Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition - July 2017

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BOOZE BOTTOMS UP Winking Judge JENNIE ORTON The Winking Judge is a favourite hole in the wall for grumpy old guys who have never stopped going there and people stopping in for a pint before rotting their brains across the street at the Scotiabank Theatre at the latest comic book movie. Amongst the friendly staff and the impromptu pool tourneys, there is the teddy bear of the house: Camilo Miguel Ramirez Martinez. Don’t let the tough exterior fool you, Camilo has a softy gooey core and a heart of gold that everyone at the bar appreciates. We spoke to him about the biz and the joys of hitting up the pawn shop on off hours. BR: How did you start bartending? CMRM: I was bouncing when I turned 18 at the Drum in Calgary. They were short staffed and needed a bar back and the rest is history. BR: How long have you worked at the Winking Judge? CMRM: I moved from Calgary to Vancouver in March 2014. My brother lived close to the Judge so when I came to visit, the Judge would be my local. As soon as I moved here I knew it was where I wanted to be. BR: Best thing about your job? CMRM: My favourite part of working at the Judge is my co-workers. They are pretty much my family. BR: Favourite drink to make? CMRM: Obviously beer based on sheer simplicity (laughs). But I also love to make, and drink, Old Fashioneds. BR: Go-to on a night off? CMRM: Favourite place to go has to be the pawn shop or Lucky Taco. I love me some tacos. BR: Tell us about the greatest night you’ve ever had at work: CMRM: My greatest night I’ve worked is a tough one. I love pool tourney nights at the Judge; I feel like it brings a lot of great local customers around and it’s always a good time. BR: The worst? CMRM: The worst night was when I was working in Calgary and one of my favourite actors came in and was a complete dickhead. Ran up a crazy bill and then walked out. FML right? Camilo Miguel Ramirez-Martinez HEY Y’ALL! everyone’s favourite dirty summer romance JENNIE ORTON •• With their anti-Trump marketing, Nütrl finds a way to combat bad taste by selling good taste It has happened to the best of us; the sun becomes a thing, the heat starts to hit our bare shoulders, summer starts happening and we get a thirst we have very little control over. A thirst for the unholiest of poisons: the vodka cooler. Though there have been many of the years that have captured the imagination and livers of summer revelers everywhere, one locally brewed treat in particular embodies everything about the long hot lazy days of summer and our collective desire to squeeze every last drop from them: Hey Y’all! Southern Style Hard Iced Tea. Made in Vancouver, Hey Y’all! has become part of the BC experience, particularly for anyone who became of drinking age in the last three years. It has become an indelible presence in liquor stores and on patios, but what sets it apart from your Twisted Teas and your Palm Bays? “I found them to be perfect for me because I tend to get a little sleepy while drinking, so the caffeine allows me to keep up,” says longtime fan Taylor Hunter. The caffeine comes from the black tea used in the brewing and it gives Hey Y’all! that pep it puts in your step. The brand then is, by definition, a high energy entity and it shows in everything from their marketing to the events that they sponsor. Hey Y’all is served at Vancouver Canadians games, at something called the 5k Foam Fest, you’ll even be able to grab one to sip under your comically large hat at the Hastings Racecourse. Cause who doesn’t like a little hopped up sugar when hobbing and knobbing? Unlike any other drink of its kind, Hey Y’all! has managed to harness a baffling level of loyalty from a fairly large cross section of Vancouver area drinkers. “Our consumers are 100% what makes our brand entertaining. They associate Hey Y’all! with fun times and we respond, engage and get to know our drinkers. The amount of love we receive from our fans on social media is what keeps us wanting NUTRI VODKA the best way to keep your palate clean and your opinion dirty JENNIE ORTON In what will helplessly become the Era of Trump to those unearthing evidence of our withered husk of a civilization after inevitable nuclear winter has subsided years from now, there is ample material for discourse, humor, and good ‘ol fashioned trolling. Neutrality has become a phantom term: one that is slowly losing its meaning and appeal in favor of flavours too strong for half of a population to stomach. But there is a local vodka, the fastest growing vodka in Canada no-less, that is taking that term and defining it in a way I think we all can agree on. Nütrl Vodka, made in Delta, is a lovingly crafted high-end spirit that believes in one thing: neutral on taste, not on opinion. The brand lives as a fully functioning being on its own, the makers preferring to not dwell on themselves in any way when talking about it. A founder we will call Mr. P explains that it is the local BC rye from Hey Y’All has gone from cooler newbie to everyone’s favourite wacky behaviour pairing. to do more and do better,” says Hey Y’all! representative Caroline Ross. She adds that the brand itself celebrates “making good friends during fun, relaxing, spontaneous, wild and affordable experiences.” And that is part of the appeal; basic ingredients, affordability, and the catharsis of being allowed to be those annoying people having fun. “The simplicity in that has always been appealing,” admits Hunter. “Hey Y’all's totally symbolize summer beach days to me, and sunshine, and happy times enjoying the company of friends.” It sounds basic but a legitimate nerve has most certainly been touched by this funny little hard iced tea. It’s the insidious drug with the loud packaging that many of us started drinking ironically but now find ourselves craving when seated at a patio when we should be ordering wine like all the other grown-ups. And when we order one, we share a knowing glance with those at the next table and we raise an obnoxiously bright can to each other, to taking ourselves a little less seriously, and to chasing that sweet sweet buzz. You can grab Hey Y’all at most BC Liquor stores the South Peace River Valley, the absence of glycerin, and the 79-step process through a 38-plate rectification plate “Carl” copper still that gives the vodka its smooth character and sophisticated mouth feel. But what gives Nütrl its audacity is its nose-thumbing, bear-poking marketing campaign. During the election campaign, early into the two-year-old distillery’s life, Nütrl began poking fun at the behemoth that would become the Donald Trump phenomena. The campaign grew and, though it inevitably drew criticism from a few (not to mention a Smirnoff copycat attempt), it started a buzz that gathered a large and rabid social media fan base. “This whole notion of opinions is good,” says Mr. P. “So, our opinion on him [Trump] is popular with some and unpopular with others, but it’s our opinion. If someone disagrees with us, we’re totally open-minded. We’re not this bleeding heart…you know, snowflake. This ‘more is more’ thing, which I don’t really subscribe to. It’s winning at all costs, it’s xenophobic, sexist, racist stuff that keeps popping up. Our opinion is that it’s wrong. Did we point at him to be political? No. Is there an overt amount of asshattery going on? Yes.” Though the intent was never to have Nütrl be a political brand, the climate offers ample opportunity to not only promote your product’s key goal of “neutral flavor” while celebrating the cathartic freedom of speech that lies within the social media cesspool of opinion. Or, as Mr. P puts it: “Poke a little fun at this and try to deflect a little stress.” And that kind of thing always pairs best with a double shot of vodka, neat. Nütrl Vodka is available at BC Liquor Stores. Follow them @ nutrlvodka on Facebook to witness the campaign in action 26 BOOZE ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• July 2017
QUEER SIENNA BLAZE “The Hair Flipping Diva” DAVID CUTTING Sienna is known for her hair flips. They are always on beat, each one smashing around to the rhythm of the song. Her choices in songs are often huge diva numbers evoking Vegas-style spectacle performances. Sienna Blaze is the 45th elected Empress of Vancouver under the Dogwood Monarchist Society. Her reign in 2016 brought about more exposure for the Society stemming from her passion for the organization. We sat down with her to talk about her journey to greatness. BR: Tell us about your drag journey? SB: Well it all started when I was in a dance class when I was about 5 years old where I put on my first dress! But the first time as an adult was a dare... and obviously I'm always down for a challenge so I was gamed; especially coming from a background in hair and makeup and stage performance it was an opportunity to be back on stage so I went for it. Fast forward a few years I got asked to do it again then got nominated for Entertainer of the Year where I placed second then next thing you know I started getting bookings all over and saw an opportunity and ran with it. Fast forward again to a few years ago I started to get heavily into the Dogwood Monarchist Society which eventually brings me to being an Empress of Vancouver! BR: What do you love about drag? SB: For me I basically grew up performing, and it was a major creative outlet for myself personally. The fact that I could blend together performance, hair and makeup all in one... what other career or job can one personally do to create a brand that encompasses all that? And seeing how creative some people get when they get into some form of drag is just awe inspiring! BR: What is the biggest challenge in drag? SB: Keeping current and always improving myself to push myself further to keep up with the childrens! And also keeping relevant to today's world and trying to keep the Vancouver Drag history alive. BR: What do you think the younger generations needs to know? SB: They should always know their Drag Herstory. Especially what our own community leaders have done for us so we can do what we do and be who we are. A lot of people don't know what kind of rich history Vancouver's Drag scene has done for our community. There's opportunities like The Dogwood Monarchist Society that have been around for 46+ years. Longer than the Vancouver Pride Society and all LGBTQA2+ organization in Vancouver. There is a lot you can learn from the... "experienced" generations, so I would say listen. BR: What’s the best advice you got? SB: To always Be respectful, be thoughtful and be compassionate. BR: What is the future of drag? SB: Well I'm not a fortune teller contrary to beliefs but I'm excited to see what the future holds. I would love to see the art of drag take over and become something that can change the world. No matter what it becomes I just hope it keeps pushing me to become better at my art. BR: What is something people get wrong about you or that they don't know? SB: I come from a professional circus and dance background which all those experiences helps me on the stage. And if any word of advice that I give to someone is always to help push someone to be their better self; you're worth more than you think. BR: What’s next for Sienna Blaze? SB: To take over world! (laughs) Seriously though, I'm currently working on a live singing / comedy set with a producer that will hopefully be created as a show that I can travel all over the world with. Let's bring Sienna Blaze to a theatre near you! photo by Chase Hansen July 2017 QUEER 27
Page 1 and 2: JULY JUNE 2017 2016 FREE Ashleigh B
Page 3 and 4: July ‘17 PUBLISHER BeatRoute Maga
Page 5 and 6: MUSIC THE DRUMS ironically embracin
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Page 9 and 10: QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT hitting
Page 11 and 12: UPTIGHTS sensible rock and roll wit
Page 13 and 14: MELVINS godfathers of grunge take a
Page 15 and 16: photo by Jeremy Saffer Not to be co
Page 17 and 18: FVDED IN THE PARK BeatRoute’s mus
Page 19 and 20: Ashleigh Ball is wearing green Sunj
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Page 23 and 24: VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL celeb
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Page 29 and 30: TIM AND ERIC 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY AW
Page 31 and 32: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Hug of Thunder
Page 33 and 34: July 2017 33 REVIEWS
Page 35 and 36: H09909 - United States of Horror In
Page 37 and 38: Tool w. Crystal Method Rogers Arena
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Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition - July 2017

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