Feature photo of Larisa Sanders by Celine Pinget

By Alli Hayes
@bunnie604

Something is in the Vancouver air, and it’s not just the soft aromas of fresh cut grass and cherry blossoms. Something has been simmering for just over a year, and it has nourished the souls of local artists, musicians, DJs, emcees, and rappers for many Mondays. This is the Stew Jams, and the secret ingredient is in the people.

The Stew Jams is a Vancouver freestyle hip-hop night, accompanied by a full band (led by percussionist Chris Cuoto), and co-hosted by Larisa Sanders and Rupert Common. The weekly series has just celebrated its one year anniversary, and Loose Lips connected with Sanders to talk about hip-hop, community, and collaboration–all of which play a part in Vancouver’s art renaissance.

“For me, I feel like it was about feeling pride in my city. Being born and raised in Vancouver, I feel like I’ve seen it in a lot of different lights, one of them being super negative and wanting to leave and move away for however long. Then, a couple years after that, I came home and I felt like I really found my people, I found my hobbies, I found myself, I found what I was looking for,” said Sanders.

Sanders is a music management educator, cocktail connoisseur, event curator, and a talented vocalist.

“Not only are there a lot of things happening out there, but it’s also kind of on you to find those things and to involve yourself with people who do stuff that inspires you and that make you feel excited about life in general,” she dished.

Sanders found herself honing in on just that while attending a music festival below the border, and today she acknowledges that moment as a huge turning point in her own creative journey.

“I never really knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went to Sasquatch Festival seven years ago. Matt and Kim were performing, and there were these balloons; they probably let out a thousand balloons. They just started floating up into the crowd. I had this ‘a-ha’ moment that I was going to do events. Everybody is having the best time, there’s music, there’s just so much going on. At that point, I was in fashion and I was doing things for Vancouver Fashion Week, and so, I liked the fashion show aspect, but I didn’t like anything else [about] it, really.”

Sanders tapped into the power of creating her own reality with like-minded peers and friends, which provided the foundation of a collective vision and support system.

“It came to a place of finding family away from family and, in that sense, a community of people that have have similar interests, similar ideas of culture and love and art. Finding ways to spend more time with them, and finding reasons to spend time rather than just going for coffee. Connecting with them through our skills, through our expressions and really getting to know each other on a deeper level,” she explained.

“By accentuating people’s talents, by giving them a platform. So, let’s say they come to The Stew, they are just bedroom rappers. They freestyle in the morning in the shower. They come to The Stew, and they maybe don’t go onstage right away, but then they think ‘Oh, that’s a goal. I can actually go on stage and do what I do and there’s going to be a room of people that are just cheering me on.’”

After that point of access, Sanders has seen it open doors and the hearts of others. The Stew organically builds connections, and building community has been the forefront of Sanders’ passions. Music and art happen to be the driving force for that in her life, but it stems into people’s everyday lives.

“I always love hearing people talk about their experience. I saw a girl recently who I had met at the last Stew, and she said that she had made seven friends that day, that she has talked to since then, and she gets stopped in the grocery store, and at different open mics. People remember seeing you. I love that shit. It’s so nice to have the ripple effect. You see the ripple effect of what you’re doing.”

Catch The Stew Jams the last Monday of every month at Red Gate Arts Gallery. Mark your calendars for the Public Disco Cabaret, curated by Larisa Sanders, on July 6.

Alli is a wildcard. Faux fur is her wingman. She is constantly moved by art, cool parties, and independent film, and continues to create her own projects. She wishes her photographic memory did her Instagram more justice.  Check out her blog at thewildcardwins.com.