The Entertainer! Magazine - December 2020

PHX METRO » DECEMBER 2020

HISTORY REIMAGINED

Sistine Chapel exhibit brings frescoes to Phoenix

ON OUR

TOES English Rose serves Nutcracker Tea responsibly

SPAFFORD

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

CONTENTS

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6

ON THE COVER

15 18

REVIVING TRADITION

Spafford readies three New Year’s Eve sets

RECALLING HISTORY

Castle Hot Springs documentary wins Regional Emmy

ON OUR

TOES English Rose serves Nutcracker Tea responsibly

on the cover: Sofia Zapoticzny of The Nutcracker Tea Party at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree, photographed without a mask. Cover photo by: Chadwick Fowler

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

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

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BANISHING THE HUMBUGS

Herberger to host Childplay’s one-woman ‘Christmas Carol’ outdoors

CONTENTS UPFRONT

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Nutcracker Tea Party • Sistine Chapel • Renaissance Records • Holiday Records • The Revelry

CITY

31

13

18

23

Mesa’s Asian District • The Craftsman • Take & Bake Churro Kits

BEER AND WINE

26

Wild Hare • Beer Pairing • Mad Mixologist

CASINOS

29

Talking Stick Resort Casino

SPORTS

RAILWAY RECESS

Verde Canyon Railroad makes Christmas magical

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30

Russ Ortiz’s 2GG Apparel

FAMILY

31

Verde Canyon Railroad

MUSIC

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Lindsey Stirling • Dee Snider and Lzzy Hale • Upsahl • Sydney Sprague • Lydia • Authority Zero

IN CLOSING Numbers

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production manager Courtney Oldham

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contributing writers

Pablo Robles

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Phoenix Art Museum’s Short Film Series • Partners That Heal • “A Christmas Carol”

DINING

Assistant Editor

Staff Photographer

Castle Hot Springs Documentary

ARTS

christina@timespublications.com

Alison Bailin Batz, Adianna Bermudez, Kristine Cannon, Andrew Checchia, Morgan Cole, Tracy Heck, Laura Latzko, Sarah Nguyen, Taylor O’Connor, Bridgette Redman, Jacqueline Robledo, Victoria Stibrik

Fiddler’s Dream • Octane Raceway • Spafford • Trans-Siberian Orchestra • Dbait

TRAVEL

ExecutiveEditor

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

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DINNER AND A SHOW

Authority Zero mixes up songs for its Marquee show

Contributing Photographers Bob Carey, Giovanni Damon, Ford Fairchild, Chadwick Fowler, Knoodle, Charlotte Rutherford, Ryan Trainor, Tim Trumble ONE COPY PER READER

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UPFRONT

PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE

KEEPING ‘THE NUTCRACKER’ ALIVE The English Rose Tea Room serves visions of Sugar Plum Fairies

By Jacqueline Robledo

F

or many people, seeing “The Nutcracker” ballet in a theater is a holiday tradition. The COVID-19 pandemic is making that a little difficult

this year.

But Jo Gemmill is doing something about it. Her English Rose Tea Room in Carefree is once again hosting a Nutcracker Tea Party December 5, December 6, December 12 and December 13. The dates are sold out, but more will be added. Masks will be required.

“I think for a lot of people, ‘The Nutcracker’ is a Christmas tradition that they have done for years and years,” Gemmill says. “There’s definitely an opportunity for people to still see

something of ‘The Nutcracker’ even if they can’t go to the theater and see the whole production. They can come here.”

The story is about a young girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King.

For the last eight years, the tea room dedicates one afternoon in December to host a Nutcracker Tea Party where the English Rose Tea Room’s resident ballerinas come to participate in a small-scale vignette of the traditional “Nutcracker” ballet.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity— especially for the little children—to get up close and personal with a ballerina, rather than watching them from far away in a theater seat,” Gemmill says.

Gemmill wanted to extend the

opportunity to more people this year due to theater closures. Samantha Gobeille of Arizona Dance Artistry is this year’s dance coordinator.

“Jo is really bringing ‘The Nutcracker’ experience to them in this setting because there won’t be many opportunities to watch the traditional ballet,” Gobeille says.

The experience begins with the ballerinas reading “The Nutcracker” story to the children. After, they will perform a small-scale version of the ballet in the tea room. And, of course, the afternoon will be filled with tea and pastries.

“It’s really just adding the value of the events for the tea room participants,” Gobeille says. “The little girls who are there get to take pictures with the Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara and the other

fairies. They will perform and show them their pointe shoes and just give them a general love and interests for dance.”

Not only are the customers of the English Rose Tea Room getting their “Nutcracker” fix, so are the ballerinas.

Otherwise, the ballerinas wouldn’t have an opportunity to perform with theaters being closed.

“Most ballet studios or ballet companies are not doing a ‘Nutcracker’ this year. So, this is the only opportunity for some young children to get a ‘Nutcracker’ experience.”

English Rose Tea Room 201 Easy Street, Suite 103, Carefree 480.488.4812, carefreetea.com

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

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POINTING TOWARD HISTORY

Sistine Chapel exhibit gives an unprecedented look at frescoes

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has limited the ability to travel, so Special Entertainment Events Inc. brought a piece of the Vatican to The Croft in Downtown Phoenix.

“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” began its three-month run on November 20 at the 17,000-squarefoot venue, which accommodates physical distancing. Guests will be required to wear a mask at all times after purchasing timed tickets.

The immersive art exhibit features 10,000 square feet of the artist’s frescoes that adorn the ceiling of the Sistine

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Chapel. The 34 panels of frescoes were produced in their near-original size. Among these reproductions are masterpieces like “The Creation of Adam” and “The Last Judgment.”

“We are thrilled to bring this exhibit to Downtown Phoenix and the state of Arizona for the first time,” says Martin Biallas, CEO of Los Angeles-based SEE Global Entertainment, producer of the Sistine Chapel exhibit.

“People all over the world have been amazed to see Michelangelo’s work up close in such detail, and we’re glad the people of this state and region will have that opportunity as well.”

Biallas is the original creator of the award-winning “Titanic” and “Star Trek” exhibitions, which visited

Scottsdale and Phoenix, respectively.

“We are overjoyed at the opportunity to host this unique experience for the region,” says Angela Karp, co-owner of The Croft Downtown.

“Health and safety remain the highest priority, so our exhibition will be equally as safe as it is spectacular.”

Guests may enhance the experience with a downloadable premium optional audio guide, with accompanying narrative available in English and Spanish.

Adding to the experience, the exhibit features a small theater showing educational videos about Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.

FINDING SUCCESS Biallas has hosted this exhibit for five years; it opened in Montreal in 2015. He says he wanted to bring it to Phoenix but couldn’t find an appropriate venue.

“I’ve done a lot of projects here in Phoenix, like ‘Titanic’ and ‘Star Trek’ over at the science museum,” he says.

“This is not something for the science museum, obviously. We have four units that are touring.”

Biallas is hoping the public isn’t afraid to visit because of COVID-19.

“This is the type of exhibit where you can actually stay distanced,” he says.

“We limit the number of people inside per hour.

“This is almost like a sanctuary.

You come in here and you just leave everything behind. We have this

beautiful music. We have these gorgeous frescoes that Michelangelo worked on for five years.”

At the Sistine Chapel, photos are not permitted. The Croft and the exhibit are allowing cameras. A big hit among visitors is pointing a finger at “The Creation of Adam” or the photo op with angel wings.

“It’s obviously a wonderful experience, the original,” he says. “I came up with the idea after a visit and thought, ‘If we can get the licensing and recreate these in the original size for people to see up close and have a wonderful audio guide, that would be amazing.’”

The 90-minute audio guide is available through an app. The exhibit is perfect for anyone who’s stressed over COVID-19, those who aren’t religious, art patrons and history fans, he says.

“This is almost like you’re walking at 15 feet underneath the ceiling,” he says. “You’re that close. It’s from a perspective that even a pope has never seen. Obviously, you can’t get up to the scaffolding.”

“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Tuesdays, through February 14; closed Christmas The Croft, 22 E. Buchanan Street, Phoenix Tickets start at $12 chapelsistine.com

A REBIRTH

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

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Renaissance Records is enjoying vinyl’s comeback

By Adianna Bermudez

W

hen John Edwards was 15 years old, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” was released and he was immediately taken.

“It always impressed me, because not only did you get the record, but you got a poster, you got stickers, you got cool photos,” he says.

With his company Renaissance Records, Edwards is taking the same approach—giving people extras.

North Phoenix-based Renaissance Records, which originally specialized in reissuing music onto CD, is releasing music on vinyl for the first time.

“Vinyl sales are actually the highest they’ve ever been since the 1980s,” says Devon Yancey, director of marketing and media at Renaissance Records.

“They actually in September of this year outsold CDs for the first time,” she says.

The company is expected to release more than 50 albums and singles in 2021. All vinyl releases include something extra.

Renaissance Records’ vinyl project

began with the release “Anthology: 45 Years” from ’80s Canadian rock band Prism.

This limited-edition 180g album included trading cards of the original band members, restored liner notes, a poster, bumper sticker and lyric sheets.

Other vinyl albums available at Renaissance Records include music from Kayak, Shania Twain and Charlie.

Customers have the option to purchase directly from Renaissance’s website or purchase from the 300 online and physical retailers that carry its albums.

Renaissance Records was born in Nashville, when Edwards, an Arizona native, moved there in 1993.

“It was a very different landscape back then, because CDs were selling like crazy,” Edwards says. “And as the early 2000s kind of went on, we saw the writing on the wall. The big record stores were going to start kind of fading.”

In 2007, he moved to Arizona with the label, one of the first record companies to join iTunes, Edwards says.

Renaissance Records has licensed music from EMI-Capitol Sony Music, BMG/RCA/Arista and Universal Music Group as well as from individual artists.

It has also licensed a library of live

concert recordings, which are now a part of its Concert Classics series.

Artists included in the Renaissance Records library are Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Judas Priest and Blue Oyster Cult.

The company also releases music from new artists who have a similar sound to classic rock and country artists.

“I grew up with vinyl,” Edwards says.

“There’s definitely a warmth in the vinyl.”

For Edwards, the sound of vinyl records cannot be found in digital presentations of music, which, he says, is a more mathematical representation

of the music and is not what the artists originally envisioned.

“They wanted people to have an emotional response to the music,” says Edwards, who graduated from UA with a BS in physics and an MS in systems engineering.

“You see people who display album covers on their walls; there’s a reason for that. It’s a piece of art. It’s a piece of pop culture.”

Renaissance Records renaissancerecordsus.com

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Rejoice! Holiday Records These artists 'sleigh' their Christmas songs

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski and Rohit Lakshman

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has had us all wishing for merrier times. Musicians are no different. A swarm of performers, ranging from Macklemore duet partner Mary Lambert to Canadian pop stars Glass Tiger, have released holiday albums.

Here’s a roundup of some of the best Christmas albums new to 2020.

MARY LAMBERT “HAPPY HOLIGAYS” Mary Lambert is feeling sad about the COVID-19 pandemic, but her quarantine-produced holiday EP, “Happy Holigays,” is cheering her up.

“I haven’t released something with levity in a hundred years,” she says with a boisterous laugh. “It was nice to not have to think about trauma for a few seconds.”

Lambert—who appears on Macklemore’s triple-platinum “Same Love”—offers classic favorites like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and originals such as “Seasonal Depression” on the record. The latter song is an anthem about taking meds, as Lambert suffers from bipolar disorder. She sings, “Take your meds / if you’re taking meds / get some rest / or eat a snack / it’ll all get better soon.”

On “Christmas Cookies,” she’s joined by her partner, a nonbinary professor or rhetorician named Wyatt.

Pentatonix

“Wyatt and I play music all the time together, and I thought their voice would sound perfect in the song,” she says. “We were dying of laughter while recording, so I included some of that in the actual track.”

Lambert’s fondest Christmas memory is the annual scavenger hunt her mom hosted for Lambert and her siblings.

“It’s a rambunctious event,” she says. “I think we’ll carry on this tradition when we have kids. We are both all about surprises and prizes. Wyatt did a weeklong scavenger hunt. I was all about it.”

Info: marylambertsings.com

GLASS TIGER “SONGS FOR A WINTER’S NIGHT” Canadian pop-rockers Glass Tiger tried to make the best of the lockdown and decided to do something constructive—record their first holiday album.

“We had talked about the Christmas stuff, but we were never able to get our heads wrapped around it,” says keyboardist/producer Sam Reid.

“This is going to be a Christmas like no other, so if there’s ever an opportunity when we should do a Christmas record, this is it.”

The album, “Songs for a Winter’s Night,” is a collection of nine original songs written by Glass Tiger, along with a cover of “A Song for a Winter’s Night,” the latter of which sees the band joined by Natalie MacMaster, Isabel Bayrakdarian of Santa Barbara, and the

Steve Sidwell Orchestra.

Legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot makes an appearance to voice a poem written by lead singer Alan Frew, “Ode for a Winter’s Night.”

“It’s sad to see it wrap up, because it’s been keeping me mentally occupied for the whole time,” Reid says. “We had to create it over multiple time zones— we had string arrangements done in the U.K.; an opera singer from Santa Barbara, who sang in an empty concert hall in Fresno; and Alan in Italy. Then it was all stitched together.”

Frew was “marooned,” as Reid puts it, in Italy while visiting his daughter in a European school.

Christmas is “a big deal” for Reid, who always wanted to record Christmas music. He admits he has a hard time with covers.

“It’s just really difficult to do justice to some of the songs I love,” he says.

“You cannot beat Bing Crosby or Dean Martin. I’m a very traditional kind of music guy at Christmastime. It’s kind of like covering the Beatles. You’re not going to knock them off their perch.”

Info: glasstiger.ca

AUGUST BURNS RED “ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS” August Burns Red regularly records Christmas songs in time for the holidays.

Guitarist Brent Rambler says the instrumental cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” is special, as bassist Dustin Davidson penned the metal version of the pop tune.

“When he was going through the remaining songs that we haven’t covered, there were so few that translate to cool metal songs,” Rambler says.

“That was at the top of the list. What he wrote came out awesome. He’s a phenomenal guitar player.”

Rambler’s favorite Christmas tradition is the chicken pot pie his family makes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania—but this isn’t the usual frozen version of comfort food.

“Every year my family gets together in Lancaster County and we make the Lancaster County version of chicken pot pie, which is noodles, chicken stock and herbs. That’s it. We’ve been doing that for 36 years—before my time. It’s a great family gathering.”

August Burns Red will host a Saturday, December 12, livestream for $15 to $40.

Info: augustburnsred.com

TOMMEE PROFITT “THE BIRTH OF A KING” Producer Tommee Profitt’s 15-year ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Lil Nas X

dream was to record a holiday album.

Thanks to the pandemic, the former Michigander who frequently works with rapper NF did that with “The Birth of a King.”

The genre-bending, high-concept Christmas album stands out because of his signature cinematic sensibilities and his epic take on traditional holiday music. Special guests include Avril Lavigne, Chris Tomlin and Stanaj.

“The funny thing is, I’ve actually dreamed of making this album since 2005, when I was in college,” Profitt says, calling from Nashville.

“One of my class assignments in one of my music classes was to reimagine a Christmas carol. I did one of them and I had so much fun just imagining doing more than one. I said, ‘One day, I want to do one big Christmas album.’ I had no idea it would be 15 years later.”

Profitt put a lot of pressure on himself during the six-month project, knowing he wanted to do it for so long.

“I do lots of projects,” says Profitt, who has worked with Josh Groban.

“That’s the one that was on my mind for 15 years. That was the big thing I wanted to do. Now I have to figure out what’s next.”

“Oh Come All Ye Faithful” was one of the more challenging songs on the set.

He penned about nine ideas for the song, but none of them were right. He wanted a new and fresh take, but his mind went blank.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

“Two weeks before I had to turn in the album, I made this completely new arrangement of the song,” Profitt says. “I used some of the lyrics for the verses. It just came to me. The other songs came quickly.”

Now that he’s a father—his children are 8, 6 and 3—he says it’s fun to remember the way he viewed Christmas.

“I’m trying to recreate fun memories for them and make traditions with them,” he says.

Info: tommeeprofitt.com

LIMAHL “ONE WISH FOR CHRISTMAS” The lead singer of the ’80s English act Kajagoogoo (“Too Shy”), Limahl released a new take on 2012’s “London for Christmas” called “One Wish for Christmas,” which reflects the COVID-19 effects.

“I was very happy with the song and as usual was planning to re-release it as is,” Limahl says. “However, this year during COVID, I was thinking about the lyrics and how they’ll have more value/ poignancy because they talk about the many things we’re all unable to do, such as travel/tourism, romantic hotel/city break, cocktail bar, theater, etc. With all the extra time in lockdown to be creative, and as it’s been eight years since we first wrote it, we decided to revisit the production.”

Limahl admits he enjoys the new version just as much as the first rendition.

“I was so focused on London when we wrote it seven years ago,” Limahl adds about the differences. “I was a bit obsessed. Right now, it feels like a good balance because you still got London as the backdrop as the story for the couple’s trip.

“We all need something a little cheery during this time.”

Limahl loves Christmas and recalls opening presents with his workingclass family, who lived in government housing.

“My happiest moment is unwrapping those presents and playing games with my two brothers and sister,” he says. “My family was poor. We didn’t have a lot of Meghan Trainor

money. So, everything had value—even like a game.”

Info: limahl.com

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Limahl

TY HERNDON “REGIFTED” Country star Ty Herndon didn’t quite know how to promote a Christmas record when he was in between labels years ago. Now, he’s giving holiday music another chance.

“Regifted” features songs previously recorded by Herndon with some “modern EQs on it,” he says. “It was a pretty good record before, but nobody bought that record. I didn’t know anything about promoting a record. I did it and put it on a website. It’s brand new again, and I love that.”

The centerpiece of “Regifted” is the Kristin Chenoweth duet “Orphans of God,” previously recorded by Avalon.

“I’ve known her for a long time,” he says of Chenoweth. “She’s one of the best vocalists on the planet. We’ve been

have new traditions. It’s super fun, except when they all come to one show.

If they’re teenagers, I make them buy their own tickets.”

Info: tyherndon.com

OTHER HOLIDAY RELEASES Gina Naomi Baez, “Christmas Candlelight” The Barefoot Movement, “I Just Wish It

Tommee Profitt

trying to do something for a long time.

It’s a message we both believe in.

“I was a big Avalon fan. Michael Passons is one of my best friends, and Melissa Greene is my pastor. It turned out to be a miracle.”

He’s hoping fans will enjoy this album the way he loved music on the holidays.

“My family’s musical,” he says. “We had people on the back porch picking guitars and singing. It’s always magical.

Now that my grandparents are off to heaven and we have new families, we

Would Snow” Gabby Barrett, “The First Noel” The Bird and the Bee, “Put Up the Lights” Black Violin, “Give Thanks” Andrea Bocelli, “Believe” Danielle Bradbery, “O Holy Night” Lauren Calve, “Christmas is Where the Heart Is” Charleene Closshey, “An Evergreen Christmas” Command Sisters, “Steal Your Heart” Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, “Good News” Kat Cunning, “O’ Holy Night” Earcandy, “An Earcandy Christmas” Florida Georgia Line, “Lit This Year” For King & Country, “A Drummer Boy Christmas” David Garfield, “Holidays Outside the Box” Goo Goo Dolls, “It’s Christmas All Over” Hootie and the Blowfish featuring Abigail Hodges, “Won’t Be Home for Christmas” The Imaginaries, “Hometown Christmas” Ryland James, “A Little Christmas” EP Carly Rae Jepsen, “It’s Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries” Jonas Brothers, “I Need You Christmas” Jujubee, “Eight Days of You”

Beverley Knight, “A Christmas Wish, The Theme to the Loss Adjuster” Kiana Lede, “The Christmas Song” John Lindahl, “A John Lindahl Holiday Album” Carrington MacDuffie, “Run Rudolph Run” Michelle Malone and the Hot Toddies, “Toddie Time” Isabela Merced, “Caliente Navidad” Ronnie Milsap, “Merry, Merry Christmas Baby” Miz Cracker, “Get Me the (expletive) Out of Here” Anne Murray, “The Ultimate Christmas Collection” The Myrrhderers, “The Myrrhderers Sleigh Some More” Matt Nathanson, “Farewell December” Tami Neilson, “Pretty Paper” Sara Noelle, “Christmas at Sea” Leslie Odom Jr., “The Christmas Album” Office Romance, “Holidays of Love” Dolly Parton, “A Holly Dolly Christmas” Liam Payne featuring Dixie D’Amelio, “Naughty List” Pentatonix, “We Need a Little Christmas” RaeLynn, “Merry Christmas” Van Scott, “Thank God It’s Christmas” Aneesa Sheikh, “Happy Little Holiday” Slowey and the Boats, “Merry Christmas from Slowey and the Boats” Straight No Chaser, “Social Christmasing” Sweet Lizzy Project, “And So This is Christmas” Dani Taylor, “Does It Snow in Nashville?”

Meghan Trainor, “A Very Trainor Christmas” Carrie Underwood, “My Gift” Consuelo Vanderbilt and Malan Breton, “I’ll Be Home for Xmas” Various artists, “Christmas Rocks” Various artists, “Christmas Together (Wherever We Are)” Various artists, “Happiest Season” Various artists, “Now That’s What I Call Music! R&B Christmas” Various artists, “Why? Because It’s Christmas” Lil Nas X, “Holiday” Ye Banished Privateers, “Drawn and Quartered” See related story about Dee Snider on Page 33 ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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BRINGING COMMUNITY TOGETHER

The ‘eatertainment’ destination The Revelry opens

By Taylor O’Connor

M

esa Riverview’s latest addition, The Revelry, is much more than a restaurant. It’s an entertainment

destination.

The 20,000-square-foot business celebrated phase one on November 20, with phase two following this spring.

“It’s magic,” says Emily Roberts, director of marketing and public relations. “We have so many concepts here that appeal to so many different audiences, and we are only continuing to grow into something greater.”

Under one roof, customers can choose their entertainment type. First, there’s the Box Bar, where sports fans can reserve private booths with black leather wrap-around couches to watch the game.

Moving through the venue, customers can find Modern Round, the virtual gaming and sports.

Going outside, guests can enjoy the Tiki Bar, watch live music or play Next Links, The Revelry’s golf concept. At night, people can sit around a bonfire in colorful, cabin-style furniture.

Other events include open-air markets and yoga. Eventually, when state restrictions lift, guests can take part in Pop Culture, a vintage-style arcade with games and activities.

This is only part one of the destination.

Phase two will include the K9 Cantina, a dog-friendly restaurant, and The Rev. Brewing Company, The Revelry’s on-site brewery.

“We wanted to create a place where people could come and laugh, connect and have fun together but (that) would also be attractive to anybody and everybody,” says Ellie Greene, vice president of marketing.

“Having multiple concepts under one roof creates this one destination for anyone to come out and enjoy.”

This concept is the brainchild of Chris Castille, chief operating officer of That’s Eatertainment Corp., which owns The Revelry. Greene says he started with

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Modern Round in Peoria but wanted something more. Mesa Riverview was the perfect space.

In the beginning there was a battle with the board of directors, but “he got it right and he pivoted the company into this broader concept. It’s been amazing ever since,” Greene says.

Along with fun comes safety. Greene emphasizes that The Revelry has

Having a big space has been a major benefit for opening, Greene says. The entertainment options inside, Box Bar and Modern Round, already are designed for personal parties.

“Ironically, that wasn’t structured that way because of COVID; that just happened to work in this climate already.

They’re separate areas for about six to eight people,” Greene says.

followed 50% capacity state regulations, along with mask requirements for all its customers until they sit down.

Employees have their temperature checked prior to their shift and logged into The Revelry’s system, and tables are spread apart at a safe distance.

The Revelry’s final step was placing hand sanitizer bottles at every table and at every entrance and exit of the destination.

After sanitizing their hands, customers can sit down and look at the menu.

A personal favorite: cheese curds. Made with Wisconsin cheese, these bad boys can make any Midwesterner feel like they’re back home at a state fair. Their deep-fried texture is the perfect amount of crisp along with the melted cheese, making it easy for hands to keep reaching for the plate and eating until they’re gone.

It’s not just sports bar food.

“It’s a culinary collective that consists of all the concepts that we have and that will be added to that in phase two. …

Everybody has different taste, different nutritional or dietary restrictions. This is something that caters to everyone,” Roberts says.

As someone who’s striving to eat healthy, she says this is a great place to be

because of its variety. Instead of cheese curds, for example, someone could lean toward the Brussels sprouts, which are charred and covered in a balsamic glaze.

They melt in your mouth and taste like chips rather than vegetables.

Entrees range from salads and quinoa bowls to tacos and classic burgers that all come out hot and fresh. The staff moves fast and caters to customers’ needs. As more concepts come together through the two phases, more food will be added to the menu to complement the environment.

Where would food be without a little cocktail? The cocktail menu offerings will look good on any social media post.

The Last Man Standing is a tequilainspired cocktail that is mixed with jalapeño-mango syrup and a dried lime slice on top. The jalapeño taste begins at the first sip, but the mango contrasts the spice, letting it go down smoothly, leaving a refreshing taste behind.

To enjoy all of the perks, customers can become members. Visitors can select to become a member with a monthly fee of $4.95, $6.95 or $9.95 where they can get 10% off food and drinks as well as build credits that can be used at different visits, Roberts says.

Members get perks such as first pick of booths for football games, gift cards, private parties, events and free food all while contributing to the philanthropic side of the business.

“For every member we have, we donate $1 to the United Food Bank. Our goal is to serve 5,000 meals to the United Food Bank. We really want our patrons, our guests, to really be members of this destination, and it’s an opportunity to build into the community as well. We’re doing this together,” Roberts says.

The Revelry 1065 E. Dobson Road, Mesa, 602.612.3020, therevelry.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

CITY

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STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

THE NEW NORMAL

Fiddler’s Dream offers virtual open stages for local musicians

By Laura Latzko

F

iddler’s Dream Coffeehouse has long offered a space for musicians to perform.

Although the Glendale nonprofit cannot offer the same opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic because of social distancing guidelines, the organization has been providing a Virtual Open Stage platform for musicians looking for a space to play.

The virtual performance nights start at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays via Zoom and Facebook.

Fiddler’s Dream started the Virtual Open Stage nights in March, almost immediately after it was forced to temporarily close its performance space.

It’s open to musicians of various ages and levels, and they are given the chance to perform multiple songs.

Phoenix singer-songwriter Glen Gardner, who has performed at Fiddler’s Dream for the last two years, has been moderating the Virtual Open Stage. A member of Jif and the Choosy Mothers, Gardner performs as well.

“It’s all about the music at that venue,” Gardner says about Fiddler’s Dream.

“People are there to watch and to listen.

At Fiddler’s Dream, the music is at the foreground. That is the focus, and that’s unusual in this day and age.”

Gardner says the virtual performance nights have attracted musicians from around the United States, including those who are just starting out.

“We’ve had a lot of them online, 13 or 14 year olds who have picked up a guitar, banjo or keyboard for the first time, and they want to put it out there. We just want to make sure that we have that opportunity for them,” Gardner says.

Many musicians play their own music, while some perform popular covers.

The virtual shows are available to listeners around the world. Audience members have a chance to show their appreciation between songs, when Gardner unmutes viewers so they can clap for performers. There is also time before the performances for social interaction.

Gardner says the virtual nights have been important for musicians who aren’t able to tour and can’t find places to play

their music locally during COVID-19.

“We get a lot of feedback that it’s the high point of the week for a lot of people,” he says. “We all very much miss the physical location, but we’re glad we’ve figured out a way that we can still do it right now.”

Gardner says the virtual events have also helped to create community.

“There are so many people who are adrift because their normal routines, their job even, everything has been upended. We just wanted to cast a lifeline out there and say this small aspect of what you used to do is still there,” Gardner says.

“A lot of the people that come are people that we used to face-to-face with.

It’s great to see them every week.”

Adapting to Zoom took some time. The musicians had to invest in equipment such as USB audio interfaces and microphones. They also had to learn how to adjust app settings meant to reduce noise.

“There were certain things we had to figure out so that music would work on the platform,” Gardner says.

“That was part of the challenge early on, figuring out what type of equipment you needed, what kind of settings in Zoom worked better, could you do it on just a phone, did you need a mixer. There were all of those things that had to get figured out in a hurry.”

Gardner hopes through the virtual shows to help to keep continuity within the organization and make sure that it stays around for years to come.

He says with the way that bars and restaurants have been hit financially by COVID-19, musicians will need other types of performance spaces.

“It’s going to be important on the other side of this that a place like Fiddler’s Dream exists so that musicians have a place to play outside of a restaurant, bar or commercial venue,”

Gardner says.

The virtual performances are meant to serve a similar purpose as the in-person venue in giving local and touring artists a space for expression.

Nia Maxwell, a board member since August 1996, says for musicians, Fiddler’s Dream offers a spot to perform different styles of acoustic music, including bluegrass, folk, light jazz, Celtic and blues. The organization has often spotlighted performers from other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Portugal and Brazil.

It has also hosted special flamenco music and dance and Western drama and music performances.

Maxwell says Fiddler’s Dream is an ideal space for young people to start out.

“It’s a great place to gain stage presence and learn with a friendly, responsive audience,” says Maxwell, who books the bands at Fiddler’s Dream.

Music education is an important component of the organization. It regularly hosts workshops on topics such as songwriting or guitar playing, as well as other events such as poetry readings.

“We try to offer things that will be of interest and of value to the community,” Maxwell says.

Located on the grounds of the Phoenix Friends Meeting, Fiddler’s Dream’s physical location is also used in other

ways. Local music organizations, such as the Phoenix chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, uses it for meetings.

Many of the same audience members attend events each week at Fiddler’s Dream. Maxwell became acquainted with regular patrons over the years.

“It’s about community and relationships as well as fabulous music and really good coffee,” Maxwell says.

Maxwell first attended a show at the venue with a friend and later got more involved.

One of her most memorable moments occurred when she met her husband, Larry Hill, at the venue.

Hill, a guitarist and banjo player, has been performing at Fiddler’s Dream since the 1980s and has been a board member since 1995.

The organization’s president, Hill moderates the in-person Open Stages and takes part in the Virtual Open Stage nights.

“His music and his songwriting just really drew me in. I thought, ‘Who is this person?’ When I found out that they were his original songs, I had to get to know this man better,” Maxwell says.

Fiddler’s Dream Coffeehouse facebook.com/fiddlersdream ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

ALL GAS, NO BRAKES

Enjoy the fun of Octane Raceway’s socially distanced entertainment

By Sarah Nguyen

O

ne of the Valley’s finest establishments for family entertainment has plenty to be excited about these days.

The business is aware of the health and safety concerns surrounding the pandemic and has made adjustments to ensure that fun and enjoyment will not be compromised for the sake of good health.

Through some tweaks and updates to its business model, Octane Raceway has developed a plan to ensure that all activities will be conducted with safety in mind.

SAFETY FIRST, FUN ALWAYS Face masks are required for entry and for the endless array of activities that the business offers, such as kart racing, mini bowling, virtual reality and arcade

games.

Take a spin around the country’s only full-time indoor and outdoor racetrack.

Race guilt free with the Sodi RTX racing karts that release zero emissions. However, these eco-friendly karts do not sacrifice speed for the betterment of our planet.

Reaching a maximum of 45 mph with a maximum torque of 10,000 rpm, these karts will definitely get your adrenaline pumping.

In addition, karts will be disinfected after each use through a sanitization fogging system. Another new sanitation system has been employed by the business to keep rental racing helmets clean as well.

“We use the Sani Boxx for disinfecting helmets with a powerful UVC light,” says Mario Esquer, Octane Raceway’s marketing manager.

The Sani Boxx is a state-of-theart sanitation tool that has been implemented to keep all rental helmets

clean after every race.

The raceway also offers other special group activities that will be sure to create lasting memories, like the Pit Crew Challenge, which teaches your group how to complete a full pit stop as a real pit crew would on a NASCAR racecar.

Want a break from the track? The raceway has revamped its arcade area with over 15 new installed games.

Defeat UFOs in a round of “Aliens Armageddon” or evade dinosaurs with “Jurassic Park.”

Complimentary single-use gloves are available for anyone who wishes to play in the arcade or mini bowling area. There will also be a vacant lane in between mini bowling lanes to serve as a buffer for social distancing.

Take a break from reality with Velocity VR, a perfect team-building experience, as it includes activities like rebuilding barriers and defeating zombies with your group.

The Sani Boxx is also used to sanitize the virtual reality headgear after each use.

The health and safety of Octane Raceway’s patrons and employees are of the utmost importance. Through these new sanitation methods and preventative measures, the raceway has ensured that the enjoyment of guests will not be hindered by COVID-19 and the impending flu season.

GRILL AND CHILL If you start feeling hungry after a day of fun, there is no need to fret. Octane Raceway’s Brickyard Grill has a variety of menu items that are sure to please every member of your group.

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For the youngsters, the grill offers kidapproved plates such as mini corn dogs and sliders.

As for older guests, the grill menu lists out hearty dishes like the Tuscan chicken flatbread and signature cocktails such as the Arizona Mule, a thirst-quenching concoction that includes jalapeño vodka and prickly pear nectar.

There is no exception for drinking and driving here, however, as guests will not be allowed to race on the track if they have consumed more than two alcoholic beverages.

Brickyard Grill’s kitchen and dining area has been updated to ensure that it follows newly mandated health and safety guidelines.

“We have throwaway menus and a QR code that you can scan with your phone to view the food menu,” Esquer says. “We space out our seating and place people at every other table to maintain social distancing.”

There will be limited seating at the bar as well. There will also be disposable cups, lids and wrapped straws available to all guests upon request.

With all of the efforts made by Octane Raceway to ensure the health and safety of all, there is no doubt that the quality of food and entertainment will be as enjoyable as ever.

Octane Raceway 9119 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale 602.302.7223, octaneraceway.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

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COMING FULL CIRCLE Prog rockers Spafford return to where it all began

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

V

alley prog rockers Spafford were the first musicians to host a drivein show, earning the band national publicity.

Known for its annual New Year’s Eve gigs, Spafford will perform in the Marquee Theatre’s parking lot on Wednesday, December 30, and Thursday, December 31.

“The Marquee made it safe for everyone by using pods,” says

singer/guitarist Brian Moss, who lives in Chandler. “It’s a winwin for everyone. The Marquee has a beautiful, large parking lot.

Downtown Phoenix has a lot of beautiful venues, but they don’t have that sort of space.”

The Marquee sits on Tempe Town Lake on one side. The stage will be built on the west side of the parking lot, facing away from the airport.

“These are desperate times,” Moss says.

“We’ve heard of some people throwing shows that are somewhat questionable.

We want people to enjoy the music and have a good time, but we want people to be safe, too. We’re really excited about this opportunity.”

The first “billed” Spafford show was the 2009-10 New Year’s Eve, so this show marks the band’s 11th anniversary.

Moss says the band wanted to end the year on a high note, with two sets on December 30 and three on December 31 to rid the musicians of their pent-up energy.

“We’re going to play some new songs and some new covers and maybe have a

few special guests,” Moss adds coyly. “It’s going to be a blast to make that night our very own.”

Spafford 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 30; and 11:30 p.m. Thursday, December 31 Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe Tickets only available for December 30 luckymanonline.com

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CHRISTMAS EVE AMID A PANDEMIC

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UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

TSO pivots to livestreaming to keep the tradition alive

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

F

or 21 years, Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s holiday shows have been a family tradition.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, TSO will go on, but in a different way.

The performance will be beamed into fans’ homes with the world premiere of its first livestream, “Christmas Eve and Other Stories Live in Concert,” on Friday, December 18. For fans unable to view the livestream’s debut on December 18, TSO will make the performance available for streaming on demand through midnight Sunday, December 20.

“We miss being at Gila River (Arena),” says TSO’s music director and lead guitarist Al Pitrelli. “There was nothing better than getting off the bus and it being 80 degrees in the middle of the winter.

“This is the first time in 21 years that we’ve canceled a show. We’ve never canceled a show. We never missed a downbeat. A lot of weird things have happened—tractor-trailer accidents, snowstorms, ice storms, hurricanes—but we’ve never missed a downbeat. The fact that we’re talking about it remains surreal to me.”

TSO performing an all-new staging of its beloved album “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” means that fans, despite missing so much in 2020, won’t have to miss their favorite holiday tradition. This livestream will inject much-needed rockin’ Christmas spirit to fans everywhere. In addition to the full album concert, fans will view special preshow content including behind-thescenes footage and classic interview segments.

“Christmas Eve and Other Stories” is set on Christmas Eve when a young angel is sent to earth to bring back what is best representative of humanity.

Following favorite TSO themes of “strangers helping strangers” and “the kindness of others,” “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” takes listeners all over the world to help reunite a young girl with her distraught father.

“Everybody loves this,” Pitrelli says.

“We have this incredible story Paul O’Neill wrote. People love it so much, and I love it. I’m proud that we’re going to celebrate.”

The livestream is a live performance, ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

while many are prerecorded. Pitrelli says the band has “one swing at the plate for this.” He calls it the TSO’s most important show.

“There will be no overdubs, no postproduction. There will be narration and special effects. It’s quite a task, but we’re ready for it. Forget about the livelihood of part of touring. I’ve been doing exactly the same thing since 1965.

Don’t take that part away from me.

“Put my guitar around my neck and let me go. Would I prefer doing 120 shows this year? Absolutely. But it’s not going to happen. Fans can turn it up loud and proud.”

Before founder Paul O’Neill died, he gave Pitrelli a bit of advice that resonates today.

“He told us to adapt, overcome and

improvise,” he recalls. “It’s a little different, but it still applies. This happened to the planet. It’s not any one country or people. All of us are in the same boat.”

The livestream is blending the East and West Coast touring members.

Pitrelli says there are some musicians and singers he hasn’t performed with in 21 years. For the livestream, Bryan Hicks will narrate and Pitrelli (guitar) and Derek Wieland (keyboards) will serve as musical directors. The band will feature Chris Caffery (guitar), Mee Eun Kim (keyboards), Johnny Lee Middleton (bass), Asha Mevlana (violin) and Jeff Plate (drums). Vocalists will be Russell Allen, Nate Amor, John Brink, Erika Jerry, Chloe Lowery, Georgia Napolitano and Jeff Scott Soto.

“From my vantage point, instead of looking out at an area, seeing 16,000 people, I’m going to see 14 cameras,” he adds.

“It’s going to be different for me. I’m going to close my eyes and pretend I’m in front of you people and having the time of our lives. Everyone on stage is familiar. Different is what happens when normal goes out the window.”

Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” 8 p.m. Eastern Time Friday, December 18 $30 tsolivestream.com/tso/ livestream

CRISSCROSSING GENRES The West Valley’s Dbait doesn’t want to be pigeonholed THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

E

ddie Morra tried therapy once, but music is his way of unleashing pent-up emotions and problems.

Under the stage name Dbait, Morra does plenty of that on his cathartic 48-track album “The Phantom.”

“It’s basically a collection of music I’ve made over the years,” he says. “It’s a pretty big album, but the reason I’m doing it this way is anytime I find a new artist I like, I find 15 tracks—if I’m lucky, 20.

“I want to hear more and there’s nothing more to listen to, so I’m Googling similar artists and I can never find artists who sound similar. I’m stuck with this missing music. If I put out enough tracks, it’ll give people the chance to listen to me more than once.”

The collection crisscrosses genres like R&B, hip-hop and K-pop.

“It’s an experimental body of work that encompasses my whole sound, which

17

doesn’t just put me in a box,” he says.

“The first 10 are the most diverse— rock and my vocals over an acoustic guitar. It’s not your typical hip-hop and R&B album. I didn’t want to be boxed into one genre.”

The Centennial High School graduate has been a musician most of his life. His mom is a jazz pianist and singer. His grandparents are mariachis.

He started rapping at age 8 at church, nonetheless, when he rapped a Christian song. His experiences also include jazz band, drumline and rapping through a Christian club.

“Music is what brought my family together,” Morra says. “We were part of the worship group in church. My mom is a nurse, and my dad is starting a business. My sister does gigs. Music is nostalgic for me. That feeling is a good memory that I cherish. That’s what brought me into it in the first place.”

Dbait phantomofdaopera.com

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TRAVEL

VACATION » SIGHTS » DAY TRIPS » ADVENTURE » EXPLORE » TRAVEL

Recalling a Childhood Love Documentarian shares her fondness for Castle Hot Springs Resort

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

K

ristin Atwell Ford knows Castle Hot Springs Resort well.

Not only is Arizona’s first luxury resort a place of deep history in Arizona, it touches her family.

“My mother (Sherri Chessen of ‘Romper Room’) was one of the first owners of the resort after ASU sold it in the 1980s. The resort was definitely aged at that point,” says Ford, who runs Quantum Leap Productions in Scottsdale.

“It wasn’t in the full glory it is now.

The Palm House, the main hotel, had burned down. It brought my family together because we would go out there and swim, hike, play tennis, sing on the porch and play guitars. My sister got married there.”

Ford recalls the resort’s history in her 37-minute documentary “Castle Hot Springs: Oasis of Time,” which won the 2020 Rocky Mountain Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary. It will be available on Apple TV and Amazon by Christmas.

During the research phase of her documentary, she learned other families have multigenerational connections to Castle Hot Springs, including Mike and Cindy Watts, who restored the resort to its grandeur. They reopened the Morristown resort in 2018.

“There are places that echo through the years and places that hold our memory and imagination,” Ford says.

“For me, and Arizonans and people around the world, Castle Hot Springs is one of those places. To see it come back after such utter loss—it was lost to the elements for 46 years it was closed— shows good things can happen.

“For those of us who were involved with the resort in its fallow period, it’s a miracle to see it come back to life.

To me, personally, it’s like seeing my grandmother come back to life. It’s a place of deep nourishment and meaning.

The job that the Watts family has done with it is exceptional. It feels the same.”

PROUD ARIZONAN Ford was born in Arizona to Chessen

and Arcadia High School history teacher Bob Finkbine. Ford grew up performing in theaters and writing.

“He would take us backpacking and river running,” she says. “My parents were polar opposites. He was lost in the world outside in the wilderness, and my mom was into the theater, which is a world of artifice.”

Her love of nature is echoed in the documentary, which tells the story of “taking the waters,” as the Indigenous people of the land favored the area’s hot, therapeutic waters.

As settlers came to the Arizona Territory, mining magnate Frank Murphy and his brother, Territorial Gov. Nathan Oakes Murphy, saw the seeds of a new economy born of water, sunshine and leisure travel drive the region toward statehood.

The documentary features drone work

by Bill Davis, director of photography, and narration by veteran Hollywood actor Peter Coyote.

The film has a lively soundtrack by Dolan Ellis, Arizona’s official state balladeer, and Pearl Django.

Featured in the documentary is Cecil B. DeMille, who filmed his first movie, “The Squaw Man,” in 1931 in the area.

“It’s a horribly racist title at this point,” Ford adds. “He recognized this was a cinematic location. The winter of 1901, 1902, (American painter) Maxfield Parrish stayed at Castle Hot Springs for two reasons—he had TB and was seeking a mineral cure for his respiratory ailments.

“Mineral cures were popular at the turn of the century for respiratory ailments. The Castle Hot Springs landscape is the blue skies he’s been known for. He discovered all that in Arizona.”

Olaf Wieghorst, painter of the American West, was inspired by the area as well.

Ford says there are plenty of reasons for making the documentary. Primarily, it’s because Castle Hot Springs played a significant role in the state’s development.

“When you look at Castle Hot Springs, it’s a microcosm of the history of the state,” she says.

“The area was opened up when gold

was discovered, the prospectors and then the settlers. The area had a lot of ranching.

The men who originally developed the resort into a luxury property. It really established the tourism economy that’s been so crucial to our state.”

Ford admits she didn’t fully appreciate the experiences she had at Castle Hot Springs when she was younger.

“We had it when I was in high school,” she says. “I wish we had it in college. I would have perceived it a little differently. I would have realized earlier how special it was.

“My memories there are just about the feeling of wonder.”

She felt the same way when she returned to film the documentary, for which she interviewed Steven Talley, whose parents owned the resort in the 1970s. They were also behind the Arizona Biltmore and the aerospace engineering firm Talley Industries. On

December 11, 1976, a fire destroyed the history Palm House. Chessen purchased Castle Hot Springs in 1982.

“He talks about rounding the corner and seeing the palm trees and the main lodge with its yellow siding and red roof,” she recalls.

“Certain places hold happy memories.

Castle Hot Springs heightens the senses.

There’s the wonder of water gushing out of the ground in the desert. When you immerse yourself in that water, it changes you. You’re more relaxed and energized. All of your senses are enlightened now that they have this amazing farm garden program.”

She’s pleased she was awarded for sharing her feelings about Castle Hot Springs.

“It’s such an honor to win the Rocky Mountain Emmy Award,” she says. “It’s the only award in TV judged by our peers.

It’s always a special award to win.”

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

ARTS

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CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

HISTORY ON FILM

Phoenix Art Museum celebrates six decades with short movies

By Laura Latzko

M

any people, pieces of art and events have helped to shape the Phoenix Art Museum during its 61-year history, and this trend continues.

To celebrate its six decades, the Phoenix Art Museum teamed up with local filmmakers Chris Heck, Kieran Thompson and Josh Gonzales to produce the shorts “The First Time,” “Wish You Were There” and “Represent.” The project was supported with funding from the Steele Foundation to enhance the museum’s digital media offerings.

“The First Time” was released through the museum’s website and digital media channels. The other two films will be available for view in December and February.

“The First Time” was written by Nikki DeLeon Martin, the museum’s chief marketing and external affairs officer, and directed by Heck.

“Wish You Were There” was written Heck and directed by Thompson. And “Represent” was written and directed by Heck.

Heck has worked on many commercials and TV and film projects, including the TV miniseries “Crossroads” and the short films “Mr. Memento,” “The Alchemist of Montenegro,” “Stay Home” and “The Devil’s Pawn.”

DeLeon Martin is a fiction writer and playwright whose work has been performed by local theater companies.

Most of the directors, writers, actors, editors and crew members who worked

on the films are based out of Arizona.

DeLeon Martin considered hosting a short film series in 2015. She says it was important that the pieces get to the heart of what the museum has meant to Phoenix. After all, it was local civic leaders who conceived of and helped bring an art institution to Phoenix.

“I wanted to create something that told the story of the Phoenix Art Museum more meaningfully,” DeLeon Martin says.

“It’s a democratic story of what a community can do when they come together to create something lasting.”

“The First Time” was shot from the museum’s perspective and incorporates archival footage and photographs.

The people featured in “The First Time” are staff, board, community and museum members, as well as storytellers and teaching artists who worked with the museum. About a dozen voices were used in the voiceover for the short film.

“There are a lot of folks in the film who have an important relationship to the museum, but of course it was filmed in such a way that there’s no identity attached to it. That was the goal. It’s trying to be as representative as possible of all the people for whom the museum matters to them,” DeLeon Martin says.

The other two short films tell the museum’s story with narrative and central characters. However, they share a similar message.

“That’s ultimately the theme we are trying to hit on with all of the pieces, is that the museum is for and of the community that is represents,” Heck says.

“It’s this space that no matter who you are, you can pull something from it and give something to it, too, if you decide to.”

“The First Time” phxart.org/blog/short-filmseries ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

ADAPTING TO COVID-19 Improv actors find new ways to reach ill children in hospitals

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UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

By Bridgette M. Redman

I

n the midst of an international health crisis, one group of actors from the Phoenix Theatre Company has found its work in greater demand.

Partners That Heal has been taking actors specializing in improvisation into hospitals since 2011, performing mostly for children who are in intensive care units or undergoing life-threatening treatments.

They’ve performed in 27 different hospitals and organizations using more than 250 improvisation interventions.

While most of their work is done with children and teens from age 3, they’ve even sung to infants in neonatal units.

Sometimes, when a staff member is having a tough go of it, they ask for an intervention and the team responds.

Then COVID-19 lockdowns hit and the actors could no longer enter the hospital rooms to perform for their patients. However, the need for their services is still great with children facing increased isolation and stress.

So, they moved to a new model, one that was digital only, according to Carlos Castaneda, the development director who started with the Phoenix Theatre this past February, just four weeks before everything shut down.

“Instead of three actors in a room performing entertainment interventions with kiddos, now we’re doing it with Zoom and an iPad,” Castaneda says.

“They’re more safe, and that’s kind of how the program has grown to what it is today.”

Surprisingly, the number of patients they see has increased. Each shift is four hours, and they used to spend 30 minutes per patient, taking time to say hello to the adults or care specialists, and then travel from room to room. Now they are seeing patients for 14 to 20 minutes, which has expanded their daily visits.

As a result of the additional demand, they hired another partner at a time when most theaters were laying people off.

“By and large, we’re seeing more patients today with Zoom than we were before,” Castaneda says. “Some of that is technical. It is much easier for us.

Each intervention is taken very seriously.

Three partners join the Zoom call and a moderator, sometimes me or Pasha (Yamotahari, the associate director in charge of the program), you don’t see us.

We switch people over and lock the room so we don’t have any random drop-bys.”

What takes place during those 15 to 20 minutes varies depending on the patients’ needs. The partners prepare

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

improvisational exercises—which they call “interventions”—and the patient chooses one.

Sometimes they might sing a song, play a game, do a puzzle, tell a story with the patient as the hero, or even just listen when a patient wants to talk.

“It’s been more challenging lately, especially for a lot of older patients who have a lot of loneliness,” Castaneda says.

“Their family and friends can’t visit as often as before COVID. They just want to vent and have someone to talk to who isn’t a family member or a nurse, so they talk to the partners.”

Sometimes the patients perform for the partners, such as one young man who rapped for them about his journey with health care in and out of the hospital. The partners provided him with an audience.

The goal of the interventions is to empower patients to communicate with their medical providers by breaking down communication barriers, building trust and helping contribute to better health outcomes.

Castaneda explains that once patients build trust with the partners, they shift that trust to their medical providers.

“Many patients assume, providers assume, that everyone knows what is going on, but that’s rarely the case,” Castaneda says.

“Sometimes patients don’t understand what is going on and they don’t know the right questions. Providers assume patients understand and if they aren’t asking questions it is because they know.

They assume that communication is being fruitful. What we find is that

patients don’t ask questions because they are intimidated or feel deference, especially vulnerable populations or those who lack education.”

Castaneda says the Phoenix Theatre Company has labored to adopt the hard science around performances and learn how each intervention can be effective with patients to have better outcomes.

Yamotahari develops the curriculum and trains the partners on each intervention so that they are ready to perform any of them at a moment’s notice.

As an example, Castaneda says they like to do a choose-your-own adventure intervention for patients who have very little control over their situations. For example, they might not be allowed to eat and be connected to many tubes. The partners let that patient be in charge of their own story—a story partners create on the fly based on things they learned about the patient.

“They’ll take what that patient has said to them—say their favorite animal is ‘this.’ We get to know them, and the partners create a wonderful story about them,” Castaneda says.

“At one point we say to the patient, you can go with Liz’s (one partner’s) story and she will give a little synopsis of where that story will lead. Or you can go with Mike, and he’ll explain where that story will go. We let them choose what adventure they go on. We tell stories and involve their creativity. It can go on for 15 to 20 minutes and the patient is the hero of the story. We try to make it as happy as possible.”

Meanwhile, the moderator captures the story, recording it and jotting down

notes. It is then passed to another person, who within a day creates an electronic flip book with the story and images and sends it to the patients and their families.

“If they need positive memory recall, if they are feeling a lot of anxiety and need some cheering up, then we’ll always tell them to go back to that story and feel empowered with that story,” Castaneda says.

He says at first it was pretty challenging to go from performing with three actors in a room to doing it over Zoom.

“We did a 180 in one week. We’re very proud to say that,” Castaneda says. “When we realized there would be a quarantine, Pasha, myself and the partners got together on a Zoom call and it turned into a rehearsal figuring out what activities can we still do and which ones can we not do because it doesn’t translate to virtual.”

As they worked on the transition, they used Castaneda and others as test subjects. They would be a pretend patient and the partners would practice or “rehearse” the interventions over Zoom.

While they couldn’t do their entire set of more than 250 interventions, they did play games and puzzles and told stories.

“There was a slight lag here and there at first, but now they’ve got it down to a well-oiled machine,” Castaneda says.

“They can still do a lot of interventions, and patients are still responding to the interventions. The ones we perform are still impactful.”

Castaneda says the partners absolutely prefer performing live because they can

21

exchange energy with the patients, but they are glad that they haven’t had to completely stop the program.

“They can still see the patient’s face and their emotions and emulate that,” Castaneda says. “I feel like the partners are seeing that this is just a stop-gap measure. If it is this or nothing, they’d rather do this, and if this is the best we can do, then by golly, we’re going to do it and make it work.”

This period has also seen the program grow beyond Phoenix.

They are talking to organizations that want to adopt their model and are seeing it grow beyond the United States borders.

Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, funding from corporations, philanthropists and foundations has decreased. He says they have been invited to work in new hospitals, but right now they can’t because they are at capacity, even with the new partner.

They lack the money to support he partners who do the work.

“We would love to bring in more patients, not only in the Valley but across the state, but funding is all being redirected to COVID,” Castaneda says.

“It’s been hard for us to find money to support the program. But for as long as we can do it, we will.”

He has high praise for the Phoenix Theatre Company and its leadership, which employs the six partners, Yamotahari and himself. He says they have remained committed to making it happen.

“They created the program and spearheaded the project,” Castaneda says.

“We appreciate all of their support.”

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BANISHING THE SCROOGES UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

Herberger to host Childplay’s one-woman ‘Christmas Carol’ outdoors

By Bridgette M. Redman

F

or the third time, Katie McFadzen is bringing the one-woman version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to the Valley—this time to an outdoor stage the Herberger Theater is building to provide safe access to live theater during the pandemic.

The script is an adaptation that McFadzen and original director Matthew Wiener did together several years ago. McFadzen plays all the characters, sometimes having three-way conversations with herself. The original production was 88 minutes. She says she is hoping to trim it to 70 to 75 minutes because Arizona is chilly in December.

The production, brought to the Valley by Childsplay, where McFadzen has been an associate artist since 1993, runs Thursdays to Sundays November 28 to December 23, with tickets ranging from $32 to $39.50. A talkback follows each performance.

Wiener is the former artistic director of the now-defunct Actors Theatre of Phoenix. That theater did a musical version of “A Christmas Carol” for 20 years, so Wiener was very familiar with the story.

McFadzen said they talked through the novella to figure out what should stay and what should go. He tackled the first draft and then they collaborated on narrowing it down.

It was the first time McFadzen had been involved in a production of “A Christmas Carol,” because she had always written it off as a story about a bunch of men. What she discovered instead surprised her.

“As I started to read and work on it, I found more universality,” McFadzen says. “It is a universal story. It is about change and people’s ability to change.

It’s about finding the hope. For me at this moment, when I look at the world and I think it is in great need of change, I think this is a wonderful story to tell.

Change can happen, and it’s OK.” She shifted the masculine focus to make it more universal in her adaptation.

Whereas Dickens frequently refers to men or mankind, she chose words like men and women or humankind. She shortened some of the language while retaining its poetry.

“I wanted to make it more genderneutral in places, more accessible, so I really focused on that element,” McFadzen says. “One of the things ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

we did going in was to not change the gender of the characters as written by Dickens. I’m definitely a woman playing another gender, which I’ve done many times in my career.”

Instead, they called Belle a woman instead of a girl and removed language that today would be considered racist.

“We worked to find places where we can represent and avoid stereotypes and things that are offensive to people,” McFadzen says.

She says Dickens was a wordy writer and often used 25 words to say what could have been said with three.

“Finding those places to trim down

and get the gist of what is happening (was our focus),” McFadzen says. “There were a few places where we could just cut something, but then other places where the language is so beautiful and Dickens creates such beautiful images that we say, that’s got to stay.”

The show will be performed on an outdoor stage the Herberger is building so its resident theaters have a safe place to perform. They’ve dubbed it the Herberger Theater Center Pavilion.

Childsplay, like all theater organizations, was deeply affected by the pandemic and the resulting shutdown.

McFadzen says they had to cancel a production, but then they shifted to entirely online for their remaining programming.

This included their summer academy.

“It was more successful than I thought it could ever be,” says McFadzen, who noted that many of her colleagues were concerned about how to teach theater online.

“It was surprisingly effective.”

They then shifted to offering four one-person shows with a grant provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and additional underwriting to send those shows out free to schools.

But with the Herberger building the outdoor stage, Childsplay can get back to doing live theater, starting with “A Christmas Carol.”

The Herberger has laid down artificial turf and installed fencing. The stage is covered, and the seating will accommodate around 160 people, with the actual arrangements changing for each show.

The house will be set up based on the size of groups reserved. So, if a group of six comes, they’ll have six chairs together. If a person comes alone, he or she will have a single seat spaced out from the others.

“It’s an interesting experiment,” McFadzen says. “It is an interesting pivot. I think it is just great that they’re giving people an opportunity to produce theater that’s live.”

McFadzen will be at least 12 feet from the audience. Entrances and exits will be arranged in one direction to help protect distancing.

“Being outside is always safer,” McFadzen says. “I would encourage people to just get out and find some joy in the holiday season. There hasn’t been a lot of that in the past few months. It’s a time to be with your bubble—whether it is close family or a group of friends.

The audience will wear masks, and I feel pretty confident it will be a safe environment if people follow the rules.”

She is looking forward to bringing this story back and playing the wide variety of characters. She says she enjoys all 20 characters, some more caricatured than others. She highlights the ghosts because they are entities rather than humans,

adding to the interest in presenting them.

For each of the characters, she changes herself physically and adds something to her voice. Her costume was specially designed for her as a feminine masculine look.

But it all comes down to Scrooge.

“Scrooge is the most delightful,” McFadzen says. “He is Scrooge throughout the show, but by the end, he’s a completely different person full of life and joy. To have that arc and make that transition is joyful and delightful, and I feel honored to do it.”

While she and Wiener put together this adaptation of the 1843 classic several years ago, McFadzen says the story is still relevant.

“It is a story about redemption and people’s ability to change, and in changing there is hope,” McFadzen says. “Looking at this character as a person who is capable, with influence from outside entities, of changing and becoming a better human—I think there are strong parallels and metaphors to what is happening in the world today.”

Childsplay’s “A Christmas Carol” Various times Saturday, November 28, to Wednesday, December 23 The Herberger Theatre Center Pavilion, 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix Tickets start at $22.50 herbergertheater.org

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

DINING

EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH

A TASTE OF ASIA I West Mesa cluster offers a gastronomic tour of the continent

By Sarah Nguyen

n West Mesa, the Asian District, a 2-mile stretch of over 70 Asian-themed and Asian American-owned businesses, proudly stands.

Having the highest number of Asian businesses in one cluster in the state, the district allows Arizonans to have a taste of Asia without leaving the Valley. The centerpiece is Mekong Plaza, where visitors can witness the best of Asia.

Down the street is the Korean restaurant Hodori, a mainstay in Mesa for 18 years. The short rib barbecue and kimchi chigae, a kimchi and pork stew, are favorites of regulars. Owner Sean Kim is meticulous about the freshness of his ingredients.

“Side dishes change daily,” Kim says.

“It depends on what is fresh in the markets.”

As a perk, all side dishes are free as long as the customer orders rice and an entrée.

For those who are new to Korean food, Kim recommends any of the barbecue menu items, like bulgogi, a ribeye beef barbecue.

Satisfy your sweet tooth at AZ

HAPPY BAO’S

International Marketplace’s Miss Dessert, which blends Chinese, Vietnamese and Malaysian influences to create a taste completely of its own.

Owner Harry Yu, who opened his first Miss Dessert in 2013 in Houston, offers treats and drinks that serve as a reprieve from the unrelenting Arizona heat.

“If you want something refreshing to drink, I would recommend the Mega fruit tea or Peach Smash with crystal boba,” says Yu, who will soon open a Gilbert location.

Complement the choice of drink with decadent desserts like durian pancakes, a fluffy dish infused with a tropical Asian fruit.

Due to the pandemic, Miss Dessert only offers delivery MISS DESSERT and to-go options

for customers.

Have a taste of Hue, a region in Vietnam known for its distinctive dishes, at Mekong Plaza’s Hue Gourmet.

“Our most-popular menu items include No. 202 and No. 301,” owner Dung Van says.

Banh canh cua is No. 202. It’s a soup with handcut noodles, crab meat and shrimp. No. 301 is cha gio— four crispy shrimp eggrolls.

For those who are new to the cuisine of Vietnam, Van recommends No. 303, banh xeo, a Vietnamese pancake served with shrimp topping, vegetables and dipping sauce.

While dining in is still possible, tables and seating have been spaced due to the pandemic for social distancing.

A relatively new addition to the Asian District and Mekong Plaza is Happy Bao’s, which opened in March 2019 and specializes in the Chinese bao.

“For those who have never tried bao, I

would best describe it as a hand-wrapped bun,” owner Matthew Ma says.

According to Ma, the most popular menu item is xiao long bao, a dish of eight pork and scallion dumplings served in chicken broth.

The restaurant reopened in August and allows customers to dine in.

Vicente Reid, the chief executive officer of the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce, played a large role in the development of the district.

“It’s a way for us as a community to gather in one area of the city to be proud of and really help promote,” Reid says.

“It’s a true microcosm of what it is to be Asian Pacific American.”

The Asian District Hodori, 1116 S. Dobson Road, Mesa, 480.668.7979, hodoriaz.com Miss Dessert, 1832 W. Broadway Road, Mesa, 480.912.3585, missdessertus.com Hue Gourmet, 66 S. Dobson Road, Suite 126, Mesa, 480.251.7429, huegourmetmesa.com Happy Bao’s, 66 S. Dobson Road, Suite 112, Mesa, 480.912.1207, happybaosmesa.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

‘FAMILIAR BUT NOT PREDICTABLE’ The Craftsman brings new flavors to Scottsdale

24

UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

By Kristine Cannon

N

orth Scottsdale recently welcomed a new neighborhood restaurant called The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen— where cocktails and craftsmanship come first, literally.

Specializing in hand-crafted cocktails and traditional, comfort food dishes with a global twist, The Craftsman’s menu was created by executive chef Christopher Nicosia.

“I want the food to be familiar but not predictable,” Nicosia says.

It boasts a variety of small plates, like AZ Hot Chicken Lollipops, Korean chili powder-dusted and freeze-dried kimchisprinkled popcorn, and a rotating menu of flatbreads that includes housemade lamb belly sausage flatbread.

There also is an even bigger selection of mouthwatering sandwiches, such as Wagyu pastrami, Jamaican-spiced crispy chicken, and a grilled cheese slathered with jalapeño-fig jam as well as intriguing signature dishes like the green chile braised volcano pork shank with jalapeño slaw and cilantro lime queso.

The Craftsman doesn’t skimp on the flavor.

The unique take on comfort food—a far cry from Nicosia’s time spent as executive chef of the now-closed, upscale southern Italian restaurant Sassi in Scottsdale—was a welcome next step for Nicosia.

“It was a great opportunity for me to do something other than the Italian I’ve been doing for most of my career,” says Nicosia, who started at Constantino’s Italian restaurant at Desert Mountain in the aughts and then accepted the executive chef role at Sassi, where he dedicated about a decade of his career.

“It was nice to be able to get out of

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

that box,” Nicosia continues.

“Not that I didn’t love that little Italian box—that’s where my heart and soul is—but it’s been nice to be able to stretch out and cook food that I cook at home.”

Nicosia says his personal favorite on the menu is The Craftsman’s scallop toast with sweet corn puree, bacon and candied chile.

“It’s like shrimp toast at an Asian restaurant, but the sauce is more of a sweet corn sauce.

It’s just a fun little twist,” he says.

The Craftsman’s menu also includes a nod to two popular Sassi dishes: wood oven roasted branzino and its orecchiette.

The Craftsman’s version of the branzino, however, has more of a Southwest twist to it.

“I’m putting a little more of Arizona into my food when I couldn’t before—using chiles, using spices, using things that really never translated to Italian food,” Nicosia says.

As for the orecchiette, a house sausage with chiles, local greens and pecorino, “we will be making the sausage just like we always did,” Nicosia says. “The focus is more on the technique and the style and detail of producing it.”

This attention to technique is what also sets The Craftsman’s menu apart.

“We’re doing things just as a craftsman would—paying more attention to exactly what goes into the process of it,” he says.

The Craftsman is inspired by owner Letty Ebel’s late grandfatherin-law, Victor Ebel, a farmer-turnedwoodworker.

Victor—who, along with his wife

Laura Fuchtman, started one of the first Grade A dairy farms—spent his retirement making jewelry boxes, curio cabinets and grandfather clocks as well as custom furniture.

“Victor was an inspiration to us all.

He was a hard worker and loved what he did,” Letty says.

“When he passed away, our family put ‘A Craftsman’ on his headstone,” she continues. “His memory and principles inspire us today for our new restaurant.”

Victor’s two grandsons, James and Jason Ebel, are no stranger to Scottsdale.

Jim and James, Letty’s husband, once owned the now-shuttered Two Brothers Tap House & Brewery. They have owned and operated Two Brothers and The Craftsman in Illinois since 1996 and 2016, respectively.

According to Letty, they’ve had the Scottsdale Craftsman in the works since last summer.

“We were not in a hurry and wanted to make sure we found the right location for our concept,” Letty says. “We found the building in November and finalized it at the first of this year.”

Letty describes the 6,375-square-foot interior as boasting “many different materials and details that speak to the skills of a master craftsman.”

That includes stone and woodwork, soft leathers, and greenery.

“It is a very inviting and comfortable space, which speaks true to our ‘come as you are’ attitude,” Letty says.

The Craftsman also features an onsite distillery.

Not only are select entrees and desserts infused with in-house distilled spirits and craft beers, but The Craftsman will also feature, sample and sell its own line of distilled spirits, including vodka, gin, rum, barrel-aged amaro, bourbon, and coffee liqueur.

Letty said The Craftsman’s main goal is to give people a “fun place to spend time and leave their worries at the door.”

“It really has a very casual, neighborhood feel,” Nicosia adds. “We want them to be able to come here several times a week and get a different experience.”

Menu prices range from $15 to $30, and it includes a kids menu that even features an item suggested by Nicosia’s daughter: a fresh fruit-filled chocolate waffle cone.

“My daughter is the one who said, ‘You should do this,’” Nicosia says. “It’s very simple: It’s a little chocolate chip waffle cone filled with so much fruit.

“We also want to make sure that they understand that, you know, kids are absolutely welcome,” he adds. “Because a lot of times, we know they’re the decision maker.”

The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen opened October 15 in the Hayden Peak Crossing retail center.

“The Craftsman Cocktails and Kitchen is the perfect addition to the stellar lineup of retailers and restaurants at Hayden Peak Crossing,” says Kerry Linthicum of CBRE, which arranged the lease. This new concept will be a great option for nearby residents and tourists seeking a creative casual dining experience in the area.”

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

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

25

FILLED WITH HAPPINESS

Take & Bake Churro Kits are the perfect holiday activity

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

P

hoenicians can appreciate a good churro. However, with the lack of food truck festivals and fairs, we’re hard-pressed to find them.

Entrepreneur Scott Porter came up with an alternative to bring them into homes—the Take & Bake Churro Kit. “We’ve been making our churros fresh from scratch, and we always fry them fresh on demand,” he says about his food truck. “We fill them with happiness, is what we say. We take happiness to the masses now with the Take & Bake

Churro Kit.” San Diablo Artisan Churros is the only nationwide purveyor of gourmet fresh filled churros. The kit includes 13 premade and chilled mini churros ($23.99). The award-winning churro dough is made from scratch, fried to golden perfection, and coated with sugar and freshly ground cinnamon.

San Diablo’s Take & Bake kit gives customers flexibility to fill churros in their home kitchen with a filling of their choice, including dulce de leche, Nutella, sweet cream, homemade lemon curd and raspberry.

“All you do is pop a couple in the oven for 6 minutes and use the reusable

squeeze bottle to fill them with whatever you like,” Porter says.

The idea came about when Porter’s company lost its corporate event businesses due to COVID-19. He says he got creative after friends told him to ship the churros to friends or family for their birthdays or for corporate care packages.

“We decided to make this happen,” he says. “People can give them as gifts, celebrate a special day or have fun with loved ones at home. “It’s a little bit of an activity. You can fill them with the filling we send or experiment with what you have in the kitchen.”

Gluten-sensitive churros are available

as well. The dough is gluten free; however, they are fried with the same oil as flour ones.

“Depending on how severe the reaction is, some folks can have those,” he says. “Shortly, we’ll be selling our signature cinnamon sugars. We grind our own cinnamon. We have normal cinnamon sugar, a diablo cayenne spice with cinnamon sugar, or habanero sugar with cinnamon sugar. We’ll be packaging and selling them in the pack with the three.”

San Diablo Artisan Chirros Order: sandiablochurros.com

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

26

BEER AND WINE

SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

‘HARE’ OF THE DOG

Distillery’s owners add a personal touch to its tasting room

By Jacqueline Robledo

A

fter several years of running a business and working in academia, the husband-and-wife team of Jim Matz and Wendy Tilton decided it was time to try something new. The couple moved to Arizona from the East Coast and opened up a small-batch distillery in Tempe.

Matz ran his own business for 17 years and is great with problem solving and people, and Tilton has an interest in trying new things and improving outcomes. Thus, they’re a perfect team for a distillery dedicated to bringing their customers the best possible premium spirits that are smooth and delicious.

The idea began when Tilton helped a friend in Texas cross off an item on his bucket list: making whiskey.

With Tilton’s science background, she was able to assist her friend with his experiment.

Years later, on their way out West, the couple moved to New Mexico, where they had a patio party and let friends try the product Tilton produced with her friend.

“We had some friends over, and they very much enjoyed it,” Matz says. “And it made Wendy and I think, ‘You know what? What can we do to really get this going to the level of a distillery?”

The couple thus began Wild Hare Distillery in 2018 and officially opened their tasting room in Tempe in May 2019.

Matz explained that their distillery began doing really well by the end of last year, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They are slowly getting their followers back and are hopeful they will be back in full swing by next year, with plans to grow their small business.

“There’s a certain point we want to grow to.” Matz says. “We don’t want to get huge. We want to keep it small because this is who we are.”

Matz places an importance on keeping a very personal feel to their distillery.

“We’ll just start telling stories and just basically hanging out and becoming ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

friends with them,” he says. “And that’s important to me because it brings that one-on-one experience.”

They distill all of their products on-site using raw materials. The distillery offers tastings, tours and a bar where it gives its customers the option to try the spirits in cocktails.

Wild Hare Distillery offers nine premium agave spirits in its Drove line.

Every spirit is distilled in-house with raw materials and premium agave nectar.

The Drove collection offers: • Cristal, the base spirit that is 100% blue weber agave.

• Roble Blanco Salvaje, a 93 proof Madagascar vanilla bean cristal.

• La Vanilla, a Madagascar vanilla beaninfused spirit.

• Roble Hungaro, Hungarian oakinfused spirit resembling a smoky whiskey.

• Cafe Negro, using coffee beans from Ethiopia.

• El Roble, an oak-infused spirit.

• La Canela, a cinnamon-infused agave spirit.

• El Chocolate, a raw chocolate-infused spirit.

Bottles can be purchased for $35 to

$65.

Wild Hare Distillery is passionate about keeping its products as simple as possible and is dedicated to using raw materials with no extra added ingredients.

“We want to make a product that is just natural flavoring,” Matz says. “And then that leaves it up to the person to decide what they want to add, if they

even want to add it. We take pride in that we don’t want to use sugar in any of our agaves.”

Wild Hare Distillery 5869 S. Kyrene Road, Suite 18, Tempe wildharedistillery.com

GREAT BEER PAIRINGS

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

27

S&V: URBAN ITALIAN

By Alison Bailin Batz

BEER

FULL NAME OF BEER: SCOTTSDALE BLONDE BREWERY: HUSS BREWING COMPANY STYLE: GERMAN-STYLE KOLSCH Scottsdale Blonde is an award-winning German-style kolsch by Huss Brewing Company. Brewed like a lager, this local favorite is Huss Brewing’s flagship beer.

It is crisp, light and refreshing, with a slightly sweet finish.

DISH

NAME OF DISH: MEATBALL SLIDERS COST OF DISH: $8 S&V’s signature meatball sliders are a happy hour staple. This delicious starter is baked to perfection in marinara sauce and then topped with fresh mozzarella on a brioche bread bun. It is a simple work of art when paired alongside an ice-cold Scottsdale Blonde, whose light acid makes the marinara dance. S&V also recommends trying the Scottsdale Blonde with its salmon salad if you are looking for something a little lighter.

S&V Urban Italian 9343 E. Shea Boulevard, Suite 100, Scottsdale sandvurbanitalian.com

“S&V Urban Italian in Scottsdale opened its doors in 2011 and since has cornered the market for exceptional urban Italian cuisine, thanks to its old family recipes and casual, laid-back vibe. From its diverse wine selection and wood-fired brick oven pizzas to seasonal dishes

changed biweekly, S&V offers something for everyone’s palate. Our authentic dishes have a modern twist and pair perfectly with our offerings of local beers and signature wines. We love supporting local whenever possible, and our favorite beer right now is the Scottsdale Blonde from

Huss Brewing Company. It pairs well with many of our dishes, like the salmon tower, bruschetta and flatbreads. We also offer happy hour every day, so it is the perfect excuse to come visit us and enjoy a delicious pairing.”

—Sheena Gamache, general manager of S&V Urban Italian

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MAD MIXOLOGIST O 28

UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

By Alison Bailin Batz

pened earlier this year, The Americano is inspired by iconic Italian steakhouses across the country yet infuses its own modern twist on the concept—all with great success. Billed as modern in its approach and techniques yet Italian in spirit, the 7,000-square-foot space has an open kitchen with a wood-fired grill. The spacious dining room features crescentshaped booths as well as butcher blockstyle tables and modern art throughout.

The color palette includes dark grays and light greens.

And then there is the expansive bar.

Inside the bar and lounge there is a sizeable island, and almost all seats offer a view of the large outdoor patio area.

After homing in on guests’ preferences, the team recently launched a new cocktail experience.

We recently sat down with Jacqueline Verge, who is a mixology master at the Scott Conant-helmed concept, to learn more about her rise as well as the evolving cocktail program at the property.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS CAREER? I started my hospitality career as a hostess at an Italian restaurant when I was 18. I had just finished my high school and dancing career and was finally able to balance a work schedule along with beginning my college experience at ASU. I quickly started finding a love for the hospitality industry and realized greeting and seating guests wasn’t enough busy work for me (keep in mind I danced 40 hours a week while keeping up with schoolwork). I asked to become a busser

and, honestly, I was laughed at because the managers doubted that me being a girl could accomplish such a job. They ate their words. Literally apologized to my face! Anyway, I slowly progressed along the restaurant ladder, moving into the market area to work on charcuterie, espresso, takeouts, etc., and then when I was old enough (19 at the time) I pursued becoming a server. Eventually, this landed me at a cigar bar (of all places), where I spent three years training under and working alongside my current colleague, Christopher Cuestas, a mentor.

WHAT’S THE ODDEST DRINK ORDER YOU’VE HAD? In the past two months, I’ve been asked twice for a smoked Diet Coke.

Umm, what? To give perspective, we have a cocktail smoking program where we use a cherry wood smoker, but it’s for the cocktails.

ODDEST INGREDIENT YOU’VE USED IN A COCKTAIL? Our first cocktail list at The Americano featured a prosciutto washed

THE BASIC BB 2 ounces Captain Morgan Spiced Black Rum 1/2 ounce Borghetti Caffé Liqueur 1/4 ounce St. Elizabeth All Spice Dram 1 ounce pumpkin simple syrup (we make ourselves using pumpkin peels) Shake all the ingredients in a shaker tin and pour into a white coupe.

Garnish with a caramelized candy disk and edible gold leaf.

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Malfy Gin with a cantaloupe shrub.

Yes, prosciutto. In a cocktail. And no, it wasn’t a bloody mary. But it actually turned out great. A close second would be all the fresh pumpkin we are peeling (not carving) to use as an ingredient in our Basic BB.

WHAT DOES ORDERING A VODKA TONIC SAY ABOUT A PERSON? I would say it likely means the person likes things simple—and they want the cocktail fast. And trust me, I’m right there with that person sometimes, although personally, I enjoy a Drumshanbo gin and tonic versus the vodka version.

FAVORITE MEMORY WORKING BEHIND THE BAR? If I had to pick, it might be when one of my regulars will ask for her “you know what I like” cocktail. This 100% means “you know I love it all, just do your thing because I trust you” cocktail.

Walking around the bar tapping my chin with my finger, and seemingly staring off in a gaze while my creative gears turn, and putting together some creative new flavors she hasn’t had yet is my absolute favorite. But the memory itself is watching her reaction, the sheer disbelief in her eyes that all those flavors are working together in such harmony. I live for that look.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR SOMEONE LOOKING TO GET INTO THE INDUSTRY? I have a few. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re not going to know

every cocktail in existence. You will break glasses. You will forget ingredients. Each mistake is a lesson to be learned and to grow from.

Perfection lies in how you strive to attain it.

TELL US ABOUT THE AMERICANO’S CURRENT COCKTAIL PROGRAM. We are Italian in spirit—figuratively and literally in many cases—and we sweat the small stuff to make it special for you. Expect hand-blown crystal Riedel glassware, state-of-the-art equipment and tools, precise execution and visual delivery. We are unique in that we seek small-batch, hand-crafted and hard-to-find Italian liquors and spirits in every way possible. The overall vision is straight forward: Create balanced, innovative cocktails that are visually striking while pushing the palate to experience new creative limits and boundaries.

WHAT IS ONE DRINK YOU WANT US TO FEATURE THIS MONTH? The Basic BB.

WHY DO YOU LIKE THIS COCKTAIL? Because it is fall in a glass.

The Americano 17797 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480.573.0001, theamericanorestaurant.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

CASINOS

29

PLAY » SPIN » LAUGH » GROOVE » UNWIND » WIN

ROLL THIS!

Talking Stick Resort opens new high-limit gaming room

By Adianna Bermudez

T

alking Stick Resort has a new way for high-limit gamers to gamble.

Last month, the casino resort opened 89 high-denomination slot machines and 14 high-stakes table games, with décor inspired by the Salt River PimaMaricopa Indian Community.

“Talking Stick Resort is continuously evolving to give our guests new, exciting experiences while on our property,” says Ramon Martinez, director of public relations of Talking Stick Resort.

The casino and hotel offers 496 deluxe rooms, 11 restaurants and lounges, a world-class spa, a 650-seat showroom, a ballroom, a cultural center, and ample indoor and outdoor

meeting space.

The new gaming room is 6,250 square feet and accented with chandeliers, mirrored columns and carpeting matching the Salt River Pima-Maricopa

Indian Community’s logo.

The lounge features a mural of Red Mountain, in honor of the Pima and Maricopa people.

“We have long wanted a high-limit room that echoed the energy and style shown throughout the property. This space does that,” Martinez says.

“Players will feel the same exciting atmosphere echoed throughout the property but will have a VIP-like experience.”

The high-limit room will have its own entrance, cage and restrooms.

“Talking Stick Resort has been working on an expansion to the property’s east wing,” Martinez says.

On the second floor, guests can get a taste of the resort’s new Mediterranean restaurant, Tash, which is set to open in January.

On the casino floor, guests can grab a drink at the new Sage Bar, also set to open early next year.

“The resort’s new high-limit room is everything a player could want in one space,” Martinez says.

Talking Stick Resort 9800 Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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SPORTS

CHEER » HIT » HIKE » LEAD » ROOT » COMPETE

NO MULLIGAN

Russ Ortiz’s 2GG Apparel donates all proceeds to charity

By Morgan Cole

A

s the holiday season approaches, charities’ demand for donations and involvement increases— this year even more so because of the pandemic.

Founded by 12-year MLB pitcher Russ Ortiz, Mesa’s 2GG Apparel is a golf shop that donates 100% of its proceeds to charity.

Ortiz began selling golf clothing in 2013. The business was originally called “2nd Guy Golf,” but it was later shortened to 2GG. Ortiz says the name comes from the golf term “mulligan.” Normally when someone takes a mulligan, they do better the second time. Therefore, a golfer who takes a mulligan might say “that second guy is always better.”

Ortiz’s passion for charity started when he was in the minor leagues. He says one of his coaches advised them to find charities and organizations to work with in the minor or Major League teams’ cities.

“I really took that to heart,” Ortiz says.

Before his second season in the Major League, Ortiz says he did just that. He found this in the YMCA. “It allowed me to see how much of an impact people could make on other

people,” Ortiz says.

He continued his involvement with organizations throughout his years in the MLB. Ortiz has been passionate about golf as his playtime increased in the Major League.

“Baseball is my passion. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do,” he says.

“Now that that was over, whatever I got into after that I wanted to make sure that I was still passionate about it and that it was going to be something that I really loved.”

The idea to combine these two passions came from looking in his closet and realizing that all of his golf clothes looked the same. He thought it’d be fun to come up with new designs.

Ortiz says he knew he wanted to donate a certain percentage of the profit to charity, but after some thought, he decided to donate all proceeds to charity.

“Why not just give everything away and make a bigger impact?” Ortiz says rhetorically.

The store has donated to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Folds of Honor, Blue Star Mothers, Veteran Golfers Association and Feed My Starving Children, the latter of which is a Christian nonprofit that aims to feed youth around the world.

“The thing I wanted to do is to try to make as big of an impact as we could to as many people as we could,” Ortiz says.

The mission statement on the 2GG Apparel website is to give, which is what the holiday season is all about.

“We have a saying that when you buy, you give,” Ortiz says.

2GG Apparel 5852 E. McKellips Road, Suite 107, Mesa 1.888.818.6826, 2ggapparel.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

FAMILY

31

FROLIC » DISCOVER » IMAGINE » FAMILY » FUN » CONNECT

A Magical Christmas Journey Verde Canyon Railroad takes kids and wildlife to Santa

C

By Victoria Stibrik hristmas is coming, and Verde Canyon Railroad will celebrate with Liberty Wildlife of Arizona as the Magical Christmas Journey comes to Clarkdale.

“We respect all of our friends who have different railroads that run the Polar Express, and we know there are a lot of different places that do Santa’s Workshops,” says Teresa Propeck, vice president of marketing and passenger services.

“Our train has always been different than other people’s trains. But during the Magical Christmas Journey, I’m Peppermint Elf.” Verde Canyon Railroad’s Magical Christmas Journey is truly a one-ofa-kind experience with a special guest appearance by Flurry the bald eagle.

“We wrote the story and created the characters, the unique North Pole, the miniature village, the entire concept. We created it a little over two years ago, and we’ve trademarked it so it is completely different than any other Christmas

experience that people will have,” Propeck says.

It starts with a miniature village and eagle wings. The kids strap on the wings and “soar” through the little village.

It’s a concept designed so kids can see what an eagle in flight sees when passing over Clarkdale. There are plenty of family photo opportunities, but most importantly there are refreshments— festive refreshments.

“There’s a lot of interaction long before they get on the train,” Propeck says.

“We really like to make it that from the moment they get to the depot, it’s a very, very holiday experience throughout the entire time they’re there.”

Then comes the wildlife-filled train ride to the North Pole to pick up Santa Claus himself. (He declined to be interviewed.)

“We take people into this canyon to see the wildlife and the beauty on an everyday train ride in a setting where no one ever gets off our train, no one has ever impacted the wildlife or the terrain of our canyon,” Propeck says. “So, we feel like stewards who are protecting this wildlife region. The eagles, the great blue heron, deer, javelina—they all come right out by the tracks because they’re never going to be impacted. We decided

that the story that we wrote needed to reflect our relationship with the canyon and the wildlife.”

On the way to get Santa, passengers can make a wish when traveling through the Magical Tunnel, and once they’ve arrived, they can take in the North Pole in all its Ugly Sweater Factory glory. And on the return trip, Santa will spend time in each car and each child will receive a gift.

COVID-19 restrictions are in place.

Masks are required, temperatures will be taken, train cars will be filled to 50% capacity, social distancing will be enforced, but fun will still be had.

The Magical Christmas Journey starts December 4, and the train runs on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until December 24. The rides are at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and each ride lasts one hour.

“We just want people to come out and have family time. We look forward to everyone coming and riding,” Propeck says.

Verde Canyon Railroad’s Magical Christmas Journey 300 N. Broadway, Clarkdale 1.800.293.7245, verdecanyonrr.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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MUSIC

LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

Home for t he Holidays

Gilbert-raised Lindsey Stirling celebrates with fans

By Jacqueline Robledo

W

hen Lindsey Stirling was a young girl, her parents said she could either dance or play the violin. She chose the violin and now has 12.6 million subscribers on YouTube.

Raised in Gilbert, Stirling has always had a passion for music. She started playing violin when she was 6 years old and played in a rock band in high school called Stomp on Melvin.

Stirling made her mark on music through her appearance on “America’s Got Talent,” where she impressed the judges with her combination of violin, hip-hop, pop and classical music. She was knocked out of the competition in the quarter finals but s she felt she had been successful in the competition, as she stayed true to herself and her style, which she likes to call “a fusion.”

“I like involving bits of classical, EDM influence and, you know, pop and rock—like it really is just kind of all over

the place. Whatever I’m feeling, it’s a fusion,” she says.

She later played in open mic nights and college shows trying to gain more recognition.

“There was a pretty long time where I was just trying to figure it out, and that can be really discouraging and you feel like maybe a lot of people that’s when they give up,” Stirling says.

Finally, in 2012, after years of hard work, she discovered YouTube.

“That was what really kicked it off for me, what actually kind of made an impact, and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.

OK, this is my niche. This is what’s going to work for me,’” she says.

As her YouTube channel started taking off, Stirling noticed that not only were her subscribers and viewership increasing, but people were buying her music on iTunes. From that point on she realized that the more YouTube videos she produced, the more tickets were sold to her live shows.

“Ever since then it’s just riding that wave trying to keep up with it, trying to keep it going and trying to stay creative

through it all,” she says.

Stirling’s annual winter tour has become a fan favorite across the country since the release of her chart-topping holiday album “Warmer in the Winter” three years ago. Though touring is not possible in 2020, Stirling was dedicated to keep her tradition going.

“I’m so excited about the holiday special. I’ve been working on it for months now pretty much all day, every day,” Stirling says.

This year, she presents “Lindsey Stirling: Home for The Holidays,” a livestream holiday special at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, December 12. After the second showing, the special will be available on demand for 72 hours.

“It’s a show that no one’s ever seen before,” Stirling says. “It has the seamless flow of a live performance, but we’re going to have the ability, because it’s pretaped, to have the type of filming that you would see in a music video and the type of props that you know we could never tour with live and certain acts that could, again, never be done on a tour.

And so, I really didn’t want this to be

just a second-rate experience.”

Stirling explains she will bring something to the show that has never been done before.

“People’s minds are going to be blown.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. There’s a reason no one’s ever done it before, and I think it’s going be really cool,” she says.

More than anything, Stirling says she hopes people watching will feel uplifted and are reminded of hope during this time.

“Christmas is full of so many different kinds of emotions, you know, be it spiritual, be it missing people, joy, you know—there’s just so many different emotions tied to it, so I’m going to hit on all of those, and I hope people feel it all,” she says.

“Lindsey Stirling: Home for The Holidays” 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Saturday, December 12 Tickets start at $20 lindseystirling.com

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

The True Magic of Christmas

Dee Snider deďŹ es persona to make the holiday charming

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

T

wisted Sister’s Dee Snider doesn’t come across as a warm and fuzzy type. But 30 years ago, he penned the holiday song “The Magic of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone)� for his wife, Suzette.

The tune was later recorded

by Celine Dion, who made it a smash.

Accompanied by Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Snider is hoping to do the same. Their rock rendition features bells, rowdy riffs and the two iconic vocalists playing off one another. “The Magic of Christmas Day� goes beyond just one song for Snider. “My wife is very influential,� he says. “I don’t know what possessed her. She’s a bit of a white witch.

She said, ‘Write me a Christmas song.’ I said, ‘I’m a heavy metal guy. What are you? Crazy?’�

He said that even though he’s a classically trained countertenor, he couldn’t do it immediately. “Then, this idea came to my head,�

Snider adds. “I couldn’t even sing it in full range. I had to bring in session singers. That was it. It was one song I never wrote for commercial release.�

Five or so years later, Snider was in a recording session when he was told Dion wanted to record “The Magic of Christmas Day.� His response was natural. “‘Does she know who wrote it? Don’t tell her Satan wrote a Christmas song,’� he recalls with a laugh. “I was at a low point in my career, financially. It became one of the biggestselling holiday records in history.�

Snider decided to rerecord it because of the pandemic and the election tearing the world—and families—apart. He just needed a woman with whom to duet.

The answer was Hale. “The song itself is melodic,� he says. “The middle section is like ‘and the rockets’ red glare’ in ‘The Star-Spangled

Banner.’ I couldn’t hit the high notes. I was drawn to having somebody newer and younger who had the fire. “I’m not saying my fire is out. It is not.

It didn’t hurt to have a yule log under (me). Lzzy went in the studio. I sent her an email and said, ‘(Expletive) you.’�

Hale wondered what was wrong. “I said, ‘Oh, no no. I’m from New York. That’s the highest compliment you can get,’� Snider says. “That girl just roasted me. I went back in the studio and rerecorded my vocals. My first pass wasn’t good enough. She outsang me on it, but I wrote it. I get extra points.�

Hale is just as enamored with Snider. “If you’re ever, in your life, going to go full-on, all-gas, no-breaks Christmas cheer, you do it Dee Snider style,� Hale says. “I was so honored to get the call from Dee on this holiday classic. We rediscovered our respect and admiration for each other’s talent. The final recording, produced by Jeff Pilson, is insanely epic.�

Snider is, admittedly, a Christmas

junkie, which is part of the reason why Suzette asked him to pen the tune.

He calls his holiday decorations “so elaborate, involved and epic.� “It looks like Macy’s,� he says.

Perhaps the most striking part of his holiday addiction is what he did for his children. He kept a holiday journal every year. When his kids were moving out of the house either to attend college or to be on their own, he gave them each one. “I took the journals and bound them in red leather and gold leaf trim pages,�

The Insider’s Guide to Arizona Entertainment

he says. “‘The Magic of Christmas’ was written in old English writing. I presented it to each of them on the last year we shared the big house together.

Some of them were crying. It was a pretty powerful moment and a way to end an epic Christmas (run).�

“The Magic of Christmasâ€? youtube.com/ watch?v=WQBCgjwreG8 PHX METRO Âť JANUARY 2020

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SPOOKY’S SWIRLS

Handcrafted e for meats mak treats delectable

BIG DREAMS

‘Americano!’ is the show of the year

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D-BACKS FAN FEST

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Dave Kindig is selling his ‘bitchin’ rides’ at Barrett-Jackson JULIANA HATFIELD

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Jammin’ Lee runs for Perreira charity SPRING TRAIN NOTHING ING BUT SCHEDULES GOOD NEW S The Black Moods crack the chart s

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VITA The Italia n comes to Festival Phoenix

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UPSAHL’S ‘YOUNG LIFE CRISIS’ UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

Phoenix native embraces her COVID-19 breakdown

By Tracy Heck

W

ith live shows at a standstill, Phoenix’s Taylor Upsahl has been staying busy, releasing her new “Young Life Crisis” EP, catching Lizzo’s eye and co-writing Dua Lipa’s “Good in Bed.” The alternapop singer, known to her fans as simply Upsahl, had just started a tour before the COVID-19 shutdown.

“I had one show that I played and then got sent home,” she says. “I was prepared to be touring until August or September of this year. My whole year got changed, so I just wrote an EP instead.”

“Young Life Crisis” is the epitome of 2020, with five tracks detailing Upsahl’s own struggles with life, heartbreak and hope.

“This EP is about my own ‘young life crisis’ that I had this year,” she says.

“I’ve been really candid about it on social media, for anyone who feels the same way they do. It shows them they are not alone. Social media has changed the game of putting out music, allowing us to really connect instantly with fans around the world.”

Writing “Young Life Crisis” was a practice in technology. She generally writes daily, but this time, she started Zoom writing sessions.

“I started noticing that, with everyone stuck inside, they were all having to deal with their problems,” Upsahl says.

“I thought, ‘I have a lot of my own problems that I’ve never dealt with. I figured if I filled up my days with Zoom sessions, I could continue to avoid having to deal with my issues.”

The EP’s name came from a cowriter who heard about Upsahl’s problems and suggested, “It sounds to me like you’re having a young life crisis.”

“That’s when the clouds parted and I was like, “That’s what this EP is!” I had accidentally narrated me having a mental breakdown. That tied the bow on the whole project.”

The “Young Life Crisis” video was filmed at Upsahl’s home out of necessity.

“I wanted it to follow what the song was talking about, which is waking up the next morning after kind of messing up your life and having a bit of an existential crisis,” she adds.

“We were looking at locations and trying to figure out where to do it, and it hit me that I’d been going through my ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

crisis at home, so why not film it there?

My roommates were very gracious and let me bring a whole video crew in for the day. It was a lot of fun.”

Looking ahead, the singer-songwriter says she plans to work on new music every day, with a “fun track” coming during the holiday season.

“My biggest plan for 2021 is just to release as much music as possible,” she shares.

“When you write every day, there are

so many songs you wish everyone could hear, but it’s just not feasible to put them all out. That’s why next year I’m going to go hard and release as much music as possible.”

During the first part of the quarantine, the singer moved back to her parents’ house in Phoenix, before returning to Los Angeles. She admits to missing Arizona, especially her mom’s “dope sandwich shop” Captain Bill’s Submarine Shop at 10645 N. 35th

Avenue, Phoenix; Postino; and Green at 2022 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix.

“I feel so lucky to have grown up there,” she says. “Venue-wise, the Crescent Ballroom is sick, and Valley Bar is dope. As soon as shows are up and running again, hopefully I can play some of those venues again.”

There have been a few pluses during the pandemic, though. Upsahl has collaborated with other artists, like Dua Lipa. She was overjoyed by the Lizzo TikTok duet.

“I thought it was crazy,” she says. “I started those things as a joke because I was bored in quarantine. Then I saw the Lizzo interview and thought it was cool, but I never in a million years thought she would see it, let alone react to it. As a woman in the industry, I’ve looked up to her for the past few years, so the fact that she even knows who I am is amazing.”

Drawing inspiration from other artists’ live sets is also important to the singer.

“When you see another artist do shows, you get so many ideas and you feel so inspired,” says Upsahl, who turned 22 on Thanksgiving.

“When I saw Tame Impala, the lighting they had was so impressive and all the different jam sessions that they would go to in between songs was cool.

And then I remember seeing Pink Sweats at Lolla, and he ended his whole set with a drum solo. I was like, ‘Damn. Time for me to learn drums.’”

Upsahl upsahl.com

SEE YOU AT THE END OF THE WORLD THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

35

Phoenix singer Sydney Sprague shares how to be a better person

By Taylor O’Connor

S

ydney Sprague knows full well about the struggles and challenges of 2020. She took that and weaved it into her debut album, “Maybe I Will See You at the End of the World.”

Scheduled for release February 26, the album will feature the first two singles, “Steve” and “I Refuse to Die,” which are available on Spotify and Apple Music.

This record was written during a tough “season” of Sprague’s life.

“It was one of those periods where there was intense growing,” she says.

“I realized everything in my life wasn’t moving in the direction I wanted it to. It wasn’t popping off.”

The Scottsdale-based artist completely turned her life around. She moved out of her apartment, found a new job and shed her “toxic” friends. Sprague offers 10 songs to help others—along with her paranoia and anxiety about the world.

“Most of these songs just fall out of my head,” she says. “It all bubbles up. I sit down with my guitar and the words just come out. They came naturally to me.”

There were some challenges in finding the right words, though.

“The lack of control of the outside world makes it harder to feel like you have any control of your own personal world,” she says. “It just makes everything more unclear and harder to focus on.

“It’s hard to focus on what’s going on inside your own head when there’s so much going on.”

Sprague says it’s a major comfort that others are going through similar struggles.

“It was, in a way, unifying,” she says.

“I mean, there is still lots of divide, but I

think globally, everybody has had some shared experience.”

In the beginning, Sprague enjoyed her time in quarantine because she spent the previous year touring and traveling.

She says it was nice to stop for a minute, but it got old. Sprague’s looking forward to going back to real life but strives to find a balance between the two worlds everyone grew to know.

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world, Sprague has been grateful for the support from Rude Records, an Italy-based record label that picked up the artist right after she independently released “I Refuse to Die” in March.

“It’s been a literal dream come true,” she says. “Releasing an album into this environment isn’t ideal. You can’t go out and tour. Promoting is a whole different game at this point. Having the PR and

marketing teams and people to help me use the internet to the full advantage is life saving.”

Sprague says she’s been working on visual content because “most people are sitting around on their phones. There’s not as much streaming going on. So, I’m making as many videos and stuff as I can.”

Fans will be able to see all of her singles’ music videos. She’s been very active on Instagram specifically to promote her work.

Although touring isn’t an option quite yet, Sprague recently opened for Cher and Alicia Keys during a Joe Biden rally in Phoenix, which was “the weirdest, out-of-left-field experience” she’s had.

They called Sprague three hours prior to the show, which followed social distancing protocols by giving 6 feet of room between groups of people attending the rally.

“The energy is totally different,” she says. “People are there, they’re enthusiastic, they’re excited, but they can’t move. It’s a whole different type of feeling.”

She says she was very grateful, and it was an exhilarating experience to be on stage after six months.

Although there have been opportunities to play at bars and restaurants, Sprague says she hasn’t agreed to do so to ensure her own safety and the safety of others. To fill the time, she’s been collaborating with fellow Arizona artists and playing guitar for other bands.

The experiences have influenced her ’90s alternative sound heard on “Maybe I Will See You at the End of the World.”

It is through the experiences of being surrounded and supported by the local artists that allowed her to develop.

“I learn a little bit more from every band I work with and it changes my songwriting a little bit,” Sprague says. “It’s super fun as an outlet for me to not have to be the main character all the time.”

To finish the album, Sprague says she wanted to leave a sign of hope for the future. The first track of the album, “I Refuse to Die,” acknowledges the struggle and how she came out on the other side.

“I wanted to put something out into the world to manifest my own happiness or future,” she says. “That, to me, was the bow on top of the album. There’s a lot of internal conflict and struggle through the world throwing punches at you, but you keep going anyway.”

The story of the album is the overall growth and becoming a stronger person through the hardship.

“You have to go through the tough things to become the person you want to be,” she says.

Sydney Sprague “Maybe I Will See You at the End of the World” Out Friday, February 26 Available on Spotify and Apple Music ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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A NEIGHBORHOOD ALBUM UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | IN CLOSING

Lydia’s Leighton Antelman talks ‘I Was Someone Else’

By Andrew Checchia

I

n conversations and interviews, artists often broadly describe their styles as either outward facing or inward facing.

With the former, they look at the world and try to capture something unique within it—maybe a special community, a cultural experience or a type of person—to present some kind of enlightening new perspective on the way we see things around us.

With the latter, artists will look within themselves and try to express an emotional truth, outlining an extremely specific feeling to help others reevaluate themselves or, as is the case with the definitively inward artist Leighton Antelman of Lydia, “to just feel something.”

“I usually don’t wait for something to happen,” Antelman says of his songwriting process. “I think day-to-day life inspires me, but I’ve been trying to dissect why I write songs for years now.

It’s kind of a selfish thing, I guess. I don’t know how else to spend my time during the day. I’ll sit down and noodle on a few ideas.”

Lydia’s frontman and songwriter, Antelman noticed the circumstances of his life and the world around him took him further inside himself for the band’s new album, “I Was Someone Else,” which came out November 20.

Intermittently written and recorded over the course of the past two years by Antelman solely, the record comes after his year-and-a-half break and his sixmonth tour hiatus before the pandemic hit. The album was produced by fellow Lydia musician Matt Keller.

“It had its pros and cons,” Antelman says of the loose recording time frame.

“When I write songs, I feel like they’re never really finished, (but) if you can make enough bad songs you can make a few good ones.”

With this excess time, Antelman lived in Portland, Oregon, for six months before returning to Phoenix. In both places, he found himself in friends’ and bandmates’ backyards, notably fellow Lydia members Keller and Justin Camacho. Every day, especially during the throes of lockdown, Antelman and his recording partners would get together to work on a few ideas.

“I was just kind of tinkering and noodling on songs before the pandemic hit. We hadn’t really had a plan to get back together and write a record,” Antelman says. “It kind of organically happened.”

This intimate, almost neighborhood situation gave the album what Antelman ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

described as a “unique but minimalist” focus. The stripped-back style can be heard in the album’s lead single, “Heavy,” a pop-leaning track built primarily around a piano sample the band found on the internet audiosharing platform Splice.

“Me and Matt were kind of messing around with piano samples. If the part didn’t need to be there, we took it out, and the piano stood on its own,” Antelman said on making “Heavy.”

“Usually with the past records, there have been a lot more cooks in the kitchen.”

With that sample, Antelman also stressed the value of the internet for bands like his. It gives “freedom and power to independent artists” that don’t neatly fall into any kind of genre boundary or traditional narrative.

And no wonder; Gilbert-based Lydia’s unique music and arc fits perfectly into

the diversity of expression that defines music’s internet age. Despite its general association with Warped Tour-era punk acts, the band’s distinct blend of pop, ballads and candidness never quite lined up with what the dominant “culture” might have pushed them toward.”

“The problem: No one ever knew where to put us on tour,” Antelman says of Lydia’s place in the Valley music scene.

Now, years after starting Lydia, Antelman still sees his early influences from that associated scene and the music of his youth on this record, especially in the emotional work of bands like Bright Eyes. That era of often sad, inwardlooking music fostered his particular style of songwriting.

“I think that’s probably what I was listening to. Everybody has their angsty teenage years,” Antelman says of the lasting impact of that influence on his

current style.

But more than anything, this record comes from a place of personal reflection. Antelman finds his inward songwriting’s greatest strength is how it flows directly from him, an authentic expression of his emotions only influenced by the things important to him. Though absolutely not critical of artists more reliant on prevailing trends or cultural clout, Antelman expressed the genuine value he placed on simply being able to share his feelings through music that sounds definitively his own.

“I hope to make songs to make you feel something. To bring some kind of emotion or make you think differently— just to bring individual people joy or peace,” Antelman says.

Lydia lydiaband.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020

37

DINNER AND A SHOW

Authority Zero performs in spite of a big, bad world

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

A

uthority Zero has spent the COVID-19 pandemic performing livestreamed shows.

On Friday, December 18, the band will return to the Marquee Theatre stage for two socially distanced acoustic shows.

“We’re taking it back,” says lead singer Jason DeVore. “It’s dinner and a show.

You can order food there, and the tables are separated.

“The show is unique. We’ve done these types of shows that are complete rewrites of everything.”

Rewriting the songs was fun, DeVore says. Some of them are unrecognizable.

“Sometimes we said, ‘This is the fastest punk rock song. Let’s make it smooth jazz,’” he recalls. “It’s odd how much that seems to work. It’s kept us creative and entertained.”

New music is keeping Authority Zero busy, too. The band has been in Southern California recording with Cameron Webb, who also helmed the 2016 release “Tipping Point.”

Webb has worked with multiple platinum-selling artists, including Motörhead, Sum 41, Kelly Clarkson, Megadeth, Limp Bizkit and Jack Johnson. In 2004, he won a Grammy Award for engineering Kelly Clarkson’s album “Breakaway.”

“Our personal lives have given us a lot to write about,” he says. “Same with the world. We have a lot to write about and reflect upon. It’s been an easy process.

“It’s going to be a 12-song album and, depending on how time goes, maybe 14. It’s going to be a self-release with the hopes of getting it out in late spring.”

COVID-19 has presented DeVore with the silver lining. Since 2001, he’s been on tour most months. During the pandemic and quarantine, DeVore

became reacquainted with his wife. He also spent time writing with his bassist, Mike Spero, and turning lyric sheets into art.

“I’ve been doing silk screen posters, and it’s been another fun art outlet,” he says. “It’s seemingly kept us busy.”

Even more so, DeVore and his partner, Clay Lake, have continued their work with Earth Skateboards, which manufactures products with a focus on giving to foundations and organizations that make a positive impact on the earth.

“We’ve been working on this for seven years,” DeVore says. “I met him at an Authority Zero show in Las Vegas. We started talking about skateboarding and how it coincides with music. He told me his buddies were pros.

“We just went for it. We just started designing quality pressed boards and merch. It’s a fun way to branch out with our name. It’s a labor of love. I wanted to be a pro skateboarder growing up but I

broke my ankle over and over again.”

In the meantime, DeVore is looking forward to Authority Zero’s show.

“It means the world to us,” he says about local shows. “If anybody shows up, it’s going to be great—and safe. We’ve been holed up in our houses and doing online shows here and there, playing to a wall. It’ll be nice to see some faces out there. The current state of affairs is up and down. We and the Marquee are making sure everybody’s going to be safe.”

Authority Zero: Dine-In Concert 6 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.

Friday, December 18 Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe $25-$70 480.829.0607, luckymanonline.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

38

IN CLOSING

FUN » FACTS » LEARN » SHARE » PLAY

NUMBERS

By Annika Tomlin

It takes 570 gallons to paint the exterior of the White House.

99.9% of commercially grown artichokes come from Castroville, California.

Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan is the oldest hotel, founded in 705 AD. About 700 grapes go into a single bottle of wine.

Hawaiian pizza was created in Ontario, Canada, by Greek immigrant Sam Panopoulos in 1962.

Kamala Harris is the first Black, Asian American and female vice president-elect of the United States.

San Francisco allowed Officer Bob Geary to patrol with his ventriloquist dummy Brendan O’Smarty in 1993.

The largest measured snowflake was 15 inches across and 8 inches thick.

10118 is the Empire State Building’s own ZIP code.

The odds of getting a royal flush are exactly 1 in 649,740.

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