Winter Wanderlust | Vegas Seven | Dec. 8-14, 2016

FREE December 8-14, 2016 « NBT’S ‘THE NUTCRACKER’ / OUR EDITORS’ GIFT GUIDE / BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HEXX'SSECTION BEANS »

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September 29 - October 5 , 2016 vegasseven.com

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OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 15, 2017

LOCALS RECEIVE 20% OFF ICE SKATING* 60FT HOLIDAY TREE VISITS FROM SANTA *When you present your Nevada ID

Located between New York-New York® and Monte Carlo™ For more information, visit theparkvegas.com/holiday

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ON

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

Featuring Meryl Davis and Charlie White Hosted by Robert Herjavec and Kristi Yamaguchi

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER Mandalay Bay Ticket OfямБce 702.632.7580 mandalaybay.com |

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ON SALE TOMORROW!

FRI, FEB 17

SAT, FEB 18

MAY 3 – 20

FRI, DEC 16........................CAPITAL SNEAKER BOUTIQUE PRESENTS LIL YACHTY

THIS WEEKEND!

MON, DEC 19 ..................MONDAYS DARK W/ MARK SHUNOCK ANNIVERSARY SHOW

SUN, DEC 25....................JADE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS VIVIAN CHOW JOURNEY OF LOVE CONCERT WITH SPECIAL GUEST ASKA YOUNG

FRI, DEC 30......................PUFF PUFF PASS TOUR 2 SNOOP DOOG WITH BONE THUGS N HARMONY, DJ QUIK, WARREN G AND THA DOGG POUND

FRI, JAN 13.........................RVLTN 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OLIVER HELDENS & FRIENDS SAT, JAN 14........................RVLTN 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EXCISION W/ THE PARADOX & FRIENDS FRI, FEB 3...........................I LOVE THE ‘90S TOUR FEATURING VANILLA ICE, NAUGHTY BY NATURE, SUGAR RAY’S MARK MCGRATH, ALL-4-ONE, TONE LOC AND YOUNG MC FRI, FEB 10........................IRATION

LOST & FOUND WINTER TOUR WITH THE GREEN, PROTOJE AND ZACH DEPUTY

FRI, DEC 9 & SAT, DEC 10

SAT, APR 8 .........................BRING ME THE HORIZON

SUN, DEC 11

THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE TOUR

PLUS VERY SPECIAL GUESTS UNDEROATH AND BEARTOOTH

FOR VIP PACKAGES & RESERVATIONS CONTACT JOINTVIP@HRHVEGAS.COM OR 702.693.5220 AXS.COM

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888-9-AXS-TIX

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HARDROCKHOTEL.COM/THEJOINT

THE NEW PUB 365 IS NOW OPEN AND POURING AT THE TUSCANY SUITES AND CASINO. Pub 365 features a vast collection of 365 beers and a menu of delicious, modern pub fare that includes homemade small bites, iconic burgers and locally world-famous tacos.

The new Pub 365 is the perfect place for you and your friends to meet, watch a game and enjoy a cold pint of your favorite brew.

Pub365

@Pub_365

255 E. Flamingo Road | 702-944-5084

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Now That’s the Ticket

Happy Holidays!

Tickets to America’s Party Downtown New Year’s Eve Celebration

The Clark County Shooting Complex is great fun for all! Show your

What’s a better gift than tickets to celebrate the New Year

family and friends how special they are by purchasing a holiday

with 25,000 of your newest friends in Downtown under

gift certificate in any amount not to exceed $100. Gift certificates

the world’s largest video screen? On Saturday, Dec. 31,

are sold at the Rifle-Pistol and Shotgun Centers and can be

partygoers will rock in the New Year during America’s

redeemed for shooting fees, Beretta rentals and even apparel.

Party Downtown at Fremont Street Experience—Downtown

Come experience sport shooting at its finest at Nevada’s only

Las Vegas’ official New Year’s Eve party—starting at 6

5-Star outdoor shooting facility with 2,900 acres of world-class

p.m. Guests will enjoy non-stop action at the renowned

Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays and Rifle-Pistol shooting, plus Archery.

five-block entertainment district, including continuous

Located at the end of N. Decatur, north of Interstate 215.

performances on all three stages, the premiere of a new Viva Vision show featuring Green Day and the launch of a

Trap • Skeet • Sporting Clays • Archery Rifle-Pistol • Education Center (702) 455-2000 • 11357 N. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, NV www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/ShootingComplex

captivating digital display experience from AG Production Services. For the first time, patrons can fly into the New Year on the SlotZilla Zoomline with Party + Zoom packages.

Tickets start at $35. Party + Zoom package is $100 per person. Purchase tickets at vegasexperience.com/NYE.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Searching for the perfect present?

This holiday season, give that special someone an experience they won’t soon forget

Tickets to SlotZilla

at Fremont Street Experience For the daredevils in your life, tickets to fly on SlotZilla will make the perfect holiday gift. SlotZilla features two thrill levels, a lower Zipline where flyers travel half the length of Fremont Street Experience in a traditional seated-harness position, and an upper Zoomline where flyers are launched “Superman style” 1,750 feet across the entire length of Fremont Street Experience. Both levels deliver a unique experience—flying above thousands of people on Fremont Street Experience and under the four-block-long Viva Vision canopy, which is North America’s largest video screen.

Flights are $20 before 6 p.m. and $25 after 6 p.m. for the lower Zipline and $40 before 6 p.m. and $45 after 6 p.m. for the upper Zoomline.

To purchase tickets, visit vegasexperience.com or call 1-844-ZIPVEGAS.

Tickets to Joe Walsh at House of Blues

Best known for his powerful guitar licks, the legendary Joe Walsh maintains a legion of fans around the world, with huge success over the past four decades as a bona fide solo artist and member of the Eagles and James Gang. In early 2017, he will play an intimate series of shows at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. The multi-Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee’s hits include “Funk #49,” “Walk Away,” “Life’s Been Good,” “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “In The City,” “Ordinary Average Guy” and “Analog Man,” just to name a few. Walsh’s shows spotlight songs from throughout his career and pack in his hits alongside fan favorites like “Turn To Stone,” “Mother Says,” and “The Bomber.” This will be a show Las Vegas fans won’t want to miss. Jan. 11, 13-14, 18, 20-21. Doors, 7 p.m.; show, 8 p.m. 18 and over.

Tickets start at $99.50, plus applicable fees, and are available by visiting Houseofblues.com/lasvegas , mandalaybay.com, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 702-632-7600.

DRUMLINE LIVE

Motown® is a registered trademark of UMG Recordings, Inc.

JANUARY 3–8

JANUARY 26–27

JANUARY 17–22

FEBRUARY 2–4

“

The best musical since” The Lion King.

TIME

AN EVENING WITH

BURT BACHARACH FEBRUARY 10

Photo by Jesse Michener

Photo by Eric Ray Davidson

ear! w of the Y o h S 1 # ’s azine TIME Mag

SEVEN THINGS I’VE LEARNED: AN EVENING WITH IRA GLASS

FEBRUARY 11

FEBRUARY 14–19

MARCH 14–19

TICKETS MAKE THE PERFECT GIFT | STARTING AT $24 VISIT THESMITHCENTER.COM TO SEE THE FULL LINEUP 702.749.2000 | TTY: 800.326.6868 or dial 711 | Group Inquiries: 702.749.2348

361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89106

ON THE COVER

THU DEC 8

TUESDAY BLEND TUE, DEC 13

CJ SIMMONS

(NO COVER)

FRI & SAT DEC 9 & 10

SETH TURNER & THE HIGH DESERT DRIFTERS (NO COVER)

MON DEC 12

FRANK SIDORIS’ ROYAL ELECTRIC

WED DEC 14

(NO COVER)

CRASH MIDNIGHT

W/ INCARNATE

RAMONAHS

THU DEC 15

ALL DRAG RAMONES TRIBUTE BAND FEATURING OLIVER PECK FROM INK MASTER (NO COVER)

DIGITOUR WINTER

FRI DEC 16

FRI DEC 16

CRX

W/ STREETS OF LAREDO, HIDEOUT

Read Vegas Seven right-side up and then flip it over and start again with (7) SEVEN NIGHTS, featuring after-dark entertainment and the week’s nightlife happenings.

W/ BLAKE GRAY, BABY ARIEL, WESTON KOURY, NATHAN TRISKA, MARK THOMAS & MORE

SIN CITY SINNERS

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN VEGAS TOY DRIVE FEATURING JIZZY PEARL (LOVE/HATE), OZ FOX (STRYPER), BLAS ELIAS (SLAUGHTER), ROWAN ROBERTSON (DIO), SCOTTY GRIFFIN (LA GUNS) (NO COVER)

WINTER GETAWAYS Photography LARRY GEDDIS

DUMFOUNDEAD

SAT FEB 11

WE MIGHT DIE TOUR

FRI MAR 3

LIL SUNNY TOUR

SAT MAR 4

COLIN KANE

TUE MAR 21

WE THE KINGS

Pictured TOWERS OF SILENCE AT GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

SAT, DEC 17 ISAIAH RASHAD

SMASH MAGAZINE PRESENTS

OTHERWISE HOLIDAY THROWDOWN FRI, DEC 30

FRI MAR 31

SUN APR 2

MAYDAY PARADE

A LESSON IN ROMANTICS 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR W/ KUNCKLE PUCK, MILESTONES

OLD 97’S

SEVEN NIGHTS Photography KRYSTAL RAMIREZ

HARDROCKHOTEL.COM 702.693.5583 I AXS.COM Present your local ID at the box office for NO SERVICE FEES on all Vinyl & Friday Night Live Pool Shows.

Pictured THE BAD SANTA HOLIDAY EGGNOG COCKTAIL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECEMBER 8-14, 2016 TO DO

17 24/7

What to do around the clock in Las Vegas.

BY SHANNON MILLER

18 The Deal

SLS Las Vegas leads the pack in December discounts.

BY ANTHONY CURTIS

19 Running the Numbers

The Sounds’ frontwoman Maja Ivarsson counts band milestones.

BY IAN CARAMANZANA

42 Movie Theater Dining Tips

What to expect at the new Eclipse Theaters Downtown.

BY JESSIE O’BRIEN PLUS: Who

to follow on Instagram

CONVERSATIONS

45 From Rock God to Comic Book Hero

How John Dolmayan made a fortune dealing comic books.

BY JASON R. LATHAM

FEATURE

48 Nevada Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker

22 Vegas Seven Editors’

By the numbers.

Curated items that can buy our happiness.

Ask a Native

Gift Guide

BY SEVEN STAFF

28 By Land, Sea and Air

Action-packed winter getaways for adventurers and bon vivants.

BY SEVEN STAFF

TASTE

35 Now Serving

Daring New York-style pizza at Downtown’s Evel Pie.

BY AL MANCINI

36 Behind the Beans

At Hexx, great chocolate is born in the Dominican rain forest.

BY AL MANCINI

BY MARK ADAMS

What was the Jingle Bell Rock?

BY JAMES P. REZA

49 Lucky No. 7

What we really want for the holidays.

BY SEVEN STAFF

ON THE FLIP SIDE Seven Nights What to do after dark.

BY IAN CARAMANZANA

A Nod to Nog

Downtown Shopping Now that the holiday season is officially here, it’s time to get serious about the tedious process of shopping for gifts. There’s a new Arts District boutique and fair and a local artist’s online store.

Don’t miss three new Downtown spots to shop during the season of giving.

40 The Gear to Give

BY JARRET KEENE

Its Target

Will Las Vegas’ newest boutique hotel succeed?

BY DAVID G. SCHWARTZ

Gordon Ramsay Gives Vegas Hell The boisterous Brit is rumored to be taking over the current Serendipity 3 space at Caesars Palace and replacing it with a Hell’s Kitchen restaurant. Head to vegasseven.com/ramsay for details.

DTLV.com

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

41 Lucky Dragon Eyes

VegasSeven.com

BY XANIA WOODMAN

No Vacancy

BY AMBER SAMPSON

OUR SITES TO SEE

Countless ways to enjoy the holiday beverage.

Saint Motel overflows with bright hooks and soulful grooves.

Gifts for the gamer who has it all.

Silk sari wrap, uncommongoods.com

The Secret Weapon Meet Drai’s production coordinator Aaron Gillam.

BY ZAUNI TANIL

Time to Shine Tour Jewel Nightclub at Aria.

BY KAT BOEHRER

RunRebs.com Weekly Recap Tyler Bischoff takes a closer look at the Rebels’ loss against Arizona State, Dwayne Morgan’s foul trouble and the team’s health.

Fashion, Film and Fame

Dolce Vita Confidential is a whirlwind through 1950s Rome.

BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS

SpyOnVegas.com The Hookup Find upcoming events, see highlights from the hottest parties, meet the DJs and more.

December 8 -1 4, 2016 vegasseven.com

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5¢

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Land, Sea and Air

BEERS DAILY 5PM – 6PM Beer pong, craft beer and happy hour specials available daily.

Senior writer Lissa Townsend Rodgers after “20 minutes of terror.” Full story on page 28.

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger President Michael Skenandore Chief Financial Officer Sim Salzman Vice President, Marketing and Events Keith White Creative Director Sherwin Yumul Graphic Designer Javon Isaac Technical Director Herbert Akinyele Controller Jane Weigel

Presented by

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP Vegas Seven 701 Bridger Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101 702-798-7000 Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada. © 2016 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.

PHOTO BY CIERRA PEDRO

Letters and Story Ideas Comments@VegasSeven.com Advertising Sales@VegasSeven.com Distribution Distribution@VegasSeven.com

Publisher

Michael Skenandore Editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Melinda Sheckells MANAGING EDITOR

Genevie Durano SENIOR EDITOR, DINING, BEVERAGE & NIGHTLIFE

Xania Woodman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Mark Adams SENIOR WRITER

Lissa Townsend Rodgers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Shannon Miller EDITORIAL INTERNS

Sam Mendoza, Ashley Miles, Zauni Tanil, Ally Tatosian Contributing Editors Michael Green (Politics), Al Mancini (Dining), David G. Schwartz (Gaming/Hospitality) Art CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Benjamin Ward SENIOR DESIGNER

Cierra Pedro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Krystal Ramirez PHOTO INTERNS

Zach McKee, Wes Morefield VegasSeven.com DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT

Zoneil Maharaj EDITOR, DTLV.COM

Jessie O’Brien DIGITAL PRODUCER & WRITER

Amber Sampson CONTRIBUTING WRITER, RUNREBS.COM

Tyler Bischoff Production/Distribution DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION

Marc Barrington ADVERTISING MANAGER

Jimmy Bearse Sales BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Christy Corda DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL SALES

Nicole Scherer ACCOUNT MANAGER

Brittany Quintana ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Robyn Weiss, Matt Iles DIRECTOR OF SALES, BILLBOARD DIVISION

John Tobin

TO DO

THURSDAY 8

Meet the artists behind the Public Employee Art Exhibit, which showcases

professionally curated artwork by city employees. 3-5 p.m., Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery, 495 S. Main St., 702-229-1012

PHOTO BY SAM MORRIS/L AS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU

Looking for some spectacular holiday light displays? Las Vegas Motor Speedway has you covered. The racetrack features 2.5 miles of dazzling lights to gaze at in wonderment from the comfort of your vehicle.

Through Jan. 7, 5-9 p.m. Sun-Thu, 5-10 p.m. Fri-Sat & holidays, $20 per vehicle Mon-Thu; $30 Fri-Sun & Dec. 19-25, facebook.com/glitteringlightslasvegas What do you get when you put a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and an award-winning journalist in a room together? Find out at Simple Dreams: A Conversation With Linda Ronstadt.

7:30 p.m., free, tickets required, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall at UNLV, unlv.edu FRIDAY 9

Come for a drink, stay for the art! The monthly Downtown Cocktails and Coloring group provides art supplies and a social setting at Artifice. Sip and get your art therapy on. 6:30 p.m., artificebar.com

Ukraine-born, Brooklyn-raised Yelena Akhtiorskaya and Basque former Reno public defender Gabriel Urza read from

their debut novels and discuss their work at The Writer’s Block. 7 p.m., thewritersblock.org Mary J. Blige’s soulful voice converges with Maxwell’s sensitive falsetto for an

R&B match made in heaven. 6 p.m., $70$250, T-Mobile Arena, t-mobilearena.com

Ben Hale and Zach Ryan have passed through our city more than a few times.

They integrate their touring experiences in Wild, Restless and Blue, a show that explores American roots music and ’50s rock ’n’ roll. Backed by a band and vocalists, these musicians take you on a journey through the tall tales and dark corners of our country’s music.

7 p.m., $25-$45, The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com You might recognize him as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. In the spirit of the season, Travis Cloer invites you to a live performance of his album Christmas at My Place at The Space. 8 p.m., $30-$50, 3460 Cavaretta Court, thespacelv.com Catch country music’s Toby Keith and enjoy hits such as “Red Solo Cup” and “How Do You Like Me Now?!” 9 p.m.,

$35-$100, MGM Grand Garden Arena, mgmgrand.com Mr Little Jeans sounds like what you named your stuffed animal when you were a kid. Not a “mister” at all, Monica Birkenes conjures up dreamy electronic music you might recognize from Transparent and Grey’s Anatomy. 9 p.m., $17, The Bunkhouse Saloon, bunkhousedowntown.com

Get into the holiday spirit at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Glittering Lights.

SATURDAY 10

Need gift ideas? Not Just Antiques Mart’s JunkFest offers special sales and promotions up to 50 percent off. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., 1422 Western Ave., facebook.com/callrenee Donald Corpier Starr has met and drawn people from all walks of life. Meet the artist and witness the emotions—from fleeting interactions to lifelong relationships—he was able to capture in Encounters.

2-5 p.m., West Las Vegas Arts Center Community Gallery, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., artslasvegas.org

’Tis the season for Italian white truffles, the most exquisite and sought-after of the prized mushroom varietal. Take your seats for Tartufi e la Spinetta, a four-course wine-pairing dinner at Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar. 6:30 p.m., $250 per person, reservations required, 702-364-5300

24/7 What to do around the clock in Las Vegas

By Shannon Miller

December 8 -1 4, 2016 vegasseven.com

17

TO DO

Ho Ho Ho! Holiday Value Parade DECEMBER IS TRADITIONALLY PRIME TIME

How about some holiday crafts for the kiddos? Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort provides materials to make ornaments and cards for kids 12 and younger at its craft table. 8 a.m.-4 p.m., $1 admission for 13 and over, free admission for 12 and under, parks.nv.gov/calendar

for value in Las Vegas, and this year brings some of the best deals I’ve seen in quite a while. Topping the list is a powerhouse offer from SLS Las Vegas. Now through December 23, locals with a CODE card get 50 percent off at all SLS restaurants except Bazaar Meat. That means you can eat for half price at Umami Burger, Northside Café & Chinese Kitchen, the 800 Degrees pizza joint, the sushi restaurant Katsuya and Cleo. The discount applies to the entire bill, including alcohol (excluding select bottles of wine). There’s enough time to try ’em all.

When was the last time you had a nickel beer? And on the Strip, no less? You can have one today at the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar in the Margaritaville casino at the Flamingo, where they serve Miller Lite for 5 cents daily from 5 to 6 p.m. There are no strings attached. It’s just one hour of nickel beers served in 12-ounce plastic cups, and as you might imagine, a lot of plastic cups cram the bar during that hour. I’m not sure how long this can last, so get yours before it’s gone. And please don’t ask me how much to tip for a 15-cent round. Let your conscience be your guide.

Here’s a good gambler’s comp brought back from last year: Get a free buffet at the Rio by earning 50 points in one day ($500 coin-in on most video poker or $250 on slots) on Tuesdays. The expected loss on this play is about $10-$15 for the average video poker player (and about $6 for experts), which is well below the price of the buffet. You can earn the points in any Caesars Entertainment casino.

With the rodeo in town, there are plenty of drinking specials out there, but I’m partial to what’s become a great holiday tradition at Ellis Island: homemade alcohol-infused egg nog.

This one packs a punch and is available from the bar for $6 by the glass or $30 for a bottle.

December is the last month for $1 oysters in db Brasserie at The Venetian, but there are alternative plays. One of the best is Andiron in Downtown Summerlin, where oysters are also just a buck daily from 5 to 7 p.m.

When the new Lucky Dragon opened without video keno, I questioned how long that would last. Not very long. The bars now have both video keno and video blackjack, which was also missing.

This year’s ice rinks are at Downtown Summerlin, Toshiba Plaza at T-Mobile Arena and The Cosmopolitan. The fee for an all-day skate pass is $15 at Downtown Summerlin.

It’s $12 at T-Mobile Arena, but that’s for only two hours. The Cosmopolitan has the best deal at $10 for all-day access.

After skating, warm up with some pho at Pho D’Licious on Spring Mountain Road. At $4.99, it’s the least expensive bowl in town. 7

Find more stuff to do in Las Vegas at vegasseven.com/calendar

Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.

The holidays can be a tough time for those defending their right to say “Merry Christmas.” (No one’s trying to take that away from you, bro.) Heritage Holidays opens Clark County Museum’s Heritage Street to celebrate a history that all Las Vegans can appreciate—regardless of their religion. Explore holiday-decorated houses and buildings that chronicle our rich local history. 5-8 p.m., 1830 S. Boulder Hwy., facebook.com/clarkcountyparks

With his politically incorrect puppets in tow, veteran Vegas headliner and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham returns to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace to slay audiences with Perfectly Unbalanced. 4 p.m., $50-$90, caesarspalace.com

Dress your best for Vegas Live Session’s inaugural Red Carpet for local artists—a night of community, drinks

MONDAY 12

and surprises at Artifice. 8 p.m., facebook.com/officialvls Easton Corbin brings his Southern charm to The

Mirage Race & Sports Book to cap off National Finals Rodeo week. Enjoy feel-good hits such as “Roll With It,” as well as more sensitive songs such as “Are You With Me.” 9 p.m., mirage.com SUNDAY 11

Shall We Dance on Ice presents a high-caliber cast of professional ice skaters and dancers, including icedance duo Meryl Davis and Charlie White, veteran ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Dancing With the Stars’ Tony Dovolani. The event also features a performance by the Goo Goo Dolls. 7 p.m., $40-$100, Mandalay Bay, mandalaybay.com

Emo band Bayside’s frontman Anthony Raneri goes solo to give a focused look at his guitar and harmonizing skills at Backstage Bar & Billiards. With Tiny Stills and Brendan Scholz. 8 p.m., $12-$15, backstagebarlv.com

Slash’s right-hand guitar man Frank Sidoris celebrates funk, soul and rock with his band, Royal Electric.

Catch the rockers at Vinyl tonight. 8:30 p.m., Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, hardrockhotel.com TUESDAY 13

Catch a special screening of George Takei’s Broadway musical Allegiance, inspired by the original Trekker’s real-life experience with the U.S.-forced internment of Japanese citizens. 7:30 p.m., theaters vary, fathomevents.com Celebrate the magic of the season at Winter Parq.

Snowfall, lights and nightly holiday shows start at 6 p.m. The Linq Promenade, facebook.com/thelinq WEDNESDAY 14

Mayor Carolyn Goodman does the honors at ReBar’s sausage ribbon-cutting ceremony with co-host and city councilman Bob Coffin. It sounds weird, but free hot links and Harp Lager should entice you.

11:30 a.m., facebook.com/rebarlv Country star Easton Corbin wraps up NFR week at The Mirage.

18

December 8 -1 4, 2016 vegasseven.com

THE DEAL

By Anthony Curtis

TO DO

The Sounds Dec. 16, 7 p.m., $25, House of Blues, houseofblues.com/lasvegas

RUNNING THE “NUMBERS”

THE SOUNDS’ MAJA IVARSSON TALKS THE BAND’S NEW SINGLE, TOURING WITH HER CHILD AND 10 YEARS OF DYING TO SAY THIS TO YOU

By Ian Caramanzana

T

here may not be a more humble frontwoman than Maja Ivarsson. Onstage, she personifies a gentle lioness—tantalizing audiences with her airy vocals and spontaneous dance moves as the singer of the Swedish new-wave/post-punk heavyweights The Sounds. Over the phone, she’s the same—soft-spoken and friendly, though she’s quick to make poignant statements when the time is right. Ivarsson is touring to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her band’s landmark album, Dying to Say This to You. They’ve “Painted the Numbers” all over the country, and on December 16 the outfit brings its show to Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues. Ivarsson chatted with Vegas Seven to preview the performance.

“Thrill” is The Sounds’ first single in three years. Was it hard getting back into the studio to write and record? Not at all. To be honest, we wrote and recorded this song a long time ago.

We’ve actually got a couple [tracks] ready to go, but decided to release “Thrill” before we hit the festival circuit. Leading up to [its release], we were still playing together regularly, so it just felt like business as usual, but we’re more mature. The writing and recording processes weren’t as intense, though I wrote and recorded vocals when I was nine months pregnant (laughs).

The work never stops!

What’s next for The Sounds after this single and tour? We’re releasing an EP early next year containing some of the songs we already recorded, but we’ve got an overwhelming amount of unfinished ideas we’ll turn into songs eventually. We’re all really excited about the new material, even though it’s coming at a slower pace, and I’m sure we’ll tour following our next release.

I have my kid now, and Jesper [Anderberg, keyboard player] has a 6-month-old child. Work-wise, everything is different. I think it’s good for us to not be as busy as we’ve been the past 15 years.

We were either on tour, writing or in the studio recording, so this is kind of a natural break for us.

It’s nice! None of us feel the same pressure as we did when we were an up-and-coming band; everything’s coming along at a comfortable pace, and we’re keeping the momentum going. We’ve got the best, most loyal fan base you can imagine supporting us. They’re such beautiful people.

Dying to Say This to You—the Sounds’ landmark sophomore album—celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. As a band crafting music for 18 years, what’s been the biggest challenge? It’s been such a privilege to tour and write with the same people for so long. The thing is, we don’t feel the same hunger as we did years ago—it would be unnatural if we did. I feel that we’ve pretty much checked everything off the

list, and that’s an incredible feeling.

We’re all very proud of what we’ve accomplished.

I’m 37 now, and I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager. I no longer have the urge to party after every show. Touring is a different beast and presents challenges of its own. We have a “tour” family now, and it’s a fresh, new experience for everybody in the band. To be honest, I was getting a little tired of the previous lifestyle, so this is a welcome change.

It’s been more than two years since The Sounds’ last Las Vegas show at House of Blues.

Do you remember that gig? Yes! It went really well! I remember that tour … the venue’s wooden floor doesn’t work well with my pointy high heels, so it was me versus the floor the entire night. Luckily, I have experience with that (laughs).

Vegas is an interesting place. It’s a fun town if you’re getting wild for a few hours. We were there about a week ago for a day off. We couldn’t spend too much time in the casino because I was with a little baby. It’s not meant to be a kid-friendly town, but it was fun for a little while.

I’ve got some fond memories of [Vegas]. I can’t remember who, but a member from one of our opening bands once barged into the bus and told everybody he got married. We didn’t believe him, but it actually happened! Then there’s all the money I lost while gambling there.

Vegas is a very special place.

What can we expect at the show this time? Everybody is dying to [hear] the songs [from Dying to Say This to You] live, and we’ll bring them to life. We’re bringing the same energy, so it’ll be a trip down memory lane for the audience. There are songs from that album we put on every set list, then there are the ones we haven’t played before. It’s a treat seeing [fans’] eyes light up whenever we play those songs, and they’ve been received warmly.

What are you doing after the show? Oh, none of the crazy things I told you about. I’m going to head to the bus after the set, lie down and get some sleep. I’m sure I’ll need it. 7

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THE EDITORS OF VEGAS SEVEN SHARE OUR HOLIDAY MUST- HAVES

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MELINDA SHECKELLS CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT HER NARS Teaming up with photographer Sarah Moon for the holiday collection, François Nars drew inspiration from the surrealist film Metropolis.

The tones are rich and hypnotic. Bringing back gloss but with the kick of a stick, NARS Velvet Lip Glide wins product of the year for its buttersoft applicator. All available at NARS in The Forum Shops at Caesars, narscosmetics.com.

CONTRIBUTOR ZAUNI TANIL IS MAD FOR YSL A revolutionary new lip product, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain, combines the texture and shine of a gloss with the long wear of a stain. $39-$42.99, fragrance.com

ALSO SHOWN: Pure Haven Essentials Lip scrub. Gently exfoliates and leaves lips soft, smooth and nourished. The perfect stocking stuffer. $13.95; purehavenessentials.com/ erinwicker

Show love for Biggie, proper grammar and origami unicorns with these cool accessories from Las Vegas-based BATTLE BORN PINS. $8 and up, bbpins.bigcartel.com –Z.M. Flash more local love and “resting ... you know what” with this Bitch Face wristlet makeup bag by Las Vegas company CRIMES OF BEAUTY. $12, crimesofbeauty.com –M.S.

Hello Kitty joins forces with COLOURPOP cosmetics this holiday season for a line of pretty shades for the face, lips and eyes, befitting a feline pop-culture icon. Of course, each one has a supercute name, such as School Is Fun, Date Mate, Coin Purse and Mama’s Apple Pie. $5-$42, colourpop.com –M.S.

MARC JACOBS DIVINE DECADENCE smells like its name—champagne, gardenias, amber—and it meets the two main qualifications for a perfume: a pretty bottle on your dresser and a crowd of people smiling and sniffing in your wake. $95, fragrance. com –Lissa Townsend Rodgers, senior staff writer

Books for all! Opposite page: Made of Iceland: A Drink & Draw Book by Reyka Vodka, $25, amazon.com (selected by Xania Woodman, senior editor, dining, beverage & nightlife) ; Rite in the Rain All-Weather Travel Journal, $18.95, riteintherain.com (selected by Genevie Durano, managing editor); Field Notes (Black Ice, 3-Pack), $12.95, fieldnotesbrand.com (selected by Zoneil Maharaj, director of digital content); The New Garconne: How To Be a Modern Gentlewoman by Navaz Batliwalla, $21, Barnes & Noble (selected by Jessie O’Brien, editor DTLV.com); We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang, $12.25, bealright.net (also selected by Maharaj); Appetites by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever; $22.50, amazon.com and Everything I Want to Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking, $40, abramsbook.com (selected by Cierra Pedro, senior designer)

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YOGA PRO WHEEL PLUS

Your favorite yogi will bend over backwards to thank you when you gift him or her this ingenious prop that takes one’s practice to the next level. As part of a daily routine, the Yoga Pro Wheel enhances flexibility and strength while helping with proper alignment for difficult poses. $139.99, yogaprowheel.com –G.D.

SILK SARI WRAP

Made of upcycled saris patched together by artisans in a women’s collective in India, this silk scarf is the kind of gift that’s both beautiful and socially responsible. You’ll feel good giving it to a loved one, knowing that halfway across the globe, the women who made it are creating a better standard of living for their families and their communities. $58, uncommongoods.com –G.D.

JOHN VARVATOS’ LAFAYETTE SUNGLASSES

Italian movie-diva glamour, but the guitarhead hinges add a rock-star touch. $255, johnvarvatos.com –L.T.R.

RELATED GARMENTS

Matching underwear and socks for him make folding the laundry a visually pleasing experience. And a great gift for you, too. The Weekend Package features three pairs of boxer briefs, no-show and regular socks, with a laundry bag included. $75, relatedgarments.com –M.S.

HAPPY PLUGS IPHONE CASE Pop on a chic white Carrara Marble iPhone 6/6s slim case—coveted by fashion and beauty bloggers. $24.99; happyplugs.com –Z.T. BEOPLAY H3 HEADPHONES

ZEN WISHING STONE

These active noise cancellation headphones are made for the music lover (or transcribing journalist) who wants to mute out all surrounding sounds. Listen to nothing but what is playing on your device in comfort with memory foam tips. The clarity will make you never want to go back to normal earbuds. $249, beoplay.com –J.O.

NIXON THE MISSION WATCH

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild Pink Freud mug is rock ‘n’ roll, psychology and humor all molded into one psychedelic, mother-loving stocking stuffer. $13.95, philosophersguild.com –J.O.

Who couldn’t use a little help in the meditation department? Use this slate to paint affirmations and wishes and watch them evaporate, and then start again. It’s a good lesson that nothing in life is permanent (which should take some of the sting out of the recent election). $28, uncommongoods.com –G.D. This isn’t some precious piece of nerdware you need to be gentle with. Billed as the world’s first action sports smartwatch, the rugged Mission is designed to take a few hits and was built with surfers and snowboarders in mind. The Android-powered device flashes real-time condition alerts, tracks your fitness, checks messages, controls your music and will listen to your voice commands, unlike your disgruntled significant other. $400, nixon.com –Z.M.

SIN IN LINEN “FETISH AL FRESCO”

PINK FREUD MUG

EMINENCE SERUM

The organic skin care brand’s Kale + Citrus Serum works for all skin types. It’s made to brighten complexion, hydrate and improve overall skin health. Eminence products may be pricey, but they last a long time, like spending a little extra on a good pair of shoes. $115, aminahsorganicskinspa.com –J.O.

CORALINE FEDORA

Hats make you look cool while simultaneously hide a bad-hair day. The wide-brim, Merino wool Coraline hat at Goorin Bros. is shellacked in a stiffener for a crisp look. Fedoras may be synonymous with gangsters and the Rat Pack, but they were actually invented for women in the 1800s, making this a unisex design. $170, Goorin Bros. in The Linq, goorin. com –J.O. SAILOR JERRY X SCHOTT NYC PERFECTO JACKET This leather moto jacket collaboration embodies American badassery. The legendary tattoo artist Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins’ flash art hides in the red satin lining and on a patch on the sleeve, making this jacket truly original. $900, schottnyc.com –J.O. MARSHALL STANMORE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER The Marshall amp speaks to the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana used them to drown stadiums with their crunching riffs—and now you can piss off your neighbors with the modern version.

1960s in look and 2016 in sound, this slick little box is a must-have for the retro-loving audiophile. $350, marshallamps.com –Z.M. MONSTER DIAMONDZ HEADPHONES These rose-gold gems bring diamond clarity sound without compromising style. $299, monsterproducts.com –M.S.

MARIMO MOSS BALL LIGHT BULB TERRARIUM

The adorable Marimo Moss Ball Light Bulb Terrarium will warm your heart. Its sole purpose is to float around looking all cute and fuzzy in this tiny bulb of water. $35, uncommongoods.com –C.P.

These Sin in Linen “Fetish al Fresco” sheets have a print that looks classic and conservative at first glance but, upon closer inspection, reveal a Bettie Page fantasy.

What could be better in the bedroom? $99-$139, sininlinen.com –L.T.R.

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XANIA WOODMAN HAS BOOZE ON THE BRAIN THIS HANUKKAH. HERE ARE HER TOP PICKS! Bourbon: The Rose, Fall and Subsequent Rebirth of an American Whiskey by Fred Minnick, the author’s

annual tasteful whiskey tome. $14.12, amazon.com

Frey Ranch Reserve Absinthe, the first batch of which consists of just 810 numbered bottles from Nevada’s only estate distillery and using two varieties of wormwood. $55, Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits, freyranch.com/absinthe Angel’s Envy Rum-Finished Rye, a highly allocated release of 100-proof rye finished in Plantation XO barrels. $76, select Lee’s Discount Liquors locations while its lasts, angelsenvy.com/whiskey/ rum-finish Tony Abou-Ganim’s Fizz Glasses

by Steelite International are used at Libertine Social in Mandalay Bay. 6 for $76.50, mixologydepot.com

The Original Moscow Copper Co. 100-Percent Copper Mule Mug, said to

be just like the one that witnessed the birth of this classic vodka drink roughly 75 years ago. $49, moscowcopper.com

Death’s Door Gin, in sleek new packaging that feels as good in the hand as it tastes in the glass. $37, Total Wine & Spirits, deathsdoorspirits.com

Most poor unsuspecting vodkas have been ruined with flavors like grape and marshmallow but Black Moth Vodka makes up for these injustices.

The truffle-flavored spirit from Great Britain is distinct and clean. $100, blackmothvodkausa.com

GENEVIE DURANO AND LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS’ BOOZE ACCESSORIES

Felix The Copper Gnome

Absolut Elyx Gift Set A limited-edition offering that includes the copper tomtar (Swedish for “gnome”) drinking vessel, copper straw and a 750-milliliter bottle of Elyx Vodka. $120, The Atrium in The Palazzo, elyxboutique.com –X.W.

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Let the menu take course with a roll of the dice—Foodie Dice and Mixology Dice are a fun way to introduce a little mystery to your next dinner party. No takeout allowed! $44 for both, $24 each, foodiedice.com –G.D. Whiskey Legends Rocks Glass Sets celebrate famous drinkers,

including Ava Gardner—she may have been one of Hollywood’s legendary stars, but she always preferred bourbon to Champagne. $44 a pair, bourbonandboots.com –L.T.R.

By Land, Sea and Air Action-packed winter getaways for adventurers and bon vivants

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE 2,500 feet up and not scared at all “Well, you picked a good helicopter.”

I look at the bright red whirlybird sitting 20 feet away, waiting to lift us more than 2,000 feet into the air and laugh. “I’d hate to have picked a bad one.”

I feel far less nonchalant than I sound. On the 30-minute drive up from Vegas, my colleagues and I realized that all three of us had never been up in a helicopter before and two are afraid of heights. But everybody puts on their game face, ducks beneath the whirling blades and gets ready for 20 minutes of terror.

Yet somehow, once we rise above 1,000 feet, fear drops away, perhaps because none of it seems real. The Hoover Dam is smaller than the palm of my hand, a semitruck looks like a Matchbox car rolling along a shoelace—it’s a toy landscape that train sets run through or Godzilla stomps to bits. And once you get over the scale, you’re taken in again by the beauty. Lake Mead shimmering a shade of blue that you just can’t appreciate from ground level, the earth rolling beneath you, shading from scarlet to ochre to saffron; the Colorado River twisting and gleaming through Black Canyon. I feel both incredibly vulnerable and oddly invincible.

And suddenly, we’re banking back toward civilization. I’ve been too overwhelmed by what I’m looking at to have been scared—to be amazed by the scope, then dazzled by the beauty. As we float downward toward the Papillon Helicopter Tours landing pad and step out of the helicopter, I feel one Tours available year-round. thing I didn’t think I would today: sorry to be back $50-$600, papillon.com on earth.

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By Lissa Townsend Rodgers Photography Cierra Pedro

Take a Laguna-cation What the Hamptons is to New York City, Laguna Beach is to Las Vegas. Dive into the hospitality that makes this seaside enclave so popular with pleasure-seeking Las Vegans

By Melinda Sheckells

Cool places to stay …

What to do …

Long walks on the seven miles of coastline—while it may seems cliché, now that it’s a brisk freezing here in Las Vegas, Laguna Beach’s temperatures range from highs in the mid-60s to lows in the 50s.

Laguna offers a fun sense of discovery with more than 30 coves and beaches, all with public access. Tide pools at low tide (best spots are Crescent Bay, Picnic Beach, Rockpile Beach, Shaw’s Cove and Treasure Island) harbor plenty of easy-to-spot sea life such as hermit and shore crabs, sea anemones, black turban snails, limpets, barnacles, sea lettuce and coraline algae.

For those who enjoy water sports, all the typical offerings can be found on Main Beach from bodyboarding and stand up paddle boarding to sand volleyball, basketball courts, playground equipment and a boardwalk.

Families can visit the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (pacificmmc.org), dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating sea lions, seals and other marine mammals stranded along the 42-mile Southern California coastline. They release healthy mammals back into the wild.

Visit Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and the Nix Nature Center, located at the top of Laguna Canyon Road, with five exploration trails leading from the center. (Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., free admission.)

In support of that small-town vibe, try the free trolley that runs Friday-Sunday from September through June as your main method of transportation.

Part of the city’s charm is the exclusivity when it comes to accommodations. While the most luxurious game in town belongs to Montage Laguna Beach and Surf and Sand Resort, the quaint beachy vibe reigns at Laguna Beach House (thelagunabeachhouse. com), which upon check in, makes guests feel as if they’ve taken possession of their very own seaside property. The design, unveiled in early 2015 as part of a $1.5 million renovation, is pure California with vintage surf and skate touches throughout— surfboards above the beds and skateboards as towel racks. The color palette is neutral with pop of vibrant hues and succulents, vintage surf books, small handcrafted instruments, canvas totes and coastal-inspired accessories displayed throughout the guestrooms. To up the cool factor, the hotel commissioned a Laguna Beach destination poster reminiscent of vintage travel posters, which is hung in each room, with T-shirts available as well.

Check the daily wave report on a classic chalkboard at reception and get cozy in the lobby, adjacent to a majestic California State flag.

With just 36 rooms situated around the pool deck and fire pit, it’s possible to get to know the neighbors here, which makes sundown wine time—nightly in the lobby—even more fun. Also on offer is complimentary coffee in the morning and cookies in the evening.

Twenty of the rooms have private balconies with coastal views and all feature a flat-screen television, Wi-Fi access and king or double queen beds as well as pullout sofa beds, making this a great place to stay with the kids. Located on the north of town, Main Beach is just a short walk. Room rates start at around $200.

The rumble of the waves that lull guests to sleep every night makes a stay at the Inn at Laguna Beach (innatlagunabeach.com) a memorable excursion. On the bluffs in a prime location, and a stone’s throw from Laguna Beach House, the Inn has 70 rooms and a rooftop terrace for sunset cocktails, along with a delightful pool if the ocean just isn’t enough. If you want to hit the shops and galleries, the Inn at Laguna Beach is just steps away to the heart of it all. Room décor is beach chic and spacious To track all the with pillow-top beds, 250 thread count linens and luxurious happenings around spa-inspired bathrooms. From light fare such as pastries, coffee and juice in the morning and cocktails and snacks at the Laguna Beach, @ Poolside Bar, a nightly wine hour in the Lobby, as well as room VisitLaguna and #MyLagunaBeach service available throughout the day, the Inn at Laguna Beach offers ample dining choices. Room rates start at $249.

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Wild West Rock Show A ghost town is reborn in the High Desert

By Lissa Townsend Rodgers

WHEN: If Pioneertown looks like a vintage Hollywood film set, that’s because it was. Built in 1946 by a group of movie types including Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, Pioneertown was the set for numerous western movies and TV shows including The Cisco Kid and The Gene Autry Show. It fell into disrepair, but in 2003, Pappy & Harriet’s was bought by Robyn Celia and Linda Krantz, two New Yorkers who gave it a rough-edged renovation and turned it into a unique music venue. The Pioneertown Motel was redone last year, but the street of “Wild West” shacks and storefronts remains essentially the same.

Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace Open Thu-Mon, pappyandharriets.com

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WHAT: Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace is a bar/restaurant/ music venue that excels in all three fields. The ramshackle building is a sprawl of wood-paneled rooms hung with memorabilia, from taxidermied moose heads to knockoff Remington landscapes to a near-lifesize portrait of a sultry and neckless Jane Russell giving the eye to the fellas at the bar. Beyond the

dining rooms, barroom and tiny stage, there are two outdoor spaces with bars, barbecues and fire pits that offer breathing room between sets and/or accommodate larger festival-style shows (which are still only a few hundred people).

WHY: Like Austin, Nashville or New Orleans, the area is home to a disproportionate amount of musicians, which makes for good gigs and appreciative audiences.

The warm vibe and solid sound system at Pappy & Harriet’s have also drawn plenty of names that seem too big for the room, including the Arctic Monkeys, the Pixies and Lucinda Williams; when Paul McCartney was whiling away time between weekend sets at Oldchella (sorry, Desert Trip) this summer, he played a gig at Pappy & Harriet’s that has already passed into legend.

Upcoming acts include the Bronx, the Aggrolites and the Kills.

The food is top-notch—the nachos are an ideal of freshly fried tortilla chips with a perfect balance of gooey toppings and the burgers are thick and juicy on puffy brioche buns, while the steaks are unexpectedly delicious. As far as drinks, it’s not a place for mixology or microbrews, and that is as it should be. Finally, Pappy & Harriet’s and Pioneertown also offer one of the world’s oldest and simplest forms of entertainment: With no bright lights—or any lights—nearby, stargazing may be the best show of all.

RICHARD BROADWELL/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO

WHERE: On the way to the mid-century angles and sleek finishes of Palm Springs, home to celebs and senior citizens, one passes through Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, two boho outposts of the High Desert that host an assortment of refugees from bigger cities. Pioneertown is a few miles up a winding mountain road, an eccentric mirage that’s part Old West, part modern hipster.

Cowboys, Canyons and Hoodoos, Oh, My! Looking for adventure?

Kanab, Utah, is your starting point.

NEON BY SANDER JURKIEWICZ; CANYON BY J RYAN

By Genevie Durano If your idea of a vacation involves unplugging from the digital world and tuning into the natural world, there’s no better portal than Kanab, Utah, less than four hours from Las Vegas. While Kanab proper is fairly small—the main drag spans only a few blocks but offers a variety of restaurants and shops—it serves as a good base to explore the wonders of state and national parks.

Kanab itself offers stunning red rock vistas. It is most famous for its brush with Hollywood fame starting in the ’20s. Hundreds of western movies and TV shows have been shot in and around the town, including The Lone Ranger, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Outlaw Josey Wales and both the 1968 and 2001 versions of Planet of the Apes, to name a few. If you want to be schooled on the famous faces that have graced this little Southern Utah gem, stay at Parry Lodge (parrylodge.com), a national historic hotel where each room is named after a movie star (Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, Tyrone Power, Ronald Reagan, et al). The hotel’s restaurant is covered wall-to-wall with photos of celluloid legends. During the summer, the 100-year-old barn at Parry Lodge screens movies shot in Kanab. (Fun fact: The barn once housed famous horses, including the Lone Ranger’s horse Silver and Tonto’s horse Scout.)

For some serious grub at the end of a long day of hiking and exploring, there is no shortage of choices in Kanab. Iron Horse Restaurant & Saloon (ironhorsekanab.com) offers cowboys and cowgirls plenty to chew on—ribs, brisket, and comfort food such as mac & cheese and ranch beans. The steaks, cooked to order on the grill, have monikers such as the Frank Sinatra (bone-in New York strip) and the Maureen O’Hara (skirt steak).

But the granddaddy of all is the John Wayne, a 32-ounce bone-in rib eye.

(Clearly, they take John Wayne seriously in this neck of the woods—there’s even toilet paper bearing the Duke’s visage sold at gift shops.)

Barbecue is not the only thing you’ll find in Kanab. The popular Sego restaurant (segokanab.com) offers a selection of regional New American cuisine. You can unwind with a glass of wine, a specialty cocktail or craft beer while noshing on shared plates of foraged mushrooms, baked brie and brown butter figs. The intimate space is a lovely complement to the views outside, and the food is as good as any you’ll find in a metropolitan city.

As for what to actually do while you’re in Kanab, what you have is an embarrassment of riches. Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon are all less than two hours away. Each destination is an easy day trip, offering stunning views of canyons, hoodoos and other geologic marvels. (A hoodoo is a spire of weathered rock, prevalent throughout Southern Utah, especially Bryce Canyon.)

But you don’t even have to go very far from Kanab to find natural beauty. Just at the edge of town, you can do some off-roading (Denny’s Wigwam in town offers Hummer-guided tours) to Peek-a-Boo slot canyon— slot canyons are canyons shaped by water rushing through rock—where you embark on an easy hike to beautiful, striated passageways splashed with color. Here you get a sense of time as etched on these rocks. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is also just at the edge of town, where sand dunes as far as the eye can see transform the landscape and make you feel like you’ve landed on a different planet. Adventurous types like to trek to the top of the dunes with their snowboards and ride down.

Kanab may seem a sleepy enclave to those passing through, but stay awhile and you’ll discover it’s a doorway to many adventures. It will undoubtedly be your favorite getaway from the neon lights when Mother Nature calls.

Top: Parry Lodge is the star of Utah’s “Little Hollywood.

Bottom: Access Peek-a-Boo slot canyon via Hummer tour (dennyswigwam.com/foreveradventure-tours).

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CRUISING THE COLORADO

By Shannon Miller Photography Danielle Kwasniowski

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, EVEN IN THE DESERT We Las Vegans take water for granted. It’s a given that our faucets, toilets, lawn sprinklers, car washes and the like will work when we need them to, but the source of the water is not necessarily elusive. Past Henderson’s outskirts and Boulder City’s quaint streets stands Hoover Dam, where human engineering harnesses the Colorado River.

Tourists and locals view the attraction from the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, where they snap photos then head back to their cars, thinking they have seen all of the water that Las Vegas’ surrounding outdoors has to offer.

But driving beyond the Nevada-Arizona border brings you to the Colorado River’s Upper Lake Mojave, where caves, hot springs and even a hot springs cave dot the riverside in a 12-mile stretch between the dam and Willow Beach Marina. The only way to access some of these natural wonders is by boat.

Despite being born in Las Vegas and raised in Henderson, I had never visited Upper Lake Mojave until I started guiding for Evolution Expeditions last spring. For 11 years, the kayak tour company and outfitter has guided adventures in Black Canyon, the stretch of the Colorado between Hoover Dam and Davis Dam in Laughlin. The dark-colored volcanic rocks there somewhat explain the canyon’s name, but there’s much more than nomenclature to explain the area’s geologic interest. Evolution seeks to educate its guests about this very history and to foster appreciation for the natural environment.

Evolution’s longest tour launches at the base of the dam, where guests paddle beside the 726-foot structure. A quarter of a mile downstream is a naturally heated sauna cave accessible only by boat, and within the next four miles, Gold Strike Canyon and Arizona Hot Springs offer hiking to a number of naturally heated pools.

The pristine beauty of the canyon leaves adventurers speechless. “You can [almost] get the same perspective that early explorers had when kayaking Black Canyon. I guess you can do the same thing by motor boat, but you seem to miss a lot without knowing it because [of] the speed and the noise of the motor,” says Rodney Kent, co-owner of Evolution.

With nearby Red Rock, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Mount Charleston, Las Vegans have many options for getting out of the city and reconnecting with nature. A hidden gem just outside Las Vegas, Black Canyon beckons us to get out of our element, on the water and beyond our usual boundaries.

Evolution Expeditions Tours available year-round by reservation only, $100-$200, evolutionexpeditions.com.

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TASTE

NOW SERVING

Evel Pie

By Al Mancini Photography Shane O’Neal

From the minds that brought you The Golden Tiki, Branden Powers and his partner Jeffrey Fine of Fine Concepts now offer Downtown revelers a taste of the Big Apple. Evel Pie is one of the most authentic purveyors of New York street pizza in Las Vegas. We’re talking about big, fat slices glistening with just the right amount of grease that you must fold in half to scarf down when you’re half drunk in the middle of a night of partying. That makes it perfect for the booze-heavy block of Fremont Street this joint—with it’s quick-serve “Pie Hole” window—calls home.

But unlike the Manhattan and Brooklyn haunts that inspire the menu, this is no generic slice factory. The former F Pigalle fondue spot is now dripping with pure Evel—as in, all-American daredevil Evel Knievel. The place is packed with memorabilia paying tribute to the motorcycle legend, including Schwinn Stingray bikes, water skis, Evel’s signature pinball game, a classic cycle-jumping arcade game and more red, white and blue than an RNC Fourth of July picnic. Even the menu has some tenuous tributes to the late icon, such as the rattlesnake sausage pizza topping that commemorates his failed rocket jump over the Snake River Canyon.

Dine in to experience two NAME: Evel Pie SERVING: New of the best happy hour specials York-style pizza with a full bar around: a cheese slice and a PBR and draft beer. OPENED: Nov. 9 for $5 all winter or a 20-inch DID YOU KNOW: Evel Knievel holds cheese pie and a pitcher for $20, the Guinness World Record for the every day from 2-6 p.m. And most broken bones sustained in a for take-out, the Pie Hole opens lifetime. LOCATION: 508 Fremont St. on December 16 (also Evel Pie’s HOURS OF OPERATION: 11 a.m.-2 grand opening), serving till a.m. Sun-Thu, 11 a.m.-4 a.m. Fri-Sat. 4:20 a.m. on weekends during WEBSITE: EvelPie.com TWITTER: the winter and every night @evelpielv INSTAGRAM: @evelpie during spring and summer.

DINNER FOR TWO: $15-$30 (Hint: When the blue light is on, all remaining slices are just $2!)

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TASTE

Behind the Beans Great chocolate is born in the Dominican rainforest

SAN FRANCISCO de MACORÍS, Dominican Republic—A sculpture of a hand offering a cacao pod to the heavens stands in a square in the heart of this town, located about two hours northwest of the capital, Santo Domingo. It’s appropriate that locals here pay tribute to the oddly shaped pod that some say resembles a Nerf football. It’s the reason the region prospers, at least by local standards.

Story & Photography Al Mancini

This page: Fermented beans drying in the Caribbean heat; a cacao pod split open to reveal pulp-covered beans.

Opposite page, clockwise from top: Matt Silverman, Emily Stone and Matt Piekarski (from left) examining cacao beans within their pods; a farm in the mountains outside of San Francisco de Macoris.

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“Farmers here live in cement houses,” says Emily Stone of the American import company Uncommon Cacao. “Their kids go to school.

There’s a good infrastructure. And it’s all based on cacao.”

Cacao is the prime ingredient in chocolate, and it’s why Las Vegas chefs Matthew Piekarski and Matthew Silverman have traveled to the Dominican Republic. Their restaurant, Hexx Chocolate & Confexxions in Paris casino-resort, is the city’s only “bean-to-bar” chocolatier, meaning they control every aspect of the process that turns beans into gourmet chocolate bars and other

decadent treats. But while the big chocolate companies use commercially traded cacao on the commodities market, the chefs personally source their star ingredient from around the world, creating distinct lines of single-origin chocolate. The purpose of this trip is to secure a new source, and to ensure that the premium they pay for quality makes its way to the farmers. They recently invited Vegas Seven along to witness the process.

Cacao trees grown on farms in the Republic’s mountainous rainforests are a long way from the organized rows of corn, trees and produce

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY ANTHONY MAIR

TASTE

we’re familiar with in the U.S. Hiking one farm trail, the chefs encounter numerous species indigenous to the area, including macadamia, plantains and coffee, all of which make for nice midday snacks.

The tallest cacao trees bear fruit pods that can sprout 10 to 15 feet or higher above the ground. Those pods will rot on the tree unless harvested, and they need to be cut down individually using sharp knives attached to the ends of long poles. As the trees grow taller, farmers add extensions to the poles.

Once harvested, a worker opens the pods to reveal the interior of the fruit, a gooey white pulp surrounding purple seeds or beans. An experienced farmer can crack them open with a single blow by knocking them against the tree right at their sweet spot, although a machete is considerably quicker. Yet even an expert, deftly cutting open one after another at breakneck speed, will take close to 20 minutes to fill a bucket with cacao beans.

Over the course of a day, the workers and the visiting chefs will occasionally pop a pulp-covered seed into their mouths and suck on them like hard candies. The flavor ranges from sweet to tart, depending on how ripe they are.

“This is how I like them,” says Silverman on his second day of touring, offering a yellow-orange pod packed with purple beans up to the group. “It almost has like a

marshmallow flavor.”

Once the beans are separated, the empty pods are left behind to fertilize the soil and the remaining pulp is fed to work mules. Next, the beans undergo a fermentation process. A high-quality farm or collective will subject them to four phases of fermentation in specialized containers, while those supplying commodity beans often do it on makeshift tarps along the mountain’s dirt roads. As yeast converts the natural sugars to alcohol, they form a liquid that’s extremely acidic and hot. Dip your hand into the vat and it will become uncomfortable very quickly. And the cement around those vats is pitted and pocked from repeated exposure to those acids.

Once the beans have fermented, they’re spread in thin layers over screen beds within long semicircular huts for drying. The climate usually facilitates this naturally.

But just in case of unexpected cold, some drying beds are located next to emergency furnaces.

When the beans are dry, potential buyers can cut them open to check for telltale signs of quality: color (they change from purple to brown), mold and how pronounced the veins are. But, Silverman says, taste is still subjective. “Palate is still 50 percent,” says Silverman, “the acidity, the fruit flavor, whatever it is that’s not quantifiable.”

By the end of two days of tours,

Silverman and Piekarski have found a supplier for their new Dominican line of chocolate. Milk and dark chocolate made from the Dominican beans will be packaged and available for purchase at Hexx about a week before Christmas. Some pieces chiseled from a brick of the dark chocolate a few weeks early and sampled alongside products made with beans they’ve found in Peru, Tanzania, Venezuela, Ecuador and Madagascar revealed notes of rich red wine with slight hints of jalapeño, as well as some smooth caramel features. But whatever final flavor it has when it’s revealed, keeping it consistent

will be key to ongoing marketability. That, and a sense of social responsibility, are why the chefs spend so much time researching their farms.

“When we form a partnership with a cacao farm, we are looking to build a long-term relationship with them,” Silverman says. “There’s no way to do that without going to the farm, trying and testing their cacao beans, and getting to know the owners and operators. Plus, we need to feel good about the culture of the cacao farm. Establishing a business relationship in Latin America is like getting to know extended family.” 7

The Marriage of Chocolate & Wine Chocolate can offer intense flavor, often simultaneously sweet, acidic, bitter and fruity. The mouthfeel of high-quality chocolate can range from smooth to luxuriously silky and creamy, which means that a wine—especially a dry wine as opposed to a sweet dessert wine— needs to be similarly intense if it’s going to pair well with chocolate.

When the marriage of chocolate and wine works, the wine should harmonize with the intricate flavors in the chocolate, each adding something to the other, never striving to be the better half.

Hexx’s head chocolate makers Matthew Silverman and Matthew Piekarski offer a flight of three chocolate and wine pairings. You’ll find Hexx’s intense, fruity and floral Peru dark chocolate paired with Josh Cellars’ juicy and spicy 2014 zinfandel. Dark Tanzania chocolate, with its bright hints of cherry, coffee and lemon, is served with a 2013 Graffigna Grand Reserve Malbec. And Hexx’s milk chocolate from the Sambirano Valley in Madagascar, with its strong citrus notes, is accompanied by the pink bubbles of 2015 Domaine Ott Grenache Rosé, itself tinged with citrus zest and spices of cinnamon and cardamom. The tasting experience is priced at $40. –Marisa Finetti

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SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Insta-Gratification Follow this account right now

@luther.redd

A Chicago native, Luther Redd is relatively new to the photography world with only two and a half years of experience. He originally bought a professional camera to simply take pictures of his family and friends, but quickly discovered a new passion. “One day I took a photo [and posted] it on my Instagram account, which was personal at the time. I got 11 likes and realized that I discovered an interest I could pursue as more than just a hobby.” Now, Redd has an impressive professional résumé, shooting behind-the-scenes images for pop star Olly Murs’ “You Don’t Know Love” music video and Michael Jordan’s #Banned campaign. Check him out at @luther.redd, 60.5K followers

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ONLINE MEMBERSHIPS

It’s all fun and games until your Xbox Live or PS Plus membership runs out. If you want your gamer to enjoy any or all of the previously mentioned gifts, consider renewing their membership that allows them to play online. Yearly subscriptions will remind them why they love you. $60, gamestop.com

HARD DRIVES

The Xbox One and PS4 systems only hold an average of 500 gigabytes of storage. That seems like a lot, but when you consider most titles fall between 20 and 50 gigabytes, 10 installed games cap it off. A number of external and internal hard drives are available to remedy this issue.

Some respected brands include Seagate, Western Digital and Toshiba, but there’s plenty of other options.

Prices vary, amazon.com

Gifts for the gamer who has it all

By Amber Sampson The holiday season brings on a barrage of blockbuster titles for gamers.

It’s the best time of year for that demo, but also the worst for those who give gifts—because gamers don’t wait to open neatly wrapped packages to play. Here’s what else you can buy that’ll still impress them.

NES CLASSIC EDITION

Clockwise from top left: Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack vinyl; DigiGreen Xbox One Scuf Controller; NES Classic Edition.

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This pint-size piece of nostalgia calls back to the 8-bit glory of the ’80s.

It ships with 30 preinstalled retro titles, including Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda.

Start searching now, as the system is pretty tough to find. $60, nintendo.com/nes-classic

SCUF CONTROLLER

Scuf Gaming designs custom-built controllers that are the industry standard in the professional e-sports scene, and a godsend to gamers.

Personal touches include everything from the “Venom” snakeskin print to the addition of paddles on the back of the controller to remap key buttons (for good ol’ pub-stomping advantages). From $90, scufgaming.com

KINGSTON HYPERX CLOUD HEADSETS

Behind every good gamer is a great headset, and you can’t go wrong with the HyperX Cloud series. Not only are they compatible with the holy trinity of gaming (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC), but they also feature microphone detachment, so players can turn their headsets into high-end headphones on the fly. The pillowy ear cups allow for lengthy play sessions, and the sound levels will keep gamers at the top of the leaderboards. From $70, hyperxgaming.com/us

Some developers enclose a CD of their games’ musical scores in special editions, but others go the extra mile and release the music on vinyl.

You’ve got a beautiful collection of LPs to choose from, with the game’s artwork spilling from the sleeves and onto the records themselves. Recommendations include the ethereal cadence of Fallout 4 ($100), the eclectic jams of Grand Theft Auto V ($150) and the aural adventure of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End ($35). store.bethsoft.com, amazon.com, store.iam8bit.com 7

GTAV COURTESY OF ROCKSTAR GAMES; DIGIGREEN XBOX CONTROLLER COURTESY OF SCUF GAMINGNES CL ASSIC COURTESY OF NINTENDO

THE GEAR TO GIVE

GAME SOUNDTRACK VINYL

By David G. Schwartz

Lucky Dragon Eyes Its Target IT’S AS NICHE AS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL CAN GET. WILL IT SUCCEED?

W

hen the Lucky Dragon had its official grand opening earlier this month, there were few surprises. After all, the casino had been open for nearly two weeks. But the formal unveiling gives an opportunity to consider just what Sahara Avenue adds to the local casino and hospitality scene.

In some ways it looks to the past, but in others, Lucky Dragon could be a glimpse into the future.

Since 2010, the “new” properties have been rebrands like the Downtown Grand, The Quad/Linq, SLS Las Vegas and The Cromwell, but Lucky Dragon is the first genuinely new property to open in the tourist corridor since The Cosmopolitan six years ago. Someone thought they could make money building a new casino in Las Vegas and convinced enough people to make funding a reality. That has significance: It is one sign that the recession is in Las Vegas’ rear view.

This is a different kind of casino, though. While Resorts World and Alon, the properties slated to rise on the sites of scuttled Echelon and Plaza Las Vegas, have yet to begin major construction, Lucky Dragon is up and running. With 203 guest rooms, five restaurants, a spa and a 27,500-squarefoot casino, it is tiny by Strip standards; the typical resort on the Boulevard has more than 3,000 rooms, 100,000 square feet of gaming space and an array of restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping and convention spaces. Lucky Dragon has gambling, food and rooms—and little else.

The casino’s size (one can easily see from one side of the room to the other) and layout (tables in the center, slots around the edges, restaurants just beyond) are a throwback to the 1950s. Las Vegas Strip casinos such as the Sands, Desert Inn and the Flamingo were a bit smaller than the Lucky Dragon and had significantly more supporting elements (namely, a supper club theater), but the scale feels the same. Travel to Las Vegas was, back then, a niche activity. The entire resort was built with one purpose: to draw and retain big (typically craps) players.

Lucky Dragon has a similarly tight focus: Its operators tout its “authentic Asian cultural and gaming experience”

as the difference maker. Unlike most of the Strip, Lucky Dragon is going out of its way not to be all things to all people. If you are not into Asian games and Asian food, you will likely not enjoy visiting much.

Being so specific is, according to the conventional wisdom, a huge mistake. But casino history is filled with similar mistakes. It was a “mistake” for Thomas Hull to build his El Rancho Vegas three miles from Downtown Las Vegas in 1941; that mistake created the Las Vegas Strip, which has done all right for itself. It was a “mistake” for Jay Sarno to invest so heavily in a theme for Caesars Palace in 1966; that resort just celebrated 50 years in business. It was also a “mistake” for Sarno to open Circus Circus with a heavy emphasis on slot machines in 1968, but within 15 years slots would be out-earning table games in Nevada.

Lucky Dragon could be a harbinger for the Las Vegas of the future. With overall gaming revenue still behind its pre-recession high and nongaming increasingly dominating on the Strip, the age of “big tent” megaresorts may be over. The giants of the 1990s had themes, yes, but they were not niche-focused: Bellagio was aimed at those who wanted to pay $200 a night or more for a room, whether they were gamblers, business travelers or foodies. Lucky Dragon isn’t just a boutique property (which, in Las Vegas can be any place with fewer than 500 rooms); it is a focused

boutique property. That is the big difference, and that is what should have people in the business watching closely.

Lucky Dragon executives pointed out, before opening, that their resort does not have a pizza place or steakhouse, but the more stunning omissions are the lack of a theater and convention space. “Everyone knows” that entertainment is a prime marketing tool, and that you need conventions to fill midweek occupancy. But the Strip only turned to conventions after it ran out of gamblers to fill up its growing hotels all week; a smaller hotel footprint with a more focused casino marketing program means no need for convention space. This seems logical, and it could work.

Should Lucky Dragon succeed, there may be more focused boutique properties on the way. Targeting demographics along cultural lines could be just the beginning.

While the megaresorts will not go away, focused boutique resorts may provide another option for those who want to come to Las Vegas, which is always a good thing. 7

GREEN FELT JOURNAL

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.

Unlike most of the Strip, Lucky Dragon is going out of its way not to be all things to all people. … It could be a harbinger for the Las Vegas of the future.

By Lissa Townsend Rodgers

Fashion, Film and Fame Dolce Vita Confidential is a whirlwind trip through 1950s Rome Few cities have rebounded from the depths of postwar despair to the height of international glamour as Rome did in the 1950s. The city crawled out of the Great Depression and from under Mussolini to become ground zero for European fashion, film and celebrity. Dolce Vita Confidential: Fellini, Loren, Pucci, Paparazzi and the Swinging High Life of 1950s Rome (W.W. Norton, $27.95) is a giddy look at this wild time, centered on Rome’s Via Veneto, the street of cafés and nightclubs where street urchins and movie stars rubbed shoulders as Vespas whizzed by and flashbulbs exploded.

Author Shawn Levy takes us through the story at a breakneck pace,

whether it’s chronicling the fast life and (literally) death of auto-racing, model-chasing Spanish nobleman Alfonso de Portago, or tracing the trajectory of the Fontana sisters as they went from provincial seamstresses to movie star Ava Gardner’s favored couturiers. There is also a vivid picture of the young Federico Fellini “camping with his portable typewriter inside the crowded and noisy bar where actors came to dine and schmooze, often still in costume: ‘cardinals, revolutionaries, SS men, troglodytes, green lizards more than six feet long and concubines.’ There was nowhere else he would have rather been” and nowhere else that would have made him the director he became. (Cardinals and concubines and lizard men?

Now that’s a Fellini film!)

The book does sometimes lose focus, as narratives are picked up and dropped, characters drift in and out and the entire decade seems to happen simultaneously. But that may be an accurate depiction of a dizzying time, and it’s fun to dip into one of its glittering stories at random—such as the day the paparazzi got the first shots of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton together, or the night Anita Ekberg went after said paparazzi with a bow and arrow.

The glitz and flash of Via Veneto may be decades and an ocean away, but Dolce Vita Confidential reminds us that sometimes, old-school style is the best. 7

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SOCIAL INFLUENCE

By Jessie O’Brien

Photography Krystal Ramirez

Movie Theater Dining Tips < From a Pro > Here’s what to expect and what to do at the new Eclipse Theaters

I

’m a movie theater-dining virtuoso. I have mastered the expert skills of adjusting depth perception for eating in the dark, how to balance a tray of beers and six personal pizzas while walking up a ramp and communicating with moviegoers while Jason murders a slutty teen in 3-D. As a server in a movie theater/restaurant in Colorado from The Dark Knight until Bridesmaids, I’d like to offer my professional input on Downtown’s Eclipse Theaters, which opened last Wednesday—and give a few tips while I’m at it.

Unlike the casual spot where I earned beer money, Eclipse (which will mainly screen first-run mainstream films) provides a high-end experience. “[When you enter], you have a feeling of walking into the premium properties on the Strip,” says Ryan Stock, Eclipse’s executive director.

“It very much feels like a hotel.”

The resortlike vibe begins at the entry’s concierge desk, where guests purchase tickets ($18) and reserve specific seats. I like to sit as far away from other people as possible, and nothing is worse than a neck ache caused by a front-row seat, so being able to reserve ahead of time takes the sting out of the pricey tickets.

And just like casinos’ players clubs, Eclipse offers three membership programs.

But Strip luxury is most apparent in the multiplex’s eight theaters, which fit anywhere from 30 to 80 leather recliners. “It’s really all about the service inside the cinema,” Stock says. “We strategically [placed] the seats so guests [would] have the best view.” He adds that the placement ensures servers would not distract guests when delivering bites and beverages throughout screenings.

Nobody wants their view obstructed when a 20-foot-tall Tom Hardy or Margot Robbie is on the screen, right?

And if you want to guarantee a perfect view, two of the theaters have soundproof glass VIP booths that seat up to 10 people. To rent a booth, guests must purchase all 10 seats (at $18 per ticket), plus mandatory food and beverage tabs—$300 on weekdays and $500 on weekends. That might make the typical price-gouge concession popcorn sound like a bargain to some, but others will appreciate wining and dining with nine friends during the next Marvel release.

And as for popcorn, Eclipse definitely has it on the menu—though not at a concession stand. Other selections that are convenient for eating in the glow of the silver screen include flatbreads and sliders, with all menu items ranging from $5 to $18. To order, each tray table has a blue-light button to signal servers. Moviegoers can order until the end of the film, when the server drops off the check.

To pair with those bites, the venue serves beer, wine and cocktails, including four house-made libations on draft. From personal experience, I’d recommend something that doesn’t come in a stemmed glass for stability reasons, as no one wants to accidentally knock their flute of prosecco over in the dark. I once dumped Chardonnay on an unsuspecting moviegoer during The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but thankfully she had like 17 hours to dry off before that movie ended ...

And while dinner with a show is the main attraction, the second floor’s warm and inviting bar/lounge area and outdoor patio are great for those who want to skip the movie and instead enjoy a meal and a cocktail. Eclipse will soon also have a luxury golf simulator called 21 Greens, which will feature five rooms (available to rent by the hour) and open sometime in January 2017. “You can play 18 holes on Pebble Beach in the comfort of your own private suite,” Stock says.

In reality, the only things I learned from waiting tables in a theater is that you make the worst tips during horror films, and to take up smoking to go on breaks. I hope my experience was beneficial to you in some way when you visit Downtown’s newest night-on-the-town destination for the first time. 7

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CONVERSATIONS

FROM ROCK GOD TO COMIC-BOOK HERO HOW SYSTEM OF A DOWN’S JOHN DOLMAYAN TURNS COMIC BOOKS INTO CASH

By Jason R. Latham Photography Krystal Ramirez

J

ohn Dolmayan is something of an investment guru within the music industry. He doesn’t have a finance background, and he thinks stocks are a lousy buy. But the System of a Down drummer knows comic books—specifically, how to get rich wheeling and dealing superhero stories to fans and collectors.

Dolmayan encouraged Heidi Woan, the wife of Linkin Park turntablist Joe Hahn, to buy her husband a $10,000 issue of The Incredible Hulk No. 1 that’s currently worth more than $40,000, and he obtained an extremely rare 1938 Action Comics No. 1 for Jack White’s collection.

“I have literally made Jack White millions of dollars,” Dolmayan says. “As long as [investors] listen to my advice, they’ll continue to do well.”

Dolmayan’s 25 years of industry expertise is on display as he leads a tour of Torpedo Comics, the shop he owns and operates on Lindell Road near Blue Diamond Road in the southwest Valley. There’s still a “new-car smell” throughout the store, although that might actually be the smell of money coming from the private salon where customers, accompanied by an escort, can view Torpedo’s inventory of high-end and hardto-find books, of which the most expensive (currently)

is a $62,000 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man No. 9 that features the first appearance of the villain Electro.

“There’s plenty of real estate, and [with] stocks you have no guarantee. But with comics, they only made as many as they made in that month,” he says, holding a $1,200 copy of The Fantastic Four No. 52, a July 1966 issue famous for another first appearance: Wakandan ruler and future solo movie star Black Panther.

“There will never be more of these made,” he says.

“If you want the original, you’ve got to find one that survived to this day.”

Dolmayan, 43, has been hunting rare comics since the early 1990s, when he first started dealing his collection at small Los Angeles-area baseball card and comic book conventions. It was often a fruitless effort, requiring the young musician to haul boxes of back issues and display racks in and out of his 1988 Chevy Beretta while pocketing very little money.

“My third or fourth [convention] cost me $30 to do. I made $10 and got a $200 speeding ticket,” he recalls. “It was a bad day.”

Despite his early travails, Dolmayan was making contacts, getting an education in the industry and growing

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CONVERSATIONS

an enviable collection of highly sought-after Silver Age books, including the first issue of Uncanny X-Men and The Amazing Spider-Man No. 50, famous for its “Spider-Man No More!” storyline.

“I was building a life. I was never a kid who was gonna go to college,” he admits. “I spent all my hours of learning behind a drum set. I got fired from every single job I ever had, except for drumming.”

By 25, Dolmayan was making $60,000 a year selling comics.

“At that point, I had to take a pay cut to join System of a Down,” he says.

When he signed on as drummer in 1997, the band was still in its infancy and had yet to release its eponymous debut album. The first year of touring with System, “we didn’t make dick,” Dolmayan jokes, but he was able to fall back on his collecting knowledge to make ends meet.

“We would go to cities and have nothing to do, so I’d pull out the Yellow Pages and find local comic shops,” he recalls. “I would find two or three shops and buy books, and I’d come back to L.A. and sell them for a profit. I would do this for years. Whenever the band was off, I would go back to selling comics.”

In 2003, Dolmayan settled in Las Vegas, and his back-of-the-Beretta business had morphed into an online outlet that stayed liquid through even the worst of the city’s down years. Lamenting that many modern comic shops have become “glorified gaming stores,” he sees an opening for a place where casual collectors and those with deep pockets can immerse themselves in the “characters, culture and mythology of comic books.”

Dolmayan is also planning Torpedo’s next phase, an expansion of the 6,000 square feet of warehouse space in which his store is located.

With 60,000 modern and vintage issues currently in stock, he wants to build Las Vegas’ largest inventory—as many as 270,000 issues—in the coming year.

“I don’t want 18 locations, I want the best location,” he says. “The first time I walked into a store, everything came to life. It was like this fantasy world that I walked into. I want to replicate that.” 7

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TORPEDO COMICS torpedocomics.com.

Grand Opening: December 3, with a special signing appearance by artist and G.O.A.T. Jim Lee. Where to Go: 8775 S. Lindell Rd., Suite 150 (just north of Blue Diamond Road). Services: In addition to buying and selling books, you can get your collection appraised by one of the store’s two Overstreet Advisors. What’s in Stock: 60,000 modern and vintage issues, plus graphic novels, high-end statues and collectibles. Bring Your Wallet: An issue of The Amazing Spider-Man No. 9, featuring the first appearance of villain Electro, can be yours for $62,000. Look But Don’t Touch: A $60,000 bronze statue of Yoda, one of only 30 in existence. What’s in a Name: “We wanted something that was iconic, [and] being phallic never hurts; [it’s] something that’s easily remembered,” owner John Dolmayan says.

CONVERSATIONS

BY THE NUMBERS

What Was the Jingle Bell Rock?

By Mark Adams

Photography Denise Truscello

NEVADA BALLET THEATRE’S THE NUTCRACKER THE HOLIDAY SEASON HAS ARRIVED,

which means one of Las Vegas’ beloved traditions is back: Nevada Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker.

“For 46 years, I have not lived without a Nutcracker in my life,” NBT artistic director James Canfield says. “What I always look forward to as a dancer … is the maturation that takes place within the company of artists, [who] bring greater depth [and] artistry to their roles year after year.”

NBT’s performances of the Christmastime favorite has evolved over the years, most notably in 2012 when Canfield’s vision of incorporating a lifesize dollhouse—complementing the storyline of a young girl falling in love with the titular doll, who comes to life to whisk her away to a breathtaking fantasyland—was realized at The Smith Center. But with such a magical tale being told onstage through graceful choreography, marvelous props and Tchaikovsky’s elegant score played live, does one really need reinvention to take in the visual splendor?

“It’s a story about Christmas. It’s a story about family, growing up, [one’s] first love, imagination [and] dreams coming true,” Canfield says. “It opens up a child’s imagination and allows an adult to imagine being a child [again].”

So what does it take to make the gorgeous fairy tale come to life? We decided to take inventory of just how much goes into creating NBT’s version of the world’s most famous ballet.

NUMBER OF DANCERS

Approximately

100 The Nutcracker Dec. 10-11, 16-18, 21-24; times vary, $29-$179, The Smith Center's Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com

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NUMBER OF MUSICIANS

40

39 performers and 1 conductor, featuring members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic

NUMBER OF COSTUMES USED IN EACH PERFORMANCE

133 NUMBER OF POINTE SHOES USED IN EACH PERFORMANCE

A minimum of

34

pairs

YARDS OF FABRIC USED TO MAKE MOTHER GINGER’S DRESS SKIRT

Approximately

120

HEIGHT OF MOTHER GINGER’S DRESS SKIRT

8

HEIGHT OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE

31

feet

AMOUNT OF FAKE SNOW USED IN EACH PERFORMANCE

Approximately

120

cubic feet NUMBER OF BACKSTAGE CREW

A minimum of

45

NUMBER OF LOCAL STUDENTS WHO WILL SEE A PERFORMANCE FOR FREE

More than

3,000

feet

HEIGHT OF THE LIFESIZE, FOUR STORY DOLLHOUSE

34

feet

For our full interview with James Canfield, head to vegasseven. com/canfield

Radio stations and interactive listener promotions go together like egg and nog, from the safe “caller number XX” (I once scored a Proclaimers LP from KUNV), to the more dangerous “Chase down our promotional van for free concert tickets!” I vaguely recall one where if you found KORK traffic reporter Chuck Emory (and his “IM 007” license plate), you won a small cash prize. And once, a girlfriend and I were washing my old Volkswagen when KOMP announced a live remote, adding “the first person to come and show us your tattoo gets a free pair of Vans!” The store was just around the corner, the announcer got an eyeful, the girlfriend strutted out with a fresh pair of skate kicks, and I got a new box to carry my cassettes. Triple play!

Bigger prizes and higher stakes mean more listeners, so local radio stations once held ridiculous car contests. Try living in a new car full of folks desperate to remain longer than you, or simply standing and touching a new car until everyone else collapses. My favorite was the KLUC Jell-O Jump, which paired the provocative bar stunt of Jell-O wrestling with the potential of winning a new sled. The contest used the “caller number XX” game for a chance to show up to the Jaycee State Fair, leap into a vat of Jell-O and grab one of dozens of hidden keys, of which one would start a new car.

Despite my fond memories of the Jell-O Jump, each holiday season, Gen X Las Vegans likely recall KEDG's infamous Jingle Bell Rock contest. Concert tickets and cars? Please. Beginning in 1992, the Edge ponied up $10,000 in cash and listeners “simply” had to find the hidden slab of stone sporting the KEDG logo and present it to the station. Just after Thanksgiving, a series of cryptic daily clues launched the frantic Valley-wide hunt. Competitiveness gave way to collaboration, then desperation. Such was the frenzy that, according to a Las Vegas Sun story (12/18/96), teams of Rock hunters often ignored both the rules and common sense, digging up private property, wandering runways among taxiing planes and even forging fake Rocks. The Jingle Bell Rock was the talk of the town, and the day it was found, we sadly went back to our cash-poor lives.

Thanks to radio personality Chet Buchanan, our city's most enduring radio promotion turns the giveaway on its head.

The KLUC Toy Drive is as old as the Bellagio (1998) and stages Buchanan on a 30foot scaffolding for 12 days. But instead of giving gifts to listeners, he's collecting toys from them for needy kids. Visit Chet at the Nevada Energy parking lot through December 15, unwrapped toy in hand, because embracing the spirit of generosity might be the season's best prize. 7 Know of any other deals? Send them to askanative@vegasseven.com.

ASK A NATIVE

By James P. Reza

CONVERSATIONS

We asked the Vegas Seven staff:

What do you reallllllyyyyyy want this holiday season?

Lucky No.

A private jet. It doesn’t have to be anything too lavish. It just needs to get me to Stockton, California—it might need to be bulletproof for this route—and San Francisco so I can see my momma and the homies without having to be subjected to the “randomly selected” screening. Why doesn’t the white dude in the crocs behind me ever get selected, huh, TSA? –Zoneil Maharaj, director of digital content

Tickets to Superbowl LI in Houston in February. –Michael Skenandore, publisher

I’m late to the party on this trend, but I need some wood-frame Wayfarers in my life. The plastic fake-outs just aren’t cutting it anymore. –Mark Adams, arts & entertainment editor

Unlimited PTO. Pay me to travel the world, fine-dine and ignore my work email, please. –Shannon Miller, editorial assistant

A waterproof Bluetooth travel speaker from The Container Store, so I can bump my KNPR no matter where I roam. –Xania Woodman, senior editor, dining, beverage & nightlife PlayStation VR is on the tip of every gamer’s tongue this year, including mine. It’s way more accessible than the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headsets.

Those require a supercomputer that’ll set you back more zeros than your car note. As long as you have a PlayStation 4, the VR is plug and play for the most part. And once you get in, you’re never coming out. –Amber Sampson, digital producer & writer

I want a closetful of fanny packs. – Brittany Quintana, account manager

ALL-NEW PTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOLD SPRING MOUNTAIN & ARVILLE

NEWLY REMODELED BAR, DINING AND LOUNGE AREA NEW TVS THROUGHOUT THE BAR NEW DELICIOUS FOOD MENU

SERVICE INDUSTRY HAPPY HOUR* SUNDAY 12AM-MONDAY 8AM 50% OFF ALL DRINKS, PIZZAS PLUS SELECT $5 APPETIZERS

Must be 21. *Valid in December only. Guest does not have to be service industry to receive happy hour discount.

Management reserves all rights. See bar host for details.

THANK YOU

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