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529876_560945670593334_1392147475_n — Tannis Ling, Paige Cowan, Michelle Fu, Hannah Reinhart, Ken Tsui, Michele Guimond and Megan Lau at Bao Bei // photo c/o Leigh Eldridge

Vancouver Notables is the ongoing interview series where “No Fun City” shows off. More like burlesque than a talent show, Vancouver Notables wants you doing what you do best, but with sequins on your nipples. Tell us who you are, what you’re doing that’s of note and why, oh why, are you rocking that boat?

Sad Mag cornered the team behind Vancouver’s new Chinatown Night Market and asked them all sorts of questions about the history of the Night Market, how it’s going to reemerge (re-surge!) this year, and the challenges they’ve faced in getting it there.

Alright, team: introduce yourselves!

ML: I’m Megan Lau. I’m Sad Mag alumni and family. I read, write and sometimes take pictures.

MG: I’m Michele Guimond. I work for a big organization by day doing marketing PR etc… but by night I like to use my marketing powers for good, connecting with people with a good idea that want it heard.

MF: I’m Michelle Fu. I’m an artist and designer, and the co-founder of 221A, a non-profit artist run centre based in Chinatown, Vancouver.

KT: I’m Ken Tsui. I’m a filmmaker and host of pop-up events around Vancouver. I currently have the honour of working with the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants’ Association as a program director for this year’s Chinatown Night Market.

HR: I’m Hannah Reinhart. I’m an arts administrator in Vancouver, and am thrilled to be able to say I’m a part of this crazy talented group.

TL: I’m Tannis Ling. I own Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie, which is a restaurant that sits on Keefer St. where the market happens every year. I’m the [Night Market’s] Managing Director.

blog-image — Photo c/o Chinatown Night Market & Glasfurd + Walker.

ML: I grew up in Vancouver. As a kid, I went with my parents on their grocery trips in Chinatown every weekend. Back then, the neighbourhood was loud and alive. Those memories have a big place in my heart. I got to know the market around 2006, when I got involved with a magazine that was based in Chinatown. The Night Market meant we had tasty and affordable eats outside our door. When Ken asked me to join this team, I had to do it. This has been one of those rare opportunities to work with creative, generous and like-minded people.

HR: Ken recruited me to the team. We met about a year and a half ago when I was working in the neighbourhood, and I have always had a ton of interest in and admiration for his pop-up events and general zest for community building. I’d expressed this to him in the past, so I guess he knew I’d share his interest in bringing new life to the Night Market.

MG: Ken and I know each other through a shared love of food. Despite eating together for a couple of years we never really discussed the details of day jobs, of which mine happens to be marketing. Over a meal at Bao Bei (of course) he told me what he was planning for the market with Tannis. Seeing Ken turn most of what he touches into gold, including his pop up restaurants, I was excited to offer help with some marketing, social media, PR, etc. I am really excited by helping people get the message out about an idea that adds to the cultural landscape in Vancouver. This project was a great opportunity to get involved with a team of people dedicated and passionate about the same things.

MF: I’ve been actively working in Chinatown since 2008, and since then I’ve spent many nights working late into the evening. In the summer the Night Market is a welcome excuse for a stroll, a treat and the inevitable chance of running into a neighbour or friend. Moving here last year really cemented how much I love the neighborhood, and my desire to immerse myself even more increased. I’ve tried on numerous scales to create community engagement, and it’s a fun dilemma I’m constantly rethinking. Ken and I worked together once in the past, and have since kept an eye on each others’ projects (at least I did — is that creepy?), so when he approached me about working together again for the Night Market, he knew I’d be more than interested!

TL: I always knew that I wanted to open Bao Bei in Chinatown for the obvious reason that a Chinese restaurant belongs the best in Chinatown. I also loved the neighbourhood and felt that, unlike other areas of Vancouver, it had a gritty realness to it that I was attracted to and felt at home in. There’s also nothing handier than getting most of your produce, dry goods and smallware within a couple blocks of the restaurant.

When I opened the restaurant and realized that the night market was going to happen outside every summer, I couldn’t believe how lucky I had gotten with that location. I’ve always had a great love for markets and was excited to have the summer weekends on our street imbued with a sense of liveliness and fun. However, I think once the two night markets in Richmond opened up, a lot of business went over there and the market started to feel a bit sparse. My opinion was that there was no point for the Chinatown Night Market to compete with Richmond and that it should be its own entity, reflecting the emergence of a very exciting, young, entrepreneurial and creative spirit in the neighbourhood yet still preserving its cultural identity. I went to the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee (VCRC) and suggested the idea to give the night market an update which seemed in line with their mandate of bringing life back to the streets of Chinatown. They in turn introduced me to the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants’ Association who has organized the night market for the last 17 years, and welcomed me and a group of volunteers to facilitate this new vision.

What is the history behind the Chinatown Night Market?

KT: The Chinatown Night Market has been a summer cornerstone for the neighbourhood for almost 20 years. For years, the market was a bustling and full of energy. However, what was once a three-block market is now just a single block. Despite scaling down, the market still maintains a cultural significance to the city that the new market team is excited to be a part of it.

TL: This was also the first night market in North America.

Things have really changed in Chinatown; even in the last five years there’s been a huge turnover in the types of businesses and events that are making Chinatown their home. How is the Chinatown Night Market walking the line between old and new?

MF: This is exactly what got me interested in working with the Night Market this year. I wouldn’t say its been a turnover of businesses in the area; I’d rather say that there is more diversity side-by-side. Though we do have to be realistic about the changing neighbourhood, we can also be very sensitive to everyone living and working here. It’s something I’m very aware of, having been part of the initial change five years ago. So our main thing is to make sure that diversity and accessibility are at the top of the list. We’re not replacing traditional with new; we’re adding to it. We’re keeping it as affordable as it was before, but making it more engaging. We want the Night Market to be a place you can buy a plate of shrimp dumplings, then finish it off with homemade ice cream while listening to Chinese opera, or trying your hand at Hip Hop Karaoke.

Can you recall some of the challenges (overcome or not) that you’ve faced while organizing this endeavour?

HR: Time has been the big one. Annual summer festivals of this size usually take the entire year to plan, and we’ve been working since January (Ken and Tannis started a bit earlier). We’re playing catch up this year and looking forward to getting a head start on next year!

MG: I knew from the start that this was going to be a marketing challenge. How do you get people engaged with something that isn’t happening yet? It is hard to get people focused on an event for summer in the middle of a long, drizzly winter and spring. However, every week as ideas turned into concrete plans and so much amazing talent started signing up, it became clear we just needed a way to help people see what was coming. We are now covering the programming on the wesbite/ blog weekly and activating social media with announcements about what’s coming. Soon we will have a full program up for the summer. We have had so much great support from collaborators and press. Overall, when people hear about what we have planned they are super excited! It’s not hard to convince Vancouverites about the value of a new cultural event. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for announcements throughout the summer.

MF: Working with people from all different backgrounds! That’s been an enlightening challenge — working with different generations, cultural backgrounds, language barriers, different interest groups, and the list goes on…

TL: I’ve realized that creating something from the ground up like the restaurant is difficult but that trying to take an existing event and altering it after 18 years has its own set of challenges.

Okay, team stuff: complete the following “Mad Libs” with the appropriate activity/member of the team…

“Getting it done,” means getting great, crazy, overworked people on board.

Tannis’ cat always manages to make meetings about driving Ken crazy.

The absolute best answer to any question that anyone asks is always ”let me talk to the team about that and get back to you”.

What are you all most excited about right now?

HR: I think I’m most looking forward to seeing Rain City Chronicles perform on the stage. I just went to one of their events a few weeks ago on the theme of “Fame and Fortune,” and it blew me away.

MG: I am really excited about Hip Hop Karaoke hosted by HHKVan. Ken was saying these guys have been looking for way to make these nights accessible to a younger audience. To date, their nights have drawn huge crowds at legal age venues like Fortune Sound Club, but the market is now offering them a way to invite younger kids up on stage. I have no doubt this event is going to be huge.

MF: Outdoor films, and dumpling weekend! Who doesn’t want to know more and eat more dumplings?

ML: I’m with Michelle. Dumplings forever. It’s also going to be beautiful to see Keefer Street transformed and the neighbourhood bustling at night. I want to experience something like the vibrant Chinatown of the 1950s and 1960s that I’ve heard and read about.

KT: I’m excited to see Girls Rock Camp and Green Burrito Records’ band The Courtneys on share the stage. Nothing says summer jam more to me than The Courtneys’ “90210.” Am I allowed two? Screw it. Of course, I’m allowed. I can’t wait to shout “Warrrrrrriorrrrrs come out and playyyyyyyayyyayay” on the mic during our Street Fighter II: World Warrior tournament.

TL: New vendors! We have have a slew of new sellers with products that range from jewelry, laser cut crafts, vintage sunglasses, books, design magazines, ceramics, flowers, chocolate, ice cream sandwiches, and chutney. We also have a couple of collective stalls, one being run by the popular design blog Poppytalk, and the other by China Cloud, a neighbourhood studio/gallery space, that are planning to showcase different artists every week for the entire summer.

The Night Market begins May 17th and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until September 8th. Check out the action on the 100-block of Keefer Street from 6pm-11pm!

On April 21, Sad Mag writers Jessica Russell and Farah Tozy went on assignment for Vancouver’s Eco-Fashion Week with the intent of discovering how fashion—that most of ephemeral and wasteful of pursuits—justifies its involvement in the eco-friendly scene. How do luxury and consumerism co-exist with frugality and restraint? Over the following days, Jess and Farah discovered quite a lot that is new (most of it vintage!) in fashion and the green movement. Part 1 of 3.

GOING GREEN // Eco-Fashion Week // P.1

Jess and Farah here, reporting from Robson Square on season six of Eco-Fashion Week, where we got a taste of Vancouver’s fabulous fashion scene, and started to feel a bit like celebrities ourselves. (Can you say complimentary Noodlebox and cocktails?) We discovered that eco-friendly fashion has a wide variety of incentives, initiatives and styles, which demonstrate just how inclusive eco-fashion and sustainable clothing’s development has become. EFW showcased designers and products not only from Vancouver, but from all around the world.

But before the good life goes to our heads—all those free carbs!—let’s turn to the people who are actually talented: raw material designer Madera Elena, Diana Svensk with her warm stylings, and Evan Ducharme with his polished looks.

'Merely Me' by Madera Elena, photo by Jessica Russell and Farah Tozy

MADERA ELENA, MERELY ME

“This woman radiated positive energy. I felt an honesty that is hard to come by.” -Jess

“Grace.” That is the word New Yorker Madera Elena chose to describe her collection, “Merely Me.” Elena believes that everything we have in this world is given to us, and it is our responsibility to reuse, recycle and protect the earth we live on. Her spiritual outlook influences every aspect of her collection; this season, she placed her focus on earth tones, pure whites and grays.

From Elena we learned that the most common reason people throw away their clothing is because it doesn’t fit anymore. Which is why, instead of using buttons, all of Madera’s pieces are tacked with a floral pin that is adjustable and allows the body to be free and comfortable. Each of her versatile pieces is reversible, convertible and can be worn in at least three different ways. In order to reduce her carbon footprint, she uses 80% recycled fabrics for her clothing in addition to recycled paper for her shoes and accessories. Her fabrics are light, breathable and simple.

According to Elena, we should recycle our clothes, just as we recycle our experiences throughout our lives, by taking the ugly things that don’t “fit” and making them positive. She left us with these inspiring words: “Being conscious of who we are is just ‘Merely Me.’”

Diana Svensk, photo by Jessica Russell and Farah Tozy

DIANA SVENSK, SVENSK DESIGNS

“Diana was such a riot to talk to! I honestly wanted to hang out with her after the show, and of course, borrow all her clothes!” –Farah

We have never met a more down-to-earth designer than charismatic Swedish designer, Diana Svensk. Svensk creates knitwear that is fun, flirty and wearable, focusing on warm and comfortable feel-good clothing. Svensk began her business making bow hats, and now she incorporates her velour bows as a trademark into her skirts, jackets, sweaters and winter accessories.

In her words, her style is “what you see is what you get.” Her designs are straightforward and are easily worn with a pair of black leggings. This one-of-a-kind designer embraces feminine colours such as pale pink and mustard yellow in combination with bold patterns. What makes her clothing eco-friendly is her use of 100% organic alpaca wool which is hypoallergenic as well as seven times warmer, three times stronger than sheep’s wool.

When asked about Eco-Fashion in Sweden, Svensk replied that it is developing and hopes that her appearance in Vancouver Eco-fashion week will help her generate awareness back at home.

'Belladonna' by Evan Ducharme, photo by Jessica Russell and Farah Tozy

EVAN DUCHARME, BELLADONA

“We knew he nailed it, and so did he. Fighting back tears of happiness, Evan melted our hearts and we were there to witness his first huge success!” –Jess and Farah

VCAD graduate Evan Ducharme blew us away with his collection “Belladonna” featuring feminine silhouettes, detailed tailoring, and a sophisticated modern style. This 20 year-old Manitoba native started connecting with the fashion world by volunteering at Eco-Fashion week. He was then approached by the head of Eco-Fashion week, Myriam Laroche, to present his first eco-friendly collection. Designing in East Vancouver, he utilizes reclaimed fabrics as well as natural fibres and transforms them into reworked form-fitting garments.

Together with inspiration from style icons Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn, Ducharme aims to create a look for women of all ages who are strong and independent. Ducharme explained that military jackets had a big impact on his vision for this collection; he wanted to focus on accentuating the waist by cinching it in and having fuller skirts on the bottom. We look forward to seeing what this young designer does next!

Abramson-HR016 — Photo Credit Serena Jo Coutts

The Abramson Singers are many voices to be reckoned with. Writing beautifully crafted, catchy songs about topics that touch on the Canadian landscape, the group hits chords both physical and political.

Through their heartbreaking storytelling and always staying true to their folk roots, the band forms bright melodies and layers of musical depth. “Late Riser” is their newest release since 2010’s self-titled album “The Abramson Singers” and was produced by Colin Stewart (Dan Mangan, Brasstronaut). The album is soaked with lush band arrangements, craving warm summer nights on the porch and a dog by your side. With as new album on the horizon Leah Abramson answers a few questions with Sad Mag.

Hello. My name is: Leah Abramson

I live in: An old house in Kensington-Cedar Cottage

When I’m not playing music I’m often: Gardening, teaching, or making sauerkraut. I’m only putting down the most wholesome activities here, just in case my mom reads this.

My favourite city to visit is: I can’t pick only one. Montreal, Prague and Paris. (Bagels, dumplings and croissants.)

Song I can’t get out of my head: “Give Out” by Sharon Van Etten

The last book I read was: “Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound” by David Rothenberg

Blog I am addicted to: Cuteboyswithcats.net

Life or daily mantra: What would Jeff Goldblum do?

I never leave home without: Wallet, phone, keys (repeat after me).

If I weren’t a musician I would be: Running a family sauerkraut business. Or a radio producer?

If I was buying you a drink what would you be drinking: One of those fancy in-the-coconut drinks that the Waldorf used to serve, or else Jameson’s on the rocks.

New album “Late Riser” comes out: May 14, 2013. Our Vancouver Album Release Party is May 30 at Chapel Arts.

Preview The Abramson Singers new single “Jack of Diamonds”

& be sure to check out The Abramson Singers news, shows and tours.

Sparkle Plenty in Molotov Caravan; photo c/o Ian West, WeDo Photo

Beginning May 2^nd, The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival celebrates its 8^th year with three days of premiere burlesque performances to the Vogue and Rio theatres.

Sad Mag was delighted to chat with Sparkle Plenty, one of the gorgeous people behind this racy and raucous festival. On the Board of Directors of the festival, Sparkle Plenty is herself a burlesque performer, and whether she’s parodying Steven Harper or giving us the classic tease, Sparkle Plenty’s unique blend of comedy and burlesque—glamedy—is as fabulous as it is compelling.

Sad Mag: Who are you?

My name is Sparkle Plenty, I am on the Board of Directors for the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and I am a regular performer with the Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society. I am a glamorous comedian or glamedian!

How did you get involved in the burlesque scene?

I used to perform improv and play music throughout high school and in my early 20’s so the stage was no stranger to me. One miraculous day I was invited to a burlesque show at the old Colbalt and I was blown away with the amount of creativity that was invested in this show. Each act was innovative, fun, and faced no boundaries in terms of style or story so thought to myself, “I need to be doing this!”

When and where was your first burlesque show?

My first burlesque show was at my graduation recital in Screaming Chicken’s Becoming Burlesque program at the Red Room. I was so excited, I must have invited over 20 people to come, and they did!

How did you come up with your performer name?

Sigh, I found my performer name on my friends bathroom wallpaper. It’s a long story but it seemed like a good idea at the time… I have since Googled Sparkle Plenty and learned that she is also a cartoon, a Dick Tracy character, chandelier cleaner, and a pony.

Do you have a signature outfit or accessory?

I couldn’t pinpoint to what my signature accessory or outfit would be. I am mainly seen in loud-print leggings so I can high kick at any given moment.

What’s your favourite genre of music to perform to?

I used to limit myself to pop music because of their infectious, danceable melodies, but now I will perform to whatever song speaks to me or speaks for the character that I’m creating.

Burlesque seems to be growing in popularity. What is it about burlesque that draws an audience?

There is something about burlesque that permits you to enjoy watching something a little naughty or taboo. There is also the artistic integrity that appeals to the public, they are watching and appreciating someone celebrating their body, their sensuality, which allows the audience to do the same for themselves. Like music, burlesque doesn’t limit itself to a specific genre, so there is a style that appeals to everyone.

Best venue to watch burlesque in Vancouver?

There are many fantastic venues to check out burlesque! The Biltmore for Kitty Nights is always a blast, Guilt and Co. has shows occurring regularly and the styles of performances can range from the very elegant to very creepy, The Keefer Bar is great if you want to see some show stopping performers on Thursday nights, and of course, the Wise Hall where Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society holds their monthly Taboo Revue Variety Burlesque shows.

What should we look forward to at the Vancouver Burlesque Festival?

The diversity of the performances! What makes the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival so thrilling is how each performer has their own unique style. There will be glamorous costumes, high-tempo dances numbers, satirical story telling… I could go on, but it’s best to see it yourself as everyone leaves with a different experience!

Where are you as you answer these questions?

I am in a room filled with dazzling gowns that gleam as the sunlight hits each crystal on their silk panels, the walls decorated with beautiful ostrich feather headdresses, and there are kittens everywhere!

Ok that’s untrue but it sure sounds better than in my living room

What are you most excited about right now?

Right now I am excited for the festival to happen! The Board of Directors has been working on this event for almost a year so we’re very much looking forward to see our baby grow. Also sleep, I am excited about trying that out after the festival is done!

Meeting men organically—in person first—is better than online. I will admit that. But I will also admit that for every date I have with a “real life” person, I have around five dates with people I met online first. Just because I’m trying to hedge my bets doesn’t mean I wouldn’t rather an effortless meet-cute.

It’s a couple of months ago, and a friend of mine’s band is playing a show. Our group of friends gathers for the occasion. We meet for pre-drinks at my place, and are pleasantly soused when we get to the venue. We’re dancing and being goofy when my friend notices someone he knows and introduces us. This guy is cute but I’m just trying to have a fun night with my friends (and I’m already too drunk to seem adorable) so I hardly talk to him. The next day in the murky haze of a hangover it dawns on me that this guy may have been a real fox. But I can’t be sure so I do what anyone would in this situation and I Facebook stalk him.

Suspicion confirmed. He is hot. But I can’t tell if he has a girlfriend. Because I hardly talked to him and I don’t think it makes me look crazy I send him a friend request. Meanwhile, I frantically text my girl friend to ask if he’s single. Silence. I finally get a response, days later, just as he confirms my friend request. He’s single (!) and I can only explain what happens next as a pure and simple manifestation on my part.

I run into him way out of the city at a Starbucks.

I am flustered but I MUST approach him. So I walk up and say, “I think I know you.” We have a little nothing-chat then I get the hell out of there like it’s the scene of a crime. The longer I talk to him the better chance I have of saying something stupid so aborting and trying to pass it off as being cool seems like the best course of action. I freak out when I get into work. “You won’t believe what just happened!” The entire staff of my workplace is married and they live vicariously through my dating horror stories: to them, my love life is a source of amusement.

I get a message from him shortly after the Starbucks incident. “How weird was that?!” Excellent. I can’t help but feel I’m making this all happen. I am the writer of my own destiny!

I stalk him further by perusing his “likes” before deciding to post something about one of those things passive aggressively. Trap set. He almost immediately comments on it in a private message. He asks if I’m going to a show of a band we both like. I say I’m not but invite him for a drink the next day. He accepts. Win.

He arrives for drinks…in a tank top. AND a bandana. Hmm, really? Is this supposed to say “I’m not trying too hard” or is he really not trying hard? He’s very sure of himself, bordering on conceited. We all know that’s attractive, even if we don’t want to admit it. Or maybe this is just my own dysfunctional taste.

Halfway through the date he starts to explain how he was in a serious relationship, which broke up about a year ago, and since then he’s just “been having fun” but “people do fall in love.” I say to myself that this is a mixed message, but is it really? That’s what I want to believe but deep down I know he just wants to “have fun.” I don’t care. He’s cute, I like him, and everything is good on paper too (he has a job, seems stable, and he was in a relationship so I know he’s capable of commitment). He walks me (almost) to my bus stop—which is kinda lame actually, how hard is it to walk the extra 20 feet? But we kiss, and there is something there that is undeniable. Lust.

He goes away on vacation. I send him an invite to this party happening right when he gets back. I only half expect a response but surprisingly get a message from him the next day. He says he’s not sure he can make it because he’ll just be returning but he’ll try. I hold out no hope. I don’t want to get excited for nothing.

The night of the party I get a text from him at 12:30am. “How’s the party going?” “Good, you should come by”…”Well it’s going to take me an hour to get there, should I still come”…”If you want to see me.” He shows up right as the last two people are leaving around 2am. I guess he’s staying over?

I have bruises all over my ass and thighs from his hands the next day. I don’t care. We take a shower (together), go to breakfast, and do it all over again. Two days pass and we meet again at my place. We’re supposed to watch a movie. We have sex. I’m a little worried I’m entering into fuck buddy territory but it’s fun and maybe I can do that. The last time I did that was nine years ago and it ended badly with me in a puddle of my own tears but I’m older now, wiser, I can handle it….maybe.

We meet again, sex again. And I just have to ask because I’m starting to feel gross: “Are you sleeping with other people?” He says yes and I reply, “I don’t really know how I feel about that.” But, then I immediately realize that’s bullshit and I say “I’m not okay with that.” He says he doesn’t want a relationship and then there’s nothing more to say.

I could have argued and been really needy about it, but what’s the point? I shouldn’t have to CONVINCE someone to want to be with only me. He is lucky to even have the chance. (Girl power!)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the free trial. You need to see if you’re compatible in the bedroom, of course. But that free trial expires at some point and you need to make the call. I feel like he’d already had enough of the cookie to know. (Though there’s always that part of you that thinks: maybe I should have ridden it out longer. Pun intended, of course).

We have sex again but I can’t come. We get dressed and he pulls me in for a kiss by the fly of my pants, which was actually really hot but I can’t share a dick. I can’t. I won’t. I go cold. He drops me off and says, “call me” and all I can respond with is “why?” I get out of the car. I feel proud of myself for having some self-respect.

By cutting this “relationship” off I’m protecting myself. I don’t want to develop real feelings for someone who doesn’t want me that way. But I can’t stop thinking about the sex. It’s all consuming. I don’t even think I miss him as a person at all but the sexual desire is tricking me. This feels like a big deal, helped along by the very weird fact that I keep running into him. Life is cruel like that. We act like friends when we run into each other but it’s still unnerving to be so cavalier with someone who has had their face in your vag.

The weekend arrives and I get a little tipsy on another bad blind date. I don’t have anyone to stop me so I drunk text him. I am trying to booty text him. But how does that work? I just start with “hey there.” I imagine if it’s on then he’ll respond with something like “is this what I think it is?” and then I could say “maybe” and then we’d be doing it on my kitchen table in no time. But, alas, this is not what happens.

At any other time of day the conversation we have would be innocuous because it’s essentially the kind of chitchat that happens between strangers. “How are you doing?” “How’s your job?”…etc. Except it’s 1am. No one makes mention of the time and it ends as abruptly as it starts with me not answering his last text, which didn’t need answering anyway. He didn’t try to keep it going. Was he just answering to be polite? I try to forget it.

A few weeks go by and I run into him again. I’m with a friend. And as soon as we’re out of earshot she says “holy sexual tension!” He couldn’t keep his hands off me, touching my necklace and stroking my arm. She said I was super cool about it (because I needed to redeem myself after the drunk texting incident). Are we just going to keep going back and forth playing it cool? I guess I just assumed that he would realize he DOES want a relationship and come crawling back. But if I analyze things rationally, he doesn’t know me well enough for that to happen. There isn’t enough “us” there to run back to.

He starts following me on Instagram.

My social life suddenly looks a lot more interesting. Look at me at a concert! Look at me out with friends! Look at me with this random hot guy (who’s really just my friend’s boyfriend on loan)! Am I behaving like a maniac? Or is this just what people do now because we are so crippled by our fear of rejection that we can only communicate with wildly staged photos and vague status updates. I don’t follow him back but that doesn’t mean I don’t periodically check on his feed.

One day after a three second tug of war with myself I check to see what’s new for him and there it is. Dinner for two tagged with a cute girl. The next photo is breakfast for two with the same girl tagged in a comment “you are so lucky.” My heart sinks. I immediately feel awful. How could I be so stupid? I thought he didn’t want a relationship! Surely you don’t go tagging people in couple-y meal shots if you’re not serious. And I know I could be misinterpreting the photos but I can’t keep kidding myself, this has got to stop. So I believe that this is what’s happening and bear down. I’ve been going on so many bad dates that I’ve been treating him like the last bastion of hope for my sex life. I cry myself to sleep.

The next day I feel remarkably fine with it. I realize that it wasn’t him; it was the sex. I was denying myself something I thought I could just order by picking up the phone, but that’s no longer an option. He’s with cute dinner-breakfast girl. He’s off the menu. And I would never go for someone else’s guy. I feel liberated and also a little stupid for making such a big deal out of him. But I realize I need to go easy on myself since this is the first person I’ve slept with since my big break up.

The next week I see him on the street walking right beside me. This time I look the other way.

Artistic expression is one of life’s joys. Whether it’s painting, writing, or organize your underwear chromatically, aesthetic satisfaction is undeniable. Which is why Sag Mag is thrilled to let you know about On Your Mark, the Langley Fine Arts’ Alumni Exhibition.

Beginning Friday May 10th 2013, On Your Mark is an art and design exhibition taking place at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre.

This exhibition is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 1st graduating class from the Langley Fine Arts School.

Running through to Wednesday, May 22nd, the show will feature over 70 artists, from a multitude of disciplines.

It will be eclectic, inspiring and sure to thrill!

Sad Mag presents a dance party with your favorites 80s, new wave and electro-pop covers. Vancouver music legends (or soon-to-be legends) will be singing their hearts out to songs by The Talking Heads, New Order, Cut/Copy, The Organ, The Knife, Humans and many more.

++THE KINGSGATE CHORUS
++CITY OF GLASS
++Plus a DJ set by Phil Intile of MODE MODERNE

Saturday May 18th, 2013
Doors at 8:30pm
Cover is $8

The Gam (next door) will also be showing a sneak preview of artwork from the next issue. Come see what happens when bands take disposable cameras on tour. BAM

Photographs by Lauren Zbarsky, Alex Waber, Brandon Gaukel, Matty Jeronimo, HUMANS (Robbie Slade), MODE MODERNE, AUSTRA and CITY OF GLASS.

Morrissey would be proud. Also, I have the same birthday as Ian Curtis. Just sayin’.

Need more info?

ACCESSIBILITY: ****Both the Gam and Remington are street level on Hastings St. There is (usually) parking on Columbia and there is a ground floor washroom!

Vancouver Notables (L to R - Sean Cox, Sean Horlor, Steve Adams) — Behind-the-scenes with the filmmaking team: Sean Cox, Sean Horlor and Steve Adams

Vancouver Notables is the ongoing interview series where “No Fun City” shows off. More like burlesque than a talent show, Vancouver Notables wants you doing what you do best, but with sequins on your nipples. Tell us who you are, what you’re doing that’s of note and why, oh why, are you rocking that boat?

Sean Horlor is the co-founder of Steamy Windows Productions and a contestant in the CineCoup Film Accelerator Project. He and his team are competing for a cool million (CAD of course) and a Cineplex release through their social media savvy. Sean is also an organizer of the CineCoup West Coast Party at The Queen’s Republic on April 25th.

Who are you?
Former reality show host. Currently part of a Vancouver filmmaking trio (with Steve Adams and Sean Cox) that is working on a feature called The Mill and the Mountain.

How did you get involved in the filmmaking industry in Vancouver?
My partner Steve and I won a filmmaking grant from OUTtv in 2011. Our short film “Just the Tip” screened at a few festivals. We were instantly hooked.

How did Steamy Window Productions come to be?
After working on contract for other producers, Steve and I said “NO MORE” and started our own company. We started with commercial projects believing that our business model would eventually fuel our creative work.

The Mill on the Mountain is based on the history of deaths and disappearances along BC’s so-called “Highway of Tears.” Were there additional challenges in creating a story based on actual events? What sparked the concept for The Mill and The Mountain?
I started [writing] a novel about a 2005 missing-person case in Vancouver, but the idea didn’t really come together into a screenplay until I met Steve. He grew up along the Highway of Tears and babysat accused serial killer Cody Legebokoff in the 1990s. There’s also a revenge-porn connection to the film (based on Hunter Moore’s website Is Anyone Up?) which we used to tie the events together. We wanted to create a showcase for some of Canada’s dirtiest secrets. It’s not all hockey and rom-coms up here right?

What are the aesthetic influences for The Mill and The Mountain?
Definitely films like Fargo, Winter’s Bone and the original A Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

How did you decide to enter the project into the CineCoup film accelerator?
Our team said yes to our inner Dr. Evil: One million dollars!

How is the competition going so far?
We’ve had a whole bunch of love from Vancouver, which is incredible! We’ve also crowdsourced our concept and script with movie fans around the world, testing what works and what doesn’t. It’s a new way to make movies and we’re stoked to be involved in CineCoup’s first year.

What will a 1 million dollar budget allow you do with this film that wouldn’t be possible otherwise?
The $1M will help us make our film, but CineCoup has helped connect us to film fans and the film industry in a way that would have taken years to do alone.

Best Vancouver spot?
Third Beach!

Last film you watched?
The Illusionist. Clunky start and some mushy parts AND Jessica Biel, but there’s a five-star reveal at the end.

Last album you listened to?
The soundtrack to The Hours. Philip Glass is a writer’s best friend.

For more about Sean and The Mill on the Mountain, check out The Mill and the Mountain Trailer, you can follow the team on Facebook and Twitter, too, and of course there’s Steamy Windows’ CineCoup profile for bios, mission videos, trailer, press clippings, and behind-the-scenes photos.

Cinecoup Title Card — Vancouver-based company CineCoup offers $1 M

Sad Mag loves a good show-and-tell almost as much as we love independent arts and culture. In fact, if showing off could be an independent art form… well, we would be doing it, now wouldn’t we? So when Sad Mag heard about CineCoup, we thought, “What better way to strut your Canadian film-making stuff, than competing for one million dollars via social media?”

“At it’s most basic level, the CineCoup Film Accelerator is sort of like American Idol, except for indie film in Canada,” says Sean Horlor, co-founder of Steamy Windows Productions, CineCoup contestant, and organizer of the CineCoup West Coast Party at The Queen’s Republic on April 25th. “Between now and June 11, filmmakers get to showcase their filmmaking abilities every week on CineCoup.com and in June, one filmmaker will be selected for a $1M production budget and a 2014 release in Cineplex. Fans and critics will vote their favourite filmmakers to the top.”

A pretty sweet deal, and one bankrolled by J Joly, founder and CEO of OverInteractive Media and dimeRocker. Joly’s project puts the curatorial power of social media to the test, so that filmmakers who participate gain valuable audience feedback based on their film’s trailer and concept. Rather than relying on film competitions or focus groups, it’s really the team’s social media savvy and the professional online pitch package which will bolster fan support. In the end, the Top 10 projects will be optioned for development. A jury of industry professionals and a “CineCoup Superfan” will select one project for up to $1 million (CDN) in production financing and guaranteed release in Cineplex theatres in January 2014.

Is there a need for such a competition in Canada? For Horlor and his team, the answer is, “Definitely.” Says Horlor, “my team joined this year because the barriers to entry to the filmmaking industry are huge. Only 3% of the films screened in Canadian theatres are made by Canadian filmmakers.”

CineCoup gives indie filmmakers a chance to tell stories that might never make it to screen through the traditional filmmaking model in Canada. It’s a novel concept that, according to Horlor, has really changed the game: “So let’s say you’ve shot a few short films or done a ton of commercial work. You’ve got the skills to make your film. You have a great feature script, access to the best talent, and a great crew…now what? If you don’t have connections to investors or distributors or have a film that’s suitable for federal grants, your project will never find the money to get made.

CineCoup has changed that model. We’ve been connected to fans before our project has even gone to picture and they have helped crowdsource our concept and screenplay by interacting with us in realtime. CineCoup is also finding investors on our behalf and connecting us to their industry network. CineCoup will pitch the Top 10 projects this year at Cannes and the Top 5 filmmaking teams will be going to Banff to pitch industry reps themselves.”

***

Horlor invites fans to come to the CineCoup West Coast Party at The Queen’s Republic April 25th. It will be a night of celebration and great drinks. Help all eight of these West Coast teams reach the Top 15! Teams in attendance are:

http://www.cinecoup.com/gradeninemovie
http://www.cinecoup.com/scam
http://www.cinecoup.com/thedangersofonlinedating
http://www.cinecoup.com/bad
http://www.cinecoup.com/themillandthemountain
http://www.cinecoup.com/hastings-street
http://www.cinecoup.com/the-fall
http://www.cinecoup.com/thirdwavefilm

Our third ‘Mo-Wave interview also comes to you from the very noisy but very friendly Chop Suey greenroom. Tyler Morgenstern stole a few moments with Bryn, lead vocalist and guitarist of so-called “queermocore seagaze” four piece Wishbeard, who hours before hard charmed the room with their dreamy, heavy, driven, noirish pop.

How long have you been playing together as a band, and where are you from?
March 17^th was our one-year anniversary as a band! I’m from Seattle, Brighton (bass) is from Marysville, Washington, Res (keys) is from Florida and Jude (drums) is from Maryland. And I guess I moved here from Mississippi.

What draws you to ‘Mo-Wave?
Well. Being gay for one. But also I think a lot of us recognized, around the issue of marriage equality, when we were having that conversation in Washington…there were a lot of fundraisers and benefits and shows and concerts for marriage equality, but there were no queer bands. No gay bands. Not that it’s not good to be behind a cause, and it’s important to have allies, but I think that, at least for me, I see ‘Mo-Wave as an opportunity to be queer and be with other queer musicians and be just as good as anyone else.

But also, being queer is a part of who we are, but it doesn’t define us. And I hope that even though we’re recognized as a queer band, that we’re seen as a really great band, and that people hear our music for what it is. I think all my band mates would say that.

What do you think can be done to make more stages for queer artists?
I think a lot of that is our responsibility in identifying as queer. There’s been a lot of shows we’ve played that have not been queer-oriented. And it’s funny, as a band, we joke. Because it’s always the shows where we’re playing to straight bro-ey dudes with beards (which is funny because we’re called Wishbeard), but they’re always the ones who come up and go “Oh man I love your stuff! It was so good!” And it’s funny for us, but I still think that there’s a lot of responsibility for queers to be visible.

We have to make an effort to be visible, and something like ‘Mo-Wave gives us an opportunity and a platform to do that. We all identify as queer in our bands, and it’s something that we talk about and hold close. But we still take being good musicians as something really important–practicing good musicianship and being a good band and being dedicated to that. If people connect with us for being queer, that’s awesome. But if they connect with us for being queer and for our music, that’s awesome, too.

Vancouver Notables // Chinatown Night Market

Dispatches // Eco-Fashion Week

Local Musics // Q&A w The Abramson Singers

Vancouver Notables // Sparkle Plenty

Sad Love // The Free Trial

On Your Mark // Langley Fine Arts Alumni Exhibition

MAD MAD WORLD: a tribute to new wave and electro-pop

Vancouver Notables // Sean Horlor

CineCoup // Indie Film + 1 Million $

‘Mo-Wave Interview // Bryn