Rtt july 2015 new digital

July 2015

Artown's 20th Anniversary Commemorative Poster by Artist Franz Szony

6 A PROBABILITY OF WORDS

JULY 2015 CONTENT

ART 8 Q & A With Susan Watson

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BEAUTY 13 La Di Da Beauty and Veronica Chavez 17 Male Grooming 19 BRITS 'N' PIECES BUSINESS 20 The Jungle 23 Yelp in your own words 25 COMMUNITY RADIO COVER STORY 26 Franz Szony 41 CULTURE 45 EDITOR'S PICKS ESSAY 49 The Swan Lectures

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EVENT 51 Mellow Yellow 56 Nowhere Nevada

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FEATURE 60 KRZQ RadIo Personality Willobee 67 HEALTH TIPS HISTORY 68 The Virginia Street Bridge MALL 70 Virginia Street Antique Mall NEW BUSINESS 72 Culture Part 2 80 SixFour Growlers

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82 RADIUS 87 REAL ESTATE 89 RENO COMPUTER FIX

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93 SKATE NV 96 THE COUTURE COLUMN 98 THE NEST 103 TRAINING TIPS

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SNAPSHOT Photographer Tony Contini Photo of Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala June, 19, 2015 at Warriors' victory parade in downtown Oakland

Editor/Publisher Oliver X Art Director Chris Meredith Contributing Designers Courtney Meredith

Design Associate

Katrina Stewart

Contributing Writers

Britton Griffith-Douglass Thomas Lloyd Qualls Rory Dowd Isha Casagrande Tony Contini Amanda Horn Rachel Douglass Michael Tragash Debe Fennel Isha Casagrande Tessa Miller Lanette Katre Contributing Photographers Shelbi Carr Whitehead Chris Holloman Tony Contini Clayton Beck Anicia Beckwith Digiman Studio Marcello Rostagni Ted Varney Jennifer Sande Kyle Volland Interns Heather McAlpine Sales 775-412-3767 Submissions renotahoetonightrocks@gmail.com Website renotahoetonightmagazine.com All content, layout and design is the property of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. Duplication or reproduction is prohibited without the expressed written consent of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. Copyright 2015.

Reno Tahoe Tonight is produced on 10% recycled American paper and is printed with all soy and vegetable inks.

A PROBABILITY OF WORDS Text Thomas Lloyd Qualls Photo Johnstone Studios Thomas Lloyd Qualls is a writer, a condition that is apparently incurable. He manages his condition, in part, by regular contributions to Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine and to the borderless virtual tribe known as Rebelle Society. He’s also a novelist, essayist, videographer, painter, bike rider, and sometimes salvager of troubled lives.

Feel free to friend him, follow him, or just invite him out for a beer. Or, at the very least, just go buy one of his books. Remember that books are also art, really great art that invites you to participate in its creation.

Waking Up at Rembrandt’s, his debut novel, has received local and national critical acclaim. The second edition of the novel is available in print (think of vinyl, only for books) and on multiple e-version platforms. There’s also a book of poetry, love jaywalks, available everywhere ebooks are sold.

Still on the horizon: a collection of essays, some new paintings, and a second novel, painted oxen, due out just as soon as all the words finish lining up. In the meantime, you can visit his website whenever you like.

There's more stuff there. www.tlqonline.com © 2015 thomas lloyd qualls

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Thomas Lloyd Qualls

Buy Art. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: Your job is to find beauty.

Yes, your own life is messy. Yes, your job is stressful. Yes, your romantic partnership is hanging by a thread. Yes, traffic sucks. Yes, your children won’t listen. Or stop talking back. Or stop crying. Or stop leaving Legos and bouncy balls in the middle of the kitchen floor where you’ll step on them in the dark and damn near kill yourself. Or them.

Yes, the laundry is overflowing. Yes, you forgot to water your plants. Again. And yes, half of them are dead. Yes, you blew the deadline. And yes, it will be another year before you can apply again. Yes, the thing you wanted more than anything in the whole universe didn’t happen.

Or at least it didn’t happen to you.

Yes, on top of your own crazy world of red lights, tax forms, relationship disasters, and impossible financial obligations, all over the world people are doing terrible things to other people. And to animals. And to the planet. Which, as it turns out, is the same thing as doing those things to people and animals. But believe it or not, there is something you can do about it: Buy art.

If you don’t believe me, just listen to Picasso, he knows: Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

-Picasso Sure, you say. I’ll just forget about all the world’s troubles, and my own, stick my head in the sand mandala, and hide. Well, okay. That’s better than a hundred other things you could do. But I don’t see it as just hiding.

I see it as one of the more powerful things you can do to change the world.

What the hell am I talking about? I’ll tell you what.

Actually, I’ll let Anaïs Nin tell you, because she said it quite nicely: We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.

What I mean, in case you’re still scratching your head, is that your life is the sum total of all the things you focus on in a day. Which is why I keep saying that your job is to find beauty. More than this, as I’ve also said: Your job is to seek it out, acknowledge it, share it, nurture it, photograph it, paint it, sculpt it, write about it, draw its name in the sand, scatter its petals over the ocean, light up the night sky with its fire.

- Thomas Lloyd Qualls And yes, your job is to buy that piece of art that embodies the beauty you seek.

Unless, of course, you want the terrorists to win. Then just sit at home and look at your blank walls, worrying about that missed deadline and your lover who won’t

call. No? Then get out there! And lucky for you, it’s July in Reno, and that means Artown is literally everywhere.

Still not convinced? Then I’ll give you a little more food for beauty.

It’s empowering.

You see something you like. Something that makes you smile. Something that lights up something else somewhere near your chest area, your brain area, or maybe even your loins. You have either some money in the bank, your pockets, or on a credit card. You make an executive decision to use that money to buy that thing that makes you smile. And BAM, you own it. Just like that. You get to take it home and put it up any damn place you like.

Artists could use the dough.

Seriously. Artists live by the mantra, not just of finding beauty, but of creating it. And they generally make less money than school teachers. Sometimes a lot less. And if you want the world to be better, it starts with finding beauty, and then helping it pay the rent.

Support what you love.

There are many things to be upset about, many things to rail against, to protest, and to fight. And many of those fights are noble. And it is a far more powerful act to find out what you love and support it. That is the best way I know to make the world a better place.

It’s an affirmation of abundance.

When you buy art, you’re telling the universe a thing or two. Including that you are confident of your place in it, and that you are worthy of its beauty. And you are casting a vote for what’s important. Something to counter what the mass-produced-goods culture tells us everywhere we look.

It has a story.

I don’t know about you, but I want the things I have to have a story. Not to be just cold, machine-produced duplicates. But to have a life of their own. We all have stories to tell. Countless stories, in truth. And that’s exactly what art does. No matter what kind of art it is.

It tells stories.

What comes around goes around.

When you start focusing on beauty. When you invest in it, feed it, and nurture it. Then something magical starts to happen. It brings its friends. And more and more beauty just starts showing up at your door, in your car, on a walk, or at work. Maybe even in bed.

So go ahead. Buy some art. You’ll be happy.

And the world will be happier, too.

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ART Text Oliver X Photos Anicia Beckwith Photography Hair and makeup Laura Garcia using Mac Cosmetics

Susan Watson

married to my best friend, and the mother of three boys.

Canvasses, my art easel and pots of paints always sat at the ready for evenings and weekends. When I sold my businesses, I threw myself into painting like never before. It’s not enough to want ones art to be more than a hobby. Rather, it’s an exercise in committing to the creative incarnation as completely as the business one.

Building two businesses taught me the self-discipline necessary to transition from treating art as an avocation, to turning it into a serious career. My first big step was to transition from representational work to a more abstract style. The next step was to transition to non-objective work. I now paint from a purely emotional palette.

RTT: What is it about painting as a medium that you gravitate towards as a form of expression?

Susan Watson: Paint is forgiving and sensual. Nothing is cast in stone. I’ve spent many hours on a piece of work only to dream about it, get up in the middle of the night, go to the studio and paint over the image. It’s not really gone, but reborn as the painting it was meant to be. I have a vocabulary that I work with while painting, but it’s always changing. I thrive on that change.

RTT: What have you learned about the business of art as a process that you can share with emerging and aspiring artists?

Q&A with painter Susan Watson Susan Watson paints the abstract interiors of her fertile imagination. Her work whispers and summons form from ghost-like negative space. Warmer and more humanistic in style than Malevich's geometric suprematism; less demonstrative than Albers' exercises in color theory; hers are the colors of air, mist and mystery, as her washes, strokes, lines and layers coax supple shapes and striations from the ether. Below, Watson ruminates on topics ranging from selling art, to the role of color in her work.

RTT: Talk about your personal background and your early career pursuits. When did you discover that art would be a big part of your life and more than a hobby?

Susan Watson: I’ve been painting for 40 years and learned from some talented teachers in the United States and Europe. But I learned far more from painting itself – hours and hours of studio time developing my style. I didn’t initially pursue art as a career; it was a hobby. I never even considered art as a “career”. Instead I was an entrepreneur in the telecommunications field,

Susan Watson: Find your own style. Push yourself and your work until you have an original stamp or mark that is uniquely you. If you’re serious about being in a gallery or accepted into juried shows and museums, you must be ready. That means building a body of work you’re proud of. Take quality photos of your pieces or have a photographer do it. Build a professional looking website that mirrors who you are as an artist, and change it as you and your work evolves. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to change. Let your work evolve. Don’t become static or stagnant. Continue to study with artists you admire and work, work, work. There’s simply no substitute for hours in the studio, brush in hand.

RTT: Describe the feeling you had when you sold your first painting?

Susan Watson: On one hand jubilation and on the other I felt incredulous, like, 'Really? You really want to buy my painting?' Not only did she buy a still life of calla lilies but commissioned three more. Not long after, the collector’s home was featured in a prominent magazine.

Lo and behold, on a wall in her exquisite house were my calla lilies. There’s something about the first sale that gives you the juice to keep on pushing. You come to the realization that you’re not just a painter; rather, you’re an artist. That is what you sell—unique artistry.

RTT: Most people have the impression that a painting sells itself. But selling art in any context, is an art form all its own. What are some of the keys to selling art in a gallery setting?

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Susan Watson: I’ve never owned a gallery, but what I’ve learned from my friend, colleague and gallery director, Rachael Holton, is to watch for signs that someone is drawn to a piece of work. Let them know you’ve noticed their interest, and ask what drew them to that particular piece of art. Listen and engage. It’s important to be informed about the art you’re selling. If the viewer asks, can you competently share information about the artist and his or her technique? You certainly should be able. Following up after they’ve left is crucial to building a clientele. Like any other business, it’s about building relationships with potential clients. Call them when artists whose works they’ve purchased have new pieces in the gallery. Send thank you notes. Have private preview parties, so collectors know you value their business. Know your client’s tastes and look after their interests. Art is an interaction—a dialogue between artist and art appreciator. The process is quite similar between the gallery that represents artists and collectors who are touched in some way by the art.

RTT: How does an artist approach the difficult task of valuating and pricing a piece of original art for exhibition sale?

Susan Watson: Ha! The 24 Million Dollar Question.

It’s an extremely important consideration when you are beginning to exhibit. This is the point where an artist has to decide whether their painting is a hobby or a committed vocation. You approach the task by keeping track of your costs, which include materials and your time. Also factor in the hours and hours or years spent developing your unique style. Research how artists, whose work is similar to your style, are priced. Find the lowest, highest, and middle ground. If you’re fortunate enough to sell a piece at that first exhibit, that sets the pricing for future sales. It’s important to be consistent, especially in the internet age. No one wants to get online only to see that a work they valued enough to purchase has been devalued because the artist is publicly discounting prices. As your work begins to sell and you struggle to keep adequate inventory for galleries that represent you, they will suggest reasonable price increases. Ultimately, artists know their art and galleries should know the business of art. Rely on the expertise of those who represent you. They know their market and if they will be able to sell your work in that market.

It’s often the case that an artist must leave their locale to find a market where their work will sell well.

RTT: Explain how you develop a concept for a particular painting during your process. Is there a Eureka moment where you suddenly are struck by a particular image or feeling? At what point does color factor into the creative process as you begin to see the painting?

Susan Watson: Color factors into the creative process from the genesis of the composition. I paint in a nonobjective style so color, value, texture, line and form 10 Reno Tahoe Tonight

are the composition, rather than the representation of a thing. In my style, color leads the way – first and foremost. I’ve been greatly influenced by Wassily Kandinsky who believed the vibration of color influences the soul. He likened his non- representational art to playing music, whereby an artist can express an inner life. It’s that inner life that I strive to share. I always recommend to young artists that they be willing to open their kimono. Don’t hide behind a body of work, but let your work reveal the inner you. Embrace vulnerability.

Eureka moments happen when a painting begins to practically paint itself. I stop thinking and simply move out of the way.

RTT: Your abstract work is so vibrant and alive with narrative elements and form. When do you know when a piece is finished speaking to you and you can put down the brush?

Susan Watson: At the risk of sounding glib, I have a muse with a powerful voice. Not a critical voice, but a guiding, insistent one. She has taken the place of my teacher in Paris, Nina Kovacheva, who used to say, “Susan, I’m putting on the tea kettle. Put down the palette knife and take a walk around the block.” It was her kind way of telling me not to overwork the painting.

RTT: What excites you currently about the Reno art scene and how does it compare with other regions you've experienced?

Susan Watson: So many local artists are excited that art is playing such a prominent role in our city. The pulse of Reno’s art scene is stronger every day. It begins with artists, local business and the civic leaders valuing what the arts can contribute to a city and its culture.

We’ve had a strong advocate in Christine Fey, who is Reno’s Cultural Affairs Manager, and now we have a city council and mayor who are excited about the idea of rebranding Reno as an art destination. However, at the end of the day it is the artists themselves who are making this happen. We see examples all the time, like the superbly executed Sculpture Fest.

RTT: Where can people see and acquire your work and what upcoming exhibits do you have this summer?

Susan Watson: I am currently represented by Liberty Fine Art Gallery at 100 W. Liberty in Reno, and by Grace Teshima in Paris. I also have work at the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood, California, and was honored with “Best In Show.” Later this year, I’ll exhibit at Art Nevada Gallery in Virginia City at the fabulous St. Mary’s Art Center. We will be in Paris this fall for two to three months. I’ll return to the beautiful Sierra Mountains full of fresh inspiration. That’s what Paris does for me. Its energy is an indescribable force – like an ever-waiting lover to inspire and satisfy.

Yes, another muse. www.susanwatsonstudio.com

ART

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BEAUTY Anicia Beckwith Photography Make up by Jessica Adarme for La di Da Beauty and Veronica Chavez Hair by Jenay Duckett Stylist - Sarah Resnick Wardrobe provided by Concepts Fine N Funky “Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity.

It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty.” – James E Faust

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BEAUTY

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A WEDDING SHOW FOR EVERYONE Meet the florists, caterers, designers and musicians that will make your day as unique as possible. Join us for drop-in seminars focused on LGBT-friendly tax, insurance and estate planning topics.

Saturday, August 1 / 11 am - 3 pm FREE ADMISSION

Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts | E. L. Wiegand Gallery 160 West Liberty Street in downtown Reno | 775.329.3333 | nevadaart.org

BEAUTY Text and photos courtesy of Jennifer Utu

Male Grooming Men and grooming are the new trend these days. They still make up a small portion of salon customers, but their numbers are growing steadily. Men are starting to realize you “pay for what you get” and going to “quick” shops you don’t always leave with what you want. Newer styles are showing up for men and to achieve these looks you need a stylist who knows what they are doing.

Men that have been introduced to a salon have learned that you get pampered, and since this is new to some men, they realize how great it feels to be taken care of.

Aura Salon has a large male client base that love to come in and get a head and shoulder massage, drink a beer, and leave with a fantastic haircut. These guys are also leaving with the knowledge on how to replicate their new style. They are also realizing the importance of product to finish off their great investment.

Facial hair is on trend right now, and being able to get your beard shaped and mustache trimmed makes a salon a one stop shop.

Another great service that men are adding on to their haircuts is color or grey blending.

Men are becoming more aware of the quality of salon hair color and the ability for customization, as opposed to the one or two shades from the boxes at the grocery store.

Aura Salon has an entire Men’s Collection to suit every man’s needs. We have great hair and shaving products that not only work wonders but smell great too.

Aura Salon is located at 2323 Kietzke Lane in Reno's Franktown Corners. 775-826-3117. www.aurasalonnv.com

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AT ACES ACES BALLPARK BALLPARK AT

HOME OF THE

EVERY SATURDAY JULY-SEPTEMBER

Visit FreightHouseReno.com for list of events 7/4 Whiskey Heroes • 7/11 Black Rock Dog 7/18 Twice on Sundays • 7/25 Jam Pro Music Factory

BRITTS 'N' PIECES Text Britton Griffith-Douglass Photo Jeramie Lu

Britton Griffith-Douglass

First Brit of Excitement

Unless you live under a rock, like a very dark, dark rock without any contact with the outside world; where your closest friend (the rock you live in) nicknamed you ‘hermit’ you know Reno is Artown throughout the month of July. Before you read another bit, download the calendar here: www. renoisartown.com to relish in this month of pure art magic madness.

BITS Not all who wander are lost.

In fact a lot of wanderers can be found July 16-19 at North Lake Tahoe’s 2015 Wanderlust Festival.

This vibrant weekend is focused on living a healthy, green & sustainable life. Spend your days filling your belly with organic foods, your mind with conscious thought and your whole body with ‘om’ly the best of yoga practices. Get your chakras balanced by planning your schedule of music, classes and festival love here: www. squaw.wanderlustyoga.com.

Keep Tahoe Blue (and red and white).

MSN named Incline Village’s Fourth of July holiday celebrations as one of the USA’s Top Ten. Fulfill your patriotic duty and love of this great nation at this family friendly event. Complete with fireworks, hot dogs and a heightened sense of patriotism pride on the docks.

When I saw you I fell in love and you smiled because you knew.

Aw, Shakespeare you are such a softy. Come fall in love with Romeo & Juliet all over again on July 10th at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor. As if the sonnets won’t be romance enough picture you and your one true love sipping on red wine, your toes tucked into the white sand and the blue waves adding music to the evening.

Purchase your passionate tickets here: www.laketahoeshakespeare.com.

‘Adiskide onekin, orduak labur.’ Translation: With good friend the hours are short.

Learn this phrase and all the reasons Reno loves Basques (I would know I married one) at this years ‘Reno Basque Festival’ held downtown on July 18th. Arrive ready to dance, toast picons and tip your berets in ancestral celebration. Savor this culture with a wood chopping competition, war cry contest and learn how to master the craft of Basque cooking.

Celebrate independence, for everyone.

Build Our Center hosts the Nevada Pride Festival on July 25th.

Guest star, Lance Bass of N’Sync attends this year’s bash and is sure to bring fireworks, red, white and rainbow. Delight in a parade, vendors, educational booths and the chance to boast your pride for our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual

and Transgender friends in Reno.

More hoopla information here: www.northernnevadapride.org.

The kind of art that keeps you up at night.

Literally. The Arch District continues as an Art leader for downtown, on July 10th the Circus Circus is the proud proprietor of the ‘24-Hour Mural Marathon’.

This ‘paint off ’ features seven unique murals, displayed on the Casino’s wall facing Virginia Street.

The winner will receive $2,000 and bragging rights for their 14 foot high masterpiece.

LAST PIECE OF ADVICE Ooh Barracuda! The Barracuda Championship, PGA Golf Tour that is. One of the 47 cities that hosts the PGA Tour the Montreux Golf & Country Club is a favorite stop for over 130 golf pros. Buy your birdie bliss tickets here www. barracudachampionship.com.

Downtown's darling, Britton Griffith-Douglass, spends her days placing tenants in StartUp Row. As the sun sets, she plans the finest events in the Riverwalk District.

At moonlight, under the stars, she's reminded that the biggest of dreams come to life in the Biggest Little City.

Britton.rec@gmail.com Reno Tahoe Tonight 19

BUSINESS Special to Reno Tahoe Tonight Photos Jeramie Lu Photogrpahy

Matt Polley

The Jungle Swings into it’s 25th Year with Remodel, Redefined Menu and Revelry

T

he Jungle, formerly Java Jungle and Jungle Vino, invites patrons to enjoy a newly renovated and expanded café, coffeehouse and barroom during its grand re-opening. Once two separate spaces, The Jungle is now an open unit with exposed brick and original flair.

The newest addition is the expanded Barroom where folks can enjoy weekly live music alongside dining and drink promotions highlighting the refined small plates menu.

“We are excited to showcase our newish digs and treat the community that has grown with us,” said Matt Polley, owner. “We have a lot of new food selections and original cocktails added to the menu. We want to toast all of these new changes with the same revelry that’s kept us going for the past 14 years.”

In addition to an updated coffee house side and improvements to breakfast options, catering and boxed lunch choices, the barroom now features 12 taps and a

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small plates menu. The new menu selection was created under the creative direction of the local award-winning chef Adam Bronson.

“The expansion allows for a better flow and seating. We’ve also worked hard to offer more food and beverage options providing a unique, delicious downtown experience,” Polley added. “We have a new raised stage where we’ll have all sorts of entertainment. And, I can’t forget to mention our new décor. The entire backdrop in the barroom is made of re-manufactured whiskey staves. It’s pretty cool.”

The interior brings something new and unique to the Riverwalk area and still pays tribute to the creative urban art culture that has become a staple for The Jungle over the last 25 years.

This August will mark 25 years since the Jungle’s grand opening in the historic Riverwalk.

For more information on The Jungle please visit www.

Thejunglereno.com or visit facebook.com/thejunglereno.

The Jungle is located at 246 W 1st St, Reno, NV 89501 (775) 329-4484.

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YELP IN YOUR OWN WORDS Reno has a thriving community of Yelpers passionate about connecting others to great local businesses through their reviews, photos, tips and check-in. Whether you’re looking for sensational shopping, the best burgers or the widest selection of whiskey around, Reno Yelpers will get you connected to those local businesses doing it right.

We thought it was time you got to know some of the Reno Yelpers a little more personally. So we’re starting with Sean C, an Educational Leadership Masters student at UNR, Yogi, Graduate Writing Consultant, Yelptern and Yelp Elite, sporting almost 100 reviews.

Follow her @wellnessbabysteps, and ask questions.

Michael Tragash: So how did you discover Yelp in the first place?

Sean C: I started using Yelp with more frequency when my now husband and I were planning our move from Texas to Nevada. We drove through and stopped in five states, and I used Yelp to plan the entire trip, selecting everything from hotels, to restaurants, to activities to do in the area.

Michael Tragash: What motivates you to be such an active part of the Yelp Reno Community?

Sean C: When I moved here in July of last year, I knew no one in the area. The Yelp Reno community gave me my first friends. It’s just an amazing support system made up of people who enjoy the same things I do: good company, food, and drinks. I am such an active part of the Yelp community because I want to share my story with others and help individuals really get to know their city and the amazing local businesses within it.

Michael Tragash: Name the top three businesses you’ve discovered through Yelp that you may not have found otherwise?

Sean C: To only name three is torture. But, I would have to say Val Halla Automotive Service, Dorinda’s Chocolates, and Stone House Cafe. The owners of Val Halla are honest, efficient, fairly priced, work quickly, and go above and beyond for customers. Dorinda’s is a locally owned shop that puts out delectable, handmade chocolates that will send any chocolate lover straight to heaven, and Stone House is just a solid choice for any meal of the day, but I especially love their spicy Eggs Benedict; it’s the best in Reno by far.

Michael Tragash: You’re a Yelp Elite. What does it mean to you to be part of the Yelp Elite Squad?

Sean C: It’s an honor because it means people value my opinion. We as Elite members have a duty to the community to be honest, descriptive, and also entertaining. It does put pressure on me to go outside of my comfort zone to try new places and cuisines, but that’s half the fun. Being an Elite also keeps me in check because I know my reviews have a greater impact on a business. That’s a lot of responsibility, and I really do view it as job. A fun job.

Michael Tragash: What are the top 3 local spots you’re loving in your city right now?

Sean C: No matter how many places I try, my top three remains the same: Campo, Great Full Gardens, and DISH Cafe. The Campo pizza is my absolute favorite; the thin crust has just the right amount of char, and the acidity of the tomato sauce and richness of the meats just works so perfectly. Great Full Gardens and

BUSINESS Yelp Text and photo courtesy of Michael Tragash

DISH Cafe both serve healthy food, from soups, to quinoa, to vegetarian and vegan dishes; they are my go-to spots for flavorful meals that are good for you that you can feel good about too. My favorites at Great Full are the Thanksgiving Sandwich and the Chicken Bliss: both of the sauces on those sandwiches are amazing! If you go to DISH Cafe, the Cowgirl Panini is a must. The Liege Waffle at Great Full Gardens and the cupcakes, or any baked good for that matter, at DISH are must-haves as well.

Meet Sean C Born In: Germany on the autobahn.

My dad delivered me.

Home Town: Katy, Texas Things I Love: Fitness, cooking, yoga, education, God, video games, animals, nutrition, organic produce, meditation, wine, ciders, blonde beers, music, reading, natural products, traveling, exploring, hiking.

My Last Meal On Earth: Filet Mignon with Sweet Potatoes and some type of chocolate dessert.

Guilty pleasure: Dark chocolate, Ben and Jerry's, cupcakes.

Hidden Talent: I can do a headstand.

Michael Tragash

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COMMUNITY RADIO Text and photo Kelly Rush Photo courtesy of www.nac.nevadaculture.org

AMERICA MATTERS MEDIA FEATURES NEW SHOW – SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH RADIO THEATER One of America Matters Media’s newest and most successful shows is Spotlight Youth Radio Theater.

The success of the Spotlight Youth Radio Theatre project, regarding school bullying and violence, is attracting major audience listenership, here in the Reno area and around the world. The show is broadcast live each Saturday morning at 8am on KCKQ AM1180, and re-broadcast throughout the week, as well as streamed live and podcast online at americamatters.us.

Joseph Galata is SAFF's Executive Director and interviews middle and high school teenagers about bullying, followed by their live performance of dramatic excerpts from their theatrical production In Our Own Backyard, written by Chicago and Reno artist Rachel Lopez.

The broadcasts are being sponsored by the Law Offices of Kurt A. Franke, America Matters Media, Sierra Association of Foster Families, Sierra Nevada Cancer Society, and Good Luck Macbeth Theatre.

The twelve teens participating range in age from 12 to 18 years. Joseph produces the show and said, "I've interviewed celebrities, politicians, religious leaders, etc. on both radio and television. I can honestly state that these teens are the most articulate, intelligent, and talented people I've had the pleasure of hosting on air.

They are stupendous, which is why the series is attracting major, high quality audience demographics."

The first broadcast on May 2nd focused on how the teens are witnessing bullying in their schools. The

second broadcast on May 9th dealt with these teens perspective on how adults are helping to prevent and stop bullying (or not, in many unfortunate cases). The show from Saturday May 16th focused on how social media is increasing bullying amongst teens. There was no broadcast May 23rd due to Memorial Day weekend, but the May 30th broadcast focused on the sensitive subject of how violence affects several groups of teens who are most vulnerable to violence and bullying, which includes youth in foster care and those with disabilities.

We must stop bullying and your support can make a HUGE difference. If you would like to be a sponsor of the Spotlight on Youth Radio Theater show, sponsorships start at only $200, and the sponsoring organization receives live expressions of gratitude on air by the teens at the beginning and end of each broadcast.

Each show is also recorded and rebroadcast weekly, so your sponsor mentions will be repeated multiple times throughout each week. SAFF is a 501(c)3 non-profit, so all donations and sponsorships can also be used for tax purposes, as well.

Thanks to the exposure of the radio show, invitations for the teens to perform their theatrical production In Our Own Backyard are flooding in. Performances are being scheduled throughout Reno, Sparks, and Carson City from now through August. If your school, business, organization, or faith based congregation would like to schedule an 80 minute performance, or sponsor the show, please contact Joseph at JGalata@aol.com.

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COVER STORY Text Oliver X Photos Franz Szony

Wise Witches: The Art of Franz Szony Showing at Sierra Arts Foundation July 2-31

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." - Albert Einstein It's now been nearly three years since we last featured the artistry of Franz Szony, the gifted photographer, installationist, fashion designer and visionary aesthete, who's arguably Reno's most talented native son. Szony's exquisitely rendered rococo dreamscapes, shot on richly layered, elaborate sets are otherworldly, evoking a Lautrechian sense of still life whimsy mixed with a provocative Renaissance carnality. Szony looks closely at what we look away from. His portraits are dramatic caricatures of refined beauty in the raw; his painterly lens capturing an unguarded moment with an aging starlet, whose mirror on the wall is now cracked and no longer talks back.

When we last spoke, Szony was just coming off of an extraordinarily successful exhibit at downtown San Francisco's Project One Gallery, where several of his pieces sold to an eager assemblage of high end collectors. Szony now lives and works in LA's hip downtown arts district, where he's testing the waters of the city's immense creative culturati and is fully ensconced in the art, music and film scenes.

I spoke with Szony as he prepares for his first local show in over three years, being held during the thirtytwo days of Artown, in conjunction with the release of the original 20th Anniversary commissioned poster depicting Mnemosyne, the mother of the nine muses, which Szony conceived and photographed.

RTT: Let's start with you telling me about your show at Sierra Arts Foundation this month. What are you showing and what's the theme of the exhibit.

Franz Szony: The title of his show is Wise Witches.

With me every show is an extension of the last. A lot of artists will do a whole new collection, or an entirely new theme with each show, but my shows typically progress one after the other. A lot of the work that I've been doing lately, especially with what I intended for the

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Artown poster, is a celebration of the divine feminine, and powerful energy, Goddess qualities and androgyny.

A celebration of rococism and fluidity. All of those things for me kind of embodied the term witch. You know that I do a lot of pieces based off of dreams, and so for the past year I've been having lots of dreams with imagery which reminds me of a witch.

So I've been doing a few pieces which have to do with witches and the Sierra Arts Foundation show will be the first place that I show them.

RTT: Within that symbology of the witch, and in literal terms, have you placed any subjective readings or subtexts in the subject narratives, such as the misunderstood witch, the falsely accused witch, the all powerful sacred feminine who might actually be a healer?

Franz Szony: Yes, I can relate to those contexts. You know that I do work based on my personal life. It's the basis of inspiration from which my art emanates. I get some of that from the things I dream about. Dreams are just an extension of what we're experiencing in our lives. So really all of the story lines in my art come from my personal life and then I exaggerate some parts and take them to a broader story that people can relate to.

In moving to Los Angeles and leaving Reno, there was a lot of changes that happened in my life in terms of personal growth and separating from people who were my close friends. The things you just mentioned about the witch being misunderstood, being categorized, yeah, those are things that I think anybody who goes through a big change has experienced. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to that. The show is also about finding the light at the end of the tunnel and getting your power back. Being a powerful person; learning from life and being able to decide for yourself what's right and wrong and not being what you are accused of being.

RTT: Everyone knew one day that you would leave the region and test your skills in bigger markets.

What ultimately inspired your move to LA?

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Franz Szony: Well, I had been talking about going to LA for so long, by the time I actually did leave it was almost anticlimactic [laughter]. I think the hype on my move was overblown. When I finally left people were like, 'OK I thought you had already left.' [laughter].

It's so expensive to move an entire studio, uproot yourself and leave your comfort zone. So that was the first barrier. I postponed my departure for over a year in order to even afford to move. Moving to another city forces you to grow. I knew I would experience changes in my life and that I would have to grow.

That's something that we all want, but it's been kinda scary, knowing that you are about to dive into a situation that will change everything in your life.

I procrastinated probably longer than I should have.

But things were happening in my life that were kind of naturally saying, 'You need to go; something better is awaiting you.' When things aren't working in your life and you try to suppress it, mother nature doesn't allow that to happen. When things are not clicking, you can't suppress that for very long. Eventually things start changing for you. This is something that you do not want to happen. You want to stay ahead of the curve and make the decisions for yourself. So I am really happy I made the move here and I came here at the perfect time in my life. Obviously I miss Reno and when I come back I really like to see everything that I've missed. I see friends that I miss. The Reno energy is very therapeutic and special to me.

I'm right in the heart of downtown. Which is wonderful. But I am living in the concrete jungle and it's so busy here. It takes me like 45 minutes just to get to Trader Joe's. As corny as it sounds, there's things I appreciate about Reno with regards to scale.

LA is so big.

RTT: Catch me up on what you've been working on over the past two years and the district that you live in now in LA. Franz Szony: I live in a place called The Brewery, which is an old Pabst Blue Ribbon beer company factory where they used to produce beer out of up until the early 80's. I'm about a mile from downtown and about a mile from the arts district. The Brewery is kind of its own little world. It's right by Union Station and its bigger than a city block. It's a big artist's compound. It's even more of a bubble than if I actually lived downtown.

I am kind of isolated, which is good for producing art.

There's not a whole lot of distractions. There's a full restaurant and bar downstairs, so you really never have to leave. I can stay here at The Brewery for like two weeks at a time and survive just fine, working on my projects and never leave the house—which is kind of a scary thought. But that's how artists work.

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The first eight months living here I was kind of lost.

It's such a lifestyle shift. You saw where I used to work in my mom's beautiful house in the garage in suburbia.

I didn't even experience this kind of culture shock living in San Francisco, because it was so easy to get around there. I didn't have a car there, I could walk everywhere and there were tons of resources in a small geographic area. But here it's the exact opposite.

When I first moved here I hooked up with a good friend named Liz Bartlett. Her mom is Kathy Bartlett and Kathy does a lot of high-end real estate; right now she's selling the Stremmel Mansion; she did all of the real estate for the Palladio. She's why I got the Palladio gallery space for a few years. She's the one who made that happen for me. Kathy is a huge supporter of the arts and she's a really fabulous woman. And her daughter moved here three years prior to me coming here. Actually I grew up with Liz; we both graduated from Reno High School in '04. so when I moved here, I had a friend here who introduced me to her whole group of friends and I didn't really have to start from scratch. Liz does directing work, but she's been working as an editor for the last few years. So she's involved in production and was able to help me get my foot in the door with the production company she was working with. So for the first eight months I did a lot of PA work and assistant work. That is a really humbling experience. There's no glamor, you get zero recognition.

You're lucky if you get any credit. The pay is pretty low.

But then I kind of started working my way up doing that and I did some creative direction for a few people and what not. I feel like Los Angeles is a city where you can have many epiphanies. Like things don't come slowly here. You'll wake up one morning and go, 'Oh God I should do this.'

I think I've been here for two years and two months.

And after I got comfortable with the city and started meeting people, I really went back to focusing on my art. My artwork has changed quite a lot since I moved here.

RTT: How so?

Franz Szony: Let me think of how to word this. When I was in Reno, the work I was making was all about excess, because that was how I felt. I felt like I had to fill the emptiness. My work was highly detailed and excessive and there was no negative space. I wouldn't change it in a million years, but that represented kind of where I was in my life at the time. I kind of felt empty in a lot of ways and so the work that I was making filled in all of that with tons of visual filler...I would try to push this entire novel of a story into one photograph.

I still do in a sense, but moving to LA kind of was the opposite because LA is excess. So my art totally shifted as soon as I got here. Now I was surrounded in excess

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COVER STORY and my work took a really big shift towards being, I don't want to say minimalist, but when you feel like you don't have enough you want to create excess in your life. But then when excess is all around you, you want to find the zen. You want to go back to minimalism. I found that my aesthetics had totally changed and my way of storytelling had changed. Instead of making these giant stories in one piece of art, I was focusing on one aspect of a story—which became the whole story.

I don't know how to explain it really. But for example, I just did a piece of art a few months ago that I'll be showing at Sierra Arts, and it's a whole piece of art based around a woman who is insanely happy. That's the entire story. A woman who is completely senile in her own happiness.

I've been fortunate to do some fashion work here with some really great companies.

RTT: Were you shooting the fashion or designing and sewing it?

Franz Szony: Well I still make a lot of the costumes for my own fine art. Actually I am working on a piece that I want to bring to the show. I sent Ferne One a sketch of a piece I wanted to make and he said, 'I will make this costume for you.' So he took my very basic sketch of this woman in this giant peach dress and he made me the most gorgeous gown and shipped it to me. I think I am going to actually display it at the show.

I've done some fashion photography and I've been meeting some really great people since being here.

The pool of artists is just so much bigger here. There's some really interesting celebrity people here. I hate using that term. When you move to LA you realize that everybody has a title; everybody is a celebrity; everybody is known for something. I will just say that I have been fortunate to shoot celebrities and that I am very grateful. Everybody is here hustling.

RTT: What do you want people to know about the artist you are today? What is making you happy right now?

Franz Szony: Oh gosh, well...The work that I am doing now is the work that I fantasized about doing in Reno. The things that I'm creating now I have been fantasizing about for years. I'm getting into a little bit of film work so I want to keep pushing that. I've done some work with Warner Bros. They've been very good to me. I've done some album work for a couple of their bands. I'd like to do more of that. I still always love fashion but you know with publications these days it's really hard to get fashion editorial budgets.

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I will continue to do fashion work, but will probably incorporate it more into fine art. I feel like I want to do my own art. It's less about changing and more about peeling back the layers. More about revealing who you are than about changing who you are.

That's what I'm trying to do.

RTT: You have such depth to draw from in your creative and imaginative mind. Not just from your family lineage, but from your own curiosity. Do you ever feel like it's too much to be you? Do you ever feel like you have an avalanche of thoughts to manage, rather than a trickle?

Franz Szony: [Silence] Um yeah... [laughter] You know me really well. Let me think for a minute.

Sometimes I'll have so many ideas... I am constantly pulling pages out of Vogue and taking pictures with my iPhone; finding interesting people. What I take from my friendships and interactions with people, all of those things get documented in my big library. You can pull from that, but sometimes you feel like there's so much inspiration and not enough time to express it. I think that's a big part of how my work has shifted.

Sometimes I would get so much inspiration and I would not want any of it to go to waste, so I used to put massive detail and information into one piece of artwork. Now I am learning that it's OK not to use everything that comes your way. It's learning to refine it. And that's really hard when you've been dealing with excess as a form of expression. When I started to refine my work, I found that more people understood or appreciated my art. There were pieces that I'd spend four months creating that would get less of a response from people than a piece that took me a couple days to do. At first that was kind of a slap in the face. I would be like, 'What's wrong with you? Don't you see how much work and time was put into this piece?' But people understood my more simplified images better.

That's a bit part of being an artist. You want to execute and create your vision, but you also have to create it for an audience to understand.

Franz Szony's 20th Anniversary (family friendly) Artown commissioned poster is available at the Artown offices, where you can also pick up the Little Book guide to discovering all the programming at this year's festival.

Limited editions of Szony's original poster design will be on sale at his Sierra Arts foundation show Wise Witches.

Szony's exhibit will feature large format photos and hand made costumes. The work will be on display from July 1-31 with the opening reception on July 2 from 5 pm to 8 pm Free and open to the public. Refreshments courtesy of Wild River Grille.

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CULTURE Text and photo Brianna Maselli Couple: Makinzie Compton and Arianna Wallace

Same Sex Couple Goes to High School Prom I was given the opportunity to photograph a beautiful lesbian couple for their prom pictures. What I didn't realize at that time was how inspirational they were.

These two beautiful souls did something that most of the younger LBGT community might be afraid to do.

They showed their love and support for each other and went to prom together—openly. There is something to be said about their courage. Times are changing, and it's our younger generation who are showing us the way.

Special thanks to the Principal of Innovations High School, Taylor Harper. She has created an environment where our youth can be courageous and comfortable in their own skin. Also, a huge thanks to Makinzie Compton and Arianna Wallace for being your beautiful selves and setting a standard for equality in a place where judgments usually run high. You two looked amazing!

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HERE'S OUR OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH PICKS FOR A JAM-PACKED JULY IN NORTHERN NEVADA. July 1 through August 1 – Artown celebrates its 20th season this year with a stellar lineup kicking off with horn great Glen David Andrews and the 38-piece ensemble March Fourth July 1 at Wingfield Park and late night at Cargo. July 5 in Midtown it's Rising Appalachia. July 15 Artown presents legendary folk artist Buffy Sainte Marie. Portland Cello Project plays the Sticks July 19. Clint Black appears July 23; Mary Chapin Carpenter plays July 30. August 1 features Black Violin who blend classical, hip-hop, rock and R&B and the festival ends with The Michael Kaeshammer Sextet.

EDITOR'S PICKS OF THE MONTH Text Oliver X

July 3-5 – Rose's Pawn Shop at The Terrace inside The Peppermill – 7pm.

21+ Free With an arsenal of guitars, banjo, thumping upright bass, fiddle and rums, delivering neo classic-sounding melodies and lyrics, Rose's Pawn Shop's sound is a wholesome mishmash of creek mud, rusty nails and your mom's cookin'! The band has recently been featured in Rolling Stone and American Songwriter. Check out their new album, Gravity Well and the band's EPK here: goo.gl/Hl9zXC July 8 – Artown: Late Night with Karsh Kale Wednesday 10:00 PM – Described by Billboard Magazine as a “visionary composer and producer”, Karsh Kale is one of global music’s brightest stars. In the past 12 years as a solo recording artist, producer, composer, live performer and DJ, Karsh has set the world of electronic fusion on fire and has helped to create a genre of new music and culture that continues to influence an entire generation. His body of work has been cause for fans and critics alike to claim Kale as a pioneer and a trail blazer, not only opening doors for his own career but for an entire scene to emerge in the world of electronica and fusion music. Karsh Kale has also developed a reputation as a genre bending collaborator and a world renowned tabla player and musician, exploring the worlds of electronica, Indian classical music, rock, jazz fusion and hip hop which has led him to work with some of the most renowned artists from around the globe. Kale continues to reinvent his ever-evolving sound and has established himself as one of the worlds most sought after fusion artists. Don't miss his late night set at Cargo @ Whitney Peak Hotel255 N. Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89501.

July 14 – Third Eye Blind, Dashboard Confessional with Night Terrors of 1927 at Montbleu Resort & Casino. 6:30pm doors. 21+. Since 1997, San Francisco's Third Eye Blind have recorded four best-selling albums and assembled one career retrospective. 3EB released their first studio collection in six years this Spring. Their high energy concerts feature their trademark audience engagement and the high energy pop-rock that made them platinum selling, chart-topping favorites for the past two decades. Dashboard Confessional – Propelled by Chris Carrabba's intimate and emotionally raw lyrics, sweeping acoustics and charismatic presence, Dashboard Confessional stands as one of the biggest alternative bands of the 2000s. Critically acclaimed and embraced by a legion of fans, Dashboard's brand of alternative rock swept through a generation who embraced their albums and sold out arenas (their last full band tour culminated in selling out NYC's Madison Square Garden!).

Through July 19 – The Full Monty at Bruka – The comedic musical theater hit based on the cult-hit film of the same name. A ten-time Tony Awardnominee, is filled with honest affection, engaging melodies and the most highly anticipated closing number of any show. Featuring local theater couples in the leading roles, The Full Monty promises pure theatrical joy. The powerhouse team of Terrence McNally (RAGTIME) and David Yazbek (DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS) cook up an aggressive crowd pleaser that both entertains and grabs your heart. Androo Allen directs, with musical directorTony DeGeiso and 9 piece live band. This is explicit theater. This show is recommended for audiences over 17 due to nudity. Reservations are available through our box office at (775) 323-3221 Written by Terrence McNally Score

by David Yasbek Directed by Androo Allen Musical Direction Tony DeGeiso.

Wednesday Artist Night. $10 for artists and teachers.

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B AT C H

m i d t o w n ' s a r t i s a n b a ke r y open 7 days a week 555 s. virginia street . reno nv 89501 . (775) 336-1622

ESSAY Text L. Martina Young Photo Renato Elisei, Italy

The Swan Lectures on the nature of things ~

“[One] day it come to me: that feeling of being part of everything, not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed” (Alice Walker, The Color Purple). “[a vision] in virtue of that primordial property that belongs to the flesh, being here and now, of radiating everywhere and forever, being an individual, of being also a dimension and a universal,—[an] intercorporeal being” (Merleau-Ponty, The Visible and the Invisible).

"I was connecting everything: death, spirits, bodies, life; [to] turn every aspect of life into a spot [for] civility, beauty and compassion” (Karim Wasfi, ‘Cellist of Bagdad,’ on playing his composition, Bagdad Mourning Melancholy, 2015).

On Sunday, July 26th, The Wilbur D. May Arboretum hosts, “Art & Nature,”—a new venue bringing the work of artists and nature together in close proximity to the magical greening powers of the birds and the bees, bushes and trees, flowers, earth, sky, and squirrels,—a world animated by color, scent, shape, and movement for a harmonious aesthetic adventure for artist and public alike. Envisioned by Ms. Diane Rugg, arts educator, gardener, and Member of the May Arboretum Board, “Art & Nature” lays groundwork for The Wilbur D. May Arboretum becoming a new arts venue for the RenoTahoe region. “I hope to create a new venue for arts education programming,” states Ms. Rugg.

Following her visionary lead, The May Arboretum Society Board has invited THE SWAN LECTURES© to be the first arts education experience this fall 2015.

“Art & Nature” briefly introduces this project as a community-based, collaborative, and experiential project.

What is THE SWAN LECTURES? … an immersive 20-hour lab experience entreating participants to a daily somatic, anatomically-sound and deconstructed movement practice; participatory lecture; perceptual writing; and final public presentation;

… an integrative experience that returns us to the content of our bodies, sensual, intellectual, imaginal—the primary site for empathic engagement, for making conscientious choices, and the substance by which transformational possibilities are enacted and understood; … cultivates intimacy with our body’s sensory systems, our original techne, and bridges somatic knowing with poetic perception as constitutive of empathic being.

Together we discover the rigor and the ecstasy of empathic responsiveness to one’s self and the world; … time for deep observation and articulation of ‘what happens’ in terms of our bodily experiences throughout the practice,—breath, skin, viscera, —noting the movement toward the experience of corporeal compassion. uva uvam videndo varia fit,— “a grape changes color (ripens) when it sees another grape” ( Juvenal) A community-based and collaborative project, THE SWAN LECTURES© explores the ‘image-bodyempathy’ connection. Generative in nature, this project is part of my ongoing life work, SWAN: a poetical inquiry in dance, text & memoir. New writing becomes part of the current cultural conversation regarding the body and empathy; and the movement material explored throughout the labwork contributes to choreographic choices for my next SWAN performance installation. © 2015 L. Martina Young. All Rights Reserved.

L. Martina Young, Ph.D., invites members of the community to participate in THE SWAN LECTURES©. For information and reservations, please visit her website: www.apoeticbody.com Reno Tahoe Tonight 49

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Mellow Yellow

Events Launches with a Repertoire of Revelry this Summer

A recipe for success emerges when you spark an interest in events within a chef already possessing an ardent sense of civic responsibility. Just ask Melissa Williams, owner of Mellow Yellow Events, a new business conceptualizing and coordinating several of the fooddriven community happenings taking place around Reno and Sparks this summer.

Coming from Texas, this entrepreneurial woman with a love of big flavors, bold cuisine and culinary exploration settled in Reno to pursue a career as a chef when she stumbled upon the world of food trucks.

Finding a place among the local society of “truckers”— as they refer to themselves internally—Mellow Yellow Food Truck was born with Williams behind both the wheel and spatula, finding a niche among the others with her specialty quesadillas and burgers. What else she found was a deep and inspiring sense of camaraderie among her “trucker” peers.

When popular local food truck Gourmelt decided to trade horsepower for bricks-and-mortar in 2014, owners Haley Wood and Jessie Watnes turned to Williams and her food truck savvy to take over their established Friday night food event in downtown Reno. However, during the transition, another had already taken its place in Idlewild Park, so instead Williams started thinking of

EVENT Photo of Food Truck Lane by Fred Cornelius Photo of Melissa Williams by Sixth Generation Studios Special to Reno Tahoe Tonight

ways to reinvent the assemblage of four-wheeled foodbearing machines her predecessors had worked so hard to get off the ground.

While Friday nights are the quintessential evening to get out and celebrate the end of a week, she identified that the middle of each seven-day spread could use a bit of livening up. Therefore her focus shifted to building a family-friendly “hump day” event, finding an ideal venue in the McKinley Arts and Culture Center on Riverside Drive, then playing with iterations of the analogous Wednesday term… eventually arriving at Feed the Camel.

“Our motto is ‘Feed the Mind, Feed the Belly, Feed the Camel,’ and that’s just what we strive to do each week,” exudes Owner of Mellow Yellow Events and Founder of Feed the Camel Melissa Williams. “We [truckers] got together and created an event that distinguished itself from others and truly reflected Reno.”

McKinley Arts and Culture Center offered the event a relaxed locale where hungry folks can spread out for the weekly gathering, while also giving them a multi-sensory experience beyond the obvious taste bud tantalization and riot of aromas. The charming and historic riparian property provides ample room for a Reno Tahoe Tonight 51

variety of trucks, each providing fare that’s sweet, savory or simply unusual, as well as others offering liquid refreshment and libations. Grassy areas surrounding the building are ideal to dine on while taking in the quiet sounds of the Truckee River flowing nearby, and abundant shade allows people to escape the scorching summertime temperatures…often brutally intensified at activities taking place on hot pavement. Parking for Feed the Camel is free and happily a non-issue with a large lot adjacent to the former schoolhouse. An educational facet is also offered, with nonprofit organizations offered free space to apprise people on their efforts.

Aside from cooking, what ignited Williams’ eagerness to support the “trucker” society? “We’re like a family.

It’s about the hugs we all gave each other when we got back together for the 2015 kick-off. The solidarity, the feeling of comfort we get when the season begins again; and also the sense of warmth and support received when you get to pass on your knowledge and experience to new truckers emerging on the scene.” The depth of her passion for the group emanates as she speaks.

This low-key event not only served to offer a place for foodies, families and friends to gather each Wednesday this and every summer, but inspired an entire career path diversion for its creator. Combined with a fervent 52 Reno Tahoe Tonight

interest in coordinating events and further assisting a nonprofit she was already an avid volunteer for, the American Cancer Society (ACS), Williams hung up the pan and accepted a seasonal position for the 501(c) (3). She’d already dedicated much of herself to the ACS for years, and this position allowed her more opportunities to show her civic pride and fund-raise for the organization, plus the chance to launch a new endeavor, Mellow Yellow Events, and with it several new regional festivities.

Shift the scene to Victorian Square, an area long known as the nucleus in Sparks for special events. But something was missing in Williams’ eyes, that cord that strings together a sense of community among both the businesses there, and the locals that love the quaint neighborhood. A mother of a small boy, she reminisced on the welcoming and safe environment the promenade provided during events, and wanted to build new and inviting reasons to gather there.

Sparks Food Truck Drive-In came from a desire to bring food trucks to Victorian Square and give locals and visitors alike an option for an affordable Saturday night out. Partnering with the City of Sparks streamlined the event coordination, and the Food Truck Drive-In provided the perfect reason to update and put

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a new roof on the beautiful St. Mary’s Amphitheater, where the event takes place. During the inaugural year, 2014, Williams was able to identify the types of movies that were bigger draws than others and types of trucks that had stronger appeal. This knowledge allowed her to refine this year’s event, securing more family-friendly and iconic movies with broad appeal, and keeping the food offerings affordable and appealing to all ages.

For about $20, a couple can catch dinner and a movie in the quaint theater space surrounded by northern Nevada history. Families can bring and feed several members for a fraction of the price of going to a restaurant, have far more interesting options and free entertainment. As the Food Truck Drive-In takes place in a casual, laid-back environment, a cushion is helpful to bring along, and if you forget, St. Mary’s will provide one for use that night.

Movies being screened through the rest of summer include Enchanted, The Neverending Story, The Lego Movie, Hotel Transylvania and Back to the Future, with Ghostbusters as the grand finale on September 26. Better than popcorn, food trucks providing the film feast include Battle Born Food, Still Rollin’, Shanghai Express, Quise’s Salad Joint, Java Ship Coffee, Sweet Creams Cheesecakery, Ferntucky BBQ, Pho Real,

Crepes & More, All Wrapped Up, The Codfather, Lazy Sundae and more.

Continuing her celebration of the renowned Sparks street, Williams also joined forces with a nonprofit neighborhood coalition dubbed 39 North to create a fresh and revitalized street fair dubbed the 39 North Marketplace in Victorian Square where another had once staked ground for decades.

What’s next for Melissa Williams and Mellow Yellow Events? While some other creative ideas are being orchestrated as you read this, the 3rd Annual Food Truck Iron Chef is coming up on November 7th at Wingfield Park to benefit the American Cancer Society—the cause that’s near and dear to her heart. As well, “Sweat Your Pints Off ” a local summertime craft brew event with Under The Rose Brewing Company, will take place at their brewery located at 559 E. 4th Street in Reno on August 8th. Williams is also currently developing a “Reno-esque” breast cancer 5K for the fall.

Check Facebook for more information on any and all of the events discussed here, but more importantly get out this summer and support your community as well as those many visionaries like Williams that help it thrive.

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EVENT Photos Tyler Bourns and Dianna Sion Special to Reno Tahoe Tonight

Releases Long-awaited Movie and Soundtrack World Public Premiere-Movie and Soundtrack Release Weekend during Artown, July 23-26, 2015 “This whole project was a huge test of endurance, patience and faith. It literally took everything we had. It’s a story that needed to be told and I’m blessed to be a part of it.” - Brian L. Sutherland, Executive Producer, Nowhere Nevada The team behind the locally built, award-winning movie Nowhere Nevada announced the release details of its movie-soundtrack efforts. As their contribution during Artown, the film will have its red carpet world public premiere July 24th at the Masonic Lodge Freemason Theater in the heart of downtown Reno.

Both the movie and soundtrack are 100% northern Nevada made and produced, and feature acting efforts from such local actors and artists as Mary Bennett, Max Volume, Tom Plunkett, Jef Derderian, Elizabeth Cole, Andy Luna, Dianna Sion, Nick Ramirez, Chris Holloman, Director of Photography Tyler Bourns, Director David Richards, Scott Dundas and many others.

Free Concert The pre-release event begins Thursday, July 23rd at 8:00pm with a free concert featuring movie-soundtrack bands including The Atomiks, The Liver Scars, The Shames, Source, Max Volume, Los Pistoleros, and Nick Ramirez of Phat Couch. Held in the Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor Showroom at 71 S. Wells in Reno, this concert is free and will be the first time the movie and soundtrack are available for purchase.

Private Media-Artist Events Friday, July 24th at Good Luck Macbeth Theatre from 2pm – 6pm is a free, private media mixer event. This event is a joint effort by Nowhere Nevada, LLC., Sierra Arts, Bruka Theater and Good Luck Macbeth and features a catered wine reception-art show (2pm-3pm) of the movie-soundtrack packaging by Dianna Sion; a private movie showing (3-4:30pm); a private soundtrack “listening” and official release press conference (4:30pm6pm). This will be the first time the Nowhere Nevada soundtrack will be unveiled and heard publicly.

Red Carpet World Public Premiere The world public premiere will be held at the Masonic Lodge-Freemason Theater, at 6:30pm, on Friday, July 24th. Tickets for this event are $20 (available online at

www.brownpapertickets.com and soon at local retailers), and includes a nearby, catered cocktail mixer from 5pm – 5:30pm (location TBA) with live entertainment and product signings from cast and crew members. The Freemason Theater has a seating occupancy of 475.

Movie Showings Beginning Friday July 24th and running through Sunday July 26th, there are currently 15 local showings of the movie at multiple venues including Good Luck Macbeth Theater, The Masonic Lodge/Freemason Theater and the Wells Fargo Theater in the William Raggio Building at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Tickets are good for any showing, at any time, at any venue. The Nowhere Nevada movie is an ensemble cast and community effort to nationally highlight the incredible amount of talent in northern Nevada. The film most recently won “Best Feature Film” at the San Francisco Global Film Festival and took second place for “Best Crime Drama” at the Indie International Film Festival of Hudson, Ohio. The movie features Brüka pioneer Mary Bennett, Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee Max Volume (KOZZ 105.7FM), renowned actor-musician Stephen Patterson, and the two leads, played by young upstart University of Nevada Reno students, Jef Derderian and Liz Cole.

Soundtrack “We did it, from start to finish, I can’t believe it. It took over three years of effort but it’s totally worth it. There’s no way we could have pulled this off without the support of literally hundreds of people who I’d really like to thank for helping my dream come true, and for the closure it has brought.” - Nick Ramirez, Executive Music Producer, Nowhere Nevada The Nowhere Nevada soundtrack was mastered by local sound talent Tom Gordon, best-known for engineering Dr. Dre’s multi-platinum Chronic 2001 album, and produced and coordinated by Executive Music Producer, Nick Ramirez. The soundtrack contains twenty handpicked, original northern Nevada songs over the last two decades. Songs are intermixed with movie dialog that were recorded locally/regionally by Imirage Sound Lab, Dogwater Studios, Granny’s House/Sierra Sonics Recording Mansion, 505 Recording Group, FSU, Stonehaven, Make Your Own Music, Clutchmove Studios, Hartone Recordings, Sequoia Studios and Headway Studios.

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EVENT

Art Show/Packaging Design:

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Both the “Nowhere Nevada” movie and soundtrack packaging are being designed by longstanding northern Nevada artist Dianna Sion, co-founder of the legendary Nada Dada movement. Since 1989, Sion has been a leading art pioneer in the northern Nevada community after attending the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

Dianna was sought out to visually update movie/ soundtrack branding as the “Greatest Love Story Ever Told,” (given by Max Volume, actor/musician in the movie). Sion’s acclaimed graphical talents showcase artistically the complexity of the movie and its inherent messaging. Both the movie and soundtrack are eco-friendly digi-packs/DVD-packs that together contain 16 different panels, all full color artistic renditions from Sion.

Free Soundtrack Concert Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor Showroom – 71 S. Wells • Free Movie Soundtrack Band Concert – 8:30pm – 2:00am. The Atomiks, Shames, Liver Scars, Source, Los Pistoleros and Max Volume.

DVD/Soundtrack Pricing/Sales Details “We could have maximized profits much more by printing a far less elaborate version of the Soundtrack and DVD. However, this whole project is way more than just a simple movie. It’s a huge work of art, by artists. It’s absolutely a priceless representation of our unique culture and history.” - Brian L. Sutherland, Executive Producer, Nowhere Nevada Both the movie and the soundtrack will be available for sale at 8:00 pm. on July 23, 2015. Producers expect the price of both the movie and soundtrack to be $15 each for hard packaging or $10 for digital download.

The Movie will be available for rental and purchase beginning August 31st from such online retailers at Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Playstation Network, Xbox and national Video on Demand platforms. The soundtrack will be available for download via Soundcloud, CD Baby, Amazon and iTunes. Film and soundtrack combo will be sold locally for $25, and are available at all events or at local retailers. These proceeds will go to compensate the featured artists and musicians, to reimburse production costs, and to begin financing the pre-production of the sequel Return from Nowhere Nevada (working title).

Living Memorial The movie and soundtrack are both a living remembrance of the late Marianne Psota, a wellknown, beloved northern Nevada musician/promoter in the 1990’s. Marianne wrote the Nowhere Nevada script while working in Reno at a music studio and promoting local concerts. She met fiancé Nick Ramirez, the Executive Music Director-script holder of the film, who was also a local musician and promoter.

The two fell in love and continued forging the now existing underground music scene. In 2000, Marianne contracted an unidentified airborne illness, leading to epilepsy. Marianne finished two complete versions of the script before dying in her home after living with epilepsy for four years. She was 37 years old.

Friday, July 24, 2015 Private Media-Artist Event Good Luck Macbeth - 713 S. Virginia • Catered DVD/Soundtrack Packaging Art Show by Artist Dianna Sion: 2p-3p • Catered Private (Media-Artist) Movie Viewing: 3pm-4:30pm • Catered Press Conference-Soundtrack Listening: 4:30pm-6pm Red Carpet Premiere - Reno Masonic Lodge – Freemason Theater - 40 W. 1st St. • Catered Wine Reception-Location TBA 5pm-6:30pm • World Public Movie Premiere Event 6:30pm-8:00pm • Additional Matinee/Public Showings: 12pm/2pm/4pm

Saturday, July 25, 2015 • Public Movie Showings – University of Nevada, Reno, at the Wells Fargo Theater: 1pm/3pm • Public Movie Showings - Freemason Theater: 9am/11am/1pm/3pm/5pm/7pm Entry to all events for all media is free and admission includes a guest pass (+1), as well as complimentary food and drink.

For More Information on the Soundtrack or the Movie Web: www.NowhereNevada.com | Trailer: NowhereNevada.com/trailer.htm | IMDB: IMDB.com/ title/tt3185648/ | Media Kit: www.nowherenevada.com/ NowhereNevada_Presskit-Electronic.pdf | Facebook(s): Facebook.com/NowhereNevada | Facebook.com/ NowhereNevadaSoundtrack | Press: NowhereNevada.com/ press.html | Award Laurels: NowhereNevada.com/laurels. html | Soundtrack Credits - Writing and Production Info: nowherenevada.com/music.htm

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FEATURE Part 2 Text Oliver X Photo Frank Haxton Digiman Studio Additional photos courtesy of Willobee

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KRZQ Radio Personality Willobee

Here in part two of our feature, we look at the commercial radio and music management career of KRZQ radio personality Willobee, as the new modern rock radio format emerges at 92.7 WLIR in his native New York in the early 80's.

Willobee: At the time I got the call to interview for WLIR, I was doing graphic design work and had been doing so for a long time. I was making six figures a year doing graphic design and I gave it up to make a couple hundred dollars a week at WLIR. But it was what I always wanted to do.

RTT: Had you saved any money during that time?

Willobee: I bought a new car; that's about it... I started out at WLIR doing weekend overnights.

Everything was live back then.

RTT: Ouch, the new guy...

Willobee: Right [laughter]. I quickly worked my way from weekend overnights to overnights during the week. Then I went to night time. Then they put me on morning drive as a sidekick. I was writing comedy and some wacky stuff...doing character voices. I used to do a good Mr. T voice. We had Mr. T on the morning show on a regular basis doing caller letters.

It was sorta like Mr. T was answering Dear Abby letters.

RTT: That must have been hilarious.

Willobee: It was pretty funny actually.

RTT: Did people write to Mr. T? Willobee: Yes they did. People really thought it was Mr. T. doing the show.

RTT: But it was you.

Willobee: It was me. And I did a bunch of other voices. I did a really good Mel Brooks. So from there, they put me on mid-days. They gave me my own shift. And I spent a couple of years doing mid-days at WLIR. RTT: You must have become pretty famous.

Willobee: In New York and New Jersey, yes. They made a celebrity out of me. Ratings were through the roof. They had my picture in the newspaper ads and billboards. It was kinda weird growing up in New York and being a normal kid, now I couldn't go anywhere without people recognizing me. WLIR was a very popular radio station. I couldn't walk into a nightclub and spend any money. Nobody would let me spend a dime. 'Your money's no good here,' they would say. People gave me all kinds of free shit.

RTT: Did you meet Debbie Harry, Billy Idol and the stars of that time?

Willobee: Absolutely...[Laughter]. Well, if you look at my Facebook page, it's like a who's who of rock.

Funny thing about Billy Idol. I had known Billy Idol before I started working at WLIR. I was DJ'ing at a pretty hip New York City nightclub called Danceteria. I used to work there and Billy Idol used to hang out there a lot. Billy and I became friends.

When I got the job at WLIR, since I was the new guy, I got stuck working Christmas Eve. So I'm there doing the late night shift on Christmas Eve into the wee hours of the night. My first Christmas Eve alone in a studio by myself, Billy Idol calls me and wished me a merry Christmas on the air. So that was pretty cool. He's coming to town here soon. I haven't seen him in quite a long time.

During the interview, Willobee clicks on his Facebook page photo archives, and there he is with David Bowie, Joan Jett, Bono, Ringo Starr, Depeche Mode, Bob Geldof, Joey Ramone and quite literally everyone who's anyone. A cool moment is when Willobee passes over the photos of close friends Nina Blackwood and JJ Jackson (now deceased), original MTV VJ's, who helped launch the music television network.

Willobee: I've have had a long history with U2. I've known U2 since the first time they came to America.

Joan Jett and I have known each other for years, long before my WLIR days. I met Blondie and The Police in their early days. I've met some many people, I can be jaded. But there are certain people that I meet and my hand still shakes. Like when I met Ringo. Or when I met Willey Nelson. Luckily he had a joint to calm me down. So I smoked a joint with Willey the first time I met him.

I worked in various formats over the years after I left WLIR. I worked in rock formats and all types of radio. So I met rocks bands, country artists, everybody.

RTT: In New York at WLIR, you guys are the top station.

Willobee: We are. We were huge.

We were rock stars basically.

RTT: How come KROQ didn't poach you?

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FEATURE

Willobee: Um, I was friends with all the guys from KROQ. I had thought about moving to LA, but I was a New Yorker. We were all coming up at about the same time. There was a time that I thought about going to KROQ in LA. I went to visit KROQ and hung out with David Blade, Freddie Snakeskin and Jed The Fish. They said, 'Why don't you come work here?' I just felt like I would be a fish outta water moving to LA. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but I was happy where I was. I didn't wanna just jump to the left coast. Eventually I went there, but not at that time. I wasn't ready.

RTT: What happened career-wise in the ensuing years that made you leave the station?

Willobee: One of the things about radio is it's really tough to make a living if all you do is DJ. RTT: It's poverty basically right?

Willobee: Well, the more things you can do in the business, the more job security you have. I knew that early on and wanted to be a program director.

And I was not being offered any growth at WLIR. The music director was there for a long time. They weren't going to hire a new music director unless he died. So I couldn't even get into the music department. I couldn't be music director and I couldn't be program director. In order to chase my dream, I literally had to leave my dream job and start from the bottom as a programmer, to work my way up as a program director.

My very first job after WLIR was as a program director for an album rock station in New Jersey. It was a station that was in trouble. They needed help.

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A friend of mine worked there and he said 'Man you'd make a great program director.' I said, 'Well, I'd love to be a program director, but who's gonna hire me with no experience as a program director?' He convinced his boss to interview me. And I convinced the general manager of this station called Y107, to give me a chance. I told him that I would work for free for six months as the program director and if he was not happy with what I was doing, we'd shake hands and walk away friends. He really liked me and liked my approach.

He said, 'I'm not going to make you work for free, but I am going to give you a six month trial period, since you've never been a program director, and if you don't make the needle move—you're out.' In the first three months, we went from last place to the middle of the pack. This was in Long Branch, New Jersey. We were wedged between WNEW in New York and WMMR in Philadelphia. We had major markets that came into our market, but we weren't big enough to get into New York and Philly.

So I had to fight the big guns. Within six months I'd beaten WNEW and WMMR in our market in ratings. One of the first things I did as program director, up against WNEW, was to hire one of the

DJ's that worked there for years who was out of work. They just let him go and I hired him to do mornings. He was great. We killed it.

RTT: That's awesome. At that time were you pulling any on-air shifts?

Willobee: I did a shift. I did afternoon drive.

RTT: And did you have a following?

Willobee: I did. People knew me from WLIR. So we did really well. I took a dying album rock station and revitalized it by playing some modern rock mixed with album rock. It was kind of like a cross between WNEW, which was an album rock station, and WLIR. It worked great. Plus we beat them on the streets. We were out everywhere at The Stone Pony and every time Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi played we were there. And it paid off. I was there for two years. Killed it in the ratings. And we did so well that the husband and wife team who owned the station, sold it at a huge profit. Then the company that bought it, flipped the format to some crap and I said, 'I'm out.'

From that point I applied for a job at a similar type of start-up station. They flew me out there to a brand new station in Santa Barbara California, not far from UCSB. It's a beautiful beach town.

RTT: You must have mellowed out there eh?

Willobee: Funny you should say that. The reason they hired me was that they didn't want to hire anyone from California because they were too laid back and mellow. They hired me was because I was a New Yorker and they wanted someone with a lot of energy and who was very aggressive. So I did that for two years. It was an adult rock station. We went up against a twenty year heritage rock station and beat them in the ratings within the first year. I did mid-days.

While I was living in Santa Barbara I discovered a band playing in a garage somewhere. And I really fell in love with this band. I offered to manage them and try to get them a record deal—which I did.

They were called Overdrive. Horrible name. The band was amazing; the singer was amazing and I had friends at a lot of record labels. So I shopped them and got them a record deal. That band was Ugly Kid Joe and they had a huge hit called “I Hate Everything About You.” They were big on MTV. I managed them for two years and sold their management contract, because I was still working in radio at that time.

From there I got offered a job programming another station that was in trouble. People seemed

to seek me out because I got really good at fixing broken radio stations. There was a station in Fresno California where a friend of mine was working.

He says, 'Man we're dying; we need help; we need somebody like you.'

RTT: How did you become aware that you were building this station fixer reputation?

Willobee: People were seeking me out. I was being interviewed and getting written up in all of the trade magazines. “Willobee Takes Station From Worst to First,' or 'Willobee Starts a New Station,' that kind of thing. So trade publications like Radio and Records, Billboard Magazine, FMQB and The Gavin Report, which no longer exists.

The station in Fresno was KKDJ, which was a twenty-five year heritage rock station. They were in the toilet. Ratings were terrible; they weren't making money. So I went in there to the owner of the station and I said, 'You know what we gotta do? Forget the rock station. You're not gonna like this, but the station is dead. You cannot revive this station. We need to flip the format to alternative rock.' So, I convinced the owner of the station to start the very first Edge branded radio station in the country. There's tons of them now. I brought in a company called Jacobs Media, which had this great idea to brand alternative rock radio with the name “The Edge” and start syndicating the format all over the country. And I was the first one to launch a station with them in Fresno. I became tight with Jacobs Media the consulting firm, so once I launched The Edge in Fresno, the ratings went through the roof. We went from worst to first and the guys from Jacobs Media said, 'You know what, we could use a guy like you. We're launching another Edge station in Phoenix Arizona.' At the time it was market twenty-one or twenty-two. I was like, 'I'm in.'

They offered me the morning show, music director and assistant program director at The Edge in Phoenix and I jumped on it! I took that job. I made a little more money this time. Much better money [Laughter]. I went out and bought a new sports car and had some fun in Phoenix. I worked there for a couple of years and launched that station, which was, again, an absolute winning radio station.

While I was in Phoenix, I got to know a band that was very popular there called the Phunk Junkeez.

They were kind of like the Beastie Boys. They had two DJ's and a guy scratching records. They convinced me to manage them. So I became their manager on the side, while I'm doing morning radio. I got them a record deal on TraumaInterscope Records. Trauma had released Bush and No Doubt.

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RTT: Did you take finders fees or signing fees for your scouting services?

Willobee: Hell yes! There was some serious money in the industry in those days. We had some big budgets for videos and albums. So I got them signed to Trauma-Interscope. And that same year, just after that happened, I went to the Redding Festival in England. It was part of the radio station. We had a contest and I brought a couple of listeners with me.

I was back stage in the media tent doing some live broadcasts, and I run into the lead singer of a band that I was a big fan of called Flesh for Lulu. They had a couple of big hits, “I Go Crazy” and “Postcards From Paradise.” So I recognize the singer and I go 'Hey, you're Nick Marsh from Flesh for Lulu aren't you?' He was drunk off his mind, and he goes, 'At's right mate.' We started talking and he says, 'Can you buy me a beer?' So we're drinking some beers together and talking, so I ask him, 'What happened to Flesh for Lulu?' And he tells me they broke up, but that he started a new band called The Infidels. I said,

'Oh, do you have any music?' And he says 'Yea, I have some music, do you wanna hear some?' So he pulls a cassette tape out of his pocket and he gives it to me. I pop it into a cassette player they have there back stage, and it was brilliant. I say, 'This is really good. What record label are you signed to?' And he tells me they are not signed. Then I say, 'Who's your manager?' He says they don't have management.

And I ask, “Well, who's heard this music? He goes, 'You're the first person to hear it.' And I go, 'Are you kidding me?' He goes, 'No, we just recorded it last night.' I go, 'Ya know, I might be able to get you signed to a record deal back in the States. I just got a deal with Interscope for this band called the Phunk Junkeez. I know you don't know me, but I love you guys. Would you let me take your demo back with me to the States? Give me three months to try to get you guys a record deal and if I don't get you a deal, we'll shake hands and walk away friends.' And I told him that if I got him a record deal, that I want to manage the band. He goes, 'Sounds good to me.'

He literally trusted me with the demo and we had a handshake deal. I cut a little contract with his lawyer when I got back. Three weeks later I got them signed to Columbia Records. I knew a guy who worked in A&R (the guy who actually signed Alice in Chains, who was a buddy of mine) and another A&R guy. I knew they were fans of Flesh for Lulu, who had like five albums out on Capitol Records. So I'm talking to Bengie Gordon and I said, 'Hey, you're a fan of Flesh for Lulu aren't you? And he goes, 'Yea, big time.' I say, 'Well the singer and the guitar player have a new band and I got their demo.' He says, 'I gotta hear it.' So I fly to Chicago and play the demo in my car for these guys from Columbia Records.

FEATURE

And they say, 'Wow, this is awesome; this is amazing.

We gotta go see them.' So we set up a showcase in London and me and the guys from Columbia fly there the next week. They saw the show and right afterwards they signed them. The group became a band called Gigantic. Unfortunately they never became gigantic, but that's another story ‌ They had a hit song and MTV fell in love with their video. We all thought they would become huge.

So to back track a bit, I'm still working in radio. I'm a full-time morning DJ; I'm an APD and music director and I'm managing two bands as a hobby; I got both bands signed to major label record deals and I'm like, 'OK, now what do I do?' I didn't have a lot of experience in management. But I was good friends with this guy Pete Katsis who was managing Material Issue and some other bands. I called him up and said, Pete, I got these two bands signed to major labels, what do I do?' He says, 'Quit your job and come work with us.' He was with a management company who was managing Material Issue, Mind Bomb, Tuck and Patty and some others. He says, 'We need a radio guy like you to help us break one of our new bands.' And I says, 'Really, who are they?' And he says, 'They're called Korn, spelled with k. I had never heard of them. I said, 'Are they any good?' He goes, 'Yea!' So they fly me to LA, take me out to dinner, play me the Korn record and I'm like, 'Holy shit I've never heard anything like this. This is gonna change the sound of radio.' Katsis says, 'We'll help you manage

the two bands you got signed and you help us manage Korn and our bands. Altogether we had ten bands under our moniker. The company was called Q Management at the time. So I retired from radio, or so I thought, and went to work in artist management and I moved to Beverly Hills.

RTT: So you were their radio guy. Did you have to use any of the consultants at that time like Steve Smith of Jeff McClusky?

Willobee: No, no. I was calling all my friends at radio saying, 'Hey, there's this new band Korn and you should be playing them, blah blah blah. We were met with a lot of resistance at radio. They told me that Korn was too hard and they could not play them. I said, 'They're selling like hot cakes, you gotta play them.' So, it took a while, but eventually Korn changed the sound of alternative radio and helped create a whole new format called Active Rock. It was alternative rock that rocked hard. I was kind of there at the beginning helping create this new format back in the day inadvertently. I didn't set out to create a new format, it just happened that way.

I know what you're thinking, Jesus, this guy has done it all right? Well, there's more, and we'll wrap it up with Willobee next edition, while introducing you to another Shamrock radio personality in August as well. Listen to Willobee weekdays from 10am-2pm on 104.1FM KRZQ.

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HEALTH TIPS Text Lanette Katre Photo Torrey Loomis Makeup Jayme Ward Hair Blow dry bar Styling Couture Closet Isha Casagrande Transportation Reno Tahoe Limousine

Shots and the City It's official, fifty is the new fabulous and sixty is now considered middle age. This diva demographic looks much different than they once did: more Sex and the City rather than the Golden Girls. They understand the important role that holistic therapies play in total wellness. Weekly B12 cocktails, proper diet and exercise definitely help these girls stay youthful and healthy, so they enjoy every minute of their vibrant, full lives.

Quick Stats > 65% of the women over the age of fifty who are diagnosed with depression are really B12 deficient.

Supplementing with weekly B12 injections can boost serotonin, improve mood, reduce anxiety and banish brain fog. > 10-30% of the fifty-plus population have difficulty absorbing and breaking down B12 from food due to inadequate stomach acid. If you aren’t able to process

B12 from the food you eat, a quick easy remedy is to bypass the stomach all together and get a quick shot that is 100% absorbable and ready to serve your system.

The following is a local business woman’s experience with B12.

Testimonial “I started my shots in November right as the holiday season was approaching; when retail gets a little stressful. The shots gave me increased energy and, as many of my co-workers were sick, I stayed healthy and focused. I love the results and losing weight was an added bonus.” - Natasha Bayt, owner of Natasha’s World Jewelry.

We can help you B your best at every age … B-Healthy.

B-Skinny. B-Hot. B-Strong. B12.

Lanette Katre is the owner of The Shot Spot A B12 Bar, located at 615 Sierra Rose Drive, Suite 4 Reno, NV 89511.

775-826-1008. www.theshotspotb12.com.

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HISTORY Text Oliver X Photo Frank Haxton Photo assistance by Heather McAlpine and Fielding Cathcart Models Isha Casagrande and Lanette Katre MUA & Hair - Jenna Harlin, Owner Salon Platinum.

Clothing provided by Erin Basta, The Hootchy Kootchy Queen.

The The Virginia Virginia Street Street Bridge Bridge

For the next twelve to sixteen months, downtown traffic will be diverted as the new $18 million dollar Virginia Street Bridge Project replaces the old, structurally compromised, Virginia Street Bridge.

Designed by San Francisco architect John B. Leonard and constructed in 1905 by Oakland's Cotton Brothers and Company, the Virginia Street Bridge was opened in 1906. Several wooden bridges stood in the footprint of the former earthen-filled concrete arch bridge. The arch bridge has been one of the most popular and successful engineering methods employed throughout antiquity, dating back some three thousand years, and was widely used during the Roman empire across the known world.

From 1906 to the early sixties, Reno was dubbed the Divorce Capital of the World and the Virginia Street Bridge earned the nickname of “Bridge of Sighs” and the “Wedding Ring Bridge.” Newly divorced women would march down the steps of the Washoe County

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Courthouse, head north to Virginia Street to the bridge, and fling their rings into the Truckee River from the bridge railing. The ritual was depicted in the 1939 film Reno and in the famous 1961 film The Misfits, starring Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in their last silver screen appearances. With Vegas just a patch of desert wasteland, it was Reno that first earned the moniker of “Sin City,” with its quickie divorces, illicit gambling halls and legal brothels. For many, the bridge represented the confluence of a liberating act with the promise of a new life.

Up to its demolition in June of 2015, The Virginia Street Bridge carried vehicular and pedestrian traffic of over 14,000 users per day. The agencies involved in the new construction, expected to be completed in 2016, include: The City of Reno, Truckee River Flood management Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration.

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MALL

Virginia Street Antique Mall

Text Oliver X Photos Kyle Volland

1251 South Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89502 Open daily from 10am-6pm 775-324-4141

I like to investigate the origins of things. I'm fascinated with the items we acquire and assign value. The fads, impulses, traditions, trends and eras; the capsules of our culture made miniature with the passage of time.

we call mantiques. Shaving items, a lot of tools. We carry a lot of auto body hammers. There's lots of things for the car, fishing items, beautiful Griswold waffle irons; a lot of cast iron pans and things like that.

The rediscovery of things that hold the times of our lives inside them is magical.

The variety in their collection is staggering. Vook's has everything from a huge supply of vintage games like Monopoly and Parcheesi, a first year edition of Lite Brite priced at $40, with all the pegs and paper supplies, an original Battleship game, the Baretta street detective game, the seventies favorite Operation – in good condition – chess and checkers sets, and wooden cribbage boards, to sexual history books and novels, off beat religious books and new age titles, collector glass, typewriters, bar and beer mirrors, velvet paintings, old cocktail shakers and tea carts and serving trays; a large selection of Betty Crocker and Fanny Farmer cook books and the old fashioned recipe boxes that still have the hand-written recipe cards in them.

For me, antique shops are like living museums.

Thousands of trinkets and treasures and finds.

Thousands of silent stories. It's those stories that I seek; that echo from the stacks and shelves, like a faint cry from another dimension. I've marveled at the ability of things to create memories that almost love us back for the way we delight in them, harkening back to the days when inanimate things were real to us, and we spoke their language.

Vendors Holly Natwora and Tracy Vucovich – Vook's Place Vintage & Collectibles – 775-313-8236 – vooksplace@gmail.com “I started trash picking in New York City because I couldn't believe what people were throwing away, “says Vook's Place co-owner Holly Natwora. “So I got a gorgeous Arts & Crafts mission style bookcase that I picked out of the trash. I have a bit of a chair fetish. I've got some really cool chairs. I've got a beautiful mid-century modern wood chair that I picked out of the trash; a Miro poster that he designed for Sokurov's talk that he did one night only at the Rockefeller University in New York.

And I found some beautiful glass door knobs.

Those are some of the things that I started picking out of the trash that got me started in collecting.

“Then I met Tracy and she'd been doing it for quite some time, but she was selling through eBay. So she and I would go out garage selling and going to thrift stores just for fun. Then it started taking over our house.

And so I was like, 'You know we have to start doing something about all this stuff.' We wanted to continue to buy, but we didn't have any more room. We decided to get a booth at Tanner's Marketplace to see how we'd do.

We buy actually what we like. We don't buy for trends; we don't buy for market value. So we went to Tanner's and we sold out that day. We did great. So we were like, 'Good, people like what we we're selling.'

We came to Virginia Street Antique Mall in 2011 and we've done great ever since. Our selection covers a little bit of everything, from the 1920's through the 1970's, so it's a nice wide range. One of our specialties is something

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“I think the thing that's the most interesting thing to me in this business is researching the item and finding out what it was used for, or how old it is, who made it.

But more importantly, someone actually used that item in their life. It's been touched by someone in the past; it was there's. And so when I get an item like a crucifix, or I get an old military item from World War II and I hold that in my hand and I think about that soldier that was out there in the field. That's what brings me the greatest joy. Having that item and being able to pass that item along to someone else. That's really the thing that keeps me going.”

Vintage Lighting Carefully chosen vintage lighting can make or break a room's décor and sets the tone of elegance or utility for any interior design project. Luckily, vintage lighting options abound at Virginia Street Antique Mall. The range of styles, periods and designs is staggering, from art deco ceiling pendants, table and floor lamps, 70's era lava lamps and shiny disco ornamentals, flush mounted ceiling lights and chandeliers, to vintage bulb string lights (which are all the rage), mid-century modern lighting, cluster, tear drop and outdoor fixtures, caged lit ceiling fans, wall mounted sconces and kitchen and bath lighting.

Take the time to walk the 17,000 square feet of showroom space and do not be afraid to ask for assistance in getting a close look at the vast selection of rare and vintage lights available—often times in superb condition—at the Virginia Street Antique Mall.

New Business Culture Part 2 Text Oliver X Photos Kyle Volland

Below, we pick up part two of our feature on Midtown's newest style destination, Culture, already in progress. Owner Kendra Cro tells us how the shop got its name, and how she and partner Ryan Van Duyn acquire the cool styles on display for men and women.

RTT: How did you arrive at your name?

Kendra Cro: Ryan, came up with the name Culture.

It's a compromise on the original name that we decided was a little too edgy for the Reno market.

For me, the styles and brands that we house are a 72 Reno Tahoe Tonight

culture all their own. It's more than rebellious skirt lengths and religious stabs with pizza pentagrams tank tops.

Webster defines culture as, 'a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.' I feel like the forward thinking style of our store is defined as just that. We have our own beliefs in fashion; our own way of life in how we support others and spread positivity, and our own expression of art through style. There's a freedom of expression on our shelves that you can't find at most shops. By choosing to seek that expression of yourself, you are a part of the same

Culture we are. I jokingly tell people to "drink the Kool-aid, but remember to just be yourself." Culture represents a unification of open minded people who don't care what you have to say about the way we dress. It also represents a mindset of positivity and encouragement towards one another. There is enough hate in the world.

at vendor booths. We're talking giant convention centers full of countless brands. It was amazing and a nightmare at the same time. It was like finding a needle in a hay stack. We'd spend hours looking through booths that just weren't for us and then magically stumble upon a little nugget of awesomeness.

RTT: How do you source your apparel?

Besides hunting at trade shows, I am always searching for new brands and designers to carry.

Over the last four years, I have kept a bookmark list of shops, designers, and labels I love. I reference that a lot when I'm needing to place orders. Many of

Kendra Cro: Multiple ways. Ryan and I went to trade shows in Las Vegas this February. We spent five days at eight different shows walking around looking

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them are small businesses trying to make something special, just like I am. For example, we order from a brand called Hex Appeal. All of this guy's clothing is hand printed on the Big Island in Hawaii in a quiet jungle residence a few minutes from the ocean.

This guy is doing what he loves and making beautiful designs. That's something I want to support. I love finding clothing that has a story behind it and sharing support for their craft by housing their brand in our shop.

Sourcing my apparel is the most time consuming, stressful, exciting, and rewarding part of owning a clothing store.

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We're not looking for something we can get in bulk for a few dollars and re-sale for 10 times as much. I have no interest in ripping people off. So we spend an exorbitant amount of time looking for inventory.

I would describe it best as curation. We will literally buy with specific people in mind. We will look at an item and say, "This would look so great on Heather."

By doing this, we're thinking of a specific style, vibe, and body type. It helps us buy for our customers and not just for our own taste.

RTT: On the consignment side, what do you look for when deciding what's right for your shop?

New Business NEW BUSINESS

Kendra Cro: We currently consign only a few items.

Consignment is tricky. I have made and sold my own jewelry on consignment for many years. There are a few issues that arise. When you have to give up 30% of the sale on your hand made goods to a store carrying your goods, you often times don't end up getting compensated for your time, but only for your materials and maybe a few dollars more. If you DO want to get compensated for your efforts, you end up raising your prices so high that your goods end up sitting on the shelf twice as long. On the other end, as a business owner, you have to make sure that you're being compensated for the sale. You are the

one taking the risk by opening a business, and you are the one paying the rent, taxes, and other bills.

Only getting $9 on a $30 consigned item, can sometimes make the collaboration less than beneficial for the shop.

Our shop is small. Needless to say, we have to be very selective when we choose what we bring in on consignment. It has to be unique. It needs to be something I'm not already making myself and it can't be similar to items I already carry. It also has to have integrity and be made with quality in mind. I am always happy to look at someone's goods and see if Reno Tahoe Tonight 75

Business NEWNew BUSINESS

it's a proper fit for the store. I don't want people to be discouraged if I say no. I have been in their shoes before.

RTT: How challenging is it to coax folks away from online purchases and into your store for things that are fashion forward and hip?

Kendra Cro: I haven't seen that as a problem at all.

A lot of our customers say that they are excited to finally have a place to try clothes on that they could 76 Reno Tahoe Tonight

previously only get online. There is still a risk in online shopping. You don't know how something is going to fit, international brands can take weeks to arrive, and returning an item is often times a big hassle and getting your refund can take up to a month. So the response from our clientele has been that of excitement to get to see, touch, and try on something they've been drooling over online. I don't see online shopping as competition. Our prices are great and our selection vast and always changing.

RTT: I hear all the time how impossible it is to get a good jeans fit these days. What advice do you offer for customers looking for that perfect pair of jeans?

Kendra Cro: This is a funny question for me, being that I only own 2 pairs of jeans these days. The cost of a pair of perfectly fitting jeans is outrageous, in my opinion. $200+ dollars for jeans just hurts my feelings [laughter]. I suppose it's all about priority and whatever your personal preference is. If you're struggling to find a pair of perfectly fit jeans, I'd tell

you to shop around, make a day of it, and try those babies on. Don't be afraid to try on cuts and styles that you've never tried before. Great things happen outside of your comfort zone. Every body type is different and you never know until you try.

Culture is located at 737 South Virginia Street Midtown Reno, NV 89501. Open Monday through Sunday 10:30am-7pm. (775) 657-6192. www.cultureboutique.tumblr.com/ Reno Tahoe Tonight 77

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NEW BUSINESS SixFour Growlers Text Candee Candler Photo C. O'Neill

So you’re a craft beer aficionado are you? With the craft beer trend alive and well in The Biggest Little City, two local beer-loving businessmen saw opportunity and recently took their enthusiasm to the next level. Coowners Bret Schaeffer and Rich Taylor present to you Reno’s next big thing, SixFour Growlers, Reno’s only stand-alone growler filling station.

in a traditional beer growler, and it’s just enough to share with friends and make you the most popular guy at the gathering. And you will want to bring the big growler to a party. Not only will this encourage friendship and show up all of those warm-can guests, but the growler beer really should be consumed within 24 hours for optimum enjoyment.

What is a “growler” and why does it sound so angry?

A growler is essentially a giant glass jug that, once purchased, can be filled over and over with refreshing beers from your favorite tap. And it’s not angry – it is thrilled with its lot in life – to be the conveyance for incredible craft brews, courtesy of mainly local brewers, hand-picked by the beer geniuses at SixFour Growlers.

The brews available at SixFour Growlers come from all over the country, including Reno and Tonopah breweries, so you can support the locavore movement, to selections all the way from Burlington, Vermont (they craft more than syrup there, you know).

And enjoyment truly is what SixFour Growlers is all about. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy store when you step up to the bar (now might be a good time to mention that children are not allowed into this bar – sorry, kids).

With the plethora of select craft beers on tap just itching for you to enjoy on-site by the pint, tasting flight, 32, or 64 oz growler to-go, you may feel overwhelmed by the selection available. But don’t fret, they’re open 7 days a week; you have plenty of time to try all of the rotating selection of craft beers on tap at SixFour Growlers – and even take some varieties home. You’ll never get bored trying out the unique selection with nearly 30 beers on tap, featuring mostly local beer offerings, craft beer, ciders, and even two Kombucha teas.

You can purchase your own custom-branded growler from the guys at SixFour Growlers that you can use time and again – or even bring in your own growler to fill up – as long as it is imprinted with the government warning about alcohol consumption. Invest a little up front by purchasing the growler and benefit from paying less per ounce in a growler each time you fill up. And it tastes fresher, too.

Now you know what a growler is, but why the name “SixFour”? Sixty-four represents the number of ounces 80 Reno Tahoe Tonight

“The beers we’re serving are ones that can’t be found in a normal grocery store,” said Taylor. “They are only available on tap.”

The list of local breweries SixFour has on tap includes Great Basin, Silver Peak, St James, Under the Rose, Pigeon Head, Stoneyhead, The Brewing Lair, Tonopah Brewing, Common Cider, Tahoe Mountain Brewing and The Depot. “Once the Brewers Cabinet

opens their new brewery, we will be able to get their beer,” notes Schaeffer.

“Our most popular beer is the Fruli strawberry beer, which is a white Belgium beer. Anything from Track 7 is also popular. We've sold more from that brewery than any other,” Schaeffer states.

SixFour Growlers is located in Reno’s popular Midtown district, next door to Maxwell's Barbershop, between Great Full Gardens and Batch Cupcakery.

Waiting for a barber haircut, your favorite gluten-free cupcake, or vegan entrée now becomes time well-spent over a hand-crafted pint. And like a good neighbor, Batch is hooking up SixFour Growlers customers each Friday afternoon with soft and delicious pretzels that go tremendously with your favorite brew. Feel like you’re in the heart of Germany enjoying beer and pretzels, all without those uncomfortable lederhosen.

What could be better than a growler filled with craft beer? Honestly, not much. But what comes awfully close is a local business full of special offers for its guests, including “Tap Tuesdays” ($2 off 32 oz. Growler fills all day long), and the monthly Efast Endurance Training “Last Wednesday Fun Run” for those active beer drinkers (each month the last Wednesday features a free three or five mile course through Midtown, culminating with a well-earned frosty brew at SixFour Growlers). And if you like feeling special, the guys offer a craft beer special each month where customers earn 10% off just for mentioning the deal. The mystery offer of the month is easy to find just by checking out www.

SixFourGrowlers.com.

The shop opens early each day for local shift workers and those of you who want to pick up a growler at lunch, so you can take it to a party straight from the office. And let’s be honest – some of us just like to drink in the middle of the day. From 11a.m. on, these guys are filling growlers for the party people of Reno, seven days a week. Come get your own growler fill.

SixFour Growlers is located in the heart of the Midtown District at 555 South Virginia Street, Suite #105.

775-337-9578.

e's a list of be Her ers SixFour

l soon hav wil e on tap:

American River Firebreak Red Ale Rancho Cordova, CA

Tieton Washington Apple Cider Tieton, CA

Ballast Point Longfin Lager San Diego, CA

Track 7 Riot Act Sacramento, CA

Coronado Idiot Imperial IPA Coronado, CA

Uinta Hoodoo Kolsch Salt Lake City, UT

Depot Voyager Reno, American River Firebreak Red Ale Rancho Cordova, CA

Devil's Canyon Full Boar Scotch Ale San Carlos, CA

Ballast Point Longfin Lager San Diego, CA Coronado Idiot Imperial IPA Coronado, CA Depot Voyager Reno, NV Devil's Canyon Full Boar Scotch Ale San Carlos, CA Green Flash Road Warrior San Diego, CA Lassen Ale Works Volcanic Susanville, CA Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat Eureka, CA New Belgium Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale Fort Collins, Co North Coast Brother Thelonious Fort Bragg, CA Pigeon Head Lager Reno, CA Sierra Nevada Harvest Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Chico, CA Silver Peak Baileywheat Hefeweizen Reno, NV Silver Peak Peavine Porter Reno, NV Tahoe Mountain Hot Pants Truckee, CA

Green Flash Road Warrior San Diego, CA Lassen Ale Works Volcanic Susanville, CA Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat Eureka, CA New Belgium Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale Fort Collins, Co North Coast Brother Thelonious Fort Bragg, CA Pigeon Head Lager Reno, CA Sierra Nevada Harvest Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Chico, CA Silver Peak Baileywheat Hefeweizen Reno, NV Silver Peak Peavine Porter Reno, NV Tahoe Mountain Hot Pants Truckee, CA The Brewing Lair Ambush IPA Blairsden, CA Tieton Washington Apple Cider Tieton, CA Track 7 Riot Act Sacramento, CA Uinta Hoodoo Kolsch Salt Lake City, UT

The Brewing Lair Ambush IPA Blairsden, CA Reno Tahoe Tonight 81

RADIUS Text Amanda Horn Photo Callie Lindemann Photo of Amanda Horn by Alina Vincent

Brian and Jeromy

[radius] = love, equally, without judgment

To love is to be there. If you are not there, how can you love? The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is your true presence.

Thich Nhat Hanh, from True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart I recently met a couple who will soon celebrate 35 years of being in a loving, committed relationship.

Native Floridians, they met while working at Disney World. I can only imagine how many romances have been ignited at the happiest place on Earth. For these two, the spark yielded a flame that has burned bright for almost four decades.

Ten years ago, desiring a change of weather--Florida summers can be brutally humid--the couple relocated to Reno. Retired now, they spend much of their time at home, tooling around the house and yard. They enjoy exploring America’s west and have found the Biggest Little City a very welcoming place to enjoy this mature season of life. I didn’t ask permission to use their names, so to protect their privacy I will call these two lovely gentlemen David and Richard. To celebrate their 35th anniversary in July, David and Richard are getting married. My husband Brad Horn and I have a wedding photography business, and we earned the privilege of photographing this extraordinarily special day. As these men are a bit older, their parents have passed and will not be able to celebrate their special day, but they will be joined by numerous friends and family.

We received this blessing as a referral from our friends Andy and Kevin, another lovely couple who have been together almost 25 years, and will soon commemorate that milestone with matrimony as well. Last month, we photographed the wedding of a gay couple who have been together 30 years. A small group of friends and family gathered in the backyard for an intimate celebration, one that neither these men, nor David and Richard, nor Andy and Kevin thought they would be able to have in their lifetime.

I went through my share of unhealthy relationships before finally settling down with my sweet Brad. Love is tough. Finding someone you feel intimately connected to, that you desire to be fully present with, is a blessing.

To remain in love with that person as the years pass and you both change, to grow closer with that individual, to support and be supported by someone who wishes only for your happiness—these qualities are nothing short of a miracle. True love is a gift from the Divine.

I cannot imagine anyone telling me my love for Brad was inherently evil, that I am a deviant for sharing intimacy with this jewel of a human. Yet that is what my friends referenced here, and scores of other men and

women I adore, have been told. Until recently, they have been denied the right to seal their love with the bond of marriage. Andy and Kevin got married in San Francisco in 2004 during a short window that then Mayor Gavin Newsom had opened. The California Supreme Court revoked their marriage license later that same year.

During Nevada’s last legislative session, my friends Brian and Jeromy (pictured in the photos accompanying this column) were on the front lines petitioning for the Silver State to remove the veil of discrimination. As I’m writing this, the United States Supreme Court is weighing a decision that will hopefully put this injustice to rest, finally making gay marriage the same as traditional marriage.

Brad and I have been emotionally overwhelmed by the same-sex couples whose weddings we have the privilege of capturing. We feel deeply grateful to be intimately involved in such a special time in history, both our collective history as a nation and the personal histories of each couple’s lives. We are ecstatic to share joy, openly, with people in love, with no concern whether they are gay or straight.

As injustice continues to subside, more gay Nevadans will feel welcome into the institution of marriage.

Recognizing the need to create an atmosphere of tolerance and inclusiveness in a traditionally heteronormative institution, the Nevada Museum of Art will host an LGBTQ friendly wedding faire on Saturday, August 1. The Art of Love will feature photographers, clothiers, DJs, wedding planners, florists, officiants, and other vendors who are in the business of celebrating love without judgment. Throughout the day, educational seminars will take place on various topics of concern for same-sex couples, like family planning and property management. The Museum is working with a number of local organizations to produce content, and to ensure everyone feels welcome. Get details at www.nevadaart.org.

It’s difficult to navigate this world, weighed down with generations of negative baggage we must try and shed as we move along. Should we be fortunate enough to find a sidekick to share in the journey, we must do our best to nurture that love, regardless of gender.

Amanda Horn is a Reno-based writer, yogini, and creative community enthusiast. A former circus performer, she has been pushing boundaries most of her life, constantly redefining her own and testing the radius of the world she inhabits. She currently serves as Director of Communications for the Nevada Museum of Art. Follow her on Twitter @TeboHorn or email her at amanda. horn@nevadaart.org.

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REAL ESTATE

Text and photos courtesy of The Menchel Real Estate Group

Dreams Reality and The Menchel Real Estate Group On a wing and a prayer, and believing there was a better more dignified way to run a real estate brokerage, Terry Rasner founded Dreams Realty as an exclusive boutique brokerage in 2009. Today, almost six years later, Dreams Realty owns its offices on Gordon Ave! Some 25 licensed Realtors and Agents, along with a growing number of licensed Used Manufactured Home Salespeople call Dreams Realty home.

Broker Terry Rasner, Nevada’s Distinguished Woman of 2014, is known for her innovations, and to expand the reach of Dreams Realty, she added a dozen dually-licensed Real Estate and Manufactured Home Salespersons, while establishing a broad six county northern Nevada presence. One of the only Women Brokers to do so in northern Nevada- Managing Broker, daughter, Sarah Carmona-Zink, are strong women in the manufactured home business and real estate industry! Terry is an author of the book” She is all Business” and through seminars and one-on-one coaching, mentors women professionals and women desiring to make their mark in the business world.

This year, Dreams Realty and Terry’s Team received an Excellence in Achievement Award from the Wall Street Journal as Nevada’s #4 and Reno’s #1 Real Estate Team for Sales Sides and Volume, adding to her National Association of Women REO Brokers Leadership Award in 2013. Both Sarah and Terry have been recognized by the American Registry.

Managing Broker and Co-owner, Sarah Carmona-Zink, is a graduate from UNR with her BS in economics.

The last few years she has been recognized as #12 nationally by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals in total sales by a Hispanic real estate professional.

Our offices at 521 Gordon Avenue also house Dreams Foundation, Inc. which, along with Dreams Realty, has given over $325,000 to local, regional, national and international programs and ministries in the past few years. The working Mission for DFI is to make competitive and discretionary financial funding awards to applicants who have demonstrated their desire and measurable plans to realize their own, their organizations, or their community’s unmet dreams, and to specify how their efforts would benefit individuals, families, communities and faith–based organizations.

Richard Menchel joined Dreams Realty in 2009. His success has been achieved through his hard work and dedication to the client’s needs. Richard achieved Dreams Realty’s “Realtor of the Year” in 2013. The following year his wife joined the team. Richard and Debra Menchel were awarded “Top Team of 2014” for Dreams Realty. They specialize in the luxury market, home-re-sales and work with investors.

Stay with us each month and look for informative industry content from The Menchel Real Estate Group in the next RTT.

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RENO COMPUTER FIX Text Michelle Haryasz Image provided by C.J. Norris

Virtual Reality: Coming Soon lunky attempts at Virtual Reality (VR) devices existed at least 20 years ago, but today’s technology can finally deliver on the promises of yesterday's dreams.

Recently, there have been an increasing number of companies working on prototypes, many of which expect to hit the market within the next year.

C

The hottest contender may be Oculus Rift. The current ‘Crescent Bay’ prototype is expected to be very close to the final version that they intend to release next year.

Oculus acquired Nimble VR late last year, which is exciting news because Nimble develops hand-tracking cameras and software, making controller-free, motionsensing gaming more responsive. Another factor that makes Oculus Rift impressively immersive is 360° and 3D positional audio. This means that if you hear something behind you, you can turn around to see it, or if something whooshes overhead the sound will coincide with the object. Oculus also developed Samsung’s Gear VR, which requires a Galaxy Note 4 and Bluetooth controllers. Gear VR is less powerful, but more lightweight and portable.

Microsoft’s HoloLens is a different approach, where instead of blocking out your surroundings, will incorporate the virtual over the real world. Instead of plugging into a PC, it has Windows 10 and all the necessary hardware built in. HoloLens has finger gesture support that can be used with MS HoloStudio to create 3D object designs. With the rise of 3D printing, this will be a remarkable tool for makers.

The first of this generation’s game consoles to release VR tech looks to be Sony, with planned release of Morpheus next year for the PS4. Morpheus, which can be used with

the PlayStation Move controllers, is getting positive early reviews due to comfortable design and fun demos.

Gaming is just one experience that VR can improve.

For travel shows and documentaries, VR can rival IMAX for jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring visuals.

Acclaimed BBC naturalist David Attenborough is already collaborating with a studio to create a computer generated virtual tour of the early species on our planet.

For those of us who do any type of repair work, or for those who enjoy crafts, picture the potential for first-person tutorials. This is especially true as haptic technologies become more refined. Haptic is basically touch-based object perception and manipulation. I’m sure some of you are picturing the potential for other content, and honestly, that has always been a strong incentive for a fledgling technology to take off. The ‘adult entertainment’ industry gets a large share of the credit for VCRs becoming commonplace once upon a time, and has always been a driving force behind the internet, so if it brings us better VR and haptic tech it would not be much of a shock.

We are always glad to provide a no-cost, no-obligation initial analysis on your desktop PC, Mac, MacBook or laptop PC. This way, you can make confident and informed decisions regarding your system. Remember, Don't Suffer in Silence.

Reno Computer Fix, 1170 S. Wells Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm 775.996.0212, or online at www.renocomputerfix.net and on Facebook Reno Tahoe Tonight 89

WWW

T H E J U N G L E R E N O COM

teaching, nurturing, supporting... locally 17 South Virginia Street Reno, NV 89501

775.329.2787 www.sierra-arts.org

IN THE GALLERY

Franz Szony July 1-31

July 2015

Opening Reception July 2, Tuesdays - Poetry Night 5-8 p.m.

Wednesdays - Singer/Songwriter Thursdays - An Evening of Jazz Free to attend, 6-8 p.m.

Become a member and support...

Sierra Arts Foundation is the local Full schedule at www.sierra-arts.org arts agency where our mission is to educate, nurture, and support the Gallery Hours: arts in Northern Nevada and Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm Northeastern California.

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SKATE NV Photo Kyle Volland Skater: DePaul Madigan doing a tucknee indy out of the bowl at Idlewild skatepark.

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THE COUTURE COLUMN Text Isha Casagrande - Owner The Couture Closet Photos Clayton Beck - Model Sarah Velasquez Make Up Artist Jayme Ward Virginia City pays tribute to tradition everyday by celebrating majestic America. Our western tour took us through The Peach House Antiques, Highlander Goldsmith and Virginia City Brewery and Tap House and we discovered some secret gardens, passionate Americans and a refreshing dose of patriotism. Here is a star spangled journey where fashion and lifestyle are free.

Confederate Cowgirl Cowboy hat $44, "Life" shrug $59, bangles $18, earrings $18 and ring $28 from The Couture Closet. Mossimo Bikini $24 each piece from Target.

Patriotic Poise Necklace $32 from The Couture Closet. Truehitt scarf $54 from Chez Vous.

Home of the Brave Soho Girl short and top $18 each, necklace $54, bangles $18 and rings $18-28 from The Couture Closet. Truehitt scarf $44 from Chez Vous.

Luxe Liberty Soho girls booty short $18, Silversuite top $36, "The Hatter" fedora $38 and necklace $42 from The Couture Closet.

On Isha Cecio top $42, necklace $36 and earrings $18 from The Couture Closet.​​

Home of the Brave ^

96 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Isha Casagrande ^

THE COUTURE CLOSET – PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG

Patriotic Poise ^

Confederate Cowgirl ^ Luxe Liberty ^

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THE NEST Text Tessa Miller Photos Jocelyn Noel Models: Maren Rush + Danny Lemaire Stylist + Props: Tessa Miller of The Nest Assistants: Dominic Martin + Maya Katarina

A Night In The Country, Nest-Style Pre-Festy Ho Down July 18, 7pm ‘til the cows come home 1155 Watson Way Ste. 5, Sparks, NV So, how does The Nest camp out, country-style? We took some friends, and our lovely photographer Jocelyn Noel, to the outskirts of town to give you a little inspiration for sprucing up your cowboy wardrobe and home on the range.

Giddy up, y’all.

A music festival out in the desert where we can break out a tent and some sadly under-used cowboy boots while crooning to The Band Perry’s If I Die Young?

Sign us up! The 2015 Night In The Country Music Festival is 3 days of camping, music, and great times in Yerington on July 23-25.

On Saturday, July 18th, The Nest will be teaming up with 7 Troughs Distilling Company for a PRE-FESTY HO 98 Reno Tahoe Tonight

DOWN to get you all fired up and ready for the music festival the following weekend. Get outfitted for a rootin’ tootin’ good time with the Nest's extensive collection of western wear including cowboy hats, boots, jeans, bolo ties and more! Or bring your own digs, and our crafty stylists will be there to help you pull your outfit together and add a few finishing touches. We'll even have a DIY Daisy Dukes station to help you cowgirl up your worn denim on a budget.

Our host, 7 Troughs Distilling Company, will have their craft spirits on hand, so no one will go thirsty. If you’re not familiar, they are an artisan distillery specializing in distilled spirits at a craft level. They primarily create aged rum, signature whiskey, and vodka using corn and barley from Yerington and Lovelock in small batch quantities, enabling them to create higher quality spirits with a distinct taste. The Nest crew visited recently and

got a peek into the amazing process of how their spirits are made, plus we got to throw back some samples from their ever-changing repertoire. It is an experience not to be missed for the craft spirit connoisseur or amateur alike!

Enjoy a similar tour of the 7 Troughs facilities while The Nest gets you dressed, and grab a ticket for our raffle where you can win gift certificates, hand-crafted spirits, and Night in the Country merchandise! The Nest 201 Keystone Ave Reno, NV 89503 thenestreno@gmail.com www.thenestreno.com (775) 284-8841 FB/Instagram/Twitter @thenestreno Monday – Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

Summer Motivation As the temperature rises, so do we! It is up to you to notice the increase in heat and stay actively safe when it comes to your training in the summer months! Which leads me into sharing training tips with you when it is hot and learn how to use proper precaution to stay away from any high risks that involve heat, training and YOU!

TRAINING TIPS Text Camie Cragg Lyman Photo Alicia Santistevan

According to Extreme Heat: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Health and Public Safety a publication of the Centers for Disease Control, heat exposure resulted in more than 8,015 deaths inside the United States between 1979 and 2003.

After researching the combination of extreme heat, activity and humans it is very clear that people suffer heat-related illness when their bodies are unable to compensate and properly cool themselves.

It is key to understand that body normally cools itself by sweating yet under some conditions, sweating just isn't enough. In extreme cases of being over heated due to heat and vigorous activity, a person's body temperature rises rapidly which can and may damage the brain or other vital organs. The body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather and adding activity is altered when the humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, preventing the body from releasing heat quickly. Other conditions related to risk include age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, prescription drug and alcohol use.

Here are a 5 tips to beat the extreme heat risks while being active: 1. Dress in breathable and light attire!

2. Stay away from any liquids that contain alcohol, or large amounts of sugar as these drinks actually cause you to lose more body fluid and surprisingly cold drinks can cause stomach cramps!

3. Workout or do your daily activity of choice early morning or later evening to stay away from the high temperatures which usually fall between mid-morning and mid-afternoon!

4. Please do not wait until you're thirsty to get hydrated as it is best to drink water throughout the day all day! During heavy exercise in a hot environment, drink two to four glasses which is 6-32 ounces of fluids each hour to stay hydrated! As written above the "other conditions" call for more water intake of the suggested 6-32 ounces each hour especially humidity and obesity.

5. If you experience or see someone with any overheat/exhaustion signs, get out of the heat immediately, get plenty of cool fluids (preferably electrolytes) and wipe down with cool cloths. If rapid improvement isn't seen, call 911 immediately.

Live, train and love with a purpose Camie Cragg-Lyman • Owner • Founder Cell • 775.232.2999 Office • 775.825.CCF1(2231)

Reno Tahoe Tonight 103

Let Go When was the last time you gave yourself permission to just let something go? I suspect I am not the only one who has hung on to many things long after they have served a purpose. Sometimes I hang on to a point that the commitment becomes detrimental to my health.

Letting go is one of the hardest things for so many of us, because of our resistance to change – in life and in yoga.

Why is it so hard to let go? Is it because fighting to make something work says something positive about our character, and letting go suggests a flaw? I recently let go of something that I have been carrying around for years – granted it's been mangled and has claw marks – but I did finally release it. The overwhelming amount of freedom I felt, and the weight that was lifted, was remarkable. I am usually looking at how my practice applies to my response in everyday life, but this time I studied my practice see where I could let go.

Attachment is one of the biggest things that gets in my way of letting go. I'm attached to how something is supposed to look, or how I want it to be. This is also an issue I am constantly addressing in my yoga practice. Triangle pose is a very elusive position for me to

YOGA

Text Rachel Douglass Photo Dana Nollsch

feel comfortable in. I get caught up in the alignment of my hips and the placement of my spine. After my huge epiphany (the freedom in letting go), I decided I'd mindfully apply it in triangle. I let go of what the pose was supposed to look like and only focused on how it felt. The effect was so freeing. I was able to just be in the sensations of the pose and completely in the moment.

I also worked on pigeon, my next big challenging pose to let go in. I am constantly reminding my class to relax and release in their poses, breathe into the tight spots.

It's funny how some things are so easy to say and yet so hard to do. I acknowledged the spots that were tight and hanging on to stress and tension. I gave those muscles permission to let go. I was able to go deeper into the pose and receive more benefits from the stretch.

Give yourself the permission to let go.

I had to ask myself what was I gaining from hanging on, and what was I trying to prove? It's okay to let go when something isn't working anymore. I found it allowed me to feel things on a deeper level, so I could realize what works for me and what doesn't. I gained a whole lot of freedom to allow things to open up in ways I didn't think possible.

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