Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition August 2018

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CITY 12 INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY By Jordan Yeager Photo by Baron S. Cameron RESOURCES “VCH’s overdose response is tackling the issue from every vantage point we have,” says Caitlin Etherington, Interim Director for Regional Prevention. “We want make sure that no one is using alone, we want to make it easier for people who want treatment to find it, and we want to increase treatment options available for opioid use disorder. We are working hard at preventing overdoses and encouraging less harmful drug use. We have work underway that addresses these, as well as trying to name and resist stigma, support the growing work force of peers, and ensure that all our efforts have a lens of Indigenous cultural safety.” BC Crisis Line 310-6789 BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services 1-888-300-3088 604-875-2345 Detox Services Creekside Detox: 604-587-3755 FSGV Youth Detox: 1-866-658-1221 or 1-877-872- 4349 Harbour Light Detox: 604-646-6844 Onsite: 604-687-7483 Vancouver Detox: 604-658-1259 Maybe you’re an honour roll student with dreams of writing a classic novel. Maybe you’re a professional athlete. Maybe you’re a parent. When it comes to addiction, who you are doesn’t matter – addiction does not discriminate. Considering the ongoing overdose crisis throughout British Columbia, this is an inescapable reality. Historically, substance use has been a normal part of the human experience, and it will continue to be; drug use itself is not necessarily the problem. But when fentanyl was introduced to the scene in late 2016, incidents of reported overdoses amplified. According to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), fentanyl is a contaminant that can’t be seen, smelled, or tasted. It can be found in pills marketed as oxy and other club drugs, in powder as heroin, and mixed into cocaine and crystal meth. People often don’t think the substances they are using contain fentanyl, but all it takes is a piece the size of a grain of sand to cause an overdose. Regardless of the dangers, people are going to continue using elicit substances; instead of ostracizing them, why not provide the means to do so safely? Enter Insite, North America’s first supervised injection facility. Located at 139 East Hastings Street, Insite sees an average of 600 visits per day, many of which are repeat clients. Its services are anonymous, with visitors often opting to register under nicknames or handles. “Our average from when we opened in 2003 until late 2016 was two overdoses per day,” says Tim Gauthier, a long-time nurse at Insite. “We hung around that for years. And then around October 2016, with the introduction of fentanyl, we jumped up to eight overdoses per day. At our busiest, we had 27 events in a single operating day. It really took us by storm. Everyone just kind of hoped it would go away, but it didn’t. It’s 3:30, we’ve been open since 9:00, and we’ve had four events so far today.” Harm reduction programs like Insite’s supervised injection room are designed to “reduce the harms associated with drug use without requiring somebody to be absent from drug use in order to access services.” In other words, harm reduction does not discourage people from using – it simply provides them with a safe space to do so, whether that’s through clean needles, alcohol swabs, water, or just a warm, welcoming environment. By removing the stigmatization from substance use, people with HealthLink BC Call 811 to speak with a nurse about symptoms, health concerns, or to learn about other available resources. They have translations available in over 130 languages. Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre Available across British Columbia, Kelty provides children and youth with mental health and substance use information. 1-800-665-1822 604-875-2084 MindCheck.ca Mind Check is an online resource for people aged 12-24 to quickly access services for mental health support. substance abuse issues are more likely to seek and access resources for treatment. “People have this idea that it’s an endorsement, or it’s a promotion of drug use,” says Gauthier. “It’s easy to think that the safest thing for us to do is to not use drugs. But humans have taken recreational substances throughout history, and they will continue to do so. So while that’s happening, we need to have programs and policies in place to mitigate harms.” “I’ve been going there for over 10 years,” says Randy, an Insite client who goes by the handle Shovel. “They do a lot more behind the scenes than you know; Insite is home base for a lot of people. A lot of us get our mail there. Basically, they keep track of everybody. If we haven’t seen somebody for a week, we get worried. Between the lot of us, someone might know where that person is. And if you find the streets get pretty messy, we clean it, we sweep it all up every day. It’s like a big family.” Looking around Vancouver’s downtown east side, it becomes clear there is no average “day in the life” for its residents. From young men in crisp dress shirts to middle-aged women in flowing skirts and sandals, the stereotypical image of an addict that many adhere to is really nothing more than a scapegoat used to dehumanize and compartmentalize those reliant on substances. Insite isn’t just a place to use safely – they also provide STI testing, drug testing, antibiotics to treat infections, and a detox program. “They’ve saved my life more than once. When we get new stuff in, we don’t know the stuff, we go there, and if we OD, they save our lives,” adds Randy. “And a lot of infected people go there. All the abscesses and stuff that lead to people losing their limbs and stuff like that, they treat them.” “We can easily see past the needles or the tracks or the things that satellite drug use – like somebody who’s sleep deprived and overamped,” Gauthier says. “We see past those things, and we see the person experiencing them. They’re the most impacted by all of this. So no matter how much we want someone to do something, like go to detox or – I’m doing air quotes – ‘get better,’ the person wants that way more for themselves. Maybe they want that in different ways or expressions, but it really is their experience.” International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31. There is a vigil to remember those lost to overdose outside the Vancouver Art Gallery at 7 p.m. Naloxone Kit Availability Crosstown Clinic: 84 West Hastings Street Granville Health Centre: 1260 Granville Street Insite: 139 East Hastings Street London Drugs: most locations with pharmacies Pender Community Health Centre: 59 West Pender Street Shoppers Drug Mart: most locations with pharmacies Vancouver Women’s Health Collective: 29 West Hastings Street YouthCo: 205-568 Seymour Street Find more at towardtheheart.com/site-finder. Self-Help Resources Alcoholics Anonymous: 604-434-3933 Narcotics Anonymous: 604-873-1018 Alateen and Al-Anon: 604-688-1716 August 2018
SKIN DEEP CELEBRATING VANCOUVER’S TATTOO CULTURE HOGAN SHORT cutline PONDEROSA ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE MADDY CRISTALL Ponderosa Arts & Music Festival was started in 2013 by close friends Kia Zahrabi and Kris Hargrave. Zahrabi, who resides in Vancouver, was able to provide BeatRoute with insight on the festival’s origins and what makes Ponderosa one of the most unique summer music experiences in British Columbia. The idea for Ponderosa was born out of a series of successful and audacious parties that Zahrabi threw on his father’s orchard in the Every month, we meet up with a local tattoo artist to get to know the individual and inspiration behind the ink. JOEL RICH, BLACK MEDICINE TATTOO How many years have you been tattooing? Since 2014, though I’m not counting the tattooing-myself-like-a-crazy-person years. How would you descrive your style, and why do you choose to tattoo that way? Drawing has always been a form of selfreflection for me. I think when I’m drawing in my sketchbook, it’s a way of processing the world around me. Maybe the way I view things is a bit skewed, but I hope that the result is interesting. My goal is to delve fully into the weirdness this year. As an artist and shop owner, how do you descrive your team at Black Medicine? We were initially a group of illustrators and comic artists who found their way into tattooing. It seemed natural to work mostly with black ink as that’s how we were drawing previously. All of the artists in the shop are super talented people and they made the shop what it is. Our goal was to have our favourite artists working under one banner while providing the best work environment we can. Okanagan Valley. Hargrave lives in Kelowna, close to the festival grounds which are in the small and beautiful Rock Creek settlement. The two fell in love with the Boundary Country region, home to Rock Creek’s annual fall fair, and decided this is where they wanted to conduct a full-fledged music festival. The area is engulfed in mountains, a riverside open to tubing, and generous fields suitable for two stages and daily morning yoga. What are some of the challenges you face? I’m constantly humbled by the talent that surrounds me. When I come into work I can’t help but be inspired, and I hope they feel the same way about each other. The stress gets to me as I worry about things a lot. If someone is feeling frustrated I can end up taking that on. Both tattooing and running a shop can be an emotional labour. Some days I feel like I can’t take it and hide in my apartment, but they lure me back into the shop with snacks and friendship. What makes your flash days at Black Medicine so popular? For some people, the spontaneous nature of the event is a lot of fun. For others, it’s a chance to get something from an artist who is difficult to an appointment with. What I love about the idea is that these are each artist’s newest, sometimes experimental works. You know the artist is excited to be tattooing the design you picked out. How do you view tattooing culture in Vancouver? It has a lot more young weirdoes these days, which sounds good to me. Follow Joel Rich on Instagram at @skeleton_jelly. While starting a festival can be nothing more than a pipedream between music loving friends, Zahrabi and Hargrave executed the feat and have pulled off an impressive annual festival for five years and counting. An average of 1000 people make it out every year to the Ponderosa Arts & Music Festival to experience three days of music, art, and food in the impossibly beautiful Rock Creek area. Zahrabi and Hargrave still embody a sincere affinity for throwing a great party; they both exhibit a chill demeanor which is apparent amongst patrons to their festival. Zahrabi describes the festival as inclusive, nonjudgmental, and fun. You can sit in the river between shows, kids are welcome, and people feel safe. Previous attendees have described the festival as the “best weekend of their lives.” The lineup this year is especially noteworthy as some of the diverse local and national acts include Toronto-based hip hop artist k-os, Montreal art rock band Suuns, psych rock duo Lightning Dust, and local heroes Yukon Blonde and Little Destroyer. If you love great music, an eclectic lineup, great company, and a gorgeous backdrop in the dog days of summer, then the Ponderosa Arts & Music Festival is for you. BOTTOMS UP DYLAN RICHES AT BRIX & MORTAR CITY HOW DID YOU START BARTENDING? Just over five years ago I was working in retail and struggling to make ends meet. A friend mentioned you could make pretty decent money bartending and I had nothing to lose so I made up a resume and faked some experience. I sent it out to a bunch of places and took a job bartending at the first place that would hire me. HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT BRIX & MORTAR? Around eight months. One of my closest friends, Ryan Sullivan, recommended me for the job. It’s be a fantastic experience so far. Everyone is really passionate about what they do and it’s a really creative environment that pushes you to constantly learn and grow. BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? Definitely the community. Vancouver has a really closeknit community of bartenders that all really support each other. You don’t find a lot of animosity here. We celebrate each other’s victories, we all genuinely want each other to succeed. FAVOURITE DRINK TO MAKE WITH RED BULL ORGANICS? Probably “The Night Before” which has cold brew, black walnuts bitters, Red Bull Cola, nutmeg and orange in it. It’s dark and has a Christmas feel to it but it’s still really refreshing and goes great with rum or sherry. GO-TO ON A NIGHT OFF? You might find me at Revel Room sipping on a cocktail and enjoying their awesome live music throughout the week, or down at The Shebeen working through their wicked whisky list. There’s so many great spots though that I try to switch it up as much as I can. TELL US ABOUT THE GREATEST NIGHT YOU’VE EVER HAD AT WORK. There was a night at another bar I was working at where Steve Howey came in. It was pretty dead so we speant a couple hours talking about gin, whisky and oysters. So that was cool, he’s a really nice guy. THE WORST? There was a night at a different restaurant where the whole place filled in about 20 minutes. We were severely understaffed and our manager had left early. I was trying to serve, bartend, shuck oysters, and steam mussels at the same time. It just felt like one step forward, ten steps back. It was the only time I’ve ever felt like I wanted to cry at work. Brix & Mortar is located at 1138 Homer Street Photo by Chris Thorn Entering their sixth year as curators, Kia Zahrabi and Kris Hargrave put on one hell of a party Ponderosa Arts & Music Festival runs from August 17 to19 in Rock Creek, BC. Dylan at Brix and Mortar August 2018 13
Page 3 and 4: July‘18 PUBLISHER BeatRoute Magaz
Page 5 and 6: CITY BRIEFS! Honk! Vancouver Outsid
Page 8 and 9: Andrew Grassie Tempera Demonstratio
Page 10 and 11: FOOD Oh Lord, By Carlos Oen won´t
Page 14 and 15: GRASSIFIEDS JODIE EMERY A DISCUSSIO
Page 16 and 17: MUSIC BEACH HOUSE FINDING SERENITY
Page 18 and 19: MUSIC 18 RIO THEATRE 1660 EAST BROA
Page 20 and 21: MUSIC HOT SNAKES THRASHING AGAINST
Page 22 and 23: ELDER RIDING THE WINDS OF CHANGE TO
Page 24 and 25: FILM EIGHTH GRADE BO BURNHAM REVISI
Page 26 and 27: 03 Greedo God Level Alamo Records 0
Page 28 and 29: FEATURED CONCERTS VICTORIA, BC BROK
Page 30 and 31: DANIEL CAESAR • JESSIE REYEZ •
Page 32 and 33: Free live music every night of the
Page 34: NEW LOCATION FOR 2018! NEW MOON RIS

Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition August 2018

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