Coachella Valley Independent January 2015

VOL. 3 | ISSUE 1

Political Roots/Raices Políticos A Decade Ago, a Group of Young East Valley Leaders Set Out to Make a Difference.

That’s Exactly What They’ve Done.

By Kevin Fitzgerald PAGE 15

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JANUARY 2015

A Note From the Editor

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

Welcome to 2015—and, therefore, the start of the third year of the Coachella Valley Independent’s existence.

Regular readers of this space know that I used it last month to thank our readers, our employees, our contributors and our supporters. Well, forgive me for repeating myself a bit—because I have yet more thanks to give.

First, I want to thank the 39 business, organizations and individuals who opened their wallets to donate to the Independent’s first crowdfunding campaign. We did not meet the overly lofty goal we set for our Indiegogo-based effort, but we did raise a fantastic $3,246.

What are we going to do with that money? Well, we’ve already spent a good chunk of it: We just ordered 28 brand-new newspaper racks, which will help us increase and improve our circulation. That means more copies of the Independent getting into more people’s hands—and from our admittedly biased point of view, that’s a very good thing.

We’ll also use some of that money to fund a brand-new events-preview section, which we’ll be launching in our February issue. In other words, due to the generosity of our supporters, we’ll be able to shine an even brighter, more comprehensive light on the goings-on in the Coachella Valley.

Thank you, everyone. For a list of all our crowd-funding supporters, turn to Page 26.

Second, thanks to everyone who attended the party for our first-ever Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll. Dozens of winners joined Independent readers and contributors at Twin Palms Bistro and Lounge on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to celebrate—and a great time was had by all.

The presence of rain—which moved the party, which had been slated for Twin Palms’ lovely patio, indoors—didn’t keep a whole bunch of people from getting their awards, sampling some of Twin Palms’ fantastic food (Gator! Gumbo! Mmmm!) and enjoying a cocktail or two. To view some pictures from the event, check out our Snapshot feature on Page 13, and/or visit CVIndependent.com to see the whole batch.

Now, it’s time to look forward: We’re kicking off our third year with one of our best issues ever. It’s chock-full of great stuff, from Kevin Fitzgerald’s extensive piece on the east valley’s political machine, to Brian Blueskye’s fantastic preview of the first-ever El Gato Classic skateboarding event. Enjoy, and as always, feel free to drop me a line with questions, comments and suggestions.

Thank you for being part of the Independent family.

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle Assistant Editor Brian Blueskye Editorial Layout Wayne Acree Advertising Design Betty Jo Boegle Contributors Gustavo Arellano, Victor Barocas, Max Cannon, George Duchannes, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bob Grimm, Alex Harrington, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Keith Knight, Robin Linn, Judith Lewis Mernit, Nick Miller, Marylee Pangman, Erin Peters, Deidre Pike, Dan Perkins, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor

The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month. All content is ©2014-2015 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.

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.

COVER DESIGN BY WAYNE ACREE

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com

CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

JANUARY 2015

OPINION

KNOW YOUR

NEIGHBORS

Meet the Impressive Young Women at the Queen Scheherazade Scholarship Pageant

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Anita Rufus ack in 1968, when the feminist movement was in full swing, a significant protest was staged in Atlantic City against the Miss America beauty pageant.

The protest was organized by author Robin Morgan, who attacked “the degrading mindless-boob-girlie symbol” so prevalent in the media, and the “ludicrous ‘beauty’ standards we ourselves are conditioned to take seriously.”

I was part of that feminist movement, concerned about the objectification of women—paraded in bathing suits and awarded crowns based on little more than whether they met the then-common standard of “beauty,” meaning long-legged, tiny-waisted, barely talented and white-skinned. (No black woman had ever made it even into the finals.) While I did not take issue with the women who willingly participated, many of whom went on to enjoy interesting lives, I sympathized that there were so few opportunities for them based on anything other than superficial beauty.

There are concerns that the current Miss America pageant, although now offering lucrative scholarships and emphasizing young women pursuing education, has not been giving out that scholarship money as advertised. A recent exposé on HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver asserted that although the Miss America Foundation claims to make “$45 million in scholarships available to contestants—the pageant promotes itself as ‘the world’s largest provider of scholarships for women,’ the money it actually provides is just a fraction of that.” According to Oliver, in 2012, the Miss America organizations spent only $482,000 on scholarships, using questionable statistics to stretch to the $45 million figure.

Locally, several organizations offer money for education, usually based solely on scholarship and outstanding essays by applicants. With much competition for limited awards, students often scramble to cobble together enough money to cover tuition, books, fees and the other costs associated with higher education or career training—to avoid taking out loans and graduating with debt.

What’s an aspiring young woman needing money for college to do? One local event that offers scholarship money is the Queen Scheherazade Scholarship Pageant, which picks three young women to represent the

Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival. In November, 13 young women vied for the 2015 titles of Queen Scheherazade, Princess Dunyazade, and Princess Jasmine. I attended, in spite of my aversion to “beauty pageants,” because I am acquainted with one of the contestants, Alejandra Franco (about whom I have previously written). I must admit I came away impressed, not only with the young women and their accomplishments and aspirations, but also with the support they had from family, friends and local officials in the audience—and the community’s seriousness of commitment to this long-standing cultural event.

The master of ceremonies, KESQ’s Laura Yanez, talked about her own sister’s experience with the pageant as Princess Jasmine in 1995.

The contestants had to demonstrate that they knew what would be required to represent the county fair at events throughout Riverside County. They presented themselves in business dress, evening gowns and beautiful haremlike costumes. (There were no bathing suits, but the feminist in me rebels somewhat at the implications of harems.) They also had to present a brief speech that included their aspirations, academic and extra-curricular activities, and why they should be chosen.

They responded to randomly drawn questions about the history of dates in the Coachella Valley, the county fair and its attractions, and community resources. Finally, they had to show the judges they could be effective representatives for the festivities.

La Quinta High School students included Shannon Slankard, who plans to be a pediatric

The Queen Scheherazade Scholarship Pageant’s contestants. STUART SMITH/AVANT STUDIOS

oncologist; Maritza Cubillas, who wants to major in engineering but is also looking forward to studying dance; Loren White, whose smile is a standout, and who aspires to be an orthodontist; and Amanda Cardinal, who remembers tap-dancing at the fair when she was just 5 years old, and is passionate about robotics.

Representing Coachella Valley High School: Liliana Aguilar, who wants to achieve a doctorate in medicine; Itcelia Segoviano, who hopes to be accepted by Harvard or UC Berkeley and study law to work with at-risk juveniles; and Charyne Toribio, a student at College of the Desert, an avid basketball player whose goal is to become a toxicologic/anatomic pathologist (whew!).

From Hemet High School was Morgan Lawrence, an excellent communicator who plans to study communication and graphic design. Cathedral City High School was represented by Vanessa Martinez, whose aspirations include a double-major in peace studies and women’s studies, with the goal of a career in global humanitarian efforts.

Shadow Hills High School had two entrants: Destiny Patlan, who said, “I am Indio!” and is an active community volunteer helping the homeless; and Silvia Ruelas, who plans to study political science and criminal justice, and said, “Our future is our key—failure is not an option.” From Desert Mirage High School, Alejandra Franco is passionate about getting into Yale and becoming an immigration lawyer here in the Coachella Valley: “My duty is to make evident that education is not out of our reach,” she said regarding her responsibility

toward her younger brothers. West Shores High School graduate Carla Cabrera is currently a student at Cal State UniversitySan Bernardino, hoping to achieve a master’s degree for a career as a registered nurse.

All of these young women have been honors students in Advanced Placement courses, active in campus sports and extra-curricular activities, and volunteers in their communities.

Some work while going to school. Many will be the first in their families to attend college.

All of them are worthy of our support. Politics aside, I was impressed by these admirable young women doing whatever is necessary to ensure their futures.

If you’ve never been to the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, this is something you should do at least once.

Admission cost is reasonable, and you don’t want to miss the camel and ostrich races, monster trucks, marvelous mutts, nightly live music, wonderful displays of art and fabulous food. Plus, you’ll be supporting the 2015 Scholarship Pageant winners: Morgan Lawrence as Princess Jasmine, Shannon Slankard as Princess Dunyazade, and Carla Cabrera as Queen Scheherazade. You will see them in full Arabian regalia all over the county and at the fairgrounds Feb. 13-22.

I now know how dates came to the Coachella Valley! Do you?

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. EMAIL HER AT ANITA@LOVABLELIBERAL.COM. CVIndependent.com

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JANUARY 2015

OPINION

ASK A MEXICAN!

How Should a Teacher Deal With a Student’s Racist Assumptions?

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Gustavo Arellano EAR MEXICAN: I teach writing at a local community college. My students are writing their final essays on a local problem; I have one student who has decided to write about illegal immigration (specifically, Mexican immigration).

We were discussing, as a class, each student’s project, and a student made a comment that I wish I had reacted to differently. He said that he encounters a number of Mexicans who can’t speak English fluently, and since speaking English must make it easier to gain legal citizenship/entry, he assumes that all (or most) of the Spanish-speaking Mexicans must be illegals. My response was to skip over the racism and move on to another student.

What should I have said?

Troubled Teacher

job, after all. And if he can’t do any of the above, call him a pinche pendejo baboso on Facebook so all your fellow profes can laugh—it is a teachable moment, after all.

DEAR GABACHA: Grow some ovaries, mujer! It’s your job as a profe to call out your students on their reliance on Wikipedia, their horrendous grammar, and especially any racist assumptions they may have.

Of course, you also want to be constructive, so this is what you should do: Call out the student on his assumptions in front of the class, saying that while it’s OK to have opinions (seriously, Aztlanista professors—don’t excoriate a conservative student just because they’re conservative; conservatives are people, too), it’s not OK to make blind assumptions— that’s not the scholastic way. I’d have him explicitly state why he thinks any Spanishdominant Mexican is a mojado, and ask for proof. Then I’d ask him to explain why foreign languages have been a part of the United States since its founding, and why immigrant enclaves never fully disappear.

Make it a teachable moment—that is your

DEAR MEXICAN: I’m a third-year university student, a liberal studies and Spanish major.

My family, extended and immediate, always like the chisme. During a family carne asada, we were all talking when one of my tías asked me what I was doing with my life—she and the rest of my aunts seemed like they genuinely wanted to know. But when I told them that I only needed one more year to graduate, it seemed as if I had said something wrong. They stared at me, said nothing, and completely ignored what I said. One of my aunts made a small gesture to acknowledge what I said, but other than that, they continued their talk about the novella they saw the previous night.

My family is extremely close, and we really want the best for each other, so I was taken aback when this happened. No one in our family has ever attended a four-year university or obtained any kind of degree. Might this be the reason they reacted the way they did?

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Or should I be worried that this is a bigger issue?

A Sanchez but Not a Sancho DEAR WAB: Don’t bother with pleasing tías—you’re never going to be as good as their mijo, even if mijo is a narco or just did a stint in Corcoran. Or maybe they realize that a liberal studies degree is like the last corn tortilla in the packet—basically useless.

DEAR MEXICAN: I’ve been dating a Mexican man for a year now and am madly in love, claro. His excuse for everything is, “I’m Mexican”—which, as you know, means that he works harder than anyone else, has bigger balls than any other male on the planet, and is so virile that he can impregnate a woman just by blowing on her.

What I don’t understand is that he rarely uses my name; I’ve noticed that seems to be a Mexican thing. I love being called chiquita bonita, but as far as I know, all of his friends are named vato, puto or güey. What gives? Also, he has started calling me cabrona, but he’s using it in a nice way—and I’m confused.

Please help this loving gabachita to understand her hombre.

Mamacita Chiquita Bonita DEAR GABACHA: Mexican men not calling each other by their given name is a workingclass trait, like the Southern “son,” AfricanAmerican “man” and the bro “bro.” The only

Mexican twist we give nicknames is calling people El (Insert Nickname)—El Barbie, El Gordo, El Chiquidracula, El Kennedy, etc.

But that’s another question—and I’m out of space!

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!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

JANUARY 2015

OPINION

THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN

Celebrate Your Successes and Document Your Challenges in a Garden Journal

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Marylee Pangman ur desert weather is very inviting now. Palm Springs streets are filled with snowbirds, and restaurants are booked to the max.

Why not take advantage of this chaos and stay home? Go out onto your patio for your morning brew, a casual lunch shared with a friend, or an evening barbecue. Now is the time to enjoy your desert home.

While you are at it, take some quiet time to sit and reflect on your successes (and challenges!) in your potted garden, and consider writing a garden journal.

If you are reading this column, you must have at least one green digit (aka thumb). You have poked around with different plants and flowers in an effort to create a beautiful garden in this challenging desert climate. Why not record what you have tried, making note of what has succeeded—and perhaps exceeded your expectations?

You can use a bound journal, your tablet, your computer or even a loose-leaf binder. It’s up to you—whatever tickles your fancy. Think about what will drive you to add entries each week. Do you want to add pictures of your successful pots? Some people tote around pictures of their grandchildren, so why not your garden?

Here are four ideas on how to use your garden journal.

• We “transplants” from non-desert climates like to try plants that we grew “back home.”

Your garden journal is a great place to record how each new plant did. Perhaps you want to make a page for each new plant and list the information from the plant tag. Record your memories of the plant, and document how it is doing in your desert garden.

• Have a page just for the first and last frost dates in your yard. Even though you can find the first and last frost dates for your area, your particular yard has its own micro-climate, and various parts of your yard will have their own micro-climates. While you are at it, make notes of weather patterns—has this been an exceptionally wet or (more likely) dry season?

• List the types of plants you’ve used, the combinations you’ve created, location/sun exposures, and the containers you’ve used.

How did they do? Were there specific watering requirements? Be sure to take a picture of each.

• Write about your failures. Did you try a new technique or plant that was a disaster?

Write about your surprises and absolutely about your successes. This will be invaluable to use in your future gardens and to share information with your friends—especially when they come

over to join you on your patio and enjoy your garden.

What to do in your desert potted garden this month: • Be sure to keep up with your fertilizing schedule in all floral pots. Use a water-soluble

fertilizer every two weeks.

• Keep up with your deadheading of spent flowers, and prune back to keep plants in a nice shape. Pay special attention to petunias, so you can keep them from getting leggy.

• January is the month to do a full pruning of your roses. Cut back to a third, and trim out dead and crossing branches. Clean up all debris after deleafing the plants entirely.

• If your yard did not get any substantial rain in December, water your potted succulents and cactus.

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. SHE 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 EVERY TUESDAY AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM.

CVIndependent.com

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JANUARY 2015

OPINION

REMEMBERING ROBERT STEARNS

The Local Arts Community Has Lost One of Its Biggest Advocates With the Passing of ArtsOasis’ Executive Director

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By David Clinton-Reid obert Stearns, the executive director of ArtsOasis, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 3, after a brief illness.

There is so much to say about my dear friend and colleague. Robert graduated from the University of California at San Diego in fine arts and art history. He then began his incredible career in the arts, which started in the early ’70s in arts and cultural management with the Paula Cooper Gallery and The Kitchen in New York City. He curated exhibitions, developed education projects and served as a senior staffer at some of the country’s leading contemporary arts institutions. He was the director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, the performing arts program director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the inaugural director of the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. He also served as an adviser to private foundations, state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Robert came to live in Palm Springs in 2006 with his partner, Rich. Soon thereafter, he became a member of the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission. He also served on the board of directors of the Architecture and Design Council of the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Coachella Valley Arts Alliance, and the La Quinta Arts Foundation. He was also a member of the Classical KUSC Desert Arts Advisory Council.

In 2007, the California Desert Arts Incubator and a local advisory group to the University of Southern California were considering what the desert’s creative community looked like, and what its needs

CVIndependent.com

were. These two groups were the genesis of ArtsOasis. Robert, along with his colleagues, began emulating efforts to expand the creative economies in metro centers such as Santa Fe, N.M., Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle and Columbus, Ohio.

It’s widely known that art, design, media and marketing generate enormous revenues in business receipts, wages and local taxes.

Here in the Coachella Valley, where tourism is a leading industry, it’s crucial to foster a robust creative community and, therefore, cultural tourism. With support from the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership and other stakeholders, ArtsOasis was able to perform an economic study of the creative community in the Coachella Valley. In 2012, the study revealed that this sector was worth an annual $750 million in earnings and receipts, with more than $1.5 billion in overall activity.

This study remains an incredible source of information and has spurned greater collaboration in arts, media and entertainment. Robert ensured that ArtsOasis would spearhead the promotion, advocacy and development of our unique community through evenhanded representation and collaborative work.

Together with members of the ArtsOasis Creative Council, Robert enhanced ArtsOasis’ reputation as a one-stop shop for the valley, and later extended this influence to the high desert. Through artsoasis.org, he developed a wealth of free resources for the creative community, including a calendar of events. The website became a platform for individuals and organizations to create free listings; a selection of those listings appears each month here in the Coachella Valley Independent. ArtsOasis also promotes events through Facebook and recently began a partnership program to promote our award-winning community theaters.

Robert’s energy, reliability and knowledge— the latter accumulated over decades in the arts world—became the catalyst for ArtsOasis to be recognized as a primary resource in the area’s creative community. His ability to collaborate made it possible to connect organizations, businesses and artists with each other and jointly promote the creative community.

As ArtsOasis evolved under Robert’s direction, it increased its promotion and advocacy role, and began to promote cultural

Robert Mapplethorpe took this photograph of Robert Stearns in 1977.

tourism through the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Before Robert’s passing, he was engaged with the CVB and other stakeholders in defining the future of ArtsOasis. This work will now continue in the spirit of collaborative working that epitomized Robert.

DAVID CLINTON-REID IS THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ARTSOASIS. THOSE WISHING TO REMEMBER ROBERT STEARNS WITH A DONATION IN LIEU OF FLOWERS MAY DO SO BY SENDING A MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTION TO PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, EDWARDS HARRIS PAVILION, 300 S. PALM CANYON DRIVE, PALM SPRINGS, CA, 92264.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

JANUARY 2015

OPINION

GO GIRL!

The Girlfriend Factor Helps Adult Women Return to School and Achieve Their Goals

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Chris Clemens Martello ollege scholarships for traditional students just out of high school are in relative abundance in the Coachella Valley due to the giving nature of our local community.

But what about nontraditional students— individuals who took a detour after high school for one reason or another, and then realized later in life that higher education or occupational training is needed to improve their economic situation and make positive changes in their lives?

That’s where the Girlfriend Factor (GFF) comes in. GFF is a local nonprofit that provides educational grants and emotional support to local adult women so they can return to school to achieve their goals and dreams. To date, GFF has helped more than 100 women return to school.

The Girlfriend Factor was founded in 2005 by Joan Busick and a group of friends. A CPA who runs her own business in Palm Desert, Joan has a special place in her heart for adult women who return to school to improve their lives.

“Basically, I was one of them back in the 1980s,” she said. “I had made some bad choices early on, but finally realized that I needed to get an education to improve my life and the life of my boys. I learned first-hand that a combination of financial assistance and encouragement from other women was a magical combination for success. There are so many common threads in women’s lives, and they tend to thrive when they have the support of other women who have been there.”

Girlfriend Factor’s educational grants, known as GoGirl! Grants, are given to local women 25 years or older who show financial need and have chosen a specific educational path that will lead them to a specific employment opportunity. GoGirl! Grants are renewable, staying with the recipients until they graduate. Supporters of GFF, known as Girlfriends, act as cheerleaders to the women they assist, providing them with encouragement. GFF also brings them together occasionally, where they can meet other recipients to share experiences and friendship.

“These students are very fortunate to live within a community that has such a wealth of great educational institutions such as College of the Desert and Cal State-San Bernardino,” said Busick. “Most recipients end up staying

within the Coachella Valley once they graduate since they are already established here, which is another positive aspect of assisting local adult women.”

For the Girlfriend Factor, it’s all about local funds for local women. The leaders of GFF believe that charitable giving is most effective when supporting local individuals who ultimately become productive members of their own economy.

“When you put a face to the individual you are assisting, the difference you are making becomes real,” Busick said.

For donors to the Girlfriend Factor who truly want a direct connection to the women they are assisting, GFF recently established Personalized Giving Grants, which provide naming rights of the grant and designate a specific recipient to receive that grant, creating relationships that are gratifying on both sides.

Not only are the students receiving GoGirl!

Grants nontraditional; the organization itself tends to raise funds and gain support by marching to its own drummer.

“We attempt to not take ourselves too seriously,” Busick said. “We try to always have an element of fun when raising funds to improve women’s lives.”

The next GFF event is Club Cabana, an evening when GFF celebrates local professional men who support GFF’s charitable mission. This year’s Club Cabana is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, at Toscana Country Club.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GIRLFRIEND FACTOR, VISIT WWW. THEGIRLFRIENDFACTOR.ORG. CVIndependent.com

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JANUARY 2015

NEWS

SK8R WEEKEND

The El Gato Classic Will Honor the Forgotten Greats of the Sport—and the Coachella Valley’s Legendary Skateboarding History

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

By Brian Blueskye alm Springs will become the center of the skateboarding world Friday, Jan. 23, through Sunday, Jan. 25, when the area will be taken over by skateboarding’s most legendary riders for the El Gato Classic.

At the center of the event is Eddie “El Gato” Elguera, a valley resident who is a pastor at the Rock Church in Palm Desert. Elguera became a professional skateboarder in the late ’70s and went on to be a two-time world champion. He’s a major influence on many current pros, given he created several tricks that skateboarders continue to use today, such as the “Elguerial.”

“When I started back in the ’70s, when pool skating and vertical skating was coming out, there wasn’t the recognition that there is today. Now, it’s a lot more mainstream, and there are corporate sponsors like Red Bull,” said Elguera during a recent interview the Rock Church.

While Elguera is 52 now, the grandfather and father of three still has a skater look; when we spoke, he was wearing black skinny jeans, Nike skateboarding shoes, a black cardigan sweater and a red-and-black striped shirt.

Big-name skateboarders participating in the El Gato Classic include Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain, Mike McGill and others. During a recent phone interview, Tony Hawk explained why Elguera is such an important figure in skateboarding.

“He absolutely inspired me, especially when I was coming into my own in skating,” Hawk said. “I felt like he was the most progressive skater and really a pioneer of trick-style skating. I didn’t really have the build or the natural style that a lot of skaters had, so I just loved doing tricks—and he was at the forefront of new tricks.”

Christian Hosoi: “The whole ritual of skateboarding wasn’t just skateboarding; it was the discovery of finding an empty pool, planning it out, and inviting everybody to come. … It was a pioneering thing, because no one had done it yet, and now we have grandmas taking their grandchildren to skate parks, where they’re learning to be the next Tony Hawk.” GRANT BRITTAIN CVIndependent.com

Hosoi talked during a recent phone interview about the days of skateboarding when it was thought of as an outlaw sport.

“The whole ritual of skateboarding wasn’t just skateboarding; it was the discovery of finding an empty pool, planning it out, and inviting everybody to come,” he said. “… It was a pioneering thing, because no one had done it yet, and now we have grandmas taking their grandchildren to skate parks, where they’re learning to be the next Tony Hawk.”

Elguera remembered when prize money wouldn’t even cover airfare or hotel expenses for the professionals who would show up to events.

“Sometimes, first prize would be $500, or maybe $1,000,” Elguera said. “Then skateboard parks started to close because insurance companies didn’t want to insure skateparks.

Skateboarding kind of took a dip after that, and that’s when the contests popped up where the prize was $100. When I was at the top, I never thought I’d still be skateboarding at 52, which I am today. Back then, you figured your career would go to 25.”

There was a goal in mind for any kid who skateboarded.

“You wanted to get sponsored,” Elguera said.

“Not so much for the money and everything else, but just to get free product, because then you could get boards, get wheels, get clothes, and you didn’t have to buy all that stuff. You were like, ‘Wow, I hit the top!’ when you get your first package. You end up waiting for the UPS guy. The UPS guy for skateboarders is like Santa Claus.”

Elguera said many early innovators in his sport have not received the recognition they deserve. On the El Gato Classic website, there is a graphic asking, “Have You Seen Them?” with a list of skateboarding innovators who have fallen off the radar; organizers hope

these missing legends will see their names and attend.

“The El Gato Classic is where we’re taking the guys who were really pioneers and revolutionary in terms of what skateboarding could be,” he said. “A lot of the guys we’re gathering together didn’t really get the recognition, and that’s why I want to come out and just say, ‘Thank you.’ I have a saying: ‘If we honor the past and champion the future, skateboarding will never die.’ My goal with the El Gato Classic, with this first one, is to honor the past.”

There’s a reason the El Gato Classic is being held in Palm Springs, beyond Elguera’s connection to the Coachella Valley: From the late ’70s through the early ’90s, there was a spot called Nude Bowl outside of Desert Hot Springs. The former Desert Garden Ranch, which was once a nudist resort, had a kidneyshaped pool and some leftover structures that skateboarders loved. Videos from the Nude Bowl era now on YouTube show a pool with tons of graffiti; one video shows a fire engulfing the entire outer edge of the pool as people skateboard inside of it.

Today at the Palm Springs Skate Park, there is a replica of the kidney-shaped pool—sans graffiti, of course.

Hawk said he knows the Nude Bowl’s history.

“I never got to go there. It was a famous spot, and just about all the legends coming to this event have probably been there,” he said.

Hosoi said he went to the Nude Bowl all the time.

“We’d have punk-rock bands up there, and it was outlaw craziness up there on that mountain,” he said. “There were dirt roads forever to the top of this hill and just hundreds of people. It was out of control, and I’m surprised no one ever died up there, because that’s how crazy it got. It was all day, all night and ’til the next morning, to where we’d finally just say, ‘Gotta go!’ because there was no more in us.”

Proceeds from the El Gato Classic will go to the Tony Hawk Foundation, which works to build skate parks in low-income communities.

“The perception of skating in those areas when a park first gets built—there’s usually some pushback about having a skate park, and what it means, and what kind of crowd it will attract,” Hawk said. “When a city finally approves a project, and they see that there’s a community that rallies around it, they end up

Eddie Elguera: “When I started back in the ’70s, when pool skating and vertical skating was coming out, there wasn’t the recognition that there is today. Now, it’s a lot more mainstream, and there are corporate sponsors like Red Bull.” GRANT BRITTAIN

building more. We’re empowering communities that are already trying to help themselves.”

It’s well-known that in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Hawk and Hosoi were rivals in vertical-skating events. At the El Gato Classic, they just might have another epic skate battle.

“I feel like he and I have come a long way,” Hawk said about his former competitor. “We’re no longer rivals and are more like comrades.

We’re happy we’re still doing this for a living and that people come out to see us. I think we’re just more appreciative of the fact we’re still here than trying to compete with each other. When we get together, even in a competition setting, it’s more of a celebration.”

Hosoi said he agrees, but joked that he still feels the rivalry at times.

“We like to have fun, but we’re competitive,” Hosoi said with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s playing pool or throwing rocks at a can 100 feet a way—we are going to compete!”

THE EL GATO CLASSIC WILL TAKE PLACE FRIDAY, JAN. 23, THROUGH SUNDAY, JAN. 25; THE TIMES, PRICES AND VENUES VARY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.ELGATOCLASSIC. COM. VISIT CVINDEPENDENT.COM TO READ AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE.

JANUARY 2015

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NEWS

FATAL ENCOUNTERS

One Journalist Tries to Determine How Often People Are Killed By Law Enforcement

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

By Nick Miller amantha Bee of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart is in a hurry. She rushes down a New York City sidewalk but then bumps into Nate Silver, the data journalist—formerly of The New York Times and now of ESPN—known for properly predicting presidential elections’ outcomes.

On the heels of Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a cop in Ferguson, Mo., she’s trying to learn more about the data behind officer-involved shootings. Like, for instance, how many people die each year at the hands of cops?

Bee grabs Silver, the nation’s foremost stat geek, on the shoulder, then asks him, “How many people were shot and killed last year by the police?”

“I don’t …” Silver begins. “Those statistics just don’t exist.”

Face palm. Bee appears incredulous. Eventually, she moves on, everfrustrated. In this segment, which aired in October, Bee simply cannot believe there is not a national database keeping track of officerinvolved shootings. She searches everywhere— from universities to the FBI—to find answers.

But no dice.

Then, at the end of the segment, she meets up with D. Brian Burghart.

Burghart is the editor of the Reno News & Review. (Full disclosure: He’s a friend of Independent publisher Jimmy Boegle, who himself was once the editor of the Reno News & Review.) In his spare time, Burghart also is in charge of Fatal Encounters, a website dedicated to crowdsourcing a comprehensive and searchable database of all police-involved shootings.

Fatal Encounters launched in February, and it’s since documented more than 3,000 officerinvolved shootings across the nation. This data is acquired via public-record requests, and is crowdsourced from readers.

During the past year, Burghart’s site has turned him into a de facto expert when it comes to issues like Eric Garner’s death at the hands of New York police, or Brown’s killing by an officer in Ferguson. He has appeared on CNN multiple times, and had his work featured

by Gawker, The Washington Post, The New York Times and Al-Jazeera America.

As major protests—from Los Angeles and Oakland to New York City—have brought police killings and the oversight thereof to the forefront of America’s water-cooler news cycle, Burghart took the time to discuss this country’s outrage, what reform of fatal police encounters might look like—and if any of this will even make a difference.

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Let’s talk about what everyone seems to be discussing: Eric Garner, the nonindictment of the officer who killed him, and the thousands of activists in New York City’s streets. There’s total outrage.

What do you make of it, and what impact do you think it will have?

I don’t think it will have much impact at all, to be honest.

That’s depressing.

After Michael Brown—when entire towns are taken over, and people are outraged—the entire country turns around and looks. In New York, this officer literally broke police procedures and used the chokehold, that was not supposed to be used, and the grand jury still does not indict. I don’t have hope that this is going to change things. I cannot believe that it will change things.

Do you see indictments of cops who have killed?

Almost never. It’s gotta be something so egregious. In Nevada, it’s generally been car accidents. … If a law-enforcement officer is late for dinner and is going 100 mph down the freeway and kills somebody, those people get indicted and go to jail. … But as far as officerinvolved shootings, it’s almost gotta be … like a first-degree murder situation before they are indicted, because grand juries have not shown any desire to second-guess officers.

But Garner was clearly not a threat. So many people have seen video of his death; you have politicians speaking out; you’ve got thousands of people in the street—

A scene from Burghart's appearance on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

This stuff mystifies me. It just mystifies me. I don’t know what that grand jury saw, but— Do you think part of the problem is the information prosecutors give these grand juries?

I’m sure it is. But I don’t know. I can’t say specifically.

Is this why the Ferguson grand jury did not indict Darren Wilson?

When we’re talking about this pattern, Eric Garner and Michael Brown, it’s the grand-jury system that we actually need to be looking at.

It’s the system of … what kind of oversight (we) have over law enforcement.

It makes a lot of sense to me to have a state agency doing an independent review of police shootings and overseeing it all.

Do any states do that?

Yeah, there are a couple. Massachusetts—oh boy, I’m going to get this wrong as soon as I start spouting out specific states. I believe the ones we found were Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont. I think those are the three.

So sort of liberal, East Coast, blue-state policy. But do they indict?

No, not to a greater degree, no.

Interesting.

But, then … the non-Wild West states tend to have much lower numbers than the West does.

For example, I heard, I think it was a (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report that said California is the worst.

How did we get here?

It would be very difficult for me to answer that question. These things happen incrementally.

A lot of people blame the police unions for constantly asking for a little more slack for officers. I think, historically, it’s a racial issue.

So much of the pre-Civil Rights revolution was police keeping down people of color. You gave a lot of slack, mainly because you were part of it. It’s like in Albuquerque (with the killing of mentally ill, homeless man James Boyd): Anytime we see somebody trying to change the status quo, a change in the balance of power, you see authority killing people. I think that’s how we got there.

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How common is this Darren Wilson/ Michael Brown scenario? People are submitting tons of data to you— I’ve never sat down and tried to analyze it that way. Some of that stuff is impossible to quantify with numbers. But, anecdotally, it’s incredibly common. … You hear about it in the news all the time. Every week—12-year-old kids getting shot because they have a BB gun.

Somebody in a Walmart getting shot because they have a BB gun. Somebody getting shot because they have a knife, and they’re 20 feet away, and the officer feels threatened.

Is this often racial?

I think it often is. (Burghart asks to go on hold.)

Sorry about that; that was Al-Jazeera. They are going to interview me at 1 p.m.

You’re a go-to guy now when it comes to officer-involved shootings?

Yeah, it’s really common. … I’ll be on CNN again tomorrow. I was in The Washington Post on Monday. I was in The Washington Post on Tuesday. Yeah, it’s really freaking crazy.

Let’s talk about that. You started this project almost two years ago?

That’s a little bit of a stretch. I kinda had the idea two years ago. That’s when I first realized that there was no national database. I haven’t been researching this for two years, but I was driving home from work one night and … the police had the street blocked off, and I could see that either a cop had died, or a cop had killed somebody. It was just obvious from the stance of the people and the looks on their faces.

I went home, and I was curious: “How often does that happen?” Nevada was what I was really looking at. I couldn’t find the information. … Then, a few months later, there was another high-profile officer-involved homicide. This kid, Gil Collar at the University of South Alabama … he was naked, on drugs and, in my imagination, I imagine he went to get help, and this cop came out, and they danced around a little bit. But this kid ended up dead, shot in the chest, when there is no way to imagine that this kid was a threat.

A naked, unarmed teen freaking out on drugs.

Eighteen years old, about 135 pounds. I just couldn’t believe it. And they let that (officer) off. He didn’t try any less-lethal methods. If he called for backup, that’s not part of the narrative as I know it. I just couldn’t believe it. …

I’m a kid of the Internet—not really a kid, but I’ve been doing it for a long time—and I said, “Well, shit, somebody’s got to do this, and if nobody’s going to do it, but everybody is going to complain about it, I’m just going to build it.” I knew it would be hard. It was never supposed to be anything but a hobby, you know?

Dozens, maybe more, people help you crowdsource data. You’re on The Daily Show. This issue is magnetic. Yet you still aren’t optimistic about meaningful change, because of the power of law enforcement and the unions and the justice system?

Sounds cynical, doesn’t it? When you look over at thousands upon thousands of these things, it’s easy to get cynical. It’s easy.

President Obama: He wants more police training, maybe on-body cameras, and he wants the Department of Justice to go in and fix things, right?

That’s what he says.

Let’s talk about putting $1,000 cameras on cops.

How many did they say?

It wasn’t that many, right?

He said 50,000.

Do cameras accomplish anything? What is the good and bad of that?

There are 1.2 million, full- and part-time, sworn and un-sworn law-enforcement officers in the United States. I would have to say 50,000 is not a huge effort. Again, it seems a little like lip service to me. It’s a step in the right direction, like my website is a step in the right direction. It’s just a step. We need reform across the board.

So what does reform look like?

I think it looks like better system oversight— better system oversight boards with teeth.

I think it means things like cameras. I think it means things like setting parameters for reactions in certain situations. For example, if an officer says, “I feared for my life,” but the evidence shows there was no weapon—there was no reason to be afraid, but you had the person outgunned, a gun versus nothing—I think we have to question whether that’s a place where deadly force is reasonable.

Tell me about some of the media coverage for Fatal Encounters. What are people saying about what you are doing?

Again, far-right and liberal types think it’s great—think the time has come. I can’t tell you how many emails I get on a daily basis from universities that want to help, or where people want to use our data for whatever project they want. And we share it. I’m the editor of a newspaper in Reno who is on The Daily Show.

It’s been amazing. It just blows me away.

VISIT FATAL ENCOUNTERS AT FATALENCOUNTERS.ORG. THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW. TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW OR SEE THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART SEGMENT, VISIT CVINDEPENDENT.COM.

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NEWS

JANUARY ASTRONOMY The Year Starts Off With an Epic Planetary Snuggle WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

by Robert Victor he year begins with the three other terrestrial (rocky) planets of our solar system—Mercury, Venus and Mars—low in the west-southwest to southwest during evening twilight. Their span shrinks from 27 degrees on Jan. 1, to less than 20 degrees Jan. 11-20.

Bright Venus, of magnitude -3.9, draws attention to the gathering. Find Mercury just to its lower right, within 3 degrees Jan. 1-17, 2 degrees Jan. 4-15, and 1 degree Jan. 8-12. On Jan. 10 at dusk, Mercury appears within twothirds of a degree to the lower right of Venus!

As seen from Earth, Mercury will not overtake Venus, and will instead fall just short. This is a quasi-conjunction, an approach within 5 degrees without an actual conjunction, when two planets share the same “x-coordinate.” Mercury shines at magnitude -0.8 Jan. 1-11, fades

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through magnitude 0 on Jan. 19, magnitude +1 on Jan. 22, and magnitude +2 on Jan. 24, en route to inferior conjunction Jan. 30. Mars glows at magnitude +1.1 to +1.2, 24 degrees to 10 degrees to the upper left of Venus.

Bright Jupiter, of magnitude -2.5 to -2.6, rises in the east-northeast within 3.2 hours after sunset on Jan. 1, closing to within fourtenths of an hour after on Jan. 31. One hour before sunrise, Jupiter gleams in the westsouthwest, 8 to 12 degrees west of Regulus, while Saturn glows at magnitude +0.6 to +0.5 in the southeast to south-southeast, 11 to 9 degrees northwest of Antares.

As for the moon: In the evening sky, our satellite “leapfrogs” past Aldebaran from Jan. 1 to Jan. 2. Full moon occurs on evening of Jan. 4, and at dusk, it appears low, north of east, to the right of the Gemini Twins, Pollux and Castor. At next day’s dawn, on Jan. 5, the

Morning visibility map at mid-twilight.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Evening visibility map at mid-twilight.

ROBERT D. MILLER

moon is low, north of west, to the lower left of the Twins. On the night of Jan. 7-8, from late evening to dawn, the waning gibbous moon keeps company with bright Jupiter. Regulus, heart of Leo, is nearby, 9 degrees east of the planet.

For two weeks after full, the waning moon can be followed in the mornings, about an hour before sunrise. The last quarter moon— half-full and 90 degrees, or one-quarter circle, west of the sun—appears very close to Spica on the morning of Jan. 13.

In mid-January each year, our Spaceship Earth heads toward Spica. In the coming months, as Earth curves around the sun, we will overtake the slower-moving outer planets: Jupiter in early February 2015, and Saturn after the middle of May. As a result, these planets, along with their background stars, will progress toward the western horizon of our morning sky, and will appear above our eastern horizon in the early evening sky as Earth passes each one in turn.

On the morning of Jan. 16, a waning crescent moon appears quite close to Saturn.

Note the star Antares, heart of the Scorpion, 10 degrees below. On the next morning, Saturday, Jan. 17, the moon will appear in the southeast, widely left of Antares and to the lower left of Saturn. On Sunday, Jan. 18, the moon is still in easy view, 24 degrees to the lower left of Antares. On Monday, Jan. 19, the last old crescent moon is just 3 degrees up in mid-twilight, 23 hours before the invisible new moon of Jan. 20 at 5:14 a.m.

After new, the moon returns to the evening sky. At dusk on Wednesday, Jan. 21, you’ll have your first chance to observe the thin young moon, 37-38 hours after new, in close company with Venus and Mercury. Mars appears to their upper left as twilight fades. On the next night, Thursday, Jan. 22, the crescent will appear near Mars.

First quarter (evening half-moon) is reached on Monday, Jan. 26. As we look into the evening sky in the direction of the first quarter moon (below the bright stars of Aries, the Ram, and two days’ moon travel west of

the Pleiades star cluster), we are facing back toward our “wake,” in the opposite direction of the motion of Spaceship Earth around the sun. Between the evenings of Jan. 28 and 29, for the second time this month, the waxing gibbous moon again “leapfrogs” over Aldebaran, eye of the Bull and follower of the Pleiades. It takes about 27.3 days for the moon to return to the same star field, but, because of the Earth’s revolution around the sun, it takes about 29.5 days until the moon repeats the same phase.

The next full moon will occur on Feb. 3, with Jupiter nearby all night.

The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will be visible simultaneously in the early evening from late January through July.

On Jan. 18, Jupiter rises in the east-northeast as Venus sets in the west-northwest. On Jan. 20, near the end of twilight, they both appear about 1 degree up. Look just more than a minute earlier each day to catch these brightest planets equally above opposite horizons: 3 degrees up on Jan. 23; 6 degrees on Jan. 28; and 8 degrees on Jan. 31.

Looking ahead, Venus and Jupiter will gradually come together, attracting the attention of even casual observers, culminating with a spectacular close pairing of Venus and Jupiter on the evening of June 30, when they’ll appear just one-third of a degree apart in the western sky. (Do not miss the telescopic view!) The five-month run-up from late January to June 30 provides a fine chance to follow these planets and watch for changes.

Not until 2035-2036 will there be such a long an interval to follow Venus and Jupiter in the sky together on their way to a brilliant pairing.

Enjoy!

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. ROBERT D. MILLER, WHO PROVIDED THE TWILIGHT CHARTS, DID GRADUATE WORK IN PLANETARIUM SCIENCE AND LATER ASTRONOMY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. HE REMAINS ACTIVE IN RESEARCH AND PUBLIC OUTREACH IN ASTRONOMY.

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NEWS

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

SNAPSHOT

Images From the Independent’s Best of Coachella Valley Party

There were a whole lot of winners at Twin Palms Bistro and Lounge in Palm Springs on Wednesday night, Dec. 3. Numerous Best of Coachella Valley 2014-2015 honorees joined Independent staffers, contributors and readers on a rainy evening to celebrate the results of the inaugural readers’ poll, which were published last month in the Independent, and online at CVIndependent.com. To view all of the photos from the event, visit CVIndependent.com.

Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists! PHOTOS BY GEORGE DUCHANNES

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Political Roots/Raices Políticos

A Decade Ago, a Group of Young East Valley Leaders Set Out to Make a Difference. That’s Exactly What They’ve Done.

I

N 2003 AND 2004, AN AMBITIOUS GROUP of young Latino community organizers and activists, all raised in the eastern Coachella Valley, returned home after earning college degrees.

They were known as over-achievers in their hometowns, and they searched each other out, they say, because they were determined to make a difference. They wanted to improve the lives of their friends and loved ones in the barrios and farm fields of the eastern valley, in part by gaining power via the political process.

A decade later, it’s clear: These organizers and activists, all Democrats, are making a mark and attaining many of their lofty goals.

V. Manuel Perez recently was elected to the Coachella City Council after three terms in the State Assembly. Eduardo Garcia swapped places with Perez, sort of: He just joined the State Assembly after serving as Coachella’s mayor. Maria Machuca is the president of the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board.

Most notably, Dr. Raúl Ruiz is beginning his second term representing the Coachella Valley in Congress.

We talked to these young leaders about how they attained their current success—and what they have in mind for the future.

“

I GREW UP IN COCHELITA, which as one of the toughest areas in Coachella Valley at the time, and we saw the injustices at an early age,” recalled V. Manuel Perez, who successfully ran for a Coachella City Council seat this year after a failed bid for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. (He was term-limited out of the Assembly.) “Why was it that in my barrio, there weren’t any parks, so we had to play football and tag in the middle of our street, where drive-by shootings were ongoing? And why was it that my parents would come home from work as farmworkers late in the day, only to go to work early the next day so that they were too tired to help me with my homework?

And why, whenever I had a toothache, did we have to wait until the end of the week to go to Mexicali to see the dentist, because we didn’t have health insurance?”

Garcia was first elected to the Coachella City Council in 2004 and became mayor two years later, not too long after finishing college. “What I remember quite vividly is that there was a group of us who happened to be

By Kevin Fitzgerald returning to the Coachella Valley from other endeavors,” Garcia said. “In my case, I was returning from finishing my undergraduate work at UC Riverside. Manny (Perez) had been organizing and working in the central and Northern California areas (after his graduation from UC Riverside and Harvard University post-graduate work), and a few others were returning from college. We all got together and really started organizing community events in and around the cultural and art arena, with a specific objective to raise consciousness about issues affecting our community.”

Machuca graduated from Coachella Valley High School and continued on to Cal State San Bernardino. “And I always said that my goal after getting a college degree was to come back home regardless,” she said.

Josseth Mota, the current community services coordinator for the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, introduced Machuca to the group of young men, including Perez and Garcia, who had started meeting regularly to launch a community-service organization that could make a difference in their hometowns.

She was already doing work with the Fair Housing Council and the Mecca Community Council.

“They told me they’d really like to get some women involved in their group, because then, it was a whole bunch of guys,” she recalled.

“They said, ‘We need mujeres (women), because when a movement is going on, it’s pretty much the mujeres who move things forward. So I was interested, but I was going to be the only girl in this group with these guys I’d only heard of back in high school.

“I knew Eddie Garcia, because he was a year ahead of me at Coachella Valley High School.

Victor Manuel (Perez), I had heard about when I was in elementary school, because he was the guy who went to Harvard, and that was huge for us. And Raúl Ruiz, I knew because when we were in high school, some of us wanted to start an Aztec dancing club, and Joe Mota said he knew this guy who could teach us how to do the Aztec sun dance. The problem was that this guy was waiting to hear if he would be accepted at UCLA to go to medical school. …

Back then, really, nobody from our background made it to that kind of college.”

After teaching several lessons, Ruiz indeed went off to medical school. “The next time I saw him was when he came back after he’d gotten his medical degrees. He was working

at Eisenhower Medical Center, and he joined our Raices meetings,” she said. (More on those meetings later.)

Perez has known Ruiz—whose office did not respond to an interview request for this story—since he was a kid.

“Raúl and I grew up together and played Little League ball together,” Perez said. “We were in high school for four years together, and he was always president, and I was his secretary, treasurer and director of assemblies.

When he went to UCLA, I was at UC Riverside, where I was an organizer, and he was organizing at UCLA. So we would have lots of discussions, but once he went off to Harvard Medical School, I kept strong ties here locally.

Then I went out to Harvard as well, and Raúl and I were roommates there for a short time.

So we would talk about these issues, but as far as the strategy to run for office and build a political infrastructure in Coachella Valley, that began in 2003-2004. When Raul came home, that’s when he began to engage. That was in 2008, and that’s when he decided to run for

office as well.”

By the time Ruiz returned to the valley, Perez, Garcia, Machuca and others had already started building what they called their Raices infrastructure.

“Its emphasis was to educate politically, perform community outreach, and find individuals who we can transition from the conscious to the critical consciousness—so that perhaps they recognize their selfpower, their self-agency, so that they can say, ‘You know what? There are things that we can change here. There are things we can transform,’” Perez said.

However, Perez was quick to point out that Raices also stemmed from the efforts of leaders from generations before, “from the Coachella Valley Voters League organization, whose members really put an emphasis on building political capital in the eastern Coachella Valley, to the movement of Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers, in which many of our parents were engaged.”

Perez was the president continued on next page ➠

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia: “I think what’s missing here is the actual organization of an official Democratic club which attributes its beginnings to the formation of Raices 10 years ago, and is a political organization and framework … able to lead the charge on issues of policy and importance to our community.” KEVIN FITZGERALD CVIndependent.com

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of Raices when it was founded in 2004.

“I always felt while organizing that we have to hold ourselves accountable to each other, and the best way to do that is by having an infrastructure, an organization that has a mission,” he said. “Because what I’ve learned through organizing in other areas throughout California is that if you identify someone who should run for office, and if these individuals are not accountable to an entity larger than themselves, they stop working with the collective and for its goals.

“We felt we had to form an organization that would do three things. First was to build and develop the political voice of the eastern Coachella Valley; second was to develop and create access to healthier communities; and the last was to utilize the cultural arts for social activism. Those were the three points of emphasis for Raices that exist to this day.”

Machuca said the development of Raices into a fully formed nonprofit organization was the organic result of the group’s shared aspirations.

“When we started meeting around founding Raices, it was weird how we had known of each other years ago, but now we were connecting to do something for our communities,” Machuca said. “So it felt genuine; it felt real; it felt like we were going to make a difference for the generations that came after us and give them something that we couldn’t have, and didn’t have. We were meeting once a week, and then it became twice a week, and then it became almost every night, because we were that passionate about putting this organization together and getting it off the ground.”

The group was initially called Youth for Change, but the members eventually decided the movement needed to involve everyone, not just young people.

“It was at one of those meetings that we came up with the name Raices,” she said. “It was supposed to be an acronym for something, but we never came to an agreement on what those words would be.”

JANUARY 2015

residents about the importance of growth and development in Coachella and the eastern end of the Coachella Valley. This was at a time when we were just beginning to see all the development and building activity that was going to occur. So that was our first real ‘action’ that triggered the discussion about responsible growth and development strategies for the city of Coachella, and whether areas of the city were being planned out responsibly to benefit both existing residents and the new residents in terms of developing public amenities like city parks and community centers.

“From there, members of the group moved on to discussions of direct involvement and representation of our Latino citizens at the government level. So, I’m simplifying things here, but that really was the first action that led ultimately to several of us running for

public office.”

In 2004, Perez ran for the CVUSD school board, while Garcia ran for the Coachella City Council. Their campaigns did not go off without a hitch.

“As we started organizing some of the campaign events and actions, we began to feel the division between us and some of the elders in the community,” Machuca said. “We wanted to work with them, but it seemed that they saw us either as young and naïve, or as being in over our heads, as we were trying to change our world. At first it, it wasn’t too bad, but then as people began declaring that they were going to run for so many local positions, the division became a reality. It became: ‘How dare you disrespect us elders by running against us!’

Although it was never really said in so many words, it felt that way.”

Still, Perez and Garcia went on to win their

races.

“We bonded even more during the real grassroots effort of those campaigns,” Machuca said. “We learned so much about the dos and the don’ts of campaigning and just how dirty things can get. We tried to play nice, because at the end of the day, we didn’t want the community to be divided. And we had a lot of community support, which showed in the results of the elections. We were young, had new ideas, and we grew up there. Some of the opposition ran their campaigns on platforms criticizing the fact that we left our communities to get college degrees. … But we came back!”

Despite the political wins, some of the people within Raices did not like the political direction in which the group was going. “They wanted to stick only with the arts, culture and community-building aspects of our mission,”

G

ARCIA SAID A KEY MOMENT IN RAICES’ history came when the group screened a documentary by Antonio Gonzalez Vasquez called Living on the Dime: A View of the World From Along the I-10.

“This video had to do with the growth and development of the Inland Empire and the impact of building the Interstate 10 freeway right through those communities,” he explained. “And by impact, I mean how the I-10 divided communities into east/west/ north/south, how it brought about different socio-economic groups in the region, and how the political structure began to govern in a way that gave us a division between the haves and the have-nots.

“We showcased the film at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Coachella with the idea of beginning a conversation among the CVIndependent.com

Coachella City Councilman V. Manuel Perez: “We saw the injustices at an early age. Why was it that in my barrio, there weren’t any parks, so we had to play football and tag in the middle of our street, where drive-by shootings were ongoing?”

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opposed to self-hate. What we’ve seen for years is youth violence—youth-on-youth shootings, and gangs, drug abuse and domestic violence.

A lot of that comes from the anger that develops in a person because of the oppression that they’ve had to endure for so many years.

So the teaching that goes on today is helping to develop individuals with more positivity in their lives. That spirituality piece is really, really important.”

W Coachella Valley Unified School District Board President Maria Machuca: “As we started organizing some of the campaign events and actions, we began to feel the division between us and some of the elders in the community. We wanted to work with them, but it seemed that they saw us either as young and naïve, or as being in over our heads, as we were trying to change our world.”

Machuca said.

Ultimately, those dissenting members prevailed, as the original organization has been transformed into Raices Cultura.

“Today, Raices is focused on its nonprofit work and bringing about opportunities for Latino youth by utilizing our indigenous art and culture as the anchor,” Garcia said. “But everything is done with a community focus to create a critical consciousness in our youth to look at ways to improve their lives and the lives of others in their community, despite the barriers and challenges that many times exist in communities like ours. That is the focus of Raices today.”

While Perez may see more of a link between the nonprofit and the development of future eastern Coachella Valley community leaders than Garcia does, he perceived a change in direction as well.

“It’s morphed over the years,” Perez said.

“When we first started, we recognized that we needed to continue to think of ways we could change things politically and change the institutions of power. But at the same time, we knew that as we grew older, eventually, the next generation will need to take the lead.

So back in the day, what we would do, for example, is bring in computers and provide tutorial services on how to access higher education in the hope that afterward, they’d come back home. Now it’s more about offering instruction concerning cultural identity, and for that matter, self-love. A lot of courses are based on spirituality and the teachings of the Aztecs and the Mayans, a lot of indigenous culture … .

“Also, there’s an emphasis on trying to influence individuals toward self-love as

HAT’S IN STORE FOR THE POLITICAL arm of this heavily Latino community-service collective? Perez said there’s a lot of work left to do.

“We identified people over the years who have engaged in our campaigns,” he said. “In the Ruiz campaigns and also in mine, you’d see a lot of youth out knocking on doors, passing out literature and phone-banking.

So that’s kind of a training ground where the young people get to see up close what we as candidates go through. … Some of these youngsters have gone on to higher education and are now leaders with organizations that are registering people to vote, like Voto Latino, or for that matter, are doing organizing work with UFW (United Farm Workers).” Perez said he always made it a point to offer internships to youths who wanted to learn about the policy-making process.

“What does it really mean when you work on an issue, and then pass a policy?” he asked.

“How do you connect those dots? For instance, what does it mean if we pass legislation on a safe route to school that has some funding attached, but in Coachella or Mecca or Thermal, there’s a lack of sidewalks? … It’s not about an individual; it’s about a collective, a movement. And ultimately, it’s about achieving social justice through policy, organizing and developing the human being’s capacity as social capital, and to finally turn our community around in ways that are very positive.”

To accomplish those ends, the policymaking representatives of these eastern valley communities need to maintain their political presence. Garcia envisions a solidification of power in a more formal organization informed by the Raices Cultura ideals.

“The question is: Will Raices Cultura programs and participants influence the development of a democratic political structure that weighs in on issues of local, state and national significance? The answer is yes,” Garcia said. “It happens by natural progression, and I think what’s missing here is the actual organization of an official Democratic club which attributes its beginnings to the formation of Raices 10 years ago, and is a political organization and framework … able to lead the charge on issues of policy and importance to our community. I think we’re getting there, and will very soon create an organization from the eastern Coachella Valley that is strictly political and on the Democratic side of the spectrum.”

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ARTS & CULTURE

LOST YEARS WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

Western Lit: So Cal Author Michelle Huneven Examines Life in the Mountains With ‘Off Course’

By Judith Lewis Mernit omething about Michelle Huneven’s novel, Off Course, makes people want to talk about themselves. Women, especially.

I sit down at her wide, rough-hewn kitchen table, vowing not to be one of them. Her 14-year-old terrier mix, Piper, cuddles unabashedly at my feet; a black cat nuzzles my elbow. While Huneven pours lemon-verbena ice tea into two large juice-jar glasses, I let it slip that I, like Cressida, the novel’s protagonist, lost years of early adulthood to a love affair destined to fail. “Years I wish I could rewrite,” I confess. Then I catch myself.

Stop. Talking.

Huneven explains that she wrote Off Course for young women who might be stuck in young adulthood—transitioning awkwardly from years of schooling into career and adulthood, casting about in search of their life’s work, dangerously vulnerable to distraction.

“I wrote it because I felt like if I’d had this book (at that age)—well, I don’t know that anything would have been different,” she confides. “But I wouldn’t have felt so alone.”

Cressida Hartley is in her late 20s when Off Course begins, in 1982. She has holed up at her parents’ A-frame in the Sierra Nevada mountains to finish her dissertation on the economics of art. It is a time of profound transition: The Reagan administration is introducing trickle-down economics, with Interior Secretary James Watt applying budget principles to land management. Cress sees evidence of their political handiwork all around her, in the “raw stumps and debris piles” accumulating at the edge of the forest. But she is more concerned with love: the longing for it, the tantalizing promise of it, the wild cycles of vertiginous joy and wretched despair. “She gets addicted,” Huneven says. “And that addiction completely structures her life.”

Place matters intensely to Huneven. Her other three novels document a California that is palpably part of the inland West: The foothill communities abutting the citrus groves, the raggedy mountains, the smoggy inland neighborhoods that seekers, carpenters and less-affluent artists transform. Huneven lives in such a place herself—West Altadena, where she grew up, a 107-mile drive from Palm Springs—in an airy, radically fixed-up ranch house with her husband, environmental lawyer Jim Potter.

The mountains that rise above California cities figure heavily in Off Course, mountains full of towns like the fictional Sawyer, “funny little enclaves that sit independently outside of real life,” Huneven says, “where oddballs

and soreheads go to carve out little lives for themselves.”

In 1997, when Huneven published her first novel, Round Rock, she was freelancing as a restaurant critic around Los Angeles, including at the LA Weekly, where I worked as an editor.

Huneven had already won a prestigious James Beard award for food writing in 1995; still, none of us who knew her peripherally suspected she had great fiction in her. Then one day, a fellow staffer came in, waving Round Rock in the air—“Michelle’s written a novel, and it’s really good!” he crowed. A story as much about the California foothill landscape as it was about its wayward alcoholics and the recovering one who counsels them, Round Rock described people so vivid that we worried and grieved about them as if they worked in the building with us.

It wasn’t easy to create that world. “It took me 20 years to write Round Rock,” Huneven says now. She’d submitted it as a short story when she applied to the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, back in the late ’70s, where one of her teachers persuaded her it was a novel. “I kind of agreed with him,” she says.

“So I kept starting it. But I’d get 100 pages in and be all snarled up. So I’d start it again and then stop.”

After she graduated, she tried on and off for more than a decade. Then she gave up. “It was the early ’90s by then, and I thought, you know, this is heartbreaking. I’ve been trying to be a writer for so many years. I’ve been out of the workshop for 12, 13 years now; I’ve sold one story. It’s just not happening for me.”

So she enrolled at seminary to study to be a Unitarian Universalist minister. “Then I was sitting in class one day, in seminary, and all of sudden, it occurred to me that I’d been starting the novel in the wrong place.”

She rewrote the book. “Now, when you open Round Rock, the place where I started, lo those many years, is now exactly in the middle of the book. Literally to the page.”

Michelle Huneven, on Off Course: “It really mirrored the time when I got out of graduate school, when you’re ready and up and willing to join the marketplace, and there’s no place for you.” KAREN TAPIA

Round Rock earned a place on The New York Times notable book list for 1997 and a Los Angeles Times book-award nomination.

Jamesland, a novel that captures Southern California’s culture of spiritual questing, came out six years later; her third novel, Blame, about the aftermath of a drunk-driving tragedy, was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist in 2009.

Off Course is the first of her books to draw heavily from her own life. “I had to make it all much more dramatic and intense,” she says. “But I did write about my love life, about this period of my life that I really thought of as my lost years, when I was living up in the mountains.” She began writing it in 2008— another time, like the early Reagan era, of economic upheaval.

“It really mirrored the time when I got out of graduate school, when you’re ready and up and willing to join the marketplace, and there’s no place for you. You’re stuck in this sort of nether adolescence, where you’re living at home or someplace rent-free to get your feet on the ground and get going, and, really, one wrong step can throw you,” well ... off course.

This story originally appeared in High Country News. Read the full story at CVIndependent.com.

OFF COURSE: A NOVEL, BY MICHELLE HUNEVEN (SARAH CRICHTON), 304 PAGES, $26.

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ARTS & CULTURE

BROADWAY IS THE GOAL

Desert Ensemble Theatre Company Presents a Concert Reading of ‘Esperanza,’ a Brand-New Musical

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

By Valerie-Jean (V.J.) Hume he word “inspiration” came up a lot.

I was talking with composer and orchestrator Saverio Rapezzi, and Shawn Abramowitz, the executive director of the Desert Ensemble Theatre Company, about the creation of a one-night-only production of a new musical which has taken 10 years to bring to life.

Desert Ensemble will present Esperanza: The Musical of Hope as a concert performance at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24.

How did it all start? Writer Ken Luber, a TV and movie writer living in Idyllwild, began writing Esperanza’s book and lyrics in 2005—about sports figures, of all things. The work deals with the falls from grace of these once-worshipped creatures and their hopes to return to their former glory. When Saverio Rapezzi arrived in Los Angeles, Luber was one of the people he contacted while looking for work. The rest, of course, is history.

Shawn Abramowitz came into the picture when Luber contacted the DETC, because of the company’s interest in performing new works.

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DETC started years ago as a theater-andwriting group, headed up by Tony Padilla and influenced by Rosemary Mallett, a legendary name in Palm Springs theater. The group offered students not only technical training, but also scholarships—a unique approach. As a theater company, DETC is now in its fourth season.

Esperanza has been in rehearsals since October, and Abramowitz promises

Saverio Rapezzi, on scoring films: “If it’s a good film, it’s easy. It inspires you—you pick up on the rhythm.” SAVERIO RAPEZZI FACEBOOK

theatergoers “a polished piece, with great music and a compelling story.” The cast includes Keisha D., Charles Herrera, Theresa Jewett, Phillip Moore and several others.

Saverio Rapezzi—don’t you love the name?—lives in Los Angeles half the year.

The other months are spent in Italy’s Tuscany region, where his musician wife conducts choirs and teaches at the conservatory where they met. In L.A., his company Film Scoring Lab creates music for movies. On his website (www.saveriorapezzi.it), he offers examples of various sounds to express the different moods of the films; it’s a great tutorial on this very special skill.

Rapezzi cut his teeth on short films, but has gone on to score feature-length movies as well. “If it’s a good film, it’s easy,” he muses. “It inspires you—you pick up on the rhythm. And if I like the story, each scene’s music is already in my mind by the time it’s finished. I play the scenes back two or three times, and then start writing it out.”

Rapezzi is one of those rare and special composers who can hear music in his head and write it down without having to pick it out on an instrument. His main instrument is the guitar, and he holds degrees in classical guitar and composition from the Royal Philharmonic Academy of Bologna. He also studied filmscoring with stellar names including Ennio Morricone, and continued his graduate studies at UCLA. But his first influence, as with so many musicians, was his father. He was a classical guitarist, and at age 13, young Saverio followed his papa’s lead, eventually using the guitar “to compose what was in my heart.”

Rapezzi then became a respected concert performer.

However, writing music for the movies was always his goal. His first big film was a Mexican

psychological thriller, The Echo of Fear.

“It was so exciting to see my name on the screen in a cinema!” he remembers. The same director hired him again for his next movie— the ultimate compliment. He recently finished scoring Ignatius Lin’s The System Is Broken.

In 2015, Rapezzi’s new opera will debut—in Hungary, even though it’s in Italian.

When Rapezzi teamed up with Ken Luber to create Esperanza, he wrote about half the show—just enough to use in an audition.

When they brought it to DETC, and the answer was a resounding, “YES!” he immediately wrote the rest of the music.

What’s in store for the future of Esperanza?

Abramowitz, who also works both as an actor and as an account executive for KESQ-TV, dares to dream: He wants to take it all the way to Broadway!

“Even if it changes one person’s life, that makes a huge impact,” he said.

Summing up, I couldn’t resist asking Rapezzi what he thought of Americans. He took time to reflect seriously, and announced, “They are the best at getting things done. They know how to make things work. Italians are creative, but … .” Then he shrugged.

Will the performance become the first step on the long road to Broadway? “It takes time,” Abramowitz said. “But the message is strong— it’s one of hope, no matter where life takes you.”

Can’t wait. It sounds like … an inspiration.

THE CONCERT READING OF ESPERANZA: THE MUSICAL OF HOPE TAKES PLACE AT 7 P.M., SATURDAY, JAN. 24, AT THE PEARL MCMANUS THEATER AT THE PALM SPRINGS WOMANS CLUB, 314 S. CAHUILLA ROAD, IN PALM SPRINGS. TICKETS ARE $22, WITH DISCOUNTS. FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 760-565-2476, OR VISIT WWW.DETCTHEATRE.ORG.

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JANUARY THEATER A Chorus Line—From Palm Canyon Theatre The legendary musical about a group of performers auditioning for a Broadway show takes place at 7 p.m., Thursday; 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, from Friday, Jan. 23, through Sunday, Feb. 8. $32 to $36. At 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 760-323-5123; www.palmcanyontheatre.org.

CV Rep Luminary Luncheon: Theodore Bikel Two-time Tony nominee who created the role of Captain von Trapp on Broadway opposite Mary Martin in The Sound of Music is also well-known for portraying Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway and elsewhere more than 2,000 times—more than any other actor. He is interviewed by Don Martin at noon, Wednesday, Jan. 28. $45; includes lunch catered by Lulu California Bistro. At the Atrium, 69930 Highway 111, No. 116, Rancho Mirage. 760-296-2966; www.cvrep.org.

Duck and Cover—From Dezart Performs This play about 1962 America—and specifically the trials and tribulations of 12-year-old Stevie Whitebottom—makes its West Coast premiere at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2:30 p.m., Sunday, from Friday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 8. $22 to $25. At the Pearl McManus Theater in the Palm Springs Womans Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, Palm Springs. 760-322-0179; dezartperforms.org.

Esperanza: The Musical of Hope—From Desert Ensemble Theatre Company A concert reading of this brand-new musical takes place at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24. $22, with discounts. At the Pearl McManus Theater in the Palm Springs Womans Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, Palm Springs. 760-565-2476; www.detctheatre.org.

Having Our Say—From CV Rep The Delaney sisters—Sadie, 103 years old, and Bessie, 101—take the audience on a journey through the last 100 years of our nation’s history, from their perspectives as African-American professionals, at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, from Wednesday, Jan. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 8. There are also 2 p.m., Saturday, matinees on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7. $45 regular; $55 opening night on Friday, Jan. 23; $40 previews on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 21 and 22. At the Atrium, 69930 Highway 111, No. 116, Rancho Mirage. 760-296-2966; www.cvrep.org.

An Ideal Husband—From Theatre 29 Blackmail, political corruption, intrigue, romance and razor-sharp wit all abound in equal measure in this piece of satire by Oscar Wilde, performed at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, from Friday, Jan. 9, through Saturday Feb. 7; there are also matinee shows at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18 and Feb. 1. $12 regular; $10 seniors and military; $8 children and students. At 73637 Sullivan Road, Twentynine Palms.

760-361-4151; theatre29.org.

Lost in Yonkers—From Desert Theatreworks Neil Simon’s tale of two boys stuck at their grandmother’s house in 1942 is performed at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, from Friday, Jan. 16, through Sunday, Jan. 25. $25 regular; $23 seniors and students with ID. At the Arthur Newman Theatre in the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert. 760-980-1455; www.dtworks.org.

Love! Valour! Compassion!—From Desert Rose Playhouse Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play about a group of longtime gay friends is performed at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, from Friday, Jan. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 15. $28 to $30. At 69260 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage. 760-202-3000; www.desertroseplayhouse.org.

McCallum Theatre Night Fever: A Musical Tribute to The Bee Gees takes place at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 9; $30 to 55. Palm Springs Legends II gathers performers playing the stars that made Palm Springs the place to be, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10; $25 to $65. The Peking Acrobats perform at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13; $20 to $35. Broadway legend Tommy Tune performs Taps, Tunes and Tales with the Desert Symphony at 8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15; $55 to $105. Tangos Buenos Aires arrives from Argentina at 8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19; $25 to $75. The Alberta Ballet dances at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27; $25 to $85. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles takes the stage at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30; and 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31; $35 to $85. At the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com.

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MID-CENTURY MARVEL

The Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center Is the Star of Its Inaugural Exhibit

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

BY VICTOR BAROCAS he building that is now the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, was built in 1961, and was recently designated a Class 1 historic building.

E. Stewart Williams, the architect who designed the historic structure that was initially the Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan, is recognized as a leading force in what has become known as the desert modern style.

Therefore, it’s perfect that the recently renovated building’s inaugural exhibition, An Eloquent Modernist, E. Stewart Williams, Architect, celebrates both the building and the architect’s work here in the desert.

In other words, the building in and of itself is a work of art.

Built on the southeast corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Baristo Road, the exterior retains its initial character and demure presence. However, the building— raised a bit above the street level—makes a statement. Minimal desertscaping and floor-to ceiling-windows make the building inviting from the outside.

The inside no longer holds the guts of traditional banks. Gone are the spaces for

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tellers, bank managers and customer tables.

Instead, visitors are met by a 13,000-squarefoot open space that will feature different architecture and design exhibitions, and will house staff offices and storage facilities for the museum’s growing collection. There is also space to develop meeting areas. The pavilion contains a bit of whimsy: The bank vault is

The new Palm Springs Art Museum’s Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion. DAN CHAVKIN

now the museum store.

The elegant sparseness of new exhibition space creates great versatility; the use of partitions can create intimate areas. This strategic use of partitions makes the E. Stewart Williams exhibit work. The curator, by dedicating each viewing area to one or two of Williams’ buildings, affords the visitor insights into the architect’s aesthetic and design process.

Williams’ architectural drawings are frequently paired with Julius Shulman’s dramatic black-and-white photographs of realized buildings. The combination creates “a-ha!” moments.

As might be expected, Williams’ architectural drawings, renderings and photographs of the former Santa Fe Savings and Loan occupy the first display area. They’re meticulous in their detail.

Further south on Palm Canyon Drive, Williams also designed the Coachella Valley Savings and Loan. Now called Chase Bank, this structure retains the same architectural sensibility as the Santa Fe Savings and Loan building. Designs and images of this structure are presented within a separate partitioned alcove. Like the new pavilion, the Coachella Valley Savings and Loan building sits above street level. Both buildings also have metal façades in front of their floor-to-ceiling windows.

There are also differences. In the design drawings and photographs, the Coachella Valley Savings and Loan appears significantly taller than the Santa Fe Savings and Loan structure. Instead of appearing heavy, the building, even on paper, appears to float above the street.

Another exhibit space shows designs for the Frank Sinatra house, built in the late 1940s. Designed by Williams, with his father and brother, it was the first private residence Williams built in here in the desert. Images and designs for this low-lying residence appear to be predictors of other desert mid-century projects, both residential and commercial.

In another area of the exhibit, Williams’ expanded vision into city planning is shown.

Drawings for the Palm Springs Art Museum,

built in 1958 and expanded in 1962, retain a Williams commercial-building trademark: a structure, behind which are floor-to-ceiling glass walls. With the museum project, the architect’s vision expanded beyond the museum: With the mountains as the backdrop, Williams’ drawings call for an expansive open plaza in front of the museum.

Williams and his colleagues also completed extensive drawings for a revitalized downtown area. Plans for the project were filed with the city, but the project never came to be.

Two other well-known projects that Williams completed in the desert are documented in the exhibit: the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s mountaintop building, and Temple Isaiah.

AN ELOQUENT MODERNIST, E. STEWART WILLIAMS, ARCHITECT, WILL BE ON DISPLAY THROUGH SUNDAY, FEB. 22, AT THE PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM’S ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN CENTER, EDWARDS HARRIS PAVILION, AT 300 S. PALM CANYON DRIVE, IN PALM SPRINGS. THE PAVILION IS OPEN FROM 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M., WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY; AND NOON TO 8 P.M., THURSDAY. ADMISSION IS $5 GENERAL, WITH DISCOUNTS AND VARIOUS FREE-ADMISSION DAYS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 760-423-5260, OR VISIT WWW.PSMUSEUM.ORG/ARCHITECTURE-DESIGN-CENTER.

E. Stewart Williams, Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan, 1961, photograph by Julius Shulman, 1962 © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. JULIUS SHULMAN PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE, RESEARCH LIBRARY AT THE GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (2004.R.10)

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JANUARY ARTS Film The Palm Springs International Film Festival One of the largest film festivals in North America welcomes 135,000 attendees for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. The festival is also known for its annual Black Tie Awards Gala, honoring the best achievements of the filmic year by a celebrated list of talents who, in recent years, have included Ben Affleck, Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet. This 25th anniversary edition features an exciting lineup of the best of international cinema. Various times and prices from Friday, Jan. 2, through Monday, Jan. 12. 760-3222930; www.psfilmfest.org.

Music and More Betty Buckley—The Vixens Of Broadway Betty Buckley has been called “the voice of Broadway,” and is one of theater’s most respected leading ladies. She is an actress/singer whose career spans theater, film, television and concert halls around the world, and she was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2012. 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17. $60 to $75. Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs. 760-325-4490; www.psmuseum.org.

Cabaret 88: Kevin Earley Kevin Earley recently finished performing in Secondhand Lions in Seattle and Daddy Long Legs in Florida. A Drama Desk Award nominee for the title role in Death Takes a Holiday, his Broadway credits include Les Miserables, Thoroughly Modern Millie and A Tale of Two Cities. 6 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 13 and 14. $88. Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs. 760-325-4490; www.psmuseum.org.

Copa Events Last Comic Standing star Iliza Shlesinger takes the stage at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9 and 10. $30 to $40. Former Mouseketeer Lindsey Alley brings her blend of show tunes and comedy to the Copa at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16 and 17. $25 to $35. American Idol and The Voice diva Frenchie Davis performs at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18. $25 to $35. Former X-Factor finalist Jason Brock performs at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 and 24. $25 to $35. All shows are 21 and older, with a two-drink minimum. Copa, 244 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs. 760-322-3554; www.coparoomtickets.com.

The USO Variety Show The USO has been entertaining troops worldwide in times of peace and war for more 70 years. Now, the Bob Hope USO needs you to laugh, enjoy and have some fun remembering the good ol’ times. Join us for a live nostalgic tribute to Bob Hope and his band of Hollywood celebs; enjoy free tours of the museum pre- or post-show time. 2 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22. $55 to $75. Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs. 760-778-6262; palmspringsvacationtravel.com.

Special Events Dance for Life Palm Springs A showcase of spectacular performances by renowned dance companies, all joining forces to help those in need. Now in its fourth year in Palm Springs, this event celebrates the art of dance to benefit AIDS Assistance Program. 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16. $95 performance; $200 with VIP reception.

Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs. 760325-8481; aidsassistance.org.

Gourmet Food Truck Event Try food trucks for lunch featuring burgers, barbecue, tacos, California cuisine, sushi and dessert. Outdoor seating is available, or bring a

blanket. Dabble in the local farmers’ market; listen to music provided by The Coachella Valley Art Scene; enjoy a beer garden with some of the best craft beers from La Quinta Brewing Company and Coachella Valley Brewing Company. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the first Sunday of the month. Free. Cathedral City Civic Center Plaza, 68700 Avenue Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City. Thecoachellavalleyartscene.com.

Hearts for Art Gala Don’t miss the red carpet, celebrity sightings, cabaret show, exciting live and silent auctions, Hollywood glitz and glamour galore, and fun, fun, fun. Your attendance supports the nonprofit Old Town Artisan Studio’s mission to bring clay and glass art experiences to the underserved. 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17. $150. La Quinta Resort and Club, 49499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta. 760-777-1444; www.oldtownartisanstudio.org.

Looking for Lost Ophir This lecture by author/historian Nick Clapp is part of the Old School House Lecture Series, which started in 1999 and is run in partnership with the Twentynine Palms Historical Society. 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 9. $5 at the door. Old Schoolhouse Museum, 6760 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms. 760367-5535.

Visual Arts Art Under the Umbrellas The event presents a diverse collection of 80 talented artists exhibiting their original creations along Old Town La Quinta’s picturesque Main Street. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10 and 17.

Free. Old Town La Quinta, Main Street, La Quinta.

760-564-1244; lqaf.com.

Desert Art Festival This event features numerous artists presenting their original work in all mediums of two- and three-dimensional fine art, including paintings in acrylic, oils and watercolors, photography, etchings, sculpture in clay, glass, metal, stone and wood. Each artist will be present to meet with the public and discuss their work. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 17 and 18. Free. Frances Stevens Park, 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. 818-813-4478; westcoastartists.com.

A Grand Adventure: American Art in the West The epic 19th-century landscape paintings of Yosemite and Yellowstone by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran introduced the American public to the grandeur of the West. By the turn of the century, a new genre of Western art had developed. A Grand Adventure brings together 40 significant classic and traditional artworks from private collections. The artworks span nearly 100 years, dating from the latter half of the 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century. The exhibit closes Sunday, Jan. 4. Included with regular admission prices. Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, 72567 Highway 111, Palm Desert. 760-346-5600; www.psmuseum.org/palm-desert.

Southwest Arts Festival This festival sponsored by the Indio Chamber of Commerce, the City of Indio and the Indio Visitors Bureau features traditional, contemporary and abstract fine works of art by more than 250 acclaimed artists, and is celebrating its 29th year.

The festival includes clay, drawing, glass, jewelry, metal works, painting, photography, sculpture and textile. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, through Sunday, Jan. 25. $9 general; $8 seniors; $12 threeday pass; free children 14 and younger. Empire Polo Club, 81800 Avenue 51, Indio. 760-347-0676; www.discoverindio.com/Southwest-Arts-Festival.

Town Square Art Affaire The Town Square Art Affaire will feature numerous artists presenting their original work in all mediums of two- and three-dimensional fine art. Each artist will be present, and all work is available for purchase. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 10 and 11. Free. Cathedral City Town Square, 8700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, Cathedral City. 818813-4478; westcoastartists.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.

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JANUARY 2015

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JANUARY 2015

MOVIES

THE VIDEO DEPOT

NOW SHOWING AT HOME

TOP 10 LIST

for December 2014 These Three Films Available Online and On Demand Are Worth Your Time

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MOVIES

By Bob Grimm

Why Don’t You Play in Hell?

Why Don’t You Play in Hell?

Available via video on demand and online sources including iTunes and Amazon.com Why Don’t You Play in Hell? will easily go down as one of 2014’s most insane movies.

Shion Sono writes and directs this outrageous movie about a crazed film crew that finds itself filming real-life events in pursuit of a masterpiece. Those events mostly center around crime-boss Muto (Jun Kunimura) and his war with Ikegami (Shin’ichi Tsutsumi).

When Ikegami attacks Muto in the film’s opening moments, Muto’s wife, Junko (Megumi Kagurazaka), goes crazy with a knife, leaving the floor of her home flooded with blood. (It’s a surprisingly vivid—and beautiful—visual.) Muto’s young daughter, Mitsuko, a star of TV commercials, witnesses the aftermath, and grows up to be a rebellious actress (Fumi Nikaido), as we see 10 years later.

The film-crew members get tired of making hackneyed Bruce Lee rip-offs and eventually find themselves in the thick of things, filming massacres as they are occurring; they’re delighted with the originality and authenticity of the material.

Sono is going for wild satire here, making a statement on the ties between violence in society and violence on film. It’s violent, twisted and often very funny.

Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets Available via video on demand and online sources including iTunes and Amazon.com Pulp—one of the most-underappreciated bands ever to grace any stage—called it quits back in 2002. It sucks not having them around.

That all changed for a year when, in 2011, the band embarked on a reunion tour that took it to places like Coachella, and a final concert in the band’s hometown of Sheffield, England. I damn myself constantly for missing the Coachella concert, and damn myself for never having seen them.

Seeing Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets fills the void a bit. Jarvis Cocker has always been one of the funnier, stranger guys in the entertainment business. I still consider him a hero for jumping onstage and doing a strange, interpretive dance during a Michael Jackson awards-show performance in 1996. He’s terrific in this movie, sitting down for candid, droll interviews, and allowing himself to be filmed as he tries to change a tire on his crappy car—juxtaposed with him in all of his glory onstage.

I never knew that keyboardist Candida Doyle has had rheumatoid arthritis throughout her playing career. Her interviews, during which she discusses how she would wait for treatment with elderly people, are moving, as are interviews with eager fans.

In addition to the interviews, the film contains great concert footage of songs like “Common People” (It is not a William Shatner song!) and “Underwear.” Even better: One of the girls being interviewed performs a quality, a cappella version of “Underwear” for the camera.

After first saying he was working on song ideas for the band, Cocker followed up with an interview in 2012 saying the band was finished. Well … shit.

Special Features: The iTunes download includes some extras. You get a behind-thescenes doc, extended interviews and full versions of some songs in concert.

Pulp

V/H/S: Viral

V/H/S: Viral Available via video on demand and online sources including iTunes and Amazon.com V/H/S (2012) and V/H/S/2 (2013) were “found footage” films that proved to be the exception to the rule: I usually hate the whole “found footage” novelty, yet it’s worked rather well within this franchise. When directors were given a chance to experiment with the playedout gimmick in short segments, they managed to take the enterprise to terrifying levels.

V/H/S: Viral jettisons the whole idea of viewing deranged videotapes found in a strange place in favor of a confounding, interconnecting plot involving a kidnapped girl, an ice-cream truck and some sort of Internet craze. The wraparound segments in this movie not only bored me, but confused me. It’s some sort of pointless, poorly written effort to make a statement on the state of media and the quest for fame.

The film as a whole does come to life a bit in some of the short horror-film segments.

Nothing approaches the sheer terror of the contorted-vampire segment in V/H/S, or the zombie short in V/H/S/2, but there are a couple of winners.

“Bonestorm” is a clever take on the typical skate video involving a crew of teens with helmet-mounted cameras doing stunts. When kids get tired in their surroundings, they head for a skate pit in Tijuana that they’ve heard about. The basic lesson here is that kids shouldn’t go skating in a pit marked with a huge pentagram and flanked by strangelooking vagrants with blank stares. The segment offers up some good scares—and some laughs, too, because the kids never really break out of their skater-dude modes as they fight for their lives.

“Parallel Monsters” is the film’s sickest offering, involving a man who creates a portal to a parallel/mirror universe in his basement.

A scene from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox) 2. The Equalizer (Sony) 3. Guardians of the Galaxy (Disney) 4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount) 5. The Maze Runner (20th Century Fox) 6. As Above, So Below (Universal) 7. Cantinflas (Lionsgate) 8. Dolphin Tale 2 (Warner Bros.)

9. When the Game Stands Tall (Sony) 10. This Is Where I Leave You (Warner Bros.)

After having a brief conversation with his mirror self, the two versions of the same guy cross into each other’s worlds to check things out. Unfortunately for the inventor, the mirror universe features devil-worshippers with fiery faces and monster genitals—toothy creatures that bite people’s heads off.

“Vicious Circles” is the film’s weakest entry. It follows a guy trying to track down his girlfriend after she is kidnapped by an ice cream truck. The segment serves as the confusing, interconnecting story as well as the film’s finale. It’s not scary, and it’s not clever.

I’m hoping producers find a way to return to the old format in future chapters. V/H/S Viral isn’t a total loss, but is easily the weakest entry in the franchise.

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Thank You!

Due to the generosity of 39 readers and supporters, the Coachella Valley Independent raised $3,246 during its Indiegogo campaign. We are honored and humbled by the support.

This generosity has already allowed us to order 28 new distribution racks, which will allow the Independent’s print edition to reach even more readers. Beginning next month, those contributions will also fund a new events-preview section.

Again ‌ thank you.

Independent Community Contributors Anonymous Victor Barocas Adam Borowitz D. Brian Burghart Jeffrey Clarkson John de Dios Ron deHarte Desert AIDS Project Desert Eye Care Center Dave Devine

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Mary Duan Donalee Ehrhard Brad Fuhr Robert Galvin Tony Gangloff Jen Guzman Tommy Hamilton Vicky Harrison Shilo Herrling Jonathan Hoffman

Annie Holub Michael Jones John Mathew Joel Stratte McClure David Mendez Irene Messina Jim Nintzel Jeffrey Norman Kirk Olsen Marylee Pangman

Erin Peters Linda Ray Renova Solar Ed Rought Dylan Smith Bryan Tosi David White Molly Willmott Jason Zaragoza

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JANUARY 2015

FOOD & DRINK

SNIFFtheCAP Five Fantastic Reasons to Drink Wine (As If You Needed a Reason)

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Deidre Pike

It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend, one’s present or future thirst, the excellence of the wine, or any other reason.

—Latin proverb he Arrival of a Friend I was wrapped in a blanket under a tree. Giant snow clumps fell from dark clouds at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. A half-dozen wine loving amici and I were camping in Arnold, Calif. In March.

The weather can be temperate in spring. That night, not so much.

We’d spent the day visiting wineries in and out of Murphys, 12 miles away. We went to Milliaire, Indian Rock, Zucca, Stevenot, NewsomeHarlow and Twisted Oak. That night, we huddled around the fire, teeth chattering, passing around a bottle or two of newly acquired red.

Hubbie Dave barbecued friend Launie’s tri-tip over flaming logs. She’d brought the juicy meat in a plastic bag, marinated in garlicky goodness.

“I think it’s done,” said Dave. Misty aimed a flashlight on the steaming cow flesh and concurred. Seared yet rare in all the right places.

“Someone get a plate.”

“We don’t need no stinking plate.”

“No stinking plates!”

“Yeah, just pass it around.”

I can’t remember who first tore into the meat. It made the rounds on a long metal fork. Taking turns, we ripped and pulled and growled and gnawed like primal dwellers of caves. A tribe of Wino sapiens, toughing out the snow, lighting a fire against the chill of night.

We somehow avoided dropping the meat on the slushy ground.

We woke up sore, stiff, mostly dressed in the clothes from the previous day, and smeared with beef juice and splotches of Murphys’ reds.

These days, if those friends visit my fireplace on a long winter’s night, I’d like to greet ’em with a bottle of Twisted Oak’s 2010 River of Skulls, a Mourvèdre from Dalton Vineyards, Angels Camp. Viscous. Barbaric.

Pairs well with carnivorousness.

One’s Present Thirst Tonight, I’m visiting parents in the faraway Midwest. Here, access to fabulous wine is limited, and I wonder if this impacts the politics. Would tastier wine help the red states turn blue? (Wrap your brains around that metaphoric color challenge.)

When I last visited here, I brought my own crate of California reds, checked as luggage.

Sad story: The airline misplaced my box, and

by the time they found it, I was on my way back to California.

My family drank the wine.

This year, I thought I’d live like any other Wisconsin wine heathen.

While trawling the slender wine aisle at a local liquor store, I struck up a conversation with a hometown wine aficionado.

“So many wines!” she said. “And so many good wines!” It didn’t seem polite to argue.

I smiled and noted something about amazing California wines.

She shrugged. “California wines are fine— but have you tried our wines?”

We were standing near a display of wines from southern Wisconsin’s Wollersheim Winery. Mom’s a fan of the winery’s River Gold, a sweet white blend that sells for $8.50.

And, yes, I have tried that wine.

“You should try it again,” she suggested.

And she went her way. And I said to self: Why not? The winery’s “dry red” on display was the $9 Prairie Sunburst Red, unoaked and Wisconsin-grown. I bought it. On the bottle was an invitation for a free winery tour in nearby Prairie Du Sac. If the website is any indication, more sophisticated wines can be tasted and purchased at the winery’s tasting room. I might have to zip down the road for what sounds like an interesting pinot noir.

Which could take care of …

This delicious wine won this year’s Affairs of the Vine Cabernet Shootout. I don’t know what that is. But I’ve been thirsty for this cab since I tasted it in Paso last spring.

Sadly, I have already polished off my Whalebone Boneyard 2012 ($33), a gorgeously balanced blend of syrah, petit sirah, mourvedre, grenache and tannat. Oooh, ahh.

The future thirst is now.

The Excellence of the Wine We made few purchases of expensive wine this year. Instead, we acquired many, many more bottles that we love—and can also afford: superb wines at a budget-friendly price point.

On the first day of Christmas—OK, it was more like Thanksgiving—my true love gave to me a half-case of Amador Foothills Aglianico.

Dave and my oldest son made a whirlwind wine run, picking up bottles from Murphys, in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley, and in Fair Play, Calif.

When Dave spotted aglianico on sale, he remembered how much I had adored it on one of our wine hikes earlier this year. The wine feels light and round in the mouth—like satin and roses, a tasty Christmas ornament.

I bought a bottle of aglianico on my last visit to Amador Foothills about a year ago.

Winemaker Ben Zeitman took me on a walk in his vineyard. Grapes were ripe, and we tasted the aglianico, picking small plumb fruit from the vines.

Zeitman said he would be selling his 32-acre vineyard and winery that produces 3,500 cases of wine annually. He was almost 80 and ready to retire.

Dave and I entertained a fantasy briefly.

“Let’s buy a winery. Let’s live amongst the grapes and make small batches of delicious goodness.”

It sounds romantic, but we know better.

Really, we do. We have wine-making friends, and we’ve seen how hard they work. I prefer to let the grape artists make the wine for me.

Mmm. Speaking of talented winemakers: Zeitman’s winery sold this summer to another winemaking couple I’ve much appreciated over the years, Tom and Beth Jones, who started

The arrival of a friend is always a reason to drink wine. Especially if you’re in the woods while it’s snowing. DEIDRE PIKE

Lava Cap Winery in Camino.

To me, that means the estate is in good hands.

Any Other Reason When your kids come home for the holidays, and marvelous chaos descends on your dwelling, drink a good bottle of wine.

When your mate has had a long week at work and comes home exhausted, drink a good bottle of wine.

When you’re by yourself in a cottage in the woods, crafting words into sentences far into the night, drink a good bottle of wine.

When your book rolls off the presses, imperfect but done, drink a good bottle of wine.

When you don’t have time to cook, so dinner will be a bit of brie on day-old bread, eat this meager meal with a good bottle of wine.

Bliss ensues.

One’s Future Thirst In a few days, I’ll be in Reno, Nev., with Dave.

In his cellar is the complex 2011 Whalebone Cabernet Sauvignon ($35). From Paso Robles!

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FOOD & DRINK A Sudsy Look Back at 2014—and a Look Ahead to 2015

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Erin Peters he year that was 2014 wasn’t just great for the craft-beer industry; it was a pushthe-envelope, challenge-the-palate, variety-exploding year.

In November, there were more than 3,200 breweries in the United States, with more than 2,000 in the planning stages, according to the Brewers Association. The majority of Americans now live within 10 miles of a craft brewer.

What were some of the largest and inspiring stories and trends of 2014?

Transporting American Craft-Beer Culture to the Old World History was made in July 2014, when Green Flash became the first U.S. craft brewery to begin making and selling fresh beer in Europe.

The San Diego brewery started selling its signature West Coast IPA, brewed and bottled at traditional abbey brewery St-Feuillien, in Belgium.

Around the same time, Escondido’s Stone Brewing Company announced plans to open a Stone facility in the old world: America’s 10th-largest craft brewer will build and operate a brewery and beer garden in Berlin, Germany, with an expected opening in late 2015. The Brewery’s “Stone Groundbreaking Collaborations” campaign on Indiegogo earlier this year had a stated goal of $1 million; the brewery wound up bringing in more than $2.5 million.

These two breweries make in-your-face, West Coast style IPAs. This speaks volumes about the craft-beer drinker’s voice.

India Pale Ales (IPAs) Remain the Most Favored Craft-Beer Style These hop-laden beers have come full circle: IPAs are up 47 percent by volume and 49 percent by dollar sales, according to the

Homebrewers Association. The style was the most-entered category at the Great American Beer Festival in September.

Because of the massive popularity, a new, more “sessionable” version of the IPA is now favored by many. At less than 5 percent alcohol by volume, session beers are easier to sip by the six-pack. Try Stone Go To IPA, Firestone Walker Easy Jack, or—one of the newer Los Angeles beers on the block—Three Weavers Stateside, a 4.5 percent session IPA. Canning Continues to Get More Craft Beer Into More Places Tin is in!

Can are cheaper to produce, and require less energy to cool down. Less packaging means packing more beer in less space, which reduces a brewery’s carbon footprint. According to CraftCans.com, there are now 453 breweries with more than 1,600 craft brewed canned beers now available across the United States.

Even airlines are getting in on the craft canned trend. In early December, Delta Air Lines began stocking carts with a selection of regional craft beers from breweries like Ballast Point, Lagunitas Brewing and Stone Brewing.

On a local level, La Quinta Brewing started canning in February 2014 with The Can Van.

La Quinta Brewing Co. has gotten in on the craft-beer canning trend.

New painted cans that are now making their way into stores.

The Rise of American Wild Ales Sours are made by introducing bacteria and/ or wild yeast strains into the beer. The results?

Think bright, tart, funky and mysterious.

Building off classic Belgian and German styles, U.S. breweries are harnessing wild yeast, creating beers with novel dimensions of aroma and flavor.

Coachella Valley Brewing started a sour program when it first opened more than a year ago. CVB’s sours will be offered in small allotments for Fault Line Society members, and in the tasting room in 2015, starting with Framboys, a boysenberry raspberry framboise. Keep an eye out for Flame Rouges, an American wild brewed with red flame raisins. Both are aged in port and cabernet wine barrels.

CVB will also be releasing Epineux Poire, an American wild brewed with locally foraged prickly pear cactus fruit. Persnickety, CVB’s persimmon sour, will also make an appearance next year. If the beers don’t sell out to the FLS members, the remainder will go on public sale.

“I think in 2015, you will see more and more of beer-style fusion,” said Coachella Valley Brewing’s Chris Anderson. “Think along the lines of a Belgian IPA. I think farmhouse ales, wild ales and Brett beers (created by a funky wild yeast) will all continue to be hot.”

The Rise of the Farm-to-Table Movement The convergence of the slow-food movement and the craft-beer revolution has led to fantastic events and exhibits, like the Great American Beer Festival’s Farm to Table Pavilion. The Pavilion provided 28 pairings designed and prepared by small and independent breweries and chefs from around the country. Coachella Valley Brewing was specially selected to pour, and was also chosen to present a special “Farm to Glass” tasting for 200 people.

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More people are recognizing the compatibility of craft beer and contemporary cuisine, too, with more beer-and-food pairings.

If in the Los Angeles area, stop by Hook and Plow. Locally, don’t miss Workshop Kitchen + Bar, which offers farm-fresh heirlooms, wild arugula, watermelon, champagne grapes and lemon cucumbers in season, along with a nice selection of Southern California craft beer.

Big Success for Local Breweries In Rancho Mirage, Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse celebrated a massive win this year when the brewery took home a medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. The beloved restaurant and brewhouse nabbed its first-ever GABF medal in the “Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale” category for the Belgian Vanilla Blonde Ale. Babe’s is also reportedly celebrating a 110 percent increase in off-site sales from 2013 to 2014.

Over at CVB, Tom Del Sarto, the director of sales, spearheaded distribution deals with Young’s Market Company to sell the brewery’s beers throughout California and now Arizona.

More and more people are eschewing big, mass-market brands in favor of craft beer.

Del Sarto noted the fall of Budweiser’s annual barrel sales from 30 million barrels in 2003, to 16 million in 2014. Meanwhile, the craftbeer industry has gone from selling 5 million barrels in 2003, to 16.1 million barrels this year.

“National chains are giving more autonomy to regional stores as customers are seeking local brands, adding to the major breweries’ decline in volume,” said Del Sarto.

La Quinta Brewing owner Scott Stokes said he’s been pleasantly surprised at the acceptance and support of craft beer in the desert in 2014.

“Just the attendance and success of this year’s Props and Hops Festival, compared to two years ago, illustrates the passion that desert residents have for craft beer,” he said.

Bring on the next round, 2015!

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the

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

This Month, We Find Tasty Treats in Unexpected Places

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The Pad Thai WHERE Bangkok Noodles, 35911 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City HOW MUCH $9.95 to $11.25, depending on the protein; also available as a lunch special CONTACT 760-324-3533; www.bangkok-noodles.com WHY Tasty Thai all around.

While nobody was paying attention, Cathedral City somehow became a hot spot for Thai food in the Coachella Valley.

OK, maybe “hot spot” is a bit of an overstatement; two great restaurants doth not a hotspot make. But the li’l town smooshed between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage is the home of two of the valley’s better Thai joints, thanks to the fantastic Thai Kitchen 1, and Bangkok Noodles, the latter of which has been open for two-plus years now.

A group of us stopped in for lunch at Bangkok Noodles on a recent weekday—and everything we had was good, if not better. I ordered what was arguably the weakest dish, the hot basil with chicken; it was a little short on chicken, but was tall on flavor, thanks to the delicious sauce. Tommy’s Mongolian beef was a star thanks to the perfectly cooked sliced tenderloin. Robbie’s Thai orange chicken was some of the best I’ve had in town—the tender meat had a great citrusy flavor without being overly sweet.

However, the best dish on the table was Garrett’s pad Thai with shrimp. It had just the right amount of sauce, so the pad Thai was moist without being greasy. The narrow noodles were texturally pleasing. The dish was sweet, but with a lot of umami thrown in. The shrimp, sans tails, had been properly prepared.

Mmmm.

The food at this nice restaurant—tucked into a corner of a nondescript shopping center at a decidedly nondescript intersection— should not be missed. Head to that Thai-food hot spot (of sorts) called Cathedral City, and enjoy.

WHAT The Chili Dog WHERE Teriyaki Yogi, 1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive, No. 210 HOW MUCH $5.19 CONTACT 760-323-1162 WHY Simply put, it’s a damn good chili dog.

A friend recently mentioned that he’d just eaten one of the best chili dogs he’d ever had.

“Where did you get this amazing chili dog?”

I asked.

His reply: Teriyaki Yogi.

Wait, what? This chili dog could be found at a hole-in-the-wall teriyaki joint?! More specifically, it could be found at a hole-inthe-wall teriyaki joint I had literally driven by hundreds of times, without ever giving it a second thought?

Yes. That’s the one. So of course I had to stop in and try a chili dog. And you know what?

Teriyaki Yogi’s chili dog is fantastic.

I arrived just as the lunch rush was hitting, so I had to wait a good 10 minutes or so to get my dog. It was worth the wait: The charbroiled, all-beef frank was tucked inside a perfect bun—soft, yet sturdy enough to contain all of the goodness that’s placed inside. As for that goodness, it consisted of cheese, a nice chili and optional onions. There’s no complexity here—there are just great ingredients, prepared well and placed together in perfect proportion.

How’s the teriyaki at Teriyaki Yogi, you ask?

I have no idea—but I’ll learn soon, as I was impressed at how the meat was chopped fresh for every cup, bowl, salad and skewer that was prepared during my wait. So I’ll be returning for a teriyaki bowl, for sure—that is, unless I try one of Teriyaki Yogi’s tasty-looking Philly cheesesteaks instead.

Philly cheesesteaks at a hole-in-the-wall teriyaki joint? Wait, what?

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FOOD & DRINK

Restaurant NEWS BITES

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Jimmy Boegle A BAD MONTH FOR THE RIVER: ACQUA PAZZA, TULIP HILL WINERY CLOSE THEIR DOORS To say December was a terrible month for food and drink at The River—the Rancho Mirage shopping center, located at 71800 Highway 111, described as “the premier destination for food, fashion and fun” on its website—is a bit of an understatement.

First came the closure of Acqua Pazza, one of The River’s anchor restaurants, on Sunday, Dec. 14. Then two weeks later, on Dec. 28, Tulip Hill—the only winery that made the Coachella Valley its home base—was slated to close its doors.

It’s been rumored for months that Jerry and Barbara Keller, the owners of Acqua Pazza, were looking to sell the decade-old restaurant, to focus solely on their popular Lulu California Bistro in downtown Palm Springs. According to that same rumor mill, a sale of the restaurant fell through at the last minute, leading to the restaurant’s shuttering as the lease expired at The River, a shopping center which business owners say has been suffering from a decline in traffic in recent years.

“It’s been a great 10 years, but all good things come to an end,” said a notice posted on the Acqua Pazza website. “It is with sad feelings that we thank all our wonderful friends, customers and especially our magnificent staff who made Acqua Pazza such a lovely place to dine. We will miss everyone. We will now be able to put all our efforts into Lulu—already one of the valley’s most successful restaurants. Lulu’s continuing growth, including a substantial catering business, is an exciting full-time job for all of us!”

Over at Tulip Hill Winery, owner Kristi Brown placed blame for the closure squarely on the decline of The River. Tulip Hill had called The River home since December 2002.

“For the past several years, Tulip Hill has struggled in overcoming the declining traffic at The River in Rancho Mirage, as businesses have closed, and the tenant retail spaces have remained empty without being replaced by new businesses,” she said in a letter posted on the Tulip Hill website. “Tulip Hill has continued operating despite these head winds, but today, I am writing to let you know that … Tulip Hill Winery will be permanently closing the doors of our retail tasting room and gift shop at The River at Rancho Mirage.”

Of course, not all is bleak at The River; the shopping center remains the home of some of the valley’s most popular chain joints, including P.F. Chang’s, Yard House, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, and the mysteriously perpetually busy Cheesecake Factory. Some local joints worth noting remain at The River as well, most notably the popular-as-ever Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse. Still, it’s heartbreaking to see two much-loved local businesses close their doors—especially during the holiday season.

So long, Acqua Pazza and Tulip Hill. You’ll be missed.

IN BRIEF Our sincere sympathies go out to the folks at Bernie’s Lounge and Supper Club. The restaurant, at 292 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, was gutted by a fire on Christmas morning. Fingers crossed for a quick rebuild. ... A new sushi joint has come to Cathedral City.

Hamachi Sushi recently opened its doors at 31855 Date Palm Drive, in the shopping center anchored by Cardenas and CVS. A sign on the door—posted right above a liquor-application notice—promises “the best fusion sushi, teriyaki and tempura. Muy pronto esperalo.” … The Real Italian Deli, which has delighted customers in Palm Desert for a year or so now, has opened a second location in Palm Springs, at the intersection of Sunrise and Tahquitz Canyon ways … Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a fast-casual barbecue chain that serves up pretty darned good ’que, will be opening at the intersection of Ramon Road and Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs sometime this month. The folks at Dickey’s have been whetting locals’ appetites for several months now by making appearances at events, including the Desert AIDS Walk back in mid-October. Follow www.facebook.com/DickeysPalmSprings for updates and more information. ... Chill, the upscale bar going into the old Rainbow Bar and Grill space at 217 E. Arenas Road in Palm Springs, should also be opening any day now. Watch www.facebook. com/chillpalmsprings for news. … Yet another opening to talk about: Dish Creative Cuisine will soon be opening at its new location at 1107 N. Palm Canyon Drive. However, a new restaurant has already set up shop in Dish’s former home, at 68525 Ramon Road, in Cathedral City: Mike’s American Bistro. Learn more at www.facebook.com/mikesamericanbistro.

CVIndependent.com

JANUARY 2015

•• The legendary Itzhak Perlman sells out the McCallum •• The Hive Minds’ new album •• The impending debut of Curses •• The overnight success of Hanni El-Khatib •• Poetry with purpose: Sage Francis at the Date Shed www.cvindependent.com/music

Dandy Brown, the Founder of the Band Hermano, Is Celebrating His Solo-Album Debut

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JANUARY 2015

MUSIC

VIOLIN SUPERSTAR

Itzhak Perlman’s Classical Sound Sells Out the McCallum

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye tzhak Perlman has captivated classical-music audiences as a violinist, conductor and teacher for more than five decades. He’s one of the world’s most-recognizable classical musicians, and easily sells out venues around the world. In fact, he’ll be performing a sold-out show at the McCallum Theatre on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Born in Tel Aviv, in the British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) to Polish immigrants in 1945, he showed an interest in music as early as the age of 3.

“I just remember a specific violinist who inspired me—Jascha Heifetz,” Perlman said during a recent phone interview. “The sound just drove me to say, ‘I want to do this!’ but I don’t remember the specific piece.”

He said an oft-told story—about how he was supposedly rejected by the Shulamit Conservatory at the age of 3 because he was too small to hold a violin, and then went on to teach himself how to play—is untrue.

“I didn’t teach myself,” he said. “When they decided that I was a little too young, we stopped it. I entered the conservatory when I was about 4. I had teachers from the very beginning.”

At the age of 4, he contracted polio, but recovered, albeit with the diminished use of his legs. Later in his childhood, he immigrated to the United States and entered the Juilliard School. He was introduced to American audiences by performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958; he played a second time, in 1964, on the same episode as the Rolling Stones.

“At the time, I didn’t know anything about the Rolling Stones,” he said. “On The Ed Sullivan Show, I had my own dressing room, and I didn’t really mix with anybody until it was time for me to make the appearance.

Now, I’m quite amazed that I was on the same show. At that time, I was just concerned about doing the best I could on the program.”

Since then, Perlman has performed in just about every important classical music venue

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in the world. He’s played with renowned orchestras, appeared at the White House, and even performed at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

“I’m going to be 70 soon, I’ve been playing music for almost 50 years, and I’m still loving it,” he said. “If there’s anything you ask me that I want to do, I want to stay connected with what I’m doing, and so far, I’m still connected. For me, that’s a goal I always think about, and the minute I think that’s enough for me, and I don’t want to do anything, I’ll stop. I play concerts; I conduct; and I teach.

I’m having a great time, and I’m very happy with that.”

He spoke passionately about conducting.

“It’s different when I play, because I’m in control of what’s going on,” he said. “When I conduct, I’m in control of what goes on musically, but I actually can’t make the people who play an instrument play a certain way. I can just coax them to play a certain way. In some ways, there’s a little bit less control, but I love conducting, because it gives me the opportunity to be exposed to a different repertoire. I play the Tchaikovsky

violin concerto; I play the Beethoven violin concerto; and (I play the) Brahms violin concerto many times. When I conduct, I can do Brahms symphonies, Tchaikovsky symphonies—and it’s a different repertoire.

It’s a great experience for me.”

Perlman said teaching is also a big part of his life.

“Teaching is very rewarding, and second of all, it’s very important for any performing artist, in my view, to have some experience teaching. I keep repeating the answer to this question with, ‘If you teach others, you teach yourself.’ I feel that one of the most important reasons I’m playing a certain way is because of my experience in teaching others, and I’m very lucky, because the level of my students is pretty high. To teach students who are very talented is more challenging, because you really have to dig deep in what you want to tell them to help them perform better, and so on.”

The cuts to schools have affected music programs across the country—especially since the Great Recession. Perlman sees these cuts as a dangerous thing.

“I think we need more awareness as to how important the arts are to our society,” he said.

“Without art, it will just not be as good. So we need to make sure politicians and people who are in charge of funding are aware of the importance of the arts. …Why bother to have schools if the schools are only going to be partly educating the kids? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Advances in technology have brought young people more ways with which to get involved in music. Perlman offered some advice to anyone who wants to pursue a

Itzhak Perlman: “I think we need more awareness as to how important the arts are to our society.

Without art, it will just not be as good.” AKIRA KINOSHITA

musical instrument.

“First, you have to do what you like.

The other thing is you need to study what happened before electronic music or other kinds of music,” he said. “What about composers like Bartok? What about Shostakovich? We’re talking about 20th-century composers. In order for people to be aware of what people like or don’t like, they have to be aware of what came first, which is basically like studying history— music history, and music history can go way, way back. It’s very important not to have blinders on and just see what’s going on today. You have to see what went on before.

That’s part of the reason why today is what today is. It’s all evolved.”

ITZHAK PERLMAN WILL PERFORM AT 8 P.M., TUESDAY, JAN. 20, AT THE MCCALLUM THEATRE, 73000 FRED WARING DRIVE, IN PALM DESERT. TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 760-340-2787, OR VISIT WWW.MCCALLUMTHEATRE.COM.

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JANUARY 2015

The Blueskye REPORT

MUSIC

A NEW HIVE MENTALITY

Derek Gregg and Sean Poe, Celebrating Their Band’s Self-Titled Album, Ditch Covers in Favor of Originals WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye t’s been a busy couple years for Derek Gregg and Sean Poe—better known as the Hive Minds.

Their group has gone from being a three-piece to a two-piece. There was a name change, a battle of the bands win, and numerous local shows. And finally, there’s an album.

The Independent recently sat down with Gregg (guitar/vocals) and Poe (drums) to discuss The Hive Minds’ new, self-titled album. They began working on it in October 2013, with Jimmy Heil.

“It was just not a good fit. We were working on it for a while, and we made a lot of progress, but things weren’t really clicking,” Poe said.

Gregg agreed.

“A lot of the guitar tones were weird,” Gregg said. “We have nothing bad to say about (Heil). He had a lot of great stuff, like these expensive old mics, reel-to-reel, and stuff like that, but we weren’t able to get into the studio often enough, and we really wanted to spend a lot of time in there.”

They began working instead with Andrew Allen-Bentley.

“When we started working with Andrew, the feel was right,” Gregg said.

Allen-Bentley also began joining The Hive Minds for gigs, playing bass. However, Gregg said that Allen-Bentley is not an “official” member of the band.

“The Hive Minds will always be a two-piece.

He’s in our band, but he doesn’t want to be a full-time member,” Gregg said. “It’s like the Black Keys: It’s a two piece.”

Gregg noted that Allen-Bentley had a lot on his plate. He wasn’t kidding: Shortly after the interview with Gregg and Poe, Allen-Bentley was named the rabbi of Temple Sinai in Palm Springs.

“Every once in a while if he’s available, he’ll come play a show with us,” Poe said.

The songs on the album were written over a long period of time—even before Gregg and Poe started performing together.

“It’s all Derek’s stuff that he’s been writing since he was back in high school,” Poe said.

“When we got together and started working

January 2015

By Brian Blueskye It’s time to put away the ugly holiday sweaters, throw away the wrapping paper and embrace the new year—including the fact that season is in full swing.

The McCallum Theatre is hosting some excellent events, as always. At 8 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, the red-headed stranger, Willie Nelson will be returning for another

Willie Nelson: McCallum Theatre, Jan. 7

The Hive Minds, with Andrew Allen-Bentley. KARLEY SPARKMAN

on this stuff, we thought these were great songs that we should get out. Derek had all the basic forms, the lyrics, and the riffs, and then I just came in with the drums.”

Gregg said that while they recorded these older songs, they were able to write new material for their next album.

“The next album will have riffs on it,” Gregg said with a laugh. “This record has more jam-band-style guitar on it, but it was mostly acoustic stuff played on an electric guitar. The songs were already there, but the next album is sweet, because it will have riffs and a completely different feel to it.”

Gregg said that he is most proud of his song “Firewater.”

“When I wrote ‘Firewater,’ I had just really started to get into Bob Dylan,” Gregg said. “I had just gone through a lot with ex-girlfriends. I was drinking a bit more, and that song is about coping with things the wrong way. That song taught me how to write without censoring myself or holding back.

‘Firewater’ is just so naked that it’s true.”

Poe said that during the recording process, they would go back and listen to songs they had already recorded, and find imperfections.

“In the studio, there were a lot of times when we’d record a song and then go on to record another song, and we’d go back and listen to that first song, and we didn’t like it.

So we’d start over and record it again, because we wanted it perfect. With ‘The Gemini,’ we recorded the whole thing, and we went back

and listened to it, and it wasn’t up to par with what the other songs were. So we completely scratched it, and we had to find a way to make it work. We ended up making it acoustic.”

“The Gemini” is now the album’s closing track; the acoustic sound and percussion make it a perfect closing song.

Gregg admitted the band has made some mistakes over the last couple of years. Gregg and Poe stopped playing many of the covers for which they were known, and whereas they used to play a lot of shows at bars, they now play once a month or so at Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar on El Paseo in Palm Desert.

“Playing bars for people who don’t know any of the material … it’s not that fulfilling,” Gregg said. “At the end of the night, you come away feeling really unfulfilled, like you just spent time at work. Our sets have about 10 percent covers now. We noticed it, and my dad (local musician Mark Gregg) told me we’re not a very good cover band. When we play one of our original songs as opposed to a cover, we get a standing ovation. When we play at Wolfgang Puck’s now, no one likes our covers as much as they like our originals.”

Poe agreed.

“We are more happy now playing the originals,” he said. “We have fun doing it, and we have more energy doing it. I think people have picked up on that.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE HIVE MINDS, VISIT WWW. FACEBOOK.COM/THEHIVEMINDS.

performance at the McCallum. He’s 81, and it seems like nothing can slow him down.

Tickets are $65 to $100. At 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16, America’s Got Talent contestant Jackie Evancho will be stopping by. She was only 10 years old when she competed on the show in 2010 and has since seen a great deal of success, including becoming the youngest person to ever play at the Lincoln Center. Tickets are $55 to $125. At 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, iconic actor Hal Holbrook will be performing Mark Twain Tonight. For 59 years (!), Holbrook has portrayed Mark Twain in his one-man show. Tickets are $45 to $75. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www. mccallumtheatre.com.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has a fabulous lineup this month. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, Paul Anka will take the stage. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Anka started off his career with the 1957 hit song “Diana.” He’s been on and off the best-seller charts ever since. Not bad for a career that’s lasted almost 60 years. Tickets are $39 to $79. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, Motown singing sensation Smokey Robinson will perform. His honey-coated voice has produced some beautiful soul hits, and he continues to sing beautifully today. Tickets are $29 to $59. At 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, the legendary Tony Bennett will be returning to the Coachella Valley. He has 17 Grammy Awards; he’s a Kennedy Center honoree; and he has more than 70 albums to his credit, including his latest with Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek. What more can you say? Tickets are $49 to $99. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 800-8272946; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

The Spa Resort Casino continued on Page 36 CVIndependent.com

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JANUARY 2015

MUSIC

GET READY FOR CURSES

This New Local Post-Hardcore Band Is Ready to Take the Stage WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye ou’ve probably never heard of Curses.

However, you will be hearing a lot about this new local band soon.

Miguel Guizar (vocals), Mani Beltran (guitar), Ozzy Cervantes (guitar) and David Ceballos (bass) have been staying under the radar while they wrote material and perfected their sound. However, that’s changing: Curses is in the process of releasing an EP and will soon start playing live.

The band’s roots date back to a few years ago, when Ceballos and Beltran would jam and write songs together.

“We tried to start bands, and it would never work out, because we could never find a singer,” Beltran said. “We would always go through singers left and right, and we never really had that chemistry with them. Then I found Miguel at a show in Coachella, and he came up to me and said, ‘Oh, you’re in that band Curses.’ It was just David and me at the time, but we had instrumentals out there, and he’d heard that before. He said, ‘We should jam out sometime,’ and we got together with him.”

The band’s post-hardcore sound reminds of bands such as Bullet for My Valentine, Escape the Fate and A Skylit Drive. The singing goes back and forth from melodic to intense, often with brutal guitar riffs.

Guizar said he had to adapt to an entirely different sound when he first joined Curses.

“I just did screams before, and I played in deathcore and metalcore bands.” Guizar said. ”… It wasn’t until I joined this band that I started singing clean—and I really liked it. I started experimenting, and I began exercising my vocal chords.”

Cervantes joined the band after Beltran met him at school and heard him playing Avenged Sevenfold covers.

As the band has shaped its sound, the members have experimented and have tried develop their own spin on the post-hardcore sound with which they identify. The results can be heard on “You Know I Care” and “On My Way,” preview tracks for the EP. “People are going to be surprised when they hear it, because it has a wide range of sound,” Beltran said. “Those two songs that we have out, they sound just like post-hardcore songs, and they’re catchy. When the EP comes out, I think it will be completely different than what CVIndependent.com

Curses

people are used to hearing.”

Guizar said the band has an entire album’s worth of material, but is focused for now on six songs.

“We’ve been focusing on the songs we really want to put out that define the band and our sound,” he said.

Why hasn’t the band yet played any live shows? The members said they were focused on making sure they were ready to do so.

Also, most the members are enrolled in college; in fact, Ceballos is attending college in Pomona.

“We’ve been in bands before, and we know about going out and playing all these shows for people, and it’s awesome,” Beltran said.

“But it’s hard to break out of that. We wanted to do the opposite and record first, get our songs out there, and have people listen before we play shows.”

However, the members said they are ready to finally start playing live.

“I’m not nervous about it; I’ve been waiting for a while to play live,” Cervantes said. “I’ve played in a bunch of bands before, and I’ve been playing with my friends at Tilted Kilt’s open-mic night. That keeps me motivated.”

Guizar said he’s ready to get the band’s name out there.

“We’ve been really frustrated in a way, because we’re really hungry, and we really want to go out there and play.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CURSES, VISIT WWW.FACEBOOK. COM/CURSESOFFICIALBAND.

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JANUARY 2015

MUSIC

FROM HOBBYIST

TO HITMAKER

Hanni El Khatib Uses Skater Culture and a Variety of Influences to Create His Music

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

Hanni El Khatib.

By Brian Blueskye n 2011, Hanni El Khatib released his debut album Will the Guns Come Out—and ever since, he’s been a rising star in the indie-rock world.

He’ll be heading to Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on Friday, Jan. 16, to promote the release of his third record, Moonlight.

El Khatib seemingly appeared out of nowhere with Will the Guns Come Out in 2011.

His music has since been included on the soundtracks for Hung, Suits, Californication and United States of Tara. His sound is a mixture of blues, classic rock and even punk.

During a recent phone interview, he explained how he was guided by his love of music.

“I like everything,” El Khatib said, “everything from classic rock to the Delta blues to hip-hop to electronic music. I’m very wide in my influences.”

While his sound is based in the blues, he said he doesn’t consider himself to be a blues musician.

“I’m not really a blues guy. I definitely like the blues, but I was listening to Black Sabbath more than I was listening to Robert Johnson,” he said.

El Khatib said he had no idea where his music would take him after releasing Will the Guns Come Out. “I recorded all that stuff in a friend’s bedroom. I didn’t really have any intent of starting a music career,” he said. “I was just sort of doing it as a hobby and on the side whenever I had spare time from my day job, which was being a creative director for a skateboarding company. That took all my time.

It’s not like the music came secondary, but was more just a hobby.

“I quickly realized what was going on with my music being chosen for television shows. I was also asked to go on some really big tours; I opened up on a tour with Florence and the Machine. I was playing for 30 people in a bar one night, and then 3,000 nightly shortly after.

“Every process is different so far, which is normal. I like to jump around, experiment and try new things,” he said. “The first record was a home-recording process; the second record, I recorded in Nashville with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, so that was its own special thing. … This record, I wanted to split the difference between the first and the second, with knowledge from the second mixed with that time to explore, experiment and be introverted and see where the music took me; it was best for me to do it on my own. I can play a lot of different instruments in the studio. I didn’t really need to bring in musicians every day, but I did bring in my live drummer, who’s been playing with me for the past couple of years now.”

El Khatib said he loves the desert; in fact, he said intends to purchase a home in the desert. He’s a co-founder of his record label, Innovative Leisure, and some label-mates

previously played at Pappy and Harriet’s. That got him interested in playing at the venue himself.

“I love it, and I go often,” he said of the desert. “I try to get out there as much as I can.

I spent a total of a month out there basically just getting inspired and writing songs for the new record last January and February. There’s something about the bare landscape, and everywhere you go, it looks like unchartered territory. There’s something that draws me to it all the time: the imagery, the landscape, the plant life, and just being able to escape to the place that seems to find you.”

HANNI EL KHATIB WILL PERFORM AT 8 P.M., FRIDAY, JAN. 16, AT PAPPY AND HARRIET’S PIONEERTOWN PALACE, 53688 PIONEERTOWN ROAD, IN PIONEERTOWN. TICKETS ARE $15.

FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 760-365-5956, OR VISIT PAPPYANDHARRIETS.COM.

It was just sort of like, ‘Wow, there’s something here.’ You kind of look up and realize you hit all these milestones without even realizing it.”

Skateboarding remains important to El Khatib; he said it helped shaped his mentality.

“I grew up skateboarding in San Francisco, and I still skate, actually,” he said. “The owner of the company I used to work for was a pro skater for 15 years, or maybe more. I knew him for years before I started working for him.

“Skateboarding is a newer sport, but it’s unique in the sense that when it first hit the scene, it was sort of like an outcast sport. It was long before the days of it being a corporate monster like it is now. I started to build a really tight-knit family based on the fact you just skateboard. That was reason enough to be friends with someone. … You could find a friend of a friend who would let you sleep on his couch, and you could skate the city with them. That sort of mentality has carried on to everything I do now. … I feel like skateboarding is responsible for my open-mindedness.”

He said he tried a different approach while recording Moonlight.

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in Palm Springs announced recently that it would begin an outdoor concert series.

Kicking things off, The Guess Who will be performing at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10.

The Canadian rock band was an international success in the late ’60s through the mid ’70s. You know them thanks to their hit song “American Woman.” Admission is free, and the concert will be on the corner of Calle Encilia and Andreas Road. Spa Resort Casino, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-999-1995; www.sparesortcasino.com.

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has two great events scheduled. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, you can venture back into the ’50s with The Golden Boys. The group consists of Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and Fabian.

Considering these guys once ruled the music charts, seeing all three together should be a real delight. Tickets are $50 to $70. If you prefer something with a little more edge, you’ll be happy to know that Styx will be performing at 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24.

When Styx started in 1972, the band offered a truly unique sound that blended hardrock songs with brilliantly written ballads.

However, the band was never the same after a bitter dispute between frontman Tommy Shaw and keyboardist Dennis DeYoung.

While Styx fans hope for an eventual return

by DeYoung, that’ll probably never happen.

Tickets are $45 to $85. The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope

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JANUARY 2015

Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www. hotwatercasino.com.

Spotlight 29 will host some fun January shows. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, country greats Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers will be performing. During 50 years in the business, they’ve racked up numerous country music hits. Tickets are $20 to $40. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas will play. If you remember Jefferson Airplane, they turned into Jefferson Starship, and now they’re just Starship. Hmm. Tickets are $20 to $40. Spotlight 29, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www. spotlight29.com.

Morongo Casino Resort Spa has one noteworthy concert scheduled during the month. At 9 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, Vince Neil—Mötley Crüe frontman and star of Janine and Vince Neil: Hardcore and Uncensored— will be performing. Given Mötley Crüe has announced its retirement, expect Neil, Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx to promote themselves through their solo acts … until they decide to come out of retirement. Tickets are $40 to $60. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Copa will be booming in January. At 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16, and Saturday, Jan. 17, former Mouseketeer Lindsey Alley will be performing. She was part of the revival of the Mickey Mouse Club from 1989 to 1994.

Tickets are $25 to $35. At 7:30 p.m., Sunday,

Jan. 18, former American Idol and The Voice contestant Frenchie Davis will sing. Davis was the subject of controversy in 2003 when topless photos from years previous began to surface during her run on Idol. In 2011, she was a contestant on The Voice, and made it to the semifinals. Trust me: If you plan to meet her after the show, don’t bring any of that up; she doesn’t like to discuss her past. Tickets are $25 to $45. Copa, 244 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 760-322-3554; www.coparoomps.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace was the talk of social media after announcing that Neutral Milk Hotel will be playing in May; tickets quickly sold out. Meanwhile, in January, the venue will be hosting some great indoor shows. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 3, there will be a performance by The Solid Ray Woods Raw Soul Revival. Frontman Ray Woods has worked with some big names, including as The Jayhawks and Victoria Williams. Admission is free. At 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, Ryan Williams will take the stage. He is described as an Americana performer with a knack for songwriting.

Admission is free. At 9 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, the indie-rock band We Are Scientists will play. They have toured with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Kings of Leon since breaking on to the scene in 2000. Admission is $7. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760365-5956; pappyandharriets.com.

The Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club

We Are Scientists: Pappy and Harriet’s, Jan. 31

has an event planned you won’t want to miss. At 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 4, there will be a poolside DJ performance by FSQ. FSQ is made up of several people—including Chuck Da Fonk, who used to tour and record with George Clinton and Parliament during the ’90s, and The Hourchild, from Tommy Boy Records. Resident DJ Colour Vision will also perform. Attendance is free to those 21 and older. Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club, 1555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-7788954; www.haciendacantina.com.

Mark your calendars for a couple of cool events at The Hood Bar and Pizza. At 9 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, there will be an album release party for local Latin/hip-hop artist J. Patron. Admission is free. At 9 p.m., Friday, Jan. 30, a triple bill will include the Hellions, You Know Who and the Chuck Norris Experiment. Admission is again free. The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, Palm Desert; 760-636-5220; www.facebook.com/ thehoodbar.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 37

JANUARY 2015

MUSIC

MUSIC

DESERT ROCK CHRONICLES

POETRY WITH PURPOSE

Hermano’s Dandy Brown Releases His First Solo Album

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Robin Linn roducer, songwriter, and bassist Dandy Brown is a rock ’n’ roll transplant from the Midwest who has taken root in the artist community of Joshua Tree.

He has developed a reputation among his peers for crafting riff-driven, hard-rock compositions, enticing some of stoner rock’s most-innovative players to help him complete his vision. In the late 1990s, with a handful of freshly written songs, he enlisted the gritty, soulful vocals of desert rock icon John Garcia (Kyuss/Vista Chino), the Supafuzzed guitar riffs of David Angstrom, and the unrelenting rhythms of drummer Steve Earle (Afghan Whigs) to founded the band Hermano. Later joined by guitarist Mike Callahan (Ear Shot), the group created a musical canvas for Garcia’s penetrating melodies and haunting lyrics.

I asked Brown put Hermano together.

“In ’96, I began producing the first Supafuzz album, and John and Dave had known each other through the deals they had through Electra Records, back in the days when there were a ton of labels, and all of them were putting out diverse music,” he said. “John sang on a couple of tracks on that album, and we vaguely got to know each other through that.

“In ’98, I broke my ankle while playing a pickup game … and while I was recouping, I ended up writing a handful of heavy blues numbers that went on to become the tunes for Only a Suggestion,” Hermano’s first album.

“From there, I just brainstormed an album, and called the folks I thought would sound best together on the collection. … Luckily, they all liked the stuff I sent them and agreed to come onboard.”

In 2000, Dandy made the move from the Midwest to the desert. Once here, the expansive landscape and change in environment triggered a productive writing spree which inspired a second music project, Orquesta del Desierto. With the help of native desert-rocker Sean Landerra Carrillo (Waxy, Lakota), Brown connected with some of the desert’s most-sought-after players and recorded two full-length albums. ODD featured vocalist Pete Stahl (Goatsnake, Wool), guitarist Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson), drummer Alfredo Hernandez (Kyuss, Yawning

Sage Francis Brings His Hip-Hop Music With a Message to the Date Shed

By Brian Blueskye

Man, Brave Black Sea), guitarist Mike Riley, guitarist Country Mark Engel and others.

As a writer, Dandy explored new territory and created something completely fresh.

Psycho-Western rock fueled by acoustic instrumentation and Latin rhythms provided the backdrop for Stahl’s devilish lyrics and sultry vocals.

In 2014, Dandy signed with Little Brother Music to support his new solo record, Damned to the Heels of Success. He will also be part of a compilation recording featuring the cream of the original desert rock scene, also being released by Little Brother. The Genuine West Coast Desert Sound will also feature John Garcia, House of Broken Promises, The Freeks, Vista Chino, Waxy, Lakota, Crusade and Fever Dog. Damned to the Heels of Success features guitarist Mark Engel, bassist Tony Mason and drummer Jamie Correa, as well as guest artists Mike Riley (Parosella) and Brandon Ray Henderson (The Pedestrians, Parosella).

It’s a cohesive collection of straight-ahead rock, unpretentious and stripped bare, exposing thick acoustic rhythms and grungy stoner-rock grooves. Brown has deviated from the ultra-heavy, electric hard rock of Hermano, and the rhythmic psycho-pop of ODD, landing somewhere in between. The record can be downloaded directly from Dandy Brown’s website.

“The objective behind recording this batch of songs that I had written over the last couple of years was to keep it as simple as possible,” Brown said about the new record. “It was definitely my goal to make the collection sound as stripped-down and rock ’n’ roll as I could, and I also wanted to do something on analog tape once again. … I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT DANDYBROWN.COM. READ MORE FROM ROBIN LINN, INCLUDING THE FULL DANDY BROWN INTERVIEW, AT RMINJTREE.BLOGSPOT.COM.

ip-hop has always offered insights into the realities of racial barriers, urban life and American political issues—and Sage Francis has thoroughly embraced these roots on the way to becoming an influential figure not just in hip-hop, but also spokenword and poetry.

Sage Francis will be performing at the Date Shed at 9 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24, fresh off a European tour.

Sage Francis (Paul William Francis) grew up in Providence, R.I. After hearing Run-DMC and Public Enemy when he was 8 years old, he began writing his own lyrics. At the age of 12, he began sneaking out of his house to take part in rap battles. He later DJ’d at the infamous CBGB club in New York.

During a recent Skype interview from Helsinki, Finland, where he was performing, he reminisced about CBGB. “Every week I would DJ, there was a poetry slam happening there, and I was living in Brooklyn and had a lot of connections to that scene,” Francis said. “I would perform, but I would also DJ and was the main DJ there.”

CBGB had a reputation for having one of the world’s worst toilets. Francis said it’s all true.

“Right before CBGB was closed down, I recorded a video for a song called ‘Escape Artist,’ and in one part, I go into the bathroom; I kick open the door, and you can see the toilet for yourself.”

Francis said he had a visceral reaction when he first heard hip-hop “It was the way words sounded when they rhymed together,” he said. “It was the attitude; it was the delivery of the words; and I think there was a futuristic quality about it. I was familiar with rock sounds and folk sounds, but hip-hop had the electronic element to it that just really felt brand new and inspired.”

Francis’ spoken word and poetry has become as popular as his music.

“It’s kind of like being bilingual, I think,” Francis said. “It takes different parts of the brain, but when you merge them together, it all makes sense. I did keep them separate for a long time, because I wasn’t sure how to incorporate the good qualities of spoken word with the good qualities of hip-hop and make it work. After years of being involved in both

Sage Francis

scenes, I went through trial and error figuring out, and that’s how it all came together.”

Francis is outspoken on political issues, especially on the subject of economic inequality. He co-founded Knowmore.org in 2004-2005 with poet/activist B. Dolan; the site tracks corporations and their business ethics.

“I think we are thrown morsels of economic justice every month or two, and that is enough to appease the people who think we’re on a path of progress,” he said. “It’s really tough to admit that, because I want to believe we’re working toward a greater social justice for everybody. History tells its tale, and I read it, and it’s not looking great. … Empires rise and fall every couple of centuries, and we’ll see what happens. We’re also living in an age when technology is being used against us as much as we use it to progress. That’s where the next big change and revolution will happen.”

He said he couldn’t wait for his show at The Date Shed.

“I’m in Helsinki, Finland, right now, and it’s freezing cold, so I’m actually looking forward to the desert,” he said.

SAGE FRANCIS WILL PERFORM AT 9 P.M., SATURDAY, JAN. 24, AT THE DATE SHED, 50725 MONROE ST., IN INDIO. TICKETS ARE $25 TO $28 FOR THE 18-AND-OLDER SHOW. FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 760-775-6699, OR VISIT WWW.DATESHEDMUSIC.COM. CVIndependent.com

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MUSIC

FRESH SESSIONS WITH ALL NIGHT SHOES: January 2015

the

LUCKY 13

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye Gojiro Island

NAME Paco Diaz GROUP Gojiro Island MORE INFO Yucca Valley’s Gojiro (go-GEErow) Island formed in 2011. The band, which recently released a demo, includes Lisa Diaz (vocals), Paco Diaz (drums), David Diaz (guitar), William Porter (bass) and Michael Callan (saxophone and Theremin). Visit www.facebook.com/gojiroisland or www. reverbnation.com/gojiroisland.

What was the first concert you attended?

My parents took me to see the Grass Roots when I was a kid. The first concert I saw on my own was The Who—in 1979?—sadly, the tour after Keith died.

What was the first album you owned?

It was an 8-track of the Beatles’ Please Please Me. What bands are you listening to right now?

My current obsession is the Beach Boys. My brother David purchased a six-CD set, and it’s incredible!

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

My mind is at war with so-called popular music: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj ad nauseum, and modern country.

By the way, what does a Grateful Dead fan say when he runs out of drugs? “Man, this music sucks!”

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

Defunct: Sex Pistols (Bollocks era), Joy Division, Dead Kennedys (PSD era) and Flipper during the Generic period. Current: The Dillinger Escape Plan, and anything with Mike Patton.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Dean Martin, ABBA and The Carpenters. I drink, I cry.

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What’s your favorite music venue?

Kokopelli’s Kantina in Yucca Valley—and any place else that lets my band play.

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

“Don’t Worry Baby” by the Beach Boys: “I guess I should’ve kept my mouth shut when I start to brag about my car. But I can’t back down now because I pushed the other guys too far. She makes me come alive and makes me want to drive when she says, ‘Don’t worry, baby.’”

What band or artist changed your life?

How? When I was in high school, a guy named Doug Melbourne gave me The Gang of Four’s Solid Gold and The Public Image Ltd’s Second Edition.

This is how I became exposed to punk and alternative music—my lifelong love affair!

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

Keith Moon: “Hey, man. Can you teach me how to play drums?” My current drum mentor is a ghost as well. Thanks, TJ! What song would you like played at your funeral?

I hope they play a collection of all the music I made, especially since everyone there will have helped me make it in one way or another. It’s a family thing.

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

The Beatles’ Revolver. If I could have only one album on a deserted island: The White Album.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“The Rite of Spring for Two Pianos” by Stravinsky.

NAME Danny Graham GROUP Fever Dog MORE INFO If you’ve never seen a Fever Dog performance, you’re missing out. Fix that by checking them out at 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 11, at Club 5 in Indio. The band’s heavy psychedelic sound has a genuine desert feel.

Danny Graham, Fever Dog’s front man and guitarist, is also a visual artist with a blog full of art. Visit www.facebook.com/feverdogrocks What was the first concert you attended?

I used to go see a lot of old punk-rock bands play locally in my hometown when I was around 12 or 13. So it was probably Agent

Meet Members of Gojiro Island and Fever Dog! It’s 2015! This month, I have put together a mix

Danny Graham

Orange or The Dickies … something like that What was the first album you owned?

The first CD I ever owned was The Colour and the Shape by Foo Fighters, but the first vinyl record I ever owned was KISS’ 1974 self-titled album.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, and Tame Impala.

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

I don’t get 95 percent of the things people love.

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

Led Zeppelin, live around 1974-1975.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

You shouldn’t feel guilty for liking something others don’t. I wouldn’t put on a Yes or King Crimson album if I’m with someone other than my two bandmates, just because people usually aren’t into progressive rock. It’s not because I’m ashamed of liking it, though.

What’s your favorite music venue?

I honestly don’t have one. I’ve never been to or played a venue that I really liked that much.

At least, so far I haven’t. We have our first European tour coming up.

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

The chorus to “So Far Away” by Carole King.

What band or artist changed your life?

How? KISS. They’re one of the first bands I liked, and I’ve loved them ever since—even the really bad stuff.

featuring artists you’ll most likely be hearing from this year.

Coachella is just around the corner, and you may notice a lot of “electronic” acts that you have not heard before when the lineup is announced. I think Gorgon City—which played on the Do Lab stage at Coachella 2014—will be huge this year; keep an ear out for them.

This month’s mix also features tracks from producer Ben Macklin, an artist I have really taken to recently. His music features lots of bass and tropical vibes featuring synths as well as pianos. It’s perfect for an enjoyable winter day in the desert.

The term “EDM” (electronic dance music) has spread like fire and has been used to describe myriad musical stylings. It’s much like the idea of “rock” music: Multiple genres reside underneath a blanket term. I challenge you to take a closer look at the genres that dance music offers. If you are new to this style of music, use this mix as a primer for a new year of discovery.

Listen at CVIndependent.com. Enjoy!

• Ben Macklin, “It’s Over” (Original Mix) • Overjoy featuring Lex Famous, “Monstrous” (Colour Vision Remix) • Deep Sound Express featuring Raha, “After Rain” (Ben Macklin Remix) • JackLNDN, “And What” • Cazzette, “Sleepless” (Hotel Garuda and Thero Remix) • JesusdaPnK, “Ain’t No Game” (Colour Vision Remix) • Just Kiddin, “Thinking About It” (All Night Shoes Remix) • Tensnake, “No Relief” • Dusky, “Yoohoo” (Original Mix) • Freya, “2 Mouths, 1 Love” • Gorgon City, “Imagination” • Russ Chimes, “Baiona” (Original Mix)

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

I guess I would ask Nathan Wood of Fever Dog what the one question is that he would ask any musician, and also what musician he chose.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Ride Captain Ride” by Blues Image.

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

It’s probably The Dark Side of the Moon (by Pink Floyd).

What song should everyone listen to right now?

The entire Free Your Mind … and Your Ass Will Follow album by Funkadelic.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 39

JANUARY 2015

COMICS & JONESIN’CROSSWORD

Across 1 Little bites 5 Full of snark 10 Bill dispensers 14 Frigg’s husband, in Norse myth 15 Be loud, like a radio 16 Brush off 17 Succumb to gravity 18 Spanish guy who joined a Germanic tribe?

20 “I just thought of something!”

21 “___ my heart open...”

(Papa Roach lyric) 22 Vegetarian option 24 Academic aides, briefly 27 Hidden beneath the surface 30 Avant-garde composer Glass 33 Big house fixture 34 Like many actresses on Baywatch?

38 Modeler’s moldable medium 39 Devious little devil 40 Less complicated 42 Eisenhower’s WWII command 43 “J’adore” perfumier 45 Author of The Watergate Diaries?

47 Actress Pompeo 49 Assumes the role of 50 Infrequently 52 Opening piece?

53 Produce 57 Bassoons’ smaller relatives 59 Swing in the ring

60 The most one-sided line in U.S. history?

65 Money in Milan, before the euro 66 Destroy 67 Emcee’s delivery 68 Sandler on guitar 69 Nurse Jackie star Falco 70 Posh neckwear 71 Is the author of Down 1 Health food claim 2 “Famous Potatoes” state 3 Rice side 4 Celebrity Jeopardy broadcaster, for short 5 Network Stephen Colbert is moving to 6 Carte or mode preceder 7 Levy 8 Star Trek counselor Deanna 9 Streisand movie 10 Afro-___ languages 11 Song that goes “So whyyyyyy don’t you use it?”

12 Item stating “World’s Greatest Dad” 13 Nestle’s ___-Caps 19 It’s sealed with a shake 23 Code for a scanner 24 It’s below the femur 25 Reunion attendee 26 Beer buy 28 “Hey, that’s cool!”

29 Model, like clothes 31 Dept. formerly headed by Kathleen Sebelius 32 Well-behaved 34 ___ one’s time (waits) 35 Germinal author Zola 36 Mission that included a moonwalk 37 Cluttered up 41 Genetic info carrier 44 Leon who sang the theme to Mr. Belvedere 46 School of thought 48 Hands-together time 51 News outlets 54 Tolerate 55 Holy book 56 Major tests 58 Serious sevensome 60 Beats by ___ 61 Diaphragm alternative 62 “Senses Working Overtime” band 63 “___ y Plata” (Montana’s motto) 64 “Uh-uh!”

65 Once around ©2014-2015 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) Find the answers in the “about” section of CVIndependent.com!

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JANUARY 2015

Deals available in the Independent Market as of January 1: Get a $20 gift certificate to Village Pub for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

Get a $25 gift certificate to Shabu Shabu Zen for $12.50—a savings of 50 percent!

Get a $25 gift certificate to La Quinta Brewing Co. Microbrewery and Taproom for $12.50—a savings of 50 percent!

Get a $40 gift certificate to Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill for $20, or a $20 gift certificate for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

Shop at CVIndependent.com.

Look for more deals to be added during the month!

Want your business in the Independent Market? Call 760-904-4208, or email jimmy@cvindependent.com.

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