The Beer Issue | Vegas Seven Magazine | Aug. 20-26, 2015 by Vegas Seven

LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE

FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010

PUBLISHER

Michael Skenandore

EDITORIAL

Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon SENIOR WRITERS Geoff Carter, Lissa Townsend Rodgers CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana SENIOR EDITORS

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Melinda Sheckells (style)

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Michael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining), David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)

ART

Ryan Olbrysh Cierra Pedro Anthony Mair, Krystal Ramirez

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

GRAPHIC DESIGNER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

VEGASSEVEN.COM

Nicole Ely Herbert Akinyele ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Zoneil Maharaj SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION

Marc Barrington Jimmy Bearse DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Jasen Ono

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING MANAGER

SALES

Christy Corda Nicole Scherer ACCOUNT MANAGER Brittany Quintana ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Alyse Britt, Robyn Weiss

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR DIGITAL SALES MANAGER

INTERNS

Will Carter, Kayla Dean, Rachel Kerr, Aric Lairmore, Erik Shallenberger

Ryan T. Doherty

| Justin Weniger

Michael Skenandore VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Keith White DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Michael Uriarte CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul PRESIDENT

Comments@VegasSeven.com Sales@VegasSeven.com DISTRIBUTION Distribution@VegasSeven.com

LETTERS AND STORY IDEAS ADVERTISING

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP Vegas Seven, 302 East Carson Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101 Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada c 2015 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.

THE LATEST

STYLE

A Black and White Issue Meet the fve candidates for AFAN’s Black & White Fashion Icon award By Kayla Dean DRESSING MONOCHROMATIC NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD,

thanks to the fve nominees for AFAN’s Black & White Fashion Icon award. The accolade will be presented at Aid for AIDS of Nevada’s marquee annual event, the Black & White party, which celebrates its 29th year on August 29. After a round of free online voting at Gay.Vegas, event attendees can cast a vote for their favorite candidate for a $1 donation, with all proceeds going to AFAN. One winning Icon, chosen by popular vote, will receive a $500 Macy’s gift card. The party will feature drinks from top chefs and mixologists, and live performances from DJ Axis, Boiis, Brandon Godfrey, the Perry Twins and Maren Wade. And as the name indicates, the dress code is strictly black and white. MELODY SWEETS

Sweets, who has been featured on MTV, VH1 and A&E, has performed with acclaimed artists around the world. A singer in Absinthe, she has also performed at the AFAN AIDS Walk and previous Black & White parties. “People can be afraid to deal with AIDS, and that’s not helping the situation. I hope that I can be a voice for people who feel they don’t have a voice of their own.” FRANK HOOPES

A Las Vegas-based actor, Hoopes is part of a theater group called Toe Tag Monologues, which performs monologues on bullying, drug abuse and human traffcking at juvenile detention centers. “Black and white are the boldest colors and AFAN is a bold cause. These colors represent the team effort to help those affected by HIV/AIDS.” TYA R. MATHIS

August 20–26, 2015

VegasSeven.com

Mathis, a director at the Clark County School District, is a native Las Vegan who

has always valued community service. She regularly volunteers at Three Square food bank and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, and she also mentors high school girls through the Les Femmes Douze debutante program. “The Black & White Party is a fun way to bring awareness of HIV/AIDS to our community. Through social media, we can further advance the mission and educate people on the issues.” BRYAN CHAN

Chan spent seven years as a cast member in Chippendales and now emcees local events. He was the host of last year’s Black & White party and regularly participates in the AFAN AIDS Walk. “I actually know a number of people affected by AIDS. For me, this award isn’t about being the best-dressed person; it’s about showing that you can really represent this cause, and that you stand for what AFAN is fghting for. It’s really important to me to help in any way that I can.” SELENA D’ANGELO

A makeup artist and hairstylist by trade, D’Angelo is a native of Hawaii who has traveled the country styling celebrities and drag entertainers. A former Miss Las Vegas Pride, D’Angelo considers herself a voice for the transgender community in Las Vegas. “In our community, the ‘T’ in LGBT is often forgotten. Because HIV/AIDS has affected me, I want to bring awareness to the younger transgender community. Becoming this year’s Fashion Icon would mean something personal to me, since I’ve come through drug addiction, being a sex worker and homelessness.” AFAN’s Black & White party is 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Aug. 29 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. For tickets and information, visit AFANLV.org.

BCBG MAXAZRIA Tyrah lace cutout two-piece dress, $448. Jessica Simpson Athens suede platform heel, $98 FRANK INC Wight shirt, $65. Versace Jeans white distressed denim, $295. Kenneth Cole Double Header high-top sneaker, $158 TYA Lauren Ralph Lauren three-quarter sleeve collared sweater dress, $154. INC Sharee high-heel evening sandal, $119 BRYAN HUGO by HUGO Boss Elliott stretch slim-fit shirt, $165. Versace Jeans slim-fit black jeans, $225. BAR III slim-fit jacket, $425. Ryan Seacrest Distinction Style Dot pocket square, $30. Sean John Capri perforated sneakers, $79 SELENA Lauren Ralph Lauren beaded longsleeve gown, $234. Model's own accessories. MELODY

PHOTOGRAPHER

Anthony Mair MAKEUP Natasha Chamberlin HAIR Cassie Alvord

STYLING

Shot on location at Vanity in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino All looks available at Macy’s in Fashion Show, 702-731-5111; macys.com Check out the MyStylist@Macy’s complimentary styling and personal shopping service.

Christie Moeller Melody Sweets, Frank Hoopes, Tya R. Mathis, Bryan Chan and Selena D'Angel.

A D AY I N T H E B E E R O F L I F E

Dawn’s Early ‘Lite’

Sunrise

High Noon

Sundown

Day’s Last Rays

Amber Afterglow

Dog Day Midnight

YOU WANT …

pale, light-bodied and easygoing.

a breakfast beer.

the most refreshment possible.

something golden for the Golden Hour.

to up the alcohol.

to savor the day and bring on the night.

YOU’RE DRINKING:

Dogfish Head Festina Peche, a “Neo” Berliner Weiss (sour wheat beer) at 4.5 percent ABV.

YOU’RE DRINKING:

La Trappe Witte, a bottle-conditioned wheat ale at 5.5 percent ABV.

Samuel Smith India Ale, an English IPA at 5 percent ABV.

La Socarrada, a Spanish ale brewed with rosemary and honey at 6 percent ABV.

to cool down with something dark, but not be weighed down in body or alcohol.

Typically, Berliner Weiss comes in at 2.83.8 percent ABV, but as a “neo” Berliner Weiss, Merritt says, “they can do whatever they want.” Still, at less than 5 percent, it’s perfect for mornings and ideal for pairing with bagels, cream cheese and lox. Peach juice is added after a mixed fermentation using yeast and lactobacillus (the souring bacteria in sour cream), so what you get is “a really beautiful, bright and acidic beer; definitely not sweet. It’ll wake your palate right up.” Dogfish.com.

Picnic time! Let’s hit the beach or park with the world’s first and only Trappist (monastery) wheat ale. Saphir hops dominate for a highly refreshing citrusy aroma and taste that is one step up in intensity from your Berliner Weiss. “This will be a great one with a summer salad,” Merritt says. “Vinaigrette with any kind of citrus will go well if you just want to poach a little fish. But it’s definitely on the lighter side. I wouldn’t put this with ribs or hot dogs and hamburgers.” LaTrappeTrappist.com.

Blanche De Bruxelles Classic Belgian White Ale, 4.5 percent; Rekorderlig Passion Fruit Cider, 4.5 percent; and Unibroue Ephemere Apple-Infused White Ale, 5.5 percent.

St. Bernardus Prior 8, a classic abbey-style dubbel from Watou, Belgium, at 8 percent. Going … going … gone. A bit rich, with deep mahogany color, St. Bernardus Prior 8 is boiled with dark Belgian candy sugar, so you get deep flavors of dried fruits, including prune, fig and raisins. Save it for dessert or, Merritt says, “it provides a nice counterpoint to a cheese course.” SintBernardus.be.

YOU’RE DRINKING:

Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Brown Ale at 5.6 percent ABV. The first American brown ale, Brooklyn Brown is surprisingly light-bodied despite its bitter, roasty flavors—dark, but also light. “So it’s easy to drink after the sun goes down,” Merritt says. “And by a campfire, it doesn’t really matter what color your beer is.” BrooklynBrewery.com.

THREE MORE TO TRY:

Victory Golden Monkey Belgian-Style Ale 9.5 percent; Brooklyn Sorachi Ace Farmhouse Ale, 7.2 percent; and Delirium Red Belgian Ale 8.5 percent.

Innis & Gun Oak-Aged Pale Ale, 5.6 percent; Trappistes Rochefort 6 Dubbel Ale, 7.5 percent; and Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock 7.7 percent.

Czechvar Premium Dark Lager, 5 percent; Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout, 5 percent; and Great Basin Outlaw Milk Stout, 5.2 percent.

VegasSeven.com

THREE MORE TO TRY:

The sun has warmed the rosemary; pick some and fire up the barbie! Spanish for “burnt,” La Socarrada is a real food beer, assertively rosemary flavored, but ready to pair with steak, chicken and just about anything you throw at it. “And nearly everybody likes that savory eucalyptus note rosemary gives,” Merritt says. LaSocarrada.com.

YOU’RE DRINKING:

Good morning, Sunshine! Time to get up, get at ’em. And you can both think globally and act locally, as proceeds from the sale of this locally made beer benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Says Merritt, “Karma intact.” BigDogsBrews.com.

A “transitional beer for sundown,” Merritt says, Samuel Smith India Ale is lower in alcohol than most American IPAs. Still brewed with hard water from a well sunk in 1758, “It still packs a lot of flavor, and it’s really good with cheeses hors d’oeuvres, grilled meat, even fish and chips.” The label on the bottle is based on Samuel Smith’s Victorian letterhead when the brewery was a contractor to Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s forces. British enough for you? SamuelSmiths Brewery.co.uk.

YOU’RE DRINKING:

August 20–26, 2015

Big Dog’s Las Vegas Craft Lager, a lightly hopped, crisp and clean American-style lager at 5 percent ABV.

YOU’RE DRINKING:

NIGHTLIFE

Ja Ready? Prepare yourself for the second coming of Ja Rule

IT WAS ONCE IMPOSSIBLE TO ESCAPE THE RUGGED AND

raspy sound of Ja Rule. In the early “aughts,” the rapper from Queens was churning out hits with everyone from Ashanti and Jennifer Lopez to Fat Joe. That was until a very public spat with 50 Cent wounded his

career. Now that he’s endured a prison stint, released his 2014 memoir, Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming a Man and made a surprising pundit appearance on Fox Business in May (he’s Team Hillary), Rule is busy working on an album to be released early

next year. Before his day and night performances at Foxtail at SLS on August 23, we talked to the 39-year-old about his upcoming projects, the comedians who love to impersonate him and why his family won’t be joining him in Las Vegas.

August 20–26, 2015

By Camille cannon

VegasSeven.com

Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and meet newcomer Shaun Frank

NIGHTLIFE

records that were buried gems on the album. Those are like a pleasant surprise. They know you’re going to perform the hits, so I like pulling those gems out of the bag every now and then. You’re performing twice in the same day at Foxtail. How are you going to prepare for that?

Pace myself! [Laughs]

What did you think when Aziz Ansari incorporated you into his latest stand-up special, Live at Madison Square Garden? [The elaborate bit involves Ja Rule becoming an animal rights advocate and incorporates his old ad-lib, “It’s Murda!”]

Aziz is a good guy. He’s funny. Comedians like to do their little bits about me from time to time. Dave Chappelle’s [bit] is iconic now. Hopefully Aziz’s gets to that status, too. [Laughs] Aziz called it a “flawless” impersonation. Do you agree?

I think he did a good job. He was a little off, but if he keeps doing it, he’ll get it down pat. You have a rare vocal quality that’s just difficult to match.

[Laughs] Well, thank you! I’m glad God has blessed me with that originality.

Recently, you spoke out on the Drake versus Meek Mill debate and referenced your past discrepancy with 50 Cent. What significance do you think rap beef still has in the industry?

It’s hip-hop. That’s what it is. There’s always going to be confrontation. It’s really not that important, but these days the media makes everything overblown. You’ve been having fun posting about it on social media, though.

Yeah! Isn’t that what it’s for? [Laughs] To have fun with people?

True. And with your social media presence, the comedians’ bits about you and your TV appearances, it seems like you’re transcending rap to become more of a pop cultural figure. How does that feel?

It’s cool. We’re just getting started. All the people who thought I was sitting around, twiddling my thumbs, Ja Rule was working, Ja Rule was plotting on the second coming. I got a lot of things I’m working on movie-wise, TV-wise, music-wise, business-wise. People will start to see everything boom in the next few months. It’s gonna come together, and people will say, “Oh, OK! So this is what he was doing!” In about six months, we can have this conversation again, and you’ll be like, “Oh, OK!” So you’re going to make us wait for the details?

Listen, man, we’ve all been waiting this long! It’s better if it’s a surprise, right? [Laughs.]

August 20–26, 2015

VegasSeven.com

That’s fair. So what else is in the works?

After a few years off from music, you dropped six new songs earlier this month. How would you describe the new sound?

That’s a funny question, because it varies from state to state. There are the ones that are always big, then there are ones that ring off that you didn’t know were big in that state. And there are the usual suspects such as “Always on Time,” “I’m Real” and “Livin’ It Up.” Those joints ring off everywhere, baby.

I’m working on a shoe line with Steve Madden. That was incredible. I got to do something that I always wanted to do and be creative in that way—stay in touch with my fashion side! That’ll be coming y’all’s way real soon. Business-wise, I’m working with the guys over at Magnises [a “credit card for millennials.”] They have a great company and business model. It’s a great time for me and my family with the TV show, Follow the Rules, coming up on MTV. It’s really such a good time for Ja Rule, and the Rules, the family. They’re enjoying some of the success now, too. It’s cool that we can share it.

Which of your songs gets the biggest response when you perform?

And which are your favorites?

Will your family join you in Vegas?

It’s a little different than what’s out there right now. What’s popular is trap music. I’m more on my own vibe. Doing my own thing. It’s Ja Rule being Ja Rule.

I like performing dark stuff sometimes. Doing

No, they will not! [Laughs] That’s Daddy’s other job.

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

TAO

The Venetian [ UPCOMING ]

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

PHOTOS BY AMIT DADL ANEY AND BOBBY JAMEIDAR

August 20–26, 2015

VegasSeven.com

Aug. 20 DJ Five spins Aug. 21 Politik spins Aug. 22 Vice spins

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

DRAI’S BEACH CLUB The Cromwell [ UPCOMING ]

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

PHOTOS BY JOSH METZ

August 20–26, 2015

VegasSeven.com

Aug. 21 Savi spins Aug. 22 Sandro Silva spins Aug. 23 UBC Bikini Competition with Helena

DINING

“While everyone was oohing and aahing over Caesars’ rather unimpressive importation of Brooklyn’s famed Di Fara Pizza, the folks at Café Americano created an interesting pizza menu.” {PAGE 56}

Restaurant reviews, news and how Life Is Beautiful plans to combat your thirst in September

Shift Drink

These chefs are breaking out the brewskies—not to chug, but to cook By Al Mancini WE ALL LOVE DRINKING A GOOD BEER. BUT FOR THE

great chefs of the world, the beverage is also a damn fne cooking ingredient. Here are a few places that are using beer in their recipes and creating intoxicating dishes. BREWER’S CAFÉ

Few things go together as well as beer and barbecue. When Barley’s Casino chef Gene Benzel was putting together his barbecue chicken and ribs, he turned to the casino’s brewmaster, Jeffrey “Bubba” Amas, to help him with the sauce. The pair opted to use Amas’ Black Mountain Beer. Benzel says it complements the favors they get from their in-house smoker. Black Mountain is a German dunkel lager with a “lighterbodied mouthfeel,” but it still has robust chocolate and roasted favors. Those work well with the smoky nature of the barbecue, adding beer favor components to the dish without letting the meat drown out the beer. If you want to experiment with this beer at your next home barbecue, you can pick up a growler of Black Mountain at either Barley’s or Total Wine & More. Barley’s Casino, 4500 E. Sunset Rd., 702-4582739, Wildfre.SCLV.com.

Barley’s chef Gene Benzel has your ribs and brews.

VegasSeven.com

The idea of an Irish pub cooking with Guinness isn’t terribly original, but Rí Rá’s beer and barbecue chicken wings are definitely worth a visit. Chef Rachel Seib says the stout is “not just a gimmick, because it’s Guinness and it’s Irish, but it’s actually the flavor of it that’s good to cook with because it brings out a certain bite.” That bite lends itself well to the sauce she uses on her wings, which has a touch of spice thanks to cumin, paprika and cayenne peppers. And the beer in the sauce infuses itself well into the chicken meat, which literally falls off the bone as you indulge. Mandalay Place, 702-632-7111, RiRa.com/Las-Vegas.

August 20–26, 2015

PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ

RÍ RÁ IRISH PUB

THE BEER NUT

Beer Crawl: Reno Heading up north this fall to see the colors? Don’t forget the beer! By Xania Woodman

Style Kölsch and whatever’s on the chalkboard (especially the awardwinning Rose D’Oren). BrasserieSaintJames.com. GREAT BASIN

My father always says to hit your farthest point early and work your way home. This stop takes you a quick 10-15-minute drive south to get to Nevada’s first legal brewery since Prohibition. Ignore the video poker machines (hey, it’s still Nevada) and focus on the day’s offerings. Hopefully, you can try their Ichthyosaur IPA, Cerveza Chilibeso and Outlaw Milk Stout in one visit. GreatBasinBrewingCo.com. IMBīB CUSTOM BREWS

It was homebrewing one-off beers for friends and family that brought Imbib’s three partners together, and just because they’ve gone pro doesn’t mean they’ve changed their MO. Pull up a stool in the recently opened tap room, where you won’t fnd yearround standards so much as you will seasonally inspired specialties, barrel-aged brews and sours. Stick to what looks familiar or go wild with the

Bière de Garde, Scottish Ale (a little lighter than Scotch Ale) and 100 Percent Brett, or a mini-fight of sour, lowalcohol favored Berliner Weisses. The sour cucumber is a stunner. ImbibReno.com. THE DEPOT

Pick one up or bring your own, then fill it from any of 30 local taps. Kombucha, too! SixFourGrowlers.com.

Lunchtime! This place is a little bit of everything: brewery, distillery, restaurant and museum. The building was briefy the city’s train depot, but spent a lot of time since the ’40s in disuse and decline before being transformed. From the bar, watch the tanks and stills be put to good use making their solid, entry-level beers: The Farmer Saison, The Emigrant Sour Wheat, The Blacksmith Stout. Level up with Il Padrino, a Belgian-Style Quadrupel, and don’t forget a little sip of their vodka, gin and young, grainy bourbon. TheDepotReno.com.

CR AFT BEER & WINE You need souvenirs. Enter the walk-in

PIGEON HEAD

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT … PIGNIC PUB & PATIO You bring the meat and fixin’s, they’ve

got the grills, sides, fresh brews and barbecue-friendly cocktails. Facebook.com/PignicPub. SIXFOUR GROWLERS Reno’s first stand-alone growler station.

beer fridge for truly hard-to-find selections. Take home or enjoy in-store at picnic tables. CraftReno.net.

Is this Seattle? Portland? Austin? Nope, but don’t tell epically hip Pigeon Head—we don’t want them to change a

thing about this little taproom right in front of the brewery. Named for a disquieting painting of the same name, Pigeon Head specializes in lagers and—I would argue— black beers. If you’ve never tried a black lager or wheat wine (like a barley wine but …), this is the place. Industrial metal trays line up your fight, which will hopefully include their Red Rye Lager, Black Lager, IPL (India Pale Lager) and Black Wheat Wine. PigeonHeadBrewery.com. UNDER THE ROSE

In the shadow of Mount Rose, founders Scott Edmond and his wife, Jesse Kleinedler, are making interesting and pitch-perfect beers. The location—if you can fnd it—is a riot, being a converted Earl Scheib auto-painting facility flled with bar games and the

occasional food truck. But the impermanence of the décor stands in contrast to the kind of dedication going on in the brewhouse. Ease in with BroBeer dry-hopped American table ale, then move on to the BritishBeer Englishstyle pale ale, SaisonBeer French-style farmhouse ale and chocolate rye PorterBeer. Bring a growler for whatever’s seasonal on tap. UnderTheRoseBrewing.com. THE BREWER’S CABINET

Save the Cabinet for the next day, when you might be in need of a little hair of the dog. Kegs & Eggs brunch is served 9 a.m.-noon Saturday and Sunday, offering you bottomless Tahoe craft beers and a Benny or breakfast sammie for $15. Now you’re ready to do it all over again! TheBrewersCabinet.com.

VegasSeven.com

Think of it as the starting line. Owner Art Farley’s renovation of Midtown’s historic Crystal Springs water and ice building dating back to 1929 has an intact spring (good beer starts with good water!) in the brewhouse, and is the ideal place to get one’s bearings. Prime the pump with Old World-style brews including the Red Headed Stranger Red Farmhouse Ale, Koln Concert German-

BR ASSERIE SAINT JAMES

Clockwise from top: Imbīb Custom Brews, Pigeon Head Brewery and Brasserie Saint James.

August 20–26, 2015

THERE’S REALLY NO BAD TIME OF

year to head up to Reno and Tahoe in Northern Nevada. But if the area’s world-class skiing, hiking, fshing, hotair-ballooning, cool summer nights and stunning fall foliage aren’t enough to lure you out of the desert, maybe we need to try a different tactic: beer. Right along with the rest of the world, Reno’s craft beer scene has continued to grow apace, with the city’s hip Midtown neighborhood (like our Downtown, but with 100 percent more artisan cheese shops) serving as an incubator for exceptional craft beer entrepreneurship. Here’s what was hopping on my most recent beer crawl.

CONCERT

Heart Makes Their Own Magic House of Blues, August 15

They’ve still got it because they still want it. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, and their backing band, owned the stage. Ann

The

HIT LIST TARGETING THIS WEEK'S MOST-WANTED EVENTS

twirled around in a red tunic with swirling sleeves; Nancy did jump kicks with guitar in hand. But

By Ian Caramanzana

the siblings’ voices, when joined together in harmony, still commanded the most attention. Ann’s wails were breathtaking; Nancy’s guitar-playing was superb. During their encore of Led Zeppelin covers (“Immigrant Song,” “No Quarter,” “Misty Mountain Hop”), Ann did Robert Plant better than Plant does himself. When introducing the song “Bebe le Strange,” Ann explained how, amid the sexism of the music world, “We made our own parallel rock universe.” This night—the third in a three-date Vegas run— proved that their rock universe is

Greg Bonham.

still a great place to be. ★★★★✩ – Cindi Moon Reed Missed Heart this time around? See the band play House of Blues again Nov. 19-21.

[ ART ]

suggest the nonchalant banter between shooters, somewhat jarring when paired with Russell’s records of ballistic impact. The correlation between lumps of clay and human flesh is inescapable. From an assortment of smaller bullet holes to a vessel blasted wide open, the viewer experiences the record of the wound with a small involuntary shudder. – Jenessa Kenway

SOUTH OF TOWN

Through Sept. 11 at Clark County Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy, ClarkCountyNV.gov.

THE GOOD FIGHT In ACE: A New American Musical, a young man comes home to unearth the mystery of his mother’s past. The story spans three generations and features fighter pilots from two world wars, so prepare for a long, drama-filled afternoon. The story unfolds at 1 p.m. Aug. 22-23 at UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theater. UNLV.edu.

VegasSeven.com

A FLOSSY AUSSIE Australian singer and trumpet player Greg Bonham hits The Smith Center at 8 p.m. on Aug. 22. In G’Day Las Vegas, he’ll cover everything from Michael Bublé to Pharrell, in addition to his own material. Not bad, mate. TheSmithCenter.com.

You can almost hear the crack of gunshots going off in the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery. The pockmarked ceramic orbs on display for Sean Russell’s exhibit South of Town, are the kiln-baked records of various firearms being fired into blocks of wet clay. Large-scale photographs littered with the debris of tin cans, cardboard boxes, beer bottles and the scarred backside of a mannequin provide the exhibit with the landscape that inspired the show: an undesignated shooting area about five miles south of city limits. The popular shooting spot is an open stretch of scrubby dessert that invites a spirit of lawlessness. Titles quipping “Take Care, Talk Soon,” “Nevermind” and “Definitely Be Happy”

SEX AND LAUGHS Inspire Theatre hosts Stand Up & Tease, a variety show featuring comedy and neoburlesque at 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 21. See dance numbers by Amber DeVille, Ms. Nickole Muse and more while Tyler Linkin, Tamer Kattan and others provide the laughs. StandUpAndTease.com.

August 20–26, 2015

HEART BY ALEX ANDER ZAYAS

South of Town Takes Aim at Accidental Violence

PRETTY PICTURES You have until Aug. 20 to check out Desert Companion’s Focus on Nevada photo showcase at the Historic Fifth Street School. Feast your eyes on beautiful images taken throughout Southern Nevada. The exhibit includes categories such as people, places and abstracts, so you can feel proud about calling the Valley home. KNPR.org.

A&E

MOVIES

CRENSHAW GOES HOLLYWOOD The N.W.A biopic is entertaining but oversimplifed By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services Ice Cube’s son (second from right) plays his father.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON IS A MUSICALLY

propulsive mixed blessing of a biopic, made the way these things often get made: with the real-life protagonists breathing down the movie’s neck to make sure nothing too harsh or unfattering gets in the way of the telling. Three of the flm’s producers are Ice Cube (born O’Shea Jackson), Dr. Dre (Andre Young) and Tomica WoodsWright, the widow of Eric “Eazy-E” Wright. As relayed by director F. Gary Gray, the rise of South Central L.A. hip-hop revolutionaries N.W.A begins in Compton, California, in 1986 and ends less than a decade later, with Eazy’s AIDS-related death in 1995. By then N.W.A had altered American culture and mainstreamed gangsta rap along with gangsta misogyny, tilting hip-hop from the East Coast to the West, fomenting musical rivalries and nervous debate about the group’s value all along the way. The frst half of the flm features the fun stuff; in any musical biopic, the road to stardom is more involving than second-act discussions of management contracts.

We meet young Cube, played by Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr., as he and up-and-coming deejay Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) convince drug-dealing Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) to funnel some of his profts into a new record label, Ruthless Records. Straight Outta Compton leans heavily on the creation of N.W.A’s 1988 studio bombshell of the same name. The closer the flm sticks to the recording booth—with one striking exception—the more vivid its impact. The exception is a scene eerily on point with the headlines coming out of Ferguson, Missouri. Taking a break from recording the album, Cube, Dr. Dre and company are standing outside the studio in Torrance, California, when local police roll up, and the accusations and troubles begin. Paul Giamatti plays the group’s manager, Jerry Heller, who at this point has not yet shown the movie’s version of Heller’s true stripes. The cops shake

down the young men and denigrate the very existence of rap music. Describing what happens in this scene makes it sound corny and false, but as it plays out, the tension feels real and emotionally authentic. Then, in a quick cut, N.W.A’s most famous provocation—the one we’ll call “To Blazes With tha Law Enforcement Offcials,” is being recorded and becomes a national anthem for millions. Jackson Jr. artfully evokes Ice Cube’s tough-guy charisma. Mitchell’s Eazy emerges as the flm’s most complicated fgure, throwing his lot in with a manager who may not have his best interests at heart. The wives, girlfriends and groupies come and go, feetingly, often nude, more often scolds or drags on the good times. As shaped by screenwriters Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, Straight Outta Compton alternates between party scenes, flmed by director Gray exactly as if they were hip-hop

August 20–26, 2015

VegasSeven.com

SHORT REVIEWS

Fantastic Four (PG-13) ★✩✩✩✩

From Miles Teller to Kate Mara to Reg E. Cathey, everyone on screen in Fantastic Four speaks in a flat, earnest monotone with a determinedly low-keyed air bordering on openly not giving a rip. The film, genuinely listless as directed and co-written by Josh Trank, showcases the revised origin story of the Marvel Comics quartet, basing its storyline on the 2004 Ultimate Fantastic Four books.

The Gift (R) ★★★✩✩

A delayed-secret suspense thriller of unusual stealth, The Gift comes from actor and screenwriter Joel Edgerton, here making his feature directorial debut. All three leading performers are scarily convincing on the film’s own tight, clammy terms. Gradually The Gift unwraps a story of the past, in the present day. At heart this is a three-character chamber piece, with three very interesting actors showcased in a confident directorial debut.

Mission Impossible–Rogue Nation (PG-13) ★★★★✩ The super-secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Mission Force becomes defunded in Rogue Nation. This leaves Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the gang without the leeway they need to capture the vicious head of an international terrorist syndicate known, expediently, as The Syndicate. Cruise clearly has a death wish, judging from how he throws himself into Mission: Improbable stunts every time out.

videos (the objectifying perspectives never change, only the posteriors), and confrontations or reconciliations. A tougher-minded biopic would’ve had the nerve to acknowledge some of the group’s seamier material and its role in the group’s international success. Similarly, there’s no mention of Dre pleading no contest to the brutal beating of TV host Dee Barnes. Ice Cube recently told Grantland: “We made a pact that if they do anything to Hollywood this movie, we outta here.” But Hollywooding a true story can mean many different things. Straight Outta Compton, at its best, evokes the heady atmosphere of Crenshaw Boulevard and what the group’s success meant to Compton, and vice versa. When the songs themselves take center stage, the movie works. What remains in the wings constitutes another, fuller story. Straight Outta Compton (R) ★★★✩✩

By Tribune Media Services

Vacation (R) ✩✩✩✩✩

A grim reboot of the franchise begun in 1983. Ed Helms plays Rusty, the nowgrown Griswold, a regional jet pilot based in Chicago. Stuck in a rut, Rusty tells wife Debbie (Christina Applegate) that they’re going to re-create his childhood road trip to Walley World. Meantime he’s conveniently blind to the toxic behavior of his younger son (Steele Stebbins), who nearly asphyxiates his sensitive, wimpy sibling (Skyler Gisondo) using a plastic bag. It’s a comedy unafraid of death; it dies a thousand of ‘em.

Paper Towns (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

Southpaw (R) ★★★✩✩

Ant-Man (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

The Gallows (R) ★★✩✩✩

Minions (PG) ★★★✩✩

Self/less (R) ★★✩✩✩

There’s something incredibly satisfying about a well-executed high school film that hits all the right John Hughes-inspired sweet spots. Paper Towns, adapted from a novel by writer John Green, does just that, with a twist. Concerned with the miracles, myths and mysteries that come with the end of high school, the film selfconsciously engages with genre tropes, while also updating and evolving the formula, this time by inserting mystery into its central storyline.

Burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) leads an army of ants against the villain, Yellowjacket, played by Corey Stoll. Lang and his pals learn of a mansion safe belonging to some old rich crank. The crank is Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), whose secret involves the Pym Particle, which enables humans to shrink down to ant size. Pym targets Lang for the experiment, conducted with the help of Pym’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly). Time will tell whether a movie such as AntMan, in which conventional firearms are so irrelevant, can find a big audience.

The yellow characters introduced in Despicable Me as the subordinates to the villainous Gru have now taken center stage. The film gets bogged down when the group members decide they need to find an evil boss to lead them. Kevin, Bob and Stuart (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) set out to find that leader. Their quest takes them to London in 1968 because they believe their new boss should be Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). She’s become the world’s leading supervillain with some help from her mod husband, Herb Overkill (Jon Hamm).

Southpaw starts not at the bottom of a fighter’s career, but the tippy-top. Billy “The Great” Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) survived a bruising childhood in a Hell’s Kitchen orphanage alongside his childhood sweetheart, Maureen (Rachel McAdams). Life is good for the two, now married, with a bespectacled moppet of a daughter (Oona Laurence). Billy’s the light heavyweight champ, with 43 straight ring victories. But when shots ring out after Billy’s charity event argument with an up-and-coming, trash-talking boxer (Miguel Gomez), the world cracks open.

It’s 1993, and we’re watching camcorder tape of a high school play called The Gallows. One prop malfunction later there’s a dead young actor—jump to 2013. The drama department has decided to remount the play, this time with a star football player in the role of the boy to be hanged. Reese Mishler plays the fledgling actor; his costar, a devoted drama student, is played by Pfeifer Brown. Belligerent, unsympathetic jock Ryan (Ryan Shoos) hatches a plan to break into the school at night and trash the set. The specter with the noose has other plans.

In this fantasy-thriller, the fantastical plot device is a body-switching process called “shedding.” You buy yourself a new, longer life in a younger person’s body. Ben Kingsley plays Hale, a Manhattan tycoon who beats cancer by hooking up with a biogenic company run by purring Matthew Goode. Hale gets swooped into the body of Ryan Reynolds. When Kingsley’s character turns into Reynolds, his memories are no longer his own. The new Hale experiences flashes of a different past. It’s up to this new version of Hale to figure out what shedding entails.

MARKETPLACE

$9.95 Month to Month Join the NEW Name in Fitness! 5 Las Vegas Locations: Las Vegas Northwest/ Las Vegas South/ Las Vegas Centennial/ Las Vegas Aliante/ Las Vegas Southeast

702-529-2139

MARKETPLACE

A G AV E E X P R E S S I O N I S M

MILAGRO MEANS MIRACLE

SEVEN QUESTIONS

actors actually put on the costumes and start to move, maybe they need something else, maybe the color is not right and maybe the fabric is not right. Sometimes you have to work with people who don’t like short pants or short sleeves, but the character needs that. So you have to push the character in the right place. I have to build communication so the actors feel safe with me as the costume designer and they trust me. The process actually takes about two years. It’s also not just the actors, but the creation team and all the people behind the scenes and in the shops. They are such great artists. In terms of color, white is very diffcult because you can’t just have white on the stage. I like to work with some shadows and color and details. The detail is the most important thing about the costume. Even if it’s completely plain you have to give something to the character. Sometimes in theater you have a really good actor and they need nothing. Sometimes you have a really nice person and you need to help them, you need to build them with the costume. Also I like to talk with artists because the costume is a shell of them on the stage and they have to feel at home. They have to feel really good in that costume. Do you go out looking for new fabrics?

One of my really good friends in Slovenia owns a [fabric] shop and they travel all around the world. They know what I like, and they bring so many new things to me—[including] the really simple, classic fabrics, which actually I like the most. It depends on the show and the play— silk or tulle for the ballet and then for opera, something heavy. What color do you love, and what would you stay away from?

Alan Hranitelj The designer on creating Zarkana’s costumes, his favorite colors and advice to aspiring designers

When you were a kid growing up in Croatia, how did you first come in contact with fashion?

I didn’t have a moment when I woke up and said, “Oh, my God, I’d like to be that.” It was so natural. I’m lucky because everything is so fuid, so normal, so not problematic. I had always loved costume design, but I did try fashion as well. I went to Milan in the early ’90s, and I was a fashion designer. Fashion is great, but for me, I needed more space. I came back from

Milan, and I started in theater and that was it. How did you become aligned with Cirque du Soleil?

I had a big exhibition of costumes in Slovenia in 1995, and I sent a catalog to Cirque du Soleil. After 10 years, they found the catalog, called me and asked if I’d like to work with them. The woman who found my book said it was on her table for two years. We started to talk about a new produc-

What are you working on now?

tion, a show in Macau that never came to fruition. [When] they found my book, apparently they tried to call me for a month and I didn’t answer the phone because I didn’t recognize the number. How closely do you work with actors, and what is it about the costumes that help build out a character?

First, we talk to all the acts, and then I start to prepare sketches. Then we change some things. When the

In Slovenia, I am working on two small plays. I mostly work with three or four directors all the time. We have been a team for almost 20 years. They are open to everything in terms of costume, color and shapes. I also work with a contemporary theater company in Munich. Do you have any advice to aspiring costume designers?

Actually, it’s so simple: Just be yourself and be open. Don’t judge anyone. Just go, just fy, be clear and have your intuition open.

PHOTO BY MIKE CRAWFORD

August 20–26, 2015

VegasSeven.com

By Melinda Sheckells

Personally, my color is green, and I love blue-green. I have maybe one or two green ties. It doesn’t mean that everything must be green around me. But in Europe, in some theaters they don’t like violet onstage. You have so many opera singers or actors or ballet dancers [who] say no violet. It is bad luck. If you’re in the audience and the main character sees you in a violet Tshirt, they will take you out. But I don’t have a problem with violet.