Coachella Valley Independent April 2018

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT | APRIL 2018

THE MUSIC ISSUE

VOL. 6 | NO. 4

The eyes of the music world are on the Coachella Valley in April— and we talked to rock legend and Coachella returnee

Maynard James Keenan about what it all means.

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APRIL 2018

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

APRIL 2018

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 Advertising sales Robyn Tanzer coveR and feature design Mark Duebner Design Contributors Stephen Berger, Max Cannon, Kevin Carlow, Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, Dwight Hendricks, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Brane Jevric, Keith Knight, Dan Morain, Brett Newton, Dan Perkins, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor, Baynard Woods The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month.

All content is ©2018 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.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, CalMatters, 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.

It was late in the afternoon on Saturday, March 17. I was in San Francisco for a fantastic LGBT business conference, which had just wrapped up. My husband, Garrett—who spends most of his time in San Francisco due to work—and I had decided to take in a movie, and then get some Chinese food afterward, before I headed back to Palm Springs the next morning.

We were hurrying to the 4:30 p.m. showing of Love, Simon, at the Metreon. We were crossing Fourth Street, rushing to get across before the light changed. That’s when I stepped in a small rut in the road, lost my balance and tried to catch myself.

I failed.

I put out my arms to brace myself, and then took a literal tumble toward the sidewalk, coming to a stop just short of the gutter. As I started to get up, Garrett asked me if I was OK. That was when I realized my left forearm was pointing in the wrong direction.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

After Garrett and some passers-by helped me onto a bench, Garrett called 911, as I cradled my left arm with my right. After an excruciatingly long wait—toward the end of it, Garrett actually ordered a Lyft, fearing an ambulance would never come—paramedics finally arrived. I was loaded into the ambulance and taken to Saint Francis Memorial Hospital.

Fortunately, I have good insurance, and I received good care. After X-rays—the most painful experience I’ve ever endured—I was diagnosed with a left elbow dislocation. (Such dislocations are rare, apparently; normally, the bones just break.) After a procedure to put my arm back in place—during which, thankfully, I was anesthetized—my arm was placed in a splint and sling, and I was sent on my way.

I mention all of this, because this occurred just before we began production on this issue— our annual Music Issue, one of our biggest editorial issues of the year.

Over the last week, I have been editing and designing the bulk of this issue with just one arm. It has not been easy. However, we were able to get it done for two reasons: First, I am blessed with an amazing group of friends, family members, coworkers and teammates, who constantly reached out to make sure I was OK. Thanks to all of you; you know who you are.

Second … there was no way in hell I was going to allow this issue to be curtailed or delayed in anyway—because it’s a damn good issue.

I must tip my figurative hat (with my right arm, of course) to Brian Blueskye, who not only churned out his usual impressive collection of great music interviews and stories; he also penned a terrific news story, about the businesses affected by a March 7 fire on Arenas Road in downtown Palm Springs.

I could go on and on … but instead, I’ll let you go check out all of the great stuff herein.

Welcome to the April 2017 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent. As always, thanks for reading, and contact me with any questions or comments; my email address is below.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com cover photo by j. whitaker

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

APRIL 2018

OPINION OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS P

BY ANITA RUFUS

alm Desert resident John Peters, 66, came from a confused family background—which, in anyone else, might have led to dysfunction, insecurity and/or any number of psychologically traumatic results. But this ebullient man has not only prevailed—he has triumphed.

Peters was born the youngest of four children in Intercourse, Penn. (Yes, that’s really the name.)

His father died 6 months before he was born—and his mother remarried and moved, leaving behind the four kids. His two brothers were sent to an orphanage school; his sister was placed in a similar school.

“There were no social programs back then for a young mother like there are today,” Peters says, gently.

Peters was too young for a placement and was taking about 12 periods of shop!” adopted and raised by his great-aunt and greatHe found an outlet in martial arts. “My uncle in an Amish community. adopted mom had such limited exposure; she “The (Amish) kids were all the same (as didn’t even want me to do sports,” he recalls. ‘normal’ kids), just wearing different clothes,” Peters left Intercourse in 1969 to move to he says. “Intercourse had a population of about Washington, D.C., and went to work with the 800. You couldn’t get away with anything!”

FBI as a clerical employee. He completed his Peters’ awareness of how different his family undergraduate degree while at the FBI, and situation was began to develop when he was would then go on to earn a doctorate in applied around 6 years old. “I remember distinctly that a management and decision sciences, a master’s bunch of us were out playing, and this girl called in career and technical education, an MBA in me ‘adopted baby.’ I ran to tell my ‘mom,’ and marketing and management, a master’s in public she told me she wasn’t my mom, but that my relations, a bachelor’s in criminal justice, and ‘Aunt Ruth’ was really my mother. certificates including a teaching credential with “I didn’t trust anybody after that.” the state of California.

Peters found out who his natural father was Peters’ final assignment with the FBI was at through a half-sister, born during his father’s the training academy at Quantico. “I left because previous marriage. (He didn’t connect with it just wasn’t what I thought it would be,” he says. her until he was 48 years old. He has also The constant moving was also an issue, as reconnected with his natural sister; they became Peters was raising two sons as a single parent. friends as adults.)

“Mothers didn’t know what to do with me when Peters’ interest in education developed when I showed up at school functions,” he laughs. he almost flunked out of high school. “I was He left the FBI to do on-the-ground police put in special-education classes,” he says. “My work, later becoming an expert witness and adoptive parents never went very far in school trainer for police departments across the and thought high school was the top of the line. country regarding police and correctionalI loved history and business, but I had never institution policies. He is currently president learned how to study. As a senior, I think I was and chief learning officer of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, Inc., and has been the senior trainer and president of Defensive Tactics Institute, Inc. He also has his own consulting company, and has produced eight books and 35 videos. Not bad for a kid raised by people who didn’t believe in education.

Although Peters traveled most of his professional life, he settled full-time in Palm Desert last year.

“I came here on business in 1984,” he says, “to edit a film about defensive tactics with flashlights for police training. I was so impressed John Peters: “Police need to police their own, but with this area. It’s the most beautiful place.” never forget that cops are targets by virtue of their uniform.”

He bought a condo and commuted between

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

Meet John Peters, who went from an Amish upbringing to multiple degrees and a career in education

here and Las Vegas, and then held on to it until the market rebounded. Today, he lives with his fiancée, Marilyn, in the house they purchased last year.

They met in a Cal State class. “After we met in class, I remembered her. She stood out in the crowd,” Peters says. “The day we took our exams, we talked. Then I got an email from her months later. We met for coffee. She suggested we walk together, one of my favorite activities, and I assumed she lived near me, since she wanted to start at 6:30 a.m. I was floored when I realized she had driven over all the way from La Quinta.

The rest is history.”

As if he didn’t have enough going on, Peters is the president of the Palm Springs Writers Guild.

Given the headlines about the difficulties faced by law enforcement, what does Peters think we should know?

“I look at my work with police through a lens of honesty,” he says. “When ‘rogue officers’ get in trouble, whether by use of excess force or sexual misconduct, too often they are kept on the job. Some people make mistakes and need to be held accountable.

“Although cab drivers, firefighters and other professions have higher rates of death, police face ‘excited delirium’ behaviors that can be the result of a variety of causes, from dementia to drugs to mental illness. Yes, police need to police their own, but never forget that cops are targets by virtue of their uniform.”

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. Know Your Neighbors appears every other Wednesday at CVIndependent.com.

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APRIL 2018

NEWS

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AFTER THE FIRE O

Four Arenas Road businesses remained closed weeks after a blaze—and the frustration is mounting

By brian blueskye

n the morning of March 7, a fire broke out near the kitchen of Bongo Johnny’s Patio Bar and Grille—about one hour before the Arenas Road restaurant in downtown Palm Springs was scheduled to open.

The Palm Springs Fire Department quickly put out the blaze—ruled an accident, after linens and oil-soaked rags in a laundry hamper spontaneously combusted—but by then, the damage was done: Bongo Johnny’s kitchen was essentially destroyed, while smoke and water damage closed three of the four other businesses in the building: Stacy’s at Palm Springs, Mischief Cards and Gifts, and the Palm Springs Piercing Company. Only Streetbar, located at the east end of the building, remained open.

Weeks later, those four businesses remain closed—and frustration is mounting over a Palm Springs City Council that Bongo Johnny’s general manager called unresponsive, as well as a landlord, Plaza Investment Company, Inc., that’s allegedly being uncooperative.

“My No. 1 goal is to rebuild, as soon as possible,” said Robb Wirt, the owner of Bongo Johnny’s. “The landlord is hindering that. At this time, it’s literally unknown when that will be. … They’re saying they aren’t responsible for the structure of the building. They are!”

Mark Hewitt, Bongo Johnny’s general manager, explained what was happening with the insurance companies, the landlord and the other three businesses.

“I don’t know if ‘fighting’ is the right word to use here,” Hewitt said. “When things like this happen, everybody has their own insurance company. Everyone needs to come to the table here, because at the end of the day, their building burned. Our business burned, and (the landlord’s) business burned.

Unfortunately, the stance the landlord is taking is, ‘It’s all your fault,’ and they don’t want to bring their insurance company into it, because they want our insurance company to pay for everything. That’s not how the insurance game works.”

Plaza Investment Company, Inc., did not respond to an interview request as of our deadline.

Wirt said cleaning needs to get started at Bongo Johnny’s so the other three closed businesses in the building can reopen.

“The other businesses have smoke damage, and basically we just need to clean so they can start their process and open up while (Bongo Johnny’s) is under construction,” Wirt said.

“We all share an attic space, so if we start cleaning, it’s just going to get dirty again, because the dust will go through the vents.”

Hewitt said they’ve appealed to the Palm Springs City Council for help. “I spoke to Mayor Robert Moon, and he told me, ‘I don’t want to get involved.’ He got involved in CVIndependent.com

Wang’s (in the Desert) over vandalism, but he’s friends with the landlord, and that’s probably why he doesn’t want to get involved.

“It’s a nightmare. I’m under the impression that the City Council’s role is to help small businesses, because we bring in money to the city. I haven’t gotten any help. Geoff Kors hasn’t returned my calls; J.R. Roberts hasn’t returned my calls. I feel like the landlords don’t care. All of the tenants on Arenas pay rent to the same landlord, and (the landlord) hasn’t given back a single dollar to the LGBT community. Yet they take millions of dollars from us, and we all just pay our rent and taxes, and we get nothing out of it.”

Bongo Johnny’s will be closed for months.

However, Stacy Louis, the owner of Stacy’s at Palm Springs, expressed hope that his bar could re-open by the end of March.

“There are so many things I’m dealing with, and I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before.” Louis said. “I’m more of the guy who goes with the flow and doesn’t create problems. But when we can’t get action immediately after we’ve had a fire like we did … I am frustrated.

“I actually paid my cleanup company, who was waiting for the landlord to authorize, which took four days and through a weekend. … I could get this going if I have (an asbestos) test, and it comes back at a little less than 1 percent—which it did. I had to wait four days for the second test to be done, because the landlord wouldn’t approve it. My cleanup person paid them out of his pocket to get this second test done so I could get going. I shouldn’t have had to sign a contract with my cleanup company to get started because I’m waiting for one insurance company to work with the other—and I just gave them $5,000 out of my own pocket.”

Stacy’s suffered damage from both smoke and the firefighters’ efforts to put out the fire.

“I have a few holes punched through my restroom, probably from the axes of the firemen, and I have water that’s come in

The March 7 fire at Bongo Johnny’s closed four of the five businesses in the Arenas Road building.

GARRETT DANGERFIELD

through that same restroom and into the offices and the bar itself,” Louis said.

The employees of both Bongo Johnny’s and Stacy’s are being paid their hourly wages for the time being, Wirt and Louis said, but for Bongo Johnny’s, there’s a race against time: The insurance company will only pay for two months of wages, and Wirt said he is paying his staff what they would normally make in tips out of his own pocket.

“On his own accord, Robb has decided that the little bit of personal cash that he has, he’s going to use to make sure the employees are whole first,” Hewitt said. “But what we’re getting from the landlord is, ‘If you can pay your employees, why don’t you just pay for everything else?’ Three days after the fire, we got all of the employees together and said, ‘We want you back, but we don’t know how long this will be for as of today.’ We’re going to continue to pay them for as long as we can, which is not the narrative you want to give someone sitting at home thinking, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen in two months?’”

Louis said his employees have benefited from the kindness of his fellow Arenas Road business owners.

“I said to (my employees), ‘I will pay you for your hours, and if any of you need help because you’re not making your tips, you can come to me, and I will take care of you until we get this figured out.’ But I think the kindest thing that happened was (at Streetbar). Dick

Haskamp, the owner of Streetbar, passed away a few days before the fire. The employees of Streetbar came to me and asked if it was OK if (Stacy’s bartenders) could fill in during the memorial service. I can’t even tell you how many tears that’s brought to my eyes. So we made it all happen. We got a schedule together, and they trained them. … During this (service), all the sales would be donated to Stacy’s, on top of the tips that they would make.”

Wirt said he’s been overwhelmed by messages of support from Bongo Johnny’s customers.

“I’ve been getting e-mails from people on Yelp, Facebook and through my website,” Wirt said. “They’re saying, ‘I just landed; I’m on my way.’ They get there; they find out we’re closed; and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, I always start my trip in Palm Springs at your restaurant.’ Bongo Johnny’s has been there for 12 years, and it’s iconic for the LGBT community. It’s their first stop when they get off the airplane, and I didn’t even realize that until this happened. Now they’re going somewhere else.

“People bring their dog because we’re dogfriendly. … (Customers) come in on a Friday night—and I can guarantee you they’re not eating anywhere else, because of how they might be dressed. They feel safe. Now that’s been taken away from them, and it’s a detriment to the community that we can’t reopen quicker.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

APRIL 2018

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

GOING BEYOND COOK STREET I

A long-fought-for valley-wide expansion of the Desert Healthcare District continues to clear hurdles

By kevin fitzgerald

n 1948, the Desert Healthcare District was created by the state of California. Health-care districts came about as a “response to a shortage of acute care hospitals, as well as minimal access to health care in rural parts of the state,” according to the DHCD website.

In the ensuing 70 years, the service portfolio of the DHCD has evolved and expanded. Today, with an annual operating budget of roughly $7 million, the DHCD provides support to a variety of organizations (such as Find Food Bank, Volunteers in Medicine, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, etc.) that provide health and wellness services to residents in the current district—some 515 square miles of the western Coachella Valley, including Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage and the portion of Palm Desert west of Cook Street.

While a Riverside County property-tax allocation paid by all county residents helps fund the DHCD, it serves only this relatively limited portion of the county’s population.

However, that is apparently about to change.

In February 2016, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, representing his eastern Coachella Valley constituency, introduced Assembly Bill 2414, mandating that the DHCD annex an additional 1,760 square miles of territory—and provide health-care support to residents of eastern Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, Coachella, Bermuda Dunes, Mecca, Thermal, Oasis, North Shore and Vista Santa Rosa. The bill passed and was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in September 2016.

Today, a concerted effort is under way to bring the vision of an expanded DHCD to fruition. The next important milestone: Having the voters of the Coachella Valley approve the expansion. Spearheaded by DHCD CEO Herb Schultz and the health district’s board of directors, the “One Coachella Valley” approach, as CEO Schultz calls it, did not arrive at this point without struggle and resistance.

“This has been (the subject) of an ongoing conversation for about 15 years that, finally, required us to pass legislation to get to this point,” Garcia said. “Are you aware that this effort now under way could have been accomplished by the DHCD taking the initiative and applying to the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to expand their territory? I hate to say this, but we almost had to force this issue via the legislation in order for us to get to where the voters can approve it in November.”

That struggle seems to have given way to a new spirit of mutual cooperation.

“The (DHCD) board’s focus, and the advocates’ focus, is squarely on getting this on the ballot this year,” said Schultz, who has been the district’s CEO since late 2016.

But in order to accomplish that goal, a

resolution offered by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors must be approved by LAFCO—and LAFCO has indicated to the DHCD board that it would only support a proposal that was accompanied by a list of potential quantifiable funding sources.

The district has estimated it will need to increase its yearly budget by about $4 million in order to provide the new expanded territory with the same level of services it delivers to its current, smaller district. But so far, in the district’s search for increased revenue sources, it can only point to a generous, but limited, self-funding commitment: In late February, the DHCD board announced a $300,000 per year donation, which would last for a period of 20 years, equaling a total investment of $6 million. Will that be enough for LAFCO to sign off and allow the initiative to be placed on the ballot? “I can’t conjecture at this point what the LAFCO staff is going to say in its analysis,” Shultz said. “I can’t conjecture what the LAFCO commission is going to say when it gets to vote on that staff report.”

Garcia said the LAFCO commission’s opinions may not matter much.

“In the law, LAFCO was stripped of its (ability) to deny the actual application,” Garcia said. “Therefore, their process is very procedurally driven. There is nothing in that process that can cause this application to be declined. So, what the job of both the Desert Healthcare District and Riverside County has been, is to identify a (single) funding source to get the DHCD expansion up and going. Given those circumstances, we believe now that, with the recent action taken by the DHCD (to allocate and accrue a self-funded total of $300,000 annually for 20 years), they’ve done that. They’ve identified a funding source— perhaps not the total amount that would be the ultimate operating budget of the expanded health-care district, but it certainly is enough to get some programs up and going. And they’ve identified a series of other funding sources that would be able to augment the

Desert Healthcare District CEO Herb Schultz: “The important thing is that this process has brought together what we call the ‘One Coachella Valley’ approach. It’s not about the west, and it’s not about the east. It’s about the valley.” KEVIN FITZGERALD

level of commitment that they’ve made. So, from all perspectives on this end, we are on track to meet the goals of the bill and to be able to give the voters of the eastern Coachella Valley the opportunity to expand the healthcare district.”

Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said he expected the forward momentum toward the expansion to continue.

“We’re taking it step by step, or bite by bite, if you will,” Perez said. “The first thing we have to do is get this resolution through LAFCO. We’ve finally got the language down for the resolution. It’s going to go to LAFCO when they meet (potentially on April 26). We’re very committed to this effort. This is an ongoing struggle that goes back many years—and as a person growing up on the eastside (of the Coachella Valley), I can say that obviously, the time has come.”

With all the parties coming together, it appears the objective of providing more

inclusive health-care services throughout the Coachella Valley may be within reach.

“There are no guarantees, obviously,” Schultz said. “But the important thing is that this process has brought together what we call the ‘One Coachella Valley’ approach. It’s not about the west, and it’s not about the east. It’s about the valley.”

Garcia said he’s confident things will work out.

“The reality is that, if and when the voters approve this expansion, the DHCD’s entire (current) $7 million annual operating budget will become part of the (new overall) DHCD operating budget,” Garcia said. “So it isn’t going to be that $7 million will be only for the west valley, while $300,000 is used for the east valley. It will be a budget that encompasses everything. … The desire to increase the budget in order to reach more people is the goal that’s on the minds of the DHCD leadership. I believe we’ll get there.”

CVIndependent.com

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By Shonda Chase, FNP Co-owner, Artistic Director and Advanced Injector at Revive Wellness Centers in Palm Springs and Torrance; and Medweight, Lasers and Wellness Center in Irvine

Last month, I shared three secrets to help you be an ac�ve partner with your aesthe�c provider. Here are two hidden secrets about Botox.

Secret No. 1: A great aesthe�c prac�ce doesn’t usually make a profit on Botox. Botox is a purified protein—and one of the most expensive injectables in an aesthe�c prac�ce. When you add the high costs of experienced labor to safely inject Botox, along with the suppor�ng costs in a medical prac�ce, it costs $14-$15 per unit to inject Botox.

If your prac�ce isn’t charging you that much, then they’re subsidizing your appearance goals. Why? Because good prac�ces know how important Botox is to your appearance.

Grocery stores sell milk at their cost. You help keep your neighborhood market in business by purchasing other items with your milk.

Be cau�ous of a prac�ce that is charging too li�le for Botox. If the price of their Botox sounds too good to be true, then they are cu�ng many corners to stay in business—and you should care about how those “corners” can greatly affect the real cost and value of your Botox.

Secret No. 2: A higher concentra�on of Botox creates be�er results. Botox doesn’t enter your muscles; it migrates to the nerve synapses in and around muscles. Once there, Botox blocks the nerve signals from ge�ng through to your muscles.

Pu�ng enough Botox units in precise areas relaxes dynamic wrinkles that your muscles have caused, and prevents those wrinkles from ge�ng deeper. Simply put, this technique puts Botox where you need it, and doesn’t waste Botox where you don’t need it.

Advanced injectors use this micro-injec�on technique to help you get the most out of every unit of Botox you receive. So even though you might be paying more per unit at an advanced prac�ce, you’re ge�ng be�er results and value—and probably needing fewer units than at a less-experienced prac�ce.

And isn’t that what your ul�mate goals really are all about?

Next month, I’ll share more secrets on how to get the best results and the most value for your aesthe�c treatments.

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

You can email your individual ques�ons to Shonda Chase NP or Allan Wu MD, Revive’s cosme�c surgeon, at info@revivecenter.com.

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CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

APRIL 2018

NEWS DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS D

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

As Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels battle over a non-disclosure agreement, federal prosecutors seek anonymity for an ‘expert’ on inauguration protesters

By baynard woods

onald Trump and Stormy Daniels used pseudonyms in the non-disclosure agreement worked out by the president’s now-seemingly suicidal lawyer, Michael Cohen. They called themselves David Dennison and Peggy Peterson—but Trump still didn’t sign it, which has gotten him into a fresh pile of shit.

Stormy Daniels is already a nom-de-porn, but even people like Trump and Daniels, whose livelihoods require an extreme level of visibility, crave privacy almost as much as they demand a spotlight.

But privacy is contradictory in our half-online lives. We can post without anyone knowing who we are, but we also broadcast the details of our lives on numerous platforms and essentially carry tracking devices in our pockets. Our emails damn us, even in their absence—just ask Hillary—and our texts can be turned against us, as FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page can surely attest to, as theirs were blasted around the world. Our dumb Facebook posts and tweets follow us as we try to move into more respectable environs—see whatever Nazisympathizer The New York Times op-ed page hired and fired this week.

In this context, law-enforcement officers are demanding a kind of privacy not afforded ordinary citizens. This is particularly clear in a recent filing in the case against protesters and bystanders caught up in the Disrupt J20 protests against Trump’s inauguration.

After losing the first trial against six defendants late last year and dropping charges against more than 100 others—who needlessly spent months fighting against what were ultimately unsustainable charges— prosecutor Jennifer Kerkhoff is gearing up to try the remaining 58 defendants. She found an undercover agent who has been infiltrating “the anarchist extremist movement” to testify as an expert witness on the “black bloc” technique— wearing black clothes, covering up identifying features and moving as a “bloc.”

The government is charging numerous people who—even prosecutors admit—did not physically break any of the windows that were smashed during the inauguration, and who engaged in no other violence. But if they covered their faces or wore black clothes, they abetted the anonymity of those who did, the government claims.

But the government doesn’t want to reveal the name of its witness, who is allegedly an expert on these same techniques—which are intended to protect privacy. Kerkhoff moved that she be called by pseudonym “Julie McMahon”—with a possible nod to the McMahons of professional wrestling fame, or maybe to a tabloid divorcee who allegedly

pursued Bill Clinton and was named “The Energizer” by the Secret Service. However they came up with the name, the government argues that she won’t be able to continue her undercover activity if her identity is known.

“Given the repeated efforts to publicly disseminate identifying information about the prosecutor and law enforcement officers involved in this case (to include an MPD officer who acted in an undercover capacity), the government submits there is a reason to believe that the expert will be targeted in the same manner,” Kerkhoff argues.

Kerkhoff argues that when an undercover police officer testified in the first trials, people identified him. That’s not the fault of the press or the public; don’t call an undercover officer to testify if you don’t want to blow their cover. Or should they get to testify wearing black masks?

“Further, when the MPD officer stepped outside of the courthouse during his testimony, his photograph was taken and was disseminated on multiple social media accounts and in various media outlets,” the motion reads.

When he is outside of the courthouse, it is neither illegal nor illegitimate to take his photograph. Kerkhoff complains again that “as the prosecutors and lead detective left the courthouse, their photograph was taken and published in media outlets.”

So, the black bloc is bad for not wanting to be surveilled and identified—not to mention tear-gassed and hit with chemical grenades— by the state, but the agents of the state deserve anonymity, even in what used to be called “open court.”

The government also went to great lengths to prohibit the public from seeing police body-cam footage—while Det. Gregg Pemberton spent a year combing through all of the personal data on the cellphones of those who were arrested.

He has personally told me that he saw me all over the videos he had scoured, and that he was looking for evidence of an illegal action. He is armed. And he is afraid of a photograph?

The department, meanwhile, denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Unicorn Riot to see his overtime slips during

The black bloc in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day. BAYNARD WOODS

that period, despite allegations he had falsely charged the city overtime while defending himself against a DUI charge in a previous case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., and the MPD fought to protect the identity not only of their undercover officers, but also of the far-right slime-ball Project Veritas operative who infiltrated an alleged planning meeting.

Meanwhile, a list of the names of everyone arrested during the J20 protest was leaked to far-right site Got News from the official police computer of Metropolitan Police Department employee Rachel Schaerr, according to the metadata on the spreadsheet. The names are still on the site which calls them “LEFT-WING ANARCHISTS AND ANTIFA TERRORISTS.” This is part of a trend in which lawenforcement officials want ever-greater access to information about individual citizens, while seeking to further shield themselves. The Maryland judiciary recently removed the names of police officers from its public database.

If I were arrested and cleared of all charges,

my name, address and birthdate would have remained public unless I made the effort to expunge it. But the officer who arrested me would have remained unknown to the public.

The move occurred amid one of the craziest police-corruption scandals in modern history— and stoked a serious uproar that caused the court to reverse its decision.

“It’s disgusting, and it’s dishonorable,” said David Simon, creator of The Wire, about the attempt to hide police officers’ names in Maryland. “And generations of police officers who were capable of standing by their police work, publicly standing by their use of force, their use of lethal force, and their powers of arrest—those generations are ashamed right now because this present one is pretending they are incapable of that level of responsibility.”

Baynard Woods is a reporter for the Real News Network and the founder of Democracy in Crisis, a project of alternative newspapers across the country. Email: baynard@therealnews.com.

CVIndependent.com

10 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

APRIL 2018

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

RENTAL RIFT

Palm Springs voters will decide in June whether to effectively ban vacation rentals

By brane jevric

V

acation rentals are one of the most contentious issues in Palm Springs—and on June 5, voters in the city will decide on a measure that opponents say would effectively ban vacation rentals, if approved.

Measure C is the culmination of a battle that’s been brewing for more than a decade over short-term rentals, or STRs. The housing-market crash during the Great Recession created an STR boom in Palm Springs, as buyers both local and from out of town snapped up foreclosedproperty bargains, and later turned them into vacation rentals.

The problem is that these homes—available for weekend getaways and short retreats

through Airbnb and other services, and at times the sites of rather raucous parties—are intermingled with homes occupied by full- and part-time residents.

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According to Rob Grimm, the campaign manager for Palm Springs Neighbors for Neighborhoods—the group that got Measure C placed on the June ballot—there are 1,986 units registered as vacation rentals and home shares, which hosted an estimated 467,000 visitors in 2017.

“This is an alarming number of strangers to be rotating in and out of unsupervised minihotels located in residential neighborhoods,” said Grimm.

However, city officials claim that the STR issue is under control, thanks to strict enforcement of the city’s newish vacation rental compliance ordinance.

“We are one of the only cities in California that has a dedicated Vacation Rental Compliance Department,” said Boris Stark, a vacation-rental code-compliance officer. “Our latest ordinance … was a collaboration among community stakeholders and city leadership. It addresses neighborhood concerns head-on.”

Stark said the department includes eight officers and two vehicles. I personally have seen VRC officers working, often late at night and on weekends, to enforce the city’s ordinance. (I wanted to go on a ride-along with Stark, but City Manager David Ready did not respond to my request.)

The city makes hefty revenues from the STRs. “For fiscal year 2016-17, total (transient occupancy tax) dollars from vacation rentals was $7.58 million, and for 2017-18, we anticipate the same,” Stark said. “Vacation Rental Compliance issued over 430 citations for various violations in 2017.”

Grimm said no neighborhood in Palm Springs has been unaffected by STRs. “The city has refused to entertain density limits on the number of STRs allowed in the

city,” he said.

Measure C has attracted fierce opposition in the form of a coalition called We Love Palm Springs. According to Jeremy Ogul, the coalition’s media relations coordinator, opposition to the STR ban comes from groups including Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs, representing nearly 400 homeowners; the Palm Springs Hospitality Association, with about 200 hotels, restaurants and attraction venues in the city; the Palm Springs Regional Association of Realtors; and the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, among other groups.

“We oppose Measure C because of the devastating impact it would have on the Palm Springs economy,” said Nona Watson, CEO of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, in a news release.

While a majority of vacation rentals are owned by people who are not residents of Palm Springs, local entrepreneurs have also invested in STRs. Athalie LaPamuk owns and manages two vacation rentals in the city. She also owns and operates Ice Cream and Shop(pe) at the Arrive Hotel.

“I often meet visitors at my vacation rental who are excited to plan a return trip to stay at the hotel, or guests at the hotel who want to come back and stay in a vacation rental,” LaPamuk said in a news release. “Those are some of the same people who end up moving here and starting businesses here. The point is that our city benefits from all this tourism activity.”

Both sides fervently believe they are acting in the city’s best interests.

“It is time for the residents of Palm Springs to decide what their neighborhoods should look like,” Grimm said.

A coalition of local business leaders discussed their opposition to the vacation-rental ban at a March 6 press conference. JIMMY BOEGLE

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

APRIL 2018

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

PAC-MONEY CHAOS A

By dan morain, calmatters

n independent political action committee paid for an ad slamming Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom—partly with money from groups that are backing his run for governor.

Welcome to the wild ways of campaign money, circa 2018.

The ad comes courtesy of the Asian American Small Business Political Action Committee, one of scores of campaign organizations that, by law, must be disconnected from candidates who may benefit from their spending.

Its name aside, the Asian American Small Business PAC is funded by Chevron, AT&T, Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and many other big-business and labor organizations that are political players in Sacramento.

The anti-Newsom ad, like many of its ilk, employs ominous music, fuzzed-up photos and a narrator who uses innuendo as she cites an affair Newsom had in 2005, revealed in 2007, when he was San Francisco mayor.

All that is typical of attacks by independent campaign groups. What sets this one apart is its funders.

One is the California Teachers Association, which has endorsed Newsom for governor and donated $29,200 to him in December.

A few months earlier, the teachers’ union gave $25,000 to the Asian American Small Business PAC. The California State Council of Service Employees (SEIU) donated $29,200 to Newsom for Governor in February, at about the time the ad surfaced. A year earlier, the SEIU, which largely represents government workers, gave $10,000 to the Asian American Small Business PAC. Same with the Union Pacific Railroad, the PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting firm, the San Francisco-based garbage and recycling company Recology, and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, which owns casinos in San Diego County. They and others donated to Newsom’s election effort and to the PAC, which seeks to derail Newsom’s campaign.

Top executives with 21st Century Fox gave to Newsom for Governor, while the corporation gave to the PAC. Donors to Newsom’s gubernatorial campaign accounted for more than a fourth of the $420,000 raised by the PAC in 2017.

For now, the ad lingers on the committee’s website and has not been broadcast. But as of Dec. 31, the committee had $256,000 in the bank, which means it could fund wider distribution as the June primary election nears.

Dave Low, executive director of the California School Employees Association, called the ad a “complete surprise.” The union, which represents public-school employees

who are not teachers, donated $29,200 to Newsom in February and $12,500 to the PAC last year.

Low said he called Bill Wong, the longtime consultant to the PAC, demanding that the ad be taken down. When his request was rejected, Low decided that the school employees’ union no longer would give to the committee.

“It’s not something CSEA would fund or back,” Low said.

Wong, who declined to comment, left as the committee’s consultant in November and now is a top aide to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, overseeing Assembly Democrats’ campaigns.

In the past, Wong was an adviser to Treasurer John Chiang, another Democrat running for governor. The Asian American Small Business PAC contributed $20,000 to Chiang’s gubernatorial campaign in 2016. Chiang has denied any responsibility for the ad.

By law, donors to the PAC and other outfits like it cannot dictate how their money is spent. They gave believing their money would benefit Democratic candidates who are AsianAmerican, and that their donations would help ingratiate them with Asian-American lawmakers.

Jennifer Webber, an Oakland consultant who works for the committee, sent an email to justify the ad: “People from within and outside the Capitol are calling for its culture to change. The PAC felt it was important to raise these questions about Newsom so Californians can evaluate whether he is the person who can lead that change. We don’t think he is.”

Rebecca Zoglman, of the California Teachers Association, called the spot “disappointing” and said it “screams a little bit of desperation.” It fails to focus on issues that matter, such as public education and health care, Zoglman said.

Donors who were shocked by how their money was spent should have considered the group’s history. Although it’s run by and supports Democrats, it spent $124,000

Who, in part, paid for an ad attacking Gavin Newsom? Organizations supporting him in 2015 against state Sen. Steve Glazer, a Democrat from Orinda.

To help Glazer’s Democratic opponents, the committee tried to prop up a Republican candidate who had dropped out of the race and endorsed Glazer. In attack mailers sent to Republican voters, the committee said Glazer had been “advising liberal Jerry Brown” and managed Brown’s 2012 campaign for a ballot measure that raised income and sales taxes to help fund schools.

The statements were intended to inflame Republicans who were considering supporting Glazer. Leaders of the unions who gave to the committee winked at the duplicity in 2015, because they hoped to replace him with a labor-friendly Democrat.

Not one to forget, Glazer said in an email that “the people behind this committee are sleazeball operators without integrity or conscience who have no business working in California politics.” That, of course, assumes integrity and conscience are part of the job description.

Gavin Newsom. CHARLIE NGUYEN VIA WIKIPEDIA.ORG

CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

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12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

APRIL 2018

HARVEY MILK Diversity Breakfast

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

APRIL 2018

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

APRIL ASTRONOMY T

The month brings a meteor shower, brilliant

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight planets and aFor constellation April, 2018 framing the moon This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

N

By Robert Victor

he two brightest “stars” in the April evenings are really planets. Venus continues to gain altitude in the west to west-northwest at dusk, as the time of its setting shifts from 1.6 hours after sunset on April 1, to 2.2 hours after on the 30th. Jupiter doesn’t appear on our evening mid-twilight chart until almost the month’s end; it rises in the east-southeast just more than three hours after sunset on the 1st, but just more than a half-hour after on the 30th.

Next in brilliance at dusk are blue-white Sirius in the southwest; golden orange Arcturus climbing in the east-northeast to east; and yellow Capella, high in the northwest.

In the morning, Jupiter is easily the brightest morning “star.” Ranking next are Arcturus in the west, and Vega passing just a few degrees north of overhead. Mars, just east of due south, is slightly fainter than these stars as April begins. west to east, Jupiter, the moon, Saturn and But as Earth closes its distance to Mars—from Mars—span 49 degrees.

103 million miles on the 1st to 79 million miles April 7 at dawn: A beautiful gathering of the on the 30th—the planet begins to outshine moon and two planets fits within field of view those stars. In early April, Mars is closely of binoculars: Saturn about 1 degree to the accompanied by Saturn; they appear closest, moon’s lower right, with Mars just more than 3 within 1.3 degrees, on April 2. degrees to the moon’s lower left.

Other bright stars in the morning sky are Sunday, April 8 at dawn: The moon, in the Altair and Deneb, completing the Summer south-southeast, has just passed last-quarter Triangle with Vega; Antares, between Jupiter phase and appears slightly less than half-full. and Saturn, but below the line joining these All three bright morning planets are now west two giant planets; and Spica, sinking in the of the moon—Mars and Saturn by 9 and 12 west-southwest, to the lower right of Jupiter degrees, respectively, and Jupiter by 59 degrees. and lower left of Arcturus. On April 13, Spica April 12 at dawn: The distance from the is at opposition as the Earth passes between crescent moon, low in the east-southeast, to that star and the sun. On April 13-14, look for Jupiter, in the southwest, spans 108 degrees.

Spica in the east-southeast at dusk, well up in Dusk: Venus appears 15 degrees directly below the south in the middle of night, and low in the the Pleiades star cluster, aka the Seven Sisters. west-southwest at dawn. Mercury, brightening April 13 at dawn: This the last easy chance slowly from magnitude +1.0 to +0.4 during to view the waning crescent, rising within 10 April 19-30, is low in the east in dawn twilight. degrees south of east in twilight; Spica is at For events at dawn, the suggested viewing opposition in the west-southwest. Between, find time is generally one hour before sunrise. For Jupiter in the southwest, and Saturn and Mars events at dusk, look one hour after sunset.

6 degrees apart in the south to south-southeast.

Easter Sunday, April 1, at dawn: Spica is At dusk: Find Spica low in the east-southeast.

6 degrees south of the moon in the westMonday, April 16, about 25-40 minutes after southwest. Jupiter is in the south-southwest to sunset: From a place with an unobstructed view, southwest, 29 degrees to the upper left of the some 10 degrees north of west, try to see the moon. The Mars-Saturn pair is in the souththin crescent moon, very low—2 to 5 degrees southeast, 1.4 degrees apart, about 46 degrees above the horizon—within 13 degrees below to the left of Jupiter. and slightly left of Venus.

April 2 at dawn: Mars passes within 1.3 April 18 at dusk: Don’t miss this special, degrees south of (below) Saturn; the pair is 47 beautiful sight! Within an hour after sunset, degrees east (left) of Jupiter. Red supergiant the moon is framed by the V-shaped head of star Antares, heart of the Scorpion, is 19 Taurus, the Bull, composed of bright Aldebaran degrees to the lower left of Jupiter and 29 (marking the Bull’s eye 67 light years away, degrees to the lower right of Mars. within 2 degrees to the moon’s upper left), and April 3 at dawn: Mars-Saturn are 1.4 degrees the fainter remaining stars of the “V,” members apart. Jupiter is within 4 degrees to the lower of the more distant Hyades cluster. Watch the left of the moon in the southwest. Four hours moon close in on Aldebaran as the evening after sunset: The moon is low in the eastprogresses. southeast, 9 degrees to the lower left of Jupiter.

April 20 at dusk: Betelgeuse, shoulder of April 6 at dawn: Mars-Saturn are 2.4 degrees Orion, is 15 degrees to the lower left of the apart, 12-14 degrees east (to the left) of the moon. Below Betelgeuse, look for Orion’s threemoon. Four solar system bodies—in order from star belt, and still lower, Orion’s foot, Rigel.

April's evening sky chart.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Arcturus

29 Venus Capella

E

Castor Pollux

22 15 8

1

Aldebaran

W

Regulus Betelgeuse

Spica 29

Procyon

Rigel

Jupiter Sirius

Canopus

Evening mid-twilight occurs

April 21 at dawn: Mars and horizon.

Saturn are 10 when Sun is 9o below Apr.Dusk: 1: 40 minutes after degrees apart.

Pleiades is 5sunset. degrees to " Pollux " " is 9 degrees to the upper right15: of 41 Venus.

30: 42 " " " the upper right of the moon, with Procyon 15 degrees to the moon’s lower left.

Sunday, April 22, predawn darkness hours: It’s the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower. In the early afternoon, the moon passes first-quarter, 90 degrees east of the sun, and appears half-full.

April 24 at dawn: Three bright outer planets—from west to east, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars—span 60 degrees. Mercury is also visible, very low in the east. Dusk: Regulus, heart of Leo, the Lion, is 4 degrees to the moon’s upper right. Venus’ least distance from Pleiades occurs tonight, as the planet passes 3.5 degrees south of the cluster’s brightest member.

April 28 at dusk: Spica is 8 degrees to the right of the moon. Watch for Jupiter rising 21 degrees to the lower left of the moon.

Sunday, April 29 at dusk: Venus is equidistant

S

Stereographic Projection

from Pleiades and Aldebaran—7 degrees Map by Robert D. Millerfrom each. The full moon is 19 degrees to the lower left of Spica and 8 degrees above Jupiter.

The website of the Astronomical Society of the Desert (www.astrorx.org) has a listing of our evening star parties at two locations.

The primary, more accessible location is at the visitor center of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (on Highway 74, within four miles south of Highway 111 in Palm Desert). A sky viewing session is scheduled there on Saturday, April 21, from 8 to 10 p.m. Sawmill Trailhead, our high-altitude site (elevation 4,000 feet), will have a star party starting at dusk on Saturday, April 14.

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

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CVI SPOTLIGHT: APRIL 2018 Stories Told in Song: Opera in the Park Returns for Its 20th Year

E

veryone is doing it. Well, all the coolest people are, at least. Of course, we’re talking about opera.

What did you think we were talking about? In Quantum of Solace, James Bond was climbing around the backstage area during a performance of Tosca at the Bregenz Festival in Austria.

Not cool enough for you? Well, Bugs Bunny even did it, in the classic 1957 cartoon short “What’s Opera, Doc?” This means there will be plenty of cool people at Palm Springs’ Sunrise Park on Sunday, April 8, for the annual, free extravaganza that is Opera in the Park.

It all began 20 years ago with a piano and just a couple singers, thanks to Arlene Rosenthal, now of Well in the Desert.

Today, the event attracts more than 5,000 attendees. This year, eight singers will perform different arias, including selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and Candide.

Bruce Johansen, president of the board directors of the Palm Springs Opera Guild, vouched for the quality of the performers.

“These are not people who are thinking maybe they might try opera—but people who are committed and have their master’s degrees already,” he said. “They come from Southern California, in particular; most come from USC, UCLA and Pepperdine. …

These individuals are starting and breaking into their careers now.

“Liv Redpath, who will be here, is currently performing in LA Opera’s Orpheus and Eurydice. A Mexican tenor, who is a huge star in Europe, Jesús León, is coming back to the valley. He sang for Opera in the Park many years ago … and as a gift will be performing in Opera in the Park this year.

We have the chance to watch these singers grow up over the years and become major names in the operatic world. Our guild has had quite a bit to do with their success.”

Johansen’s background is in television; after walking by the Opera in the Park by chance, he discovered the Palm Springs Opera Guild. This chance encounter turned an interest in opera into a full-fledged passion.

“The people in group cover the full gamut of being extremely passionate to others who enjoy it, but maybe don’t know all the nuances,” he said about the guild.

“Everybody has a story about opera—either as kid who had been forced to see an opera and hated it, or as in my case: I had a brilliant music teacher who took us all to see a dress rehearsal of Carmen when I was 13 years old. It just changed my life.”

What does the Palm Springs Guild do beyond Opera in the Park? “We’ve held an annual Palm Springs vocal competition since 1983. The participants compete for various prizes, including scholarships. We also offer Opera in the Schools: Every year, we go into schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District and introduce them to opera. We do a half-hour assembly. With our introduction of opera to them in school, we are trying to take away the stigma that opera might have. … There have even been times when we can take a bus of students to see a performance at the LA Opera. In addition, we have the Prime Time Outreach series at the Rancho Mirage Public Library, which includes lectures and performances.”

The 20th Annual Opera in the Park takes place on Sunday, April 8, at Sunrise Park, located off Sunrise Way, between Ramon and Baristo roads, in

A performance from a previous year’s Opera in the Park. LANI GARFIELD

Palm Springs. Rehearsals start at 9 a.m., while the actual program runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, including tented-

seating information and details on preorder lunches from TRIO Restaurant, visit palmspringsoperaguild.org.

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Michael Childers’ ‘One Night Only’ charity extravaganza returns to the McCallum Theatre

A

By bonnie gilgallon

s I sat in Michael Childers’ gorgeous Rancho Mirage home—his awardwinning photographs adorning the walls—he told me the story of how the hugely successful One Night Only show came to be.

The star-studded annual event, a benefit for Jewish Family Service of the Desert, will return to the McCallum Theatre Wednesday, April 25.

It all started nearly 13 years ago, Childers said, when he approached his dear friend Barbara Keller about putting on a variety show; it was an idea he’d had great success with in Santa Fe, N.M. The concept was simple: Assemble a cast of veteran cabaret performers and a great orchestra; choose crowd-pleasing musical numbers; and raise an impressive amount of money for a local charity. Keller spoke to her board of directors at Jewish Family Service—which provides psychological counseling, food, housing and other services to valley residents, regardless of religious affiliation.

A new Coachella Valley tradition was born: One Night Only premiered in the desert, with Childers’ buddy Lily Tomlin as the mistress of ceremonies. It was a smash, and now the event sells out every year.

It’s a large undertaking that takes a full nine months of planning. When deciding on the theme, Childers thinks about what he and audiences would like. Last year, it was the music of Jerry Herman; this year, it’s the classic music of Rodgers, Hammerstein and Hart. Jason Graae is back for his second year as director, with musical direction by Christopher Marlowe.

Childers and the director sit down with their rolodexes and choose the cast. Because of the show’s stellar reputation, many veteran cabaret performers clamor to be part of it—even though the performers are donating their time. However, being in the show has its perks: Childers says the stars are treated well, with glamorous parties and such—plus a few days in Palm Springs is very appealing if you’ve been dealing with months of chilly weather in New York.

This year’s cast is slated to include Liz Callaway, Ann Hampton Callaway, Davis Gaines, Julie Garnye, Bets Malone, Sal Mistretta, Faith Prince, Billy Stritch, Teri Ralston, Bruce Vilanch and many other stage veterans.

Weary of the traffic and backstabbing in Los Angeles, Childers moved here in 1999 with his partner, Oscar-winning film director John Schlesinger (who later died of a stroke). Calling

the valley “a wonderful, very philanthropic community,” Childers quickly became involved in the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and joined the board of the Palm Springs Art Museum.

A world-famous photographer, Childers currently has an Andy Warhol-themed show on display at the Palm Springs Art Museum.

His work is also being featured in San Diego and will be on display at Yale University in the summer of 2019. A frequent lecturer on the subject, Childers said a great photographer is consistent and produces a lifetime of work, including iconic photographs.

When asked what makes a great live stage show, Childers’ answer was simple: Fit the show to your target audience, and keep it moving—don’t let it go on too long. This year’s One Night Only is slated to be a compact 90 minutes, with no intermission.

So what’s left on Childers’ bucket list? He’s working on an autobiography, called And I Have the Pictures to Prove It. Music education is one of Childers’ passions—and he’s very proud of One Night Only, calling it an iconic production in the desert.

One Night Only, a show benefiting Jewish Family Services, takes place at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, at the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, in Palm Desert. Tickets are $75 to $175, with a limited number of VIP tickets, including an after-party, available for $495. For tickets or more information, call 760340-2787, or visit www.mccallumtheatre.com.

An image from a previous One Night Only.

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Michael Feinstein The Crooners, Parts 1 & 2 Thu, April 5, 8pm - Part 1 Fri, April 6, 8pm - Part 2 Part 1 - Presented through the generosity of Barbara Arnstein Part 2 - Presented through the generosity of Bob Archer & Chuck Hilliar

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EVENINGS WITH ART By stephen berger

S

everal monthly art walks take place in the Coachella Valley. They’re pleasant ways to spend cool (or perhaps not-so-cool) desert evenings.

The galleries involved all put on their best faces, and many of them schedule new exhibits to coincide with the events. You can wander at your own pace; talk with artists; and get a feeling for what is happening in our community. You’ll probably be offered light snacks and a glass of wine—and there’s often a performance thrown in as well.

I recently had the opportunity to attend two of them: One in Palm Springs, and the other in Cathedral City.

The Backstreet Art District in Palm Springs hosts its event on the first Wednesday of the month from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s located on Cherokee Way, discreetly hidden behind the Mercedes-Benz dealership off Highway 111. If you haven’t been before, you’ll feel a little bit like an explorer once you find it. It’s a collection of individual galleries and artist studios housed in a compact strip mall. There isn’t much else around, and it’s not visible from the highway.

I arrived just after sunset and found small groups of people wandering in and out of brightly lit storefront galleries. My first stop

was Tom Ross Gallery, which features the exquisite abstracts of the artist Rosenberg (aka Ross). He uses a technique of back-painting on acrylic panels to create shimmering lace-like panels in metallic colors. The works have real depth to them because of the technique—and the finished pieces are often a surprise to the artist himself. He describes the paintings as “meditations.”

Around the corner is Galleria Marconi. I spoke with artist Marconi Calindas about his

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Monthly art walks in Palm Springs and Cathedral City are cultural delights

work. He’s originally from the Philippines and divides his time between San Francisco and Palm Springs. His paintings are brightly colored graphics reminiscent of early pop art.

At one of his exhibits, he said, he was asked if he’d ever looked at the paintings through 3-D glasses. He was offered a pair—and was surprised to discover his paintings jump into three dimensions. Be sure to witness the transformation for yourself.

Poldi owner Julianna Poldi is a teacher at the Desert Art Center. The exhibit I saw featured her work and that of her students.

I was impressed with the quality of her students’ work; I would have never guessed it was a student art exhibit.

At Maxson Art, Greg and Linda Maxson offer a delightful mixture of their own work and pieces by artists they represent.

Linda does hand-painted ceramic tiles and paintings. She’s working on a new series that incorporates burlap fabric attached to the canvas, which is then over-painted to create subtle abstracts. Greg makes beautifully crafted wooden boxes that are also musical instruments. There’s a collection of stainedglass kaleidoscopes from another artist that is sure to inspire oohs and aahs with the glittery displays. I was also treated to a performance preview of storytelling by Los Angeles performer Larry Dean Harris.

The highlight of the evening was the exhibit at Stephen Baumbach Photography Studio and Gallery. It’s the first comprehensive show for artist Rebecca Dant. Rebecca teaches printmaking at the Create Center for the Arts; I met her during my volunteer work there. In the show, she presents not only her recent prints, but also paintings and tie-dye art that has not been previously shown. The paintings are a knock out; I could easily live with one or two of them. The abstracts contain multiple references to Miro and to Matisse’s cut-out period. It’s a rare opportunity to see stunning work.

For more information, visit www. backstreetartdistrict.com

T

he Second Saturday Art Walk on Perez Road in Cathedral City has a decidedly different flavor. The industrial-retail complex setting is much more urban and gritty—but certainly just as interesting. This art walk is scheduled every second Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m.

Several businesses near the galleries

“Marilyn,” by Marconi Calindas, acrylic and ink on canvas.

are open for the event as well. A couple of midcentury furniture stores are on hand, and if you enjoy rummaging around estate sales (like I do), Mel’s Estate Sale is fantastic. The owner, Malina, will delight you with tidbits of wisdom and humor as you rummage through her incredible collection of just about everything.

Custom metal artist Jeffrey Spakes works in hand-ground aluminum; his space is a combination gallery and studio. The wall pieces have color applied at high temperatures that makes the works appear to change as you move in front of them. He also created the palm tree for the Cathedral City New Year’s Eve ball drop.

The palm tree is now being repurposed into a fantastical giant statue of the Tin Man in the back of his studio.

If you’re looking for sculpture or ceramic art, Trenz Gallery is a great destination. The allwhite space is a perfect setting for brilliantly colored glass, ceramic and metal sculptures.

There are some exceptional paintings, too. It’s all about color in this jewel box of a gallery.

Irreverence in Art: The World of Robyn Goudy occupies the front space in the Colliding Worlds Fine Art Gallery. The dense collages immediately reminded me of outsider and tramp art; they are witty and irreverent. The artist himself is both of those things as well.

I asked him where it came from. “It comes from my attitude,” he replied. Well, as they say, attitude is everything.

For more information, visit www. discovercathedralcity.com.

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APRIL 2018

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A MANNISH MINX

Drag star Varla Jean Merman brings material both new and classic to her five-week residency at the Copa

T

By charles drabkin

he month of April (and the final weekend of March) just got a whole lot more entertaining here in the Coachella Valley: The Copa Room Palm Springs is hosting the immense talent of Varla Jean Merman, the naïve yet bawdy drag chanteuse with a heart of gold and razor-sharp wit, on Fridays and Saturdays over five weekends.

Although Merman—created and portrayed

by Jeffery Roberson—has performed to sold-out crowds before in Palm Springs, most recently with her Bad Heroine show in October, she has never had a residency here like this.

Over the 10 shows, she will both workshop new material and bring back old favorites in what she describes as a roulette wheel of shows where audiences never know what they’ll get.

For the uninitiated, Merman is purportedly the illegitimate daughter of Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman, who was shipped off to a Louisiana convent after their real 38-day marriage—because she had Borgnine’s face.

She is mannish minx, a raunchy physical comic with a rich, powerful singing voice.

I chatted with Roberson while he was in New Orleans preparing for an upcoming show.

(Merman was unavailable, Roberson said.

Why? “Varla lives in the storage unit, not in the house,” he said.) I’ve seen Roberson in action before as Merman, and his ability to engage an audience is indeed impressive. He said he’s too desperate for approval to ever let an audience go quiet.

“I’m like a dog with a bone when performing, and I always get lots of bones when in Palm Springs,” Roberson said.

Merman’s upcoming Palm Springs shows— titled Warm Sands, Cold Heart—will pay homage to the town and the neighborhood she stays in while here. Her opening number, which she describes as a love letter to Palm Springs, recalls the era when men used to walk the neighborhood at night, looking for Mr. Right Now. Although Roberson is what I’d describe as “Palm Springs young,” he understands that Merman’s material skews to a slightly older demographic—which is exactly why she loves playing here.

In fact, Merman has been performing in Palm Springs for at least 15 years, and she just unearthed a videotape from a show she did in 2003 at Heaven Night Club (now Zeldas) called Under a Big Top. She is resurrecting some of that circus theme for her upcoming shows … now that the world is being run by a clown.

Varla Jean Merman.

Taking inspiration from the works of John Waters, Roberson started doing drag on video well before he stepped onstage; his shows used to feature six or seven videos up to 10 minutes long. However, since more and more of his audience spends large portions of their days staring at video screens, he feels people need to see Merman live onstage.

Roberson credits Merman’s role in the 2003 cult-hit film Girls Will Be Girls with cementing the Varla we see today. That film—about three actresses navigating Hollywood, love and aging—was the first time someone else had written for Merman, and seeing someone else’s perception of her helped him solidify the beautiful character.

Roberson said he can’t believe he’s been performing as Merman for more than 20 years.

“Young people can get away with a lot more than some old lady,” he quipped about the challenges of aging.

As Merman and Roberson have aged and changed, so, too, has their comedy. Roberson watched the arc of the HIV epidemic, and when he first started, he said, jokes about promiscuity were just not seen as very funny.

Today, he said, in contrast, jokes about using condoms seem dated.

“People just don’t see the humor in condoms filled with mayonnaise like they used to,” he observed.

Varla Jean Merman will perform Warm Sands, Cold Heart at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, through Saturday, April 28, at the Copa Room Palm Springs, 244 E. Amado Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $25 to $35. For tickets or more information, visit www.varlaonline.com.

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DESERT CICERONE BY brett Newton

P

icture it: North Park. San Diego. 2018.

(Sorry, I’ve been watching The Golden Girls lately. Actually, I’m not sorry; that show is brilliant.)

The Coachella Valley, while a wonderful place, is a little short on craft-beer experiences— although some of us are working to make that less true. In the meantime, thirsty desert-dwellers have some great options within a few driving hours—including a neighborhood in San Diego called North Park. location—which opened almost 10 years ago— Located off Interstate 805 just south of is much more accessible to me. I wouldn’t call the 8, North Park is bursting with places to it a dive, but it’s definitely no-frills: You have ingest and imbibe all sorts of delicious food a board above the bar teeming with breweries and drink. One of my all-time-favorite places and beer names, and very knowledgeable to have a beer (or four) is Toronado San staffers (such as the lovely Laura) to guide you Diego. I tagged along with my friend Justin, through your beer experience. Don’t know who got more epic tattoo work done by Adam what you might like? Let her know what you Hathorn at Big Trouble Tattoo (conveniently desire, and she will set you up with something located next door to and upstairs from the to make your taste buds tingle. One of my bar). Toronado is a satellite bar of its namesake favorite things about the bar is its devotion in San Francisco; the SF location has been to local breweries: If a brewer is right in their open 30 years and is classified by LocalWiki’s neighborhood, they usually don’t bother, but if site as “a dive bar for beer snobs.” I, sadly, have the brewer is elsewhere in the larger San Diego never been, but fortunately, the North Park area, and that brewer produces quality stuff,

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Our beer expert checks out the huge craft-beer scene in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood

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San Diego’s Toronado location has now been open for almost a decade. TORONADO SAN DIEGO FACEBOOK

Toronado will welcome it.

Beyond San Diego, Toronado offers classic beers from Belgium, like the beautiful Rodenbach Grand Cru, in all its blendedvintage, tart, malty glory. Yes, the bar also often carries the infamous Pliny the Elder Double IPA, from Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa. I love Russian River, but take my advice, and try some San Diegan hoppy beers—and you might find that Pliny isn’t as good as you thought. For instance, on my most recent visit, the Hop Swingers IPA—a hazy IPA collaboration from Carlsbad’s Burgeon Beer Company and San Clemente-based Artifex Brewing—blew my mind with its richly tropical and resinous aroma and flavor.

Enough of my romance with Toronado: There are other places to explore if you’re not as inclined as I am to plant your butt on a bar stool for an entire afternoon. You could go a little down the street and hit the Rip Current Brewing tasting room, and try one of many diverse beers. Belching Beaver Brewery also has a satellite tasting room, and around the corner from that, Tiger!Tiger! is a wonderful place to get a craft beer or two on tap, alongside some inventive bar food. I mean, sausage poutine fries? Come on!

A really fun place to kill time is the Coin-Op Game Room. Play your way through dozens of arcade games—with the help of a great craftbeer selection! A personal favorite is a small bottle shop/tap room franchise called Bottle Craft. The store’s tap list is unique, and you can sip on tasters and nosh charcuterie while perusing bottles and cans of (what for desert residents would be) very hard to find beer.

I also was able to try the “Forged Series” of four coffee imperial stouts on which Bottle Craft and Mason Ale Works collaborated.

Conveniently, they carried a four-pack of cans of each variant. (As good as this place is, the Little Italy location is even better.)

There are some other places I should mention that are just a short Lyft ride away;

unfortunately, I don’t have the room to go too deeply into them all: • Modern Times Brewing has two locations: the brewery taproom (complete with a coffee bar serving their delicious coffee), and a North Park tasting room. The beer is great all around—and the décor offers an interesting hipster aesthetic (including chandeliers made from tumbleweeds containing interwoven Christmas tree lights).

• North Park Beer Co. is located right across the street from Bottle Craft and offers great beer and food from the Mastiff Kitchen, which is an offshoot of the Mastiff Sausage food trucks. They expand out from just serving sausage here, but trust me: The sausage is legit. What’s better with beer than meat in tube form?

• Blind Lady Ale House in the nearby Normal Heights neighborhood has a lot—beer, pizza, charcuterie … OK, that’s not a lot, but within those confines, a whole world of flavors awaits. Try some of their own Automatic Brewing beers—made in an impossibly small space at that location.

• Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park (yes, friendly faces everywhere) is another classic beer bar in San Diego that rivals Toronado.

Indeed, it is a dive bar for beer snobs. The last time I visited, Melvin Brewing from Alpine, Wyo., was holding one of the 2x4 Days— celebrating the release of its incredible 2x4 Double IPA by taking over many taps, showing nothing but martial-arts movies on the TVs, and giving out swag like logo bandannas and ninja star-shaped coasters. The bartender dressed as a ninja really sold it for me, as did the showing of Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman.

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

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 21

APRIL 2018

DINING OUT FOR LIFE

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THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

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FOOD & DRINK

ON COCKTAILS I

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A customer dared question our intrepid drinker’s knowledge of the French 75. Let the epic rant ensue!

By Kevin Carlow

t was during a steady shift at the bar not long ago when a guest and I engaged in cocktail talk.

She gushed over the Vesper. I compared it to the sitcom The Big Bang Theory—as in it’s superpopular, but I personally think it sucks. Nothing against Lillet, but why on Earth would you adulterate perfectly good gin with that boring monster known as vodka? Just order a martini.

Her response was so hilarious I almost dropped my shaker: “Well, you know that you have the French 75 on the menu wrong. It’s a cognac drink!”

Now, the bar team who put the menu together and I know a thing or two about cocktail history, but I restrained myself. As perhaps the last crusader for putting cognac in a Sazerac, I told her this would be a great chance for me to challenge my preconceived notions and do actual research.

I actually prefer this drink on the rocks, but As with all crises of the soul, when I first I figured someone would come for my head if feel my confidence rattled, I turn to God …

I put that in the recipe. You could also roll like and when it comes to cocktail history, that Charles Dickens and try it as a punch bowl— would be David Wondrich. Paraphrasing from using Old Tom gin. his article for Liquor.com, the French 75 was Since we’re on the topic … what the heck is basically a name given to a combination of Old Tom gin? If you are a cocktail geek, you Champagne, lemon, sugar and either gin or probably think it’s an artisanal gin aged in cognac that has been popular ever since there’s barrels to a nice golden brown. Well, that is been Champagne, lemon, sugar and either gin the “fault” of Dave Wondrich. He partnered up or cognac. But he also states specifically that with the distillery Ransom in the mid-00s to Charles Dickens enjoyed a combination of Old try to bring the style back. As near as I can tell, Tom gin, champagne, lemon and sugar—in my Old Tom is simply a Victorian style of gin that beloved Boston, of all places. This makes gin was forgotten after Prohibition and replaced the frontrunner, in my opinion, as this was

by London Dry. In fact, British companies like well before the Great War and the artillery gun. Tanqueray and Hayman’s have started to make Next, I turned to the venerable Savoy them again from old recipes—and they’re Cocktail Book, which I have on my phone, unaged. thank you very much, where it is listed as a According to legend, when gin, aka gin cocktail. Further research: An article for “Mother’s Ruin,” was an epidemic in England, Mental Floss by Clair McLafferty revealed that you could look for a bar with a tomcat on the drink was first mentioned in 1919 in Harry the sign to get your fix. Also, according to MacElhone’s Harry’s ABCs of Mixing Cocktails, legend, you could put your pence into a sort where the cocktail was listed as the result of a of “vending machine” built into a wall. Once substitution of champagne for soda in a Tom the money was dropped, a bartender on the Collins. Using Occam’s razor, and being a lazy other side would pour the stuff right into your “Mr. Potato Head-ing” bartender, I knew this mouth through the cat’s paw, or, ahem, other to be the correct answer. anatomy.

In other words, my friend at the bar was Anyway, it’s a softer, lighter and sweeter gin. wrong, in that both versions of the drink have Have a Collins with it, and again, thank me some evidence on their side; therefore, to say later. For Pete’s sake, though, don’t use one of gin is “incorrect” is, well, incorrect. those barrel-aged jobs in a Collins or a gin and Try the drink for yourself. It’s OK with tonic. Use them in a Martinez or Bee’s Knees, cognac. But with gin, my gosh, it’s good. It but never in a drink with bubbles, or a dry should ideally be enjoyed as a hangover remedy martini. or as an aperitif. (That’s just my opinion, but Regardless, you should be drinking Old Tom. it’s right.)

If it was good enough for Jerry Thomas, it’s I implore you: Don’t use the Google recipe good enough for me. Go make your bartender of 2 ounces of champagne, 1 ounce of gin, 1/2 smile. ounce of lemon juice and two dashes of simple syrup—unless you want to feel like you got hit And Now, a Little Housekeeping by that actual gun. Try this instead: • Jerry Thomas, aka “The Professor,” was the 1 1/2 ounces of gin O.G. rock-star bartender who wrote The Bon1/2 ounce of lemon juice Vivant’s Companion and wore diamonds behind 1/2 ounce of simple syrup the bar like a boss.

Shake, pour into a coupe, and top with dry • David Wondrich wrote for Esquire about sparkling wine. cocktail history before that was a “thing.” If CVIndependent.com

A French 75—with gin, not cognac. KEVIN CARLOW

you read my stuff and don’t own a copy of Imbibe, please remedy that immediately.

• The Vesper was invented by Ian Fleming’s character James Bond in the book Casino Royale. Yes, 007 is awesome, but the drink is no martini.

• A Tom Collins is what you should be drinking by the pool if you don’t want a daiquiri: 1 1/2 ounces of gin (unaged Old Tom or London dry) 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice 3/4 ounce of 1:1 simple syrup Soda and ice; tall glass, please!

• Use the aged Old Tom in a Bee’s Knees instead:

2 ounces of aged Old Tom; Ransom is a good one 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice 3/4 ounce of honey syrup

• Honey syrup is either equal parts honey and water, or two parts honey to one part water, depending on whom you ask. Oh, and 1:1 simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water (usually by volume).

• A “Mr. Potato Head drink” is, in common parlance, when you substitute an ingredient or two in a popular drink, while keeping the proportions the same. So, for example, if you take off the cowboy hat (bourbon) and put on a sombrero (tequila), it’s a brand new thing.

Excuse the prosaic analogy. The margarita is a Mr. Potato Head, as are many other nice cocktails, so it’s not a derogatory term. Lately, mezcal has been the King Potato, but if you order a mezcal Negroni, I will give you a dirty look—but the Boulevardier, another Mr. Potato Head Negroni variation with rye or bourbon, is delicious.

So there you go. See what happens when you challenge me on cocktails? You get a rambling rant in return. I’m mostly kidding; feel free to come and throw a gauntlet down anytime. It will keep me honest. Now, go enjoy some fizzy gin drinks, everyone.

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

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 23

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FOOD & DRINK

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VINE SOCIAL JASON DAVID

Since I am not exactly the ‘White Party type,’ I’m throwing my own party—a White Wine Party

HAIR STUDIO

T

By KatieLOVE finn YOUR

HAIR

here are so many parties in the desert this time of year. A girl can hardly keep her calendar straight, with all the fundraisers, galas and soirees all around town.

However, there is one fabulous party that, for obvious reasons, I have never been to—the Country Club and Cook Street White Party Weekend. Celebrities, sunshine, world-class DJs and gorgeous men splashing around in a pool … and I don’t feel invited. It all sounds like a helluva goodDe time to me, but seeing as how Palm sert I’m not exactly the attendees’ “type,” I miss out on all this fun. So, in honor of the thousands of men who descend into the valley to forget about their troubles for a glorious weekend, I, too, have 760-340-5959 decided to throw my own White Party—a White Wine Party, that is.

I feel as though the timing of this party is impeccable: The days are getting longer; the weather is warming up; and those beautiful desert sunsets and casual patio dinners just beg for a cool glass of something light and bright.

I’ve noticed a trend around town that has me a little perplexed: As of late, at every wine event I’ve worked or attended as a guest, more and more people are telling me they don’t drink white. As much as I could roll my eyes at a statement like that, I kinda get it. For years, California chardonnay was all about being fat and ripe, with mushy babyfood flavors and loads of caramel and butter.

New Zealand sauvignon blanc was practically GERD-inducing, with its tart and bitter flavors of grapefruit and grass. If these are the only wines people are drinking, and perhaps the only wines available at their favorite restaurants, then they’re bound to think that’s what all white wine tastes like. This where I come in. (Cue the sommelier superhero, with cape flapping in the wind.)

The guest list to my not-so-exclusive White Wine Party features a roundup of all my

favorite international wine darlings. I plan on www.jasondavidhairstudio.net

surrounding myself with a bevy of beautiful bottles, dripping in beads of ice-bucket condensation. In case you’re wondering which wines are invited to this extravaganza, allow me to introduce you to the greatest wines you’re not drinking.

Portuguese vinho verde is my absolute favorite day-drinking, warm-weather sipper.

Slightly sparkling with a tangy zip of key lime and lemon peel, and an alcohol by volume of around 9 percent, you can literally drink this all day. By the pool. Nude. So I’ve heard.

South Africa is my all-time-favorite wineproducing region, so I would be remiss if I failed to include a bottle of their delicious chenin blanc. Also known as Steen, these wines more often than not feature bright-green apple and grapefruit notes with a hint of grassiness.

But a word to the wise: These wines can be chameleons, and some are made in an offdry to full-blown-sweet dessert style. Those chenins are not invited to this particular party.

If you like bold and robust malbec from Argentina, you’ll adore the country’s signature white varietal, torrontes. This wine tastes like

sauvignon blanc and viognier’s love child. It’s a perfect balance between peaches and lemons and roses and honeysuckle, and goes down as easy as your favorite box of Girl Scout cookies.

Albariño is just downright delectable, and its sole purpose in life is to provide you with happiness. Its other purpose in life is to help me wash down a big bowl of delicious ceviche.

One of the most aromatic wines on the guest list—and God’s gift to seafood—this little Spanish gem is bursting with orange blossoms, honeydew melon and just a touch of saltiness.

Finally, enter the Grande Dame of all white wine—Chablis. This is not to be confused with the gigantic jug of Carlo Rossi on the bottom shelf at the store, because Chablis is not a grape; it’s a place. And this place in the northern climes of Burgundy is solely dedicated to making the best chardonnay in the world. This, my friends, is pure sophistication and elegance in a glass. This is the chardonnay for everyone who thinks

they hate chardonnay. Lean and razor-sharp, these wines are all about pears, limestone, white flowers and passionfruit, with no butter, mushy fruit and caramel to be seen. These wines are like Grace Kelly: beautiful, rich and a class act.

Don’t forget to extend an invite to Sancerre, txakolina (Chalk-o-LEENA), assyrtiko (Ah-SEAR-tee-ko) and the countless other alabaster beauties: There is a glorious world of white wine out there, and your new favorite wine is waiting for you. Go get it.

Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with more than 15 years in the wine industry. She is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and is currently studying with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. When she’s not hitting the books, you can find her hosting private wine tastings and exploring the desert with her husband and two children. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@gmail.com.

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 25

APRIL 2018

the

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT This month, we savor fantastic prepared food from supermarkets

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The lobster bisque WHERE Gelson’s Market, 36101 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage HOW MUCH $8.99 CONTACT 760-770-0010; gelsons.com/ store-locations/rancho-mirage WHY Great flavor, fine price.

The grocery store located at Bob Hope and Gerald Ford drives has had a turbulent history in recent years. It was a Pavilions; for about 15 minutes (give or take), it was a Haggen; and then it became a Gelson’s.

When Gelson’s opened in the space a little more than two years ago, however, the new owners brought with them a different mindset: The people behind the Southern California mini-chain not only wanted to genuinely become part of the community (including some events with this newspaper, I should disclose); they had big plans for the space.

Those big plans have now come to fruition: The Rancho Mirage store has been completely renovated—and the prepared-food options in Gelson’s are nothing short of epic.

Wolfgang Puck’s pizza. A downright-reasonably-priced salad bar. A sushi bar. All sorts of deli meats, salads and prepared entrées. A wine, craft-beer and tapas bar. And even a seafood bar—with oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster, poke and other tasty treats.

One of those “other tasty treats,” the 12-ounce bowl of lobster bisque, made for a mighty fine lunch one recent weekday. It was rich, creamy and flavorful—everything a great lobster bisque should be. There were also tiny little lobster bits in almost every bite. Yum! Beyond the quality of the bisque itself … of the best things about the dish was its price: $8.99 is a fine deal for this amount of lobster bisque. However, I had one teeny, tiny complaint: My bisque came with oyster crackers (which are supposed to go with the clam chowder, $8.99) instead of crostini slices, as promised on the menu; that would have been a slightly better pairing.

But that’s a minor nitpick; I thoroughly enjoyed my first dine-in lunch at Gelson’s. It certainly will not be my last.

WHAT The chile relleno plate WHERE Cardenas Market, 31655 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City HOW MUCH $6.99 CONTACT 760-422-1330; www. cardenasmarkets.com WHY It’s a delicious bargain.

When we moved here five years ago, the initial plan was to buy a house not too far from the Cathedral City Cardenas. I remember first walking into the huge Mexican-focused supermarket and being utterly wowed by the amazing selection of prepared foods on offer there.

However, the sale of that house fell through, and we wound up living in Palm Springs. Therefore, I had little reason to go to Cardenas—and somehow, I forgot about all that amazing food. Well, I recently rediscovered Cardenas, and this rediscovery has been a very good thing (for my taste buds, if not my waistline).

Since the joyous rediscovery, Cardenas has become one of my go-to places whenever I need to pick up some food for a party. The selection of Mexican goodies available is, frankly, stunning: more than a dozen different types of ceviche, a variety of salsas, tamales, tacos, burritos, breakfasts, cooked meats by the pound, and a whole bunch of yummy entrées—it is all available, and then some.

Beyond parties, Cardenas has also become a place to go when, well, I am simply hungry.

One recent day, I was in the general area of the store after a doctor’s appointment, so I decided to drop in and pick up an early dinner to-go. (Eating at the store is also an option; Cardenas has a large, comfy dining area.) My only problem was choosing what to get, given the bevy of options. However, I eventually decided on the chile relleno plate—and I’m so happy I did.

The egg-battered pepper was cooked perfectly, and swam in a delightful, cheesy red sauce. It came along with beans, rice and tortillas—a damn fine meal for $6.99.

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Restaurant NEWS BITES

By Jimmy Boegle HELP THE DESERT AIDS PROJECT BY DINING OUT FOR LIFE ON APRIL 26 Thursday, April 26, is one of my favorite foodie days of the year.

It’s not a day featuring a lot of great deals and food specials; instead, it’s a day during which local restaurants and their customers (i.e., you) do a lot of good for the community.

April 26 is this year’s date for Dining Out for Life, the annual fundraising extravaganza for the Desert AIDS Project and other HIV/AIDS service organizations around the country. It’s simple, really: On that day, restaurants across the Coachella Valley have agreed to donate anywhere between 33 and 110 percent of their sales to DAP. It really is simple: All you do is go out to eat, like you probably would anyway—and DAP gets a big chunk of whatever you spend. (If you feel like you must do more than simply eat out, never fear: Many participating locations also have donation envelopes available.)

My friends at DAP tell me that even though the Coachella Valley is one of the smaller markets in which Dining Out for Life takes place, it’s one of the larger markets in terms of money raised. Last year, we ranked No. 3 in North America—and this year, the folks at DAP are keeping their fingers crossed for a jump to No. 2. Our li’l community does so well, in part, because of the generosity of some large and very busy restaurants: Lulu California Bistro (donating 50 percent), TRIO (donating 60 percent) and Spencer’s (donating 75 percent) generally rank near the top of the continent-wide list in terms of the amount of money donated.

However, it is most certainly not all about the big places: The biggest generosity, in many ways, comes from the smaller, mom-and-pop places. Rooster and the Pig and Ristretto are both donating 100 percent of their sales on April 26 to DAP—while Townie Bagels is giving a whopping 110 percent.

On Dining Out for Life day, you’ll be able to find me at a half-dozen or so—maybe more— participating restaurants throughout the day: having bagels, coffee, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, a post-dinner snack and then probably a few drinks. Follow my exploits via the Coachella Valley Independent Facebook page.

Please join me for Dining Out for Life on April 26. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s literally the least you can do.

Visit www.diningoutforlife.com/palmsprings for a complete and updated list of restaurants and their donation percentages.

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IN BRIEF The much, much delayed opening of Grand Central Palm Springs, a restaurant and event space in La Plaza in downtown Palm Springs, is apparently close. Yeah, we’ve heard this several times before over the last two years, but co-owner Rita Capponi is so confident it’s actually happening this time that she gave me a “firm” opening date: May 1. More details to come; watch www. grandcentralpalmsprings.com for updates. … Alicante, the tapas-themed restaurant at 140 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in downtown Palm Springs, is gearing up for a name and theme change. While there has been no formal announcement—at least that we’ve heard—expect something beerrelated, considering Alicante recently debuted three new exclusive beers brewed by San Marcos’ Mason Ale Works—under the name Palm Springs Brewing Co. Hmm. Watch www.facebook.com/ AlicantePS. … Draughtsman, at 1501 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, just started a new late-night menu. “Late Night at Draughtsman” takes place from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., Wednesday through Sunday. The menu includes fare such as Cauliflower “McNuggets” ($9) and a braised pork belly banh mi ($14), along with late-night beer specials and frequent entertainment. Get more info at draughtsmanpalmsprings.com. … The owners of CCBC—a gay, clothing-optional resort and play place (*ahem*)—have announced plans to build an adjoining 2,560-square-foot restaurant, called Runway; it’ll also have a 568-square-foot dining patio. We cannot wait to see this! See plans at www.ccedd.org/project/ccbc-resort-runway-restaurant. … Try (hopefully) great chili and benefit the Cathedral City Senior Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 7. The annual Chili Cook-Off takes place at the Big Lots Center at Highway 111 and Date Palm Drive; $20 gets you chili tastings and a box lunch from Aspen Mills. Yum! Find more details at www.cathedralcenter.org. … And now, in the “Why in the hell not?” category: The Village Pub Palm Springs, at 266 S. Palm Canyon Drive, has launched two new food challenges. On Wednesdays, you can try one of two challenges: Eat 10 blazing wings in five minutes ($13); or gobble down one pound of potato chips and two pounds of fish with homemade beer batter in 10 minutes ($30). Beat the challenge, and the food is free. Hmm. Learn more about the “Village Idiot Food Challenge”—and see if any idiots actually succeed—at www.facebook.com/villagepubpalmsprings.

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After wearing himself out, Benjamin Booker is returning to Coachella with a renewed love of music FIDLAR’s days of singing about skateboarding are in the past—but the music remains gnarly and chaotic Coachella performer Jean-Michel Jarre may be the biggest music star you’ve never heard of Banditos bring rock with an Americana/outlaw country vibe to Stagecoach

www.cvindependent.com/music

THE MUSIC ISSUE

Lillie Mae is known for playing with Jack White—but she’s a country star on her own.

33 photo by LAURA PARTAIN

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MUSIC

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TIMELESS ROCK LIVES ON A

By Brian Blueskye

Perfect Circle will release its first album in 14 years, Eat the Elephant, on April 20—a date that just so happens to fall in between the band’s performances at Coachella, on Sunday, April 15 and 22.

The album is one of the year’s most highly anticipated releases; it’s the fourth studio album by A Perfect Circle, founded in 1999 by Billy Howerdel, who at the time was a guitar tech for the band Tool. Maynard James Keenan, the frontman of Tool and Puscifer, was interested in the project after hearing demos Howerdel played for him. The band put out its debut album, Mer de Noms, in 2000, and follow-up Thirteenth Step in 2003; both think that’s pretty fast, honestly. Before, I would went platinum. The success and popularity of sit with Billy, and he would do what he was the band continues to be on the same level as doing. I would try to get some vocals in there Tool, even after the controversial third album, in between, but this time because of the digital Emotive, in 2004, which was a collection of age, I was able to share files, and I focused doing “reimaginings” of famous anti-war songs. vocals with my Puscifer partner, Mat Mitchell, The band went on hiatus in early 2005, while Billy was doing guitars and drums, getting but returned to touring in 2010. In addition all of that recorded. We could actually get twice to Howerdel and Keenan, the current lineup as much done in a day. It was a nice break to get includes guitarist James Iha of the Smashing down with a vocal and look online, hearing stuff Pumpkins; Palm Springs native and touring that he’d done that I hadn’t heard yet. It was Eagles of Death Metal bassist Matt McJunkins; pretty cool.” and drummer Jeff Friedl.

Eat the Elephant has a wide variety of Eat the Elephant is another timeless rock different sounds that lead to all kinds of album—in an age when rock records are being emotional possibilities for songs. forgotten. (I received a preview copy before the “The sounds in general are what I’m reacting interview.) It’s an offering that will offer hope to to,” Keenan explained. “Whenever Billy comes what is left of rock’s faithful audience, and will up with things that are challenging or different, make for an interesting backdrop at a Coachella it inspires you to go down that rabbit hole and festival full of new-era mumble-rap artists—and see how far you can take it.” very little rock music.

I asked what it took to make A Perfect Circle During a recent phone interview, I asked sound new in the modern era. “That’s definitely Maynard James Keenan why the band reunited. a puzzle, and you’re absolutely right. Trying to “That’s a good question, but I don’t think it reinvent yourself can be daunting for people was about either of us missing it,” Keenan said. who have never had to reinvent themselves. I “I felt that Billy and I went off to do other things kind of do it for a living, so I’m covered,” Keenan for a while, and he was very happy doing Ashes said with a laugh.”

Divide, and I was doing Puscifer. I think it was While Keenan has never publicly supported just time. It wasn’t so much that we missed it, any political candidate, he is most certainly but we felt more like it was time to get back to politically engaged. The press release officially work on that stuff.” announcing the new album joked about Tool and Puscifer seem to reflect different Keenan’s views on Donald Trump and former sides of Keenan as a music artist—so what does President George W. Bush.

A Perfect Circle offer him artistically that his “Boy, was I ever wrong about that guy. What other bands don’t?

I wouldn’t give to have ol’ Dubya back in the “I feel like it’s different conversation,” he White House right now,” he said. replied. “… I don’t really think (A Perfect Circle) Keenan said now is an important time for provides me with something that the other rock musicians. bands don’t; it’s just different puzzles—and I “I think as an artist, in the words of Henry like puzzles!”

Rollins, this is what you train for, and why you Between 2010 and the announcement of Eat listened to Dead Kennedys when you were a the Elephant last year, fans speculated whether a kid. This is your time, and this is our moment new album would ever become a reality. to shine as punk-rockers. This is it,” he said. “As “We started recording it in late summer 2017, far as expressing your opinion, politics is about when I was in harvest”—Keenan owns wineries people, and people expressing themselves and in Arizona—“and we hauled ass and finished it,” interacting. This is us interacting: ‘Here are a he said. “We had the first conversation about it couple of opinions; here are some approaches; and delivered it to be mastered in under a year. I and here are some things you never thought CVIndependent.com

A Perfect Circle’s Maynard James Keenan says punk will rise again—if it isn’t rising already

about, and it’s your turn.’”

When A Perfect Circle released Emotive in 2004, George W. Bush was up for re-election, and the Iraq War was in full swing. Keenan said in a statement posted to the band’s website in 2004: “Look, clearly I’m supporting anyone but Bush in this upcoming election, but I’m not telling anyone who to vote for with this new album. I’m still just trying to encourage people to think for themselves … to stop buying into this absurdity and rampant fear.” When I used the description of “anti-war cover songs” to describe the album, he stopped me.

“Not necessarily; it was more about expressing the voices of people who came before us who had something to say, and presenting those stories in a different light—not necessarily in the specific music they used to express those thoughts; we expressed those thoughts in different beds of music,” he said. “Arguably, we pretty much rewrote the music to all those songs to give you an idea of what that story looks like or sounds like in a different setting.”

I asked if Keenan was he surprised that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were, in some ways, still going on 14 years later.

“I drink a lot more wine now,” Keenan said with a laugh. “That’s my reaction: Yep, I’m going to have a glass of fucking wine.”

Keenan is also a vegetable gardener.

“I’ve done it all my life, having lived in Michigan in the middle of a bunch of peach and cherry orchards,” he said. “My dad had extensive gardens for our house. That’s basically what we lived on. It was always something that I was going to return to regardless. No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always had a garden.”

Keenan said his upbringing in the Midwest contributed greatly to his outlook on hard work.

“I kind of refer to my people in West Michigan as snow-shovelers,” he said. “If you’re a shoveler, you know you couldn’t get from Point A to Point B in the winter without removing the obstacles.

You get used to understanding puzzles and understanding what it takes to get somewhere.

You start to respect or have an appreciation for or empathy and sympathy for people who do other jobs around you. When things are super-cozy, you end up with entitled people.

People who somehow find success accidentally and end up touring or on movie sets, they don’t (appreciate) the grips, the carpenters, the stage managers—they don’t have any appreciation for those people and how hard they work if they’ve never had to actually do that job. You’ve heard that cliché before: If you’ve never done it, you just don’t actually know.”

A Perfect Circle. TIM CADIENTE

Keenan has played Coachella in the past with all three of his bands—but this year is definitely different, considering how few rock acts are on the bill.

“I guess it’s an indication of where things are.

It’s interesting,” he said. “You feel a little bit like a dinosaur, which is fine. Feeling like a dinosaur can be inspiring: Get off your butt, right?”

I asked what Keenan felt it would take to resurrect rock music.

“You’re going to see things coming at you that you didn’t even expect. That’s the nature of punk rock—that anarchist mentality, that reacting outside of the box intuitively, instinctively, situationally or even environmentally,” he said. “That’s what brought us N.W.A., and that’s what brought you the Stooges. All those things kind of happened, and you can’t plan it. I think we’re going to see a lot of reactions come out of this political climate, social climate, economic climate and artistic climate. You’ll see someone coming out and swinging for the fence in a way where they aren’t trying to do that—it’s just happening. But then it will settle back into the art.

“Back in the punk rock days, everything was about … just being mad, breaking shit and fucking playing as fast you can. Then someone comes along like Minor Threat, where there are almost melodies there. Ian MacKaye and those guys took off in a great direction, because they brought back an artistic approach to punk rock.

Their attitude and what they stood for was more about the punk rock. The music started settling into something you could enjoy and listen to over and over again. The same thing (happened) with N.W.A., and that progressed into some amazing music with Dr. Dre. “I think we’ll have our punk-rock moment soon. Maybe we’re already having it—and I’m just too old to recognize it.”

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THE PROCESS CONTINUES I

By Brian Blueskye

n 2014, Benjamin Booker became one of the most-talked about independent artists of the year—earning a slot at Coachella in 2015. Today, he’s still dazzling audiences with his brand of garage rock mashed up with soul.

He’ll be making his second trip to Coachella on Saturday, April 14 and 21.

Booker released his self-titled debut album in 2014, and spent two years touring behind it. He emerged again in 2017 with his second album, Witness.

During a recent phone interview, Booker discussed what happened after the tour was over, and he returned to his home in New Orleans. didn’t really plan on playing music; I didn’t “I was riding my bike—and I got shot at have a game plan. I think that was something while I was on my way to a dinner party,” I had to figure out at that point: If I was going Booker said. “I don’t really like to talk about to keep playing music, where was I going to go it, though, because I don’t want to give New with this?”

Orleans a bad reputation.”

After the trauma of being shot at, Booker After touring extensively, Booker was took off to Mexico City, where he wrote the exhausted. new album. The legendary Mavis Staples sings “We did a lot of touring,” he said. “This time the title track with Booker. around, I’m not doing that much touring. That “She is the best. I’m playing with her for the is very intentional: It was way too much. But first time in the United Kingdom, and I’ll be you don’t know your limits until you push opening for her, and I’m really excited about them. It took me a really long time to get back that,” Booker said about Staples. “I just like to a good place after that, and it was a long hanging out with her. When we were hanging recovery. It wasn’t until a year after that I out one time, she was telling me this story started writing again. It was probably longer about how she met ‘Martin,’ and I was like, ‘Are than that—maybe a year and a half. you talking about Dr. Martin Luther King?’

“The first record was so surprising, and I She is one of those people whose life is just

After wearing himself out and dealing with a traumatic event, Benjamin Booker is returning to Coachella with a renewed love of music

so rich and full of events and stories. It’s cool to hang out with people like that. I think that was a bigger deal for me than the first album I did. Everyone knows who Mavis Staples is, including my parents. I felt like my parents were so proud of me, and it was special to be able to do it.”

Booker said he still has a lot left to accomplish musically.

“I think that as a musician, you have to look at this whole thing as a process,” he said. “I don’t think that I’m where I want to be as a musician yet, but I think I’m working my way toward that point. That’s how I’m looking at this whole thing. We’re all just trying to make that record exactly the way we want it, so it fully expresses the feelings you want. Until I get to that place, I’m trying to enjoy the ride.”

What does Booker find enjoyable to listen to these days?

“I like SZA and that album Ctrl—that’s what I’ve been listening to a lot lately,” he said. “I listen to a lot of Frank Ocean, and I like Margo

Price and saw her perform recently. I saw Parquet Courts perform here recently, and I love them. I’ve felt recently that I have that love of music thing going again, so I’m going to concerts and checking out new people.”

I asked Booker if he lost his love of music at some point “Oh, definitely. Somewhere after that first album, I didn’t really want to play music anymore,” he said. “You really have to be strong to do this, and I didn’t think it was really for me. I had no idea what was going to happen when I made that album. When you listen to it, it’s literally a live album: We just pushed play and recorded songs. We did it in two days, and nobody thought anything of it.”

Booker said he’s looking forward to his second time performing at Coachella.

“I had a great time last time,” he said. “Good music is good music. I’m not one of those people who just listens to rock music, and I like a lot of the things Goldenvoice does. So I’m excited to see a bunch of people.”

Drag Bingo every Tuesday Live music every Friday and Saturday Great drinks and food everyday Benjamin Booker.

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FIDLAR’s days of singing about skateboarding and surfing are in the past—but the music remains gnarly

By Brian Blueskye

unk-rock band FIDLAR released its self-titled debut full-length in 2013—creating a wild party that seemed like it would never end.

FIDLAR’s songs—with lyrics paying homage to wild partying and skateboarding, all with a psychedelic/surf-rock feel—were a breath of fresh air, and paid tribute to the original days of Los Angeles punk.

Then came follow-up Too in 2015. Frontman and guitarist Zac Carper was singing a different tune with a new perspective after a stint in rehab—although the songs sounded just as gnarly and chaotic. for a while now, and now people know who The Los Angeles outfit, whose name we are, and with that comes a lot of different stands for “Fuck It Dog, Life Is a Risk,” also things. We’re not four dudes living in the same features Elvis Kuehn (guitar) and Max Kuehn apartment anymore. We’re not dealing with (drums)—both of whom are sons of T.S.O.L. Zac getting sober anymore. It’s just about life keyboardist Greg Kuehn—as well as bassist now, dude.”

Brandon Schwartzel. The group will be On Too, there’s a song called “Stupid performing at Coachella on Sunday, April 15 Decisions,” on which Carper screams: “And I and 22. took too many drugs, and I drank too much.

During a recent interview with Schwartzel, Yeah, I made some stupid decisions!” I asked he said the band members were amused that Schwartzel if he feels like the band is maturing they were finally offered a Coachella slot. as the members get older.

“Funny enough, we never thought we would “I think the biggest thing we joke about is ever get to play Coachella,” Schwartzel said. that we wish we didn’t start playing live as “Bands that we knew or played with were high-energy as we did, because now it’s a lot playing it, and we were like, ‘What? Why don’t more exhausting than it used to be,” he said. we get to play?’ Then we kind of just figured, “You go from being 21 to 30, and your back ‘Fuck it; it’s never going to happen, so let’s just hurts; your neck hurts; and you start to feel not even think about it anymore.’ Then when it a lot more. I think that’s the biggest insight we stopped thinking about it, it happened. I to getting older so far. We’re still who we are don’t know how it happened, but we were like, at the same time, so we’re not completely ‘OK!’ That’s par for the course for our band: As changing who we are.” soon as we stop caring, shit starts happening, The subject of what, exactly, is or is not and we get the thing we were thinking about.” punk rock has been thrown at FIDLAR FIDLAR had been busy after the release before—and Schwartzel has an interesting of Too. perspective.

“We had been touring for a while before and “It always comes down to: ‘What is really after the record came out, until early 2017,” punk?’ That’s something that we’ve always had Schwartzel said. “We took a minute just to be trouble defining for ourselves,” he said. “We human beings again and live in the apartments have an attitude that’s very punk, I guess. We’re that we pay rent for. We kept busy doing a few shows. I worked on a lot of artsy video shoots for other people and arts-department kind of stuff, keeping busy. Half the year passed by, and we started working on new material that we’re finally starting to finish up.

Too had a lot of lyrically heavy songs about sobriety and a new sober perspective on life from Carper. I asked what’s ahead on the third record.

“The first record was where we were at as an individual collective; that was the vibe of partying and getting fucked up,” Schwartzel said. “On the second record, Zac had gotten sober, so a lot of it was us and him collectively dealing with that. The third record will be about what’s been happening since then. It’s always very in the moment. We’ve been a band FIDLAR. CVIndependent.com

not a super-agro ‘fuck the government’ punk band, though. When it gets genre-specific, there are electronic artists who are more DIY than the most-DIY punk bands, but it just sounds different. I feel like (the members of) Die Antwoord are the most punk people out there, because they just do whatever the fuck they want, and are wild and weird.

“Who fucking knows what punk is anyway?

There’s nothing more freeing than creating stuff. You get good at it and don’t have to worry about having to pay a bunch of people to make a bunch of mediocre shit for you.”

Skateboarding and surfing have been the subjects of FIDLAR songs in the past—but probably won’t be in the future.

“None of us really skateboard anymore,” Schwartzel said. “We’re in a band that tours all the time, and we can’t afford to get hurt. We can’t play through a 10-week tour, break an ankle, and do what we do.”

Being one of the few rock bands at Coachella this year is not a problem for FIDLAR. “In a way, it’s kinda tight, because we don’t have much competition in our genre,” Schwartzel said. “If there are any rock people who go to Coachella, hopefully they watch us play. Hip hop is the new rock, or something, and it’s cool because it’s different. We’re not all like, ‘Fuck, we need more rock bands out here!’

We just happen to be a band that plays loud rock music.

“I’m stoked to play with Beyoncé. Hopefully she’ll come onstage during one of our songs, and we’ll try to work it out. But I’m stoked to see her, and I’ve been a long-time Beyoncé fan. It’s cool that there are no scenes or genres anymore. Everyone listens to everything, and that’s cool. You just like the music you like.”

The Blueskye REPORT aPRIL 2018

By Brian Blueskye

Los Lobos

April is the final month of the busy season—and it seems like some venues have saved the best for last.

April marks the final full month of events at the McCallum Theatre. At 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 3, Lucie Arnaz—actress, singer, producer and daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz—presents Stepping Out for College of the Desert: Latin Roots. The show will pay tribute to Arnaz’s Latin roots, especially the man who helped bring Latin music to America—her father. Tickets are $67 to $127. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 7, enjoy a rock show by Boz Scaggs. His soulful singing combined with his rocking guitar is always a treat—and “Lowdown” is a great song to hear live. Tickets are $100 to $250. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 14, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra will be performing A Tribute to John Williams. Considering how many great films for which Williams has composed soundtracks, this should be a wonderful show to take in. Tickets are $87 to $137. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www. mccallumtheatre.com.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is hosting two fine events in April. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 7, comedian and puppeteer Terry Fator will be performing. Fator’s wildly popular shows are always funny and entertaining. Tickets are $39 to $79. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 14, enjoy a double-bill of Latin music when Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys perform. While Los Lobos is best known for the cover of “La Bamba” for the 1987 biographical Ritchie Valens film, there are a lot of cuts the band recorded early in a 45-year career that are political and go deep into the Latin-music genre. Hopefully some of that will be played here! The group Los Lonely Boys is best remembered for hit-song “Heaven,” and the band has sold millions of albums.

Tickets are $39 to $79. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has one compelling music event in April: At 8 p.m., Friday, April 6, The Doobie Brothers will be performing. The famed Northern California rock band is no stranger to the desert. The group has won four Grammy awards and has sold 48 million records. Tickets are $60 to $80.

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The Blueskye REPORT Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www. hotwatercasino.com.

Spotlight 29 has an event in April comedy fans will love: At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 7, Marlon Wayans will be returning to the area. I spoke with the comedian and actor last year, and during the interview, his mother—the famous “Mrs. Wayans” referenced in Wayans brothers comedy—actually called him on his other phone. Marlon is hilarious, and he’s proven himself to be a talented actor outside of the comedy genre—see Requiem for a Dream—and has worked as a screenwriter and producer.

Tickets are $25 to $45. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www. spotlight29.com.

Morongo Casino Resort Spa doesn’t have any big music events in April, but get ready to celebrate, ladies … that’s right: At 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28, Australia’s Thunder From Down Under is BACK! The all-handsome, all-hunk, all-male revue is a hit, and the shows usually sell out— so get your tickets while you still can. They cost $25. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace will probably be bonkers with surprises in April thanks to Coachella and Stagecoach—and already, there are a lot of sold-out events.

Here are some great shows with tickets left as of our deadline: At 9 p.m., Thursday, April 5, bass-and-drum duo Sumo Princess will take the stage. Sumo Princess features Abby Travis (KMFDM, Eagles of Death Metal, The Bangles) and Gene Trautmann (Queens of the Stone Age, Mojave Lords, Mark Lanegan). Also on the bill is Elettrodomestico, featuring Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Gos. Tickets are $15. At 8 p.m., Friday, April 6, talented local musician Gene Evaro Jr. will be performing an outdoor show. Also on the bill: His sister, Gabriella Evaro. Tickets are $15 to $20. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-3655956; www.pappyandharriets.com.

The Purple Room Palm Springs has a busy month of April, per usual. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 14, Palm Springs cabaret star Jerome Elliott will be performing. Elliott will sing hits from Broadway, the world of pop music, and the Great American Songbook. Tickets are $25 to $30. At 8 p.m., Saturday, April 21, singer and pianist Lori Donato will take the stage in a show celebrating Marilyn Maye. Donato has a vocal range that allows her to master blues, jazz and other genres. Tickets are $25 to $30.

At 8 p.m., Friday, April 27, Ann Hampton Callaway will perform songs from all the divas that we love—Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland and many others. Tickets are $55 to $65. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www. purpleroompalmsprings.com.

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Jean-Michel Jarre may be the biggest music star you’ve never heard of

By Brian Blueskye

railblazing French composer and electronic/ambient musician Jean-Michel Jarre is largely unheard of in the United States—but worldwide, he’s one of the biggest stars there is.

I’m not exaggerating: In a career spanning almost 50 years, he has played before crowds of more than 1 million people. He’s performed political goodwill shows for organizations such as UNESCO. His shows have celebrated religious figures such as Pope John Paul II (during his visit to Jarre’s hometown of Lyon, France in 1986), and a concert in Monaco in 2011 celebrated the marriage of Prince Albert II and Charlene, Princess of Monaco. He was also the first western artist to perform in the People’s Republic of China. just said, it has no boundaries,” he said. “One of He’s collaborated with numerous artists you my latest projects in electronica was based on have heard of, including Gorillaz, Gary Numan the idea of trying to gather around people who and film director/composer John Carpenter. are sort of impatient with me and to electronics He’s in the midst of his first-ever tour of and technology … like Tangerine Dream, Pete the United States, including performances at Townshend, Moby, Laurie Anderson, Gary Coachella on Friday, April 13 and 20. Jarre’s Numan and Pet Shop Boys—all who inspired visual show is just as stunning as his music generations with a style of music. There was one during live performances—so his is one problem: They all love technology, and they’re performance you won’t want to miss. all kind of nerds in their own way. … By the end During a recent phone interview, Jarre of the day, music is technology.” described what it feels like to play to crowds of The visuals during Jarre’s performances more than a million—and then to much smaller are stunning and innovative, even by today’s crowds here in the States. standards. I highly suggest checking out his “It’s very difficult to describe,” Jarre said, video online during which he plays what’s called “My manager is Irish, and she said to me once, a “laser harp.”

‘You performed to a crowd that’s the size of “I’ve always been interested in my life to my country!’ It’s quite surreal, but I see it as try to find additional correspondence for the a privilege, of course. Whatever the audience electronic songs,” Jarre explained. “Staying is, at the end of the day, the live performance behind your laptop is not the most sexy thing works, or it doesn’t work. … I can play in a in the world, and people don’t understand what small theater, in an arena, or a big festival like you’re doing most of the time. I really try to Coachella. It’s just a matter of changing the explore during performances. Because I was size and performing with this stage design. working with a lot of lights and lasers, I thought I’m especially excited to share this with the it would be cool to invent an instrument made Coachella audience.” of lasers where the strings would be played by Jarre studied classical music, and there are lights and lasers. many classical elements in his electronic music.

“The idea of being outdoors, like at Coachella, “I was playing in rock bands when I was where you have the audience far away from the a teenager. I studied classical music, and stage—I’m able to convey what I do musically then I discovered electronic music,” he said. to people. You can see the music being played “I discovered people were working and from miles away, and this is magical. This is approaching music in a totally different way what modern technology can afford. I can try to with notes, but also with sound and noise, convey emotions visually and through sound.” which meant you could go outside recording the Jarre has long played events with a social sounds of the street, the sounds of the car— message; he said music and politics are always and you can make music with it. To me, it was linked. like cooking. It was sensual and very warm. It’s “I think you always have two sides of art like Jackson Pollock: People would say, ‘Jackson and music in general,” Jarre said. “You have Pollock doesn’t present anything.’ But he was the hedonist side, where you like to enjoy doing art with sections, oil, and he worked with music, dancing until end of the night, and just his hands. You work with your hands, even on a the entertainment of it and having fun. … Of computer with a mouse, or working with knobs course, (with) any genre of music—like punk and strings. … I believed this kind of music and hip-hop, or even techno—there are things would be a major art form in the 21st century.” linked to social movements. That’s what I tried I told Jarre it feels as if electronic music today to do in my collaboration with Edward Snowden is huge—and continuing to evolve. … (show) the dark side of technology, and we “I think that’s quite logical, because as you know we’re spied on by the outside world. We

Jean-Michel Jarre. ERIC VOAKE

know that in the near future, we’ll have to deal with machines competing with ourselves. I think that politics and music are linked together like any other kind of movement in history.”

Jarre is no stranger to the United States.

He performed with the Houston Grand Opera at Texas’ 150th anniversary in 1986; he also incorporated the 25th anniversary of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center into the show at the request of NASA. But this marks the first time Jarre has actually toured America—and he’s having a great time.

“I’ve done a lot of one-off shows in my life, and I toured sometimes,” he said. “… I think of it as if I was shooting a movie, but I’m shooting a movie in my mind, like how I performed in China, in Russia, in Egypt, in Houston, and then when I was touring stadiums in Europe and Asia, I thought, ‘Why doesn’t this happen in America?’ I thought that this is something I really wanted to share with the American audience.

“I’ve actually been blown away and touched by the American audiences who have so far welcomed this tour. Every place I went … I was really touched by the audience saying it was different than what they were used to. As an artist, America has so many different styles of performances and artists, and I always thought you do something with the ambition of being different and trying to surprise people, and I think this electronica concert performance goes in that direction.

“I thank the American audiences who have welcomed this project with enthusiasm. That inspires me to go into Coachella in the best possible way.”

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Here’s our annual list of Coachella performers you really shouldn’t miss

By Brian Blueskye

arring any huge surprises, Coachella 2018 will be known as the year of Beyoncé … and no rock headliners.

The lineup might be hard to navigate—but I have you covered with this compilation of acts you should make time to check out.

Friday, April 13 and 20

The Buttertones: OK, we did not say Coachella 2018 was going to be completely devoid of rock. The Buttertones are a Los Angeles outfit that has been getting buzz for its brand of garage rock. The band features Sean Redman on bass (formerly of Cherry Glazerr) and Modeste Cobián on drums and other instruments. (I remember Cobián from Jeffertitti’s Nile; he’s a show of his own.) If you want to hear how weird this band can get, check out new track “Baby C4.” If you’re a fan of bands such as Shannon and the Clams and Ty Segall, you’ll love The Buttertones.

Perfume Genius: I first saw Perfume Genius at Coachella in 2015—and it was one of the most mesmerizing things I’d ever seen. Mike Hadreas has invented a pop sound that’s all his own. A lot of his songs are semibiographical and address the bullying and death threats he received during his youth for being gay. He’s also written songs addressing other controversial subjects, ranging from domestic abuse to the problems younger gay men face in today’s LGBT world.

The War on Drugs: I know a lot of local musicians who were playing the War on Drugs’ Lost in the Dream in their cars or in their practice spaces circa 2014 and 2015.

Why? Because the War on Drugs is a great band that has warm psychedelic jams. The

band’s keyboard and guitars make me feel like it’s well worth putting down some hardearned money on their vinyls.

Jamiroquai: My Jamiroquai superfan editor would raise hell if the British nu-funk band were excluded from this list. I’m fascinated by Jamiroquai, given the group is downright huge in Europe—yet all Americans seem to remember about Jamiroquai is the smash-hit song from the late ’90s, “Virtual Insanity.” Jay Kay and co. have been on many Coachella attendees’ wish lists for years. If you’re in the mood for some disco dancing and fantastic funk music, Jamiroquai is who you should see.

Saturday, April 14 and 21

Cherry Glazerr: Named after NPR news personality Chery Glaser, this Los Angeles indie-rock band fronted by Clementine Creevy has been plagued by lineup changes— including going from a four-piece to a trio—but the music has remained fabulous, including sophomore album Apocalipstick in 2017. Creevy is the subject of a documentary put out by VICE called Clementine Creevy: The Millennial Punk Feminist Icon.

Jason Bentley: You might know him from your daily commute as the DJ on KCRW, but he’s also a DJ in the Los Angeles club scene.

He told me when I interviewed him a while

Jamiroquai.

back that his favorite music to play is house music—specifically at 124 to 126 BPM. Considering he has an ear for great music, Bentley will be a fine Coachella catch.

Chic featuring Nile Rodgers: Nile Rodgers told Rolling Stone that he would be playing Coachella in 2017. That didn’t happen; turns out he was a year off. He played a big part in Daft Punk’s 2013 megahit album, Random Access Memories, and he’s been part of recordings with David Bowie, Duran Duran, Madonna, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga and so many others. Oh, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Need any more reasons to see him?

David Byrne: Many Coachella attendees will be millennials who have never heard of the Talking Heads; they will be wondering who in the hell David Byrne is. Well, he’s not just a musician; he’s an author, a soundtrack composer, and an artist who created an interactive exhibit combining music and technology, allowing people to “play the room.” Considering he’s worked with St. Vincent, who is performing on Friday night, they may appear during each other’s sets.

Sunday, April 15 and 22

Perfume Genius.

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Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: This is a pop band out of Australia that has received praise from a lot of rock writers, including the legendary Robert Christgau, who is not easy to win over. The band has a lot of catchy tunes that will get stuck in your head. The group put out the EP The French Press on Sub

Pop Records last year, and fans have been waiting patiently for a full-length album. This is one band that could make pop music cool again.

Motor City Drum Ensemble: German house-music producer Danilo Plessow goes by this moniker and is becoming one of the most recognizable producers in the world.

The one thing I love about his stuff is that it has elements of soul, disco, jazz and ambient music. Just about anything he puts together can get you grooving. He’s proclaimed he’s bringing the soul back to techno and house … and it’s about time!

The Drums: The Drums made a big splash in 2010 with the group’s self-titled debut album. The duo of Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham did quite well for themselves in subsequent years, too—but Graham announced he’d left the group last year, leaving Pierce to carry on. The latest album, Abysmal Thoughts, is solid all around, so it will be interesting to see The Drums live without Graham. I’m betting that Pierce will keep the band going successfully for years to come.

Kamasi Washington: You probably recognize his name if you’re a fan of Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar or Run the Jewels— and his collaborations with these acts have made him almost as famous as they are. This jazz saxophonist is no stranger to Coachella, having performed here in 2016—and it has warmed my heart to see jazz at Coachella in recent years. I’m really stoked for Kamasi Washington.

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STAGECOACH MUST-SEES

ALWAYS ON A STAGE

Put on your cowboy boots, and go watch these talented musicians do their thing

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By Brian Blueskye

tagecoach has always offered attendees a lot of variety in terms of country-music subgenres— but this year, the lineup seeks to skimp on alt-country, Americana and old-timers (like Willie Nelson). Still, there is a lot to see. Here are my Stagecoach recommendations.

Friday, April 27

Jade Bird: It’s shocking, yes, but this young woman who excels at Americana … is British.

Regardless, she has one hell of a voice. Her music would perhaps better fit a Coachella crowd, but she’s likely going to be awesome at Stagecoach. Her main showcase is her vocals. I highly recommend her single “Lottery” and her song “Something American.”

Joshua Hedley: It’s no surprise Joshua Hedley was named one of the “10 New Country Artists You Should Know” by Rolling Stone in 2016.

He’s a throwback to the era of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. He’s a purist, thank you very much, and does not wish to change anything about his vintage sound. Jack White’s Third Man Records will be releasing his debut album, Mr. Jukebox, on April 20, which will make this show pretty sweet.

Molly Hatchet: For country fans who have a bit of a rock edge, Molly Hatchet can’t be missed. The band is certainly one the edgier Southern-rock bands with an extensive history, but it is down to only one original member, bassist Tim Lindsey. If you’ve ever longed to hear “Flirtin’ With Disaster” or “Gator Country” live, here’s your chance.

Saturday, April 28

Tyler Childers: Country music has long had a dark side, and Tyler Childers is continuing that tradition by telling the stories of hardships and day-to-day challenges in his native Kentucky.

Fun fact: Sturgill Simpson produced his album Purgatory. Considering storytelling via songs that were darker in nature made the careers of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and many others,

Gordon Lightfoot.

Childers should be a hit at Stagecoach.

Ronnie Milsap: Here’s one of the relatively few old-timers! Ronnie Milsap had one hell of a ride in country music in the ’70s and ’80s, when he took Nashville by storm. His sound was a hit with both pop-music and country audiences.

The music from his heyday was absolutely unique for its time, and there is still not anyone like him. The good news is he’s still going strong. His set will definitely be a highlight of the weekend.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: One of the most-recognized songwriters in the alt-country music scene, Jason Isbell found new life after leaving the Drive-By Truckers in 2007. He found sobriety in 2012 after an intervention that included his management, his wife and singer-songwriter Ryan Adams—and he’s made three fantastic records since. Isbell has played Stagecoach before, and he’s always been welcomed by a large audience.

Sunday, April 29

Colter Wall: He’s from Canada … but there’s a lot of great country music coming from Canada these days. Colter Wall has a rough-and-tumble voice, but his songwriting is top-notch. He has a lot of high-profile fans, from professional wrestler Brock Lesnar, to Shooter Jennings, to Lucinda Williams.

Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real: I must have caught Lukas Nelson on a bad day last year when I interviewed him before his show at Pappy and Harriet’s. Regardless, he’s one of the best young artists in country music. Yeah, he’s Willie Nelson’s son, but he and his band have accomplished a lot on their own—including backing Neil Young, and doing so marvelously. He’s sure to have a big crowd waiting for him.

Gordon Lightfoot: One of Bob Dylan’s most-comparable contemporaries is Gordon Lightfoot—a true folk-pop icon. Bob Dylan has even covered some Gordon Lightfoot songs, so that says something. Lightfoot has put out more than 200 recordings, and he’s a legend in the business. If you go to Stagecoach and don’t take in Gordon Lightfoot … what was the point of going in the first place?

Stagecoach performer Lillie Mae is known for playing with Jack White—but she’s a country star on her own

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By Brian Blueskye

f you saw Jack White perform at Coachella in 2015, you couldn’t miss his violinist, Lillie Mae. Well, Lillie Mae is an accomplished musician in her own right; she has released two country albums on Jack White’s Third Man Records, her most recent being last year’s Forever and Then Some.

She’ll be performing at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on Sunday, April 29.

During a recent phone interview, Lillie Mae—her full name is Lillie Mae Rische—talked about her humble beginnings growing up, including busking around the country with her family, traveling in an old RV. “You can’t set the bar too high,” Rische yet at the time. said with a laugh. “I’ve had a very unique life, “My sister worked at a hot dog restaurant growing up and traveling in a motorhome. We called Hot Dog Diggity Dogs, and I was over were playing music in new places every day. I’ve there all the time; I also worked there for a been steadily gigging forever. … I’ve done the very short time. Jack White had bought a same thing in different forms. I’ve had a lucky building on the street over from there. It was layout. Our family band—it was my father’s in a rough part of town, and so was the hot dream, and it was the family’s income. It was dog stand. It was a big deal when he came to no picnic, and it was rough. But as time has town, because it was going to clean up the gone on, I’ve become truly grateful for it, and neighborhood. That’s how I first knew who he I love that way of life so much. I still prefer to was—by buying that building. sleep in the car—and I sleep better in the car.

“They called me in when they were When you grow up traveling in a motorhome, recording, and I did a bunch of session work you’re willing to accept such things later on.” over there, and when it came time for him to Rische learned how to write songs at an go on tour, he asked me if I wanted to be a part early age by performing—but it wasn’t until of it. My family band had broken up not long her teenage years that she truly discovered she before that, and so I went out with them, and was a songwriter.

I’m so glad that I did. I had the time of my life.

“I knew that it was always in me, because I It was a very special gig.” remember coming up with melodies when I was Working with Jack White has also given like 4, 5 and 6,” she said. “I didn’t know then it Lillie Mae a sense of artistic freedom, she said. was writing and that I would later do something “I love working with him so much. I’d do it with that. … I didn’t start finishing songs until I again in a heartbeat,” she said. “People have a was about 14. It didn’t click until then.” tendency to walk into a studio and be like, ‘I’m When Jack White came to Nashville to open going to do this, this and this,’ but then you Third Man Records’ physical location in 2009, realize you don’t work so well with people. For Rische didn’t even know who he was. instance, with my personality, if you tell me to “It took me a long time to find out who he do something and be like, ‘Hey, can you play was. I was out of the loop like I still am now, this?’—I can’t do it. I’ll say that ahead of time: and even when I was playing music with him,” If you ask me for a specific thing, I can’t do it. I she said. “I hadn’t been turned on to his music do what I do, and it’s a comfort thing. Jack has created this atmosphere where he lets you be yourself. It’s so important. There’s a room full of instruments, and you have the freedom to play them.”

Lillie Mae said the stage is one of the few places she feels totally comfortable.

“I’m playing constantly. I can’t not play,” she said. “If there’s a gig happening, I’m there. Am I going to sit at home? No! The people I play with are very influential to me, and I always look forward to it—every song, every day, I look forward to it. I’m constantly influenced by people who are around me, and that’s why I’m here.”

Lillie Mae. CVIndependent.com

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A BAND WITH STYLES

NEW BAND, CLASSIC SOUND Mega Sun’s music honors the desert-rock bands of yesteryear

Banditos bring rock with an Americana/ outlaw country vibe to Stagecoach

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By Brian Blueskye

hen you hear the word “Banditos,” perhaps you think of the Frito Bandito. Or maybe you think of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.

However, you really should be thinking of an awesome rock ’n’ roll band—because that’s exactly what the Birmingham, Ala., six-piece is. See for yourself when Banditos play at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on Friday, April 27.

I was blown away by how many different things I heard in the sound when I listened to Banditos’ self-titled record from 2015. You hear the Rolling Stones in slower songs, ’60s rock with a kick in the ass on others—and all the songs have an Americana/outlaw country vibe, including banjos. The band’s newest release, anything really set up; we didn’t own animals or last year’s Visionland, sounds as if the members plants or anything like that. That was just out were channeling Ty Segall and the Black Rebel of the picture. It was a lot of time in the van, Motorcycle Club. a lot of meeting a lot of people—and it was a During a recent phone interview, vocalist lot of highway, for sure. It was a lot of hitting and banjo player Stephen Pierce said the band’s places for the first time and being a big question varying styles provide a lot of great songwriting mark, and being surprised, because we had a opportunities—and fun recording sessions. big team behind us pushing these shows as “I think it makes it easier at the end of the well. It was great to see the returns we would day, especially with having different influences,” get. We played the Southeast a ton, and we had Pierce said. “We all kind of have the same gone up through New York and out toward influences, too, which makes it all over the Austin, Texas; those places were really good to place. One of us will say, ‘I want to do a boogie us. Colorado and California have been great as kind of thing,’ or, ‘I want to do a Bobby Darin well. One of our stronger markets is probably smoother kind of jam.’ We all kind of get the Oakland.” same language that we’re speaking when we The band has also had the pleasure of don’t really have the right words to say to each touring Europe. other, and we just come up with abstracts--and “It was overwhelming. It was so cool, we know what we’re talking about. I think we’d and people really appreciate this music over sound even crazier if we were just one style of there,” Pierce said “We’ve really only been in music, and only played country or something Scandinavia, but this next European tour we’re like that. We’d go insane, and the well would run going on (this fall) is more spread out through dry real quick.”

Europe. But as far as Scandinavia goes, they are Banditos quickly became known for the the most respectful crowds, and everyone is band’s marathon of tour dates—600 over pretty quiet—still rowdy, but quiet when you’re three years—before putting out the 2015 self- playing. We didn’t feel like we were animals in titled debut. the zoo; we felt like they were really appreciating “It was grueling, but totally fun,” Pierce said. this stuff and taking it in. I think they have “It was a time when we were rarely home, and good taste, for sure. I’m sure we’re interesting we had places we kept our stuff at, but not to them, being a bunch of Alabama folks getting out there and freaking them out.”

Like many musicians, past and present, the members of Banditos moved to Nashville.

“It was not that hard of a decision. It just was a kind of thing that happened,” Pierce said. “We had been living for a year in Birmingham; we’ve known each other since we were kids, and we were all living in one house. Things got a little too easy in Birmingham. We were comfortable in our home, comfortable in the bars, and we knew everyone in our town. We wanted to have things to do and make it a bit more difficult, to light a fire under our asses. Nashville was the most obvious choice. … It’s been a fantastic Banditos. NICOLE MAGO move for us.”

CVIndependent.com

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By Brian Blueskye

hortly after the new year, a new band arrived called Mega Sun—and thanks to a great sound that comes straight out of the desert-rock scene, the group has become something of an overnight success.

The band first played at The Hood Bar and Pizza as part of the CV Weekly Music Showcase back in January—and in February, the group returned to The Hood, opening for Se7en4.

Mega Sun consists of Jeremy Parsons (bass, vocals), Chris Rivera (guitar) and Tyler Ontiveros (drums). When I showed up to interview them at Rivera’s home in La Quinta, they seemed astounded by how much buzz they’ve received after only a few shows.

“What’s crazy is our early practices … were Mega Sun. so spread out,” Parsons said. “We’ve been kinda making stuff up for months, and it would go for one practice—and four weeks would go by, and then we’d have another practice. Then we decided we were going to start playing shows, and we started getting serious about it.”

That first practice actually led to a police presence.

“I guess they thought it was a big ol’ party happening, and it was literally us three, and my roommate sitting there watching us,” Parsons pretty cheesy. But those three things in the logo said. “I blame it on grumpy neighbors.” are supposed to be heat waves … and there are So how did Mega Sun start? three of us.”

“We just wanted to get something going,” Mega Sun did not win that CV Weekly Music Rivera said. “We started looking for a drummer, Showcase, nor did the members expect to win— and Jeremy was actually playing guitar when it was their first show, after all. However, they we first got together. He decided to go to bass, were hoping to get some good advice. because we couldn’t find a bass-player. We “We knew going in that we had a lot of found Tyler—and then we knew that was it. work to do, but we wanted the criticism to Bass is definitely an instrument to learn if you move forward and pick apart what we needed want to get in a band really quick, because it to work on,” Ontiveros said. “We didn’t really feels like there’s a shortage of bass-players.” expect anything out of it—and the response we The band’s sound came from the members’ got blew us away, plus being asked to play on influences and what felt comfortable to them.

“It’s naturally what came out,” Ontiveros said. Se7en4’s comeback show. There was a packed house that night, and we got a great time slot “Initially, we started writing or playing some right in front of them. songs that Jeremy had written already and put “We had some promising doors open to us, our own little twist on them, and then when and we’ve had some people come up to us and we started writing some originals together as offer to record us for free, which is awesome,” a three-piece, it kind of went down that alley Ontiveros continued. “That’s definitely one of with that desert vibe and all of our different the biggest factors: the financial standpoint. influences. There’s metal in there, too, because But quality is what we’re looking for, too. We Chris comes from playing in metal bands.” don’t want to keep people waiting who really When I mentioned that the band’s name and want our music.” logo were actually decent, Rivera asked with Parsons agreed. a laugh: “Our logo with the three sperms?”

“It’s better when you know what’s about to be Ontiveros then explained the inspiration. played (at a show),” Parsons said. “I can go see a “We were trying to come up with something band and be really into it—but after I get their that (referred to) that three months of being CD, and the next time I go to (a show), that’s here during the summer,” Ontiveros said, where it’s really cool.” “something that was on the level of the sun being brutal and beating down on all of us. But For more information on Mega Sun, visit www. we didn’t want to be cheesy and throw ‘desert’ facebook.com/megasuntheband. into the actual name, even though Mega Sun is

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the

LUCKY 13

Meet two bassists with local roots—one with an amazing career, and one just starting out

By Brian Blueskye

Matt McJunkins.

J. WHITAKER

NAME Matt McJunkins GROUP A Perfect Circle MORE INFO Palm Springs native Matt McJunkins’ music career has been pretty incredible: The bassist has been a member of Eagles of Death Metal, Puscifer, Ashes Divide and Thirty Seconds to Mars, and is currently a member of A Perfect Circle, which will be performing at Coachella on Sunday, April 15 and 22.

What was the first concert you attended?

The Doobie Brothers/Foreigner/Gary Hoey at the Twentynine Palms Marine base! It was also the first time I smelled the unmistakable odor of the whacky tobacky. There’s a bit of irony in there somewhere.

What was the first album you owned?

Skid Row. The first album. On cassette. Knew every song and every word. Still do (pretty much) to this day.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Right now, it’s mostly a lot of Nick Lowe, Phil Spector stuff, The Jam, and the Boogie Nights soundtrack.

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

I can’t say that I “don’t get it,” but I would say dubstep generally didn’t bend my ear all that much.

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

TV on the Radio! It’s a band I’ve really fallen in love with the last few years, but haven’t had the opportunity to see live.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance.”

What’s your favorite music venue?

Recently, I was floored by the beauty and design of the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Old theaters like that, that really have a unique design and some history to them, are always appealing to me.

Well, unfortunately, he is no longer with us.

But I’d ask David Bowie, “Would you write and record a song with me?”

really like pop-punky, whiny-vocals music.

Many of my friends are into those types of songs, but I’m not really a fan.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance.”

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

I would sell my legs to see The Beatles’ rooftop concert. I don’t know how I’d make it up the stairs to see it, but that concert is just so amazing.

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

Well, the kid in me would say Def Leppard’s Hysteria. But now at this moment, I would have to pick David Bowie’s Hunky Dory.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“Chips Down” by Cody Chesnutt. Instant contemplative/good mood every time I hear it.

NAME Matt King GROUP FrankEatsTheFloor MORE INFO While the members of FrankEatsTheFloor are still in high school, the band has a ton of potential.

FrankEatsTheFloor will be performing as part of the CV Independent Presents show with Haunted Summer, Brightener and Rival Alaska at The Hood Bar and Pizza at 9 p.m., Thursday, April 12.

What was the first concert you attended?

The Claypool Lennon Delirium at the Observatory in Santa Ana. I was right on the rail, and I spent the whole time in shock watching just how insane Les Claypool is on bass. That first concert was part of the reason I play bass today.

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

“It’s a God-awful small affair to the girl with the mousy hair,” David Bowie, “Life on Mars.”

What was the first album you owned?

One of the first albums I remember playing a lot was The Beatles’ Help! I’m a huge Beatles fan, and tracks like “The Night Before” and “Ticket to Ride” were played a lot growing up.

What band or artist changed your life?

Def Leppard was my first favorite band, and Hysteria was the first album that I really sunk my teeth into. That record still holds up wonderfully to this day.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Ron Gallo, Jack White, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Earthless, and Sleazy Cortez.

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

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

I’m very picky when it comes to music. I don’t

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

It would have to be the SpongeBob SquarePants soundtracks. I’d be lying if I said they weren’t in my Spotify playlist.

What’s your favorite music venue?

Pappy and Harriet’s, because of the insane catalog of artists who’ve played there (Les Claypool, Paul McCartney, Earthless), and the fact that it’s a very cool place. I’ve played there for the open mic once, but would love to go back to do an actual show.

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

Ron Gallo, “Please Yourself”: “Trying to please everybody, you just let everyone down, including yourself. Don’t wanna be like the old oak tree, spend my whole life helping everybody breathe.” These lyrics have rung true lately, and I think they’re very meaningful.

What band or artist changed your life?

The Beatles. My grandma bought tickets for me to go see the Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas about them, and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. I know every song like the back of my hand, and own almost every album, along with posters, shirts and shoes.

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

I would ask Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age what it was like starting a music career at a young age in the valley, and if he thinks it’s possible in the current era.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

I think I have to go with “Heart of the Sunrise”

by Yes. It’s such a killer song, no pun intended.

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

Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles. It’s just an all-around amazing and super-trippy album.

Goo goo g’joob.

Matt King.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“School Food Sucks” by FrankEatsTheFloor.

Vocals and bass guitar are by yours truly, and it is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube and just about everywhere else!

CVIndependent.com

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T

Prop 64 allows for some marijuana convictions to be reduced or dismissed— and it’s time for Riverside County to act

BY CHARLES DRABKIN

he passage of Proposition 64 not only decriminalized the adult use of marijuana; the Adult Use of Marijuana Act created a path for people to have prior pot convictions reduced—or entirely cleared from their records.

The legislation specifies that people can initiate this process on their own, but in some counties—most notably San Francisco and San Diego—district attorneys have taken it upon themselves to review cases and reduce or dismiss convictions.

Those who oppose relief from prior convictions often say that since a crime was committed—marijuana was illegal then, after all—people need to face the consequences.

But this same argument did not hold water for alcohol Prohibition—and should people continue to pay for a crime that was the result of misguided government policies?

This is a social-justice issue—one that all of us who care about our democracy should pay attention to. Why? People of color were much more likely to be arrested and convicted under the old laws. In fact, recent studies have shown that although whites and people of color use marijuana at about the same rate, black people are almost four times as likely, and Latinos two to three times as likely, to have faced arrest—even for possession of a small amount of marijuana. An old pot conviction can negatively impact a person’s ability to vote, get a job, rent an apartment and get student loans—and it can affect child-custody and immigration decisions.

Therefore, it is particularly important for the government to ensure everyone is treated fairly under the law.

Prop 64 makes it clear that not everyone is eligible for conviction reductions or dismissals: The law specifies that this relief is reserved for those with relatively low-level offenses. A person with a history of violence, multiple convictions or convictions for selling to minors is not eligible to have his or her records expunged or reduced. In other words, hard-core drug dealers and people working for drug cartels are unlikely to somehow be set free.

Here’s hoping that other district attorneys around the state choose to follow the lead of San Diego and San Francisco counties and review old convictions—because it can be expensive and intimidating for people to initiate the process on their own. If someone can’t get a job or student loans because of a past marijuana conviction, it’s unlikely that person can afford a lawyer. The Drug Policy Alliance and other organizations are hosting free expungement clinics, where lawyers and

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

paralegals are present to help, but they tend to happen in and around larger cities—with none planned here in the Coachella Valley that I could find. (If you know of any, please let us know.) That means someone from here would need to drive into Los Angeles on the chance they might get to speak to a lawyer about possibly having an old conviction reduced. Also: This is not the most wellknown piece of the law, and the government is unlikely to publicize this information—so spread the word.

San Diego has already reduced the records of more than 700 people, and has identified more than 4,000 people who may be able to access this relief—yet Riverside County so far has reminded silent. Although a great number of people in the county have applied to have their records reduced or cleared, as of

this writing, the office of District Attorney Mike Hestrin has made no public comment, nor did anyone from the office respond to my inquiries about plans to relive this burden. As a community that prides itself on progressive values, it’s incumbent upon us to put pressure on our local elected officials.

Legislative help may be on the way: Assemblyman Rob Bonta, a Democrat from Alameda, introduced Assembly Bill 1793 in January to “to allow automatic expungement or reduction of a prior cannabis conviction,” but the legislative process is a slow one. The bill went through its first reading in early January, and there has been no movement since. One possible reason for inaction: The Legislature would also need to provide financial resources to assist the counties in doing this work.

Real people continue to be harmed by old laws that the voters of the state of California have thrown out. Old felony convictions that today would be, at worst, misdemeanors— and possibly not even worthy of arrest—are keeping a disproportionate number of African Americans and Mexican Americans from fully participating in our democracy. After all, a right delayed is a right denied.

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Brian Blueskye and present

Find Us/Follow Us!

@ILoveGayPS

@GayDesertGuide

9 p.m., Thursday, April 12 The Hood Bar and Pizza 74360 Highway 111, Palm Desert

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OPINION SAVAGE LOVE

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ASEXUAL ... BUT WITH SEX

BY DAN SAVAGE

I

’m a 26-year-old cis queer woman. My best friend has identified publicly as asexual for the past two years. She constantly talks about how since she doesn’t “need” sex, this means she is asexual. She does have sex, however, and she enjoys it, which I know isn’t disqualifying. But she also actively seeks out sex partners and sex. Again, she insists that because she doesn’t “need” sex the way she presumes the rest of us do, she is asexual.

I have an issue with this. I’ve never had partnered sex and never really felt the need or desire for it.

I’m plenty happy with emotional intimacy from others and masturbation for my sexual needs, and I do not particularly desire a romantic or sexual partner. My friend gets offended if anyone questions her label, which occurs often in our friend group, as people try to understand her situation. I usually defend her to others since she’s my friend, but as a person who is starting to identify more and more as asexual, I’ve grown annoyed at her use of “asexual” as her identifier, to the point that this may be starting to affect our friendship. I’ve kept silent because I don’t want to make her feel attacked—but in the privacy of my own head, I’m calling bullshit on her asexuality.

Am I just being a shitty gatekeeping asexual?

Do I need to just accept that labels are only as useful as we make them, and let this go?

Actually Coitus Evading Asexuality—it’s a real thing.

“Several population-level studies have now found that about 1 percent of individuals report not feeling sexual attraction to another

person—ever,” Dr. Lori Brotto writes in The Globe and Mail. Dr. Brotto has extensively studied asexuality, and the data supports the conclusion that asexuality is a sexual orientation on par with heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. “(Asexuality) is not celibacy, which is the conscious choice to not have sex, even though sexual desires may endure,” Dr. Brotto writes. “Rather, for these individuals, there is no inherent wish for or desire for sex, and there never has been. They are asexuals, though many prefer to go by the endearing term ‘aces.’”

Asexuality is a point on a spectrum, and it’s a spectrum unto itself.

“There is a spectrum of sexuality, with sexual and asexual as the endpoints, and a gray area in between,” says whoever wrote the general FAQ at the Asexual Visibility and Education Network website. “Many people

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Affiliate Chamber

My friend claims she’s asexual—even though she seeks out sex and has sex. What gives?

identify in this gray area under the identity of ‘gray-asexual’ or ‘gray-a.’ Examples of grayasexuality include an individual who does not normally experience sexual attraction, but does experience it sometimes; experiences sexual attraction, but has a low sex drive; experiences sexual attraction and drive, but not strongly enough to want to act on them; and/or can enjoy and desire sex, but only under very limited and specific circumstances.

Even more, many gray-asexuals still identify as asexual, because they may find it easier to explain, especially if the few instances in which they felt sexual attraction were brief and fleeting. Furthermore, (some) asexual people in relationships might choose or even want to have sex with their partner as a way of showing affection, and they might even enjoy it. Others may want to have sex in order to have children, or to satisfy a curiosity, or for other reasons.”

As for your friend, ACE … well, according to the Protocols of the Elders of Tumblr, we’re no longer allowed to express doubt about someone’s professed sexual orientation or gender identity. So if Republican U.S. Senator Larry Craig of Idaho gets caught trawling for dick in an airport bathroom—which he did in 2007—and insists it was all a misunderstanding, because, you know, he’s 200 percent straight, well, then he’s straight.

(And if Jeffrey Dahmer says he’s a vegetarian … .) So even if your friend pulls the cock from her mouth and/or the pussy off her face only long enough to shout, “I’M ACE,” before slapping her mouth back down into someone’s lap, then she’s ace, ACE. Maybe in the same way Larry Craig is straight, your friend is asexual—or, hey, maybe she’s asexual in the “gray-a” sense, i.e., under certain circumstances (awake, aware, conscious, alert, sentient), she experiences sexual attraction.

Or maybe she’s not a gray-a who identifies as ace, but an actual asexual who is having sex for “other reasons.” A person doesn’t have to be celibate to be asexual or to identify as asexual, ACE, and until there’s an asexual accreditation agency—which there never will be and never should be—we’ll just have to take your friend’s word for it.

But just as asexuality is a thing, ACE, so, too, is bullshit. Denial is a thing, and sex shame is an incredibly destructive thing. Like the guy who has a lot of gay sex but refuses to identify as gay or bi, it’s possible your friend is just a messy closet case—a closeted sexual, someone who wants sex but doesn’t want to be seen as the kind of person who wants sex,

since only bad people want sex. Some people twist themselves into the oddest knots so they can have what they want without having to admit they want it. But even if it sounds to you (and me) like your friend’s label is suspect, you should nevertheless hold your tongue and allow her to identify however she likes.

Ask questions, sure, but challenging her label will only damage your relationship (or further damage it) and make you feel like a closeted, gatekeeping ace.

And if you find yourself getting annoyed when your ace-identified friend starts in on how she doesn’t really “need” all the sex she’s having, ACE, do what I used to do when I had to listen to guys I knew for a fact were having tons of gay sex (because they were having it with me) go on and on about how they didn’t really “need” cock: smile, nod, roll ’em over and fuck ’em in the ass again. (Feel free to swap “change the subject” for “roll ’em over” and “leave the room” for “fuck ’em in the ass.”)

Settle a dispute between friends: I’m a straight man who gets hit on fairly often by women, mostly at the gym. I usually respond with a variation on: “I would be interested but I’m married.” Some of my friends argue that by saying, “I’m interested but I’m married,” I’m telegraphing an interest in some sort of affair. That isn’t my intent. I mean it as a compliment. What I’m trying to communicate is: “You’re an attractive person who put yourself out there, and I don’t want to crush your spirit with a curt ‘No.’” What is your take, Dan? Mutual Attraction Rarely Results In Erotic Dalliances Which is it, MARRIED: “I would be interested, but I’m married,” or, “I am interested, but I’m married”? Because there’s a difference between “I would” and “I am” in this context. When you say, “I would be interested, but I’m married,” you’re shutting it down: We could fuck if I wasn’t married, but I am, so we can’t. But when you say, “I am interested, but I’m married,” that can be read very differently: I’m down to fuck but—full disclosure—I’m married. If that’s OK with you, let’s find a stairwell and do this thing.

Would be politely shuts the door, MARRIED; am opens the door a crack and invites the sweaty woman at the gym to push against it to see if it’ll open all the way.

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

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 39

APRIL 2018

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

41 It’s tough to hear without an amp 44 8 1/2” x 11” size, briefly Across 45 Geek blogger Wheaton 1 Fly fast 46 James of Gunsmoke 4 Amy of 2016’s Arrival 47 Family member, 9 Retool informally 14 Fire truck accessory 48 “___ bien!”

15 Addition to a bill or 49 They may be tough to contract break 16 Boisterous 53 Like the Beatles 17 Flock formation 54 “As far as I can ___ ...”

18 Venus, when visible 58 Way up (and down) after sunset 61 Director Ang 20 “Back in Black” rockers 62 The Chi-___ (“Have You 22 Some board members Seen Her” group) 23 Light nap 63 Siberian forest region 24 “In memoriam” write- 64 “Chandelier” singer up 65 Strap for a dog walk 26 Corrosive cleaning stuff 66 With 67-Across, what 27 Know with certainty each of the long 30 Bass or buff ending answers displays 31 Bother, to the Bard 67 See 66-Across 34 Smoking-based practical joke that’s Down hardly seen anymore 1 Coffee nickname 37 Have an ___ the hole 2 CFO or COO, e.g.

38 Opus ___ (The Da Vinci 3 Irked, with “off” Code sect) 4 “What ___ the odds?”

39 Drew, the detective 5 Split (up) “Surround Sound”—one way to take it all in

6 Skillful 7 Department store section 8 ___ Lanka 9 Harmon of Rizzoli and Isles 10 Spoonful, maybe 11 British isles 12 Exam for H.S. juniors 13 Banks who hosts America’s Next Top Model 19 Justin Timberlake’s former group 21 Dave of Fuller House 25 Rodeo horse, briefly 26 Sudoku solving skill 27 Co-star of Rue, Betty, and Estelle 28 Do really well 29 Hardy wheat in healthfood products 30 April ___ (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reporter) 31 Contrary to 32 “Inferno” poet 33 Black-and-white ocean predators 35 Actor Elba

36 Become used (to) 40 Calendar spans, for short 42 Unexpected plot turn 43 Bin contents, until emptied 47 Private reserve 48 Implied but not stated 49 “Life In ___” (Matt Groening comic strip) 50 “That’s ___!” (“Not so!”)

51 Alpha successor 52 Currier’s lithography partner 53 Herr’s wife 55 Otherwise 56 Princess from Alderaan 57 Goneril’s father 59 Prefix with laryngology 60 Palindromic, growlysounding compressed file format ©2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

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40 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

APRIL 2018

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