free every wednesday | Metro OKC’s Independent Weekly | DECEMBER 20, 2017
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inside COVER P.30 Let’s wrap up this year, shall we? Oklahoma Gazette breaks out the party horns with complete coverage of all the ways OKC can celebrate New Year’s Eve.
NEWS 4
metro Kirk Humphreys fallout
6 CITY
MAPS 3 tax surplus
8 community Central Oklahoma
Habitat for Humanity celebrates 30 years
10 CHICKEN-FRIED NEWS
12 Commentary the importance of
community journalism
EAT & DRINK 13 Review Picasso Cafe
14 Feature Holey Rollers moves into
The Paseo Plunge
16 Gazedibles new in 2017
ARTS & CULTURE 19 Art Christmas at the Elms at
JRB Art at the Elms
23
Buy This
22 Art Wrapping up Homelessness 28 Art The Bright Side by
Sarah Clough at Mainsite Contemporary Art 30 Cover Adèle Wolf’s Burlesque & Variety Show New Year’s Eve Bash at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 31 Cover Opening Night 33 Cover New Year’s Eve events roundup 34
Holiday Services
arts innovation in OKC
Club and Drunken Fry
continues to grow communities around the world
35 Culture how immigration affects 36 Cover Beers Not Braums at HiLo 38 Community World Neighbors
39 Calendar
MUSIC 41 Cover Uptown Get Down at
Tower Theatre
42 Event Jason Isbell at The Criterion 44 Cover The KATT 100.5 FM New
Years Eve Bash at Chevy Bricktown Events Center
45 Live music
FUN 46 Puzzles sudoku | crossword 47 Astrology
OKG Classifieds 47
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Words matter
The public is speaking out in response to Kirk Humphreys’ remarks on Flashpoint. By Laura Eastes
While researchers have long debunked any connection between homosexuality and the criminal acts of pedophilia, former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys made such a reference in an episode of KFOR’s Flashpoint that aired on Dec. 10. Humphreys, who serves as the show’s conservative voice, left Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, filling in for Mike Turpen, speechless as he began his comments asking, “Is homosexuality right or wrong?” In the hours that followed, the public began to weigh in on the remarks, calling for an apology and later resignations from the boards Humphreys serves on, including his position as vice chairman of The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. Clayton Bennett, chairman of the Board of Regents, issued a statement disagreeing with the public statements made by Humphreys. The University of Oklahoma officials stated Humphreys was speaking as an individual and not for the university on the Sunday morning opinion show. Several OU leaders, including President David Boren, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to creating an inclusive community respecting people of all backgrounds. Humphreys followed with his own statement regretting his comments and for hurting people’s feelings. “It is not okay to equate these communities with things that are legitimate crimes like pedophilia,” Claire Funk, the OU student who planned last week’s rally to protest Humphreys as an OU regent, told Oklahoma Gazette. “It was a repulsive statement. It also struck me Troy Stevenson and John Rex Charter Elementary School parents protest former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys’ position on the elementary school board days after Humphreys discussed homosexuality on local television. Photo Laura Eastes
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that he knew what he said was going to be offensive. When you clearly understand you are hurting a community and you still say it anyways, you need to be held accountable.” Funk went on to say that Humphreys “might have a right to his opinions, but he doesn’t have a right to represent me on the Board of Regents.” With the Board of Regents in the midst of a search for its next university president, J.D. Baker, Student Government Association president, is one of many voicing concerns over any role Humphreys’ beliefs might play in the hiring. “I hope he chooses to resign,” Baker said. “He isn’t fit to lead. He isn’t fit to serve. As an employer, it is not fair to have such a bias towards the LGBT community, especially if they are candidates for the president of the university. If he chooses to stay on, we have programs that will teach him to be an ally and what the LGBT community is about. He can have his convictions, beliefs and free speech. At a certain level, there must be human dignity and respect that we give to one another. His comments were far from respectful.”
This is not about curtailing his speech or trying to change his beliefs. Troy Stevenson Days later, across the street from John Rex Charter Elementary School, an Oklahoma City Public School site authorized by OU, parents gathered to protest Humphreys as chairman of the John Rex board. Maggie Howell-Dowd explained the school’s children are taught eight expectations and the first expectation is to value one another as
unique and special individuals. “Mr. Humphreys has dishonored that expectation, to say the very least, from his comments about gays — which there are several families at John Rex including my family, as well as his comments in 2015 about the diluted gene pool from Oklahoma City schools because good genes had moved to the suburbs,” Howell-Dowd said. “He does not and should not represent me and my family.” Howell-Dowd was joined by other parents calling for their school community to contact John Rex board members and OU regents to state concerns about Humphreys remaining on the board. His seat is one of two seated by the university. The John Rex board meets next in February. Despite such calls, Humphreys remained in his positions at the end of last week. At press time, Oklahoma Gazette was notified of a Dec. 19 press conference where Freedom Oklahoma and Humphreys planned to announce their “efforts to work together.” The state’s LGBTQ advocacy organization is responding by applying pressure to key University of Oklahoma donors to withhold contributions as well as building a coalition of allies to raise their voices in opposition of Humphreys’ service as a regent, but also as a board of director on the state’s largest utility company OG&E and chairman of the John Rex Charter Elementary School board. Humphreys did not return calls for comment from Oklahoma Gazette. “As we’ve said over and over, this is not about curtailing his speech or trying to change his beliefs,” explained Troy
Kirk Humphreys | Photo Gazette / file
Stevenson, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma. “He can say whatever he wants and believe whatever he wants. He just can’t say it while representing the flagship university of the State of Oklahoma, the largest energy provider and an elementary school. While he has the freedom of speech, he doesn’t have the freedom from the consequences involved.” If Humphreys was employed by OU or John Rex as well as OG&E, his public statements would have violated nondiscrimination policies, Stevenson said. Such policies are exclusive and do not affect board members. OU students, John Rex parents and Freedom Oklahoma plan to continue to call for Humphreys’ resignations. Like the Dec. 12 Board of Regents meeting, there will be a rally organized by Freedom Oklahoma at the January meeting. Typically, at the January Board of Regents meeting, regents vote the vice chair to the position of chair. The meeting is scheduled for Jan. 24 or Jan. 25, and the location has not been set. Freedom Oklahoma will advocate against Humphreys’ promotion as well as for his resignation. “We initially came out asking for an apology, and we got a non-apology,” Stevenson said. “There was a civilized way to deal with this that could have been a learning moment for everyone. Mayor Humphreys is hidden. He has refused to engage and take ownership of his own words and his own actions. At the very least, people deserved a dialogue and a conversation.”
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NEWS legacy of the program. “After you get into [capital improvement projects], you always see something else you could add to or do a little better,” he said.
CIT Y
MAPS magic
No shortfall
The MAPS 3 tax is anticipated to sunset with a $28.5 million surplus. By Laura Eastes
Four months after Oklahoma City voters approved an ambitious $777 million plan to invest in eight quality-of-life projects, proceeds from the MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) 3 1-cent sales tax began to flow into city coffers. More than seven years later, residents and visitors are enjoying a whitewater rafting facility, walking trails and sidewalks, a neighborhood senior center and improvements to the fairgrounds. A year from now, a streetcar will glide through downtown, passing by construction crews completing the 40-acre north section of Scissortail Park, which has been called the crown jewel of the MAPS 3 program. While there remains a lot of work to be done to complete the entire MAPS 3 program, like the construction of two neighborhood senior centers and a new convention center, tax collections end at the stroke of midnight Dec. 31. Two weeks before the tax sunsets, City of Oklahoma City leaders and officials reported the program had already passed $777 million in collections. The city is projecting a surplus of $28.5 million in MAPS 3 tax, according to David Todd, MAPS program manager. “It’s a good problem to have,” Todd said. “It goes back to the projections from our budget and financing departments. It has been a real team effort to get where we are. I don’t like to think it was by accident.” For some time, city officials estimated that the tax collection would end with higher-than-expected revenues. The $28.5 million surplus also includes some earned interest. City officials attributed the surplus to careful budgeting, conservative estimates and a generally strong economy. An economic downturn in 2016 resulted in sluggish tax collections into City Hall. It will be February before the city receives its final distribution checks from Oklahoma Tax Commission. In the coming months, city leaders will begin to decide 6
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where to invest the extra $28.5 million.
Extra millions
Allocation of the $28.5 million will ultimately be decided by the mayor and Oklahoma City Council. The MAPS 3 subcommittees and MAPS 3 Citizen Advisory Board will begin submitting suggestions for how any additional dollars could enhance MAPS 3 projects after the first of the year, Todd said.
It is a luxury that we didn’t always know we would have. Tom McDaniel By law, any additional money must go toward “city capital improvement,” which is what voters agreed to fund with the tax when they approved the MAPS 3 ballot measure in December 2009. The council designed the MAPS 3 program to include a downtown park, a rail-based streetcar system, a downtown convention center, new sidewalks and trails, Oklahoma River and Oklahoma State Fairgrounds improvements and health and wellness centers designed for senior citizens. The council could back the suggestions by the subcommittee and advisory boards to plug additional funds into individual projects for further enhancements. Suggestions could include construction of a fifth neighborhood senior center, renovations to Union Depot for Scissortail Park, additional amenities around the whitewater rafting course, implementation of signal prioritization for the streetcar, more sidewalks and trail enhancements. Nathaniel Harding, a member of the Streetcar tracks laid in downtown Oklahoma City are part of the MAPS 3 initiative to bring a streetcar transit system to the city. | Photo Laura Eastes
Construction crews and equipment sit on the future site of the 40-acre upper section of Scissortail Park, a MAPS 3 project, near downtown Oklahoma City. Photo Laura Eastes
citizen advisory council and chairman of the streetcar subcommittee, explained that each of the seven subcommittees has recommendations. “I think every project had some pieces that were left out because we were making sure to be good stewards of taxpayers’ money,” Harding said. “I think you will see those come back in. In a lot of cases, it was a really good choice to not do something because we didn’t have enough certainly. Here we are years later, we have more information and we’ve seen how things have come together.” Harding named Riversport Rapids, the whitewater rafting and kayaking center on the Oklahoma River, as an example. As one of the first MAPS 3 projects to be completed, subcommittee members have called for installing windscreens and more seating along the course. The items weren’t necessarily known to the subcommittee before the course opened. “It is a luxury that we didn’t always know we would have,” said Tom McDaniel, MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board chairman, of the surplus. McDaniel views the extra money and its potential to strengthen MAPS 3 projects as a way to further ensure the success and
The MAPS 3 tax will be replaced by two new sales tax initiatives, both approved by Oklahoma City voters in September. Under the Better Streets, Safer City plan, the 1-cent MAPS tax is extended for 27 months to benefit street infrastructure. A quartercent permanent sales tax will also be collected; however, it will be deposited in the city operations fund to benefit public safety positions. City officials estimate the temporary sales tax will generate $240 million and the permanent tax adds $26 million annually into the city’s budget. Like past MAPS programs, the council selected 11 citizens to serve on the advisory board overseeing the street, sidewalk and trail projects to come from the Better Streets, Safer City sales tax initiative. There will be an overlap among construction of MAPS 3 projects and Better Streets, Safer City projects. “While the tax will end on Dec. 31, our responsibilities to get the projects completed will not,” McDaniel said. “We will still be working on this for another two to three years. We ask for the patients of our constituents. Anyone who goes downtown knows it is hard to get around with laying these transit tracks. There is some discomfort as we go through the building. I think in the long run, it will be well worth it.” So far, MAPS projects, including the original program that brought OKC a ballpark and canals to Bricktown, a downtown library and revived the Oklahoma River, have been widely hailed as successful and key in the city’s renaissance. The third installment of MAPS has long been predicted to take the city to a new level. “Vibrancy is the word that comes to mind,” Harding said. “It’s a vibrant and diverse community where people want to live. People talk about that third place. You have your home. You have your work. Oklahoma City has really embraced that third place where we want to convene as a community.”
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Ann Felton Gilliland said Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with the local community to build houses and hope
CO M M U N I T Y
and change lives. | Photo Laura Eastes
Building lives
Driven by passion, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity continues to make the dreams of homeownership true for local families. By Laura Eastes
When Abraham Ndoye first stood on the front steps of his home and looked out, there wasn’t much to see. In the vastness of space, Ndoye saw promise and the perfect place for his family to thrive. “We were the first ones here,” Ndoye said proudly from his Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity home in Legacy Estates. “You could see a barn to the north, a school to the south and Council Road. All around us was open space.” There was nowhere else he; his wife, Fatou; and their children would rather be. The vacant lots would soon be filled with dozens of single-family houses, homes to other local families. On the concrete sidewalks, people on rollerblades and bicycles and parents pushing strollers would walk by their home. Backyards would become the spot for neighborhood barbecues, children’s birthday parties and more. 8
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It was a welcome vision after nearly a dozen years of renting two-bedroom apartments in northwest Oklahoma City, where their children could only play inside. After completing the homeowner college program and plugging 300 hours of “sweat equity” into their home’s construction and other Habitat projects, the family of four moved into their home on Dec. 15, 2015. The house was sold at cost with a zero-interest mortgage. “The family was expanding,” said Ndoye, who emigrated from Senegal after serving as a translator for U.S. Army Special Forces. “It was time. The apartment complex where we were was not safe.” Now, the Ndoyes are neighbors to 74 families in the Stephen Florentz Legacy Estates addition. This summer, local Habitat leaders named the subdivision in honor of deceased U.S. Army retiree
Sergeant First Class E7 Stephen Florentz, who left the nonprofit $2.25 million. The Ndoye family believes they have found their forever home. Each time Ndoye spots new construction, he stops by to introduce himself and welcome new folks to the neighborhood. “A vacuum has been filled with a big community,” he said.
Beyond a house
After 30 years of empowering limitedincome families to build brighter futures through affordable homeownership, the fruits of the Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity labor are visible in 18 communities where the nonprofit, along with its volunteers, staff and families, has built more than 900 homes. What Habitat provides families goes beyond a house, explained Ann Felton Gilliland, the organization’s CEO and chairperson.
A vacuum has been filled with a big community. Abraham Ndoye “They want to live in a safe neighborhood,” Felton Gilliland said about the families served by one of Habitat for Humanity’s top performing affiliates. “When you see where many of our families lived before, there is no safe place for children to play. It’s too dangerous to ride bicycles. When they move into one of the developments, the children are playing safely outside; they are skating down the streets. What we’ve done is create a safe environment.” An Oklahoma Department of Commerce study from 2015 found that 68 percent of central Oklahoma Habitat homeowners felt safer in their Habitat home and neighborhood compared to their previous residence. The study also focused on Habitat families’ children, and nearly all Habitat homeowners reported improvements in their children’s behavior, health and social life after moving into Habitat homes. Forty percent of homeowners said they saw their children’s school grades improve. The study backed the anecdotal evidence Felton Gilliland has noted in her 27 years of serving the organization and its families. “We make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. “I’ve handed the keys to Habitat families. Those children are now enrolled in college, enlisted in the service, are working jobs and are in med school. We’ve had so many single moms go back to school. We’ve just played a small part in their lives.”
Pearl anniversary
Eleven years after Georgia-based Habitat for Humanity began as a faith-based organization rehabilitating old homes and building new homes to sell to lowincome families at no profit, members
of First Presbyterian Church of Edmond formed an affiliate chapter. They began to build simple frame houses with no garages in Metro Park, a neighborhood south of NW 10th Street and north of Linwood Boulevard between Western and Pennsylvania Avenues. Felton Gilliland explained that passion and a drive to help others pushed the organization through its earliest years. In 1987, Habitat homeowners and volunteers built three homes in Metro Park. Habitat’s focus on Metro Park led to the building of 45 homes. In the south Oklahoma City neighborhood of Shidler-Wheeler, another 45 homes were built. Thirty years later, much has changed. Habitat homeowners can be found outside Oklahoma City in nearby communities like Bethany, Edmond, The Village, Yukon and Midwest City, but also in rural communities like Spencer, Bridge Creek, Mulhall, Blanchard and Carney. In more suburban areas, Habitat has built two additional subdivisions to Legacy Estates: Hope Crossing, NE 78th Street and Kelley Avenue, and Faith Landing, SW 59th Street and County Line Road. Habitat has also responded to communities impacted by the devastation caused by severe weather. These days, Habitat homes are built under recently established Fortified Home construction standards to produce homes built to better withstand natural disasters, including wind speeds of up to 135 mph. All Habitat families apply to participate in the program. If selected, they must meet Habitat requirements like completing “sweat equity” hours and attending classes that cover topics like general homeownership, property taxes, home maintenance, homeowner’s associations and more. The organization also maintains a Critical Home Repair program that serves homeowners with the greatest housing repair needs and two Habitat ReStore shops. While Habitat has long been a resource for providing affordable housing for limited-income families in the area, due to rising home prices, Habitat leaders see their programs in great need. A recent Statewide Affordable Housing Market Study commissioned by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency projected that 44,000 affordable homes were needed by 2020. With the support of volunteers and donors, Habitat averages construction on 45 homes each month. At each home dedication ceremony, Felton Gilliland presents both the home’s keys and a Bible to the newest Habitat homeowners. “It never gets old,” Felton Gilliland said. “Every family is special.”
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chicken
friedNEWS Droppin’ in
With less than a year left before Oklahoma elects its first new governor since Mary Fallin first took office in 2011, the state’s expiring executive is now free to take the gloves off and, as the kids say these days, get savage. It is no secret that Oklahoma has long suffered a drain of talented teachers across the Red River state boundary for increased pay. Gov. Fallin knows this too, and she says enough is enough. The Dallas Independent School District set up a recruiting booth this month at a hotel in Oklahoma City, which is in no way unusual. What is out of the ordinary is that Fallin brazenly dropped by the booth to film a call-out plea to Oklahoma’s Legislature to pass a teacher pay raise. Fallin recently called a second special session in hopes that legislators will do just that. “We’ve got to find a way to remain competitive, not only in our football and job creation, but also in keeping and retaining our teachers in the state of Oklahoma,” the governor said in the video posted to Facebook. Shots fired! Fallin just invoked the state’s spiritual hatred for Texas football in the name of a teacher pay raise. She also calls some Oklahoma districts’ resorting to four-day school weeks a bad look for the state. (You don’t say!) We like Fallin’s new guerilla video tactics and insistence for a rightful teacher pay raise (though she has not done much to alleviate the problem in two terms as governor). Fallin will have a lot of free time on her hands when she leaves office. She should continue her woman-on-the-street video series, perhaps in the surrealist reality humor genre perfected by Sacha Baron Cohen and Eric Andre. In a state like Oklahoma, she’ll never be short on material.
Precedent set
Future timelines marking the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history will include Rachel Tudor, a transgender professor, and her victory in a landmark Title VII case from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The former English professor at D u r a n t ’ s Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU), Tudor was denied tenure and a promotion to associate professor position in 2009. When Tudor requested an explanation for her application’s rejection, the university’s vice president for academic affairs and another dean refused to answer. In 2010, Tudor filed a federal discrimination complaint, according to a federal lawsuit. Years later, in late November, after Tudor was terminated from SOSU, she sat in a federal courtroom in Oklahoma City, where she heard an eight-person jury award her $1.165 million in damages, NBC News reported. The jury voted in favor of Tudor on three counts, including she was “denied tenure in 2009-10 because of her gender.” Further, the jury sided with
Tudor that she was denied “the opportunity to apply for tenure in the 2010-11 cycle … because of her gender” and that SOSU retaliated against her for filing a workplace discrimination complaint, according to NBC News. T he T udor lawsuit has set a legal precedent for all future cases involving transgender discrimination in the workplace, said Brittany Novotny, a member of Tudor’s legal team and a transgender woman. “This is the first one of these Title VII civil rights cases for a trans person based on sex discrimination to go to a jury trial,” Novotny told NBC News. “It is a pretty exciting day and a pretty big moment.” SOSU’s president released a media statement after the verdict, stating the university “places great trust in the judicial system and respects the verdict.” They should. It also shouldn’t have taken a court decision for Tudor to receive equal treatment.
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Amazon priming
Amazon’s search for a North American city to build its second headquarters campus, which is expected to be over 8 million square feet and result in a capital investment of more than $5 billion, is one of the top business stories of 2017. As expected, many cities submitted their proposals for HQ2, including Tulsa. What did Tulsa’s municipal leaders propose to Amazon to lure the company to the “Paris of Oklahoma”? T he world might never know. If anyone files an open records request with the City of Tulsa for a copy of the proposal, city staff will forward the request to the Tulsa Regional Chamber. Since the chamber is a private, nonprofit organization, it’s not subject to state open records laws. It’s highly likely the request will be denied. That was the experience of Tulsa World. The newspaper published an article highlighting that leaders plan to keep a
tight lid on a proposal that could ultimately land Amazon in the Sooner State and generate 50,000 high-paying jobs. According to the World, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum has previously stated that he didn’t want to keep the Amazon proposal a secret. If made public, the application could give other cities a competitive advantage. The World reported about two dozen applicants, including Boston and Washington, D.C., released their proposals in whole or in part to the media and the public. What might Tulsa leaders be proposing that they want to keep a secret from other cities or their constituents? Are they proposing to put an Amazon package into the arms of the iconic Golden Driller at the Tulsa County Fairgrounds? Does the application include details on how to lure the Thunder to the BOK Center as its home court? Are they promising to never send a tax bill to Amazon? What could Tulsa put on the table?
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COMMENTARY
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.
Reporting to work
Oklahoma Gazette’s editor-in-chief discusses the important role of community journalism. By George Lang
This week, as we put to press our second-to-last issue of 2017, I will spend a good portion of my limited free time crossing off “interim” on about 100 business cards. I am now editor-inchief of Oklahoma Gazette, without qualifiers or reservations. As some of you with grown children or actual, non-dramatized memories of the O.J. Simpson trial might know, this is my third time at Gazette. I started my journalism career here in November 1994, and this is where I learned to be a reporter. My first editor, Mike Easterling, knew from my OU Daily clips how desperately I wanted to be an entertainment journalist, so he promptly disabused me of my dreams and assigned me to cover absolutely everything else: city government, state Capitol, murder trials, sports, race relations and the media business. I covered the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and drove to eastern Oklahoma to interview people living
and hating in a white separatist compound. I also spent a week dressed as a pink bunny and danced on the Classen Boulevard median to report on the misery of costumed business mascots. Since that time, I actually fulfilled the entertainment reporting dream, both at Gazette in the early 2000s and at The Oklahoman afterward, but it was my original tenure at this paper that shaped my views on the necessity of community journalism. That’s why I’m here once again and for the foreseeable future. Journalism is a calling, and this is an important time to heed the call. Journalism is under attack, but it’s not just coming from President Donald Trump on Twitter. Sometimes “fake news” takes the form of aggressive blandness that never questions authority or conventional wisdom. Public officials increasingly release “statements” to avoid reporters’ followup questions. Transactional “advertorial” journalism threatens the credibility
of the industry and creates unhealthy expectations of boundless boosterism. In this environment, accountability is a rarity, every restaurant offering is a magnum opus and every new band will change your life. Smart and aggressive journalism detects pseudo-information and sets you straight. As we near 40 years of continuous publication, Oklahoma Gazette is still owned by its founding publisher, Bill Bleakley. When we first started discussing my return, Bill and I talked about whether, in 2018, we still should consider Gazette an “alternative newspaper.” It was an important question to ask. “Alternative” once suggested a kind of renegade organization calling foul on staid mainstream journalism, and that worked for many years. But like any overutilized terminology, it ceased to have any resonance. Now, many readers look to us for their primary source of local news and information, not as an alternative to their regular source. Oklahoma Gazette calls itself “fierce-
ly local and independent” because, in this era, it matters. We are one of the last locally owned media organizations in Oklahoma. We’ve not been bought by a shadowy consortium of investors or by a venture capitalist hoping to advance his corporate or political agenda. “Fiercely local and independent” is not a catchphrase or marketing boilerplate. It’s the philosophy that governs every decision we make. Last year, under the leadership of my esteemed predecessor, Jennifer Chancellor, Oklahoma Gazette earned a Society of Professional Journalists award for best newspaper in Oklahoma. I will spend every week living up to that honor because Gazette will take being best over being an alternative any day. Journalists received a ringing endorsement from a well-connected authority this month. It was the kind of pep talk we needed as we close out 2017. “Your free and responsible voice is fundamental for the growth of any society that wants to be called democratic,” said the highly placed source to a group of reporters, “so that a continuous exchange of ideas and a profitable debate based on real and correctly reported facts are assured.” Thank you, Pope Francis. Catholic or not, believer or unbeliever, we journalists can use all the support we can get.
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EAT & DRINK Italian sausage rigatoni with roasted red peppers and onions in a tomato-vodka sauce Photo Jacob Threadgill
REVIEW
soup on a sandwich, and the bottom slice of bread got so soggy in the sauce that it nearly disintegrated in my mouth. It turns out I probably wasn’t alone in my experience. Fiaccone said the sandwich did not survive a recent menu overhaul that will make its way to diners within the next week or two. Instead, the jackfruit will be available in versions of vegetarian tikka masala and vegan macaroni and cheese. I think that’s a smart application of the versatile fruit. Vegan mac and cheese, which is offered locally at The Loaded Bowl and The Red Cup, is rapidly becoming one of my favorite dishes. If the barbecue sauce is any indication, I know that Parrott and staff can concoct nuanced flavor, so I have high hopes for the tikka masala too.
Paseo variety
Picasso Cafe straddles the line for vegetarians and carnivores with hits and misses. By Jacob Threadgill
Picasso Cafe 3009 Paseo St. picassosonpaseo.com | 405-602-2002 What works: The vodka sauce on rigatoni was luxurious and spicy. What needs work: Its jackfruit didn’t achieve a “pulled” texture. Tip: Tea is available only in black currant variety.
Located in a historic building built in 1928 by Dr. G.A. Nichols, who later developed Nichols Hills and a host of other Oklahoma City neighborhoods, Picasso Cafe has been a casual neighborhood restaurant in the Paseo since 2009. The location at 3009 Paseo St. was originally a funeral home, but it has been a restaurant since the early 1970s, when a sandwich shop moved in. “Actually, our dish room was originally the embalming room,” Picasso Cafe owner Shaun Fiaccone said, laughing.
Neighborhood feel
Fiaccone has overseen many small renovations to keep the building fresh since opening eight years ago, but it has always been a commitment to lure diners of all dietary regimens that makes Picasso Cafe unique in Oklahoma City. The menu is about 50/50 meatThe jackfruit pulled “pork” sandwich with a side of steamed broccoli | Photo Jacob Threadgill
based and vegetarian dishes. “We wanted a neighborhood restaurant and bar, and when you do that, you have to open your arms really wide to try and accommodate anyone,” Fiaccone said. Picasso Cafe is the kind of place you can go with family or a large group and know that there is something for everyone without having a huge menu. Entrees, sandwiches and pizzas dot the menu, which is overseen by chef Ryan Parrott, who came to Picasso in 2013. The restaurant offers monthly specials for appetizers, entrees and dessert.
Straddling the line
For my first visit to Picasso, I wanted
to try one vegetarian dish and one meatbased entrée. The national fruit of Bangladesh, jackfruit is featured widely in cuisine across Southeast Asia. I’ve heard about it being used as a substitute for pulled pork for about four years, but I’ve never pulled the trigger. Fiaccone said Picasso began experimenting with it around 2013, when they got a bunch of the fruit, which is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, from Super Cao Ngyuen. Picasso’s version of jackfruit pulled “pork” topped a ciabatta ($10) bun with the fleshy fruit, sweet and spicy barbecue sauce and pineapple chutney, according to the menu. My sandwich arrived without any evidence of chutney, and the texture of the jackfruit left something to be desired. Most of the fruit still appeared to be intact, not providing a good analog of the pulled pork texture. I thought the flavor of the sauce was good, equal parts sweet and spicy, but the jackfruit, while tasty in its own right, didn’t meet my texture expectations. It felt kind of like eating a
The rigatoni is a way to incorporate beef sausage into something more palatable for everyone. Shaun Fiaccone On the meat spectrum, I ordered the Italian sauce rigatoni ($13), which covers the local pasta provided from Pasta Pizzaz in vodka sauce, onion and roasted red pepper. The sauce was creamy without being heavy and benefitted from spice from red chili flake and silkiness provided by adding starchy pasta water. The pasta was slightly overcooked, but the sausage was great. “We get a lot of requests for steak, and we’ve put beef on the menu so many times in different ways, but it’s a small percentage of people that want it,” Fiaccone said. “The rigatoni is a way to incorporate beef sausage into something more palatable for everyone.” I enjoyed the atmosphere inside Picasso Cafe, where you’re surrounded by the work of local artists, good natural light and a lounge area contributes to a relaxing vibe. It might irk some to find their only iced tea option is an unsweet version flavored by black currant, but I thought it was nice and provided much more depth than a standard black tea variety. It appears to be a busy 2018 for Fiaccone, as construction on a long-awaited Mexican concept in the Paseo at the corner of NW 28th Street and Walker Avenue is slated to break ground. Fiaccone is also helping Waffle Champion founder Todd Woodruff open a buttermilk biscuit concept in the new shopping center Pueblo at Paseo. Picasso Cafe’s sister bar, The Other Room, which shares an address, has also undergone an overhaul as it transitions to a smoke-free environment. “The Paseo has a lot going on in 2018,” Fiaccone said. O kg a z e t t e . c o m | D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
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Rollin’ on up
Holey Rollers opens a brick-and-mortar location in The Paseo Plunge. By Jacob Threadgill
When she was 12 years old, Andrea Koester dreamed of opening a restaurant. Her dream came to fruition in early November with the opening of Holey Rollers in The Paseo Plunge, 3010 Paseo Street. Admittedly, the journey from food truck to brick-and-mortar location has come faster than expected for Koester, but she compliments the many fans who have fallen in love with Holey Rollers’ decadent vegan pastries and diversified coffee selection. The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of The Paseo Plunge, and customers stroll in to find an interior with a warm wood finish paired with bright pastels. “We wanted to play on the vintage vibe of the food truck and keep it modern,” Koester said of the decor. “At this point, it’s our brand, and we want this space to be an homage to doughnut shops of the ’50s.” Between about 400 square feet in its main retail space and just under 400 square feet in the kitchen, Koester said Holey Rollers’ brick-and-mortar iteration is more than she could want. “Coming from a food truck, this is big to me,” she said. “Small spaces are trendy right now, and using every bit of square footage that you can, having low overhead, just makes sense.”
Food truck maven
Koester first got experience running a food truck as a catering manager for Big Truck Tacos when it opened. Big Truck Tacos opened its 23rd Street location the same time as its food truck from left Susan Ebert and Andrea Koester work behind the counter of Holey Rollers on the first floor of The Paseo Plunge. Photo Jacob Threadgill
launched in 2009. “They did it a little bit different than us, but it’s great to see how well a food truck can complement a restaurant like Big Truck because they definitely do it right,” Koester said. Koester and fellow Big Truck alum Anna Johnson established Holey Rollers as a business in late 2015 by selling its vegan pastries to shops in Oklahoma City and Norman. They bought a vintage 1962 Zipper trailer from a couple in El Reno and debuted their mobile business in April 2016, focusing on events and farmers markets. Johnson has left Holey Rollers to purse other opportunities but leaves behind the pun of a name and a few original recipes. Josh Gautreaux and John Otjen now join
The new location brings fried doughnuts like from right the vanilla bean yeast doughnut and salted chocolate caramel doughnut to the Paseo. Photo Jacob Threadgill
Koester as business partners. The rest of Holey Rollers’ menu was devised by chef Timothy Mort, whom Koester met while helping with Urban Agrarian, a seasonal farm-to-table provider in the Farmers Market District.
Tasty additions
The menu has expanded since Holey Rollers moved into the Paseo, now featuring non-vegan items like breakfast sandwiches with vegan English muffins and local, farm-fresh eggs from Shawnee. It also added yogurt, overnight oats and granola to its array of fried and baked doughnuts. The apple cider doughnut covered in cinnamon and sugar has become Holey Rollers’ signature baked treat, but Koester said the vanilla lavender is quickly gaining ground. The store features a handful of fixed doughnut options in addition to a seasonal flavor and a fritter. A vanilla bean raised yeast is Holey Rollers’ take on the traditional glazed doughnut, but it doesn’t melt away like cotton candy.
Coming from a food truck, this is big to me. Andrea Koester “We traveled the country, and the best yeast doughnuts were always one with a little bite to them,” Koester said. Fried doughnuts are a new addition in the Paseo location — they weren’t able to make them in the confined space of the trailer. Koester said they are using canola oil to keep it vegan but would like to transition to coconut oil
if its price comes down. Holey Rollers features coffee from three local providers — KLLR Coffee, Elemental Coffee Roasters and Eôté Coffee Company — each with a specific duty: cold brew, pour-over or latte. “We’re open seven days a week because I want to be a coffee shop for the Paseo,” Koester said. “I feel strong that coffee shops should be open all the time, especially on Mondays, when you need it the most.” Koester said she was attracted to the Paseo district because she lived in the neighborhood previously and was encouraged by new development, including the Pueblo shopping center and a Mexican restaurant that will break ground in early 2018. Charles Martin, The Paseo Plunge’s manager who operates Literati Press in the 28,000-sqaure-foot building, welcomes the addition of Holey Rollers to the Paseo neighborhood. Holey Rollers shares a common area with The Plunge’s bookstore. Martin said the doughnut shop has ushered new clientele into the building’s art gallery. “We’ve been anxious for Holey Rollers to open for quite some time,” Martin said. “Coffee, doughnuts and books blend naturally to create a casual, no-pressure experience. The crowds have responded too with increased traffic coming into our shop, lingering with the art, little kids sitting in front of the shelves and reading title after title. The atmosphere is what we’d always hoped to develop in The Plunge, and it’s exciting to see it taking form.” During the winter, the Holey Rollers trailer will mostly focus on private event bookings and a few monthly street festivals like First Friday Art Walk in the Paseo and 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk. Koester said the Holey Rollers trailer will be back in full-swing by spring. Visit holeyrollersdonuts.com.
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eat & DRINK
2017 additions
The end of the year always produces lists of superlatives. The expansion of Oklahoma City’s food scene in 2017 is no different. From small, white tablecloth fine dining to eat-with-your-hands counter service, the new additions to Oklahoma City run the gamut. By Jacob Threadgill | Photos by Jacob Threadgill and Gazette / file
Baba G. Mediterranean Grill
4401 W. Memorial Road babaggrill.com | 405-608-2299
The concept of Baba G. is kind of like Chipotle meets Mediterranean food. You don’t see freshly made tortillas at Chipotle like you see pita bread baked in an oven right in front of you like at Baba G. Owner Ghassan Dabbour started in the restaurant business in Philadelphia and opened the OKC concept this year. Customers can choose a plate, wrap or salad with their choice of toppings.
Park Harvey SuSHi wine & SPortS lounge
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La Casa de la Abuela
Nashbird
We all yearn to return to a meal at grandma’s house, and owner Lalo Garcia aims to do just that with his Mexican restaurant near Lake Hefner. It has generated plenty of social media buzz since its October opening. Don’t go expecting to find Tex-Mex. The menu is filled with Mexican dishes like pambazo, fry bread stuffed with potatoes and chorizo. It also has a vast breakfast menu, including two types of chilaquiles, seven days a week.
Founded by Marc Dunham, a Culinary Institute of America alum and owner of Iguana Mexican Grill, Nashbird brings the trend of Nashville hot chicken to Automobile Alley. Order the peppery and spicy chicken available at four levels of heat (or no spice) on a sandwich or buttermilk biscuit. On the sandwich, the accompanying coleslaw gets lift from a lemon kick. Dunham plans to branch out and add other flavors of chicken as the restaurant gets its legs.
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Neighborhood JA.M.
Stone Sisters Pizza Bar
The Press
St. Mark’s Chop Room
Brunch might be viewed traditionally as a weekend activity, but it’s serious business for the latest addition to Hal Smith Restaurant Group. The Edmond location sells “brunch squad” T-shirts, and JA.M.’s mix of lunch and breakfast is available 6 a.m.-3 p.m. seven days a week. The menu focuses on local ingredients for everything from green chile pulled pork eggs Benedict to quinoa bowls and Prom Cakes (oatmeal and granola pancakes topped with bananas and granola).
Founded by sisters Sheli Reynolds, Tami Lake and Traci Stone, Stone Sisters Pizza Bar combines organic and local ingredients and a “miracle” pizza crust. The signature crust made of sprouted spelt is good for those with gluten insensitivity but also turns the crust into a nutritional positive. Choose from any of the specialty pizzas, including the Bossy Big Sister, which adds cooked penne pasta as a topping, or choose your own toppings at the bar.
The newest restaurant from Hungry Town Concepts (The Mule, Anchor Down), The Press combines Oklahoma classics with vegan options. Chef Beth Ann Lyon devised the menu that ranges from chicken-fried rib-eye to vegan dumpling soup. It also has a robust brunch menu, salads and bowls and designer cocktail drinks. The former printing press has been renovated into a space that is both bright and funky.
Located next door to En Croute, literally sharing a kitchen, St. Mark’s Chop Room is the neighborhood steakhouse concept devised by chef Jonathon Stranger and restaurateur Drew Tekell. In honor of Tekell’s father, the intimate setting sells Wagyu beef sourced from Macomb. It offers tenderloin, rib-eye, strip and a rotating chef’s special, which includes bone-in rib-eye that has been dry-aging for months in anticipation of the holidays.
15124 Lleytons Court, Suite 103, Edmond thatsmyjamokc.com | 405-242-4161
2124 N. Broadway Ave. stonesisterspizzabar.com | 405-609-6599
1610 N. Gatewood Ave. thepressokc.com | 405-208-7739
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6462 Avondale Drive, Nichols Hills stmarkschoproom.com | 405-848-6200
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art
ARTS & CULTURE
Elms Christmas
JRB Art at the Elms’ Christmas at the Elms provides shoppers with perfect gifts. By Jessica Williams
If you’re lacking creative gift ideas this season, take a trip to Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District. JRB Art at the Elms celebrates its 14th year as a holiday destination for fine art, fashion, home décor and unique gifts with Christmas at the Elms. The annual event features a diverse selection of artwork for purchase by local and national artists. From larger-than-life paintings to tiny, whimsical trinkets, Christmas at the Elms revels in art’s many giftable forms for budgets small and large. “This event brings in so many people from the community,” JRB Gallery operations director Trina Morrison told Oklahoma Gazette. “We always feature fine art across different mediums, but for Christmas, we bring in items you sometimes wouldn’t find in a traditional art gallery.” Novelty goods like decorative and functional slab glass dishes and serving sets, ceramic and wood sculptures by John Wolfe and one-of-a-kind, quirky ornaments by Diana Smith give the gallery an extra twinkle amidst its bountiful fine art collection. Speaking of the latter, fine art isn’t only for hefty-wallet-wielding patrons. Christmas at the Elms is also an opportune time for art collectors to add to their assortments with small-scale paintings. “We’re excited to present more affordable options through smaller paintings and photography as well as works by our featured artists Denise Duong and Karem,” said Morrison. “This is the best time at JRB to find reasonably priced art to gift or to keep for yourself.” Janice Mathews-Gordon’s six-piece acrylic dove series and Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish’s botanical photography make up many of the smaller artworks for sale. Starting at $20, petite foil sculptures by Douglas Shaw Elder (known for his joy-spreading Love Bomb foil series) and Richard McKown also contribute to JRB’s inexpensive yet entirely inimitable art for purchase. “We normally do not carry these kind of items here,” said Morrison. “These smaller foil pieces by Douglas and Richard have traveled to places like Tinkerfest at the Science Museum [Oklahoma], and they’re such fun, approachable ways to appreciate art.”
Old and new
JRB mainstays — crowd favorites like Houston Llew’s Spiritiles, a series of small frames featuring unique visual narratives made from ground glass and copper, and Beatriz Mayorca’s functional furniture made from concrete, metal and mosaic tile — return for another season as well.
JRB regulars will appreciate the addition of new artists like Marilyn Artus and her Woman series, which explores and repurposes female representations with hand-beaded black and white figures that are at once decorative and thought-provoking. Nature enthusiasts will enjoy Alan Atkinson’s leaf series, featuring hyperrealistic paintings of leaves collected at major local sites around OKC. “All of his works are under $300 and are wonderful representations of Oklahoma nature,” Morrison said. For those who enjoy wearing art, Stillwater-based Stella Thomas Designs offers a bold line of statement jewelry “Navigating” by Denise Duong | Image Denise Duong / JRB Art at the Elms / provided
“Love Totems Series” by Janet O’Neal | Image Janet O’Neal / JRB Art at the Elms / provided
Jewelry by Stella Thomas Designs is available for purchase at Christmas at the Elms. Photo JRB Art at the Elms / provided
starting at $40, while Elyse Bogart’s wearable metal works balance toughness and grace in the form of necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Morrison said Christmas at the Elms feels like a monthlong party every year. “Each year, we deck the gallery out with decorations, celebrate with tons of hors d’oeuvres and invite local musicians to play festive pieces,” she said. Even last-minute shoppers who missed the opening reception need not worry — the gallery is open on Christmas Eve. Extending the holiday cheer beyond December, JRB continues with its annual New Year’s Day Brunch, marking the yearly conclusion of Christmas at the Elms. Guests can artfully ring in the New Year with tasty food and interesting art. “From 11:30 a.m. until we run out of food, we welcome the community to partake in one last holiday hurrah with brunch and live music,” said Morrison. “It’s our gift back to the community for supporting us every year.” Visit jrbartgallery.com.
John Wolfe sculptures are available for purchase at Christmas at the Elms. | Photo JRB Art at the Elms / provided
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During the Uptown Get Down
New Year’s Eve Celebration! Enjoy SpEcialty dinnEr platES 5-10 pm
latE night mEnu 10 pm-2:30 am
Sip on beer, wine and specialty
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ARTS & CULTURE top Wayne Coyne’s wrapping paper design features homages to Flaming Lips album covers. Image Wayne Coyne / provided middle Local artist Tiffany McKnight used colors inspired by a trip to Santa Fe. Image Tiffany McKnight provided bottom A wrapping paper designed by Natalie Kent uses traditional Christmas images with a nontraditional color palate. | Image Natalie Kent / provided
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Wrap it up
A wrapping paper initiative for The Curbside Chronicle gets a boost from Wayne Coyne.
By Jacob Threadgill
The final part of the preparations for the Christmas season, wrapping presents, shouldn’t come without a chance to help the community while also being stylish, according to Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City. For the third year, The Curbside Chronicle, the street newspaper that provided employment opportunities for those experiencing or transitioning out of homelessness, has organized the Wrap Up Homelessness campaign. Wrapping paper featuring designs by local artists that range from traditional to funky, including a psychedelic set from Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne, is distributed to Curbside Chronicle vendors, a few select retailers and an online store. Each package includes five 24-by-36inch sheets of wrapping paper that sell for $10 from Curbside Chronicle vendors, who get to keep the proceeds, or for $12 at retailers like Blue Seven, a kiosk at Penn Square Mall and an online store
at wrapuphomeless.com. Sales from retailers and the online store go the Homeless Alliance’s overall program to help Curbside Chronicle vendors through case management, employment and housing programs, Curbside Chronicle director Ranya O’Connor said. “We have customers who are buying it every year to wrap their presents, and they’re looking forward to what the new designs will be,” O’ Connor said. “It has created a tradition, and we love that for our vendors. The holidays can be bleak for people experiencing homelessness.” Local artists include Gayle L. Curry, Jack Fowler, Steven Paul Judd, Natalie Kent, Peggy White, Tiffany McKnight, Lauren Miller, Edgardo George & Lance King, Ashley Dawn and Sean Vali. O’Connor said each artist was paid on commission and selected through a committee process. Kent, who is creative director at Nominee design studio, said that she
jumped at the chance to participate and she wanted to create a pattern with natural botanicals and a unique color palette. “There is so much urban sprawl in the city that the only time you see the homeless is when they’re panhandling, and it’s at a distance. This program is great because it gives them dignity and something that is in demand, but it’s more than just a good.” Tiffany McKnight, who works with Factory Obscura and other art projects in the city, said she was inspired to participate because of recent laws like a 2016 median ordinance that has limited where vendors can set up. “It’s very disparaging to see some of the laws that have been passed. It’s like they’re trying to shove homeless people out of sight,” McKnight said. “ I love wrapping presents at Christmas. It’s cool to have this opportunity and be able to give back using my art.” McKnight said she was inspired to use teal and oranges after a recent trip to Santa Fe for an abstract pattern that can be used for Christmas and the rest of the year. Coyne’s involvement has boosted wrapping paper sales, O’Connor said. His design was featured in national publications like Billboard, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, and O’Connor said they’ve already sold more 4,000 packages of wrapping paper to 39 states and four countries, surpassing last year’s total. “The cool thing is that pretty much everyone who has purchased a Wayne Coyne wrapping paper has also purchased an additional package from a local artist,” O’Connor said. Coyne has been a supporter of The Curbside Chronicle for years, O’Connor said, and even sent her pictures of using previous campaign’s wrapping paper for his own gifts. They reached out to Coyne, and he delivered a design inspired by Flaming Lips album covers. “Everyone knows him as an artist and musician, but he also really into drawing and illustrations,” O’Connor said. A street newspaper in Tennessee inspired the Wrapping Up Homelessness campaign, O’Connor said. “They turn the newspaper itself into wrapping paper with cute designs,” she said. “We couldn’t quite do that because we’re a magazine, but we’re big supporters of the local art community, so we took that idea and made it our own by partnering with artists.” The initiative received funding from Fowler Automotive, 405 Center and Cornerstone Development. Visit thecurbsidechronicle.org.
Buy This!
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE unique and local ideas for holiday gifts
Table top Clocks, jewelry and more!
Time and style combine in these round tabletop clocks. Choose from various sizes and faces. Check out our vintage airplane square clocks for the mid-century modern lover in your life. Great gifts starting at just $4.95! Shop our handmade and custom jewelry, gifts and whimsy all at Smash Bangles in Paseo!
Smash Bangles 607 N W 28 St., Suite F smashbangles.com 405-628-7261
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Give a little piece of HiLo to your best pal this holiday! The official HiLo Private Club Members Only graffiti T in soft cotton is available at the club or on Etsy. Buy yours today!
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Old Plantation Antiques
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2717 W. Reno Ave. oldplantationantiques.com 405-435-0061
Person a l Pro t ec t ion I t ems
T urquoise Je w elry
Visit Karen’s Flea Market for personal protection items for your loved ones this holiday. Shop for records, housewares, holiday decor, apparel and more, just two miles SE of Old Paris Flea Market
The Museum Store at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
4700 S. Bryant Ave., Del City facebook.com/4700s.bryant 405-550-2689
Turquoise is a Western girl’s diamond! Shop one of the largest selections of Native American-made jewelry in Oklahoma at The Museum Store.
Karen’s Flea Market
1700 NE 63rd St. store.nationalcowboymuseum.org 405-478-2250, ext. 228
Holiday or n a men t s
From tacky sweaters to Chinese takeout, we’ve got this year’s tree covered. Ranging from $7.99 to $24.99 apiece.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art Museum Store 415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com/museum-storeholiday-gift-guide 405-278-8233
C.C. Be a nie s, Sca rv e s a nd Glov e s
Staying warm has never looked so hot! Shop today to find a wide selection of C.C. beanies, scarves and gloves. We offer the largest variety of colors, styles and sizes sure to please you and the ones on your holiday list!
Lush Fashion Lounge 14101 N. May Ave., Suite 114 lushfashionlounge.com 405-936-0680
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Don’t put her gift under the tree this year when you can give it to her. Make her say “Oh, yes!” with the most stimulating gift she has ever received. Spread the cheer this year with the perfect item for your loved one on Santa’s naughty list.
When only fabulous will do for your wedding, call on Tony Foss Flowers! Custom bridal bouquets, cake flowers, tablescapes and more!
Tony Foss Flowers 7610 N. May Ave. tonyfossflowers.com 405-843-4119
Cheers !
Freeman’s Liquor Mart has been supplying the “Cheer!” for the holidays since 1959. Please come by and let our knowledgeable staff help you find just the right beer, wine or spirit to complement your meals and events!
Patricia’s Erotic Boutique 2615 E. Memorial Road 8009 W. Reno Ave. patriciasgiftshop.com
Freeman’s Liquor Mart 4401 N. Western Ave. facebook.com/ Freemans-Liquor-Mart 405-524-8031
A n ATOMICAL HEART LEAT HER HIP FLASK
A gift for the one who loves the outdoors. Handmade and hand-printed, top-grain leather 6 oz hip flask, artisanmade in Asheville, North Carolina. Flasks are stainless steel, 4.5” tall x 4” wide, and the cover can be removed. Open MondayThursday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and FridaySaturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
skull ca ndle
Illuminate your inner and outer beauty by gifting this hand-poured skull candle. This 16 oz. candle is a combination of vegan soy wax essential oils in fragrances on the rugged side.
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Elomi’s A nushk a Ba by doll
Just because you have a large bust doesn’t mean your bra has to be ugly! Discover Elomi’s Anushka baby doll, stylish and supportive! Exclusively at Women’s Health Boutique.
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Fa mily Sk i We a r
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Cus t om Home Decor
Beauty, comfort and function! Update your home’s look with pieces that are not only elegant but also provide comfort for family. Choose from several styles and options to impress your guests this holiday!
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Opa l , Pe a r l a nd Di a mond E a r rings
Look stunning in these boulder opal and Tahitian pearl earrings with diamonds by Valerie Naifeh for Naifeh Fine Jewelry! Hand-fabricated in 22kt yellow gold, these beauties can be worn with blue jeans or black-tie. One of a kind. $6,000.
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Shop.LushFashionLounge.com 14101 N. May Ave. Suite 114 405 936 0680 Mon-Sat 10am-7pm Open Sundays Nov. 26-Dec. 31 12-5 pm
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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE unique and local ideas for holiday gifts
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ARTS & CULTURE
GIFTS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE ON YOUR LIST!
The Bright Side runs through Jan. 12. Photo Mainsite Contemporary Art / provided
art
Bright craft Artist Sarah Clough’s first solo exhibition finds a home at Norman’s Mainsite Contemporary Art. By Jessica Williams
Jewelry, Gifts & whimsy on the Paseo
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2018
YS A D N U ER S V O G N HA NEW YEAR’S EVE
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D E C e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m
Multimedia artist and Oklahoma native Sarah Clough recently earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and now brings her exploration of light, color and texture back to her home state. Mixing chaotic expression with methodical intention, The Bright Side — at Mainsite Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., in Norman — features gallery-wide mural paintings rooted in graphology and semiotics. “My major in undergraduate school was in English, so words and writing were initially my starting point,” Clough told Oklahoma Gazette. “Language is at the foundation of each piece I create.” Lurking under the surface of each work in the exhibition, letters amalgamate with countless layers of paint and texture. Layers are at once a transparent history of the artist’s work on the canvas and a story ready to be rewritten by each viewer. Pursuing a career in art was never Clough’s original plan, but a return to her childhood passion as an adult pushed her to reconsider. “I’ve loved painting and drawing since I was really young but never had any formal lessons until I was an adult,” she said. “I took an introduction to painting course at Oklahoma City University several years back, and that’s really what set me on this path.” Although she has lived in Baltimore for several years, Clough never lost touch with the art community in the Oklahoma City metro. After completing her thesis project at MICA, she approached Mainsite with her graduate work and new ideas. The beauty of Clough’s nonlinear entrance into art is evident in her layered, large-scale pieces. No singular theme or meaning can simply be discovered; instead, The Bright Side emphasizes the
experiential aspects of art. “I created these works to interact with audiences,” said Clough. “The game hide and seek came to mind when envisioning how audiences would see the different layers in each piece.” Deconstructing reality and mixing meanings, the murals create an immersive experience. From a distance, neon letters take on an almost material form. Viewed closer, each mural contains seemingly thousands of different stories, ideas and sensations. Viewers can choose to see each work in a number of ways. Because of their different fluorescent and phosphorescent paint layers, the pieces change according to the time of day. Upon entering the exhibition, visitors can also choose to decode and discover meanings with special ultraviolet flashlights, simultaneously revealing and concealing parts of each painting. Ultimately calling into question the nature of perception, Clough’s work challenges and delights the senses. “It’s exciting to give audiences a certain
“The Integrity of Disbelief” by Sarah Clough Image Sarah Clough / Mainsite Contemporary Art / provided
ANTI-AGING SERvICES
MICRODERMABRASION
level of control,” said Clough. “I used to feel like contemporary art was this exclusive, kind of ‘you get it or you don’t’ genre. Giving the viewer different ways to see work makes art less impenetrable and more open to interpretation.” Graduate school significantly connected the artist to an equally layered network of people and ideas. Clough attributes her time as an MFA student in Baltimore to her love for the dynamic, subjective nature of contemporary art.
It’s empowering for viewers to create their own subjective meaning. Sarah Clough “Working next to other artists was a mind-opening and challenging experience,” she said. “Learning about the recent history of art and receiving critical feedback on my work was invaluable to my growth as an artist.” The original concept for The Bright Side emerged out of her MFA thesis project, and many of the works she produced at MICA are on display at Mainsite. Clough’s first solo exhibition, however, frees her work from sometimes-rigid academic settings and allows each piece to take on a life of its own. “It’s been so rewarding to see this exhibition through different perspectives, different times of day and, most importantly, in different lighting scenarios,” said Clough. “It’s empowering for viewers to create their own subjective meaning, and Mainsite has helped facilitate that possibility.” As timely as ever, Clough’s works reveal the unfeasible nature of a singular meaning while creating an appreciation for the many languages, mediums and meanings available to viewers. Just like her ever-changing artworks, Clough’s future is optimistically open to possibility. “You know, my plans change every year,” she said. “I used to be set on only teaching art, but now I’m very much invested in continuing to create. I want keep learning and give myself the space to explore new ideas.” The Bright Side will be on display at Mainsite through Jan. 12. The gallery is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 6-10 p.m. the second Friday of each month, and admission is free. Visit mainsitecontemporaryart.com.
The Bright Side 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 6-10 p.m. the second Friday of each month through Jan. 12
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ARTS & CULTURE Adèle Wolf divides her time between OKC and Paris, France. | Photo Bisous Paris / Adèle Wolf / provided
choreography, I’m making my costume by hand, it makes it really fulfilling artistically. I get a lot of joy out of that.” Wolf’s Dec. 31 show at Oklahoma City Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., will be her sixth New Year’s Eve performance. “With my show, I really wanted to bring something different, something, like, really high quality,” Wolf said. “I travel around the world, and I’ve seen Moulin Rouge in Paris, I’ve seen Crazy Horse in Paris. So I really think about those productions a lot, high-quality productions, when I’m creating my show, and I want to bring something like that for Oklahoma City.”
t h eater
Cast list
Celebrating burlesque
Adèle Wolf’s New Year’s Eve variety show returns for a sixth year. By Jeremy Martin
Rooted in pre-Prohibition vaudeville and late 19th-century can-can dancing, burlesque is well over 100 years old, and even though Adèle Wolf has only been performing for seven, she has already seen an evolution in the attitude of Oklahoma City audiences. “When I first started, a lot of people had a bad idea about burlesque,” Wolf said. “They didn’t really know what to expect at my shows. It was really like pulling teeth to even get a venue … but at this point, about 50 percent of our audience is regulars, and many of them have been coming for many, many years. A lot of them plan their holidays around us.” 30
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Watching YouTube videos about burlesque, Wolf became fascinated with the art form and started her own production company “out of necessity,” producing monthly shows for a year before deciding to concentrate on larger themed productions for Halloween, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve and producing the annual Oklahoma City Burlesque Festival, which takes place in June. “Coming from theater especially, where you’re playing someone else’s character, you’re saying someone else’s words, everything is someone else’s vision,” Wolf said. “For that reason, burlesque, where I’m choosing my music, I’m creating my
Though she originally discovered burlesque on the internet, Wolf has a deep appreciation for its past, something she tries to reflect in the content of her shows by paying tribute to its early stars. “For New Year’s, we really try to acknowledge the history of burlesque and kind of celebrate that, so one of the acts I’ll be doing is a tribute to, actually, Natalie Wood’s portrayal as Gypsy Rose Lee from the first film adaptation of Gypsy, so that’s my old number that I’m bringing back with something new that I won’t say,” Wolf said, laughing. Other scheduled acts include local cabaret singer Renee Anderson; Aalim Bellydance Academy’s Shira Amar; Minneapolis-based aerialist Kitson Sass, who won the award for best variety act at this year’s OKC Burlesque Festival; and Raven Rose, a dancer from Hot Springs, Arkansas, whose act also recalls burlesque’s formative years in the early 20th century. “We’ve had a lot of different props in the show,” Wolf said. “We’ve had fullsized bathtubs, I’ve danced with my snake before, we have all sorts of fun stuff, but I think this is the first time we will have a traditional balloon dance … that’s like a very old-school, classic burlesque prop to dance with a giant balloon … Sally Rand-style.”
Continental attitudes
Wolf currently divides her time between
Minneapolis-based aerialist Kitson Sass is slated to perform at Adèle Wolf’s New Year’s Eve Bash. | Photo Benji Sukmanee / Adèle Wolf / provided
OKC and Paris, France, and outside the shows she produces herself, Wolf said she performs more in Europe these days, where burlesque is received differently. “People really don’t bat an eyelash at it,” Wolf said. “They just understand it’s a show. They have a completely different attitude towards nudity in relation to art, so it’s a lot more open. You also have an interesting dynamic of some Europeans not being interested in burlesque because nudity is so normalized that they’re like, ‘OK, well, why would I want to see this?’ … It’s a different attitude in Europe. People bring their children to Moulin Rouge; it’s totally normal.” Uninitiated American audiences, on the other hand, are often not sure whether to expect a family-friendly act or something better suited to a strip club. The truth is somewhere between the two. “They either think it’s going to be a lot dirtier than it is or they don’t think it’s going to be risqué at all,” Wolf said. But at this point, Wolf said the audiences at her local productions know what’s in store and are notably supportive. “We have performers come from literally around the world, and so many of them, they tell me that they’ve never performed for an audience like mine before, and that’s because Oklahomans are really warm, for one, I think,” Wolf said. “And Oklahomans are also very dedicated fans. Whether it’s sports or burlesque, if they are a fan, they are there. So still, my home audience is one of my very favorite in the world to perform for.” Wolf credits the city with her success and said she’ll always consider it her home. “I would not be able to have done the things I’ve done in another place. I love Oklahoma City,” she said. “I’m not ready to become a full-time European quite yet.”
Adèle Wolf’s Burlesque & Variety Show New Year’s Eve Bash 10 p.m. Dec. 31 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center 3000 General Pershing Blvd. adelewolf.com | 405-951-0000 $25-$40
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Classy classic
Opening Night returns for its 32nd year as an OKC New Year’s Eve institution. By Ben Luschen
It seems that nearly everyone who has spent at least a few years living in Oklahoma City has at some point gathered downtown with thousands of other revelers for Opening Night fireworks in Bicentennial Park. Opening Night, the annual New Year’s Eve celebration organized by Arts Council Oklahoma City, enters its 32nd year Dec. 31. Depending on the weather, between 20,000 and 50,000 people are expected to attend the night of music, entertainment, food and, of course, the big midnight firework finale and ballraising ceremony. “It’s very dramatic,” Opening Night co-chair Carissa Stevens said. “This will be probably the highlight of the evening.” While the fireworks display is free and open to the public (it is hard to charge for something that can be seen in the sky for miles), the night’s other planned entertainment and activities, which begin at 7 p.m., are only open to those who have purchased a wristband. Wristbands are $8 in advance and $10 the night of the show and can be purchased in advance at Plenty Mercantile, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Myriad Botanical Gardens and metro-area 7-Eleven and MidFirst Bank locations. Wristbands will also be sold in the lobbies of Civic Center Music Hall and Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library the night of the event. Opening Night has become a tradition for many. This year’s festivities stick close to its tried-and-true formula for a good time, but with a few exciting twists. This is the 10th year in which the Oklahoma City Thunder has hosted a home game on New Year’s Eve. To commemorate the occasion, the team has partnered with the arts council to bring in PixMob, a company that uses LED
Depending on the weather, Arts Council Oklahoma City said crowds for Opening Night 2018 could swell as large as 50,000. | Photo Arts Council Oklahoma City / provided
wristbands to project visual effects over a large crowd. “Basically it turns every person in the crowd into a pixel, like an LCD TV,” said Opening Night co-chair Justin Newton. “They have a control center that can put images and lighting effects into the crowd.” PixMob’s technology has been used in Super Bowl halftime performances, like during Bruno Mars’s set in 2014. Newton said the LED wristbands will also be active during the grand finale.
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This year, Opening Night adds an eighth stage to its hub of downtown performance sites. The downtown library’s fourth-floor theater will host performances by classical guitarist Edgar Cruz. Cruz is a crowdfavorite who returns to Opening Night after missing last year’s celebration. Neo-soul, R&B and hip-hop duo Adam & Kizzie are featured in Civic Center Music Hall’s Meinders Hall of Mirrors. The couple has received a lot of attention recently as a finalist for the international $1 million Megastar competition. The family-friendly act will also be joined in the area by the Bricktown Clowns of Oklahoma City clown troop. Impromptu and hilarious OKC Improv performances — one of Opening Night’s most popular annual draws — will be found in Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s auditorium. Near the museum lobby, attendees can also hear music by continued on page 32
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Oklahoma Celtic band The House Session. Magic by Michael King’s One-Man Circus can be seen in the City Hall lobby. Steelwind bluegrass duo performs in the hall’s council chambers. Latin band Brisa Sur performs in the library’s atrium. Eleven total food trucks will be on hand and eager to serve up diners’ last meals of 2017. Bacon N’ Cakin’, Eddie’s Wings on Wheels, Hijos Taqueria, Junction Coffee, Let’s Do Greek, MacTastic, Pitchfork Kitchen and Bakery, Sizzle N Spice, Snow S’more, Taste of Soul Chicken and Waffle, Tasty Beats and Wicked Hangry will be gathered near Finale Alley at Bicentennial Park, just east of Civic Center Music Hall. Leading up to the finale, people can enjoy music from The Wise Guys, an OKC institution of a cover band that has been around since the 1970s and plays everything from The Beach Boys to Maroon 5.
Running start
New Year’s is a holiday known for extravagant outfits, but those who stop by in the afternoon to check out the 2018 Opening Night Finale 5K, in which participants are encouraged to come in costume, should be prepared to see some added panache. “Last year, we had someone who came in head-to-toe silver,” said arts council communications director Lindsey Pendleton, “like lamé shorts and a tank top and then their whole body was painted silver.” The 5K event, now in its fifth year, has become somewhat of a tradition on its own. “It’s still sort of in its younger years,” Pendleton said. “We keep building a good base for it each year. We keep increasing the numbers of runners, and we’ve been trying to keep it interesting by changing up the course and making sure that we offer a new and exciting experience for our runners each year.” The 5K, which begins 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, has implemented a new 32
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The band Orquestra D’Calle has performed at a previous Opening Night. This year, guests can enjoy a wide variety of entertainment to keep them occupied before the ball-raising ceremony at midnight. | Photo Arts Council Oklahoma City / provided
course this year. Runners begin at Bicentennial Park and make their way south down N. Walker Avenue toward the Oklahoma River. The course circles back shortly after hitting the Oklahoma River Trail and comes back up Walker and to the starting point. Arts council project director Seth Lewis said the new course is partially intended to show off the river trails. The race is a certified 5K and can be used by runners to qualify for other events. Advance registration can be done online at artscouncilokc.com/openingnight. Runner packets can be picked up at Red Coyote Running and Fitness and the first 250 entrants receive a free Opening Night tech running shirt.
Volunteers needed
In addition to the annual Festival of the Arts in April, Opening Night is one of the biggest events Arts Council Oklahoma City puts on each year. It takes a lot of work for the small staff to pull it off. Co-chairs Newton and Stevens are both volunteers. “There are staffers that have been doing work here at the Arts Council since the spring,” Newton said. Those interested in helping out with Opening Night festivities can find volunteer applications on the arts council website. “It’s a super fun event to volunteer at because it’s high-energy and everyone’s having fun. Everyone wants to be there.”
Opening Night 7 p.m.-midnight Dec. 31 Bicentennial Park | 500 Couch Drive artscouncilokc.com | 405-270-4848 Free-$10
cover
Midnight revelry The Oklahoma City metro is chock-full of New Year’s Eve festivities. By Jeremy Martin
In Ecuador, they burn effigies. In Spain, they eat a dozen grapes as the clock strikes midnight. In Ireland, they bang bread against the doorways and windows. In Russia, they wait for the fur-bedecked winter wizard Ded Moroz to deliver presents to children. This New Year’s Eve, residents of the Oklahoma City metro will get the chance to toast with champagne, watch fireworks, strike yoga poses and listen to bands with names like Shocker Boys. Every culture rings in the New Year in its own way.
New Years Dance by the Oklahoma City Pow Wow Club and Tulsa Indian Club
3 p.m. Dec. 31- 1 a.m. Jan. 1 University of Central Oklahoma 100 N. University Drive, Edmond facebook.com/oklahomacitypowwowclub 405-923-1254 | Free
Celebrate the new year by commemorating the old. Two of Oklahoma’s longestlived Native heritage organizations, Tulsa Indian Club and Oklahoma City Pow Wow Club, team up with the University of Central Oklahoma’s Native American Faculty & Staff Association and the Blackbear Descendants to host an evening of dancing and celebration hosted by emcee Eugene Blackbear.
Disco Fever New Year’s Eve Party
8 p.m. Dec. 31- 1 a.m. Jan. 1 Riverwind Casino 1544 Oklahoma Highway 9, Norman riverwind.com 405-322-6464 | $35
Disco doesn’t suck, and it never died (it will survive), so what better way to make 2018 feel mighty real than by stayin’ alive, shaking your groove thing and getting your “Le Freak” on in Showplace Theatre at Norman’s Riverwind Casino and Hotel? Get down tonight.
New Year’s Eve at Noir Bistro & Bar 8 p.m. Dec. 31- 1 a.m. Jan. 1 Noir Bistro & Bar 701 W. Sheridan Ave. facebook.com/noirbistro 405-208-4233 | Free
OKC’s film-noir-themed bistro and bar will suspend its dinner service on NYE, but it will offer appetizers to soak up the drinks and the all-important champagne toast at midnight. Belt “Auld Lang Syne” or whatever else you feel like into a microphone because there’s karaoke as well as a dance floor if you’d rather just twerk it out the way Humphrey Bogart would’ve.
Okie Tonk Cafe NYE Bash with Life of the Party 9 p.m. Dec. 31- 2 a.m. Jan. 1 Okie Tonk Cafe 1003 SW 19th St., Moore okietonk.com 405-603-8665 | $10
There’s no pressure to be the life of the party when the Life of the Party is already onstage, doing its thing into amplification devices. The four-piece band covers hip-hop, country, disco, rock and Top 40 favorites with an eclectic party playlist that includes everything from Cross Canadian Ragweed to Iggy Azalea and KISS. After you’ve worked up an appetite on the dance floor, Okie Tonk’s menu offers all manner of Southern-fried and pub favorites.
New Year’s Eve Dinner
5 p.m. Dec. 31- 12 a.m. Jan. 1 Oklahoma City Museum of Art 415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com 405-235-6262 $65 (tip and tax not included)
Class up the new year at Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Galleries will be open until 11 p.m., giving diners plenty of time to peruse whether they’ve made reservations at 5, 7:15 or 9:30 p.m. Live jazz played by The Music Makers will begin at 9 p.m., and the museum’s roof terrace will open at 11:30 p.m. for fireworks viewing and champagne toasting.
The Drop NYE
8:30 p.m. Dec. 31-2 a.m. Jan.1 The Jones Assembly 901 W. Sheridan Ave. thejonesassembly.com 405-212-2378 | $25-$150 21+
New Year’s Eve can be as fancy as you want it to be at The Jones Assembly. $25 gets you standing-room-only access to a performance by Norman ’90s tribute
act My So Called Band, and $75 gets you all-venue access including VIP entry to the T Room mezzanine cocktail lounge and patio plus hors d’oeuvres and a champagne toast at midnight. Drop $100 and you get all of the above plus a prix-fixe dinner ($25 extra for a wine pairing or a reserved table during the show, $50 extra for both).
New Year’s Eve in Midtown
8 p.m. Dec. 31-2 a.m. Jan. 1 O Bar (Seventh Floor of Ambassador Hotel) 1200 N. Walker Ave. obarokc.com 405-898-8170 | $20
The seventh floor of OKC’s Ambassador Hotel will host a swinging shindig featuring a DJ-equipped dance floor, party favors and a dinner, wine and cocktail menu. Guests will be treated to a sparkling wine toast on arrival, or they can spring for champagne bottle service and get the VIP treatment all night with a reserved table.
New Year’s Eve at Brewsky’s Bar & Grill
9 p.m. Dec. 31-2 a.m. Jan. 1 Brewsky’s Bar & Grill 2600 S. Meridian Ave. facebook.com/brewskeysbar.andgrill 405-601-1155
If you wanna know what the new year has in store at Brewskey’s, look no further than the headlining band, self-styled ’80s heavy metal tribute mashup band Shocker Boys featuring vocalist Deez Nuts, guitarist Snatch Munchen, bassist Kraven Morehead and drummer Wiggles Monroe (probably not their real names). Yeah, it’s gonna be that kind of party.
Okie Tonk Cafe’s New Year’s Eve Bash features cover band Life of the Party. | Photo Jessica Elle Photography /provided
New Year’s Eve 90’s Hip Hop Yoga
12-1 p.m. Dec. 31 Hidden Dragon Yoga Edmond 412 S. Broadway Ave., Edmond hiddendragonyoga.com 405-696-5652 | Free
Pre-game for the New Year the namaste way and work up a sweat at this free hourlong yoga class hosted by Hidden Dragon. Get your flex on to the tune of classic ’90s hip-hop tunes and tell yourself it will make up for all the debauchery you’ll get up to later in the day.
Masquerade
7 p.m. Dec. 31-2 a.m. Jan. 1 The Jungle 121 W. Harrison Ave., Guthrie facebook.com/inguthrieok | $10
If the traditional champagne toast is a bit too highfalutin for your taste, welcome to The Jungle, where you can try taking a hit of the bubbly from a champagne bong. Don’t worry about making a good impression either, because it’s a masquerade ball with music by cover band Wild Heart. The cost of admission also includes party favors and a four-course meal. (Warning: At midnight, everyone’s supposed to drop their masks, so maybe don’t embarrass yourself too much.)
Laugh in the New Year 8 and 10 p.m. Dec. 31 The Loony Bin 8503 N. Rockwell Ave. okc.loonybincomedy.com 405-239-4242 | $15-$30
Wring a few more laughs out of the old year with headliner Chris Porter (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Presents), feature act Matt Golightly (The Bob & Tom Show) and host Spencer Hicks (Oklahoma Gazette cover model, 2014). Tickets to the late show cost twice as much because they include party hats, noisemakers and snacks (no tomatoes provided) so you don’t accidentally ring in the new year unceremoniously.
Shocker Boys play’s Brewsky’s Bar & Grill’s New Year’s Eve party. | Photo Shocker Boys / provided
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Celebrate Christmas and the New Year at the beautiful and historic
St. Joseph Old Cathedral!
Holiday Fellowship Directory, inviting Gazette readers to houses of worship for holiday services
Holy Mass Times
Sunday, December 24th 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00pm, 4:00pm & 10:00pm Monday, December 25th 10:00am Sunday, December 31st 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00pm & 4:00pm Monday, January 1st 10:00am
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD CATHOLIC CHURCH 2017 Mass schedule
(Christmas carols sung 1/2 hour before All Masses)
chRIsTMas eVe Sunday, Dec. 24 5:00pm (Children’s Program: 4:30pm) 8:30pm, Midnight chRIsTMas daY Monday, Dec. 25 10:00am
sOleMNITY OF MaRY hOlY MOTheR OF GOd Sunday, Dec. 31 5:30pm Monday Jan. 1 10:00am
7336 W. BRITTON ROad, OKc 73132 (405) 722-2110 epiphanyokc.com 34
@epiphanyOKC
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culture
ARTS & CULTURE
Blended culture
The local community owes immigration for two of its arts pillars. By Ben Luschen
Immigration has sprung up as a hotbutton topic in 2017, and conversations on the matter often venture into the many ways it impacts various industries, education and the economy. But immigrants’ impact on arts, culture and entertainment is rarely a main focal point. Yet anyone who attends a performance by Oklahoma City Philharmonic or Oklahoma City Ballet will enjoy the work of many international artists who, in many cases, have worked strenuously behind the scenes to maintain proper documentation and legal status. Even a good number of National Basketball Association players who take the court at Chesapeake Energy Arena would not be here without filing the proper immigration paperwork. Tomasz Zieba, a cello and chamber music instructor at Oklahoma City University, said he teaches many international students, including several recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, the Obama administration policy that allowed children brought into the country by their parents without proper documentation to be eligible for a work permit. President Donald Trump has said that the United States will be ending the DACA program. Many now speculate on how Congress will handle the people currently covered by the program once their documentation expires next year. Zieba said many of his students who are DACA recipients come to class looking gloomy. “They don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” Zieba said. “It’s a scary time.” Zieba believes in the importance of immigrant presence in the classroom. Oklahoma City Philharmonic cellist Tomasz Zieba was born in Poland. | Photo provided
For many years, he himself was that presence. Many do not realize, he said, how much work it takes to maintain legal status as a non-citizen while balancing a work and/or study load. “A lot of times, they show students from the United States what it means to be a hard-working person,” he said. Oklahoma Gazette spoke with a couple of valued pieces of OKC’s cultural fabric about the importance of immigration to the local art scene.
At home
Oklahoma City Ballet principal dancer Miki Kawamura has been dancing since she was a child growing up in Japan. But even as a young girl, she had her mind set on practicing her craft in the United States. There are countries all over the world known for ballet and producing elitelevel talent. But for Kawamura, the U.S. had one key advantage that always appealed to her.
I felt like Oklahomans looked at me as one of their local artists. Miki Kawamura “I’ve always wanted to come to America to dance, since I was 13 or something,” she said. “I thought about going to some European countries, but they speak a lot of different languages. In America, everyone speaks English.” Kawamura first came to the U.S. in 2000 to dance with Eugene Ballet and Ballet Idaho in Boise. From there, she would go on to dance for the City Ballet of San Diego in California and Charleston Ballet Theatre in South Carolina. She also taught ballet for a while in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2010, Kawamura moved to Oklahoma and began working with Oklahoma City Ballet. She has danced a number of high-profile roles for the company including Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and the title roles for Paquita, Carmen, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet and Giselle. Though Kawamura first came to the U.S. on a work visa, she now has a green card. OKC Ballet currently is home to dancers from countries like South Korea, Ukraine, Brazil, Venezuela, England, Estonia and Russia. Kawamura said in the past, the company has had even greater international representation. Without immigrants, Kawamura said OKC Ballet and any other large dance company looks closed-minded. She said when someone goes to see a
Miki Kawamura has danced a number of high-profile roles for OKC Ballet. | Photo Jana Carson / provided
ballet, race and nationality become an afterthought. “In our art form, we don’t have segregation,” she said. “We don’t see foreigners dancing on stage. People only care about how well you dance.” Kawamura said she has never felt unwelcome as an immigrant in Oklahoma. Though she has lived in many other cities across the country, she never felt connected with the local community until she moved to OKC. Part of the reason for that is the city’s strong love and support for the arts. “I felt like [Oklahomans] looked at me as one of their local artists,” she said. Though Kawamura wishes the impact on arts and culture would come up more in conversations about immigration, she said the state has been a very welcoming place for her and other international artists. “As far as Oklahoma goes, they’re doing a great job balancing ballet with the other local arts organizations,” she said. “They’re bringing in a lot of things from the outside, which enriches the art community.”
Meshing ideas
When Zieba was getting his citizenship, the judge presiding over the ceremony said something about how everyone earning the status that day was there because they chose to be, not because they were born into it. “That one got me,” he said. “I was like, ‘You’re right; that’s what it is.’” In addition to his work at OCU, Zieba is an associate principal cellist for Oklahoma City Philharmonic. The native of Krakow, Poland, got his first taste of the United States in a touring teenage orchestra. He instantly fell in love with the country and spent a lot of his time thereafter plotting his return to the U.S. He made his way back to the States for a special classical music festival in Texas and grew a strong relationship with his host family there. The family saw how much he loved living in the
United States and tried to convince him to stay here and study. Zieba had limited financial resources, but after finding a job to support himself, he decided to begin attending school at Texas Christian University. “I had my cello, I had my suitcase, and I literally had $20,” he said. “That’s all I had.” He was a student in Texas for 10 years, in part because it was the only way to stay in the U.S. without a fulltime job or marrying a citizen. After Zieba’s decade of schooling, he moved back to Poland temporarily before receiving a surprise job offer from Oklahoma City University, which he soon accepted. Zieba stayed in the U.S. for many years on a work visa before becoming a full-time employee of OCU and earning his green card. He became an official U.S. citizen earlier this year. The cellist said that when people talk about immigration, they often do not consider how it impacts the local and national arts culture. “It comes from how, overall, the arts are being overlooked,” he said. “The arts are being ignored. Look at what’s happening in Oklahoma in the schools. Whenever schools have to go through budget cuts, the first programs they’re cutting out are the art and music programs.” Zieba said immigration should be cherished as one of the engines that helps propel innovation in this country. “Out of all the countries in the world, the United States is a place that attracts a lot of great, amazing people,” he said. “And it has been doing it for hundreds of years. We need to cherish that. All those people bring all their knowledge here, and it gets mingled together and, at each stage, it comes up in a better form.”
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event
ARTS & CULTURE
Victory party
Beers Not Braums celebrates the Donnay Building’s future after an uncertain 2017.
By Jacob Threadgill
There were times this year when employees of the businesses located inside the Donnay Building thought 2017 would end with them looking for a new job or location due to a re-zoning standoff led by Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores that would’ve razed the historic building. Instead, the Braum’s proposal stalled in the city planning commission after a vocal outcry from the community, and a developer has stepped up to renovate the building that dates back to 1948 without displacing its current tenants, which includes HiLo Club, Drunken Fry, Charlie’s Jazz-Rhythm & Blues Records and Classen Grill. A two-night end-of-the-year concert that originally started as a rally to save the building has turned into a celebration. Beers Not Braums is 9 p.m. Dec. 30 at HiLo, 1221 NW 50th St., and 9 p.m. Dec. 31 at Drunken Fry, 5100 Classen Circle.
Helping hand
News of the Donnay Building’s perilous situation reached Denver, Colorado, where Aaron Howell, lead singer of the metal band MF Ruckus, knew he had to do something to help his friends in Oklahoma City. Howell met friends in Oklahoma City through a worldwide fun club of the Norwegian band Turbonegro called Turbojungend. Howell, along with MF Ruckus’ guitarist Tony Lee and bassist Logan O’Connor, arranged to meet up with the Oklahoma City chapter of Turbojungend while in town for a concert at the HiLo five or six years ago. “Out of all the chapters we’ve met from around the world, they’re the nicest, most hospitable, most fun and insane group of people you’ll ever meet,” Howell said. The friendship continued as MF Ruckus came back into town to play at The Blue Note, spending most of their time eating and drinking at the HiLo,
Classen Grill and Drunken Fry. “That little circle of businesses is kind of the nexus of the dirty rock scene in OKC,” Howell said. “It houses a thriving underground cultural scene.” Howell organized the double bill of Beers Not Braums, which will feature two separate performances from MF Ruckus, with no repeats. Lee’s band the Blind Staggers will provide support, along with local band Your Mom. Howell said each of the shows will be recorded for a live album, and a videographer has been hired to create a few accompanying music videos.
“We wanted to go down and show support for our people for a thing that keeps their community [together] that was in danger of being taken away,” Howell said. “Now that we’ve gotten some good news, it’s kind of a victory celebration. Score one for the counterculture.” Howell’s high-energy rock and roll career began in 1997 while still in high school, but MF Ruckus was formed in 2011 as the nexus of bands from Chicago and Denver. MF Ruckus has earned fans across the United States and Europe for
A Territorial Christmas
Pioneer Woman’s Christmas
A Moment In Time
Hit the Bricks at the Holidays
Take a journey back in time to historic Guthrie to tour the Victorian-inspired downtown, enjoy a savory culinary experience and an evening at the theatre with Pollard’s family classic, A Territorial Christmas Carol. A true Oklahoma tradition, this version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption and brotherly love is set in the days of the Oklahoma Land Run. The evening is topped with a drive back through neighborhood Christmas light displays. The perfect holiday date night!
Relish in the spirit of Pioneer Women during this exclusive, 10hour guided excursion. Your journey includes a tour of the spectacular Crystal Bridge and visits to the Pioneer Woman Museum & Statue and Marland Mansion & Estates. Next, it’s off to see The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, and shop at the Mercantile before enjoying an exclusive four-course culinary experience. Finish the day with a private wine tasting at StableRidge Winery on historic Route 66.
Two experiences. First, during the day, go beyond the experience at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and gain exclusive,VIP access to the archives. A Moment in Time Illuminated: Experience at night the magnificence of Oklahoma City and walk through time to experience the history, the progress, and a moment we will always remember, a moment that changed Oklahoma City forever. Our guide will take you through an illuminated guided tour of the Outdoor Symbolic Grounds.
Four tours to celebrate the holidays in Oklahoma!
www.okctours.com TOuRS START AT $22
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TOuR DETAiLS & TiCkETS ONLiNE
MF Ruckus organized Beers Not Braums at HiLo Club and Drunken Fry. | Photo provided
Celebrate holiday history, botanical beauty, and a taste of the holidays on a festive, guided stroll through downtown Oklahoma City this holiday season. Your journey includes a tour of the spectacular Crystal Bridge and stops at the historic Skirvin Hotel, BC Clark, Devon Energy Center, Red Earth Treefest, and a wine tasting at Waters Edge Winery!
its brand of classic rock-infused metal. “MF Ruckus is incredible live and a sight to be seen,” said Topher Copeland, HiLo’s bar manager. “Aaron is insane because he climbs rafters, ceiling fans, and generally is all over the place.”
Approaching light
Copeland said it was a “no-brainer” to book the band when it inquired about the end-of-the-year show. “It’s a nice way to close out 2017, especially now with a positive light of being able to stay in the building and not being run off by a burger joint,” Copeland said.
Topher Copeland is HilLo Club’s bar manager. | Photo Jacob Threadgill
Local developers Josh Thomas and Don Hays are working to finalize a deal to refurbish the seven-decade-old building, Sauceda-Copeland said. “[Thomas] is a young guy with great ideas,” Copeland said. “It’s nice to have a fresh mind on the situation that understands the dynamics of the building and the tenants. It’s still a work in progress. T’s have to be crossed and i’s have to be dotted, but for us, it’s a light at the end of the tunnel. They are coming in with the idea of keeping us there and giving the
building the TLC that is so desperately needs and keeping us established as one of the iconic landmarks of the city.” Copeland moved to Oklahoma City from San Francisco in 1999 and experienced quite a bit of culture shock, he said, until he discovered the HiLo, which is one of the city’s oldest LGBTQ venues. “I walked in for the first time, I was in love. It reminded me of so many places in San Francisco,” he said of the club where he has worked for 10 years. “I found something I could relate to and feel comfortable being out.” The rezoning application was submitted by Braum’s in July and withdrawn in October after stalled votes in the planning commission and public demonstrations organized by Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid. Copeland said he heard from older generations of people who frequented the HiLo 30 and 40 years ago, who were bolstered by enthusiastic younger generations on the ground. “We were coming at it from all directions,” he said. “We were able to scare [Braum’s] off, or maybe they came to their senses. They’re an Oklahoma-based company that is about family, and I think they realized it was a fight they didn’t want to be involved in.”
HiLo Club hosts Beers Not Braums Dec. 30. | Photo Jacob Threadgill
Beers Not Braums 9 p.m. Dec. 30 HiLo Club | 1221 NW 50th St. 9 p.m. Dec. 31 Drunken Fry | 5100 Classen Circle mfruckus.com | Free
12/15 01/19
The state of art Experience a snapshot of contemporary art in Oklahoma at ArtNow 2018. This exhibition celebrates Oklahoma’s diverse art scene and features 25 artists across many media. Learn more at bit.ly/ArtNowOKC.
oklahomacontemporary.org | @okcontemporary | 3000 General Pershing Blvd. | Oklahoma City
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ARTS & CULTURE
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Small actions
A simple methodology continues to produce powerful results for Oklahoma City-based World Neighbors. By Laura Eastes
World Neighbors — an independent nonprofit that works to “create permanent change in some of the poorest places on earth” — began with Oklahoma City’s John L. Peters preaching a sermon titled “Let’s Deal with Basic Issues.” The premise behind World Neighbors was simple: Help others help themselves. More than 60 years later, the international development organization’s president and chief financial officer Kate Schecter said World Neighbors continues that legacy. The organization’s projects begin with simple and practical solutions that progressively target complex challenges, like issues around hunger, poverty and disease, but also natural disasters, migration and climate change. The solutions always begin by investing in the local people and their communities, inspiring them to create their own solutions through programs rooted in agriculture, health, literacy, water, financial management and environmental protection. Through the organization’s work in Indonesia, where small island villages are vulnerable to a rise in sea levels, World Neighbors planted mangrove trees. The trees fend off rising seas and help protect the islands from stronger tropical storms caused by climate change. “With the help of the Indonesian government, thousands and thousands of mangrove trees were planted to prevent water rising and consuming the communities on the shoreline,” said Schecter of a recent project resulting from a cooperative agreement with the United States Agency for International Development. Across the world in Guatemala, where
World Neighbors has teamed up with Starbucks Foundation, a priority has been placed on improving the lives of farmers and their families in coffee-growing communities. Early on, World Neighbors learned that families weren’t growing their own food. Through training workshops on community health and sustainable agriculture, locals learned to produce their own crops, like corn and beans, as well as how to produce a surplus for selling and generating income. “The focus is simple: farmers and their families,” Schecter said. “The farmers are trained to become leaders teaching the next family.” Mangrove trees in Indonesia and family gardens in Guatemala are just the tip of the work by Oklahoma Citybased World Neighbors, which is currently interacting with 500,000 people in 13 counties. The support of World Neighbors has impacted more than 26 million people in 45 counties since its inception in 1951.
Difference maker
There has long been a view presented by World Neighbors leaders’ that the organization is one of a kind among Oklahoma nonprofits but also other international development nonprofits. The difference is the innovative and holistic approach that World Neighbors has long taken to help strengthen impoverished communities. Programs are established after listening and collaborating with locals. They are implemented with the support of locals and other partner organizations. World Neighbors’ approach attracted Schecter to the organization in summer
left A Guatemalan woman stands in front of plastic bottles growing seeds, part of the training provided by World Neighbors. above World Neighbors president Kate Schecter. | Photos provided
of 2014. With a background in international aid work, she had witnessed too many “good intentions gone awry” and recognized the strength in World Neighbors’ programs that create lasting change rather than a short-term fix. In addition to World Neighbors’ methodology, Schecter saw strength in the support from Oklahoma families who have consistently supported World Neighbors since the organization’s beginning. Because of its high-caliber programs, World Neighbors has also attracted financial support from wellknown national foundations such as Ford Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. More than a year ago, World Neighbors and Feed the Children ended their three-year strategic collaboration in which World Neighbors served as a subsidy of the other Oklahoma Citybased nonprofit. The collaboration came after World Neighbors’ financial struggles following the economic crisis that began in 2008. Now, as an independent nonprofit once again, the organization is on a solid financial footing, allowing its programs to thrive and Peters’ legacy to live on hundreds and thousands of miles away from Oklahoma City. Sixty-six years after World Neighbors began as a grassroots movement for Oklahomans to help their global neighbors realize their full human potential, Oklahomans remain committed to cause. Schecter frequents Oklahoma colleges and civic meetings, making presentations about the work of World Neighbors. “There is a desire to hear what’s happening,” Schecter said, “and an interest to engage globally.”
CALENDAR 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.
are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
Devon Ice Rink, bundle up, grab your friends and family and enjoy a great day of fresh air and skating in the prettiest spot in town, through Jan. 28. Monday-Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3-11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-200-1547, myriadgardens.com. FRI
BOOKS
FOOD
Reading Wednesdays, share your love for reading with your young children with seasonal, naturethemed books along with an interactive song and crafts, 10 a.m. Dec. 20. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens. com. WED
Plaza Beer Walk, with Stonecloud Brewing Company, bring a heavy coat, socks, gloves and more to donate to help out fellow citizens, 5-10 p.m. Dec. 27. Stonecloud Brewing Company, 1012 NW 1st St., 405-602-3966, stonecloudbrewing.com.
I Have Autism, Who Will Be My Voice?, join Mary Ann Puckett as she signs and discusses her book, a must-read for anyone who is dealing with autism, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED
YOUTH Winter Break Science Camp, kids can chill with SMO at winter break camp while learning some cool science, Dec. 20-29. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.
Read for Adventure, the OKC Zoo and Metropolitan Library Systems have partnered to publish the children’s book, “Our Day at the Zoo” and to create a community Read for Adventure program enabling readers to check out the new book from any of the 19 Metro Library locations, through March 31. Metropolitan Library System, 300 Park Ave., 405-231-8650, metrolibrary.org.
FILM The Dead, (1987, USA, John Huston), based on James Joyce’s story The Dubliners, in which a couple attends a dinner in celebration of the 12 days of Christmas, resulting in an epiphany for both of them, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, (USA, 1989, Jeremiah S. Chechik) a comedy about the Griswold family as they plan the perfect Christmas but everything goes awry, 7 p.m. Dec. 22. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. FRI
It’s a Wonderful Life and Die Hard Enjoy a heartwarming classic with George Bailey (James Stewart), whose wish to never have been born comes true in It’s a Wonderful Life 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. Then watch John McClane (Bruce Willis) as he saves a group of hostages on Christmas Eve in Die Hard 7 p.m. Tuesday at Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16, 150 E. Reno Ave. Tickets are $5. Call 405-2314747 or visit harkins.com. SATURDAY AND TUESDAY Photo provided Brazil, (1985, USA, Terry Gilliam), Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), in a retro-future world, tries to resolve a clerical error but ends up becoming an enemy of the state, 8 p.m. Dec. 22. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI Metropolitan, (1990, USA, Whit Stillman), Manhattan socialites experience the winter gala season when an outsider joins their group and stirs things up, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 23. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. SAT The Shawshank Redemption, (USA, 1994, Frank Darabont) convicted for the murders of his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) experiences the brutality of prison life, 7 p.m. Dec. 27. Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St., 405-708-6937, towertheatreokc.com. WED A Christmas Tale, (USA, 2008, Arnaud Desplechin), a comedy-drama about a woman who needs a bone-marrow transplant from a blood relative so the family gathers just in time for Christmas, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU
HAPPENINGS Winter Solstice Night in the Gardens, an evening with solstice crafts for kids, skating at Devon Ice Rink, decor and lights at the Crystal Bridge and more, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 21. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens. com. THU Gingerbread House, decorate your own gingerbread house! The houses are already baked and assembled with over 30 things to decorate with, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 21. The Craft Room, 3017 N. Lee, Suite F, 817-455-2972, craftroom.us. THU Holiday Extravaganza, features pictures with Santa, activities for kids, Cookie Dough To Go food truck and discounts with a portion of sales benefiting services for adults with developmental disabilities, 2-4 p.m. Dec. 22. EARC Thrift Store, 92 E. 15th St., Edmond, 405-341-7132, earcinc.org. FRI
State of Oklahoma: ArtNow 2018 This exhibit features 25 local artists including Christine Aria, Jason Cytacki, Clint Stone and more. It provides tours, artist talks and a chance for guests to learn about the artists’ creative process 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays through Jan. 19 at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd. Admission is free. Call 405-951-0000 or visit oklahomacontemporary.org. WEDNESDAY- JAN. 19 Photo Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center/provided
Winter Nights, immerse yourself in the smell, sights and sounds of Christmas with music, beautiful trees and a fire pit, 7-8:30, Dec. 22. Wells Family Christmas Tree Farm, 4091 E. Franklin Road, Norman, 405-4733300, wellschristmastrees.com. FRI Living Nativity, walk through the nativity scene and pet animals as traditional figures are portrayed by members of the church. 6-7 p.m. Dec. 23. First United Methodist Church of Edmond, 305 E. Hurd St., Edmond, 405-341-0107, fumcedmond.org. SAT Christmas for the City, free for the whole family with a photo booth, Christmas songs and the true story of Christmas; service times are 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Dec. 24. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. SUN Home for the Holidays, enjoy a Christmas potluck and community outreach dinner for those who do not have a place to celebrate, 2-4 p.m. Dec. 25.
Church of the Open Arms, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 405-525-9555, openarms.org. MON Holiday Pop-Up Shops, with over 40 shops rotating weekly, you can find something for everyone on your list, through Dec. 23. OKC Pop-Ups, 399 NW 10th St., okcpopups.com. Photos with Santa, bring the kids for a photo with Santa and a chance to give him their Christmas wish list, through Dec. 24. Penn Square Mall, 1901 Northwest Expressway, 405-841-2696, simon.com/ mall/penn-square-mall. 12 Days of Catmas, a Central Oklahoma Humane Society fee-waived cat adoption event for cats six months and older, through Dec. 24. Oklahoma Humane Society, 7500 N. Western Ave., 405-2861229, okhumane.org. Kingfisher Winter Nights, venture through over 200 lit trees and animated displays and enjoy music, food trucks, ice skating and more, through Dec. 25, 6-9:30 p.m. Kingfisher City Park, Highway 33 and Park Road, Kingfisher, 405-375-3705, kingfisher.org.
Santa’s Magic Key Storytime, bring the kids for story time with Santa Claus as well as coloring and activities, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Dec. 23. Barnes & Noble, Norman, 540 Ed Noble Parkway, Norman, 405-5798800, barnesandnoble.com. SAT Kids Free Over Winter Break, free admission for kids age 17 and under to visit special exhibitions and enjoy hands-on activities, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 26-31. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. Christmas in the Park, a magical wonderland of visual entertainment. Drive, walk, or take the Yukon’s Best Express train through miles of illuminated fun in three interconnected city parks, 6-11 p.m. through Dec. 31. Chisholm Trail Park, 500 W. Vandament, Yukon, 405-350-8937, yukonok.gov. Explore Evolution, explore the evolution of life and learn about all of Earth’s organisms, from rapidly evolving viruses to whales that walked, through Dec. 31. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. When the Earth Shakes, Learn all about the science of earthquakes, tsunamis and tectonic plates while being immersed in interactive exhibits explaining the science behind earthquakes, through Jan. 2. Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SMO Early Explorers, toddlers and preschoolers explore science through hands-on activities that can be easily replicated at home during a come-
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Holiday Lights Spectacular, enjoy an amazing 118foot Christmas tree, tunnel lights, Santa fly fishing in a waterfall, elves baking in the candy factory and more, Sun-Thu 6- 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 6-11 p.m. through Dec. 30. Joe B. Barnes Regional Park, 8700 E. Reno Ave., Midwest City, 405-739-1293, midwestcityok.org. Free Holiday Water Taxi Rides, rides are narrated and holiday-themed along Bricktown canal decorated with beautiful Christmas lights, 6-9 p.m. Thu-Sun through Dec. 31. Bricktown Canal, 115 E. California Ave., 405-234-8263, downtownindecember.com. Parlor Car Tours, take a guided walk through Science Museum Oklahoma’s fully-restored Pullman Parlor Car and get a glimpse of how people traveled in style during the early 20th century. Normally closed to the public, parlor car tours are available only during the holiday season, through Jan . 1. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. Film Row Light Display, a location that once housed the offices of major Hollywood film studios is lit up this holiday season showcasing rich history and vibrance, through Jan. 1. Film Row, 700 W. Sheridan Ave., filmrowokc.com. Bricktown Canal Lights, enjoy festive Bricktown with holiday lights along the canal with dining and shopping, through Jan1. Bricktown Canal, 115 E. California Ave., 405-234-8263, downtownindecember.com. Red Earth Tree Fest, features 25 Christmas trees decorated with handmade ornaments and art objects created by Oklahoma Native Tribes, 10-3 p.m. weekdays, through Jan. 5. Red Earth Art Center, 6 Santa Fe Plaza, 405-427-5228, redearth.org. Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness, explores the interconnectedness of wellness, illness and cultural life for Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Jan. 17. Sam Noble Museum,
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
Winter Break Drop-In Activities Visit the galleries and Prosperity Junction, the museum’s turn-of-the-century frontier town and locate Howe and Dee, the museum’s very own cowboy elves, and claim a special prize 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and TuesdayDec. 31 at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St. The museum is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Admission is free-$12.50. Call 405-478-2250 or visit nationalcowboymusuem.org. THURSDAY-SATURDAY AND TUESDAY-Dec. 31 Photo The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum/provided
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calendar How the Comics Stole Christmas, a comedy show highlighting the top upcoming comedians in OKC giving the gift of laughter this holiday season, 7-9:30 p.m. Dec. 23. Venu Lounge, 224 E. Main St., 405-698-2337, venuokc.com. SAT Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, celebrating the recent anniversary of 30 years since the first Christmas album and 40 years since the first Fresh Aire album and includes dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 26. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. TUE Lyric’s A Christmas Carol, experience the production of Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol with a stunning set and sparkling costumes. Go on a magical journey with Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, through Dec. 24. Lyric Theatre, 1727 N.W. 16th St., 405-524-9312, lyrictheatreokc.com. WED
ACTIVE Winter Break Printers Workshop Learn about printmaking, experiment with techniques and take your own print home. Teaching artist Erin Latham collaborates with members of the [Artspace] team to assist with printmaking techniques 1-4 p.m. Dec. 27-30 at Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive. Tickets are free-$12. Call 405-236-3100 or visit okcmoa.com. DEC. 27-30 Photo Oklahoma City Museum of art/provided
calendar
continued from page 39 and-go weekly event, 10-11 a.m. every Wednesday. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.
SMO Storytime Science, kids age 6 and under read a story and follow it up with a fun, scientific activity that is included with general admission, 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. YES, a radically inclusive LGBTQ+ youth group for ages 13-21 featuring movies, music, dinner, monthly fandom nights with positive, knowledgeable staff and peers, 7 p.m. Thursdays. Expressions Community Center, 2245 NW 39th St., 405-5701638, bethechange.org.
PERFORMING ARTS Blue Christmas, a late-night Christmas revue of lude humor, risque songs and sketch comedy intended for mature audiences directed by Corie Melaugh with Cristela Carrizales, Emily Etherton, and more, 10-11 p.m. Dec. 22-23. The Paramount OKC, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-637-9389, citycabaretokc.com.
Drop-In Yoga, learn how to witness where you are and shed anything that isn’t part of your non-changing nature with yoga, 5:45 p.m. Dec. 21. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Christmas Eve Flow, relieve some holiday stress with Flow yoga for all levels on Christmas Eve, 9-10 a.m. Dec. 24. This Land Yoga, 600 NW 23rd St., 405-529-6428, thislandyoga.com. SUN Learn-to-Swim Program, giving residents of all ages and financial situations the opportunity to learn to swim with proper technique and basic water safety at their own pace offered by the King Marlin Swim Club, ongoing, Lighthouse Sports, Fitness and Health, 3333 W. Hefner Road, 405-845-5672, marlinswimamerica. com. Co-Ed Open Adult Volleyball, play volleyball with your friends in a competitive, but friendly, game. Lots of fun for couples and a great way to make new friends, 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, ongoing. Jackie Cooper Gymnasium, 1024 E. Main, Yukon, 405-3541895, yukonok.gov. WED
VISUAL ARTS 24 Works on Paper, features printmaking, drawing, painting and photography with subjects of land, place and survival as well as history, dreams and desires, through Jan. 13. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-2354458, 24works.org. Art After 5, enjoy a late-night art gallery experience with an opportunity to view the galleries and museum store, 5-8 p.m. Dec. 21. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. THU Body, curated to examine how the body has been used to address the themes of movement, fragmentation and mechanization, geometry and identity, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Cartoons & Comics: The Early Art of Tom Ryan, the drawings of acclaimed Western artist Tom Ryan are displayed showcasing his creativity, talent, and humor from his teenage imagination, high school and coast guard years and his school paper’s sports
Retro Wonderland Celebrate the holiday season with Christmas and classic jazz standards in an intimate 1940s jazz club with talents Sheridan McMichael, Kendon Lacy, Courtney Crouse of The City Cabaret OKC and more 8 p.m. ThursdaySaturday at The Paramount Theatre, 11 N. Lee Ave. Tickets are $25. Call 405-5170787 or visit thecitycabaretokc.com. THURSDAY-SATURDAY Photo The City Cabaret/provided
page, through April 1, 2018. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. Ceramic Sale, get your holiday shopping done with these unique, hand-made pieces created by local artists, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. through Dec 21. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. Distinguished Visiting Artist: Robert Taylor, view the works of the Tulsa-based artist combining significant symbolism with traditional and contemporary Native American themes in his evocative paintings burrowing from multiple styles and genres such as Surrealism and Magic Realism to create mystical and often enigmatic images of nature, tribal life and spiritual rituals, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Drop-In Art: Painted Aluminum Landscapes, open to all ages, create aluminum paintings with artist Hilary Jones using the museum’s permanent collection as inspiration, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 23. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. Exhibit and Holiday Sale, several members of the Cotton County Art Council display their works and display pieces for sale, 1-5 p.m. through Dec. 23. Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, 1000 Chisholm Trail Pkwy, Duncan, 580-252-6692, onthechisholmtrail. com. Heterogeneity, Salvador Jasso presents his collection of art focusing on being diverse in character and content: people are allowed to have multiplicity, Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-4 p.m. through Jan. 15. IAO Gallery, 706 W Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, individualartists.org. Hieroglyphics 2017: The Spirit of Our People, showcasing the works of Ginna Dowling on what she calls contemporary community hieroglyphs telling the unique stories of individual worth and empowerment in relation to creative thought, through Dec. 23. Oklahoma Contemporary Showroom, 1146 N. Broadway Drive, 405-951-000, oklahomacontemporary.org. Inside/Out, explores the inspiration and development of public art works while making connections to pieces in the galleries, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. Janne Höltermann, features her work in video and photography examining the human perception and conception of space, through Dec. 30. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 405-3253272, ou.edu/fjjma. Life and Legacy: The Art of Jerome Tiger, one of Oklahoma’s most celebrated artists, Jerome Tiger, produced hundreds of works of art and won numerous awards throughout the country. Celebrate the life and legacy of this remarkable painter, through May 13, 2018. National Cowboy& Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Red Andrew’s Christmas Dinner This free OKC Christmas tradition returns with the help of volunteers and serves over 5,000 citizens young and old each year. This year’s event is 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Monday and features photos with Santa, gifts, and a warm meal at Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens. Visit redandrewsdinner.org.
Master Strokes: Dutch and Flemish Drawings from the Golden Age, showcasing 93 works from the 16th-20th centuries including masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt and Sir Anthony van Dyck. Works by lesser-known artists are also included as well as designs of architecture and the applied arts, through Jan. 21. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com.
MONDAY Photo Red Andrew’s Christmas Dinner/provided
Nihilostalgia, Steve Breerwood focuses his art on compromise between the perception of objective reality and the inner processing of its meaning, Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-4 p.m. through Jan. 15. IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 405-232-6060, iaogallery.org. Reclamation Re-Creation, an exhibition celebrating 20 years of [Artspace] showing a timeline of major exhibitions and milestones, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through Dec. 30. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405815-6665, 1ne3.org. Small Works VII, enjoy an exhibit showcasing regional and local artists with works ranging from landscapes to abstracts, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, through Dec. 22. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 405-307-9320, pasnorman.org. The Art of Oklahoma, celebrate the 110th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood with a diverse collection of art created by or about Oklahomans and the cities and landscapes they call home. Enjoy works by John Steuart Curry, Oscar Brousse Jacobson, Nellie Shepherd, David Fitzgerald and Woody Big Bow, through Sept. 2. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. The New Art: A Controversial Collection Fifty Years Later, the 150-piece permanent collection purchased from the Washington Gallery of Modern Art is dedicated to the collection of contemporary art and features abstract expressionism, postpainterly abstraction, color field painting and pop art, through May 13. 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa. com. FRI We the People: A Portrait of Early Oklahoma, enjoy a selection of Henry Wantland’s photography from his family’s arrival to Stillwater in 1891. Images documented over a two-decade span can be viewed during a temporary exhibition, through January 2018. Will Rogers World Airport, 7100 Terminal Drive, 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. TUE
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 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
For okg live music
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go to okgazette.com for full listings!
MUSIC to keep things interesting, the act will be perfect for the casual party atmosphere. Tower Theatre intends to make Uptown Get Down an annual celebration. Whitehead wants to kick off the event strong this year, but he also expects it to morph over time. “We really have eyes for this, thinking, ‘What will this look like in five years when we hit 2023?’ and kind of building it up. We know it’s a long journey, but we feel like there’s room for something like this on New Year’s Eve in Oklahoma City.”
The Hood Internet headlines Tower Theatre’s New Year’s Eve event Uptown
Moving forward
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Get Down. | Photo Ebru Yildiz / provided
Towering hopes
Tower Theatre tops off its resurgent year with a community New Year’s Eve party. By Ben Luschen
When people walk by Tower Theatre today, they can look up at a marquee promoting the many touring acts and film screenings now regularly held there. They will also notice a vibrant surrounding hub of activity in Uptown 23rd District, the rising commercial and entertainment district on NW 23rd Street between Broadway and Pennsylvania Avenues. But Chad Whitehead remembers a time when the most he saw in the area was untapped potential. “This is my neighborhood,” said Whitehead, one of Tower Theatre’s operating partners. “I own a home in Jefferson Park. Walking past an unopened, closed Tower Theatre on New Year’s Eve every year felt kind of lame.” This year, a Tower Theatre newly buzzing with activity takes the first step in its quest to become a prominent New Year’s Eve destination. Uptown Get Down, a music-centric New Year’s concert and party, begins 9 p.m. Dec. 31 at the remodeled historic theater, 425 NW 23rd St. An all-star cast of locals — including Saint Loretto, Carte Blanche, Jabee and Sports — will be joined by Chicago DJ duo The Hood Internet. Admission is $23 through Saturday, rising to $24 Sunday and another additional dollar for each day leading up to the event. Whitehead officially stepped in as an operating partner of Tower Theatre in April with a group that also includes Stephen Tyler and Jabee Williams. In the months to follow, the group has helped the venue transition from one that went unused for several years to a site that regularly hosts popular music, comedy and film events. Some of Tower Theatre’s biggest shows in 2017 included performances by rappers Talib Kweli and Rakim, pioneering electronica act The Crystal Method, California rock band Wavves at a special Empire Slice House anniversary event and comedian Maria Bamford, star of the Netflix series Lady Dynamite. In 2018, Tower Theatre is already scheduled to host Marty Stuart
on Jan. 21 and Wanda Jackson on Feb. 17, among many other shows. Tower Theatre already built a name by hosting concerts, but Whitehead said Uptown Get Down is the venue’s opportunity to thank the community that supports them. “We want to celebrate with the neighborhood,” he said. “That’s what Uptown Get Down is. It’s an indoor block party.”
New tradition
Whitehead wants Uptown Get Down to become a go-to New Year’s Eve event for people who feel stuck between large, family-focused gatherings and upscale, high-dollar parties. The Tower Theatre show is 21 and up and will feature music nearly nonstop from the time the doors open to when the concert ends. The addition of hip-hop mashup DJs The Hood Internet to the celebration is ideal for the kind of vibe Whitehead is trying to establish for the event. “I’ve been a fan of theirs for almost a decade,” he said. “I don’t know if Oklahoma City is aware of what all they do and how long they’ve been doing it, but long before Girl Talk was a household name playing giant festivals, The Hood Internet was doing the same kind of DJing before that.” Whitehead said The Hood Internet’s music is accessible to a wide range of people, and because it changes up enough
Tower Theatre grabbed a large share of OKC’s entertainment market in a relatively short amount of time. “We’ve worked really hard to get it up to speed as quickly as possible,” Whitehead said. The operating partner even admits that Tower Theatre might have moved too fast in establishing itself. But part of the urgency was about catching OKC up to a level the venue organizers think the city should be at. “Our drive at Tower Theatre is the same drive that the rest of the city has,” Whitehead said. “It’s like, ‘Why can’t we grow up and have nice things that Kansas City and Dallas and Austin have?’ We live here; we feel the same kind of frustration and excitement for the potential of Uptown 23rd and of Oklahoma City and of Tower Theatre. That’s our core motivator every single day.” In 2018 and beyond, Whitehead said people can expect the venue to increase the quality of its bookings as it establishes a reputation in the local market while maintaining a diverse range of offerings. Many have long asked why OKC cannot establish itself as a more attractive stop for music and entertainment options. Whitehead and company hope to provide their own solution. “We just got kind of tired of sitting around and waiting for someone else to do it,” he said. “We had a chance to do it here, and we’re just throwing everything we have at it every day.”
Uptown Get Down 9 p.m. Dec. 31 Tower Theatre | 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com | 405-708-6937 $23-$50 | 21+
Tower Theatre has quickly established itself as a go-to concert and event destination in OKC. | Photo Gazette / file
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MUSIC
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
EVENT
Photo Danny Clinch / provided
Reconstruction
Jason Isbell gets political with Oklahoma Gazette in the wake of Roy Moore’s Alabama defeat. By Ben Luschen
Jason Isbell’s scheduled phone interview with Oklahoma Gazette came less than 24 hours after former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore was defeated in his campaign for United States Senate — one of the most nationally followed and hotly contentious statewide elections in recent memory. That day would be a heck of a time to speak with any Alabamian, let alone Isbell, a Democrat and Green Hill native who might be one of the most politically outspoken country artists today. The Grammy-winning guitarist and singer-songwriter now makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, but he used his platform to try to make a difference in his native state. On Dec. 9, three days before election day, Isbell played a “get out the vote” show in Huntsville to encourage people to vote for Moore’s Democratic opponent Doug Jones, who went on to win by less than 2 percentage points against Moore. Around the nation, the election grabbed headlines because of accusations of sexual abuse and child molestation levied against Moore. Isbell, a 38-year-old never shy about making his beliefs known, and his band the 400 Unit will play their first show of 2018 8 p.m. Jan. 4 at The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. Isbell’s latest album The Nashville Sound, released in June, is an alternative country record that strongly resonates in the political and social climate of today. The song “White Man’s 42
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World” takes on added poignancy in light of the Moore campaign, characterized by some for tone-deafness — or worse — to issues involving race and religion. “There’s no such thing as someone else’s war,” Isbell sings in the song. “Your creature comforts aren’t the only things worth fighting for.” Alabama and Oklahoma are similar in many ways. Alabama ultimately chose not to elect Moore, but how might the election have played out in other states? No one can know for sure. “I don’t know,” Isbell told Gazette. “But I do know that if Alabama can [vote for Doug Jones], then anyone can do it.” Oklahoma Gazette: As a Democrat and native Alabamian, do you feel proud of your home state today? Or are you concerned for how many people voted the other way? Jason Isbell: I’m amazed that it got as far as it got. I definitely didn’t think that Roy Moore was going to be the GOP candidate. And I certainly didn’t think that the Republican Party would put that kind of support behind him. But I’m happy that he didn’t win; I’m happy that Doug Jones won. Doug’s a good man, and he seems like a good person for the job. It’s the first time in 25 years we’ve had a Democrat in that seat, so I’m happy about that. So yeah, it could have been worse. I definitely allowed myself some time to celebrate and be happy about it. There’s
a reason to celebrate avoiding catastrophe, but you should also look at the reason we were that close to catastrophe in the first place. There’s still a long way to go before things are right. I feel like if everyone in the state and, honestly, everyone in the country, were given the availability and convenience of voting that some people are used to having, then we wouldn’t have these kinds of problems. I think the more votes that we get, the more people that participate in the process, usually the better the outcome. OKG: You played that “get out the vote” concert for Doug Jones. What was that like? Isbell: It was great. It was nice to be surrounded by that many like-minded people in Alabama. It felt good. You know, I did that, and my wife (singer-songwriter and 400 Unit band member Amanda Shires), she did a voter registration event earlier in the year in which we got a lot of people together and put on a concert in Nashville. We do those kinds of things so we’re able to sleep at night more than anything else. We have a lot of hope, but at the same time, we’re not going to think that the effort we put in tipped the scales in one way or another. But it does help us, at the end of the day, feel like we’ve done something rather than just staying in our comfort zone and just tweet about the candidates that we want to win. It’s nice to get out, look people in the eye and use the talents that we have to try and effect a little bit of change. OKG: With social media, it’s easy to put out a tweet and feel like you’re making a difference, but most of the time, it’s not taking any progressive action toward accomplishing anything. Isbell: No, and very often it’s preaching to the choir. I think there are some people who have the kind of following who might actually be swayed one way or the other. That’s why I really get disappointed in a lot of country singers who don’t make a statement one way or the other. I feel like they’re in a position different from mine. I don’t consider myself to be a mainstream country singer. I think that position is one where we might actually have people change their minds because of the things that you say. So I get a little bit frustrated when those folks just refuse to talk about the issues. OKG: Last night, as the results were coming in, I spent some time thinking about your song “White Man’s World.” It definitely applies to this election, and a big part of Jones’ victory was getting the black vote. Isbell: That’s very true. And it’s not easy
for a lot of black folks in Alabama to vote. And for a lot of poor whites also. It’s hard to find a place to go, and it’s hard to get the driver’s license that you need for ID when you’re voting. So yeah, it was a really good thing that these folks actually took time out of their day and went the extra mile to cast a ballot. I mean, you’ve got to take off work, and that’s a very important day of work for a lot of people. Just imagine if you didn’t have an ID — if you didn’t have a driver’s license — and the only way to get one was to drive 50 miles. That’s a Catch-22 right there because you can’t drive 50 miles, legally, without having a driver’s license. The gerrymandering in this state is really disturbing. It’s that way nationwide, but in the South, they get away with a lot more of that than they do in other places. OKG: Do you think people are more willing to support a tainted candidate like Moore because of the current political climate, or is this an element of a segment of the South that has always existed and is spotlighted because of this unique situation? Isbell: Oh, it’s always been there. I don’t believe Trump has convinced anybody of anything. I think that the reasons people are supporting him is because their parents supported Republicans and their grandparents supported Republicans and that’s the community that they’re in, the culture that they’re in. Trump, without question, is not bringing in any new Republicans that haven’t been that way since the Bush administration. So it’s definitely something that’s been around for a long time. I think it’s just now you get to see some of the vitriol that’s associated with some of their beliefs. You also get to see a lot of what the Republicans will put up with in order to vote for their candidate, and that’s pretty disturbing and distressing. I know a lot of people don’t believe the allegations. Even though it’s pretty obvious to me that Roy Moore did what he was accused of doing — even if you don’t believe those allegations — he was still a terrible, terrible candidate to represent the state of Alabama. You would think it wouldn’t have needed to make much of a difference as to whether or not he got elected. But people overlook a lot.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 8 p.m. Jan. 4 The Criterion 500 E. Sheridan Ave. criterionokc.com | 405-840-5500 $35
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MUSIC It has become a near tradition for The Nixons’ frontman Zac Maloy to light a fire on stage. The recently revived post-grunge band will play its last show for
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the near future on New Year’s Eve. | Photo provided
Starting pure
The Nixons enlist Hinder and Aranda to burn down 2017 with a heavyweight rock show. By Ben Luschen
2 t i c k e ts
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hero’s and Villians
friday, January 26
ciVic center Music hall enter to win
okgazette.com/gWW gazette’s weekly winner will be announced each week in the table of contents Printed winners have 7 days to claim tickets
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Who would have guessed that 2017 would be The Nixons’ year? Yet the recently revitalized Oklahoma City alternative rock band has not only experienced a strong return from a partial 15-year hiatus but is leading the way in a rock show big enough to literally shut the year down. The KATT 100.5 FM New Years Eve Bash 2017 features a three-headed Oklahoma rock monster of a bill with coheadliners The Nixons, Hinder and Aranda. The show begins 8 p.m. Dec. 31 at Chevy Bricktown Events Center, 425 E. California Ave. Tickets are $35-$97. PartTime Savants will open the show. The Nixons held their first full reunion show in 15 years this March at the events center. The band — including vocalist and guitarist Zac Maloy, guitarist and backing vocalist Jesse Davis, bassist Ricky Brooks and drummer John Humphrey — has also performed a number of shows in the Dallas area, including in April at Edgefest in Frisco, Texas. The Nixons are also scheduled to play with Bowling for Soup Dec. 29 at Dallas’s The Bomb Factory. Aside from revisiting old favorites, there was new Nixons music to be heard in 2017, too. The band released its Song of the Year EP this year, a recording that includes one new track and a few other rare or unreleased songs. Maloy, who now works as a songwriter in Nashville contributing to hits for artists like Carrie Underwood and Tim McGraw, said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview that they have been working with promoter Brent Brewer for a long while to put together a special New Year’s Eve show. It might be the last time many fans get to see the band for quite some time.
“We knew, ‘OK, we’ve got a little window here that’s going to be the last real opportunity for us to do some shows,’” Maloy said. The Nixons spent a while scouting which bands might want to join them for the New Year’s Eve show. Maloy said once word got out about what they were working on, the concert took on a life of its own. “Someone just mentioned it to the Hinder guys,” he said, “and they were like, ‘Hey, wait; why aren’t you talking to us?’”
Yeah, it’s a concert, but it’s also a party. Zac Maloy
Coming together
Hinder also had a big year in 2017. The OKC hard rock quintet released The Reign, its sixth studio album and its second with current lead vocalist Marshal Dutton. Maloy said he has worked with Hinder in the past through his career as a professional songwriter. Hinder also uses the same OKC rehearsal space as The Nixons. There is a lot of synergy between the bands, Maloy said, so it is a wonder The Nixons did not come to them sooner. “I kind of would have thought, ‘Oh, well they’re too big to do a co-headline. Why don’t they save up to do their own show a month later?’” Maloy said. “But they just jumped at it.” Once Hinder came onboard, The Nixons started looking for another act to add to their New Year’s Eve celebration. Someone eventually mentioned to Maloy that Aranda might be interested. “Aranda is legitimately my kind of
music,” he said. “I listen to all kinds of music — I kind of have to with my job — but that kind of melodic, high-energy pop rock is super cool to me.” Kelly Clarkson covered the Aranda song “All I Ever Wanted” for her 2009 album of the same name. That Clarkson album also includes Aranda’s “Whyyawannabringmedown.” Maloy said he was introduced to the band around that time in hopes that they might write songs together. While that work never materialized, Maloy remains a fan. The songwriter said he could not be more proud of the New Year’s lineup that has been assembled. If he weren’t in one of the performing bands, it is a show he would likely pay to see himself. “As a fan, I’m excited,” he said.
Temporary farewell
It is likely that there will be few Nixons shows in 2018 — if the group can manage to get any together at all. Aside from working with The Nixons, Humphrey is also drummer for the tour-heavy South African band Seether, which took a few sustained breaks from touring and recording this year. The gaps allowed Humphrey to participate in the Nixons reunion shows. Maloy said Seether plans to be much busier in 2018, which will limit Humphrey’s availability. Maloy also has a few of his own projects for the year, though he plans a return to OKC in April for the third annual Oklahoma Songwriter’s Festival, which he helped found. With a lot of other things going on, it will be hard for The Nixons to organize a show in the immediate future. But the band plans on making the New Year’s concert extra special. It has changed up the setlist and also plans on playing its newly recorded song. On a night full of events, no other local New Year’s concert will rock as hard as this one. “There’s fancy shows where you go and put your tux on,” Maloy said, “but not one where the singer of the band is going to light the stage on fire.” Maloy wants to bid a proper farewell to the year that has treated The Nixons so well. “Yeah, it’s a concert, but it’s also a party,” he said. “We want it to be fun. I’m going to be drinking champagne; it’s New Year’s.”
The Katt 100.5 FM New Years Eve Bash 2017 8 p.m. Dec. 31 Chevy Bricktown Events Center 425 E. California Ave. ticketstorm.com | 866-966-1777 $35-$97
LIVE MUSIC
Chisolm’s Saloon
New Year's Eve Cowboy Ball
These are events recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members. For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.
Sunday, December 31st
•$5 cover per person, reservations suggested
WEDNESDAY, 12.20
•semi formal/formal Western attire required
Adam Miller, Will Rogers Lobby Cafe & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER
•Free hor d’oeuvres •champagne at midnight
Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Astral Planes, Red Brick Bar, Norman. POP Kent Fauss, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. COUNTRY Lucas Hoge, The Jones Assembly. COUNTRY Martha Odom, The R&J Lounge and Supper Club. POP Tyler Jordan and The Negative Space, Red Brick Bar, Norman. INDIE
THURSDAY, 12.21 21 Savage, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. RAP Brian Parton, Red Brick Bar, Norman. POP Bryce Merritt, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. SINGER/SONGWRITER Christophe Murdock, Your Mom’s Place. COUNTRY
Mandy Harvey Recently placing fourth on America’s Got Talent, Mandy Harvey is a deaf American singer/songwriter. After losing her hearing, she trained herself to regain a perfect pitch. She stuns audiences with jazz and blues standards 7 p.m. Wednesday at Tower Theatre, 425 NW 23rd St. Tickets are $25-$40. Call 405-708-6937 or visit towertheatreokc.com. WEDNESDAY Photo Hough Ear Institute/provided
DJ Ku Rx, Coyote Ugly Saloon. DJ
Well Now Margery, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK
Giraffe Massacre/Southpaw Sonata/Rare Bloom, Your Mom’s Place. POP
Zach Baker, Anthem Brewing Company. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Jeremy Thomas Quartet, [Artspace] at Untitled. JAZZ
SATURDAY, 12.23
Original Flow/Fresh/Huckwheat, Hubbly Bubbly Hookah and Cafe. HIP-HOP Savya Worldwide, Drinkz Bar and Lounge. HIP-HOP Special Thumbs/Willow Way, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. INDIE
Brandon Wahl/Squirt D/David Ryan, Sauced on Paseo. DJ
Dead Flowers OKC, Kendell’s Bar. COVER
EverFade, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. ROCK Hosty, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. SINGER/SONGWRITER
Sunshine Hahn, Will Rogers Lobby Cafe & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER
151 Band, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. POP
The Mills Band, Classics Bar & Grill. COUNTRY
80z Enuf, Remington Park. COVER
The Royal Jelly, The Deli, Norman. REGGAE
Aaron Newman, The Greens Country Club. FOLK
Uncle Freddy, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK
Adam Aguilar, The Martini Lounge, Edmond. ROCK
Uncle Zep, VZD’s Restaurant& Bar. COVER
Casey Donahew, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY Cherbon Tiger Band, The Deli, Norman. BLUES Chloe-Beth, Brewskeys. SINGER/SONGWRITER Duane Mark, Red Brick Bar, Norman. FOLK Elektra & The Annihilation Carousel/Haniwa/ Fresh Juice Party and more, The Root. INDIE Garrett Dale & the Dead Bugs/Caught Stealing/ Matt Jewett, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS
January 7 BONE THUgS-N-HARMONY January 11 UNCLE LUCiUS January 21 MARTY STUART January 26 KELLER WiLLiAMS January 27 RECKLESS KELLY January 30 pROpAgANDA Tickets and Info TOWERTHEATREOKC.COM @towertheaterokc 405-70-TOWER | 425 NW 23rd St. OKC
Replay, Remington Park. COVER
FRIDAY, 12.22
Brandon Jackson, Classics Bar & Grill. COUNTRY
January 6 DAViD BOWiE TRiBUTE
Don’t Make Ghosts/The Big News/Beast Foot, Blue Note Lounge. VARIOUS
Super Whatevr, 89th Street - OKC. ROCK
Ashley Windham/John Cross/Clinton Trench, The Patriarch, Edmond. ACOUSTIC
December 31 NYE - UpTOWN gET DOWN
Corey Weaver, Bistro 46. CHRISTIAN
Steve Earle, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY
The Roamin’ Jasmine, The Chameleon Room. JAZZ
401 S. Meridian | 405-949-0423
December 21 STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES
MONDAY, 12.25 Hosty, The Deli, Norman. BLUES
TUESDAY, 12.26 DeeRay Garcia, Friends Restaurant & Club. COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, 12.20 Amarillo Junction, JJ’s Alley. COUNTRY Lee Rucker Duo, Will Rogers Lobby Cafe & Bar. ACOUSTIC
Jon O’Neal/Kyle Reid, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER Jonathan O’Neal, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. BLUES Jordan Mills, Fuel Bar & Grill. COUNTRY OKC Voodoo/The Flannels, Oklahoma City Limits. ACOUSTIC Tequila Songbirds, The Blue Door. FOLK The Down Low, Fassler Hall. COVER BAND The Okie Tramps, Okie Tonk Café, Moore. ROCK Tyler Lee Band, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COVER
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 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.
go to okgazette.com for full listings!
O kg a z e t t e . c o m | D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7
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By Erik Agard and Laura Braunstein | Edited by Will Shortz | 1210 ACROSS 1 Take ____ on the wild side 6 Cartoonist Silverstein 10 Before you can say Jack Robinson 18 Academy Award-winning Marisa 19 Hip-hop’s ____ Kweli 21 Crisis connections 22 Boo-boos 23 Brings up 25 Batman actress, 1967-68 26 A-list topper 28 Nine-time Pro Bowler John 30 Curriculum ____ 31 Traffic actor, 2000 32 Winter Olympics event 34 ____-de-France 35 Sat ____ (GPS, to a Brit) 36 Super Mario Bros. actor, 1993 40 Comic-book onomatopoeia 43 Irish form of Mary 46 Figure on a foam finger 47 ____ contendere 48 School that lent its name to a collar 50 Like many laundromats 52 Seat of Penobscot County 54 Bride of Frankenstein actress, 1935 56 Traditional Filipino dish marinated in vinegar and soy sauce 59 Turn up 60 Bring into harmony 63 Yves’s evening 64 Like many write-in candidates:Abbr. 65 Training Day actor, 2001 71 Old CIA foe 72 Where people get off 74 Growing art form? 75 “A ____ From St. Nicholas” 77 Roadside establishment much seen in the Southwest 80 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress, 2000 85 Connive 86 Shaman, e.g. 87 When tripled, a Seinfeld catchphrase 88 Eastern European capital 89 Simple top 91 Cell exchanges 93 Deteriorate 94 Crash actor, 2004 97 Scottish form of John
99 Operate 101 Deliverance person 102 Frost/Nixon actor, 2008 106 Kidney-related 109 Dame modifier 110 Bear claws and such 112 What eight actors took on for this puzzle? 115 Written deeply 117 “Mea ____” 118 Daughter of Oedipus 119 Kama ____ 120 Hermione’s Patronus, in the Harry Potter books 121 Lure in Vegas 122 Leader wearing the Great Imperial Crown 123 10 cc’s and others DOWN 1 Thing whose size is measured in picometers 2 Floored 3 Pal 4 Country singer Womack 5 What might show participants going neck and neck? 6 Cop 7 Le ____ (French port) 8 “Mr. Blue Sky” band, for short 9 This way 10 “Gotcha” 11 Word implied on Opposite Day 12 Ultimate degree 13 Name of five Norwegian kings 14 Word with torch or bar 15 Ab ____ (from the beginning) 16 Genre for Black Sabbath 17 Lauder of cosmetics 20 Hotel attendant 24 Proust protagonist 27 LGBT magazine since 1967 29 State as fact 33 Mosque tower 36 Primatologist Goodall 37 Crash, with “out” 38 Pond growth 39 Emotional states 40 N, seen from the side 41 Where I-20, I-65 and I-85 all meet 42 Some advanced researchers, for short 44 Particle named by Faraday 45 Most caloric
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free will astrology Homework: Write a parable or fairy tale that captures what your life has been like in 2017. Freewillastrology.com ARIES (March 21-April 19) Your life in the first
and success by embracing an apparent disadvantage. I recommend you practice your own version of this strategy in 2018. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to begin.
half of 2018 will be like a psychological boot camp that’s designed to beef up your emotional intelligence. Here’s another way to visualize your oncoming adventures: They will constitute a friendly nudge from the cosmos, pushing you to be energetic and ingenious in creating the kind of partnerships you want for the rest of your long life. As you go through your interesting tests and riddles, be on the lookout for glimpses of what your daily experience could be like in five years if you begin now to deepen your commitment to love and collaboration.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) In the Northern
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You’ll soon have a
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) If you’ve had an unfulfilled
chance to glide out into the frontier. I suggest you pack your bag of tricks. Bring gifts with you, too, just in case you must curry favor in the frontiers where the rules are a bit loose. How are your improvisational instincts? Be sure they’re in top shape. How willing are you to summon spontaneity and deal with unpredictability and try impromptu experiments? I hope you’re very willing. This may sound like a lot of work, but I swear it’ll be in a good cause. If you’re well-prepared as you wander in the borderlands, you’ll score sweet secrets and magic cookies. Here’s more good news: Your explorations will position you well to take advantage of the opportunities that’ll become available throughout 2018.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) These days it’s not
unusual to see male celebrities who shave their heads. Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, Seal, Tyrese Gibson, and Vin Diesel are among them. But in the 20th century, the bare-headed style was rare. One famous case was actor Yul Brynner. By age 30, he’d begun to go bald. In 1951, for his role as the King of Siam in the Broadway play The King and I, he decided to shave off all his hair. From then on, the naked-headed look became his trademark as he plied a successful acting career. So he capitalized on what many in his profession considered a liability. He built his power
cLASSIFIEDS
music
Hemisphere, where 88 percent of the world’s population resides, this is a quiescent time for the natural world. Less sunlight is available, and plants’ metabolisms slow down as photosynthesis diminishes. Deciduous trees lose their leaves, and even many evergreens approach dormancy. And yet in the midst of this stasis, Cancerian, you are beginning to flourish. Gradually at first, but with increasing urgency, you’re embarking on an unprecedented phase of growth. I foresee that 2018 will be your Year of Blossoming.
curiosity about genealogy or your ancestors or the riddles of your past, 2018 will be a favorable time to investigate. Out-of-touch relatives will be easier to locate than usual. Lost heirlooms, too. You may be able to track down and make use of a neglected legacy. Even family secrets could leak into view -- both the awkward and the charming kinds. If you think you have everything figured out about the people you grew up with and the history of where you came from, you’re in for surprises.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Most of us regard our
ring fingers as the least important of our digits. What are they good for? Is there any activity for which they’re useful? But our ancestors had a stronger relationship with their fourth fingers. There was a folk belief that a special vein connected the fourth finger on the left hand directly to the heart. That’s why a tradition arose around the wedding ring being worn there. It may have also been a reason why pharmacists regarded their fourth fingers as having an aptitude for discerning useful blends of herbs. I bring this up, Virgo, because I think it’s an apt metaphor for one of 2018’s important themes: A resource you have underestimated or neglected will be especially valuable -- and may even redefine your understanding of what’s truly valuable.
DAVE’S APPLIANCE REPAIR All makes washers, dryers, ranges, dishwashers, refrigerators, disposals.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) In fairy tales, characters are often rewarded for their acts of kindness. They may be given magical objects that serve as protection, like cloaks of invisibility or shoes that enable them to flee trouble. Or the blessings they receive may be lifeenhancing, like enchanted cauldrons that provide a never-ending supply of delicious food or musical instruments that have the power to summon delightful playmates. I bring this up, Libra, because I suspect that a similar principle will be very active in your life during 2018. You’ll find it easier and more natural than usual to express kindness, empathy, and compassion. If you consistently capitalize on this predilection, life will readily provide you with the resources you need.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Like all of us, you go through mediocre phases when you’re not functioning at peak efficiency. But I suspect that in 2018 you will experience fewer of these blah times. We will see a lot of you at your best. Even more than usual, you’ll be an interesting catalyst who energizes and ripens collaborative projects. You’ll demonstrate why the sweet bracing brightness needs the deep dark depths, and vice versa. You’ll help allies open doors that they can’t open by themselves. The rest of us thank you in advance!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The blunt fact
is that you can’t be delivered from the old demoralizing pattern that has repeated and repeated itself -- until you forgive yourself completely. For that matter, you probably can’t move on to the next chapter of your life story until you compensate yourself for at least some of the unnecessary torment you’ve inflicted on yourself. Now here’s the good news: 2018 will be an excellent time to accomplish these healings.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) In 2018, one of
your primary missions will be to practice what you preach; to walk your talk; to be ambitious and masterful in all the ways a soulful human can and should be ambitious and masterful. Live up to your hype in the coming months, Capricorn! Do what you have promised! Stop postponing your dreams! Fulfill the noble expectations you have for yourself! Don’t be shy about using exclamation points to express your
cLASSIFIEDS
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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.
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started my career as a horoscope writer, my editor counseled me, “Always give priority to the Big Three. Romance, money, and power are what people care about most.” After a few months, he was disgruntled to realize that I wrote about how to cultivate psychological health and nourish spiritual aspirations as much as his Big Three. He would have replaced me if he could have found another astrology writer whose spelling and grammar were as good as mine. But his edict traumatized me a bit. Even today, I worry that I don’t provide you with enough help concerning the Big Three. Fortunately, that’s not relevant now, since I can sincerely declare that 2018 will bring you chances to become more powerful by working hard on your psychological health . . . and to grow wealthier by cultivating your spiritual aspirations . . . and to generate more love by being wise and ethical in your quest for money and power.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) What binds you? What keeps you closed down and locked up? I urge you to ponder those questions, Pisces. Once you get useful answers, the next step will be to meditate on how you can undo the binds. Fantasize and brainstorm about the specific actions you can take to unlock and unclose yourself. This project will be excellent preparation for the opportunities that the coming months will make available to you. I’m happy to announce that 2018 will be your personal Year of Liberation.
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.
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