4 Chtertainment Newberry popular at Rickshaw Folk singer and poet plays some songs inspired by the Downtown Eastside at the Rickshaw Theatre By GARIN FAHLMAN lin stops and David Newberry strums his guitar. “Now we all walk around in Jack Kerouac’s coat, preach- ing the dharma from a packet of smokes,” he sings. There is music com- ing from the Rickshaw Theatre, but the stage is empty. On Wednesday night, the tiny lobby of the Rickshaw held a small but enthu- siastic crowd spread out across bench- es, stools and the floor to watch an inti- mate performance by local roots musician David Newberry. Newberry is a singer and poet who wasn’t introduced to the guitar until he was 20. While he was working at a con- struction job, he injured his hand, and his doctor recommended learning an instrument as therapy. “Ten years lat- er, [released my first album,” he said. Newberry’s talent as a musician was something he learned, but his gift as a lyricist is something he’s been nurtur- ing his entire life. “I’m always trying to write as much as possible,” he said. “It’s the best way I’ve found to express myself. I always have a notebook, and I like to observe the world around me and record my thoughts.” Newberry’s songs are full of beauti- fully written stories that come from real places. “And after the car crash, something had to give. It was the mor- phine drip, that made you want to live,” he sings in one song. The inspiration comes from a man Newberry used to know. “After getting out of the hospital, he got hooked on morphine and ended up on the Down- town Eastside,” he said. “After a few years, he started getting his life back together and ended up working at one of the shelters that had taken him in, started working his way up the ladder. And then suddenly, he died.” Newberry played with a band called the Tigermonths, who are local musi- cians he’s met over the years. “I make a point of never doing the same thing twice,” he said. “These aren’t the same people that appear on the records.” A violin, double bass and an organ were all used during the show. By the end of Newberry’s short set, the crowd at the Rickshaw said they had seen something special. “ve never heard anything like it,” said Craig Sin- clair, who attended the show with his wife. Admission to the show was by dona- tion, with proceeds going to Wish drop- in centre for female survivor sex work- F: a brief moment, the cry of a vio- ers. =a GARIN FAHLMAN photo David Newberry performs at the Rickshaw Theatre on April 4. KRISTEN HARPULA photo Hundreds of participants gathered for the opening of the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 4. The event included sushi-making demonstrations, an umbrella dance and free dance lessons. Hundreds gather for Cherry Jam Concert Festival includes haikus, sushi and umbrellas By KRISTEN HARPULA undreds of people gathered un- der the canopy of flowers at Burrard SkyTrain Station yes- terday for the opening of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival, which runs until April 30, kicked off with Cherry Jam Down- town. The event includes sushi-making demonstrations from some of the best Japanese chefs in the Lower Mainland, an umbrella dance performed by the Shiamak Dance team and free dance lessons. “TThe festival] is a way to celebrate the beauty and joy these flowers bring to everyone,” said Linda Poole, the fes- tival’s founder. It’s a way to express gratitude for the generous gift of more than 30,000 cher- ry blossom trees given to Vancouver from Japan in the 1930s, she said. The Cherry Blossom Festival started in 2005. Haiku writing is a big part of the fes- tival. Participants from around the world have submitted their own poems, and winners are published online. Winning haikus from past festivals have been attached to the hundreds of balloons floating overhead for people to take. Another notable feature of the festi- val was the popular bento boxes that the crowd devoured. More than 500 pre-ordered bento boxes include some of the delicacies created at the festival’s chef demon- stration. “Tt’s a lot different from the usual bento box that you’d find downtown,” said Nova Hanen, who was part of the crowd at the festival. “It’s very exotic.” For those who aren’t able to make it to the Cherry Jam, the Sakura Days Japanese Fair is being held this week- end at VanDusen Garden. The two-day festival will feature hands-on workshops with everything from origami to flower arranging, which is also known as ikebana. “Tt’s a way to celebrate Japanese cul- ture,” said volunteer Maggie Wei. “And there’s also going to be a lot of food.” There will also be a large-scale um- brella dance performed at the Vancou- ver Art Gallery on April 13. EVENTS SAKURA DAYS JAPAN FAIR April 6 and 7 10 a.m. to5 p.m. VanDusen Botanical Garden BIKE THE BLOSSOMS April 27 tam. to 3 p.m. Meet at China Creek South for a free guided bike ride B.C. BLOSSOM PHOTO CONTEST April 4 to 30 Email, tweet or instagram your best photo of cherry blossoms to BC BlossomWatch@vebf.ca or #cherryblossomyvr The Flame ts becoming a popular night for storytellers Monthly gathering draws a crowd for true stories about people’s lives By ANGELA HOLUBOWICH tro was packed with boisterous laughter and smiling faces on Wednesday night. Once a month, the café hosts a gath- ering of storytellers for a night called The Flame, when people have an op- portunity to tell a personal story on stage. The rules are simple: storytell- ers have five or 10 minutes to tell a true story about themselves. Participants must pitch their stories to the organiz- ers ahead of time. The crowd was overwhelmed with chatter and laughter, but the moment a storyteller took the microphone, it fell silent. The audi- ence was captivat- ed by the speakers’ personal words and raw emotions. Veteran actor and acting teacher Andrew Johnston shared his harrow- ing brush with Te: cozy interior of the Cottage Bis- ANDREW JOHNSTON death as a teenag- Anon and story: er in a politically tener at The Flame torn Quebec. Compared to the stage and screen, Johnston described his experience with The Flame as “a completely different animal.” “Tt’s not a rehearsed thing, it’s not a directed thing and it’s personal,” John- ston said. “It’s a bit more raw and risky than doing a play, or assuming a char- acter or doing a role in a film.” Retired teacher Lee Weinstein told the story of one of his first memories about being a four-year-old boy who was duped into kissing the beloved family dog by his older brother. “T used to be a comedian, and I wasn’t very good at it,” said Weinstein. “This seems to be something [where] I can have my own voice, and I feel bet- ter about it. It was fun.” Robyn Thomas, a young actress, said she was coaxed into bring her the- atrical style and colourful story to the stage by a chance conversation with a stranger in the library. The stranger turned out to be Deborah Williams, co- creator of The Flame. “T was nervous for days beforehand because I’m used to being a character, but presenting a story of my personal life was a bit scary,” Thomas said. “It was a good experience getting up there for sure.” ANGIE HOLUBOWICH photo The Chuck Wes Band plays prior to the storytelling event on April 4.