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TAKING ‘BABY STEPS’ Wade Cota is comfortable in his own skin

“American Idol” alum Wade Cota doesn’t shy away from his troubled childhood in the Valley.

His new album, “Big Feet, Baby Steps,” which debuted Top 20 on iTunes Top 100 Pop Albums Chart, isn’t any different. It tells a story of hope and escape.

“The album is a passion project,” Cota says. “I wanted my first album to tell a story. If you listen front to back, it’s a book. Every song connects to the next.

“I had a very, very rough childhood. I was never on the lucky side of anything. I was always striving for love, for acceptance, and that’s what the album is really about—the ups and downs of finding love when your life is not too great.”

The first single, “Driver’s Side,” trucks along on a crunchy distorted groove, wild guitar leads and his unmistakable bellow. Lyrically, he paints a vivid picture of escape. Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

Cota is hesitant to describe his music past that. He calls his music a blend of John Legend and the Foo Fighters. There’s really no way of describing it accurately, though.

“People see art different ways,” he says. “Putting myself into a regular genre— rock or pop or whatever—is difficult. It’s soulful music, There are some screams in there. There’s anger, a driving beat and rock ’n’ roll.

“I don’t think you can put us into a genre, which makes it a little tough to sell to the labels. I don’t care about that. I care about getting my vision and mission across. I’m an artist when it comes down to it and you can’t put a guideline on it. Art is art.”

He does, however, chalk up his raspy voice to his years in a metal band.

“People say, ‘If you could take it all band, would you not do metal?’ Absolutely not. I’m here because of the things I’ve done and experienced. I’m perfectly happy with how my voice sounds. Regardless of how I got there, it’s supposed to be like that.”

Produced with JJ Corry Rossi, “Big Feet, Baby Steps” features seven original songs. From the vulnerable confessions of “Remedy” to the lull of clean guitars bleeding through a thick beat on “Stay,” Cota delivers a poignant message.

“A therapist will say if you’re going through something bad, get it out on paper, then put it away,” Cota says. “Don’t ever send it or show it to anyone. I’ll help your mind. That’s how I approach my music. I write it down, but instead of writing intimate journals for myself to keep, I write them to the nation or to the world.”

Cota admits his management team, headed up by Brad Patrick, wanted him to wait until the coronavirus crisis subsided a bit before he released his album. Cota was anxious to share it with the public.

“My fight with him was that people are sitting at home, not doing anything anyway,” he says. “There’s no better time to release a digital album. People need to be entertained right now. I could have pushed it back and had a big, huge release. I could still do that when we get the physical copies.”

Cota has never been one to stop. The minute he was eliminated from “American Idol,” he and his family members were in touch with media to spread the word that he’s a viable artist.

“You have to—if you don’t keep yourself relevant, you disappear,” he says. “With the TV show, the second that next season starts, people forget about you. I found a manager in Brad Patrick, who really, really cares about me.”

That’s all he’s ever wanted.

“My music talks about all the struggles, the pain and the triumphs. I want to give hope and give someone a kind of release,” Cota says. “I want to reach people. I don’t want to be the same generic artist. All country artists sing about boats or trucks. I don’t want to be like that. I want people to say, ‘Holy crap. I’ve never seen that before.’”

Phoenix Film Foundation raises funds with virtual events

With the cancellation of major events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local organizations have sought to find different ways to entertain the public.

After postponing its annual spring film festival, the Phoenix Film Foundation expanded its offerings through at-home movies. These independent films are available for rental for $9.99 to $12.

A portion of proceeds from ticket sales goes toward the foundation. The nonprofit plans to reschedule the festival for later this year, and money raised will help with costs such as printing new posters and programs.

“These are films that we have worked with distributors on to secure and screen, and we are really excited to have opportunities for folks to see some films,” says Jason Carney, Phoenix Film Festival executive director.

Through IFP Phoenix, a program dedicated to fostering the growth of independent filmmakers, the foundation has been offering virtual Q&A sessions with filmmakers and screenings of older movies from its film challenges.

The organization also participated in a virtual movie screening and Q&A offered through the Film Festival Alliance. This is the first time the organization has made films available for home viewing.

“Some of these distributors hadn’t really done it this way either, so it’s new for all of us,” Carney says.

The home movie series offers a range of films from different countries and genres.

“We tried to look at it from the perspective of building the festival, where we wanted to choose really good Laura Latzko >> The Entertainer!

films, but we also wanted a variety. Nobody wants to see the same film or the same idea,” Carney says.

In preparation for this program, Carney previewed the films. Usually for the film festival, a committee of 75 people and 12 program directors chooses content. Carney says the at-home series allows movie fans, such as himself, the chance to watch new films.

“It’s nice to be able to discover films. I’ve been doing it myself,” Carney says.

FILMS AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING

• “Corpus Christi,” a Polish film by

Jan Komasa, follows a man who after spending 20 years in prison finds his calling and seeks to enter the clergy. This is more difficult than he expects because of his criminal background. When he arrives in a new town and is mistaken for the priest, he takes on the role despite his lack of training, both inspiring and causing suspicion in members of the congregation. • “L’Innocente,” an Italian film by Luchino Visconti, is an adaptation of a novel by Gabriele d’Annunzio. It tells the story of a 19th century aristocrat who favors his mistress over his wife until his betrothed has an affair of her own. This causes his interest in her to reawaken. • “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band,” a movie by Daniel Roher, gives a glimpse into the life, music and brotherhood of Robbie Robertson and other members of The Band, a Canadian group that backed Bob Dylan. • “The Booksellers,” a documentary by

D.W.

Young, looks at the lives, work and personalities of antiquarian booksellers and their role in the preservation of not just rare books but history as well. • “The Times of Bill Cunningham,” a documentary by Mark Bozek, gives a behind-the-scenes look into the life and work of Bill Cunningham, a photographer for The New York Times. • “The Whistlers,” a film by Corneliu Porumboiu in Romanian, English and Spanish, tells the story of a corrupt police officer who is trying to pull off a heist with a stunning female partner. • “Pahokee,” in an isolated rural Florida town, four teens experience the joys and heartbreaks of their last year in high school. • “Zombi Child,” a French, Haitian and English movie by filmmaker Bertrand Bonello, tells the story of a Haitian man who is brought back to life to work in the sugarcane fields. More than 50 years later, a teenager in Paris must face a family secret tied into this resurrection.

Summer movie season arrives in your own living room

If you were to look at the theatrical release calendar for May a mere two months ago, you would have found a feast of films that were primed to kickstart the summer movie season with a great big bang.

Marvel superhero Black Widow was ready to break free from The Avengers in her own high-flying adventure. Dominic Toretto and the rest of the “Fast and Furious” family were about to debut an explosive ninth chapter in the action saga.

Serial killer Jigsaw was going to make his triumphant return—thanks to a little help from Chris Rock—in “Spiral: From the Book of Saw.” Even cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Scooby-Doo were set to re-enter the cultural zeitgeist in animated adventures “Sponge on the Run” and “Scoob!,” respectively.

However, with movie theaters shuttered as a health precaution, all of those films’ releases were inevitably postponed. At press time, it remained unclear as to when movies would again be projected onto big screens across the country.

As it stands, there are no new major movie releases on the calendar until July, at which time Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Mulan” and Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated time-bending thriller “Tenet” may be able to salvage the second half of summer.

In the meantime, we are extremely fortunate that we live in an age of computers, cell phones and digital streaming. It is difficult to imagine what “social distancing” would have felt like even just two decades ago without the ability to work from home, remain connected to our loved ones and have a seemingly endless supply of entertainment.

Netflix introduced its streaming service in 2007, forever changing the way we can access movies and television series. Sure, you can comb through the service’s archive of older titles, but Netflix is also constantly churning Joseph J. Airdo >> The Entertainer!

out original products—most of which have the same caliber of on-screen and off-screen talent as their theatrical counterparts.

A look at some of the service’s latest notable releases reveals there really is something for everyone on Netflix. Whether you are looking to laugh, be blown away, feel the love, keep the kiddies occupied or simply turn your brain off for a few hours, the summer movie season is still here. It is just now happening in your own living room. ‘SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL’

Based on Ace Atkins’ novel “Wonderland,” with characters by Robert B. Parker (“Spenser: For Hire”), this action-comedy stars Mark Wahlberg as an ex-cop who—having just been released from prison for assaulting his captain — becomes embroiled in the deaths of two of his former colleagues. The movie was directed by Peter Berg, who previously worked with Wahlberg on

“Lone Survivor,” “Deepwater Horizon,” “Patriots Day” and “Mile 22.” The pair clearly knows how to put on a good show that is jam-packed with mystery, action and a lot of laughs, thanks especially due to the fact that Wahlberg is essentially playing a heightened version of his Boston-accented self. ‘COFFEE AND KAREEM’

Terrence Little Gardenhigh plays a 12-year-old who seeks out criminal fugitives to take out his mother’s new

“Extraction”

police officer boyfriend (played by Ed Helms) in this action-comedy. However, when his interaction with the fugitives accidentally exposes a secret network of criminal activity, all three of them find their lives in jeopardy. Although the setup sounds like that of a family flick, the film’s foul language and over

“Love Wedding Repeat”

the-top violence make this a strictly adult affair—but one that will have you laughing and on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. ‘LOVE WEDDING REPEAT’

In this romantic comedy, Eleanor Tomlinson plays a bride who enlists the help of her brother (played by Sam Claflin) to ensure her wedding day goes smoothly when her ex-boyfriend shows up. A simple switch in the carefully preplanned seating arrangement results in the wrong guest consuming a sleep sedative, and chaos ensues. It is a fairly funny flick that benefits from a crazy cast of characters while marrying elements of “Sliding Doors” with “Four Weddings and a Funeral” as it shows alternate versions of the amusingly messy chain of events. ‘THE WILLOUGHBYS’

Based on the book of the same title by Lois Lowry, this animated flick tells the story of four children who— convinced they would be better off raising themselves—hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation so they can embark on their own highflying adventure. Voice talents include Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski and Ricky Gervais. With a wickedly dark sense of humor similar to that of “Coraline,” it is as bizarre as it is heartwarming, thereby enchanting children and adults alike. ‘EXTRACTION’

Chris Hemsworth plays a fearless black-market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord in this action flick. Produced by Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Hemsworth as Thor in “The Avengers: Infinity War” and “The Avengers: Endgame,” this thrill ride of a feature film packs all of the big-budget excitement you expect from a summer blockbuster.

BINGE-WORTHY BONUS: ‘TOO HOT TO HANDLE’

Of course, in addition to featurelength films, Netflix is also home to countless binge-worthy series that would leave one to believe that someone snuck into their house and covered their couch with glue. One of the latest such series is “Too Hot to Handle,” an eight-episode reality show in which several goodlooking singles arrive on the shores of paradise to meet and mingle, only to later be told that, to win a $100,000 grand prize, they will need to give up any and all sexual activity. Because we do not yet know if CBS’s guilty pleasure “Love Island” will return this summer, this addictively ludicrous series is an adequate substitute that fills our inherent need for mindless entertainment.

New film tells bands to ‘get it all in writing’

The hazy, bright chaos of Phoenix music culture has crashed its way on screen. “Teenage Badass,” originally set to premier at South by Southwest, spins a warning fable of how blindingly enticing fame can be.

Shot in Phoenix, the film takes every opportunity to weave the gritty snark of the desert rock scene into its story. The main message, according to its director: Get it all in writing.

Director Grant McCord, along with fellow screenwriter Matthew D. Dho, a number of the film’s producers and a handful of the film’s cast and crew, is a Phoenix native. He sought to make a movie that captured his and friends’ experiences in the music business around the time the film is set—in 2006. “I think we made this for people who have ever been in a band or are in a band or want to be in a band,” he says. “I think there’s a lot of hard truth that the rest of us learned the hard way about the way that the hierarchy exists, and among who owns the songs and who gets what and who gets kicked out or who gets asked to stay, and all these things are just things we don’t talk about or think about.”

Because local developer and bassist Chuckie Duff co-produced the movie, the team had access to a number of Duff’s Phoenix properties, like The Rebel Lounge, for filming.

“It was interesting to watch us kind of (descend) on these small locations that Melissa Robbins >> The Entertainer!

expected maybe one or two, you know, five people to show up with a camera,” he says. “It’s not normal in Phoenix to have a movie be any bigger than a student film.”

McCord says filming was a homecoming for a number of those involved, as many had not only left Arizona but had formed meaningful relationships among each other long before then. This had a hand in the choice of cast.

“It was really important that all the actors actually played each instrument and that there was a rapport among them as friends,” he says.

In fact, McCord says every song in the film was recorded and written by cast and crew, including himself. One in particular, actor Evan Ultra, wrote 12 of the featured songs. Ultra plays Kirk Stylo, the fiery lead singer of the movie’s central characters, Stylo and the Murder Dogs.

Even Tempe alt-rockers The Maine got involved, allowing the cast to open their annual 8123 Fest at The Van Buren to capture the final performance of the film.

“I would say that experience of standing there, when the place was filling up and we’ve got multiple cameras going and the guys are just playing the same song over and over and the kids

are really getting into it, was like, ‘Holy ----,’” he says. “I was like, ‘How is this all even like happening?’”

Also appearing in the film is the local band Fairy Bones, who are friends with Bob Hoag, who worked on the film’s soundtrack. The band’s singer, Chelsey Louise, says working on a professional set was new to her. Particularly memorable were the moments she filmed with actor Kevin Corrigan, as they peeled back some of the “movie magic” of Hollywood for her. In the scene, she and her band are in a studio, recording with Corrigan’s character, who gets angry with the players.

“Everyone had headphones, and my headphones weren’t plugged in because they didn’t have enough plugs or whatever,” she says. “Everyone could hear him and what he was saying, and I have no freaking idea what he’s saying. So, they’re reacting to it and I have to look behind me at my band.”

For McCord, filming the opening scene stuck out the most. Based on an experience from his childhood, it shows the main character—and vicariously him—discovering the drums through a friend’s older sibling.

“So (the main character) goes around in the backyard and he sees this older, punk-looking, long-haired drummer kid and he watches him play drums in this shed,” he says. “And that was the exact same way that I saw and was inspired to play drums when I was 11. … I went home and I was like, ‘I have to do this.’”

“Teenage Badass” was set to debut at South by Southwest as one of 10 pictures competing in the film festival’s “Narrative Feature Competition.” However, as COVID-19 restrictions tightened, the festival eventually moved online. SXSW films were instead accessible for all Amazon Prime members, free, for 10 days.

McCord decided against that.

“As awesome as it would be to have our movie play on Amazon Prime for everybody to see it—because that’s eventually the goal—it kills our first look,” he says.

Instead, McCord said the team hopes to unveil it at the Phoenix Film Festival, whenever that’s rescheduled.

While losing the exclusivity of a SXSW film premiere was a hard hit, McCord says if blows like that were enough to stop him, he would’ve quit the industry long ago. His outlook in these uncertain times?

“Add it to the list,” he says. “You’ve got to keep making stuff and you’ve got to keep getting better and you’ve got to keep telling your stories or they’re not going to happen.”

QUARANTINE CRAZY The Maine’s John O’Callaghan shares his wish list with us

Like everyone, The Maine’s John O’Callaghan is stir crazy.

He’s easing everyone’s pain with the relentlessly hookladen single “Rolled Down Window,” the most upbeat release from his side project John the Ghost.

“This song is an open letter to my past,” says O’Callaghan, who fronts the Tempe band. “It’s probably not the sound you expected, but since you last heard from me so many unexpected things happened in my life. I gave my Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

heart away for good, and for the first time in a long time started to feel better. I hope it makes you feel any type of way. Enjoy.”

Still recognizable by O’Callaghan’s signature vocals, “Rolled Down Window” is the first musical release from the project since 2016’s “Sincerely, John the Ghost” EP. The new standalone single is a contrasting divergent from 2016’s “Sour Grapes.”

In telling us about the new single, O’Callaghan shared with The Entertainer! Magazine the first three places he’s going to hit the minute he can bail from quarantine.

IN-N-OUT BURGER (DINE IN)

I’m not much of a burger guy, but for whatever reason In-N-Out does it for me. Three extra packs of their signature spread and the full dine-in experience when the restrictions are lifted! MOVIE THEATER

As if I haven’t been binge watching enough television shows and movies as it is, I can’t wait to go to theater. “Tiger King” can really only take you part way when it comes to the cinematic experience. PARTY

My fianceé and I moved into a new house prior to all the chaos, and we haven’t been able to really show any of our friends or family the new digs. A proper house-destroying party is in order when the world starts making sense again

Garden owners create a new business model in light of coronavirus

March, April and May are normally the largest-selling months of the year for Dig It Gardens owners Jessica and Ryan Jerrell.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, spring was anything but fruitful.

“No one would have expected what we’re currently going through in the climate for the coronavirus,” Jessica says. “You can never be certain, especially Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

when you own your own business.”

The couple took matters into their own hands and is continuing to offer customers the ability to grow their own food. Patrons can book a half-hour time slot to explore the family-owned urban garden uninterrupted and purchase items to start or continue growing a garden. Online registration is required as well as a $25 minimum purchase.

“We’ve had to be like every other small business and think of how we can sustain ourselves to the best of our ability during this time,” Jerrell says. “Our general manager, Alex Washburn, has

had a critical role in ramping up the new business model with my husband.

“We have everything sanitized for the produce garden carts, and customers have a different device to use when they check out. We’re wearing masks and gloves ourselves.”

After every customer leaves, the staff sanitizes the garden and makes sure it is ready to go for when the next appointment shows up.

Customers are also able to order online, call in or email to have an order scheduled for curbside pickup.

“We’re seeing a shift in the marketplace because people are spending more time at home and looking at where their food source comes from,” Jerrell says. “We’ve seen an affinity for how you can grow at home.”

The top sellers at Dig It are vegetables and herbs along with mulch and fertilizer. Jerrell loves to grow thyme and basil in her home garden because she cooks with them daily.

Dig It offers veggies and herbs, ranging from eggplants and peppers to three kinds of mint and varieties of lavender. Veggies start at $4 and herbs are $5.

Newbies can buy a vegetable gardener starter kit that includes potting soil, fertilizer, four herbs and four veggies chosen by the staff for $54.95.

“There is no such thing (as having a green thumb),” Jerrell says. “You can

learn any skill.”

Jerrell hopes the outpouring of support for the neighboring communities continues. When the pandemic subsides, she hopes the garden can once again host events and workshops and be a source of relief.

“People came together, loved their plants and saw Dig It as kind of an oasis within the city that you can just get away,” Jerrell says. “We hope to provide that positive mental attitude when you walk in.”