The Entertainer! - April 2021

PHX METRO » APRIL 2021

GETTING PERSONAL

Julien Baker tells all

Sip Sip

HOORAY!

THESE RESTAURANTS ARE CHANGING THE COCKTAIL GAME

PAUL STANLEY

HUNGRY? COME DINE AT SCOTTSDALE’S

BEST HIDDEN GEM!

• • • • •

SOUTHWESTERN CUISINE WITH A MEXICAN TWIST SERVING 140 PREMIUM TEQUILAS COMPLIMENTARY HOMEMADE FLAVORED TORTILLAS MISTED AND HEATED PATIO LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED

( 4 8 0 ) 9 4 5 - 4 5 6 7 | 6 9 1 0 E A S T M A I N S T R E E T, S C O T T S D A L E , A Z 8 5 2 5 1

W W W. O L D T O W N T O R T I L L A F A C T O R Y. C O M

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

CONTENTS

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Sip Sip

HOORAY! These restaurants are changing the cocktail game

10

NOT THAT SIMPLE

Mike Posner to climb Mount Everest in honor of his dad

14

SWAPPING STORIES

John and Camilla Cleese bring love of comedy to the stage

ON THE COVER

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on the cover: STK’s Strawberry Cobbler Cover photo courtesy of Max Milla

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

Times Media Group 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282 Phone 480.348.0343 Fax 480.348.2109 entertainermag.com

publisher

Steve T. Strickbine

steve@entertainermag.com

Vice President

Michael Hiatt mhiatt@timespublications.com

Executive Editor

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

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christina@timespublications.com

Assistant Editor Connor Dziawura

cdziawura@timespublications.com

NETWORK FOR GOOD

Mingle and mix cocktails with Ballet Arizona

Aaron Kolodny

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contributing writers

Zakkary Brog, Kristen Apoline Castillo, Sara Castro, Olivia Dow, Alex Gallagher, Ethan Greni, Laura Latzko, Bridgette M. Redman, Alan Sculley, Claire Spinner, Annika Tomlin

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David Cook • Paul Stanley’s Soul Station • John and Camilla Cleese

ARTS

DINING

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The Craftsman • Morning Squeeze • Doggy Date Night • Belle’s Nashville Kitchen • Chic Chef Co., Café and Marketplace

BEER AND WINE

Staff Photographer Pablo Robles

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“My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” • Phoenix Improv Festival • The Sage Market

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Contributing Photographers

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HIT MACHINE

Tim Locastro’s depth goes beyond being plunked

Mad Mixologist • Pita Jungle Vino • Ballet Arizona Fundraiser: Cocktail Class

CASINOS

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Arizona Rattlers • Tim Locastro • Chase Field

MUSIC

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Tireek and Lonely Leonard • Charlie Benante • The Color 8 • Saving Arizona’s Stages • Julien Baker • The Wildhearts • Sir Sly • The Allman Betts Band • Ellefson Films’ “Dwellers” • Ellefson-Soto

IN CLOSING Numbers

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Kaelan Barowsky, Brian Bilicki, Zakkary Brog, Adrian Dennis, Anthony Friskett, Alysse Gafkjen, Lindsey Hahn, Oliver Halfin, Jimmy Hubbard, Shervin Lane, Reg Madison Photography, Amanda Proudfit Photography, Bobby Quillard, Alexi Rose Productions, Debby Wolvos ONE COPY PER READER

The Entertainer! is circulated throughout the Phoenix Metro area, especially concentrated in entertainment districts. ©2020 Affluent Publishing, LLC. A free online subscription is available to all readers simply by going to entertainermag.com/subscribe.

Queen Nation

SPORTS

Courtney Oldham

production@timespublications.com

aaron@entertainermag.com

Cocktail Roundup • “Plated and Staged” • The Nemesis Club • Mike Posner • Designspace • Vinylly

CITY

production manager

circulation director

CONTENTS

UPFRONT

designer

Shannon Mead

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‘DWELLERS’

For calendar and news items, the deadline for submission is the 15th of the month prior to publication. Submissions are included based on available space and are used at the discretion of the editor. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations will not be returned unless it is specifically requested and submission is accompanied by a properly addressed envelope and sufficient postage. The Entertainer! makes every effort to authenticate claims and accurate times and event locations. We encourage readers to verify information prior to attending events or purchasing tickets.

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David Ellefson’s film will have fans sweating bullets 480.348.0343

ROAD TRIPPIN’ WITH MY FRIEND Find 5 Great Day Trips From the Valley

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UPFRONT

PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE

Sip Sip HOORAY!

These restaurants are changing the cocktail game

By Claire Spinner and Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

T

he Valley boasts some of the most stylish cocktails this spring in nontraditional colors, brightening the bars

around town.

Owned by Scott and Melissa McIntire, The Lola at the Westgate Entertainment District even has a “cocktail lab,” where the staff makes all of their drinks inhouse — from handmade bitters and simples syrups to freshly made purees.

“We’re trying to break the norm of what it means to be a normal bar or restaurant and really just take it up a notch,” says Melissa Idler, general manager of The Lola.

Drinks are served in pineapples, watermelons and coconuts, and some are even lit on fire with rosemary garnishes.

Info: thelolaazcom

Here are some of the Valley’s coolest spring cocktails.

THE ARROGANT BUTCHER: THE POLISH FIX Like an adult spin on a slushie, The Polish Fix at The Arrogant Butcher in Downtown Phoenix is made with Belvedere vodka, lemon juice and crushed ice and is topped with a colorful medley of muddled seasonal fruits.

Info: thearrogantbutcher.com

BELLE’S NASHVILLE KITCHEN: THE NEON MOON Housemade pea flower tea simple syrup, Tanqueray, 10 gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice and club soda.

Info: bellsnashvillekitchen.com

BLANCO TACOS + TEQUILA: ACES & EIGHTS Blanco Tacos & Tequila’s Aces & Eights is made with blanco tequila,

Los Sombreros: Mango Mezcarita

Patron Citronge and a red sangria float, giving it a deep red hue.

Info: blancotacostequila.com

BLUE CLOVER DISTILLERY: THE LUCKY LADY Blue Clover’s premium distilled gin, blood orange, rose, peach, lemon juice, crème de violette and wildflower honey liquor. Info: bluecloverdistillery.com

COPPER & LOGS: MOJITO This mojito blends rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water and mint.

Info: copperandlogs.com

CUISINE & WINE BISTRO: BIJOU Plymouth gin, sweet vermouth and green chartreuse.

Info: cuisineandwinebistro.com

CULINARY DROPOUT: PISTOLS AT DAWN Pistols at Dawn, one of Culinary Dropout’s signature cocktails, is made with Bulleit bourbon, Ancho Reyes liqueur and ginger agave and is topped with a splash of red cabernet wine.

Info: culinarydropout.com

CRUJIENTE TACOS: THE SWIPE RIGHT The AZ Distilling Co. Mission vodkainfused drink is mixed with elderflower, passion fruit, freshly squeezed lemon and strawberry and topped with freshly squeezed lemon, a well-balanced sweet and tart combination. Info: crutacos.com

FRANCINE: NORMA JEAN AND THE MATADOR Norma Jean is hibiscus tea-infused Ketel One grapefruit rosé vodka, cocchi rosso aperitivo, lemon and honey, finished with Francine’s Santone Prosecco. One of Francine’s signature cocktails, it is made with Mezcal Naran Espadin along with coconut-infused Cointreau, fig, Thai basil and lime.

Info: francinerestaurant.com

GRILL KITCHEN & BAR AT THE BOULDERS RESORT: VIOLET VOYEUR Liquor de Violette, lavender water, vodka, lemon, blueberries, sugar and egg white. Info: theboulders.com

THE HENRY: DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS Lon's Last Drop at The Hermosa

The Henry’s eye-catching cocktail,

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

Devil’s in the Details, is made with Tito’s vodka, Ancho Reyes Verde, strawberry and mandarin and is topped with small shishito peppers.

Info: thehenryrestaurant.com

LON’S LAST DROP AT THE HERMOSA: PINEAPPLE SIMURAI For something sweet, try this: pineapple-infused Casamigos blanco tequila, Sayuri sake, agave and burlesque bitters.

BOTANICAL SPRING Strawberry and basil-infused Botanist gin, agave, lemon juice and Prosecco.

OAXACAN ECLIPSE Mezcal Naran, mango puree, lime juice, agave, Habañero bitters and Aleppo chili salt rim.

MISS PEACOCK Butterfly pea flower-infused Mission vodka, St. Germain and blueberry lemonade.

COWBOY CAMPFIRE Whistlepig Piggy Back rye, Fernet Branca, amaretto, housemade marshmallow syrup, cold brew and Aztec chocolate bitters.

Info: hermosainn.com

MARCELLINO RISTORANTE: WILD FRAGOLA Fresh mint is muddled and shaken with housemade strawberry syrup, lemon juice, Grey Goose vodka and Lillet. It’s served over ice and garnished with fresh basil and mint grown in Chef Marcellino’s garden.

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Info: marcellinoristorante.com

NOBU: PEDAL TO THE METAL Rosa Codigo tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, orange curacao, rosemary fresno chili and garnish with rosemary/ fresno chili. Info: noburestaurants.com

OFRENDA: READY, AIM, HIGHER A housemade hibiscus-pomegranateserrano syrup is shaken with ice, Source One Vodka, serrano chilis and lime juice. It’s strained into a coupe glass and topped with Centr, a CBD-infused sparkling water. Info: theofrenda.com

THE SICILIAN BUTCHER: THE VIOLETTE Cocchi Americano, apricot liqueur, hibiscus and acai bitters infused with butterfly pea flower Italicus.

Info: thesicilianbutcher.co The Arrogant Butcher: The Polish Fix

LOS SOMBREROS: MANGO MEZCARITA

TOCA MADERA: CAZA FORTUNA AND GHOST RIDER

Sweet mango with dry Spanish Fino sherry, Los Vecinos mezcal and lime juice.

Info: lossombrers.com

Caza Fortunas is a blend of Don Julio 1942, habanero-infused el silencio joven, mango agave, lime and tajin.

Meanwhile, mix altos plata, fresh mint, lime juice and agave for the Ghost Rider.

Info: tocamadera.com

STK: STRAWBERRY COBBLER STK’s signature spring drink is Belvedere vodka, muddled strawberry, and a graham cracker crust around the rim. We’re here to say the graham cracker crust around the rim makes this drink. Info: stksteakhouse.com

TACO GUILD: OSBORN This smokey-sweet margarita features Rayu mezcal, Pajarote grapefruit liqueur and fresh lime, shaken and served over

Belle's Nashville Kitchen: The Neon Moon

TRUE FOOD KITCHEN: THE MONARCH ice in a black lava salt-rimmed glass.

Info: tacoguild.com

TARBELL’S: AYE CHIHUAHUA Mezcal by Coyote Chihuahua Sotol, carbonated pineapple water, fresh lime and luxardo cherry. Info: tarbells.com

Debuting on True Food Kitchen’s spring menu in April, The Monarch cocktail is made with organic gin, elderf lower, tonic water and butterf ly pea f lower, from which it gets its bright, purple coloring.

Info: truefoodkitchen.com

Blue Clover Distillery: The Lucky Lady

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'PLATED AND STAGED' 8

UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Herberger event creates upscale dining in restaurants or homes

By Bridgette M. Redman

T

he pandemic has a way of mucking around with traditions, inspiring organizations to come up with new, creative experiences that engage audiences while still honoring the familiar.

The Herberger Theater finds itself in that place this year with its sixth annual “Plated and Staged: A Herberger Theater Experience” fundraiser.

Last year, it was due to happen at the end of March and it, like everything else, was canceled. A year later, the venue has had a chance to brainstorm and pivot, and the event is now combining virtual and in-person elements.

Traditionally, the event begins with a cocktail reception followed by a silent auction and a program at the Herberger.

Following the program, participants would be surprised with the name of the restaurant where they would dine.

Typically, around 250 people gather for this event, something making it impossible to safely follow that structure this year.

create a unique menu and then serve it after the livestream to the guests. The meal will be at least four courses.

Cocktail Box: For $150, people can come by the Herberger Theater in advance and pick up a box that will include an Uber Eats gift certificate, a bottle of wine and two Herberger Theater wine glasses. The box can also be delivered to homes in Maricopa County for a $40 fee.

“Because we are still uncertain about what is going on with the pandemic, we want to be mindful of our guests that are attending,” says Laurene Austin, director of development and marketing, who is organizing the event. “Not everyone is comfortable with outdoor dining or dining in a restaurant. This is a unique, reimagined event.”

For those going to the restaurants,

is a fundraiser, and Austin says no one who purchased a table asked for their money back; they all donated it to the Herberger.

EVENT GOES TO PATRONS On May 2, the “Plated and Staged” event will kick off with a livestream and then move on to the food portion of the night in one of three ways.

Restaurant Patio Dining: For $2,500, a group of eight will be sent to an upscale restaurant where there is outdoor dining.

The meal will include a minimum of three courses and two bottles of wine (one white, one red). The restaurant will be announced at the end of the livestream.

Dinner in Your Home: For $2,200, Tom and Lin Catering will create a custom catered experience in a patron’s home for eight people. The chef will consult ahead of time with the host to

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they won’t find out which one until it is announced in the virtual program, maintaining the element of surprise.

“They know they’re going to get an amazing experience, but they don’t know where — that idea will be intact,” Austin says.

The goal is to sell 15 restaurant tables and 15 in-home tables.

After last year’s event was canceled, an online auction was still held. The event

YOUTH BENEFIT FROM FUNDRAISER The event raises money for the theater’s youth education and outreach programs that take diverse arts experiences to young people to encourage them to connect with the arts. The evening’s livestreamed 45-minute performance will have participants from some of the programs addressing the audience through prerecorded segments.

These include their free arts program for abused children and giving scholarships for theater camp to children who are homeless, abused or neglected.

“We have spots like that so people really get a good idea about the different programming and what their donations will go toward,” Austin says. She and Herberger’s CEO, Mark Mettes, will address the audience. While the meals are for ticket-holding patrons only, anyone can watch the livestreamed performance.

Austin says this sort of program is in demand, both for those who attend and those who benefit from it. Most of the youth programs had to be paused in

2020 because of the pandemic, and the Herberger continues to wrestle with how to serve the nearly 3,000 youth that it reaches out to every year.

“The arts have been decimated,” Austin says.

“It is so sad. There are just so many people who have lost their jobs or been furloughed. We want to make sure the arts come back stronger than ever.

Herberger Theater is in a really good place to have this magical experience.”

Its goal is to make the arts more accessible to low-income youth through such things as free or low-cost programming. It’s funded through events like “Plated to Staged.”

Helping to achieve this goal and to make the “Plated and Staged” event so fun are sponsors including Billie Jo and Judd Herberger, Porsche of North Scottsdale, the National Bank of Arizona and Snell and Wilmer law offices.

The silent auction — which will be open to the public and take place for a few days before and after the event — includes such prizes as artwork contributed by Valley artists, staycations at local hotels, wine tasting, spa treatments, and outdoor activities like horseback riding.

The auctioneer, Brett Higgins, will also participate in the livestream event.

While the pandemic has forced the event to make changes to keep its patrons safe, the Herberger is looking forward to an evening of unique and memorable experiences for all those who want to keep its youth programs robust and thriving.

“Plated and Staged: A Herberger Theater Experience” WHEN: Sunday, May 2 TICKETS: Reservations are due April 9. Tickets are available at herbergertheater.org or by calling 480.695.8190

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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CALLING ALL HEROES AND VILLAINS The Nemesis Club escape games ready to confuse its guests

By Claire Spinner

T

he Soda Jerk in Phoenix has a secret. At first glance, it is an ordinary milkshake parlor. However, hidden behind an inconspicuous freezer door is The Nemesis Club, an immersive collection of escape room games meant to thrill and amaze players.

This club is anything but ordinary.

Owners Dustin and Kylee Smith, who have been consulting with companies like Disney for nearly 20 years, wanted to bring their take on escape rooms to Arizona.

“We are from Arizona and wanted to bring something fun and unique here,” Dustin says. “As we started poking around, we saw how big escape rooms had become and thought that we could do our own twist on that concept. We wanted to elevate them, make them cooler, more exciting, more interesting, more technological and more impressive.”

The Nemesis Club is a wonder in itself, invisible from the outside and impressive on the inside. Upon entering, guests can check their belongings at a spy-themed front desk, creating an atmosphere of mystery from the beginning. The dimly lit lobby fosters intimacy, fitting for the secret society theme that inspires the club. The scenery sets the mood far before the games even begin. The Smiths did this with intention, wanting the transition from lobby to game to feel natural.

“One of the things we noticed early on about many escape games is that too often when you’re coming into an escape room, you’re starting in a bland hallway that looks like a doctor’s office and then suddenly you’re in Egypt or something.

It didn’t feel natural, so we wanted to avoid that.” Dustin says.

The inspiration behind The Nemesis Club is whimsical — built behind the theme of heroes and villains working in tandem, instead of as enemies. The club invites people of all ages to join these heroes and villains in different pursuits.

“We want an overarching premise to the building, and that’s how The Nemesis Club came to be,” Dustin says.

“It’s all about heroes and villains, spies and double agents, mad scientists and robots. Instead of fighting each other, when they are here, they all put down their weapons and play games. The whole theme helps ease players into the game before dropping them into a more surreal experience.”

Each game is an adventure, with independent settings and objectives. As of right now, only one game is running,

but several more are slated to be opened for play by the end of the year.

The first game, named “Evil Robots,” looks straight out of a Disney movie.

Featuring a large, animatronic, realistic robot, the game is truly mesmerizing. As the Smiths describe, the retro-futuristic activity is centered on a rogue robot who is powering himself on and threatening to take over the world. Team members must work together, solving clues to power off the robot and take back control. The goal is not so much escaping as it is to complete a storyline. So why call them escape rooms?

“People call them escape rooms because the objective is usually to escape,” Dustin says. “We stick with the name escape room because in many ways The Nemesis

Club lets you and your friends or family escape reality for an hour.”

Unlike many other escape rooms, the fun continues when the game ends. The Smiths say they wanted players to have an outlet to chat about the game while enjoying tasty snacks to create a more complete gaming experience. This was how the partnership with The Soda Jerk began.

“We wanted to make entertainment that goes all the way through, from start to finish,” Kylee says.

“We found that after escape rooms we were always talking about the game in the parking lot. It was an incomplete entertainment option. We wanted to have something delicious for people so that they could commiserate or celebrate after their game and talk about it. With ice cream being our favorite snack, we thought it was the perfect marriage.”

What makes The Nemesis Club special is the attention to detail and the sheer effort that went into its making.

With all of the interior and graphic designing done in-house, the Smiths look over nearly every aspect of The Nemesis Club. The games are among the most technologically advanced in America, using over 5 miles of wiring to

power lights, sound effects, animatronics and projections. A custom score was produced specifically for each game to heighten the emotion where it is needed within playtime. It uses technology to pinpoint what part of the story players are working on.

“We wanted it to feel like a movie you are living,” Kylee says.

Another detail that sets The Nemesis Club apart from other escape rooms is the adaptive difficulty feature within each game.

“If you are playing well, we actually increase the difficulty of the game so that everybody has to get right to the last minute. It makes it more exciting,” Dustin says.

“We’ve played games where we’ve beat them in half the time given to us, which isn’t as fun. We like to push everyone right to the end for the optimal experience.”

In April, a second game, called “Mogollon Monster,” is set to debut.

This spooky game places players on a campsite, looking for proof of the Mogollon monster in Arizona. The game features moving sets and dark lighting, creating a fun but intense and surprising

story. The game is not made for the weak of heart, though it is still family friendly.

Dustin and Kylee say that although all the games that are part of The Nemesis Club are perfectly appropriate for kids, they will be most enjoyed by those 16 and older.

The couple started the design process more than a year prior to the pandemic.

Making the tough decision to continue with the project and begin building, they have been able to stay on track. As it turns out, escape rooms are one of the safest activities to do outside the house in 2021.

“We only provide private games, so you’re never playing with strangers,” Dustin says. “We sanitize and follow social distancing procedures, making it a really safe option in the coronavirus world. It wasn’t how we originally planned to open, but it’s been working out well.”

The Smiths are excited to continue to open games and welcome in players.

Their hope is to have five escape games open by the end of 2021. The ambitious and complicated games will take time to build, but they are looking forward to the results. They think that something like this is important for people to have as the pandemic continues.

“It’s fun to get away and have this challenging, social experience, and people need that right now. This is a safe way to have fun with your friends and family and then enjoy a delicious shake.

It’s a unique experience,” Dustin said.

The Nemesis Club 5350 E. High Street, Suite 109, Phoenix Prices vary 480.576.7779, thenemesisclub.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

NOT THAT SIMPLE

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Mike Posner to climb Mount Everest in honor of his dad

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

M

ike Posner has spent the last 11 years climbing the charts.

Now the Detroit-born singer-songwriterproducer will attempt to summit the tallest mountain on Earth — Mount Everest.

But it’s about more than him, just like his six-month walk across the United States in 2019. He’s raising money for the Detroit Justice Center, a nonprofit law firm.

“They’re just doing incredible criminal justice reform work in our city,” says Posner, via Zoom from a training site in Colorado in late March. He planned to leave for Nepal on April 2 for his lateMay trek.

The 33-year-old Grammy nominee — for his song “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” — has been training for a year and a half. He said walking through the Rocky Mountains inspired him to try to conquer Mount Everest.

“I walked from the Atlantic Ocean — Asbury Park, New Jersey — to the Pacific Ocean, Venice Beach, California.

When I got about two-thirds of the way through, I went up and over the Rocky Mountains.

“That’s when I started to dream about Mount Everest in a real way.”

He knew it would take a lot of hard work and dedication, but it didn’t scare him away.

“But I told myself, ‘Look, I’m doing something really hard right now,’” he recalls about the walk. “The walk gave me the courage to dream about this.”

Someone else has inspired Posner as well. Posner chose the Detroit Justice Center to honor his late father, Jon Posner, who was a criminal defense attorney in Detroit for 40 years before dying in 2017. Posner’s fundraising goal is $250,000.

“After my dad passed away, I felt stuck under the weight of my own life,” Posner says on his GoFundMe page. “In 2019, I walked across America in order to find out who I was when I wasn’t ‘Mike Posner, Grammy-nominated singersongwriter.’”

He adds via Zoom, “My dad, rest his soul, passed four years ago. Before he did, he was a criminal defense attorney in Detroit.

“I’ve had the opportunity to have Zoom calls with them, and they’re doing work that would make my dad beam with joy. It’s a way for me to raise money and honor my father as well. So, for anyone reading, please donate whatever ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

you can to our GoFundMe page.”

Posner, whose latest album is the late2020 concept piece “Operation: Wake Up,” says he’s not necessarily putting down his music temporarily to tackle Mount Everest.

“It’s never fully on hold, and I’m always tinkering and playing and listening,” he says. “Listening is a big part of my artistic journey and discovering new music.

“Sometimes it’s old music, but it’s new to me, discovering stuff and studying it and learning it. It becomes a part of where I go on my journey.”

However, “I really have to sit down and do an album. I can’t really be thinking about Mount Everest in the back of my head and do music. Making an album is its own Mount Everest, man.”

Posner, who has homes in Colorado

and suburban Detroit, is training with Dr. Jon Kedski.

“He’s basically in control of my schedule and my life,” Posner says.

“He says, ‘We’re going to climb this mountain on this day and this and this and this.’

“I do other stuff in between that.

Before this pandemic, it was just the two of us climbing mountains a lot. Then the pandemic hit, and we were still just outside, the two of us climbing mountains a lot. In that way, I was definitely very buffered from the pandemic.”

While packing, Posner says he’s looking forward to the spiritual, physical and fundraising climb.

“I was born in Detroit, but I grew up in Southfield, Michigan, which is a largely Black city,” says Posner, whose sister is a civil rights attorney in New

Orleans. (“She’s way cooler than me.”)

“Most of my friends who lived on my street were African American. I saw some of the unfairness and injustices.

All of my buddies had at least one horror story with the police before they were 18, just being harassed on varying degrees of severity.

“I certainly didn’t have a story like that. I think what drives me is what I’m passionate about.”

Just the facts GoFundMe: mikeposner.com or gofundme.com/f/Everest Mike Posner Twitter/Instagram: @mikeposner Detroit Justice Center: @justcitydetroit (Twitter); @detroitjusticecenter (Instagram); detroitjustice.org

IMMERSIVE BY DESIGN THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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New Gammage experience features art throughout Packard garage

By Olivia Dow

A

SU Gammage has transformed its parking garage into a drive-thru immersive experience celebrating the arts, design and production.

The venue, in partnership with the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (HIDA), Hybycozo and Lightswitch, present designspace, which runs from April 9 to April 25.

The pandemic changed the entertainment business and left many people out of work for many months.

Designspace is brightening the lives of industry professionals and students.

John Featherstone, one of Lightswitch’s founding members, says they tried to create a “remarkable experience” for viewers of the experience and provide experience for institute students and industry professionals.

“The technicians and designers and artists are going to come in and work with the students and create something truly out of the moment,” Featherstone says.

“We think designspace is really of the moment. If two years ago we’d said, ‘Hey, we’re doing a show in a parking garage,’ I’m sure you would have been, ‘Are you insane?’ Now, in the world we’re in now,

nothing seems too crazy.”

Featherstone says because of the new “paradigm” the entertainment industry can create a new genre of events.

“The only difference is rather than walking through the museum, you’re driving through it. We want to keep people in their cars, obviously so everybody’s safe and COVID compliant,” Featherstone says.

While Gammage can’t host Broadway shows like “Hamilton,” designspace aligns with the venue’s “philosophy” and programing, Featherstone says.

“That’s kind of the genius of the idea, and since then we established the help with the people at Gammage, because a lot of people think of Gammage as being the physical architecture of the building, and of course it is that,” Featherstone says.

“Gammage is really a movement, as much as it is an architecture. It’s a philosophy, more than a building, and part of the Gammage philosophy is to bring interesting, unusual and thoughtprovoking event experiences to the audience in the Phoenix Valley.”

In the entertainment business, it is rare that a new concept for an event happens. When it does, it’s really exciting, Featherstone says.

“But essentially, we are creating a drivethru contemporary art experience, the like

of which we hope none of the guests have ever seen,” Featherstone says.

“Because frankly, we’re inventing this as we go, in collaboration with Gammage and the Herberger school.”

Students see designspace as an opportunity to unleash creativity.

Designspace is helping seniors receive handson experience with industry professionals.

“So, over the years, I’ve had a great relationship with ASU mostly, HIDA, the Herberger Institute, coming down and talking to students about their career path and aligning themselves with the real world, and one of the things that I’ve talked about over and over again is the importance of experience,” Featherstone says.

“And then it dawned on me, a little before Christmas, that so many of these students are going to graduate without having had real hands-on experience.”

ON THE RECORD

Vinylly app pairs music lovers with the same taste

By Kristen Apolline Castillo

A

s someone who has lived in Phoenix, the Netherlands, London and New York, Jordan Thomas is no stranger to meeting others.

Now residing in Los Angeles, Thomas says getting to know people in the middle of a pandemic is difficult. So, he turned to Vinylly to meet people with similar tastes in music.

“When I moved to LA last January, I didn’t know anybody,” Thomas said.

“The move coincided with the launch of the app, but I thought, ‘How cool.’

I can download Vinylly and just say, ‘Hey, this is me. This is what I’m into, musically.’”

App founder and Phoenix resident Rachel Van Nortwick created the free app, inspired by her lifelong love of music and experience of family and friends.

“Music played a really important role

in my life,” Van Nortwick says. “I saw my friends and family struggle on other dating apps, too, sort of perpetually swiping. These same people were also really passionate about music, and that was a really important criteria for them and finding a match. I thought, here’s the perfect intersection and opportunity.”

When users sign up for the first time, they are asked to connect their profile with their Spotify account. The app then curates users’ music history and creates a profile based on the data collected from their connected Spotify account.

“Vinylly is completely based on matching through music compatibility,” Van Nortwick says. “It’s not based off of a bio that you would write or a superficial image or anything else. It’s really about music, and we take it a step further and we make it about music data.”

Additionally, the app also asks for information such as location, last concert and relationship expectations. Users vary

from those who are looking for a romantic relationship to those who are looking for friends with a similar music taste.

Thomas said that although he is not looking for a romantic relationship, his goal was to find a friend to go to a concert and share music with — something he felt that he was not able to do on other generic dating apps.

“I just like how it’s all focused,” Thomas says. “The focus has been taken away from other generic things that you see in all other dating apps and friend apps and just leaning into music. It’s pretty cool.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has not met anyone in person but has had many interesting conversations with other music fans through the app’s chat function, which costs 99 cents a month.

Thomas says he enjoys how the app is almost like an escape from the craziness of current events.

“Having an app where you can connect with people just based on music taste and be able to just not talk about

The project was a learning experience as well for Featherstone, who has been in the entertainment business for over 30 years.

“This is all of us collaborating together, and there’s never an opportunity like this where I don’t learn something from the amazing students,” he says.

“We go on this great more-thanthe-sum-of-its-parts process of experimentation and ideation with the students, and a ton of that’s been going on already,” Featherstone says.

designspace WHEN: 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m.

April 9 to April 25 WHERE: ASU Packard Garage, Sixth Street and Packard Drive, Tempe COST: $40 per car INFO: asugammage.com/ designspace

current events and everything and just chat about (music) is handy and a good escape,” Thomas says.

Van Nortwick understands the difficulty of meeting new people during a pandemic and hopes Vinylly gives people a new outlet to do so. She says because music is omnipresent, individuals always have something to talk about and relate to.

“It’s tough right now to meet people,” Van Nortwick says. “It’s tough right now to even meet with the people that you know, let alone try to create new relationships.

Dating app usage overall is up, and I think what’s great about Vinylly is everybody can still continue to listen to music.”

Passionate about music and her work, Van Nortwick expects to continue to improve the app’s functionality and expand its device compatibility to Android users in the future.

“I just want users to be able to find people that make sense to them as it relates to their music passions,” Van Nortwick says. “I want people to find their person, and whether that be a plus-one to go to a show with, when that returns, or to watch a livestream concert, or if that’s more serious plus-one for life … that would be the most fulfilling aspect of this whole thing.”

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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CITY

STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

A LOOK AT DAVID COOK The ‘Idol’ winner sees a silver lining to the dark cloud

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

W

hen David Cook won “American Idol” in 2008, he was saddled with the coronation song “Time of My Life.” For quite a while, Cook didn’t want to sing the track live.

“My relationship with that song has been historically conflicted,” Cook says via Zoom.

“I acknowledged what that song represented and always appreciated what that song represented. But, as far as being able to internalize it and feel like I truly had ownership of that song, that was where I struggled.”

Things changed, however, when he was asked to perform the song during the wedding of “Bachelor in Paradise” stars Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon.

“It opened up my view of it quite a bit,” he says. “I really enjoy the romanticism behind it.”

Cook will perform a slew of his songs during three upcoming livestream events — 9 p.m. Sunday, April 18; 9 p.m. Sunday, May 2, a fundraiser for the National Brain Tumor Society; and 9 p.m. Sunday, May 16, an extended set from his catalog.

The April 18 show is a release party for his new EP, “The Looking Glass,” which is set for release on April 16. “The Looking Glass” EP is a six-song set recorded in Nashville with producer Andy Skib. The most recent single from “The Looking Glass” is a song called “Fire.”

In 2020, Cook released two singles from the EP. The first, “Reds Turn Blue,”

is a nod to the manic highs (reds) and lows (blues) of anxiety, something with which has struggled to overcome since his season seven win on “American Idol.”

And the second, “Strange World,” is an homage to 2020. He may call it “strange,” but he has positive feelings about the year, even though he planned to head out with fellow former “Idol” Kris Allen on a European acoustic tour.

“I’ve been able to enjoy some of the silver linings to this giant cloud,” he says.

“I was able to be home more. My wife and I were talking the other day, this is the longest I’ve been home since we’ve known each other.

“Everything slowed down, and it was a little easier to focus on the creative pursuits associated with my job, which was nice.”

Cook says without the “external stimuli” of performing and being out on the road, writing the album was a “unique exercise.”

“I had to put that puzzle together a little differently,” he adds. “It was fun for me, really. A song like ‘Strange World’ is a prime example. I was sitting at home watching TV and I happened to glance out a window.

“I was like, ‘Man, it’s been a while since I left the house.’ I think, at that point, it had been a week or something, which was rare up to that point. When I got into the songwriting, I realized it was a hopeful song.”

The simplicity of “Strange World” is effective. Cook agrees and says he wanted the music to inform the lyrics as much as possible. When he was sitting in his home studio, he just shared what he was feeling in that moment.

“A song like ‘Strange World’ was really built around that — the pulsing synth pattern, which I found on accident,” Cook says. “I was just messing around. I love things like this little happy accident that sent me in a new direction.”

Cook has become a favorite of the Musical Instrument Museum in North Phoenix, having sold out numerous shows there. He recalls when he really understood the magnitude of a facility like this.

“I readily admit, the first time we played there, I wasn’t really up to snuff on what it was all about,” Cook says.

“The name certainly implied what it was about. My favorite little piece there was this plexiglass case on a pedestal, and

there was nothing in it.

“I thought it was a little odd until I saw the plaque next to it. It says it was the guitar from the winner of the air guitar contest. I died on that one. I was like, ‘OK, I appreciate this place on a whole new level.’”

David Cook Livestreams 9 p.m. Sunday, April 18, to celebrate his new EP, “The Looking Glass” 9 p.m. Sunday, May 2, a fundraiser for the National Brain Tumor Society 9 p.m. Sunday, May 16, an extended set from his catalog

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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‘NOW AND THEN’ Paul Stanley studies the past while exploring the present

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

L

ong before Paul Stanley found success with Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Kiss, he was checking out the heavy hitters like Otis Redding in

concert.

The experience was eye-opening, he says via Zoom.

“It really showed me that greatness has no color, has no ethnicity, has no shape, has no size,” Stanley says. “You are aware when you’re in the presence of greatness, and it’s not something that’s easily defined there.

“There have been moments like that in my life where I have been very lucky, and Otis was certainly one of them.”

Stanley took experiences like that and rolled it into the band Soul Station, which just released its first full-length album, “Now and Then,” which covers the Temptations, the Delfonics, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Five original tracks fit snugly with the covers.

Soul Station, Stanley’s 15-piece ensemble group, has toured the United

States and Japan, but it wasn’t until recently that it could enter the studio together and record “Now and Then.”

To help Stanley create the sound, he recruited the likes of Rafael “Hoffa” Moreira (guitar and backing vocals), Sean Hurley (bass), Alex Alessandroni (musical director, keyboards), Ely Rise (keyboards), Eric Singer (drums and backing vocals), Ray Yslas (percussion), Gavyn Rhone (backing vocals), Crystal Starr (backing vocals), Laurhan Beato (backing vocals) and Jon Pappenbrook (lead trumpet).

“We have such a ball,” he says. “We’ve been doing this for years now. We’re not a band that got together in the studio and wants to go play live. We’re a live band that’s gone into the studio, which comes across.

“We get along so great. We’re constantly texting each other or calling.

It shows how exciting friendships can be when you’re not all bringing the same thing to the table. If you watch the videos, there is a lot of smiling because we have a ball.”

Stanley says the group found it

satisfying to take on classic hits like “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “Ooo Baby Baby,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and “The Tracks of My Tears.”

“I’ve loved the songs since they came out,” he says. “I grew up with all this music, and I’ve always sung these songs at home.

“I’m not Eddie Kendricks, and I’m not Al Green. I’m not Levi Stubbs. I’m me.

I believe that if you understand a song, if you can get into the intent of the song and the emotion behind it, you should be able to sing it — if you’re a singer.”

Stanley wanted to focus on and respect the melodies, so he didn’t change much when he recorded the songs.

“I also didn’t want to do paint by numbers,” Stanley says. “This wasn’t impersonations. This was me singing those songs, and from the response I’ve gotten from people who I look up to, mission accomplished.”

Songs like “Just My Imagination” proved to be challenging, but the mission was definitely accomplished, based on a conversation had with Otis Williams.

“Subtle songs can be like threading a needle,” he says. “There’s not a lot of leeway on either side. ‘Just My Imagination’ is a beautiful, beautiful song. It’s eloquent. Otis Williams is the keeper of the flame for the Temptations.

He says to me, ‘I’ve listened to your version over and over and it’s as good as ours is.’

“You have to put that into perspective.

I certainly do. Our reverence, our respect and our dedication to performing these songs come across. If Otis says that, then I would say that the defense rests.”

He hopes Kiss fans will love the music as much as he does.

“I hope they can be shown that there’s only two types of music — that’s good and bad,” he says. “If you only listen to one kind of music, it’s like eating one kind of food over and over and over.

“There’s a lot of great music out there, and it doesn’t necessarily all fall into the same category.”

Soul Station paulstanley.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

SWAPPING STORIES

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

John and Camilla Cleese bring love of comedy to the stage

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

J

ohn Cleese and Camilla Cleese have a father-daughter relationship most would envy.

They perform together, as they will Tuesday, April 6, at Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy at High Street.

They also bounce comedy ideas off each other and swap gag gifts. John is on the phone when Camilla walks into the room and hands him a gift.

“They’re socks!” John says excitedly before breaking into laughter. “They say, ‘It all hurts and I’m dying.’”

John and Camilla will share stories and allow the audience to ask questions.

John is a comedic living legend. His first big success was as a writer and performer for “The Frost Report.”

John is best known for co-founding the Monty Python Comedy Troupe, writing and performing in the TV series and in films that include “Monty Python and the Holy Grain” and “Life of Brian.”

In the 1970s, John and his first wife, Connie Booth, co-wrote and starred in the English sitcom “Fawlty Towers.”

Later, he wrote and co-starred in “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Fierce Creatures.”

John and Camilla began performing together in 2006, during a gig in New Zealand when he challenged her to a comedic solo.

“It was a really good solo, based on the misfortune of being the child of a comic,” John says with a frequent laugh.

“It was an 8- to 10-minute solo and it was as if she’s been doing it all her life.”

Camilla interjects, “Didn’t I have the nerve to give you notes after the show?”

The father and daughter break into laughter.

They are quick to turn the discussion to the cancel culture. They both think it’s ridiculous.

“I don’t have a big enough career,” she says for her take. “I’m a little protected at this point. I could cancel myself before I even had a career.”

John earned a licensed to be naughty during the Monty Python days and he hasn’t stopped yet, he says.

“The audience knows what they’re going to get,” he says. “We never get any complaints.”

The tides would turn if Monty Python was on television these days. He says executives would try to “cancel” them.

“They all live with the sinking feeling that somebody’s having a good time,” he says. “It’s all very, very silly, and I think it will calm down.”

He cited a recent example when he ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

used the word “jolly” and was told it’s offensive.

“I speak English pretty fluently,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve been at it for 73 years, since I was younger. I described someone as ‘jolly’ and was told this was a very bad word, that it meant fat. I thought ‘fat’ meant ‘fat,’ because that’s how the word is used. I guess ‘jolly’ is a code word for ‘fat.’ Jolly people are great to be around. Now it’s become a rude word.”

Camilla says she’s still trying to figure out what words are OK to use.

“It’s so ludicrous that words are offensive,” she adds. “You can’t say anything. I was supposed to do a gig at a liberal arts college — which should have been my first red flag — right before the pandemic. I was looking at their trigger words. I found it quite surprising that guns and bullets were, but ‘trigger’ was not a trigger word. It’s surprising because of its correlation to guns.”

Continuing on the “cancel culture” and what’s proper and improper, John says there’s a fine line between being funny and insulting.

“There’s affectionate teasing and nasty teasing,” John says. “Nasty teasing is inexcusable, and they shouldn’t do it.

The evangelicals in America, they want to take the Bible literally. I don’t think

Franklin, who’s going to play the lead.

It takes place in Australia in 1932, when there was a movement to get rid of the emus because they were eating crops.

“I get to play someone very sleazy,” he says with a laugh. “I love playing sleazy. I usually get the uptight roles.”

At Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy, John and Camilla are guaranteeing a good time.

“It’s effortless performing together,” Camilla says. “We have material that’s not material, really, because we’ve played off each other for my entire life. We’ve written so much together. I know where he’s going with things. It takes the pressure off to have someone who’s going to have my back.”

John and Camilla Cleese they know what parables are. They’re stories. They’re not stories of historical events. Stories are not supposed to be taken literally. The literal-minded cause all kinds of problems.”

John is in town filming a movie with Rob Schneider, with whom he appeared

recently at Stand Up Live in Downtown Phoenix. He said he came out here because his daughter “gets me more work than my agents.”

He and Schneider will team up again in Australia for a film written by John, Schneider, Jamie Lissow and Monty

WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 6 WHERE: Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy, 5350 E. High Street, Suite 105, Phoenix COST: $45 to $160.40 INFO: 480.420.3553, houseofcomedy.net

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

ARTS

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CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

NOTHIN’ STUPID

Get a kick out of this Frank Sinatra tribute

By Laura Latzko

F

rank Sinatra had a special way of captivating audiences with songs like “Fly Me to the Moon,” “New York, New York,” “I Get A Kick Out of You” and “My Way.” David Grapes’ and Todd Olson’s show, “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” hits the Phoenix Theatre Company’s outdoor stage at Central United Methodist Church from April 14 to May 23.

This will be the final show in the theater company’s 2020-21 outdoor season.

Similar to other shows, seating will be socially distanced, and masks and temperature checks are required for staff and audience members.

Directed by D. Scott Withers, the production will be set in an intimate, midcentury cabaret bar, in which the four performers — Jessie Jo Pauley, James D. Gish, Trisha Ditsworth and Matravius Avent — will sing musical vignettes about Sinatra’s life. The two couples recently performed together in February for a Valentine’s Day-themed show at Wrigley Mansion.

In July, Ditsworth and Avent did a livestream featuring standards from the Great American Songbook. The two were also supposed to be in Phoenix Theatre Company’s production of “Something Rotten!” but it was

postponed due to COVID-19.

The couple met while performing in Phoenix Theatre Company’s “Memphis.”

They rarely shared the stage until they appeared in Arizona Broadway Theatre’s “Sister Act.” Ditsworth says during the COVID-19 pandemic, producers have been wanting to work more with couples.

“We can dance together,” Ditsworth says. “We can kiss. We can sing at each other. Even though work has been few and far between, we have actually only worked together this last year.”

With the Sinatra show, the couple will perform well-known and more obscure Sinatra music, including “That Old Black Magic,” “My Funny Valentine” and “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

Ditsworth says Sinatra’s special vocal quality made him stand out.

“I do love that classic style, that throwback style of singing where everything is so full and lovely,” Ditsworth says. “There’s just something about Frank’s voice that gives you that tingly feeling, that makes the hair on your arms stand up.”

The songs’ arrangements and the performance style will bring a new take to music that some audiences may know by heart.

“With this show, you are going to get singing and dancing and laughs — hopefully,” Avent says. “You’re going to get the Phoenix Theatre Company experience that people have come to

expect when they come to a show.”

The couples will perform solos and duets, as well as a few group numbers.

The production is broken down into different themes, such as songs about cities or about love.

Ditsworth and Avent are familiar with Sinatra’s music, although a few songs are new to them. Avent has done Rat Pack tributes in the past, and Ditsworth has performed in jazz shows.

“Certain songs are going to be so fresh in my mind, but then I’m going to have to recreate them in the style of this show,” Ditsworth says.

Although she is familiar with Sinatra’s work, there were a few surprises for her, like Sinatra’s disco songs.

Avent says he has enjoyed delving into Sinatra’s deeper tracks. In the show, none of the performers will portray Sinatra as they perform his music. They will sing his songs and share tidbits about the singer’s life as themselves.

“There isn’t that pressure to sing it just like him, but we are going to honor him and his career,” Ditsworth says.

“The writers were smart in that. They were clear about not impersonating Frank Sinatra. That gives us the liberty to be ourselves and make great music.

Frank Sinatra’s voice is one of a kind.

There’s no replicating that, even if we tried,” Avent adds.

Sinatra had certain movements that the performers will recreate in their own

ways.

“Frank Sinatra just had an ease about him when he performed. That’s what you think about when you think Frank — class. That is something that we all as performers can bring to the show,” Avent says.

The show does stay true to Sinatra’s style of performing.

“The writers were very specific about how these songs should be portrayed,” Avent says.

“They allow for a little bit of liberties, but everything will definitely have the Frank Sinatra feel. Even our director was talking about that. There are certain things that Frank did, like rhythmic things or phrasing type things that are specific to that era and Frank.”

“These songs bring back so many great memories for lots of people,” Ditsworth adds.

“My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” WHEN: Various times Wednesday, April 14, to Sunday, May 23 WHERE: Phoenix Theatre Company’s outdoor theater at Central United Methodist Church, 1875 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix COST: $59 INFO: 602.254.2151, phoenixtheatre.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

OFF THE CUFF

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Phoenix Improv Festival returns to a virtual format

By Laura Latzko

T

he term “improv” can describe different types of performances, both dramatic and comedic.

The Phoenix Improv Festival brings together improv performers from around the world to celebrate and share the artform.

This year, the festival is celebrating its 20th year with virtual programming on Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24.

The event will include live improv performances from local and international groups, videos, interviews and unconference panel discussions.

“People are going to be watching from around the world, so we want to celebrate what Phoenix improv is, showcasing local performances but also talking about local influences and local styles,” says producer Bill Binder.

“We want to let people know that improv is part of the city. It is a cool art form where you can discover things and go on a journey with the audience.”

Binder says improv has become more diverse, embracing a range of experiences.

“I think the art form, as a whole, has been proactively saying, ‘Let’s go out, find these other voices, celebrate these other voices and try to be more open to everyone.’ I hope we can continue in that direction,” Binder says.

Like the in-person event, the virtual festival will highlight performers with different viewpoints, styles and backgrounds, including a transgender group from Canada called Sphinxes.

Binder co-founded the improv festival in 2002. It started out on a smaller level, with three local groups in a 40-seat theater. The virtual festivals have made the process feel new again.

“Last year, we were stringing up shower curtains behind ourselves and doing our best to learn the conventions like everyone was, learning how do I turn my mic on, and having to do it in a way that was cohesive for an audience,” Binder says.

Binder has witnessed improv evolve in the last year as it embraced technology.

“Online improv and theater existed ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

before this in very small ways, but it has really blossomed over this last year,” he says.

“Seeing the shows now, how much people can read the emotions, how much they can sympathize and empathize with each other versus a year ago, is a remarkable change.”

Binder says while some troupes will be doing more traditional improv scenes, others will be using technology to bring something different.

“I know some troupes had said, ‘Let’s not use Zoom as a conferencing tool,’” he says. “Let’s use our cameras as if they are television cameras. Let’s set our laptops in weird places. Let’s put the camera lower to make ourselves feel bigger or change our eyelines to project our emotions and take advantage of the fact that the audience can really see our face.”

These troupes will also employ virtual backgrounds and tools used by gamers to make their performances more engaging for audiences.

SHARING WORLDWIDE This year, the festival’s virtual format will allow more performers worldwide to participate.

Binder says the Phoenix festival’s reputation is strong in the improv community.

“These are artists traveling to us or agreeing to take time in the middle of

the night to be with us,” Binder says.

“We really want to treat them like artists and rock stars. They are making our festival great.”

This year, some ensembles will return, like Orange Tuxedo, a Los Angelesbased husband-and-wife team; Utah troupe Pawn Takes Queen; New York’s Honey and Los Angeles improv troupe King Ten. The virtual format will allow international performers, such as Menelaos Prokos, to take part in the festival for the first time.

Prokos, a teacher and performer from Greece who founded ImproVIBE theater/school, will hit the stage with folks from South Africa, Thailand, Australia and Finland. Prokos, who has lived in several countries, started doing improv in Austin.

“When I discovered it, I thought, ‘I can be a buffoon like I do among my friends but onstage,’” he says. “Slowly, I discovered there is so much more to this. I started appreciating more styles. I stopped trying to be funny, and I started appreciating the honesty.”

Prokos’ style of improv is multifaceted, centered on touching an audience on a deeper level.

“You’ll find so many approaches when it comes to improv,” Prokos says. “I like the one that gives you the full spectrum of experiences and emotions. I don’t like it to be just comedy, because I think it

can be so much more than that.”

Prokos says when improv performers come together, they can create in the moment, each bringing something distinctive to the performances.

“It’s amazing how experienced improvisers can really connect and look like a well-fused group, even from different cultures and different countries where people have different sources of inspiration and different ways of operating,” Prokos says.

“It can still work beautifully. When you have different cultures, it’s a richer show because that special thing that every performer has to offer, which is infused from their local way of performing and their local culture’s do’s and don’ts, is very unique to them.”

Prokos says topics considered humorous, as well as facial expressions and gestures, within their cultures have a big influence on improv performers like himself.

“Humor, jokes, what’s funny and what’s not can be very different. It can be very cultural. In Greece, we can be quite a bit more blunt, and I would dare say offensive because political correctness is not in our culture and our way of communicating.

“So, we will more easily touch taboo subjects in a way where we will dive into them headfirst. We are very political, from the sense of resistance, because of the political situation in Greece for all of these years. … You can imagine this affects how you perceive things, the way that you perceive everyday matters, political matters, what you joke about and what you don’t joke about.”

Phoenix Improv Festival WHEN: Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24 WHERE: Virtual event INFO: phoeniximprovfestival.com

MAKING CONNECTIONS Sage Market overcomes COVID-19 challenges THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

By Olivia Dow

H

osting the Sage Market did not seem like a possibility this year for the Holland Center.

Like many events, the pandemic altered plans for the annual art market, which is held every February.

“First of all, we were thinking that we weren’t going to have it at all,” says Betsy Anderson, the program and events manager at the Holland Center.

“But the artists really wanted to do it.”

Because of the artists’ interest, the Sage Market is happening Saturday, April 10. Anderson says part of the event, which is normally held fully indoors, will host 35 artists inside and outside to allow social distancing and lower the likelihood of a crowd congregation.

“We’re trying to make it as safe as possible, and you know we were surprised that the artists all wanted to do it,” Anderson says.

“We have a bunch of new ones this year. We’re very grateful for them for sticking with us through this stuff we’re going through.”

Anderson says they “thought we’d have about half ” of the normal number of artists. However, many artists wanted to be outside and make it work out the same.

“I think this year actually, it’s going to be nice because so many people have been isolated,” Anderson says.

The Sage Market artists showcase their work, while giving customers a “one-onone experience” to converse about the work that they do, Anderson says.

“Part of the subtitle of the show has always been bringing Main Street shopping back to the art world, and that’s because traditionally you won’t see the artists,” Anderson says.

Perusing the artists allow guests to

understand the artistic process and help them decide what they want to purchase.

Jan Stiles has showcased her art at the Sage Market every year since it opened. Her business, Tres Elegante, sells statement jewelry handmade by Stiles.

“I think there’s even more opportunity to spend time with people, talk, get a feel for what they’re after,” Stiles says. “It’s an interesting time because we’re coming out of this COVID craziness and I think people are sick of the sweats and T-shirts every day and are ready to be dressed and presentable to the world.”

The Sage Market is “one of the best shows,” says Stiles, who attends each year.

“It’s just a cool, small show that really gives an opportunity for me to talk to clients, and they talk about what they like and talk about what they’re thinking about, and it just adds to my creative process,” Stiles says.

At Sage Market, Stiles helped a bride find the perfect jewelry for her wedding day. Other customers come year after year at the market to see her.

Anderson adds these connections can still happen in the age of COVID-19 at Sage Market, where artwork is all under $300.

“It’s going to be nice because so many people have been isolated,” Anderson says. “It’s a one-on-one thing with all these people talking to the artists and the artists sharing their process and showing off what they make.

“What’s better than spending a day with a roomful of artists who you can talk about and share things with. For the artists, it’s so much fun because you get to hang out with people that were doing the same thing as you. It’s really nice.”

Jan Stiles says the event is really well organized for her “customer experience,” especially ensuring customers still feel safe this month.

“I think folks should take an opportunity to see what art is there, because I think it’s going to be high quality like it always is,” Stiles said.

“And a good experience as well, because the folks that plan it; Betsy in particular is just so organized. I’ve used that word several times, but it is probably the highest compliment that I can pay to a promoter of an event.”

17

The Sage Market WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 10 WHERE: The Holland Center, 34250 N. 60th Street, Building B, Scottsdale COST: Free INFO: 480.488.1090, hollandcenter.org

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DINING

EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH

LEGACY BORN

The Craftsman embodies the essence of “a craftsman”

By Annika Tomlin

T

he Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen opened in October 2020, several months after being conceptualized by 10 owners and 12 investors. The owners and investors decided upon a low-risk investment approach, and so far, it has paid off.

“It takes a lot of work to do what was accomplished with renovation of the building, especially the inside; we didn’t do much to the outside,” says Jim Ebel, one of the owners and investors.

“Took a lot of careful watching over expenses, and we did hire some really good contractors and designer and interior decorator who were just happy to do this project, not on the cheap or anything — just did a great job for the cost.”

Fellow owner and investor Jim Prendergast adds, “I’ve always read and learned that you have three times more likely chance of success if you open it in a down market than you do in a high, booming economy. One of those reasons is because you do things differently — you do things frugally.

“Really, it’s about getting a whole bunch of people that we knew, getting friends in the industry and saying we don’t really want to throw millions at this. This is an uncertain time with an uncertain economic future going forward, but if we can do it right and if you can do it at this price, we are in. At the end of the day, we had a lot of takers.”

While the restaurant’s concept began prior to the pandemic, the opening was continually pushed back due to COVID-19 regulations halting renovations and setting back the opening date.

“It was certainly our intention to buy as much time as we could before we had to open, but we did know we needed to get open in the fall,” Prendergast says.

“If for nothing else we needed to show who we were, even if we were still under some sort of occupancy restrictions.

If we were not open in the fall, we can show who we are, what we are, and we could be there in the spring as things get better and better into 2021 and 2022.”

After knowing The Craftsman executive chef Chris Nicosia for about 18 years, Ebel spoke with him about creating a new restaurant with Nicosia at the helm.

“We wouldn’t have started this restaurant or gone into it — I don’t think any of us would have — unless Chris was going to be our chef,” Ebel says. “He was a critical element to making this thing happen.”

Prendergast was not “looking to go out and do anything like this. As a matter of fact, I had probably sworn off more restaurants.

“When Jim came to me and threw around the idea around the opportunity of bringing our long and historic experience in the restaurant side of things and marrying that with a chef who we both knew, who came available — he’s a hall of famer here in Arizona and someone who we thought had the unique concept, but I know unique ideas.

“We can’t really create new food products, but we can create new ways that the same kind of food can be delivered. What Chris pitched to us was very creative and very unique. It was American food that I particularly like more than the rest and done in a way that is unique with good-sized portions.”

When it came time to choosing the name of the restaurant, “that originated from my dad,” Ebel says.

Victor Ebel was a dairy farmer who retired from a farm and, for 10 years, made furniture and other items from wood.

“When he did pass away at the age of 93, I had to put on his tombstone ‘a craftsman,’” Ebel says. Ebel’s sons also own restaurants in Chicago that carry the same name Craftsman.

“We thought this would be a good name for this particular restaurant. We are trying to follow through with food and materials that identify with the word ‘craftsman.’”

Both owners have a list of favorite menu items that incorporate the American style of food that have a craftsman twist.

One of Prendergast’s favorites is the rancher’s pork sandwich ($16) with roasted pork shoulder, Craftsman sausage, sauteed rapini, snowy cheddar, herb aioli and house bread.

“Every time we go in, the staff already knows Jim is going to get the chips ($10) and the chicken lollipops (three for $10/6 for $18), and if I want an entree, I usually get the Volcano Pork ($34),” Prendergast says.

“You just can’t beat the Volcano Pork from an entree perspective. It’s the first thing I tell everyone to try if they go there for dinner.”

Ebel enjoys the scallop toast ($10) with a diver scallop spread, focaccia toast and bacon corn dipping sauce. “(One of my favorites is) what Chris calls Fresh and Chips ($24), which is fish and chips, but he uses the freshest fish every day that he has ordered,” Ebel says. “For starters, his meatballs ($12) are terrific. They’re the same meatballs he made at Sassi, but they’ve always been just outstanding. He has a large following because of the meatballs, honestly.”

Another element that adds to the “polished casual” menu, according to Ebel, is the liquor wine and beer made specifically for The Craftsman.

“Part of my interest (in this venture is because) I was putting together a wine label and I was interested in doing some spirits and stuff and that was something that they had pitched was doing our own spirits,” Prendergast says. “I was really eager and anxious to get involved in that and be able to taste them.

“I just love our bourbon,” he says. “That was part of the deal, that we were going to do our own spirits, our own wine, our own beers and stuff like that. To me that’s a really big part of the Craftsman pitch — craft spirits, craft food.”

The spirits and other drink choices are available for sale and can be brought home.

Cocktails available in-house include Turning Violet ($11) made with Craftsman gin/Rothman, winter violette, lemon juice and JP Chenet, and Craftsman Crush ($13) made with Craftsman citrus vodka, merlet strawberry, simple syrup, lemon juice and mint.

“I would say that we are high end but not high priced,” Ebel says.

The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen 20469 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale 480.401.1102, thecraftsmanaz.com

BRUNCH VIBES

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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Morning Squeeze will soon open in Downtown Phoenix

By Sara Castro

T

he locally owned brunch spot Morning Squeeze, from Old Town Scottsdale, will be joining the brunch scene in Downtown Phoenix this Spring.

The Downtown location is set to open on the corner of First and Washington streets, bringing its diner brunch vibes, while still dedicating itself to the aesthetic and needs of the community.

Morning Squeeze opened its first location in Old Town Scottsdale in 2013 and a second spot off Mill Avenue in Downtown Tempe in 2018. The restaurant specializes in classic breakfast favorites like biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and benedicts, along with modern brunch dishes like the Hangover Bowl and blackened salmon salad and a range of creative cocktails and coffee drinks.

“I am just over the moon to be going into that community downtown,” says Shea Neill, the restaurant’s marketing

manager.

“It’s been a couple of years since we opened a new store, and I think that Downtown right now is blowing up.”

Despite the pandemic, Neill is positive this location will take off and trusts the business plan and the pace. Neill says the company grabbed the Downtown Phoenix space before losing the opportunity.

“I’m more excited than anything. I think that this happened for a reason, and we’re blessed that we made it through the pandemic,” Neill says.

Although there is no set date for the opening, Morning Squeeze has a few plans for opening day, like a soft opening for friends and family, following with a three-day grand opening for the public, as well as a ribbon-cutting event.

The restaurant is working hard to adapt the 3,400-square-foot space to include an indoor-outdoor bar, a dedicated grab-and-go area for easy takeaway, a wraparound patio, and ample outlets and connectivity for people to meet and work.

“We’ll be doing a grab and go, which is a new concept for us, because the spot that was in that location was called kaleidoscope, and it was very similar to that concept,” Neill says. “We’ll have our chicken salad sandwich in there, our homemade pastry, our fresh squeezed juices as well, so that’s something newer we’ll be exploring” The restaurant is also working with local artist Jayarr Steiner, who will be painting a mural in the new location, as well as including other art of his in the building, which is something new for Morning Squeeze. In addition, they will be rounding out the setting with a ’70s

and ’80s playlist to stay true to its diner feel.

“We’re really, really excited to be a part of this community,” Neill says.

“We’ve been part of the Scottsdale for a long time, and we’ve been part of the Tempe community for a while. Each community needs different things from us, so we’re really excited to give Downtown Phoenix what they need.”

French toast, breakfast nachos and the hangover sandwich.

Long and her husband, Matt, opened their first restaurant in Scottsdale in 2008 and followed with Phoenix and Tempe in 2012 and 2020, respectively.

Long says Daily Dose is committed to offering fresh food.

“My husband is great in the kitchen,” she says. “We make our own sauces. We make our own salsa. We roast our own garlic.”

The restaurant chain recently reopened dinner at its Midtown store from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays to bring in revenue after the pandemic restrictions.

Long hopes Doggy Date Night will show patrons what the restaurant has to offer.

“We are trying to give people a good reason to come out, bring their dog and enjoy dinner,” she says. “We want to help the Humane Society at the same time that we give them a reason to come out during the night.”

Morning Squeeze (Coming Spring) 1 N. First Street, Phoenix 602.675.2641, morningsqueeze.com

DOGGY DELIGHT

Daily Dose has the remedy for pandemic boredom

By Laura Latzko

R

estaurants are reopening after Gov. Doug Ducey lifted COVID-19 restrictions. Others are being cautious while offering fun options for customers.

The Daily Dose Kitchen and Bar — a locally owned restaurant with locations in Old Town Scottsdale, Midtown Phoenix and Tempe — is hooking up pet parents with a night out.

Every third Thursday through June, the Daily Dose’s Midtown Bar and Grill at 20th Street and Highland Avenue will hold its Doggy Date Night with social distancing and COVID-19 guidelines in place.

On the menu are special $6 doggy entrees, including a burger patty and pieces of bacon, grilled chicken with a grain blend, and scrambled eggs with bacon. To wrap it up, they get all-natural treats from Dogs Eating Cake.

Co-owner JenLyn Long says the monthly event takes place on a petfriendly patio.

“We want to establish it as something

to do, a fun thing to look forward to,” Long says. “It gives you a reason to go out during the week, meet other people with dogs and have a nice time.”

Doggy parents have options like turkey meatballs with goat cheese, loaded fries, nachos, chorizo mac and cheese, classic or specialty burgers, Southwestern veggie chili, roasted baby back ribs, homemade onion rings or panko-crusted chicken fingers.

Daily Dose also serves signature cocktails such as hibiscus, spicy watermelon and pineapple margaritas, as well as lime rose mojitos.

A portion of the proceeds from the monthly event will go to the Arizona Humane Society, which also benefited from the chain’s Doggie Bag Dine Out. Daily Dose also has a healthy partnership with Habitat for Humanity. It sells discounted lunch boxes to those working with the organization and donating a portion of proceeds back to the nonprofit.

The three Daily Dose restaurants are known for their “urban mom and pop” ambiances and for foods such as cinnamon roll pancakes, banana bread

Doggy Date Night WHEN: 3 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through June WHERE: Daily Dose, 1928 E. Highland Avenue, Suite F107, Phoenix COST: Varies INFO: 602.274.0334, dailydosegrill.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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SOUTHERN COMFORT DINING UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Belle’s Nashville Kitchen brings a honky-tonk to the Valley

By Annika Tomlin

A

honky-tonk recently moved into Old Town Scottsdale with Kool-Aid fried pickles, a great patio and attitude to boot.

Thanks to Mike Haley and executive chef Samantha Roberts, Belle’s Nashville Kitchen opened in November, during the height of the pandemic.

“Old Town has that old cowboy vibe, and I felt that it would be the perfect place to open a honky-tonk,” Haley says.

“The building we are in used to be the old Lulu Belle back in the ’50s and ’60s.

“I originally wanted to call it Belle’s Honky Tonk, but since we wanted to be a restaurant, we wanted to have it saying we were a restaurant in the name as well. Nashville is kind of synonymous with honky-tonks, and we wanted to say kitchen so the tourists and people walking by don’t think it’s just a bar and come in and enjoy some great food.”

Armed with 20 years in the culinary business, Roberts curated the menu from appetizers to dessert.

“We wanted to have the famous Nashville hot chicken, so it worked perfectly with the name,” Roberts says.

“That’s kind of a new trending item the last couple of years. The Nashville hot chicken has been like a big thing, so we wanted to make sure to bring that to the Valley, since there is only a couple of places serving it.”

That chicken is the major staple at Belle’s. The Nashville hot chicken is available as a sandwich ($14) or as chicken fingers ($12). The sandwich is served with lettuce and dill pickles on a brioche bun with a side of garlic or plain fries, sweet potato fries or a side salad.

The fingers come with garlic fries and housemade ranch.

The grilled mac and cheese sandwich

($13) — with garlic bread, garlic sauce, and mac and cheese in the middle — is one of Roberts’ favorite dishes.

“We also have healthy stuff, which is something you usually don’t see at like a honky-tonk or a Southern bar,” Roberts says. “We have ahi tuna. We have that in a salad or in a poke board, which is really good.”

As for appetizers, Belle’s Nashville Kitchen has taken creativity to a new level.

“We also do something that is really unique, which is the Kool-Aid fried pickles,” Roberts says. “It’s fried pickles, but we actually soak the pickles in KoolAid first so they have kind of like a red tinge to them, and then we fry them in the cornbread flour.”

Hayes’ favorites include barbecue baked salmon ($16), served with pineapple salsa and toasted almond rice, and the Nashville chicken fingers, which he called “phenomenal.”

“Another thing that I love and am always snacking on is the dish called Devils on Horseback ($6), which is one of our appetizers,” Roberts says.

“It’s basically pimento cheese-stuffed jalapenos that have been wrapped in bacon. They are really easy to snack on.”

Hayes adds the appetizer is “definitely time consuming, but they are worth every bit of it because they are delicious.”

Roberts enjoys being in the business, as she’s able to make connections in and out of the industry.

“You meet a lot of different people, and generally people who are in the restaurant business, they have also done other things in their life,” Roberts says.

“Being able to travel and learn about new food is just something that never gets old, because trends always change.

Diets always change. A favorite food for people will always change.”

The COVID-19 pandemic affected

Belle’s Honky Tonk similarly to other eateries. All Hayes and Roberts could do was prepare to open and make the location comfortable for diners and staff.

“It’s a very fine line, making sure your customers are safe and your staff is safe,” Roberts says. “You’re doing a lot more cleaning than normally.

“Not only is a restaurant and a bar stressful when opening and busy, but there is a lot more added difficulty when you have to double up on everything you are doing just to make sure you can be one of those restaurants people go to and people feel safe at.”

Because the restaurant doesn’t have permanent outdoor seating, the city allowed them to build a patio out front.

Hayes was grateful he could allow patrons to eat outdoors. That, he adds, makes people feel safe.

While the restaurant is getting in the flow of being open, it will soon add meal preps to the mix.

“We thought that that was another thing for customers in Old Town, because they are not going out to eat, so it’s something so they can have healthy meals at home,” Roberts says. “The meal prep is going to be for the healthier items, but it also is going to have some of the Nashville food items as well.

“If there are three days a week that you need to have food and just don’t have time, you can order from us and do that meal prep, which will be healthier. It will be ready for the week. That is something exciting that we are launching that is different, and I hope it goes over well.”

Belle’s Nashville Kitchen 7217 E. Main Street, Scottsdale 480.590.3190, bellesnashvillekitchen.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

FIELD(S) OF DREAMS THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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‘Nik the Chic Chef’ opens her first restaurant in Phoenix

By Annika Tomlin

N

ik Fields has worked as a celebrity private chef and a gourmet food producer — until she stumbled upon an opportunity to open her own place. Now she’s a restaurateur.

Fields opened the Chic Chef Co., Café and Marketplace on March 15 in Midtown Phoenix. The restaurant’s name mirrors her nickname, “the chic chef.”

“The location was pretty much perfect,” Fields says. “It’s not like I went out looking for the location. It’s really like I just stumbled on it.”

The 3,000-square-foot space has an 800-square-foot marketplace where Fields can sell her products, like olive oils, vinegars, spice blends, pastas and popcorn.

“I merged the market between you being able to cook your food like a chef and then you being able to come into the restaurant and actually having me prepare the food for you,” Fields says.

“I’m giving people options — a lot of restaurants don’t really give the option to do that — and then I’m giving them the same exact ingredients that I’m cooking with.”

Fields built her brand over social media by posting cooking classes and other material before and throughout the pandemic.

“I really hate to say this, but the pandemic has literally been an eye opener for my business,” Fields says.

“This has been the best year that I’ve had as far as business sales, and I think the world just had the opportunity to slow down.

“There are a lot more people cooking because they are not going out. I’m very big on the best ingredients possible.

There’s so many people buying all of my oils, my vinegars, my spice blends.”

Marketplace items include $8 spice blends, $14.99 bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup and $24.99 vinegars.

“The marketplace is going to be next door,” she says. “There is an adjoining door where customers can go next door if they choose to to purchase the products.”

Guests will find space is limited for dining in due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the menu is not limited.

“The food is a mesh of so many different cultures and an experience of every place that I have traveled,” Fields says. “It will really be a conglomerate of all different types of food from all different ethnic parts around the country, and I’m excited about it.”

Fields handcrafted “every single dish,” including Italian and Caribbean dishes.

“The recipes are coming from me, so I’m really excited for people to come and experience the restaurant,” Fields says.

Menu items range in price from $25 to $50.

Fields has not signed up for third-party delivery services, because she wants to “protect the integrity of the food because we don’t know how long it’s going to sit there.”

“That’s not something we are going to do right now, but carryout is definitely an option for patrons,” Fields says. “We have a cute little curbside pickup area that we already have sketched out for them.”

ROUGH BEGINNINGS Fields started her career after completing culinary arts school in 1996.

At the time, the cooking industry wasn’t “glamorous and you didn’t make a whole

lot of money,” according to Fields.

“My parents were extremely disappointed that I decided to go down that path, but anyway, I went to culinary school and got my license,” Fields says.

Her parents’ beliefs weighed heavily on Fields. As a result, she returned to school and earned her master’s degree.

She worked in corporate America for nearly 20 years before she returned to her culinary dreams.

“Once my daughter graduated from

college and my husband earned his Ph.D., I felt like it was my opportunity to do what I wanted to do,” Fields says.

“That was in 2016, and literally the rest is history.”

Chic Chef Co., Café and Marketplace 2303 N. Central Avenue, Suite 3, Phoenix 1.866.630.0010, chicchefco.com

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BEER AND WINE

SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

MAD MIXOLOGIST Z

By Annika Tomlin

’Tejas Southwest Grill serves Southwestern cuisine with bold, flavorful twists.

Rebekah Schultz has been a part of the Z’Tejas family since 2011 and became an official bartender at the Paradise Valley location in 2014. Working at Z’Tejas is a family affair — literally. Schultz has worked with three of her sisters over the years and met her husband while working at the restaurant as well.

We recently had the chance to sit down with Schultz and get her backstory on how her career has evolved at Z’Tejas and what the restaurant and bar have to offer.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CAREER AS A BARTENDER. I started here working as a hostess when I was 18 while one of my older sisters was working here as a bartender at the time. Then I kind of just worked my way up, worked really hard, on time always. Worked throughout school — high school and college. Then I started cocktail serving and then worked my way up to bartending. Right now, I’m bartending and serving with all of the changes due to COVID. Now, with bartending, I like to do that because I have two kids at home. Once I graduated college, I did both. I graduated with a teaching degree, so I did a little preschool job while I was still bartending and then I had my two kids. I thought I could juggle both and then realized the bar atmosphere was a little better for me just with having kids. I kind of enjoyed this a little more — meeting new people, co-workers, guests, everything like that.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY BEHIND THE BAR? I met my husband here. We have been married for four years now and have two kids, 5 and 3. I would say meeting my husband is a favorite memory, and the other would be working with my sisters. I worked with three of my sisters here for several years.

I work with one sister here now.

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO DRINK WHEN YOU’RE AT A BAR OTHER THAN YOUR OWN? I would say a margarita. I especially like the ones here.

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BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR SOMEONE LOOKING TO GET INTO THE INDUSTRY? I would say to be eager to meet new people and build relationships with people, especially co-workers. Always be a team player with those co-workers.

Every guest who comes in here is everyone’s guest. Even though they know you work behind the bar, you might go drop off food. The guests at the table are always your guests. I’ve met some of the most amazing people here over the 10 years I’ve been here. I see them outside of work, whether they are a co-worker or my bar regulars. I’ve gone to cookie exchange parties for my bar regulars from 10 years ago. Be a team player and never really judge a book by their cover. Treat everyone the same way.

WHAT DOES ORDERING A VODKA TONIC SAY ABOUT A PERSON? I would probably say it just kind of means they are simple and they want a simple drink or even just a quick drink.

TELL ME ABOUT THE BEVERAGE PROGRAM AT Z’TEJAS. We have always been really popular

for our Chambord margaritas — which we still are. We’ve been going more with our rocks margaritas where they are made with fresh lime juice and agave nectar. We’ve been putting more flavors in them. We make our own spicy tequila where we infuse it ourselves.

It’s the Maestro Dobel tequila, and we infuse it with our jalapenos, habaneros and serrano pepper, and that is in our jalapeno cucumber margarita, which is spicy yet refreshing. We also started doing a tequila flight and offering zeroproof drinks for people that don’t want alcoholic beverages. We have a mango peach iced tea or a watermelon mango soda where it’s our watermelon mango purees with soda and lime juice in it.

Everyone gets something to drink.

WHAT COCKTAIL WOULD YOU LOVE FOR US TO FEATURE IN THE MAGAZINE? I like the watermelon strawberry margarita ($11).

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE DRINK? It’s very refreshing and very springlike even though you can drink it all year-round. It’s personally my favorite

WATERMELON STRAWBERRY MARGARITA 1 1/2 ounces Gran Centenario Plata tequila 1/2 ounce strawberry syrup 1/2 ounce watermelon syrup 1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice 1 ounce agave Shake up in a shaker with ice.

Salt a margarita glass and strain over ice. Garnish with a slice of watermelon covered in Tajin and a slice of lime margarita. I would say you can still taste the tequila and the lime juice and taste it as a margarita. It’s not too sweet, but you still get a little bit of the watermelon and the strawberry flavor to it.

Z’Tejas Southwest Grill 10625 N. Tatum Boulevard, Phoenix 480.948.9010, ztejas.com For other locations, visit the website

WINE TIME

Pita Jungle introduces its new vino

By Claire Spinner

P

ita Jungle is stepping into spring with its new proprietary wines Jungle Vino, a cabernet sauvignon red blend and a chardonnay.

Matchbook Winery in Dunnigan Hills, California, helped create the wine for the Tempe-based chain.

Pita Jungle co-founder Bassel Osmani knew he wanted to bring something special to the table as the country begins to return to normalcy. After a year of hardship, he wanted to give people something to celebrate.

Osmani wanted a wine option that customers could enjoy in-house or at home without breaking their budget.

Osmani wanted to ensure the wine was high grade and economical, to match Pita Jungle’s typical menu pricing.

“Our food is high quality, but our pricing has always been value pricing,” Osmani says. “With most wines, by the time you apply restaurant markups, there would be a huge disparity between the price of an entree and the price of a bottle of wine. We wanted to strike a

perfect balance between high quality, drinkability and affordability — something that worked with not only our menu but our pricing schemes.”

Osmani was inspired to partner with Matchbook Wines after trying one of its wines at another local restaurant chain.

After reaching out to the family-owned winery, the collaboration began.

Matchbook Wines co-founder Lane Giguiere says the partnership just made sense to her.

“The synergies just worked,” Giguiere says. “We are both familyowned businesses. We’re part of our communities. We care about what we do and put our hearts and souls into what we produce. I think that we just fit right in with what they were doing.”

The partnership was challenged by the pandemic, as Osmani was never able to travel to the winery himself. Instead, representatives at the winery sent over samples to Pita Jungle.

Giguiere says the process was relatively smooth, despite the inability to meet in person.

“They told us a direction, what kind of red and chardonnay they were looking

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

for, so we continued to send over samples and tweak them until we came up with a style that really fit what they wanted,” Giguiere says.

Osmani had particular ideas when it came to what he was looking for in the wines. For the red, he was looking for something European inspired to match the Mediterranean food that Pita Jungle is known for. With the help of Matchbook, a blend of cabernet, malbec and petit verdot was created.

“It’s a very well-balanced wine that evokes dark fruit, black cherry, blackberry, and spices like clove. It was made to go perfectly with our citrusy, bright dishes,” Osmani says.

The other new wine, a chardonnay, was based on Osmani’s personal preferences — like much of the food on Pita Jungle’s menu. It is also meant to complement dishes, and it pairs well with spicier, garlicky options.

“I wanted something with less woodiness and oakiness than many of the popular chardonnays in the United States. Those just aren’t my favorite types of wines,” Osmani says.

“This one has a more subtle oakiness and toastiness to it. It’s a little bit more fresh, fruity and bright.”

With the wines on sale for $18 per bottle, anyone is welcome to have a taste of the new collaboration. Osmani says he hopes this will bring not only some joy to his patrons but that it will bring some

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much-needed energy to the company, which struggled during the pandemic.

“This is some good news in the wake of this whole pandemic that has been really crippling to a lot of businesses, us included, and this helps us see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he says. “We’re seeing people coming back, and we’re very excited to be offering these wines to them.”

NETWORK FOR GOOD

Mingle and mix cocktails with Ballet Arizona

By Kristen Apolline Castillo

S

ince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, live entertainment hit a brick wall. Now, a year later, organizations have found ways to fundraise and continue their work virtually.

Like many businesses and organizations in the Valley, Ballet Arizona struggled to find ways to adjust to the pandemic’s reality, other than rescheduling shows.

However, the dance company has held online fundraising campaigns and digital

and small group in-person performances to adhere to COVID-19 protocols, says Charlotte Rheingold, Contemporary Council member and Ballet Barre Young Professionals committee chair.

To continue its community engagement, Ballet Arizona’s Contemporary Council will host a virtual cocktail workshop in collaboration with Iconic Cocktail Co. from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29. Proceeds support Ballet Arizona’s dancers, staff and community engagement events during the pandemic.

“It’s just a really nice way to support the ballet and then have fun at the same time,” Rheingold says.

“We’re really trying to connect with people and show them the amazing work that Ballet Arizona does, like the quality of shows, the costumes and just the dancers themselves. They’re very talented.”

Admission is a $50

donation. With this payment, donors receive access to the virtual workshop, ingredients to make four servings of cocktails, and a recipe card for the tutorial.

Additionally, attendees have the option to sponsor the admission of Ballet Arizona’s dancers. The price is also $50 and includes admission to the class and a complete kit for cocktails for one dancer.

“They work extremely hard, as you can imagine, so we’re really excited to include them in the event,” Rheingold says. “A lot of them are young and also are looking to network for potential career opportunities after their dance careers. Of course, it’s just fun to socialize with them. They spend a lot of time with each other, and we’re always excited to interact with them as well.”

Phoenix-based Iconic Cocktail Co. crafts its own cocktail mixers.

Representatives will teach attendees how to make a Moscow mule with a twist using the ingredients provided in the cocktail kit.

“The cocktail-mixing aspect is really exciting,” Rheingold says. “Iconic Cocktail makes its own mixer, so I’m very excited to taste them. There are

these special recipes that they have, and I’m just curious to see what they taste like and how they use them and how they sort of apply them, if you will.”

After the lesson, participants will be placed into random virtual breakout rooms to chat with each other and Ballet Arizona dancers. Though this event is targeted at young professionals in the dance industry, fans and supporters are welcome to mingle with other attendees and dancers.

“I think this is just a great opportunity to learn more about the ballet if you’re not actively involved,” says Serena Remy, Contemporary Council member.

“We will cover a bit about Ballet Arizona and the amazing work that they do at the beginning of the cocktail class and then, of course, it’s a great time to have fun and support local business and the ballet at the same time.”

Ballet Arizona Fundraiser: Cocktail Class WHEN: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29 COST: $50 donation INFO: https://bit.ly/2QFu9Zn ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

24

CASINOS

PLAY » SPIN » LAUGH » GROOVE » UNWIND » WIN

QUEEN NATION WILL ROCK YOU The tribute band doesn’t want to stop now

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Q

ueen Nation was definitely under pressure when the tribute band was asked to play a backyard birthday party for Foo Fighters bassist

Nate Mendel.

The gig was a surprise for Mendel, who is a Queen superfan, according to Mike McManus, who plays the Brian May role in Queen Nation.

“They set up a bunch of extra amps on the stage,” McManus recalls. “The Foo Fighters wanted to get up and play a couple songs with us. During our last song, the cops shut us down.

“I was talking to (The Foo Fighters’) Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins after our show. I said, ‘I’m so (mad) the cops shut us down. We wanted you guys to play a couple songs with us.’”

Grohl responded with the ultimate compliment: “There’s no way we were going to go on after you guys. You would have made us look like a bunch of chumps.”

Queen fans can see for themselves when Queen Nation plays We-Ko-Pa

Casino Resort in Fort McDowell at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 10, and tentatively in June in Cave Creek.

For more than a decade, Queen Nation has been playing sold-out shows with songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” “We Will Rock You,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Under Pressure” and “You’re My Best Friend” on its setlist.

“We just started our 2020-2021 tour in early March,” McManus says. “We didn’t have anything in January or February. We did shows on March 6, March 8 and March 9.

“We forgot how much we loved playing and just hanging out together.

We’re the four musketeers.”

Queen Nation focuses on “The Game” era, 1980-1981, when Queen was at the height of its popularity in America.

“A lot of British Queen tribute bands play songs from 1985-1986, when Freddie Mercury was wearing his yellow jacket and they played at Wembley,” McManus says.

“They had fallen out of favor in America around that time. Just because we focus on ‘The Game’ era, that

doesn’t mean we’re not going to do anything past ’81. We’ll do ‘I Want to Break Free’ and ‘Radio Ga Ga.’ The look and feel of the show are more 1980 to 1981, at the height of their popularity in America.”

Queen Nation plays the songs note for note, not taking liberties with Queen’s music. They look the part, play the instruments and cop English accents.

“We want fans to think they’re coming to see a Queen show in the 1980s,” McManus says.

“If a band says they’re going to play, say, ‘Under Pressure’ and put their own spin on it, nobody wants to see that.

They want to hear the songs. Otherwise, you’re just a bar band hashing your way through Queen songs.”

A Boston native, McManus has been into Queen since 1976, when his father introduced him to the band. His father loved the song “Killer Queen,” but when a complex single from “A Night at the Opera” came out — “Bohemian Rhapsody” — the two hightailed it to the store.

“We sat there and listened to it from beginning to end,” McManus says. “I

was a goner. Before I had even picked up a guitar, I played air guitar in my bedroom to Queen music.”

McManus was fortunate enough to see Queen twice — in 1980 at the Providence Civic Center in Rhode Island, and 1982 at the Boston Garden.

“I went with my dad and my brother and he got us 20th row on the floor,” he says. “Tickets were $7.50. Needless to say, I remember, during that concert, Brian May walked to the front of the stage and took a guitar solo. My dad knew that any thought of me going to medical school or law school went right out the window.

“Who would have known that X number of years later, I would be standing in front of 10,000 people playing ‘We Are the Champions.’ When we do concerts in the park, we play to that many people. Queen isn’t meant to be played for 50 people. It’s meant for huge audiences.”

Queen Nation WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, April 10 WHERE: We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, 10438 We-Ko-Pa Way, Fort McDowell COST: $25-$35 INFO: wekopacasinoresort.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

SPORTS

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CHEER » HIT » HIKE » LEAD » ROOT » COMPETE

BUILT ON CULTURE

Rattlers on the brink of 30 years in operation

By Zakkary Brog

W

hen the Arizona Rattlers joined the Arena Football League, they joined 11 other franchises for the 1992 season. Of those franchises, only one remains to this day: the Rattlers.

In fact, the team has outlasted the AFL itself, which folded following the 2019 season. The team moved to the Indoor Football League in 2017, where it remains to this day.

In a business setting where so many organizations have come and gone, with some lasting for only one year, what has the Rattlers on the brink of 30 years in operation?

“I think it always starts at the top with your owner,” says Kevin Guy, who has served as the team’s head coach since 2008 and team president beginning in 2021.

“Ron Shurts, he has definitely put this organization on a different level. And if you go back to the early days when the Arizona Rattlers were thriving, it was also owned by Jerry Colangelo.”

Under Colangelo, the team won two AFL championships in 1994 and 1997. Under Shurts, the team became an indoor dynasty, winning AFL championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

In 2017, their first year in the IFL, they won the league championship despite having to rebuild the entire roster from scratch.

That leadership has been echoed in the work of Guy, who has prioritized culture as a pillar of the organization.

“One of the things we’ve talked to the players about is not necessarily fear of letting yourself down but creating a fear of letting the organization down, putting the organization ahead of your personal goals. If everybody’s working hard and paddling their boats in the same direction, then we’re all going to get to where we want to go.”

One player who succeeded greatly

in Guy’s environment was Anttaj Hawthorne. Hawthorne played eight seasons with the Rattlers, won three championships, and was inducted in the team’s ring of honor in 2018. Despite experience playing for the Wisconsin Badgers in college and the Oakland Raiders in the NFL, Hawthorne ranks his time with the Rattlers at the top of his tenures, even while working side jobs off the field.

“The love for the game was greater in the AFL,” says Hawthorne. “Here with the Rattlers, it was like a brotherhood.

We all became friends, we all hang out all the time.”

That sentiment extends beyond the locker room as well. A large part of the Rattlers’ culture is the fan base, which is one of the largest in the league.

Over the course of his AFL career, Hawthorne developed a camaraderie with fans who would frequently attend games.

“You’re there with the fans … you’re almost playing with the fans. They’re right there. You can literally get a sack and then go high-five a fan. … I’m lifelong friends with people who used to be fans now, and it’s a lot of them. … The fans in Arizona are handsdown the best.”

The Rattlers are hoping to continue their success in 2021, but much like the rest of the sports industry, they are being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guy is hopeful that they will be able to overcome the obstacles and play a stable season with fans at the “Snake Pit.” “I think the teams that do the best job of dealing with COVID are going to be the teams standing at the end trying to compete for a championship. We’re going to have to be strict, and people are going to have to buy in.”

The Rattlers are scheduled to begin their season on the road against the Northern Arizona Wranglers on Sunday, May 16. They’re slated to play their home opener against the Tucson Sugar Skulls on Saturday, June 12.

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

HIT E N I H C A M

Tim Locastro’s depth goes beyond being plunked

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

G

oogle Diamondbacks outfielder Tim Locastro and a myriad of topics comes up. “Why Tim Locastro should be your favorite weird player” is a video, as well as why he’s frequently plunked. Finally, his nickname is the fastest player in baseball.

Ask Locastro about any of them and he deflects the attention from him and onto the team.

“I’m just trying to go out there every day and do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Locastro says. “We didn’t win as many games as we had hoped last season.”

The home opener is Friday, April ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

9, and Locastro’s excitement and dedication is palpable. Case in point: He emerged from his COVID-19 quarantine and showed up 90 minutes early for a Spring Training session.

“I was going insane in that quarantine,” says Locastro, who tested positive but had few symptoms.

“I was excited to get back and be with my teammates, who are my friends, and coaches. They make it so enjoyable. I think the camaraderie in our clubhouse has been unbelievable this Spring Training. We’re sharing that goal of having a winning season after a year that wasn’t so great. We’re hungrier this year.”

Further fueling that excitement are the fans who will be permitted into the

stadium. He’s also looking forward to playing the full season.

“I am thrilled. I can’t wait for a full 162-game season,” he says. “I think it was uncharted waters last year. No one had experienced anything like that.

Everybody was trying to figure it out on the fly.

“We missed the fans so much. Letting them in is the best thing ever.”

Playing in the MLB was Locastro’s lifelong dream. As a child in New York, he looked up to Derek Jeter, Paul O’Neill and Bernie Williams, when he was a fan of the late-1990s, early 2000s New York Yankees.

“My parents always encouraged me and helped me follow my dreams,” says Locastro, who spent his offseason with

his fiancée in Pennsylvania, where she attends Villanova. “I just love the game as a whole. I just love to compete. I love going out there as a team and building such camaraderie with the team and clubhouse.”

Locastro says the support from fans has been “crazy” about the 2021 season. He’s hoping that the fanbase grows and the D-backs have a winning season.

“It’s exciting,” he says. “A lot of people like us, so I give 100%. Michael Jordan once had a quote about fans seeing him for the first time and maybe only time in his career. You have to play 100% all the time then. When I heard that quote, that resonated a lot. I honestly give 110%, but that’s how I’m built.”

PLATE APPEARANCE

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

New food, guidelines and amenities ready for fans at Chase Field

By Zakkary Brog

W

hen the Arizona Diamondbacks take the field for their sold-out home opener on Friday, April 9, it will be the first time doing so with fans at Chase Field in 558 days.

The excitement level is high from fans and the organization. But, perhaps no one is more thrilled to see the return of roaring crowds than Diamondbacks legend and front office member Luis Gonzalez.

The team’s president and CEO, Derrick Hall, even harasses Gonzo, as he’s known, for the number of times he says any variation of “excite” during a media tour of Chase Field.

“I am excited to be here today,” Gonzalez says. “It seems like forever that we’ve all been able to come together.

The team is really looking forward to opening day. Now with fans starting to come back into the ballpark, it’s an exciting time for them. There’s my second ‘exciting!’”

However, the work that the organization has put in to prepare for the upcoming season is no joke. While the fight against COVID-19 is headed in an optimal direction, with many vaccinations occurring locally daily, the Diamondbacks are still taking precautionary measures to ensure safety at games.

Capacity will be capped at just under 12,000, with unused seats being zip tied.

All tickets sold will be contactless through the MLB Ballpark app.

Masks will be required. Gaiters, handkerchiefs and face shields alone will not be acceptable.

Staff will enforce guidelines.

Not all gates will be open for entry to the ballpark, and fans will be asked to stand on ground markers to social distance as they wait to enter. Gates will also open 30 minutes later than in past years.

A new clear bag policy

is being implemented. The team will give away 5,000 clear bags in the season’s first three home games.

Fans must eat in their seats. Fans will order food via the MLB Ballpark app.

Cash will not be accepted at concessions nor the team store.

“The restrictions we have in place are those we had approved before,” Hall says. “We could pivot during the season, hopefully, to allow more fans in here.

But if we do it, we’re going to do it in a very responsible way, very safe way.”

The organization has addressed more than safety. Fans can experience many new features of the gameday experience.

New food options include beer cheese bratwurst; Danzeisen Dairy chocolate mint chip stack shake; poblano cheesecake; and 505 green chile, chicken bacon and ranch tots.

Gadzooks Enchiladas and Soups will have two locations for fans who desire Mexican food. New Fry’s Grab N’ Go stations will sell snacks and drinks.

Fans can play interactive games on the MLB Ballpark app. This feature was available to fans previously, but an overhaul to Chase Field’s Wi-Fi means guests can now enjoy it at the ballpark with little to no decrease in performance.

The team revamped the “D-Backs Kids Club.” Kids ages 15 and younger who participate will be rewarded for attending games and can earn various team merchandise such as posters and baseballs.

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MUSIC

LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

WELCOME TO ‘CROOKLAND’

Tempe-based rappers Tireek and Lonely Leonard

By Alex Gallagher

T

ireek and Lonely Leonard treated their fans to a new album, “Crookland,” in March, and the ASU students are using the collection as a platform to address racial inequality.

“Not only is this a big step for us artistically, it’s also our proclamation that we are Black artists who make Black art,” Lonely Leonard says.

Tireek and Lonely Leonard describe “Crookland” as a “roller coaster,” a departure from popular rap, in terms of sound and lyricism. The music represents life, with a lot of ups and downs, twists and turns.

“We just wanted to make music that we wanted to hear and that we don’t hear much of anymore,” Tireek says.

“We draw from diverse places because we’re pretty diverse people,” Lonely Leonard adds. “We incorporated vibrations from hip-hop and trap, but a big influence on the album has been electronic music.”

The two are ASU film students, but they wanted to pursue music so they could pay homage to their hometowns.

Tireek grew up in Brooklyn, while Lonely Leonard hails from Bloomfield, New Jersey.

“We try to pay homage to where we’re from by bringing back something old,” Lonely Leonard says.

They accomplished this by incorporating elements of early-1920s jazz with modern hip-hop and R&B lyricism into their music.

“I feel like a lot of artists on the East Coast are really starting to expand and explore new sounds and just really get crazy with their artistry,” Tireek says.

Though “Crookland” explores a variety of sounds, there is an overarching theme of abuse at the hands of authority figures and the East Coast’s unforgiving nature.

“Brutality, discrimination and racial bias are all very big themes in the album, along with other experiences, like poverty and growing up in a low-income community and the effects that it can have on the youth who just want to survive,” Tireek says.

“A lot of people look at young Black

men and label them as thugs or criminals and don’t see them as anything more.

A lot of people don’t realize that some of these guys do what they have to do out of the need to survive. So, it’s not necessarily that they want to be doing these things, but it’s like they have to.”

The duo addresses the stigma around incarceration and the struggles of growing up in an impoverished community.

“The narrative around people who are incarcerated is often spun in a way that’s negative when a lot of times it’s not,” Tireek says. “We’re not villains. We’re not crooks. We’re not inherently bad. We just wanted to shine some light on that.”

“On My Block” is one song that conveys this message best. The track describes how Tireek’s relationship with the police deteriorated after he witnessed police brutality.

“Growing Pains” describes the troubles Lonely Leonard had growing up on the East Coast.

Police are not the only authority figures the duo addresses on the album.

The song “Brenda,” which features Comrade Tokyo, shines light on how

Tireek witnessed women who were mistreated and disrespected by men who supposedly loved them.

As for the aesthetics, Tireek and Lonely Leonard wanted to create artwork that would express the album’s content as visually as possible.

“The ‘Crookland’ creative direction was done by my personal graphic designer, Shifty, and we gave him a framework to work with because we wanted the album aesthetically to be yellow to reference the opening song on the record,” Lonely Leonard says.

As for the album cover, that was created by Tireek.

“It really expresses how you see these terrible stories in the media, and it’s a compilation of that media,” Lonely Leonard says.

The merchandise created to promote the album continues the duo’s philanthropic mission, with part of the sales going to the NAACP’s criminal justice program.

“Pretty much everything I do has some kind of charitable element,” Lonely Leonard says. “It’s coming up on the year anniversary of the Black Lives

Matter protests, and we knew that we really wanted to continue the effort of advancing people of color in this country.

“We thought that donating a portion of our proceeds would really cement the message in people’s minds of what our album is about.”

Tireek adds, “It was really just an effort to give back to the community. We can rap about all these things, but this is our way of fixing the situation. We just wanted to help in the best way that we could and show that we’re out here, we’re fighting, we care, and Black lives matter always.”

Although there is a lot to explore on this album, there is one thing that Tireek and Lonely Leonard hope fans will learn about the album.

“This album is bigger than music, bigger than us, and when you sit down and listen to the album, just realize that you’re going into a sonic experience that you can visualize when you listen,” Tireek says.

“We aren’t where we want to be yet, in terms of our artistry or our careers, but we’re still having such a big impact on people.”

QUARANTINE JAMS THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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Charlie Benante’s project began with Neil Peart tribute

By Ethan Greni

L

ast year was tough for a lot of people across the globe. As the world shut down around them, people were cut off from their families and jobs, and many even lost their lives.

For Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, like a lot of other people, it felt like the world was falling apart.

“I was watching what was going on overseas in Europe, and especially Italy that was getting hit the hardest,” Benante says.

“And then it started to hit here, in New York. By the time March came around, things got crazy, and I was glued to the television, I was glued to my phone. I started to get very depressed, and I just went into a dark place.”

He credits his girlfriend, Butcher Babies vocalist Carla Harvey, for pulling him out of that dark place.

“My girlfriend, Carla, kind of said, ‘You’ve got to stop watching the news, man, because it’s really affecting you in a bad way. Go be creative, go do music again, you know?’” Benante says.

“And I did. I turned it off, I set up an electronic (drum) kit in my art room, and I started to just play again and make some music.”

Still reeling from iconic Rush drummer Neil Peart’s death in January, Benante decided to pay tribute by virtually getting together with other musicians and uploading Rush covers on his YouTube channel.

“I was talking to friends throughout this thing, and they were going through the same thing I was, so I invited some of them to join in,” Benante says.

“The first one I worked on was a Rush song. It was (with) Alex Skolnick (from Testament) and Ra (Diaz) from Suicidal (Tendencies). I was still grieving over Neil Peart’s death, and that was just one that I wanted to do, I wanted to play those Rush songs again, and that’s how it happened, and then it just snowballed after that.”

Benante and his friends began playing a variety of songs, everything from Iron Maiden to Billie Eilish, dubbing it the “quarantine jam video series.”

“I would pick songs that did something to me emotionally,” Benante says. “When I heard the song, it takes me back to a place I was. The Fleetwood Mac song (‘Rhiannon’) was just a song from my childhood.

“Where I used to live, in the Bronx … the house that was adjacent to me would always play Fleetwood Mac outside,

they’d always play the ‘Rumours’ album.

Every day, we would hear this record, so when it came time to pick a Fleetwood Mac song that I wanted to do, that was the one.”

Benante’s new album, “Silver Linings,” is a collection of some of the songs from the quarantine jam series, though he says he never planned on releasing them, other than just as YouTube videos.

“This was never intended on being put out,” Benante says.

“People would ask me early on, and I would say, ‘No, I’m not doing that,’

then I got asked one too many times and finally, I said, ‘Alright, I have enough here to put out a full record.’ I only wanted to put out vinyl — I didn’t even want to put it out any other way — and then, of course, the record company said, ‘You’ve got to put it out digitally, too, and streaming.’”

A portion of the album proceeds will be donated to the Neal Casal Music Foundation, a charity that provides musical instruments and lessons to students.

“The first two programs to get cut

from schools always are art and music,” Benante says.

“They do this all the time, and for me, if I didn’t have art and music in school, I don’t even know where I’d be right now, because it really just helped me to survive school.”

With a new Anthrax record in the works, Benante says the change of pace with “Silver Linings” has actually improved his thrash songwriting.

“If anything, the songs that I did on this ‘Silver Linings’ record completely helped me and really put me in a better mood, because I got a chance to experiment with different sounds, different moods, different textures,” Benante says.

“But the Anthrax record, for some reason, is coming out a bit more aggressive, a bit angrier than previous things that I’ve written. There’s some really aggressive songs on this record.”

The pandemic brought a lot of negative emotions with it, and Benante says that kind of aggression can be put to good use in the studio.

“I don’t know if I’m angry anymore, from what happened, and I think I have a better understanding about it and I’m channeling that into the music. So, maybe it’s more dark than it is angry, but definitely the tone is a bit angry.”

Benante says.

“And I still have a year of that (anger) in me, so when I go and record these songs, I’m definitely bringing that with me.”

Anthrax is also turning the band’s iconic 1987 album, “Among the Living,” into a graphic novel from Z2 Comics coming May 12. Benante will also have his own “Judge Dredd” variant of the comic, available only by preordering the standard edition through Z2.

“I’ve been trying to do a comic book for years. A friend of ours, Josh Bernstein, who is basically Z2 Comics, contacted Scott (Ian, Anthrax rhythm guitarist) and I about it, and we had a talk about it, but we didn’t want to do something if it was going to be kind of cheesy,” Benante says.

“It’s coming together so well that I still can’t believe that we’re going to do this.

It’s going to be one of the best things, I think, that we have ever put out.”

The “Silver Linings” album will be available in full from Megaforce Records on May 14. The track “Run-DMC Medley,” featuring Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rob Caggiano (Volbeat, exAnthrax), Diaz and Benante, is available now on most streaming platforms.

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE COLOR 8 T 30

UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Social media’s favorite Downtown Phoenix act

By Alex Gallagher

he Color 8 is a Downtown Phoenix-based band whose sound is almost as diverse as its name.

“The ‘Color’ stands for diversity, and the ‘8’ stands for infinity” is what the musicians exclaim at shows.

Though the band thrives off the inclusiveness of its audience and its sound, The Color 8’s members have found they work extremely well individually.

Each musician’s social media account is updated with performance videos.

However, promoting the band’s work is important — especially its covers.

“I try to cover stuff that I think I could put a cool twist on,” says guitarist Mikal “Kal” Benion.

“Sometimes I’ll hear a song and think

of how cool it would sound with a guitar on it, and other times I’ll just like the sound of a guitar on a song.”

Vocalist/saxophonist Ashton Vaughn “The Dapper Rapper” Charles adds, “We all like doing covers, but Kal’s been the most consistent over the past few years when it comes to putting stuff out like that. It’s helped him out significantly, as you can see by his strong following on Instagram.”

Charles amassed over 41,000 followers on TikTok in the two weeks since he began creating content of him playing his saxophone to songs ranging from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to “Naughty Girl” by Beyoncé.

The goal of the covers is to offer fans a glimpse of the individual musicians.

“Outside the covers, we just really like showing our personalities,” says drummer Emmett “E Nash” Ray.

“It gives us an opportunity for people to see how different we are and how well we mesh. As a fan, you become a huge fan of an artist because you feel you relate to them on some level. I think that comes out for us in our content that we put out.”

A Phoenix College alumnus, Ray describes how the band used to do a web series called “The Content Show,” during which it filmed itself playing a game of Jenga. That allowed the musicians to explore their individual personalities and share their banter and humor with one another.

“The thing that makes these videos cool is we’re all having fun with what we do,” Charles says.

The Color 8 has scored awards for the work it has done. Benion and Ray have won several competitions on influencer Jacob Unterreiner’s Instagram page.

“I’m always honored anytime I get any kind of recognition,” Ray says. “I think these accolades are beneficial to our story, but overall, it’s just cool to be recognized.”

When it comes to being judged, Charles offers contestants this simple piece of advice.

“In any form of artistry that’s judged, you’re being judged based on something that is very much subjective,” Charles says.

“When they get to a space where they win a competition based on musical talent, it is not just that; it’s knowing that people enjoy watching you do what you do so much that they feel that they can put you at the top of their list of people they enjoy watching, listening to and experiencing. To be awarded in a subjective category is the highest honor when it comes to anything like that.

“Music in any art and in any form is always subjective. To know all these different perspectives collectively agree that this person has done such a good job, it’s a very beautiful sentiment.”

In between creating content for socials, The Color 8 has been working on a new EP and plans to soon release the song, “Twerked On,” which is a departure from its last singles.

“It’s a different vibe compared to anything we’ve done so far. This song will actually have some production on it. All of our songs have been live instruments,” Ray says.

“Our last project was more of a mixture of things, but on this next EP it’s going to be more R&B, soulful and fun with a live sound.”

Charles says the three- to five-song EP will be released sometime over the summer.

The band also plans to play a socially distanced concert within the coming months at the Herberger Theater Center’s amphitheater. That would mark the first time it has played in Downtown Phoenix since the pandemic shut down The Color 8’s monthly gig at First Fridays.

Fans can expect new content throughout the year to keep up with demand.

“We’ve got some pretty big collaborations moving forward, which we’re really excited about, and some exclusive content for our fans,” Ray says.

“We’ve been doing a lot of behind-thescenes business work during quarantine so that when everything opens back up we can take over.”

The Color 8 facebook.com/thecolor8band ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

SAVING THE STAGES WITH SHIRTS THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

31

Stephen Chilton is selling merch to keep venues open

By Alex Gallagher

S

tephen Chilton is the vice president of the National Independent Venue Association and the owner of The Rebel Lounge. He remembers the beginning of the pandemic all too well.

“We were the first things to close,” Chilton says. “We started seeing our events at The Rebel Lounge and events that I promote get canceled a few weeks before the shutdown orders.”

Chilton knew right away that this pandemic wouldn’t just magically disappear.

“I immediately knew it was going to be a long haul,” Chilton says. “It takes months to plan and promote a concert.

It’s not like we can just reopen.

“We produce mass gatherings, and that’s what’s the least safe thing right now.”

He was particularly worried after the Austin entertainment festival South by Southwest was canceled.

“They weren’t getting guidance from the government on whether it was safe to go forward or not,” Chilton says.

“They made the decision internally to cancel, and that was the first domino.

They were the ones who had to make a tough decision because no one would make it for them.”

After seeing venues nationwide canceling events, Chilton knew he needed to take action.

“NIVA and the Save Our Stages movement was a reaction to that,” Chilton says.

“South By was the first thing that everyone noticed, and that was when we started seeing lots of acts canceled, because a lot of our March is artists touring in and out of South By. Without South By, they canceled their tours.”

On March 12, 2020, Chilton says, hundreds of venue executives jumped on a Zoom call to talk about what they were seeing in other cities.

“The next week we got on and we all realized no one was talking about small venues, no one was talking about small promoters, everything was about the NBA, Coachella and arenas,” he says.

The Save Our Stages movement is not just exclusive to venue owners or promoters. It goes toward a plethora of others who keep the entertainment industry afloat.

“In NIVA’s membership, we’ve always

included promoters, festivals, comedy clubs, performing arts centers and independent venues of all sizes,” Chilton says. “The Save Our Stages campaign was the public campaign behind our advocacy.”

Chilton’s goal has always been to help small venues stay afloat. In the beginning, though, he knew there was only one thing that would keep the touring ecosystem alive.

“We needed to lobby for federal aid, because it was clear that nothing was going to save us individually,” Chilton says.

“This is a national problem, we’re a national ecosystem of touring, and until we nationally can come back, we’re all in trouble.”

His lobbying has proven somewhat effective, but Chilton will not remain satisfied until he sees venues receive the compensation he feels they deserve.

Stimulus bills have helped somewhat

finance smaller venues, but more aid is urgently needed so clubs do not shutter.

He also reminds the general public of one economic fact.

“No business is set up to go 12 months with no revenue,” Chilton says.

In addition, Chilton exclaimed that venues are not only expensive to rent but that they are almost as pricey to insure.

“My insurance is 10 times that of similar-sized bars or restaurants just because of the nature of what we do,” Chilton says.

To raise funds, Chilton partnered with local artist Sage Aune to launch men’s and women’s apparel and a koozie featuring “I <3 AZ’s Independent Venues.” Sixteen independently owned venues are disguised on the merchandise in an admission ticket. They are available at iheartaz.net.

“Whenever I’ve done shirts or something like this in the past, you want to do something that people actually

want to wear,” Chilton says. “I love the design and think that Sage did a great job with it.”

Chilton hopes patrons who purchase merchandise know they’re making a difference.

“I hope customers know that every dollar helps and that their money is going directly to save those venues,” Chilton says.

The Valley’s Zia Records and Stinkweeds as well as Rainbow’s End Records in Flagstaff are selling the merch. He’ll also peddle them at the coffee shop he’s running at The Rebel Lounge and The Nile Theater.

Above all, Chilton has a message for the general public.

“I look forward to seeing people in these shirts at shows,” he says.

Saving Arizona’s Venues iheartaz.net ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

GETTING PERSONAL

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Julien Baker talks college, her album and being in the public eye

By Claire Spinner

J

ulien Baker speaks with poise beyond her 25 years. The Nashville singer/songwriter displays the profound selfawareness of someone who is conscious about the impact of her words. The honesty she exhibits on her new album, “Little Oblivions,” translates seamlessly in the real world.

This is perhaps most apparent in her deep social conscience. Baker takes the time to acknowledge the suffering of those who have lost friends, family, jobs or homes during the pandemic before explaining that it has been admittedly healthy for her.

“I’m not rocketing through life in a tour van,” she says. “I’m sitting at home with my instruments, and I’m taking in everything and giving myself time to process it. So, it’s been healthy for the most part, to be honest.”

In the months before the pandemic, Baker took a break from touring and releasing music to return to school at Middle Tennessee University and earn her degree. This was a cathartic step for the young singer. School was a stable environment for Baker — one that took her away from the public eye.

“I was taking these courses that had almost nothing to do with music,” Baker says. “I wasn’t playing shows. Pretty much nobody on campus knew who I was. I was just a student drinking really bad coffee and sitting through lectures all day.”

Baker found that her time in school was fulfilling in unexpected ways.

“My life actually had way more possibilities than I had allowed myself to think about,” Baker says.

“I had much more autonomy over what was happening in my life. It was so fulfilling to me because I had radically shifted gears from what my life had consisted of and still found myself able to be a whole person when I was removed from a profession in which I am constantly being observed and seen.”

Baker is frequently referred to as a role model for many. Having been open about her mental health, sexuality and sobriety for many years, the break from the spotlight was refreshing. Baker says it was not always easy to be as candid as she is now.

“I don’t think I ever understood how difficult it could be to open myself up like that,” Baker says. “I just continued trying to be as honest as possible even when it was painful, but what I realized I had done was build up this impossible, unsustainable standard for myself.

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Being in school, I didn’t feel like I was representing something all the time. I only had to represent and be accountable for myself.”

Baker quickly adds she is proud of the positive impact her music has had on fans.

“I saw that my music was making some sort of positive impact on the world, at least I hope, and I can continue to use the power that I know I have through the recognition of my art to make positive impacts in a greater way,” she says.

In February 2020, Baker’s newest record had been completed. Just a few weeks later, the pandemic stopped any plans of taking the album on the road.

Baker admits it may have helped her in the long run, giving her time to process the emotional and forthright album she had written.

“I did not realize just how much time I needed to process this record, because it is actually quite emotionally salient for me,” she says. “I was writing about things that are much closer experiences in my life chronologically than I had been on the first two records.”

Baker reflects on the writing process for her third record. Though she had been candid on her first two albums, Baker says this record felt more personal in some ways.

“I shifted the goal of my songwriting from making something that I thought was beautiful but had a clear specific message about the ideologies I wanted

to promote in the world. I stopped trying to capture everything in an ideology as much,” Baker says. “I just wrote songs about my feelings.”

The result is a record that is beautiful but poignant. The darkness of the material is balanced by the sense of hope that shines through her music.

Baker hopes that audiences will engage in her discussion of life, mental health, faith and growth in a way that is meaningful to them.

“I hope my music continues to be a conversation with the listener and ultimately a piece of data in the giant discourse of all music,” she says.

Baker also hopes that her music encourages listeners to be open about their own expression as well, in spite of any criticism they may receive.

“I think a lot of people get discouraged from expressing themselves because they are afraid of doing it wrong. I think that if we reframe conflict and opposition as an opportunity for discourse, especially in music, but also in other things, then people would express themselves more freely without fear of being penalized for it.”

What it ultimately comes down to for Baker is the concept of worthiness and validity of expression. She says that she has grown a greater appreciation for sharing her music regardless of how it is perceived by critics and audiences.

“I’ve gradually gotten to a place where I don’t think my music has to be the best music ever for my experiences and my right to express them to be valid,” Baker says.

“I am proud of my music because it is the art that I made. It is meaningful to me because I was able to take things that happened in my life and turn them into something creative, where I could analyze and understand them better.

I think that’s the purpose that music serves.”

Julien Baker julienbaker.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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SPIRITUAL MEDICINE

Ginger Wildheart wants to rock the masses with his music

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

G

inger Wildheart of the English rock band the Wildhearts has been open on social media about his struggles with depression and anxiety. Music, he says, has kept him from going over the deep end.

“I think music is a medicine,” Wildheart says. “It’s a spiritual medicine.

It’s the sound of someone’s emotions.”

Wildheart is hoping his band’s music serves as medicine for those who listen to it. For that, the Wildhearts are hosting an all-request livestream Saturday, April 17.

Wildheart admits it’s going to be a bit awkward because fans cannot be in the

room with them when they record the show.

“We usually really feed off the crowd,” he says. “About 50% of the show’s energy is the crowd.”

He says there are a few reasons why the band is recording the show and not performing live. First, he’s a perfectionist. Plus, fans from around the world have bought tickets to the show and may not be available at 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 17, British Summer Time, which is noon the same day in Phoenix.

“We have fans in America and Japan, so something live doesn’t work. I’d rather everyone just watch at their favorite time of the day, hopefully with a beer or something. We’re going to make

it sound really good.”

In between rehearsals for the livestream, the Wildhearts are working on music for their forthcoming album.

Wildheart feels fortunate because he never suffers from writer’s block.

“It’s easy to write songs for the Wildhearts for me, because I know what we don’t do very well and I know what we do do very well. I know what not to write.”

By the time the album is released, probably this fall, the Wildhearts are hoping to tour the United States. That was impossible previously because Wildheart couldn’t get a work visa due to criminal charges.

“That’s all over now, so it’s not going to be a problem,” he says with a smile. “We

could play Los Angeles and we do well.

We could play in New York and do well.

We’ll probably do well in Chicago and the rest of them.

“I’m not sure the promoters want to really take a chance on a band like the Wildhearts. We have a lot of fans, but they’re dotted all over the world.

Me, personally, I would love to just tour America for a few years and turn everyone into fans.”

The Wildhearts “By Request” Livestream WHEN: Noon Saturday, April 17 INFO: stabal.com/stabal_media/ the-wildhearts ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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FACING CHALLENGES HEAD-ON UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

Landon Jacobs’ journey to becoming ‘Loverboy’

By Claire Spinner

S

ocial media scares Landon Jacobs, the 30-year-old frontman of the California rock band Sir Sly. He admitted one of his recent endeavors — creating a Tik Tok account — was not something he was initially comfortable with.

“I was talking to my therapist about it, because people kept telling me to be a little more tapped-in,” he says with a shrug. “I realized that a big part of it was discomfort or fear. And that doesn’t sound like a very good reason not to do something. So, I’m trying it.”

Jacobs is no stranger to facing challenges head-on. Over the last two years, Jacobs made a major life change: He got sober. After struggling with alcohol addiction in his 20s, he became keenly aware that what he thought was initially a habit might be a larger problem.

“I probably talked about it in a way that — I don’t want to say was disingenuous — it was as honest as I knew how to be,” he says. “But I don’t think I realized I was struggling with alcohol addiction and wasn’t doing much to help get better.”

Jacobs says getting sober was emotionally straining. The singer felt he had repressed the emotions that came along with losing his mother to cancer in 2016, and they reappeared as he stopped drinking.

“There was a lot of undealt-with grief over losing my mom to cancer,” he says. “The first hundred days that I got sober I cried every day. And then I cried more. I hadn’t dealt with that stuff in years because I had been drinking every day. It was like a neat little compartmentalization, and it caused either anxiety or numbness, but it wasn’t a real process.”

Jacobs says deciding to go to therapy and joining a 12-step program were crucial steps.

“Therapy helps with some of that neuroplasticity. Our brains are reshaping all the time, and I knew that I wanted to put myself on a more positive trajectory,” he says. “I was feeling really tired of being alive, and I wanted a more positive spin on my life and a better understanding of who I am and where I am headed.”

Though these subjects can be heavy and hard to talk about, Jacobs says they are vital ones to address — not only to himself but to everyone else.

“I think just talking about it is a good way to destigmatize conversations about these sorts of things,” he says. “I still don’t know what’s up with me. I just ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

know that I felt compelled to drink a lot, and now I feel quite a bit of freedom from that. I feel genuinely happier, but I also know it’s still difficult to wake up sometimes. So, I’m sussing that out with my therapist and trying to find good tools.”

Jacobs’ outspoken nature is present in much of what he does. He has been vocal about his values throughout his time in Sir Sly. Recently, he has been a proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement, and he is not afraid to share his thoughts on Donald Trump’s presidency or the former leader’s supporters. Like his struggles with addiction, these topics are addressed on Sir Sly’s upcoming third album, “The Rise & Fall of Loverboy,” due on April 23.

“I think there’s definitely some reference on the album to my general antipathy towards the very backwater, white supremacist way of thinking,” he says. “Having grown up Christian, I kind of grew up in that, too, so it really embarrasses me to see people thinking and talking that way. It frustrates me in a different kind of way, because I know it’s possible to snap out of it and see the world differently.”

SOCIAL CAUSES Jacobs’ passion for social justice led to the album’s delay. The record was completed well before the pandemic, but as the country turned its focus on coronavirus and Black Lives Matter during the spring and summer of 2020, Jacobs thought it was more important to emphasize voices other than his own.

“It didn’t really feel like our time to shine. There were just so many things happening — from the pandemic to the rightful shift of people’s attention on Black Lives Matter and on a lot of other sociopolitical and economic issues,” he says. “It feels OK to release music now, because it’s not really flying in the face of a bunch of important stuff and distracting from what else is going on in the world.”

The band has continuously put energy into supporting social justice movements, often donating money to different causes, and, in Jacobs’ case, attending protests.

“I don’t really know how to start fixing these things, but there are a lot of people who do, and I think uplifting those voices is a really good thing,” he says.

His writing process is intricately tied to his ability to process life events and emotions. With the vast array of emotions Jacobs has felt in the last two years, the songwriting process on this album was especially important to him.

Though he says he rarely uses prewritten

lyrics before starting the music, there are tracks on the new album that contain entire portions of poems written separately.

“For a lot of people, music is a place to celebrate or write a song they want to party to or write something about falling in love,” he says.

“Those are the types of songs that people walk down the aisle to. I’ve always written music to deal with and help sort out my questions about life or about myself or the nature of my relationships, so I think I just kept doing that with this album.”

Jacobs has used music as an outlet for most of his life, beginning his journey after learning to play the piano as a child. He says he felt somewhat compelled to write music.

“I don’t think I ever chose to start writing music. I think it kind of needed to come out of me. I had a lot of sadness and anxiety that was kind of begging for an outlet,” he says. “And then I was hooked. A lot of people write journals or talk to their friends to process things. I had music, and it has always just stayed that way.”

Sir Sly’s third album is a triumph of sound. With deeply emotional lyrics and heavy, modern production, the album stands alone as one of the most unique releases in the last year. It feels like it came from the future, featuring a mixture of electronic and acoustic sounds. It’s darkness is carefully balanced by the right amount of light.

“We’ve always been as good as we can be about following wherever the inspiration leads us and not trying to manipulate it too much or force it into some kind of box,” Jacobs says.

Jacobs’ medley of influences, ranging from Young Thug to Thom Yorke, are channeled in unexpected ways throughout the album.

“I think that’s what’s kind of fun about music. You get to wear your inspirations on your sleeve and then mix that with what is going on in your own life,” he says. “It’s always going to come out differently than what anyone else could do, even if they sat down and tried to synthesize all those things.”

Jacobs says waiting throughout the pandemic to release the music felt unusual. Even beyond the lack of touring, as someone who emphasizes the performance aspect of music in general, he says it was difficult to know the album was going to go unheard for several months.

“It’s a really great adrenaline rush to play shows, so I’ve missed having that, but I think music is naturally performative,” he says. “When you make music, it is meant to be received at some point in time, so I think just sitting on the music for as long as we have feels unnatural in that sense.”

Jacobs is excited to see the music in the hands of others, where they can have their own conversations with the material. He hopes listeners find some comfort in what they hear. Though the album has its dark edges, it is ultimately a window to the hopeful place Jacobs has found himself in after two years of sobriety.

“For all the heaviness and darkness on the album, I think there’s also a lot more hope and genuine positivity. I don’t think I could have ever written a lyric like ‘everything’s going to be OK,’ and actually believed it before. And now, through a lot of the work I’ve done, it feels possible,” he says. “It’s always possible to change and do better.”

Sir Sly sir-sly.com

GOOD OL’ DAYS THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

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Allman Betts Band among acts on Marquee’s schedule

By Alan Sculley

D

evon Allman can look back on his music career and see he has always tended to have a band that goes for a few years, and then he’s been ready to shake things up and start something different.

During the early 2000s, he fronted Devon Allman’s Honeytribe. Then, in 2011, he joined the Royal Southern Brotherhood, releasing a pair of albums in 2012 and 2014, before forming the Devon Allman Project. But he believes he won’t feel the need to move on from his latest group, the Allman Betts Band, any time in the foreseeable future.

“I’ve always kind of changed up the kind of approach and the vehicles that I’ve made music inside of,” he says.

“It kind of felt like I’ve been couch surfing my whole career and now I’ve bought a house. And I like this house.”

Part of what has him seeing a long future for the Allman Betts Band is how easily the band formed and how quickly

the band has made progress musically and in popularity.

The Betts in the band is guitarist/ singer Duane Betts, the son of Allman Brothers founding member and guitarist/singer Dickey Betts. Devon, as one might have guessed, is the son of another founding member of that legendary group, keyboardist/singer Gregg Allman. The two had kicked around the notion of trying to write together for years, but collaborating wasn’t possible until more recently because both were busy with other projects.

But by 2018 both Devon and Duane were free and clear, so a tour was put together where Duane opened for the Devon Allman Project and then sat in with that group each evening to play a few Allman Brothers Band songs and other cover tunes. Along the way, the pair tested the waters of writing together.

Duane, in a separate phone interview, remembered the first indication that he and Devon might have good chemistry as songwriters.

“Devon and I, the first song we worked on was ‘Long Gone.’ That was in the back of the bus,” Duane says. “I know we were headed down to Texas. We were on a long drive and we just kind of started kicking around this idea, and an idea for a verse started and then he kind of switched it up a little bit and it really worked out and we took it from there.”

The group released its self-titled debut in 2019 and showed considerable promise with a strong set of original songs that drew from a variety of influences that included the Allman Brothers Band (of course) and, just as prominently, the Rolling Stones, the Band and Santana.

After touring the debut album for about a year, the Allman Betts Band (which includes bassist Berry Oakley Jr., the son of original Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley and a longtime friend of both Devon and Duane, slide guitar player Johnny Stachela — who played in Duane’s solo band — keyboardist John Ginty and drummers John Lum and R. Scott Bryan) went

to work on the 2020 follow-up album “Bless Your Heart.”

The growth of the group is very apparent on this excellent second effort, with stronger, more diverse and more ambitious songs. Naturally enough, there are moments that recall the Allman Brothers Band (especially the extended instrumental, “Savannah’s Dream”). But songs like “King Crawler,” a crackling Stones-ish rocker with sassy saxophone and stinging slide guitar; “The Doctor’s Daughter,” a My Morning Jacket-ish epic ballad; and “Pale Horse Rider,” an expansive mid-tempo track with the unique twist of a wordless chorus, don’t sound like the Allman Brothers Band and instead point to an emerging more original sound from the band.

Fans will hear a half-dozen or so of the new songs, several more from the first album, a couple of Allman Brothers Band songs and a couple of other covers (the group has been playing Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years” recently) when the Allman Betts Band plays April 9 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. It’s one of a number of limited attendance, socially distanced concerts the group will play this spring. The group began playing drive-in shows and indoor socially distanced shows last year to comply with COVID-19 safety regulations, and Duane says the band has adjusted well to a live experience that’s considerably different than playing to a packed venue during normal times.

“When you’re playing a drive-in movie theater and the cars are spaced out, I guess there’s two things,” Duane says.

“There’s the thing that’s the connection with the crowd and the flow of the energy, which frankly can be a little weird when you’re playing for a bunch of cars and they’re all spread out.

But that’s part of the (deal). Obviously, we want to play shows that are safe and are responsible and stuff. So, we feel good about that, about playing shows like that. Most of the stuff we’ve done has been really well done. We’ve played some bigger venues at much less capacity.

It’s been a lot of fun.”

The Allman Betts Band w/Carvin Jones WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, April 9 WHERE: Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe COST: $49 INFO: luckymanonline.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

‘DWELLERS’ David Ellefson’s film will

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | MUSIC

have fans sweating bullets

By Ethan Greni

H

orror movies and metal music have always gone hand in hand. Since heavy metal pioneers like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest began scaring the masses in the 1970s with their dark lyrics and imagery, the link between the two entities has been undeniable.

Megadeth bassist and Valley resident David Ellefson is keeping that tradition alive, serving as a producer for “Dwellers,” the first feature film under his new company, Ellefson Films.

However, he admits Drew Fortier, the film’s director and lead actor, did “most of the heavy lifting.”

“Well, I’ll tell you, it was pretty easy,” Ellefson says. “Drew did pretty much all of it, as far as the actual production of the film, and then my part began once we premiered it. That’s when I started putting the distribution in place, so now most of that falls on me and my team to get the film to market.”

“Dwellers,” which has already notched five awards and over 20 official selections from multiple film festivals, is a found footage-style horror movie that follows three documentary filmmakers investigating a series of disappearances among the homeless population. Many of the main characters use the actors’ real names in the film, something Ellefson says adds to its charm.

“There’s a simplicity about it, and of course Drew as the lead character has this really honest, self-deprecating humor that he incorporates so well into the movie,” Ellefson says. “The whole story has this sort of Shaggy and ScoobyDoo kind of mannerism, like, you can’t possibly take this guy seriously, right?”

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Ellefson says “Dwellers” is a passion project, but the response it’s received at festivals has exceeded his expectations.

“It’s such a thrill, because you create something just for the fun of it, and then suddenly it goes to this next level of getting this exposure and this visibility,” Ellefson says.

“And then, when the feedback is coming back so strong for it, it has really just put huge wind in our sails now as we’re moving toward the release date (in October).”

Aside from his legendary music career with Megadeth, Ellefson has several other business projects he’s involved in, including his own record label (EMP Label Group), coffee brand (Ellefson Coffee Co.) and book company (The Ellefson Book Co.). He says the decision to launch Ellefson Films was partly due to the low cost of production for a movie like “Dwellers.”

“As I’ve learned, the beauty of found footage is that there really is no budget, there is no expense, other than maybe driving through McDonald’s as catering,” Ellefson says. “You’re not having to rent Panavision cameras and a crew. You don’t have to do all that stuff.

It’s as simple as picking up a camera and going out and shooting some footage.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation or postponement of tours, musicians weren’t unsure what to do. Instead of waiting around for word on Megadeth’s co-headlining tour with Lamb of God, Ellefson says he put his newfound downtime to use, pivoting toward side projects.

“It’s been nice, with the year off from Megadeth touring, that I got to do these other things, the film, putting out a new book (‘Rock Star Hitman’), putting out a solo record (‘No Cover’),” Ellefson says.

“I’ve certainly not been at a loss of things to do, and creativity, quite honestly, is firing on all cylinders. I’m feeling pretty good about where things are at in my life right now. It’s been the most creative pandemic I’ve ever been a part of.”

Regardless of which medium it is, Ellefson says releasing something new into the world is always special.

“I love when things leave the basement and come out and see the light of the day and that people are able to celebrate them — be it a record, a film, a coffee, whatever it is,” Ellefson says.

“But I think for this one, especially being our first film, obviously it’s super important that it come to market, and I think just the fact that it’s getting these accolades and attention so far ahead of the release date, in my opinion, half of the battle is already won.”

This movie may have been a fun project, but it wasn’t a one-off. He says there’s more to come from Ellefson Films.

“Drew and I actually have a new film concept pretty much done, and we’re thinking about maybe filming that here in April or May,” Ellefson says.

“Drew has another idea, actually a whole storyboard, done for another film. Quite honestly, just between our little wheelhouse, Ellefson Films has got enough in the pipeline to keep us busy

for a while. At the same time, as I go to these horror conventions and people learn that we have a film company, they are starting to approach us about putting some things out for them, which is great.”

Jeffrey Hatrix, longtime vocalist for the band Mushroomhead, makes a cameo appearance in “Dwellers,” and according to Ellefson, he won’t be the last metal figure to appear in an Ellefson Films production.

“I think that’s what makes it fun,” Ellefson says. “It’s kind of like when you make a record, especially if it’s something new, it’s fun to bring some other names in and bring some other talent. I like that we reach into the music world and bring in some other known people to the film scene here as well.”

There’s a good chance we’ll see more horror works from Ellefson Films in the future, but he says nothing is off the table.

“You know, I’m open to anything, to be honest with you,” Ellefson says.

“A lot of it, I think for me, is don’t overcomplicate things, keep it simple, go with what works. Let’s be who we are, and let’s bloom from where we’re planted.”

“Dwellers” Releases on Blu-ray, DVD and digitally on October 12

DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD Ellefson-Soto releases collaborative cover of Riot song THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021

By Ethan Greni

M

egadeth bassist David Ellefson and Sons of Apollo vocalist Jeff Scott Soto released a collaborative cover of Riot’s 1981 track, “Swords & Tequila,” under the name Ellefson-Soto, on March 23.

Coming off a solo covers album, “No Cover,” and with a new Megadeth record reportedly in the works, Ellefson has been as busy, despite not being able to tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Jeff and I have been friends for so many years that it’s great to finally collaborate on some material together,” Ellefson says.

“He has such a distinctive voice and perfect style for some new ideas my guitarist Andy Martongelli and I have been composing. We are excited about the progress of it all and thought this would be a perfect time to give a little sneak preview.”

Ellefson says he admires the late former Riot vocalist Guy Speranza, who played a part in the decision to cover the song.

“The first time I ever heard of Riot was on the Castle Donington ‘Monsters of Rock’ album from 1980. For me, they were the USA representatives during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal,”

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Ellefson says. “‘Swords & Tequila,’ along with the entire ‘Fire Down Under’ album, for that matter, show the band delivering its rowdy and high-energy rock ’n’ roll like no other band in the USA was doing at that time. So, it is an honor to offer them much-deserved reverence, as well as a reminiscent tribute to the mighty Guy Speranza, who fronted the band like a god during that period.”

The pair teamed with Sword vocalist Rick Hughes on the track and recorded its lead vocals.

“What can I say? This was a classic metal track from Riot that we all knew growing up. When David brought up that we should cover it, I was thrilled,” Soto says.

“But when we added Rick Hughes from the band Sword onto it, it truly came to life. Forty years after its release, we hope you dig this new version we built for you.”

The song was distributed on Ellefson’s Combat Records label, part of EMP Label Group.

Riot, formed in New York City in 1975, originally released “Swords & Tequila” on its 1981 album, “Fire Down Under.”

Ellefson-Soto is expected to release more new material in the future.

“Swords & Tequila” can be found on all music streaming services.

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IN CLOSING

FUN » FACTS » LEARN » SHARE » PLAY

NUMBERS

By Annika Tomlin

Oreos should be dunked for 4 seconds.

54 out of the 100 deaths in all of William Shakespeare’s plays were from stabbings.

Adult tastebuds have an average lifespan of 10 days.

2009, Ontario, Canada, passed the “Apology Act” that says In 2009, “sorry” can’t legally be considered an admission of guilt.

People inhale most oxygen through one nostril at a time.

Oscar Hammerstein II is the only Oscar to win an Oscar (1941).

A mosquito has 47 teeth to cut through the skin or layers of protective clothes.

Polar bears can run up to 25 mph.

Around 8% of a person’s body weight is just from blood.

There is a 1 in 1,461 chance a person is born on Leap Day. People’s sense of taste and smell are cut down by 50% and 20%,, respectively, during flights.