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
SENIOR EDITORS
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Melinda Sheckells (style)
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Michael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining), David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)
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Ryan Olbrysh Cierra Pedro Anthony Mair, Krystal Ramirez
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THE LATEST
STYLE
Quinn Decosta Las Vegas Realtor
How did you develop your style, and who was your biggest influence?
When I was young, I was obsessed with Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista. I would fip through Vogue every month just to see their photos. Crawford was plastered all over my bedroom walls. It was during that time in middle school that I started paying attention to fashion. How does your “off-duty” style compare to when you’re trying to close a sale?
It’s completely different. Work style is comfortable and slightly conservative. I’m a sucker for a jumpsuit; super cute, but still so comfortable. Off-duty style can sometimes be cutting edge or classic. Nowadays, I see myself more classic with an edgy shoe or bag. What are your top style tips for other women in real estate?
It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. Also, you want to always be prepared, because you never know when your next buyer or seller will call. Do you have any pieces that you consider “lucky” for you when working?
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Does Las Vegas have style?
Vegas defnitely has its own style. Because we live in the desert, it is sometimes hard to really appreciate dressing for the seasons; it feels like we only have short winters and long summers, with no fall or spring. I wish we could do more layering with gloves, hats and coats. – Elizabeth Sewell
Vintage Stella McCartney for Chloe dress, Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
June 18–24, 2015
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I wouldn’t call it lucky, but I can’t go to work without a watch on.
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June 18–24, 2015
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E D C
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Led by Ms Easy (far right, black-and-white stripes), the clown show once again is set to invade EDC.
EDC
WEEKEND
THU
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G A R R I X 21
OMNIANIGHTCLUB.COM
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702.785.6200
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NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
HAKKASAN MGM Grand
[ UPCOMING ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY JOE FURY AND JOSH METZ
June 18–24, 2015
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June 18 Hardwell spins June 19 Tiësto and MOTi spin June 20 Calvin Harris and Burns spin
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
WET AT NIGHT MGM Grand
[ UPCOMING ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY TOBY ACUNA
June 18–24, 2015
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June 18 Krewella spins June 24 DVBBS spins July 1 Martin Garrix spins
DINING
“Still looking for a Father’s Day gift? Does Dad like meat?” {PAGE 64}
Restaurant reviews, news and three hidden Napa wineries
Downtown Summerlin’s most canine-friendly restaurant is also great for people By Al Mancini
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Going to the Dogs
June 18–24, 2015
PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAIR
Fido likes brunch, too.
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WHEN I LIVED IN NEW YORK, MY WIFE AND I
frequently took our dog, Jezebel, to a sidewalk cafe, where she’d lay quietly at our feet while we enjoyed a meal or a few drinks. Unfortunately, Las Vegas is not a dog-friendly town. But Downtown Summerlin’s Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is trying to change that by welcoming our well-behaved canine friends. Lazy Dog is unapologetically geared toward suburbanites who might not have the most adventuresome palates. Unlike some food snobs, I don’t consider that a sin. On the contrary, if you can give people a relatable menu and introduce them to some unexpected sophisticated touches at an incredibly reasonable price point, I’m a huge fan. And that, along with the puppies, is why I love Lazy Dog. The people menu at Lazy Dog (and yes, there’s a dog menu; more on that later) looks a lot like a billion other places that cater to the shopping masses in malls across America: It’s all over the place, but predictable. Apps include fries, lettuce wraps, mac ’n’ cheese and wings. For entrées, you’ll fnd wok-fred dishes, pastas and pizzas. When I spoke to the chef shortly before the place opened, he explained his goal was to introduce more refned details in the guise of the familiar. The result is a menu that reads a bit dumbed-down, while the food retains a very respectable level of complexity and quality. (The overwhelming majority of ingredients are made in-house from scratch, including two types of sausage, all sauces, dressings and desserts.) A perfect example of a serious dish with a generic title is the chicken sriracha sandwich. It is, in fact, a pretty damn good banh mi. OK, it’s not quite up to Chinatown standards, and I don’t think chicken and bacon is a traditional Vietnamese combo. But the French bread is excellent, as is the Asian slaw of cucumbers, radishes and carrots seasoned with sweetened rice-wine vinegar and sesame oil. Expect the same above-average details from the edamame, coated in a togarashi spice mixture similar to the one Kerry Simon used to offer at Palms Place, as well as a trio of hummus that includes walnut-pesto and sundried tomato varieties next to the traditional version. And Sicilian turkey meatballs are reminis-
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DINING
Clockwise from top: raw lamb chops, steak and bone marrow.
Meat in a Box New Las Vegas company ofers guilt-free meat delivered to your—or Dad’s—door
June 18–24, 2015
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GETTING MAGGIE WILSON ON THE PHONE
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isn’t easy. My planned call on a recent Friday went unanswered, as she was busy touring farms in Utah. When I reached her the next day she worried about the reliability of her cellphone service since she was once again on a farm tour—this time in New Jersey. Wilson spends a fair amount of time visiting farms and ranches to see how their animals are raised, observe their living conditions and look into their medical history. This research is for her new company, Kutbox, a meat delivery service. While plenty of companies will deliver steaks and other meats to your door, Kutbox promises its customers something different. All of its products are guaranteed to be GMO, hormone and antibiotic-free. They all come from small, sustainable farms and ranches within the United States. The animals are
never subjected to feedlots. And they’re harvested under the humane slaughtering practices set forth by renowned speaker and author Temple Grandin. “We vet all the farms [we use] to see how humanely they’re raising their cattle, how they’re doing [other] things,” Wilson says. “We’re just really trying to make sure we get to spend one-on-one time with the farms and see what we’re really giving our clients.” Kutbox is a Las Vegas-based company that Wilson launched in January with fancé Beau Davis. Neither has a background in farming; he built restaurants and nightclubs before going into private equity, while she was in sales. The idea for Kutbox grew out of Davis’ personal search for meat that met his standards. “He had been ordering from family farms for a very long time, because we couldn’t fnd anything we thought
was quality enough from our local grocery store,” Wilson recalls. “And the things that were organic were all from Australia, and he wanted to make sure we were supporting American farms. Because they are struggling, especially in this economy.” Kutbox offers a wide variety of meats, including beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, bison and venison. Customers can subscribe for a shipment every month, or order single-month or three-month “gift” subscriptions for themselves or others. (Still looking for a Father’s Day gift? Does Dad like meat?) Prices vary, but generally hover in the $20-per-pound range. Wilson says touring the farms has been educational. Before embarking on this endeavor, her only experience with farming and ranching had been on a factory farm. “Unfortunately, a distant relative of mine owns one,” she con-
fesses. “So I went when I was younger. I was 6, and I just remember leaving and being horrifed.” By way of contrast, she says the places she’s visiting today “honor the cow and do the best for it.” Kutbox isn’t only concerned with the well-being of the animals they deliver. It’s also committed to helping people. Because Wilson and Davis purchase whole animals, and only package select cuts for their customers, they’re left with unused meat every month. Rather than let them go to waste, Kutbox donates the leftovers to local food banks. So if you’re looking for healthier meat that also alleviates some of the guilt your vegetarian friends try to lay on you every time you invite them over for a barbecue, Kutbox might be the answer. And thanks to online ordering at Kutbox.com and door-to-door delivery, you don’t even have to leave your house to enjoy it.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KUTBOX
By Al Mancini
THE GRAPE NUT
Head For the Hills
On the narrow, winding, sometimes dirt road less traveled in search of Napa’s best of-the-beaten-path wineries By Xania Woodman AS THE ROAD CLIMBS INTO THE MOUNTAINS
surrounding the Napa Valley, the tree canopy closes in overhead and the Wine Trail chatter falls away. Traffc gets thinner; the expanses of lush green get thicker. Up here, at wineries that are still family owned and operated, their histories either passed down or retold by the people who lived them. This is the Napa that few tourists will ever bother to experience—which is fne by me. I dedicated a recent visit to seeking out those hidden gems, some at the end of the road, some where there barely is a road. If you're up for an adventure, I suggest you grab your GPS device, rev up your favorite four-wheel-drive steed and get ready for a very different taste of Napa.
Over on Mount Veeder, there's a family affair of a different sort. Jeff and Karen Fontanella have lived with their two young sons on this 26-acre vineyard and winery since 2005. Theirs is the very defnition of a destination wine-tasting experience, as Fontanella is the only
winery on this dead-end road. Tastings are by reservation only, and are usually conducted on the sunny patio or in the tasting room under Karen’s watchful eye. Jeff was on his way to a medical career when he discovered enology, and Karen would become a lawyer, two things that would help make Fontanella the sleek operation it is today. The couple’s custom crush business supported the early days; wine made from carefully sourced fruit keeps an ever-growing wine club in crisp, sunny chardonnays, lush cabernet sauvignons and juicy zinfandels—95 percent of it sells exclusively at the winery or through the club. This year’s harvest will be particularly momentous as the Fontanellas will pick their frst estate cab, to be released in 2018. The best part of a visit here—aside from the sweeping vineyard views from the patio, two happy winery dogs Payton and Riley, and the warm hospitality—is the barrel tasting, where you can sample unfnished wine from two of the three single-vineyard components (ash, shale and gravel) that make up Fontanella’s Mt. Veeder cab ($58). If you're so inspired, pick up a blending kit and try your hand at blending your own cuvée! Tastings daily by reservation only, $30, 1721 Partrick Rd., 707-252-1017, FontanellaWinery.com. BUEHLER VINEYARDS
Cellphones will do little good in the foothills below Howell Mountain and
overlooking the Conn Valley, so print the map from Buehler's website just in case. It's way out here that in 1972, John Buehler Sr. bought the land that has become his family's legacy. Now in the hands of John Jr. and his children, Buehler produces some 50,000 cases per year, making it the largest of the three (Nichelini produces just under 2,000 cases, Fontanella about 4,000). By the time you reach the gates, your cell service will have long since dropped, so use the crumbling ruins of the FrancoSwiss winery as a landmark, and celebrate when you see the stone and wood structure of the former Salmina winery. Proceed carefully along the narrow ribbon of road that weaves through the vineyards, past the pond and to the winery proper. Tastings are by reserva-
tion only, and as there are just two (complimentary!) appointments per day, you should have the place almost entirely to yourself as you sample two chardonnays and Buehler's Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, as well as the Napa zinfandel ($20) that just earned Buehler a nod from Wine Spectator. If you're fortunate enough to spend even 10 minutes with wry, witty John himself, drink it in. And try not to get whatever is the reverse of sticker shock when you realize that even the most expensive 750-milliliter bottle on his list—the Papa's Knoll cab, from a beautiful dry-farmed block of wild and girthsome hillside vines—is just $45. To quote Crosby, Stills & Nash: "You understand now why you came this way." Open Mon-Fri, 820 Greenfeld Rd., 707-963-2155, BuehlerVineyards.com.
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FONTANELLA FAMILY WINERY
Watch Fontanella's estate grapes grow from the patio, and taste history at Anton Nichelini's house and winery near St. Helena.
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Eight miles off the Silverado Trail in the foothills between St. Helena and the Chiles Valley, charming Nichelini is still very much a family affair. A direct descendant of founder Anton Nichelini (and there are many!) will almost certainly be on hand giving tours and tastings, either in the parlor of the historic seven-bedroom house Anton built in 1895, or behind it in the shade next to the barrel storage cellar. (Listen for today’s operators to refer to themselves and each other as “N5” and “N6,” indicating their generation!) Enjoy occasional live accordion music while you sip bright merlots and oldvines muscadelle by winemaker Aimée Sunseri (N5). Nearby, Anton's original 12-foot-by-14-foot homestead cabin from 1884 is being restored next to the cliffside property he built fve years later for his growing family—he eventually had eight daughters and four sons, all of whom lived to adulthood. A Swiss immigrant who grew up close to the Italian border, Anton kept the family winery alive through Prohibition and the Great Depression by selling grapes and bootleg wine. If you go in fall, celebrate Nichelini's 125th consecutive harvest at the Festa della Vendemmia in early October. Open by appointment Mon-Thu; open to the public Fri-Sun, tastings $15-$20, 2950 Sage Canyon Rd., 707-963-0717, NicheliniWinery.com.
June 18–24, 2015
FONTANELL A WINERY BY CELIA CAREY; NICHELINI WINERY BY CHRISTOPHE GENTY
NICHELINI FAMILY WINERY
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MOVIES
A&E
DINO-MIGHT Human characters evolve just enough to save franchise from extinction By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services
BAILED OUT BY A FEW GOOD JOLTS, JURASSIC
World gets by, barely, as a maraudingdinosaurs narrative designed for a more jaded audience than the one Jurassic Park conquered back in 1993. Why was director Steven Spielberg’s flm version of the Michael Crichton novel a hit? In an industry built on high-concept pitches, the frst flm pitched the highest. Dinos brought back to life; trouble ensues. Digital effects, smoothly integrated with animatronics, made a quantum leap forward in that picture. Twenty-two years later the rattled, happily freaked-out crowd reaction to the shot of the sniveling lawyer getting chomped by the T. rex in an apparent unbroken take remains a vivid memory. For just a second I thought: Wow, they got that dinosaur to do that in one take! A new level of dino-realism, if not memorable characterization, had come to the screen, and Spielberg—the master populistsadist— was happy to deliver Crichton’s cinematically preordained goods. Then came a couple of sequels of so-so reputation, though I do love that overhead shot of the creatures winding their way through the tall grass in the second picture. Now, it’s do-over time. The carnage and rampant customer dissatisfaction experienced by so many in Jurassic Park is but a memory. In Jurassic
World, directed and co-written by Colin Trevorrow (who did the low-budget charmer Safety Not Guaranteed), business at the retooled dinosaur theme park off the coast of Costa Rica has hit a plateau. Scientists led by B.D. Wong and his cryptic smile have responded to requests for a new star attraction, something “bigger, louder ... more teeth.” Behold the genetically engineered hybrid known as Indominus rex. He’s like the T. rex, only bigger, rexier and, soon enough for story purposes, ready to bust out of his walled confnes to see what’s up on the rest of the island, snackwise. Regarding the humans: Chris Pratt is the hunky yet sensitive raptor trainer and man of action, on or off his motorcycle. Though the Guardians of the Galaxy star seems to be playing an actor playing an action hero, as opposed to simply being one, he’s solid company. Bryce Dallas Howard is more like liquid company, slipping around in a dumb, retrograde, watery role of the uptight operations manager whose nephews (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) travel from Madison, Wisconsin, to visit. And to get lost, and then chased, and re-chased. I mean, of course. Of course you know what you’re getting in Jurassic World. When the second Vincent D’Onofrio appears as the InGen security honcho, out to weaponize the park’s dinosaurs
Pratt and Howard, for once not being chased in Jurassic World.
for military purposes, you know he’ll make some predator a nice lunch. Still, the romantic banter between Pratt and Howard needn’t have been quite this lame. It was probably too much to ask for more wit, or a serious mean streak, even though the script (credited to four writers) makes a tentative stab or two at rampant product placement early on, before getting down to the business of delivering rampant product placement. On a more basic level Jurassic World futzes a couple of key attacks. When the fying residents of the aviary bust out, the threat level is initially unclear. Then, in a chaotically staged sequence, park visitors run screaming and the bodies start falling and the whole thing is a bit of a blur. The movie recovers with a satisfying series of comeuppances in the climax, involving the
SHORT REVIEWS
June 18–24, 2015
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Spy (R) ★★★✩✩
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Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a behind-the-scenes CIA analyst who works as the remotely connected intel expert for superspy Bradley Fine (Jude Law). When Fine runs afoul of Bulgarian arms dealers and disappears, presumed dead, Cooper gets her chance to enter the field. Where Spy goes from there is predictable in many ways but fresh in a few others. Paul Feig the director is required by Paul Feig the screenwriter to chase after a wearying amount of plot, sometimes entertainingly, sometimes less so.
Insidious: Chapter 3 (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
Going back in time before the haunting of the Lambert family that made up the first two offerings of the series, this is the story of how psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) was able to face her own demons to be able to help others. Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) is a teen dealing with a lot of pain and sorrow after the death of her mother. An attempt to speak through the shroud of death turns into an invitation for a demon to haunt the young girl. It’s a fun and chilling creep show that is more concerned with scares than being gross.
Entourage (R) ★★✩✩✩
Fans of the HBO series (2004-2011) will find the film passable. It picks up where the show left off. Movie star Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his crew from Queens are eager for more of what Hollywood success has in store. Entourage brings Vince into the auteurist big leagues. Jeremy Piven’s superagent Ari Gold is elevated to studio head and wants Vince to star in a contemporary remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Vince agrees, upon the condition that he directs himself. The money’s coming from a Texas billionaire (Billy Bob Thornton).
park’s largest (and presumably angriest) attractions. These will likely be enough for those who aren’t going into Jurassic World expecting the world. I wasn’t expecting the world, but I wouldn’t have minded sharper jokes and grander action scenes. I would’ve liked a less patronized female lead. I wonder why they couldn’t have developed a stronger supporting role for Omar Sy, the most sympathetic character (he’s the colleague of the Pratt character). At one point we learn that Indominus rex has camoufage capabilities. Universal Pictures clearly is hoping that its intermittently exciting summer tentpole has the same, and that because it looks, feels and acts like a big deal, it’ll become one. Jurassic World (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
By Tribune Media Services
Aloha (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Despite a blue-chip cast, Aloha can barely tell its story straight. Private military contractor Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) returns to Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu. He works for a billionaire (Bill Murray) partnering with the U.S. military to send up his own personal rocket for reasons the film gradually reveals. There’s a triangular romance afoot. Gilcrest’s ex (Rachel McAdams) is now married to a taciturn Air Force pilot (John Krasinski). Emma Stone plays Gilcrest’s tightly wound handler, a fighter pilot who retains the idealism Gilcrest once had.
San Andreas (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Poltergeist (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Dwayne Johnson plays Ray, the L.A. Fire Department rescue honcho who’s on the phone up in his helicopter, talking to his ex, Emma (Carla Gugino), when one of a series of Big Ones unleashes its digital fury. The film concerns Ray and Emma’s attempts to rescue daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario). Blake’s in soon-to-be-leveled San Francisco with her mother’s sniveling boyfriend (Ioan Gruffudd). San Andreas imagines the insanely destructive possibilities inherent in a 9.6 quake, plus the inevitable tsunami. The effects are quite good.
Director Gil Kenan has made efforts to contemporize the story’s framework. Paterfamilias Eric (Sam Rockwell) has been laid off from his job; his wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) is an unsuccessful writer. Faced with financial pressures, the two have moved their three children to the suburbs. Cherubic 6-year-old Madison (Kennedi Clements), magnetically drawn to a malfunctioning TV set, is quickly abducted by the house’s malevolent spirits. Less an escalating thriller than a guided tour through a county fair-style haunted house, Poltergeist offers some quality jump scares.
Tomorrowland (PG) ★★★✩✩
I’ll See You in My Dreams (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
Built for Disneyland in 1955, Tomorrowland was a gleaming vision of a future. And, whatever its faults, the new Brad Bird movie Tomorrowland is never less than on-message, a buoyant old-school, Disney-certified imagineering of hopefulness. George Clooney is gruff and grizzle, predictably warming up to a young dreamer (Britt Robertson) of cheer and vision. Yet—aside from the film’s goofy last moments, a hilariously odd misstep that appears to rework It’s a Small World as a doomsday cult—there’s nothing cheap or particularly ironic about Tomorrowland.
Mad Max: Fury Road (R) ★★★✩✩
George Miller’s remake stars Tom Hardy in the old Mel Gibson role of the postapocalyptic road warrior. Here the character’s bacon is saved, over and over, by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). High above a rock formation sits the Citadel, where the brutish overlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) rules a society built on slave labor, water rations and cruelty. Max and Furiosa flee the Citadel and the bad men pursue in many loud, street-illegal chariots. And there you have it. More plot than the movie actually contains.
Blythe Danner plays Carol, a retired and widowed schoolteacher who lives in L.A. Her pals, portrayed by June Squibb, Rhea Perlman and Mary Kay Place, urge her to get back in the game. Right on cue, the game begins when a sly, cigar-chomping fellow (played by Sam Elliott) asks her out. This is one of those scripts that might have been more interesting a couple of drafts ago, before the detours were closed. Yet, when Danner’s Carol shares scenes with Elliott’s calmly determined suitor, there’s considerable charm.
Pitch Perfect 2 (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Anna Kendrick’s Beca faces a dilemma: How long can she keep her recording studio internship a secret from the Barden Bellas a capella group? What’s worse is the Bellas are banned from their national tour when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) accidentally exposes herself during a concert. Heading to Copenhagen for the world a capella competition, the Bellas must regroup and settle their romantic hash. In her first feature as director, Elizabeth Banks does well enough with spotty material. Hailee Steinfeld as the idealistic newbie is a breath of fresh air.
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Before working with Insomniac, you were Bellagio’s executive director of horticulture, where you oversaw the conservatory. How did that experience prepare you for this?
[It’s like] I got a master’s degree from Bellagio, because it’s such a great, established, structured corporation. I went through all the levels. I was hired as a gardener, and I went all the way to executive director of horticulture. I had the opportunity to go to so many classes and seminars because that’s what they do. They prepare middle management so we know what to do when a customer is not happy. What is it that the customer is going to take away? We gotta provide that “Wow!” factor. We gotta provide an impression at every point of contact. Were you familiar with Insomniac before you were hired?
The man behind Insomniac’s stages and props on earning his master’s at Bellagio, Googling Pasquale Rotella and which EDM song makes his eyes water By Camille Cannon
June 18–24, 2015
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Andres Garcia
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Your official title is director of experience and art creation for Insomniac. What exactly does that mean?
We create the beauty. We bring items that go with [every Insomniac festival]. In the case of
Electric Daisy Carnival, having eight stages themed beautifully with music and lights, we need to provide the environment—the items that will make people say, “Wow, this is a great festival!” The trees and mushrooms and light
Yes. One of the main reasons that I made the switch is my son. He’s 24 now. Four years ago, he came to me and said, “I need $600.” For what? “EDC. They moved it from L.A. to here.” OK, so what’s EDC? He goes on the computer—you know how kids are these days—and he shows me. I say, “OK, OK.” So when the opportunity came to me, I spoke to him. I said, “I was approached [with a job offer]. What do you think?” He was like, “What! You have to take it, Dad. [Insomniac CEO and founder] Pasquale Rotella has this vision …” And I go, “Who is Pasquale?” He goes to the computer and plays a video for me. Long story short, Pasquale and I had many meetings. We agree in so many ways, because I also have a crazy mind. What kind of impact does festival prep have on your schedule?
We are pulling 16-20 hour days now. I’ve been married for 28 years. [My wife and I] have an understanding since I took this position. I said, “This is what it’s going to take for me to do this. Are you in with me?” And she goes, “Yes, do it.” But she knows that from now until June 30, we are divorced. I have a mistress—her name is EDC. All of my time, all of my effort, all of my thoughts are devoted
to make sure that when the DJ turns off the volume on Sunday, June 21, people will take away something. Either it’s a picture of a prop, a light, a selfe. EDC revolves around electronic dance music—do you actually enjoy listening to it?
My son was listening to it and I asked him, “What is that?” He said, “Dad, it’s EDM!” Then I got into the business and started listening. Calvin Harris made a song for my wife, [“Feel So Close”]. Now, every time he plays the song, I have watery eyes because she’s not there with me. I record that song at every festival, and I send it to her. When we are here in Vegas, we make sure we know when Calvin is gonna play the song. I have to be with her. We dance. We kind of cry. And then I have to go back to work. Having started your Las Vegas career in manual labor, are there ever moments when overseeing these massive festivals feels surreal?
Every day. Just this morning, I was driving in and my mind was all on EDC. I literally pinched myself driving to work. I thought I was dreaming. I feel blessed that this opportunity came along. I’m preparing for [an event] that more than 400,000 people will come to. It doesn’t get any better than that. Between your work for Bellagio and Insomniac, do you have any idea how many selfies you’re responsible for?
[Laughs.] We had people in the conservatory counting how many people came in a week. We divided that by seven days. And we found out that 22,000 people visited daily. My last Christmas display, we had 3.5 million hits online. Then when I think of EDC or Insomniac, I think it’s in the millions and millions. In my previous and current job, we walk and we listen, because we gotta make sure that we understand what we did well and what are the things that make people go, “Hmm, I don’t understand that.” Art, which is what we do, doesn’t care if you like it or not. Art cares if you’re paying attention. But as producers, we’re gonna be sure that we satisfy the majority. Not 100 percent— that’s diffcult. But if we satisfy 80 percent, we did a good job.
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
SEVEN QUESTIONS
trees and beautiful grass and props all over the place. My job is to create and bring new elements to the site.