Coachella Valley Weekly - April 30 to May 6, 2020 Vol. 9 No. 7

coachellavalleyweekly.com • April 30 to May 6, 2020

Vol.9 No.7

Photo by Natalie Albert

AMP-Spring 2020 PS Air Museum Fly-Overs Psychic Jay Lane Cinco De Mayo To-Go Desert Aids Project-COVID Testing pg5

pg8

pg8

pg10

pg17

April 30 to May 6, 2020

2

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

Coachella Valley Weekly (760) 501-6228

April 30 to May 6, 2020

BRIGHTENER – STAY OPEN DROPPING MAY 20, 2020

BY NOE GUTIERREZ

publisher@coachellavalleyweekly.com coachellavalleyweekly.com facebook.com/cvweekly twitter.com/cvweekly1 Publisher & Editor Tracy Dietlin Art Director Robert Chance Sales Team Kirby Club Crawler Nightlife Editor Phil Lacombe Head Music Writer Noe Gutierrez Head Feature Writer Crystal Harrell Feature Writers Lisa Morgan, Rich Henrich, Heidi Simmons, Tricia Witkower, Jason Hall, Esther Sanchez Writers/Contributors: Robin Simmons, Rick Riozza, Eleni P. Austin, Craig Michaels, Janet McAfee, Bronwyn Ison, Haddon Libby, Sam DiGiovanna, Dale Gribow, Denise Ortuno Neil, Rob Brezny, Dr. Peter Kadile, Dee Jae Cox, Angela Romeo, Aaron Ramson, Lynne Tucker, Aimee Mosco, Michelle Anne Rizzio, Ruth Hill, Madeline Zuckerman Photographers Robert Chance, Laura Hunt Little, Chris Miller, Iris Hall, Esther Sanchez Videographer Kurt Schawacker Website Editor Bobby Taffolla Distribution Phil Lacombe, William Westley

CONTENTS

Will Sturgeon - brightener ..................... 3 Academy of Musical Performance 2020... 5 Consider This - Pam Tillis.......................... 6 *NEW* VIRTUAL VIEWING ............................ 7 Pitbull at Fantasy Springs....................... 7 Keep Art Alive............................................ 8 Pet Place ..................................................... 9 Cinco De Mayo To-Go............................. 10 The Vino Voice ....................................... 11 Brewtality............................................... 12 LULU To-Go..............................................13 The Living Desert - African Wild Dog... 13 Screeners ................................................ 14 Safety Tips .............................................. 15 Haddon Libby ........................................ 16 Dale Gribow ........................................... 16 Desert Aids Project - COVID Testing..... 17 Mind, Body & Spirit ............................... 18 Free Will Astrology................................ 18 Health - Keto .......................................... 19 Cannabis Corner...................................... 19

W

ith their first release in three years, brightener is prepped to deliver “Stay Open”, an EP of diverting and introspective songs about lost love featuring the note-perfect musical skills of commandant Will Sturgeon. Sturgeon plays all the instruments on the album and produced, mixed and mastered the four songs autonomously.

Having already accomplished the goals of making a living through music and performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Sturgeon has deliberately placed himself and brightener in positions to succeed. The first single, “Runaway,” will be released this Thursday, April 30, 2020, on all digital platforms.

Coachella Valley Weekly spoke with Sturgeon from his home workshop The Sturdio.

CVW: Congratulations on “Stay Open”!

What can you say about it now that it is complete?

Sturgeon: “I really wanted to make it digestible and put the cream of the crop forward. I did it all myself. I’m used to writing and recording music and have done a lot of mixing at The Sturdio but I haven’t done mastering so this was the first release that I have mastered as well. I did literally everything on the record, which is scary but I’m pretty excited about it. It’s been nice having all that time doing all my Sturdio projects over the past couple of years to really hone all those skills and bring them back to a brightener project.”

CVW: After listening to the songs, I get the feeling that you are a lot more versed in R&B than previously known.

Sturgeon: “I listen to a lot of R&B. Anderson Paak is one of my favorites for the past five years and Tom Misch has been amazing. I’ve gotten to a point where I just wanna make people move more than just sing sad singersongwriter songs.”

CVW: So much can be interpreted from the title but what does it mean to you?

Sturgeon: “Essentially, the whole EP, specifically, is about wrestling with letting-go of a particular relationship and “Stay Open” the song is about urging myself to try and stay open to new things and new relationships.”

CVW: These songs are a definite variation on the brightener sound. What are your

thoughts on its divergence?

Sturgeon: “I hope people like it, I hope people want to listen to it, it’s a departure stylistically. The biggest noticeable change from past brightener releases is it has some R&B and is a little funky at times. I’m trying to write concise pop songs, songs that get stuck in your head. I’ve been delving simultaneously into electronic music. While that didn’t directly influence this, I’m a lot more comfortable using electronic sounds and I’m using sounds that I have accessible to me in my studio. There’s a lot more synths. The song “Runaway” is the first single that doesn’t have a guitar on it. A lot of it is based around my Roland Juno 60, a synthesizer I got about 6 years ago. It’s a really classic synthesizer from the 80’s. “Runaway” is all Juno stuff, which sets a different mood from what people are used to from brightener, at the same time, it’s still my voice and music, I think it makes sense in the brightener discography.”

CVW: How daunting was the task to helm the entire ship alone?

Sturgeon: “Not particularly daunting, it’s one of the reasons that I started The Sturdio.

As an artist, I’ve done the songwriting piece. I love arranging music and I’ve had experience with recording and mixing. I didn’t have much experience with mastering, which is the final piece of the puzzle. That took a while to learn to do that for my own songs. The biggest challenge of doing it all myself is having perspective on it because I have to be really minute about every detail and I have to look at the big picture; where’s the song going, does it sound good, does it sound good compared to everything else. It was a big process. These songs have been floating around with me for about two years. At this point, I’ve had a lot of great experiences which has made it not as daunting as it might seem.”

CVW: I’m still floored by your accomplishments and what you have built with your alias.

Sturgeon: “I’ve had a live band with brightener, but as a recording project, it’s always been solo. Make Real Friends, our first EP, was just me in my room. I had someone else mix and master which meant only one other person was involved. Hummingbird was a much bigger process, at the end of the day I played most of the instruments; I worked with

a handful of people. Headroom, which was the last release, was mostly solo with our drummer who recorded drums with another dude from out here. All the other brightener releases had some sort of influence by other people but it’s been very much driven by me, this was one more step in that direction.”

CVW: Would you say you’re a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to recording your own music?

Sturgeon: “The past month has been challenging, getting the songs 80% of the way there when you’re alone was not that hard, it was that last 20% of making sure everything is right and perfect. Every day for the past two months I’ve been saying, ‘I think the EP is finally ready’ and the next day I would say, ‘I have to tweak this little thing.’ brightener has always been very much a personal thing and I just dug deeper into that this time around. When I put out Make Real Friends, which was the closest thing to this EP in terms of the process where it was just me doing everything on the record, I had a bit of a panic attack before I put out Make Real Friends, I said, ‘I don’t know if this is cool, I don’t know if people like this,’ I had no real input during the process to straighten me out. With this EP, I’m not feeling as nervous or panicked about it. I feel much more confident in the music and my ability to make professional sounding recordings. brightener, for me particularly the last couple of years, has continue to page 5

3

April 30 to May 6, 2020

4

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

WILL STURGEON continued from page 3

just been a part of my life instead of my entire identity which helps keep me more sane and more grounded. I have plenty of other stuff going on. I really like these songs and I hope that other people will as well.”

CVW: brightener has always had a visual element to its music as well. What can you share about the artwork for this EP? Sturgeon: “The album artwork was done by artist Stephanie Kuse (sckuse.net), she’s Canadian and comes down to the desert once a year. She is great. She’s done all the brightener artwork since Hummingbird. She also completed a series of paintings for the singles as well as the album artwork.”

LOCAL MUSIC

Below is the Coachella Valley Weekly review of “Stay Open”: 1. Runaway A down-right engaging first song that’s strong on synthesizers and dreamy on vocals.

It has that R&B tinge with a weaving beat.

Sturgeon’s falsetto is reminiscent of El DeBarge and his provocative voice. “That’s when my gut kicks in, runaway, runaway” The thought of running away from someone demonstrates that maybe you’re running from more than just the other person.

2. Stay Open An enjoyable track, more uptempo than the first. The drums drive this song about the

vulnerability of staying open to love. “So I'll try a new thing, See how it goes, Try to stay open to fall in love”. Many of us have been there. We can’t go back, but moving forward seems even more difficult. The fact is, if we stay open, we allow healing and possibilities.

3. Back On Track Another lively feel-good song with a not so happy theme. That redemption from love, that feeling of not being able to see beyond the lost love and consider what may be in front of you.

“I could imagine it, Growing old with you, I was all in, Couldn’t live without you.” Time is the only mediator.

4. Without You

April 30 to May 6, 2020 The circumstance of loss is a son of a bitch and this song tells that story. It’s really two songs in one. “Try to find a way to be without you, On my mind all of the time without you, Try to find a way to live without you, Try to find what I can give without you, without you.” The tempo change between the verses (hopeful) and choruses (sorrowful) dictates our feelings.

These are heartbreaking but necessary lyrics.

“I gotta live…without you.” One of the many things Sturgeon does well is create moods with and within songs to express the lyrics cogently.

Find more about brightener below: Instagram: @brightener__ YouTube.com/user/willsturgeonmusic

ACADEMY OF MUSICAL PERFORMANCE – SPRING 2020

THE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC EDUCATION RESOURCE FOR THE COACHELLA VALLEY

T

he Coronavirus pandemic has forced all learning opportunities to be facilitated via online programs. We are redefining learning as we speak. The Academy of Musical Performance has chosen to adapt to the new environment by continuing to strive and enrich the lives of young musicians living in the Coachella Valley.

Coachella Valley Weekly caught up with AMP Executive Director Will Sturgeon to bring us up to date.

AMP DURING COVID-19 “This quarantine has affected AMP, we aren’t able to have our yearly fundraiser but is has forced us and our students to be creative in a way that is really special. We only have so much time with these kids during these programs and the bulk of the time has been geared towards performing live, writing music and collaborating with a band live. There are so many benefits coming out of that experience alone. We are an after school program so we really don’t have the time to dig into recording, promoting.”

“As it has for everyone, it’s been a crazy month and a half. We were 2/3 of the way through our spring session where we put bands together for 12 weeks and they get to rehearse sets to play out in our community.

They just started playing shows after eight weeks of rehearsal. We had to stop rehearsing physically with four weeks of programming left. Each band stuck with their weekly rehearsal times on Google Hangouts and we found a technology called Soundtrap a remote program that enabled them to share music and collaborate in real time with their bandmates.

The online studio gave students the ability to record, edit, and collaborate, on any device.

It allowed AMP students to record from their bedrooms. AMP has been mostly focused on

performance and songwriting. We only touch on recording during our summer camps. For a lot of these students, it was their first recording experience and they had to do it with whatever technology they had. With their band coaches and my remote support, we got through it all.

The great news is consumer technology is good enough to capture the gist of what’s happening.

Singers were plugging in their headphones with their microphones and recording their vocals.

Guitarists were putting their amps up on their computer desks and recording through their laptop’s microphone. Drummers were learning to get the hang of programming drums. Instead of recording drums through a microphone they put in dots that trigger samples of drums, so they’re virtual drums.”

THE FIRST AMP ALBUM “Through all this, our four bands learned to record on their own equipment in the span of three weeks and now we have six songs from these four bands that we’re going to put out as an AMP album which we’re really excited about because AMP has been around for five years this is our sixth year of summer camp and we’ve never had an AMP album even though we’ve had so much great music and musicians.

This is a really exciting opportunity for us. I am currently in the process of mixing these songs. Instead of a final showcase we have this AMP album for the spring session. Also, we have so many great AMP alumni bands like Pescaterritory, Silver Sky, Israel’s Arcade, Kayla, Mia, Cort, Screams on Silence, I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to feature their recordings as well. Side A will be the songs that were recorded by spring session bands and Side B will feature our alumni recordings which will include some new songs never heard before. We’re looking to release the album in early summer where we will run a couple-week

fundraising campaign to get people to become AMP Angels to hear the album before it’s released.”

ROCKIN’ ON! “AMP has developed Rockin’ On, a business development program for AMP bands that uses music as the vehicle for teaching entrepreneurship. The course is offered to our students who have formed their own bands outside of AMP who want to take their music to the next level and learn more about the business side of things like how to book a show, promote a record, book studio time and use their social media. When we were forced to move online, we brought in aspects of that program to AMP spring. We had the four bands create their own Instagram account and focus more on the branding and promoting side of things. I’m working on ways we can better integrate all that stuff into our future AMP programs moving forward. In AMP Summer Camp and AMP’s year-round programs, musicians learn how to write, rehearse, and perform music in a new community of musicians. So, it’s no surprise that many of our students go on to form bands with their peers outside of AMP. Bands will identify their goals,

BY NOE GUTIERREZ

develop release plans for their own music, book their own shows, make merchandise, learn the basics of branding and advertising, and understand how to healthily run a business that provides services.”

AMP SPRING BAND COACHES “We have great local band coaches and musicians who have worked with kids as well as being active gigging musicians in the community including independent artist Courtney Chambers, Abie Perkins who is in Shaken Not Stirred, an incredible musician who has been in AMP since the beginning, Rob Peterson who just started with AMP last summer who is in Ghost Notes and a handful of other projects like The Pedestrians, he’s incredible and has been such an asset to AMP and Matt Makkai, who was an intern at AMP the first couple of years and in the past few years he’s been a band coach. He graduated from California Institute of the Arts doing all sorts of crazy art music. We’ve also had wonderful teachers like Humberto Vela, Calvin Williams, Juan Espino, Jeanie Cunningham, Susan Benkin and Bill Saitta. We’re really blessed to have a great lineup of coaches. I think one of the greatest parts of our program is that it gives a pathway to do and learn stuff that they want to do. For AMP teachers, we have it much easier than the school system because we have kids who want to be there who are interested in learning in music. All they need is the knowledge and support of mentors.”

PRIVATE LESSON PROGRAM “AMP is proud to offer private lessons to interested students of all-ages in the Coachella Valley. The program was rolled out this spring and then the pandemic occurred.

However, we are still able to offer these lessons via Zoom. It connects students with a teacher who will work with them for 30 minutes to an hour on instruments like the piano, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals and everything in between. This way, people can get the basics of the instrument or dive deeper into their instrument. It’s a resource for our community. AMP is uniquely positioned to offer a productive, well-rounded music education, though our connections with the best musicians in the valley, our appeal to young students and families interested in contemporary music styles, and our non-profit status. All AMP instructors have been Live Scanned and cleared to work with children.”

For more info, visit: ampcv.org.

5

April 30 to May 6, 2020

CONSIDER THIS

PAM TILLIS

6

BY ELENI P. AUSTIN

“LOOKING FOR A FEELING” (STELLAR CAT RECORDS)

“Well, I was 17 when I joined my first band, 21 when I gave heartache my hand, looking for a feeling.” hat’s Pam Tillis, sharing a bit of her history on the title track of her new album. Despite the fact that she comes from Country music royalty (her dad was hitmaker Mel Tillis), and she has been making music for more than 40 years, she has never seemed like part of the Nashville establishment. Sure, she’s won a Grammy and a CMA award, and she’s hit #1 on Billboard’s Country chart. But she’s always followed her own muse, and made her own way.

A bit of a wild child, Pam was born in Florida in 1957, and grew up in Nashville, just as her father’s career was taking off.

She began piano lessons at age eight and switched to guitar at 12. By her teens, she was performing in talent shows. At 16, she was involved in a near-fatal car accident, and required extensive facial reconstructive surgery. Thankfully, she fully recovered, in time to enroll at the University Of Tennessee.

It was there she took her musical education to the next level, joining the Country/Rock Jug band, High Country Swing Band and forming a Folk duo with Ashley Cleveland.

Her musical ambitions quickly outstripped her thirst for higher education, so she quit school and got a job at her dad’s publishing company. One of her first songs, “The Other Side Of The Morning,” was recorded by Barbara Fairchild and reached #72 on the Country charts. Forming her own backing band, she relocated to California, specifically, the Bay Area. It was there the band became Freelight, their music was a sharp mix of Country, Jazz and Rock.

By the end of the ‘70s, she returned to Nashville, making ends meet as a single parent, she began singing back-up for her dad, fronting her own R&B band and continued honing her songwriting skills. Like many aspiring artists, she played regularly at the Bluebird Café, soon she signed with Warner Brothers. Her debut, “Above And Beyond The Doll Of Cutie,” arrived in 1983, the first single, “Goodbye Highway” landed on the Country charts.

She continued to release singles, concurrently, she was making a name for herself as a songwriter, with artists as disparate as Gloria Gaynor, Highway 101, Chaka Khan and Conway Twitty covering her songs. She had also been bitten by the acting bug and performed in a Tennessee production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” As the decade came to a close, she inked a deal with Arista Records.

Released in 1991, her first album for Arista, Put Yourself In My Place proved to be a perfect introduction, (or re-introduction for those in the know). It spawned five hit singles and reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Country chart. Her long-awaited breakthrough was richly deserved, and for the rest of the ‘90s, she could do no wrong. She quickly followed up with Homeward Looking Angel in 1992, co-produced 1994’s “Sweetheart’s Dance,” which netted her an ACM award for Female

T

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

Vocalist Of The Year. Three singles reached the Top 5, and the song “Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)” hit #1. The following year, she handled production chores herself on her fifth long-player, All Of This Love. Her 1998 album, Every Time reflected the dissolution of her seven year marriage to Nashville songwriter Bob DiPiero.

As the Arista label going through some personnel changes, her next effort, Thunder And Roses was delayed until 2001. In the meantime, Pam burnished her acting cred, appearing in television series like “Diagnosis Murder” and “Promised Land,” and more lastingly, on Broadway in the Lieber and Stoller musical, “Smokey Joe’s Café.” At the start of the 21st century, she ditched Arista for the more Roots-oriented label, Lucky Dog, an imprint from Epic/Sony Music. Her first effort was It’s All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis. The 13song set found her recalibrating her dad’s music, tailoring them to reflect strengths.

Of course, Nashville has made a habit of discarding older hitmakers, in favor of younger, slicker, (blander) models. It was another six years before Pam reappeared with Rhinestoned released through her own Steller Cat label. That same year, she also recorded a yuletide collection, Just In Time For Christmas.

Between 2012 and 2018 she appeared as herself on the ABC series, “Nashville.”

During that time, she paired with Country contemporary Lorie Morgan for two wellreceived duo albums, Dos Divas and Come See Me And Come Lonely. Sadly, her dad Mel, passed away in late 2017. Now she has returned with her 11th solo album, Looking For A Feeling.

The album opens with the one-two punch of “Looking For A Feeling” and “Demolition Angel.” The title track locks into a swampy groove propelled by greasy electric guitar, slippery acoustic notes, slap-back bass, and a shuddery, stuttery beat. Pam takes a page from Bobbie Gentry’s playbook, and evokes a spooky, Southern Gothic vibe. Conversely, the lyrics recount the everyday ennui of being a grown-up; “There’s a man in a cubby hole dying to get rich, woman in a motel room with a seven year itch, looking for a feeling….now who can point a feeling, who can say what’s wrong, oh we all get high and low, turning over every stone, looking for a feeling.”

With “…Angel,” tumbling drums connect with rumbling acoustic arpegios, molasses thick dobro riffs, thumpy bass, sidewinding jaw-harp and vibrant organ colors. The lyrics chart a course of self-sabotage; “I got walls around my soul, walls around my heart, walls around these walls, I’ve built a prison in the dark.” On the break whiplash guitar riffs strike and retreat, recalling the Dixie Fried Blues Rock of Allman Brothers. Ultimately, Pam vows to shake her demons; “I will walk from this wreckage, cleansed of my sins, sweet devastation.”

In a record packed with excellent tracks, two songs immediately stand out. “Dark Turn Of Mind” and “Dolly 1969.” The former was written and recorded by Country/Folk darlings Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. In

its original incarnation, it’s a dour Dust Bowl ballad, brooding and dilatory. In Pam’s hands it’s recast as a Honky-Tonk ramble. Reverb drenched electric guitar, lonesome pedal steel, loping bass lines and keening fiddle are tethered to a galloping gait. Lyrics like “Take me and love me if you want me, but don’t ever treat me unkind/Cause I’ve had that trouble already, and it left me with a dark turn of mind,” read like a desperate plea. But Pam’s mien suggests this is less of a lovelorn request and more like a warning. The shimmery pedal steel on the break leans toward Hawaiiana buttressed by twangy guitars and swooping, staccato fiddle.

The latter blends fact and fiction, speculation and extrapolation, all of it sparked by an old pin-up of Dolly Parton. Here, Pam channels her inner Lou Reed, narrating the verses, singing only on the chorus. Spiraling guitars cascade over chunky percussion, wily bass and a wash of keys. Gazing at the photo, she’s transported to an earlier era; “I got this picture on my wall, of Dolly Parton standing by a Sedan Deville, and it looks to be in the sixties, cause it’s all chrome and fins, and she’s all blonde hair and curves and high heels/And spilling out of that Cadillac trunk, there’s guitars and drums and mandolins, and Dolly’s got one leg up on an old tweed suitcase, and she’s staring right into that camera lens, and every time I look at that picture I think, oh I wish I could go back, to be a stowaway in that long black Cadillac.” The arrangement accelerates as it rounds the curve of the chorus, shifting from a clackity rhythm to a propulsive beat. Stinging guitars spark and smoke on the break, locking into a Southern Boogie jam.

Pam has made a career of coloring outside the lines, and that approach continues on several songs here. “Better Friends” is a Soulful ballad suffused in regret. Electric and acoustic guitars lattice over hushed keys and a shuffle rhythm. The lyrics offer a rueful post-mortem; “When You saw me angry, what you didn’t see was that I was afraid, I felt incomplete/Trying to make good in these humbling times can make you so weary, impatient, unkind.” Descending piano chords and agile pedal steel underscore her contrition.

With a few deftly turned phrases, “Lady Music” offers a cinematic take on a story as old as time. Finger-picked guitar collides with flange-y electric riffs, piquant mandolin, tensile bass, plaintive piano and a looselimbed beat. The opening verse sets the stage; “She pulled him right off of that row

he was hoeing, and picked him like weeds from a field, she reached out and touched him through that AM radio, seduced him with fiddles and steels/She found him fresh off that ’59 Greyhound, introduced him to all of his friends, all the poets and dreamers and drunks that she ran with, with open arms they welcomed him in.” This could easily be Willie’s story, or Waylon’s, Marty’s or Kenny’s. The verisimilitude matches Tom Petty’s “Into The Great White Open,” and the arrangement and instrumentation hews more closely to Rock than Country.

Then there’s the Blues-inflected “Scheme Of Things.” Anchored by fluid, Hendrix-ian guitar riffs, supple organ notes, stately piano and a rock solid beat, the lyrics manage to reassure an unfaithful partner that this too, shall pass. “Only one good thing about goodbye, there’s nothing more to say, heaven knows what kind of lies you’d tell if you thought you’d have to stay/So I swear that I’m not hurting, leave the lying up to me, tell me what’s a little foolish pride in the scheme of things.” Weepy pedal steel washes over the break.

Finally, “Karma” is a stompy smorgasbord that is equal parts Torch, Twang, Western Swing, Girl Group grit and Rock & Roll. Twisty synths tangle with prickly guitars, vroomy keys, rubbery bass lines, feathery pedal steel and a brawny beat. Pam slips into the skin of a faithless heartbreaker who has finally met her match; “I feel the pain of everyone I’ve made blue, a strange reverse déjà vu, every action has a kind of consequence, the universe sent me you…You’re my karma, aren’t ya? I used to be the heartbreaker, now I’m the breakee/What goes around comes around, nobody’s free from karma, you’re my karma.”

If this song had been released in 1977, it could achieved the same crossover appeal as Dolly’s “Here You Come Again.”

Other interesting tracks include the bittersweet sorrow of “Last Summer’s Wine” and the intergalactic grace of “Burning Star.”

On “My Kind Of Medicine” lyrics seem to take a swipe at organized religion; “Cause there’s people out there peddling all kinds of counterfeit hope, don’t get me wrong now, I’m not meddling, but if you ask me how I cope/I watch the same old movies that always made me laugh, and I throw that stick a hundred times, watch my dog bring it back, and I saddle up the horses get lost for hours on a Sunday ride, works every time, my kind of medicine.”

“Looking For A Feeling” closes with an instrumental reprise of “Better Friends.”

Gossamer piano chords weave through a tapestry of sparkly guitar, shaded pedal steel and a leap-frog beat. Spacious and succinct, it provides a Jazzy coda to a luminous record.

Not too many musicians could go 13 years between albums, but Pam Tillis has always marched to the beat of a different drummer.

Looking For A Feeling defies expectations and, as always, blurs the lines. It was well worth the wait.

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

April 30 to May 6, 2020

Blasting Echo – Facebook – 5pm Lootenant Ldoubleo – Instagram - @ lootenantmusic – 5pm Jesika von Rabbit – Facebook – 5pm Krystofer Do – Facebook – 7-9:30pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm

Monday, May 4

Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Slim Man – Facebook - 5pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm

Tuesday May 5

Thursday, April 30

Warsaw Poland Bros – Facebook – 11:30am Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Hey Bertha – Facebook – 4pm Switcharoo – Upper Class Poverty – Facebook – 7:30pm Cody White and the Easy Ride – Facebook – 7:30pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm

Friday, May 1

Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Slim Man – Facebook – 5pm Rose Mallett – Facebook – 5pm Derek Jordan Gregg and Jetta King – Facebook – 6pm Michael Keeth – Facebook – 7-8pm Carlos Cruz and Frank Villa – Facebook – 8pm Tack Room Tavern – Lance Riebsomer – Facebook – 8:30pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm

Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Rose Mallett – Facebook – 6:30pm Lizann Warner – Facebook – 6:30pm Michael Keeth – Facebook – 7-8pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm

Saturday, May 2

Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Derek Jordan Gregg and Jetta King – Facebook – 6pm Stevie Jane Lee – Facebook – 8pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm

Sunday, May 3

Sticky Doll – Facebook – 11am Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Pete Campbell (Versastyle) Facebook – 4:20pm

–

Wednesday, May 6

Sergio Villegas – Facebook – 3pm Slim Man – Facebook - 5pm Doug & Meg Music – Facebook – 6pm Nicholas J. Sosa – Facebook – 11pm Contact Phil Lacombe to have your Virtual Performance listed here. philip@coachellavalleyweekly.com

EVENTS GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR PITBULL RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12TH

C

iting government travel and concert restrictions in place due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has announced that Pitbull’s show on Saturday, July 11th has been rescheduled for Saturday, December 12th at the Special Events Center. Previously purchased tickets for the international superstar, who recently released the empowering anthem “I Believe We Will Win,” will be honored for the new date.

New tickets ($79, $99, $139 and $169) go on sale this Friday, April 24th at www.

FantasySpringsResort.com. Tickets holders unable to attend have until Friday, May 1st to request a refund using the online form. Other rescheduled shows include: • KENNY G, Friday, September 11th.

Tickets are $39, $49, and $69.

• DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES, Saturday, October 17th. Tickets are $79, $99, $139, and $169.

• JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING, Friday, October 30th. Tickets are $29, $39, and $59.

• GEORGE LOPEZ, Saturday, November 7th. Tickets are $59, $79, and $99.

For more information, please visit www.

FantasySpringsResort.com.

7

April 30 to May 6, 2020

COMMUNITY

W

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

GRANT OFFERED TO ARTISTS DURING COVID-19

ith a state-mandated shelter in place order and the closure of many businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been challenges posed for those quarantined— financially and emotionally. In addition to non-essential businesses, the arts and culture in the Coachella Valley are taking a hard hit from the current crisis. Music and theater performances, museum gallery exhibitions, film screenings, and other events have been canceled or postponed, while many jobs pertaining to these arts institutions have been lost.

As a response, the California Desert Arts Council (CDAC) and the La Quinta Arts Foundation strive to fulfill their mission and serve the community by providing essential information and resources. The CDAC and affiliate La Quinta Arts Foundation have established a $50,000 fund to award grants to artists of all disciplines and nonprofit arts organizations to create thoughtful, inspiring, and relevant works responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the Keep Art Alive program.

“We are calling on Coachella Valley artists working in all media — visual, performing, and written and spoken word — to create new works that we will share

with the community in unity and hope.

We want to support creative individuals as well as organizations with a financial and promotional boost when they need it most,” said Christi Salamone, president and CEO of the organizations.

The Keep Art Alive program will award $500 grants to selected artists and $1,500 grants to selected nonprofit organizations with budgets up to $1 million. The CDAC will publish and promote selected works and tell the stories of the artists and organizations

through their outreach platforms.

Submissions will be accepted for consideration until June 1, with the CDAC welcoming submissions in various disciplines, including Visual Art and Craft, Music and Sound Art, Dance, Written Word (poetry or short stories), and Spoken Word.

All works must be original and created specifically for this initiative. Previously published or exhibited works are not eligible to receive the grant.

Individual working artists must also be primarily engaged in exhibiting, performing, presenting, or publishing their art to support their livelihood, as this grant is not open to only hobbyists.

There are many artists who have already applied for the grant, with the winners being awarded and posted on the official CDAC website. One such winner is Rancho Mirage artist Sofia Enriquez for one of the paintings from the new series of pictures she has created. The painting has three main components: a grieving woman, a new age grim reaper, and a snake in its brand new raw skin.

“The [green and blue] colors of the background show the containment of the natural cycles of life, death, and rebirth on Earth. This pandemic is making what I

Friday, there will be a new flight path.

Special Memorial Day Front Line Fly-Over with Eight Aircraft Flying over the Valley.

WHY: To salute our frontline heroes, essential workers, and medical personnel via a momentous air display throughout the Coachella Valley The Palm Springs Air Museum is an educational non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and honor our veterans while educating future generations. One of the largest collections of flying WWII aircraft, plus Korea and Vietnam era aircraft, 9,500 volume Library, flight simulators and tours through a flyable B-17 are housed in 86,000 square feet of climate-controlled exhibit space. Currently closed due to COVID-19, the Palm Springs Air Museum hosts a weekly Wednesday Warbird Tour on YouTube.

PSAirMuseum.org.

ysticism and the discovery of the unknown are potent draws for many people.

Who doesn’t want to know that the future may hold something better?

Medium Jay Lane is not your ordinary psychic! Jay Lane is a clairvoyant, clairsentient, clairaudient medium. This means that she has the ability to see, sense, and hear those who have crossed over into spirit. Hailing from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Jay Lane has worked with local law enforcement to solve crimes, appeared on national news outlets in America, has brought much hope, healing, and closure to so many who have met her.

Psychic mediums are very popular these days with television shows from celebrities like Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo, Meet the Frasers, and others bringing mediumship into the mainstream.

“Grief and closure is a big thing for people,” says Jay Lane. “Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences a person can go through. I am blessed with a gift to offer comfort and knowledge to help find closure.”

In the current pandemic status, Jay Lane’s business has grown exponentially as people has wanted to discuss suicide and how it would affect them and their loved ones.

“Since this pandemic, the number of suicide inquires has more than tripled. I educate people about the souls journey and why they should reconsider their path. I give people hope to see the brighter side of life.”

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL

thought were ‘normal’ aspects of my life run even quicker through these cycles and has changed my perspective of what is important,” explained Enriquez.

Another artist, Anthony Irizarry, created a highly-detailed drawing with a graphite pencil called Is It Safe Yet?, depicting a puppy stepping out from its doghouse wearing a surgical mask. Irizarry specializes in drawing people, animals, and other subjects. He has exhibited and sold work in the Coachella Valley, including at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

“Many of us are dealing with the concerns of not knowing when we will be able to go about our normal lives again. My drawing shows these feelings from a pet’s point of view, because during these tough times, our pets are just as uncertain as we are. It reflects the uncertainty that we are all facing,” said Irizarry.

To learn more about the fund program and how to apply, visit the CDAC website at cadesertarts.org.

PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM COMMUNITY PSYCHIC MEDIUM JAY LANE ANNOUNCES MAY FRONTLINE FRIDAY FLY-OVERS HOLDS “VIRTUAL EVENT”

EVENTS

M

T

o Honor and Thank Frontline Hospital, Police and Essential Workers – Three Vintage Aircraft every Friday in May; Eight Aircraft will Fly on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25 WHEN: Every Friday in May, starting at 1PM WHERE: Palm Springs Air Museum – tarmac, behind the Museum at 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs WHAT: Every Friday in May, leaving at 1 PM, three vintage warbird aircraft (C47 Skytrain, P-51 Mustang, and the P-63 Kingcobra) will depart the Palm Springs Air Museum to make Frontline Friday Flights Over the Coachella Valley. May 1’s route consists of Palm Springs City Hall, Desert Regional Hospital, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribe Offices, Desert Water Agency and Cathedral City’s City Hall. Each

8

Medium Jay Lane is scheduled for the following “Virtual Events”: May 2; 6 pm – 2 hour Zoom Event – open to 100 people – get tickets here: zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_1U5kObuoTlKkGWxD7-G1TQ May 15; 7 pm – 2 hour Zoom Event – open 100 people – Buskirk-Chumley Theatre in Indiana “I am really excited about these virtual events,” adds Lane. “I am going to demonstrate readings for viewers from family and friends in the spirit world and discuss how I communicate with the other side. I know it sounds weird to some, but let’s be honest! Everyone is curious and I have made believers out of non-believers on many occasions.”

During the two-hour show, Lane will speak to as many people as she can. Her purpose is to spend time with, and pay special attention to, her guests, providing hope and closure.

Check out Jay on CNN: youtu.be/ lYeXg2OT_jc For more information, visit mediumjaylane.com/media.

M

PET PLACE

any Americans now struggle with maintaining “social distancing” from their refrigerators. They may be tempted to grab another comforting treat for their pet, giving in to those pleading looks. With many dog parks closed and warmer weather approaching, exercising with Fido may be reduced. Spending long hours housebound, schedules are discarded, and it becomes too easy to spoon out another portion of pet food while we indulge on snack food for ourselves.

Obesity in pets is already a problem.

Experts estimate as many as 35% of the domestic pets in this country are overweight.

Veterinarians express concern that obesity is the most common health threat to our pets.

Denial leads many people to be shocked when their vet tells them their picture-perfect pet needs to lose weight. In a nation where over half the population is overweight, it is not surprising that denial is a typical reaction to being told Fluffy or Fido needs to go on a diet.

Typical responses may include, “My husband doesn’t listen to me about how much to feed” or “It keeps my dog happy to get lots of treats!”

Most people who over feed their pets love their animals. However, some are victims of neglect, such as Annie pictured here.

This stray Terrier was brought to Loving All Animals by a Good Samaritan who found her wandering the streets, badly matted and struggling to walk from excessive weight.

Shockingly, when her owner was located they made it clear they no longer wanted Annie and suggested she be “put to sleep”. Loving All Animals had a different plan, and Annie was groomed, vetted, put on a dog diet food, and readied for adoption. Several months later, a much slimmer Annie was spotted happily marching in the Animal Samaritans’ Walk for the Animals with her wonderful new mom.

Susan and Annie promote the joy of activities and exercising together.

There are life threatening consequences for overweight pets. Those include increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, tumors, cancer, etc. Overweight animals are prone to orthopedic problems such as intervertebral disc disease, particularly long-back breeds

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

CONQUERING OBESITY IN PETS DURING THE QUARANTINE

such as Dachshunds. This condition can even paralyze a dog. Overweight pets, like people, are more prone to inflammation in the body, high cholesterol, pancreatitis, torn ligaments, and many other conditions. Quality of life is impacted, and the lifetime for obese pets is shortened by at least 2 years. Don’t free feed, research special diet foods, and slowly REDUCE the amount of food you give your overweight pet.

This time of isolation, stress, and heartache can also be a time to set new goals that include your pet. In our regular “busy” lives, our pets receive the limited time and attention we have left. Now is the time to enjoy the love from our furry friends and pay them back for their dedication to us. The weather still permits morning hikes with Fido, and you can drive to a new location and enjoy the wildflowers. Play fetch or tag in the backyard. Find some videos of practicing yoga with your dog (called doga).

There is a new clever walking calculator app called “Work Out Your Walkies” that tells you if your pup is getting enough walking for his age and breed.

Get one of those wire cat toys with a feather at the end and enjoy Fluffy’s playful antics. Cats also enjoy jumping on stacked cardboard boxes, and running after rubber balls.

Hold fast Pet Parents! Resolve to create a healthier life for you and your beloved pet. The most important thing you can do to prevent disease and extend your pet’s life expectancy

is what you feed him and HOW MUCH. If you are still “dogless in the desert” or would like a purring feline to keep you company, here is a partial list of Inland Empire animal shelters and private rescue organizations. If you cannot adopt at this time, consider making a donation to one of the worthy private animal rescue organizations as these charities depend on these funds.

COACHELLA VALLEY ANIMAL CAMPUS – This large county shelter is now closed, but you can call for an appointment to adopt.

View the animals at all four county shelters at www.rcdas.org, and get the ID number of the animal you want to meet. Email them with the animal’s ID number at shelterinfo@rivco.org and call (760) 343-3644. Located at 72050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms. (Public) PALM SPRINGS ANIMAL SHELTER – The shelter is closed, but you can call for an appointment to adopt. They schedule appointments Wednesday through Monday, closed on Tuesday. View their animals at www.psanimalsshelter.org, 4575 E. Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, (760) 416-5718. (Private) ANIMAL SAMARITANS – The shelter is closed, but you can call for an appointment to adopt. View their animals online at www. animalsamaritans.org. Email acorrow@ animalsamaritans.org to foster. Located at 72307 Ramon Rd, Thousand Palms, (760) 6013918. (Private) CALIFORNIA PAWS RESCUE - The shelter is closed, but you can call for an appointment

MEET RAFIKI

MEET CHERRY

Rafiki is still waiting for a phone call! This handsome and playful 2-yr-old boy would make a great quarantine buddy. This “Prince of the Palace” prefers to be an only cat. Rescued by www.ForeverMeow.org, call (760) 335-6767.

This 3-yr-old Boxer mix girl would be a great hiking buddy! She is full of energy and would like a home with a big yard. Rescued

by California Paws Rescue www. californiapawsrescue.org. Call first for an appointment to meet her (760) 656-3833. Cherry enjoys the company of humans and other calm big dogs. Located at 73650 Dinah Shore, Palm Desert.

April 30 to May 6, 2020

BY JANET McAFEE to adopt. Located at 73650 Dinah Shore, Palm Desert. View their animals at www. californiapawsrescue.com, (760) 656-8833.

(Private) HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY – The shelter is closed, but you can call for an appointment to adopt one of their many dogs or cats. View some of their animals at www.orphanpet.com. Located at 17825 N. Indian Canyon, North Palm Springs, (760) 3290203. (Private) KITTYLAND – The shelter is closed, but you can call for an appointment to adopt. Located at 67600 18th Avenue, Desert Hot Springs. www.kittylandrescue.org, (760) 251-2700.

(Private) LOVING ALL ANIMALS – The shelter is closed, dogs in foster homes. Located at 83496 Avenue 51, Coachella, www.lovingallanimals. org, (760) 834-7000. (Private) MORONGO BASIN HUMANE SOCIETY – Located at 4646 Sun View Rd, Joshua Tree, www.mbhumanesociety.com, call between 11am-4pm for updates(760) 366-3786 (Private) CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO ANIMAL SHELTER – Shelter is closed but you can call for an appointment to adopt. Hours for adoption 10am – 4pm Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sun/Mon. Google “City of San Bernardino Animal Shelter” for website to view animals and get ID number of the animal you want to meet. Located at 333 Chandler Place, San Bernardino, (909) 384-1304 or (909) 384-7272. (Public) SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER AT DEVORE – Shelter is closed but you can call for an appointment to adopt. Call (909) 386-9280 daily between 9am & 5pm.

View their animals at www.sbcounty.gov/acc and get the ID number of animal you want to meet. Located at 19777 Shelter Way, San Bernardino (Public).

DREAM TEAM ANGELS RESCUE - Foster based rescue located in Grand Terrace/ San Bernardino area. Contact them through website www.DreamTeamangelsrescue.com, (360) 688-8884. (Private) Janetmcafee8@gmail.com

9

April 30 to May 6, 2020

THEPAMPEREDPALATE

C

inco de Mayo is just around the corner, and while there might not be any parades or large parties to commemorate the holiday, you can still have a fiesta of a time by ordering at one of the many delicious Mexican restaurants offering curbside pick-up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only does it give you a reason to celebrate, but it will also support these local Coachella Valley eateries in the midst of this financially difficult time.

Casa Mendoza Mexican Bar & Grill - This La Quinta restaurant has all the fixings for a fabulous 5th. Enjoy the savory Carne Asada Tampiquena—a skirt steak marinated and grilled to order served with a cheese enchilada with red sauce. Also try the signature Carnitas, seasoned with all traditional spices and a hint of orange, served with guacamole and pico de gallo. Keep in mind as per their policy of

10

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

CINCO DE MAYO TO GO

selling alcohol for takeout that any beverages sold there are open containers and may not be transported in a motor vehicle except in the vehicle’s trunk, or away from the driver and passenger seats.

El Ranchito Restaurant - El Ranchito Restaurant has been serving authentic Mexican food in the Coachella Valley for more than 25 years, located in Old Town La Quinta and offering a variety of fresh Mexican cuisine. The food is made fresh to order using family recipes handed down through the generations. Try the Camorones Rancheros, consisting of shrimp in a sauce made with fresh bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes, and served with rice and tortillas. Another highlight is the Carne Al Chipotle—strips of steak simmered in a tasty chipotle sauce and served with rice, beans, and tortillas. Take advantage of the deals available on Cinco de Mayo, which miraculously falls on a

Taco Tuesday this year, and enjoy the Tuesday night special of a Carnitas Plate for just $10.99 from 4 p.m. until closing.

Pueblo Viejo Grill - Since opening in Indio in 2005, Pueblo Viejo Grill has become a desert staple for cutting edge Mexican cuisine. The Olvera Style Taquitos are a big hit, served with a choice of shredded beef or chicken and garnished with shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Another restaurant favorite is the Burrito Magnifico—a large flour tortilla filled with refried beans and a choice of shredded beef or chicken smothered in Ranchera sauce.

The restaurant is open daily for takeout or delivery from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Fresh Agave Mexican Bar & Grill - This Palm Desert location offers a menu of authentic Mexican dishes as well as a large meatless menu with vegetarian options. The Beef Chiles

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL

Rellenos are a classic trademark, made of poblano peppers stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese, dipped in egg batter and fried on a bed of seasoned ground beef with raisins, olives, walnuts and white wine topped with green tomatillo sauce and a choice of corn or flour tortillas. The Fajitas Agave is also a customer favorite, consisting of marinated chicken or beef, grilled onions and bell peppers, served on a sizzling skillet garnished with guacamole, pico de Gallo and sour cream.

Taqueria Teotihuacan Taqueria Teotihuacan in La Quinta is a family-owned Mexican restaurant that caters to the traditional homestyle values of the cuisine. Try the restaurant’s famous tortas, consisting of beans, mayo, tomatoes. onions, avocado, lettuce, and choice of meat like Pollo Rotizado (Roasted Chicken), Pollo Asado (Chicken), Cochinita Pibil, Asada (Beef), Carnitas (Simmered Pork), Jamon (Ham), or Al Pastor (Marinated Pork).

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

THE VINO VOICE

April 30 to May 6, 2020

BY RICK RIOZZA

LOVE STORY IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS W

ith apologies to Gabriel García Márquez, you readers knew I wouldn’t be able to resist that title—even in a wine column.

No one is making light of our circumstances, surely; but everyone loves a good story, and I have a very good love story to tell of, and, recommend. And actually—that is the name of the wine I’m reviewing: Love Story Pinot Grigio by Sartori Wines of Verona.

Many of you folks know I haven’t been a big Pinot Grigio [gree-JOH] fan. Generally I’ll love a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for its lightbodied cleansing citrus flavors; or, a dry Riesling for that shock of sweet & acidity with an aromatic sweep; or—on a good day, even a non-oaked Chardonnay with its refreshing fruit notes. But I will have to concede, as a desert dweller, I’m having more pinot grige than ever before. And just look outside with the 100+ temperatures: summer is here—as

always—a month early.

And so it is that the soft, often subtle, flavors of Pinot Grigio is fast taking over the desires of our desert dwellers. The pinot grige craze is an interesting one. As your friendly neighborhood wine steward at Ralphs Palm Springs, I witness a lot of ladies lovingly looking over a lot of grigio on the shelves.

And a lot of their comments are contra to the usual vino cravings: the ladies love the lack of strong fruit flavors! They simply want nice easy wine to relax with.

Of course Pinot Grigio fits that bill with light notes of lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine and apple. And depending on where the grapes are grown, the wine can take on faint honeyed notes, floral aromas like acacia & honeysuckle; and there’s the saline-like minerality. And don’t forget that touch of Italian herb—or almond that barely flirt about.

Founded in 1898 by Pietro Sartori, Sartori di Verona is one of the Veneto's major wine producers which have grown tremendously under great-grand son’s Andrea Sartori’s leadership. Andrea also has served an unprecedented two terms as president of the Unione Italiana Vini. Italy's principal wine producers' trade group, aka, heavy hitters!

Love Story Pinot Grigio, ($12) produced

by Sartori—well, we’re going to sing that’s Amore! Certo!—I’m caving in on the grigio craze. It’s a delicious light white wine that’s incredibly crisp but juicy, showing notes of fresh melon and citrus, clean minerality, and a loving touch of almond that finishes with a long lasting kiss.

That Love Story taste profile is impressive and will continue to bring on vino enthusiasts.

My particular reason for loving this wine is that it’s from the city of Verona. You readers will recall my falling head-over-heels with this northern Italian City of Love a couple of years ago.

(Since CV Weekly publishes on-line—here are the links to my recent articles:

coachellavalleyweekly.com/merrygentleman-verona coachellavalleyweekly.com/from-veronawith-love coachellavalleyweekly.com/revisitingbella-verona ) And for you lovers of all things Italian, I recommend you go onto Sartori’s website at lovestorywines.com/verona-360 to check out a quick 360 degree look at Verona’s famous Piazza, Arena, and Romeo & Guilietta’s surrounds.

Sipping on this Veronese Love Story simply puts me back to the time at the trattoria, nearby Ponte Castelvecchio, enjoying pizza and Pinot Grigio. Ahhhh . . .Bella Verona!

Back here in town, our markets’ wine shelves are stocked with both Italian and American Pinot Grigio. Most vino lovers can surely tell the difference between the two.

Big popular American wine companies can pump out a lot of mass-produced stuff that can get lost in translation—if you will.

But hey!—drink what you like; and throngs of customers do buy up the Barefoot and Beringer by the buckets!

(Paolo Max of PalmSpringsWineBlog.com turned me on to Gallo’s Pinot Grigio—which is a decent quaff that tastes even better at only three dollars a bottle!)

By the way—I’ve always loved the Ahnfeldt-Carducci Pinot Grigio from Carneros. Besides the beautifully designed Carducci Label—the wine is delish! If any of you readers have a bottle, feel free to call me over—I’ll be happy to share it with you!

The Italian grigio generally sells for around seven to seventeen dollars a bottle. And that range is very reasonable considering the vineyards are in Italy, the wine making and bottling is Italian and they ship the stuff over seven thousand miles!

Besides a Love Story, another authentic Pinot Grigio I like is Antinori’s Santa Christina, ($10) which owns delicate aromas and flavors of pineapple, green apples, and lemon peel.

Recently I was nursing a hang-over and had the “universal hang-over cure”—that spicy Mexican Menudo (soup), served with fresh chopped cilantro, white onions & dried oregano. The chilled Santa Christina paired perfectly with the soup—who knew!

Other Italian pinot grige brands to recommend are Elena Walch, stylishly produced by the Walch mother & daughters team in Alto-Adige [AH-dee-zhay] region; and in that region as well, look for the Luna Nuda, which actually can use a halfhour aeration time before is fully luminates with classic flavors. Luna Nuda is the Italian phrase, meaning “Naked Moon" often used by vintners to describe a clear night sky with a bright full moon shining and shimmering over the beautiful Italian countryside.

The Friuli region also produces wonderful grigio which are known for aromatic notes such as apricots and peaches, along with zingy acidity. Look for the Pighin label.

And of course, there is the famed Santa Margherita brand that broke into the American sensibility forty years ago. It continues to be one of the priciest around ($25) with a fan base that never complains.

Saluti!!

11

April 30 to May 6, 2020

BREWTALITY

U

p until about three days ago, my current beer of choice has been the IP; Classic West Coast style, New England style, Brut IPAs. I have a deep-seated love for hazy DIPAs, triple dry hopped with Simcoe and Mosaic until they taste like tropical fruit juice; SMaSH IPAs, single hopped with chinook and tasting like pine cones. I love them all, at least until three days ago when the weather in the Coachella Valley hit 105 degrees, and those intense, full flavors begin to lose a little bit of their luster. Sure, sure, there are session IPAs, small and dry and substantially more bitter tasting than their big and malty, high ABV counterparts. If I’m going to be

12

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

HOW TO MAKE EL GUAPO DIABLO BEER COCKTAIL

completely honest with myself, maybe I’m just burned out on all those hops.

Maybe I just need a beverage change to go with the change of weather.

It’s finally swimming pool weather, margarita and light beer weather.

Some might say that the ultimate warm weather drink is the beer margarita.

There are several claims that contradict each other as to who actually created the cocktail. A more persistent and popular claim is that Danny Herrera invented the margarita in the late 1930s as a way to give a drink to a showgirl he wanted to impress. Marjorie King claimed allergies to most spirits, but could take tequila. According to this version, the original margarita cocktail was simply a popular brandy drink from the time called a daisy, that Danny Herrera substituted tequila over brandy in. He experimented with his new beverage, made some changes, and turned it into the tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice drink that we know today. Either that or it was invented by a guy from Chihuahua, Mexico named Pancho Morales (margarita experts in Mexico claim that this mysterious gentleman is the rightful inventor).

Dallas, Texas socialite Margarita Sames claims she invented the drink at her Acapulco vacation home in 1948, while bartender Santos Cruz claims to have created the drink in 1948 for singer Peggy Lee. As with most things, they were probably all doing very close variants of the same drink, and they most likely all can lay claim to coming up with the idea independent of each other. It’s no wonder that no one really wants to try and figure out who the first to dump a Corona Light into their margarita was.

The beer margarita is nothing new, we’ve all seen pictures of the classic beerita, an upside-down Corona bottle sitting in a schooner glass full of frozen margarita mix. I’m sure it’s been a staple of Mexican restaurants and cantinas for decades, growing in popularity in the age of social media. Unfortunately, every recipe I’ve seen is the same thing; a pedestrian mix of frozen limeade, 7-Up, vodka and/or tequila, water, and beer. That kind of drink might be good enough for the Applebee’s crowd, but Brewtality readers deserve better, and better is what you get. I made my own beer margarita, named it the Handsome Devil, and I’m giving away the recipe.

AARON’S EL GUAPO DIABLO (THE HANDSOME DEVIL) 12 oz. bottle or can of Mexican lager.

1 oz. Anejo tequila 1 oz. Cointreau or Triple sec 3 whole limes, rolled and juiced 1 jalapeno, sliced at an angle into long rings Tajin seasoning Combine tequila, triple sec and all that lime juice in a shaker pint. Pour in a teaspoon of Tajin seasoning, add the sliced jalapeno and one of those

BY AARON RAMSON already-squeezed, discarded lime halves to the shaker. We’re going to muddle and mash to release the oils and acids from the lime and chili into the liquor. If you don’t have a muddling stick, you can use the handle-end of a wooden spoon to lightly crush and infuse your mixture. Once your spirits and fruits are muddled, put the mixing pint aside and get out your favorite 16 oz. serving glass. Run another one of those discarded lime-halves along the edge of the glass, then roll the edge in a dish of Tajin to coat and garnish the rim.

Add ice to your glass if necessary, and 2 rings of sliced jalapeno for flavor.

Strain your tequila mix over the ice, and top up the glass to the rim with your favorite Mexican lager. It’s tart, spicy, lightly salty, crisp and refreshing, and is the best damn version of a beer margarita I’ve ever had. That, ladies and gentlemen, is El Guapo Diablo, and it’s what I’m going to be drinking the rest of quarantine!

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

L

April 30 to May 6, 2020

GOOD GRUB

LULU CALIFORNIA BISTRO TO-GO

ulu California Bistro will offer delicious to-go meals daily from 11:30 am to 7 pm, beginning on Thursday, April 16.

Our special all-day dining menu features guest favorites like our wild mushroom soup, signature meatloaf, pizzas, burgers and so much more. Some entrees can be ordered “family-style” for parties of 2 or 4.

Ordering from Lulu is very simple, easy and cashless! Just go to lulupalmsprings. com and click on the “order here” button. We’ve partnered with ChowNow to ensure the safest, most efficient service for getting all your meals at Lulu.

Just place your order online, schedule a pick up time, follow the instructions for

payment, and your order will be waiting for you – hygienically bagged and ready - at Lulu on our “socially-distanced” entrance table.

Rest assured… you’ll find the same generous Lulu servings we’ve always been famous for, in your take-out bags as well!

We look forward to serving our neighbors in Palm Springs and friends from throughout the Valley.

Delicious has never been this easy!

For to-go listings: Lulu Calfornia Bistro 200 S Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA lulupalmsprings.com 760-327-5858 (LULU) Hours: 11:30 am to 7 pm, daily.

To order, please visit lulupalmsprings. com and click on the “order here” menu tab, or use the ChowNow app from your phone or tablet, or call 760-327-5858.

HELP US NAME AN AFRICAN WILD DOG PUPPY

W

e're asking for your help in selecting the name for one of the female African wild dog puppies born January 18! Voting is open to the public and is available through Thursday, May 14 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ TheLivingDesert.

The winning name is set to be announced on Friday, May 15, in honor of Endangered Species Day. In an effort to continue sharing the important conservation efforts behind saving this endangered species, the selection of names come from a list of African National Parks. At one time, it was estimated African wild dogs roamed in large numbers in 39 countries across Africa; however, today, the species has likely been eliminated from as many as 20 of those countries.

LOCAL BUSINESS

You're invited to cast your vote for one of the following names: Bwindi – BWIN-dee (Bwindi National Park, Uganda) Karoo – KUH-ru (Karoo National Park, South Africa) Kalahari – KAL-uh-har-ee (Kalahari National Park, South Africa) Go to https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/TheLivingDesert to cast your vote.

Name your own African Wild Dog puppy!

Seven of the puppies have been named by generous donors and there are three left to name. So far, the puppies are named: Kruger, Marcus, Zambezi, Moremi, Etosha, Okavango, and Serengeti.

If you would like to name a puppy, please contact ACrabb@LivingDesert. org or call 760-340-4954.

Adopt an African wild dog!

Become a proud parent of your very own puppy. Your symbolic adoption helps support the zoo’s extraordinary animal care. Adoption makes a great gift too for birthdays, Mother’s Day or graduation!

Any animal at the zoo may be adopted.

Learn more at https://www.livingdesert. org/support/adoption-programs.

13

April 30 to May 6, 2020

SCREENERS

THE MYSTERY MUSEUM (1933)

OF

THE

WAX

With no date set for local SoCal theaters to re-open, and streaming/ bingeing in full swing, here are the top 10 recent theatrical films available for home viewing through April if you have not already seen them: STAR WARS: EPISODE IX - THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Disney), SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (Paramount), DOLITTLE (Universal), BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (Sony), JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (Sony), THE CALL OF THE WILD (Disney), LITTLE WOMEN (Sony), BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (WB), 1917 (Universal BLOODSHOT (Sony, 2020).

But in spite of the wealth of mainstream titles, many film buffs are

14

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

No. 419

FROM THE VAULT

digging deep into various archives of vintage film distributors for fun titles that may not be so widely known by the many movie buffs (aren’t we all?) sheltering at home.

Warner Brothers has a vast inventory of 1000s of hard-to-find titles, including many older but new on (print on demand) Blu-ray and 3D transfers. For more info, go to: warnerbros.com/ collections/warner-archive.

Here are two titles now available for online purchase that may divert and engage during this crazy time.

Filmed in the early two-color Technicolor® process but considered a lost film for decades until a well-worn print was discovered a little more than 50 years ago. Now, thanks to the meticulous new restoration presented on this disc, the film can now be enjoyed in its original horrific splendor.

Bodies are mysteriously disappearing all over town, and a new wax museum has just opened. Is there a connection?

But of course! In this horror classic, Fay Wray (King Kong’s girl friend) stars as the intended next victim of a mad wax sculptor obsessed with her resemblance to one of his prior creations. Glenda Farrell plays a quintessential wisecracking newspaper reporter, and noted actor Lionel Atwill is the deranged artist who loses his studio to a fire set by his partner.

Michael Curtiz’s delicious pre-code film, along with Warner’s “DOCTOR X” was the last dramatic fiction film to be made using the two-color Technicolor process. In addition to Wray, the film stars Lionel Atwill, Glenda Farrell and Frank McHugh. Blu-ray. Kit Parker Films.

FIST OF FEAR, TOUCH OF DEATH (1980)

Matthew Mallinson’s action packed martial arts film stars Adolph Caesar as TV Anchorman to the 1979 World Karate Championship, where martial artists from all over the world compete at Madison Square Garden hoping to claim the title of “Successor to the Bruce Lee legacy.” The film begins with Caesar speculating that Lee was killed as a result of the “Touch of Death” method that’s believed to be an element of the secretive “Vibrating Palms” technique.

Featuring stars Ron Van Clief and local Palm Springs resident Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, the film combines combat scenes and archival footage fro the legend himself, Bruce Lee, to tell the “Bruce Lee Story,” before returning to the championship where the ultimate question will be answered.

BY ROBIN E. SIMMONS Could any martial artist be worthy of the Bruce Lee legacy?

By 1980, the Bruceploitation boom had already peaked in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung had their breakout hits playing care-free bumblers while choreographers like Yuen Woo-ping popularized overtly acrobatic action that was far from Lee’s trademark minimalist fighting style.

Within a few years, filmmakers like Tsui Hark and John Woo would embrace and promote cutting-edge Americaninfluenced action movies that buried the Shaw Brothers, Hong Kong’s once dominant purveyors of “kung Fu flicks.”

None of these developments made waves in the USA where martial arts cinema was soon to be defined by the likes of Chuck Norris. In 1980, Lee was the only Asian name that carried much weight in America, which is why Aquarius released a generic South Korean martial arts movie under the title “Bruce Lee Fight Back From the Grave.” Aquarius added a 30-second prologue that showed lightning striking Bruce Lee’s grave.

Special features include a 4K restoration from the original 35MM camera negative and the original theatrical trailer. In addition, there are interviews with stars Ron Van Clief, Fred Williamson, director Matthew Mallinson, producer Terry Levine and screenwriter Ron Harvey. The Film Detective. (Only 1,500 Blu-ray pressings.) robin@coachellavalleyweekly.com

SAFETY TIPS

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

FROM THE CHIEFS CORNER

April 30 to May 6, 2020

BY FIRE CHIEF SAM DIGIOVANNA

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH!

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has likely brought many changes to how you live your life, and with it uncertainty, altered daily routines, financial pressures and social isolation.

You may worry about getting sick, how long the pandemic will last and what the future will bring. Information overload, rumors and misinformation can make your life feel out of control and make it unclear what to do.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may experience stress, anxiety, fear, sadness and loneliness. And mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, can worsen. It’s important to learn self-care strategies and get the care you need to help you cope. It may require you seeking professional help.

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s start with some tips on what to do when responding to medical calls or welfare checks where you suspect the person has a mental health issue. Remember that one out of five U.S. adults experience a mental illness at some point in their lives.

While suicide is the most devastating

outcome of mental illness, there are a host of other, more common effects that many of our brothers and sisters live with every day. They include: • Anger, anxiety, aggressiveness • Depression • Insomnia • Erratic or impulsive behavior • Substance abuse (including prescription drugs) It is import we raise our awareness to this growing concern. We all experience difficult times and stress in our lives, and no one should feel ashamed in seeking help to manage those times.

For more information on Mental Health Awareness Month, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the country’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

If you feel you are suffering from any of the above or may need counseling, contact a licensed qualified therapist.

15

April 30 to May 6, 2020

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

HADDON LIBBY

CELEBRATE IN MAY!

A

s it looks like we may be spending more time at home in May than we would have expected prior to the pandemic lockdown, we need to come up with a new set of things to celebrate while we spend most of our time at home.

First and foremost, May 1st is recognized globally as an international celebration for the workers of the world. Here in California, we have far more humble celebrations as gig economy aka 1099 workers finally get the chance to apply for unemployment. It is a sad reflection on our State’s ability to help its people that it took nearly two months to help these hardworking folks.

The month of May is Clean Air Month according to the American Lung Association – something that has improved globally due to the shutdown of the economies of the world.

The month starts out strong for sci-fi lovers as May 1st is Batman Day. This caped crusader was born 81 years ago. Given that you are already wearing a mask when you go out, if you want to have a little bit of fun on Batman’s birthday, throw on a body leotard, put your silkiest underwear on the outside and go shopping as Batman.

May 2nd is Naked Gardening Day. When outside, remember your sunblock and mask… as well as city ordinances.

‘May the fourth be with you’ say sci-fi

lovers as they celebrate Star Wars this year. If Star Wars is more ‘your thing’, go out dressed up like a scarved Luke Skywalker while carrying your UVC lightwand.

In the past, people of have thought of Cinco de Mayo as the time to celebrate with friends at their favorite Mexican restaurants.

As that won’t happen this year, consider celebrating Hand Hygiene Day with a homemade margarita. Trump nemesis, the World Health Organization, started this day of recognition in 2017 in order to get people to fight antibiotic resistance cause by people’s poor hygiene practices.

May 7th is National Reason Day. The White House have yet to announce if they will be commemorating the day in an unique way that does not involve Clorox Cocktails or lighting up a UVc blunt. While the next

DALEGRIBOW ON THELAW

S

16

return to life as we once knew it.

Remember Harold Camping? He is the Family Radio Christian broadcaster who started National Rapture Day aka The End of the World on May 21, 2011. Five years earlier, sisters Kate and Alice Clark started Wig Out Day on May 22nd. Shouldn’t Wig Out Day come before the Rapture?

This year, Memorial Day weekend will be like none other. Given that social distancing measures will still be in place, let’s hope that the weekend serves not only as a time to remember our fallen soldiers but a time that represents the beginning of the reopening of America.

Haddon Libby is the Founder and Managing Director of Winslow Drake Investment Management and can be reached at Hlibby@WinslowDrake.com. For more information, please visit WinslowDrake.com.

LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF THE INJURED & CRIMINALLY ACCUSED

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

haron from Palm Springs asks:” I heard you interviewed and you stated that law is an information gathering game. Why is that true for an auto accident?”

DG: “When the Corona Virus is over we will again be driving and that means the possibility of accidents. In my radio show ‘Accidentally Yours’ I advised my listeners to write down all the facts of how the accident happened and what was hurting them from the top of their head to the bottom of their toes. Your lawyer needs this and your memory is better after the accident than it is 6 months later.”

“Use your cell phone to take pictures of the damage to cars, your injuries, the other driver's license and insurance card. Get statements of wits and the other drivers statement.

“Go to the ER or Urgent Care for a checkup.

Going by ambulance is better than driving to the hospital, as it validates the seriousness of the injury and provides the information your lawyer will later need to get you a fair settlement.

“Many victims do not want to spend money on the hospital, ER or an ambulance.

They do not realize they will get it back in the settlement.

“The victim that talks to the defense lawyer or adjuster puts his lawyer at a disadvantage as it provides INFORMATION to the defense.

A client does not always remember what they told the adjuster and it is not just what they said but what the adjuster/attorney THOUGHT

statement should be obvious to anyone with an IQ higher than a chair, never ingest poisons or stick lights of any kind into any orifice no matter who tells you to do it.

Remember that Birthmothers Day is on Saturday May 9th while Mother’s Day is the 10th.

The 13th is yet another alcohol-focused day - National Cocktails Day. As the Preakness will not be held on the 16th, redirect your efforts toward a Salute to Silliness with Do Dah Day. Do Dah Day was started in Birmingham, Alabama in 1979 as a well to raise money for local charities. I plan on relabeling a can of Whipped Cream as Whipped Lysol for dinnertime fun.

Started in 2018 and celebrated on the 18th is (and I kid you not) National Supply Chain Professionals Day. If there is ever a year to give special attention to these often unrecognized men and women, this is the year. This group of most essential workers deserve their day in the sun covered with UVC light in a mist of Lemon-scented Lysol on a podium scrubbed by Mr. Clean.

Started three years ago in Australia, the 20th is International Clinical Trials Day. This is another group of people whom we have seldom thought of in the past. Now these unheralded workers could be the key to a

he heard them say. Silence is golden!”

Gina from Indio asks: “Why take down Social Media after an accident or DUI?” DG: "Checking your Social Media is the latest trick used by the defense adjusters in Accidents and the DA in DUI cases. The other side will Google you and check your Facebook to gather information on you. They may contact your Facebook friends to get negative information about you.

“For instance IF you post you were just in an accident and thus were 1 hour late for golf or tennis it arguably suggests you were not hurt that badly. If you blog/post about going dancing, to the beach or on a ski vacation while you are still seeing a doctor this might suggest you were ok and thus faking your injuries.....or so the defense would argue. We all know one can be injured and still play tennis or golf, but with some pain."

Dave from La Quinta asks: “I waited a week to see my family doctor who said "go home and soak in a hot bath and come back in a month or two." The next month the doctor said the same thing and I returned 2 months thereafter. After 3 visits over 6 months I was discharged with a bill of $600 and the insurance company is only offering me $900.

Isn't my case worth a lot more since I was in pain for 6 months and am still hurting?”

DG: "If you don't see a doctor on a regular basis the value of future treatment is lowered substantially and the case may not

be financially worthwhile for an attorney.

In other words, the insurance company will argue if you were really injured you would have found a way to get medical care sooner and more often.

“You should see a doctor you have never seen before so there are no skeletons in your closet when this doctor prepares a medical report. In addition you need to treat with a doctor that knows how to write a medical/ legal reports.

“If you delay treatment, the insurance company will argue the treatment may not have been from this accident and ask how do we know the treatment is from this accident.

“The insurance company thinks all claims are false. They ponder whether you slipped and fell while running around the pool or fell in your shower and you said I will say it is from the recent accident."

DALE GRIBOW - Representing the injured and criminally accused "TOP LAWYER" - California's Prestige Magazine, Palm Springs Life (PI/DUI) 2011-20 "TOP LAWYER" - Inland Empire Magazine 2016- 2019 PERFECT 10.0 AVVO Peer Rating "DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE OR TEXT AND GET A DUI OR ACCIDENT... CALL A TAXI, LYFT OR UBER....THEY ARE A LOT CHEAPER THAN CALLING ME" SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE ARTICLES? CONTACT DALE GRIBOW 760-837-7500/ dale@dalegribowlaw.com.

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

April 30 to May 6, 2020

COMMUNITY RAPID ANTIBODY TEST ADDED TO CONTACT: JACK BUNTING – (760) 323-2118 DESERT AIDS PROJECT PROTOCOL AT COVID-19 CLINIC JBUNTING@DESERTAIDSPROJECT.ORG

D

esert AIDS Project is adding rapid antibody blood testing to its current approach for testing patients at its COVID-19 Triage Clinic. Used in conjunction with swab diagnostic testing, the combination will provide more thorough information so that clinicians can provide patients with the individualized care they need.

Because of its detection of antibodies, the blood test can identify people with past infection, as well as those in the mid-to-late stages of the disease. The DAP Infectious Disease team is validating the test currently by pretesting a control group of DAP employees who have either tested positive for COVID-19 already or who are likely to be negative, without prior exposure.

On its own, the rapid antibody test cannot be used to diagnose or prove previous

exposure to COVID-19, but it is an important step in understanding the complexity of this disease to combat it in our community.

Anyone who thinks they might be suffering from COVID-19 is invited to call (760) 9920407 for information and the opportunity to talk to DAP clinician, who will determine if coming to DAP is the next best step for them.

“Speed is always important in a pandemic,” said Dr. Christopher Foltz, director of the COVID-19 Clinic. “Anything we can do more rapidly is definitely beneficial.”

That means a few things. Not only will the test enable clients to learn their results in as little as 10 minutes, it’s enabling clinicians like Dr. Foltz to begin piecing together the true progression of this disease in our community.

While it remains unproven if those who recover from COVID-19 build immunity, data from the new laboratory test will support work to determine how much of the Coachella Valley has been exposed to COVID-19, an important step in combatting the disease.

Dr. Foltz says he and his infectious disease colleagues at DAP are piecing together how COVID-19 is affecting the population of the Coachella Valley. This test will enable them to uncover additional important data that will support health organizations defeating Coronavirus.

DAP is NOT offering on-demand testing for asymptomatic clients at this time.

About the COVID-19 Clinic at DAP DAP’s COVID-19 clinic is open to any community member experiencing symptoms, regardless of insurance coverage. With every visit to the COVID-19 Clinic, clients will be evaluated for multiple upper and lower respiratory diseases.

The process begins with a quick phone call to our COVID-19 hotline for assessment and scheduling. You must discuss your symptoms with a clinician by calling (760) 992-0407— they will advise you if you should come in for an appointment and will set it up for you.

We provide two appointment options for testing: drive-up testing or testing inside our clinic. Your phone assessment will determine which option is right for you.

The COVID-19 Triage Clinic does not accept walk-ins.

The COVID-19 Clinic at DAP is the only clinic offering treatment for other respiratory illness that can present in a similar manner.

Treatment provided for upper and lower respiratory infections at DAP’s COVID-19 Clinic includes: Oxygen Therapy for patients who have lower than normal levels Nebulizer treatments to open airways and address shortness of breath

IV Fluids for dehydration Fever control with medication Community Acquired Pneumonia Treatment – Injection of antibiotics and ability to prescribe medications to our DAP Walgreens (overnight home delivery available) Influenza A & B testing and treatment Strep Throat testing and treatment Location and Hours COVID-19 Clinic at Desert AIDS Project 1695 North Sunrise Way in Palm Springs, Palm Springs, CA Monday – Friday, 8am – 4:30pm Before you arrive, call (760) 992-0407 to speak with a member of our care team.

Currently, 7,000 people in the Coachella Valley get primary and specialty care from DAP, plus other services like behavioral health, dentistry, wellness, and social services. Learn more at desertaidsproject.org/about-us.

17

April 30 to May 6, 2020

MIND,BODY & SPIRIT

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

BY BRONWYN ISON

THE BEAUTY IN CHANGE

A

friend told me, the agony of pain is the start of something good. Having been down this path before, I can attest and I believe this wholeheartedly. Instead of sharing with you how you can overcome adversity and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I thought that I would share how be a bit light-hearted in our times of uncertainty.

Here is a fun list of ideas that you can choose to put to the test for a little extra fun and humor. We all need to laugh, still have fun and take a moment to not be so serious. Almost everything I share requires minimal supplies or it can be found on Google on how to…

• How to make your own face mask.

(DYI) • Complete a puzzle • Start a journal or blog • Write a poem (Mother’s Day is coming soon.)

• Workout ~ yoga, HII, strength training, swim • Make a scrapbook (this would require you to find photos that you’ve actually printed) • Binge on Tiger King • Bake some healthy treats

18

• Listen to music that makes you happy.

Dance!

• Take a bubble bath (sip your favorite wine) • Learn how to fix something that has been broken at your house for awhile • Learn more about technology (especially if you’re challenged ~ like me.)

• Interview your parents about their life.

Make your own documentary for them • Design a vision board for yourself • Work on a financial plan for yourself • Design your own cards and mail them to friends • Do your first TikTok video (I have yet to do this) • Clean your closet and put on fashion show for your family • Clean your garage (I know it’s hot) • Learn a new word each day While some of the above are more serious than others… try and do your best to add a little entertainment to your life.

Bronwyn Ison EvolveYogaOnline.com e-volveyoga.com BetterForItNow.com Contact: bronwyn@e-volveyoga.com

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY

WEEK OF APRIL 30

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I always hesitate to advise Aries people to slow down, be more deliberate, and pay closer attention to boring details. The Rams to whom I provide such counsel may be rebelliously annoyed with me—so much so that they move even faster, and with less attention to the details. Nevertheless, I’ll risk offering you this advisory right now. Here’s my reasoning, which I hope will make the prospect more appealing: If you commit to a phase in which you temporarily invoke more prudence, discretion, and watchfulness than usual, it will ultimately reward you with a specific opportunity to make rapid progress.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Is there an area of your life where you would like a do-over? A chance to cancel the past and erase lingering messiness and clear a path for who-knows-what new possibility?

The coming weeks will be an excellent time to prepare—not to actually take the leap, but rather make yourself ready for the leap. You will have God and fate and warm fuzzy vibes on your side as you dare to dream and scheme about a fresh start. Any mistakes you committed once upon a time could become irrelevant as you fantasize practically about a future breakthrough.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1855, Gemini-born Walt Whitman published his book of poetry Leaves of Grass. A literary critic named Rufus Wilmot Griswold did not approve. In a review, he derided the work that would eventually be regarded as one of America’s literary masterpieces. “It is impossible to imagine how any man’s fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth,” Griswold wrote, adding that Whitman had a “degrading, beastly sensuality” driven by “the vilest imaginings.”

Whitman’s crafty Gemini intelligence responded ingeniously to the criticism. In the next edition of Leaves of Grass, the author printed Griswold’s full review. It helped sell even more books! I invite you to consider comparable twists and tricks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In your efforts to develop a vibrant community and foster a vital network of connections, you have an advantage.

Your emotionally rich, nurturing spirit instills trust in people. They’re drawn to you because they sense you will treat them with care and sensitivity.

On the other hand, these fine attributes of yours may sometimes cause problems. Extra-needy, manipulative folks may interpret your softness as weakness. They might try to exploit your kindness to take advantage of you. So the challenge for you is to be your generous, welcoming self without allowing anyone to violate your boundaries or rip you off. Everything I just said will be helpful to meditate on in the coming weeks, as you reinvent yourself for the future time when the coronavirus crisis will have lost much of its power to disrupt our lives.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Now is an excellent time to take inventory of your integrity. You’re likely to get crucial insights if you evaluate the state of your ethics, your authenticity, and your compassion. Is it time to boost your commitment to a noble cause that transcends your narrow self-interest? Are there ways you’ve been less than fully fair and honest in your dealings with people? Is it possible you have sometimes failed to give your best? I’m not saying that you are guilty of any of those sins. But most of us are indeed guilty of them, at least now and then. And if you are, Leo, now is your special time to check in with yourself—and make any necessary adjustments and corrections.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I predict that you will have more flying dreams than usual in the coming weeks—as well as more dreams in which you’re traveling around the world in the company of rebel angels and dreams in which you’re leading revolutionary uprisings of oppressed people against tyrannical overlords and dreams of enjoying eightcourse gourmet feasts with sexy geniuses in the year 2022. You may also, even while not asleep, well up with outlandish fantasies and exotic desires. I don’t regard any of these likelihoods as problematical. In fact, I applaud them and encourage them. They’re

© Copyright 2020 Rob Brezsny

healthy for you! Bonus: All the wild action transpiring in your psyche may prompt you to generate good ideas about fun adventures you could embark on once the coronavirus crisis has ebbed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s time to work your way below the surface level of things, Libra; to dig and dive into the lower reaches where the mysteries are darker and richer; to marshal your courage as you go in quest of the rest of the story. Are you willing to suspend some of your assumptions about the way things work so as to become fully alert for hidden agendas and dormant potentials? Here’s a piece of advice: Your fine analytical intelligence won’t be enough to guide you through this enigmatic terrain.

If you hope to get face to face with the core source, you’ll have to call on your deeper intuition and nonrational hunches.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When was the last time you researched the intricacies of what you don’t like and don’t desire and don’t want to become? Now is a favorable time to take a thorough inventory. You’ll generate good fortune for yourself by naming the following truths: 1. goals and dreams that are distractions from your primary mission; 2. attitudes and approaches that aren’t suitable for your temperament and that don’t contribute to your maximum health; 3. people and influences that are not in alignment with your highest good.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky believed that the cleverest people are those who regularly call themselves fools. In other words, they feel humble amusement as they acknowledge their failings and ignorance— thereby paving the way for creative growth. They steadily renew their commitment to avoid being know-it-alls, celebrating the curiosity that such blessed innocence enables them to nurture. They give themselves permission to ask dumb questions!

Now is a favorable time for you to employ these strategies.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What wonderful improvements and beautiful influences would you love to be basking in by May 1, 2021? What masterpieces would you love to have as key elements of your life by then? I invite you to have fun brainstorming about these possibilities in the next two weeks. If an exciting idea bubbles up into your awareness, formulate a plan that outlines the details you’ll need to put in place so as to bring it to fruition when the time is right. I hereby authorize you to describe yourself with these terms: begetter; originator; maker; designer; founder; producer; framer; generator.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If I asked you to hug and kiss yourself regularly, would you think I was being too cute? If I encouraged you to gaze into a mirror once a day and tell yourself how beautiful and interesting you are, would you say, “That’s too woo-woo for me.” I hope you will respond more favorably than that, Aquarius. In fact, I will be praying for you to ascend to new heights of self-love between now and May 25. I will be rooting for you to be unabashed as you treat yourself with more compassionate tenderness than you have ever dared to before. And I do mean EVER! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the coming weeks, I’d love to see you get excited about refining and upgrading the ways you communicate. I don’t mean to imply that you’re a poor communicator now; it’s just that you’re in a phase when you’re especially empowered to enhance the clarity and candor with which you express yourself. You’ll have an uncanny knack for knowing the right thing to say at the right moment. You’ll generate blessings for yourself as you fine-tune your listening skills. Much of this may have to happen online and over the phone, of course. But you can still accomplish a lot!

Homework: What’s the bravest thing you ever did? What will be the next brave thing you do?

Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com ---------------------------------------Rob Brezsny - Free Will Astrology freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

HEALTH

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

BY MICHELLE BORTHWICK

HOW DID MY KETO CLIENT GO FROM A 3-MONTH STALL TO A LOSS OF 9 POUNDS IN A WEEK?

A

fter She had ALREADY lost 80 pounds on Keto… and was only 20 pounds from reaching her goal

weight.

Starting Keto So, you ’ve decided the keto diet is the plan for you, and you're eager to get started.

It’s worth a try. But it can be tough to jump straight into a low-carb, high-fat way of eating when the diet of most Americans is high in carbs and processed foods, which are definitely on the keto no-go list. So, you wisely take the time to get prepared before you go full-on keto. You research on Google but find that you are still uncertain the best way to start. Eventually, the concept of Keto starts to make sense, so you decide to follow the very basic Keto daily macronutrient guidelines: 75% healthy fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs. You download an app to track your food and off you go! You quickly learn there are carbs in everything and you begin to pay close attention.

This isn’t a bad way to start and you gain a lot in the process. You educate yourself, you become familiar with Keto and Keto foods. You become conscientious about the foods you eat, the qualify of the nutrients and you learn when you are hungry, and when you are not, you learn about your eating habits and embrace the fact you have been living with “carb addiction”. This is just the tip of the iceberg. So much happens the first few months of Keto. The most exciting part is you LOSE WEIGHT and your clothes no longer fit. Your energy increases, your mind is sharper, you are no longer inflamed or in pain and your self-esteem improves.

These are some of the most common and rewarding benefits of the Keto diet in the beginning few months. Life starts to look up.

Then something unbelievable happens, despite your best efforts, the weight loss STOPS. You keep doing what you were doing, and it no longer works. You are so frustrated because you can’t figure out what’s wrong. It was working perfectly

before. You aren’t ready to give up on Keto, not yet, because you know it works.

When Do You Hire a Keto Coach?

This is the perfect time to hire a Keto Coach and it seems to be when many of my clients find me. They hire me to fine-tune, customize and bring their Keto to a new level. They want to reach their goal weight.

They want to know what to do different.

This is exactly where my client Tina — from Virginia — found herself after living the Keto lifestyle for 2 years. She’s lost an unbelievable 80 pounds. She came to me looking for answers and didn’t know what to do after living through a weight loss stall of 3 months. All she wanted to do was reach her goal weight and lose that final 20 pounds. She hadn’t “cheated” or stopped Keto so it was all very frustrating. She didn’t want to give up and knew she needed nuanced guidance to help to get her there.

This is the perfect time to hire a Keto Coach and it seems to be when many of my clients find me. They hire me to fine-tune, customize and bring their Keto to a new level. They want to reach their goal weight.

They want to know what to do different.

The Other Side of a Stall from Someone Living It Tina said, “I can’t believe I’ve made just a few adjustments thanks to Keto is Easy Coach and feel so much better about what I’m doing. It’s so nice to have someone to talk to and help me instead of me trying to figure it out by myself like I’ve done the past few years. And, the fact that the scales have dropped 9 pounds this first week is just the icing on the cake. I feel like I’m finally getting Keto at a whole new level. To say I’m ecstatic is an understatement.”

If you find yourself stalled, stuck or frustrated but still believe in your Keto dream of having the body you deserve, you are outcome focused and simply won’t give up. I have all the faith that with guidance you can get there. Because you aren’t going to settle and want to live your life fully. I applaud you. I’m here for you.

CANNABIS CORNER

April 30 to May 6, 2020

CANNABIS TREATMENTS FOR COVID-19

S

BY RUTH HILL R.N.

cientific evidence for treating COVID-19 with Marijuana/cannabis does not exist. But that does not stop the hype in social media. Does cannabis boost our immune system? Yes. But that does not translate to treating the viral disease with cannabis. If you have a fever take Motrin, drink plenty of fluids or Gatorade, isolate at home, and do not wait too long to get medical care especially if you have comorbidities of diabetes cardiac disease or other immune deficiencies. See if your physician will assess your condition via telehealth. Many complications of the disease come from patients staying home to long.

COVID-19 is a new virus. In January and February, we did not know anything about this virus. Now after studying it the statistics show there is a 98 per cent recover without issues. Every day we get contradictory instructions but do not panic. Continue to take the usual dose of cannabis whether vaping, using tinctures or edibles. Be sure you are buying from a licensed dispensary.

This way you can be assured the product is tested for potency, mold, metals, pesticides, terpenes or other microbials. All dispensary products have a certificate of analysis (COA) either in the dispensary or online.

Hemp products are not required to be tested in the same way as marijuana/cannabis.

Some reputable brands do test their hemp for potency. To be labeled hemp it has less than 0.3 per cent of delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Unless you see a COA online there is no way of knowing what is in the product.

Most issues revolve around the unapproved additives or thinners.

According to a published study in the Journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research cannabidiol (CBD) may possess antiviral activity in the treatment of hepatitis C and Karposi sarcoma. There exists "no evidence from properly designed clinical trials to support the use of CBD for the treatment "of these or other conditions, such as the flu, West Nile virus, Ebola, or common cold viruses.

Israeli research labs are launching trials and treatments for COVID-19 — and three eye-catching ones are based on cannabis.

The researchers are using “revolutionary exosome-based technology.” Exosomes, the next frontier of cell therapy, are how cells talk to each other. They are little packets of information that one cell excretes to communicate something to other cells. Every cell in your body produces exosomes and they are found everywhere from your saliva to your urine. Go to centenoschultz.com to learn more about exosome therapy.

A second study is looking at the combination of CBD and steroids as a treatment for COVID-19 patients. In August 2018, STERO Biotechs Ltd received a patent for steroid-sparing CBD-based treatment that the company said at the time, “has the potential of minimizing the devastating and

sometimes lethal effects of steroids.” The third study by Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center is examining whether cannabis — because of its anti-inflammatory properties — could slow down moderate symptoms in patients with COVID-19.

Dr. Ethan Russo, a renowned researcher in cannabis science recently announced the establishment in the U.S. of CReDO Science, a new company developing and commercializing an eclectic range of cannabinoid-centered innovations with medical, diagnostic and industrial applications. Russo successfully oversaw the Sativex® and Epidiolex® trials.

CReDO is trying to leverage the antimicrobial properties of cannabis to make a disinfectant that would be cannabis based and effective against COVID-19. Based on prior research with bacteria and viruses Dr. Russo expects their preparations would be effective against a variety of viruses as well as fungi and bacteria.

It is known that cannabidiol is a highly effective anti-inflammatory agent, and it may have disease modifying effects in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Our joints are full of CB-1 receptors, where THC can be of benefit. The combination of CBD and THC really portends to offer a better and even safer treatment for osteoarthritis, which most people acquire beyond a certain age.

There are multitudes of problems with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and many people cannot take them.

Questions on Cannabis and COVID-19 email hilruth@gmail.com

S and G

PUMPING SERVICE

19

April 30 to May 6, 2020

20

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com