Coachella Valley Independent Summer 2013

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A Note From the Editor

Mailing address: 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263 Cathedral City, CA 92234 (760) 904-4208 www.cvindependent.com

I thought I had done pretty much everything there is to do at a newspaper during my career. But on April 1 (no foolin’), I did, to quote Monty Python, something completely different.

I rented a 24-foot U-Haul truck, drove to the printer, and picked up 15,500 copies of the debut issue of a brandnew paper.

Yep. That was a first.

As those 15,500 copies of Vol. 1, Issue 1 of the Coachella Valley Independent were distributed across the valley, feedback immediately started to come in. One person was kind enough to call me at 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday and praise the food writing—and then suggest that I freelance for The Desert Sun, because the daily seems to need food writers right now. (Um … no.)

If you have thoughts or suggestions, of course, you are welcome to call or email, just like this gentleman did. (I just ask that if you’re calling, at least wait until after 8 a.m. Maybe 8:30 a.m. on the weekend.)

One thing that nobody needed to call to tell me (although at least a half-dozen of you did) was that the font size in Issue No. 1 was too small. I noticed that the second I opened the first copy I touched at the printer. Crap. I swear, the font size looked OK on screen, but on newsprint, it was just a wee bit … too wee.

As you’ll see, we’ve bumped up the font size throughout this second issue of the Independent.

Other than that, all of us here at Independent World Headquarters are quite proud of how the debut print issue turned out. Based on the feedback we received from you, our wonderful readers, most of you felt the same way.

(Thanks for the feedback, by the way; positive or negative, it’s always appreciated, as long as it’s constructive and from the heart.) Well, we think this sophomore issue is even better than the first. And we’re confident that our third issue—our debut as a monthly print publication, hitting streets in October—will be even better than this one.

We also hope that y’all will make, or will continue to make, CVIndependent.com a regular destination. While we’re pleased as punch with the print issues, we’re also proud of the great stuff we’ve been posting each and every weekday for months now at CVIndependent.com. After all, every bit of copy in our print issues appears first, in one form or another, on the website. We post at least three new stories every weekday, you know, with some stories posted on the weekend, too.

If it’s been a while since you’ve been to CVIndependent.com, really, you’re missing out on some great new regular features (some of which you can read in this print issue, too). Local icon Valerie-Jean Hume—many of you around the valley know her better as VJ—is penning reviews of local theater productions on a regular basis, and Richard Almada is checking in every other week with a look at the gallery/museum/visual arts scene in the Coachella Valley.

That’s just a start. Brian Blueskye is writing about great local music and literature; I am doing a regular restaurant and bar news column; and more great stuff is coming—including some compelling news and feature stories that, although completely true, you may have a hard time believing.

As I said before, feedback and comments are appreciated; I can be reached at jboegle@cvindependent.com and 760-904-4208. As always, thanks for reading, both in print and in pixels—and remember to support our fabulous advertisers, too. Tell ’em you saw ’em in the Independent.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go reserve that truck again, for the next print issue …

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle Art Director Andrew Arthur Advertising Sales Matt Stauber Advertising Design Betty Jo Boegle Contributors Alexandra Alarcon, Richard Almada, Gustavo Arellano, John Backderf, Brian Blueskye, Saxon Burns, Max Cannon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, Noelle Haro-Gomez, ValerieJean (VJ) Hume, Christina Lange, Marylee Pangman, Erin Peters, Deidre Pike, Jen Sorenson The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published quarterly, with monthly publication starting in October 2013. All content is ©2013 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com

COVER DESIGN BY ANDREW ARTHUR

The Independent is a proud member and/or supporter of the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, The Center Palm Springs, artsOasis and the American Advertising Federation/ Palm Springs-Desert Cities.

SUMMER 2013

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OPINION

CLOSER COVERAGE

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Families May No Longer Need to Drive to Mexicali for Health Care

www.cvindependent.com/opinion

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By ALEJANDRA ALARCON

s with a lot of other families living in the eastern Coachella Valley, when one of our family members fell sick, it always meant driving about 100 miles across the border into Mexico, to the city of Mexicali, to get taken care of by a doctor.

The only other option, it seemed, was not being taken care of at all.

Now, because of health-care reform efforts in the United States, young people growing up today in the eastern Coachella Valley—the unincorporated rural communities of southern Riverside County— don’t need to go without health insurance like I did. The scenario is finally beginning to change. At least it can change—if people here are made aware of the health services now available to them through federal health-care reform.

“We owe it to our country to inform the citizens to take advantage of all these resources that are available,” said Ronnie Cho, associate director of public engagement for the White House, during a speech about health-care reform that I attended in Washington, D.C., as a reporter in April.

Cho is right. For the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to make a difference, people need to first be aware that health care is an option for them. People need to know that they can afford to visit a doctor—without having to stray more than a few miles away from their home.

When my family would visit relatives across the border in Mexicali, we always took advantage of the opportunity to stop by the Mexican pharmacy to buy medicine for ourselves, as well as for our friends and neighbors who requested some. As a child, I thought those trips to Mexicali to visit the doctor were the only way—it was just what people did—until later on in my youth, when my father got a job with a new trucking business that gave him medical benefits that included family coverage. Because my dad worked for a lot of different trucking companies during the years, and because there were lengths of time when he was unemployed, our health-care situation was never stable. For those few years, my family and I received the best health care we’d ever had.

“Young people are relatively healthy, so they think, ‘I don’t need health care,’ until something happens, and they actually need it,” said Cho. Again, Cho got it right. I can remember my worried mother, back in 2008, telling my little sister and me that we once again did not have health insurance and would need to resume our trips to Mexicali.

In retrospect, I never minded the long trips to the doctor or dentist’s office. In fact, I never worried about my health.

My parents always had medicine from Mexicali available in our cabinets for emergencies. For my siblings and me, it was

not something that got in the way; it was something that we believed had to be done, because there was no cheaper option.

The irony is that even though being uninsured Alejandra Alarcon, as a baby, with her older sister, Gabriela, and brother, Robert, in the family van on a felt normal to me and my trip to Mexicali. siblings, families like ours need that insurance the most. Families like mine who live in plan through the age of 26, even if they are married. the unincorporated communities of the eastern Coachella As a result, 3.1 million young adults are now covered Valley—most of us are Latino; many (like my parents) are along with their families, and more than 107,000 Americans immigrants; and many make a living as farm workers or do with pre-existing conditions who didn’t previously have some other type of physical labor—are especially in need insurance are now receiving health coverage, according to of the protections provided by health insurance, because of federal data. occupational hazards and other health risks associated with If you know where to look, it is free and simple to apply living in an area where people lack money and resources. for affordable or no-cost medical-insurance programs such The Affordable Care Act, the bulk of which will be impleas Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program mented on Jan. 1, 2014, is helping families like mine take (CHIP), which cover medical services that include doctor control of our medical insurance, by providing options and a check-ups, emergency care, hospital care, vaccinations, presense of security. It’s an idea—health-care security—that at scription drugs, vision, hearing and dental. one time, at least for my family, seemed impossible to imagTo see if you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, or to apply ine. The health insurance that for so long seemed like such online, visit insurekidsnow.gov. To find out your best insura special privilege will now become available to more people ance option for your specific demographics and needs, go to than ever before. finder.healthcare.gov.

The ACA was put into place in part to make sure insurance companies cannot end your coverage plan when you Alejandra Alarcon is a reporter for Coachella Unincorporated, a youth media startup in the east Coachella Valley, funded by the need it the most, cannot bill you into debt, and cannot disBuilding Healthy Communities Initiative of the California Endowment criminate due to pre-existing medical conditions. and operated by New America Media in San Francisco. The purpose is Among other provisions, the ACA will secure medical to report on issues in the community that can bring about change. insurance for American citizens after getting laid off or as “Coachella Unincorporated” refers to the region youth journalists they change jobs. It will require insurance companies to cover, but also to the unincorporated communities of the Eastern cover the cost of mammograms and cancer screenings. And Valley, with the idea to “incorporate” the East Valley into the for the first time, young adults will remain eligible to be mainstream Coachella Valley mindset. For more information, covered under their parents’ or guardians’ health-insurance visit coachellaunincorporated.org.

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OPINION

an artsoasis in the desert

This CVEP Initiative Promotes the Area’s Creative Community

www.cvindependent.com/opinion

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By ROBERT STEARNS

hat would it take to have a comprehensive, supportive advocate for arts, culture and creative enterprises in the Coachella Valley?

An accurate, up-to-date and smartphone-accessible calendar of those kinds of events?

Expanded opportunities to attract cultural tourists to the valley? A marketplace for local creative talent? A way for young students to learn about engaging, well-paying creative jobs here at home?

At artsOasis, we’re working on all of these.

ArtsOasis emerged from conversations begun six years ago, in July 2007, among dozens of people who saw the need for some kind of intermediary to “promote, network, educate and advocate” for the creative community and economy of the Coachella Valley. The first task was to convince civic and business leaders that there even is such a thing as a “creative economy.” But that was accomplished when the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP), our regional

economic-development agency, included “Creative Arts and Design” as one of four sectors it would target for growth in its 2009 long-range plan, the Economic Blueprint. CVEP committed to house the small artsOasis operation in its new Rabobank Regional Business Center in Palm Springs that opened in 2011.

With that done, CVEP challenged artsOasis to answer the questions, “What is this creative economy really?” and “How big is it?” Taking leads from other communities, we included far more than conventional “art,” sweeping together for-profit and nonprofit businesses with independent workers in the fields of advertising, marketing and digital-media production; architecture and all fields of design; literary arts and publishing; media, film and television; museums and cultural institutions; performing arts and music; and the visual arts.

From late 2011 through the spring of 2012, in partnership with Wheeler’s Market Intelligence of La Quinta, we conducted a classic economic study with interviews, roundtable discussions, an online survey and deep data analysis. The study provided numbers. More importantly, it provided clear signs of what needs to be done to help our creative community grow.

But first, the numbers: “How big is it?” More than a billion dollars big. We learned that there are more than 1,000 creative businesses in the Coachella Valley; there are almost 9,000 “creative” employees; and there are more than 10,000 independent contractors and creative artists here. (In exchange for your e-mail address, you can find a summary of the study at artsoasis.org.)

The size may be impressive, but we learned, too, that this creative community is riotously diverse and decentralized,

making ordered growth difficult. Of the seven highest priorities that were expressed by the hundreds of people who participated in the study were these four, in summary: • A master creative community calendar. This will be a central hub of information available to residents, visitors and hotel concierges that pulls in as much as possible of what is available. In partnership with the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Graphtek Interactive, we are launching the first step of that calendar service this summer. Our goal is to minimize the number of different calendars to which our community needs to provide information. We are exploring ways to provide a posting service, for a nominal fee, for those who don’t have the time.

• Cultural tourism. A recurring theme in the study was the need to update the popular perception of greater Palm Springs as an outdated retirement community that is “Behind the Candelabra.” With new hotels, restaurants and festivals, a fresher brand is emerging. However, there are still many untapped assets in the region that can be packaged and marketed to cultural tourists, who are eager for unique and authentic experiences. With the impending passing of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, the void will need to be filled!

• A creative marketplace. Film, television, infomercial, digital-media design and related production companies make up the bulk of our creative business muscle, yet there is a huge gap in their ability to deliver fully competitive services and bring in contracts that currently go to other communities. They need to provide first-class service, but they also need to be marketed to the broadest possible world.

The artsOasis Creative Marketplace that we are designing will mirror successful national models that provide a “buysell” arena for subscribers on a sliding scale, beginning with free.

• Creative Careers. One of our weakest links is connecting our youth with our creative-professional community. Education is crucial for our future, and our attention is on the opportunities provided by our three school districts’ developing Creative Career Academies, where students are learning in career-related atmospheres that focus on the visual and performing arts, digital and graphic design, and the culinary arts and hospitality. ArtsOasis partners with CVEP’s Workforce Excellence and Arts, Media and Entertainment Industry councils in order to build professional mentors to work with teachers and students.

Students enrolled in these academies stay in school. They’re engaged, committed and excited about their future. Those graduating from these academies are already setting national standards.

What would it take for these things to be really successful?

Investment, pure and simple. And the potential returns look astounding: between $50 and $200 returned in five years for the investment of each dollar. We have crunched the numbers and have details on the potential earnings and cost savings in each of these areas. Added together, these reach into the millions—and are worth serious consideration by every government and business concern in the valley.

Robert Stearns is the director of the CVEP/ artsOasis Creative Resource Center. Learn more at artsoasis.org.

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OPINION

THE POTTED DESERT GARDEN

With a Little Care, Your Plants Can Be Living Pieces of Art

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By MARYLEE PANGMAN he creation of a container garden should be just like the creation of a work of art. A potted garden easily becomes a living, breathing addition to your home’s outdoor living areas—and can offer a beautiful welcome for your guests.

The simplicity in creating a container garden is an act of beauty in itself: There is no digging in the ground, which can be a daunting task, considering our rocky desert soil. Pots can be moved; plantings can be easily changed; and as we grow older (but never old), pots can give our backs a respite—because we can sit in a chair while tending to them.

Here are some tips on how to get started with your own potted desert garden.

Know Thyself

Are you a saver or a thrower? Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just getting started, it is important to know (or discover): Are you someone who is going to want to rescue every sick plant and

each baby that is born, regardless of how they look? Or will you want to discard weaker plants and start with something fresh? Personally, I quickly discard any plants that cost less than $50. However, a landscape plant that is costly will be tended to as long as possible. Potted plants generally run their course in my garden and then go to the compost heap.

Are you a planner, a doer or an enjoyer? Ask yourself: How do you like to get things done? Do you like to plan things out in advance? Do you want to do the work, or pay someone else to do it for you? Or do you tend to wing it—for example, do you go to the nursery on a whim and bringing things home to figure out where they are going to go? If you enjoy creating your gardens yourself, you will be much more successful if you become a planner—especially regarding your time. However, there are people you can hire to make your plants just so for you. You decide how much you want to be involved No job is too big. Be careful with this one! If this is your attitude, and you are just starting out, you may find yourself biting off more than you can chew. I have seen people go to the nursery and come away with five pots, soil and 100 plants—only to discover they are already exhausted by the time they get everything home. The plants sit for a day … or two … or more, and when the newbie gardener finally goes out to plant them, the plants are in very poor shape, if they are even alive.

The Joy of Flexibility I am not talking about our physical flexibility (although that does help in any gardening activity). Pots give us a great deal of flexibility in creating our gardens. Except for the largest of pots and concrete planters, pots can be relocated, put away when not needed, or shifted to accommodate the challenging weather conditions of the desert.

Many of us who are baby boomers or younger thrive with change. Potted gardens fit change nicely. Tired of the look?

Move pots in or out. Need something freshened up? Bring a pot to that location. Having a party? Shift your pots around to accommodate your space needs. When a plant needs to be regrown, the pot can be put on the side of the house while it recuperates. (Just don’t forget to water it!)

Pots also allow you to capitalize on your home’s microclimates. In desert climates—more so than in regions of the country with the traditional four seasons—we experience greater fluctuations in conditions around our own property. Homes on a wash are going to be colder on the wash side. If you have a solid canopy of foliage from trees and shrubs, that part of your yard (as well as those areas near a structure) will be more protected from heat, cold and wind.

You will need to discover how different areas of your home vary in temperature and exposure. The sun shifts through the year—what is in the sun in the winter may be in the shade in the summer, or vice versa.

Have Realistic Expectations Before you plan your container gardens, evaluate how you live: Do you travel a lot during the summer? If so, invest in a dedicated pot-irrigation line; enlist some help to keep your plants healthy and alive while you’re gone; or get plants that don’t need a lot of water.

Also, garden how you live. Are you casual or formal? I like big, overflowing containers with riotous colors and luxuriant blossoms. Some people like neat, well-planned, formal containers.

Remember, this isn’t brain surgery; there’s lots of room for error. Have fun and experiment. Whatever your lifestyle or personality, you can make container gardens that will give you joy and bring beauty to your surroundings.

Marylee Pangman is the desert’s potted garden expert. Email her with comments and questions at potteddesert@gmail.com. Her column appears every Tuesday at CVIndependent.com.

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OPINION

ASK A MEXICAN!

!

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Why Do Gabachos Assume That Adding an ‘O’ to the End of an English Word Makes It Spanish?

By GUSTAVO ARELLANO EAR MEXICAN: Where did the notion come from of adding an -o to the end of an English word and assuming that makes it a Spanish word?

Juanito DEAR WAB: “Anglos have long held power in making Spanish and Spanish-speaking culture invisible,” writes University of South Florida assistant professor of foreign language education Adam Schwartz in his excellent essay “Mockery and Appropriation of Spanish in White Spaces: Perceptions of Latinos in the United States,” published in the 2011 publication The Handbook of Hispanic Sociolinguistics. “But Spanish can be made selectively visible for the purposes of Mock Spanish,” a term popularized by legendary University of Arizona anthropologist Jane H. Hill to refer to what gabachos have deemed

acceptable Spanglish—think terms like “vaya con Dios,” “cojones,” “mañana, mañana” and “chinga tu pinche madre, pinche puto pendejo baboso.”

As Schwartz points out in his work, the addition of the masculine -o suffix to Mexicanize English arose both from its widespread use in popular culture (think “No comprendo” or “Drinko de Mayo”) and by gabachos taking Spanish classes in high school and college, and only remembering one part of the language’s grammatical structure to bend for their racist needs.

“This reclamation by Anglo monolinguals of the Spanish language itself is indeed a fashionable act—there is something oddly chic and cool about embracing the stereotype of ignorant gringo,” Schwartz writes.

Full disclosure—he was kind enough to cite this columna in the piece, which we find awesome-o!

DEAR MEXICAN: Being one of two gabachos in my neighborhood in Denver, I’m wondering exactly how many Mexicans can fit in one car.

This is a broad question, so assume that in a two-parent family, there are six kids, three of which have kids of their own. The age range will be from around 50 years old to 5 months. We’ll also assume that it’s Sunday, and as many family members as possible need to get out on Federal Boulevard. The car would most likely be a two-door Chevy truck, or a Saturn sedan on 20-inch rims.

Craving Some Chubbys!

DEAR GABACHO: Depends on the situation—a Mexican car expands and contracts according to need like the Mexican male panza.

Car goes to church? Only women can fit in—and since they’re prim and proper, the max is 10. Going to a party?

25. To school? Just one adult, and all the neighborhood chamacos who can fit themselves in the foot-rest part of the carro. And if a car is going to a Republican function? It magically doesn’t fit anyone other than the vendido cousin driving it.

DEAR MEXICAN: Like my Mexican co-workers, I’m a migrant to the City of Angels. In my home state of Louisiana, there is an integral distinction to be made among folks whether one is Protestant or Catholic. But ask a Mexican what a non-Catholic Christian is, and they will tell you “Christian.”

I’ve inquired, and Mexicans don’t seem to have a word for “Protestant.” In fact, there are many words that are basic to my vocabulary that don’t seem to translate into Spanish, i.e., “self-esteem” and “desk drawers.” Why is this?

New Angelino DEAR GABACHO: Of course a Catholic is a Christian— now, can you tell that to evangelicals? As for your translation queries: A Protestant is a protestante; desk drawers are cajones del escritorio; and “self-esteem” is tequila.

Catch the Mexican every Wednesday morning at CVIndependent. com. Ask the Mexican at themexican@askamexican.net; be his fan on Facebook; follow him on Twitter @gustavoarellano; or ask him a video question atyoutube.com/askamexicano!

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IS THE PROPOSED WHITEWATER PARKWAY ON THE RIGHT PATH? ON INDIO: A CHAT WITH MAYOR ELAINE HOLMES TOUGHNESS ON WHEELS: THE CV DERBY GIRLS MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE

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WISHY-WASHY AT COLLEGE OF THE DESERT GO BANANAS: THE INTERNATIONAL BANANA MUSEUM

www.cvindependent.com/news

The

Wednesday, June 26, was a great day for equality—and people from the Coachella Valley and beyond gathered at Forever Marilyn to celebrate.

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NEWS

as the valley turns blue

Republicans Hope to Reverse Recent Trends With the PerezBenoit Supervisors Race

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By KEVIN FITZGERALD

All eyes are now on the 2014 Riverside County Board of Supervisors race between challenger V. Manuel Peréz, a Democrat who is currently in the state Assembly, and Republican incumbent John Benoit. Just how much of the voterregistration focus in Riverside County will be on recruiting Latino citizens?

ver the last decade in the Coachella Valley (and Riverside County overall), there has been a seismic political shift that is not related to the proximity of the San Andreas Fault.

In 2004, as the presidential election drew near, the Republican Party in Riverside County held a voter-registration advantage of 12.5 percentage points over the Democratic Party.

Four years later, that Republican advantage had dwindled to slightly more than 5 percentage points. And in 2012, as the race between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney neared its climax, the Democratic Party had narrowed the gap to just 4.5 percentage points.

According to data released on May 20 by the California Secretary of State, that differential is now just 4.1 percentage points.

It’s no surprise that many political insiders in Riverside County attribute the Democrats’ surprising wins at the polls last November—Obama actually beat Romney by almost 11,000 votes in the county, and Dr. Raul Ruiz edged out incumbent Rep. Mary Bono Mack to get elected to Congress—to the party’s effective voter-enlistment drive over the last decade.

“When we opened our headquarters five years ago (in Cathedral City), we realized that one of the most important activities we could pursue was voter registration,” explained Elle Kurpiewski, the manager of the aforementioned headquarters and a former president of the Democrats of the Desert. “Our facility plays host to 11 different Democratic clubs and organizations in the region; we sponsor a booth at the weekly Thursday-night Palm Springs Village Fest; and in 2008, we had 27 semipermanent voter-registration sites established.”

Other factors have impacted the registered-voter landscape, too. One was the California online voter registration legislation that took effect in 2012 and is credited with enabling some 800,000 new voters statewide to join the electoral rolls prior to the 2012 general election.

This new registration method proved particularly effective in attracting eligible voters among the young and minority groups, favoring Democrats statewide by a 2-to-1 margin

V. Manuel Peréz and John Benoit are slated to square off for the local Riverside County Board of Supervisors seat.

over Republicans.

“Our only concern was whether online registration would actually work: Would voters be able to navigate the system successfully to get registered?” Kurpiewski said.

“What we want is that people take advantage of their constitutional right to vote. If it works and helps stop registration fraud, then we’re in favor of it.”

Another major factor is the rapid growth of the Latino population statewide. According to the California Department of Finance, by early 2014, Latinos will outnumber white people. Along with the Latino segment’s rapid growth comes these political realities: While only 44 percent of eligible Latinos in the state had registered to vote, more than 60 percent of them identified as Democrats; meanwhile, only about 15 percent said they were Republicans, according to the Public Policy Institute of California in an analysis released earlier this year.

Therein lies both an opportunity and a challenge for the two major political parties.

“I always say that the Republican Party in Riverside County has three ongoing and equally important goals: voter registration, fundraising and get-outthe-vote efforts,” said Randon Lane, chairman of the Republican Party of Riverside County. “I will speak to any organization, representing any constituency, about the Republican Party message and values. Right now, it’s important for us to get outside the box to attract new voters to register as Republicans, and convert those who may not completely understand our message and are registered now with other major parties.”

Kurpiewski said local Democrats have made specific

efforts to reach Latino communities in Coachella, Indio and Mecca. “But our focus is not just the Latino community; we care about everyone,” she said. “In all ethnic communities, we enlist participants who are members of that community and have skills and expertise unique to their community. They know their neighbors and can identify the areas where our voter registration outreach will succeed. Our whole thing is working together with the communities that make up Coachella Valley, and that has made us successful in turning this valley blue.”

All eyes are now on the 2014 Riverside County Board of Supervisors race between challenger V. Manuel Peréz, a Democrat who is currently in the state Assembly, and Republican incumbent John Benoit. Just how much of the voter-registration focus in Riverside County will be on recruiting Latino citizens?

“There are a lot of shared voter concerns that we speak to as a party in our outreach efforts, whether at meetings, via social media or direct mail,” said Lane, “but particular voter segments have their specific issues that we want to address. The Republican Party wants to speak to the Latino community’s concerns, just as we need to address concerns in the black, Asian, white or any ethnic constituency where voters will consider supporting the Republican Party.”

Kurpiewski said local Democrats are in the process of starting a major voter-registration drive.

“We are very confident that this effort will enable us to accomplish everything we can to help V. Manuel Perez get elected, and also to keep U.S. Congressman Raúl Ruiz in office,” she said.

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NEWS

ON THE PATH?

The Proposed Whitewater River Parkway Faces Numerous Challenges Before It Becomes a Reality

www.cvindependent.com/news

By SAXON BURNS

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An artists’ rendering of CV Link as it passes over Fred Waring Drive.

teps toward building an alternative-transportation corridor for valley residents are being taken— without specifics on a potentially costly variable.

The Coachella Valley Association of Governments, the organization spearheading efforts to construct the Whitewater River Parkway, has secured grants from various sources worth as much as $49.4 million, according to Mike Shoberg, the CVAG transportation program manager.

An exact accounting isn’t possible, Shoberg said, because the Desert Healthcare District has pledged “up to $10 million.” The tally includes a $17.4 million contribution from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which was charged with doling out $53 million in pollution-mitigation fees stemming from the construction of the Sentinel power plant near Desert Hot Springs.

The project, now called CV Link, is envisioned as a 52-mile paved path for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers of small, low-speed electric vehicles. It would wind its way through nine cities, from Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs in the west, to Coachella in the east. CVAG is currently in the

process of holding a series of public workshops across the valley.

Last year, CVAG issued a preliminary report on the parkway, with critics attacking several aspects of its pro-

posed benefits as overly optimistic. The report found no insurmountable obstacles to the parkway’s construction.

Since then, engineers have been prepping master plans and analyzing the parkway’s potential course.

“We’re in the design phase right now, basically,” Shoberg said.

The biggest question hanging over the project, which CVAG estimates will cost approximately $77 million, is how easily and at what price rights of way can be negotiated with the many landowners impacted by its construction. Indeed, last year’s preliminary report noted the “complicated land ownership, lease and easement arrangements” posed by the parkway’s path, and budgeted some $8.48 million for land acquisitions.

“I’ve not had the opportunity to review CVAG’s estimated cost analysis on this particular component, but, yes, theoretically, it could cost more, and only very rarely will it cost less,” wrote Gretchen Gutierrez, chief executive officer of the Desert Valley Builders Association, in an email. “The variable is the number of landowners (her emphasis) that would be willing to sell/donate or by some other means have CVAG acquire the necessary parcels so

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that it is a continuous land mass along the a CVAG member. trail plan.”

“We’ve enjoyed a long and positive relaAny landowners who are unable to be tionship with them,” he said. located or are holdouts would likely inflate A representative of the Agua Caliente costs, according to Gutierrez. tribe didn’t respond to a request for com“If that number of landowners is large, ment. and I suspect it may be given the size and Another issue with potential monetary acreage of the overall trail, then, yes, there implications also relates to safety. At least will be extensive negotiations involved durone critic has asserted that the parkway’s ing the entire process of development,” she course would expose golfing communiwrote. ties—some of which have fairways extendCVAG Executive Director Tom Kirk ing into the Whitewater riverbed—to wouldn’t comment on land-acquisition spetheft. Kirk said he didn’t expect the path to cifics, saying they are not in that phase of force closed communities to open up. the plan yet—and probably won’t be until “There are legitimate concerns about well into next year. public safety,” he said, “and we’ll have to “Engineers are doing an address that during the extensive review of every design process.” square inch to understand Kirk said parkway users’ The biggest question ownership issues,” Kirk watchful eyes would dishanging over the project, said. courage crime, adding that which CVAG estimates But Kirk did address it was more likely for someanother issue relating to one to drive into a comwill cost approximately rights of way: The fact that munity for the purposes $77 million, is how easily CV Link would cut into of stealing than to scale a tribal lands. wall. and at what price rights According to the “Putting a 55-inch HDTV of way can be negotiated U.S. Department of into your knapsack and ridTransportation, these lands ing away with it on a path with the many landownare held in trust by the is not as practical as driving ers impacted by its confederal government, and away with it,” he said. any agreement on rights Last year’s CVAG report struction. Indeed, last of way must be approved stated that “enforcement year’s preliminary report of parkway rules will be by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The department’s important for user safety,” noted the “complicated website advises those wishwhich Kirk emphasized land ownership, lease and was oriented more toward ing to obtain rights of way for transportation projects enforcing traffic violations easement arrangements” to allow sufficient time for than other public-safety posed by the parkway’s requests to work their way concerns. through bureaucracy.

“Rangers would likely be path, and budgeted some “Negotiations for right required to police the over $8.48 million for land of way over tribal lands 50 miles or proposed parkacquisitions. have become increasingly way,” the report continued. complex and often include That may add to the issues not directly related woes of the federal Bureau to the acquisition process itself,” the of Land Management—the agency lawdepartment’s website reads. “As a result, enforcement rangers work for—which has some state departments of transportation already been stretched thin from budget have encountered increased difficulty in cuts. completing the acquisition of right-of-way “There are never enough rangers to easements over Native American lands in a cover approximately 11 million acres of timely manner.” public land in the Southern California desAccording to Kirk, the problems posed ert,” wrote Stephen Razo, director of exterby acquiring tribal land were more of “a nal affairs for the BLM California Desert time-related complication” than a “costDistrict, in an email. Still, Razo added, related” one. law enforcement is given a “high priority” But surely time is money—especially when it comes to staffing. when it comes to transportation projects.

For his part, Kirk again emphasized the “Time is money,” Kirk conceded. “That importance of eagle-eyed residents packing said, the project is a 52-mile project, and cell phones. we’re not going to construct it in one day.

“I sure hope, frankly, that’s not necesIt’ll be done in phases.” sary,” he said about ranger patrols. “Most Kirk said a small percentage of the trails don’t have dedicated rangers—they parkway would cross tribal lands, and that rely more on 1,000 people out there with most—if not all—of that land belongs to phones. The more eyes you have in the the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, community, the better.”

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ON INDIO

Mayor Elaine Holmes Talks About the Future of the Coachella Valley’s Largest City

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By JIMMY BOEGLE

hile other Coachella Valley cities tend to get more attention, it’s the city of Indio that—by a fairly wide margin—has the largest population.

With more than 80,000 residents, it’s one of California’s fastest-growing cities; it’s also the home of the Coachella and Stagecoach music bonanzas. In fact, city leaders recently gave Indio the tagline “The City of Festivals.”

However, a drive down once-bustling Fargo Street in the downtown/old town part of Indio reveals that all is not well: Most of that population growth has been in the suburbs, and the city’s core features numerous vacant, boarded-up buildings. Meanwhile, the city government’s reputation is still recovering following the 2010 retirement of Indio City Manager Glenn Southard following a series of financial controversies. (It’s important to note that some Indio leaders, including Mayor Elaine Holmes, still support Southard and, in her words, his

“positive approach to Indio.” They claim he was the victim of over-aggressiveness by The Desert Sun.) But there are signs of progress in downtown Indio, too.

For starters, the College of the Desert’s new East Valley Center is rising on Oasis Street, and is slated to open next year. And back down on Fargo Street, the quirky Indio Performing Arts Center is drawing people to downtown for a variety of entertainment.

One of the people leading the charge to improve both Indio and its reputation is Elaine Holmes. She and her husband, Doug, gave up jobs in corporate America to move from San Clemente to Indio in 2004, when they bought PJ’s Desert Trophies and Gifts, located in downtown Indio on Miles Avenue. During her nine years in Indio, she’s gotten increasingly involved in the city leadership. She was on the board of directors of the Indio Chamber of Commerce, and 2 1/2 years ago, she was elected to the five-member Indio City Council. This year, she’s serving as the city’s mayor (a title that rotates among members on an annual basis).

The Independent recently sat down with Holmes at PJ’s to talk about Indio, her involvement, the city’s future—and even medical marijuana.

This is an edited version of the interview; visit CVIndependent.com for the full chat.

Was there something special—something different— that you noticed about Indio when you moved here that, for example, you hadn’t seen in San Clemente?

It’s a whole different way of life, and, certainly, Indio is a smaller community. It’s a tightly knit, more-close-knit community. When were in San Clemente, because we both worked in corporate America, we didn’t have time to get involved with the community, so when we moved here, we became more engaged.

What made you decide to jump into political life?

Even in a relatively small town, politics is politics …

I am a business-person—really, a small-business-person now—and I felt that I needed to be an advocate for other small-business folks in the city of Indio. … There’s so much potential in Indio, up by the freeway, but also in this old town area, and I really wanted to be involved and be a part of it.

The first time I drove through (downtown/old town Indio), I went: “Whoa. This looks rough,” especially the part that IPAC is on (Fargo Street). Here (on Miles Avenue), it looks nicer, and you’ve got the big (College of the Desert east) campus going in just a few streets down, which is great, but, frankly, there’s a long way to go. Tell me what steps you want the city to take to get it so downtown Indio is vital again.

It’s been a work in process for several years. We began the revitalization process before the downturn in the economy, on Miles Avenue here, predominantly. … We redid all of the electrical, the underground (work), the sewers, the water.

We tore up the streets and created a walkable area, a welllit area … because before you can entice business in, you have to have water; you have to have sewer. … College of the Desert is something that’s been in the works for several years, and we’re seeing it come out of the ground … .

People have a perception that the area’s rough. There’s not an issue with (violent) crime. There are theft issues, sure, but there are theft issues everywhere, particularly now with the downturn in the economy. … We saw the fact that this was a safe place; it had just fallen into disrepair, and I when (my husband) Doug and I look at something that’s in disrepair, we think: “Ah ha! Potential. We can fix it up.”

Concrete steps: How is downtown/old town Indio going to become a place that’s vital again?

It starts with College of the Desert and the fact that there will be 3,000 students at peak enrollment in the downtown area. You need people here, day and night, in order to make an area successful, because that’s what will drive retail and restaurants and the housing component. … (On May 15), the council approved moving forward with mixed use, so there will be restaurants and retail on the bottom, and living (spaces) on top.

Where?

Right across the street from the College of the Desert, there’s an empty lot. … The new detention center’s coming up; the new county administration center is also coming up, so in the next three years, there will probably be an additional 5,000 people in the downtown area.

If it were up to you, would downtown Indio become like El Paseo or downtown Palm Springs, in the sense that they are draws for tourists and people from elsewhere in the valley alike? Or are you content with Indio being a hub mainly for people who live in the east valley?

The vision for downtown/old town Indio is that it’ll be a combination of both. There will be specialty retail and restaurants. … It will satisfy both as it evolves. There’s going to be a law school here. Ultimately, my vision is: We have the (Indio) Performing Arts Center; we have the CV Art Center. … The (Coachella Valley History) Museum is just a block away. So, if you will, it’s arts, culture and entertainment, and you’ve got that educational base. So you have people moving here, and you’ll have things to do, places to go and places to eat.

There was a move last year by a fellow City Council member (Ascencion “Sam” Torres) to add a large tax to Coachella tickets. That got shot down, and you were opposed to it. Since then, Goldenvoice has signed a new agreement to stay in Indio (through at least 2030, and to possibly add two more festival weeks, perhaps in the fall). What are your goals, from the city’s standpoint, in terms of the festivals— bringing people here, what Goldenvoice does, etc.?

First of all, Goldenvoice does an enormous amount with the city, particularly with the kids. I think people see the concerts … but what we see of Goldenvoice are people who really spend a lot of time and money focused on the com-

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munity. We had the (remote area medical) health thing at the fairgrounds just before the concerts. They play soccer with the kids; they support the teen center, the Boys and Girls Club, so they’re already engaged in the community, and we want them to continue with that engagement, and to an extent, become even more engaged.

People come from all over the world; that is so neat, and I want, from a business perspective, for all the businesses in the community to reap the benefits of those tourists who are in town. … I also want the world to see the city, and some people are going to move here, and to have people from different cultures … move here, to me, adds more to the eclectic flavor of the city that Indio is.

I want to specifically ask you about IPAC. It’s such an eclectic, work-in-progress venue, and they do some pretty cool stuff there; in what direction would you like to see IPAC move? … There are three components: community theater; a learning environment, particularly for the kids, because music and the arts just aren’t in schools any more; and a place to hold concerts. There are so many local bands here; let’s have a venue for them to play and perform.

Regarding medical marijuana: Right now, Palm Springs is the only city in the valley that allows dispensaries. If it were up to you, where would Indio fall in terms of allowing dispensaries or other medical-marijuana businesses?

It’s come before the council once, I think, a couple of years ago. I think all of us would look at what a medicalmarijuana clinic would bring to the city. We’d look at it on a case-by-case basis and decide if that was something that would be a benefit to the city and to the residents of the city. What the decision would be, I don’t know.

Numbers from the Southern California Association of Governments show that Indio, Coachella and especially the nearby unincorporated areas are going to see the bulk of the growth in the valley.

What kind of a role is the City Council taking for Indio to prepare to be a city of more than 110,000 people by 2035?

We’re updating our general plan, first of all. … We do infrastructure improvements every year, whether it’s to our roads, or whether (it involves water)—we have the Indio Water Authority, our own water agency—and we are constantly upgrading that in terms of water storage and our ability to deliver water to our residents and businesses … .

The east end of the valley has the highest number of youth here, so the need for services and the environment for these young people to be entertained or to eat or to hang out is critical. (We need) parks. My dream would be an aquatic center—something that was envisioned several years ago, and the economy kind of took that away from us. … That ties in to education and the whole economic engine, to have the jobs here for these kids to go to.

This is your first foray into elected office. Are you content to stay on the Indio City Council … or might you have bigger plans down the line?

No. I am all about being involved with the city. The reason I got on the City Council, as I said, is to be an advocate for small business. I like the city; I like being an advocate; I like being a part of the growth. And that’s the beginning, the middle and the end of my political career.

NEWS

TOUGHNESS ON WHEELS

The Coachella Valley Derby Girls Continue to Make Strides

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By BRIAN BLUESKYE ver the last decade, roller derby has made a massive comeback.

Roller derby—a sport that was created in the 1930s—began that comeback in part because of all-female amateur leagues that started in places like Austin, Texas. It’s slowly been

The team poses for a photo after one of their final practices at La Quinta Park.

BRIAN BLUESKYE

catching fire; in fact, ESPN recently called roller derby the fastest-growing sport in the world. Many women of roller derby today are dedicated athletes, and women of all ages and backgrounds are signing up for local teams.

The sport has gone back to its strategic and competitive roots after becoming something like a WWE on roller skates in the 1980s, when bouts had the reputation of being violent, and the winning teams were often predetermined. However, on a happy note, the amusing pseudonyms of individual players remain intact.

In June 2012, Jessica Jeffries (known as Jessi James), who had moved to the Coachella Valley from San Francisco, started the Coachella Valley Derby Girls.

“My friend and I came here from the Bay Area, and we noticed there wasn’t a team. We basically made a flier and passed it out,” Jeffries said.

Since their founding last year, another team has sprung up in the valley, the Palm Springs Bombshells.

“Their team, from what I understand, is more recreational,” Jeffries said. “… We are an actual competitive team.”

Jeffries said her team has faced several substantial challenges, including recruiting women for the team (and getting to get them to stick with it), and finding an indoor venue to get out of the desert heat. In June, the team accomplished the latter goal: They now practice indoors at the Demuth Park Community Center in Palm Springs, a step up from the basketball court they had been practicing on at La Quinta Park.

The Coachella Valley Derby Girls recently had their first official bout in Arizona; they lost the match, but enjoyed the experience and are looking to improve. They will have a bout in August against a team from Oceanside.

The team recently hired their new coach, Chris Van Howten, who grew up watching the sport and has extensive knowledge of it.

During a practice at La Quinta Park (just before they moved to Demuth), Van Howten had the team skating laps, and stopping at intervals to do push-ups or crunches.

One member of the team was seen running to a trash van to vomit due to the strenuous activity. Vomiting, oddly enough, comes with a reward: a free bottle of Firestarter

Vodka, a brand that Van Howten started here in the valley and distributes around the world.

“I want the girls to come out here and work hard. While I don’t strive for them to injure themselves or throw up, if someone gets sick during practice, I will give them a free bottle of vodka,” Van Howten said.

How many bottles has Van Howten given out?

“I’ve had about five payouts since I made that offer,” he said.

Most of the ladies come to practice for two hours, three times a week. The team captain, Christine Miller (aka Jersey Whirl), understands the challenges of encouraging others to put in hard work.

“There’s a lot of motivation that goes into it,” Miller said. “It’s hard to come to practice and bring all that you’ve got. A lot of people need encouragement. We come tired; we come from work; and we all have other things going on in our lives and in our minds. For me, it’s all about being a leader and trying to get everybody to give it all they’ve got.”

One team member who truly loves the sport and takes it all in stride is Irene Serrano (aka Hurricane Irene).

Serrano—a general manager at Starbucks and one of the first players to sign up—is also one of the older members.

She’s all smiles when asked about her involvement.

“For me, when I put my skates on, I’m like a little girl again. The age goes out the window the minute my skates are on,” Serrano said. “… The fear of falling, the fear of getting hit—it doesn’t bother me. It’s all part of derby.”

While the team has been intensely focused on the sport, they also give back to the community. They’ve participated in the 2012 Martha’s Village 5k Run/Walk, collected and distributed toys for MHS of Riverside County, and volunteered for the Heroes in Recovery 6k back in February.

They were also in the 2012 Palm Springs Pride Parade.

As they prepare for their next bout at a new practice facility and with a new coach, they’re also recruiting.

Experience isn’t necessary, but potential players need to know this is a contact sport. The team will also teach new members how to roller skate if they don’t already know how.

If interested, contact the team at cvderbygirls@yahoo.com.

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SNAPSHOT

Images From Spring in the Coachella Valley

Approximately 120 volunteers—including the Independent’s Christina Lange, as well as the Kaos girls’ softball team from La Quinta (pictured)—helped clean up the notorious Duroville trailer park on Saturday, March 30. The joint cleanup effort was organized by Rudy Gutierrez, a South Coast Air Quality Management District liaison officer for the east Coachella Valley; the Economic Development Agency; the office of Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit; and trash-hauler Burrtec. While most Duroville residents—mostly migrant farmworkers—had been relocated before the cleanup, a handful of people remained. In May, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the last of the residents had to be off the premises by June 30.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA LANGE

As the Independent’s Brian Blueskye wrote, “If there was one important lesson to be learned during Coachella 2013, it’s this: Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to … mess with.” RZA, Method Man and the rest of the gang were joined by a full orchestra for their Saturday Coachella weekend performances, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Goldenvoice, the producer of the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, announced that 90,000 people bought passes to each of Coachella 2013’s two April weekends, while 45,000 people purchased Stagecoach passes. PHOTO BY NOELLE HARO-GOMEZ

Who knew that baby porcupines are called porcupettes? These little ones—just a few days old when this photo was taken—were born at The Living Desert on Saturday, May 4, to proud African crested porcupine parents Nasura (dad) and Skittles (mom). “At birth, baby porcupines are born with open eyes and have soft quills, which harden quickly once exposed to air, in about 30 minutes,” said a news release from The Living Desert. In other words: While these little porcupettes are adorable, it would be a terrible idea to pet them.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BERT BUXBAUM, THE LIVING DESERT

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NEWS

Marijuana as medicine

The Valley’s Oldest Licensed Dispensary Celebrates Three Years

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By JIMMY BOEGLE n early June, nonprofit medical-marijuana dispensary Desert Organic Solutions celebrated its third anniversary.

While three years does not sound like a long time, in medical-marijuana-dispensary terms, it’s practically an eternity: Since the June 5, 2010, opening of Desert Organic Solutions, the legal landscape for medical marijuana has been constantly shifting, and as a result, countless collectives and dispensaries have come and gone in that time.

The most recent shift came on May 6, when

the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that local governments had the authority to prohibit medicalmarijuana dispensaries. Since Palm Springs is the only Riverside County city to license marijuana dispensaries, all medical-marijuana storefronts in the Coachella Valley— other than the three allowed by Palm Springs—were either forced to close, or risk an ugly government shutdown.

Gary Cherlin, the president of Desert Organic Solutions, had nothing to worry about on May 6. His dispensary— located at 19486 Newhall St., in an industrial park just off Interstate 10 near the Indian Canyon Drive exit—is the oldest of the three licensed dispensaries in Palm Springs.

(The others are the similarly named but unrelated Organic Solutions of the Desert on Ramon Road, and C.A.P.S. on Airport Center Drive.)

On Desert Organic Solutions’ anniversary, Cherlin sat down with the Independent to chat about medical marijuana in the Coachella Valley.

Tell me how you wound up being the president of Desert Organic Solutions. After all, not a lot of people grow up wanting to be the president of a medical-marijuana collective.

I had seen a number of people who I knew, including family members, who had sicknesses. My grandfather had cancer and used marijuana for it. … (The mother of) one of my friends … had multiple sclerosis—still has MS—and she was using marijuana for it. All of these people were really getting a lot better through the use of marijuana—(it was) not curing these things, but really helping them.

What was the actual impetus (to start Desert Organic Solutions)?

I had seen how beneficial (medical marijuana) was, and even in my life, I had used it for a lot of different things.

So I was reading the paper one day, and … there was an article about (the city of) Palm Springs opening it up for anybody who wanted to put in an application and pay the

But there are patients in Coachella, Indio and the far parts of Palm Desert, for example, and if they’re not doing well, it’s going to be a major task for them to drive the 25 miles or so each way to get to a dispensary here in Palm Springs. Would you support other cities in the valley—like, say, Indio—opening doors to dispensaries or collectives?

100 percent. Of course I’m in support of that. I want patients to get their medicine. That’s why I said the most important thing is that Palm Springs did this (allowed medical marijuana collectives), because if they hadn’t, (no collectives) would be here. So, yeah, I am supportive. It’s up to the cities and the counties to make their own decisions. I think the most important thing is that patients have somewhere to go to get safe access in a regulated environment.

Gary Cherlin

($7,500) fee to possibly get licensed. … So I figured: ‘You know what? I’ll give it a shot and throw my hat in the ring.’ … It was a lengthy process, going back and forth to the City Council meetings, and basically, when it came down to it, we were one the lucky ones who got a license.

In terms of medical-marijuana dispensaries, collectives, etc., you are fairly secure. You’re in a city that supports you, and you’re licensed. However, there’s seemingly always legal drama, most recently in Los Angeles (where voters recently approved an initiative to restrict the number of dispensaries), for example. Are you concerned about the future?

You never know what can happen in the future. I would have never done this if I couldn’t get a license to do it, first of all. I wouldn’t just open up. … I believe that we’re secure.

We’re in Palm Springs; they licensed us. But that’s a hard question to answer. You never know.

What are your thoughts on the recent California Supreme Court decision that cities and counties can ban medical-marijuana dispensaries? That resulted in a lot of medical-marijuana operations closing across the valley.

The most important thing, really, is that Palm Springs took the proper steps to make sure the patients in the Palm Springs area and the Coachella Valley had places to go where they could have safe access and quality medication.

Kudos to them for doing it.

What do you think you and your fellow members have done right? After all, you’re the only dispensary here to have made it for three years so far.

The main thing was getting the license, obviously. We have kept prices down and always have different specials every day of the week for patients. We offer discounts to veterans.

Our prices are compassionate, and I think the main thing is we have very high quality medication. The cream always rises to the top, so to speak. (The patients) go to the different dispensaries; they know what medicine is out there, and the main thing that I have focused on is quality.

Where do you get the medication?

Patients who have excess; that’s what the rule is. That’s the law.

If another city in the valley were to start accepting applications for dispensaries, would you consider having Desert Organic Solutions apply, so you could help more people? Or are you just focused on this location?

We’re focused on this location. I haven’t even thought about the future. We’re really trying to focus on the best things we can do for the patients here.

Do you wish that marijuana were legal to everyone? Or do you think the medical system we have right now— where patients who need it can get it, at least in some places—is enough?

I am more concerned about the medical aspects of it, for the patients. I don’t have anything against it, if states want to approve it for recreational use. But that’s not my focus. My focus is really to help the patients.

Desert Organic Solutions is located at 19486 Newhall St., No. 102. For more information, call 760-288-4000, or visit desertorganicsolutions.com.

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no opinion whatsoever

College of the Desert Has Only Wishy-Washy Words on a Contentious Community College Bill

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By SAXON BURNS ollege of the Desert Superintendent/President Joel L. Kinnamon doesn’t have an opinion on legislation that could radically impact 2.4 million students in California’s beleaguered community-college system.

The legislation in question, Assembly Bill 955, would permit community colleges to offer selfsupporting courses at increased rates during winter and summer sessions, following budgetary cutbacks—to the tune of $800 million system-wide since 2008—that have left many of these institutions incapable of meeting ever-increasing demand.

Under AB 955, students would pay tuition of about $200 per unit for these courses, reflecting the actual costs associated with providing them, instead of the state-subsidized rate of $46. A third of the revenue generated from the courses would go to financial assistance for low-income students.

Critics charge that the bill would create a “two-tiered system,” in which those who can afford to pay the increased rates are able to get the classes they want and need. Proponents—including the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Assemblyman Das Williams—counter that systemic inequality exists now.

“If you fear a two-tiered system, I’ve got to wake you up: It’s already here,” Williams told Democratic lawmakers who had objected to the proposal, according to an Associated Press report. “There’s one tier that can get in, and one tier that is locked out.”

The Assembly passed AB 955 on May 20 in a 50-16 vote; it was making its way through the Senate as of the Independent’s print deadline.

Following a request for comment on whether College of the Desert had taken a stance on the bill, it took COD’s press office 27 days to issue an awkwardly written non-statement on the legislation, attributed to Kinnamon.

“Dr. Kinnamon is certainly an advocate of actions that increase student access to the education they desire and the pursuit of the attainment of their goals,” the statement read. “Providing a quality education for our students is our No. 1 mission. However, it is important that access be provided in an equitable way that adheres to the values of the community college system.”

An intermediary, responding to an emailed follow-up question asking what the statement meant regarding Kinnamon’s position, replied that Kinnamon did not, in fact, have an opinion on the legislation. This statement was attributed to Pam Hunter, College of the Desert’s executive director of institutional advancement, Title V project director, and public relations officer.

In contrast, it took Victor M. Jaime, superintendent/ president of Imperial Valley College, precisely 28 minutes to fire off an email detailing his view on the legislation.

“Imperial Valley College serves a very high number of low-income minorities who are also first-generation college students,” Jaime wrote. “This bill would negatively impact these students and place us back to a time when higher education was mostly accessible to those who could well afford the cost of higher education, placing low-income, disadvantaged students at the end of the line.

“I was one of those students who greatly benefited from

the access provided to me as a lowincome, firstgeneration college student.

I have worked very hard for the last 30-plus years encouraging just this type of student to pursue a college degree and become role models for others in their family.”

Joel Kinnamon, College of the Desert’s Roger leader, has no opinion.

Wagner, superintendent/president of Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree, made himself available for a phone call about an hour after his institution was contacted by the Independent.

“Without a doubt, it’s going to be a controversial bill,” Wagner said. “I think it serves people in two ways: One, it serves students who otherwise couldn’t take classes. So students who can afford it, who otherwise would go to (pricier) private colleges, can take them, and then it would free up courses (during the regular term). And then my understanding is that revenues would go to financial aid for students who can’t afford classes.”

Perhaps the most thoughtful and nuanced picture of the legislation came from Denise Whittaker, interim superintendent/president of Palo Verde College in Blythe, who was also quick to respond to the Independent.

“I can tell you this is not an easy or simple conversation or topic because of the complex nature in which community colleges are funded,” Whittaker wrote in an email.

Funding for community colleges is largely based on a state formula that involves the aggregate number of units taken by their students, with an overall “cap.” In the past, there was wiggle room for growth, allowing colleges to exceed the cap by as much as 2 percent and still receive financial support for enrollment above that limit. The economic downturn killed that, and now many institutions can’t afford to offer intersession or summer courses without state help.

Other factors impose further restrictions. Communitycollege budgets have been downsized over the past half-dozen years, so cuts have been made to pay ongoing expenses—like utilities—that increase annually.

And then there are “workload reductions,” which mean the enrollment caps mentioned above have been cut back.

“Reduced course offerings mean students have fewer courses to choose from; fewer students enroll; and slower graduation and transfer rates result, because it takes longer for students to get through when fewer courses are being offered,” Whittaker wrote.

In the end, according to Whittaker, demand for classes is greater than what many community colleges are financially capable of offering.

“Fall-and-spring, traditional-course offerings have generally been reduced over the past few years due to budget restrictions, shutting students out, and colleges reached their lowered cap levels without having to provide intersession or summer school,” she wrote. “It is a vicious cycle.”

This is where AB 955 comes in. The question, according to Whittaker, is that when community colleges don’t receive funds for summer or intersession courses, “how can access to higher education be provided to students while still remaining financially prudent?”

Most community colleges do not have the money to pay for the courses without state support, and AB 955 provides a possible alternative.

“However, the issue or controversy then becomes one of equity or equal access—this option only applies to those who can afford it, and most of our colleges have highpoverty students where this option would exclude them,” she wrote. “I see this as being the main issue, although there definitely is a problem in that many community colleges cannot meet the student demands, and there are no good alternatives.”

If only Kinnamon and his College of the Desert colleagues were as forthcoming. jimmy Boegle contributed to this story.

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NEWS

TIME TO GO BANANAS

The International Banana Museum Sets Up Shop Near the Salton Sea

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Fred Garbutt and his fancy banana record-player. Christina Lange

O

By CHRISTINA LANGE nce I stepped into the one-story building off Highway 111 near North Shore, I knew I would be going bananas.

After all, this building is the home of the International Banana Museum.

The first sense that is tested at the museum is smell, as you take in the aroma of banana-nutbread candles. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, but it becomes a welcome cloak as you peruse the collection.

Vision is the second sense that is bombarded: It’s hard to describe the sheer amount of bananarelated items in the room. Books on bananas, plastic bananas, food with bananas, stuffed toy bananas, stuffed toy monkeys with bananas, Christmas banana trees, banana stickers, jewelryencrusted plastic bananas, banana snow globes, crème de banana liqueur, banana monkey necklaces, a flute in the shape of a banana … the list goes on.

The purchaser of the original Banana Club collection—started by Ken Bannister—is Indio

native Fred Garbutt, an excellent curator with an eye for detail. At the same time, he seems slightly confounded by his decision to have purchased the collection in the first place. He dons “a sporty banana look”: a yellow shirt, glasses, a banana pendant on a chain necklace, Hawaiian shorts, and green-and-yellow Converse shoes. Garbutt’s statement that “bananas are associated with humor, with monkeys, and are fun and whimsical” rings true—and he revels as he throws out banana puns, innuendos and fun

facts. He said he tries to keep his obsession on the “right side of totally bananas” while having a great deal of fun.

He bought Bannister’s collection on eBay in April 2010 and opened the museum to the public in November 2012; it’s now open four days a week. Garbutt believes the collection originally included 17,000 items, and he has added enough items to reach the 20,000 mark.

Every day, he scours eBay and other online auction houses for more stuff. Guinness World Records still lists

Ken Bannister as the record-holder for the largest collection of banana memorabilia; Garbutt hopes Guinness will do a recount of his items.

Garbutt’s current pride and joy? A record player in the shape of banana that he bought via eBay. It’s in perfect working order, much to his delight.

What song did he recently play on it? “Yes, We Have No Bananas.”

I had to ask Garbutt: Does he like eating bananas? He said his mother made a dish when he was a child in which she would slice bananas, lay the slices out in a circle, and add whipped cream. Other than that, however, he ate no more bananas than an average kid. But, because of the museum, Garbutt has started eating more of them, he said. He has been working hard to expand the items on his soda-fountain menu. Visitors can enjoy banana splits, milkshakes and other banana-related items, including a banana-soda-ice-cream float.

“Before making them available, I had to perfect my float and milkshake, so I would experiment. I have been having repeat customers coming in for the banana-soda-ice-cream floats and milkshakes alone,” he said.

Garbutt grew up in Indio and would visit the Salton Sea during its heyday in the 1950s. The building which houses the International Banana Museum, as well as Skip’s liquor store, has been in his family since 1959.

“There are so many misconceptions of the Salton Sea. The news leads people to believe that it is a cesspool that should just dry up,” he said.

He wants the museum to help put the Salton Sea back on the map, and is even working on a “Banana Split Boat Trip” with an airboat operator who is setting up business at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. Visitors on this tour will be able to enjoy the sea on the boat and then afterward visit the museum.

I came away with the impression that Garbutt would have been just as excited about a collection starring any fruit that had been on offer. However, there is indeed something special about the banana. After all, bananas make numerous appearances in comedy bits, right? As a result, you cannot help but leave the museum with a smile.

The next step for Garbutt and Platty—check the museum’s Facebook page for portraits of Garbutt’s traveling banana friend—is to continue traveling around the world in search of more banana-related items for the museum.

The International Banana Museum, 98775 Highway 111, North Shore, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Monday. Admission is $2.

For more information, call (619) 840-1429, or visit www.facebook. com/InternationalBananaMuseum.

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Advertising with the Coachella Valley Independent is affordable and effective.

For online advertising, rates start at just $125 per month! Reach thousands of people who are looking for information on local news, events and restaurants.

Our print edition is going monthly in October, and advertising starts at just $125 for a full-color, 1/8-page ad. A full page can be had for as little as $725_even less for nonprofits! We’re starting out distributing at least 15,500 copies valley-wide, and we plan on growing our circulation quickly.

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ALL PHOTOS BY ERIN PETERS

he internationally famous desert resort destination that we call home has never had a larger-scale commercial brewery that focused on one thing, and one thing only: beer.

Who knows why? Blame the caviar crowd, or maybe the midcentury martini surroundings.

In any case, this omission will soon be no longer, thanks to Coachella Valley Brewing Co. Every craft-beer drinker knows that good beer isn’t possible without competent brewers, proper equipment and a vision. CV Brewing’s chief operating officer and brewmaster, Chris Anderson, started home-brewing in college with an extract kit nearly 20 years ago, and has been brewing his way through competitions and breweries ever since.

He, his colleagues and beer-lovers across the Coachella Valley are all keeping their fingers crossed for a mid-July opening.

Before joining forces with other beer-lovers to start his own brewery in the Coachella Valley, Anderson was part of some incredible commercial craft-brewing teams. They grabbed a bronze at the World Cup of Beer, gold at the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival, and gold at the Toronado Barleywine Festival (peoples’ choice), among other honors.

His first medals were Best of Ales and Best of Show at the Alaska State Fair for raspberry/cranberry lambic-style ale, a brew that he will be making seasonally at CVB called “Cranboise.”

An extensive brewing resume isn’t the only thing Anderson brings to the new brewery: CV Brewing is employing a high-efficiency brewing system (or H.E.B.S.). It brews with less malt than other breweries. The system uses 60 percent less water, and produces 65 percent less spent grain solids. It takes only two hours to produce 527 gallons, or 17 barrels, of wort, thus keeping energy costs low.

Anderson and company also chose to employ a 50-horsepower Miura steam generator, which is one of the most efficient boilers in existence: It can boil 1,054 gallons of water in less than 40 minutes, while still heating all of the other brewhouse vessels.

So, just how much craft beer can this system produce? Initially, the brewery will have a capacity of 4,500 barrels, or 139,500 gallons, per year, with the ability to quadruple that within the next few years.

“I gravitate to anything beer-related and always have been attracted by the craftbrewing industry and its people,” Anderson says. “Craft brewers are so friendly and welcoming, and many of my fellow brewers are like family to me.”

W

hile the Coachella Valley has been home to several breweries—most notably the popular and highly regarded Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse, as well as defunct operations by Indio Brewing Co. and

Palm Springs Brewing Co.—none of them have produced beer on the scale planned by CV Brewery.

Anderson blames the relative lack of breweries, in part, on the heat.

“It creates a totally different vibe,” he says.

“The valley is tough because of our peaks during season and valleys during the hot months.” That’s why CV Brewing is employing warm-weather brewing techniques which will make brewing in the desert more affordable.

David Humphrey is the CEO, and his wife, Jamie Humphrey, is the director of special events; she’s involved in all aspects of the operation. Gary Grotsky is the director of sales, and Dana Crosby is Coachella Valley Brewing’s CFO. Anderson previously ran the “Beer School” at Schmidy’s Tavern, and he and Jamie Humphrey both served on the advisory council of The Living Desert’s popular The Brew at the Zoo event. Less than one year ago, Crosby, Jamie Humphrey and Chris Anderson started discussing their shared vision of opening a large-scale brewery in the Coachella Valley.

David and Chris married their two separate business plans together, and pitched it to a select group of potential investors.

Incorporating local ingredients into the beer is important to Humphrey and Anderson.

Coachella Valley Brewing is working with several farms in the area, such as Hadley Fruit Orchards, Seaview and Golden State Herbs.

“We feel like many who visit or live in the valley seasonally don’t even know how important the east valley agriculture is to the state as well as America. Hell, some don’t even know it exists,” Anderson says. “The valley sets the pricing for the year, because our products are first to hit the market (due to the warm climate). I have always wanted to integrate a popular culinary trend, farm-to-table, into beer-brewing, and we thought it would be an incredible way to promote the efforts of the east valley’s farmers while providing our customers with a distinctly desert offering.”

The brewery will be using citrus, kumquats, tangelos and various oranges. They will also be incorporating spices like coriander, sage, Thai basil, jasmine, lavender, rosemary, bergamot, paradise seed and thyme. They plan to use berries, Oak Glen apples and—of course—the Coachella Valley’s famous dates.

To top it all off, they have a small farm that yields approximately 100 pounds of hops annually. The brewery will use these in a wethop or green-hop India pale ale.

The facilities will keep 14 taps flowing at all times. Anderson loves all of his beers, of course, but one of his favorites is the Big Cat Saison, which is made with local sage, paradise seed, rosemary and thyme. This will be brewed for The Living Desert, and a percentage of the profits will go to the zoo and botanical garden.

Other favorites: Monumentous IPA is a West Coast IPA made with New Zealand hops.

Dubbel Date is a Belgian abbey-style dubbel

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made with Medjool dates. Desert Swarm is a honey-double witbier made with local Africanized killer-bee honey, east valley citrus and coriander. Oasis is an apple ale made with Oak Glen Spartan apples.

Palms to Pines Imperial India Pale Ale is named after the historic California State Route 74, aka the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. The CV Brewing founders felt that a seasonal release was in order to commemorate the topography changes when driving from the desert floor to the Idyllwild forest. Only American hops are employed in this beer: Warrior, Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade, Citra and Centennial. To tie the pines in, they added freshly picked spruce tips from the mountains of Idyllwild; for the palms, they incorporated a palm sugar.

CV Brewing will also be making Belgianinspired ales, hoppy West Coast-style ales and sour ales. The Belgians and hopped-up brews will be released immediately, while the sours will likely not make an appearance until 2015. CVB’s barrel-aged offerings will make appearances in late 2013 and early 2014.

The craft-brewer ethos embodies kindness toward fellow brewers, and many craft brewers are taking that inspiration to the bottle—by creating special, limited-edition beers, usually with special ingredients, and with both breweries getting top billing. CV Brewing plans on collaborating with Black Market Brewing Co., Ritual, Hangar 24, Rip Current, Anchorage Brewing, Broken Tooth Brewing, and Gilgamesh.

Anderson wants to collaborate with more breweries beyond those, too.

“I would love to work with Alpine. I love their beers, and they are, bar none, my favorite brewery,” he says. “I am a fan of Mikkeller. His beers are so imaginative and innovative. …

Also I would love to work with Russian River. I love everything they do, and I am also a sourale maniac. I love Societe as well. Everything they do is stellar.”

C

V Brewing has some fans in high places who are eagerly anticipating the opening.

One such fan is Steve Pougnet, the mayor of Palm Springs.

“The fact that Coachella Valley Brewing Co. is partnering with local farms is fantastic and definitely affects our local economy,” he says in an email. “This is a strategy that any new business in the Coachella Valley that is in the food and beverage industry should emulate.

We hear from the farmers at our local farmers’ market about the quality of the food and how much it benefits them to work with the local community. From a sustainability standpoint, you are looking at less vehicle miles traveled, reductions in emissions, support of local pollinators and biodiversity, and most definitely support of our local farmers and their families. … This will be a wonderful new attraction for our residents and visitors from all over the world!”

Currently, CV Brewing has approximately 30 commercial customers awaiting their brews, which will be available in bars, restaurants and stores. Special releases will be available at the tasting room or at special venues, like the Ace Hotel and Swim Club, Schmidy’s Tavern, Mic and Moe’s, and LQ Wine.

CV Brewing’s operators plan to saturate the valley first, using self-distribution. Then, they plan to take on outside distribution, working first in Southern California and later moving north. Hawaii is slated to be the second state where the beers will be available, followed by Nevada, Oregon, Idaho and the Southwest.

Anderson and Humphrey want to stay in areas not totally saturated with craft beer— and desert areas that can identify with their branding.

As part of their ambitious five-year plan, they hope to open a second tasting room on El Paseo in Palm Desert. In 10 years, the brewery hopes to acquire a still and create small-batch spirits and honey wine.

They know that to reach these lofty goals, they’ll need to maintain passion, creativity and commitment.

“I love that it’s an outlet for my creative and artistic side. … I am passionate about it, and I truly enjoy doing it,” Anderson says.

Coachella Valley Brewing Co. is located at 30640 Gunther St., in Thousand Palms. Its owners are hoping for a mid-July opening. For more information, call 760-343-5973; visit www.cvbco.com; or track down the brewery on Facebook.

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24 ON THE BOARDS IN 2013-2014 25 THE BACKSTREET ART DISTRICT 26 WESTERN LIT: THE PUNK ACTIVIST

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Peter and the Starcatcher, heading to the McCallum in March, won five Tony Awards on Broadway last year.

BEFORE HE WAS PAN

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arts & culture

’TIS THE SEASON

The McCallum Theatre’s 2013-14 Lineup Is Stunningly Diverse

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By JIMMY BOEGLE

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear great music played by these young people who have had a rough go in life,” Gershenfeld says.

Gershenfeld says his goal every season, of course, is to top the previous one, although he concedes that the now-concluding McCallum series—the theater’s 25th anniversary season—was “really good,” and the bestattended since 2007-2008 and the Great Recession.

“I hope people respond to this season as well as the last,” Gershenfeld says.

s an example of how all over the map the McCallum Theatre’s 2013-2014 season offerings are, look at the first four shows.

The season begins on Oct. 13 with the theater’s Second Annual Family Fun Day, featuring the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater and its performing pooches and kitties. (Yes, performing cats; who knew?) That’s followed five days later by the first-ever performance of Alton Brown Live, a show featuring the off-kilter-in-a-good-way Food Network host. One week later, Mexican theater hit Frida: The Musical—performed entirely in Spanish— is on the boards. Next, country-music star Vince Gill will take the stage.

So … you have pet theater, followed by a goofy but educational chef, followed by a serious Spanish-language musical, followed by country music. And by the way, that’s all followed by a series of dance events

that McCallum president/CEO Mitch Gershenfeld hopes will set the stage, so to speak, for a true international dance festival to sprout in Palm Desert.

Got all that?

“We’re trying to present diverse-enough programming to attract every segment of the community,” Gershenfeld says.

“We don’t want to be elitist. We want to have a presence in all of the relevant performing-arts genres.”

In all, the 2013-2014 McCallum season lineup includes more than six dozen shows that range from separate performances by greats Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera and Patti LuPone, to plays like Driving Miss Daisy, The Addams Family and Hello, Dolly! (starring … Sally Struthers?!), to dance by Pilobolus and the Moscow Classical Ballet, to something called Cesar Millan Live!

Gershenfeld says he uses a “market-driven approach” while booking the McCallum. In other words, he won’t bring in any show that he knows won’t get butts in seats.

However, he says he’ll take a risk if he thinks he can convince the public that a show is worthy.

“If I feel like I can market it and make it work, I’ll do it,” he says.

Gershenfeld is entering his second year as the president and CEO of the McCallum, following the retirement last year of longtime head Ted Giatas. Before Giatas’ departure, Gershenfeld handled operations and booking at the McCallum for a dozen years—and he’s kept the booking gig as the CEO. In all, the former symphony musician—he’s a tuba player—and theater producer has been booking shows for three decades.

When asked what shows he’s excited about in the upcoming season, he instantly mentions Peter and the Starcatcher, a fresh-from-Broadway play that nabbed five Tony Awards last year. The show, which offers a back-story of sorts for Peter Pan, will arrive at the McCallum March

28-30, 2014.

This show falls in that if-I-canmarket-it category for Gershenfeld, he says, clarifying that while traveling Broadway musicals tend to sell well, non-musical plays can struggle when they lose the big names that often star in the shows in New York.

“I am going to talk about this play every chance I get this year,” Gershenfeld says.

And as for that Alton Brown show: It’s being produced by the same people who created the Mythbusters: Behind the Myths tour, and the McCallum is actually letting the producers use the theater for a week or so to “get the show going” before it officially premieres on Oct. 18. As a hint to what the show will be like, Gershenfeld notes that attendees in the first few rows will be offered ponchos to wear.

Gershenfeld also points to the Bahia Orchestra Project show on Feb. 16, 2014, as something special. The project was founded in Brazil in 2007, modeled after El Sistema in Venezuela; organizers go into poor areas and provide youngsters with musical instruments, and teach the kids how to play. These Brazilian kids-turnedmusicians, with help from star pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, will play at the McCallum as part of their first North American tour.

For more information on the season, or to buy season subscriptions, visit www.mccallumtheatre.com.

Alton Brown

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arts & culture

on the boards

A Look Ahead at the Valley’s 2013-2014 Theater Offerings

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By valerie-jean (v.j.) hume s there anything more exciting than the prospect of an upcoming theater season? The offerings from the valley’s varied companies always provide a huge variety—and the 2013-2014 season is no exception. I can’t wait!

Below, you’ll find comments from the theater companies that had announced their schedules and shared their information with us as of our press deadline; we will add more at CVIndependent.com as other companies report back to us.

Don’t miss my reviews of many of these plays, both online and in the Independent’s monthly edition, launching in October!

Desert Rose Playhouse

HOUSE OF THE RISING SON by Tom Jacobsen: Sept. 27-Oct. 27 THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD by Paul Rudnick: Nov. 15-Dec. 22 NITE CLUB CONFIDENTIAL by Dennis Deal: Jan. 10-Feb. 16 An untitled new play by Dan Clancy: March 21-April 20 THE HAUNTED HOST by Robert Patrick: May 2-June 1

Jim Strait and partner Paul Taylor report that the season for their LGBT playhouse begins with a Southern gothic, Los Angeles-New Orleans show; think “Anne Rice meets Tennessee Williams.” House of the Rising Son features ghosts, graves, special effects, and a post-Katrina/Rita all-male dynasty. Eek! The Most Fabulous Story is a re-writing of the Old Testament. “It starts in Eden. Adam looks over the fence, and it all goes to hell in a handcart! They invent civilization, wind up in Noah’s Ark (where the bartender is a rhinoceros, and there is an amorous pig), get enslaved by a fabulous pharaoh, and wind up at the Nativity. The second act is in contemporary New York.”

Nite Club is “a film-noir musical, a cross between Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve. Stars on the rise and a diva on the rocks! Very stylistic, with American songbook music plus new original music. … It takes place in the Eisenhower years.”

The Haunted Host was one of the very first gay plays in New York, and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Strait acted in a performance in San Diego in 1983, and it was reportedly the first show that Harvey Fierstein ever did.

In addition, Desert Rose will feature a special attraction in March: Dorothy Kirk, a 65-year-old monologist. Strait muses, “I love a storyteller. We don’t get a lot of lesbian participation, so this will change that. It is charming!”

Tickets go on sale in August; www.desertroseplayhouse.org.

Coachella Valley Repertory

MASTER CLASS by Terrence McNally: Oct. 23-Nov. 10 THE STORY OF MY LIFE by Brian Hill and Neil Bartram: Dec. 4-22 A PERFECT GANESH by Terrence McNally: Jan. 22-Feb. 9 FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE by Terrence McNally: March 19-April 6

Louise Ross, the theater’s PR lady, is “really excited” about this season’s theme.

“McNally is one of America’s greatest playwrights, and

we’re doing a collection of his work,” she says.

The 84-seat theater, raked for visibility, is the home of Ron Celona’s brainchild. The first Wednesday and Thursday of each show are considered preview nights (with tickets $30 instead of the usual $40); that first Thursday is also a “talkback,” featuring an audience Q&A. “McNally has a way of Three of Coachella Valley being thought-provoking Repertory’s four 2013-2014 plays are written by the great and entertaining at the Terrence McNally. same time. He brings controversial subjects into life situations, and makes you want to talk about what you’ve seen afterward,” says Ross.

I saw Master Class, about a celeb teaching opera, years ago in L.A., and it was stunning, with everything depending on the role of Maria Callas. Frankie became a movie, marvelous with Pacino and Pfeiffer. Ross told me about a stage version with Stanley Tucci and Frances Sternhagen—and why this show has an audience advisory due to language and brief nudity, a first for CV Rep. Ganesh is a search for The Exotic by two white ladies in India. “It starts with an ordinary situation and becomes this whole other world,” says Ross, “about your bucket list.”

More info at www.cvrep.org.

Dezart Performs

EXQUISITE POTENTIAL by Stephen Kaplan: Nov. 22-Dec. 1 INVASION OF PRIVACY by Larry Parr: Jan. 31-Feb. 9 SIXTH ANNUAL PLAYREADING SERIES April 11-19

Artistic director Michael Shaw co-founded this 5-yearold group, known for its play-reading series on which the audience votes, with the winner produced the following year. Last season brought a tie—so both plays are being produced this coming season.

Exquisite playwright Stephen Kaplan came to the reading

(and was very pleased), and intends to be here again for the production. “It’s brilliant, clever, one of the most interesting story lines ever,” enthuses Shaw. The comedy-drama deals with a man who believes his 3-year-old son is the Messiah— to the surprise of his rabbi and his pregnant wife.

The second play resonates with Shaw, who once lived in Central Florida, where it is set. Invasion is about a relationship that becomes a libel suit—one that really went to the Supreme Court in the 1940s. Shaw knows the life depicted in the play well. “I had alligator stew often, and my dad used to catch wild turkeys and snapping turtles for dinner. I want to hang moss for this show!”

Considering everything happening news, these topics are as timely as ever, Shaw says. “Tickets will be on sale in July!” promises Shaw, who keeps the ticket prices to a sensible $18-$22; www.dezartperforms.com.

Desert Theatreworks

THE MOUSETRAP by Agatha Christie: Nov. 1-10 MARRIED ALIVE by Sean Grennan and Leah Okimoto: Dec. 6-15 BLAZING GUNS AT ROARING GULCH Jan. 24-Feb. 2 THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL March 14-23

The Joslyn Center’s Arthur Newman Theatre in Palm Desert is now home to the Desert Theatreworks, with Lance Phillips-Martinez at the helm. He tells me that Mousetrap is the longest-running play in the world—and it already had that distinction when I saw it back in London in 1966! It’s a whodunit murder-mystery, of course.

Married is a new musical which he describes as “zany,” with newlyweds and “oldyweds” looking at marriage.

Blazing is an old-fashioned “mellerdrammer” in the Wild West, with songs, skits and a very hissable villain.

Trailer is a musical that is “the theatrical equivalent of a bag of Doritos,” says Phillips-Martinez, “at Armadillo Acres in Florida—a fun, fun, fun time!”

It’ll be exciting to watch this new company as it enters the desert’s theatrical community; www.dtworks.org.

Palm Canyon Theatre THE SOUND OF MUSIC Oct. 4-13 AVENUE Q Nov. 8-17 SHREK Dec. 6-22 LES MISERABLES Jan. 24-Feb. 9 9 TO 5 Feb. 28-March 9 JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR April 4-20 THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE May 2-11 SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL July 11-20

This coming season, the downtown Palm Springs mainstay is focusing on big Broadway shows—and they’re throwing in a “classic series” of one-weekend shows as well. We’d tell you more, but nobody from the theater got back to us before our press deadline; www.palmcanyontheatre.org.

Watch CVIndependent.com frequently for updates, reviews and theater news. Enjoy!

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arts & culture

DESERT ARTS

Newcomers Are Bringing Vibrancy to the Backstreet Art District

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By RICHARD ALMADA he Backstreet Art District is nestled at the foot of the mountains, in a midcentury dwelling that includes various galleries and decorative-arts businesses. The structure alone is worth a visit to see a segment of the modern architecture with which Palm Springs has become synonymous.

Located on Cherokee Drive (behind Mercedes-Benz of Palm Springs on East Palm Canyon Drive), the Backstreet Art District, despite some tough times, continues to flourish and evolve. This hidden gem features arts and crafts by genuine local artists—and on the first Wednesday of every month, the galleries host an art walk that is open to all.

The ugly recession led to tough times at this vibrant, colorful destination. Some previous anchor galleries have moved to locations that offer more foot traffic—but exciting new tenants have set up shop in this special enclave. The new occupants offer an international flair, as well as world-class portfolios.

One such person is Elena Bulatova, of Elena Bulatova Studios. Originally from Russia, she

has an impressive résumé in both art and music (as a violinist). She graduated from Moscow State University and continued her studies in the United States; she received a doctorate degree from MSU and Yale. She splits her time between Palm Springs and Miami.

Another newcomer is Francisco Totó Vargas.

Originally from Chile, Francisco creates translucent acrylic paintings on canvas in his studio gallery. He relocated to Palm Springs from New York, where he studied art at the Art Institute of New York City; he later became a member of the faculty there. Francisco’s talents go beyond the canvas: He produces film documentaries, too.

His gallery, Wind of Art, showcases his works, as well as the creations of two artists that he represents. One is acclaimed glass-painter Ulla Darni, whose bright, vivid glass paintings bring a unique art form to the airy, well-lit space. The other, Bill Matlock, creates intricate renditions of ordinary objects, giving them an elated, romantic stance.

Another renovated space rivals any of the tony studios located in the chic Culver City Art District: Jackson Gallery. Owner/artist Al Jackson creates appealing imagery with clean lines and self-assured strokes. He can often be found painting while visitors enjoy his works, which hang against pristine white walls rising from newly polished concrete floors.

The collection at the well-coordinated Haya Gil Gallery is modern, unique and colorful. Haya Gil-Lubin carries art that is reminiscent of famous works seen in big-city modern and abstract collections. Haya is a dedicated gallerist who seems to be the “mayor” of Backstreet Art District; she resides in Palm Springs and Las Vegas. Her gallery is an anchor for the center, and she herself has a strong following thanks to her “Photograms.”

Artize is another new presence, located where Heath Gallery once existed. Owner Kelly Truscott maintains the modern space with original works by artists that

she represents exclusively. The selections are varied, with contemporary works as well as art in other genres, including miniature paintings of our famous local vistas.

The newcomers have joined established galleries such as Studio D, where artist-owner Downs has been creating art works on canvas. His methodology is unique: He often applies 400 to 500 layers of paint, encompassing various

thicknesses and transparencies, bringing energy and a sense of action to his paintings.

Then there’s Bill Anson Gallery, where decorative art and sculptures reign in a space that takes visitors back to another epoch within the Coachella Valley. The works are rustic with a Southwestern vibe.

In this same gallery, another painter showcases her talented strokes on canvas. Jessica Schiffman specializes in well-crafted images of textural landscapes and abstract interpretations of natural outdoor scenes. She is a product of the San Francisco Art Institute and has illustrated 16 childrens’ books for various publishers. Her paintings are collected by an international audience.

Palm Springs has become a destination for world-class art personalities—and the Backstreet Art District is one of the best places in the valley to meet some of them.

Richard Almada is the CEO and president of Artistic Relations, and heads up Desert Art Tours. He can be reached at ArtisticRelations@ gmail.com. His Desert Arts column appears every other week at CVIndependent.com.

On the first Wednesday of every month, the galleries host an art walk that is open to all.

CVIndependent.com

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THE PUNK ACTIVIST Western Lit: Sascha Altman DuBrul’s ‘Maps’ Detail His Activism—and Battles With Bipolar Disorder

www.cvindependent.com/arts-and-culture

B

By BRIAN BLUESKYE erkeley resident Sascha Altman DuBrul has accomplished much as a community organizer and punk rocker, inspiring many who subscribe to the philosophies of Noam Chomsky and punk-rock ethics.

And he’s done so despite struggles with bipolar disorder.

In his book Maps to the Other Side, he offers a journey through his writings over the years, covering subjects such as train-hopping, political activ-

ism, community gardens and his struggles with mental illness. “The stories in this book are the personal maps through my jagged lands of brilliance and madness,” he writes in the introduction.

DuBrul starts by talking about his childhood. He was raised in a chaotic home by two parents who consistently fought while he was being raised by the television. He talks about the Live Aid concert in 1985, saying he was disappointed by the muchanticipated event, and calling it a gathering of coked-out rock stars who simply got together to sing “We Are the World.”

As DuBrul grew older, he became more influenced by punk rock and set out to change the world, inspired by Noam Chomsky and the punk-rock style of activism. Oh, yeah, and he listened to Chumbawamba during their early punk-rock days before we all heard “Tubthumping” on repeat.

He traveled the country via train-hopping, listening to the stories of migrant workers and hoboes; he eventually wound up in the world of community gardens and took part in protests against NAFTA and the World Trade Organization. He spent a lot of time in Northern and Southern California working in community gardens and organizing punk rockers to take up political causes. He even set up California’s first seed-exchange and seed-preservation network, known as BASIL. Author Ruth Ozeki was inspired by him and based a character on him in one of her novels.

While DuBrul was an inspiring figure who worked tirelessly for his causes, people around him were beginning to notice he was coming apart. He describes various episodes while off medication, such as scaring his friends with his rants and making scenes in public, including an interesting encounter with the Los Angeles Police Department. “For brevity’s sake, I’ll spare

the details, but let me just say that I’m lucky I didn’t end up with an LAPD bullet in my chest,” he writes.

His struggles with taking his daily regimen of prescription drugs while trying to stay productive are at times heartbreaking, but inspiring when he manages to pull himself together and keep moving on. By founding the Icarus Project, he became an alternative-information source on the subject of bipolar disorder, while giving people the ability to express themselves through the arts and collaborate on the subject of mental illness.

Despite being derailed at times by bipolar disorder, DuBrul offers a unique perspective on what it’s like to lose one’s mind, yet still manage to make a difference. Maps to the Other Side also offers an interesting look into the world of collective-based activism that was going on long before Occupy Wall Street came along—as told by someone who has dedicated his life to social justice.

Maps to the Other Side, by Sascha Altman DuBrul (Microcosm), 192 pages, $15.95/sliding scale at microcosmpublishing.com.

Sascha Altman DuBrul

CVIndependent.com

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MOVIES

LIGHTS! CAMERA! COMMERCIAL!

The Center Launches a 60-Second Commercial Contest

www.cvindependent.com/MOVIES

S

By jimmy boegle hann Carr thinks that The Center—the Coachella Valley’s community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folks—is underutilized.

She says that when she discusses The Center with locals who are L, G, B or T, she learns that a large number of them aren’t familiar with the services it provides—which, seeing as The Center has only had its current name and mission since October 2011, is not a surprise. (Previously, it was the Golden

Rainbow Senior Center, and it focused on gay seniors.)

“Half of them have never even been here,” says Carr, the center’s volunteer and community outreach coordinator.

Therefore, she and her colleagues decided that it’s time for The Center (aka The LGBT Community Center of the Desert) to get the word out—and that’s where its Commercial-Making Contest comes in.

(Disclosure time: I’ve helped Shann and her “secret meeting volunteers” here and there as they got the contest off the ground—and the Coachella Valley Independent is a sponsor of the contest.)

The rules, which can be found at thecenterps.org, are pretty simple.

Anybody can sign up for the contest, and winners will be selected in two categories: One is for the general public (i.e. anybody, from anywhere); and another is for students between the ages of 14 and 25 who have been enrolled in a school of some sort within the last year.

Submissions of the 60-second commercials are due on Wednesday, July 10, and the winners in both categories get $1,000 each. Second-place finishers in each category will get $250, thanks to the generosity of the NestEggg Group.

To make it even more simple, after contestants sign up for the contest via thecenterps.org, they’ll get an link to a resource kit containing pictures, PDFs, video clips and more that can be used in the 60-second spots. If that isn’t enough, The Center and its NestEggg Food Bank will be open for contestants to come by and shoot their own footage each Thursday (preferably before noon) before

the July 10 deadline.

So why a 60-second commercial contest?

“Because tiny bits of information are how people communicate now. Sixty seconds is as long as anyone will stare at anything anymore,” Carr laughs.

The Center hopes to use the winning commercials online, as public-service announcements on local stations, and at the numerous local festivals and events where The Center has a presence. The ultimate goal: for more people to know about all of the services The Center provides, from health-and-wellness activities to job-training to a computer center.

The entries include one student contestant who plans on making the commercial using only a smartphone.

“Some people won’t read an article, but they’ll click on a 60-second ad. It’s the lazy person’s article,” Carr says.

To enter or receive more information, head over to thecenterps.org. To see the winning entries after the contest is completed, visit the website or The Center’s Facebook page.

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MOVIES

Now showing at home

www.cvindependent.com/MOVIES

Check Out These Five Great New Blu-Ray Releases

By BOB GRIMM

Breaking Bad: The Fifth Season Sony; released June 4 If you’ve never watched Breaking Bad, it’s time to get cracking. It is one of the greatest television shows ever produced, thanks in large part to stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul—and all previous seasons are now available for you to watch before the show’s final eight episodes air later this year.

Walter White (Cranston), a mild-mannered chemistry teacher, finds out he is dying of cancer, and he’s concerned about his family’s future. He’s really good with chemistry, and he comes up with a formula for meth that becomes extremely popular on the streets. What starts as a way to put some money in his bank account before death turns into a tragic thirst for power.

Season 5 picks up after Walter has killed drug lord Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), and Walter’s ego is out of control. This leads to tension with his apprentice (Paul) and wife (Anna Gunn), and far too many close calls with his in-the-dark lawman brother-in-law (Dean Norris).

God bless the folks who hired Bob Odenkirk to play sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman. There’s been talk of Saul getting his own show. Make it happen!

Interesting trivia note: Both John Cusack and Matthew Broderick were offered the role of Walter White, but declined.

The final eight episodes of Breaking Bad begin airing Aug. 11 on AMC. Start cramming if you haven’t watched the show yet.

Special Features This package is loaded.

Audio commentaries that feature Cranston, Paul and series creator Vince Gilligan abound. You get deleted and extended scenes, and a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff.

Upstream Color ERBP; released May 7 Writer-director Shane Carruth, who made the low-budget mindbender Primer, bends minds yet again with

Upstream Color, his second feature. He gets a fine performance out of Amy Seimetz as Kris, a young woman who is kidnapped. Her kidnapper puts some sort of organism in her; she is more or less possessed; and pigs eventually become involved.

This is not a movie for those who like to be spoon-fed their narratives. This is a movie in the great tradition of David Lynch: It keeps you guessing while making you feel very weird as you watch it. It’s definitely a movie that warrants two, or three, or 787 viewings before you start figuring it out.

I’ve watched it twice, and I’m still a bit lost.

I know it must have something to do with our sense of self, and what happens to us when we lose our sense of self. I think it’s also saying we shouldn’t eat bacon. Whatever it is saying, Carruth says it in a hypnotic way that will interest those who like to have their brains messed with.

Special Features You get skunked on the special features. Just watch the movie again and see if you get closer to figuring it out.

Jack Reacher Paramount; released May 7 Skip Tom Cruise’s latest offering, the so-so Oblivion, and watch him kick mortal ass as the title character in Jack Reacher, the adaptation of Lee Child’s popular novel One Shot.

There was a lot of griping that Cruise didn’t fit the physical mold of the character of Jack Reacher, who is 6 1/2 feet tall in the novels. No problem; Cruise brings a sinister, evil edge to Reacher, a super-intelligent former armed forces cop who finds himself investigating a mass shooting in Pittsburgh.

The ridiculously pretty Rosamund Pike is on hand as the lawyer who joins forces with Reacher in a search for THE TRUTH. She’s good here, as are Richard Jenkins as her districtattorney dad, Robert Duvall as a very helpful gun-range operator, and Werner Herzog as a super-creep.

To attain super-creepiness, Herzog basically talks in his normal voice, which is indeed creepy, and he wears a cloudy contact lens to make it look like one of his eyeballs is messed

up. When I read that Herzog would be playing a villain, I thought it was weird. Then I saw the movie. Good casting.

There’s a decent mystery at the center of the film, one that kept me guessing until everything was revealed.

As for Tom Cruise films, it falls somewhere safely in the middle: All of the Mission: Impossible movies are better, while this one is better than Top Gun and Days of Thunder.

Special Features A Tom Cruise commentary with director Christopher McQuarrie is pretty damned cool, as is the featurette “When the Man Comes Around,” detailing how Cruise got involved with the film. You also get a composer commentary, a look at the action sequences and an interview with Lee Child.

Silver Linings Playbook Starz/Anchor Bay; released April 30 Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, but the best performances in this movie are delivered

by Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. I don’t mean to knock Lawrence; she’s quite good. It’s just that Cooper and De Niro (who were both Oscar-nominated) are a little better.

Cooper plays a man recently released from a mental hospital who is looking to get back with his wife, despite the fact that she has a restraining order against him, and despite her complete lack of interest in his existence.

De Niro is on hand as his dad, a superstitious gambler.

Enter Lawrence as a recently widowed woman living nearby; she’s an equally troubled person who pretty much forces Cooper into her life. The two wind up hanging out much to his chagrin, and eventually find themselves in a dance competition.

It’s much better than it sounds.

Director David O. Russell always manages to get great ensemble work (Flirting With Disaster, Three Kings, The Fighter), and this film firmly establishes him as an elite director.

Special Features Good movies often have good deleted scenes, and such is the case with this Blu-ray release. You get a bunch of deleted scenes,

including an alternate ending, and many of them were worthy of the film. You also get some decent behind-the-scenes stuff and interviews.

The Impossible Summit; released April 23 Naomi Watts got nominated for an Oscar for playing Maria in The Impossible, based on a real woman who fought for her life in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

The aforementioned Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar—but Watts should’ve taken home the gold.

There aren’t too many performances that grab me like Watts’ performance does in this one. She is an acting force, as is Ewan McGregor as her husband, Henry, and Tom Holland as her oldest boy, Lucas. This is one of last year’s better ensembles.

While vacationing in Thailand, Maria and Lucas are separated from the rest of the family when disaster hits. The tsunami scene is amazingly well-done; you get a true sense of its awesome, destructive power. The wave was re-created on a soundstage, but it looks like an actual tsunami. The authenticity of the moment is bolstered by putting Watts and Holland in the water; yes, that’s them holding a mattress as it is tossed about.

Watts’ character spends the majority of the movie in awesome pain. (The injuries are the stuff of nightmares.) She doesn’t have a lot of dialogue; this is a very physical performance, and it will always stand as one of her best.

McGregor handles some of the movie’s heavier emotional moments, and he does this with his usual standard of excellence. Holland, making his on-screen film debut, is a revelation.

He isn’t overshadowed by the powerhouse performances by Watts and McGregor; he matches them.

Special Features There is a director’s commentary that includes Maria Belón, the actual survivor portrayed by Watts. You also get some deleted scenes, and a couple of featurettes about casting and the special effects.

Read Bob Grimm’s reviews of in-theater films and new home-video releases at CVIndependent.com.

CVIndependent.com

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FOOD & DRINK

CIGARS, BEER, WINE, www.cvindependent.com/FOOD-DRINK

A

Fame Lounge owner Mel Shaw. sean planck

COMFORT

By ERIN PETERS

mong the chic desert shops and restaurants of downtown Palm Springs, and mere steps from the Sonny Bono fountain and statue, is an oasis for cigar-smokers, wine-enthusiasts and craft-beer-lovers alike.

The unassuming Fame Lounge attracts tourists, locals and a fair share of cigar-aficionado celebrities. A wall of wine and beer, as well as spicy scents from the walk-in humidor, greet visitors.

My curiosity immediately led me to this herbaceous alcove. As a cigar newbie, I honestly didn’t know what to look for, but I found myself sniffing the various cigars as if I did. With the help of the owner, Mel Shaw, I learned I wanted a lighter, vanilla stogie with earthy and sweet woody undertones.

Beyond the retail store—which features cigars, wines and an amazing selection of craft beers—lies a backroom lounge in the classic sense of the word: a living-room setting with comfy leather chairs and couches, dim lighting and not a Bud Light drinker in sight. There were 10 tap varietals at the small bar in the corner; it was obvious the owner had a taste for rare and specialized brews. To keep

customers coming back, Shaw rotates the taps regularly.

Whether you seek an Austrian Trappist like Engelszell Gregorius, or San Diego’s Karl Strauss 24th Anniversary Flanders-style Sour Red Ale, the quality selection doesn’t disappoint.

The ambiance caters to the true desert gentleman, but Shaw’s $10 beer and cigar “back-room special” makes it easy for the novice to taste the sophisticated life. I am a relatively new resident of the Coachella Valley, and I was feeling like I

had finally found the Palm Springs I was looking for. Pair an Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Box Pressed Double Corona cigar with Allagash Fluxus on tap, and tell me you won’t be grinning like a kid with an ice-cream cone on a hot day.

Shaw obviously enjoys guiding people toward the perfect wine-and-cigar or beer-and-cigar pairing. He said matching lighter-flavored beer with a lighter-flavored cigar is a great way to start.

“Similar to beer, different flavor profiles, when you are

Fame Lounge Offers Downtown Palm Springs a Variety of Flavors

drinking, how you’re drinking, how you’re pairing with food—it’s the same thing with cigars,” Shaw said. “A cigar will taste seven different ways during the day. If you smoke it early the morning, it will taste different than if you smoke it after lunch. It’s how your body reacts to the flavor.”

Shaw started smoking cigars in 1996 and opened the store in 2001. Fame has been in this Palm Canyon Drive location since January 2005. His consistent curiosity has made Fame one of the leading places in the Coachella Valley to enjoy not just a stogie, but a flavorful beer or wine. Shaw even had a shipment of cigars infused with Washington hops, specifically to pair with IPAs and hoppy pale ales. I’m a craft-beer writer, and my mouth immediately dropped on the wooden bar when I heard this.

However, Fame isn’t the only cigar game in town. What’s the difference between Fame and the other cigar shops?

“I would classify them as cigar shops. Here, we enjoy cigars. It’s about the experience,” he said.

Just at that moment, my smoking cohort said, “Isn’t that John Salley from the Lakers looking at the wine over there?”

Yep, it was. After attending to his latest celebrity guest, Shaw again joined us at the bar and embarrassedly chuckled as he told us about the time that Chris Noth, aka “Big” on Sex and the City, came into his lounge.

The cigar-lounge owner was not a frequent viewer of the sexy show full of witticisms. When “Big” came casually walking into Shaw’s lounge, puffing on his own cigar, Mel politely asked him to put it out. As the other smoking patrons attempted to nudge Shaw with their eyes, Shaw smiled, as he had no idea who the “Big” man was.

Moments later, he glanced down at an issue of Cigar Aficionado—with none other than Chris Noth on the cover.

The scents, sophistication and overall surroundings bring to mind the concept of an old-school gentlemen’s club.

Fame keeps one foot anchored in this classic ideal, and the other in the contemporary world, while opening the eyes of its patrons to the appreciation of a good wine, a good beer and a good smoke.

Whether you crave a 2007 L’Aventure Estate Cuvee blend, a California craft beer or a multidimensional cigar, Fame Lounge lets you assuage your desire for rich flavors in an upscale yet cozy atmosphere.

Fame Lounge is located at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive, No. 3. For more information, call 320-2752, or visit www.fame-lounge.com.

CVIndependent.com

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FOOD & DRINK

SNIFFthe CAP

It’s Time to Start Giving Lodi Wines Some Respect

www.cvindependent.com/FOOD-DRINK

I

By deidre pike arrive at the motel early. Housekeepers are still cleaning rooms. Two patrons read newspapers by the pool. I check my email in the parking lot.

A Jeep pulls up next to me. Within seconds, we’re out of our vehicles and in each other’s arms.

Lovers meeting for a romantic tryst—in Lodi, California.

Scoff if you must. We’re here by design. This is not an “Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again” moment, as the Creedence Clearwater Revival song laments.

We like this appellation, east of San Francisco, where grapes have been growing blissfully since the 1850s.

Lodi’s sandy soils and Mediterranean climate, with warm days and nights cooled by Sacramento River Delta breezes, are ideal for growing zinfandel, the punk-rocker of grape varietals. Unpretentious but hardly humble.

In your face with gooey fruit and zingy spice. Unsubtly dissonant. Rough around the edges, most often without apology.

Lodi is synonymous with zin.

My hubby of 30-plus years and I, reunited for the weekend, can’t check in yet. (Work has taken me to California; he lives and works in Reno, Nev.) We have a couple of hours to kill. Our first stop: the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center, and a cheat sheet for local wines that are drinking nicely right now.

Outside the center, an educational vineyard displays a half-dozen varieties of grapes on and off trellises. Inside, we obtain maps, advice and tastes of a few representative Lodi wines. It’s $5 to taste four of the seven wines they’re pouring—all from different vineyards. We eliminate the two whites from the list and share a tasting of all the reds, except for the Cycles Gladiator’s 2010 Old Vine Zin, nicknamed the Boneshaker.

We skip the Boneshaker, because we know we like it. In fact, before we leave Lodi, we’ll head to Cycles to pick up a Boneshaker bottle ($25) and a bottle of red cuvee, the 2010 Banned in Alabama ($18).

Please note the relatively modest prices. In March, we went on a tasting adventure in Napa. We camped in a tent and drank fabulous $60 bottles of wine at a bird-shitencrusted picnic table. Practically nothing we tasted in Napa was less than $40 a bottle.

What a difference an appellation and 64-mile drive makes: None of the Lodi wines poured at the visitor center run more than $25. Does this equate to wines that are half as structured, refined, tasty-licious? What I learn: Though the Lodi (the “L-word”) has been dismissed by some in the wine world, many folks agree that in the past decade, the region has upped the ante.

“It’s hard for us to go up to Napa and pay $60 for a bottle of wine,” a woman at the visitor center tells me, “when we have the quality here, too.”

Two wines impress us at the visitor center: the 2012

Fields Family Tempranillo and the 2010 Harney Lane Zinfandel. We only have time for a couple of winery visits before tonight’s School Street Stroll—23 wineries pouring at local businesses, clothing boutiques, galleries and salons in downtown Lodi. So we chart our course to Fields and Harney Lane.

The Fields Family Estate Winery has a bar set up on a cement floor in a low, cool building packed with barrels.

Ambiance includes a forklift. This makes me happy.

When we walk in, tasting-room manager Michael Perry is giving an aromatics lecture to a young couple. “If you close your eyes and pinch your nose, are you going to taste the wine?” he asks, acknowledging our presence with a nod. “You ain’t gonna get anything.”

Perry’s clearly great at his job, not only pouring and explaining the wines, but giving wine ingénues a broader oenological education. Perry says wine critics, historically, hadn’t given the time of day to Lodi wines.

“They’d turn up their noses at the L-word,” he says, “and rightfully so. Lodi didn’t always make great wines.

That’s turning around with the small boutique wineries.”

We try more of the award-winning Tempranillo ($22), which nabbed gold at the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition. The winemakers also made a Santa Barbara pinot noir in 2009, so we taste and buy that ($22), and a 2009 merlot ($28) made with grapes from Napa’s Oak Knoll District. Wine Spectator gave this wine 90 points. We walk out with three bottles, and feel weirdly like we’re saving money.

Next goal: Acquire the requisite bottle or two of Lodi zinfandel. So we head to Harney Lane Winery, where the 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel, Lizzy James Vineyard ($35), achieves that mouth-watering berry-spice balance.

We taste, groan appreciatively—“Now that’s a Lodi zin!”—and buy a bottle. Then it’s back to the motel for a

dip in the pool and a walk to School Street in downtown Lodi.

We stand in line at art galleries and furniture stores. A guy’s playing jazz hits on an accordion at a furniture store.

A flamenco guitarist launches into “Barcelona Nights” in the Atrium Plaza.

A man who’s pouring Viaggio Estate wines compliments me for knowing how to pronounce carignane. I’d guessed, saying “CAR-in-gyan.” Thank you, Monsieur Chatelain from eighth-grade French class. A Sniff the Cap hint: Confidence is key when it comes to pronouncing odd wine varietals. Even if you fuck up a foreign word fabulously, do it with flair and gutsy certitude. Yes, you may annoy a few snobs. That’s part of the fun.

Did I mention the wine stroll was sponsored in part by Waste Management? Zero pretensions. Love it.

We end our night at the Dancing Fox’s tasting room, talking to winemaker Gregg Lewis. He’s showing off the 2009 Triskele, a red blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet Franc. We walk out with a bottle of 2007 Old Vine Zin ($24).

We saunter back to the motel, about a mile and a half through mostly residential streets. Passing a few stores, closed for the night, with signs in Spanish, we felt we could be in South America or Spain. Only the School Street Stroll ended around 9 p.m., and it was, you know, in Lodi.

Sunday morning, my guy and I packed wine purchases into our separate cars, kissed and drove off in opposite directions. We’ll plan another rendezvous soon.

We don’t mind being stuck in this appellation again and again.

Deidre Pike is an assistant professor of journalism. Sniff the Cap appears every other week at CVIndependent.com.

CVIndependent.com

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FOOD & DRINK

Restaurant NEWS BITES

www.cvindependent.com/FOOD-DRINK

By jimmy boegle The Legendary Purple Room Closes, Then Reopens The bad: The Legendary Purple Room, located inside of the Club Trinidad time share at 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, closed in early June.

The good: If everything went according to plan, it has reopened by the time you’re reading this.

The ugly: In between the closure and the reopening, there was drama.

Here’s what happened, according to Art Brigman, the longtime CEO of Club Trinidad: Tom and Susie Pacholik, who took over management of the club in 2011, informed Brigman they’d be ending their Purple Room involvement, and decided to close while Brigman was on a multi-week vacation.

When Brigman returned, he says, the Purple Room was essentially cleared out—including some items owned by Club Trinidad and not the Pacholiks, Brigman says.

“I have an inventory of what was mine, and what was theirs,” Brigman says.

Brigman also says the Pacholiks failed to pay the state the club’s taxes for the last quarter; he says he’s paying the state, and that if the former managers don’t pay him back, he’ll take them to small-claims court. (This could not immediately be confirmed with the state Board of Equalization.)

However, Tom Pacholik tells a different story entirely. First, Pacholik says the taxes have indeed been paid; second, he says everything he took from the Purple Room was, in fact, his. He says he may have even left some of his own stuff behind.

“I absolutely did not take anything that belonged to the Club Trinidad,” Pacholik says.

Pacholik claims that it was Brigman who made the decision for them to part ways: He says Brigman gave them a 90-day termination notice, and that they responded by later giving Brigman 30 days of notice, as called for in their contract.

“I really didn’t want to leave. This is what (Brigman) does all the time,” Pacholik says, adding that the Purple Room name was revived by his wife and him when they took over the club in 2011. (The lounge was known as the Purple Room in its old-school heyday.)

Brigman’s plan was to have the bar in business again on Friday, June 28. He intends to have it open— with an ample amount of live music—at 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Whatever happened surrounding the closure, we’re elated that it was only temporary. The Purple Room is a unique, quirky and decidedly old-school club—a club that more people need to know about.

POM Changes Up Its Menu The folks at POM, one of the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino’s signature restaurants, have changed up the menu for the toasty summer months.

Lunch menu highlights include a Moroccan chicken salad (with Moroccan-spiced chicken, mesculin greens, roasted beets, goat cheese, dates, almonds and cranberries, all topped with a citrus-mustard dressing). The new dinner menu includes wild mushroom ravioli, osso bucco and pork empanadas (with Manchego cheese included in the filling).

Get the full lowdown at www.fantasyspringsresort.com, or call 760-345-2450. Fantasy Springs is located at 84245 Indio Springs Parkway in Indio.

Thai Smile Palm Springs Gets Ready to Move Thai Smile Palm Springs, the popular restaurant at 651 N. Palm Canyon Drive, will soon be taking over the old La Casita spot at 100 S. Indian Canyon Drive.

Restaurant spokesman Chari Godakanda tells us that Thai Smile will be vacating the Palm Canyon Drive space, but only when the new location is ready—a process he hopes will conclude sometime this summer.

Godakanda says Thai Smile outgrew the Palm Canyon Drive building, and the new, larger space will allow more seating—and a larger, more efficient kitchen will help the staff better handle busy periods for both dine-in and takeout customers.

In Brief The Rainbow Bar and Grill, at 216 N. Indian Canyon Drive (at Arenas Road), closed rather suddenly in April. Rumors are circulating that a prominent gay couple—who owns a couple of other area businesses—is buying the place. … The long-awaited third Koffi location, in Rancho Mirage at 71390 Highway 111, is now open, and it includes a coffee-roasting facility. … The future of the newish Twin Palms Bistro and Lounge, 1201 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, is in limbo after an April 9 fire.

While Twin Palms management kept an active presence on the restaurant’s Facebook page immediately after the fire (including some now-heartbreaking posts expressing plans to reopen within mere days), the posts have steadily decreased since then—and the restaurant remains shuttered as summer arrives in full force. A May 28 Facebook post says, in part: “This should have been an easy fix to a small problem. … We continue to be at the mercy of the landlord and the insurance companies to get things resolved.”

Folks, keep your fingers crossed that a resolution comes soon.

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FOOD & DRINK

the

INDY ENDORSEMENT

Our Never-Ending Quest: To Find the Coachella Valley’s Yummiest Dishes

www.cvindependent.com/FOOD-DRINK

By JIMMY BOEGLE What The picnic eggs Where Bar, 340 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs How much $6 Contact 760-537-7337; www.barwastaken.com Why A deliciously spicy twist on an American classic.

Question: Is there anything more all-American than the deviled egg?

Answer: Well … yeah, there is: mom, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Vin Scully, for starters. Still, deviled eggs are pretty gosh-darned American—they’ve been a picnic and party staple for years, after all. And at downtown Palm Springs’ Bar, one can enjoy this all-American classic—with a distinctly Asian twist.

The menu says it all: Picnic eggs. Eggs siracha wasabi. Yeah, they misspell “sriracha,” but we’ll forgive them, because these deviled eggs are splendid. The eggs definitely have a backdraft-style kick, so if you don’t like spicy foods, either start liking spicy foods, or get something else from Bar’s charmingly unique menu.

While bar-food standards like burgers, sandwiches and fries are indeed present, they all have a decidedly non-bar-food twist. The burger is a Caprese burger with tomato chutney and basil. The sandwiches include a chicken club with a “spicy Vietnamese” flair. And the fries come with garlic freakin’ aioli.

In other words, this is bar food … that’s not bar food.

We recommend dropping in for a before-dinner nosh, or an after-dinner snack. Or, hell, drop in for a full dinner. Order a drink. (We’re partial to the whiskey sours. And don’t skip the egg whites.) Enjoy some live music.

Have an all-American good time.

What The shaved spit-roast organic pork Where Figue Mediterranean, 47474 Washington St., La Quinta How much $29 Contact 760-698-9040; www.eatfigue.com Why Savory + sweet + pork skin = OMG. Can we talk about pig skin for a moment?

No, I am not referring to football here. I am talking about cracklins, or chicharrones, or whatever you want to call this most delicious of foods.

It’s chewy. It’s salty. It’ll send your cardiologist into a snit.

And it’s one of the factors that make the shaved spit-roast organic pork at Figue Mediterranean worth the $29 price tag.

While chicharrones could make almost any food better, perhaps even ice cream (hey, don’t judge; we’re all friends here), they merely play a supporting role in this fantastic dish.

The pork shavings—rustically uneven slices, if you will—are the nominal star, with the mustard vinaigrette a potential

nominee for Best Supporting Actor. The stone fruits add a nice touch of sweetness, and the arugula adds freshness.

And then there are the chicharrones. There could be more of them, yes—some would even say there should be more than the mere handful tossed lovingly atop the dish—but if there were too many more, they’d overwhelm these other fantastic ingredients, and that wouldn’t be fair, now, would it?

To overextend the acting analogy a bit: This dish is not a vehicle for one big star (even though some of the ingredients may indeed have incredible star power). Instead, it succeeds based on its fantastic ensemble cast.

So, go. Enjoy. If pig skin and pork shavings aren’t your thing, go anyway: Figue—which has only been open since late March—offers plenty of other delicious foods in a high-end restaurant atmosphere unlike any other in the valley.

Think big windows, modern touches and lots of wood, to go along with delicious food and great service.

And just the right amount of pig skin.

What The salsa (with chips, of course) Where Rincon Norteño, 83011 Indio Blvd., Indio How much Free with your meal Contact 760-347-4754; www.rinconnorteno.com Why Because it’s hot—and we ain’t talking about the spice.

It’s a weekday afternoon, well past my usual lunch time. Due to various meetings in Indio, I have not yet had a chance to eat, and I am freaking hungry.

I wander in to Rincon Norteño, and for some reason, the waitress who seats me thinks I am ordering to-go. When she comes to take my order, and I tell her that I am actually dining at the restaurant, she says “Ohhhh!” and immediately heads to … a soup warmer?

Yes. A soup warmer.

She ladles some of the contents into a bowl; grabs a bowl of chips off a nearby shelf (the chips are placed in bowls in advance; why, I have no idea); and delivers them to me.

I sniff the warm, tan-colored liquid in the small yellow bowl.

It does not look all that appetizing, but I am ravenous, so I grab one of the thickish tortilla chips and dive in.

Mmmm.

Most salsas around these parts, of course, are served chilled (or perhaps at room-temperature), and feature tomatoes as one of the main ingredients. In this deliciously warm concoction, at least two different types of peppers (the server tells me) are instead the main attraction, with a lot of white onions backing them up. (As for the ingredients beyond the onions and the chiles? I have no idea. It’s a delicious mystery.)

While the salsa is heat-hot, it’s not all that spicy-hot—these

are mellow peppers, with just a little bit of kick. The resulting salsa/sauce/gravy/soup is earthy, comforting and just plain yummy.

The combination plate I had was, frankly, pretty average. No matter; that warm salsa will keep me coming back to Rincon Norteño. It’s that good.

What The bacon, tomato, fontina and basil panino Where Clementine Gourmet Marketplace and Café, 72990 El Paseo, Palm Desert How much $10 Contact 760-834-8814; www.clementineshop.com Why The pickles brighten things up nicely.

For the first couple of bites, it was simply a sandwich—a tasty sandwich made with great ingredients, yes, but still just a sandwich—that was pricey and on the small side.

And what was on the plate alongside said sandwich, frankly, wasn’t looking too great. The potato chips were unremarkable, and the vegetables, as you can see in the photo, looked … well, past their prime, to say the least.

But then something possessed me to take a bite of one of those carrots … and I felt really, really stupid. I should have known better.

Turns out those pieces of carrot and broccoli were pickles—tart, vinegary pickles. And it turns out that those pickles served as a palate-cleanser, of sorts, that helped make subsequent bites of that sandwich sing.

Before a pickle, a bite of the sandwich was good, but dominated by bacon, with the other flavors well in the background.

After a bite of pickle, the pesto jumped front and center, with the basil bright and floral. The fontina’s sweetness also came forward, and the bacon moved from being the only star to being one of the three ingredients on the sandwich marquee.

This visit to Clementine was my first, and it sure won’t be my last. The café part offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the gourmet-marketplace part offers all sorts of goodies, including a pasta bar, refrigerated foods (the soups got my attention), a deli and a patisserie that’ll add a half-inch to your waistline just by looking at it.

Who could have known that among all these great foods, some rough-looking pickles would be so important?

The Indy Endorsement appears regularly at CVIndependent.com.

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TO THE REUNION! WITH DJ DAY OPEN-MIC MAVEN TEDDY QUINN THE LUCKY 13 NO. 1 FROM PALM DESERT: QOTSA !

34 35 36 37 www.cvindependent.com/music

DJ Day Keeps Busy With Collaborations, Recordings and His Popular Weekly Ace Hotel Show

34

the hardestworking

dj

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MUSIC

Welcome

to the ¡Reunion!

www.cvindependent.com/music

D

DJ Day Keeps Busy With Collaborations, Recordings and His Popular Weekly Ace Hotel Show

By BRIAN BLUESKYE J Day, aka Damien Beebe, may be the hardest-working DJ in Palm Springs.

He’s collaborated with the hip-hop group People Under the Stairs. He’s put out his own records.

He’s traveled around the world for live performances. And he hosts the ¡Reunion! show at the Ace Hotel every Thursday night. Because of all of these efforts and more, he’s become a prominent name in the hip-hop community.

His recently released full-length album, Land of 1000 Chances, feels like a throwback to the hiphop sound during its coming-of-age in the late ’70s and ’80s in New York City. You can feel the inspiration from Funkmaster Flex in his music, melded with modern influences, jazz and funk instrumentals, and vocalists singing soul and classic R&B. It’s a blend of old-school and some unique modern underground.

The story of Damien Beebe—before he became DJ Day—starts in Palm Springs.

“I was a latchkey kid, raised by a single mother, and living in an apartment in Palm Springs,” he said. “I got one of those Kmart one-piece turntables with a tape deck. I would teach myself to how to scratch and DJ with that and a little boom box playing in the background. It progressed outside of my house into house parties and going out of town to perform. I just kept going and going.”

Eventually, he crossed paths with People Under the Stairs’ Thes One, who has family in Indio.

“We just hit it off; we had a lot of similarities. He asked me to do a remix for the group, and I ended up doing a few remixes for them,” he said.

They eventually decided together to jump ship from the record labels they were on at the time and form their own collective-based label, Piecelock 70. “It’s not a record label, per se; it’s more like an artist collective where we pool our resources to help each other out and get art out around the world,” he said.

As an example of the unique projects that Piecelock 70 has put out beyond music, he tells me about a book called The Mop, by Alan Simpson, based on stories Simpson

created after working in a porno shop in Australia during the ’90s.

Beyond from his work with People Under the Stairs, and the labor-intensive process of getting Piecelock 70 off the ground, Beebe’s DJing career keeps him busy and traveling all over the world. He’s performed in 16 different countries and has a corporate client list that includes big names like DC Shoes, Adidas, Ray-Ban, Levi’s and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. His résumé of remixes includes work from Quantic, Alice Russell, Aloe Blacc, Exile, and Clutchy Hopkins, just to name a few artists. He was even hired to DJ for Justin Timberlake’s Shriners Open Golf Tournament in Las Vegas.

He said he stays true to himself through his music— which leads to how he conducts his Thursday night event at the Ace Hotel.

“We play a mix of everything. It’s what I consider a musically open format,” he said of ¡Reunion! “There’s everything from current music to underground stuff (with) classic hip-hop, soul, disco, funk, dancehall and reggae. There’s a little bit of everything.”

If there’s one thing DJ Day wants people to know about ¡Reunion!, it’s that everyone is welcome.

“The biggest thing I think about ¡Reunion! is that we try to be all-inclusive,” he said. “… We just try to provide a good time and a comfortable environment—where you can sit in the booth, have a drink and enjoy the vibe. …

“I want it to be like the show Cheers, where everyone knows your name. That the kind of vibe I want it to have.”

DJ Day hosts ¡Reunion! at 10 p.m., every Thursday night, at the Ace Hotel’s Amigo Room, 701 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; admission to the 21-and-older event is free.

Call 760-325-9900, or visit www.acehotel.com/palmsprings for more information.

Buy one dinner entree, and get the second one free!

(Up to $15, equal or lesser value)

555 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs

760-325-2700

Lunch Buffet 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. $8.99 Monday-Friday / $10.99 Saturday-Sunday

www.monsoonindianrestaurant.com

Open Monday-Friday 5-9:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday 5-10 p.m.

Expires 09/30/2013

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MUSIC

OPEN-MIC MAVEN

Teddy Quinn Keeps the Music Going in Joshua Tree

www.cvindependent.com/music

W

By BRIAN BLUESKYE

hen I asked Teddy Quinn to tell me about his life, he didn’t know exactly where to begin.

The host of the famous open-mic nights at Pappy and Harriet’s and the Joshua Tree Saloon, and the owner and founder of Radio Free Joshua Tree, is a colorful figure of the high desert, a man who’s been in the entertainment business for more than 50 years. In fact, the story of Teddy Quinn begins in Hollywood in the ’60s, where he was a child actor who made appearances on Bonanza, Bewitched and General Hospital. He also had a regular role on the short-lived sitcom Accidental Family.

“I retired of my own free will when I was about 12,” he said in a phone interview from Joshua Tree. “I was more interested in rock ’n’ roll, poetry and art. I wasn’t really into TV. Even before that, I was always into music; I grew up on The Beatles, of course.”

Throughout his childhood, Teddy would act as a DJ for his older siblings; he also began time.”

Teddy told me about one night when a young woman asked to sing.

“I had no idea who this girl was; all she told me was her name was Leslie. She got up and sang, and all the employees from the kitchen ran out, asking me, ‘Do you know who that is?’ And it ended up being Leslie Feist, who at that time had the No. 1 hit song in the world.”

He also has a story about how he and a friend of

Teddy Quinn hosts an open-mic night at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays at Pappy and Harriet’s, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-365-5956.

He also hosts the open mic at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Joshua Tree Saloon Grill and Bar, 61835 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree; 760-366-2250. you can hear Teddy on Radio Free Joshua Tree at www.radiofreejt.com.

Jack Slomovits/www.jackps.com

writing songs at an early age.

After his “retirement,” as his adulthood years began, Teddy tried to establish himself as a musician in Hollywood, eventually ending up in a band with Fred Drake, who would become his close friend and confidant.

The two of them made regular trips to Joshua Tree, and fell in love with the high desert.

“We would always try to go to the Joshua Tree Inn and try to get the room that Gram Parsons died in, and we’d go visit Cap Rock in Joshua Tree National Park, where the unsuccessful attempt to cremate (Gram Parsons) happened,” he said.

He and Drake eventually made the move to Joshua Tree, where they co-founded the famous Rancho de la Luna recording studio 20 years ago, which they co-owned until Fred Drake’s death in 2002. Teddy handed his portion of the studio to Eagles of Death Metal guitarist Dave Catching, who is still the owner and who lives at the studio.

When I asked Teddy what makes him stay in Joshua Tree, I could feel his love for the high desert in his voice.

“I’m sitting here in my room, looking outside at this beautiful sky, the mountains surrounding me, the desert, and the vastness of what I’m looking at outside. It just feels like it’s open to all possibilities.”

Teddy fell into doing open-mic nights about 10 years ago, on Monday nights at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown, and on Tuesday nights at the Joshua Tree Saloon. The open-mic night at Pappy and Harriet’s, in particular, is known for luring in a variety of local musicians and residents. Some of the performers Teddy tells me about: a retired man who served in the Marines with the late George Jones, a harp player who has been known to sit in through the night, a couple in their 60s who both play accordions, and a variety of others.

“I never know what to expect,” he said. “The variety is always completely amazing. I’ve never once left there feeling disappointed, and I’ve always left surprised every

his played a cover of “19th Nervous Breakdown” by the Rolling Stones, at first completely oblivious to the fact that Theodora Richards, daughter of Keith Richards, was sitting at one of the tables with friends.

“I went up to Theodora and told her, ‘I hope it’s OK we were singing your dad’s song,’ and she said, ‘It was fucking brilliant!’ It was just a funny convergence of things,” he said with a laugh.

Teddy said he advises potential performers to get there early for either of the open-mic nights, as the lists tend to fill up—usually before he even arrives. He also recommended that those who make it onto the list be patient and hang out through the entire thing.

And if you’re planning on just showing up to observe, you’re going to have a really good time.

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MUSIC

the

LUCKY 13

Our Goal: Get to Better Know Some of Our Valley’s Finest Musicians

www.cvindependent.com/music

By JIMMY BOEGLE Name Wilber Pacheco Band The Tribesmen More info www.facebook.com/ tribesmencv; check out their new EP, Blue, at tribesmenmusic.bandcamp.com.

What was the first concert you attended?

Interpol, when I was 13 or 14.

What was the first album you owned?

Blink-182, Enema of the State.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Wild Nothing, This Will Destroy You, and Foals.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

Anything industrial or progressive, like Nine Inch Nails, for example.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

Every now and then, I think about the fact that I will never see the Ramones live, and it depresses me.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Taylor Swift. Don’t judge me.

What’s your favorite music venue?

Out of the ones I’ve been to, it’s probably the Glass House (in Pomona).

Name Anthony “A.J.” Araiza, aka DJ Aimlo More info dj-aimlo.com; at Bar in downtown Palm Springs every third Saturday; a regular at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club.

What was the first concert you attended?

It was in 1991 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. MC Hammer was the headliner, and Boyz 2 Men and TLC were the openers. I was 6.

What was the first album you owned?

Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. Looking back, I was probably a little too young to own that album at the time.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Right now, I’m really into Toro Y Moi, Disclosure, Tame Impala, Rhye, Danny Brown, and a lot of bassdriven electronic dance music.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

I really don’t get what all the kids are raving about today—e.g. Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Avicii, Steve Aoki. I love electronic dance music, but some of the more popular stuff, I just can’t get into.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

“Enjoy the Silence,” Depeche Mode.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

It would have to be Portishead. I saw them once before at Coachella and was so blown away that I would love to see them again.

What band or artist changed your life? How? The former local band Something Vague. I had no idea there was a local music scene down here until I discovered them. Their shows really encouraged me to get a band of my own started.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Female British pop. I really love AlunaGeorge, Amy Winehouse, and Lily Allen. There’s a quirkiness to their writing.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

Yannis Philippakis from Foals, and I would ask him if he wants to party.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Saves the Day, “At Your Funeral.”

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

I would figuratively be dead, because I wouldn’t be able to choose.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

Las Feas, “Porn Star Love.”

What’s your favorite music venue?

Locally, I would say The Date Shed. They have an awesome sound system. Otherwise, I (liked the now-defunct) Knitting Factory in Los Angeles.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

The first thing that comes to mind is “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue.

But seriously, I always have the theme song from The Andy Griffith Show in my head.

Not exactly lyrics, but I can’t stop whistling at work.

What band or artist changed your life? How? DJ Shadow. Prior to hearing Endtroducing, I really didn’t put any thought into how the music I was listening to at the time was made. When I found out that album was made entirely with samples of old records, it blew my mind.

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You have one question to ask one musician.

What’s the question, and who are you asking?

Michael Jackson: “Michael, did you, or did you not …?”

MUSIC

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Santo and Johnny, “Sleep Walk.” It gives me chills every time I hear it.

no. 1 from palm DESERT

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Avalanches, Since I Left You. It was made using more than 3,000 samples and is absolutely genius, in my opinion.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

Jai Paul, “Jasmine.”

Name Jack Kohler Band War Drum More info www.wearewardrum.com What was the first concert you attended?

Probably Styx or something weird with my parents.

What was the first album you owned?

The Doors, The Soft Parade.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Tame Impala, The Black Angels, Sleepy Sun, Father John Misty, The Asteroid #4, WAXY. What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

Dubstep. What’s going on there?

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett era. I always wanted to see what that was all about.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

ELO. I don’t know why I like them so much, but every time I put them on at a party, everyone hates it.

What’s your favorite music venue?

No-brainer: Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

“And I’ve made my mind up, you’re going to be mine,” Donovan, “Sunshine Superman.”

What band or artist changed your life? How? Pink Floyd. I remember hearing them for the first time and having this overwhelming desire to find out how and why they did what they do. Still figuring that out to this day.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

I’d ask R. Kelly why he’s such a genius.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

My band can pick that one. They know me best.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Lonerism by Tame Impala. These guys are way ahead of our time, or maybe way behind in the best way. All the tones are there; the lyrics are relevant; and the musicianship is unmatched.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“Low Light,” War Drum, from Fortune Finder.

The New Queens of the Stone Age Album Is an Innovating Masterpiece

www.cvindependent.com/music

I

By BRIAN BLUESKYE t had been six years since Palm Desert’s Queens of the Stone Age released its previous album, Era Vulgaris; however, band founder Josh Homme has been keeping busy.

He started the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. He’s contributed to a number of other projects. And, thankfully, he hasn’t forgotten about Queens of the Stone Age: … Like

Clockwork (Matador Records) was released on Tuesday, June 4, and promptly went to No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. … Like Clockwork was well worth the wait.

As with previous albums, there’s an impressive list of guest appearances, by Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Alain Johannes and even Elton John, who reportedly told Homme that the band needed a “real queen” on the album.

Former bassist Nick Oliveri plays on some tracks, as does drummer Joey Castillo, who recently quit the group. (Dave Grohl wound up playing drums on several songs.)

“Keep Your Eyes Peeled,” featuring Jake Shears, is a perfect opener: It hints at a chaotic, darker side of the Queens, a theme that holds throughout. Shears and Homme are great together, even if the result is far different than Shears’ normal sound.

“I Sat by the Ocean” has a catchy hook and puts a fresh, invigorating spin on the heavy psychedelic rock and bluesy guitar riffs upon which QOTSA built their desert-rock sound. “The Vampyre of Time and Memory” starts off with a beautiful piano arrangement accompanied by synth accents in some places. The Brian Maysounding guitar solos and dark choruses make this one of the best tracks on the album.

“If I Had a Tail,” featuring Alex Turner and Nick Oliveri, offers a guitar sound that resembles the output of a horn section. It’s unlike anything the band has done in the past—a song that would make Pink Floyd feel envious. “My God Is the Sun” offers more desert-rock-sound goodness.

“Kalopsia” features Trent Reznor on

what starts out as a mellow, beautifully crafted tune, with melancholy lyrics; the song then gets chaotic and loud before settling back into mellow. Sounds spanning several genres show up; while “Kalopsia” sounds eccentric, it’s also experimental and distinctive.

“Fairweather Friends” is a mass collaboration, featuring Elton John, Reznor, Johannes and even Homme’s wife, former Distillers vocalist Brody Dalle. Elton’s scattered piano and backup vocals make it hard to determine who’s doing what, and who’s playing where.

Nonetheless, it’s a decent song.

“I Appear Missing” was the first track to be previewed online. It’s a dark, intense song that’s heavy on psychedelic influences. Homme (who declined an interview request from the Independent) has said that he wanted to feature dark characters on some of the songs—and that’s exactly what he does here.

The title track concludes the album— and as “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” was a perfect opener, “… Like Clockwork” feels like it should be played as the album’s credits roll. Hypnotic bass lines and a dark piano composition aptly conclude this gloomy, loud, trippy, fucked-up masterpiece.

The band went through a lot of chaos while making this album, including the departure of Castillo, and the fact that Homme was unable to secure Reznor to produce, as originally planned. However, it all worked out—beautifully—in the end. The Queens have been hailed as pioneers for their earlier work, and … Like Clockwork proves that Josh Homme is still innovating.

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COMICS & jonesin’crossword

Across 1 Cup in some coffeehouses 6 Bounce back 10 Superficial, as speech 14 Clear jelly 15 A little depressed 16 Letter from Iceland?

17 Quiet person with a Scottish accent?

19 Me, myself ___ 20 A gazillion years, seemingly 21 Friendly lead-in 22 Began to eat 23 Quit the chess game 26 Indigo and such 28 Hit hard, as with a ball 29 Dish the insults 31 Decrease 33 For face value 36 Designer Cassini 39 Boo-boo 40 Quiet person who oversees new family additions?

43 Sommelier’s stat 44 Birth certificate info 45 “Green ___” 46 Ventura County city 48 Supposedly insane Roman ruler 50 34-down craft 51 1952 Winter Olympics site 54 Secret place?

58 Dilate

60 Abbr. near a 0 62 Ottoman title 63 Month of the Jewish calendar 64 Quiet person who moderates debates?

67 Film spool 68 Peel, as an apple 69 “Real Housewives of...” airer 70 This, in Spain 71 Tiny marchers 72 Pump parts Down 1 Electric-dart firer 2 “... who lived in ___” 3 Covers 4 Male customer, to a clerk 5 “The Name of the Rose” author 6 Dwindles 7 Did part of writing a crossword 8 “Time’s a-wastin’!”

9 Poetic contraction 10 Color in Cologne 11 Inflation driver?

12 Site with the slogan “Film. Biz. Fans.”

13 Samadhi concept 18 Longtime Georgia senator Sam 22 UK mil. award 24 Liqueur from the Basque country 25 Pink, in a nursery

27 Round breakfast brand 30 Painter of “The Naked Maja” 32 Business bubble that burst 33 “Carry on, then” 34 Its pilot episode introduced The Smoking Man 35 It may involve sitting side-by-side on a bench 37 On the ___ (running away) 38 ___ Prairie, Minn.

41 Wraps up 42 Henry VIII’s last wife Catherine ___ 47 “Parks and Recreation” character Swanson 49 Make 52 “Mean Girls” actress 53 Dizzying pix 55 Of Benedict or Francis 56 “OK, so what’s the answer?”

57 Some Value Menu dishes 59 Marie Claire competitor 61 Female flockmates 64 Detox place 65 Conan’s current home 66 Elemento numero 79 © 2013 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

Find the answers in the “About” section of CVIndependent.com!

CVIndependent.com

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Coachella Valley Independent // 39

SUMMER 2013

Open mic every Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

Happy hour daily until 8 p.m.

DJs every Friday and Saturday 2-for-1 drinks every Monday and Tuesday

760-864-4119

188 S. Indian Canyon Drive www.clinicbarps.com • www.facebook.com/ClinicBarPalmSprings

Wanna Write?

The Coachella Valley Independent is looking for paid freelance writers.

In particular, we’re looking for writers interested in:

Local news • The arts • Pets Anything else interesting and local!

Send an email with a resume and writing samples to jboegle@cvindependent.com!

CVIndependent.com

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40 \\ coachella Valley IndependeNT

SUMMER 2013

Great new stuff is posted on the Coachella Valley Independent each and every day: • Investigative news and events coverage.

• The valley’s best arts, culture and music coverage. We don’t just run press releases like other area publications. We believe arts coverage deserves good reporting, excellent writing, and honest reviews.

• Provocative and entertaining opinion pieces. From humorous takes on local news to Western-focused commentaries from High Country News, the Independent has it all.

• News and features on the local food-and-drink scene. If you eat in the Coachella Valley, we have information that you’ll want to know.

Our regular columns and features: The Video Depot Top 10 List appears every Monday.

Want to know what the most-popular new home-video releases are? Here you go!

The Desert Potted Garden appears every Tuesday.

Marylee Pangman offers tips and hints on how to make sure your potted plants not only survive, but thrive in the desert heat.

Sniff the Cap appears every other Wednesday.

Deidre Pike takes readers on a personal journey every week in the least-pretentious wine column you’ll ever read.

Ask a Mexican appears every Wednesday.

OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano tackles any and all questions about Mexico and Mexicans with his patented blend of attitude and academia.

The Independent Comics Page appears every Thursday.

Four of the alternative press’ greatest comics have found a home in the Coachella Valley. Max Cannon’s Red Meat; John Backderf’s The City; Jen Sorenson; and Michael Grimm’s The Last Days of Roland and Cid will make you laugh, think and sometimes question your sanity.

The Indy Endorsement appears regularly.

Whenever we run across a dish at a valley restaurant that’s so good that it causes hunger-inducing flashbacks, we write about it!

The Lucky 13 appears regularly.

We ask a musician a set of 13 music-related questions, and we publish the answers.

The goal is to shine a little light on deserving local musicians.

Bob Grimm’s movie reviews and home-video reviews appear every week.

The award-winning film writer offers his unique takes on the latest releases, both on the big screen and your home screen.

CVIndependent.com

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