Coachella Valley Weekly - June 6 to June 12, 2019 Vol. 8 No. 12

coachellavalleyweekly.com • June 6 to June 12, 2019 Vol. 8 No. 12

CVMA Winners

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Annabelle Asylum

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BI•AS

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KCOD Wrap Party

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Restaurant Week

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

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Coachella Valley Weekly (760) 501-6228

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

June 6 to June 12, 2019

SPOTLIGHT 29 CASINO ANNOUNCES UPCOMINGTICKETS SCHEDULE ON SALE AT THE CASINO AND SPOTLIGHT29.COM FOR FRIDAY NIGHT TRIBUTE CONCERT SERIES BOX OFFICE

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potlight 29 Casino is proud to present The Next Best Thing II, a tribute concert series held every Friday through August. Tickets are $10, on sale at the Casino Box Office and at Spotlight29.com. Booths are available for $150, which include six seats and a bucket of beer. Guests can also purchase a season pass for $100.

All performances start at 8 p.m. in the Spotlight Showroom, which offers the premier entertainment experience in the Coachella Valley. The Next Best Thing II schedule: June 7th – Tribute to Selena (Como La Flor) June 14th – Tribute to ABBA (ABBAFAB) June 21st – Tribute to Mana (Corazon De Mana) June 28th – Tribute to The Beatles (Paperback Writer) July 5th – Tribute to the Spice Girls (Wannabe) July 12th – Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival (Randy Linder) July 19th – Tribute to Sublime (40 Oz. to Freedom) July 26th – Tribute to Aretha Franklin (The Queen of Soul)

August 2nd – Tribute to The Grateful Dead (The Ghost Notes) August 9th – Tribute to The Eagles (One of These Nights) August 16th – Tribute to Elton John (Elton: The Early Years) August 23rd – Tribute to David Bowie (Spacey Oddity – The Bowie Tribute) August 30th – Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Mirage) Attendees must be 21 or over. For more information, visit Spotlight29.com.

Spotlight 29 Casino is the Coachella Valley’s Best Bet, featuring 1,600 of the hottest and most popular slots of any Casino in the Coachella Valley. Spotlight 29 Casino also offers world-class table games plus delicious dining options including

JEM Café and Capitata Buffet. Spotlight 29 Casino provides the premier entertainment experience in the Coachella Valley and is home to the 2,200-seat Spotlight Showroom, which has featured headliners such as Bruno Mars, Marc Anthony, Pitbull, Dave Chappelle, Montgomery Gentry, Martina McBride and more. Spotlight 29 Casino is only minutes from Palm Springs, located just off of Interstate 10 at Dillon Road. Spotlight 29 Casino is a business venture of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. For more information, go to Spotlight29.com or call (760) 775-5566.

Follow Spotlight 29 Casino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, #Spotlight29Casino.

CONTENTS The Next Best Thing II - Spotlight 29 .... 3 CV Music Awards Thanks & Photos....4-5 Annabelle Asylum ................................. 6 BI•AS ........................................................ 7 KCOD Wrap Party .................................... 7 Consider This - Rickie Lee Jones ........... 8 Pet Place ............................................... 10 The Vino Voice ....................................... 11 Club Crawler Nightlife .................... 12-13 Good Grub - Restaurant Week............... 14 Brewtality .............................................. 15 Screeners .............................................. 16 Book Review.......................................... 17 Safety Tips ............................................. 17 Haddon Libby ....................................... 19 Dale Gribow.......................................... 19 Free Will Astrology.............................. 20 Cannabis Corner .................................. 20

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

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PHOTOS BY STEVEN YOUNG

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PHOTOS BY LAURA HUNT LITTLE

PHOTOS BY CHRIS MILLER

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

CVMAs PAUL RODGERS ACCEPTS THE ICON AWARD AT THE 7TH ANNUAL CV MUSIC AWARDS

BY TRACY DIETLIN

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he 7th Annual CV Music Awards on Sunday night were absolutely EPIC!!!

Not only was Paul Rodgers from Bad Company, Free & The Firm there to accept the ICON Award, but he got up on stage and performed “Alright Now” with the nominees that I selected to do a 5 song tribute to him.

The energy in the room was electrifying for sure! Thank you to Paul and his lovely wife Cynthia for making this girl’s dream come true.

Big thanks to Michael Keeth, Lisa Lynn Morgan, Vinny Berry, Tom Edwards, Jeff Bowman, Nick Hales and Derek Wade Timmons for doing such an amazing job honoring Paul with your stellar performance. I would also like to thank our Presenting Sponsor West Coast Cannabis Club owner Kenneth Churchill. You came in and saved the day and I appreciate you so much.

Our Emerald Sponsor Big Rock Pub, our Gold Sponsor The Leaf El Paseo (Paul Coterrell), my awesome daughter Michelle Brewer, Crater Lake Vodka, Casazul Tequila, La Quinta Brewing Co., Lulu California Bistro, Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery and DarMar ColoRiffic. I would also like to thank SEAS Production, Elevated Staging, and Brandon Ray Henderson for making everything sound and look so good and run so smoothly.

Brandon you are a rock star. Thank you to Robert Chance for doing all the videos for our special awards. You did an amazing job!! Congrats to BB Ingle on his Lifetime Achievement Award

for Promoter, Jimi Fitz Fitzgerald for his Pioneer Award, Arthur Seay for his Trailblazer Award and Bruce Fessier on his Lifetime Achievement Award for Music Journalism. And a big shout out to the beautiful Suzanne Somers for giving Bruce his award. Thank you to our step and repeat photographer Laura Hunt Little and our roving photographers Chris Miller and Steven Young and our videographer Zak Kupcha. Thanks to our emcees for the evening Haley Clawson KESQ, Craig Michaels, Todd Killiam and Morgan Alise James. Thank you to Maria Alaina Majiros, Liz Westley for working the door, William Westley for setup, Curtis Hendricks and Jacqui Bonine for handling the trophies and Jason Hall for being my handler and assistant for the whole day and night. Couldn’t have done it without you my friend! Thank you to our head of security Doobie Dueber and his team. Thank you Guy Worden for DJing the VIP after aprty. Thank you to every band that performed you were all amazing! A special thank you to Steve Rodgers for performing and presenting his Dad with the ICON Award. There was so much love in the room and I think this is our best Awards show ever! Congratulations to all the winners! And I would also like to thank Paul and Cynthia Rodgers for donating $5,000 to 3 different charities: Loving All Animals, Living Free Sanctuary and CV Horse Rescue. And finally thank you to Hotel Zoso for taking such great care of us!! Until next year….the CV Music community “Rocks Steady!”

2019 CV MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS

Best Band – The Flusters Best Rock Band – Giselle Woo and the Night Owls Best Metal Band – He Films the Clouds Best Punk Band – Se7en4 Best Alternative Rock – Empty Seat Best Rap/Hip Hop – Willdabeast Best Reggae – Mozaiq / Desert Rhythm Project Best Latin Band/Artist – Elektric Lucie Best Jazz Vocals – Slim Man Best Jazz Instrumental – Alex Santana Best Blues – VooDoo Hustlers Best Country – Grady James Best Americana/Folk – Derek Jordan Gregg Best Singer/Songwriter – Derek Jordan Gregg Best Adult Contemporary – Kevin Henry Sr. Best R&B – Cakes & The Assholes Best Duo – Mark Gregg & Misty Howell Best New Band – Cakes & The Assholes Best Live Performance Band – Cakes & The Assholes Best Cover Band – Long Duk Dong Best Youth Band – Pescaterritory Best Female Vocalist – Meagan Van Dyke

Best Male Vocalist – Grady James Best Frontman – Martin Posada / Nico Flores Best Frontwoman – Erin Marie (Red) Best Guitar – Mark Wadlund Best Bass – Serene Noell Best Drummer – Mike Cancino Best Keyboards – Andy Cahan Best Instrumental Performance – Arek Religa Best Instrumental Band – Alien DNA Best Club DJ – DJ LF Best Event DJ – Desert DJ Entertainment Best Club Promoter – Lisa Lynn Morgan (Big Rock Pub) Best Event Promoter – BB Ingle Best Live Performance Venue – Big Rock Pub Best Live Music Event – Idyllwild Strong Benefit Best Producer – Will Sturgeon Best Music Photographer – Brian Blueskye Best Sound Engineer – Nigel Dettelbach Best Radio DJ/Personality – Chase Martinez (Jammin 99.5) Best Radio Station – 93.7 KCLB Best Album – Waxy “Betting on Forgetting” Best Song – Caxton “Uproar”

PHOTOS BY ESTHER SANCHEZ

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

MUSIC

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ANNABELLE ASYLUM – ALONG COMES ‘SPIDER BITE’

BY NOE GUTIERREZ

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO, “ALL ABOUT ME” (FEAT. DROPOUT KINGS) AT YOUTUBE.COM/ANNABELLEASYLUM

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n all sincerity, Annabelle Asylum scares the shit out of many. The horrorinfluenced Heavy Metal group have developed a web of sound and appearance that is a ‘what you hear and see is what you get’ brand of Nu-Metal. The band includes Brandon on lead vocals/guitar, Tim on vocals/bass, Abraham on vocals/ keys and Jeremy on drums. Their last names were withheld for YOUR protection. Their recently released EP, Spider Bite, is their ever-progressing version of Aggro-Metal that combines elements of heavy music with components of other genres such as Hip-Hop, Alternative, Funk, Industrial, and Grunge. The EP also has spotlighted tracks with featured artists Dropout Kings, LCG Macro and RowLow. Annabelle Asylum will be performing at The Hood Bar & Pizza in Palm Desert, California on Saturday, June 9, 2019 to promote Spider Bite as well as supporting rock sensation BI*AS. Also performing are Napalm Records artist Dropout Kings. The show is 21+ and there is a $5 entry fee.

Coachella Valley Weekly caught up with the desert metallers for an exclusive interview.

CVW: We haven’t heard enough about Annabelle Asylum and now it seems you are all ready to stay in the limelight with a new EP and big show. Give us an update.

AA: “Well, we finished recording our EP

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this year and recently released it, so we’ve been very excited to present that, and we’ve also finished shooting our newest video. We’ve all had lots of personal things going on, but none of that is stopping us from continuing our plans to produce more material.”

CVW: Your song with Dropout Kings is fierce. You’ve collaborated with other mutual Metal and Hip-Hop artists in the past. What draws you to those art forms and why do you think they contrast well?

AA: “We’ve all very much loved that genre of music since childhood along with Rock and Heavy Metal. Not only is it more enjoyable for us to incorporate elements of both into our music, but it also helps to create a more unique sound that our fans probably haven’t heard before until now!

Music is all about creating something fresh and new and doing something different, so we’re happy to bring something unorthodox to the table.”

CVW: Your Spider Bite EP is high energy.

There’s also a dark-macabre-feel to your music. How you have you developed your sound and lyrical ideas over the years?

AA: “There is indeed a dark-macabre theme to our music, but we feel this is important in what we try to do. Our sound has gone through many iterations, working with different musicians and producers, but we’ve always had dark and at times shocking material that others would not dare release. We feel it helps to raise awareness about topics that are hard to talk about, things that people wouldn’t normally feel comfortable with. Lyrically, if the context is heavy emotionally, or perhaps very violent, it definitely catches the ear and makes more of an influence on the audience.

Perhaps if someone hears a song we write about a person going through a great deal of suffering, that they themselves could not entirely relate to, it would connect them with that other person’s situation and help them understand what goes on behind closed doors. Many of our songs and themes are conceived from examples in our actual lives or of stories in the lives of loved ones, and we expect our fans could be going through the exact same things.”

CVW: How would you word the Annabelle Asylum ‘Mission Statement’?

AA: “Annabelle Asylum may seem dark or pessimistic with its messages, but under the surface, we’re really about being your best you and living the life you really want to; being honest to yourself. Part of why our messages tend to lean towards the darker chapters of life is that music is therapeutic to us and we imagine it is to our fans as well.

If we have a bad day or are going through an especially painful chapter of our lives, we can flip on a meaningful song and blast that shit! It gives us the strength to keep going.

Sometimes that’s all it really takes, and it can make all the difference in a difficult time.

We want to emotionally connect with our fans through our songs and help them in the same ways music has helped us in the past.”

CVW: You’re performing with BI*AS and Dropout Kings at The Hood on June 8th. Tell us about the development of the show and what fans should expect.

AA: “Expect us to bring it! BI*AS reached out to Brandon about setting up a show in the valley and we got something at The Hood. BI*AS features the original drummer of KORN, David Silveria. The other band is Dropout Kings from Phoenix, Arizona. They landed a record deal on 2017 on Napalm Records. We reached out to them about the show after doing our music video with them. We’ve been practicing very hard to put on the absolute best show possible, and we expect it to be our best performance to date. It will be the very first time we’re performing Spider Bite in its entirety. We’ll also have the featured guests on our EP performing with us, so there will be this theme of collaboration; it should prove to be a very fun night for all performers and fans attending.”

CVW: I have a hunch that the concept and image of Annabelle Asylum are crucial parts of how you want to be presented. Can you elaborate on the visuals of Annabelle Asylum?

AA: “Well, I guess you could say we’re pretty goth, always wore the dark aesthetic well, we feel it goes with the music as well as our personalities. We’re always making dark jokes to each other that probably

wouldn’t pass in a ‘normal’ setting, and our music contains very heavy and real topics such as depression and suicide, so there are dark elements throughout. We always want to put on a show as well, which means experimenting with crazy costumes, makeup, masks, etc. We realize that our fans don’t just go to a show to hear the music, but also to see a performance. So yes, image is very important to us and we’re always thinking of new ways to intrigue and impress.”

CVW: What’s on the horizon for Annabelle Asylum?

AA: “More of everything! We will be writing more songs, producing more videos, and experimenting with new sounds and theatrics as always. This is what we love to do, and we’ll always be writing music, performing, and participating in all sorts of productions. We will also be designing new merchandise items available for fans, possibly working with big names in the horror art field, so there is a lot to be excited about. We’re trying hard to make our mark on the industry and nothing can stop us from creating more and more material for our fans.”

CVW: Anything else you’d like to add?

AA: “We would like to give a huge thank you to all our fans that have been showing so much support for us throughout our writing and recording processes, their words of encouragement mean so much to everyone in the band, it really cannot be overstated.

With the sometimes-overwhelming stress that life can bring, just hearing some kind words about things we’ve worked so hard on can make all the difference for us. We want to keep going and keep making music regardless, but all the support and kindness from our audience really fuels the fire and gives us more reason to keep going and really deliver on anything we produce as a way to give back to them. We’d also like to thank you for offering us the opportunity to be interviewed, giving people a better understanding of who we are and why.

Expect big things from us in Annabelle Asylum!” \m/ facebook.com/AnnabelleAsylum youtube.com/annabelleasylum

MUSIC

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BI·AS – PARTIAL TO ROCK

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I·AS, featuring pioneering original KORN drummer, David Silveria, will be performing at The Hood Bar & Pizza in Palm Desert, California on Saturday, June 8, 2019.

Having released their first single earlier this year, Pity, along with the ‘B’ side, Change Your Mind, the songs have been received positively and foreshadow the sound to come from the Orange County quintet.

For their debut desert performance, they will be supported by Desert Metal natives Annabelle Asylum and Napalm Records artist Dropout Kings.

The show is 21+ and there is a $5 entry fee.

BI·AS has in its ranks Rich Nguyen on vocals, Joe Taback on guitar, backing vocals, Mike Martin on guitar, Chris Dorame on bass and David Silveria on drums.

CV Weekly spoke with the band during a break in rehearsal for an “unbiased” and candid interview.

On Their Status & Debut Album - “We’re feeling good. We’ve been really excited about this music with the new band and the new lineup. We’re excited to get out of the Orange County and Los Angeles area and debut what we do live in the desert. We’re going to try for a release this year as we go into pre-production, depending on how long pre-production takes, once that’s done we go into the studio and finish everything in September. It will be mixed and mastered in October and be ready for release no later than Q1

EVENTS

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PERFORMING LIVE AT THE HOOD BAR & PIZZA ON SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2019

in 2020. We’re writing a lot. We’re trying to get 1520 songs for our debut record. We work without Richard during the week writing and then we’ll send him the stuff and he’ll take it and rearrange it and send it back remotely. We just finished our twelfth song, so we need three more.”

On Melody and Metal - “With our writing in the last few months we definitely have some heavier stuff and with the stuff we’ve released recently, Pity and Change Your Mind. We definitely want to stay in that vein, the melodic and the singing. We have some heavier stuff that I’m sure people will enjoy as well, it’s where we’re trying to stay.”

On the BI·AS Writing Style - “At first, we were leery about Richard cutting up the songs.

We listened more and realized, ‘this guy knows what he’s doing’. There are no egos when we write music together. Whenever Richard takes it, changes or removes a part we are cool with it as long as the end result is a better song. We’re looking at the songs more and more as we write.

It just kind of all clicks together and fits in with all the chemistry that we have with each other during the writing process. And when we write without Richard, we’ll do four of each passage expecting him to take it and chop it all up. We don’t’ take anything personal it’s just how we formulate songs. It’s just how it goes to make a song. The end result is a little bit better and we think it brought the core of the band together musically. We just had to wrap our brain around the music. Most

of it is just feeling when we take it and have to relearn it in three days with different structures and changes. It brought us all together.”

On Comfort and Sound - “We’ve come to know each other on stage and what we know and do together. It’s just getting more comfortable.

We’ve had four shows since January. We’ve worked on the back-end of things and the way we’ve run our sound. We’re all running with inear monitors now. It’s been going great. The show keeps getting more energetic and we get more comfortable as we go on.”

On Trusting Each Other - “It’s about strengthening the bond with all of us. We’ve played with a few different bands. It really gives us a sense of security with the bond that has occurred in such a short time. We’re pretty much all on the same page 95% of the time. If that one person says, ‘I’m not feeling this’, we go back and rework it and sometimes we get a better result and we all see that. Rehearsals are amazing and relaxing. We’re back in the studio today. We’re always pumping out a new track. Writing is going great.”

On the Name BI·AS - “The meaning that we wanted to portray was, whether you know it or not, everyone has their own biases. Everyone should be able to relate to each other and relate to the music because everyone should have their own thought behind it. It’s OK if you don’t like us. Take it for whatever it is. In the United States there are so many people drawing lines in the sand. No matter what your opinion is on whatever situation is involved, even all of us in this band have different opinions on what’s going on in the world and in the way we do things but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what our differences are or what our biases are, we can still get in this room and create some pretty cool fucking shit together. We think the world could take a little bit from that because it used to be that way. We think we’re losing that and some direction these days.”

KCOD HOLDS CV ARTIST DOCUMENTARY WRAP PARTY

ith the recent development of a film curriculum and AS degree program at College of the Desert (COD), students are now able to hone their skills as filmmakers to take on new, creative projects.

One of the recent endeavors was a collaboration between the college radio station, KCOD CoachellaFM, and film production students to create a five-part short documentary series on different female musicians based in the Coachella Valley.

The documentary series acted as the final project for the Film Production I class, after learning the process and storytelling elements of making documentary films throughout the course. A wrap party to signify the end of the semester was held on May 28 at the KCOD radio station, formerly KEZN studios. In attendance were the student filmmakers and the songstresses spotlighted in the series: Giselle Woo, Courtney Chambers, Morgan James, Symara Stone, and 5th Town leading ladies Linda Lemke Heinz and Chelsea Sugarbritches.

The skillset of the Film Production I class ranged from first-time filmmakers to students who had taken other film courses at the college.

Adjunct professor and one of the KCOD faculty advisors, Toni Bakal, designed the curriculum as a way for students of all experience levels to get a better understanding of how to produce a documentary.

“We gave them all the tools to go out and

June 6 to June 12, 2019

make a professional documentary for KCOD and these women musicians, and they turned out phenomenal. I also love every single artist that was interviewed, and it warms my heart in so many ways to create a platform that showcases the students’ talents while introducing the musicians to new audiences,” said Bakal.

The course started with learning the basics of production in the first unit, such as set protocol, equipment management, release forms, and editing. In the second unit, the students had to make a documentary about themselves using everything they had learned from the first unit. They then used all of that knowledge for their third unit project, which involved making a documentary about someone in their class.

The culminating final project involved the collaboration between KCOD CoachellaFM and the CV women artists.

Students worked in pairs to finish each short documentary, taking about a month and a half to complete from the pre-production stage to the final distribution at the COD student film festival

held at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on May 19.

“When I watched all five documentaries in one sitting, I was so proud of the students. It’s one thing to not only collaborate with your crew to work on your own project, but to have an entire class create five different documentaries that have a similar feeling of unity is something else. They didn’t do it intentionally; it just happened organically because they worked so well together,” stated Bakal.

This spring marked the first time that ‘Film’ had its own section in the COD course catalogue—a milestone since the introduction of film classes at the community college in 2001.

Bakal sees the growth of the film program as a way to give students a means of reaching their desired career goals—citing professors Laurilie Jackson and Vincent Sassone, and Dean of Arts & Social Sciences Dr. Kelly Hall as main players in the program’s development.

“All of these incredible students can be huge directors someday. They have amazing

BY NOE GUTIERREZ

Rich on Lyrical Content “I don’t write anything that has anything to do with bias or politics. I just write whatever comes to me. Generally, what I write about are things that come into subconscious focus for me. Let’s say you’re looking to buy a car; you’re looking at a particular model and all of a sudden you see that car everywhere. It’s that type of stuff that comes into focus from the subconscious and I just go with it and I try to write my lyrics vague enough so that anyone can really relate or form their own opinion about it. I really write about specific instances that I view.”

On Pity, Change Your Mind & the Cynics “We’ve received a great response to everything that we’ve put out. Pity is doing well on radio at the moment. People seem to like our ‘B’ side as well. Anyone that has come to see us live, that has never seen us before, have expressed that they like what we’re doing. We like what we’re doing.

As far as the media and click-bait, you’re always going to get that. Any press is good press as far as we’re concerned. As long as we’re putting out something that we can stand behind that’s all that really matters. When we get on stage and fans are on the fence, we’re just gonna keep doing what we do.”

On the Desert Show & KCLB “2019 CVMA Winner for Best Radio Station” “Our song is playing on 93.7 KCLB by T.K. We’ll be on-the-air with him the Friday before the show.

We’ve got a couple of new songs to debut at this show so we’re looking forward to that. We’re looking forward to seeing and meeting everyone at The Hood Bar & Pizza; pizza, drinks, music and a good time! We love our desert friend Ronnie King too! We’ve been flirting around with the idea of him coming up and playing with us on Saturday, so we’ll see how that goes.” biasband.com – facebook.com/biasbandoc instagram.com/biasbandoc twitter.com/biasbandoc

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL talent, and seeing them progress through the curriculum only enforces my belief that they will make wonderful things in the future,” said Bakal.

The local music scene also benefitted from this documentary series, highlighting six local female musicians and providing an inside look at their creative processes and what inspires them as artists.

“Each student I worked with was professional and I really felt they contributed some very artistic ideas to the project. There are so many incredible women in music out here in the desert, so I was very honored to be chosen for this series,” stated singer-songwriter Morgan James of The Sieve and The Saddle.

The documentary series enabled the student filmmakers to test their skills and discover their new passions for cinematic production. This was the case with Edgar Barajas, who collaborated with fellow student Michael Valdez to create Courtney Chamber’s documentary.

“I’ve never really done a documentary before, but it was a cool experience. It definitely helped me create a different kind of story and formulate what kind of questions I wanted to ask. It also let me see that I have the potential to become a director with a set vision of what I want to create,” explained Barajas.

All five of the artist documentaries can be viewed at kcodcoachellafm.com and the radio station’s YouTube channel.

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CONSIDER THIS

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his Spring marked the 40 anniversary of Rickie Lee Jones’ self-titled debut.

Ignoring the prevailing trends of Punk/ New Wave and Disco, the flirty first single, “Chuck E.’s In Love” became the album’s calling card, but there was so much more to the record. Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, it shot up the charts, peaking at #3.

Equal parts confessional singer-songwriter and Jazzy chanteuse, it felt as though she came out of nowhere. In reality, she’d been waiting her entire life to record her songs.

The third of four kids, Rickie Lee was Born in Chicago to Bettye and Richard Jones in late 1954. Her family had a showbiz background Her paternal grandparents, Myrtle and Peg-Leg Jones had been vaudevillians, and her dad was also a talented musician who worked odd jobs. The family relocated to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Arizona and finally, Olympia, Washington, but she had imaginary friends like Bashla And SlowBeeSlow to keep her company. Not long after her parents separated, Rickie Lee was in the wind.

Just before turning 18, she quit school and hitchhiked to California, determined to have a career in music. By the mid ‘70s, she’d made it to Venice. She earned her keep as a waitress and haunted open mic nights armed only with an acoustic guitar and a clutch of original songs. It was around this time she hooked up with Tom Waits. A kindred spirit, their shared influences included Beat poetry, Jazz, lavish Broadway musicals and the Beatles. They cut a boho swath, holing up at the infamous Tropicana Hotel, indulging in spirits and honing their symbiotic musical styles.

A turning point in her career came when she played the Troubadour’s “Hoot Night.” A demo tape of her songs began circulating (Emmylou Harris later recalled “it was the best thing (she had) ever received in the mail”). Lowell George, the eccentric front-man for Little Feat, recorded her song “Easy Money” on his solo album. That led to a deal with Warner Brothers, the most artist-friendly label in the industry.

Her debut not only catapulted her to the top of the charts, she appeared as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” and magazine covers like Rolling Stone and Time. The latter proclaimed her “The Duchess Of Cool.” Headlining tours and four Grammy nominations followed (she won Best New Artist), heady times for someone just turning 25. Her relationship with Tom Waits became a casualty of her success.

Retreating to New York City, she wrote and recorded her second album, nursed her heartbreak and developed a debilitating addiction. Pirates arrived in late 1981, and was cloaked in heartache and joy and featured a rogue’s gallery of unforgettable characters.

Critics hailed it a masterpiece. Three years later, after she kicked some bad habits, Rickie Lee was married and living in France when she released her third long-player. The Magazine was dense and ambitious, but it contained a couple of pop gems, “The Real End” and “It Must Be Love.” Five more years elapsed and she was back in California with her husband, Pascal Nabet-Meyer, raising her daughter Charlotte Rose.

Collaborating with producer Walter Becker (half of Steely Dan), her next effort, Flying Cowboys was a stunning return to form. Awash in Western themes, the moods shifted from celebratory to introspective and playfully affectionate. The album was embraced by fans

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RICKIE LEE JONES

“KICKS” (OSOD RECORDS/THIRTY TIGERS)

and critics alike, returning Rickie Lee to the Top 40, and landing on myriad Top 10 lists.

A cutting and sublime writer, Rickie Lee has never been very prolific, she doesn’t like to characterize it as writer’s block, but sometimes inspiration has been elusive. So in between adroit original efforts like Traffic In Paradise (1993), Ghostyhead (1997), Evening Of My Best Day (2003), Sermon On Exposition Blvd (2007), Balm In Gilead (2009) and The Other Side Of Desire (2015) she has made a practice of recording songs that have influenced her through the years.

Pop Pop arrived in 1991 and pivoted from Jazz standards and Broadway hits to radically rearranged Rock classics from Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. She returned to the well in 2000 on the It’s Like This album. This time she tackled notable songs by Marvin Gaye, George Gershwin, Traffic, Lerner & Lowe and the Beatles.

12 years later, “The Devil You Know” found her putting her imprimatur on vintage Rock from The Stones, Donovan and Neil Young, obscure cuts from Van Morrison and Brewer & Shipley and standards like “St. James Infirmary.” Her new album Kicks, continues the tradition.

The album unfurls slowly with a withering take on Bad Company’s signature song, unironically entitled “Bad Company.” The 1974 hit conjured up gunslingers, rebels and outlaw imagery. Rickie Lee takes it a step further, her arrangement drafts off the original, as well as Argentinian composer Gustavo Santaolalla’s prickly instrumental, “Iguazu.” Bristling acoustic guitars, burnished bass lines and hushed percussion contribute to the song’s inherent menace. Vocals are slippery and shadowy, brushing against an off-kilter conga beat and skittering electric guitar that kicks up the dust. The threat is implicit when she warns “Don’t turn your back on me…” as the song fades out with a shimmery coda.

Even when she’s covering songs by Rock N’ Roll stalwarts, she manages to subvert expectations. Tackling tracks by America, Steve Miller Band and Elton John, one would assume she’d swing for the fences interpreting classic cuts like “A Horse With No Name,” “Fly Like An Eagle and “Crocodile Rock” (if only to conform to the weird animal song symmetry). But Rickie Lee, being Rickie Lee, digs a little deeper.

“Lonely People” was hit for America 45 years ago. While the lyrics, equally melancholy and hopeful, built off the Beatles “Eleanor Rigby,” the melody and instrumentation felt deceptively breezy. Rickie Lee retains the waltz flavor but injects more pathos. A thumpy beat connects with wistful guitar chords, spatial keys and wily pedal steel. Her optimism shines through as she dedicates the song to “All the lonely people, thinking that life has passed you by.”

Her take on Steve Miller’s “Quicksilver Girl” is suitably Psychedelic. Powered by blurry keys, phased guitar, fuzzy percussion and slightly slurred vocals, the vibe is hushed and reverent.

Even though this song is over 50 years old, the lyrics feel like a tribute to the Duchess Of Cool Herself, her ephemeral charms on full display; “If you need a Little lovin’ she’ll turn on the heat, if you take a fall, she’ll put you back on your feet/ If you’re all alone she’s someone to meet, If you need someone.”

Finally, “My Father’s Gun” harkens back to Elton’s earliest days, when the future Captain Fantastic was still perfecting his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. It arrives halfway

through his first acknowledged masterpiece, Tumbleweed Connection. The Gospel-inflected ballad tells the story of a son burying his Confederate soldier father and taking up his weapon to rejoin the fight. Rickie Lee’s version is bare-bones and spectral, featuring rippling acoustic arpeggios, agile vibraphone, muted keys and a stealthy rhythm. Her shape-shifter vocals remain circumspect on the verse, but emit a full-throated wail on the chorus. It’s tempting to think this plainspoken elegy serves as a restless farewell to her father. Although he buried his musical ambitions out of necessity, she picked up the artistic gauntlet.

Rickie Lee received a musical education at her father’s knee, absorbing a variety of songs from the first half of the 20th Century. So, it’s no surprise that she continues to look to Tin Pan Alley and the music of Kurt Weil for inspiration.

First up, is a spirited read of “Nagasaki.” Originally written in the ‘20s, it has been recorded by Benny Goodman, Django Reinhardt, Louis Jordan and Chet Atkins. It’s something of an exotic novelty song, not unlike “Rum And Coca Cola.”

Buoyed by a rat-a-tat-tat rhythm, swinging clarinet and syncopated vibraphone, Rickie Lee conveys a childlike delight swiveling through whimsical lyrics like “Hot ginger and dynamite, there’s nothing but that at night/Back in Nagasaki where the fellas chew tobacky and the women wiki-wacky-woo.” Her enthusiasm is infectious.

It’s clear that songs like this informed the fingerpoppin’ cool of her own classic, “Danny’s All-Star Joint.”

“Mack The Knife” originally appeared in “The Threepenny Opera,” from composer Kurt Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht. Although its origins are traced back to a traditional murder ballad, Swingin’ versions from Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin are best known today. Rickie Lee dials back the Ring-A-Ding-Ding, relying on

BY ELENI P. AUSTIN

thrumming stand-up bass, muted keys, junk drum percussion and liquid electric guitar riffs.

The song turns a corner, accelerating slightly and locking into a second-line groove, as the vocals glide over the calibrated chaos.

Back-to-back, Rickie Lee offers up tender renditions of a couple of Dean Martin classics, “Houston” and “You’re Nobody Til Somebody Loves You.” The former, is a Countrified charmer, written by singer-songwriter/producer, Lee Hazlewood that the laconic crooner took to #21 in 1965. Walking bass lines, swirly pedal steel and a finger-snapping rhythm leaven sad-sack lyrics like “I found a dollar yesterday, but the wind blew it away.” A rumbly guitar solo twitches and twangs, connecting with a sly conga beat On the break.

The latter, one of Dino’s signature songs, was written back in the ‘40s. Here, Rickie Lee lags slightly behind the beat, her vocals stacked to create the illusion of a modern day Andrews Sisters. It’s sultry Supper Club Jazz, accented by Slinky bass lines, cascading electric guitar, lush keys and twinkling Vibes.

Curiously, the only female-centric song here is a woozy, but relatively faithful version of “The End Of The World,” a track originally made famous by Country/Pop chanteuse, Skeeter Davis. Propelled by a tick-tock beat and shadowy horn section, it shares some musical DNA with Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman.”

The album closes with “Cry.” A wildly melodramatic #1 hit from Johnny Ray back in 1951. Rickie Lee jettisons the lachrymose gloom, stripping away the pomp and circumstance, concentrating the arrangement on acoustic guitar and swoopy pedal steel. The unmistakable ache in her voice, coupled with the spare instrumentation, succeeds in crafting a high lonesome torch song.

Kicks was produced by Rickie Lee and multiinstrumentalist Mike Dillon and recorded in her most recent hometown, New Orleans. A plethora of local musicians helped out: Aurora Nealand, Nathan Lambertson, Shane Theriot, Doug Belote, Tiffany Lamson, Ian Bowman, Nick Ellman, John Culbreth, Louis Michot, Andre Michot, Jon Gross, David Easley, James Singleton and Cliff Hines.

Rickie Lee doesn’t really interpret other people’s songs, she re-interprets, recalibrates and reconfigures music that speaks to her, rendering it a deeply felt and personal experience. That’s her gift. This album mirrors the musical education she began with her father, effortlessly blending genres and blurring boundaries. 40 years on, she remains a sui generis talent, who isn’t afraid to color outside the lines.

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

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PET PLACE

he small dog scurried down a dirt road in Desert Hot Springs, his throat parched from thirst and his belly ached with hunger. His sight was limited, and he wasn’t sure where to run for help. Desert Hot Springs Animal Care Center finally caught him, but no owner came to claim the little 10-year-old poodle at the shelter. There is no information known about the dog’s past, but he was badly matted and eager for human contact. Kat Palmer, animal care technician at the shelter, contacted Loving All Animals rescue organization about the dog they named Jacques, and they accepted him into their Pet Rescue Center Shelter.

Senior dogs are often overlooked in favor of puppies and younger animals, even by adopters who are seniors themselves. Older dogs deserving a second chance may not get one. Loving All Animals hoped that after some much needed grooming and vet work, they could provide the marketing and social media exposure that would get Jacques a forever home.

Jacques turned out to be a loving sweetheart. Due to his age, it was decided he would do best in a loving foster home.

Volunteer Dolores Anderson offered to foster him. Jacques quickly came out of his shell, living happily with Dolores and her husband Keith, even enjoying outdoor concerts at the Civic Center Park.

MEET MADELEINE This raven black beauty Bombay cat adores all humans. Sweet as the French pastry she's named after, 4-yr-old Madeleine also loves other cats! Rescued by www.ForeverMeow.org, call (760) 335-6767.

MEET CADEN Caden has waited for a loving home for a long time. Come meet Caden (dog ID#A1501434) at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus shelter, 72050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms, (760) 343-3644. I visited with Caden, and he is a fabulous angel boy! www.rcdas.org

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LOVING SENIOR DOGS, JACQUES’ STORY

Dolores reports, “When you help a senior dog like Jacques, your reward is the good feeling you get from helping a pup that might cause others to hesitate. When you get a senior dog like Jacques, he is already trained and ready to give a great deal of unconditional love. He loves to sit on our laps while we watch television.” Jacques loved his daily walks with the Andersons, prancing proudly through the neighborhood, happily greeting dogs they encountered.

Jacques is pictured here with Loving All Animals volunteer, Lisa Knox, after his guest appearance on the KMIR news pet segment.

Lisa is a strong advocate for adopting senior dogs. She adopted a senior Chihuahua she saw at a public shelter recalling, “I could just tell from her eyes that she had been through a lot, and I’ve been through a lot too, so it seemed like a perfect match. She already knew how to be part of a family, and I couldn’t be happier to have brought a senior into my home.”

Senior dogs rock! They have the wisdom of having lived awhile, and they typically had some basic obedience training and are familiar with basic commands. As a bonus, they are usually house trained, unlike their puppy counterparts. The old adage, “An old dog can’t learn new tricks,” may apply to a few of us humans, but is not the case with most dogs.

Older dogs are eager to please, and they enjoy the attention and mental stimulation that training sessions provide. Their requirement for exercise is less, and that attribute makes them a great fit for many busy families and an ideal match for aging adults.

There was a happy ending for Jacques recently when he was adopted by Signe Beck and Matt Stewart on June 3. Believe it or not, Jacques is not the oldest dog in their home.

He has an older brother dog, 15-yr-old Stevie, a gracious Bichon who kindly welcomed

BY JANET McAFEE

Jacques to shares his doggie bed. Signe and her husband found Stevie as an abandoned stray several years ago when he was already a senior with vision problems. Stevie is now blind. Signe states, “These dogs are pure love!

I don’t know why anyone would not take on an older dog.” Younger brother pup, Winston, watches out for his older siblings, and at times encourages them to be playful.

There are significant veterinary costs associated with rescuing shelter dogs of all ages. Some of them have never been to a vet before. As a senior, Jacques needed extensive dental work provided by Dr. James Clark D.V.M. Jacques teeth were very decayed, and one of them actually grew into the sinus cavity causing severe discomfort. You can help Loving All Animals continue to rescue pups like Jacques that need extra care to get their second chance. Donate online at www. lovingallanimals.org or mail a check payable to “Loving All Animals” to 44635 San Rafael, Palm Desert, CA 92260. Designate “Jacques” as the reason for your donation.

Next time you look for a new canine friend at a shelter don’t overlook that calm older dog sitting quietly in the corner. He has life to live, and love to give.

Janetmcafee8@gmail.com

O

THE VINO VOICE

ur final destination on our trip down the Danube is to the beautiful city of Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

I’ve had an appreciation of Hungarian art, culture, and wine for a long time now, only because I became a fan of the classical music of Béla Bartók in my late teens.

For whatever reason wired in my head, I find the dissonance of Bartók’s orchestrations, which melded Hungarian folk music and modern classical to be wildly fascinating.

When movie makers in the Thirties & Forties wanted a music score to accompany their suspense (and horror) stories, they used his stuff. If you’ve never tuned into Bartok, believe me, if you’ve seen one of those vintage black & white movies, you’ve heard Bartok and/or music influenced by him.

When I began to collect albums of Bartók music—which drenches one in Hungarian folk music itself, well, I went on to enjoy the food & wine of the region as well. (For those so inclined: Check out Boulez conducts Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra; Issac Stern, Sonatas for violin & piano; and Benny Goodman & Béla Bartók, Mikrokosmos/Contrasts.)

So, ask any wine enthusiast who’s a spectator of the European wine market and you’ll hear, “Budapest is a thrilling city again; Hungary has revived!” Wine guru Hugh Johnson recently wrote, “For centuries Hungary has had the most distinctive food

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

THE BATTLE AND LEGEND OF BULL’S BLOOD

and wine culture, the most developed native grape varieties and the most refined wine laws and customs of any country east of Germany.

“Then came the communist nightmare where the nationalization of wine regions shifted the focus from quality to quantity.

Today, Hungarian wine producers confidently offer light, aromatic, fresh wines as well as spicier wines reminiscent of traditional styles.”

Three particular Hungarian wines I wish to enjoy at the wine taverns or wineries nearby, are the strong acidic Furmint, the Tokaji— one of the most delicious dessert wines on earth, and, Hungary’s most famous red wine blend, Egri Bikavér, translated as “bull’s blood of Eger”, lovingly known as Bull’s Blood.

So many legends exist about the origin

BY RICK RIOZZA

of the name Egri Bikavér [eggree—bee-kavere] you could write a book on them. No need to here, I’ll just write the story in this column. Indeed, it is one of the most colorful wine stories around, both figuratively—and literally!

Well into the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire, also referred to as the Turks, was on the heels of Eastern Europe, the Bohemian-Hungarian empire. They were on a quest to take over as much land as they could and take control of the Danube basin. All the more, they were led by none other than the famous Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Suleiman amassed an army of about 150,000 men and traveled to northern Hungary to the town of Eger, which had a castle with huge wine caves below it; the caves were filled with last year’s harvest of excellent vintage red wine. This stored wine was so valuable for the region’s economy that 2,000 Hungarian soldiers were stationed.

Their job was the protection of the castle and the region against their on-coming enemies.

When the castle guard saw the amazingly large mass of the armies approaching, it became clear to them that their fates were sealed. In unbelief, they ran through as many defending scenarios as they could. All seemed lost as they knew that in a matter of days they would be overcome and die.

To boot, they were as mad as hell that they would have to lose their cherished wine to a bunch of infidels.

So, they came up with a most viable and honorable of all battle plans. The plan was to enjoy the cherished wine themselves; to break into the wine cellars of the castle and

consume all the wine for their last hurrah.

They rushed into the cellars and hacked away at the barrels with swords and axes where the wine spewed and was flying everywhere! It was a wine drinking party to end all!

The Hungarians consumed so much red wine that their beards ran red, their teeth were stained, their eyes were stinging and bloody red as they staggered outside to meet certain death at the hands of the Turks. They were so pumped up and out of control that they were even battling amongst themselves at times. But onward they rushed against their enemies yelling and screaming their drunken hearts aloud while wielding their axes and weapons of all types.

The Ottoman Turks in all their travels had never seen anything like this, namely men charging out dripping of blood. Looking at the Hungarians it was easy to conclude that they were covered in the blood of their prized bulls that were just sacrificed. When they saw many of the men charging them and vomiting what they thought was blood, they assumed as well that they had been drinking the bull’s blood which somehow began imparting the might and the power of these bulls.

Certainly a fool’s quest to stay, not wanting anything to do with these fierce Hungarians, the Sultan’s army turned and ran away. Good story—yeah?

When Trader Joe’s Markets first opened its doors in Costa Mesa California, one of their inexpensive red wines on their shelves was Bull’s Blood. I remember tasting it; it resembled a rustic Cabernet Sauvingnon, and since I liked things Hungarian, well, Bull’s Blood joined in as one of my table wines along with Chianti and Rioja (the other cheap wines selling at Trader Joe’s).

If you can find it now, this wine is a steal at $10. Medium-bodied, a dry red blend comprised of Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Flavors of cherry and raspberry, with a bit of toast and spice on the nose—very smooth and drinkable.

See you in Paris! Cheers!

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

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THUR JUNE 6

29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Bobby Furgo & Co 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 DJ Mr. Goodboy 9pm AGAVE LOUNGE@THE HYATT REGENCY; IW; 760-674-4080 Tyler Simmons 7-11pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Bill and Doug Duo 6:30pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Night Splash w/ Dtomp and Dozzi Doz and DJs Desolve, Rich Brandon and Tanner 7pm BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Chris Lomeli Trio w/ Brian Dennigan and Leon Bisquera 7:30pm BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 John Stanley King 6-10pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CASUELAS CAFÉ; PD; 760-568-0011 Johnny Meza and Co. 6-10pm CATALAN; RM; 760-770-9508 George Christian 6-9pm CHEF GEORGE’S PICASSO LOUNGE; PD; 760-200-1768 Michael D’Angelo 6:30-9:30pm, DJ 9:30pm COPA NIGHTCLUB; PS; 760-866-0021 MOD Squad Variety Show w/ Francesca Amari, Jeff Stewart and Wayne Abravanel 5:30-7:30pm, Lipstick hosted by Bella Da Ball 8pm, DJs Banks and Ax 10pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm DHS SPA LOUNGE; DHS; 760-329-6787 Karaoke w/ DJ Scott 9pm EUREKA; IW; 760-834-7700 TBA 8-10pm FISHERMAN’S GROTTO; PD; 760-776-6534 Barry Baughn Blues Band 5:30-8:30pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Patricia Welsh 6-9pm HENRY’S SPORTS BAR AND GRILL; CC; 760656-3444 DJ 10pm

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CHEF GEORGE’S PICASSO LOUNGE; PD; 760-200-1768 Michael D’Angelo 6:30-9:30pm, DJ 9:30pm COPA NIGHTCLUB; PS; 760-866-0021 Viva Friday’s w/ DJ Banks 9pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm DESERT FOX; PD; Bryan Zee 9:30pm DRINGK; RM; 760-888-0111 DJ Journee 9pm ELECTRIC SPORTS LOUNGE; YV; 760-2281199 DJ Ceddy Cedd 9pm EL MEXICALI CAFÉ 2; IND; 760-342-2333 Cesar Daniel Lopez on the harp 6-9pm FISHERMAN’S GROTTO; PD; 760-776-6534 Gina Carey 5:30-8:30pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Frankie DiSalvo 6-9pm GADI’S BAR & GRILL; YV; 760-820-1213 TBA 8pm HENRY’S SPORTS BAR AND GRILL; CC; 760656-3444 Karaoke w/ KJ Marjovi 9pm THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Drag Queen Bingo 7pm, DJ RowLow 9pm HOODOO COCKTAIL GARDEN @ THE HYATT; PS; 760-322-9000 Keisha D 7pm HOTEL PASEO; PD; Michael Keeth 4-7pm HOT SPOT@SPOTLIGHT 29; INDIO; 760-7755566 Nacho Bustillos 8:30pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Bob Allen 6pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-366-2250 Karaoke w/ Troy Michaels 7pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Karaoke 8pm LANDMARK LOUNGE; LQ; 760-289-6736 Various Artists 7pm LA QUINTA BREWERY; PD; 760-200-2597 Grady James 7pm LA QUINTA RESORT; LQ; 760-564-4111 Steppin Out 6-9pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-325-2794 Hot Roxx 7:30pm LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-345-2450 Kevon Tyree 9pm THE LOUNGE; AGUA CALIENTE; RM; 888999-1995 DJ Jerry 9pm MASTRO’S; PD; 760-776-6777 TBA 6:3011pm 19TH HOLE; PD; 760-772-6696 Live Music MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 8pm 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 The 760-325-2323 Ron Greenip 8pm MOXIE; PS; 760-318-9900 Eevaan Tre 6-9pm, Wonder People 6:30pm DJ Pedro Le Bass 9:30pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 DJ noon NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke poolside, Desert Daze Nights 10pm 8-1:15am AGAVE LOUNGE@THE HYATT REGENCY; THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry IW; 760-674-4080 Avenida 7-11pm 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 O’CAINES; RM; 760-202-3311 DJ Tone 10pm Live Music 6:30pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760-327BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 IM4KULATE TH3ORY VOL. 2 w/ Sounds by Cal-S- 4080 The Refills 9pm Thetics, Elia, Jaelyn and Ricocet 7pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 Jim Lauderdale 8:30pm BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Bill Gulino 4-7:15pm, Horice Miller, Brian Dennigan and PEABODY’S CAFÉ; PS; 760-322-1877 Leon Bisquera 7:30-11pm Karaoke 7:30pm BIG ROCK PUB; IND; 706-200-8988 Bohemio PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND 8:30pm COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 The Stanley Butler Trio 6-10pm PURPLE ROOM; PS; 760-322-4422 P.S. Jump!

8pm CASCADE LOUNGE, SPA RESORT CASINO; PS; 888-999-1995 DJ Chase RED BARN; PD; 760-346-0191 Live Music Martinez 9-1am 9pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick RENAISSANCE; PS; 760-322-6000 Live Music Tuzzolino 5:30pm 6-9pm CASUELAS CAFÉ; PD; 760-568-0011 The RIVIERA; PS; 760-327-8311 Michael Keeth Myx 6:30-10pm 8-11pm CATALAN; RM; 760-770-9508 George SAMMY G’s; PS; 760-320-8041 Evaro Christian 6-9pm Brothers 8pm

FRI JUNE 7

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SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; PS; 760-322-9293 Barry Baughn Blues 8-11pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; LQ; 760-777-1601 The Smooth Brothers 8-11pm SHELLY’S LOUNGE@TORTOISE ROCK CASINO; 29 Palms; Rojer Arnold & Bobby Furgo 9pm SOLANO’S BISTRO; LQ; 760-771-6655 Michael Madden 6-9pm SONOMA GRILL; PD; 760-340-6600 Denny Pezzin 6-9pm SOUL OF MEXICO; IND; 760-200-8787 Latin Rock 10pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760-3413560 Demetrious and Co. 6:30pm TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 Cinch 9pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Dennis Michaels 6:30pm TRILUSSA ITALIAN RISTORANTE; PS; 760328-2300 Julius & Sylvia Music Duo 6-10pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 “Meet the Corwins” 5:30-7:30pm, The John Stanley King Show 8pm THE VINE WINE BAR; PD; 760-341-9463 Vinny Berry 7-10pm WANG’S; PS; 760-325-9264 DJ Galaxy and the House Whores 5pm WOODY’S PALMHOUSE; PS; 760-230-0188 Rose Mallett 6:30pm

FISHERMAN’S GROTTO; PD; 760-776-6534 Jack Ruvio 5:30-8:30pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Frankie DiSalvo 6-9pm GADI’S BAR & GRILL; YV; 760-820-1213 TBA 8pm THE GROOVE LOUNGE; SPOTLIGHT 29; INDIO; 760-775-5566 DJ 8pm HENRY’S SPORTS BAR AND GRILL; CC; 760656-3444 DJ Ray 9pm THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Drag Queen Bingo 7pm, Bias, Dropout Kings and Annabelle Asylum 9pm HOODOO COCKTAIL GARDEN @ THE HYATT; PS; 760-322-9000 The Carmens 7pm HOTEL PASEO; PD; Michael Keeth 4-10pm HOT SPOT@SPOTLIGHT 29; INDIO; 760-7755566 Nacho Bustillos 8:30pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Bob Allen 6pm JC’S CAFÉ; PD; 760-568-0733 Vinny Berry 3-7pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Karaoke 8pm LANDMARK LOUNGE; LQ; 760-289-6736 Eevaan Tre 7pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-325-2794 PS Sound Company 1pm, Hot Roxx 8pm LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-345-2450 Kevon Tyree 9pm THE LOUNGE, AGUA CALIENTE; RM; 888999-1995 TBA 9pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Ron Greenip 8pm MOXIE; PS; 760-318-9900 Derek Jordan 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Bev Gregg 6-9pm, DJ Pedro Le Bass 9:30pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke and Bill 6:30pm 8pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Discoteca w/ DJ Victor Rodriguez noon, poolside, TBA 10pm THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm AGAVE LOUNGE@THE HYATT REGENCY; O’CAINES; RM; 760-202-3311 DJ Tone 10pm IW; 760-674-4080 Steppin’ Out 7-11pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760-327AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 4080 INXSive Tribute 9pm Cabaret on the Green Open Mic 7:30pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 BACKSTREET BISTRO; PD; 760-346-6393 Murder by Death, Laure Jane & The Devouring Linda Peterson 12:30-3:30pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 “Proper” Mothers 8pm PEABODY’S CAFÉ; PS; 760-322-1877 House and Techno by Zach Hayes, Paul Silva Karaoke 7:30pm and Cee-Nu 7pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Chris Lomeli, Brian Denigan and Leon Basquera 7:30-11pm COCKTAILS; TP; 760-3432115 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm BIG ROCK PUB; IND; 706-200-8988 212 Band PURPLE ROOM; PS; 760-322-4422 Scot 8:30pm Bruce: Tribute to Elvis 8pm BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Gennine RED BARN; PD; 760-346-0191 Live Music Francis 6-10pm 9pm CASCADE LOUNGE, SPA RESORT CASINO; ROWAN; PS; 760-904-5015 Lance Riebsomer PS; 888-999-1995 DJ Michael Wright 9-1am 6-9pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick SAMMY G’s; PS; 760-320-8041 Evaro Tuzzolino 5:30pm Brothers 8pm CASUELAS CAFÉ; PD; 760-568-0011 The SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S Myx 6:30-10pm MARKET; PS; 760-322-9293 Barry Baughn CATALAN; RM; 760-770-9508 George Blues 8-11pm Christian 6-9pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S CHEF GEORGE’S PICASSO LOUNGE; PD; MARKET; LQ; 760-777-1601 The Smooth 760-200-1768 Abie and Natasha 6:30Brothers 8-11pm 9:30pm, DJ 9:30pm SHELLY’S LOUNGE@TORTOISE ROCK COPA NIGHTCLUB; PS; 760-866-0021 DJ CASINO; 29 Palms; Rojer Arnold & Bobby Banks and Mr. Miami 9pm Furgo 9pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill SONOMA GRILL; PD; 760-340-6600 Denny Baker 6pm Pezzin 6-9pm DESERT FOX; PD; Krystofer Do 9:30pm SOUL OF MEXICO; IND; 760-200-8787 Latin DHS SPA LOUNGE; DHS; 760-329-6787 Music 10pm Karaoke w/ DJ Scott 9pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760-341DRINGK; RM; 760-888-0111 DJ Journee 9pm 3560 Demetrious and Co. 6:30pm ELECTRIC SPORTS LOUNGE; YV; 760-228TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 1199 DJ Ceddy Cedd 9pm Ghost of Kelso 9pm EL MEXICALI CAFÉ 2; IND; 760-342-2333 THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Cesar Daniel Lopez on the harp 6-9pm Reggie “Vision” Alexander 6:30pm

SAT JUNE 8

June 6 to June 12, 2019

TRILUSSA ITALIAN RISTORANTE; PS; 760328-2300 Julius & Sylvia Music Duo 6-10pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 Rose Mallett and Co. 5-7pm, Kal David, Lauri Bono and the Real Deal 7:30pm THE VINE WINE BAR; PD; 760-341-9463 Fun with Dick and Jane Band 7-10pm WANG’S; PS; 760-325-9264 Live Music 6:30pm WOODY’S PALMHOUSE; PS; 760-230-0188 The Stanley Butler Band 6:30pm

SUN JUNE 9

29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Bob Garcia 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Dublab Presents: Mama Bear noon poolside AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Sunday Brunch w/ Live Music 11am BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 D-Gates Bday bash w/ RowLow, P Skinny, Blacc Bart, Izzy, Sir Blacc, Siceman and DJs Trendy and Cooboy 7pm BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Bill Gulino 12:30-3:30pm, Patrice Morris 6:30-10pm BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Michael Keeth 5-9pm CASCADE LOUNGE, SPA RESORT; PS; 888999-1995 Nash with Quinto Menguante 9pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CHEF GEORGE’S PICASSO LOUNGE; PD; 760-200-1768 Paul Douglas 6-9pm COACHELLA VALLEY BREWING CO; TP; 760-343-5973 Acoustic Afternoon w/ Tyler Emerson, The Sieve and the Saddle and Matt Hunkins 3-5pm DHS SPA LOUNGE; DHS; 760-329-6787 Radio 60 3-6pm continue to page 18

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

GOOD GRUB

R

estaurant Week has officially hit the desert, providing diners with special discounts and unique deals from over 120 restaurants across Greater Palm Springs.

The event lasts from May 31 through June 9, and offers specially priced menus with 2-item lunches from $15, $20 and $25, and 3-item dinners priced at $29, $39 and $49.

A kick-off event was held at The RitzCarlton, Rancho Mirage on May 29, with an attendance of 200 guests. This foodiecentric event gave attendees the chance to sample the featured dishes from nine of the participating restaurants: State Fare at The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, 360 Sports at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa,

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RESTAURANT WEEK 2019 BEGINS

AC3, Catalan, Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery, Solano’s Bistro, Grand Central Palm Springs, Lulu California Bistro, and Citrus & Palm at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa. “I think the showcase event is a great way to kick off Restaurant Week for the media, local residents and restaurants. It gives our local community a chance to try new and favorite restaurants at a discounted price and it also appeals to the beach city residents who are visiting the valley,” said Andrew Copley, owner and chef at AC3 Restaurant + Bar. Copley served attendees a delectable chocolate mousse dish creatively designed to look like a potted succulent.

The event featured special guests such as

the LA Roller Girls, who are featured in the new ‘TREAT your heart out’ Restaurant Week 2019 advertising campaign and Greater Palm Springs CVB CEO Scott White, who officially kicked-off Restaurant Week by inviting guests to join him in the ‘First Bite’ of the occasion.

Jean Paul Zapata, the Media Relations Manager for the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, also believes Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for locals and visitors to try more of Greater Palm Springs’ culinary diversity.

“Restaurant Week showcases the different cultures that make a home in Greater Palm Springs, as well as highlighting chefs who use local produce from the Coachella Valley. I think visitors are surprised at our agricultural heritage because we are the desert, but as you know, we have a strong agrarian history.

That means we complement California’s position as a foodie leader,” stated Zapata.

Another local favorite that was sampled at the Restaurant Week kick-off was Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery, which served its mini pulled pork sliders and the latest seasonal brew, Babe’s Mexican lager.

“Babe’s Bar-B-Que & Brewery was

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL

honored to be asked to participate in the Greater Palm Springs Restaurant kickoff,” said Lucky Callender, the owner of Babe’s. “Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for locals and visitors to enjoy the classic dishes that Babe’s is famous for. Our three-course Restaurant Week lunch menu offers our full section of BBQ sandwiches and BBQ salads and the four-course Restaurant Week dinner menu lets our guests select any dinner entrée from the menu. They’re both a value and delicious.”

Restaurant Week 2019 also offers a chance for the community to give back to a worthy cause. This year, every reservation made on dinegps.com will donate $1 to FIND Food Bank, which offers food assistance to the Coachella Valley residents who need it. $1 can supply up to five meals.

Don’t miss your chance to experience savory and delicious dishes at a discounted price. For a complete list of participating eateries during Restaurant Week 2019, visit dinegps.com.

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BREWTALITY

W

June 6 to June 12, 2019

LET’S STUDY CHEAP BEER: SIMPLER TIMES LAGER BEER

hen the Boston Beer Company (makers of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, and the Angry Orchard line of hard ciders) brewed its first batch of suds in 1984, the company didn’t own any brewing equipment. Instead of going through the expensive and timeconsuming process of building their own brewery, the Boston Beer Company paid to have the Pittsburg Brewing Company brew the Samuel Adams beer at their facility, allowing the BBC to grow their brand until the company had enough capital to buy their own equipment. This type of arrangement is fairly ubiquitous in the craft sector and is called contract brewing. The host brewery can do as little as leasing out space and equipment, or as much as providing recipes, ingredients, packaging, and branding ideas for a company that simply wants a house product with their name on it. Trader Joe’s carries an assortment of exclusive house beers all contract brewed by independent companies, and Simpler Times Lager is one of them.

When it comes to buying cheap beer, Trader Joe’s is the greatest destination (next to the .99 Cents Only Stores) there is. A list of the companies was compiled by the Over Served Blog and gives us a breakdown of who’s brewing what.

Gordon Biersch (San Francisco, CA) makes: Joseph’s Brau Label - Dunkelweizen, Hopfest German Style Pilsner, Oktoberfest, Summer Brew, Winterfest, Trader

Joe’s Label, Bavarian Style Hefeweizen, Bohemian Lager, Hofbrau Bock, Vienna Style Lager, Winterfest Dark, Double bock Lager, Trader José Label, Premium Lager, Light Lager, Dark Lager.

Goose Island (Chicago, IL) makes: Black Toad Dark Ale, Stockyard Oatmeal Stout Firestone-Walker (Paso Robles, CA) makes: Mission St. Pale Ale, Mission St. IPA, Mission St. Hefeweizen, Mission St. Brown Ale, Mission St. Blonde Ale, Fat Weasel Ale, Jumping Cow Amber Ale, Frugal Joe’s Ordinary Beer, Gila Monster Amber Lager Minhas Craft Brewery (Monroe, WI) makes: Simpler Times Lager, Simpler Times Pilsner, Red Oval Shipyard Brewing Company (Portland, ME) makes: Kennebunkport Apricot Wheat, Kennebunkport Blueberry Wheat, Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale Unibroue (Chambly, QC) makes: Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale With a diverse portfolio of contract brewed beers, the flavors and quality of Trader Joe’s beers can vary widely from product to product, but the consistent theme remains the low price point. All of Trader Joe’s beers are dirt cheap compared to most other independent beer, with Simple Times Lager coming in at $3.99 a 6-pack at the palm desert location. The Minhas Craft Brewery was founded by the Minhas siblings in 2006, Canadian venture capitalists who set out to create a brewery that could specialize in marketing, branding,

BY AARON RAMSON

and contract brewing for companies like Costco and Trader Joe’s. Ranked as one of the nation’s 10 biggest craft brewers, the Minhas company seems to do everything well except brew a decent beer, because Simple Times is absolute trash.

This beer tastes like it was conceived by someone who has no idea how to brew beer, but said to themselves, “How hard can this be?”. This beer tastes like the marketing department did a team building exercise in the brewery and decided to sell the abomination they created. Simpler Times lager is one of the worst beers I’ve ever drank, with so many flaws that It’s hard to know where to begin. The 6.2% ABV may hold an appeal for those who see it as value, but the off-flavors present in the finished

product are off-putting enough to make a can of this beer hard to finish.

Spicy phenolics and fruity esters abound, giving this beer a flavor more in common with a German hefeweizen than an American lager. Peppercorn and Banana notes from an obviously mutated yeast strain serve to cover up an even more offensive flaw; diacetyl. I’m going to write about diacetyl next week and really get into details about what it is and what it tastes like. My good friend, cicerone and fellow beer writer Brett Newton has a palate that is very sensitive to diacetyl, and I can only imagine how offensive he’d find this product.

Beer made this poorly gives me an appreciation for the mass-produced ice lagers and malt liquors that occupy the metaphorical bottom shelf of the beer market. Simple Times lager is a fantastically bad beer that demonstrates what beer created by a marketing team instead of skilled craft brewers tastes like. Home brew clubs would do well to pass this brew out at meetings to taste phenolics, esters, and diacetyl all in one can. It’s the worst of the worst, and the warning to consumers that, sometimes, you absolutely get what you pay for.

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

T

SCREENERS

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

No. 372

A BOUNTY OF BIG SCREEN FUN

BY ROBIN E. SIMMONS

his is the time of year when the studios release some of their BIGGEST films – not just in scale or budget but also in ambition. Three films currently playing are worth a trip to the neighborhood cinema’s best venues to experience the richest sound and sharpest projection of these state of the art movies that are all pretty much guaranteed to thrill and deliver maximum enjoyment.

NOW SHOWING: JOHN WICK 3 Keanu Reeves returns (for the third time) as super-assassin John Wick in Chad Stahelski’s terrific, action-packed adrenalin infused thriller that has Wick on the run after killing a member of the international assassin’s guild (who are apparently unionized!). Now, with a $14 million price

tag on his head – Wick’s the target of hit men and women everywhere.

Co-stars Halle Berry, Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne add emotional resonance and texture to the desperate tale that never slows down.

ROCKETMAN Director Dexter Fletcher who took over the directorial duties of Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired delivers a wonderfully entertaining and uplifting tale of a small-town boy who makes good.

Here, working from Lee Hall’s inventive and taut screenplay he almost reinvents the storytelling formula of the genre.

Fletcher sets the bar very high for musical biopics.

Arguably, Rocketman is a better movie than Bohemian Rhapsody, which was weighed down with its PG-13 rating.

Rocketman is a strong R, which allows for the warts-and-all confessional tone of this uniquely human story.

Taron Egerton is terrific as John. The movie is almost a historical document. But mainly it’s an explosion of aural and visual fantasy that mixes times and places (and facts) with a graceful artistry that is an exhilarating and often joyful wonder.

Witness the fantastical rise (and near fall) of shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight to the extravagant extremes – including temptations and pitfalls -- of international stardom and pop culture. The movie’s set to John’s best songs – performed by Egerton.

Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden plays Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard is effective as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother. Highest recommendation.

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS Beginning in 1954, there have been 35 released Godzilla movies. It’s the longest running movie franchise.

Japan’s Toho studios produced thirtytwo of the films. The America’s TriStar Pictures and Legendary Pictures produced the remaining three respectively.

However Toho and Godzilla junkies (do they have a nick name?) only considers the live-action films it produces to comprise the true and authentic numerical entries in the franchise. It excludes the Hollywood adaptations and animated films from the official numerical order.

Michael Dougherty’s new reboot follows the heroic efforts of Monarch, the cryptozoological agency as its members face off against a battery of gargantuan monsters, (or Titans as they are called) including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra,

16

Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient giants, thought to be mere myths, bubble up from the depths they all fight for supremacy, threatening humanity’s existence.

Dougherty equivocates on whether to dazzle us with the immensity of the action scenes or to guilt us for the environmental hubris of our species.

However, like all kaijū movies, the only requirement is awesome monsters, epic fights and a just dollop of social commentary.

I was impressed with the thundering sound design, in the final battle during the last act of the film.

The new Godzilla is big dumb fun, but a disappointing follow-up to the 2014 reboot.

Make no mistake, the requisite overthe-top action and monster destruction spectacle is all entertaining for the right reasons and the disappointing plot and dialog are also entertaining, but for the wrong reasons.

At times, the movie made me think I was watching a David Attenborough nature doc on steroids. See it on the biggest screen you can find.

NEW BLU FOR THE HOME THEATER: A STAR IS BORN ENCORE This extended cut of the award wining film features about 12 minutes of additional footage, including new and longer musical performances of such songs as opener “Black Eyes,” “Alibi,” and Lady Gaga’s Ally in her impromptu a capella performance of “Shallow,” which received the Oscar for Best original Song at the 91st Annual Academy Awards, following Cooper and Gaga’s moving performance during the ceremony.

Fans will also be treated to neverbefore-seen footage of Ally singing to Jack “Is That Alright?” in the wedding sequence, Jack in his studio singing “Too Far Gone,” Jack and Ally writing a new song together, titled “Clover,” and much more. The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a DVD of the theatrical cut. Warner Bros. robin@coachellavalleywekly.com

BOOK REVIEW

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"THE LAZARUS FILES"

BY MATTHEW MCGOUGH NONFICTION

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B

ad things happen to good people. But, when it’s murder, it is unfathomable that someone who has dedicated one’s life to serving others could be randomly and brutally murdered. In Matthew McGough’s The Lazarus Files: A Cold Case Investigation (Henry Holt and Company, 595 pages), a family seeks answers from the LA police department in hopes to catch their daughter’s killer.

Author McGough delves into the 1986 cold case murder investigation to reveal how after 23 years an LAPD officer was caught and convicted.

Sherri Rasmussen was a bright and vivacious young woman who graduated high school early and went on to become a nurse. After nursing school, she pursued graduate level nursing at UCLA and finished her master’s degree with honors. She possessed leadership skills and became a director of nurses at UCLA’s medical center. With a desire to make more of an impact, she left for a smaller hospital in Glendale where she was well liked and respected.

A friend introduced Rasmussen to John Ruetten and they quickly fell in love.

Unbeknownst to Rasmussen, Ruettten had an ongoing relationship with LAPD officer Stephanie Lazarus. They had known each other since college. But after Rasmussen came into Ruetten’s life, he saw less of Lazarus.

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

RIGHTEOUS VICTIM

In Ruetten’s mind, he and Lazarus were never a couple. But that was not true for Lazarus. After hearing about John’s engagement to Rasmussen, she confessed to John’s mother she was in love with him.

Three months after Rasmussen and Ruetten were married, Rasmussen was found murdered in the condo she shared with her husband.

Evidence points to a raging, bloody fight that Rasmussen did not win.

When the police investigated, they quickly decided it was a burglary gone wrong. They believed Rasmussen was killed when she interrupted the thieves.

Rasmussen was beaten, shot three times and bitten on the inside of her arm.

Rasmussen’s parents insisted the police follow up on John’s ex girlfriend who had threatened their daughter at work. They continually asked if they had ruled out Stephanie Lazarus as a prime suspect. They police did not respond.

In 2005, LAPD Detective Jim Nuttall came across the cold case Lazarus files, which were mysteriously left at his desk. He was a kid when the murder was in the news. Now he had potential DNA as a tool and with the help of a few quality and trusted LAPD cops he could track down the killer. But, arresting an LAPD officer for first-degree murder would take another three years of careful planning.

The Lazarus Files is a captivating read. At times it is so thrilling, I was scared, anxious and angry. The book is dense and detailed and filled with police procedure. McGough does an incredible job recounting the time period and

BY HEIDI SIMMONS

exposing the main characters who all play a part however small in the tragedy.

In 1986 Los Angeles, there were 831 murders of which 28 were in Van Nuys where Rasmussen lived. Twenty-three were solved.

When Nuttall examined the Rasmussen file, he determined that she was a “Righteous victim” – someone who did not put herself directly in harms way. As he evaluated the case, the bite mark stood out as a way to narrow the suspects.

With careful evaluation, the detective was able to sort through the file, conduct interviews and find Lazarus.

There are some gaps in this book and at times the information was redundant, but ultimately, McGough delivers an intensive narration on the case of Sherri Rasmussen in a way that allows the reader to engage with the family members, the evidence and the outrage of the horrific crime.

Rasmussen’s husband, John Ruetten, was the catalyst for the murder. He was weak and

SAFETY TIPS

unable or unwilling to call off the relationship with Lazarus -- and had sex with her after his engagement to Rasmussen. Finally, in the end, 23 years later, Ruetten takes responsibility for his actions with Lazarus.

Part of my deep captivation with the book is I lived in LA at the time of the murder. I had a friend who worked with Rasmussen and friends who lived in a similar condo on the same block.

It’s shocking to realize how dangerous that period of time was in LA. McGough is careful as he writes about the LAPD, letting the mountain of “evidence” (and the loss of evidence) along with the procedures and police culture speak for itself. Intentional or not, the author makes a case that if the LAPD were not deliberately covering up, it was either incompetence or perhaps Lazarus herself who somehow destroyed, removed or tampered with evidence.

There is a quote in The Lazarus Files by Reverend Arthur Torres who officiated a funeral of an elderly couple who were members of his Glendale church that were horrifically murdered by the “Night Stalker” the same year Rasmussen was killed.

Torres said: “To try and give a rational explanation for an irrational act is to legitimize it.” For me, this is the profound theme of the book.

BY FIRE CHIEF SAM DIGIOVANNA

THE DEADLIEST DAYS OF SUMMER ARE HERE!

D

o you know about the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer? No, I’m not referring to the danger of heat exhaustion or increased gun violence during the summer months—although those are very real risks in many places.

The 100 Deadliest Days are the days between the end of May and the beginning of September— the days when our teenage children hit the streets with lots of time on their hands.

What makes it deadly? Driving. Per mile driven, drivers aged 16 to 19 years old are nearly three times more likely than drivers older than 20 to be in a fatal crash. During the summer months, teenage deaths in vehicle accidents increase by 26% compared with the other months of the year.

Let’s look at some more facts: •Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. •The risk of crashes is higher among 16-19-year-olds than any other group. •An average 260 teens are killed in car crashes each month during the summer. •60% of teen crashes are caused by distracted driving. •Having other teens in the car increases crash risk. •In 2015, only 61% of high school students reported they always wear seat belts when riding with someone else.

•Teens are more likely to speed and use shorter following distances. •Teenage drivers also have the highest rates of crash involvement resulting in the deaths passengers, pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles.

For Teens: •Passengers create risk. When possible, limit the number of passengers. And if you find yourself distracted by conversation, slow down, pull over

or ask your friends to hold it down. •Turn your cell phone off while driving or use an app that blocks calls and text messages while still allowing you to use navigation functions. •If you’ve had any alcohol to drink, call a taxi or a ride share or find a sober friend to drive you. Or call your parents. Impaired driving is not only dangerous; it is a crime. If you’re caught, it can ruin your ability to get into the college of your choice or secure a job. And it’s expensive— lawyer’s fees, fines, increased insurance rates, etc.

•Don’t ride with dangerous drivers. Whether it’s someone who’s been drinking or someone who can’t keep their hands off their cell phone, saying “no thanks” may make the difference between life and death. •Have a plan. What will you do if your phone battery dies? Do you know how to change a flat tire? Who will you call if something goes wrong—and can you remember that number or are you relying on your phone to tell you?

For Parents: •Don’t serve alcohol or drugs at parties where teenagers are present. •Give your children permission to call you if they are in a potentially bad driving situation. •Discuss with your children how they will react if the person they’re supposed to ride with has been drinking or taking drugs or is driving irresponsibly. During these conversations, listen. You might think you have the answers, but kids need to have strategies and “talking points” that will work for them, not you. •Summer is a time to relax, get outside and have fun with family and friends. Let’s change those deadly days into delightful days!

Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

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June 6 to June 12, 2019 CLUB CRAWLER NIGHTLIFE continued from page 13

EL MEXICALI CAFÉ 2; IND; 760-342-2333 Cesar Daniel Lopez on the harp 6-9pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Ted Herman 6-8pm THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Comedy Night 8pm LANDMARK LOUNGE; LQ; 760-289-6736 Scott Carter 7pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 PS Sound Company noon, Hot Roxx 6:30pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Sunday Jam 3:30-7:30pm, Mikael Healy 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Sunday Jam Session 2-5pm, Kevin Henry 7:30pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Sunday Jam Session 7pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 Patty Griffin and John Smith 8pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-3432115 Open Mic w/ Rockin Ray 7pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; LQ; 760-777-1601 Jack Ruvio 6-9pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760-3413560 The Myx 6:30pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Darci Daniels and Reggie Vision 7pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 The John Stanley King Trio 6-9:30pm WANG’S; PS; 760-325-9264 Live Music 5pm WOODY’S PALMHOUSE; PS; 760-230-0188 John Carey and Friends 6:30pm

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MON JUNE 10

29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 The Luminators 6pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Bill Marx 6:30pm BACKSTREET BISTRO; PD; 760-346-6393 Johnny Morris 5:30-9pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Music

by Touchtunes 7pm BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Bill Gulino & Brian Dennigan 6:30-10pm CASUELAS CAFÉ; PD; 760-568-0011 The Mighty Sweet Nothings 5:30pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm COPA NIGHTCLUB; PS; 760-866-0021 DJ Banks and Mr. Miami 8pm DRINGK; RM; 760-888-0111 DJ Journee 9pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Larry Capeloto 6-9pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 PS Sound Company 6:30pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Mikael Healey 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 7:30pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 Open Mic 7pm PURPLE ROOM; PS; 760-322-4422 Keisha D 6:30pm ROWAN; PS; 760-904-5015 Michael Keeth 6-9pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 Deanna Bogart 6:30pm WANG’S; PS; 760-325-9264 Nick Sosa 7pm WOODY’S PALMHOUSE; PS; 760-230-0188 Motown Mondays 7pm

TUE JUNE 11

29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 The Bill and Bob Duo 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Ace Karaoke 9pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Shelley Yoelin Group 9:30pm BACKSTREET BISTRO; PD; 760-346-6393 Live Jazz 6:30pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 TBA 7pm BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Horice Miller, Leon Basquera and Brian Denigan 6:30-10pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CHEF GEORGE’S PICASSO LOUNGE; PD; 760-200-1768 Lizann Warner 6:30-9:30pm, DJ 9:30pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm FIRESIDE LOUNGE; PS; 760-327-1700 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Terri Olsen and the Perfect Blend 6-9pm HENRY’S SPORTS BAR AND GRILL; CC; 760-656-3444 Karaoke w/ KJ Danny 9pm THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Drag Queen Bingo 9pm HUNTER’S; PS; 760-323-0700 Karaoke 9pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-366-2250 Ted Quinn’s Open Mic 7pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Karaoke 7pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 PS Sound Company 6:30pm LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-3452450 Brad’s Pad 7pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Mikael Healey 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm-1:15am

THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Tim Burleson 7:45pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760-3274080 Acoustic Music Lounge 7pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-3432115 Game Night w/ Luke O 8pm PURPLE ROOM; PS; 760-322-4422 Rose Mallett 6:30pm TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 Country Night 6pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 John McCormick and The Shelly Scott Band 6:30-10pm WANG’S; PS; 760-325-9264 Alex Santana 5-8pm WOODY’S PALMHOUSE; PS; 760-230-0188 Yve Evans and John Bolivar 6pm

WED JUNE 12

29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Daniel Horn 6pm AGAVE LOUNGE@THE HYATT REGENCY; IW; 760-674-4080 Azhia 7-11pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Jazz Jam w/ Doug MacDonald & Friends 7pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 DJ Dxsko 7pm BERNIE’S; RM; 760-202 4499 Horice Miller, Leon Basquera and Brian Denigan 6:30-10pm BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Michael Keeth 6-10pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CHEF GEORGE’S PICASSO LOUNGE; PD; 760-200-1768 Barry Minniefield 6:309:30pm, DJ 9:30pm COACHELLA VALLEY BREWING CO; TP; 760-343-5973 Uncle Ben’s Open Mic 6-8pm COPA NIGHTCLUB; PS; 760-866-0021 Issa

Wednesday Humpday w/ DJ Ax 9pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm DRINGK; RM; 760-888-0111 S.I.N. w/ DJ Mirage 9pm ELECTRIC SPORTS LOUNGE; YV; 760-2281199 Karaoke 7:30pm FRANK’S PLACE; IW; 760-797-8700 Terri Olsen and Patricia Welsh 6:30pm THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Open Mic Hosted by Josh Heinz 8pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-366-2250 Karaoke 7:30pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Open Mic 8pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Hot Roxx 6:30pm LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-3452450 Latin Night 7pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Mikael Healey 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760-3274080 Roger & Friends 7pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm PURPLE ROOM; PS; 760-322-4422 Michael Holmes Trio 6:30pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Katheryn White 6:30pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 The Slim Man Band 6:30-10pm WANG’S; PS; 760-325-9264 Jeff Bonds 5-8pm WOODY’S PALMHOUSE; PS; 760-230-0188 Tony Patler and David Ring – Dueling Pianos 6:30pm

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HADDON LIBBY

DRUG TRENDS

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he Global Drug Survey was founded eight years ago as an effort to highlight drug use trends as they occur so that medical and health professionals can better prepare treatments. Their latest survey is currently underway with its publication expected later this year.

Looking at their 2016 survey, the most used drug cited by respondents was alcohol with 93% stating that they had used it in the last year. Second was cannabis at 63% followed by tobacco (60%), caffeinated energy drinks (55%), pills like Ecstasy (30%), cocaine (21%), amphetamines (14%), LSD (13%), mushrooms (12%), opioids (10%), nitrous oxide (9%), ketamine (7%) and poppers (6%).

Users were asked which drug was perceived as representing the best value for one’s money. Pills like Ecstasy ranked first followed by cannabis, alcohol and cocaine.

With an estimated 40 million addicts in the United States alone, tobacco still ranks as the deadliest of drugs killing nearly 500,000 domestically and 7 million globally every year. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, smokers live approximately ten fewer years than non-smokers.

Of 18 million addicts in the United States, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse reports that 88,000 die each year from alcoholrelated causes. An additional 10,000 people die in driving fatalities related to alcohol consumption. While Americans are some of the heavier drinkers in the world, the people needing an intervention the most live in the

jolly ‘ol United Kingdom where the average drinker gets drunk once a week with one in 25 needing emergency medical treatment due to overindulgence.

Drinkers were asked which alcohol results in the worst hangover. Nearly half of all respondents cited hard liquor with onequarter choosing wine, 15% stating (with false bravado) that nothing gave them a hangover while 10% named beer. Spirits were thought to make one feel ‘energized, confident and sexy’ while beer and wine make one ‘relaxed or sleepy.” 2% talked about hard cider which made no sense.

A U.S. government study found that about 1.5 million Americans use cocaine each month with most users between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age with two-thirds

DALE GRIBOW ON THE LAW

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convenience stores as an incense or potpourri.

When smoked, these cheap drugs can be deadly.

Excluding nasty knock-offs, the Washington Post reports that more than 55 million Americans use marijuana in a given year. Due to legalization efforts, cannabis use now exceeds tobacco use in a given month. Unlike many drugs, there have been no deaths attributable to an overdose of marijuana (although emergency room visits have increased). Nearly half of all users are Millennials. When asked why one uses the THC and CBD rich plant, 37% use it to relax as a drinker might have a cocktail. Nineteen percent use cannabis for pain relief, 16% to have fun, 10% to be more social, 6% to be more creative, 3% as part of a romantic encounter and 3% to aid in sleeping.

If trends are any indication, this year’s report should confirm a shift away from old line drugs like tobacco, alcohol and opiates toward cannabis, ecstasy and psychedelics like LSD and mushrooms.

Haddon Libby is the Founder and Managing Partner of Winslow Drake Investment Management, a Fiduciary-Only Advisory Practice. For more information, please visit www.WinslowDrake.com or email Hlibby@ WinslowDrake.com.

LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF THE INJURED & CRIMINALLY ACCUSED

LET’S TALK TURKEY, WHY YOU CAN’T FIND A LAWYER? e just celebrated Memorial Day and gave thanks for those that served and died protecting the USA. During this weekend, many of our neighbors died or were injured in auto accidents. They further suffer while they can’t find a lawyer to help them. WHY YOU ASK? So let’s talk turkey as to why! People often wonder why attorneys will not accept their accident case. Many people believe if they were injured then they have a case. Well, only dog bite accidents have Strict Liability, which means if a dog bites you then the owner is responsible.

For all other accidents, causation is the most important factor. To hold someone responsible for your injuries, an attorney has to show the party at fault breached a legal duty. In other words, the lawyer must show the defendant did something wrong, resulting in an injury.

A severe injury is not enough. If you blow a stop sign and get in a major accident with horrendous injuries, the first question is who was a fault? If it was you then the conversation is over If you are partly at fault, a lawyer may reject your case because the value of the case will be reduced by your percentage of fault.

Thus, there may not be enough money in the case for the lawyer, let alone the plaintiff. S/ he analyzes whether they can prove the other

considered addicted. Annual deaths from a cocaine overdose approximate 5,000 annually.

Looked at globally, cocaine use was heaviest in Denmark at 13.4 lines per use followed by Norway at 13 and Spain at 12.75 lines. Here stateside, Americans cocaine users consumed on average 11 lines or one-half of one gram at an average cost of $50 per occasion.

The Drug Enforcement Agency reports more than 23,000 deaths from pills like Ecstasy each year. This economical drug costs $10-20 per occasion. It also has the highest emergency room visits rates amongst widely used drugs.

For comparison, marijuana has some of the lowest visitation rates so long as synthetic marijuana is excluded.

Synthetic marijuana (which is not really cannabis) is sold at many gas stations and

June 6 to June 12, 2019

party is legally responsible and that injuries can be compensated for by the other party’s insurance company.

Now that we are talking Turkey, there are other reasons to reject a case such as when the injury is not serious enough. It is not enough for the potential client to say “I could almost have been killed.” Almost is not enough! The injuries are one way of gauging the expected recovery. The legal system doesn’t deal in speculation for either injuries or potential loss of earnings.

In an accident case, the degree to which you were hurt by someone else’s fault is the most important factor. Without the substantial injuries it just may not be economically worth it for the law firm to handle the case.

If a potential client is elderly, a lawyer may reject the case because of their concern the victim may not survive until a trial date.

Some defense lawyers will stall on settling the case, hoping the victim will pass away. If that happens the pain and suffering aspect of the case passes with them.

If a lawyer accepts the case it’s on a contingency where the lawyer takes 1/3 of the recovery. On the other hand, a defense lawyer is paid hourly thus having a vested interest in the case not settling quickly. Some defense firms milk cases and take unnecessary depositions or send out discovery that is not really needed to evaluate the case. These

costs all reduce the recovery to the victim.

When a lawyer interviews you s/he looks to see if you have been talking to other lawyers (let alone the insurance company) and what the lawyers have said. In other words, is the client looking to find a lawyer that will agree with their opinion as to the value of the case?

Defense lawyers get paid whether they win or lose the case. However the plaintiff’s side is stuck with the costs and do not get the money back unless they win. A PI lawyer must be a good business person, accepting or rejecting a case after careful consideration and guesstimates of time and money to be invested versus chances of success.

DALE GRIBOW - “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 ARTICLE? CONTACT DALE GRIBOW 760-837-7500/ dale@dalegribowlaw.com.

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June 6 to June 12, 2019

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY

Week of June 6

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I don’t think we were ever meant to hear the same song sung exactly the same way more than once in a lifetime,” says poet Linh Dinh. That’s an extreme statement that I can’t agree with. But I understand what he’s driving at. Repeating yourself can be debilitating, even deadening. That includes trying to draw inspiration from the same old sources that have worked for you in the past. In accordance with current astrological omens, I suggest you try to minimize exact repetition in the next two weeks: both in what you express and what you absorb. For further motivation, here’s William S. Burroughs: “Truth may appear only once; it may not be repeatable.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Peter Benchley wrote the bestselling book Jaws, which was later turned into a popular movie. It’s the story of a great white shark that stalks and kills people in a small beach town. Later in his life, the Taurus author was sorry for its influence, which helped legitimize human predation on sharks and led to steep drops in shark populations. To atone, Benchley became an aggressive advocate for shark conservation. If there’s any behavior in your own past that you regret, Taurus, the coming weeks will be a good time to follow Benchley’s lead: correct for your mistakes; make up for your ignorance; do good deeds to balance a time when you acted unconsciously.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Some birds can fly for days without coming down to earth. Alpine swifts are the current record-holders, staying aloft for 200 consecutive days as they chase and feed on insects over West Africa. I propose we make the swift your soul ally for the next three weeks. May it help inspire you to take maximum advantage of the opportunities life will be offering you. You will have extraordinary power to soar over the maddening crowd, gaze at the big picture of your life, and enjoy exceptional amounts of freedom.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “I think gentleness is one of the most disarmingly and captivatingly attractive qualities there are,” writes poet Nayyirah Waheed. That will be emphatically true about you in the coming weeks, Cancerian. Your poised, deeply felt gentleness will accord you as much power as other people might draw from ferocity and grandeur. Your gentleness will enable you to crumble obstacles and slip past barriers. It will energize you to capitalize on and dissipate chaos. It will win you leverage that you’ll be able to use for months.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is the Loch Ness monster real? Is there a giant sea serpent that inhabits the waters of Loch Ness in Scotland? Tantalizing hints arise now and then, but no definitive evidence has ever emerged. In 1975, enterprising investigators got the idea to build a realistic-looking papier-mâché companion for Nessie and place it in Loch Ness.

They hoped that this “honey trap” would draw the reclusive monster into more public view. Alas, the scheme went awry. (Lady Nessie got damaged when she ran into a jetty.) But it did have some merit. Is there an equivalent approach you might employ to generate more evidence and insight about one of your big mysteries, Leo? What strategies might you experiment with? The time is right to hatch a plan.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Earlier in your life, you sometimes wrestled with dilemmas that didn’t deserve so much of your time and energy. They weren’t sufficiently essential to invoke the best use of your intelligence. But over the years, you have ripened in your ability to attract more useful and interesting problems. Almost imperceptibly, you have been growing smarter about recognizing which riddles are worth exploring and which are better left alone. Here’s the really good news: The questions and challenges you face now are among the finest you’ve ever had. You are being afforded prime opportunities to grow in wisdom and effectiveness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): How many languages are you fluent it? One? Two? More? I’m sure you already know that gaining the ability to speak more than one tongue makes you smarter and more

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© Copyright 2019 Rob Brezsny

empathetic. It expands your capacity to express yourself vividly and gives you access to many interesting people who think differently from you.

I mention this, Libra, because you’re in a phase of your cycle when learning a new language might be easier than usual, as is improving your mastery of a second or third language. If none of that’s feasible for you, I urge you to at least formulate an intention to speak your main language with greater candor and precision—and find other ways to expand your ability to express yourself.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here’s Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano from The Book of Embraces: “In the River Plate basin we call the heart a ‘bobo,’ a fool. And not because it falls in love. We call it a fool because it works so hard.” I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because I hope that in the coming weeks, your heart will indeed be a hard-working, wisely foolish bobo. The astrological omens suggest that you will learn what you need to learn and attract the experiences you need to attract if you do just that. Life is giving you a mandate to express daring and diligent actions in behalf of love.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When he was twenty years old, a German student named Max Planck decided he wanted to study physics. His professor at the University of Munich dissuaded him, telling Planck, “In this field, almost everything is already discovered, and all that remains is to fill a few unimportant holes.” Planck ignored the bad advice and ultimately went on to win a Nobel Prize in Physics for his role in formulating quantum theory. Most of us have had a similar experience: people who’ve tried to convince us to reject our highest calling and strongest dreams. In my view, the coming weeks will be a potent time for you to recover and heal from those deterrents and discouragements in your own past.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Not all, but many horoscope columns address your ego rather than your soul. They provide useful information for your surface self, but little help for your deep self. If you’ve read my oracles for a while, you know that I aspire to be in the latter category. In that light, you won’t be surprised when I say that the most important thing you can do in the coming weeks is to seek closer communion with your soul; to explore your core truths; to focus on delight, fulfillment, and spiritual meaning far more than on status, power, and wealth. As you attend to your playful work, meditate on this counsel from Capricorn author John O’Donohue: “The geography of your destiny is always clearer to the eye of your soul than to the intentions and needs of your surface mind.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian biochemist Gertrude Belle Elion shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1988. She was instrumental in devising new drugs to treat AIDS and herpes, as well as a medication to facilitate organ transplants. And yet she accomplished all this without ever earning a PhD or MD, a highly unusual feat. I suspect you may pull off a similar, if slightly less spectacular feat in the coming weeks: getting a reward or blessing despite a lack of formal credentials or official credibility.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Today Mumbai is a megacity with 12.5 million people on 233 square miles. But as late as the eighteenth century, it consisted of seven sparsely populated islands. Over many decades, reclamation projects turned them into a single land mass. I foresee you undertaking a metaphorically comparable project during the coming months. You could knit fragments together into a whole. You have the power to transform separate and dispersed influences into a single, coordinated influence. You could inspire unconnected things to unite in common cause.

Homework: To connect with me on social media, go here: freewillastrology.com/social ---------------------------------------Rob Brezsny Free Will Astrology freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

CANNABIS CORNER

MYRCENE

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s we come up to a year anniversary of Prop 64 taking effect in California, causing a temporary Weed Apocalypse, a new frontier is on the horizon for the 1 year old industry.

Terpenes.

Yes, we have touched upon these fabulous organic compounds that produce aromatic oils in prior articles but what lies ahead in the next year deserves more than just touches. In the weeks ahead leading up to our Cannabis New Year, be sure to check out the Cannabis Corner to learn more about individual terpenes. Today we will be exploring Myrcene!

Myrcene is a strong smelling terpene with a green, astringent, and resinous nose. I like to describe it as the smell of ripe fruit. It is widely used throughout the perfume industry and is also found in hops, chamomile, and lemongrass. Mangos also contain high levels of myrcene! It is the most abundant terpene found in cannabis.

Besides its telling odor, myrcene is also anti-inflammatory, and can be sedative and relaxing. Myrcene has been studied against tumors and cancer and has actually been found to have a protective effect against cell damage which can prevent cancers from growing.

BY MICHELLE ANN RIZZIO

Throughout dispensaries in California, one will often hear that myrcene has a fascinating reaction with the cannabinoid THC. Myrcene, coupled with THC, will enhance and extend the life of your experience from cannabis. For some folks, they may find that myrcene increases the amount of anti-inflammation benefits from a smoking session. For others suffering from nerve pain, myrcene will create a state of calm sedation for the individual. This state of calm can also assist folks who suffer from insomnia and poor sleep patterns as well.+ Myrcene also heightens the punch your THC percentage may have. For instance, if you are utilizing a strain that is 14% THC but it has high levels of myrcene present, the 14% THC may be experienced as closer to 20% THC. Myrcene not only impacts the THC levels impact but also helps with the absorption of THC in the endocannabinoid system.

In conclusion, myrcene is a fabulous little terpene that can assist the user by providing anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, antispasmodic, and sleep benefits.

Starting in July, all cannabis products in the dispensaries are required to have terpenes tested so be sure to ask your cannabis consultant or budtender about myrcene next time you visit.

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