and finish with a flourish: “Now I dare you to be the kind of hero you have always feared was beyond your capacity.”

By Rob Brezny

CANCER (June 21-July 22) “We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible,” declares psychotherapist Thomas Moore. I agree. Our mental health thrives when we can have candid conversations with free spirits who don’t censor themselves and don’t expect us to water down what we say. This is always true, of course, but it will be an absolute necessity for you in the coming weeks. So I suggest that you do everything you can to put yourself in the company of curious minds that love to hear and tell the truth. Look for opportunities to express yourself with extra clarity and depth. “To have real conversations with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion,” says Moore, “but it involves courage and risk.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) “Everyone who has ever built a new heaven first found the power to do so in his own hell.” That noble truth was uttered by Libran philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and I bet it will be especially meaningful for most of you during the rest of 2016. The bad news is that in the past few months you’ve had to reconnoiter your own hell a little more than you would have liked, even if it has been pretty damn interesting. The good news is that these explorations will soon be winding down. The fantastic news is that you are already getting glimpses of how to use what you’ve been learning. You’ll be well-prepared when the time comes to start constructing a new heaven.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) I watched a video of a helicopter

derived word used in chess and other games. It refers to a predicament in which a player cannot possible make a good move. Every available option will weaken his or her position. I propose that we coin a new word that means the opposite of zugzwang: “zugfrei,” which shall hereafter signify a situation in which every choice you have in front of you is a positive or constructive one; you cannot make a wrong move. I think this captures the essence of the coming days for you, Scorpio.

pilot as he descended from the sky and tried to land his vehicle on the small deck of a Danish ship patrolling the North Sea. The weather was blustery and the seas were choppy. The task looked at best strenuous, at worst impossible. The pilot hovered patiently as the ship pitched wildly. Finally there was a brief calm, and he seized on that moment to settle down safely. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you may have a metaphorically similar challenge in the coming days.

To be successful, all you have to do is be alert for the brief calm, and then act with swift, relaxed decisiveness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “Show me a man who

isn’t a slave,” wrote the Roman philosopher Seneca.

“One is a slave to sex, another to money, another to ambition; all are slaves to hope or fear.” Commenting on Seneca’s thought, blogger Ryan Holiday says, “I’m disappointed in my enslavement to self-doubt, to my resentment towards those that I dislike, to the power that the favor and approval of certain people hold over me.” What about you, Virgo? Are there any emotional states or bedeviling thoughts or addictive desires that you’re a slave to? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to emancipate yourself. As you do, remember this: There’s a difference between being compulsively driven by a delusion and lovingly devoted to a worthy goal.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “Zugzwang” is a German-

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) “We have to learn

how to live with our frailties,” poet Stanley Kunitz told The Paris Review. “The best people I know are inadequate and unashamed.” That’s the keynote I hope you will adopt in the coming weeks. No matter how strong and capable you are, no matter how hard you try to be your best, there are ways you fall short of perfection. And now is a special phase of your astrological cycle when you can learn a lot about how to feel at peace with that fact.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) How do plants

reproduce? They generate seeds that are designed to travel. Dandelion and orchid seeds are so light they can drift long distances through the air. Milkweed seeds are a bit heavier, but are easily carried by the wind. Foxglove and sycamore seeds are so buoyant they can float on flowing water. Birds and other animals serve as

transportation for burdock seeds, which hook onto feather and fur. Fruit seeds may be eaten by animals and later excreted, fully intact, far from their original homes.

I hope this meditation stimulates you to think creatively about dispersing your own metaphorical seeds, Capricorn. It’s time for you to vividly express your essence, make your mark, spread your influence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

“It is a fault to wish to be understood before we have made ourselves clear to ourselves,” said philosopher Simone Weil. I hope that prod makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, Aquarius. I hope it motivates you to get busy investigating some of your vague ideas and fuzzy self-images and confused intentions. It will soon be high time for you to ask for more empathy and acknowledgment from those whose opinions matter to you. You’re overdue to be more appreciated, to be seen for who you really are.

But before any of that good stuff can happen, you will have to engage in a flurry of introspection. You’ve got to clarify and deepen your relationship with yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education,” said writer Mark Twain. That’s excellent advice for you to apply and explore in the coming weeks. Much of the time, the knowledge you have accumulated and the skills you have developed are supreme assets. But for the immediate future, they could obstruct you from learning the lessons you need most. For instance, they might trick you into thinking you are smarter than you really are. Or they could cause you to miss simple and seemingly obvious truths that your sophisticated perspective is too proud to notice. Be a humble student, my dear.

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 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

cLASSIFIEDS

JOBS

Now Hiring B’s Salon

Are you a well-spoken, Gazette-reading, idea-driven, local Oklahoma business-lover with the desire to help metro OKC businesses grow and succeed? Then we’re looking for you!

Oklahoma Gazette is actively seeking resumes for outside advertising sales positions. Sales experience in retail or service industry a plus.

Hair Stylist • Nail Technician Aesthetician • Massage Therapist 1st Month Booth Rent: $400 Call Seng: (405) 476-7527 | smonevjlay@gmail.com 1601 NW Expressway - Suite 140 | OKC, OK

• Send resume to cduane@okgazette.com •

Join the adventure!

Apply today!

46

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

1909 S douglaS blvd MWC • 405-741-9494 7745 S Walker (I-240 & Walker) • 405-631-0783 20 nW 9th • 405-270-0516 5929 n May • 405-843-8777 14020 n May • 405-418-8477 7640 nW expreSSWay • 405-603-8116 123 e State hWy 152 • MuStang

P h o n e (4 0 5 ) 5 2 8 - 6 0 0 0 | E - m a i l adv e r t isi n g @t ie r r a m ediag r o u p. c o m

Experienced Floral Designer 25-35 hours per week • Some weekends Pay dependent on experience

6401 NW Expressway • Ste. 116 Send resume to apocketfullofposies2010@hotmail.com

cLASSIFIEDS

ETC.

need to rehearse?

Kathy Christian

$20/hr pa included

Tailored especially for you To make an appointment call

DOWNTOWN MUSIC BOX | 405-232-2099

OCC-24486

DOWNTOWNMUSICBOX.COM

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing

cLASSIFIEDS

music

Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, preference or discrimination.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of this law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings in our newspaper are available on an equal housing opportunity basis.

cLASSIFIEDS

cLASSIFIEDS

HOMES

MASSAGE CERTIFIED THERAPEUTIC

405.229.3351

Facial & Massage Therapist Call for Appt. 213-7745 $10 - Beginning Hot Yoga Wednesdays at 6:30pm and Sundays at 10:30am

OCC-09708

Now Hiring

Men welcome • 5959 NW Expressway Ste E

cLASSIFIEDS

HEALTH

Residential & Commercial Painting

Call Today! BoBBy: 405-414-5843

We will flow valve, check the back an s d adjust the head x. bo l set the contro

80

$

*

*Prices may vary depending on zones

DOC SPRINKLER

IRRIGATION • INSTALLATION • REPAIR

Call to set up appt.

405.408.5181

Email:TommyKeith1964@hotmail.com “The Doctor is Making House Calls”

Royal Treatment Massage new client special!

mon-sat 10a-9p | sun 11a-7p edmondokmassage.com 1733 W 33rd st, ste. 120 edmond, ok | 340-0400 Tao Massage Asian Style

Body Massage $50/hr Foot Reflexology $30/hr 405-286-6885 Open 7 days • 10a-10p 6900 N. May Ave, OKC (6900 Plaza)

License No: BUS-24861

l Sprinfirge upSyopuresycstia em,

AffordAble & PrivAte >> Pain management >> Long term medication management for addiction >> Outpatient medication assisted detox You may qualify for FREE treatment.

405.230.1180

3033 N. Walnut Ave. West Building 73105

Opiate addictiOn: MEdICally assIstEd trEatMEnt Bunavail • Suboxone Subutex • Zubsolv

OFFICE: 405.225.6299 CELL: 405.245.1465 BRENDAMEND64@GMAIL.COM

405-528-8686

“LET ME HELP FIND THE HOME OF YOUR DREAMS! CALL ME FOR A FREE CONSULTATION”

music

• Prevention • Education • Treatment

2701 N OklahOma • OkC LIC # - OCC - 13270

cLASSIFIEDS

COPE. Inc.

– BRENDA MENDOZA REALTOR WWW.ALLOKREALTY.COM

Heroin Kills!

Parents! Prevent your child’s death.

We can help. Become a patient today!

• Petra’s Massage • VOTED TOP 5 MASSAGE BUSINESS IN OKLAHOMA

$39 FOR 1 HOUR MASSAGE 3013 NW 63RD ST. CALL 205-4876 FOR APPOINTMENT

Medical assisted treatMent: subutex, suboxone, Bunavail & Zubsolv Make your appointment today

405.602.1024 | NO WAIT! O kg a z e t t e . c o m | a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6

47

The all-new BMW X3

www.cooperbmw.com

CRUISE THE ROAD. OR THE WEB. THE BMW X3.

Get away. Stay connected. Now it’s easier than ever with optional ConnectedDrive Services, Real Time Traffic Information, and apps like Twitter and Spotify.* *Facebook, Twitter and Spotify are trademarked brands. All rights and regualtions apply.

2016 X3 xDrive28i | $439/month*

2016 Z4 sDrive28i | $499/month*

2016 640i Gran Coupe | $869/month*

2016 320i Sedan | $320/month*

2016 528i Sedan | $499/month*

2016 X5 xDrive35i | $629/month*

14145 North Broadway Extension Edmond, OK 73013 | 866.925.9885

Imports 2016 X3 xDrive28i, 36-month lease, $3000 down, MSRP $41,945, Standard Terms 2016 640i Gran Coupe, 36-month lease, $4500 down, MSRP $80,495, Standard Terms 2016 528i Sedan, 36-month lease, $3500 down, MSRP $51,195, Standard Terms

48

a p r i l 2 7, 2 0 1 6 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

BmW

2016 Z4 sDrive28i, 36-month lease, $3000 down, MSRP $50,695, Standard Terms 2016 320i Sedan, 36-month lease, $2750 down, MSRP $34,145, Standard Terms 2016 X5 xDrive35i, 36-month lease, $3500 down, MSRP $57,995, Standard Terms

Web: www.cooperbmw.com Email: rkeitz@cooperautogroup.com Standard terms & Tag, Tax. 1st Payment, Aquisition fee, processing fee WAC *See dealership for details — offers subject to change without prior notice. *April prices are subject to change.