Coachella Valley Independent August 2014

VOL.2 | ISSUE 8

New venues, talented DJs and events like Splash House are turning the Coachella Valley into a hotbed of electronic dance music.

In Music—Page 24

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AUGUST 2014

A Note From the Editor

Mailing address: 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263 Cathedral City, CA 92234 (760) 904-4208 www.cvindependent.com

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle Assistant Editor Brian Blueskye Editorial Layout Wayne Acree Advertising Design Betty Jo Boegle Contributors Gustavo Arellano, Victor Barocas, Max Cannon, Kurt Caswell, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Alex Harrington, Raheem F. Hosseini, ValerieJean (VJ) Hume, Alexis Hunter, Keith Knight, Robin Linn, Marylee Pangman, Erin Peters, Deidre Pike, Dan Perkins, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor

The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, the LGBT Community Center of the Desert, artsOasis and the American Advertising Federation/Palm Springs-Desert Cities.

CVIndependent.com

cover design by Wayne Acree; PHOTO COURTESY OF SPLASH HOUSE

The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month. All content is ©2014 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.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 $1 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors.

Wait. Isn’t August supposed to be the slow season around these parts? Geez. Things sure aren’t slow here at the Independent offices.

Here are a few things going on that you should know about: • Mark your calendars: Voting in the Independent’s very first Best of Coachella Valley will kick off in September.

I know what you’re thinking: Does the valley really need another freaking “best of ”? Our answer: Yes, the valley does need another freaking “best of,” because we’ll be doing the Best of Coachella Valley right. Here’s how: In September, public voting will begin in 120-plus categories at CVIndependent.com and BestofCoachellaValley.com. The voting form will include no “finalists” or pre-determined candidates—each category will have a blank field next to it, period. Voters will need to fill out at least 20 of these categories; will only be allowed to vote once; and will need to provide an email address for possible verification purposes. (We will also be watching IP addresses for possible ballotbox-stuffing.)

In October, we’ll tally those results, announce five finalists in each category, and launch a second round of voting among those finalists.

The final results will be announced in our inaugural Best of Coachella Valley issue, in December. (We’ll throw in some great features and staff picks as well.)

It’s gonna be awesome! Watch for details in next month’s print issue and/or at CVIndependent.com.

• Speaking of CVIndependent.com: The Independent Market—our online store—continues to add new deals! This month, while supplies last, customers can get half-off gift certificates to Crave dessert restaurant, La Quinta Brewing Co., Lisa Harrington Pest Control and the Synchronicity: Matter and Psyche Symposium.

However, the Independent Market is now offering another cool thing: Tickets!

This month, we’re selling a limited supply of tickets to two shows at the Palms Restaurant in Twentynine Palms: Rock Formations II, featuring Jello Biafra and Spindrift, on Saturday, Aug. 23; and the Bat Country Labor Day Blast With the Rikk Agnew Band, on Sunday, Aug. 31.

Head on over to CVIndependent. com to get these exclusive deals—and if you want your business included in the Independent Market, drop me a line.

• Finally, I’d like to welcome a new comic strip to the pages and pixels of the Independent. Tom Tomorrow’s “This Modern World,” a staple of the alternative press for decades, will now appear each week at CVIndependent.com, and each month in the print edition.

Welcome, Tom! As always, folks, thanks for reading.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments; my email address is below.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com

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AUGUST 2014

OPINION

KNOW YOUR

NEIGHBORS

Many Second-Generation Americans Are Living the American Dream

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Anita Rufus lejandra Franco is a remarkable young woman.

She’s heading into her senior year at Desert Mirage High School, but first, she was excited about her trip this summer to study at Yale University in their Global Scholars Program for high school students.

“I kept getting emails from Yale and other colleges trying to recruit me,” she says, “but I want to study at Yale, so this was a wonderful opportunity. I didn’t expect to get picked when I applied, because there are so many other talented students out there. Then they offered me a full scholarship. I just had to find a way to pay for the plane ticket, and got help from the local migrant program. I’ll be studying politics, law and economics.”

How does a young woman living in Thermal, in a school district often portrayed as underprivileged and underperforming, find the way toward becoming the first in her family to attend college?

Again, Alejandra Franco is remarkable— smart and dedicated—and she is indicative of second-generation Hispanic Americans eager to embrace the American dream and determined to excel.

“My dad doesn’t put any limits on me. He and my mom are always there for me,” she says.

In addition to her studies, Alejandra is also active in the community. She volunteered with the congressional campaign of Rep. Raul Ruiz, who also left the Coachella Valley to pursue higher education and then kept his promise to return here to practice medicine and give back to the community.

“I want to become an immigration lawyer,” she says, “so that I can help people here who need that kind of help but can’t afford it. I see the issues in the Coachella Valley. There aren’t enough lawyers to help the people here who need help. I definitely plan to return here. This is where I come from.”

Despite stereotyping as being separate from the majority population and unwilling to learn English and assimilate, second-generation Hispanic Americans—the children of firstgeneration immigrants—usually do quickly assimilate. Research shows that Hispanic immigrants learn English as fast as those from other countries, and in a generation or two, their mother language is nothing but a faint memory.

“What we see is the classic American story,

where the second generation is doing better, in fact significantly better, than the first,” said Paul Taylor, a senior fellow at the Pew Research Center, to NBC Latino. Some 61 percent consider themselves just “typical Americans.”

In 2012, Hispanics had become the largest minority group on college campuses, making up a record 16.5 percent of all college enrollments—and that number is growing at a rapid rate each year. “Most have parents who came here without a formal education, so the jump in college completion among the second generation is significant,” Taylor also told NBC Latino.

With high school graduation among Hispanics around 80 percent, and their pursuit of college education soaring, what is making the difference? Is it a better education system? More dedicated teachers? Improved counseling? Parent involvement?

In the case of Alejandra Franco, it is all of the above.

“I’m friends with some of my teachers,” she says, “and they’ve really helped me a lot. My graduating class is very competitive, with lots of Advanced Placement students. Sometimes, people can say hurtful things. I remember one of my teachers said, ‘Just remember, (those hurtful things said) won’t matter in 10 years.

What will matter is who you are as a person and what you have accomplished.’”

Alejandra hears that message at home as well. “My parents are not putting any limits on me, and I can talk to them about anything,” she says.

She sees herself as the role model for her three younger brothers and is determined to

Alejandra Franco and her father, Alejandro. COURTESY OF ARTHUR COLEMAN

set a good example. “I tell them they have to work hard, because without an education, they won’t be able to have a stable future.”

Alejandro Franco, Alejandra’s father, is completely supportive of his daughter’s educational pursuits. “He meets with my teachers and asks what he can do to help with my studies,” she says. “And my mother, Ana, is studying English, got her GED and is planning to take college classes. My father says he knows we (his children) can have a better life, that this country is full of opportunity, and it’s up to us to take advantage of that. He regrets not having been able to do that himself.”

While Alejandra Franco is indeed

remarkable, there are many, many other second-generation American achievers coming up into what will soon be a “majority minority” country. We’re privileged to have them as our neighbors.

Alejandra’s bottom line? “I want to share my accomplishments with my community, because they helped shape me.”

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS APPEARS EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM. ANITA RUFUS IS ALSO KNOWN AS “THE LOVABLE LIBERAL,” AND HER RADIO SHOW AIRS SUNDAYS FROM 11 A.M. TO 1 P.M. ON KNEWS RADIO 94.3 FM.

CVIndependent.com

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OPINION

ASK A MEXICAN!

Why Do So Few Mexicans Smoke Cigarettes?

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN

Tips for Planting Successful Succulents WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Gustavo Arellano EAR MEXICAN: I noticed that Mexican people don’t generally smoke. I’m not condoning smoking, but it’s interesting to see how some groups do or do not smoke, and I have yet to see a Mexican person smoke cigarettes. Does the tobacco industry not target Latinos?

Fulminating Fumador DEAR GABACHO SMOKER: American Lung Association stats show that Latinos have the second-lowest rate of smoking among ethnic groups, with only 15.8 percent of Latinos smoking in 2008, compared with 21.3 percent of negritos, and 22 percent of gabachos.

In the Latino category, Mexican immigrants had an astoundingly low rate of 11.6 percent.

(Chicanos, on the other hand, smoke at a 20.1 percent rate—go, assimilation!) It’s not a new trend—studies going back to the 1980s cite the low smoking rate of Mexis.

The reasons? Catholicism, mostly: The Church forbade smoking back when it ruled Mexico, and the stigma resonates to the present day. Besides, Mexicans need their lungs for the Reconquista. Our livers, on the otra hand? Meh …

DEAR MEXICAN: The tragedy currently playing out on the U.S. southern border has reminded me to once again ask: If the U.S. had sponsored and funded infrastructural, educational, social and economic development in Mexico and Central America from the 1950s through the 1980s in the way the more-prosperous countries of Europe helped the less-prosperous nations of their region to prepare them for membership in the future European Union, would not Mexico and Central America today be considerably more prosperous, healthy and sustainable, with less immigration to the U.S.?

Esperando Sin Esperanza DEAR WAITING WITHOUT HOPE: A massive Marshall Plan-style aid program has been the dream of neoliberals in el gabacho and Latin America since the days of James Monroe, and while it makes sense, it’ll never happen. Primeramente, there would be an uproar across Latin America, as inhabitants will always reject overt acts of gabacho government charity in the (understandable) fear that Americans are trying to create a puppet state (see: Nicaragua under Somoza, Cuba under Batista, Mexico under everyone except Lázaro Cárdenas).

But even if Mexicans wanted that help, another group would be even more opposed: gabachos, who see any act of kindness toward CVIndependent.com

Latinos as weak and sowing the seed for Reconquista.

Witness the current tragedy at the U.S.Mexico border, where thousands of Central American and Mexican kids are trying to cross to flee ultra-violence at home. America’s reaction? Outrage that those chiquitos are looking for refuge, and outright assholery.

Compare that with the 1960s, when the U.S. government and public openly welcomed tens of thousands of Cuban kids with Operation Peter Pan. In the American psyche, those kids were cute, light-skinned Cubans and useful Cold War pawns; on the other hand, the current niños are dirty Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Mexicans who deserve misery and death back home.

DEAR MEXICAN: I continue to find that Mexican immigrants know they are not white, but refuse to identify or accept the fact that they come from indigenous people (even partly). Why is it that some Mexicans (like me) born on this side are more accepting of Amerindian ancestry, while Mexicans born over there wouldn’t dare?

By MARYLEE PANGMAN t is so hot in August that very few people want to even think about outdoor activities like gardening. But now is actually the perfect time to start planning our fall gardens; after all, the season is (thankfully) just around the corner.

In the desert, it’s best to contemplate low-water plants, like succulents. In my quest to keep your plants (and your money!) out of the compost heap, here are eight tips to safeguard your investment in these plants.

But first, a clarification: All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Of course, the best-known succulents are cacti.

Now for those tips: 1. Buy your plants from a nursery that grows its plants in the weather in which you will be planting them. In other words: Purchase locally from the growers, if possible.

Some nurseries may not grow their own plants, but you can always ask where they were grown. Make sure the answer is either here or another desert climate!

2. Plant each cactus with the same orientation to the sun in which it was grown, to avoid sunburn.

3. Location is critical when choosing plants.

Be sure each location and sun exposure is appropriate for the plant.

4. Plant succulents in purchased cactus soil—not native desert soil. This will limit exposure to bacteria and other disease organisms in ground soil.

5. When planting a succulent, bring the cactus soil level up to an inch or two below the original soil line on the stem of the plant.

This will give you room to add rock to the top of the soil.

6. Here’s why you want to add that rock:

It helps retain moisture and speeds top-level drainage. Too much water around the top of the planted stem can lead to root rot.

7. Allow the newly planted succulent to rest out of direct sunlight for a week or two before watering it. This allows any roots that were damaged to heal, as unhealed wet roots are susceptible to bacterial or fungal infections.

8. Do not overwater! Most succulents (aloes are a notable exception) are dormant in the winter, so potted succulents only need water once a month. In the summer, every two weeks will work. If you are going to be away, no worries; they can wait three to four weeks for water.

MARYLEE PANGMAN IS THE FOUNDER AND FORMER OWNER OF THE CONTAINED GARDENER IN TUCSON, ARIZ. SHE HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE DESERT’S POTTED GARDEN EXPERT. MARYLEE IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL CONSULTATIONS, AND YOU CAN EMAIL HER WITH COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AT POTTEDDESERT@GMAIL.COM. FOLLOW THE POTTED DESERT AT FACEBOOK.COM/POTTEDDESERT. THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN APPEARS TUESDAYS AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM.

Xicana Xingona DEAR BADASS CHICANA: What Mexican in their right mind would want to be anything other than gabacho in this country? There’s been much made recently of stats that supposedly show more than a million Latinos checked off the gaba box in the 2010 Census, with academic yaktivists claiming the U.S. government duped dumb Mexicans into going white—but please. Being considered white gives you a muy grande advantage in this country.

Indian? In the average mexicano mind, they’re good for pyramids, funny movies and casinos where they can see Pepe Aguilar; otherwise, a vergüenza.

CATCH THE MEXICAN EVERY WEDNESDAY AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM. ASK THE MEXICAN AT THEMEXICAN@ASKAMEXICAN.NET; BE HIS FAN ON FACEBOOK; FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @GUSTAVOARELLANO; OR FOLLOW HIM ON INSTAGRAM @GUSTAVO_ARELLANO!

Golden barrel cacti.

An aloe tree.

Red hook cacti.

AUGUST 2014

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CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2014

NEWS

CRACK LAW

IS WACK

State Lawmakers Inch Closer to Fixing a Discriminatory Law

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

By Raheem F. Hosseini tate legislators are finally addressing one of the most racist drug laws on the books.

On July 2, the state Assembly Appropriations Committee approved the California Fair Sentencing Act of 2014 on a 12-3 margin (with two abstentions). Aided by a bullish review from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the bill is slated to hit the full floor in August. It passed the Senate on a 21-12 vote in May. The act, Senate Bill 1010, aims to reverse a drug policy that for years incarcerated people of color for exponentially longer prison terms than white individuals for violating essentially the same law: possession of cocaine for sale. “(It’s) one of the most egregious missteps of the drug war,” said Glenn Backes, a spokesman for the Drug Policy Alliance, which endorses SB 1010.

The penal code in California currently treats crack cocaine—which comes from cutting the drug with an alkali, like baking soda—more seriously than it does the powder version. Anyone convicted of possessing crack cocaine for sale faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three, four or five years— and those terms are doubled with a prior strike conviction, like burglary or robbery.

Meanwhile, a person who’s busted for possessing cocaine powder earns prison terms of two, three or four years. Probation or suspended sentences are also easier to come by for convicted possessors of powdered coke.

Here’s why that’s wrong: Between 2006 and 2010, 95.5 percent of those locked up in state prisons for possessing crack for sale were people of color, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation figures analyzed by the Drug Policy Alliance.

A whopping 77.4 percent were black.

Meanwhile, a national drug-use survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2012 showed the use of crack was approximately equal among all races.

None of this data is new.

Mandatory-minimum sentencing guidelines were adopted at the federal level in 1986 and a year later in California. According to Backes, cocaine powder was still being medically prescribed in small doses postsurgery at the time; that’s one of the reasons it was treated differently. But there was also a spurious assumption, fanned by the media, that crack was deadlier and more addictive CVIndependent.com

than powder cocaine.

“It wasn’t long before the medical field said, ‘You’re mistaken,’” Backes said. A major study in the American Medical Journal was one of several reports to debunk that claim.

There have been previous efforts to reform the law. Late Democratic Sen. Mervyn M. Dymally tried to address the disparities in 2005 and 2008, but both efforts died in committee.

Sen. Holly J. Mitchell believes the climate has changed enough to give her version of the bill a decent shot. “From my perspective, it just seemed like the stars aligned,” she said.

A bipartisan majority of the U.S. Congress passed a federal version of this reform in 2010, and it was championed by conservative luminaries such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, Newt Gingrich and California’s last Republican attorney general, Dan Lungren.

Meanwhile, five other conservative states have all beaten California to the punch in modifying their sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine, the Sentencing Project reports.

With such widespread support among redstate powers, you’d be forgiven for thinking

SB 1010 was riding a bipartisan wave here in the Golden State. It’s not.

“Thus far, we haven’t gained one Republican vote for this law,” said John Skoglund, a legislative aide to Mitchell.

However, the bill did end up securing a Republican vote on July 2, from former gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly.

The California Police Chiefs Association, one of only two organizations officially opposing SB 1010, believes the disparate penalties should be streamlined the other way, so that powder busts are more serious.

But, added spokeswoman Sara Dwyer, the association wasn’t “actively engaged on this bill.” The California District Attorneys Association, which opposed earlier reform efforts, is remaining neutral.

Four county DAs in the state have authored strongly worded letters of support for the proposed law.

Still, California may be finally catching up to the rest of the country when it comes to less severe sentencing policies. State voters overwhelmingly adopted three-strikes reform in 2012. And recently, an initiative to lower the severity of certain drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors qualified for the November ballot.

As for the lasting impact of mandatory minimum drug sentences, Backes described a grim one. “A number of black families (were) pulled apart,” he said. “The legacy is not just on those families, but on the communities that had every reason to believe the system was rigged against them.”

This article originally appeared in the Sacramento News & Review.

For years, penalties for the possession of powder cocaine have been much lighter than penalties for the possession of crack cocaine—and the vast majority of people convicted of crack possession for sale are black.

AUGUST 2014

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CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2014

NEWS

BROKE CITY

Desert Hot Springs Ponders Another Ballot Initiative After the Failure of a Proposed Tax Increase

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

By Brian Blueskye esert Hot Springs has been in a fiscal emergency ever since last year’s surprising November revelation that the city was facing a budget deficit upward of $6 million.

In an effort to bridge that gap, the city put Measure F on the June 3 ballot, proposing to drastically raise taxes on vacant parcels of land. Even though more than 60 percent of the city’s voters said yes to the measure, it did not pass, because of a state law requiring two-thirds approval.

Today, after slashing the budget, city officials are now considering placing another revenue-raising effort in front of voters, this time in November.

Had Measure F passed on June 3, it would have provided the city with just more than $3 million. Mayor Adam Sanchez said the city has two realistic options for the Nov. 4 election.

“We can go again with a (initiative) similar to Measure F … but we have to change it, because by law, you can’t do the same thing twice,” Sanchez said. “There are people in the community who would rather put an increase in the sales tax on the ballot. That will be part of the debate and discussion at the city council meeting in August.”

Sanchez said he still prefers the parcel tax on vacant lands.

“What’s good about the parcel tax is it’s an opportunity for all the residents and anyone who owns property to make it fair and balanced,” Sanchez said. “The reason we didn’t go to the sales tax before is because it’s all the regular residents who own homes and work here who pay that tax. The parcel tax is on the vacant landowners, many of whom don’t live here. … It’s still a challenge, because you have to get to that 66.7 percent voter approval.”

Per Proposition 13, any increase in special taxes requires a two-thirds majority vote.

Measure F received support from 61.5 percent of voters on June 3.

Measure F was proposed as a way for the city to avoid bankruptcy, and to ensure that public-safety services such as police and fire remain viable.

The primary argument against Measure F in the voting guide sent to voters was written

by Robert Bentley, who railed against a corrupt City Council and suggested the measure was a “trick” being pulled on residents. The Inland Empire Taxpayers Association also campaigned against Measure F. Neither Bentley nor the Inland Empire Taxpayers Association responded to interview requests from the Independent.

CVIndependent.com

Michael Burke, a Desert Hot Springs resident and the owner of BurkeMedia Productions, signed the argument in favor of Measure F. “I was in support of Measure F for one major reason,” Burke said. “Desert Hot Springs has this huge deficit. The City Council worked really hard to reduce it. We needed a solution, and Measure F was brought to the council. At first, they were going to make the parcel tax around $570 per acre, and that was ridiculous.

They brought it down to around $375, which I also thought was a little high. After researching it, what the owners (are paying on vacant) parcels … is $29.50, which is ridiculously low.”

Burke said the solution made sense to him after he did his own research.

“Measure F would have raised the vacant land tax to still be lower than (the tax paid by) homeowners,” he said. “It would have made it a little bit fairer, because they would at least have to pay for the basic services that they use.”

After the failure of Proposition F, city funding for groups and agencies such as Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, the DHS Health and Wellness Center (which also includes the Boys and Girls Club) and the Desert Hot Springs Police Department was jeopardized.

“During this process, we were already having discussions with the Desert Healthcare District and Borrego (who run the Health and Wellness Center) about how we can minimize our costs of operating the Health and Wellness Center.

It’s a $1 million operation,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said the city wants to keep its own police department, rather than contracting with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for police services.

“Right now, I hate to say it, but we’re taking the police department on a month-to-month

The funding that the city of Desert Hot Springs provides to Cabot’s Pueblo Museum was jeopardized by the city’s huge budget deficit.

basis,” Sanchez said. “They have their budget now, so they have to make adjustments and reductions within the department. They recently had to let go the records clerk because they had to reduce the budget by $500,000.

They can’t afford to remove a police officer, because that’s a priority, so they had to look at administration to reduce some of those costs.”

Sanchez said he hopes that voters realize the city’s budget crisis is a serious matter.

“I think people realized that as we had to do a budget without Measure F, and how

we had to reduce the police department and police budget even further, that (the budget situation) was critical. We had to make reductions in terms of staff and accounting.

There are a lot of details in the budget where they had to reduce cost. They can’t even have any more training.

“What we have now is a bare-bones police department, because Measure F didn’t pass.

But how can a bare-bones police department function without putting their own safety and the public’s safety in jeopardy?”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

AUGUST 2014

NEWS

THREE DECADES OF HELPING The Desert AIDS Project Marks 30 Years

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

By Brian Blueskye hirty years ago, in the middle of what was becoming the AIDS epidemic, the Desert AIDS Project was founded to help locals deal with the crisis.

“A group of people locally saw what was taking place as far as the (AIDS crisis) was concerned in the 1980s,” said Darrell Tucci, DAP’s chief development officer, about the organization’s beginnings. “DAP became one of the first AIDS services organizations in the country in 1984. The Desert AIDS Project over the years has allowed itself to keep its fingers on the pulse of the epidemic, the needs of the people affected, and to grow and expand to offer the services that were needed along the way.”

When AIDS and HIV were first identified, there were few, if any, helpful treatment options. When asked what services were offered during the early years of the organization, Tucci offered a grim reminder of those days.

“Most AIDS service organizations started as organizations that could provide comfort,” Tucci said. “The earliest organizations were activist-oriented, not care-oriented, because no one knew how to provide care for a disease that no one understood yet.

As those questions became answered, care was … provided. In the earliest days, buddy programs were developed: If you were living with HIV, and it was already isolating because of how it manifested in your body, another person in the community who may or may not be HIV-positive could be a buddy in your life to help support you emotionally or physically.”

Thankfully, the medical field began making progress in treating those with HIV. “As more progress grew in medicine, medical clinics developed as federal government money started to be poured into it. Case management had to be created—to make sure people were eligible to receive services the government was paying for, but also to make sure people were dealing with the challenges of managing their own illness.”

In its three decades, the Desert AIDS Project has provided a vast number of services, from apartment-style housing for clients that sits behind the DAP campus on Sunrise Way in Palm Springs, to social support, basic-needs care, and holistic and

metaphysical care. Tucci said the Desert AIDS Project has also started offering dental care in recent years.

“Fifteen years ago, no one worried about dental care, because patients weren’t really living long enough. … Now that we have people living for decades, the No. 1 thing they told us four or five years ago is, ‘We need access to dental care, and we can’t afford it.’

So we developed one of the first HIV specialty dental clinics in the country. Two years ago, we expanded it.”

Some people have questioned the financials of the organization through the years.

However, Charity Navigator, a site that ranks nonprofit organizations, gives DAP a four-star rating, the highest a nonprofit organization can have, and reports that DAP spends 81.6 percent of its budget on the programs and services it delivers.

“In total, we currently serve 2,300 people across all of the different services we provide,” Tucci said. “Right now, our budget is around $20 million. Our overhead expenses tend to hover between 13 percent and 18 percent per year, which is well below the federal guidelines of 25 percent. We run a very financially healthy organization, and we make sure that every dollar that gets donated here is maximized as to how it cares for our organization.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE DESERT AIDS PROJECT, VISIT WWW.DESERTAIDSPROJECT.ORG. CVIndependent.com

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NEWS

AUGUST ASTRONOMY It’s Time for the Perseid Meteor Shower— but the Moon Will Put a Damper on the Show WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

by Robert Victor his month, Mars and Saturn draw attention in the southwest evening sky, as they appear within 10 degrees of each other from Aug. 8 on—and within 5 degrees Aug. 19-31.

Viewed through a telescope this month, Saturn—with its shadow cast upon its rings— has a striking three-dimensional appearance.

August 2014 at dusk: The five brightest objects in evening mid-twilight are Arcturus and Vega, near magnitude 0.0; Mars (+0.4 to +0.6); Saturn (+0.5 to +0.6); and Altair (+0.8).

We have our first mutual conjunction of naked-eye planets in the evening sky this year, as Mars passes 3.4 degrees south of Saturn on Aug. 25, in the southwest sky. At dusk on Aug. 31, a thick crescent moon forms a pretty gathering with Mars and Saturn, several hours after a daytime occultation of the ringed planet.

As for stars: Arcturus, Spica and Antares, all in the west half of the sky, sink lower as the month progresses. The Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb, well up in the east, ascends still higher.

On Friday, Aug. 1, find the moon in the westsouthwest, with a string of bright objects to its upper left: Spica, 6 degrees to the upper left, with Mars 10 degrees to the upper left of Spica, and Saturn 13 degrees to the upper left of Mars.

Antares, heart of Scorpius, is 24 degrees to the left of Saturn. During the next four evenings, the moon will be moving eastward through the lineup of these four objects.

CVIndependent.com

On Sunday, Aug. 10, with unobstructed views of the horizon, you can catch the full “supermoon” setting 15 degrees south of west a few minutes before sunrise, and rising 12 degrees south of east a few minutes before sunset. An hour after sunset, the full moon is 12 degrees up in the east-southeast. On Monday, Aug. 11, the moon rises within 40 minutes after sunset.

After full, the waning moon rises later each evening—but not quickly enough to prevent bright moonlight from diminishing the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on the night of Aug. 12-13.

Perseid meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, but if the track of a Perseid meteor is extended backward, it will trace back to the radiant in Perseus, to the lower left, or later in the night, below the “W” of Cassiopeia.

That’s the direction from which the stream of meteoroids (dust from Comet Swift-Tuttle) approaches Earth. On the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 12, as twilight ends at 9:07 p.m. in the Coachella Valley, the shower radiant is only 8 degrees up in the north-northeast. Meteors seen then won’t be plentiful, but any that are seen will be “Earth-grazers,” with long paths dipping into our atmosphere at a shallow angle.

As twilight ends at 4:35 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, the radiant is nearly 60 degrees up in the north-northeast to northeast. Meteors will be more plentiful, because our part of the Earth will be presented more broadside to the incoming stream. But this year, the moon will be high and bright, reducing the numbers seen.

Morning visibility map at mid-twilight.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Evening visibility map at mid-twilight.

ROBERT D. MILLER

On Wednesday evening, Aug. 13, there is a brief half-hour window of dark skies before moonrise, presenting another chance to see Earth-grazers—but not many, because Earth will have moved out of the core of the Perseid stream.

Good news: In 2015, the Perseid meteor shower will be a grand spectacle, as the new moon will occur on Aug. 14, only one day after peak.

August 2014 at dawn: The five brightest objects are Venus; Jupiter and Sirius, once they appear in August’s second week; and Vega and Capella.

A spectacular, close pairing of the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will provide much enjoyment for morning twilight skywatchers in August. On Aug. 8, watch for Jupiter rising in the east-northeast within 10 degrees of the lower left of Venus, moving about a degree closer each day. By Aug. 13, the planets are only 5 degrees apart; on Aug. 18, the two bright planets will appear closest, within 0.4 degrees. They’ll spread to just more than 5 degrees apart by Aug. 23, when a waning crescent moon appears to their right, within 5 to 8 degrees.

As for stars: As this month begins, we see the Summer Triangle in the west to northwest, and Fomalhaut in the south-southwest to southwest, sinking lower with each passing day. In the eastern sky, as August opens, we’re already seeing Capella, Aldebaran and

Orion’s Betelgeuse and Rigel, as described in the opening lines of Robert Frost’s poem “The Star-Splitter”; we’re also seeing Venus and Pollux. Joining the spectacle in August’s second week are Jupiter, Procyon and Sirius.

If you look at the right time, from a place where mountains don’t block your view, you can see the Winter Triangle and Summer Triangle simultaneously, just after Sirius rises and before Altair sets. You can then observe 11 of the 16 stars of first magnitude or brighter ever visible from Southern California.

Check the website of the Astronomical Society of the Desert (www.astrorx.org) for dates, maps and directions to our “star parties,” where everyone is welcome to look through our telescopes at the moon, planets and “deep sky objects.” Year-round monthly sessions begin at dusk at Sawmill Trailhead; upcoming dates are Aug. 23 and Sept. 20, as sky conditions permit. Our monthly star parties at the more-convenient Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument’s Visitor Center will resume on Oct. 4.

Seize opportunities this summer to enjoy the beauty of the sky!

ROBERT C. VICTOR WAS A STAFF ASTRONOMER AT ABRAMS PLANETARIUM AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. HE IS NOW RETIRED AND ENJOYS PROVIDING SKYWATCHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN IN AND AROUND PALM SPRINGS.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

AUGUST 2014

NEWS

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

SNAPSHOT

Images From July in the High Desert and Coachella Valley

Artist Alvaro Ilizarbe (at the copy machine, wearing a tank top featuring his art) leads a pattern-making workshop on Saturday, July 19, as part of the Summer School event at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club. The annual weekend event includes music by a variety of musicians, as well as poolside DJ sets, but Summer School is highlighted by the free classes led by respected artists, such as Ilizarbe. Other classes covered topics such as collage, T-shirt dyeing and postcards. PHOTOS BY JIMMY BOEGLE

Interstate 10 brings travelers from Los Angeles to the Palm Springs area—but for a show on Saturday, July 19, the band X took the road less traveled: Highway 62, to Pioneertown and Pappy and Harriet’s. John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake performed what they called an acoustic set. “This is fucking scary doing something different after 36 years,” John Doe told the audience, referencing the new “acoustic” approach and explaining: “We rehearsed the hell out of this.” The band has always infused country, folk and Americana elements into their material. However, make no mistake: X is primarily a punk band. The group concluded the appearance with “Devil Dog,” reminding everyone that X remains a hard-driving influence in the punk world. (Visit CVIndependent. com for a full review of the show.) REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY GUILLERMO PRIETO/IROCKPHOTOS.NET

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⓭ Patrick Blythe, Renowned Artist and Glass Secessionist ⓯ The Idyllwild Authors Series Concludes in a Big Way ⓰ ArtsOasis and Theater Listings ⓱ Western Lit: Barry Lopez Embarks on a Series of ‘Conversations’ www.cvindependent.com/arts-and-culture

A LIVING LEGEND

Rancho Mirage’s Kaye Ballard, 88, Discusses Her Storied Career—and Reveals She Still Has Unmet Goals

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KATE PORTER CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

AUGUST 2014

ARTS & CULTURE

RETHINKING GLASS FOR THE NEW CENTURY

Meet Sculptor Patrick Blythe

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

By Victor Barocas Patrick Blythe’s large studio, located inside Indio’s Coachella Valley Art Center, includes four separate spaces. It’s clear that each space has its own distinct purpose.

Design and model-marking. Mold-making and stone-carving. A kiln room for heating and forming glass. And a “cold room,” where glass is carved and polished.

In the studio of the internationally recognized glass artist, our conversation moved into Blythe’s aesthetic, his creative process and his future.

Have you always been an artist?

Art has always been my passion; however, sculpting glass, metal and stone is my second career.

I relocated to the desert after retiring from a very successful 30-year stint in public finance.

In 2000, creating art became and remains my career.

Why glass?

I began this studio because of my fascination with the medium’s unique qualities. Unlike (sculptors using) opaque materials, like metal and stone, glass sculptors can create a world where light is absorbed; they choose whether or not the light will be seen by the viewer.

Also, glass allows artists opportunities to manage how light can be bent, reflected and/ or refracted. All these qualities become more pronounced when colored glass and other materials are added to the mix.

These effects can be readily found in my cast-glass pieces that are inspired by sunrises and sunsets here in the desert and other places. With this work, there are layers of color, each with its own unique characteristics.

Hopefully, viewers find their own personal sunrise or sunset in each piece. Good examples

“Harvest” by Patrick Blythe.

are “First Light” and “Dawn.” “Sea Column VI” is my interpretation of a different experience.

Do you do anything else with the medium?

I also build glass sculptures. For example, I am especially proud of “The Grief of Love Lasts a Life”; it deals with the very basic human experiences of personal reflection and loss.

The sculpture took me some four months to complete. The piece combines both casting and fabrication techniques. I cast the church walls.

Once completed, the walls were fused together.

While insets into the church walls may look like painted glass, they are actually old photographs printed on small pieces of glass.

Creating the windows is a distinct and separate process from the traditional casting and fusing process. Lastly, every piece of rubble outside the church was hand-carved.

What do you aim for when you are creating a piece of sculpture?

Let me start by saying: I am not a glassblower.

In strong contrast to 20th-century studio glass blowers—whose work provides immediate gratification and tends to be more utilitarian or decorative—my art reflects the 21st century.

Stated simply, my glass sculptures are far more deliberate and contemplative.

Considerable thought and planning goes into each piece that offers the viewer a distinct narrative. Completing some of my glass sculptures requires upwards of three to four months.

Can you explain what you mean by a “narrative”?

My goal is to have viewers, when looking at my work, engage the piece on their own terms.

Each one of us is different, and our personal histories define what we experience. In other words, the viewer is expected to create their own personal story when looking at a Patrick Blythe piece. Essentially, with each piece,

I strive to present a universal truth that each person realizes through their personal narrative.

You work in other media, too. Do you compartmentalize how you work?

Definitely not. I do work on multiple projects concurrently. That stimulates my creative process. I do, however, think about a particular sculpture might appear in glass or stone or bronze. Ultimately, each of my sculptures is an interaction between my creative vision and how the material reacts. Sometimes, the material guides me.

I see that your sculptures differ in size.

Why? I frequently vary the sizes of my glass, bronze and stone sculptures.

With “Exile,” the face is most visible when looked at directly. From the side, the recessed face is pretty much hidden from view. “Exile” is a very personal piece that was created after my surgery for cancer; it is based on the sense of estrangement that can stem from serious illness when friends and family become uncomfortable with the idea of the end of life. The work is really about all forms of estrangement, like divorce, job loss, etc. Estrangement seems to be a universal experience.

With “Exile,” the size of the glass sculpture differs from the size of the bronze. And the stone sculpture is much larger than both of them. Each medium brings its own power and sense of intimacy.

There are (two stone versions and one glass version) of “Exile,” as well as a limited edition of 25 bronzes.

How do you see your art evolving?

Right now, I am comfortable working in stone, glass and bronze; however, I am increasingly interested in creating public art.

My first piece of public art, “Harvest,” is included in the current El Paseo Invitational Exhibition. The 8-foot tall sculpture, located between Ocotillo and Verba Santa drives in Palm Desert, contains a narrative; it is about my days working in the Southern Illinois corn fields.

“Harvest” has been very well-received. It is opening discussions for me to create other large-scale and public-art sculptures.

Patrick Blythe works in his studio.

How do you spread the word to potential glassmakers?

I quite frequently lecture and talk about glass throughout the United States and now in Europe. Talks are tailored to the audiences’ need. I also participate in workshops throughout the United States and Europe.

There, I both refine my craft and hopefully offer some insights to other glass artists.

Currently, I am working on a very large castglass piece that will be cast in a Czech Republic studio, where there are several very large kilns.

The piece will remain in the kiln for several months.

Lastly, I am an active member of what is called the “glass secessionist movement.”

Modeling after what (Alfred) Stieglitz did with photography about a century ago, glass secessionists advocate that glass be considered a stand-alone art form. We also created a Facebook page dedicated to the movement.

Where can one see your work sculptures?

Ironically, I have been very lucky: Most of my work is sold by word of mouth. While it would be great to be represented by a gallery, the length of time needed to create one piece limits the number of sculptures I can produce.

In other words, my problem is creating enough inventory to satisfy a gallery’s needs. Today, collectors worldwide contact me directly.

While several projects are in varying stages of design and production, “Harvest” is a great piece to experience my aesthetic and create a personal narrative. Actually, the best way to see my work is to visit my website or contact me at my studio.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PATRICK BLYTHE, CALL HIM AT 760-218-8998, OR VISIT PATRICKBLYTHE.COM. PATRICK’S STUDIO, AT THE COACHELLA VALLEY ART CENTER, 45140 TOWNE ST., IN INDIO, IS OPEN TO VISITORS BY APPOINTMENT. CVIndependent.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

OH KAYE!

Rancho Mirage’s Kaye Ballard Discusses Her Storied Career—and Reveals She Still Has Unmet Goals

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

By Alexis Hunter ore than 500 adoring fans filled the large, sold-out auditorium at the Camelot Theatres one spring evening, with several hundred others sent home, disappointed by the fact that they could not buy tickets to the show featuring a true living legend.

Inside, 88-year-old Kaye Ballard had her Going Out of Business audience in hysterics, laughing to the point of bellyache. I counted at least five standing ovations before the incredibly talented lady rode her tricked-out scooter up the aisle, passing a standing, cheering audience—leaving the stage for perhaps the last time.

After all, the one-night-show was billed as her possible final performance.

The thought of the Rancho Mirage resident packing up her tuba and denying her fans her amazing wit is unimaginable. Here’s hoping the “right” script comes along, or she decides to be like Cher, whose perpetual “last tour” is seemingly an annual event.

When I asked the actress, singer and comedian if she’d allow me to do an interview, she graciously agreed. Here are some of the highlights of our chat.

When did you begin your career in showbiz? How old were you, and what was your first paying job?

I knew I wanted to perform by the time I was 5, and even before graduating high school, I began to find work doing imitations of my favorite stars. I worked all around Ohio. I did burlesque and vaudeville … and before I discovered my true love of musical theater, I toured with the Spike Jones Orchestra for two years as the featured vocalist and tuba-player.

Was your family supportive of your love of the stage and acting?

To my mother’s horror, I wanted to be in show

Kaye Ballard jokes with her audience. ALEXIS HUNTER CVIndependent.com

business. This notion was contrary to every conventional belief she possessed! Mama did her best to dislodge this foreign idea from my head: “You’re too ugly. You can’t be in show business the way you look!” She’d say, “Have a cannoli.” If my mother ever felt maternal pride in any of my achievements, she never shared those feelings with me. In fact, in the early years of my career, no member of my family came to any of my performances. My mother always gave the tickets I’d given her to the butcher or a neighbor. I don’t think she wasn’t proud of me. In her own strange way, giving those tickets away was her way of showing her pride. Crazy, huh? I grew to feel sorry for Mama. … She never had the life she’d wanted.

She simply did the best she knew how to do, with what was given to her.

My biggest support at home came from my grandmother. When I told Nana I wanted to be in show business, she said, “Go on, go. But, I no wan-a you to smoke, and you no show your legs.” I kept my word, and to this day, no audience has ever seen my legs.

What was your favorite role, and why?

You’d think that someone who has been in the theater as long as I have would find it difficult to choose a favorite role. Not me: My favorite role ever is the indomitable “Mama Rose” in perhaps the most perfectly written show in all of musical comedy history, Gypsy. What a thrill, and what a workout! I’ve played Mama Rose twice, and both times, I’ve found her to be the most exhausting, most rewarding character I’ve come across in the theater.

How many Broadway shows did you do?

Films? TV shows?

Lots. LOTS. Lots! I did lots of shows on

Shecky Greene, Carol Channing and Kaye Ballard speak to a fan. ALEXIS HUNTER

Broadway: Carnival!, The Pirates of Penzance and The Golden Apple. I did Broadway, and then I did off-Broadway. I always stayed until the end of the show’s run. I did 150 Tonight Show (episodes) altogether. I did The Jack Parr Show, The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, The Steve Allen Show, The Perry Como Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Mike Douglas Show and The Muppet Show.

When I realize how much I’ve done … I’ve lived a long time! I’ve always worked in show business. … I never took another kind of job. I appeared in dumps just to keep working. I did vaudeville, Vegas with Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Tony Bennett, Ann-Margret … films … worked in nightclubs. And I’ve written a book, How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years.

It’s been rumored that you and Marlon Brando were very close friends. Is it true?

As to your question about Marlon: I found him irresistibly attractive … and yes, we had a brief affair. He was lighthearted and hilarious … we had a wonderful time. When the physical part of the relationship was over, we became good friends and often had dinner together. He was intellectual and refined. However, there was a macho, even chauvinistic side to him. He did not believe that monogamy was natural … and felt that men were meant to sow their seed in many different directions, and my Lord, he certainly did! (Big laugh.) Not that I wasn’t tempted to be one of those directions—come on, he was stunningly gorgeous! But on the off

chance the baby would look like me, I couldn’t take the chance! (Laughs.) The last time I spoke with him, I told him I was writing a book, and that I could recall every moment I’d spent with him. He replied, “Every little moment, Kaye?

I can’t even remember who I’ve slept with!”

(Laughs.) I sent Marlon a card for his 80th birthday, and that was the last contact I had with him. The sensation of losing a friend is unreal, even more so when the friend happens to be an icon, and the world mourns along with you.

Who are your favorite contemporary actors and singers?

We can’t dismiss Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt … and of course, I adore George Clooney. I was on a series with him … before he got ER. His life changed dramatically after that.

Your career has included performances for the British royal family. You entertained President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1987. You’ve starred multiple times on Broadway and sung at some of the most prestigious nightclubs around the world. You’ve done films and television, and made millions of people laugh. What do you want to do next?

Well, I want to do one good movie—one thing that I could say I did my best! If I die, I’ll really be furious, because I still haven’t done what I consider my best yet!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

AUGUST 2014

ARTS & CULTURE

LITERATURE ON HIGH The Idyllwild Authors Series Concludes Another Successful Year of Bringing Great Writers to the Mountain Town

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

By Brian Blueskye dyllwild has always been known for its arts community—and now, it’s become a destination for lovers of literature.

For 10 consecutive Sundays during the summer, the mountain town, located an hour’s drive from the Coachella Valley, hosts authors at Café Aroma to discuss their craft, thanks to the Idyllwild Authors Series.

This year’s series will conclude on Sunday, Aug. 3, with an appearance by Dete Meserve, author of the novel Good Sam. Eduardo Santiago, the founder and host of the writers.” the series, said Idyllwild is a perfect place for Writers who have participated in the series literary events. so far this summer include Neile Adams, “Idyllwild welcomes the arts,” Santiago author of My Husband, My Friend, about said. “All of the arts are represented all the her marriage to late actor Steve McQueen; time. We have a lot of musicians in our town, novelists Mark Sarvas and Cynthia Bond; so there’s always music everywhere—every and Real Women Have Curves scribe Josefina restaurant you walk to, and every plaza. We Lopez. have a lot of art galleries, so you get to see a The series has been well-received, and it’s lot of sculptures and paintings.” not uncommon for the audience to fill Café However, something was missing from the Aroma.

Idyllwild arts scene, Santiago said.

“We have a fantastic turnout,” Santiago “I felt that the writers were unrepresented,” said. “When I started doing this about four he said. “So about four years ago, I started the years ago, we probably had about eight people authors’ series. For 10 Sundays in a row every in the audience. Now we get about 60 to 80 summer, I interview a different writer. on any given Sunday. It’s always standing“Reading is kind of a solitary experience, room-only, and it’s a very popular series. One but I make it a speaker series. I interview the reason, I think, is because Idyllwild doesn’t writers in front of a live audience, and I ask have a bookstore. So here is a place where you about nine questions, and the writer reads a can go, and people are interested in reading, little bit from his or her book. The audience in authors, and in books.” also gets to ask questions and interact with While Idyllwild doesn’t have a bookstore,

Dete Meserve, the author of the novel Good Sam, will appear as part of the Idyllwild Authors Series on Sunday, Aug. 3.

Santiago did mention the new library in Idyllwild. “(My series) is not the only game in town, but it is the only game of its kind, because I’m recruiting writers from all over California to come and talk with us. I also make sure to include local writers in the series,” he said.

While many bookstores have blinked out of existence in these days of e-readers and the Internet, Santiago said Idyllwild’s residents still put a lot of value on literature.

“Idyllwild is a reading town,” he said.

“Idyllwild doesn’t have winter sports; we’re not Big Bear, and we’re not Lake Arrowhead.

We do have a large reading population here.

I feel so fortunate that this is where I am, because people are responding. I say every time, ‘I only do this because you show up.’ As long as I continue to have the support of the community, I’m going to keep doing it.”

THE IDYLLWILD AUTHORS SERIES’ 2014 SEASON CONCLUDES AT 3 P.M., SUNDAY, AUG. 3, AT CAFÉ AROMA, 54750 N. CIRCLE DRIVE, IN IDYLLWILD. ADMISSION IS FREE. DETE MESERVE, A FILM AND TELEVISION EXECUTIVE WHO WORKED ON HOME IMPROVEMENT AND WHAT WOMEN WANT, WILL DISCUSS HER NOVEL GOOD SAM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.IDYLLWILDAUTHORS.COM.

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AUGUST 2014

AUGUST ARTS Film Dive-in Movie at Wet ’N’ Wild: Grown-Ups 2 The Dive-in Movie is included with park admission. Play during the day, and stay late to enjoy the film poolside.

Grown-Ups 2 will start after dusk on Friday, Aug. 1, and the park will be open until 10 p.m., weather permitting.

Admission prices vary. Wet ’n’ Wild Palm Springs, 1500 S. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs. 760-327-0499; www.wetnwildpalmsprings.com.

Kids’ Summer Movie Series at Ultrastar Family-friendly films are shown at 9:30 a.m. every Monday through Friday, through Friday, Aug. 22. July 28-Aug. 1: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

Aug. 4-8: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. Aug. 11-15: Despicable Me 2. Aug. 18-22: The Lego Movie. $5 for a 10-movie package; $1 at the door. UltraStar Mary Pickford Cinemas, 36850 Pickfair St., Cathedral City.

760-328-0484; www.ultrastarmovies.com.

Lit Flicks: Philomena See how great books can turn into film classics. Prior to the film, enjoy popcorn, and kick back for a short conversation by film and literary experts. This will be facilitated by Tod Goldberg, director of the University of California, Riverside’s Palm Desert’s low-residency MFA program. After the film, there will be a brief discussion.

5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27. Free. University of California, Riverside—Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Palm Desert. 760-834-0800; palmdesert.ucr.edu/programs/Lit_Flicks.html.

seats. At 9 p.m., the tribute band takes over and plays audience favorites. At 10:30 p.m., the cover band comes back out and continues the live music until midnight.

Friday, Aug. 1: Tribute to No Doubt. Saturday, Aug. 2: Tribute to Aerosmith. Friday, Aug. 8: Tribute to Tom Petty. Saturday, Aug. 9: Tribute to Billy Idol. Saturday, Aug. 16. Tribute to Guns n’ Roses. Aug. 23: Tribute to Van Halen. Aug. 30: Tribute to Prince. Free. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio. 888331-5645; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Friday Night Tribute Concert Spotlight 29 Casino invites everyone to come out and enjoy Friday-night tribute concerts. Guests must be 21 years and older. 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 22: Tribute to Pink Floyd. Free. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella. 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Friends of Friends Weekend The Ace’s friends at Los Angeles-based record label Friends of Friends are coming back for another weekend of live music and DJs by the pool and in the Amigo Room. 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1 and 2, in the Amigo Room; noon to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2 and 3, poolside. Amigo Room events are free (21+); poolside events are open only to hotel guests. Ace Hotel and Swim Club, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 760-325-9900; www.acehotel.com/calendar/palmsprings.

Music

Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines The swingin’ sounds of straight-ahead jazz, blues, Latin and rock will greet you and your friends as you stroll past the three venues featuring more than two dozen musical groups during the weekend. Wander leisurely along the pine- and cedar-lined paths of the Festival Marketplace, where more than 50 selected artisans will present their work. Sample the varieties of delicious foods offered at the Dine in the Pines food court. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16 and 17. $60 one day; $110 both days. Idyllwild Arts Campus, 52500 Temecula Road, Idyllwild-Pine Cove. Idyllwildjazz.com

American Idol Live!

Fans of the hit series can see this season’s talented Top 10 finalists live. 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 16. $49 to $109.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio. 888-331-5645; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

The Melvyn’s Artists’ Showcase Join Mikael Healey, musical director, each Wednesday at 8 p.m. for open-mic night, featuring singers, poets, instrumentalists and artists of all types. Free. Melvyn’s Restaurant at the Ingleside Inn, 200 W. Ramon Road, Palm Springs. 760-325-2323; inglesideinn.com.

Fantasy Springs Rock Yard Concert Series At 7:30 p.m., full-throttle rock music fires up with a cover band to get audience members out of their

Prince Royce American singer-songwriter Prince Royce has an unforgettable name and sound. At an early age, Royce

Moonlight Movies at Fritz Burns Park Bring your blankets, low-back sand chairs, snacks and the whole family for fun and movies under the stars.

Sunset, Friday, Aug. 8: Man of Steel. Sunset, Friday, Aug. 22: The Amazing Spider-Man. Free. Fritz Burns Park Pool, 78107 Avenue 52, La Quinta. 760-777-7090; www.la-quinta.org.

took an interest in music, and in his teenage years, he began experimenting with music and writing poetry.

By age 19, he had arrived on the Latin music scene. 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8. $29 to $69. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio. 888-3315645; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Second Annual Splash House Pool Party, Vol. II Splash House is back for its second edition this summer.

The pool and music weekend features some of the biggest names within the dance-music scene at three separate pools: the Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club, the Hard Rock Palm Springs, and The Saguaro.

Friday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 10. Prices vary.

Splashhouse.com.

Subsuelo Subsuelo, one of Los Angeles’ illest underground parties, has garnered the reputation as the melting pot of cumbia, electro, tropical funk, moombahton, trap, hip hop and all points in between. Some of Subsuelo’s hottest DJs bring their music to Ace Hotel by the pool and in the Amigo Room. Noon, Saturday, Aug. 16. Amigo Room events are free (21+); poolside events are open only to hotel guests. Ace Hotel and Swim Club, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 760-325-9900; www.acehotel.com/calendar/palmsprings.

Special Events Labor Day Hawaiian Weekend Experience a full, fun weekend with an authentic Hawaiian luau and show that includes Polynesian dance, music, blazing fireknives and more. Visit the website for the full schedule of events. Friday, Aug. 29, through Monday, Sept. 1. Prices vary. The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort and Spa, 71333 Dinah Shore Drive, Rancho Mirage. 760-328-5955; www.westinmissionhills.com/labordayweekendevents.

Visual Arts Backstreet Art District Art Walk Galleries and studios featuring modern and contemporary fine art are open the first Wednesday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. Experience the thrill of interacting with working artists. Find paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, photography and more, in one location. Free. Backstreet Art District, Cherokee Way and Matthew Drive, Palm Springs. 760-202-1208; www.backstreetartdistrict.com.

SUBMIT YOUR FREE ARTS LISTINGS AT CALENDAR.ARTSOASIS.ORG. THE LISTINGS PRESENTED ABOVE WERE ALL POSTED ON THE ARTSOASIS CALENDAR, AND FORMATTED/ EDITED BY COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT STAFF. THE INDEPENDENT RECOMMENDS CALLING TO CONFIRM ALL EVENTS INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE.

AUGUST THEATER 2 Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night— From Desert Rose Playhouse Set in New York City in 1987, 2 Boys explores the sexual etiquette of one-night stands and is peppered with poignant, humorous and sly observations. The play contains nudity and sexual situations; at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, from Friday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Sept 7. $28 to $30. At 69260 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage. 760-202-3000; www.desertroseplayhouse.org.

The 39 Steps—From Theatre 29 Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, then add a dash of Monty Python, and you have The 39 Steps, a fastpaced whodunit. At 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, from Friday, Aug. 15, through Saturday, Sept. 13, with 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sunday, Aug. 24 and Sept. 7. $12 regular; $10 seniors and military; $8 children and students. At 73637 Sullivan Road, Twentynine Palms. 760-361-4151; theatre29.org.

Happy Hour: A Staged Reading—From CV Rep Gavin MacLeod and Michael Shaw star in the staged reading of George Eastman’s play; at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 3. A dessert reception follows. $20. At the Atrium, 69930 Highway 111, No. 116, Rancho Mirage. 760-2962966; www.cvrep.org.

He Loves and She Loves— From CV Rep’s Summer Cabaret Series Erika and Brent Schindele star in this evening of love songs from “boy meets girl” to “happily ever after”; at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 10. $25. At the Atrium, 69930 Highway 111, No. 116, Rancho Mirage. 760-2962966; www.cvrep.org.

Mixed Plate, an Un-Gala Fundraiser for Desert Rose Playhouse An evening of song and dance by favorite performers, as well as fun, friends and fabulous food from LuLu/Acqua Pazza and iPastries is a money-raiser for the theater company, with a reception at 7 p.m., and a performance at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 16. $40. At 69260 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage. 760-2023000; www.desertroseplayhouse.org.

The Stops—From Desert Rose Playhouse Three women (played by men) embark on a mission after their friend and mentor, an Evangelical Christian composer and organist, is ousted from his music-minister position— because he’s gay; at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, extended through Sunday, Aug. 3. $28 to $30. At 69260 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage. 760-202-3000; www.desertroseplayhouse.org.

Sundays in Summer Series Actor, singer, playwright and director Jack Betts performs his one-man mini-musical, On My Way Here, at 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 3. Accompanied by the Derrik Lewis Trio, Jaci Davis debuts her new show, Liza and Ella and Babs, Oh My! at 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 10. Ron Cohn celebrates his birthday with Live and Let Live, a cabaret show about his favorite composer, Cole Porter, at 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 17. Each show is $11; cash only at the box office. At the Arthur Newman Theatre in the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert. 760325-2731.

The Vagina Monologues The series of monologues by Eve Ensler is presented by the Smiley Face, the Frown Entertainment Co. and Georgie’s Alibi Azul Patio; 7:30 p.m., Saturday; and 3:30 p.m., Sunday, from Saturday, Aug. 2, through Sunday, Aug. 31. $15; special threecourse prix-fixe dinner for $45. At Georgie’s Alibi Azul Patio, 369 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 760-325-5533; www.alibiazul.com.

CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 17

AUGUST 2014

ARTS & CULTURE

THE WRITING LIFE

Western Lit: Environmentalist Author Barry Lopez Embarks on a Series of ‘Conversations’ WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

BY KURT CASWELL or 40 years, Barry Lopez has been at the center of the national and international conversation about social justice, and the fate of humanity and the Earth.

In Conversations With Barry Lopez, the National Book Award-winning writer’s thought, precision and intelligence are brought gracefully to the page in three candid personal interviews with his longtime friend, William E. Tydeman, a writer and archivist at Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collections/Special Collections Library. The book also features an introduction to Lopez’s life and work, 19 blackand-white photographs and a comprehensive bibliography.

Tydeman’s close relationship with Lopez allows the two men to travel through the kind of conversational territory that begins in restraint and formality, and leads into the heart. If Lopez’s manner appears rehearsed, it also lacks pretense; rather, it reflects his careful and heartfelt consideration of his art and of the world in which we all live. Lopez and Tydeman take on a wide range of topics with clarity and eloquence: the writing life, the social responsibility of the artist, the future of our planet, justice, animals, love and beauty, and photography.

In his introduction, Tydeman explores Lopez’s ideas about “individual genius.” Facing what he calls “the disquieting dimensions of (his) own ego,” Lopez strongly believes that “humanity has more often benefited from the genius of the community than from the genius of the individual.” Anyone praised for great work in any field, Lopez attests, must admit that achievement is not possible without the community’s support.

Lopez goes on to speak about the environmental and social challenges of our age, which he calls “a singular time of concern.” In America today, we talk a lot about finding and destroying the enemy, whatever it is. Lopez says bluntly: “I don’t believe there is an enemy. … If you spend your energy trying to identify an enemy, and you track down this putative enemy, and you kill him, he will rise again in another quarter, in another costume.” The War on Drugs and the War on Terror are prime examples. “The thing to do,” says Lopez, “is to make the enemy irrelevant.” Lopez doesn’t

explain how an individual or nation can accomplish this, but he believes that such an approach to the problems of the 21st century may help lead us out of the darkness.

One of the most engaging sections of the book is poet and archivist Diane Warner’s 43-page list of Lopez’s published works. It features notes by both Lopez and Warner that offer a deeper understanding of the writer’s path and development. For example, a 1969 essay, “Gull in the Rocks,” mentioned as “an early example of (Lopez’s) concern for the lives of animals, the state of the environment, and ethical human behavior,” informs the 1989 publication of “Apologia,” which addresses the disquieting deaths of animals on America’s highways.

Charles Hobson turned that essay, illustrated with original woodcuts by Robin Eschner, into a limited edition book for his Pacific Editions press; it was then published as a trade book in 1998 by the University of Georgia Press.

What began as Lopez responding to a single event (the death of a gull) rises into a lifelong exploration of the way human beings treat other living creatures and how we treat each other. Lopez’s books Of Wolves and Men (1978) and Arctic Dreams (1986) are seminal works on this theme.

A longtime editor and friend once said of him: If there is anyone in America writing better than Barry Lopez, I don’t know who it could be. There is wisdom in this little book, Conversations With Barry Lopez, because there is so much wisdom in the man—in fact, in these two men, who open the door for each other to think and feel, and invite the reader in to join them.

The book encourages all of us to ask the same question Lopez asks himself: “Do I help make the world safe and beautiful by what I do?”

This review originally appeared in High Country News.

CONVERSATIONS WITH BARRY LOPEZ: WALKING THE PATH OF IMAGINATION, BY WILLIAM E. TYDEMAN (UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA), 208 PAGES, $19.95 CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2014

MOVIES

NOW SHOWING AT HOME

A Fantastic Documentary on the Late Roger Ebert Leads This Month’s Home-Viewing Options

THE VIDEO DEPOT

TOP 10 LIST for JULY 2014

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MOVIES

By Bob Grimm

Roger Ebert

Life Itself Available via online sources including Amazon. com and iTunes Roger Ebert saw a lot of documentaries during his reign as the world’s most renowned movie critic, and it’s fitting that one of the last things he did in his life was take part in a documentary that will stand as one of 2014’s best.

Life Itself gives us the full story on Ebert, covering the days before he started writing about movies for a living, his Pulitzer Prizewinning career as a critic, and his painful yet amazingly graceful last days.

Director Steve James had permission to film Ebert in hospital rooms as he battled cancer. It’s hard to watch what Ebert is going through, but it’s inspiring to see how Ebert handled his obstacles. Sure, James probably shows only some of the more pleasant, upbeat footage, but Ebert’s passion for life was most genuine, and no trick editing is required to show us that.

The film touches upon two very important partnerships in Ebert’s life: his marriage to Chaz Ebert (who appears often in the film), and his work with the late Gene Siskel.

While watching the movie, it seems as if you are hearing the voice of Roger Ebert narrating. You might think Ebert recorded an audio book of his biography, and that’s what James is using for this narration.

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That’s not the case. Ebert’s book came out in 2011, and by then, Roger had already lost his voice. That voice you are hearing is that of an impressionist by the name of Stephen Stanton. The resemblance is incredible; I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better vocal doubling.

Ebert worked voraciously up until his death. We see him feverishly typing away on his laptop as he awaits cancer treatments.

The story is not told chronologically, but it is impeccably structured, featuring interviews with Chaz, Werner Herzog, Martin Scorsese and others.

While the film is always interesting, it is at its most potent when dealing with the Siskel/Ebert relationship. The movie includes the infamous footage of the boys verbally chastising each other while taping promos, and then follows up with the two goofing around while doing the same thing.

It’s funny as hell to see them during one of their first shows in the 1970s, with Ebert wearing a terrible plaid jacket, and Siskel sporting an atrocious moustache. They were stiff and quite awful when they started out.

(Siskel was slightly more comfortable on camera.) They obviously found their way. The film doesn’t touch upon Ebert’s work with other critics (such as Richard Roeper) after Siskel’s passing. That was the right call.

I’m a big Ebert fan. I read him religiously during my formative years; at one point, I almost always knew the star ratings he gave movies. I watched Ebert and Siskel every week, through their show’s many incarnations. It stings a bit to realize they are both gone. I used to love the way Siskel would go at Ebert on the show, but I always thought Ebert had the intellectual edge. Hey, he had that Pulitzer.

Life Itself is sweet, scary, funny, sad and surprisingly entertaining and uplifting. It’s also revealing (I didn’t know Ebert was an alcoholic), uncompromising (some of the medical moments are very hard to watch) and brutally honest.

While I would give it my highest endorsement, I’m thinking Ebert would’ve given it 3 1/2 stars out of four.

Hey … he was a tough critic.

Under the Skin Lionsgate, Blu-Ray released July 15 Scarlett Johansson stars as an alien driving around Scotland in a hot Scarlett Johansson body. The alien is using that body to pick up men—and then do very, very strange things to them.

Director Jonathan Glazer uses minimal dialogue and real unsuspecting men (some of the men have no idea they are being filmed) for a chilling effect that will haunt you long after you leave the theater.

This is the sort of intelligent science fiction and horror that was so prevalent during the heydays of Stanley Kubrick and William Friedkin. It’s brilliant exploration of alienation, victimization and the shallowness of obsession with outward appearances.

While I can compare the work done here to the likes of Kubrick or Gaspar Noé, this is really unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s nightmare fuel.

Under the Skin is one of the more unique and more wonderfully disturbing efforts in recent years. Take note: It isn’t for everybody.

Proceed with caution, and don’t yell at me if it freaks you out.

Special Features: There are a bunch of featurettes covering cinematography, writing, music and other elements of the film.

Bad Words Focus, Blu-Ray released July 8 Jason Bateman makes a decent directorial debut with Bad Words, a nasty little movie about a man on a vengeful path to win a spelling bee for reasons unknown.

Bateman plays Guy Trilby, a man with amazing spelling capabilities who enters a children’s spelling bee upon noticing an eligibility loophole. Guy is super-pissed for some reason, and he refuses to step aside when parents and organizers beg him to be mature.

The film takes on a Bad Santa vibe when

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sabotage.

1. Sabotage (Universal) 2. Rio 2 (20th Century Fox) 3. Noah (Paramount) 4. Heaven Is for Real (Sony) 5. Cesar Chavez (Lionsgate) 6. The Other Woman (20th Century Fox) 7. Transcendence (Warner Bros.)

8. Bad Words (Focus) 9. Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club (Lionsgate) 10. A Night in Old Mexico (Phase 4) the vulgar Guy winds up palling around with one of the kids (Rohan Chand). Shenanigans ensue involving hookers and booze; Bateman does a decent job pushing the boundaries of bad taste while keeping things entertaining and relatively good-natured.

The big reveal—the motive behind Guy’s mission—isn’t all that surprising, and is even a bit anticlimactic. No matter; Bateman and Chand provide enough laughs to overcome any plot contrivances.

Special Features: Bateman provides a commentary, and there are deleted and extended scenes. There’s also a brief behindthe-scenes look.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 19

AUGUST 2014

FOOD & DRINK

the SNIFF CAP

Life Inside and Around an Italian Grape

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Deidre Pike e are in a grape.

Dave and I are in the grape—yes, you heard me right. It’s a contemporary wonder of Italian architecture called The Acino, named after an Italian word for grape. We’re looking through its translucent ethylene skin at a steady rain drizzling over acres and acres of Piedmont-region wine grapes.

Nebbiolo, barbera, dolcetto—the important reds. And arneis, a white grape with a loyal following in Northern Italy’s most-prestigious wine region.

The interior of this structure is 500 square meters, large enough for a hearty wine-tasting event.

And that’s pretty much the purpose of Ceretto Winery’s little building, an addendum to their ancient estate.

I’m reminded of a Napa wine mogul who built a European medieval-style castle just for fun. I write in my notebook: “Napa builds a castle with a view of grapes.

Piedmont builds a grape with a view of castles.”

Because we’re in Italy, castles top many nearby hills. The sight of them helps me remember where I am.

For the past two weeks, Dave and I have been drinking our way through Italy. Which is a bit like drinking your way through California—by which I mean impossible. And exactly as much fun as you think it’s going to be.

We knew nothing about Italian wine when we began. Now we know that Tuscany is packed with tourists, but still does amazing things with the sangiovese grape. Dave and I savored the Brunello di Montalcino in Montalcino and the Vino Nobile of Montepulciano in Montepulciano. We drank the wines of the Cinque Terre as we sweated our way over a quarter of the famous coastal hiking trail. (Three-fourths of the trail was closed. Which gave us more time to drink wine. Thank you, TrenItalia, for the safe rides between villages.)

Our favorite wine town, by a far cry, is Alba, Italy, just south of Asti, the famous spumante town, in the Piedmont region.

People travel to Alba simply to eat and drink. We have a day between the Cinque Terre and Venice. So we buzz up to eat and drink.

We discover that one day is not long enough to begin to taste Piedmont’s deliciousness, with its black truffles, handmade pastas and artisanal cheeses. We eat veal raviolini in sage and butter, grilled peppers adorned with fresh pesto, and goat cheese laced with vegetative ash served with a reduction made of wine, hazelnuts and frutti di bosco (fruits of the forest). Even the simple sliced salami served as a free aperitivo (appetizer) with our evening wine is saporito (tasty).

In Alba, we visit a handful of enotecas and book a visit to one of the area’s large family-owned wine estates.

This ain’t no Temecula Valley, where a wine-lover can drive from winery to winery, sampling whites and reds. Most Italian wineries don’t have tasting rooms with regular hours. Call or email ahead. Learn survival Italian.

Ceretto is huge, so a visit is relatively easy. The person who answers the phone dissuades me from attempting to use my Italian. Yup, my Italian is that bad.

The family has four estates. The Acino overlooks the family’s Monsordo Bernardina estate outside of Alba.

Our hostess wine guide, Serena Vaccaro, explains the

symbolism in The Acino’s oak floors—“to recall the barrels of the wine”—and the stainless-steel fixtures that hold the grape’s “skin” in place. The outer layer is made from the innovative plastic used for Olympic swimming pools in Beijing. “The material is soft and pliable, frosted like the skin of a grape,” says Ceretto’s website.

Vaccaro pours three wines. The first, a 2013 Langhe Arneis Blange, is light and zingy with grapefruity goodness. “The arneis grape is not well known,” Vaccaro explains. “But instead of a chardonnay or pinot grigio, the brothers decide to stick with the local grape.” Though obscure, imported Ceretto’s Arneis sells in some California wine stores for around $18 to $20.

Then we try what’s described as the “king” and “queen” of the region—the barolo (a 2006 from the Brunate vineyard) and barbaresco (2010, Bernardot vineyard). The latter wine is sharper, more acidic. “It is young,” Vaccaro says. Her English is terrific. “Keep it three to four years, and it will be ready.”

Of the 2006 she says, “This is ready.”

There’s no pressure to buy the wine, though a folder in the tasting room offers the three bottles for the discounted price of 79 euro, which includes the tasting for free. Dave and I pay 10 euro each for the tour and tasting, resisting the urge to begin an Italian wine collection.

We head back to our B&B Casa Bona room for a nap. The place is a great find—within walking distance of about a dozen enotecas, which comes in handy if you plan to try a few glasses of wine.

Which we do that evening. A short walk, and we’re on at a piazza on the other side of town lined with bars selling wines by the glass. At Bar La Brasilera, folks watch the World Cup on a large TV screen. France is playing Germany. On a board, the bar lists the 17 wines open tonight. Five are more than a decade old. I order the most ancient, for a kick, the 1999 Langhe Rosso Sito Moresco Gaja. It’s 9 euro per glass, or 50 euro for a bottle.

A glass works for me. The wine arrives, the color of dark-brown bricks, smooth as satin with a soft lingering finish. I’m drinking a wine from the last millennium. Y2K … wine.

Dave, a man newly in love, orders a barolo, and then another barolo.

We could be in any small California wine town, where winemakers congregate to wax eloquently about soil

Ceretto Winery’s Acino is 500 square meters inside. DEIDRE PIKE

composition, irrigation and barrels. And maybe watch a game.

Only these wine aficionados speak Italian. And I can’t think of many Cali restaurants that open 15-year-old bottles to sell by the glass.

Speaking of which: We know almost nothing about soccer. I take an Instagram photo of the game as it appears through my wine glass, feeling surreal.

Which team is which? The guys in white shirts miss a goal.

Cheers! And we’re all happy. The wine is complicated, different.

Life is simple. Bliss happens.

Tomorrow we head to Venice, to witness its sinking decay.

But tonight, we’re in the grape in Alba.

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AUGUST 2014

the

FOOD & DRINK A Proposed TV Show Combines Great Chefs, Amazing Ingredients and Fantastic Brews

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Erin Peters here’s been a paradigm shift regarding what we pair with elevated cuisine, and how we pair it. Luckily for us, these pairings now often include craft beer.

Because there are more ingredients to play with in beer than wine, there’s more room for flavor and experimentation. The marriage of craft beer and food is a symbiotic relationship—and a new craft-beer and food reality show that covers this relationship may soon be on the air.

Bru Appetit, a show which is currently in development, takes viewers on a journey through the entire dining experience in an Iron Chef meets No Reservations meets Brew Dogs sort of reality show.

Each episode begins with an introduction to a city or town and soon moves to a local brewery. Host Jason Horn meets with chefs and brewmasters, and together, they collect local ingredients. The Bru Appetit team engages in wild-game hunting, deep-sea fishing, foraging and even falconry to source these craft ingredients. Yeah, falconry.

They return to the brewpub or kitchen with a chef’s challenge, during which Horn and the chosen local chef create regional cuisine based on the ingredients gathered earlier. After the culinary “throwdown,” the cuisine is paired with local craft beer, with the help of the aforementioned chef and brewmaster. One of the ingredients in each dish must be beer from the episode’s brewery or brewpub.

Carlo Overhulser is the founder, producer and creator, with 15 years of experience in major recording studios and television. He’s also an avid homebrewer, and founded The Beer Channel.

Horn—the host, award-winning chef and guide—has a background in the culinary arts and is also a homebrewer and mixologist.

The two met through Facebook last November, when Carlo watched a pilot that Jason had made. Carlo was impressed with Horn’s drive and ambition. They merged their talents and passions into a show in which they truly believe.

Horn and Overhulser filmed two different pilots—to show networks what they could do in 30- and 60-minute formats—in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta. Their first trip, in April, brought Horn and crew to Back Forty Beer Co. in Gadsden, Ala., where they met brewmaster Tim Blevins. The brewery’s Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale is made with Alabama wildflower honey, roasted malts and Apollo and Willamette hops.

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Horn joined Alabama Hog Control to source local meat. In Prattville, Ala., he did as the locals do: He hunted for hogs. He also visited Cold Creek Honey in Hokes Bluff and got covered in approximately 10,000 bees.

Horn took some sound advice from the beekeeper: “If you respect them and don’t swat at ’em or try to act a fool, they won’t mess with ya.” He told me, while laughing, that he kept saying to himself: “Suck it up, and just do it.”

They then moved onto the chef’s challenge with Charles Ryan Nichols at The J. Clyde in Birmingham’s Southside district. For the meal, they hauled in hog and honey.

Horn seared a 2-inch-thick wild boar chop and topped it with a mixture of roasted garlic and sweet-onion-preserves; it was then cooked

in Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale and Cold Creek’s wildflower honey. Nichols, on the other hand, soaked cutlets of the pork overnight in buttermilk and Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale. The following morning, he pounded and pan-fried the cutlets before finishing them in Creole-style gravy. Alongside was a biscuit coated in a reduction of Cold Creek honey.

Salivating yet?

In the second episode, the crew visited Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing Co. and chatted with brand ambassador Zak Schroerlucke. The informative and action-packed episode also features Red Brick Brewing, the oldest brewery in Georgia. The crew visited Decimal Place Farm, an award winning, 18-acre dairy-goat farm located in Conley, Ga. Here, the goats’ milk produces soft chèvre, feta and tuma cheeses.

Horn discovered exactly how being a falconer can come in handy when capturing some tasty game pigeon. Decatur’s Brick Store Pub also got some Bru Appetit praise; it’s one of the highest-rated pubs in America, according to Beer Advocate.

The chef’s competition at the 5 Seasons Brewing Westside in Atlanta included the captured pigeon and the amazing aforementioned cheese. 5 Seasons chef Dave Larkworthy was the competitor; he’s famous

Bru Appetit host Jason Horn shoots a scene at Decimal Place Farm in Conley, Ga.

for having a thriving relationship with farmers and using quality local ingredients.

Each episode offers a culinary and craft-beer adventure that inspires viewers to know more about local restaurants, breweries, brewpub and farms.

“It’s like the host is talking to you. … It’s everybody’s show,” Overhulser said. “You’re a part of this. It’s really regional and local.”

The duo is negotiating with the Food Network, Bravo, the Esquire Network and Spike TV; the two say there is definite interest.

So when should craft-beer drinkers and foodies expect to see Bru Appetit on the air?

They hope for a premiere in the fall, if all goes well.

Who knows? Maybe they’ll come to the Coachella Valley to taste what our sunny desert valley has to offer. After all, Palm Springs is known for great chefs. The farms in the valley are numerous, offering delicious dates, flavorful bell peppers and an abundant supply of citrus fruits. And our three local breweries are making waves; for example, Coachella Valley Brewing Co. brews farm-to-table beers on a H.E.B.S. (high efficiency brewing system), one of only nine in operation on the planet.

Keep a lookout for Bru Appetit. Cheers!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 21

AUGUST 2014

the

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

These Tasty Treats Are Both Worth Blowing Your Diet

By Jimmy Boegle WHAT The Cheese Danish WHERE Villa Bakery, 67470 Ramon Road, Cathedral City HOW MUCH 80 cents CONTACT 760-322-5701 WHY It’s flaky, sweet, cheesy and generally delicious.

Sometimes, good things can result when bad things happen.

I was driving down Ramon Road recently when I saw that someone had kicked or punched in the plastic door on the Independent’s orange distribution box outside of Villa Bakery, located on Ramon and Crossley Road in Cathedral City.

Crap, I thought. I stopped to check the damage; the door was indeed busted, but it appeared that I might be able to engineer a temporary fix with the help of some clear packing tape.

But first things first: I was hungry, and I’d been meaning to try Villa Bakery for quite some time. It was lunch time. So …

I walked in, scanned the menu at the counter, and ordered the pollo ranchero ($6.75). However, my eyes kept wandering toward the pastry display case.

Hmm. This is a bakery, after all, I thought. So I asked the woman at the counter: What’s your best pastry?

She said the cheese Danish was pretty popular. I added one to my order. Well, now I know why the cheese Danish is pretty popular: It’s the best gosh-darned pastry I have eaten in years.

First, the pastry part of the pastry: It’s flaky, buttery, just sweet enough, and just soft enough—kind of like a really amazing croissant.

Then there’s the cheesy part of the pastry: It actually tastes like cheese—it’s sweet, yes, but it’s got character and nuance.

Put the pastry part and the cheesy part together, and … damn, it’s amazing.

The pollo ranchero was good, and I was more than full after eating it and the cheese Danish. But that didn’t stop me from getting another cheese Danish to-go on my way out.

Thank goodness for that broken (and nowrepaired) distribution box.

WHAT The Slider Sampler WHERE Woody’s Burgers, 317 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $10.50 CONTACT 760-230-0188; woodysburgersps.com WHY Variety is the spice of life.

Sometimes, you don’t want to make a choice— and when it comes to burgers, Woody’s makes life a little easier on indecisive diners with the restaurant’s slider sampler.

Now, that does not mean said diners are absolved of all choices; after all, Woody’s offers more than a half-dozen burger offerings, and the sampler includes just three sliders (miniature versions of the restaurant’s burgers). Sorry ’bout that.

On our recent visit to the renowned downtown Palm Springs burger joint, we skipped the basic hamburger and cheeseburger, as well as the Hawaiian burger and the mushroom burger, in favor of the three sliders pictured above: the jalapeño burger, the bleu burger, and the Western burger.

Speaking of not wanting to make a choice: We’re glad nobody’s making us pick a favorite, because all three of these li’l burgers were damn tasty.

The three sliders had a lot of great things in common: The deliciously seasoned patties were cooked perfectly (medium, just as requested).

The buns were delightfully toasted. And they were each cute as heck.

They also had a lot of fantastic differences as well: The jalapeño slider had a nice kick— from the fresh pepper slices, yes, but from the pepperjack cheese, too. The bleu burger had a lot of high-quality crumbled blue cheese, but not so much that the rest of the other flavors were overwhelmed. And the Western burger featured sweet, tangy barbecue sauce, as well as a firm, thick beer-battered onion ring.

Yummy.

While Woody’s is best known for the burgers, the restaurant is also known for friendly service, a great vibe and fantastic jazz music every single night. (The restaurant has a full bar, too!) All of these factors make Woody’s Burgers an easy choice for burger-lovers and music-lovers alike.

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AUGUST 2014

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 23

AUGUST 2014

FOOD & DRINK

Restaurant NEWS BITES

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Jimmy Boegle DISH CREATIVE CUISINE USING KICKSTARTER TO HELP WITH MOVE Dish Creative Cuisine, the Cathedral City restaurant that made waves with its upscale modern food and tasty amuse-bouche offerings over the last two years, is moving to downtown Palm Springs—and the restaurant’s owner is asking for the public’s help.

In an email sent to Dish customers on July 21, chef/owner Joane Garcia Colson explained that the restaurant, which had been located at 68525 Ramon Road, would be reopening in the fall at 1107 N. Palm Canyon Drive— once the site of renowned tiki joint Don the Beachcomber. The new location will have a full bar, and a selection of more casual dishes will join the upscale offerings on the menu.

However, Garcia Colson also asked for a li’l help from her friends. “As with any expansion, however, we need assistance to bring it to full fruition,” she wrote. “It is incredibly hard to ask others for help, and it is something I have avoided doing. But we need help, so I am writing to you, hoping some of you will be able to support us in this venture. We have created a Kickstarter campaign and would appreciate you taking a look at it and helping us in any way you can.”

A look at that Kickstarter effort reveals that Garcia Colson’s goal is to raise $49,500 by Monday, Aug. 25. It also revealed a few added details about the new Dish: The restaurant will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and in the high season, it will offer Sunday brunch and perhaps lunch Thursday through Saturday.

The new spot will also include a “Chef’s Room,” “where small, intimate, tasting dinners will occasionally be offered for a pre-fixe price,” the Kickstarter page says. “This private dining room will be right off the kitchen and will feature a large window where the diners can watch the kitchen in action.”

We are big fans of what Garcia Colson did in her space on Ramon—and we can’t wait to see what she does in downtown Palm Springs.

For more information, follow the goings-on at the Dish Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ FansOfDishCreativeCuisine.

JOHANNES OFFERS $10 SCHNITZEL, OTHER ANNIVERSARY SPECIALS For my money, Johannes—located at 196 S. Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs—is one of the best restaurants in the valley. And this summer, I’m not shelling out quite so much of that aforementioned money to dine there.

To celebrate the restaurant’s 15th anniversary, chef Johannes Bacher and company are offering a variety of discounted schnitzel dishes in the bar area. This is nothing new, but the steeper discounts are indeed new: Basic bar schnitzel now costs just $10. Want one of Johannes’ renowned toppings? (I personally am a fan of the Mama’s schnitzel, which is covered with tomatoes, gruyere and fontina cheeses, and basil. Yummy!) That’ll set you back just $14.

The restaurant is also offering a $29 prix-fire menu during the summer, which includes a selected entrée, an appetizer or dessert, and a house cocktail.

Johannes is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Call 760-778-0017, or visit johannespalmsprings.com.

AND NOW, A RANT ON PRICES We were hungry for a light meal, so the partner and I decided to stop at one of our normal haunts for cocktails and a couple of our favorite appetizers.

All was well and good until we opened the menu—and saw that the restaurant had raised the prices on many of those favorite items.

I understand that all businesses have to increase their prices now and then. That’s life. But businesses also need to realize that there can be consequences if price increases are too drastic—and that’s exactly what happened here.

My fave appetizer had been $9—and it was now $11. That’s a 22 percent price increase. My favorite cocktail, a lovely, flowery martini (hey, don’t judge), saw a similar price boost.

The result of all this? That restaurant is no longer one of our normal haunts. I would have dealt with a more reasonable increase, like 50 cents or even a dollar. But not 22 percent (especially in the middle of the summer, when many restaurants are offering lower-cost specials to attract customers).

I’m not the only savvy, cost-conscious foodie out there. Something tells me these price increases may actually lead to a revenue decrease at this restaurant.

Stay tuned.

IN BRIEF Mark your calendars: The Ace Hotel and Swim Club, located at 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, will be holding its third annual Craft Beer Weekend on Friday through Sunday, Sept. 12-14. Expect tastings from more than 20 craft breweries, as well as a pool party/barbecue and a special five-course meal—with beer pairings, of course. More info at www.acehotel.com/calendar/palmsprings/beer-culture-craft-beerweekend-2014. ... Just a reminder that many of the town’s top restaurants close their doors for all or part of August. Unless you’re sure your favorite spot is open, call ahead.

CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2014

•• Colour Vision Rocks the Hacienda •• Splash House Is Back for the Second Time This Summer •• The Blueskye Report •• The Pride of DHS: Slipping Into Darkness Releases Its Debut Album •• The Lucky 13; All Night Shoes' FRESH Sessions www.cvindependent.com/music

Renowned Desert Drummer Rob Peterson Has Joined Vince Meghrouni’s Atomic Sherpas

SHERPAS ON STAGE

29

Vince Meghrouni. ANDY GARZA CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 25

AUGUST 2014

MUSIC

TASTE OF THE TROPICS

Colour Vision Is Happy to Bring His Island-Style Dance Sound to the Hacienda WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye he Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club is now open—and the Hacienda’s resident DJ, Colour Vision, is elated about the venue’s potential.

Colour Vision (Corey Hurley) recently relocated to the Coachella Valley from San Diego. He said the music scene there is quite different from the scene here.

“I grew up in San Diego and started DJing when I was about 21,” Hurley said. “The scene down there is kind of interesting, because I had to do a lot of parties, especially with the kind of music that I do, which is tropical, disco and house. There’s not really a market for it there.

Me and a couple of other people were the only ones doing the whole scene for it there, which is great, because we got to bring in all of our friends, and I’ve kind of worked at every stage of the music industry at this point. Now I’m up here to take on the (Hacienda) position and try out a new city.”

Hurley said he was excited to meet Independent resident DJ All Night Shoes (Alex Harrington), because they share a similar “tropical” style; he feels the tropical sound is on the rise in the EDM world. He explained what attracts him to that particular sound.

“The root of it would be when I first started DJing, I was playing really heavy bangers in clubs. I was playing big raves and stuff, and as I started playing more and more in the bars, it became very apparent that you couldn’t just bang it out for the whole set. I kind of got over the more-abrasive dance music. I started gravitating more toward an Australian sound that was coming out about five years ago. It was kind of a French house, with more of a disco vibe. It was the beginning of the whole nu-disco trend. All of the sounds started gravitating toward this very interesting tropical sound.

“I’ve always had this love of tropical music— tropical rhythms and an island sound, the kind of music you’d want to listen to by the pool.”

However, his newer tropical style didn’t find instant success, he said.

“I stuck to my guns in San Diego. I would only take shows along the same lines of stuff I liked and bands I supported, even if there was little to no pay,” Hurley said. “I opted to do that instead of club DJing and playing Top 40s music, which I absolutely hate. I’ve done

Colour Vision.

that for money and taken gigs as a DJ for a job (at places) like the Hard Rock. … That market, of course, exists in San Diego, but the indie stuff, no one really knows about it. … Now it’s become mainstream. I was made fun of by other DJs for playing the kind of music I play; now it’s what everyone is doing.”

He said his reception at the Hacienda has been warm, for the most part.

“It’s sort of half and half, but I’m always really surprised at the response,” Hurley said.

“It’s great to play a set and have people come up of all different ages and races, and everyone kind of hears what’s going on with the music and likes the energy of it. They come up to me and ask me for mix tapes and all kinds of other stuff. It’s really inspiring, and I think this sound should have a home here. It’s tropical; there are palm trees everywhere; there are pools, and that whole thing. This music is specifically designed for that.”

He explained what makes Hacienda unique.

“When the club opened, we didn’t know what was going to happen. It’s been amazing,” Hurley said. “They’re kind of anti-what the mainstream is doing. The owner is all about the music, the vibe and creating a new experience for Palm Springs.”

FOR MORE ON COLOUR VISION, VISITWWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ COLOURVISIONTUNES OR SOUNDCLOUD.COM/COLOURVISION. THE HACIENDA CANTINA AND BEACH CLUB IS LOCATED AT 1555 S. PALM CANYON DRIVE, IN PALM SPRINGS. THE POOL IS OPEN FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, AND THE RESTAURANT/LOUNGE IS OPEN WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 760-778-8954, OR VISIT WWW. HACIENDACANTINA.COM. CVIndependent.com

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MUSIC

SPLISH DANCE

Three-Venue Pool Party/EDM Festival Splash House Is Back for a Second Go-Round This Summer

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye he first Splash House, in 2013, proved that Tyler and Kelly McLean’s theory was correct: Summer events can be quite successful in Palm Springs.

The second Splash House, held in June of this year, was also a rousing success—so much so that Splash House No. 3 is taking place just two months later, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 8-10.

The pool party/EDM festival will return to the Hard Rock Palm Springs, The Saguaro and the Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club with a lineup including A-Trak, Chromeo, Cut/Copy, Viceroy and many others.

“The first one was a lot of learning lessons,” said Tyler McLean, who dreamed up the concept with his sister, Kelly. “It was our first foray into this concept of a pool festival. The details that go into hosting an event through three different venues and transporting people to each venue—it was an interesting project, for sure. I think we learned a lot; above all, our goal going into the first one was to bring people out during the summertime to Palm Springs, and to have people leave saying that they had a good time and that they want to come back to Palm Springs.”

So what if it’s hot—very hot—’round these parts in the summer?

“Not one single person complained about the heat,” Tyler McLean said.

The first Splash House gained 1,500 attendees to The Saguaro, Caliente Tropics and The Curve Palm Springs. The reviews were generally positive and paved the way for the

Hard Rock and the Hacienda, both of which have opened since the inaugural Splash House, to sign on in 2014 and accommodate larger crowds.

Splash House has been able to expand quickly for another reason: Promoters Goldenvoice and LED joined forces with the McLeans.

“Having Goldenvoice and LED come on board really gave us the opportunity to grow in a way we haven’t been able to on our own,” Tyler McLean said. “It’s a big venture to take on your own company. There’s a lot of risk and a lot invested. Having Goldenvoice on board gave us the opportunity and the tools we needed.”

Although event promoters don’t get much

The Splash House festival in June drew 2,000 people each day, according to event co-founder Tyler McLean. PHOTO COURTESY OF SPLASH HOUSE CVIndependent.com

Moby performs at June's Splash House. PHOTO COURTESY OF SPLASH HOUSE

bigger than Goldenvoice—the AEG subsidiary puts on Coachella and Stagecoach, after all—Tyler McLean insisted that Splash House remains close to the original vision he and his sister had.

“There was definitely the thought of expanding our marketing and taking the lineup up a notch. All of those things put us into a different realm, but we still provide the same atmosphere and experience,” Tyler McLean said. “We had 2,000 people attend the event each day in June, and … people loved the experience. Even with all of those things that go into planning a big event, you still accomplish what made your event special to begin with, and I think that’s what happened.

The experience itself is unique, and it is something that people enjoyed and will come back for again and again.”

LED, known for its club-based events, has also proven to be beneficial to the Splash House festival.

“For a first time promoter, some of the artists (we’ve had), like Moby and Cut/Copy, you kind of have to work your way into getting their trust,” Tyler McLean said. “Goldenvoice and LED have certainly given us the resources to go for the big fish and book the artists who are going to bring a lot of people here to Palm Springs.”

The McLeans make a point to include local

artists in each Splash House lineup. Local DJs Aaron C, Colour Vision, Alf Alpha and All Night Shoes all played at the June festival.

“Having locals is a win/win. They get a chance to play in a lineup that has Moby and Cut/Copy,” Tyler McLean said. “These local DJs are the ones playing every weekend in front of the crowds and are really entrenched in what the local music scene is. For us, it gives us some trust of the locals, because we’re not just some outside promoter coming in and throwing a party for outsiders. We really wanted to be engrained and allow locals to come. That’s why we book local DJs and offer local discounts.”

Splash House has obviously moved beyond being just an annual event. Tyler McLean explained why Splash House is holding its second festival this summer.

“We can’t really grow the event into a major music event like Coachella or Lollapalooza,” McLean said. “… I think the vision for us is growing as a series versus an annual event.

Every summer, there will be this party that happens once every month or every other month at these venues with a different lineup each time.”

SPLASH HOUSE WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAY, AUG. 8, THROUGH SUNDAY, AUG. 10. PRE-SALE TICKETS COST $60 TO $99. FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SPLASHHOUSE.COM.

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AUGUST 2014

By Brian Blueskye As we head into August, there’s cause for celebration: Fall, and more reasonable temperatures, are approaching! There’s another reason to celebrate: What’s traditionally been the slowest month in the Coachella Valley is actually packed with great things to do.

The Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club is the new hot spot in town. The Hacienda has announced that it will now have “Swim Club” every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with DJs performing poolside. Admission is free for those 21 and older.

Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club, 1555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-778-8954; www. haciendacantina.com.

Rikk Agnew Band: The Palms Restaurant, Aug. 31

The Palms Restaurant, up in Twentynine Palms, is hosting two great shows put on by High Desert Underground Productions. (Full disclosure: The Independent is a sponsor of these shows, and we’re selling tickets to them in the Independent Market at CVIndependent.com.) Rock Formations II, starring Spindrift and the great Jello Biafra, starts at 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 23. Admission is $10.

The following weekend, the Bat Country Labor Day Blast takes place at 5 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 31.

Headlining is former Social Distortion guitarist Rikk Agnew; Silke Berlinn, Rawbone, 30 Foot Demon and Swords of Fatima will also be appearing. Admission is $10. The Palms Restaurant, 83131 Amboy Road, Twentynine Palms; 760-361-2810.

The Ace Hotel and Swim Club is a great spot to lounge around the pool and catch some great entertainment. At noon, Saturday, Aug. 9, Fleetmac Wood, a DJ collective/party, will be performing/taking place by the pool. As you can probably tell, it’s an afternoon dedicated to the music of Fleetwood Mac. Admission is free.

At 10 p.m., Friday, Aug. 22, Joel Jerome will be performing in the Amigo Room. The singer/ songwriter was part of the psych pop group Dios Malos. Admission is free. At 10 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29, the Amigo Room will host indie-pop band Crystal Skulls. Considering the Amigo Room’s small size, this show should be a great live experience.

Again, admission is free. Ace Hotel and Swim Club, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-3259900; www.acehotel.com/palmsprings.

The Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has a couple of noteworthy events coming up in August.

First up is a show by Boston, performing at 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 1. The band that took its name from its home city soared to success after its first, self-titled Continued on Page 28

MUSIC

GET READY

TO SHURP

Slipping Into Darkness, the Pride of DHS, Celebrates the Release of the Band’s First Album

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye ichael Durazo, the frontman of Slipping Into Darkness, called me one recent day with welcome news: The band’s first album was finally finished.

We met at a location in Desert Hot Springs, and he put a copy of Shurpedelic in my hand.

Others will be able to experience the excitement I felt at that moment on Saturday, Aug. 9, at Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert, where the band will be celebrating the album’s release. Also included on the bill will be local bands Facelift, CIVX and Waxy.

Slipping Into Darkness, the Desert Hot Springs band that played on the main stage at Coachella in 2013, has long been at work on Shurpedelic. During a recent interview, Durazo and guitarist Adrian Carreno explained the delays.

“We had a bunch of setbacks,” Durazo said.

“We had a change in band members, band members moving away, and money (problems).

We recorded it, and it got erased by accident, so we had to start over.”

Carreno said he couldn’t believe how much time the album took.

“It took us almost two years to make this album because of all that stuff,” Carreno said in frustration, “changing drummers, changing recording studios, and (raising) the money to finally get it made.”

Slipping Into Darkness melds psychedelic rock with surf guitar and blues riffs, and the quality of the recordings on the album is excellent. Shurpedelic includes the songs the band has played live in the Coachella Valley over the past couple of years—songs the band’s fan base has gotten to know and love, like “Mexicali,” “Some Way,” “Tell It Like It Is” and “Ahh Doo.”

Slipping Into Darkness

Then there’s the album cover: It shows a small child smoking a joint. On the back is a group of Catholic priests standing on a street corner in the 1970s. Durazo confirmed the photo on the front cover is indeed real.

“It’s one of my family members smoking a joint at the beach in the ’70s. (That family member) was probably 4 or 5,” Durazo said.

“We thought it’d be great to fuck with people, with the kid smoking on the front, and the priests on the back.”

The album cover is sure to grab people’s attention. The songs are, too.

“They’re all about my life. I’m not really good at saying shit like this, but they’re all about my life experiences in the desert. I’ve lived in Desert Hot Springs for 23 years, and all my friends live here,” Durazo said.

On the day of the interview, Carreno was leaving to return to his home in Mexicali, Mexico. With the exception of Durazo, all of the members live outside of the Coachella Valley. (Bassist Nigel Dettelbach and drummer Nigel Carnahan live in Northern California.)

So how do they all manage to come together for shows in the Coachella Valley? Carreno discussed how frustrating it can be to do so.

“It’s tough, because I have to wait in line at the border,” Carreno said. “It’s a half-hour to an hour to get across, and then I have a twohour drive. Sometimes, the wait is longer, and I turn off my air conditioning so my car doesn’t overheat. When there’s a show coming up, or we’re recording, they have to tell me about two weeks before just so I can prepare for all of that. I’ll usually stay at Michael’s house for four or five days.

“It’s tough, but at the same time, it’s refreshing when you start playing, because you haven’t seen each other in a long time. It’s

Shurpedelic

not the same boring thing, and you have more ideas.”

The band has also played some shows in Mexico—and those experiences haven’t always gone smoothly.

“My friends got in a fist fight. I stopped it, and then the Federales thought I had something to do with it, even though I didn’t,” Durazo said about one incident. “They took us to the middle of the desert; they made us strip; and then they made us give them all our money.”

Carreno added, jokingly: “I think they made you do more than just strip.”

Durazo explained how the CD-release show came together.

“We wanted to do it at the Dillon Roadhouse in Desert Hot Springs, but they sold it, and it’s under new ownership,” Durazo said. “The people at Schmidy’s seemed really cool, so we went to check out the spot, and it was cool.

Waxy will be opening the show, (followed by) CIVX, our best friends Facelift, and then us.

In between sets, Planet Lunch is going to be spinning records. CIVX are buddies of ours; Facelift are like our brothers; and we just hit up Waxy, and they said they were down.”

THE SLIPPING INTO DARKNESS ALBUM-RELEASE PARTY WILL TAKE PLACE AT 8 P.M., SATURDAY, AUG. 9, AT SCHMIDY’S TAVERN, 72286 HIGHWAY 111, IN PALM DESERT. ADMISSION IS $8 AND INCLUDES A COPY OF THE ALBUM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ SLIPPINGINTODARKNESSMUSIC. CVIndependent.com

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Daughtry: Fantasy Springs, Aug. 2

album in 1976. Songs such as “More Than a Feeling” and “Peace of Mind” helped the band fill stadiums— and an incredible 17 million copies of that album were sold. While lead guitarist and band founder Tom Scholz is the only remaining original member, this should still be a great show. Tickets are $75 to $115. The Gipsy Kings will be performing at 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29. While the Gipsy Kings are from France, they perform Spanish flamenco and salsa music. These highly successful world-music artists have won the praises of audiences worldwide.

Tickets are $65 to $95. The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho

84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Morongo Casino Resort Spa has some excellent events in August. KC and the Sunshine Band takes the stage at 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8. The group is well-known for songs such as “That’s the Way (I Like It),” “Shake Your Booty,” “I’m Your Boogie Man” and other disco jams. Tickets are $29 to $39.

Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, who performed at the McCallum Theatre not too long ago, is taking the Morongo stage at 7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 17. Botti has worked with the likes of Sting, Paul Simon, Roger Daltrey of The Who, and many others. Tickets are $50. At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 22, country singer Sara Evans will be performing. She’s one of the most recognizable stars of country music, and she’s touring to promote her new album, Slow Me Down.

Tickets are $35 to $55. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Courtney Barnett: Pappy and Harriet’s, Aug. 8

The Gipsy Kings: Agua Caliente, Aug. 29

Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has a great August slate. At 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 1, Marco Antonio Solís will be performing. The Latin music singer/ songwriter has sold more than 50 million albums, and is a multi-Latin Grammy Award winner. This show’s a big deal. Tickets are $59 to $129. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2, Daughtry will be stopping by. The American Idol finalist from Season 5 has managed to achieve a higher level of success than many of that show’s winners; in fact, his band has sold 5 million albums. Tickets are $29 to $59. If you’re aching to relive the 1970s era of soft-rock, go see Michael McDonald and Toto at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9. McDonald, who spent time as the frontman of The Doobie Brothers, is still very relevant in the music industry today. Tickets are $29 to $59. Check the Fantasy Springs website for details on more great shows. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino,

Sara Evans: Morongo Casino, Aug. 22 CVIndependent.com

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace rolls into August with Courtney Barnett performing at 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8. The Australian singersongwriter is currently touring behind her 2013 album, How to Carve a Carrot Into a Rose. Her psychedelic-meets-country sound has been praised by the indie-music press. Tickets are $12. The Woodsist Festival will start at noon, Saturday, Aug. 16, featuring indoor and outdoor performances by an amazing list of musicians, including Cass McCombs, Foxygen, Amps for Christ and Little Wings. Tickets are $47.50. At 8 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Murder City Devils will be performing. The Seattle punk outfit reunited in 2006 after a five-year breakup—and hasn’t stopped performing since. In August, the band is slated to release its first album since 2001. This show is already generating a lot of buzz, so we recommend getting tickets ASAP. They’re $20.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-365-5956; www. pappyandharriets.com.

The Hood Bar and Pizza will be hosting a Battle of the Bands every Thursday in August at 8:30 p.m. The judging panel will consist of local concert promoter Ming Bob, CV Weekly editor/publisher Tracy Dietlin, and yours truly. The finals will take place on Thursday, Aug. 28, with the first-place band receiving $1,000. Come on out and support local music! At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 22, psychedelic rock band Sleepy Sun will be stopping by with special guests War Drum. Tickets are $5. So-Cal punk-rock pioneers Agent Orange will be returning to The Hood at 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30. Be sure to check out this show! Tickets are $10. The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, Palm Desert; 760-6365220; www.facebook.com/thehoodbar.

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MUSIC

DESERT ROCK

CHRONICLES

Renowned Desert Drummer Rob Peterson Has Joined Vince Meghrouni’s Atomic Sherpas

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Robin Linn discovered the depth of composer and multi-instrumentalist Vince Meghrouni when I heard him last year with the Rubber Snake Charmers, a side project involving him and Mario Lalli (Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson).

But it wasn’t until I heard him performing with Fatso Jetson that I realized what an absolutely incredible musician he is. His sexy sax lines and ultra-vibey harmonica solos brought new depth and layers of dimension to music I had experienced many times before.

Meghrouni’s name came up recently was when I was prodding drummerpercussionist Rob Peterson (Sort of Quartet, The Pedestrians) about his next musical project. I have been a huge fan of Rob since his early days with Groovalopocus, and I would follow The Pedestrians to the ends of the Earth!

Rob filled me in that he had just signed on with The Atomic Sherpas … a Vince Meghrouni-led project.

I immediately looked into the matter—and learned that Vince is a complete and utter musical badass.

His strength as a songwriter benefits from his experience in many projects over the years, including Axis, The Firemen, El Grupo Sexo and Bazooka; current projects include Fatso Jetson, jazz-band the DownBeats, prog-punk band HellBat!, and free-improv group Brainchildren of Xenog. His sax work is purposeful; he has a uniquely relevant approach to the harmonica and flute; and his earthy, raspy vocals are unforgettable … as are his lyrics and song ideas.

Listening to The Atomic Sherpas is like

taking a sonic ride at a first-rate amusement park. There’s a horn-player clad in white; a keyboard-player in a Melvins-style wig; beautiful suits; and impeccable musicianship that entices debauchery to break out within the first song. “Funky freak-out deep-fried blue bebop rock” is the band’s self acclaimed genre. Call it what you want, but Vince and the boys take audiences far beyond the perimeters of jazz, rock, funk or fusion to a place where everything is crazy and beautiful.

They take jazz, put it to a groove, and rock your freakin’ socks off!

This sextet has a stellar lineup of acclaimed and accomplished musicians: Carlos Alvidrez

The desert’s Rob Peterson recently joined The Atomic Sherpas. Bandleader Vince Meghrouni said about him: “The playing is stellar, but you can’t undervalue the enthusiasm and spirit, either.” ANDY GARZA

Vince Meghrouni and Michael Alvidrez. ANDY GARZA

on trombone and percussion; Michael Alvidrez on bass; Anthony Cossa on guitar; Marc Doten on keyboards; Meghrouni on sax, flute, harp and vocals; and the desert’s own Rob Peterson on drums, the newest member.

“Rob’s virtuosity does not take a backseat to groove, inventiveness, balls-out rocking, deep-in-the-pocket funkiness or grease,” Meghrouni said about his new drummer.

“I have loved every single member of this band, (and have) loved every incarnation. … But Rob has gelled this thing into the greatest gestalt yet, and I think Anthony (bassist) had a lot to do with that, too. The playing is stellar, but you can’t undervalue the enthusiasm and spirit, either.”

The band has two full-length records under its belt (Blowin’ It at Ya and Lit Up), with a new one in the can. My favorite Atomic Sherpas record to date is the newest recording—awaiting final mixing and pressing. I was fortunate to befriend Vince and was entrusted with a copy I will never, ever part with. It’s burn-a-bowl, pouryourself-a-glass-of-wine, dance-around-inyour-underwear fun! The banter in between songs employs skit-style commentary; the music moves and grooves in a dozen different directions. One song explores the notion of guitarist John Scofield discovering that his

recent love participates in a coven; the only lyric is: “Sco’s chick’s a Wiccan.” Then there is a “horny” War Pigs cover that is over-the-top fun.

The Atomic Sherpas will be playing in the high desert at assemblage artist Bobby Furst’s private venue, the Furst Wurld Theatre, on Sunday, Aug. 31, along with the Inner Planetary Monks, featuring guitar alchemist Bobby Nichols (full disclosure: he’s my honey), jazz/rock drum-wizard Nathaniel Scott, and the legendary jam-band bassist Bob Gross. This is a must-see event, and I hope all my desert friends will join me in welcoming this Los Angeles-based band with open arms.

Seeing any show at Furst Wurld is like taking a page out of a rock ’n’ roll fairy tale; this show may be like taking an entire chapter!

There is a suggested donation of at least $10. Get more information at the events page at www.facebook.com/ events/802249376474470.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ATOMIC SHERPAS AT WWW. REVERBNATION.COM/THEATOMICSHERPAS. TO READ AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE, VISIT DESERT ROCK CHRONICLES AT RMINJTREE.BLOGSPOT.COM.

CVIndependent.com

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MUSIC

the

LUCKY 13

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye

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

2Pac’s “I Get Around.”

What band or artist changed your life? How? Michael Jackson. Talk about mass appeal on a planetary level! Uh-mazing! He showed me that music can unite people for real! Whenever I play an MJ track or remix, it’s interesting to see everyone from ALL walks of life groovin’!

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

Bob Marley: “Did you know that your music would be so widely accepted, cherished and regarded as so important to the peace movement? When is the next album dropping, and can I get a copy?”

NAME DJ Aaron C (Aaron Cortes) MORE INFO DJ With more than 20 years of experience, including a stint as a radio DJ on KUCR FM 88.3, Aaron C has been known to mix genres in his DJ sets. He performs at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, Copa, Bar and the Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club. For more information, including a list of upcoming gigs, visit djaaronc.com.

What was the first concert you attended?

Morrissey at the Hollywood Palladium.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Nothing corny. Probably just silence at that point, because I will be done playing … literally!

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

Michael Jackson, Thriller.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

All of Disclosure’s remixes.

What was the first album you owned?

On cassette, I made a double purchase of Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill, and Run-D.M.C.’s Raising Hell.

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

Flight of the Conchords.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Super-sexy neo-soul.

What’s your favorite music venue?

To play at: anywhere where I don’t have to lug in equipment. As a guest: Sound Nightclub in Los Angeles.

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A Busy DJ and a Beer Pong Host Answer Our Questions that (performing) was what I wanted to do.

What was the first album you owned?

I think the first album that I purchased with my own money was Green Day’s Dookie when I was 7 years old. It changed my perception of music. I bought it with my lunch money I had saved all week.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Every Time I Die’s new album, From Parts Unknown. These guys make me smile. Also, I have the Kirby video game anthology soundtrack in my car. Takes me right back.

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

That’s a great question. Had you asked me a week ago, I would have easily replied, “Country!” but I’ve been hearing it more at my place of work, and even country has its place in my heart!

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

John Williams with the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing the Star Wars films live with a laser show.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Dubstep. I like it!

What’s your favorite music venue?

Is Coachella a venue? I guess it’s more of an event, but aside from that, I would say Pappy and Harriet’s.

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

“I’ve been waiting on you!” from Future Islands, “Seasons (Waiting on You).”

What bands are you listening to right now?

Moon Boots, Duck Sauce, Major Lazer, DJ Vice, and Sultan and Ned Shepard.

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

Trap music! To each his own!

FRESH SESSIONS WITH ALL NIGHT SHOES: AUGUST 2014

NAME Chris Long GROUP Boycott Radio MORE INFO The frontman of Boycott Radio has music in his blood. On top of fronting rock band Boycott Radio (www.facebook.com/ boycottradio)—which has performed at The Hood Bar and Pizza, Schmidy’s Tavern and other venues—Long hosts Beer Pong every Wednesday night at The Hood.

What was the first concert you attended?

I saw James Taylor at the Coors Amphitheater (in Chula Vista) in 1996. I knew right away

What band or artist changed your life?

How? Pink Floyd, when I was very, very, young. I would lie in bed in the dark as a kid and listen to my dad’s records, and Dark Side of the Moon blew my tiny little 6-year-old brain.

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

Nickelback: “Why?” What song would you like played at your funeral?

Stevie Wonder, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.” I defy people at my funeral not to smile and dance.

It’s time for August’s FRESH Sessions, the 11th installment in this series!

I’d like to again thank JF//Discord for his guest FRESH Sessions mix last month. While I love offering people some of the best current dance music by artists both well-known and largely unexposed, I also love sharing the work of other DJs. In the minds of some, there’s a stigma associated with modern DJing. Many see us as mere “party people” who like to play as loud and as fast as possible. This is not true. Yes, we all like to “get down”—but not in the same way.

For example, I appreciate theatrics in a DJ set.

Creating different sounds with someone else’s work is exciting. This month, I try to do just that, with the final installment in my “Poolside Sounds” mix series. I’ve captured a deeper, sexier sound with this mix. I hope you all enjoy.

Meanwhile, catch me at the follow shows this month: • Friday, Aug. 1: Toucans, “Mischief/Jungle Jam” (Palm Springs Animal Shelter Benefit) • Friday, Aug. 15 Toucans, “Mischief” • Saturday, Aug. 23: The Curve, “Burning BDay Bash III” I’ll be adding more dates. Follow me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ansofficial) and on Twitter/Instagram at @allnightshoes.

• Disclosure featuring Sam Smith, “Latch” (starRo Remix) • Gorgon City featuring MNEK, “Ready for Your Love” • Marvin Gaye, “Sexual Healing” (Nine Lives Rework) • Gero featuring Kullai Timi, “Turn Around” (Satin Jackets Remix) • Zedd featuring Foxes, “Find You” (Simo Remix) • EDX, “Breathin’” (Extended Vocal Mix) • Cyril Hahn featuring Shy Girls, “Perfect Form” • Endor and Midnight City featuring Romany, “Be With Me” • Usher, “Yeah” (Knightley Bootleg) • TrAmHed, “Circles in My Mind” (Joey Negro Club Mix) • Starsmith, “Now I Feel Good” (Club Edit) • Kiesza, “Hideaway” (Dom Dolla Remix)

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

Reel Big Fish, Turn the Radio Off. Because I just saw it on my computer desk.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“Grazin’ in the Grass” by the Friends of Distinction. That’s my pops on the drums!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 31

AUGUST 2014

COMICS & JONESIN’CROSSWORD

Across 1 Capital founded in 1535 5 Fit for farming 11 Like many a gen. or maj.

14 “Once ___ a midnight dreary …”

15 Bag brand 16 Prefix that follows giga, tera and peta 17 Question for someone who’s already written “beta” and “kappa”?

20 Magazine staff members 21 Hide from the cops 22 Drink too much 23 Annual MTV bestowal, for short 25 Decidedly unhip 26 Packs away 28 Flower necklace given by an environmental group?

30 Knitter’s ball 31 Result of a punch 32 They drop the bass 33 Brawl site 34 Glee network 37 Great ___ 38 Hayride seat 39 Avril Lavigne’s take on an Elton John song?

43 Some fountain drinks 44 “He’s ___ among men …”

45 “Voices Carry” group ___ Tuesday 46 Fruit in the lyrics to “Portland, Oregon” 47 Elaborate architectural style

49 Satellite launched 10/4/57 52 “Stop trying to imitate the best boxer of all time!”

55 Saving Private Ryan craft, for short 56 Add fizz to 57 Emanate 58 ___ Miserables 59 Freudian topic 60 Gets the idea Down 1 Activist/playwright Clare Boothe ___ 2 2010 Apple arrival 3 Screens in a computer lab 4 Unremarkable place 5 Sky blue 6 Fixes, as a fight 7 Big primate 8 Diner order 9 Seductive guys 10 Agree with, as a sentiment 11 Annul, as a law 12 Dig up 13 Capital of Taiwan 18 ___! All Berries (Cap’n Crunch variety) 19 “First Lady of Song” Fitzgerald 23 What internet trolls may spew 24 Christopher of Law and Order: SVU 26 Barrett of the original Pink Floyd 27 ___ Mahal

28 Simba’s mother, in The Lion King 29 33 1/3, for an LP 31 Oranges, reds and golds, in fashion terms 33 Gym teacher’s deg. (hey, it even has the class in its name) 34 What a celebrity may use to sign in at a hotel 35 Cheer heard a lot at World Cup 2014 36 Simple signatures 38 Crocheted footwear for infants 39 Nittany Lions all-time leader in touchdowns ___ Clark 40 Words after “loose as” or “silly as” 41 Reproach about jumping ahead in line 42 Singing program, to fans 43 Golf bag item 46 Word after shopping or crime 48 Show that you like the show 49 Rogen unwelcome in North Korea 50 “Would ___ to you?”

51 First-aid boxes 53 Trick ending?

54 Rug cleaner, briefly ©2014 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) Find the answers in the “about” section of CVIndependent.com!

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32 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2014

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