The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit.

This is our carefully considered first rate list of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. From our calendar to yours…

The Scout List

Catch the latest ‘Music Without Wires’ free show at the coolest record shop in town on Friday night. Yes, it’s another intimate gig at Zulu Records. Here’s what they have to say about the in-store show: “Oh Man! The Freak Train is going to come rumbling into Zulu Records…This one is sure to be amazing as none other than KURT VILE plans to perform an exclusive acoustic set in advance of his electric band set with The Soft Pack later that night at the Biltmore. Vile is a wizard on guitar and his folky psyche songs are spellbinding! Signed to Matador Records on the strength of a series of hard to find releases for the Woodsist and Mexican Summer labels, his latest release Childish Prodigy got a lot of love around the shack! Plan early to attend this one…”
Friday, November 5 | 7:30 | Zulu | Free and way cool

Truffles Truffles Truffles. Man oh man, what I wouldn’t give to be sitting down to this meal tonight!

Also on Friday, the C.G. Jung Society of Vancouver presents a talk by writer and filmmaker Phil Cousineau. “Born at an army hospital in Columbia, South Carolina in the 1950s, Phil Cousineau grew up just outside of Detroit, once known as the “Paris of the Midwest,” as he’s fond of saying. While moonlighting in a steel factory he studied journalism at the University of Detroit. Before turning to writing books and films full-time in the 1980s, Cousineau’s peripatetic career included stints as a sportswriter, playing semi-professional basketball in Europe, harvesting date trees on an Israeli kibbutz, painting 44 Victorian houses in San Francisco, and teaching screenwriting at the American Film Institute.” So there. Check it out.
Friday, November 5 | 7:30 pm | Museum of Vancouver | $15

On the big screen this week: The Rio Theatre is all about Jackass 3D this week. The Norm is screening Inception and The Serbian Film Fest sets up shop at the Hollywood (starting Tuesday). Looks like a nice line-up of feature films and documentaries as well as appearances by actors, directors and writers. Get details on showtimes and the like for the latter here.
November 9 – 12 | Various Times | Hollywood | $17

There’s a Heritage Sustainability Symposium going on and the big ticket draw is architect Carl Elefante. His keynote address is titled “Valuing Our Built Heritage”. The event is moderated by Michael Gellar, and will feature a series of presentations on current sustainability perspectives and practices in the heritage realm. More information right here.
Friday, November 5 | 9 am–5 pm | Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue (580 W. Hastings) | $10

Saturday Night is pub night! It is a much lamented fact that Strathcona is lacking a good old-school pub. But, being the innovative bunch that we are, we Strathcona residents find our way around this inconvenience, often by drinking in public parks, but sometimes by using our collective “make believe” powers to conjour up a pub for a single night. This week brings just such an occasion. Jump on board for Strathcona Community Centre Pub Night, where there’ll be music, a silent auction, a 50/50 draw, raffle prizes and pub food and bevvies. Proceeds support programs for children and families in the DTES. Bonus: on site childcare.
Saturday, November 6 | 6 -10 pm | $20 (includes a drink and an appetizer)

The Contemporary Art Gallery is holding it’s 22nd annual art auction and gala dinner at the Vancouver Club this weekend. At $225 a pop – tickets ain’t cheap, but it’s a pretty lovely venue and there’ll be some seriously nice art on the auction table. Featured artists include: Roy Arden, Simon de Bree, Kim Kennedy Austin, Joshua Bartholomew, Fabiola Carranza, Andrew Dadson, Michael Drebert, Adam Gandy, Hadley+Maxwell, Steven Hubert, Collin Johanson, Dawn Johnston, Khan Lee, Elizabeth McIntosh (Associate Professor), Jonathan Middleton, Michael Morris (Hon. Doctorate of Humanities in 2004), Naufus Ramirez-Figueroa, Gordon Smith, Mark Soo, Ron Terada, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, and Elizabeth Zvonar. Details over at the Contemporary Art Gallery website.
Saturday, November 6 | 6:30pm | The Contemporary Art Gallery | Vancouver Club (915 West Hastings) | $250

Get this – there is a cupcake eating contest going down at the Bakers Market this weekend. Ahem! CUPCAKE EATING CONTEST! Mostly I’m telling you because it sounds like a sort of interesting spectator event. There’s no point in me entering because I can eat more cupcakes than ANY of you and I will be doing everything in my power to get there to do just that. “Eat as many cupcakes as you can in five minutes and help support local community bakers and raise funds for the B.C. Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Contestants must be 18 years or older, in good health, and have have no food allergies.” You’re all going down.
Saturday, November 6 | 2 pm | $10 per contestant | 408 E. Kent | Details

But maybe you’re looking for something a little more cerebral than stuffing you’re face with sugar. Saturday is Media Democracy Day: “Since 2001, Media Democracy Day has brought together citizens, academics, artists, activists, media makers, and learners in a dynamic dialogue on the state of the Canadian and global media systems.” Hit the Vancouver Public Library on Saturday afternoon for lively panel discussions, an exhibition of local media makers, and memorable addresses from leading scholars and global media such as Tony Burman of Al Jazeera, Cathryn Atkinson of Rabble.ca, David Beers of The Tyee and more! Details here.
Saturday November 6 | All day long | Everywhere – but particularly at VPL  between 12 & 5 pm | Free!

Fresh Media Remixology 3 | I know the name kinda sounds…well…silly, but don’t judge an event by it’s marketing farts. Here’s the scoop: in collaboration with Media Democracy Day, OpenFile, W2, and the Vancouver Community Television Association, Fresh Media Remixology 3 is a fundraiser for the Vancouver Community Television Association that features a talk from director of CBC Radio 3 Steve Pratt, local music, and an opportunity to socialize and network with Vancouver’s leading media innovators. Details.
Saturday, November 6 | 5 pm-1 am | W2 Storyeum (151 W. Cordova) | $10

There’s an interesting-sounding gig going on at Sitka Surf Shop – a show featuring the work of “Rika”. I’d never heard of him, but the poster for this show caught my eye while I was waiting for an elevator the other day. Turns out Rika is an artist whose highly stylized and bold ink work draws inspiration from the beaches and breaks of Vancouver Island. You really have to see the work for yourself, so have a peek here and find out more about the show there.
Saturday, November 6 | 7 – 11 pm | Sitka Surf Shop (1864 W 4th) | Free

At first I was going to pass on the following event, but the write-up was pretty sweet and in the end they won a spot on the Scout List for working in this turn of phrase: “It will be an eve of radtastic opulence”. So here it is: “Pure Psychic Automatism is an artistic phenomena, an experience, to befall Blim on the 6th of November. Featuring the works of local Vancouver artists Shizen Jambor and Miki Watanabe, who invite you to don a masque, and check reality at the door. It will be an eve of radtastic opulence with painting and sculpture, DJs, a cash bar, and an air of psychedelic wonder that’ll leave you musing the mystery…With Kuma bringing the heavy bass (dubstep! drumstep! breakcore!) for you to mosh out to all night whilst pondering the art.” I’m already pondering.
Saturday, November 6 | night time | Blim | $8-10 sliding scale

Good news! The Winter Farmers Market is on!  Make your way to Nat Bailey Stadium to stock up on hearty root vegetables, fresh baked bread, dried fruit and scores of other locally grown goodies. Get the full list of who will be there here.
Saturday, November 6 | 10 am – 2 pm | East Parking Lot of Nat Bailey Stadium

There’s a two-day conference going on over the weekend called “Right To The City”. It aims to address things like “cops, condos, gentrification, and the alternatives”. The first day will feature a keynote address and a ‘debate’ on the the future of the Olympic Village, while the second day is composed of panel discussions. More information at www.righttothecity.ca. I gotta say, I’m wondering if this ‘conference’ will be a platform for a well-balanced debate or a bit of a ‘we hate everything’ circle-jerk. If you attend, we’d love to hear your impressions.
Saturday, November 6 – Sunday, November 7 | 5 pm | VIVO Media Arts -1965 Main | Free

Big Hair, Big Hearts, Big Fun | There’s an 80’s dance party at the ANZA on Saturday night. Local bands doing 80’s covers, a silent auction, and 50/50 tickets sales. More information at www.laughtermission.com.
Saturday, November 6 | 7pm | Anza Club (3 W. 8th) | $30

It’s forecast to rain Sunday, so if you’re looking for a nice dry place to avoid the reality that is Vancouver in November, consider Diwali Downtown. There’ll be dance, henna, music, food, crafts, and more food. Find out how much food by clicking on this.
Sunday, November 7 |  Noon – 6 pm | Roundhouse Community Centre

I saw a poster up at Bean Around the World on my way to work this morning. It was about a fundraiser going on at Calabash this Sunday night. I did a little digging and came up with this: “Northern Uganda has been decimated by two decades of civil war but the local population wants to move forward with rebuilding their lives and communities. To this end, for two weeks in early December, 20 Canadian volunteers are going to be rebuilding the town of Atiak. Organized by the Vancouver based NGO Caleb’s Hope, the volunteers for Project Build will be re-building the town, including homes and a learning centre based on a design by Architects for Humanity.” A pretty worthwhile reason to head out on Sunday. All donations go directly to fund the expenses of Project Build and to benefit the local people. Apparently, no money goes to administrative costs. Cool.
Sunday, November 7 | 8pm – 1 am | Calabash (428 Carall)

UBC Botanical Garden is giving a quickie on the History of Plant-Based Medicine on Monday around lunch time.
From UBC: “From prehistoric times, through the Greek Empire, into the Middle Ages and modern day, plants have played a vital role in the development of medicine and thus are deeply entwined in the history and survival of humankind, both past and present. Following the lecture, interested participants can take a brief walk to the Physic Garden, a 16th century medicinal herb garden that historically would have been used for the education of physicians and apothecaries.” Please call 604-822-3928 or email [email protected] to book.
Monday, November 8 | 12 pm | UBC Botanical Garden | $5

It’s Slurp & Swirl time. Expect thinning hair, fake tans and thousands of screaming oysters.
Wednesday, November 10 | 6 pm | Joe Fortes

When was the last time you took in a little improv? A little while, huh? Like since forever? It’s not really my bag either, but now and again it’s just a good idea to mix things up. The Pump Trolley Improv have been “rehearsing hard, fine-tuning like an international symphony orchestra” and are now ready to share their art with you. Nothing is worse than an empty house on improv night. Take a chance, as it will leave you culturally richer and not all that much poorer at only $5. Plus you get to tell all of your friends that you support the local performing arts scene.
Wednesday, November 10 | Doors 7:30pm. Show 8pm | Little Mountain Gallery | $5.

I really love the sound of Robert Wald’s upcoming lecture out at UNC. Robert is coming from the University of Chicago to talk about black holes. Yikes! From UBC: “Black holes are regions of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape. They are created by the complete gravitational collapse of sufficiently massive bodies. The past 40 years have seen a revolution in our understanding of black holes, and the important role they play in our universe. Most remarkable is the relationship between certain laws applying to black holes and the ordinary laws of thermodynamics, particularly the fact that—due to quantum processes—black holes “emit” thermal radiation. This talk will review some of the key features we have discovered about black holes and describe the very deep insights that they are currently providing into the nature of gravitation, thermodynamics and quantum theory.” Heavy stuff.
Wednesday, November 10 | 7:30 | St. John’s College, Fairmont Social Lounge, 2111 Lower Mall, UBC | Free

Get Ocean Wise | Who doesn’t love Mike McDermid? If you don’t know who he is yet, let me fill you in: he’s the Ocean Wise superstar. And he’s giving a bit of a talk next week. Great speaker, great cause. “Seafood is enjoyed by many of us, in restaurants and in our homes, however, selecting the best choices for sustainability and responsible harvesting can be a challenge. The Ocean Wise program, administered by the Vancouver Aquarium, can assist you in making the best choices. Mike McDermid will discuss different fishing methods, and explain why some species receive the Ocean Wise stamp, while others fail to make the grade. Mike is the Program Manager of Ocean Wise and he is passionate about his job. Join us to learn more about this important conservation endeavour.” See you there.
Thursday, November 11 | 7:30pm | details here.

Book-ending this week’s line-up of cool things to do is another kick-ass in-store event at Zulu Records. This one is with Sharon Van Etten. Who is she? From Zulu: “Sharon’s latest album EPIC has received widespread praise and got lots of love here at the store. Released by the uber-hip Ba Da Bing! label (Beirut etc), Sharon is relatively new on the scene and has been considered a voice to watch for the future. This should appeal to fans of Nick Drake, Cat Power, Will Oldham etc… and should be a very nice mellow night.” Nice mellow night sounds perfect. Thanks again Zulu.
Thursday November 11 | 4:00pm | Zulu | Free and sweet

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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