2023-08-17-Las-Vegas-Weekly

PUBLISHER MARK DE POOTER mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com

EDITOR SPENCER PATTERSON spencer.patterson@gmgvegas.com

EDITORIAL

Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geo .carter@gmgvegas.com)

Editor at Large BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com)

Deputy Editor SHANNON MILLER (shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com)

Sta Writer GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ (gabriela.rodriguez@gmgvegas.com)

Sta Writer AMBER SAMPSON (amber.sampson@gmgvegas.com)

Contributing Writers GRACE DA ROCHA,HILLARY DAVIS, MIKE GRIMALA, CASEY HARRISON, KATIE ANN MCCARVER, TERESA MOSS, RHIANNON SAEGERT, DANNY WEBSTER

Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JUSTIN HAGER, CASE KEEFER, DAVE MONDT

O ce 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

Publisher of Branded Content & Special Publications EMMA WOLFF

Special Publications Editor SIERRA SMART

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Account Executives MARY CHARISSE DIMAIN, DEREK EIGE, LAUREN JOHNSON, ANNA ZYMANEK

Sales Executive Assistants APRIL MARTINEZ, NANCY RAMOS

Events Director SAMANTHA PETSCH

Events Manager HANNAH ANTER

Events Coordinator ALEXANDRA SUNGA

PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION

Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX

Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY

Production Manager BLUE UYEDA

Associate Marketing Art Director BROOKE EVERSON

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Production Artist MARISSA MAHERAS

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SUPERGUIDE

Your daily events planner, starring

COVER STORY

The life of a visual artist is rarely easy, but Las Vegas presents an especially difficult set of obstacles to overcome.

NEWS Evictions are soaring across Las Vegas. What can be done to solve the problem?

SCENE

A tattoo for $10? Koolsville not only offers them, it provides connections that can last a lifetime.

NOISE

“As if Danzig picked up a synthesizer and drum machine instead of a guitar.” That’s how one member of Vegas’ Spelling Hands describes its sound.

FOOD & DRINK

Aria’s new Cathédrale is a feast for the senses, plus addictive poke nachos at Bajamar.

Cathédrale’s Yellowfin Tuna Cru (Courtesy/Anthony Mair)

Blackpink, Zach Bryan, Deadmau5, Glorilla, the House of Pride Festival and more.

SUPERGUIDE 17

MUSIC

THEODORE TSO: CAPTAIN PAIUTE

SPORTS

ARTS

FOOD + DRINK

Native American representation in comic books has often been limited to the roles of sidekick and exoticized mystic. But artist Theodore Tso puts the Indigenous Captain Paiute front and center as superhero. An enrolled member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe with ties to the Navajo, Tso spotlights Native traditions and tribal issues in his comics, his protagonist coming to the rescue in crises of land stewardship and cultural preservation.

COMEDY

“Captain Paiute is a steward of Mother Earth, a cultural and environmental protector. He is the Defender of the Southwest,” reads an artist’s statement for Nevada Arts Council. Tso’s storyboards have previously been featured at Nevada State Museum, during a 2021 exhibit. See what his superhero been up to since. Thru 11/5; Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.8 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; free, Clark County Library, thelibrarydistrict.org.

–Shannon Miller

LAS VEGAS ACES VS. NEW YORK LIBERTY 7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com.

ART GRAY NOIZZ QUINTET

With The Psyatics, Wax Pig Melting, 8 p.m., Artifice, eventbrite.com.

TECHNO PETS

With Juheun & Friends, 8 p.m., Discopussy, tixr.com.

BRAD GARRETT

With Rocky LaPorte, Butch Bradley, 8 p.m., Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, bradgarrett comedy.com.

DAXSON 10 p.m., Commonwealth, seetickets.us.

STICKS & KICKS 8 p.m., Eight Lounge, eightloungelv.com.

RUSKO

With Blkshp, Santoyo, 10 p.m., We All Scream, seetickets.us.

DEADMAU5 10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

FRIDAY

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL RISING STARS FINALS

8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv com.

DEATH BELLS 8 p.m., Artifice, artificebarlv.com.

STEVE ANGELLO 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.

GLADYS KNIGHT 8 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com.

GEORGE BENSON 8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.

18 AUG.

TIM MEADOWS 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., & 8/19 (& 8/20, 7:30 p.m.), Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com.

PETER FRAMPTON 8 p.m., Pearl Concert Theater, ticketmaster.com.

THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW 8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com.

TIËSTO 10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

ADELE

8 p.m., & 8/19, the Colosseum, ticketmaster.com.

KELLY CLARKSON 8 p.m., & 8/19, Bakkt Theater, ticketmaster.com.

BIG SEAN 10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com.

TIGERS ON OPIUM

With Flames of Durga, Pegzilla, Zach Ryan, 8 p.m., Red Dwarf, reddwarflv.com.

KANGAROO FIGHT CLUB

With Worse for Wear, Too Close for Comfort, Adrift, Rosedrop, Between the Dog & I, Sunday Mourning, 5 p.m., Eagle Aerie Hall, seetickets.us.

ILLENIUM 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.

JUST BECAUSE

With Ripjaw, The HasKnots, 10 p.m., Double Down Saloon, doubledownsaloon. com

CHRISTIAN JACOB TRIO

7 & 8:30 p.m., & 8/19, Vic’s, vicslasvegas.com.

HOUSE OF VEGAS PRIDE FESTIVAL

The local nonprofit Social Influence Foundation, which works to mentor youth, and Clark High School and UNLV grad Nicole Williams and her Set Life Images are behind this cultural event that got its start in 2018. This year’s version is a three-day art and entertainment extravaganza taking over Area15 and also includes the House of Frequency Music Festival, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop while continuing its mission to unite the community. DJ battles, a fashion show, the Culture Ball and LGBTQ Honors ceremony and lots of live performances round out the weekend, and there’s also a pool party at Downtown Grand and a Sunday brunch at Terrace Mediterranean at the Hustler Club. August 1820, times & prices vary, vegas pridehouse.com. –Brock Radke

BLACKPINK 8:30 p.m., Allegiant Stadium, ticketmaster.com.

FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS, VISIT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM.

(Courtesy/YG Entertainment)

SUPERGUIDE

SATURDAY

AUG.

19

ZEDD Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

MOKSHA 10 p.m., Sand Dollar Lounge, thesand dollarlv.com.

LAS VEGAS ACES VS. LOS ANGELES SPARKS Noon, Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com.

DJ SNAKE 10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

POP 2000

The Palms has been stacking live entertainment at its big, beautiful Soak Pool all summer, and we’re not just talking about dayclub DJs.

Jhene Aiko, Busta Rhymes, Swae Lee, UB40 and Kehlani have performed there in recent months. Now it’s time to throw it back to a time when girls wore Abercrombie & Fitch and might have their finger and thumb in the shape of an L on her forehead.

Soak in the late ’90s and early aughts with performances by pop and rock acts Smash Mouth, O-Town, The Calling and LFO, with NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick serving as master of ceremonies.

Summer is for nostalgia, and the Palms pool will be the place to be. August 19, 7 p.m., $45, Soak Pool, ticketmaster.com.

–Brock Radke

DEON COLE 8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY

9 p.m., Fremont Street Experience, vegasexperience.com.

CLAUDE VONSTROKE

With N808, 10 p.m., Discopussy, tixr.com.

FRESA’S FIRST ANNIVERSARY

Ft. The Dollheads, Sunday Mourning, The Hideaway & more, 5 p.m., Fresa’s Skate Shop, fresas skateshop.com.

HEATHER MCMAHAN

8 p.m., Encore Theater, ticket master.com.

STEEL PANTHER

7:30 p.m., House of Blues, concerts.livenation. com.

ZEPPELIN USA

7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter. com.

MARSHMELLO 10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.

REMK 9 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15.com.

TCHAMI 11 a.m., Daylight Beach Club, tixr.com.

SPYRO GYRA 6 & 8:30 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com.

LIL JON 11 a.m., Wet Republic, events.taogroup.com.

VIOLENT VIRA

With Aberdeen Is Dead, Arrlo, 8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv. com.

ROLAND GRANT 6 p.m., Winchester Dondero Cultural Center, clarkcountynv.gov.

THE CHAINSMOKERS 11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com.

2 CHAINZ 10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup. com.

ZACH BRYAN with Charles Wesley Godwin, Levi Turner, 8 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.

GLORILLA

Noon, Daylight Beach Club, tixr.com.

TYGA

10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com.

MAD CADDIES

With Buck-O-Nine, 7 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, seetickets.us.

FAT JOE 11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, events.taogroup. com.

THELMA & LOUISE & 8/22, 8/24, times vary, Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater.com.

ELDERBROOK

Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com.

KARAOKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Times vary, thru 8/23, the Front Yard at Ellis Island, kwcusa.org.

MONDAYS DARK 8 p.m., the Space, mondaysdark.com.

DJ SHIFT 10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, events.taogroup. com.

MURRAY SAWCHUCK

3:30 & 7 p.m., South Point Showroom, ticketmaster.com.

CARLOS RODRIGUEZ 8 p.m., thru 8/27, L.A. Comedy Club, bestvegascomedy. com.

ATTACK THE BLOCK

The Beverly Theater’s Monster Mondays series concludes with predatory extraterrestrial beasts with mouths too full of glowing, razor-sharp teeth. Joe Cornish’s 2011 horror-comedy film, Attack the Block, pits these fearsome adversaries against a London street gang, and you only need take one look at the leader of that crew— the tough, but principled Moses, played in a star-making turn by Star Wars: The Force Awakens/They Cloned Tyrone’s John Boyega—to realize early on that the aliens are probably overmatched. Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker and Shaun of the Dead’s Nick Frost also star in this underseen gem, which boasts a gritty but stylized look, a smart, incisive script and an killer electronic soundtrack by British house duo Basement Jaxx. The Bev was practically made for this kind of big bang. 7:30 p.m., $10, the Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater. com. –Geo Carter

FOR MORE UPCOMING EVENTS, VISIT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM.

3Doors Down (Courtesy/David Abbott)

(Photo Courtesy)

ENJOY With Dumb F*cks, Bad Vacation, 7 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com.

ROAD RUNNIN WITH MOTION TOUR Ft. RMC Mike, Louie Ray, Roadrun Cmoe, 9 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.

NGHTMRE 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, events. taogroup.com.

BELINDA CARLISLE 7:30 p.m., House of Blues, concerts.livenation. com.

SOL With CPR, Badbeat, 10 p.m., La Mona Rosa, lamonarosalv. com.

Ashley Zabarte inside Hey Maker at Fergusons Downtown (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

THE WEEKLY Q&A

Ashley Zabarte nurtures artists through her Downtown shop

BY SHANNON MILLER

Ashley Zabarte used to have a successful jewelry-making business. Her polymer-clay earrings sold well. But after a while, she noticed she was making them for the wrong reasons.

“It started to feel like it wasn’t my work anymore,” she says. “I felt like a factory. … It felt really safe, and it felt like I was making these pieces of jewelry almost out of fear.

“And so I stopped and I started messing around with other mediums.”

With mostly upcycled materials, Zabarte now makes lamps inspired by “strange organic shapes.” She says that decision marked a commitment to nurturing herself as an artist, something she tells other artists to do all the time.

As the owner of the Hey Maker retail store at Fergusons Downtown, she runs a quasi-incubator program that helps artists looking to grow in their craft. “The artists come, and I kind of cater toward their goals,” she says.

In addition to organizing regular markets where artists and crafts makers sell their goods, Zabarte has written guides for artists on topics like e-commerce, how to manage social media and how to sell to a retail shop. “It took me years to really hone that in and figure it out,” she says. “Now, it’s interesting being on the other side of that and being a retailer myself.”

Zabarte took some time out from creating and helping others to talk to the Weekly about her business, handling burnout and thriving in a new medium.

How did Hey Maker start?

During the pandemic … May of 2020 … it started as a subscrip -

tion box, and the whole point of it was to get artwork and curate a space to connect the community with artists.

What’s it like to be an entrepreneur, and how do you deal with the pressure? Entrepreneurship is such a funny thing, especially when it’s a space like this where I can do whatever I want. To be able to focus is sometimes difficult. … With running a business and being an artist, for a long time, I wasn’t nurturing myself as an artist, and it was leading very quickly to burnout. So that’s something that I’ve been working on this year especially—nurturing that side of me, because I am an artist; I am a creative. It always felt too self-serving, but then I realized that if I work as an artist, I can lead by example, too.

What led to your decision to stop making jewelry, and what filled the space? I started the shop, and it was too much to make the earrings and run the shop. And I was getting burned out on the jewelry. … It was a big thing to stop making the jewelry. It felt really brave to say, “I’m not going to be doing this anymore; I want to make weird art.” That’s what I knew I wanted to do— make something from my brain and these really strange organic shapes. I didn’t know what yet. … I couldn’t find the right medium that was satisfying to me.

I went to the hardware store, collected a bunch of garbage and started making these hanging lamps … and then I wanted to make these lamps that look like plants with grow bulbs in them to put near your plant. The only things I’m using that are new are the

cords, electrical parts and paint.

Do you feel like you’ve found a more authentic expression in the lamps you’ve been making? I just look at these weirdo things and they make me so happy. It feels like the opposite of when I was making the jewelry. … I think I was afraid that no one would like what was really in my brain. It’s funny, after helping other people and telling people, “Be authentic to you” I finally took my own advice.

How did your advocacy for artists begin? [It] kind of came to me when I was going to school for art at UNLV. I was older than all the other students—I was the professors’ ages. And I saw that all of the artists, all of these young people going to school, have a lot of pressure on them to go this one route to work as an artist, and it wasn’t necessarily a route that would have made them any money and created jobs and space for them to make art as a living.

How do you help artists with their goals and businesses? I do a program for local artists called the Featured Maker program. Sometimes, all the artist needs is help with pricing, [or] they have bigger goals. [With] one of my other Featured Makers, we’re working on grants, and we’re working on art licensing. We’re also working on creating kits.

What I am doing now is what I wish existed when I started. When you’re working as an independent artist, you kind of have to learn as you go. Business-wise, there isn’t a guidebook. So I just try to create something that is accessible and will actually help.

DANIEL TOSH SEPTEMBER 8 & 9

GEORGE LOPEZ SEPTEMBER 1 & 2

Survival Art of

The

Survival

BY GEOFF CARTER

Let’s begin with what’s going

If you want to see visual art created by locals, there are places to do that. There are several galleries throughout the Valley showing work by local artists. Downtown Las Vegas’ 18b Arts District hosts a concentration of galleries, and its monthly First Friday community fair brings art into the streets. City, county and state galleries show a constant stream of Nevada artists. Many of the exterior walls of the Arts District and the nearby Fremont East district are covered with murals by artists both local and international, a trend that’s slowly making its way onto the Strip and into the suburbs.

If you’d like to see art by national and international artists, there are places to do that, too. UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, located on campus, regularly programs eye-popping, educational shows into its multiple galleries. The same is true of multiple branches of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, particularly the super-sized galleries of the Sahara West Library. And there are works by “blue chip” artists deposited throughout our casinos—Damien Hirst pieces at the Palms, James Turrell installations at the Shops at Crystals, an ever-changing selection at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art and so on.

If you want a better understanding of art history and technique, UNLV and the College of Southern Nevada will teach you. If you want to create art, there are venues that can lease you a studio space; supply shops to stock it; and state, city and educational grants you can apply for to fund the whole thing. And if you want to put art in your home, visit any of those galleries alluded to earlier; they’d absolutely love to see you.

Yet the headwinds Vegas’ art

scene faces are real and relentless. The walls of those private, civic and library galleries are programmed for months out, forcing artists to compete for eyeballs. It’s a struggle for creators to maintain both living and creative spaces, even with grant money. Artists are forced to limit their creativity to the hours they’re not working, raising families or attending school. Most significantly, Las Vegans don’t acquire local art in the volume that would allow artists to work without stress, much less call this city an “art market” without using air quotes.

It feels like the pieces we need are there, but they’re not fitting together. They’re either the wrong shape, or they’re just too small.

Spoiler alert: These problems won’t be fixed over the next few hundred words. I’m not much of a visual artist, but I do know lots of great local artists and gallerists, and I recently met with four of them—Nancy Good, Brent Holmes, Bobbie Ann Howell and Krystal Ramirez—to consider the challenges that Vegas’ artists face. (Their comments have been edited for length and clarity.)

THE WALLS

“We need more curated exhibition spaces,” says artist and gallerist Nancy Good, whose art space Core Contemporary is one of the prime draws of the nascent cultural district forming within the resurgent Commercial Center retail village. “I send my [out-of-town] visitors to the libraries, to Priscilla Fowler Fine Art, to Left of Center Gallery, to Recycled Propaganda, to the Arts Factory, to whatever studio that I think might be open at that time. But we need more walls.”

Brent Holmes, a multidisciplinary artist, curator and writer whose work recently won him a Nevada Arts Council fellowship—and whose appraisal of Vegas’ art scene is

Vegas’ visual artists constantly struggle for gallery space, community bonds and patronage. How can they get where they need to be?

Javier Estrada’s “Dreams of Ink + Flowers” at Sahara West Library (Courtesy/Cierra Pedro)

almost brutally frank—says the city could use more curated art spaces, but of a specific kind. He also thinks they might be doomed before they open.

“We have a very narrow number of selling exhibition spaces,” Holmes says. “Selling gallery spaces are few and far between. Most of them are in one neighborhood, which is absurd. And most of them don’t do that well financially. The majority of them are individual or vanity galleries run by people that make enough money in other avenues to support themselves and can just so happen to afford to rent the space.

“We don’t have a real art-buying class [in Vegas],” he continues. “Outside of First Fridays, almost no [gallery] in the Arts District cuts a profit all month long. They all have to wait around for that one day of

the month to make their rent.”

At this point, you might be asking, so what? Many of us think of the arts as a side dish, an elective—something no sane person would double down on while there’s law degrees to be pursued or bitcoin to be mined. But the arts are as strong a profit driver as any of the professions we’ve been conditioned to think of as “real jobs,” says another Nevada Arts Council 2023 fellow, and the Nevada Humanities gallery’s “program wrangler,” Bobbie Ann Howell.

“The world knows [the United States] by our culture and arts—film, literature, music,” she says. “It’s a huge industry.”

Howell suggests that government incentives, such as live/work zoning ordinances, aren’t such a crazy idea. They could keep those Arts District galleries afloat, and

perhaps even encourage a few more to open. And civic help for the visual arts, with an eye toward building something bigger and more robust around them, isn’t without precedent.

“A few years back, Paducah, Kentucky, was just trying to get people to move there. If you were in a creative industry, especially ceramics—because they had a ceramics factory there—they helped you with a down payment on their old houses. They were incentivizing people to move there for cultural purposes, because that’s what they wanted to develop,” Howell says. “And a couple years ago, Tucson [Arizona] did a downtown revitalization, really upping its cultural game to become a hub not just for the community, but for tourists.”

To see this idea in local practice, consider the advent of First Friday in Las Vegas

Artist Nancy Good in her gallery at Core Contemporary (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

THE ART OF SURVIVAL

and the creation, some years later, of the Arts District. In October 2002, when Cindy Funkhouser, Naomi Arin and Julie Brewer made an agreement with Arts Factory owner Wes Isbutt to coordinate the neighborhood’s gallery openings on the First Friday of each month, the neighborhood surrounding the Arts Factory was comprised of antique shops, light industry and empty storefronts. Today, it’s home to quirky bars, upscale restaurants, a proliferating number of breweries and a boutique hotel.

Consider, also, the nearly cavalier attitude that Strip properties have taken in making blue chip art part of their thing. Valet parking used to be a low-frills affair; today, at Aria, you can side-eye a Jenny Holzer installation while you wait for your car to be brought up. It’s thrilling, says Good, but it also comes back to the issue of local artists on local walls.

“The hotel properties, the convention and visitor center properties … those are great walls. Why not showcase the local talent that we have here, if you’re about the Vegas experience? We are the true Vegas experience,” Good says. “All this blue-chip art is really becoming redundant. [The Strip properties] show you the influence of Basquiat, the influence of Dalí, the influence of Koons. They all matter and have their place, but if people are coming to Vegas for the Vegas experience, let us give you art that’s not derivative of all this other art that everybody has seen over and over and over again.”

The point is that art, as a vibe, sells. And it blows Holmes’ mind that Las Vegas hasn’t gone even bigger on it, like Miami has with its American version of Switzerland’s Art Basel.

“We are one of the convention hubs of the world. We’re certainly as fun as Miami. We got Miami beat on several angles, and still, we don’t have an art fair,” Holmes says. “Basel happens in Miami every year; it’s a major draw for multiple industries. And we still don’t have our sh*t together.”

THE KNOWING

If you’ve had breakfast at chef Natalie Young’s Downtown “breakfast and lunch spot” Eat, you’ve seen the work of Vegas-raised interdisciplinary artist Krystal

Ramirez. One of her favorite mediums is found text, and the south wall of Eat is just that: the phrase “I’ll see you in the flowers” written over and over.

At first, it reads as whimsy, like Bart Simpson done screwed up. But the phrase is a meditation on our mortality—as in, yeah, it’s the flowers on our graves. It’s an affecting work when you want it to be, and it’s easy on the eyes when you want it to be.

But the piece also represents something else: the extraordinary opportunities that artists can sometimes enjoy here when the stars align. Back in 2011, Ramirez was working at now-defunct Fremont East coffeehouse the Beat and had some of her early work displayed on the walls. Young, who stopped by every morning for a mocha, saw a small version of the “flowers” piece and asked Ramirez to re-create it at Eat.

“She’s like, ‘I want you to make this as a mural.’ And I thought, ‘This is my big break!’ I’d never been asked to do anything like that,” Ramirez says.

Ultimately, the Eat piece ended up standing alone in Ramirez’s body of work. Someone reached out to her with a request for a similar work, but it didn’t pan out. But one of the key elements of Ramirez’s story is that Young asked her what she’d like to be paid for her piece, and Ramirez suggested $500, which at the time seemed like a lot of money to her.

“You can put that in the piece or not,” Ramirez says. “But I think it’s important to talk about money with art students and with burgeoning artists.”

That’s why it’s fortunate that Ramirez, who recently earned her MFA in Art Practice from Stanford, and others like her hang around in Vegas to share what they’ve picked up. Theory is one thing, but knowing what to charge a client is another thing entirely, as is knowing how to chase down grant money that can pay for rent and supplies, or how to apply for an art scholarship at one of the world’s most respected universities. (She got in on her third try.)

Ramirez’s return to Vegas illuminates another problem that affects all of Vegas’ cultural scenes, from music to performance: attrition. When artists leave Vegas, the scene loses institutional knowledge, loses cohesion. And for Holmes, that bond that held Vegas’ artists together a decade

Artists know the opportunities that are available, but they never think that their work can translate to public art. Everybody’s work can translate to public art: painter, sculptor, musician, writer. Everybody, anybody in the arts. You need somebody to guide you and to figure out how it can translate.”

–Krystal Ramirez

ago is almost completely gone.

“We don’t have the same kind of community we used to. The younger artists are more obsessed with the internet than they are with actually being around each other. The older artists are burnt out and exhausted and have no place to go,” Holmes says. “[Ten years ago], it was organic. It was alive. Everybody had dinner together. We went out for beers, and we stayed up all night. We went dancing. We made paintings. We helped each other to build shows, and we built lives together.

“We loved each other. It was enlightening, and it was beautiful. And who cared if you weren’t making enough money or you were never going to be famous, or nobody gave a f*ck about your art? I was willing to tolerate all that sh*t, living in absolute obscurity in Las Vegas for the rest of my life, for as long as all those great people and great experiences were happening.”

Ramirez thinks the spark still exists. She intends to reinvest herself in Vegas, both by being a working participant in the arts community and by sharing what she has learned with up-and-comers. And she has developed an interest in pursuing public art projects, which is great news for Vegas. Our Valley’s public art game is strong, and it’s thrilling to have her back on the home team.

“One of my professors does public art projects almost exclusively,” Ramirez says. “She showed us what the process is, and an artist that focuses on public art projects— that is an entire career.

“Artists know the opportunities that are available, but they never think that their work can translate to public art,” she continues. “Everybody’s work can translate to public art: painter, sculptor, musician,

THE ART OF SURVIVAL

writer. Everybody, anybody in the arts. You need somebody to guide you and to figure out how it can translate.”

THE MONEY

If there’s a takeaway from this conversation—or a conversation about nearly any of the arts, pretty much anywhere in the world—it’s that many of the problems artists face could be readily solved with more money. That need is perhaps more acute now than it ever was, with the cost of living in Las Vegas steadily creeping upward.

“Less than five years ago, Las Vegas was the kind of city [where] you could rent a two-bedroom house or a three-bedroom apartment for about $800 a month,” Holmes says. “You could work a full-time or parttime job at a wage that might have been not the best wage, but it was more than enough to accommodate your housing needs so that you could then spend the rest of your time focusing on your art. This was an especially important reason that I liked being in Las Vegas. But at this point, even with a

full-time job that pays well, it’s incredibly difficult for me to maintain a household for myself, let alone myself and my children, which makes it incredibly difficult for me to make my art.”

The only way for artists to square themselves with these lopsided circumstances is to sell more art, which, as Howell says, isn’t the easiest thing. It’s not an assembly line.

“I work for a nonprofit. I don’t make a lot of money, but you know, when I see a piece of art [that I like] I want to support the artist. … The last time I had a booth at First Friday, there was guy selling 25 cent-an-ear corn for $5. Who was making the better profit; who was smarter?” She laughs. “You think to yourself, ‘Oh, I’m making things one-at-a-time that are taking hours. What am I doing?’ But, of course, artists do it because they must.”

Core Contemporary’s Good suggests that our local industry should set an example.

“We need more patronage from the businesses that are directly benefiting from art and culture, which is every casino property, every hotel property in town,” she says. “Pret-

ty much every business benefit from artists, you know—they’ve got logos, they’ve got merchandise, they’ve got murals. It would be a bland and sterile world without artists.”

Jumping back into the conversation, I did warn you at the beginning of this piece that we weren’t going to solve the problems associated with being a working artist in Las Vegas. But if I could leave you with one suggestion, it would be to show up. Show up to gallery openings; show up to art-centered events; show up for local artists who could buy groceries or even pay their rent by selling you the work that you’re tempted to shoot with your phone instead.

Because here’s the thing: The artists are going to keep showing up. Vegas’ artists are going to keep doing what they do, even if you’re not looking. Maybe, one of these days, you might.

“My interest right now is to be able to have a studio, to be able to make work,” Ramirez says. “I don’t know if my entire life is committed to being a full-time artist, but I would love that. I want to show my work in places. I want to do all that.”

A look at Excerpts: Works from the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Friday Aug. 14, 2020. (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

Treasury secretary bullish on IRA

IN TRIP TO LAS VEGAS, YELLEN HIGHLIGHTS BENEFITS OF ACT

The economic picture in Nevada and across the nation is positive, as climate and infrastructure projects bolstered by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act begin to take root, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said August 14 in Las Vegas.

Yellen touted an economy on the upswing in the year since Congress passed a $750 billion spending bill aimed at reducing inflation.

“American workers are central to our nation’s economic progress,”

Yellen told members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357. “What you are doing here in Vegas—and across the country—demonstrates every day how skilled workers are literally building our new economic future.”

Nevada’s unemployment rate of 5.4%, last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, can be attributed to the glut of hospitality and gaming workers laid off at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when unemployment here spiked to about 30%, she said.

Between renewable energy projects in rural Nevada and provisions of the IRA that allow states to negotiate drug prices, everyday people should see dividends, Yellen said.

“The Inflation Reduction Act brought down health care costs, is expanding access to health care, is bringing down the out-of-pocket costs for pharmaceuticals and has capped the price of insulin at $35 per month,” she said.

-Casey Harrison

IN THE NEWS

SPORTS

Nevada baseball on world stage

Henderson Little League pitcher Nolan Gifford was dominant in the championship game of the Mountain Regional against Utah in San Bernardino, California, on August 11. He struck out 11 batters and threw a four-inning no-hitter for a 10-0 victory. The win propelled his team to the Little League World Series.

Henderson on August 16 became the second team from Nevada to play in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mountain Ridge Little League played in 2013.

The tournament runs through August 27.

Gifford told ESPN that the key to his dominating performance was “keeping my composure and not thinking about it so much; going up and throwing strikes.”

His efforts were pivotal in leading the team of children ages 11-13 to the famed series, which has gained notoriety since ESPN began televising all games.

The Henderson team has received a lot of encouragement

from the community.

Mayor Michelle Romero reached out with words of encouragement. And Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson, who got his start in the league, sent a video message to the children.

Henderson Little League has been in existence for 36 years. This is the first time the league has won the Nevada championship.

And now, Gifford told ESPN, “let’s go win in Williamsport.”

-Ray Brewer

(Courtesy)

WATCH THIS

EDUCATION

Nevada lawmakers denied Gov. Joe Lombardo’s request to use pandemic relief funds to help backfi ll a shortfall in the state’s school voucher fund. The governor initially had sought $50 million across the 2023-25 biennium to expand the Opportunity Scholarships program, and to grow funding for the program continually until it reached $500 million by 2032.

BY THE NUMBERS

6,500

Approximate number of homeless people counted in Clark County, almost 1,000 more than were counted last year, according to the 2023 Point-In-Time Count. About 65% of those counted were unsheltered and living on the street, outdoors or in vehicles, the desert or encampments. Only 3% were said to be using the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center in Las Vegas.

8.11.2023

ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

Members of the Full Tilt dance crew perform during the rst half of a WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Washington Mystics at the Michelob Ultra Arena. The Aces won the game, 113-89. They play host to the New York Liberty at 7 p.m. August 17, the second of back-to-back games against a team that handed them one of their three losses this season. (Steve Marcus/Sta )

MUSIC

EDM coming to the Strip for New Year’s Eve

Las Vegas Strip revelers will have the chance to ring in the New Year with Kaytranada, the Martinez Brothers, So Tukker and Eric Prydz at Forever Midnight, a new festival series by Insomniac.

The Electric Daisy Carnival promoter unveiled its plans August 14 for a “dual premiere” of the NYE festival, which will kick o at Las Vegas’ LV FestPark at Resorts World and Los Angeles’ LA Convention Center on December 30-31.

Forever Midnight will bring some of the hottest hitmakers in electronic dance music, from Fisher and Jamie xx to Deeper Purpose and Green Velvet. More artists are expected to be announced in the coming months. General admission and VIP tickets for Forever Midnight went on sale August 15 at insom.co/ FMLV for the Las Vegas show and insom.co/FMLA for the LA show.

The current Forever Midnight Las Vegas lineup includes: ANOTR, Archie Hamilton, Bakke, Ben Sterling, ChaseWest, Cristoph, Deeper Purpose, Dennis Cruz, DJ Tennis b2b Chloé Caillet, Eric Prydz, Fisher, Green Velvet, Jamie Jones b2b the Martinez Brothers, Kaytranada, Kyle Walker, Lucati, Malóne, Masha Mar, Mind Against, MK, Nicole Moudaber, So Tukker, Solomun and Tinlicker. -Amber Sampson

The Raiders play at 6 p.m. August 19 at the LA Rams.

TENANT TURMOIL

BY SHANNON MILLER

COVID-19 was merely a chapter in Nevada’s housing crisis woes. According to several sources, the housing landscape in Nevada is seeing an increase in evictions.

Records from North Las Vegas Justice Court show that since the pandemic, eviction filings increased from 3,931 cases in fiscal year 2019 to 5,328 in fiscal year 2022—or by about 35%. And this year alone, North Las Vegas Justice Court has seen 7,428 eviction filings as of June. (Not all filings result in eviction.)

On August 8, U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV)–who sits on the House Financial Services Committee and Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance–sat in the court of North Las Vegas Judge Belinda Harris to witness eviction proceedings.

“The housing affordability crisis, which faced us before the pandemic— we experienced it during the pandemic. And now, with rent prices increasing as they have over the last couple of years, it’s again only gotten worse for a lot of constituents,” Horsford tells the Weekly

Before the pandemic, Las Vegas and Nevada already had the greatest shortage of affordable housing in the nation. And according to a recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Nevada has just 17 affordable units available for every 100 extremely low-income households that need them. (Oregon and Florida are next with 23 units available for every 100 households in need.) Las Vegas tops the list of metropolitan areas with the greatest shortages of affordable housing, with 14 units available for every 100 extremely low-income households in need.

On top of that, compared to other states, Nevada has the highest percentage of extremely low-income renters that are severely cost burdened, meaning the renter pays more than 50% of income on rent and housing expenses. The March report indicated 86% of extremely low-income families (earning 30% or less of area median income) in Nevada land in this severely cost-burdened category, making them vulnerable to eviction.

And with Princeton’s Eviction Lab reporting a 166% increase in eviction

Evictions pile up as Nevada’s stark affordable housing landscape worsens

filings compared to years before the pandemic, Las Vegas’ affordable housing crisis could spiral into a deeper homelessness crisis.

“Economic precarity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic merely highlighted what has long been known: the lowest-income families are just one missed paycheck or unexpected expense away from potential eviction or homelessness,” the National Low Income Housing Coalition report reads.

Horsford says the recent surge in eviction hearings could have been ameliorated if Gov. Joe Lombardo had not vetoed bills in the legislature related to evictions. One of them, Senate Bill 335, would have extended a pandemic-era protection safeguarding tenants from eviction if they had filed an application for rental assistance.

“Tenants … unfortunately are running out of options to stay housed. Landlords, some of whom are trying to do the right thing … also can’t afford to keep people in their units without getting paid. And the system isn’t working,” Horsford says. “It’s exacerbated, in my view, based on the decision to veto several bills that were proposed in the last legislature; on top of the ending of the eviction moratorium, which I understand was in place during the pandemic.”

After Nevada’s eviction moratorium ended in May 2021, advocates and lawmakers pushed to extend pandemic protections, successfully passing Assembly Bill 486 in 2021, preventing eviction proceedings if a tenant had a pending application for rental assistance. In 2022, Senate Bill 335 sought to extend the June 5 expiration date of AB 486. It passed both Legislative houses before Lombardo vetoed it in June.

Data from Las Vegas Justice Court, which serves Las Vegas township, shows that eviction hearings increased from 645 in July 2022 to 1,600 in July 2023. Hearings have jumped from 8,645 in 2022 to 12,037 cases already in 2023.

Lombardo’s office did not respond to a request for comment on evictions or housing affordability in Nevada.

When he vetoed SB335, the governor’s veto message said the legislation would burden the “residential renting market” and saddle landlords with a less

convenient eviction process.

“SB335 would create onerous burdens in Nevada’s residential renting market by requiring even more hurdles for a landlord to evict a noncompliant tenant by establishing a judicial diversion program for such tenants,” reads the statement from Lombardo. “Not only would this make the eviction process more time consuming, it would also make it more costly—potentially worsening availability and accessibility to residential properties for those looking to rent.”

Help on the way?

In response to the increase in eviction cases, North Las Vegas Justice Court has invited Nevada Legal Services to set up an outreach table just outside of court chambers, where qualifying low-income tenants can get legal advice and free assistance.

John Brogden, senior attorney with Nevada Legal Services’ tenants’ rights center, and several other attorneys were stationed in the lobby of North Las Vegas Justice Court on August 9. They’re providing the outreach on Wednesday mornings.

Brogden says there are several causes for which a landlord can evict, and lately, nonpayment of rent seems to be the most common among his clients.

In 2021 and 2022, the law AB486 held that a court could not proceed with eviction for nonpayment of rent if the tenant had an application pending for rental assistance. As of the end of 2022, Clark County’s rental assistance program, the Cares Housing Assistance Program (or CHAP), had allocated more than $375 million and helped 70,000 households with rental assistance. But without an extension of that law, landlords are no longer required to accept rental assistance from CHAP, which could take weeks or even months to process.

“I have seen—especially with people who are awaiting CHAP payments— landlords’ attorneys saying that those landlords are not willing to wait around on CHAP anymore. … I think that overall, they just got really disillusioned with accepting CHAP funds, which is why they’re not inclined to do so now,” Brogden says.

With landlords unwilling to wait for rental assistance and many tenants un-

able to meet the rising cost of rent, the housing affordability crisis has again become more pronounced.

In June, Clark County announced $70 million for affordable and supportive housing initiatives. In 2022, the county allocated $120 million to build or rehabilitate 3,000 housing units. “We know these developments do not come along quickly, but we are focused on permanent solutions for our region and these investments help us to achieve this goal,” Commission Chairman Jim Gibson said in a partial statement.

In Washington, Horsford has sponsored legislation, including the Housing Crisis Response Act of 2023 reintroduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) in June. If passed, the legislation would provide more than $150 billion for rental assistance programs along with supportive and affordable housing.

“These funds would create nearly 1.4 million affordable and accessible homes, help 294,000 households afford their rent, and address the racial wealth gap through the first-ever national investment in homeownership for first-time, first-generation homebuyers,” reads a fact sheet from the House Financial Services Committee.

Horsford has also sponsored the Housing Oversight and Mitigating Exploitation (or HOME) Act, which seeks to crack down on out-of-state corporate investors. The Congressman says those types of landlords have posed a growing problem in his district, which includes North Las Vegas, some of Las Vegas and central Nevada.

“Nearly a third of the properties in parts of my district are now owned by these out-of-state speculators, many of whom are driving up the costs, evicting at higher rates [and] not managing the properties, which lowers the values for everybody else and destabilizes the market,” he says. “My bill would empower HUD [the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] to go after those market manipulators, fine them and put the money into a housing trust fund to create more housing affordability.”

Tenants … unfortunately are running out of options to stay housed. Landlords, some of whom are trying to do the right thing … also can’t afford to keep people in their units without getting paid. And the system isn’t working.”

-U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford

FRIDAY

PRESENTS SUMMER CONCERT

AUG 25

7PM-MIDNIGHT

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

DJ SET

FEATURING DOS LONELY BOYS, z, evan durant b2b Parra, PLUS a silent disco

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR TICKETS

LINKED BY INK

Koolsville ’s $10 specials have become a tattoo rite of passage

BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ

One of the rst times I found myself under a buzzing tattoo gun was at a Koolsville Tattoo. A friend and I decided nothing would solidify our friendship more than matching ink, and we were further intrigued by a sidewalk sign that simply read, “Tattoos $10.”

Koolsville has six Valley locations; the one we chose sits between two eclectic dive bars on Main Street, an ideal combination for spontaneity.

The process was quick and simple: We selected a design and handed over our IDs, consent forms and $10 apiece, and in less than 30 minutes

we walked out with small UFO designs etched onto our ankles. And we weren’t the only two linked together by our alien encounter; to this day, I still bump into strangers with the exact same tattoo, an interesting side e ect of a visit to the popular and a ordable Koolsville.

On a recent return to the same Downtown location, I nd the shop busy as always, a bustling crowd browsing the ash sheet and waiting for a turn under the needle.

One young woman asks if I’ve been tattooed here before—and, once I con rm that I have been, twice,

actually—she and her friends ask to see the nished product. After nodding their approval, they continue planning their picks. “This is my rst tattoo, but we’re in Vegas and I’m young, so why not?” reasons one from the pack, which has traveled from New York.

It has been 15 years since co-owning husband-wife team Robert and Mari Gonzalez launched the rst Koolsville—the same Main Street spot where I got my spaceship and where I’m revisiting now—before expanding and opening ve additional locations. Each shop shares the same pink and black paint job and matching decor— and they’re similarly busy. Robert pulls up live camera footage from a Koolsville on Las Vegas Boulevard to con rm the foot tra c.

So how has Koolsville become such a popular attraction for both visitors and locals? The $10 special—and its many resulting tattoos, promoted organically on social media—certainly

hasn’t hurt.

“Ten dollars is still a lot of money, and we’re grateful for anyone who comes to us to spend it,” Mari says. “Everyone wants a tattoo and deserves something nice to feel better about themselves, so that’s why we do it.”

Robert and Mari are both experienced tattooists, but they’ve put their artistry on the back burner to manage their businesses. Their ethos is built from the heart: They chat a ably with customers, they don’t charge for apprenticeships and they even o er discounted tattoos in exchange for charitable contributions.

Tattoos are only growing in popularity, and Koolsville remains ready to meet that demand. “It’s a blue-collar shop.” Robert says. “People ask us why we didn’t expand to the south of the Strip but if I did that, rent would be higher and the price of our tattoos would go up. We just want people to have a good time here.”

KOOLSVILLE TATTOO Six area locations, koolsvilletattoolv.com.

(Courtesy/Robert Montoya)

CASTING SPELLS

Vegas duo Spelling Hands transports listeners to a dark realm

BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ

Spelling Hands typically emerges from a cloud of faux fog, illuminated by dark-red lighting as the Vegas duo hits the stage. Musically, the act conjures up a somber energy ampli ed by throbbing industrial beats, heavy synth peaks and uctuating vocals spewing personal takes on the harsh realities of life.

As beatmaker Bryan Bermudez puts it, “It’s as if Danzig picked up a synthesizer and drum machine instead of a guitar. There’s a little bit of hardcore, a little bit of electronic and a whole lot of witchy stu going on.”

Nineties house music greatly inspired the band’s sound. Growing up, Bermudez and vocalist Michael Angelo were exposed to hard techno, a staple among their Mexican American friends and family members.

“I shared a bedroom with my older brother, and his wall was covered in rave posters,” Angelo says. “Sometimes his friends would come over in their Depeche Mode and Cure shirts. They were these Mexican kids who threw raves.”

Angelo also immersed himself in the music scene during the height of the Huntridge Theater and Sanctuary era. Bermudez credits Angelo for introducing him to underground music and has delved in ever since, down a never-ending rabbit hole of new sounds. The two founded their rst punk cover band, The Revenants, at age 13 and have been involved in other projects together and separately for more than 20 years. Their latest, Spelling Hands, emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown. “I used to fantasize about something stopping time, and quarantine gave me the chance to be locked in my room and be creative,” Bermudez says.

He had a vision for his beats, which he says only his longtime friend could ful ll vocally.

Angelo obliged, and on a whim the pair tracked vocals inside a makeshift mic booth inside Bermudez’s apartment bathroom. “We heard that rst song and thought, yeah, this is a band,” Angelo recalls.

The band’s name has multiple meanings: sorcerers using their hands to cast spells, com-

munication using symbols and even nods to the gang culture they grew up around.

They consider their early songs to be a time capsule. There’s a harrowing aggressiveness and anger woven into the tracks, composed during a confusing time we all lived through. So far, Spelling Hands has refrained from releasing a full album, preferring the more digestible EP format in an era when attention spans are short.

After dropping their rst EP, Practice Secret Forms of Culture, in 2021, the duo took time to record and develop its sound before jumping into gigs. When Spelling Hands began playing out, the progression continued. And with years of connections within the music scene, they’ve been recognized locally and in LA, too.

Bermudez and Angelo are especially proud of Spelling Hands’ diverse show history, which already includes hardcore gigs by local collective Blackpath Booking, goth nights in LA and various punk shows. “Electronic music usually gets put in a box,” Angelo says. “Luckily for us, Vegas hasn’t put us in a category.”

Bermudez (left) and Angelo (Courtesy/Danielle Dixon)

SPELLING HANDS linktr.ee/spellinghands

Next show: Opening for Hoaxed, with The Guilty Party, August 30 at the Usual Place.

HIDE AND

Easy’s elevates the speakeasy with ravishing sights, sounds and sips

GO SEEK

BY AMBER SAMPSON

You’d think the women wearing stilettos standing in line at Easy’s Donuts & Coffee were waiting on their expedited entry into nearby Jewel Nightclub. They’re certainly dressed the part, but there’s no party in sight. Or so it seems.

Just outside Proper Eats Food Hall at Aria, discreetly tucked behind the quaint and luminous exterior of the doughnut shop, sits Easy’s Cocktail Lounge, a speakeasy where Las Vegas musicians hold court, mixology looks more like alchemy and wrist-touching, elbow-grazing intimacy is part of the intrigue.

“When the conversation first came up to put a speakeasy inside of Aria … something that was really discussed and heavily thought about was it being an ode to Old Vegas, back in the days of the Rat Pack, when Vegas was really known for being extremely luxurious, exclusive and just absolutely fabulous,” says Brea Moore, marketing director for Proper Eats.

competitor Mecca and Joseph Soul from The Voice—anchor nights at Easy’s, the latest project from Clique Hospitality. Clique’s industry-leading direction can also be felt in the imaginative cocktail menu, separated into three categories: show stoppers, speakeasy libations and specialty cocktails. Order the latter if you’re craving a well-crafted Manhattan or Negroni, but more adventurous palates will adore the rest of the menu.

Proper Eats

Food Hall at Aria, easysvegas.com. Daily,

“Our show stoppers are what we’re really known for, and they’re extremely over the top. They have that luxury spirit, that fabulous essence that old Las Vegas and current Las Vegas has,” Moore explains. “But the speakeasy libations are something that we wanted to ... be a little bit more easygoing.”

The decor of the space, accented with rich emerald greens, cozy love seats and tables bathed in candlelight, sharply contrasts with the bright storefront. People murmur here, until snatches of conversation become a chorus of connection.

But as singer Skye Dee Miles takes the stage, all eyes turn to her and her four-piece band. She’s slides seamlessly between genres and sounds—Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, Frank Sinatra—reshaping each song or medley with her own unique soulfulness.

“The whole idea is that it’s a postmodern jukebox,” Moore says. “We can really have any band or solo artists that come in here transform a song. They could do Eminem music. They could do Dr. Dre. They can do rock ’n’ roll music in a jazz style. They can really pick up any sort of genre of music and make it fit the room and speak to the essence of Easy’s.”

A stacked rotation of Strip performers—including former American Idol

Easy’s Shroomin ($50) cocktail isn’t merely delicious; it’s a visual showstopper. Crafted with Botanist gin, matcha and lemon honey, the drink comes served on a carpeted tray of moss in mushroom glasses with dried herb sugar on the rim. Heart of the Ocean ($50), an elixir of Casamigos Blanco tequila, blueberry spirulina and “pink ocean air” arrives on a tiny island of microflowers, sand, a seashell and smoke.

“The bartenders and barbacks really put their heart and soul into these drinks every single night,” Moore says. “It’s really a labor of love, and I feel you can taste that with every sip and just from the beautiful presentation of each cocktail.”

For something cute but equally head-turning, try the 3 Lil Bears ($27), a cocktail served with watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe-flavored ice bears that soak up the Belvedere vodka like boozy icebergs. The Puss & Boots ($27) also delivers a bright and serious flavor shock, with its mixture of Patron, St. Germain, lemon and creamy egg whites.

Open since spring, Easy’s Cocktail Lounge is a great secret that’s hard to keep to ourselves.

Blake Lewis performs at Easy’s Cocktail Lounge (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)

EASY’S COCKTAIL LOUNGE

PRESENTED BY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WADE VANDERVORT & STEVE MARCUS

GRAND ARRIVAL

A prime aged ribeye and (right) La Bohème cocktail at Cathédrale (Courtesy/Anthony Mair)

FOOD & DRINK

Cathédrale , Tao Group’s latest Strip spot, makes a dramatic impact at Aria

BY JIM BEGLEY

Nestled inside the Aria space which formerly housed Sage, Cathédrale is Tao Group Hospitality’s latest Strip o ering. It’s another successful New York transplant, one that admirably delivers a French/Mediterranean menu against a backdrop of blue velvet and bronze.

The rst impression is an entryway ready-made for the Insta crowd. For those familiar with its longtime predecessor, the layout hasn’t signi cantly shifted other than this now o -center entrance. Hanging light xtures along the walkway hint at the space’s most breathtaking e ects—ball bearing ceiling features above the bar and main dining room. The ornate installations provide a nouveau e ect, mimicking the vaulted ceilings of European cathedrals while reimagining them in a style all their own.

CATHÉDRALE Aria, 702.590.8577, taogroup.com.

subdued is the Adagio Per Miele ($22), a gin-based martini ri laced with basil eau de vie and rested on beeswax, which endows the drink with viscosity and hints of honey to balance its inherent booziness. Your choice of libation might simply depend upon how much attention you’re looking to attract.

Sunday-Thursday, 5-10:30 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-11 p.m.

Food-wise, begin with executive chef Jason Hall’s watermelon salad ($25), a simple summer concoction of chunked watermelon dotted with mint sprigs, salty feta cheese crumbles and a nish of watermelon vinaigrette. Comparably sweet are the Roquefort and Marcona almond-stu ed warm dates ($12) which explode with funkiness. And grilled Hen of the Woods mushrooms ($24), a down-to-earth moniker for maitakes, shine with an accompanying basil pesto.

While taking in the scenery, why not grab a cocktail? If you’re looking to impress, there’s nothing more playfully ostentatious than the Quaternary ($70), a martini served on its own ice block with an accompanying spoonful of Kaluga caviar. More

But Hall’s most memorable creation is Cathédrale’s destination dish, the Omelette ($37)—a stylish ri on the breakfast staple so noteworthy it’s a orded its own menu section. This ethereal melding of Boursin cheese and eggs inspired by the chef’s hotel room service order comes gilded with Kaluga caviar, crème fraîche and house-made potato chips. The simple combination is spectacular—simultaneously salty, silky and sweet. It’s a must for every table.

Among entrees, buttery black tru e fettuccine ($59) wafts of earthiness, a rich, ample dish t for sharing. While steaks are a Strip xture, Cathédrale’s 30-day dryaged ribeye ($84) stands out with its bright, herbal sauce verte. And don’t overlook the umami-laden prime cheeseburger ($35), garnished with what could be the best tomato slice in town—sourced directly from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market—and accompanied by hand-cut fries that rank among the Valley’s nest.

After all that, try to save room for the Sorrento lemon ($19), a treat bursting with Asian yuzu and calamansi disguised as the actual citrus. In an evening of photo-worthy opportunities, it’s a tting nale.

BAJAMAR’S POKE NACHOS ARE A REAL CATCH

 If you’ve visited Bajamar for some of the best-in-town fish tacos—battered or grilled and topped with cabbage and pico de gallo, an absolute steal at $4.50 a pop—you know that the humble spot over-delivers on quality, service and taste.

But if you haven’t taken a deep dive through the menu, you’re missing out on everything else that Bajamar does well, which is, well, everything: shrimp or octopus cocktails, ceviche tostadas, and a plate of “poke nachos” that could well be the best summer dish in Vegas.

Priced at $20 and serving two-to-four people (or, ahem, one person going big on lunch and skipping dinner), Bajamar’s poke nachos come loaded with a generous amount of fresh, giant-cut chunks of tuna, served on a bed of thick tortilla chips whose flaky consistency more closely resembles fried wontons. That alone would be enough—the tuna is really, really good—but the kitchen also adds avocado, cilantro, pickled onion, shredded cucumber and carrot, a tiny bit of crispy onions and two spicy sauces—a smoky chipotle and an aioli-sriracha combo.

Every bite of Bajamar’s poke nachos is a cool treat followed by a warm and tangy afterburn. Pair them with a cold beer, and you’ll immediately recognize them for what they are: a summertime essential.

–Geo Carter

BAJAMAR SEAFOOD & TACOS

1615 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-331-4266; 8180 Blue Diamond Road #110, 702-331-5509; bajamarbajastyle.com.

(Wade Vandervort/Sta )

RALLY RAIDERS

BY CASE KEEFER

Heading into this season, it’s evident that expectations for the Raiders have hit their nadir since the team to moved to Las Vegas.

It is a near-consensus choice to wind up last in the AFC West and sits at 20-to-1 odds to win the division, despite having nished second or third in each of its three local seasons so far. A highly disappointing 6-11 record in the rst year under coach Josh McDaniels, followed by an o season in which the Raiders shed former franchise cornerstones like Derek Carr and Darren Waller, has made for pessimism around the league.

But such negativity seems to have even permeated the fan base, considering the crowd at the Raiders’ rst and only preseason game at Allegiant Stadium. Silver and black looked outnumbered—or at least evenly matched—by the San Francisco 49ers’ scarlet and gold.

It all just doesn’t feel right. Summer training camp, for those who ascribe to NFL romanticism, is supposed to be when hope springs eternal and each team’s faithful thinks it has a shot at the Super Bowl.

And this year’s Raiders have certainly given some reasons to believe in them since they arrived at the team’s Henderson headquarters last month. Here are ve of them.

Five reasons why the team might be better than you think this year

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Cole Fotheringham (85) catches a pass during a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on August 13. (AP Photo)

1

They crushed the 49ers

The thousands of 49ers fans who paid a premium to see their team open the preseason at Allegiant Stadium didn’t have much to cheer about. The Raiders walloped their old rivals 34-7 on August 13.

And while it’s easy to write o a preseason result, given that the vast majority of starters weren’t playing and the stakes were nonexistent, the game wasn’t the only time the Raiders thrived against the 49ers. The home team arguably outplayed the visitors to a larger extent in a joint practice Friday before the game. There, the starters for both teams took the bulk of the snaps.

The day before that, the teams practiced together for the rst time, and it was pretty close, with both the Raiders and 49ers having their moments. But even that was encouraging, considering that San Francisco is the favorite to reach the Super Bowl out of the NFC and has reached the conference championship game in three out of the past four seasons.

“It was a decent way to start,” McDaniels said after the preseason game. “I thought we had good e ort and competitiveness all the way through. … There’s some mistakes we have to x and correct but certainly guys stepped up and made some plays.”

2A new defensive identity

The Raiders believe they have a cure to their long-running defensive woes, and it lies in throwing more all-out e ort at creating turnovers. Las Vegas was last in the league a year ago with only 13 takeaways, but it had almost that many in three days worth of showdowns with San Francisco.

The Raiders uno cially had eight interceptions in the two days of practices, and then an interception and a fumble recovery in the preseason game. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is stressing punching at balls being carried in the open eld and selling out to get hands on passes in the air.

Cornerback Marcus Peters, safety Marcus Epps and linebacker Robert Spillane—three free agent arrivals

slotted with starting roles—are doing the most to implement the philosophy and all have multiple takeaways in practice. In the game against the 49ers, linebacker Curtis Bolton forced the fumble while cornerback Sam Webb nabbed an interception.

Linebacker Amari Burney and cornerback Duke Shelley also dropped two other easy interceptions.

“We got our hands on more footballs than we ended up coming up with,” McDaniels said. “Until you start getting close, it’s hard to create them. I thought the defense was really connected.”

3

Madder Maxx

Maxx Crosby has been such a menace the past two seasons, with a combined 20.5 sacks and a league-leading 182 pressures, that it’s easy to forget the superstar edge rusher hasn’t hit his traditional prime yet. In other words, the 25-year-old could get even better.

And in training camp, it looks like he has gotten even better.

Crosby is constantly in the face of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during full-team drills, and though he’s not allowed to hit him, the pressure has contributed to the torrent of turnovers by the defense.

Crosby is a perennial contender for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award, and only a few other teams can claim to have a luxury like that on their roster.

“Every single day that I come in here, I think about winning,” Crosby said. “I don’t want to do this yearround and not make the playo s. I’m sick of that sh*t.”

4Young and hungry McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler played up their latest draft class as foundational for the future of the franchise. And the early returns have been promising, despite the top two picks— rst-round edge rusher Tyree Wilson and second-round tight end Michael Mayer—nursing injuries and not currently practicing.

Surprisingly, fourth-round cornerback Jakorian Bennett is getting the most rst-team reps next to Peters at his position. Bennett might be the fastest player on the team. It’s at least a close competition with third-round receiver Tre Tucker, who blows past too many defensive backs not to carve out some role in the o ense immediately.

A pair of defensive tackles— third-rounder Byron Young and seventh-rounder Nesta Jade Silvera—have both ashed in practice and drawn high praise from Crosby. Burney, a sixth-round pick, seems sure to make the 53-man roster as an asset both in coverage and against the run.

is fth-round safety Christopher Smith, who’s found himself at the bottom of a logjam at his position.

5 They weren’t that bad last year in the first place

Yes, the Raiders were ve games below .500 but their point di erential was only -23. They went 4-9 in games decided by a touchdown or less, a notoriously ckle measure that can uctuate wildly from year to year.

Raider fans should know. Las Vegas set an NFL record with ve walk-o wins in the 2021-22 season when it reached the playo s, but saw the close-game fortune ip the other way last season.

The Raiders set another NFL record in the 2022-23 season by blowing four double-digit halftime leads. Poor game management by McDaniels was a factor, but luck tends to play a larger role in tight games than most realize or want to admit.

Flip a few of those results and the Raiders can be right back in the thick of the playo race this year. The hype might not be there, but the Raiders

The Raiders’ only healthy draft pick who’s yet to make an impact have a shot at putting together a strong season.

playo

Maxx Crosby (AP Photo)

PROGRAM PLANTS SEEDS OF ‘FARMPRENEUR’ VISION

BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER VEGAS INC STAFF

It’s hard to escape the desert sun behind Marion Earl Elementary School, where the playground and basketball courts swelter in the heat. But one secluded corner acts as an unintended refuge, with a garden marked by wooden benches, hand-painted rocks, ripening flowers and fruit, and precious shade from lemon and pear trees.

As first-grade teacher Madeline Kelly walks through the garden at the Las Vegas elementary school, she gushes over the growing tomatoes and artichokes, the apple tree and the many bright blooms of yellow and purple.

“I just really want to do a lot here at our school to show the kids that there’s so many jobs that you can have or opportunities just from being outside, being in the garden or just random things that we do with plants,” said Kelly, the garden’s primary supervisor at the school. “Not everyone really thinks about plants, so I like to give them that chance to.”

The outdoor garden is one of two at Marion Earl, which also has an indoor, hydroponic garden that gives students even more opportunity to plant seeds, watch the life cycle of a plant and eventually even harvest produce like parsley or cilantro, without worrying about the harsh climate outdoors.

Both gardens are sponsored by local nonprofit Green Our Planet, which provides schools with similar opportunities for handson learning.

The 10-year-old organization has established 200 outdoor school gardens in Clark County, and recently received a $50,000 grant from Credit One Bank to continue its work at the intersection of education and the environment. The grant specifically supports the Giant Student Farmers Market and other programs that promote financial literacy.

“If we can get them excited about STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] through gardens, which is what we do—we get them excited about being outside, with butterflies and bees and hummingbirds—then we get them excited about the hydroponic system,” said Ciara Byrne, CEO of Green Our Planet. “And then next thing you know, they’re learning STEM.”

It’s important to get kids engaged in STEM at a young age, Byrne said, because studies show that most children make critical decisions—like whether to pursue a career in science or liberal arts—by age 7 or 8.

“We see ourselves as part of … the school garden movement across the United States, and we’re an important player because we’re

the only nonprofit that has a K-12, STEM hydroponics curriculum,” Byrne said, noting the importance of hydroponics in the Southwest, because the indoor gardening system uses up to 90% less water than traditional gardens.

Green Our Planet’s farmers market allows hundreds of children to sell the fruits and vegetables from their school gardens, along with items they might have created from or based on those items, like pieces of artwork.

Kids who participate in the market write out a personal business plan for their gardens, learn about profit and loss, carry out a marketing campaign and more, Byrne said, effectively earning them the title of “farmpreneur.”

“When you see fifth-graders out running their market and managing their money, and figuring out how to reinvest the money they make back into their garden—that’s very powerful,” she said.

The grant from Credit One Bank shows that it recognizes how Green Our Planet’s programs like the farmers market support not just environmental progress, Byrne said, but entrepreneurship, too.

“We’re empowering them to understand that the green movement is not just about conservation and protecting the planet,” she said. “You can run a successful business and still be green … so that’s really at the root of what we’re trying to do.”

The organization provides a teaching curriculum, as well, and has created more than 300 videos to go along with the hands-on gardening programs, Byrne said. A school farmer from Green Our Planet also visits regularly to teach lessons and check up on the gardens.

“The kids that we’re teaching today are going to solve the climate crisis that we’re in,” she said. “So it’s extraordinarily important, the work that we do, and we take it very seriously.”

First-grade teacher Madeline Kelly by the vegetable and flower garden at Marion Earl Elementary School (Staff/Steve Marcus)

VEGAS INC NOTES

Spotlighting the best in business

Interblock announced a strategic acquisition of specific assets from Aruze Gaming America Inc. Through this acquisition, Interblock plans to integrate Aruze’s Electronic Table Games product line into its portfolio and expand its workforce to more than 700 employees worldwide.

Gov. Joe Lombardo announced several new board and commission appointments, including Dallas Haun to the Nevada Athletic Commission; John T. Moran III and Stanley Olsen to the Nevada Commission on Ethics; Kenneth Goodrich to the Workforce Development Board; Yolanda King to the Board of Economic Development; Jesse Haw to the State Infrastructure Bank; and Hayley Williamson as chair of the Public Utilities Commission

The Source’s cannabis brands CAMP and High Heads won 11 awards in various categories at the fifth annual Nevada Cannabis Awards Music Festival. The solventless brand CAMP was bestowed nine individual honors, including a Grower award for Director of Cultivation Operations Irene Villenueva

Durango Casino & Resort announced three culinary and beverage appointments: Ryan Hink, director of food and beverage; David Bonatesta, lead mixologist; and Aaron Losch, assistant resort executive chef. Hink served as director of food & beverage at New York-New York, Park MGM and

NoMad, MGM Grand Las Vegas, and Aria Resort & Casino, among others. Bonatesta had previous roles at NoMad Las Vegas, barmini and minibar by José Andrés and Lev Group. Losch previously served as director of culinary operations at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino and corporate executive chef at Alex Stratta Restaurant Group.

Station Casinos promoted Lydia Pierce to executive director of events and Renee Di Liddo to director of sales and catering at Durango Casino & Resort. Pierce will help lead the various catering teams, drive revenue, deliver guest satisfaction and oversee the high-touch bookings from contract to completion. Di Liddo brings over 12 years of expertise in the sales and hospitality industry and will lead sales, catering and banquet operations.

Dr. Joseph Wineman is 2023-24 president of the Nevada Dental Association. Wineman has served as president of the Southern Nevada Dental Society, chairperson of the Southern Nevada Peer Review Committee, and is the continuing education chair for the Nevada Academy of General Dentistry. The association also elected the following slate of officers to its executive committee: Dr. Patrick Silvaroli, president-elect; Dr. Sheronda Strider-Barazza, vice president; Dr. Perry Francis, treasurer; Dr. Aimee Abittan, secretary; and Dr. Jason Doucette, as past-president.

Dr. Joseph Wineman

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TEACHERS PROTEST | CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT EDUCATION CENTER | THURSDAY, AUG. 10, 2023

Teachers and some children rallied outside of a Clark County School District office on East Flamingo Road, bringing attention to the Clark County Education Association’s standoff with the CCSD over contract negotiations to raise teacher pay. The CCSD has filed a lawsuit over what it argues is a threatened illegal teachers’ strike. If there is not an agreement by August 26, then union members will vote on whether to “engage in work actions.”

–Shannon Miller

(Steve Marcus/Staff)