Coachella Valley Independent August 2016

COAC HE LLA VA LLE Y IND EPEN

DE NT | AU GU ST 20 16

VOL. 4 | NO. 8

s r e m r a F e t a D e h T PAGE

orks of w e h t m r o E f v i t ll in c a e l r e l k o r c o w t r t he migran is East Valley a t f o s e l g g u th the str d n a s ic it l o p

By Brian Blueskye ory, Mexican hist CVIndependent.com

14

2 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

LOCALS GET AN ADDITIONAL 10% SAVINGS An oasis of cool at

Need a place to beat the heat? Head over to Gelson’s, where you can hydrate, refresh, and replenish.

Come to Gelson’s — where staying cool and eating well is easy as can be.

Stock up on water (still, sparkling, and flavored), fresh juices, and other delightfully cold beverages.

The latest and greatest chilly treats await you in our Frozen section.

You’ll find a terrific selection of fruits and vegetables, including locally sourced and organic offerings, in our Produce Department. Visit our Service Deli for delicious prepared foods made from the finest and freshest ingredients available.

Shop our grocery aisles for your favorite staples and specialty items. And if you need assistance, our team is there for you.

Best of all, Coachella Valley residents will receive 10% off their purchases! See Store Director for details.

CVIndependent.com

Rancho Mirage

36-101 Bob Hope Drive (Corner of Gerald Ford & Bob Hope) 7am–10pm • (760) 770-0010

$5 Off

your entire order of $25 or more*

Our way of saying “thanks” for shopping with us!

www.gelsons.com

*Offer valid at Gelson’s Rancho Mirage only. Excludes pharmacy, dairy, tobacco, bakery, alcohol, gift cards, and postage stamps. May be combined with the Locals Only 10% discount, but with no other Gelson’s coupons. Limit one coupon per customer per day.

No cash back. No reproductions accepted; coupon must be surrendered when tendered.

Expires: 8/31/2016

/ilovegelsons

@gelsonsmarkets

@gelsonsmarkets

/gelsonsmarkets

PLU #8916

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

AUGUST 2016

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

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle Assistant Editor Brian Blueskye cover/Cover Story design Mark Duebner Design Contributors Wayne Acree, Gustavo Arellano, Max Cannon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, ValerieJean (VJ) Hume, Brane Jevric, Keith Knight, Andrea Clark Mason, Marylee Pangman, Erin Peters, Dan Perkins, Sean Planck, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Christine Soto, Robert Victor The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month.

All content is ©2016 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader.

Additional copies may be purchased for $1 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors.

The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, Get Tested Coachella Valley, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, the LGBT Community Center of the Desert, and the Desert Ad Fed.

When we decided to put a story about police-involved killings on the cover of our July print edition, we had no idea that the month would be dominated by news about police-involved killings—and the killings of police.

Yet that’s exactly what happened. The deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn., sparked yet more outrage about the excessive use of force by law-enforcement officers. The country watched in horror as Micah Johnson mowed down police officers who were watching over a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, killing five officers and injuring nine other officers and two bystanders. Then came the murder of three law enforcement officers, and the wounding of three others, again in Baton Rouge, La., by Gavin Long.

These terrible deaths prove, yet again, that our country has some deep and serious problems. Way, way too many people are dying at the hands of law enforcement.

On the flip side, while the vast majority of police officers in this country are fantastic, some troubled souls view all cops as being bad. And, of course, systemic racism is alive and well.

None of these problems will be solved overnight—especially considering the fact that one of this country’s two major parties is pushing an agenda that marginalizes LGBT Americans, Mexican immigrants, Muslims and many others. Sadly, more blood will be spilled before things get better.

That’s not to say there’s no reason for optimism. That aforementioned July cover story was about the fact that for the first time ever, the country has access to the fairly complete Fatal Encounters database of law-enforcement-related deaths—and that data can be analyzed and used to create better public policy.

It’s also important to note that violentcrime rates are much, much lower today— about two-thirds lower, in fact—than they were in the early 1990s. So even though it may not seem like it at times, our society today is way safer than it used to be.

Finally, despite all of the political rancor, many amazing people are working hard to unite us and develop understanding. For example, there’s Tizoc DeAztlan, a young local Democrat who’s working with his friend Hugh Van Horn, former president of the Coachella Valley Young Republicans, to hold a series of “Perspectives” discussion groups. You can read more about that on Page 5.

Welcome to the August 2016 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent. Enjoy, please, and drop me a line at the email address below if you have any questions or comments.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com On the cover: “Microwave Soup” by the Date Farmers.

CVIndependent.com

4 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

CVIndependent.com

AUGUST 2016

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

AUGUST 2016

OPINION OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS B

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

Meet Tizoc DeAztlan, a Coachella Valley native who is working to open minds—and create opportunities

BY ANITA RUFUS

orn in the Coachella Valley toward the end of the Generation X demographic, Tizoc DeAztlan, at 37, is the embodiment of all of the best Gen X stereotypes: individualistic, entrepreneurial, tech savvy, goal oriented—and wanting to make a difference.

DeAztlan is a Coachella Valley native, born to Roberto, a lawyer, and Amalia, a social activist and feminist (and someone I’ve known for more than 25 years). He has two older sisters.

“Yes,” he acknowledges, “I was the baby in the family.”

DeAztlan says he was born into politics. “My mom instilled in me the need to see justice, and to not just settle for conditions in the community as they are, or for less than is fair.”

A graduate of La Quinta High School in its first graduating class, DeAztlan went on to graduate from Fordham University with a degree in communication. He lives in La Quinta with his wife, Briana, whom he met when they The first Perspectives meeting drew were both in high school.

30-40 people and a lively discussion. A few DeAztlan has been actively involved designated people shared their ideas or feelings in the world of politics, working on the on the topic, and then others volunteered to campaigns of locals like Congressman Raul participate; this was followed by small group Ruiz, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, discussions involving everyone present.

Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez and “We want to create an environment where former Assemblymember V. Manuel Perez. He everyone feels comfortable sharing their own remembers campaigning with his mom back perspective,” says DeAztlan. “It’s important when he was in the fifth-grade, and his dad that if someone has something they want to driving him around before school to put door say, they have a place to share it.” hangers on people’s homes.

DeAztlan hopes to tackle issues like “I’m involved in party campaign politics income inequality, race, guns and the role of and in nonpartisan community organizing,” government. he said. “I see politics in everything. It’s up “I think we have a responsibility to listen to each individual how much to engage. It and learn others’ perspectives,” he says. doesn’t matter your position; there are so “Groups like this happen more in urban areas, many ways to be who you are and play a role.” but here, we are so segregated by walls and DeAztlan’s first job, at the age of 19, geography. I’m confident people want an was doing field research for the RAND arena for discussion without restrictions.

Corporation in Los Angeles County, We want the questions to be open and give interviewing people about their lives, access people the ability to learn more that will to health care and other personal and enable them to back up their opinions. It’s community issues. very sobering the effect that being around “It was the first time I saw issues on both a your peers in the community can have. It goes micro and macro level, and saw how research way beyond talking points. It’s worth much can affect people’s real lives,” he says. more than just reading about something or DeAztlan’s latest venture—in coordination hearing it on television. You can’t eliminate with Hugh Van Horn, former president of the politics around lots of issues, but we want the Coachella Valley Young Republicans—is to eliminate ‘labels,’ and we want people to Perspectives, a nonpartisan discussion group interpret for themselves. that held its first meeting in Indio in June. ”We’re often told to think a certain way “Hugh and I are friends who always about some issue, but our own lives can make have discussions about lots of issues,” says us realize something completely different. You DeAztlan. “It’s so easy to fall into ‘talking know, just because someone’s a Republican points’ that often miss the point. We realized doesn’t mean they’re not a compassionate people may have more in common with their person. Just because you’re gay doesn’t mean neighbors than they realize, and wanted to you can’t be prejudiced against others. We all provide a place for people to discuss and share need to listen and learn from each other.” information in a hopeful, compassionate and No date has been set for the next responsible manner with mutual respect.”

Perspectives gathering, but they plan to

Tizoc DeAztlan: Young people need to feel empowered that whatever their skill set is, there’s a local market for it.”

announce a date and topic soon. Meanwhile, Tizoc and Briana have started an eventproduction business that allows them to be involved in major events.

While Tizoc and Briana decided to return to the Coachella Valley after college, many young people do not, and yet others who do return have difficulty building their lives locally.

Tizoc hopes to see a Coachella Valley future that includes more access to small-business loans, expansion of local education (like the four-year program now at Cal State’s campus in Palm Desert), more local development of technology, and access to jobs.

“Young people need to feel empowered that whatever their skill set is, there’s a local

market for it,” says DeAztlan.

Tizoc DeAztlan is an excellent example of a generation that has felt the obligation to do something—and which is inheriting the power to get things done.

“Some choose to ignore, others feel the obligation to do something,” DeAztlan says.

“I believe you have to want more than what is right in front of you.”

Anita Rufus is also known as “The Lovable Liberal,” and her radio show airs Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on KNews Radio 94.3 FM. Email her at Anita@LovableLiberal.com. Know Your Neighbors appears every other Wednesday at CVIndependent.com.

CVIndependent.com

6 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

OPINION OPINION

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN

BY MARYLEE PANGMAN

A

s I mentioned last month, gardeners are typically rule-breakers. We bend the rules and seek out plants that we are told will definitely not make it in the desert. We try to grow our favorites, climate be damned, saying as we stomp our foot: “Yes I can!”

Unfortunately, it’s proven a lot more difficult for potted desert gardeners to successfully break the rules this year. I have heard from a lot of desert gardeners recently who are trying to grow plumeria. While some fortunate souls may luck out, the recent high heat in the Southwest U.S. has been killing off these plants rapidly.

I cannot believe how many people I’ve heard from in the Coachella Valley complaining about the plants they are losing this year. Tropical plants just cannot live in our summer heat unless they are placed in an area that can be temperature-controlled.

Of course, as I also mentioned last month, there are constant gray areas within the rules for gardening in the desert. I almost always preface my gardening answers with, “That depends.”

One question I get asked often is: How often do I need to change the soil in my pots?

My answer? You guessed it: That depends!

Pots may need the soil replaced if: • Water runs through very quickly.

• Plants are wilted even after watering.

• Large plants’ leaves are curling even after you water deeply a second time in the same day.

• Plants that are wilted in the heat of the afternoon are still wilted in the morning.

If you see one or more of these symptoms and decide that your pot needs new soil, what

How often should the soil be changed in pots? Well … that depends!

should you do? Well, first off … DON’T change the soil now, during the heat of the summer!

You want your potted plants to rest right now and get through this summer period.

What you can do is keep them hydrated—but that does not mean adding even more water.

You should only water potted cactus plants every week or two. Potted shrubs and trees should be watered once or twice a week, while potted perennials and annual flowers need to be watered daily.

So how do you keep plants hydrated without watering more? You water smart: Be sure to water in the early morning so the plants go into the hottest periods moist. In the desert heat, that is going to be between 5 and 6 a.m. Don’t worry if plants wilt or droop during the heat of the day; that is what they do for self-preservation. They should bounce back once the sun has gone down.

If they are still struggling, cover plants in direct sun with shade cloth, or move the pots under a tree or under a roofed ramada.

Palm Springs has been even hotter than normal this year. Without the benefit of monsoon rains, you will need to be vigilant with your potted desert gardens—and it

couldn’t hurt to cross your fingers.

As you go through the rest of this summer, closely observe your pots and your plants’ watering needs. Make a note which pots may need to have their soil replaced this coming fall—something that’s typically done during the October planting season. I will share more information on how to do this next month.

Your August To-Do List 1. Do not prune plants during the continuing August heat.

2. Deadhead your spent flowers.

3. Garden and water very early in the morning.

Marylee Pangman is the founder and former owner of The Contained Gardener in Tucson, Ariz. With more than 18 years of experience, she has become known as the desert’s potted garden expert. Marylee’s book, Getting Potted in the Desert, is now available. Buy it online at potteddesert.com; it’s now available on Kindle.

Email her with comments and questions, or requests for digital consultations, at marylee@ potteddesert.com. Follow the Potted Desert at facebook.com/potteddesert.

You know you want it ... ... Your dream house.

The Borey Group has the KEY to your future!

www.theboreygroup.com Don’t worry if plants wilt or droop during the heat of the day; that is what they do for self-preservation.

They should bounce back once the sun has gone down.

CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

AUGUST 2016

OPINION OPINION

ASK A MEXICAN!

Do Mexican doctors play Cat Stevens music before prostate exams?

BY GUSTAVO ARELLANO DEAR MEXICAN: Over the years, I’ve had several different American doctors digitally violate me to examine my old prostate. Before they examine me, they always play Cat Stevens music. It explains why old American men uniformly hate Cat Stevens.

I’m moving to Mexico soon, and I assume that my next annual physical will be performed by a Mexican. Do Mexican doctors play Cat Stevens before they examine your prostate? Do old Mexican men hate that guy as much as old men from America?

Culo Chris DEAR GABACHO: Does anyone care about Cat Stevens anymore besides Muslims?

Certainly not Mexicans. But I can say that old Mexican men hate prostate exams far more than gabachos, because they’d rather risk dying painfully from a preventable cancer than getting anything shoved into their nalgas.

This ain’t just stereotyping Mexican masculinity, but the unfortunate truth. The awesomely titled “I Will No Longer Be a Man! Manliness and Prostate Cancer Screenings Among Latino Men,” by Zully Rivera-Ramos and Lydia Buki, which appeared in the December 2011 issue of Psychology of Men and Masculinity, found that “prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer among Latino men. Due, in part, to lower rates of screening.”

Why the low rates of digital rectal exams?

The same reasons are found in “Expressions of Machismo in Colorectal Cancer Screening Among New Mexico Hispanic Subpopulations” in the April 2012 issue of Qualitative Health Research: It’s the machismo, pendejo. Mexican men, like Kanye West, only want toilet paper to touch their anuses, because anything else would make them gay.

And now you know why Mexico is Mexico.

DEAR MEXICAN: My husband swears up and down that Mexican men do not grant drivers the courtesy of “cutting in” or merging into their lane. I tell him that he’s crazy, but every time he runs into this situation, the driver just happens to be a male who looks to be Mexican.

What’s the deal with that? I’m out to prove him wrong, but so far, everything is working out in his favor.

$10 Off

Where Beauty & any salon Rejuvenation or spa service* * for first time client only.

Happens

Multiple appointments allowed.

Massage | AVEDA Hair Spa Nails | Clinical Skincare Let Me In, Damn It! DEAR GABACHA: You really think a culture that celebrates coming into this country without papers is going to care about letting people get ahead of them during traffic? That’s like expecting Donald Trump to suddenly offer aguachile at his restaurants—¡no mames!

DEAR MEXICAN: Is it just my imagination, or do Mexican families tend to fiesta on Sunday evenings more than any other day of the week? If the driveway is packed full of cars, the oompah is blaring, and the kids are running wild, it tends to be a Sunday. Why?

Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

You must mention this ad when making your appointments.

(760) 325-4800 353 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

www.revivecenterspa.com

Save the Date

Wednesday, September 14, 2016 PRESENTED BY

Interested Neighbor DEAR GABACHO: My saintly mami told me that when she and her siblings were picking garlic in California’s Central Valley during the 1960s as preteens, they’d work Monday through Saturday; wash clothes and clean around the house Sunday morning; and then spend the rest of their Domingo afternoon relaxing along with all the other Mexicans they knew.

The same goes with Mexicans of this era, although I would add that Saturday evenings are also reserved for weddings and quinceañeras—but since they involve navigating family and rancho rivalries dating back to the Porfiriato, the Mexican considers them more hard labor than puro pinche pari.

Catch the Mexican every Wednesday at CVIndependent.com. Ask the Mexican at themexican@askamexican.net; be his fan on Facebook; follow him on Twitter @ gustavoarellano; or follow him on Instagram @ gustavo_arellano!

HOSTED BY

Benefiting Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs Palm Springs Hospitality Association Palm Springs Restaurant Association 8 a.m. Shotgun Scramble Format Contributions received after September 9th may not receive the full benefits due to e.g. production deadlines. A not-for-profit organization under IRS code 501(c)(3). Tax ID: 95-1957907

For sponsorship and golf tournament information visit palmspringshospitality.org

CVIndependent.com

8 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

PALM SPRINGS

POWER STRUGGLE

Mayor Rob Moon says he now regrets voting to retain City Manager David Ready

BY BRANE JEVRIC

A

Palm Springs City Hall power struggle involving freshman Mayor Rob Moon and longtime City Manager David Ready seems like a classic David vs. Goliath battle.

In this case, the mayor is playing the underdog role of David, while the role of mighty Goliath goes to Ready. Since 1994, according to the city charter, Palm Springs has basically been run by the city manager, while the role of the mayor is largely ceremonial: He’s just another City Council member who also gets to cut ribbons, greet dignitaries, attend events, give speeches and so on.

However, that does not mean a mayor has no power whatsoever: A mayoral term is four years long, which offers plenty of time for a motivated mayor, if he so chooses, to put the pressure on the City Council to use its power to fire the city manager.

That’s exactly what Moon proposed, more or less, back in April, when Moon called a special meeting to evaluate the performance of Ready and Doug Holland, a contractor who serves as the city attorney. Moon’s proposal came in the wake of a turbulent year during which the city was dragged into an FBI investigation.

However, Moon soon learned that he was the only council member who supported removing the city manager. After a closed session on April 13, the City Council voted unanimously to keep Ready.

Today, the power struggle continues—and Moon is now saying he wishes he’d stood his ground and voted to fire Ready.

“I wanted the City Council to go on the record,” Moon said. “I did then vote to endorse the city manager, but I regret that vote. I should have stood my ground and at least made a symbolic vote against it.”

Since becoming city manager in 2000, Ready has largely reigned unchallenged during the terms of four mayors: Will Kleindienst, Ron Oden, Steve Pougnet and now Moon.

Ready offered a diplomatic response to the “evaluation” of his job performance that Moon initiated.

“It is the prerogative of the mayor and any member of City Council to discuss my employment contract,” he said, “and as always, I serve at the will and pleasure of the City Council.”

Ready earned $421,221 in pay and benefits last year, making him the highest-compensated city government employee in the Coachella Valley—and one of the highest-paid city managers in the state. I asked Moon what he thought about capping the city manager’s salary.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Moon said. “…

CVIndependent.com

But if there is a cap, perhaps a person who has been around a long time would not like it and would go to work in a big city, like Chicago.”

While Ready’s salary has increased over the years, he said he’s made some personal sacrifices when it comes to his pay.

“With regard to salary increases, in several years, I have refused to take increases outlined in my contract as we went through the recession,” Ready said. “Hence, salary or salary caps are not an issue for me, personally.”

Both Moon and Ready said they’re awaiting the results of the ongoing probe into city affairs—apparently involving the conduct of former Mayor Steve Pougnet.

“The FBI, the IRS and the (district attorney) seized certain documents, servers, cell phones, etcetera,” Moon said. “I’ve no idea what they were looking for. … I expect that sometime by end of this year, my guess, we’ll hear what the outcome of the investigation is.”

Ready said the city has been transparent throughout the investigation and added that documents removed during the raid have been returned and posted on the city’s website for public review.

“Those agencies were doing their jobs,” Ready said about the law enforcement agencies investigating the city. “The city is fully cooperating with the investigation, and we are committed to keeping our citizens and the public updated on any information that we receive.”

However, the city has indeed suffered from some lapses in transparency. Shortly after the Sept. 1, 2015, FBI raid, former Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco— despised by some members of the community

Palm Springs City Manager David Ready (left) survived a recent attempt by Mayor Rob Moon (right) to convince the rest of the City Council to give Ready the boot.

thanks to his hard-line role in a 2009 Warm Sands area sex sting that was tinged by homophobic remarks—was hired to “assist” the City Council in the matter. However, that information was not released to the public until this spring—after Ready at one point told The Desert Sun that the city had not hired outside legal help.

Moon said he was shocked when he learned the city had hired Pacheco.

“Right after I was sworn in, we had a closed-session meeting, and Mr. Pacheco was introduced to the new council,” Moon said.

“Once I found who he was, I felt that it was inappropriate for us to be employing him, even indirectly. I was one of those people who very strongly led a movement to cut any ties with him.”

Ready said it was not his idea to hire Pacheco in the first place, and instead pointed a finger at City Attorney Doug Holland.

“The city attorney decides to hire outside legal services,” Ready said. “In this case, in

order to fully cooperate with the district attorney, the city attorney indicated his decision to hire Mr. Pacheco was based on his extensive knowledge and understanding of the operations and procedures within the District Attorney’s Office.”

Moon is now leading a charge to replace the existing contracted city attorney with an in-house city attorney. Moon is on a city subcommittee working with recruiting firms to find a new city attorney.

“It’s been approved by the City Council, and it’s in the budget,” Moon said. “I’ve strongly felt that we need a city attorney to be a member of our team—actually employed by the city. I would like to get it done in six months.”

Ready said he is indifferent regarding the issue, and added that the matter is out of his hands.

“As with the city manager’s position, the city attorney is a position that is hired by the City Council,” Ready said.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

AUGUST 2016

NEWS THE

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

CHAMP

Coachella’s Citlalli Ortiz fights to keep her undefeated record

BY KEVIN FITZGERALD

C

lose to 1,000 young boxing hopefuls and proven amateurs congregated in July at the 15th Annual Desert Showdown at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio—all in search of a title in their weight and age class.

For one local girl, the tournament meant a return to the site of her first sanctioned bout and victory. As of the start of the tournament, Citlalli Ortiz had never lost a fight.

“My first fight was when I was 12, and it was at the Desert Showdown four years ago,” said Citlalli Ortiz, of Coachella, during a recent training session at her boxing home, the Coachella Valley Boxing Club gym, run by the valley’s elder statesman of pugilism, Lee Espinoza.

Ortiz started boxing because she was dragged to the gym while her sister got into the ring.

“It was my older sister, Brenda, which was funny,” she said. “I would say, ‘No. I don’t want to go,’ when she went to the gym to train.”

Citlalli—pronounced “seat-lolly”—has been trained and managed by her father, Alex Ortiz.

He explained the unlikely path taken by his younger daughter to the 2016 USA Boxing National Junior Championship at 154 pounds.

“It was not intended for Citlalli to be here at this moment,” he said. “My oldest daughter, Brenda, kept bugging me to bring her (Brenda) over to the gym so she could try boxing. Citlalli just came along because we had no one to leave her with.”

Citlalli eventually entered the ring because there were no other girls around to train with Brenda.

“Citlalli would get in the ring with her older sister and be like the punching bag,” said Alex Ortiz, who works as a substitute teacher. “And then one day, my dad brought some friends over to the house, and there were two boys about her age. They found boxing gloves lying around in the house, so the boys put them on, and they were both punching her. I got really upset watching her covering up, and not punching back. So I said, ‘You guys want to box? Let’s go out into the yard.’ I told her for the first time, ‘Just do the one-two. Left, then right.’

She knocked both of them out. One of the kids even spun around as he fell down. That’s when I realized that she really had potential.”

Those earliest boxing experiences with her older sister had a lasting impact on Citlalli.

“There’s a six-year difference between us,” she said. “But I tried every time, and even if I wanted to do something different, she would always have something better to do. I guess that’s how she helped me learn, and I was able to take a beating from anybody after that.”

Citlalli has not taken any beatings since she

began her sanctioned boxing career. Citlalli in the past year has won championship belts and medals at the 40th Annual Gene Lewis Invitational Tournament in Mesa, Ariz.; the 2016 USA Junior and Youth Boxing Championships in Reno, Nev.; and the 2016 USA Boxing Junior Olympic, Prep National and Youth Open Championships in Dallas. In the latter two events, she defeated former national champions to claim the titles.

Despite her undefeated record, Citlalli has definitely faced some challenges since she started boxing—including a battle with her weight.

“I was over 200 pounds when I started boxing,” she said. “So every time I would ask somebody to train me, they would say they couldn’t train me, because I wasn’t going to lose the weight.”

However, she has lost a lot of weight; all of her recent title victories have been in the 154pound weight class. Still, Citlalli and her father believe her boxing future will be brightest if she gets down to 145 pounds. When does she hope to make that goal? Like ... immediately.

“I’ve been 154 for a while now,” Citlalli said, “but for the (Desert) Showdown, my goal is to be 145.”

Citlalli’s father also teased her about the fact that she’s trying to slim down for her upcoming quinceaneara.

“She wants to go down to 141,” he said. “So that’s another motivation for her. I told her she has to be at the weight (for the tournament), because if she tries on the dress she wants now and then loses 10 pounds, that dress is going to be too big for her.”

Once she makes her target weight, what will

the rest of her future look like?

“I’ve heard that they’re going to let professionals compete in Olympic boxing, and if that’s official, then we want to go pro and then go to the Olympics (in 2020),” Citlalli said. “If it’s not true, then we would rather go to the Olympics.”

As she enters her junior year at Coachella Valley High School, Citlalli is aware of the importance of her education.

“I know I have to keep up with my grades,”

she said. “I know boxing is not forever, so I’m going to have to look for a career that I like.

But for now, I really want to focus on boxing.”

Citlalli’s father noted that her mother has always been wary of boxing. “But she’s been seeing Citlalli’s results in the ring, and that’s what makes her say, ‘I know that you’re good at this, but just don’t forget school.’ And we’ve got to respect that. I feel that way, too. I know it’s important and that you have to have that Plan B and be prepared. Time flies.”

Citlalli Ortiz got her start at the Desert Showdown four years ago. She didn’t lose any bouts then—and she hasn’t lost any since. KEVIN FITZGERALD

CVIndependent.com

10 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

OFF THE AIR D

Community radio station KDHS shifts its focus after a licensing snafu

By brian blueskye

esert Hot Springs’ community radio station is off the air—but the family that runs the station still has big plans for what is known as KDHS. The Independent did a piece on KDHS back in the spring, when the low-frequency station was on the air at 98.9 FM. The story, however, raised the eyebrows of at least one reader, who noted that those call letters were licensed to a station in Alaska. Around that same time, station owner Michelle Ann Rizzio—who a while back took over management from her father, who founded the station—said she learned that something was amiss.

“Essentially, I went to check on our (FCC registration number) and validate it, since the story was published. I had my questions about the license, because it didn’t look the way I had seen licenses at stations I worked at in the past,” Rizzio said. “I had brought it up to my dad, and he had said he was sure it was OK—but one day, I went by intuition and looked up the FRN. I did, and that number was registered to another person in Texas.

“We knew of one other KDHS in Alaska, and we had been in contact with each other through the years. Then I found out there were no call letters related to our station.”

She said she discovered the license that had been sold to her father was fraudulent.

“I looked under the person who sold the license to my father, and under his name, and

CVIndependent.com

I found a myriad of (low-power FM) licenses, none of them registered under KDHS,” she said. “My dad paid him something like $250 to have this FCC license. You usually don’t have to pay for it; you just apply, apply for your antenna, and pay for everything yourself once the FCC approves you. So it’s not this pay-toget-a-license thing, especially for low-power FM stations. They’re usually given for educational

According to station owner Michelle Ann Rizzio, her father received a fraudulent license when he founded the station years ago.

reasons, church reasons and community reasons.”

Rizzio said she spent a whole day on the phone talking with people at the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to clear things up.

“I was like, ‘Can you guys please help me? I can’t seem to find my license anywhere,’” she said. “They looked through everything and called many different offices. There was this one lady I called back throughout the day after she gave me her extension, and she said, ‘I don’t understand this. Why would someone charge your dad? This isn’t right, and something is wrong here.’ She asked how long we were operating for, and I said, ‘A long time.’ She said, ‘And you don’t have a license?’ I said, ‘I do, but obviously… .’ She said, ‘My recommendation would be to go off the air right now.’ They were very kind, and they did say to use precautions moving forward.”

Rizzio said she received some criticism following the publication of the article in the Independent.

“I did get some backlash from the community, and there were a couple of radio broadcasters who caught on to what was going on around the same time I had caught on to everything,” she said. “They started calling me a ‘poseur with a keyboard’ and messaging me really nasty things on our Facebook when I was in the process of rebranding.”

As for that rebranding: Rizzio is still using the KDHS name to promote events such as local music shows and a record swap meet, and to

have a presence on social media.

“I decided to pull the string, go dark for a while, and focus on building the Facebook and doing a lot of footwork following up with getting a public production space in Desert Hot Springs,” she said. “I’ve gotten a lead for a space on Pierson Drive, and I’m putting in a proposal into the city. As soon as that proposal gets approved, then I get to propose my full business plan and what I want to do. The city is willing to pay for me to do it and (allow me to) use the space rent-free. I’ll be able to get the volunteers from KDHS to work in the space, and might even be able to pay two people to run the space.

“I shifted from the community-radio concept to creating a local music stream, which will be on 24/7, and it will be all music from the Coachella Valley. I’m waiting until we get 24 hours of music, given I only have five hours right now, and I don’t want it to be the same annoying five-hour stream.”

Rizzio said she also wants to help people in the community learn valuable skills.

“I’m also transitioning that into a company called Knowledge Desert Hot Springs,” she explained. “It will be a knowledge hub where you’ll walk in and be greeted by one of our people, and they’ll help people make a business plan, reach out to venture capitalists, and get them started. We’ll be teaching résumé building, business-model and business-plan building, and the entire Adobe Creative Suite and Illustrator.

I want to offer these to anyone who comes in … because I have all the education and resources to teach them how to use it.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

AUGUST 2016

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

NOT OPPOSED

BY KEVIN FITZGERALD

T

his has been one of the most highly charged and controversial election years in recent memory.

However, all is calm in State Assembly District 56, which includes Imperial County and much of the Eastern Coachella Valley. That’s the realm of Democratic State Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, who is facing no formal opposition for a second two-year term.

In 2015, Garcia reportedly made history by becoming the most successful freshman California assemblymember ever: The Democrat authored or co-authored 14 bills and two resolutions that were signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The Independent recently chatted with Garcia about his first term, as well as his plans for his second term.

What would you identify as the How do you feel about whether real highlights of your legislative tangible progress is being made to accomplishments to date? improve the fate of the Salton Sea, and There were a couple of different things. There remedy, or at least mitigate, the dangers were some environmental bills. Assembly Bill its dissipation would pose?

1059 was introduced by our office, but it was I feel good, because through our legislation, an idea that came from a local organization. we outlined what the shovel-ready projects That’s an important bill for a place like are, and I feel good because now there’s some Imperial County, which suffers from some money available to be able to execute those of the highest asthma rates among children projects. Also, I feel very optimistic about the because of poor air quality. It became effective state’s commitment moving forward, because this year, and it is going to put air-monitoring $80.5 million has been allocated. But, look: systems along the California-Mexico border to For the first time, the state of California has begin quantifying and collecting the necessary committed a significant amount of money data to make the case that there are emissions to a problem in our region, in this case the along the border that are in excess of safe Salton Sea, so there’s a lot of optimism. But levels. Because of border-crossing wait times there’s still work to be done, and for some of due to a lack of infrastructure, those living in us, it’s not happening fast enough. So now our this region are subjected to this poor quality message is beginning to change, from, “We of air. Although this bill doesn’t address those don’t know what’s going to happen,” to, “Here’s problems directly, it positions this region to go what’s going to happen over the course of the after greenhouse-gas-reduction funds through next five to six years.” the Air Resources Board of California.

In the East (Coachella) Valley, a bill What issues and challenges concern you the that stands out to me is adopting the new most during the remainder of this term, regulations for the purpose of installing new and looking ahead into your second term? water-filtration systems in the rural parts of This year, we’ve got some tough bills that ask the district that do not have water and sewer for money. I can tell you that our parks bond, infrastructure. These filtration systems protect asking for $3.2 billion, is probably going to be people from consuming contaminated water. In a heavy lift for the governor to sign. He’s not this case, it’s water with high levels of arsenic. a big fan of going out and borrowing money, Jumping back to Imperial County, we even if the return on the investment is good. passed AB 1095, the Salton Sea projects. The But I’m confident that the bill will get through bill required the Natural Resources Agency to the legislative process. report to the Legislature by March of this year For us in the 56th Assembly District, the a list of shovel-ready projects that are now bill has about $45 million that will go directly going to be part of the execution of the $80.5 to programs, projects and services in our area. million in funds that we successfully included One example is that there is a direct allocation in this year’s state budget. of an additional $25 million to the Salton Sea

No longer a freshman, State Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia forges ahead

restoration efforts that would be very welcome.

There’s another $5-$6 million that is going into the restoration of the New River. … That’s in the final stages of executing a strategic plan to develop the infrastructure to clean up the water and ultimately to develop a parkway in the city of Calexico, which would be beneficial to the entire Imperial County. Also, there’s $10 million for the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy to address their land acquisitions for the purpose of habitat conservation in the Coachella Valley. We’re going to keep our push going over the next couple of weeks as it makes its way through the Senate. It’s a twothirds bill, and it required me to get a few votes from Republicans to get out of the Assembly and move to the Senate. We’ve got the backing of six Republican assembly members, which is unheard of. So we have a reputation in Sacramento thus far of collaboration and (taking) a bipartisan approach, and I think that, too, has helped us.”

What are your thoughts about the famous proposed Donald Trump wall between Mexico and the United States?

Mexico is a very important economic partner to the state of California and to our nation.

Mexico is also an extremely important partner in the case of our national security.

Our relationship with Mexico can determine the safety and well-being of this country. For those concerned with terrorists from other parts of the world entering the United States, I would think that our foreign policy with our neighbors to the south and our neighbors to the north would be one of cooperation, collaboration and good communication, to ensure that we all have each other’s backs. So I think it’s really ridiculous to try to continue the rhetoric of alienating our neighbors to the south. Our foreign policy needs to be a constructive and productive one with our neighbors to the south—and building a wall does not get us to that point.

State Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia: “For the first time, the state of California has committed a significant amount of money to a problem in our region, in this case the Salton Sea, so there’s a lot of optimism.” KEVIN FITZGERALD/CVI file

CVIndependent.com

12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

AUGUST ASTRONOMY

The month brings a meteor shower a fantastic pairing Planets and Bright Stars inand Evening Mid-Twilight For August,and 2016Jupiter of Venus This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

A

By Robert Victor

ugust 2016 has a rare gift for skywatchers: For most of the month, all five naked-eye planets can be seen during evening twilight, and they participate in beautiful pairings and groupings!

From a site with an unobstructed view of the western horizon, begin within a half-hour after sunset to catch Venus before it sinks too low. Use our evening twilight chart link to guide you.

Venus, at magnitude -3.8, is visible with the unaided eye, even low in bright twilight, if you know where to look. (It will get higher in coming months, setting in a dark sky starting in October.)

Jupiter, next in brightness at magnitude -1.7, is easy to find not long after you spot Venus. For most of August, Jupiter appears to the upper left of Venus, getting one degree closer each day until their spectacular close pairing on Saturday, Aug. 27. Thereafter, Jupiter will appear to the lower right of Venus, getting increasingly difficult to see.

Use binoculars all month, if necessary, to catch Mercury, starting August at mag -0.1 while 8 degrees to the upper left of Venus, and fading Venus, appear 12 degrees, 24 degrees and 33 to magnitude +0.5 by Aug. 24 while 6 degrees degrees to the lower right of the moon. Mars to the lower left of Venus. and Saturn appear 57 degrees and 65 degrees to As the sky darkens, Mars (magnitude -0.8 the moon’s upper left. Venus and Mars appear to -0.3), Saturn (+0.3 to +0.5), and first90 degrees apart—in quadrature—this evening. magnitude Antares—6 degrees from Saturn Aug. 7 and 8: The moon is near Spica, the all month—become easy for the unaided eye brightest star in Virgo. to see. The two planets and the red supergiant Aug. 8 and 9: Mars is 0.9 degrees from Delta star will have a striking arrangement Aug. 23 Scorpii, the middle and brightest of three stars and 24. in the head of the Scorpion.

In morning twilight Aug. 4-14, look daily Aug. 10: The moon passes first quarter phase within an hour after sunset and watch for at 11:21 a.m. the first appearance of Procyon, about 6-7 Aug. 11-12: As darkness falls, note the degrees north of east, and Sirius, in the eastbeautiful diamond-shaped arrangement of southeast. The “Dog Star” Sirius is nearly in moon-Mars-Antares-Saturn, about 6-7 degrees line with Orion’s belt, and completes the almost on each side. The peak of the Perseid meteor equilateral Winter Triangle with Betelgeuse shower occurs after moonset, in Friday, Aug. (Orion’s shoulder) and Procyon. The name 12’s predawn darkness hours. The moonless Procyon means “before the dog,” because the sky should be wonderful for observing meteors. star rises several minutes before Sirius does, Aug. 12: The moon is 8 degrees to the upper and so gives notice of the imminent rising of left of Saturn. The famous ringed planet marks the Dog Star. The heliacal rising (first morning the top vertex of an attractive triangle of three appearance) of Sirius was a very important “stars.” Compare the color and brightness of its event in ancient Egypt, as it gave notice of the two other members, Mars and Antares. Venus imminent flooding of the Nile River, which is 15 degrees to the lower right of Jupiter, occurred around the summer solstice. Now, getting a degree closer each day! because of precession, the 26,000-year wobble of Aug. 16: Mercury is at its greatest elongation, the Earth’s axis, the first appearance of Sirius 27 degrees east of the sun. Since Mercury occurs several weeks after the start of summer is more to the left of the setting sun, rather and the rise of the Nile. than high above it, the planet sets well before Aug. 4, beginning 30 minutes after sunset: darkness falls.

Find the 2.3-day-old crescent moon low in the Aug. 17-18: Venus is 10 degrees to the lower west, and Venus 11 degrees to its lower right. right of Jupiter at dusk. Five planets span 84 Mercury appears 2 degrees to the left of the degrees. Also, the full moon occurs overnight, moon, nearly 9 degrees to the upper left of at 2:26 a.m. on the 18th. The moon shines with Venus, and 15 degrees to the lower right of enhanced brightness in that hour as it narrowly Jupiter. Mars and Saturn are 10 degrees apart misses the penumbra of Earth’s shadow and in the southern sky. Six solar system bodies— reflects sunlight toward us.

Venus-Mercury-moon-Jupiter-Mars-Saturn— Aug. 19: Mercury is 3.8 degrees to the lower span 100 degrees. left of Jupiter, their minimum distance apart in Aug. 5: Jupiter is 1 degree above the moon. a quasi-conjunction.

Aug. 6: Three planets, Jupiter-MercuryAug. 22: Venus is 4.9 degrees to the lower CVIndependent.com

August's evening sky chart.

ROBERT D. MILLER

N

Deneb

Venus 1 Regulus Vega

E Altair

Jupiter 1

Arcturus

8

1 Mercury

15

8

22

15 29 22 8 15 22

W

Spica

1

Saturn 8 15 22 29 1

15 29 Mars

Antares

Evening mid-twilight occurs right of Jupiter. when Sun is 9° below horizon.

Aug. 23: Venus and Jupiter are within 3.9 Aug. 1: 43 minutes after sunset. degrees; Mercury 4.3 15: and 42 "Jupiter " " degrees; and 31: 40 6.4 " degrees, " " in a nearly Mercury and Venus isosceles triangle.

Aug. 23 and 24: In order from top to bottom, Saturn, Mars and Antares nearly line up, as Mars goes 4.4 degrees south of Saturn and 1.8 degrees north of Antares!

Aug. 25, predawn (using a telescope): The moon occults 3.7-magnitude Gamma Tauri, point of “V” of Hyades star cluster, from 1:172:10 a.m. in the Coachella Valley. The daytime occultation of Aldebaran is visible through a telescope: Disappearance on the moon’s bright side occurs in here at 10:24 a.m., with reappearance at the moon’s dark side at 11:27 a.m. Last quarter phase occurred on Aug. 24, at 8:41 p.m., so the moon on Aug. 25 is a fat crescent.

Aug. 26: Venus and Jupiter are within 0.8

S

Stereographic Projection degrees.

Robert D. Miller Aug. 27: This is the Map firstbyevening Jupiter appears to the lower right of Venus. The planets are just 0.2 degrees apart, as seen from California—and about 0.1 degrees apart from the Eastern U.S. Mercury, faded to magnitude +0.8, appears 5.1 degrees south (to the lower left) of the bright pair, and may be missed.

Aug. 28: Venus and Jupiter are 1.2 degrees apart. Their separation increases by about 1 degree daily. Venus and Mercury are 5 degrees apart, the minimum distance for this passage.

Aug. 31: Venus and Jupiter are 4.3 degrees apart, with Jupiter getting lower each evening.

Sept. 1: The new moon occurs at 2:03 a.m.

Robert C. Victor was a staff astronomer at Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. He is now retired and enjoys providing skywatching opportunities for school children in and around Palm Springs.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

AUGUST 2016

mode furniture AT REVIVALS

+ mode

it’s your lifestyle Affordable new furniture that fits your lifestyle. Each of our three locations feature an assortment of traditional, modern, and mid-century inspired designs.

Visit all three to see our full collection.

Purchasing through Revivals supports Desert AIDS Project. Shop smart.

Shop value. Shop quality.

*Not available in Palm Desert. Selections and colors vary by store

Palm Springs

Cathedral City

Palm Desert

611 S. Palm Canyon Dr.

68-401 Hwy. 111

72-855 Hwy. 111

CVIndependent.com Mode_DAP_Grey_Mag.indd 4

7/20/16 3:39 PM

14 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

E Y K S E U L B

BY BRIAN

how,” to the S UESKYE In g in k “Snea RIAN BL front of photo by B r. in a s e d y n a is t s th achella o Lerma Armand displayed at Co as which w

CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

AUGUST 2016

he area surrounding the city of Coachella is dominated by farms, ranches, orchards and the laborers who work on them.

As I drove to meet Armando Lerma at his Date Farmers art studio, I passed fields where migrant farmworkers were doing their jobs under the brutal summer sun. This is one of the places where Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers union fought for the labor rights of these migrant farmers.

Today, Coachella is becoming known for more than agriculture; it’s also getting more and more attention for its rising arts scene—and much of that attention is directly due to Armando Lerma and the Date Farmers studio.

When I arrived at the studio, which Lerma started with Carlos Ramirez (who was not present; he apparently avoids interviews), Lerma greeted me.

Lerma’s two large dogs jumped around in excitement as he opened the door to show me the garden area out back as he explained what made him and Ramirez start the Date Farmers.

“It’s complicated,” Lerma said. “We try to keep the tradition alive of Mexican art—the culture and the traditions from the ancients to modern Mexican/Chicano art. That’s always been the inspiration. It’s something that relates to our community.”

Lerma said that when he began making art two decades ago, there wasn’t much inspiration to be found in Coachella.

“It’s kind of hard for us, because we weren’t taught those traditions and were kind of out here by ourselves,” he said. “We had to teach ourselves. Back in the ’90s, when I was in high school, there was no real art or anything that really talked to us. The art I remember that people would be talking about would be on El Paseo in Palm Desert in those galleries. I’d be looking and trying to understand whatever it was. I wanted to understand it, but I couldn’t—and I didn’t feel anything there.

“I met and talked with people who pointed me in the right direction and started teaching myself about the traditions. I found my way and the direction I wanted to take.”

Lerma said his initial ignorance of traditional Mexican art has made him appreciate art even more.

“No one in my family understood art. My parents had no clue and didn’t teach me about art,” Lerma said. “We had encyclopedias, and I remember going into those for art.

Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh—all that stuff was cool.

When I got a little older and started learning about Mexican history and people like Diego Rivera and all the Mexican muralists, I went deeper and deeper.”

He said a pilgrimage to Mexico helped inspire him and his works.

“I saw all the Aztec murals, the Mayan ruins and all that stuff,” Lerma said. “It’s a tradition that I wasn’t taught. That’s where I come from, and I had to teach myself, because the generations before me didn’t have time for that. Through my parents’ hard work, they were able to give me a good education. … I felt fortunate I was able to meet so many people pointing me in the right direction.”

Lerma said the collective’s name comes from the heritage of both his family and his hometown.

“That’s what established this community—the agriculture and farming,” he said. “My parents were migrant farmworkers and worked here in the desert. We had a date farm; my grandfather was a farmer, and my uncles are farmers.”

1

The Coachella Valley consists of nine different incorporated cities and various unincorporated communities, ranging from some of the richest areas of the country to the poorest. As he was growing up, this disparity confused Lerma.

“I felt stupid! I felt really dumb. For so long, I was like, ‘Why are things the way they are? I’m living in Coachella. I guess this is kind of cool,’” he remembered. “Back then, things were sort of junk (in Coachella) and not looking so nice. I went to school in Bermuda Dunes, and when you are going through Palm Desert, you can see the transition—and you don’t understand it. My parents didn’t know how to explain it to me. No one talked about it.

“When I came into my own and started understanding these things, I felt like that tradition (of understanding my community) was taken away from me. I should have known that stuff; I should have been more aware, and I should have been more self-confident and proud, but I wasn’t.

I thought we must have been doing something wrong, because I didn’t know why we were in that position when I was growing up.”

Some other members of the Coachella Valley arts community believe this perspective has led

Lerma to, at times, be over-protective of his community and his art. I reached out to a variety of people to discuss the Date Farmers—and almost none of them were willing to discuss the Date Farmers on the record. Off the record, some noted that Lerma can be eccentric, is often unafraid to state his opinions, and is overly suspicious and untrusting of anybody he views as an outsider.

However, almost everybody I talked to praised Lerma for being an inspiration to his community—and mentioned that he’s becoming more and more of an influence in the California art scene.

One person who was willing to talk to me is Freddy Rodriguez, an artist and the drummer for the band Tribesmen. He has been working with the Date Farmers for years and has played various shows at the Date Farmers studio. He said he understands where Lerma is coming from.

“He doesn’t want anybody to just come in here, because this part of the desert has been neglected, and a lot of people have talked bad about it, especially from the west side of the Coachella Valley in Palm Springs,” Rodriguez said. “Now all of a sudden, Armando is doing murals in the city of Coachella, and we’re doing shows here, and a lot of people are starting to recognize it and wanting to do shit out here. People just want to suddenly jump on the bandwagon. … You just don’t want to let everybody in. I don’t want to work with just anybody when it comes to throwing shows or doing art. We’ve been building this local scene up.”

As a result of the Date Farmers’ increasing influence, their pieces have been seen everywhere from the Ace Gallery in Los Angeles to the most recent Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival— you know it simply as Coachella. Lerma said he’s happy to have his art in these places, in part because he feels people can learn from his art.

“With Mexican art in general, I think a lot of it has to do with teaching,” Lerma said. “If you take anyone’s art at the highest level, it’s teaching you something.

That’s in Egyptian art, Chinese art—and you learn from it. It’s not just art for art’s sake.

“In Mexican culture, it’s also ceremonial to teach the young people to hold to the traditions. We’re kind of like orphans culturally.

My generation, my parents’ generation, my grandparents’ generation—there was no art, and it kind of stopped. They had to work and do what they had to do to survive. But the spirit is strong, and it came back. That’s how I see art and where we’re coming from.”

The Date Farmers’ piece that was on display at Coachella, “Sneaking Into the Show,” was sitting in the gallery disassembled during my visit. Lerma mentioned during an April interview with LA Weekly that the work symbolizes the disparity between Coachella, the city—low-income, workingclass—and Coachella, the music festival.

Lerma told me he is not a fan of Goldenvoice, the promoter that puts on Coachella and the other gigantic festivals that happen at Indio’s Empire Polo Club.

“It’s not something that’s talked about: Even the politicians here don’t step up and say, like, ‘Hey, we’re right here!’” Lerma said of the disparity between the festival and the nearby areas. “The things Goldenvoice does, like stopping people from selling T-shirts, is something I don’t understand. As an artist, I feel the most important aspect is to be honest, and I think we’re lucky, because we can talk shit. (The piece) was about bringing people from Coachella into the festival.

“I have this cousin who’s very inspirational to me as a kid. He was a gangster, and he had the cholo tattoos back in the ’80s when no one had tattoos. He looked like a pirate back then or something. I remember looking at him back then and saying, ‘You’re never going to get a job!’ He didn’t have to worry about it, because he ended up in prison. But he was a bad-ass artist, and that’s kind of the artwork he did, that reflected his experiences and his friends and family. It inspired me how he used art to tell his own story. He passed away recently, and the piece was a nod to him, because he sort of started me off.”

Lerma is also outspoken about the bad rap Coachella gets in the media. Earlier this year, The Desert Sun published a piece titled “The Warlords of Coachella,” about the city’s gang problems.

Lerma said the piece was not a fair representation.

“That’s all bullshit!” Lerma said. “It makes us look so bad when it’s on the front page. … There are gangs here, but I don’t see them as much as I did when I was a kid. There used to be a lot. I probably wouldn’t have come to a party in Coachella during that time. It’s changed, and it’s not like that anymore.

“We were at a City Council meeting, and there were some kids from Coachella Valley High School, and they took it upon themselves to do this video, asking people at their school: ‘Do you feel safe?’

‘How do you feel about the gangs?’ Everybody was saying there were some knuckleheads, but there were mostly good kids.

“This is my community. I live here every day, and I don’t see the gangs anymore.” continued on next page CVIndependent.com

16 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

The date farmers

continued from Page 15

2

We are part of a

the

the

the

the

the

the

NEIGHBOR mosaic that makes up STUDENT our vibrant PAINTER desert community. CASHIER NURSE TEACHER

the

CENTER

the heart of our community

CVIndependent.com

The city of Coachella and the East Valley in general have not been embraced as vibrant arts communities. However, the Date Farmers are helping to change that perception.

The Crisalida Community Arts Project was designed to also help change that perception. The two year project, an effort of the McCallum Theatre, fostered connections with local artists of all types in the East Valley, and culminated in a showcase this past spring at the McCallum.

Lerma—ever territorial and opinionated—said that he was not a fan of the project, in part because he was not included in it.

“That was a bummer for me.

David Gonzalez, who is from New York, came to our community, and the project was funded by the James Irvine (Foundation) through the McCallum Theatre. I don’t know what started their interest in coming out here, because they never came out here before. I’m a big influence on these young people doing art out here, and for them to just not even contact me—it was bullshit.”

Lerma was also displeased that the Coachella Valley Art Scene’s Sofia Enriquez painted a mural in Coachella as part of the Crisalida project. He said it did not sit well with him, in part because the Date Farmers were already working on another mural nearby.

“It’d be one thing if there was no mural project, but there was already something going on that we were working on,” he said. “Right now, we have 10 murals up, and we’re going to get some more up, but I was really pissed off with the Crisalida Community Arts Project.”

David Gonzalez was in Europe and unavailable for comment.

Lerma explained that art is not as simple as some people make it out to be. He said that art needs to be taken seriously, and should not just be made in an effort to achieve fame and fortune.

3

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 17

AUGUST 2016

“You have to be honest with yourself. I get turned off by people acting like they’re artists,” Lerma said. “… Honesty makes good art. It doesn’t come easy, and there aren’t too many art geniuses.

(Date Farmers co-founder) Carlos (Ramirez) is an art genius. He’s been drawing since he was out of the womb, and he knows how to draw. It took me a long time to learn how to draw and how to paint. With social media, it’s just so fast now, and that dedication to the craft isn’t there.”

The Date Farmers’ interest in art goes beyond what one would find in a gallery. In an area that is currently going through a resurgence of the house-party-style concert, the arts collective has been also focusing on music. During New Year’s Eve in 2015, Brant Bjork performed at the studio, and local bands including Tribesmen have played there as well.

“We’ve had a lot of music shows. We had parties on Friday and Saturday during Coachella,” Lerma said. “We can have 300 people in here, and they’re all mostly locals, and it’s kind of the way to give back to the kids who can’t go to Coachella. We go all out and throw a good party, exposing them to good music and art.

Where MAGIC HAPPENS Call now for 20 units of Free Botox* with Juvederm or Voluma filler appointment.

Revive Wellness Centers www.revivecenter.com

*New clients only.

24 hour prior appointment required. *Supplies limited. Offer exp. 8-31-2016.

(760) 325-4800 353 S. Palm Canyon Drive | Palm Springs

4 “They’re all cool art-type kids. When I was a kid, you’d get beat up for being an art kid.”

Rodriguez, of Tribesmen, said that the Date Farmers’ music space is a throwback to the backyard scene that is now making a comeback in the Coachella area.

“Armando has provided a safe haven for the local East Valley scene,” Rodriguez said. “It’s the same kind of feel and the same kind of passion that the backyard-music shows had. No other venue in the desert has the same kind of love. That studio makes it feel like you’re at home and shit. It makes you feel like you’re playing to people who actually care about the music as opposed to playing in a bar and people who are just there to drink and party.”

The Date Farmers studio is currently dealing with a financial setback, due to the bankruptcy and questionable financial dealings of Ace Gallery founder Douglas Chrismas.

“I should really be jaded with everything I’ve gone through as an artist,” he said. “We just finished working with the Ace Gallery in Los Angeles. They showed Andy Warhol and all kinds of big names.

The guy who owned it, Douglas Chrismas, is notorious for being crazy, and he rips you off. It was all part of the experience. The business of art is why you can’t take the business so seriously—but then you do (need to take it seriously), and it’s a weird balance. It’s not easy.”

Lerma explained that there’s no grant money supporting the Date Farmers.

“We make money through making and selling art,” he said. “Most people never get to live off their art and have to do something else. We’re so fortunate to be able to sell artwork. But it hasn’t been easy, and people aren’t just throwing money at us. I don’t know where the money is going to come from, but I know that I have to sell some art. We don’t have the Ace Gallery anymore, so we have to find a new gallery to sell art through.”

Lerma is clearly proud of his hometown. He said that after dealing with the hustle and bustle of the Los Angeles art world, he’s happy to be home.

“After coming back here, I just want to start a garden and slow things down—slow it down as much as I can,” he said.

All work by the Date Farmers 1 - Blackwater; 2 - Birthday Cake; 3 - Robo 13; 4 - Sneaking Into the Show

THE #1 MOBILE & ONLINE LGBT GUIDE TO PALM SPRINGS

GayDesertGuide.com @GayDesertGuide CVIndependent.com

18 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

ARTS & CULTURE

ON THE BOARDS

By Jimmy Boegle

T

he Coachella Valley and High Desert are blessed with a variety of unique and ambitious local theater companies.

But you would not necessarily know that’s the case in August: Not one of the Coachella Valley companies had a single regular show scheduled during the month. However, perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned over at Desert Rose Playhouse: The company just extended its run of Party by three weeks thanks to brisk ticket sales, so instead of ending on July 31, the comedy will now run through Aug. 21.

In other words … there is indeed a theater audience around during the summer. Well, at least there is if a show involves nudity.

Anyway, here’s what local theater-lovers can look forward to from the valley’s most prominent theater companies during the upcoming season.

Coachella Valley Repertory Company cvrep.org CV Rep made headlines in July when it was announced that the theater company, which currently resides in the Atrium shopping center in Rancho Mirage, had agreed to purchase the Desert Cinemas theater in Cathedral City.

Wow! But for now, CV Rep has a season to put on, and every season, founding artistic director Ron Celona chooses a theme. So what can theatergoers expect this coming season? A lot of “Love, Marriage and Life Changing Events.”

The valley’s only Equity Small Professional Theatre will launch its sixth season at the Atrium with Annapurna, by Sharr White, running Oct. 26-Nov. 20. Talk about a life-changing event: “Twenty years after leaving her husband, Emma tracks him to a trailer park in the middle of nowhere for a final reckoning.” From Jan. 18-Feb. 12, things will get a little lighter with Baby. Nominated for seven Tony Awards, “Baby is about three couples on a university campus dealing with the painful, rewarding and agonizingly funny consequences of the universal experience of pregnancy and upcoming parenthood.” The 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama went to Amir Kapoor’s Disgraced, about a Pakistani-American lawyer who is distancing himself from his roots. Meanwhile, his wife, Emily, is a white artist influenced by Islamic imagery. Hmm. The play runs March 7-April 2.

The season concludes April 25-May 21 with A.R. Gurney’s Later Life, a story about a romance being rekindled 30 years after it began.

Coyote StageWorks www.coyotestageworks.org The last couple of seasons have been turbulent for founding artistic director Chuck Yates’ renowned company. After losing its home at

CVIndependent.com

the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum in 2014-2015, the company returned to the theater for the 2015-2016 season for Art and Agnes, both of which received rave reviews.

As for the upcoming season … well, Coyote StageWorks is the only company in town that has yet to spill any of the figurative beans. When I reached out to Yates via email for information as deadline approached, he politely responded: “I am still securing rights to our new season. It will celebrate Legendary Ladies, who have made their marks in the world. All of the shows are comedic, but legally I can’t announce titles until everything is sewn up.”

Yates would also like you to know that between now and Labor Day, any gifts the Equity professional theater company receives, up to $30,000 total, will be generously matched by Emmy Award-winning television producer and writer David Lee, best known for Frasier and Cheers. So … give!

Desert Ensemble Theatre Company www.facebook.com/DETCStage Now entering its sixth season, the Desert Ensemble Theatre Company—which shares the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club with Dezart Performs—in recent years has kept things in the family by producing a lot of company members’ own works, and the 2016-2017 season will be no exception.

DETC’s third annual season-opening gala will take place Nov. 18. Boys Night Out, conceived and directed by Jerome Elliott, features popular local singers such as Charles Herrera and Doug Graham. The season will kick off in earnest with Expressions, a new drama by DETC’s Shawn Abramowitz, focusing PTSD and its effect on both veterans and their families; it runs Feb. 3-12.

From March 17-26, the company will produce artistic director Tony Padilla’s Lovesport, a fastpaced comedy: “When middle-aged couple Josh and Marty invite home the younger Gary and Ben for after-party drinks, the wine flows, the weed blows, and relationships are changed.” A third, yet-to-be-announced play will be performed April 21-30.

Desert Rose Playhouse www.desertroseplayhouse.org It’s been a turbulent year for the valley’s LGBTfocused theater company. In January, founders Jim Strait and Paul Taylor pulled off the seemingly impossible: The company mounted an amazing production of the elaborate Angels in America, Part One, in the playhouse’s barelybigger-than-a-black-box home in Rancho Mirage.

Problem is, few people wanted to go watch such heavy fare: The show tanked financially.

That, combined with a drop in donations, jeopardized Desert Rose’s 2016-2017 season.

However, the company has been saved by a boost in donations over the summer—and by a Party: Desert Rose’s nudity-laden summer comedy has been a wild success, so much so that the company just extended its run by three weeks, through Aug. 21.

Artistic director Jim Strait got a late start on the 2016-2017 season due to the financial

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 19

AUGUST 2016

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

Enjoy $4 desserts this summer!

Desert Theatreworks www.dtworks.org The theater company that calls the Arthur Newman Theatre at the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert home has already kicked off its packedwith-shows fourth season: Artistic director Lance Phillips-Martinez does things a little differently, running his company’s “season” from May through April. So what’s in store for the rest of the season? The Realistic Joneses is a comedy about two small-town neighboring couples who share more than the same last name; that’s slated for Sept. 16-24. Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced will be performed Nov. 4-11, followed

by Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash Dec. 9-18. Desert Theatreworks will kick off 2017 with a dose of Neil Simon: 45 Seconds From Broadway is on the boards Jan. 27-Feb. 5. Musical The Drowsy Chaperone will take the stage March 9-19, and the season will conclude with the musical Next to Normal April 21-30.

Dezart Performs www.dezartperforms.org Dezart Performs shifted its focus for the company’s eighth season in 2015-2016: Gone was the annual Play Reading Series. That means that for the company’s upcoming season, for the first time, artistic director Michael Shaw will not be producing any world-premiere shows.

However, the 2016-2017 season lineup is a doozy nonetheless. Coming off of Dezart’s most successful season ever, Shaw and company will kick off at the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club with Harvey Fierstein’s dramedy Casa Valentina, running Nov. 4-13. The stars of this show: Straight men who happen to enjoy dressing up as women.

That will be followed on Jan. 13-22 by Clybourne Park, the 2012 Tony Award winner for Best Play and a 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner, which “takes a razor-sharp jab at race and real estate in a fictional Chicago neighborhood. The two explosive outrageous acts are set 50 years apart.”

Dezart Performs’ popular one-night-only liveradio-show fundraiser, On the Air!, will return to the Camelot Theatres on March 9. Dezart Performs’ ninth season will conclude March 31-April 9 with Chapatti, an “unlikely love story” between two animal-lovers by Irish playwright Christian O’Reilly.

OF

HO MIRA C N

GE

uncertainty, but here’s what he’d confirmed as of our press deadline: The season will kick off with Poz, by Michael Aman, running Sept. 30-Oct. 23: “A delightfully unlikely comedy set in 2003, (Poz is) the story of Edison, a young actor/waiter with leukemia, and Robert, an older HIV+ man.”

The company’s annual holiday show has not yet been nailed down, but it’ll run Nov. 18-Dec. 18.

From Jan. 20-Feb. 12, Desert Rose’s annual “Gay Heritage Production” will be Charles Busch’s campy and hilarious Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, along with its companion piece, Coma, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. That will be followed up by Del Shores’ Southern Baptist Sissies, running March 17-April 9. The final show of the season, scheduled for April 28-May 21, can’t quite yet be announced.

RA

While local stages are largely quiet in August, great theater is coming soon!

SUMMER CV Rep’s Ron Celona, Gary D. Hall and Joe Giarrusso sign the agreement to purchase the Desert Cinemas theater in Cathedral City. Tami Scott, of the City Urban Revitalization Corporation, is on the right.

Palm Canyon Theatre www.palmcanyontheatre.org The granddaddy of local theater companies usually offers an ambitious mix of one-week productions and longer-running fare, and that will again be the way things are done during the 2016-2017 season. It all starts with farce Noises Off, running Sept. 15-18. There’s trouble, right here in River City, when the classic The Music Man hits the stage Sept. 30-Oct. 9. Changing things up is Jekyll and Hyde, on the slate from Oct. 21-31. Palm Springs Pride always brings the fabulous Bella da Ball’s Broadway in Drag! pageant; this year, mark your calendars for Nov. 4. Del Shores is huge in the Coachella Valley this year; get in the mood for Southern Baptist Sissies happening later at Desert Rose with Sordid Lives, running at Palm Canyon Nov. 11-20. Based on the famous movie, Meet Me in St. Louis runs Dec. 2-18, followed by Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Jan. 20-Feb. 5. Head to Argentina—figuratively, of course—for Evita Feb. 17-March 5; that will be followed You Can’t Take It With You, running March 16-19. Sweet Charity brings Neil Simon’s words to the stage March 31-April 16; Ira Levin’s Deathtrap follows April 27-30. Get down with Rock of Ages May 12-21, before Palm Canyon concludes the season with its summer show, In the Heights, running July 7-16.

Sweets Week August 5 ~14 www.TasteofSummerRanchoMirage.com

Theatre 29 www.theatre29.org Community-theater company Theatre 29 flies under the radar—even though the company often turns out excellent productions up in the High Desert, which anyone can see for a low, low price: General admission tickets are usually just $15. The company produces “seasons” based on the calendar year, and has thus far only announced shows for the remainder of 2016.

The Summer Youth Theatre gets the spotlight in Aladdin Jr., running Aug. 5-7. The musical The Secret Garden will take the stage Aug. 26-Sept.

24; that will be followed by Theatre 29’s annual “Halloween Haunt,” Resurgence, taking place Oct. 14-31. Perhaps this show will win a major award: A Christmas Story will be performed for your enjoyment Nov. 18-Dec. 17.

CVIndependent.com

20 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

ARTS & CULTURE

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

THE ENVIRONMENT'S EMISSARY I

Three new books look at Edward Abbey’s mixed legacy

By andrea clark mason

t’s hard to believe that more than 25 years have passed since Western writer and fierce conservationist Edward Abbey died, on March 14, 1989. Several recent books take a clear look at his legacy, and though all three emphasize the continued relevance of Abbey’s environmental ideas, none of them shy away from acknowledging his difficult views on other topics—particularly women and minorities.

All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West, by essayist David Gessner, is an effective combination of travelogue, biography and memoir. The author examines the work of these two influential writers in an attempt to imagine what they might have to say to Westerners today, when fracking, fire and climate change increasingly pose risks to the landscapes they loved.

Gessner drives from his own home in North Carolina to places that were formative to both authors’ lives—from Home, Penn., where Abbey was raised, and Arches National Park, where he worked a season as a ranger, to Stegner’s childhood home in Canada and his father’s grave in Utah. Gessner concludes that Stegner’s realism and concern for sharing resources are even more important today, while Abbey’s influence continues to endure: “Because Abbey is no longer just a writer whose books you read; he is a literary cult figure who has followers.” Abbey’s monkey-wrenching philosophy still inspires environmental activists, and Gessner suggests that if the author were alive today, he’d likely be in jail for ecoterrorism.

Sean Prentiss’ debut, Finding Abbey: The Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave, is the most personal of the three books.

Although all of them seek to decipher the man and the icon, Prentiss’ memoir looks to Abbey’s life and writings for posthumous advice—not just on how to save the environment, but on how to find a life that is wild and meaningful.

Prentiss begins the book in a personal slump, stuck in a town and a job that don’t suit him, and he spends the next two years visiting

CVIndependent.com

locations where Abbey lived, from Hoboken, N.J., to Moab, Utah. Prentiss doesn’t shield us from Abbey’s controversial opinions on immigration, but contends that Abbey was chiefly concerned with population growth, and today might take a more global perspective on the issue. Like Gessner, he interviews several of Abbey’s friends, including Doug Peacock, the inspiration for George Washington Hayduke, and Ken Sleight, the model for the character Seldom Seen Smith. He questions them as to whether Abbey was an alcoholic. They say no, but the doctors Prentiss interviews conclude that the writer’s drinking likely hastened his death, given his symptoms. The book culminates with Prentiss’ quest to find Abbey’s hidden desert grave, and his success provides one of the book’s most poignant passages.

When they find it, the friend who accompanies him says, “This is the grave of someone’s daddy. It’s almost too powerful to bear.”

Prentiss depicts an author and personality of “conflicting absolutes” and ultimately decides that Abbey would urge him to move back to the mountains—to a place that feels like home.

Abbey in America: A Philosopher’s Legacy

in a New Century, an anthology of pieces by a variety of essayists, conservationists and friends, also considers Abbey’s writing and life, and the way his ideas intersect with contemporary issues like terrorism and immigration. John A. Murray’s recollection of storytelling with Hunter S. Thompson in a bar in Aspen, and Charles Bowden’s essay on immigration are perhaps the most vivid essays, but many of them reveal Abbey’s most intimate moments by letting us in on the details of his death and burial, or showing us aspects of the man not disclosed in his writing.

In “Abbey’s Secret,” the author talks to Mark Klett, the photographer who accompanied Abbey on an assignment for Condé Nast Traveler. Klett reveals an Abbey who was more reserved than his authorial persona would indicate: “In Grand Gulch, Klett got to know this more moderate, three-dimensional man

behind the brash rhetoric and the Cactus Ed caricature.”

In an age when climate change is growing ever more severe while corporate interests gain increasing power, Abbey’s activist spirit and his vision of a land untouched by development remain vital. These books prove that, for all the writer’s human flaws, his legacy will endure.

All the Wild that Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West, by David Gessner (W.W. Norton and Company), 368 pages, $16.95; Finding Abbey: The Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave,

by Sean Prentiss (University of New Mexico), 240 pages, $21.95; Abbey in America: A Philosopher’s Legacy in a New Century, edited

by John A. Murray (University of New Mexico), 232 pages, $39.95. This piece originally appeared in High Country News.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 21

AUGUST 2016

Supporters of the Independent Program Newspapers today are charging more and more for their content.

However, the work done by the award-winning Coachella Valley Independent has been—and always will be—available to all, free of charge.

We will never put up a paywall. We will never charge for a subscription.

However, we are now offering readers an opportunity to support us voluntarily in doing what we do, via the Supporters of the Independent Program.

Readers can make one-time, monthly or annual contributions to the Independent—and receive some great perks while doing so.

Title supporter: $5,000 (or $417 per month) • Get listed prominently on every page of CVIndependent.com as the website’s sponsor for an entire year.

• Receive three quarter-page print ads over one year to donate to the charity of your choice.

• Have lunch with the publisher.

• Get invited to regular supporter-only parties and events.

Major supporter: $2,500 (or $208 per month) • Receive three quarter-page print ads over one year to donate to the charity of your choice.

• Have lunch with the publisher.

• Get invited to regular supporter-only parties and events.

Reporter supporter: $1,000 (or $83 per month) • Receive one quarter-page print ad to donate to the charity of your choice.

• Have lunch with the publisher.

• Get invited to regular supporter-only parties and events.

Correspondent supporter: $500 (or $41 per month) • Get invited to regular supporter-only parties and events.

• Receive $10 in Independent Market credit every month!

Dear Reader supporter: $250 (or $20 per month) • Get invited to regular supporter-only parties and events.

• Receive $5 in Independent Market credit every month!

Story supporter: $100 (or $8 per month) • Get invited to regular supporter-only parties and events.

Freelance supporter $50 • Receive an Independent bumper sticker and refrigerator magnet.

Stringer supporter: $25 • Receive an Independent bumper sticker and refrigerator magnet.

Thank you supporter: $10 • Receive an Independent bumper sticker and refrigerator magnet.

Or contribute any amount you choose!

There are three easy ways to contribute: 1. Go to CVIndependent.com and use PayPal or a credit card.

2. Email donate@cvindependent.com to make arrangements.

3. Mail a check or money order to: Coachella Valley Independent 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263 Cathedral City, CA 92234 Note that since the Independent is not a nonprofit entity, contributions are NOT tax-deductible.

However, we here at the Independent really, really appreciate them!

CVIndependent.com

22 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

ALEJANDRA GUZMAN

PITBULL AUG 20

SAMMY HAGAR

AUG 13

& THE CIRCLE MICHAEL ANTHONY, VIC JOHNSON & JASON BONHAM

AUG 27

CHEECH & CHONG

JULIO IGLESIAS SEPT 17 CHRIS YOUNG SEPT 23 GERARDO ORTIZ OCT 14 DOOBIE BROTHERS OCT 22

TOTO SEPT 9

SEPT 2

COUNTING CROWS & ROB THOMAS SEPT 16

FREE LIVE TRIBUTE BANDS EVERY WEEKEND - 7:30PM - MIDNIGHT

ALWAYS LIVE, ALWAYS FREE, ALWAYS OUTDOORS MUST BE 18 TO ROCK

Win a 2-year lease on your choice of a Dodge Ram, Challenger or Charger.

See tent in RockYard for details.

2016 Ram 1500 Tradesman Quad Cab 4x2 24 month Lease 537/mo + tax 1000 Ram Truck Engine Bonus Cash On Approved Credit with Chrysler Capital. 10,000 Miles a year, 25 cents for each additional mile after that.

Lessee Responsible for Insurance, Registration, Maintenance and all terms and conditions described in the Chrysler Capital Lease Agreement. vin 136566 model DS1L41 stk j0454

800.827.2946

■

www.FantasySpringsResort.com

Exit I-10 at Golf Center Parkway Must be 21 to play in casino. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino reserves the right to modify or cancel any promotion at any time.

Must have valid ID. FSRC employees’ family members may not be eligible to participate in this promotion. Must have a Fantasy Rewards card to participate. See Fantasy Rewards desk for details.

CVIndependent.com

FANT-48744 CVI FullPg Aug16.indd 1

2016 Dodge Challenger SXT 24 Month Lease 286/mo + tax 750 California 2016 Bonus Cash + 2000 Challenger Bonus Cash On Approved Credit with Chrysler Capital. 10,000 miles a year, 25 cents for each additional mile after that.

Lessee Responsible for Insurance, Registration, Maintenance and all terms and conditions described in the Chrysler Capital Lease Agreement. vin 108479 model LADH22 stk j0581 2016 Dodge Charger SE 24 month Lease 455/mo + tax 500 California 2016 Bonus Cash On Approved Credit with Chrysler Capital. 10,000 miles a year, 25 cents for each additional mile after that.

Lessee Responsible for Insurance, Registration, Maintenance and all terms and conditions described in the Chrysler Capital Lease Agreement. vin 199013 model LDDM48 stk j0671

7/19/16 2:28 PM

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 23

AUGUST 2016

FOOD & DRINK

WELL RED M

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

A chat with Marcus Kempken, Palm Springs sales manager at Mosaic Wine Alliance

By christine soto

arcus Kempken has been living and breathing wine for more than a decade. As the Palm Springs sales manager for Mosaic Wine Alliance, his job is to meet with his various accounts and sell wine … but to Kempken, it’s so much more than that.

Many wine-lovers, for some reason, also love storytelling, and Kempken is no exception.

During our chat, he waxed poetic about Stolpman’s 2013 Roussanne—a brand which, of course, is represented by his wine-distribution company.

Mosiac Wine Alliance—which represents and distributes brands such as Saxum, Frog’s Leap, Paul Pernot and Francois Lamarche, just to name a few—is a wine broker born here in Palm Springs. Pierre Lemieux, one of Mosaic’s founders, was working at the old Rusty Pelican 25 years ago when he saw an opportunity to bring fine wine to the desert. The company was formerly called PMDL, but Lemieux and company have rebranded and expanded to other areas of Southern California.

Marcus got his start in hospitality at Red Robin—humble beginnings, in his words. He caught the bug for wine and food service at an early age and worked his way up from busboy at Red Robin to server/sommelier at Sullivan’s.

He then held various sommelier/wine-buyer/ manager positions at The Hideaway, Indian Ridge Country Club, and the 3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro. He started working with Mosaic part-time while with 3rd Corner and has been with the distributor ever since.

Marcus and I chatted over that bottle of Roussanne, enjoying every sip.

How did you get your start in wine?

One of my co-workers at Red Robin also had a job at Fleming’s, and he showed me one of his wine-education books. Just seeing a couple of pages sparked an interest. I thought, “This could be an opportunity where I could go and learn something and better my life”—not knowing exactly what it would actually do for me. It changed my life, 100 percent, in so many different ways. At the time, I didn’t even know how to pronounce “cabernet sauvignon” or “merlot”: I knew red and white. I didn’t drink wine when I was younger, but between seeing those pieces of paper, and hearing about how servers were making $250 a night, I thought, “This is awesome.” So I went to get a job at a steakhouse, thinking I could make more money. The maître d’ at Sullivan’s took a chance and hired me. There, I met the sommelier, Robert Chancey. He had this energy for people and wine that I have not seen since. He really harnessed the energy of the passion of wine and the love of connecting people with that. He taught me that, and it’s the foundation of who I am as a wine guy today.

Lisa Tussing

What was your first wine love?

I had a guest at Sullivan’s who came in alone one night and ordered himself a nice meal and an expensive bottle of wine out on the patio.

In my mind, I’m going, “Why is he ordering a $150 bottle of wine for himself?” I didn’t understand at the time why he’d do that, but then he let me have a taste. It was Stag’s Leap Cask 23. That wine was truly amazing—the finish lasted 15 minutes. That experience and that wine taught me what wine was really all about: generosity and good winemaking—and on top of that, I can make a little money. All that came together that night: I can make a living from this; I can taste good wine and be passionate about it; and I can spend time with good people. Wine is great that way. It’s a bridge; it’s a conversation piece. I drink wine to share, to be with friends and family.

we do business. We have flexibility to do wine dinners and spend time with accounts. Pierre is all about quality of life and taking care of his reps, and I really appreciate and admire that; we’re like a family.

One thing I do miss is interacting with the end customer. Given the opportunity, I’ll chew off someone’s ear talking about the wines.

What are you drinking right now?

Rosé, white burgundy and Alsace riesling.

Desert Island wine?

Cult Cabernet, 2001. It will last forever; it’s built for the ages.

Favorite food pairing?

Steak, potatoes and cabernet. (Laughs.) I’m simple-hearted. I don’t need foie gras and caviar or champagne.

Favorite wine book?

Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy. It’s the

only book you use for Italian wines. And the first wine book I read taught me the basics: The Everything Wine Book. Those two really spoke to me.

Where do you like to go out in the desert?

Spencer’s. Andre (de Carteret, the sommelier) has stuff that is not on that wine list that is hiding in the cellar that will rock your world.

You can get a great meal at Copley’s. Mr. Lyons. Johannes—he has a great wine list, some hidden gems. LG’s has been running some wine specials lately; you can get some good deals.

Your favorite thing to do besides drink wine?

Riding bikes and hiking the Indian Canyons.

So much natural beauty in the desert!

Palm Springs native Christine Soto is a co-owner of Dead or Alive wine bar in Palm Springs. She can be reached at christine.soto@gmail.com.

How was the transition from wine-buyer to sales rep?

I wouldn’t have done it any other way. For any old sales rep coming to the wine world, there is a really steep learning curve and a tough transition. For somebody like me, who has relationships from working in restaurants and a background in wine, it makes all the difference. My first year wasn’t as difficult as it could have been; because I could get a meeting based on my existing relationship with winebuyers, it was a huge benefit. Four years later, many of those buyers are gone or have moved on, so I don’t have the same advantage.

Now, I’m resting on my book, my service, my thoughtfulness and what kind of deals I can find my customers.

You enjoy being on the sales side?

I do. I love our book and working with the wineries we represent. They’re all familyowned and -operated, so representing them is meaningful and a pleasure. I really enjoy working with Mosaic and Pierre. He’s created a wonderful culture that is reflected in the way

Marcus Kempken: “I had a guest at Sullivan’s who came in alone one night and ordered himself a nice meal and an expensive bottle of wine out on the patio. In my mind, I’m going, ‘Why is he ordering a $150 bottle of wine for himself?’ I didn’t understand at the time why he’d do that, but then he let me have a taste.”

CVIndependent.com

24 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

FOOD & DRINK

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

the

BEER GODDESS

By Erin Peters

L

ike IPAs? You aren’t alone.

According to the Brewers Association, IPAs accounted for less than 8 percent of the craft beers sold in 2008. As of August 2015? A whopping 27.4 percent of beers sold were IPAs. That’s a huge amount growth—and the popularity of IPAs continues to rise: According to the 2016 Craft Brewers Conference, by the end of 2017, the IPA category is expected to make up a third of the nation’s total volume of craft beer.

The bitter brew has grown to new, different and stronger heights. To dive deeper into the popular style, I spoke with three amazing Southern California craft brewers.

Mitch Steele, until his departure on June 30, was the head brewmaster at Stone Brewing, and is the author of IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale. IPAs account for more than 50 percent of Stone Brewing’s sales.

Do you think the overall growth in the industry and better drinkers’ palates have affected the popularity of IPAs? Yeah, absolutely. It’s all anybody drinks, by and large. … I think people have gotten used to the taste of hops in their beer, and they enjoy it. It’s an acquired taste; I don’t think it’s any different than coffee. Most people don’t like them the first time they try them. At this point, craft is becoming … I don’t want to say mainstream, but a lot more popular than what it had been, and I think people are embracing the hop character.

What are some of the trends you’re seeing in IPAs? Two things right now really stand out. No. 1 is the fruit-IPA thing—the IPAs with added fruit, which only makes sense, because a lot of these new hop varieties produce flavors that are reminiscent of peach, pineapple and grapefruit and all that. So to actually augment the hop flavor with a fruit—it’s not new, but it’s really has taken off within the past year. … The other one would be the whole New England IPA— unfiltered IPA, really opaque versions of IPA. They’ve really gone to another level.

Do you have an overall philosophy in brewing IPAs? Has it changed over the years?

I think a couple of things have changed. I think the amount of hops used in a dry hop has gone up across the board with all brewers. It used to be that if you were using three-quarters of a pound of hops per barrel, you were dry-hopping pretty aggressively. Now there are a lot of brewers who are using two pounds per barrel on a regular basis. … In the past, it was, “OK what CVIndependent.com

hops can I get? And I’ll build our beers around that.” And now, it’s like, “OK, I want to build a beer around this hop.”

What would you tell homebrewers out there who are interested in brewing IPAs? Minimize crystal malt usage in the recipe. Sweet IPAs aren’t as drinkable as dry IPAs. … It’s OK to use hops that aren’t traditionally used in IPAs, and have some fun with that. … You’re going to learn something either way, whether it turns out great or not.

Ben Cook is the president and master brewer at Hangar 24 in Redlands. While Hangar 24’s everpopular and refreshing Orange Wheat makes up 55 percent of the company’s beer sales, Hangar’s Betty IPA makes up much of the rest. After a popular first release, the Double Betty was recently re-released.

“People appear to not be getting enough IPAs,” he said. “The Betty, since inception, has seen double- and triple-digit growth. … Often, it’s fun for brewers to see what we can do and push the limits on the alcohol and hop character we can fit into a beer, while making it still a really tasty beer—and not just, you know, a mess.”

Do you think the overall growth in the industry and better drinkers’ palates have affected the popularity of IPAs? Yeah, absolutely, I mean, we were even resistant to it a little bit. We brewed so many different styles of beer. I think last year, when we were really focusing on top-line growth, we brewed more than 50 different styles of beer, using local ingredients … and then you go brew just a standard IPA, and it flies off the shelf. … People have evolved to want more—more flavor, more bitterness, more hop profile, and so they’ve moved onto IPAs, but haven’t quite started venturing out a lot more yet. People are getting into sours and other categories, but right now, the numbers pop: IPAs and IPA variants dominate.

Three IPA-makers discuss the increasingly popular craft-beer style

What are your thoughts on experimental hops and new or trendy hops like Citra and Mosaic? Do you have a process on choosing what hops to use with which beers?

I think that it’s fun, and it allows us to be innovative. I know brewers love it; the consumers love it. Experimental hops are a win for everyone. I hope the growers keep going down that path, and it appears they are. The more hops we have, the more we can differentiate ourselves and offer the consumer the variety they’re looking for.

What would you tell homebrewers out there who are interested in brewing IPAs? Experiment. I think that’s what it’s all about. Do weird stuff that no one has ever done. Have fun experimenting. Don’t stay within the standard practice and the standard amounts. Have fun with it.

Kyle Smith, the master of brewing for Kern River Brewing, focuses on IPAs. The category makes up 75 to 80 percent of the company’s craft-beer sales. Last year, the brewery produced close to 2,000 barrels. This year, it’s on pace to brew between 6,000 and 7,000 barrels.

What are some of the latest trends you’re seeing in IPAs? I’m seeing really aggressively hopped beers.

It’s hard to find some of the balanced IPAs any more. Don’t get me wrong; there are some really, really good ones out there, obviously. …

(Drinkers) don’t want a bad IPA, where 10 years ago, we may not have known the difference.

Everybody’s palate is diverse now and can figure out, ‘Hey, this doesn’t work,’ or, ‘Wow, this really

works,’ which is awesome.

Besides your own beer, what are your go-to IPAs right now?

Anything from Russian River—you can’t go wrong. Where we’re at, since we’re so rural, I never see Russian River up here, so if I can pop a Blind Pig, I’m pretty stoked. I just had the new collaboration … from Noble (and) Cellarmaker, Dank You for Being a Friend. That was an awesome IPA. Societe Brewing—anything from those guys. A good stand-by is Sierra Nevada Torpedo; you can’t go wrong with that beer.

Do you have an overall philosophy in brewing IPAs? Has it changed over the years?

I like to go heavy on the later additions, which gives you more of a floral aroma. Also, I try to stay away from the caramel malts. I’ll use a little bit, but be real sparing, because after a while, the caramel malts will stand out more than the hops. … If it’s a single IPA, I really enjoy keeping it mid-range alcohol content, somewhere between 6 and 6.5 percent. I feel like it’s a little bit more drinkable.

What are your thoughts on experimental hops and new or trendy hops like Citra and Mosaic? Do you have a process on choosing what hops to use with which beers?

We use a lot of those hops. We use a lot of Mosaic in our session IPAs. … We do a series of experimental IPAs called Think Tank. We rotate a different hop just to see what kind of profile it has. I enjoy a lot of those hops. … With Kern’s Think Tank series, we are able to experiment at the pub … and get feedback from the locals.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 25

AUGUST 2016

E U R O PA

RESTAURANT

Palm Springs’ most enchanting dining experience

Monday Summer Special ALL DAY HAPPY HOUR Tuesdays Divas On Fire and Latin Dancing Wednesday Karaoke Thursday Symara Stone Live Acoustic Music & STING Variety Cabaret Friday Flirt Fridays Happy Hour Dance / GoGos Saturday Super Saturdays Bingo Dance / Go Gos Sunday Sunday Funday Bust Board Games, Beer Bust, Beer Pong, Pool Darts & More

Our award-winning restaurant, nestled in the historic Villa Royale Inn, offers the exquisite cuisine of sunny, southern Europe accompanied by fine imported and domestic wines, warm, attentive service and an incomparable ambience of firelight, fountains and bougainvillea.

For an intimate rendezvous or a joyful celebration, there’s simply no place like EUROPA.

(760) 327-2314

(800) 245-2314

E U R O PA

RESTAURANT at the Villa Royale Inn

1620 Indian Trail, Palm Springs, CA 92264

The Coolest Bar on Arenas!

Serving dinner throughout the year. Available for private banquets.

Reservations recommended.

CVIndependent.com

26 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

at our bar or patio...11a-7p...EVERY DAY!

$3 WELL $5 CALL $8 PREMIUM $5 BAR BITES

with th is *see bead, lunch or di low for nn details er

3 Course prix fixe

3 delicious and affordable courses!

Available 11a-6p...EVERY DAY!

bottomless mimosas, specialty bloodies, 10a-3p

*In restaurant dining only. One 10% discount per table. Please present before ordering. Cannot be combined with happy hour, prix fixe or other promos.

760.864.TRIO (8746) 707 North Palm Canyon www.TrioPalmSprings.com

FREsh gRound . handcRaFtEd

73-399 El Paseo, #103 . Palm Desert, CA 92260 . (760) 346-4372 . Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm, Sun: 11am-5pm

Book Early. Get Rewards.

Celebrate the holiday season at Fleming's, and let us take care of all the details. Book through the Private Dining Director by Aug. 31, and earn a $100 dining card for every $500 spent. Lunch parties will also earn a $25 dining card for each attending guest!

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar 71800 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage 760-776-6685 www.flemingssteakhouse.com/private-dining/

CVIndependent.com

This month, we seek out some tasty Asian fare

By Jimmy Boegle

BRUNCH-A-GO-GO | Sat & SUN

WHERE PALM SPRINGS EATS

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

the

THE BEST HAPPY HOUR IN TOWN

WHAT The Wok-Fried Noodles With Chicken WHERE Watercress Vietnamese Bistro, 415 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $11 as a lunch special; $14 as a dinner entrée CONTACT 760-832-9927; watercressvietnamesebistro.com WHY It’s fresh and tasty.

Regular readers of these Indy Endorsements know that I am not all that impressed with the Asian food on offer here in the Coachella Valley.

Yes, there are some great Thai restaurants. But as for good Chinese food … it’s veeeery hard to find here in the desert.

A couple of years ago, the same thing could have been said about Vietnamese fare.

However, that’s changed in recent years, thanks to the valley-wide expansion of Pho Vu, Chad Gardner’s game-raising purchase and revamp of Pho 533—and now the buzz-generating Palm Springs debut of Redlands favorite Watercress Vietnamese Bistro, which recently took over the building last occupied by Serious Food and Drink (R.I.P.).

On a recent lunchtime visit to Watercress, we instantly learned that this little restaurant is clearly doing something right: There was a wait for an inside table. On a Wednesday. In July. Wow. Alas, soon after that, we also learned that Watercress—as is often the case with new restaurants—is still working out the figurative kinks: We waited more than a half-hour between the delivery of our lunch-special soup and the arrival of two of our three entrées. The third entrée followed about another 10 minutes later. Oops.

However, in my case, the food was worth the wait: My wok-fried noodles (flat rice noodles, in this case) with chicken were delicious. The vegetables—crisp bok choy, still-crunchy carrots, onions, peppers, baby corn and shiitake mushrooms—were perfectly prepared, while the chicken was moist and flavorful. All of it was brought together by a savory brown sauce.

One food-related nitpick: The noodles were a bit congealed and mushy—but that didn’t stop me from gobbling it all up with glee.

The valley’s Vietnamese food scene has definitely received another boost thanks to Watercress. Now, can we please do something about the Chinese food here?

WHAT The No Name 2, as Part of All-You-CanEat Sushi WHERE No Da Te, 73655 El Paseo, Palm Desert HOW MUCH $35 during our visit; $9 for just the roll CONTACT 760-340-3698 WHY Sometimes it’s good to splurge … responsibly.

On a recent visit to San Francisco, we decided to try an adorable little Japantown sushi restaurant. Its shtick: All of the customers sat around a little moat that had miniature boats with sushi on them constantly floating by. You could grab whatever you wanted; you knew the cost based on the type and color of the dish.

It was cute. It was fun. And it was fiscally dangerous: One particularly ravenous member of our party wound up racking up a $75 bill.

On lunch.

This is why I prefer all-you-can-eat (AYCE) sushi joints: You walk in; you find out the price; and you can enjoy all the yumminess that you want without worrying about receiving a crazy-stupid bill at the end.

This is not to say that AYCE sushi is necessarily inexpensive; for example, when I walked into El Paseo sushi joint No Da Te for lunch recently, I paid $35, which is far more than I’d normally spend. However, $35 is a lot less than $75—and if I would have paid separately for everything that I enjoyed, I would have spent closer to $75 than $35.

The food I had at No Da Te was fantastic across the board, but my favorite item was the No Name 2 roll—shrimp tempura, avocado, crab, egg and freshwater eel, all lovingly wrapped in soybean paper, and drizzled with just a touch of sweet eel sauce. It was splendid.

I recommend calling ahead to No Da Te to find out how much your AYCE meal will be—prices vary—but you can rest assured: Whatever that cost is, that’s all you’ll pay, as long as you stick to the AYCE menu. Relax; eat; savor; enjoy.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 27

AUGUST 2016

Enjoy our award winning beer at over 170 bars & restaurants throughout the desert or join us in our taprooms for limited releases.

Open Daily—Two Locations The Brewery 77917 Wildcat Drive, Palm Desert

760.200.2597

LaQuintaBrewingCo

Old Town Taproom 78-065 Main St #100, La Quinta 760.972.4251

@LaQuintaBrewing

CVIndependent.com

28 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

Spectacular Summerlicious!

New Bar & Schnitzel Menu Starting at $12

*EXPIRES 9/15/16

Experience Award-winning, Contemporary Continental Cuisine with an Austrian Flair from Creative Chef Johannes Bacher

(760) 778-0017

Open for Dinner at 5 pm / Closed Mondays Private Dining • Available for Groups • Special Events Voted “Best Continental Restaurant” 2013, 2015 & 2016 Voted “Best Martini” 2016 by Palm Springs Life Readers

Voted “Best Chefs America”

196 S. INDIAN CANYON DRIVE, PALM SPRINGS, CA 92262

Become a Fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/JohannesRestaurant

johannespalmsprings.com

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

Restaurant NEWS BITES

By Jimmy Boegle CAFÉ EUROPA MOVING TO FORMER PLATE | GLASS SPACE, ADDING A TAPAS CONCEPT The gorgeous second-story spot at 301 N. Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs has gained a reputation as being jinxed, because the list of recent restaurants that have unsuccessfully made a go of it there is rather lengthy.

Plate | Glass. Crave. The Kickstand. All are gone.

However, this dubious record does not scare Michael Stoltz, the owner of Café Europa: Stoltz has temporarily closed his popular breakfast and lunch joint, which was at 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive, to move down the street into that gorgeous second-story spot. The target reopening date is Oct. 1.

“We outgrew the space,” Stoltz said about the old Café Europa digs. “People were also asking when we were going to open up an evening place.”

The space at 301 N. Palm Canyon Drive addresses both of those dilemmas: It has twice the amount of seating as the old spot, and a kitchen that’s about three times the size. Beyond that growth, fans of Café Europa have nothing to worry about: Stoltz promised that he “is not touching” the menu of Café Europa.

As for that evening place: Stoltz said Café Europa will share the space with a new concept, Jus’ Tapas, which will offer tasty small plates and a full bar during the evening hours.

It’ll work like this, Stoltz said: Café Europa’s tasty fare and relaxed vibe will rule the daytime hours, until 2 p.m. or so. After a brief closure, Jus’ Tapas will take over. Linens will then be placed on the tables—and the artwork may even be changed, he said.

Jus’ Tapas menu will feature items in the $6 to $19 range, Stoltz said. He mentioned that one of his favorites on the in-development menu is a Brussels sprouts dish; the sprouts will be paired with twicebaked hazelnuts and topped with crème fraiche and a Dijon mustard sauce.

Then there’s the “Man Candy”—strips of bacon coated with cayenne pepper and molasses. Wow. Stoltz is especially excited about the bar concept: He said Jus’ Tapas will emphasize skinny, lowcalorie cocktails, as well as a large number of wines offered by the glass.

Sounds pretty amazing to me! Watch www.cafeeuropapalmsprings.com for updates as Oct. 1 approaches.

WHEN IT COMES TO RUMORS, DON’T NECESSARILY BELIEVE ’EM Facebook brings both good and bad: The good: People can share information with friends, followers and fellow group members with just several clicks on a keyboard.

However, not all of this information is necessarily accurate. That’s the bad part.

So much misinformation regarding the restaurant world has been spread via Facebook and word of mouth recently that a local TV station had to come out and do a story to debunk an out-of-control rumor: On July 13, KMIR ran a piece emphasizing the fact that The Tropicale—one of the most popular restaurants in the valley, located at 330 E. Amado Road—is NOT closing, despite rumors that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians was kicking them off the land.

Turns out the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians doesn’t even own that land, according to the KMIR piece.

Rumors have also been running amok about the fate of Wang’s in the Desert and Bit of Country, located at 424 and 418 S. Indian Canyon Drive, respectively: Once the nearby Burger King closed, speculation that those two restaurants were doomed ran amok. Turns out there’s no evidence, at least that we could find, that this is the case.

That’s not to say rumors sometimes aren’t true; Woody’s Burgers, for example, recently had to move due to a land sale. But the point remains: Make sure your information is correct before blathering online, folks.

IN BRIEF The approach of the month of August means that you should probably check to make sure your restaurant of choice is open before heading there: A lot of popular local joints close for several weeks, or more, during these dog days of summer. For example, all of the F10 Creative stand-alone joints— Cheeky’s, Mr. Lyons and Birba—are taking the month off, and reopening on either Aug. 31 (Mr. Lyons, Birba) or Sept. 1 (Cheeky’s). … While the approach of August brings numerous closures, this year, it also brought a most-welcome opening: Tipper’s Gourmet Marketplace, at 276 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, is now serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a number of yummy to-go options; peruse all the menus at tippersgourmetmarketplace.com. … Also new in downtown Palm Springs—right next door to Tipper’s—is Gré Coffeehouse and Art Gallery, at 278 N. Palm Canyon Drive. The Beatnik-inspired joint mixes coffee, art and live performance; get more details at www. grecoffeehouse.com.

CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 29

AUGUST 2016

30 32 33 36

The Supersuckers and Cancer-Survivor Frontman Eddie Spaghetti Return to Pappy and Harriet’s Spankshaft Throws Rock and Reggae Sounds Into Its Upcoming New Album After a Quiet Year, Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker Reconvene for the Annual Campout THE LUCKY 13: Get to Know a Hellion and a Member of Venus and the Traps

www.cvindependent.com/music

STABLE AGAIN

After a mental breakdown, Creed’s Scott Stapp is getting his life together

31 CVIndependent.com

30 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

GETTIN’ IT TOGETHER E

The Supersuckers and cancer-survivor frontman Eddie Spaghetti reeturn to Pappy and Harriet’s

By Brian Blueskye

ddie Spaghetti, of rock-country band the Supersuckers, is used to the middle finger—in fact, he encourages his audiences to flip him off, and he then photographs the occurrence during his live shows.

But over the last year, it’s the Supersuckers frontman who has been flipping the bird—to cancer, that is.

Spaghetti returned to stages last year after his battle with Stage 3 oropharyngeal cancer— right after the disease was declared to be in remission. He’ll be back at Pappy and Harriet’s for a performance on Friday, Aug. 12.

During a recent phone interview while touring in Europe, Spaghetti said he’s almost back to feeling normal.

“I feel so much better than I did when I was at the darkest part of it, for sure,” Spaghetti said.

“I always felt fine before I had the cancer. I felt that fine was kind of the way I always thought of myself as feeling.

“It’s good to be feeling close to that again,” he added with a laugh.

As friends, family and fans raised more than $68,000 via YouCaring.com, Spaghetti went through a radical tonsillectomy and had all of the lymph nodes on the left side of his neck removed.

“It was hard, a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “The pain and wanting to sleep all the time—I didn’t feel like doing much of anything—was very difficult for me, because I’ve always been a regularly active dude.”

He was afraid that his vocals might not sound the same after the surgery and treatment, but he’s been kicking ass ever since returning to the stage.

“It was super-rewarding, and I was supergrateful that I had a job I wanted to get back to,” he said. “It made me feel really good about my life’s work, which is something I really hadn’t felt in a while. It was one bad thing after another for this band for so long. To feel grateful about it after all this time—that’s one of the things I’m thankful for after getting cancer. It’s not like I had this religious epiphany or anything like that. My belief system is still largely the same, and all that sort of basic DNA hasn’t started to unravel yet—but, yeah, I definitely feel grateful for the things I do now.”

The last couple of Supersuckers records—Get the Hell in 2014, and Holdin’ the Bag in 2015— have contained a lot more of the Supersuckers’ country music side. While the Supersuckers have always included a country sound and were once labeled as “cowpunk,” Get the Hell is genuinely a country album.

CVIndependent.com

“We just wanted to make a solid country record. We don’t hear a lot of good country that turns us on anymore,” Spaghetti said. “We wanted to make something that we wanted to hear with songs we liked that definitely had the spirit of the band, but were laying down the country angle of things. I feel like there’s so much crappy country music out there that to make a good country record is an achievement these days.”

The Supersuckers are definitely more comfortable doing country music today than the band was in its earlier days; the band was formed in 1988.

“The first time we really dove into it with Must’ve Been High (in 1997), we thought we were on to something special,” Spaghetti said.

“It turns out we were, but when the record came out, everybody hated it, and it was totally, roundly booed. Revisionist history has changed that perspective: Now it’s this great influential success story, but at the time, it was a bad experience, and it was horrible to go through that.”

Their band’s four albums, concluding with Must’ve Been High, were released on Seattlebased alternative label Sub Pop Records, famous for bands such as Nirvana, Mudhoney, Beach House, Low and others.

“It was amazing. It was a thrill of a young kid’s lifetime to be involved in that scene,” Spaghetti said. “It happened for us when we were so young. As soon as we moved to Seattle, we attracted the interest of Sub Pop, which was amazing. We went to Japan on their dime, and all the stuff we got to do because we were on Sub Pop was great. I feel we owe our career and legitimacy to the label being such a legitimate force in music, and I appreciate that.

“That’s something new for me as well

(post-cancer)—appreciating that whole period. There were some negative things toward the end involving over-expectations and spending too much on the band, and the disappointment that lingers after that happens.”

What’s in the future? A new record, Spaghetti said.

“I’m going to start polishing the turds for that sucker here soon, and I think we’re going to get in the studio next year at some point and forge on,” he said.

Will there be a new Eddie Spaghetti solo record? “Not currently, but I’m sure I will at some point, when we get some down time. I’ll fill (the time)—that’s what I do!”

After Spaghetti plays a song live, he’s been known for him to end by singing, “Cha cha cha.”

“I really don’t know how that started, but it started as a way to get the crowd to react after every song when it was over,” he said. “It’s sort of become a thing, and it’s steamrolled out of

control, and I think we need to bring it in a bit.

It’s getting obnoxious, but it is a fun thing to motivate the crowd to cheer after the song. But it works, right?”

On the bill at Pappy’s with the Supersuckers will be local band Throw Rag and Los Angelesbased group The Hangmen.

“Dude, I’m so stoked! I couldn’t be more excited for our drummer (Christopher “Chango” Von Streicher), who used to play for Throw Rag,” Spaghetti said. “He’s going to play with them again, and I’m beyond excited that it’s actually going to happen. The Hangmen are on the bill as well, who are another legendary and influential band in my life, so it’s going to be a good time.”

The Supersuckers will perform with Throw Rag and The Hangmen at 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 12, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. Tickets are $25. For tickets or more information, call 760365-5956, or visit www.pappyandharriets.com.

The Supersuckers

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 31

AUGUST 2016

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

STABLE AGAIN

By Brian Blueskye

E

ver since the band Creed first dissolved in 2004, frontman Scott Stapp has endured a hellish series of personal crises.

Stapp’s downward spiral reached its lowest point in 2014, when he suffered a complete mental breakdown brought on by drug and alcohol use. Stapp posted Facebook videos in which he made delusional and outlandish claims; at one point, he even called his son’s school and claimed he’d found ISIS members within his family.

Thankfully, Stapp has since gotten himself together since then, and is now continuing his solo music career. He will be stopping by the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa on Saturday, Aug. 20.

During a recent phone interview, Stapp discussed his most recent solo album, Proof of Life, which was released in 2013—before Stapp’s mental breakdown. The album was based on Stapp’s personal struggles.

“It was a very cathartic experience to systematically address some very deep struggles in my life and kind of chronicle it in music, from the beginning to what I had thought at the time was the end,” Stapp said.

He added that getting back into touring has been a positive experience.

“It’s been awesome. It’s been a pretty busy couple of years,” he said. “Prior to going back out on the road, I sort of stepped back into the public eye in doing a TV show. … I’ve been going nonstop ever since. I’ve enjoyed connecting with my fans through music and sharing experiences. I find while out on tour during my meet-and-greets that there are a lot of people who have gone through the same

things, or have a family member that has gone through something. It’s been quite an interesting journey, to say the least.”

Stapp was recently named the new lead singer of the supergroup Art of Anarchy, following the death of former vocalist Scott Weiland, of the Stone Temple Pilots.

Art of Anarchy also includes guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal formerly, of Guns N’ Roses, bassist John Moyer of Disturbed, guitarist Jon Votta and drummer Vince Votta.

“Those guys approached me and asked me if I wanted to be involved. We had a few meetings; we got together and jammed a little bit, and after those meetings and jamming, I decided to do it,” Stapp said. “I thought it

After a breakdown, Creed’s Scott Stapp is getting his life together—and is back on the road

would be a good project to get involved with.

I love collaborating with new musicians and artists, and it’s something different.”

There’s a third solo album from Stapp in the works as well.

“I’m still a young man, in my opinion,” said Stapp, who will turn 43 on Aug. 8. “I feel there’s a lot of music ahead for me. I’ve already begun writing ideas and getting things together with a third solo album in mind. So there will definitely be another one.”

Many of Stapp’s problems are due in part to bipolar disorder, with which he was recently diagnosed.

“I think the entire onset completely surprised me. It caught me off guard and turned my world upside down,” Stapp said. “I think the entire condition is surprising, to say the least. I’m just thankful with the proper treatment and lifestyle changes that it can be managed, and I can move on and continue to have a happy, healthy and productive life.”

Many musicians and songwriters have said that medications prescribed for bipolar disorder have stunted their creativity.

However, Stapp said that’s not the case.

“I feel the most creative that I’ve ever felt. I guess it just depends on the person and how severe their case is,” he said. “It’s really been a great way for me to take my recovery and Scott Stapp

put it into action. One of the philosophies of my recovery is to get out of myself and do things for other people. My wife and I really have a heart for children, and through both of our charitable foundations, With Arms Wide Open Foundation and the CHARM foundation, have been helping kids for over a decade. This is kind of an opportunity to continue that mission and partner with an organization called ChildFund and make a difference in some needy children’s lives all around the world. We’ve already met our goal in sponsoring a village in the Philippines, providing food and water, education, clothing and all the necessities kids need to live a healthy life, along with (helping) a village in West Africa … which has also been a huge success.”

As for Creed, Stapp said he expects the band to eventually play together again. The band reformed for a short period between 20092012, but the other members of Creed have been performing with vocalist Myles Kennedy as AlterBridge, a band which has proven to be quite popular.

“I’m sure we will (play again together),” Stapp said. “When the time is right, I would think something will happen. We’ll just have to wait and see. We communicate via text message, and it’s been positive.”

Stapp recently poked fun at himself in a Funny or Die video in which he reviewed the movie Creed, making it sound as if the movie was a biopic on the band.

“I get a kick out of it. You can’t take yourself too seriously, and it was a lot of fun to do that,” he said. “It’d be fun to do more things like that.”

While Stapp’s future is finally looking bright again, he said his current motto is “one day at a time.”

“I think there’s a lot in store down the road,” he said. “I’m playing a sold-out show almost every night while I’m out on tour. I’m having a blast, and I look forward to continuing to do what I do, and enjoy what I do.”

Scott Stapp will perform at 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, at Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, in Cabazon. Tickets are $20 to $40. For tickets or more information, call 800-252-4499, or visit www.morongocasinoresort.com.

CVIndependent.com

32 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

SKA AND BEYOND S

Spankshaft throws rock and reggae sounds into its upcoming new album

By Brian Blueskye

pankshaft is often labeled as a “ska band.” However, the group, which calls Yucca Valley home, is much more than that.

Brandon Simpson (vocals/guitar), Brent Simpson (bass/vocals) and Russel Waldron (drums) recently sat down to discuss the band’s in-the-works new album, Beasts and Goddesses.

“We started, in March, layering down the drums and guitar sounds, and we’ve almost finished up the bass right now,” Brandon Simpson said. “The first album we recorded (Great Job, released in 2011) was just a collection of songs we had written. We were trying some new things. This one is more like an actual album, where we knew we were going to record a number of songs. It feels more like an album than an EP.” Beasts and Goddesses will include songs both old and new. “‘If We Lose Our Heads’ is a really old Spankshaft song. It’s never been properly recorded until now,” Brandon Simpson said. “We have another one called ‘I Was Just Leaving,’ which is a new one. That was written in the studio just from a guitar riff that we had.”

Spankshaft’s music definitely has ska elements, but the members also include a heavy-rock element in their sound. During live performances, it’s not uncommon to hear a cover of the Arctic Monkeys’ “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor,” as well as songs by the Black Keys, Lit, Sublime and many others.

“There are a lot of reggae bands locally, but we are actually trying to be punk/ska. It definitely feels lonely in our genre,” Brandon Simpson said. “But we’re more than punk/ska; we do a lot of other stuff. We sound a little Queens of the Stone Age on some tracks, and Streetlight Manifesto and Blink-182 on others.

A lot of ska songs use major keys. … I have a love for minor keys and dissonance, so we have a lot of dissonance ska.”

Waldron said the upcoming album is quite diverse.

“A lot of this album is branching off the ska genre,” Waldron said. “Every time we have a show, people are like, ‘Oh my god! Ska is still around!’ Ska is huge in San Francisco and in Mexicali, or even in Orange County or Los Angeles.

“We’re trying to be not just known as a ska band. Travis Barker from Blink-182 is my main inspiration. … You’re going to hear a lot of influence on that aspect. … Every song is different than the last, and that’s what I really love about it. Each song is different, but it’s still cohesive.”

Reggae is also included on the new album.

“We have some actual reggae jams on this album,” Brent Simpson said. “Russ and I spent a year learning how to do that reggaefeeling thing. Andy from Warsaw Poland Bros. showed me a lot of cool stuff to do on the bass. Everybody loves reggae. We started experimenting with different sounds and tones. For us, it’s really opened us up to anything.”

Waldron compared playing reggae to playing the blues.

“You have to have the soul and the heart, and if you don’t, you’re just going to sound like a fucking tape recorder,” he said. “You have to have that feel. I’ve also added a lot of electronics on my kit. I’m still playing with the octapad and trying to fit that in. Every time we go into the studio, I come out of it a better musician. It’s amazing, because you’re sitting down and dissecting every little part and thing you’re doing.”

Yucca Valley is home to a surprising number of fine musicians. Spankshaft’s saxophonist, Clint Stoker, and trombonist, Scott “Drago” Kisinger, were touring with Gene Evaro Jr. at the time of our interview.

“Living in the desert, when you find as great of a group of musicians as we have … it’s easier to keep a group together,” Waldron said. “In a city, people are going to say, ‘Well, I’m going to go play with this band.’ We’re experiencing that right now with our horn-players, but it’s cool, because we still have our core. We’re not going anywhere; we’re still playing shows and sound tight as a three-piece. There’s a lot more patience and loyalty in the desert.”

The band has been together for almost 10 years, and has been through both trying times and great times. Some of the good times have included sharing the stage with bands such as Voodoo Glow Skulls, The English Beat, Unwritten Law, and many others. As for the trying times?

“We’ve been through lineup changes, different horn players, deaths in the family,

Spankshaft

births in the family and just about everything.

I don’t know what else there is left for us to go through,” Brent Simpson said.

Brandon Simpson said Spankshaft will likely go on for quite some time.

“Both Russ and I have the band name tattooed on us,” Brandon Simpson said. “That’s probably the only tattoo I have that I have no regrets or second thoughts about. Russ and I have had conversations about how we’re going to keep doing this band until we’re too told to do it anymore, like the Rolling Stones, just because we like doing it.”

For more information on Spankshaft, visit www. spankshaft.com.

Randy Wiemer - REALTOR Independent, Professional, Experienced.

Contact me for all of your real estate needs.

121 S. Palm Canyon Drive #204 Palm Springs, CA 92262

760.333.7747 Randy@RandyWiemer.com www.RandyWiemer.com BRE:01704307 CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 33

AUGUST 2016

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

DO THE MUSICAL MATH

The Blueskye REPORT august 2016

By Brian Blueskye

After a quiet year, Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker reconvene for the annual Campout

I

By Brian Blueskye

t’s again that time of year when Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker and fans of both bands take over Pappy and Harriet’s for a weekend known as the “Campout.”

The 12th annual Campout will take place from Thursday, Aug. 25, to Saturday, Aug. 27.

During a recent phone interview, Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery noted that the year since the last Campout has included a lot of downtime—and no new material for either band.

“This is one of the first kind of years off we’ve had,” Lowery said. “The last two years, it’s been something coming out every year.”

However, Lowery pledged that the next year won’t pass without new material: He said a new Camper Van Beethoven album is in the works.

“We haven’t even really started writing songs or anything like that, at least not in a really serious way,” he said. “There are a few things floating around, though. … We wouldn’t want to start the process of that until the late fall or about how I analyze the music business and early winter; 2017 is when we’ll start creating the entertainment industry. I am interested in new albums. There might be some surprises mathematics, but I’m not a mathematician.” later this year, but we’ll have to see.”

Lowery said it’s vital that all people Even when there are no new albums or understand the financial side of life. recording sessions, all of the members of “The thing is, there’s a difference between Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker still enjoy mathematics and logical thinking. Most people getting together for the Campout. intuitively understand the logic,” he said. “Even “It’s definitely going to be a lot of fun for us, though they may not understand calculus or given we’ve had no shows this year,” Lowery geometry or anything like that, they have a said. “It’s good to have sort of a down year pretty good grasp of it. I feel like people need where we just concentrate on the Campout. some mathematical backing—not really in Each night of each Campout has a different mathematics, but (in a) mathematical financial theme. For example, in 2014, there was a punk understanding of the world. I think people vs. new wave night. make really poor decisions, like paying money “One year, we had cops vs. hippies. We had up front and going debt. I think people need cowboys and Indians one year,” Lowery said. financial knowledge. That’s the one place you “There was also one year where everyone wore get hurt if you don’t have it.” white the first night, and black the next night, The Campout lineup this year includes the which produced the best photographs. The queen of the High Desert, Jesika Von Rabbit, fans kind of come up with these themes—and I as well as other great bands with which Camper don’t really know how we ordain it.” and Cracker fans may already be familiar.

I asked Lowery which theme was the most Lowery, however, did offer a suggestion for this memorable. year’s Campout attendees.

“I think cops vs. hippies was really fun,” he “Some fans are pretty familiar with Ike said. “I dressed as a cop. I shaved my beard off Reilly. He’s a friend of ours and a similar style and had a mustache. Nobody recognized me, songwriter,” Lowery said. “He’s had a similar and I was just going around and completely career and legacy, but maybe not as popular fooling people. It was pretty funny, actually.” as Camper Van Beethoven or Cracker. He’s Lowery is also well-known for his academic been around for a long time, writing straightlife; he’s a college teacher, in fact. However, up roots kind of rock with clever lyrics. He’s he wanted to make it clear that he’s not a fantastic, and we cover a song of his, and I’ve mathematician. appeared on his albums. I’m looking forward to “I don’t really do too much of that anymore,” bringing him to the desert and having our West Lowery said. “I teach at the University of Coast fans experience him performing live.”

Georgia, and it’s basically economics and finance related to the entertainment industry.

The 12th Annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven That’s what I do. There is math involved in Campout takes place Thursday through Saturday, that, but it sort of underpinned my thinking Aug. 25-27, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown

Pitbull

David Lowery guillermo prieto/irockphotos.net

Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown.

Tickets are $25 for one-day passes, or $75 for a three-day pass. For tickets and more information, visit www.crackersoul.com/store.

It’s always nice to be inside with air conditioning and cold beverages during the sweltering August heat. Well, here are some upcoming events where air conditioning and frosty drinks are abundant—as is great music.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is hosting some big names this month. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, rapper Pitbull will be performing. It seems like every other hit pop song these days includes Pitbull on the track. After selling millions of albums and racking up numerous music awards, Pitbull is showing no signs of slowing down. Tickets are $69 to $129. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar will be performing with a group that he’s calling The Circle. Joe Satriani and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently unavailable to perform with him as the supergroup Chickenfoot, so Hagar has recruited Michael Anthony (who also played with him in Van Halen and Chickenfoot), Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson. Tickets are $49 to $109. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-3425000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has one notable event taking place in August. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 6, British reggae band UB40 will be performing. UB40’s reggae credentials are incredible, and the band has had about 50 hit radio singles in the United Kingdom, with several here as well—many of which are reggae covers of songs, such as “Red Red Wine” by Neil Diamond and “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher.

Tickets are $55 to $75. The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www. hotwatercasino.com.

Morongo Casino Resort Spa has suddenly become the place to be! At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 5, Flogging Molly will be performing,

continued on next page

CVIndependent.com

34 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

HOT SUNBLOCK MAGIC SECRETS FOR SUMMER

AUGUST 2016

The Blueskye REPORT continued from Page 33

By Shonda Chase, RN Co-owner and aesthetic director of Revive Wellness Centers Palm Springs and the South Bay area of Los Angeles

Last month, we shared the secrets of lips injections. This summer month’s secret can help protect your skin—and improve your future self’s appearance in the years ahead.

Aesthetic medical providers would rather you spend your money on looking better instead of repairing damage done by the sun. Sunblock is absolute MAGIC in a bottle, and we need MAGIC whenever we can get it. Applying sunblock every day can keep us from aging like our parents.

The UV index came out 1992 and ranges from under two (low risk of burning) to 18 (extreme). FYI, the Coachella Valley ranges from eight to 10 (“very high”) in the winter, and 11 to 18 (“extreme”) from spring through fall.

UVA rays permanently damage our skin’s collagen and elastin. Sadly, glass doesn’t stop UVAs, and snow doubles its intensity. UVB rays are shorter, and levels vary throughout the year. UVBs cause our skin to burn, create dark spots and increase our risk for skin cancer. No one is immune from UVB damage—even if you have naturally darker skin.

Here’s an easy rule of thumb to decide what SPF number you need: Figure out how many hours per day you’re exposed to the sun, and multiply by four. If you get five hours of sun per day, you’ll need a 20 SPF sunblock; eight hours per day, you’ll need a 30+ SPF. With sunblock, you get what you pay for. Effective sunblocks will run $30 to $50. Only $100 to $200 per year spent on a good sunblock will save you $2,000 per year later in repairing sun damage that could have been prevented. Give your future self the gift of healthy skin by taking advantage of the magic we know about by simply adding sunblock to your lifestyle!

Next month, we’re going to share some secrets about Revive’s new FDA research study project that provides feminine rejuvenation without surgery, discomfort or downtime. Until then, These are two medical-grade brands keep the secret. of sunblock that we like at Revive.

Read the entire article at www.revivecenter.com/blog.

Email your individual appearance and aging questions to Ms. Chase at Shonda@revivecenter.com.

CVIndependent.com

Flogging Molly

right on the heels of a European tour. One of the two best-known Irish punk bands in America (the other being the Dropkick Murphys), Flogging Molly falls a little bit more on the traditional Celtic music side— and isn’t afraid to slow things down to tell an Irish hard-luck story that will bring a tear to your eye. Fun fact: Frontman Dave King was in heavy-metal band Fastway in the ’80s, and that band did the soundtrack for the terrible horror film Trick or Treat. Tickets are $55 to $65. At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 12, there will be a show by Flo Rida. Flo Rida is a fascinating figure in the sense that he’s been combining house music with hip-hop.

He’s been highly successful, in part due to terrific collaborations with artists such as Sia, T-Pain, Fresh Kid Ice and others. Tickets are $65 to $75. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace continues to fill the Monday Open-Mic Night with local music figures as guest hosts. On Aug. 1, Big Dave Johnson, Pappy’s security man and bassist for Mojave Sky, will be hosting; on Aug. 8, it’ll be Stew Heyduk from the Pappy’s Sunday Band. On Aug. 15, Lisa Lynn Morgan of R. Buckle Road and Lisa Lynn and the Country Gentlemen will be hosting; on Aug. 22, the hosts are local musicians Nigel Roman and Jennifer Irvine. On Aug. 29, Brent Simpson from Daytime Moon and Spankshaft is in charge.

Admission is free. At 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 13, Joshua Tree musician Gene Evaro Jr. will be celebrating his album-release party.

Gene has been on a fantastic run, playing a national tour with Elle King, and performing at various big events including the Joshua Tree Music Festival. His music has also made recent appearances on various soundtracks, including that of The Deadliest Catch. Every local-music lover should support Gene— and buy his album! Tickets are $12. At 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, there will be a performance by Diane Coffee, featuring Foxygen drummer Shaun Fleming. Diane Coffee is sort of a Broadway-meets-’70spsychedelic-rock project. It’s definitely

different … in a good way. Tickets are $10 to $12. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760365-5956; www.pappyandharriets.com.

Splash House will be returning for Round 2 this year, from Friday, Aug. 12, to Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Riviera Palm Springs, The Saguaro and the Palm Springs Air Museum.

The lineup features headliners Gorgon City (performing a DJ set) and Snakehips. Other performers will include Hudson Mohawke, Bondax, DJDS and many others. General admission tickets are $120—and as of now, the event is listed as sold out. For more information or to purchase tickets, should any others become available, go to www. splashhouse.com.

The Hood Bar and Pizza has one scheduled event that’s a must-see: At 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 6, catch great triple-bill of Jesika Von Rabbit, The Yip-Yops and Herbert. This is the one local show in August you don’t want to miss. The Yip-Yops are back and performing under the band’s original name, after losing the IIIZ name to former record label Hood and Associates earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Jesika Von Rabbit just performed a kick-ass show at Pappy and Harriet’s with the Death Valley Girls. Folks, this is the Low Desert’s chance to party with the cool kids from the high desert. Admission is free. The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, Palm Desert; 760-636-5220; www.facebook.com/ thehoodbar.

guillermo prieto/irockphotos.net

Gene Evaro Jr.

AUGUST 2016

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 35

CVIndependent.com

36 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

the

LUCKY 13 Get to know a Hellion and a member of Venus and the Traps

By Brian Blueskye James Montenegro

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

I don’t get pop music in general. It’s redundant, so much so, in fact, that attempting to listen to it is almost a metaexperience in figuring out (who) the artist is explicitly ripping off. I’m talking about the Lady Gagas of the world, who probably have a team of writers who could give her some substantial material, but instead hand her a reworking of a Madonna hit.

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

I would love, LOVE, to see Devo perform live.

NAME James Montenegro GROUP Venus and the Traps MORE INFO Venus and the Traps have dazzled local-music audiences at places from house parties in Coachella, to The Hood Bar and Pizza, to even the McCallum Theatre, as part of the East Valley Voices Out Loud showcase. The band’s sound combines punk, psychedelia and surf rock. Playing bass for Venus and the Traps is James Montenegro; more at www.facebook.com/ venusandthetraps.

What was the first concert you attended?

It must’ve been at the Date Festival. When I was a kid, my parents took me to see some band like Foghat or something. I don’t remember much in terms of music, but I do remember a lot of middle-aged drunk dudes dancing around like fools and falling into the folding chairs.

What was the first album you owned?

Metallica’s Kill ’Em All. It was a burned copy a friend gave me in middle school. We didn’t listen to that kind of music in my household, so I would listen to it late at night when everyone was asleep, with my headphones plugged in to the family radio.

What bands are you listening to right now?

I’m listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Roy Orbison, Bobby Fuller, and Sam Cooke.

CVIndependent.com

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Cajun music. Enough said.

What’s your favorite music venue?

I’d say in a very localized sense that The Hood is pretty tops, because they bring in a band I’d love to see play at least once a month. Bring in Devo!

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

I can dismiss song lyrics very easily, but for the past two days, a lyric will enter my head from time to time, because I’ve listened to the song so much recently: “All the tired horses in the sun, how am I supposed to get any riding done?” from Bob Dylan, “All the Tired Horses.”

What band or artist changed your life? How? The Clash changed my life immensely when I first listened to them. I must’ve stolen London Calling from Borders, now closed, when I was in high school. Reading the lyrics, I was taken aback. These were four guys playing some real intense music, with a lot of intellect, and they told stories as well.

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

I’d ask Joe Strummer of the Clash: “How do you give off the appearance of never having to make a compromise, and still achieve radioplay status?”

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“In Dreams,” by Roy Orbison.

Jamie Hargate

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

Combat Rock, The Clash.

What song should everyone listen to right now? “(Working on the) Chain Gang,” by Sam Cooke. Do it with friends, and have them do the “oohs” and the “ahhs” in the background.

Have a few stiff drinks, then do it again.

NAME Jamie Hargate GROUP The Hellions MORE INFO I’ve had many interesting conversations with Jamie Hargate, guitarist of the Hellions. While Hargate is obviously a huge fan of Turbonegro, he, like his bandmates, is also a huge Nirvana fan—and even plays a Kurt Cobain signature model Fender Jaguar. Track down the Hellions on Facebook.

What was the first concert you attended?

The first band I saw live was Kyuss at the Palm Desert Country Club in September 1992. The cousin of a friend of mine took us to a “movie.” I was in seventh-grade. The first big show was Beastie Boys, Rollins Band and Cypress Hill in November 1992.

What was the first album you owned?

Anthrax, State of Euphoria; Guns N’ Roses, Appetite for Destruction; and Black Flag, Everything Went Black.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Turbonegro, Hornss, You Know Who, and Unsound.

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

I’m sure I’ll get crucified for this, but … I give no shits! I cannot stand the following: Rush, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Thorogood, and Pink Floyd. I could go for more, but I’m cool.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live Nirvana (again), The Doors, and Minor Threat.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Brittney Spears—I’ve seen her, but would like to see her again—Katy Perry and Elton John.

What’s your favorite music venue?

Hollywood Palladium; The Roxy in Los Angeles; and Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in Cleveland.

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

“Beast of Burden” from the Rolling Stones, but I think they sing, “My pizza’s a-burnin’.”

What band or artist changed your life? How? Nirvana. I was a huge fun of Guns N’ Roses, Skid Row, Poison, etc., when I was 11-12 years old. Then I heard Nirvana, and it all changed.

I was very fortunate to see Nirvana twice at the age of 14 and 15. Around the same time, I was hockey-skating at the mall ice rink and became friends with Jesse Hughes, and he turned me on to Jane’s Addiction, Primus, Sonic Youth, Adolescents, Black Flag, etc.

It was great to be in the seventh-grade and having older/wiser friends!

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

I don’t have one. I’m a musician, and I ask myself too many questions as it is.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Three songs: Alice in Chains, “Down in a Hole”; Black Flag, “Six Pack”; and Nirvana, “Endless, Nameless.”

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

Nirvana, Nevermind.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

Turbonegro, “Good Head.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 37

AUGUST 2016

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

Across 1 Overlooked, as faults 8 Drink in 14 Take for granted 15 More Bohemian 16 *Do the Right Thing actress 17 *Singer and percussionist who collaborated with Prince on “Purple Rain” 18 “Ew, not that ...”

19 French 101 pronoun 20 This pirate ship 21 Commingle 22 They’re taken on stage 24 Like pulp fiction 26 Mata ___ (World War I spy) 27 Boost 29 Friend-o 30 Actress Kirsten 31 “Hello” singer 33 Carved pole emblem 35 *Full Frontal host 38 ___ umlaut 39 Small towns 41 Silicon Valley “competitive

intelligence”company with a bird logo 44 Exercise count 46 Wise advisors 48 Brand that ran “short shorts” ads 49 Bankrupt company in 2001 news 51 LPGA star ___ Pak 52 Abbr. after a lawyer’s name 53 He was “The Greatest” 54 Clothe, with “up” 56 Triple ___ (orange liqueur) 57 *Arsenio Hall’s rapper alter ego with the song “Owwww!”

59 *Two-time Grammy winner for Best Comedy Album 61 Buddies, in Bogota 62 Not just by itself, as on fast-food menus 63 Fixed up 64 Land attached to a manor house Down 1 Cone-bearing

evergreen 2 Bitter salad green 3 Internet enthusiasts, in 1990s slang 4 “Gangnam Style” performer 5 Car company with a four-ring logo 6 Sense of intangibility?

7 Gets ready to drive 8 Reacted with pleasure 9 “Uncle Remus” character ___ Rabbit 10 HPV, for one 11 J.R. Ewing, e.g.

12 Shows again 13 Portmanteau in 2016 news 17 Brangelina’s kid 23 Kind of trunk 25 Danger in the grass 26 Shoulder-to-elbow bone 28 “I’m hunting wabbits” speaker 30 Fix up, as code 32 Word between dog and dog 34 Bar accumulation 36 Wardrobe

extension?

37 Fancy ways to leave 40 “You betcha I will!”

41 Like a small garage 42 Message on a dirty vehicle 43 Like mercury at room temperature 45 Cover in the kitchen 47 Hammer mate, on old flags 49 Family Ties mother 50 Not even me 53 R&B singer with the five-album project “Stadium” 55 “Where America’s Day Begins” island 58 International aid group 60 ___ Mine (George Harrison autobiography) ©2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

CVIndependent.com

38 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

CANNABIS IN THE CV

THEY JUST

SAID NO A

BY SEAN PLANCK

s the GOP geared up for its now-infamous national convention in Cleveland, Republican delegates decided what would be included in the official party platform—and amid wildly inaccurate and unproven claims, cannabis reform was rejected.

Some of the anti-cannabis arguments were real gems, including claims that mass murderers are all pot-smokers, and that there are links between marijuana and the current heroin- and opioids-addiction epidemics. Seriously.

In fairness to the GOP, some delegates fought to get medical marijuana endorsed by the Republicans. “It’s not like we’re talking about Cheech and Chong here, folks. We’re talking about allowing people with debilitating conditions to ease their suffering,” Maryland delegate Ben Marchi said, according to HuffingtonPost.com. Alas, arguments like those given by Marchi weren’t enough to extricate the collective GOP delegate heads from their sandy hiding places: The measure was defeated on the second vote.

Then there’s Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential nominee. The nut, in a nutshell: • Indiana is the home of some of the harshest marijuana laws in the United States. Possession of even a small amount of cannabis is still punishable by 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine under the Pence administration.

• A proponent of the disastrous and failed War on Drugs, Pence still clings to the repeatedly disproven theory that cannabis is a gateway drug. He referred to it as such in a 2012 gubernatorial debate, and went on to say: “I would not support the decriminalization of marijuana. I’ve seen too many people become involved with marijuana and get sidetracked. We need to get more serious about confronting the scourge of drugs.”

• In 2013, Indiana House Bill 1006 would have revised Indiana’s criminal code— including a reduction in punishment for marijuana charges. However, Pence refused to sign the bill until the clause was dropped, and cannabis was reclassified up to a Class B misdemeanor. This was in direct opposition to the will of Indiana voters: Just a few months before HB 1006’s passage, a Howey/DePauw poll asked the state’s voters: “Currently it is a misdemeanor crime in Indiana to possess a small amount of marijuana. The legislature may consider making it an infraction rather than a crime to possess a small amount of marijuana. Do you favor or oppose making possession of a small amount of marijuana an infraction rather than a crime?” Poll respondents favored decriminalization by a margin of 54 percent to 37 percent.

So much for democracy.

CVIndependent.com

Trump himself has been all over the place on this issue, saying in 1990 that recreational use should be legalized, and that the tax revenue should be used for drug education.

Since his run for president kicked off, he’s moved a bit to the right, saying in October of last year to the Washington Post: “Marijuana is such a big thing. I think medical should happen—right? Don’t we agree? ... And then I really believe we should leave it up to the states.” This seems like a pretty reasonable position to most Americans, including many Republicans.

What influence Pence will have on The Donald’s platform remains to be seen—but you can bet it won’t be favorable to the plant.

If the GOP slate is elected, the results could be disastrous for the legalization movement.

On the Bright Side Colorado is set to reach $1 billion in cannabis sales in 2016. This is not only great news for the cannabis industry; it’s great news for the state’s coffers. In addition to the 2.9 percent sales tax in the state, Colorado collects an additional 10 percent sales tax on cannabis and a 15 percent excise tax that is designated for school construction.

The population of Colorado is a little more than 5.4 million, and the state is doing a billion a year in cannabis sales. Try to imagine what those figures will be in California when recreational use becomes legal. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 15.09 percent of Colorado residents use cannabis. That’s around 814,860 tokers. Compare that to the 12.88 percent of California’s 39,144,818 residents who light up—a total of 5,041,852 Golden State smokers. There are 1,623 dispensaries registered with the California Board of Equalization. In 2014, California medical-marijuana dispensaries reported

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 39

AUGUST 2016

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

The GOP takes huge steps backward on cannabis with its official platform—and with Mike Pence

Together WE CAN Save Our Sea. Save Our Health, Environment, Property Values and Local Economy. Our way of life depends on it.

BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION & BECOME “LICENSED” TO SAVE OUR SEA ~~~ NOW, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE. Presented in partnership with the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, Bureau, Department of Fish and Wildlife and The Salton Sea Authority.

BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION & BECOME “LICENSED” TO SAVE OUR SEA ~~~ NOW, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

Get all the facts and reserve a plate at SaltonSeaPlate.com

Mike Pence is not a fan of marijuana—facts be damned. PHOTO BY GAGE SKIDMORE; ILLUSTRATION BY JIMMY BOEGLE

$570 million in taxable income. That meant $49.5 million in taxes paid to the state, and recreational use is still to come.

Any way you pose it, California has a huge financial boon coming with legalization.

A Dose of Irony From Coalinga The Claremont Custody Center in the Central California city of Coalinga had a capacity of more than 500 state inmates until it was shuttered by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 2011, and has been sitting unused since.

Now Ocean Grown Extracts has struck a deal with the city to purchase the former

prison for $4.1 million. (Timely, since the city is $3.8 million in debt.) The plan is to convert the former prison into a marijuana-extracts production center.

“It’s like the Grateful Dead said: ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been,’” Coalinga Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Keough said to The Fresno Bee after he and council members approved the plan in a 4-1 vote. “We listened to the citizens and created a package that was reflective of our population.”

The repurposed building will be a natural fit for a business that requires strict security and 24-hour surveillance. The new facility is expected to bring 100 new jobs to the town.

CVIndependent.com

40 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2016

Deals available ONLY in the Independent Market as of August 1:

Get a $20 gift certificate to TRIO Restaurant for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

Get a $20 gift certificate to the Purple Room for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

Get a $40 certificate Get a $50 Get a $25 gift to Europa Restaurant certificate Get a $40 gift certificate at the Villa Royale Inn to Fleming's for certificate to Johannes to Shabu Shabu Zen for $20—a savings of $25—a savings of 50 for $20, or a $20 gift for $12.50—a savings 50 percent! percent! certificate for $10—a of 50 percent! savings of 50 percent!

Get a $20 gift certificate to Bart Lounge for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

Get a pass for a group of four to Escape Room Palm Springs for $60—a savings of 50 percent!

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

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

Deals available only at CVIndependent.com.

Look for more deals to be added during the month!

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

CVIndependent.com