All posts by Roy Hales

Lella, Queen Of The Greenroom

Her artistic roots go back to Vienna, while Russian troops still occupied part of the city. Years later, cast as the female lead in “As You Like It,” she found a much more fulfilling role than centre stage. She will be performing it again at this summer’s Lip Sync. Lella Gmeiner is the Queen of the Green Room.

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Riding Vancouver’s Old Interurban

By Roy L Hales

In 1910, Vancouver had one of North America’s most advanced electric train networks. The old interurban line ran for 114 miles,  to Chilliwack in the heart of the Fraser Valley. It also serviced the sleepy village of Steveston to the south. This technological wonder was abandoned when British Columbians turned to the automobile, in the 1950s. A 4.6 mile segment of the route through Surrey was recently brought back to life as part of living museum project. So I went riding Vancouver’s old interurban.

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Laura Balducci’s Art

The audio version of this story opens with a clip from Laura Balducci’s art installation “The Other-Side Presents That Wall,” which was at the Old School House Art Gallery on Cortes Island in the summer of 2016. The video of another of her multi-media performances, “Sense That Sin” was part of a show last month. Laura is a film maker, promoter, curator, painter, doll-maker, hair dresser, make-up artist and the former lead singer of a female punk band. She promotes the Old School House Art Gallery through her website and Facebook page and is curating the annual member’s show, SPACE, which opens at 6 PM on Friday, July 27, 2018. This morning’s interview is devoted to Laura Balducci’s art.

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The Arborglyph That Survived

Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca, as part of the Deep Roots Initiative, Season Two

British Columbia is known for its totem poles. Examples of a less known artwork have surfaced in more recent years. Aborglyphs are carved into living trees. One was discovered a few years ago, two hundred kilometres north of Vancouver in the midst of a clearcut in Toba Inlet. The Klahoose Arborglyh has been moved to the band’s multipurpose building in Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island. Deep Roots story producer Roy L Hales interviewed Michelle Robinson and Ken Hanuse, from the Klahoose First Nation, and local historian Judith Williams about the arborglyph that survived into modern times.

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Rick Bockner: Paths of Beauty

His musical roots go back to the McCarthy era, when the United States was purging itself of anything that could be labelled communist. Pete Seeger gave him tips on how to play the guitar. He was a member of the psychedelic rock band Mad River, which released two albums in San Francisco before it disbanded in 1969. On Cortes Island, he is somewhat of a musical icon. In addition to being a songwriter, he is one of the key organizers of Lovefest and the face of CKTZ’s Lip Syncs for the past decade. In this morning’s interview, Rick Bockner talks about paths of beauty.

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