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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
If you’re not concerned about the state of free speech in the United States, well, you should be—and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, an independent or something else.
First came Paramount-owned CBS News’ capitulation to President Trump after he sued the network regarding an edited interview of Kamala Harris on 60 Minutes. CBS agreed to pay him $16 million and make various changes, even though most experts felt the lawsuit was baseless. This was followed by the CBS’ suspicious cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert—despite it being the most-watched late-night talk show. Next, CBS agreed to stop editing taped interviews on Face the Nation, after Homeland Security Kristi Noem complained that an interview with her, in which she lied repeatedly, was selectively edited. As Variety put it: “CBS News is giving up the power it has to hold Face the Nation interviewees to account.”
But all of this pales in comparison to the mess involving Jimmy Kimmel. Here’s what happened: On his Monday, Sept. 15, show, Kimmel discussed how President Trump was dealing with the murder of Charlie Kirk. People magazine has a very comprehensive account of what Kimmel said and did:
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel began. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
“On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this,” he continued. A clip then cut into Kimmel’s broadcast, showing Trump, 79, taking questions from reporters after the shooting, one of which offered their condolences for the death of the president’s “friend” Kirk.
When asked how he was holding up, Trump replied, “I think very good, and by the way, right there where you see all the trucks, they just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.” Trump continued discussing the ballroom plans, saying the result would “be a beauty.” The cameras then cut back to Kimmel. “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction,” the comedian said.
Kimmel then further discussed Trump’s weird obsession with White House construction—and made a reference to the Epstein list. But he said nothing bad at all about Kirk.
Two days later, this happened, according to Reuters:
Kimmel’s comments led to a response from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who urged local broadcasters to stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC. Carr suggested the commission could open an investigation and that broadcasters could potentially be fined or lose their licenses if there was a pattern of distorted comment.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said in a podcast interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson that aired Wednesday. … After Carr spoke, Nexstar Media Group said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates, citing Kimmel’s comments. … Shortly after Nexstar announced its decision, ABC, which holds FCC-approved licenses for the local broadcast affiliates that it owns, also said Kimmel would be pulled from the air.
Why are Trump and Carr acting like this? Because they want to shut up Trump’s critics. Why are these media companies going along? Money.
As Reuters reported: “Nexstar, which needs FCC approval for its $6.2 billion deal to acquire smaller rival Tegna, drew praise from Carr, who thanked Nexstar for ‘doing the right thing.’”
Why did Paramount bow down to Trump? As The New York Times reported: “Some … viewed the president’s lawsuit as a potential hurdle to completing a multibillion-dollar sale of the company to the Hollywood studio Skydance, which requires the Trump administration’s approval.”
The president wants power and to silence his critics. Greedy companies want more money— and if the First Amendment and freedom of speech have to be sacrificed to get that money, they don’t care.
There’s one other thing I need to mention, so my friends and colleagues don’t yell at me.
The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation (CVJF) has announced its next slate of inductees to the Coachella Valley Media Hall of Fame. They are:
• Larry Bohannan, veteran golf writer, The Desert Sun
• Lina Robles, longtime co-host of the valley’s top morning radio show, El Show del Greñas
• Ric and Rozene Supple (posthumously), pioneering radio station owners and philanthropists
• Jimmy Boegle, founding editor and publisher of the Coachella Valley Independent Yep, that’s me.
The induction lunch will take place Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa. Learn more at cvjf.org.
Thank you to the CVJF for this amazing honor.
—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com
Each year, we watch the mountain, dreaming of the first snow.
Send a postcard with the date you think the first measurable inch will fall at the Mountain Station, and you could win four free Tramway tickets. See website for details.
760.325.1391 pstramway.com
Community Is Our Priority.
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HIKING WITH T
THERESA SAMA
Last month, we took an overnight camping trip to the Los Coyotes Reservation, home of Hot Springs Mountain, the tallest peak in San Diego County.
This month, we’re visiting another great campground—surrounded by amazing trails—only about an hour’s drive from the Coachella Valley (depending on traffic, of course). Approximately 11 miles southeast of Temecula is Dripping Springs Campground, located at 38441 Highway 79. Sitting at an elevation of 1,600 feet, the campground includes 34 campsites and nine equestrian sites in the Cleveland National Forest, adjacent to the Agua Tibia Wilderness, which is home to the endangered arroyo toad. The surrounding hills of chaparral offer an abundance of flora and fauna, and the mountaintops above the campground are lined BY
with coniferous forests.
Facilities include restrooms with vaultstyle (not flushable) toilets that are wellmaintained, as well as clean, potable water— but no showers or other amenities. It’s a great location for those looking to enjoy nature and the great outdoors without being far from civilization. Those who prefer can tour the nearby wineries of Temecula’s wine country. At $25 per site, per night, the campground offers a mix of tent and RV sites (maximum 25 feet) that include picnic tables and fire rings. Dogs on leashes are welcome but must be always attended. Campsites can be booked onsite or online (extra fees will apply for online reservations) at www.recreation.gov.
Fall and spring are the best times to visit. You will likely discover a pleasant and tranquil outdoor experience here, as much of the area is hardly used. The trails are rugged and scenic with chaparral-covered, hills suitable for mountain biking and horseback riding, as well as running, hiking and backpacking. The trails have little shade, so they’re not recommended during hot summer months. An Adventure Pass is required for parking and trail access. You may purchase a $5 day use permit on-site; learn more at www.fs.usda.gov/r05/passes/adventure-pass.
There are seven main trails accessible from the south end of the campground, each with its own unique features and challenges. You can enjoy an easy two-mile hike, or go for 20 miles and beyond. Regardless of your skill level, these trails are perfect for any outdoor enthusiast. Two of the more popular trails: Dripping Springs Campground Trail is an easy to moderate out-and-back hike that’s just less than two miles with an elevation gain of 610 feet. This well-maintained but rocky trail goes through sage scrub and beautiful oaks to a ridge with panoramic views, just a mile from the campground, making it worth the short climb. This hike generally takes just over an hour to complete.
Wild Horse Peak Trail is a moderate to difficult out-and-back hike at just less than
10 miles with an elevation gain of more than 2,100 feet. Ascend the Dripping Springs trail for about a quarter-mile, and follow the Arroyo Seco Creek. You’ll cross several small drainages, and parts of the trail will become unclear around six miles in, as it loops back to the creek near Crosley Homestead. Please use extra caution, and stay on the trail, as it passes close to private land. As the trail continues to ascend, you will find yourself traversing through bigcone Douglas fir and Coulter pine before reaching the peak of Crosley Saddle, and the junction of the Palomar Magee and Cutca trails. At this point, you can go right and loop back to the trailhead (your starting point), or you can go left and continue to climb the strenuous Cutca Trail to its high point of 4,800 feet. Always bring plenty of water. My rule of thumb is to have at least one liter of water per hour—and turn around if your water reaches halfway.
Back in the Coachella Valley, we are moving into “season,” with cooler temperatures and clear desert skies—making October and November ideal months for outdoor activities.
Listed below are a few fun runs/walks coming up:
Saturday, Oct. 18: The Palm Springs Tram Road Challenge offers three categories this year for the annual 6k run/walk: awards-eligible (start time is 7 a.m.), not awards-eligible (start time is 6:30 a.m.) and virtual. Are you ready to climb nearly 2,000 feet in just 3.7 miles?
Runners/walkers will start at the Tram Road gate near the Palm Springs Visitor Center. When you reach the finish line at the top of Tram Road, you’ll be greeted with a stylish finishers’ medal and a post-race festival featuring food, drinks, booths, entertainment and an award ceremony for the winners—followed by a bus ride down the hill. All participants will receive a cool race T-shirt as well. See pricing and registration details at runsignup.com.
Saturday, Oct. 25: Palm Springs Pride will host its inaugural Pride Equality Walk,
Dripping Springs Campgrounds, just south of Temecula, is perfect for a hiking day trip, or an overnight stay
in place of the former DAP Health Equity Walk. You can register as a solo walker or as a team, or donate to an individual walker or a team. The funds will go toward keeping the November pride festival free and accessible for everyone to attend. This walk starts at the Arenas District at 8:30 a.m. You’ll walk through downtown Palm Springs and return to the starting point to enjoy music, food and drinks. See more details and register at www. pspride.org/walk.
Saturday, Nov. 8: The Palm Springs Pride 5k Run and Walk welcomes runners and walkers of all ages and abilities to raise funds and support local LGBTQ+ organizations in this vibrant celebration of unity and diversity. The run and walk starts at 8 a.m. at the
intersection of West Chino Drive and Belardo Road (behind the Corridor Shops). The course winds through the beautiful and historic Old Las Palmas neighborhood on paved streets that are mostly flat. An awards ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. following the run/walk. Team and virtual participation are also available. Online registration is $40 (plus fees) through Oct. 15, and $45 (plus fees) between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7. The price for youth younger than 18 is $25 (plus fees). All online registrants will receive a T-shirt with their race packet. Advanced registration is encouraged; no registration is allowed on the morning of the race, and refunds cannot be issued. See complete details, view the course map and register at www.palmspringspriderun.com.
Blu and Sammy check out the Agua Tibia Wilderness trails from Dripping Springs Campground near Temecula. This nice, clean trail has their stamp of approval. Theresa Sama
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS
BY BONNIE GILGALLON
If you regularly attend theater and other cultural events in the Palm Springs area, chances are you’ve run into Danny Kopelson. With his warm, welcoming air and a twinkle in his eye, he’s not easy to forget.
Born in Evanston, Ill., Kopelson was a creative kid. In school, he hung around theater people, mostly girls—which led to bullying. The performing arts world welcomed him with open arms, and he felt safe.
Kopelson performed in musicals throughout high school and college, and he thought about pursuing acting or dancing as a career, though he knew how tough it could be. While his mother was encouraging, his father was concerned about his son’s ability to make a living.
His father had a successful career selling corrugated cardboard, and his mother was a housewife. After years of a marriage that Kopelson describes as “troublesome,” his parents split in a long, messy divorce. That event was tough on Kopelson, who was the youngest of three boys.
Kopelson went on to graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in advertising and communications. Northwestern University was located in his hometown, but Kopelson was reluctant to attend grad school there, since it meant living at home with his mother—but they ended up getting along well, and he completed his graduate work in advertising in 1981.
After college, Kopelson’s first job was at the Hyatt Regency—as a server at a Stetson’s restaurant.
“It was an amazing education in customer service and sales,” he said. “The Hyatt later became very active with my work on AIDS galas, since the hospitality industry was hit hard by the disease.”
Later he was hired to do advertising for Marshall Field’s, a high-end department store in Chicago. “I loved it!” Kopelson said. “I still have friends from those days. It was a great atmosphere to be in.”
Kopelson said one brave act by Marshall Field’s in the mid-’80s changed the entire trajectory of his career. The store, which had a 100-person ad agency, chose to support HIV/ AIDS patients as their main charitable cause.
“That was giant news!” Kopelson said. “This was not New York; this was the Midwest, and people freaked out. They were burning their store credit cards, boycotting the store, etc. The retail world was quite stuffy back then.”
Kopelson was tapped to be the fundraising liaison between the store and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. That lead to a position as a special events fundraiser and marketing expert with the foundation itself. He was also instrumental in creating educational programs about HIV and AIDS.
“Looking back, it was probably one of the
happiest times professionally, but also one of the worst, because so many people were dying,” Kopelson said.
Kopelson is one of the founders of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus. In the ’80s and early ’90s, it seemed that everyone in the chorus—and the entire arts community—was passing away from AIDS. “You’d go to rehearsal on a Sunday and hear that someone else had died,” he said.
During that time, Kopelson himself was also diagnosed with HIV. “You had to have faith, but I spent some time wondering when the other shoe was going to drop.”
The remaining 25 years of Kopelson’s career largely involved AIDS fundraising and the arts.
“When I was producing galas, I was lucky to get some big stars to volunteer their time,” he said. “Most of the celebrities were terrific, including Oprah Winfrey, Chita Rivera, Kenny G., Nicollette Sheridan, Harry Hamlin and Angela Lansbury. Judith Light and Rita Moreno were the ones who wanted to know more about the AIDS Foundation. The world was being ravaged by AIDS back then. These performers caught red eyes, did interviews, rehearsals and then the show. None were paid—it was all from their hearts.”
One day in the ’80s, Kopelson got a call from a friend in the Chicago dance community, which was being decimated by AIDS; this friend wanted to do something to help. He proposed an event with all the Chicago dance companies on one stage together. The two joined forces with two philanthropic women—one who headed the Joffrey, and the other Hubbard Street Dance Company—and they created Dance for Life. Kopelson says the event is attended by thousands of people annually, and is still going strong after 34 years. “It’s raised millions of dollars for AIDS, which I’m very proud of.”
Because the situation with AIDS is not as acute as it once was, Dance for Life has morphed over time and expanded into a dancers’ health fund to help in other ways. “You know, if a dancer twists their ankle, they’re out (of performing)! And if someone
Meet Danny Kopelson, a fixture in the Palm Springs performing arts community, and a longtime HIV/AIDS activist
dies, the organization helps with funeral expenses, etc. I’m very proud that it’s a grantgiving organization, and it really helped bring all the Chicago dance companies together.”
Kopelson often vacationed in Palm Springs, and in 2015, he moved here permanently. He was 55, unemployed and getting sick of frigid temperatures. “The older I got, the colder I got!” he said.
He wanted to be part of the community, so he began volunteering for groups and events like the Desert AIDS Project (now DAP Health), the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Human Rights Campaign. He joined both the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus and the Modern Men Chorus.
He also became part of a group called the HIV+ Aging Research Project. Palm Springs has one of the largest groups of long-term HIV survivors, per capita, anywhere in the country, and possibly the world.
Coming from a place like Chicago, Kopelson was concerned when he arrived that the performing arts scene in Palm Springs might be lacking. But he’s been pleasantly surprised. “When I gave the local theater companies a chance, I found that the talent here is amazing!” he said.
During the COVID-19 shutdowns, Kopelson became involved with the Alliance of Desert Theatres, which met regularly to discuss how
to address the challenges the pandemic was presenting to local theater companies. That’s where he met Jerome Elliott Moskowitz and Shawn Abramowitz, who run Desert Ensemble Theatre. Kopelson helped the company with PR and came up with the idea of Singing With the Desert Stars, a season-opening fundraiser for DET, which brings in money for the theater’s scholarship program. (I am serving as a volunteer coach for the event.)
Kopelson feels lucky that treatments for HIV have advanced to the point that in this country, it’s largely a chronic condition, rather than something fatal.
“There used to be so much stigma,” Kopelson said. “Now I am on medication which prevents me from passing the virus to anyone else. You can’t call me Typhoid Mary anymore.”
As for his legacy, Kopelson said: “I’ve always been surrounded by great people. If I can be judged by the company I kept, I was a great success.”
To learn more about Singing With the Desert Stars, which takes place Friday, Oct. 10, visit www.desertensembletheatre.org.
Bonnie Gilgallon has written theater reviews for the Independent since 2013. She hosts a digital interview show, The Desert Scene, which can be heard on www.thedesertscene.com and viewed on Mutual Broadcasting’s YouTube channel. Learn more at bonnie-g.com.
Danny Kopelson (at the right of the front row, with some of his fellow Modern Men singers): “When I gave the local theater companies a chance, I found that the talent here is amazing!”
“As a Not-for-profit Hospital, Our Only Care Is Caring for You.”
~Marty Massiello, CEO/President Our Patients Are Our Priority.
Eisenhower Health is proud to be a community health system in every sense of the word. Not only do we serve our community, but we are actually owned by the community. That means we answer to you. So we carefully assess local health care needs, look ahead at trends and statistics, and plan services accordingly. We consider it our responsibility and our honor to care for the residents of the Coachella Valley. Over the last 20 years, Eisenhower Health has reinvested $1.2 billion to expand and enhance our continuum of care. Examples include:
• Establishing a network of Health Centers across the valley for primary and specialty care
• Investing in state-of-the-art technology in robotic surgery, imaging, and more
• Developing a Graduate Medical Education program to train expert physicians for the future
• Continually expanding services in key areas like cardiovascular, cancer, orthopedics, and behavioral health
When it comes to caring for the Coachella Valley, we’re all in. And we’re all yours.
A MURDER AT CABAZON
MMichael Moser was killed during a robbery in 2022—and his husband would not live long enough to see his killers face justice
ichael Moser was returning to Palm Springs from Los Angeles following a successful business trip.
After a long career as a luxury brand executive, Michael Moser had started his own venture in men’s accessories. Just after 6 p.m. on March 24, 2022, he called his husband, Michael by Daniel Seymour
Rudder, and told him he was on Interstate 10. However, he needed to use a restroom, so he stopped at an outlet mall in Cabazon, and took the opportunity to charge his car at the Tesla supercharging station there.
Within 45 minutes, Michael Moser was dead in a pool of blood.
From Leasing
Containers to Tiffany’s
Born and raised in the quaint town of Frankenmuth, Mich., Moser was the middle son, with older brother George, and younger brother Thomas. His father, E. George, and mother, Frances, owned a grocery store which also housed the town’s post office.
After graduating from Eastern Michigan University, he landed in San Francisco and started working at Trans Ocean Leasing (TOL). While he was successful at leasing containers, it wasn’t the best career fit. Ginger Woolf, who also worked at TOL and became Michael’s friend for 40 years, tells the story about what happened next: “One day, maybe after a year at TOL, he answered a newspaper ad for a sales position at Tiffany’s. He got it! Nobody who knew him was shocked at all. He was charming and wonderful with customers.”
He was at Tiffany’s for 11 years, before moving on to senior leadership positions at Ralph Lauren, ESCADA, Montblanc and Chanel. Finally, he was recruited by Harry Winston— one of the most renowned brands in the fine-jewelry world—as their vice president of U.S. retail.
During this time, Michael met Michael Rudder, an entrepreneur. They moved to Newport Beach and were married in 2015. Soon thereafter, Rudder became ill, and faced a cascade of debilitating diseases—a heart attack and pacemaker, brain cancer and Parkinson’s. In 2017, Moser moved them to Palm Springs, a place they loved with a convenient airport, where they would make the most of the time they had left together.
A Thursday Night in Cabazon
Between the indictments and arraignments, including testimony and materials available through the Superior Court of California in the County of Riverside, we know what happened
on that Thursday night in Cabazon.
A Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy officer responded to the Desert Hills Premium Outlets at approximately 7 p.m. A witness had heard a loud pop that he believed to be a gunshot. Another witness found Moser in the bathroom and contacted a security officer, who then contacted the police. A third witness, a doctor, couldn’t find a pulse on Michael.
On security camera footage, officers saw Moser, apparently on his phone, cross in front of a vehicle and into the mall. The vehicle then turned around and came back into view; two people then got out and followed him into the mall restroom. About a minute and a half later, they were seen running back to the vehicle and then heading westbound.
After hearing the “pop” noise, a witnesses saw two men run out of the bathroom and up the stairs into the parking lot. The witness said one of the men appeared to have blood dripping from one of his hands.
Other security cameras in the area helped investigators identify a grey SUV. The registered owner of the vehicle was identified as Reginald Trice, an 18-year-old from Victorville. After a month-long investigation, Trice was arrested in the slaying of Michael Moser. Investigators later determined that two childhood friends of his, 19-year-old twins Emanuel and Elijah Burt, were also involved.
During the investigation, Trice stated that he saw Moser and thought he was wearing a “Rollie,” slang for a Rolex watch. Trice reportedly said, “Once you see something you like, you get it.” Trice got out of the car and followed Michael into the restroom along with a fourth person (later identified as a minor). Michael allegedly resisted; Trice had his gun out during the fight—and went off. The minor was behind Michael and got hit in the hand by the same bullet that had struck Michael in the chest.
Trice said, at some point, that all Moser had to do was “give it up.”
Friends, Family and Media Support
Michael’s murder received a lot of early media attention. An early headline in The Desert Sun stated: “‘A really exceptional human being’: Husband of Cabazon shooting victim remem-
bers love of his life.”
On April 22, 2022, police arrested Trice in Victorville. He was held without bail and charged with crimes including murder and attempted robbery. Four days later, the Burt brothers were arrested in Las Vegas.
On May 20, friends and family met at my home in Palm Springs to celebrate Michael’s life. More than 50 people attended, with another 100 mourners on Zoom. Father Greg Goethals, who led the celebration, told a story about meeting Moser years ago in San Francisco, and spoke about the many dinners he shared with “Michael and Michael.” A friend of Moser’s for more than three decades, Father Greg made the keen observation that at some point, he had become “a part of the permanent planets that circled around the bright star—Michael.”
My wife, Rhonda Beran—Michael’s best friend—and Woolf remembered how Moser was obviously no “container guy” and transitioned with ease over to Tiffany’s. They noted that Moser always made people feel special— effortlessly and naturally.
Another friend, Lee Ann Monfredini, said one of their traditions was to chat whenever one of them was in a car driving on a business trip. “The day before he died, it was a Wednesday, and we were both traveling in our cars, and we talked for a solid hour,” she said. “Now I am so grateful for that hour.”
It was clear that Michael Moser had touched so many lives. His husband, Michael Rudder, made a simple, tearful statement at the end: “Thank you for coming and saying goodbye to my husband.”
Justice Delayed
Michael Moser’s family and friends, of course,
wanted justice and closure. That would not happen for more than three years.
After the initial coverage, almost nothing was reported in the local media for a year. On May 23, 2023, KESQ News Channel 3, in a piece headlined “Palm Springs luxury executive murder case heads to trial, husband speaks out,” reported that a trial was expected to start on July 9. But that did not happen. Then a KESQ report on Oct, 20, 2023, headlined “Trial set for trio accused in deadly robbery in Cabazon,” said a late November trial date had been confirmed—but that also did not happen. Instead, a continuance—one of many—was allowed by the judge.
The Desert Sun on Jan. 19, 2024, published an article announcing another delay: “The latest, Thursday, at the Banning Justice Center, is the third hearing in a row concluding without a trial beginning as the defense says they have not been provided with all the evidence in the case.”
That was the last coverage that Moser’s death and the trial of the men involved in his murder would receive in 2024 from The Desert Sun and KESQ.
One of the reasons for the constant delays is that the Riverside County justice system is understaffed and overwhelmed.
A Dec. 11, 2022, editorial in The Desert Sun reported a backlog of 2,800 criminal cases in Riverside County—and many charges were simply being dismissed. Why? The simple answer: “There weren’t enough judges available to try the cases as quickly as the Constitution requires.”
California Penal Code 1050 starts with: “The welfare of the people of the State of California requires that all proceedings in criminal cases
Michael and Michael's wedding reception on Saturday, July 4, 2015. Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
shall be set for trial and heard and determined at the earliest possible time.” It goes on to say that continuances can be granted to a defendant or prosecution because one side needs more time to prepare for trial; illnesses; witnesses not being available; defendants needing more time to retain (or change) a lawyer; or a conflict of interest arising.
For Trice, there were eight “continuance pursuant to PC 1050” motions filed in 2022, by my count. In 2023, there were five trial dates vacated along with 13 continuances (filed by the public defender and/or the district attorney). In 2024, there were five trial dates vacated, and another nine continuances allowed by the judge. A jury trial was scheduled for early 2025, but another continuance was granted on Feb. 10.
The three adults were originally prosecuted as co-defendants, but one of the twins, Emanuel Burt, faced a lesser charge, as he was not involved in the actual murder, On Nov. 1, 2024. Emanuel Burt pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a crime. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Michael Rudder, Moser’s husband, weak and confused, had a letter read into the record as a victim impact statement at that time. That’s the only bit of justice he would live to see regarding the death of his husband: He died
on April 4, 2025. The physical challenges of his diseases and the emotional costs had finally taken him.
Several months later, a judge accepted a plea deal between the prosecution and Elijah Burt on a crime of voluntary manslaughter. On Aug. 8, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
That meant only Trice would go trial. At a hearing on June 24, Judge Jorge Hernandez listened as one of the defendants’ lawyers asked for another continuance. At one point, the judge quipped: “This case is older than my mother, and she has been dead for 20 years.” Regardless, another new trial date was set.
On July 10, a jury was sworn in, and Trice’s murder trial finally started. The prosecutor offered 23 witnesses and more than 100 exhibits over 13 days; the defense had no opening statement and called no witnesses. The jury announced its verdict on Aug. 1: Trice was convicted of murder, attempted robbery, conspiracy to commit crime and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Trice, now 21, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10. On that day, it will have been 1,296 days since Michael Moser was murdered.
Daniel Seymour and Rhonda Beran hosted Michael Moser’s celebration of life at their Palm Springs home
HELP FOR STUDENTS
by Kevin Fitzgerald
The COVID-19 shutdowns upended American society—especially for kids, who had to deal with massive changes and isolation when they were suddenly stuck at home, and not allowed to go in-person to school for months on end.
But there was at least one positive: They did not need to worry about school shootings.
Since schools reopened, at least two of the valley’s three school districts have been working to offer better in-school medical and psychological support to students and family members experiencing mental-health and behavioral-health challenges. At both the Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD) and the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD), teams of professionals are now in place to address those important needs of the communities they serve.
(The Independent reached out to a representative of the Coachella Valley Unified School District via phone and email, but received no response as of this story’s publication.)
On Sept. 10, national news headlines focused on two school shootings—primarily the murder of Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, and secondarily a shooting that left two students seriously injured, and the shooter dead, at Evergreen High School in Colorado. According to CNN, as of that date, there had been at least 47 school shootings in the U.S.—24 on college campuses, and 23 on K-12 campuses—that had killed 19 people, and injured at least 77.
That same evening, online posts threatened shootings at local schools; three Desert Hot Springs campuses were specifically mentioned as potential targets. (In the days that followed, police said they’d identified a juvenile as a suspect, after determining the threats were not credible.)
“I do know that (instances of school violence) always heighten our anxiety,” said Danielle Esquivel, director of mental health at PSUSD, which includes the schools in Desert Hot Springs. “It heightens our awareness of the things that are going on around us. … If a student has some prior history of trauma, or there is a trauma (that triggers) chronic stressors that we often experience in communities, incidents like this tend to heighten the awareness of those dangers, at the very least.”
Thankfully, emotional and psychological support are now available to both PSUSD and DSUSD students when school-related violence or threats occur.
“We always have crisis-response protocols that are a part of our teams’ presence on PSUSD campuses, whether it is to respond to a particular incident or something that’s
more of a global kind of thing,” Esquivel said. “As our first line of intervention, a number of our campuses have wellness centers that are available during the school day for students to just drop in to. Those centers tend to be where we centralize our crisis response on campuses.
… We’ll add extra staff if there’s a particular campus that needs more support. … That’s available for students, even on just a regular day, but certainly when we have heightened incidents on campus.
“Quite often, we have groups that are available for students to address that particular issue so they don’t feel quite so alone. They understand that their peers are experiencing the same kind of thing, and they can share with one another.”
While the COVID-19 shutdowns highlighted a need for mental-health resources at schools, Esquivel said the need was there well before March 2020.
“The pandemic was definitely a turning point,” Esquivel said, “but I always like to remind, especially families and parents, that adolescent mental health was on its way to a crisis before the pandemic. ... The pandemic just accelerated that. The numbers were already showing that it was happening. And then our schools shut down, and it accelerated.”
Laura Fisher is the assistant superintendent of student support services for the Desert Sands Unified School District. She said a grant from the Desert Healthcare District helped the district bolster its mental- and behavioral-health programs for students.
“When DSUSD had the opportunity to apply for a grant (in 2022) from the Desert Healthcare District, we were really looking at … post-pandemic areas where we needed additional assistance,” Fisher said. “What we found, and we’re still seeing it, was a need for additional support in the behavior realm, particularly with our younger students. We saw that, in addition to our amazing school-based mental-health team, we needed more on the medical end, which is why we came to request funding for a board certified behavioral analyst, which we’ve had before. They can be pretty costly, so we hadn’t had that position here for a while, but we thought we’d go ahead and see if we could fund that.”
The 2022 DHCD grant of roughly $296,000
Local school districts boost mental-health and behavioral-health resources in the wake of the pandemic, school violence
provided the initial funds for DSUSD to hire that aforementioned board certified behavioral analyst. It also allowed the district to hire a mental-health nurse specifically to help students—receiving outpatient or inpatient mental-health or behavioral-health care—to reintegrate into school when ready,
“Certainly, (the new hires) were very successful, and we found the continued funding so that we still have these two positions in the district with permanent funding,” Fisher said. “But the DHCD grant really helped us get it started.”
The improvements in both the quantity and quality of engagements between students and mental health/behavioral specialists are evident in statistics provided by both the DSUSD and the PSUSD.
Desert Sands Unified manages 34 school campuses—19 elementary schools, seven middle schools, seven high schools and one alternative school. Since 2022, in addition to preventative drug-use/abuse education that reached more than 22,000 students, the school mental-health nurse provided 160 students with direct medication management services, and 177 students with post-psychiatric case-management services. The behavioral health analyst has met with a total of 144 students and school-site teams, and provided training for families of students in special education on behavioral interventions that could be used to support them at home.
Over at PSUSD—which includes 16 elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools, and two continuation high schools, for a total of 27 campuses—Esquivel had a positive story to tell as well.
“In 2021, when we were just coming back and schools were reopening, I believe we had nine therapists on staff here,” Esquivel said. “We now have 22 therapists. That’s been one of our biggest leaps. That gives you a picture of (how) the need has grown: We have literally more than doubled in size with just our licensed therapist staff … who work with students doing one-onone sessions, doing family sessions (and providing) intensive therapy services.
“We’ve also recognized that mental health isn’t really a one-size-fits-all kind of need. Not every student needs an hour of therapy with a therapist every week … so we’ve opened a number of wellness centers on campus, and those are available to any student during school hours. Also, we’ve added certified wellness coaches, which is a new certification in the state of California. Those are staff members who are able to do some of the more universal kind of mental-health interventions.
They’re able to do psychoeducation and help students with coping skills. … They’re able to help provide students (with) a less-intimidating foot in the door to mental health services.”
As for the statistics: “Prior to 2023 and (our) involvement with multiple mental health grants, we were able to support only 400 students annually of our 20,160 students,” Esquivel said. “Only those with Medi-Cal insurance could be served, and that was just 2% of our (total student) population. Today, over 11,162 students have received services thanks to our expanded programs and services. Now any student, on any campus, can receive services regardless of their insurance at no cost to families.”
PSUSD did not participate in the 2022 DHCD grant opportunity; their support has been funded primarily through partnerships with Riverside University Health for Medi-Cal funding, along with grants from Medi-Cal managed-care companies such as IEHP (Inland Empire Health Plan) and Molina Healthcare.
More help may be coming: The Desert Healthcare District recently issued a new request for proposals—directed at non-profits and other organizations focused on mental health and behavioral support for students and families—to claim a piece of a newly established $1 million fund.
“We’re always working very hard on blending different sources of funding to be able to maintain everything that we are providing for our students,” Esquivel said.
Danielle Esquivel, director of mental health at PSUSD: “The pandemic was definitely a turning point, but … adolescent mental health was on its way to a crisis before the pandemic.”
CIVIC SOLUTIONS
by Melissa Daniels
When Dana Torrey was planning for retirement, he knew he wanted to devote some of his new free time to community service.
He had previously spent time with children in foster care while living in Massachusetts. So after relocating to the Coachella Valley full-time about five years ago, he decided to sign
up to become a “CASA”—Court Appointed Special Advocate—for children in the Riverside County foster-care system.
“I thought, ‘I’m not going play tennis every day; I want to do something meaningful,’” he said.
CASAs, which are part of a nationwide series of programs, spend at least one day a month with their assigned charge. That might include going out to lunch, to a museum or to a sporting event. But the role is more than simply providing companionship; the CASA communicates with legal, health and education professionals about the child’s case, and advocates for them to make sure their needs are being met—be they educational, physical or emotional.
Often, Torrey finds, it is the companionship that is most valued by kids—some of whom are in the middle of a traumatic or destabilizing time.
“It’s something they can hold on to,” he said. In Riverside and San Diego counties, the CASA programs are operated by a nonprofit called Voices for Children (VFC). Jessica Muñoz, the president and chief executive officer, told the Independent that about 25% of the children helped in Riverside County are based in the Coachella Valley.
As is the case in many nonprofit and community-service programs, the need outstrips the resources. As many as 4,000 children in Riverside County will spend time in foster care each year, according to VFC. While a social worker may have a caseload with dozens of families, each CASA is typically only working with one child at a time.
“We get new referrals for more children who would benefit from having a CASA every week, sometimes daily,” Muñoz said. “The children who are coming into care and who are being referred to us would benefit from having a vol-
How Coachella Valley residents can help kids in foster care
unteer. But our ability to serve children really specifically depends on community volunteers being willing to share their time.”
Last fiscal year, 695 Riverside County children received CASA services via 414 volunteers.
Here’s how the program works: When a child is in foster care, the court can assign a CASA to help ensure the child has another trusted adult in their life. The volunteer meets with the child, often called their “case youth,” at least once a month, but often twice. The CASA is required to report on the children’s progress and needs, to help inform the judges who are charged with making decisions for their futures; the CASAs don’t represent the kids in court, but may provide information to lawyers.
All volunteers undergo screenings and training, including criminal and driving background checks, and have a supervisor to whom they report. The role requires a minimum commitment of 12 months, with an average service of 10 hours per month.
Some CASAs have helped secure court approval for caregivers to enroll the children in after-school activities, or have located resources to enable the kids to join sports and arts programs. Others have been the first to learn
about bullying at school and helped intervene. In another instance, a CASA helped a child receive an Individualized Education Program assessment after observing signs of learning disabilities—and then attended subsequent meetings with school staff.
In addition to being an advocate, some CASAs also serve as mentors or friends. At least half of the children in foster care are part of a sibling set, and CASAs can help bridge the communication gap.
Torrey has worked with three children in Southern California. One, who was living with his grandmother, aged out of the program. He also served as a CASA for an 8-year-old who was able to be reunited with his mother, and now he’s meeting with a 14-year-old who is in a residential-care facility.
While CASAs can enjoy the warm and fulfilling parts of community service, the work comes with definite challenges. Teens, Torrey said, are not necessarily in his comfort zone, and he has to drive more than an hour to meet his particular case youth. But volunteering isn’t always supposed to be easy—especially when the goal is to truly make a difference.
Torrey said the youth he works with is happy to have experiences of his own, separate from the others in his care facility. “He gets about as excited as a 14-year-old will get,” even if it’s just to go to lunch, Torrey said.
Torrey doesn’t try to be “cool or hip”—nor are the kids expecting him to do so. Rather, it’s more about simply listening and showing up. He said many kids have lost grandparents and are looking for more older people in their lives.
“I’m not trying to be on their level,” he said. “Someone might think they’re too old to volunteer, but (the kids) need the grandparent-type figures. They relate to young people just as much as old people.”
For Muñoz, who was an attorney in child services before her time at VFC, the benefits of connection go both ways. After a few months developing a rapport with their CASA, children report feeling important and valued, while volunteers enjoy getting to know and support a child or teen.
“For both people, human connection is really important,” Muñoz said. “This is such a powerful way to leverage human connection, for the well-being and the best interests of the child—but to create connection for the volunteer as well.”
For more information on becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate, visit speakupnow. org/volunteer.
About 25% of the children helped in Riverside County by Voices for Children are based in the Coachella Valley. PHOTO COURTESY OF VOICES FOR CHILDREN
CV HISTORY
HAngel View, which got its start helping kids with polio, has been assisting disabled Coachella Valley residents for more than 70 years
igh on Mount San Jacinto above Palm Springs is a rock cluster that’s much lighter than the surrounding terrain. With “wings” on either side, the formation resembles an angel. It is quite noticeable, especially in the early morning hours. Appropriately named due to the protective analogy an angel represents, the Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation had by greg niemann
its beginnings in a Desert Hot Springs space that has an unobstructed view of the “angel on the mountain.”
Angel View, a nonprofit organization that helps disabled children throughout the Coachella Valley, was founded in 1954 on a natural hot mineral spring in Desert Hot Springs by a group of parents whose children suffered from polio.
Dr. Robert Bingham, an orthopedic surgeon, had been treating arthritis patients, and natural spring waters did wonders soothing their pain. He thought the waters could help polio patients, too—and was so convinced that he donated land on Miracle Hill Road in Desert Hot Springs, with direct access to those therapeutic waters. A 52-bed rehabilitation hospital was constructed on the site, to specifically care for polio patients—and the therapeutic waters of the hot springs indeed helped the children.
After polio was pretty much eradicated
thanks to the Salk vaccine, Angel View shifted its focus to offer care for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. Dr. Bingham specifically began focusing his attention on crippled children. He was a life-long Angel View supporter and maintained his clinic on Miracle Hill—although he was the subject of occasional controversy unrelated to Angel View—until he died in May 1994.
Since that first facility, Angel View has expanded to numerous specially equipped six-bed transitional houses throughout the Coachella Valley, and for several years also maintained a summer camp on 17 acres in Joshua Tree. The homes are located in various neighborhoods in several valley cities, and each provides a family-like atmosphere with 24-hour nursing, therapy and other care.
As part of its mission to help children and adults with disabilities reach their maximum potential, Angel View today has evolved to offer three programs: residential care, a Day
Program, and Angel View outreach. The original rehabilitation hospital facility in Desert Hot Springs now serves as the headquarters of Angel View’s therapeutic Day Program, for adults from throughout the Coachella Valley with intellectual disabilities; it began in 2008 and has been expanded three times. The Outreach Program provides essential support and services at no cost to families and is funded entirely by donations.
The community has long embraced the work performed by Angel View, where more than 90 percent of donated funds go toward serving those in need. Angel View relies heavily on grants, donations and its network of thrift stores.
Annual fundraising events also support Angel View. The benefits have involved some of the valley’s key businesspeople and philanthropists over the years, including the late Jackie Lee Houston, a TV station owner, and the late Mel Haber, owner of Ingleside Inn. The store on Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs is called the Jackie Lee Boutique Thrift Store, in honor of the woman who gave much to Angel View and was named “Angel of the Year” in 2000. Haber served as an Angel View foundation board member in 1983 and
became Angel View’s president in 1993. When the foundation opened its 17th home in November 2002, it was named the Mel Haber House in his honor. One of the most popular men on Earth at the time, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, attended benefits not long after he became the second man to walk on the moon.
Angel View has housed thousands of children over the past 70 years, including Dan Philbin, son of TV personality Regis Philbin. Dan was born with missing vertebrae and leg muscles; he entered Angel View at age 3 and eventually had both legs amputated. The younger Philbin attended Palm Springs High School, and eventually got two college degrees. He was the featured speaker at Angel View’s 50th anniversary celebration in February 2004.
One key person who helped garner national attention for Angel View was writer and journalist Glory Hartley. When her son, Danny Munday, became one of the last American children afflicted with polio, Hartley brought him to the original Angel View center in 1954, where he was one of the first inpatients. Though wheelchair-bound, Danny was a quick learner and passed the ham radio test at age 9. His progress at Angel View impressed both Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, who wintered at Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells. Glory Hartley even brought the First Lady out to see the distinctive rock formation for which the organization is named, and later, President Eisenhower made a visit to Angel View. While Danny unfortunately died at the age of 15, Hartley continued to support Angel View and make an impact on Palm Springs. She and Sally Presley Rippingale co-founded the Palm Springs Women’s Press Club in 1980. Hartley wrote for several publications and also published The Desert Insider, a local guide.
Since the outset, Angel View has raised funds for its programs by operating resale (thrift) stores. Starting in the 1960s with one shop in Palm Springs, Angel View today operates a network of 14 resale stores throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including a massive clearance center on Dillon Road in Desert Hot Springs.
Proceeds from store sales are a critically important source of continued funding for Angel View as it continues its work in its eighth decade of existence.
Sources for this article include Bedtime Stories of the Ingleside Inn by Mel Haber (Ingleside Press, 1996); The Desert Insider by Glory Hartley (1970); Desert Memories by The Desert Sun (2002); and the Angel View website: angelview.org.
The original Angel View hospital in Desert Hot Springs. Courtesy of the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society
OCTOBER ASTRONOMY
Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight
For October, 2025
This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.
The month’s skies bring a lot of moon-star rendezvous—and an ideally timed meteor shower!
IBy Robert Victor
n the evening sky, one hour after sunset, golden Arcturus, sinking in the west to west-northwest, and blue-white Vega, not far west to west-southwest of overhead, are the two most prominent objects.
Next in brilliance is Saturn, climbing through the east-southeast toward southeast as this month progresses. Other bright stars are Altair and Deneb, completing the Summer Triangle with Vega; and the red supergiant star Antares, heart of Scorpius, in the southwest, sinking very low before month’s end.
Here are 10 things to watch for in October’s nighttime and early-morning skies.
• Through a telescope, Saturn’s rings are presented 1.4° to 0.6° from edge-on to Earth during
October, and so appear as a narrow line, almost like a needle piercing a ball of yarn. In 2032, we’ll have our most open view, nearly 27° from edge-on. Titan, Saturn’s biggest moon, in the same plane as the rings, appears as an eighth-magnitude star, at most, four ring-lengths from the nearer ring edge. This month, in a dark sky, Neptune appears at magnitude 7.8, 3.1° to 4.1° from Saturn. But a finder chart is needed to identify it.
• Arcturus is 33° due north of the sun on Oct. 29, placing it 33° directly above the midday sun on that date. It’s up much longer than the sun, so you can spot it very low in the east-northeast an hour before sunrise, and very low in the west-northwest an hour after sunset on that same date. On what date will you first spot Arcturus in the morning, and on what date in early November will you last see it in the evening?
• The moon is visible an hour after sunset daily Oct. 1-8, and again Oct. 23 or 24 through Nov. 6. Watch the moon pass Saturn on Oct. 5 and Nov. 1, and Antares on Oct. 24.
• On the evening of Oct. 9, the moon will pass through the Pleiades star cluster. Use binoculars to see some of its stars around the moon, and use a telescope to see stars pop out along the dark edge of the moon. From Palm Springs, that will happen at 9:08, 9:31 and 9:46 p.m. PDT.
• In the morning sky, one hour before sunrise, the brightest starlike objects are Venus, very low in the east to east-southeast; Jupiter, high in the southern sky; and the Dog Star, blue-white Sirius, twinkling noticeably in the south-southeast to south-southwest. (You can confirm it’s Sirius by noting that the belt of Orion, the Hunter, extended, points to it.)
• Follow the moon an hour before sunrise each morning Oct. 6-19, and watch it wane from full, low in the west on Oct. 6; through Taurus, the Bull, passing the Pleiades, Aldebaran and Hyades, and the Bull’s horns Oct. 9-11. Continuing eastward, the moon enters Gemini on Oct. 12, and forms attractive patterns with bright Jupiter and that constellation’s “Twin” stars, Pollux and Castor, on the next two mornings. By the morning of the 16th, the crescent moon is in the eastern sky, very close to Regulus, heart of Leo, the Lion. On the 18th, the 8 percent crescent appears 13° to the upper right of Venus, and on the 19th, the 4 percent crescent stands just 3°-4° to Venus’ lower right.
• On the morning of Oct. 13, when the moon passes last-quarter phase and appears half-full near Jupiter, the moon is cutting across the Earth’s orbit just 3 1/2 hours ahead of us in our motion around the sun. On Oct. 17, Jupiter lies directly ahead of Spaceship Earth in our orbit around the sun. In coming months, we’ll overtake slower-moving Jupiter, and it will appear at opposition, 180° from the sun, in early January, around the same date fast-moving Venus has moved around to the far side of the sun. So, between now and early January, watch Jupiter sink toward the western horizon at dawn, while Venus sinks very low in the eastern sky week by week, and becomes too close to the sun to be seen.
• The moon might be seen on one additional morning beyond Oct. 19, but you’ll have to look about a half-hour before sunup, and need a very clear sky and an unobstructed view. Using binoculars on Oct. 20, look for a very thin 1 percent crescent, 10° to the lower right of Venus. The moon will be only 10°
from the not-yet-risen sun, and will be 23 hours before new from Palm Springs.
Evening mid-twilight occurs when the Sun is 9° below the horizon. Oct.1: 40 minutes after sunset. 15: 40 " " " 31: 41 " " "
• This year, the peak of the Orionid meteor shower coincides with the date of new moon, Oct. 21. Ideal! The best time to look is about five hours to 90 minutes before sunrise.
• On mornings when the moon is absent or not bright, Uranus, of magnitude 5.6, can be spotted with binoculars in the same field of view as the Pleiades cluster. In October, the planet is 4.3° south-southeast of 2.9-magnitude Alcyone, the Pleiades’ brightest star, and 3° to 2.1° east-northeast of the 5.7-magnitude star 13 Tauri. Note the slightly fainter
6.1-magnitude star 14 Tauri 21 arcminutes (about 1/3 of a degree) east of 13.
The Astronomical Society of the Desert will host a star party on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Sawmill Trailhead, a site in the Santa Rosa Mountains at elevation 4,000 feet. For more information, including a maps and directions to the observing site, visit astrorx.org.
Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968 and still helps produce an occasional issue. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the beauty of the night sky and other wonders of nature.
Stereographic Projection Map by Robert D. Miller
October's evening sky chart.
ROBERT D. MILLER
Animal advocates are suing the Riverside County Department of Animal Services—but advocates and the county are partnering on a badly needed spay-and-neuter program
By Bruce Fessier
Dr. Gail Bushur-Irwin
was growing up on a farm in Watson, Ill., when she decided, at the age of 8, to become a veterinarian.
Now, after earning a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois in 2003, and practicing in the private, public and nonprofit sectors in Illinois and Texas, she is coming to Riverside County to help remedy the animal-welfare crisis.
In a remarkable collaboration with Coachella-based nonprofit Loving All Animals, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services is bringing out-of-state veterinarians like Bushur-Irwin to the desert over the next year to spay and neuter shelter animals, and make them eligible for free adoption. The county is paying $50,000, and Loving All Animals is paying $130,000 for other costs, including licenses, transportation and accommodations. Loving All Animals will host a Spay-Ghetti and No Balls benefit on Nov. 15 to help pay for its share of the expenses.
Bushur-Irwin made her first trip to the desert in mid-August, performing spay and neuter surgeries alongside a local vet, Dr. Leigh Kirk, at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus (CVAC) in Thousand Palms. Dr. Gail, as she’s called, isn’t formally trained in high volume, high quality spay and neuter (HVHQSN), but she and her team made 148 cats and dogs eligible for a foster-to-adopt program in their first week. She expected her weekly numbers for her return visits in September and October to be higher, in part because she’ll be more familiar with her support staff.
What makes this collaboration remarkable is the apolitical bubble in which they’re operating. With criticism regarding overcrowding and high euthanasia rates at county shelters at a heightened pitch, the county Board of Supervisors spent more than $2.5 million on a Texas-based consultant to conduct a two-year study of the problem—money that animal advocates think would be better spent elsewhere.
The Walter Clark Legal Group responded by filing legal actions on behalf of local animal advocates, including at least one supporter of Loving All Animals. On Friday, its taxpayer claim against Riverside County and County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen was heard in the Riverside County Superior Court in Palm Springs. A ruling on whether the $2.5 million-plus contract was an “illegal expenditure and waste of taxpayer funds in the Department of Animal Services” was expected before the end of September.
Despite the lawsuits, litigants are now working in tandem with RCDAS director Mary Martin, who was hired in February, on a spay and neuter project to prevent overcrowding.
Dr. Gail sat for an interview at the Palm Desert home of Loving All Animals founder Lindi Biggi, offering an outsider’s perspective on what she observed in her first days at the CVAC. The Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
So, how did you wind up here?
I knew Mary Martin before she came to California, at Dallas Animal Services. I worked with her there. So when she came out here, she told me about the crisis.
Did she tell you about the political environment you’re walking into?
No. She told me she really needed my help. I said, “How can I help?” She says, “Get your California license.” I said, “OK, I can give you a week per month.” I’m not a big political person. I just want to end as much pet suffering as I can.
How does the overcrowding here compare with what you’ve seen in Texas and Illinois? It's just as bad. Dallas is definitely having a major crisis. They’ve shut all intake because of a distemper virus. They shut all intake last spring because of a respiratory virus—and honestly, it’s about everywhere. Back home in Illinois, there’s a crisis. I first refused Mary’s (request) to come. I said, “I’ve got so much work to do here in Dallas.” But then I thought, “What a great opportunity to come to another state and grow professionally. At the same time, what an amazing bonus to help a whole community.” So I said yes. That was four months ago.
Dr. Gail Bushur-Irwin: “When I first started practicing, 90 to 95% of my pets were spayed and neutered. Now, it’s less than 50%.” Photo courtesy of Dr. Gail Bushur-Irwin
The federal government designated spay and neuter as a non-essential service during the COVID pandemic. Is that the basis of the problem or just a piece of the puzzle?
I think this is another piece of puzzle. When I first started practicing, 90 to 95% of my pets were spayed and neutered. Now, it’s less than 50%. Why is that? It’s client education. It’s clients’ preference, and it’s about free will. I think part of it will be solved by education. I spend lots of time talking to owners about why I recommend spay and neutering. I know how big of a crisis it is with an “over-pet” population. But to me, it’s health. I’m going to prevent mammary cancer. I’m going to prevent a life-threatening pyometra (an infection of the uterus, usually in un-spayed female dogs) that usually happens later in life, when only 40% of them may survive that. People don’t get all of the facts.
Is there a correlation between the reduced spay and neuter numbers and the anti-abortion movement?
There is when it comes to a pet being pregnant. I do have a few clients who have felt like that is kind of playing God with their pet. … But I was explaining to owners, “They don’t breed for satisfaction.” “I know, they breed out of instinct.” I was like, “Have you ever have been around cats? There’s nothing remotely satisfying to the female about that at all.” So that takes a big discussion to understand it.
I’m shocked at how many doctors don’t talk to pet owners about end of life. Right. I’m actually a veterinarian who, the first time I meet a puppy, I talk (with the owners) about end of life. I want every pet to live to be 20-plus years old. Unfortunately, cancer’s a bully. It can present at any age. You have to prepare yourself for what quality of life (you want) for your pet. When you start to have that discussion when they’re sick, there’s a whole lot of grief and owner’s guilt. They feel like I’m euthanizing because it’s convenient, and it’s absolutely not.
Is TNR (trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats back into their communities) widely accepted everywhere now?
Yes. It wasn’t when I first came out as a veterinarian, but it’s such an important part, especially, like, in Dallas. When you spay and neuter and release them back, those cats are territorial, and they’re not going to let other cats come into that area. They’re going to stay in that area. So, feral colonies—that’s fantastic. But I do think, when you TNR, you also need a leukemia IV test. If you have leukemia running through those cats, that’s something you have to have a discussion about.
Do they do that in TNR programs? I thought they just fixed and released them. They can. It just depends on the person running that colony. There are big, huge colonies that have their leukemia hotbeds and FIV
(feline immunodeficiency virus) hotbeds. My thing is, if you have a friendly cat, let’s find it a home. If that’s not what that cat wants, let’s get it back out (in its community), and let’s make it have the best life it can.
It seems like that could be problematic in urban areas.
Dallas does it all the time. … They don’t do much (intake of) cats. It’s all about TNR.
Do you have many conversations in other parts of the country about managed intake (not admitting certain animals, like community cats, into animal shelters)? No, because I’m not part of that. Like at the SPCA, everything I do for them is by contract. When I did a fix-it day for Dallas Animal Services, it was by contract. I’m kind of a unique bird, because I don’t, per se, work for the shelters.
Our wealth disparity seems like part of the problem. I know Dallas has areas of high poverty and great wealth. Palm Springs is considered affluent, yet Palm Desert and Palm Springs have poverty rates actually higher than the national average, so many residents can’t afford veterinary care. Do you think shelters should provide that care?
I think everyone has a right to own a pet— but you have a duty to that pet. You have to be honest with yourself: Can I afford routine veterinary care? I don’t know about here, but back home, they have TCAP, the Texas Coalition of Animal Protection. They have SPCA wellness clinics. There are these places they can get vaccines, at low cost or no cost. They can get heartworm prevention—very cost effective. You commit to that pet, because they’re not wild animals. We’ve taken away that ability; we domesticated them. So, to me, it’s not fair to take an animal and not plan on basic care.
Do you need veterinarians to come from out of state to help Dallas? Because that’s what’s unusual about this (local) collaboration.
There are never enough veterinarians anywhere. But that was a problem even when I came out of vet school. So that’s over 20 years.
I’m trying to understand the significance of this program. I cover Coachella every year, and to me, the program should have a “chella” attached to it, like Petachella. If it’s not unusual, why haven’t we done this before?
I think COVID put a lot of things to light. One of the shelter persons was saying that during COVID, none of the shelters had any pets. Then all of a sudden, wham, our shelters are at 200% capacity.
Tell me how “foster-to-adopt” can ease overcrowding.
How long did it take you to get a provisional license to practice in California? There's no such thing in California as a provisional license. I am fully licensed in California. And that was done for $1,250? Yep, something like that, and there’s a lot that goes into that. … After I transferred all of my college transcripts, I had to transfer my testing (to become) a veterinarian. I had to get federal fingerprinting. I had to go to the Sheriff's Department. I had to do an online test of (California’s) state board. That’s what took so long, but I’m actually licensed to work California. I’ll pay an annual fee to stay licensed.
Loving
All Animals is providing $130,000 for this year-long program, and the county is paying $50,000. How unusual is that type of collaboration and this kind of program?
I don’t think it’s unusual at all. I know in Dallas, several big people donated lots of money to Dallas Animal Services, SPCA, for that reason. And Bissell (Pet Foundation) is helping in different ways (in Dallas); they’re paying for a veterinarian to come in.
It’s been around a long time, but it’s a godsend program. It’s like you get to test-drive an animal. You get to say, “OK, is our family allergic to this dog? Is our family allergic to this cat?” You get an opportunity to see if that pet fits into your family.
But what I find is, there (low-cost or free) are spay and neuter (services), and there are wellness clinics (for preventative medicine)— but what if your pet gets sick? Then they only have their regular veterinarians to go to. So a lot of pets end up going to the shelters, and the shelters either euthanize, or a rescue has to pick them up, and it’s just so financially taxing for rescues.
As a society, we need to make sure we make things affordable. I want to try to keep pets with their humans. I understand sometimes, life happens. But those who can be helped, I want to help.
Due to an overcrowding crisis, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services has been waiving adoption fees at its animal campus in Thousand Palms (as well as the county shelters in Riverside, Blythe and San Jacinto). Credit: Bruce Fessier
Bruce Fessier is a Coachella Valley Media Hall of Fame journalist who has produced fundraising events for Amy’s Purpose, a local animal protection and education charity. He's also participated in a loose coalition of local animal welfare advocates who met monthly last spring. Contact him at jbfess@gmail.com. Follow him at facebook.com/ bruce.fessier and instagram.com/ bfessier.
Dr. Gail Bushur-Irwin and Dr. Leigh Kirk perform surgeries at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus. Credit: Bruce Fessier
DO-GOODER
The Nonprofit SCENE
October 2025
THE FOURTH ANNUAL BASH FOR THE BARKEES TAKES PLACE
THURSDAY, OCT. 9
The fourth annual “Bash for the Barkees,” taking place at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9, at the beautiful Palm Springs Surf Club, at 1500 S. Gene Autry Trail, seeks to raise muchneeded funds for Barkee LaRoux’s House of Love, which helps senior and hospice dogs rescued from shelters and abandoned by owners.
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating senior dogs and the humans who love them. The Bash’s emcee and VIP entertainer will be the famous and fabulous Ethylina Canne. This year’s Barkee Beloved award will be given to Melody Farnik, director of Animal Action League, the leader in spay and neutering throughout the Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, Morongo and Banning. Carlynne McDonnell, Barkee LaRoux’s founder, said the Bash will help the sanctuary continue its mission of giving the region’s most vulnerable dogs comfort and care.
“We are on our way to seven years of providing a 24-7 in-house, non-kennel, forever home for senior, super-senior and hospice dogs from Southern California shelters,” she said. “Every dollar raised supports end-of-life care, medical treatment and sanctuary living for senior dogs who deserve peace, dignity and unconditional love in their final chapter.”
Barkee Laroux’s House of Love Animal Sanctuary is a small nonprofit sanctuary and hospice located adjacent to Palm Springs. Barkee has provided end-of-life love and care for more 150 animals. Barkee provides in home care, veterinary care, warmth, safety
and a soft bed for these animals to rest their heads for however long they have left. When it is time, Barkee gives them the ultimate form of love, and their freedom from pain and worry.
Tickets for the fundraiser are $100. To purchase tickets, make a donation or get more information, call 909-964-3187, or visit givebutter.com/c/barkeebash.
DEL SHORES FOUNDATION
ANNOUNCES A RECORDBREAKING FUNDRAISING MONTH
The Del Shores Foundation is proud to announce its most successful fundraising month to date, including $150,000 in commitments from three distinguished partners: the Edward F. Limato Foundation, the Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation, and Edie Cofrin, trustee of the AEC Trust.
This unprecedented generosity underscores the urgent need for amplifying new LGBTQ+ Southern voices at a time when the arts and LGBTQ+ organizations are being threatened and underfunded nationwide. The Del Shores Foundation remains steadfast in its mission to empower unproduced queer storytellers across theater, film and television.
The programs of the Del Shores Foundation include an annual Writers’ Search, providing cash awards and production grants for developing the winning works; an annual Writers’ Festival, bringing together the finalists and winners for a weekend of stage readings and workshops with film, TV and theater professionals; and a Finalist Play Reading Series, providing grants for stage readings. The fourth Writers’ Search is currently accepting submissions for Best Play, Screenplay and Short Film/Web Series through Oct. 31. Submissions and information can be found at www.delshoresfoundation. org/writerssearch.
“It thrills me to see our foundation growing, reflected in the incredible generosity of the Red Ribbon Foundation, the Edward F. Limato Foundation, and the AEC Trust. Because of this support, dreams come true and our vital LGBTQ+ stories are told,” said Del Shores, president of the Del Shores Foundation.
The Del Shores Foundation is a new nonprofit with a mission to find and facilitate the development of new Southern queer artistic voices by bringing together artists and working professionals, amplifying new work and connecting artists to platforms for the creation of the work. For more information, visit www.delshoresfoundation.org.
—Submitted on behalf of the nonprofits by Carlynne McDonnell and Del Shores
ARTS & CULTURE
MY DAD: MOST VALUABLE PARENT
By KEVIN FITZGERALD
On Friday, Oct. 24, the 121st World Series will begin—bringing with it daily debates about who deserves to be named the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player.
This year will mark the 70th time a World Series MVP award has been given. The award’s genesis can be found in New York, in July 1954. A portable transistor radio balanced precariously on the top beam of a peeling white picket fence as the voice of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ young radio announcer, Vin Scully, wafted through the hot summer afternoon air.
The names of legendary Dodgers like Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Johnny Podres, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges peppered Scully’s play-by-play patter as he broadcast the action to the Dodgers’ loyal fans. Next-door neighbors Ed Fitzgerald—my father—and Gerald Woodall, aka Uncle Gerry, perspired in the July heat as they applied the annual fresh coat of paint to the fence separating our homes in suburban in Eastchester, N.Y. These two friends and neighbors, when not living the idyllic suburban life, pursued careers in the heart of Manhattan, 15 miles to the south. Gerry was a high-ranking executive at General Motors, and Ed had risen to the rank of editorin-chief at SPORT Magazine, the only national
sports magazine at the time. (Sports Illustrated would not publish its first issue until a month later, in August 1954.)
On this typical afternoon, the two sipped their beers, painted—and, it seems, shared business ideas and objectives. One of the visions shared was to create the Major League Baseball World Series Most Valuable Player Award by utilizing the assets of their employers, along with their personal connections. As conceived, Fitzgerald and SPORT would determine each year’s World Series MVP, while Woodall and GM would deliver the award itself—a white Chevrolet Corvette convertible. They had no clue that they were birthing a sporting tradition: the awarding of a champi-
onship game or series MVP award.
Born in a suburban backyard, the World Series MVP award marks its 70th anniversary this October
In his career memoir, published in 1985 and titled A Nickel an Inch, Fitzgerald shared the strategic business importance generated by the creation of the World Series MVP Award. It was that 1954 launch of Sports Illustrated as a direct competitor that “inspired us to come up with the idea of giving a sports car to the most valuable player in the World Series every year,” he wrote. “Phil Hyland, our advertising manager, sold the idea to Chevrolet’s ad agency, Campbell-Ewald, and they agreed to sell us a Chevy Corvette, their expensive new sports car, at cost and to support the promotion with six full-color pages (of advertising in SPORT). It was the biggest advertising breakthrough we’d had for our struggling magazine, and the fact that right from the beginning, in 1955, the award made the sports pages of every newspaper in the country gave us a circulation boost, too.”
It wasn’t until more than a year had passed, in the fall of ’55, that the first MVP was chosen—and that’s when the personal advantag-
es of this fledgling partnership finally became apparent to my 6-year-old self, my 9-year-old sister, Eileen, and the rest of the kids in our neighborhood: A fortuitous component of the MLB MVP Award plan was the requirement that the exact Chevrolet Corvette that would be awarded at the conclusion of the 1955 fall classic would arrive in our family’s driveway in August. It was there to be driven by Dad for roughly a month, so that prior to handing the keys to the series’ star player, my father could “work out the bugs” in the car, and make sure that the particular vehicle wasn’t “a lemon.”
On that special August 1955 evening, our family sat on the front lawn as Dad drove up in the white Corvette, sporting its red leather interior and black convertible top. Dinner that evening was a rushed affair, because none of us (Liby, my mom, included) could wait to take turns riding in a real sports car with Dad at the wheel. At that point, the attraction of riding in a car that would be awarded to the best player in the World Series had not hit home yet. I was simply excited to be in the brand-new car with Dad. Believe me: There were not many Corvettes on the streets of Eastchester in those days.
The adults in our neighborhood were too bashful or embarrassed to ask for a ride themselves, but the kids—both my friends and my rivals, along with those of my sister—were anything but, so much so that on the first Saturday morning that the Vette sat out front, a line began forming. Dad was stuck: For the next two hours, he’d welcome a neighbor’s child into the passenger seat and take a spin for a few blocks. Then he’d return to our driveway, drop off that kid and pick up another, until everyone had shared the experience. To say that my “street cred” received a serious bump would be an understatement.
One morning in late September 1955 (and in four of the next five Septembers) while the World Series was under way, Dad drove the Corvette to the stadium of one of New York’s three MLB teams: Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the Polo Grounds (just across the East River in upper Manhattan, home to the New York Giants) or the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Ebbets Field. It just so happened that at least one of those top-rung franchises appeared in the series in each of those years; the exception came in 1959, when the recently relocated Los Angeles Dodgers took on the upstart Chicago White Sox of Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, etc. In 1955, both World Series participants were local, as the Bronx Bombers faced the
Ed Fitzgerald, the editor-in-chief of SPORT Magazine, hands the keys to a new 1958 Chevrolet Corvette to Baltimore Colts quarterback and 1958 NFL championship game MVP Johnny Unitas.
Brooklyn Dodgers. Dad had arranged with the Yankees to pull the car into Yankee Stadium and out onto the red clay warning track of the venerable outfield. While parked there, the players could check it out while a photographer snapped publicity pictures. The promo event went well, and when Dad returned home in the car that night, he told us over dinner how Mickey Mantle had enjoyed climbing behind the wheel and driving down the track. We were thrilled to hear that “the Mick” himself had sat in “our car.”
Later that evening, after the Good Humor ice cream truck had made its routine stop on our block, Eileen took her popsicle stick and went inside to grab a Dixie water cup from the dispenser next to the sink. She returned to the front yard, opened the driver’s side door of the Corvette and began scraping little chunks of red clay into the cup.
“If Mickey Mantle sat in this car today, then this clay must have fallen off his spikes—and I’m going to sell it!” she declared.
That first car went to Dodgers lefthanded pitcher Johnny Podres, who served up two complete game victories, including a 2-0 shutout in Game 7, to help defeat the favored Yankees.
“We never had a jury or a poll to decide who got the car,” Fitzgerald wrote in his memoir. “From ’55 to ’60, I made up my mind about it myself. … It wasn’t really so hard. The winner usually picks himself.”
It was a couple of years later when I learned that not all recipients of the award were pleased with their good fortune. I remember walking with my dad down a tunnel leading to the locker rooms under Yankee Stadium one day in the spring of 1957. Coming toward us was the 1956 World Series MVP, Don Larsen, the Yankee who had pitched a perfect game to help beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a rematch of the ’55 World Series. He said hello to me, then took Dad by the arm and walked a few yards away. From the bit of the conversation I could hear, it seemed that Larsen was upset that he owed the Internal Revenue Service a hefty sum as a result of accepting the expensive Corvette. (The average major league salary for a starting player at the time was roughly $15,000 to $16,000, while the base price of the 1956 Corvette was $3,120.) He wanted someone to reimburse him.
On the other hand, there were those who craved the honor so much that when they performed well, but weren’t named the World Series MVP, they tried to take out their anger on my dad. In A Nickel an Inch, Fitzgerald wrote, “The only trouble I had was with my last one in 1960. That was the year that the Yankees and the Pirates went down to the seventh game at Forbes Field on Oct. 13 in Pittsburgh. It was some ballgame. … It was 9-9 when the Pirates came up for last licks in the ninth, and the first hitter, Bill Mazeroski,
drove the second pitch over the left-field wall for a home run that won the game, the Series and everything. Except the car. I gave the car to Bobby Richardson, the Yankee’s peerless second baseman, who had set a Series record of 12 runs batted in, including the seventh grand-slam homer in Series history.”
It was a wild World Series with many memorable moments, some of which were provided by Pittsburgh’s ace reliever, Elroy Face, who became the first pitcher to save three games in one World Series. But in Game 7, Face allowed the Yankees to score four runs. In light of that, Richardson claimed the coveted Corvette. That marked the first, and still only, time that a losing player walked away with the honor.
From A Nickel an Inch: “While the Yankees were finishing their showers, Harold Rosenthal of the Trib (the Herald Tribune morning daily newspaper in New York City) and I walked up the street past where the press bus was waiting and had a drink at a little neighborhood bar. ‘If these people knew you were the guy who just gave the car to Richardson,’ Harold said, ‘neither of us would get out of here alive.’ And when we got back to the bus, Bob Fishel, the Yankees’ press secretary, said, ‘Hey Fitz, Roy Face was out here a few minutes ago with a champagne bottle looking for you, and he didn’t want to give you a drink, either.’”
The award had become an instant hit, so SPORT and Chevrolet followed up by establishing the National Football League Championship Game MVP Award (which in 1967 became the Super Bowl MVP Award). In 1958, the first NFL winner’s Corvette went to Baltimore Colts star quarterback Johnny Unitas after a hard-fought victory over the New York Giants in a 23-17 overtime thriller.
The occasion brought more fun times to our neighborhood, since that car also had to be “road tested” by my dad.
Over the 70-year history of the World Series MVP Award, much has changed—but a lot has also stayed the same. In 2017, the award was renamed by MLB as the Willie Mays World Series MVP Award. For some years in the 1970s and ’80s, Chevy and General Motors relinquished their participation briefly to Ford and even Volvo, but since 2004, General Motors has been the company bestowing a prized vehicle upon the MVP winner. Along the way, GM expanded their MVP universe by sponsoring not only the NFL’s Super Bowl MVP award, but the MLB All-Star Game MVP award as well.
This October (or, if the World Series goes seven games, on Nov. 1), the MVP will again earn a special vehicle. Who will that be? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: In 1955, Ed Fitzgerald, my Dad, was the unanimous choice for MVP, Most Valuable Parent, of Longview Drive.
CAESAR CERVISIA
By brett newton
I’ve penned this column for nearly eight years, and there are moments when I’ve felt extremely fortunate to be covering local/regional craft beer. Those moments include every time I’ve been invited to the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest, as well as others when I was able to use thinly veiled excuses to spend time with friends as column topics. Here’s another moment when I am feeling quite fortunate. Sour Cellars, in Rancho Cucamonga, is a brewery I’ve mentioned at least three times before, and have been wanting for a long time to feature here, due largely to the brilliance of their barrel-aged sour ales. Brewer Bryan Doty and his partner, Chintya Agustin, run the entire operation, which also
includes making ciders, wines and meads.
Here’s why I’m so vocal about Sour Cellars, and why I recommend them to anyone who will listen: Lambic-style sour ale is niche and subtle when it comes to both producing and enjoying. This Belgian beer tradition almost died out in the 20th century, but has since come back with world-class producers like Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, Boon and Oud Beersel, to name a few. They are spontaneously fermented ales that rely on the “house” yeast and bacteria (referred to as “bugs” in the industry) and are usually blended with other batches, with or without added ingredients like fruit. To call this explanation an oversimplification is an understatement, and this style is truly an art. If you’re a fan, you know you’re in the hands of a master when you drink the right beer. If a batch fails to pan out, you’ve lost more than just the liquid and the time brewing it; you’ve lost potential years of time it spent
in the barrel. So imagine my surprise when Doty told me he learned largely through trial and error. As with many brewers, his journey began with homebrew and a copy of Charlie Papazian’s The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, in a quest to make beer for himself on the cheap. But once he began learning about various styles and found out about sour ales, he grabbed a microscope and began isolating his own bugs (some of which he claims were gathered from the Arizona desert) in an attempt to make his own Belgian-style sour ales. He became hooked on the process and opened Sour Cellars to pursue the art professionally.
A brewery like this—situated in an unsuspecting industrial park in the unsuspecting city of Rancho Cucamonga—is an absolute gem of the highest order. I was invited to come and meet him (I’d already met Agustin) and try some of his wares. He handed me a small pour of his crisp, delicious Pannum Pilsner, which is
Sour Cellars is making world-class sour ales, and more, in a nondescript Rancho Cucamonga industrial park
one of his few non-sour beers on tap, and we walked into the brewhouse/barrel room. After asking about his brewing origins, I peppered him with beer-nerd questions for an hour or so; he graciously offered measured responses. I asked him about recipes; he says he favors pilsner malt for his sours and doesn’t use much of the old, cheesy hops that are traditionally used in the style. He told me he largely uses produce from his home garden (not including hops, of course); is grappling with tweaking the brewery’s membership program, which gives members exclusive access to some beers; and much more. I found him forthcoming and very easy to talk to, as is often the case when beer geeks talk to each other.
But I needed to try the stuff I planted myself at the bar, and he poured me batch No. 2 of his cherry wine. He used Lithuanian cherries; you really get that in the nose and palate. Regular readers will know how much of a wine dunce I am, so when I say I quite enjoyed it and his cabernet sauvignon, take it how you will. While I tried the unsurprisingly gorgeous meads like Goldfinch (using orange blossom honey, raisins and spices) and Cosmic Song (a zinfandel-barrel-aged mead with blackberries, mulberries, lavender and more honey for light sweetening), I was immediately reminded of how much I love exquisite meads. Doty seems aggravatingly talented at whatever task to which he applies himself.
After a brief chat with Doty and Agustin about one of her many international trips for the business (Vilnius, Venice and perhaps Paris), I reluctantly departed with three sour ales as very kind gifts. I then made my way to The Hat for lunch (we need one of those here!)
and journeyed back home.
Jammiest Bits of Jam is a golden sour ale refermented with boysenberries. It is as advertised—deeply jammy with a moderate tartness, a little funk from the bugs, some vanilla and some oakiness. Nothing’s too complicated, and it isn’t trying to be; it’s just doing its job of delivering delicious boysenberry flavor while not stepping all over the base beer. Lumber House is an adambier, made in collaboration with the great Craftsman Brewing in Pasadena. Adambier is an obscure style from Dortmund, Germany, and with this one at 11.7% alcohol by volume, it’s one of the strongest sours you will find. While there is some warmth, the beer creates an experience of dark fruit, bread pudding, a cherry-like tartness and a little roastiness to make your head swim. And then there’s Clock Stopped, a blend of 1- to 4-yearold barrels that essentially acts as a gueuze. It’s here where I see just how far Doty has come in his brewing and blending journey, because I think this stands up to the best sours in the world—and if you understand my supreme love of Belgian-style sours, you’ll know how much what I’m conveying means. I repeat: The skill and patience involved is a fine art.
In conclusion, just go. They’re lovely people, and they make world-class liquids barely more than an hour away from here. I’m very thankful for their invitation; I can’t wait to go again—and to see what other things Sour Cellars will do in the future.
Brett Newton is a certified cicerone (like a sommelier for beer) and homebrewer who has mostly lived in the Coachella Valley since 1988. He can be reached at caesarcervisia@gmail.com.
Sour Cellars makes ciders, wines and meads—but the barrel-aged sour ales are the main attraction. Brett Newton
VINE SOCIAL
By Katie finn
Fall in the Coachella Valley has its own rhythm, one you can practically hear in the breeze as it rustles through the palms.
It’s not the dramatic leaf-peeping season of Vermont or the brisk sweater weather of the Midwest. No, here in our corner of the desert, fall is subtler—a gradual softening of the light and a gentle exhale after the long, sunbaked summer.
After a surprisingly mild summer, this fall feels even sweeter. Instead of limping across the finish line with our sandals melted to the pavement, we’re emerging with energy to spare—and
just in time, because October is when our valley really comes alive. The snowbirds return; neighbors reappear; and suddenly, the grocery store feels like a reunion. You can’t swing a reusable shopping bag without running into someone you haven’t seen since May.
This is the season of reconnection, and Karen MacNeil has captured the spirit of it all with her campaign Come Over October. It’s a movement that takes the intimidation out of entertaining and replaces it with a simple reminder: Open your door; invite someone in; and share one of the oldest rituals on Earth—a bottle of wine.
In most places, October is about cozying up against the chill. Here, it’s about finally stepping outside without fear of frying like an egg on the sidewalk. We trade the relentless hum of air conditioners for evenings on the patio, where the air is warm but forgiving. The sunsets stretch longer, painting the mountains in that perfect shade of lavender-pink that seems too pretty to be real.
It’s a window of calm before the storm—the storm, of course, being the whirlwind of the holiday season. We all know how November and December unfold: the traffic thickens; calendars fill with parties and fundraisers; and suddenly there’s no time left for a spontaneous glass of wine with friends. October is the month to gather before all of that.
Wine is magical in that way. It doesn’t just quench thirst; it creates connection. Pour a glass, and suddenly the conversation starts to flow as easily as the liquid itself. Whether you’re sipping on the back patio as the sun dips behind the San Jacinto Mountains or sitting around the kitchen island with mismatched glassware, wine has a way of softening the edges of the day and inviting us to linger.
That’s the beauty of Come Over October. It doesn’t ask for perfect table settings or elaborate menus. It’s about presence, not performance. It’s about pouring what you love and seeing where the evening takes you. Around here, that often means grabbing a bottle, pulling out whatever cheese and crackers you have on hand, and letting the
desert night do the rest of the work.
Of course, the fun of gathering in October is choosing wines that match the season. We’re in that delicious in-between space: past the icy rosé afternoons of summer, but not yet to the burly cabernet nights of winter. Here are four bottles that perfectly capture the spirit of desert fall—and more importantly, the joy of sharing them.
Lady of Spain by Paul Cheneau Cava: Let’s start with bubbles, because why not? The Lady of Spain Cava from Penedes is the ultimate party trick. Packaged in a beautiful Picasso-esque bottle, it’s dry and made in the same painstaking method as Champagne—but at a fraction of the price. That means you can pour generously without flinching at your credit card bill later. It’s crisp, elegant and just plain fun. And here’s the kicker: It’s absolutely perfect with fried chicken. Yes, fried chicken. Salty, crunchy, juicy chicken paired with fine, dry bubbles is a match so divine, it should come with a choir of angels.
Giuseppe and Luigi Anselmi Friulano (Friuli, Italy): This Friulano from Italy’s northeast is like a breath of crisp autumn air— bright, refreshing and effortlessly charming. Pale gold in the glass, with a zippy freshness on the nose, it greets you with aromas of pear, citrus and almond blossom, with just a hint of wild herbs. On the palate, it’s sleek yet textured, delivering juicy stone fruits, zesty citrus and that classic almond-kissed finish for which Friulano is famous.
Versatile and food-friendly, it shines with prosciutto and melon, seafood pastas, roasted chicken or even sushi on a Tuesday night. Casual enough for a backyard gathering but elegant enough for your next dinner party, this bottle is all about balance, conviviality and a touch of la dolce vita.
Ballentine Merlot (Napa Valley): Merlot is in the midst of a comeback, and the Ballentine estate-grown version is proof of why it should never have gone out of style. It’s rich and full-bodied, yes, but what makes it sing is its silky elegance. It’s the kind of wine that makes you close your eyes after the first
Celebrate ‘Come Over October’ by inviting a friend over for a glass of wine—it’s that simple
sip, just to take it all in. Pair it with anything hearty—grilled lamb chops, mushroom risotto or just a plate of charcuterie you grabbed in a hurry. It elevates the ordinary into something special.
Stolpman Grenache (Ballard Canyon):
Grenache is the ultimate fall red: light on its feet texturally, but packed with depth and concentration. The Stolpman grenache delivers all of that and more. It dances across the palate with bright fruit and spice, then lingers just long enough to keep you coming back for another sip. It’s versatile, food-friendly and endlessly interesting. Think of it as the conversationalist of wines—the one that keeps the evening lively.
Come Over October is really about savoring the in-between moments—the not-yet-holiday calm when we have time to sit, sip and actually listen to each other.
So consider this your cue: Dust off the patio chairs; open a bottle (or two); and invite someone over. Don’t worry if the house isn’t spotless or if dinner is takeout from the taco shop down the street. What matters is the act of gathering. What matters is that moment when you pour a glass for someone else, and in doing so, you say: You belong here.
October in the Coachella Valley is a gift. The air is calm; the massive crowds haven’t arrived yet; and the nights are made for lingering. There is no better time to get to know your neighbors, reconnect with old friends, and toast—with wine in hand—the desert life we all share.
Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with two decades in the wine industry. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@ gmail.com.
FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT
We
enjoy a classic sandwich at Capriotti’s, and a locally legendary appetizer at Carmen’s
By Jimmy Boegle
WHAT The hot Bobbie
WHERE Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, 36101 Bob Hope Drive, No. G2, Rancho Mirage HOW MUCH $15.99 for a medium (10 inches, as shown) CONTACT 760-459-3111; capriottis.com WHY It blends classic flavors perfectly.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop offers a sandwich called The Bobbie, which includes turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayonnaise; the users of AOL.com at one point voted for The Bobbie as the Greatest Sandwich in America.
This honor indicates two things:
1) Capriotti’s and The Bobbie have been around for a while, because, well, AOL.com; and 2) the sandwich is probably good. I can personally confirm these statements to be fact. That aforementioned AOL.com vote took place in 2009—but I knew The Bobbie was delicious well before that, as I first enjoyed the sandwich in either 2001 or 2002, when I lived in Las Vegas.
Capriotti’s is new to the Coachella Valley—the Rancho Mirage location opened in March—but the company is nearly a half-century old. After being founded in Delaware (where the founders named The Bobbie after an aunt of theirs) in 1976, the company is now based in Vegas; as of this writing, the Capriotti’s website lists 159 locations, scattered all over the country.
I’ve been a fan of Capriotti’s since my Vegas days, so I was happy to learn the company was finally expanding to the Coachella Valley. In addition to a variety of sandwiches, both hot and cold, the shops offer salads, French fries (which can be ordered with various meats and cheeses on top), soups and a handful of desserts. The vibe at the Rancho Mirage location screams “nondescript chain sandwich joint,” so you won’t be missing anything if you get your food delivered or to-go.
An endorsement within an endorsement goes to the Wagyu cheesesteak with peppers ($18.49 for a medium), my standard Capriotti’s order when I am not in the mood for Thanksgiving in a sandwich. But if you haven’t tried The Bobbie yet, do so; chances are you’ll be very happy you did.
WHAT The chiles gueritos rellenos de camaron WHERE Carmen’s Con Sabor Mexico, 78010 Country Club Drive, No. 400, Palm Desert HOW MUCH $19
CONTACT 760-360-4242; www.carmensrestaurantpd.com
WHY It sounds weird, but it works. The menu description is simple and non-descript: “Six yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp.” But the chiles gueritos rellenos de camaron—available at Carmen’s in Palm Desert, as well as the two El Mexicali Café locations in Indio (they’re all owned by the same family)—are so much more than that.
You’ll see in the photo that the peppers come with lemon wedges and mayonnaise. What you don’t see is the bottle of soy sauce that’s on every table. So here’s how you’re supposed to eat these peppers: First, squirt them with a little lemon. Next, add some soy sauce, followed by the mayo. Then eat!
That combination may sound a bit odd, but trust me: It works.
The lemon adds some much-needed acidic brightness; the soy sauce brings salt and umami, while the mayo contributes creaminess and tartness. Without these accompaniments, the shrimp-stuffed peppers are actually a bit bland—but with them … yum.
Beyond the chiles gueritos rellenos de camaron, Carmen’s offers breakfast (served until 11 a.m.), lunch and dinner. A lot of the dishes go beyond standard Mexican-restaurant fare; take the costillas de puerco con nopales (pork ribs with prickly pear cactus pads in red sauce, $19) as one example, and the lengua (tongue) in salsa verde ($19) as another.
At Carmen’s, the chips and salsa are delicious; the service is great; there’s a full bar; and the food is delicious and, in some cases, unique (locally, at least). What more could you want in a Mexican restaurant?
Restaurant NEWS BITES
By charles drabkin
SUPPORT OUR CANADIAN (PART-TIME) NEIGHBORS
We have all heard that Canadian snowbirds are hesitant to return to our desert paradise this season—so local restaurants are trying something new to sweeten the figurative pot.
Townie Bagels, Bakery and Café, at 650 E. Sunny Dunes Road, in Palm Springs, is spearheading the Palm Springs Food and Beverage Canada Maple Syrup Day, taking place Monday, Oct. 13. Townie will be making maple syrup-flavored bagels, and is encouraging other bars and restaurants to come up with their own maple syrup specials and creations. Learn more at facebook.com/events/801028839122011.
A NEW ICE CREAM FESTIVAL IN PALM SPRINGS!
A beloved San Diego ice cream festival is starting a second event here in the desert. Scoop Palm Springs is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Downtown Park, at Museum Way and Belardo Road. The $38.25 ticket gets you tastings from Coachella Valley’s top ice cream, gelato and paleta makers, plus live entertainment and family-friendly activities, all while raising funds for the LGBTQ Center of the Desert’s Community Food Bank. Find out more and get your tickets at scoopsandiego.org/scoop-palm-springs.
IN BRIEF
Papa Dan’s Pizza and Pasta has posted on their Facebook page that they plan on finally reopening in their new location—73011 Country Club Drive, in Palm Desert—sometime in October. You may recall the restaurant closed in April 2024 due to a devastating fire. Welcome back to this valley favorite! Watch facebook.com/ PapaDansPizza for updates.
Gelato-A-Go-Go is now open at 190 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, in Palm Springs, serving delicious frozen treats and pastries every day but Tuesday, with daily specials like Waffle Cone Wednesday! Pro tip: The almond cherry is delicious! Find out more at www.gelatoagogo.net.
Palm Springs is getting a new coffee shop in the former home of KFC, at 725 S. Palm Canyon Drive: Coffee Dose, a cheeky Costa Mesa-based mini-chain, is opening its fifth location. With offerings including brunch items, sandwiches and salads, this is a welcome addition to the area. The goal is to be open by the spring of 2026; watch www.coffeedose.cafe and this space for updates.
Fuel Coffee and Shake Bar has opened at the Pharos Athletic Club, at 3455 N. Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Although the website still shows “Opening Summer” as of this writing, the place is open and serving coffee, shakes, pasties and healthy snacks. A trusted source says both the Asian slaw and the tuna salad are delicious; fuelpalmsprings.com.
Coming soon to Palm Desert: 85 Degree Bakery, at 34140 Monterey Ave. This Asianstyle bakery chain with more than 1,000 locations around the world serves sweet and savory baked goods; www.85cbakerycafe.com.
The owners of Palm Springs Bottle Shop, the queer-owned store that focuses on queer-, BIPOC- and women-owned winemakers and distillers, have opened a third location inside The Place to Be, at 45145 Oasis St., in Indio. This is a community marketplace with multiple shops and brands, similar to the other locations that Palm Springs Bottle Shop calls home, Market Market and Mojave Flea Trading Post. Visit instagram.com/theplace___tobe to find out more about all the vendors there.
After less than a year in business, it appears that Mickey’s Irish Sports Bar, at 333 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has closed. If we find out more information, you’ll read it here.
Do you have any hot tips or news to share? Reach out: foodnews@ cvindependent.com.
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Proudly Supporting and Serving Our Community
eight4nine.com 760-325-8490
williesrm.com 760-202-4499
Desert Friends use the desert and close musical connections to create instrumental-psych vibes Ken Larmon honors his late wife with Mid-Autumn, a benefit for the Desert Cancer Foundation Branden De Leon is trading HIS camera for a guitar to take the stage as Dead Stare band Teen Mortgage pushes the limits of speakers and headphones—WITH only two members
www.cvindependent.com/music
Prominent hardcore band Militarie Gun returns to the desert for a night of punk at Hotel Zoso
VULNERABLE BRUTALITY
MUSIC
MEMORABLE MELODIES
By matt king
Agroup of musicians from different parts of the world have chosen the desert as a location— and muse—for instrumental psychedelic jams.
Desert Friends, a musical collaboration between guitarists Antrom Alexander and Lucas Penner, emerged out of Joshua Tree a little more than a year ago with a captivating blend of groovy, funky, trance-filled surf-rock tunes, spanning from the summer-morning bop of “Sonora”
to the Western-tinged funk of “Mojave Green.”
Desert Friends is set to perform at the Joshua Tree Music Festival on Sunday, Oct. 12.
During a recent Zoom interview, Lucas Penner said dog-sitting for a friend led him to meet his musical partner, Antrom Alexander.
“I live in Canada, and I went to high school with this dude who married, fell in love in the States, moved out to Yucca Valley and had a kid,” Penner said. “I had just finished a movie (as a composer) and was really unsure about what I was doing, and he’s like, ‘Come out here; I’d love for you to see Joshua Tree.’ I went out there to dog-sit, because they were going out of town, and I went to this place called the Joshua Tree House, which is a local Airbnb, and I met Antrom and his partner, Al (Aleksandra).”
Right away, Penner felt a distinct musical link to Alexander.
“It was just this synergistic connection,” he said. “We started writing really quickly. Antrom and Al had just moved from the Bay Area two months before; that was June 2023, and I didn’t come back until January of the next year, and that’s when we really started getting to work. We were just going to release a couple of singles, but it turned into a full record, and we released our first song a year after we met in June 2024, and then we released the record on Oct. 31, 2024. After we released the record, people started reaching out about having us play, and we shot a live video at the Boulder Gardens (Sanctuary, in Pioneertown).
Penner and Alexander are joined by Cody Rhodes (drums), John Ryan Hebert (bass) and Kyle Hanson (percussion) in a live setting. Since playing their first show at Más O Menos in Joshua Tree, Desert Friends have been sharing their trippy sounds with live audiences locally and beyond.
“Every time we’ve done something, more opportunities come up—and this is the first time that’s happened for me,” Penner said. “Antrom said a similar thing, where people are reaching out to us more than we can keep up with, which is a great problem to have. We’ve basically done four live appearances now in separate chunks. Boulder Gardens and Más O Menos was the first chunk, and then we
played Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel, and Mas again, as well as a pre-Coachella party in Palm Springs. Then we did our first Los Angeles tour in August … and we just played a Rivian car networking/marketing party.”
After their appearance at the Joshua Tree Music Festival, Desert Friends will focus on releasing new music.
“We’re writing a bunch of new stuff, and we’ve got a new record on the way, and we’re also going to release a new tune—a re-release of a tune that came out with the first record, and it’s with a Brazilian singer,” Penner said. “It’ll be our first song with vocals on it, and that’ll be for the album’s anniversary.”
The inspiration taken from other instrumental-psych greats comes across vividly in Desert Friends’ music. Penner added that the desert itself also serves as an inspiration.
“I grew up in a semi-arid desert, but it’s such a different thing being around all those giant boulders, and it just being so stark,” he said. “I think that it started moving something in me, and it definitely has moved something in Antrom, so I think that the geography of the place speaks to us as much as any of our previous musical influences. We both love a lot of Brazilian music, and Antrom has a Middle Eastern background. I also grew up doing a little bit of classical guitar. We pull from a bunch of different places, and (music groups) Khruangbin and Arc De Soleil have been a launching pad for creating a template in which we can put our own stuff. I think something really unique is starting to blossom out of it all.”
This is Penner’s first time being in an instrumental band, he said—and it brings a new set of challenges.
“We didn’t really want to be a jam band, so everything’s really structured and melodic-focused, and obviously, we want to capture a vibe,” he said. “For example, working with the singer (on the upcoming album anniversary track) was really easy, because the structure is just like a pop song. We have verses; we have choruses; we have bridges; and everything’s pretty locked in that way. … Antrom and I want to make really memorable melodies. I’ll come up with some stuff that I think is cool, and Antrom will be like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool, but it’s not sticking in
Desert Friends use the desert and close musical connections to create instrumental-psych vibes
my head.’ Everything that we make needs to be something that sits with people.”
In Desert Friends, reverb-heavy guitar lines dominate the music.
“Antrom and I, through our guitars, are the lead vocalists,” Penner said. “Sometimes I’m supporting his melody, and I’m doing harmonies, or I’m doing a counter-melody, and he’s doing the same thing. We’ll do that within a song where he’ll be playing lead in the verse, and then I’ll switch to lead in the chorus, or vice versa, or I’ll just pop in for the bridge, or he’ll compose something and leave a bit of space for me. It’s a really interesting dance.”
As the band gains streaming success and more requests for more shows, Penner and his fellow Desert Friends are determined to keep things fun and manageable.
“The goal is to see the opportunities that come gigs-wise, and then be selective about which ones we take, because there’s a bit of overhead for every single one, because a few people have to fly,” Penner said. “We’re trying
to figure out the best way to stay building foundations that are sustainable, because everyone’s in their 30s; most of the band is in relationships, if not married, and some have kids, so we want to keep the whole thing fun and be able to take care of each other and ourselves. Burnout is so easy for this kind of stuff, and we’ve all experienced that.”
Desert Friends’ brand of anxiety-reducing instrumental jams may serve as a perfect antidote to a tumultuous world.
“We’re trying to keep the thing light and as fun and creative as possible, so that we can carry that forward to our audience, as well as the band itself,” Penner said.
Desert Friends will perform on Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. The festival takes place Thursday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Joshua Tree Lake RV and Campground, 2601 Sunfair Road, in Joshua Tree. Sunday tickets are $72.05. For tickets and more information, visit joshuatreemusicfestival.com.
Lucas Penner, Antrom Alexander and Cody Rhodes of Desert Friends. John Ryan Hebert
MUSIC
GIVING BACK
By Matt King
TLocal photographer/music supporter Ken Larmon honors his late wife with Mid-Autumn, a
benefit for the Desert Cancer Foundation
he Coachella Valley is home to numerous charity shows, like the Concert for Autism, Barry Manilow’s A Gift of Love concerts, and many others. One of the newer benefit concerts is entering its second year of rockin’ while raising funds for the Desert Cancer Foundation. Mid-Autumn is a benefit concert organized by local photographer and professor Ken Larmon (whose work you’ve seen in the Independent), and will take place at 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, at
Coachella Valley Brewing Co. in Thousand Palms. A donation of $15 is required at the door. (Full disclosure: I am performing at the event.)
In March 2024, Larmon’s wife, Malinda Liu, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Through her treatment, the Desert Cancer Foundation helped pay her co-pays and premiums. Larmon turned toward his love of live music to give back to the foundation, and keep Malinda’s memory alive, by hosting the first Mid-Autumn event at Little Street Music Hall in September 2024.
“I teach at the Indio campus for College of the Desert, and Little Street Music Hall (was) right down the block,” Larmon said during a recent phone interview. “I was there getting coffee one day, and asked Josiah (Gonzalez, owner of Little Street Music Hall) if he’d be willing to host it, and he said yes. We had The Hellions, Lazuli Bones, The Ill Eagles and Cálmala; Danny Lloyd from Cálmala also works at College of the Desert.”
Larmon credits Angel Lua of The Hellions, another College of the Desert teacher, for helping him realize that a benefit concert was possible.
“Malinda’s cancer came back in 2019, and I didn’t know how long it was going to be,” Larmon said. “I asked Angel, since Desert Cancer Foundation was helping us out, what he thought about doing a benefit concert for Desert Cancer Foundation after Malinda passes, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, me and The Hellions would certainly be down to do that.’ That’s what got me into doing a concert for them.”
The inaugural Mid-Autumn raised more than $1,400.
“What Desert Cancer Foundation does is they pay for premiums and co-pays,” Larmon said. “Just for my wife’s situation, Malinda’s co-pays were about $300 a month; (individual) co-pays, depending on the treatment, could be anywhere from $20 to $500. Just going by premiums, the $1,400 would help out one family for a good four or five months.”
Members of the Desert Cancer Foundation board and staff were heavily involved with the event.
“When I decided to do the charity concert,
I reached out to Mark (Scheibach), who is the executive director of Desert Cancer Foundation,” Larmon said. “I talked to him and let him know what I was doing, and they said, ‘That’s awesome; we’d be down to support that.’ Last year, he came out for the first couple bands, and they had Desert Cancer Foundation banners up throughout the venue. This year, Cindy (Orantes, event operations specialist) from Desert Cancer Foundation is actually going to help run the door, so that’ll be awesome.”
Larmon attends numerous local shows, buys band merch and takes photos for just about any musician who’ll ask. He’s an integral part of the local music community who’s helped many local musicians, myself included. At MidAutumn, musicians get a chance to give back to Larmon by supporting the Desert Cancer Foundation.
This year’s Mid-Autumn will be hosted at Coachella Valley Brewing Co., and feature performances from Giselle Woo and the Night Owls, Salton City Surf Club, Ju!ian and the Band, The Royal Chicano Underground, St. Camino, Yovés, MOLK., Desert Moons, June and the Tax Evaders, and Nick Galvan.
“The first year, I wanted all bands that Malinda also liked, and there was only one band that couldn’t do it, and I got them this year,” Larmon said. “I got Giselle Woo and the Night Owls headlining this year, and they’re one of Malinda’s favorite bands. I’m stoked to have them, and then I just reached out to people in the scene who I know, whose bands I like and enjoy. Luckily, they all said yes—and then some people like St. Camino reached out to me.”
Thankfully, the local music scene is filled with great bands made up of good people who will drop everything to play a local charity event.
“We’re lucky out here,” Larmon said. “We’ve got a lot of good-people bands.”
Larmon is dreaming big for the future of Mid-Autumn, but for now, he’s treating the benefit concert as a yearly expression of gratitude to the Desert Cancer Foundation.
“Right now, this is just going to be my yearly thank you, for everything they did for Malinda and me,” he said. “If it becomes something more in the future, that would be awesome. I’d love to get it to a place like the Concert for Autism—but I have another 16 years to get there.”
Mid-Autumn will take place at 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, at Coachella Valley Brewing Co., at 30640 Gunther St., in Thousand Palms. A $15 donation is required at the door. For more information, visit desertcancerfoundation.org/events.
October 2025
By matt king
Happy October! Things are getting busy here in the desert. Here’s a selection of shows from across the Coachella Valley and high desert. Stay safe!
Acrisure Arena has some top notch rock, sports, Spanish and pop! At 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 1, British classic-rock icons The Who will make Palm Desert the location of their final U.S. performance. Come hear hits like “My Generation,” “Who Are You” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” for the last time live on this side of the pond. Tickets started at $63.70 as of this writing. At 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, the fabulous Los Angeles Lakers make their Acrisure return for yet another preseason game, this time facing off against the Phoenix Suns. Kick off the NBA season, desert style! Tickets start at $72.45. Pop-punk heroes blink-182 are double-dipping at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5, performing a set full of their angsty hits and deep cuts. Tickets started at $186.10 for Oct. 4, and $67.80 for Oct. 5 as of this writing. At 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 8, catch modern pop act Maroon 5 fire through catchy numbers like “Moves Like Jagger,” “Payphone,” “Animals” and more! Tickets start at $89.70. If you like norteño music, you’ll love Palomazo Norteño, taking the stage at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25. Tickets start at $99.25. Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Road, Palm Desert; 888-695-8778; www. acrisurearena.com.
The McCallum is in full swing! At 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, saxophonist extraordinaire Branford Marsalis will showcase his skills during an enchanting evening. Marsalis has done everything from leading a symphony orchestra to performing with the Grateful Dead! Tickets start at $82.99. Cirque Mechanics brings the circus to the stage for
Branford Marsalis
Ken Larmon: “I got Giselle Woo and the Night Owls (pictured) headlining this year, and they’re one of Malinda’s favorite bands. I’m stoked to have them.”
MUSIC
SYNTHY SHOW
By matt king
After supporting the Coachella Valley’s counterculture scene for years, a local photographer and musician is getting ready to take the stage himself—for the first time.
Branden De Leon has been a consistent presence in the Coachella Valley’s counterculture space. On his 3ammedia3am Instagram account, the photographer has been documenting the dark and demented Creatures of the Night drag show since the start. He’s also photographed
some Luna Negra Goth Nights events, taken shots of other local drag stars, and photographed select shows at One Eleven Bar in Cathedral City.
In the music space, De Leon has been releasing music under the name Dead Stare, a solo project in which the artist mixes darkwave synths with classic metal guitar. The project is set to make its live debut with two shows—on Friday, Oct. 10, at Coachella Valley Brewing Co., and Saturday, Oct. 11, at Mojave Gold. (Full disclosure: I booked Dead Stare at the Oct. 10 show.) For more information, visit www.instagram.com/deadstareofficial.
During a recent phone interview, De Leon said he got involved in the community because he was in the right place at the right time.
“I didn’t start doing photography until almost three years ago now, and that was at the same time that my best friend, Miss Cherry, had started doing drag,” De Leon said. “With me getting a camera and her starting to do drag, I was like, ‘Well, I might as well start taking my camera places so I can practice using it. Where else am I going to learn to use it?’
That just turned into us going to different drag shows, and people looking at me and saying, ‘Hey, he takes pictures; is he available?’ … I just had people coming up to me and taking the opportunity, because everybody loves having their picture taken, especially for promo and stuff like that.”
De Leon’s presence at Creatures of the Night, which takes place every Wednesday at Bart Lounge, has been integral to its success, as De Leon’s images depicting the makeup, talented performances and vibes of the horrorthemed drag show have turned many looking eyes into hardcore supporters.
“I was there at the very first show, and my mindset is that anything that sounds cool to take pictures of, or people would want pictures of, I want to take pictures of—and I don’t really care much for the monetary value,” De Leon said. “I just like doing it, and I think it’s cool. With that kind of mindset, a lot more opportunities open up, because you just want to be there and have a good time. A lot of thanks to Natasha (Backwards) from Creatures, and also Vanity (Halston)
at One Eleven for taking chances on me and essentially bringing me onto their teams, just from being there at the right time.”
Thanks to De Leon, dozens of drag stars are able to promote themselves and show off their performances online.
“It gives me a little bit of happiness and joy whenever I see somebody on Instagram, and their profile picture is one of my pictures,” De Leon said.
In Dead Stare, De Leon trades the camera for a guitar, and crafts a wickedly dark mix of synth wave and metal, producing musical gems that incite fits of dancin’ and rockin’. De Leon’s vocals play the part of a creepy narrator over moody dance-vibes, erupting into emphatic yelling when fuzzy, thrash guitar lines kick in.
“Dead Stare started at the same time that I was getting into gothy synthy music, like dark wave and ’80s new wave,” he said. “I really started to get into Twin Tribes and Depeche Mode, but I had also grown up on a ton of metal, thrash metal, and heavy metal of the ’70s like Black Sabbath. When I started listening to the dark-wave stuff, it was something so new for me. I was like, ‘Dude, synthesizers are so cool!’ Guitar is cool, but I want to use that as a background instrument and make the synth the main thing. … I attribute a lot of it to Ozzy and the song ‘No More Tears,’ because that song is in drop C sharp, and that tuning is what opened up Dead Stare for me. Every song that I have in Dead Stare is in that tuning.”
Dead Stare has grown from a secret project to an appreciated gem among De Leon’s friends and other members of the local goth community.
“I started writing two years ago now, and it was all just in isolation,” De Leon said. “Only my best friends knew, but everything was just here in my room, and I have this little setup of monitors and my little audio interface, and I put a mic up to my guitar cab. I started recording and started messing around with Ableton as much as I could. … It’s been really cool trying to establish it and make it a thing and open it up, because there are definitely other dark wave, synthy bands out here. Shout out to Poltergeist City; he’s been super-cool
Branden De Leon, a local counterculture scene fixture, is trading his camera for a guitar to take the stage as Dead Stare
and helped me so much with learning and trying to get into this whole scene and all that stuff.”
As he prepares to debut Dead Stare in a live setting, he’s feeling all the emotions.
“I am nervous; I’m excited; and I’ve been practicing every day,” he said. “I’m going to be playing guitar and singing at the same time, and that’s hard. It is a challenge, for sure, but I am nervous; I’m optimistic; I’m excited; I’m eager—and everything under the sun.”
Thanks to De Leon’s contributions, the goth scene in the Coachella Valley has grown, paralleling the DIY-led explosion of the local hardcore scene.
“The hardcore scene is huge,” he said. “There are tons of amazing bands, amazing artists and amazingly talented people out here who are doing their stuff. … Everything’s so community based. I’m really diving into the community
and pushing people to get out there and create. There are a lot of people out there who are like, ‘You do music; I’ve always wanted to do this,’ and I’m like, ‘Do it!’ I always go back to Shia LaBeouf, where he’s all, ‘Just do it!’ Just go out there, and try to do it. I want to be as supportive as I can, because with me coming into this new scene, there’s been nothing but support, and I want to pass it along.”
Dead Stare is set to perform 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10, at Coachella Valley Brewing Co., 30640 Gunther St., in Thousand Palms, for the It Came From the Desert! Vol. 3 release show. The show is free to attend. Dead Stare is also set to perform at 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11, at Mojave Gold, at 56193 Twentynine Palms Highway, in Yucca Valley, opening for Glass Spells. Tickets are $23.70. For tickets and more information, visit mojavegolddesert.com.
Branden De Leon, aka Dead Stare.
MUSIC
VULNERABLE BRUTALITY
By MATT KING
After performing at Coachella in 2024, Militarie Gun—a prominent figure in the modern wave of hardcore punk—is returning to the desert … to perform in a hotel basement?
It’s true! One of the craziest punk shows of the year will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, when Militarie Gun performs at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs. The band is kicking off a month-long tour in support of a new album, God Save the Gun, right here in the desert.
Slated for release on Oct. 17, God Save the Gun is Militarie Gun’s most polished, emotional and entrancing album to date. The singles released as of this writing offer fast punk energy and mic-in-your-face singalongs on “B A D I D E A”; angsty, powerful headbang rock on “Throw Me Away”; and a slow, emotional anthem in “Thought You Were Waving.” Thanks to an advance listen, I was able to hear how Militarie Gun’s innate heaviness and hardcore attitude meld with Beatles-esque production on “Daydream”; slow-dance ballad vibes on “I Won’t Murder Your Friend”; and bona fide alternative pop on “Laugh at Me.”
“(The new album) was so intentionally laid out to feel cinematic and make you feel like you’ve been somewhere,” said frontman Ian Shelton during a recent Zoom interview.
There are some strong emotional moments on the album—and the rage within a hardcore punk jam hits deeper when presented through slower tempos and clean guitars. Shelton said emotions will always be a theme in his writing.
“I’m a very melancholic person, and even if it’s anger, it’s still somewhat a melancholic interpretation of anger, where it’s very desperate,” he said. “Desperate is a term that I would use to describe, most of the time, the way I feel. It’s just clawing at trying to feel differently than I do.”
One of the heaviest songs on God Save the Gun, “Maybe I’ll Burn My Life Down,” blasts out speakers with a crunched-out bass tone and booming drums, but the song becomes heavier thanks to a repetitive, chanting chorus of “I feel trapped!”
“It’s a very desperate song, but it’s also meant to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek and comedic, and making fun of myself for that trait of burning my life down, and thinking I’m going to suddenly have all the solutions,” Shelton said. “But it turns out I’m still just the same person and have the same feelings, no matter my external circumstances.”
Shelton is an open book with his lyrics, even when the subject matter isn’t pleasant.
“Vulnerability is the only way I know,” he said. “It’s kind of a curse in that I just don’t know another way. I don’t know how to be
guarded in the songs. I used to have a better hang on that, where I’d try to cover up what I was trying to say a little bit more, but now I just find that the instinct is so not available to me. It only really feels good if it’s the most brutal version of the idea. It doesn’t look flattering, what I’m saying about myself, but I don’t know any other way to say it.”
God Save the Gun is filled with straightforward thoughts on suicide, selfdoubt, addiction and more.
“My goal has always been to use this as a way to externalize all of it so I could see it from a different angle,” Shelton said. “I always try to create a permanent record that I need to hold myself to: If I’m saying something in public, I need to actually live it, and if I don’t live it, then I view it as my responsibility to create the document saying that I didn’t live to that standard.”
Militarie Gun collaborated with various artists on God Save the Gun, most notably MSPaint for the synth-led track “God Owes Me Money.” Shelton said the band reached out to Nick Panella from MSPaint for help crafting a synth-heavy punk song, something for which MSPaint is known.
“I was so desperately trying to write that type of song, and write something that went that direction, but I didn’t have the ability to do it myself,” Shelton said. “… So I called in Nick, and I gave him a prompt—then he smashed it.”
The band stretches through a number of different musical genres on God Save the Gun.
“Militarie Gun is about us scratching our own itch,” Shelton said. “We’re really rabid music listeners, so we always are finding new things that we want to explore, and we really just don’t view it as possible that something couldn’t be one of our songs. We view it that, once I sing over it, it’ll sound like us. … We think it’s really boring to write the same song twice.”
Shelton said he thinks music fans will be pleasantly surprised at what Militarie Gun was able to accomplish on God Save the Gun
“We were concerned about the timeline we were releasing, and we were all stressed out, and I was like, ‘Well, I think it doesn’t matter when we release this record, because nobody
Prominent hardcore band Militarie Gun returns to the desert for a night of punk at Hotel Zoso
could have anticipated that we made a record this good,’ and I think that holds true,” he said. “I think when people listen to it, and they hear what it says and everything else, they understand. There are always going to be people who are doubters or haters, but those aren’t the people we’re looking to please. We’re here for the people who are willing to receive the message that we have, and the music that we have, and that’s what we care about.”
Shelton said the release of God Save the Gun will serve as an exclamation mark concluding the first era of Militarie Gun.
“For the first time, it feels like we have our legitimate band set,” he said. “As far as the creative expression, this was still all one burst from the first moment that Militarie Gun was created. I think what is happening next is truly a new era. … Previously, we just kept going, kept going, kept going. We have a follow-up EP already finished, and I feel like the next one will be the truly new era, because we’ve had a chance to stop and rest for a moment.”
Even after appearances at Coachella and other world-class festivals and venues, the members of Militarie Gun appreciate the
chance to return to their hardcore roots and perform at DIY shows, like the Hotel Zoso show, which is being arranged by Sage Jackson of local hardcore booking group Hot Stuff Booking.
“We just love it,” Shelton said. “We just like chaos. We really like playing a show where everyone is on a level playing field; it’s just fun that way. Playing the same corporate venues over and over again can get really numbing, where you’re used to literally the same shit every day. I find that our memories of tours are not from the ones where we’re in what looks to be an identical green room every night and playing on some big stage; it’s the shows where things go wrong, and people can get hurt, and it’s chaos. We just love playing those shows, and we don’t want to stop doing them anytime soon.”
Militarie Gun will perform at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, at Hotel Zoso, at 150 S. Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Liquid Mike, Public Opinion, Forever Came Calling, Face Facts and It’s Always You are set to open the show. Tickets are $23.18, available on Eventbrite.
Militarie Gun. Nolan Knight
October 16-19 | More Than 50 events
Tickets and Information modernismweek.com
Modernism Week Featured Home Tour: Sackley Chase Sensation
Daily Tours October 24-27 | Various Times
Originally designed by the renowned Palm Springs architect, Stan Sackley in 1976 and beautifully decorated by legendary interior designer Steve Chase, this exceptional home has been thoughtfully updated and reimagined by Grace Home Furnishings.
Casual Concours Midcentury Car Show
Choose from Six Unique Double Decker Architectural Bus Tours
Daily Tours October 16-19 | Various Times
Premier Double Decker Architectural Bus Tour
The Homes That Define Palm Springs Bus Tour
Sinatra’s Rat Pack Homes & Hangouts Bus Tour
Charles Phoenix Super Duper Double Decker Bus Tour
Twilight Architectural Bus Tour
Bella da Ball’s Celebrity Homes Bus Tour
Show Preview Party
Clinton Meyer
MUSIC
HEAVY DUO
By matt king
TPunk/psych-garage band Teen Mortgage pushes the limits of speakers and headphones—even though there are only two members
een Mortgage is a heavy-punk/psych-garage duo that has taken the music world by storm.
Their punk-club gems have caused them to quickly outgrow the backyard and DIY scene; the band is now on a record label, touring regionally and internationally, and has even opened up for Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins. The band’s successful rise makes sense
when you listen to songs like “Doctor,” “Sick Day” and “Shangri-La,” which are packed tight with brutal riffs, lightning-fast punkrock speeds, effects-heavy guitar tones and thunderous drumming.
Teen Mortgage is set to perform at Pappy and Harriet’s on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Although the duo has never performed in the desert, their musical stylings are inspired by some of the Coachella Valley’s musical greats.
“We’re super-influenced by a lot of the bands from that area, like Kyuss and Queens of Stone Age, and that desert rock vibe,” said vocalist/frontman James Guile during a recent Zoom interview, which also included drummer Edward Barakauskas. “I’m always trying to emulate a lot of those guitar tones in what we’re doing. We tune to C sharp standard, and that’s definitely influenced by Fu Manchu and Josh Homme.”
The art for almost every Teen Mortgage single, EP and album features black-andwhite, detailed art pieces.
“I wanted it to have that certain style, sort of a comic book-meets-neo-traditional American tattoo kind of vibe,” Guile said. “Kevin Suttick, who does all the art, is the best one to do that. It sort of naturally happened that we kept working with him, because it was like, ‘Well, he’s going to do the best version of this idea.’ It has definitely kept a solid vision as far as the aesthetic goes, and black-and-white is cheap. Raymond Pettibon is definitely an influence on our art—Black Flag and OFF! and all the other stuff Raymond Pettibon did. It’s always so striking. It just looks punk.”
Teen Mortgage’s sound is undeniably heavy, pushing the limits of speakers and headphones everywhere—and many listeners are surprised to know the band is only a duo. Guile’s guitar rig is used to emulate both a guitar and bass while Barakauskas pounds away on the drumkit. Guile said not having a bass player is a “double-edged sword.”
“It makes it easier to tour and do what we’re doing as a two-person band,” he said. “It makes everything more feasible, and it takes a lot of the musicianship out. I don’t need to have a musical relationship with a bass player;
it’s all just the one guitar. It takes that bass out of the equation, which makes it sound a lot tighter … but, yeah, there are definitely times I’m like, ‘Man, it’d be so cool if I could just take a solo.’ It’s something that makes us stand out when we’re playing with bands who have more members.”
Although there are challenges, Barakauskas said drumming alongside Guile’s guitar/bass behemoth is “no harder than playing with a bass player and a guitarist.”
“In fact, for me, it’s probably a little easier, because I just need to know where he’s at,” Barakauskas said. “I just played a show with my other band, and at one point, I heard the bassist go off in a different direction than the synth player was. That doesn’t happen with this group. The other side of it is, if we have a mechanical issue or something like that, a large chunk of the sound will drop out. If there’s a pedal problem, or if something on my set breaks, or if a stick breaks mid-song, I’ve got to switch it out real quick. You hear a more substantial dip than if you’re in a fouror five-person band.”
Instead of the traditional rock band setup where the singer is center-front, and the drummer is in the back, both Guile and Barakauskas are at the front of the stage. While cool for visuals and sounds, Barakauskas explained that moving the drumkit up to the front every night is “a pain in the dick.”
“If it’s a small stage, sometimes I’ll kind of hang toward the back a little bit, and it’ll be nicer for pictures, because you might actually get us both in the same shot,” he said. “Most of the time, we’re moving stuff up to the front of the stage. It’s also for line of sight, too, so that we can see what’s happening with the other person if there’s an issue, or for a few of the cues.”
Teen Mortgage can get quite heavy on their live tracks, with extremely beefy tones and hard-hitting kick and snare parts. As the years have progressed, the band members have become more comfortable with experimentation, and have been branching out into more subdued and low-tempo jams.
“You’ve got to be able to write some different songs and appeal to some different
vibes,” Guile said. “As much as I love the Ramones, it only got them so far. I think all the best bands have songs that sound different, and they all are able to write fast songs, groovy songs, ballads, vibey songs, aggro songs—and be able to do it all.”
Guile has also experimented vocally, going from punk aggression and screams to more melodic singing.
“I do enjoy it because it forces a progression out of me musically,” Guile said. “I’ll go in the studio and be like, ‘All right, what’s the hardest vocal I can do, and what’s the hardest guitar part I could do?’ Then you go out on tour and do that every night. It forces me to get better, and we’ve been dialing in a lot more now that we’ve played with a lot of different bands, and notable bands. You go, ‘Oh shit; that’s what a good band sounds like.’ I never practiced until we became a touring band. I had to actually lock in.”
The members of Teen Mortgage were able to make music their full-time job, leading to a much more focused and refined sound, which catapulted them onto bigger stages and into bigger shows.
“All these different kinds of tours are unveiling new things that you learn you have to work on,” Barakauskas said. “We’ll do tours, and I’ll be like, ‘Why does this part of my body hurt?’ I have to be like, ‘What am I doing in this particular setting that I’m not doing in clubs or something like that?’”
Added Guile: “We’ve definitely been getting our heads around the different sizes of rooms, because we’re a punk band, and we play small rock clubs for the most part, but now we’ve played some bigger ones—festival tents and theaters, and we did an arena a couple of times. That is such a different ballgame. You’ve got to account for all that reverb.”
Guile is ready to get sweaty at the intimate Pappy and Harriet’s indoor stage on Oct. 21.
“Come let some energy out,” said Guile. “It’s like Fight Club—but you can tell your friends!”
Teen Mortgage will perform at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, at 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. NIIS is set to open the show. Tickets are $31.86. For tickets and more information, visit pappyandharriets.com.
Teen Mortgage.
TILT! A Circus Thrill Ride, at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10. Experience a roller-coaster of a circus show … literally! Tickets start at $15. At 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 12, pianist Stephan Moccio will dazzle, impress and captivate ears and eyes with his magnificent ivory skills! Tickets start at $57.99. Ballet the night away with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, a stunning group of performers who will be waltzing and prancing across the stage at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16. Tickets start at $72.99. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, revel in vocal bliss when the fantastic voices behind Celtic Thunder head to town. Tickets start at $57.99. Laugh the night away at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, when comedian Henry Cho grabs the microphone. Tickets start at $53.75. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www. mccallumtheatre.com.
Fantasy Springs features jokes and jams! At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10, funk-ateers Kool and the Gang intend to “Get Down on It” in Indio, bringing a serving of classic grooves. Tickets start at $72.50. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, former Steve Miller Band guitarist and blue-eyed-soul solo act Boz Scaggs will rock the desert. Tickets start at $82.50. At 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 19, enjoy a unique mix of rock, pop, cumbia, polka and more from Intocable Tickets start at $92.50. Enjoy puppet pandemonium from some mischievous marionettes at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, when Jeff Dunham and his group of handcontrolled characters come to town. Tickets start at $102.50. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-3425000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Spotlight 29 is hosting some great events and continuing its comedy residency. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, country-rock act Parmalee brings the crunchy, heavy twang to Coachella. Tickets start at $53.20. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24 , enjoy the Native American Comedy Jam, a selection of cultural comedians delivering hilarious jokes. Tickets start at $28.50. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, rock legends Great White and Quiet Riot team up to bring the shredding! Tickets start at $33.65. Honest Goodness Comedy Fridays bring Joey Medina (Oct. 3), Gene Pompa (Oct. 10), Paul Rodriguez (Oct. 17), Jamie Kennedy (Oct. 24) and Los Digits (Oct. 31). Tickets start from $12.51 to $39.19. You must be 18+ to attend. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www. spotlight29.com. Morongo Casino is featuring two events. At 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5, experience Smoking Good Times, an evening of fine cigars, spirits, food and live music! Tickets start at $95.50. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17 alternative corridos act Arley Perez will perform Latin outlaw
The Venue REPORT
jams. Tickets started at $133.56 as of this writing. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.
Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage brings a diverse slate of entertainment. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, country star Trace Adkins will turn Rancho Mirage into a “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.” Tickets start at $48.73. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11 drag yourself to RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq the World Tour, featuring drag performances from RuPaul alumni and modern stars. Tickets start at $68.90. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17 hop on the British-pop-inspired rockabilly train with Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters. Tickets start at $38.41. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, the Hollywood Medium Tyler Henry will return to the desert to connect you with the afterlife. Tickets start at $74.06. At 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30, Black Sabbath tribute band Zakk Sabbath, led by longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, will pay tribute to the departed Prince of Darkness. Tickets start at $48.73. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, experience a special Halloween performance from Mammoth, led by the son of Eddie Van Halen. Guitar wizardry awaits! Tickets start at $43.60. Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.aguacalientecasinos.com. Agua Caliente in Palm Springs hosts more residency events! Desert Blues Revival Wednesdays showcase Chicago slideguitar jams from Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners (Oct. 1), vintage soul and rock from Tommy Peacock and the Feathers (Oct. 8), washboard guitar sounds from Nathan James Band (Oct. 15), blues, R&B and jazz funk from Len Rainey and the Midnight Players (Oct. 22) and a desert return of Shea Welsh (Oct. 29). Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start from $12.51 to $22.11, available at eventspalmsprings.com. Carousel Thursdays bring a tribute to jazz legend Billy Strayhorn (Oct. 2), sweet ’60s sounds from Secret Agents (Oct. 23) and some swooning musical magic from Jazz Cartel (Oct. 30). Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $19.98, available at eventspalmsprings.com. A midcenturymodern Halloween party hosted by retro jazz artist Lynda Kay at 7 p.m., Friday Oct. 24, kicks off a brand-new residency titled Cascade Cabaret, promised to be a rotating showcase of entertainment! Tickets start at $24.95, again at eventspalmsprings.com. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-999-1995; www. aguacalientecasinos.com.
Pappy and Harriet’s is hosting a show nearly every day in October, so here are my five picks (not covered elsewhere by the Independent)! At 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, ’80s dark-
surf and post-punk act The Chameleons will perform a super-intimate show at Pappy’s indoor stage. Tickets are $48.96. At 9:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10, psychedelic Cambodian rock jammers Dengue Fever showcase their unique blend of mystifying grooves. Tickets are $42.74. Instrumental trio LA LOM, who mix old-school soul with Latin boleros, bring their emotional, swaying sounds to the desert at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18. General admission tickets are sold out, but remaining VIP tickets (as of our press time) are $170.20. At 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28, experience a tight, sweaty show from U.K.-punk legends Subhumans, who may very well turn the Pioneertown Palace upside down. Tickets are $28.76. Dance away to some dark, hypnotic, synth-punk with The Faint at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29. General admission tickets are $48.96. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-228-2222;
www.pappyandharriets.com.
Mojave Gold has built up a steady entertainment lineup—so welcome to The Venue Report! Here are some October highlights. At 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 1, experience the improvisational punk energy— with a psychedelic, worldly tinge—of TAKAAT, a supergroup of members from Mdou Moctar and Les Filles de Illighadad. Tickets are $23.70; the show is all ages. Local experimental rock outfit Firebug are set to perform at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16. The event is free to attend, but you must be 21+. At 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, L.A. punks The Hangmen bring their scuzzy rock tunes to town, co-headlining a night with ’80s chord-burners The Joneses Tickets are $23.70, but you must be 18+ to attend. Celebrate Halloween with one of the most eclectic local musicians—Jesika Von Rabbit, at 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31. Tickets are $23.70; the show is 21+. Mojave Gold, 56193 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley; 442205-0192; mojavegolddesert.com.
Oscar’s has three-non residency events on the calendar. At 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 2, enjoy a storytelling-filled evening with Susan Powter, the ’90s fitness icon and infomercial star. Tickets start at $39.95. At 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, experience sweet, piano-playing bliss from pianist/singer Mike Maimone Tickets are $10. At 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 20, ’80s star Tiffany, whom you know from her “I Think We’re Alone Now” cover, visits Oscar’s to discuss her new line of drinks, answer audience questions—and sing! Tickets start at $39.95. All shows include a food and drink minimum. Oscar’s Palm Springs, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-3251188; oscarspalmsprings.com/events.
The Purple Room features weekends of double-dipping entertainment! At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, renowned pianist and singer Billy Stritch shares songs and stories. Tickets start at $61.15. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11, enjoy a jazz-centric evening with stellar vocalist Jane Monheit Tickets start at $61.15. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18, the “towering inferno of talent” Meghan Murphy will do everything from pop parodies to jazz. Tickets start at $50.85. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, romantic vocalist Anthony Nunziata will explore jazz, soul, pop and more. Tickets start at $45.70. At 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, catch two-time No. 1 Billboard vocalist Deborah Silver! Tickets start at $61.15. All ticketed shows include dinner reservations two hours before show time. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www. purpleroompalmsprings.com.
Anthony Nunziata
MUSIC
LUCKY 13 the
Get to better know a local country gem, as well as Mannequin Pussy’s bassist/vocalist
by matt king
NAME Kimberly Cofer
MORE INFO Kimberly Cofer has quickly become a key part of the Coachella Valley music scene. Thanks to her vocal twang and knack for writing killer country tunes, Cofer has performed her originals across the desert and beyond, from Audiowild Studios to the Red Barn. She’ll be performing around the Coachella Valley in October building up hype for her debut album, Cottonwood, slated for release on Nov. 1; she’ll celebrate that day with a show at the Red Barn, at 73290 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. Her single “Cottonwood” blends the best of classic country into a hooky gem, channeling Dolly, Willie, Patsy and others. For more information, visit www. kimberlycofer.com.
What was the first concert you attended?
The first concert I attended was with my mom, and it was a Neil Diamond Christmas concert!
What was the first album you owned?
One of the first I remember is The Best of The Animals, the original vinyl from 1966, which was a gift from my uncle.
What bands are you listening to right now?
I’m listening to Future Islands, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and Sierra Ferrell.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Pop. I don’t understand Taylor Swift. I tried to listen to her last album, The Tortured Poets Department, and couldn’t get through it.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Enya!
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Boogaloo Stage at the Joshua Tree Music Festival!
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Helplessly hoping, her harlequin hovers nearby awaiting a word,” from “Helplessly Hoping,” by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
What band or artist changed your life?
James Horner’s score of the movie The New World. It was the soundtrack to a very important time period of my life.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I’m asking Dolly Parton how she stayed strong with her creative vision when it comes to her performance attire amidst the criticism.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Promontory” from The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Pink Floyd’s The Wall
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Rise” by Herb Alpert.
NAME Colins “Bear” Regisford
GROUP Mannequin Pussy
MORE INFO Alternative punk-rockers
Mannequin Pussy craft truly captivating jams.
“I Got Heaven,” one of the band’s most popular songs, is a raging jam of emo, growling vocals, and a mix of heavy and dreamy guitar, with a catchy chorus that is both punk and pretty. Their set at Pappy and Harriet’s on Friday, Oct. 3, is sure to be memorable, but the show recently sold out; join the waitlist at pappyandharriets. com. Bassist/vocalist Colins “Bear” Regisford is the latest to take The Lucky 13, via Zoom.
What was the first concert you attended?
Blink-182 on the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket tour with New Found Glory. I think I was 13 at the time. We (recently) played (the festival) Sea.Hear. Now, and they were the headliners, and I watched that set. After it was over, I was like, “blink-182 is still the fucking greatest.”
What was the first album you owned?
The first one that I bought with money that I had for my birthday was the Spice Girls’ first album. When I was that age, two of my favorite artists were Michael Jackson and the Spice Girls.
What bands are you listening to right now? Wednesday gave me a sneak preview of their newest album, and it is fucking great. I found them during the Rat Saw God era, and I was just like, “This band is fucking amazing; I love them.” Also, I’ve recently been listening to the new Soul Glo record that’s going to be coming out, so I’ve been dancing between those two. As for artists that are out with stuff, I would say Big Boi, which is awesome Bay Area hardcore. Then there’s the band Momma; the new album Welcome to My Blue Sky is great.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Other people are not going to be happy about this, but I’ve never gotten into ska music. I have a lot of friends who love ska. More for y’all, less for me, please.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I’m looking for that Title Fight reunion really heavily. Two other artists I don’t get to see, because they don’t really do too much, is A Tribe Called Quest. I love Q-Tip, and Midnight Marauders is one of my favorite albums. Also, SWV. I’ve always been a sucker for soul singers and stuff, and those harmonies are just insane.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I don’t believe in that shit. I think music isn’t a guilty pleasure, no matter what. I would say a guilty pleasure, which shouldn’t be pleasurable, is if you to listen to any of that fucking whitepower music. Go fuck yourself.
What’s your favorite music venue?
One that I’m hoping is in our wheelhouse or future is Brooklyn Paramount. I’ve been to a couple shows out there. It’s just fucking gorgeous. It feels like being in a cathedral, and the sound in there is amazing. It’s a beautiful room in New York.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
The one I picked is from Death Cab for Cutie’s “Expo ’86.” It’s a line that sometimes plagues me because of my inability to just be able to let a good thing be good. The line is: “I am waiting for something to go wrong. I am waiting for
familiar resolve.” To this day, it creeps into my brain rent-free.
What band or artist changed your life?
It would be when I saw Green Day and blink182 on the Pop Disaster tour when I was in high school, and that was the moment when I realized that I want to do what they do. It was such a crazy tour, because Saves the Day opened, and then Green Day came out. I definitely left that show being like, “Holy shit, Green Day just ripped that place apart, and I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life,” and I still do.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
For Kendrick Lamar: “I’ve been told that you have a theme for your albums, like good kid, m.A.A.d city was a movie; To Pimp a Butterfly is a poem; DAMN. is a magazine; Mr. Morale is a play; and when I listen to GNX, I think it’s a mixtape to a drive-by,” because all the songs are just so aggressive, and they’re so California coded that when I hear it, it doesn’t really sound like all the other stuff that he’s done before.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. It’s just a lovely piece. I feel like it would be the perfect song to play me off as they lower me down.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
You’re just gonna have to shoot. I can’t just pick one. I feel like, top albums, there are at least 20, and I couldn’t say one’s better than the other.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
There’s a live album called One Night Stand with Sam Cooke at Harlem Square Club. If you’re on Apple Music, it’s at the end of “Somebody Have Mercy,” and if you’re on Spotify, it’s the beginning of “Bring It on Home to Me,” but mainly, it’s this part where he starts singing about this operator, and how he needs to talk to the operator because he’s trying to get to his baby. When he finally gets to his baby, it ends with this giant crescendo of him being like, “Darling you, you send me,” and every time I hear it, I cry. Sam Cooke’s voice is just unbelievable.
OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD
38. Skater Lipinski
39. Where BTS originated
40. Saucy
41. “Exit full screen” key
42. “Walk This Way” rap trio
43. It’s light, but not a saber
44. “Happy Birthday” writer
46. One who agrees
48. Subject of a neighborhood flier
51. “Scratch that,” in texts
52. “If you think you can’t remember the prefix for three, just ___”
53. Submitted, as completed homework
55. A head
57. Despicable Me supervillain
58. Protective gear
60. Actor Christopher
63. Wise one?
64. Adult Swim fare, for short
65. Beach house feature
66. Jack of nursery rhymes
67. Online administrator
Down
1. G.P., e.g.
2. Line leader?
3. 1947 film set in India with Deborah Kerr as a repressed Anglican nun
4. Miley and Noah Cyrus’s manager mother
5. Vintage photo prints
6. Basic beginning
7. Main squeezes
8. Concert setting
9. Title location for an Adventure, per a 1976 interactive text computer game
10. Is familiar with 13. Snakes native to Southeast Asia but considered an invasive species in Florida
