by Michelle Sproule
LEARN | The Internet is a massive part of our social, political, economic and creative lives, but what is it exactly? If you’ve ever stopped to think about the answer to that question and are interested in getting to the bottom of it, make your way down to hear author Andrew Blum (Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet) give it his best shot. Blum will be at the centre of Vancouver’s Internet Exchange (yes, there is such a thing and it’s really located at SFU Harbour Centre) to give his talk, which is entitled Tubes and Exchanges: Discovering the Real Places of the Internet. Curious? Admission is free, but reservations are required and will likely be spoken for quickly.
Thursday, May 2 | 7pm | SFU Harbour Centre (515 W. Hastings St) | http://cgi.sfu.ca/~hccweb/cgi-bin/OnlineRegistration/site/event/
THE CAVE SINGERS | Live music is such a good move. Do yourself some good and catch The Cave Singersat the Commodore this Thursday night. The indie folk/rock band from Seattle is coming over the border to play tunes from their most recent album, Naomi. Joining them on stage will be The Bleeding Rainbow. So grab a cold bottle of beer, a place in the crowd that has a good view, and enjoy!
Thursday, May 2 | Doors 8pm / Show 9:30pm | Commodore Ballroom (868 Granville) | $18.50 | http://www.livenation.com/artists/43871/the-cave-singers
POP-IN LOCKER ROOM | Canadian brand Muttonhead (unisex clothing made from high quality and sustainable materials and designed to outlast trends) launches their Spring/Summer 2013 “Good Sport” collection with a pop-in-shop exhibit at Chinatown’s Board of Trade Co. this weekend, but if you head down on Thursday night you’ll catch a party that will include a little bit of love from Caribou Brewing Co. and Vancouver Urban Winery, as well as a baseball card-themed photo booth (awesome).
May 2-5 | 11am – 6pm daily | Board of Trade (227 Union St) | https://www.facebook.com/events/502769759777800/
SHARE | Take a seat at the ShwayShway Cafe to meet new people, share good food and slow down a little. The pop-up long table series is setting up shop at The Chinatown Experience this weekend to serve up Middle Eastern-influenced mezzo plates featuring Yummus hummus, beef or roasted vegetable Tajine (stew), dessert made by Sunday Morning Ice Cream and drinks for $30 (you might even see a hookah making it’s rounds). We hear that Friday and Saturday nights might already be sold out, but there are still seats for Sunday and the lunches of hummus, baba ganouj, labneh, sides and tea for $10 are wide open.
May 3, 4, & 5 | Lunch 11-6pm, Dinner 7-11pm | 434 Columbia St | $10/$30 | http://www.chinatownexperiment.com/
FUSE GRAND HOTEL | Once every few months, The Vancouver Art Gallery lets loose. These occasional breaks from the usual civilized gallery behaviour are known as FUSE – an evening of music, live performance, DJs and art. This time around, FUSE follows the theme of the museum’ latest exhibition:Grand Hotel. Expect comedy improv inspired by hotel-themed films, live jazz, a touch of Andy Warhol and a little Blim (with the added incentive of a cash bar and gallery tours).
Friday, May 3 | 8pm–1am | Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby St.) | $20 | http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/events_and_programs/fuse.html
GET ACQUAINTED | Forbidden Vancouver is leading a Lost Souls of Gastown walking tour this weekend that will take you through the back alleys and dark corners of historical Gastown. By the time you’re done you’ll know all about Gassy Jack, Klondike Kate and poor old John Bray. You’ll also get a feel for what the neighbourhood vibe was like way back when and gain a better appreciation for its street names, architecture and variouslandmarks.
Saturday, 4 May | 8pm | Various Locations In Gastown | $22 | http://forbiddenvancouver.ca/
KARMA | Local artist Wendy Sexsmith is trying to brighten rehab up by raising funds for a mural project that would transform the colourless hallways of Onsite (a DTES rehabilitation centre). How can you contribute to building a stronger and healthier community through art? It’s as easy as enjoying a plate of Huevos Rancheros. Just show up at the Interurban Gallery for brunch this Sunday and the money you spend on breakfast will go toward funding this project. Bonus: Vancouver band The Sojourners are playing.
Sunday, May 5 | 11:30 | Interurban Gallery (1 E. Hastings @ Carrall) https://www.facebook.com/events/list
WATCH | Doxa is on, and with 74 screenings at 5 venues, there’s plenty to keep you entertained. Highlight include Vancouver director Corey Ogilvie’s Occupy The Movie, Google and the World Brain by Ben Lewis. Also look out for Slow Food Story (Sunday, May 5 @ 3:45 pm) in which Director Stefano Sardo follows the delicious adventures of Slow Food movement founder Carlo Petrini as he endeavours to foster an anti-fast-food movement.
May 3-12 | Various times, Various venues | http://www.doxafestival.ca/festival/program
WILD EDIBLES | Figure out what you can and can’t chow down on while on a trek through local forests by taking a two-hour guided tour with the well informed culinary peeps at Swallow Tail Tours. Not only will hike leaders will brief you on where to find and how to identify delicious items such as wild mushrooms, fiddleheads, berries and stinging nettles, but they’ll also fix you up with secrets of how to prepare them for optimum impact and (the best of all part) they’ll also make you lunch using foraged food right on your walk.
Sunday May 5 | 11am | Lynn Headwaters, North Vancouver | $39 | http://www.swallowtail.ca/tours/wild_foraging_tour_vancouver/
THE SHOW | Prepare to be blown away this Sunday at the annual Degree Exhibition at Emily Carr. Wander the galleries, hallways, foyers and classrooms of the campus to take in upwards of 300 works by talented graduating students. Students exhibiting their work have come through ECUAD in Design, Media and Visual Arts. And for the first time this year, Emily Carr will be offering one-hour tours for those wishing to get a more in-depth understanding of the work on display.
Sunday May 5 | 5-10pm | ECUAD (1400 Johnston, Granville Island) | http://www.ecuad.ca/about/events/284953
Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List
WTCVAN 