March 9, 2023 edition - Golden Plates Returns!

TOGETHER WITH

Vancouver has one helluva food and drink scene. From Michelin star restaurants to hidden speakeasies to hole-in-the-wall, over-the-counter spots that somehow have the best food for the cheapest price, there’s a whole lot of deliciousness to celebrate in this city.

And celebrate it we will, with this year’s edition of the Golden Plates.

We’ll be taking nominations over the coming weeks starting on Monday, and voting will start in early April to crown the top spots in the city as chosen by our wonderful readers.

Which also means that now is as good a time as any to get out there and discover your next favourite restaurant—we want a well-informed voting block, after all.

Speaking of surveys, we want to hear from you about what you want to see from the Georgia Straight. Fill out our reader survey here.

You might've missed:

• The PNE is asking the public’s help in naming its new rollercoaster

• Vancouverites have been climbing over and around a fence on the seawall (VIDEO)

• Vancouver city council has voted to end its policy of ensuring a living wage for city employees

• North Vancouver Recreation & Culture is seeking performing, visual, and multidisciplinary artists to be part of its 2023 events season. Apply by Mar. 31.*

*Sponsored Listing

FEATURE

“If I believe the things I'm singing, it resonates more with others”: Molly Rankin on how Alvvays made Blue Rev

While Antisocialites positioned Alvvays as indie rock heroes for a new generation, with new album Blue Rev the group’s members have created something altogether more vital.

It’s not just the global acclaim the album’s received, how it’s been universally named one of 2022’s best records, how it’s been hailed as a defining entry in the band’s catalogue, or even how it has created a new frontier for the genre at large. Blue Rev is one of those staggering albums that can shift the orbit of your entire world.

We spoke with lead singer Molly Rankin about how the album came into being.

TOGETHER WITH THE CULTCH

Bite into My Little Tomato, a surreal rom-com!

Kindergarten teacher Keaton Chu (Nelson Wong) has never had much luck in love. But after he inherits a farm and meets a hunky wholesaler (Taylor Kare), Keaton’s luck seems about to change—until a dirty rotten tomato decides to squeeze in on the fun!

This new work by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) and Zee Zee Theatre premieres at The Cultch’s historic theatre, Mar. 9-19!

Get tickets from just $25!

NEWS

“We just scramble”: How short notice from the City complicates organizing warming centres

The snow has melted and the very worst of Vancouver’s winter weather is likely over.

But the need for better communication between the City and the people who run warming centres remains, advocate Amal Ishaque told the Straight.

“Notice for when [the warming centre is] going to be open usually comes mid-afternoon … even though extreme weather has been forecast for at least a few days,” they said in a phone interview. “We just scramble that day to make posters, to get out and do actual street outreach, to actually directly speak to unhoused neighbours to let them know [the site is open].”

ARTS

Spring Arts Preview 2023: Your guide to the best in Vancouver dance, music, theatre, comedy, and visual arts

As we return to something resembling normalcy here at the Georgia Straight, we’re pleased to bring you 2023’s spring arts preview.

This year’s package starts off with two generations of Vancouver artists—Kokoro Dance’s iconic Jay Hirabayashi and Barbara Bourget, and their multi-talented son Joseph Hirabayashi­—offering their perspectives on the challenges, and rewards, of making art in a city that sometimes seems solely focused on real estate and getting a table at that hot Michelin starred restaurant.

From there we look at other voices continuing to shape the arts in Vancouver: emerging playwrights, dance renegades, and organizations embracing some big changes, to name just a few.

Find our full list of feature stories and event previews here.

Featured arts listings

• This week, VIDF 2023 will offer pay-what-you-can tickets at the door by Italy's Alessandro Sciarroni and Montreal's La Otra Orilla. Learn more.*

• Dead Poets Reading Series: Join Massy Arts Society, Massy Books and four fantastic readers for a bi-monthly literary seance: Dead Poets Reading Series. | 3 to 5pm | Mar. 12 | Free | Massy Arts Society

• The Birds: Written by Indigenous playwright Yvette Nolan and directed by MFA Directing Candidate Michelle Olson, this play challenges colonial notions and tells the story of two humans seeking freedom in the land of the birds. | March 15 to 25 | $24.50 | Dorothy Somerset Studio Theatre

• DanceHouse: Bboyizm’s In My Body: Conceived and created by renowned street dancer and choreographer Yvon “Crazy Smooth” Soglo, In My Body examines how aging affects those in the hip-hop dance genre. | 8pm | March 17 and 18 | From $35 | Vancouver Playhouse

• Laugh Track live professional standup comedy returns to downtown Vancouver with two shows, Mar. 18 and 25, featuring international headliners. Get your tickets now.*

*Sponsored Listing

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CELTICFEST VANCOUVER

Celebrate Paddy’s Day with CelticFest Vancouver! Join the festivities downtown Vancouver, Mar. 17-18, for western Canada’s biggest Irish celebration. Enjoy live music, performance, beer tents, food trucks, Irish dancing, a Celtic-themed market, Irish wolfhounds, the family zone, sports demonstrations, and more.

Learn more.

MUSIC

The New Pornographers find hope in contentment on Continue as a Guest

Since forming in Vancouver in 1997, the New Pornographers have always been what Carl “A.C.” Newman describes in an interview with the Straight as a “studio project”—a collective of musical savants who experiment and throw ideas around until something interesting sticks, and turns into that perfect indie power pop they’re renowned for.

The band’s upcoming album, Continue as a Guest, features longtime contributors Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey, and Joe Seiders, and speaks to the evolution of both the band as a whole and the musicians within it.

Find the full feature story here.

Featured music events

• Miley Cyrus Album Release Party: Celebrate Miley's newest album, Endless Summer Vacation, as it drops on the West Coast on March 9 at 9pm. DJs will be spinning all of Miley's iconic songs. | 7pm | March 9 | $10 | Biltmore Cabaret

• Kimbra: Singer-songwriter Kimbra is bringing her iconic mix of R&B, pop, jazz, and rock to Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre next week. | 7pm | March 14 | $28 | Hollywood Theatre

• Pokey LaFarge: Catch Pokey LaFarge with guest Cicada Rhythm at the Rickshaw Theatre for his unique blend of Americana, country blues, early jazz, and much more. | 7pm | March 12 | $30 | Rickshaw Theatre

• World Music legend Zakir Hussain returns to Vancouver with Masters of Percussion, bringing together the very cream of global music. Get the best tickets now!*

*Sponsored Listing

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IMAX® VICTORIA

Mark your calendars for the return of the IMAX® Victoria Film Festival! Each documentary film will transport you to wondrous places with breathtaking cinematography that can only be experienced on the giant screen.

In Victoria for three weeks only, Mar. 3-26!

THE REST

Vancouver FanEXPO gives cosplay creatives an invaluable platform for being themselves

Cosplay has exploded into a kind of pop culture performance art, with participants numbering in the millions at sci-fi and fantasy conventions across the globe.

So many factors meet to make cosplay, from its do-it-yourself crafting and costume ethos, to its devout fandoms, to the massive force of Japanese anime, all colliding in today’s internet where influencers, creators, and photographers meet in a circle of imagination, experimentation, and play.

Writer and photographer tobias c. van Veen went to Vancouver’s FanEXPO to explore the city’s cosplay scene.

The Rest of the events

• Dan Savage's 18th Annual HUMP! Film Festival: HUMP! is a curated festival of short erotic films made by real people for real people. The filmmakers and stars show us hot and sexy, creative and kinky, ultimate turn-ons and craziest fantasies all united by a shared spirit of sex positivity. | Mar. 10, 11 | $25 | Rio Theatre

• Spring Fling Shop and Bop: Listen to live music while shopping for handmade jewellery, candles, wellness products, art, and much more. | 11am to 5pm | March 11 | Free | Helena Gutteridge Plaza at City Hall

• Get It On: A Benefit for Ukrainian Refugees in Poland: 17 Vancouver punk, rock and alt bands come together to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees in Poland through the good work of Turbojugend RescUkraine, a proven grassroots organization based out of Poznan. | Mar. 10, 11 | $20/30 | Eastside Boxing Club

• Join BC Cannabis Stores at their newest Langley store for their grand opening on Saturday, Mar. 18. Location details here.*

• Great music, family fun, and more! Grab something plaid and your pals, and say “bonjour” to Festival du Bois at Coquitlam’s Mackin Park, March 24-26.*

*Sponsored Listing