Love Keeps Saving The Day was a cabaret mounted at The Junction on April 17 and 24, 2019 in Vancouver, BC. On this page you can read about the show and check out the people involved. At the very bottom is a link to a playlist of music from the show. Thank you for your interest, enjoy!
Credits
Spirit of Excess: David Borja
Spirit of Hype: Courtney Dugan
Spirit of Acceptance: Gina Foster
Spirit of Revenge: Michael Barry Anderson
Director: Ally Schuurman
Music Director / Instrumentalist: Julien Amar
Tech / Lights: Brendan Kelly
Stage Management: Natalie Collins
Costumes: Travis Clifford, Mariah Vanderzee, Briana Rayner, Dave Mackenzie Deveau.
Set and Props: Vancouver Opera, Ian McLellan, Gina Foster, Bill Kent.
Venue: The Junction
About the Show
After seeing Chapter 4 of Taylor Mac’s “24 Decade History of Popular Music” in San Francisco – I would never see cabarets or music shows the same way again. While our show is much smaller in scope, it’s still handy for you to have a frame of reference in the spirit of what we’re trying to do.
Aside from its initial flair of popularity in the 70’s, disco has been a long-misunderstood genre of music. It had an intimate relationship with queer communities and communities of color. You may have heard the stories of the queer DJ’s of the New York City nightlife who were the taste-makers determining the success of disco singles – they would judge song’s success on the dance floor, in real time. Their reign was short lived, however, and it wasn’t long before it became cooler to say “disco sucks” than to go to any of the colorful, outrageous parties that seemed so unstoppable a few years before. Honestly, I believe the “disco sucks” backlash had much more to do with the identities of disco fans and artists than the quality of the music itself.
Music that’s labeled “classic” usually has a double-strength. First, does it sound good? Second, does it mean something? I hope the music in this show fits that bill, and I hope these songs mean something to you – even if it’s been a while since they’ve played on your radio, CDs, casettes, 8-tracks, or vinyls!
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So… what’s with all the talk about LSD? Without spoilers (if you’re waiting for the show to start), the focus on LSD started because of a certain DJ who was strongly influenced by the substance (like many of his peers in the 70s).
As of this writing, I haven’t tried LSD – so I’m putting a lot of faith in a substance I have no direct experience with. However, I suspect that LSD (like disco) was misunderstood in direct relationship to how powerfully it affected the culture exposed to it. There was a backlash (like disco) that heavily stigmatized its supporters. Further, the substance is currently a Schedule I drug (“having no medical purpose and susceptible to abuse” according to the US government) – meaning there are still federal penalties for the study and use of the substance.
What fascinates me about LSD isn’t the sensory experience (visions, distorted sensory input, doing it in social settings) but the so-called mystical experience. I’m riveted by reports of people who have taken LSD and describe feelings of openness, understanding, and revelation during (and often long after) their trip.
Of course, acid is not a toy, and it can have lasting negative effects on some who use it – especially if it’s overdosed, impure, given to someone with a background of mental health issues, or taken in an inappropriate setting. These are things I will keep in mind if I ever try the substance.
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I intentionally used the word “faith” above. I grew up Christian, took a break from the church in 2013, and have since tried to build a more flexible understanding of who or what God is. I think this would have been a bit cumbersome to talk about within the show – but is a major part of its undercurrent. There’s space in my worldview for everyone’s conception of God (or no god). To that end, I love that we don’t have everything figured out. I love that some of the realest things we have are the hardest to put into words.
For some people, feeling close to God is a sensory experience – listening to music, being in nature, witnessing beautiful art. For others, God is in our interactions and relationships; our families. For more, God is in holy books and religious institutions. For a few people, God is even in psychedelics. In the end, you can decide how much of any of that is present in Love Keeps Saving The Day.
I’ve had a blast making this, and am deeply thankful to the people who supported the endeavor. Thank you for reading, and I hope your night (or day) is everything you want it to be! Bless ya!
David Borja
14 April 2019
Vancouver, BC
Setlist
If you enjoyed the music, support the original artists! Click here for a Spotify playlist of music from the show.