Coachella Valley Independent August 2015

VOL. 3 | ISSUE 8

In Defense of DHS

A Popular Article Recently Claimed Desert Hot Springs Is the Worst Place to Live in California.

Brian Blueskye Has Been a DHS Resident for a Decade—and He Takes Umbrage.

PAGE 8

2 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

A Note From the Editor

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

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle Assistant Editor Brian Blueskye Editorial Layout Wayne Acree Advertising Design Betty Jo Boegle Contributors Gustavo Arellano, Victor Barocas, Max Cannon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bill Frost, Bob Grimm, Alex Harrington, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Keith Knight, Robin Linn, Jeffrey Norman, Marylee Pangman, Erin Peters, Dan Perkins, Deidre Pike, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor

The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month. All content is ©2015 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors.

COVER DESIGN BY WAYNE ACREE

The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, the LGBT Community Center of the Desert, artsOasis and the American Advertising Federation/Palm Springs-Desert Cities.

CVIndependent.com

There’s a lot of great stuff going on here at Independent World Headquarters (i.e., my apartment in downtown Palm Springs) in August.

For one thing: We’ll be launching our Supporters of the Independent Program within weeks. We don’t charge a thing for our great content, whether it’s delivered online, via email or in print—and we never will charge a thing for our great content. However, we understand that some readers would happily contribute a small amount of money to the Independent, be it monthly or annually, to help us do what we do. The Supporters of the Independent Program will help readers do just that—while receiving some cool perks in return.

We’re still setting things up and working out the details. Watch CVIndependent.com, as well as our weekly e-Edition, for those details.

For another thing: We’ll be opening up Round 1 voting for the Best of Coachella Valley 2015-2016 on Monday, Aug. 31. We’ll ask you, our readers, to share your top choices in 120 or so categories. We’ll compile the results, and then launch a second round of voting, starting in October, among the top votegetters in each category. The winners of that poll will be honored and celebrated in our December print issue, and at CVIndependent.com in late November.

Finally … I have a little bragging to do.

The results of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) 2015 Altweekly Awards were announced on Saturday, July 18, at the annual AAN conference, held this year in Salt Lake City, Utah—and the Independent was one of the papers honored.

Brian Blueskye won an award in the Arts Feature category. He earned third place for his coverage of the Palm Springs mural ordinance, which he covered throughout 2014.

While journalism awards are a dime a dozen, the Altweekly Awards, given out each year by AAN, are a fairly big deal.

(As of now, this is the only journalism contest the Independent enters.)

Seventy-one publications across the United States and Canada, almost all of which are bigger in terms of resources than the Independent, entered this year’s contest. In other words, there’s a lot of competition, so it’s quite an accomplishment to win one.

Congratulations to Brian on the award. Here’s hoping it’s the first of many awards for him—and the Independent as well. Heck, maybe he’ll win one for his cover story this month, “In Defense of DHS.” Who knows?

In any case, welcome to the August 2015 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@ cvindependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

AUGUST 2015

OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS

What Can People Do About Their Aging Parents?

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Anita Rufus ou live across the country from your parents. You’re raising your children and wondering how you’ll send three kids to college in a few years. You take pills for some chronic conditions and worry that one major medical crisis might wipe out your retirement plans. You live modestly, in a small middle-class home, and you have no desire to move.

When you go to visit Mom and Dad, you plan to play a little golf and relax.

But you notice that Dad’s eyesight isn’t what it used to be; he doesn’t drive at night anymore—and you’re not so sure he should be driving at all. His legs aren’t as strong as they once were; he used to love to walk but now cramps up after only a block.

Mom is still playing bridge with her friends, but she is having trouble remembering things (in fact, she tells the same story over and over again), and no longer has the energy for housework. You realize the dishes aren’t really clean, and some food long past its expiration date is in the refrigerator. You worry about her management of medicines.

How long, you wonder, will it be before they’re going to need some help or supervision to continue living independently? Who will take them to the doctor? Do they need emergencyalert devices in case they fall? Who will oversee their medicines? Who will make sure they’re eating well? And how are you going to initiate the conversation about care without starting World War III? Say hello to the current “sandwich generation”—the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) currently in their 50s and 60s, with children still at home or boomeranging back home. They’re preparing for their own retirement, often with aging parents in their 70s and beyond who need help, but don’t want to admit it. According to Baby Boomers R We, a Pew Research Center report indicated that “one in every eight middle-aged Americans … is currently caring for at least one child and a parent under the same roof.” Not surprisingly, 75 percent of those family care providers are women.

This role reversal presents some big challenges: Elders don’t want to admit they need help, especially to their children, and they fear losing control of their own lives. How do you make sure aging parents are getting both the care and the dignity they deserve, and manage your own needs and obligations at the same time?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among the top three fastest-growing occupations through 2018 will be personal care aides and home health workers, with occupational and physical therapists not far

behind. These professionals—often with extensive training, but sometimes they’re people who are merely willing to do the work— are critical to making sure Mom and Dad get the support they may need, especially since each generation is living longer. So how do you find what you need for your parents here in the desert?

The Riverside County Office on Aging is a good place to start. Authorized under the federal Older Americans Act and the Older Californians Act, this agency provides funding and leadership support to help service providers who work with seniors and adults with disabilities. They provide referrals for those who wish to remain at home, as well as programs for family caregivers. Their HelpLink staff can connect you to services and care specialists at 800-510-2020.

Local small service businesses have begun to fill the need for assistance with personal and health-care oversight. Fairly new on the scene are professional geriatric care managers or consultants, who can plan and coordinate programs to support and improve the quality of life for aging individuals. They often come from nursing, social work or gerontology backgrounds, and are expected to have extensive knowledge about the costs, quality and availability of services in their communities.

After a detailed assessment, they generate a plan that may include recommendations about housing, home care, nutritional needs, daily activities and even financial or legal assistance.

Another resource in the Coachella Valley is ACT1 (Aging Community Team), a nonprofit group that brings together 67 local organizations and individuals who provide services to local senior and disabled populations. Among the members who are “Supporting Seniors Through Community Teamwork” are businesses that offer specialized

residence facilities, in-home care, medical supplies, health and fitness activities, and legal or financial services, as well as organizations that run errands, prepare meals, see to personal hygiene and do light housekeeping. Several ACT1 companies specialize in relocation services. ACT1 also sponsors scholarship grants and recently awarded assistance to nine local students who plan health-related careers.

Needless to say, support services are not free. Even though professional caregivers are not highly paid, 24/7 oversight gets expensive, and geriatric care managers who can help you sort through all the service providers are not covered by either Medicare or Medicaid (a major flaw in our seniors’ health-care system, as is the lack of coverage for long-term care … but that’s a subject for another column).

So let’s say you look into all the possibilities and realize you really have no choice: Mom is going to have to come live with you, and you’ll figure out which kid will sleep on the couch. Or you’re going to have to move in with Dad and put your career on hold for a while. After all, that’s what we’re supposed to do, right?

Since the baby boomers—who have set cultural trends ever since they were conceived— are right in the middle of all this, let’s at least find the silver lining.

Baby Boomers R We is happy to tell you that there are some real positives to being in the sandwich generation. “First and foremost may be a renewed sharing of family values. …

Our children might learn some family history from their own grandparents, not to mention

some valuable life insights. In turn, our parents may no longer feel isolated or abandoned just because of age, in fact feeling more connected with day-to-day life and events. Everyone can celebrate family moments, and cherish them for a lifetime.

“Another positive could be the pooling of resources, whether by desire or economic necessity. The down economy in recent years has likely deflated the value of portfolios and property alike. … The pooling of remaining resources could make them stretch much further. … We may be the first generation to be sandwiched, but we’re certainly not going to be the last!”

ANITA RUFUS IS ALSO KNOWN AS “THE LOVABLE LIBERAL,” AND HER RADIO SHOW AIRS SUNDAYS FROM 11 A.M. TO 1 P.M. ON KNEWS RADIO 94.3 FM. EMAIL HER AT ANITA@ LOVABLELIBERAL.COM. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS APPEARS EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM.

CVIndependent.com

4 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

OPINION

THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN It’s Time to Start Preparing for the ‘Shoulder Season’

Special Mexicans-Are-Rapists Edition!

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By MARYLEE PANGMAN nowbirds will soon begin to return to the Coachella Valley.

Once they arrive, they’ll be quickly reminded of their presummer departure, as they find empty pots around their home.

One of the first items on the agenda after unpacking: Planning new gardens!

We’ll soon enter one of those periods of time between winter and summer known in most regions as “fall.” The comfortable temperature months of September and April can try our patience as we seek out flowers to plant in our now-tired pots. Often, our selection is somewhat limited, considering it may not truly be time to plant yet.

These are what I call the “shoulder seasons” of desert gardening. We should hold off on planting some things until nighttime temperatures reach levels that are just a bit cooler. Growers cannot push out plants that will succumb to the heat too early: We need night temps to get out of the 60s to plant true winter flowers. Yes, it is the nighttime temperature that dictates our planting cycles: As long as the plants can be warm or cool enough at night (depending on the season), they can handle the days’ swings between 70 and 90.

Even though some nurseries may have winter flowers on offer such as pansies, violas and ornamental kale, if we plant them too soon, they will struggle to survive, often succumbing to the constant heat in September and early October. Pansies get leggy and weak.

Kale bolts early.

However, if we are patient and use flowers that can withstand the challenges of our long summer, we will be rewarded with stunning potted gardens.

To help desert residents enjoy potted color 365 days a year, I have created a short list of flowers and complementary plants that will thrive during the shoulder season—and often make it through much of the following season, too. Many of these flowers are becoming increasingly available during all seasons.

Under the right conditions, they might hang on longer and longer. The “right” conditions typically mean receiving afternoon shade or filtered sun during the eight to nine warmer months. They will certainly stand up to the low desert’s cooler temperatures in the winter: CVIndependent.com

ASK A MEXICAN!

By Gustavo Arellano EAR MEXICAN: I’ve been on sex-offender registry websites a couple of times, and it seems there are a lot of names ending with -ez.

Is there an elevated rate of sexual deviancy amongst Mexicans? If so, why?

El Güero Guapisimo

Snapdragons, petunias and dusty miller.

• Alyssum • Bacopa (shade perennial) • Dianthus • Dusty miller (complementary plant) • Geraniums (best in morning sun only; no sun in the summer) • Marigolds • Osteospermum • Petunias • Snapdragons You can see an attractive combination in the accompanying picture. Using the taller varieties such as osteos and snapdragons as center or backbone plants will give you some great height to start your arrangement.

Dianthus also comes in some newer hybrids, including “Amazon,” where heights far exceed the standard 8-to-10 inches of older varieties.

Next in your pot should be mid-height plants such as the dusty miller, marigolds and petunias. As you know, petunias will also trail, so don’t put anything between them and the pot’s edge.

Lastly, alyssum and bacopa are your true trailers. Bacopa will not tolerate the strong desert sun, so keep it in the shade or on the shady side of the pot.

Follow along at CVIndependent.com this month as I share more information with you about the coming shoulder season in the desert!

MARYLEE PANGMAN IS THE FOUNDER AND FORMER OWNER OF THE CONTAINED GARDENER IN TUCSON, ARIZ. SHE HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE DESERT’S POTTED GARDEN EXPERT. SHE IS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL CONSULTATIONS, AND YOU CAN EMAIL HER WITH COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AT POTTEDDESERT@GMAIL.COM. FOLLOW THE POTTED DESERT AT FACEBOOK.COM/POTTEDDESERT. GET A FREE COPY OF TEN TOP TIPS TO DESERT POTTED GARDEN SUCCESS BY VISITING WWW.POTTEDDESERT.COM/M. THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN APPEARS TUESDAYS AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM.

DEAR READERS: This is the first time in ¡Ask a Mexican! history I’ve ever changed an answer—only because the Mexicans-arerapists idea is the new black right now. I answered the above pregunta in 2007 this way: Methinks you doth look for brownies too much. But I don’t blame you. Turn on the television and radio, and you’re likely to hear anti-immigrant pendejos screeching about how Mexicans will rape you while stealing your job and playing banda music really loud.

You’ll probably hear them invoke the work of Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin. Her 2006 paper “The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed

by Illegal Immigrants in the United States” came to some startling conclusions, including that there are 240,000 illegal-immigrant sex offenders in this country—and that 93 of these cretins enter this country daily. Knownothing politicians and even the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Investigations have cited SchurmanKauflin’s paper while arguing against amnesty.

She based her findings on a 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) survey that showed 2 percent of illegals in federal, local or state prisons had committed a sex crime. She then applied that percentage to the illegal-immigrant population at large—voila! Instant endemic perversity!

But this statistical sleight-of-hand withers by employing the very stats she uses. GAO data for 2003 (the most recent year available) showed about 308,000 criminal aliens (legal as well as illegal immigrants) were in American prisons; they constitute about 3 percent of the nation’s 12 million illegal immigrants. If only 2 percent of incarcerated illegals committed a sex crime, then it’s intellectually misleading to arrive at the 240,000 figure for all illegals, ¿qué no?

For the Mexican, a more telling number is the percentage of criminals arrested for sex crimes. So let’s compare apples to manzanas: In 2003, gabachos incarcerated for such crimes represented about 18 percent of all gabacho inmates in state prisons; perverted Hispanics, conversely, made up just 11 percent. (Strangely enough, the U.S. Department of Justice doesn’t keep the same statistics for federal prisons.)

According to this comparison, gabachos are more likely as a group to sexually assault you than Mexicans—but betcha you won’t hear Lou Dobbs repeat that factoid ad nauseam.

Now, the update, which I’m pirating from my recent Politico article on the same subject: A 2011 U.S. Government Accountability Office study, “Criminal Alien Statistics: Information on Incarcerations, Arrests and Costs,” found that of the 3 million arrests of immigrants, legal or not, examined by investigators, only 2 percent were for sex offenses—2 percent too many, but hardly an epidemic. It didn’t break down the ethnicity or legal status of the offenders, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey breaks down such stats by victims. For 2013 (the most recent year available), it shows that whites accounted for 71 percent of all sexual assaults documented (above their 63 percent of the U.S. population), while Latinos accounted for 9 percent, far below their total percentage of 17 percent. As a percentage of all “serious violent victimizations,” sexual assaults represent 11 percent of the violent crimes against Latinos.

For gabachos? 18 percent.

The BJS also noted that for the period from 2005-2010, about 66 percent of sexual assault victims knew their perp, and that whites had strangers commit violent victimizations against them at a rate of 9.2 per 1,000 people, compared to 9.8 per 1,000 for Latinos. So much for the notion of an army of faceless Mexicans stalking their fair-skinned prey.

For those who don’t comprende: White American citizens are far more rape-y than Mexicans can ever hope to become. So when are gabachos going to jump on that pandemic?

CATCH THE MEXICAN EVERY WEDNESDAY AT CVINDEPENDENT. COM. ASK THE MEXICAN AT THEMEXICAN@ASKAMEXICAN. NET; BE HIS FAN ON FACEBOOK; FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @GUSTAVOARELLANO; OR FOLLOW HIM ON INSTAGRAM @ GUSTAVO_ARELLANO!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

AUGUST 2015

OPINION

GO GIRL!

In a Sense, We’re All Caitlyn Jenner

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

By Jeffrey Norman watched Caitlyn Jenner’s extraordinary speech at the ESPY Awards with fascination.

She was poised and passionate, funny and inspirational. It was a heckuva coming-out party. And she was a knockout! Say what you will, but girl definitely has found the right stylist.

Leading up to the awards show and now its aftermath, I’ve seen social media all atwitter questioning whether Caitlyn deserved an award for “courage.” Seems there are three camps on this. First, there are those who wholeheartedly endorse Caitlyn as the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Prize. The second group honors the impact she will have, but are skeptical about and uncomfortable with the notion that she has done anything courageous. The third group is the usual assemblage of online haters.

I actually fall into a subsection of the first group (and I suspect I am not alone): We totally get the courage thing, but are a little sheepish about embracing anything that has had that much proximity to a Kardashian. It’s all about the ratings, kids. I get that.

So why is this such a cultural touchstone?

Why, as a gay man, am I completely caught up in her story?

“If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead,” she said while rocking that Versace dress with the Beladora emerald, pearl and diamond earrings. (I had to look that up. I’m not THAT gay.) “The reality is, I can take it. But for the thousands of kids out there coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn’t have to take it.”

Caitlyn Jenner during The ESPYS. SCOTT CLARKE/ESPN IMAGES

And there you have it. As a gay man who grew up at a time when being gay was considered shameful, I get it. And I maintain, to anyone who cares to ask, that any person who finally embraces his or her authentic self publicly is courageous as hell. Once you come out on the other side and express your personal truth, the journey toward self-esteem and self-acceptance is exhilarating and, dare I say, life-affirming.

I grew up in an upper-middle-class, progressive community, and yet when I realized I was different, my immediate instinct toward self-preservation was to hide, to avoid, to run away, to self-flagellate. It just seemed easier than admitting I wasn’t what society deemed to be normal. In retrospect, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I refer to that time as living inside of my own head. You can still function as a productive member of society. But, all the time, inside your brain, there’s a running mantra that convinces you that you are less than … that you will never have a normal life. Marriage and acceptance were things I would have to forgo, at least according to my annoying inner voice, if I decided I needed to go ahead with this gay thing.

At the end of the day, of course, that’s not the decision I needed to make. That decision was made for me when my DNA got all mixed together. The decision I needed to make was whether I was going to run away from my true self, or whether I would ever come to the conclusion that, gay or not, I was a good person, a productive contributor to society, a faithful taxpayer and perhaps, in someone’s eyes, a helluva catch.

You have to understand just how astonishing it is to see popular culture today so rife with positive gay imagery. When I was

younger, we didn’t have Ellen. Or Neil Patrick Harris. Barney Frank was still in the closet.

People were still “shocked” about Liberace and Rock Hudson. Of course, the AIDS pandemic made things even worse. Even if technically we no longer had a mental disorder, now we were insidious carriers of disease. Who, in their right mind, would want to announce they were “one of those people” at a time like that?

In fact, plenty of people proudly declared themselves “one of those people.” They openly embraced their gayness, homosexuality, queerness, faggotry. And they fought. For civil rights. For human rights. For equality. I honor those who came before.

At the risk of sounding like the stodgy old fart I’m quickly becoming, I’m not sure the lion’s share of 20-somethings blithely coming out into a far more accepting world today appropriately acknowledge their forebears.

And really, can you blame them? They’re busy being 20-something and fabulous. Isn’t that something of a victory in and of itself?

Now Caitlyn has brought gender identity to the table in the fiercest freaking manner possible. Caitlyn decided at an age when most people begin to collect their Social Security that it was time to start her life over again. This time, authentically. She knew she would be stalked by paparazzi. She knew she would be ridiculed. She knew that she would disappoint.

But, you see, for years, she was only disappointing herself. As was I. As were any of us who tried to “pass” or wish it away or sublimate our genuine needs and desires by working or eating or drinking or drugging too much. That’s a lack of courage.

When all of the Kardashian-level hysteria dies down, Caitlyn will just educate by example. A life well lived is the best revenge, as they say. I hope she avoids the gravitational pull of Access Hollywood-type hype and sensationalism once the initial curiosity abates.

That would be an even more courageous thing.

Just go and be.

But for now, she deserves her victory lap.

She triumphed over fear. And if you’ll pardon the inevitable gay Wizard of Oz reference: Not unlike the Cowardly Lion, she had courage inside of her all along.

READ AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS PIECE AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM. CVIndependent.com

6 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

NEWS

AUGUST ASTRONOMY When the Moon’s Away, Enjoy the Milky Way and the Perseid Meteors

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

by Robert Victor upiter sets almost an hour after the sun on Aug. 1, and three minutes earlier each evening thereafter. Using binoculars a half-hour after sunset, look very low, about midway between west and west-northwest, to the left of the sunset point.

If you can still find Jupiter on Aug. 5, try for Mercury, 1.9 degrees to its lower right. On Aug. 6, Mercury is 0.6 degrees to the upper right of Jupiter, and on Aug. 7, it is 1.4 degrees to Jupiter’s upper left. The solar system’s largest planet will be hidden for several weeks while it passes conjunction on the far side of the sun on Aug. 26. Meanwhile, Mercury makes a very low evening appearance, 4 degrees above the western horizon in mid-twilight (about 40 minutes after sunset) from Aug. 18 to Sept. 4, staying at magnitude 0 while shifting from 3 degrees north of west to 10 degrees south of west. Jupiter will emerge into the morning sky in September, joining Venus and Mars to form a spectacular compact trio in late October.

Venus passes inferior conjunction, nearly between Earth and the sun, 8 degrees south of

CVIndependent.com

the sun’s disk, on Aug. 15. On the morning of Aug. 17, Venus rises 8 degrees to the right of the sun, simultaneously with it. On Aug. 21, Venus rises 30 minutes ahead of the sun; on Aug. 26, just more than an hour before sunup; and by Aug. 30, Venus rises spectacularly in a dark sky 90 minutes before the sun.

Morning visibility map at mid-twilight.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Evening visibility map at mid-twilight.

ROBERT D. MILLER

If you enjoy the simple pleasure of watching the moonrise over a distant landscape, here’s when to look from the mid-Coachella Valley: On July 31, the full moon rises at 7:59 p.m., less than a quarter-hour after sunset. On Aug. 1, moonrise occurs at 8:44 p.m., within an hour after sunset. On Aug. 2, the moon rises at 9:26 p.m., just after the end of twilight.

For the next few days, the moon rises about 40 minutes later each evening. By Aug. 4, the moon comes up at 10:47 p.m., three hours after sunset, allowing a nice window of dark skies before moonrise for enjoying the summer Milky Way. Note the summer triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb plotted on August’s sky charts. On moonless nights, look near the center of the summer triangle for the Cygnus Star Cloud—a bright patch of the Milky Way, containing stars within our own spiral arm.

On dark nights, binoculars easily resolve the Cygnus Star Cloud into stars.

Returning to the sky in evening midtwilight, we notice that Venus, so prominent in July, is absent; Jupiter is present only early in the month; and Mercury hugs the western horizon after Jupiter has departed. That leaves Saturn as the brightest object less than halfway to overhead. Find it in the southsouthwest to southwest at dusk, with reddish twinkling Antares, heart of the Scorpion, 13 degrees to its lower left in all of August.

The rings of Saturn are now tipped 24 degrees from edge on. On evenings in August, Earth is in position to allow our best view of the shadow of the planet cast on the rings, giving the scene a beautiful 3-D appearance.

Telescopic views are impressive! View Saturn and many deep-sky objects on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Astronomical Society of the Desert “star party” at Sawmill Trailhead. For additional information, directions and a map, visit www.astrorx.org.

Golden Arcturus, high in the western sky, and blue-white Vega, high in the northeast, both outshine Saturn. Look also for Spica in the southwest, to the lower left of Arcturus and west (lower right) of Saturn.

The moon can be followed in evening twilight daily, Aug. 16-29, as it waxes from a thin crescent, through first quarter phase (half

full and 90 degrees east of the sun on Aug. 22), to full.

Mornings during the summer and fall of 2015 will be fascinating for sky-watchers.

Those who check the eastern sky regularly about an hour before sunrise can watch for the first appearances—called heliacal risings—of planets and first-magnitude stars. Procyon and Sirius will appear by mid-August; Venus before the end of August; Regulus and Jupiter before mid-September; and Arcturus and Spica by the end of October.

This is a great year for the Perseid meteor shower. The peak—in dark skies on the night of Aug. 12-13—nearly coincides with the new moon. Best viewing is from late evening until the first light of dawn. Meteors belonging to this stream could appear anywhere in the sky, since the stream is much wider than planet Earth. However, if you extend the meteors’ trails backward beyond where they light up in the Earth’s atmosphere, they will all streak away from a point in the constellation Perseus, below the “W” of Cassiopeia in the northeastern sky. As evening twilight ends, this radiant point is very low in the sky, resulting in meteors making long trails through Earth’s atmosphere nearly parallel to the ground. During the night, as the Earth rotates, the radiant climbs ever higher in the sky, and our part of the Earth turns more nearly broadside to the incoming meteors. So the count of meteors is expected to be highest just before the start of morning twilight on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Another peak of activity might be seen on the previous morning, Wednesday, Aug. 12.

That’s because before noon that day, the Earth passes nearest to a trail of dust left by Comet Swift-Tuttle in 1862. (That comet is the source of material for the Perseid meteors.)

Resource: Get a sample issue and subscribe online to the Sky Calendar at www.abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar.

ROBERT C. VICTOR WAS A STAFF ASTRONOMER AT ABRAMS PLANETARIUM AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. HE IS NOW RETIRED AND ENJOYS PROVIDING SKYWATCHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN IN AND AROUND PALM SPRINGS.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

AUGUST 2015

NEWS

INTERNET ACCESS WHERE IT’S NEEDED

Coachella Valley Unified Uses Buses to Offer Connectivity to East Valley Areas in Need

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

By Kevin Fitzgerald he Coachella Valley Unified School District is doing its best to keep the East Valley connected.

The district—which encompasses 21 schools at the eastern end of the valley, from Indio to the Salton Sea—recently announced the school board had approved the installation of wireless Internet routers on all 100 buses in the district’s fleet. The decision came after a successful pilot program, which began eight months before, with the implementation of Wi-Fi connectivity on three buses.

Also approved was the installation of solar panels on 10 buses in order to extend the routers’ battery life so they can become mobile wireless “hotspots” that will be parked overnight in communities where no wireless access currently exists.

Superintendent Dr. Darryl Adams sees this strategy as part of the core service the school district must provide to its students.

“You know every school district eventually is going to have to ensure that students have (continuous Internet) access,” Dr. Adams said.

This innovative program grew out of brainstorming sessions involving Dr. Adams and his administrative team.

“We have a great team working to ensure that our students have Internet access,” Adams said. “One of the things that I thought of was that we have all these buses, so why can’t we put a router on a bus? That would allow us to park the buses overnight in communities where there was no access. Also, students would be able to connect on the way to school, while on field trips or going to athletic events.

So, sometimes when I come up with these crazy ideas, the team will look at you and say, ‘There, he’s lost it again.’ But this time, they said, ‘No. Let’s listen to this. Let’s see if we can

do it.’ And, as it turned out, we could actually do it.”

The total first-year cost of the initiative is projected to be $232,065. That includes all hardware, software, installation and connectivity charges. The funding will come solely from the CVUSD budget.

How did the administrative team demonstrate the pilot program’s success to the board? “Because the tech is so new, and the transition into it is new, there’s not a lot of quantifiable data available,” Adams said.

“But we looked at the qualitative data through satisfaction surveys and talking to students, and talking to parents, and we got a lot of positives.

“Students have been coming over to the district offices and sitting in the parking lot to connect, or they were going to their school sites and sitting out there to connect. So we knew there had to be a better way.”

A significant part of that “better way” is the mobile-hotspot feature of this program.

CVUSD director of technology Michelle

CVUSD Superintendent Dr. Darryl Adams: “Students have been coming over to the district offices and sitting in the parking lot to connect, or they were going to their school sites and sitting out there to connect.

So we knew there had to be a better way.” COURTESY CVUSD

Murphy saw the demand very clearly.

“We visited trailer parks and talked to residents, and we found the need to be even greater than we thought,” Murphy said. “They had tried other services that had promised them low fees for connectivity, and they didn’t receive the service that they’d been promised.”

She anticipates that all of the buses will be Wi-Fi operational by Christmas break of 2015.

The new mobile Wi-Fi access is the latest development in the student-connectivity effort that began with the passing of Measure X in CVUSD territory back in 2012. With 67 percent of voters approving, that bond earmarked $42 million to be made available to the school district in segments. The first phase of the program began in 2013 and utilized $20 million to build Wi-Fi connectivity into each

school campus, and purchase an iPad for every one of the approximately 19,000 students in the district.

“We plan to refresh (our students’ iPads) every two years to keep up with the changes in technology,” stated Dr. Adams. “We’ll probably use about $5 million for that refreshing program, and that leaves us $15 million. So, we should get to 2021-2022 with this money. And we’re hoping that federal and state governments by that time will give the school districts that money—just like they used to give us textbook money, we’re hoping that they’ll be giving us tech money now to ensure that our students remain connected.

Because if they’re not, then the U.S. will be at a disadvantage, since other countries are doing this already.”

CVIndependent.com

8 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

In Defense of

DHS

W

HEN I MOVED TO DESERT HOT Springs a decade ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I didn’t know a thing about the desert city when I moved here from Cleveland in 2005. However, I was soon filled in by others: DHS has a lot of crime. Meth houses.

Trashy people. Corrupt government.

In the decade since, things haven’t gotten any better. In early July, a website called Roadsnacks.net published a piece, “using science,” that declared Desert Hot Springs is the worst place to live in California. It made the rounds on Facebook; the piece supposedly had received 358,600 views as of our press time.

It’s no wonder Slipping Into Darkness, the wildly popular Desert Hot Springs band, included a song titled “DHS Blues” on the album Shurpedelic.

OK, look: DHS isn’t perfect. It has its problems, for sure. But my city of not quite 30,000 people is not the worst place to live in California.

Here’s why.

A

S ONE WOULD PREDICT, THE ARTICLE was not popular with many members of the Desert Hot Springs Neighborhood Group on Facebook. Several people challenged the article’s legitimacy, pointing out that the city government is improving, and mentioning no small number of new businesses that are popping up. However, some people in the group agreed with the article’s conclusions, claiming that DHS boosters were ignoring the realities facing our not-so-beloved desert city.

I reached out to DHS City Councilman Russell Betts, figuring that he might be able to offer some counter-arguments to the Roadsnacks article.

“The two people who run that website, they do one of those lists on every state,” Betts said.

“They’re click-whores. They’re just doing that to build traffic. How can they possibly analyze all 50 states?”

The Roadsnacks article claimed the findings were based on population density, CVIndependent.com

AUGUST 2015

A Website’s ‘Analysis’ Recently Is s g n ri p S t o H t er es D t a h T d re Decla ia. rn o lif a C in e iv L to ce la P t rs o W e th I Strongly Disagree. Here’s Why.

unemployment rates, adjusted median income, the housing-vacancy rate, education, long commute times, high crime and weather.

“For those who live there, consider these facts: The crime rate in DHS is almost the highest in California, per capita,” the article said. “Nearly one in four homes is vacant. And residents earn a paltry 32 grand a year. Which goes nowhere on a California budget. Plus, summers are miserable.”

Betts does not agree with these sentiments.

“We are about 10 minutes away from all the nightlife of Palm Springs,” he pointed out.

“We’re close to all the attractions within the Coachella Valley. It’s a little quieter here, and we have cooler temperatures. The housing values are really good, so you can get a really nice house out here for a lower price. If you don’t want to be bothered with all the traffic and congestion down on the valley floor, we’re the best place to be.”

He’s right: The housing prices in DHS are definitely reasonable, and there are some beautiful parts of Desert Hot Springs.

But what about the crippling budget deficit the city faced not too long ago? DHS made national news when the town’s coffers were pushed toward insolvency.

Turns out there’s no crisis anymore.

“The biggest problem was the budget, but we got that fixed,” Betts said. “It was no small feat to get our finances stabilized. From there, we can start to build on everything else we need to take care of.”

OK, so the city government is improving.

What about crime?

It is definitely a problem in DHS. In 2007, a rock, and then fireworks, were thrown through the window of the house I share with my roommate—at 3 a.m. The rock and fireworks set off our fire and burglar alarms, and the Desert Hot Springs police and fire department immediately showed up. The officers mentioned it was most likely a random act of vandalism.

“You’re not in Cleveland anymore,” I thought.

Residents who belong to the Desert Hot Springs Neighborhood Group regularly complain that their cars and homes have been

By Brian Blueskye

broken into. Then there’s the violence: Five people were murdered in the first four months of this year. In fact, a number of residents showed up at a City Council meeting in April to voice frustrations with the criminal activity.

However, help may be on the way: While the Desert Hot Springs Police Department was racked by cuts during the budget crisis, Betts said the city is now looking to add more police officers.

“We’re trying to fill the last of seven positions,” he said. “When you get a (budget) crisis like we did, you can find yourself in a lot of jeopardy. The crime is going to be solved with getting more officers on the streets. The seven police officers are budgeted, and we have the money. The police we have are doing a great job; we just need more of them. We really need to knock down this criminal activity.”

So help may be on the way regarding crime. But what about homelessness? The city has a large, visible homeless population, and members of the Desert Hot Springs Neighborhood Group often kvetch that no one is addressing the issue. Yes, the valley has fine facilities like Martha’s Village and Kitchen, and Roy’s Desert Resource Center, but many homeless people aren’t ready, able or willing to adapt to the structured environment and the rules at these places.

As a result, DHS has some well-known homeless people. “Joseph” is known to pile rocks in patterns on various properties and has been photographed throwing objects at passing cars on Palm Drive, for example.

However, one of the things I love about DHS is that the people here care. Residents have proposed raising money to purchase vacant buildings to turn them into shelters. There are many who wish to take control of the situation.

I

F DESERT HOT SPRINGS IS THE WORST PLACE to live, it must have a terrible business climate. Right?

Just the opposite.

The restaurants of Desert Hot Springs have a lot to offer. The Capri, Thai Palms, South of the Border, Casa Blanca and Kam Lun are all

notable places to eat in Desert Hot Springs, and they’re often busy.

Then there are the spa offerings in Desert Hot Springs: There are plenty of them, and the area’s waters are world-famous. Two Bunch Palms is one of the best known spa resorts in the United States and has been mentioned in films, television shows and national media.

New businesses have been opening their doors in abundance. Desert Rocks Indoor Climbing Gym, an indoor climbing facility, just opened. Other businesses that have opened within the past year include the TOP Shop, Pho Na 92 and Desert Market. Another market called Rio Ranch is being built right next to the K-Mart, and Walmart is taking an interest in Desert Hot Springs. Two medical-marijuana dispensaries are now open and bringing added revenue to the city.

Paula Terifaj, the owner of the DogSpa Resort and a member of the Desert Hot Springs Planning Commission, believes in the city’s business possibilities.

“I don’t see our city through rose-colored glasses,” Terifaj said. “I see it’s been very challenged for several reasons. We’ve been dealing with ills that have been brewing for decades. But since I’ve gotten involved, I’ve noticed we’re under new guidance. In my opinion, what we’re doing is clawing our way out of a financial disaster created by a former administration, and I’m going to call it a ‘city in transition.’”

Terifaj said she recognizes the efforts the city has been making to attract new businesses.

“The city used to be really tough on new business, but the new City Council recognized that,” she said. “They looked at the cost of business licenses and everything else. The city wants to be more business-friendly, and they’ve even talked about offering incentives for new businesses. The city has recognized that the city needs businesses; the city wants businesses, and has to attract businesses.

They’re really trying to make that easier at the city level, and it’s been talked about quite a bit.”

Terifaj mentioned that the city is looking at promoting culture, too.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

AUGUST 2015

Pho Na 92 is one of the many businesses that have recently opened in DHS. BRIAN BLUESKYE

“One of the things the city has talked about is forming an arts district and looking at where to have an arts district,” she said. “It went through the City Council, and it went in front of the Planning Commission. It came to us and during our last meeting; most of the meeting was spent talking about the arts district.

People from the public got involved in that conversation, and it was amazing.”

At the center of these efforts is Richard Teisan, a real estate agent who lives in Desert Hot Springs and is the executive director of the new Community One Foundation.

“We are going to build artist residences, so artists can come in and live in Desert Hot Springs and do their work,” Teisan said. “(We plan) 4,000-square-foot facilities where an artist can show his work, and live in the back or live above it. These are all kinds of artists— writers, musicians, sculptors—and we have furniture-makers from Honduras. These guys are so crafty, and they build this beautiful furniture. They want to come in and be artists and develop art pieces.”

Regarding home values, Teisan explained why Desert Hot Springs is desirable.

“The first thing that I tell people is that when you look at prices per square foot, the price per square foot is (one of) the lowest that you can see in the state,” he said. “The second value I always talk about is there have been waves of contractors coming through building various quality of houses. The last wave to come through built much higher-quality homes

than (in) the years before that.”

There are a lot of vacant lots in DHS. Teisan sees these as an opportunity.

“The value of vacant lots has dropped drastically, so that you can buy a lot in Desert Hot Springs to build a house on for $8,000 to $15,000,” he said. “You can’t do that any place else in the state, unless you go up into the wilderness. In this place, there’s land that has water, power, gas and sewer, and you can still buy the land for under $10,000 for a quarteracre.”

It’s true: When you look at real estate listings for Desert Hot Springs, you’ll find nice homes, in safe areas, for far less than comparable homes in neighboring Palm Springs.

So, back to the original question: Is Desert Hot Springs truly the worst place to live in California?

Heck no, it’s not. While Desert Hot Springs has its problems, the city is packed with potential, especially with people flocking from Los Angeles and finding Riverside and Redlands to be too expensive; eventually, the reasonable real estate prices here will attract them. The city is addressing issues such as crime, and is working on attracting businesses.

People who know me will vouch for the fact that I’m not much of an optimist. So believe me when I tell you that I see Desert Hot Springs as a decent place to live, that’s filled with people who care about their city, being led by a city government that’s working to solve problems.

CVIndependent.com

10 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

CVIndependent.com

AUGUST 2015

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

AUGUST 2015

CVI SPOTLIGHT: AUGUST 2015 SIX CAN’T-MISS SPLASH HOUSE ACTS

S

By Brian Blueskye

PLASH HOUSE IS COMING TO PALM Springs for the second time this summer, on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8 and 9. Once again, the venues will include the Hilton and the Saguaro, but this time around, the Hard Rock Hotel, a 2014 Splash House venue, is back. Meanwhile, the Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club is taking this one off.

Here are six can’t-miss acts at the August Splash House.

Matoma Matoma is a big name within the tropicalhouse genre. Hailing from Norway (where there isn’t anything tropical), this DJ and producer started out as a pianist when he was a child. He grew tired of the classical-piano world and started to spend time remixing on his computer. One of his works, a remix of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Old Thing Back,” became a huge hit in Europe. Matoma’s tropical-house style will be perfect poolside in the summer heat.

Goldroom Goldroom is a former member of the popsynth band NightWaves; he’s also the co-founder of the record label Binary Entertainment. As a producer, he’s worked with acts including Bag Raiders, Futurecop!, Miami Horror and many others. This house DJ has a few different styles under his belt, including nu-disco and deep house. He’s been featured on MTV and BBC Radio, and has received rave write-ups from publications such as Pitchfork.

Yolanda Be Cool With a name referencing Pulp Fiction, you figure this group has to be cool, right? These two guys have shared the stage with Pitbull, Justin Martin, Flo Rida and Jesse Rose. One

of their remixes, “We No Speak Americano,” an Italian folk song with a funky beat, was an international hit. These guys do great remixes, and it’s sure that their live set will impress.

No Regular Play No Regular Play is made up of Greg Paulus and Nick DeBruyn; they have known each other since the age of 8 and bonded over their love of hip-hop music. Paulus is a jazztrumpet player, and DeBruyn is a master mixer who knows how to complement Paulus’ trumpet-playing. Yes, it’s a half-jazz, halfelectronic-music act—and they occasionally throw in some Afro-Cuban rhythms to create some truly unique music.

Autograf Another tropical-house outfit, Autograf has done attention-grabbing remixes of songs

by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Daft Punk and others. On top of making music, the group also makes sculptures, combining a love of music and the world of traditional art. “Future Soup” is a 500-pound piece of art that allegedly makes people think about the future and unlimited potential. The members have talked about how they’d like to include sculptures in their live act. A Splash House must-see.

Eau Claire Hailing from Washington, D.C., Eau Claire is a producer and DJ who combines nu-disco and indie-dance into her repertoire. She currently has more than a million plays on her Soundcloud page, and she’s been the talk of the industry on various music blogs and in dance-music publications. She stays consistently busy and is always releasing remixes that impress.

No Regular Play

CVIndependent.com

12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

ARTS & CULTURE

ART AS LANGUAGE Meet Charlie Ciali, a Practicing Artist, Advocate and Educator

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

By Victor Barocas

“Water” by Charlie Ciali.

fter years of exploring places around the globe as a flight attendant, Charlie Ciali traded in his wings for a more earthy exploration: ceramics.

He was a ceramicist who produced collectable pieces before becoming a Midwest gallery owner.

Upon his arrival in the desert, Ciali reinvented himself as an abstract portraiture painter before becoming a mixed-media artist and, later, a producer of fine-art prints and paintings.

The artist goes beyond exploring the intersection and integration of painting and printmaking—art forms frequently considered distinct and different. Ciali also incorporates his expertise as a ceramicist to create a fusion of creative techniques and aesthetics. Specifically, he exploits the unique contributions of each medium to offer the

CVIndependent.com

viewer a heightened sense of dimensionality, varied textures and a layering of colors.

“Right now, I find myself focusing on creating monotype prints, as well as encaustic (i.e. wax-based) paintings,” he said.

Ciali, at times, also incorporates resins into his encaustics and monotypes. Resins are essentially a type of epoxy that, when buffed to a high shine or finish, reflect and refract light, producing a greater sense of depth.

“Euclid,” an encaustic on board, typifies the artist’s fusion of monotype printmaking, encaustic painting and ceramics. Depending upon the lighting and the angle from which it is viewed, “Euclid” offers subtle changes in color and shading. To achieve this, Ciali applies encaustic paints in shades of highly saturated yellows, oranges and blues. By painting the bottom sections of the piece in rich blues, he adds a sense of height. The encaustics contribute an additional layer of textural depth

“Euclid” by Charlie Ciali.

Charlie Ciali poses with some of his happy students.

to the already present dimensionality.

“Water,” a monotype with resin on board, is a wide piece; the eye constantly moves from one end of the print to the other. As with many of Ciali’s monoprints, there is a strong figurative element. Here, he presents the profile of a female head in shades of yellow, gold and white. The head seems to float in front of a red backdrop. As the viewer’s eyes follow along the width of the monotype, the imagery becomes increasingly less representational—in other words, it is more suggested than defined. At the far right, opposite the profile, is an intriguing, amorphous, cloud-like shape in bright whites, accentuated by blue-green lines and light gray highlights. Between the left and right borders are suggestive images of paper with Asianstyle lettering, Sumi-like painting brushes and India-inspired architectural forms; they float in the background. By applying the resin, the artist amplifies the sense of depth, making the entire composition seem dreamlike.

This past spring, Ciali was elected president of the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Artists Council. He previously served as the Artists Council’s executive vice president for

fundraising, and was previously on the city’s commissions for public arts and parks and recreation.

“Currently, about 60 percent of my time is involved with arts education.” Ciali said, “In conjunction with the Palm Springs Unified School District, I created programs to teach printmaking to students from grade 3 to 12.”

For several years, he has mentored students at the Arts Institute of Palm Springs High School.

Ciali maintains a fully equipped studio where he teaches printmaking and encaustic methods nearly year-round. He is often invited to other arts venues around the country to teach workshops.

“The desire to learn and express one’s creative self is more important than chronological age,” Ciali said. “In fact, I frequently find myself learning from my adult students who are not academically trained artists.”

Locally, the artist’s work is on display at Archangel Gallery, located at 1103 N. Palm Canyon Drive (760-320-4795; archangelartcollective.com/a). For more information on the artist, visit www. charlieciali.com.

AUGUST 2015

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

CVIndependent.com

14 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

the

FOOD & DRINK We’re Escaping the Heat and Heading to San Diego to Enjoy Some Amazing New Brews WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Erin Peters he San Diego area is renowned for its high-quality beer.

San Diego’s legacy breweries—Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Stone Brewing Co., Ballast Point, Green Flash Brewing Company and AleSmith Brewing Company—have a stellar reputation for brewing consistently great craft beers.

These craft-beer pioneers continue to inspire fellow brewers, homebrewers and beer drinkers alike. Therefore, we decided to check out some new kids on the brewery block that are helping make America’s Finest City even finer.

Half Door Brewing Company: This brewery (www.halfdoorbrewing.com) opened in January and is located downtown in a historic 4,000-sqaure-foot, two-story home on the

CVIndependent.com

corner of Ninth Avenue and Island Avenue. The Irish-inspired pub oozes cool. HDBC celebrates old-world European tradition with a new flair.

The Bearleener is a day-drinking 3.8 percent alcohol by volume beer brewed with Citra hops and Lactobacillus grown from acidulated malt.

Sour, meet wheat; wheat, meet sour. This refreshing summer beer has lovely sour tangerine and lemon notes with a slightly tart finish.

Trick your senses with the Gimmick Ale: a white chocolate peanut butter golden milk stout, brewed with four malts and tons of flavor. It’s dessert in a glass. Sip it from the upstairs deck and listen to the roar of the crowd at Petco Park. Oh, and the food menu is crafted to complement the house beers.

Modern Times Beer: The appropriately named brewery has a dream team of brewers,

including founder Jacob McKean, a former Stone Brewing employee and long-time homebrewer. Modern Times Beer (moderntimesbeer. com) just celebrated its second anniversary. It’s also celebrating the fact that it was named one of the “Top 10 New Brewers in the World” by RateBeer in 2014.

Modern Times brews four year-round beers and is one of the only breweries in the world to roast its own coffee in-house. In July, the brewery finally secured South African hops for its Southern Passion and J-17 IPA. Homebrewers can rejoice, because the brewery provides recipes for many of the brewery’s special-release beers. The Palace of Cracked Heads (Gotta love beer names!) is a juicy 9 percent ABV American wild ale brewed with 50 pounds of heirloom nectarines per barrel.

Love sticky, danky beers? Don’t miss the First Annual upcoming Festival of Dankness, at the San Diego Waterfront Park on Saturday, Aug. 22. Check out first-hand how badass breweries are using incredible new hops from around the world to craft juicy, aroma bombs.

“Modern Times” was a utopian socialist community founded by innovators and activists, built on Long Island in 1850. All of Modern Times Beer’s brews are named after real utopian experiments or mythological utopias. This new-ish yet already influential brewery is escaping conformity and peacefully providing social happiness—in a stylin’ tallboy can.

Fall Brewing Company: This punk-rock-influenced brewery (fallbrewing.com) opened in November last year in the heart of San Diego’s beer epicenter, North Park. Co-owner and graphic designer David Lively has done work for Jack Johnson and G. Love. In an area known for West Coast style IPAs, brewmaster Ray Astamendi brews what he wants. Plenty for All is a California common-pilsner hybrid. This 4.9 percent ABV unfiltered zwickelbier is an easy-drinking, warm-weather standout. Fall is getting a great reputation for clean, simple and sessionable beers.

Societe Brewing Company: Societe (societebrewing.com) is a production brewery that was founded by Travis Smith, formerly of Russian River Brewing Company and The Bruery, and Douglas Constantiner. The brewery opened its doors in May 2012 and now offers three lines of year-round beers: “Out West,” hoppy beers; “Old World,” Belgian-esque ales; and “Stygian,” dark beers. “Drink it fresh” is Societe’s philosophy; the brewery’s crisp IPAs are only sold on tap within a 20-mile radius of the brewery.

The Harlot is a must-try. This Belgian Extra Ale is a tweaked hybrid beer using a pilsner-lager recipe; it’s then fermented with a house Belgian-ale yeast strain. This beer was inspired by three of the founders’ favorite beers—Reality Czech Pils from Moonlight Brewing Company, Redemption from Russian River Brewing Company, and Taras Boulba from Brasserie de la Senne.

The Apprentice is a dry, hoppy American IPA brewed with a winning combination of Amarillo

South Park Brewing Company.

and Simcoe hops, producing pine, bubblegum and tropical fruit notes. Societe is also in the process of doubling its fermentation capacity to deliver even more delicious, hop-forward beer.

Amplified Ale Works: Formerly known as California Kebab and Beer Garden, this California-inspired nanobrewery (www.amplifiedales.com) sits just a block off the beach. This rockin’ brewpub started production in Pacific Beach (my old stomping grounds!) in 2012. Brewmaster Cy Henley came from San Diego brewing pioneers Ballast Point, Alpine and Green Flash.

You’ll find Amplified’s own hoppy brews like the Electrocution IPA and Pig Nose Pale Ale, along with craft beers from other breweries in the city. Electrocution IPA is the flagship beer, featuring tropical fruit notes like passion fruit and lychee. The beer, the location, the vibe—it’s all very So Cal. Amplified’s rapid growth and popularity has led to a recent decision to sign a deal with H.G. Fenton Company to utilize a ready-made brewing facility in Miramar. The new seven-barrel brewhouse (plus four 15-barrel fermenters) will eventually increase Amplified’s production by an additional 1,000 barrels of beer in the first year.

South Park Brewing Company: SPBC (www.southparkbrewing.com) is the youngest brewery on this list, but the owner is no stranger to the San Diego beer scene: Scot Blair was the brain behind Hamiltons Tavern, Small Bar and Monkey Paw Brewery.

Located in San Diego’s famous 30th Street corridor, the 6-month-old seafood-centric brewpub serves fresh yellowtail, bluefin, halibut and oysters along with its award-winning craft beers. Cosimo Sorrentino, from Monkey Paw, is the head of brewery operations.

My suggestion: Don’t miss the Scripps Pier Oyster Stout. Roasted coffee, chocolate and a faint hint of toffee make up most of the aroma.

The beer is brewed with water from Scripps Pier, giving it a light saltiness and an earthy flavor.

Whether you’re looking to just grab a delicious pint, or pair a beer with a locally sourced dish, the capital of craft continues to push the envelope and please the palate.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

AUGUST 2015

FOOD & DRINK the

INDY ENDORSEMENT A Perfect Pizza at The River; a Splendid Salad in Palm Springs

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Jimmy Boegle WHAT The Over the Edge Wedge WHERE Serious Food and Drink, 415 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $10.95 CONTACT 760-832-6023; seriousfoodanddrink.com WHY Pork. Belly. Croutons.

I am a simple man, who is into simple things.

Whiskey. Baseball. Pork products. Etc. Therefore, when I saw the description of the wedge salad on offer at Serious Food and Drink—a fantastic new restaurant occupying the building that previously housed Hamburger Mary’s—I was intrigued: “pork belly ‘croutons,’ grapes, bleu cheese-dill vinaigrette.”

Wait, what? Pork belly “croutons”?

Turns out bread has nothing to do with these “croutons.” No, these little cubes of deliciousness are pure pork, baby—specifically, they’re little fried pieces of pork belly that taste so awesome, you’ll have drool-inducing flashbacks for days afterward.

The rest of the salad is great, too. The dill in the bleu-cheese vinaigrette adds a welcome bit of pep. The grapes are fun, and create a lovely flavor profile when added to the bleu cheese.

And cool, crisp lettuce is a welcome addition to almost anything when it’s 107 degrees outside.

But I’m not gonna lie: As nice as the lettuce, grapes and dressing all are, it’s all about the pork. Yes, I’m a simple man—and these pork belly “croutons” make me very, very happy.

Thank you, Serious Food and Drink, for bringing them into my life.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how fantastic Serious’ other offerings are, as well.

There’s an amazing happy hour in the bar area, and the hand-crafted cocktails served here are among the best in town. The name is accurate: This is some serious food and drink, and the restaurant is a most welcome addition to the northern chunk of downtown Palm Springs.

WHAT The BBQ Free Range Chicken Pizza WHERE BB’s at The River, 71800 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage HOW MUCH $13.95 (or $9 at the bar during all-day happy hour, Monday through Friday) CONTACT 760-862-9800; www.bbsattheriver.com WHY This pizza backs up the brag.

The sign in front of the restaurant said multiple things. It promoted a $19.99 prix fixe menu. It touted tasty burgers. And it said the restaurant served the best barbecue chicken pizza in town.

Game on, BB’s at The River. I’ll take one BBQ free-range chicken pizza, please.

Inside, BB’s doesn’t look all that different than its predecessor, Acqua Pazza: It has a clean, contemporary vibe, with a great bar.

The menu features California/American fare.

The server said the pot roast was particularly popular.

Fair enough. But I was here to see if the pizza backed up the sign’s brag.

The verdict: While I won’t go so far as to say the BBQ free range chicken pizza is the best such pie in town, I will say it’s good. Really good.

First and foremost: The folks in the kitchen don’t skimp on the chicken, which is juicy and delicious: Every bite (save maybe one or two near the crust) included chicken. Second: The sauce is indeed sweet and spicy, as promised on the menu—and it’s balanced, neither too sweet nor too spicy; as Goldilocks would say, it’s just right. Third: There are just enough red onions to make their presence known; any more, and they’d dominate. Fourth: The smoked mozzarella was gooey and delightful.

Fifth, but not least: The crust was tasty. I would have preferred it to be a little thinner, maybe, but there was nothing wrong with what was on my plate.

How excellent was this pizza? I intended to eat only half of it, and take the rest home. But before I knew it, I’d devoured three-quarters of it—and I had to restrain myself from finishing it off. Good stuff, indeed.

CVIndependent.com

16 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

FOOD & DRINK

Restaurant NEWS BITES WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

By Jimmy Boegle WHEN THE SUMMER CLOSURE BECOMES A PERMANENT CLOSURE I may have been one of Margaritas’ final customers.

We decided to go the restaurant, located at Avenida Caballeros and Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs, for dinner on Sunday, June 28. We couldn’t decide what we wanted, and since Margaritas offered a decidedly unusual mix of Mexican fare and sushi, with a little Italian thrown in to boot, it was a logical choice.

When our server told us the restaurant was closing that day for the summer, with a planned reopening on Oct. 1, I thought: Oh, no. Here we go again.

It’s a Coachella Valley tradition: A popular restaurant suddenly announces it is closing for the summer, never to open its doors again. Last summer alone, this happened at three of my fave restaurants—Figue in La Quinta, and Jiao and Hamburger Mary’s in Palm Springs.

This is not to say that all restaurants that close for the summer are doomed. In fact, some of the area’s most popular, established joints make summer closures a habit. But when a “summer closure” seemingly comes out of the blue, as it did at Margaritas, one can’t help but wonder.

Well, guess what? There are now signs outside of Margaritas saying the building is for sale. (A message left on the Maragaritas Facebook page for clarification had not been returned as of our press deadline.)

Another victim of the permanent summer closure: Twin Palms Bistro and Lounge. At least we saw this one coming: The popular joint, which specialized in Southern fare, closed “for the summer” rather suddenly on Sunday, May 17 (leaving several events which had been planned at the restaurant in the figurative lurch). The co-owner, Pat Daltroff, told us at the time that it was possible the restaurant might not re-open at the current location, 1201 E. Palm Canyon Drive, if needed repairs to the building became too expensive and onerous.

Sure enough, Daltroff announced on July 15 via Facebook that Twin Palms was finished in its current incarnation. He said he was hard at work finding a new spot and wants to reopen as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, we’re not exactly sure what’s going on at Plate | Glass, located at 301 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. A July 9 post on the restaurant’s Facebook page said the restaurant was taking a summer break, and would be back in October.

However, the plot thickened when a member of the popular P.S. Rant and Rave Facebook group peeked inside a week or so later, and discovered the restaurant—which focused on craft cocktails, small plates and desserts—had been cleared out.

While various members of the Facebook group were declaring Plate | Glass to be dead and gone, I checked in with the folks at O’Bayley Communications, who have been handling PR for Plate | Glass, to see what was up.

The not-so-helpful response I received: “We’ll have an announcement about the re-opening of Plate | Glass sometime in August.”

Slightly more helpful were some comments Plate | Glass co-owner Larry Abel made on the P.S. Rant and Rave Facebook post, in which he insisted the restaurant would indeed reopen in October.

What does all this mean? We’re guessing there’s going to be some sort of concept change, which will be announced in August.

So … stay tuned. Meanwhile, let us know if you suspect any other restaurants may be in the midst of a permanent “summer closure.”

IN BRIEF Michael’s Pizzeria, located at 71800 Highway 111, at The River in Rancho Mirage, is no more.

Michael’s other two locations, both in Long Beach, remain open. … Also no more: Rose and Buster’s, the Yucca Valley wine bar, closed in late June. However, the place’s Facebook page (www. facebook.com/roseandbusters) hints at a possible reopening. … Larry’s Gourmet Market and Deli is now open at 2781 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. The place does not look like much from the outside, but we’ve been hearing great things about the sandwiches inside. More info at www.facebook.com/larrysdeli … The Palm Springs Planning Commission has given a thumbs-up to plans for the new Bernie’s Lounge and Supper Club, located at 292 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. The restaurant burned to the ground, more or less, on Christmas day last year, and the owners hope the brand-new building will be completed by this December. See the plans and get more information at www.facebook.com/Berniesfans. ... No opening date has been announced for Eight4Nine, the much-anticipated restaurant owned by Willie Rhine (of Lulu California Bistro) and John Paschal, located at 849 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. However, art is being installed inside, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/eight4ninerestaurant), so expect an announcement soon.

CVIndependent.com

AUGUST 2015

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 17

CVIndependent.com

18 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

⓳ Supergroup at The Hood: The International Swingers Are Back ⓴ The Blueskye Report: Lots of Awesome at Fantasy Springs •• Desert Rock Chronicles: Meet the High Desert’s New Experimental Surf-Punk Band •• The Lucky 13 with Cloud District and Mighty Jack •• Alex Harrington's Dunecast with the Hard Rock's DJ Paparazzi www.cvindependent.com/music

EeVaan Tre and the Show’s Brand of R&B Sets the Band Apart

O B A L L A

L U O S UT

20 TOMMY LOCUST PHOTOGRAPHY CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 19

AUGUST 2015

MUSIC

SUPERGROUP AT THE HOOD The International Swingers Bring Songs by Blondie and the Sex Pistols, Plus Originals, to Palm Desert

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye uestion: What do you get when you combine Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols, Clem Burke from Blondie, James Stevenson from the Cult and Gene Loves Jezebel, and Gary Twinn from Supernaut?

Answer: You get a supergroup called The International Swingers, which will be making its second appearance at The Hood Bar and Pizza on Friday, Aug. 7.

The idea of The International Swingers was pitched to Gary Twinn by Australian promoter Bicci Henderson. While the idea seemed crazy at first, the band has proven to be a fine success, leading to an EP and a recently released album.

During a recent phone interview, frontman Gary Twinn discussed how The International Swingers came to exist.

“Many years ago, I had a career in Australia as sort of a pop star, so every now and again, I would sort of go over there and play some shows. I was asked to come back again, and I really wanted to do something different,” Twinn said. “James, Clem and Glenn were really good friends of mine, and we all happened to be hanging out at the same time. When I was asked to do this Australian tour, I was like, ‘Hey guys, how would you guys like to start a new band and come with me to Australia for a holiday? And that’s what we did.”

Twinn said the group wasn’t intended to exist beyond the Australian tour. “It just happened that we started this band, and we did it for a laugh. … When we were on our way back, and there was a bunch of stuff on YouTube and people inviting us to play here and there, we thought, ‘Let’s just keep doing it.’”

Twinn conceded there was some hesitation regarding what songs from the members’ various bands would be played.

“James and I sat down, and I wrote down a huge list of songs, and the idea was one of us had to have a connection with each song, no matter how tenuous it was,” he said.

The band is now selling its first full-length album. Fans can pledge money through PledgeMusic to receive a copy of Whatever Works Now. “We just finished it. The EP, we did as something to sell to our fans at shows and were just really demo recordings,” Twinn said.

“Over the last year, whenever we’ve had time, we’ve been going into the studio owned by the Foo Fighters, and our friend Tommy’s studio, and we recorded a bunch of songs and just mixed and mastered them.”

The members do have a problem

The International Swingers

coordinating their schedules. In fact, Glen Matlock is not on the current tour.

“It’s a frickin’ nightmare, to be honest. It’s like herding cats together,” Twinn said. “With Clem, Blondie takes permanence, and these days, Blondie is pretty busy. James has another project now called Holy Holy, and they’re doing a whole production around The Man Who Sold the World. Glen has his own band, and Glen actually won’t be doing this tour with us, or doing anything with us, really, because he’s busy with his own project now.”

So what can attendees expect?

“We’ll still be playing our covers, so you can expect to hear some Blondie and Sex Pistols,” Twinn said. “During our recent gigs, we’ve been playing ‘Brand New Cadillac,’ which was a song The Clash covered, and we might throw that in the mix. But we want to try out some of the new songs from the album and see how people like those, because we’re really liking them.”

THE INTERNATIONAL SWINGERS WILL PERFORM WITH MACHIN’ AT 9 P.M., FRIDAY, AUG. 7, AT THE HOOD BAR AND PIZZA, 74360 HIGHWAY 111, IN PALM DESERT. ADMISSION IS $5. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEHOODBAR. CVIndependent.com

20 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

The Blueskye REPORT

MUSIC

A MATTER OF FEELING EeVaan Tre and the Show’s Brand of R&B and Soul Sets the Band Apart

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye

EeVaan Tre and the Show performs at Chill Bar as part of the Independent’s NestEggg Food Bank Concert Series on July 7. TOMMY LOCUST PHOTOGRAPHY.

fter a recent performance by EeVaan Tre and the Show at the Coachella Valley Art Scene, I asked Tre: “Why R&B and soul music?”

He laughed. However, David Morales, the bassist, had an answer.

“It’s how we feel.”

The powerful R&B and soul of EeVaan Tre and the Show has not only made the group one of the valley’s best bands; it also landed the group a slot at Coachella in 2015. The band’s live show is exceptional; it’s truly feel-good music.

“I personally love the R&B from the ’80s,” Tre said, “the real cheesy love stuff. I guess it’s just a reflection of how we grew up and what we like. We all really dig the same stuff. … I guess that’s why I like to perform R&B and soul. I guess for myself, my exposure to it was in a specific way. I grew up listening to doowop. Doo-wop was first for me, and then pop music.”

Before a performance at The Hood Bar and Pizza earlier this year, Tre invited DJ Alex Harrington and me to his car, where he showed us some of his used vinyl purchases from that day: Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Bobby Womack albums.

“For me, some of the new stuff is the old stuff,” Tre said. “When I first started to work on this project, I was inspired by the latest Daft Punk album and just how they created the music. They basically made it to where you don’t need any rules, and you can break into strings here or there if you want, and that’s the shit. That kind of did it all for me, and it made me say, ‘Fuck it; let’s just do whatever it is that comes out of us. We’ll make it work.’”

When it comes to writing music, Tre said he has no problem making it personal.

CVIndependent.com

“On my own, I find it kind of easy. It’s really personal, and some artists like to be personal at times,” Tre said. “Some people are really reserved about their feelings. … I love feeding off of different vibes and energies in the room when I perform. It creates an environment for me to be creative and do something out of the box.”

Performing at Coachella was definitely a highlight for a group.

“I remember going into Coachella, and it was so last minute when we were called in to do it,” he said. “We didn’t think we were prepared going into it, knowing we weren’t performing at the level we were supposed to be. Coachella has amazing performers from all over the world, and we went there to learn what it really takes to be at that level.

“Other than that, the experience was amazing, because I got to spend it with my friends. My best friends are all my band members. It was a learning experience, because it’s different when you’re standing behind the artist onstage watching how they do it, as opposed to being in front of it watching them as part of the audience. It’s different, and we learned from it.”

There is plenty of room to grow and evolve, and EeVaan Tre and the Show is open to new music and new inspiration, Tre said.

“I think we always overthink it, and we’ve learned that music is an in-the-moment thing,” he said. “When you got something and you put it down, that’s what it is as far as capturing the moment. … I think that further along, it will have another feel if it’s destined to feel different. I feel that the sound will progress, because we will continue to learn different sounds, create and be curious. We’re always listening to different records.”

AUGUST 2015

By Brian Blueskye August is the final full month of summer, and there are a surprising number of great shows taking place during the month that you won’t want to miss.

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino’s August is, simply put, awesome. So many events … so much awesome. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 15, hard-rock and heavy-metal pioneers Deep Purple will be appearing. If you don’t know “Smoke on the Water” or “Perfect Strangers,” and you call yourself a music fan, something is wrong with you.

Tickets are $49 to $79. At 8 Deep Purple p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, it’ll be an ’80s throwback night when New Edition stops by; however, it’s unknown whether Bobby Brown will be taking part, with his daughter Bobbi Kristina in hospice care as of our press deadline. Either way, it should be an interesting show. Tickets are $49 to $79. You’ll be happy to know that Diana Krall is returning to the desert at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22. The world’s favorite female jazz pianist and vocalist is guaranteed to deliver, so go check her out. Tickets are $49 to $89. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.

Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has a couple of Diana Krall events worth your time. At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 7, comedian Russell Peters will be stopping by. The Canadian was the first comedian to sell out the Air Canada Centre in Toronto in 2007; unfortunately, he also played Santa in Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. Tickets are $65 to $85. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, modern country duo Thompson Square will performing. The husband and wife from Nashville have taken the country-music world by storm since they released their self-titled debut on Stoney Russell Peters Creek Records. Their single “Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not?” reached No. 1 on the country chart and went double-platinum.

They also took home three awards at the American Country Awards in 2011. Tickets are $35 to $55. The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www. hotwatercasino.com.

Spotlight 29 Casino has some great tribute bands performing throughout the month. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 15, get out the rhinestones and sequins as Kenny Metcalf performs the music of Elton John. AXS TV included him on its television Kenny Metcalf show The World’s Greatest

Jay Leno

Tribute Bands. Tickets are $10. If you enjoyed the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus performance of ABBA tunes back in the spring, you can get another dose of ABBA at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29, when ABBAFAB performs. Tickets are $10. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Morongo Casino Resort Spa has some big names dropping in this month. At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 7, former late-night TV superstar Jay Leno will be present. If you miss him on NBC (which I don’t), this is a great time to see him doing what he’s always done best: stand-up comedy. Tickets are $85 to $110. At 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, you’ll be singing the chorus to “Joy to the World”—no, not that song, the other one, by Three Dog Night. While Chuck Negron doesn’t appear to be rejoining the group anytime soon, Three Dog Night is still going strong.

Tickets are $40 to $60. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace has plenty going on in August. At 9 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 8, former Kyuss frontman John Garcia will be performing. In 2014, Garcia released a self-titled solo album, which was welcomed by music critics and Kyuss fans alike. You should definitely make it up the hill for this one. Tickets John Garcia are $10. At 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20, London-based post-punk band Savages will be performing. The group’s 2013 debut album, Silence Yourself, was all the rage, and music critics were counting down the days to its release. In other words, the group is pretty awesome. Tickets are $20. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-365-5956; www. pappyandharriets.com.

The Hood Bar and Pizza will once again hold its Battle of the Bands every Sunday in August at 6 p.m. The judging panel will feature local music promoter Ming Bob, CV Weekly owner/editor Tracy Dietlin, and yours truly. Come out every Sunday and catch local talent competing for the grand prize of $1,000 cash. The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, Palm Desert; 760-636-5220; www.facebook.com/ thehoodbar.

By the way, be sure to check out CVIndependent. com for all sorts of music features that we did not have space for in this li’l print edition, including a chat with Flo Rida; an article on The Melvins; an interview with David Lowery on the upcoming Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout at Pappy and Harriet’s; a feature on Redd Kross; and tons more!

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 21

AUGUST 2015

MUSIC

DESERT ROCK CHRONICLES Meet DRUG, the High Desert’s New Experimental Surf-Punk Band

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Robin Linn n 2006, guitarist and songwriter Jamie Hafler left Ohio and headed to Los Angeles via Twentynine Palms to visit his brother Jeff, a singer/songwriter.

Back then, Jeff had just hired a thenrecent desert transplant as a nanny for his son, Cash: artist and singer/ songwriter Cristie Carter.

Cristie is a native of San Francisco with deep roots in the Bay Area metal scene of the mid ’80s. She moved to Los Angeles and got into the punk-rock music scene of the mid-’90s, most notably as the manager for the all-girl teenage punk band The Grown Ups. There, she formed a close relationship with artist Zaina Alwan (now married to desert-rock icon Brant Bjork). The two women came to Joshua Tree with artist Paul Hadley, known to some as “Bing.” In 2006, Cristie fell for Wonder Valley, and Zaina fell for her “dream house” in Twentynine Palms.

Jeff then introduced Jamie and Cristie. The rest, as they say, is high-desert rock history.

Jamie Hafler and Cristie Carter had a musical love affair in front of audiences with their goth/rock duo Gilded Flicker for several years. With Jamie on guitar and vocals, and Cristie on bass and vocals, they presented dark, raw, heavy music that won them a measure of respect and an intimate fan base.

This year, they shifted gears and began creating new sounds with a brand-new project called DRUG. For this group, Cristie put down the bass guitar and focused all of her attention on vocals and lyrics. They added drummer Theo Smith, and the band has been out playing shows with new material. In fact, they unveiled two songs on the online music program Jam in the Van in April, which was filmed at Brant Bjork’s studio in Joshua Tree. (See it at jaminthevan.com/drug.)

DRUG is the culmination of Jamie’s mad-professor ingenuity and Cristie’s dark, dramatic imagination. Jamie has crafted a beautiful double-necked Telecaster that acts as a guitar and a bass. He has dialed his guitar sound in to obtain those sweet reverberated surf tones, and he crafts psychedelic landscapes for Cristie’s dark and dramatic vocals. Theo Smith fits the group like a glove— he’s steady, understated and committed to the song.

DRUG performs on Jam in the Van in April.

“The new sound of DRUG was inspired solely on the basis of change,” Jamie said. “We wanted something new, and it was created out of necessity. Cristie wanted to be free of an instrument so she could fulfill her dream as a lead vocalist. I wanted to be more involved with the writing process and the challenge of performing rather than singing.”

Jamie touted Cristie’s vocals.

“Cristie is the main lyricist of DRUG,” he said. “Her lyrics deal with the paranormal and astral projections. She feeds off lost spirits of the night. Her vocalist influences are Jim Morrison, Mike Patton, Billie Holiday, Grace Slick and Julie London.

“We wouldn’t be a band without Theo Smith. His commitment and enthusiasm toward the band, and our music, is paramount.

He gets what we’re trying to do and is totally into it.”

DRUG is working on a new YouTube channel to use as a medium for collaborations with artists and live performances of songs in the studio. The group is also working on a 7-inch record scheduled for release in November: red vinyl boasting two fresh tracks, “Blackfall” and “Sex After Prom,” recorded live, straight to tape, with no overdubs.

Alter your consciousness with DRUG, the high desert’s experimental surf-punk band.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DRUG, VISIT WWW.FACEBOOK. COM/PAGES/DRUG/1564266073801382. READ MORE FROM ROBIN LINN, INCLUDING AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS STORY, AT WWW.DESERTROCKCHRONICLES.COM. CVIndependent.com

22 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

MUSIC

Alex Harrington’s DuneCast: AUGUST 2015

the

LUCKY 13

WWW.CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

By Brian Blueskye NAME Alex Sanchez GROUP Cloud District MORE INFO A band from Palm Springs called Forfeit Your Skies made the news two years ago after a bunch of the group’s equipment was stolen. The band carries on, but with a new name: Cloud District. The hardcore group will be playing a free show at The Hood Bar and Pizza on Saturday, Aug. 15. More at www. facebook.com/CloudDistrictMusic.

What was the first concert you attended?

My first concert was Panic! at the Disco when I was 15. It blew my mind how good of a singer Brendon Urie was.

What was the first album you owned?

Highway to Hell by AC/DC. I asked my mom to buy it for me when I was 10 or so.

What bands are you listening to right now?

They include Beartooth, This Wild Life, and Fall Out Boy’s previous album.

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

How Drake can do so bad at Coachella 2015, being that big of a name, and then people tell you he was the best of the weekend.

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

I have to say Queen back in their prime. I’ve always wondered how much better Freddie Mercury was live compared to recordings.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Probably Owl City. It’s just such upbeat music.

What’s your favorite music venue?

I haven’t played there yet, but as far as watching bands, I would have to go with House of Blues in San Diego.

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

Lately, it’s been “Stay Up Late” by This Wild Life.

Meet a Surf-Rock Singer and a Hardcore Guitarist

What band or artist changed your life?

How? Panic! at the Disco. It was my first musical experience, and they absolutely blew me away!

They showed me that live music is an art form and forever changed how I judged recorded music.

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

I really just want to ask Elvis to come hang out with me—young Elvis, though, not the older one.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“What’s Left of the Flag” by Flogging Molly, hands down!

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

Issues’ self-titled album is right up there with A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out by Panic! at the Disco.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“Shadow Life” by Cloud District.

NAME Charlie Ellis GROUP Mighty Jack MORE INFO Charlie Ellis is best known as the frontman of Mighty Jack, but he also recently took part in a reunion show with local surfrock group The Phantoms. Mighty Jack mixes punk, surf rock, lounge and rock. More at www.facebook.com/mightyjackband.

What was the first concert you attended?

Depending on what qualifies as a concert, when I was growing up in Las Vegas in the ’70s, the Paul Ankas and Neil Sedakas were hard to avoid, even for a 7-year-old. But my first real rock concert was Ozzy Osbourne with Metallica at the Long Beach Arena, on June 14, 1986.

What was the first album you owned?

I talked my mom into buying me Kiss, Alive!, on vinyl when I was in kindergarten, and I wore it out on my tiny blue briefcase-style record player.

Cloud District CVIndependent.com

What bands are you listening to right now?

A lot of Nick Waterhouse. He’s brilliant and sounds amazing live. Also, a band out of Spain called The Excitements … which basically

This month, I’m happy to welcome Hard Rock Palm Springs resident DJ Paparazzi, aka Cesar Rios.

Charlie Ellis

sounds like Nick Waterhouse’s band with a young Tina Turner on vocals. Also a band called Nightmare of You. What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

There seems to be an uprising of baseballthemed bands, and all the music is specifically written about the sport such as the infield-fly rule, the balk, etc. I don’t even understand those rules; how can I comprehend bands with entire catalogs of songs about them?

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

I’d love to see the original Alice Cooper band.

I guess Dick Wagner can sub for the deceased Glen Buxton on guitar.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Songs about baseball. What can I say? I don’t get it, but I can’t get enough of it.

What’s your favorite music venue?

Now that Nonna’s Italian Drive-thru is gone, probably The Greek Theatre (in Los Angeles).

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

“Put It Right Here!” by Gutter Candy.

What band or artist changed your life?

How? I was a teenager in the desert during the late ’80s, so naturally, I’m under obligation to say Mario Lalli. ;) You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

I’d ask Jeff Bowman, drummer of Mighty Jack: “Do you have to play with so many other bands?”

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“If I Can Dream,” by Elvis Presley. It’s a great song, with an even greater cheese factor.

Since you’re from L.A., what has it been like transitioning to being a Coachella Valley resident?

As far as living day to day, it’s actually been a great transition for me. It’s paradise everyday and night here. Plus, I’m extremely lucky to have my DJ residency at the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs. …

Nevertheless, being born and raised in L.A., I do miss a good local scene. In Palm Springs, I feel like it’s not here ... yet. I do see it changing. I’m betting it will come when Bardot, (the new nightclub) at the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, opens soon, where I will be curating events.

What would you say your style or favored genres are?

Dance music. Always dance music. Anything beyond that is a discussion I don’t get into.

What would you consider your best gig?

Coachella. Set-wise, it was a mess, though. I don’t normally plan my DJ sets in their entirety, but for some reason, I got obsessed with it just for that gig.

I worked on it for about a month. … Thirty minutes before my set time, I was told instead of DJing for 45 minutes, I would be DJing for three hours in the Sahara Tent. … It wasn’t bad or anything; it just wasn’t great. At heart, I’m a club DJ, and I mean club DJ in the old-school sense of the word. I tend to play to what I think would make the best experience for my crowd.

• Chris Lake, “Chest” • Vin Sol, “Off the Chain” • Marcelo Cura, “That Sh*t” (Pirupa and Leon Remix) • Billy Kenny, “I Eat Beats” (Ardalan Remix) • Stephane 1993, “Plaques” • Manik, “Silver” • Sophie, “Lemonade” (Durante Edit) • Tiga Vs. Boys Noize, “100” • Tinashe, “Hand on Deck” (Giraffage Remix) • Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen” (Figgy Remix) • Autoerotique, “Woof” • Frankie Knuckles, “Baby Wants to Ride” • Zombie Disco Squad featuring DJ Funk, “Twerk” • Treasure Fingers and Anna Lunoe, “Bad MF” • Donna Summers, “Our Love” (Blake Baxter Remix) • Armando, “Don’t Take It” (Thomo’s Re-edit) • Stip Steve, “Ridin’” • Jamie XX featuring Young Thug and Popcaan, “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)”

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

Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies. I used to tell people I was the baby he’s holding in the photo inside. Damn you, Internet!

What song should everyone listen to right now?

If you like surf music (and who doesn’t, really), I’d say “Reef Break” by The Atlantics. It’s the greatest surf song ever.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 23

AUGUST 2015

COMICS & JONESIN’CROSSWORD

Across 1 Low points 7 Close pals 11 “Just a ___!”

14 Animal spotted in zoos 15 Actress Remini 16 ___ on the side of caution 17 “I’ll play some background music. How about ‘___’, that No. 1 hit from 2012 ...”

19 First name in soccer 20 ObamaCare acronym 21 “I doubt it” 22 Surname in cartoon scent trails 24 Summon, as a butler, Downton Abbey-style 27 Dish alternative 29 Vanessa of Saturday Night Live 30 “Better yet, let’s have that ___ ringtone character perform the theme song ...”

34 Black, white or (Earl) Grey, e.g.

36 He warned against the all-syrup Squishee 37 Ear or mouth ending 38 “While you’re solving, think of the soothing sounds of a ___ in your ear ...”

44 Israeli weapon 45 College sr.’s exam 46 Eighth mo.

47 “I’ll provide the clues in a visually pleasing ___ font ...”

51 Bates and Thicke, for two 55 German sausages, informally 56 Partner of dental and vision 58 What Frank mistook his

intervention for in It’s Always Sunny 60 Cherokee or Tahoe, e.g.

61 “___-la-la!” (Captain Underpants call) 62 Poetic planet 63 “If these clues get you nowhere, you can ___ to stimulate the mind!”

68 Crocodile feature 69 “Hey, Jorge!”

70 Basic shelter 71 Approval from a futbol fan 72 Restaurant reviewer’s website 73 Water under the bridge, maybe Down 1 Like some strict diets 2 Tree that yields gum arabic 3 Dana of “Desperate Housewives” 4 Fluish 5 ___-com 6 Court note-taker 7 Uninteresting 8 180-degree turn 9 Small amount 10 Civil War historian Foote 11 Leatherneck’s motto, briefly 12 One of five lakes 13 “That really stuck in my ___” 18 Double Dare host Summers 23 ___ on the shelf (Christmas figure) 25 “The Girl From Ipanema” saxophonist 26 Open, in Cologne 27 Pitch-raising guitar device

28 College town northeast of Los Angeles 31 College student’s stereotypical meal 32 At lunch, perhaps 33 Day-___ paint 35 Feeling of apprehension 38 Florida footballer, for short 39 ___ Aduba (OITNB actress) 40 Victoria Falls forms part of its border 41 Fat, as in Fat Tuesday 42 Athlete’s leg muscle 43 Hybrid citrus from Jamaica 48 They eagerly await your return 49 Like songs that get stuck in your head 50 Blue stuff 52 Curtain-parting time 53 Airport serving Tokyo 54 Alpine race 57 Atrocities 58 Color of a corrida cape 59 Like folk traditions 60 Cash-free transaction 64 Green Acres theme song prop 65 Bent pipe shape 66 Human cannonball’s destination 67 So ___

Find the answers in the “about” section of CVIndependent.com!

CVIndependent.com

24 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2015

Deals available in the Independent Market as of August 1: Get a $20 gift certificate to Bart Lounge for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

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

Get a $25 gift certificate to Shabu Shabu Zen for $12.50—a savings of 50 percent!

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

Get half-off spa services, Capri restaurant meals and select hotel nights at Miracle Springs Hot Mineral Resort and Spa!

Get a $20 gift certificate to Pho 533 for $10—a savings of 50 percent!

Shop at CVIndependent.com.

Look for more deals to be added during the month!

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

CVIndependent.com