Coachella Valley Independent May 2019

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT | MAY 2019

VOL. 7 | NO. 5

May brings the start of Restaurant Week— as well as peak barbecue season. Our food and drink writers have all the tips and information you’ll need to make things extra-delicious!

PAGE 12

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MAY 2019

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

MAY 2019

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR After meeting numerous famous and powerful people during almost 25 years in journalism, I’m rarely star-struck or intimidated these days.

In fact, it’s happened to me just twice since I’ve called the Coachella Valley home. The first time was when I met Joyce Bulifant— semi-regular on the classic Match Game back in the 1970s, and co-star of one of my favorite movies ever, Airplane.

The second time was when I met Barbara Keller.

For the life of me, I have no idea why I was starstruck when I met Joyce Bulifant—I love her, but I’ve been left unflummoxed by Editor/Publisher bigger stars before. But I do understand Jimmy Boegle why I was intimidated by Barbara Keller, when I somehow found myself sitting Assistant Editor next to her at an Equality California Awards host committee meeting: I knew I Brian Blueskye was in the presence of a person who was truly great. coveR and feature design Barbara Keller passed away at the age of Beth Allen 75 on Monday, April 15.

Barbara was as kind and welcoming as Contributors a person could be, but I was star-struck by her reputation, her gravitas, her works.

Stephen Berger, Max Cannon, Kevin Carlow, Katie Finn, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill I knew how many local nonprofits and charities she supported—with her money Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Robin Goins, and a whole lot of her time. I’d heard tales Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, Alex about her extreme kindness from friends.

Harrington, Dwight Hendricks, ValerieAnd I’d known, by seeing her with my own eyes at various events (almost always Jean (VJ) Hume, Keith Knight, Lauren with her fantastic husband, Jerry), how Rosenhall, Brett Newton, Dan Perkins, simply fabulous she was.

Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen It’s common when someone well-known Sorenson, Robert Victor dies for them to be showered with exaggerated levels of praise and accolades.

The Coachella Valley Independent print However, regarding Barbara Keller, there’s no exaggeration: She deserves each and edition is published every month. every bit of the love and appreciation All content is ©2019 and may not be she’s received. She was truly a giant of the published or reprinted in any form Coachella Valley. Her death is a huge loss without the written permission of the to the community. publisher. The Independent is available “This morning we lost our one and only free of charge throughout the Coachella Barbara Keller. The love she brought to the Desert AIDS Project family changed Valley, limited to one copy per reader. us forever,” said Desert AIDS Project CEO Additional copies may be purchased David Brinkman, in a statement on the for $5 by calling (760) 904-4208. The day she passed away. “She had been our Independent may be distributed only by board’s leader, the Steve Chase’s chief and the Independent’s authorized distributors. our clients and mission’s ultimate champion. Words fail to express the gratitude I The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter have for having been the recipient of her of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, friendship, love and mentorship. Barbara CalMatters, Get Tested Coachella Valley, the Local Keller equals humanitarian.”

Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert My sincere sympathies go out to Jerry Business Association, the LGBT Community Center of and the rest of her family, as well as her the Desert, and the Desert Ad Fed. work family at Lulu California Bistro and Acqua California Bistro.

Welcome to the May 2019 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent. As always, thanks for reading; please send any comments or questions you may have to the email address below.

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

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com CVIndependent.com

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MAY 2019

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I

f you’re new to medical aesthe�cs, or you’re a veteran of aesthe�c treatments and have moved to a new community, you’re asking the ques�on: “How do I know if an aesthe�c prac�ce is a great place to go?” This month, we’ll help you make a more informed decision about a prac�ce that is new to you.

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

MAY 2019

OPINION OPINION

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS I

BY ANITA RUFUS

ndio resident Tod Goldberg, 48, talks very fast—which makes sense, because he has a lot to say.

The author of hundreds of books and articles, he is also the founder and director of the 10-year-old low-residency master’s program in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside’s Palm Desert campus.

“I wanted to have an MFA program on the business of writing,” he says, “so our participants get published or get their works produced. I see my job as getting my students’ work sold, and we’ve been extraordinarily successful.”

The program has had more than 300 students, with more than 75 percent of them being published or produced within two years of graduation from the program. Goldberg oversees a place that I could see.” faculty of 16 and an online-mentor program, After graduating from Palm Springs High in addition to the intensive 10-day residency School in 1989, Goldberg got his bachelor’s workshop, held annually at Omni Rancho Las degree in English at California State University, Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage.

Northridge, in 1994. “I have to admit I majored Goldberg, born in Walnut Creek and raised in ‘frat boy,’” he says. “I was a terrible student, in the Coachella Valley, comes from a family of but I was involved in student government and writers. His mother, Jan Curran, now deceased, was homecoming king!” was the society editor for The Desert Sun for He went on to earn his master’s degree in many years. She had been a columnist and fine arts from Bennington College in Vermont: editor long before coming to the desert.

“I became an excellent student. I really cared, “I used to fall asleep to my mom writing because I was finally doing the thing I loved her column. To this day, the sound of an IBM most—writing.”

Selectric typewriter can make me fall peacefully Goldberg’s first book, Fake Liar Cheat, was asleep,” Goldberg says. published in 2000 by Simon and Schuster.

His father was a television news reporter and “I was very lucky,” he says. “After college, station manager; his parents divorced when he I had published short fiction pieces, so I had was 2 years old. Goldberg has three siblings, all established a literary reputation. That makes older: his brother, Lee, a novelist and television agents take notice of you. I started writing the producer; sister Karen, a lawyer and author; book in 1998, and it’s really something, seeing and sister Linda, an artist and author. “Between what you write in print.” the four of us,” says Goldberg, “we’ve published Although Goldberg’s primary focus revolves about 100 books!” around crime and criminals, he cites Empire Goldberg’s wife, Wendy Duren, is also a Falls—a 2001 novel by Richard Russo which won writer. They married in 1998, lived in Las Vegas the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2002—as a major until 2000, and then settled in the desert. influence. “He taught me how to write from “We have no kids,” says Goldberg, “but we do multiple points of view, and how small towns have two dogs.” could mirror all the problems of a big world,” Goldberg didn’t really learn to read until he was about 10 or 11 years old. “I was dyslexic,” he Goldberg says. “I’ve also been influenced by writers like Margaret Atwood, Aimee Bender and recalls, “and the first book I remember that had Susan Straight, who changed my view of magical a profound emotional effect on me was Of Mice realism, dystopia and our own Inland Empire.” and Men by John Steinbeck. I stole that book Goldberg has also written opinion pieces for from the library, because it was considered too various newspapers across the country, focused old of a read for me at that age. My mom had a on violence in the United States: “I remember great appreciation of literature, and when she once seeing a boxer die in the ring when I was found I had taken the book, she marched me a kid, and I’ve written essays about the terrible back to the library and told the librarian, ‘Every side of life. I’m always trying to understand why single book in this library belongs to my son!’ seemingly normal people do abnormal things.”

“Steinbeck was easy to read, but asked A prolific reader, Goldberg can quickly rattle difficult ethical questions, like about the nature off a host of titles he read in various decades of love between men, and what it means to care of his life: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for someone in such a profound way that you (“It showed that absurdity had a place in the would take their life to save their life. It also world”); crime authors like Ralph Ellison and made a difference that the book took place in Lawrence Block; Richard Ford’s Rock Springs Northern California, in places I had been. It and The Sportswriter (“He taught me that genre was important to me as a writer to know that fiction could be mixed with other concepts”); something that was made up happened in a real

Meet Tod Goldberg, a writer and teacher who focuses on helping his students sell their work

and Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried (“I learned the ability to look at the vulnerability of people in combat”).

Goldberg is working on a series of books about Rabbi David Cohen, a character based on a real hitman from Tod Goldberg. Wendy Duren Chicago.

“I prioritize the things that are most important to me,” he says. “I write one to two hours every other day, but once I’m into it, I’m pretty regimented. Mornings, I read students’ work and sometimes write book reviews. I’m most creative in the evening, and when there are no classes, I’ll write from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., but I also need to be able to turn it off. Wendy’s also a writer, so she understands. She’ll ask, ‘Who am I talking to right now: the hit man, the

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rabbi or my husband?’

“I’m a kind of method actor when I’m writing.

I need to replicate a character’s language and keep it in my head; otherwise, the character doesn’t feel human. I’m fascinated by what gets people to kill. People make irrational decisions when they feel pressed against the wall. There are lots of great books about killing in a war, but in crime fiction, there’s a glorification of violence I find disturbing. In my books, there is always a ripple, a ramification, a consequence.

“I write because I have to, and because it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’ve satisfied what I always wanted out of my life: a beautiful wife, and the desire to write and to teach.”

Tod Goldberg has a lot to say, and he has found a way to build his life around saying it.

Anita Rufus is also known as “The Lovable Liberal.”

Her show That’s Life airs Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to noon on iHubradio, while The Lovable Liberal airs from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays. Email her at Anita@LovableLiberal.com. Know Your Neighbors appears every other Wednesday at CVIndependent.com.

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MAY 2019

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

MAY 2019

NEWS WANTED: CLEAN FROM THE TAP O

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

The Coachella Valley Water District needs $75 million to assure all local residents have safe drinking water

by kevin fitzgerald

n March 29, Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia set out to tour multiple mobile home parks and schools in the eastern Coachella Valley—places where there is no reliable access to clean drinking water.

Garcia—the current chair of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife—was not alone: He was joined by 57 others, including fellow members of the state Legislature; an eight-member complement from the State Water Resources Control Board, led by Chairman E. Joaquin Esquivel; and representatives of the Coachella Valley Water District, including board Vice President Castulo Estrada, who helped arrange the tour.

“There’s this perception that the issue of accessibility to clean water is only a problem in rural “Through the (task force), we’ve been able parts of California,” Garcia said later, during a to work with county departments, local nonphone interview. “There are clean-drinking-waprofits, concerned community members, the ter issues up and down the state, whether you’re in a small or big town, a larger urban city, assemblymember’s office, the congressman’s office and the supervisor’s office,” Estrada a rural community or an Indian reservation. said. “Now, this is the story that we tell folks: “We were able to demonstrate to members of the Legislature, as well as other stakeholders (Residents of the eastern Coachella Valley) have more than 100 small water systems from the Sacramento area, just how important that are scattered across thousands of acres fixing this statewide issue is, and how it ties in of mostly agricultural lands. These commuto the water-quality problems we have here in nities didn’t just pop up yesterday; they’ve our own backyard in the Coachella Valley.” been here for decades. They are in rural areas, Estrada later said the tour was instrumental and they’ve been left to their own devices to in showing that a number of Coachella Valley understand water, and water quality, and dig residents still don’t have access to safe drinktheir own wells and take ownership of them. ing water.

But it’s come to a point where these wells are “The purpose of the event was not just to not sustainable, and as a result, there are folks highlight the lack of access to safe drinking drinking unclean and unsafe water. water across the state, but primarily to high“So we created this master plan where we light the particular needs here in the eastern took these 100-plus small water systems scatCoachella Valley,” Estrada said. “I think that tered across the eastern Coachella Valley and was the purpose—and that’s what we did.” created about 42 projects out of them. … These Estrada said it’s important for the Coachella 42 projects will consolidate all of these mobile Valley to get state help. home parks and other small water systems “Two years ago, the conversation started, that we have identified and make them part of and it got really heavy, and folks were trying to the CVWD infrastructure. We put a rough (cost create a bill to address this issue,” Estrada said. estimate) on the master plan of about $75 mil“My concern at that time was that (the legislalion. So the story we are telling in Sacramento tive effort) was too heavy in trying to address is, ‘Look, we have a master plan. We’ve done the needs in the San Joaquin Valley. Although the needs assessment, and we need funding in they were trying to create a statewide solution order to execute on these projects.’” and extract revenues from all of California, the To this end—and to create a fund to help highlighted problem was in the Central Valley secure safe drinking water statewide—Garcia as it relates to the agricultural contamination is sponsoring Assembly Bill 217, the Safe of groundwater and the (resulting) high level Drinking Water for All Act. of nitrates in the water in those areas. So at “AB 217 establishes a funding mechathat time, I started to get more involved with nism,” Garcia said. “It’s a combined effort of Assemblyman Garcia to make sure that, as this general-fund money and fees on (the agriconversation continued in Sacramento, we had cultural industry), pesticides (producers and a seat at the table, and that folks understood users) and the dairy industry. There will be our particular situation here in the eastern a public benefit fee for clean water that is Coachella Valley. paid through the water agencies. As you can Local needs—and solutions—have been imagine, this is a very difficult conversation summarized and organized in a master plan for folks to have: People will say, ‘I have clean drawn up by the Disadvantaged Communities drinking water, so why should I have to help Infrastructure Task Force of the Coachella provide clean drinking water for the people Valley Water District.

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia talks with Tom Steyer on the shores of the Salton Sea during a day-long tour of mobile home parks and schools in the eastern Coachella Valley. Courtesy of the office of Eduardo Garcia

who live in Thermal or Mecca? We’ve heard that said time and time again.

“California boasts the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Garcia said. “But in spite of the amount of wealth that exists in the state, there’s still a significant amount of people living under the poverty line. We believe that (on behalf of) those folks, the state needs to address these issues. No one in California should have to go without safe clean drinking water, whether it be at their school or at their home.”

The bill is currently making its way through the Legislature.

“The bill got out of its first committee several weeks ago, and I believe there’s more work that needs to be done on the legislation,” Garcia said. “Specifically, there are the questions of oversight and accountability of funds—where they go, and how they get used.

If I’m going to spend money to improve the water quality for over 1 million people by connecting them to clean drinking water, how and when would we know that we are hitting our benchmarks? We are working with a wide array of stakeholders on language that will do that.”

Meanwhile, Estrada wants start working on those aforementioned 42 projects as soon as

possible.

“For years, (the CVWD has) been applying for grants. … We’ve gone after (U.S. Department of Agriculture) money. We’ve been pretty aggressive as an agency to seek grant funding, and we have been successful—yet we’ve been moving very slowly.”

Estrada said the water district is ready to begin work on two projects.

“For these top two projects, we are going to use the funding we currently have to get them through preliminary engineering, the environmental documentation and the application process to apply for construction funding,” Estrada said. “In the case of the Valley View Project, which was one of the stops on the March tour, we’ll be consolidating nine small water systems in mobile home parks. It covers a huge area, and we’re connecting about 136 families.

“The other one is St. Anthony’s, where we’re consolidating around the same number of families by hooking up just three small mobile home park water systems. So we have a road map now, and that’s our master plan. When funding becomes available, we’ll just continue to the next (project) and the next one and the next one.”

CVIndependent.com

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MAY 2019

NEWS DECRIMINALIZE = DESTIGMATIZE W

by BRIAN BLUESKYE

hen Senate Bill 239 took effect last year, it made knowingly spreading the HIV virus a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

Opponents of the bill, which was signed into law by former Gov. Jerry Brown, were furious, speculating it could lead to an increase in HIV transmissions. However, people on the front lines of the fight against HIV/AIDS said the new law was a much-needed step in the right direction, considering treatment and prevention methods have changed significantly since the AIDS epidemic began in 1981.

“If you criminalize HIV, it discourages people from getting tested,” said Carl Baker, the director of legal and legislative affairs for the Desert AIDS Project. “Under the old statute, if you HIV for criminal penalties actually reduce didn’t know your status, you didn’t commit a the number of new cases of HIV or improve crime (if you passed the HIV virus to someone else). It was better to be dumb and spread public health in any way. In fact, research suggests that such laws may be a disincentive to the disease than to be smart and prevent the testing and disclosure of one’s HIV status and disease.” a barrier to seeking care for people living with Samuel Garrett-Pate, the communications director for Equality California, said via e-mail HIV. In addition, these laws may give HIVnegative people a false sense of security with that potentially criminalizing those with HIV respect to the health of their sexual partners, proved to be bad public policy. thereby encouraging riskier behaviors and “HIV-specific criminal laws hurt rather than help,” Garrett-Pate said. “There is no evi- more sexually transmitted infections. … HIV decriminalization encourages HIV testing, dence that laws targeting people living with

CVIndependent.com

Local public-health groups say testing, not prosecution, is key to preventing the spread of HIV

treatment and disclosure to sexual partners.”

Baker said only one group of people in recent years faced prosecution.

“The only real people who were prosecuted in the last 15 to 20 years were sex workers,” Baker said. “It wasn’t used for the everyday person; it was only people who were picked up for prostitution. That was the targeted audience. I can see the rationale, because if you’re in the sex industry, you’re going to spread it to a lot more people than Mr. Smith on the street.

“But way back in the ’80s, there were some bad actors. There was a male who was infected and was intentionally sleeping with women without telling them. There’s always that one bad actor.”

Garrett-Pate said the law was used to disproportionately target women and people of color.

“Overall, 800 people came into contact with the California criminal-justice system from 1988 to June 2014 either under an HIV-related law or under the misdemeanor exposure law, as it related to a person’s HIVpositive status,” Garrett-Pate wrote. “Black and Latino people made up two-thirds of the people who came into contact with the criminal-justice system based on their HIV status, even though just half of the population living with HIV/AIDS in California is black or Latino. Women made up 43 percent of those who came into contact with the criminal-justice system based on their HIV-positive status, even though just 13 percent of the HIVpositive population in California is women. …

White men were significantly more likely to be released and not charged.”

Baker emphasized that testing and publichealth awareness are the best ways to battle HIV—not criminalization.

“We want people to be tested and to go into treatment; then they are not infectious and are undetectable,” Baker said. “That’s our goal to ending this epidemic. The combination of Truvada and antiretrovirals keep the likelihood at 99.8 percent of the virus never being transferred. It’s as effective as using a condom. By having something on the books that discouraged people from finding out their status and pushing them underground, that was going to encourage more behaviors that will spread the virus.”

Baker said that despite the progress the Desert AIDS Project and other public-health groups have made in battling HIV, minority groups remain the most at risk.

“The spike in transmissions (has been) in the transgender population and in the minority populations in Riverside County that don’t identify as gay. They use the term ‘men having sex with men,’ because they could be married or have a one-off with another man, and they aren’t out,” Baker said. “That’s the issue, and those are the people we want to get tested, because they aren’t identifying as gay and think they don’t have anything to worry about. Those are the hardest people to get tested—and where the virus is blowing up.”

For information on free and confidential HIV testing, visit gettestedcoachellavalley.org.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

MAY 2019

NEWS AVOIDING FATAL ENCOUNTERS E

by LAUREL ROSENHALL, CALMATTERS

ven as a landmark California bill meant to prevent police shootings passed through its first committee in April, fault lines among Democrats began to emerge—suggesting the measure will likely change as it moves through the Legislature.

How much it will change, though, was not yet clear.

After emotional, standing-room-only testimony from Californians whose loved ones have been killed by police, and a sheriff’s deputy who survived being shot by a gunman who killed her colleague, the Assembly Public Safety committee passed Assembly Bill 392 on a party-line vote.

But three of the panel’s six Democrats said they were dissatisfied with the bill in its current form.

They asked civil-rights groups that support the bill and law-enforcement groups that oppose it to would work to reach a compromise before the keep working toward common ground. bill reaches the Assembly floor.

“It is incumbent upon each of us to look at “We are committed to having a piece of legthe safety of the public, both law enforcement islation that makes a difference and that does and the community members that are out on provide a balance,” said the San Diego Democrat the streets every day,” said Assemblywoman whose bill would change the legal standard for Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from justifying police use of deadly force.

Orinda.

Her bill—which is backed by the American “The pendulum has swung too far in one Civil Liberties Union and numerous civil-rights direction such that we aren’t protecting and groups—was prompted by the death last year holding accountable those who are taking life of Stephon Clark. He was not armed, and from our community members. I do have seriSacramento police killed him after mistaking ous concerns that the text of this (bill) swings the cellphone he was holding for a gun. Last the pendulum too far in the other direction, month, the Sacramento district attorney because the sanctity of the life of our law announced she would not press charges, enforcement is equally as important.” because the officers acted legally.

Assemblywoman Shirley Weber said she

A nationally watched policeshooting bill moves forward—but many legislators think it goes too far

Clark’s case has re-ignited anger among many, with evidence that black and brown men are unfairly targeted by police—a message that was carried into the Capitol by scores of Californians who packed the hearing room and spilled out into the hallway, wearing T-shirts commemorating slain loved ones, or emblazoned with the hashtag #LetUsLive.

Weber’s bill would make sweeping changes to the laws that determine when California police can use deadly force. It says police could shoot only when it’s necessary to prevent death or serious injury, and would require they use other tactics in many situations.

That would go beyond the standard set by the U.S. Supreme Court, which says police can use force when a reasonable officer in the same circumstance would do the same thing.

Law-enforcement groups said that a law that deviates from the reasonable standard would subject officers to greater danger while performing an already dangerous job.

“I was fighting for my life and fighting to protect complete strangers when I chose to

stand between the gunman and the employees and patrons. The thought of having to second-guess my actions in that moment is frightening,” said Julie Robertson, a Sacramento deputy sheriff who watched her colleague get killed by a gunman when they responded to a disturbance at an auto-parts store last year.

“My only intention is to protect and save lives. How is it that I would be questioned and judged by the ones who live so distant from the dangers we inherently face each day?”

Though law-enforcement groups are largely opposed to Weber’s bill, several said they would keep working with her to find common ground. Police groups have backed competing legislation, Senate Bill 230, that focuses on updating department policies on the use of force and increasing training for officers.

Follow this issue as it moves through the Legislature this year with CALmatters’ podcast Force of Law. CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

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Stevante Clark, whose brother Stephon Clark was killed by Sacramento police in 2018, lobbies at the Capitol for a bill to limit police use of deadly force. Laurel Rosenhall/CALmatters

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

MAY 2019

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

MAY ASTRONOMY A

The winter stars continue to depart Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight our skies—and Ramadan begins on May 5 For May, 2019 This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

N

By Robert Victor

thin crescent moon low in the west-northwest at dusk on May 5 marks the start of Ramadan, with a month-long daytime fast beginning the next day. Nearly two weeks later, a “blue moon”—the third of four full moons within the season—is visible through all nighttime hours of May 18. Late in the month, bright Jupiter begins rising in southeast during early evening hours.

The May evening twilight chart shows that Rigel, Aldebaran, Sirius and Betelgeuse disappear this month, leaving four winter stars—Procyon, Pollux, Castor and Capella—forming an arch in the western sky through month’s end, when Mercury is just starting an evening appearance very low in the west-northwest.

Regulus in Leo crosses high in the south after sunset, but unless you’re at a site higher into the west-southwest. Golden zero-magnithan your surroundings, it will not be possible to tude Arcturus rises high in the eastern sky, view the sun and moon simultaneously. with blue-white first-magnitude Spica in Virgo Two hours after sunset on May 18: Find to its lower right. Zero-magnitude Vega, the Antares 11 degrees below the full moon; on brightest member of the Summer Triangle and May 19, find Jupiter 7 degrees to the moon’s first to appear, rises into view in the northeast, lower left; and on May 20, see the moon rising with Deneb eventually trailing to its lower left.

6 degrees to the lower left of Jupiter. Rather Red Antares, heart of Scorpius, rises in the than stay up late, you can switch to mornings southeast late in May. Bright Jupiter follows to catch the waning gibbous moon passing 12 degrees to Antares’ lower left, just in time for Antares, Jupiter and Saturn May 19-23. The last the end of May. quarter occurs May 26. Finally, catch the last old Nearly all the events described here are illuscrescent near Venus on June 1. trated on the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar.

(Almost) opposing planets: On May 20, Subscriptions are $12 per year at www.

Jupiter rises about one hour before Mars sets. abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar for three About two hours after sunset, both planets are printed issues, mailed quarterly. A free, printabout 5 degrees above opposite horizons. It’ll able copy of the May 2019 issue is available. get easier to view both planets simultaneously May 2 at dawn: The old moon is very low in in coming weeks, as Jupiter rises earlier. the east, 4 degrees to the lower right of Venus.

Mars fades from magnitude +1.6 to +1.8 in Sunday, May 5, at dusk: The sighting of the the west-northwest at dusk. Watch Mars pass young crescent moon low in the west-northbetween Beta and Zeta Tauri, tips of Bull’s west, perhaps by half an hour after sunset, horns, on May 6. Crossing into Gemini on May marks the start of Ramadan.

16, Mars goes 2 degrees north of Eta and Mu, On May 6 at dusk: Look for the crescent third-magnitude stars 1.9 degrees apart in moon with earthshine 3 degrees to the upper Castor’s foot, May 21-24. May 31: Mars is 0.9 right of Aldebaran. Follow the moon nightly at degrees south of third-magnitude Epsilon Gem. dusk through May 18, watching it pass Mars Late evening until dawn: Bright Jupiter, in on May 7, Pollux on May 9, the Beehive on May Ophiuchus, on May 1 rises within 15 degrees 10 (use binoculars), Regulus on May 11 and 12, to the lower left of Antares, three hours and 10 and Spica on May 15. minutes after sunset, as Mars sets. Saturn in On May 18 at dawn: The moon, some 8-9 Sagittarius rises within two hours later. Jupiter hours before full, is low in the west-southwest. rises half an hour earlier each week, and by May Today’s full moon is the third of four within 31 rises 12 degrees to the lower left of Antares the same season, spring 2019, so by one defi40 minutes after sunset, with Saturn still folnition (Maine Farmers’ Almanac, 1937), it is lowing by two hours. Jupiter (magnitude -2.5 to called a “blue moon.” This definition predated -2.6) and Saturn (+0.5 to +0.3) brighten slowly the now widespread use of the term “blue and stay 27-29 degrees apart, as both retrograde, moon” to refer to the second full moon within by 3.0 degrees and 0.8 degrees, respectively. a single calendar month.

Jupiter passes 2.5 degrees north of 3.3-magniAt dusk on May 18: Some 5-6 hours after full, tude Theta Oph May 23-24. the moon is low in the east-southeast. From the On May 24, best in the darkness hours before Coachella Valley on May 18, the moon sets in the dawn: Jupiter, moving retrograde, or westward west-southwest about 5 minutes after sunrise, against the stars, passes 2.5 degrees north of and rises in the east-southeast about a minute the 3.3-magnitude star Theta in Ophiuchus.

May's evening sky chart.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Deneb

Vega

29 Mercury

Capella 29 Mars 22 15 8 1 Aldebaran Arcturus

E

Castor Pollux

W Betelgeuse

Regulus Procyon

Rigel

Spica Jupiter

Sirius

Antares

Evening mid-twilight occurs

Jupiter passed going eastward whenthat Sunstar is 9o while below horizon. on Feb. 27. May 1: 43 minutes after sunset.

15: 44 " " find" bright Jupiter In the morning twilight, 31: 46 " " " in the south-southwest to southwest, getting lower as the month progresses, with red Antares, heart of Scorpius, 15 to 12 degrees to its lower right; and Saturn, passing through the south during May; and Venus, very low in the east to east-northeast in brightening twilight.

Binoculars may show Mercury to the lower left of Venus for the first few days. The morning twilight chart at CVIndependent.com shows all that, plus the Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb passing overhead; golden Arcturus sinking in the west to west-northwest; and Fomalhaut, Mouth of the Southern Fish, low in the southeast.

Check the website of the Astronomical Society of the Desert at www.astrorx.org for dates and times of our evening star parties.

Sawmill Trailhead, our high-altitude site (eleva-

S

Stereographic Projection

tion 4,000 feet), will have Mapsessions

by Robert starting D. Miller at dusk on Saturdays, May 4 and June 1. Our primary, more-accessible location is at the Visitor Center of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (on Highway 74, within four miles south of Highway 111 in Palm Desert). Our final one for the season will be on Saturday, May 11, from 8 to 10 p.m.

Also, remember to check the Impromptu Star Parties link on the Astronomical Society’s webpage. I’ll be offering a Ramadan Young Moon Watch on Sunday, May 5, at a yet-to-be-selected site with a view toward the west-northwest horizon, and other sky watches in Palm Springs.

Wishing you clear skies!

Robert Victor was a staff astronomer at Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. He is now retired and enjoys providing sky watching opportunities for a variety of groups in the Coachella Valley.

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MAY 2019

CVI SPOTLIGHT: MAY 2019 The Latina Experience: Desert Theatreworks Presents ‘Real Women Have Curves’

T

he play Real Women Have Curves examines the Latina immigrant experience in the United States, and Indio’s Desert Theatreworks is taking on the play— which debuted in 1990 and was later made into a critically acclaimed movie—as its first-ever bilingual production.

Leslye Martinez, the assistant director of Real Women Have Curves, said during a recent phone interview that she pitched the play to Desert Theatreworks artistic director Lance Phillips-Martinez.

“I said, ‘Hey, it would be really cool if we could do this play; I think we have the people for it here in the community, and I think we have some amazing Latina women in this theater who could represent these women,’” Martinez said. “A week later, he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, so guess what the last show of this season is?’ He told me we were doing Real Women Have Curves.

“It was a really great moment for me, because I feel like it’s the first time Latina women are being represented on this stage in this theater company. It’s a huge reflection of our community as a whole for the people who come to watch our productions.

I am a Mexican woman, so I felt it was something we needed here.”

Martinez’s passion for the play, written by Josefina López, was palpable as she spoke.

“I first read this play when I was in college,” Martinez said. “I was involved in the Latina/o Play Project at the University of California, Riverside, and I personally love it, because it represents all kinds of women, and it has feminism and community as themes—and they have their bickering moments where they get a little competitive.

It’s very typical for women to be this way around each other, but I feel that there’s so much truth within this play in terms of

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political things going on. There’s the whole green-card situation that happens, which is very reflective of how I grew up.

“I feel very attached to this production, because I immigrated here when I was 5 years old. It holds a lot of significant meaning to me and in my life.”

Martinez said the show will be easy to follow, even for those who don’t speak both English and Spanish.

“We’re having the ladies here say everything that we’re saying in Spanish (also) in English,” she said. “They are also acting it out in a way that’s more understanding in an audience perspective. If we’re referring to something on our bodies, we accentuate that part of our body. We’ll make sure that whoever is viewing this production really understands what’s going on.”

Selene Canchola is playing the role of Estela Garcia. She said she was immediately interested after seeing a post Martinez put up about the play.

“I’ve always been a plus-sized lady, so when I read the title, I was immediately drawn to it,” Canchola said. “So far, it’s been kind of hectic because of the scheduling, but it’s been a wonderful opportunity, and I consider myself lucky to play Estela Garcia in this production.”

There are some scenes that involve revealing clothing and semi-nudity—and Canchola said those scenes don’t bother her at all.

“I’ve worked really hard to get to the body type I have now,” Canchola said with a laugh.

“I used to be 100 pounds heavier than my current size. I’m all about body positivity and owning the skin you’re in. You only have one body.

“There’s a scene that’s heartwarming for me, because when I was in junior high school and high school, being in the locker

A lighter moment during a rehearsal for Desert Theatreworks’ Real Women Have Curves.

room and being a bigger girl was so uncomfortable, seeing these skinny peers of mine getting ready for physical-education class. In this situation, the women in the play reflect that it’s OK to have cellulite; it’s OK to have stretch marks; and it’s OK to have scars.

That’s what makes us beautiful and makes the audience feel vulnerable with us in that moment.”

After moving from the Arthur Newman Theatre at the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert to the Indio Performing Arts Center in 2017, Desert Theatreworks has tried to take on a more diverse range of productions—and Martinez said she hopes Real Women Have

Curves is a sign that even more diverse shows are on the way.

“I think this production is a great start,” Martinez said. “Hopefully this is the catalyst for a very diverse season.”

Real Women Have Curves will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, from Friday, May 10, through Sunday, May 19, at the Indio Performing Arts Center in Indio, 45175 Fargo St. Tickets are $16 to $28. For tickets or more information, call 760-980-1455, or visit www. dtworks.org.

—Brian Blueskye

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

MAY 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

ART IS HEALING T

By Stephen berger

ucked off a small side street in La Quinta Cove is a sparkling oasis of serenity and inclusiveness—dedicated to the healing power of art.

Founders Richard and Victory Grund created Old Town Artisan Studios 10 years ago as a gift to the community, and as a vehicle for them to share their passionate belief that art is for everyone. The backstory: After Victory Grund lost her parents, she fell into a deep depression. A concerned neighbor handed her a lump of clay doubling the size. Because of this, we are able with the instruction to “build something”— to split the camps into two age groups, 7 to 11, and Grund quickly realized the power of art to and 12 and up. heal even the deepest wounds. It was a lesson “The camps are one week long, Monday she felt compelled to share with the world, through Friday. Mornings and afternoons are and share, she has: Last year alone, Old Town different mediums. We even had a sewing class.

Artisan Studios’ outreach program reached Girls and boys both made their own backpacks 21,683 people in the Coachella Valley. and used them. We supply all the materials and Through a heavily timbered Spanish drinks and a healthy snack. It’s bring-your-own gateway sits a multilevel compound with lunch on the patio.” tree-shaded courtyards, patios, fountains During my tour, I saw a special-needs class and historic buildings. Coletta Herbold, the working in clay in the large studio. studio coordinator, gave me a tour. What “The La Quinta High School special-needs started as a family homestead grew to include class comes here,” Burns explained. “We also three houses, which were later converted have adults as well. We don’t separate them into restaurants. The buildings and a little from the rest of our clients. We want everyone more than three acres were purchased to be able to have the same experience.” three years ago by the nonprofit Old Town The Alzheimer’s program is a new addition.

Artisans Studios foundation. After a year of “When we started the Alzheimer’s program, renovations, doors opened to the public.

I wanted to make sure that we included the Today, there are six studios in the various caregivers as well,” Burns said. “People actually buildings. The topics for classes and workshops sign up for this through the local Alzheimer’s include wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramics, Association. … They wanted a variety of classes painting, fused and stained glass, fabrics and for stimulation.” mixed media. The shaded patios with their Veterans receive a deep discount on all feefountains provide a pleasant retreat for sack based classes and workshops. Old Town Artisan lunches and are also available for events. The Studios’ outreach program partners with other costs are kept low, and the popularity of the local charities to make sure anyone who can’t classes and workshops allows the foundation afford the modest fees has access to classes. to channel tax-deductible donations toward “We have two vans that go out into the serving the less fortunate in our valley. community almost every day,” Burns said. “For In keeping with the commitment “to provide example, we work with the YMCA and the Boys a positive art experience for all people despite and Girls Clubs to bring our instructors and age, disability or financial condition,” the experience to people who can’t come to the Old Town Artisan Studios offers a number studios here. The YMCA alone has asked us to of programs, including youth summer day visit 40 locations. At some of these locations, camps with a variety of artistic mediums, there are up to 100 kids waiting for us. We’ll programs for special-needs youth and adults, make it to all of them. outreach programs that partner with charities “We’re here to help. If we have the demand throughout the valley, and a new program for and the funding, we’ll be there. We don’t want Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. to turn anybody down. Whatever the demand, Thomas Burns is the executive director. The we’ll go.”

Chicago native has lived in California for 23 I asked Burns about Old Town Artisan years. He founded the Carmel International Film Studios’ plans for the future.

Festival; prior to that, he founded and published “Over the summer, we’ll be flipping our the national art magazine ARTWORKS. reception and retail spaces,” he said. “In our “The Summer Youth Camps are one of our gallery, we will be changing exhibits every most popular offerings. Last year, the classes two weeks. We’ll be featuring work by our sold out early,” he said. “This year, we are instructors and also some of our students. Some

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La Quinta’s Old Town Artisan Studios helps spread the healing power of art to anybody and everybody of our best shows have been by our students.

“We are producing a line of dinnerware that is all handmade here on site. Along with that, we are starting an events business. Right now, when someone wants to hold an event here, they need to provide all the food and setup themselves. We want to bring in our own chef and offer organic food served on our own plates.”

Burns said other long-term plans include the addition of a community-performance space and more artists’ studios geared to professional artists.

As I was leaving, I noticed a sign next to the entry gate. It reinforced my own impression of what I had just experienced: “We believe that art is healing and has an everlasting positive impact on each of us and the world around us.”

Old Town Artisan Studios is located at 78046 Calle Barcelona, in La Quinta. For more information, call 760-777-1444, or visit oldtownartisanstudios.org.

Smiling faces at an Old Town Artisan Studios class.

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MAY 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

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FROM MELISSA TO MARGARITAVILLE

The McCallum Theatre announces a packed 2019-2020 schedule

By JIMMY BOEGLE

I

f you’re a data geek like I am, you can have a lot of fun with Pollstar magazine’s annual list of the Top 200 theater venues in the world.

For example: The Coachella Valley’s McCallum Theatre—considered a small- to medium-sized venue—in 2018 came in at No. 70 in the entire world, with well more than 100,000 tickets sold. No theater in Southern California sold more tickets than the McCallum did, even though the venue is only open for half the year. but you probably figured that out already— That’s right: The McCallum had more butts will be followed by Beautiful: The Carole in its seats in 2018 than any theater in Los King Musical (Feb. 7-9), which has become a Angeles, the second-largest city in the country.

Broadway fixture, recently celebrating its fifth Mitch Gershenfeld, the McCallum’s presanniversary there. ident, CEO and show-booker, said 2019 has “It’s really nice to get another musical that’s been even stronger—and that he has high still on Broadway,” Gershenfeld said. hopes for the 2019-2020 season. Tickets for all Those new-to-the-McCallum shows will be shows went on sale in April. joined by returnees Chicago (March 13-15) and The 2019-2020 season includes the big The Illusionists (April 7 and 8). names—Melissa Etheridge (Nov. 14), anyMitch’s Picks—a series of a shows by unherone?—that people have come to expect to be alded performers that Gershenfeld personally on the McCallum schedule, along with valley recommends—are back, starting off on Nov. favorites like the Ten Tenors (Feb. 19-23, 22 with a double-bill of performers who per2020) and Pink Martini (March 4-8). However, form traditional Latin music with a twist: the Gershenfeld said he’s particularly thrilled all-women Mariachi Flor de Toloache, and The about the Broadway shows he’s booked; five of Villalobos Brothers. They’ll be followed by a them have never been to the McCallum before, Christmas show on Dec. 16 by YouTube a capkicking off with the musical adaptation of A pella sensation Voctave.

Christmas Story (Nov. 26 and 27).

“They’re an amazing group who primarily “It has all of the key things that are in the performs at Disneyworld,” Gershenfeld said. movie,” Gershenfeld said. “There’s a whole “The core members have beautiful voices, and number with dancing leg lamps.” the arrangements are extraordinary.”

That will be followed by Waitress (Dec. 6-8) Other Mitch’s Picks include the Derina and The Play That Goes Wrong (Jan. 21 and 22), Harvey Band, a Celtic-rock group (Jan. 14); a critical darling that just closed on Broadway Wicked alum-turned-soul singer Shoshana earlier this year—and is still going strong on Bean (Feb. 4); and Mnozil Brass (March 24), a London’s West End. brass septet that melds original tunes, classics “It’s the quintessential British farce,” and a lot of humor.

Gershenfeld said.

The National Geographic Live series will be Escape to Margaritaville (Jan. 30-Feb. 1)—a back at the McCallum for a second year with musical featuring the songs of Jimmy Buffett, three shows. Gershenfeld admits he was con-

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Mnozil Brass, one of “Mitch’s Picks,” comes to the McCallum on March 24, 2020.

cerned about how a science series would do— and he was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of McCallum audiences this year.

“They love it, and they point out that it’s so different,” Gershenfeld said. “It’s also a program that attracts children, which is great.

During the Q&A sessions, the kids are always asking questions.”

This year’s shows are On the Trail of Big Cats (Jan. 6), Photography Without Borders (March 2) and View From Above (April 5) with astronaut Terry Virts.

Gershenfeld said the new season’s highlights include some tribute shows that are quite special. First and foremost is A Toast to Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé (April 4). The two were most successful act to regularly appear at the McCallum before the Ten Tenors came along, Gershenfeld said.

“Frank Sinatra would show up to hang out backstage,” he added.

Gormé passed away in 2013, and Lawrence has retired from performing; this show will feature their son, David Lawrence, and Tony Award-winner Debbie Gravitte, along with a 32-piece orchestra and vintage video clips.

“We have all of their original music charts,”

Gershenfeld said. “… This is the first place this show is going to play. There’s no place (Steve Lawrence) would want to do the first show other than (here).”

Speaking of Frank Sinatra … he’ll be returning to the McCallum, sort of, thanks to the talents of Bob Anderson, on Feb. 14 and 15.

Gershenfeld explained that the Sinatra impressionist sounds exactly like Ol’ Blue Eyes, and to add to the impression, he has a prosthetic mask of Sinatra’s face. When you add in a 32-piece orchestra playing Sinatra’s original arrangements … the likeness is eerie and amazing.

The other big names coming to the McCallum zigzag across genres—Mandy Patinkin (Nov. 16), The Beach Boys (Dec. 1), Itzhak Perlman (Jan. 20), Ricky Skaggs (March 12), the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 15), and so on.

“Last season (2017-2018) was the most successful in our history,” Gershenfeld said. “This year (the just-concluding 2018-2019) surpassed it.” And 2019-2020 has a great chance of continuing that trend.

For tickets and a complete schedule, call 760-3402787, or visit www.mccallumtheatre.com.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

MAY 2019

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AT THE BEAUTY PARLOR ‘Steel Magnolias’ returns to the big screen for its 30th anniversary

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By DWIGHT HENDRICKS

oday, in 2019, we have Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. Thirty years ago, in 1989, we had Truvy, M’Lynn, Ouiser, Clairee and, of course, Shelby.

Those are the strong female characters from Steel Magnolias—and Cathedral City’s Mary Pickford 14, in partnership with Fathom, Turner Classic Movies and TriStar, will be among the theaters presenting showings of the film on Sunday, May 19, and Wednesday, May 22, to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Steel Magnolias takes place in a small Louisiana parish and is based on a true story.

Writer Robert Harling wrote both the screenplay and the play that preceded it as a memorial to his sister, Susan, after she died from complications related to diabetes in 1985. She is represented by the character of Shelby (played

by Julia Roberts in an Oscar-nominated performance), and the story is about the strong ties between the friends who live in this tightknit community. It’s a community that celebrates all the residents’ highs and lows—both the good and bad events in each other’s lives. We get to experience Shelby’s life-changing moments all the way to the end. Steel Magnolias shows that even though you may feel like you have not made much of an impact on other people, you really have, in some way.

The film was both a critical and commercial success, and Steel Magnolias remains wildly popular three decades later thanks to the strong female characters and the fantastic storyline. In other words, it can now be called a classic—and this is why Fathom Events has chosen to give the film special 30th anniversary screenings at the Mary Pickford 14 and other theaters across the country.

Damon Rubio, whose D’Place Entertainment owns the Mary Pickford 14, explained the part-

nership between Fathom Events and theaters like his.

“This partnership brings many films to a new generation,” Rubio said. “This gives people an opportunity to see these films on a large screen, like they should be seen.”

I asked him to explain the partnership between the Mary Pickford and Fathom Events.

“Fathom is like a studio; they are a content provider, and they license out films to theaters, and then they also help promote them,” Rubio said. “They work with classic films instead of first-run movies … This is only one of several films that Fathom will be presenting this year. We will be showing Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Field of Dreams, just as examples. We will also be showing music concerts, such as Led Zeppelin. There are also offerings of opera, anime, big-stage live productions and sporting events such as boxing.

What is so special about watching a classic film at a movie theater?

“We also offer an experience,” Rubio said.

“You can come and sit in the recliners, have a nice beer or wine—and have a café that serves while enjoying your movie,” he said.

Whether you’ve seen Steel Magnolias before or not, a word of advice: Bring your tissues!

You’ll need them.

Steel Magnolias will be screened for its 30th anniversary at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 19; and 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at Mary Pickford Is D’Place, 36850 Pickfair St., in Cathedral City.

Tickets are $11.95. For tickets or more information, visit dplaceentertainment.com. Other local, chain-owned theaters will be showing Steel Magnolias on Sunday, May 19; Tuesday, May 21; and Wednesday, May 22; for a complete schedule, visit www.fathomevents.com.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 17

MAY 2019

FOOD & DRINK

ON COCKTAILS T

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It’s time to give the Long Island iced tea (a little) credit for being the influential cocktail that it is

BY kevin carlow

he idea for this column came to me as I was getting my head smashed in by a large man in a ninja outfit.

Don’t worry; this didn’t happen in real life, but during a video-game tournament at The Hood Bar and Pizza—a suggestion from our Uber driver who said he would also be competing. I noticed several of the competitors were consuming, in pint glasses and pitchers, something that looked like barber-shop comb sanitizer.

“Why would anyone want to drink that?” my companion wondered. “That’s just begging for a hangover!”

“Why do people eat Tide Pods?” I responded.

I, of course, promptly ordered one. It was my old friend, the AMF. If you don’t know what that is, count yourself lucky. For those of you who have gone to college or drank at a dive bar in the last 20 years, you’ve probably seen it. It’s sweet and sour—and strong enough to make you think you can compete in a video-game tournament at 40. It’s also blue … like really blue, the color blue that only kids younger than 12 consider a good color for things that go into one’s mouth. Oh, and the name … well, let’s say it stands for “adios my friend,” but only the “adios” part is true.

It’s basically a variation on a Long Island iced tea, and as I drank, I thought about how little written cocktail history is dedicated to these drinks—the maligned, the infamous, and, dare I say, the occasionally fun cocktails that were ubiquitous during the cocktail “dark ages,” and still have a following today.

The Long Island iced tea … is there a more infamous cocktail? I worked for years doing volume bartending, at night clubs and patio bars especially, and my LIIT game was on point, I must say. That may sound like a silly thing to say, but when your line (mob) at the college bar is significantly longer than the lines at other wells, you know something is up. I mean, despite its hangover-inducing reputation, it’s still a cocktail. There is a right way to make it—and many wrong ways.

Let’s break it down: The standard recipe is equal parts vodka, gin, white rum, tequila blanco and triple sec; as to the amount of each … well, as they say with Ti’ Punch, “chacun prépare sa propre mort.” Each prepares their own death.

The balance, theoretically, comes from the varying flavors of the alcohols and the addition of an ounce or two of sour mix (or an ounce of lemon and 3/4 of an ounce of simple syrup, if you’re fancy). Shake that whole mess; strain into a tall glass with ice; add a good splash of cola—and you’re in business.

Other variations, gathered personally over the years, include:

• Long Beach iced tea: Substitute the cola with cranberry.

• AMF: Add blue curaçao instead of triple sec, and lemon-lime soda instead of cola.

• Grateful Dead: Add lemon-lime soda instead of cola; leave out the triple sec, and drizzle blue curaçao and framboise/raspberry liqueur down the sides of the glass (or, preferably, the fish bowl) to create a tie-dyed effect.

• Boston iced tea: Use Kahlua instead of triple sec.

• Tokyo airport: Add Midori instead of triple sec, and lemon-lime soda instead of cola.

This list could go on and on, actually; to avoid diminishing the classiness of this column, I stopped before the “Irish trash can.” (Email me if you actually want that one.) I think you get the point: Not only has the Long Island iced tea become universal; it has become a template on which bored bartenders at questionable establishments still experiment. So who was the genius behind this modern-day classic?

It turns out that is a matter of controversy.

Many of the articles online mention the same controversy, between Kingsport, Tenn. (on its own long island) and Long Island, N.Y. A piece from Atlas Obscura sums up the Tennessee story thusly: A bootlegger named Charlie “Old Man” Bishop had a bunch of prohibited hooch lying around and mixed it all together with a little maple syrup. Later, in the 1940s, Ranson Bishop, his son, added the cola and lemon. It’s a cute story; I have no doubt that this bootlegger mixed together his stock with some maple syrup to sweeten and take the edge off of his Prohibition fire water. I don’t even doubt that his son added lemon and cola to his pop’s cocktail. However, there is no way on Earth Old Man Bishop had tequila or vodka, much less triple sec, on his island in Tennessee during Prohibition. So … his maple-syrup cocktail was likely more of an old fashioned, really, and not the drink we know.

I am calling this one a myth, albeit a plausible one. Let’s move a few decades ahead …

The story I had been familiar with is

The AMF at The Hood. Kevin Carlow

the one crediting Bob “Rosebud” Butt for whipping it together for a cocktail contest in 1972, while working at the Oak Beach Inn in Long Island, N.Y. I found this quote on the certainly-not-biased “Long Island Grub” blog: My concoction was an immediate hit and quickly became the house drink at the Oak Beach Inn. By the mid-1970s, every bar on Long Island was serving up this innocent-looking cocktail, and by the ’80s, it was known the world over.

Who wouldn’t trust a guy from Long Island with the nickname “Rosebud”? Mystery solved!

But … not so fast. Further digging led me to an article on Thrillist in which the author claims the drink showed up in 1961 in Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cook Book and in 1966 in American Home All-Purpose Cookbook by Virginia Habeeb. I spent a lot of time looking for an online or PDF version of either, without luck. The author didn’t mention how

he came across that information (leaving a link to Betty Crocker’s website and a modern recipe does not help), and I hit a dead end.

These books are available but rather pricey on eBay. If you have a copy of either in your mid-century kitchen and would email me a picture of said recipe, you would be helping with cocktail history, and I will definitely give you a shout-out out in a future column. To be fair, even Butt admits others might have made similar drinks before him, but that his was the one that really took off, and therefore should be considered the original.

If life is driving you to drink something unwise, the Long Island iced tea is certainly a good option. Stay away from the Grateful Dead, though; it’s guaranteed to make you feel like you ate Tide Pods the next day.

Kevin Carlow is a bartender at Truss and Twine, and can be reached at krcarlow@gmail.com.

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There’s nothing wrong with mass-produced Mexican beer—but there are often better brews to pair with Mexican food

By brett newton

rime barbecue season is upon us—and barbecuing lends itself to Mexican food.

I’ll never look down my nose at Mexican mass-produced beer—it’s better overall than American mass-produced beer, in my opinion—but an even better sensory experience can be had with Mexican cuisine if you step up the beer game. To put it bluntly: You can do better than beers where the ads instruct you to put a wedge of lime in the bottle. (Why didn’t they just add that when they were brewing?) But I digress.

Instead of just listing pairings of entrées and beer styles, it would be more helpful to summarize some of the most-common ingredients in Mexican cuisine, and explain why they might be better traditional Mexican cheeses are necessarily partners with certain types of beers: mild.) This one is more about mouthfeel, and Corn: This is a staple in both Mexican crisper or higher-strength beers (or both in food and beer. That distinct corn flavor one, perhaps) will help scrub the palate. This is and sweetness make Mexican beer styles an equally important with the next ingredient … obvious choice for pairing. A lot of Mexican Beans: Frijoles are a massive staple, and beer (excluding the brews from the excellent mouthfeel is again the most-important factor Mexican craft breweries burgeoning at the to consider here, as there are also likely to be moment) consists of German-style pilsner with corn; the darker stuff is Vienna lager with other flavors to deal with in any particular dish that includes or comes with beans. corn. Corn adds sugar to a beer with almost Chiles: I am a huge fan of spice, and there no body, making the finished beer drier, and are some very noteworthy things to consider usually imparting at least a hint of corn flavor. when pairing beer with spicy food. The first The Belgians have been doing something is that alcohol accentuates capsaicin (the stuff similar with candi sugar (made from beets) to that makes chiles burn), and so do hops. This dry out their stronger beers and make them does not mean that you should never pair devilishly drinkable. a triple IPA with spicy chicken tinga, but it Pork: German beer was basically designed does mean you should be aware that you’re around the stuff, and you’ll be hard-pressed throwing a bit of gasoline on that fire when to find more natural pairings than pork and you do. Malty, less-crisp beers help here, most German styles. This has to do with so consider English styles when up against malt: Many German styles call for malt to be spiciness. It works for Indian cuisine, too. kilned in such a way as to create melanoidins.

Now that we are armed with some Melanoidins are what give you that distinct fundamentals, let’s tackle actual pairings with browned-bread character—the same flavor specific dishes. One thing I haven’t covered yet you can get from searing pork or beef (not is seafood. Ceviche is one of my favorites; while to be confused with caramelization). I think refreshing on its own, it can be exponentially you can see why, say, a German bock is a so when paired with the right beer. A Belgian no-brainer for pairing with pork. witbier and a German hefeweizen are both great Cheese: I mention cheese more for its choices. A citrusy pale ale is also not a bad idea, texture than anything. (This is not to say that

but beware of oily fish, as hops turn that flavor combination into metallic unpleasantness.

Carnitas is another beautiful thing to behold; I already mentioned one pairing (bock), but a Munich dunkel lager will do just as well.

Good chicken mole is hard to come by locally (if I am missing out on a place where they do it right, please contact me), which is a shame, because a nice porter or dry Irish stout will do wonders with it. Craft breweries have long caught on to Mexican chocolate flavors; you can try pairing with one of those, but instead, I recommend supporting the mole flavors and letting them do that work with your beer. Along those lines, if you’re looking to try something lighter that can still match the intensity of this dish, try a German schwarzbier: It’s a black lager that shares some darker beer flavors of chocolate, coffee and dark fruit, but without any roasty quality, and with a bit of a fire-extinguishing effect if the mole is up there in spice.

A few parting thoughts, before I send you on the path to sabor. One is that it is generally a good idea to match intensities with beer/food pairings. Another consideration is whether

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you want to complement, contrast or combine.

This takes much more explanation, and the best way to do that is to read up on the subject.

I wrote a column a while back on pairing beer and food that covers some of it, but if you want more depth, I would highly recommend Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide From the Pairing Pros by Julia Herz and Gwen Conley, or The Brewmaster’s Table by Garrett Oliver, one of the very few master cicerones. Both are great guides and are very good at getting you to be more mindful when it comes to pairing any beverage with food, never mind beer.

The next time you have a chance to enjoy a Mexican dish, forget the typical Mexican lagers, and swing for the gustatorial fences.

And, hey: Even if your pairing lets you down, you still have beer and Mexican food to comfort you. ¡Salud!

Brett Newton is a certified cicerone (like a sommelier for beer) and homebrewer who has mostly lived in the Coachella Valley since 1988. He currently works at the Coachella Valley Brewing Co. taproom in Thousand Palms. He can be reached at caesarcervisia@gmail.com.

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VINE SOCIAL

If Temecula wants to be taken seriously as a wine destination, it needs to grow up

JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO

By KatieLOVE finn YOUR

I

HAIR

’m just not ready to give up on Temecula yet—but if my last two visits are any indication of what Temecula wants to be, then its destiny might already be written.

Twelve years ago, I ventured to Temecula for a work trip that slightly masqueraded as a girls’ trip. We all had a great time: The weather was perfect; the food wasand good;Cook and the hospitality was on Country Club Street point. But one distinct part of the trip does not spark fond memories: visited about seven winerPalm DeWe sert ies over two days, none of which were memorable enough to cite all these years later.

I would like to point out that I’m not a where760-340-5959 the wine flowed freely. And frankly, I “day-drinker,” and when I’m working, I spit all was horrified. wine. Always have, always will. So the lack of Our first stop was at a high-profile, www.jasondavidhairstudio.net poignant experiences was not because I had more-commercial winery. I know, I know … how over-imbibed, but because they were simply could I possibly judge an entire wine region by forgettable, at best. What I remember vividly a winery that’s known for golf clubs?! Because was staying at a well-known resort, in one of it was packed—wall-to-wall people. And those their villas, and thinking at the time that it was people were having the exact same experience a lovely property, despite the somewhat tacky I was. Wine-savvy or not, all the guests visiting faux-Tuscan decor. that day left there with a perception of what Fast-forward 12 years later, and I found Temecula wine country is, based, at least in myself back at the same resort. The tacky part, on that particular winery … which, as far faux-Tuscan decor remains … only now it’s 12 as the tasting room is concerned, is not good. If years older, and in sad, sad, shape. I think it’s the lack of quality wine didn’t turn you off, the safe to assume the decade-plus of bachelorette terrible wine being poured by the un-dead was parties and drunken wedding guests have the clincher. Everyone working behind the bar taken their toll. The carpet was crunchy. There looked like they would rather have something were dead bugs in the bathtub. A pair of old, hot poked in their eye than pour one more muddy work boots sat outside the room door. “taste” to a wine-coupon-holding bride-to-be. At And when the staff wasn’t calling me “sweetie,” one point, I gave all my coupons to the zombie “love” and “honey,” they were downright rude. so I could put her, and me, out of our misery.

This was not a work-related trip. I was there Ironically, once we were outside, the whole celebrating my dearest girlfriend’s 40th birthvibe changed. We could relax and sip the wine, day. She graciously hosted us on a wine tour and chat, in truly beautiful surroundings. with a light dinner in a vineyard. The evening There was a musician playing the keyboard and spent with friends and loved ones was sublime. singing to a content crowd, complete with adorHowever, I am a sommelier, which makes it able little girls in fluffy dresses dancing along. impossible for me not to notice the wine and Atmosphere: 1; Wine: 0. service standards around me. Granted, we did On to the next winery! By far, it was the not visit the crème de la crème of wineries (if most pleasant of the three on the tour. It was a there is such a thing in Temecula), but instead small, family-owned establishment. We ate at what appeared to be fun and lively venues long picnic tables in the vineyards as the sun

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for bars. The employees can’t tell you anything about the wine, because they don’t care about it. The guests can’t tell you anything about the wine, because they don’t care, either. These are just venues to have a good time and get drunk.

Instead of raising the bar to educate people about wine and the region, Temecula lowered the bar to keep everybody drunk and happy.”

Whoa. There’s some harsh truth, Temecula.

Now, let me set the record straight: I said I wasn’t ready to give up on Temecula. I’m happy to take suggestions and recommendations for wineries that will change my mind. I know there have to be dedicated producers out there who are crafting thoughtful wine. I promise to go back again, with an open mind. But hear me when I say that if my experience is by design, and this is what Temecula is putting out there as a tourist destination, then nothing is going to change. You can’t be taken seriously as a wine region if you don’t have respect for the industry, the product, the land and the people.

If Temecula wants to be serious about wine, it needs to grow up.

Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with more than 15 years in the wine industry. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@gmail.com.

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began to set, surrounded by a couple of other groups. The service was more attentive and focused, but I couldn’t help but notice that no one was explaining the wine. At most, we were told what was available to taste, with no further detail given. It was a little head-scratching to me, given I had moved to the Coachella Valley from a place where most people can’t shut up about wine. Then I realized … maybe there isn’t anything to say about it.

By this point of the night, we were all laughing and enjoying being out in our “backyard wine country.” All was going well until they started blaring songs like “Funky Cold Medina” and “Mambo No. 5.” OK … time to go.

Atmosphere: 2; Wine: 0.

The last winery we visited wasn’t really a winery at all. Or maybe it was. Who could tell? In any case, I’ve been to college keggers less rowdy.

It could not have been further from a traditional winery experience; instead, it was a happening bar and dance scene. The wine was doled out like shots of whiskey. There were easily a thousand people “out back” where the band was.

Apparently there was a guy, who may or may not have been high on ecstasy, doing backflips on the dance floor next to a woman who was 80 years old doing ballet moves … weird. My husband and I missed it all, because by this point, we’d had enough. The sun was casting its final shadows, and the rolling hills were gorgeous. We needed a moment of wine-country solitude. Yes, sometimes we miss Napa. So we sat out front, on old Adirondack chairs, and sipped our terrible wine by an unlit fire pit as we watched the sunset. It was perhaps the highlight of the night. This is when my husband, who grew up in Napa, said to me: “Ya know why this place will never be taken seriously? Because here, it’s not about the wine. They’ve simply substituted tasting rooms

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A TASTE OF MÉXICO CITY IN PALM SPRINGS Creative Chef Johannes Bacher

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FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT This month’s picks: an amazing meatloaf special, and a chorizo-filled breakfast

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The meatloaf (Mondays only) WHERE Paul Bar/Food, 3700 E. Vista Chino, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $17 CONTACT 760-656-4082; paulbarps.com WHY It’s great meatloaf, pure and simple.

When Paul Bar/Food opened a year ago, it became popular seemingly overnight due to the tasty eats, the amazing service (helmed by the bow tie-rocking Paul O’Halloran, a former Mister Lyons bartender who is adored in the Palm Springs service industry), the swanky East Coast vibe, the now-famous frozen sidecar, and the stunningly gorgeous wooden bar area—all found in a small shopping center, located at the northeast corner of Vista Chino and Gene Autry Trail, that is not exactly what you’d call “posh.”

Look for the sign that says BAR/FOOD. Find it, and you’ve found Paul.

O’Halloran could have rested on his figurative laurels … but he didn’t. In recent months, he’s worked to make the food at Paul even better—including daily specials, such as a soft-shell crab sandwich on Sundays, mussels on Saturdays, and pot roast (!) on Thursdays.

I am sure all those specials are quite yummy … but I’d be stunned if any of them are as fantastic as the meatloaf, served with carrots and mashed potatoes, only on Mondays.

Now, I am not exactly a meatloaf aficionado.

If a friend invites me over for a meatloaf dinner, I won’t say no … but if meatloaf shows up on a restaurant menu, the chances I’ll order it are between slim and non-existent. However, when I met my friend Eric at Paul for a happyhour dinner on a recent Monday, the formally dressed bartender recommended the meatloaf with such passion that I couldn’t say no.

That passion was justified: The meatloaf was amazing. Its defining characteristic is that it’s, well, meaty. This is a dense yet juicy, perfectly seasoned, expertly prepared brick o’ meat.

The hubby is a meatloaf aficionado, and when I took him to Paul a couple of Mondays later for it, he agreed with my assessment— that this is some of the best meatloaf you’ll have anywhere.

WHAT The Southwest Benedict WHERE Louise’s Pantry, 73155 Highway 111, Palm Desert; also at 47150 Washington St., La Quinta HOW MUCH $14.99 CONTACT 760-837-3900 (Palm Desert); 760771-3330 (La Quinta); louisespantry.com WHY If you like chorizo, you’ll love this dish.

I love a good breakfast … but let’s face it: Many restaurants don’t exactly offer a lot of exciting or unusual options for the so-called most important meal of the day.

Fortunately, Louise’s Pantry—with locations in both Palm Desert and La Quinta—does a better job at this than most. Yeah, you’ll find the bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, French toast and omelets you’d expect— but there are also a few somewhat unusual offerings, including the entrée our server recommended on my recent visit there: the Southwest Benedict.

Really, this is a Benedict in name and geometry only. The only holdover ingredients from classic eggs Benedict are poached eggs and hollandaise sauce—and here, the hollandaise has a hint of tomatillo. In place of the English muffin is a warm pupusa (cornmeal flatbread); instead of ham/Canadian bacon, you’ll get chorizo … and a lot of it.

It all comes down to this: If you like chorizo, you’ll love the Southwest Benedict, because the chorizo dominates both the flavor and texture of the dish. That’s not to say the other ingredients don’t make their mark; the pupusa adds a nice softness to the mouth-feel, and some sweetness to the flavor, while the tomatillo hollandaise provides both creaminess and tartness. But, really, this dish is all about the chorizo.

If you aren’t a chorizo fan, you won’t want to order this—but you still have plenty of reasons to dine at Louise’s Pantry. The service is great; the décor is comfortable and homey; and the menu has a lot of options, prepared well by the talented kitchen staff. Check it out.

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Restaurant NEWS BITES

By Jimmy Boegle GREATER PALM SPRINGS RESTAURANT WEEK RETURNS MAY 31, WITH 115-PLUS PARTICIPANTS The bad news: Summer is almost here, meaning 100-degree temperatures will soon be a daily thing.

The good news: This also means Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week is almost here.

The annual event will return for 10 days—that’s seven days shorter than Restaurant “Week” was last year, alas—of great deals at restaurants valley-wide, starting on May 31. Here’s how it works: Participants offer special prix-fixe menus for lunch and/or dinner. Lunches, with at least two courses, cost $15, $20 or $25, while dinner, with at least three courses, costs $29, $39 or $49.

As of now, 117 participating restaurants are listed on the Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week website—a record, I believe. And this year, there’s a very cool charitable hook: A lot of the participating restaurants are offering reservations to be made through the Restaurant Week website, and $1 from each reservation made via the website will be donated to the FIND Food Bank, thanks in part to the generosity of the week’s sponsors, Agua Caliente Casinos and Sysco Riverside.

I could go on and on, but I won’t. I’ll leave you with just a little advice: Go to the Restaurant Week website; do your research by perusing the participants’ menus; and plan your visits. A lot of the restaurants offer truly amazing deals; others … not so much. Remember: This year, you’ll only have 10 days rather than 17 to enjoy Restaurant Week!

Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week takes place Friday, May 31, through Sunday, June 9. For more information, including menus, visit www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/dinegps/ restaurant-week.

COMING SOON: TAC/QUILA, FROM THE OWNERS OF FARM PALM SPRINGS Liz and Mark Ostoich are lawyers by trade—but they’ve proven themselves to be amazingly good restaurateurs with Farm, located in downtown Palm Springs’ La Plaza. Therefore, it’s very good news that they now have a second restaurant: Tac/Quila, located at 415 N. Palm Canyon Drive, which most recently housed Watercress Vietnamese Bistro.

“Farm allowed us to bring our love of the French countryside to a charming little courtyard, chock full of flowers and tucked away from the hustle and bustle,” reads a message from Liz and Mark Ostoich on the Tac/Quila website. “We love everything that has become Farm, but there was more to be said. So part of our life story involves food—but it also includes travel, history and, of course, tequila! Tac/Quila is our made-up word for combining gourmet Jalisco style cuisine with specialty tequilas and mezcals, in an effort to transport our guests south of the border and into a culture rich in flavor, color, art and authenticity.”

The pictures posted on the Tac/Quila Facebook page and website show a gorgeously renovated space—and the menu posted on the website made my mouth water. Three different kinds of ceviche? Yes, please.

Tac/Quila will be open soon, if it isn’t by the time you read this. For more information, including the menu, visit www.tacquila.com.

IN BRIEF Taco fans, take note: Plan on being at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa on Saturday, May 18, from 11 to 6 p.m., for the annual Morongo Taco Fest. Admission is $10, and 30 or so vendors will be selling $2 tacos. Lucha libre wrestling and live music will entertain, while tequila and margaritas will provide the buzz. Get information and tickets at morongocasinoresort.com. … New to Palm Springs: Glitch, a Southeast Asian restaurant and ’80s-style arcade. Wait, what? Let me check my notes … yep, that’s right. Wow. Enjoy items like num pang—that’s a Cambodian-style pork sandwich—while playing classic arcade games and table games. If you’re looking for something completely different, you’ll find it at 2080 N. Palm Canyon Drive; get more information at www. glitchpalmsprings.com. … New to Cathedral City: Romano’s, offering pizza, subs, salads and other goodies at 27800 Landau Blvd., at Vista Chino. Find more information and photos of the menu at www.facebook.com/Romanos-Pizza-373313373264165. … New to Rancho Mirage: Maria Jose Peruvian Gourmet, inside The Atrium at 69930 Highway 111. Check out the menu (including photos that made me very hungry) at www.mariajoseperuviangourmet.com. … Sad news: Desert Wines and Spirits, which had been located inside Go Deli at 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, is no more. Happy news: The whole space starting sometime in May will be Bouschet, a “wine and gourmet food experience.” Watch www.bouschet.com for updates. … New to Palm Desert, from the folks at longtime sushi restaurant Musashi: Ramen Musashi. Find it at 44491 Town Center Way, and get more information at ramenpalmdesert.com. … New to La Quinta: Palm Tree Palace. We couldn’t find an online presence for this new Chinese restaurant, so we recommend stopping by 79660 Highway 111 to get the details.

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MAY 2019

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SEDAKA STILL SINGS! Now 80, the rock pioneer—coming to Morongo—says he has no plans to retire anytime soon

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The mask-wearing surf-punk masters of mayhem return to Pappy’s J. Patron loves to meld hip hop with all sorts of Latin music SUBATOMIC: THINK YOU WANT TO BECOME A DJ? HERE ARE A FEW TIPS THE LUCKY 13: Meet guitarists for a metal band, a desert-rock outfit

The Blueskye REPORT MAY 2019

By Brian Blueskye

Shen Yun

The summer slowdown is beginning after a rainy, windy, busy season. The snowbirds are gone—but May is still packed with a lot of compelling events.

The McCallum Theatre is winding down with a couple of events before going dark over the summer. At 7 p.m., Thursday, May 2; 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4; and 2 p.m., Sunday, May 5, College of the Desert Performing Arts will be performing Phantom of the Opera. Tickets are $23 to $43. Take a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 9; 2 p.m., Friday, May 10; and 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11, with Shen Yun. This is a musical and dance performance of various tales and legends from China. Tickets are $120 to $150. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is rocking into May. At 8 p.m., Saturday, May 18, the supergroup (and the word “supergroup” is an understatement in this case) Hollywood Vampires will be performing. It’s Joe Perry of Aerosmith along with ... Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper! With a lineup like that, you need a word bigger than “supergroup.”

Tickets are $59 to $99. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 24, R&B superstar Maxwell will be returning to the Coachella Valley. In 2016, Maxwell released his album blackSUMMERS’night to high critical acclaim. Tickets are $59 to $99.

At 8 p.m., Sunday, May 26, Runaways guitarist and all-around bad ass Joan Jett will be performing. Tickets are $49 to $89. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage has a star-packed May with several sold-out events. Here are a couple with tickets left as of our press deadline. At 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11, enjoy continued on Page 27 CVIndependent.com

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SEDAKA STILL SINGS!

By Brian Blueskye

N

eil Sedaka’s career has taken many twists and turns over the years. He was one of the most successful early rock ’n’ rollers before his career derailed in the 1960s—setting the stage for an amazing comeback in the 1970s.

And today, he’s focusing on … classical music? That’s correct—although concert-goers can expect to hear his hits when he returns to the area to perform at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa on Friday, May 24. give it a shot?’” Sedaka said. “Jeffrey Biegel, who The concert will come within days of him is a great concert pianist, has been playing the receiving a significant honor. piano concerto all over the United States and “I’m getting an honorary degree in music made a recording. Not too many rock ’n’ rollers from the Moravian College in Pennsylvania. It’s can say that.” a big music college, and it’s my first honorary Over in the United Kingdom, Sedaka is still a degree. I’m very excited,” Sedaka said. “I never huge hit. In recent years, he’s played concerts in finished Juilliard. I went to the prep school Hyde Park and at the Royal Albert Hall. for eight years and the college for three years.

“The English have welcomed me over the They’re doing an evening of Neil Sedaka songs, years; even when I was out of work in America, and a great pianist is going to play my piano they were very loyal to the original American concerto.” rock ’n’ rollers. So they welcomed me always,” Piano concerto?

Sedaka said. “I played the Royal Albert Hall “I wrote two symphonies and a piano conmany times: once with a symphony, once with certo. I’m going back to my roots. I started as my band, and a couple of times solo. The last a classical pianist, and I said, ‘Well, why don’t I time was solo. It’s an exciting place with a lot of

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Now 80, the rock pioneer—coming to Morongo—says he has no plans to retire anytime soon

history in classical music and pop music. There are many balconies, and it’s about 4,000 people.

“I did Hyde Park for 45,000 people. … That was quite an experience. It’s unusual. It’s a long career. I’ve been writing music for 67 years and singing 63 years. I started writing when I was 13, when I discovered I had a voice, and I was the first rock ’n’ roller to go to Australia, Japan, South America and Europe. Elvis didn’t travel. I took the opportunity to be the first.”

At one point, Sedaka had a portrait done by Andy Warhol.

“He was a friend in the ’70s, and we used to go to Studio 54 and various parties,” Sedaka said. “I posed in downtown Manhattan at his studio. (His work) had a big showing at the Whitney Museum (which closed) a couple of weeks ago. I was prominently on the wall, which is quite nice. I knew he always did three photos and painted them. The first one was offered to me for $25,000, and that was his usual fee, and the other two are in his Pittsburgh museum. …

He was a scatterbrain, but he was quite a character and very prolific. Either you love him, or you hate him; there’s no in between.”

What was Sedaka’s impression of the famed Studio 54 nightclub in all its infamous glory?

“It was absolutely crazy. From ballet dancers to drag queens to film stars, it ran the gamut,” Sedaka said. “There were rooms for the drugs, and in those days, I wasn’t a druggie. I tried a little bit of everything, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I still like vodka. I’m an old-timer.”

His 1975 song “The Immigrant” has had a resurgence lately, in a country divided on the issue of immigration. The song is a tribute to his family roots.

“Phil Cody and I released that back in 1975, and it’s more relevant today than ever,” Sedaka said. “I do close the concerts with it. Whether you agree or not, our country was raised on immigrants. My grandparents came from Istanbul, Turkey, in the early 1900s, and I think that we captured something there that’s important.”

Sedaka turned 80 in March, but he said he has no plans to retire as of now.

“You have to know when to bow out. It’s like a ball player: You have a great skill and a great career record—and you get out on the field again, and realize you’re not up to par: When that happens, I’m going to bow out,” Sedaka said. “I still have my voice, which is very strange. I was told years ago that when you’re 70, your voice goes. But my voice at 80 is still very strong. I have a little arthritis in my hands, so I don’t play Brahms; I play Sedaka. As long

as the people come out, and I can still reach a certain standard with the voice and the songs, I’ll continue.

“That adrenaline rush is so strong when you’re in front of people. You can feel under par, but all the aches and pains go away, and it’s when you get off the stage that you really feel it.

The adrenaline and the endorphins are incredible. It’s probably the biggest natural high in life, being in front of an audience.”

While you’ll indeed hear Sedaka’s hits, that’s not all you’ll hear at his show.

“I like to get to the ‘neglected children,’ and during the encore, I like to do three or four of those neglected ones that were buried in the LPs, and they get a great reception,” he said. “That’s very hard to do—play something unknown to the audience. When it gets a better reception than ‘Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,’ I’m very proud of that.”

Neil Sedaka will perform at 9 p.m., Friday, May 24, at Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, in Cabazon. Tickets are $65 to $75. For tickets or more information, call 800-252-4499, or visit www.morongocasinoresort.com.

Neil Sedaka.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 25

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he Creepy Creeps is a wild San Diego band that puts on one of the best live shows you’ll ever see. Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on Saturday, May 11.

The Creepy Creeps is a surf-punk band made up of members of bands including The Locust, Struggle, and Tarantula Hawk. Onstage antics include crowd-taunting and heckling, and the members wear themed masks for each show (like, for example, Planet of the Apes).

During a phone interview with Creepy Creeps guitarist Dave Warshaw, he said they’ve never performed sans masks.

“It’s always hot (under the masks), but it’s Creeps, and we have Creepxotica, which is an never unbearable,” Warshaw said. “We’ve been exotica version of what we do as the Creepy doing this for 20 years, so we have what it Creeps.” takes. We never take it off. We’ve been in some A Creepy Creeps show can be a rock ’n’ roll pretty rough situations where it’s been really, religious experience for some. really hot. Even when the room is baking in the “We present ourselves with a bit of humor, summertime, we still have to keep it on, and the and we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” show must go on.”

Warshaw said. “I think we always include the Warshaw explained the genesis of the band’s crowd. … It takes a minute to learn what they’re spooky vibes. seeing. Now it’s to the point where if people “A couple of us were involved in other projcome, and it’s their first Creepy Creeps show, ects, and we just wanted to be in a garage band,” they leave changed. It’s pretty rad to see how Warshaw said. “At first, we didn’t really know stoked people get, and when people come up where we were headed. We were just going to do and tell you (how happy they are)—and then a haunted garage band. It led itself into this. they buy all your merch. We’re lucky like that. I “An interesting fact is that myself and the don’t know why.” drummer—we went to high school together, They always love coming to the desert and and we’ve known each other since we were 15.

Pappy and Harriet’s, Warshaw said—in part The keyboardist, he and I were in The Locust because of the unpredictability. together. … Next year will be (the Creepy “I love the idea that you can have dinner and Creeps’) 20th year. It’s never had different mem- watch the craziest band perform right in front bers, and it’s always sort of been like a family of you—whether you’re there to see it or you thing. We’re in it together, and it’s a brotherhave no idea. That could be all the way from the hood of creeps.”

Creepy Creeps to Paul McCartney showing up There is also an offshoot of the band. on a Sunday, and nobody knows,” he said. “You “The Creepy Creeps is exactly what it is: It’s never really know what’s going on out there. what we do when we’re having fun with our It’s very different, especially when it comes to a family and friends,” he said. “We all have our steak house.” things that we do on the side. It’s a really cool Before ending the interview, Warshaw insistband where if somebody has something going ed on making one thing known about one of the on, we don’t argue about it, and that’s fine. We opening acts. work really well together. We have the Creepy “The Schizophonics and the Creepy Creeps are always in a battle with each other,” he said.

“They’ve been plugging this DJ battle that we’re doing against them. I just want to make it known that we thrashed their asses in San Diego in April.”

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26 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

MAY 2019

MUSIC COLOMBIA TO THE COACHELLA VALLEY J

By Brian Blueskye

. Patron often wears clothing with the slogan “Puro Oro.” This translates to “Pure Gold”—and that’s exactly what J. Patron is in the local hip-hop scene, as an artist who has opened doors for many others.

J. Patron (Camilo Gomez) came to the United States from Colombia when he was 4 years old and grew up in the Coachella Valley. Local hip-hop artists Provoked and Willdabeast have talked to me in recent months about J. Patron’s being here. Going to school with friends— hip-hop talents, which developed at an early that’s the stuff we were listening to. As far age during high school during rap battles. In as the Latin roots go, that’s the stuff I grew recent years, J. Patron has toured the United up with at home, and I never really had the States and Latin America, including a SXSW desire to make that type of music. I was more appearance in March. interested in making hip hop, so it was later During a recent interview, Patron explained on, after a few years of rapping, that I started how he grew up listening to Latin music—and experimenting and mixing the two, and I how that went on to meld with his hip hop. realized that people were already doing that.

“It was everywhere!” Gomez said. “It was There was a scene already going on in Latin all my parents listened to. There is a cool little America, so that’s what united me and the cats Colombian community here in the Coachella down there.”

Valley, and they would throw parties all the Gomez said he’s always felt attached to his time. I grew up around cumbia, merengue and Colombian roots. stuff like that.

“Back in the early ’90s, (the Colombian “The hip-hop stuff was my influence just community) was all over the Coachella Valley.

CVIndependent.com

(There were) a few families here and there; everyone would get together and throw stuff,” he said. “Obviously in bigger cities, there are bigger communities. But they would just be really active with the Independence Day festivals and soccer games.

“That’s part of our religion,” he added, laughing.

Gomez said he’s excited about the growing popularity of Latin music in the United States.

“It’s always been there—but for it to be so Americanized, it’s something new,” he said.

“They said at the Latin Alternative Music Conference that I used to go to in New York, ‘It’s going to take over, and it’s growing.’ I believed in it, but just this last year, in 2018, it was a crazy year for Latin music, where it’s on English radio stations. It’s opened a lot of doors for me as a Latino making LatinAmerican Spanglish music in the United States. At first, it was super-hard; nobody wanted that shit anywhere. People were telling me I wouldn’t go anywhere with that. … Now it’s like everyone is accepting of it, and it’s opening doors. It’s truly a blessing to have this wave that it’s having right now, and it feels like it’s only going to get bigger.”

That growing popularity is taking place locally, too.

“It was about three years ago that I stared doing shows at The Hood and the Red Barn,” Gomez said. “Everyone was like, ‘This is predominantly a Caucasian music scene, so you’re going to play rock, some type of country or some other shit like that.’ Everyone (else) was like, ‘Bro! No! Stick to the nation! They are the ones showing you love.’ Even when I was doing shows at The Date Shed, everyone was fucking against each other over it, and I was like, ‘Dude, if these people are opening the doors for me, I’m not going to shut anyone down, and I’m going to take advantage of everything.’ The Hood was like, ‘OK, let’s see what’s up,’ and I did a few shows and brought out a couple of local guys and Giselle Woo, and we threw a sick-ass party. It was like, ‘Boom!

There it is!’ We just kept doing it.

“I remember one time we had a salsa night at The Hood, and it was pretty sick,” he said with a laugh. “You should have seen the dance floor; everyone was dancing salsa, and it was insane! At the Red Barn, I was always doing Latin trap, mixing the Latin and the American trap and stuff, and it was a hit; people would jump like a punk-rock show. At first, the venues weren’t what they were now, and since they’ve opened themselves to that, it’s been

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

J. Patron loves to meld hip hop with all sorts of Latin music

going really well for all of us.”

However, not all venues have been welcoming.

“I played somewhere north of Los Angeles.

I was on tour at that time and … doing my Spanish thing,” he said. “The club owner or whoever it was told me that it wasn’t going to fly there. I said, ‘Well, let me finish my show.

I’m still going to get paid, and I just won’t come back here. We’ll both be happy.’ That was a couple of years ago—but now it’s a whole different story. I’m sure if you go back to that place with the same kind of shit now, they’re going to open the doors for people to come in.”

His brand-new EP, My American Dream and Colombian Fantasy, represents a new direction for J. Patron.

“I started working on this EP about a year ago,” he said. “It’s a new genre for me that I’ve always wanted to be a part of, but I never really felt like I was ready: I started working on some reggaeton two years ago, and then officially started to make the EP a year ago; 75 percent of it is reggaeton. There’s one trap song on there.

It’s entirely produced by a good friend of mine who goes by Deltatron, from Lima, Peru. I met him at SXSW about two or three years ago, and we’ve been making music together ever since.

“Even Goldenvoice is throwing more Latininfused parties up in Los Angeles and now down here, too,” he said. “It’s exciting, and it’s very beneficial to someone like me who is an independent artist to be able to bring home the bacon.”

For more information, visit jpatronmusic.com.

J. Patron. Brian Blueskye

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 27

MAY 2019

Subatomic think you want to become a DJ? here are a few tips

By Alex harrington

Mill essex

So you want to be a DJ? Or maybe you’re a DJ already.

There is a running joke these days that says “everyone is a DJ” now. I have been doing it for seven years—and even that amount of time pales in comparison to the amount of experience others have.

This month, I’d like to share some things that I have learned over the years.

Know Your Goal: First things first—and that is to understand what you want to do.

It’s important to be realistic, especially at the start. Do you want to play clubs? Weddings?

Do you also want to create your own music? I think of what I do as a business—no different than being a plumber or doctor. The only difference is the medium with which you are working. As a DJ, it is important to know that most markets are over-saturated, so you’ll need to find a way to stand out. Your best shot is to find something that fits you.

Get on the Web: Having a presence on the internet is more vital than ever before.

Social media is a great tool. Choose the networks that best fit your target audience.

I like Instagram because it’s easy to digest: Photos, videos and short captions let your followers keep up with you. Facebook is also good, because you can run promotional ad campaigns and reach a targeted audience.

No matter what your social media choices are, a website helps tie it all together. You can list links to your mixes, music, events and more—all in one place!

When in Doubt, Reach Out: I have had some people ask me: “How do you get your

gigs?” The answer is pretty simple: I reach out to venues and promoters directly! If you know of a club that you want to play at, record a mix, and shoot the venue a short email. I find messaging via Facebook pages to be efficient at times. Think about why you would be a good fit for the venue. From a business standpoint, why should they hire you? How will you make them money?

Be Respectful: I live by the rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Over the years, it has never steered me wrong. No matter how big (or little) your local scene is, there are those who have been doing it for a longer time than you. I always made an effort to reach out to those in the scene with experience. If I wanted to play at a venue they were at, I would talk to them first. In that vein, don’t try to move in on a DJ’s residency.

It may be tempting, but the best thing you can do is put yourself out there and perfect your craft. Things come in time.

Say No to Ego: This is a big one! No one likes someone who thinks they’re better than everyone else. I’m proud of what I have done, but I know there is always more to be done, and more to learn. In the music business, it is easy to get carried away. Be yourself, and learn how to market yourself in a way that feels right.

If you enjoy what you do, you will connect with others—and the gigs will keep coming.

I hope you find these tips to be useful. I know that when I first started, I had to go it alone for a while. Everything takes time—so keep on working on getting better, and success will come!

The Blueskye REPORT continued from Page 23

CIRCOVIA, a Cirque-style extravaganza, created by Misha Matorin, a former member of Cirque du Soleil. Tickets are $40 to $60. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 31, comedian, actor and writer Rodney Carrington will be appearing.

You probably remember Carrington’s raunchy comedy from the late ’90s when everyone was sending .WAV files of his raunchy songs to your AOL e-mail address. Tickets are $35 to $55. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com.

Spotlight 29 has a big Latin-music event in May. At 8 p.m., Saturday, May 4, Norteño group Los Huracanes del Norte will be performing, along with Banda Machos.

Los Huracanes del Norte is internationally acclaimed Latin group, as is Banda Machos— so what we are trying to say is that this is a huge deal. Tickets are $35 to $45. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Morongo Casino Resort and Spa is the place to be if you’re passionate about …

TACOS! At 11 a.m., Saturday, May 18, it’ll be time for the Morongo Taco Festival 2019. What could be better than a taco festival? Maybe it’d be more appropriate on a Tuesday—but a Saturday will do just fine, because any time is good for tacos. Tickets are $10, and tacos from 30 various vendors are $2. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace rides into the spring/early summer season with an impressive May calendar. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 24, Matisyahu will be performing. Matisyahu’s career started with him winning over audiences as a devout Hasidic reggae star, but over the years, he’s become more spiritually evolved and has branched out musically. Tickets are $40. At 4 p.m., Saturday, May 25, the outdoor festival

Amanda McBroom

Matisyahu

Stoned and Dusted will be taking place, with Melvins, Fu Manchu, Brant Bjork and others. Tickets are $60. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-365-5956; www. pappyandharriets.com.

The Date Shed is ending the season with a few events in May. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 10, Los Angeles jam band The Higgs will be performing. Tickets are $10. At 8 p.m., Thursday, May 23, MURS will take the stage.

MURS is a socially minded rapper on the independent side of the rap game. He’s a brilliant lyricist—and this is one show you won’t want to miss. Tickets are $20-$25. The Date Shed, 50725 Monroe St., Indio; 760-775-6699; www.facebook.com/dateshed.

The Purple Room Palm Springs has a star-studded May schedule. At 8 p.m., Saturday, May 4, soul singer Chadwick Johnson will be performing. Johnson has worked with famed producer David Foster, has performed for former President Bill Clinton, and has received international success for his combination of soul music with pop and jazz. Tickets are $30 to $35. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 17, Nutty will be doing a vinyl-record release in collaboration with local artist Shag. Nutty is self-described as “jetsetter jazz.” Translation: The group takes rock ’n’ roll hits and puts on a jazz spin on them. Tickets are $30 to $35. At 8 p.m., Saturday, May 18, actress, songwriter and singer Amanda McBroom will be performing.

McBroom is probably best-known for writing the title track for the film The Rose, and she had recurring roles on shows such as Starsky and Hutch, Star Trek: The Next Generation and many others. Tickets are $35 to $40. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www.purpleroompalmsprings.com.

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MUSIC

MAY 2019

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

the

LUCKY 13

Meet the guitarists for an up-and-coming metal band and a longtime desert-rock outfit story and photos By Brian Blueskye Nobody can shred like Eddie Van Halen.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

I love me some hair metal! Ratt, Dokken, Quiet Riot, Warrant, Skid Row, Motley Crue, and Def Leppard (Bring out the tight leather and hairspray for Gina.)

NAME Chaz Marriott GROUP Ormus MORE INFO Big things are happening for local metal band Ormus. Late last year, the band released its debut album, Apocalyptic Transmissions. Playing guitar for Ormus is Chaz Marriott (who has also been moonlighting in The After Lashes as “Gina”).

For more information, visit www.facebook. com/ormusband.

What was the first concert you attended?

I saw my first concert when I resided in Utah. It was my 16th-birthday present. It was Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer on their Jägermeister tour. I just wanted to get down to the pit. I went outside after Anthrax played … and the metal gods shined upon me as I found a pit bracelet on the floor.

What was the first album you owned?

Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast. My mom was very Christian and tore it up with scissors.

What’s your favorite music venue?

I have not gotten to venture out of the desert too far yet, and honestly, I haven’t been blown away by a venue out here in the desert yet. We go for the music, not the venue, though, and all the amazing local talent we have out here makes the trip to any place in the valley worth it.

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

“She’s so elusive magnetically drawn, day tripping lady, what have you done?” from “Strange” by Ormus. We’re going to San Diego soon to record that single.

What band or artist changed your life? How? I’m not the kind of person that says, “This band saved my life,” or anything. Playing music is what changed my life.

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

Mick Thomson of Slipknot: “What got you to this point in your career? How did you go on your first tour?”

What bands are you listening to right now?

System of a Down, Dio, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Tenacious D, Slipknot, Lamb of God, Arch Enemy and Rebelution.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. Just kidding; have a Nerf-gun fight, and whoever wins can keep my eyeball. Also, play some “Dude (I Totally Miss You)” by Tenacious D.

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

Honestly, certain kinds of rap, especially the new rap artists people go crazy for. It’s not for me.

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

System of Down, Toxicity.

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

I would love to see Van Halen back in the day.

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What song should everyone listen to right now?

Dan Henig’s acoustic version of “My Neck, My Back.”

NAME Robert Bowman GROUP Waxy MORE INFO Robert Bowman is best known in the local-music world as the guitarist for WiseMan. However, WiseMan is not currently a thing—but Bowman was recently announced as the new bassist for local desertrock outfit Waxy. For more information, visit www.waxy-music.com.

What was the first concert you attended?

Dire Straits, the On Every Street Tour at the Great Western Forum, in 1992.

What was the first album you owned?

The first albums I bought with my own money were Poison’s Look What the Cat Dragged In, and Europe’s The Final Countdown.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Dream Theater, Deftones, The War on Drugs, Interpol, Waxy, Tool, The Secret Post, The Hellions, Vega, Alice in Chains and Pink Floyd.

bored and your feeling like your torn apart,” “Firstlast,” The Secret Post.

What band or artist changed your life? How? Dream Theater. They made me appreciate complex arrangements in a style of music that I had not been into until my mid-30s.

The more I listen to them, the more I have realized there is no limit to what we as humans are capable of when playing musical instruments.

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

Artists who have never written their own music, or have loaded and unloaded their own gear for a show that paid $0. Also, any “artist” who has been signed to a major label for creating a catch phrase like “cash me outside.”

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

Not only am I going to choose an artist who has passed on; I’m going back in time. I’d have to ask Richard Wright of Pink Floyd: “Would you mind if I sit in and observe your magic as you record keyboards on Animals?”

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

Pink Floyd, as cliché as it is. They’ve been my biggest inspiration in music.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Where We Start,” David Gilmour. It’s absolutely perfect.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Sade. I can’t get enough. She’s unbelievable.

What’s your favorite music venue?

The Wiltern. It’s a beautiful venue. I love the grandeur and opulence of that theater.

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

Alice in Chains’ Dirt. It really ties in all of the sugary memories of my adolescence: first love, my rebellion against authority, going through military school, and (being molded) into a music-loving kid.

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

“You get the news yeah, you hear the words, you take your time, you pay your dues, nothing seems to touch your heart, you’re

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“At Wit’s End,” Dream Theater. Not many folks are up to it, but for those who really listen, YOU’RE WELCOME!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 29

MAY 2019

CANNABIS IN THE CV

CONCERNING CBD CBD products vary wildly, in terms of both quality and effectiveness

BY ROBIN GOINS

C

BD has everyone talking these days.

No matter where you are, you will see CBD (an abbreviation of cannabidiol) products advertised, ready for your purchase and consumption. CBD products can be found in stores, pharmacies, massage/beauty parlors, restaurants—and, of course, dispensaries.

But not all CBDs are alike. How do you know you’re getting a quality product? How do you know what sets one product apart from another? The answers come from understanding where CBDs come from and how they are processed.

Isolate CBD is 100 percent pure; however, when the CBD is isolated, the symbiotic qualities of the other parts of the plant are eliminated. In other words, you get CBD, but you lose other critical properties that can have important health benefits.

Full-spectrum CBD contains a wider range of other naturally occurring compounds; wholeplant CBD does as well, but is made from various parts of the plant.

Why are these distinctions important?

Studies show that if you isolate pure CBD, it does not always have the same effect on everyone. In other words, bodies react better and more consistently when all the symbiotic elements of the plant are present. It’s really a shot in the dark whether isolated CBD will work, and determining what dosage will work for each person.

Another term you may see is “distillate,” or distilled CBD, which is often made using carbon dioxide, with the CBD passed through a machine three or more times to remove plant matter—which also removes the plant’s synergistic qualities. If heat is used during this process, the pressure can change the molecular structure of the CBD molecule, making it less bioavailable and effective. In other words: When the plant is stripped, the resulting product may be cleaner, but has been rendered less effective.

To sum this all up, the most-effective CBD products use whole plant technology.

“Do your research, and find organically grown plants, organic extraction and organic processes.

All of those should be certified,” said Eric Crowe, CEO of Mystic Valley CBD. (Full disclosure: I am

also a part of the Mystic Valley team.)

What can a consumer expect from a CBD product purchased at a dispensary? The answer is that a true 100 percent bioavailable CBD is unlikely to be found at a dispensary, because their CBDs are made from cannabis plants with a THC-dominant cultivar—and that means it needs to be processed to get much of that THC gets removed.

“When they remove the THC, most likely through heat or a chemical process, it inevitably changes the molecular structure of the CBD molecule,” Crowe said.

True pharmaceutical/supplemental CBDs come from the hemp plant, which is not a financially attractive plant to dispensaries. Quality certified organic hemp is grown outdoors, not indoors. Further, the best CBDs come from the female hemp plant.

“Certain female hemp plants produce up to 20 to 21 percent CBD, while males produce an average of 1 to 2 percent CBD, which is much like the THC cultivar,” Crowe said. “This is why you will see dispensaries selling (products with) … even amounts of CBD to THC. A quality hemp CBD is 20 percent CBD to less than 1 percent THC, which is essentially nothing … with no traceable THC.” This is an excellent option for consumers who want the medical benefits of CBD without the intoxicating effects of THC. So where do you find a quality hemp-based CBD? Through a reputable distributor. Crowe recommends looking for companies that can display their organic certifications and give information on pesticides, chemicals and ground contamination. Any reputable CBD company can and will supply this information.

The lesson here: Not all CBDs are alike. Read the labels, and make sure organic means organic. Your body will know the difference once you experience a quality CBD. Robin Goins is a business consultant for DR.G Consulting and works extensively in the cannabis industry in the Coachella Valley. For more information, visit www.drrobingoins.com.

Find Us/Follow Us! @GayDesertGuide www.GayDesertGuide.LGBT

@ILoveGayPS CVIndependent.com

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MAY 2019

OPINION SAVAGE LOVE

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

BUT HER EMAILS! W

BY DAN SAVAGE

hen I first started dating my girlfriend, I asked her about past boyfriends, and she said she hadn’t met the right guy yet. After dating for nine years, I found out about a past boyfriend and looked through her emails. I found out she dated her married boss for three years. She broke up with me for looking and for judging her. I feel like she lied, and she thinks it was none of my business. We’ve been broken up for five months. She’s reached out, but I can’t get over my anger or disgust that she was someone’s mistress. Am I a bad person?

Still Angry And Disgusted Yup. “Haven’t met the right guy yet” ≠ “Haven’t met any guys ever.”

Almost everyone has done something and/ or someone they regret doing—although it’s possible your ex-girlfriend doesn’t regret fucking her married boss for three years, SAAD, and it’s possible there’s no need for regret.

Sometimes people have affairs for all the right reasons. Sometimes abandoning a spouse and/or breaking up a home with kids in it, aka “doing the right thing” and divorcing, is the worse choice. Life is long and complicated, and it’s possible for a person to demonstrate loyalty and commitment with something other than their genitals. Sometimes people do what they must to stay married and stay sane, and their affair partners are doing good by being “bad.”

It’s also possible—and perhaps likelier—

that your ex-girlfriend made an impulsive, shitty, selfish choice to fuck someone else’s husband. It’s possible he’s a serial philanderer, a cheating piece of shit, and then, after fucking him that one time, your girlfriend felt pressured to keep fucking him and wound up having a years-long affair with her married boss. And then, when it was all over, she stuffed it down the memory hole because she wasn’t proud of it and wanted to forget it.

It’s also possible she didn’t tell you about this relationship when you asked because she intuited—correctly, as it turned out—that you are, in your own words, a bad person, i.e., the kind of guy who would punish his girlfriend for having a sexual history, for making her fair share of mistakes, and for deciding to keep some things private. (Not secret, SAAD. Private.) In other words, she correctly intuited that you would punish her for being human.

We’re Doing Business with PRIDE in the Coachella Valley.

Our 250 members support equality – and they support you!

I got angry with my girlfriend when I snooped and discovered she once dated a married man; was I justified?

Finding out about a past boyfriend doesn’t give you the right to invade your partner’s privacy and dig through their ancient emails.

Your girlfriend was right to break up with you for snooping through her emails and judging her so harshly. And she didn’t even lie to you, dude! Her boss clearly wasn’t “the right guy,” seeing as he was married and her boss, and the relationship ended before you two even first laid thighs on each other nine years ago.

And from where I’m sitting, SAAD, it looks like she still hasn’t met the right guy.

To be perfectly frank, I don’t want to help you get over your anger and disgust—not that you asked me to help you get past those feelings. It kind of sounds like you want your anger and disgust affirmed … and I’m going to go with that and affirm the shit out of those feelings: Stay angry! Stay disgusted! Not because those feeling are valid—they’re not— but because those feelings prevented you from taking your ex back when she reached out. She may not know it yet, but she’s better off without you, SAAD, and here’s hoping you stay angry and disgusted long enough for her to realize it.

sharing pics with me privately. So I’m happy to chat so long as you’re OK with the risk that I might pass after seeing your face pic.

Still, even if we’re not ultimately a sexual or romantic match, every kinkster needs some kinky friends!”

I’m a few months into OkCupid dating, and it’s going well! I’ve stuck to two “automatic pass” rules: anyone who mentions my looks and nothing else in the first message, and anyone with no face pic. It’s worked out great so far. But I’ve noticed that most kinksters on OKC don’t post face pics. I can understand this. I once came across a co-worker on the site—didn’t look, passed immediately—and I can imagine nobody wants their boss or co-workers to know they’re looking for puppy play and CBT. Not everyone has the luxury of taking a risk like that. So I’m tempted to drop my “no face pic = pass” rule for kinksters. But then I imagine how that would go: “Chat, chat, chat. ‘Hey, can I see a face pic?’ Oh no, I’m not physically attracted to this person!”

Then I have to awkwardly un-match and feel terribly shallow and guilty for a while.

So do I keep my rule and pass on some very promising profiles without face pics to avoid hurting someone’s feelings? Or do I bend the rules? I’m just not looking to hurt anyone in a bad way.

Growing Romantic Attachment Disrupts Studies

Not That Kind Of Sadist

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Lead with your truth, NTKOS: “Hey, we share a lot of common interests—BDSM, CBT, TT—but I usually require face pics before I chat. I understand why you may not be able to post your pics, and why you would want to chat for a bit and establish trust before

So I’ve fallen in love with one of my good friends.

I am in grad school, and we met because we are in the same intensive program, and we spend a lot of time together. When we first met, I had no interest in this person. And for the majority of the first year we worked together, that feeling maintained. However, over the past few months, I’ve found myself falling in love with this person.

Their intelligence and beauty is simply intoxicating. I love our friendship, but at times it is a bit overwhelming being in their company, because I’ve developed strong feelings for them. I don’t think they share these feelings, or at least I haven’t been given any indication that they share the same feelings.

How do I go about telling them? I’d like them to know this is how I feel, but I also don’t want to lay the weight of my feelings on them or ruin our friendship.

You have two options: You can be honest with this person, or you can be that unsettling “friend” with an ulterior motive. Personally, GRADS, I think fessing up is better than shutting up—sublimated/unexpressed desire has a way of souring a friendship—but if your grad program is ending soon, I’d encourage you to wait. Most graduate programs are two years (some are less!), and you’ve been working together for more than a year. So there should already be a light at the end of that intensive tunnel. In the meantime, savor the agony and “pray on it,” as Mike Pence would say. (Only you should swap out prayer for masturbation.) And, hey, you didn’t have feelings for them until recently. So who knows?

They may develop feelings for you by the time your intensive grad program ends.

And, yes, telling a friend you have a crush on them is always a risk—it could ruin the friendship or make things awkward for a while. Just be honest, direct and unambiguous (“I would like to date you,” not, “I hope we can hang out sometime”), and explicitly invite your crush to say no if the answer is no.

Read Savage Love every Wednesday at CVIndependent.com; mail@savagelove.net; @ fakedansavage; ITMFA.org.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 31

MAY 2019

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

“E’s Here!”—grid only, though.

Across 1 ___ out a living (got by) 5 KFC drumsticks, basically 9 Half a cartoon duo with a platypus 13 Matt’s Wild Things co-star 14 Didn’t do it right 16 Actor Omar of Almost Christmas 17 Form an opinion 18 Pupil, in Paris 19 Handbook info 20 Finding Dory star 23 Dr. Mario and Duck Hunt platform 24 Quattro minus uno 25 School tasks using Scantrons 28 Big buy for suds 31 K-pop group with a 2019 Grammy nomination 33 “Lucky Man” prog-rock trio, for short 34 “Tommy” song on day two of Woodstock 39 ___ Griffin’s Crosswords (2007-2008 show)

41 Gallup poll finding 42 TV cook Paula 43 HOF Brooklyn shortstop with uniform no. 1 46 Physics unit of work 47 Chicago lyricist 48 Promgoing kids, for short 49 Poly finish 51 21___ (Shaq’s foot stat) 53 180° from WSW 54 Hashtag post that’s always apt 62 WWF’s “Hitman” Hart 63 War of 1812 pact city 64 Raison d’___ 65 Wordplay and Simpsons crossword guy with Will 66 Bob who did “Hollywood Nights” 67 Russo of Tin Cup 68 “Compás” point 69 In ___ (actually) 70 Toboggan Down 1 Conclusion, in Koln 2 Boat bottom 3 Bus-jumping stunt cyclist, casually 4 Folk/country musician Iris 5 City not far from

Kingston upon Hull 6 Oil tycoon Halliburton 7 Diary of a Wimpy Kid kid 8 Golf pro who won postFuzzy 9 Dug around, with “out” 10 Olympics sword 11 D&D and similar campaign pursuits 12 Flimflams, for short 15 Auto body flaw 21 Loch for cryptozoologists 22 Kathryn of Oz and L&O: C.I. 25 Mall Santa job or sub at work, say 26 Robt. ___ (Civil War fig.)

27 Buying outing 28 TV cook Graham and family 29 Abu Dhabi VIP (var.)

30 Mutation factors 32 Bad driving condition 35 July and August, to Balzac 36 Gps. that assist putting out conflagrations 37 Nothing but 38 RPI grad’s abbr.

40 Car also known as a Bug 44 Hairstylist known for

cowboy hats 45 Throat doc that also works in ophthalmology 50 Conduits found in TMNT 52 Ovoids in a carton 53 ___ nous 54 “So ___ to you, FuzzyWuzzy” (Kipling) 55 Not horiz.

56 Syngman ___ of 1950s Asian politics 57 Brain activity monitors 58 Suffix for carbon compounds, plural 59 Child star who was Damian in Millions 60 Grayish-brown aquatic bird 61 Angry, with “off” 62 MIT study topic including hospitals, diagnostics and MRIs ©2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords (jonesincrosswords@ gmail.com) Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

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MAY 2019

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