Coachella Valley Independent April 2023

Mailing address: 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263

Cathedral City, CA 92234 (760) 904-4208

www.cvindependent.com

Editor/Publisher

Jimmy Boegle

staff writer

Kevin Fitzgerald

coveR and feature design

Dennis Wodzisz

Contributors

Max Cannon, Kevin Carlow, Melissa Daniels, Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Clay Jones, Matt Jones, Matt King, Keith Knight, Kay Kudukis, Cat Makino, Brett Newton, Greg Niemann, Dan Perkins, Theresa Sama, Maria Sestito, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor

The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month. All content is ©2023 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $5 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors

The Independent is a proud member and/ or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, CalMatters, DAP Health, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, and the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

I absolutely love our print edition—but I am often frustrated by its limitations.

In an ideal world, each issue would be about 50 percent larger. We’d be able to run more stories (that can already be found on our website), and we could better supplement our articles with more photos and illustrations.

But, alas, that’s just not possible. Printing and distributing these newspapers costs more than it ever has—about 35 percent more than it did at the start of 2022—and there’s not enough money coming in to afford 48 or 56 pages (except for very rare occasions). Heck, there’s barely enough to pay for the 32 or 40 pages and 16,000 copies we’re doing now.

This month, I am especially frustrated, as there’s a pretty significant news story that we don’t have the space to run (in part because it’s 4,600 words long)—so instead, I’ll mention it here, and point you to CVIndependent.com to read it.

The piece, by Kevin Fitzgerald, tells the story of former Riverside County Sheriff’s Lt. Sam Flores. He has been indicted—with colleagues Sgt. Robert Christolon and Deputy Kevin Carpenter, and Cody Close, the owner of a towing company—on charges including bribery, conspiracy to commit a crime and unlawful computer-network access.

As staff writer Kevin Fitzgerald writes: “Flores has been vilified, terminated and driven toward financial ruin—and he claims that not only is he wrongly accused; he says he is being framed.”

For the piece, Kevin talked extensively to Flores, his legal team, and honorably retired RCSD Capt. John Morin—who backs up Flores’ claim. The story is too complex to properly summarize in the space we have here, but trust me, it’s worth a read.

As of this writing, Flores’ criminal trial was scheduled to begin between March 28 and April 11, so we’ll know more about this story very soon. We’ll definitely be providing updates at CVIndependent.com … and hopefully in print, too.

As for this print edition, there’s all sorts of great journalism herein—including Matt King’s preview coverage of those music festivals happening in Indio. He interviewed eight Coachella artists and one Stagecoach band; you can find all of that starting on Page 24.

In our news section, you’ll find stories about the contentious Palm Desert cityelection redistricting process; the epidemic of isolation and loneliness among Coachella Valley seniors; and Maria Sestito’s piece explaining how medical residencies are helping with the Coachella Valley’s severe doctor shortage—even though a lot more needs to be done.

I’ve just scratched the surface of what’s in this print edition. Even though we couldn’t fit in everything we wanted, we managed to get a lot of great coverage into these 40 pages.

Welcome to the April 2023 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent—our annual Music Issue.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com

OPINION OPINION

THE GIRL CLUB

BY KAY KUDUKIS

The first thing Karina Andalon wanted to be when she grew up was a professional singer. Her friends, she says, dissuaded her of that notion.

In my generation, that conversation would have gone like this:

Classmate: “What’d you do with the money?”

Car karaoke enthusiast: “What money?”

Classmate: “The money your parents gave you for singing lessons.”

OK, boomer. As much as I hate that phrase, we boomers were mean teens. We didn’t start the “mean girl” trope; it was even explored on Little House on the Prairie. (I’m talking to you, Nellie). Neither did we perfect it; that was Gen X (Mean Girls). But we did use our words to maim,

shame and embarrass.

Anyway, back to Andalon, who is 22 and therefore part of Generation Z (aka a zoomer). Even as she relates the reality of her childhood dream, it is with a laugh of selfrecognition. Generation Z is a very different animal.

A Stanford University study: They are pragmatic and value direct communication, authenticity and relevance.

Did her mom have a vision for her to be an activist when she drove from Mexicali, Mexico, to Indio for her wellness checkups and to give birth to Andalon? Who knows. We do know she wanted her daughter to have something she could never have: naturalized American citizenship, and a chance at what we call “the American dream.”

They couldn’t afford to live in Indio, so Mexicali was Andalon’s home until third grade, when the family of four moved to Compton and into a converted garage. It was cramped, so after Andalon graduated from sixth grade, they moved to Thermal, on the eastern edge of the Coachella Valley. It’s an unincorporated community rich with agriculture: citrus orchards, winter vegetables and date palms. Almost everyone there is Hispanic; most are foreign-born and economically disadvantaged.

believe teenagers and college-aged people influence how we create change.

As a student member of YO-C (Alianza’s Youth Organizing Council), Andalon advocated for and gave speeches promoting positive school climate (engagement, safety and environment), the Salton Sea (restoring and sustaining), and many other issues relevant to the eastern Coachella Valley.

“Canvassing to get the vote out was actually something we did through action,” Andalon says, distinguishing soapboxing from having grassroots “feet on the ground.” She recalls one man who, at the end of their conversation, promised her that not only would he vote; he would also encourage his friends and neighbors to do so as well.

Awarded Best AC Repair Company

With four years as part of YO-C, Andalon graduated from Desert Mirage High School. She spent one quarter at the University of California, Irvine, but the cost was oppressive. (A quick check on their website shows that a California resident would pay $16,522.86 per school year to attend.)

“I returned to College of the Desert and did my associate’s in psychology and political science, then transferred to UC Riverside and did my public policy major,” she says.

She graduated with a degree in public policy, with economic and urban/ environmental policy concentrations, and how she’s back with Alianza as a full-time youth coordinator.

“I’ve come full circle,” Andalon says with a laugh.

And this is where we buckle up, because she’s accomplished a lot more than those degrees. She’s organized youth groups in counties across California with Líderes Campesinas. She’s on the AB 617 Community Steering Committee, a Coachella Valley clean air/environment initiative. She’s been part of a youth committee with Loma Linda University Health that reaches out to the eastern Coachella Valley to provide

necessary health resources. With YO-C, she did everything from give speeches to emcee at The Hue music festival. She was part of a community task force that made suggestions to the county on how to disperse CARES Act funds. I could go on and on, really.

She recently got the materials to study for the LSAT, but she wants to make sure she spends her education money wisely, so she’s still thinking on it.

For eight years, Andalon has been using her voice to uplift others, which more than qualifies her for badass status—but she is also a girl zoomer, and that’s a new badass breed of human.

They are unified and unstoppable. They also don’t look on my generation fondly, and honestly? I’m kinda cringy about us, too. Our excesses created landfills full of fast fashion, and floating junk islands the size of Texas. Gen Z’s inheritance will be a family home badly in need of renovations. And socially? We’re a disaster.

But Z has what Lou Grant called spunk; he hated spunk, but I’m here for it.

On social media, Z is vaunted as the “fuck around and find out” generation. It’s my new favorite reality show.

Statistics like those would eventually motivate Andalon to get involved in her community. But when she was a 14-year-old girl in class listening to a youth organizer from Alianza—a nonprofit with a mission to “transform the socio-economic conditions of the Coachella Valley so that people in all communities have opportunities to prosper”—she was motivated by something else: pity. That poor guy pitched his heart out to the class, and no one signed up.

So she did. Victor Gonzalez became her mentor.

BBC.com: Research shows that Gen Z’s passion for change is revitalising the generations above them too, with the trickle-up effect hard to ignore. Globally, 52% of people of all generations

Meet Karina Andalon, a Gen Z badass working to make the lives of Coachella Valley residents better

Karina Andalon emcees at The Hue Music and Arts Festival.

HIKING WITH T

BY THERESA SAMA

Last month, I pondered whether we’d have a full-blown super bloom this spring. While that’s yet to fully be determined, there are plenty of nearby places where people can see beautiful wildflowers right now.

We are starting to see blooms around Joshua Tree National Park, mainly around the Pinto Basin and Cottonwood Springs area, near the south entrance—and the Joshua trees are flowering throughout the park and beyond. It’s definitely a great time to drive through the park, with frequent stops to stretch your legs and take some beautiful pictures.

We know that Walker Canyon will be closed to visitors this year, but another great place to see a colorful display of desert wildflowers is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. I’m hearing that

a 2023 super bloom is unlikely, but there are still many beautiful blooms to enjoy throughout the park and the entire Anza-Borrego area. While I haven’t made it to Anza-Borrego yet this wildflower season, I hear there is quite a spectacular viewing of colors. Another top spot for a spectacular wildflowers, if you don’t mind a five-hour drive, is Death Valley. Located near the Nevada border, Death Valley is known for its rich terrain and impeccable hiking trails.

According to the latest wildflower update from the National Park Service in Death Valley, a good wildflower year depends on at least three things: well-spaced rainfall throughout the fall, winter and spring; sufficient warmth from the sun; and a lack of drying winds. The report then addresses the question of whether there will be a super bloom this year. “The short answer—nope! Generally, super blooms are preceded by fall/winter rains, which we did not receive.

Sprouts of many wildflower species have been seen popping up on alluvial fans, in washes and around Furnace Creek Visitor Center, but we have not seen widespread germination that would indicate a super bloom.”

I’ll mention two more great places to see amazing desert wildflowers—both of which offer fields of orange poppies mixed with colorful yellow and purple wildflowers. One is the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Located near Lancaster, it’s about a 2 1/2-hour drive from the Coachella Valley. The other is Chino Hills State Park, about a 90-minute drive from the Coachella Valley.

In many areas, the blooms seem to be somewhat sporadic, nothing like carpets of wildflowers that we had during the 2019 super bloom. I have taken some drives recently toward Los Angeles and San Diego, and I’ve noticed a lot of color, but in spotty patches along the hillsides. Some places I’ve seen flowers include the San Dimas area; south

along Interstate 15; and around Highway 76 from the Fallbrook area to the coast.

Closer to home: As of this writing, if you drive up Indian Canyon north of Interstate 10, it looks like a yellow carpet of desert dandelion wildflowers. It’s beautiful, and this area is far from unique: Most trails in and around the Coachella Valley are popping with wildflowers right now. Get out there and see for yourself.

It’s not just beautiful wildflowers that are emerging with the arrival of springtime; wildlife including tarantulas, the horned toad and many types of lizards and snakes have emerged from hibernation and brumation. Keep your eyes open while out on the desert trails, especially for rattlesnakes. They are out and moving about!

You may even see a desert tortoise out for a stroll this time of year. Whether you’re taking a drive through Joshua Tree National Park or out on a trail, keep your eyes open for them. If you’re fortunate enough to see one, remember to keep your distance—and never pick up a desert tortoise. Also, it’s lambing season, so you might see some of the endangered peninsular bighorn sheep with their young. Again, no matter what wild creature you see, be respectful by keeping adequate space: Admire them from a distance so you don’t disturb them or harm them in any way.

Spring also brings some special events— including, this year, the return of Desert X! It’s a free event and is certainly a must-see, must-experience adventure, featuring socially and environmentally themed art installations scattered throughout the Coachella Valley through May 7. You can literally spend the entire day driving around the desert viewing the different art exhibits created by artists all over the world. Find a map at desertx.org/ visit/map.

Finally, every April 22 is Earth Day, which is also the first day of National Park Week (April 22 to April 30), and a free entrance day at participating national parks, including Joshua Tree National Park.

What will you do to show your appreciation for our beautiful planet? Step outside, and put your feet in the rich soil? Go for a hike or a bike ride? Go birding; plant a tree; or help clean up waste? Options are endless to show our support for our planet and help to protect it. Let’s bring awareness on Earth Day to environmental issues that our planet faces—and help to promote solutions for a sustainable future.

Springtime has brought wildflowers, awakening animals, Desert X and Earth Day

Wildflowers near Redlands. Theresa Sama

DISTRICT DRAMA?

by Kevin Fitzgerald

On Election Day last November, the city of Palm Desert asked residents whether the city should continue to be organized into two voting districts—a larger one with four City Council representatives, and a smaller district with one representative—or be divided into five districts, each with its own representative.

The final tally of the advisory Measure B: 53.24% of voters chose the five-district option, while 46.76% of voters chose to maintain the two-district status quo.

At the Dec. 15 City Council session, Palm Desert resident Ralph Perry spoke out in favor of five districts.

“The people have spoken, and they want to see this happen,” Perry said. “I know this is a sensitive subject, but I think this can be approached with the idea to make this a ‘winwin’ for all, as much as possible. I hope there can be forward momentum with this on a timely basis in 2023.”

Gregg Akkerman, who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council, also spoke out in favor of five electoral districts.

“I, too, am very enthusiastic about seeing that Measure B is followed up on, and that the city move that to be a top goal to be followed up on,” he said.

At that meeting, the council established a two-person subcommittee to consider the matter, consisting of Jan Harnik, who previously said she was opposed to moving to five districts, and Karina Quintanilla, who has been in favor.

The Independent recently asked to speak to both of them about the matter. While Quintanilla did speak with us, Harnik refused and passed the request on to Mayor Kathleen Kelly for her consideration. City of Palm Desert spokesman Thomas Soule then let us know via email that Kelly “felt that it would not be appropriate to comment at this point. As you know, a subcommittee of two councilmembers was appointed to consider alternative voting systems and report back to the full council.”

The phrase “alternative voting systems” is curious, seeing as the language and results of Measure B seemed quite clear. We asked Quintanilla whether her and Harnik would be discussing whether to move to five districts, or how to move to five districts.

“It’s about how,” Quintanilla said. “I can’t speak for what Councilmember Harnik’s thoughts are, or her vision of how we accomplish this. I am looking at what other cities have done.”

Quintanilla said she’s suggested the city reach out to Paul Mitchell, who heads the company Redistricting Partners. According to the company’s website, Mitchell has conducted redistricting efforts for more

than 75 states, cities, school boards and community college districts.

“Everybody who’s going to be in the room will have their own take on how best we can proceed to get to five districts,” Quintanilla said. “That is the position that I obviously support, and although we may have different takes on how that should happen, we’ll have to find that common ground. … For me, the reason it was crucial to let the voters decide this question is that democracy works best when the largest number of people are participating.”

Another unsuccessful candidate in the 2022 Palm Desert city election, Carlos Garcia, pointed out that no council representatives lived in the north side of the city, between Country Club Drive and Interstate 10—even though that’s the part of the city where the most rapid development is taking place. We asked Quintanilla if she thought the concerns of north side residents were being nullified by the council’s slow uptake of an appropriate strategy to create a five-district solution.

“I think they have been more vocal recently, as they have been experiencing some of the growth,” Quintanilla said. “We are a city that has a lot of different components with business districts and residential (zones), and it’s important that we each have a voice and that we can be heard. That’s why I think it’s important for residents to be able to elect a person who lives in their region and who understands the issues. It’s not the same driving by a neighborhood as it is living there.”

While Measure B passed with a clear majority, it was only an advisory measure, and it’s possible the City Council could decide to keep the two-district status quo. If that happened, the only choice city residents would have to force a change is a citizenled initiative. According to Anthony Mejia, the Palm Desert city clerk, that’s quite a complicated process.

“From a high level, a citizen-led initiative must: file a notice of intention consisting of the written text of the initiative; request a ballot title and summary; cause the notice

of intention to publish, and circulate the petition to be signed by no less than 10% of the voters of the city within 180 days from the date of receipt of the ballot title and summary,” Mejia said via email. “If the petition is sufficient, the City Council may choose to adopt the ordinance with no modifications or submit the matter for a future election.”

According to Mejia, the entire initiative process would most likely take between 195 and 255 days to complete.

While Quintanilla says the subcommittee is focused on how to move to five districts, not whether to move to five districts, it

seems far from certain that the City Council will make such a move. We sent Soule this question via email: “Would you please ask the mayor directly if she will confirm that the express intent and commitment of the full City Council is to facilitate the creation of five electoral districts as requested by the voters in the city prior to the next general election in 2024?”

Mr. Soule responded via email: “Here is Mayor Kelly’s answer: We cannot make any statements about how the full council will respond to the voters’ preference until the matter comes before the full council for discussion. That is the essential process.”

Palm Desert voters said they wanted to move to a five-district system—but it’s not clear the City Council will listen

Palm Desert moved to a district-based voting system in order to settle a lawsuit—but the system, which puts 80 percent of the city into one huge district, is quite unusual.

ENDING ISOLATION

by Kevin Fitzgerald

As Bette Davis purportedly once said, “Getting old is not for sissies.” And in some ways, it’s getting more difficult.

According to ConsumerAffairs.com, 60% of U.S. men and 71% of women over the age of 65 feel more lonely now than before the pandemic. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 32 percent of Coachella Valley residents are 60 years of age or older—a higher percentage than both Riverside County and the state of California as a whole—meaning there are a lot of lonely people living along us.

This was the topic of a recent panel discussion at the Cal State San Bernadino-Palm Desert

campus, “Reducing Isolation Among Our Older Friends and Neighbors,” organized by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).

Angela Allen, OLLI’s executive director, chaired the session, and opened it by telling the audience: “Here on this campus, there’s been a dramatic drop-off in in-person attendance at our OLLI classes, events and travel. In fact, (at) the 125 Osher Lifelong Learning Centers at different universities across the country, we’ve all noticed about a 30% drop in membership, and in attendance at our events. So it made me start to wonder what was really going on.”

She recounted a recent conversation she had with her geriatric specialist. She asked her doctor if he’d noticed anything out of the ordinary with his patients of late. He quickly replied that they are all experiencing dramatic loneliness.

“Recently we had an event here,” Allen said, “and I asked one of our former OLLI members why she hadn’t come back to campus. … She said, ‘You know, Angela, it’s just so hard to come. And it was just so easy to stay home.’ So all of these things made me start thinking: Is there something going on here? Is there some kind of a syndrome, a group of symptoms that are going on? There’s fear, depression and loneliness that seem to be (affecting) our senior population.”

Beth Jaworski, the executive director of Health Counseling and Wellness at CSUSB’s main campus, also participated in the panel.

“Loneliness and social isolation really were the result of COVID for many individuals,” Jaworski said. “Also, it often became the antecedent, or the cause, of other issues psychologically and emotionally, things like anxiety and worry, depression and low energy. You used to get up at 6 or 7 a.m. and be ready to go—and then it became 9 o’clock, and the alarm’s going off, and you still don’t feel like you’re ready to get out of bed.”

Jaworski noted that people began interpreting situations negatively. “I can’t tell you how many conversations I had, particularly with seniors, about the contact they were having with family members over

What can be done to

the phone, or in some other way, where small things became huge. They were interpreted in very large ways.”

Another panel participant, Kristina Hash, a professor at the School of Social Work at West Virginia University, expressed disappointment at the way people seemed to become more selfcentered.

“At one point in the pandemic, there was an underlying message that we might have to sacrifice some older people for our economy,” Hash said. “That wasn’t outwardly said, but to me, it kind of felt that way.”

As people began staying in their homes, that isolation led to consequences.

“Usually, you have loneliness and isolation sort of linked together—and the problem with that is they can lead to premature death,” Hash said. “Behaviors like inactivity, smoking, drinking or poor diets can lead to heart disease or even cognitive decline. Also, loneliness and isolation can increase the risk for scams and fraud. Fraud (targeting) older adults is becoming more and more of a problem.”

ConsumerAffairs.com expands on that topic, stating: “The health effects of loneliness are nearly equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness has even been estimated to shorten a person’s life span by as much as 15 years. … Loneliness may also increase the risks of serious health conditions such as dementia (by 50%), stroke (by 32%), heart disease (by 29%), mental health disorders (by 26%) and premature mortality (by 26%), according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.”

Is it possible for older adults to self-evaluate their “social health” in an attempt to ascertain if they’re experiencing symptoms of social isolation and loneliness? Eric Vogelsang, director of the Center on Aging at CSUSB, was also a panel participant. In a subsequent interview, I asked him that very question.

“Certainly, the number of close relationships one has, incorporating both a quantity and quality component,” could be an indicator, Vogelsang said. “Also, do you trust others, and do you feel that you can count on them?

That’s usually one of the questions that I’ll ask people. Close family relationships are important, as are close ties or relationships with non-family members. … Also, being socially active is important for older adults. That could mean going out to lunch with your best friend, but also, it could include being part of a club, or community center, or an exercise group. Even if those people aren’t your best friends, it is still a way to stay socially engaged with others in the community.”

Does that mean seniors should push themselves to get out into the world more— even in the face of COVID-19 and influenza spikes, as the valley experienced recently?

“Everyone is different,” Vogelsang said. “Some seniors might be more immunocompromised than others. Certainly, some seniors may have a different vaccination status. It’s certainly worthwhile to talk to your physician. … But that said, for the vast majority of seniors who are vaccinated and do not have major health concerns, it should be one of their priorities to become, or remain, socially engaged.”

At the panel, Jaworski said people who have been afraid to get out more should not feel bad about that fear.

“Normalizing the experience and not judging yourself is good—not kicking yourself for what you haven’t done: ‘I missed that OLLI program. I haven’t talked to Angela in three months. I’m uncomfortable about coming back. I don’t really know how to interact,’” Jaworski said. “Don’t judge yourself. Again, everyone has gone through very challenging times and experiences.

“But while not judging yourself, it’s still important to self-examine. In order to change a behavior, you need to know what you’re doing. What’s the behavior you’re engaging in, and what would you like to change? Are you wanting to dip your toe in the water and do something pretty briefly? Do you want to go out in the community and walk in nature? Nature is wonderfully restorative for us. Also, it’s a way to interact with others while doing an activity so you don’t necessarily have to be face-to-face at a table and feel social pressure. It’s a way to interact like you did before the pandemic, when you felt more comfortable.”

Jaworski said seniors battling isolation need to set reasonable and attainable goals. “After each activity, you want to take time to self-assess. How did you feel during it? How did you feel getting ready to go? How did you feel afterward? And don’t expect it’s going to be 100% positive every time. So you may have

Beth Jaworski, the executive director of Health Counseling and Wellness at CSUSB: “Loneliness and social isolation really were the result of COVID for many individuals. … You used to get up at 6 or 7 a.m. and be ready to go—and then it became 9 o’clock, and the alarm’s going off, and you still don’t feel like you’re ready to get out of bed.”

felt kind of anxious. You may have felt tired. These are things you may not have experienced previously—but this is part of getting back into it. It’s kind of like learning to ride a bike again.”

I asked Vogelsang what friends and family members can do to help seniors cope with the challenges of loneliness and isolation.

“There are two things,” he said. “One is to make it a point to participate in an activity with them regularly, and preferably outside of the house. Also, I’d say that the same individual could help find a social activity for that older adult that doesn’t need to include a friend or family member. … Maybe a friend or family member could help by driving them to some activity. Even if you just start with one activity, that’s helpful.”

help Coachella Valley seniors as they struggle with pandemic-caused loneliness?

CIVIC SOLUTIONS

by Maria sestito

When the UC Riverside School of Medicine opened its doors 10 years ago, its mission was two-fold: to give more opportunities to students in the Inland Empire, and to increase the region’s healthcare workforce. The school’s residency program started soon after, affiliating with local hospitals including Desert Regional Medical Center and Eisenhower Medical Center.

The programs have seen success, pulling some locals into the field and convincing some residents to stay beyond their programs—but this isn’t enough to meaningfully address the area’s physician shortage.

It can take a decade or longer to train a new physician, and despite increased enrollment in medical schools, there’s a serious supply-and-demand issue, especially in our region.

“It’s kind of the perfect storm, where we have this big bubble population (baby boomers) that is reaching retirement age,” said Dr. Alan Williamson, chief medical officer at Eisenhower Health.

With the aging population, he said, comes more specialized care needs. One other problem: A lot of physicians who are baby boomers are retiring. The COVID-19 pandemic also led many doctors to retire earlier than they’d initially planned.

Nearly 45% of residents in the Coachella Valley are in their 60s or older, according to a report released Feb. 28 by Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC), a nonprofit based in Palm Desert.

So, as Williamson put it: The numbers don’t match.

“We have more patients, and we have fewer providers,” he said.

In its latest report, HARC found that the No. 1 barrier to care in the Coachella Valley is the length of time it takes to get an appointment. Some residents wait months to be seen for annual exams and screenings, as well as for specialty care—if they can get an appointment at all.

I’ve had this experience. I moved from the Bay Area to the desert in June 2020, but it took me until December 2022 to find a primary care physician who met my minimal requirements: 1) take my insurance; 2) be accepting new patients; and 3) be somewhat responsive.

Before making the initial appointment, I was warned that I wouldn’t ever see the physician who was technically my doctor; instead, I’d be seeing residents he was overseeing. Desperate for an appointment, I took what they had—and I’m glad I did. I went in with a list of things to go over, and the resident took his time making sure my questions were answered. I didn’t feel rushed,

judged or shamed. When we went over my lab results a few weeks later, he answered all my questions. (I’m a journalist, so I tend to ask a lot of questions.)

It wasn’t until I started this piece that I realized he is part of the Desert Regional Family Medicine Residency Program. I scrolled through the list of current residents, and most are from California, if not the Coachella Valley, although Bermuda Dunes, Palm Desert and La Quinta are represented. The residents are mostly women and/or people of color. All this is promising.

Eisenhower currently has 120 residents training in internal medicine, family medicine and emergency medicine. The hope is that many of these residents will stay on to work at Eisenhower, or at least stay in the Coachella Valley.

“Over 25% of our residents do stay here at Eisenhower,” Williamson said. That doesn’t count residents who find work elsewhere in the valley or those who return later in their careers.

Residents often end up staying in the area where their training was completed, because they’ve already spent years building a life in the area, said Dr. Asma Jafri, family physician and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UC Riverside.

Alternatively, they may end up close to where they went to high school or move to be with a partner, Jafri said. Women are more likely to stay closer to home than men, and people with minority backgrounds are more likely to work with underserved communities. This is why Jafri, who oversees the residency program, went into medicine in the first place—to work with underserved populations.

“My underlying mission was to take care of patients who otherwise wouldn’t be cared for,” Jafri said.

In order to meet its goals, the UC Riverside Medical School considers applicants’ ties to the region and diversity, Jafri said. During the 2021-2022 academic year, the school had 328 medical students, and 46% of them

had ties to the Inland Empire; 37% were underrepresented in medicine; and 31% were the first in their families to finish college.

The school had 104 students completing their residencies last year: 24 in family medicine, 50 in internal medicine, and 30 in psychiatry, according to UC Riverside data. Another 27 completed fellowships in internal medicine, psychiatry and Ob/Gyn care.

Nearly 40% of this past year’s graduates are staying in the area for their residencies, with 80% remaining in Southern California.

California as a whole has fewer physicians than it should for its population size, and the Inland Empire has had some of the worst shortages in the state. Getting local young people interested in going into healthcare is a great long-term solution, and the Future Physician Leaders program at UC Riverside offers mentorship for young people who may be interested in entering the field. Additionally, career pathways at local high schools, such as topic-specific academies, help introduce students to the idea of healthcare as a career.

But more could be done to attract new and experienced physicians to the area.

Jafri said there are loan-forgiveness and grant programs for those who practice in

certain fields (including primary care) or in rural areas. These incentives are necessary, because young doctors are more inclined to go where the majority of the population is—and where the money is—along the coast and in major metropolitan areas.

However, lifestyle is also an important factor when residents are considering where to practice. Less traffic and the lower cost of housing are two pros to living outside of a city like Los Angeles. Practicing outside of a large city may have other benefits, too. A pilot study out of South Dakota indicated that burnout may be less likely for family physicians practicing in rural areas than those practicing in larger metro areas.

Williamson credits Eisenhower’s higherthan-average resident retention rate, in part, to this.

“I think they enjoy working here. They appreciate it’s a quality institution; they’ve got a lot of great support from their faculty who are going to become, now, their colleagues,” Williamson said.

“And they’ve gotten used to the Coachella Valley lifestyle, which for many of us is very appealing—as long as we’re not talking about August and September.”

Medical residency programs are bringing doctors to the Coachella Valley—but more needs to be done

Dr. Asma Jafri, family physician and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UC Riverside: “My underlying mission was to take care of patients who otherwise wouldn’t be cared for.” UCR Health

We are pleased to announce the opening of the Anne and Kirk Douglas Breast Center in our Eisenhower Health Center at Sunrise. As part of Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center, the facility delivers outpatient screening mammography and bone density screenings by appointment.

Our new Palm Springs Breast Center uses the same 3D digital tomosynthesis mammography equipment found at our Rancho Mirage and La Quinta locations.

• Screening mammography

~ Advanced equipment that performs exams faster and uses 60 percent less radiation

~ Computer-aided detection (CAD) software that improves accuracy

• Bone density screening

~ Specialized mammography radiologists who are dedicated to breast health and truly understand the concerns and needs of women

• Streamlined scheduling and registration to reduce wait time

Learn more or schedule your mammogram by calling 760-773-4338.

S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs EisenhowerHealth.org/Breast

CV HISTORY

by Greg Niemann

Abronze plaque at the Downtown Park in Palm Springs commemorates the former site of the Desert Inn, an historic hotel established by Nellie Coffman. Coffman—ill and seeking the healthful properties of the desert air—arrived in Palm Springs in December 1908, with her husband and older son. The arrived following a long drought, when only about 10 white settlers and about 50 Native Americans remained. As she improved, Nellie and her husband, Dr. Harry Lee Coffman, decided to establish a hotel and “sanatorium” to treat people suffering from pulmonary ailments. Harry gave up his medical practice so he and Nellie could realize their dreams.

They bought 1 3/4 acres across the road from Welwood Murray’s hotel for about $2,000 down. Family members today say they paid about $10,000 for the property. It included a house that was originally the vacation home of a wealthy San Francisco widow, Eleanor Martin, who left permanently during the drought. The house featured a thick granite fireplace and included stables in back. The property was bought from the wife of a San Diego businessman, Mrs. McKenzie, in September 1909.

On Oct. 16, 1909, Nellie hung a printed sign on the wooden porch post out front. It said simply, “The Desert Inn.”

The Coffmans also bought Lavinia Crocker’s Green Gables Health Resort, which consisted of a home and some tent houses located to the west of the property; they soon had an additional 35 acres. Nellie brought in more tent houses, made of canvas and wood, from Los Angeles for $85 each.

Born in Illinois in 1867 to James and Ruth Orr, Nellie Norton Orr had a younger brother and two sisters. Her father became manager of a Dallas hotel, so the family moved to Texas when Nellie was 10 years old.

Nellie married George Ball Roberson in 1887; he died in a fire before their son, George, was born on July 5, 1888. Her parents and siblings had moved to California, where they became neighbors of Charles Alan Coffman. The Orrs soon got into the hotel business in Santa Monica. Nellie and her son soon followed—and she became enamored with Coffman’s son, Harry. Nellie and Harry Coffman were married on March 5, 1891; their son, Owen Earl Coffman, was born on March 28, 1892.

With her parents’ hotel experience and Harry’s medical experience, the move to establish The Desert Inn seemed sound. They added rooms and permanent guest accommodations, making it a true hotel. The Coffmans were highly regarded by the community and employed many members of the Agua Caliente.

In 1914, Fanny Stevenson, widow of

famed author Robert Louis Stevenson, spent some time at The Desert Inn and wrote a letter about it to an English friend, part of which reads: “There is, also, a climate of extraordinary purity and dryness, and almost no rain or wind. Wonderful cures of tuberculosis have taken place here; one of the former patients I know very well; he was considered a hopeless case, and is now perfectly well. If I had only known of Palm Springs in my Louis’ time! ... I came here partly for asthma, and partly to recover from a bad attack of influenza. The influenza is gone; the asthma is nonexistent, but I plan to stay for another month.”

While Nellie’s husband was instrumental in the development of The Desert Inn as a sanatorium, it was Nellie’s foresight that turned it into a world-class resort. According to Marjorie Belle Bright in her 1981 book Nellie’s Boardinghouse, various little things eroded the Coffmans’ marriage, and they legally terminated it in 1917.

Harry was the first practicing physician in Palm Springs. He went on to practice medicine in Calexico and later had a ranch in Cherry Valley. He died in 1935 while treating patients in Alpine, San Diego County. He was buried in the Welwood Murray Cemetery.

Both of Nellie’s sons served in World War I, leaving Nellie to manage the hotel. She was aided by her double niece, “Pat” Helen Ruth Coffman (daughter of Nellie’s sister Edna, and Harry’s brother Edgar). One of Nellie’s great granddaughters, Kitty Kieley Hayes, reported, “Granny (Nellie) never forgot, and Pat received the first bequeathment from Granny’s estate.”

When the sons returned from the war, the family set up The Desert Inn in corporate form with Nellie as president, George as vice president, and Earl as secretary-treasurer.

Los Angeles doctors began sending flu patients to The Desert Inn to escape contagion during the 1918 influenza epidemic, and not a single case was reported in Palm Springs. Still, by 1920, Nellie had stopped encouraging patients for respiratory and pulmonary ailments from coming.

The tent houses were gradually replaced by comfortable wooden bungalows with screened porches.

Nellie borrowed money to expand and change the hotel. By 1928, with the help of architect Charles Tanner, the inn featured Mission Revival-style guesthouses amid a beautiful 35-acre garden. The new main building featured a large, inviting lobby, an intimate bar and an expansive porch. The first swimming pool in the desert, originally a reservoir, opened at The Desert Inn in the early 1920s. Guests were later offered golf privileges at the newly built O’Donnell Golf Course behind the property. The Palm Springs “season” revolved around the opening of The Desert Inn on Oct. 1, and its closing on May 1 each year.

A social director was hired, and the guest list reads like a who’s-who of the times. W.K. Kellogg, King Gillette, John Ford and film idol Rudolph Valentino were among the many early guests. UPS founder Jim Casey and his family were frequent visitors. J.C. Penney stayed there, as did the Heinz family; Mrs. Heinz passed out pins shaped like small pickles. Montie Montana actually rode his horse into the lobby and lassoed some of the guests. The only person allowed to bring his dog was Lee Duncan; the dog was Rin Tin Tin.

Nellie had high moral standards. A movie star once brought a female companion who was not his wife, and the pair was asked to leave. She expected her guests to dress fittingly for dinner in the De Anza Room, which featured candles, white linen and a string trio.

Nellie became involved in many community efforts. She served on the school board for more than 20 years. In 1939, a school opened that, against her protests, was named in her honor. She was a dynamo in helping those who were unfortunate, making sure that all of the people, regardless of their background or heritage, had food and blankets. She founded the Palm Springs Welfare and Friendly Aid, which eventually became the local United Way.

The cuisine at The Desert Inn became widely known and respected; Nellie was a good cook and liked to wear an apron and a large bonnet. She was sought after as a speaker and addressed many Southern California groups talking about “Hotel Keeping.” In a 1946 address, she commented, “When my time on Earth comes to a close, and I stand at the Pearly Gate, I’m going to ask the gatekeeper if I can start a boardinghouse in the sky.”

In recognition of their “Patron saint,”

the city of Palm Springs threw an 80th birthday party for Nellie Coffman on Nov. 1, 1947. A caption in The Desert Sun noted: “Village Mother, Nellie Coffman, founder of The Desert Inn, acclaimed the mother of Palm Springs … will be honored on her 80th birthday tomorrow in the form of an oldfashioned picnic.”

Nellie died three years later, in 1950, and was buried in the Welwood Murray Cemetery. Earl, who died in 1967, and George, in 1968, are buried nearby.

Her sons sold The Desert Inn in 1955 to Marion Davies, who was long associated with William Randolph Hearst. It was later town down, with the Desert Fashion Plaza occupying the block on Palm Canyon Drive north of Tahquitz Canyon Way.

Sources for this article include personal input from Elizabeth Coffman Kieley, daughter of Owen Earl Coffman, and her daughter, Kitty Kieley Hayes, who also reviewed a version of this story in 2006. Others include Nellie’s Boardinghouse by Marjorie Belle Bright (ETC Publications, 1981); Palm Springs: First 100 Years by Mayor Frank M. Bogert (Palm Springs Heritage Associates, 1987); and The McCallum Saga: The Story of the Founding of Palm Springs, by Katherine Ainsworth, (Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1973).

Nellie Coffman, founder of The Desert Inn, is often considered the ‘Mother’ of Palm Springs

Shirley Temple with Nellie Coffman. Courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society

APRIL ASTRONOMY

By Robert Victor

Throughout April, brilliant Venus and slowly fading Mars put on a grand show, moving against a rich background of stars of two adjacent zodiac constellations, Taurus and Gemini. Venus gleams at magnitude -4 in the western sky at dusk. Mars appears to the upper left of Venus, by 44° on April 1. Venus is now moving just more than one degree daily against the stars, compared to Mars’ more than half a degree, so the gap between them is closing, to 35° by April 15, and 26° at month’s end.

Mars glows at magnitude +0.9 to +1.4, comparable to Gemini’s bright “Twin” stars, Pollux at magnitude +1.1, and Castor at +1.6, just 4.5° apart.

Another bright planet, Mercury, has its best evening apparition of this year. Look low in west to

west-northwest, 22° to the lower right of Venus, on April 1, holding at 20° during April 5-13, and reopening to 22° on April 16. Mercury starts off bright, at magnitude -1.0 on April 1, but fades to 0.0 by April 10, +0.9 on April 16, and +1.9 by April 20, when Mercury is low in bright twilight, 26° to the lower right of Venus.

The brightest star in the evening sky—not as bright as Venus—is Sirius, the Dog Star, in the southwestern quadrant. Confirm your identification by noting that the Belt of Orion points to it. Extend the belt in the opposite direction, passing just below Aldebaran, eye of Taurus, to reach the beautiful Pleiades star cluster.

Evening and morning events involving planets, stars and the moon:

April 1 at dusk: Regulus, heart of Leo, the Lion, appears within 6° to the lower right of the gibbous moon, 85 percent full. During April 1-5, Mars passes within 3° north of third-magnitude stars Eta and Mu in Gemini, marking one foot of Castor.

April 5 at dusk: Spica, the spike of grain in the hand of Virgo, has just risen in the eastsoutheast, within 9° below the full moon.

April 6 at dawn: Spica, in the west-southwest, is 5° to the left of the full moon. The two brightest stars at dawn are Arcturus, high in the west, 33° to the upper right of Spica; and Vega, not far east/east-northeast of overhead.

April 6 at dusk: Spica appears within 6° to the upper right of the rising 99 percent moon, just past full.

April 7 at dawn: Spica appears 9° to the lower right of the 98 percent waning gibbous moon. Instead of waiting later each night until moonrise, we can follow the moon daily in the morning sky.

April 9 at dawn: Antares, heart of the Scorpion, is within 11° to the upper left of the 88 percent waning gibbous moon.

April 9-12 at dusk: Venus passes about 3° south of the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) star cluster. A splendid view through binoculars!

April 10 at dawn: Antares is 3° to the lower

right of the 80 percent moon.

April 11 at dusk: Mercury reaches greatest elongation, 19.5°, from the sun. Also, Mercury attains its greatest altitude above the horizon at mid-twilight for this apparition—and for anytime this year, 10° up, when the sun is 9° below the horizon.

April 13 and 14 at dusk: Mars is very close to third-magnitude Epsilon in Gemini.

Night of April 13-14: Spica is at opposition, as Earth passes between that star and the sun. Look for Spica low in the east-southeast at dusk, high in the south in the middle of night, and low in the west-southwest at dawn.

April 15 at dawn: Saturn is in the eastsoutheast, 11° to the left of the 26 percent crescent moon. During April, Saturn’s rings are tipped only 9° to 8° from edge-on, our narrowest view since 2011.

April 16 at dawn: Saturn is 6° to the upper right of the 17 percent crescent moon. The waning old crescent moon will be visible two more mornings, about 13° farther to the lower left of Saturn each time.

April 18 and 19 at dusk: Aldebaran is 7.4° south (to the lower left) of Venus. Binoculars show stars of the Hyades cluster in the same field as Aldebaran, forming with that reddish star the V-shaped head of the Bull.

April 20: The young moon is very low at evening mid-twilight. Using binoculars, try to spot the 1 percent crescent 30° to the lower right of Venus, with Mercury 4° to the moon’s upper right. Mercury is now very faint, magnitude +1.9, so both will be a challenge.

April 21 at dusk: The 5 percent crescent moon, 17° to the lower right of Venus, is much easier than last night’s moon. Using binoculars, enjoy the Pleiades 5° to the upper right of the moon, and try one last time for faint Mercury, magnitude +2.2, 10° to the moon’s lower right.

April 22 at dusk: Venus is 5° to the upper left of a 10 percent crescent moon. Mars forms an isosceles triangle with Pollux and Castor, 10° from each.

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight

For April, 2023

This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

Bright stars, brilliant Venus and fading Mars are this month’s celestial highlights

Evening mid-twilight occurs when the Sun is 9° below the horizon. Apr.1: 40 minutes after sunset. 15: 41 " " " 30: 43 " " "

April 23 at dusk: Venus is 6° below a 17 percent crescent moon.

April 25 at dusk: Mars is 3° to the lower left of a 34 percent crescent moon. The stars Pollux and Castor mark the heads of the Twins. Tonight, they appear 7-8° above the moon.

April 26 at dusk: Tonight, the moon is 43 percent full. Pollux, Castor and Mars all appear to the lower right of the moon, by 5°, 9° and nearly 12°, respectively.

April 27 at nightfall: The moon, 53 percent full, is in Cancer, the Crab, and just past first quarter phase, when it’s half full and 90 degrees east of the sun.

April 28 at dusk: Regulus, in Leo, appears 9° to the lower left of the 62 percent gibbous moon. Tomorrow night, the moon will be 71 percent full, with Regulus within 6° to its lower right.

April 29 and 30 at dusk: Mars is about 2° north of third-magnitude Delta in Gemini.

Venus passes 3° south of 1.7-magnitude Beta in Taurus (Elnath, tip of Bull’s northern horn) on April 30.

The Astronomical Society of the Desert will host a star party on Saturday, April, 22, at Sawmill Trailhead, a site in the Santa Rosa Mountains at elevation 4,000 feet; and Saturday, April 29, at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center. For maps and directions to the two sites, visit astrorx.org.

Illustrations of many of the events described here appear on the April 2023 Sky Calendar. Subscription info is available at www. abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar.

Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968 and still produces issues occasionally. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the wonders of the night sky.

Stereographic

Map by Robert D. Miller

The Nonprofit SCENE

April 2023

DO-GOODER

ADVOCATES NEEDED

By CAT MAKINO

The Roost Foundation is celebrating Easter Sunday with two special events—both of which will benefit Voices for Children.

At 10 a.m., Sunday, April 9, the Roost Lounge will host the Easter Bonnet Brunch, with a drag show starring Deja Skye; an Easter bonnet contest and parade; and an Easterbasket auction. Then at 5 p.m., the Roost will be the site of the Comedy Night Dinner Show

and Live Auction, featuring comedians Laurie Kilmartin, Jason Stuart, Mina Hartong and Nicky Paris.

The Artists Council presents its first photography show and sale, Through the Lens, through Sunday, April 23.

More than 100 photos by Artists Council members may be viewed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, at the Artists Center at the Galen, 72567 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. Gallery admission is free. For more information, call 760-565-6130, or visit artistscouncil.com.

Desert Arc, established in 1959 to provide vocational training and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will hold its 13th Annual Golf Classic Fundraiser on Monday, April 3, beginning at 11 a.m. with a barbecue lunch at Eagle Falls Golf Course at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

The event will feature a shotgun scramble format and an awards banquet dinner. Renowned architect Clive Clark designed the par 72, 6,715-yard Eagle Falls Golf Course with challenging water features for the enjoyment of all golfers who participate.

Desert Arc board member and past board chair Nancy Singer will serve as this year’s event chair, along with event emcee Brooke Beare, Emmy Award-winning journalist, board member and immediate past chair of the Desert Arc board.

“It’s so terrific to continue the legacy Desert Arc has created over the last 64 years for adults with disabilities and their families in our community,” Beare said. “The services and opportunities we are able to provide, thanks to the contributions of the players and sponsors, reflects in our uniquely comprehensive programming.”

For additional information, call 760-4041368, or visit www.desertarc.org/ golf-tournament.

—Submitted on behalf of the nonprofits by Suzanne Fromkin and Madeline Zuckerman

Voices for Children is a nonprofit organization that provides volunteer court appointed special advocates (CASAs) to children in foster care in San Diego and Riverside counties. Comedian, actor and Palm Springs resident Jason Stuart said he’s thrilled to be taking part in the Comedy Night Dinner Show.

“I love doing benefits with people in the audience who are there to support another human,” he says. “The world is overwhelming today for the youth. There is a lot of fearmongering, and many kids are feeling that we don’t have their backs. I’m doing this event because I have their back. We have to do something.”

What does this “something” mean in practice? The foster care system is overwhelmed. A social worker may juggle a caseload of 25 to 35 families, and lawyers can support up to 250 children in Riverside County, according to VFC. Because they are so overloaded, social workers and lawyers may not have enough time to gather all the information necessary to see the whole picture.

Enter court appointed special advocates (CASAs), who get to know individual children and their circumstances, and can make the case for these children in court. They have access to schools records, medical officials and anyone else involved in the child’s life. They attend the child’s court hearings and work with social workers and attorneys. VFC, the only court-designated agency to provide CASAs, gives these children voices, fights for them and can transform their lives.

“I sometimes think of a child’s coloring book when I consider the work of CASAs,” said Judge Laura Birkmeyer, of the Superior Court of San Diego County, to VFC. “The case files I receive are full of generalized reports from social workers and lawyers—they provide an outline of a child. But it is the CASA report that brings the child to life in my mind, that fills in the lines with color, making his or her personality and specific situation

The Roost Lounge is offering drag and comedy events to benefit Voices for Children

vivid, clear, and unforgettable.”

Gene Kennedy, a senior public information specialist for the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, said there are about 3,400 children in foster care in Riverside County. Children are removed from their homes and placed in the foster-care system due to abuse, neglect or abandonment—and their lives can remain challenging while in foster care.

“They normally have been placed in six foster homes during their lives,” said Brianna Miller, philanthropy manager at VFC. “We bring stability to the child. We build rapport and trust, so they feel less alone in what can be a scary situation.”

The CASA is often the one person a child can count on. Children who have been assigned CASA volunteers on average receive necessary services sooner, for a longer duration, and more consistently than those children without a CASA volunteer, according to Miller.

The good news is that with the support of caring professionals and nonprofit organizations like VFC, children who have experienced this trauma can recover. Suamhirs Piraino-Guzman, who suffered horrific physical abuse from his father, said his CASA helped change his life.

“It was the first time someone took the time to explain things to me, who cared about my education and future,” said PirainoGuzman, who is now an adult and an advocate for victims of human trafficking. “He put me back together again. He sparked a light in me—a regular person with a regular job with an extraordinary heart.”

Unfortunately, there are not enough CASAs. VFC needs more voices to speak for these children, and it’s hoped that these events will encourage more people to give their time and energy to help children in need.

“(CASAs) help them to lead healthy and successful lives,” Miller said.

The Easter Bonnet Brunch will take place at 10 a.m., Sunday, April 9; tickets are $79 for general admission, and $99 for VIP admission. The

information, visit theroostcc.com/upcoming-events.

Comedian and Palm Springs resident Jason Stuart is one of the performers at the Comedy Night Dinner Show and Live Auction. “I love doing benefits with people in the audience who are there to support another human,” he says.

Comedy Night Dinner Show and Live Auction takes place at 5 p.m., Sunday, April 9; tickets are $95 for general admission, and $120 for VIP admission. Both events take place at the Roost Lounge, 68718 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. For tickets or more

A photo by Melissa Russo.

ARTS & CULTURE

ALL ACCESS

Rubine Red Gallery shows the behind-thescenes photos of GoGo’s drummer Gina Schock

by Cat Makino

Gina Schock is best known as the drummer for the The GoGo’s—and a 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

She’s also a photographer and author, and the Rubine Red Gallery in Palm Springs will be featuring some of her limited-edition photographs and memorabilia from four decades with one of the most successful all-female bands ever. Made in Hollywood: The Photography of Gina Schock of the GoGo’s will open on Saturday, April 8, with a reception featuring Schock.

The band—which also includes Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar and vocals), Charlotte Caffey (guitar, keyboard) and Kathy Valentine (bass, guitar)—wrote their own songs

and played their own instruments, which was rare for an all-woman band when The Go-Go’s arrived on the scene in the late 1970s.

The book Made in Hollywood: All Access With the Go-Go’s, released in 2021, is Schock’s chronicle of those years. The book includes contributions from the other members of the band, along with personal photos and all sorts of stories.

“My show is real,” Schock said. “It’s true; it’s honest. Some people might find it shocking. But don’t be offended that I offend, because I’m actually a nice person.”

But it’s not all glitz and glamor. “It’s photos of everyday life behind the scenes,” said Jason Howard, owner of Rubine Red Gallery. “We see them wake up with bed hair, walking around in their sweats. They’re just like us. It’s just fun.”

Schock said she was happy that her bandmates were so supportive of Made in Hollywood.

“Everyone participated and I was really happy about that,” she said. “Kathy Valentine wrote the foreword, and the others wrote little essays as well. The photos mostly focus on the early years, with a handful from the ’90s, but mostly from ’79 to ’85.”

The book also includes pictures of David Bowie, Kate Pierson of the B-52’s, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and Jodie Foster.

“We always did well in Palm Springs,” Schock

said. “We’ve always had fans and support from the LGBTQ community, and we always worked for everyone having equal rights.”

One of her favorite memories (“There were so many that it’s hard to choose,” she said with a laugh) comes from when the band’s first single came out.

“I was driving my car around L.A. with my friend,” she said. “All of a sudden, our song ‘We Got the Beat’ came on the radio. I was so excited. It felt like we finally made it.”

Palm Springs triggers memories, too. In 1984, Schock was diagnosed with a hole in her heart, but before the operation to correct it, the GoGo’s rented a Cadillac and a Jaguar, and went to a favorite spot. She wrote in her book: “Out of all the party favors we brought with us, I was only allowed pot, Valium and mushrooms. I was really high, and we were all having fun and doing goofy stuff. It was all in typical Go-Go’s fashion.”

The Go-Go’s have been off and on over the years, most recently performing last October. The breaks have given Schock time to do other things, including caring for her elderly parents in their last years.

“I promised them that I would never leave them, and I kept my promise,” she said. “They died in my home in San Francisco.”

She co-wrote, with Ted Bruner and Trey Vittetoe, the title track of Miley Cyrus’ 2008 album, Breakout. She also co-wrote “Naturally,” recorded by Selena Gomez.

“I’m always learning more and more,” Schock said. “I will never be stuck. When some people get older, they get tunnel vision, but not me.”

Made in Hollywood: The Photography of Gina Schock of The GoGo’s will open on Saturday, April 8, with a special opening-night reception from 5 to 9 p.m.; tickets are $75. Schock will also take part in a free book-signing from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 9. The exhibit will be on display through Monday, April 24, at Rubine Red Gallery, 668 N. Palm Canyon Drive, No. 102, in Palm Springs. For tickets or more information, visit www.rubineredgallery.com/madeinhollywood.

Gina Schock and friends in Palm Springs.

ARTS & CULTURE

HEALING DRUMS

by Cat Makino

Legendary drummers Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, The Cult) and Rick Allen (Def Leppard) will host a special high-priced event at the GoodNoise Studio in Palm Springs on Saturday, April 1, to raise funds for the Raven Drum Foundation. The event will start with a healing drum circle, and will end with a live performance by the founder of the Raven Drum Foundation, Lauren Monroe, a vocalist, songwriter and healingarts educator. She started the foundation with Allen, her husband, in 2001 to support veterans, first responders and trauma survivors.

Allen himself is a survivor of PTSD. In 1984, he was in a near-fatal car accident. Trying to

pass another car at a high speed, he lost control of his Corvette and was thrown through the sunroof. His arm was caught in the seatbelt and severed from his body. Though doctors initially reattached the limb, it was later removed due to an infection. Amazingly, he started playing drums again, using a specially designed electronic drum kit. He met Monroe in 2000 and benefited from her talents as a healer and musician.

Allen was recently involved in another traumatic incident. On March 13, he was attacked outside of a Florida hotel by a 19-year-old, who ran full-speed at the 59-year-old. Allen was knocked to the ground and hit his head on the concrete. However, as of this writing, Allen was still hoping to participate in the April 1 event.

Other drummers slated to participate include Denny Seiwell (Paul McCartney and Wings), Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic) and John Lum (Allman Betts Band). Actor Fred Armisen is also participating, as is Alvin Taylor, a legendary local who has drummed with Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, Cher, Jimi Hendrix and Elton John and many others.

“It’s an amazing event to bring the community together for unity and healing,” Taylor said. “It’s time to end exclusion and bring about inclusion through an interactive drum circle with many great drummers, together with Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner, Police Chief Andrew Mills, the fire department and other officials.”

Research shows that drumming can accelerate physical healing, boost the immune system and help release emotional trauma while inducing deep relaxation.

Monroe said drum circles can be transformative.

“It’s a communal feeling of listening to each other and becoming one in the present moment,” she said. “… At a recent drum circle, I saw a veteran who sat with his arms crossed. His face didn’t move, so I didn’t know how he felt. Then when it ended, he came over to me and started to cry. He said since he was a child, he’d put up a wall around himself; it followed him during his military service. That day was the first time the wall had come down.”

Laurie Baker, the executive director of the Raven Drum Foundation, said society needs to overcome stigmas surrounding mental health.

“It’s easier than you think, and there’s no shame in raising your hand and asking for help,” she said.

Sorum, who is a Coachella Valley resident, said drumming helped him deal with issues including coming from a family of divorce.

“I realized what a great life I’ve had by playing music all around the world, and I could use my name to give back,” Sorum said. “… Drums were a savior to me in dealing with issues. I communicated through the drums.”

An Afternoon of Storytelling, Drumming and Music will take place at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 1, at Matt Sorum’s GoodNoise Studio, in Palm Springs. Admission starts at $750. To register or get more information, visit ravendrumfoundation.org.

Rick Allen and Lauren Monroe are the founders of the Raven Drum Foundation.

Numerous music legends participate in a high-cost benefit for the Raven Drum Foundation

ON COCKTAILS

BY kevin carlow

Da duh duh duh duh da duh duh … tequila!

I love tequila. I used to drink it by the bottle. A shot of reposado (or seven) and a couple of cold beers was the way I ended my night for the better part of a decade. But I have to be honest with you: I hate making tequila cocktails. After asking myself for a while why this is so, I discovered the reason: There are only, like, four good ones. Most bartenders only know the margarita; fewer can make a paloma; fewer still the Mexican firing squad and El Diablo. With all due respect to my Texas people, a ranch

water is hardly a proper cocktail and more of a delivery system. Feel free to order a tequila sunrise at a different bar, please.

Don’t get me started on tequila mules, margarita variations, random drinks with watermelon juice or muddled fruit, or the everpresent “ancho and tequila” drinks that are still on many menus. That’s not what we do in this column. I’m talking about real classics … and there have to be more, right? So I decided to scour the internet and the recesses of my mind for some “modern classics” that feature our friend from South of the Border.

I have to start with the one that made me go, “Duh.” The reason I didn’t immediately think of it is that everyone thinks of it as a mezcal cocktail: It’s the infamous Oaxacan old fashioned, invented by Phil Ward at the legendary Death and Co. in New York. What most older bartenders forget, and young ones never knew, is that it is a tequila cocktail with a little mezcal in it. Good luck finding it that way these days, however; now it’s usually just made with mezcal, for the worse. Mezcal is perhaps the most versatile spirit and lacks the body for an old fashioned on its own. This drink was so ubiquitous (and wrongly made) that it’s now sort of considered played out. It really did a lot to make mezcal the hottest thing in spirits these days, so give it a go. Here’s the recipe from Mayahuel, Ward’s bar after Death and Co., taken from Liquor.com.

1 1/2 ounces of reposado tequila

1/2 ounce of mezcal

1 barspoon of agave nectar

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Stir over a large ice cube in a double old fashioned glass; garnish with flamed orange peel. Here’s one I knew but forgot about, and I haven’t really made it often due to rarely having the ingredients. It’s the La Perla, from Tres Agaves in San Francisco, and bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout. It’s unique enough to be its own thing, which is what I am looking for here—and it’s pretty tasty, too. Good luck finding a bar with the manzanilla sherry and Poire Williams around here, though. Make it at home.

1 1/2 ounces of reposado tequila

1 1/2 ounces of manzanilla sherry

3/4 ounce of Poire Williams

Stir; strain into a chilled coupe; lemon twist. Here’s another one from the heyday of the bartending renaissance—the Yellowjacket, from the book Speakeasy, by the guys from New York’s legendary Employees Only. I am loath to make any cocktail with elderflower (we call it “ketchup” in the industry these days), but this book is, like, 20 years old and gets a pass for being “OG.”

2 ounces of reposado tequila

1 ounce of elderflower liqueur

3/4 ounce of yellow Chartreuse

1 dash of Regan’s orange bitters

Stir; coupe, lemon twist.

I haven’t made one in about 10 years— since the elderflower backlash—so maybe it’s time for a comeback.

I’m going to (sort of) finish with a cocktail that I hadn’t previously tried: the Flutter, by bartender Tony Coligniaro. This one is from 2003, and I somehow hadn’t heard of it. Here’s the recipe, adapted by me from Difford’s Guide. It’s so weird, it just has to be good, right? It is. It’s also easy to make and requires no crazy ingredients.

1 1/2 ounces of reposado tequila

3/4 ounce of coffee liqueur

1 ounce of pineapple juice

Shake; strain into a coupe; garnish with grated espresso beans.

I’ll be honest: Most of the popular tequila drinks out there are still variations or substitutions, despite my research. I’m sure I’m missing a few; feel free to let me know, but variations on classics are pretty much the

norm for all spirits these days. Here’s one fun way to tweak an espresso martini

1 ounce of añejo tequila

1 ounce of coffee liquor

1 ounce of cold brew concentrate (or espresso, even better)

Shake; strain into a coupe; garnish with a grated espresso bean.

Believe it or not, it really works.

Substituting any age of tequila for gin into a negroni (or white negroni) also works really well. You can also substitute an añejo for rye in your Manhattan for a change of pace, but it’s not probably going to be your regular tipple.

Apologies to Freddy Fudpucker, Mexican candy shooters and all of the rest. Maybe tequila doesn’t need to have a ton of bougie cocktails; the ones it has are pretty damn fun!

I still kinda hate making them, though …

Kevin Carlow can be reached at inahotdryplace@ gmail.com.

Tequila’s great, but most modern tequila drinks aren’t—so let’s go back to the classics

An Oaxacan old fashioned.

CAESAR CERVISIA

JASON

By brett newton

find myself a little paralyzed by choice—so I’m going to be hopping around different topics

If you’re relatively new to IPAs, let me explain. They used to be clear, have a malt presence, and be noticeably bitter. It brought the term “IBU” to the lips of people who never needed to know what it means, and we’re still getting over it. (IBU + International Bitterness Units; don’t worry about it unless you’re a professional brewer.) However, these beers I’ve tried so far have

that I’ve tried in a long, long time. I just hope they keep this trend going concurrently with the “California IPA” style that is hop-flavor forward.

locally available, like Beachwood Brewing’s Hops of Fury (my personal favorite when it comes to the style), El Segundo Brewing’s Power Plant and—on tap at one of the

La Quinta Brewing’s locations—Pliny the Younger. In the past, beers like this would have been very bitter experiences, although not necessarily bad ones. Now the malt and the hops share the stage, and you can have an 11% alcohol by volume beer that’s much better for the senses. Stone Brewing recently released some beers that were re-brews of old recipes like the Ruination Double IPA, and it’s some of the best stuff they’ve released

• Speaking of Stone: The Lost Abbey brewing, which moved into Stone’s original brewing space in San Marcos 17 years ago, just announced its sister company, Pizza Port Brewing, is taking over the spot, as The Lost Abbey is looking to “grow down” their production. Brandon Hernandez of SD Beer News has a much fuller write-up here, but I’m going to take a shot at summarizing what seems to be happening here: They came up against a lease renewal and didn’t want to pay the new rent. They were trying keep only a part of the current building and downsize, but they didn’t like what the property owners were going to do with the remaining suites. So, as a result, Pizza Port will be there and

will take over brewing the Port Brewing and Hop Concept brands (both separate, but tied together in some crazy way I haven’t fully explored). The Lost Abbey will move to a new location and, from what I gathered, push into other parts of the beverage market.

If you’re unfamiliar with The Lost Abbey, the brewery was doing Belgian-style ales at a time a while back when the craft beer audience was fully into it. Today, good luck finding an American-made saison. Lost Abbey is still around; they started making lagers and canning them. Their Czech and Italian pilsners were both fantastic, and co-founder and San Diego brewing legend Tomme Arthur still has his fingerprint on the brand. I am curious to see how everything shakes out in the end.

• Speaking of Italian pilsners, I wanted to share an interesting article about how they came to be a style; it’s by Kate Bernot at CraftBeer.com. (Get the link via the online version of this article at CVIndependent.com.)

To summarize, Birrifico Italiano brewed a beer called Tipopils, which inspired Firestone Walker Brewing’s Pivo Pils; several others breweries, like Modern Times, then ran with the idea. As a lover of both a good, crisp lager, and of hoppy beers, this style is hitting me just right when I find a good version. They’re essentially German-style pilsners that aggressively use European hops, and there have been some real winners around, including the aforementioned Mopeds in Milan from The Lost Abbey, Burgeon Beer’s Pergola, and Bottle Logic Brewing’s Semplicita. With temperatures climbing, keep an eye out for this style, and see what you think.

• I’ll conclude with a quick mention of a visit I took to Las Palmas Brewing a few weeks ago. Their Farmhouse IPA and Schwarzbier were both absolutely delicious, and I ended up having a pizza from a pop-up caterer there called Bella’s Pizzeria, out of El Centro. I pulled the trigger on the relatively expensive Cacio e pepe pizza after I heard one of the pizza-makers talking passionately about ingredients with a customer—and I have zero regrets.

I am very glad that Las Palmas exists and encourage you to check them out whenever you get the chance, because Sam and Rey deserve the love for what they’re doing there. We have to hold on to gems like this as much as we can, because the desert beer scene needs them.

I encourage you to send me word of any other gems in the valley so that I can check them out and share that love.

Musings on a new IPA trend, Italian pilsners, great beer at Las Palmas—and more

Our beer scribe says Las Palmas’ Farmhouse IPA is absolutely delicious. Las Palmas Facebook page

VINE SOCIAL

By Katie finn

JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO LOVE YOUR HAIR

delight, as the person thought I was going to rattle off a price much higher than what the

As the owner of a wine shop, I’m often asked to justify the cost of some wines, whether the

760-340-5959

www.jasondavidhairstudio.net

price-tag wines. Combine that with vineyard management and labor, and materials (like bottles, labels, corks and wooden shipping boxes), and you have just scratched the surface of the mega-dollars some of these cult wine

which, naturally, comes at a huge expense. This is wine that’s taking up valuable space while generating dust, not revenue. Add in the exorbitant yearly cost of the finest French oak barrels, and you can almost hear the money bleeding out. But they do this for a reason: These oak barrels create beautiful flavors of vanilla, mocha, baking spices and sweet pipe tobacco. Time brings these flavors together, helps soften the tannins, and creates a wine with a smooth and velvety mouthfeel. As Orson Welles used to say: “No wine before it’s time.”

Italy and France has made these countries really aggressive with their pricing—without sacrificing quality.

It’s like comparing an evening at The French Laundry to a dinner out at Applebee’s, because in the end, food is food.

As in any other industry—whether it’s art, restaurants, housing or cars—there are varying price points for wine that are dictated by the rarity of it, the quality of materials that go into it, and the talent that produced it. But that doesn’t always mean that the result is going to be everyone’s proverbial cup of tea.

Famous winemakers with hefty salaries, iconic estate vineyards in well-known regions, and opulent wineries with seasoned tasting room staffs are some of the obvious overhead expenses that contribute to high-

But wait … there’s more. One of the underlying price dictators of wine is time. Fewer wineries hold back wine to age it before it’s released to the public these days, so it’s not surprising that it’s also one of the things that no one really considers. In a crazy scheme to make money, wineries realized that making wine that needed to be laid down for 10-plus years before it was ready to drink was not exactly the best business strategy.

That said, some wineries still do hold back wine and age it. The great first growths of Bordeaux, grand cru Burgundies and some “cult” wineries in Napa are known to cellar their wines for years before releasing them—

When these high-profile wines are ready, they’re released with a lot of fanfare, and collectors and connoisseurs clamor to get their hands on some—the idea being that these wines are special, rare and worth the money.

So what about the value wines? How can some producers make wine for $10 or less a bottle? And how can it possibly taste good?

In the last 20 years, we have seen the rise of the “virtual winery.” Get a rented space with the equipment you need to crush, ferment and bottle your own wine, and you can have your own label. No vineyard? No problem! Most vineyards harvest more fruit than they use for their own production, which means there are a lot of grapes up for sale. Have a few extra bucks in your pocket? Great! You can afford to buy some fruit from a prestigious estate in Napa, Sonoma or Santa Barbara. A little tight on cash? Not to worry; there are plenty of grapes for sale from lesser-known areas like Clarksburg, Suisun and the Livermore Valley, or up-and-coming places like the Red Hills AVA in Lake County and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Producers in countries like Argentina, Portugal, South Africa and Spain all offer up wines at an amazing value, due to low labor costs, inexpensive land and lesser-known grape varieties. The demand for wines from

The use of French oak can be cost-prohibitive, but there are other ways for wines to see wood. American oak is much more affordable and will contribute its own distinct flavors, like coconut and dill. Even if a winemaker is deadset on using French oak but can’t afford it, there’s the option of putting French oak chips in the wine during fermentation to achieve similar flavors—without the time in expensive barrels. This means the wine can hit the market for sale in a few months, instead of years. And time is money.

So why would some of these less-expensive wines taste so good, if not better, to some consumers? In a word: sugar. When a wine is made, the yeast gobbles up the sugar from the grapes and converts it to alcohol. When some of the sugar is left in the wine, it can make the wine seem fuller-bodied than it is, and give a cheaper wine a sense of richness. And, let’s face it: Generally speaking, we Americans like our sweets. So when a wine can sneak in a little sugar and still be called “dry,” we love it!

So does this mean that all inexpensive wines are bad? No. Does this mean that all expensive wines are good? Of course not.

Just like a mom can love her child’s fingerpainting as much as a connoisseur can love her Renoir, there will never be a “one size fits all” in the wine world. There are some fantastic wines out there for less than $20 a bottle. There are some $300 wines out there for which I wouldn’t pay $50. Keep an open mind—and you’ll enjoy more wine.

Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with two decades in the wine industry. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@ gmail.com.

Why are some wines more expensive than others? How are some tasty wines so inexpensive?

the MARKET

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

WHAT The Heart Attack

By Jimmy Boegle

WHERE Otori Sushi, 68100 Ramon Road, No. A1, Cathedral City

HOW MUCH $12.95

CONTACT 760-699-5486; otorisushi.net

WHY Jalapeno popper + sushi = yum. I like jalapeno poppers. I mean, what’s not to like about jalapenos being stuffed with cream cheese and then fried?

I also like sushi. I mean, what’s not to like about properly prepared fresh fish?

It should therefore come as no surprise that I absolutely love the Heart Attack appetizer at Otori Sushi—because it’s a mashup of these two lovely things: Jalapenos are stuffed with cream cheese and a mix of fish, then lightly fried and topped with delicious sauces. Four large pieces come per order; it’s enough to be a meal for most.

Otori Sushi is known for these sorts of creative, multi-ingredient sushi concoctions. Yes, the popular Cathedral City joint offers most of the fare one would expect to find at a sushi restaurant—like nigiri, sashimi, California rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, etc.— so if you’re someone who wants the fish and seafood to stand on its own, you’ll find plenty to like.

But then there are offerings like, say, the Roller Coaster Roll. Inside, you’ll find spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and avocado; on top, there’s cucumber and fresh albacore. Then on top of that is “fried crab stick topping,” which is exactly what it sounds like: Shoestring-size crab pieces that have been heavily fried. Then all of that is topped with sauce. It’s a lot—in fact, it had a bit too much going on for the hubby and me, although the guys sitting at the table next to us gave it their enthusiastic endorsement.

The Heart Attack appetizer also had a lot going on—but not too much. In fact, it was damn near perfect.

WHAT The Santa Fe New Mexican egg rolls WHERE Cowboy Cantina, 72620 El Paseo, Palm Desert HOW MUCH $12 CONTACT 760-773-9009; cowboycantinapd.com

WHY It’s fried and meaty.

When you first walk into Cowboy Cantina—a new Southwestern restaurant that opened late last year in the space most recently occupied by Pueblo Viejo Grill—you may feel like you’re inside a chain restaurant. I mean that as a compliment: It’s nicely decorated, with a clear cowboy/Southwestern theme. But, no, it’s not a chain; it’s the brainchild of “Santa Fe

Chef” Johnny Vee, who— according to the website— wanted to bring “authentic Southwestern cuisine, old school supper club vibes, a lively bar and plenty of country music” to Palm Desert. Based on our recent dinner, it seems he’s succeeded on the Southwestern cuisine part: We enjoyed our meal, and the undisputed highlight was our Santa Fe New Mexican egg rolls appetizer.

Here’s the menu description: “Spicy chicken, corn, black beans, Hatch green chiles, onions and melted cheese, served with avocado cream and salsa.” The spicy chicken was the dominant flavor, complemented by the corn and the beans. Green chiles are one of my absolute favorite ingredients, and I would have loved for them to have more of an obvious presence—but that’s a minor complaint, because these egg rolls were indeed delicious.

Cowboy Cantina is off to a rather successful start; we went there on a Monday, and even though the place is quite large, almost all of the tables were occupied. After our dinner there, we understand the popularity. The service was good; the menus have a nice variety (ranging from chicken enchiladas mole to burgers to steaks and even pasta); and the food we had was tasty.

We’ll be back—but whether we’re there for lunch, dinner or weekend brunch, you can bet the first thing we’ll order will be the Santa Fe New Mexican egg rolls.

We’re enjoying two very different fried appetizers this month

Restaurant NEWS BITES

By charles drabkin

SAMMY’S INTERNATIONAL MEATBALL FESTIVAL LIVES ON

Last year, I wrote about the passing of Sam Pace, philanthropist and owner of Sammy’s Place. While he’s gone, his spirit lives on.

I am happy to report that the 11th annual edition of Sammy’s International Meatball Festival, which benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City, is returning, with both virtual competitions and in-person events. The in-person portion takes place from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 2, at the Boys and Girls Club, at 32141 Whispering Palms Trail, in Cathedral City.

Regular tickets are $15, with VIP tickets costing only $25; it’s a low-cost (and tasty!) way to help our community. To buy tickets, go to www.bgcccity.org/11th-annual-meatball-festival.

DAP HEALTH’S DINING OUT FOR LIFE IS SET FOR APRIL 27

Dining Out for Life, one of DAP Health’s largest annual fundraisers, is returning on Thursday, April 27.

It’s unbelievably easy to participate: All you have to do is dine at a participating restaurant, bar or coffee shop on April 27, because those places are donating 33 percent or more of the day’s sales to DAP Health.

Last year, 68 restaurants participated here in the Coachella Valley, raising $207,000. Dining Out for Life also takes place in various other communities, benefitting other HIV/AIDS service organizations, and we raise more than most major cities—including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Chicago—due to the generosity of the Coachella Valley restaurant community.

Visit diningoutforlife.com/city/palmsprings for an updated list of restaurants—and be sure to make your reservations early!

IN BRIEF

The Palm Springs Art Museum, at 101 Museum Drive, has started a new pop-up restaurant program in the sculpture garden. Thursdays through Sundays, vendors including Micha’s Soul Kitchen, Popping Off Pies and On the Mark sell their delicious eats. The museum’s decision not to renew the lease of Persimmon Bistro prompted this solution while the museum searches for a new permanent restaurant. Check out upcoming food vendors at psmuseum.org/events/food-drinks-garden. … Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City, at 68960 E Palm Canyon Drive, has created a new Chef’s Table experience. Executive chef Jonathan Wiener will create a monthly four-course meal with wine pairings at Café One Eleven. The dinners highlighting how the dishes are cooked, with tips and best practices in the kitchen. The next one is scheduled for April 26; learn more at aguacalientecasinos.com/agua-special/the-chefexperience. … Café Mon Amour has moved into the former home of L’Olivo, at 333 N. Palm Canyon Drive, No. 105, in Palm Springs. The offerings include canelé (my absolute favorite of all French pastries), coffee, sandwiches (like the croque monsieur), patés and other treats to eat there or take home. Call 760-327-0382. … In other French-café news, Baby’s Marché, at 75270 Highway 111, Suite 200, in Indian Wells, features chef Justin Snyder’s emphasis on Parisian culture and technique. The café menu features a variety of sandwiches, salads and snacks, as well as freshly baked muffins, scones and croissants. The market has a butcher shop, food and sundries; learn more at babysmarche.com. … Tea Be Honest has opened a new location at 81944 Highway 111, Suite F, in Indio, serving bubble tea, coffee, juices and smoothies. Details at facebook.com/teabehonest.boba. … New Mulan Chinese (82005 Highway 111, in Indio) has new owners offering a selection of American Chinese classics like moo goo gai pan, kung pao beef and shrimp with lobster sauce. Online reviews imply that the food has gotten even better. Call 760-347-9045. … The new Coachella Firehouse Bar and Grill (1517 Sixth St., Coachella) serves up burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and brunch on the valley’s eastern end. Learn more at www.instagram. com/firehousegrill_coachella. … The Habit Burger Grill has opened its fourth desert location at 31465 Date Palm Drive, in Cathedral City; habitburger.com. … If you love tacos half as much as I do, you will be excited to know that Elvira’s Taqueria is open for business at 69115 Ramon Road, Suite F, in Cathedral City. With favorites like birria, lengua and asada, this will be on my taco rotation—plus they serve beer and micheladas! Call 760-321-0030. … A new hotel actually opened in Palm Springs? Unbelievable! The new Drift Hotel, at 284 S. Indian Canyon Drive, has a restaurant called Maleza and a pool bar named, well, Drift Pool Bar, both of which are open to the public. Maleza bills itself as an upscale Baja restaurant with family-style menu items like red mole braised pork shank and vegan chile rellenos, while the Pool Bar focuses on smaller bites like beet aguachile and adobo fish tacos. More at www.drifthotels.co. … 262 Rooftop Bar and Grill has opened in the second-floor space at 262 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. It’s owned by the same folks as Henry’s Bar and Grill in Cathedral City; www.henrysbarandgrill. com/262-rooftop. … After more than a year of delays, Mexican-style sports bar Impala is open, at 333 S. Palm Canyon Drive. You’ll find a giant wall of TVs, a fun happy hour menu, sandwiches (served with fries or tots!) and weekend brunch; find ’em on Facebook.

Got a hot tip? Let me know: foodnews@cvindependent.com.

Hundreds of thousands of people are on their way to the Coachella Valley as the Empire Polo Club becomes the music world's epicenter. It's once again time for Coachella and Stagecoach.

IN HIS BACK YARD

By Matt King

Coachella almost always features a hometown act. This year, that hometown act is Palm Springs native DannyLux—but his popularity had him ready for Coachella regardless of where he calls home.

After exploding on TikTok during the COVID lockdown, DannyLux, aka Daniel Balderrama, has become famous around the world. He’s got more than a million followers on Instagram, and more than 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify; he’s headlined festivals in both the U.S. and Mexico … all while finishing high school last year. His music can be described as “alternative corridos,” putting a new spin on a classic form of Mexican music. Check out songs like “El Dueño De Tu Amor” and “Mi Otra Mitad” for an emotional slice of indie Mexican music.

DannyLux will perform at Coachella on Friday, April 14 and 21.

“I was in Austin, Texas, at the airport coming back to Cali, and I was literally in the airplane, and then I got a random tag from Coachella,” Balderrama said during a recent phone interview. “My team was talking about it, that maybe I was going to be in Coachella, and then randomly, I saw that the literal Coachella page tagged me. It’s a sick feeling. … I couldn’t do anything, because right when I saw that, the airplane took off. … Right when I landed, I called my mom and told her.”

Although he grew up 30 minutes from the Polo Grounds, Balderrama has never before been to Coachella.

“It’s my first time going, and I’m going be performing, so that’s pretty sick,” Balderrama said. “My dad works picking up garbage, and he actually used to pick up the garbage at Coachella. Now he’s going to go with me and get to go backstage.”

Balderrama said his lack of a social life allowed him to dive deep into his parents’ music.

“My whole life in general, I never really made any friends,” he said. “Growing up, my parents would always play Spanish rock. They would play English rock as well. … I decided I wanted to play regional Mexican, because those are my roots, and I wanted to mix some of those styles that I grew up hearing with the regional Mexican. I added new chords into it; I incorporated a lot of new things into my music, and I just wanted it to be unique.

“Growing up here, it’s been really lonely. It’s a small place, and, of course, everybody pretty much knows everybody, but I didn’t really have that many friends. I was just pretty much home all the time, listening to music.”

Balderrama turned to TikTok, in part because people in his school didn’t appreciate what he was trying to do.

“I think the main reason why I ended up not having that many friends is because there were a lot of people who were jealous, mainly the guys,” Balderrama said. “I don’t know why. … Everybody’s just trying to do their thing, and when somebody does it, there’s not really that much support from the people from here, at least in the Mexican culture. Of course, there are some people who say they love my music and all that, but I remember when I first started making TikToks, I would get made fun of at school. People thought it was cringy or something.”

Balderrama started doing more on TikTok just as COVID-19 arrived.

“When I started making TikToks, it was in 2019, and a bunch of influencers were getting really viral,” Balderrama said. “I remember at first, I would post randomly, just trying to be funny—and then I realized that I didn’t want to be known for being funny; I want to be known for my music. I remember when I started posting covers—this was right when COVID hit. I knew I had to take advantage of it while I was going to be home, and post the most I’ve ever posted. I slowly started to grow, and when I hit, like, 50,000 followers, I saw a comment saying, ‘Why don’t you start making your own music?’ I decided to just try to make my own songs using the regional Mexican, staying in that genre, but making it my own.”

Tackling a genre that has so much importance could seem daunting, but DannyLux found that people appreciate the new spin he’s put on the music.

“I’ve always had my own touch to it,” Balderrama said. “My voice is not a normal voice you would hear in regional Mexican. The style that I’m doing, that’s what makes it unique as well, and all the chord progressions make it fresh.”

That appreciation for DannyLux and his music has spread worldwide. He opened for Coldplay during their Mexico tour, signed with Warner Music Latina, performed at Lollapalooza, and recently headlined Viva! Pomona. This adoration is drastically different from the reaction his first musical efforts received, he said.

“I remember the first time I ever announced that I was going to release a song, I put a preview of the song on Instagram, and I got so much hate on that post that I cried,” Balderrama said. “I was crying to my mom, and I was like, ‘Should I even do music?’ The song was just so different—and honestly, listening back to it, it was kind of bad. … Then I just kept going and going, and slowly, people just started getting used to my style and started accepting me.”

Balderrama credits a strong mind and determination for getting him through the initial hate.

“I just know what I want,” he said. “I know where I want to be, and I just really want to reach my goals and inspire people. It’s a good thing all the pushback went down a little bit. I have so many people who support me, so many people who love my music, and I feel like that’s why I do it—I do it for those people.”

Performing at Coachella will not only be another big moment in DannyLux’s career; it will be his first local performance since his spot at the Indio Tamale Fest in 2021, which was also his festival debut.

“When we played there, it just felt so fast,” Balderrama said. “It was really fun seeing all the people from the Coachella Valley coming to see us. I was so nervous, because that was when I was first starting to play live. I feel like I’ve gotten so much better at performing.

“(Coachella) is literally, like, a 30-minute drive. It feels like I’m playing in my backyard. I’m a little bit nervous, because I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’m just going to keep practicing, trying to get better.”

Palm Springs’ DannyLux, playing at Coachella, has achieved worldwide fame thanks to his nontraditional regional Mexican music

“I know where I want to be, and I just really want to reach my goals and inspire people.”

Photo: Esteban Flores

EXPLORATORY EXPLOSIVE PUNK

“Alexia (Roditis), the other primary songwriter, and I are influenced by a lot of different things,” Mayugba said. “When we put our two little brains together, we’re able to create something new that feels really exciting. I’m really into the ’90s straightforward rock stuff, and Alexia is really influenced by Latin music, and disco, and we also love new wave. All that comes together to create something new, so that’s super fun to be a part of. I love playing music like that.”

Destroy Boys are looking to take yet more leaps on their upcoming LP.

“Alexia is a very strong creative and is just naturally inclined to these types of things, and I’m more likely to just kind of repeat a very classic rock riff over and over,” Mayugba said. “… We’re always trying to push ourselves between every record to create something new, beyond what we’ve done before. We’re always open to trying new things. We’re actually working on our fourth record right now with Carlos de la Garza, who just did the new Paramore record. He’s really encouraged us to be supercreative and original and imaginative. He’s a really strong influence in the studio.”

Mayugba said Destroy Boy fans are on board with their genre explorations.

was 12 or 13 years old.

“Coachella is one of those markers on a band’s career that just shows immense growth,” she said. “To be on it ourselves and see that on the poster was really humbling and exciting. It was really sweet for the inner teenager in me to see that.”

The band members see their Coachella slot as a win for both punk bands and people who aren’t cis white men.

“Our core fans and new fans are actually really into what we do and are very open-minded,” she said. “A lot of them are very young, and a lot of them are not cis men, so they have this kind of exploratory personality that I think is really interesting, where they’re really just open to whatever. We have a consistent sound that comes from Alexia’s voice; we always have heavy guitars; and people know it’s Destroy Boys. People have always been really receptive to us doing a spin on whatever we did before. We put out our first record when we were 16 years old, and we’re 23 now, so I think people know that it’s a little unrealistic to expect a 16-year-old’s record from us again.”

One of the tracks on Destroy Boys’ first record, “I Threw Glass at My Friend’s Eye and Now I’m on Probation,” exploded on TikTok recently. Mayugba said she feels better about that first album, Sorry, Mom, as a result.

The

Destroy

Boys started in high school, releasing their first album of punk goodness when they were all about 16 years old.

Their brand of hard-hitting, chord-burning jams are like firecrackers in your ears, with songs like “Vixen” and “Muzzle” offering an explosive combination of punk singing, wild instrumentals and emotionally expressive lyrics. The band will make its Coachella debut on Saturday, April 15 and 22.

“(The Coachella offer) felt like my personal rockumentary moment, because I called my mom immediately after,” said Violet Mayugba, guitarist and singer. “Our managers texted in our group chat, and they were like, ‘Hey, we just got an offer for Coachella.’ I was just at home by myself at the time, and I re-read it, like, five times to make sure it was real. I was jumping up and down and excited, and I called my mom, and I made her guess what we had been offered, and I told her, and she started crying. … It was just really cool and special, because we’ve been working so hard for so long.”

Mayugba said she’s been wanting to play punk music since she

“When I think of Coachella nowadays, you think of pop,” Mayugba said. “It definitely used to be a rock festival, but the biggest names in pop and hip hop commonly headline nowadays. I always felt that there would be a place for us, because I just wanted it so bad. I really put my mind to it, and I was like, ‘I will create a place for us; we will bore a hole until we belong there.’ Punk rock is kind of having a revival in its own way right now. Hardcore, and just bands without just cis men in them, are becoming a huge thing right now, so it all lined up pretty perfectly for us.”

Mayugba and her bandmates have attracted a fanbase that is appreciative of the current state of punk rock—a genre that, thanks to both nostalgia and the internet, includes more creativity than ever before.

“My favorite bands are Green Day and Blink-182. … A lot of people my age—I’m 23—have a lot of the same favorite bands from around that time, so seeing that exemplified in music that’s being put out by people my age is really cool, and I think it’s hitting a nostalgia point,” she said. “What’s also rad is that there’s so much access to different music right now, that there’s a lot of influence from a million different genres. Artists and bands nowadays are less limited than they ever have been, so there’s kind of a new genre, almost a ‘no genre’ genre, that’s coming out right now. … We feel lucky to be a part of it.”

Destroy Boys are indeed tapping into the “no genre” genre. Their latest album, Open Mouth, Open Heart, saw the band take a few stylistic leaps into Spanish flamenco guitar (“Lo peor”) and somber acoustic ballads (“All this love”).

“Before I met Alexia, and before Destroy Boys was a thing, I was in a bunch of horrible bands that just wrote Blink-182 songs; thank God those ones aren’t on the internet,” Mayugba said. “The fact that the song from our first record got so popular is really interesting. I try not to have resentment for it, because it was something that we felt really strongly about at the time, and it’s something that a lot of people relate to and find solace in. It’s hard for me to hate that record. Of course, there are things I would like to go back and change, but if I had gone back and changed them, I don’t think we’d be where we are now. Everything just lined up the way it was supposed to, so all we can really do is look forward, and I can apply all those things that I wish that I did on the last records to our newest one.”

Coachella is set to be a mosh-fest this year, with various hardcore and punk bands headed for the Polo Grounds.

“When I can tell that the fans are having fun, it makes me feel very connected to them, and we are definitely going to be having a shit-ton of fun at the Coachella stage, because I mean, seriously, what a moment, right?” Mayugba said. “We do a song where I go freehand on vocals, and I always get up to the barricade and stand up and say hi to people. We try to involve people as much as we can, regardless of the distance physically … and just give them the best show that we possibly can, because they deserve that.”

The Destroy Boys are thrilled to offer Coachella attendees a non-cis-white dose of ear-ringing music

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is not always easy to describe with words. Many people wholeheartedly believe in the idea of letting music speak for itself and eschewing genre labels, myself included—but I’m a music journalist with a job to do.

All that said, there is an easy “gimme” when it comes to one genre label: If you hear a song with fast, heavy, detuned guitars; punk-adjacent blast beats; chugging bass; and guttural, scream-filled vocals, you’ve got the name that perfectly describes the sound— hardcore.

One of the breakout stars of the genre has been Knocked Loose, a band that infuses hardcore with metal. Check out the track “Counting Worms” for some damn heavy riffs and screaming. Catch Knocked Loose tear down the house at Coachella on Sunday, April 16 and 23.

“We’re super-stoked to be a part of the lineup,” said Bryan Garris, frontman of Knocked Loose, during a recent phone interview. “It’s not something that I feel like we ever really considered a possibility. We definitely didn’t start this kind of band with Coachella in our sights, but it’s cool that they go out of their way every year to include a handful of heavy bands. It seems like this year, there’s at least one punk or hardcore band a day, which is really cool to see. I’m

super, super grateful to be a part of it, and just excited to be there and experience everything that it has to offer. It’ll be my first time ever being there, so it’s just going to be a really fun time, I think.”

Over the past few years, the bands on the Coachella undercard have gotten heavier and heavier. Last year, Code Orange and Turnstile brought some insane hardcore sets, and this year, Knocked Loose is in good company alongside bands like Scowl and Soul Glo.

“I feel like every year, new doors get opened for hardcore bands—and hardcore in general—to be taken to the next level,” Garris said. “I’m a very firm believer in ‘a rising tide raises all ships,’ and it allows everybody to benefit from it. … We were also fortunate enough to play Bonnaroo this year, where the lineup’s diverse. I think that’s really cool from a fan’s perspective, because me and the people that I know, we don’t just listen to heavy music. I don’t know anyone who just listens to one specific kind of music. Everybody kind of likes everything, so when you have a festival that is as diverse as Coachella, there’s something for everybody.

… We’ve definitely played festivals where it’s just metal bands from noon to 10 p.m. every single day, and it’s definitely cool, and there’s

definitely a place for that, but I personally enjoy a festival that has a more diverse lineup.”

Garris shared his thoughts on why, and how, hardcore is reaching a new level in 2023.

“Now, more than ever, the barriers of what you would consider a hardcore band are just expanding and expanding,” he said. “You have a lot of younger bands bringing in a lot of different influences, which keeps things interesting, but then you also have this weird mainstream trend going on where, like, Machine Gun Kelly thinks that he’s a punk, and Doja Cat’s tweeting about wanting to do a hardcore band. It really has to do with people finding it on that surface level, and then wanting to dig deeper, and then you get to find bands like Turnstile, which then just opens up a door to so many other things.”

Knocked Loose is excited about the challenge of performing at Coachella.

“I feel like, obviously, we’re the heaviest band at Coachella, and I kind of love being the black sheep,” said Garris. “I love being able to be the scary band. We’ve never really tried to avoid doing things outside of our wheelhouse, and I think that gives us an opportunity to grow to bigger audiences. We’ve done rap tours, and we’ve done poppy tours, so doing

something like this, it’s just a new way to get us to play to people who would have never heard of us otherwise. I think that someone who’s not even into this kind of music can appreciate the excitement and adrenaline that comes with it.”

Knocked Loose has been riding on the success of EP A Tear in the Fabric of Life, which dropped in 2021. The six-track epic—released with an animated short film that accompanies the EP’s music—explores themes of extreme grief. Garris said he wondered how the audience would receive it.

“It’s been really interesting to see the perception that it has gotten, because originally, when we set out to do it, it was just an artistic COVID project that we really wanted to focus on for ourselves,” Garris said. “We also knew going into it that there was a possibility that it wouldn’t really translate to our fan base—but, in fact, it did extremely well. I think people really, really liked it, and immediately got what we were going for. It’s been interesting over the past year to two years to see how people can relate to it. That’s always extremely rewarding. I write for myself, first and foremost, but seeing how people can take that and just do whatever they want with it, whether it be emotional or not, is extremely rewarding.”

The audience’s attention span was another subject on Garris’ mind.

“We had that feeling in the back of our head that this might not translate the same, going into detail as we did with all the art that accompanied it with the animated short film,” he said. “People’s attention spans are just so short, and I didn’t think that anybody would really be drawn to a 20-minute dark animated film—but they were, and they took it extremely well. It got a lot of looks from a lot of places that have never really paid attention to the band, so it was way better than we thought it could have gone. I think that assured us moving forward that we can do whatever we want.”

In 10 years of creating, Knocked Loose has only released two albums, along with various singles, EPs and splits. How does their formula work in the era of shrinking attention spans?

“I do very much like an album versus an EP as a personal listener,” Garris said. “Just from a creative aspect, I love diving into everything that comes with a full-length record. … I think Knocked Loose will be a band that definitely returns to that kind of format. But like I mentioned, attention spans are so short that we don’t know if we want to make people wait as long as an album would take. We definitely like to take our time, and that’s definitely proven to be a little extreme in the past.”

Garris is set on staying on top of the changing music-appreciation scene.

“We want to keep people’s attention, so all that I can really say at this time is, if we’re not on tour, we’re definitely working,” he said. “We’re always doing Knocked Loose, so if we’re not on tour or doing shows, then we’re working on something else.”

Photo: Perri Leigh

S AND SONIC D

punk music, you’re probably not also thinking of flowers and pop choruses—yet that’s exactly what you get with Scowl.

Scowl’s music is often packed with blastbeat-driven songs that feature crunchy guitars and guttural screaming—but the band is not afraid to redefine what a hardcore band can be, adding in bright, slower songs and pink-flower iconography. Songs like “Retail Hell” and “Dead to Me” showcase the hard-hitting punk, while “Seeds to Sow” and new song “Shot Down” have the band experimenting with non-screaming choruses and less frantic instrumentation, making for a nice mix of pop and hardcore.

You can catch the band at Coachella on Saturday, April 15 and 22.

“When I got the text message that we got the (Coachella) offer, I immediately denied that it was real, and I thought that someone was playing a prank on me,” said lead singer Kat Moss during a recent phone interview. “I pretty much was like, ‘Hey, you guys better not be pulling my leg right now.’ My managers and everyone in the band just started blowing up our group chat and freaking out, and I called my mom and my sister right away. I never really expected that to be an opportunity we’d get playing as a hardcore punk band, so I’m really excited and really grateful.”

Coachella is just the latest big stage for the group. Last year, the band toured Europe, and opened for Limp Bizkit, with a stop at Madison Square Garden.

“I feel like this (Coachella) is the biggest thing, the biggest opportunity, we’ve gotten so far, and we’ve already had a lot of crazy once-in-alifetime opportunities happen to us,” Moss said. “Everything that’s been happening has been such a happy surprise. … As a hardcore punk band who started out playing small DIY shows in our community, it’s just a very, very, crazy, crazy road.”

It’s indeed been a crazy road, as Moss and her band have moved between generator shows and green rooms with catering.

“Everyone in my band will probably agree that when we played Madison Square Garden, for example, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves,” Moss said. “We had a great time onstage playing the set, because that’s what we know how to do, but when it comes to living a bit more comfortably— having catering, a green room, a rider—we were just so surprised by it all … but we were really excited, naturally. We were just taking advantage of it and enjoying it to its full potential, because there’s no expectations to have that experience again. We were just happy to be there.”

The band certainly has not strayed from its DIY roots; Scowl recently played a show in the parking lot of a Sonic Drive-In.

“Oh my God, that was so much fun,” Moss said with a laugh. “That was such a cool gig that we got the opportunity to hop on last-minute with a bunch of friends and really cool, talented bands that we had been wanting to play shows with for a while. It was nice, too, because the week we played

that show, we were also recording new music, and it was just a very positive week. The show was a lot of fun; there was a lot of chaos. I had a firework land in my hair, and everyone had fireworks exploding in their faces and technical difficulties, as usual, with generator shows and things like that. Nothing will ever beat the feeling of playing a guerilla punk show where you never know when it could be shut down.”

Hardcore bands are experiencing a new wave of success in the music industry and on the festival scene, going against many of the “expectations” people may have of a genre that still feels relatively underground. Moss said she wants more hardcore bands to get more attention.

“We all have each other’s backs. I like to always look at it like, ‘If I eat, everybody eats,’” Moss said. “There’s room for everyone. I think that if a band like Turnstile (which played Coachella last year) or Militarie Gun … if all of those bands are seeing success, other hardcore bands are inevitably going to be seeing success. … Hardcore is a genre that is very, very about community. I think a lot of people who—whether they play in hardcore bands, or contribute to the scene or the community one way or another—share those views. Some people are very protective because of what they put into it, and they don’t necessarily

want to share it with the whole world, and I respect that opinion and that view … but that’s not necessarily how I’m going to move about it. I think it’s important that the youth find what they relate to, and if youth culture is relating to punk and hardcore, obviously they have something to say, and hardcore, and punk, really gives them that space to say it.”

Scowl’s new EP, Psychic Dance Routine (slated for an April 7 release), sees the band exploring themes surrounding performance. “Sold Out” is a hardcore classic that screams about the pressures of performing, while “Opening Night” riffs on the repetition of keeping up an act. The title track might be Scowl’s slowest and singalong-able song yet, as Moss compares relating to others with a mental dance routine.

“I wanted to make the effort to write about my personal experience and have that kind of therapeutic expression, while still making an effort to keep my art relatable,” Moss said. “… I do really think the EP in general speaks a lot about performance and kind of the dynamic between the person you feel perceived as versus the person, behind closed doors, you are, and the stuff you’re dealing with. I do think everybody will hopefully relate to the idea that everyone’s performing every day, whether it be in their workplace or in their friendships or social media, their personal relationships— whatever it may be.”

The band’s experimentation with lighter tones within the world of hardcore music has been winning over fans, Moss said.

“When we played Disturbin’ the Peace in Baltimore, we played our new song ‘Opening Night’ for the first time, and it was really scary to be in that position to showcase something new—but it was really exciting also, because people totally dug it,” Moss said. “I’m very excited to see what people think about this EP, but there’s definitely that level of being intimidated. Just even singing versus yelling alone, there’s definitely a difference there. Being able to yell and scream onstage is something I’m a lot more confident with now, versus singing into the microphone. … It’s a bit more balanced, but I’m really excited for that challenge.”

Moss began to be attracted to pop music after realizing that her opinion about her sounds is the only opinion that truly matters.

“There was definitely a time when I first got into punk and hardcore where I was pretty purist about it, and I felt kind of angry and sort of like, ‘Fuck pop music,’” she said. “Now, I’ve learned I feel really different, where I love a little bit of everything, and I find a lot of influence and draw a lot of influence from pop artists, all the way to indie rock and noise and hyper pop and, of course, punk and hardcore and post punk. It’s all over the map now, and I feel like that can only be beneficial to an artist. I think it’s important to be willing to open up in that way, and not worry about the people around you and what they might think about that. It is really just your relationship at the end of the day with the things you love. Nobody else gets to decide that for you.”

Hardcore punk band Scowl brings raucous energy and a shifting sound to Coachella

Photo: Alice Baxley

SKIPPINGSCHOOL

FORCOACHELLA

By Matt King

WITH CHUGGING,

fuzzedout guitars (à la Dinosaur Jr.) and sporadic vocal deliveries that can range from singing to spoken word—often in the same song— alternative/indie-rock trio Horsegirl’s garagegrunge sound always offers something unique. For a prime example of this, check out listener favorite “Anti-glory.”

The Chicago band, which the members started when they were in high school, has landed touring gigs with hometown heroes Wilco, and has crushed successful headlining tours—all while dealing with the travails of college. You can catch the band at Coachella on Saturday, April 15 and 22.

Horsegirl members Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals) and Gigi Reece (drums) shared their thoughts on making the Coachella lineup during a recent Zoom interview.

“I don’t even think it was in our brains as something that would be on the radar,” Reece said. “It feels like Coachella is the type of thing that only, like, Billie Eilish plays—but I guess us, too, now.”

While Reece dropped out of college—we’ll get to that later—Cheng and Lowenstein are full-time students. The Coachella news made each of them think of their high school and college experiences.

“This is the one thing that everyone from my high school is now contacting me about, and congratulating me,” said Cheng. “Before, they kind of wouldn’t really care, but it’s Coachella, and it’s weird to have something that’s a big deal to the general music-listening audience be something that we’re a part of.”

Added Lowenstein: “If I’m skipping school to play this, which I will be, I can say to my teachers, ‘Hey, we’re playing Coachella,’ and they’ll know what that is, versus sometimes when I’m, like, ‘Oh, I’m opening for this band,’

and it’s nothing to them. It’s cool to have an excuse that connects with people.”

I asked the band members if they ever get tired of their youth being the focus of attention.

“I think that at the beginning, because we were also still in high school, it was even more dramatic,” Cheng said. “It was, like, ‘We’re young, and we’re girls.’ I think that kind of perception of us has gotten less prevalent. It’s still there, but I don’t think it’s as it used to be.”

Added Lowenstein: “A lot of our press at the beginning was, like, ‘17-year-olds!’ And that’s fair. I think that’s really unusual, and it kind of came out of nowhere for us as well, so I understand. … This is my last year as a teenager, so we won’t be teen sensations for much longer. Hopefully we still have something to bring.”

Late last year, Horsegirl released Rough Trade Super-Disc on streaming services. It’s a short EP consisting of demos from their debut LP, Versions of Modern Performance. Demos often aren’t taken as seriously as other recordings, and musicians often erase their early recordings. However, the members of Horsegirl said was important for them to document their journey.

“I was listing in my head this morning all the songs that we’ve written—like, fully written and developed songs—that we just totally abandoned,” Cheng said. “Thank God we didn’t have recording supplies back then. At this point, all of the music we’ve released, we feel is important in the trajectory of us. Like our first song, the first one released, ‘Forecast’—the way it’s recorded is great. It sounds very DIY, and there’s spoken word. It’s not how we are anymore, but it feels very important to how we came to be.”

Even though the band’s profile continues to grow, Cheng and Lowenstein are sticking with their plans of graduating from college and being average humans.

“Sometimes we have to make sacrifices in both areas, but right now, I feel like everyone is feeling good about the choice to be doing college right now,” Lowenstein said. “In my personal life, I want to be able to hold on to being 19 and what I saw for myself at this age, which was moving out of Chicago for a little bit and having that transition. I think it’s nice that we didn’t just get thrown into a superrigorous tour schedule, for example. I think we made good choices for the longevity of the band, and also going to school.”

While Reece dropped out of college, she is supportive of her bandmates’ college plans,

and she has a job outside of the band.

“School doesn’t work for me,” Reece said. “It has nothing to do with the band—but obviously, we’ve got the band happening, and it was just impossible for me to be in school while also having all of the excitement of everything in Horsegirl. That is how my brain works, but Penelope and Nora function differently than me. School is working for them, and I am nothing but happy for them continuing in school. I’m mostly just happy that we live in the same city together.”

Cheng and Lowenstein are both interested in English as a major—but they each have a different outlook on how it relates to their songwriting.

“It kind of just all feeds into each other,” Cheng said. “I mean, there’s some appreciation for the way words go together and the ability to tell stories in some different sort of way. I don’t think there’s anything specific though.”

Said Lowenstein: “Jeff Tweedy said to us, ‘It’s important to have a life to live so that way, you have something to write about.’ I do think that education is a really awesome life to live to write about. It’s kind of exciting, and if classes are good, it can be a really awesome feeling. I took a creative-writing class for the first time last semester. … The experience of sharing poetry, even though I’ve never straight-up written poetry before, and having people discuss it, was so awesome for me. I’m very excited to approach lyric-writing now that I’ve had that experience.”

The members of Horsegirl are keenly aware of the harsh realities of how hard it is to make a living as a musician.

“It’s a pretty demanding job,” Lowenstein said. “We’ve loved touring, but also, it’s a hard thing to keep up as you get older. It is a crazy thing to wrap your head around as a young band—just what the job entails if you love it, and want to do it for a long time.”

Added Reece: “Maybe this is just part of being a musician, but I think there’s always a tiny little thing in the back of my mind being like, ‘At one point, this is just gonna all go away, like really, really fast.’ When you’re actively trying to pursue any job, like being an artist, it is very easy for other people to be like, ‘What’s your Plan B?’”

However, they’re all continuing to work hard on Plan A.

“We were expecting to just all move to college in different places, and then be like, ‘All right, our band is over,’ which we did not want at all,” Reece said. “Thank God it didn’t happen. … We try to work to really make it seem like this is what we want to do for our careers—and this is our dream.”

Photo: Cheryl Dunn

“

If I’m skipping school to play this, which I will be, I can say to my teachers, ‘Hey, we’re playing Coachella,’ and they’ll know what that is.”

The members of Horsegirl navigate between ‘normal’ lives and musical success

often features acts that like to expand upon the definition of “country”—and one such band on this year’s lineup is 49 Winchester.

With infusions of soul, hard rock and folk, the band often shows a softer, more emotional and more blistering side of the genre. Check out tracks like “Russell County Line” and “Damn Darlin’” for a taste of somber, soulful acoustic country that can soothe as much as it screams.

Catch 49 Winchester at Stagecoach on Sunday, April 30.

“We’ve loved the lineup of the festival for years, and I’ve seen a lot of people that we saw ourselves following in the footsteps of play that fest, so it was cool when we finally got the announcement,” said lead singer/guitarist Isaac Gibson. “It’s on the Mount Rushmore of country-music festivals. It’s the anchor of our first real, legitimate, full West Coast tour. … It’ll be our first true taste of the West Coast, and, man, we’re looking super-forward to it.”

Gibson discussed the expansive nature of the country genre.

“If you look at this year’s Stagecoach lineup, there’s evidence that country has sort of broadened and opened up over the years,” he said. “I think there are a lot of things that are more than just country on the surface that are still really country music—because it’s

country songs and country lyrics. … Even us, we draw inspiration from a lot of different areas. There’s a lot of our music that’s kind of rock ’n’ roll, and kind of soul, and kind of a lot of different stuff. I think that the integrity of it, and what really makes it country, is the lyrics, and the emotion, and the things that it provides in that way.”

The band continues to get billed as a country band even though 49 Winchester’s music isn’t made with a certain sound in mind.

“We were never a band that really set out to say, ‘Hey, we want to be a country band,’ or, ‘Hey, we want to be a rock ’n’ roll band,’” Gibson said. “We play the music that resonates with us, and I think that the country scene is the one that’s latched on to it the most. … We want to make music that’s different and that’s derived from all the inspiration and all the music that we love. We love stuff all over the board, and I think our music shows that.”

49 Winchester recently had the opportunity to take their songs overseas, when the band played in London as part of the C2C Country to Country music festival.

“That was another big first,” Gibson said. “We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we went over there. It was our first time ever on a totally different continent. We didn’t know what the crowds were going to be like or anything, and the first set was just a

BY MATT KING

killer set. It was in this venue at C2C called the Barrelhouse, a big outdoor tent, and it was just shoulder-totshoulder lined up with people. I saw some faces who knew our songs, and people who had some merch on. It was cool to get out there and see that our music is spread that far.”

Appreciation for the band has grown since 49 Winchester started its journey in 2014 with a selftitled LP.

“I think we’re doing something that’s kind of a little bit bold and a little bit daring,” Gibson said. “I don’t know if I should gas ourself up that much over it, but we’re definitely sticking to our guns, and I think that there’s a certain type of fan who really admires that. It’s the type of fan we want, and we’re really proud to have garnered over the years.”

One of the most interesting aspects of the band is that it comes from a small town in Appalachia, with a population of a little more than 2,000.

“I know that people from our area are not

used to seeing young people go into this line of work,” Gibson said. “In my part of the world, you’re usually either working in the coal mines, or working on the railroad to haul said coal out of the mines, or something to do with that industry. That’s about the only major industry that there is here. That’s what people do for work, and nobody ever told me, ‘You can go be a country music star’ … until they realized, ‘OK, man, these guys are doing something cool; they’re sticking with it; and they’re continuing to push it and pursue it.’ It definitely came with its disadvantages, trying to get a music career lifted off the ground in central Appalachia, but I think it’s another thing that just sort of set us apart a little bit, and drew some eyes to us that were the right kinds of eyes.”

The band had to nurture its sound in neighboring cities.

“Our first kind of home base was around the Tri Cities, Bristol and Johnson City, Tenn.,” Gibson said. “That was the first place outside of our immediate little area in Virginia that anybody really ever heard us, because it was the only place around, but it had a population big enough to have bars and music venues and things like that. That was where we cut our teeth, and then, really, it just sort of all branched out from there. I think this last year, we really started to notice our fan base growing even outside of places we’ve toured in for years. It was a whole lot of slow, organic growth. We just toured our ass off and played all over the country, and we made fans 100 at a time for years.”

Gibson said the band has benefitted from performing without expectations.

“Our whole thing is we just keep our nose to the grindstone,” he said. “We keep working on it, because we know that we love it, and all the good stuff that’s happened is just the cherry on top. We’ve never looked at it as patience; we’ve just looked at it as we’re doing the thing that fulfills us. It makes us feel good, and we have to continue doing it.”

In 2023, ahead of another huge stage for the band, the music and the camaraderie are keeping the members of 49 Winchester as engaged as ever.

“I think the more that we improve and the more we grow, and the more new things, new faces and new places that we get to see, the hungrier we become for it,” Gibson said. “I feel like that’s a pretty rare thing, because (music) is the one thing in my life that I haven’t gotten burned out on. I’ve had a million things that have interested me, or that I’ve loved throughout my life, and this is the one that seems like it’s really stuck around.”

Photo: Joshua Black Wilkins

49 Winchester brings genre shifts and a variety of inspirations to Stagecoach

“ We want to make music that’s different and that’s derived from all the inspiration and all the music that we love. We love stuff all over the board, and I think our music shows that.”

El Michels Affair takes ‘cinematic soul’ out of the studio for Coachella performances

“A lot of the music I make is very studiooriented,” Michels said. “What works in the studio and what works live are two completely different things, so it’s just going to be a matter of trying stuff out. You want to play the quote-unquote hits, even though that’s a very relative term when it comes to El Michels Affair, seeing as, like, Frank Ocean will be on the other stage. Whoever shows up and knows the band, I want them to be satisfied with what happens. I haven’t even put the setlist together, but it’ll be a collection of essentially my favorite songs from the catalog.”

Spending time as a producer of both his own albums and other records has helped Michels feel an even greater connection to the things that attracted him to both hip hop and soul.

By Matt King

Tin the G ROOVE

“Growing up in New York in the late ’90s, I listened to a lot of what you would expect as a teenager in New York, like Wu-Tang and Biggie,” Michels said. “Hip-hop sensibility was always part of my approach, and getting into hip hop, in a roundabout way, got me into soul music. When I would hear hip hop songs, I would seek out the samples I liked, so hip hop was kind of a gateway to soul music. I would discover music through hip-hop production.”

The combination of hip hop, soul and production led to the birth of El Michels Affair.

El Michels Affair

can be found at the intersection of hip hop and soul, as the group’s tracks combine the most attractive aspects of both genres into one cohesive, groove-filled sound.

If tracks of the band’s original music like “Villa” and “Ala Vida” aren’t enough funky, head-bobbing, hip-hop goodness for you, check out Enter the 37th Chamber and Return to the 37th Chamber—two fantastic albums with faithful renditions of some of the best beats by the Wu-Tang Clan and its members. (You’ve really got to hear El Michels Affair’s take on “C.R.E.A.M.”)

You can catch El Michels Affair at Coachella on Sunday, April 16 and 23.

Leon Michels is at the helm of the group. Apart from this project, he has spent time in other soul/funk projects like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band and the Arcs, a side project of Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach—with which Michels performed at Coachella in 2016.

“(Coachella 2016) was kind of halfway through our Arcs run, so we were pretty tight at that point, so that was great,” Michels said during a recent phone interview. “We had the addition of Joe Walsh and Glenn Schwartz, and that was totally insane. No one knew what was going on, so it was a combination of, like, really fun and incredibly awkward. We were all super-stoked on the show.”

Michels views Coachella as a huge

achievement—but he admitted to some nerves, seeing as there really is no such thing as a El Michels Affair live band.

“To be totally honest with you, I’m incredibly nervous about it, because we’ve just never played a show,” Michels said. “The first Sunday, outside of a couple of rehearsals, is going to be the first time we play this music to each other and to an audience. It’s an incredibly prestigious festival, and I have no idea what it’s going to sound like.”

While Michels has played live for a number of different projects, he said it’s different playing live at the helm of a band.

“My last name is in the band, so it definitely has more weight for me than, say, playing with the Dap-Kings or even playing with the Arcs,” Michels said. “Dan Auerbach was the lead singer of that band, and he alleviated a lot of the pressure off the other guys, because he’s front and center. I think there’s more pressure on me to make it a good show, and since we’ve never played before, I want it to be good. I always thought that when I was going to do a live El Michels Affair show, it was going to be this incredibly rehearsed event with visuals and this and that—and (the band’s Coachella performance) is going to be an event, but I don’t know if it’ll be incredibly rehearsed.”

Listeners are drawn into the world of El Michels Affair because of the wildly infectious groove—and how tight the band is on the recordings. Michels said that’s because the

current group has had a musical relationship for decades.

“The thing that makes me feel more comfortable is the band,” Michels said. “Most of the band (members) are people I’ve been playing with since I was 14 years old, if not younger, and I make records with them all the time. It’s Nick Movshon on bass, Homer Steinweiss on drums, Tommy Brenneck on guitar, and then Marco Benevento on piano and Dave Guy on trumpet. Those are basically my best friends, and we play music all the time, so at the end of the day, when we get out there, we are a band. Even though we don’t play live, we’ve been playing together for so long and so much that we’re probably more of a band than most bands.”

Michels has often described the sound of the band as “cinematic soul,” and it’s easy to imagine tracks like “Unathi” or “Detroit Twice” in a number of different films. Of course, almost all of the music that appears in films is made in a studio.

“In the beginning, the dream was always to be sampled, so when I was making music, that was always a little bit in the back of my head—like, ‘Let’s make something that could be a hip hop song, but we’re still making soul music,’” Michels said. “A lot of times when I’m making music, and it starts to sound like a hip-hop sample, or it could be a sample, I’ll just lean into it more, and that gets me excited.”

The upcoming release from El Michels Affair features this triple-play front and center, as Michels and his band created an album of instrumentals and then had the songs fleshed out lyrically by Black Thought of the Roots. Check out the track “Grateful” to hear it all come together, and listen to the full LP, Glorious Game, when it comes out April 14.

“The way I approached that record was I made full-on soul songs, verse-chorus-bridge, and I finished them as soul songs, but always with the intention of resampling them,” Michels said. “A lot of the music that’s on the record, they have these full songs that go with them that have sections that never even made the cut.”

SUPhoto: Yesenia Ruiz

“What works in the studio and what works live are two completely different things, so it’s just going to be a matter of trying stuff out.”

REASSURING FEST

BY MATT KING

COACHELLA

has been the site of some of the most iconic electronic/DJ sets ever. The Chemical Brothers have become a classic Coachella act; Depeche Mode, Swedish House Mafia and Eric Prydz have all left their mark; and, of course, in 2006, Daft Punk brought the pyramid.

Dance acts have changed Coachella, and 2023 is aiming to be the most diverse year yet at the festival, in multiple ways—and that’s one reason why South African producer and DJ Kyle Watson is excited to be performing at Coachella on Friday, April 14 and 21.

“It’s pretty amazing when you get the news and the offer that it is actually going to happen,” Watson said during a recent Zoom interview.

This wasn’t the first time Watson has received that news; he was part of the 2020 lineup for the festival that never came to be.

“It was pretty brutal and demotivating when it got canceled, and everything kind of was, like, up in the air,” Watson said. “But when I had the offer come through last year for 2023, it kickstarted all of that excitement again. Now (I’m) getting closer to the festival, and it’s a mixture of excitement and nervous energy. The pressure’s on. We’ve got to go there and play a really cool set, and I’m superstoked for it and really looking forward to it.”

Electronic acts continue to bring out all the stops at Coachella to make their sets something more than just musical experiences. However, Watson said he’s content in knowing the festival wants him for him.

“There is a reason why you get asked to play there, so obviously, there’s a belief in you and

your talents and your skills in what you’re putting up,” he said. “I think really, at the end of the day, all you can do is just perform as best you can. There’s a lot of work that goes in, from a music production point of view. The months leading up to a performance like this involve a lot of time in the studio making edits, and writing new tracks to make sure that you’ve got a set that is as new and fresh and interesting as possible. I think that’s really all you can do—just tap into that part of you that makes you the artist that you are, that sort of magic sauce, and just make sure that you stay true to that.

“I’ve been writing a lot of stuff. I’ve been playing around with different sounds, and I’m hoping that the set will feel a little bit different from the types of sets that I’ve been playing.”

Watson has continued to experiment with the DJ dance formula since the pandemic’s start. The bitcrushed nature of 2020’s “Major Games” sounds like he grabbed samples from classic Atari games, and in 2021, Watson mixed electronica, pop, funk and more with “Magic Carpet.” His Coachella 2023 set will sound different than what would have been in April 2020.

“There’s definitely been more of a shift in where I’m pulling inspiration from, and the type of music that I’ve been working on, and the ideas that I’ve been entertaining,” Watson said. “Before, perhaps I’d relied on formulas, not too heavily, but there were definitely patterns and things; I think producers fall into these kinds of traps, and I’ve become very aware of that. The last sort of 12 months, there’s been a bit of a shift in that.”

Bringing the DJ experience to a festival

means Watson will be aiming to captivate attendees in a different way.

“If you’re playing a club, it’s likely that most of the people who are at the club have bought tickets to come and see you, if you’re playing a headline show there,” Watson said. “They kind of know what to expect. At a festival, though, you’re playing to people who came to see you, but also a lot of people who perhaps haven’t even heard of you, or maybe have only heard rumors about your stuff. You have to play differently in that sense. You have to, obviously, please a lot more people.

“The other thing is that there’s much more of a feeling of connection when you’re in a smaller room, whereas something like Coachella … you’re kind of connecting with a body of people as a whole. You have to keep that in the back of your mind, and from a DJing and mixing point of view, keep things moving, and keep the energy up. I think you can take less risks at a festival than you could perhaps in a room of people that have bought tickets just to come and see you.”

On a stage as big as Coachella, Watson is still ready to make changes to his set on the fly.

“It’s not any less improv than it would be at a club show,” Watson said. “I think in the moment, and depending on how you’re feeling, and the energy that you’re getting from the crowd, all of that just factors in.”

Even though Watson has been a DJ since 2007, he said he feels “reassured” to be asked to play at Coachella.

“As a creative, you can live inside your head sometimes, especially if you have long sections or periods of time where you may not be on the road and may be spending a couple

of months at home,” he said. “You can kind of get in your head and start self-doubting; I think that’s also just pretty much a natural aspect of being a creative person. When you get something like this, or a booking comes through, or (you get) a release on a label that was a target, it is reassuring that you are doing something right. … That’s where I’m at my happiest—making beats. It’s just an absolute bonus that I get the chance to take this product, these pieces of music, and actually go and play them to people. Obviously, to play them on a stage like Coachella is just mindblowing, so it’s definitely not something I take for granted.”

In 2018, Watson released his first and only album, Into the Morning. Since then, he’s dropped three EPs—and more than 30 singles.

“On mass, that’s the way music is consumed now. People are wanting a single that they can listen to for a month, and then something new,” Watson said. “Even EPs … now there’s one track which will get all of the features, all of the interest, and the other track will just kind of live there and be a very ignored B-side, which is kind of a shame.

“Albums are interesting, because on one hand, I see albums getting less and less traction, but a lot of producers who I know are working on albums, or putting albums out. I don’t know if that’s a product of coming off the back of COVID and maybe having a lot of music, or maybe having a lot of ideas and just sitting on them. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, but right now, singles are the focus for me.”

“ I think that’s really all you can do—just tap into that part of you that makes you the artist that you are, that sort of magic sauce, and just make sure that you stay true to that.”

DJ Kyle Watson brings dance music and determination to the Coachella stage

The Venue REPORT

APRIL 2023

By matt king

Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Morongo Casino is hosting some music legends. At 8 p.m., Friday, April 7, get up close and personal with actor, singer and Las Vegas icon Wayne Newton. Tickets start at $49. 1990s R&B stars Boyz II Men may lure you up the hill at 9 p.m., Saturday, April 8, but get ready to open your wallets: Resale tickets start at $256. At 9 p.m., Friday, April 21, experience the king of norteño music Ramón Ayala live and in person! Resale tickets start at $118. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

John Mayer

Happy April! Although it’s festival season here in the Coachella Valley, there’s also a lot of music to be found in places that aren’t polo grounds.

Acrisure Arena is bringing in the rock stars. At 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 8, guitar hero John Mayer brings his solo tour to town. Enjoy a two-hour intimate performance by Mayer and his guitar! Available tickets start at $106. A double dose of classic rock will fill the desert air when Journey, with special guests Toto, head to the new arena at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 25. Tickets available as of this writing start at $156. Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Road, Palm Desert; 888-695-8778; www. acrisurearena.com.

Fantasy Springs is offering music and comedy from all around the world. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 8, comedian and former MADtv star Anjelah Johnson-Reyes will perform a set of standup. Tickets start at $39. Bringing the sounds of Hong Kong to the east valley is cantopop singer Vivian Chow, at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 15. Tickets start at $68. At 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 22, enjoy two great sets from Filipino artists Bamboo and KZ Tandingan. Tickets start at $68. Get your dance on with Latin sensation Grupo Laberinto, performing at 8 p.m., Friday, April 28. Tickets start at $39. At 7 p.m., Saturday, April 29, enjoy an evening of trot music, a predecessor to Korean pop, with Park Hyun Bin. Tickets start at $39. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www. fantasyspringsresort.com.

Spotlight 29 kicks off April with a fun event. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 1, spend an evening with ’70s funk stars the O’Jays on their “Last Stop on the Love Train” tour! Tickets start at $55, for the love of money.

Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage is featuring comedy, conversation and magic amidst some sold-out shows. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 1, King of Queens and Paul Blart star Kevin James is set to perform a hilarious standup routine. Tickets start at $65. At 8 p.m., Friday, April 7, the star of the comedy/magic TV show The Carbonaro Effect, Michael Carbonaro, returns to Agua Caliente. Tickets start at $30. Interested in hearing a true story of success? Check out a conversation with Sandy Yawn, professional yacht captain and star of Below Deck Mediterranean; it will take place in the Cahuilla Ballroom. Tickets start at $35. Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-9991995; www.hotwatercasino.com.

Agua Caliente in Cathedral City is hosting one free event. Local favorites The Dreamboats return for another rock ’n’ roll soiree, this time doing a tribute set to The Beatles at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 1. The show is free, but head to the website to reserve tickets. Agua Caliente Cathedral City, 68960 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City; 888-9991995; www.aguacalientecasinos.com/cc.

Another month means more residency shows at Agua Caliente Palm Springs! Get your blues on every Desert Blues Revival Wednesday with the help of local rockers the Gand Band (April 5), the roots-influenced Nathan James Band (April 12), bluesy soul band The Broughams (April 19) and Americana rockers Darnell Cole and the Vibe (April 26). Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $10, available at eventspalmsprings. com/blues. Jazz it up with Jazzville Thursdays featuring the 1940s swing of the Maria Schafer Quintet (April 6), a Broadway jazz tribute from Lizzy and her Contraband (April 13), the sultry sounds of eight-piece Jerry Costanzo and His Gotham City Swingers

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Opens

FRANK W. OCKENFELS 3

I love this town.

The Venue REPORT

continued from page 35

(April 20) and the bass-fronted Sean Hicke Quartet (April 27). Shows take place at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $15, available at jazzvillepalmsprings.com. Laugh the week away on Caliente Comedy Fridays with Jon Huck (April 7), Jimmy Della Valle (April 14) and Steve Furey (April 28). Shows are at 8 p.m., and tickets start at $7.99, available at www.eventspalmsprings.com/calientecomedy. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-9991995; www.sparesortcasino.com.

The McCallum Theatre is wrapping up the ’22-’23 season this month. Broadway musical Come From Away—based on the real story of when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly in Newfoundland on Sept. 11, 2001—comes to Palm Desert for eight performances, from Tuesday, April 4, through Sunday, April 9. Tickets start at $65. At 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 11, enjoy a tribute to ’70s rockers the Eagles with Eaglemania, performing both Eagles hits and solo works. Tickets start at $95. For the 25th anniversary of Riverdance, you can witness a unique and new stage show. Watch it at 8 p.m., Friday, April 14; 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, April 15; and 2 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 16. Tickets start at $55. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s continues to celebrate the beauty and diversity of music. At 10 p.m., Saturday, April 1, proto-punk rockers Death Valley Girls bring hot riffs that burn just as hot as the real Death Valley. Tickets are $17.

LISA JOHNSON

Enjoy the desert night alongside the chill indie vibes of King Tuff at 9:30 p.m., Friday, April 7. Tickets are $25. At 10:30 p.m., Saturday, April 15, experience an intimate performance from Grammy Award-winning, culture- and music-blending artist Ozomatli. Tickets start at $45. If reggae and Pioneertown sounds like a perfect combination, then head to Pappy’s at 9 p.m., Sunday, April 16 to catch Long Beach Dub All-Stars. Tickets are $25. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 29, jam to some synthwave sounds courtesy of George Clanton. Tickets start at $31.50. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-228-2222; www. pappyandharriets.com.

The Purple Room intends to entertain! On Friday, April 7, enjoy an evening of live jazz with Rose Mallett that is free with a dinner reservation. In the mood for a raucous drag quartet? Check out Drag Queen Story Time Gone Wild! starring Kinsey Sicks, at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 14 and 15. Tickets start at $45. Comedy duo Lee Squared, who imagine how Liberace and Peggy Lee would navigate today’s world, are returning for a two-night stay at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22. Tickets are $40. Legendary Broadway actor Tommy Tune is spending three evenings in Palm Springs to share stories from his illustrious career— interviewed by Lucie Arnaz!—at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29; and 7 p.m., Sunday, April 30. Remaining tickets are $79. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-3224422; www.purpleroompalmsprings.com.

Ozomatli

I love being here to help in a community where people are making a difference every day. Thank you for all you do.

Events 2023

DATE EVENT

Mar 30-Apr 3 American Documentary Film Festival

Apr 1 Palm Springs Animal Shelter's Faux Fur Ball

Apr 2 Opera in the Park

Apr 5 Sand, Stars, Guitars: Levi Kreis

Apr 8 Palm Springs 85th Anniversary Celebration

Apr 8 100 Years of Men in Love: The Accidental Collection

Apr 13 Joslyn in Bloom

Apr 14–16

Coachella Fest Weekend 1

Apr 18 Making Magic for Mizell

Apr 21–23

Coachella Fest Weekend 2

Apr 27 Dining Out for Life - DAP Health

Apr 28 Nicholas Snow's Tinseltown’s Queer

Apr 28–30 Stagecoach

Apr 28–30

Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus presents Notorious

May 4–7 Palm Springs Hot Rodeo

May 12–14 White Party Global

Nov 3–5 Palm Springs Pride

MUSIC

LUCKY 13 the

Get to know the frontwoman of Coachella act Snail Mail, and the guitarist/vocalist for a new local band

by matt king

don’t think it’s chill to make that a genre. Just let people be expressive!

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

I’ve never seen Water From Your Eyes. I’m excited that we’re going on tour together, and I’ve been wanting to see them for years. I would love to see PinkPantheress. I’ve never seen Dijon live, but I watch live videos all the time. He’s so good at what he does, and his band is so sick.

literally jumped me into gear, and I was, like, “I want to be a singer.” A lot of the theory of music that was being thrown in my face on the radio, and even the Warped Tour stuff I was interested in, really weren’t women, and the women in music who I was hearing at the time were feminine in a way that I didn’t want to be. I just wanted to be crunchy and be like the bands I liked. I saw that show, and I remember being like, “Oh, damn. If I could just do something like that, that’d be cool,” and to this day, they’re still one of my favorite bands.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

I would probably ask David Byrne where he gets all the funk from. I was watching Stop Making Sense the other day. I was pretty stoned, and I started crying. I’ve loved the Talking Heads forever, but I was like, “What the fuck? This arrangement is crazy!” This guy must have sold his soul to the devil or something to have this, like, insane funk within him.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? I’m honestly not sure how I could answer this, since I always like to know why someone digs something I’ve never heard. Bad answer on my behalf!

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? I would absolutely love to see Whitney Houston live, bless her soul!

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

The only guilty pleasure I can think of is listening to music and playing at the same time!

GROUP Snail Mail

MORE INFO Snail Mail is expressive indie rock at its finest. Frontwoman Lindsey Jordan uses a somber singing voice and subtle rhythmic instrumentation to create soft and often emotional songs that are as head-bopworthy as they are heartbreaking. Check out “Speaking Terms” and “Valentine” for the mix on full display. Jordan is bringing Snail Mail to Coachella, on Friday, April 15 and 22.

What was the first concert you attended?

Hilary Duff at the 1st Mariner Arena (in Baltimore) when I was 5. Halfway through the set, I remember she got tired and just sat in a chair and did the rest of the show in a chair.

What was the first album you owned?

The first physical album was either So Wrong, It’s Right by All Time Low, or Oracular Spectacular by MGMT. I remember I got them in quick succession at the mall.

What bands are you listening to right now?

The Stone Roses, and Water From Your Eyes. There’s this band called @, and they’re so fucking good. My Idea, The American Analog Set, and Ice Spice.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

I’m implicating myself, because I got thrown in here, but sad-girl shit just drives me insane. Maybe it’s just because I never want to be part of a category like that, but the implication of sad girls, the whole concept, feels kind of sexist and belittling to the artists who they’re talking about. I just feel like the category is categorized by women being expressive, and I

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Maybe the Viva la Vida era of Coldplay. The first couple albums are, like, masterpieces. X&Y, fucking Parachutes and shit—all that stuff’s awesome. After Viva la Vida, it starts to get kind of crazy, but sometimes there are some songs I’m still on board for, but I listen to them in my car, and I wouldn’t want people to see that.

What’s your favorite music venue?

There are definitely some places we played in Europe where it’s like, “What the fuck? Where are we? How is this a venue?” because it’s so beautiful. Fuji Rock was the best view I’ve ever had on a stage, but maybe Le Botanique in Brussels. The grounds have beautiful statues all over, and it just doesn’t feel like you’re at a venue; it feels like you’re at a beautiful garden with, like, all these different levels, and they give you delicious food and wine.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

I heard “Closer” by The Chainsmokers on the radio in an Uber the other day for the first time in so long, and honestly, I really liked that song when it came out. When I was just thinking of guilty-pleasure songs, it came to mind, and now I can’t get it out of my head.

What band or artist changed your life?

Paramore for sure. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 5 and have always been in environments where I felt discouraged. I don’t think I knew that guitar was even like gendered like that; I just felt discouraged and left out. I felt, “I’m really good at what I do, but why do I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do this job?” I saw Paramore when I was 8 with my older sister. It

I’m gonna go with “Vapour Trail” by Ride. I think that’s my favorite song of all time, maybe seconded by “Under the Milky Way” by The Church.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? Elliott Smith. I got a tattoo based on that album.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“Standing in the Sun” by Jessica Lea Mayfield.

NAME Uriel Avila GROUP Caña

MORE INFO Caña is a relatively new entry in the local music scene, but the band’s unique sound has quickly captured fans. Blending a mix of prog rock, Latin grooves and indie psychedelia, Caña is hard to pin down genrewise, making them all the more interesting. While no professional recordings of the band exist yet, check out a snippet of their recent set at Desert Underground on the Desert Underground YouTube page.

What was the first concert you attended?

I believe the first legit concert I attended was a Children of Bodom concert!

What was the first album you owned? It honestly might have been Shakira’s debut album, Magia.

What bands are you listening to right now?

I can’t really name anyone specifically, since I usually listen to my entire library on shuffle. It’s almost always something new!

What’s your favorite music venue?

I personally don’t have a favorite music venue yet, considering there are too many unique spots out there. Honestly, any stage is my favorite music venue right now!

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

“The autumn wind and the winter winds, They have come and they have gone,” “Summer Wind,” Frank Sinatra.

What band or artist changed your life?

I feel like I can’t really pinpoint one band or artist, since every piece of music in my life has influenced me in one way or more. The experience of listening is definitely the biggest catalyst of how it’s changed my life.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

I honestly would ask, “How’s it going?” to David Gilmour.

What song would you like played at your funeral? Without a doubt, it would be “Summer Wind” as sung by Frank Sinatra.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

I don’t have a personal favorite album, so I might get the bullet! To be honest, it’s whatever album keeps me coming back, and that changes a lot as time goes on.

What song should everyone listen to right now? “Don’t Cry” by Seal.

NAME Lindsey Jordan

TINA TYRELL

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

“Them Apples”—if I had four apples and you took one …

By Matt Jones

Across

1. Cacique garment

4. Finnish Olympic runner Nurmi

9. “Be on the lookout” alerts, for short

13. Slipshod

14. “Gimme a sec”

15. Karate stroke

16. Annual fashion-based New York fundraiser

18. Ancient harplike instrument

19. Shadowy locale?

20. Under the Sign of Saturn writer Sontag

21. He helps reveal RSTLN and E

24. Foe

26. Cousin that may appear in future seasons of Wednesday

27. Muscat denizens

29. Holding accompaniment

31. Jan. 6 Committee vice chair Cheney

32. One who’s in the hole

35. Initialism of urgency

38. Granular pasta

40. Bay of Naples isle

41. Pre-verbal Jodie Foster character

42. Coffeehouse connection

43. Like Cocaine Bear

45. Org. that 2K Sports creates games for

46. Sore subject?

48. Make rise, as bread

50. Rental hauler

52. 2600 maker

55. “It’s coming to me now”

56. Open-eyed

58. Beagle, e.g.

60. “Legal” attachment

61. Japanesemanufactured photography equipment, perhaps

65. Vizquel of baseball

66. Timeworn truisms

67. Sawmill input

68. Job for an actor

69. Resort lake near Reno

70. Entry price

Down

1. Three-layer sandwich

2. Retro shout of support

3. It may get thrown at trendy pubs

4. Cat food form

5. It might be obtuse

6. “Encore!”

7. He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed (conveniently created by SheWho-Must-Not-BeMentioned)

8. Out ___ limb

9. Org. that fights voter suppression

10. Scoffing term used to criticize research of “softer sciences” (such as with the Nobel Prize in Economics)

11. Sacha Baron Cohen journalist

12. Burnt out

14. Millennial’s call to a Gen Z-er, maybe (which makes me feel ancient by now)

17. Math average 20. ___ admin

21. “How could you stoop ___?”

22. Late poet Baraka

23. Traditional New Orleans procession with band accompaniment

25. Toni Collette title character

28. Hush-hush

30. Actor McDiarmid

33. Heart song with that

guitar hook

34. Gulf Coast airport luggage code

36. Seascape Pulitzerwinning playwright Edward

37. Maps out

39. Dashboard gauge

44. “Strawberry Wine” singer Carter and crooner’s daughter Martin, for two

47. Pet it’d make sense to call something like “Sir Meowington”

49. “May I interrupt?”

50. Smoke, fog, or mist

51. King of the Hill beer brand

53. Princess Jasmine’s tiger

54. The Princess Bride character Montoya

57. It’s not not unusual

59. Slurpee alternative

61. Polyunsaturated stuff

62. North Pole toymaker

63. Fish eggs

64. Mellow

© 2023 Matt Jones

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