Coachella Valley Independent June 2017

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT | JUNE 2017

VOL. 5 | NO. 6

Local Theater

on the Move The Coachella Valley arts scene is thriving — and as a result, three theater organizations are looking for bigger homes

By Brian Blueskye | Page 12

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JUNE 2017

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 Gustavo Arellano, Max Cannon, Kevin Carlow, Cory Courtney, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, Dwight Hendricks, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Brane Jevric, Keith Knight, Erin Peters, Dan Perkins, Sean Planck, Guillermo Prieto, William Bryan Rooney, Laurel Rosenhall, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Christine Soto, Robert Victor, Baynard Woods The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month.

All content is ©2017 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.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.

We are living in unprecedented times, as far as national politics is concerned.

This thought kept coming to mind as I read the latest installment of Democracy in Crisis, which you can check out for yourself on Page 6. Writer Baynard Woods, simply and briefly, lays out 13 anecdotes that show how authoritarianism is on the rise in our country.

Reporters arrested. Protesters arrested. Conflicts of interest being flouted and going unchecked. Sigh.

However, there’s at least one silver lining I’m finding in all the chaos: It’s clear that great journalism is alive and well in the United States.

Some of the reporting we’ve seen from The New York Times and the Washington Post, just for starters, has been amazing.

In recent weeks, these papers exposed the fact that our president apparently revealed classified information to the Russians—jeopardizing, at the very least, relationships with countries with whom we partner on intelligence. They reported that our president apparently asked our FBI director to lay off of an investigation of him—before the president would go on to fire that very FBI director.

Closer to home, the Los Angeles Times in April published an unprecedented sixpart editorial series titled “Our Dishonest President,” which made the clear case that Donald Trump is unfit for office.

As always, smaller news outlets are doing great work, too. Take Democracy in Crisis as an example; it’s a joint project of alternative papers around the country, including the Coachella Valley Independent.

While it’s inspiring and amazing to see all of this great journalism, it’s important to point out that these aforementioned newspapers are operating with a fraction of the resources they had, say, 10 or 15 years ago.

That’s why it’s vital that you support great journalism: Buy a newspaper subscription, or two, or three. Advertise. Pay for online articles. It costs money to do well-reported, well-written, well-edited stories.

In that vein, if you like what the Independent is doing, consider throwing a few bucks our way. Both our print version and CVIndependent.com have always been and always will be free to all—but you can join our Supporters of the Independent program for just $10, or even less. Find details at CVindependent. com/supporters.

Welcome to the June 2017 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent.

As always, thanks for reading—and if you have thoughts or feedback, email me anytime at the address below.

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

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JUNE 2017

OPINION OPINION

From Botox to Cosmetic Surgery and Everything in Between

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS A double standard—relationships between older women and younger men continue to raise eyebrows

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BY ANITA RUFUS

he French have always enjoyed a reputation for being much more blasé about matters of amour than Americans, yet the election of new French President Emmanuel Macron, 39, has been accompanied by publicity on his wife, Brigitte—and the fact that she’s 64 and his former high school teacher.

Older men with younger women, too often called “trophy wives,” have long been socially accepted with a wink and a nod, while older women with younger men are derogatorily called “cougars,” with varying degrees of disapproval.

Celebrities like Cher, Demi Moore and Madonna have brought these relationships to the forefront, all too often with tongue-in-cheek negativity.

Social acceptance can be a big factor. Cindy Gallop, a web entrepreneur, points to sexism.

“It makes people very uncomfortable … to see the gender equation reversed,” she recently told The New York Times. “Out there in the world are many, many younger men who would love to date older women, but would never do anything about it because there’s this appalling societal double standard.”

When such couples do come together, what challenges do they face? June Pariano, a La Quinta resident, is married to Chuck, 6 1/2 years her junior. “We’ve been married 23 years this July,” she says, “and we were together about four years before that. I was divorced when Chuck came to work in the same company. I never dated people I worked with, but he was a very good salesman!

“Men’s roles are different now than they were when I was growing up,” says June. “When I was a teenager, I would never have thought of dating a man six years younger, but as you get older, it doesn’t make that much difference.”

Pam, also a resident of La Quinta (who asked not to use her last name), was married to a man 15 years younger. “I was divorced with grown kids when we met; I was 42, and he was ‘almost 30,’” she says. “I never noticed any problems about acceptance by any of our friends, but his family had some trouble with the fact that I was divorced with children.

“Things that mattered to me culturally were not the norm for him, because he grew up in a different era. He had come up during the ’70s, when men came to believe they shouldn’t do anything for women, even like holding doors open. Also, he had no experience with having children, and that was a big difference in our world view. On ordinary things, we were compatible, but our differences went beyond

The Parianos

choices in music or what television shows to watch. For example, I often had difficulty relating to his friends, because they had such limited experience compared to me.”

I’ve been dating a man six years younger for almost six years. Our age disparity hits me when we discuss our different music tastes and cultural references. My younger brother is my guy’s age.

While I was into anti-war protests, my brother was in the Air Force in Vietnam; my music was ’70s rock, folk and jazz, while my brother was into Elvis. With my guy and me, it’s often the choice of Bob Dylan and the Stones versus Paul McCartney and Diane Schuur, or Toy Story versus Trainspotting.

June notes: “Sometimes people kiddingly say I’m ‘robbing the cradle,’ and yet they take for granted that for men, it’s often the case that when their wives reach a certain age, it’s time to get rid of them and get a younger one. There’s still a double standard.”

Pam sums it up thusly: “The differences go beyond whether our choices of music or TV are compatible. Our values were based on different eras. There were no ‘cougars’ back then, but I’m not sure society has changed all that much about what is considered ‘normal.’”

Here in the U.S., Match.com funded a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. singles and found that 26 percent of women were open to dating men at least 10 years younger. According to Match’s Helen Fisher, “Men want a companion, and we are seeing the rise of women as intellectual partners, as sexual partners, as soul partners.”

If even the French haven’t evolved to the point where ridicule is not an appropriate response to an older woman-younger man relationship, is there hope that in the United States, we are beyond such stereotyping? Alas, not yet.

Anita Rufus is also known as “The Lovable Liberal,” and her radio show airs Sundays at noon on KNews Radio 94.3 FM. Email her at Anita@ LovableLiberal.com.

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JUNE 2017

OPINION OPINION

ASK A MEXICAN!

Should I ask my Mexican scientist boyfriend to come to the U.S. with me while I’m in grad school?

BY GUSTAVO ARELLANO

D

EAR MEXICAN: I’m an American woman who has been living in Mexico for more than a year and a half. I found an excellent job teaching English at a university, and as luck or karma would have it, I met an amazing Mexican man who treats me with respect and kindness, with a kind of support I have never known from anyone. He is a doctor here at the university. We are the same age, and though he is a chemist, and I have spent the last decade of my life trying to be an artist, we get along sweetly. I do love him a lot.

Things are good. But there is still that … I don’t know, American ambition—that voice in my head that says to me constantly that you have to keep going, keep achieving, you aren’t making enough, doing enough, being enough.

So here’s my situation: I want my boyfriend to come with me should I be accepted into the doctoral programs I’m applying for in the United States. But he has such a good thing going for him here in Mexico. I feel like a jerk asking him to leave. I fear if he leaves Mexico, he would come to the U.S. and need to work some menial job at a restaurant. He was also born and raised in Mexico, and aside from study in Spain, he hasn’t really experienced a separation from his culture, food and home.

But then I think of my life. I do not want to be the woman of the household while my man is out having a marvelous professional career.

How do I do this? How do I have a career and the man I love at the same time? Should I ask someone to sacrifice so much for me?

Sad in Satélite DEAR GABACHA: There’s ambition, and then there’s selfishness, and you, ingrata, are the definition of the latter. You already have a job and a man, yet you want to upgrade the former while forcing your querido to become a peon in el Norte, just because you don’t want to be “the woman of the household.” Isn’t that the position you currently hold in Mexico—a position you, yourself, say is wonderful?

You do realize you’d be in a subservient position up here anyway, since the only income the two of you would make during your college years is whatever he could cobble together while your apapachada ass buries the two of you in student debt, right?

Just leave him: You deserve him less than Donald Trump deserves a Mazapan de la Rosa.

DEAR MEXICAN: Why is it that people in this country seem to think that randomly sprinkling accent marks over something makes it Spanish, rather than realizing that an accent mark marks an accent? Right after reading your column, my eyes fell on an ad for a restaurant serving “authentic Mexican food” including “mole.” ¿Qué cosa? Sounds like a cross between comida poblana and a bull fight!

Diacritical Diana DEAR GABACHO: You know what’s the weirdest thing about this phenomenon?

Gabachos will put a tilde over “habanero” to incorrectly turn it into “habañero,” yet always neglect the tilde in “jalapeño” and turn it into “jalapeno.” And then they pronounce their mistakes: “Habañero” in an American accento to the Mexican ear sounds like someone who likes restrooms, while “jalapeno” sounds like someone who likes to pull pitos.

But it’s not a surprise that gabachos do such butchering—according to English, only French is worthy of proper diacritics, while the rest of the world’s language can go jala pene.

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!

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JUNE 2017

NEWS

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DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

BY BAYNARD WOODS

F

BI Director James Comey was speaking to federal agents when news of his firing flashed across the television behind him. The regime blamed new Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and cited Comey’s treatment of the Clinton email investigation—as if daring us to pretend they are telling the truth.

2. More than 200 people arrested en masse on Inauguration Day are now facing decades in jail. Authorities issued search warrants and slapped others, like Dylan Petrohilos, with conspiracy charges after the fact. “Prosecuting people based on participation in a public protest,” Petrohilos said, “seems like something that would happen in an authoritarian society.”

3. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from anything having to do with the investigation into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign after he was caught lying to the Senate about his meetings with Sergey Kislyak, a Russian ambassador widely considered to be a spy. But Sessions still wrote a letter recommending Comey’s can11-hour grilling of the ever-hated Hillary, but ning. He is also involved in hiring the new FBI when the House Intelligence Committee quesdirector, who will be expected to lead the investioned Comey in March, Gowdy demonstrated tigation of the Trump campaign. no interest in finding out how Russia had influ4. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina congressenced the election. He was, however, quite interman best known for heading up the endless ested in prosecuting journalists who publish Benghazi hearings, is being floated as a candileaked materials. date for FBI chief as of this writing.

5. The rest of the Republicans, meanwhile, If you can’t get Rudy Giuliani or Joe Arpaio, have been busy stripping healthcare from people Gowdy is perfect. Not only did he direct the with pre-existing conditions.

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Whose autocracy is it anyway?— 13 authoritarian jokes on America

When Dan Heyman, a reporter in West Virginia, repeatedly asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price if domestic violence would count as a pre-existing condition, he was arrested. He faces up to six months in jail for disrupting the work of government. Price commended the police on the arrest.

6. Desiree Fairooz, an activist with Code Pink, was found guilty of disorderly and disruptive conduct and parading or demonstrating on Capitol grounds—for laughing when Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, said that Sessions’ record of “treating all Americans equally under the law is clear and well-documented.”

Sessions sent a memo ordering federal prosecutors to seek the stiffest possible penalties in all of their cases, reversing an Obama-era policy that steered away from “enhanced” penalties and mandatory minimums for minor or nonviolent drug crimes.

7. Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates was fired when she refused to enforce Trump’s Muslim ban. She was supposed to testify to the House Intelligence Committee about Russia back before its chair, Devin Nunes, flipped out and jumped out of an Uber at midnight to go to a mysterious White House meeting. Finally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, no fan of Trump or Russia, called her to testify before the Senate, where she said that she had warned the Trump team that then-National Security Advisor Mike Flynn had been compromised by Russia—a whole 18 days before he was fired. During that time, Flynn sat in on a call with Putin.

8. Last July, a week before Trump asked the Russians to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails, he gave out Lindsey Graham’s phone number and told his supporters to call the senator.

Graham later recorded a video called “How to Destroy Your Cell Phone With Sen. Lindsey Graham,” where he chops, stabs, sets fire to, blends, toasts and drops bricks on his phone.

Now it seems the punch line is that Graham was using a Samsung flip phone—maybe digital illiteracy saved him from being hacked.

9. While dismissing concerns about Russia, Trump created a “Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity” to investigate virtually non-existent voter fraud, putting the presidential seal on his false claims that illegal voters cost him the popular vote.

Again, he dares us to believe him.

10. Shortly after Comey’s firing, the initial story of Rosenstein’s concern over the treatment of Clinton started to fall apart, and it soon became clear Trump himself had initiated the action. But Trump’s story about the decision

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is one of many officials around President Trump who have long-term ties to Russia.

continues to change. Now Comey is a “showboat,” says the preening reality star.

When you lie constantly, it is no longer a problem to be caught in a lie. “Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future ‘press briefings’ and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???” Trump tweeted when the press asked about the contradictory stories.

11. The day after Comey got canned, Trump met with Sergey Kislyak, the same ambassador both Flynn and Sessions lied about meeting.

The U.S. press was kept out of the meeting, but Russian state media covered it and sent out pictures of Trump and Kislyak shaking hands— with big, arrogant smiles, on the faces of men who could have been celebrating something.

Later, Press Secretary Sean Spicer hid from reporters in the dark, between two bushes.

12. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, another cabinet member with longterm business ties to Russia, also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—at Putin’s request. When a reporter asked about the firing of Comey, Lavrov laughed.

“Was he fired? You’re kidding,” Lavrov said sarcastically as Tillerson stood by. Then the two men left the room without answering any further questions.

Later, a reporter asked Putin about Comey at an exhibition hockey game. He was wearing a hockey uniform in a tunnel that created an iconlike halo around his head on the TV screen.

Putin, too, said the question was funny.

The team was made up of world-class athletes. Putin scored six goals.

13. Later, the administration claimed Russia tricked them into the state-media photo op.

Donald Trump recently called himself a “nationalist and a globalist.” Contradiction doesn’t bother him; perhaps he is also a weak strongman.

Democracy in Crisis is a joint project of alternative newspapers around the country, including the Coachella Valley Independent.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

JUNE 2017

NEWS

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FROM FOES TO FRIENDS

Lobbyists make amends to lawmakers with ‘make-up money’ max whitaker for calmatters

BY LAUREL ROSENHALL

D

ays after Tim Grayson won election to the Assembly, a Sacramento lobbyist greeted him at a reception with sheepish congratulations. Her client had supported his opponent during the campaign, the lobbyist explained, but now that he’d won, she told him she wanted to move past the election and forge a good working relationship.

Oh, and by the way, did he need any money to cover costs from the campaign?

“Make-up money” is what it’s called in Sacramento—the contributions that flow to newly elected officials from interest groups that backed a losing candidate during the campaign. It’s a completely legal way of saying, in political terms, “Let’s kiss and make up.”

Grayson has not taken advantage of the offer; campaign statements to date show no contributions to the Concord Democrat from clients of the lobbyist who introduced herself in November.

But conversations like theirs often occur in the months after an election, as interest groups shift from betting on a winner during the campaign vote on their issues. to lobbying those who won a seat in the Capitol.

“I don’t feel like I’m holding a grudge, but I’m “The best way to make amends, fortunately certainly not going to not work with them, not or unfortunately, is a contribution,” said GOP take their meetings or not take in their perspecpolitical consultant Mike Madrid. “It’s not tives,” Friedman said. “My goal is to represent uncommon to have a strategy where somebody my constituents and my conscience.” spent six figures against (a candidate), with The dentists and Realtors associations are approval to write them a check to rebuild the among the biggest spenders in legislative races, relationship” if that candidate ends up the pouring millions into recent election cycles. winner.

Both groups declined requests for interviews.

In other words: Make-up money is built into The dental association provided a statement the budget for interest groups that spend big on saying its political action committee “puts a politics. Those groups had a lot at stake in the great deal of consideration” into choosing which 2016 legislative races, because it marked the last candidates it supports. time for the next eight years that a significant Interest groups that spend smaller sums of number of Assembly seats would be vacant. A political money have done some flip-flops, too: review of campaign-finance reports from last • In the race for a Palo Alto-area Assembly year’s most contentious races shows plenty of seat, two local labor unions—one for firefightmake-up money in the mix. It came from trade ers, another for school support staff—that associations, corporate interests and labor gave to the losing candidate have since written unions. $5,000 checks to the winner, Democrat Marc Some examples: Berman.

• In the race for a Malibu-area state Senate • PG&E and the pharmaceutical-industry seat, the dentists’ trade association spent nearly association both donated to the campaigns of $50,000 opposing Democrat Henry Stern. After the losing candidate for a Salinas-area Assembly he won, the dentists gave him $4,200. seat. Weeks after the election, the businesses • In the race for a San Jose-based Assembly wrote checks to the winner, Democrat Anna seat, the Realtors association spent more than Caballero. $483,000 attacking Democrat Ash Kalra. After • In October, the prison guards’ union gave he won—and landed a spot on the Assembly’s $4,200 to Grayson’s opponent in the race for Housing and Community Development his Assembly seat. Two months later, the union Committee—the Realtors group gave Kalra wrote a check for that amount to Grayson. $8,500.

Grayson, who previously worked as the chap• Realtors made another losing bet in the lain for the Concord Police Department, said his Democrat-on-Democrat race for a Glendale-area relationship with the prison guards’ union stems Assembly seat, spending nearly $253,000 to from his own career in law enforcement—not support Ardy Kassakhian. After his opponent, from the money they donated.

Laura Friedman, won, the Realtors’ group wrote For interest groups he doesn’t really know, her a check for $6,800.

Grayson said he finds offers of “make-up Friedman said she met with the Realtors after money” awkward. He said he never followed up the election—just as she met with many other to seek a donation from the lobbyist who introinterest groups—for a version of the “let’s move duced herself at the post-election reception. on and have a good relationship” conversation.

“My first desire is to meet and have a conThe money, she said, doesn’t impact how she’ll versation in which they can get to know me,

who I am, what I am and how I am,” he said.

“What they choose to do after that, that’s their business.”

There is nothing illegal about giving “makeup money” to a politician, said Jessica Levinson, a law professor who is president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. Political contributions break the law only when they involve a direct exchange of money for governmental action.

But, she said, giving money to the winner of

an election—after backing an opponent—shows that donors are looking to curry favor with whomever has the power to make decisions.

“It brings into stark relief what we all know, which is that people give money to get something,” Levinson said. “You’re not expressing support; you’re buying access and influence.”

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Stop Paying Your Landlord’s Mortgage—and Learn How Easy It Is to Have Your Own Home

Palm Springs—It’s a dream we all have: to own our own home and stop paying rent.

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

JUNE 2017

NEWS

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RESTRICTIONS REMAIN A

BY KEVIN FITZGERALD

fter months of rain—and increased revenue from last year’s rate increases—both the western Coachella Valley’s Desert Water Agency and the eastern valley’s Coachella Valley Water District find themselves wading in more riches than they could have imagined just one short year ago.

However, that does not mean that all of the water-conservation mandates are a thing of the past.

“The drought is over, but conservation isn’t,” said Ashley Metzger, the DWA’s outreach and conservation manager. “That’s the big message.”

While Gov. Jerry Brown declared on April 7 that the drought was officially over in most of the state—including Riverside County—many of the water-usage restrictions imposed during the drought may be with us for some time.

“We live in the desert, and we’re always in a drought,” said Heather Engel, the CVWD’s director of conservation and communication. “Even though there were many areas of the state that were facing unprecedented circumstances, for us, this is how state was 2013. it is all the time.”

“The only downside is that we have to be Coachella Valley residents are continuing to more diligent in our messaging concerning safeconserve. According to the CVWD’s March conty,” Metzger said. “You know during the summer servation report, customers used 24.5 percent when people want to get a reprieve from the less potable water than compared to the same heat out here that the river flow is alluring. But period in 2013, while the DWA reported a 23.6 we want to point people to the reserve to experipercent decrease. ence the water resource—and not have them go “There are still prohibitions on water waste, into the river.” water runoff and watering during or soon The CVWD may also receive an unexpected after rainfall. These are all things for which the revenue windfall. Last year, the CVWD board DWA will cite people,” Metzger said. “We see of directors approved aggressive incremental the drought as having been a good learning rate increases over five years. Engel explained: opportunity for our customers, and we want to “When we pitched the need for these rate keep that message going in terms of water use increases to the community, we said there efficiency.” were three key reasons: chromium 6 treatment However, some of the most onerous water (required by new state regulations); reduced restrictions may be eased. revenue due to conservation; and the third had “Any restrictions that local water agencies to do with a number of other capital-improveimposed above and beyond the state’s, according ment projects, some of which had been deferred to my understanding, can be eliminated,” said during the recession years.”

Engel. “That’s where you see that some of the However, CVWD staff members last fall— local time or day-of-the-week outdoor-irrigation after the rate increases were enacted—became usage restrictions are being lifted. But the state aware of test results involving an alternative restrictions are pretty much common-sense, chromium 6 treatment program. and I wouldn’t be surprised if the governor and “We decided to take a timeout and do a pilot the State Water Resources Control Board make study of this alternative treatment method,” those kinds of restrictions permanent.”

Engel said. “If this doesn’t work, we probably Still, the local agencies are celebrating the won’t meet the deadline to be in compliance results of all the recent precipitation. with state-mandated chromium 6 levels by “The big and good news is that, with the state 2020. So there’s a bit of a risk there, but the savgetting plenty of rain and snowmelt runoff in ings to our customers would be so significant, Northern California, we are expecting to get and the positive impact on our communities and 85 percent of our imported water allotment the environment so significant, that our board from the State Water Project this year,” Engel decided it was a risk worth taking.” said. “That’s huge. If you’ve driven over that Could this new treatment option lead to—at Whitewater Bridge lately, you’ve seen the water least—lower rate increases for customers? flowing down, and it’s going to be flowing all “The board could reduce rates back to 2010 year. We’re thinking that we might be able to levels if they wanted to do that,” she said. “Or put about 300,000 acre feet of water into the they could say they don’t need any increase this aquifer, which is huge for all of us here in the year. Or they could increase any amount up to Coachella Valley.” the total that was published.”

The last year in which the valley received a On Monday, May 22, the CVWD board was noteworthy imported water allotment from the slated to holding a public meeting to review next

Despite a flood of water and an influx of cash, local water agencies are still asking residents to conserve

year’s fiscal budget, effective July 1.

“Certainly, we did not spend the money in the last year on the chromium 6 treatment project that we had planned, but we’re uncertain about that future,” Engel said. “People are still conserving, and that’s good, and we do still have these additional projects that we need to do. For instance, we’re in the planning stages for the construction of a new aquifer-recharge facility in Palm Desert, where subsidence of the aquifer has become an issue. So there’s still a need to fund these other projects, but whether or not we can do it with or without a rate increase is still undecided. Based on what the board has said in recent public meetings, it’s clear they’re hoping that staff can come up with a plan (for the next fiscal year) that does not require an increase.”

Meanwhile, the DWA and other local water agencies have found a way to lessen the impact of rate increases on some customers. Partnering with the United Way, the DWA formed the Help2Others program, which provides financial aid to help lower-income residents pay their

The Whitewater River is flowing heavily thanks to our wet winter. kevin fitzgerald

water bills.

“We have a lot of seniors and some lower-income neighborhoods. … it was really important to get a program like that set up, and we did,” Metzger said. “… Now all five public water agencies in the valley have this program in conjunction with the United Way.”

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JUNE 2017

NEWS

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JUNE ASTRONOMY M

By Robert Victor

Jupiter and Saturn frolic in the Planets andwhile BrightVenus Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight evening, shines at dawn For June, 2017

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

N

June's evening sky chart.

ROBERT D. MILLER

id-June finds bright Jupiter high in the south-southwest at dusk, and Saturn low in the southeast, some 70 degrees apart. At dawn, Venus gleams in the east, while Saturn is low in the southwest. The moon forms attractive pairings with various planets and stars here and there throughout the month.

Deneb In our June evening twilight sky, bright Jupiter stands high in the south to southwest at dusk, with Spica nearby, to its lower left. As Jupiter ends retrograde motion against background stars in early June, it reaches a maximum distance of just more than 11 degrees west-northwest of Spica.

Capella Keep watch this summer, until Jupiter passes just 3 degrees north of Spica on Sept. 11. By then, 15 they’ll be low in the west-southwest at dusk. After that, the next time Jupiter passes Spica will be 8 1 Vega during their triple conjunction in 2028-2029. or neck of Cygnus, the Swan. Binoculars will Mars Also in June, we find Saturn rising in the readily resolve that misty patch of light into southeast, to the lower left of Antares. Saturn multitudes of stars. is at opposition to the sun on the night of June In June’s morning twilight, Venus is still Altair 14-15 and is visible all night. In 2017, Saturn’s brilliant in the east. Telescopes show it halfPollux rings are tipped 27 degrees from edge-on, the full early in the month, when it’s near greatest greatest angle possible, with their northern face elongation, 46 degrees from the sun. Using E W in view. binoculars, look to Venus’ lower left, low in Arcturus Procyon This year, these inspiring showpiece planthe east-northeast, early in the month to catch Regulus ets—Jupiter with its cloud belts and four bright departing Mercury, and later to catch emerging satellites discovered by Galileo, and Saturn with Aldebaran. Capella is the bright star ascendJupiter its spectacular rings and bright moon Titan ing in the northeast. The Summer Triangle of 1 8 15 22 29 in a 16-day orbit—are conveniently visible at Vega, Altair and Deneb passes west of overhead.

Spica dusk from mid-June through mid-September.

Fomalhaut is low in the southeast to south.

Saturn 8 15 22 In coming years, as their opposition dates shift Two bright stars depart the predawn sky in 29 later, the window of dates to see both planets in early June: Arcturus in the west-northwest, and Antares the early evening starts about 12 days later each Antares in the southwest. Saturn sinks to the year, while the end of the window shifts about horizon by month’s end, but you can catch it one month later annually. By 2020, both giant higher by looking earlier, before dawn twilight planets will be together in early evening skies gets underway. from mid-July through December. The autumn The moon and planets in June: On the eveof 2020 will be a fascinating time to watch these ning of June 3, the waxing gibbous moon passes planets gradually close the gap—until they’re closely north of Jupiter, and on the following just 0.1 degree apart on Dec. 21, their closest evening, more widely north of Spica. The moon S Evening mid-twilight Projection remain until the new moon,occurs at 7:31 p.m. on few degrees southeastStereographic of the moon, and Spica pairing since 1623, during Galileo’s time. passes the apogee of its orbit on the afternoon O Map of

by Jupiter.

Robert D. Miller June 23. when Sun is 9 below horizon. several degrees southeast In June, you’ll need binoculars—and no of June 8. That evening, it appears widely June 1: 46 minutes after sunset.

On June 24,15: the47moon returns Check the website of the Astronomical Society mountains in the way—for final glimpses of north of Antares, and on the next morning, the " " " to the evening sky. Using binoculars, of the Desert at www.astrorx.org for a listing of faint Mars sinking into the west-northwest most distant full moon of 2017 appears several 30: 46 "try for " the " 25-hour crescent a half-hour after sunset, when it’s 2 percent our star parties at Sawmill Trailhead (at 4,000 evening twilight glow. Look for it to the lower degrees to the lower right of Saturn, in the full and barely above the west-northwest horifeet elevation—wear warm clothes), starting right of the “Twin” stars of Gemini, Pollux southwest. On the evening of June 9 through zon. Binoculars help! A sighting of this crescent at dusk on Saturday, June 24, July 22, Aug. and Castor. In the eastern sky, watch for dawn on June 10, the moon, just past full, ends the month of Ramadan and begins the 19, Sept. 23 and Oct. 14. The website includes Altair rising to the lower right of Vega and remains in close company with Saturn all night. next, Shawwal, in the Islamic calendar. On the maps and directions. Also, check out the Sky’s Deneb, completing the Summer Triangle, while Saturn is itself at opposition five nights later, next evening, June 25, spotting the moon will the Limit Observatory and Nature Center in Arcturus climbs to its high point south of over- on the night of June 14-15. By then, the moon be much easier, when it’s 6 percent full and well Twentynine Palms, at skysthelimit29.org. head. Summer begins on June 20 at 9:24 p.m., rises just before midnight, so shift your viewing to the left of Pollux and Castor. On the evening Remember the total solar eclipse coming to when the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic time to predawn to follow the rest of the cycle. of June 27, there will be a close pairing of the some parts of the country—alas, not here—on of Cancer. Earlier that day, the Coachella Valley The last quarter occurs on June 17. On June moon and Regulus. The moon occults the star Monday, Aug. 21. See last month’s column at observes the year’s highest sun passing, about 20, the waning crescent moon is a few degrees in the early afternoon from Hawaii, and in the CVIndependent.com for a list of resources.

10 degrees south of overhead, at 12:48 p.m. to the upper right of Venus. The next morning, early evening from Ecuador and Peru. From The appropriately named Summer Triangle June 21, the moon appears several degrees to California, the crescent slips south of the star Robert C. Victor, formerly a staff astronomer at is up all night from late June through early the lower left of Venus, and to the lower right in late afternoon, and appears to the left of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, August. Whenever the Summer Triangle is high of the Pleiades star cluster. On June 22, the star at dusk. By sunset on June 30, the moon is now retired and enjoys providing sky watching in a dark sky, the Milky Way will be in fine view, moon’s final morning, look for the 4 percent has just passed first quarter phase and appears opportunities for school children in and around with one of its brightest star clouds inside the crescent rising in the east-northeast just more Palm Springs. triangle, along the axis of the Northern Cross, than an hour before sunrise. Less than 39 hours half full. That evening, bright Jupiter appears a CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

JUNE 2017

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SKIN REJUVENATION FOR THE SUMMER

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

Summer is the �me of year when our skin ages the most. Last month, I shared how just 25 cents worth of sunblock per day, ea�ng some cooked vegetables and ge�ng some energy-based treatments—such as radio frequency—can help our skin look, feel and become younger.

The next most cost-effec�ve strategy for natural looking results this summer is even more Botox … in all the right places.

Secret No. 1: Topically applying Botox accomplishes nothing. No clinical study has shown that topical applica�ons of Botox have any effect, so save your money, and leave topical Botox products on the shelf.

Secret No. 2: Clinical tests show that doubling the amount of Botox per injec�on point can also double its longevity. Simply put: Higher doses of Botox can make it last up to twice as long. Pa�ents find that my Botox injec�ons usually last longer than those from other prac��oners they’ve tried. It’s because I usually inject more Botox while using less saline.

Botox begins as a powder and has to be mixed with saline in order to inject it into the nerve synapses. This process stops our muscles from deepening our facial lines. To have your Botox last through the summer, your injector needs to reduce the amount of saline by up to half, and double the amount of Botox for each injec�on point.

Secret No. 3: Reducing the amount of saline safely keeps the Botox where it’s put. Doubling the dose of Botox increases the concentra�on and keeps Botox from spreading to other areas. This technique gives you the most natural-looking results.

Next month, I’ll share how you can begin your own aesthe�c consulta�on process, and make the most of your evalua�on session with your injector or a plas�c surgeon.

Un�l then, keep the Keep from aging like your mother with even more effec�ve Botox-injec�on techniques. secrets.

Read the en�re ar�cle at www.revivecenter.com/blog.

Email your individual appearance and aging ques�ons to Ms. Chase at Shonda@revivecenter.com.

PALM SPRINGS + SEATTLE CVIndependent.com

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JUNE 2017

M

ichael Shaw, the artistic director and co-founder of Dezart Performs, had no idea what he was getting himself into when he helped start the theater company back in 2008.

“I was living in Los Angeles, so I was running the theater with my co-founder at the time,” Shaw said. “I went back and forth … and was still holding down my job in Los Angeles. I realized for it to grow, I needed to be here full-time. I needed to be entrenched in the community, because in order to be successful, you need to be in the community and get support for a nonprofit.

“I thought going into it that it was an avenue to explore new scripts. I really went into this thinking, ‘No stress; it’ll be fun. It’ll be an outlet to explore my creative side as an actor’—and the first four years, it was exactly that. But when you decide to take it to the next level, there are responsibilities that come with that. Things mushroomed and grew.”

Things mushroomed and grew so much, in fact, that Dezart Performs is outgrowing its home, the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club. That’s why Shaw recently announced Dezart was embarking on a campaign to raise money for a new and bigger theater to call home.

Dezart Performs is not alone. Coachella Valley Repertory announced last year it had agreed to purchase the Desert Cinemas movie theater building in Cathedral City and turn it into the company’s new home, after outgrowing spaces in The Atrium shopping center in Rancho Mirage. Meanwhile, Desert Theatreworks outgrew its space at the Arthur Newman Theatre at the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert and just moved into a new space at the Indio Performing Arts Center.

Yep: Local theater companies are on the move.

W

hen Shaw and co-founder Daniela Ryan began Dezart Performs, the company placed an emphasis on finding and developing brand-new plays. However, in recent years, Dezart Performs has shifted its focus away from new plays, and toward edgier fare. For example, the 2016-2017 season included Harvey Fierstein’s Casa Valentina, a play based on a real-life haven for transvestites in the 1960s, and Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park, a play that tackles issues of race, housing and gentrification.

“Our season has an obligation to deliver socially relevant and provocative story lines. We’ve always tried to do that—and our audiences didn’t expect that in our little town a few years ago,” Shaw said. “They say, ‘I really love A Chorus Line,’ and didn’t expect to see Clybourne Park, which not only uses the F-word quite often, but also uses the C-word. When I read the script, I thought, ‘Oh my God! They’re going to pull out pitchforks and torches!’ (But audiences) loved the fact they were challenged and, in the context of the storyline, felt (such language) was necessary. The audience is there with you. That’s exciting. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have done Clybourne Park, and wouldn’t have expected that.”

Shaw said he’s enjoyed watching the Coachella Valley theater world grow and prosper.

“All of the theater directors are friends,” he said. “We all communicate; we all get together and see each other’s shows; and we all support each other. We make an effort to support each other, because we need more than one theater. You can’t have just one hamburger joint or one grocery store. We all have that same belief in supporting theater in the community.”

Dezart’s fundraising campaign for a new facility is in its initial stages, Shaw said.

“What we’re doing is announcing the pledge drive and setting in motion the path to achieve all of the things we need to for us to say, ‘We have now secured a facility, and we’re now in renovation,’” he said. “But we’re a few years off from that. We’re establishing a position for a director of development, fundraising, and consulting to put us in a place where we, as an organization, can solidify the foundation and the people we need to make it happen. It means bringing on more staff, funding that staff, and taking a number of things off my plate so I can continue to grow in my role as the artistic director. I wear many hats, but I’m also only one person. Even with the support of volunteers, we need to start thinking ahead and ask, ‘What do we need to do to allow us to grow our programming?’”

T

he Coachella Valley Repertory, currently based at The Atrium in Rancho Mirage, was also founded in 2008. It’s the only company in the valley that has Small Professional Theatre status with the Actors’ Equity union.

Founder and artistic director Ron Celona said the theater has grown well beyond what was originally planned.

“We were 2 years old, using outside venues, before we were able to rent our own space,” Celona said. “Our first big milestone was moving into (a space in) The Atrium in Rancho Mirage, which was an empty shell. We hired a contractor to build our 86-seat theater, lobby and box office. We expanded to the next unit, building offices for staff. … The first hire was a box-office staff member, CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

JUNE 2017

and little by little, we have grown to be an eight-full-time-staff company. It might be called show business, and it’s certainly a business—and it needs to be run like a business.”

Celona said business success led to CV Rep’s current status.

“We started as a non-union theater that contracted Equity actors. A few years back, the accomplishment of the company as a business allowed us to become a full-fledged Equity house.

It makes Coachella Valley Repertory the only Equity house in the Coachella Valley,” Celona said.

“What that does is gives us national coverage.”

Celona said the CV Rep production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class in 2013 marked a key moment in the company’s history.

“That particular production was a turning point for Coachella Valley Repertory. Why? Because of the recognition of its production values and the cast,” Celona said. “Basically, we got a wide word of mouth, and it spread like wildfire. People who had never heard of us started to check us out. Prior to that, it was very much a small, contained following. Our subscription base was around 300, and afterward, we shot up to 700 to 800 subscribers the following year. Each year since, we’ve grown by about 200.

With that increase in subscribers, and 8,000 people attending the 2016-2017 season shows—in an 86-seat theater—it’s time for CV Rep to move into a bigger space.

“We have signed an option with the city of Cathedral City to purchase the old IMAX movie theater and two adjoining restaurants—the building and the land,” Celona said. “We have until June 2018 to execute that option. Basically, what that means is we’ve had a capital campaign since October 2016 to raise the money we need. The total campaign is a $6 million campaign. We’re just shy of our first $1 million as of right now. We need at least a percentage of that ($6 million) campaign to enter the agreement and break ground and build a state-of-the-art playhouse.”

Celona said he’s proud of the mark that CV Rep and the valley’s other theater companies have left on the valley.

“I think any arts organization in the community … we’re all making a difference,” Celona said.

“The difference is to enlighten, inspire and educate our community to be a better place to live in, and (for us to be) better human beings in the world. Theater has always been a mirror to its community.”

D

esert Theatreworks has grown in popularity and size since the community-based theater company was formed 2013, in part because the company produces a wide variety of shows, according to artistic director Lance Phillips-Martinez.

“In our first season, we had around 2,000 people who came through and bought tickets. Last year, we had 8,000 people who bought tickets,” Phillips-Martinez said. “We’ve tried to do a diverse amount of productions, and not just things that are interesting to us. What we try to do is broaden our audience with every show that we do, or pick a different type of show in our season that will bring in different audiences and keep them coming back.”

Phillips-Martinez cited a 2015 production of Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone as a show that furthered Desert Theatreworks’ reputation.

“We did it in September that year, when the audiences aren’t always bountiful, and it was nice to get that critical response—and the audiences just kept coming back,” He said. “It was a big hit for us, and it was a different type of show. … We staged and choreographed nearly every number and theme transition. It was all original and a lot of fun.”

Phillips-Martinez said he’s had to battle commonly held assumptions about community theater.

“The public perception that community theater is of a lesser quality is a challenge,” he said. “…

The work will speak for itself. If you focus on quality, you can put on whatever you want in your space, and your audience will trust you. That’s what the original challenge was—changing the perception of what community theater is.”

I could hear the excitement in Phillips-Martinez’s voice when he talked about Desert Theatreworks’ move from the Arthur Newman Theatre in Palm Desert’s Joslyn Center to the Indio Performing Arts Center.

“We had outgrown the (Desert Theatreworks space at the Arthur Newman Theatre). We had asked for more space, and they had more to give, but for whatever reason, they were not willing to do that, and it’s fine,” Phillips-Martinez said. “Our customers wanted us to stay there and wrote more than 700 letters to the city of Palm Desert, but after much deliberation and trying, it didn’t happen.

“The city of Indio offered us the space. A solution was made quickly, and the show must go on.

We love the space, and the city of Indio is our partner in producing our shows. They’re helping us promote our shows as well. It’s very nice to get a municipality’s support in producing shows, because it gives (us) some new support that we didn’t have before.”

The Indio Performing Arts Center has long had challenges attracting tenants and audiences.

However, Phillips-Martinez said that it’ll work out just fine for Desert Theatreworks.

“One of the advantages that we have is we have such a good track record of producing shows, and (a large) number of shows we’ve presented, which is 32 main-stage productions,” he said. “Most theater companies that are local only do three or four a year; we produce eight to 10. If you’re looking for viability and sustainability, (the larger number of shows) is more attractive in sustaining a place like that. The possibilities are good.”

Solar Q&A

If you haven’t explored solar yet, what are you waiting for?

Your friends and neighbors are saving thousands every month with fixed payments that can be up to 40 percent less than their former average electric bills, with a lease that costs them nothing upfront. Wouldn’t you like to explore that option for yourself?

OK—what’s my first step?

Call or email a local company like Renova that puts quality panels on your roof like SunPower. The company will send out a tech to do measurements on your roof and understand how much, if any, shade there is year-round. This, coupled with your past energy bills, will allow them to create a customized proposal for purchasing or leasing.

It’s free, and with Renova, there’s no pressure to buy, just a desire to answer questions, provide information, and help you decide if solar is right for you.

Should I get multiple bids?

It’s always a good idea to interview a couple of companies, as it’s a long term agreement or big purchase, but be prepared with some good questions like the reliability and origin of the company and panel they are proposing, the expected life if you are purchasing, completeness of warranty (length and does it include labor?), degradation

(how quickly does it lose power each year?), reviews and recommendations from others. Comparing cost per watt doesn’t always tell the whole story, as this cost will change as the panel loses efficiency.

If I decide to move forward, how fast can I expect to have panels installed?

Depending on whether you live in an area with an HOA, that will be one factor to take into account, as will the speed of the city or county to process your permit. The actual average installation time is only one to three days, depending on the size of the system and if any additional work needs to be done to prepare the roof or the electric panel.

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JUNE 2017

CVI SPOTLIGHT: JUNE 2017 Hiding on the Backstreets, You’ll Find Great Art

Backstreet art district website

T

he Backstreet Art District, tucked away against the mountains off East Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, may be hard to find, but once you make the discovery, you will encounter a diverse collection of galleries where you can meet artists, wander through working studios—and possibly find that perfect piece of art.

The various galleries on Cherokee Way have their own hours and showing times, but they all come together to hold an Art Walk on the first Wednesday of every month, from 6 to 9 p.m., bringing together artists, gallery owners and prospective patrons.

Kelly Truscott, from Artize Gallery, explained how this collective got started.

“Backstreet was born by accident in the year 2000, when three artists had left their door unlocked one day, which resulted in people coming into their space,” she said.

After meeting the artists and getting the backstory behind the art, these intruders bought some pieces. This chance occurrence

launched the location as an art district—a place where a diverse collection of art and artists can be found off the beaten path. The available spaces are leased only as artists’ work spaces and galleries. If a gallery or art business leaves, another art gallery will take its place.

Annette Marie, a painter and jewelry designer at Studio 13, has been at Backstreet for 11 years. “There is constant change here rather than growth,” she said. “It started out and remains an intimate group of artists.”

Melanie Brenner is a gallerist at the newest member of Backstreet, Rebel Art Space.

She emphasizes the diversity and evolution that is at the heart of the district.

“The art changes here every month,” she said. “We’re not curators; we are here to sell art.”

Rebel Art Space is a collaboration between Brenner and two friends who share a Southern heritage and a desire for emerging artists to be exposed to the “burgeoning art world of the Coachella Valley.”

At the Tom Ross Gallery, you’ll find works by the artist known as Rosenberg, who moved to Palm Springs in September 2016 after 25 years in Santa Fe, N.M. Rosenberg works with large-scale paintings on clear acrylic panels, using a process known as reverse painting.

“With this technique, there is always an element of surprise,” said Rosenberg, aka Tom Ross. The work is a visual adventure, often surprising the artist himself with the direction of the final piece.

Fusion Art was started by award-winning artist Chris Hoffman to “promote and connect emerging and established artists with collectors and art enthusiasts.” Originally started as an online gallery, it opened as a physical gallery at the Backstreet Art District in May 2016. “We are fully committed to exposing new artists to Palm Springs on a regular basis,” he said. “We’ll be here doing this every first Wednesday—even in July and August”.

Other worthy galleries include the David

A. Clark Studio, featuring a namesake who teaches encaustic printmaking across the United States and in Europe; and Maxson Art Studio and Gallery, featuring the paintings and ceramic art of Palm Desert artist Linda Maxson.

One notable thing about the Backstreet Art District is the wide range of prices— including a lot of great, affordable, original art. Many galleries connect the artist to the buyer in a way that is both personal and immediate.

The Backstreet Art District is located on Cherokee Way behind the Mercedes Benz dealership. The city has even provided a directional road sign now, so there is no longer an excuse not to stop by and open an unlocked door.

The next Backstreet Art District Art Walk will take place from 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, June 7. For more information, visit www.backstreetartdistrict. com.

—William Bryan Rooney

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JUNE 2017

June in the Palm Springs Oasis

By Brad Fuhr, e-publisher, GayDesertGuide.LGBT

June is well known as Pride month in most parts of the world – an homage to the Stonewall riots in late June of 1969. As I write this, I’m at LGBT Week in New York City where it all happened. The conference is an “open source” mosaic of events and activities. People from all over the world are attending and organizers include our friends at /LGBT Brandvoice by Pink Banana Media and CMI Community Marketing & Insights. They are the company who asked you to fill out a survey on LGBTQ consumer habits. Those results help “make the case” for brands, organizations and government agencies to pay attention to our community and steer resources our way.

Today we got a lesson in pronouns for myriad gender identities from a Millennial (who prefers they/them). I’m still wrapping my head around it all.

(Google “The Genderbread Person”). The accelerated pace of humankind continues to amaze and, sometimes, amuse me. It’s almost surreal when I PHOTO: Mattachine Society think about my coming out process in the late 1980s, and even more so to think that Mary and Rob Petry slept in separate twin beds as a married couple in the 1960s TV series, The Dick Van Dyke Show. The times they have a-changed!

Pride takes on new meaning this year as we have an unexpected swing to the right on the political spectrum, and uncertainty is the watchword of the day. New CMI research shows that we as an LGBTQ community are more likely than ever to attend a Pride celebration this year. Ours waits until cooler temperatures prevail in November. You’ll find both Leather Pride and Palm Springs Pride on our calendar on the back page of this supplement.

#ILoveGayPalm Springs Because…

Jim Applegate says, #ILoveGayPalmSprings Because…

By Nicholas Snow The newly-sashed Mr. Palm Springs Hot Rodeo 2017, Jim Applegate, is already a big hit on the circuit, and his reign has just begun. Part of his charge is charitable fundraising and broke the news to me at deadline that plans are underway for Cowboy Bingo, Cowboy Karaoke, and what interests me the most—a Cowboy Shirt & Date Auction. Find the details about these upcoming events at HotRodeo.org.

I’m delighted to bring you the highlights of my latest column about this Western hunk (find the full-length column at GayDesertGuide.com).

Rodeo-goers love Jim, and guess what!? He loves us, proclaiming… #ILoveGayPalmSprings because: 1. Of the obvious natural beauty. One of my favorite times of the day is after the sun has dropped, and the mountains appear to be back-lit with an electric blue glow. There’s something very peaceful, yet breathtaking about that.

2. Of the friendly people. I believe part of that is due to the low-stress lifestyle of most residents, and part is due to visitors being in ‘vacation mode’. It’s very gay-friendly, and we rarely have to worry about the threats or discrimination, which still happens too frequently in other parts of the country.

Pride celebrations happen all around us in June, as our frenetic pace of events settles down for a long summer’s nap! According to our partners at the Los Angeles Blade, “This year, Christopher Street West celebrates the right to demonstrate with #ResistMarch, an all-inclusive march that will take place on June 11th.

Palm Springs holds our version on the same day and we’ll have details online.

And we’ve partnered with the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and Desert Business Association for a June Pride Month Mixer on Arenas Road on Monday, June 19th. Win prizes when checking in at participating businesses with #ILoveGayPalmSprings.

Orange County Pride is June 24th and GayDesertGuide will be on hand for the festival and the parade. That’s the same weekend as San Francisco Pride.

June in the valley includes the first weekend of Splash House June 9-11. There’s some great talent for both weekends. The pool party lineup includes performances from Bonobo, Kaytranada, Hot Chip, Thomas Jack, Big Gigantic and more.

You can keep your cool at the cinema with the Palm Springs Short Film Festival June 20 – 26. There’s an LGBT track that we’ll highlight on our Events calendar at GayDesertGuide.LGBT. And there’s one last event to close out the month you may not have heard about: The Palm Springs Swing & Mix 2017, the international gathering of the gay square dancers. There are two local clubs participating and helping to organize the event: Boots In Squares and Windmill Twirlers. And we look forward to helping you enjoy June here in the Coachella Valley. Follow us on social media @GayDesertGuide and sign up for our weekly “This Weekend in #ILoveGayPalmSprings” newsletter on our Facebook page. As always, we invite you to share and comment!

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3. It’s a perfect place to search for, and appreciate, classic cars. You can frequently see beautiful examples driving around town.

And the best part...we don’t have to worry about rust!

4. Of the proximity to a huge variety of different places. In just a couple of hours, you can be relaxing at the beach, immersed in the big city life of San Diego or Los Angeles, or enjoying a mountain getaway in Big Bear or Idyllwild.

5. We have the BEST gay Rodeo Association in the country! We don’t require that you have a horse...just an interest; so come on out join us!

Congratulations, Jim on your honor, and thank you for two-stepping up in support of the fabulous Palm Springs Hot Rodeo (almost as hot as you are!) and the charities they embrace.

By the way, peeps, Jim is single, so don’t miss his events! xoxo

GDG2 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT 2 // COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

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Your Map & Guide to palM SprinGS

Welcome to GayDesertGuide.LGBT Welcome to the Palm Springs Oasis and the one website and app that will “Guide” you to everything you need to know while visiting or living in the Coachella Valley.

GayDesertGuide.LGBT is a mobile-first online guide to LGBT-friendly businesses, events and activities in and around the Palm Springs area.

We’ve put together this “Quick-Start Guide” with a map and some of the top LGBT-friendly places to frequent.

Follow Us: @GayDesertGuide

@GayDesertGuide

@GayDesertGuide

We have a complete guide to Happy Hours in the Palm Springs area on our website. Get great deals on drinks and food at these restaurants, bars and clubs. Bookmark us on your mobile phone so you can find Happy Hours anytime!

RetroRoom Lounge

32

33

Chill Bar/Scorpion Room 36

Oscar’s Café & Bar 39

41

Streetbar

Toucan’s Tiki Lounge 42

Blackbook

44

Trunks Cathedral City

54

LuLu California Bistro 59

Trio Restaurant 61

67 68

Attractions 18

Pedego Electric Bikes

30

The Steakhouse at the Spa Resort Casino

19

EOS Fitness

51

Bongo Johnny's Patio Bar & Grille

20

LGBT Community Center of the Desert

53

Johannes Palm Springs

21

Camelot Theatres

54

LuLu California Bistro

22

Desert Rocks Indoor Climbing Gym

55

Pinocchio in the Desert

23

Escape Room Palm Springs

56

Peabody’s Café

24

CCBC Cathedral City

57

Hoo Doo Patio Restaurant & Bar

25

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

58

The Tropicale

26

Palm Springs Air Museum

59

Trio Restaurant

27

Architecture and Design Center

61

Broken Yolk Cafe

28

Palm Springs Art Museum

62

Copley’s Restaurant

29

Palm Springs Convention Center

63

Koffi North

30

Spa Resort Casino

64

Koffi South

Bike Palm Springs

65

Manhattan in the Desert

67

Rio Azul Mexican Bar & Grill

31

Nightlife (See our Happy Hour Finder online)

68

Watercress Vietnamese Bistro

32

RetroRoom Lounge

69

Reservoir , The Draughtsman

33

Chill Bar/Scorpion Room

70

Purple Palm

35

Hunters Nightclub

71

Thai Smile

36

Oscar's Cafe & Bar

72

Ristretto Coffee

73

Zin American Bistro

74

Bontá Cathedral City

37

Purple Room Supper Club

38

SpurLine Video Bar

39

Streetbar

40

Tool Shed

41

Toucan’s Tiki Lounge

42

Blackbook

61

Moxie

44

Trunks Cathedral City

Shopping 10

Destination PSP

11

My Little Flower Shop

12

Bear Wear

13

Motif

14

Hephaestus

15

Geras Toussant Gallery

16

Revive Salon & Day Spa

Hospital / Urgent Care

17

Antique Galleries of Palm Springs

Pharmacy

80

P.S.A. Organica

81

Revivals

Symbol Keys Grocery Store

Post Office Tennis Visitor Center

Moxie

Rio Azul Mexican Bar & Grill Watercress Vietnamese Bistro 74

Dine

Bonta Cathedral City SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // GDG3 COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT \\ 3

JUNE JUNE2017 2017

Sunny Dunes

Dinah Shore

Indian Canyon Dr

14 73 54

61

72

27

N Palm Canyon Dr 16

57

74

44

24

Gene Autry Trail 23

81

Belardo Rd

26

Mesquite Ave

18

80

67

71 3 1 53 38

55 32

Ramon

40

Kirk Douglas Way

68

10 56

15

Calle Encilia

35 12 39 42 51 33 36

13

El Segundo

Saturnino

58

Arenas

30

Tahquitz Canyon

Andreas

Amado

Downtown Palm Springs

19

El Cielo Rd

Farrell Dr

Belardo Rd

28

Mesquite Ave

Cahuilla Rd

37

Via Soledad

La Verne Way

E Palm Canyon Dr

Ocotillo Ave

San Lorenzo Rd

Sunny Dunes

Belardo Rd

17

64

S Palm Canyon Dr Mesquite Ave

Ramon Rd Saturnino Rd

Andreas Rd

Amado Rd

Alejo Rd

59 63 62 11

Ramon Rd

68

Arenas Rd

20

Calle Encilia

70 El Alameda

69

Tamarisk Rd

Tachevah Dr

Mel Ave

Indian Canyon Dr N Palm Canyon Dr

El Segundo

65

m Tra

ay W

41

Vista Chino

E Via Escuela

Racquet Club Rd San Rafael Dr

22

Grenfall Rd Warm Sands

Avenida Caballeros 29

Farrell Dr

S Sunrise Way

Camino Parocela

N Sunrise Way

21

Baristo Rd

Tahquitz Canyon Way

Farrell Dr

25

Map courtesy of HunKa Concepts

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Bongo Johnny’s

214 E. Arenas Road, Palm Springs (760) 866-1905

2017 “Save the Date” Coachella Valley Events

Bongo Johnny’s Patio Bar & Grille is one of the best neighborhood restaurants in Palm Springs. Located in the middle of the Arenas area, Bongo Johnny’s is fun and relaxing with GREAT food.

The menu is fresh, but it’s not just about breakfast and lunch, we’ve got dinner too.

Come dine with us inside, or out on the patio, and experience a mini vacation with crave-able food, signature cocktails, and stellar service.

Get Fresh!

June 11 Greater P.S. Pride National March for Unity June 9-11

Splash House

June 18 Father’s Day June 19 DBA/P.S. Chamber Night on Arenas June 20-26

Palm Springs Short Film Festival

June 30-July 3 Palm Springs Swing & Mix July 4 Independence Day July 4 indepenDANCE Day Party Aug. 11-13

Idyllwild Arts Foundation’s Jazz in the Pines

Aug. 11-13

Splash House

Aug. 17-20

Big Bear Romp @ Big Bear Lake

Aug. 25-27

2nd Annual Comic Con Palm Springs

Sept. 4 Labor Day

#ILoveGayPalmSprings @Destination PSP!

Now available at DestinationPSP - new #ILoveGayPalmSprings merchandise. Visit DestinationPSP in downtown Palm Springs.

Gay Wine Weekend

We’ve moved to JULY 14-16 so you can celebrate PRIDE & join us Out In The Vineyard! It’s a weekend of Wine & Celebration with new winemaker dinners, winery tours and events.

Visit GayWineWeekend.com

Sept. 21-24

Cinema Diverse

Sept. 28 Palm Springs Pride Honors Awards Oct. 16 2nd Annual Sanctuary P.S. Food & Wine Dinner Oct. 20-22

Modernism Week Fall Preview 2017

Oct. 21 Desert AIDS Walk

Hephaestus Jewelry

132 La Plaza, Palm Springs - 92262 760-325-5395 We are Palm Springs premier designer jewelry gallery, featuring artisan created wearable works of art, blended together with flair and sophistication to fit everyone’s fashion taste and budget.

We are known for our extensive and exclusive mens jewelry design collections that run from casual and fun to exotic and distinctive as well as one of the largest selections anywhere of gay marriage and commitment rings.

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Oct. 26-29

Palm Springs Leather Pride

Oct. 27 The LGBT Center’s “Center Stage” Fundraiser Oct. 31 Halloween on Arenas Nov. 1 George Zander Candlelight Vigil Nov. 3-5 Palm Springs Pride Weekend Nov. 10-11

Palm Springs International Animation Festival

Jan. 4-15 Palm Springs International Film Festival Feb. 15-25

Modernism Week 2018

For More Info & Events visit GayDesertGuide.LGBT

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

JUNE 2017

FOOD & DRINK

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ON COCKTAILS M

The best drinks are often bittersweet— and that’s why amaro is such a fantastic liquor

By kevin carlow

Stephen Woolverton via Wikipedia.org

ay was a strange month for me—a time of pushing the limits of good sense, as the end-ofseason fatigue began to show.

What drinks am I working on? Well, you might get an ancho La Louisiane (delicious) or … well, I was only half-kidding last month about the muddled pretzels.

In my personal drinking, I have experimented with vodka. I swear, I don’t know how some of you do that to yourself.

I also made a shocking discovery: Some people seem to like it when I prattle on about bar geekery. I figured, for some reason, people would prefer to hear about my shoving cocktails and burgers down my gullet over lessons on the minutiae of back bars and obscure liquor suggestions. But lately, I’ve had my assumptions tested. I even had Arguably, the first amaro cocktail you should a friend at another publication ask me for my be making (or having your bartender make deepest musings on fernet. Well, there is a lot of for you) is the Black Manhattan. Want a nice, meat on that bone! However, as far as the home balanced Manhattan, but hate vermouth? This bartender and craft enthusiast is concerned, fer- is the drink for you. This little gem comes from net is a bit of an auxiliary—albeit a worthy one. what I refer to as the “rye-revolution” of the The real hero is fernet’s larger family group: early 21st century, a time when Manhattan amaro! variations were popping up all over Brooklyn This is a big topic … where to begin? Well, it’s like moistened mogwai. It even has an hard to start this discussion without mentioneasy-to-remember recipe based on that famous ing the most important member of the family: Manhattan area code, 212: Averna. I remember many years ago watching 2 ounces of rye whiskey a middle-age man walk into one of the more 1 ounce of amaro Averna cutting-edge cocktail bars in Boston, and start 2 dashes each of Angostura and orange bitters ripping shots of the stuff. After he walked out, Do you have a friend who hates Campari? No I asked the bartender: “What kind of person worries! Just substitute Averna, and they, too, drinks Averna like that?” He answered simply: can join you for Negroni week!

“A (expletive deleted) legend.”

Want to see how versatile this black, sticky Amaro is a type of bitter liquor; that simple stuff is? Try my new baby, the Strangelove: description could really cover a lot of ground, 1 ounce of gin but amaro varieties are (generally) dark, (often) 3/4 ounce of Averna semi-sweet and (most often) from Italy. The rec3/4 ounce of lime juice ipes are closely guarded secrets, with common 1/2 ounce of creme de pêche ingredients being saffron, cassia bark, cinchona A dash of simple syrup to taste bark, citrus peel, thistle, rhubarb, myrrh and I consider this drink a nod to Depeche Mode on and on. No Italian restaurant is complete fans. (Get it? Creme de pêche? Sorry.) You can without a few different flavors of amaro, up also be just like that unnamed legend and shoot on a shelf over the service bar, collecting dust. three or four shots of Averna in a row, but I Some of you might even have a bottle sitting in don’t advise it. your liquor cabinet. Well, dust that baby off, ’cuz Amaro Nonino certainly deserves a shout-out we’re making some cocktails! here, as it is featured in a modern classic known

as the Paper Plane (despite a beloved guest who insists it’s called a Sweet and Sour). This beauty is equal parts Nonino, bourbon, Aperol and lemon juice, shaken and served up. Amaro Nonino is lighter in body than Averna, but if you want to use Averna in this one, it works.

Don’t think I would forget about Cynar, Sicily’s artichoke-laced contribution to the amaro world. Cynar is one of the ultimate utility infielders of the back bar; I can’t count how many times I have had a young bartender, smiling like he invented yoga pants, tell me how he likes to substitute a little Cynar in his Manhattan for vermouth, or in his Negroni for Campari, etc.; it never gets old. Also, don’t worry about the artichoke thing; it doesn’t actually taste like artichokes at all. In fact, the day someone tries Cynar completely ignorant of the label and says, “Oooh, tastes like artichokes!” is the day I hang up my Hawthorne strainers for good.

E

nough learning for one day; I think it’s time for a road trip.

Due to the fact that I have no car, I’ve barely left Palm Springs for nine months … so where should I go for a day trip? San Diego? Los Angeles?

Nah, Indio. Someone told me Neil’s Lounge might be a good remedy for months of tiki, martinis and electro Cher. I really had no idea

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what to expect, to be honest. I walked in to the sounds of contemporary country music, and moved past the pool table into the main lounge.

It was late afternoon; a few regulars were hanging around, sipping beer and highballs. If there was a cocktail list, I didn’t see one, and I didn’t ask to see one.

I ordered a burger and a whiskey, and tried to not look out of place. I didn’t ask about amaro.

I actually built a bar once that looked more than a little like this place. I mean built, too— my body still bears some scars from the construction. It was in Northern Arizona, and we called it The Lodge. I had no idea what I was doing. They said I was the best bartender in town, aside from the cute girl at the place down the road, and the other one who gave the place away. That’s where the bartending bug started—I was a recent college kid slinging Crownand-cokes for the cowboys and country girls. It was perfect.

After a couple of years of that, I headed back East to see what would happen next. I am feeling back in a happy place right now.

The best drinks and memories are both bittersweet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have next on the pool table.

Kevin Carlow is a bartender at Seymour’s/Mr. Lyons and can be reached via email at krcarlow@ gmail.com.

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the

BEER GODDESS

D

By Erin Peters

uring Coachella, I tasted a lot of delicious craft beer, both in the Craft Beer Barn and at the Rare Beer Bar, the latter headed by Jimmy Han, owner of Los Angeles’ Beer Belly. One of my favorite discoveries: Wicked Weed Marina, a blonde sour ale that is aged in wine barrels— with more than one pound per gallon of peaches and apricots.

Just days later came the announcement that Anheuser-Busch InBev had bought the Asheville, Were you surprised by N.C.-based Wicked Weed. It became the latest the Wicked Weed buyout? of 20-plus former craft breweries that are now JH: … (In some respects), I am not surprised, (or soon will be) owned by corporate brewers. I because they (AB InBev) continue to make say “former,” because the Brewers Association defines a craft brewer as small, independent and regional purchases in key beer markets: Four Peaks in Arizona, Blue Point in New York, Los traditional—with less than 25 percent ownerAngeles for Golden Road. These are very geoship by a non-craft brewer. graphically, strategically made procurements.

What does this all mean? I spoke to Julia MS: Well, that surprised me. I’d go so far Herz, the Brewers Association’s Craft Beer as to say that it shocked me. I thought they Program director, and Mitch Steele, the former were in it for the long haul. I know (co-owners) brewmaster of Stone Brewing who is now the Luke and Walt (Dickinson) pretty well, and I’ve founder, brewmaster and COO of New Realm brewed with them before, and we’ve hung out Brewing, coming soon to Atlanta. a lot. … I know Luke and Walt are part owners, but I don’t know what percentage they own. I There are a lot of feelings on both sides as know they had some big-time investors in that far as craft breweries “selling out.” What brewery, and it could have been mostly their are your thoughts? decision, but who knows? But, yeah, it shocked JH: … It’s not happening in mass, right? Ninety me and disappointed me. Some of these are not nine percent of the 5,300-plus breweries are a big surprise: You hear through the grapevine still independent and small. But as the purthat some of these newer breweries are building chases continue to happen … the Department themselves to sell … and they’re just trying to of Justice issued a consent decree over (AB get their business to a point to where they’re InBev’s) purchases in 2015 and 2016—Devil’s attractive to a large brewer.

Backbone being a key one, which was approved, with some changes made, by the DOJ. … The Do you sympathize with these craft brewmore that the large, global brewers become a eries after they explain themselves? They one-stop shop for brands and beer styles, the harder it is to make the marketplace fair, and for say: “We had to do this because of distribution. The beer will stay the same.” beer lovers to really get choices.

MS: Yeah. I worked with Budweiser for 14 years.

MS: I think it’s really dangerous what’s going This was back in the 1990s. People looked at on right now, honestly. The problem is that the Budweiser as the evil empire, but I dealt with majority of the beer-drinking public doesn’t the reaction from craft brewers all the time: “It’s know or doesn’t care about the business praclousy beer.” I’d get on my soap box and say, “Ya tices of large brewers, and how it impacts small know, you may not like it, but don’t ever talk brewers. … When a brewery is buying tap space, which is technically illegal, small breweries can’t. negative about the quality, because the people who brew this beer are as passionate about it as Most small breweries won’t do it because they you are about yours.” But it’s a different compadon’t want to do something that’s against the ny now. I certainly understand the backlash. … I law, and they can’t afford to play that game, think it’s a very uncomfortable feeling for most either. … When somebody who’s kind of a of them, because the craft-brewing business is casual craft-beer fan walks into a bar, and sees so built on community and comradery. Now, all these beers that are “craft,” yet they’re all all of sudden, you’re not in the club anymore. brewed at Anheuser Busch, most of the time, That’s a hard thing to swallow, especially when (customers are) not going to register it’s not a small, independent brewer. When these brewers you’ve got so many friends in the business. … can potentially come in and sell a keg of beer for People who don’t have ownership in the brewery, and have no say in it—they’re just kind of 50 to 60 percent of what a small craft brewer there when it happens. Those are the people I can, it really is damaging the ability of the craft feel really bad for, because they had no say. brewers to sell their beer.

CVIndependent.com

Beer conglomerates continue to purchase renowned craft breweries— so what does it all mean?

Do distribution laws and better access have anything to do with why they are selling?

JH: Yes. As soon as you sell, you get instant access to things that those 99 percent of the 5,300 breweries don’t have. You get into a system in the network for better economies of scale, for purchasing raw materials and ingredients. You get instant distribution that cannot be matched. … The number of distributors over time continues to wane. Even though we have 5,300-plus breweries today, there are only

1,000-plus active distributors, and 500-plus of those are controlled by AB InBev. MillerCoors has several hundred as well.

Distributors are amazing partners to beer, but it’s a matter of priority. When you’re an AB house … their first priority is likely those AB brands.

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WELL RED

JASON DAVID

An interview with Matt Young, general manager and partner at Desert Wine Shop on 111

HAIR STUDIO

T

By christine soto YOUR LOVE

HAIR

here is a new wine shop in town—a rare treat for us desert denizens.

It’s actually a reimagining of one of the desert’s few wine shops, Dan’s. No longer will you be greeted by Dan; most days of the week, you’ll find Matt Young, a tall, friendly, handsome Club Cook Street young man who looks like a football player. There’s Country a reason for that:and When he moved to the desert Palm However, De sert an injury preventback in 2006, he was all set to play football for College of the Desert. ed him from playing, so he entered the fire academy to become a smoke-jumper, but he suffered another injury. He briefly trained as a fire inspector, but knew he “could not sit at a desk.” Shortly 760-340-5959 thereafter, Young found himself returning to the family business—hospitality and service.

Young grew up in Paso Robles, where his parents owned and operated restaurants. There, he www.jasondavidhairstudio.net was surrounded by wine and food, but didn’t 4 to 6 p.m. It is at 73360 Highway 111 in Palm really take to it until he started working at Desert; visit www.desertwineshop.com for Roy’s in Rancho Mirage, where he met the more information. woman who would become his wife; they fell in love with one another—and wine.

When did you first He continued working in restaurants and set start getting into wine? up beer and wine programs across the valley.

I grew up in Paso Robles, so wine has always He was part of the opening staff and a manager been a part of my life. When I really started at Whole Foods, and at the La Quinta Brewing getting into wine is when I started dating my Tap Room in Old Town La Quinta. Now he’s wife. We were both working at Roy’s, and we running the show at Desert Wine Shop, which were put through a wine course, and we had promotes smaller and local wineries. You’ll still planned a trip to Napa as well. After that trip find your old favorites—but be sure to talk to and realizing this is what I grew up in, it hit Young about the store’s unique offerings. He me—and I have had the wine bug ever since. and his partners hope to expand throughout the North America.

What was your first wine love?

We chatted at the shop, where he answered I have two: One, the 2009 Laetitia Estate pinot phone calls, greeted vendors and helped noir from Arroyo Grande. It was and is a medicustomers—while simultaneously talking to um-bodied, bright-red wine with fruit, medium me and tasting some Provencal rose: the 2016 tannins and clean acidity; it’s a food-friendly Domaine de Cala. wine. Two, the 2005 Franciscan Napa merlot.

The shop features tastings every Friday from I found both of these wines at CVS, and the

merlot was on sale for $10. I will never forget it. I was just getting into wine, so I didn’t know much, and I had got off work late one night and wanted to grab some wine. I went into CVS, of all places, because it was down the street from my house, and they are open 24 hours. I looked around at the labels and varietals. I knew I liked merlots, pinot noir, red blends and some zinfandels at the time, so I grabbed six bottles and some other stuff and called it a night. When I got home, I opened the Franciscan merlot and was immediately hooked. The aromas that were coming out of the bottle were just so good, and in the glass, it was so smooth that I couldn’t stop drinking it. I went back the next day to see if they had any more, because at that price, I felt like I found a winner. When I left, there had still been six bottles. I got there, and they were sold out! I was so bummed.

The Laetitia was the first wine my wife and I took with us on our first vacation together to Laguna Beach. I had a seafood cioppino, and the pinot with the dinner was the first time I had done a real food pairing that blew me away.

What’s exciting about wine to you right now?

What isn’t exciting? The more I learn, the more I get excited, whether it’s a winemaker coming out with a new project, a new (American viticultural area) being designated, a wine that is so over-delivering for what you paid for it, showing someone a new wine they would have never thought to try—so many things excite me when it comes to wine.

What is the best part of your job?

Getting to know people’s palates and showing them something new that they would not have thought to try—educating people on the differences between areas and styles. (I get) to try new wines or wines that are rarely seen outside of restaurants or the wineries, and meet the winemakers, growers and owners—my job simply rocks. I get to do what I love and get paid to do it.

Your desert island wine?

I have tasted so many incredible wines that I could not choose just one, but I would not be mad if I got to drink a 2004 Merryvale Profile one more time.

Favorite food pairing?

Gewurztraminer with sushi. I do love a big red and steak, or syrah with a pork chop. Food and wine just don’t do you wrong.

CVIndependent.com

Matt Young

Favorite wine book?

For education purposes and easy reading material, you can’t go wrong with Windows on the World by Kevin Zraly. I also really like The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil.

What do you love about the desert?

It’s big, but small. There is plenty to do, and if what you want isn’t here, then we are only two hours away from whatever you want to do.

Your favorite places to go in the desert?

Honestly, I don’t go out as much as I used to.

Now it’s all about my kids, so wherever they like to go is where I like to go. But on the rare occasion that we get to go out by ourselves, we are always looking at new places all over the valley. That is the great thing about the desert: You can find things new, delicious, interesting, cool and fun all over the valley.

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.

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FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT This month, we savor a folded-waffle sandwich and a make-your own pizza

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The turkey BLT folded waffle sandwich WHERE Si Bon Belgian Bistro, 40101 Monterey Ave., Rancho Mirage HOW MUCH $13 CONTACT 760-837-0011; www.sibon-sogood.com WHY It’s a clever take on a classic sandwich.

I had just finished a less-than-pleasant medical appointment in Rancho Mirage. It was lunch time; I was hungry; and I wanted to treat myself. Hmm … where should I go?

When I realized I was more or less across the street from Si Bon, I smiled.

Si Bon is one of those places I’d heard great things about and had wanted to try for years— but for some reason, I’d never gotten around to it. Well, I was finally getting around to it.

I expected the classy-but-unpretentious vibe and the topnotch service.

What I did not expect was Si Bon’s obsession with waffles.

Seeing waffles on the breakfast/ brunch menus at a Belgian bistro makes total sense—but on the lunch menu? Yes, waffles dominate Si Bon’s lunch menu, thanks to selections of pizza-style flat waffles, folded waffle sandwiches, and waffle bun sandwiches. (Waffles are even on the dinner menu—most intriguingly in the form of the “9 holers escargot waffle.”)

I decided to try one of the folded waffle sandwiches: the turkey BLT with pesto and avocado, with folded waffles serving as the bread. I admit I was concerned about the waffle part—but once I took a bite, I realized the concern was all for naught. The waffle was not sweet at all, and instead had a rather pleasant yet subtle savory flavor. It was thick enough to properly contain the sandwich ingredients, yet thin enough to manageably eat.

As for what was inside the folded waffles: The ingredients were top-notch, with the delightful pesto bringing all of the flavors together.

I’ve eaten many, many BLT sandwich variations over the years. This was the first time waffles were involved—and Si Bon’s sandwich was one of the better BLTs I’ve had. Who knew?

WHAT The build-your-own pizza WHERE Blaze Pizza, 201 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; also at 73393 Highway 111, Palm Desert HOW MUCH $7.95 CONTACT 760-318-2529 (Palm Springs); 760895-4259 (Palm Desert); www.blazepizza.com WHY It’s delicious, and it’s a great deal.

In the almost five years that the Independent has been around, we’ve written 116 Indy Endorsements. Only a half-dozen or so have been written about chain joints—and most of those were about smaller, California-based chains. In other words, the Indy Endorsement is a feature that almost exclusively touts locally owned restaurants.

Therefore, it really means something that we’re endorsing the make-your-own pies at Blaze Pizza.

Why are we endorsing food at a large, national chain, pretty much for the first time? For one thing, the makeyour-own 11-inch pizzas at Blaze are truly make-your-own—you can have as many cheeses, sauces and toppings on your pizza as you want. There’s no limit. For example, the pizza in the picture here has mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, bacon, smoked ham, mushrooms, olives and tomatoes, with classic red sauce and just a little garlic pesto underneath. That’s two sauces, two cheeses and five toppings—for one price. If I wanted to double those numbers, the price would stay the same.

For another thing … that price is a deal: just $7.95. Where else can you get an 11-inch pizza with unlimited ingredients for less than eight bucks? Nowhere, you say?

That’s why we’re endorsing a large, national chain, pretty much for the first time.

The process is easy: You get in line, pick your crust (gluten-free and high-rise/thicker options cost a bit extra), pick your sauces, pick your cheeses and pick your toppings. You watch as the employees put the toppings on your pie— and if you want more or less of an ingredient, tell ’em, and they’ll happily make it so. You then watch as they put the pizza in the oven; a couple of minutes later, they take it out, put it on a metal plate, and call your name.

Simple. Inexpensive. Delicious.

Endorsement-worthy.

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

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CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK Experience Award-winning, Modern European Cuisine

Restaurant NEWS BITES

By Jimmy Boegle Creative Chef Johannes Bacher

Voted “Best Chefs America”

Voted “Best Continental Restaurant”, “Best Martini”, and “Best Romantic Dining” by Palm Springs Life Readers.

BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/JohannesRestaurant

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J O N E D WA R D S

OPEN FOR DINNER AT 5 PM | CLOSED MONDAYS | PRIVATE DINING | AVAILABLE FOR GROUPS | SPECIAL EVENTS

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

Classic Water Boiled Bagels

650 E. Sunny Dunes Road - Palm Springs 760.459.4555 Open Daily 6a - 2p | Closed Tuesday CVIndependent.com

(760) 778-0017

THE NEW YORK COMPANY RESTAURANT CLOSES AFTER THREE-PLUS YEARS After more than three years in business, The New York Company Restaurant, at 1260 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has closed its doors for good.

“We know you enjoyed dining at The New York Company Restaurant,” said a note sent to the restaurant’s email list on April 25. “So, we want you to know that our last day serving our guests was at Sunday’s champagne Brunch on April 23rd. It was a great run while it lasted … three-plus years of spending wonderful evenings together. Our party is over despite all we could do to create success. We know that we will miss you!”

This closure saddened me for several reasons. For one thing, one of the finest meals I’ve had in the Coachella Valley occurred last year at The New York Company Restaurant. For another, I got to know some of the folks there due to the restaurant’s participation in the inaugural Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Week, during which New York Company bartender Joey Tapia won both the Audience Choice Award at the Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Championship, and top honors at the Non-Alcoholic Craft Cocktail Championship.

While the closure saddened me, it certainly didn’t surprise me. I don’t know all of the things Neil Castren, Ken Misa and Wally D’Agostino did to get the word out about the restaurant, but I do know the place escaped my consciousness, more or less, for most of the time it was open— even though I live just a five-minute drive away. I rarely saw advertisements for the restaurant, and its social-media presence was nearly non-existent. If someone like me—a media-savvy person who writes about food on a regular basis—was never somehow motivated to check the place out, what chance did The New York Company Restaurant have with other potential customers?

Perhaps there’s a lesson here: Marketing and publicity, or a lack thereof, can make or break a restaurant.

So long, New York Company. You’ll be missed.

COMING SOON TO PALM SPRINGS: 716 ON 111 After the sudden closure of the beloved Dickie O’Neals due to the death of its owner in the spring of 2015, the building at 2155 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, sat vacant until Frenchy’s Sports Bar and Grill came along in late 2016.

But within months, Frenchy’s was gone. However, the building won’t be vacant for long.

Keep your fingers crossed for an August opening of 716 on 111. The restaurant, owned by couple Christopher Krayna and David Hoffman, already has a Facebook page that’s full of useful information. For example, the page tells us that 716 on 111 will use “always fresh, never frozen” ingredients, often from local purveyors; that the menu will include “real deal” chicken wings, as well as a cast iron-prepared filet over a crisp wedge iceberg salad; and that a life-sized buffalo sculpture will somehow be involved.

Watch www.facebook.com/716-On-111-149812712216741 for updates.

IN BRIEF We’re getting more and more information about the restaurants coming to the big downtown Palm Springs redevelopment project along Palm Canyon Drive north of Tahquitz Canyon Way. A press release issued in mid-May by Grit Development—formerly known as Wessman Development, before John Wessman, y’know, got indicted—revealed that Il Corso, a longtime Palm Desert restaurant, will open a spot in the development. Other restaurants will include Stout Beer and Burgers, a Tommy Bahama and a Starbucks Reserve. … New to Cathedral City: Justin Eat and Drink just opened its doors at 68784 E. Palm Canyon Drive. The menu of the “upscale casual” restaurant includes appetizers (“Snack Time,” says the menu header), tacos (“Taco ’bout It”), salads (“Rabbit Food”), sandwiches/burgers (“Things on Bread”) and entrees (“Grown Up Stuff”) including a prime hangar steak and a mushroom risotto. For more info, call 760-904-4093, or visit www.facebook.com/justinrestaurantcc. … A few doors down is another new place: Pollo Doky’s, at 68718 E. Palm Canyon Drive. Peruvian fare—most notably rotisserie chicken and chicharron (pork) sandwiches—is what you will find at this fast-casual joint. For more information, call 760-832-6878, or head over to www.facebook.com/PolloDokys-1333387313391411. … The Reef is now open in the bar area at the Caliente Tropics, at 411 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Rory Snyder’s bar/restaurant replaces The Congo Room, which fled the property amidst claims of leaky roofs and storm damage. Visit www.thereefpalmsprings.com to learn more.

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Nick Waterhouse returns to Pappy and Harriet’s local band He Films the Clouds is back with a new full-length album Meet two local bassists well-known in the metal and punk world tijuana panthers, kevin lyman interviews at Cvindependent.com

The Blueskye REPORT June 2017

By Brian Blueskye

www.cvindependent.com/music

FLY RASTA Chris Rock

Ziggy Marley returns to Spotlight 29—and promises to be more serious, yet experimental

22

GREGORY BOJORQUEZ

Summer is upon us—officially, even, as of the night of June 20. Why don’t you beat the heat and enjoy a great show or two?

Agua Caliente Casino Report Spa’s June schedule is a little light, but there are a couple of things worth mentioning (beyond a soldout Moody Blues show on Saturday, June 3).

At 7 p.m., Saturday, June 17, you’ll need to get your shout-outs to your “shorty in lockdown” ready, because the Art LaBoe Summer Love Jam will return. All joking aside, there’s some great music on the lineup this year.

Funk legend ZAPP is one of the acts worth going to see, as the group has been sampled by several hip-hop artists, including Dr. Dre. Tickets are $45 to $65. If you never got to see Pink Floyd play a live show, you missed out, since the members have stated there will be no reunion—ever. But at 9 p.m., Friday, June 30, you can experience Pink Floyd’s music set to lasers at Paramount’s Laser Spectacular.

Some of these laser shows with Pink Floyd’s music can be pretty cool—plus it beats sitting at home watching Netflix. Tickets are $20 to $30. The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has just one big show in June—but it’s huge. At 8 p.m., Friday, June 9, get ready for some serious laughs, because Chris Rock will be stopping by. Chris Rock has been incredible to watch over the years, given how well he always reflects the times in his stand-up routine. I still love the bit he did about Lil’ Jon and rap music, which has become one of his bestknown standup moments. Tickets are $89 to $149. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Spotlight 29’s entertainment slate for June continued on Page 23

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FLY RASTA

OUT OF CHAOS COMES GOOD Nick Waterhouse talks about the dramatic recording process for recent album ‘Never Twice’

Ziggy Marley returns to Spotlight 29—and promises to be more serious, yet experimental

Z

By Brian Blueskye

iggy Marley is one of music legend Bob Marley’s sons—but his music is all his own.

Marley has incorporated traditional folk elements into his reggae music, and has collaborated with artists such as Jake Shimabukuro, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Jack Johnson and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea—among many others.

Marley is returning to Spotlight 29 at 8 p.m., Friday, June 16. During a recent phone interview, Marley explained why he does what he does.

“I keep it fresh by keeping an open mind and being humble,” Marley said. “It’s very inspiring to know what we do is something we are called upon to do. It’s always fresh, and there’s always a mission and a message behind what we’re doing. That’s what keeps me going—having a purpose.”

Even after winning eight Grammy Awards, Marley expressed a modest attitude regarding his career success.

“I don’t think I ever think about (success), because we’re still going to where we’re going,” he said. “We haven’t reached where we’re going yet. Where I am right now, I think of myself more as a human being than an artist, musician or So there’s a message behind the comic as well.” singer. That is where my thoughts are on where Of course, the name Marley is semi-synonI want to be.” ymous with Rastafarianism and marijuana.

Marley’s latest, self-titled album is just as Marley said he is happy marijuana legalization unique as his previous five solo albums. He is starting to occur in America. explained what makes this one different.

“I think it’s the right step, because it’s a “I went through some personal issues and plant of many practical uses,” he said. “It’s dealt with some wider issues from a people medicinal, and it’s recreational for some peoperspective,” he said. “I would think that’s the ple. I think it’s right to stop putting people biggest difference with this album.” in jail for using it and to stop criminalizing Charity is a big part of Marley’s life—somepeople. That is also a good thing for humanity. thing he’s been involved in since he was born.

But that side of the plant is only one side of “We started out doing charity when we were it—and the next side is the hemp side. We’re really young with our mother and father,” talking about the industrial uses of the plant Marley said. “Charity is about that human now. So many trees are cut down to make thing I’ve been talking about. Sometimes, paper. … There would be no more deforestalove is more giving than material things are. tion, because hemp could replace that easily.”

Sometimes, love is a charity, too. We formed an Marley said his show at Spotlight 29 will organization called U.R.G.E., which stands for not be the same as the concert he played at the Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment.

Coachella casino in May 2016.

We try to focus on children, because for the “It’ll be a little more serious, and I’ll be world to get better, the children need a broader experimenting more this time,” he said. “We’ll and positive consciousness about living togeth- see how it goes. But it’ll be a different show er as human beings.” this time.”

And now for something completely different: Marley recently collaborated with Man of Action Ziggy Marley will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, June writer Joe Casey and artist Jim Mahfood on 16, at Spotlight 29, 46200 Harrison Place, in a graphic novel/comic titled Marijuanaman.

Coachella. Tickets are $46 to $76. For tickets or Marley laughed as he discussed it. more information, call 760-775-5566, or visit “That was so much fun. When I was growing www.spotlight29.com. up and going to school in Jamaica, I used to Ziggy Marley. buy comics,” Marley said. “When the teacher GREGORY BOJORQUEZ was teaching, I was drawing in my notebook. I always tried to draw Batman and other superheroes. When I had the chance to work with Joe Casey and Jim Mahfood, I had the idea for the comic book dream of mine. We put a message behind it, and the title of it sort of makes me laugh. He’s not a stereotypical stoner dude; he’s a hero, and he represents the plant itself.

CVIndependent.com

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By Brian Blueskye

ast fall, Nick Waterhouse released his latest album, Never Twice. It arguably marked a career high point: The album was a critical success, as Waterhouse’s retro ‘60s rock/R&B sound continued to evolve.

The Pappy and Harriet’s regular will return to Pioneertown for a show at 9 p.m., Friday, June 23.

During a recent phone interview, Waterhouse discussed the challenges, mishaps and frustrations in making Never Twice, an album that features a lot of new territory and different styles for him. In fact, Waterhouse said he almost abandoned the project altogether.

“This album marked the conclusion of five years of doing what I had been doing,” Waterhouse said. “The first record (Time’s All Gone, from 2012) was a live set with the gang who couldn’t shoot straight backing me. The second record (Holly, from 2014) was when I was trying to figure out my place in the recording world. The studio where I recorded my first record—that I thought I’d have forever—closed between the first and second records. Suddenly, I had all these tools at my disposal on the second record, and it was done in a cinematic kind of way.”

After Holly, Waterhouse wanted to find a studio similar to the one that had closed—someNick Waterhouse.

RAMBO thing that was not easy. The process inspired Never Twice, and included bringing back Michael McHugh as his recording engineer.

“This record was a militant response to that (process) and going off the grid,” Waterhouse said. “I re-employed my mentor and engineer who taught me everything I knew, who I made my first record with. We worked together on Nick Waterhouse is signed with Innovative this—and this was the first job he had gotten Leisure Records, which puts him among after getting out of jail after a few years.” some rather interesting acts, such as The recording process of Never Twice was BADBADNOTGOOD, Hanni El Khatib, Bass chaotic, to say the least. Things caught on fire.

Drum of Death and Classixx.

McHugh crashed Waterhouse’s van. And that’s “I signed with them the first week they just for starters. were established as a company, so I feel like I “It was very complicated, and to be honest, helped build the foundation for their brand,” on my end, a harebrained scheme that blew up Waterhouse said. “They were telling me their in my face—and I made it out with singed hair vision, and the two artists they had were me and no eyebrows,” Waterhouse said. “I really and Hanni.” assembled a dream team. I wrote out a list Waterhouse has been in the business since of people I wanted to work with to make the 2010, when he released his first single, “Some best-sounding record, and from the beginning, Place.” He said he now feels as if he’s established there was so much behind the scenes. The keys himself and has shaken off the “nostalgia act” player I had rehearsed all these songs with, for classification. months before we started to record, got offered “Going on tour no longer feels like the sole a very big gig and is now in the band Dawes. … goal of the trip is to try to make a good first It forced me to create a new dynamic and bring impression on people,” he said. “Now it’s more in an organ player every day. … engaging the people who have wanted to be “During the sessions, Michael (McHugh) part of my world and have returned for at least showed some early warning signs of what he two shows. Fans know what they’re getting was later diagnosed with, which was paranoid when they come to see me.” schizophrenia. That was quite insane—literally.

We were in a room with a lot of equipment held together with chewing gum and paper clips, and Nick Waterhouse will perform with SadGirl at 9 p.m., Friday, June 23, at Pappy and Harriet’s it was chaotic and a circus-like atmosphere, and Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in it all got done. But toward the end, it felt like Pioneertown. Tickets are $15. For tickets or more I was going into ‘lost album’ territory, where I information, call 760-365-5956, or visit knew I had captured all these recordings and pappyandharriets.com. couldn’t finish the mixing. It felt cursed.”

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MUSIC

The Blueskye REPORT

MELODIC METAL

After a years-long hiatus, local band He Films the Clouds is back with a new full-length album

A

By Brian Blueskye

few years ago, metal band He Films the Clouds was starting to gain attention in the Coachella Valley music scene.

Then the band just disappeared—only to resurface fairly recently. In fact, the reconstituted He Films the Clouds released a full-length album in April, titled As I Live and Breathe.

During a recent interview in Palm Desert, front man Xavier Hernandez explained what happened to the first incarnation of the band, formed by guitarist Jacob Garcia, and talked about how he ended up becoming the band’s vocalist. The band also includes bassist Jordan Prince and guitarist Cameron Homa.

“Jacob (Garcia) formed the band four years ago. He took it off the ground for a bit, and the band just fizzled out from member changes,” Hernandez said. “He ended up deciding to take a step back and focus on producing for a while. He was writing for a couple of years, and I was in school; we kept in touch. We’re all from this area, and he told me he wanted to start up the band again in 2015. I always really loved everything he wrote, and I wanted to join. He only had Jordan (Prince) and Cameron (Homa) lined up, so I experiences in my life to get this stuff out.” auditioned as a vocalist, and I got in, and we Hernandez said He Films the Clouds tries to began to resurface.” take a different approach to metal.

He Films the Clouds doesn’t have a metal“There’s a certain stigma that when you do a core sound or the dreaded “emo sound”; brutal part or a scary part, that you have to be instead, the band features an aggressive sound in your face and a little vindictive,” he said. “I with lyrics that reflect the discovery of one’s try to create a unique image where I’m not all own emotions. like, ‘I’m sad,’ or, ‘I’m broken.’ I try to package “A lot of it is mainly self-evaluation. … it in a different way where it’s open to interThe go-to is to write about relationships or pretation. … I’m not trying to portray anger the failed relationships,” Hernandez said. through screaming, but that I feel strongly “It’s understandable, and it’s a universal about something. A strong feeling doesn’t feeling. I try to tackle things that everyone always have to equate to an angry feeling.” goes through, but (people) don’t really have Hernandez said He Films the Clouds fits nicethe comfort zone to talk about—things like ly into the local metal scene, and that the band depression, where you’re afraid to talk about it, has something to offer in terms of balance. because you’re afraid it’s going to ostracize you.

“I would say the heavy parts in our songs Since I was a kid and through my teen years … put us in the game as far as live settings,” I’d feel alone, sad or whatever it was. I felt like Hernandez said. “… I think we are at the same if I brought it up with people, they’d be like, level with a lot of people, given we have heavy ‘You’re a weirdo.’ As I got older, I noticed that parts, screaming parts and aggressive parts. people go through those same feelings. That’s Those melodic parts are where we … put a lot of a lot of what I talk about: me coming to terms thought and consideration, and that’s our part that there’s something wrong going on, and I’m of the show to show you who we really are.” trying to sort it out. … With this album specifically, I felt the most vulnerable I had ever felt For more information, visit because of the writing. I actually used personal www.hefilmstheclouds.bandcamp.com

continued from Page 21

is also a little light, but there is one thing you won’t want to miss (aside from the Ziggy Marley show, which you can read about on Page 22): At 8 p.m., Saturday, June 24, Los Chicos del 512 will be performing a tribute to Selena. The group will perform all of Selena’s music that you know and love. Tickets are $20. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Morongo Casino Resort and Spa has several great events on the calendar. At 9 p.m., Friday, June 2, Marlon Wayans will bring the funny; tickets are $23 to $29. Be sure to check out CVIndependent.com for my interview with him. That same night, at 10 p.m., Friday, June 2, power-pop band The Romantics will perform. This is a show you should see if you’re a true rock ’n’ roll fan. The Romantics had a couple of big hit songs: “What I Like About You” and “Talking In Your Sleep.” The band’s lineup once included Blondie drummer Clem Burke; he’s no longer with the band, but three original members are! Tickets are $20. Keeping with the ’80s theme, at 10 p.m., Friday, June 16, new-wave band The Motels will be appearing. The Motels had one or two hits in the ’80s and then faded away, before re-forming in 1998. Martha Davis still fronts the band—and still believes in the music.

Tickets are $20. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www.morongocasinoresort.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace will be the place to go this summer for great live music—and the venue’s June calendar is packed. Go to CVIndependent.com to read my interview with the Tijuana Panthers; the band will perform at 9 p.m., Friday, June 2, and tickets are $15. At 8 p.m., Friday, June 9, Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight will take the stage. Rhodes was once the front man of the Los Angeles punk band Human Therapy, and now performs in this spectacular alt-country band. If you can’t make it to the show, at least check out the band on the streaming services.

I can almost guarantee you’ll like it. Admission is free. At 9 p.m., Saturday, June 10, New Orleans R&B/country band The Deslondes will be returning to Pappy and Harriet’s. The band’s New Orleans sound is timeless; The Deslondes really do have something going for

He Films the Clouds

The Black Lips

Debby Holiday

themselves. After seeing the group perform at Stagecoach, I can tell you it’s a fun band to watch. Tickets are $15. At 9 p.m., Saturday, June 24, psychedelic rock band The Black Lips will be returning. The band’s shows are often pretty insane. While they’ve behaved themselves at Pappy and Harriet’s the last couple of times, they’ve been known to get naked, vomit, set things on fire and so on.

War Drum front man Jack Kohler once told me a story about how when he worked for the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs, he was told to deliver shaving cream to the band’s hotel room—and found the band shaving a group of women from head to toe.

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

The Purple Room has some familiar names returning in June. At 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3, America’s favorite dragapella group, The Kinsey Sicks, will be performing the Things You Shouldn’t Say show.

Tickets are $30 to $45. At 8 p.m., Saturday, June 17, The Buddy Holly Review will do its thing. As a fan of Buddy Holly, I’ve been interested in this show; I’ve heard it’s a lot of fun.

Tickets are $25 to $35. At 8 p.m., Friday, June 30, there will be a benefit for the American Cancer Society featuring Debby Holiday.

Debby Holiday is a star on the rise with two hit singles, “Never Give Up” and “Key to Your Soul.” Tickets are $25 to $35. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www. purpleroompalmsprings.com.

The Hood Bar and Pizza has a couple of events, starring local bands, that are worth your consideration. At 9 p.m., Friday, June 2, there will be a metal show with Drop Mob, Perishment, Instigator and In the Name of the Dead. Considering how long as Drop Mob has been around, it’s good to see the band finally being noticed. Admission is free. At 9 p.m., Thursday, June 8, Courtney Chambers, Caxton, and 5th Town will take the stage. This should be a fun show; all of the bands are female-fronted—and rather talented. Admission is free. The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, Palm Desert; 760-636-5220; www.facebook.com/thehoodbar.

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LUCKY 13 Meet two local bassists wellknown in the metal and punk world

By Brian Blueskye

Brendan Duff

them play last year, and they played in Japan a few months after we toured over there. Fingers crossed that it’ll happen; they’re active again.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Elliott Smith, hands down the best.

NAME Brendan Duff GROUP FISSURE MORE INFO FISSURE is a well-known Southern California hard-core “powerviolence” band currently based out of Los Angeles and Orange County—although two of the band’s members, Dylan Arseo (drums) and Brendan Duff (bass), are Coachella Valley natives. Arseo is wellknown for shows at his mother’s house in Cathedral City, which has been named “The Cathedral of Hardcore.” For more information, visit fissurehcpv.bandcamp.com.

What was the first concert you attended?

My parents took me and my brother Darragh to see U2 when we were younger, and it was ridiculous. The stage was bigger than a football field, and Bono was prancing around like a goddamned show pony the entire time.

What was the first album you owned?

Green Day, Dookie.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Odio, Warthog, Botch, Soul Swallower, Decade, Poison the Well, Sex Prisoner, Symptom, Q.O.P., Devil Master, Throats, Goolagoon, Kriegshog, Sea Of Shit, Final Bombs, and CROM. What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

A lot of the electronic dance music is just way over my head. I refuse to believe that people actually enjoy it. It sounds like a computer having a panic attack. I’m involved in an insanely stupid music genre, though, so I can’t talk too much shit.

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

G.I.S.M. would make my head explode. I couldn’t afford to fly to the Netherlands to see CVIndependent.com

What’s your favorite music venue?

The Cathedral of Hardcore. Close second was (Corona’s) Showcase Theatre (R.I.P.).

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

“Some believe in Jesus, some believe in Allah, but nigga’s like me believe in making dollars,” DJ Quik, “Safe + Sound.”

What band or artist changed your life?

Conflict was the band that really had a huge impact on me when I was younger. The Ungovernable Force is a masterpiece of an album—some real pinkies-up shit, ha ha. The songs are just really well put together, and you can tell that they put so much into them.

You have one question to ask one musician.

What’s the question? Who are you asking?

I’d ask Jesse F. Keeler if he has a road case for his bass head, or if it’s sturdy enough on its own, and how nervous he gets having to fly that damned thing around for tours. … It would basically be a long, long gear geek-out conversation, seeing as how he has, hands down, the best bass tone out there.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Right after my friends tip my casket over, I want Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Anguish and Fear” to play.

An added bonus would be if a fight would break out right after the first keyboard solo.

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

Broken Bones, F.O.A.D. What song should everyone listen to right now?

The Carbonas, “Phone Booth.” If that song doesn’t get you in a good mood, you’re obviously dead.

NAME Robert “Woody” Wood GROUP In the Name of the Dead MORE INFO Local metal band In the Name of the Dead had a brief hiatus after front man Tetsuo Olivarez went under the knife for back surgery—but the band has recently risen from the dead (pun sort of intended) for a couple of recent gigs at Bart Lounge. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ inthenameofthedead.

What was the first concert you attended?

311 and the Phunk Junkeez at (the University of California, Irvine) Bren Events Center.

What was the first album you owned?

Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The first CDs I ever bought were Nirvana’s In Utero, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven, and Beck’s Mellow Gold (good old Columbia House). All of these albums have withstood the test of time, I might add.

What bands are you listening to right now?

I mostly listen to NPR, but when I turn the music on, it is mostly Gojira, Syrebris, Alice in Chains, Bad Religion, Dethklok, Satyricon and Sepultura lately.

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

I never understood the cult of Elvis. I never got that the Rolling Stones were something special.

I don’t understand why everyone thinks the Red Hot Chili Peppers are so great. (Anthony Kiedis is quite possibly the worst lyricist ever.) Lately, I just do not get why people like Ghost; it baffles me. I also don’t get why Joe Wangler of Dali’s Llama answered in his Lucky 13 that he never liked Tool, and he’s a tool for not liking Tool.

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

I never got to see Alice in Chains with Layne Staley; that would be No. 1. GG Allin just for the show. Nirvana would have been great to see.

And motherfucking Neil Diamond!

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

I don’t feel guilty for any of the music I like, but it is often surprising to people that I absolutely love Neil Diamond and Cat Stevens.

Robert "Woody" Wood

What’s your favorite music venue?

To see shows: SOMA in San Diego. To play at live: Schmidy’s Tavern was my favorite, and now I’d have to say Bart Lounge is a good spot.

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

“You’re Welcome” from the Moana soundtrack.

Either that, or any main lines from any Sia song.

(It’s music that my daughter loves, so I get to hear it all the time!)

What band or artist changed your life?

It sounds cliché for someone my age, but Nirvana. I first heard Nevermind when I was 12—just going into the angry-angst years. Then Bad Religion and Rage Against the Machine showed me that I could direct my anger and intellectualism into music. And Bieber; that little kid’s got moves!

You have one question to ask one musician.

What’s the question? Who are you asking?

I was going to say I would ask Sid Vicious if he really killed Nancy, but he wasn’t a musician, so … I would ask Ted Nugent to take a long walk on a short pier.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

I have three: “The Wind” by Cat Stevens; “Imagine” by John Lennon; and “Bro Hymn” by Pennywise. Maybe I would add “Disco Duck” for some levity.

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

Alice in Chains, Dirt. That album is the reason why I play bass.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

Gojira, “Stranded.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 25

JUNE 2017

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

Note: For Take Your Kids to Work Day, Matt Jones took his two kids to the zoo, where they came up with this theme: “Rhymes at the Zoo.” (No, he doesn’t work at the zoo; he just thought it’d be fun). Clues with an [E] were written by 67-Across, and clues with an [S] were written by 49-Across.

Across 1. Sound of a punch [E] 5 Green paper that you pay with [E] 9 They make up stairs [E] 14 Make goo-goo eyes at 15 Tennis’s Arthur ___ Stadium 16 Like some dirt bike tracks [S] 17 Fearsome cat that spends moolah on Lamborghinis and mansions? [S] 19 Former “Come on down!” announcer Johnny 20 “I ___ open this jar. Can you help, Daddy?” [E] 21 Monkey that eats curtains? [E] 23 “Gimme ___! ... What’s that spell? Ella!” [E] 24 There are 100 in a century (abbr.) [S] 26 Something a toy poodle says [E] 27 Rat-a-___ [E]

28 Something that people say in awe [E] 30 Pookums [E] 35 Scaly creature that likes to eat frosted sweets?

[S] 37 Ninja Turtle that wears red, to his friends [S] 40 Getting from ___ B 41 Kid that can have a cellphone [S] 42 Bird that smokes and does vandalism? [E] 47 Sneaky little animal [E] 48 ___ gin fizz 49 Kid who is “epic!” [S] 52 The ___ on the Shelf [S] 54 Sid: “I’m not ___ years old anymore.” Me: “No, I mean ___ as in ‘I ___ some food.’”

55 Palindromic Turkish title 56 Water animal with flippers that barters 24/7? [S] 61 Wants really badly [S] 63 Go off-script (sorry, Ella, it doesn’t mean “get more pounds”) 64 Slow animal that grows wings and gets in your clothes? [E] 66 She was a princess “long ago” [E] 67 “The coolest kid in the universe” [E] 68 Lake that sounds scary [E] 69 Me: “How about the clue ‘Used needles,’ Ella?”

Ella: “No, new needles.

You have to use them because it affects the fabric more than you expect.”

70 Martens and McStuffins, for instance [S] 71 Air France fliers, once Down 1 Type of wild “kitty-kitty” [E] 2 Type of lizard in Sing [E] 3 Horse’s mesh protection against pests, maybe 4 Sinn ___ (Irish political movement) 5 Spike thrown in the road to stop robbers [S] 6 “___ was saying ...” [E] 7 Like show horses’ feet 8 ___ Danger (Nickelodeon show) [E] 9 Quaint stores (you’d think, based on how they’re spelled) 10 Piece that goes on the floor [S] 11 Queen in Arendelle [E] 12 Water drop sound [E] 13 “Auld Lang ___” 18 Something said in an “argument party” [S] 22 Teacher’s helper [E] 25 Region with Legoland, informally [S] 29 Dislikes [S] 31 Poker money 32 “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly ___ Jepsen [E]

33 “I Like ___” (’50s political slogan) 34 “Hallow” ending 35 Someone who might cook meatballs for you [S] 36 Animal that’s cute, fuzzy, lazy, and gray [E] 37 ___ for “Ricky Bubwick” (apparently a name that Sid just made up) 38 Everyone [S] 39 Toilet paper layer 43 Turns evil or moldy [E] 44 Remote control car part [S] 45 Tag situations? [S] 46 Looks rudely 49 Enjoys, as food [S] 50 “Understood” [S] 51 Marks that are lines [S] 53 Popular [E] 56 Parents “who do puzzled goodness” [S] 57 Brickell whose band is the New Bohemians 58 “There ought to be ___” 59 It may be parallel [E] 60 Olympic hurdler/bobsledder Jones 62 Drinks that are alcoholic [S] 65 “Waterfalls” trio ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

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BY SEAN PLANCK

he California Department of Public Health has issued proposed rules for the cannabis industry in anticipation of the Proposition 64 provisions that will take effect next year.

Voters legalized the adult use of marijuana via Prop 64 last year.

The proposed rules require applicants who wish to grow, transport or sell marijuana for medical use to get a license from the state’s Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, and pass a background check. People who transport marijuana between farms and dispensaries would be prohibited from owning said marijuana, and must be at least 21.

The rules establish a track-and-trace system that would monitor cannabis products through the supply chain. Individual plants would be tracked from seeds and buds to processing facilities. Dispensaries would no longer be able to package products in-house or be allowed to give out free samples. Delivery service would be an option if abiding by strict rules—governing everything from volume to the types of vehicles used.

One proposed rule that will surely meet with opposition from the industry is a provision that edibles have no more than 10 milligrams of THC per serving, and no more than 100 milligrams of THC in the total package. There currently is no such limit, and some companies are specializing in ultra-potent edibles; consumers are eating them up.

Many would argue that this per-serving limit is impractically small, especially for those with medical needs for higher doses. These complaints, however, will most likely lead to no changes in the rules. Colorado and Washington both limit edibles to 10 mg per serving and 100 mg per package.

Other proposed rules include: • Packaging must not appeal to children.

• Cannabis may not be infused into alcohol, nicotine or caffeine products.

• Dispensary hours of operation will be limited to the hours between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

• 42 percent of electricity for indoor commercial cultivation must come from renewable sources.

• Concentrated products like extracts and tinctures could contain up to 1,000 milligrams per package.

• All cannabis business would need to be at least 600 feet away from schools.

• All products would be required to leave sales points in child-resistant containers.

• Cannabis farms would be limited to 4 acres.

Licenses for veterans and cannabis businesses in good standing as of Jan. 1, 2016, would receive priority consideration.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 27

JUNE 2017

NEW

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

Regulations for California’s marijuana industry begin to take shape; the state’s AG pledges to fight the feds

Tuesday, June 13, is the last day for the public to submit written comments. More information can be found at cannabis.ca.gov.

California AG Ready to Fight for Cannabis in Jeff Sessions’ Drug War Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo to federal prosecutors calling on them to push for prosecution of the most-serious charges possible in drug cases—especially those with mandatory minimum sentences.

Vanita Gupta, the former head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told Yahoo! News that the memo was a “resounding step backwards into the 1980s of failed policies in our criminal justice system that resulted in us having the highest incarceration rate of industrialized nations in the world. It’s a real throwback in a lot of ways, and very troubling.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder was unrestrained in his contempt for Sessions’ new directive. “The policy announced today is not tough on crime. It is dumb on crime.

It is an ideologically motivated, cookie-cutter approach that has only been proven to generate unfairly long sentences that are often applied indiscriminately and do little to achieve long-term public safety,” Holder said in a statement.

Sessions has repeatedly claimed that drug use—including cannabis—is behind a violent crime epidemic sweeping the nation. (For the record, crime rates nationwide remain dramatically lower than they were in the ’80s and ’90s.)

Congress has already limited Sessions’ ability to extend his renewed drug war to legal weed, and has denied federal funding of any efforts to prosecute cannabis businesses that are legal according to state laws, thanks to a rider to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017. Section 537 states: “None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used” with respect to states with legal medical weed “to prevent any of them from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

However, President Trump has the industry and its proponents worried a bit by his signing statement attached to the bill. Among

the points of disagreement highlighted by the president was the provision that prohibits the feds from interfering with state-legal medical-marijuana programs. While signing statements are not policy, some worry it could signal future changes in policy where federal enforcement is concerned. This budget bill will be in effect through Sept. 30.

In an interview with Politico California, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra indicated that California is unwilling to yield on its marijuana laws, and would not back down from a battle in the face of a federal crackdown.

“I would love to see Jeff Sessions come to California and tell us we’re not going to move forward on cannabis. Something tells me that it’s not gonna happen,” Becerra said. “I’ll probably be the 1 millionth person in line to

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