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FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | METRO OKCâ€™S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY | SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

NOT FOR SALE

Oklahoma Contemporary puts hip-hop culture center stage. BY BEN LUSCHEN P.21

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inside COVER P.21 Oklahoma Contemporary’s new

group art show, Not For Sale: Graffiti Culture in Oklahoma, features 10 homegrown graffiti artists in a collection of new and temporary works exemplifying one of the “four elements of hip-hop.” The show is a must-see; once Not For Sale is over, these works will be covered by a fresh layer of paint. By Ben Luschen Cover photo by Garett Fisbeck

NEWS 4

Education charter school growth

Wellness Centers update

6 City MAPS 3 Senior Health and

7 Education David Boren

announces retirement

9 Letters

10 Chicken-Fried News

EAT & DRINK 13 Feature Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. 14 Feature El Fogoncito

16 Event OKCtoberfest 2017 18 Gazedibles coffee

ARTS & CULTURE 21 Cover Not For Sale: Graffiti Culture in Oklahoma at Oklahoma Contemporary 27 Art Jon-Michael Frank at

DNA Galleries

28 Theater Suite Surrender at

Jewel Box Theatre

30 Culture Plaza District Festival

31 Culture Fiestas de las Americas 32

Book of Love

and Gardens Tour

33 Culture Heritage Hills Homes 34 Culture Pagan Pride Day

35 Active Urban Camping at

Riversport Adventures

36 Calendar

MUSIC 39 Event KATTfest 2017

at The Zoo Amphitheatre

Chesapeake Energy Arena

changes

Jones Assembly

40 Event Kings of Leon at

41 Feature KOSU makes format 42 Event Cut Copy at The 44 Live music

FUN 45 ASTROLOGY

46 Puzzles sudoku | crossword

OKG Classifieds 47

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NEWS Superintendent Chris Brewster, surrounded by Santa Fe South students, led a successful south Oklahoma City charter program to open a new high school facility in Plaza Mayor and add a fourth elementary school this academic

e d u c at i o n

school year. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Answering the call

Rising student enrollment in south Oklahoma City creates an opening for charter school expansion. By Laura Eastes

In its 14 years of serving Oklahoma City students with high-quality learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math, Dove Science Academy-OKC reached a critical point. Following the state-required lottery process for enrollment, school leaders were forced to place 277 student names on a waiting list. There were no seats to spare at the 500-student sixth- through 12th-grade building situated on NW 23rd Street between The Paseo Arts District and Mesta Park neighborhood. The following year, the waiting list climbed to 400 names. For the current academic year, 470 students’ names are listed. The ever-growing demands by OKC families to enroll their children in Dove led Superintendent Umit Alpaslan and other school leaders to discuss expanding the school’s charter program. With an increasing number of their students from south OKC neighborhoods, leaders searched for a school facility south of the Oklahoma River. “They are coming to us,” Alpaslan said. “We decided we would go to them.” Next August, school leaders plan to open a third school site in the former Heritage College building near Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads in south OKC. More than 225 students in grades six through eight will make up the inaugural class. Each academic year, another grade will be added. By the fall of 2022, the charter will serve over 500 students in grades six through 12. “From our educators to our administrators, everyone has worked so hard to get to this level,” Alpaslan said. “I think our track record of success brings excitement. We’ve only seen excitement about our plans.”

Charter leaders bringing their models to south OKC has been a welcome sight for parents and the greater community as neighborhood schools deal with overcrowding. OKC is a growing city with a Hispanic population serving as a key driver of that growth, and south OKC neighborhood schools have recorded a rapid rate of enrollment. Charter operators Dove, KIPP OKC and Santa Fe South Schools are stepping up to meet the demands of a growing population and its call for high-quality education.

building construction to meet the district’s growth. In recent months, district leaders have called for a board-commissioned demographics study to project future enrollment and guide leaders in decision-making. A growing school-age population has created a unique opening for Santa Fe South, which began in 2001 as a charter school for ninth-graders in a south Oklahoma City church basement. Authorized by the district, Santa Fe South continued on a steady growth trajectory for its first dozen years. Chris Brewster, founder and superintendent, explained the school has increased enrollment by 2,000 students since the fall of 2015. Brewster said the school’s approach to growth has been based on three key components: parent interest, qualified teacher applicants and adequate facilities. “If I can continue to get great teachers and find space, I will continue to grow as long as parents want to be a part of what we are doing,” Brewster said. “If parents and the community want to have their children with us — we are a school of choice — and if we continue to have applications, we will continue to meet our other conditions.”

New campuses

In August, Santa Fe South welcomed its high school students to a new location, a former department store at Plaza Mayor repurposed into a modern place for learn-

ing and community gatherings. In addition to classrooms and offices, the new space features a spacious student common area dominated by a large, tiered seating structure where students can hang out before or after classes and school and community events can be held. With a larger high school facility, Santa Fe South now serves around 3,400 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in eight different locations. This school year, the charter school opened its fourth elementary school site: Spero Elementary. “Now that we have 3,000 families involved in our schools and over 2,000 graduates, most of whom live and serve in Oklahoma City, we are really having a positive effect on the entire community,” Brewster said. “It is just better for our kids now in south Oklahoma City, and that’s because of our teachers and our families.” This August, KIPP OKC South Community Prep welcomed around 100 fourth-graders into its temporary space at Western Hills Baptist Church, 401 SW 44th St. Part of the KIPP network of charter schools, the south OKC middle school is expected to serve around 500 students in grades four through eight by the fall of 2021. School leader Meg Wheeler told Oklahoma Gazette last spring that KIPP was drawn to the area by parent interest and as an effort to alleviate overcrowding at nearby schools. At Santa Fe South, leaders don’t see KIPP or Dove as competition but partners with the same goal to improve the overall quality of education in south OKC, Brewster said. “It creates a positive pressure for every school in south Oklahoma City to do well,” he said. “Everybody gets better.”

Growth spurt

Charters were founded on the concept of creating an improved learning environment for traditionally underserved populations, and Oklahoma lawmakers passed legislation allowing charters in the late 1990s. They are publicly funded and independently operated schools that are required to meet the expectations of the Oklahoma State Department of Education. By 2004, a handful of charter schools were in operation in OKC. With the exception of Santa Fe South, charter leaders opened schools to serve students from OKC’s northwest and northeast neighborhoods. While the charter school model has continued to grow in OKC, the growth has mostly been visible in the city’s northern quadrant. According to analysis by Oklahoma Gazette of school site enrollment data from the Oklahoma State Department of Education, district schools located south of Interstate 40 increased enrollment by about 3,300 students between the period of 2007-08 and 2016-17. OKCPS officials have repeatedly said the population boom has caused overcrowding. There have been hints that a future bond issue would address additional classrooms and new

Enrollment at south Oklahoma City Public Schools is growing rapidly and outstrips the growth in other areas of the city.

20,969 2016

total students in south OKC neighborhood schools

19,363 2011

17,588 2007

48.24% 2007

52.16%

50.37%

2016

2011

south OKC students as a percentage of total district Source Oklahoma City Public Schools and Oklahoma State Department of Education | Graphic Jim Massara

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NEWS Suzanne Parr works out at the MAPS 3 Senior Health and Wellness Center operated by Healthy

CIT Y

Living OKC. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Raised bar

Six months after opening, the first MAPS 3 Senior Health and Wellness Center has been embraced by the community. By Laura Eastes

Due to the rising popularity of pickleball — a racquet sport that combines the elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong — among members of the first Oklahoma City MAPS 3 Senior Health and Wellness Center, Healthy Living OKC leaders decided to complete a minor gymnasium improvement project. When the gym reopened the morning of Sept. 22, the center’s executive director arrived at the facility to see three games of pickleball being played on the gym floor that previously accommodated two games. He also witnessed “a big group of folks waiting on the benches next in line.” That’s how a typical story starts for Jefferson Killgore, Healthy Living OKC’s executive director. Around the northwest OKC facility, Killgore often sees arts classes in which every easel is taken or a water aerobics class with several rows of swimmers facing a single instructor. Members are present, involved and active inside the 40,272 square-foot facility built by the city and operated by the nonprofit Healthy Living OKC. “People are pleased with the product, and the product certainly isn’t pickleball,” Killgore said. “It’s not double pinochle or bocce ball either. The product is relationships. We have members that are finding a renewed sense of identity, belonging and meaning in these relationships.”

Successful start

About six months ago, Healthy Living OKC officially began operating the first MAPS 3 Senior Health and Wellness Center, one of the eight initiatives approved by Oklahoma City voters in 2009 as part of the city’s MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) capital improvement program. The initiative earned around $50 million in MAPS funds for the con-

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that take place in our social corridor in a month. That could be the Tuesday night group that calls themselves the Rockwell Pickers. They all get together and play the guitar together. We’ve got another group called Mending Hearts. We have a demographic that is 50 and older; many have lost a loved one. We are facilitating a group where those conversations can take place and there is healing.” Healthy Living OKC’s schedule includes exercise classes like Zumba, yoga, Pilates, dance, chair fitness, Tai Chi and more. It also features classes or activities like ukulele playing, bird watching, beginning drawing and painting, technology help, leatherworking and more. Individual memberships are $30 per month. Two people from the same household can share a membership for $50 per month.

struction of four centers proposed as facilities to improve the health and wellness of metro citizens over 50. The first center, located on N. Rockwell Avenue near Putnam City North High School, features a heated indoor saltwater fitness pool, an exercise room, an aerobics room, classroom space, a billiards hall, a demonstration kitchen, an art studio, a cafe, a lounge and a health screening room.

We have members that are finding a renewed sense of identity, belonging and meaning in these relationships. Jefferson Killgore While past MAPS projects, like the city’s downtown arena and library, famous canal project through Bricktown and improvements to the Oklahoma River, have proven successful, it was anybody’s guess how citizens would initially respond to the Senior Health and Wellness Centers. Four years ago, Healthy Living OKC leaders initiated a study that revealed there were around 48,000 eligible members within a 5-mile radius of the proposed facility. Leaders set a goal of 1,600 members by the end of the center’s first five years. The center met that goal in one and a half months and recorded around 3,500 memberships at the six-month mark. “We’ve been very intentional to let the members vote with their feet,” Killgore said. “We offer roughly 48 group exercise classes weekly, but there are 100 activities

Next up: Capitol Hill

Across town in the south Oklahoma City neighborhood of Capitol Hill, construction workers are placing the finishing touches on the second MAPS 3 Senior Health and Wellness Center south of Capitol Hill High School. David Todd, MAPS program manager, said the contractor expects to complete the 39,000 square-foot facility by the end of the year. NorthCare, a healthcare nonprofit, will serve as the operator and move into the building in February. The Capitol Hill center will share many of the same amenities as the northwest center, but the building was designed around meeting the needs of the surrounding neighborhood and the operator. Once it opens, visitors will note a larger clinic space when compared to the northwest center. “For years, the [MAPS 3] subcommittees and council have shared their desires that they didn’t want to design a center and drop it into neighborhoods,” Todd said. “They wanted it to respond to the needs of the neighborhood and the operator.” The city and Langston University officials are in negotiations for the third center for northeast OKC, but no location has been named. In January, the MAPS office will begin initial work on the fourth and final center. Neither the operating partner nor the location has been determined. At Healthy Living OKC, Killgore said, leaders stand ready to collaborate with fellow operators. He hopes to foster relationships with the fellow operators and collaborate on successes as well as struggles that arise. His advice is to build relationships. “We have an opportunity to serve others well,” Killgore said. “It is really about being a good neighbor to one another.”

E DUCATIO N

Transformative presidency

After 51 years of service to Oklahoma, David Boren announces his plan to retire. The college president, former U.S. senator and governor leaves behind a legacy of a true statesman. By Laura Eastes

The applause continued for nearly a minute, by the end of which a majority of the students, university administrators, faculty and staff had risen in their seats. University of Oklahoma President David Boren responded by addressing the crowd packed into the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center once more. “As I look out on all of you, I have a full understanding of what it means to invest your life in some cause and some institution far more important than yourself,” Boren said. Moments before, Boren delivered his speech declaring his intent to retire at the end of the academic year, June 30, 2018. Since 1975, when Oklahomans elected the Democrat as their 21st governor, Boren has been in the public eye. The son of an Oklahoma congressman, Boren later went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, where he chaired the Intelligence Committee. Boren’s career in the Senate ended in the fall of 1994 after he accepted the position of president at his home state’s public research institution in Norman. The university’s board of regents hired Boren, a graduate of Yale University and OU College of Law, to commence a profound transformation from a public institution with an outstanding athletic department to a university with a growing national reputation for academic excellence, research prowess and a successful athletic program. Within a year, Boren launched the largest private fundraising drive in the university’s history — $200 million by 2000 — and hired a new head football coach, Howard Schnellenberger. The changes Boren ushered in over

University of Oklahoma President David Boren is swarmed by the media following his announcement to retire. Boren joined the university in 1994 after serving 16 years as a U.S. Senator. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

a 23-year period have been historic. From his office in Evans Hall, Boren has led OU through significant progress and growth since taking office. The university has added more than 30 new programs, including the Honor College, College of International Studies, Religious Studies Program and Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering. In addition to establishing a research campus on the Norman campus, Boren led efforts to reorganize Presbyterian Research Park in Oklahoma City to OU’s University Research Park just east of the OU Health Sciences Center. During Boren’s tenure, the Stephenson Cancer Center and Harold Hamm Diabetes Center were established at the health sciences center and private fundraising topped $3 billion from private donors. These immense changes earned OU recognition nationally. U.S News & World Report ranked OU as the 97th best university in the nation and the nation’s 41st top public school for 2018. A decade earlier, the prestigious rankings listed OU as the 108th best university. Boren called OU’s progress a team effort, one predicted when he was installed as the president over 23 years ago. “I said over 20 years ago that I was convinced that together, we could demonstrate that a public university could continued on page 8

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University of Oklahoma students, faculty and

eDUCATIO N

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have an honors program that matched the intellectual challenge provided by the most well-endowed private institutions,” Boren said. “I said I was convinced that together, we could create new initiatives to prepare our students to be leaders in the international environment in which they live. I said I was convinced that together, we could demonstrate such a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring that our example would help all American higher education regain something it had lost.”

Presidential search

The search for the university’s 14th president is in the hands of the seven-member board of regents, who are appointed by the governor. Oklahoma City businessman and Thunder owner Clay Bennett serves as the current chair. The regents could pursue a presidential search committee with faculty, staff and student representatives as a key strategy for searching and recruiting the next president. While the regents’ policy manual recommends a search committee, they could pursue other options. Recruiting a college president is no easy task; finding a president who will continue to advance Boren’s successful agenda will be difficult. Back in 1994, when the regents selected Boren, they were ahead of their time by hiring an individual with no experience in higher education administration but plenty of real-life experience in fundraising, budgeting, advocating and deal-making. According to the American Council on Education, the most common road to the American president’s office is academia, but college presidents coming from posts outside of higher education is increasing. Burns Hargis, a well-known name in legal and business circles in Oklahoma, became Oklahoma State University’s president in 2008. Robert Henry, who served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit and as Oklahoma’s Attorney General, will conclude his seven-year presidency at Oklahoma City University this summer when he retires. Don Betz arrived at the president’s office at the University of Central Oklahoma after 45 years in academia. 8

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staff gathered inside one of the university’s theaters to watch President David Boren’s announcement about the school’s future. Boren announced his plans to retire, effective June 30, 2018 | Photo Garett Fisbeck

It’s too early to tell if OU will continue with another academia outsider with impressive credentials in politics or business or if leaders will look internally or at other universities’ administrators. U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, former U.S. Rep. Dan Boren (Boren’s son), former Gov. Brad Henry and Joe Harroz, who currently serves as OU law dean and previously served as the university’s general counsel, are some of the early names being tossed around as possible candidates. Boren’s retirement is effective June 30, 2018, unless a permanent successor has not been named. Boren will remain president until the search is complete.

Not going far

Over the next nine months, Boren can expect to hear more praise as OU and the greater university community celebrate his legacy. Already, university officials have announced the International Program Center, which Boren founded in 1996 and led to its establishment as the College of International Studies, will bear his name after his retirement. Boren, who turns 77 in April, won’t go far from Norman. After he clears out his office and home at OU’s Boyd House, he will continue to enter the classroom. Since he arrived on campus, Boren has taught an undergraduate political science class. He intends to keep teaching, tacking on more years to his already-impressive resume of 51 years of public service to Oklahoma. As he announced his retirement as president, the “most rewarding period of his life,” Boren reflected on his own convictions that a career spent helping others is the ultimate reward in life. “I often say to our freshmen at our opening convocation that I wish I could give each one of them the gift of finding a purpose greater than themselves in which to invest their lives,” Boren said. “I am filled with gratitude for all of those who have allowed me to receive that gift in my own life.”

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

Think again

Don Porter, in his “Supporting Article V” (Opinion, Letters to the Editor, July 26, Oklahoma Gazette) letter, says he is for term limits for Supreme Court judges because there are liberals among them. He has no conception of a governmental memory, just like our state Legislature. It wants to control the courts rather than having an independent judiciary as both our state and national constitutions specify. Oklahoma did not start that way, but after the crisis in the 1960s due to justices accepting and paying bribes, the people demanded and got an independent judiciary. Now there are powerful members of our Legislature that want to politicize the courts to control the decisions. Fortunately, many others remember the 1960s governmental mess and have

staved off attempts to bring back a partisan court. An Article V Convention is promoted by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) for their corporate masters for the main purpose of improving corporate control of our government. Corporations will be running the convention. Porter needs to reconsider what he is wishing for. Chadwick Cox Norman

Educate everyone

What the Democrats need to do is inform, educate and somehow instill into non-believers why their ideas are not just better, but work better. If they have to use charts and easels in order to show the comparison between the Republicans and Democrats, then that is what is necessary. Because all the Republican constituents know is the propaganda crap they’ve been fed over and over and over by their conservative leaders.

A lot of the Republican base is generally low information educated, i.e., they listen to Fox News and maybe some of the major networks at night. But really, on these type of outlets, all they’re getting is sound bites and nothing indepth at all. One thought to enlightening the masses would be to compare what Hillary Clinton would’ve done had she been elected as to what President Donald Trump is now doing. And as I said, using charts and such might be the method. One thing will probably have to change: electing more Democrats to Congress. As it stands now, especially the House would say no and block everything Clinton would’ve submitted. And let’s face it: The Republican leaders do not like government, period. They want everybody to be on their own, fend for themselves. Their sole purpose is to keep big business happy. Take away all the regulations. In reality, they don’t really care about the middle class, although they pretend they do. There is one thing they don’t want anyone to touch though, and that is the $174,000 salary they pull down every year. And they’ll go to any length to ensure that they’re re-elected. Joe Wright Oklahoma City

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O kg a z e t t e . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7

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High standards

Hot mic trouble

Oklahoma’s public education system is in a state of crisis. The only ones who don’t seem to understand that are certain members of the Oklahoma Legislature. (Rep. Michael Rogers, R-Broken Arrow, recently referred to reports of declining state funding for public schools as “fake news.”) “We are in a terrible crisis and it is one that must be solved. If it isn’t, everything else unravels in this state,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister told News9 in late August. What do you do in an education crisis? Continue to set high standards! High standards for schools and students have become synonymous with public education in recent decades. As Oklahoma Watch reports, state education leaders sent an ambitious plan to the U.S. Department of Education as required under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Under Oklahoma’s plan, state education leaders set goals that include reducing schools’ use of emergency-certified teachers by 95 percent and boosting high school graduation to 90 percent. Additionally, leaders will combat hunger, increase schools’ participation in school meal programs and improve early childhood education to ensure “75 percent of students enter kindergarten ready to read.” Oklahoma Watch reports state leaders outlined strategies to reach all goals by 2025. Kudos to our state education leaders for setting goals to inspire the state’s education system to greater heights. Let’s hope that state lawmakers work to aid the Oklahoma State Department of Education in their efforts to continue improving education.

As P.D. Taylor begins his formal job as head of the Oklahoma County Sherriff’s Department, the former interim chief has a clean slate with the department after winning nearly 50 percent of the election. Oklahoma County at least had it right by not electing independent candidate Ed Grimes, who was fired from his deputy position with the Canadian County Sheriff’s Department three days after coming in at a distant third in the Oklahoma County race. Grimes was relieved of his duties for “maliciously uttering derogatory, sexist comments about supervisory personnel,” according to The Oklahoman, citing disciplinary records. According to the termination letter, Grimes made reference to a superior officer needing to use female sanitary products after leaving the microphone active on the sheriff’s radio while talking on the phone. He was also heard mentioning that he was open to running for Oklahoma County sheriff again. We won’t have to worry about that now. Grimes tallied 9,167 votes compared to Taylor’s 23,049 votes and Mike Hanson’s 14,015. Grimes spent more then three decades with the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Unidentified hoax

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s probably something with a perfectly reasonable explanation — also, it didn’t really happen here anyway. Parts of the internet and at least one local news outlet reported something strange in the sky over the Oklahoma State Fair last week. A YouTube video titled “UFOs over Oklahoma State Fair (Oklahoma City)” posted on user YaBoySuper’s account showed a series of lights falling and multiplying in the night sky, accompanied by awestruck people asking what the lights were and one man shouting “Oh shit! It’s breaking apart!” In the comment section, some said they saw something similar in OKC, offered explanations (like military planes or skydivers with flares), told stories of alien encounters and made jokes like “Alien Voice ‘Take me to your Deep Fried Oreos.’” Still others revealed the truth and said the video was a fake and was actually taken in Utah. KOCO.com reported that the video shared nearly 300,000 times on Facebook was a hoax and the lights were actually skydivers holding flares over the Utah State Fair. UFO sightings aren’t exactly uncommon in the state — National UFO Reporting Center (yes, it exists) lists

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over 30 sightings this year alone — so it might be understandable for people to think fairgoers had maybe possibly seen something otherworldly — or maybe they just had a flashback to the time they ate too many deep-fried gummy bears and went on a bad sugar trip and started misunderstanding totally rational occurrences.

Oops, there it is

Oklahomans still pining for more substantial reasoning behind former Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant’s decision to split town and join the Golden State Warriors more than a year ago got it in the form of a now infamous Twitter tirade. Durant told USA Today that he had just woken from a nap when he saw a tweet from a random stranger asking for one good reason the reigning NBA Finals most valuable player left the Thunder. Post-nap Twitter judgment has always been one of the worst kinds of Twitter judgment, right behind the 3 a.m. post-bar variety. Durant responded to the tweet on his official Twitter account in the third person, which led many readers to the likely conclusion that he had intended the comment to be an anon-

ymous one from a separate account. “He didn’t like the organization or playing for [head coach] Billy Donovan,” his response read. “His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and russ (Russell Westbrook). Imagine taking russ off that team, see how bad they were. Kd can’t win a championship with those cats.” Durant had been fairly guarded and political when addressing the public about his decision in the past, but if this response was any more offthe-cuff, it’d be in orbit. Though he could have easily taken the tired “I got hacked” defense, Durant surprisingly fessed up to the comments, telling USA Today that he’d lost sleep and his appetite since the (now deleted) comments were posted. The remarkable thing here is that Durant actually has other Twitter accounts that he uses for whatever reasons, including presumably to respond to Twitter haters. The basketball star often argues on social media with his critics, but rarely about his decision to leave OKC — at least not from his official account. Former center and “’Stache Bro” Enes Kanter, who was traded

to the New York Knicks early this week, appropriately took to Twitter for his response to the message. “I don’t care what anyone says,” he wrote. “Oklahoma City Thunder is the best and most professional organization in the NBA and got the craziest fans. We win, we lose; but the most important thing we stick together because we are one. And those cats, I call them FAMILY.”

Pawnee County ragin’

On Sept. 10, a group of Oklahoma State University students took to the open road, gunning their motorcycles through Pawnee County while a GoPro mounted on 21-year-old Camden Rader’s whip captured the action. As the video posted to YouTube makes clear, the first rider passed a loaded pickup truck on the left. Words were exchanged as the driver poked his head out and all vehicles slowed to a stop. Two other pickups showed up for a good, old-fashioned ambush.

The driver of a red pickup, 34-year-old Wyman Randall Watkins, waited with a shotgun sticking out of his driver’s side window as the original aggrieved driver, 30-year-old Russell Watkins jumped out of his ride and started pummeling the first motorcyclist in the face. Then it was time for a “big-un” to show up and pull a knife. Paul Arnold Wiseley, a 60-year-old man with no effs given, brandished his frog sticker while pulling up his shirt and bellowing “I’m the real deal!” According to NewsOK.com, Russell Watkins, whose wife yelled, “We’ve got five kids in this fucking car, and you guys just did that shit,” is charged with accessory to robbery with a weapon and misdemeanor assault and battery because these bad ol’ boys stole one of the GoPro cameras. Wyman Randall Watkins, who can be heard in the video yelling, “I’ll blow your fucking head off,” is charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Wiseley got booked for felony robbery with a weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, not to mention for being what prosecutors typically call “the real deal.” CFN is currently hammering out a screenplay for Deliverance 2017.

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F e at u r e

EAT & DRINK

Bovine-free

Stillwater’s Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. uses local ingredients for a healthier product. By Jacob Threadgill

More than 65 percent of the world’s population drinks goat’s milk, but in the United States, it’s rarely seen outside of cheese. A Stillwater-based business has taken goat’s milk and applied it to the country’s favorite dessert: ice cream. Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. began as a kernel of an idea when Kansas City native RaShaun Robinson was in the MBA program at Oklahoma State University (OSU). A little more than two years later, the product is available statewide and one of two goat’s milk ice cream companies in the nation. The fat molecules in goat’s milk are smaller than traditional cow’s milk, which makes it easier for humans to digest. This is welcome news for the third of the population that suffers from lactose intolerance. Goat’s milk is lower in fat and calories than the whole milk variety of cow’s milk, according to the USDA. Robinson was exposed to the health benefits of goat’s milk while an undergraduate at Langston University, which houses the American Institute for Goat Research. “It’s the closest dairy product to your mother’s milk in nature,” Robinson said. He began to think about a business plan that could benefit rural communities while an undergrad and kept it percolating until arriving at OSU. “America’s favorite dessert is ice cream,” he said. “Why don’t we make it with goat’s milk? We want to take those

Stillwater’s Billy Goat Ice Cream is one of two goat’s milk ice cream companies in the country. | Photo provided

health benefits and apply them to a dessert that is considered ‘sinfully delicious.’ We combined natural ingredients to make it something that is better for you [than normal ice cream].”

Incubating business

Robinson and co-founder Caleb Neil presented the idea for Billy Goat Ice Cream at the university’s pitch and poster competition. Billy Goat took

home a $1,500 first place prize in the competition, which requires entrants to present a business idea, value proposition and more. Soon after, Robinson and Neil had set up in the university’s incubator and finished the business plan while finishing their master’s degrees. “It’s been fantastic to watch,” said OSU assistant professor Richard Gajan, who works with individual students on their business proposals. “RaShaun has been incredibly resourceful. Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of start-ups, and they rarely hit their sales forecasts, but RaShaun never ceases to amaze me.” Gajan said Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. is one of three businesses out of 40 that participated in the competition to become a fully-fledged business. Robinson worked with Gajan to secure a USDA grant through REI Oklahoma because Billy G oat uses t h ree Oklahoma goat farms to supply the milk and as many local flavor ingredients as possible. Robinson credited the grant for allowing the company to get off its feet. They sold their first order to a local Walmart in April 2015, a month before graduating. “When we first started, we had buddies that came in and helped us hand-pack everything. Oh my gosh; we’d be exhausted by the time we got home,” Robinson said. The company now has an automatic depositor for packing and an ice cream machine that produces every 10 minutes. Robinson said it took four hours to make by hand. Billy Goat moved to an off-campus incubator facility that gave them room for production and storage, but after agreeing to a deal to be in all 11 of the state’s Sprout’s Farmers Market stores, Robinson is in the process of finding a bigger facility. Billy Goat ice cream is also available at Walmart, Natural Grocers, Homeland, Whole Foods, OnCue Express and Crest Foods in the Oklahoma City area. “When we started, we were 10 cases here and 10 cases there, but we recently switched to a palate system,” Robinson said. “We’re at a bit of a storage capacity issue [in the current facility], but that’s a good problem to have.”

Flavor concoctions

RaShaun Robinson founded Billy Goat Ice Cream while in the MBA program at Oklahoma State University. | Photo provided

Robinson said there hasn’t been a traditional flavor combination that hasn’t translated from cow’s milk ice cream to the goat’s milk variety. Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. features bourbon vanilla bean, coffee cacao chip, dark chocolate, garden mint and salted caramel as year-round flavors. Blueberry ginger, chocolate chip cookie dough and roasted strawberry balsamic are small-batch varieties.

“I tried to come up with a pear and blue cheese flavor,” Robinson said. “We wanted to be fancy, but it was horrible. That’s what I get for trying to watch the Food Network. Not everything works together.” A half-cup serving (79 grams) of the bourbon vanilla cream has 110 calories 4 grams of fat and 16 grams of sugar. By comparison, a 100-gram serving of Häagen-Dazs vanilla bean has 249 calories and 17 grams of fat and 20 grams of sugar. The FDA classifies frozen dessert as traditional dairy like Haagen-Dazs and Talenti and non-dairy like Halo Top. Robinson said goat’s milk allows his product to be classified alongside other dairy products, but with the health benefits of the nondairy side. “We don’t add anything,” Robinson said. “It’s pure cane sugar and cof fee t hat we’ve roasted. All of the milk is from grass-fed goats.”

Taste test

I purchased a pint of Billy Goat Ice Cream Co.’s dark chocolate flavor from a local Walmart, where it retailed for $5.54, about 70 cents more expensive than its Häagen-Dazs counterpart. I was curious how much impact the goat’s milk has on the ice cream. The first thing I noticed was that the texture is a little more sticky and gooey than traditional ice cream, but that also means it won’t freeze rock-hard and be impossible to get out of the container.

We combined natural ingredients to make it something that is better for you. RaShaun Robinson The goat’s milk does give the ice cream an earthy character that’s reminiscent of goat’s cheese, but it compliments the dark chocolate well. With 21 grams of sugar in one serving, it seemed like the higher amount of sugar was added to counterbalance the goat cheese flavor. I would’ve preferred it to be slightly less saccharine, but it was very good and something I would buy again. I will gladly pay a slight premium for a product that supports Oklahoma businesses and cuts calories while still providing full-bodied flavor.

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7

F e at u r e

EAT & DRINK

HALLOWEEN ISSUE Take it from the experts, this issue will have you saying “BOO-ya!” From the scariest adult haunts to the best kiddie corn mazes, Gazette’s Halloween Issue highlights all OKC has to offer leading up to All Hallows’ Eve.

PUBLISHING OCTOBER 25, 2017 AD DEADLINE OCTOBER 18, 2017

Attention publicity seekers! Submit calendar events at www.okgazette.com or email to listings@okgazette.com

Please be sure to indicate ‘Halloween Issue’ in the subject line. We do not accept calendar items via phone.

Deadline to submit items for our Halloween Issue calendar is Wednesday, October 4th, by 5pm.

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Fire ignighted

El Fogoncito brings a taste of Mexico to The Paseo Arts District. By Sean Isabella

Emilio Granja feels he could write his own book, an autobiography detailing the twists, turns, sagas and struggles as a Mexican-American trying to find his way in life. Whether it was working three jobs to earn just enough money to survive or a brief homeless stint in central Mexico, Granja managed to keep ascending. “I have so many stories,” he said sitting in a booth in his new restaurant in The Paseo Arts District. Granja first worked as a welder and then as an HVAC technician, and his latest success is as the owner of El Fogoncito, a quaint Mexican eatery specializing in tacos at 3020 N. Walker Ave., Suite A. “You need to suffer in life to realize where you want to be. That’s the basis of my life,” said Granja, who opened El Fogoncito on Aug. 28. “Suffering is not suffering when you’re doing something to achieve what you want.”

Life struggles

A rectangular cubby occupies a small space near the drink station and is hidden to the 50-person capacity restaurant. That is where Granja, 35, keeps extra clothes for certain quick-change situations when he pulls double duty. Up until a few weeks ago, Granja was a full-time HVAC technician. Now, he’s balancing the two. Born in Chicago to a single mother, Granja lived stateside for 18 years before a move to San Luis Potosí, Mexico, jump-started his fondness of Latin American culture. Any enjoyment was short-lived, as he found himself homeless for two weeks after his grandmother kicked him out. “It was a real hectic part of my life,” he said. “It was crazy.” Granja moved to Oklahoma City in

El Fogoncito partner and head cook Abisaid Samaniego cuts a trompo of pork. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

his early 20s and worked as a welder for various companies until a workrelated accident set him back. Six years ago, Granja relocated to Austin, Texas, for a year of technical school. He regularly logged more than 16 hours day split between mornings in class, nights installing air conditioning units and shift work at Whataburger and Little Caesars in between. On the weekends, he and his wife sold tamales. He moved back to OKC as an apartment complex supervisor. On the side, he spent the next four years slowly building a customer base that eventually turned into his own HVAC business. Long hours led to a hungry stomach, and Granja often found himself craving Mexican food. He liked to eat it, so he thought, “Why not open up my own place?” “I have tunnel vision. That’s what’s so bad about me,” he joked. “When I opened up this restaurant, I didn’t think what the downfall was.”

Al pastor love

Aware of his surroundings in the Paseo, Granja knew creativity was needed for El Fogoncito, which means “little fire” in Spanish. Murals line the inside walls of El Fogoncito to highlight central Mexico’s culture. A woman depicts the homey feel of the restaurant and a menu centered on traditional dishes while a Mayan warrior and a black train signify the history. “I wanted something authentic,” Granja said. “Every plate you see here is

what you would see at an authentic Mexican restaurant.” A giant cone of sizzling pork sits at the end of the six-seat bar on a trompo and offers another illustration. If anything, that is what El Fogoncito will be known for: al pastor tacos. The portable street food goes by tacos de trompo in Mexico. A trompo is a popular Latin American spinning top toy shaped like a pear. Tacos al pastor receives its name from the way the pork is cooked, sliced thin, marinated for three days and then stacked on a vertical spit to cook rotisserie-style. The idea stemmed from Granja’s visits to Guanajuato, which is about four hours from where his family lived in San Luis Potosí. “That’s when I fell in love with al pastor,” he said. “I got sick off it because I ate so much of it.” Al pastor is one of nine tacos, along with tortas, flautas and other plates, served up by Abisaid Samaniego, a partner and head cook at El Fogoncito. The menu includes traditional staples like barbacoa (slow-cooked beef) and carnitas (slow-roasted pork shoulder). They also make chorizo in-house for tacos and queso fundido, a melted cheese plate with chorizo and ground sirloin. With the exception of tortilla chips, tortillas and French fries, everything from meats to sauces is prepared inhouse.

No failure

Granja’s relationship with Samaniego dates back just 18 months when Granja scoured Facebook in search of a chef for his wife’s birthday party. Around the same time, he provided HVAC services to a developer that owned property in the Paseo.

Every plate you see here is what you would see at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Emilio Granja Granja leased a portion of the building previously entirely devoted to a convenience store, erected a wall and raised the ceiling as part of an eightmonth construction project. As expected, he is learning as he goes. He laughed when noting that “everything is surprising,” estimating 75 or 80 percent is financial burden — Granja dished out $75,000 — and stress. “Restaurants, you throw money into it and you hope it works out,” he said. “But my mental capacity is not meant for failure. Failure is not an option for me. I’ve never failed once in my lifetime, so I’m not failing for this.” Granja is constantly thinking and trying to adapt. It took just three weeks for him to adjust the menu, dropping from three burgers to one, adding two enchilada dishes — verdes (green chile) and rojas (red chile) — and debuting a vegan soybean ceviche. Taco prices are dropping from $3.75 to $3.25 based on feedback from customers, and Granja plans to institute a happy hour menu this month that will feature half-priced tacos and papas locas (loaded Mexican fries). Granja is also working on obtaining a liquor license. “The community has been great. Everyone has been supporting us 100 percent,” he said. “The people leave with a happy face, and I’m happy with that.”

El Fogoncito specializes in tacos al pastor. | Photo Garett Fisbeck

Queso fundido | Photo Garett Fisbeck O kg a z e t t e . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7

GRAFFITI CULTURE

Event

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EXPERIENCE

DYNAMIC STREET ART

Not For Sale: Graffiti Culture in Oklahoma 10/05 - 11/30 Free opening reception 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 oklahomacontemporary.org | 405 951 0000 | @okcontemporary 3000 General Pershing Blvd. | Oklahoma City, OK 73107

S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Bavarian brewfest

OKCtoberfest expands to a two-day event in its second year. By Jacob Threadgill

The first time Anthem Brewing Company president Patrick Lively and The Lost Ogle founder Patrick Riley teamed up with the beer Ogletoberfest was such a success that they’ve continued the trend with the OKCtoberfest event. Much like the decision to partner on a beer, the opportunity to give Oklahoma City its own Oktoberfest event like ones in Choctaw and Tulsa came during a conversation between friends. “There are a few other Oktoberfest events across Oklahoma, but nothing in the urban core of the city,” Lively said. “It was an opportunity to do something for Oklahoma City.” Last year’s inaugural event at the OKC Farmers Market District’s Delmar Gardens Food Truck Park, 1225 SW Second St., attracted more than 1000 people, Riley said, and led this year’s event to be expanded to two days: 2 p.m.-midnight Oct. 6 and noon-midnight Oct. 7. General admission is $7-$10. Portions of the proceeds benefit OKC Farmers Market District, which has gone from an afterthought beyond the farmers market to a burgeoning neighborhood that’s now home to The Loaded Bowl, Rewind Pub, Power House, Silo clothing store and more. “Three years ago, the Farmers Market District was probably a place you didn’t want to be at night,” Riley said. “I hate the word gentrification in

this case because there has been a lot of progress. It’s a great event spot. The whole inner core of OKC continues to change; whether it is Midtown or Farmers Market District, it’s all different than it was five years ago.” The world’s largest Oktoberfest is held annually in Munich, Germany, and attracts more than 6 million people during its three-week run for a tradition that dates back to the 19th century. The Oklahoma City version puts the onus on the beer. Lively and Prairie Artisan Ales’ Greg Powell will curate an unfinalized selection of beers from Oklahoma, across the United States and Germany. “It’s not kitschy German appropriation,” Riley said. “I just wanted a place people could hang out and drink a good selection of craft beer. It’s an excuse to do something on beautiful fall afternoon.” With both American- and Germanstyle Oktoberfest beer available, Lively said it is a good opportunity to discern the difference between the two. The German märzen style is traditionally full of malt with a hint of spicy malt. Lively said the American style is usually sweeter. “The traditional Oktoberfest beer in Germany is not the taste we’ve taken on in America,” Lively said. “We try to make something that reminds people of the fall.” With Anthem’s Ogletoberfest, Lively went with Vienna-style hops instead

Festivalgoers enjoy 2016 OKCtoberfest in true Bavarian fashion. | Photo provided

of the traditional märzen style. “It’s a little bit darker in color but still clean and sharp,” Lively said. “It’s something people will like on a chilly night.” Throughout the event, 16-ounce beers will be available for $6 per pour. Delmar Gardens will also curate a variety of local food trucks over the two-day event. Live music is also scheduled. Big Truck Tacos, Holey Rollers, St. Paddy Cakes, Yum Yum Bites and Stray Dog Food Truck are among the food trucks that will be on hand for the event. Each truck will provide a Bavarianinspired special. For instance, St. Paddy Cakes will serve schnitzel with brown mushroom gravy on a potato cake. “Last year, my favorite thing was The Loaded Bowl,” Riley said. “It was like 8 o’clock, I was drinking an Oktoberfest, which is my favorite style of beer, eating vegan mac and cheese and thinking, ‘This is a odd combo, but I like it.’” After a successful first year and expanding in its second iteration, Lively sees the partnership as one that will continue. “I hope this festival is something that lasts for years to come and becomes a mainstay,” Lively said. Visit okctoberfest.com or call 405-323-8454.

Featuring:

A roundup of recommended beers

A directory of locations to drink craft beer A calendar of beer-centered events and beer education 101

PUBLISHES OCT. 4 AD SPACE DEADLINE SEPT. 27

OKCtoberfest 2017 2 p.m.-midnight Oct. 6 and noon-midnight Oct. 7 Delmar Gardens Food Truck Park 1225 SW Second St. okctoberfest.net | 405-323-8454

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g a z e di b l e s

eat & DRINK

Gourmet roast

Coffee makes the world go round, and Oklahoma City and the surrounding area has no shortage of coffee shops and roasters that run the gamut from minimalist cafes to ornate experiences. By Jacob Threadgill | Photos by Garett Fisbeck, Garett Fisbeck / file and Gazette / file

Join us

On the Patio for Dinner or

Caipirinhas Winner Best of OKC!

Best Latin Restaurant and Best Restaurant in Midtown!

Elemental Coffee Roasters

Hank’s Coffee & Wine

The coffee at Elemental is much like the aesthetic of the store: straight and to the point. The small-batch roastery doesn’t add artificial flavors to its beans, and the interior is sleek and modern. Learn how to brew through different recipes and shop from a variety of coffee from around the world while also exploring the cafe menu that is friendly to both carnivores and vegetarians.

The eponymous Hank at the Midtown coffee and wine shop was the owner’s loving mixed breed they called “cow dog.” Hank serves as the logo for the store and is printed on T-shirts. The kitschy cafe features a variety of espressos, including an Irish coffee with whiskey, which makes it appropriate for morning or night.

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

Leap Coffee Roasters

1227 N. Walker Ave. hankscoffee.com | 405-778-6294

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Beverage Equipment Total Beverage Services where customer service comes first! 2451 Van Buren Street | Norman, Ok TotalBeverageService.com

301 W. Main St Moore, OK 73160

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S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Leap supplies coffee to many restaurants in the area, but its retail location is open Wednesday-Friday. Owners Eric Starkey and Kari Hirst Starkey are committed to supplying organic and fair trade certified coffee while also supporting Oklahoma City’s artist community. Earlier this year, the Starkeys began partnering with local artists to design art for their coffee bags and they split proceeds with the artists.

Petite 10 Tea Room

(405) 794-4584

(405) 525-9779 440 NW 11th & Walker www.cafedobrazilokc.com

44 NE 51st St. leapcoffeeroasters.com | 405-602-5800

#eatMoorelocal

10 West Main • Yukon 494.9504 Open for Lunch Mon-Wed-Fri 11-2

Cater | Events Princess Parties Showers | Weddings

Okay Yeah Co.

705 W. Sheridan Ave. okayyeahco.com | 405-652-1322

Okay Yeah brings a refreshing and amiable atmosphere to its Film Row location where owner Chad Grubbs places an emphasis on providing a space where customers can relax in a warm environment. Guests can sip a Spanish cortado or an Italian macchiato coffee and also try a sweet or savory pastry tart made with local ingredients.

Rick’s Fine Chocolates & Coffees

Vintage Coffee

Wild Hero Coffee Co.

109 W. Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie ricksdowntown.com | 405-293-9309

1101 NW 49th St. facebook.com/vintagecoffeeok 405-752-0038

What better way to enjoy a stroll around charming downtown Guthrie than with a sweet treat or organic coffee brew from Rick’s? Fall and winter concoctions include creations like pecan pie and gingerbread lattes. Enjoy one of Rick’s many desserts that includes everything from coconut haystacks to chocolate-covered orange peels.

This northwest OKC establishment is known for its cold drinks, which can be picked up from a drive-thru window. Choose from 12 Vintage favorite flavor combinations like Lucky Charm (Irish cream, toffee and green sprinkles) or Cancun (mocha, cinnamon and cayenne power) or be your own alchemist by choosing from over 30 flavors.

Coffee beans are at the forefront of Mustang’s only locally owned coffeehouse. Choose from locally roasted expresso, coffee or an exciting array of frozen sweet coffee drinks like German chocolate or salted caramel mocha. You can also pick up a quiche or panini for lunch.

331 N. Mustang Road, Mustang facebook.com/wildherocoffeeco 405-376-4700

now open

SeaSonal, local, HealtHy

Lunch Combo Special Mon-Fri 11- 2:30pm

Vegetable biryani 4621 N. May | OKC | 778-8469

Hot Bar Entrees, Freshly Made Salads, Grab & Go Meals - all made from local, farm-fresh and organic ingredients

Nichols Hills Plaza | provision-kitchen.com

Happy Hour Mon-Fri 3- 5pm

405-285-2396

3209 s Broadway in Edmond

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7

S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

ARTS & CULTURE Graffiti artist and Plaza Walls co-curator Kris Kanaly will paint a mural directly on the Oklahoma Contemporary walls as part of the

COV E R

gallery’s Not For Sale exhibit. | Photo provided

Wall-eyed

Oklahoma Contemporary brings street art indoors with Not For Sale: Graffiti Culture in Oklahoma. By Ben Luschen

Growing up in the 1980s, Kris Kanaly skated with his friends through the drainage ditch near Penn Square Mall, a thrill the youth of today are prohibited from enjoying. A whirl of color rushed past him as he sped through the long concrete halfpipe. Kanaly loved skating in the area, but he was as or more fascinated by the mystifying scrawls of colorful graffiti that covered the ditch. Some of the graffiti was left by neighborhood punk rockers or hip-hop heads. Other pieces were markings left by gang members or even racist messages made by who knows whom. All of it, to Kanaly, was strange and illegible — at first, anyway. The aerosol lettering was unique and beautiful. “It was cryptic,” Kanaly said. “I couldn’t read it; my friends couldn’t read it. But once we found out about what it meant, it was this hidden type of language we could all use.” Kanaly is one of 10 state street artists pa r t icipat i ng in Ok l a hom a Contemporary’s exhibition Not For Sale: Graffiti Culture in Oklahoma, a two-month art show in which graffiti murals will be painted directly onto the art gallery’s polished concrete walls. An opening reception is set to begin 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Oklahoma Contemporary’s State Fair Park headquarters, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., with an artist talk scheduled for 6:15 p.m. The drainage ditch Kanaly and his friends once skated is now fenced off from the public. Its rainbow of graffiti was scrubbed away long ago, but in recent

years, a mural and street-art culture has captured the city’s imagination in ways that seemed unimaginable to Kanaly in the ’80s and ’90s. Kanaly, partly inspired to learn the craft by the work he saw in the drainage pipe as a kid, has been a street artist in OKC for more than 20 years. Today, he is known as a curator for Plaza Walls, the back-alley mural project found in 16th Street Plaza District that has had a large role in legitimizing street art to the local community. Though Plaza Walls has become a popular attraction and frequent tourist destination, Kanaly recognizes Not For Sale as a landmark event for local street and graffiti artists and is thankful for those who made the show a reality. “I think recognizing [graffiti] as an art movement and a style of art that is acceptable — I think that’s a monumental achievement for Oklahoma and our scene here,” he said.

New crowd

Oklahoma Contemporary wanted to showcase the state’s graffiti artists both to highlight a form of expression that is contemporarily relevant and to draw in a group of people who might not be regular art gallery visitors. “We love for our galleries to be really accessible,” said Jennifer Scanlan, Oklahoma Contemporary’s curatorial and exhibitions director. “Graffiti is an art form that lots of people have exposure to that don’t always go to museums.” Not For Sale runs through Nov. 30 and will coincide with Oklahoma City’s second official observance of Hip-Hop History Month in November. Mayor Mick Cornett issued a proclamation in 2016 giving citywide recognition to the international celebration. Jeremiah Matthew Davis, Oklahoma Contemporary’s artistic director, said the timing of the show was intentionally lined up with hip-hop’s celebratory month. “Hip-hop culture is something that has grown in prominence and influence in the last four decades,” Davis said. “Now, hip-hop and graffiti are global phenomena. They’re practiced on every continent, including probably Antarctica.”

Purchase unnecessary

Not For Sale officially opens Oct. 5, but its biggest event does not come until Nov. 4, when ONESoul Charity Event Hip-Hop

Jam helps kick off Hip-Hop History Month. The daylong celebration begins at noon and features dance battles and openfloor dancing, live graffiti competitions, musical performances, food trucks, art projects and more. The early portion of the event is geared toward families, and alcohol sales begin at 7 p.m. as it shifts to an adult-focused event. Admission is $10 and goes toward student art programming scholarships. Angel Little co-curates Not For Sale with Tulsa-based artist Chris SKER. Other participating artists include CODAK Smith, JASPYR Marler, HEK Rogers, Jeremy SADAT Fields, GERM, MANIK, Bobby Entaker and Kanaly, whose graffiti name is RHAK. Little has been teaching hip-hop art classes at Oklahoma Contemporary for several years. It was originally his idea to put a graffiti art show directly on the gallery walls. There have been graffiti shows in the past, but Little said this is the first time he can recall the art form being exhibited in one of the city’s esteemed art institutions. “This is Oklahoma Contemporary — this is state-level,” he said. “This is them supporting something that is outside of the norm. It’s not just public art to be seen. It’s in an area where this is not something you normally see.” Just as the exhibit title suggests, none of the pieces that will be made for Not For Sale are intended for purchase. These artists aren’t being pressured to make pieces for someone’s home or office. The finished product conforms to the artist’s creative vision alone. “You can’t buy what you see on the walls here,” Little said. “This art is here to tell you something — it’s here to show you something. It’s not for sale.” The art on the walls will be painted over after the exhibit ends. Oklahoma Contemporary plans on moving its headquarters from State Fair Park to its art campus near Automobile Alley with a target move date set for late 2018. “The show will live on,” Davis said. “It will just be hidden behind layers of paint. continued on page 22

The style as we know it today — spray paint or marker pen used to write messages or create mural images on walls, train cars and other public places — was refined and widely popularized in late-’70s New York as an element of the rapidly expanding hip-hop movement. That interest has since ballooned into a wider world of fine-art murals and street art found in urban areas across the globe. A mural by Tulsa-based artist Chris SKER, who is co-curating the Not For Sale exhibition. | Photo provided

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ARTS & CULTURE

CODAK Smith is one of 10 artists participating

cover

continued from page 21

It will become part of the bones of the building.”

Gaining acceptance

Though his work is now found in the finest museums around the world, the impressionism of late 19th-century French artist Claude Monet was once as scoffed at by art critics and the powers that be as any graffiti artist. Art critic Louis Leroy once wryly commented that “wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished” than the new, vague painting style that emphasized natural light. The first impressionists famously held their own exhibition, the Salon des Refusés (“exhibition of rejects”) in 1863. In a similar fashion, Not For Sale hopes to further legitimize graffiti and hip-hop as art forms worthy of study — Little grimaces at the thought of someone forming an impression of hip-hop based solely on the latest Drake or Migos music video. “I think a lot of people get a misconception about hip-hop when they see pop rap,” he said. “That’s not hip-hop.” The type of hip-hop Little teaches to students at Oklahoma Contemporary encompasses all the elements on which the culture was originally founded, including graffiti, breakdancing, DJing, emceeing (rapping) and a knowledge of the past and community. As with any form of art, what’s done with those techniques is in the hands of the individual artist or the financial interest that funds them. It is no secret that tensions have long existed between graffiti artists and law enforcement. Scanlan said Oklahoma Contemporary has reached out to the Oklahoma City Police Department, which has been supportive of the indoor show. Not For Sale artist MANIK (who prefers to use graffiti name out of fear of police targeting due to past work) said for the last 15 years, OKC has taken a hard stance on unpermitted graffiti, even if it is left there with property owner’s consent. MANIK said he commonly hears 22

S E P T E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

in Oklahoma Contemporary’s Not For Sale exhibition. | Photo provided

people suggest graffiti artists in the city simply find somewhere in OKC where law enforcement will allow them to paint and stay there. He said such arrangements haven’t seemed to work in the past. “That’s what we do,” MANIK said. “We find a spot, then they shut us down. We find another one and they shut us down again. It’s just a revolving cycle.” MANIK is nearly 40 and, like many of the Not For Sale artists, has been a graffiti artist for more than 20 years. He is also a married father and a business owner. “They always expect it to be some punk kid,” he said, “and we all start out like that. I was a punk kid, you know? And now I’m not.” Little said new trends are usually met with resistance before they are accepted into mainstream culture. Hip-hop and graffiti are well on their way to that mark in some other cities, if they have not reached it already. Oklahoma City, Angel said, is getting close but is not all the way there yet. Not For Sale is a monumental step in that direction. “You’re always going to have opposition,” he said, “but if you keep pushing and keep loving what you do, the opposition fades out and turns into something else.”

Not For Sale opening night reception 5:30-8 p.m. Oct. 5 Oklahoma Contemporary | 3000 General Pershing Blvd. oklahomacontemporary.org | 405-951-0000 Free

ONESoul Charity Event Hip-Hop Jam noon-10 p.m. Nov. 4 $10

SPONSORED PROGRAM

MUSIC MAIN STAGE

TREE & LEAF STAGE

THE VENUE STAGE

11:00 a.m. – OCUpella

12:00 p.m. – Dre B

12:00 p.m. – Kinderhook

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Art

ARTS & CULTURE

Caustic cartoons

Jon-Michael Frank’s droll comics are on display at DNA Galleries. By Penny Snyder

Jon-Michael Frank has an uncanny knack for expressing the worst in the best possible way. His poetry comics, which feature a crudely rendered figure or object with a caustic caption in ink and watercolor or gouache, are on display in a gallery show at DNA Galleries. With poetic concision and a devastating sense of humor, Frank’s illustrations call attention to the absurdity and futility of daily life. One featuring a hastily drawn banana says, “The organic thing to do is die.” Although the topics of many of his comics are dark — death, meaninglessness, injury, embarrassment — Frank’s brutal honesty and the earnestness of his hand-drawn figures let the humor of these absurd human predicaments shine through. “I think most people can really relate to his work,” said Jackie Teague Wentz of DNA Galleries. “We all have those days where we’re just like, ‘This is the worst.’ It’s funny and terrible and true all at the same time.”

Artist Jon-Michael Frank’s work is on exhibit at DNA Galleries through Oct. 8. | Photo provided

Long relationship

The collection of Jon-Michael Frank’s poetry comics is on display at DNA Galleries through Oct. 8. Nestled in the Plaza District at 1709 NW 16th St., DNA Galleries sells locally made crafts, apparel and art. In addition to making comics, Frank is a poet and has published several illustrated books as well as a poetry chapbook; he currently works as an assistant editor at Birds, an independent poetry press. He calls Austin, Texas, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home, living between both cities. Although DNA’s roster is mainly composed of artists from central Oklahoma, Jon-Michael Frank is one of the only artists from outside Oklahoma to sell work and have a gallery show at DNA. Having exhibited at DNA for the past couple of years after becoming familiar with the gallery through a similar boutique in Austin, Frank is helping stretch DNA’s definition of local to encompass some of Texas too.

It is often difficult for artists to find a gallery willing to show and sell their work. “It’s sort of finding the right fit, and DNA’s been great, one of my great stores,” Frank said. For DNA and its customers in Oklahoma City, the feeling is mutual. Erin Merryweather, who works at DNA and has worked with Frank for the duration of his time there, said that although Frank didn’t originally enjoy the luxury of having a local following, he is one of the gallery’s top sellers. “He’s always really fresh, always creating really funny things,” she said.

Art online

To complement his presence in stores across the country such as DNA and Parts & Labour in Austin, Frank has been able to build a dedicated fan base online and has almost 9000 followers on Instagram. Frank believes that the art community has wholeheartedly embraced the Internet and social media as a place to share art and connect artists and admirers while avoiding some of the exclusionary social dynamics of the art world. “People inherently like art, and I think for a long time, if they didn’t have access to it, there’s that sort of deprivation,” Frank said. “But I think now with the internet, you can kind of get that fix, and I think it’s great for that.” Frank’s wry, spare comics are especially well suited for posting and sharing on social media. His short, witty captions are reminiscent of tweets, and the comics’ dry, almost confessional humor is right at home next to memes and absurd internet humor. One of his illustrations depicting a grim figure standing alongside an overturned trashcan captioned, “The trash truck came but they would not take me,” received over 1,000 likes on Instagram. Although Frank has accumulated a strong and dedicated following online, his popularity transcends the digital world of likes and reblogs. Merryweather explained that several customers were compelled to come in after finding Jon-Michael Frank’s comics online.

Chance to evolve

Frank regularly has prints, pins and Image Jon-Michael Frank / provided

Image Jon-Michael Frank / provided

other pieces for sale at DNA, but having a gallery show is a chance to display new and larger works. As a prolific illustrator — he’ll generate and draw over 50 ideas in one sitting — he is happy to be able to evolve his approach. Having drawn thousands of poetry comics with a similar style, he is using the gallery show at DNA as an opportunity to “give diversity” and try something new. Some of the pieces in the show stick to Frank’s typical style — a figurative illustration accompanied by a witty caption — but several of his new works are 11-by-14 inches, which is larger than his usual works. Others are a significant departure from his typical approach and feature more abstract illustrations. Frank said he’s “super grateful to DNA” and the people he has worked with for providing a platform for this show and his work over the years and as a non-local artist exhibiting at DNA, he plans to visit soon.

Image Jon-Michael Frank / provided

Jon-Michael Frank 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 8 DNA Galleries | 1709 NW 16th St. dnagalleries.com | 405-525-3499 Free

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Suite struggle

Jewel Box Theatre stages a wild farce about two feuding divas. By Jeremy Martin

A slanted stage simulating a sinkhole gave 20-year theater veteran Don Taylor a new challenge when he directed Michael McKeever’s play 37 Postcards for Jewel Box Theatre earlier this year, and directing a second McKeever play, Suite Surrender, for the theater is giving him another set of problems to solve. “This is a farce, a wild farce,” Taylor said of the upcoming production. “So the comedy comes down to absolute split-second timing, lots of people coming and going very, very quickly. So the second one door closes, another one has to open instantly and someone else comes in. That’s the challenge with this type of show. Everyone needs to be ready at their mark and ready to go when the gun fires or the door slams.” Surrender, set entirely in the presidential suite of a hotel in Miami before a war benefit concert in 1942, centers around two Hollywood starlets — played by Bailey Maxwell and Zaneen Hotchkiss — mistakenly doublebooked in the same room. Since their relationship is comparable to the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford — recently featured in the TV miniseries Feud — this accommodation oversight poses a problem for everyone involved. “The two divas tend to hate each other pretty violently and pretty hilariously,” Taylor said. “The staff tries to make sure these two never see each other even though they’re both in the same suite at the same time.” Hence all the slamming doors and a serious physical challenge for actors, even without a slanted stage. “We are totally level on this one,” Taylor said. “[But] there’s a lot of running and we have a lot of stairs at 28

S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

from left Zaneen Hotchkiss, Allyson Rose and Bailey Maxwell perform in Jewel Box Theatre’s production of Suite Surrender. | Photo Jim Beckel / Jewel Box Theatre / provided

the Jewel Box Theatre. There’s four entrances to the stage. All of them have stairs leading up to them, so I have to tell the actors, ‘Be fast but be very careful. And maybe wear flats. I know all ladies wore heels in the ’40s, but we might actually need to have to not do that in this show.’” Taylor said costume designer Jeffrey Meek will have to make another alteration to the play’s World War II-era fashion sensibility to make it suitable for the stage. “Costumers tend to love that era because the clothing and the styles both for men and women were just so sharp,” Taylor said. “Everyone wore really big hats, but unfortunately, onstage, you don’t really get to do that because it blocks the light from the faces.” Taylor said the play’s eight human actors will be joined onstage by “one adorable little dog” named Sassy, and although Sassy has plenty of stage experience, Taylor said her part in this play presented a problem because the script calls for her to be “hurled off a 10-story balcony window.” “You can’t beat that for comedy,” Taylor said, laughing. “That was kind of a blocking challenge. How am I going to hurl this dog off a balcony without actually hurling this dog off a balcony? Got it solved though. It will happen.”

Plot twists

Since Suite Surrender is following the intense, highly charged drama To Kill a Mockingbird in Jewel Box’s schedule this season, Taylor said a lighthearted comedy is exactly what he was looking

to direct but he chose the play without realizing it had the same author as 37 Postcards. “My stage manager Amandanell Bold and I just got together one night and read script after script after script here at my house until we ran across that one, and I just loved it and thought it was hilarious,” Taylor said. “It was only after we got on the schedule that someone said, ‘Did you notice the author’s name?’” Stylistically, Taylor said, Surrender differs significantly from the absurd family-centered comedy of Postcards. Taylor said he was drawn to Surrender’s finale. “There’s a really good twist at the end,” he said. “I won’t reveal, of course, but it was the twist at the end that put it over the top. I was like, ‘Oh, we have to do this. That was just too clever.’” At this point in his career, Taylor said he would rather direct plays with names people don’t immediately recognize.

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How am I going to hurl this dog off a balcony without actually hurling this dog off a balcony? Don Taylor

“Probably the last four or five shows I’ve directed are shows that probably no one has heard of,” he said. “It’s something new and fresh. ... We have all the classics, and we love the classics. To Kill a Mockingbird — wonderful, wonderful story, great, great play. But it was itself a brand-new play at one time, and look what happened to that one. So I like to find things that I think people are probably not familiar with that I think are really good and tell that story to the audiences and give them that experience.” Part of the experience of directing comedy that Taylor said he enjoys is seeing what the actors bring to their roles. “Whatever idea the director has might be a little different than what the actor has, so you just let them go, let them do their thing,” he said. “Sometimes they will bring things to a character that you never thought of that are very funny. … Even though it’s funny and slapstick and all that, these are artists, these actors, and watching them bring these characters to life and the little nuances they bring to them is just enjoyable to watch the process.”

Suite Surrender 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays Thursday-Oct. 22 Jewel Box Theatre | 3700 N. Walker Ave. jewelboxtheatre.org | 405-521-1786 $20-$25

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7

ARTS & CULTURE This year’s expo is sponsored in part by Google, and on the day of the expo, the exhibit will go live on Google Cultural Institute, which chronicles new local works across the globe. “It’s a huge deal,” Kanaly said, “not just for the district, but for the state.”

C u lt u r e

New attractions

Art hub

Plaza District Festival and Plaza Walls Expo put a local spotlight on the ever-growing arts district. By Ben Luschen

When Plaza District Festival began 19 years ago, it was mostly a small gathering of community members enjoying each other’s company. Much like the rest of 16th Street Plaza District, the annual all-local art and music street fest has seen exponential growth in the last several years. “Now, the street is full,” said Cayla Lewis, Plaza District Association executive director. “We’re at basically capacity, so that’s kind of exciting.” A crowd of 20,000 or more is expected to pass through this year’s Plaza District Festival, set to run 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. Artist vendors and other booths will fill up NW 16th Street between Gatewood and Indiana avenues. Thirty-two locally based artists and vendors will participate in the festival. What makes Plaza Fest distinct from other local festivals is that all participants are based within the state. That local focus extends into the music and stage lineup as well. The festival’s main stage can be found in the Lyric Theatre parking lot at 1727 NW 16th St. An indoor stage is set up inside The Venue OKC, 1757 NW 16th St. This year’s headlining performer is Tulsa-based indie rock trio Sports, set to play 9 p.m. on the main stage. Other scheduled main stage acts include indie psych duo Special Thumbs, indie rockers Space4Lease, Americana sister act Annie Oakley, Lyric Theatre per30

This year’s Plaza District Festival is expected to draw in its largest crowd yet. | Photo Plaza District Association / provided

S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

formers and more. A new, hip-hop centric stage can be found outside Tree & Leaf Clothing, 1705 NW 16th St. Fresh headlines at 8 p.m. Other scheduled performers include WoRm, Guerilla Breed and Mainframe Trax Family. Ten food trucks — two more than last year’s event — will be onsite for guests to enjoy. Those trucks include Back Door Barbecue, C’est Si Bon, El Reno Onion Burgers, Holey Rollers, Jerky. com, The Loaded Bowl, Let’s Do Greek, Sizzle n Spice, Taste of Soul Chicken & Waffles and Yum Yum Bites. The food trucks were selected to complement the existing restaurants in the district, which will be open as usual. Plaza Fest also offers a unique experience for children. Whereas other festivals rarely stray away from inflatables and common yard games, Plaza Fest lets children shop for their own art in the Plaza Kid’s Art Boutique. Donated, kidfriendly works will be for sale for $2-$5. Other youth-centered attractions include Zumba classes for kids, animals from Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden and art activities by Norman’s Firehouse Art Center.

Fresh paint

The second annual Plaza Walls Mural Expo occurs simultaneously with Plaza District Festival. Twenty-two artists from five states will descend upon the district

at once and repaint its Plaza Walls rotating mural project permitted with approval by Oklahoma City Arts Commission. The Plaza Walls murals are located in the back alleyways behind the businesses on the north side of 16th Street. Three other large murals can be seen facing N. Indiana Avenue and on the sides of Saints, 1715 NW 16th St., and Everything Goes Dance Studio, 1721 NW 16th St. Setup for the project begins Wednesday and Thursday before the expo with work continuing through the weekend. Plaza Walls co-curator Kris Kanaly said last year’s expo was very successful and the event is a rare opportunity for non-artists to peer into what goes into the creation of a mural. “The thing about the expo is you get to see the artists in their native habitat painting live,” he said. “You get to see all the different techniques that they’re using, things you wouldn’t ever think that that’s how they did that.” This year’s top visiting artist is Wane COD, a popular New York graffiti artist from the legendary COD graffiti crew. Wane will begin painting on the Saints wall Thursday. “He’s got a huge following,” Kanaly said. “I can’t wait for him to be posting on his Instagram about being in Oklahoma. This does a lot for tourism and awareness that we’re a cool state — cool enough for a guy like Wane to come to.” Another popular out-of-state artist participating in the expo is Austin’s Sloke One, whom Kanaly called the godfather of Texas graffiti. Some popular in-state artists painting new works include Dylan Bradway, Jason Pawley, Denise Duong, Cassie Stover, Holey Kids and more.

A successful Plaza Fest could bring Plaza District Association closer to its goal of installing new permanent public art displays in the district. Lewis said the district is considering several plans for a new three-dimensional art installation in the district. She added that a concept might be ready for announcement by the day of the festival. “The goal is to bring more public art to the Plaza,” Lewis said. “We clearly have murals taken care of, but we’re looking for something that’s a little less temporary and more long-term.” Part of the funding for the new installation will be made through admission to Plaza Fest’s Artist Lounge, a festival tent featuring exclusive artist works. High-point beer and wine will also be served in the space. All sales benefit the public art fund, and admission is limited to those 21 or older. Additional donations to the cause can be made online through the district’s Sponsored By You campaign. Find the link at plazadistrict.org.

We’re just trying to add more ways for people to experience art in the district. Cayla Lewis In past years, the Sponsored By You campaign has been used to fund the festival and the Plaza Walls Mural Expo. “We’ve had a lot of luck with that and have been able to get a multitude of donors through that,” Lewis said. “We felt like public art was something the community really wanted to see, so we’re giving the community an opportunity to support these project directly.” Lewis said at its core, the Plaza District is an arts- and culture-focused entity. It will always be part of the district’s mission to support local artists and add to the art offerings within the area. “We’re just trying to add more ways for people to experience art in the district,” she said. Visit plazadistrictfestival.com and plazawalls.org.

Plaza District Festival and Plaza Walls Mural Expo 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday 16th Street Plaza District | NW 16th Street between Classen Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue plazadistrictfestival.com | 405-367-9403 Free

C u lt u r e

Celebrating community

Fiestas de las Americas and Parade of the Americas are back for a 12th year. By Jessica Williams

Historic Capitol Hill’s annual Fiestas de las Americas and Parade of the Americas hits the streets of Oklahoma City 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday. Entering its 12th year as a festival featuring and uplifting the city’s diverse Hispanic community, the event’s trademark Parade of the Americas celebrates over 70 schools, cultural organizations, businesses and more with performances and entertainment for everyone. One of the city’s only parades included as part of a festival, Parade of the Americas reminds us that despite tense political climates, we can’t forget to celebrate diversity. “We want to use the excitement of a multicultural festival to unite the people of our city,” festival director Donna Cervantes told Oklahoma Gazette. Since 2005, Fiestas de las Americas has attracted thousands of local residents with its culturally inclusive programming. 2017’s multicultural parade combines a colorful array of floats, performances, clubs and individuals in celebration of the Hispanic community’s important contributions to OKC. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Capitol Hill High School, 55 SW 36th St., and ends at Capitol Hill Elementary, 2717 S. Robinson Ave., with a stage on the corner of Harvey Avenue and SW 25th Street for a variety of performances. Cultural dance groups, live music and high school marching bands are set to perform throughout the day for festival audiences. Rooted in rich, diverse cultural histories from different countries and regions, the festival takes place during Hispanic Heritage Month, adding an educational element to the day’s activities. “Hispanic culture in OKC represents a huge range of countries and places like Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama and many other Latin American countries,” said Cervantes. Along with the parade, the festival in-

Parade of the Americas kicks off Fiestas de las Americas at 10 a.m. Saturday. | Photo Historic Capitol Hill / provided

cludes an artists’ market with handmade items and original Latino art, a food court with classic festival foods and drinks and a kids zone with inflatables, games and crafts. For the first time, this year, an exhibit corridor will feature different businesses and organizations presenting interactive games, prizes and giveaways. Cervantes said those connections within the community are fundamental to revitalization. “Oklahoma City Community College’s new Capitol Hill Center has generated a lot of excitement in the community, and it serves our residents with quality higher education,” she said. OCCC President Dr. Jerry Steward will serve as grand marshal of this year’s festival. It’s the perfect time to get involved in Capitol Hill’s redevelopment. “Recent building renovations and new businesses opening in the area have led to tremendous improvements, and we hope people outside of the area come to support our growth,” Cervantes said. Parades often have the feeling of a bygone era to them, if they even continue to persist in communities. To Cervantes, Fiestas de las Americas is different. “This parade fulfills a community need,” she said. “We want this festival to be a point of pride for those of Hispanic heritage, especially for future generations in Capitol Hill.” Visit historiccapitolhill.com.

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Fiestas de las Americas and Parade of the Americas 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday Historic Capitol Hill | SW 25th Street between Walker and Robinson avenues historiccapitolhill.com | 405-632-0133 Free

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C u lt u r e

ARTS & CULTURE

Touring history Heritage Hills opens homes and gardens to the public for its annual tour. By Penny Snyder

This year marks the 51st annual Heritage Hills Homes and Gardens Tour, an event that gives Oklahoma City residents a chance to appreciate the architecture and history of one of the city’s oldest and most significant neighborhoods. The tour is noon-5 p.m. SaturdaySunday. Tickets are available online at heritagehills.org and at select local vendors and are also available the day of the tour. The Henry Overholser Mansion, 405 NW 15th St., will serve as the central hub of activities, hosting food trucks, ticket services and the pick-up and drop-off of the tour’s trolley service. The nearby Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Hall of Fame will also be open in association with the event.

Preserving history

Since the neighborhood began in 1903, when Henry Overholser built his manion, it has been known for its stunning architecture, pristine gardens and unique charm as a residential enclave adjacent to downtown OKC.

In addition to its renowned architectural legacy, Heritage Hills also has a history of passionate preservation work and robust community involvement that has maintained the neighborhood’s character throughout time. Historical Preservation Inc., a local nonprofit organization, has helped preserve Heritage Hills’ unique architecture and landscape since its formation in 1969, after the neighborhood began to be eroded by urban renewal. Today, the group is responsible for maintaining and beautifying public spaces such as Harn Park within the neighborhood. As the oldest historic preservation group in Oklahoma City, it also helps support other neighborhoods that want to begin historic preservation work. Events like the Homes and Gardens Tour raise money for the group and publicize its preservation efforts. “We use it as an opportunity to share our love of preserving homes,” Elizabeth Richards, tour chairperson, said.

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Four homes and three gardens are open to visitors this year. The homes were all built in the 1920s and display an eclectic array of architectural styles true to Heritage Hills’ distinctive neighborhood character. Two are colonial revival style, one is English Tudor and the last is Mediterranean-inspired. Visitors will be equally impressed by the interiors of the homes, which boast idiosyncratic features from both their original and current owners. 227 NW 15 St., built in 1923 by owners of a tile and marble company, is a “treasure trove of original art tile and marble,” Richards said. Visitors will be able to see a marble-walled powder room, a sunroom with a fountain and arts and crafts-era tiles that adorn several rooms throughout the home.

This home located at 1611 N. Classen Drive will be a stop on the 51st annual Heritage Hills Homes and Gardens Tour. | Photo provided

Other features of note on the tour include a basement remodeled to mimic a cave, antique toy and art collections and an original laundry chute. Similarly to their architectural counterparts, the three gardens on the tour display a mix of landscaping styles including Japanese gardens, desert landscapes and even a vegetable garden.

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ARTS & CULTURE OKC Pagan Pride Day collected more than 270 pounds of food donations during last year’s annual drive. | Photo OKC Pagan Pride Day / provided

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Spirit session

OKC Pagan Pride Day brings awareness to alternative religious practices with its fifth annual celebration. By Ben Luschen

In a state where Christian churches can be found on seemingly every street corner, it can be easy to forget that alternative religions exist in the area as well. OKC Pagan Pride Day hopes to draw attention to the community of spiritual beliefs that exists outside of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other more widely recognized faiths. “We’re an A-to-Z kind of thing, from atheists all the way to shamans, heathens and your general Wiccans,” said Emmah Eastwind, Pagan Pride Day’s local area coordinator. “It’s a wide range, and we don’t know who all will show up.” Pagan Pride Day celebrates five years in Oklahoma City 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Wiley Post Park, 2021 S. Robinson Ave. This is the second year the day has been celebrated in the park. Last year’s event was attended by around 500 people. Admission to the festival is free, but guests are asked to bring a nonperishable food donation for a drive benefiting Sisu Youth Services. Last year, the event’s food drive collected over 270 pounds of food, and Eastwind said they are hoping to break that record this year. More than 30 commercial vendors offering books, knives, homemade soap, massage therapy, Tarot readings, psychic services and much more will have booths set up throughout the park. A learning lounge with classes and workshops will be present for people from all backgrounds to participate in and find out more about various types of pagan practices. Musical entertainment, belly dancing, a children’s area and food trucks will help ensure everyone who attends is entertained throughout the day. The day will also be a chance for community members to observe one or more

pagan rituals and blessings. Though the specifics of those demonstrations are still being worked out, Eastwind said they are likely to at least lead a community blessing over the food donations at the end of the festival. The blessing, she said, would provide protection over the food and the community youth to whom the food will be donated. “That’s important,” Eastwind said, “because we want the community to see what it is we do in our personal spiritual path.”

Defining ‘pagan’

Paganism is an umbrella term that can be used to describe a number of different faiths. Pagan Pride Project, a nonprofit foundation and internationally recognized faith movement, lists several criteria for defining what a pagan is. Most importantly, pagans are those who self-identify as such. No one who is uncomfortable calling themselves a pagan is categorized as one. The faiths and traditions within paganism involve the worship or recognition of a deity not tied to the JudeoChristian belief system, though some might incorporate elements of these faiths. These faiths are spiritual in nature and often, but not always, tied to the ideas of divine femininity and a connection to the Earth or nature. Eastwind said the pagan community in the state is not large but probably larger than most people realize. Even among nonbelievers, interest in pagan practices is strong. Eastwind said she leads a monthly full moon circle that is always open to the curious. More than half of her guests are usually first-timers. “When people are ready,” Eastwind said, “they just find us.”

In the relatively short history of OKC Pagan Pride Day’s Facebook page, media coordinator Brandy Gunter-Cox can only recall one negative comment: a post that accused them of worshipping the devil. “We don’t even have that being in our vocabulary,” she said, “so it makes me chuckle a little bit.” It might come as a surprise to hear, but Pagan Pride Day has so far encountered little to no opposition from Oklahoma’s wider religious community. Gunter-Cox said observances in other cities have drawn protests, but not here. “I’ve noticed that Oklahomans tend to be much more open to people of differing faiths and beliefs than we like to think they are — at least publically,” she said. Gunter-Cox did add that as the young celebration becomes more widely known, it might see an increase in opposition. A volunteer security staff will be on-site, ideally to snuff out any disturbances before they become a problem. OKC Pagan Pride Day draws pagans from all over Oklahoma and surrounding states, including many small towns, where alternative belief systems are harder to openly practice. A unified day of awareness, in addition to the organizing power of the internet, has led to an unprecedented level of unity in the once-scattered pagan community. “Up until the last five years even, those communities have been underground,” Gunter-Cox said. “You had to kind of know somebody to find them.” Things like aromatherapy and meditation were once elements of pagan belief systems that few people in outside communities gave much credence. Now, these concepts can be found incorporated into many non-pagan lifestyles. For many pagans, such recognition is key to finding their own broader acceptance. “Every time one of those kinds of things goes mainstream, it helps open doors into our community to other people,” Eastwind said. “They have an interest in those things, and then they’ll find us.” Visit okcpaganprideday.com.

OKC Pagan Pride Day 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday Wiley Post Park | 2021 S. Robinson Ave. okcpaganprideday.com Free with nonperishable food donation

Ac t i v e

In tent city

The Boathouse District makes roughing it a little smoother with its Urban Camping Adventure. By Jeremy Martin

The 1988 movie The Great Outdoors stars John Candy and Dan Aykroyd as two feuding brothers-in-law leading their families on a disastrous wilderness getaway. Bad weather, leeches, sarcastic raccoons and a rampaging bald-headed bear make the outdoors seem not so great at all. Scheduled to screen at Riversport Adventures as a Floating Film projected above Riversport Rapids, The Great Outdoors will show viewers there for the park’s Urban Camping adventure a few examples of the kind of difficulties they might avoid by choosing to pitch their tents in the city. “A lot of people have gone camping at the lake or the national park, that sort of thing,” said Elizabeth Laurent, senior director of marketing and sales at Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, which supports the facilities and programs along the Oklahoma River, including Riversport Adventure. “But this is a quick, fun, easy thing to do outdoors with your family.” The camping events are scheduled for Oct. 7 and 14, but only the later date will include the screening, co-sponsored by YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City. The events are part of the Boathouse District’s Outdoor October, which also includes the Oklahoma Regatta Festival and USA Rowing World Challenge. “It’s a great opportunity for people to come out and do these urban adventures when the weather’s great and the leaves are turning colors,” Laurent said. For a $10 fee per tent, campers don’t have to leave the city to sleep out under the stars. For $79, campers get a two-day pass allowing them access to Riversport’s aquatic activities, which include whitewater rafting, water slides and flatwater kayaking. Though campers can bring their own food, they can choose to eat at the park’s Big Water Grill, which offers a varied menu. And, unlike most traditional campers,

Urban Camping in the Boathouse District offers the fun of camping without the long drive. | Photo provided

they’ll have access to indoor restrooms. Though campers will not be allowed to build campfires, the park will be burning one on its own. Pets are allowed, but outside alcohol is not. Tents may be pitched from 7 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following morning, when they have to be taken down. The park closes at 5 p.m. but Big Water Grill stays open until 10:30 p.m. Registration to set up a tent ends at 7 p.m. The park’s Outfitter’s Shop sells water bottles, sunglasses, sunscreen and other basic equipment, and Bass Pro Shops will also be on-site selling tents and sleeping bags. “For people who have never been camping before and they don’t have all the gear and they don’t want to drive out to a national park but they’re kind of interested in doing it, it’s a great way to get into it without having to invest a lot of your own time and energy into figuring out the logistics,” Laurent said. She said previous Urban Camping events have been popular with families with children and one campout included more than 130 Boy Scouts, who were able to stay close to home. Purchasing the park pass also grants campers access to zip lines and the 80-foot-tall SandRidge Sky Trail adventure course and includes attractions for younger adventurers. Other activities, such as tug-of-war, are also scheduled for campers. “We have games planned, we’ll already have a fire going, so it’s really easy camping,” Laurent said.

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Urban Camping 7 p.m. Oct. 7 and 14 Riversport Adventures | 800 Riversport Drive riversportokc.org | 405-552-4040 $10-$79

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

BOOKS All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, a beautiful and provocative love story between two unlikely people and the hard-won relationship that elevates them above the Midwestern meth lab backdrop of their lives. Celebrate the release of the New York Times bestseller with author Bryn Greenwood, 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 4. Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, 405-842-2900, fullcirclebooks.com. WED

FILM Western Movie Matinee: Westward the Women, (USa, 1951, William A. Wellman) a trail guide escorts a group of women from Chicago to California to marry men that have recently began settling there, 1-3 p.m. Sept. 27. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED Le Trou, (USA, 1960, Jacques Becker) in prison, four long-sentence inmates planning an elaborate escape cautiously induct a new inmate to join in their scheme, which leads to distrust and uncertainty, 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-2363100, okcmoa.com. THU Forty Guns, (USA, 1957, Samuel Fuller) a showdown in Arizona between the Bonnell brothers, U.S. Marshals and Jessica Drummond, the iron-fist rancher who controls the territory, 1 p.m. Oct. 4. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED

HAPPENINGS OECU Book Drive, donate books to the school or classroom of your choice for a chance to win a gift card to Full Circle Bookstore, through Sept. 29. Oklahoma Educators Credit Union, 4001 NW Expressway, 405-722-2234, oecu.com. Brown Bag Lunch Series: Henry M. Wantland’s Eye on Central Oklahoma’s Culture, join Sara Jane Richter as she discusses Henry Wantland’s photographs that memorialized the cultures of central Oklahoma at the turn of the 20th century, 12-1 p.m. Sept. 27. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. WED Meet the Candidates-Connie Johnson, inviting all contenders in Oklahoma’s upcoming gubernatorial election to discuss their platform and take questions from the audience, 7 p.m. Sept. 28. USAO Ballroom, 1727 W. Alabama Ave., Chickasha, 800933-8726, usao.edu. THU Western Dressage Association of America, a world championship horse show drawing competitors from across the states and Canada for one of the equine industry’s fastest growing disciplines. See

Teacher Appreciation Month, to celebrate teacher appreciation month, all pre-K through 12th grade educators and their families visit the museum for free, Oct. 1-31. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

beautiful horses, their riders, vendor booths and horse supplies, Sept. 28.-Oct. 1. Lazy E Arena, 9600 Lazy E Drive, Guthrie, 720-662-4584, wdaaworldshow.org. THU -SAT 2017 Great Plains Roundup, enjoy a unique Corvair car, van and truck show. Enjoy river cruises, valve cover races and a model car show, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 29.-Oct. 1. Embassy Suites Hotal, 1815 S. Meridian Ave., cokcca.org.

Science In Action & Object ID Day, if you have a unique object from the natural or cultural world on your hands, our experts can help identify your family heirlooms, fossils, rocks and other finds, 1-5 p.m. Oct. 1. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu. SUN

Day Out With Thomas: Friendship Tour 2017, take a ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt, controller of the railway and enjoy a day of Thomas-themed activities. Enjoy photo opportunities, crafts and fun activities inviting kids to collect passport stamps throughout the day to receive a special prize, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 29 and 30. Oct. 1, 6-8. Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd., 405-4248222, oklahomarailwaymuseum.org. NightFall Haunted Territory, an adult haunted attraction outdoor haunt combined with a kid’s area featuring a hay maze, bounce houses, pumpkins and a full Halloween costume store, Sept. 29-Oct. 31. NightFall Haunted Territory, 2820 NE 50th St., 405-973-6100, nightfallhauntedterritory.com. KATT’s Haunted Forest, a 20-minute walk of terror around the Lost Lakes forest with all of your worst nightmares hidden behind every corner and no separation between you and the haunts within, Sept. 29-Nov. 1. Lost Lakes Ampitheater, 3501 NE 10th St., 405-702-4040, kattshauntedforest.com. Aurora Breakfast Bar and Backyard, enjoy live music on the backyard patio stage, a special menu presented by Chef Henry Boudreaux, extended hours and a dog contest with awards, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sept. 30. Aurora Breakfast, Bar and Backyard, 1704 NW 16th St., 405-609-8854, shinewithaurora.com. SAT Fall Okie Sampler, shop from hundreds of amazing local artists, makers, crafters, junkers and vendors while enjoying your favorite fall activities like local shopping, a pumpkin patch, a 3-acre maze, a petting zoo, hay rides, pony rides, food trucks, live music and more, Sept. 30-Nov. 5. Chester’s Party Barn and Farm, 5201 Cimarron Road NW, Piedmont, 405-373-1595, okiesampler.com. Rock the Block, enjoy a family-friendly event where children will touch, climb and explore vehicles of all sizes. In addition to Dolese, a variety of construction industry partners will display vehicles and equipment for kids to explore, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 30. Dolese OKC Campus, 14th and Broadway Ave., 405-235-2311, dolese.com. SAT Gardens Walking Tour, expand your Oklahoma plant knowledge and get great ideas for your yard. Each month changes as the plants grow through the seasons; discuss plants for water conservation, 10 a.m. Sept. 30. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com. SAT Mid-America Street Fest, family-friendly festival complete with carnival games and rides, a children’s tent, pony rides, a petting zoo, shopping, food trucks and live entertainment, 11 a.m. Sept. 30. Charles J. Johnson Central Park, 7209 SE 29th St., Midwest City, 405-739-1293, okc.gov/parks. SAT

SMO Storytime Science, kids age 6 and under are invited to read a story and follow it up with a fun, scientific activity, 10:30 a.m. Oct. 3. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. TUE

Scrabble Showdown Raise awareness of the need for literacy services in our community with a fundraiser celebrating the work of organizations around the metro 5-9 p.m. at Castle Falls Event Center, 820 N. MacArthur Blvd. Register as a team or play as an individual in three levels of competitive Scrabble fun. Engage in a silent auction and purchase additional letters for a good cause. Prizes are rewarded for best team names and top teams. Tickets are $25 and include game play, food and drinks. Visit okcliteracycoalition.org or call 405-830-2790. THURSDAY bigstockphoto.com

Guthrie Escape Art, Wine, & Music Festival, stroll among artists, taste fine wines from featured wineries, listen to live music at the two bandstands, watch artists demonstrations, take your children to the Children’s Art Experience and enjoy tasty festival foods, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Downtown Guthrie, 110 E. Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie, 405-282-0496, cityofguthrie.com. SAT-SUN Make it Yourself-Upcycled T-shirt Scares with Annie Doan, gear up for fall by creating an easy, no-sew scarf with colorful recycled t-shirts, great conversation and brews at Twisted Spike Brewing Company, 6-8 p.m. Oct. 4. Twisted Spike Brewing Company, 1 NW 10th St., 405-297-9961, twistedspike.com. WED

Food Craft Tour, ride around OKC on a tour of area food crafters including local coffee shops, bakeries, breweries and barbecue joints, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 28. Woodson Senior Activity Center, 3401 S. May Ave., 405-942-4339, okc.gov. THU Seasonal Baking-Silicone Style, Denise Onorati, inhouse chef for The International Pantry, showcases a silicone bakeware line while featuring a cranberry orange bundt cake, hot chocolate marble pound cake, almond palmiers and more, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 29. The International Pantry, 1618 W. Lindsey St., Norman, 405-360-0765, intlpantry.com. FRI Viet-American Fusion 101 + Coriander Cafe Menu Tasting, Jeremiah and Brandi Caldwell, the owners of Coriander Cafe, test potential additions to the restaurant’s menu. Meals include sticky garlic and nouc mam chicken wings, seasonal Viet salad trio, holy basil seared beef and more, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3. The International Pantry, 1618 W. Lindsey St., Norman, 405-360-0765, intlpantry.com. TUE

YOUTH

s e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

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 Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-3254712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

FrightFest, enjoy a Trick-or-Treat trail to show off your costumes and pick up a sweet treat, then stop by the pumpkin patch to select the best pumpkin to carve. Walk through over 30 rooms in the haunted house to find ghouls, monsters and other terrible things lurking around every corner, Sept. 30-Oct. 29. Frontier City, 11501 N. I-35 Service Road, 405478--2140, frontiercity.com.

FOOD

Tinkerfest Have you ever repaired something that was broken, taken something apart just to see what was inside? That’s tinkering! Join Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday for a celebration of curiosity and creativity with free admission to the museum and all activities. Explore and discover diverse skills like rocket launching, carpentry, board game design, instrument playground, renewable energy, soldering and much more. Visit sciencemuseumok.org or call 405-602-6664. SATURDAY Photo Science Museum Oklahoma/provided

Fall Season, don’t miss farm favorites like train and carousel rides, the zip-line, the animal barn, giant jumping pillows, a giant corn maze, a pumpkin patch, hayrides and much more to celebrate the fall season, through Nov. 11. Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western Ave., 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com.

Safe Kids Outdoors, learn how to make hiking and camping a fun, rewarding and safe experience for your children, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 30. Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Ave., 405-2971429, okc.gov. SAT Character Day, participate in Character Day by wearing your favorite super hero or princess costume and meet real characters during the special event, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 30. Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western Ave., 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com. SAT

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

Whodunit Dinner Theater’s Fantasy DIE Land One of the top 50 comedy troupes in America brings you a murder mystery performance in which they need your help solving a crime or you risk getting turned into a zombie. Experience one of the best and longest running murder mystery dinner theater events in Oklahoma while dining on cuisine 6:15-9:15 p.m. at Ted’s Escondido at 6900 N. May Ave. Tickets are $24$48, including the meal and show. Visit whodunit.net or call 405-420-3222. FRIDAY Photo Whodunit Dinner Theater/provided

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 Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 405-325-4712, samnoblemuseum.ou.edu.

PERFORMING ARTS Ripcord, at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility where a bet over some prime real estate, a sunny room with a view leads to a hilarious but dangerous game of one-upmanship in a Golden Girls meets The Odd Couple performance by David Lindsay-Abaire, through Sept. 30. Carpenter Square Theatre, 806 W. Main St., 405-232-6500, carpentersquare.com. Hamlet by Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, this richly complex tragedy unfolds as the young prince of Denmark swears to avenge the untimely death of his beloved father and pulls his country into a maelstrom of madness and murder, 8 p.m. through Sept. 30. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com.

Fluvial Terra and Book Arts, featuring paper and installation work by Megan Singelton, who was inspired by her travel west from Missouri to Oklahoma, and Kelly Campbell Berry, who resurrects beauty in salvaged books, through Oct. 28. [Artspace] at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 405-8156665, artspaceatuntitled.org. Forming Silver with Mark Drain, a workshop consisting of in-depth presentations and discussions addressing methods and practical solutions that add the third dimension to silverwork including forming, overlays, repousse and many more specialized techniques, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 3-6. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org. Hidden Messages, investigating identity and place through ceramics and mixed media featuring artists Marilyn Artus and Amy Sanders, through Nov. 25. Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Gaylord-Pickens Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 405-235-4458, oklahomahof.com.

Fourth Annual Walk in the Forest Enjoy a fun and active day outside with friends, family and foresters from across the state 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Martin Park Nature Center, 5000 W. Memorial Road. Natural resource professionals provide information and education about our forests and woodlands, giving answers on all things forestry in coordination with the Society of American Foresters and the American Forest Foundation. Walkers and hikers of all levels are invited to participate in the free event, and special activities are planned for kids. Visit forestry. ok.gov or call 405-522-6158. SATURDAY Photo provided

City of Angels, when Hollywood offers New York novelist Stine the opportunity to adapt his book into a film for the silver screen, he packs up and moves to the home of perpetual sunshine, palm trees and stars. Playing out in black and white, he finds the dangerous temptations of the world of Los Angeles — the beautiful women, the lure of fame, the artistic compromises being made right and left — all too colorful, through Oct. 1. Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm St., Norman, 405-325-7370, www.ou.edu/ finearts. Beautiful-The Carole King Musical, the story of a Brooklyn girl who fought her way into the record business as a teenager and by the time she reached her twenties had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ’n’ roll, through Oct. 1. Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 405-297-2264, okcciviccenter. com. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, join The Boom for an interactive sing-a-long version of your favorite Halloween-themed performance, 8 p.m. through Oct. 31. The Boom, 2218 NW 39th St., 405-6017200, theboomokc.com. NOMA’s Music Festival, enjoy musical acts by Chad Todd Band, Dirty Red and the Soul Shakers, Kreative Noize, COPA Reefer Band, food and fun for the entire family, 3-10 p.m. Sept. 30. Shoppes at Northpark, 12100 N. May Ave., 405-751-1453, northparkokc.com. SAT Something a Little Different, a charity concert featuring local artists from Oklahoma to enrich the audience with uplifting words and positive vibrations while raising awareness and support to combat against the homelessness within Oklahoma City, 4-7 p.m. Sept. 30. Stars and Stripes Park, 3701 S. Lake Hefner Drive, 405-568-7349, facebook. com/Pass1stEntertainment. SAT

Zombie Apocalypse Paintball, enjoy a spectacular glow-in-the-dark paintball attraction while shooting live zombies, Sept. 30-Nov. 11. Orr Family Farm, 14400 S. Western Ave., 405-799-3276, orrfamilyfarm.com. YMCA Golf Classic, provide support and opportunities that empower Oklahoma communities to learn, grow and thrive by golfing in the 19th annual golfing event, 11:30 a.m. Oct. 2. Quail Creek Golf and Country Club, 3501 Quail Creek, 405-297-7777, ymcaokc.org. MON

VISUAL ARTS 12X12 art fundraiser, fusing 175 of Oklahoma’s finest artists with local restaurants and live music to create a memorable one-night-only event raising funds for all of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition programs, making Oklahoma a place where visual artists thrive and contribute fully to their communities, 6-11 p.m. Sept. 29. Leadership Square, 211 N. Robinson Ave., 405-879-2400, ovac-ok.org. FRI Art Gone Wild, featuring original paintings created by the animals of the OKC Zoo with little assistance from their caregivers. Each animal develops their own unique method of painting and purchased artworks benefitting the zoo’s conservation initiatives, through Sept. 30. Myriad Botanical Gardens, Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, 301 W. Reno Ave., 405-445-7080, myriadgardens.com.

Imprinting the West: Manifest Destiny, Real and Imagined, a Mid-America Arts Alliance tour featuring art of George Catlin, Frederic Remington, Karl Bodmer and others from the years 1799-1890. Included are hand-carved lithographs, wood engravings with watercolors, aquatint, engravings and etchings, through Oct. 21. Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, 1000 Chisholm Trail Pkwy, Duncan, 580-252-6692, onthechisholmtrail.com.

We the People: Teaching Oklahoma Through Images Workshop, engage with experts and curators to explore late 19th- and early 20thcentury Oklahoma and learn new ways to analyze and interpret photographs inspired by the exhibition We the People: A Portrait of Early Oklahoma, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sept. 28. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd St., 405-478-2250, nationalcowboymuseum. org. THU

Ray Harryhausen-Mythical Menagerie, mythical monsters, skeleton warriors and Greek gods have invaded Science Museum Oklahoma’s smART Space art galleries in a comprehensive exhibition of the original models, prototypes, bronzes, sketches and storyboards of the fantasy films of stop-motion animation pioneer Ray Harryhausen, through Dec. 3. Science Museum Oklahoma, 2020 Remington Place, 405-602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org. Reclaiming My Humanity, an exhibit of artist Brett McDanel’s newest sculptural statements, including works from installation scale to smaller pedestal and wall placements. Enjoy lectures, demonstrations, pop-up exhibits, interactive installations, special performance events and more, through Nov. 10. Kasum Contemporary Fine Arts, 1706 NW 16th St., 405-604-6602, kasumcontemporary.com. The Secret Paintings, a series of 26 large canvases recalling Renaissance and pre-Raphaelite masters in their ambitiousness, complexity and scale. View the works of California artist Michael Pearce, through Oct. 20. Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery, 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave., 405-208-5229, okcu.edu/ visualart/gallery.aspx. 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, post-painterly abstraction, color field painting and pop art, through May 13, 2018. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 405-236-3100, okcmoa.com. The Power of Children: Making a Difference, experience a stirring exhibit that will move and inspire you with remarkable stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White, examining how the power of

ACTIVE

Bike MS: The Road Divided, get involved with those living with MS, their friends, families and corporate teams who are driven to support critical MS research and life-changing services. Conquer a challenge while sharing experiences with friends, family and coworkers while raising money to make a difference in the lives of those affected by MS, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. NCED Conference Center and Hotel, 2801 E. State Hwy. 9, Norman, 800-344-4867, nationalmssociety.org. SAT-SUN

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.

Lynden Wilcoxson Exhibition, view the works of Lynden Wilcoxson and experience his sense of humor that is obvious in his reinterpretation of found objects as well as in his acrylics and watercolor paintings, through Oct. 1. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 405-601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

Oklahoma Community Orchestra: Halloween Spooktacular, in concert under the direction of Dr. Irvin Wagner featuring “Danse Macabra,” “Night on Bald Mountain,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “March to the Scaffold” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3. Garvey Center, Oklahoma Christian University, 2501 E. Memorial Road, Edmond, 405-425-5000, oc.edu. TUE

Indoor Triathlon, offering a spin on the traditional triathlon consisting of three disciplines: swimming, biking and running, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 30. Mitch Park YMCA, 2901 Marilyn Williams Drive, Edmond, 405-330-4016, ymcaokc.org. SAT

words and actions can make a positive difference in the face of hatred, racism and discrimination, through Oct. 20. Edmond Historical Society & Museum, 431 S. Boulevard Ave., Edmond, 405-340-0078, edmondhistory.org.

Beyond Art Artist Talk & Demonstration with Janet O’Neal You can only view the exclusive abstract works of Janet O’Neal at JRB Art at the Elms, 2810 N. Walker Ave. Join the artist herself 2-3 p.m. Sunday as she speaks on her growth as an artist and her exploration of new media to create bold statements. View her exhibition composed of vividly colored original artworks with deep texture and resin glazes. Visit jrbartgallery.com or call 405-528-6336.

Hate or Hospitality? Join the 2 Windows Project 6 p.m. Sunday at Putnam City High School, 5300 NW 50th St., for a free discussion panel with psychologist Richard Beck, Lori Walke and Imad Enchassi about the psychology of hatred. This expert, interfaith panel addresses the social and scientific factors drawing us toward hatred or hospitality. Visit 2windows.org or facebook.com/2windows or call 405-8439588.Sunday Photo 2Windows/provided

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

see page 44

Sunday Photo JRB Art at The Elms/image provided

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Event

MUSIC

Good signs

Gemini Syndrome continues pondering life and death ahead of its appearance at KATTfest 2017. By Ben Luschen

Gemini Syndrome is a relatively new band compared to the alternative rock and metal mainstays it shares a bill with at Rock 100.5 FM’s KATTfest 2017. Main headliner Korn is as close to a household name as nu metal bands come. Vocalist Jonathan Davis has been leading the California five-piece since its inception in 1993. Chevelle has been active for nearly as long, taking shape in 1995. Swedish death metal outfit Avatar began in 2001. Yet the Los Angeles-based, existentially obsessed alt-metal quartet will be celebrating just seven years of existence Sunday at The Zoo Amphitheatre, 2101 NE 50th St. Gemini Syndrome might have just two official studio albums under its belt, but the former Warner Brothers Records signees won’t be starstruck on the Zoo Amp stage. The band is already close with the Korn camp and has toured with guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer’s side band Fear and the Nervous System in the past. It has also toured with Avatar several times and played multiple fests with Chevelle. Vocalist Aaron Nordstrom, in a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette, said KATTfest will feel like a mini family reunion. Gemini Syndrome might not be the new kid on the block anymore, but Nordstrom said each large fest the band gets on is a time to reflect and appreciate how far its come with the help of its dedicated fanbase. “We’re kind of getting to that point

where I guess we’ve arrived or something,” Nordstrom said. “We’re certainly still climbing the ladder, but it’s exciting. It’s truly a blessing to be on stage with people of that caliber.”

Hitting stride

The band’s current lineup includes Brian Steele Medina on drums, Alessandro Paveri on bass and guitarists Tommy Gibbons and Max Georgiev. This is a freshly reformed roster, as the guitarists were both added to Gemini Syndrome within the last few months. Nordstrom said several iterations of the band have come and gone in the last several years, but the core with him, Medina and Paveri remains constant. “Sometimes people just aren’t the right match,” he said. “It’s like dating, in a sense.” Nordstrom holds no ill will toward anyone who has passed through the band in the past. Maintaining a roster of five or more performers can be as or more challenging than preserving a literal marriage. “You’re living in close quarters all the time, and everybody has to have their own creative influence and everyone comes in with their own personality,” he said. “That’s the difficult thing to meld together. At this point, I think this lineup is a powerhouse. We all get along really well.” Gemini Syndrome released its most recent album Momento Mori in August 2016 on Another Century Records. It

Aaron Nordstrom of Gemini Syndrome | Photo Century Media / provided

was the second chapter in a planned trilogy of albums dealing with the complete cycle of life. The band’s first official studio album was the 2013 Warner release Lux, which was thematically about birth and new beginnings. Momento Mori dealt with life and mortality. Its lead single “Remember We Die” at first is depressing but becomes weirdly comforting as its live-for-today message takes root. Nordstrom said the next album will be a conclusion to that trilogy and will deal with themes of death and transformation. The band is scheduled to begin studio work sometime in January. While Nordstrom has a rough idea of what the album will be about, he has not started earnestly writing for the project yet and is as eager as any fan to find out how that process will unfold.

We’ve definitely put in the work, but there’s an element of timing and luck — being in the right place at the right time. Aaron Nordstrom “It’s going to be an interesting record to write,” he said, “because obviously I’m not dead yet. How can you write about something you haven’t experienced? I’m not sure.”

Forging fans

Gemini Syndrome built its way from the ground through mostly grassroots means. It began as a regional touring

band shopping around a self-recorded EP/demo. It expanded its touring radius and built up enough followers to the point it eventually got noticed by Warner Brothers. The band played out the course of its one album deal and spent a short time as an independent before joining Another Century. “We’ve definitely put in the work,” Nordstrom said, “but there’s an element of timing and luck — being in the right place at the right time.” Gemini Syndrome calls its devoted following “synners,” an appropriate term for the group often self-identified as troubled or outcasts. The band’s introspective and sometimes philosophically spiritual lyrics connect with fans in ways other metal outfits don’t. Nordstrom said in a time when some believe a following is grown through social media and marketing, Gemini Syndrome’s live show is its most powerful conversion tool. “It’s not only the show itself,” he said, “but actually being out there and talking to fans and making connections with people has been one of the most important parts of our journey.”

Overcoming darkness

Nordstrom said he began writing songs at around the age of 12 as a personal form of release and to escape from personal darkness. “Life is tough,” he said. “Life is full of hardships, and I know for me growing up, it was the bands that had something to say that helped me through dark times. I got the opportunity, through this band, to do the same thing that helped me.” Nordstrom has the appearance of a celestial being. He has a long beard and dreadlocks and, thanks to a form of albinism, snow white skin and hair. But battles with depression and personal demons show he is as mortal as his “synner” fans. In a world full of destructive coping mechanisms, Nordstrom has found that music is not only self-preserving, but productive for others. Through his songs, the vocalist and primary band lyricist is able to scale his own life hurdles while simultaneously helping his fans clear their own. Nordstrom said he is constantly receiving emails and other messages from people saying how Gemini Syndrome has changed their lives for the better. For him, there is no more rewarding feeling. “That’s mission accomplished, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. Visit facebook.com/geminisyndrome.

KATTfest 2017

w/ Korn, Chevelle, Avatar, Gemini Syndrome, The Dose and more 4-10:30 p.m. Sunday The Zoo Amphitheatre | 2101 NE 50th St. thezooamphitheatre.com | 1-866-977-6849 $40-$52

O kg a z e t t e . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7

Event

MUSIC

Talihinabred Kings of Leon returns to its native Oklahoma as one of rock’s last arena acts. By Jacob Threadgill

This is the year rock music was officially passed by hip-hop and R&B as the most listened to genre in the United States, and guitar sales have plummeted over the last decade. It’s been exactly ten years since Oklahoma-bred and Nashville-founded Kings of Leon had the breakthrough into the mainstream with the album Because of the Times. During the last decade, electric guitar sales have dropped from 1.5 million sold annually to just over one million, according to The Washington Post. Nielsen’s midyear report found that hip-hop and R&B account for just over 25 percent of the country’s listening habits compared to 23 percent for rock.

Music’s new era

As Kings of Leon (KOL) return to its Oklahoma roots with a performance at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena Oct. 4, it’s one of the last American rock bands from the postStrokes era that can still pack an arena. Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots consistently play arenas, but their sound skews to pop while others like Zac Brown Band are decidedly more country. KOL comes to OKC on the second leg of its tour promoting last year’s WALLS album, which became the band’s first album to top the Billboard charts. But even in its success, it shows how much the industry has changed since the band signed with RCA Records in 2002. WALLS sold 77,000 album-equivalent units its opening week to top the Billboard 200 but dropped to No. 20 the next week. Overall, WALLS reached gold certification (100,000 units) in the United Kingdom. By contrast, its 2004 album Aha Shake Heartbreak peaked at 55 on the U.S. charts but still went platinum in three countries. Of course, the decline in album sales and proliferation of streaming and YouTube has affected every artist. It’s one of the reasons “geezer rock” concerts like Indio, California’s “Desert Trip,” AKA “Oldchella” with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Neil Young or this summer’s dueling Classic West and Classic East concerts with Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles have become so popular. Most of the money for artists can be made from 40

S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Kings of Leon plays at Chesapeake Energy Arena with Dawes on Oct.4. | Photo RCA / provided

concerts and merchandise instead of album sales. Even with their local connection, Kings of Leon join the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Blink-182 and the upcoming appearance of Lady Gaga to perform at Chesapeake Energy Arena. “[Kings of Leon] are probably one of the last groups we’ll watch go from scrappy garage-rock origins to scoring mainstream radio hits and headlining arenas and festivals with the old-school battle-stance of two guitars, a bass and a drumkit,” Ryan Leas wrote for Pitchfork in his review of WALLS.

Oklahoma roots

Kings of Leon, comprised of brothers Caleb (lead vocals), Jared (bass) and Nathan Followill (drums) and cousin Matthew (lead guitar), return to the Oklahoma homestead located in Talihina every summer for a family reunion, unless their globetrotting schedule doesn’t allow it. The 2011 documentary Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon, which premiered at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival and OKC’s deadCENTER Film Festival, depicts their time with family: playing horseshoe tournaments and fishing for crawdads in a river while also exploring their nontraditional upbringing under their preacher father Ivan. The Followill boys spent much of their youth traveling through Oklahoma and into the mid and Deep South as their father went from revival to revival that lasted from Wednesday through Sunday as a United Pentecostal pastor, homeschooled by their mother BethAnn for a period of time. “Being poor isn’t fun; it’s embarrassing, something you strive to get out of,” Caleb Followill said in Talihina Sky.

“We were living in the worst of the worst ghetto in Oklahoma City. We literally had two pairs of pants for me and Nathan. I would wear one, and he would wear the other. Mom would wash them and [we’d switch].” Nathan and Caleb got their start singing in church and originally moved to Nashville as a country duo. It was younger brother Jared who introduced his brothers to The Pixies and The Strokes, and they pursued a Southern garage rock sound under the guidance of producer Angelo Petraglia. “Nathan and Caleb would pick up the hymnal and choose a song. By the time they were done, everyone would be crying. They had angel voices,” Ivan Followill said in Talihina Sky. As KOL ventures forward in the shifting music landscape as one of America’s last arena rock bands, Oklahoma will remain part of the band’s identity. Nathan Followill plays every show with a miniature University of Oklahoma Sooners helmet affixed to his drum kit. Almost every photo of him on his Twitter feed includes a “horn down” hand gesture, antagonizing OU’s rival the University of Texas. Jared Followill wrote on Twitter that hearing the OU band play Boomer Sooner in Ohio Stadium following the Sooners’ Sept. 8 win at Ohio State was “angelic.” Visit kingsofleon.com.

Kings of Leon with Dawes 7 p.m. Oct. 4 Chesapeake Energy Arena 100 W. Reno Ave. chesapeakearena.com | 800-745-3000 $39-$243

F eat u r e

Radio shuffle

KOSU and The Spy are making some tweaks to their programming, bringing new music shows into the market. By Ben Luschen

Keep your Shazam apps ready at the hip because a wider world of weekend music discovery is about to open up on local radio. KOSU 91.7 FM announced in early September that it was making some changes to its programming lineup, including four new shows coming to The Spy and its roster of locally produced music programming. The station launches its new programming schedule Monday. Aside from some new shows and shifting time slots, the biggest change listeners will notice is a shift in specialty programs to the weekends and afternoons, with longer shows found in the morning hours. The first new show to air will be No One Man, which begins 11 p.m. Friday nights. The show, hosted by Bowlsey drummer Don James, is an eclectic look at hip-hop, funk and soul. Oklahoma City-based rapper Jabee co-hosts another new hip-hop show, Grand Union Radio, with Chelsey O at 11 p.m. Saturday. The show will focus on hip-hop culture and history while keeping an eye on the contemporary local scene. Jabee said he has been interested in getting into radio since he started podcasting from tour a few years ago. “I want it to be a hip-hop show for old and new hip-hop listeners — playing great music and not the same 11 songs,” he said. The show Tune In Tulsa, produced in Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Center by John Cooper of the Red Dirt Rangers and hosted by Julie Watson, airs 5 p.m. Sundays and explores the areas in which music intersects with the lives of the local community. Following Tune In Tulsa at 6 p.m. will be Okie Vintage Vinyl, a show in

which longtime rockabilly musician TJ Mayes plays selections from his voluminous collection of old Oklahoma 45 records. Mayes is also the husband of Juke Joint Revival host Jenni Mayes. Her show immediately follows her husband’s at 7 p.m. Sundays. In addition to the new music discovery shows, KOSU is also moving its popular The Spy with Ferris O’Brien to a more prime-time slot 7 p.m. MondayThursday.

Making a move

It had been more than five years since KOSU had taken a comprehensive look at its programming lineup. What spurred this year’s shake-up was actually the end of syndication for the popular national show Best of Car Talk. When host Tom Magliozzi died in 2014, Car Talk began a new format rerunning classic segments from the longrunning program. However, production of Best of Car Talk is coming to an end Saturday. Knowing they would have to find a

The Spy radio host Ferris O’Brien can now be heard in an earlier time slot Monday-Thursday. | Photo Gazette / file

new show to replace it in their lineup, KOSU associate director Rachel Hubbard said the station decided it was a good time to reevaluate all of its programming. Freakonomics with host Stephen Dubner moves into the nowvacated 9 a.m. Saturday slot. “Historically, the weekends have been a time of music discovery and a time when different genres could find niche audiences,” Hubbard said. “We’re returning to that programming strategy.” With the additions of No One Man and Grand Union Radio, The Spy is beefing up its music discovery offerings on hip-hop. Hubbard said its listening audience is getting younger, so it made sense to add shows that appealed to the next generation’s interests. “Musical tastes are always changing, and that was a part of music discovery we didn’t have — or hadn’t had in the last few years — on our lineup,” she said.

Shifting habits

The reasoning for KOSU’s shift is partially supported by data the station has been collecting over the years. Listener habits are changing, not just for the local audience, but in all radio markets. People are listening for shorter chunks of time than they have in the past. Radio programming has now been mostly worked into multi-tasking routines or as audio filler for drives around town. The station’s overall younger audience also means shorter average attention spans. “Life is busy,” Hubbard said. “I think that the thing we’re trying to do is we’re trying to give people lots of joining points so they never feel lost in the middle of our programming schedule. They can hop in, whether it’s on The Spy or the KOSU weekend schedule, and always feel like they can pick up and be a part of that audience.” This is not to say that long-form radio is dying out. Podcasting has actually made longer narrative shows a popular listen. The advantage of a podcast over radio broadcast is that listeners can pause and restart a podcast at their own convenience or choose a time that works for them to begin listening. The Spy’s

KOSU operations director Ryan LaCroix. | Photo Gazette / file

dating-themed show Dates of Our Lives is transitioning to a podcast-only format with the new lineup changes. Hubbard said KOSU and The Spy pride themselves on being able to push the envelope and change along with their listeners. “One of the things that we’re committed to is being inventive and being creative,” she said. “Oklahoma has proven to be a really creative community, and we feel like we have to keep pace with that.” That means accepting change. Going against an established routine is never easy, but sometimes it can be for the better. Hubbard said KOSU is open to hearing what listeners think of the new programming. She is excited about the station’s new music shows and is eager to see how audiences receive them. “Radio is not an exact science,” she said. “We can look at data; we can listen to our listeners periodically and take that feedback to heart, but it’s not an exact science.” Visit kosu.org and thespyfm.com.

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Event

MUSIC

No replication

Cut Copy ventures into The Jones Assembly fresh off its newest studio release. By Ben Luschen

Technology is changing the world at a rapid rate. The changes in prevalence of information and the speed at which it travels are obvious to anyone who has been living in a digitized society. Many have grown used to life in the information age and are now numb to frequently rehashed moaning on the future’s uncertainty. Still, there is something jarring about hearing Cut Copy founder, vocalist and keyboardist Dan Whitford speak on the subject. If anyone is embracing change in the digital age, certainly it would be the self-starting synth pop DJ and former graphic designer whose band has crafted smooth electronic soundscapes that have been conjuring images of tomorrow since its debut studio album in 2004. Haiku from Zero, released Sept. 22, is the Australia-founded indie quartet’s fifth proper studio album and its first 42

S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

Cut Copy | Photo Jimmy Fontaine / provided

since 2013’s Free Your Mind. Among other themes, Haiku from Zero touches on the idea of information overload in the modern era and the increasing complexities of life in the face of technology meant to simplify it. Is Whitford afraid of the ever-evolving digital sphere? Is he excited for new possibilities or interested to see how it all develops? The answer is most likely a blend of all these things. “It’s like anything that’s a little bit new,” Whitford said in a recent interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “I think, without realizing it in the last five or 10 years, the way that we live has changed in this pretty insane and dramatic way. Just realizing that and thinking about that, it brings up all these thoughts.” Cut Copy plays 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at The Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan Ave.

The Oklahoma City show comes less than two weeks after Haiku from Zero’s official release date. Whitford is intrigued by the idea of a changing world simultaneously being a positive and negative thing. In the midst of technological submersion, he wonders if man won’t learn something deeper about itself. “A lot of it is kind of strange and disorienting, and some of it can kind of end up being something poetic and beautiful,” he said.

no more than a sobering, souped-up Whitford vocal track. Cut Copy knew it wanted to close the album out on a note of restraint, but restraint can be a lot to ask of a band known for its sonic layering. Whitford said the temptation to tack more elements onto “Tied to the Weather” was a lot to overcome in the studio. “It almost turned into something a little too grandiose, where the rawness of the emotion kind of got lost,” he said.

Beauty in chaos

As it has been four years since the band’s last album, Whitford said Cut Copy wanted to switch up its recording process. While its most recent past releases were mostly do-it-yourself efforts with a nearly unlimited amount of time to experiment, Haiku from Zero was made with the help of producer Ben Allen (credited for mixing the band’s 2011 release Zonoscope) in a finite span of studio time. “We actually had to launch and try and get things finished,” Whitford said, “which, in a weird way, was kind of good motivation for us.” None of this is to say the band quit its experimenting altogether. Whitford said there was a tiny room in the back of the studio in which they set up two microphones. All four of the band’s members jammed into the tight space like a phone booth and recorded in close proximity in an attempt to capture a more raw and vivid sound. “A lot of the final recordings that are on the album are actually a combination of our fully polished studio stuff but also bits of that gritty, tiny room we recorded in,” Whitford said.

During the course of writing Haiku from Zero, Whitford kept a notebook that he filled with words, phrases and quotes that stuck out to him. Anytime he saw something interesting, he would write it down. When he was picking out an album title with the rest of his bandmates (a roster that includes guitarist Tom Hoey, bassist Ben Browning and drummer Mitchell Scott), they went over some of the phrases he had jotted down. His colleagues liked some and didn’t like others as much. However, one phrase that particularly resonated with them was what became the eventual album title. “It’s one of those things where I think you can kind of pull your own meaning from it,” Whitford said. “I certainly have my take on it — just this idea of finding poetry or order in chaos. But I think it could mean different things to different people.” The album title makes sense in context to the record’s music. The tracks feel dense and busy with sound, but in a way that more closely resembles a vibrant rainforest than a frustrating big-city traffic jam. Take, for instance, the album opener “Standing in the Middle of the Field,” which gives off a near-tropical groove with a well-executed blend of layered xylophones and cowbells. Haiku from Zero might be Cut Copy’s best replication of what it is capable of in a live setting. In a world where electronic music can feel produced and polished to a fault, this project is a tangible release where real instruments don’t get lost in the shuffle. “We wanted to work on something that was kind of the opposite of that,” Whitford said. “We’ve always been a band that played live instruments while having other kinds of electronic elements. This time around, we wanted to focus on what we do as a band on a stage and when we tour and explore that a bit more.” Though Haiku from Zero is intricately arranged, it actually closes on a song that might be the band’s most stripped-down effort. “Tied to the Weather,” channeling simple but evocative songs like the Nine Inch Nails’ recent cover of David Bowie’s “I Can’t Give Everything Away” and Princewritten “Nothing Compares 2 U,” offers a closing respite from the more complex earlier tracklist. The song is by and large

Refreshed process

Mysteries of tomorrow

As digitalization further injects itself into everything, some have wondered aloud whether physical instruments will one day be replaced by the synthetic sounds of software. “If that happens, I’m just going to quit music and start a yoga retreat or something,” Whitford said. The Cut Copy vocalist said while the tide seems to have turned on the popularity of live bands, things come and go in cycles. He does not foresee instrument use becoming extinct anytime soon, but then again, he is sure of little outside of future uncertainty. “Obviously, our worlds revolve around technology now, so of course that’s how you’re going to make music,” he said. “But as far as where it goes from here, I’m as eager to find out as you. It’s a bit of a mystery at this point.”

Cut Copy

w/ Carte Blanche 8 p.m. Oct. 5 The Jones Assembly 901 W. Sheridan Ave. thejonesassembly.com | 405-212-2378 $20-$50

FRIDAY, OC T OB E R 2 0 at the

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

WEDNESDAY, 9.27 Dan Haerle Quintet, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

High Waisted/Bowlsey/The Coax, The Flea. VARIOUS Kent Fauss Duo, Louie’s Grill & Bar. COUNTRY Lee Rucker, Will Rogers Lobby Cafe & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER Lomelda/Pinegrove/Florist, 89th Street-OKC. VARIOUS

THURSDAY, 9.28 Big Band Dance, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

Tesla Die-hard fans of the iconic heavy metal band now have their chance to see the musicians perform live. Welcome the leather pants-wearing glam band 8 p.m. Wednesday along with Weapons of Anew as it rocks The Criterion, 500 E. Sheridan Ave. Tickets are $35. Visit criterionokc.com or call 405-840-5500. WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4 Photo Live Nation/provided

Dirty Red and the Soul Shakers, Oklahoma City Museum of Art. BLUES Duel/Destroyer of Light/Cro Bone, The Blue Note. ROCK

Locash, Diamond Ballroom. COUNTRY Mallory Eagle, Bricktown Brewery. ACOUSTIC

Evolution Underground, Fort Thunder Harley Davidson. ROCK Hosty, Cultivar Mexican Kitchen. BLUES

Matt Stansberry & The Romance, Tower Theatre. BLUES Raina Cobb/Nathan Lanier/Ben Brock, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Shelly Phelps, Bourbon St. Cafe.

The Yellowjackets/Jeff Coffin, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

Stephen Baker, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman.

SUNDAY, 10.1

SINGER/SONGWRITER SINGER/SONGWRITER

Sugar Candy Mountain/Burl, Opolis, Norman.

Ari Hest, The Depot, Norman.

ROCK

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Twiztid/Whitney Peyton/Moonshine Bandits and more, Diamond Ballroom. RAP

Convictions/Darkness Divided, 89th Street-OKC.

Young the Giant/Cold War Kids/Joywave, The Criterion. ROCK

Kim Walker-Smith/Chris Quilala/Urban Rescue, Diamond Ballroom. CHRISTIAN

FRIDAY, 9.29

Patrice Pike/Wayne Sutton, The Blue Door.

Ann Hampton Callaway, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ Bruce Benson, Bricktown Brewery. ACOUSTIC David Ryan Harris/Justin Young, VZD’s Restaurant & Bar. SINGER/SONGWRITER

ROCK

SINGER/SONGWRITER

The Fitzgeralds, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, Norman. JAZZ Yelawolf/Mikey Mike/Big Henri, The Criterion. RAP

Electric Okie Test, The Root. COVER

MONDAY, 10.2

Goldie Lahr, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman.

Brad Fielder, The Root. SINGER/SONGWRITER

SINGER/SONGWRITER

Jennifer Nettles, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COUNTRY

Fat Tony/Flaco, 89th Street-OKC. RAP

TUESDAY, 10.3

John Franklin Trio, The Martini Lounge, Edmond. COVER

Band of Horses, Diamond Ballroom. ROCK

Mr. Premeditate/Luckydabo$$/Say Peevy and more, The Venue OKC. HIP-HOP

Condor & Jaybird/Harakiri/Costello, The Blue Note. ROCK

Part-Time Savants/Noise Bleeds Sound, Opolis, Norman. ROCK Servant-Shop/Patrick Newkirk Combo/Fancy The Big News/Irrational Consumers/LFNC and more, 89th Street-OKC. REGGAE The Palmer Squares/Fervent Route/Trash TV and more, The Deli. HIP-HOP The Smooth Soulful Sax & Axe, Jive Supper Club & Lounge. JAZZ Wade Bowen, Tower Theatre. COUNTRY Well Now Margery, Full Circle Bookstore. FOLK What She Said, Oklahoma City Limits. ROCK

SATURDAY, 9.30 Dameon Allensworth, Rockford Cocktail Den. SINGER/SONGWRITER

Edgar Cruz, The Martini Lounge, Edmond. ACOUSTIC

Idre/Omotai/We The Undead, The Blue Note. ROCK

Jaymes Young, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK Justin Witte, Noir Bistro & Bar.

Larry Hammett, Sandy Bell Gallery, OU Music Facility, Norman. ACOUSTIC Second Story Anthem, Your Mom’s Place. PUNK

WEDNESDAY,10.4 Alex G/Hovvdy/Crumb, 89th Street-OKC. ROCK Blake Lankford, Blue Bonnet Bar, Norman. COUNTRY

Pears/Big Ups/Russian Girlfriends, The Blue Note. PUNK Tesla/Weapons of Anew, The Criterion. ROCK

Live music submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings. Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible. Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

SINGER/SONGWRITER

S e p t e m b e r 2 7, 2 0 1 7 | O kg a z e t t e . c o m

go to okgazette.com for full listings!

free will astrology Homework: Would I enjoy following you on Twitter or Tumblr? Send me links to your tweets or posts. Truthrooster@gmail.com.

Feeds the fish, skips the stones. Barefoot love. My love stretches itself out on the grass, kisses a nectarine. My love is never waiting. My love is a traveler.”

tasks. Master the simple details and practical actions. Work on achieving easy, low-risk victories. In this way, you’ll prepare yourself for more epic efforts in the future.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Conceptual artist Jonathon Keats likes to play along with the music of nature. On one occasion he collaborated with Mandeville Creek in Montana. He listened and studied the melodies that emanated from its flowing current. Then he moved around some of the underwater rocks, subtly changing the creek’s song. Your assignment, Aries, is to experiment with equally imaginative and exotic collaborations. The coming weeks will be a time when you can make beautiful music together with anyone or anything that tickles your imagination.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

One of the oldest houses in Northern Europe is called the Knap of Howar. Built out of stone around 3,600 B.C., it faces the wild sea on Papa Westray, an island off the northern coast of Scotland. Although no one has lived there for 5,000 years, some of its stone furniture remains intact. Places like this will have a symbolic power for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian. They’ll tease your imagination and provoke worthwhile fantasies. Why? Because the past will be calling to you more than usual. The old days and old ways will have secrets to reveal and stories to teach. Listen with alert discernment.

Some newspapers publish regular rectifications of the mistakes they’ve made in past editions. For example, the editors of the UK publication The Guardian once apologized to readers for a mistaken statement about Richard Wagner. They said that when the 19th-century German composer had trysts with his chambermaid, he did not in fact ask her to wear purple underpants, as previously reported. They were pink underpants. I tell you this, Taurus, as encouragement to engage in corrective meditations yourself. Before bedtime on the next ten nights, scan the day’s events and identify any actions you might have done differently -- perhaps with more integrity or focus or creativity. This will have a deeply tonic effect. You are in a phase of your astrological cycle when you’ll flourish as you make amendments and revisions.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

It’s high time to allow your yearnings to overflow . . . to surrender to the vitalizing pleasures of nonrational joy . . . to grant love the permission to bless you and confound you with its unruly truths. For inspiration, read this excerpt of a poem by Caitlyn Siehl. “My love is honey tongue. Thirsty love. My love is peach juice dripping down the neck. Too much sugar love. Sticky sweet, sticky sweat love. My love can’t ride a bike. My love walks everywhere. Wanders through the river.

The United States has a bizarre system for electing its president. There’s nothing like it in any other democratic nation on earth. Every four years, the winning candidate needs only to win the electoral college, not the popular vote. So theoretically, it’s possible to garner just 23 percent of all votes actually cast, and yet still ascend to the most powerful political position in the world. For example, in two of the last five elections, the new chief of state has received significantly fewer votes than his main competitor. I suspect that you may soon benefit from a comparable anomaly, Leo. You’ll be able to claim victory on a technicality. Your effort may be “ugly,” yet good enough to succeed.

I found this advertisement for a workshop: “You will learn to do the INCREDIBLE! Smash bricks with your bare hands! Walk on fiery coals unscathed! Leap safely off a roof! No broken bones! No cuts! No pain! Accomplish the impossible first! Then everything else will be a breeze!” I bring this to your attention, Virgo, not because I think you should sign up for this class or anything like it. I hope you don’t. In fact, a very different approach is preferable for you: I recommend that you start with safe, manageable

Be realistic, Libra: Demand the impossible; expect inspiration; visualize yourself being able to express yourself more completely and vividly than you ever have before. Believe me when I tell you that you now have extra power to develop your sleeping potentials, and are capable of accomplishing feats that might seem like miracles. You are braver than you know, as sexy as you need to be, and wiser than you were two months ago. I am not exaggerating, nor am I flattering you. It’s time for you to start making your move to the next level.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

In accordance with the astrological omens, I invite you to take extra good care of yourself during the next three weeks. Do whatever it takes to feel safe and protected and resilient. Ask for the support you need, and if the people whose help you solicit can’t or won’t give it to you, seek elsewhere. Provide your body with more than the usual amount of healthy food, deep sleep, tender touch, and enlivening movement. Go see a psychotherapist or counselor or good listener every single day if you want. And don’t you dare apologize or feel guilty for being such a connoisseur of selfrespect and self-healing.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

A queen bee may keep mating until she gathers 70 million sperm from many different drones. When composing my horoscopes, I aim to cultivate a metaphorically comparable receptivity. Long ago I realized that all of creation is speaking to me all the time; I recognized that everyone I encounter is potentially a muse or teacher. If I hope to rustle up the oracles that are precisely suitable for your needs, I have to be alert to the possibility that they may arrive from unexpected directions and surprising sources. Can you handle being that open to influence, Sagittarius? Now is a favorable time to expand your capacity to be fertilized.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You’re approaching a rendezvous with prime time. Any minute now you could receive an invitation to live up to your hype or fulfill your promises to yourself -- or both. This test is likely to involve an edgy challenge that is both fun and daunting, both liberating and exacting. It will have the potential to either steal a bit of your soul or else heal an ache in your soul. To ensure the healing occurs rather than the stealing, do your best to understand why the difficulty and the pleasure are both essential.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

In 1901, physician Duncan MacDougall carried out experiments that led him to conclude that the average human soul weighs 21 grams. Does his claim have any merit? That question is beyond my level of expertise. But if he was right, then I’m pretty sure your soul has bulked up to at least 42 grams in the past few weeks. The work you’ve been doing to refine and cultivate your inner state has been heroic. It’s like you’ve been ingesting a healthy version of soul-building steroids. Congrats!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

There are enough authorities, experts, and know-italls out there trying to tell you what to think and do. In accordance with current astrological factors, I urge you to utterly ignore them during the next two weeks. And do it gleefully, not angrily. Exult in the power that this declaration of independence gives you to trust your own assessments and heed your own intuitions. Furthermore, regard your rebellion as good practice for dealing with the little voices in your head that speak for those authorities, experts, and know-it-alls. Rise up and reject their shaming and criticism, too. Shield yourself from their fearful fantasies.

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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By Mark MacLachlan | Edited by Will Shortz | 0924 Across 1 Naval engagements 8 Setting a world record, e.g. 12 “The Hallucinogenic Toreador” artist 16 Evidence in an arson investigation 19 “No point arguing with me!” 20 Some rounds 21 “The only beauty that never fades,” per Audrey Hepburn 23 Fancy French shellfish dish 25 Beer parlor 26 “Then again …,” in a tweet 27 Collection of Hindu aphorisms 28 Palindromic bird 30 It’s got you covered 31 Tennis’s Novak Djokovic, by birth 32 Rex Tillerson’s alma mater, for short 34 Proteins responsible for mad- cow disease 35 Special ____ 37 It’s got you covered 39 Carved emblem 41 Keys for Keys? 44 German pronoun 46 South American plains 48 Tikkanen who won five Stanley Cups 49 All together, as a family 51 Classroom item 54 Schoolboy 55 More chichi 57 Get a bite? 58 Team finale? 60 Hot spot, both literally and figuratively 63 Roman philosopher who wrote, “All cruelty springs from weakness” 67 Buenos ____ 69 Central Park’s SummerStage, e.g. 73 At the limit, with “out” 74 Save from disaster 76 The same as 78 “Homer and ____ Exchange Cross Words” (2008 episode of The Simpsons) 79 Music genre for Weezer or the Shins 83 Catch like Spider-Man 85 Child’s seat, maybe 86 Tech overseer 91 Reason to stop reading 93 Stranded cellular stuff

94 ____ plane 95 Addis Ababa’s country: Abbr. 96 Claim deposits 97 “I rock!” 100 Group with Gladys Knight 102 Mahmoud Abbas’s grp. 103 Quarter deck? 105 Tiny conductor of heat or electricity 108 Email best not replied to 112 Mulled-wine ingredient 113 Extra periods at TD Garden 114 Mythical beast with goatlike features 115 Jazzy Fitzgerald 116 Premise of the film Freaky Friday 118 Some positives and negatives 121 Welcoming diners at midnight, say 122 Singer India.____ 123 Adds water to 124 Director Anderson 125 Surveys 126 “Darn it!” 127 A good place to start DOWN 1 Grain containers 2 Theatricalize 3 National ____ Day (last Friday in April) 4 Football formation 5 007, for one: Abbr. 6 ____ monkey 7 Cocky walk 8 Copyright concern 9 Symbol for a break 10 ____, amas, amat 11 Taquito wrap 12 What may grow with interest 13 Barley wine, e.g. 14 Burton of Reading Rainbow 15 “Totally understood” 16 Blessed 17 Frequent director of De Niro 18 Pigment in red blood cells 22 Star Wars droid 24 Letters on NYC trains 29 Together 33 Swiss folk hero with a crossbow 34 Dig for answers 36 After-dinner drink 38 Speed skater Karin who won eight Olympic medals 40 Scratch

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41 Celestial object that emits radio waves 42 Drawn 43 Poisonous snakes 44 Anthropomorphic hedgehog of gamedom 45 “Don’t mind ____!” 47 Elbow-benders 50 ____-pah-pah 51 Pair 52 “Excuse me” 53 Kidney-related 56 Dark time, in poesy 59 Wrap-up 61 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 …, e.g.: Abbr. 62 Less mendacious 64 Like the Dalai Lama 65 One of the Borgias

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66 Evolves 68 The Philippines’ ____ Sea 70 Author Rankin 71 1428 ____ (horror film address): Abbr. 72 The NBA’s Curry, informally 75 Singer James 77 Baja bear 80 Vermin 81 Straight: Prefix 82 Signer of many a permission form 84 Congress, with “the” 86 ____ wolf 87 Not level 88 Old outdoor dance sights 89 Place to try patatas bravas 90 Actress Lena 92 “Relax!”

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95 Trusts and ____ (law school class) 98 Authority 99 Gertrude who swam the English Channel in 1926 101 Brand of note? 102 Teen driver’s acquisition 104 The New Yorker piece 106 Western tribe 107 “Turn! Turn! Turn!” band, with “the” 109 One-named philosopher 110 Paul ____, Microsoft co-founder 111 En ____ (as a group) 112 Boast 113 Bullfight chorus 117 Homophone for the atomic number of oxygen 119 Altar constellation 120 St. Pierre, par exemple

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