Coachella Valley Independent August 2020

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT | AUGUST 2020

VOL. 8 | NO. 8

BY JIMMY BOEGLE PAGE 12

CAN THE SHOW GO ON? The Coachella Valley’s theater companies don’t know when they’ll be able to take the stage again— but a new alliance is helping them support each other until that time comes

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AUGUST 2020

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AUGUST 2020

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

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle staff writer Kevin Fitzgerald coveR and feature design Beth Allen Contributors Kevin Allman, Max Cannon, Kevin Carlow, Stuart Cohn, Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, ValerieJean (VJ) Hume, Matt Jones, Matt King, Keith Knight, Carlynne McDonnell, Brett Newton, Dan Perkins, Guillermo Prieto, Anita Rufus, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month.

All content is ©2020 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader.

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The Independent is a proud member and/ or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, CalMatters, Get Tested Coachella Valley, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, the LGBT Community Center of the Desert, and the Desert Ad Fed.

As July comes to an end to make way for August … I am tired.

I am tired of this damned pandemic. Of not being able to hug my friends. Of seeing so many people struggle. Of not being able to play softball with my teammates. Of watching my business limp along financially. Of not being able to travel to see family. Of not being able to enjoy the world I took for granted back in February.

Yeah. I’m really tired.

I say this not to complain—because I know I am one of the blessed ones. I live in a place where I am comfortable and safe. Because I have an amazing husband whose work has (knock on wood) been stable, the bills are paid, and I have food in the refrigerator. No, I say this because I know a lot of you out there can relate.

And you know what? Even though I am tired, and I am not feeling optimistic, I know, logically, that better times are coming.

First: We’re learning more about how to deal with this damned virus. Treatments for the virus are getting better. Professional sports are back—yes, without spectators, but this is an improvement over the bleakness of late March and April. All the early vaccine trials that we’ve heard about have gone well.

One way or another, we will eventually defeat SARS-CoV-2, just like we’ve beaten every other pox on humanity that’s come our way over the centuries.

Second: Despite all the pain and fear and isolation at home, good people continue to do great things in this community. The content of this issue of the Independent proves that: You can read about an elderlaw attorney fighting the good fight. About activists working to get out the vote in November. About the medical world, at long last, acknowledging that racism is a publichealth issue. About a young future leader heading off to Stanford University—and pledging to come back to the Coachella Valley for her career, because she wants to make it a better place. About restaurants feeding seniors in need. About local musicians continuing to create. About the McCallum Theatre finding a way to give their Open Call talent-competition finalists their moment in the spotlight, despite the pandemic. And, in our cover story, about passionate local theater artists coming to together to find a way forward, even though nobody knows when we’ll be able to gather in auditoriums again.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

These are dark and scary times, and a whole lot of people are hurting. A whole lot of us are tired. But there’s a lot of good out there—and better times are coming. Really.

Welcome to the August 2020 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent. As always, thanks for reading.

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2020

OPINION OPINION

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS E

BY ANITA RUFUS

lder-law attorney Michael “Mick” McGuire, 73, says he keeps trying to find a way to retire.

“But when the pandemic hit, that went on the back burner.”

McGuire, a La Quinta resident for seven years, used to visit the desert from Long Beach—until his wife of 30 years, Vivien, a public defender, made him to decide to relocate.

McGuire was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and his birth family included grandparents who had emigrated from Ireland. They had four daughters and were scrounging for work during the Great Depression. “My grandfather died in his 30s, and my grandmother was one of those people you’re blessed to have in your life. She cleaned houses to support her daughters.

“My mom had no education past the ninth-grade, and they were always one step ahead of the landlord. My mom always used to say, ‘If things said, ‘I didn’t want you to worry.’

“I had another client who had been a aren’t going your way, just get on with it. If one submarine commander during World War II thing doesn’t work, do something else.’ and didn’t realize he had benefits available. You “My dad was a true Pittsburgh boy. He can’t make these stories up—they’re amazing!” came along at a time when they were letting McGuire (calelderlaw.com) gets particularly guys out of high school to go to war. He was emotive when we talk about the COVID-19 in the Army Air Corps, and then he took a pandemic—and particularly its impact on correspondence course at Cornell University. elders in nursing-home situations.

He worked in the restaurant business and “The state drives people to long-term care, became a regional manager. because there’s nowhere else to go,” he says.

“I have one sister. I always joke that we’re “It’s all corporate money now, and they’re ‘Irish twins’; our birthdays are so close. driven by profitability. They say, ‘It’s all about Once we were out of high school, my folks heads in the beds.’ People get three meals a couldn’t wait to get out of the dire winters day, and poor care—and what we’ve seen over of Pittsburgh, so after my freshman year of the past months of the pandemic shows how college, we moved to Arizona.” bad it is. It’s a terrible conundrum: You have McGuire got his education at Arizona State someone who makes about $12.50 an hour to University. After a year in the Army Reserve, change people’s diapers and wipe their chin.

McGuire’s first job was with Hallmark Cards Those willing to do those jobs are often the in Seattle. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1970 migrants at the border. and worked for companies including Xerox, “We have a glaring hole in Medicare for E.F. Hutton, and Home Savings. What made taking care of seniors when they need help. him decide to go back to school and study law?

The Affordable Care Act created a plan to pay “I was dealing with real estate agents all up to $1,500 a month for long-term care. On day long,” he says, “and I had met my wife, average, decent care costs $10,000 a month for who was in law school at the time. In 1991, I a nursing home in California. Long-term care studied at the University of West Los Angeles, is expensive, but in my experience, it probably and passed the bar on my first try!” only costs an average family about $1,500 to McGuire opened his first law office in Long $2,500 a month to keep someone at home. I’ve Beach, doing estate planning, wills and trusts. never met anybody ever who wanted to go to a “I had a client who was having real problems nursing home. with his elderly mom, and thus I discovered “It should be a red flag that out of all elder law as a specialty,” says McGuire. “I the developed countries in the world, we’re realized the need for people to be able to (the only one) without a plan. We can talk deal with the Medi-Cal system and Veterans about it all academically, but when it’s your (Affairs). family member, the whole thing changes.

“The best part of what I do is being able to listen to people’s stories. I had a client who had The counties are often ignorant of the actual regulations, and how people are being treated been in a small village in France during World is ridiculous. I’ve become very aggressive and War II at the age of 16 when the Germans insistent to benefit my clients.” had come. He was stopped by two Gestapo In 2014, McGuire handled what he officers, was arrested, and he ended up in a described as his most interesting case. Los concentration camp. He survived and went Angeles County had denied long-term benefits to Canada, then came to the U.S. He had told to a man taken to a nursing home as a his family that he had been in the war, but his daughters had never heard the full story. When qualified patient. “It took a year to bring the they asked him why he had never told them, he county to the table. I came to understand how CVIndependent.com

Meet Michael ‘Mick’ McGuire, a champion of elder rights—who is frustrated at the country’s nursing-home system

Vivien, grandson Diego, Mick and granddaughter Diana at the twins' 2018 high school graduation.

badly the system is stacked against the public interest. You walk away from these experiences and realize that for every one who gets representation—how many are left to their own devices, meeting obstacles at every turn?”

McGuire and his wife are very proud of their family, including son Sean (“He works in the office with me, handling veterans’ cases”) and twin grandchildren. (“She’s at MIT, and he’s at Berkeley,” beams the proud grandpa.)

McGuire’s latest venture is a radio program, Elder Answers, airing every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. on KNEWS 94.3 FM/970 AM. McGuire describes the show as an opportunity to start a conversation, and he looks forward to, when

the pandemic is over, again presenting workshops where people can talk on a more personal level.

“Throughout life, no matter the situation, you’re well-advised to exercise patience and introspection before you react,” McGuire says.

“I’ve failed to follow that many times and paid a price for sure. When I’ve done it, it’s always paid off.”

Anita Rufus is also known as “The Lovable Liberal.” Her show The Lovable Liberal airs on IHubRadio. Email her at Anita@LovableLiberal. com. Know Your Neighbors appears every other Wednesday at CVIndependent.com.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

AUGUST 2020

OPINION PETS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

WHAT’S IN YOUR PETS’ POCKETS? A

BY CARLYNNE MCDONNELL

s one would expect from a pet columnist, I love animals. I love to talk and read about them, and I always watch shows about them.

I am far from alone: Many of the people I know also have a deep love for animals.

They care for their animal babies with extraordinary love and tenderness. As we know, that treatment turns those animals into the rulers of their families’ lives—they become our home bosses.

I wanted to hear from others about their pets. I’d seen someone else on Facebook pose a question: What would your animal have in his/her/their pocket? So, I decided to ask some of our friends and neighbors that question, as well as their pets’ type, age and quirkiest trait. and big brother in her pocket. She totally Siobhan Velarde, owns us!

Coachella Valley Chanteuse Pickles, 8-ish years old, and Doctor, 6 years Tim O’Bayley, CEO and Creative old. Quirkiest thing: Pickles wants all the Director, O’Bayley Communications pillows … literally ALL of them. Then she Abbott, part husky, with two different-colored burrows into the center, throwing half of eyes. He’s 2 1/2 years old—and absolutely them on the ground. Doctor howls to specific adorable and full of life. Quirkiest thing: theme songs. No. 1 is Jeopardy! and also Golden Girls. In her pocket: Pickles would have He likes to sleep/nap mostly on his back, with one leg up against a wall or a piece of her leash. Nothing gets this kid more excited furniture. In his pocket: one of his many toys. than her daily walk, although she moves at a He likes to have them close by at all times. snail’s pace. Doctor keeps her mommy, daddy

We asked local friends and neighbors: What makes your animals unique?

George Nasci-Sinatra, Major Gift Officer, Martha’s Kitchen Luigi Morkie and Gioia (Joya), Maltipoos.

Quirkiest thing: Luigi must sleep on top of at least two pillows, and they must be a certain height—like Princess and the Pea. Gioia can only sleep if one of her back legs is propped up, and she is on the back of the sofa or a pillow. In their pockets: Luigi would have unlimited treats; Gioia would have every squeaky toy she owns.

Vickie Burnett and Pam Crocker, Happily Retired Flo is a miniature dachshund who is 13 years young and full of life. Quirkiest thing: She loves to play ball all day long and will fall asleep with the ball in her mouth slowly squeaking. In her pocket: a ball.

Michelle Bergeron, Animal Angel and Rescuer Extraordinaire Einstein is a 2-year-old cat. Quirkiest things: He knows how to climb, and open and close curtains, and has even made some of those fancy “Starry Night “ curtains due to his antics. In his pocket: Shock Top beer bottlecaps.

Emily Nine, Veterinarian Assistant, Carter Animal Hospital Lilly is a 2-year-old basset hound. Quirkiest thing: She likes to jump on me when I am not expecting it, and she is like a tree log! In her pocket: She would have ladybugs or crickets.

Kristen Dolan, Director of Community Relations and Resource Development, United Way of the Desert Cats: Wally, 12; Tiki, 10; and Bodhi, 9 months.

Quirkiest things: Wally likes safe places to hide, so you’ll likely find him squished in some sort of small space. Tiki loves morning and nighttime snuggles, but doesn’t want anything to do with you during the day. Bodhi does this spider-cat thing across the carpeted rooms in our house where he sprawls out on his side and pulls himself across the carpet by his claws. In their pockets: Wally would have snacks; Tiki would have a measuring tape to make sure you were keeping six feet away from him; and Bodhi would have a Swiss Army knife, because he gets into all sorts of adventures.

Abbott, a part-husky with two different-colored eyes, is the pride of Tim O’Bayley. Courtesy of Tim O’Bayley

Stacy Eder, Real Estate Broker Sammy is a Maltipoo, 4 years old. Quirkiest thing: She uses a toy from a fur kid that has

passed away to knead when we think she’s stressed out. She was dumped twice prior to coming to our home, so we don’t know her history. Our thoughts are that she was taken from her mother and littermates too early.

In her pocket: A container full of cantaloupe.

Sammy is obsessed with it!

Rachel Reedy, DVM, Carter Animal Hospital Uno is a 7-year-old horse. Quirkiest things: He’s a total escape artist, and he’s a ham for the camera. In his pocket: Granny’s Horse Cookies—he loves his horse cookies! Spud is a 3-year-old Boston terrier. Quirkiest thing: He is obsessed with puppies. He loves them!

In his pocket: It’s empty, because he would eat whatever is in there.

Janeen Bahr, President, S.O.A.R. (Society’s Outkast Animal Rescue) Harley is an 18-month-old rottweiler.

Quirkiest thing: At 110 pounds, he’s afraid of my three-pound foster dog. In his pocket: any toy that could be thrown and returned.

Felix Tipper, Events Manager, F-10 Creative; Bartender and Fitness Promoter Bam Bam is a 14 1/2-year-old pug. Quirkiest thing: He is very judicious about his kisses.

Although he is the biggest snuggler and love bug, his kisses are rare; they are a very quick and short semi-lick. He also does not like the camera lens. In his pocket: treats. Like most pugs, he’s food-obsessed.

Joni Padduck, Happily Retired Bella Rosa is a 4 1/2-year-old Chihuahua/ Jack Russell/miniature pinscher mix.

Quirkiest thing: She’s afraid of small children.

In her pocket: her daddy! She’d bring him everywhere with her.

Sharon Ollenburger, Search and Rescue, Riverside County Sheriff Sally Ann is a 12-year-old cat. Quirkiest thing: She is very vocal, especially in the morning or if I have been gone a long time. In her pocket: She would have a picture of me or chicken Greenies treats.

Carlynne McDonnell is the founder and CEO of Barkee LaRoux’s House of Love Animal Sanctuary, a senior animal sanctuary and hospice in the Coachella Valley. She has been rescuing animals since she was 4 years old.

CVIndependent.com

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SECRETS ABOUT QWO BY ENDO AESTHETICS’ NEW CELLULITE INJECTION TREATMENT, COMING SOON

By Shonda Chase, FNP Nurse Practitioner, Co-owner, Artistic Director and Advanced Aesethetic Injector at Revive Wellness Centers in Palm Springs and Torrance, and Medweight, Lasers and Wellness Center in Irvine efore 2002, most plas�c-surgery prac�ces received 80 percent of their income from surgery procedures, and 20 percent from non-surgical treatments like collagen injec�ons and harsh, fully abla�ve laser procedures. Today, those percentages have reversed. Most plas�c surgery offices now receive 20 percent of revenues from surgeries, and 80 percent from minimally invasive or non-invasive treatments.

What’s changed?

Botox was approved for reducing fine lines between our brows in 2002. Soon a�er, medical providers also began injec�ng Botox into foreheads, crow’s feet and bunny lines. Over �me, providers learned that Botox could also improve gummy smiles, reduce underarm swea�ng, the appearance of platysmal neck bands, anxiety and depression—to name just a few of Botox’s benefits.

In December 2003, Restylane was the first dermal filler approved to improve facial lines and folds. Now we have more than a dozen different fillers. Each are engineered to re-volumize different parts of the face and body where fat and bone loss has occurred from aging.

Neuromodulators like “Newtox,” dermal fillers and medical-grade skin-care products have reduced faceli�s for many pa�ents. The point: New treatments have changed plas�c surgery forever.

Why am I sharing this history? First, to remind you how medical science has created gentler alterna�ves to surgery. And secondly, to prepare you for a new injec�on treatment coming early next year, that will change the way we treat cellulite.

B

A New Treatment for Cellulite Is Coming in the Spring of 2021 Secret No. 1: Qwo by Endo Aesthe�cs was just approved by the FDA to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Qwo treatments will involve 1-3 injec�ons per dimple, three weeks apart.

Secret No. 2. You’ll likely be hearing a lot about Cellfina treatments for cellulite, currently available for $3,000-$6,000. Cellfina treatments have some “ac�vity” down �me and can create bruising. Cellfina devices are expensive, and the prac�ces that have them are going to try to recover their costs before Qwo becomes available.

Secret No. 3: Qwo will greatly reduce demand for Cellfina procedures, because Qwo is going to be a less-expensive treatment—with no down �me.

I wanted you to know what’s becoming available so, if you can wait, you’ll get improvements for cellulite at less cost. The best results and good value have always been two of Revive’s missions for our pa�ents.

I hope this ar�cle helps us accomplish part of that mission for you.

Un�l next month, keep the Secrets.

You can email your individual ques�ons to Shonda Chase FNP, or Allan Y. Wu MD, Revive’s cosme�c surgeon, at info@revivecenter.com.

CVIndependent.com

AUGUST 2020

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

AUGUST 2020

NEWS ‘AN ISSUE OF BELONGING’ O

by kevin fitzgerald

n July 31, Dr. Conrado Barzaga was slated to celebrate his one-year anniversary as the CEO of the Desert Healthcare District—and what a completely unforeseeable year it’s been.

His organization and the valley’s overall health-care infrastructure are being severely challenged by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic—as well as a related and much-longer-term issue that came to the forefront of the nation’s consciousness on May 25, when George Floyd was killed while restrained and lying on a street in Minneapolis police custody.

The baring of the long-simmering racial injustices in our society ignited the passion of Barzaga—so much so that on June 3, he issued a statement linking systemic racism to the born prematurely (more frequently) as a result subpar public-health outcomes of minority of racism. That inflicts a tremendous amount populations, both in the Coachella Valley and of stress and distress on Black women.” across the country.

Barzaga said institutions of policing, Here is an excerpt: “As communities across learning and health care all need to undergo an the country take to the street and risk their important change in perspective. lives to demand justice, the Desert Healthcare “I believe that we have been (following) a District and Foundation stands in solidarity philosophy of diversity, equity and inclusion with protesters and against racism, oppression that’s causing many public entities and the and inequality in all of its forms, because we believe that inequities have consequences, both majority of health-care foundations to address funding through an equity-based lens,” visible and invisible. … Some may say that our focus is health care. It is in this context that we Barzaga said. “I believe that we need to take the conversation a little bit further. We need recognize that the killing of Black Americans to move from diversity, equity and inclusion in this country is, and for too long, has been a to have a conversation about ‘belonging’ in public health crisis. our communities. The people need to feel “It is a crisis rooted in the toxic traditions of ownership and that this is their place—not that systemic racism and white supremacy. George they’re being integrated into a community or Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and that they ‘count.’ It’s not an issue of counting; many more have died at the hands of the police it’s an issue of belonging. and vigilantes—they should all be alive today.

“When I moved to the desert, I found that For this, we condemn racism, bigotry and white the community is welcoming. I believe that supremacy. No one should have to fear for their everyone should have that same feeling—not lives because of the color of their skin, ethnic only that you’re welcome, but that you feel origin or identity. No parent should have to you belong in this community, that you’re part worry for their child’s safety and well-being of it, and that you’re celebrated. Not because when they venture outside of their home. No you’re white, or Black, or gay, or straight, or community should disproportionately bear a man or a woman; I think it’s an issue of the burden of social, economic and health challenges, and yet studies show that the overall belonging. And, when we incorporate that lens of belonging, I think we will make our desert a health of people of color ranks lower than the much better place. overall health of whites.”

“Although, I do have to say that the desert The Independent spoke with Barzaga recently and asked what motivated him to issue such an is a wonderful place—but there is space for improvement.” emphatic statement.

The DHCD is working on taking immediate “I believe strongly that racism has publicaction to address longstanding needs in health consequences, and that is the reason local Black communities, such as the Desert why we took that position,” Barzaga said. “For Highlands Gateway neighborhood of Palm one thing, we see that Black Americans have Springs. Barzaga and the DHCD Board higher mortality rates compared to other races of Directors have introduced a resolution due to a variety of issues. One is the murder formalizing a grant of more than $432,000 rate. If you look at deaths from a public-health for minority health-care improvement, some standpoint, there is such a thing as ‘untimely of which will be earmarked to improve overall death.’ Black Americans die in an untimely health-related conditions for those who live (fashion) resulting from police brutality. there.

That is a fact. But there are other public“The district has been working for years health issues that affect that community, and with the Desert Highland Gateway community, those are the result of systemic racism. Black children are born at a lower weight, and they’re and I think this will be a continuation of that

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

Desert Healthcare District CEO Dr. Conrado Barzaga says racism is a public health crisis—as shown by the killing of Black Americans, COVID-19

response,” Barzaga said. “But this time, there will be a definitive action to bring health care as a reality to that community. That’s what the community says they need; that’s what the community wants; that’s what they have expressed through their community healthneeds assessment; and that’s what the leaders are saying. They have been raising the issue of a lack of affordable, nutritious food in that area. There’s no supermarket or any market at all that’s providing services to that community.

So there are many issues that I believe require a collective response, not only from the DHCD, but from the city of Palm Springs as well.

We are trying to mobilize other resources so that this can become a more comprehensive response to the needs of that community.

“The district is taking a leadership role.

We have made a beautiful statement about solidarity, but I think we have to show actions, and not only words—and this might even become a template for how we address the health-care needs of other minority communities in the Coachella Valley.”

The DHCD board recently voted to allow all funding provided to the district to be spent in any region of the expanded “One Coachella Valley” district, whose boundaries now run from Palm Springs in the west to communities like Coachella, Indio and Mecca in the east. The district’s eastern boundary for years was Cook Street, but voters approved the expansion in November 2018. However, that expansion did not come with an expansion in revenues.

“The people have decided that the DHCD should cover the entire Coachella Valley, so, that’s what we’re doing,” Barzaga said. “We will continue to raise the issue of funding disparities between east and west. I think, ultimately, it may have to be the Legislature who will have to provide a solution for that valley-wide funding issue.”

Barzaga said the imminent danger presented by the pandemic has highlighted inequities in the Coachella Valley. By a wide margin, there have been more COVID-19 cases in Indio and Coachella than any other valley city.

“It is clear that we cannot neglect the healthcare needs of the eastern Coachella Valley residents, and COVID-19 really put this front and center,” Barzaga said. “Very early on, we knew that we were going to have a much-larger problem in the eastern valley as related to COVID-19. These are residents who depend on working day-to-day (outside of their homes).

They don’t have the same ability, as many of us do, to work from home. They have to go into the fields, and they have to go and serve

Desert Healthcare District CEO Dr. Conrado Barzaga: “When I moved to the desert, I found that the community is welcoming. I believe that everyone should have that same feeling—not only that you’re welcome, but that you feel you belong in this community, that you’re part of it, and that you’re celebrated.”

the people of Coachella Valley (via the service industry) while being in close proximity to one another. This population doesn’t have the same access to health care as residents in the western parts of the valley. That combination of less protection, less access to care and a more impacted (personal) immune system has been a formula for disaster, and we are seeing the results right now. We have made very heavy investments in our community clinics to make sure that we’re deploying resources for the serious needs of that community.

“There is a gap between the health outcomes in the east and west that we intend to close,” Barzaga said. “It will be years before we have a more-robust health-care infrastructure that can meet the needs and demands of everyone in Coachella Valley. That’s why we’re doing the Community Health Needs Assessment, which is a community-driven plan. Through that needs assessment, we want the community to tell us what they want as a health-improvement plan, and that healthimprovement plan will be the road map for the next 10, 20 or 30 years for the district’s investments in the health-care structure of the valley, and to be responsive to the needs of the neediest in our communities.”

CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2020

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

TO THE BALLOT BOX S

by kevin fitzgerald

ince March, the United States has endured its most turbulent period in decades. The fact that the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the economic downturn are happening in an election year leads to an obvious question: How will the turmoil effect what happens at the polls on Nov. 3?

If local voter-registration numbers are any indication, the news is good for Democrats.

The Independent recently reviewed voter-registration data from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters and the Democratic Headquarters of the Desert, comparing political-party voterregistration totals as of April 13 and July 13, in each of the valley’s nine cities. In that time Women Federated, said she has talked to a lot frame, the number of Democrats registered of people who are interested in signing up for to vote increased by 459, while the number the GOP. of registered Republicans decreased by 226.

“If you’re going to go by us, our voter Interestingly, voters who chose to register as registration has been unbelievable as far as having no party preference decreased by 700. people changing parties from Democrat to We reached out to local party leaders to ask Republican,” Miedecke said. “When people try them about their efforts to get voters engaged to change from Democrat to, maybe, no party between now and Nov. 3. preference or independent or something like “We closed the Democratic headquarters that, we try to encourage them to become a (in Cathedral City) on March 16,” said Elle Kurpiewski, political director of the Democratic Republican, because numbers tell the truth.

If you’re moving over to Republican because Headquarters of the Desert, during a recent you believe like Republicans, or you like phone interview. “However, all of the phone our president, but you register as ‘no party calls we’ve been receiving are forwarded to me preference,’ you don’t make a statement. You at my home. In one week alone, I had over a don’t get Trump on the ballot in the primary, dozen people call to register to vote. So what and you can’t join our club. You have to be a I did was mail the voter-registration form to registered Republican to be involved. We have them if they were not able to (register) online. over 850 members, so we are no slouchy deal But here’s where it got interesting: There must have been 10 who were Republicans wanting to here in the desert.”

What demographics has she seen coming switch to be Democrats. into the valley’s Republican Party in these “Another thing that I found interesting was chaotic recent months? that a very large rally was put on by young “I don’t have any hard numbers,” Miedecke people,” the Enough Is Enough rally in Palm said. “But I will tell you that many, many Springs on June 6. “We were able to do voter Hispanics are registering as Republicans, and registration safely at that event, (which drew) lots of young families. We’re always behind over a thousand people, the majority of them (in the Riverside County Registrar of Voters being young people. We signed up 40 new statistical reporting), but that’s only because registrations at that event. ‘no party preference’ is usually (voting) “What’s even more interesting are the Republican.” young people—I’m talking 16-year-olds—who According to the Riverside County Registrar have been contacting our headquarters, preof Voters database, the numbers of registered registering to vote and urging their friends to Republicans declined in seven of the nine get out and vote this November. They are fully Coachella Valley cities between April and July; aware of what’s going on. Their focus is not just only Coachella and Indian Wells saw increases on Black Lives Matter. In talking with these in registered Republicans (up 22 and 3, young people, they’re just fed up, and they’re respectively) over the three months. In eight of getting involved. They’re saying, ‘We’re here, the nine valley cities, the Democrats increased and you’ve got to start paying attention (to their registered voters, with the one exception us).’ I’m very impressed with them. Also, what’s being Desert Hot Springs, which saw decreases really interesting about is how organic it’s been.

This isn’t organized, per se. These are just young in both Democratic and Republican registered voters. people who communicate with each other on Megan Beaman Jacinto is an immigration Facebook and on Twitter, and they’re saying, and civil rights attorney who serves on the ‘We have to do something. We have to have our Coachella City Council. She said the Trump voices heard.’ It’s been remarkable. The really administration’s efforts have led many people sweet thing is that they’re not going away.” to get more involved.

Joy Miedecke, of the East Valley Republican CVIndependent.com

How will COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement shape what happens locally on Election Day?

“I think that so many things have happened over the last four years that motivated the Latino community, other communities of color, and even white people—who are concerned about the way our communities have been damaged—to stand up and get more active politically,” Beaman Jacinto said. “Some of that has come in the form of protests, or creating new types of groups and associations, or just being more vocal on certain issues. All of that activation, I hope, will be seen in increased voter turnout. But inextricable from all of that is the challenge of COVID-19 and the potential vote-by-mail process. Of course, I support that (voteby-mail) process, and I’m thankful that our community will be enjoying access to it.

“On the immigration side of things, we’ve done a lot of naturalization over the last four years, which is moving people from their permanent-legal-resident status to citizenship status—and that comes with the right to vote.

A lot of the people seeking citizenship in the past few years are specifically motivated by a desire to vote against Trump, and a lot of them are older. They’re people who have been permanent legal residents for decades and now felt compelled to take the final step and become citizens so they could vote. So I’m hopeful that they’ll be reflected in the turnout as well.”

Victor Gonzalez is the project manager at Alianza Coachella Valley. According to the organization’s website, Alianza CV brings together community members, nonprofits and governments to make people active in the processes shaping policies and public funding.

One of Gonzalez’s main responsibilities is supervising eastern Coachella Valley students

in Alianza’s Youth Organizing Council (YO-C!).

“Our current engagement (group) right now consists of high school students and collegebound or college-attending students,” Gonzalez said. “Most of those attending college are able to vote themselves now. Currently, they’re participating in a focus group to help inform the messaging for the state in relation to the changes that are being made to the voting (process). I believe that there will be a higher emphasis on vote-by-mail. … Our youth are offering a Latino perspective (to the focus group), because most of the students that YO-C! engages are from that background.”

Gonzalez offered some observations about the importance of November’s elections to his student/youth leaders.

“Given the conversations that I’ve had with youth and others, for people who are unable to vote, there’s a sense of disappointment, and they don’t feel that the systemic response to (the societal challenges) has been good,” Gonzalez said. “For the people who can vote, they feel that now’s their time to make a difference. Also, people are messaging to us that the elections and voting (concerns) go beyond the national level, and that what happens locally does inform the national level.

So, (the focus) is more on: How do we have people who represent us here locally that will make decisions that are going to benefit all of us, whether it’s Riverside County, the cities or even the school boards? That’s (an approach) that I feel is being emphasized more strongly than I’ve seen since I first starting doing this work. Before, it was like, ‘Local elections don’t matter. It’s all about the president or whoever.’ But now I feel that there’s a broader perspective.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

AUGUST 2020

NEWS

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DYING-WITH-DIGNITY DILEMMA

M

by kevin fitzgerald

ore critically ill Californians utilized the state’s End of Life Option Act in 2019 than in 2018—but almost all of those who did so were white.

That’s the big takeaway from the California Department of Health’s yearly report, released on June 30, on what is sometimes called the death-with-dignity law.

Consider: In 2019, some 618 terminally ill adult patients received prescriptions for medical aid in dying, and 405 patients took the medication to end their lives. Of those 405 Californians, 353 of them were white—or 87 percent, even though white people make up just 36.5 percent of the state’s population, according to 2019 U.S. Census estimates. (Full disclosure: My mother-in-law personal values have a lot of impact on that utilized the law in 2016.) number. That’s in addition to the fact that the Only 5 Black Californians (1.2 percent), information is not necessarily available to all 26 Asian Californians (6.4 percent), and 16 patients.”

Hispanic Californians (4 percent) utilized Patricia González-Portillo is the national the law, although these demographic groups Latino media and constituency director for together represent 61.4 percent of the state’s Compassion and Choices. population (Black 6.5 percent; Asian 15.5 “I can tell you that Latinos refuse to engage percent; Hispanic 39.4 percent). in these conversations,” González-Portillo Compassion and Choices is “the nation’s said. “They’re afraid to talk about death. It’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization something that’s known. We dress up for the working to improve and expand health care Day of the Dead, and we wear the outfits, but options at the end of life,” according to the when it’s time for us to talk about it, we just group’s website. The Independent spoke don’t. We (at Compassion and Choices) want recently with Brandi Alexander, the national to have people talk to their doctors, to have director of constituency at Compassion and these conversations that are so important— Choices, and a Black American. especially now. This is critical during the “I’m not surprised that the Africanpandemic.

American community is using (the law) “These numbers don’t surprise me, because, at a lesser rate, because traditionally, again, Latinos unfortunately will wait until we underutilize palliative care overall,” death is at our door to start talking about this. she said. “We’re less likely to complete That’s including me. My brother died of cancer advance directives, or even have end-of-life in 2007, and my mom and I really started conversations. Medical-aid-in-dying is just one focusing on the fact that he was dying just six of the palliative-care options that are available, hours before his death. And it doesn’t work along with hospice, and we underutilize that way. People don’t prepare themselves (and hospice as well. think about), ‘What if I were in this situation?’

“I think it fits with a pattern in our We (at Compassion and Choices) are doing communities of underutilizing end-of-life everything we can to change that.” care in general. But this is what drives our The hope is that a variety of educationalwork as an organization, so that people can be outreach efforts by Compassion and Choices— equipped with the information and know what including public-service announcements, options are available, (as well as) what those peer-to-peer presentations and clinical options mean to their treatment.” presentations where doctors train other Are there specific underlying issues that doctors about how the End of Life Option Act exist in minority communities that contribute works—will help increase participation by all to the reticence of people to engage in end-ofsegments of the population. life planning?

Locally, Eisenhower Medical Center “I don’t think any group is monolithic,” continues to forbid its doctors, staff members Alexander said, “but there has been an issue and facilities from having anything to do with with trust in the medical community overall, the End of Life Option Act. so it’s always been a sensitive topic for the “In the Coachella Valley, we have an action (Black) community. Although the law may not team of volunteers who are trying to get fit with (a particular individual’s) personal the local hospices and secular health-care value system, they do still support it (as an systems, like Eisenhower Medical Center, to option) for others. So, it makes sense to me change their policies to a neutral stance,” said that 70 percent (of Black Californians) agree Samantha Trad, California state campaign with the option, but that doesn’t mean that director for Compassion and Choices. “That they want it for themselves. I do think that

California’s End of Life Option Act is being used more than ever—but not by the state’s majority-minority communities

means if a doctor wants to support their eligible terminally ill patient in medical-aidin-dying, they can. In other words, they’d no longer be prohibited.”

Trad said she’s also been busy in Sacramento.

“We meet with legislators. I’ve already met with 75 California legislators this year just to update them on the law and let them know how it’s working,” she said. “The law is working as intended if you can get through all the process. But what we’re hearing is that (some steps) that were meant to be safeguards have turned into barriers and roadblocks. So it’s hard, and it’s a lot of work.”

Kim Callinan, the president and CEO of Compassion and Choices, laid out the challenges ahead for her organization in a June 30 press statement.

“We must all do a better job of ensuring equitable access to this peaceful dying option, so no terminally ill Californian has to needlessly suffer,” Callinan said.

She offered a suggestion for a roadmap

Civil rights and labor rights icon Dolores Huerta recently made a PSA on behalf of Compassion and Choices.

that could lead to simpler and quicker patient access: “Oregon recently enacted an amendment to the 1994 Oregon Death With Dignity Act. It allows doctors to waive the waiting period requirements for medical aid in dying if the patient is not expected to live long enough to complete them. This has set a precedent for California and other states to make the same compassionate adjustment to their laws.”

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10 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2020

NEWS

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LEADER OF THE FUTURE? A

by kevin fitzgerald

little more than a year ago, in June 2019, then-incoming La Quinta High School senior Lizbeth Luevano beat out hundreds of other students to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 2019 R2L NextGen week-long program, organized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and sponsored by State Farm. The Independent covered the story of her experience.

This summer, Luevano has earned another honor: She’s one of four Inland Empire students participating in a prestigious, paid internship with Bank of America’s Student Leaders Program.

According to a press release, the students will engage in an “experience of leadership, civic in San Diego. I don’t think I would have been engagement and workforce skills-building with empowered enough to reach out to that local nonprofit OneFuture Coachella Valley. immigration attorney if I hadn’t been coached In light of the health concerns that remain to pursue those kinds of opportunities.” in local communities, the program has been The students have been working with adapted to a virtual format. … As part of their OneFuture Coachella Valley, a nonprofit that Student Leader program, each student will “works to help all students graduate prepared receive a $5,000 stipend.” for college, career and life—expanding and The Independent recently spoke by phone enhancing the local workforce so that our with Luevano, and she said the Student Leaders Program has given her a chance to talk youth and economy thrive,” according to the to a lot of people she wouldn’t be able to access organization’s website.

“Locally, with OneFuture CV, we’re working otherwise. on a story-making project,” Luevano said.

“Part of the project has been talking to “Essentially, they’re connecting us—myself and specific community leaders who are local to three other IE-market student leaders—with my area and come from similar underserved community leaders and doing interviews. We’re backgrounds like mine, and also, talking to drawing up articles from those interviews, other national student leaders who might be and we’re sharing them across the social from different states,” Luevano said. “This week, we just finished up the young democracy media of OneFuture. So, it’s a campaign to promote OneFuture and to raise awareness session. I came out of it feeling a lot more about the kind of impact they’re having on the knowledgeable about the disparities we see community.” across the nation. I’ve developed more skills Luevano and thousands of other Coachella to try to provide solutions for those problems.

Valley students had the in-person aspects of I’ve always been very interested in becoming their senior year of high school cut short by an immigration-rights lawyer, and I want the COVID-19 pandemic. to practice here in the Coachella Valley. So, “The virtual (classes) didn’t really work,” for me, it’s important to understand how to Luevano said. “No one was really attending recognize those problems and how to be a part the Zoom meetings with my teachers, so I of that solution. The community leaders we’ve seen are not necessarily from one sector. We’ve really felt that I had graduated in March.

I didn’t expect I could have a physical talked to people from the private sector, the graduation, but La Quinta High School did do nonprofit sector and the for-profit sector— a drive-through ceremony, which was really who come from different backgrounds, but are nice. We were really rushed through, but it all focused on that one goal of helping society. was at least nice to get the photos onstage. It It’s been amazing how much I’ve learned from really has been interesting to adjust—and it’s every webinar. been weird not to have felt that closure. It’s “Bank of America has been so good about weird to think that I’m already a high school wanting us to learn more about issues like graduate when I haven’t had the chance yet food insecurity here, but they’re tackling so to say goodbye to my teachers or my peers at many different aspects that will help me on high school. It’s definitely been difficult—but my journey. There’s also been the mentorship I definitely have felt a lot of support from the project that’s teaching us how valuable community. I don’t know if you’re familiar mentorship opportunities are. … We were with the Coachella Valley Adopt a Graduating talking about how important it is to reach out (2020 High School) Senior program. It was to people to make connections. That’s how a way for other people in the community I ended up finding a job that I’ll be going to to reach out via Facebook to a member of in August: I’ll be working as a legal assistant the class of 2020, and celebrate them with to an immigration attorney (Hurwitz Holt) CVIndependent.com

La Quinta High grad Lizbeth Luevano will head to Stanford after completing BofA’s Student Leaders Program

Lizbeth Luevano: “One of the general sentiments that I always felt in high school is that a lot of people want to get out of the Coachella Valley. … But long term, I do want to come back, and I do want to practice here as a lawyer.”

gifts and snacks, and things of that nature.

That was really nice. But I do wish I’d had a physical graduation.”

In the fall, Luevano will embark on the next chapter of her education when she begins her studies at Stanford University. When we spoke last year, she’d mentioned that in order to “get out of her comfort zone,” she wanted to attend college at either Swarthmore or Bowdoin, which are both East Coast schools. Luevano explained her change of heart.

“It was definitely (a decision) I was struggling with,” she said. “Because of the coronavirus pandemic, I wasn’t able to get on the campus of some of the schools I was admitted to. I was admitted to Bowdoin and Swarthmore, and I was heavily considering them—but I thought that I had to go with my gut, and I think that Stanford is decently far away for me to get uncomfortable enough. It was something I struggled with until the last day.

“My priorities have been shifting (as far as) what I wanted as a college experience, and I felt like maybe a larger student population would be more suited for what I wanted to do.”

Before Luevano moves on to Stanford, she wanted to emphasize how important her involvement with OneFuture CV has been to her growth.

“I’d been part of the Migrant Education Program and already had access to OneFuture

CV, even before this Student Leaders program,” she said. “I think the kind of emphasis they place on education as economic development is especially important. One of the general sentiments that I always felt in high school is that a lot of people want to get out of the Coachella Valley. I see it even with some of my friends—a lot of people just want to leave, and they don’t want to come back. As I mentioned, I even wanted to go to the East Coast (for college), because I felt too familiar here. But long term, I do want to come back, and I do want to practice here as a lawyer.

“It’s been very valuable for me that One Future CV promotes this kind of narrative of people who have gone to college—UCLA and all these different schools—and have eventually come back to pursue their careers here. … Students and leaders should not only see those problems, but also be part of the solution of alleviating those problems here. People like Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz, who went to Harvard Medical School—he still came back here to the Coachella Valley.

County Supervisor (V. Manuel) Perez went to Harvard as well—and he came back. With what I’m learning as a student leader, I’ll be able to continue those initiatives here with a local nonprofit that has that kind of mission statement. For me, it’s been invaluable and very nurturing.”

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 11

AUGUST 2020

NEWS

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AUGUST ASTRONOMY

The month offers close pairings Planets and BrightofStars Evening the in moon andMid-Twilight the brightest For August, 2020 Perseid This sky chart isplanets—plus drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, meteors but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

A

N

By Robert Victor

ugust’s planetary scene features giants in tandem in the evening—and four very close pairings of the moon with the three brightest planets. The Perseid meteor shower, somewhat diminished by moonlight this year, peaks in predawn on Aug. 12.

Going camping? The best evenings for viewing the Milky Way from dark sites 90 minutes to three hours after sunset are Aug. 9-21.

Bright Jupiter in the southeast to south-southeast at dusk, and Saturn about 8 degrees to its east, are an attractive pair for evening telescopic observation. Views of Jupiter’s cloud belts and four bright satellites, and Saturn’s spectacular rings, always inspire. Jupiter will be near the moon; on Aug. 1, just before sunset, using binoculars, try to see Jupiter in the daytime, within 3.2 degrees to the upper right of the moon. An hour after meteoroids, leftover particles from previous sunset, they’re easy to see with the unaided eye, passages of Comet Swift-Tuttle, will be entering 3.6 degrees apart. the atmosphere on paths nearly parallel to the On the next evening, Aug. 2, Saturn and horizon. They’ll appear to radiate from the Jupiter appear 9 and 16 degrees to the upper constellation Perseus, then rising in the northright of the nearly full moon. In August, Mars northeast below the familiar “W” of Cassiopeia. rises in the late evening, shortly before or after As the night progresses, our part of the Jupiter reaches its high point in south. On the Earth’s surface is turned ever more broadside night of Aug. 2, Mars passes perihelion, its least to the incoming meteors, increasing the amount of distance from sun. numbers seen, while the radiant (direction of In the morning sky, Venus rises more than the source) climbs higher in the northeastern three hours before the sun and is well up in sky. Throughout the darkness hours, meteors the eastern sky as dawn brightens. Against the might light up anywhere in the sky, but the star background, Venus shifts 30 degrees in 30 actual members of the shower, if their tracks are days, Aug. 1-31. On Aug. 2, it passes 1.8 degrees extended backward before the point where they south of third-magnitude Zeta Tauri, tip of lit up, will intersect at their common radiant, the bull’s southern horn. Crossing through in upper Perseus. By 11 p.m., Jupiter and northernmost Orion into Gemini, Venus Saturn will be 8 degrees apart in the southern ends August within 9 degrees south of firstsky, and Mars will have risen in the east. Soon magnitude Pollux, Gemini’s brighter twin. after midnight, the count will suffer a setback Mercury begins the month 29 degrees to the with the rising of a fat crescent moon—but will lower left of Venus and within 7 degrees south increase as the radiant continues its ascent. of Pollux. Speeding toward superior conjunction At first light of dawn soon after 4:30 a.m. on on far side of the sun on Aug. 17, Mercury Aug. 12, the Pleiades star cluster, beautiful in moves 36 degrees to the lower left of Venus binoculars, will appear 7 degrees to the upper

by Aug. 8, when binoculars will be useful for left of the moon, and red-orange Aldebaran, spotting it low in bright twilight. follower of the Pleiades and eye of Taurus, the Also on Aug. 8, in morning twilight, find Bull, will be 11 degrees to the moon’s lower left.

Mars high in the south, 10 degrees to the upper On the following morning, Aug. 13, the left of the waning gibbous moon, 79 percent moon will pass 4 degrees north of Aldebaran. full. In the late evening on Aug. 8, as Jupiter On the 14th, look for Venus 12 degrees to the reaches due south just before 11 p.m., the moon moon’s lower left; and red Betelgeuse, Orion’s and Mars will have just risen in the east, with shoulder, 16 degrees to the moon’s lower right. the red planet only 1.7 degrees to the upper left Farther right and a little lower is blue-white of the 73 percent moon. The moon and Mars Rigel, Orion’s foot. Midway between these will appear closest, 1.4 degrees apart center-tocolorful stars is the Hunter’s 3-star belt. Follow center, at 1:14 a.m. on Aug. 9. They’re still just 2 its line downward to Sirius, the Dog Star, just degrees apart at sunrise on Aug. 9, with Mars to risen in east-southeast. Close to the east and the lower right of the 70 percent moon. about the same distance above the horizon, look On the night of Tuesday and Wednesday, for Procyon, forming the nearly equilateral August 11-12, the annual Perseid meteor Winter Triangle with Sirius and Betelgeuse. If shower reaches its peak. Even before twilight you catch Sirius soon after it rises, turn around ends on Tuesday evening, shortly after 9 p.m. to see the entire Summer Triangle of Vega, locally, some “earth-grazing” meteors might Deneb and Altair in the northwest to west, be seen. They will be long-lasting, because the before Altair sets.

August's evening sky chart.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Deneb Regulus Vega

E

W Altair

Arcturus

Spica 1

Saturn 8 15 22 29 1

8 15 22 29 Jupiter

Evening mid-twilight occurs

Antares

Venus near theSun moon: The waning when is 9O below horizon. moon Aug. 1: 43through minutes after continues eastward the sunset. zodiac toward 42morning " " of" Aug. 15, an hour the sun, and on15: the 31: 40 " " " before sunrise, the 16 percent crescent appears within 4 degrees to the north (upper left) of Venus. It’s a pretty sight, with earthshine on the moon’s non-sunlit side!

On Aug. 16, the 9-percent crescent moon appears in the east-northeast, 5 to 9 degrees to the lower right of Pollux and Castor, the Gemini twins. The last easy old crescent moon occurs on Aug. 17, as a thin 3 percent sliver, low in the east-northeast, 12 degrees below Pollux.

The invisible new moon occurs as it passes the sun on Aug. 18 at 7:42 p.m. Grab binoculars on the evening of Aug. 19, about 30 minutes after sunset. From a site with an unobstructed view midway between the west and westnorthwest, you’ll get a chance to view a young crescent moon, 2 percent full, only 4 degrees up.

Follow the waxing moon nightly one hour

S

Stereographic Projection

after sunset, Aug. 20 through Sept. D. 2.Miller On Aug. Map by Robert 22, the 22 percent crescent moon passes within 6 degrees north of Spica in the west-southwest, in Virgo. On Aug. 25, the 54 percent moon, just past first quarter phase, passes within 6 degrees to the north of the red supergiant star Antares, heart of the Scorpion.

Jupiter near the moon, reprise: On Aug. 28, just before sunset, use binoculars to try for a daytime sighting of Jupiter, within 2.3 degrees to the upper left of the gibbous moon in the southeast. One hour after sunset, Jupiter will be 2.4 degrees almost directly above the 84 percent moon in the south-southeast. Saturn will be nearly 8 degrees to the left of the moon.

Wishing you clear skies!

Robert Victor was a staff astronomer at Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. He is now retired and enjoys providing sky watching opportunities for folks in and around Palm Springs.

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12 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

Before

AUGUST 2020

everything went to hell, the Coachella Valley theater community was enjoying, by far, its most successful

season ever.

CVRep was reveling in its first full season in its gorgeous new home, the CVRep Playhouse in Cathedral City. Dezart Performs and the Desert Rose Playhouse were in the midst of sold-out seasons.

Coyote StageWorks was getting settled into its new digs at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, while Palm Canyon Theatre and Desert Theatreworks were packing people into shows in downtown Palm Springs and Indio, respectively.

“We started off our ninth season like a rocket,” said Shawn Abramowitz, the executive director and board president of the Desert Ensemble Theatre Company, which shares space at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club with Dezart Performs. “We had not just record attendance, but record donations—and we were really growing, which allowed us to invest more.”

The weekend of March 13-15 was going to the biggest weekend during this most successful season ever: Four of the six aforementioned companies were opening shows, while LGBT-focused Desert Rose was entering its second weekend of Beautiful Thing, which had received rave reviews, and Palm Canyon Theatre was embarking on the final weekend of a successful production of The Pajama Game.

But as that weekend approached, the reality of COVID-19 began to set in. The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament was postponed, while Coachella and Stagecoach were delayed until October (before being cancelled altogether for 2020). Disneyland closed—as did all of the shows on Broadway.

Desert Rose Playhouse, Dezart Performs and Desert Ensemble Theatre Company (which, appropriately, was preparing to open a show called How to Survive an Apocalypse) chose to cancel the weekend’s shows, while Desert Theatreworks and Palm Canyon Theatre shut down after Friday’s performances. Only CVRep would make it through the weekend—and on Sunday, March 15, the company’s production of The City of Conversation would become the final full theatrical production the valley has hosted since.

The cancellations devastated the local theater community, both emotionally and financially.

“I will tell you, the amount of frustration and disappointment in coming right up to opening night and having to cancel—I do not want to go through that again,” said Chuck Yates, the founding artistic director of Coyote Stageworks. “We shut down The Velocity of Autumn the day before we were supposed to open. It’s too hard.”

Now, more than four months later, all of the valley’s theater companies remain in limbo. None of them know what the 20202021 season will bring—even though some companies have optimistically announced seasons starting as early as September.

In other words, the theater world is a mess—but the mess has had a silver lining, of sorts: It’s brought the local theater community together.

Some—but, notably, not all—of the desert’s theater companies have banded together to launch the Alliance of Desert Theatres (aodt.org), “a cooperative of producing theater companies in the Coachella Valley that network and take action in order to nurture a vibrant

performing arts community,” according to the website. The effort started with a Zoom call back in May, and continues with weekly Zoom calls and subcommittees that look at various initiatives.

“I felt that (the alliance) was going to be a great resource and offer a sense of community and camaraderie to get through this horrible time,” said Michael Shaw, the artistic director of Dezart Performs.

“We’re sharing our woes; we’re sharing our strategies. This was an opportunity to really get a sense of what we need to do to survive as a theater community.”

David Cohan,

the vice president of the board of directors at CVRep, serves as the Alliance of Desert Theaters’ spokesman. He explained that the alliance grew out of internal conversations taking place at CVRep. “With everything that is (happening), we felt that this is the time and place where we need to come together,” Cohan said. “Joe Giarrusso, the president of the (CVRep) board, and I started discussing this. I suggested that if nobody was doing it, maybe we should be the ones to organize it. So we put out emails to all the other theater groups and set up an initial meeting. That was the starter.”

Cohan said the alliance’s weekly meetings give participants the opportunity to share information and ideas, and the group is working on possibly pooling some resources. As an example, Cohan said, the alliance has discussed the feasibility of filming productions and streaming them.

“That’s not as simple as it sounds,” he said. “For instance, for CVRep, we are a union theater company, and there are two different unions—one that covers live theater, and one that covers, basically, broadcast theater. … If you’re recording a live performance, but then wanting to stream it, you’re talking about two different unions and two different sets of rules.

“Then you get into technology—how could you do it? How do you do it in terms of equipment? A lot of theaters don’t have recording equipment—and how expensive is it? Besides cameras, what do you need? … There are some people who are much more technically oriented and have been doing research on recording. Could we buy some recording equipment and share it among the theaters? That’s one of the things we’re discussing.”

While it’s been helpful to exchange ideas and share information, Cohan said the sense of community the alliance has fostered has been its biggest benefit.

“The camaraderie has been nothing short of amazing and heartwarming and astounding,” he said. “We’re all working really well together—and it makes for a stronger arts community. We all have a much better appreciation for one another.”

Desert Ensemble’s Abramowitz agreed.

“It’s really a huge support system for theater companies,” Abramowitz said. “Even the groups that aren’t necessarily a part of the alliance, it doesn’t mean that the alliance wouldn’t have resources available for those other theater companies. There’s been a need for a very long time for groups to come together to figure out how we can combine resources in a way that is noncompetitive and that allows us to grow. We’re all doing great work, and we all support each other, and we all love each other—even though we’re also all very competitive.”

CAN THE

SHOW GO ON? The Coachella Valley’s theater companies don’t know when they’ll be able to take the stage again— but a new alliance is helping them support each other until that time comes

BY JIMMY BOEGLE

CVIndependent.com

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 13

AUGUST 2020

Abramowitz said the Alliance of Desert Theatres fulfills a different purpose than the longestablished Desert Theatre League—best known for its annual Desert Star Awards, honoring the best in local theater each year. (Incidentally, Desert Star nominations are slated to be announced on Aug. 1.)

“The Desert Theatre League’s mission is to highlight the work that is being done in the valley,” Abramowitz said. “What’s not a part of their mission is helping us expand, in terms of resources and availability.

“I think the common thread among all of us is … how can we best help each other out when we do not know what our reality is going to be like? The alliance itself is supposed to be equal in terms of participation. That there’s no specific leader; there’s no specific hierarchy. We’ve formed subcommittees to help each other out, whether it’s regarding fundraising, or what possible grants are out there for us, and who could possibly use them. What are the (standard operating procedures) for reopening? What do we think it’s going to look like? Where can we get the best deal on hand sanitizer?”

Shaw said one of the alliance’s goals is to help educate the public about local theater.

“The fact that we are speaking weekly, it’s good that all of our patrons and all of our donors know that we’re doing that, because what we’re also doing is educating the public,” Shaw said. “‘Did you know that there is a LGBTQ theater in the valley? Did you know that there’s a very successful theater in Indio at the Indio Performing Arts Center? Did you know that?’ There are a lot of people who don’t know that. It’ll help open the eyes and educate the public about what the offerings are in the community once we get back up and running. It would have been great to have something like this before, pre-COVID, but we’re all so busy.”

That busy-ness is one of the reasons some of the valley’s theater companies have declined to participate in the alliance—at least for now. Take Coyote StageWorks, for example; the company was listed as a member in the news release first announcing the formation of the Alliance of Desert Theatres, but Yates said he later decided that he needed to take a step back.

“I applaud them. We were in the first three Zoom conversations about setting it up and what it could be,” Yates said. “David Youse is my board president. We talked a lot about it. … It was taking away our focus from keeping our own business alive. It also seemed to be heading in a different direction from what we initially thought the alliance was going to be. We just decided that at this particular moment, it was imperative that we focus on Coyote.

“Some of the talk was in getting buying power on hand sanitizer and that kind of stuff for the theaters. Well, we already have that covered with being at the Cultural Center.”

Yates said he may at some point decide to rejoin the alliance.

“Things may change. I may go back to them and say, ‘All right, now we’re ready,’” Yates said.

“But at the time it was all happening, there was too much unknown. We had people saying that they were definitely starting up in November, and I was like, ‘I can’t support that.’ An alliance means that you’re aligned.”

Meanwhile,

the theater companies are all trying to figure out how to handle their 2020-2021 seasons—if the pandemic even allows a 2020-2021 season.

Palm Canyon Theatre and Desert Theatreworks, as of this writing, are selling tickets for fully announced seasons, starting in September. Desert Rose is in the midst of a move from Rancho Mirage into a new home—the former Zelda’s nightclub space, on South Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs.

Most of the other theater companies have their eyes set on 2021.

“Gosh, we are definitely not opening up this year,” Desert Ensemble’s Abramowitz said.

“There’s just no way, especially without state or federal guidelines on how a theater company

Michael Shaw, David Youse, Chuck Yates and Hanz Enyeart in Dezart Performs’ production of Daniel’s Husband, which was produced earlier this year. DAVID A. LEE

or a performance-art center should operate. We don’t want to give hopes to any of our patrons and then cancel. Right now, we are thinking of the beginning of next year. We’re changing our gala event—which would normally be an event with food, and drink, and song, and a ton of people—to something a little bit more quaint.

“We are (hoping to do a season starting in the first part of 2021), but it will be very short.

Instead of doing the gala event and then three full-stage productions, we would be doing a gala event and two stage productions. One of them would be (company founder) Tony Padilla’s show that we want to do for our 10th anniversary, that we did a reading on back in December of last year. Then, we also hope to redo How to Survive an Apocalypse. We have the set; we have everything.”

Dezart Performs’ Shaw is also setting his sights on a scaled-down season in 2021, starting with the show he was never able to open back in March—presented, perhaps, in an unconventional manner.

“Our goal is to produce three shows this season, and start with Every Brilliant Thing, where we left off; how we’re going to present it comes down to money,” Shaw said. “We are looking into various streaming platforms. We’re looking at filming it live and then streaming it as a recording.

“Our second show—for the first time, we’re actually producing a musical. It’s only two actors. … Then we’re doing a brand-new drama by Paul Coates called The End of It.” Chuck Yates, at Coyote StageWorks, said the set for The Velocity of Autumn remains onstage at the Cultural Center.

“Our plan is, when it is safe for people to come back to a theater, we will do that show,” he said. “We have a couple of other titles in a holding pattern if we get to do more than one show—but at the moment, nobody seems to know when we’re able to do what we do.”

In the meantime, Yates said he’s working with the Cultural Center—which recently started hosting drive-in movies—to possibly hold smaller events outdoors.

“I won’t say they’re full productions, but they’d be some concerts and some other sorts of fun outdoor events for Coyote StageWorks,” he said. “All of that’s in the works right now, just so we can keep doing some things. … We’ve also talked about doing our play-reading series outdoors when it gets cooler.”

Over at CVRep, which has been hosting a steady series of virtual events, the plan is to reopen with The City of Conversation, hopefully in January 2021—but even if that can happen, Cohan said it will be a big challenge to actually pull it off, barring a miracle cure for COVID-19.

“We’re making all sorts of plans,” Cohan said. “We have multiple calls a week where we’re coming up with plans A, B, C, D and E; it just keeps going. One of our plans is, if it is safe enough, and if we think we’ll have the patrons to be able to do it, we will invite people to come back to the theater with enormous modifications to how we do in-person shows—with a very limited seating capacity and socially distanced seating. We’re also talking about making it safe for the actors by having their dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms separated with Plexiglass and all kinds of other things. We’re trying to figure all that out—and then having particular protocols for how people will actually come to the theater, everything from going to fully paperless ticketing to having people arrive at the theater at staggered times so people aren’t waiting together in our lobby.

“We’re thinking about everything. There are very extensive cleaning protocols to the actual seats and every surface, and restrooms, both during the shows, when restrooms will get cleaned multiple times before the show and intermissions, and after the show, as well as all the seats being sprayed down and disinfected between shows. … And then what happens as we approach a show, if an actor comes down with the sniffles, which is not an unusual thing? Can we still run the show? We used to be able to. An actor used to be able to muscle through. But now if an actor has the sniffles, can we still do that?”

Bonnie Gilgallon and Shawn Abramowitz in Desert Ensemble Theatre Company’s For a Reason, which was produced in 2019. JEROME ELLIOTT

Josh Odsess-Rubin and Martha Hackett in CVRep’s The City of Conversation—the final show to be performed in the valley before the March shutdown.

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AUGUST 2020

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15

AUGUST 2020

ARTS & CULTURE

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FROM STAGE TO SCREEN E

Open Call, the McCallum Theatre’s annual local-talent showcase, moves to video

By matt king

very year, the McCallum Theatre showcases local performers via its Open Call Talent Project—but the series of April shows, like so many other events, was a casualty of the coronavirus epidemic.

However, the show must go on—so Open Call 2020 has moved from the stage to the screen: A special half-hour video showcasing the Open Call finalists, produced by the McCallum and hosted by Patrick Evans, aired on KESQ and is now streaming on the McCallum Theatre’s YouTube page. The video was filmed in the desert adjacent to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. appearing of people who are stuck at home.”

Kajsa Thuresson-Frary, the vice president Thuresson-Frary and her team started of education at the McCallum, explained how the process by having the finalists record Open Call normally works, during a recent themselves. phone interview.

“We met with everyone over Zoom and “It’s a competition where people submit, gave them the music and their parts,” she and then we have callbacks; then we get to said. “They worked back and forth with Paul about 18 to 20 finalists,” Thuresson-Frary (Cracchiolo), our music director, and worked said. “The whole thing is a learning process, out a good-quality product to send in. While we but there’s also an added competition element. were doing this, mandates started to be lifted, What we always do with our cast is have all of and we eventually arrived at a time where we them participate in a big finale number that felt it was safe to record a good-quality video is inspired by the finalists. A big part of the that we would feel comfortable putting the rehearsals for the show is practicing that finale McCallum name on. We collaborated with number. That’s a big learning experience, too, Tracker Studios’ Doug VanSant, and A. Wolf because if you’re a vocalist, you’ll get to dance; Mearns, who are also musicians. All of us if you’re a dancer, you’ll get to sing; and if brainstormed a way to complete this project in you’re a musician, you’ll get to do both: Every a way that is safe and good-quality.” cast member participates in a choreographed Filming inside the McCallum wasn’t an experience. It’s created to be an inspiration for the audience members, who hopefully go home option; Thuresson-Frary and her team wanted a safe, outside location where mask-wearing and begin some risk-taking of their own.” and social distancing could take place.

Thuresson-Frary said the McCallum “That’s where The Living Desert came into announced this year’s Open Call finalists shortly before the theater shut down in March. play,” she said. “We wanted to have a wild desert feel, especially under the circumstances, “Had it not been for us already announcing to be able to pay tribute to Mother Nature and our finalists, we probably wouldn’t have done the conditions we live in. We reached out to anything this year,” she said. “We had a few Judy Esterbrook, who is the sales manager of cast members this year who have tried out The Living Desert, and she just so happened for several years and finally made it, and I to be at Open Call last year and was fully on really wanted to figure out a way that we could board for helping us out. They were generous continue to do the show. We also already had enough to let us use the wild desert area the finale number written. behind their zoo and gardens and provided “We started trying to figure out how to do us with shuttle service that transported our it this year and thought that we couldn’t really artists individually. There were a lot of logistics include the competition element. We have to work out, and The Living Desert was very several large groups and dance companies, and generous and became a very lovely partner. they wouldn’t have the opportunity to practice That was the same week that the zoo was anywhere. We have a pretty high standard for the McCallum Theatre’s Open Call project, so if allowed to re-open, so everything worked out.”

After she saw the first video cut, Thuressonwe were to put anything out there that wasn’t Frary said she knew they had made something at a certain level, it wouldn’t feel like a good special. alternative. We also were looking at how to “It’s now been a month of post-production perform the finale number—while following and a lot of back and forth between Tracker the (social-distancing) mandates. We really Studios and us,” Thuresson-Frary said. “I wanted to try to do something a lot more didn’t really want to reach out to KESQ (too exciting than all the videos that have been

Glen Arsua, 10, and Isabelle Martinez, 12, participate in the filming of the McCallum Theatre’s Open Call video. Courtesy of the McCallum Theatre

early), because there were so many variables that could’ve easily put a stop to this project at any point in time. Once I felt confident that we had something that was Open Call-quality, I called over to KESQ and asked for them to partner with us. We feel we have something really special that the community will enjoy. I naively thought that they had a little program that they could stick our (seven-minute) music video into, but they actually asked us to provide them with a whole half-hour.”

However, transforming a seven-minute video into a half-hour show was not necessarily easy.

“We were able to already film our usual artist vignettes, so we decided to include those,” she said. “… Each performer will be introduced and have their vignette aired. We also had an intern, an aspiring filmmaker, who created a behind-the-scenes movie for us.

I thought that many people wouldn’t believe that all of these performers were in the same place at the same time, so he has some behindthe-scenes footage. The music video is the

ending of the 30 minutes.”

While Thuresson-Frary said she’s disappointed that the Open Call shows had to be cancelled, she’s proud that the video will give the talented performers their moment in the spotlight.

“We usually sell out our Open Call series, and we put on four shows, so I know there are a lot of people who really love this project,” Thuresson-Frary said. “There are some people who only come to the McCallum Theatre for our show. This music video can be a testament to the kind of work that we’re able to do for the community, as we’ve been doing Open Call for about 20 years now. … It’s designed to showcase all of the art this valley has to offer. All of these artists didn’t really get to work together, but we’re hoping that this will provide them a sense of community across this divide of distancing.”

For more information, visit www.mccallumtheatre. com/index.php/education/open-call.

CVIndependent.com

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MOVIES & TV

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NOW SHOWING AT HOME W

By Bob Grimm

hen Apple bought the distribution rights to Greyhound, the new Tom Hanks movie, and announced the film would be released via Apple TV+, my first thought was: “It must suck!”

This knee-jerk reaction was due in part to the utter disaster that is Artemis Fowl, the big-budget shitshow that Disney+ “gifted” to us as a streaming choice during the pandemic. That happened because the film was clearly terrible, and sending it to the streaming service had the appearance of a grand gesture during “these unprecedented times.” (Ugh … I’m getting really tired of those three words.)

Fortunately, Greyhound, with the screenplay penned by Hanks himself, is a solid World War II thriller that actually seems better-suited for home viewing: It’s not a grand-enough spectacle to cut it as a blockbuster, but it is a solid 91 minutes spent in close quarters with the most famous person yet to catch the coronavirus. he Outpost—based on a real-life battle that Greyhound chronicles the real-life odyssey took place at an American base poorly placed of the USS Keeling, code name Greyhound, an in the middle of a mountainous Afghanistan—is escort for a convoy of supply ships heading across the Atlantic toward Liverpool during the a harrowing and frustrating experience.

The frustration is not the result of bad war. The ship is targeted by German U-boats, filmmaking—quite the contrary, because as are other members of the convoy, and the film is superbly directed by Rod Lurie.

Greyhound, captained by Commander Ernest It’s frustrating because you know American Krause (Hanks), must go into protect mode. soldiers were dropped into a situation in which They fight a brave battle, and not all of the they would surely be ambushed—a modernships will make it. day Little Bighorn. The battle they had to fight The movie stands alongside the likes of Das occurred under appalling circumstances that Boot and Crimson Tide as solid entertainment should’ve been avoided. spent inside a tin can passing for a floating Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood, arsenal. Director Aaron Schneider provides son of Clint) and his fellow soldiers are some excellent torpedo thrills and does decent hunkered down at Combat Outpost Keating, work with a relatively modest budget. Hanks is a base located at the bottom of mountains Hanks—which means he’s terrific. in Kamdesh, Afghanistan. In a frightening, Apple scored a good one with this film. I’m sure they will have an Artemis Fowl-style dud or foreshadowing moment, an American soldier looks at the camp through the sights of his two in their future, but Greyhound proves that rifle while on patrol in the mountains above, having Apple TV+ is starting to be worth the and accurately narrates the sort of attack money.

Taliban soldiers will mount in the coming days.

Greyhound is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Lurie, a veteran, knows the business of warfare, and his staging of the ambush will cause you to sweat off 10 pounds. It goes on for what seems like forever, and many Americans fall. It’s absolute chaos, with Romesha being one of the saving graces that helps hold the band of soldiers together.

Eastwood is terrific, while Caleb Landry Jones depicts a heartbreaking combination of supreme valor and total hysteria. Their performances anchor the film.

Barack Obama was a great president, but this shit happened on his watch in 2009,

‘Greyhound’ and ‘The Outpost’ are worth your time; avoid ‘Eurovision,’ despite Will Ferrell

albeit in a war he inherited. It’s a war that is still being waged today with a sketchy Taliban peace deal that calls for some American troops to withdraw within a year. The base in Kamdesh has been abandoned, and that’s a good thing.

The Outpost is now streaming on a variety of sources including iTunes and Amazon.com.

T

CVIndependent.com

W

ill Ferrell used to be a sure-fire comedy guarantee: There was a stretch when it seemed he could do no wrong.

Alas, that stretch is long behind him now, and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga continues his recent streak of lousyto-mediocre films. This one falls somewhere in the realm of mediocre.

On the eve of the infamous Eurovision contest—the song competition that birthed the career of ABBA in real life—Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams), lifelong friends and members of the rock-duo Fire Saga, are making one last bid at fame. However, they are terrible, and are hated by most of the people in their Icelandic hometown, including Lars’ father (Pierce Brosnan). A tragic boating accident thrusts them into the competition in which they represent their country—and many unfunny musical sequences ensue.

Ferrell’s wigged schtick grows tired early on—and since the film is two-plus hours long, we are talking about a lot of unwanted shtick. McAdams, who can lipsync with the best of them, is actually quite good here, and nearly saves the film with a warm, funny, earnest performance. Her character’s obsession with magical elves is a potential funny subplot that isn’t adequately explored. Directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), this movie would’ve benefited from a shorter running time.

It’s hard watching Ferrell founder in stuff like this; his career is in need of some major adjustments. He’s too funny to be goofing around with subpar material.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is now streaming on Netflix.

J

oseph Gordon-Levitt, after taking several years off from starring roles to become a new daddy, returns with the standard but sometimes tense airplane thriller 7500.

Levitt does competent work as Tobias, a nebbish co-pilot on a night flight that includes his girlfriend (Aylin Tezel) on the crew. After a short time in the air, a band of hijackers takes hostages and demands entry into the cockpit, banging relentlessly on the cockpit door.

Director and co-writer Patrick Vollrath does very well with the film’s first half. Actually, the film is quite good while the plane is in the air.

Tobias communicates with the hijackers by banging on his door and via black-and-white video—and it’s scary to watch. The film recalls the tense final moments of Paul Greengrass’ United 93, about a similar, real-life situation on Sept. 11.

Once the plane lands, Tobias ends up in the cockpit with one of the hijackers (Omid Memar)—and this is when the movie sputters.

The two actors give it their all, but the script calls for paint-by-numbers conversations, and the moments simply don’t deliver on the promise of the film’s first half.

Still, it’s good to see Gordon-Levitt. It’s a demanding role, and he shakes off the rust fairly well. Too bad the movie as a whole doesn’t match the quality of his performance.

The film 7500 is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

AUGUST 2020

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AUGUST 2020

FOOD & DRINK

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GREAT PLATES INDEED I

BY charles drabkin

n April, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the creation of the Great Plates Delivered program, which had two goals in the midst of the COVID-19 shut-down order: feeding local seniors in need, and keeping restaurant workers employed.

Since then, the program has done both of those things. According to Riverside County spokesman Jose Arballo Jr., as of July 9, some 2,899 people had received 302,046 meals—three per day, seven days per week—from 51 restaurants employing 897 staffers countywide (not counting the cities of Perris, Moreno Valley and Rancho Mirage, which are administering the program themselves).

In the Coachella Valley (except for Rancho can make up to 600 percent of the federal Mirage), Arballo said, 859 participants have poverty limit; must live alone or with one received meals from 19 restaurants. In other program-eligible adult; not be currently Rancho Mirage, 168 seniors from at least nine receiving aid from other state or federal restaurants were receiving meals as of June 10, nutrition-assistance programs; and affirm according to the city. an inability to prepare or obtain meals for For Willie Rhine, the co-owner of themselves.

Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge, In order to participate, restaurants must participating in the program was a no-brainer, meet certain nutritional guidelines, such especially since the restaurant had launched as including fresh fruits and vegetables on a program to feed lunches to local health-care each dish; keeping foods low in sodium; and workers even before the Great Plates Delivered not including “sugary drinks” (although 100 program was announced. percent fruit juice is allowed). Preference “Since the shutdown, we have delivered was also given to restaurants and food almost 2,000 boxed lunches to health-care providers who source and prioritize food from workers throughout the valley,” Rhine said.

California-based farms and ranches; meet the “The Great Plates program seemed to fit cultural needs of program participants; and perfectly and give us another opportunity to promote standards of fairness and equality in continue helping people, specifically seniors. employment practices.

“Additionally, I wanted to keep as many In Riverside County, 49 percent of the staff employed as possible. The Great Plates participating restaurants are minority-owned, program allowed us that opportunity.”

Arballo said. Restaurants can receive up to $66 Great Plates delivered is largely funded by percent day—$16 for breakfast, $17 for lunch, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, $28 for dinner, and up to $5 for incidentals. with the county or city administering the Some have their patrons order directly off the program chipping in a small percentage; as of menu, while some don’t; some restaurants this writing, the program is funded through deliver daily, while others deliver multiple Aug. 9. It is open to seniors 65 or older, or meals three times per week. seniors age 60-64 who are at high risk of To meet the needs of their customers, each COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for restaurant has been in close contact with Disease Control and Prevention. Participants the people they are serving, to learn about

CVIndependent.com

More than 1,000 local seniors are receiving three meals each day, from 28 restaurants, thanks to the Great Plates Delivered program

the special dietary needs the clients may have—like food allergies and diabetes—as well as their physical limitations. For example, Michael Fietsam, of Great Plates Delivered participant PS Underground, said one his customers has lost her fingers, so their chef devised special plating for each of her meals to ensure she can dine with dignity.

The restaurants have faced challenges essentially doing a large catering job every day.

“We originally received a list of clients in cities throughout the valley; we asked if we could limit our deliveries to clients closer to Eight4Nine, ensuring faster service and fresher product,” Rhine said. “Once we had a local client list, we could plan the logistics of daily deliveries. We deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner daily between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

We have been in the catering-events business for many years, so we simply adopted this program as a daily catering event and kept the logistics pretty simple.”

The program also ensures that some of the most-vulnerable members of our community have someone checking on them on a regular basis. Early on, one of the restaurants’ delivery people realized a client’s refrigerator wasn’t working, and the restaurant helped connect that client to services to get that fixed.

Robb Wirt, of Bongo Johnny’s, said the impact of Great Plates Delivered has been “immeasurable”—both to his business and the clients Bongo Johnny’s has been serving.

“Everyone has been so kind and appreciative—so many positive vibes,” Wirt said. “One guest says, ‘This 70-year-old retired teacher feels like a princess or like I have won the lottery, to experience your wonderful food.

Thank you.’ … Another said: ‘I know we have said it before, but it deserves repeating over and over again: Thank you. Your staff and you

Eight4Nine’s offerings on a Wednesday: Steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast; a veggie wrap for lunch; and a grilled chicken breast with summer salsa, zucchini, summer squash and rice pilaf for dinner.

Courtesy of Eight4Nine

are making this isolating period tolerable. Not only can we stay safer by not having to go out to the grocery stores numerous times a week; we also have a joyful moment each day as our delicious, healthy and well-presented meals arrive.’”

All of the restaurateurs we spoke to said they’re happy to participate in the program as long as it’s funded.

“Without community, we wouldn’t be here,” Wirt said.

For more information on the county’s Great Plates Delivered program, call the Riverside County Office on Aging at 800-510-2020. For more information on the Rancho Mirage program, call 877-652-4844, or email greatplates@ ranchomirageca.gov. Jimmy Boegle contributed to this story.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 19

AUGUST 2020

FOOD & DRINK

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

CAESAR CERVISIA L

BY brett newton

ast year, I dedicated an entire column to information and etiquette for people visiting taprooms. Part of my motivation was selfish—I work at a taproom myself, specifically the Coachella Valley Brewing taproom in Thousand Palms—but I also wanted to help people who have little to no experience in the taproom world, and might feel intimidated by it.

I was not intending to follow it up at the time—but things have changed dramatically since those, dare I say, innocent times of late 2019. I want to give you the perspective of someone who is back behind the bar and happy to see his regulars back—while fully understanding that this pandemic is far from over. This brings some new things to consider when visiting your favorite brewery taproom—if it’s one of the few that required to wear one to order or while walking remains open—and I hope this perspective can around—but we’ve all seen the videos of the help you should you decide you absolutely have Karens out there who insist that wearing a to go out for a pint or two, be it now or a little mask is a most serious infringement upon later when more taprooms can reopen again. their civil rights, and who feel they are the There is nowhere to start other than to Rosa Parks of the movement. (Is “movement” state the obvious: Bring and wear a mask. even the word for this?)

This is required in “common and public This also assumes you know how to wear a space, and outdoors when distancing is not mask properly: It needs to cover your nose and possible,” according to the California state mouth. I’ve seen a small minority of people mandate. Thankfully, I have not had very whose facial coverings either droop down or many customers who felt put out by being just expose their noses outright. “But it’s harder

The view from behind the taproom bar through the closing, the reopening, and the partial reclosing

to breathe,” said one customer to me when I pointed this out to him. Seriously, people: Suck it up. Thankfully, I have all the power in my situation—you have to go through me to get beer, and you’d better believe I am not backing down. When you are at your table or leave the taproom property, you are free to take the mask off and breathe as freely as you wish.

Meanwhile, I deeply appreciate you wearing that mask when ordering or walking around the taproom, for my sake—just as I’m wearing my mask for yours.

As of this writing, bars, taprooms and restaurants have had to close their indoor operations, and bars and taprooms can only be open for outdoor service if there is a “bona fide meal provider” (like a catering service or food truck). This is easier for some places to accomplish than others, but even when taprooms make an effort, this is the time of year when you just don’t want to spend much time outside at all—and this doesn’t even take

into count the toll alcoholic beverages can have on you when it’s that hot outside; you have to drink a lot of water to counterbalance its diuretic effect. I have seen some diehards come and have beer (with food) at the taproom, but I would most certainly not do the same, so I understand why I see more people looking to purchase beer to go. This mandate was needed because some businesses were not enforcing social-distancing and/or mask-wearing, and because an increasing amount of science shows that the coronavirus spreads easier indoors than outdoors. Anyway, to summarize: If there is a meal for each person drinking on the tab, and they cover their faces when appropriate, and they sit outside, they can have beer.

It can often feel like there is nothing but bad news out there, especially if you watch cable news or pay attention to social media, but I am happy to say that this is not the case: I have personally been the beneficiary of the generosity of many people who have stopped in to get something to go or have something onsite—and it has been extremely heartwarming. My mother has said that, when I was very young, I used to get overwhelmed to the point of tears when I would get a certain number of Christmas or birthday presents.

Some of that emotion has stuck with me to this day—buried deep inside my calloused soul—and I’ve felt it well up a number of times during the past few months. There have been fewer customers, fewer fun shifts with my co-workers, and lots of moments of worry— but the vast majority of the patrons have been understanding and magnanimous with their tips. I cannot properly express my gratitude for this, but I’m going to try anyway: Thank you.

It has meant a lot to me to so far not have to worry about my financial situation on top of all that there is to worry about, and that would not have been possible if it weren’t for you.

The brewery I work for feels the same way in that we have been able to keep the doors open despite the madness that has befallen us.

I just want us to be able to get to the other side of the pandemic, where we might be able to enjoy some high-fives and hugs again— without having to think about potentially serious lung damage or death. Which means that I hope you stay safe until then.

Brett Newton is a certified cicerone (like a sommelier for beer) and homebrewer who has mostly lived in the Coachella Valley since 1988. He currently works at the Coachella Valley Brewing Co. taproom in Thousand Palms. He can be reached at caesarcervisia@gmail.com.

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VINE SOCIAL JASON DAVID

Australian winemakers have spent the last 10 years retooling—and are now producing some of the world’s best

HAIR STUDIO

H

By KatieLOVE finn YOUR

HAIR

ello? Australia, are you there? Can you hear me? I completely forgot about you and your wines!

And so did a whole lot of others.

In Australian wine’s heyday, stores couldn’t keep up withClub the demand we had for deep and inky Country and Cook Street Barossa Valley shirazes and Coonawarra cabernets. Inexpensive wines with full-throttle flavors Palm De sert and cheeky names sent Americans into a frenzy. It was the height of bigger-is-better wines—and Australia was at the top of the heap. domestic fans—and subsequently turning the 760-340-5959 And then … it all stopped. All of a sudden, heads of millennials (that is, once they look no one was looking for those cute little labels up from their iPhones) who previously scoffed www.jasondavidhairstudio.net with the koalas, or the kangaroos, or the little at the wines from Down Under. What’s more, penguins on them. It was as if it happened there is a booming wine scene in the urban overnight. Americans woke up one morning sprawls of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with complete Australia amnesia. where wine bars and sommelier-led bottle Of course, it didn’t help that there was a shops are popping up in support of their new kid in town. The Aussie shiraz lovers home-grown wines. looking for a juicy, high-octane red that was In the last six months, I’ve tasted more less than $10 a bottle were quickly enamored great wines from Australia than I had in my by a grape they’d never had, from a region they entire career up to that point—wines like knew little about: Malbec, from Argentina, was Brash Higgins Amphora Project Nero d’Avola the new darling of the dollar store. from the McLaren Vale; Robert Oatley’s rose I got to thinking about how Australia’s wines of sangiovese from Mudgee; Frankland Estate fell from grace so quickly and so completely. riesling; and a truly exceptional pinot noir It turns out that while we were busy finding from Moorooduc Estate. our next new wine obsession, Australia was I was introduced to the wines of Patrick dealing with crippling drought and scorched Sullivan and his unbelievably fresh and thirstvineyards—while at the same time trying quenching Jumpin’ Juice Sunset, a blend of to manage massive overproduction. The skin-fermented sauvignon blanc (aka orange business sides of these endeavors had been wine) and cabernet sauvignon. Wait … what?! so focused on catering to the fickle U.S. and Did I hear that right? Yup, and it is quite British markets that they abandoned their literally the color of a Sedona sunset, with own domestic drinkers. From a sommelier flavors of crunchy red raspberries, tangy perspective, the over-extracted, alcoholic Mandarin oranges and pink lemonade; you beasts that commanded a huge price tag were almost forget this is a wine and not a glass of the last things I would recommend to pair freshly squeezed something-or-other. with someone’s dinner. Wine experts began I also had the insane pleasure of tasting the to favor lighter, more-food-friendly options.

Mac Forbes wines. This guy is a pioneer in The perception of Australian wines was that the Yarra Valley and makes some of the most they’d become a one-trick pony, and that beautiful, elegant, silky and expressive pinot one trick just wasn’t doing it anymore. The noirs and chardonnays I’ve ever tasted. The very attribute that shot Australian wine into cool hills of the Yarra Valley are the perfect superstardom was the very thing that turned canvas for his grapes, and you really get a sense around and shot them in their foot. of place when you stick your nose in the glass.

So, whatcha been doin’ for the last decade, Mark my words: He will become known as one Australia? of the greatest winemakers in Australia.

Turns out Australia has been very, very busy.

The beauty of this diverse wine country There is an exciting new wave of winemakers, is that the hidden gems aren’t really hidden with a focus on natural wines, organic wines, at all. Producers like Yalumba, Tyrrell’s, biodynamic farming and experimentation with Henschke and Tahbilk have been producing European varietals. Lower alcohol levels, a wines of uncompromising quality, balance and lighter touch with oak aging, and grapes that elegance for more than 100 years. These are are better-suited for the changing climate are wineries that have stayed true to their roots, all contributing to this Phoenix rising from the crafting wines that perhaps didn’t fit the fad proverbial ashes. Australian wine-makers have 10 years ago, but continue to stand the test of been steadily gaining traction with their own time. Along with seven other wineries, these

producers make up Australia’s First Families of Wine, a collaboration of generations of wine experience with people who are looking to change the negative narrative about this region and its blunders, and put the spotlight back where it belongs—on tradition, not trends.

If you’ve never had Tahbilk’s 1927 Vines Marsanne—from some of the oldest Marsanne plantings in the world—or Yalumbas’ stunning Roussanne or iconic cabernet-shiraz blend called The Caley, or Tyrrell’s Old Patch shiraz, coming from a single vineyard planted in 1867, one could argue you’ve haven’t really tasted Australian wine.

So while you’re sitting at home contemplating what to do with yourself now that everything is closed again, why not reintroduce yourself to Australia? Explore your local wine shop for an interesting bottle (or two) you’ve never had before. See what a decade of reinvention looks like.

It’s been a while, Australia. I’ve missed you.

Thanks for answering the call.

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.

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FOOD & DRINK

ON COCKTAILS Y

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Herbs and spices can help you make delicious nonalcoholic drinks, if you’d like to sober up for a bit

BY kevin carlow

ou’re all cut off.

Look, when I wrote two months ago about bars being an important part of our society, I didn’t say you should all run right out to them the second they reopened—while forgetting all the things we’ve learned over the last several months. This is why we can’t have nice things!

I’ve heard a lot of people recently say: “I have been drinking so much more during quarantine!”

I get it. Some of us (like me!) are still unemployed; those who are employed have few options for entertainment outside of the home; and the supermarkets sell booze in California. Cthulhu knows I’ve had a couple of unhealthy binges during this nightmare.

So … let’s all sober up for a minute, and If you are a regular reader of my hodgepodge talk about non-alcoholic cocktails—and, more of history, recipes and rants, you know I think specifically, the herbs that can make them herbs are pretty great. They give my favorite delicious. type of hooch (amaro) its signature flavor,

A selection of the herbs and spices our intrepid bartender likes to use at home.

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and I think they might be helping keep this unreasonably abused body of mine functioning at an acceptable level. They can also make things without alcohol pretty tasty, too, so let’s raid the pantry, and get kitchen-witchy!

But first, a disclaimer: I am definitely not a doctor; this is not medical advice; and you should check for contraindications with prescription medications, pregnancy or existing health conditions for anything beyond the culinary use of any herb. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s start with rosemary and thyme, because, why not? I keep these around, fresh, much of the time. They last, being woodier than, say, cilantro. They work with chicken or vegetables with ease.

They are also really great for you!

I love thyme, and I use it often. It’s antimicrobial and can help tame a productive cough. It also has carminative properties, helping with gas and bloating, and it can ease digestion. Rosemary has been valued for millennia, and it, too, can also help with digestion. It has benefits for the nervous system and can help kick-start the liver. Both also work fabulously for making infused syrups and vinegars. Making the vinegar couldn’t be easier: Just take a quality apple-cider vinegar, preferably from a local producer to show some love, and drop the herbs into a sterilized jar before covering with said vinegar. Give it at least a few weeks to really get the mojo working—and then you can use it lots of ways.

Take a spoon directly, or add a little local honey and hot water, or perhaps soda water. If you sweeten it, you basically have a shrub, a once very-trendy cocktail ingredient that doesn’t get enough love these days.

To make a syrup, just heat sugar and water, in equal parts, until the sugar is dissolved. I usually don’t go all the way to full boil, but many people do. Just let the syrup cool, and throw in a handful of whatever herb(s) you want to use. Rosemary and thyme are great for this and play well together; feel free to use any woody or dried herb. Avoid leafy herbs like fresh mint, cilantro or basil, as they will just wilt in the hot syrup. Save those for an aromatic garnish. Once the syrup is cooled, remove the herbs; strain; filter through cheesecloth if you’re fancy; and make some lemonade. There are other uses, of course, but it’s 117 degrees outside, so just make the darned lemonade—with equal parts fresh lemon juice and syrup, adding water to taste.

I like it strong, so I go equal parts all the way, and let the ice melt a bit for the extra dilution.

This is normally where I would talk about how

to put it in a pitcher or punch bowl with fresh herbs and thinly sliced lemons to serve at your next party—preferably with ice balls frozen with herbs inside them, you domestic deity, you—but parties aren’t a thing right now. If you want fall off the wagon, you can spike with vodka, gin or tequila.

Elderflower is another herb that is popular in cocktails. I haven’t always been kind to requests for elderflower cocktails in recent years (it’s a personal problem; I am working on it!), and you don’t need a commercially made liqueur to enjoy it. However, if you want to make a syrup with it, and you do, it is a slightly different process. You’ll want to make a strong tea with the flowers in the water first, then pour it through a cheese cloth, before adding in the sugar in equal parts to finish the syrup.

Try it tall, with soda and lemon. You can also use the tea, consumed hot, to break a fever, and it has many other benefits for immunity as well. I believe a tincture made from the ripe, dried berries can help reduce the severity of a flu if taken early, and it’s easy to make, too. It can be as simple as adding the berries to some neutral grain spirits and leaving them for some weeks—or just buy one from a reputable store.

I’m not sure if elderflower helps with COVID19, but I can say that believing that it did would be safer than taking medical advice from a certain president.

Dried seed herbs are also excellent in syrups.

My favorite is coriander, but cumin or fennel— or all three together—are fantastic, too. Just make a strong tea, as with the elderflower, and follow the rest of the process. The tea made from all three is great for digestion; I have been enjoying it regularly as of late. I made a coriander-lime soda as a bar special once; if you don’t have a carbonator to play with, you could probably come close with a quality mineral water, a slice or two of jalepeño, fresh cilantro and a little lime juice.

Did you know you can make non-alcoholic bitters? They can be made with glycerin— food-grade, of course. I have some I have prepared in my pantry, and they’ll be ready in a couple of weeks. I am not going to get into recipes here, but I am currently working with things like blue cornflower, dandelion root, orange peel, chamomile, fennel and coriander.

Will it work? I will let you know in a future column.

Until we can meet again, stay safe out there, people.

Kevin Carlow can be reached at CrypticCocktails@gmail.com.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 23

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COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 25

AUGUST 2020

MUSIC

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NEVER TOO LATE M

By Matt king

any Coachella Valley musicians pull double, triple or even quadruple duty—and a prime example of this is Josh Heinz. He plays for both Blasting Echo and 5th Town; he’s an in-demand solo performer; and he regularly plans shows, most notably his annual Concert for Autism, a two-day festival raising money for the Desert Autism Foundation.

On top of being a local-music machine, Heinz is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. When I first started playing, he was the host of Open went back to Memphis for a wedding, and Mic Night at The Hood Bar and Pizza in Palm talked to Robert Pickens (Picon), who produced Desert. He was extremely accommodating and and recorded Wyndom Earle. I talked to him answered every question I had; since then, he about all the songs I had written, but I didn’t has been a great friend, and has always reached have a place to record them since I didn’t know out to invite my bands to share gigs. anyone in the valley. He offered to record me in Heinz just released his first solo album, Memphis and cut me a deal—so in February of Made in Memphis 2003, on every major 2003, I drove cross-country to record. streaming platform. The record is a post“We recorded all those songs in 64 hours. grunge burner featuring 10 songs with Heinz’s I hired the drummer who was in Robert’s heavy guitar and emphatic vocal deliveries. band to play drums, and he tracked those While the release is new, the album is not: As in 16 hours, after only hearing four of the the title suggests, this album is 17 years old. songs prior to being in the studio. I played “I moved to the valley in 2001, and I didn’t all the songs to a click, so we would both talk know anyone,” Heinz said during a recent and figure out the drum parts in the studio. interview. “I was a stay-at-home dad, and I I talked to him through his headphones as to was just writing a bunch of songs. My band when to hit the ride or crash, and he nailed in Memphis, Wyndom Earle, ended, and my all those within three or four takes. I was very ex-wife and I didn’t want to raise her daughter fortunate to have him onboard.” in Memphis, so we moved here. In 2002, I The songs feature highly emotional lyrics,

Josh Heinz. Brian Blueskye

Josh Heinz’s ‘new’ album ‘Made in Memphis 2003’ was recorded 17 years ago with “You’re Afraid Too” hosting a fearless Heinz projecting on the loss of patience and deceit within a relationship. The final track, “Distance,” is a slower song about the past, specifically the struggles of breaking free of things one would rather not keep around.

“A lot of the songs are about my experiences leaving Memphis and my band, Wyndom Earle, ending on a sour note,” Heinz said. “I started writing when I moved here in May of 2001, and when Sept. 11 happened, I felt like I couldn’t write—3,000 people had just lost their lives, and I felt I was in no place to be whining about my life, because I was still alive. The first song I worked on after that is called ‘Closure,’ the fifth song on the record.

The lyrics are: ‘So many left alone; so many still unknown.’ It was me trying to put myself in the position of someone who lost a family member, and who might have not had closure with them. Maybe they got in an argument that day, or needed to say something to their loved one that they didn’t get to.”

Heinz said his songwriting approach has changed in the almost-two decades since he wrote Made in Memphis 2003.

“My approach when I was younger was carrying around a journal with me everywhere,” he said. “I would write down lyrics or poems whenever I had ideas, and would apply them to music later. My primary way is music first, though, because it really sets the tone for the song. Aggressive guitar tones can make for a heavier song, and lighter tones can make for something sweeter. There is no one right way; that’s just what I lean towards more.

“Back in 2003, I had no band. I wrote all my music how I heard it, and didn’t consult people for their take or ideas. It was very singular, and that’s how we recorded it so quickly. Robert and some others in the studio would give me a few ideas, but I really had everything in my head already. When I was younger, I was more apt to do that—just show up with the full idea for the song, whereas now things are more collaborative. Some songs with Blasting Echo will be all done by me, but the majority of our songs consist of all of our efforts poured into a song, starting with just a riff. I’ve grown more to asking others for their input, but it’s still good to have that vision and be set on it. As long as you are in a healthy relationship with your bandmates, you can all work together to believe in your vision and trust their thoughts on your idea.”

Why did Heinz sit on the recordings for as long as he did?

“The main idea behind recording this album was to have a calling card,” Heinz said. “When I finally met other musicians, I would show them a track or two, not the full thing. Initially, I wanted to find a band to play these live, and have it be our first album. It didn’t happen that way—and I’m glad it didn’t. I’ve been playing these songs for years, but only as acoustic performances.

“I never thought about releasing something with nothing to show for it live, but recently, I talked to my friends in Wyndom Earle about remastering and releasing some of our old songs. That conversation and also the restrictions of COVID-19 got me thinking about these songs again, and I just thought: Why not? Nobody is playing right now, and my other bands haven’t been able to meet, so I just wanted to get this stuff out.

“The one positive of COVID was being able to work with Michael (Spann) on the mastering, the artwork, and getting it on streaming services. Without COVID, I probably would not have had time to do all that.”

COVID-19 and the restrictions that have come with it have led many artists to reinvent themselves. I asked Heinz how the coronavirus is affecting him beyond Made in Memphis 2003.

“More than likely, the Concert for Autism will not happen, because safety is more important,” Heinz said. “Our dates have been changing with Goldenvoice’s Coachella plans, but the reality of it is that it’s not going to happen. Many of the businesses that support us are hurting as well, so it’d be hard to ask them for donations. We may try to do a virtual performance in place of it.

“I miss Blasting Echo and 5th Town, and I really miss cranking up my amp and jumping around. Our family has to be really careful, however. My wife, Linda, and I have four kids in the house, and one is severely autistic. We have to be conscious of that risk, because if someone were to get sick, it could affect our family in a major way.

“Linda and I have begun streaming every Sunday at 5 p.m. on the Blasting Echo Facebook page (www.facebook.com/blastingecho), and we are lucky to be doing that. It’s been our only creative outlet during these times. We’ve had the tools to stream forever, but never thought to do it until now. It’s been a lot of fun, and great getting to connect with family all over the world, and also people in the desert.”

For more information, visit joshheinzmadeinmemphis2003.hearnow.com.

CVIndependent.com

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AUGUST 2020

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

PLAYFUL PUNK O

By matt king

n the surface, Saints and Rebels may seem like a typical punk band—but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that the group combines various subgenres under the punk umbrella, including comedy punk, hardcore and even ska.

The band is made up of Austin Lawrence on vocals and bass; Cristian Alvarez on vocals and drums; Sam Codero on “screams”; Chris Hernandez on lead guitar; and Benji Gallardo on rhythm guitar. From January up until the closure of “We played a spot in Joshua Tree with bars, the band played almost every Saturday local band Daytime Moon, and the energy at local haunts, sometimes pulling double or we brought, combined with the crowd that triple duty within a weekend. The group just actually enjoyed our music, made us have a released its debut self-titled EP, available on lot of fun,” Alvarez said. “We did play horribly, SoundCloud and BandCamp—and it is three though, and by the end of the night, we were tracks of fine punk fusion with a lo-fi mix. all drunk and exhausted.”

I spoke to the band over the phone recently, Hernandez said the band played one of the and I learned the history behind the name. last pre-shutdown shows in the valley back in “I had been wanting to start a band for a March. year,” Gallardo said. “I tried in 2018 with a “It was St. Patrick’s Day at Plan B Live buddy, and it just didn’t happen. Then one Entertainment and Cocktails in Thousand day, Cristian messaged me out of the blue; I Palms, right before the mandated closing,” he didn’t even know him at the time. He asked me said. “It was the last hurrah, and it was jamif I wanted to jam out, and we really clicked. packed with people just wanting to party hard.

Weeks went by, and the other guys joined.

We had to do three different sets, because “The name came from my grandparents, the other bands for the night had cancelled. when they told me a story about the We only had about 10 songs that were ‘Cristeros.’ When they were growing up, the performance-ready at the time. It was a supergovernment wanted to restrict religion, and fun and memorable experience.” they started off by closing churches and The three-track EP is a solid debut—even if removing statues that represented any saint the recording process was less than refined. or holy trinity. After a while, the people started to protest peacefully, which caused the government to become furious and issue an order to execute protesters—hence the ‘Rebels.’ Later, the people had had enough of that and started rising up and taking matters into their own hands and protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves, later to be viewed as ‘Saints.’ We wanted a name that had that same energy of living like a saint but fighting like a rebel.”

A sense of comedic intent is noticeable throughout the band’s music; take “Budlight Chelada,” for example, which offers an overly expressive vocal delivery from Lawrence.

“That just comes from us being goofs,” Lawrence said. “All we really do is just goof around. Growing up, I listened to a lot of Weird Al and Richard Cheese parody music, so I enjoy adding that to our music.”

Added Alvarez added, half-jokingly: “I just mess up a lot, so that’s why it sounds funny.

We all have a great time playing music, so that adds an element of fun to it. We don’t treat it like it’s a job; we just go out and have fun.”

Given the band’s happy-go-lucky attitude, I figured the guys would have some interesting performance stories.

Saints and Rebels.

CVIndependent.com

Saints and Rebels’ exuberance and punk fusion shine on the band’s three-song debut EP

“We recorded this EP with Nick Mund from the local band Blue Sun,” Alvarez said. “We did it at his house, and he was very new to the program we used to record. It was such a good time, and we had so much fun shooting some skits and goofing off while we tracked the songs. No one knew what they were doing, but we’re still proud of the finished product.”

Hernandez added: “On top of the inexperience, I actually went in with a broken hand. I had to record all of my solos on a broken hand, and if you listen to the recording, you’ll hear me struggling to keep up with all of the songs.”

The band members talked a bit about their writing sessions—and it’s apparent they bring the same free-spirited energy from their performances to their song-crafting.

“The titles and lyrics are inside jokes within the band, or based on some funny events that happen,” Alvarez said. “We add the layers to the song one at a time—drums, bass, guitar— and leave the lyrics for last. We’re always drinking Bud Light cheladas, so there’s that title, or we’ll say something stupid, and that will end up as a song name.”

Lawrence added: “I’ll usually come up with a line or two to start the song vocally, and then Cristian will come up with the rest on the spot

or the next day. He’s been doing all the lyrics for our newest songs. We are completely open to anything anyone in the band wants to add, however. Usually, Cristian and I lead the songs, but we’re very democratic in our decisionmaking. We all work together.”

Alvarez said most of the stuff he’s been writing involves breakups, skateboarding or having fun.

“It’s been a tough challenge, but I feel that I’ve been getting better at it,” Alvarez said. “Austin has also been helping me in terms of vocal melodies and how to sing. I’m comfortable just being behind the drums, but now I am starting to feel better about singing and leading songs.”

As the pandemic rages on, Saints and Rebels continues to create.

“We’re making new songs right now, and looking toward the end of the year to think about recording them,” Lawrence said. “Hopefully, in the near future, we can play some shows and truly showcase them.

There’s nothing else to do right now, so we’re practicing and writing as much as we can.”

For more information, visit soundcloud. com/saints-rebels or www.facebook.com/ saintsandrebelsofficial.

AUGUST 2020

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 27

Presenting Coloring the Coachella Valley Vol. 1: The Coachella Valley Independent Coloring Book!

The Coachella Valley Independent has partnered with the CREATE Center for the Arts and the UPS Stores in Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City (Date Palm) and Yucca Valley to create Coloring the Coachella Valley, a Coachella Valley Independent Coloring Book!

This is a tough time for us all.

The Independent, like so many other businesses and community organizations, has suffered a devastating blow to our finances during this COVID-19 crisis. The CREATE Center has mobilized its 3-D printing capabilities—and those of others—to make personal protective equipment for the local medical community. And many artists are facing an unknown economic future.

Hence this awesome coloring book project, featuring the work of local artists, as well as Independent file photos converted into coloring pages! All the proceeds will be split between the Independent, the CREATE Center and the artists whose work is inside.

The 24-page book is available as both a digital download and as a printed 8.5 by 11 book, on quality paper by the UPS Store.

The digital download costs $20 each; both the digital download and the print version are available for $30 each (shipping included).

Order at CVIndependent.com or call 760-904-4208!

CVIndependent.com

28 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2020

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

POLITICAL PERSUASIONS A

By Matt king

name like Caeser Pink and the Imperial Orgy conjures up thoughts of fun and perhaps controversy—and the collective certainly delivers, combining vivid and political stage shows with genre-melding music into a riveting, media-blending experience.

The group’s music is opinionated, and live shows add projections and other media. Clips on the internet show band members, dressed in every color under the sun, walking onto a stage one by one from the audience; one video shows always about performance art, like theater and the band chanting about love … with dildos dance—a mix of anything we could throw in strapped to their faces. there, not only to get the message of the music Imperial Orgy came about as Pink’s way to across, but to have different layers of meaning. express his creative ideas and feelings.

What’s in the video can add another layer of “I had been doing film for a couple years, meaning of what’s going on in the music.” and I really enjoyed that feeling of being in Pink’s most recent release is a NSFW music front of an audience,” Pink said during a video for “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” a politically recent phone interview. “The concept was charged song that critiques supremacist really about freedom—to not be limited to any ideology. The video features Pink and his band musical genre and to be able to mix any type skewering the views of white supremacists and of art within the multimedia performance, to others—singing, “I don’t wanna live like that.” just do what I want and not worry about the The video includes the band members and commercial consequences of that. The name others displaying signs with slurs on them— Imperial Orgy comes from a Henry Miller book and even verbalizing some of those slurs— about Russian royalty before the fall, and it before joining arms and singing the chorus in seemed to fit well with Caeser Pink. It wasn’t unison. The timely song and video were actually until after we adopted (the name) that I saw it released before the protests regarding the death really made sense for the group and the idea of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis of doing whatever you want musically and police officers. artistically.

“I wrote that originally as a straight-up “I played in a punk band for a few years Beatles parody, and it was a song that has before I went to college. I lived in a small town evolved a lot until I was really happy with it,” in the middle of nowhere, so there was really Pink said. “It’s definitely a song for the moment, no direct access to arts. I was doing the best and it has really caused a lot of controversy.

I could to learn about the different arts that Sometimes people don’t really understand it in interested me. The concept for the group was a live setting, but I feel like the video really gets

Caeser Pink and the Imperial Orgy.

CVIndependent.com

Caeser Pink and the Imperial Orgy use a variety of media to entertain, provoke and inspire

the point across. … We filmed the video all in one day, and it was a weird experience giving out these slur signs to actors we had brought in.

I had a sick feeling in my stomach handing out those signs, but everyone really understood it.

There was a moment where I was watching the group singing and dancing with those signs on that even choked me up.

“Live, all the musicians start the song by putting on those signs. We stretch out the song at the end, until it’s just a vocal a capella. Then I’ll start handing out signs to the audience, and have people coming to join the line of all of us wearing the signs and locking arms. That can be a really beautiful moment to witness.”

The band has been no stranger to controversy ever since its debut back in the early 1990s. Religious organizations have protested Caeser Pink and The Imperial Orgy— and even threatened violence toward the group.

“I get death threats all the time over the internet,” Pink said. “Now it’s more personal, one on one over social media, but back in the day, it would be banning us from radio, etc. It seemed like whatever we did, someone would ban us. There was a time when I was a kid when it was funny, like Alice Cooper outraging society. Everything has been done now, though, and nothing’s really outrageous except ideas, and that’s what pisses people off.”

The word “eclectic” could describe Caeser Pink’s career, even if it’s a bit of an understatement; the group has produced films, TV shows and even books. He’s even been to space; in a sense: In 2010, Stephanie Wilson, an astronaut on the space shuttle Discovery, took an Imperial Orgy CD, All God’s Children, with her.

“When I was in third-grade, I dreamt of being an astronaut,” Pink said. “I’ve only ever wanted to be two things in my life: a scientist or an artist. I kept hearing that this space thing was going to happen for years from our keyboard player, who’s friends with an astronaut. It wasn’t until the day of that I realized how cool and unusual this thing is. (Wilson) played an EP that certainly had a message relevant to the world. It was a very meaningful experience.”

If there’s been any constant throughout Pink’s career, it’s the use of satirical humor.

“I’ve always been a big fan of satire humor, and I’ve used it a lot to deal with political messages,” he said. “I always had a theory that when you entertain people, you can open up their minds to different types of music and messages.”

The band has not released much new

recorded material in the last decade, but Pink promised that more new music is on the way.

“We’ve really struggled to capture what we do live onto tape,” Pink said. “We have an album officially coming out soon which I feel is going to be the one that really captures what the Imperial Orgy is. It’s been frustrating, but a learning process. It wasn’t until I could really take control of the audio engineering that I could really capture the sound more, and put it in a conceptual way that matches what we do onstage. When you play live, you can do a lot of different styles, and it works for people. When you do that on a recording, it gets very tricky.

For me, it was a matter of just forgetting about genre and throwing everything together, and tying it by concepts and messages.

“Genres are a prison that other people place on you, and when it gets in your mind, it controls how you play.”

Pink talked a lot about success during our chat, so I asked him what his definition of success was.

“One of the jokes I say is, ‘When you’ve had so many failures, they look really great put all together,’” Pink said. “What is important is trying to reach an audience and getting your view out there. However, we have a lot of musicians, and they gotta eat. It would be lovely to be able to pay those people what they deserve, and to be able to tour on a wide scale.”

Pink said the group, of all things, is getting ready to start a Roku television network.

“It could be a total failure, or it could bring in some money that would allow us to do things like tour,” Pink said. “It’s a mix of an arts variety show, live performances and more.

Our old television show from 2002 will also be on our channel, alongside a live-stream option. The station is called The Imperial Orgy Underground Arts, Music and Culture. When we did our TV series, digital editing was a very hard thing to do, but we managed to reach all over the world and build a network with many public-access stations.

“We also formed a nonprofit organization and sponsored an art gallery in Brooklyn.

Every weekend, there are group shows of young artists and music. We’re thinking of broadcasting those performances and interviewing the artists on the network as well.

We’re not only doing our own thing, but we are promoting artists whose work and messages we take to heart. If artists support each other, everybody rises.”

For more information, visit www.iomusic.org.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 29

AUGUST 2020

MUSIC

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

the

LUCKY 13

Meet a young master of indie punk, and a talented hard-rock bassist by matt king What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

I can honestly say that now as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to respect and even really enjoy a lot of the music that’s on the radio—a lot of pop music. With trends that I see going on right now, I can see the appeal of (these songs), and I can even get into them if I try to. I was a little kid when my uncle taught me that, with music, I have to learn to enjoy everything.

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

It’s always been a dream to see The Doors live.

NAME Israel Pinedo GROUP Israel’s Arcade MORE INFO Israel’s Arcade is Israel Pinedo’s indie-punk brainchild, with every song written and recorded by him. He melds the basics of punk rock with the structure and dreamy effects of indie bands, a style which has garnered him much success on streaming platforms. His latest release, “Car Crash,” brings a more new-wave approach to his music, with an electronic drum beat and filtered vocal blending joining his patented reverb guitar and synth lines.

What was the first concert you attended?

Carlos Santana, when I was 8 years old.

My grandpa took me, and seeing how the musicians onstage reacted to the music they were playing, and how it moved them strongly, impacted me and changed me forever.

What was the first album you owned?

A Beatles greatest-hits album when I was 7 years old.

What bands are you listening to right now?

I’m really into a lot of house music, drum and bass, a lot of ’90s dance music, and a lot of early 2000s party music like Soulja Boy, Nelly, Missy Elliott, etc.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

When I was in high school, I was really shy to blast my music in my earbuds when it was gay anthems like Britney Spears or ’90s house. I was afraid of people knowing that I listen to that, so I would turn the volume down. Now I don’t really care. I’m pretty proud of my taste.

What’s your favorite music venue?

As far as performing goes, I love anything that’s small, because those are the mostintimate shows. I guess the same goes for watching somebody perform; even if it’s a famous act, I want it to be intimate. Anything that makes it feel that way.

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

Right now, I can’t get Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control” out of my head—and frankly, I don’t want it out.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Sleep Walk” by Santo and Johnny, then “Guillotine” by Death Grips.

Sandra Goodin

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

I’d probably choose Portamento by The Drums.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“To Another Galaxy (Galaxy Mix)” by Tokyo Ghetto Pussy.

NAME Paul Forrester GROUP Hammer of the Ozz MORE INFO Hammer of the Ozz is one of the heaviest bands to come out of the area in recent years. What started as a Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath cover band has evolved into a fourpiece hard-rock group with a blistering debut album, Hot as the Sun, at hammeroftheozz. bandcamp.com, released earlier this year. Paul Forrester is the band’s bassist.

What was the first concert you attended?

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. John Cougar (Mellencamp) and Randy Hansen doing his Jimi Hendrix impersonation opened.

What’s your favorite music venue?

I’d have to say Furstworld and Pappy and Harriet’s; it’s a tossup.

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

It’s usually one of ours, “Ashes and Resin” or “Motorgrinder.”

What was the first album you owned?

Sly and the Family Stone, Fresh.

What band or artist changed your life? How? When I heard “Rock the Nation” by Montrose, I stopped suffering and started playing guitar. I had the pleasure of meeting Ronnie Montrose, and I told him he was the reason I play guitar.

Great guy; R.I.P.

What bands are you listening to right now?

UFO, Judas Priest (pre-British Steel), Gary Moore (rock), Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Queensrÿche, Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, Corrosion of Conformity, and Scorpions (Uli Jon Roth era).

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

I’d ask Geezer Butler if it was really blown speakers that gave him that great tone and sound during the recording of the first Black Sabbath record.

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

Pop.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“The End,” The Doors.

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

Led Zeppelin.

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

Operation: Mindcrime, Queensrÿche.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Jesus Christ Superstar with Ian Gillan as Jesus.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“Ashes and Resin” by Hammer of the Ozz.

What band or artist changed your life? How? Around 7, it was the Beatles; when I turned 8, it was Nirvana. At 12, it was Sublime, and at 13 and 14, Mac DeMarco, Black Flag, and The Drums.

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

I would want to sit down and have a conversation with Jonny Pierce from The Drums about his childhood. I want to know what influenced his dramatic lyrics.

CVIndependent.com

30 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2020

OPINION SAVAGE LOVE

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

IS CHEATING INEVITABLE?

BY DAN SAVAGE

I

s it terrible to believe you can still have a truly monogamous and loving relationship with one partner after 20 years? Or can we walk into a relationship knowing that within those decades of being together that situations like infidelity or being attracted to another is completely unavoidable? And if we acknowledge that in some cases it’s truly unavoidable, should we mentally prepare ourselves for this possibility during our “monogamous” stage—early on in dating?

Hopelessly Optimistic Person Enquires Be prepared.

Knowing what we do about infidelity and how common it is over the course of long-term relationships, HOPE, it’s a good idea to have a conversation early in a relationship about what you will do if and/or when one and/ or the other and/or both of you should cheat years or decades later. It’s best for this convo to happen at the tail end of the infatuation stage, but before you’ve made any sort of formal commitment—you know, after you’ve had your first fight but you’re still at that stage when the thought of ever wanting to fuck someone else seems ridiculous. Committing at that point to at least trying to work through an infidelity doesn’t guarantee the relationship will survive, and it doesn’t obligate you to remain in the relationship. But it ups the chances the relationship will survive an infidelity that it could and perhaps should survive.

Because, remember … when it comes to

cheating … some types are worse than others.

There are differences in degree. If you found out your husband fucked your sister on your wedding night, well, that’s probably not something you’ll be able to forgive. But an instantly regretted one-off on a business trip (remember those?) or prolonged affair after 20 years and two kids and both partners long ago started taking their sexual connection for granted, and both allowed it to wither? That’s something you can work past and are likelier to work past if you agreed to at least try to work past it before the kids and the taking-forgranted and the business trips.

Zooming out for a moment … the culture encourages us to see cheating as a relationshipextinction-level event—an unforgivable betrayal, something no relationship can survive, which seems nuts when you pause to consider just how common cheating is. Defining cheating as always unforgivable sets up for failure

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otherwise good and loving relationships that might be able to survive an infidelity.

If instead of telling us that no relationship could ever survive an infidelity, the culture told us that cheating in monogamous or nonmonogamous is serious betrayal—it’s not at all trivial—but it’s something a relationship can survive, HOPE, then more relationships that should survive infidelities would … I hope you’re sitting down … actually wind up surviving infidelities. The truth is, many relationships don’t just survive infidelities, but actually wind up thriving in the wake of the disclosure or exposure of an affair, because the healing process brings the couple closer together. Now to quickly answer your first questions …

Yes, it is possible for two people to remain monogamous for 20 years. It can be done—of course it can—but there are lots of people out there who think they’ve done it but are mistaken. Some people think they’ve been in successfully monogamous relationships for 20 years have been cheated on—or they themselves have done something their partners might regard as cheating—and the one-off infidelity or the ongoing affair or the happy endings were never exposed or disclosed.

Also, your partner is going to find other people attractive—and not in 20 years. Today, right now, your partner is going to lay eyes on someone else they find attractive, HOPE, just as you will probably lay eyes—but only eyes—on someone else you find attractive. Making a monogamous commitment doesn’t mean you don’t wanna fuck other people; it means you will refrain from fucking other people. We wouldn’t need to promise to not fuck anyone or extract that promise from someone else if being in love rendered us incapable of even noticing how hot your barista is.

What is the etiquette for breaking up with an escort you’ve been seeing regularly? A little background: I’m married and have been seeing an escort for the past three years about twice a month. The sex is amazing. We’ve developed a friendship and get along very well. The issue is that I’ve gotten emotionally attached. I constantly think of her, and she’s always on my mind. It’s negatively affected my marriage, and I need to break it off. I don’t want to hurt her, as I have genuine affection, but I need to stop seeing her.

Do I send a note with an explanation? Or do I ghost and stop sending her text messages? I’m the one who initiates contact. She never reaches out to me first. Thanks for your advice.

It’s Me Not You

CVIndependent.com

Should people starting a monogamous relationship prepare for eventual infidelity?

Don’t thank me, IMNY; thank all the nice sex workers and sex-workers’ rights advocates who were kind enough to share their thoughts after I tweeted out your question and asked #SexWorkTwitter to weigh in. The general consensus was for you to send a brief note letting this woman know you won’t be booking her again. A short selection from the responses: Kalee D. (@GoddessKaleeLA): “I’ve had this happen a few times before, and the (clients) that wrote me a note with honesty were so deeply appreciated. The others, I always wondered what I did wrong or if they died in some freak accident.”

Maya Midnight (@MsMayaMidnight): “I’d be worried if a longtime regular disappeared during a pandemic! Send a quick text or email saying you’re taking a break, but you’ve enjoyed your time together. No need for more detail about why. A parting gift would be a nice gesture.”

SoftSandalwood (@SoftSandalwood): “Pro Domme here. Definitely let her know what’s going on, so she doesn’t wonder if you’re OK, if she did something wrong, etc. It’s the job of a pro to understand and respect boundaries.

Thanks for a thoughtful question.”

A final thought from me: Sex workers value trustworthy regular clients, and FOSTA/SESTA and the coronavirus pandemic have made it incredibly difficult for sex workers to find new regular clients. Sending this woman a generous final tip—perhaps the price of a session, if you can swing it—would soften the blow of losing you as a regular client and would tide her over until she can replace you.

That was great advice you gave to “Virgin” in the July 15 column. I was a 39-year-old virgin and started seeing sex workers. I found one who had the kind of qualities mentioned by the sex worker you quoted in your column. She was a kind, caring and compassionate person that I saw regularly for a year.

Being with her gave me confidence in my sexual abilities and allowed me to experience physical affection. A little while later, I met my future wife.

I was even able to tell her about my experiences with sex workers, and she wasn’t offended and didn’t shame me. She was actually intrigued. I hope VIRGIN takes your advice. If he finds the right sex worker, like I did, it will change his life.

One Grateful Client Thanks for sharing, OGC! Read Savage Love every Wednesday at CVIndependent.com; mail@savagelove.net; @FakeDanSavage on Twitter; savagelovecast.com.

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 31

AUGUST 2020

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

“R-ationing”—it’s three for and “W” hat two days the price of one. at a time?

By Matt Jones 35 California city near Stockton Across 36 Muralist Rivera 1 RuPaul’s ___ Race 37 “Won’t do it” 5 Twitch streamer, often 41 Comedy duo of 10 Ride around town scientist Marie and 13 Drink brand with a singer Burl? lizard logo 44 It may be served in a 14 San Antonio mission, spear with “the” 47 Bonding words 15 Rescue team, briefly 48 Sixth sense, 17 Pictures of surrealist supposedly Joan’s work?

49 Got up 19 Fortnite company 50 Baha ___ (“Who Let 20 One way to sit by the Dogs Out” group) 21 “And here’s to you, ___ 52 Element No. 5 Robinson …”

54 Cruise destination 22 Arrange alphabetically 55 Die maximum, usually 23 Mountaineer’s 56 Rapidly disappearing vocalization storage medium 25 Manzarek of The Doors 57 Actress Kendrick of the 26 Stereotypical person Quibi series Dummy who might demand to 58 Program again onto an speak to the manager antiquated computer of this puzzle storage format?

27 End of Wikipedia’s URL 62 Bank’s property claim 28 Sound from a meadow 63 Last letter in the Greek 30 Hansel and Gretel alphabet setting 64 Rival of Visa or MC 31 Villain who only wears 65 Dishonorable guy his purple suspenders 66 Intro show

67 Budget allocation

29 Tennis’ Agassi 30 Palm leaf Down 32 It does a hold-up job in 1 Psychiatric reference the parking lot book, for short 33 Teensy 2 French monarch 34 Teletubbies shout 3 Like smaller dictionaries 38 Defeat 4 Crystal-filled cavity 39 Chilean cash 5 No longer fresh, as 40 Pardon the Interruption venison network 6 Pie ___ mode 42 Glob or nod ending 7 Igneous rock, once 43 The Many Loves of ___ 8 Abrasive manicure Gillis substance 44 Vatican-related 9 Monica’s brother on 45 Like some twists of Friends fate 10 Chef Boyardee 46 Pupil protector product that had to be 50 Home of the Dolphins renamed for a Seinfeld 51 Throw out episode 53 NATO alphabet vowel 11 Ballpark figure?

55 Octagonal road sign 12 Whose Line ... comic 56 “Aw, fiddlesticks!”

Ryan 59 Cause of conflict, 16 What some dryer maybe sheets have 60 Hang-out room 18 “Well ___!” (“Fancy 61 Abbr. after a telephone that!”) number 23 Feline wail 24 Cookie that released © 2020 Matt Jones an egg-shaped version for Easter 2019 Find the answers in 25 Projections from a hub the “About” section of 26 Backyard pond fish CVIndependent.com!

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32 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

AUGUST 2020

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