My Favourite Thing is a video feature where the Georgia Straight gets interesting folks from around town to list off, among other things, their favourite performers, live gigs, and singers. And, of course, their favourite thing.

Stefan Smulovitz is an award-winning composer and a highly accomplished musician, known for his skills with the viola and laptop. He's also the brain behind Eye of Newt, an avant-garde ensemble that will be part of the 2016 PuSh Performing Arts Festival. The Straight caught up with Smulovitz at Lost Lagoon to talk about a few of his favourite things.

The members of Eye of Newt (Smulovitz, Chris Kelly, Gordon Grdina, JP Carter and Kenton Loewen) have made their name known across Canada for creating and remixing soundtracks, and playing live scores to films at various performing arts festivals. They've collaborated with PuSh in previous years (The Passion of Joan of Arc, The General, Dreams, Beauty and the Beast and Go West), and this year they'll play a live score to Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1970 cult Western, El Topo.

Catch Eye of Newt at the Fox Cabaret on Friday (January 22) at 8 p.m. If you can't make the El Topo show, Smulovitz will also play alongside DJ Spooky at the Fox Cabaret on January 30.