May 9 edition: An East Van icon turns 15

Plus: Mike Usinger’s take on the Kendrick-Drake beef

May 09, 2024

Hello! It feels like every week at the moment, we find out that another iconic Vancouver venture is celebrating a landmark anniversary. That’s 15 years for you, 20 years for you, 30 years for you!

It’s a tough old world out there. Especially for arts, entertainment, or music businesses. Where else would we get to see rowdy movies, or upcoming local musicians, or funky dance parties, or performance art that makes you go “...huh?” We’re thankful for the places that make our lives—and our city—that much brighter.

— V.
Associate Editor

FEATURE

The Rio celebrates 15 years of its “adapt or die” attitude

An exterior shot o the Rio Teatre at night, lit up with a crowd outside

In some ways, it’s hard to believe the Rio Theatre we know and love has only existed in its current form for 15 years. The indie cinema and live event venue has been home to some of the city’s most iconic cultural moments since 2009—even as it’s had to survive an ever-changing series of obstacles. “In this season: we have to save the Rio from developers. Next season: Covid,” reflects senior programmer Rachel Fox. “It’s just its own kind of weird serial.”

CITY & CULTURE

Are private parking companies taking Vancouverites for a ride?

A car with a yellow fine envelope under its windshield

It’s hard enough to have a car in Vancouver without having to deal with parking woes. Maybe that explains why private parking companies in the city are squeezing drivers so hard. Harvin Bhathal explores the dark side of parking—from unfair fines to financial harassment—and how we can fix it.

*sponsored listing

SPONSORED BY EARLY MUSIC VANCOUVER

EMV's 2024 Summer Festival: BACH UNTAMED

Early Music Vancouver’s annual Summer Festival returns with BACH UNTAMED!

We invites you to discover new arrangements of Bach’s music mixed with distant vocal traditions and music by Vivaldi, Beethoven, and more. 

Canadian and international soloists on mandolin, cello, piano, and voice star in ten concerts over two weeks. Audiences are sure to recognize Vancouver favourite Shruti Ramani (Ragaaverse) and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra.

Venues include Fox Cabaret, Christ Church Cathedral, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, and Congregation Beth Israel.

With signature pieces like the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 and beloved Bach works alongside musical traditions from India and the Middle East, the 2024 Festival has something for everyone.

ARTS

Copy Machine Manifestos dives into zine culture

J.D.s no 8, a blak nd whte photoopied zine. two people wear sunglasses. Text on the side read "swish!"

Zines exist in their own world: they’re paper booklets that anyone can make, about anything, distributed or swapped through grassroots networks. Copy Machine Manifestos, opening this week at the Vancouver Art Gallery, presents a deep, wide dive into the countercultural medium. “A zine can be so many things,” says VAG deputy director Eva Respini. “That real range of individual expression is shown in the exhibition, but is also at the heart of the medium itself.”

*sponsored listing

MUSIC

Pop Eye: With shots fired, Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s diss war suddenly doesn’t seem so funny

A composite of Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Both wear hats.

The Kendrick/Drake beef was supposed to be funny, muses Mike Usinger. Certainly, huge numbers of column inches have already been dedicated to unravelling whatever is going on between the two rappers, whose diss tracks are getting in plenty of headshots (plus a few below the belt). But after a security guard at Drake’s mansion was seriously injured last night, perhaps it’s time to focus instead on someone we can all hate.

SPONSORED BY ARTS UMBRELLA

Season Finale 2024

Arts Umbrella Dance Company’s Season Finale showcases a diverse and accomplished group of dancers and choreographers. Celebrate the art of dance from May 23-25 at the Vancouver Playhouse. Season Finale, generously supported by the Wesik Family Foundation, is part of Expressions Festival. Expressions Festival is presented by RBC.

FOOD & DRINK

Phnom Penh’s success is a testament to the power of family

Four people of Cambodian-Vietnamese eritage sit around a wood-topped table at Phnom Penh restaurant

Phnom Penh won the 2024 Golden Plates Award for Best Chinatown Restaurant and Best Chicken Wings. The Michelin-recommended restaurant is a foodie favourite for a reason: delicious Vietnamese and Cambodian food, served up by an extended family, in cozy surroundings. Mike Usinger traces the generational story of the people behind the phenomenal food.

SPONSORED BY ACUMEN LAW CORPORATION

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THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

DANCE 
Experimental street, club, and social dance experiences emerge in Grand Saut. (May 9 to 11 @ Left of Main)

MUSIC
Post-punk and darkwave takes over town for the Verboden Festival. (May 9 to 12 @ various venues)

BOOKS 
Gary Kinsman and A.J. Withers present their new titles in a double book launch. (May 10 @ World Art Centre)

MUSIC
Chor Leoni presents two world premieres in Earth & Aether: The archeology of soul and sky. (May 10 to 11 @ St. Andrew's–Wesley United Church)

LIVING 
Ruffle some feathers with the Greater Vancouver Bird Celebration. (May 10 to 26 @ Stanley Park Nature House)  

THEATRE
Catch a fully staged reading of Hilda’s Yard, where the cast figure it out as they go. (May 10 to 12 @ Pal Studio Theatre)

VISUAL ART 
Emily Carr University’s annual The Show showcases students’ art, media, and design. (May 10 to 23 @ Emily Carr University)

SHOPPING
The Spring Bazaar is selling Japanese items, spring plants, and Nikkei food. (May 11 @ Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, Burnaby)

COMEDY
Mommy Dearest: a show for people with dead or dead-to-you moms. (May 12 @ The Pleasant)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

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