LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE
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FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010
PUBLISHER
Michael Skenandore
EDITORIAL
Matt Jacob Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman A&E EDITOR Cindi Reed ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon SENIOR WRITERS Steve Bornfeld, Geoff Carter, Lissa Townsend Rodgers CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana EDITOR
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SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Melinda Sheckells (style)
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Michael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining), David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)
ART
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APRIL 18
At Holy Hurricane, Ballast Point Brewery takes over Aces & Ales on Tenaya Way. Meet, hang and gossip with master brewer Yuseff Cherney while drinking Ballast Point beers from all 50 taps, as well as specialty casks tapped hourly. Plus, enter to win a trip to San Diego. 3 p.m., 2801 N. Tenaya Way, 702-638-2337, AcesAndAles.com.
APRIL 19
MTO Café’s next Sunday Night Supper Series transforms the Downtown location into a Korean brasserie. MTO chefs provide the amuse and soup, while chefs Daniel Ontiveros, Brian Howard, Brian Lhee, Ashley Traeger and Meilani Marriott provide four more courses, including dessert. $65, 5:30 p.m., 500 S. Main St., RSVP to 702-380-8229, MTOCafe.com.
APRIL 25
Hop heads rule at Big Dogs Brewing Company’s Peace, Love & Hoppyness festival all day long in the parking lot at the Draft House. Check out the more than 25 beers on tap from all around the region, as well as specialty bottles throughout the day. There will also be live music, food and a raffe. 3-9 p.m. 4543 N. Rancho Dr., 702-6451404, PeaceLoveHoppyness.com.
APRIL 29
The guest-chef dinners continue at Made L.V. with pioneering chef Larry Forgione and his son, Buddy V’s executive chef Brian, cooking up classic family-style dishes at It’s a Family Thing ($39). On May 13, Mike Minor whips up a Smokey Mexican Tequila Dinner. And soon after, dine with “Sammy D” DeMarco for a “magical and mysterious menu tour.” All dinners start at 6:30 p.m., call for details, 702-722-2000, Made-LV.com.
APRIL 30
The Deck at Aliante Casino launches its monthly poolside Jazz Under the Stars concerts with Brian Simpson.
MAY 5
Cabo Wabo goes all out for its Cinco de Mayo Fiesta on the patio, featuring drink specials, live music and the restaurant’s signature Cabo San Lucasinspired dishes. 702-385-2226, CaboWaboCantina.com.
MAY 6
Friends of the Shade Tree throws its 13th annual Girls Night Out charity gala at Hyde with a performance by Daniel Park. Ladies, this is your chance to dress up, dance and raise money for a cause that benefts other women in the Las Vegas community, as well as their children and pets. Enjoy an entertainment lineup by Corner Bar Management Group, libations by Southern Wine & Spirits and hors d’oeuvres by Hyde. $175, 6:30 p.m., in Bellagio, FriendsOfTheShadeTree.net.
MAY 7
The Venue Las Vegas and Wente Vineyards partner to present a Winemaker’s Dinner hosted by ffth-generation winemaker, Karl Wente. This will be the frst event for the Venue Las Vegas, a 38,430-square-foot facility in Downtown Las Vegas, and its Connoisseur Club. Tuck into four courses by chef Matt Contreras, including Moroccan-spiced lamb chops and Tahitian vanilla bean goat-cheesecake. $150, 6:30 p.m., 702-334-4708, TheVenueLasVegas.com.
MAY 15-16
Stone Brewing’s “Dr.” Bill Sysak drops into Aces & Ales’ Tenaya Way location for a Pre-Domination Cigar & Beer Dinner on May 15. Experience six beers personally chosen by Sysak paired with six courses prepared by chef Jason Glidden, plus cigars, a Tshirt and souvenir glass. ($100, 7 p.m., RSVP to 702-638-2337.) The next day, San Diego’s Stone Brewing Company takes over all 50 of Aces & Ales’ taps at the sixth annual Stone Domination. Meet master brewer Mitch Steele, and if you didn’t make it to the dinner, meet “Dr.” Bill. 2801 N. Tenaya Way, AcesAndAles.com.
MAY 22
Mandalay Bay’s Beach Concert Series kicks off with Sublime With Rome ($50). Bring blankets, sit on the beach with a cocktail or wade in the surf while enjoying the music from the cool confnes of Mandalay Bay’s 1.6-million gallon wave pool. 9 p.m., MandalayBay.com/ Entertainment/Beach-Concert-Series.
MAY 25
Nothing to do on a Monday night? Check out Sake Mondays at Katsuya on the last Monday of every month, featuring complimentary sake tastings and half off all sake bottles—a great way to begin or continue your exploration of sake. 6-8 p.m., in SLS, 702-7617611, SLSLasVegas.com/Dining/Katsuya.
MAY 29
There’s only one week left till the Carnival of Cuisine with Mario Batali, so you’d better have your tickets for the June 5 extravaganza on the Palazzo pool deck. Sample award-winning cuisine from restaurants in the Venetian and Palazzo, and participate in cooking demos as well as lavish tastings. Check Venetian.com/Entertainment/Events.html for details in the coming months.
MAY 30
Wander through the Springs Preserve and take in top local blues bands while sampling more than 60 craft beers from local, regional, domestic and international breweries at the sixth annual Brews & Blues Festival, supporting Keep Memory Alive. $35 in advance, $40 day-of; $75 VIP ticket includes access to indoor lounge; members get $5 off admission; tickets on sale April 13; 4-8 p.m., SpringsPreserve.org.
MAY 31
Get your game plan together for Las Vegas Restaurant Week, June 1526. For the frst time since 2011, the series will be spring-only, with 12 consecutive days of discount dining for a cause. As in the past, participating restaurants will feature prix-fxe menus at price points ranging from $20.15 to $50.15, with a fxed portion of the meal’s cost donated to the Three Square food bank. Check out HelpOutDineOutLV.org in early June for details.
Don’t forget to check out these events elsewhere in our region! MARCH 29
Porcine culinary tour and competition Cochon 555 stops at Santa Monica with more than 36 chef-prepared dishes, plus butcher demonstrations showcasing the flavor and benefits of eating heritage breed pigs. Cochon555.com.
APRIL 9-12
More than 100 celebrity chefs and 250 wineries come together for three days and four nights of dinners and chef collaborations, grand tastings, cooking demonstrations, and celebrity chef and winemaker golf tournament at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival. PBFW.com.
APRIL 12
Bubblyfest prepares for two pop-up festivals, one in San Francisco (April 12) and one in Los Angeles (June, exact date TBD). The main event, Bubblyfest by the Sea at Pismo Beach (Oct. 2-4), will showcase Champagne and more than 50 sparkling wines from around the world. Bubblyfest.com.
APRIL 25
All About Beer magazine and charity Beer Autism Hope’s first Hops And Hopes Craft Beer Festival in L.A. brings together craft brewers from across the country to combat autism. Attendees will get to taste suds from America’s best breweries, meet brewing legends and take part in craft-beer masters’ symposiums. HopCourage.com.
APRIL 30
More than 3,000 restaurants across the country, including the Northern Nevada, San Diego and Palm Springs areas, will participate in Dining Out for Life, with a portion of the day’s proceeds going to support their local AIDS organization. An estimated $4 million will be raised. DiningOutForLife.com. – Jessie O’Brien
VegasSeven.com
Are pecans missing from your life? Celebrate National Pecan Day at Grand Lux Café, which has several sweet items on offer, including bakedto-order warm house-made chocolate chip pecan cookies, banana-pecan pancakes and caramel banana-nut French toast. Open 24 hours, in the Venetian, 702-414-3888, GrandLuxCafe.com.
MAY 2
Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour rolls into town for its annual evening of tasting more than 200 of the world’s most highly rated wines. Meet and mingle with winery owners, winemakers and fellow wine lovers while tasteing top-scoring wines, and dine from a light buffet—and keep the Riedel glass. $225, 7 p.m., in The Mirage, GrandTour.WineSpectator.com.
MAY 21
The Las Vegas Epicurean Affair returns to the Palazzo for its sixth year, raising funds for the Nevada Restaurant Association’s educational and scholarship programs, including ProStart, a national high school culinary skill and restaurant management program. Sample cuisine from establishments both on and off the Strip, as well as a selection of libations and cocktails poolside. Tickets go on sale in April, 7 p.m. entry for general admission, 6 p.m. VIP, NVRestaurants.com.
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APRIL 14
The series continues May 28 with Patrick Lamb, June 25 with Alex Bugnon and July 30 with Lao Tizer with Chieli Minucci. $15, 7 p.m., 702-692-7777, AlianteGaming.com.
March 26–April 1, 2015
panying cocktails, demonstration, Q&A session and the recipes of the evening’s offerings. Today, enjoy a spring cooking demo and spring menu unveiling. On May 4, it’s a Cinco de Mayo festa demo. And June 22, learn summer recipes. $45, 6 p.m., RSVP to 702-979-3609, MercaditoRestaurants.com/RedRock.
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NIGHTLIFE Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and rockabilly DJ Lucky LaRue sticks to his vinyl
Six years into the life of Wynn’s largest nightclub, Jesse Waits considers the efect strong relationships have on DJ rosters By Kat Boehrer
VegasSeven.com
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#HBD, XS
XS NIGHTCLUB IS COMING UP ON ITS
sixth anniversary, which is a huge milestone as far as Las Vegas nightlife is concerned. Its bookings include names from among the most famous DJs in electronic dance music. Those, paired with extensive production elements and exceptional hospitality standards, are what have kept the club going for so long. XS managing partner Jesse Waits took a few moments to refect on his relationships with such superstar DJs as Avicii, who will be playing the anniversary party March 28.
March 26–April 1, 2015
AVICII BY DANNY MAHONEY; WAITS BY ERIK K ABIK/ ERIKK ABIK.COM
Avicii, who will perform at XS’s sixyear anniversary party, and Jesse Waits.
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NIGHTLIFE
From top: XS Nightswim; Zedd performing at XS; and Waits at the club’s two-year annivesary.
It was chosen. The second-year anniversary, we used Deadmau5. Third year was Skrillex, fourth was David Guetta, ffth Kaskade. We have different artists [each year]. Avicii and I are very close, and he wanted to do something special with us, so it was a good ft.
VegasSeven.com
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Who was your first close DJ friend?
With the politics of [the nightlife industry], having relationships with the artists helps secure where they want to be. When we’re putting offers in [to book DJs], it’s blind. We don’t know what the other clubs are offering. The DJs, they’ll say, “Hey, I want to stay with you. I don’t care what these others offer me.” That happens a lot.
Tiësto [Tijs Verwest]. He came into town a lot, and we traveled together. This is when it was Tryst only—XS didn’t exist. Tijs and I pal’d around; we few to Miami. I had a place in Hollywood at The W, and he’d stay with me when he was in L.A. He basically lived with me.
How have you’ve become so close with these guys?
And you guys still keep in touch?
How have these personal relationships impacted the business side of things for you?
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and shoot guns in the desert. Or we just go to my house and have barbecues—regular things.
A lot of these kids had the same story when I frst met them: They were quiet and young, and maybe insecure. They were leaving home for the frst time, traveling the world, and not having any support or family, [other than] a tour manager. And they were coming to a city where they haven’t been before. [I was] somebody who would take them under my wing and give them some security and safety, and at the same time, they’d have fun. They’re looking forward to doing fun things they’ve never experienced before. That was part of the whole bonding experience for us, and it cultivated my relationships and loyalties with a lot of these guys. What kinds of things do you do with the DJs when you’re just hanging out?
I show ’em around, race cars at the racetrack
It’s funny, last night he sent me a WhatsApp [message] saying that he was reminiscing about the time when I frst met Avicii. It was through him. I had come home from the beach, and Tiësto had a party at my house. There was this person in my bed, and I went into Tijs’ room and I was like, “Yo, Tijs, who’s in my bedroom?” And he’s like, “Oh, it’s some kid. Don’t worry about it. He’s a friend of mine.” So I go in there and there’s, like, beer cans and cigarette butts and tobacco all over the bed. And I’m pissed off. I’m like, “Get out of my room!” A month later, I’m with Tijs again, and we’re in Miami seeing this kid DJ at a club. I look over and he recognizes me. He’s goes pale as a ghost and says, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” He was the kid that was in my bed, chewing tobacco. It was Avicii! And since then, he became a good friend.
NIGHTSWIM AND ZEDD BY DANNY MAHONEY; WAITS BY ERIK K ABIK/ERIKK ABIK.COM
Did you specifically select Avicii to play the anniversary party, or was it just convenient scheduling?
By
NIGHTLIFE
Camille Cannon
Dorothy Wang and Morgan Stewart.
SUN 29 Cure your craving for sunbathing with Dutch electronic duo Showtek at Wet Republic. (At MGM Grand, 11 a.m., WetRepublic.com.) Bay Area hip-hop heartthrob G-Eazy drops rhymes at Drai’s. If club nights had a slow-dance section, we’d totally get all middle school during “Tumblr Girls.” But it’s all good; we’ll turn up to the trap-tastic “I Mean It,” too. (In the Cromwell, 10:30 p.m., DraisLasVegas. com.) It’s the eve of the Nightclub & Bar convention. The expo’s main man, Jon Taffer, will hold down The Bank, with DJs Ikon and Karma in the booth. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., TheBankLasVegas.com.)
MON 30
March 26–April 1, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
THU 26
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Put those pinkies up, kids: You’re invited to a fancy party. Check out French designer Gilbert A. Chagoury’s spring readyto-wear collection and sip cocktails at Scoop in the Forum Shops. Just frst give a heads up to RSVP@ ScoopNYC.com. (In Caesars Palace, 6 p.m., ScoopNYC.com.) Wanna soak up the spotlight? Brooklyn Bowl is hosting another round of Rockstar Karaoke just for you. A live band will back you on your selection of more than 200 tunes. (At the Linq, 8 p.m., Vegas.BrooklynBowl.com.)
FRI 27 Maybe you’re looking for food with your fun? Enter Nightshift at Lucky Foo’s, as the Asian-fusion restaurant busts out DJs, live
music and karaoke for your entertainment appetite. (8955 S. Eastern Ave., 8 p.m., LuckyFoos. com.) Another option is Nu Fridays at Urban Turban. The “Bombay Kitchen and Tapas Bar” offers 50 percent off beers, $4 well drinks and beats by residents Lance Le Rok, Bad Beat and more. (3900 Paradise Rd., 10 p.m., UrbanTurbanLV.com.) Local collective Behind City Lights is back to fll Hard Hat Lounge with nonstop grooves. The lineup includes sets from Dskovr, Namelss, LA Loser and Astro Gold. (1675 Industrial Rd., 10 p.m., Facebook.com/ BehindCityLightsLV.)
SAT 28 It’s been too long since the last Snoopadelic Cabaret on New Year’s Eve. Snoop Dogg has been busy recording music (“Peaches N Cream” with R&B legend Charlie
Wilson), and the at-home versions we’ve been throwing with rum and juice aren’t the same. Luckily, the D-OhDouble-G is bringing the “speakeasy experience” back to Tao. (In the Venetian, 10 p.m., TaoLasVegas.com.) Now it’s time to nerd-out, reality TV fans. Vanderpump Rules’ leading manbabies Tom Sandoval and Jax Taylor host at Foundation Room. (In Mandalay Bay, 10 p.m., HouseOfBlues.com/LasVegas. fr.) Meanwhile, you can spot #RichKids of Beverly Hills stars Dorothy Wang and Morgan Stewart at Chateau. (In Paris, 10:30 p.m., ChateauNights.com.) We’ve been anxious for this one since it was announced in January: British production prodigies Disclosure have wrangled Eats Everything, Justin Martin and Jackmaster to join the debut of their Wild Life series at Light. (In Mandalay Bay, 10:30 p.m., TheLightVegas.com.)
Speaking of the Nightclub & Bar convention, Marquee is home to the opening platinum party with a performance by rapper T-Pain and soundtrack by Vice. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.) Also at the Cosmopolitan, swanky steak joint STK celebrates its fourth anniversary. The James Bond-inspired affair features sounds by DJ M!ke Attack and singer Nieve Malandra, plus a Moët Hennessy-sponsored bar. (10 p.m., TOGRP.com.)
TUE 31 A couple of weeks ago, Martin Garrix posted an Instagram
G-Eazy.
pic of himself and Avicii working in the studio. Rumors have been swirling ever since that a collaboration could be in the works. The two are in Las Vegas often enough. Maybe Avicii will tease new material tonight when he plays XS. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.)
WED 1 It’s April Fools' Day and you’ve got options! You can seal your roommate’s shampoo bottles with plastic wrap, replace the cream in Oreos with toothpaste or turn everything in your fridge upside down. You can also decide whether you want to see Skrillex at Surrender (in Encore, 10:30 p.m., SurrenderNightclub.com) or Tiësto at Hakkasan. (In MGM Grand, 10:30 p.m., HakkasanLV. com.) No foolin'!
Disclosure.
TICKETS
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VIP
R E S E R VAT I O N S
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OMNIANIGHTCLUB.COM
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702.785.6200
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NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
HYDE Bellagio
[ UPCOMING ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY TONY TRAN
March 26–April 1, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
March 27 Jessica Who spins March 28 DJ Loczi spins March 31 DJ Crooked spins
From the Beginning
As Vegas Uncork’d nears its ninth birthday, we check in with a chef who has participated since Day One By Al Mancini
VegasSeven.com
alities!’” It went off without a hitch, however. And the chef has been asked to do the honors again this year. Serrano’s local empire has grown along with the festival. When Uncork’d launched in 2007, the only restaurant he had to represent was his awardwinning Picasso. By 2010 he had launched his eponymous Aria tapas restaurant. And he’s currently preparing for the April 9 opening of his Italian-inspired restaurant Lago in Bellagio, where he’ll host the saberoff and an April 25 Uncork’d brunch. The restaurant will feature patio seating with one of the resort’s best views of its famed fountains. And the chef says he’s excited about showing off the new space to the assembled foodies. “I feel a lot of pressure,” he concedes. “I hope we’ll be ready.” Given his track record and the audience he’s expecting, Serrano will undoubtedly make his deadlines. And as the event’s newest venue, Lago will likely be one of the hottest spots for culinary power-meals. But right now the chef is worried more about business than schmoozing. “For me it is not as much of a party anymore,” Serrano says of Uncork'd. “In the beginning, I was more excited to hit the [dining] rooms with all these [chefs], and chase them down to shake all their hands. I still do a little of that. But now, it’s more for me about concentration and focus than the parties.” That’s fne. It just means more room for the rest of us.
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LAS VEGAS’ PREMIERE FOOD FESTIVAL,
Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit, rolls into town for its ninth year April 23-26 (VegasUncorked. com). With 23 events, Uncork’d showcases the talents of dozens of top chefs, including frsttime 2015 participants Emeril Lagasse and Brian Malarkey. But chef Julian Serrano is one of only a handful of chefs who has been there since the beginning (others include Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken). “It’s a great accomplishment to have been there from the beginning,” Serrano says. “[Vegas Uncork’d] is good for the city and good for the restaurants.” Fans come to Uncork’d not only to eat and educate themselves, but also to get up close and personal with some of the nation’s most respected chefs. And Serrano says he too looks forward to hanging out with his colleagues. “I’m on the phone with other chefs every day. It’s an incredible thing to get together with them, to share things about the business and have fun.” Looking back on the last eight festivals, Serrano says the most memorable moment was conducting the frst opening-day saber-off (the event's ceremonial frst toast). The act of opening a bottle of Champagne by striking it with a massive blade is dramatic—and dangerous. And Serrano admits, “I was terrifed because I had never done it myself. I was thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t want to screw up in front of all these person-
March 26–April 1, 2015
CHEF JULIAN SERRANO PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA, RENDERING COURTESY MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL
Chef Julian Serrano and a rendering of the Lago dining room.
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A&E
Jayne and Eric are equally comfortable at church and onstage.
March 26–April 1, 2015
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*****
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“it’s really a sick thing we’re doing,” Jayne says about the murder plot. “But we bring in some camp, some hijinks. [It's] kind of ’40s radio stuff.” Playing straight man to his wife— who is a former standup comedian and morning-zoo radio personality—didn’t come naturally to Eric, a veteran actor who in other shows has played Sonny to her Cher, Tarzan to her Jane and Caesar to her Cleopatra. “I had been the clown my whole life,” he says. “After I met her, I thought, ‘Oh my God, I have to be the straight man, because she’s such a good clown.’ That was a learning curve to play the other side, because you have to play much more selfess. It takes real teamwork.” Their professional/personal partnership began in 1989, when they met in Sacramento at Suspects Dinner Theatre, another interactive show. Romance went at full gallop for the divorced, sin-
gle parents. “Fifty-eight days later, we Warm and energizing, Jayne draws were married,” Eric says. “I said no six congregants toward her after her times,” Jayne notes. “Now we have three sermon—today’s was on cultivating grandchildren and a fourth on the way.” our best selves—at the church she coBeyond performing, religion bonded founded with Reverend Rhonda Baker. the pair. “I was divorced, I had a kid, I Launched with “$25 and a Facebook was anti-men,” Jayne says. “My world page,” the church, Jayne adds, is “the had gone upside down, and I was feeling only one planted in America by two empty. I started going back to church, but women,” at least that they know of. my Catholic upbringing was so heavy. He “I’m a female running a church, introduced me to Christianity as I unwhich is rare, though it’s becoming not derstand it now, as a nondenominational as rare,” Jayne says. “But it’s still mostly thing—just Christ alone. Religion itself a male narrative, so it’s breaking the has done a lot of yucky stuff.” stained-glass ceiling, if you will.” Describing himself as a “T.O”—for Though not a co-founder or senior “theological offspring,” the son of a paspastor, Eric serves on the church board, tor—Eric addressed the reliministers to congregants gion question early on. “My and helps oversee operafaith has been pretty strong tions, while Jayne—who MARRIAGE CAN my whole life,” he says. is earning her master’s BE MURDER “After our frst date, I went degree in business from 6:15 nightly, home and called her and the Harvard Extension Showroom asked, ‘So what’s your faith?’ School—helps in fnanat the D Las Vegas, … That was crucial at the cial matters. $77 and up, beginning. She was at a spot Adhering to the motto 702-388-2111, where she was searching.” “Loving People to Life,” TheD.com. Search and ye shall the church inside the fnd—which they did, and campus of the Somerset then some. Academy of Las Vegas elementary school is heavily geared ***** toward charity and volunteerism. Ten percent of donations go to a network of casually dressed in jeans on a charities—including Opportunity Vilrecent Sunday, Jayne, striking and lage, Global United Missions, Wednesstatuesque, mixes easily with her fock day’s Child, Nevada Donor Network and at Sin City Church, its name bluntly Speedway Children’s Charities—and appropriate. “I have a heart for God, volunteers are dispatched to hospital, and I want your heart to get bigger for hospices and homeless shelters. him,” Jayne says. “We’re not trying to Such Christian ideals sustain them, beat it into you. We know we’re gobut 12 years ago that idealism was chaling to fail. Hence the name—Sin City lenged in the most awful way. While Church. We know we’re sinners.” bicycling on Pecos Road near Windmill Adds Eric: “I’ve sinned more than Lane, their 16-year-old son, Paul, was enough not to be judgmental. To me, struck by a vehicle driven by another that’s the biggest misconception about 16-year-old. He died on impact. Christianity—‘You think you’re so good.’ Jayne explains the aftermath: “He Well, no. The real essence of Christiancame to the funeral, and I forgave him ity is knowing you need a savior, which instantly. Because I know how much I’ve means knowing you’ve been bad.” been forgiven in my life, it was easier to
forgive. That’s what Jesus would do. Being godlike in forgiving people changes lives. Many months later I met his mother in the grocery store, she just collapsed in my arms. She couldn’t believe I had completely forgiven, but it freed him up to live. He was only 16. Now he’s married with two kids, and he’s an attorney.” After learning that, statistically, the majority of couples who lose children divorce, Jayne and Eric later renewed their vows at the Little Church of the West, and Eric says their relationship adjusted to a new reality. “I didn’t want to lose Jayne, but then I realized I had lost Jayne,” he says. “Losing a child changes you. So I fell in love with the new Jayne.” Rather than wreck her faith, her son’s death crystallized it. “It’s a piece that’s missing, it’s a phantom limb, it’s the empty chair every Thanksgiving—it never goes away,” she says. “But we have to believe the faith we follow, so my faith went from concept to reality within 10 seconds. It intensifed for me that time is short so we want to make the most spiritual help— and the most laughs—that we can.” ***** cl aiming religious faith is easier when nothing is at stake, and far harder—perhaps a deal-breaker—when something so precious is lost. Jayne and Eric Post kept the deal, living it day by day through their actions. By night, they live it laugh by laugh, as an infectious, if oddball expression of love. So perhaps when, as DD, she tells the munching mystery-solvers that there’s been a twist in the plot, then leads everyone in gyrations to “The Twist” as Chubby Checker blares over the speakers, the giggles don’t qualify as a hallelujah chorus. Instead, it looks like a daffy pastor leading a cockeyed congregation in goofy prayer. And it’s fun. Can they get an amen?
MARRIAGE CAN BE MURDER PHOTOS BY JASON OGULNIK
blissful innocence and utter sincerity: “I worked at an orange juice factory, but I couldn’t concentrate so they canned me. Then I worked at a blanket factory but it folded. Then I got a job at Starbucks but it was a grind.” “A shipment of Viagra was hijacked. They told us to be on the lookout for six hardened criminals.” “If a man owns a gun and he has no arms, is he still armed?” Once the frst “victim” is gunned down, she trades shtick with Eric, the blowhard cop who charges in to interview witnesses: Jayne on his shorty-shorts: “That’s a violation of the penal code.” Eric: “I moonlight on the side.” Jayne: “You moonlight on both sides … more to the right.” Eric: “Do you know what happens when you blackmail?” Jayne: “You never go back?”
The
HIT LIST TARGETING THIS WEEK'S MOST-WANTED EVENTS
By Camille Cannon
SOME VACANCY March 26-28 are the last dates to check out Table 8 Production’s Motel. Staged in Downtown’s Gateway Motel, the “immersive experience” is a creeper’s dream that borrows themes of sex and class from the 1897 German play, La Ronde. Actors are encouraged to improvise so each performance is unique … and intense. Table8LV.com.
CALLING ALL TREKKIES Bunkhouse Saloon hosts Geeks Who Drink for a very special Star Trek-themed pub quiz on March 28. Questions will cover territory from all TV iterations as well as most of the films. No word on whether you must successfully Vulcan salute to enter. You will, however, need to cough up $5. BunkhouseDowntown.com.
VegasSeven.com
BY US, FOR US We oughta applaud local emerging artists, especially when their muse is Las Vegas itself. Sin City-centric works by 12 UNLV MFA students are on display in Creating in the Desert, viewable at the Nevada Humanities Program Gallery Downtown through March 27. UNLV.edu.
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When Charles Ressler enters the room, his enthusiasm and passion fill it first. With a booming personality and marketing background, he has a voice that resonates across the city. A New York native who has lived in Las Vegas for four years, Ressler became embedded in the fabric of Downtown as the head of communications and programming for First Friday. When that role ended, leaving him somewhat disenchanted with the ideals of the Downtown Project, Ressler sought a new outlet. “The fear of becoming disillusioned became the impetus behind finding something constructive to reignite the altruism,” he says. In late 2013, he found his spark: a way to unite social media with everyday philanthropy. Called #dreamMaker, it helps connect “dreamers” with “makers” via his Twitter feed @CharlesRessler. In a year’s time, this idea facilitated the achievement of 35 dreams. On April 2, Ressler debuts the #dreamMaker app, which will allow anonymous dreamers and dream makers to create a profile, post dreams and
receive notifications, as well as designate favorite dreams. “The more dreams you assist with, the closer you are to your own,” Ressler says. One of Ressler’s dreams is to return to the stage. Acting as his own #dreamMaker, the former child performer is producing, writing and starring in a solo show at Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center on the same night as the debut of his app (April 2, $22-$99, 702-749-2000, TheSmithCenter.com). Appropriately titled Brave, it’s directed by Larry Pellegrini of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding. It will benefit Opportunity Village, I Have a Dream Foundation and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. “One person, five people or 2,000 people, I hope this calls people to believe in the community around them,” Ressler says. In preparation, he has been practicing aerial routines with an original cast member of The Beatles LOVE and working with vocal coach Jimmy Lockett (Broadway cast of Cats and Starlight Express). “Of all the brave people in that room that night,” Ressler says, “I need to be the bravest in order to get the message across about what living a brave life can garner.” – Genesis Gonzalez
March 26–April 1, 2015
RESSLER BY JON ESTRADA
What Happens When a #dreamMaker Gets Brave?
ART IMITATING ART This weekend is also your final opportunity to witness Venus in Fur, the second annual collaboration between the Cockroach and Nevada Conservatory Theatres. A playwright auditions a woman so perfect for the role he has written, it becomes difficult to decipher what is real and what’s on paper. See it play out March 26-29 at Art Square Theatre. CockroachTheatre.com.
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[ OLD LADY IN A MOSH PIT ]
DEAN’S LIST This music critic’s legacy extends far beyond the City By Lissa Townsend Rodgers
March 26–April 1, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
AS THE SELF-PROCLAIMED “DEAN OF AMERICAN
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Rock Critics,” an early proponent of New Journalism and editor of countless writers, Robert Christgau has infuenced journalism for decades. You probably wouldn’t be reading this column if it weren’t for him. Bob was one of my professors at New York University (two semesters of Writing Non-Fiction), briefy hired me to be his assistant (schlepper, sorter and occasional benefciary of promo CDs) and edited my frst piece for The Village Voice (about the Butthole Surfers). Even now, when I’m writing, one of Bob’s long-ago corrections springs to mind: a small warning that those last few lines might be too lazy or too loquacious. Of course, all writers have inspirations and infuences, including
Christgau himself. He shares many of them in his new book, Going Into the City (Dey Street Books, $28). It’s an alternately sprawling and focused memoir of how he got from Queens to Manhattan—about 13 miles geographically, but 13,000 intellectually and spiritually. The book revisits the 72-year-old’s childhood in Flushing, playing stoopball, chuckling at Mad magazine and listening to the Yankees on the living-room radio. But “the city” lures those who grow up just beyond its glittering skyline and, after four years at Dartmouth and a few nondescript gigs, he winds up at the Herald Tribune, then Esquire, then a string of mass-media glossies and alternative weeklies before settling in at The Village Voice. There are frsthand accounts of
Woodstock—“We smoked a lot of dope. We swam naked and fucked in the woods.”—and the early days of CBGB’s—“its squalid bathrooms more functional than history will record, its matchless sound system its only concession to success.” Yet, despite spending so much time backstage during rock’s golden age, Christgau doesn’t wallow in what he calls “Fame: An Inside View,” although his anecdotes of hanging out with John Lennon circa 1971 illustrate a long-lost celebrity casualness—John and Yoko climbing two fights of an East Village tenement for a visit over Sara Lee coffeecake—before unfolding into a consideration of Lennon’s Imagine. As befts a critic, Christgau pauses to contemplate creative works such as Theodore Dreiser’s classic novel Sister Carrie and Television’s 1977 album Marquee Moon. He uses the Rolling Stones’ Aftermath to illuminate an era (it dropped when “something was happening and we weren’t yet attuned to what it was”). And he turns French cinema into a dating guide of sorts. These discursions help place Going Into the City in a time when the counterculture was young, when buzz took years to build, when bohemia required real-world shoe-leather to
fnd and when taking months to write an 8,000-word article on Bob Dylan was not only feasible but (somewhat) proftable. It’s not just Christgau’s words and experiences that drive Going Into the City, but his passion for reading and writing, which runs from the Bobbsey Twins to Dostoyevsky to Greil Marcus and fnally into editing authors such as Lester Bangs and Nelson George. And, well, me. Bob’s NYU class was intense, about 10 students turning in essays to be taken apart, either in conference-table rewrite (Pick mine! No, actually, don’t pick mine …) or through his thoughtful pencil notations. It’s served me well as a writer, and during my years as an editor and teacher. It surfaced when I sat with a student and picked through every sentence on the page, trying to balance pointed corrections with the glow of encouragement. I still have some of the papers I wrote for Bob. The pencil notes in the margins of one include “Its, not it’s” and “What? Why?” but end with “This is very good” and “Let’s get to work on something ambitious.” Words Robert Christgau has undoubtedly said to many writers over the decades. I’m damned proud—and lucky—I was one of them.
ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO
A&E
MUSIC
’71 (R) ★★★★✩
Run All Night (R) ★★★✩✩
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) ★★★✩✩
Chappie (PG-13) ✩✩✩✩✩
Three years ago, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel relied on ensemble superheroics and charmingly fractious banter. Director John Madden’s easygoing follow-up resembles a slightly scattered second season of a BBC sitcom. We’re back in the Jaipur, India, retirement hotel run by Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel), who plans to open a second establishment. The Maggie Smith character, a onetime racist, has mellowed and become Sonny’s comanager. The movie’s smooth to the point of blandness, but its faces really do tell a story.
Writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s latest sci-fi outing is a misjudgment. Robotic law enforcement droids have improved crime stats, but gang activity is on the run. The police order up more robots from the weapons firm run by Sigourney Weaver. The firm’s lead designer (Dev Patel) cracks the code for a new iteration of droid, one that is fully human in its techno-makeup. Meantime, the designer’s colleague/rival (Hugh Jackman) continues to press for funding on a sinister droid. As voiced by Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley, Chappie is a whining, dithering, bore.
Unfnished Business (R) ★★✩✩✩
The Lazarus Effect (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
This Belfast-set manhunt thriller puts us in the precarious situation of a British private stranded behind enemy lines. Screenwriter Gregory Burke lays all this out with unusual lucidity, though his teeming character roster can get a bit confusing. Burke wrote the Scottish-warriors-in-Iraq play Black Watch, and ’71 carries a similar gut impact. Focusing on a young British soldier in the middle of a Belfast nightmare might seem dodgy, but it works; the ambiguities of purpose and alignment prevent the audience from an easy, reductive good-vs.-evil response.
A comedy with its heart in the right place and everything else bizarrely out of joint, Unfinished Business finds director Ken Scott following 2013’s Delivery Man with another dubious attempt to sell audiences on Vince Vaughn’s sensitive side. Playing a down-on-his-luck family man who takes an ill-advised business trip to Berlin with two unfunny sidekicks (Tom Wilkinson and Dave Franco), Vaughn is the least of the movie’s worries. It’s hard to deliver a good buddy comedy when two of the buddies in question are narrative dead weights.
Liam Neeson is our supreme late-winter action star. The film co-stars Ed Harris and Vincent D’Onofrio, and it also makes room for a Nick Nolte cameo. Joel Kinnaman, as Neeson’s bitter and increasingly desperate son, may be the secondmost-important character in the film, but I don’t remember much about him. Directed, frantically, by Jaume ColletSerra, written by Brad Ingelsby, Run All Night promises a sprint punctuated by a lot of gunfire, and bleeding, and bodies. Mission accomplished.
This is what happens when hip, smart actors commit themselves to a horror movie. Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde ably play a scientist couple whose work has led to a serum that brings the dead back to life. And with director David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) in charge, you can be sure this isn’t some brain-munching zombie apocalypse. There’s no point in overselling a conventional horror picture that manages one good, cheap jolt and a solid hour of dread. But Lazarus reminds us that a genre overwhelmed by junk fare doesn’t need to be that way.
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It’s a central location, a home base for the city. And they’re two of the best venues in town: the amphitheater—green, lush, grassy—and Downtown, where there is a lot of excitement. We’re able to grow the festival as the city grows. You’ve said that the biggest challenge last year was the festival footprint, so you’ve overhauled it. What’s different?
We’ve shifted it closer to what most people consider to be Downtown’s 50-yard-line. We are staying along that Fremont corridor, but we’ve shifted just a little bit east, closer to Eighth and 10th streets. It’s going to include the Western Hotel, the Llama Lot and Atomic Liquors. This footprint makes more sense, just being a little more put together and not so spread out. What’s the state of beer today?
One word: insane. Limits are being pushed and boundaries are being expanded. Craft beer has always been innovative, but the collaborations, pairings, how far craft beer has spread—it’s been awesome. Five years ago I would say “craft beer,” and people would ask, “What’s crap beer?” There is no doubt now it’s hit, people know it, they get it. It’s really neat seeing all these local breweries pop up, too. This year alone we had, like, fve open.
March 26–April 1, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
How will local brewers represent at the festival?
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We’ll have the biggest collection of local breweries that we’ve ever had for Great Vegas Festival of Beer. The Nevada Craft Brewers Association tent will feature from 15 to 20 one-offs, and [the traditional collective one-off brew] Banana Split will debut. It’s an easy-drinking Germanstyle hefeweizen brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla beans. We’ll also debut a ffth anniversary brew that we created with CraftHaus Brewery. It’s an extrapale ale that’s brewed with fve different hops and malt grains.
Brian Chapin The founder of the Great Vegas Festival of Beer on the event turning 5, the current state of beer and some transcendent brews By Xania Woodman
Will any of your personal beer crushes be in attendance?
Man, there are too many to mention—Pizza Port Brewing Co. [of San Diego] and Able Baker Brewing Co. [Las Vegas] were crowd favorites last year, and both are returning. They always represent with unique brews. Rough Draft Brewing Co. and Alpine Brewing Co. are both stellar breweries out of the San Diego area that will debut.
GREAT VEGAS FESTIVAL OF BEER
April 11, 3-7 p.m., general admission $40 ($45 at door), GreatVegasBeer.com.
You recently said that co-sponsor Alpine from San Diego will change my life. How so?
Until recently, that brewery created a very fnite amount of product. They’re just as good, if not better than most, in the art of harnessing the hops and making a really smooth, distinguishable, balanced, yet unique IPA. They’re known for their Nelson IPA, and they’ve also got Duet, Pure Hoppiness and Exponential Hoppiness. These guys are a cut different. They’ve been able to niche themselves in an amazing way. Lately I’ve embraced the silky milk stouts, oatmeal stouts, brown ales and porters. What should I look for?
Local breweries have seriously upped their game. Look out for Big Dog Brewing Co.’s Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Hydrant Ale and Joseph James Brewing Co.’s Milkshake Stout, both of which are spectacular. Old School—a brand-new brewery—is bringing a Vanilla Porter that is out of this world. If you’re a VIP, the Bruery is bringing its Bourbon BarrelAged Smoking Wood, which is nothing short of transcendental. Any advice for festivalgoers?
Taste a lot and fnd something—or many things—that you like. Don’t be afraid to try new things. You may not like old traditional Irish stouts, but maybe you’ve never had a milk stout and you’ll absolutely love it. Or maybe you’ve never had a peanut butter chocolate stout, and you’re just like, “Holy crap, I’m gonna seek this out!” The idea is to get people out of their comfort zone and to try things they maybe wouldn’t pull off the shelf or try at a bar, because they don’t want to commit to it. I also encourage pacing and getting a safe ride home. We have designated-driver tickets, and we have hotel blocks. A little birdie tells me—OK, it was you—that your event production company, Motley Brews, is expanding to San Diego.
Who told you that? Yes, we are, and we’re excited about it. San Diego is a mecca for craft beer. We’re bringing a unique festival experience to a market that touts almost 100 craft breweries. We’re targeting late summer.
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
SEVEN QUESTIONS
Your Downtown Beer Fest is at the Clark County Government Center in the fall. Why did you bring both festivals Downtown?