It’s the Super Olio Bros. Super Show! Take a peak at the 3% Annual Olio Festival By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor substantial amount of work goes into arranging any type of festival. ile the majority of that work relies on a dedicated team of organizers, whether or not anything will come of it is in the hands of the general public. Take Vancouver’s first ever Urban Culture Conference... if you don’t know what it is, I can’t blame you. The UCC attempted a large-scale event that unfortunately didn’t pan out due to a lack of ticket sales. It was a great idea, but it was something that tried to be too big, too soon. Now take the Olio Festival, which is entering its third year. Olio is a four- day festival taking place from September 22-25 that hosts various forms of “music, art, comedy, skate & film” throughout Vancouver. Much of the acts presented hail from all over North America, yet Olio still maintains a distinct sense of local pride. Concerts happening include the All Ages Record Store Concert Series, which will be free to the public at both Zulu Records and Red Cat Records in Vancouver. As for the rest of the concerts, performers include Portland’s Glass Candy, Seattle’s Cave Singers, Calgary/Montreal’s Braids, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., and Abbotsford’s Teen Daze. The comedy line-up includes a roast of Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson by comedy troupe The Party, including Cameron MacLeod, Sean Devlin, and a number of other local comedians, along with some special guest roasters. Say Wha?! Readings of Deliciously Rotten Writing will also be making its Olio debut, as will comedy duo Peter ‘n Chris (also performing at the 2011 Vancouver International Fringe Festival) and The Sunday Service, described as “the DFA 1979 of theatre” by Discorder Magazine. Art shows taking place include “HERE IS NOW: 3" Installment in a series of Group Exhibitions” and “Graham Clark’s Beard” features the works of Graham Clark, who uses his beard as a paintbrush, and New York-based photographer Patrick O’Dell’s “Skateboard Showcase.” On that note, Color Magazine will be hosting Olio’s skate competition and awards show at the Waldorf Hotel. Finally, film events include screenings and premieres of various local independent films, as well as Olio’s first ever 48-hour film challenge (head over to Olio’s official site for details on how to enter) and second annual music video competition. Probably the biggest event of them all (in this writer’s opinion) will be two special screenings of the cult classic A-bomb of a movie, The Room (2003) at the Rio Theatre. For the first time ever though, The Room’s writer, director, producer, and star, Tommy Wiseau will be hosting both screenings, as well as his very own master class, where he will read and perform one lucky winner’s original script (deadline September 15)! We’ ve only scratched the surface here; to view all the upcoming events of the Olio Festival, head over to their website (www.2011 .oliofestival.com). Tickets are available online and at Zulu and Red Cat Records. Day Passes are $25 each, with the full Weekend Pass priced at $50, and individual shows priced respectively. Art can survive in the ‘burbs! Join us for a look inside the Port Moody Festival of the Arts FT fe Mat Aare (=) By Julia Siedlanowska, Arts Reviewer s an avid theatre goer, I can’t help A« feel frustrated at the commute to get from my house in the ‘burbs to any sort of performances going on downtown. And as an actor, I can’t help but feel the same frustration at the lack of interest in theatre anywhere other than central Vancouver. It’s understandable that Vancouverites, with their richness of entertainment right at home, aren’t going to travel to Surrey or Coquitlam for community theatre. However, local festivals in the lower mainland are an accessible way for people living outside of the city to experience live entertainment; especially if children are a factor. The Port Moody Festival of the Arts is just one festival that brings local artists to your community. Going on from September 22—October 2, the festival will feature Juno Award— nominated artists like Jill and Mathew Barber, and Juno Award-winning band Said the Whale, joined by Bodhi Jones. There will also be a series of mini festivals going on at Rocky Point Parks’ Rotary Sk8 Park and The Port Moody Arts Centre, both of which are free! One of these festivals is called Art 4 Youth. “Art 4 Youth is an outdoor youth art festival, it’s goals are to provide an opportunity for youth artists to sell their work, to allow youth to participate in free activities, and to provide a fun outdoor environment where youth can hangout, skateboard, and enjoy the park,” says event coordinator Kelsey Wood. The festival will also feature skateboard demonstrations by West 49. Other events include a LOL Comedy Night at Port Moody Inlet Theatre & Civic Centre Galleria, with tickets from $20-$25. The night will feature comedian Damonde Tschritter, who has appeared on CTV’s Comedy Now, CBC’s The Debaters, Madly Off In All Directions, Just For Laughs, Chicago Comedy Festival, and New York Comedy Festival, amongst others. Comedians JP Mass and Zoe Clemens (also a registered clown) will also be performing. Said the Whale is a local band that has seen much success in recent years, and will surely be a hit. With tickets from $20-$25, this is an affordable way to score some top notch entertainment. As for Jones, in 2009 he was selected as Virgin Radio’s “BC Artist of the Month,” voted into The Peak Performance Project’s top 20, and named “Vancouver’s Best Busker” by the Georgia Straight. The Port Moody Festival of the Arts is one of the bigger rivers of culture currently leaking into the suburbs. Port Moody is called “The City of the Art,” and, though I often thought this name was arbitrarily chosen, with events like these, it is proving itself worthy.