Archive | September, 2015

Empire of the Son At The Cultch October 6 – 24, 2015

30 Sep

empireofthesun_landscape-300x225You are invited to a unique show coming to The Cultch on October 6th. Empire of the Son is written and performed by Tetsuro Shigematsu who is the former host of CBC’s The Round. Tetsuro brings us the story of his personal relationship with his father who is dying. They are separated by a generation but connected by blood. Tetsuro’s father speaks several different languages and possesses different values but what has kept them apart for so many years is their similarities. This is a story of two generations of broadcasters who have a lifetime of radio silence between them. With time running out, Tetsuro attempts to reach out to his dying father but is constrained by outmoded yet persistent cultural traditions about it means to “be a man”.

Empire of the Son uses a series of audio interviews, a camera, miniatures and projector to conjure up worlds from the ashes of Hiroshima to the glass towers of Vancouver and beyond. This is a unique theatrical experience that is intimately connected to real life in real time. It is a funny and poignant story of one immigrant family, their intergenerational conflicts in this one man show that blurs the lines between artistic disciplines and continents. Empire of the Son begins its run at The Cultch on October 6th and sold out quickly so extra dates were added.  The show now runs until October 24th. Tickets begin at $25 and are available online at The Cultch.

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Impromptu Rock Choir Tuesday Nights At The Wise Hall

28 Sep

ImpromptuRockChoirDo you love to sing, but have no experience? Maybe you never learned to read music. Well the Impromptu Rock Choir invites you to come out and sing with them on Tuesday nights at the Wise Hall. There are no auditions, no commitments, no waitlist, just fun.   The Impromptu Rock Choir is a new community choir in East Van that began August 11th and is brought to you by Fiona Sizer and Matt Smith.   Matt is a vocalist, pianist and music educator who has been teaching music and directing small ensembles for the past five years.   Fiona on the other hand has no formal musical training, but loves singing and has boundless energy to gather people to have fun. The songs they plan to sing include classic and contemporary rock, pop and indie songs. So far we hear they have sung songs by Oasis, the Killers, Arcade Fire, the Lumineers, Simon & Garfunkel and are about to start Renegade by the X Ambassadors. Doors open each Tuesday at 7:00 pm at the Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac Street. Singing starts at 7.30 pm and the evening usually goes till 9:00 pm. Drop in fee is $10. To learn more, visit their website Impromptu Rock Choir or their Facebook page which sets out which song they will sing each week. You can also check the recent interview by CBC.

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Northwest Culinary Academy Evening Cooking Classes This Fall

25 Sep

NWCABeater NWCAPICThe Northwest Culinary Academy believes that “The Northwest region is the frontier of innovation because it dares to go against the grain.” And they think that “Vancouver boasts a vibrant food scene”. Well we’d have to agree with them on both of those sentiments. Whether you like to cook food, eat or want to learn more about cooking and/or baking, you may wish to check out the Northwest Culinary Academy located at 2725 Main Street (at 12th Avenue). They have courses for every skill level, whether you are seeking a career in a professional kitchen, a culinary or pastry education, boot camps or just tweaking those home cooking skills. Northwest has a variety of programs available including Summer Camps for the serious foodie. The school has been around since 2004 and was created by two experienced chef instructors, Tony Minichiello and Christophe Kwiatkowsky, and has evolved and grown over the years. Some of their graduates include the likes of Adam Chandler who founded Beta-5 Chocolates now winning awards with their chocolates and Taryn Wa who opened Savoury Chef a full service event catering company.

Now for those of you looking to hone your home cooking skills, Northwest Culinary Academy is offering some great one night classes this Fall in which you can cook your way around the globe in 4 evenings. Chef Warren Pahl will teach you a few things including how to debone a chicken and duck, filet a whole fish and how to cook lobster and turn all of these into dishes from around the world. Add to that, each class will include wine pairings for each course you prepare.  We have set out below some of the classes they are offering this Fall which run from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm and the cost:

Monday October 19
Latino Chicken Night – $99.00

Monday October 26
Persian Duck Night- $119.00

Monday November 2
Asian Seafood Night- 109.00

Monday November 9
Italian Lobster Night- $119.00

You are invited to take one class individually or take all four classes at 10% off. For these classes, you are asked to bring a chef’s knife, pairing knife, bench scraper, kitchen scissors, vegetable peeler, kitchen safe shoes, tea towels and an apron. To register, you are invited to call 604.876.7653.   If you prefer, they also do private cooking parties and team building events. For more details on all their courses, we invite you to visit Northwest Culinary Academy.NWCACake

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World Premiere of The Love Bomb At The Firehall Arts Centre September 26 – October 10

24 Sep

Firehall Arts Centre_Love Bomb_publicity image”Love Bombing is an attempt to influence a person by lavish demonstrations of attention and affection.”   This Saturday you are invited to the world premiere of Love Bomb at the Firehall Arts Centre. This is a rock concert within a play as well as a bit of mystery to top it off. This show is brought to you by Shameless Hussy Production’s Meghan Gardiner.   Megan says the show “ was so gratifying to put together, but amidst all the fun, we knew we had a pretty dark story to tell. The darkness is what hooked me. Everything else was a way to tell the story.”  Expect an emotional roller coaster. Tickets are available online from $28 to $33 at Firehall Arts Centre. Want to hear what others are saying about Love Bomb? Check out Andrea Warner’s piece in the Georgia Straight.

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Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival in Renfrew-Collingwood September 26th

23 Sep

Moon-Fest-Poster-Draft-5-311x480You are invited to Renfrew-Collingwood’s signature festival this Saturday, September 26th the 11th Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival.   If you are unfamiliar with this event, the 1st annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival took place in 2003 and was created by artist Carmen Rosen in collaboration with the community. This event celebrates the full moon and harvest abundance while honouring diverse cultural traditions. The moon festival will highlight art, music and environmental stewardship. The event gets under way with the Harvest Fair at 4:00 pm which will feature a number of booths from local organizations, artisans, and non-profit groups. There will also be live music, a selection of hot food and their infamous Harvest Fair competition.   This is where things get a little fun. We’ve set out some of the categories for this year’s Harvest Fair competition. We are rather curious to see what wins Sexiest Squash. Who thought those two words would go together?

Most sizeable sunflower
Most bountiful flower bouquet
Most gorgeous green bouquet
Most creative fall display
Tastiest homemade jam/jelly
Most alluring Asian vegetable
Most cumbersome cabbage
Tubbiest tomato
Heaviest zucchini
Sexiest squash
Beefiest bean
Craziest carrot

At 7:00 pm, the Twilight Lantern Walk begins with a parade of lanterns from Slocan Park to Renfrew Park which is led by a giant moon lantern. You are invited to bring your own lantern and walk the trails along the ravine accompanied by live music as night falls. Passing by the river-stone labyrinth, the procession will be invited to a walking meditation surrounded by music and light. The parade then passes by other lantern installations and surprise performances until it reaches Renfrew Park at nightfall, for more live music, food and of course, the moon.   For more details, visit their Facebook page. This is a great community event that is fun for all ages.IllumanriesButterflyLantern

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Metamorfest Happens In Mount Pleasant September 26th

21 Sep

Metamorfest2015SmallMetamorfest will be hitting the streets this Saturday, September 26th from Noon to 6:00 pm.  The festival is located on two blocks – one north of East Broadway on Fraser Street and one south of East Broadway on Prince Albert Street. The day will include live music, a whole host of activities and booths for children as well as a bouncy castle. There is something for all ages at this event. A couple of fun activities planned to keep an eye out for include Zumba and Laughter Yoga in the park.

The Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House will also be hosting activities inside their building on the corner of Broadway and Prince Albert Street. The Broadway Youth Resource Centre and Vancouver Native Housing will hold some activities just outside their locations on the corner of Broadway and Fraser. As well, there will be 3 stages with live music featuring local artists and bands. You can expect everything from hip hop to jazz. A full schedule of events is available at Metamorfest.

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Are We Cool Now? At The Cultch September 29 – October 10

18 Sep

The Cultch_Are We Cool Now__publicity image2_credit Murray MitchellSomething special is coming to The Cultch on September 29th, that being Are We Cool Now? This is an indie rock road trip inspired by and featuring the songs of Vancouver’s own indie rock darling, Dan Mangan. Are We Cool Now? is a unique and intimate musical exploration of contemporary relationships and will bring some humour, heartache and insight.

This innovative rock music/theatre fusion is written by Amiel Gladstone (A Craigslist Cantata and Cinderella: An East Van Panto!) “It’s an indie rock musical about life and love in your 20’s and Dan Mangan’s music provides the backdrop,” says Gladstone. “I’ve always been curious about how to get the music we listen to every day on to the stage. Dan and I knew each other and I really liked his music. We looked for a narrative in Dan’s music and found themes of love, longing, nostalgia and road trips and Are We Cool Now? was born.” This production by Western Canada Theatre combines the talents of actor-musicians Penelope Corrin (Royal Canadian Air Farce, My Narrator) and Ben Elliott (The Comedy of Errors, Broken Sex Doll) and features Anton Lipovetsky (Broken Sex Doll, Elbow Room Cafe: The Musical) on guitar and bass, Said The Whale’s Spencer Schoening on percussion, and music and lyrics – including one new song – by JUNO Award-winning Dan Mangan.

Are We Cool Now? kicks off with a preview on September 29th . Opening night is September 30th and the show continues until October 10th with matinee performances on October 3rd, 4th and 10th. Tickets start at $20 and are available online at The Cultch. This show is packed with local talent. We encourage you to check it out.

Photo Credit: Murray Mitchell

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21st Century Flea Market At The Croatian Cultural Centre September 20th

17 Sep

FleaMarket201521st Century Flea Market is holding a flea market this Sunday, September 20th at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive. There will be 175 vendors on hand with a variety of items including antiques, collectibles, memorabilia, jewellery, pottery, postcards, records, retro furnishings, dolls, toys and so much more.  Should you be in need of having an item appraised, they will be holding ‘drop-in appraisals’ from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm on a first come first served basis.  They do ask that the items be small enough to carry, with a maximum of three items per person.  The cost for a verbal appraisal is $10 per item or $25 for 3 items, cash only.   The drop-in appraisals will be conduct by Gale Pirie, an independent accredited member of the Canadian Personal Property Appraisers Group.   The market runs from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. General admission is $5 at the door. There will also be a special early-bird admission for $20 from 7:00 am – 10:00 am for those wanting a jump on things. Children under 13 are free with adult admission.

Should you wish to have a coffee and/or lunch before or after your shop, consider Commercial Street Café for something close by. It’s a great little hidden gem tucked away a few blocks down the street from the Croatian Cultural Centre. Open Sunday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm and located at 3599 Commercial Street, at East 20th Avenue. Of course, going North up the Drive after the market, you have a whole host of great coffee shops and restaurants to choose from.

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BC Beer Awards At The Croatian Cultural Centre Saturday October 24

16 Sep

GoldGlassofBeerThe 6th Annual BC Beer Awards & Festival is coming to the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive, on Saturday, October 24th. The BC Beer Awards showcases a craft beer festival with over 50 breweries and an awards ceremony which is being hosted by CBC’s Stephen Quinn. Returning this year will be community booths and on site judging for the Brewers’ Challenge! 2015. We hear that 2015 has been dubbed the Year of the Sour Beer and they have challenged BC’s Brewers to create something that will dazzle your taste buds and possibly make you pucker.

A couple of new things to keep an eye out for this year include “Richard Buell Sutton LLP Rookie of the Year Award” for BC’s top new brewery.  Also a handful of BC’s cideries will join this year’s festivities for your tasting enjoyment. There will also be an official BC Beer Awards After Party at Doolin’s and The Belmont Bar. Of course, what’s a festival without food. You can expect to find Le Tigre Food Truck outside the Croatian Cultural Centre during the event and eats by Tap & Barrel and BierCraft on the inside. Speaking of food, organizers are asking everyone to bring a non-perishable item for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. They will be collecting donations at the door.

Early bird ticket sales are currently on sale for $30 until September 30th. Each ticket includes 4 drink tokens as well as a 4 oz taster glass for you to take home. Note, additional tokens are available for purchase for $1.25 each. Ticket prices go up on October 1st to $35.   Last year this event SOLD OUT before Early Bird Ticket sales ended, so we do recommend ‘hopping’ to it if you wish to attend.

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Holiday Preserves Workshop With East Van Jam on September 22nd

14 Sep

HOLIDAYpreservesclass-sept22-2Studio 126 at 126 East Pender Street is a very cool studio with a variety of locally made goods including reclaimed furniture, handmade items by local artisans including Brand & Iron, Woodlot, Hobo Woodworks, Sue Griese Ceramics, LISSU Linen and East Van Jam. Studio 126 also holds workshops throughout the month and on Tuesday, September 22nd the master of jam, Natalie Ferrari-Morton will be on hand. Natalie is the woman behind East Van Jam and will teach you how to make preserves for this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Natalie will also teach you the basics of safety and canning as well as how to create delicious pear and cranberry preserves. Come with an apron and go home with your own jar of homemade preserves. The workshop runs from 6:30 to 9:30 pm on Tuesday, September 22nd. To register, visit Studio 126.

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