The Gristle, p.06 Free Will Astrology, p.31 Brewster's Fine Foods, p.34 cascadia REPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIA WHATCOM *SKAGIT*ISLAND COUNTIES 01-27-2016 • ISSUE: 04 • V.11 MAYORAL* MISSIVE + The crisis of NOW AND homelessness, P.08 FOREVER LES Clayton MISERABLES James' lasting Of songs and legacy, P.18 sacriƭce, P.1 TRUTH TO POWER TALIB KWELI USES HIS VOICE, P.20 Casino Resort Space Trek: 8pm and 10pm, Upfront Theatre 34 cascadia DANCE FOOD FOOD ThisWeek Contra Dance: 7-10:30pm, Fairhaven Library A glance at this week’s MUSIC 27 Matt Maher: 7pm, Mount Baker Theatre happenings Aurelio Martinez: 7:30pm, McIntyre Hall, Mount Vernon B-BOARD B-BOARD WORDS Tim Hicks: 4pm, Village Books 24 WEDNESDAY [1.27.16] GET OUT FILM ONSTAGE Listen to Work Party: 10am-12pm, Lowell Park Flashdance: 7:30pm, Mount Baker Theatre Skagit Eagle Festival: 10am-4pm, Rockport, Concrete, and Marblemount every weekend through 20 the torch- MUSIC January Roomful of Teeth: 7:30pm, Performing Arts Center, bearer of the MUSIC WWU FOOD Garifuna tradition Pancake Breakfast: 8-11am, Lynden Community GET OUT 18 Center Seattle Mariners Caravan: 4:30-5:30pm, Boys & when Honduras’ Country Living Expo: 9am-5pm, Stanwood High ART Girls Club of Whatcom County clubhouse School Aurelio Martinez Bellingham Brewers’ Ball: 6-10pm, the Majestic 16 THURSDAY [01.28.16] brings his soulful VISUAL ARTS ONSTAGE Jim Papp Exhibit: 5-9pm, Lucia Douglas Gallery STAGE Calendar Girls: 7:30pm, Anacortes Community Theatre sounds to Mount Good, Bad, Ugly: 8pm, Upfront Theatre SUNDAY [01.31.16] The Project: 10pm, Upfront Theatre 14 Vernon for a Jan. ONSTAGE DANCE 30 performance Baby: 2pm, Bellingham Theatre Guild GET OUT Folk Dance: 7:15pm, Fairhaven Library Les Mis: 2pm, BAAY Theatre at McIntyre Calendar Girls: 2pm, Anacortes Community Theatre MUSIC Father’s Been to Mars: 2:30pm, Alger Community 12 Chamber Music Society: 7:30pm, Make.Shift Art Space Hall Church WORDS MUSIC WORDS Chuckanut Radio Hour: 7pm, Heiner Theater, WCC Skagit Symphony: 2pm, McIntyre Hall Art of Jazz: 4-6:30pm, Performing Arts Center, WWU 8 GET OUT International Guitar Night: 7:30pm, Lincoln Theatre Winter Walk: 4-6pm, downtown Mount Vernon COMMUNITY CURRENTS CURRENTS FRIDAY [01.29.16] Festival of Costume: 2-4pm, Lummi Island Library 6 ONSTAGE GET OUT Be in the Show: 6pm, Mount Baker Theatre Rabbit Ride: 8:30am, Fairhaven Bike Les Mis: 7pm, BAAY Theatre VIEWS Skagit Eagle Festival: 10am-4pm, Rockport, Mary Poppins: 7pm, Lynden Christian High School Concrete, and Marblemount every weekend through 4 Baby: 7:30pm, Bellingham Theatre Guild January The Paper Dolls: 7:30pm, Sehome Little Theatre Audubon Advice: 2-4pm, Whatcom Museum’s Syre MAIL MAIL Father’s Been to Mars: 7:30pm, Alger Community Education Center Church 2 Calendar Girls: 7:30pm, Anacortes Community Theatre 2 FOOD Paula Poundstone: 8pm, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Community Breakfast: 8-10am, VFW Post 1585 DO IT IT DO DO IT IT DO Vernon Seed Swap: 3pm, the Majestic Owen Benjamin, Helen Hong: 8pm, Skagit Valley Casino Resort MONDAY [02.01.16] Space Trek: 8pm and 10pm, Upfront Theatre 01.27.16 ONSTAGE DANCE Guffawingham: 9:30pm, Green Frog Parkinson’s Dance Class: 10am, Ballet Bellingham Big hair and lots of .11 DANCE 04 makeup will be the # GET OUT Skagit Folk Dancers: 7-9:30pm, Bayview Civic Hall Wild Things: 9:30-11am, Lake Padden Park order of the night WORDS SATURDAY [01.30.16] at the “Awkward Poetrynight: 8pm, Bellingham Public Library ONSTAGE ’80s Prom”-themed GET OUT Les Mis: 7pm, BAAY Theatre Exploring Jordan: 6:30pm, Mount Vernon City Library Mary Poppins: 7pm, Lynden Christian High School Bellingham CASCADIA WEEKLY Baby: 7:30pm, Bellingham Theatre Guild Brewers’ Ball TUESDAY [02.02.16] The Paper Dolls: 7:30pm, Sehome Little Theatre 2 Father’s Been to Mars: 7:30pm, Alger Community Sat., Jan. 30 at the DANCE Church Skagit Folk Dancers: 7-9:30pm, Bayview Civic Hall Calendar Girls: 7:30pm, Anacortes Community Theatre Majestic Serial Killers: 7:30pm and 9:30pm, iDiOM Theater VISUAL ARTS Owen Benjamin, Helen Hong: 8pm, Skagit Valley Wallie Funk Panel Discussion: 4pm, Wilson Library 3 CASCADIA WEEKLY #04.11 01.27.16 DO IT 2 MAIL 4 VIEWS 6 CURRENTS 8 WORDS 12 GET OUT 14 STAGE 16 ART 18 MUSIC 20 FILM 24 B-BOARD 27 FOOD 34 Contact THISWEEK Cascadia Weekly: ` 360.647.8200 Editorial 34 Editor & Publisher: FOOD FOOD Tim Johnson `ext 260 { editor@ 27 mail cascadiaweekly.com TOC LETTERS STAFF Arts & Entertainment Editor: Amy Kepferle B-BOARD B-BOARD ext 204 {calendar@ cascadiaweekly.com 24 Music & Film Editor: FILM Carey Ross ext 203 No, this is not a celebrity death hoax. After mistaken {music@ 20 reports of Abe Vigoda’s death surfaced in both 1982 and cascadiaweekly.com 1987—one in People magazine, and the next on a New MUSIC Jersey-based television news show—it has been confirmed Production that The Godfather and Barney Miller actor died in his sleep this week at the age of 94. Or did he? Art Director: 18 Jesse Kinsman {jesse@ ART kinsmancreative.com VIEWS & NEWS Graphic Artist: 16 4: Mailbag Roman Komarov {roman@ STAGE 6: Gristle & Rhodes cascadiaweekly.com Send all advertising materials to 8: Addressing a crisis [email protected] 14 10: Last Week’s News Advertising 11: Police blotter, Index Account Executive: GET OUT Scott Pelton ARTS & LIFE 360-647-8200 x 202 { spelton@ 12 12: Water and poetry cascadiaweekly.com 14: Digging in Stephanie Young WORDS 360-647-8200 x 205 16: A story of sacrifice { stephanie@ cascadiaweekly.com 8 18: Living legacy 20: Music with a message Distribution 22: Clubs Distribution Manager: CURRENTS CURRENTS Scott Pelton 24: Panda power 360-647-8200 x 202 BUILDING A BETTER COMMUNITY POISONED POLITICS 6 26: Film Shorts { spelton@ As a Bellingham resident for the past 18 years, People in Flint, Mich,, claim they do not trust cascadiaweekly.com I have seen many changes—some for better, their government because of the poisoned water VIEWS Whatcom: Erik Burge, some for worse. in their town. Well, guess what—we, the people, REAR END Stephanie Simms 4 4 On the one hand, we are positioned to have not are the government. 27: Bulletin Board Skagit: Linda Brown, only the natural beauty of the bay, ocean, forests So what happened in Michigan? The people MAIL MAIL MAIL MAIL Barb Murdoch 28: Wellness and mountains, but also a moderate climate— elected the current governor. How could they be except for the rain, of course. We have wonderful so wrong? Was it the huge influx of corporate 2 29: Crossword Letters SEND LETTERS TO LETTERS@ neighborhoods, a first-class public school dis- money that bamboozled the people and won him 30: Advice Goddess CASCADIAWEEKLY.COM DO IT IT DO trict and support for the arts and literacy among that election? Did ALEC come in and help legis- 31: Free Will Astrology many different causes. lators write laws that allow for privatization of 32: Comix, Sudoku, On the other hand, the beauty of the land and cities and their water supplies? How did citizens 34: Brewster’ Fine Foods the temperate climate attract people throughout come to vote for those people? Again, believing 01.27.16 the country and the world. Sometimes, people the lies that money can buy. arrive without the ability to adjust due to mental Corruption has seeped into every facet of soci- .11 04 ©2016 CASCADIA WEEKLY (ISSN 1931-3292) is published each Wednesday by health or substance abuse issues. Also, the lack ety and we can only blame ourselves if we believe # Cascadia Newspaper Company LLC. Direct all correspondence to: Cascadia Weekly PO Box 2833 Bellingham WA 98227-2833 | Phone/Fax: 360.647.8200 of affordable housing and decent-wage jobs com- the lies and vote for those who claim that “cut- [email protected] Though Cascadia Weekly is distributed free, please take just one copy. Cascadia pound homelessness here in Whatcom County, as ting spending” and privatizing is the way of the Weekly may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Any person removing COVER: photo by it does throughout the nation. future. It only feathers the nest of the corrupted papers in bulk from our distribution points risks prosecution Dorothy Hong SUBMISSIONS: Cascadia Weekly welcomes freelance submissions. Send material A recent letter asked, “What can I do?” to ad- leaving people, in this case, poisoned. to either the News Editor or A&E Editor. Manuscripts will be returned if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. To be considered for calendar list- dress these concerns. The Trans-Pacifc Partnership is another case in ings, notice of events must be received in writing no later than noon Wednesday The solution comes down to three concepts: point. the week prior to publication. Photographs should be clearly labeled and will be CASCADIA WEEKLYreturned if accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelope. 1) Participate, especially in local government. 2) This latest trade deal sacrifices the sovereign- LETTERS POLICY: Cascadia Weekly reserves the right to edit letters for length and content. When apprised of them, we correct errors of fact promptly and courteously. Educate yourself and others on issues that con- ty of people, cities, states and nations for the 4 In the interests of fostering dialog and a community forum, Cascadia Weekly does not publish letters that personally disparage other letter writers. Please keep your cern you. 3) Communicate to people in power that almighty buck. It is about a worldwide corporate letters to fewer than 300 words. changes are needed to keep Bellingham a won- takeover.