Q: What was your first gay bar experience like?
A: Picture it. Edmonton. 1996. The Roost. There was a stripper. That’s all I really remember about it. Had I know the role gay bars would play in my future, I might have paid more attention, but I was a nineteen-year-old gay kid just happy to have found my own people. I was living in Lethbridge at the time, and the nearest gay bar was Calgary, so for “scene”, I had to travel. Then, as now, it was less about the space and more about the connections, so shout out I guess to Chris and Ed for taking my gay bar virginity on a long distant Tuesday.
Q: How did you life pre EVO prepare you for this? How did it not?
A: My professional life has been Edmonton gay nightlife since 1999. Over the years, I worked at past gay bars like Boots, The Roost, Buddys, Woodys, Prism, Junction, and a load of other gay businesses. This work experience sure gave me a strong sense of community, and an awareness of the importance of gay bars. You went to gay bars because other spaces weren’t safe. What I didn’t anticipate was the time when that wasn’t the case. Buddys taught me the thrill of hosting the party everyone wanted to be at; nothing prepared me for the constant stress of always needing to achieve that.
Q: What are three of your most special EVO memories?
A: Three? Out of ten-plus years? Nearly impossible. Shangela perfoming “Halo” with a packed house waving their arms along with her stands out for sure. Vanity Fair at maybe our first all-ages show, the stage packed around her with kids dancing, and the beaming faces of their queer/allied parents who got to share the space with their kids for the first time. There was a moment at first block party when the sun peaked through the crowds and everyone in the street turned their faces towards it, after hours of dancing in a midsummer chill, and everyone glowed golden.
Q: Shout out a former staff member you miss.
A: Again, so many. Over the decade, we have probably had 150 staff on the team. We had an amazing and varied group of folks right from the beginning. Let’s give this one to Cody-lee though. He always had a disarmingly charming energy that made everyone smile.
Q: Shout out 2-3 current performers you love.
A: Again, this is a hard one, because there is so much talent in this city. There’s some who have been with us since the beginning and before, and there’s so much history together. That being said, Artasia, Pepper, and Karly are that special combination of talented, appreciative, popular, and stunning queens. But pretty much every performer who graces the stage brings something wonderful and magical.
Q: What is your favorite regular event and why?
A: Even after so long, I don’t know the magic formula for what makes one event a success one time, and less a success the next time, but consistently, our Glow parties are just pure queer joy. It took us a while until we hosted our first; the space didn’t have any UV lights up regularly, so it just felt like a daunting project. But Josh Brown kept at me until I finally said yes, and it was a magical night. Why don’t we do them more often? Sometimes, you want it more if you have to wait for it.
Q: What has ten plus years taught you?
A: Whether there’s forty people or four hundred, they’re there for fun. Make sure they have it. Jim Brown, Jim Schafer, Tracey and Deborah, they all taught me a business is built one customer at a time, so make one customer feel special and it’s a good night.
Q: What advice do you give to the next generation of queer nightlife goers?
A: Go out intending to have fun; chances are you will. It won’t always be Pride-busy, but trust me, some of the best nights of my life were sitting in a near empty dance club having a couple drinks and many laughs with good friends. Gay bars still matter, in weird, wacky, and wonderful ways that you might not appreciate yet. One day, you’ll wake up and realize that there’s people you’ve shared a dance floor with for years, and that kind of longevity is special. Strangers on a Saturday can be friends by Sunday, and family by the Friday after. Life is short; smile, laugh, dance.
