ON SALE NOW OCT 18 - NOV 6 b r oa d way
h e a d l i n e r
august 2-7
september 6-11
september 20 - october 2
november 22-27
november 11
VISIT THESMITHCENTER.COM TO SEE THE FULL LINEUP 702.749.2000 | TTY: 800.326.6868 or dial 711 | Group Inquiries: 702.749.2348 | 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89106
PUBLISHER MARK DE POOTER mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER KATIE DIXON katie.dixon@gmgvegas.com EDITOR SPENCER PATTERSON spencer.patterson@gmgvegas.com
EDITORIAL Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geoff.carter@gmgvegas.com) Editor at Large BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com) Deputy Editor EVELYN MATEOS (evelyn.mateos@gmgvegas.com) Staff Writer SHANNON MILLER (shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com) Staff Writer AMBER SAMPSON (amber.sampson@gmgvegas.com) Contributing Writers GRACE DA ROCHA. HILLARY DAVIS, MIKE GRIMALA, CASEY HARRISON, JESSICA HILL, DANNY WEBSTER Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JUSTIN HAGER, BRYAN HORWATH, CASE KEEFER, DAVE MONDT Office Coordinator NADINE GUY
CREATIVE Art Director CORLENE BYRD (corlene.byrd@gmgvegas.com) Senior Designer IAN RACOMA Photo Coordinator BRIAN RAMOS Photographers CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS, STEVE MARCUS, WADE VANDERVORT
DIGITAL Publisher of Digital Media KATIE HORTON Web Content Specialist CLAYT KEEFER
ADVERTISING & MARKETING Director of Strategic Content EMMA CAUTHORN Market Research Manager CHAD HARWOOD Senior Advertising Manager ADAIR NOWACKI, SUE SRAN Account Executives LAUREN JOHNSON, MIKE MALL, ALEX TEEL, ANNA ZYMANEK Sales Assistant APRIL MARTINEZ Events Director SAMANTHA PETSCH Marketing & Events Coordinator ALEXANDRA GEX Marketing & Events Intern ALEXANDRA SUNGA
PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Associate Marketing Art Director BROOKE EVERSON Marketing Graphic Designer CARYL LOU PAAYAS Production Artist MARISSA MAHERAS Publication Coordinator DENISE ARANCIBIA Traffic Administrator JIDAN SHADOWEN Fulfillment Operations Coordinator CASANDRA PIERCE Route Administrator KATHY STRELAU Distribution Coordinator KARLA RODRIGUEZ
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ASTONISHING. UNPREDICTABLE. MIND-BENDING. Omega Mart is an immersive interactive experience from groundbreaking art collective, Meow Wolf. Featuring jaw-dropping work from international and local artists, Omega Mart sends participants of all ages on a journey through surreal worlds and immersive storytelling. Discover secret portals or simply soak up the innovative art as you venture beyond an extraordinary supermarket into parts unknown.
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WANT MORE? Head to lasvegasweekly.com.
SUPERGUIDE
Your daily events planner, starring Marc Maron, Willow Smith, Playboy’s Midsummer Night’s Dream at Marquee and more.
FEATURE Explore Commercial Center’s New Orleans Square plaza, a curated collection of galleries, specialty retail, bars and coffeehouses.
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34 NIGHTS
COVER STORY
The Palms’ Soak Pool is here with a weekly industry party, live entertainment, great poolside bites and a locals-friendly vibe.
Usher talks to the Weekly about his Dolby Live residency, how COVID changed Vegas entertainment and leaving an artistic legacy.
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SPORTS
The “Beautiful Game” is coming to Las Vegas in grand style, with Allegiant Stadium hosting three big-time soccer matches.
NEWS
Licensing of Vegas’ marijuana consumption lounges is underway, and hopeful applicants are moving to put DUI guardrails in place.
ON THE COVER
USHER TAKES OVER Photograph Courtesy
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FOOD & DRINK Crossroads, the Strip’s first fully plant-based fine dining destination, is in full bloom at Resorts World. Also: Virgin Las Vegas’s Casa Calavera goes big on brunch.
Casa Calavera’s Huevos Rancheros (Wade Vandervort/ Staff)
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SUPERGUIDE THURSDAY 14 JUL.
MUSIC
PARTY
SPORTS
FORBIDDEN ZONE & TIPPY ELVIS The Double Down Saloon is offering you a choice: Either you can go see the musical fantasy film about Elvis that’s now in theaters, or you can head to this classic Vegas punk dive to watch a musical fantasy film and a local band with “Elvis” in its name. The movie is Forbidden Zone, a 1982 cult favorite from director Richard Elfman starring Herve Villechaize and featuring music from Elfman’s brother Danny. The band is local goof-rock outfit Tippy Elvis, whose core members—keyboardist Sean Jones, guitarist Brian Weiss, “punk rock tuba” player Ginger Bruner and attorney Dayvid Figler—are longtime citizens of both the Double Down and the surrealist world from which films like Forbidden Zone are too rarely birthed. Put another way: If you can’t enjoy a weird-ass movie starring the dude from Fantasy Island and a band whose songs feature surfing poets and evil mayonnaise, Elvis is in theaters now. But the Double Down’s bizarre double bill won’t ever appear on streaming services. 9 p.m., free, Double Down Saloon, 725-7915755. –Geoff Carter
MISC
S U P E R G U I D E
DEORRO 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events. taogroup.com. BRIAN NEWMAN Thru 7/17, 11:30 p.m., NoMad Library, ticketmaster.com
OLEANNA At the 1992 premier of David Mamet’s Oleanna, audience members became unsettled and enraged at the play, which arrived on the heels of Anita Hill’s testimony against then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas. It centers around college professor John (played by Erik Amblad in Majestic Repertory’s production) and student Carol (Venus Cobb), who files a sexual harassment complaint after an initial meeting with John. With his tenure in jeopardy and Carol’s case mounting, the conflict escalates to violence. Don’t expect Majestic to shy away from the play’s “controversial” legacy, especially with added context from the modern #MeToo movement. A portion of ticket proceeds will go to Gender Justice Nevada. Thru 7/24; Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m., $35, Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com. –Shannon Miller
THE NUMBERS RACKET: ONE WOMAN’S STORY OF THE ILLEGAL STREET LOTTERY IN DETROIT 7 p.m., Mob Museum, themobmuseum.org. NEMR Thru 7/17, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m., Laugh Factory, ticketmaster.com.
(Courtesy/Danny Mahoney)
COMEDY
LAS VEGAS TRIBUTE FESTIVAL Thru 7/17, times vary, Sam’s Town, ticketmaster.com.
ERIC OF DENA 11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, events. taogroup.com.
ARTS
FOOD + DRINK
JUNGLE CAT WITH G-EAZY 10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com. (AP Photo)
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FRIDAY 15 JUL.
MACHINE GUN KELLY WITH AVRIL LAVIGNE & WILLOW Pop-punk’s recent return to the mainstream probably wasn’t on anyone’s 2021-2022 bingo card, but we’ll happily accept the unexpected renaissance. As of late, rapper Machine Gun Kelly has been in the genre’s driving seat, initially garnering praise for his first pop-punk entry, Tickets to My Downfall, in 2020, and again with follow-up Mainstream Sellout in March. But he’s not the only star handing love out to the genre. Willow Smith has recently become a poppunk prodigy in her own right with her raw-powered LP Lately, I Feel Everything, featuring collaborations with Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker. Willow also recently teamed up with Kelly for the wry “Emo Girl,” coming full circle with this collective of punks. Now you can catch Kelly, Willow and Lavigne under one arena roof. Guitars may be smashed. Eyeliner may be smudged. And expectations will likely be exceeded. 7 p.m., $18-$533+, T-Mobile Arena, axs.com. –Amber Sampson (Photo Courtesy)
USHER 9 p.m., & 7/16, 7/20, Dolby Live, ticketmaster.com.
JOURNEY 8 p.m., & 7/16, Resorts World Theatre, axs.com.
CEDRIC GERVAIS 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, events. taogroup.com.
JOSS STONE 8 p.m., Red Rock Sandbar, ticketmaster.com.
BILL BURR 8 p.m., & 7/16, the Chelsea, ticketmaster.com.
SUMMER OF SCREAMS 6 p.m., & 7/16, Opportunity Village, vegasfrightnights. com.
PUSHA T 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.
REBEKAH With Phoenixx, Nico Salazar, 10 p.m., Discopussy, discopussydtlv.com.
SAL VULCANO 8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com.
JOHN LLOYD YOUNG 8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.
RISE AGAINST & SENSES FAIL 8 p.m., Zappos Theater, ticketmaster.com. KASKADE 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.
CORINNE BAILEY RAE 8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster. com. DANIEL TOSH 10 p.m., & 7/16, Mirage Theatre, mirage.mgmresorts. com.
HINDER With Foundry, 8 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com. CHEAT CODES 11 a.m., Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com.
SARAH HESTER ROSS 8 p.m., the Pass Casino, bonkerzcomedyproductions.com.
F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T S , V I S I T L A S V E G A S W E E K LY. C O M .
SUPERGUIDE
MARC MARON I wasn’t much of a Marc Maron fan until recently. (As Maron himself once said: “I’m not for everyone. I’m barely for me.”) But shortly after Hangover trilogy director Todd Phillips whined that no one can be funny anymore because of so-called “woke culture,” Maron—who appeared in Phillips’ Joker—called him out through his WTF podcast: “There’s plenty of people being funny right now. …No one is saying you can’t say things or do things. It’s just that it’s going to be received a certain way by certain people and you’re gonna have to shoulder that. And if you’re isolated or marginalized or pushed into a corner because of your point of view or what you have to say, yet you still have a crew of people that enjoy it, there you go! Those are your people. Enjoy your people.” Just like that, Maron won me over. He’s gathering his people together at Wiseguys for two nights of shows, and I’m inclined to join ’em. July 15-16, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $40, Wiseguys, vegas. wiseguyscomedy.com. –Geoff Carter (AP Photo)
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SUPERGUIDE SATURDAY 16 JUL.
S U P E R G U I D E
PLAYBOY’S MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM WITH MUSTARD & BIA Playboy’s annual summer weekend takeover stretches across two different venues this year, kicking off with the next installment of the Summer Search competition (for a centerfold photo shoot and modeling contract) at Wet Republic on July 15; and then the Slumber Splash bash with DJ Crespo at Marquee on July 17. But the main event is the always sultry Midsummer Night’s Dream soiree, where guests dress in lingerie or pajamas and receive free admission—and a one-hour open bar—before midnight. The entertainment is a double-dose of hip-hop, with rising rapper Bia performing live plus a DJ set from super-producer Mustard. 10:30 p.m., $20-$30+, Marquee Nightclub, events.taogroup.com. –Brock Radke
KAT CRESSIDA Who didn’t love Cartoon Network’s Dexter’s Laboratory and Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion attraction as a kid? Well, you can thank voice actor Kat Cressida for contributing to those enduring hits. Over the years, Cressida has lent her voice to some of our favorite childhood characters, including Dee Dee from Dexter’s Laboratory, assorted characters on The Powerpuff Girls and Phineas and Ferb and, coolest of all, the attic bride from the Haunted Mansion. Those eager to meet the face behind the voice will get them both at Rogue Toys West on July 16, when they can score autographs and photos, and listen to her panel on the history of the Haunted Mansion. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free, 2115 S. Rainbow Blvd., roguetoys.com. –Amber Sampson
THE CADILLAC THREE 8 p.m., Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, stoneysrockincountry.com. (Photo Courtesy) SILVER STATE BREWFEST 3 p.m., Pub 365, eventbrite.com. CHELSEA FC VS. CLUB AMERICA 7 p.m., Allegiant Stadium, ticketmaster.com. DIPLO 11 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com. DEMETRI MARTIN 8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com. STEVE AOKI 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events.taogroup.com. DUDE PERFECT 7 p.m., MGM Grand Garden Arena, ticketmaster.com.
TIËSTO With Savi, 11 a.m., Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv. com. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE: BRIAN SKERRY 7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com. TORY LANEZ 11 a.m., Drai’s Beachclub, draisgroup.com. TOWER OF POWER 8 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster.com. BAD BOY BILL 10 p.m., Discopussy, discopussydtlv.com. DON FELDER 8 p.m., Veil Pavilion, silvertoncasino.showare.com. DEORRO 11 a.m., Wet Republic, events.taogroup.com.
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PARTY
SPORTS
ARTS
SUNDAY 17
FOOD + DRINK
COMEDY COMEDY
MISC
JUL.
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM Even the ancient Romans needed a laugh between conquering other lands, and, these days, we could use one, too. Inspired by the work of the Roman playwright Plautus, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum tells the story of the slave Pseudolus, who schemes to win his freedom by helping his young master, Hero, win the affection of the girl next door. The play originally earned eight Tony Award nominations and won six, including Best Musical. It’s also the first Broadway production for which Stephen Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics. Las Vegan Glenn Heath, Broadway World’s Best Supporting Actor in 2018, takes the lead in Las Vegas Little Theatre’s local rendition. July 15-17, 22-24 & 29-31, times vary, $30, Las Vegas Little Theatre, lvlt.org. –Evelyn Mateos
MAJOR LAZER 11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial. com.
YELLOW CLAW 11 a.m., Élia Beach Club, eliabeachlv. com.
LUDACRIS 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, events. taogroup.com.
FABOLOUS With DJ Franzen, 10 p.m., Drai’s, draisgroup.com.
SOUL FULL SUNDAYS With Elisa Fiorillo, D Train, 5:30 p.m., Industrial Event Space, tickets.theindustrialvegas.com.
GATSBY GANG TRIO 7 p.m., the Underground at the Mob Museum, themobmuseum.org.
MONDAY 18 JUL.
(asdasdasdasdsad)
BATTLE FOR VEGAS CHARITY SOFTBALL GAME 6:30 p.m., Las Vegas Ballpark, ticketmaster.com. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Staff) PAULY SHORE: STICK WITH THE DANCING! 8 p.m., Wiseguys, vegas.wiseguyscomedy.com.
SUPERGUIDE
DILLON NATHANIEL 10 p.m., We All Scream, weallscream. com.
MIKE ATTACK 10:30 p.m., Jewel, events.taogroup. com. PATRICK GARRITY Thru 7/24, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club, bestvegascomedy.com. SANTA FE & THE FAT CITY HORNS 6:30 p.m., Bootlegger Copa Room, bootleggerlasvegas.com.
P L A N Y O U R W E E K A H E A D
F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T S , V I S I T L A S V E G A S W E E K LY. C O M .
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TUESDAY 19 SUPERGUIDE JUL.
MUSIC
PARTY
FORGOTTEN ARTIFACTS Art comes in many forms, but few mediums hold history like cast metal. Even as time erodes the evidence of what once was, metal shapes tend to retain what has been lost. Catch Core Contemporary’s group show Forgotten Artifacts, featuring the cast metal artwork of local sculptors such as exhibit curator Ross Takahashi, Emily Budd, Chris Bauder, Eric Pawloski and additional students, before it closes. Hear more about their viewpoints at the closing reception on July 22 from 6-8 p.m. Thru July 22, free, Core Contemporary, corecontemporary.com. –Amber Sampson
LAS VEGAS ACES VS. ATLANTA DREAM 7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com.
CHADWICK JOHNSON 6 p.m., Gatsby’s Supper Club, gambithenderson.com.
ROB GUSON 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events.taogroup. com.
DIGITAL ETHOS With Magoh, Huckleberry Quin, 10 p.m., Discopussy, discopussydtlv.com.
WEDNESDAY 20 JUL.
S U P E R G U I D E
FAED 11 p.m., EBC at Night, wynnsocial.com.
SUBHUMANS With Generacion Suicida, Hard Pipe Hitters, 7 p.m., Rockstar Bar, seetickets. com.
BRAD GARRETT With Jason Collings, Frazer Smith, 7/197/24, Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, bradgarrettcomedy. com.
ARTS
FOOD + DRINK
COMEDY
MISC
(Photo Courtesy/Wynn Las Vegas, Mike Kirschbaum)
F O R M O R E U P C O M I N G E V E N T S , V I S I T L A S V E G A S W E E K LY. C O M .
SUPERGUIDE
SPORTS
T H E U LT I M AT E
WEIGHT
LOSS PROGRAM
JUL
15
JUL
16
HINDER
W/ FOUNDRY
LEVERAGE PRESENTS
SIMP CITY
THE HOTTEST R&B PARTY AGES 21+
22
THE KINGS OF QUEEN: A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN
jul
MEMPHIS MAY FIRE
JUL
23 jul
REMADE IN MISERY TOUR W/ FROM ASHES TO NEW, RAIN CITY DRIVE, WOLVES AT THE GATE
ETERNAL SUNSHINE
30
INDIE DANCE & INDIE ROCK PARTY AGES 18+
aug
TUESDAY BLEND
02 aug
03 aug
19
sep
08
▶ Initial Medical Consultation ▶ Full Body Composition Analysis ▶ EKG (if required) ▶ RX for (3) month Appetite Suppressants ▶ (12) Weekly B12 Injections ▶ Bi-Weekly Body Composition Analysis ▶ Medication for (3) month treatment
NO SAINTS TOUR AGES 18+
395
$ $
NEW PATIENTS ONLY, CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS.
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www.iuventusmedcenter.com (702) 919-1099
CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
3365 E. Flamingo Road, Ste 2 Las Vegas, NV 89121 4966 S Rainbow Blvd STE 100 Las Vegas, NV 89118
IMPROVE THE WAY YOU LOOK, FEEL & PERFORM!
FAYE WEBSTER
TRT SPECIAL OFFER
$149
THE EMO NIGHT TOUR
AGES 18+
INCLUDES: Medical Consultation Physical Exam Full Body Composition Analysis Lab Work (CBC, PSA Total & Reflex, Total & Free Testosterone Levels) ▶ Follow-Up Consultation for Labs Interpretation ▶ Initial Dose of Medication ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶
WILL WOOD
THE “IN CASE I MAKE IT” TOUR 2022
FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION VISIT VIRGINHOTELSLV.COM
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@24OXFORDLV www.iuventusmedical.com (702) 457-3888
CONVENIENT LOCATIONS
3365 E FLAMINGO ROAD STE 2, LAS VEGAS, NV 89121 4966 S RAINBOW BLVD STE 100, LAS VEGAS, NV 89118
H C N U R L U R O Y O F ART @
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THE WEEKLY Q&A
P E O P L E
BUNGALOW COFFEE CO. 201 E. Charleston Blvd. #180, bungalowcoffeeco.com.
Q+A
COFFEE CONNECTION
Bungalow Coffee’s Ryan and Shannon Matson keep their Arts District guests collaborating and caffeinated
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BY AMBER SAMPSON
Many people quit their jobs during the pandemic to pursue new vocations. Would you say Bungalow Coffee opened with an advantage in attracting that crowd, because you’d already laid the groundwork with the Social Bungalow? Shannon: Definitely. That was really important to us with the physical embodiment of the Social Bungalow, because that’s all entrepreneurs who are building businesses from laptops. … With so many people going remote-even just with their corporate jobs, where it’s only one in-office day and work-from-home [the rest of the week] ... so many of them treat this like their second office. Ryan: Our booths are actually a little longer, so two people could sit here comfortably and have the space. Everything’s a bit more roomy so you can put your stuff down and be comfortable. You look around here and there are a lot of regulars who come in here almost every day. We have officials, presidents of electrical unions meeting reps here. We have CEOs for other casinos down here all the time. We have nightlife CEOs coming in here and holding their meetings. Early on, we were able to see the level of people and individuals we were getting in this space. … You’re not gonna be able to go into a bar in the middle afternoon to have work meetings. We’re that middle of the line.
Why was the Arts District the right place to be? Ryan: We’ve always loved Downtown. We’d actually come down here and rent bikes and travel around. We’d look at the murals, we’d go to different coffee shops. ... We hosted one of her first events for the Social Bungalow upstairs, in what’s now one of our offices. I had a big [Tone Castle] mural painted for our proposal right here, next to Art Square Theatre. We actually had our families meet here in this parking lot that night. ... So this area has been very true to our hearts from the very beginning. What are your feelings on how the Arts District has grown and changed over Bungalow’s first year? Ryan: The growth is inevitable. We are to the point of being touched by corporate, with [the English Hotel] being a Marriott. ... But there is still that sense of community, with the murals and the artists. They want to be heard and felt. If you show respect for the art, the art and the community shows respect for you, and that’s something we can’t let go away. That is the characteristic of the Arts District. We have artists coming in here every day, and working on their art. It’s a transient crowd, but it’s truly special. Shannon: I don’t know if we would have opened our first brick and mortar business in any other area of town, if we would have been hugged by the community as much. We were immediately put into so many group chats by so many business owners who were trying to send traffic our way, trying to come by, asking if they could help, making suggestions for vendors. It just blew us away. Read an extended version of this interview at lasvegasweekly.com.
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
MAY 15 – JULY 31 Summer Reading & Activities + Coloring & Art Contest For Kids, Teens & Adults
Don’t forget to turn in your completed reading & activity log by July 31 for a chance to win awesome prizes!
FEATURED AUTHORS Presentations & Book Signings
Tracy K. Smith
Saturday, July 16 West Las Vegas Library Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet & U.S. Poet Laureate (2017 – 2019)
Photo Credit: Brigitte Lacombe
Before Bungalow Coffee opened, you had a business called the Social Bungalow. What is that? Shannon: The Social Bungalow is a marketing company, or essentially an online education company, that helps female entrepreneurs to build their offers, and basically take their skill set and say [for example], “I’m a really good writer, but I want to start my own business.” [We show them how to] turn that into an offer suite, how to market those offers and turn that into a whole LLC. ... [During 2019 and 2020], so many people were coming online and saying, “I got laid off but I have monetizable skills, what do I do?” That really equipped us financially to be able to build this. We took Social Bungalow and made this place a physical embodiment of it. ... Social Bungalow is still going strong, and growing.
This is your first coffeehouse. How did you approach this project from such radically different business backgrounds? Ryan: We’re big on both the giving and receiving of education, so we hired a coffee shop consultant. He came in and put us through “barista boot camp,” and put the original team through a one week camp. … Then we also hired a chef [Joe Zanelli] that had been up and down the Strip; he opened up Greene Street in the Palms. He helped us create the breakfast sandwiches and the food menu.
Photo Credit: Rachel Eliza Griffiths
ungalow Coffee Co., which opened last year in the Arts District, feels less like a coffeehouse and more like a greenhouse. It’s a large, airy space, with an abundance of natural light and plenty of inviting corners to tuck away in, alongside lush greenery and vivid murals. Bungalow’s newlywed owners Shannon and Ryan Matson gave a lot of thought to what kind of place they wanted Bungalow to be—discussions that preceded even their union. “We joked around on one of our first dates about opening up a coffee shop,” Ryan says. Shannon has 10 years’ experience in corporate marketing, while Ryan, a business grad, worked as a project manager in high-end commercial construction on the Strip. They combined their talents to create the ultimate coffee bar workspace, one that invites patrons to “connect, collaborate and caffeinate.” Over a delicious rosemary latte, the Matsons sat down with the Weekly to discuss entrepreneurship, learning the coffee business and the power of the arts.
Hilton Als
Saturday, July 30 Clark County Library Pulitzer Prize-winning Essayist & Author
Please go to LVCCLD.org/SummerChallenge for details and many more events! To support programs like these, please donate here.
Library District employees and their families are not eligible to win Summer Challenge prizes.
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After helping resurrect big residency shows on the Strip, Usher is ready for a full Vegas takeover
‘THIS IS MY CITY.’ (Courtesy)
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haps the Vegas residency can similarly shine a brighter light on the true and deep musical contributions of the now 43-year-old Usher Raymond IV. “The romance of the moment is always something to savor, but it’s out of sight, out of mind in this industry, and in the world, to be honest,” Usher says. “If you’re not making music, people tend to pay attention to other aspects of who you are. … I’m an artist that goes everywhere, who has traveled the world, who still puts out music, an artist who develops artists, an artist who’s an entrepreneur. And I really look at Vegas as my opportunity to incubate a lot of different things, not just music. “But right now, it’s about entertainment and giving people something they can remember.”
July 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 29 & 30, 9 p.m., $72-$917+. Dolby Live, ticketmaster.com.
R T H I S I S M Y C
Oh no baby, I already left it. The moment I decided to arrive, that was the beginning of the story to be told, the incubating grounds for me to play in all the spaces I know I can. Bringing Lovers & Friends was a deliberate choice. I didn’t just participate as an artist, I’m a part of the festival. So we went to the [Las Vegas Festival] Grounds and had a major success and we’d love to come back again and again and again. We curated a very specific experience … and set the tempo of what it is to be an R&B artist. I wanted to give them the stage.
E
R&B is having a moment in Vegas these days, with Silk Sonic and you, and you just did the Lovers & Friends festival on the Strip, too. Is that something you are thinking about, how to leave your mark that way?
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I don’t know if it was fortunate or unfortunate when Bruno [Mars] hinted [in December] that I’d be back this year [at Park MGM]. I didn’t plan on that night being the grand unveiling. But this city allows us to have that playful camaraderie where we support each other, and I expect Bruno and Silk Sonic to come to my show as well. After that night, we had this impromptu moment where we went to Delilah [at Wynn] and played with the band. I guess the band had been breaking down but left their equipment, so we ran up there and had a little moment. It wasn’t an actual performance, but that’s the type of sh** that you only heard about what the cats did back in the day. I’m hoping this is the grounds for that type of stuff to happen.
USHER: MY WAY
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You have spent more time in Las Vegas than a lot of other headliners. Was it important to immerse yourself in the environment and connect to the industry here?
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I saw Usher reopen the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on July 16, 2021, the first show in the hallowed Las Vegas Strip venue and first new headlining residency launched after the entertainment closures of the pandemic. Then I saw the superstar showman again at Dolby Live on March 2, taking in the Silk Sonic residency show with longtime musical collaborator Jermaine Dupri. It wasn’t his first time in that space, as he had previously popped onstage with Bruno Mars and unintentionally teased plans to move the Usher show to the Park MGM theater. The new version of the residency opens July 15 with many more dates running through October. But this conversation with Usher starts with the last place I saw him—on TV, sitting on a sofa next to one of his idols during some of the most poignant scenes of A&E’s Biography: Bobby Brown. Usher revealed for the first time during the four-part series that he was first “discovered” by one of Brown’s bodyguards in the early 1990s, and also expressed his appreciation to Brown for his impact. “A lot of people don’t understand how much of an influence he has been on R&B artists and also to hip-hop artists,” Usher tells me. “It’s funny how significant his participation and the people around him has something to do with my career in so many ways.” During his first Vegas residency at Caesars, Usher paid homage by replicating the “Gumby” haircut Brown made famous in the video for 1988 smash “Every Little Step.” It seemed like a small and stylish gesture, but it’s emblematic of vast layers of thoughtful details Usher incorporated into that show and every show, an elite level of artistry that sometimes goes unnoticed by all but dedicated fans and followers. If you’ve seen Brown’s documentary, and maybe Usher’s residency, more similarities between the two become clear. “It’s unfortunate how artists can manage to have a world of experience and then it becomes more about what their life’s drama is, more than their life’s passion and music,” Usher says, and while he’s talking about Bobby Brown, it’s clear he’s dealt with similar attention. If Brown is seeing some renewed appreciation through TV and films about his life and group New Edition, per-
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What it was like last year launching not only your first Vegas residency, but being the first big show to get onstage after COVID dealing with all the various challenges of the times?
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Whose idea was it to move to Park MGM, your team or the Live Nation team? I think it was a little bit of [both]. I love the venue, I love the energy and I love the accommodations. It just felt like a natural transition. After considering the type of creative [content] I wanted for this next show, it would be the perfect house to give me that opportunity to shock people in the same way I did at the Colosseum.
How is this year’s show going to be different?
– USHER
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It’s my city, baby. This is my city. How long am I going to continue? As long as the arms are open to me, I will be here. I’m going to continue to bring things and experiment and have fun in this city. … And you get the best of me. When you come to my experience, I want you to remember. Let it be known there was thought going into this, that you’re not just listening to the music and waiting for the next album. You know Usher is always going to give your money’s worth. I always say, under-promise and over-deliver.
H
How long do you want to keep this Vegas show going?
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I don’t want to give it all away, but I’ve been experimenting with some things onstage. I always said if I go to Las Vegas, I would want to play it my way, and maybe there’s some Frank Sinatra somewhere deep in there. I think I got some things off my first time, but this time? I really get to do it my way. That’s why I named it My Way. There’s a sophistication and elegance that comes from looking at guys like Gene Kelly and Bob Fosse, and being able to play in Chicago [on Broadway] when I did that, those are things I want to bring to my audience. When I’m traveling around the world with a huge production, I don’t get the chance to set things up the way I want, but here, I can set the stage, I can do all the things I want to do whether it’s skating onstage or other theatrical moments and storytelling I want to go through. It’s the way I experience life. On a random Saturday I’m kicking it with my celebrity friends, so why not bring them onstage and allow them to have these moments because we’re still in the flow. That’s what I saw in those pictures of the Rat Pack back in the day, that’s the goal where we want to be, just a super flow.
I think I got some things off my first time, but this time? I really get to do it my way.” U
Now that I’ve had a year to reflect and understand how hard it was to navigate that moment and make it look like it was easy, I really have my team to thank, and fans for purchasing early and holding on. I just wanted to show up for them. There were times when it felt like it was going to fall apart. We had people falling out from COVID, restrictions with distancing, and we had to figure out how to get people safely into a space and not compromise or jeopardize anybody. We managed to figure it out. The show must go on. Whatever it cost us, we did it. And it wasn’t necessarily about making money, it was about that spirit that would reignite the energy in this city. If I’m supposed to be the first, I’m going to step up to the plate and do what the hell I’ve got to do in order to make sure and let it be known that we’re open for business. I was really afraid, and so many artists after got the chance to see how hard it is to do this in this city. It wasn’t easy to do anywhere. But it was really difficult to put that show together and then hold it together. It’s not just about night one. But it really felt like this was what was necessary in this time.
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POLITICS
MONKEYPOX OF CASES 5 LEAST AT
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GOP primary loser clings to fraud claims RENO LAWYER PLANS TO FIGHT ELECTION LOSS IN COURT Counties recertified their election results after a recount sought by Reno attorney Joey Gilbert, who lost to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo in the GOP primary election by about 26,000 votes, was complete. Little changed in the vote totals after county election officials completed their recounts. On July 7, the Clark County Commission, in a 5-0 vote, certified the recount results of the Republican primary here. Before the recount, Gilbert had received 29,475 votes and Lombardo had 57,816. After the recount, Gilbert received seven fewer votes, and Lombardo received eight fewer votes, Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria said. There were fewer votes because of the adjudication process, where a board reviews ballots that were identified as having a double vote. In those cases, the voter did not follow state statute in properly crossing out a name, Gloria said. The estimated cost for the recount was about $191,000. Gilbert did not expect to win the recount; rather he had to ask for it to officially contest the election results in court. He maintains he won, saying in a July 5 Facebook video that in Clark County he won 30,000 more votes than were reported. Gilbert argues that Democrats rigged the election in favor of Lombardo because they know he will not be able to defeat Gov. Steve Sisolak, the Democratic incumbent, in the fall. -Jessica Hill
NEWS
WATCH THIS The NBA Summer League plays daily through July 17 at Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center.
Sandra Douglass Morgan, left, and Mark Davis (Brian Ramos/Staff)
SPORTS
Trailblazing team president The Raiders both harkened back to their past and looked ahead to their future with the addition of team president Sandra Douglass Morgan on July 7. Team owner Mark Davis announced the hiring in a news conference at Allegiant Stadium, a move that goes down as trailblazing with Morgan becoming the first Black woman to serve as a team president in the NFL. The Raiders have long championed diversity, from hiring the first modern-era Black
head coach in Art Shell in 1989, to making Amy Trask the first female CEO of an NFL team in 1997. Morgan, a Las Vegas native who graduated from Eldorado High School and UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law, also gives the Raiders’ front office a distinct local touch as the team heads into its third season since relocating here. Those who had been running the organization alongside Davis over the past two years were
holdovers from when the team was in Oakland, California, with strong ties to the Bay Area. Morgan has previously served in several high-profile local roles, including perhaps most notably as chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from 2019 to 2021. She’d also been a part of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and worked as the city attorney for North Las Vegas. She was the first Black woman to hold either position. -Case Keefer
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“We think this is a transformative transportation project for Las Vegas. To see substantial progress being made, it’s pretty satisfying.” -Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, on the recently opened Resorts World Vegas Loop passenger station along what officials plan to grow into a 55-stop Tesla tunnel system.
EXECUTIVE ORDER
BIDEN’S WORD ON ABORTION The Biden administration on July 11 told hospitals that they “must” provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk, saying federal law on emergency treatment guidelines preempts state laws in jurisdictions that now ban the procedure without any exceptions. The department said emergency conditions include “ectopic pregnancy, complications of pregnancy loss, or emergent hypertensive disorders, such as pre-eclampsia.”
7.12.2022
ALL EYES ON JAN. 6 Photographers point their lenses toward the committee as members walk in to start a House select committee hearing investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The hearing focused on the involvement of extremist groups and their relationship to allies of former President Donald Trump. (Sean Thew/Pool via AP)
COMMUNITY
Racist display at mall?
NEWS
Las Vegas activists are calling for racial justice awareness training after an art exhibit that depicted a Black man being hung by a noose was displayed this month at the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson. “This image is disturbing to our community,” Grace Vergara-Mactal, executive director of Service Employees International Union Local 1107, which represents health care and public workers in Nevada, said at a protest Monday morning in front of the mall. Las Vegas Garden Railway Society, a volunteer group that makes large-scale model railroads, had presented a 3-D display of railroad scenes in the mall. One section showed a frontier scene of two white men about to hang a Black man on a scaffold from a noose. In the background was a train carrying modern construction equipment. The display was shown for four days before a complaint was voiced. Sue Jerrems, president of the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society, apologized and said the society never meant to offend anyone. They didn’t see the figure as Black, but as “nondescript,” Jerrems said. Lindsay Kahn, director of public relations for Brookfield Properties, which owns the mall, apologized and said mall officials were “horrified” to learn about it. -Jessica Hill
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ON THE ROAD
TO POT LOUNGES State requires businesses have a plan for possible DUIs
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BY SHANNON MILLER
s Las Vegas prepares to welcome valleywide cannabis consumption lounges, the state and hopeful licensees are grinding out details of how to safely operate them. Regulations approved by the Nevada Cannabis Compliance
Board in June require, among other things, that lounge operators have plans in place to prevent customers from driving under the influence, and to limit employees’ exposure to secondhand smoke. With consumption lounges expected to open as soon as this year, Executive Director Tyler Klimas says the Compliance Board will be coordinating with licensees to establish a blueprint
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(Shutterstock/ Photo Illustration)
“Here in Nevada with consumption lounges, this is a new program, a new license type. So we’re really creating this whole part of the industry from scratch. We’re really ... looking to see what the licensees are going to put forth,” Klimas says. The state will issue consumption lounge licenses to 20 independent operators and an estimated 40-45 established marijuana dispensa-
ries. Several dispensaries have indicated plans to open lounges, pending successful applications and approval from the state compliance board. After a few more listening sessions with applicants, the license application period is expected to open in the fall, Klimas says. The board has recommended a couple of measures—partnering with a rideshare service
and having no-tow policies—to include in required risk mitigation plans. Regulations state that if an increase in impaired driving is found to stem from a lounge, the lounge will be required to “update” its mitigation plan. Klimas says lounge licensees are expected to report instances or substantial risks of impaired driving, and the compliance board’s enforcement division will be making the rounds on “day two” of lounges being open, to see whether and how regulations could be strengthened. “This is a highly regulated and privileged industry … There’s an
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There is no set ratio of how much THC—the psychoactive compound in marijuana—someone consumes in one sitting, and for a true level of impairment, no chart showing how many hours one should wait to drive after smoking pot or taking an edible, says UNLV Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Dustin Hines. Like alcohol, marijuana affects users differently, depending on the user’s sex, age or weight. On the other hand, tolerance to THC (which chronic and frequent users develop) factors into how much marijuana a person needs to consume to feel its effects, and the levels of THC that show up on a blood test for impairment. “There’s definitely cases where people have high levels and they’re probably not that intoxicated. And also, you’ll have people that have low levels, and they’re very impaired,” Hines says, pointing to research that says a one-time or infrequent user’s intoxication from one puff of a joint could be considerably greater than that of a frequent or chronic user. “You can have somebody that actually needs medical marijuana. They show up to work, and they’re not intoxicated. [But] because their levels are high, if they get injured, they can be in all kinds of problems, because it looks like they’re [high] at work when they weren’t,” he says.
Nevada lawmakers changed the state’s DUI laws surrounding marijuana impairment, getting rid of the numerical “per se” standard to determine impairment. Under per se DUI laws, a driver can be classified as impaired in a court of law, if they had a specified level of marijuana or marijuana metabolite in their blood at the time of a traffic stop or incident. In 2021, the state legislature passed Assembly Bill 400, getting rid of per se thresholds to establish impairment. Officers still can use other observations and tests, such as field sobriety tests, to determine whether a person who has consumed marijuana, is too intoxicated or “impaired” to operate a vehicle. Although marijuana does not have the same effect on all users, research has attempted to determine when it is safe to drive after ingesting it. Hines points to one study that says the drug’s impairment on driving performance peaks around 20 to 40 minutes after inhalation, and impairment begins to diminish around one to three hours after inhalation. He adds that the way the drug is administered— whether by inhalation or eating an edible—has an effect on how long a person is intoxicated and potentially impaired. “I’m always going to say, as a scientist, that we need more research,” Hines says, to better understand how much marijuana is safe to consume before getting behind the wheel. For identifying intoxication and possible impairment in consumption lounge customers, the compliance board says it will “look for an emphasis on employee interaction and engagement with patrons in order to discourage impaired driving and identify signs of possible overconsumption,” in licensees’ DUI risk mitigation plans.
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onus on these operators to let us know,” Klimas says. “In addition to that kind of self-reporting, we also have our auditors and inspectors because we got a lot of new positions as a result of the passage of legislation. So we feel comfortable with our resources,” adding that coordination with law enforcement will be “integral” for public safety. Making connections between forthcoming pot lounges and the possibility of increased DUIs might feel like déja vu. Similar concerns came to the forefront in 2016 when Nevadans were considering legalizing recreational marijuana.
Having had recreational dispensaries open for five years now, local governments and law enforcement have had some time to adjust to more people in the community consuming marijuana—and potentially getting behind the wheel while under the influence. Data from the state Department of Public Safety does not indicate a clear trend with regard to fatal crashes where the driver was under the influence of marijuana. Nevada fatal crashes involving just marijuana increased by 38%— from 21 crashes in 2016 to 29 in 2017. In 2018, fatal crashes involving just marijuana decreased by about 20%, but increased again in 2019 by 30%. According to a statement from the Nevada Highway Patrol, troopers are trained to conduct field sobriety tests if any impairment is suspected, and can ask for a blood test if marijuana impairment is suspected. “The individual would need to volunteer for the blood test. If they do not, the trooper would need to obtain a search warrant,” the statement says. Those who refuse a blood test are subject to the penalty of losing their license for one year. The old concerns about marijuana DUI remain, especially with regard to pot lounges—now-legal places to consume marijuana outside of one’s residence or private property.
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BY GEOFF CARTER
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(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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INTHE NEIGHBORHOOD Explore the unexpected cultural hot spot of Commercial Center, New Orleans Square
ommercial Center is not a mall. Nor is it a strip mall, even though in a 2016 Vice article, writer Steve Friess dubbed it “The weirdest, queerest strip mall in Vegas.” We can’t call it these things for the simple reason that this nearly 60-year-old collection of retail centers—configured, in a near-perfect square, around thousands of unshaded parking spaces—is owned by several different landlords. It’s actually a bunch of strip malls, just hangin’ out. Conveniently, Vice also called Commercial Center a “district,” and at a whopping 38 acres— sure, why not? Vice was also right about the diversity of Commercial Center. Here you’ll find Lotus of Siam, a Northern Thai restaurant of international renown (though still temporarily closed for renovation); the Green Door, an 18,000-square-foot swingers’ club with “voyeur” areas and “orgy beds”; the Vegas and Nevada Rooms, twin showroom-supper clubs; a huge variety of casual dining spots, from a Colombian bakery to a Mediterranean bar and grill; the Sahara Event Center, a cavernous roller-skating and events space where Led Zeppelin and the Doors once played; and, as Vice promised, a goodly number of LGBTQ businesses, including the venerable Spotlight Lounge and Badlands Bar. Then there’s New Orleans Square, the property at Commercial Center’s southwest corner. It’s visually different than the other retail complexes—two stories, with its own interior courtyard, Big Easy-inspired wrought iron flourishes and wall murals by local artists including Recycled Propaganda and Gear Duran. And, somewhat inexplicably, this self-contained retail plaza, independent of even Commercial Center itself, is rapidly becoming the hottest arts and culture neighborhood in the Valley, with multiple galleries and performance spaces, a 1990s-style coffeehouse, a 1970s-inspired bar and much more, all thanks to a father-daughter trip to Black Rock City. “My dad was a big commercial real estate business guy for 30 years,” says Chelsey Kelly, operations director
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Core Contemporary Gallery (Courtesy/Nancy Good)
for McMenemy Investment Services, current owners of New Orleans Square. Her parents, Ron and Judy McMenemy, bought NOS in the midaughts because of its courtyard, Kelly says. “They loved the fact that it had its own little private area where things can happen, and things do currently happen.” Those courtyard events—film screenings, art walks and other locals-friendly cultural events— are happening because, about five years back, Chelsey took Ron to Burning Man, and he was completely wowed by it. “He fell in love with the arts world and was like, ‘Wow, this is what we’ve got to do,’” Kelly says. “So we started flipping everything around, getting more of the art community here, creating what we call a family. It’s not just a place for artists and tenants to come and have a great place to hang out; it’s a place to get involved … to enjoy being around your neighbors, working together and building something better than just ‘hey, my shop is here.’” The McMenemys’ drive to pull in arts-friendly tenants coincided with rising rents in the Arts District, which attracted a number of galleries and arts-driven businesses that couldn’t find affordable properties amongst Downtown’s proliferating brewpubs and upscale restaurants. New Orleans Square, with its Downtown-adjacent location,
The front of New Orleans Square. (Insert) HellBound Horror Collectibles (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
abundant and easily adaptable spaces and arts-friendly ownership, could scarcely be a better fit. “I couldn’t afford the square footage in the downtown area, and I really can’t afford it now,” says Nancy Good, whose Core Contemporary gallery occupies a large space on NOS’s second floor. “And this is such a unique and historic property; this was the place to be and be seen. You know, there was art, there was designer clothing, there was furriers and jewelers, gourmet restaurants and all this stuff. And what place in town has a thousand-plus free parking spaces? It was the place to be years ago, and I look at it as the place to be now.” When visiting NOS for the first time, the galleries are actually an excellent place to start. Core Contemporary (corecontemporary.com)
NEW ORLEANS SQUARE 900 E. Karen Ave., nosvegas.com.
features Good’s detailed, trippy works— in fact, when you visit, she’ll probably be working on several at once—and works by other local artists as well. A small stage accommodates performance art pieces, like Clarice Tara’s 2018 Dissonance. And performance is the primary driver of The Truth Spot, a “poetry gallery” that features the Spit Your Truth open-mic Sundays at 7 p.m., and has been known to present occasional music showcases; the website has details at thetruthspotlv. net/events. Available Space Art Projects, or ASAP (availablespaceartprojects. com), is a small gallery that hosts offbeat pop-up shows by established local artists such as Pasha Rafat, Jennifer Henry, Alisha Kerlin, Nima
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Abekenar and Krystal Ramirez, experimenting with stuff they don’t usually get to try. Formerly located in the Arts District, Photo Bang Bang (photobangbang.com), the studio of endlessly creative model photographer Curtis Joe Walker, displays dozens of its surreal, sexy photos in its windows. And there’s more to say about Jessica Oreck’s quietly sublime Office of Collecting and Design (officeofcollecting.com) than can be said here. Suffice it to say that there’s absolutely nothing else like it in this city, nothing at all. Anyone who owns a copy of Atlas Obscura should plan a visit immediately. (The gallery is largely appointment-only, though Oreck does keep regular Wednesday hours; visit the website for details.) New Orleans Square’s retail offerings are just as arty as its art. The Sci Fi Center (thescificenter. com), an institution that casts a wide enough cultural footprint to have made the Weekly’s cover in 2015, isn’t just a comics and toy shop; it’s an explosion of judgment-free science fiction, superhero and horror fandom that fits around its proprietor, William Powell, like an exo-suit of sheer enthusiasm. Speaking of horror, HellBound Horror Collectibles (hellboundhorror.com) stocks it in abundance, with a deep selection of dolls, art and other genre collectibles for the discerning fan. Everyone from Beetlejuice to Freddie Krueger to Baphomet is here, and eager to be unleashed on your suburban home. Recently featured in the Weekly, specialty bookshop Avantpop (avantpopbooks.com) surprises you at practically every turn, yielding treasures in the form of offbeat art books, subculture titles and even obscure zines. (Avantpop even publishes its own titles, which they bind in-house.) Blooming Memory (bloomingmemory.com) is a fami-
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Fort Bedlam (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
ly-owned, full-service local florist and gift shop that offers same-day local delivery. And Anthology Puzzles (anthologypuzzles.com) offers truly one-of-a-kind gifts: bespoke wooden jigsaw puzzles created from customer-submitted photographs and art. But the thing that makes a place worth lingering in is its drinks and dining, and New Orleans Square boasts two of the Valley’s most interesting new-ish hangs. Fort Bedlam (fortbedlam.com), a Seattle-born coffeehouse that relocated to Vegas in the midst of the pandemic doldrums, is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, an evening or, hopefully, a lifetime; anyone with fond memories of long-defunct Vegas cafes Copioh, Enigma or Espresso Roma will feel immediately comfortable here amongst the weathered tables, board games and quirky art. The coffee’s pretty darn good, too. And the Sci Fi Center now holds many of its screenings here, including the upcoming viewing parties for Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. It is known. You can genuinely feel the love
Square Bar (Courtesy/Jetlag Media)
that went into creating Square Bar (squarebarvegas.com), a space that strongly evokes New Orleans Square’s mid-1970s opening. It’s what Nancy Good calls an “it takes a village” project: the McMenemys conceived it, Good painted its geometric indoor and outdoor murals, and Phil Kotler, whose cel-
ebrated local improv troupe Bleach is reportedly eyeing an NOS space, is the bar’s entertainment director, bringing a mix of comedy, burlesque and musical acts to Square’s intimate stage. The kitchen serves up bar bites and “Wake n Bake” breakfasts around the clock, an old-fashioned booth provides take-
home reminders of your visit, and the gender-neutral bathrooms are covered in wild murals. (Both Kelly and Good personally painted stalls; they’re Instagram-worthy.) Square Bar feels grounded—both in its historic locale, and in the collective of like minds that are neighbors to it. There’s still more to New Orleans Square—the offices of Gender Justice Nevada; several health and beauty services; and various other galleries and arts organizations that I didn’t have time to visit, including the home of the Vegas chapter of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. (Between the Sisters, Fort Bedlam and the gay bars in nearby plazas, it could be argued that Commercial Center is a scaleddown simulacra of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, or at least the way it was before gentrification. ) And Sista Kim’s Kitchen (sistakimskitchen.com), a brickand-mortar version of the popular Southern-style food truck, should be open soon. Hopefully, what’s begun at New Orleans Square these past few years will continue. It’s completely rational to worry about what happens to rents—and to these buildings themselves—when Commercial Center achieves Arts District-levels of commercial success. And another, immediately pressing worry has surfaced: As I began this story, word came down that NOS, the entire plaza, is now on the market. It’s an unfortunate inevitability due to the heartbreaking loss of Ron McMenemy last May, and the passing of Judy McMenemy almost a year before that. Regardless, Kelly says she’ll keep her Square Bar stake, and is hopeful that whoever buys NOS will keep her on as an operator. “That’s very important these days, to have a management that cares—that likes be there as part of the community,” she says. “I hope to keep leading this [New Orleans Square] family.”
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C U L T U R E
BY BROCK RADKE
ack in the old days, there was a pretty perfect party at the Palms’ pool. It was called Ditch Fridays. Obviously, it encouraged locals to start the weekend early, which we were consistently happy to do. It could get a bit wild later into the afternoon, but it was always a friendly daytime pool hang with energy for all. Daylife was one of many programming uncertainties when the Palms reopened in the spring under new ownership, but it’s back. Now we have Dip Fridays at the Soak Pool, and the first edition flooded one of this vast space’s swimming pools with rubber duckies for the first themed party of the summer on July 1. Soak is open every day with DJs and other entertainment ramping up on weekends starting at 1 p.m., with free entry and a 25% discount on daybeds available to locals Monday through Thursday. (Weekend admission for locals is $15.) The new industry party here, which could attract non-industry locals as well, is every Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. Free admission, local DJs, half-off cabana rentals, discounted signature cocktails and $150 bottles of vodka are among its attractions. Like most of the entertainment offerings sprouting up at the resurrected resort on Flamingo Road, the Soak Pool
programming is easygoing and clearly targeted at Las Vegas residents, a world apart from the over-the-top approach for this same space—previously known as KAOS—under the Station Casinos regime. The epic Damien Hirst demon statue that towered over the west pool is long gone, as are the expensive big-name resident artists. Thirty-nine luxury cabanas remain, including those incredible second-story offerings wrapped around both swim areas, as well as an extensive food and drink
menu with healthy and tasty bites, everything from a blackened salmon bowl with cilantro lime rice to entourage-friendly platters of fresh fruit, chips and dips, wings and tenders or dumplings and pork buns ($33-$72). Also used as the Palms’ resort pool, this venue still feels brand-new from its complete renovation that wrapped in 2019. Soak has the relaxing vibes of a hidden-gem off-Strip property with the space (73,000 square feet) and elevated amenities you would only expect to find on Las Vegas Boulevard. And since the Palms is still experimenting with its entertainment options, it will be exciting to see how things develop out here, especially in possible conjunction with the indoor nightclub space that has retained the KAOS name and recently hosted live music performances. The sky is the limit.
Top: Soak Pool’s east bar. RIght: The scene at Soak. (Courtesy/Palms)
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NOISE
(Courtesy/April Nicole)
DAMA VICKE This bilingual rocker is finding clarity in the dark Who: An air of mystique surrounds this bilingual singer-songwriter, whose work is tinged with jazz, slow-burn acoustics and psychedelic rock. While still new to Las Vegas, Dama Vicke’s already stirred the scene with shows at Taverna Costera, the Space and the Usual Place. Backstory: Born in Mexico City, Vicke grew up in Miami, where she absorbed a tapestry of sonic styles. “It’s so multicultural that I got to learn from a lot of countries, like Brazil,” she says. “I started listening to bossa nova, samba, jazz. A little bit of everything.” As a child, she’d sing and read poetry with her uncle’s band at concerts. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Police were spun regularly in Vicke’s household, and by 15, she was writing music and playing in rock bands. She went solo in 2016, later earning accolades for Best Songwriter from the Miami New Times, and Best Independent Artist and Best Lyrics at the American Tracks Music Awards. Shining in the dark: Vicke often reflects on venomous relationships and messy break-ups in her music. It’s haunting at times, especially on her 2017 EP Point of Inflection, which Vicke languidly sings through in both English and Spanish. Rather than shy away from the wistful and melancholic, Vicke dances into it, mining the darkness for its arresting impact. “We look for music that goes with the emotion that we’re feeling at that moment. I don’t do it on purpose; I just use it as a tool to truly
release my own emotions. I do have some love songs. Actually, they’re all love songs. They’re just angry,” she adds with a laugh. That ire comes to life through her visceral music videos, created by Miami-based director Milcho and Vicke’s friends Carla Forte and Alexey Taran. “[Carla and Alexey] are contemporary dancers and filmmakers,” says Vicke, who’s acted in the past. “That’s why we connected so well, because we both like all that drama and cinema. A little bit of darkness in the aesthetics.” “Point of Inflection” is essential viewing, as is “Te Quiero Mal,” which was filmed in Las Vegas. Up Next: The chanteuse’s new album with renowned producer Sam Fisher (Lady Gaga, Duran Duran) is slated for fall 2022. Vicke’s single “Elefante” (produced by Agustin Espina) also drops on August 12, and will surely stir up conversation. “It’s very dramatic and it talks about patriarchy,” she says. “Naturally, it’s coming out at a very important moment right now for women.” -Amber Sampson
DAMA VICKE
damavicke.bandcamp.com dama.love
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SECRET WORDS Want to see Stephen Powers’ murals at the Cosmopolitan? Take the stairs
C U L T U R E
BY GEOFF CARTER PHOTO BY WADE VANDERVORT When I interviewed New York-based artist Stephen Powers—a.k.a. ESPO— for a corporate branding campaign about 10 years back, I asked if he’d rather see his work in alleyways or on museum walls. “They’re great either way,” he said. “I’ll take the worst neighborhood ever, or I’ll take the best museum you’ve got.” Or, in an unusual case for the prolific muralist, hidden away inside the stairwell of a Las Vegas hotel, leading up to its pool deck. Powers’ freehand murals at the Cosmopolitan—located in the stairwell adjacent to Marquee—are very much in ESPO’s signature style; Powers presents his truths, messages of affirmation and twisty bits of wordplay (“She had a face built to take the stares,” goes one) in the style of oldschool painted signs and advertisements, like those that covered many of Las Vegas’ neighborhood bars and restaurants in the 1950s and early 1960s. “The entire visual landscape was made by hand [back then],” Powers said. “I didn’t mean to be cool and pick the coolest period of American visual noise. I was just picking up where we left off.” ESPO’s Cosmopolitan works are a cool change of direction for an artist who generally works on pieces that are several stories tall or poster-sized. (See more at firstandfifteenth.net.) They interact with their environment in fun ways—soaring upward above the handrails, offering promises of good times to come. They’re what Stephen Powers believes in his heart graffiti can be, at its best: “a way of actively making love to a city.” “I never saw graffiti as a negative thing,” he said. “I saw it as kids trying to make themselves known in a place where nobody cared about them anyway. It was a way of humanizing, a way of making things interesting.”
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CHARTING A
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Crossroads is a great Strip restaurant that happens to be vegan BY BROCK RADKE
C U L T U R E
C
hef Tal Ronnen made a significant impact on Las Vegas Strip dining more than a decade ago when he designed vegan menus for many of the restaurants at Wynn and Encore. That collaboration helped launch a trend of expanding vegan options at other fine-dining spots in casinos and more progressive eateries in different neighborhoods. While more vegan and vegetarian restaurants have sprung up all over the Valley in the last decade, there has only been one totally plant-based Strip restaurant to open since then, the casual Truth & Tonic Cafe at Venetian. Now it’s Ronnen again, working with chef Paul Zlatos and Resorts World, who has brought the Strip its first fully plant-based fine-dining destination, the Mediterranean and Italian-inspired Crossroads from Los Angeles. Located near the Resorts World Theatre, Crossroads isn’t promoted as a vegan restaurant inside the new resort. There’s a small cafe space in the front that operates as Crossroads Burger (CB), serving up house-made, plant-based sausages, burgers and chicken nuggets. And the larger restaurant within feels like a classic casino steakhouse or Italian restaurant, secluded from the action on the floor and decorated with chandeliers, rich wood tones and even a blown-up photograph of David Bowie. The menu is easy to navigate, with appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas, mains and sides, and
there’s no dish here that feels mysterious or elaborate. New creations for summer include a watermelon salad ($16) with heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta and pistachios; creamy stuffed zucchini blossoms ($17); and the eggplant filet ($24) with mashed potatoes, chanterelle mushrooms and Bordelaise sauce. Appetizers are particularly inventive at Crossroads. There’s a version of caviar and potato chips with French onion dip ($16) and a take on foie gras ($18) made with chestnuts and served with Cabernet demiglace and grilled sourdough bread, but everyone is ordering the Impossible cigars ($16), crispy tubes filled with meat mimicry. Unlike some of the city’s meat-free eateries, Crossroads does not focus on replicating animal protein; this kitchen just cooks tasty food and uses those alt-proteins only when necessary. There’s no decreased decadence in the pasta dishes, particularly with the tagliatelle Bolognese ($27) and its rich ragu layered throughout perfect pasta. Next time we want to try the bucatini con nduja to see what can be done to create a meat-free version of the funky, spreadable salami. Chickpeas marsala ($20) is stocked with familiar flavor and served over delightfully creamy polenta, reaching the zenith of lightness and satisfaction. If these plates don’t recalibrate your appetite, the Chocolate Crunch Bar ($14) might do the trick, as great a dessert as you’ll find anywhere on the Strip.
Crossroads’ tagliatelle Bolognese, chickpeas marsala, stuffed zucchini blossoms, Figs & Feta and watermelon salad. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
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Casa Calavera’s Juanito Cakes Stack (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
Brunch boldly at Casa Calavera egg tacos ($17) are the most natural fit from that segment of the menu, but feel free to select Baja fish ($20) or pork carnitas ($18). The brunch must-bites at Virgin’s festive Mexican restaurant are the ahi tuna tostada ($19), spiked with aji amarillo mojo sauce and cooled with cucumber, and the massive huevos rancheros ($19), saturated in a scrumptious red chile sauce and your choice of achiote grilled chicken, shredded beef or carnitas. Some brunch creations were meant to enliven the day and others will point you in the direction of an afternoon nap; that second dish falls into the latter category. –Brock Radke
CASA CALAVERA Virgin, 702-522-8000, taogroup.com. Sunday Brunch, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
FOOD & DRINK
n The La Mañana Brunch at Casa Calavera is all about the cocktails, particularly some extra-large offerings. The shareable Lickity Split Margarita ($32) or a pitcher of white, rosé or red sangria ($52) will get your Sunday party going, or you can push it over the edge with a Modelo beer tower ($110). There’s also bottomless mimosas or Bellinis available ($45). Of course, you can keep it simple with a Michelada ($10), Paloma ($15) or Oaxacan Mule ($16), sticking to your own favorite flavors. And the drinks match up well with the food, which includes a vast selection of tacos to consider alongside traditional brunch offerings. Chorizo and
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panish soccer clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet in a friendly, or exhibition, match July 23 at Allegiant Stadium, but such terminology shouldn’t fool anyone. It’s never entirely affable when the two archrivals meet, and there’s always something at stake. Many consider “El Clàsico,” the name given to any match between “Barca” and “Real,” the greatest sports rivalry in the world. It’s been running for 120 years, often carrying deep political and cultural implications in Spain. “This is the biggest match in soccer,” said Tom Braun, AEG’s senior vice president of soccer and business operations who headed efforts to bring the game to Las Vegas. “It’s two teams that are notoriously two of the biggest clubs in the world who play in the same league. This is only the fourth time they’ve played outside of Spain, and only the second time they’ve played in the United States, so this is so meaningful.” The finale of AEG’s new Soccer Champions Tour between Real Madrid and Barcelona will mark the 283rd all-time edition of El Clàsico, with the latter holding a 116-104-62 edge when including all matches. Las Vegas has hosted several major soccer matches over the year—Real Madrid even visited Sam Boyd Stadium in the summer of 2012 and beat Mexican club Santos Laguna 2-1—but none as big as this. The city has certainly never seen a soccer stretch like the one coming in, as Real Madrid vs. Barcelona is merely the headliner of a weeklong parade of world-class games at Allegiant Stadium. Each of the past two winners of the UEFA Champions League—the competition pitting all the best teams in Europe and largely considered the most presti-
SOCCER CENTRAL
Allegiant Stadium to host three big-time soccer matches within a week BY CASE KEEFER
gious club trophy in the world—will participate with defending champion Real Madrid and 2021 winner Chelsea FC from England. Chelsea kicks off the festivities July 16 against Club América, Mexico City’s pre-eminent team, as part of the FC Series’ Clash of Nations. The FC Series has traditionally brought foreign teams to Orlando, Florida, for one-off games but sought to expand this year. Las Vegas was a natural choice given the two-year-old, $2 billion stadium and the push of local officials to expand soccer offerings here. “Bringing a match of this caliber
to Las Vegas will create unparalleled excitement and energy, and we can’t wait to welcome fans from around the world,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and CEO Steve Hill said in a news conference announcing the Chelsea game. The Soccer Champions Tour commences six days after Chelsea vs. Club América with Italy’s Juventus and Mexico’s Chivas de Guadalajara facing off July 22. Juventus has a pair of UEFA Champions League titles itself and is considered a worldwide power on par with Real Madrid and Barce-
Chelsea vs. Club América July 16, 7 p.m., $45-$140, ticketmaster.com. Juventus vs. Chivas July 22, time TBA, $50-$250, ticketmaster.com. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona July 23, time TBA, $320-$1,000, ticketmaster.com.
(AP Photo/Photo Illustration)
lona. Chivas has the second-most championships in Mexico’s Liga MX, behind only Club América. “All the teams had an interest in playing on the West Coast, and what better place to be on the West Coast than Las Vegas in a brandnew building,” Braun said. “They all saw Vegas as a great opportunity. They all wanted to come there.” Full rosters are expected for all six teams as they prepare for their domestic regular seasons starting in August. Las Vegas would have likely missed out on such star power if this year’s World Cup was being held in its traditional July time slot, but it’s postponed until November when host country Qatar’s climate is more amenable. The 2026 World Cup is being held in venues across the United States, Canada and Mexico, though Las Vegas is not one of the 16 host cities. City officials initially plotted to land some of the games but backed out because of the International Federation of Association Football’s cost and infrastructure demands. Although disappointing to some fans, it shouldn’t be a hit to soccer’s long-term prospects in Las Vegas. United Soccer League’s Las Vegas Lights have built a rabid fanbase Downtown, while rumors of a potential Major League Soccer expansion franchise being in place by the end of the decade continue to swirl. And with promoters like AEG and the FC Series bringing the biggest teams in the world to Allegiant Stadium, this July’s run of world-class games might just be the beginning. “Las Vegas is a city that has a lot of opportunity for professional sports and specifically professional soccer,” Braun said. “I think there’s a lot more to come.”
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JOSE JUAN MACIAS
THIAGO SILVA
MEET THE TEAMS Chelsea FC One of London’s most decorated clubs, “the Blues” are one year removed from winning their second-ever UEFA Champions League title with 23-year-old U.S. Men’s National Team star and Pennsylvania native Christian Pulisic as one of their best players.
ROGER MARTINEZ
Club América The Mexico City-based team is the winningest Mexican franchise ever with 13 Liga MX titles, most recently in the 2018-19 season. Chivas de Guadalajara Archrival of Club América, the Zapopan-located club is the rare high-level soccer team that doesn’t sign international players and keeps its roster comprised entirely of Mexican natives.
WESTON MCKENNIE
Juventus “Juve,” based in Turin, Italy, is far and away the most storied Italian club with 36 Serie A championships—the next closest team has only 19—including nine straight from 2011-20. Real Madrid Superstars Karim Benzema, a France native, and Vinícius Júnior, Júnior a Brazil native, are fresh off leading the Spanish club to its record 14th UEFA Champions League title, this one a result of a string of big-time comebacks and massive upsets.
VINICIUS JUNIOR
FERRAN TORRES
SPORTS
FC Barcelona Despite having finished second in Spain’s La Liga and beaten eventual champion Real Madrid in the two teams’ latest match, “Barca” is rebuilding with young talent in its second year since losing longtime captain Lionel Messi.
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DINING
RESTAURATEURS BEHIND CAPRIOTTI’S LOOK TO SPREAD WINGS IN CHICKEN SPACE
E
BY BRYAN HORWATH VEGAS INC STAFF
ven for a restaurant pro with a winning track record, Ashley Morris said he found taking over and reimagining a new business daunting. He summed up his feelings in two words: excited and terrified. “Just like our employees, I’m learning the business, too,” said Morris, who last year bought the Wing Zone chain of chicken restaurants with business partner Jason Smylie. Morris, a longtime Valley resident, has some experience to fall back on. He’s also CEO of the Capriotti’s sandwich shop chain. Since taking over, the partners have been busy tweaking the Wing Zone brand—from some of the food offerings to the look and feel of the restaurants. There are over 60 locations across the United States and abroad. The first Wing Zone in the Valley, a couple of blocks east of Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas, opened July 11. “We wanted to go out and do what we did with Capriotti’s again, and we wanted to be in the chicken space,” Morris said. “We wanted a concept that we could grow alongside Capriotti’s, and we felt like chicken was very on-trend.” In 2008, a few years after opening a Capriotti’s restaurant together, Morris and Smylie purchased the entire chain. Capriotti’s was founded in Delaware in the 1970s, and when the duo made their play for the company, there were about 40 locations. Today, the chain has over 180
restaurants across the country, with more than 40 in Southern Nevada. “Our comfort zone is franchising and scaling fast-casual restaurants,” Morris said. “As far as chicken, chicken is having its run right now. The burger space had its run for a very long time.” Morris said the recent rise of chicken as a popular fast-casual food can partly be attributed to brands like Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s. Chicken is as popular as it’s ever been, especially for the lunch customer, Morris said. For the Wing Zone brand, however, it’s not so much about the chicken
sandwich, tender or nugget but—as the name suggests—wings. “Those other aspects of chicken, they’ve been done over and over. But doing a phenomenal wing hasn’t traditionally been done,” Morris said. “Wings, for the most part, have been a food you can get at a bar, as an appetizer on a menu, or at a sit-down restaurant. Other than Wingstop, there aren’t a lot of places out there doing fast-food wings well.” Wing Zone has just over 30 locations in the United States, mostly in the Southeast. Morris and Smylie have identified nearly a dozen places in the Las Vegas
Ashley Morris, CEO of Capriotti’s, at his newest venture Wing Zone, a quickserve chicken wing restaurant. (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
area for new Wing Zone stores. For now, the Las Vegas stores are corporate-owned, but there will likely be franchise opportunities in the future, they said. Though they have business interests around the world, Morris and Smylie said the introduction of the Wing Zone brand to the Las Vegas market is near and dear to their hearts. Both men moved to the Las Vegas Valley with their families from California as children in the early 1990s before putting down roots here. They also attended UNLV together, where they got their taste for the food at Capriotti’s. “Wing Zone was born in the South, but it’s going to feel like a down home Vegas place if we have anything to say about it,” Morris said. “Like with what we do on the Capriotti’s side, we’re going to be intimately involved in the community with our Wing Zone brand.” On the food preparation side, the Wing Zone product is different than most restaurant-style wings in that theirs are baked in olive oil before they are deep fried, Morris said. “It creates a more juicy, bigger wing,” Morris said. “What we also do is get the customer the wing fast. It’s not a 15- or 20-minute process. You order your wings, and you get them in just a few minutes. You’re getting what we think is a better product in a time that’s about 90% faster.” At the North Las Vegas store, the customer experience is centered on convenience. Customers can order from kiosks or their phone while at the restaurant, and Morris hinted it’s likely that “robotic automation” will soon be part of the Wing Zone experience. “We’re highly focused on forward tech with this company,” Morris said. “I’m hesitant to say right now, we could even have futuristic drone delivery. We have a fully commitment to technology. People will see some cool things.”
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7.1 4 . 2 2 improve people’s lives.
VegasInc Giving Notes Tami HanceLehr, state director and CEO of Communities In Schools of Nevada, announced the promotion of Bybee Alex Bybee to chief strategy officer. Bybee is responsible for leading the organization’s strategic planning process, bolstering partnerships with school districts, municipalities, state agencies and legislators, and overseeing the organization’s communications and messaging. Out of 49 states, 950 programs and more than 93,000 volunteers nationwide, local Eighth Judicial District Court superstar CASA volunteer Carolyn Muscari brought home the National CASA/ GAL Association’s 2022 G.F.
Bettineski Child Advocate of the Year Award. Nevada Women’s Philanthropy members elected to grant $500,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas. It will use the funds to purchase a mobile care unit that will house a full-service dental care office on wheels. According to Oral Health Nevada, only 37% of Nevada’s low-income children have had a dental visit and 20% have received dental service. More than 66,000 children are living without medical or dental insurance. The new mobile unit will have a full-time dentist including dental technicians who will serve more than 1,200 children per year. Three Square Food Bank received $4,000 in donations from One Nevada Credit
Union’s annual spring shred day. The shredding service is free to the public, but donations were accepted benefiting Three Square. Las Vegas residents donated 863 pounds of food and $1,894.95 for the safe shred of their unwanted documents. One rounded up and matched the donation. The Rotary Club of Las Vegas Summerlin presented $15,000 to the Discovery Children’s Museum. This was part of the proceeds from the club’s recent Mardi Gras Masquerade Gala. United Way of Southern Nevada kicked off its 65th anniversary celebration with the Golf United tournament May 26 at the Revere Golf Club and raised $126,440 for the community. Proceeds will support organization’s mission of uniting the community to
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Points of Light, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating people-powered change, announced The Civic 50 honorees of 2022, which included Caesars Entertainment for the eighth consecutive year. For 10 years, The Civic 50 has showcased how companies can use their time, skills and resources to drive social impact in their communities and company. Honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on corporate citizenship and social impact programs. During the recent grand opening celebration of the Palms, the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority presented $150,000 to three charities in Southern Nevada. Representatives of Las Vegas Indian Center, Opportunity Village and Mondays Dark were on hand to accept $50,000 donations each. Bridgestone Retail Operations surprises local kids and teens June 28 when it revealed that Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada was se-
lected as one of 20 clubs nationwide to receive a $20,000 donation in celebration of $20 million raised through the company’s Driving Great Futures initiative with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Local Bridgestone retail teammates were also on site for an interactive car care clinic to teach teens the basics of vehicle and tire maintenance and prepare them to be good stewards of the road. The Friends of Henderson Libraries recently donated $30,000 to Henderson Libraries. The contribution was a direct result of the Friends’ recent book sales, membership fees and donations from the community. Bank of America has announced $470,000 in grants to 18 Las Vegas nonprofits to help drive economic opportunity for individuals and families. Funding will support programs that will address food insecurity and provide access to healthcare, services for the homeless, family services, youth employment and alternative pathways for adults.
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ESPAÑOL
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LV W P U Z Z L E & H O R O S C O P E S
PREMIER CROSSWORD
7.1 4 . 2 2
“DOWNFALL” BY FRANK LONGO
HOROSCOPES
WEEK OF JULY 14 BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): With a fanciful flourish, poet Seamus Heaney wrote, “I ate the day / Deliberately, that its tang / Might quicken me all into verb, pure verb.” As a pure verb, you’ll never be static. A steady stream of fresh inspiration and new meanings will come your way. In the coming weeks, your aptitude for that fluidic state will be even stronger than usual. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Historian David Adkins thinks he’s close to finding the Holy Grail of Arthurian myth. He says it’s buried beneath an old house in a town in central England. Make this tantalizing prospect your metaphor of power. There’s a chance you will discover a treasure or precious source of vitality. It may be partially hidden in plain sight or barely disguised in a mundane setting. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are authorized to be extra vast and extensive in the coming weeks. Like Gemini poet Walt Whitman, you should never apologize and always be proud of the fact that you contain multitudes. Your multivalent, wide-ranging outlook will be an asset, not a liability. Your versatility and elasticity will enhance the well-being of all of us whose lives you touch. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your memory is substantial. Your sensitivity is monumental. Your urge to nurture is deep. Your feelings are bottomless. Your imagination is prodigious. Because of all these aptitudes and capacities, you are too much for some people. Not everyone can handle your intricate and sometimes puzzling beauty. But enough folks do appreciate and thrive on your gifts. Make it your quest to focus your urge to merge on them. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Poet Conrad Aiken wrote: “Remember (when time comes) how chaos died to shape the shining leaf.” The time has come for some of your chaos to expire—and in doing so, generate your personal equivalent of shining leaves. Can you imagine what the process would look and feel like? How might it unfold? Your homework is to ponder these wonders. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Andie Holman says, “Tight scar tissue creates pain, impacts mobility, affects your posture, and usually looks bad.” Her specialty is to diminish the effects of scars, restoring flexibility and decreasing aches. Find a healer to help you with psychological wounds, though. You have more personal power than usual to recover from old traumas and diminish your scars.
2020 KING FEATURES SYNDICATE ACROSS 1 Washed-up star 8 Baryshnikov’s nickname 13 Exhortations 20 Fast, in music scores 21 Foppish scarf 22 Hangs around 23 Punctilious attention to neatness 25 Contrary to 26 Perfumed hair dressing 27 Time of note 28 Special attention, in brief 30 Beginning 31 Krispy Kreme offering topped with colorful bits 36 Enlarged 41 Classic no-calorie soda brand 42 Deep anger 43 Stimulate 44 Missy 47 Court events 48 Arthroscopic surgery site 49 Garden plants with heads of clear blue blooms 52 Euro divs. 53 Feats 54 “Gotta run!” 55 Logger’s chopper 56 China’s Mao — -tung 57 Mary — cosmetics 58 Stimulate 60 Neighbor of Rwanda 63 Family dog, e.g. 64 Env. contents 67 1984 Eurythmics hit that’s apt for six related words in this puzzle 72 See 58-Down 73 French painter Jean
74 75 76 77 79 80 82 85 86 90 91 93 94 95 96 98 100 104 105 106 107 113 115 118 119 120 121 122 123
Egg white Tach stats Gore and Unser Everybody Atty.’s org. & others Sight-related Pay money for Spongy, glazed dessert Hotel offering Weather phenomenon with a more famous “brother” Mauna — Ward off Peat source — Complaint (Philip Roth novel) Altimas and Maximas Gift lists for expectant mothers’ parties Car identifier Letters after lambdas Quaker grain Some narrow strips of land Revises jointly Use lots of flattery, say Egypt’s — Stone Latin for “everything” Metallic shooting marble Jerry Garcia’s band, informally “I — drink!” Its capital is Mogadishu
DOWN Lock holder 1 2 Food for Fido 3 Thin 4 Software test version
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 24 29 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 45 46 48 50 51 53 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 64
“By Jove!” Novelist Hemingway Tacit assent Language of New Zealand Honshu, e.g. — -fi movie Horse farm attendant Oakland ball team Tony winner Hagen Seasoned stews Farm with its buildings From Galway, say Brooklyn — (sitcom) Made a hand motion Old booming jet, for short For each Stat on a bank sign Bouncy stick DIYers’ sets Lubricants Leisure shirts Pitcher’s asset “Where — sign?” Tools for light cleaning Will topic Artful In the know Luxury brand of Toyota Lock opener Toils away Hertz car, say Info Cravat clasp Dog refuge With 72-Across, “Actually, I do!” “— -haw!” Ref’s cousin FedEx rival Pizzeria order Port in east Argentina
65 Apple’s Cook 66 Hosp. staffers 68 Advanced math, in brief 69 Puzzle cube creator Erno 70 Astound 71 Confers honor on 76 Pitcher’s asset 77 The Wizard of Oz lady 78 Resting atop 81 Bill & — Bogus Journey 82 Spheres 83 Dismiss as foolish 84 From the capital Lomé, e.g. 85 Roseanne of Roseanne 86 Year’s 365 87 Actor Billy of Titanic 88 Barbie’s guy 89 Hosp. areas 91 “Fist City” singer Lynn 92 Foul-smelling 96 Daintily little 97 Packed away 99 Enjoys a lot 101 Slogged in water 102 Gorbachev’s wife 103 Addams family cousin 108 Cherry holder 109 Duke Ellington’s “Take — Train” 110 Small peak 111 1,102, to Livy 112 Retail giant in furniture 113 Old PC screen 114 In the dumps 116 French article 117 Old spy gp.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Ancient Roman philosopher Seneca wrote, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” But a Spanish proverb suggests a different element may be necessary: “Good luck comes by elbowing.” A Danish proverb: “Luck will carry someone across the brook if they are not too lazy to leap.” Modern author Wendy Walker: “Fortune adores audacity.” Be audacious, energetic, well-prepared and willing to engage in elbowing. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Many Scorpios imagine sex to be a magnificent devotion, a quintessential mode of worship, an unparalleled celebration of sacred earthiness. If our culture had more of this perspective, the art and entertainment industries would offer far less of the demeaning, superficial versions of sexuality that are so rampant. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Learn the moon’s phases and keep track of them. Acquire a new sacred treasure and keep it under your pillow or in your bed. Before sleep, ask your deep mind to provide you with dreams that help generate creative answers to a specific question. Go on walks at night or at dawn. Compose a wild or funny prayer and shout it aloud it as you run through a field. Sing a soulful song to yourself as you gaze into a mirror. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Being able to receive love doesn’t come easy for some Capricorns. You may also not be adept at making yourself fully available for gifts and blessings. But you can learn these things. You can practice. With enough mindful attention, you might eventually become skilled at the art of getting a lot of what you need and knowing what to do with it. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “If I don’t practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.” This quote is variously attributed to violinist Jascha Heifetz, trumpeter Louis Armstrong, and violinist Isaac Stern. It’s a fundamental principle for everyone who wants to get skilled at any task. Life is inviting you to raise your expertise to a higher level. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In May 2021, Jessica and Ben Laws got married on their dairy farm. The ceremony unfolded smoothly, but a pregnant cow went into labor and was experiencing difficulties. Jessica ran to the barn and plunged into active assistance. Her dress got muddy and trashed, but the birth was successful. The new bride had no regrets. Make her your role model for now. Put practicality over idealism. Opt for raw and gritty necessities instead of neat formalities.
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