Former home of the compassionate telepath
7.07.2007,10:26
summer daze and nights
Oh the sun is here at last - winters in this town make me understand how so many ancient peoples ended up sun worshipers. At least in this corner of the globe, it's the great life-bringing orb. Just ask the roses on my windowsill. On the other hand, the just about 30 students who make up my new English class might have a different perspective, but that's just because we spend the hottest part of the day in the sauna together for three hours (oh wait, that's our classroom). Getting the new class rolling has pretty much totally absorbed my time this week, but I'm hoping by next week to be ready to do some serious summering. At this point, I haven't even been swimming yet, let alone partaking in any of the great evening events that sprout up in the summer.
Folk fest is next weekend, and the line up sounds fantastic, but it's also one of the most expensive shows in town. If you're looking for some musical/poetic entertainment that won't break the bank, there are a couple of goodies coming up. Tomorrow night (that's Sunday July 8th), Mike McGee is performing with CR Avery and Michael Paterson at RIME (Commercial near Napier) at umm.. let's say 9. While I don't know this Michael Paterson character, he's keeping impeccable company, so he can't not be good. Mike McGee is a brilliant spoken word poet from San Diego (though he belongs here) who has won all kinds of awards, and more importantly, writes and performs powerful, brilliant, moving, hilarious, offensive, and otherwise fantastic stuff. MMMikeMMMcGee. And, he'll be rockin' it with CR Avery, a local legend (honestly) blues hiphop poet muse master. If you don't know who he is, then you owe it to yourself to find out. I'm not promising I'll actually make it, but if I escape marking and prep in time, it's where I'll be.
If that event's no good for you, fear not, I can suggest another. If you find yourself with unoccupied time this Wednesday at 4ish, head drive-ward for Live on the Drive, one of the free promo concerts leading up to Folk Fest. The show will be in lovely Grandview Park, and features the Fugitives, another amazing Vancouver-grown spoken word music collective that is mindblowingly talented. The group is made up of Barbara Adler, Mark Berube, and Brendan McLeod, so let's see, that's two slam champions (and gifted, wonderful people to boot) and one silky-smooth crooner - hey look! The recipe for an amazing afternoon in Grandview Park! Also performing: Cuban dance music (samba) group Los Munequitos de Matanzas, some funky jazz hiphop group called DNA6, and some crazy bhangra-pop group called Signia. How could all of that not be fun?
It's summer. Go play.
