Special Event: Wax Poetic/Co-op Radio Fundraiser

Nestled mid-week between an alternative health program and a hiphop show, Wax Poetic has been holding its own since the early nineties, bringing some of the best and often most underappreciated spoken word artists from the local and international scenes, to CFRO radio listeners in a half hour “appointment with the muse”!

On Tuesday, April 7^th, the poetry staple celebrates 16 years of broadcasting by inviting their guests and listening audience together for a special “real world” hook up on Commercial Drive, the undisputed cradle of spoken word in the lower mainland.

Wax Poetic is the longest running radio program dedicated to the spoken word in Vancouver (and internationally), heard every Wednesday afternoon from 2-2:30 pm on Co Op Radio 102.7 FM with hosts Diane Laloge, SR Duncan and RC Weslowski.

To keep in the spirit of live radio, the broadcasters will also be turning Café Deux Soleils into an on-air studio, recording a 30 minute show in front of a live audience for future broadcast. The “studio” audience is in for quite the treat, as none other than Vancouver’s first poet-laureate George McWhirter takes the hot seat, reading his work and fielding questions from the hosts and the crowd.

This will mark one of the last readings for the poet in his position as laureate. His two-year term ends soon.

Founded in ’93 by poet Diane Laloge and performance poet Justin McGrail, Wax Poetic has been airing almost every week since then.

Engineering and programming duties are shared by the two “rookies” on the team, Steven R. Duncan (9 years) and RC Weslowski (6 years). Weslowski (AKA Randy Jacobs) is a familiar voice on local commercial radio, while Duncan worked on a similar program at Simon Fraser’s CJSF prior to coming on board Wax Poetic.

Other feature performances at the fundraiser will come from veteran artists Tanya Evanson, Susan Cormier, Rowan Lipkovits, Duncan Shields. Laloge will be reading from her recently released book of poems “I Am A War”, and Duncan and Weslowski also be performing.

”The Candyman” - Daniel Mark Patterson is scheduled to take the stage as well.

“We’re thrilled by this line-up,” comments Laloge.

“It’s just like our show – very diverse, thought-provoking and yet just plain fun at the same time. It’s also nice to get out and meet the people who tune in and listen to us from time to time face to face.”

There will also be an open mic, a raffle and a meat draw. Yes a meat draw - just in time for Easter. Actually, co-producer Duncan admits that it’s really a Tofu Turkey Draw.

“Weslowski and I had to compromise on this one. I wanted a full on meat draw for a big chunk of meat, because I think it’s so kitch, and I’d love to win a piece of meat, But he was dead – excuse the pun – set against it, being a vegetarian.

“So I said I’d spring for the tofu turkey and he said he’d bring a rubber chicken.”

The show starts at 7:30pm at Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive)

. All the money raised on April 7^th will go to support Co Op Radio and keep Wax Poetic on the air. Memberships will be available.

You can sign up to attend on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/event.php?eid=59853480876&ref=ts

Or you can get more info by calling 604-788-8340 or emailing srduncan@shaw.ca

This Week on Wax Poetic: Michelle A. Richard

Francophone songstress Michelle A. Richard joins us in studio to talk about her new self-titled CD, to be released on July 24th at 7:30-9:30 @ Timbre Restaurant, 2068 Commercial Drive.

We are also happy to have our co-host Diane Laloge back in studio with us after her trip North. Don't miss the show - Wednesday @ 2pm PST on Co-op Radio 102.7fm.

Radio: CR Avery on Wax Poetic

If you happen to be near an FM radio, RC Weslowski, Diane Laloge and I will be on air with CR Avery this afternoon at 2pm on Vancouver's longest-running poetry radio show Wax Poetic (102.7fm) talking about his new hip hop opera "The Boxer Who Just Returned From London"
which premieres at Rime later this month.

Editorial

The great thing about working on a blog like Commercial Drive – Live!, which is focused on a real place, is that it connects me with my community so well. I get to know lots of local people and find out what they do, if only by reputation.

In my marketing class, one of the first things I talk about is the importance of pictures in an individual’s marketing material. I’ve been proven right on more than one occasion, the most dramatic being when some one picked me out of a crowd of 10,000 at a parade because she’d seen my picture on my business card.

Recently I was at Turk’s and was approached by Susan Main, of Susan’s Super Citizen Showcase who was out with her son Toby. She recognised me from my pic here on the blog. Very cool.

Stories like this are what make CD-L! such a rewarding project to work on and really bring home the fact that this is truly a “community” blog driven by and about real people.

Back on April 6^th I mentioned that I’m delving into podcasting. Some of you may or may not know I’ve been doing a weekly radio show on Coop radio called Wax Poetic with co-hosts RC Weslowski and Diane Laloge for almost 8 years. Before that, way back in high school, I used to do a cheesy cable access Doug and Bob McKenzie ripoff (complete with snowshoes and toques). I’m really looking forward to getting back into the medium and the Drive seems like the perfect place to do it. Those of you may remember when Shaw used to have a community office here and although ICTV is doing it’s part to try and supply community programming, the cable conglomerate doesn’t give them much airtime. With CD-L! the podcast, I hope to spotlight personalities who make the Drive their home (and a few who come to here play).

My first attempt is an audio interview with Lorena Gale, who played Priest Elosha on Battlestar Galactica and has been a Drive resident for nearly 20 years. I’ll have it up soon, I promise.

You regular readers might have noticed the pizza poll is gone. I’ll post the results soon and we’ll have a new poll up as well. You will have also noticed that I’ve replaced it with an Amazon link. The book featured is by fabulous local poet Bud Osborn. I’ve also set up a little bookstore on Amazon, with various personal favourites as well as works by and of interest to local folk. Pop in and browse around.

By the way, sometime Sunday, April 8^th, this blog will have had its 3000^th visitor since I started posting January 8th. That feels great! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Here’s a little tidbit of information someone sent me:
A company called Mercer Human Resource Consulting has published the results of a Quality of Living survey.

The top five cities in the Americas were:

• Vancouver (3rd)
• Toronto (15th)
• Ottawa (tied for 18th)
• Montreal (22nd)
• Calgary (24th)

You might be surprised to learn that a Cost of Living survey conducted by the same firm doesn’t even rank Vancouver in the top 50. Maybe it’s not as expensive to live here as we think!

Anyway, until next week. Keep up the good work and stay in touch!