Coachella Valley Independent August 2018 by Coachella Valley Independent

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT | AUGUST 2018

VOL. 6 | NO. 8

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AUGUST 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

The president of the United States has yet again called the media the “enemy of the people.” I am a member of the media. I—like many other journalists I know—work long hours for crappy pay, because I believe in the power and importance of a robust and free press. I am not complaining about the hours and the pay; I chose this profession, this life. I love it so much that I poured every dime I had, and then some, into starting what I thought was a much-needed newspaper in a community I love. I just wish the president—a common and frequent liar by any measure—would stop calling me an “enemy of the people” when I am exactly the opposite. Note that whenever the president spews this hatred, he almost never uses specifics about what the media got wrong. There’s a Editor/Publisher reason for this. Jimmy Boegle I—like many other journalists I know—am sometimes afraid. Several weeks ago, five newspaper people were murdered in their Assistant Editor Maryland newsroom. When news of these Brian Blueskye shootings came out, I was despondent, afraid someone had finally taken the president’s words about reporters and turned them into coveR and feature design cold, evil action. I was strangely relived when Mark Duebner Design word came out that the gunman was apparently motivated by a long-standing obsession with the newspaper, and not anything the Contributors president said. Stephen Berger, Max Cannon, Kevin However, it’s only a matter of time before Carlow, Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, somebody does turn the president’s words into action. I have received death threats Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bonnie It’s a weird feeling to sit down at your Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, before. desk, open your email, and see a letter from Dwight Hendricks, Valerie-Jean (VJ) someone, hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, who is threatening to take your life. Hume, Brane Jevric, Keith Knight, Ben It’s not fun. Long, Felicia Mello, Brett Newton, Dan Many of my colleagues at other newspaPerkins, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, pers tell me they’ve seen an uptick in threats and hatred thrown their way ever since the Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor president took office. As a result, they’ve been beefing up security. My good friend Mary The Coachella Valley Independent Duan, of the Monterey County Weekly, recently wrote a piece for the Columbia Journalism print edition is published every month. Review about the increases in security and All content is ©2018 and may not be protective measures the paper has enacted published or reprinted in any form over the years. As of now, anyone wanting to enter the building must be buzzed in. without the written permission of the However, there’s a problem: The Monterey publisher. The Independent is available County Weekly’s office building has a glass door free of charge throughout the Coachella … like the one the Capital Gazette shooter blasted through to gain access to his victims. Valley, limited to one copy per reader. “So it is that the Weekly will once again add Additional copies may be purchased security to our funky, midcentury-modern for $1 by calling (760) 904-4208. The building. Instead of being able to walk straight Independent may be distributed only by up to the glass door, visitors will first stop a high steel gate that will go up across the the Independent’s authorized distributors. at approach to the building,” Mary wrote. The only reason the Independent has not The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter beefed up office security is that, well, we don’t of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, have an office. I work from home … where the CalMatters, Get Tested Coachella Valley, the Local door is always locked, and where I have a secuIndependent Online News Publishers, the Desert rity system and a gun. Business Association, the LGBT Community Center of It does not matter what one’s political the Desert, and the Desert Ad Fed. views are. It’s wrong and irresponsible to be hostile to the idea of a free press. It’s terrible to insult and demean journalists for just doing their jobs. It’s fascist, authoritarian and evil to call the free press the “enemy of the people.” —Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com CVIndependent.com

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

AUGUST 2018

OPINION OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS W

BY ANITA RUFUS

ayne Sinclair didn’t intend to spend most of his professional life as a medicalmalpractice lawyer. Born and raised in Leechburg, Pa., the Palm Springs resident, now 72, started higher education at West Virginia University. “I wanted to go to Pitt (the University of Pittsburgh), but the tuition was too high,” he said. “I had originally thought of being a minister, until I was about 21, and explored the seminary twice—once in high school, and once in college. I finally figured out it wouldn’t be a good thing for me. I ended up majoring in political science and minored in history and Russian. “There were six grad-school slots open when I graduated, so I went into the law school. I was fortunate that a leading national firm, Steptoe malpractice insurance. Although most doctors and Johnson, had an opening. I started in are good, there is such a thing as negligence. It accident claims, and I remember my first case becomes a battle of expert witnesses. I learned was a $1,000 accident. I won the thing. We that when people say, ‘It’s not about the were also required to take court-appointed money,’ it is.” criminal cases, pro bono. I wasn’t enamored of Sinclair’s 42 years of practicing law include that type of law. I had about 150 to 200 cases, being a senior officer and principal with MMI and almost everyone I represented was guilty. Companies, Inc., an international health-care “I only tried two of those cases in court, and professional liability insurance company, one a murder that even made True Detective which he helped take public. After leaving magazine. Someone once came up to me in a MMI, Sinclair, along with other principals, store and said, ‘I was on your first case, and we formed R2H Herrington, dedicated to medicalthought you were so cute that you should win.’ malpractice reinsurance audits. He was also “I moved on to insurance defense and general counsel for the Clarity Group, a Chicagomedical malpractice. I represented hospitals based health-care insurance company, and and doctors. There’s a need for such a thing as presently does independent consulting work. About 26 years ago, while in Chicago, Sinclair met John Di Napoli, 55. “We met in a bar on a Saturday,” recalls Sinclair. “The next day, I had a Presbyterian lesbian and gay caucus. John came to the picnic with me, and it went from there. When I moved to Washington, D.C., he followed me. He has a degree in community organizing, and once made peace among 12 Wiccan groups! John was on the pride commission that held the first trans pride event in the country, and he won their Engendered Spirit Award.” Wayne and John have been married for the past 9 years. Sinclair says he knew he was gay when he was in junior high school. “Boy, from the Tarzan movies, was my first crush! I was trying to figure it out, but it was all a mess,” he said. “I did a lot of things while I was in college, including drinking too much. I was always asked why I had no girlfriend, and I always said I was too busy. I finally came out at 31, after my father had passed away. I told my mom, and her response was, ‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier so I could have helped you?’ Wayne Sinclair. “I’ve worked with gay homeless youth for

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

Meet Wayne Sinclair, a semi-retired attorney with a love of travel—and a passion for service

a long time, and my advice is it’s great to come out when you can, but if you’re going to get thrown out, it’s better to wait. If you’re questioning and have problems, find someone to talk to. Schools have counselors, and there are resources available. But everybody has to do it at their own pace.” Wayne and John have been in Palm Springs for six years, and Sinclair has brought his expertise to the board of JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio. “I’ve found out that in the past, they didn’t have the greatest reputation around here. The new CEO has made big changes, including knowing how to hire really good people,” Sinclair said. “All their evaluation scores are now up to A’s, and they’ve put incredible emphasis on patient safety.” Sinclair is now also serving on the board of the local affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union. “I got involved primarily because of Elaine Meyerhoffer, the president,” he said. “She and I go to the same church. She knew I was a screaming liberal, so she asked me to join the board. “In Chicago, I was on the board of The Night Ministry, working with homeless gay youth, which at that time were about 40 percent of those on the streets. I have a real interest in protecting gay youth, and John has been very involved with the trans community. The ACLU here focuses on both of those issues, so I’m

pleased to be able to serve.” An avid traveler, Sinclair has visited 35 countries. Among his favorite places are the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia; the island of Palau; and Istanbul, Turkey, with a particular focus on an area in central Turkey, Cappadocia, where a volcano erupted 15 million years ago. “We went down 1,500 feet and stayed in an underground cave where a city of 25,000 people hid from the Hittites,” he said. “They have about a thousand sandstones that look like upside-down conical hats. And one of the frescoes is of a man praying, wanting to become a woman, and in the next panel, he is a woman. We try to take a trip every year. It’s amazing what you can find.” Sinclair’s advice for others? “Be comfortable with yourself. Be kind to yourself. I learned from my law firm to be ethical. My main thing is to be honest and have integrity. As RuPaul says, ‘If you can’t love yourself, who can you love?’” Wayne Sinclair has had a life full of work, discovery and service. What’s not to love? Anita Rufus is also known as “The Lovable Liberal.” Her show That’s Life airs weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon on iHubradio, while The Lovable Liberal airs from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Email her at Anita@LovableLiberal.com. Know Your Neighbors appears every other Wednesday at CVIndependent.com.

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NEWS FINALLY, A TRUE SANCTUARY D

facility). Some of our kids just weren’t ready; we’re not a treatment facility, so we are unable to help some of these kids. They sometimes have issues that are far beyond us, but we can refer them. The Desert AIDS Project is our partner in health, dental and mental health. … We cannot have violence. We tell the kids, ‘We are a non-violent home.’ Some haven’t worked out, and that’s the bottom line.” The residents currently living in the facility are doing well, Rothmiller said. “The kids we have now are great; they understand the program,” he said. “We are called a ‘transitional housing program plus foster care.’ It’s a state license we have written the program for; we have to meet state guidelines, and we have to meet our own program guidelines. In those program guidelines, our residents have to be working 80 hours a month, or in school— completing their GED, completing high school or earning college credits. “The nice thing about our (Coachella Valley) community is they are supportive, and business owners have come forward and have hired our residents. We have two who have graduated and aged out; we can only have them from 18 to 21. It’s part of the extended foster care that the state realized was a necessity for these kids. Some 62 percent, after five years of leaving foster care, are on the street, homeless, doing

drugs, prostituting themselves, dead, in jail or in combination. The state of California realized we were failing kids in foster care who graduate out of it at 18. That’s why they have made money available to assist those who are 18 to 21.” Rothmiller explained why there’s a need for this program specifically for LGBT youth. “The kids who come to us are LGBT youth or LGBT allies. We are all-inclusive, but (residents) have to be allies to the LGBT experience,” he said. “(LGBT kids) have suffered more at the hands of foster care. LGBT kids are bounced (around) three times as much as their straight counterparts in foster care. They keep losing families. “There are various reasons kids are in foster care. One of them is because they’ve come out as gay, so they’re afraid to come out to their foster family for that same reason. In fact, many foster families are religious-based, so the gay experience is something they don’t want in their homes. Our kids are bounced more often, and each time they are bounced, they lose six months of academic achievement. Our kids come to us neglected educationally and socially, and we have a lot of work to do. They may not be adopted at this point in their life. … That’s our whole push—get them included; get them connected through our mentoring programming; and get them working or

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The founders of Palm Springs’ transitional housing facility for LGBT and allied youth have discovered disconcerting things along the way

By brian blueskye

avid Rothmiller and LD Thompson have learned some unsettling lessons since founding the LGBT Sanctuary Palm Springs—a transitional housing facility for LGBT and allied youth— back in 2015. They’ve also had to jump through a lot of hoops related to licensing and regulations before finally opening and taking in residents—but in March of this year, The LGBT Sanctuary finally moved into the building it now calls home. That does not mean everything has been easy since then. “We’ve had some (residents) come and some go, and we know with the population here that it’s common,” Rothmiller said. “Not every one of our applicants and residents is a match (for the

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Sanctuary co-founder LD Thompson (standing) poses with Sanctuary staff and residents. Courtesy of the LGBT Sanctuary Palm Springs

volunteering in the community.” Shockingly, The LGBT Sanctuary does not currently have a waiting list for youth seeking services—even though there is definitely a need. “We’ve had to work hard within the social system with social workers, case managers and probation officers to let them know we are here, and we are here to serve this demographic,” Rothmiller said. “When we first opened, Riverside County wasn’t capable and missed a state deadline to be our licensing agent. So we had to go to San Bernardino (County) for our licensing. They said, ‘You will have such a waiting list; please make sure you have beds.’ Fast forward, and we have one empty bed right now. We expected a long waiting list. “We have identified anti-gay bias in the system, and we identified some ignorance to the situation of LGBT youth in foster care. The Los Angeles LGBT Center did a study that showed close to 20 percent of kids in foster care identify as LGBT. A lot of them aren’t identifying (as such) in foster care, because they are afraid to, so we believe the number is much higher. Riverside County is the least up-to-date (jurisdiction in terms) of meeting the needs of LGBT kids in foster care. They aren’t even asking kids in foster care. … It’s a broken system. One of their social

workers said, ‘I believe (the percentage of kids in foster care who are LGBT) is about 3 percent.’ There’s a huge mistake in ignoring the fact that these kids have special needs. They need to be welcomed and understood. We tell the residents, ‘Yep, you have issues, and we understand that, but being gay is not one of your issues. Let’s move forward.’” While the community’s response to The LGBT Sanctuary has been largely positive, there are always critics, conspiracy theorists and bigots. Those involved with The LGBT Sanctuary have come up with a fascinating way to deal with the negative responses. “What we are doing is gathering residents, supporters and board members in front of the camera, and we’re doing something similar to the ‘Mean Tweets’ that Jimmy Kimmel does,” Rothmiller said. “It’s to shine the light into the darkness to remind those of us in the community that we’re still hated. It’s a controversial thing to do, but I feel it’s important in this time to tell our truth, and to share comments that are so mean and ugly. Our intention is to remind people that we are here for our residents.” For more information, visit www. sanctuarypalmsprings.org.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

AUGUST 2018

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

EXPANSION AND REVISION W

By kevin fitzgerald

hen most residents of the Coachella Valley go to the polls on Nov. 6, for the first time, they will be able to either cast a vote directly impacting future access to important health care services, or elect a representative to champion their specific community needs. Some voters living in the current, long-established Desert Healthcare District (DHCD)—which begins in Palm Springs and extends east to Palm Desert’s Cook Street—will be casting votes to elect representatives in two newly formed districts: District 2, primarily covering Desert Hot Springs; and District 4, mostly made up of Cathedral City. At the DHCD board’s public session on June 26, a final zoning map was adopted that defines the boundaries of the five new districts created within the current DHCD. Previously, the five-member board was elected at large by the entire district; two of five seats are up for election this year. The move to district-based elections should mean better representation for minority populations; one of the most outspoken advocates for this is Alexis Ortega, the director of community outreach for the LGBT Community Center of the Desert. “Cathedral City has pockets where … some 70 percent of the folks living in that one area are Latino,” Ortega said in a phone interview. “So, when you have districts (created) where the minority group becomes the majority in that neighborhood, like what we’ve been advocating for in the DHCD districting process, there’s the potential to strengthen that (minority) voting block and get their preferred candidate elected.” As for Coachella Valley residents living east of Cook Street: They will be casting their votes on whether the DHCD and its important healthcare-support services will be expanded into their communities, beginning in 2019. “As we know, there’s a great disparity between services provided to residents of the east valley as opposed to the west—whether

Dr. Les Zendle: “There’s a great disparity between services provided to residents of the east valley as opposed to the west.” Kevin Fitzgerald

it’s the number of providers or the number of resources and things like that,” said Dr. Les Zendle, president of the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation board of directors, during a phone interview. “But with our ‘One Coachella Valley’ approach, we really believe that—just like with transportation or other issues that can’t be handled by one city at a time, or half the valley at a time—(we’ll be able) to take a collective look at health care.” Assuming that the majority of the valley’s east side voters approve the DHCD expansion in November, the DHCD will need to start the process of again redistricting and then electing representatives to those new districts—a process that will take place through 2022. “This November, there will be the first two elections in the new districts, so it will be interesting to see who pops up to the forefront (to run),” Ortega said. “Moving forward, the biggest thing will be informing folks of the importance of the role that the DHCD plays in setting their health-care priorities and in funding for our region. Also, in November, folks in the (proposed) annexed areas will be voting to approve the expansion of the DHCD into their communities, so our role at the LGBT Community Center of the Desert will be to make folks aware of everything that’s happening and how it affects our community, and how our center works with LGBT folks of color to make sure that their needs are met.” Zendle said there is a lot of work to do. “We will certainly continue to do what we have always done, which is trying to educate the public about what the Desert Healthcare District and its foundation does,” he said. “To be frank with you, it’s something not a lot of people in the community are familiar with. I think that the political people and the stakeholders who receive our funding are aware of it, but the general community isn’t necessarily aware of what we are.” 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.

The Desert Healthcare District attempts to grow as it moves to district-based voting

How can a valley resident within one of the new districts become a candidate for a board seat? “Basically, a person has to be a registered voter in the district or the zone in which they want to run,” Zendle said. “They have to get the forms and a handbook and instructions on how to get on the ballot and conduct their campaign. They can pick up these materials either here at our DHCD offices in Palm Springs or through the County Registrar’s Office.” Candidates must also pay $1,150; the nomination period runs through Aug. 10. As complex and underappreciated as the

DHCD seems to be, its potential to provide valuable services to all communities is evident. “I currently live in Palm Springs,” Ortega said, “so I’m a Palm Springs resident who wants to see Palm Springs represented (on the DHCD board), but I also understand that maybe Palm Springs has been a bit over-represented on the DHCD board. So, how can we bring in other voices that may stem from communities that are more heavily majority-minority?” For more information on the DHCD’s new districts and proposed expansion, visit www.dhcd.org.

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AUGUST 2018

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NEW SECRETS FOR GETTING YOUR SKIN TO BE YOUNGER

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

Last month’s secret was, “Being safe is be�er than being sorry.” The example I shared was the long-term and poten�ally detrimental effects of Ultherapy treatments for skin rejuvena�on. This month, I’m going to share three secrets about some new treatments that are safe and help your body rejuvenate itself—without surgery or down�me. Secret No. 1, for Younger Skin One of our primary goals at our aesthe�c prac�ces is to help pa�ents’ skin be “younger”—not just look younger. Acid peels can make your skin look younger, but it accelerates your skin’s aging process because of the resources your body uses to repair acid-damaged skin. Repeated peels don’t help your skin be younger, so we avoid that whenever possible. Adding energy to medical skin treatments forces the body to produce more Type I and Type III collagen. The more collagen your skin is producing, the younger it’s becoming. We perform treatments that increase more of the longer-las�ng, stronger Type III collagen and help skin be younger. There are new medical devices that use micro-needles to deliver radio-frequency energy into the deep dermis. This energy treatment forces the skin into producing collagens to make the skin younger and more hydrated with fewer wrinkles. The device we use is called “The Secret” by Cutera. It only takes two or three treatments over 12 weeks to see results, with no down�me. Secret No. 2 for Smoother Skin A gentle frac�onal laser peel creates younger and smoother skin. We use an erbium laser called the Juliet to accomplish this. Unlike older laser peels that affected 100 percent of the skin, the frac�onal part only affects about 10 percent of the skin’s surface area. That leaves 90 percent of the skin intact to quickly rejuvenate the treated por�on—improving 100 percent of the area treated. Secret No. 3, for Brighter Skin Finally, PICO Genesis treatments use acous�cal energy to break up the dark par�cles in sun-damaged skin. Our bodies are always trying to get rid of these par�cles, and the PICO finally gets the pigment small enough for the body to take it away, leaving skin brighter. And who doesn’t want brighter skin? None of these medical magic treatments have any down �me, and they’re safe in the long term. Next month, I’ll share some secrets about exci�ng new combina�on treatments to help difficult appearance issues. Un�l then, keep the secret.

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

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

AUGUST 2018

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

STOP THIS RIP-OFF A

News analysis: Politicians are trying to smother America’s birthright by killing the Land and Water Conservation Fund

by ben long, high country news

handful of our representatives in Congress are quietly preparing a multibillion-dollar ripoff of American families. Count yourself among the cheated if you value kids’ sports, good health and the Great Outdoors. If Congress does nothing—and Congress is very good at doing nothing—it will quietly smother the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The conservation fund has been one of the most successful programs for decades; it has preserved beloved landscapes and made lives healthier and happier across America. It has worked wonders for 50 years—without costing taxpayers a cent. Who would want to kill it? His name is Utah Republican Rep. Rob Bishop, and he is the powerful chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. His committee has jurisdiction over the fund, since it involves taking royalties from offshore oil drilling and distributing them toward outdoor access, wildlife habitat and urban parks and recreation projects. If you are 50 years old or younger, you grew up in a country with city parks, zoos, tennis courts and basketball courts funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. If you camp, boat, hunt and fish, you probably use boat ramps and wildlife habitat secured with its money. The fund’s money has supported projects in 99 percent of the counties in the United States. Today, as it has for the last 50 years, the fund enjoys broad bipartisan support in Washington, D.C. I remember my Republican senator, the late (and staunchly conservative) Conrad Burns of Montana, telling me that he liked the fund “because it solves problems.” Since the 1960s, the fund has authorized up to $900 million a year from offshore oil royalties to go toward conservation. But Congress loves to raid that piggy bank, so the fund has kept all of the money to which it was entitled just a few times. Now there’s an even more serious problem: The fund is set to expire on Sept. 30. It nearly did expire in 2015, but Congress pulled it back from the brink and extended it for three years. Today, however, the clock is ticking. Killing the conservation fund does not save taxpayers’ money, because the money comes from royalties. The fund has never been a “burden” on energy companies, which must pay royalties no matter who gets the money. What, then, is the hang-up? The answer is mostly petty politics and ideology. Some conservation-fund money goes to the national forest and national park systems for land conservation, and Bishop frequently has heartburn over how those federal lands are managed. Given his powerful

committee chairmanship, Bishop has a virtual stranglehold on the conservation fund. Another obstacle is that other antigovernment members of Congress seem to hate any successful federal program: They want to kill the conservation fund out of spite. The genius of the fund is that it recognizes that offshore oil is a public resource that belongs to all Americans. It invests some of the money from our resources into longterm benefits for both urban and rural communities, spread around the country. Some Republicans say they oppose the conservation fund because they want to hold it hostage to the current maintenance backlog in national parks. Underfunded for decades, our national parks are in poor shape, with roads and outhouses that are far below standard. That’s why, some argue, we should raid the conservation fund piggy bank to pay for those repairs. That argument is disingenuous on several levels. First, the arch-conservatives who starved the National Park Service for decades are now using this self-created crisis for their own ends. If Congress wants to tap oil royalties to pay for park maintenance, it can do so. Lawmakers need not smash the conservation fund piggy bank to assist the Park Service. Furthermore, using it this way misses the entire point behind the conservation fund, which is about making long-term investments with one-time dollars. Maintenance costs never end. It’s like putting fuel and oil into your car; it’s part of the deal that comes with ownership. American needs the Land and Water Conservation Fund more than ever. Sadly, a disproportionate number of American kids are obese. All kids need a place to play and exercise. Just as sad, American children are increasingly disconnected from nature. More and more people have fewer and fewer places to go to get outside and away from their electronic devices. There are three bills in Congress today—all with broad bipartisan support—that would permanently reauthorize and even fully fund

the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It’s time to take this political football out of the hands of ideologically overcharged politicians. Time is running out. Again, a bill needs to pass by Sept. 30.

Opens August 15!

Ben Long is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News (hcn.org). He writes in Kalispell, Mont., where he is senior program director for Resource Media.

Opens August 24!

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AUGUST 2018

NEWS SCIENCE VS. CULTURAL RESPECT A

By felicia mello, calmatters

s tribal archaeologist for the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, Myra Masiel-Zamora uses her UC Berkeley anthropology training daily. Her mission: track down skeletons of Native Californians extracted from gravesites over the last two centuries that were shipped off to museums around the world, and return them to the tribe’s ancestral land near Temecula so they can be reburied with dignity. But lately, that quest has put Masiel-Zamora at odds with her alma mater. The remains of thousands of Native Americans, along with possessions such as beads and fishhooks buried with them, now sit in drawers and boxes at University of California museums. Federal and state laws require their return to tribes able to prove a connection to them. Some tribes accuse university officials of delaying so professors can continue to study the bones, and are pushing legislation to force the UC system to speed its efforts. “As an anthropologist, you don’t own what you’re taking care of. They’re in your care,” said Masiel-Zamora. “But I think the research community does feel that they own them.” Over decades, archaeologists and common looters excavated Native American cemeteries—with some people even motivated by the racist eugenics movement, which compared skull shapes to attempt to prove white superiority. In 1990, U.S. law began requiring federally funded museums to list remains in their collections, along with any “associated funerary objects” or other sacred items, and share the list with tribes, who could then make repatriation claims. California law extended that approach to state-funded museums. But UC campus responses varied widely. UCLA’s Fowler Museum has transferred nearly all of the 2,300 remains in its collection to tribes, according to its archaeology curator, Wendy Teeter. But at UC Berkeley’s Phoebe Hearst Museum, which holds one of the largest collections of human remains in the country, fewer than 300 bodies have been returned out of more than 9,000. “It’s a huge black eye on the institution,” said Phenocia Bauerle, Berkeley’s director of Native American Student Development. She said the slow pace of repatriation has hurt her ability to build trust with Native American students and tribes. Randy Katz, UC Berkeley’s vice chancellor for research, said the university “works diligently to care for (remains) in a respectful and legal manner.” He noted that he recently appointed more Native Americans to the campus committee reviewing repatriation requests, once dominated by anthropologists—and at one point with only CVIndependent.com

one Native American member. Pechanga’s dispute with the Hearst Museum began on San Nicolas Island, a sandy, scrubcovered outpost about 60 miles off the shore of Southern California, owned by the Navy. Archaeologists with the Navy and Cal State Los Angeles were digging there, seeking to unravel the mystery of the Lone Woman, a Native American whose story inspired the novel Island of the Blue Dolphins. That didn’t sit well with the Pechanga tribal council, which said traditional songs and stories prove the tribe’s connection to the island. It filed a petition with the Navy, which agreed the tribe had a cultural affiliation with the area. That meant digging had to stop— and, by law, the nearly 500 remains uncovered on the island over the decades should go to the tribe. In what tribal representatives describe as a six-year saga, other museums—including UCLA’s Fowler—have said they will return bodies they have from San Nicolas. The Navy has given permission for island reburial to Pechanga and three other Luiseño and Chumash tribes. But UC Berkeley insists it must conduct its own investigation before returning some of the remains. The dispute reflects a longstanding clash of worldviews, with UC academics weighing concerns of descendants against potential research benefits. “There’s a wealth of data in the human body,” said Robert Bettinger, professor emeritus of anthropology at UC Davis. “We can trace a whole series of isotopes that will tell us about your diet, about the water you drank and probably the region you came from.” Bettinger worries that if tribes rebury remains without allowing anthropologists to examine them, society will lose the opportunity to gain detailed knowledge about life in western North America before Europeans’ arrival. “Maybe this is patronizing, from an archaeologist’s point of view, but I think someday, somebody in the Native American community is going to ask, ‘Why don’t we know this?’” he said. “And the answer

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Native American tribes clash with the UC system over ancestors’ remains

will be because some of your forebears decided it was more important not to know that.” But for many tribes, the very idea that their ancestors would become research objects is, in Pechanga chairman Mark Macarro’s word, “abhorrent.” “As long as these remains are out there, and our people are in pieces in different institutions,” he said, “the tribes have this sense that things are really out of balance.” Macarro subscribes to the Luiseño view that the world was created in the Temecula Valley, and is skeptical of academics who he sees as guessing at history, constantly changing their ideas as new evidence discredits the old ones. “Look, if you want to know the past,” he said, “talk to us.” California’s Assembly has passed legislation by San Diego Assemblyman Todd Gloria, a member of Alaska’s Tlingit and Haida tribe, to create a uniform UC repatriation process, overseen by the state’s Native American Heritage Commission. Tribes would have equal representation on campus committees, and the state auditor would review UC’s legal compliance. “If (research) was done in a cooperative fashion with the descendants, maybe something could happen here,” Gloria said. “Sadly, right now, the relationship is very adversarial.” Matching centuries-old skeletons with contemporary Native American groups can be challenging. Poor record-keeping abounds. Even when likely descendants are identified, they sometimes lack the money or land to take on repatriation. UCLA’s Teeter said her team reaches out to tribes to help identify the origin of remains, and she said the collaboration with tribes is one reason for UCLA’s high repatriation rate. At UC Berkeley, by contrast, campus officials have designated more than 80 percent of the remains in its North American collection as “culturally unidentifiable”—a legal limbo that means researchers can study the bones without seeking permission from any tribe. Katz says that’s because they come from a broader range of places and time periods. In a basement room filled with white file boxes, UC Davis osteologist Michael Walters sorts through plastic bags full of bone fragments so small they look like wood chips. He’s searching for human bones that were mislabeled as animal, and sometimes he finds them—a body part from a child, for example, that was so small that an undergraduate in the

Michael Walters, a UC Davis osteologist, shows how he sorts through animal bones from archaeological digs to find any human bones that have been misclassified. Felicia Mello/CALmatters

1960s decided it must have come from a bird. Walters is part of a three-person team hired by UC Davis to update its inventory of about 300 sets of Native American remains—finding additional bones that researchers in the past missed, and returning those that can be repatriated to tribes. Human bones go to a separate room closed to the public and the press. There, black curtains cover the shelves that house the remains; the lighting is dim, and there’s an area for tribal representatives to make religious offerings, according to staff. Walters wears gloves, and speaks to the bones while he works. “I do say hello and good morning to them. I apologize for colonialism,” he said. “My goal is to get that person home.” But even this process is controversial. The United Auburn Indian Community says its own claim for repatriation of remains and sacred items from UC Davis has dragged on for years, and objects to scientists handling the bones as disrespectful. While the tribes await Senate action, MasielZamora continues her work. Last month, she flew to Europe to consult with a museum about remains that she says have ties to her people. “The tribe, we’re very patient,” she said. “We don’t forget. I will continue to fight for these people until they get returned back to where they came from.” CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics. This story and other higher education coverage are supported by the College Futures Foundation.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

AUGUST 2018

NEWS

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AUGUST ASTRONOMY E

After this month, Mars won’t be this close to

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight Earth until For 2035; the Perseid August, 2018 meteors return! 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

venings in August feature a spectacular panorama of four planets, including Venus, Jupiter and Mars far outshining all nighttime stars, and Saturn, ranking sixth in brilliance, after only those three planets and the stars Arcturus and Vega. Set up a telescope and share views of these four showpiece planets. For best results, view them in order from west to southeast at dusk: 1. Venus changes from gibbous to crescent phase, 57 percent full on Aug. 1 to 40 percent on the 31st. 2. Jupiter shows its cloud belts and as many as all four of the bright moons discovered by Galileo. 3. Saturn displays its rings still tipped a generous 26 degrees into our view, with satellite Titan in a 16-day orbit. 4. Mars’ south polar cap of frozen carbon dioxide is shrinking with the advance of its spring season—look soon! August is a prime month for early-evening rises higher, from 20 degrees up in the northviewing of the Milky Way. The best dates— northeast as evening twilight ends, to 60 degrees at the end of evening twilight, with no up at start of morning twilight. Meteors can moonlight—are Aug. 1-13, and Aug. 30-Sept. 11. appear anywhere in the sky, but if their tracks Aug. 1 at dusk: Four planets—in order from are extended backward before their light-up west to southeast, Venus-Jupiter-Saturnpoints, would originate a common system, and ifallyou lease,from the company I know I should explore solar, but Mars—span degrees. A line from Venus radiant below thetakes “W” of you lease from it,Cassiopeia. lowering your I’ve been 127 procrastinating. What will to Jupiter, 49 degrees long, extended its own Aug. 13payment. at dusk: Venus growing in apparent monthly Solaris companies also motivate me to take the next step? length past Jupiter locates Saturn. Extend size as it approaches Earth, while Mars is have some panels in stock now that were The best motivation should be the another 30 degrees past Saturn to find Mars. shrinking as we recede from it. They now appear here before panels savings you with solar. In Telescopes now can showexpect Venus as a gibbous disk the same size,components but strikinglyand/or different: Brilliant, were subject to the new tariff—so that exchange for just a little bit of your time, 57 percent lit. Mars, just two nights past closest cloud-covered Venus is half-illuminated, while means have great pricing right now. you canstill reduce average electric approach, shinesyour at magnitude -2.8 and bill Mars is you 98 percent full, with its shrinking polar anywhere fromenough 25-50for percent—and justof cap tipped nearly 10 degrees toward Earth. shows a disk large a magnification Wow. time areiswe keep that money in your pocket 80-power to make it look as large as theeach moon Aug.How 15 at much dusk: The moon in talking? the westGive Renova a call, to and month. Then you with the unaided eye! can take your time southwest, 7 degrees thewe’ll upperlook rightatofyour Spica. Aug. 4, dawn: It’stothe quarter (half) moon. roof Venuswhile is 15 you’re degreeson to the right Spica. thelower phone andofgive deciding what dolast with the savings! Aug. 5, dusk: Venus and Jupiter are 45 Watch Venus close in on Spicayou the an restinitial of month. If you degrees Aug. 16 at dusk: Jupiter passes 0.6 degrees evaluation. decideapart; to Saturn and Mars are 27 degrees apart through Sept. 5. north of Alpha in Libra, or Zubenelgenubi, Assuming the move forward Aug. 6, predawn: The crescent moon, Hyades third-magnitude star marking the southern things look claw quickly, your and Aldebaran look spectacular in binoculars! of a larger, former version of the Scorpion. good, a site system can be While you’re out with your binoculars, view the Aug. 17 at dusk: Venus reaches greatest survey at your up and running Pleiades “Seven Sisters” cluster about 14 degrees elongation, 46 degrees from the sun. Note home will before the huge above Aldebaran. Jupiter to the moon’s lower right. The moon collect detailed summer bills Aug. 7, dusk: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars is at first quarter (half full) overnight, within hit.120 If you lease, span degrees. an hour after moonset. Mars information close up: Syrtis about you’ll enjoy Aug. 8-10, dawn: Follow the moon’s last days Major passes just north of the centerroof of Mars’ dimensions, no money of the lunar cycle in the morning sky. On Aug. 9, disk at 8:52 p.m. and shade, down; Pollux is 9free degrees to the left of the moon (a 6 Aug. 18 at dusk: Jupiter is tilt 25 degrees west well asAntares a few installation; percent crescent) and slightly higher. Castor is 4 of Antares. Watch the moonas skip over 1/2 degrees Aug. 18-19, and pass Saturn and Mars Aug. other items, and, withto the upper left of Pollux. On Aug. 10,Renova the moon (only 1 percent)fixed rises payments in twilight 20-23. close up:ofSyrtis passes just like theMars condition yourMajor electric panel. and SunPower, 14for degrees belowwhich and slightly to as theelectric right of north of also the center Mars’ disk at 9:29you p.m. (37 We can get onofthe phone with 20 years, means Pollux. Begin watching below the first minutes each day).past usage; that, and SCElater to get your prices continue to go up,Orion yourfor savings appearance of Sirius in the east-southeast. Aug. 19 atwith dawn: ends will retrograde, combined theMercury site survey, will increase as well! Aug. 10, dusk: Venus and Spica are 20 but on the near side of its orbit and backlighted; allow us to create a precise, customized degrees apart. Venus is going a degree east daily. at magnitude +1.6 this morning, it is a difficult OK—pretty good points. Anything else? proposal that will show you exact costs Aug. 12, 30 minutes after sunset: Find the target in bright twilight. It gets easier: Mercury savings. Yep!moon, The full percent Federal Tax after and young a 4 30 percent crescent, 41 hours brightens to magnitude -1.0 by Sept. 3. That’s you Venus decideand to Spica moveare 10 Credit is stilltointhe fulllower effect until the end new, 23 degrees right of Venus. Aug. 20it!atIfdusk: forward, installation takes only days, of 2019. If you purchase, you receive Later, on the same night: Perseid meteors degrees apart. Mars close up: Syrtis 2-3 Major passes depending sizeofofMars’ yourdisk system. theovernight, Tax Credit tofrom lower costevening of your peak best latethe in the just north ofon thethe center at 10:43 on Aug. 12 until the first light of dawn on p.m. Mars is highest in Palm Springs at 10:58 Paidinadvertisement brought to you byclosest match! Aug. 13, increasing numbers as the radiant p.m.—the

Solar Q&A

August's evening sky chart. ROBERT D. MILLER

Deneb Regulus Vega

W Altair

Arcturus

8 Venus 15 22

Jupiter

Spica

1 8 15 22 29 1

Mars 8 15 22 29

Saturn 8 15 22 29 Antares

Evening mid-twilight occurs

Aug. 23 atwhen dusk: and Jupiter SunVenus is 9o below horizon. are now Aug. 1: 44 minutes afternight, sunset.Mars is within 30 degrees. Later in the 42 while " " Syrtis " Major passes highest at 10:4515:p.m., 31: 41 " " " just north of the center of Mars’ disk at 12:34 a.m. on Aug. 24. Aug. 24-26, at dawn: Mercury forms a nearly equilateral triangle with Pollux and Procyon, about 23 degrees on a side. Compare to the larger Winter Triangle of Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse. Aug. 26: The full moon is at 4:56 a.m. At dawn, Mercury is very low in the east-northeast, at greatest elongation, 18 degrees from the sun. At dusk, for a dozen evenings, through Sept. 6: Venus and Spica are within 5 degrees, and appear closest, 1.3 degrees apart, on Aug. 31. Aug. 27 at dusk: Mars ends retrograde in far southeast Sagittarius. August 28 at dusk: Venus and Spica are 3.1 degrees apart. The moon rises very nearly as Venus sets.

Stereographic Projection

Aug. 31 at dusk: Venus, Map Jupiter, by RobertSaturn D. Millerand Mars span 95 degrees. Venus passes within 1.3 degrees south of Spica (closest tonight). Telescopes show Venus as crescent, 40 percent full, and Mars 94 percent full. The website of the Astronomical Society of the Desert (www.astrorx.org) has a listing of our evening star parties, Sawmill Trailhead, our highaltitude site (elevation 4,000 feet), will have a star party starting at dusk on Saturday, Aug. 11. Wishing you clear skies! Robert C. 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. Robert D. Miller did graduate work in planetarium science and later astronomy and computer science at Michigan State University and remains active in research and public outreach in astronomy. CVIndependent.com

12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2018

CVI SPOTLIGHT: AUGUST 2018 Movies That Are a Real Draw: The PS International Animation Fest Returns

A scene from Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero.

hat has a dog and historic significance—and required a whole lot of hours to create? The answer is Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero. It’s one of the 10 feature films that will be presented as part of the 2018 Palm Springs International Animation Festival and Expo, taking place Wednesday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Aug. 26. Sgt. Stubby is based on real events that took place during World War I. It is a beautiful story about a stray dog who finds himself with the American 102nd infantry Regiment. Stubby served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles on the Western front. Because he could smell better than his human counterparts, he prevented them from walking into attacks; he also found and comforted wounded soldiers. He’s even the subject of an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution. If you’re more of a cat-lover, there is also

CVIndependent.com

a film for you: “Marnie’s World is a fantastic story about a spoiled house cat. All of the sudden, Marnie gets caught in an adventure with these dogs and wild animals. They steal a car then go on the run.” That’s how Brian Neil Hoff, the festival’s director, described the film as he gave me the rundown of the festival’s offerings, which will include both features and short films. Hoff said he and his crew received more than 3,000 submissions this year. “We get submissions from around the world. This year, we have many films that are by Oscar winners and talents,” he said. “(Beyond) the 10 features, there will be 230 shorts available for viewing. They range in time from two minutes to 25 minutes, with all various styles and plot points. “Not only (will the festival be the) U.S.A. premiere for a lot of these films; the films’ home countries range from Russia, Germany

and Indonesia to Australia. This adds to the diversity, too. “We are going to have special themed screenings, like for Sgt. Stubby. … We are inviting veterans and their families for the screening at the Palm Springs Air Museum.” Another feature about which Hoff is excited is Wall. The 82-minute animated documentary features two-time Oscar nominee David Hare as he examines the impact of the wall between Israel and Palestine. “This is a topical film for the environment today,” Hoff said. He has steered the festival from rather humble beginnings into the world-class festival it is today. “The festival started in my backyard nine years ago. That was the name of it: the Backyard Film Festival,” he said. “In fact, it may be the first festival to have started like that. I really didn’t know what I was doing.

We had a few hundred people show up. This year, we’re looking at 25,000-30,000.” Hoff is in the film industry himself, and he’s been able to tap into his network of animation filmmakers and artists. “Animation just really stuck with me,” he said. “I am really impressed with the art form. People work on these projects for, like, five years. Oftentimes, this is their premiere for their hard work.” The 2018 Palm Springs International Animation Festival and Expo, being held in partnership with Comic Con Palm Springs, takes place Wednesday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Aug. 26, primarily at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs. Ticket prices vary; watch www.psiaf. org for a complete schedule and ticket information. —Dwight Hendricks

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

AUGUST 2018

ARTS

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DESERT AS MUSE

August at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center brings ‘Desert Stories’ and a new exhibit in a brand-new space

By dwight hendricks

he Hi-Desert Cultural Center is a mere 35 miles from downtown Palm Springs. It’s a place where artists from around the world have come to express themselves while being surrounded by nature. The center hosts a theater and a philharmonic. It’s been around since 1964. Red Skelton even performed there—and there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of it. Therefore, you may want to consider one of the center’s most popular events, a twice-a-year evening that will return for its seventh edition on Saturday, Aug. 18. “Desert Stories is a one-night event that offers … local, high desert artists the chance to tell their stories,” said Michael McCall, the art curator for the brand-new Yucca Valley Visual and Performing Arts Center, an “annex” of the Hi-Desert Cultural Center. “It’s an interesting event. I went to the one in January. The event is amazing; you’ll have 10 to 12 people doing a presentation, and it usually is a sold-out full house. Each presentation is done differently; somebody will do stand-up comedy; some of it is a musical presentation, or a visual presentation with imagery on the displayed on the wall behind the person.” McCall has been busy; he’s also working on Desert Icons, a show at the new Yucca Valley Visual and Performing Arts Center (www.yvarts. org). It’s slated to open on Aug. 25; the current, inaugural exhibition, Ground to Sky, will be on display through Aug. 11. “The show centers around the desert in art, and how artists interpret it,” he said. “It is extending what an idea of an icon is. I wanted to do a show that is about the desert and its icons.” McCall moved to the high desert around the start of the year after living in Los Angeles for more than 35 years, so he has a fresh take on how the desert influences art. “It’s amazing to see the talent that comes from both the high and the low desert—to see what’s going on creatively and how people are

creating here,” he said. While McCall is a new high desert resident, he did visit the area often before his move. “I was always looking for a place that I thought was close enough in case I needed to go back to L.A. for anything—like to see art shows, or see museums,” he said. “I started coming up here a few years ago. I really dug it, and I liked the people, so when I was offered this job, I thought it was kind of an amazing golden nugget. I have had the opportunity to build a (new center) from the foundation to the sky.” The Hi-Desert Cultural Center developed the Yucca Valley Visual and Performing Arts Center in a 15,000-square-foot building that used to be a motorcycle dealership. The space, at 58325 Twentynine Palms Highway, gave the Hi-Desert Cultural Center the chance to expand more into the visual arts. McCall said the high desert allows artists to have experiences they can’t have elsewhere— but it doesn’t come without its drawbacks. “The desert extremes or the weather extremes can beat the crap out of materials,” he said. “… But in the Coachella Valley you still have a lot of light pollution. We don’t have that, so you can see the night sky in a way that you’ve never seen before. It’s quite an experience.” On Aug. 18, Desert Stories XIII will showcase some of the high desert’s best artists and storytellers. Come and see why the event usually sells out. Desert Stories XIII, hosted by Cheryl Montelle, takes place from 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center, 61231 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Joshua Tree. Tickets are $32 to $40; this is an R-rated event due to adult themes and strong language. For tickets or more information, call 760-366-3777, or visit hidesertculturalcenter.org. For more information on the Yucca Valley Visual and Performing Arts Center, visit yvarts.org.

Inside the new Yucca Valley Visual and Performing Arts Center.

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14 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2018

ARTS & CULTURE

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EXPERIMENTAL AND CONCEPTUAL T

By brian blueskye

he desert isn’t just a place to create art for Cristopher Cichocki; the desert is also his muse—and at times, his art includes actual pieces of the desert. His works have showcased the beauty, the darkness and the catastrophes of the desert and its ecosystem. Cichocki’s work has been shown around the world, and he’s taking many of his pieces to the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster for an exhibition called Divisions of Land and Sea; it’s part of a larger exhibit called The Robot Show, mind-blowing, and to challenge myself and which features eight artists, each with their experiment, and I’ve always been striving to own solo exhibition. It will be on display from take my practice and insights to a different Saturday, Aug. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 30. level. CalArts was a laboratory for me to work During a recent phone interview with through this hybrid framework. Cichocki while he was in Guadalajara, Mexico, “As to when the work came into this he explained his exhibit. cohesive relationship, I feel that really came “It’ll be an installation of new paintings, around 2010, when I started combining my video works, sculptures, photographic elements with the video, the photography, works and my audio work,” Cichocki said. “It the painting and the performance. They came relates to the collision that we’re in between together and started to work together as a humankind, the natural world and industrial cross-reference—meaning they’re all pieces of production.” a larger puzzle. I’m producing paintings that Some of Cichocki works are not what they are photographs; I’m producing videos that are appear to be at first. For instance: If you look paintings, and vice versa. I find it necessary for at his photos, you’ll discover he’s combined exhibitions such as Divisions of Land and Sea them with paint. to combine all of these elements into a larger “After Palm Desert High School, where I narrative.” graduated in 1997, I went directly to CalArts,” Cichocki was part of a KCET documentary he said; also known as the California Institute on the Salton Sea. He voiced his concerns of the Arts, the renowned school is located about the growing ecological and in Valencia. “CalArts is potentially one of the environmental threat the lake poses to the most multidisciplinary art schools in the world, Coachella Valley. and I was exposed to highly experimental and “The Salton Sea is one of the largest pending conceptual practices. They were completely airborne catastrophes threatening the United

Cristopher Cichocki.

CVIndependent.com

The desert-centered works of Cristopher Cichocki get the spotlight at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History

States, and it’s right in our backyard,” he said. “It’s this issue that I feel is out of sight and out of mind for a majority of people in the area— not only in the Coachella Valley, but even spanning all the way into Los Angeles, people don’t even know about the Salton Sea. “The Salton Sea was a manmade accident in 1905 when the Colorado River split and started filling what was then the Salton Sink, which was a huge basin ready for this water to enter it. Now we have California’s largest lake … and if the dust or particulate matter begins to advance further with the receding shoreline, we’re going to have major problems with the air quality. We already do have major problems. The high school in Mecca has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation. It’s not just dust that’s blowing around in the air; it’s particulate matter entering into people’s blood streams and causing asthma, especially in younger generations. There’s selenium, arsenic and all of these other things. It truly is this synthesis of nature and industry because of 100 years of agricultural runoff.” His work gets quite detailed at times. His latest painting, “Shoreline,” includes barnacles, fish bones, sand and salt from the Salton Sea. “I look at (Divisions of Land and Sea) as a hybrid between natural history and contemporary art. I’m bringing in elements of land art, minimalism other historical points of trajectory,” he said. “Also, I’m bringing in raw organic materials. My paintings have actual barnacles; they have actual soil and things that are transforming within them. There’s blacklight reactivity, which I actually refer to in the technical term—ultraviolet radiation. There’s evidence that there’s a metaphysical property under these elements. I’m interested in reality and also the biological and phenomenological structural makeup of these elements. There’s this idea that there’s something constantly in

Above: “Center of the Sea,” 2018, Salton Sea barnacles on wood composite with LED video panel. Below: “Property Division,” 2016-2017; left side is a tilapia nest at Riviera Keys, Salton Sea, Calif.; right side is algae with birds, Salton City, Calif.

motion, and the work is alive.” I asked Cichocki if there was a spiritual element to his work. He seemed to struggle with the question at first. “I certainly feel that nature has a certain awareness to it. It can be as simple as we water a tree, or we don’t,” Cichocki said. Cichocki will be going out of state for his next exhibition. “In September in Taos, New Mexico, I’ll be performing Circular Dimensions at a large video and installation festival called The Paseo Project. Circular Dimensions is ever-evolving, so I have new tricks up my sleeve for Taos.” Cristopher Cichocki’s Divisions of Land and Sea, part of The Robot Show, will be on display from Saturday, Aug. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History, 665 W. Lancaster Blvd., in Lancaster, about 135 miles northwest of the Coachella Valley. For more information, call 661-723-6250, or visit www. lancastermoah.org.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

AUGUST 2018

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VINE SOCIAL JASON DAVID

We tried a bunch of canned wines—so you don’t have to (although honestly, some of them were pretty great)

HAIR STUDIO

By Katie finn

LOVE YOUR HAIR y introduction to the world of canned wine came earlier this spring, when I stumbled upon

a unique beer/fruit/wine fusion called Foxie. I was delighted to see it is a collaboration between an awesome winery out of Paso Robles called Field Recordings, and Hoxie Spritzer, the Southern California company that single-handedly made drinking wine spritzers cool again. Upon the first sip, I was in love—real, lasting love. Flavors Club of fresh, tart grapefruit with just a Country and Cook Street touch of bitter hoppiness were all supported by a base of gloriously Palm dry Derose sertand bubbly mineral water. No glass. No bottle opener. Just a girl and her frosty cold can of aahhhh. I totally understand all the hype around boozy cans. Given the only way to stay sane this time 760-340-5959 of year is to spend any and all free time in a pool (or the vegetable walk-in at Costco … but they told me I couldn’t drink in there anymore), the need for a glass-free way to enjoy wine is paramount. The more you think about it, the more obvious it is that cans should be the new frontier of wine packaging: Concerts, golf courses, movie theaters, public parks, beaches … all are a no-go for your bottle of vino and fancy Riedel glassware. Cans have a lot going for them. They are easy to store and far easier to lug around in a cooler or backpack than a bottle. You don’t have to worry about cans breaking, and they chill down really quickly. They don’t require any extra stuff—like glasses, a corkscrew or a special insulated bag tall enough to fit a bottle. And the best feature is that they are far less conspicuous when you need a nip on the down-low. (There’s just something about pulling a wine bottle out of your diaper bag that feels wrong.) I’d never really noticed canned wine on my shopping trips, so I figured that I might have a half-dozen or so options when I went to collect my R&D samples. I was so wrong—like, I-have-been-in-a-coma-while-cruising-the-winedepartment wrong. Not only did Total Wine greet me with two huge displays of canned wine; I was also led to a floor-to-ceiling section down one of the aisles. Whole Foods has a more limited selection, but there is definitely a

quality-over-quantity theme there. www.jasondavidhairstudio.net

I decided that I already had the beer/fruit/ wine concoction nailed, so now it was time to see how plain ol’ wine fared in this trendy and highly portable vessel. I narrowed down the overwhelming selections by producers and availability. I didn’t want to grab anything too obscure or hard to find, so everything I chose is widely distributed and easy to get your hands on. All in all, I procured 12 different producers with 20 different offerings. Then I grabbed some In-n-Out, phoned a few friends to come over, and started poppin’ tops. I’ll spare you all the gruesome details and give you the highlights. If nothing else, this was one of the most educational, thought-provoking and eye-opening tastings I’ve ever done. Right away, we noticed that few of the cans featured a vintage. In fact, only three of the 12 producers had it somewhere visible on the can, and even then, we had to really search for it. I’m assuming the rest are not non-vintage wines, but the makers omitted printing a vintage on the label in an attempt to control printing/ packaging costs. But who knows. I decided that to help create a more unbiased opinion, we would taste each of these out of proper wine glasses. This might have actually been to the detriment of the wines, because every one of them—when poured into a glass—

had some effervescence. It died down pretty quickly in some of them, but there’s something about seeing a fizzy cabernet being poured out of a can that is slightly unsettling. I should also mention that I served these at what would be considered proper wine temperature. That was a big mistake, too: When it comes to canned wine, colder is better. The next day, I popped open a few more samples that had been in my 38-degree refrigerator overnight, and a lot of the unsavory qualities we found the wine to have the day before had magically disappeared. I also chose to drink these right out of the can—and discovered that is definitely the way to go. All of the wines had a significant sweetness, with some featuring a fake fruity quality. In the worst examples, that resembled cough syrup; in the not-so-offensive wines, it tasted kind of like a fruit roll-up. The cold wines I pulled and drank from the fridge also lost the noxious rubber/ sulfur smell that made a few of them absolutely undrinkable the night before. There were clear winners and favorites— and some, while not my preferred style, are definitely drinkable and enjoyable. We discovered the whites are better than reds, and the roses are all pretty damn gulpable. Here’s the list of what came out ahead: • The favorite of the night was the Dark Horse 2017 rose from Modesto, of all places. I had never heard of Dark Horse, and would have never thought a wine from the armpit of the state could produce such lovely flavors and aromas. I’ve apparently painted Modesto all wrong, and Dark Horse is to be taken quite literally: The packaging is great, and the wine is clean and fresh with all the strawberry, rhubarb and watermelon flavors for which you’d hope. • The best overall producer was Tangent from San Luis Obispo. Both the 2016 rose and

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sauvignon blanc were varietally correct in their flavor profiles, with bright acidity and none of the phony fruitiness of their competitors. • We all agreed that the Underwood Wines from Oregon are solid and very drinkable. We tasted the 2016 pinot gris and pinot noir, and the 2017 rose. While they all had that distinct sweetness and just a little factory-produced fruitiness, there was nothing unpleasant about them, and the pinot noir was the undisputed favorite among all the reds we tried. There were quite a few chardonnays on the table. This was, by far, the most painful category. One of them was unequivocally the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. I thought for a moment I might have thrown up in my mouth—but, no. There were, however, two producers that created chardonnays for someone who loves California chardonnay: Westside Wine Co. and Alloy Wine Works are perfect casual sippers for anyone who loves their oaky, buttery, vanilla-laced chardonnay. So … what have we learned? When the bottle is banned, reach for a can of really cold rose (or that super delicious grapefruit Foxie). Pop it; slug it back; and say aahhhh. Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with more than 15 years in the wine industry. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@gmail.com.

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ON COCKTAILS

After a mediocre Southside on the east side, our intrepid imbiber finds bliss at The Pink Cabana drink, but it seems like this happens in place after place, and I can’t figure out why. My afternoon was saved, however, because not too far away was The Pink Cabana at The Sands. Located conveniently behind The Nest in Indian Wells, this recently remodeled boutique hotel hides a beautiful bar and restaurant. Pink and mirrors are everywhere, and there is a nice femininity to it, without it being overwrought. The bartenders were enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the back bar was well stocked with favorites of mine. I started with a fino sherry (On tap! What would Frasier Crane think?) that was a perfect bridge to a better cocktail experience. On the bartender’s suggestion, I started with Pushing Buttons, a mix of vodka (yes, I will drink a drink with vodka on occasion), pamplemousse, Amaro Montenegro and lime that is garnished with a “buzz” or “Szechuan” button. Be careful with that button! This flower in the drink tastes like pure electricity in your mouth and makes you want something tart to ease the sensation. This was a fun one! A ordered a little pork terrine and my next drink, a Cabana Colada. Sure, this doesn’t sound like the best pairing for pâté, but the mix of gin, lime, coconut cream and soda was a treat. I love nothing better than a four-ingredient drink with balance. Keep it simple, people. The cocktail list was a sensible eight drinks, and I wanted to try most of them, but I had to head back to Palm Springs. The food menu has a section at the top with aperitifs, which is a clever way to steer folks through the experience; I thought that was neat as well. Heck, just give me a balanced drink and a small plate or two, and I am a happy camper. I hope the East Valley gets more of this … and less wilted mint. I’m feeling less grumpy already. If the heat has you feeling grumpy, cool off with a Southside of your own:

By Kevin Carlow

recently went to check out a new bar—let’s just say it’s in a Coachella Valley town east of Palm Springs—after a guest told me he got an old fashioned there that was “OK, actually, after the big ice cube melted a bit.” Since most bartenders still don’t seem to realize that water is an essential ingredient in a cocktail, and just hand the thing to you the second the iceberg plops into the (hopefully) sweetened and bittered whiskey, I considered this to be a pretty minor sin. The place got a nice write-up or two in other publications, so I figured I would take a chance. I made the jaunt east on a hot and humid post-monsoon day, and needed something refreshing. The bar itself—which I am not going to name, because the problems I am about taste was Sysco lemon and lime juice with gin, to relate could apply to so many bars in the and wondered where the sugar was. Then I Coachella Valley—was nice enough inside. It seemed a little clubby but had a decent-looking found it—at the bottom of the drink, in the last saccharine mouthful. The bartender never back bar, with nothing too obscure, but not bothered to shake it, perhaps? Also, why was 20 flavored vodkas, either. The World Cocktail there lemon and lime? Did they get the recipe Championships were on the TV, so I figured from Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks from there was a cocktail nerd somewhere in the around World War I, or just see a bunch of building. I saw a Southside on the menu and recipes calling for one or the other and say, thought … perfect! “The hell with it; let’s use both!” After ordering it, I looked at the reach-in To be fair, I have worked for places over the behind the bar … and saw jugs of lime and years with totally different versions of the lemon juice with the Sysco brand proudly facing Southside. The one at my current bar, some the guests. would call a “Southside Fizz,” and it is served OK, let me stop here for a second. Lots of with gin, lime, sugar, mint and soda water bars use juice from Sysco or Perricone Farms. over crushed ice. We top it with a healthy (I’m not sure if there is a difference, but at least bouquet of fresh mint, too. Think a gin mojito, the latter has “farm” in the name.) This doesn’t automatically mean the drink is going to be bad, and you’re basically there. When I was at my but it does mean the drink is probably not going previous bar, the Southside was more like a gin daiquiri with a mint garnish. Both are to be great. Proper balancing can make up for a acceptable and delicious, as is the use of lemon lot—but the thing is, if you’re going to charge juice and soda and basically making it a minty $14 for a Southside (it’s $10 where I work, Collins. Experiment for yourself at home; it’s shameless plug), I expect fresh juice. an easy one to play with. Just pick one of the The bartender handed me the cocktail, dozens of recipes online with a quick search. and I thought, “Here we go again.” First, the (Side rant: Why so few bar managers seem to ice: They use those little chips that most new know about the internet in 2018 is beyond cocktail bars eschew. OK … that’s not the end me. Sure, there are bad recipes out there, but of the world. There was one anemic sprig of try them out, and find a good one.) Maybe the mint on top, dangling listlessly off the edge. heat is making me cranky, and I don’t mean to I am glad it was there, because there was no ride a place so hard for one poorly put-together discernible mint in the actual drink. All I could

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• 2 ounces of gin • 1 ounce of fresh lime juice (or lemon instead; it’s your world) • 3/4 ounce of simple syrup, made with equal parts sugar and water Shake with ice; pour into Collins glass or coupe. Use crushed ice or not, soda or not. Mint is great as a garnish and even better in the drink; just don’t muddle it to death unless you like really like chlorophyll. There are lots of ways to cool off with this one, although many bartenders will tell you how wrong your version is. Just don’t pick a fight over it in the summer; it gets hot behind the bar, and there’s nothing meaner than an overheated bartender. Kevin Carlow is a bartender at Truss and Twine, and can be reached at krcarlow@gmail.com.

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DESERT CICERONE W

Where’s beer heading? To answer this question, we picked experts’ brains—and looked to the past

BY brett Newton

hen I ponder beer history, two things stand out: the use of hops, and the invention of the drum roaster. The former happened 800 to 900 years ago, give or take. Antiseptic agents are needed in the fermentation of beer to keep the good microflora in and the bad out. Brewers didn’t know this—Louis Pasteur’s discoveries happened years later—but they did know that without certain things, beer could turn out poorly. Before hops became widely used, bitter herbs and spices were used for this purpose. Scotland has a tradition say, a coffee porter. While I personally find of using heather; in fact, you can still find many “hazies” and pastry stouts to be rather some beers with heather on shelves if you go similar (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve to the right places. Hops just wound up being had some combination of cinnamon, maple more efficient and suitable for beer flavors. syrup, coffee and maybe fruit in the stouts), More about hops later. they have excited many people who weren’t all As for the patenting of the drum roaster that into craft beer before. in 1818: Englishman Daniel Wheeler may Happily, lagers have seen a resurgence. Last have singlehandedly changed the course of summer, I discovered several very drinkable beer history more than any other individual pilsners from breweries that mostly trade (outside of Pasteur, perhaps). Inspired by in IPAs, stouts and kettle sours. (Think the process of roasting coffee, he set about Berlinerweisse—a light, tart wheat ale adapting it for kilning and roasting malts using originating from Germany.) Mexican lagers indirect heat. Before the roaster, malt was have come along for this ride, which makes spread on a metal floor, and a fire (often fueled sense, because not only is this a cherished by coke, a coal residue, although wood and coal style of our friends to the south of us; the were sometimes used) was lit underneath. This style is also very similar to a pilsner, with led to grains on the bottom being scorched the exception of the use of corn or maize to while some on top remained relatively green— dry the beer out and add a touch of flavor. with a lot of smokiness imparted into the Firestone’s Pivo Pils and Firestone Lager (a grain. With Wheeler’s invention, a variety of take on the Munich helles style) is leading this reliably kilned and roasted grains could be charge, and I’m all for it. Lagers are subtle and produced to augment the much more efficient can be surprisingly diverse, but they are also pale malt used as a beer’s base. This resulted in much more difficult to get right and take much an explosion of different styles in Europe—so longer in a brewery’s tanks to make. More time the next time you’re drinking a nice stout, in tanks leads to less tank space for new beer, Vienna lager, Schwarzbier or almost any other which leads to a potential loss of profit if not style, raise that glass to Daniel Wheeler. planned carefully. While a hazy IPA can take This all brings us to the present, and current less than two weeks to reach your glass, a lager beer trends. can take anywhere from six weeks to three Hazy (or officially, New England) IPAs and months. As a fan of Old World beer styles that pastry stouts are in vogue and don’t look to don’t really get the time they deserve here in be losing any popularity. The names of these America, I wholeheartedly look forward to styles pretty much tell the stories: The hazy more of this trend. IPAs are made hazy by the combination of an Now comes the tough part: Predicting the English yeast—which traditionally doesn’t future. To do so, I sought some help. allow for dry beers, but has a light, fruity ester First, I turned to my friend and one of the as a byproduct—with additions such as oats most talented and knowledgeable people I or wheat, not to mention the haze from the know when it comes to beer, master brewer ridiculous amounts of hops added. Unlike Chris Anderson. many West Coast IPAs, though, they are “I think the IPA will continue to be the usually only slightly bitter. The low-bitterness hottest style in craft beer,” he said via email. “I trend has leaked into the West Coast styles think more spin-offs of this most popular style now, and I’m a huge fan of this. As with some on the planet will be the norm. Brut IPA and crazes, things can get a little nutty; I’ve heard Southwest IPA are two relatively new styles stories of people standing in line at breweries gaining traction.” for hours (or paying people to stand in line for Julian Shrago, head brewer at Beachwood them as surrogates), only to promptly leave BBQ and Brewing in Long Beach (which I when the beer released announced is “only,” cannot recommend enough), agrees. “‘Brut CVIndependent.com

Hazy IPAs are currently all the rage.

IPA’ is a new style that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area. They’re brewed with a special enzyme that allows them to be almost 100 percent attenuated. I like this idea, and it seems to be an interesting contrast to hazies.” I have personally not yet tried this “hop champagne,” but I am looking forward to this being a lovely, spritzy showcase for some of the incredible new hop varieties that keep emerging, as well as the old standby hops we love. The Southwest IPA style Anderson mentioned is an IPA using agave syrup to dry the beer out and possibly add some earthy notes; these beers often are made with Southwest-themed hops such as El Dorado and Amarillo. Anderson also sees both uncertainty and excitement—not just the craft-beer industry, but in the alcohol and spirits industry in general: “The millennial craft beer drinker is most definitely not a loyalist like the previous generations were. On Monday, they may have a cocktail; Tuesday or Wednesday, a glass of wine; Thursday and Friday, a beer—but not the same brands from week to week. Throughout the weekend, maybe they will consume some cannabis and not touch any of the aforementioned alcoholic beverages when doing so. This will continue to fuel diversity in the varying alcoholic beverage industries and will also continue to make all of these sectors ultra-competitive.” A friend of mine who is the director of the hop division of a very large hop concern (who wishes to go unnamed for this article) weighed in. “I feel that the consumer is now more educated in craft beers, thus being open to different styles and flavor profiles,” he said. “For example, I see sour beers gaining in popularity; perhaps it’s the refreshing nature,

relieving the palate from the hop grenades of IPAs and pale ales. “Furthermore, barrel-aged beers are on the rise, and people are willing to pay the $20-perbottle price point for these complex, rich and sophisticated libations. Fruit additions are increasing as well, from powders, purees, concentrates, skins/peels to actual fruit; there are more and more of them on the tap or on the shelf.” When it comes to hops, he sees this fruity trend following—in the flavors and aromas of newer strains of hops. However, he sees the hop industry moving more toward bolstering pest and mildew resistance. “A major focus of hop-breeding will be on pest/disease resistance varieties,” he said. “The grower is facing immense challenges from pest pressure, such as an increasingly pesticide-resistant mite, to new aggressive strains of powdery mildew. Growers are also conscientious of the need to reduce the use of conventional pest control chemicals (and move) to more biological/natural methods.” This is where genetic engineering can really do some wonderful things, despite some people’s irrational distrust of the technology. While we’ve now examined beer’s past, present in future … one thing I didn’t mention is glitter beer. That was intentional. There is one very easy thing about the future to predict, however: I’ll soon be at the fridge to get a beer to fill my glass. 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.

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SATURDAY AUGUST 25

STARTING AT 8 PM

600 EAST SUNNY DUNES ROAD PALM SPRINGS, CA

VOTING BEGINS MONDAY, AUG. 27!

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FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT This month, we devour delicious meats in Palm Springs and Cathedral City

Creative Chef Johannes Bacher

Voted “Best Chefs America”

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

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GREGG FELSEN

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

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

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By Jimmy Boegle WHAT The roasted suckling pig WHERE Alebrije Bistro Mexico, 1107 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $28 CONTACT 760-537-1279; www.alebrijeps.com WHY It’s a surprisingly refined dish. Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week brought both disappointments and delicious finds at the handful of participants I was able to visit— but my most delicious find of all was Alebrije Bistro Mexico. It was so delicious that Alebrije was the only place I visited twice during Restaurant Week. Alebrije went above and beyond by offering four courses—not just the requisite three—for $39, and the food showed a level of sophistication rarely found here in the Coachella Valley. A couple of examples: The octopus ceviche ($14 on the regular menu) respected the star ingredient while wowing the taste buds. The creamy poblano soup ($8) with roasted corn and caramelized peppers was a nuanced, creamy revelation, with the spice and earthiness of the pepper enhanced and improved by the sweetness of the corn. Either of these dishes was worthy of an endorsement—but the entrée I had on both Restaurant Week visits, as well as a followup visit, came out on the top of my list: the roasted suckling pig. There doesn’t seem to be all that much to the dish: There’s a pile of shredded meat with onions on top; some corn puree spread around the plate; and small dishes of black beans and salsa verde, with homemade corn tortillas on the side. The magic happens when the ingredients are combined: Once a portion of that moist, delicious pork is placed in a delicious tortilla with a little bit of each of the other ingredients … wow. On all of my visits so far, Alebrije has been far from busy. This, folks, is a shame: This Palm Springs restaurant is offering an upscale dining experience like no other in the Coachella Valley. Go. You will be very happy that you did.

WHAT The lamb and beef gyro plate WHERE Super Shawarma Mediterranean Grill, 69185 Ramon Road, No. 3, Cathedral City HOW MUCH $11.99 CONTACT 760-321-1100; www. supershawarmacc.com WHY The oh-so-pleasing melding of textures and temperatures. Once upon a time, I had a go-to gyro place. Whenever I had a hankering for good gyro, I’d head over there for some delicious food. Alas, this would not last forever. The gyro place is still there; however, I decided I could no longer give the place my business after the owner angrily threw out one of the Independent’s distribution drivers for no reason—after he’d personally given me permission for us to leave papers there. (On the plus side … his angry responses to less-than-great reviews on his Yelp page are incredibly entertaining.) So, for the last few years, I have been culinarily adrift, lacking a place to quickly and easily get great gyro. However, that’s changed now that I’ve found Super Shawarma. I’d seen the place before—it’s next to one of my go-to sushi places—but I’d never stopped in until a recent lunchtime. Only one or two other tables in the impeccably clean space were occupied, which is a shame—because the food I had was excellent. The lamb and beef gyro plate comes with hummus, tzatziki, a pickle-forward salad, pita and, of course, gyro—delicious, perfectly prepared gyro. It was a mixture of moist and crispy, and when wrapped in a piece of pita with some of the earthy hummus and cool, creamy yogurt sauce … wow, it was good. Super Shawarma also offers all the expected Mediterranean dishes, as well as some fairly unusual finds. (A spicy Alexandria beef liver dish? Intriguing!) There are a bunch of vegetarian options, too, for those of you who eschew meat. For those of you who don’t … Super Shawarma just may become your new gyro place.

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Restaurant NEWS BITES By Jimmy Boegle DESERT AIDS PROJECT’S DINING OUT FOR LIFE BREAKS RECORDS If anyone ever needs proof that the residents of the Coachella Valley are a rather generous lot, look no further than the results of the Desert AIDS Project’s Dining Out for Life (DOFL) fundraiser back in April. First, a recap of how DOFL works: On one chosen day per year, restaurants across the Coachella Valley agree to donate at least 33 percent of their sales—from one particular meal, or from everything— to the Desert AIDS Project. On April 26, 75 local restaurants participated, raising a whopping $280,000 for DAP—an increase of $50,000 from last year. An estimated 10,000 valley residents went to these 75 restaurants that day. “You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing someone wearing a ‘badge of honor’—the ‘I Dined’ stickers given to diners at participating locations,” said event manager George Nasci-Sinatra, according to a news release. That’s impressive. However, it’s even more impressive when these numbers are put into context. Dining Out for Life is a nationwide (plus Canada!) campaign held the last Thursday in April every year by various HIV/AIDS service organizations. Representatives of all of these campaigns gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the North American Dining Out for Life Conference in July to compare notes. Well, it turns out that even though the Coachella Valley is one of the smallest markets participating in Dining Out for Life, we rank No. 2 (!) in terms of money raised. “Only Denver, which had three times more participating restaurants, raised more funds this year,” said Darrell Tucci, the chief development officer for DAP. “To be the smallest market in population driving the second-largest results is absolutely extraordinary and something we should all be proud of. Other markets have more participating restaurants, but no other market can boast the level of commitment shown by restaurants in greater Palm Springs.” The main reason for the local Dining Out for Life’s success is the sheer generosity of local restaurants: In fact, the Top 3 restaurants in the country (plus Canada!) in terms of the total amount of money donated are here—Spencer’s Restaurant, Lulu California Bistro and Trio Restaurant, in that order. They raised a combined total of $61,679. It’s also worth noting the sacrifice of some smaller restaurants that elected to give 100 percent or more of the day’s proceeds to DAP: Townie Bagels, Holiday House, The Barn Kitchen at Sparrows Lodge, Ristretto and Rooster and the Pig. Heck, the wait staff at Rooster and the Pig even donated their tips for the day to DAP. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I should note that I’m personally a supporter of the Desert AIDS Project; the Independent does business with DAP; and George Nasci-Sinatra and Darrell Tucci are good friends of mine.) Will the Coachella Valley be able to top these fantastic results during the next Dining Out for Life, on Thursday, April 25, 2019? Stay tuned. For more information as the 2019 date draws nearer, visit www.diningoutforlife.com/palmsprings. THE ACE HOTEL AND SWIM CLUB CELEBRATES ITS ANNUAL CRAFT BEER WEEKEND. It’s become a summer tradition for Southern California beer-lovers: The Ace Hotel and Swim Club’s Seventh Annual Craft Beer Weekend will take place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5. The weekend’s big events are a Craft Beer Festival from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, featuring entertainment, food and unlimited tastings (!) from some of the top craft breweries from SoCal and beyond; and a beer brunch at 11 a.m. on Sunday, featuring six beer-inspired and beer-paired courses— plus starting and ending beers, too. Passes for the Saturday festival are $35, and the Sunday brunch will set you back $55—or do both for just $70. Attendees who book a room for the weekend get into the festival for free. Get tickets and more info at www.acehotel.com/calendar/palmsprings/craft-beer-weekend-18. IN BRIEF The Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, at 32250 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage, has announced it has adopted new technology from a company called ORCA Digesters, Inc., that turns food waste into water. This will keep an estimated 624 tons (!) of food out of landfills each year. Awesome! … The Libation Room is now open at 73750 El Paseo, in Palm Desert. The new cocktail bar promises a speakeasy type of vibe; check it out Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. on. For more information, call 877-869-8891, or visit www.libationroom.com. … The Manhattan in the Desert in Palm Desert, at 74225 Highway 111, has apparently closed. The Palm Springs location, at 2665 E. Palm Canyon Drive, is still alive and kicking. … One of the most happening outdoor-dining spots in downtown Palm Springs has been temporarily closed for a “facelift.” The patio at Tropicale, at 244 E. Amado Road, was closed on July 9 for a remodel that “should take about three weeks,” although the indoor bar and dining room remains open during construction. Depending on how that goes, and when you’re reading this, it may have reopened already! Call 760-866-1952 with questions.

HOW DO YOU ZEN?

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A Free Pride Festival located in downtown Palm Springs

PRIDE WEEK

November 1-4, 2018

Pride like no place else! www.pspride.org CVIndependent.com

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After a member departs, The Bermuda abandons an album and continues on as a duo Fantasy Springs hosts guitar and rock great Peter Frampton After 11 years, Sunday Funeral has finally found a formula for success the lucky 13: Get to know a guitarist named Danny, and a guitarist/drummer named Dani

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A CAREER OF LEFT TURNS

Shooter Jennings plays two nights at Pappy and Harriet’s as he releases a ‘real country record’

24 photo by jimmy fontaine

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A CAREER OF LEFT TURNS S

By Brian Blueskye

hooter Jennings—the son of the late, great Waylon Jennings—is usually considered a country artist. However, his love of taking creative risks has allowed him to transcend country in some awesome ways. On Thursday and Friday, Aug. 9 and 10, he’ll enjoy a rare two-night stint at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace—coinciding with the release of his new album, Shooter, on Aug. 10. “This time around, I feel like we really set out to make a real country record,” Jennings said during a recent phone interview. “‘A Hank Jr. record’ is what we were kind of calling it, and we set out to make a record that was fun to listen to, Take the Ride, and he talked about how he and I feel like the most left-turn thing I could would retype Ernest Hemingway novels, have done was make a very country record, like the whole book, and he would learn his especially when everyone is doing experimental writing by doing that. Exploring these Giorgio records these days. For me, I set out to make arrangements and chord progressions, and a very boogie-woogie, a little Jerry Lee Lewis, adapting to them was a learning process. I a little Hank Williams Jr. kind of record. That became really obsessed with his solo records, was the spark, and we saw that through.” and I thought they were so unique and His previous album, Countach, was a tribute definitive of the time. to record producer and electronica pioneer “Doing that record was really fun, but after Giorgio Moroder, and included covers of some that was over, I didn’t want to go back and do of Moroder’s contributions to film soundtracks, something like that again. It made sense to do a including title song from The Neverending Story left turn and make a country record afterward. with Brandi Carlile, and the title song from Cat It felt like the rebellious thing to do.” People with Marilyn Manson. When I asked Jennings if he has ever felt “Every record is different. With the like he’s alienated his audience, he mentioned (Moroder) record, the idea was to explore Black Ribbons, a concept album that he released his music and expand it into a more-country in 2010, which included the voice of Stephen realm,” Jennings said. “I learned so much from King narrating between songs as a disc jockey doing that record. I watched this documentary after the U.S. government had taken control on Hunter S. Thompson called Buy the Ticket, of the airwaves. Many of the songs reference

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Shooter Jennings plays two nights at Pappy and Harriet’s as he releases a ‘real country record’

conspiracy theories. “At this point in time, I think it’s become expected. When we did Black Ribbons, that was the first big left turn,” Jennings said. “When we did that record, there were definitely some people at the moment who didn’t understand what we were doing. But over time, that record has given back to me more than any other record. I got the most out of the records that are the most experimental. I don’t feel like I’ve divided (my audience), but I’m sure there were people who were like, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ But now it’s like become a mainstay. Sturgill Simpson did A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, which is a very experimental record. … At the time, it might have been polarizing, but if I lost anyone, they were people who were not there for me in the first place. I never felt like there was a reason to believe it wasn’t OK to push the boundaries.” Jennings has collaborated with a long list of musicians from various genres—but one that sticks out is Billy Ray Cyrus; Jennings collaborated with him on a song called “Killing the Blues.” When I asked Jennings about it, he laughed. “I’ve known him over the years, and we did this series of shows in Los Angeles where it was me and a band, and we’d add a bunch of different singers to come in and play,” Jennings said. “I asked him to do that, and when he did that, I said, ‘We should go in the studio just for fun.’ I had been in love with that song, particularly John Prine’s version, for a really long time. He loved it, and it was like, ‘Why not?’ It was cool, and he let me steer with the two songs we did, and it was just fun. “He’s an incredibly talented singer. His personality has kind of overshadowed who he really is in a way, but he’s this crazy stylistic vocalist, kind of like Freddie Mercury or something. He does layer after layer of harmonies. He’d do them in all these different voices—like one that was a woman, and one that was like Sammy Hagar—and he had all these names for these different voices. It sounds like 10 different people singing, but it’s him changing his voice.” Jennings married his wife in Joshua Tree, and they are regular visitors to Pappy and Harriet’s. “I love it up there. It’s a special place to me. There’s kind of a mystical vibe to it,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of adventures in Joshua Tree, and it’s become me and my wife’s place to go and get away. I love playing Pappy and Harriet’s. When my wife and I go out there, we

go and eat at Pappy and Harriet’s.” I had to ask: What did Jennings think about the episodes regarding his father on Mike Judge’s new Cinemax animated series, Tales From the Tour Bus? “I didn’t know what to expect, especially after seeing the Johnny Paycheck episode, which was a little harsh,” he said. “I wondered what was going to happen, and I didn’t get too involved in it, because I was worried about the platform and whether it included people who had an ax to grind. But I think they did a really good job at the end of the day, and I think Mike Judge’s heart was in the right place. The Jerry Lee Lewis episode was fantastic, and it had some really cool stuff in it. You could tell (Judge) really loved country music, and you could tell he was trying to do something really cool and entertaining.” Shooter Jennings will perform at 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday, Aug. 9 and 10, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. Tickets for Friday’s show are sold out, but $25 tickets remained for Thursday’s show as of our press deadline. For more information, call 760-3655956, or visit www.pappyandharriets.com.

Shooter Jennings. Jimmy Fontaine

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HIP-HOP INTERRUPTED

After a member departs, The Bermuda abandons an album and continues on as a duo

By Brian Blueskye

ot long ago, hip-hop trio The Bermuda was getting ready to release a brand-new album. After the departure of one of the members, however, that album may never be released. Meanwhile, the two remaining members of The Bermuda—Ivy the Giant (Ivan Recendes) and the Madd Hatter (Taylor Bentz), who have been friends since childhood—are going back to the drawing board and continuing The Bermuda as a duo. During a recent interview in Cathedral City, Madd Hatter and Ivy the Giant talked about what happened. “We were working on a new album called pay for this album.’ It was fully understandable, Loading, and we started getting really frustrated given it was mixed and mastered. Then he hit during the whole process,” Ivy the Giant said. up Bunkz behind our backs, saying, ‘Hey, I’ll cut “Bunkz started hanging out with a different you a deal: I’ll cut their parts out, and it’ll be crew and slowly started distancing himself. He your album.’” never showed up to rehearse, never wanted At that point, the two remaining members of to go with us anywhere, and never wanted to The Bermuda decided not to pay for the album. meet up. We decided to work on our own thing, “We didn’t even trust it anymore, and the but keep the group intact. Our side project was majority of the beats on the album were done by going to be called the Madd Giants. We posted Bunkz, so it wouldn’t have worked out anyway,” a picture, because we were done slowing down. Ivy the Giant said. We needed to pick up our pace and get back up Bunkz confirmed the producer did extend on it. After a while, I gave Bunkz an ultimatum, that offer to him. and he said, ‘Consider me out.’” “What happened is that he suggested I Madd Hatter said Bunkz put the group in a remove their verses and drop the album with difficult spot. only my verses on it. And I kindly declined that “We’d just finished making this album,” Madd offer,” he wrote via email. Hatter said. “It was the best work the three of Despite all the bad, Ivy the Giant said us had done to date. Now, he’s leaving, and it’s something good has come out of the chaos. like, ‘What are we going to do?’ (Ivy) said, ‘OK, “We were so frustrated when we were let’s just not drop the album.’ We already figured recording that album with all the bullshit going at that point that it was done. We knew it was on in the studio, and after every studio session, coming sooner or later. there was something we didn’t like,” he said. “It “We just disappeared for a couple of months, was back and forth after a session, and now it’s and we were stuck on whether we keep The just two minds. We can go back forth, and we Bermuda name … or do we change our name to don’t have to worry about that third party. I feel the Madd Giants? After talking with our fans, like it’s better as it is now. We just wanted to they said, ‘No, keep the name going!’” start fresh, and that’s what we’re doing. Bunkz (Giancarlo Stagnaro) explained his “We’re working on a new EP called The Madd side of the story via e-mail. Giants Part 1. It’s going to drop in August, so “The friendship died, and I didn’t want to we’re excited for that.” kick it with them anymore,” Bunkz said. “I Both members of The Bermuda expressed wasn’t even planning on leaving the group up until I saw Madd Hatter post up a picture on Instagram of him and Ivy the Giant talking about ‘Cheers to new beginnings!’ So when I saw that, I said, ‘Fuck that, and fuck you guys; I’m out.’” There was also a major problem with the aforementioned album. “The reason why that album will never see the light of day is we had a third-party producer work on it, so he owns that album now,” Madd Hatter said. “Some shady things went on between us and him, and now we don’t want to pay for that album. When we announced the album wasn’t coming out, and Bunkz left, (the producer) texted us and said, ‘You still have to The Bermuda.

optimism about the future. “It feels good to be doing this music shit again—without any worries, and without any bad thoughts in the back of my mind while we’re performing,” Ivy the Giant said. “Now we know what we’re doing, and it feels good again, so we can continue.” Bunkz said he’s also found closure. “My new name is Jon Goat, and I’m dropping my first project called Bunkz Is DEAD soon,” he wrote. “I think I made the best decision of my life. I’m a better solo artist, and everyone agrees. I’m very versatile, and I can rap in Spanish and in English and on any beat—and not to talk shit, but they can’t do that.” The Bermuda performed at The Hood Bar and Pizza last year with local metal/hip-hop band Drop Mob. I asked if a rumored recording of the song they performed together exists and will ever come out. “For a while, we were super-hyped and into the rock/rap thing. Obviously, it’s in the future,” Madd Hatter said. “Drop Mob reminds me of Rage Against the Machine and early Cypress Hill. When I hear them, I hear that sound. We were always like, ‘We have to collaborate with these dudes.’ We did a few shows with them, and then we hit them up and said, ‘Hey, we need to do something together.’ We actually did a demo song together and performed it. It is still in the future, but we haven’t kept in touch with Drop Mob.” Said Ivy the Giant: “We’re still down to do a rock/rap collaboration. That was different, and we had never heard ourselves in something like that. It’s always cool to do that, and that was a lot of fun. But for right now, we’re focused on getting ourselves back where we need to be.” For more information on The Bermuda, visit www. facebook.com/therealbermuda.

The Blueskye REPORT August 2018 By Brian Blueskye

Brad Paisley

We’re past the halfway point of the hot season. Maybe. Hopefully. Whatever … at least there are some equally hot events to take in this August. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has a full list of August events. At 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 3, the son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason Bonham, will be performing his show Led Zeppelin Evening. I’ve read stories about Jason Bonham’s upbringing that are quite fascinating; apparently, when he was a child, his dad used to wake him in the middle of the night to play in late-night jam sessions. Tickets are $29 to $59. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18, the frontman of The Who, Roger Daltrey, will be stopping by. Daltrey has done well as a solo artist. I checked out some of the set lists from his solo appearances over the past year, and he’s been playing the entirety of The Who’s rock opera, Tommy. Tickets are $69 to $129. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 25, the legendary family of Motown R&B, The Jacksons, will be performing. I saw The Jacksons a while back at Fantasy Springs when they toured with The Commodores, and The Jacksons put on a pretty good show—although the Jackson 5 songs were relegated to a five-minute medley. Tickets are $39 to $79. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com. August is a great month for The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa. At 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 2, country-music superstar Brad Paisley will be performing. Paisley has sold millions of albums, won three Grammy Awards, and charted 24 No. 1 singles. Tickets are $160 to $200. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 4, enjoy stoner-comedy duo Cheech and Chong. I remember when I was about 13 years old, and Cinemax played a marathon of Cheech and Chong movies. That scene in the car at the beginning of Up and Smoke made me laugh until my sides hurt. Tickets are $40 to $60. If the names performing at The Show couldn’t get any bigger, prepare yourself: At 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 24, Steve Martin and Martin Short will offer up An Evening continued on Page 27 CVIndependent.com

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PETER’S PRINCIPLES By Brian Blueskye

eter Frampton’s 1976 double live album Frampton Comes Alive! sold 8 million copies in the United States and went on to become legendary. The struggles Frampton endured right after its release are just as legendary. His next album was a relative flop, which led to hard financial times. He starred in the epically terrible 1978 film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. That same year, he was in a near-fatal car accident. However, in the late 1980s, Frampton’s career began to rebound. In 2007, he won a Grammy in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Fingerprints, which has just been re-released on vinyl. He’ll be stopping by Fantasy Springs Resort few years before with the Pearl Jam people. I’m Casino on Friday, Aug. 31. getting chills right before I say this, but to be During a recent phone interview, Frampton doing ‘Black Hole Sun’ with the same drummer, said he liked the idea of the re-release of Matt Cameron, who played in Soundgarden, as Fingerprints. well as Pearl Jam—what a way to start!” he said. “We wanted to put it out on a limited-edition “Not only did we do that song, but we wrote vinyl,” Frampton said. “When that was brought one together in their warehouse rehearsal area, up, they said it would be a good idea to reissue which was amazing. It started at the top, and the CD as well. That came along as a plus, but everything else seemed to be just as exciting. the main intent was to just get it out on vinyl It was like doing an album for each track. It (after fans) had been shouting out for it.” took about a year to get around and do all these Fingerprints included some great things. Of course, reuniting Charlie Watts and collaborations with members of Soundgarden Bill Wyman—who I have both known since I and the Rolling Stones. was 14, and to actually have them on a session “I went to Seattle after having made friends a and write the tune that brought them back

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Fantasy Springs hosts guitar and rock great Peter Frampton

together again—it was phenomenal.” I told Frampton that when he had an acoustic guitar in his hand, it was evident that Django Reinhardt is one of his influences. He responded with a laugh. “He’s been with me my entire life, even though we lost him in 1953. My parents before, during and after the second World War were huge fans,” Frampton said. “That was something when we got our first record player. I was probably 8 or 9, and I wanted to get an album by The Shadows, and I got it, and my mom and dad bought Quintette du Hot Club de France. I hated it; I thought it was disgusting, and it was this jazzy stuff. I’m listening to stuff featuring Fender Stratocasters and Vox AC30s—the early beginnings of rock ’n’ roll. Every time I finished playing my Shadows album about four or five times, I’d go upstairs to play what I’d just heard, and then my mom would put on Quintette du Hot Club de France, and I couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. So, I’d gradually get up the stairs and hear a solo from Django, and I’d go, ‘What? That’s hard!’ Gradually, I’d stay in the room—and I was the guy putting on that album and not my parents. They were very happy about this. “He’s someone I still listen to, at least a track or two a day. I’m obsessed with his soul, the choice of notes and the way he could play a thousand notes a second.” Frampton was not the only artist who found wild success in the late 1970s—before enduring dry periods due to the changing musical landscape in the ’80s. “What happened in 1979 was the drum machine, and from then on, everyone was playing to a drum machine in the ’80s,” he said. “That’s why everything seems so sterile to me—but not everything; there were the Pretenders, who are still phenomenal to this day. (Drum machines) were very appealing, but we don’t have a drummer anymore, and it’s gone computerized. I got involved in it, too, but I think everything got a little too sterile and perfect. Bands weren’t playing in the studio anymore.” Frampton admitted there was a bigger issue at hand that led to his downfall, and joked about his appearance in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which last year was released on Blu-ray. “I think it was me—I think that was the reason it took so long to come back,” he said. “I had been working since I was 14 with my first semi-professional band, until I became 30. That’s when I took a bit of a break. I was exhausted and disillusioned by those people

around me who took a lot of my money that wasn’t theirs, and I went through going from the biggest-selling record of all time to a great fall. I made a couple of really bad mistakes, and I take full responsibility, but I was talked into things that weren’t good, and one of them just was re-released. They always get re-released! “I can’t offend the people that love it—and I don’t understand why they love it!” Frampton said, holding back laughter. He credits an old childhood friend for helping him resurrect his career. “David Bowie—or Dave Jones as I knew him, and who I went to school with—said in 1986, ‘I love what you did on your last record. Would you come play on my record?’ Finally, we get to play again together. The last time was on the steps of the school. When I was in Switzerland doing the album with him, he asked if I would play on the Glass Spider Tour. He showed me a huge picture of the stage, and I said, ‘Absolutely!’ What I didn’t realize at the time was how powerful it was. I thought, ‘It’s great to play with David on the same stage at the same time.’ But then I realized afterward that he was so clever: He knew what I was going through at the time, being a well-respected guitar-player and writer turned into a teeny-bopper pop star, and the guitar was kind of forgotten. What he gave me was a gift. He took me around the world twice in stadiums and reintroduced me as a musician and guitar-player, which changed my trajectory, and I’ve never been able to thank him enough. I still thank him.” Peter Frampton will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31, at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, in Indio. Tickets are $29 to $69. For tickets or more information, call 760-342-5000, or visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Peter Frampton.

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STICKING WITH IT After 11 years, Sunday Funeral has finally found a formula for success

By Brian Blueskye

hen I sat down with Sunday Funeral to discuss the band’s latest album, Hit ’Em Again, frontman Justin Ledesma chuckled when I mentioned the band’s history. Since being founded 11 years ago, Sunday Funeral has included a seemingly everrotating cast of local musicians with Ledesma. However, the band re-established itself two years ago after parting ways with former vocalist and guitarist Brian Frang. Ledesma has found solid ground, fronting the band with Andrea Taboada on bass and Grant Gruenberg on drums. The group’s once-shaky live performances are now solid, and the band has been nominated for awards by readers of both the Coachella Valley Independent and CV Weekly. and Justin helped with the structures of the During a recent interview in Palm Desert, songs.” the members discussed how Hit ’Em Again— The band has a newfound obsession with the first album to feature Taboada and Gruenberg—is a far cry from previous releases. the ’30s and ’40s. Ledesma has performed wearing a vintage military uniform; Sunday “I hope it goes to show that I put in a lot Funeral has done covers of ’30s and ’40s songs; of work,” Ledesma said. “That third record, even Ledesma’s microphone stand is inspired Rising of the Dead, I don’t know what the hell I by the era. The group sometimes performs was thinking. I was doing a lot of drugs. This with a rotating list of local female vocalists one, I spent a lot of time and put in the work, called “B Company,” who also wear military so I hope people can tell. I spent a lot of time uniforms. on each little section of the songs. I’m pretty “I liked Indiana Jones when I was a kid,” sure it comes across as far better than the last Ledesma said with a laugh. “I’ve always liked ones. On Rising of the Dead, for some reason, I 1930s and 1940s things like the movie Who started with the guitar and finished with the Framed Roger Rabbit and the movie Swing Kids. drums second, which was stupid! This time I’ve always liked that kind of culture and don’t around, it was Grant playing live, and Andrea really know why. Originally, I didn’t want to go recorded her parts separately.” full-on military when we would perform live Sunday Funeral did include three of the band’s older songs on the album as re-recorded with B Company. That first night, I thought, versions: “The Mirror,” “Deadly Kiss” and “Alloy ‘Maybe I’ll do some kind of soldier thing, too,’ and went, ‘Nah, that’s taking it too far.’ Stars.” The whole Hit ’Em Again thing really fits in. “The brand-new recordings of those songs The more I stopped holding back, the more it are nothing like they originally sounded like,” worked.” Gruenberg said. While Ledesma has endured hard times with Two of the songs on Hit ’Em Again were Sunday Funeral, he said he couldn’t be happier originally Taboada’s work. with where the band is now. “‘Battle Cry’ and ‘Who Knows’ are songs I “I’m happy I stuck with it—but there was wrote the bass lines for,” Taboada said. “We never a point where I wanted to give up,” he collaborated on writing the rest of the song, said. “I want to play music, and it’s just really neat that we struck upon something that people are really enjoying. I hope not to take it for granted, because there was a time when people used to think we weren’t that great. “I have our Coachella Valley Independent award hanging in two rooms of my house,” he said, referring to the band’s Best of Coachella Valley 2017-2018 staff pick as Best Re-Established Band. “It lifts my spirits when I look at it, and it means a lot to me. It’s really neat to be recognized for something you do. It feels really good.” Sunday Funeral.

The Blueskye REPORT You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life. Also performing: Steve Martin’s band, Steel Canyon Rangers, and keyboardist Jeff Babko. Tickets are $130 to $160. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com. Spotlight 29’s August brings some great Latin music—and another hot event. Need some pecs and abs in your life? Well, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 11, the worldfamous Chippendales will be performing. The Chippendales became part of the pop culture of the 1980s. A friend of mine recently mentioned that she dated a Chippendale during the ’80s who put himself through medical school thanks to his bare-chested performances. Tickets are $25 to $35. At 8 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 19, Argentinian sibling duo Pimpinela will be performing. Lucia and Joaquin Galan have become international superstars with their romantic musical pieces and are touring behind their musical show, Brothers, The True Story; expect a giant screen, dancers, choirs and a lot of other surprises. Tickets are $45 to $90. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com. There is a lot going on at Pappy and Harriet’s during the month of August (per usual). Be sure to check out the full schedule online (per usual). Here are but a few noteworthy events: At 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 11 indie-punk band Swearin’ will be stopping by. There’s been a lot of talk about this band since it released its first EP in 2012; since then, Swearin’ has dropped albums that have received critical acclaim, and has embarked on some popular tours. Tickets are $15. At 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18, psychedelic folk band Timber Timbre will take the stage. Timber Timbre has an interesting sound that

Swearin’

sounds at times like some of the mellower Marc Bolan songs. I was pretty amused when I heard their song “Run From Me” in the recent Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country, which is about Indian guru Osho and his Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon. Tickets are $16. At 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 30, the 14th Annual Campout will get under way. The Campout is an annual weekend event curated by Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery. As of our deadline, the entire list of performers had not yet been released, but you can expect to see Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven and the usual characters associated with both bands. Weekend passes for the three-day event are $125. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760365-5956; www.pappyandharriets.com. The Date Shed will be open for an event in August. At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31, reggae and R&B artist J Boog will be performing. Some of his best-known songs are “Let’s Do It Again,” “Sunshine Girl,” and “Good Cry.” Servant is also on the bill. Tickets are $20 to $25. The Date Shed, 50725 Monroe St., Indio; 760-7756699; www.facebook.com/dateshed.

For more information, visit www.sundayfuneral.com. CVIndependent.com

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MUSIC

Panic where he found his inspiration.

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the

LUCKY 13

Get to know a guitarist named Danny, and a guitarist/drummer named Dani By Brian Blueskye we did a show with in Los Angeles not long ago. Amazing harmonies! What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? It’s not up to me to “get” anyone’s music.

NAME Danny White GROUP The Flusters MORE INFO The Flusters have been busy playing shows in Los Angeles and San Diego, and preparing the band’s second EP; according to frontman Doug VanSant, the new music will drop in the fall. For more information, visit www.theflusters.com. In the meantime, we checked in with guitarist Danny White. What was the first concert you attended? KISS in Jackson, Miss. Skid Row and Ted Nugent opened. What was the first album you owed? Tom Petty’s Wildflowers or Huey Lewis and the News’ Sports. My mom used to put CDs in my Easter basket. I don’t remember which came first. What bands are you listening to right now? I’ve been on a Gary Clark kick for the past few weeks. I’ve also been inspired lately by a lot of deep funk. Mickey and the Soul Generation has been playing a lot; the Poets of Rhythm as well. I’ve been really enjoying Bird Concerns, a band

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What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Jimi Hendrix. What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? 1950s doo-wop. What’s your favorite music venue? Any (venue) that has a shower. If we are talking about to attend, I like dark, intimate venues. I’m not big on stadium and arena shows. What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head? “Kiss of mountain air we breathe; goodbye, it’s time to fly,” from “Surprise Valley,” Widespread Panic. What band or artist changed your life? Widespread Panic. It was my first love and a long one. I don’t listen a lot these days, but every now and then, I’ll stream a live show from the ’90s, and sit down for a listen. You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? I would probably ask John Bell of Widespread

What song would you like played at your funeral? I’m not gonna die. Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? If I had to choose, maybe I’d go with Little Creatures by the Talking Heads, just because there is never a bad time for that album. What song should everyone listen to right now? “Casual Sex” by Bird Concerns. NAME Dani Diggler GROUPS Gutter Candy, Sticky Doll, Van Vincent MORE INFO If you’ve seen Gutter Candy perform recently, you may have noticed a new yet familiar face behind the drums: Dani Diggler, also a member of Sticky Doll, and the guitarist and drummer for Van Vincent. That’s not all: Diggler is also a solo artist. Catch him in action with Gutter Candy on Friday, Aug. 3, at Gadi’s, in Yucca Valley. See him with Van Vincent on Friday, Aug. 10, at the Joshua Tree Saloon, in Joshua Tree. What was the first concert you attended? Aerosmith, 1993, in Costa Mesa. Jackyl was the opening act. It was a great show, and I remember most of it. What was the first album you owned? Too far back to recall, but I believe it was a cassette tape given to me by my aunt: Draw the Line by Aerosmith. (Aerosmith was) also my first favorite band.

think of a show that could be more legendary than that. What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? Tori Amos. She’s amazing. Most people can’t believe I’m into her. Why not? She’s amazing! What’s your favorite music venue? I’d have to say the Greek Theatre (in Los Angeles). Great place to see a show. What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head? “Death makes angels of us all, giving us wings where we had shoulders, smooth as ravens claws,” The Doors, “A Feast of Friends.” What band or artist changed your life? Again, The Doors. You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? Les Claypool: “How the hell do you do what you do on the bass so well?” Greatest bassist of all time. Period.

What bands are you listening to right now? I’m always listening to Tool, Primus and The Doors.

What song would you like played at your funeral? Two songs: From a band I was in years ago Chili Cow, “... And the Story Begins,” and an original I wrote, currently unreleased, “Death My Friend.”

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? Rap. It’s just not music at all.

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

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Without a doubt, it would be The Doors. I can’t

What song should everyone listen to right now? “Right in Two,” again by Tool. So accurate.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 29

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CANNABIS IN THE CV

NEW RULES O

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The state’s proposed new marijuana regulations are now open for public comment

BY CHARLES DRABKIN

n July 13, California’s three state cannabis-licensing authorities—the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the California Department of Public Health—announced the publication of proposed “non-emergency” regulations that would replace the rules under which the state’s marijuana industry has been operating. Voters passed Proposition 64 in November 2016, legalizing the sale and use of recreational cannabis in California as of Jan. 1, 2018—meaning there was only a little more than a year to create an entire state agency, licensing guidelines and regulatory processes. Given the size of this task—and the size of this state—it’s no surprise that California has gotten off to a bumpy start. High taxes, both on the state and local level, are a major problem. In Washington, Oregon and Colorado, marijuana consumers saw a drop in the price of cannabis for the recreational user as soon as the supply chain was able to catch up to demand—so much so, in fact, that the black and gray markets were largely put out of business. In California, this has not been the case. Because of both the incredibly high taxes on legal weed and the big production costs California’s state regulations have created, legal marijuana has remained expensive—so the illegal cannabis market has been able to maintain lower prices and, therefore, flourish. Non-licensed retailers have also thrived, providing customers with much lower prices than the licensed competition. (In some parts of the state, I have heard of regulators not realizing that a shop is unlicensed until they asked to see permits.) On the Bureau of Cannabis Control’s own Facebook page, the day the new regulations were announced, people were bragging and/or complaining that they have returned to the black market. Medical-marijuana patients are also suffering under these taxes, and many have had to return to the illegal market in order afford the medicine they need to control their very serious medical issues. Small growers who have been in the cannabis industry for decades have suffered

California’s proposed regulations would pave the way for state-funded medical research regarding marijuana’s benefits.

and been driven out of business because of the onerous regulations placed on them—and as of July 1, a number of dispensaries were stuck with inventory that was all of a sudden illegal for them to sell, because it did not meet state standards. Thankfully, it seems like Lori Ajax, the chief of the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), recognizes that there have been problems, and she seems to be interested in fixing them. The proposed regulations, which can be viewed at cannabis.ca.gov/ cannabis-regulations, are now open to a 45-day public-comment period. State law stipulates that the non-emergency regulations must be in place by the end of the year. I find some portions of the new regulations to be very encouraging. I am still in the process of digesting the information that the BCC wants to be able to award research funding. One of my biggest beefs with the medical-cannabis industry is its promotion of cannabis as a cureall for many ailments, when there are so few peer-reviewed studies regarding the medical benefits of marijuana. This is not necessarily the industry’s fault—federal law has essentially prohibited the use of marijuana for all purposes, including scientific ones—so the state’s possible foray into scientific-research funding is a step in the right direction. The new regulations also get rid of the necessity for establishments to have two sets of licenses; as of now, dispensaries need one for medical marijuana, and one for recreational adult use. With only a few differences in the requirements, it seems unnecessary to require businesses to apply for two types of licenses to sell the same product. I also find the proposed codification of enforcement to be encouraging. Under the emergency regulations, there was no significant list of grounds for disciplinary action, meaning each licensing authority had the ability to discipline on a case-by-case basis—a system that is open to abuses. The proposed regulations will create a framework for licensing authorities to

use when initiating or undertaking enforcement. Unfortunately, the BCC is proposing to keep in place its requirements around packaging. Retailers would still not be able to package product onsite, and would still be required to place cannabis products in a resealable childresistant opaque package before customers leave the store. This requirement has always seemed rather ridiculous: If the goal is to protect children, why do we not see these same sorts of requirements around tobacco and liquor? Given California’s push for a greener future, adding a new type of plastic waste feels counterproductive. While I believe the Legislature still needs to step in to make some legal changes to ensure California’s cannabis industry—particularly small and minority-owned businesses—can thrive, these new regulations are a start. Any interested party is encouraged to participate in the public-comment process—

although consider yourself warned that reading through the proposed rule changes is not an easy process. (The Initial Statement of Reasons from the BCC is 567 pages long!) Comments on the proposed regulations are being accepted in both writing (via email or snail mail) and at public hearings throughout the state; comments cannot be made by phone. The closest hearings will be held in Los Angeles and Riverside, so written comments may be a Coachella Valley resident’s best bet. Regarding BCC regulations, comments can be sent to bcc.comments@dca.ca.gov; in the subject line, type in the subject of the proposed regulation to which the comments apply. You can make your comment either in the body of the email or as an attached document. Physical mail can be sent to: Lori Ajax, Chief, Bureau of Cannabis Control, P.O. Box 419106, Rancho Cordova, CA, 95741. All information submitted becomes public information—so don’t include anything you want to remain confidential.

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OPINION SAVAGE LOVE

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DEFINITION OF ‘SUCCESSFUL’ BY DAN SAVAGE

’m a 20-year-old submissive woman. I’m currently in a confusing affair with a 50-year-old dominant married man. He lives in Europe and has two kids close to my age. We met online when I was 17 and starting to explore my BDSM desires—out of the reach of my overbearing, sex-shaming, disastrously religious parents—and we’ve been texting daily ever since. We’ve since met in different countries and spent a total of three weeks together. Those weeks were amazing, both sexually and emotionally, and he says he loves me. (Some will assume, because of the age difference, that he “groomed” me. He did not.) I date vanilla boys my age, with his full support, while we continue to text daily. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to blow up his family if (or when) our affair is discovered. But at the same time, our relationship has really helped me navigate my kinks and my sexuality. Expecting him to leave his wife for me is a highly unrealistic cliché, I am aware. Yet I fear I’ve become dependent on his conversation and advice. I’m graduating soon and have a big job lined up in a big city. I’ll finally be financially independent, and I’d like to start making the right choices. Any perspective you have would be appreciated. Things Must Improve He is not going to leave his wife for you, and you shouldn’t assume his wife is going to leave him if (or when) this affair is discovered (or exposed). Divorce may be the default setting in the United States in the wake of an affair, TMI, but Europeans take a much more … well, European attitude toward infidelity. Definitely not cricket, not necessarily fatal.

And you don’t need him to leave his wife for you, TMI. OK, OK—you’re in love, and the three weeks you’ve managed to spend together were amazing. But don’t fall into the trap of believing a romantic relationship requires a tidy ending; film, television and literature beat it into our heads that romantic relationships end either happily at the altar (à la Pride and Prejudice) or tragically at the morgue (à la Forensic Files). But romantic relationships take many forms, TMI, as does romantic success. And this relationship, such as it is, this relationship as-is, sounds like an ongoing success. In other words, TMI, I think you’re confused about this relationship because there won’t be a resolution that fits into a familiar mold. But you don’t need a resolution: You can continue to text with him, and he can continue to provide you with his advice and support while you continue to date single, available and kinky men (no more

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I’m a submissive woman, 20, in love with a 50-year-old married man; what should I do?

vanilla boys!) closer to your own age and/or on your own continent. Eventually, you’ll meet a new guy you’re crazy about—someone you can see for more than one week a year—and you’ll feel less dependent on and connected to your old flame. While on vacation, I went for a full body massage. The first half of the massage—me on my stomach—was great. When the masseuse asked me to flip on my back, things took a turn. She uncovered one of my legs and began massaging my thigh. As she worked on my inner thigh, her finger grazed my scrotum. Then it happened again. And again. She was working on my thigh, but it felt like I was getting my balls caressed. I began to worry I was getting a visible erection. Then I started to panic when I felt like I might actually come. (I have always had issues with premature ejaculation.) I tried hard to clamp down and think about baseball and senior citizens, but I wound up having an orgasm. She eventually moved to my arms, shoulders, etc., but meanwhile, I’m lying there with jizz cooling on myself. Am I guilty of #metoo bad behavior? Should I have said something or asked her to stop? Is it possible she didn’t have any clue? (My penis was never uncovered, and I didn’t create an obvious wet spot on the sheet.) I tipped her extra, just in case she was mortified, though I didn’t get the sense she was, because nothing changed after I came in terms of her massaging me. (She didn’t hurry away from my legs or rush to finish my massage.) I still feel really weird about the whole thing. I get massages frequently; this has never happened before. Lost Opportunity At De-escalation If it all went down as you described, LOAD, you aren’t guilty of “#metoo bad behavior.” It’s not uncommon for people to become unintentionally aroused during a nonerotic massage; it’s more noticeable when it happens to men, of course, but it happens to women, too. “Erections do happen,” a masseuse told me when I ran your letter past her. “So long as guys don’t suddenly ask for a ‘happy ending,’ expose themselves, or—God help me—attempt to take my hand and place it on their erection, they haven’t done anything wrong.” Since this hasn’t happened to you before, LOAD, I don’t think you should waste too much time worrying about it happening again. But if you’re concerned this one massage created a powerful erotic association, and you’re likely to blow a load the next time a masseuse so much as looks at one of your thighs, go ahead and have a quick wank before your appointment.

Living my truth permits others in my fairly conservative circles—Christian family struggling to accept a gay son, colleagues in a traditionally masculine field—to accept gay/other/different folks. I identify as a bottom, and until recently, I thought I had erectile dysfunction, because I would literally go soft at the thought of topping another man. I should mention that I’m black in the Pacific Northwest, so there is this odd “BBC” fixation and an expectation from many guys that I will top. But I recently noticed an attraction to married guys—specifically, submissive bottom masculine/ muscular married guys who like to wear lingerie. I met a few and became this dominant guy who fit the stereotype most guys expect when they see me online or in person. Now I’m very confused. I tried topping recently, because a married guy begged me to. He said, “You’ll never know if you like it until you try it!” Which is the same thing my traditional uncles have said to me about women. I don’t think it is possible to turn straight, but I didn’t think I was a top until a few weeks ago. So am I capable of turning straight? I’m repulsed by vaginas but fascinated by boobs. Have you seen/ heard of things like this? Praying The Straight Away If you’re a regular reader, PTSA, you’ve seen letters in this space from straight-identified guys into cock. Many of these guys have described themselves as being fascinated by cock but repulsed by men; some of these guys seek out sex with trans women who’ve kept their dicks. Your thing for hot guys in lingerie and your thing for boobs might be the gay flip of this erotic script—boobs fascinate you, but you’re not into the genitalia most women have. Muscular guys in lingerie turn you on—and it’s possible you might enjoy being with a trans woman who got boobs but kept her dick. All that said, PTSA, discovering after years of bottoming that you enjoy topping certain types of men—masculine/muscular married guys who beg for your dick while wearing lingerie—doesn’t mean you’re “capable” of turning straight. Going from bottom to versatile isn’t the same thing as going from men to women. And being fascinated by a body part that typically comes attached to people, i.e., women, who fall outside your usual “erotic target interest” isn’t a sign that your uncles were right all along. You aren’t potentially straight—you’re gay and a little more complicated than you realized. Read Savage Love every Wednesday at CVIndependent.com. mail@savagelove.net; @ fakedansavage on Twitter; ITMFA.org.

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AUGUST 2018

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

“Urban Sprawl”—this town needs more room! Across 1 Childhood illness with swollen glands 6 Goes on and on 11 Some NFL All-Pros 14 Actor Ulrich 15 Tibet’s neighbor 16 Questionable Twitter poster, perhaps 17 They read a lot of stories out loud 19 Historical division 20 French vineyard classification 21 Feeling not-so-great 22 Be blustery 23 Ruler who lost her head in 1793 28 St. crosser 29 Cone or Cat preceder 30 Ripken of the Orioles 31 Stamp for an incoming pkg. 33 Football broadcaster Collinsworth 36 Purplish flower 40 Food and wine publication that went completely online in 2009

43 Cosmetician Lauder 44 Orange-roofed chain, familiarly 45 Nefarious 46 Genesis craft 48 “You’ve Got Mail” company 50 Addams Family cousin 51 Phrase often seen after a married or professional name 57 Passable 58 Battery option 59 Nest egg, initially 60 Cleveland player, for short 61 Got out, or followed the same path as the theme answers? 66 Gibbon, for one 67 Tooth type 68 Spine-tingling 69 Pot top 70 Goes after flies 71 Bottom-of-the-bottle stuff Down 1 Web portal with a butterfly logo 2 Plucked instrument 3 “Give me some kitten food”

4 Joe of Home Alone 5 Long looks 6 Party org. gathering last held in 2016 in Philadelphia 7 Take another swing at 8 Speed skater ___ Anton Ohno 9 Flavor for some knots? 10 Mercedes roadsters 11 Orange character from the ’80s who appears in Wreck-It Ralph 12 Sacha Baron Cohen character 13 Music festival area 18 Subtle meaning 22 English-speaking country of Central America 23 Selma’s sister 24 Some Chevy hatchbacks 25 Director’s option 26 Part of WNW 27 The Lion King heroine 32 Fanciful 34 “As I see it,” in a text 35 He co-hosts America’s Game 37 Bon Jovi’s “___ on a Prayer”

38 Novelist Loos 39 Boston team, briefly 41 Paltry 42 Any of the kids searching for OneEyed Willy in a 1985 flick 47 Onetime capital of Poland 49 Domineered, with “over” 51 Like the main point 52 Giraffe relative with striped legs 53 Was delirious 54 Undefeated boxer Ali 55 Pester with barks 56 Word after smart or mineral 61 Text type 62 7, on a rotary phone 63 Cinnabar, e.g. 64 Costume shop purchase 65 Castlevania platform ©2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

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AUGUST 2018

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