Mike Usinger
The Georgia Straight
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Past articles by Mike:
Spring Arts Preview 2023: Music critics' picks
This past week Vancouver looked more like an Arctic winter wonderland than one of the most famously mild and temperate cities in Canada. There were upsides—because swaths of 1984’s Amadeus take place in snowy Salzburg, there’s something oddly soothing about shovelling a walkway to the film’s best-of-Mozart soundtrack. That said, enough already. Bring on the spring and the → Read More
Despite some changes, Santa Barbara Market on Commercial Drive isn't going anywhere
When you live in East Van—the Commercial Drive area in particular—there are things you tend to become overprotective of. A short list might very well include Havana Restaurant, Continental Coffee, Livia Bakery, and Santa Barbara Market. Change might be good, but no one wants to see neighbourhood fixtures go the way of the East End Food Co-op. With that in mind, there’s been a fair of hysteria on… → Read More
Four wines to celebrate with as, with absolutely zero guilt, you show Dry January the door
Congratulations, you made it. Not through this entire January—honestly, who in the Sam Hill reasonably expects anyone not named Lyman Beecher or Carrie “Hatchet Granny” Nation to go an entire month without drinking? No, instead you made it to day 20 of Dry January, and, really, that’s good enough. Now, we celebrate. Here are four wines worth checking out as you return to normalcy—at least where… → Read More
Choreographer Moya Michael reflects on a troubled past while hoping for a utopian tomorrow with Coloured Swan 3
“Everything in South Africa was compartmentalized. We were put into racial categories, with white on the top." → Read More
Cancellation of Vancouver Folk Fest and a struggling Constellation Festival a double shot for local music fans
If you love music, and happen to have a spare $500,000 lying around.... → Read More
Ex-Canuck Aaron Volpatti proves himself a gifted storyteller in his inspirational and frequently captivating Fighter
Fighter: Defying the NHL OddsBy Aaron Volpatti, AV Cognitive Performance Consulting, 326 pp, softcoverAs inspirational sports stories go, Aaron Volpatti’s Fighter has more layers than most memoirs, that having everything to do with an opening that is nothing less than horrific. The former Vancouver Canuck wastes little time getting to what made his journey to the NHL unique in → Read More
On Our Radar: Sunday Morning goes wonderfully off-script with Art Bergmann's "The Junkie Don't Care
As tributes so, this is on in the truest sense. → Read More
Vancouver's Havana Restaurant is closing its doors for a month of renovations and a big surprise
Get ready for a new vision, at least where the theatre is concerned → Read More
Vancouver rock writer Tom Harrison has died, leaving behind a rich legacy and no shortage of grateful fans
Local legend got his start supporting the fledgling punk scene at the Straight → Read More
A Vancouver cocktail legend, Dani Tatarin is loving the decision to shift gears with Gota Gorda in Oaxaca
Ever wanted to start a bar in paradise? → Read More
If 10 years of East Van Panto have taught Veda Hille anything, it's to pick one's songs carefully
Sometimes you need a theatre cot. → Read More
YVR snowapocalypse and the holiday season make a hellishly good argument against ever leaving home
Want to get our stories Straight to your inbox (see what we did there)? Sign up for our newsletter here. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” You know how the song goes, right? You can count on me—but please make sure you’ve got snow, mistletoe, and at least 30 or 40 gallons of Alton Brown Aged Eggnog, heavy on the Sailor Jerry. You might rightly think of that as a fair trade. Make the effort to get on… → Read More
Gift Guide: For those enjoy a drink or five, the holiday season is indeed the most wonderful time of the year
Your loved one can dry out in January. Or not. → Read More
While admittedly daunting, Dickens' timeless A Christmas Carol is also about having fun for Sanjay Talwar
Pass the suckling pig and long wreaths of sausages → Read More
Christmas With Chor Leoni finds beauty in the holiday classics, world premieres, and stunning moments of silence
One of the realities of the holiday season is the magic doesn’t always happen on its own. Sometimes you have to work at it, which explains everything from hitting Christmas parties to decorating the tree to the enduring popularity of Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Rankin-Bass’ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.Chor Leoni artistic director Erick Lichte doesn’t take the traditions → Read More
Vancouver cellist Marina Hasselberg stops the pursuit of perfection to get honest, raw, and savage with Red
More than just an endlessly daring debut record, Marina Hasselberg’s Red ended up being something of a life lesson for a Vancouver-based cellist who’s never been afraid of change.Interviewed at the upscale-casual Thierry Bakery, the Portugal-born musician acknowledges that the album isn’t the one she set out to make. For that, she couldn’t be happier. Truly great artists learn → Read More
Winter cocktails to help you make the most of what's inarguably the most wonderful time of year for drinkers
The wood, not to mention eggnog and butter, really does make it good → Read More
What's In Your Fridge: Pale Thomas, Daniel Joseph, and Travis Turner of Vancity Raps
In which we reveal the favourite records, concerts, and grocery items of interesting Vancouverites → Read More
Burning Question: In which we ask this week's cool kids where they start when making the perfect Christmas playlist
Want to get our stories Straight to your inbox (see what we did there)? Sign up for our newsletter here. From how much eggnog is too much to why isn't Aubrey Plaza more famous than Tom Cruise, there are things that enquiring minds want to know. We ask important questions so you don’t have to. This week's burning question: “Christmas playlist. -Bing, Mariah, Sufjan, or all three?” "Christmas is… → Read More
A December 16 reopening is just one of the big changes announced for Vancouver's newly renovated Cobalt
Don't worry because the live music isn't going anywhere → Read More