Coachella Valley Independent December 2017 by Coachella Valley Independent

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT | DECEMBER 2017

VOL. 5 | NO. 12

THE RESULTS ARE IN! STARTING ON PAGE 14

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DECEMBER 2017

Colors of Christmas 25th Anniversary Tour Starring Peabo Bryson, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., Ruben Studdard and Jody Watley Fri, December 8, 8pm Presented through the generosity of Milt & Areta McKenzie

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

DECEMBER 2017

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

Welcome to the fourth annual Best of Coachella Valley edition of the Coachella Valley Independent. This issue marks the culmination of a process that started back in August, when Round One voting began. We asked you, our readers, to tell us what your area favorites are, via an open ballot—with no pre-selected finalists or recommendations. We compiled all of those results to determine the slate of Best of Coachella Valley finalists, and then launched the Final Round of voting. You’re now holding in your hands the final results. Editor/Publisher I’d like to thank Brian Blueskye, Mark Jimmy Boegle Duebner and Robyn Tanzer, all of whom put a lot of work into this issue—and all of us at the Independent would like to thank Assistant Editor you, the readers, for taking the time to Brian Blueskye vote in the Best of Coachella Valley. Other local publications also do “Best Advertising sales Of” readers’ polls … but these Best of Robyn Tanzer Coachella Valley results, while certainly far from perfect, offer a truer sense of coveR and feature design what is really the best of the Coachella Valley. Why? We ask readers to vote only Mark Duebner Design once per round—as opposed to some of these other publications’ polls, which Contributors encourage readers to vote multiple times. Stephen Berger, Max Cannon, Kevin While allowing people to vote multiple Carlow, Jeff Clarkson, Cory Courtney, times brings those publications’ websites Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Kevin more traffic, it also makes those polls Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Kevin Gibson, more susceptible to skewed results. We Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Michael here at the Independent would rather have a truer, more accurate slate of winners Grimm, Dwight Hendricks, Valerieand finalists than a temporary bump in Jean (VJ) Hume, Brane Jevric, Patrick website traffic. Johnson, Keith Knight, Dan Perkins, I hope you’ll join us at The Hood Bar and Guillermo Prieto, Laurel Rosenhall, Pizza (the Best Dive Bar winner!), at 74360 Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Robert Highway 111, in Palm Desert, on Friday, Victor, Baynard Woods Dec. 15, for annual Best of Coachella Valley Awards Show and Party. We’ll start The Coachella Valley Independent the awards at 6:30 p.m. sharp; all of the winners who are there will be invited up to print edition is published every month. accept their awards and say a few words. All content is ©2017 and may not be After the awards, your pick for Best Local published or reprinted in any form Band, The Flusters, will take the stage. without the written permission of the The Hood and the Independent will then publisher. The Independent is available continue the great music, with sets from free of charge throughout the Coachella Black Water Gospel, Sunday Funeral and Valley, limited to one copy per reader. Herbert. It’ll truly be a great night as we gather to celebrate the best the Coachella Additional copies may be purchased Valley has to offer. for $1 by calling (760) 904-4208. The As for this December 2017 print edition Independent may be distributed only by of the Coachella Valley Independent … not the Independent’s authorized distributors. only does it include Best of Coachella Valley results; it also includes all of the The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, CalMatters, Get great local journalism that the Independent Tested Coachella Valley, the Local Independent Online always brings you—every month in print, News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, the LGBT and daily at CVIndependent.com. Community Center of the Desert, and the Desert Ad Fed. As always, thanks for reading; if you have any comments or questions, don’t hesitate to send me a note to the email address below. —Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com CVIndependent.com

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DECEMBER 2017

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

DECEMBER 2017

OPINION OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS C

BY ANITA RUFUS

athedral City’s Lynne O’Neill has been in the Coachella Valley for only a year and a half—but in that small amount of time, she has already made a large difference. Born in New York, the middle child in a family with four brothers, O’Neill moved here from New Jersey, where she practiced family law. A graduate of Springfield College in rehabilitative counseling, she also had a stint with an all-girl band, Lilith. O’Neill, 63, came out as gay two years after the Stonewall riots in 1969. “I spent the 1970s driving around talking about politics,” she says. “Then I was in an auto accident and broke my back. I knew I would never be a rock star. My dad was a lawyer, and he wanted me to go into law. I was third in my class in my first year and became editor of the law review. I was lucky enough to get An associate of her father got her into a clerkship with the appellate division and family law, working on properties and spent my time writing appellate briefs.” licenses. “In my 30s, I thought maybe I wanted to try cases,” she says. “When the AIDS epidemic hit, I was no longer interested in who gets the refrigerator when couples split. I shifted my focus to doing pro bono disability advice and guardianship issues. I focused a lot on women with AIDS and issues regarding their children, and what would happen after their death. “People forget that around that time, there were real concerns about things like housing, burial rights and even getting served in a restaurant. I was involved with legal groups working to help with everything relating to those with AIDS. Professionally and personally, in the mosaic of activism, it’s great to march in the street—but how do you really make a difference?” What brought O’Neill to the desert? “It was winter, and I had slipped and was lying in the snow with broken ribs,” she says. “I thought about my friend Joy Silver and the life she was living here. I just thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ “I came here to retire, play canasta and go swimming. But after this last election, with all the hate rhetoric against the Latino community, I remembered why I became a lawyer. I wanted to take my skills and training and translate them into doing something with meaning.” It was in the post-election malaise that Courageous Resistance: Palm Springs and Other Desert Cities was born. The group initially focused on why it is important for each city in the valley to declare itself a Lynne O’Neill: “After this last election, with all sanctuary city. the hate rhetoric against the Latino community, “The whole idea of sanctuary cities is so I remembered why I became a lawyer. I wanted misunderstood,” says O’Neill. “It’s based on to take my skills and training and translate them into doing something with meaning.” something the late Justice Scalia said: You

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

After moving to Cathedral City to retire, Lynne O’Neill became part of some ‘Courageous Resistance’

cannot commandeer local law enforcement to enforce a federal mandate. Background checks regarding immigration status is a federal mandate. “Government and empowerment work from the ground up, so we began Courageous Resistance to provide a jurisdictional blueprint of what the powers of the federal government are, and how state and local law enforcement should relate to those powers. We started with 17 people, and we now have over 1,700.” The group mobilizes local activists to meet with politicians, in person, to make a difference in local policy. “One victory builds upon the next,” says O’Neill. “We need to shake up these local fiefdoms. We need to mentor new activists on how to get things done and

what questions to ask of elected officials. We can influence local ordinances that make a difference in real people’s lives.” O’Neill and the group are initially focusing on immigration issues and the goal of universal health care. “Our goal is to get people involved and empowered,” says O’Neill, who is now working on her friend Joy Silver’s political campaign for the District 28 state Senate seat. Her advice to others? “Do something!” Anita Rufus is also known as “The Lovable Liberal,” and her radio show airs Sundays at noon on KNews Radio 94.3 FM. Email her at Anita@LovableLiberal.com. Know Your Neighbors appears every other Wednesday at CVIndependent.com.

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DECEMBER 2017

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

DECEMBER 2017

NEWS A LIFELINE FOR SENIORS A

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

Mizell and its Meals on Wheels program serve 170,000 meals a year—but funding is always a challenge

By kevin fitzgerald

s the turbulent year of 2017 churns toward its conclusion, you may be looking for a place to grab a dose of the Christmas spirit. I found a place—the Mizell Senior Center in Palm Springs, which administers the Meals on Wheels program for the Coachella Valley. “We just put our Christmas ‘giving tree’ up,” said Ginny Foat, the executive director of the center. “Our Meals on Wheels drivers—who are professionally trained full-time employees and not volunteers—come back from their routes and give us the names of clients who are just really poor. We sent each of those poorest clients a flier asking them what they wanted for the holidays. When they send us their wish list, we attach them to ornaments which we hang on the ‘giving tree.’ Then, people voluntarily come and pick an ornament and go out and buy specifically for that one person. The kind of lists we get are for books, stationery, electric razors, socks, slippers or new blankets. We never get lists asking for perfume, jewelry and computers. It’s really heartwarming to see all these people voluntarily come take the ornaments off the tree, and then come back with all these wrapped presents that we deliver to client homes on Christmas Eve. “Another thing we do is deliver holiday bags to every single one of our clients that are filled with items donated by the community,” Foat said. “In the beginning of December, we collect toiletries, socks and other essentials, and then we deliver a huge bag of stuff to each client right before Christmas.” To the staff of 23 people who enable the Mizell Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program and provide year-round nutritional support to the neediest seniors living throughout much of Riverside County, generosity of spirit and acts of caring are a way of life every day. “Our nutritional program has two initiatives: the congregate sites where people come in and have lunch together at different sites that we handle, and then we have the home delivery (via Meals on Wheels),” said Laura Castillo, the director of nutrition and operational services. “… Through Meals on Wheels, we deliver some 465 meals per day. Both the congregate sites and our homedelivery clients range from Whitewater to the west, and all the way east to North Shore, Mecca, Thermal, Coachella and Indio, as well as Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, (other area cities) and two senior communities in Palm Springs, along with our Mizell Center here. Also, we’ll probably start serving Palm Desert’s Joslyn Center at the beginning of our next fiscal year (July 1, 2018).” Along with these primary responsibilities, the Meals on Wheels team does other things that aren’t necessarily in the job description.

“Sometimes, our delivery drivers are the only person who our clients will see in the whole day,” Castillo said. “That’s part of what makes this program so great. Yes, it gets hectic and frustrating when there’s not enough of this or that, but the support this program gets from the Mizell Senior Center itself is huge. It’s become such a great community.” The requirements set by Riverside County for participants to qualify for Meals on Wheels service are strict. “You have to have no one in the house who can cook or go to the grocery store,” Foat said. “You need to have no means of transportation.” Whether or not a client can qualify for Meals on Wheels, the center’s staff is always looking for ways to improve every senior’s life. “If a client can find a way to come into the center to get their meals, we encourage it, because they’ll make friends and have a motive to come out of their homes,” Castillo said. “I had a client two years ago who didn’t want to leave his house. I told his kids, ‘He’s mobile, and you need to get him to come to the center.’ So finally, his kids got him to come. Then, six months later, I hadn’t seen him for awhile, so I called the family, and they told me that he was in Oregon. When he came back at the end of the summer, I found out that he had married one of our other clients who he met here at the center. That was so cute. So, it’s a social program. It really is.” All these good works require a lot of funds—funds that aren’t always readily available. “Right now, we’re under-budgeted (for the volume of service we provide),” Castillo said. Foat said Mizell’s Meals on Wheels program never lets any eligible senior go hungry. “One of the things I think is so unique about our program is that we serve one-third of the (Meals on Wheels) in Riverside County, but we are the only purveyor for the county that does not have a waiting list,” Foat said. “Others start a waiting list each year when the county

Your Support of D.A.P. Creates a Healthier Community Your donations of clothing, furniture, small goods, and home décor help Desert AIDS Project to provide our community with needed medical, dental, counseling, and social support services including nutrition housing, and much more. Desert AIDS Project has received a 5-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 5 years in a row — a distinction Joaquin Martinez, the Meals on Wheels outreachts program coordinator, gets set to deliver to the Desert Hot only 6% of all non-profi receive. Springs route. KEVIN FITZGERALD

to Revivals. funds runDonate out, but weitfund-raise. This is a hard money to pay for,” Foat said. “But it’s so thing to do, but our board has decided that community. important, since a lot of the clients that we Help create a healthier food is the most important thing for anyone, deliver to are so dependent on that meal. since without food, you can’t exist. You can’t Without it, they would not be eating. do anything. So we’ve committed to never “Also, another good part of our program is having a waiting list, and we have to fund-raise that we deliver pet food to seniors who have our Animal constantly to support this ideal.” pets. We partner with theVisit Palm Springs The Riverside County contract supplies Shelter pet-food bank, and twice a NEWmonth, the center with not quite 80 percent of we deliver either cat or dog food, because Palm Desert the funding required. That means Mizell’s we found that sometimes, our seniors’ only location! staff and board need to raise the money to companion is their pet.” subsidize 20-plus percent of the total—or the To donate money to the Mizell Senior cost of roughly 34,000 meals, plus the cost of Center and its Meals on Wheels program, visit 20,000 extra meals that are not subsidized by www.mizell.org, or drop off a check at the the county. center, at 480 S. Sunrise Way, in Palm Springs. “This year, because the county funds Cathedral were To donate goods for holiday gift bags Palm Springs CityessentialPalm Desert much reduced, we’ll probably be looking at or participate in the “giving tree” effort, simply 611 S. Palm 111by the center.72-885 Hwy. 111 50,000 meals that we’llCanyon have toDr. raise the68-401 Hwy. stop CVIndependent.com

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DECEMBER 2017

NEWS A CHAT WITH A DREAMER I

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

Hugo Chavez, of local band Sleeping Habits, says the repeal of DACA means a return to living in fear

By brian blueskye

n 2001, the DREAM Act was introduced in Congress. If passed into law, the DREAM Act would grant legal status to undocumented children who were brought to and educated in the United States. Sixteen years later, the act has never been passed. DREAMers, the young men and women who would be affected by the law, received some help in 2012 when the Obama administration enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy—but in September, the Trump administration announced it was repealing the program. (See “A Nightmare for Dreamers,” Oct. 19, at CVIndependent.com.) As a result, Hugo Chavez, of Desert Hot Springs, fears for his future. Chavez is well-known in the Coachella Valley music community. He’s the drummer for local band Sleeping Habits (formerly The BrosQuitos), and is one of the many DREAMers across the country who hope to become a legal resident or citizen someday. “I was brought here from Mexico when I was less than a year old,” Chavez said during a recent interview. “It’s something that has always affected my life in some way or another. It’s hard to explain, because when you’re not in that situation, you are very unaware of how it really is. You have what you want, but you can’t really do anything. “(DACA) helped out a lot. As a musician, the fear of crossing somewhere or playing somewhere like San Diego—it wasn’t a possibility. You can’t go somewhere like San Diego over the fear of being deported, and (DACA) took that fear away. … It’s like being trapped in a golden cage: You’re where you want to be, but you can’t really do anything.” Chavez said he lives in Desert Hot Springs for a reason. “I’ve stayed here in Desert Hot Springs my whole life, because it’s more of a safe haven than anything else,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about Border Patrol coming through here, especially for our families. … It’s a safe haven for them, and they don’t have to worry so much about hiding or going to the local grocery store.” Chavez said he really started to understand the gravity of his situation when he was in high school. “You see your friends when they turn 16 going to get their licenses and doing the typical American teenager stuff, and you’re always questioning, ‘Why am I not doing that?’ or, ‘Why can’t I do that?’” he said. “Then it all hits you that you can’t get a license or even an ID card because of your status. It sucks, because I had opportunities to take trips with the marching band or do other extracurricular activities that I couldn’t do.” Chavez’s parents—like the parents of many CVIndependent.com

DREAMers—came to the United States in search of the American dream. “It’s the same story that anyone would tell you: It’s the pursuit of a better life,” he said. “When you’re living in Mexico, some people work all week to make 100 pesos, and that’s not even $10 in the United States. They can’t survive, making so little money. Parents want their kids to go to college; they want something bigger for them, or at least some opportunity for their children to pursue a dream. That’s why my mom and dad have to do what they do.” When we discussed the arguments people opposed to the DREAM Act often make, Chavez said the opponents oversimplify things. People like to say, ‘If you don’t like your country, you should fix it.’ But it’s not that easy,” he said. “People can vote and start as many petitions as they can in this country, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to change anything. It’s the same thing there. People can speak out, but when you have a government that controls the people as well as they do there, there’s not much you can say or do without fear of repercussions.” Chavez’s family has been trying to get legal status for several years. “It’s something people are really misguided about. A lot of people just say, ‘Go get your citizenship!’ It’s not like I can walk into an office and pay to get my citizenship. It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “My family has been in the process of getting our citizenship and visas for over 10-plus years. We’ve supposedly been approved, but there’s no actual date to go and do our fingerprints or anything like that. … It’s not simple at all, and you have to go through so many background checks, and they check your health, your status, where you work, and everything before you’re approved. It’s not something that takes 10 minutes, like it’s in and out at the DMV. … If it were so easy, this wouldn’t be such a big deal.” Despite his legal status, Chavez said he wants

Sleeping Habits drummer Hugo Chavez: “A lot of people just say, ‘Go get your citizenship!’ It’s not like I can walk into an office and pay to get my citizenship. It doesn’t work like that.”

to pursue as many of his dreams as he can. “Now that I have (DACA), it allowed me to get my license, get my ID, and get everything that I needed in order to make that next step into getting citizenship,” he said. “The fear of going somewhere is not there anymore. I can freely go to the courthouse or go somewhere to pay a fee knowing that I’m going to make it home that same night. It’s a liberating feeling. “Having the option to go to college and do anything that I want to do is something I don’t take for granted. Some people live in this country and have all these opportunities by birthright, and then they blame society for all the things they haven’t done. I’d rather fight

for what I got and work my way up.” I asked Chavez what the repeal of DACA, without a replacement by Congress, would mean for him. “The basic fear is the fear of having to go back into hiding—the fear of not being accepted in general,” he said. “I have nothing different than my fellow band members or my friends in college; I’m just the same as a person as they are. The fear of having to dwell back and not be able to do the things I do now—it’d be a step in the wrong direction, especially for people like me who have so much to offer, and so much to do, and (our legal status) is the only thing holding us back.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

DECEMBER 2017

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

A BAFFLING BUDGET I

By brane jevric

t’s official: Palm Springs now has the highest sales tax in Riverside County. Thanks to newly approved Measure D, the rate will be 9.25 percent. The half-cent sales-tax hike will bring in an extra $6.7 million annually, according to estimates. Voters in November also approved Measure E, a new tax on recreational marijuana. These new revenues will be coming into city coffers along with, among other revenue sources, funds from Measure J, the one-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2011. Measure J has indirectly led to a lot of bad publicity for the city—because some of those funds were and are being used for the now-coming-to-fruition downtown redevelopment project that was embroiled in the shady revenue funds. “I had to look that up,” he said. dealings that led to the arrest of developer Why are there so many funds—totaling an John Wessman and former Mayor Steve amount more than the general fund? Pougnet on bribery charges. “Unlike most cities in the valley, Palm With an entirely new City Council taking Springs has an airport, a sewer treatment office over the last two years, it’s worth plant, a convention center, etc.,” Roberts said. taking a look at those Measure J funds, as Of course, having so many separate funds well as the whole city budget—a budget raises questions about transparency and fiscal that is, according to many observers, not so responsibility. Roberts responded that city’s transparent and very hard to understand. website OpenGov website (palmspringsca. Palm Springs, with 47,000 residents (and opengov.com/transparency) is easy to a lot of visiting tourists), has a general-fund navigate. He also pointed out that Measure J budget of $110,130,162 for the fiscal year funds are under the strict supervision of its 2017-18. However, the city’s various special oversight committee. funds actually total more than the general “Once the Measure J oversight committee fund—bringing the total fiscal-year budget to has made its recommendations, the money $229,966,656, an amount confirmed by City is moved to the various projects that were Attorney Edward Kotkin, although he added decided upon,” he said. that the amount has yet to be audited. However … if everything concerning the Figuring out what’s going on with all of city’s use of Measure J funds is clearly posted these special funds is nigh impossible. I spent on the city website, how did the fund end several weeks trying to get information from up getting FBI attention, including a raid at the city’s director of finance and treasurer, City Hall? Robert Stone, a self-proclaimed Geoffrey Kiehl. After not getting a response, I FBI informant and constant city-government reached out to Councilman J.R. Roberts. critic who unsuccessfully ran for the City Roberts said there are 64 separate special Council this year, said one of the problems is

Regarding transparency and an impending financial crisis, the Palm Springs City Council has a lot to do

that the public is only able to find out how the funds were spent after the fact. “The Measure J funds are controlled by the city manager and the council, with recommendations from the Measure J Committee,” Stone said. “The reasons behind who gets what are not always clear, and disbursements are pretty much at the discretion of the city manager for smaller disbursements, and council for the larger disbursements. “We only find out how the funds have been administered at the end of the fiscal year,” Stone said. “We never know in advance where the Measure J money is going. We only find out as the transfers are made.” As for the new Measure D funds: In their pitch to voters, city officials claimed the funds would help the city maintain essential city services, such as public safety. However, it’s unclear what the city will do to handle its huge long-term pension obligations. “Measure D does nothing to address the ongoing $220 million unfunded pension and

health care liability of the city,” Stone said, claiming that the burden from pension and health-care liabilities will bring the city to its knees if it does not fundamentally change the way it does business. One common complaint about the city budget: generous salaries. In recent years, Palm Springs City Manager David Ready has been the Coachella Valley’s highest-paid public official, with salary and benefits totaling more than $420,000. However, the problem extends well beyond Ready: According to TransparentCalifornia.com, 68 city of Palm Springs employees earned more than $200,000 in pay and benefits in 2016—and when these employees retire, they’ll be in line for huge pensions. Councilman Roberts confirmed that former Palm Springs Police Chief Al Franz, who retired in December 2015, is receiving a pension of $189,083 per year. In other words … when it comes to transparency and getting the city budget under control, the all-new Palm Springs City Council has a lot of work to do.

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DECEMBER 2017

NEWS TWO SETS OF STANDARDS By laurel rosenhall, calmatters

ith a declaration that “public servants best serve the citizenry when they can be candid and honest without reservation in conducting the people’s business,” lawmakers passed the California Whistleblower Protection Act in 1999. The idea was to protect workers who report misconduct, so that they can blow the whistle on bad actors without losing their jobs. The bill at that time covered workers at state agencies and California’s two public university systems. Lawmakers expanded it in 2010 to cover employees of the state’s courts. But one group of California government workers has never had whistleblower protection under the law: those who work for the lawmakers themselves. It’s an example of how the Legislature sometimes imposes laws on other people that it doesn’t adhere to itself. “Lawmakers make laws that affect all of us, including them, and they are softening the blow of regulations for themselves,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School who chairs the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. “It feels like double talk.” The Legislature’s exemption from the Whistleblower Protection Act has garnered attention in recent weeks, as a groundswell of women complaining of pervasive sexual harassment in the state Capitol have publicly called for such protections for legislative employees. But the whistleblower act isn’t the only area of the law in which the Legislature has demonstrated a “do as I say, not as I do” mentality: Public records: Want to know whom government officials are meeting with, talking to or emailing? Or how officials were disciplined after an investigation found them culpable of wrongdoing? State agencies and local governments must release such information—calendars, emails and disciplinary records—under the California Public Records Act, which the Legislature created in 1968. But the same information is nearly impossible to get from state lawmakers, because the Public Records Act does not apply to the Legislature. Instead, lawmakers are covered by the Legislative Open Records Act, which they passed in 1975 in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The act that applies to them is riddled with exceptions, effectively keeping secret many documents that other branches of government must disclose. “The Legislature has created in many areas a black box where the public can’t see records it would be entitled to see if the public officials at issue weren’t in the Legislature,” said David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, a nonprofit organization advocating government transparency. CVIndependent.com

The Legislature’s open-records law allows it to withhold investigations of wrongdoing, even when they led to disciplinary action. It also keeps secret correspondence by lawmakers and their staff, as well as officials’ calendars. The Legislature even refused to give reporters the calendars of two senators undergoing federal prosecution on corruption charges—until media companies sued and won a court order compelling their release. Another difference: As more government agencies began storing information electronically, the Legislature updated the Public Records Act in 2000 to compel disclosure of digital records. Now state agencies and local governments must provide public records in any format in which they exist. That gives the public access to electronic records, such as databases, in their original digital format. But the Legislature has never made the same update to its own open-records act. “It was a non-starter,” former Assemblyman Kevin Shelley told The Sacramento Bee in 2015. Open meetings: The idea that government meetings should be open to the public, and designed to welcome public input, has been enshrined in California law for more than 60 years. In 1953, the Legislature passed the openmeeting law that applies to local governments, and in 1967, it passed a similar one for state agencies. Yet the 1973 law it passed requiring open meetings of the Legislature does not follow the same rules. One major difference: It allows legislators to gather secretly in partisan caucuses. When contentious issues hit the floor of the Assembly or the Senate, it’s common for one political party or the other to pause proceedings and call for a caucus. Legislators file out of the chamber and into two private meeting rooms where Democrats and Republicans separately gather for conversations that exclude the public and the press. They can hash out disagreements or craft strategy behind closed doors, then return

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

Sexual-harassment claims show how the Legislature often exempts itself from laws it imposes on others

to the chamber to publicly cast their votes. Local governments, such as city councils, cannot do this. With a few limited exceptions, state law forbids a majority of a local board from gathering privately—precisely because it shuts the public out of the decision-making process. “I always remember county supervisors being rankled,” said Peter Detwiler, a retired long-time staffer to the state Senate’s local government committee. “‘You guys put these rules on us and you don’t ever put rules like that on yourself.’” The same laws also slow down decisionmaking by local governments and state agencies so that the public can weigh in. Local governments must give at least three days of notice before taking action, while state agencies have to post agendas 10 days in advance. Legislators, until this year, did not have the same constraints. Though most bills go through a months-long process of public deliberations, a handful of bills each session were written just hours before lawmakers cast votes on them, leaving the public no time to offer their input. Democrats who control the Legislature said the last-minute lawmaking allowed them to put together sensitive compromises that could have blown up with more public scrutiny. But voters grew frustrated with the secrecy. A Republican donor worked with nonpartisan good-government groups to put Proposition 54 on last year’s ballot, requiring that bills be written and posted online for at least three days before lawmakers can vote on them. The result: Voters put a rule on legislators that the politicians wouldn’t put on themselves. Out of state travel: With culture wars raging nationally over transgender rights, California’s liberal Legislature last year passed a law banning state-funded travel to states with laws that discriminate against gay or transgender people. Eight states are now on California’s no-go list. Some have laws that could forbid LGBT people from adopting children, or exclude gay students from some school clubs; others have banned anti-discrimination policies that would allow transgender people to use the bathroom that matches their identity. Yet while legislators have banned statesponsored travel to Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas, they haven’t stopped traveling to those places themselves. In June, Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara traveled to Texas for a conference of Latino government officials. Soon after, Democratic Sen. Bob Hertzberg went to Kentucky to study the state’s bail system. Hertzberg was working on legislation to overhaul bail in California, and “felt it critical to

Dan Hubig

observe first-hand the impact of bail reform in (Kentucky), which has a very well-established system of pretrial release,” his then-chief of staff, Diane Griffiths, wrote in an email. The travel-ban bill does not exempt lawmakers—a late amendment actually specifies that it also applies to the Legislature— so how are these trips taking place? Lawmakers are getting around the law by using campaign funds, not tax dollars, to pay for them. The Legislature’s leaders declined to defend the exemptions, but in the past, lawmakers have contended that they are justified because of the unique role of a law-making body and the need to protect legislators’ security. As far as critics are concerned, legislators get away with making exceptions for themselves because they know their hypocrisy won’t attract enough notice to generate mass outrage. Right now, there’s plenty of attention on the Legislature over its policies for dealing with sexual harassment—and some debate about whether extending the whistleblower act would help remedy the problem. As is, the Legislature has internal personnel policies that forbid retaliation, and legislative employees are also covered by a different state law that prohibits retaliation for complaining about discrimination or harassment. But the whistleblower act goes even further, laying out a process for workers to confidentially file complaints to the independent state auditor. Lawmakers will yet again consider a bill giving whistleblower protection to legislative staff when they return to Sacramento next year. GOP Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez of Lake Elsinore plans to re-introduce a measure that has stalled in the past. And—in a nod to some who say her bill wouldn’t apply to employees reporting sexual harassment—she said she’ll add language explicitly stating that it does. CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

DECEMBER 2017

DEFYING GRAVITY: BREAST AUGMENTATION SECRETS

By Shonda Chase, FNP Co-owner, Artistic Director and Advanced Injector at Revive Wellness Centers in Palm Springs and Torrance It’s not too late to accomplish some improvements in your appearance this winter—but what about aesthe�c improvements that are more long las�ng? I’ve always been inspired by the anthem “Defying Gravity” from the Broadway musical Wicked. The song summarizes the hope that making choices to improve ourselves will lead to a be�er life, well-lived. A�rac�ve, natural-looking breasts are the goal for most women who want to have breast surgery. Women always have ques�ons, and maybe some fears, about breast procedures. Here are some secrets that might help you make a decision to improve your breasts. SECRET NO. 1: Specialized, longer las�ng fat transfers can be a viable alterna�ve to breast surgery. The LipoGems fat transfer we do at Revive Wellness Centers can provide improvement without implants and can last for years.

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SECRET NO. 2: Previous implants were expected to last 10 to 15 years. The new silicon breast implants by Allergan are now engineered to not be able to leak. They’re so safe that they’re guaranteed for life. SECRET NO. 3: If you’re concerned about breas�eeding with implants, there are newer techniques that decrease the chances that breas�eeding will be compromised. SECRET NO. 4: Some women’s breasts are poin�ng away from each other. A breast li� or augmenta�on can reduce the gap between your breasts. SECRET NO. 5: Implants to help improve stretch marks, but so can non-invasive VIVA radio frequency or frac�onal CO2 treatments. SECRET NO. 6: Women need to ﬁnd an experienced surgeon who makes the extra eﬀort to put implants under the muscle and avoid an unnatural looking result. SECRETS NOS. 7 AND 8: Breast li�s or a reduc�on can be done in conjunc�on with an augmenta�on. Women are now choosing smaller implants to achieve an a�rac�ve, natural-looking result. With the new implants and breast li� techniques, your breasts can defy gravity and help you feel your best. You can email your individual breast rejuvena�on ques�ons to Allan Wu MD, Revive’s cosme�c surgeon, at info@ revivecenter.com.

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CVIndependent.com

12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

DECEMBER 2017

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

Trump’s different responses to terror attacks show the reach of white supremacy

By baynard woods

fter the automotive attack in New York City on Oct. 31, Donald Trump called for the death penalty for the perpetrator. “Would love to send the NYC terrorist to Guantanamo but statistically that process takes much longer than going through the federal system …” he tweeted about the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov. “There is also something appropriate about keeping him in the home of the horrible crime he committed. Should move fast. DEATH PENALTY!” It’s hard not to compare this response to his “both sides” response to the automotive terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Va. Trump has built his political career on demonizing Islam, but neither he nor his staff have condemned white nationalist terrorist organizations—whose ideology they continue to openly espouse. When Trump was asked whether or not James Alex Fields—who on Aug. 12 drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing Heather Heyer and seriously injuring 12 others—was a terrorist, he dissembled. “And there is a question. Is it murder? Is it terrorism? Then you get into legal semantics. The driver of the car is a murderer, and what he did was a horrible, horrible, inexcusable thing.” By calling Fields a murderer, rather than a terrorist, Trump is able to maintain the myth

that white-supremacist terrorists are bad actors in a field of otherwise “fine people.” Trump regularly mentions “our heritage” when he talks about the Confederate monuments that the Nazis descended on Charlottesville to defend. And his chief of staff, John Kelly, once laughably called “the adult in the room,” recently said that Robert E. Lee was an “honorable man who gave up his country to fight for his state,” and that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War.” Our racist nation finds it easy to condemn all

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Both of these men are alleged murderers, using vehicles in terror attacks. Donald Trump said one of these men was a terrorist and called for his execution; he refused to call the other man a terrorist, instead saying he was a bad actor among fine people. Guess which man is which?

Muslims as terrorists. And, since the “anarchist bombings” of the 19th century, we’ve also easily associated the left with terrorism. At press time, a “We the People” petition to “formally recognize Antifa as a terrorist organization” had 363,238 signatures. The entire right-wing mediasphere flipped out over an imagined “November 4” conspiracy where Antifa was supposed to go door to door killing white people and Christians. And yet, despite evidence of conspiracy and murderous intent, there have been virtually no calls to declare Vanguard America, or related groups, terrorist organizations. On Aug. 12, James Alex Fields was photographed wearing the uniform and carrying the shield of Vanguard America. The first thing I saw when I got to Charlottesville was Vanguard America members chanting: “You can’t run; you can’t hide; you get helicopter rides!” at leftist protesters, whom they then attacked with sticks. The chant was a reference to Augusto Pinochet’s right-wing death squads. Some press outlets have been woefully gullible at allowing these organizations to call such threats jokes—even when they are accompanied by actual violence. Thanks to a series of chats on a gaming app uncovered by the media collective Unicorn Riot, we know that people involved in planning the rallies also “joked” about running people over with their cars. Then Fields followed through, committing murder. Others involved in Vanguard America have shown that the organization as a whole, and not just Fields, had terrorist intent. William Fears, who spent much of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville trying to stab people with a flag pole, has identified himself as a member of Vanguard America. He; his brother Colton; and another man named Tyler Tenbrink were in Gainesville, Fla., following the flop of a Nazi rally led by Richard Spencer. They allegedly pulled their Jeep up to a group of anti-fascist protesters and began yelling, “Heil Hitler.” Someone in the group hit their Jeep with a baton. The three men then jumped out of their Jeep, and the Fears brothers reportedly yelled, “I’m going to fucking kill you,” and, “Shoot

them!” as Tenbrink got out of the car with a gun and fired it at the people. “Us coming in and saying we’re taking over your town, we’re starting to push back, we’re starting to want to intimidate back,” Fears had told the Gainesville Sun earlier that day. “We want to show our teeth a little bit, because, you know, we’re not to be taken lightly. We don’t want violence; we don’t want harm. But at the end of the day, we’re not opposed to defending ourselves.” Then he justified the Charlottesville terrorist attack carried out by James Alex Fields as selfdefense. “They threw the first blow,” he said. “I look at it as self-defense whether he just was radicalized and said, ‘You know, I’m just going to mow these people down,’ or whether he was in fear for his life—but they threw the first blow, so I’m going to take his side.” Fears, who says he was radicalized in prison, was arrested along with his brother and Tenbrink and charged with attempted murder. So here we have a situation in which a member of Vanguard America justifies a murder committed by another member of the same group hours before allegedly attempting to commit another murder—both actions seemingly based on political ideology. What else do we need to treat Vanguard America like we do window-breaking leftists wearing black? If suspects wear all-black and look like punks, then they are all responsible for any crime committed by someone who looks like them, as the arrest of 200 people on Inauguration Day shows. If suspects have brown skin, then Trump, Kelly, Vanguard America and the rest of the alt-right see them as terrorists, even in the absence of an actual crime. But polo-wearing white guys are never judged as part of a group— even when they wear its uniforms or carry its shields. That’s how white supremacy works. Baynard Woods is a reporter at the Real News Network and the founder of Democracy in Crisis, a joint project of alternative newspapers across the country, including the Coachella Valley Independent. Email baynard@democracyincrisis. com; Twitter @baynardwoods.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

DECEMBER 2017

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

DECEMBER ASTRONOMY

The month brings a ‘supermoon’ Planets and Bright Stars in Eveninggreat Mid-Twilight and potentially conditions for For December, 2017 Geminids shower This sky chartthe is drawn for latitude 34meteor degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

By Robert Victor

venings during twilight in early December 2017 feature a half-dozen stars of first magnitude or brighter, including the Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb well up in the west, getting lower as month progresses; Fomalhaut, mouth of the Southern Fish, in the south; and Capella, the Mother Goat star, ascending in the northeast, with red-orange Aldebaran, eye of Taurus, to its lower right. Binoculars and an unobstructed view are needed to spot Saturn, with Mercury close to its lower left, very low in the southwestern twilight glow, 2.8 to 2.3 degrees apart Dec. 1-3, some 40 minutes after sunset. Both sink lower each evening, with Mercury fading to the equal of Saturn by Dec. 3, and fading rapidly thereafter. Mercury passes inferior conjunction, between Earth and the sun, on Dec. 12, and Saturn hides in conjunction on the far in Libra on Dec. 1; within 1 degree of that star side of the sun on Dec. 21. Dec. 18-26; and as close as 0.7 degrees from In evening twilight late in month—or later Alpha Lib on Dec. 21-23. On Dec. 31, Mars is in the evening in early December—watch 3 degrees to the upper right of Jupiter, and 20 the eastern horizon for the rising of reddish degrees to the lower left of Spica. Betelgeuse and blue-white Rigel. About Mercury, pulling away from its inferior midway between them, Orion’s vertical threeconjunction of Dec. 12, brightens rapidly in star belt confirms their identity as Hunter’s the morning sky and holds a steady 28 degrees shoulder and foot. to the lower left of Jupiter Dec. 21-27. Look 8 Our morning chart depicts the sky about 45 degrees to the upper left of Antares, heart of minutes before sunrise, but we advise you to the Scorpion, Dec. 20-27. During Dec. 28-30, begin viewing at least a half-hour earlier than Mercury is 9 degrees to the left or lower left of that, to allow time to locate all the bright objects Antares. On Dec. 31, Mercury is 31 degrees to before they are drowned out in the brightening the lower left of Jupiter and 10 degrees to the twilight. Steady Jupiter in the southeast is the lower left of Antares. most prominent object during the half-hour December opens with a few brightly moonlit beginning 75 minutes before sunup. (Venus nights. On Saturday evening, Dec. 2, the moon doesn’t rise until 45 minutes before sunrise on rises 20 minutes before sunset and is nearly Dec. 1; 30 minutes before on Dec. 12; and only full. An hour after sunset, find the Pleiades 10 15 minutes before sunrise on Dec. 23.) degrees to the moon’s upper left, and Aldebaran, Next in prominence after Jupiter are whose name means “the Follower” (of the twinkling blue-white Sirius in the southwest Pleiades), within 14 degrees below the Pleiades to west-southwest, until it sinks from view and 7 degrees to the moon’s lower left. The late in the month; golden Arcturus high in moon creeps closer to Aldebaran throughout the east; blue-white Vega rising higher in the that night. During morning twilight on Sunday, northeast; and Capella sinking in the northwest. Dec. 3, use binoculars to spot Aldebaran close Mercury, very low in the east-southeast to to the moon’s upper left. A “supermoon,” the southeast, attains magnitude +1 by Dec. 20, closest full moon of 2017, occurs at 7:47 a.m. and magnitude 0 by Dec. 24, and for the rest that morning, about an hour after moonset. of month ranks second in brilliance, after only Moonrise early on Sunday evening, Dec. 3 Jupiter, since Sirius has departed. (as seen from Palm Springs), occurs at 5:11 Other bright morning objects include the p.m. Although more than nine hours past full, Winter Hexagon, which has Sirius and Capella the moon, rising 33 minutes after sunset, will marking its southern and northern vertices, be impressive. Note Aldebaran 8 degrees to the and red Betelgeuse inside. But Rigel, Aldebaran, moon’s upper right. Sirius and Betelgeuse exit the morning sky Starting on Dec. 5, the moon is well below in December, leaving only the upper arch of the horizon at the end of evening twilight, Procyon, Pollux (with Castor 4.5 degrees to nearly 1 1/2 hours after sunset, and the sky its right) and Capella. Regulus, heart of Leo, is then dark and moonless. Starting on the is high in the southwest to west-southwest evening of Dec. 5, face east-northeast to east at following the Hex across the sky. dusk and watch the Pleiades emerge and ascend On Dec. 1, dim-red Mars appears just 3 in the deepening twilight. degrees from Spica and 16 degrees to the upper After the full moon, you can follow its motion right of Jupiter. Jupiter itself is 4 degrees westin the morning sky, averaging 13 degrees per northwest of the third-magnitude star Alpha day eastward through the constellations of the

Pollux

December's evening sky chart. ROBERT D. MILLER

Capella

Aldebaran Betelgeuse Deneb

Vega

W Altair

Rigel

Saturn 1 1 Mercury

Fomalhaut

Evening mid-twilight occurs

zodiac. Thewhen moon rises late on the night below horizon. Sun is 9Overy Dec.a 1: minutescrescent after sunset. of Dec. 13 (as 1342percent at 3:21 a.m. 15: 44 the " peak " of" the Geminids on Dec. 14), leaving 31: 44 " " " meteor shower, overnight on Dec. 13-14, excellent for viewing meteors. On the morning of Dec. 14, look for the moon passing 4 degrees north of Jupiter. On Dec. 15, find the moon within 12 degrees to the lower left of Jupiter. On the 16th, the last easy old crescent moon will appear 23 degrees to the lower left of Jupiter. In case the sky is very clear just after 6 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 17, we have a site selected in northwestern Palm Springs to attempt a sighting of a very old moon, just a little more than 16 hours before new. We’ll announce the details in the “Impromptu Star Parties” link mentioned below. We’re still checking out sites in Desert Hot Springs and the eastern Coachella Valley to attempt a sighting of a very young moon

Stereographic Projection

shortly after 5 p.m. onMap Monday, Dec. The by Robert D. 18. Miller moon’s age will be just more than 18.5 hours. Visit the same link for details. The website of the Astronomical Society of the Desert, at www.astrorx.org, has a listing of our evening star parties. The primary location is at the Visitor Center of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (on Highway 74, within four miles south of Highway 111, in Palm Desert). A session is scheduled there on Saturday, Dec. 23, from 5-8 p.m. Sawmill Trailhead, our high-altitude site, will have a star party at dusk on Saturday, Dec. 9. The website includes maps and directions. See the link to “Impromptu Star Parties.” 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 in the Coachella Valley. CVIndependent.com

14 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

DECEMBER 2017

BEST LOCAL BAND

The Flusters Runners up: 2. John Stanley King Band 3. Sunday Funeral 4. Drop Mob 5. The Hellions

BEST LOCAL DJ

DJ PWee Runners up: 2. Jesika Von Rabbit 3. Alex Harrington 4. Alf Alpha 5. DJ Chub Jim

BEST LOCAL MUSICIAN John Stanley King Runners up: 2. Lisa Lynn Morgan 3. Dan Dillinger 4. Michael Keeth 5. Dave Burk

BEST LOCAL VISUAL ARTIST

TIE Sofia Enriquez Shag Runners up: 3. Ryan Campbell 4. Cristopher Cichocki 5. Marconi Calindas

BEST MOVIE THEATER

BEST ART GALLERY

CODA Gallery Runners up: 2. Shag 3. Melissa Morgan Fine Art 4. Hohmann Fine Art 5. J. Willott Gallery

BEST INDOOR VENUE

McCallum Theatre Runners up: 2. The Show at Agua Caliente 3. The Hood Bar and Pizza 4. The Date Shed 5. Fantasy Springs Special Events Center

CVIndependent.com

BEST OUTDOOR VENUE

Empire Polo Club Runners up: 2. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace 3. Indian Wells Tennis Garden 4. Fantasy Springs Rock Yard 5. Palm Desert Civic Center Park

BEST LOCAL ARTS GROUP/ORGANIZATION

McCallum Theatre Runners up: 2. The Coachella Valley Art Scene 3. La Quinta Arts Foundation 4. Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre 5. CREATE Center for the Arts

Century La Quinta and XD Runners up: 2. Mary Pickford Is D’Place 3. Century The River and XD 4. Regal Rancho Mirage Stadium 16 and IMAX 5. Camelot Theatres

BEST MUSEUM

Palm Springs Art Museum Runners up: 2. Palm Springs Air Museum 3. Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert 4. Agua Caliente Cultural Museum 5. La Quinta Museum

BEST PRODUCING THEATER COMPANY

Palm Canyon Theatre Runners up: 2. Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre

3. Desert Rose Playhouse 4. Dezart Performs 5. Coyote StageWorks

BEST FARMERS’ MARKET

College of the Desert Street Fair Farmers’ Market Runners up: 2. Palm Springs Village Fest 3. Palm Springs Certified Farmers' Market 4. Old Town La Quinta Certified Farmers’ Market 5. Palm Desert Certified Farmers’ Market

BEST LOCAL ACTIVIST/ ADVOCACY GROUP/ CHARITY

Palm Springs Animal Shelter Runners up: 2. Desert AIDS Project 3. Boys and Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley 4. Coachella Valley Rescue Mission 5. LGBT Community Center of the Desert 6. AAP-Food Samaritans

BEST GYM

World Gym Runners up: 2. EOS Fitness 3. Planet Fitness 4. Palm Springs Fitness Center 5. In-Shape

BEST YOGA STUDIO

Bikram Yoga Plus Runners up: 2. Urban Yoga 3. Yoga Bliss 4. Power Yoga Palm Springs 5. Yoga Central

BEST CAR WASH

Elephant Car Wash/Rancho Super Car Wash Runners up: 2. La Quinta Car Wash 3. Airport Quick Car Wash 4. Indio Car Wash 5. Desert 100 Percent Hand Car Wash

DECEMBER 2017

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

• AWARDS START AT 6:30 P.M. • AWARDS ARE FOLLOWED BY A PERFORMANCE BY BEST LOCAL BAND WINNERS, THE FLUSTERS!

AWARDS SHOW AND PARTY

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16 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

DECEMBER 2017

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| BEST LOCAL ALBUM Thr3 Strykes, CMNCTN-BRKDWN When I interviewed them last year, the members of Thr3 Strykes told me that putting together the album that would become CMNCTN-BRKDWN was proving to be difficult task—and taking a long time. All that hard work and time was worth it: The final result is awesome, and I can’t think of another album put out this year by a local band that matches its energy and insanity. The track with J. Patron and Christina Reyes of Caxton, called “The Colony,” is a must-hear. —Brian Blueskye

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BEST AUTO REPAIR

Andy’s Auto Repair Runners up: 2. European Auto Service 3. Cam Stone’s Automotive 4. Singh’s Automotive Repair 5. OMAG Automotive

BEST BOWLING ALLEY

Fantasy Springs Bowling Center Runners up: 2. Palm Springs Lanes 3. Yucca Bowl

BEST SEX TOY SHOP

Skitzo Kitty Runners up: 2. Not So Innocent 3. Gear Leather and Fetish 4. Q Trading Co. 5. Sensuality a Store for Her

BEST PLANT NURSERY

The Living Desert’s Palo Verde Garden Center Runners up: 2. Moller’s Garden Center 3. Bob Williams Nursery 4. Vintage Nursery 5. Lotus Garden Center

BEST PET SUPPLIES

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CVIndependent.com

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Bones ’n’ Scones Runners up: 2. Petco 3. PetSmart 4. Pet Oasis 5. Miriam’s Poochella Grooming

BEST ANNUAL CHARITY EVENT

Desert AIDS Walk (Desert AIDS Project) Runners up: 2. Evening Under the Stars (AAP-Food Samaritans) 3. McCallum Theatre Annual Gala 4. A Miracle on El Paseo (Bighorn Behind a Miracle) 5. Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards (Desert AIDS Project)

BEST PLACE TO GAMBLE

Augustine Casino Runners up: 2. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa 3. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino 4. Morongo Casino Resort Spa 5. Spotlight 29

BEST LOCAL TV NEWS KESQ News Channel 3 Runners up: 2. KMIR Channel 6 3. CBS Local 2

BEST LOCAL TV NEWS PERSONALITY

Bianca Rae, KESQ News Channel 3 Runners up: 2. Patrick Evans, CBS Local 2 3. Karen Devine, KESQ News Channel 3 4. Gino Lamont, KMIR Channel 6 5. Bryan Gallo, KMIR Channel 6

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 17

DECEMBER 2017

BEST RADIO STATION Q 102.3 Classic Rock Runners up: 2. Mix 100.5 3. Jammin 99.5 FM 4. Mod FM 107.3 5. K-News 94.3 FM

BEST LOCAL RADIO PERSONALITY

Bradley Ryan, Mix 100.5 Runners up: 2. Jeff Michaels, Q 102.3/KPLM 106.1 3. Jimi “Fitz” Fitzgerald, CV 104.3 FM 4. Joey English, KGX 99.1 FM/920 AM 5. Bill Feingold, K-News 94.3 FM

BEST BOOKSTORE

Barnes & Noble Runners up: 2. Just Fabulous 3. Rancho Mirage Library Book Nook 4. The Book Rack La Quinta

BEST RETAIL MUSIC/ VIDEO STORE

Record Alley Runners up: 2. Palm Springs Vinyl Records and Collectables 3. Best Buy

BEST COMICS/ GAMES SHOP

BEST DOCTOR

Dr. Amanda Curnock Runners up: 2. Dr. Timothy Jochen 3. Dr. Michael Hughes 4. Dr. Michael Jardula

BEST EYE DOCTOR

Dr. Albert Milauskas Runners up: 2. Dr. Camille Harrison 3. Dr. David Esquibel (Desert Vision) 4. Dr. Athena Brasfield (CV Optometry)

BEST DENTIST/ ORTHODONTIST

Dr. Larry Kunkle (Palm Desert Dental Center) Runners up: 2. TIE Dr. Rene Dell’Acqua Dr. Frank Hernandez 4. Dr. Maria Aguilar (Mirage Lane Dentistry) 5. Dr. Duane Nishikubo

BEST PLASTIC SURGEON

Desert Oasis Comics Runners up: 2. Game Stop 3. HooDoo!

Dr. Timothy Jochen Runners up: 2. Dr. Mark Sofonio 3. Dr. Scott Aaronson 4. Dr. Bruce Chisholm 5. Dr. Suzanne Quardt

BEST HOTEL POOL

BEST ATTORNEY

Riviera Palm Springs Runners up: 2. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino 3. Ace Hotel and Swim Club 4. Arrive 5. The Saguaro

BEST URGENT CARE

Eisenhower Medical Center Urgent Care Runners up: 2. Desert Oasis Healthcare Immediate Care 3. VIP Urgent Care 4. MedPost Urgent Care (Desert Regional) 5. Premier Urgent Care

| BEST RE-ESTABLISHED BAND Sunday Funeral Sunday Funeral was a worthy Best Local Band finalist this year—and what a year it’s been. The band that Justin Ledesma has fronted for more than a decade has made a remarkable transformation. At the end of 2016, the members set the foundation by cutting back from a fourpiece to a trio; meanwhile, Andrea Taboada took over bass duties. The members found themselves in the finals of CV Weekly’s Battle of the Bands in 2017, and have been playing more shows while putting together some great new original material. They’re a definite contender for Best Local Band honors next year; keep your eye on ’em. — Brian Blueskye

Runners up: 3. Valery Neuman 4. Deirdre Coit

4. All Seasons 5. Priority One

BEST AIR CONDITIONER REPAIR

Desert Pro Electrical Runners up: 2. Electric Man 3. So-Cal Electric 4. Wired Up Electric 5. DCH Electric and Lighting

Comfort Air Runners up: 2. Esser 3. General

BEST ELECTRICIAN

Thank you, Coachella Valley Independent readers, for again voting us the Best Producing Theater Company!

Walter Clark Runners up: 2. Brian Harnik 3. David Humphrey 4. Christopher Heritage 5. J. John Anderholt III

BEST CHIROPRACTOR Dr. Jim Cox Runners up: 2. Nazemi Chiropractic 3. Dr. Kristen Bohnet 4. Dr. Paul Ross

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT TIE Barbara Carpenter Brady Sandahl

Producing Mame, December 1-17

538 N. Palm Canyon Drive 760-323-5123 PalmCanyonTheatre.org CVIndependent.com

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Surfing to the Next Level

After a national tour and a successful crowd-funding campaign, The Flusters are the ‘Independent’ readers’ pick as Best Local Band By Brian Blueskye

started packing up and had somewhere to go. They were all bummed It would be nigh impossible to find a band more deserving of being out.” voted Best Local Band by the readers of this fine publication than The Van Sant said he has fond memories of being on the road, including Flusters. a regular occurrence when White and photographer/videographer Wolf The “California dreamsurf quartet” ended 2016 by releasing a Mearns would be driving and navigating at night. well-received EP. They played a wildly successful Coachella “4/20 “(Mearns) would hit a rumble strip, and it would wake me up. I’d Inbetweener” show at The Hood—a year after playing at Coachella feel a blast of cool air, smell a cigarette being lit, and hear the crack of itself. The group then mounted a successful Kickstarter campaign that the tab of a Red Bull,” Van Sant said with a laugh. “You should have raised an impressive $21,000. That money helped the band members heard some of the late-night conversations that (White) would have quit their day jobs to prepare for their first national tour—which was with Wolf. Wolf got some of them on camera, and they were some the a rousing success. And The Flusters are now working hard on a sophodumbest shit I’ve ever heard in my life.” more EP, slated for release early next year. The Flusters could teach other local bands a lesson on how to market In other words, it’s been one hell of a year for The Flusters, who themselves: They know what they’re doing, and are very creative while were voted Best Local Band for the second time in three years. They’ll doing it. perform at the Best of Coachella Valley Awards Show and Party at The “Marketing, to me—it’s presence and pulse,” Van Sant said. “(It’s Hood Bar and Pizza on Friday, Dec. 15. important to) make yourself present digitally and through merchandisI rode along with The Flusters when they recently headed to The Flusters. Photo: Alex Ferguson ing—and the advantageous thing through merchandising is it’s a twoHollywood to play at the Viper Room. The crowd loved them, with fold thing. Yes, you can make some good money, but merchandising one person remarking that they will do very well in Los Angeles if they (means) your name is everywhere, and the advantageous thing about your name being everywhere continue to play there. is that you become a household name. All I do is create a presence for us where there is not one, and In mid-November, the band performed in front of a nearly sold-out audience at The Hood to I think outside the box. I try to connect us as a band to things that other bands might not find intercelebrate the release of the music video for “Everyday Dreaming.” After the show, we discussed their esting. For me, it’s just about being persistent.” Best Local Band win. As the band sat in the green room of The Hood after performing at that November show, drum“Frankly, we were surprised,” frontman Doug Van Sant said. “You go away on tour all summer, and mer Daniel Perry said the feedback on the show was almost entirely positive. we came back, and we had this post-tour blues going on. We were our own bosses for the first time. “A lot of people tonight told us, ‘I saw you at the 4/20 show the last time, and you guys have really None of us had a job to go back to, and we were kind of twiddling our thumbs—and you think people improved, and you’re so cohesive. Everybody really thought you had achieved that next level.’ It’s have forgotten about you after you haven’t played a local show in seven months. But when you get amazing to see how our local support has continued to grow more and more.” talked about, win something like this, or have a successful show like we did tonight, it feels like nothPerry joined The Flusters just two weeks before that 2016 Coachella performance. ing changed, and we weren’t forgotten.” “It was a flood out of the gates,” he said. “As soon as I joined The Flusters, one of the first shows Guitarist Danny White said he felt gratified after returning home from the national tour. I played was Coachella. It was amazing and one of the most anxious moments I’ve had in my life. … “We were all extremely relieved to have completed the task at hand,” he said. “There was a lot of … We’ve been doing nothing but leaps since then, and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come since I’ve what I wouldn’t call doubt, but people trying to put doubt in our heads by telling us what we needed joined. to do and how we needed to do it, and people telling us, ‘When you get to here, this is how you’re “I can’t wait to see where we go next.” going to feel.’ We talked about it nonstop, and we had to find peace within ourselves and realize we’d Of course, every band is going to have its critics, and Van Sant said after that Hood show that he given up control over what’s going to happen. All we can do is do our best, get there and be on time— doesn’t worry about them; instead, he focuses on his fans. and it led us to the end.” “We’re getting the corporate events; we’re getting the outdoor events, and that’s all good, but the Bassist Mario Estrada discussed one of the tour stops—in Iowa City, Iowa. people who were in here tonight—those are the people we really, really want to please,” he said. “The “There were about two people in the bar when we started playing, and by the end of the set, there people who buy the tickets and have watched us since Day 1 and compare our shows—we try to give were a bunch of people walking in, who were all saying, ‘Our friends told us to come over and check them something rad and new, and throw in some surprising moments.” you guys out. We just rushed down here. Are you guys still going to keep playing?’ We had already

BEST PUBLIC SERVANT

Rep. Raul Ruiz Runners up: 2. Palm Desert Mayor Jan Harnik 3. Palm Springs Mayor Rob Moon 4. Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia 5. Palm Springs City Councilman Geoff Kors

BEST CLOTHING STORE (LOCALLY OWNED) Oooh La la Runners up: 2. Trina Turk

CVIndependent.com

3. Grayse 4. Blonde Clothing Boutique 5. Wil Stiles

BEST RESALE/ VINTAGE CLOTHING Revivals Runners up: 2. Angel View 3. Goodwill 4. Plato’s Closet 5. The Fine Art of Design

BEST FURNITURE STORE Mathis Brothers Runners up:

2. Revivals 3. West Elm 4. Mor Furniture for Less 5. Erik’s Furniture

BEST ANTIQUES/ COLLECTIBLES

The Estate Sale Co. Runners up: 2. Misty’s Consignments 3. Victoria’s Attic 4. Sunny Dunes Antique Mall

BEST JEWELER/ JEWELRY STORE Tiffany and Co.

Runners up: 2. El Paseo Jewelers 3. Leeds and Son 4. Robann’s Jewelers 5. B. Alsohns Jewelers

BEST HAIR SALON

J. Russell! The Salon Runners up: 2. Dishwater Blonde Salon 3. Alankara, an Aveda Lifestyle Salon 4. Josef Saliba 5. Jake Turner Salon

BEST SPA IN A RESORT/HOTEL PHOTO: Brane Jevric

Two Bunch Palms

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| BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THOSE QUITTING SMOKING Desert Vapors I recently transitioned from cigarettes to vaping— I tried to quit cold-turkey, but needed help with the transition away from cigarettes. I had a lot of questions, and I went to a few shops to get some information and ask questions. Desert Vapors, with locations in Palm Desert and Indio, had by far the best customer service of the vape shops I went to—and I wound up purchasing my first vaping kit from them. I went back a few days later after having some problems and got service that went above and beyond. Also, the flavors that they offer are fantastic. — Brian Blueskye

Runners up: 2. The Spa at Desert Springs (JW Marriott) 3. Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa 4. Agua Serena Spa at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells 5. Well Spa (Miramonte)

BEST DAY SPA (NON-RESORT/HOTEL) TIE Revive Wellness Center Studio M Salon and Spa Runners up: 3. Bighorn Golf Club 4. Massage Rx

BEST FLORIST

My Little Flower Shop Runners up: 2. Jensen’s Foods 3. Rancho Mirage Florist 4. Palm Springs Florist 5. Lotus Garden Center

BEST TATTOO PARLOR Bloodline Tattoo Runners up: 2. Anarchy and Ink Tattoo 3. Adornment Piercing and Private Tattoo 4. Iron Palm Tattoo Parlour 5. Strata Tattoo Lab

BEST EYEGLASS/ OPTICAL RETAILER

Costco Runners up: 2. Desert Vision Optometry

Thank you for voting CODA GALLERY Best Art Gallery

3. LensCrafters 4. Panache Optical Gallery 5. CV Optometry

BEST PUBLIC GARDEN

The Living Desert Runners up: 2. Sunnylands 3. El Paseo 4. Moorten’s Botanical Garden 5. Desert Healthcare District Wellness Park

73400 El Paseo Palm Desert, CA 92260 codagallery.com • 760.346.4661 Representing contemporary artists since 1987

BEST PLACE FOR BICYCLING

Joshua Tree Runners up: 2. Palm Desert Civic Center Park 3. Bear Creek Path (La Quinta) 4. Highway 74

BEST RECREATION AREA

Tahquitz Canyon Runners up: 2. Palm Desert Civic Center Park 3. Mount San Jacinto State Park (Top of the Tram) 4. Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area

BEST HIKE

Bump and Grind Trail Runners up: 2. Ladder Canyon 3. The Cross Trail 4. South Lykken Trail 5. Art Smith Trail

72363 Highway 111, Palm Desert 760-773-5400 • beachhouseyogurt.com CVIndependent.com

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BEST PARK

Palm Desert Civic Center Park Runners up: 2. Ruth Hardy Park 3. Rancho Mirage Community Park 4. La Quinta Civic Center Park 5. Ironwood Park

BEST OUTDOOR/ CAMPING GEAR STORE Dick’s Sporting Goods Runners up: 2. Big 5 Sporting Goods 3. Yellow Mart

BEST BIKE SHOP

Palm Springs Cyclery Runners up: 2. Tri-A-Bike 3. Joel’s Bicycle Shop 4. BikeMan 5. Velo Bum Elite Cyclery

BEST SPORTING GOODS

Dick’s Sporting Goods Runners up: 2. Big 5 Sporting Goods 3. Yellow Mart 4. Pete Carlson’s Golf and Tennis

BEST PUBLIC GOLF COURSE

Desert Willow Golf Resort Runners up: 2. Indian Canyons Golf Resort 3. Indian Springs Golf Club 4. SilverRock Resort 5. Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort

DECEMBER 2017

BEST KIDS’ CLOTHING STORE

Old Navy Runners up: 2. The Children’s Place 3. The Lumpy Bunny 4. JadaBug’s Kids Boutique 5. Janie and Jack

BEST RESTAURANT FOR KIDS

Chuck E. Cheese’s Runners up: 2. Red Robin 3. Old Spaghetti Factory 4. Shakey’s Pizza 5. Billy Reed’s

BEST PLACE FOR FAMILY FUN

The Living Desert Runners up: 2. Wet ’n’ Wild 3. Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert 4. Boomers 5. Laser Oasis

BEST PLACE FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY The Living Desert Runners up: 2. Chuck E. Cheese’s 3. Boomers 4. Laser Oasis 5. Shakey’s Pizza

BEST CASUAL EATS BEST PLAYGROUND

Palm Desert Civic Center Park Runners up: 2. Ruth Hardy Park 3. La Quinta Civic Center Park 4. Ironwood Park 5. Dateland Park

BEST PLACE TO BUY TOYS Toys “R” Us Runners up: 2. Uncle Don’s Hobbies 3. Mr. G’s for Kids 4. The Lumpy Bunny

CVIndependent.com

| BEST BENEFIT SHOW The Concert for Autism

Café 54 at Augustine Casino Runners up: 2. TRIO Restaurant 3. Lulu California Bistro 4. Stuft Pizza Bar and Grill 5. Blaze Pizza

BEST CATERER

Lulu California Bistro Runners up: 2. Fresh Agave Mexican Bar and Grill 3. TRIO/Liquid Catering 4. Dash and a Handful 5. Lynn Hammond

Josh Heinz. Photo: Cory Courtney

Josh and Linda Heinz, the husband-andwife duo in Blasting Echo and 5th Town, have now been producing the Concert for Autism for 10 years—and every year, it continues to grow. Because Josh and Linda are the parents of autistic children, this is a cause that is very near and dear to their hearts—and their efforts to help others facing the same challenges that their family faces are simply remarkable. Of course … the show is always fantastic, too. — Brian Blueskye

BEST DINER

Sherman’s Deli and Bakery Runners up: 2. Café 54 at Augustine Casino 3. Keedy’s Fountain Grill 4. John’s 5. Rick’s Restaurant

BEST ORGANIC FOOD STORE Whole Foods Runners up: 2. Sprouts Farmers Market 3. Jensen’s Foods 4. Clark’s Nutrition 5. Bristol Farms

BEST DELICATESSEN

Sherman’s Deli and Bakery Runners up: 2. Manhattan in the Desert 3. TKB Bakery and Deli 4. Real Italian Deli 5. Bristol Farms

BEST CUSTOM CAKES

Over the Rainbow Runners up: 2. Sherman’s Deli and Bakery 3. Jensen’s Foods 4. Pastry Swan Bakery 5. Exquisite Desserts

BEST DESSERTS

Nothing Bundt Cakes Runners up: 2. Sherman’s Deli and Bakery 3. Over the Rainbow 4. Manhattan in the Desert 5. Jake’s Palm Springs

BEST ICE CREAM/ SHAKES

Great Shakes Runners up: 2. Cold Stone Creamery 3. Lappert’s Ice Cream

| BEST LOCAL LIVE MUSIC EVENT The 4/20 Coachella Inbetweener featuring The Flusters and The Yip Yops The days between the two Coachella weekends are simply packed with great music events throughout the valley—but the one held this year on April 20 at The Hood Bar and Pizza may have topped them all. The Flusters and the Yip Yops packed The Hood for the 4/20 Coachella Inbetweener, with the bar having to turn away patrons when the venue reached its capacity. Both bands put on spectacular co-headlining sets—after collaborating on marketing materials that were genius and went above and beyond. — Brian Blueskye

DECEMBER 2017

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CVIndependent.com

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From Botox to Cosmetic Surgery and Everything in Between

Before

After 45 years in the biz, John Stanley King is voted Best Local Musician by ‘Independent’ readers By Brian Blueskye

After

Look younger with no telltale scar with Neograft at Revive. Read our reviews and call to book your appointment.

353 S. Palm Canyon Dr. (760) 325-4800 Torrance Office: (310) 375-7599 Irvine Office: (949) 586-9904 www.revivecenter.com

Ranked #60 in the nation for advanced medical aesthetics CVIndependent.com

He’s Seen It All

John Stanley King is a man of many talents, covering multiple genres of music. The brother of local musician and famed music producer Ronnie King is widely known after performing for decades at venues valley-wide. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Independent readers voted him the Best Local Musician for 2017-2018. King explained during a recent phone interview how he’s been able to remain passionate about music—after some 45 years as a performer. “It’s been such a strange upbringing for me here in the desert,” King said. “I had to figure out how to not only make a living playing music, but I also had to figure out how to play music and not get bored or burned out with it. What I figured out, because I love so many genres of music, is that by putting a blues band together and playing blues tunes, I have enough blues in me to be considered a blues guy. So I’ve gotten awards for being a blues artist. “I started performing with my grandfather’s band when I was 12 out here in Cathedral City, and in his band, I had to learn all that Frank Sinatra stuff. … The jazz part of me—that, I do at Vicky’s of Santa Fe on Sunday, and I sing all that stuff from my grandfather’s band with jazz guys and with a jazz bass player and a jazz piano player. I’ve learned how to mix and match talents, and I’m able to sing a certain genre and present a theme. On Friday night, I get to be myself at Vicky’s of Santa Fe, and that’s where I do stuff I grew up with, like Pink Floyd, Steve Miller, Carlos Santana and Neil Young. I also get to perform my original music that I’ve been writing since I was 15. I’ve been able to stay busy that way.” There is one song that King said he’s very much tired of. “If I had to sing ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ five nights a week, I think I’d just cut my wrists,” King said with a laugh. “Luckily, I haven’t had to do that song in nine months, thank God. But I can count the thousands of times I’ve had to do that song.” King almost always has a band with him—because he does not like performing solo. “I can’t stand playing music by myself. I lose the passion with the music part,” he said. “It’s almost like shooting baskets when you’re a kid at the park by yourself, and you’re waiting for somebody to come, and no one comes, so you just give up. It’s the same way with me and playing music: I have to have someone to play off of, and at least have that much. I like the back and forth communication between musicians. I’ve seen it go away in many friends of mine who get used to that (solo) routine, and you’ll see them at the street fair, looking miserable. I’ve tried to protect myself from that for a number of years by always having at least one person with me. The bigger, the better.”

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4. Creamistry 5. Ice Cream and Shop(pe) at Arrive Despite his long and successful career, King insisted that he does not take music for granted. “I just figured this was a good way to make a living,” he said. “I asked God when I was in high school: ‘Just let me make a living playing music, and I’ll be good. It’s OK if I don’t have stardom and stuff; just let me play music for a living so I don’t have to work in the desert digging holes.’ Back in the ’70s and ’80s, there weren’t many houses, so building was huge, and all my friends were in construction. I didn’t want to do that. This has been a great way for me to make a living and enjoy music. I’m still loving every moment, and it’s a lot of fun. “I recently played at the McCallum Theatre with Jimi Fitz, and that was a lot of fun. … I was, like, 18, and somehow I got into Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians and toured the country. We did the Kennedy Center, the Greek Theatre and Carnegie Hall, and I did that for 2 1/2 years and then decided to play my music again. I’ve played in the clubs and backed many of the local legends who have come and gone through the years.” King mentioned a Facebook thread not long ago on which local musicians listed all of the places at which they’ve played in the Coachella Valley over the years. “I played them all when they were open, and played them all as they closed,” he said. “In fact, I tried to open two clubs of my own. I had a place called Moonlight Grill in Palm Desert and a spot called King’s Social Club. I learned a lesson that I wasn’t a great businessman, so I don’t want to do that anymore. I just want to play the music part of it.” Because he’s seen it all, I asked King what he thinks of the current local music scene. “The Coachella festival has just changed the whole thing,” he said. “It put the whole fricking thing on the map. I remember when I was a kid in Indio, and Iron Butterfly came and played at the Date Festival. Those kind of gigs would come once every 10 years—they’d let someone big perform in the desert. Now? (Indio) is the ‘City of Festivals,’ and Indio is world-renowned for these concerts that have come up. I think it helped the creativity in the Coachella Valley all around. It made it a little more hip for people to enjoy, and we have places like The Hood Bar and Pizza in Palm Desert that’s all original music, which is awesome, because those kinds of places didn’t exist in the Coachella Valley. There are probably four more places that let you come in and play your record and rock it out, which has been a great tribute to the kids out here. That’s where Kyuss and all the younger bands came out from—this real creative pocket that exists here. It’s growing and growing and growing.”

BEST DATE SHAKE Shields Date Garden Runners up: 2. Hadley’s 3. Great Shakes

BEST FROZEN YOGURT TIE Beach House Jus Chillin’ Runners up: 3. Yogurtland 4. Tutti Frutti 5. Yogurt Island

BEST BAKERY

Aspen Mills Runners up: 2. French Corner Café 3. Pastry Swan Bakery 4. Frankie’s Italian Bakery 5. Peninsula Pastries

BEST BARBECUE

Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse Runners up:

2. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace 3. Smoke Tree BBQ 4. Jackalope Ranch 5. Zobo and Meester’s

BEST BURGER

Café 54 at Augustine Casino Runners up: 2. Eureka! 3. Smokin’ Burgers 4. Tyler’s Burgers 5. Grill A Burger

BEST VEGGIE BURGER

Native Foods Café Runners up: 2. Eureka! 3. Lulu California Bistro 4. Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge 5. TRIO Restaurant

BEST SANDWICH

Sherman’s Deli and Bakery Runners up: 2. TKB Bakery and Deli 3. The Sandwich Spot 4. Manhattan in the Desert 5. Aspen Mills

CVIndependent.com

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| BEST PET GROOMING Desert Pet Grooming Let’s face it: When a pet groomer is named something like Royal Canine Resort and Day Spa, and the cutesiness level of the place is off the charts, that fluff is for human companions. All Fido cares about is that the potentially stressful grooming experience goes quickly and without a hitch. As for us human Photo: Desert Grooming companions … if the grooming shop is Facebook page welcoming, clean and safe, who needs to feel as though our pet is in the line of succession for the British throne? Desert Pet Grooming, in Cathedral City at Vista Chino and Landau Boulevard, offers everything you need in a quality pet groomer—without the silliness and added cost of massaging the human companion’s ego. The functional shop is spic and span, and all the grooming is done out in the open. The groomers we’ve tried there have all been great, but Brenda in particular will treat your furry friends like her own. — Jeff Clarkson

BEST PIZZA

Bill’s Pizza Runners up: 2. Stuft Pizza Bar and Grill 3. Blaze Pizza 4. Giuseppe’s Pizza and Pasta 5. Upper Crust Pizza

BEST WINGS

Buffalo Wild Wings Runners up: 2. Smokin’ Burgers 3. Wingstop 4. Smoke Tree BBQ 5. Kaiser Grille

BEST BAGELS

Townie Bagels Runners up: 2. Bagel Bistro 3. Sherman’s Deli and Bakery 4. Manhattan in the Desert

BEST SMOOTHIES Fresh Juice Bar Runners up: 2. Jamba Juice 3. Luscious Lorraine’s 4. Koffi 5. Palm Greens Café

BEST BUFFET

Café 54 at the Augustine Casino Runners up: 2. Grand Palms Buffet Agua Caliente 3. Fresh Grill Buffet at Fantasy Springs CVIndependent.com

4. Oasis Buffet at Spa Resort Casino 5. Potrero Canyon Buffet at Morongo

BEST COFFEE SHOP FOR COFFEE Koffi Runners up: 2. Starbucks 3. IW Coffee 4. Ristretto 5. Ernest Coffee

BEST COFFEE SHOP FOR HANGING OUT Koffi Runners up: 2. Starbucks 3. IW Coffee 4. Ernest Coffee 5. Ristretto

BEST TEA

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Runners up: 2. Starbucks 3. Koffi 4. Teavana 5. Panera Bread

BEST BREAKFAST

Wilma and Frieda’s Runners up: 2. Spencer’s Restaurant 3. Elmer’s 4. Keedy’s Fountain Grill 5. Cheeky’s

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BEST CALIFORNIA CUISINE Lulu California Bistro Runners up: 2. TRIO Restaurant 3. Jake’s Palm Springs 4. Kaiser Grille 5. Acqua California Bistro

BEST BRUNCH

Wilma and Frieda’s Runners up: 2. Café 54 at Augustine Casino 3. Spencer’s Restaurant 4. The Tropicale 5. TRIO Restaurant 6. Jackalope Ranch

BEST CHINESE

P.F. Chang’s Runners up: 2. JOY at Fantasy Springs 3. City Wok 4. New Fortune Asian Cuisine 5. China King

BEST GREEK

Greek Islands Restaurant Runners up: 2. Evzin Mediterranean Cuisine 3. Athena Gyro 4. Koutouki Greek Estiatorio 5. Nina’s Greek Cuisine

BEST FRENCH

Le Vallauris Restaurant Runners up: 2. Si Bon

3. Cuistot Restaurant 4. L’Atelier Café 5. Café des Beaux Arts

BEST ITALIAN

Jackalope Ranch Runners up: 2. Mario’s Italian Café 3. Castelli’s 4. Giuseppe’s Pizza and Pasta 5. La Spiga Ristorante Italiano

BEST JAPANESE

KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Runners up: 2. Okura Robata Grill and Sushi Bar 3. Gyoro Gyoro Isakaya Japonaise 4. Joyce’s Sushi 5. Shabu Shabu Zen

BEST KOREAN

JOY at Fantasy Springs Runners up: 2. Maru Korean B.B.Q. and Grill 3. Umami Seoul 4. Domo Sushi

BEST SUSHI

Thank you for voting for us as the Best Day Spa. Revive’s mission is to serve the residents of the Coachella Valley. 353 S. Palm Canyon Dr. (760) 325-4800 Torrance Office: (310) 375-7599 Irvine Office: (949) 586-9904 www.revivecenter.com

Okura Robata Grill and Sushi Bar Runners up: 2. Dragon Sushi 3. The Venue Sushi Bar and Sake Lounge 4. Mitch’s on El Paseo 5. Edoko Sushi

| BEST GREAT (BUT UNPRETENTIOUS) NEW RESTAURANT Justin Eat and Drink We like this restaurant on Highway 111 in Cathedral City for the very reason that it’s unpretentious. The Coachella Valley can always use more restaurants like this— serving tasty, interesting food, at reasonable prices, in a simple but hip atmosphere. This place doesn’t go over the top like some of the restaurants geared toward tourists here Photo: Justin Facebook page in the valley. It’s just a casual, contemporary setting where one can enjoy a relaxed dinner. The portions aren’t huge, but they’re price-appropriate, and while the menu is not extensive, everything we’ve ordered has been delicious. Although the service is sometimes slow, it’s always friendly—and the food is definitely worth the wait. Now that the restaurant is becoming more popular, reservations are recommended. Justin, the owner/chef, may even pop out and greet you at your table. — Jeff Clarkson CVIndependent.com

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| BEST QUAIL Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill

PA L M D E S E RT

73575 El Paseo Drive Suite #2310 Palm Desert, CA 92260 (Upper level next to Saks) Open Daily 8am - 2pm

PA L M S P R I N G S

I grew up eating quail—not all the time, or even regularly, but often enough that I knew what to expect whenever one of these gorgeous but silly small birds wound up on my dinner plate. Well … at least I thought I knew what to expect. That all changed the first time I enjoyed the codorniz estilo Ernesto at Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill in downtown Palm Springs. The grilled quail with sautéed tomatoes, potatoes, Anaheim peppers, garlic, green onions and cilantro is very, very good by itself. However, when it’s paired with Chef Ernesto’s diablo cream salsa, which is served on the side … well, let’s just say that none of the quail dishes I had while growing up were anywhere near this good. A plate of codorniz estilo Ernesto, paired with a Rio Azul house margarita, is about as close as one can get to culinary nirvana here in the Coachella Valley, as far as I am concerned. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. — Jimmy Boegle

155 S. Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 Coming Soon!

BEST INDIAN

Monsoon Indian Cuisine Runner up: 2. India Oven

BEST SEAFOOD

Fisherman’s Market and Grill Runners up: 2. Café 54 at Augustine Casino 3. Pacifica Seafood Restaurant 4. Mitch’s on El Paseo 5. Spencer’s Restaurant

Voted BEST FROZEN YOGURT SHOP By Readers of CV Independent!

Thank You, Coachella Valley for Voting Us #1! We’re thrilled with this honor! Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt • Authentic Italian Gelato Smoothies • Date Shakes • Shaved-Ice & More! 190 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Downtown Palm Springs

(760) 699-7486

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BEST STEAKS/ STEAKHOUSE

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Runners up: 2. LG’s Prime Steakhouse 3. Mastro’s Steakhouse 4. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar 5. Suillivan’s Steakhouse

BEST THAI

Thai Smile Palm Springs Runners up: 2. Pepper’s Thai Cuisine 3. Blue Orchid 4. My Thai 5. Thai House

BEST VIETNAMESE

Pho Vu Runners up: 2. Rooster and the Pig 3. TIE 533 Viet Fusion Watercress Vietnamese Bistro 5. Fuzion Five

BEST VEGETARIAN

Native Foods Café Runners up: 2. Luscious Lorraine’s 3. Chef Tanya’s Kitchen 4. Palm Greens Café 5. Nature’s Health Food and Cafe

BEST UPSCALE RESTAURANT Spencer’s Restaurant Runners up: 2. Le Vallauris Restaurant 3. Wally’s Desert Turtle 4. Mitch’s on El Paseo 5. Johannes

BEST OUTDOOR SEATING Jackalope Ranch Runners up: 2. The Tropicale 3. Spencer’s Restaurant 4. Copley’s on Palm Canyon 5. Mitch’s on El Paseo

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 27

DECEMBER 2017

BEST BURRITO

Lulu California Bistro Runners up: 2. The Tropicale 3. TRIO Restaurant 4. King’s Highway at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club 5. Alicante

BEST MEXICAN

Fresh Agave Mexican Bar and Grill Runners up: 2. Las Casuelas Terraza 3. El Mirasol 4. Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill 5. Loco Charlie’s

BEST SALSA

Las Casuelas Terraza Runners up: 2. Fresh Agave Mexican Bar and Grill 3. Blue Coyote Grill 4. Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill 5. Casa Mendoza

Las Casuelas Terraza Runners up: 2. Fresh Agave Mexican Bar and Grill 3. Taqueria Tlaquepaque 4. Casa Mendoza 5. La Perlita Mexican Food

BEST PLACE TO PLAY POOL/BILLIARDS The Beer Hunter Runners up: 2. The Hood Bar and Pizza 3. Neil’s Lounge 4. Big Rock Pub 5. Red Barn

BEST BEER SELECTION Yard House Runners up: 2. The Beer Hunter 3. Burgers and Beer 4. Draughtsman 5. Eureka!

| BEST LOCAL RESTAURANTS

(ON A NATIONAL SCALE)

TKB Bakery and Deli Shabu Shabu Zen and Sake Bar It’s simple math: If there’s a list of, say, 100 top places to eat in the United States, that means the average state will be home to two places on the list. Right? Right. That means if, say, a not-huge community like the Coachella Valley by itself were home to two places on the list, that would be freaking amazing. Right? Right! Well, that’s exactly what happened in the case of Yelp’s 2017 list of the Top 100 Places to Eat for 2017. Rancho Mirage’s Shabu Shabu Zen and Sake Bar, long an Independent staff favorite, was No. 78 on the crowd-source review website— an amazing accomplishment. However, what Indio’s TKB Bakery and Deli has accomplished is even more fantastic: It came in at No. 5 on the list—making the Top 5 for the third straight year, something no other restaurant in the whole country has done. TKB and Shabu Shabu Zen prove that despite some deficiencies, the Coachella Valley dining scene has much to be proud of. — Jimmy Boegle

nd.

SEASON

S E RT

BEST LATE-NIGHT RESTAURANT

IN T H E

GRAZIE MILLE!

Authentic Florentine Cuisine SINCE 1956 IN FLORENCE ITALY

73-705 El Paseo Dr. Palm Desert, Ca. 92260

Formal Dining Happy Hour All Day

Valet Parking

Private Wine Room

www.mammagina.com 760.568.9898 CVIndependent.com

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| BEST PRIME RIB TRIO Restaurant TRIO is one of my favorite restaurants—but the place used to frustrate the heck out of me. Thankfully, that’s not the case anymore. Several years ago, TRIO would occasionally offer prime rib as a special—and after ordering it a time or two, I was hooked: It was the some of the best prime rib I’ve ever had. (Considering I grew up on a cattle ranch, this is high praise, indeed.) Problem is … because it was a special, Photo: TRIO Facebook page the prime rib wasn’t always on the menu. Therefore, there was a time or three that I got a hankering for prime rib, went to TRIO with my fingers crossed … and got frustrated when the server told me prime rib was not on offer that particular night. However, that’s no longer an issue: Every Tuesday at TRIO is now Prime Rib Tuesday—and the meal costs a downright-reasonable $26. This system is not perfect—a prime-rib hankering can occur on non-Tuesdays, after all—but at least now I know precisely when I can go to Trio to get that hankering satisfied. And that is a very good thing. — Jimmy Boegle

BEST LOCAL BREWERY

Coachella Valley Brewing Co. Runners up: 2. La Quinta Brewing Co. 3. Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse

BEST COCKTAIL MENU

Thank you, Coachella Valley Independent readers, for making the Coachella Valley a sweeter place by voting Nothing Bundt Cakes in Palm Desert the valley’s Best Desserts!

72216 Highway 111 Suite F-3 760-346-3440 nothingbundtcakes.com CVIndependent.com

The Tropicale Runners up: 2. TRIO Restaurant 3. Eureka! 4. Dish Creative Cuisine 5. Seymour’s

BEST GAY/LESBIAN BAR/CLUB Toucan’s Tiki Lounge Runners up: 2. Chill Bar 3. Hunters 4. Streetbar 5. Blackbook

BEST HAPPY HOUR La Quinta Cliffhouse Runners up: 2. TRIO Restaurant 3. Lulu California Bistro 4. The Tropicale 5. Mitch’s on El Paseo

BEST DIVE BAR

The Hood Bar and Pizza Runners up: 2. The Nest 3. Neil’s Lounge 4. Red Barn 5. Plan B Live Entertainment and Cocktails

BEST MARGARITA

Blue Coyote Grill Runners up: 2. Las Casuelas Terraza 3. Fresh Agave Mexican Bar and Grill 4. Armando’s Dakota Bar and Grill 5. Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill

BEST MARTINI

Sullivan’s Steakhouse Runners up: 2. The Tropicale 3. TRIO Restaurant 4. Zin American Bistro 5. Kaiser Grille

BEST NIGHTCLUB The Nest Runners up: 2. Copa 3. Hunters 4. Zeldas 5. Bart Lounge

DECEMBER 2017

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 29

THE SECOND ANNUAL

JANUARY 19-27, 2018 Join us as bars and restaurants across the Coachella Valley offer special craft cocktails at a discount throughout the week.

BEST SPORTS BAR The Beer Hunter Runners up: 2. Burgers and Beer 3. Smokin’ Burgers 4. Big Rock Pub 5. Playoffs Sports Bar

BEST WINE BAR

On Thursday, Jan. 25, the valley's top bartenders will battle poolside to be crowned the Craft Cocktail Champion at Purple Palm Restaurant at the Colony Palms Hotel. Admission includes tastes of all drinks and bites of food, with discounts available for dinner after the event. Tickets are just $35 presale through Jan. 1; $40 after; $45 at the door.

For tickets or more information, call 760-904-4208, or visit PSCraftCocktails.com.

Zin American Bistro Runners up: 2. Mastro’s Steakhouse 3. The Wine Emporium 4. Dead or Alive 5. La Rue Wine Bar

BEST WINE/LIQUOR STORE Total Wine and More Runners up: 2. Costco 3. BevMo! 4. Desert Wines and Spirits (Go Deli) 5. The Wine Emporium

BEST BAR AMBIANCE The Tropicale Runners up: 2. Big Rock Pub 3. Mastro’s Steakhouse 4. TRIO Restaurant 5. Mitch’s on El Paseo

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CVI SPOTLIGHT: DECEMBER 2017 Have a Gay Christmas With Phillip Moore and Jason Weber Jason Weber and Phillip Moore

hat is the perfect holiday gift for the person who has everything? How about tickets to a festive holiday show—perhaps Phillip and Jason’s Super Duper Fabulous Palm Springs Christmas Extravaganza at Copa Nightclub? The show and fundraiser, featuring songs, stories and laughs from local musicians Phillip Moore and Jason Weber, will include holiday classics—as well as some new takes on those classics. “I always love ‘O Holy Night,’” said Moore when we sat down over coffee to discuss this new show. “I think whenever it’s sung, it just oozes peace and hope. We are trying to make everyone feel loved and accepted by crossing all cultural and racial boundaries, so we can all celebrate what the season is about—love!” Moore said the “homo for the holidays” show (his words) will touch on some of the serious issues that he and Weber have endured in their lives.

“Jason and I grew up as pastors’ kids in Baptist homes, and both of us went through reparative-therapy ‘gay camp’ at about the same age,” Moore said. “We both like older men, and we both are musicians. So, I think for us, Christmas being gay still has an element of softness and love, but we also both like to be a little edgy and have fun. … It’s about gay life during the holidays, and will reflect the focus of our fundraiser for December, which is Sanctuary Palm Springs, a foster home for LGBT youth.” Many of us have fond memories of Christmas … and many of us don’t. “The toys I remember: One year, I got the (Six Million Dollar) Man! Now, looking back, I know I had a crush on Lee Majors,” Moore said. “The other (toy) was the wind-up Evel Knievel.” Of course, holiday memories go beyond presents. “One special Christmas back in the ’80s that I remember was the year my

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mom was diagnosed with cancer during the holidays, and I didn’t know if she would be able to come home for Christmas,” Moore said. “But she was released on Christmas Eve! It really was a great gift for this 12-year-old. My mom was the center of my life.” Moore is an amazing singer who has performed all over the valley and beyond. He is classically trained, with a background in blues and gospel. He grew up in the South, the son of a Baptist pastor, so it’s no surprise that he studied pastoral ministry and music. “My goal was to be a Christian recording artist,” he said. However, the fact that he was gay meant that was not to be. After looking for guidance, he was kicked out of the church. He also endured several years of so-called reparative therapy, which, in a way, paradoxically wound up helping him. “It actually led me to who I really was,” Moore said. “Their motto, ‘The Truth Will Set

You Free,’ opened up my life, and it really did set me free. I have wanted to sing my whole life, since I was 2 years old. My sister would sit at the piano and tell me, ‘Could you not sing so loud?’ This is my voice!” I asked him how he selected the songs for the show. After thinking for a moment, he responded: “‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’ well, is one that I love, because I don’t feel comfortable going home to the South, because of who I am—a man who happens to be gay.” Moore added that the show will encompass love, acceptance and laughter. Phillip and Jason’s Super Duper Fabulous Palm Springs Christmas Extravaganza tales place at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 15, at the Copa Nightclub, 244 E. Amado Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $30. For tickets or more information, visit phillipandjasonchristmasshow. brownpapertickets.com. —Dwight Hendricks

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ARTS & CULTURE

ART MOVEMENT T

By stephen berger

here are many adjectives that could apply to Kinesthesia: Latin American Kinetic Art 19541969, an exhibit currently at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Historic. Groundbreaking. Educational. Mesmerizing. In the end, however, the most important thing is this: The exhibit, touted as the first in-depth examination of the role played by mid-century South American artists in kinetic art, is a whole lot of interactive fun. Things move and transform. They shimmer and beguile. The viewer is an essential part of the artwork itself. Kinetic art is divided into two categories. The first is active, where the art itself is animated by electric motors, wind, magnets or light. (A modern art. posting warns that some of the flashing lights There were different rooms, some light, may cause seizures in persons with a certain some dark. In one area were paintings that kind of epilepsy.) The second is passive, in changed color and design as one walked past which the transformation is dependent on the them. The “Chromosaturation” chambers movement of the viewer themself. This exhibit by Carlos Cruz-Diez, 1965/2010, invited contains examples of both. the viewer to travel through three entirely I visited the exhibit on a recent Thursday white spaces illuminated by blue, red or green evening—when admission is free to all. As I saturated light. entered the museum’s central court, a black “La Ciudad Hidroespacial (Spacial City),” hole of an entry beckoned to the crowd. In it, 1946-1972, by Gyula Kosice, depicts the two brilliant red diamonds shimmered and artist’s futuristic vision of our planet— teased. Moving toward them caused the shapes completely covered by water, with floating to shift and adjust. As people passed between cities of glass and light suspended above the the diamonds, new illusions were created. A all-encompassing ocean. People could travel textbook example of passive kinetic art was on between the cities, but never return to the display. drowned surface of the Earth. Just beyond were artworks with mirrors, The exhibit is brilliantly curated by Dan slowly turning columns of acrylic, and boxes Cameron, whose resume includes a lengthy that flashed lights in different shapes and stint as senior curator of the New Museum in colors—active kinetic art. The exhibit was New York City, co-curator of the Taipei Biennial, already quite educational—but the fun was and the idea man behind Prospect New Orleans. just beginning. My impression: Kinetic art is Be sure to allow time to wander and play the rollercoaster in the amusement park of among the interactive artworks. Much of the

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‘Kinesthesia’ at the Palm Springs Art Museum shines a light on an underappreciated art form active kinetic artworks are on timers, because the delicate mechanisms are now 50 years old or beyond. They turn on for 15- or 20-minute periods and then shut down for a rest period. You’ll want to go back and forth to see all of them functioning. Kinetic art is widely regarded as a European movement that began with the 1955 Paris exhibition Le Mouvement. It has been wildly popular throughout the world, but for some reason never caught on that much in the United States. One of the goals of this exhibit is to bring attention to the art—and dispel the myth that kinetic art was solely a European invention. “Kinetic art emerged in Europe in the early 20th century, with its progenitors employing light, space and motion to create an ethereal, almost sensuous experience for the viewer,” said Elizabeth Armstrong, the Palm Springs Art Museum’s executive director, in a press release. “This exhibition serves as an

introduction to the Latin American artists who played critical roles in the movement, while simultaneously providing a curatorial case for kinetic art as an important medium.” Kinesthesia: Latin American Kinetic Art, 19541969 is part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, an exploration of “Latin American and Latino art in dialogue with Los Angeles.” Supported by grants from the Getty Foundation, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA is taking place January 2018 at more than 70 places across Southern California. For more information on Kinesthesia: Latin American Kinetic Art, 1954-1969, including museum hours and admission prices, call 760322-4800, or visit www.psmuseum.org. Stephen Berger has been both a painter and ceramic tile artist. He spent his career in fashion and design in New York City and Chicago. He currently lives in Palm Springs and is completing his first novel.

7 p.m., Saturday, December 9

Downtown Cathedral City 36850 Pickfair St. 760-328-7100

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In 1972, a group of young actors, singers and dancers went to war-torn Israel to shoot Jesus Christ Superstar. Walking in the footsteps of the actual biblical characters made an impact on these performers and audiences worldwide. Come hear Ted Neeley (Jesus) speak about the experience.

An installation from a previous exhibition featuring Gyula Kosice’s “La Ciudad Hidroespacial,” 1946–1972. ©Estate of Gyula Kosice

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ARTS & CULTURE

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A BIG-TIME MEDIUM T

By brian blueskye

heresa Caputo is arguably the most successful television “medium” working today. The star of TLC’s Long Island Medium, known for her big blonde hair and her New York accent, is currently in the 10th season of her highly rated show. She’s released three New York Times best-sellers and often performs to sold-out crowds; her most recent Coachella Valley shows have sold out well in advance. As of this writing, tickets are still available for her appearance at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, on Saturday, Dec. 9. Caputo has been in the entertainment news as of late after revealing “a strain” in her marriage to her husband—who is often seen on Long Island Medium. This revelation came after we spoke, so it did not come up during our recent phone connect with their own loved ones who have interview. departed, and to sense and feel the souls of Of course, Caputo has her skeptics, including their family members. That is something that many who say she’s a performer who uses can never be broken—that soul bond. I just a number of tricks and techniques to dupe have the ability to connect with everyone’s people into thinking she’s a medium. However, loved ones. I didn’t realize I had that gift until Caputo said she indeed has the ability to my late 20s, and God has blessed me with connect spiritually with deceased loved ones— that gift.” and that everyone else does, too. While most faiths reject the idea of “I believe everyone has the gift,” Caputo mediums, Caputo said she has reconciled it said. “I also believe everyone has the ability to with her religious beliefs.

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Theresa Caputo returns to the Coachella Valley to talk to more deceased loved ones

“It took me many years to embrace that, because I am a practicing Catholic, so I incorporate it with my faith,” she said. “I also worked to understand what the spirit wanted me to say and how to interpret my signs and symbols to complete strangers. It’s a little bit different when it’s your loved ones, but for a complete stranger, everyone’s life is different, and their life experiences are different. I had to learn how it fit to the person I was reading. For me, it’s just a knowing. It’s hard to explain something when you don’t do it intentionally.” Caputo said she has experienced many difficult moments while doing what she does, and mentioned an instance that she said had happened to her the night before we spoke. “I say that I make what I do look very easy, because this is who I am, but it is the hardest thing to do,” she said. “I did a show last night, and there was a man who lost his son; he was on his way to pick him up, and his son drowned and died before he got there. I almost cried, but I said to him, ‘I don’t think there is anything that your son could have me say to you that could make this any better. I just hope it gives you the peace in knowing that his soul is safe with God, and he’s at peace.’ That’s not something very common that I say to someone—that I don’t think there’s anything I could say or do for you to make it any better. That was really hard.” When I asked if she ever wished she had a day off from being a medium, she laughed before answering. “I always say to people, ‘Oh, you don’t feel like going to work? What do you think it’s like for me?’” she said. “For me, it takes more energy to block the souls. It’s just easier for me to channel them, and (that way), I’m not fighting the energy. It becomes exhausting to me when I have to fight it. It’s the same thing in life: It takes more energy to be negative than it does to be positive. It takes more energy to ignore someone, and if you walk into a room, and there’s someone in the room you’re not fond of, it takes more energy to block that person than to just walk up and say, ‘Hi, how are you?’ … It’s the same thing with spirits.” When Caputo goes on tour, she is more interested in doing the show rather than selling things like books, she said. “I don’t want to waste any time. I want to channel as many souls as I possibly can, so when I get on that stage, I give a very quick speech on what people can expect over the

Theresa Caputo

next couple of hours, and I just start with spirit communication,” she said. “At the end of the day, everyone is there to connect with and have this amazing experience. That’s what they are there for, and that’s what I want to give my fans and people who want to experience that spirits are still with us, in a different way.” Caputo offered some advice to those who are trying to spiritually connect with their loved ones. “Sometimes, we don’t know what to look for,” she said. “A lot of times, people will say, ‘I’m not able to communicate with my grandfather, and he’s not with me. We had such a strong connection and a bond. I should be seeing signs and symbols every day!’ What I stress to everyone is that there is no right way or wrong way to connect with your loved ones. That is something that only you will know, because your bond and relationship with them is different. Acknowledge the things that are odd, weird, different or simply a coincidence— things like, ‘Oh, that song on the radio reminds me of my grandmother!’ or, ‘That license plate is the year that my grandfather died.’ Anything odd or weird to remind you of them—I refer to them as little hellos from heaven. It’s their energy in getting you to notice and acknowledge what’s going on around you.” Theresa Caputo will perform at 9 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, at The Show at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage. Tickets are $75 to $120. For tickets or more information, call 888-999-1995, or visit www.hotwatercasino.com.

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FOOD & DRINK

ON COCKTAILS I

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After a trip to the birthplace of tequila, I have an even greater appreciation for this magnificent spirit

By patrick johnson

’m in a cave underneath the blue agave fields of the Tequila Fortaleza distillery in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. The man talking to me is Guillermo Sauza, a lovable but gruff cowboy type whose family has produced tequila in the appellation for more than 140 years, and who is now the head jefe of Fortaleza—in my opinion, one of the world’s most beautiful spirits. In the candlelit cave—decorated with skulls and skeletons, marigold garlands and multicolored picado paper banners for the upcoming Dia de los Muertos celebration—Guillermo is giving his sermon on his family’s history and how he ended up holding Fortaleza’s reins. Meanwhile, the tequila I’ve been tasting the better part of the day is getting to my head. According to Guillermo, his great-greattimes too much). grandfather Don Cenobio founded his first I could bore you to death with the details distillery—La Perseverancia—in 1873 and of my trip, but who wants that? What this was the first person to export tequila to the article is about is tequila. However, I must United States. Guillermo’s granddad, Francisco mention that spending time in Jalisco made Javier, later made his family’s tequila one of me appreciate the history of tequila, the labor the most well-known brands in the world and and love that goes into it, and the essence and helped establish the Denomination of Origin nuance that comes out of it. My hope is that for tequila. you will as well. Don Javier, Guillermo’s grandfather, also The facts: Tequila is a mescal—a distilled bought a piece of land in Tequila and built alcoholic beverage made from any type of a grand hacienda on the highest point of agave plant native to Mexico. However, tequila, town overlooking a small distillery, named specifically, must be made from the blue La Fortaleza. Don Javier produced tequila at agave plant and, like champagne or Cognac, La Fortaleza until 1968 before turning it into it can only be produced in a certain region— a museum, and then sold the entire family the state of Jalisco, and limited areas in the business in 1976. However, in 1999, Guillermo states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and began the process of turning the museum back Tamaulipas, where the soil is ideal for agave into a functional distillery and, after years of growth. hard work, he got Destileria La Fortaleza up Agave, a succulent with more than 400 and running again, making tequila in the same species, takes between eight and 12 years to way it was made more than 100 years ago— reach maturity before it can be harvested. with a small brick oven to cook the agave; a When ready, the agave hearts, or piñas (which tahona (a large stone wheel) to squeeze the can weigh more than 100 pounds), are peeled juices out of the agave; wooden tanks for and then steamed in pressure cookers called fermentation; and the two original small autoclaves, or baked in ovens, and then crushed. copper pots for distillation. The sweet agave juice is extracted, fermented That’s where I am right now. And the reason and distilled, usually twice. The best tequilas I’m here is because I’m a bartender. Twice a come from baked agave, fermented with year, Fortaleza brings in more than a few lucky proprietary yeasts and distilled in copper-pot barkeeps to learn about tequila firsthand, stills. Good tequila is made from 100 percent from a handful of small-brand leaders, in the pure agave, but cheaper tequila, called mixto, only place in the world where the spirit can be is made of agave and other sugars. There are produced. four main tequila categories: Blanco (silver) is On the three-day voyage, I’ll visit the towns aged for no more than two months and is clear; of Tlaquepaque, Tequila and Guadalajara; will reposado (rested) is aged between two and 12 tour the former Sauza family estate, which months in oak and is golden-colored; añejo is now a museum dedicated to tequila and (aged) is aged between one and three years the family’s history; tour three distilleries— in oak and is a whisky-like brown; and, a new Tequila Fortaleza, Tequila Arette and Tequila category as of 2006, extra-añejo (extra-aged) Don Fulano; attend a costume party inside the is aged more than three years in oak. Typically, high white and red walls of Fortaleza; visit the tequila is aged in used bourbon barrels. glassmaker in Tonala where a large portion of Like any aged spirit, the longer it rests in Fortaleza’s bottles are hand blown; taste single- oak, the softer and smoother it will likely be. batch tequilas at the home of the proprietor of Blancos tend to be a little hotter, while añejos Tequila Calle 23; catch a lucha libre wrestling and extra-añejos will be less harsh, and often match; and drink a ton of tequila (perhaps at contain flavors from the barrel’s wood. Blancos

Shaved agave hearts (piñas) used to make tequila at the Tequila Arette distillery in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. PATRICK JOHNSON

and reposados are good for citrusy cocktails like the margarita, while reposado, añejo and extra-añejo tequilas can and should be sipped like fine whiskies, or used to create nice, stirred, spirit-forward cocktails. There are two unofficial styles of tequila— highland and lowland. Highland style tequila is generally brighter and more acidic with more olive and pepper flavor. Lowland style is usually fruitier and more tropical. In Mexico, the most traditional way to drink tequila is neat, without lime and salt. (Sorry, spring-breakers.) It is also popular in some regions to drink fine tequila with a side of sangrita—a sweet, sour and spicy drink typically made using tomato juice, citrus and spices. Tequila gained popularity in the United States during Prohibition, and the margarita helped the tequila boom in America. Margarita is the Spanish word for “daisy.” The “tequila daisy”—a drink made of tequila, citrus, sweetener and/or orange liqueur—was popular in Tijuana and other parts of Mexico in the 1920s and 30s. Another popular tequila cocktail is the paloma, a drink made with tequila and grapefruit soda; variations with fresh grapefruit juice are also delicious.

Other popular classic tequila drinks you can look to enjoy include the Mexican firing squad, made with tequila, grenadine, bitters and lime; the el diablo, featuring crème de cassis, lime and ginger beer; and a riff on the old fashioned called the Oaxaca old fashioned, created by Phil Ward at New York’s Death and Co., containing tequila, mescal, bitters and agave nectar. Locally, two of the restaurants with the finest tequila selections are the uber-popular Las Casuelas Terraza in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, and El Jefe, the stylish taqueria inside the Saguaro Palm Springs. To buy your own tequila, look to Total Wine and Spirits in Palm Desert. The store has roughly 40 shelves full of tequila. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, I don’t know what to tell you. In the western end of the valley, your best options are BevMo and the family-owned Desert Wine and Spirits inside the Go Deli Market, both on the south end of downtown Palm Springs. Like any spirit, what goes into tequila is what comes out of it. Appreciate it with every sip. Patrick Johnson is a journalist and head bartender at Truss and Twine. He can be emailed at patrickjohnson323@gmail.com. CVIndependent.com

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VINE SOCIAL JASON DAVID

There’s no such thing as a perfect holiday wine—so take the chance to experiment and enjoy favorites both old and new

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By KatieLOVE finn YOUR

HAIR

he holidays are here, and every publication across the country is offering up advice on the perfect wines to serve. These articles all suggest there is some skeleton-key wine out there that magically and universally pairs with everything on the table, somehow unlocking the doors to flavor bliss. Country Clubthat andwill Cook Street This is a lie. Take it from me: There is no one wine in existence perfectly pair with Palm De sert candied sweet potatoes, tart cranberry sauce, oyster stuffing, green beans, a honey-glazed ham and your 20-pound overcooked turkey. Anyone who tells you otherwise has no idea what they’re talking about. about760-340-5959 was the bird. So, when did we start Let’s face it … the holidays can be rough. It’s agonizing over wine pairings? My main advice: www.jasondavidhairstudio.net incredibly stressful to host a dinner party for Stop agonizing. Unless that obnoxious cousin a throng of people. Adding to that, the holiday who crushes beer cans on his forehead also guest list can be downright cringe-worthy: happens to be a master sommelier, I’m here in-laws, a crabby grandpa, an overbearing and to tell you: As long as the wine you serve has hypercritical mother, the inappropriate aunt alcohol in it, you’re doing just fine. who will probably make someone cry, and All that being said, I’m constantly asked so on. These people the very reason wine is what wines I’m pouring for the holidays, and present at these dinners in the first place—but I’m happy to tell you about my wine list. now we now have to worry that the grenache I open up a lot of different bottles during big we chose won’t properly accentuate the delicate holiday feasts and would never commit to a case mushroom flavors in the gravy? Growing up, of anything. Much like the dinner itself, with its the only thing I remember anyone fretting countless side dishes that make absolutely no

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sense, holiday meals are the perfect opportunity to procure myriad wines that normally would never be seen next to each other on the same dinner table. The bonus is, of course, that there’s bound to be something there that will please your snarky aunt. I braved the nonsensical aisles of Total Wine and More to give you a one-stop wine shopping experience. All the wines mentioned heretofore can be found in the Palm Desert mega store. Pack a snack; you might be there a while. First on my list is a sparkling wine—and there is no need to drop a paycheck on a good bottle if you’re in the know. My go-to this season is a fabulous little gem called Gruet. It’s produced in New Mexico (that’s right … New Mexico!) by a darling French family that’s been producing bubbles in Champagne since the 1950s. The Gruet brut is an astonishing value and will impress the snobbiest of wine nerds. Next up are wines no one will be able to pronounce. This is always fun at a dinner party. My favorites are an Austrian gruner veltliner like the Winzer Krems gruner veltliner kremser sandgrube and the dry domestic Husch gewurztraminer. Both are lively and expressive and relatively low in alcohol, so you can keep your wits about you while sitting across from your mother-in-law all night. As for the reds, let’s start with what I won’t serve: Zinfandel is always on my no-no list. So many are around 16 percent alcohol, and we all know the holidays are about endurancedrinking. Plus, here in the desert, we very well may have a god-forsaken heat spike, and after heat plus a boozy wine mixed with all the tryptophan in the turkey, you might slip into a coma and not be heard from in

days. So, no zinfandel. I will be picking up some cru beaujolais this year. Not beaujolais nouveau—cru beaujolais. I found a delicious Domaine des Maisons Neuves from Moulina-Vent that is every bit as food-friendly as your beloved pinot noir, but not nearly as wallet-draining. Plus, it’s meant to be chilled down, which will help you deal with the blazing heat from the ovens and burners going simultaneously in your kitchen. Merlot will be front and center on my bar, haters be damned. It’s velvety and rich with loads of fruit and just the right amount of vibrant acidity. After revisiting the Frogs Leap Merlot, I can’t for the life of me figure out why everyone abandoned this beautiful little grape. C’mon people: Sideways was 13 years ago. Let’s move on. The rest of the wines I’ll serve are fun favorites that I enjoy year-round—chenin blanc from South Africa, and a Cotes du Rhone rouge, which is a delightful blend of grenache, syrah, mourvedre, et al. I’ll have some Oregon pinot noir, and maybe a wacky Greek wine or two. The point is I’m going to drink what I want without a single thought about the perfect pairing. The holidays are all about indulging and gastronomic hedonism, so have fun; be safe; and drink whatever you damn well please. Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with more than 15 years in the wine industry. She is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and is currently studying with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. When she’s not hitting the books, you can find her hosting private wine tastings and exploring the desert with her husband and two children. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@gmail.com.

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As craft beer grows in popularity, you should learn these new descriptive terms … or not

BY KEVIN GIBSON

t wasn’t that long ago that IBUs were all that mattered. International bitterness units were all the rage as IPAs ascended to the top of the craft-beer mountain, and the higher IBU count, the better—if you wanted to prove yourself as the top “hophead” in your beer peer group. Bitterness was king, and the counterbalance was a big, thick, malty backbone that sometimes made it feel like you were drinking a burlap sack. IBUs are scarcely an afterthought these days, as new catchphrases emerge to fill the mouths of craft-beer aficionados everywhere. One of time ago was that beer is a liquid, which is, those phrases—one I hear more and more by nature, “juicy,” right? Heck, a lot of beer often every day, in fact—is the word “juicy.” names now are starting to incorporate the Juicy is now often used in reference to a word “juicy,” which will ultimately render it beer, usually a Northeast-style IPA, that is meaningless. But it’s fun for now. I guess. particularly fruity or tropical in flavor, and Another one I keep hearing, usually in actually drinks sort of like a juice as much as it reference to crisp, refreshing, less-complex does a beer. beers, is “crushable.” In other words, it’s a beer As in, “Try this mango-infused Northeast one can drink quickly as a thirst-quencher. It IPA, dude. It’s juicy!” has good flavor, yes, but it isn’t the kind of Those Northeast IPAs have gained a lot of flavor you sit and ponder while taking notes traction in the craft-beer world, so I expect this you’ll later use in your Untappd review; rather, term to become even more common. But my it’s the kind of flavor you enjoy in the moment, first thought when I heard the phrase some in a more-fleeting way.

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“Damn! This is one juicy IPA!”

As in, “Try this hoppy wheat beer, dude. It’s crushable!” This one is also known as “quaffable.” I’m pretty sure they’re interchangeable, so if you are the type who likes to zig when everyone else zags, feel free to revert to the classic phrase. “Sessionable,” which refers to beers lower in alcohol, comes into this ballpark as well, so you have lots of options to use at your next bottle swap. Oh, yeah, and there’s “bottle swap.” That’s where you and a bunch of your beer-nerd friends come together; everyone brings an interesting bottle or two; and everyone tastes everyone else’s beer. I once brought a “40” of Miller High Life to a bottle swap as a joke. No one found it funny but me. Another descriptive phrase I’ve been hearing for a while now is “drain pour”—as in, you just opened a beer and carefully poured it into a snifter to savor as you read your favorite Hemingway novel, but it is so tragically bad that you stop in your tracks and simply pour it down the drain. Next! As in, “I tried that maple banana scotch ale, dude. Drain pour.” This one is at the height of beer snobbery because, well, who throws away beer? (OK, OK, I’ve done it. But not many times.) Another derogatory phrase is “shelf turd.” I don’t hear this one as much, but I suspect it will come into its own as craft beer continues to grow into mainstream consciousness. Think of a shelf turd as this: a beer brewed in large quantities that can easily be obtained at your local Ralph’s. It might not even be a bad beer, but to the average beer snob, it has no value because of its ready availability, so it sits on the

shelf and slowly goes stale. Or, heck, it might just be bad to begin with. As in, “Dude, don’t take that Walmart shelf turd to the bottle swap!” Shelf turds are sort of the opposite of “whales,” or as it is sometimes spelled in beer geekdom, “whalez.” (Come on, really?) A whale is a difficult-to-find, highly desirable beer that craft-beer nerds will actively seek out, sort of like Ahab did with that other whale. They might even stand in long lines to get it, and it will be cherished like a family heirloom, often gathering dust for months or years before being consumed, and bragged about in online beer forums. As in, “Dude, I’m not trading you my whale for your crushable shelf turds!” Have you heard the term “dank”? It’s an off-putting word to begin with, which might just be appropriate when describing a big beer that hangs heavy on the palate. Think a thick, sticky, double IPA with lots of harsh bitterness that may or may not taste and smell a bit like cannabis. As in, “Dude, this imperial IPA is so dank that it’s like drinking a burlap sack!” (In weed circles, dank means righteous smoke.) OK, that’s enough to get you started— assuming you don’t already use these terms regularly—and there are way too many to include in one column. But by this time next year, there will no doubt be a dozen more making the rounds, so be on the lookout for Part II. Cheers. This piece was originally published in LEO Weekly.

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FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

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This month, we enjoy soup (in Palm Springs) and a sandwich (in Indio) By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The Tillamook cheddar beer soup WHERE Ein Brathaus, 117 La Plaza, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $5.95 for a bowl; $4.50 for a cup CONTACT 760-300-3601; www.einbrathaus.com WHY It’ll warm you up and please your taste buds. On Ein Brathaus’ menu, next to the listing for the Tillamook cheddar beer soup, it says— rather adorably—“seasonal item.” The calendar says it is late fall, with winter just around the corner. But we live in the Coachella Valley, and to nobody’s surprise, it was damn near 90 degrees outside as I enjoyed this “seasonal item” at Ein Brathaus. Yes, a warm, hearty soup has a definite utility when the weather outside is frightful— and the odds are decent that we will, at some point, have a coldish day or three here soon ’round these parts. When those days are here, I suggest that you waste no time in getting to Ein Brathaus, located in the newly renovated space that formerly was home to Delicatesse in downtown Palm Springs’ La Plaza. Not only will this cheese-beer soup warm you up; it’ll elate your taste buds. It’s everything a soup like this should be: rich and creamy, with a ton of flavor thanks to the beer and seasonings. It’s not too salty; it’s juuuust right. The soup can also, as our friendly server pointed out, make a great dip for Ein Brathaus’ soft pretzels ($4.50). I’ll take that a step further and say that it’d serve as a great dip for everything on the menu (including various German sausages, hot dogs, a pastrami sandwich, a buffalo chicken sandwich, etc.), except for perhaps the desserts and the buttermilk waffles. (Upon further reflection, I am not ruling out the waffles, either.) This soup is so delicious that I’ll eat it whether the temp is 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Perhaps the good folks at Ein Brathaus will consider making it a soup for all seasons.

WHAT The pesto chicken ranch club at TKB Bakery WHERE TKB Bakery and Deli, 44911 Golf Center Parkway, Indio HOW MUCH $10.99 CONTACT 760-775-8330; www.tkbbakery.com Why It’s delicious, pure and simple. TKB Bakery is one of the five best-rated restaurants in the United States. This is not hyperbole; it’s fact, according to the granddaddy website of crowd-sourced reviews, Yelp—and while Yelp reviews are about as trustworthy as Sean Hannity on Quaaludes, it says a lot that TKB has been one of Yelp’s Top 5-rated restaurants now for three years in a row. No other restaurant in the whole U.S. of A. can say that. I recently visited TKB—a family-owned affair tucked into an Indio industrial park not too far off of Interstate 10—for the first time, and I can now say I completely understand why TKB has received such crowd-sourced acclaim. The counter service is friendly (and brandnew customers get a free cookie!). The vibe is decidedly fun. And the sandwich I had—the pesto chicken ranch club—was downright spectacular. You may pay more for a sandwich at TKB than you would at other fine sandwich joints, but the $10.99 I shelled out for my sandwich was worth every penny. The pesto was amazing; the fresh Parmesan roll was revelatory; and the chicken was moist and flavorful. The complementary ingredients— provolone, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato and onion, along with mustard, mayo and ranch dressing—were all top-notch … and that free cookie? It was the best peanut-butter cookie I’ve ever eaten. TKB has been around for a while; there used to be several other valley locations which became victims of the Great Recession. Right now, there’s just one TKB (it stands for “The Kids’ Business, by the way), located in the middle of nowhere—and if you love great sandwiches and baked goods, you need to seek it out. It’s one of the country’s top-rated places to eat for a lot of damn good reasons.

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Restaurant NEWS BITES By Jimmy Boegle GRAND CENTRAL TO OPEN SOON … HOPEFULLY? … IN PALM SPRINGS’ LA PLAZA CENTER More than a year ago, local foodies were all abuzz about the anticipated opening of Grand Central Palm Springs, a restaurant and event space in the historic La Plaza Center in downtown Palm Springs. In early August 2016, Grand Central hosted a job fair; the restaurant’s Facebook page reported that 200 people had applied for jobs in person, with another 90 applications coming in online. Other posts teased menu items for the restaurant, which was going to feature American food, a coffee bar and cocktails. It seemed that Grand Central’s opening was imminent. And then … nothing happened, at least publicly. More than 14 months went by with nary a peep on Grand Central’s fate. Fearing Grand Central had been scrapped, I decided to try to find out what was going on. I sent a message via Grand Central’s Facebook page—and was relieved when Rita Capponi, a partner in the project, called me and assured me that Grand Central was still happening. In fact, she said it would likely open sometime in January, if not before. “We are so close to the finish line,” she said. So … what was the huge and apparently unexpected delay all about? Capponi said the owners greatly underestimated what it would take to get the building—built in 1936, and unoccupied for a decade—ready for business. “We’ve been laying low, because bringing a 1936 building up to 2017 building code—well, it’s been an adventure,” she said with a weary laugh. Capponi said what she hoped would be the “final inspections” would take place around early December. She also said she’s been buoyed by the support that people have offered the Grand Central Team. “People have been stopping by and saying, ‘We’re really rooting for you. We’re waiting for you,’” she said. Keep your fingers crossed, and watch www.grandcentralpalmsprings.com for more information. AGUA CALIENTE NAMES LEANNE KAMEKONA AS THE NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has named Leanne Kamekona as its new executive chef. She oversees all of the restaurants at the resort, located at 32250 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage. Kamekona, according to a news release, first became smitten with the food business while working in a family-owned grocery store in her native Hawaii. She went on to graduate from the University of Hawaii, and has thus far enjoyed a career in the food/resort world spanning more than two decades. Since arriving at Agua Caliente, she’s revamped the menu at the Waters Café, adding items ranging from a classic chicken pot pie, to a lobster roll, to saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup featuring Portuguese sausage and fishcake in a dashi broth. “The Hawaiian way of life continues to infuse the menus I develop with unique culinary experiences, while incorporating in the flavors that are distinctive to our Southern California location in Rancho Mirage,” Kamekona said in the type of quote that could only be found in a press release. For more information, visit www.hotwatercasino.com. IN BRIEF Just in case you’ve been living under a rock and somehow missed all the fanfare: The Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs has finally opened its doors at 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way. That means its two restaurants—4 Saints, the much-anticipated rooftop space, and Juniper Table, offering Mediterranean-inspired fare—are open, too. Get all the details you need at kimptonhotels.com. … Also now open on the same block: The fancy-schmancy Starbucks Reserve. … Down in Rancho Mirage, The River shopping center, at 71800 Highway 111, has welcomed the new Coachella Winery. The wine bar offers both bottles and glasses of wine at a variety of price points, as well as food including pizzas, salads, appetizers, piadina (Italian flatbread sandwiches) and a variety of bar snacks and appetizers. You’ll find menus and more info at www.coachellawinery.com. … Coming soon to Indio: Heirloom Craft Kitchen, at 49990 Jefferson St. It’s a new place by Andie Hubka, the owner of the much-loved Cork and Fork in La Quinta, and it’ll offer “craft sandwiches,” “crafted salads” and entrées like buttermilk fried chicken and grilled wild salmon. Oh, and then there are the sides … including truffle tots. Wow! Watch heirloomcraftkitchen.com for updates. … Mark your calendars: The 11th annual Desert Woman’s Show is coming to the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13 and 14. The show includes Taste of the Valley, which will feature food and drink from nearly two dozen area restaurants and vendors. Tickets are $15 in advance; head to www. desertwomansshow.com/taste-of-the-valley to get ’em and learn more.

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In advance of his new record, Charlie Overbey heads to Pappy and Harrietâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country-music star Cam tours smaller West Coast venues to promote an upcoming new album High Fantasy plans to move from the studio to the stage in 2018 the lucky 13: get to know a well-known local bassist and a musician-turned-physician assistant

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A VERY KOZ CHRISTMAS The smooth-jazz great comes to the McCallum with his 20th-anniversary holiday tour

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A VERY KOZ CHRISTMAS

By Brian Blueskye

t’s become a Christmas tradition for Dave Koz to go on tour and play holiday favorites. In fact, this year marks the 20th anniversary of his Christmas tour—and the smooth-jazz sax great is bringing it to the McCallum Theatre on Tuesday, Dec. 19. During a recent phone interview, Koz explained why he loves jazz. “I think it all starts with the instruments and playing the saxophone,” Koz said. “I grew up playing saxophone. Even though I didn’t grow up with the desire to be a jazz musician, it’s sort of the music that best houses the instrument. The sax is an instrument that can feel very much at home in so many genres, whether it’s rock, genre; it’s still a niche genre, but I would say pop, R&B or jazz. I guess at the core of who it’s extremely healthy right now. I’m surprised I am as a musician, it’s best rooted in jazz to say that, but that’s how I really feel.” music.” When I brought up some of the covers that Koz has a history of being in the house band Dave Koz has done, including a handful of on various television shows, including The different versions of George Michael’s “Careless Emeril Lagasse Show, The Pat Sajak Show and Whisper,” Koz laughed and said: “You picked a The Arsenio Hall Show. good one there!” He then told me about a video “Emeril was the best because of the food,” on the YouTube channel called Postmodern Koz said. “Emeril is a really great musician, too, Jukebox in which he took part. and he’s a percussionist. He loves cooking for “That song is very enduring,” he said. “I just musicians, and I think it’s his favorite group got back from playing Europe, and that was on of people to cook for. After we would finish the set list, because people love it, especially the tapings, he would make us food—just for after the passing of George Michael. People us. We would all eat together, and that was so are obsessed with that song. George Michael much fun. was one of my favorite artists, and he made so “Pat Sajak was at the very beginning of my much great music. I’ll always appreciate him career before I became a recording artist, and because he wrote this line for the saxophone I had the opportunity to stand beside one of that is one of the best sax riffs ever in any my saxophone heroes who hired me for that genre of music. I love playing it, too.” gig, Tom Scott. That was really amazing. Some Koz said that while he’s Jewish, he loves the years later, I did play every week for a year Christmas season. and a half on Arsenio Hall, and that was during “I grew up Jewish, but somewhere along the the heyday when everyone was watching that lines, I’ve picked up this ‘Mr. Christmas’ vibe, show. but it wasn’t necessarily the holiday I grew up “I love crossing over into other arenas to celebrating,” Koz said, “although, I did sneak expose (people to) music. I just had a cameo into my friends’ houses and help them trim in a Hallmark Christmas movie (now called the tree and eat some of the turkey dinner. I Sharing Christmas) where I got to play in the love the ceremony of it, and I love the music, movie, but I also had some lines, and I was a too. Even my parents, who wouldn’t put up a nervous wreck for that. It’s one thing to play, Christmas tree—they loved Christmas and the and it’s one thing to talk in real life, but to hit Christmas spirit, and they loved the music, your mark and nail your lines in every take, it’s too, and I heard it growing up. That’s where I pretty nerve-racking.” fell in love with it. On the subject of where jazz is today, Koz “Even after these many years and celebrating said he’s optimistic about the future, thanks to our 20th anniversary of Christmas touring, I technology. still am blown away and humbled to play these “I think jazz is increasing in its ability to great songs. They carry such an emotional reach new audiences,” he said. “We’re in a very wallop. They’re more than just songs and interesting time period in how people consume melodies; they’re the guidepost of our lives. music. We’ve gone from the albums to the When the holidays come around every year, we cassettes to the CDs, and now into a streaming want to hear these same songs, and we want mentality where people won’t necessarily buy to be taken back to those more innocent times a person’s album, but they’ll stream it through and memories. The music is what gets us there, a jazz playlist or hear it on Pandora through and it’s almost a passport to another place, so an artist channel. It’s actually reaching a I love playing the music and being on tour this wider group of people now through this new time of year.” technology. It doesn’t mean it’s a mass-appeal Koz said he’s doing something special CVIndependent.com

The smooth-jazz great comes to the McCallum with his 20th-anniversary holiday tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his Christmas tour. “Not many things happen for 20 years in a row, especially in a world as fickle as music and music tastes. I’m very honored and flattered that I’m still doing this,” he said. “We’ve seen kids who grew up coming to our shows who now have gotten married and have kids of their own. It’s become like a holiday tradition for our guests and for us. This year, we went back to the original lineup that we had 20 years ago—that’s Dave Benoit on piano, Rick Braun on trumpet and Peter White on guitar. Those are the three guys I started this with many years ago, so it seemed fitting on this 20year anniversary to reunite the cast.” Finally, I had to ask Dave Koz one question: What would he do if he was in a dental chair getting a root canal, and his own music came over the Muzak system? “As long as I’d have the laughing gas, I’d be fine!” Koz said with a laugh. “We don’t want the association of people getting their teeth drilled in the dentist’s chair, but maybe it’s by design. If people in those situations are getting a little saxophone, maybe it’s taking their mind off what’s happening and providing them with some comfort, and that’s not such a horrible thing.” Dave Koz will perform at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 19, at the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, in Palm Desert. Tickets are $61 to $101. For tickets or more information, call 760-3402787, or visit www.mccallumtheatre.com.

Dave Koz and his band.

The Blueskye REPORT December 2017 By Brian Blueskye

Mannheim Steamroller

It’s that wonderful and crazy time of the year again: The holiday season is upon us, and you’re probably looking to celebrate with some fun events. With that in mind, here’s your final Blueskye Report for 2017. The McCallum Theatre always brings great holiday cheer in December. At 3 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2, the mostly instrumental prog-rock-meets-pop-meets-synth-meetsclassical project known as Mannheim Steamroller will be returning with its holiday show. Mannheim Steamroller has selling out venues doing this for 30 years, so don’t miss it if you’ve never seen it before. Tickets are $47 to $87. At 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 3, don’t miss All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. This is one of the best-known true holiday tales in history, about the Christmas when Allied and German soldiers decided to call for a temporary truce during World War I. Tickets are $27 to $67. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, comedian Tom Dreesen will be performing his show An Evening of Laughter and Memories of Sinatra. As Frank Sinatra’s opening act for 14 years, Dreesen has stories that will be great to hear. Tickets are $27 to $67. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is definitely in the holiday spirit. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2, Alaskan folk-singer Jewel will be performing as part of her Handmade Holiday Tour. She’s put out two albums’ worth of Christmas music that have been well-received. Tickets are $39 to $69. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, jazz-legend Tony Bennett will return to Fantasy Springs. What can be said about Tony Bennett that hasn’t been said already? This show will most likely come with Christmas tunes as well! Tickets are $49 to $99. If you want a little more swing in your Christmas step, you’re covered: At 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22, the Brian Setzer Orchestra will be performing. This is the 14th year that Brian Setzer has set out on his famous Christmas tour. I caught his Christmas show a continued on Page 43

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ADDING EMOTION By Brian Blueskye

harlie Overbey has been writing songs for years that hit listeners with raw emotion—and he’s doing so again, with the release of new album early next year. Overbey will perform with his band, the Broken Arrows, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, Dec. 14. After a recent battle with pneumonia, Overbey enthusiastically discussed his upcoming new album, Broken Arrow, during a phone interview. “I made this great new record with Ted Hutt. playing. There are some really deep songs that Ted has done tons of different things (with I had written during times of my life that were bands) from the Gaslight Anthem to Dropkick private moments. He told me, ‘Those are the Murphys, and he was a founding member of best songs, Charlie. Those are the songs that Flogging Molly,” Overbey said. “He actually won everyone can relate to.’ Anyone can write a song a Grammy for Old Crow Medicine Show, and about drinking, partying and fucking. … But at he recently did the Brian Fallon record. He’s a times, you want to hear something with some pretty hands-on guy, and he produced this new depth to it. Ted brought me to a place of being record that is due to come out in February or OK with releasing a record of songs that say March. something and mean something and will have “It’s called Broken Arrow, and it’s a very deep some longevity.” record and goes to places I normally wouldn’t Overbey has a trove of older songs that have go. I think in this day and age that you have to not yet made it onto any recordings. Broken dig a little bit and give people music that says Arrow will include a few of those older songs. something and means something, and bring “I had been doing ‘Kentucky Whiskey,’ and we some harsh reality.” ended up changing the title to ‘Trouble Likes Me Working with Ted Hutt was a positive Best,’ because there are so many whiskey songs,” experience, Overbey said. Overbey said. “I did that song for many years “Ted is genius, really, because he lets you but never actually recorded it. David Allan Coe figure out what’s best and what’s not best told me when I was on tour with him, ‘I should without telling you somehow,” Overbey said. have written that song!’ which to me says, “I went in to make one record and ended up ‘That’s a great fucking song!’ making a completely different record—not “There’s also another song called ‘Shame’ because Ted told me, ‘You have to make this that I’ve been doing for years that has never record!’ Ted told me, ‘You have to make this made on a record. I demoed it and made a record,’ without telling me that. That’s part of crappy video for it, but that one made it on the the magic of Ted. I have never really worked record. There’s another one called ‘Last Deep with anyone like Ted where I felt free to explore Breath’ that I had written 10 years ago that is and open up. He took me out of my comfort a really deep one, and it’s the last song on the zone and got me to put songs on this record that record. It’s such a heavy tune to me that I wasn’t I wouldn’t normally be comfortable singing or comfortable ever recording it or even doing it live. Ted convinced me that’s the record I needed to make, so we made it. But there are still elements of the record that are fun and party music, and the band is a bunch of party-type dudes.” There are some great guest appearances on Broken Arrow as well. “I used the Mastersons, the husband-andwife duo who are members of Steve Earle’s band, the Dukes,” Overbey said. “There’s a song called ‘47’ that I wrote about Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers and his battle with cancer. When Eddie was going through that, they had to come down here (to Los Angeles) from Seattle to have his treatments and stayed at our house—him and his whole family and animals. I wrote a song while that was happening about Charlie Overbey and the Broken Arrows

In advance of his new record, Charlie Overbey heads to Pappy and Harriet’s

that situation, and once Eddie was free and clear of the cancer, I called Eddie to sing on it, and it ended up being called the ‘Ballad of Eddie Spaghetti.’ It’s heavy, but it’s upbeat. I also had Miranda Lee Richards; Ted Russell Kamp, who plays with Shooter Jennings; Paul Cartwright, who plays with Father John Misty; and a few other people.” Overbey is also the frontman for Custom Made Scare, a cowpunk band that was signed to SideOneDummy Records in the late 1990s. Overbey said fans should not expect a fullfledged reunion anytime soon. “Custom Made Scare was an amazing time, and it had its time,” he said. “We were young, full of angst, piss and vinegar—and it was cowpunk at its best. To do it again is always fun, and we do it every three or four years as long as we’re still young enough to do it. We have talked about making another record, but I’m really comfortable and feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing at this point in my life. Climbing in a van to drive around to play punk

rock again—it doesn’t really sound inviting. I like doing it every once in awhile, but sleeping on people’s floors and eating 7-Eleven hot dogs and drinking shitty beer doesn’t do anything for me these days.” Overbey said he’s thrilled to be returning to Pappy and Harriet’s—and mentioned a new business of his that’s taking off. “This is our first headline show at Pappy’s, which I’m really excited about, because the fucking barbecue ribs there are outstanding,” he said. “This has been the calm before the storm. I have Lone Hawk Hats going on, too, and I’ve been making hats for the past couple of years. That is fucking exploding, and it’s so out of control that I can’t make them fast enough.” Charlie Overbey will perform at 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 14, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. Admission is free. For more information, call 760365-5956, or visit www.pappyandharriets.com.

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MUSIC

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A CALIFORNIA GIRL By Brian Blueskye

n 2015, Cam lit up the country-music charts with her album Untamed—and she may very well do so again next year, when she releases a new album. In the meantime, she’s bringing her small-scale West Coast tour to Pappy and Harriet’s on Thursday, Dec. 7. Born in Lafayette, a Bay Area suburb, she decided to pursue a music career after attaining a degree in psychology from University of California, Davis, and working in research labs. During a recent phone interview, Cam discussed her new single, “Diane.” “It’s basically the mirror image of the Dolly was married. When she finds out he’s married, Parton song ‘Jolene,’” Cam said. “In this story, she goes to the guy’s wife, tells the truth and the other woman is coming forward saying that apologizes. But it’s all wrapped up in this kind the guy she is with—she didn’t realize that he of ABBA-meets-Fleetwood Mac, dance-music,

Solar Q&A

I explored solar a while back and am interested in looking into it again—has anything changed? Good for you—it’s never too soon to start saving money. The biggest change is in the billing formula for electricity from Southern California Edison. When you choose to go solar, you will move to a Time-of-Use, or TOU program. That means that your power will be more expensive from 2-8 p.m., and then much less at other times. All other consumers will also be moved to this arrangement starting in 2018 or 2019, as the customers in the desert region are one of the last groups to be moved to it.

of your roof on which to install to squeeze every bit of power out, for as long in the day as possible. They will also be able to accurately project your savings and ensure you are putting on the right amount of solar, and not be left short and owing a bunch of money to the utility at the end of 12 months.

What about the savings? With the right company and the right solar configuration, the savings should be just as much as before— but it’s definitely a question to add to your list for companies you consider for proposals. Other questions include: What panel are you putting on my roof? What is the warranty and does it cover materials and What does that mean for me? labor? Where is your company based? It means you should make sure that Do you have a whole team in the area the solar companies you are getting or just salespeople? How quickly can proposals from are basing them on TOU, and not the basic tiered structure you respond if I have an issue? How many installations have you done in from before. Why? Because the right this area? company will understand what parts

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Country-music star Cam tours smaller West Coast venues, including Pappy’s, in advance of a new album up-tempo vibe. You’re kind of dancing along and singing, ‘Diane, I’m really sorry I didn’t know he was your man,’ and you’re having a lot of fun, and then it’s, ‘Oops, wait. What is she saying?’” With two albums under her belt, Cam said the upcoming album was easier to record—and that she had more resources to work with. “There’s always the challenge of art—when you get in your own head and … you go through the process, and suddenly everything you have is horrible,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just wading through inner turmoil to figure out what you want, in terms of the process, and it was a lot easier this time around. When I first started in 2010, I was still doing psychology research, and when I first went into music, I started from scratch and was still learning how to write what I wanted, and how my voice should sound. I did it all on a Kickstarter budget. “This (new) album, after winning a Grammy nomination for the last one, I have a bigger budget and things like strings on this album. I recorded it at the Capitol building in Los Angeles. The songwriters who wrote ‘Girl Crush’ are on it, and it was much easier.” While songwriters helped with the album, Cam said she writes the vast majority of her material herself. “It’s a very rare instance where I don’t (write all of it), and that may happen on one song on this next album. But I generally always write it,” she said. “For me, it has to touch base with the emotional part … by writing about the experiences that define you. It has to touch you with some kind of emotion behind it. That’s worth all the work and effort that goes into it. I have to feel pretty intense about it, and that includes me feeling very vulnerable when I’m writing.” Speaking of songwriting: Cam wrote a song on Sam Smith’s new album. “I felt like, sitting down with Sam, he already heard some of the new album and liked it, but he knew what he was going into and said, ‘I want to write with her,’” she said. “We sat down, and it was like there was a similar concept that’s floating between you, and you both identify it. If you don’t speak the same language or you’re not on the same wavelength, then it doesn’t work.” As a Californian, Cam said she struggled when she first arrived in Nashville. “People definitely have a way of doing things … and tell you, ‘That’s the way it’s done,’” she said. “… Sometimes, when you get

Cam

into Nashville as a new artist, people are like, ‘Here’s the big-hit producer; here are the bighit musicians you have to use; and here’s the big-hit writer!’ You just kind of get pushed into the factory line, but then in the end, you get music that sounds like everyone else’s, and it feels like it could be replaceable.” Cam is currently touring smaller West Coast venues. She said she wants to show appreciation for the West Coast while introducing songs from the upcoming album. “I lived in Portland at one point in my life. I was raised in the Bay Area, (lived in) Los Angeles at one point, and I got married in Pioneertown. These are all places that I love,” she said. “For me, bringing a show to an intimate place after playing big shows—it’s really cool to be in a venue where you can see people and their faces at an intimate level. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do in my life: play music in the places where I want to play and for the people I want to play it for.” Cam will perform 9 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 7, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. Tickets are $20. For tickets or more information, call 760365-5956, or visit pappyandharriets.com.

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DECEMBER 2017

MUSIC AMPING UP

High Fantasy plans to move from the studio to the stage in 2018

By Brian Blueskye

ot a lot of people have heard of the local band High Fantasy—but that’s likely to change in the upcoming year. Orlando Welsh and Ryan Jovian, both of whom were in the now-defunct rock/electronic band Metroid, have been creating an interesting blend of indie-rock and dance music, including releasing some material on SoundCloud. During a recent interview with Welsh in Cathedral City, he explained why he and Jovian took their music in a different direction. “A lot of it had to do with Ryan,” Welsh said. “He has a completely different music taste than I do. He’s an indie-rocker, and I kind of tend to lean more toward pop music and punk rock. He’s always had the coolest music collection of anyone I know. So he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, man, I have this idea for this band; you just have to trust me.’ “Before, in our old band … we’d have to do everything together, but I said, ‘Why don’t you take the reins, and let’s see what you’ve got.’ That’s how the sounds for this came up. He just wanted to try something different, and he plays just doing that before that stuff got popular, and about any instrument, and he’s very heavy we stood out. We’d show up, and there would on the keyboard and production. He started be a hardcore band playing, and we’d have bringing songs, and we started putting lyrics to win the audience over. Sometimes, people to them. Before, we’d sit there with a full didn’t like us and would ask us, ‘What is this band, and we’d be like, ‘What do you think, gay music you’re playing?’ We’d end up playing drummer? What do you think, guitar-player?’ in gay clubs, too, and we had gay fans, so they … Five people trying to come up with an idea embraced us. We played one show where we take a bit longer, or there’s a lot of conflict.” stripped down to our underwear onstage, and I I asked Welsh if he missed playing stuff with had this leopard-print bikini on. If you Google more of a rock edge. it, you might be able to find a photo of me “Not really, because this is really fun. … from that show.” I’m still playing bass, and I’m still singing,” Welsh and Jovian have spent a lot of time Welsh said. “Ryan is playing guitar, and his recording. Welsh said he loves how easy it is guitar is heavily distorted; he has a My Bloody nowadays. Valentine-loud guitar. It’s also heavy on the “Recording is a lot of fun. Ryan has been keyboard and the electronics. It’s a blend of building his recording rig for years now, and both.” it’s portable,” Welsh said. “He has it down to Welsh said High Fantasy is on the cutting a science now to where he uses an iPad, and edge, much like Metroid was back in the day. has pre-amps in a really nice microphone. We “Everyone was into the ‘screamo’ thing. We set it up in my living room or his sound booth were heavy into synthesizers,” he said. “We at home. It’s so easy now. … Our drums are were more dance-y, and the disco beat was built digitally. A traditional drum room would really prevalent in the music, but the keyboards cost you a ton of money to get it done. We like were always there. We’d show up to shows, and being able to do it ourselves.” they’d be like, ‘You have keyboards? What are High Fantasy has big plans in 2018. all these keyboard noises going on?’ … We were “We’re releasing songs and videos. We’ve gotten to the point where we can make our High Fantasy own videos,” he said. “My brother got into making videos and filmmaking and bought a nice setup. He learned how to use it in a fast amount of time. We just do it all ourselves. Sometime in 2018, we’re going to start playing shows and touring. We wanted to have content out first and build a fan base online first so we’re not playing some bar to five people, which can be discouraging.” For more information on High Fantasy, visit www.hghfntsy.com.

The Blueskye REPORT continued from Page 40

couple of years ago, and I can tell you that it’s a lot of fun, featuring Christmas music as well as the Brian Setzer classics that you love. Tickets are $39 to $69. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-3425000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has a solid schedule during the month. At 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1, Australian comedian Jim Jefferies will take the stage. Expect the outspoken Jefferies’ career to continue to rise while Trump is president; his Comedy Central talk show was recently renewed for a second season. Tickets are $45 to $65. At 5 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 3, Dance to the Holidays will take place, featuring Dancing With the Stars Mirrorball champions Tony Dovolani and Karina Smirnoff. The event will also include finalists from American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. This is one big mess of holiday awesomeness! Tickets are $45 to $75. If you’re looking for a festive way to bring in 2018, look no further, because at 10:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 31, KC and the Sunshine Band will be performing. With disco hits you know and love such as “Get Down Tonight” and “That’s The Way (I Like It),” you’re guaranteed a great time. Tickets are $75 to $95. The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com. Spotlight 29 has some fine shows on the schedule. At 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1, ’70s rock band Ambrosia will be performing. The group has been nominated for five Grammy awards and is responsible for hit songs “How Much I Feel” and “Biggest Part of Me.” Tickets are $20. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16, country music superstar Clint Black will take the stage. He’s had more than 30 country-music hits—and performs some Christmas music as well, so expect to hear some of that country Christmas twang. Tickets are $35 to $55. Do you like to party? Of course you do, so you won’t want to miss the New Year’s Eve celebration at 8 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 31 when Gap X—The Band performs. The group includes six original members of the Gap Band, famous for songs such as “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” and “Outstanding.” Tickets are $35 to $55. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760775-5566; www.spotlight29.com. Morongo Casino Resort Spa has a couple of holiday offerings for December that aren’t yet sold out (at least as of our press deadline). At 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, enjoy a holiday “sleigh ride toy run” with ’80s metal bands Slaughter and Great White. Tickets are $17.50 to $20. At midnight, Sunday, Dec. 10, the “sleigh ride toy run” continues with Vixen and Autograph, both from the ’80s metal world. Vixen is an all-female band that proved they could play metal just as good as men. You might remember Autograph for the song “Turn Up

the Radio,” which was featured on the Hot Tub Time Machine soundtrack. Tickets are $17.50 to $20. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace has some good events to consider. At 9 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, singer-songwriter Terry Reid will be performing. When I interviewed Terry a couple of years ago, he told me a variety of hilarious stories, including one about the time when Chuck Berry stole his amplifier while he was on tour with the Rolling Stones. Yes, Terry is a legend—and tickets are just $15. At 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 16, stoner-rock band Fu Manchu will take the stage. If you’re a fan of desert rock and love fuzzy guitars, sweet riffs and that funny stuff kids are smoking, you’ll love Fu Manchu. Advice: Don’t forget your ear plugs. Tickets are $15 to $18. At 8:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22, the Supersuckers will be returning to Pappy and Harriet’s. Eddie Spaghetti seems to have won his battle with cancer, so the band is still kicking ass and taking names. Tickets are $25. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-365-5956; www.pappyandharriets.com. The Purple Room Palm Springs will have a fun month full of holiday events. At 7 p.m., every Sunday in December, Michael Holmes will be doing his holiday themed Judy Show. Tickets are $25 to $30. At 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1, enjoy a holiday show by Kate Campbell and the Martini Kings. I chatted with Martini Kings frontman Anthony Marsico last year on the patio at the Paul McCartney show at Pappy and Harriet’s, and enjoyed his stories about playing with Bob Dylan. Tickets are $25 to $30. At 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 22, get out your blue suede shoes when Scot Bruce performs his Elvisthemed Blue Suede Christmas! show. Tickets are $25 to $30. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760322-4422; www.purpleroompalmsprings.com. The Copa Nightclub has some fun shows slated for the month. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2, and 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 3, Steve Grand will take the stage. He’s the young gay singer who rocketed to stardom when his song “All-American Boy” went viral on YouTube. Tickets are $35 to $55. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, Ty Herndon will perform. The country star enjoyed big success with a couple of gold records in the 1990s, and came out of the closet in 2014. Tickets are $25 to $35. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 23, Frenchie Davis will return to the Coachella Valley. Fun fact: The alumnus of both American Idol and The Voice has had several successful singles, but has not yet released a full album. Tickets are $25 to $45. Copa, 244 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 760866-0021; www.copapalmsprings.com. CVIndependent.com

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MUSIC

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the

LUCKY 13

This month’s interviewees: a well-known local bassist and a musician-turned-physician assistant By Brian Blueskye

NAME Aaron Ramson GROUPS Perishment, Mighty Jack MORE INFO Aaron Ramson is well-known in the Coachella Valley music scene … for a bass player. The mighty Hawaiian bassist has played in various metal bands over the years, but is probably best known for his time in both Perishment and Mighty Jack. If you’ve ever seen Mighty Jack in concert, you probably know that every show is “Aaron’s last show.” For more information, visit www.facebook. com/mightyjackband. What was the first concert you attended? When I was 15, the drummer from my band and I jumped on a plane and flew 500 miles to see Slayer. The venue was a converted industrial shop; the audience was 90 percent drunken Marines; and my drummer was wearing a yellow “Popo’s Cookies” shirt. It’s the first and still the best concert I’ve ever been to. What was the first album you owned? I got both Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Men at Work’s Business as Usual at the same time. I think they were a Columbia House 2-for-1 special. I used all my allowance. What bands are you listening to right now? I went and bought all three Run the Jewels albums. I like their style of rap—excellent beats and flow. Pelican is doing really interesting things in the stoner/prog genre. Lhasa De Sela, R.I.P., is what I always play in the background when I have company over. Her voice was a more sultry Fiona Apple.

Aaron Ramson

What’s your favorite music venue? The most exciting venue to have played in was The Palladium in Worcester, Mass, but to see live bands, nothing beats a small club like … The Roxy. You can literally reach up and touch the artists. What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head? “I know I know, I’m supposed to know, more of Fitzgerald, more of Hemingway, more of Thoreau. But she keeps me distracted this devilish thing. She feels like brimstone, when I take her shirt off, she could have wings,” King 810, “Me and Maxine.” What band or artist changed your life? How? Metallica. I was a big fan of Michael Jackson, Prince and George Michael. But the first time I saw the music video for “One,” it changed everything. Gone were all my pop albums, and I had to explore this new kind of harder music. You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? Wow. That is heavy. I would ask John Lennon if he really beloved love was all we needed. He was an incredibly complex and flawed man—deeply intriguing. His brain would be incredible to pick.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? Mumble rap. I don’t know who any of these artists are. I don’t get it. What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? I’d love to go back and see The Mars Volta and System of a Down show I saw in 2005, but watch it not high as a kite this time. Both were in their prime and magnificent, at least from what I can remember … What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? Oh, Jesus … Watkin Tudor Jones and Die Antwoord. Don’t tell anyone, please.

What song would you like played at your funeral? “Chlorine and Wine” by Baroness. Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? .. .And Justice for All by Metallica, simply for its influence on my pubescent brain. What song should everyone listen to right now? “Love Again” by Run the Jewels. Because maybe John Lennon was right. NAME Rick Jervis MORE INFO Rick Jervis, the physician assistant at Executive Urgent Care in Indian Wells, is not only a medical professional; he has also been a professional musician. He once worked for Yamaha’s musical-instruments division, and also worked behind the scenes on the Jackson 5’s Victory Tour in 1984. Full disclosure: I also work for Executive Urgent Care. During the day, those of us in the office can hear Rick blasting tunes from various genres, from jazz to rock—and yes, Toto too. What was the first concert you attended? Todd Rundgren. What was the first album you owned? A Deep Purple album. What bands are you listening to right now? Ed Sheeran.

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Rick Jervis

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? Rap! What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Toto. What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? Jazz. What’s your favorite music venue? The Santa Barbara Bowl. What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head? The “99” in Toto’s “99.” What band or artist changed your life? How? The Rascals. I bought my first (Hammond) B-3 (organ) after listening to Felix Cavaliere play. You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? I’d ask Don Henley of the Eagles how the group is adjusting to the loss of Glenn Frey. What song would you like played at your funeral? “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? Toto, Falling in Between. What song should everyone listen to right now? “Hold the Line” by Toto.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 45

DECEMBER 2017

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

35 Genesis brother 37 Ab ___ (from the beginning) Across 38 Italian carmaker 1 Sedate that partnered with 6 Any of the Bee Gees Chrysler brothers 39 Water-based tourist 10 Chicago-based clown attraction in Rome 14 Hashtag inspired by 44 Emulated the Harvey Weinstein 45 Do a marathon allegations 46 Go off ___ tangent 15 The Joy of Cooking 47 Banner team? author Rombauer 48 Stashed away 16 Mess up completely 49 Loudly lament 17 “No further detail is 52 Overdue needed” 54 Tom Hiddleston’s role 19 Statesman von in Thor Bismarck 55 Suit accessory 20 Man of a Thousand 56 Cereal with a rabbit Faces Chaney mascot 21 Play backgrounds 58 Implements first used 22 Forms morning in the Paleolithic age moisture 61 Abundant 24 Green Day drummer 62 Word before bay, day, ___ Cool or pay 25 That dude’s 63 Little night flyer 26 Krypton, e.g. 64 Quits hedging 27 Three, on some clocks 65 “Benevolent” fraternal 30 “Help!” at sea order 31 Sold out, in a way 66 Oboist’s supply 33 Statement after reporting something Down pleasant, maybe 1 Put through a refinery “Back-Billed”—all the smaller examples

2 “Danny Boy” voice, usually 3 Make reparations 4 Letters before a monetary amount 5 Where to see corgis compete 6 Core concepts 7 Bank offerings, for short 8 Songwriter’s publishing gp. 9 Statistician’s numbers problem, sometimes 10 Furrowed body part 11 Reversed, like some shirts or jackets 12 Acne spot 13 “Be My Yoko ___” (Barenaked Ladies single) 18 Bank robbery 23 Abbr. before a cornerstone date 26 Cameroon’s neighbor 28 Birth state of Elijah Wood 29 Part of MIT, for short 30 Do what you’re doing right now 31 Broadway musical without a storyline 32 In conclusion, in Paris 33 Question for the

stranded 34 Coatroom hangers, maybe 35 Prefix for sphere 36 Fiber source in cereals 40 “Can ___ you in on a little secret?” 41 Savoir-faire 42 Kid’s wheels 43 IRS employee 48 Drivers’ warnings 49 Took illegally 50 De-squeaked 51 Conquers 53 Forest hackers 54 Place for tumblers 56 “The ___ La La Song” (theme from The Banana Splits) 57 Ocasek once of the Cars 59 ___ Tuesday (Aimee Mann’s old band) 60 Be behind ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

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lived in Washington state in 2012 when voters passed Initiative 502, making Washington one of the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for people 21 and older. Although the process took a year, Washington was able to implement a well-thought-out system to fairly tax recreational users, ensure public safety and create distribution methods. Three years later, I moved to Southern California, where recreational prohibition was the law of the land—even though anyone with access to the Internet, $45 or so, a California state driver’s license and the ability to say the words “trouble sleeping” could easily obtain a medical diagnosis via what amounts to a Skype call. While marijuana does have numerous medical benefits, I find it difficult to believe it is the panacea that many of its proponents suggest it is—and the medical dispensaries don’t do much to maintain the illusion that they are anything like pharmacies. Imagine going to a drugstore … with a happy hour? Would you get 2-for-1 antibiotics to help clear up that rash? I was relieved when California voters last year followed the lead of Washington (and, by then, three other states) and passed Proposition 64. As a person who tries to lead an honest life, it pained me to participate in this fiction. When Prop 64 fully takes effect on Jan. 1, 2018, California will join Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska and the District of Columbia in acknowledging that marijuana is as safe, if not safer, than alcohol when used by adults. Of course, California has been at the center of unlawful or semi-lawful marijuana cultivation for decades, and bringing the growers into the legal market will help control quality, eventually bring down prices, take power away from the gangs and cartels, and help influence the movement to end prohibition entirely on a national scale. (Of course, given the state of our federal government as of now, that last part may be delayed a bit.) California cities have a great deal of leeway in deciding where pot can be sold, and how many licenses to issue. Palm Springs, for instance, is currently expecting to have approximately six shops—the same number of legal medical dispensaries that are now operating in the city; during season, I’m sure this will give locals yet another chance to talk about how long the lines are. (Remember: Wednesday is our slow day here, so you may want to plan your recreational shopping trips accordingly.) The city of Palm Springs also just passed a law that will allow Amsterdamstyle cafes. This is particularly important,

given the number of tourists we attract; it’s also important for renters, as most hotels and apartments have strict “no smoking” policies. Remember: It is still illegal to smoke in bars and restaurants. Palm Desert only recently lifted its ban on any sort of dispensaries—and will even be allowing one recreational shop in the tony El Paseo shopping district. On the other end of the spectrum, the city of Coachella maintains an outright ban on the sale of marijuana, although cultivation is OK, and there are at least two churches where congregants can go and, for a donation, receive the sacrament in either brownie, flower or vape form. Tourists and nonmedical users will need to be aware of a few things before showing up at one of the new recreational shops. Most importantly: As with alcohol, driving while under the influence will be illegal, and if you have anything in the car, it must be in a closed container. The best practice would be to keep it in the trunk so there can be no doubt if you are pulled over. Also of note is that adults over the age of 21 can carry up to an ounce of marijuana flower, or eight grams of concentrate. That is a lot of pot to have on you. Private citizens can also grow up to six mature plants for their own

use; although it will be illegal to sell the pot you grow without a license, you are welcome to give it to friends or perhaps your favorite Independent marijuana columnist. Initially, at least, prices will probably rise. Although commercial growers are eagerly preparing for the first post-legalization harvest, demand may surpass supply in those first few months, if what happened in other states is any indication. Also: An additional 15 percent state tax combined with local taxes and other fees virtually ensures that prices will be higher at first. However, as growers get a handle on demand, we should see prices drop. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, and our current attorney general, Jeff Sessions (at least he is as of this writing … you never know with the Trump administration) has vowed to crack down on enforcement, so bringing pot into national parks could land you in some real trouble: State and local law enforcement will no longer assist the feds, but you still need to be careful if you want to bring a joint along with you when you, say, go hike in Joshua Tree. Plus, with our long history of drought here in Southern California, you don’t want to risk being responsible for the next round of wildfires. Try vaping or a brownie instead. Come Jan. 1, nearly a quarter of the U.S. population will be able to use pot in much the same way they currently enjoy a glass of wine or cocktail—and as states and municipalities wrestle with the implications of this brave new world, the Coachella Valley Independent will continue to be here with news, reviews and stories to help you make good, responsible decisions around marijuana use.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 47

DECEMBER 2017

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DECEMBER 2017

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