Coachella Valley Independent September 2023

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

Dennis Wodzisz

Director of Sales & Sponsorships

Susan Uhrlass

Contributors

Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, ValerieJean (VJ) Hume, Clay Jones, Matt Jones, Matt King, Keith Knight, Kay Kudukis, Cat Makino, Brett Newton, Greg Niemann, Dan Perkins, Theresa Sama, Maria Sestito, Jen Sorenson, Robert

Victor

The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month. All content is ©2023 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $5 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors.

The Independent is a proud member and/ or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, CalMatters, DAP Health, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, and the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

A new reporter is coming to the Coachella Valley Independent newsroom, thanks to the California Local News Fellowship.

Haleemon Anderson (pictured to the right), a master’s candidate in specialized journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, will come to the Coachella Valley and begin her two-year fellowship on Sept. 11. Her primary beat will be covering local government and institutions, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

The California Local News Fellowship’s inaugural cohort, with 39 fellows going into 37 newsrooms, was announced earlier today. A result of legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, the program “will support community news and information needs throughout California by providing two-year fellowships for up to 120 early-career journalists over the next five years,” according to a news release from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, which is administering the program. “Fellows will fan out to local newsrooms from Humboldt to San Diego and Fresno to Half Moon Bay, with a focus on underserved communities.”

This year’s inaugural cohort is the first of three made possible by a $25 million appropriation from the state.

“News and information that’s useful to our communities and neighbors is the building block for a vibrant democracy,” said Geeta Anand, the dean of Berkeley Journalism, according to the news release. “This program will help strengthen local newsrooms of all kinds to better serve their audiences, telling the stories that matter. It’s also a model for how other states can support community news.”

Anand said the state of Washington has already funded a program modeled on the California program, and other states are considering doing the same.

The program is guided by a 17-person advisory board that represents the state’s newsrooms and journalism education institutions. The advisory board, together with the fellowship staff, reviewed more than 90 newsroom applications and 170 fellow applications, with the goal of selecting a cohort that is reflective of the state’s diversity.

While the bulk of the fellows’ salaries is covered by the program, each newsroom is being asked to fund a portion. In our case, the Independent will be contributing $5,000 per year toward Haleemon’s salary. We’re currently raising money to do so—and the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation (cvjf.org) has generously agreed to chip in the first $2,500.

Haleemon is a native New Orleanian who’s lived in Los Angeles her entire adult life. After teaching high school English and journalism, she decided to make the leap into journalism full-time. She’s written for various Los Angeles-based publications including the Los Angeles Times, NBC Los Angeles, the L.A. Watts Times, Black Radio Exclusive and the Inglewood News, covering arts, entertainment, sports, politics and community news. She says she’s likely to found vibing to loud live music, preferably outside, in her spare time.

She says she can’t wait to dive into covering the Coachella Valley full-time.

“I am really excited about the idea of having mentoring, which I didn’t really get to have as a part-time journalist,” she says.

Welcome to the Independent, Haleemon.

—Jimmy Boegle jboegle@cvindependent.com

Voting is now under way in the Coachella Valley Independent’s 10th annual Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll!

Voting in this readers’ poll, to determine the best of the valley’s best, will take place in two rounds:

• The First Round (nomination round) of voting will take place online at CVIndependent.com through Tuesday, Sept. 5. This round consists of fill-in-theblank voting. The voting is up to our readers, and our readers alone—there are no pre-determined “finalists” or candidates.

• The top three to five vote-getters in each category will move on to the Final Round of voting, which will take place at CVIndependent.com from Monday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 22.

• The winners and other results will be announced at CVIndependent.com on Monday, Nov. 27; on News Channel 3 the week of Nov. 27; and in the special Best of Coachella Valley section in the Independent’s December 2023 print edition.

Arts

Best Art Gallery

Best Indoor Venue

Best Local Arts Group/ Organization

Best Local Band

Best Local DJ

Best Local Musician (Individual)

Best Local Visual Artist

Best Movie Theater

Best Museum

Best Open Mic

Best Outdoor Venue

Best Producing Theater Company

Life in the Valley

Best Annual Charity Event

Best Bank

Best Bowling Alley

Best Car Wash

Best Comics/Games Shop

Best Credit Union

Best Doggy Daycare

Best Gym (Specifc Location)

Best Hotel Pool

Best Indoor Fun/Activity

Best Local Activist/Advocacy Group/Charity

Best Local Radio Personality

Best Local Specialty Retail Shop

Best Marijuana Dispensary

Best Pet Supplies

Best Place to Gamble

Best Plant Nursery

Best Radio Station

Best Retail Music Store

Best Retirement Community/ Independent Living

Best Sex Toy Shop

Best Staycation Hotel

Best Yoga

Valley Professionals

Best Air Conditioner Repair

Best Attorney

Best Auto Dealership

Best Auto Repair

Best Carpet/Floor Cleaning Service

Best Chiropractor

Best Dentist

Best Doctor

Best Eye Doctor

Best Flooring/Carpet Company

Best Local Home Improvement Company

Best Mortgage Company

Best Orthodontist

Best Personal Trainer

Best Pest Control Company

Best Plastic Surgeon

Best Plumber

Best Public Servant

Best Real Estate Agent

Best Solar Company

Best Veterinarian

Fashion and Style

Best Antiques/Collectibles Store

Best Bridal Store/Salon

Best Clothing Store (Locally Owned)

Best Day Spa (Non-Resort/ Hotel)

Best Eyeglass/Optical Retailer

Best Florist

Best Furniture Store

Best Hair Salon

Best Jeweler/Jewelry Store

Best Nail Salon

Best Resale/Vintage Clothing

Best Spa in a Resort/Hotel

Best Tattoo Parlor

Outside!

Best Bike Shop

Best Hike

Best Outdoor/Camping Gear Store

Best Park

Best Place for Bicycling

Best Public Garden

Best Public Golf Course

Best Recreation Area

Best Sporting Goods

For the Kids

Best Kids' Clothing Store

Best Place for a Birthday Party

Best Place for Family Fun

Best Place to Buy Toys

Best Playground

Best Restaurant for Kids

Food and Restaurants

Best Bagels

Best Bakery

Best Barbecue

Best Breakfast

Best Brunch

Best Buffet

Best Burger

Best Burrito

Best California Cuisine

Best Casual Eats

Best Caterer

Best Chinese

Best Coffee Shop

Best Custom Cakes

Best Date Shake

Best Delicatessen

Best Desserts

Best Diner

Best Doughnuts/Pastries

Best Food Truck

Best French

Best French Fries

Best Frozen Yogurt

Best Gluten-Free Dining

Best Greek

Best Ice Cream/Shakes

Best Indian Best Italian

Best Japanese

Best Juice/Juice Bar

Best Korean Best Late-Night Restaurant

Best Local Coffee Roaster

Best Mexican

Best Organic Food Store

Best Outdoor Seating

Best Pizza

Best Salsa

Best Sandwich

Best Seafood

Best Smoothies

Best Steaks/Steakhouse

Best Sushi

Best Thai

Best Upscale Restaurant

Best Vegetarian/Vegan

Best Veggie Burger

Best Vietnamese

Best Wings

Spirits and Nightlife

Best Bar Ambiance

Best Beer Selection

Best Bloody Mary

Best Cocktail Menu

Best Craft Cocktails

Best Dive Bar

Best Gay/Lesbian Bar/Club

Best Happy Hour

Best Local Brewery

Best Margarita

Best Martini

Best Nightclub

Best Place to Play Pool/Billiards

Best Sports Bar

Best Whiskey/Bourbon/Scotch Selection

Best Wine Bar

Best Wine/Liquor Store

Rules:

• Only one vote per person, per round, please! We’re watching IP addresses, so be honest.

• Ballots without a full name AND a working email address will be thrown out

• If you do not have an opinion in a certain category, leave it blank!

• You must vote in at least 15 categories, and for at least FIVE different nominees.

• Stuffing the ballot box is a no-no. Interested parties can engage in simple campaigning— like putting up signs, linking to the ballot or using social media to encourage fans/customers to vote—but anything beyond simple campaigning is a no-no. Any businesses, groups or individuals suspected of stuffing the ballot box may be disqualified, at the discretion of the Independent publisher.

• If you have questions, call 760904-4208, or email jboegle@ cvindependent.com

Presented by

THE GIRL CLUB

BY KAY KUDUKIS

Get to better know Eileen Breen, Dezart Performs’ managing director—and a whole lot more

Irish people, Google says, have an ability for and love of music; an appreciation for family; a sense of justice; ambition; fondness for a party; and a love of words and learning.

That’s a pretty spot-on description of Eileen Breen, the first-generation Irish American from Buffalo, N.Y., who is Dezart Performs’ first managing director. But that’s just the tip of the Rapa Nui statue. Let’s dig down.

Breen’s mom happened upon a handsome singer and spoon player at an Irish pub in New York—downright magical, considering they’d once shared a dance in England. They married and had “Irish twins,” with Eileen arriving 12 months after Maura. Maybe it was genetics from her Arthur Murray dance-teacher mom, or perhaps it was the

repeat viewings of An American in Paris—but when 9-year-old Breen saw that advertisement for $2 dance classes, she asked for forgiveness, not permission, and signed up.

She told Mom she’d pay for it doing extra chores, or whatever. Mom’s stipulation was she take ballet—the most technical form of dance. If that was meant to discourage her, it didn’t work. Her parents split that same year, and Breen didn’t see Dad again until she was 12. One love found; one love lost.

Twelve-year old Breen auditioned for the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, and gave a resounding middle finger to the Catholic nuns who’d taped her mouth shut in school for talking. She lived, breathed and studied dance 24/7, until ...

“I got boobs and a butt,” she says wistfully. “My teacher said, ‘You’re a wonderful dancer, but your body will never be a ballet dancer.’”

Life is often rich in irony. Not Alanis Morissette irony—the real stuff.

California had a beach, warm weather and a musician she’d met and fancied in Toronto. They got a place together in Glendale, and Breen landed an executive assistant position for a restaurant industry CEO until Europe said, “You know, we also have beaches.” After six months backpacking in Europe, a good flat with a working shower sounded swell. Her sister, Maura, had one of those in New York City.

Awarded Best AC Repair Company

Ellen’s Stardust Diner hired her as “Babs” the singing waitress, and Breen—who had undergone arthroscopic surgery—continued dance classes while auditioning. Although she had the ambition and the talent, the sharpelbowed, ruthless antics of the “hopefuls” was shockingly sobering. At 26, she moved behind the scenes, and for three years audited entertainment business classes at New York University, and started a job in publicity at A&M Records. Five years later, her roster of artists included Sting, Sheryl Crow, Barry White, ABBA and The Carpenters.

“There was an open call for a workshop of A Chorus Line with Michael Bennett,” she says. He’s the original choreographer of the show about hopefuls auditioning for a Broadway show. If you’re familiar, let me direct you to “Paul,” a character who injures his knee during a tap routine. Breen injured hers falling out of a jump.

From 10th grade on, she was a theater kid in a public school. She’d danced, but never before sang nor acted onstage. They cast her as the tough-talking team manager Ben Van Buren in Damn Yankees anyway. That was a flex.

After graduation, she worked at a funky retail store that did fashion shows. But Buffalo winters were brutal, and Breen’s dreams had beaches. Seventeen magazine said she could be in fashion if she went to this school in Florida. She secured grants and a loan (co-signed by Mom), and a year later, she was studying fashion history at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. There was a relationship; it fizzled, and school lasted longer. Breen learned a fondness for a party could get in the way of ambition. Ambition easily won.

It was early 1990s; the music industry was in turmoil. Prince changed his name to a symbol, and Breen quit A&M (which would shut down in 1999). She’d acquired an interest in Greek philosophy, taking classes at the New School for Social Research (“founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers”). She traveled to Greece for pre-Socratic studies.

An offer to run a British knight’s estate in West Palm Beach brought her back stateside for eight years. She worked October through April, and during the off-season, she traveled—back to Greece on an archaeological dig, a walk in the actual steps of ancient philosophers; and to Ireland, for an extended stay with Dad’s relatives.

She took an executive assistant position at a private equity firm on Wall Street, and two years later, she not only understood the finance world; she had a $30,000 bonus in her pocket. That was going to put her on the Jersey shore, where she’d teach fitness. Then fate got bitchy: Mom came to town and broke her hip. It was back to Buffalo for them both.

There, she helped incorporate the nonprofit

Nickel City Opera (NCO), and for the next three years produced operas with artistic director Valerian Ruminski. In 2011, she resigned and took a job with a flying eye hospital.

If you’re counting, Breen’s checked every Irish box except justice. But you know how justice holds a double-edged sword?

“My job was booking flights and hotels— coordinating the missions,” she says. “(My boss) told me to use a travel agent that was charging outrageous prices. If you went to Delta or American Airlines, it was a fraction of the cost. We were getting ripped off. I went to the CFO; he went to the CEO. I got fired, and then (my boss) got fired.”

That was December 2013. The following June, a truck plowed into her while she was walking to a public-relations client’s office. Less than a year later, Dad died; six months after, Mom died, too.

Breen got active in NCO again, and in 2016, she produced their first world premiere, SHOT!

by Persis Vehar. But Buffalo was no longer home without Mom, and by 2020, Breen was in Palm Springs. Last year, Dezart Performs snagged her as their first managing director. “Her experience, her great passion for even the minutiae of performing arts, makes a perfect match,” gushes Dezart’s co-founder and artistic director, Michael Shaw. “We are extremely fortunate to include her in the Dezart family.”

Breen has produced eight operas, one of them on a battleship; organized more than 25 events across five of the globe’s seven continents; done publicity for more than 85 recognizable music artists; and penned three books.

Badass is actually Breen’s first name, but she doesn’t like calling attention to herself. She’s perfectly happy behind the scenes making everyone else look good. Screw that.

Learn more at eileenbreenpr.com.

Eileen Breen has produced eight operas, one of them on a battleship; organized more than 25 events across five of the globe’s seven continents; done publicity for more than 85 recognizable music artists; and penned three books.

HIKING WITH T

BY THERESA SAMA

Idyllwild is a small town of about 3,000 people, nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains at an elevation of 5,400 feet, about a 50-mile drive from much of the Coachella Valley. Not only is the area beautiful; the temperatures can be about 25-30 degrees cooler than those in the desert cities. Known for its art and once the summer home of the Cahuilla Indians, Idyllwild is a wonderful place to break away from the desert heat and enjoy hiking, camping, mountain biking, rock climbing, horseback riding—and so much more.

The Idyllwild Nature Center is a family-friendly museum and trail system that offers easy hikes for beginners, as well as guided tours focused on specific interests. There is a flat loop nature trail that’s easy and accessible for beginners, people with disabilities and younger

children. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, check out the hillside and steep trails. The Idyllwild Nature Center focuses on local ecology and Cahuilla Indigenous culture. It is a perfect lunch stop (if you pack your own food) with picnic areas surrounding the museum. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and located just a mile northwest of Idyllwild on Highway 243. There may be a modest day-use fee. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash. Just 10 miles outside of Idyllwild, along Highway 243 toward Banning, is Lake Fulmor, where you can fish, picnic and take a walk around the lake. From Palm Desert, take Highway 74 to Highway 243. From Palm Springs, take Interstate 10 west to Highway 243. AllTrails.com lists more than 40 scenic trails in the Idyllwild area. According to the U.S. Forest Service’s San Bernardino National Forest, there are 48 miles of trails within the federally controlled San Jacinto Wilderness, which surrounds the town of Idyllwild—including 28 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. These trails offer the most beauty and solitude and are on the cooler side during the months of desert heat. A free permit is required for day hiking and overnight trips within the federal wilderness area. Visit the San Jacinto Wilderness web page for a listing of trailheads, and to learn more about how permits work (including details regarding long-distance PCT hikers, and crossing into the state wilderness area managed by Mount San Jacinto State Park).

For hiking trails closer to Idyllwild, Humber Park, at 24559 Fern Valley Road, has two trail starting points: Devil’s Slide Trail and the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail. An Adventure Pass—which is $5 per day, or $30 per year—or a National Parks Pass is required for parking. Day use permits are required for the Devil’s Slide Trail, but not for the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail. Dogs are welcome on both trails and may be off-leash in some areas. However, dogs are prohibited in the state park wilderness, so you’ll need to check

maps for boundaries.

Important note: Humber Park is very popular, and Devil’s Slide Trail access is limited on weekends between Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend. During this time, stop at the Idyllwild Forest Service Ranger Station to obtain a permit; pick up a map; and get any additional information you may need. It’s located just left of the stop sign on Highway 243 as you enter Idyllwild from the Banning side.

The Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail is 4.6 miles out and back, with an elevation gain of only 836 feet, according to AllTrails, but you can turn around at any point for a shorter hike. Starting at the north end of the trail at Humber Park, the trail eventually meanders downhill to Tahquitz View Drive—so you’ll be going uphill on the way back. This trail has a lot of good shade, as well as a few streams of water (usually), so you’ll want to protect yourself from bugs and mosquitoes. AllTrails lists the trail as moderate, but I would say it’s on the easy side of moderate, and a great trail for beginners and small children. Remember to bring water; just because you’re hiking in a cooler climate doesn’t mean that you won’t need plenty of water.

Devil’s Slide Trail to Saddle Junction Trail is more moderately challenging, at 6.6 miles out and back, with an elevation gain of about 1,700 feet, according to AllTrails. Bring lots of water for this one; you will need it, along with protection from bugs and mosquitoes. This is a very scenic trail with beautiful views.

Once you get to Saddle Junction, you can veer off on one of a number of trails to make a longer route. You can add a couple more miles and about another 1,000 feet in elevation and go to the Tahquitz Peak overlook. Or you may choose to do the Skunk Cabbage Meadow loop; there are usually lots of beautiful ferns on this route. You can even continue up to San Jacinto Peak if you dare— and if you’re fully prepared, with lots of water and food. This hike would be a 19-mile day, with more than 5,000 feet in elevation gain.

A super-easy hike, and one of the gems of Idyllwild, is “The Grotto” at Strawberry Creek. This trail begins from the back of Idyllwild Arts Academy. Be careful about parking; you may need to get a visitor pass to park here. This route will take you into a serene meadow, through some boulder-hopping, then down a steep boulder before arriving at the grotto. Another way is to veer left at the split, where you would go right to get to the

Idyllwild Arts camp. This route ends at private property, so be careful with parking—“private property” and “no parking” signs are clearly posted. After parking, you’ll walk alongside a wooden fence line to get to the actual trail. From there, just stay on the trail, and follow the water. It’s not far—maybe a half-mile, with less than 15 feet in elevation gain. There should be lots of flowing water here.

So beautiful! So serene!

The Idyllwild area offers an abundance of trails and outdoor beauty

“The Grotto” at Strawberry Creek. Theresa Sama

FINDING FENTANYL?

by Kevin fitzgerald

In 2022, at least 877 people died from drug overdoses in Riverside County—with 519 caused by fentanyl.

Through May 31 of this year, there have already been 329 overdose deaths recorded, 208 of which resulted from fentanyl—and a disproportionate number of those deaths have occurred in the Coachella Valley.

In other words, our area has a significant drug-overdose problem.

All of these statistics come from the Riverside County Overdose Dashboard, designed and maintained by the Riverside County Department of Public Health (RCDPH), with Wendy

Hetherington, chief of epidemiology, program evaluation and vital records, supervising the effort.

The dashboard was developed after the RCDPH received an Overdose Data to Action grant from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019, Hetherington said during a recent interview.

“The primary purpose of that grant was to enhance our collection and analysis and reporting of overdose data, and then to use that data to guide the development and implementation of prevention programs related to overdose,” Hetherington said.

I asked Hetherington if she agreed that fentanyl and other opioid overdoses were on the rise in our region.

“I wouldn’t say that,” she said. “Overdose deaths have been increasing pretty much regularly for a while, and then in 2020, they went up by a lot. The difference between 2021 and 2022—although we still increased in 2022—wasn’t as big of an increase, so I would say that we’re stabilizing.

“In particular populations, we look at a lot of demographic data. For instance, we’re noticing an increase in (overdose incidents in) the Native American population, the Latinx population, the African-American population, and different cohorts within that.”

The biggest increase, she said, has been among the unhoused population.

“Overdose deaths in the homeless population have tripled over the last three to four years,” Hetherington said. “It’s something that’s really concerning. A lot of times on the news, you hear about the younger population and people in school. That’s really important. … But when you look at the absolute numbers and the rates of overdoses, it’s people who are homeless, people who are middle age or older, and people who have addiction issues” who need the most help.

However, Riverside County does not have one tool being used in some communities to ascertain where overdose prevention resources should be concentrated: wastewater testing.

Testing a community’s wastewater to watch

for trends was widely adopted in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only can municipalities test for the presence of a virus; they can test for the presence of drugs, like fentanyl,

A July 24 article on the website of WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., examined a regional program being run New Castle, Del. “Everybody poops; it’s not a biased sample,” New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer said. “It enables us to look in an unbiased way and say, ‘Hey, in this neighborhood where we never thought there were spikes in cocaine use and fentanyl use, we need to pay more attention.’ … So it allows us, as policymakers, to make decisions without traditional biases.”

Here in California, Marin County health officials in February instituted a pilot wastewater-testing regimen for methamphetamine, fentanyl, nicotine and cocaine. Government Technology in May quoted Haylea Hannah, senior department analyst for the county of Marin Department of Health and Human Services: “We were really interested in piloting (this technology) and seeing if it was a tool that could help fill in some of the gaps that we know we have in our existing drug surveillance overall, and if it could help at all with overdose prevention.”

Both of these communities have partnered with BioBot, a company in Massachusetts, to conduct the tests

“Wastewater data might be able to provide warning signs of increased use that we can address and provide services for, before we see them downstream as fatal or nonfatal overdoses,” Hannah told Government Technology.

The Independent reached out to two wastewater-treatment departments in the Coachella Valley—both of which have been testing for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19—to ask if they were considering testing for drugs.

The answer: Nope.

In Palm Springs, we were referred to Amy Blaisdell, the city’s communications director. In an email response, Blaisdell wrote, “The city

does not test for narcotics in its wastewater. The city does the federally required testing—and is continuing to do COVID and monkeypox testing at the request of Riverside County Public Health and the California Department of Public Health. The city does not analyze the data. Staff forwards it to Riverside County who handles public health issues.”

In the east valley, we spoke with Jason Dafforn, general manager for the Valley Sanitary District, which treats wastewater in Indio and some surrounding areas.

“We have a permit issued by the state of California which regulates our operations here in Southern California,” Dafforn said. “That permit clearly identifies the discharge requirements and really lays out what (our) district here is required to test for. As part of our program, which is similar to all of the wastewater agencies in the state, we do not, and are not required to, test for these specific types of pharmaceutical (substances) or opioids, if you will.”

Dafforn said he wasn’t surprised that wastewater was being tested for drug levels in other parts of the country. “But currently, we are not. I’m hoping it’s a good thing that we’re not doing that, because maybe it’s not a prevalent issue. I know that fentanyl is a scary and very ugly drug, so hopefully it doesn’t become an issue in our area, but I know it’s spreading throughout the U.S.”

The Independent emailed the

California Department of Public Health’s communications department in Sacramento and requested an interview to discuss the possibility of Coachella Valley’s wastewatertreatment organizations implementing druglevel-testing programs. Their email response read: “The CDPH Wastewater Surveillance Team is not involved with any localized wastewater testing for opiates, and therefore cannot comment on this.”

We asked Riverside County’s Hetherington whether she saw value in such wastewater testing.

“Any avenue, in terms of surveillance work to know what’s really going on, could be helpful, and maybe wastewater data would be able to tell us (where there’s a) prevalence of people who use fentanyl or other opioids, because that would be captured in wastewater data,” Hetherington said. “From a publichealth perspective, we have data related to people who overdose—either 911-EMS data or emergency department data, or, unfortunately if they pass away, we have a record of their death—but we really don’t have accurate numbers about how many people actually use opioids or fentanyl on a regular basis, and wastewater data probably could help with that.

“Of course, if it were countywide, then (it would be helpful) for sure. But even a sublocal like Indio wastewater might be a good representation of a general community, and what their use of opioids is.”

Local agencies aren’t interested in testing wastewater for drug levels, despite overdose increases

CONTROL OR COERCION?

by Kevin Fitzgerald

Ever since the California End of Life Option Act (ELOA) went into effect in 2016, it’s been under legal attack—and the latest lawsuit, filed on April 25, came from what some might consider to be a surprising source.

A coalition of disabled persons’ support groups—the United Spinal Association, Not Dead Yet, the Institute for Patients’ Rights, and Communities Actively Living Independent and Free—joined with two California citizens, Lonnie VanHook and Ingrid Tischer, to file a lawsuit seeking to rescind the ELOA, which allows qualifying terminally ill Californians to use medication to end their lives. The suit specifically targets changes made to the law via 2021’s Senate Bill 380, which went

into effect Jan. 1, 2022. The revised ELOA reduced the mandated waiting period between two requests for the life-ending medication from 15 days to 48 hours, among other changes. However, Michael Bien, co-founding partner of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said the suit actually challenges the entire ELOA.

“I think it is correct (to say) that we’re motivated by the recent amendments, which reduced the guardrails on, and the safety of, the statute quite a bit,” Bien said. “We think the statute has problems even in its original version, but certainly the most recent amendments have made it far more dangerous and really brought about this lawsuit.”

The changes Bien and his clients are most concerned about include the aforementioned shortening of the period between requests from 15 days to 48 hours, and the removal of a requirement of a written attestation within 48 hours of a patient taking the lifeending medication. But Bien made it clear that he and the defendants object to the basic concept of the state offering ill Californians an option to commit suicide without any legal repercussions.

“Here we have a law that treats a certain group of people differently than everyone else,” Bien said.

He said the law has created confusion and fear among disabled patients. He framed the ELOA’s underlying message as: “‘You know, you’re right. Your life is worthless, and I’m going to help you kill yourself.’ … We think that reflects disability discrimination, and it comes from the same traditions of eugenics that California and the United States have had in the past, saying certain people shouldn’t reproduce, or shouldn’t marry. We sterilized thousands of people in our state institutions, jails and prisons, because we felt that they were less worthy of having children than other people. This was done by very well-intentioned doctors and lawyers. … I think this law is wellintentioned, but it actually reflects disability discrimination.”

According to the California Department

of Public Health’s ELOA 2022 Data Report, released in July 2023, 3,349 patients used the law to voluntarily take their own lives from its inception through Dec. 31, 2022, while 5,168 people received prescriptions for the medication. In 2022, 1,270 individuals received prescriptions under the ELOA, and 853 people used them to take their own lives.

Of those 853 people, there is no evidence that any of them were disabled persons who were coerced into utilizing, or misinformed about, the ELOA. Bien and Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion and Choices, an organization that supports medical-aid-in-dying laws, are in agreement on this fact.

“I do a lot of law in suing for injunctive relief,” Bien said. “You don’t have to wait for horrible things to happen to have a court intervene. So if you think there’s a tremendous hazard out there, a dangerous thing, then you can put a stop to it before a lot of deaths happen. You have to show that there’s harm.”

During a recent interview, Callinan insisted the lawsuit is based on unsubstantiated and invalid evidence.

“All of the data shows that in the rates for assisted-dying, there’s no heightened risk for the elderly, for women, for the uninsured, for people with low educational status or for people with disabilities,” Callinan said. “We have decades of data that demonstrate that the law works to protect vulnerable populations while, at the same time, it results in peace of mind for people who are already going to die. So if you’re looking at facts and evidence, there’s nothing to this case.”

On July 15, the San Francisco Chronicle published an opinion piece by Charles Entrekin, a disabled person living outside of San Francisco, about his personal disability and health challenges, his terminally ill status, and his strong disagreement with the lawsuit.

“At the end of my life,” Entrekin wrote, “I want to be able to face my death head-on. I don’t want to be out of my mind on pain medication, being kept artificially ‘alive’ in a hospital. If one of my illnesses becomes

terminal, I want to be able to call on my wife, my children and other loved ones and say, ‘Come join me for a goodbye session.’ I want to be as present for that final moment as I am for every other day of my life.”

Bien said his client Lonnie VanHook feels differently.

“He has been suicidal at times, which is not an easy thing to admit and to go public about, but he is willing to do that, because he’s so frightened that this law puts him in a dangerous position,” Bien said. “He knows that he may become suicidal again, and he doesn’t want to go in and have a doctor say, ‘Look at you. You’re completely helpless. You can’t go to the bathroom, eat or do anything without help. And if you don’t have that help, you’ll die. You say you want to die, so I’ll help you. I’ll give you this medication.’ … The last time he went in feeling suicidal, the doctors were willing to let him die, and this was before California’s law was in effect. But he reached out to a doctor who he knew and cared about, and that doctor came and met with him, and listened to him. The doctor found out what was bothering him, and helped him solve the problems. Now, many years later, he’s still alive.”

Callinan, of Compassion and Choices, expressed a belief that Bien’s lawsuit is motivated by opinions, not data.

“I think the lawsuit is motivated by people with religious beliefs,” Callinan said, “and that

it’s motivated by fear and concern that has not been supported by the data. … There’s no question that the California End of Life Option Act, as written, is entirely voluntary (on the part of) both the doctor and the patient. That negates the entire premise of this lawsuit.”

An article written by Ben Colburn and published by Great Britain’s National Institutes of Health on April 7, 2022, referenced a study which “summarized the data from all jurisdictions with assisted dying at that point: Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and five U.S. states. They concluded that, ‘In no jurisdiction was there evidence that vulnerable patients have been receiving euthanasia or physician‐assisted suicide at rates higher than in the general population.’ … The hypothesis that people with disabilities might be disproportionately impacted ‘does not seem to be borne out.’”

While Callinan believes the evidence is on the ELOA’s side, she expressed concern that the case could wind up in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We have to take this lawsuit very seriously, and work to figure out how we make sure to lift up the fact that people in this country want autonomy over their end-of-life decisionmaking,” Callinan said. “That is what’s at stake here. It’s people’s ability to have decisionmaking autonomy over the final chapter of their life, and how they die.

A coalition of disabled persons’ groups sue to overturn California’s End of Life Option Act

Ingrid Tischer is a plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking to overturn the California End of Life Option Act.

“Fundamentally, it is our responsibility as a country to bring greater humanity at life’s end, and this lawsuit puts that at risk. The opposition has made it very clear that, fundamentally, what they seek is to invalidate medical aid-in-dying laws across the country, so they’ve been looking for ways to do that. I think there is a very real risk that this case could end up in the Supreme Court, but we are years away from that. There are lots of steps and maneuvers between now and then. But we’re certainly fighting back against this (lawsuit), recognizing that it is our duty to recognize and support (the fact) that people fundamentally want the option to make decisions about their medical care when it comes to the end of life.”

Bien said his main concern is that the number of patients applying to utilize the ELOA will increase rapidly due to the SB380 reduction of the 15-day waiting period to 48 hours.

“One reason we’re bringing the suit now is that we think the 2022 amendments are going to make (the number of patients accessing the ELOA) far more common, and we’re going to have many, many more problems,” Bien said. “Right now, it’s just barely getting rolling, if you look at their statistics. But every year, (the number) is going up—and now with the 48

hours, it’s going to go much, much higher.”

That seems to be the case: On Aug. 9, Angela Schultz, the California state manager for Compassion and Choices, said in an email that there was a 47% increase in prescriptions written in 2022, the first year with the shorter waiting period.

The subject of medical-aid-in-dying laws is a complex and polarizing issue that engenders strong opinions on both “pro” and “con” sides. This fact is not lost on Bien.

“There are people who are very upset that we are challenging this law,” Bien said. “One of the reasons I think (this law is) so popular is because people are at their wits’ end with endof-life care in America. … Our medical system likes to treat and cure. Sometimes, neither the patient nor the doctor wants to talk about the unpleasant subject that the treatment isn’t working, and they keep doing treatments again and again. … I think that one of the answers to that is saying, ‘I want agency. I want control. This (law) will give me control.’ So I’ve found that’s why people like this and want this. But I just think that this law is not the solution to the problem, either.”

Full disclosure: Kevin Fitzgerald’s mother-in-law used the End of Life Option Act in 2016.

Charles Entrekin, a supporter of California’s End of Life Option Act, with his grandchild Hayden. Entrekin authored a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle criticizing the lawsuit that, if successful, would overturn the ELOA.

October 19-22

Choose from Six Unique Bus Tours

Daily Tours October 19-22 | Various Times

Premier Double Decker Architectural Bus Tour

Legendary Palm Springs Commercial Architecture Bus Tour

The Homes That Define Palm Springs Bus Tour

Charles Phoenix Super Duper Double Decker Bus Tour Twilight Bus Tour

Bella da Ball’s Celebrity Homes Bus Tour

Albert Frey’s 1931 Aluminaire House and Its Influence on American Modernism

by Leo Marmol

October 21 | 1–2 p.m. | Palm Springs Convention Center

In anticipation of the Palm Springs Art Museum’s permanent installation of the Aluminaire House, architect Leo Marmol will explore the impact this structure had on American Modernism design.

Modernism Show Preview Party

October 20 | 6–8 p.m. | Palm Springs Convention Center

Lizzy & The Triggerman

October 21 | 7:30–9:30 p.m. | Annenberg Theater

CIVIC SOLUTIONS

By Maria Sestito

Teachers have been through a hellish few years. They’ve dealt with virtual learning, “parents’ rights,” curriculum attacks, increasing violence in schools and fights over labor issues—on top of existing behavioral issues, long hours and staffing shortages. This has led some teachers to early retirements and career changes. I know of one burnedout teacher who is making more money now as a bartender, and another who left to become a wedding photographer.

High school seniors’ interest in education careers is at an all-time low. Between the 2005-2006 and 2018-2019 academic years, the number of education degrees earned by college students fell by 22%—despite the total number of bachelor’s degrees rising 29%.

And earlier this year, The Desert Sun reported on the high rates of poverty among local students—which makes the jobs of teachers even more difficult.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom. I recently came across a social media post that gave me hope: Palm Springs Unified School District is accepting applications for its new teacher-residency program. Over the course of a year, community members interested in teaching can earn their master’s degree and get credentialed while also getting real-world experience in the classroom.

I’ve considered teaching as an option, so I instantly appreciated what this could mean for some people. Just researching what it takes to become a licensed teacher can be an overwhelming process. For those who didn’t take the traditional path to becoming a teacher via an undergraduate program, making the pivot to teaching can seem really difficult and expensive.

PSUSD’s residency program is offered in partnership with the Alder Graduate School of Education, which specializes in teacherresidency programs and is working with 26 districts throughout California. This upcoming school year, Alder will train more than 600 resident teachers across the state, according to Alexis Acker, a PSUSD alumna and teacher who helps new teachers with training and development.

“Alder is really unique in that we have the opportunity for our resident teachers to work day in and day out with their mentor teacher at the school site,” said Acker, who is also the PSUSD program coordinator.

Residents get a full school year in the classroom, as opposed to the 12 to 16 weeks traditionally offered though other programs. Residents take three courses over the summer at the district office and online, and continue their studies throughout the academic year.

“The reason I got into this is because I didn’t have that support when I first started,”

Acker said.

After graduating from college, she started teaching with an emergency credential at age 21. She said she was thrown in without any training or support—and ultimately, it took her five years to complete the process that residents will be completing in one.

“It was just overwhelming not having the support that we’re able to provide through this Alder program,” Acker said. “I had to find my own mentors and find my own way, and that’s why I became a coach and a coordinator in this realm of supporting new teachers.”

The residents will be spending less money, too, Acker said. Alder’s tuition is about $22,000—about half of what some other programs cost—and thanks to a grant from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, PSUSD is able to pay the residents a $30,000 stipend. Other scholarships and grants are also available, Acker said.

One of the goals of the program, she added, is to diversify the district’s workforce and increase retention by selecting candidates who have roots and connections in the Coachella Valley.

“We wanted to figure out a way to bring up people who are in our community … who want to be here, and help them thrive,” Acker said.

The first cohort of residents, who began training in June and are currently in their assigned classrooms, range in age from their 20s through their 50s. Some of them were already working in education settings, including in classrooms, administration offices and even nutrition services.

Others, like Manny Vega, left jobs in completely different industries. Vega has long wanted to be a teacher, but between finishing his bachelor’s degree online, working and raising two children, it’s taken him longer than he expected.

“I knew my goal was to teach,” Vega told me. “I didn’t know how I was going to get there or

how long it was going to take, but I was going to get there.”

School didn’t necessarily come easy to him.

“I was that kid … who only spoke Spanish when going to school, so it took a lot of adjustments, a lot of headaches, a lot of tears and a lot of suffering to basically get a hold of a language,” Vega said.

Throughout his elementary school education, he said, few teachers looked like him—they were neither male nor darkerskinned—and none spoke Spanish. It wasn’t until high school that Vega encountered a teacher who saw something special in him.

“There are a lot of little Mannys in there who need that representation—who need to know, ‘Hey, that teacher looks like me; he speaks Spanish, too,’” Vega said. “I realized that we needed more representation in the classroom.”

This year, Vega is teaching in the dualimmersion program at Vista Del Monte Elementary in Palm Springs.

Yvonne Robles, a Palm Desert High School graduate and one of this year’s residents, had a similar experience going through the Desert Sands Unified School District. Teachers didn’t understand her language, her food or her holidays.

“I remember in all those classes, the majority of the teachers didn’t look like me,” Robles said.

This doesn’t mean that Vega and Robles didn’t appreciate the teachers they had. What they’re getting at is this: Representation matters. Schools can improve student achievement and foster a sense of belonging by having teachers and other staff who match the diversity of the community.

Robles has a business background but pivoted to working in the school system five years ago in order to have a schedule that gave her more time with her children. Since then, she’s been a paraprofessional at Bubbling Wells Elementary in Desert Hot Springs, working in special-education classrooms supporting teachers and students.

She’s also a Girl Scout troop leader to a group of middle school and high school kids.

“We wanted to give them something where they feel comfortable, and they have a support system outside of home and at school—where they can go on trips and learn how to camp and all that stuff,” she said of the troop’s origins.

“I feel like, working in the community and

being in the school, especially in a population that is majority Hispanic, I can relate with the kids,” she said. “I’m bilingual, so I can communicate with the kindergarteners. All they’ve done is speak Spanish at home, and now they’re being introduced to English.”

About the 2023-2023 cohort:

• 80% are from underrepresented backgrounds.

• 71% are former PSUSD employees, including classroom assistants, office workers and substitute teachers.

• 66% graduated from PSUSD schools.

• 66% were already living in the Coachella Valley.

• 23% are parents.

Applications open for the 2024-2025 residency on Sept. 1. The priority deadline is Oct. 14, and the general deadline is Nov. 4. To qualify, applicants need to have earned their bachelor’s degree by July 2024, have a GPA of 2.65 (preferred) and be eligible to work in the United States.

For more information, visit www.psusd.us/ page/8178, or email Alexis Acker at aacker@ psusd.us.

A Palm Springs Unified School District residency program brings people who want to teach into the classroom

Carla Raquel Schieldge, a teacher and mentor, works with Sandra Benitez, a resident teacher in PSUSD’s new residency program, at Palm Springs High School. Courtesy of Palm Springs Unified School District

CV HISTORY

by greg niemann

How John Guthrie McCallum became Palm Springs’ first permanent non-Native American resident

Asick child, a concerned father seeking a healthy climate and a knowledgeable Native American kickstarted the development of Palm Springs.

Because his son Johnny suffered from tuberculosis, Judge John Guthrie McCallum had already abandoned a successful career and moved to San Bernardino, seeking a more salubrious climate. There, he was told by Will Pablo, his Cahuilla friend/interpreter, about an even warmer, dryer climate—and the healing properties of the hot springs called Agua Caliente. Together, the two men left the old Mormon town of San Bernardino, and upon arriving at the oasis, McCallum knew immediately that this “Palm Valley,” as he called it, was for him.

It was 1884, and the McCallums became the first permanent non-Native American residents of Palm Springs.

The son of a Scottish farmer, McCallum was born in Indiana in 1826, and by 1854, he had a thriving law practice there. It was interrupted, however, by a letter from California; one of his two brothers who went there to seek their fortunes had been stricken in an epidemic. At his mother’s pleadings, he closed out his law practice and went around Cape Horn to California to find his brothers. When he arrived in San Francisco, he found that both had died.

California agreed with McCallum, and he remained, settling in Placerville, where he became a lawyer known for settling mining disputes. He bought the Georgetown Weekly News, a prominent voice of the American “Know Nothing” Party; became a state senator; and eventually became president of the American Party. After the meteoric rise and fall of the Know Nothings, McCallum returned to private practice.

While he was never a “judge,” the title was bestowed upon him by colleagues and friends. He was admitted to practice law before the California Supreme Court and, later, the U.S. Supreme Court.

McCallum was an advocate of a railroad to the Pacific, a plank on Abraham Lincoln’s presidential platform. He switched parties and was elected president of the State Republican Committee, becoming an elector. He went to Washington, D.C., to deliver the vote for Lincoln in 1865 and attended the president’s second inauguration. He was present during the assassination and was part of a delegation that paid final respects over Lincoln’s bier.

In San Francisco, McCallum had met and married Emily Freeman in 1861; they had four sons and two daughters. (One son died in infancy.) John Guthrie Jr. was born on Dec. 22, 1864, and, as the oldest, was the favored child. The four older children were stricken during the 1881 typhoid epidemic, and Johnny was the only one who did not

fully recover. He almost died—and was so weakened that his condition lapsed into tuberculosis.

Even though McCallum was at the height of a successful public and private career, he decided to devote his remaining fortune and his future to the restoration of his son’s health. McCallum able to secure an appointment in warmer San Bernardino as Indian agent; the order was signed by President Chester A. Arthur.

However, after that first fortuitous visit to Agua Caliente, he resigned his position and moved his family to the newly renamed Palm City. They took the train to Seven Palms and took off across the desert on a buckboard, with Johnny on a stretcher. Originally settling in a rough camp, McCallum then built a fine adobe house.

Section 14, which contained the hot springs, was set aside by the government for the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, but two speculators, W.E. Van Slyke and M. Byrne, had purchased the adjoining areas from the railroad. They had also formed the Palm City Water Company. On March 24, 1885, McCallum bought from them a onefifth interest in those bordering sections (13, 15, 23 and 25)—a total of 320 acres—and a one-fifth interest in the water company. Over the next eight years, he continued to buy land from Van Slyke, Byrne and the railroad until he owned more than 6,000 acres.

He hired a surveyor, T.M. Topp, to lay out the town of “Palm City.” The original subdivision was called the Colony Tract and consisted of 76 lots of various sizes totaling 199 acres. He began selling right away, and by 1886 had deeded 11 of the lots and about 35 acres of outside tracts. He set up the area’s first store using one room of a small building, and began stocking of canned foods and other materials needed by the settlers and other travelers.

McCallum set about to accomplish his vision, which included an influx of people. From their small ranches and home sites, they would develop an agricultural settlement

where produce could grow all year. With this in mind, he went to Los Angeles and set up a law practice. There, with three partners and a capitalization of $100,000, they syndicated under the name Palm Valley Land and Water Company in 1887. Their first order of business was to survey 320 acres (the eastern half of Section 15)—what would become downtown Palm Springs. They also commenced construction of 19 miles of rock-lined irrigation canals from the nearby canyons.

The partners signed a written agreement with McCallum, assigning him sole responsibility for all the promotional activities and plans for the auction of the lots. McCallum took the baton—and ran with it. He wrote the railroad requesting reduced fares for his planned land auction. He blanketed the state with seductive advertising. One ad read: “Perfect climate, wonderful scenery, pure mountain water; the earliest fruit region in the state; absolute cure for all pulmonary and kindred diseases.”

The people came—and they bought. On auction day, Nov. 1, 1887, some 137 parcels of land were sold for a total of more than $50,000. Soon the purchased acreage began to blossom with a variety of crops: alfalfa, figs, apricots, grapes, melons, corn, oranges and grapefruit. By 1888, land sales were booming. Special trains stopped at Seven Palms, and residents picked up prospective settlers in buckboards.

A post office had been established at nearby Palmdale (now Smoke Tree Ranch) for another development. Then McCallum’s son Harry established another post office in downtown Palm Springs and officially began using the new name, which was also the name of the town’s only hotel. In a letter, he wrote, “And by the way, I might inform you that after July 1, 1890, ‘Palm Springs’ is the P.O. address and not Palmdale, which it has been.”

Crops grew; settlers moved in; and optimism prevailed. However, Mother Nature remains undefeated, and in 1893, a 21-day record rainfall flooded crops and wiped out irrigation ditches. That was followed by a devastating 11-year drought (1894-1905) which drove away many of the settlers.

While the climate improved Johnny’s health for some time, he eventually had a relapse and died at the age of 26 on Jan. 17, 1891. Another son, Wallace, died in 1896 at age 30, of heart disease brought on by alcoholism.

The patriarch himself, Judge John G.

McCallum, died at age 70 on Feb. 5, 1897, of heart failure. He died frustrated, as he had just learned of the federal government’s decision to cut McCallum and the white settlers off from the water supply from the Tahquitz and Andreas canyons in favor of the Native Americans.

His son Harry tried to carry on for his father, but died at age 30 of pulmonary tuberculosis while visiting Chicago in 1901. Then daughter May McCallum Forline died in 1908, leaving a 3-year-old daughter, Marjorie. The only surviving McCallum child—who would care for her aging mother Emily until her 1914 death, and the one who would continue the Palm Springs legacy begun by her father—was the determined Miss Pearl McCallum, who went on to establish the Tennis Club and much more.

Sources for this article include The McCallum Saga: The Story of the Founding of Palm Springs, by Katherine Ainsworth (Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1973); and Palm Springs: First 100 Years, by Mayor Frank M. Bogert (Palm Springs Heritage Associates, 1987).

John Guthrie McCallum. Photo courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society

SEPTEMBER ASTRONOMY

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight For September, 2023

The morning skies offer beautiful views of bright planets

This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.

By Robert Victor

On Sept. 2, as Earth traces its nearly circular orbit around the sun, our home planet is heading toward a point 5° above Aldebaran, eye of Taurus, in the morning sky, and receding from a point 5° above Antares, heart of Scorpius, in the evening sky. This orbital motion causes the sun to appear to move through the constellations of the zodiac. In just three months, in early December, the Earth will have traveled a quarter of the way around its orbit. Antares will then be hidden from view on the far side of the sun, while Aldebaran will be at opposition, nearly 180° from the sun, and will appear low in the east-northeast at dusk; high in the south in the middle of the night; and low in the west-northwest at dawn. The motion of the Earth around the sun is the cause of the seasonal drift of stars from east to west.

While the visibility of stars repeats on an annual cycle, the planets have periods of revolution around the sun differing from Earth’s, so their positions in the sky do not repeat at oneyear intervals. September 2023 is an especially good month for rising before dawn to enjoy the planets. Venus recently passed between Earth and the sun, and is now ascending quickly into the eastern predawn sky. On Sept. 1, it rises nearly two hours before the sun, and by the 30th, nearly 3.5 hours before. On the near side of its orbit this month, Venus is backlighted by the sun, and shows crescent phases, easily visible through binoculars—if you look not long before sunrise, or even after, to avoid the contrast of brilliant Venus against a darker sky. On Sept. 1, the Venus crescent is 12 percent full and 50 arcseconds across, larger than any other planet ever appears. During September, Venus recedes from 31 million to 48 million miles from Earth. By Sept. 30, the crescent fills out to 36 percent—but has shrunk to 33 arcseconds across. In mid-September, Venus reaches its greatest brilliancy, at magnitude -4.8. Jupiter, shining at magnitude -2.6 to -2.8, next-brightest after Venus, also is well seen these mornings. Look high in the southwest quadrant of the sky as twilight brightens. On Sept. 4, Venus ends retrograde (westward) against the starry background, while Jupiter begins its nearly four months of backward apparent motion as Earth prepares to overtake it in early November. On Sept. 4, these two brightest planets are at their least separation during their current morning apparition, 86.5° apart. The separation widens to 90° on Sept. 17. Sirius, at magnitude -1.4 in the southeastern sky in morning twilight, ranks next in brightness. Between Venus and Jupiter, look for the huge “Winter Hexagon,” in clockwise order Sirius, Procyon, the “Twins” Pollux and Castor, Capella, Aldebaran, Rigel and back to Sirius. Two objects follow Venus into the eastern sky during September. Binoculars will help you spot Regulus, heart of Leo, emerging

19° to the lower left of Venus in morning twilight Sept. 4-9. By Sept. 16, Regulus is much easier to spot, 16° to the lower left of Venus. Mercury, which passed inferior conjunction nearly between Earth and the sun on Sept. 6, brightens to magnitude +0.8 by Sept. 16 and is 8° below Regulus. During Sept. 16-20, Mercury lingers 23° to Venus’ lower left and brightens to magnitude zero. On Sept. 22, Mercury appears highest in twilight, in its best morning apparition of the year. By Sept. 30, Mercury shines at magnitude -1 and is nearly 30° to the lower left of Venus. Mercury is 3° lower in twilight than on Sept. 22, but is still easy to see. Visible through binoculars in dark skies, Uranus, at magnitude 5.7, is about halfway between Jupiter and the Pleiades star cluster in September, about 8° to 9° from each. We’re planning to post finder charts for Uranus and Neptune at www.abramsplanetarium.org/msta by mid-September.

Neptune is at opposition on the night of Sept. 18-19. It’s very faint, magnitude 7.7, so it’s best seen within about two hours of the time when it’s highest, in the middle of the night, which occurs around 1 a.m. at mid-month. With binoculars, look for the six-star asterism we’re calling Neptune’s Dipper, comprising the stars 20, 24, 27, 29, 33 and 30 in Pisces, of magnitude 4.4 to 5.9, located south-southeast of the Circlet of Pisces, and north-northwest of Iota in Cetus. The entire asterism fits into a binocular field 5 1/4° across. Its northernmost star, 5.5-magnitude 20 Piscium, marks the end of the dipper’s handle. Neptune is retrograding, moving from east-northeast to west-southwest past the star. On the morning of Sept. 9, Neptune is 6’ (arcminutes) or 0.1° northeast of 20 Psc. On the night of Sept. 11-12, including the morning of Sept. 12, Neptune passes only 3.7 arcminutes (about 0.06°) north-northwest of the star. By the morning of Sept. 23, Neptune has moved 0.3° west-southwest of 20 Psc. Evening sky: Saturn is the only planet now visible to the unaided eye at dusk. Look for it in

mid-twilight occurs when the Sun is 9 below the horizon. Sept.1: 41 minutes after sunset.

15: 40 " " " 30: 40 " " "

the east-southeast to southeast. Telescopically, its ring system now appears almost as wide as the disk of Jupiter, and the rings are tipped 9° to 10° from edgewise. Saturn, at magnitude 0.5 to 0.6, ranks next after golden Arcturus in the west, and blue-white Vega nearly overhead, both stars shining near magnitude zero. Other bright stars at dusk include Altair and Deneb, completing the Summer Triangle with Vega; reddish Antares in the south-southwest to southwest; and Spica in the west-southwest, 33° to the lower left of Arcturus.

The moon, full near Saturn on Aug. 30, rises soon after twilight ends on Sept. 2. In the morning sky, watch the moon hover near Jupiter on Sept. 4; pass the Pleiades, Aldebaran and Elnath in Taurus Sept. 5-7; Pollux and Castor in Gemini on Sept. 9 and 10; widely north of Venus on Sept. 11; and skip past Regulus on Sept. 12 and 13. On Sept. 16, Mars,

to the lower right of a thin crescent moon very low in the west in bright twilight, will be a serious challenge for binoculars. Spica, to lower right of the moon on the next evening, will be easier. Catch Antares near the moon on Sept. 20, and Saturn near the moon on Sept. 26.

Autumn begins on Sept. 22 at 11:50 p.m., making the full moon of the night of Sept. 28-29 the harvest moon.

The Astronomical Society of the Desert will host a star party on Saturday, Sept. 16, at Sawmill Trailhead, a site in the Santa Rosa Mountains at elevation 4,000 feet. For directions, visit astrorx.org.

Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968 and still helps produce an occasional issue. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the beauty of the night sky and other wonders of nature.

By 1994, Palm Desert rock outfit Kyuss had made their mark on the music industry. The band’s unique mix of doom rock and psychedelic tones had landed Kyuss opening slots for Metallica, and worldwide appreciation for LP Blues for the Red Sun, released two years earlier. They released their third album, Welcome to Sky Valley, named after the high desert town—with the Sky Valley welcome sign featured on the album cover. Even though the band broke up a year later, the music of Kyuss continues to enthrall and captivate fans today, almost 30 years later—as does the desert the band called home.

Since 2017 (pandemic years excepted), Kyuss World, an online community of fans created in 2013, has organized annual visits to the Sky Valley sign, to meet other members,

swap stories, take a group photo and celebrate their love for the desert. The yearly meetup often coincides with a live music event such as the former Stoned & Dusted festival, but 2023 is shaping up to be a bit different. At 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, Kyuss drummer Brant Bjork is hosting the Kyuss World Desert Invasion Party, welcoming fans with a special show at The Hood Bar and Pizza in Palm Desert, featuring the Brant Bjork Trio, as well as Whiskey & Knives, which features desert-rock alum Alfredo Hernandez.

What, exactly, is Kyuss World?

“For the most part, it’s a Facebook group with about 20,000 people, but Instagram has about 45,000 followers,” said Kyuss World founder Nathan Lawver during a recent phone interview. “A lot of what I saw on the Facebook group and reposted on Instagram are people from all around the world going to see the sign and take a picture with it. I’ve seen people from Tibet make the trip to Sky Valley just to take a picture with the sign. Over the course of 10 years of managing the group and Instagram page, I’ve seen thousands of these.”

Lawver dubs the trip to the sign as a “desert rock pilgrimage.” He said the first organized Kyuss World event, in 2017, drew about 20

attendees. The numbers have grown since, and Lawver said members of the Kyuss World group try to crowdfund one member’s trip to the desert each year.

“We as a group … pool our money together and crowdfund one of the members from anywhere in the world to be there with us,” Lawver said. “In 2017, it was me who got crowdfunded out there. In 2018, we got a guy from Australia, Daniel Hofman, and in 2019, we crowdfunded Jorge Hartley from Peru, and we got him here to be with us for the Stoned & Dusted weekend of live shows and concerts with a lot of the bands that we really love. At the sign in 2019, it was Memorial Day weekend, and we had 100-plus people.

“In 2020, we had just begun the GoFundMe campaign for Martine Jacobs, a female member of the group from the Netherlands. We had raised enough money for her airfare, and we were making all the arrangements for her to come out—and a week after we paid for her airfare, COVID happened.”

Attendance was down significantly last year for the first gathering since the arrival of COVID-19, which was planned around a show by Kyuss vocalist John Garcia at the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Annenberg Theater. Lawver hopes this year’s welcome party will entice more group members.

“This year, with Brant and Mario Lalli

throwing us a welcome show at The Hood, I’m thinking that should help get a few people out to the sign this year,” Lawver said. “There’s also a show in San Diego on Saturday night, the 30th, with UNIDA and a few other stonerrock bands. Then Sunday, Oct. 1, is when we’re going to get back to the sign. I did start getting the word out a little earlier this year than usual, so hopefully it’ll do pretty well this year.”

Lawver’s first trip to the Sky Valley sign, in 2017, was a particularly memorable experience. His trip was crowdfunded thanks to friend and community member Brian Seckman.

“We landed in Palm Springs and rented the car, and drove right out there,” Lawver said. “A couple of Midwestern Kyuss fans going out to the Sky Valley sign for the first time was pretty amazing.

“Part of the mythos of Kyuss is that, in their albums and songs, they all kind of speak of this place. On the first album (Wretch), they have a song called ‘Hwy 74,’ and ‘Whitewater’ (on Welcome to Sky Valley), so for a Kyuss fan to actually get out in that area and spend a few days, you’re seeing all these places that they were talking about and singing about.

“Kyuss has kind of an otherworldly, largerthan-life being at this point, because they

Diehard music fans make pilgrimages to places that are significant in their favorite band’s history—like gravestones, famous clubs, recording studios … and a “Welcome to Sky Valley” sign? Yep.

Jorge Hartley, from Peru, made his first pilgrimage to the sign in 2019. Kyuss World members crowdfunded his trip. Photo courtesy of Nathan Lawver

“

Part of the mythos of Kyuss is that, in their albums and songs, they all kind of speak of this place ... so for a Kyuss fan to actually get out in that area and spend a few days, you’re seeing all these places that they were talking about and singing about.”

– Nathan Lawver Kyuss World Founder

haven’t been a band for almost 30 years now. For someone to spend decades listening to this music, and stewing on it, and loving every minute of it, and then to actually be out there in it, you’re in Kyuss country; you go out to Sky Valley, and there’s nothing there—but it’s freakin’ magical, because you’ve been listening to this album and obsessing over it for years.”

Lawver has discovered a whole bunch of like-minded fans through Kyuss World.

“It’s really blown my mind how it took off, and how we’re a big family of Kyuss fans now,” said Lawver. “Over the years, I’ve been able to meet just about everyone in the desertrock scene out there, and everyone has been super-supportive and appreciative. It’s kind of weird just being a superfan from Wisconsin, then starting something and bringing people together from around the world. When we get together out there, it really adds to that. … I’m going out there and meeting these people from social media who I’ve known for years on Facebook, and being able to actually spend some time with them and talk music and hear some of our favorite musicians playing is really wild.”

Lawver said Kyuss World has become much more than an online fan club.

“It’s kind of like a family reunion,” Lawver said. “Even some of my own family, we don’t see each other that often. ... I’ve had some really amazing times with these Kyuss World get-togethers. There have been people who have met each other and married each other because they met on Kyuss World. Families have started from Kyuss World—and it’s just a trip.”

Some musicians try to separate

themselves from their past work, while others celebrate their history. Brant Bjork is a prime example of the latter. Since departing Kyuss after Welcome to Sky Valley, Bjork has produced a number of different solo records and played in side projects with other desert musicians— carrying a love of the desert into everything he does.

Of course, Bjork is well aware of Kyuss World. During a recent interview, he said hosting a welcome party for his fans was a “no brainer.”

“Mario Lalli and I became aware that they were going to have a gathering at the Sky Valley sign, and we just happened to be wrapping up a tour that weekend, and we had a night off before we go to San Diego and play our final date,” Bjork said. “We were planning on just taking the night off, because we would likely be in town, and just kind of relax and get some good sleep—but once we found out that they were doing this Kyuss World thing, we thought, ‘Well, shit, man, maybe we should just play a local show, and hopefully people who come out for this Kyuss World event could also come to the rock show and have a good time.’”

Bjork said he finds Kyuss World’s annual pilgrimages to the Sky Valley sign both flattering and interesting.

“I am flattered that people enjoy the music and the band’s legacy,” he said. “I’m grateful to them, and I’m grateful to be part of a band that is looked at so fondly. As for traveling to post up next to the Sky Valley sign, it must be a pretty exciting and meaningful venture for the fans. I wouldn’t have guessed that fans would be excited enough to make some kind of trek like that.”

The fans’ fascination with the desert is some what ironic, because the members of Kyuss started crafting music, in part, because of a distaste for their surroundings.

“Growing up, the desert sucked,” Bjork said. “None of us wanted to be here. It was a drag. There was nothing here to do. It was hot as hell; there were no clubs, nowhere to play. We all know the story—that’s why we went out in the desert and did our thing.

Our manager started taking us to L.A. to do shows. We had no ambitions outside of the desert, and we didn’t like L.A. at first, but we enjoyed playing, getting onstage and freaking people out. The one thing everyone

seemed to comment on after our shows, almost as much as the music itself, was: ‘You guys are from the desert?’ And we were like, ‘Yeah.’ We didn’t understand why they were tripping on that so much.”

At the same time as the members of Kyuss were starting to navigate the music industry in the early 1990s, an alternative rock scene was exploding out of Seattle. This led to a lesson on the importance of place, Bjork said.

“I remember when my manager turned me on to Soundgarden when their first record came out,” Bjork said. “I was like, ‘How trippy, a rock band from Seattle.’ The eyes of the rock world were on Seattle, even though there were a lot of good bands coming out in the early

’90s that weren’t from Seattle. We were on tour one time in 1991 with the Dwarves, and I was sitting in the front seat. I was smoking a joint, and I just had one of those epiphanies where I was like, ‘I think that’s our hook.’ I think John Garcia was driving or something, and he said, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘I think our hook is that we’re from the desert. I think that’s a kind of an important part of what we are and what we do.’ The guys didn’t fully wrap their heads around it like I had yet, but in that epiphany, that was a moment that I kind of foresaw. I foresaw the record that we would make next, Blues for the Red Sun. We just got to surrender to this and say, ‘Fuck it; we’re from the desert.’

“The fact that it’s become this international phenomenon is just fucking mind-boggling. It’s just really bizarre, because we were nobody, doing shit in the middle of nowhere—and now you have people traveling from all over to stand next to a sign.”

Welcome to Sky Valley marked Kyuss’ full embrace of the desert, a process that started with Blues for the Red Sun.

“I had a full concept for what would be what we considered our first real record (Blues for the Red Sun),” Bjork said. “I mean that not in any disrespect to Wretch, but we were now a band with vision. You’ve got to remember: We were kids when we were in Kyuss. That’s part of what made it so rad, because we were kids, and we were young, and we didn’t give a fuck. We were feisty, and we were hungry and confused. When it came time to do what would be Sky Valley, I was already getting ready to leave the band. I saw the end coming, and we had a couple of concepts we were throwing around for names for the record and for artwork and stuff.

“Sky Valley was definitely the strongest

continued on next page

Nathan Lawver made his first trip to the desert in 2017. Photo courtesy of Nathan Lawver

Kyuss World members returned to the sign in September 2022 after missing 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Lawver

continued from Page 15

concept that Josh and I, at the time, were throwing around. It was really an ode to when we were younger, first starting out, and we used to go out there and play these parties at this house on Penny Lane out in Sky Valley. They were pretty questionable parties with a lot of drugs and a lot of shenanigans. It was pretty scary. We’d always go out there and play with some of the local metal bands and stuff, so that’s kind of what we’re talking about.”

Bjork pledged that Kyuss World fans will be treated to a fantastic show at The Hood, thanks to performances by the Brant Bjork Trio (featuring Mario Lalli) and Whiskey & Knives, which includes Alfredo Hernandez on drums.

“Alfredo and I go way back,” Bjork said. “I used to watch him play when I was fucking 13 years old. I just really dig the band. If I was a Kyuss fan, and I had the opportunity to roll out here to the desert, do the whole picture at

the Sky Valley sign, and see some old alumni like Alfredo rock with Whiskey & Knives, then me and Boomer, I think a Kyuss fan would be pretty stoked.”

Lawver confirmed that he is indeed stoked.

“When I get out to the desert, I’ll finally be able to meet Alfredo Hernandez,” Lawver said. “He’s long been one of my musical heroes.”

Lawver said he has a goal for Kyuss World beyond meeting his heroes—a goal he admits is rather improbable.

“It’s always been kind of a selfish endeavor for me trying to get the damn band back together,” Lawver said. “I don’t think it’ll ever actually happen. From 2015 to 2020, one of our members, PJ Boston, up in San Francisco had a weekly radio show, and once a month, he would dedicate it to Kyuss World. Over the five years of that radio show, we had everybody from the desert scene on there at one point or another, and all the Kyuss members were on the show. Each one of them was given the question if they would do (a reunion), and everybody said yes. The last Kyuss World radio show had Josh Homme on. … He spoke for a good hour and a half on Kyuss and about how he would like to do it one more time. He said, ‘We could charge $5 a head and give all the money to charity,’ especially since Kyuss was never really about the money. It would be fantastic—but I know it’s a pipe dream.”

The Brant Bjork Trio and Whiskey & Knives will perform at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, at The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. The show is free. For more information, visit facebook. com/BrantBjorkOfficial.

The Kyuss World Desert Rock Pilgrimage to the Sky Valley sign will take place at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Sky Valley sign, 76861 Dillon Road, in Desert Hot Springs. For more information, visit facebook. com/kyussworld.

“

I am flattered that people enjoy the music and the band’s legacy. I’m grateful to them, and I’m grateful to be part of a band that is looked at so fondly.”

– Brant Bjork

Kyuss producer Chris Goss joined Nathan Lawver and Kyuss World at the sign in 2022. Photo courtesy of Nathan Lawver

DO-GOODER

BETTER TOGETHER

By Kevin Fitzgerald

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, two area United Way affiliates—the Inland SoCal United Way (ISCUW) and the United Way of the Desert (UWD)—joined forces to respond to the extreme levels of need.

The organizations worked to provide assistance in paying for housing, health care, food and utilities via a remarkable direct-cash-aid program, at a time when many people found themselves

without paychecks. This partnership wound up serving as a “proof-of-concept” for more dual efforts—eventually culminating in a merger of the two affiliates.

“This really was the impetus for us to move forward with the (merger),” said Kimberly Starrs, president and CEO of Inland SoCal United Way, in a recent interview. “At the height of the pandemic, our agencies both had to move to remote work, and had switched over to emergency-response mode from the regular programs that we typically offer. We had an opportunity to work together on an immediate cash-aid distribution project that worked out really nicely for our agencies and for the community. We were able to distribute about $4 million in direct cash aid to the region, and we thought, ‘You know, this felt really great. This was an awesome opportunity. What other things can we do well together?’”

That led to about two years of discussions and more partnerships.

“We assisted each other with different staffing projects. Also, the team at ISCUW has been working with the UWD team on fundraising for the last two years, so we’ve learned that we do a great job working together,” Starrs said. “The model for us has always been: ‘Let’s talk about it? What are our values, and how do they align? Let’s give it a test. Then let’s test it a little more.’ It’s the dating, get engaged and then get married type of model.”

On July 1, the merger of the two entities took effect, with Kristal Granados, the former CEO of United Way of the Desert, becoming the executive director of strategy for the merged affiliates. Interestingly, it was preceded three years earlier by the merger of the former Riverside County and San Bernardino County United Way affiliates, which resulted in the creation of Inland SoCal United Way.

“We were able to build on the efficiencies that existed,” Starrs said. “The Inland Empire United Way (of San Bernardino) had traditionally been heavily involved in direct-service programs, and at Inland Valleys United Way (in Riverside), we were heavily involved in fundraising and administrative support services. … So we were in the planning phase for about 18 months, and completed a major merger—remotely and at the

After teaming up during the pandemic, local United Way affiliates decide to merge

Callers most often are seeking housing, utility and/or food assistance.

height of the pandemic.”

While the two organizations have merged under the ISCUW umbrella, the United Way of the Desert name will continue to be used.

“(People will) continue to see the name of United Way of the Desert attached to things that happen in the desert,” Starrs said. “We’ll take a regional approach to rolling out more programming across the entire inland region of 5 million-plus residents. While UWD will continue to have their flagship programs that they’ve been running for quite some time, we’ll take a careful and data-driven approach to how we roll out some of the other 50 programs that ISCUW offers currently. … What residents can expect to see is an increase in service, while maintaining that UWD experience.”

One of the most-utilized services provided locally by the United Way is the 211 Contact Center. In the 1990s, the Federal Communications Commission set aside the phone number 211 to help with health and human services. Since then, United Way affiliates and other organizations throughout the United States have been managing this resource. On their website, the ISCUW describes their 211 service as “a designated number for information and referrals to social services and other assistance. Callers are referred, and connected to, appropriate agencies and community organizations that provide health and human resources and services.”

Starrs said the 211 Contact Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

“It’s more than just information and referrals,” Starrs said. “It’s a connection to the programs that we offer. We do enrollment directly into benefit programs on the line.”

In years past, Starrs said, there were frequent caller complaints about slow response times and long hold times.

“We’re really proud of the improvements we’ve made in our contact center,” Starrs said. “Because of the mergers and the additional talent we were able to bring on, along with the significant investment made there, when folks call now, they have about a two-minute wait time. Also, we now have the technology for callbacks, so if people call and they don’t want to wait … we’re able to put them in the queue for a callback.”

“Rental assistance, rapid re-housing, deposit assistance—all of those housing programs are very much in high demand,” Starrs said. “… On the utility-assistance programs, we work in partnership with several agencies. There’s the Help2Others water program that’s been a hallmark program of UWD for a long time. Living in a desert, working in a desert, water is life. Being able to offer assistance with water bills from all of the different water agencies in the Coachella Valley is something that we’re committed to continuing, and we’re looking to expand that out to the rest of the region as well.”

The United Way administers numerous programs, raging from an emergency assistance fund for nonprofits dealing with COVID-19-related expenses, to the popular Kids Pack program (in which backpacks of food are given to local children each weekend, ensuring they arrive at school Monday morning ready to learn), to the Inland SoCal Crisis Helpline, to Cal Savers, a workplace retirement savings program providing a simple, low-cost way for workers to invest in their futures—to name just a few.

The United Way is also working to espouse values such as equality and respect for diversity. Starrs recently wrote a statement titled “United for All” in support of LGBTQ+ students, school staff and school boards that have recently faced “attacks … driven by hate and intolerance.” We asked if the statement led to any backlash.

“No, it hasn’t resulted in any backlash against our organization,” Starrs said. “And I would welcome a conversation with anybody about that, and how it absolutely aligns completely and without question with the values that we hold as an organization.”

Why did she feel it necessary to issue the statement?

“I took over as CEO on April 1, so this has been my first opportunity to (take such an action) on behalf of the organization,” Starrs said. “Looking at what’s happening across the country, and what’s happening locally, it’s shocking to me personally. I’m thinking, ‘We’re in the year 2023 and having this conversation, and the way that it’s going feels really terrible.’ … After hearing feedback from our staff members who identify with this community—I identify personally with the community—and knowing that our continued silence could be viewed as a lack of support, it was very important to make it clear where we stand, who we are, and the values that we hold and what we do support in the community. We are an organization that values

each individual’s right to live and thrive as they see fit, and our goal and our mission is to unite people, ideas and resources to improve lives. … You can expect to see more positions like that come from our United Way, speaking about the values that we hold and how that aligns with the values of our community.”

We asked Starrs what the new ISCUW has planned for the future.

“The next challenge for United Way is to take the learnings we’ve received over the last several years with the pandemic, and figure out how we can translate that into action for the future,” she said. “I think one thing we saw that was really evident across the board was that we really do have the ability to make incredible things happen if we have the will and the support to make those things come true. A great example is the rental assistance program. We distributed $300 million of rental assistance into this community. If you would have told me that five years ago, I would have laughed at you.

“Another program … that I think we’ll look back on as a major shift is the guaranteed-income pilot project that we’re doing in conjunction with the state. Over 18 months, we’ll be doing ($600 monthly) payments to pregnant people and to transitioning foster youth. We’ll have both local and statewide evaluation studies come out of that, and we’ll be able to look at the indicators for what kind of change is possible when we offer people this level of support. We’re in the planning phase of the program. Enrollment will begin in the next few months, and we expect payments to begin in January 2024.”

For more information on any of these programs, visit inlandsocaluw.org.

Inland SoCal United Way President and CEO Kimberly Starrs with her son Cade.

DO-GOODER

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

By cat makino

The Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House will present its annual “A Few Good Men and Women Awards” to 10 philanthropic locals at a gala on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Agua Caliente Casino Spa Resort in Rancho Mirage.

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, more than 50 miles away from the Coachella Valley, is the closest place for many critically ill local children to get treatment. The Ronald McDonald

House, within walking distance of the hospital, provides support, meals, a place to stay and more for the families of patients. It’s one of 377 Ronald McDonald House programs operating in 45 countries and regions around the world.

Since opening on Sept. 11, 1996, the house has assisted more than 18,000 families. Each year, the facility supports between 740 and 1,500 families, with about half from the Coachella Valley. Requests for assistance, made by the hospital’s social workers, are judged daily, case by case, based on diagnosis and distance. Though a minimal contribution is requested, no family is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

One of this year’s A Few Good Men and Women honorees is Willie Rhine, co-owner of Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge, 1501 Uptown Gastropub and Willie’s Modern Fare. This is not his first honor; in fact, he’s won many awards, and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities.

“I always say yes when asked to help,” he said. “We have a need to give back.”

Among the good causes he has helped is the Ronald McDonald House. He learned personally about the importance of the house when his 6-year-old nephew was treated at the hospital for brain damage caused by

The Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House honors 10 locals as ‘A Few Good Men and Women’

suffocation via a plastic bag in January. The event was a life-changer.

“We are a close family … and we all needed to be near the hospital for support, and I realized the great need for the Ronald McDonald House firsthand,” he said. “You have no idea when you may need a service like this.”

Valerie Espinoza, 17, lives in Thermal. Since she was a year old, she’s been battling multiple benign brain tumors, respiratory problems and, most recently, recurring giant leg cell/bone tumors; she’s often been hospitalized for extended periods of time, sometimes as long as two months. For her to have her family nearby when she is hospitalized and suffering is vital.

“I’m a fighter,” Valerie said.

Valerie’s family, especially her late grandmother, inspires her, she said. “My grandmother always said, ‘You’ve got to keep going. You can succeed; you’re still young and have a lot of energy. Be strong and have faith.’”

Valerie’s mother, Veronica, said calling the Ronald McDonald House “a home away from home” is an understatement.

“The Ronald McDonald House has seen me and my family through difficult times,” Veronica said. “Inside these walls, there is a strong community supported by many staff and volunteers ready to help and accommodate

and prayed with other families who are also going through tough times throughout the years.

“Each time, the Ronald McDonald House of Charity has welcomed and assisted us and several other families with nothing but love and open arms. I will forever be grateful that this charity exists. It has not only provided me and my family with a comfortable place to sleep and eat, but to be there when Valerie needs us the most.”

Richard O’Connell is one of the organizers of the awards gala.

“It is critical for families to stay together near the hospital,” said O’Connell, a volunteer at the house for more than six years. “When the families share time together, and share stories, regardless of their children’s diseases and where they come from, they can relate to each other and share bonds.”

This year’s other honorees are Steve and Candace Garvey, Ricky Jenkins, Tim Leiweke, Peggy Michel, Bianca Rae, Gil and Marlene

Ruttenberg, and Lizette Vela.

Steve Garvey, a baseball legend who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres between 1969 and 1987, said that to him, these awards are a very special occasion. He is a prostate cancer survivor, and has served as the chairman of the board of directors of Fans for the Cure since 2015; it’s an organization devoted to prostate cancer awareness, education and screening.

“I know what you can do on the field, but it’s what you do off the field (that’s most important),” Garvey said. “Baseball has given me the opportunity to reach out and give back to the community. This honor gives me even more of an opportunity to give back to the community.”

The seventh annual A Few Good Men and Women Gala, a fundraiser for the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House, will take place from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage. Tickets start at $175. For tickets or more information, visit rmhcsc.org/inlandempire.

The family of Thermal resident Valerie Espinoza has stayed at the Ronald McDonald House multiple times. “My grandmother always said, ‘You’ve got to keep going. You can succeed; you’re still young and have a lot of energy. Be strong and have faith,’” Valerie said. us and other families’ needs. Within this community, I have bonded, laughed, grieved, supported

Each year, the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House supports between 740 and 1,500 families, with about half of them from the Coachella Valley. Photo courtesy of the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House

ARTS & CULTURE

COLLECTIBLE COMMUNITY

By MATT KING

Who would’ve guessed that a hockey team would captivate the Coachella Valley, creating a total sports frenzy?

Thanks to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, that happened—so it’s the perfect time for a new local trading-card event.

The Palm Springs Card Show is a two-day exhibition and sale of sports cards, Pokémon action figures and more, happening Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and Sept. 17, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Tickets start at $10, available at palmspringscardshow.com.

“The impetus for the show is just really that the hobby, I’d say, has been on fire the last

couple of years, whether it’s people collecting sports cards, autographs, Pokémon or Funko Pops,” said show organizer Brad Berdow. “It’s exciting to see everyone who’s collecting and how much passion there is for it, and the sense of community and the fun and enthusiasm about it.

“While there might be other great shows around the country, no one was doing it in the Coachella Valley. It was great to see the Firebirds this year, and how the whole community really got behind the team, and it led us to think that there’d be a lot of enthusiasm and excitement if you could do a card show.”

Berdow said he wants the show to provide a fun experience for amateur collectors and serious hunters alike.

“There’s a real sense of community and passion and fun, whether it’s fathers and sons or grandfathers or mothers and daughters,” Berdow said. “People right now are collecting so many different things. It’s not just sports or baseball cards anymore; it’s so much broader, whether it’s comics, Pokémon or all sorts of TCG (trading card games). What people recognize is a like-minded community, and a sense of enthusiasm and passion. … We thought it would be a great thing to do in the valley.”

All types of collectibles will be sold, bought and even traded—so if you think you may have something to offer, bring it!

“Folks can certainly come and bring their cards in,” Berdow said. “I expect a lot of people will be looking to show the cards to dealers to see if they’re interested. Oftentimes, you also see people just trading among themselves sitting outside in the foyer or the lobby.”

Hockey legend Grant Fuhr and baseball icon Jose Canseco will be signing autographs on Saturday, at prices to be determined.

“Part of the fun of growing up and collecting autographs was the opportunity to meet some of the athletes that you’re watching,” Berdow said. “We have Grant Fuhr,

who is a Hockey Hall of Famer, hockey legend, voice of the Firebirds and five-time Stanley Cup champion. We also have Jose Canseco, a baseball superstar who’s a huge personality. Even outside of sports, tons of people know him, so we’re excited to have both of them in the desert.”

Andy Madec, of Andy Buys Cards, will have a booth at the Palm Springs Card Show. During a recent phone interview, he said he was excited to take part—and hopes to perhaps make a big find.

“I’m set up right in front, with the hope to buy some stuff and maybe have some material come in the door, like vintage material,” he said. “I’m also taking an ad out in The Desert Sun, just a small classified, trying to beat the bushes and maybe drum some fresh stuff up. Palm Springs was a big retirement community for people from the Midwest and East Coast, and also a playground for wealthy people and celebrities during the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. I’ve seen stuff come out of there. … It’s exciting for me; it’s a nice hang. It’s an easy vibe. It’s just a couple of hours away from my house, and I’m trying to support local shows and whatnot. I think that could be a great place for a regular show, so I’m all about it.” Madec deals in high-end collectibles, and he will bring some special items to the show.

“I have some killer stuff out, and I’ll make it look like a jewelry store,” said Madec. “I’ll bring out really high-end stuff and show people what I’m buying and what I’m interested in. Not only do I buy stuff, but I think most people who are involved in the hobby or industry as a collector or investor, they’re looking to people like me to show them what to buy, or what they should be doing. ... I’m dealing in a lot of one-of-akind, unique items, where the demand is higher than the supply. It’s not like I can just go break another case and open it up. There are some other big things going on with authentication and grading, so I have a couple of people I work closely with hanging out with me, and I have an autograph expert

who’s going to be with me over the weekend. His parents live in Palm Springs, and he’s a tremendous source for material for me. I’m really hoping some action happens.”

Madec said he thinks the Coachella Valley is “ripe for the picking.”

“The bigger the show, the more chance you have of a little bit of everything,” Madec said. “I think that this is a big pool to tap into that nobody has been tapping into. … I think there are a lot of people who are going to be there who are interested in what we’re doing, and there are going to be people who have what I’m looking for. Hopefully I’m right, but you can’t win if you don’t enter. … It’s a crapshoot sometimes. You just get a feeling, and Palm

Springs is a place that I’ve advertised a few times over the years, many years ago, and I was successful.”

Madec wants this Palm Springs Card Show to be the first of many.

“I’m hoping that it’s successful, and we can make it a regular thing,” he said.

The Palm Springs Card Show will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and 17, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, in Palm Springs. Advance tickets are $10; or $15 at the door; children 12 and younger are admitted for free. For more information, visit palmspringscardshow.com.

Participants in the Palm Springs Card Show hope to spark a love for trading cards

A rare 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. Courtesy of Andy Madec

TAKE THE INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

1. Peruse the Independent. Look at the quality of the writing, the layout, the topics, etc.

2. Do the same with any other local publication.

3. Compare.

VINE SOCIAL

JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO

By Katie finn

LOVE YOUR HAIR

ith the months of scorching heat and almost-unbearable humidity hopefully behind us, we can start to plan for the cooler months ahead. This means our blissful indoor/ outdoor Coachella Valley lifestyle resumes, with all the wonderful outdoor activities

Country Club and Cook Street

For some, this is the time to dust off the irons, re-string the rackets and lace up the new

Palm De sert

760-340-5959

www.jasondavidhairstudio.net

taking any kind of bottle they could get their hands on, while others looked for alternative vessels that are perhaps more sustainable, recyclable and easier to access. The result: Some of our favorite wines are now offered in single-serve cans, half-bottle-sized cans, and party-perfect large-format boxes. Yes, boxed wine is back—and it’s absolutely fabulous!

Here are some of the best wines out there—with no corkscrew required.

Brothers Jesse and Aaron Inman started Lucky Rock Wine Co. in 2013 after years of working in the wine business. Their unique childhood—growing up in a bus with their gold-mining parents on the banks of the Klamath River in Northern California—gave them a first-hand understanding of the rewards that soil can give you. It was when they relocated to Sonoma County that they found their passion for pinot noir and began their journey into winemaking.

For years, I have loved their sauvignon blanc and pinot noir bottlings—so when Jesse paid me a visit with both wines in 250-milliliter cans, I couldn’t wait to try them. We sampled the wines from the bottle and from their can counterparts, and trust me when I say there was zero difference. In fact, as a nod to Jesse’s favorite movie, Tombstone—it’s printed right on the can—“You’re a daisy if you do.” In other words, if you can tell the difference, you’re pretty special.

Bodegas Artadi is known as one of the greatest wineries in La Rioja, Spain, producing the best bottlings of Tempranillo in the world. Juan Carlos López de Lacalle is the owner and winemaker behind Artadi, as well as another project, called Ah-So, from the family’s vineyards located in Navarra. This is the world’s first estate-grown, estate-canned wine. In fact, to ensure quality, the Lopez de Lacalle family purchased a canning line, which

is instrumental in maintaining freshness from the vine to the can. They make a white, a red and a rose, all made from 100% Garnacha (grenache), all cultivated organically, and hand-harvested from 25-year-old vines. Every one of the Ah-So wines are delicious, and the attention to quality is evident.

Famed wine-importer Michael Skurnik began his journey into making wine in 2009. He called up his friends and colleagues from around the Central Coast of California to help him craft wines that are balanced and fruitforward, easy-drinking and affordable. Boy, did he ever succeed! As with the wines from Lucky Rock, in a blind, head-to-head taste test, I couldn’t tell the difference between the canned versions of Michael’s wines, made under the name The Pinot Project, versus the bottled offerings. He makes a pinot grigio from Washington state, a California pinot noir, and a rose from the south of France.

If little cans aren’t gonna fit the bill, may I suggest a liter or three of something delicious out of a box? Don’t panic. This is not your mama’s Franzia. No, no … what I’m talking about is beautifully crafted wine, sealed airtight, that can last up to six weeks after you open it—but I guarantee it will be consumed much faster than that.

I recently discovered Juliet wines from the Central Coast of California. The company was founded by a couple of boss babes, Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher, who set out to develop eco-friendly wines of unwavering quality with beautiful packaging. Juliet is produced at a Certified California Sustainable Winery in the Santa Barbara region, where the wines are handmade in a low-intervention style (meaning no artificial additives are used), using high-quality grapes sourced from the best vineyards in the Central Coast. The result is wines that are clean, fruit-forward and so refreshing!

Not only is the outer packaging stunning— it looks like it could grace the shelves of Neiman Marcus or Saks—it’s also 100% recyclable and made entirely from renewable materials. Each box of Juliet is 1.5 liters (a magnum)

and contains 10 scrumptious glasses of wine. My favorites from are the rose made from grenache, with beautiful notes of freesia, wild strawberries and white pepper; and the sauvignon blanc, with aromas of Meyer lemon and Asian pear. I recently took the rose to a baby shower (for the non-pregnant attendees, natch), and the feedback was unanimous: This boxed wine is a total winner!

If you find the great outdoors calling and want to imbibe a little something while

hitting the links or hiking around, the pop of a can top, or the ease of tapping open a box, might just be your answer. Plus, I’ve been told by some people that a can of wine is pretty handy in a movie theater if you have to endure the latest Disney movie.

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.

Top-quality wines can now be found in cans and, yes, even boxes

CAESAR CERVISIA

JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO

By brett newton

LOVE YOUR HAIR

very so often, I get a chance to go outside of my comfort zone and explore something I don’t know much about, even though it’s related to my expertise. This month provides such

Cider as a beverage extends back more than 5,000 years, with the Celts in Britain making it from crab apples. But cider as we know it really didn’t come into its own until the Roman era, with the introduction of cultivated apples and orcharding techniques. The Dark Ages, true to its name, left little record of cider, until the Norman invasion of England and the introduction of

makes cider, too, and their Organic Perry (the traditional name of a pear cider) has a pleasant sweetness and an earthy aroma with a touch of what I could only describe as molasses; it has a subtle pear flavor with a tinge of sweetness in the finish. The Organic Cider, made from apples, has a similar sweetness, but the aroma is, not surprisingly, of apples, as well as hay. It has almost a farmhouse quality—I love a funky cider when I can find one—but a clean finish. Both are very pleasant, and I will definitely revisit them in the future … just not before I’ve had more of their beer.

I met Bex Pezzullo, founder of Sincere Cider, a few months ago when she stopped in

Country Club and Cook Street Palm De sert

760-340-5959

www.jasondavidhairstudio.net

with a local spirits representative at my place of work. She started the company out of a garage in Oakland and now makes the cider in Napa. I mentioned up front that my go-to style of cider is dry and drier, and her apple cider delivered in spades. We now carry it in cans at the bar. I also acquired a couple of cans of two other types: ginger and agave syrup, and pomegranate/Seville orange. I gave away the latter, but tried the former and loved it. It was reminiscent of a nice ginger beer. Looking at the other two current Sincere flavors (including a spruce tip/pineapple combo and a passion fruit/hibiscus cider), I am intrigued enough to seek those out as well.

Next, I took a few chances at a large chain liquor store. One of these chances led to me grabbing a few cans from Golden State Cider. The first was called Mighty Dry, and it delivered what the name promised—dryness. Made with “100% fresh-pressed West Coast apple

juice and fermented with champagne yeast,” it was slightly tart and crisp, and it drank much lighter than its 6.3% alcohol by volume. Next was the Mellow Hops, and it might seem obvious why I went for it. It’s a cider with Cashmere hops, and I was impressed with how those hops were used. They weren’t front and center, stomping all over the apple-cider flavor, but an ingredient in the overall experience. The hops added a nice citrus aroma and flavor to the dry cider underneath. The last I tried from Golden State was Radical Guava. I chose this because I’m a sucker for guava, and I was glad I did, because this had a whole bunch of it without it dominating the cider. I could still taste apple and a slight smoky note at the end from the use of cayenne pepper.

Honest Abe Cider House and Meadery’s can of Limoncello Lemonade cider called out to me as well. Honest Abe is out of Carson, and I would love to say something nice about a Southern California cider house, but this cider had an odd aroma and flavor, almost like dish soap or dish water. They have some interesting products on their site; perhaps they’re better.

Last (but not least), we come to Bivouac Ciderworks from San Diego. Bimini Twist Peach Spritz is a pear cider with sauvignon

blanc, peach and nectarine; the aroma was incredibly inviting—extremely fruity and kind of floral. With all of these ingredients, it seems like it would be easy for this to be a sweet mess, but it is very well-balanced, with all of the additions present and accounted for.

Marlin Spike is a “pineapple pear cider,” and somehow, those flavors combine to create something similar to passion fruit and guava on the palate. Next month, I am spending a week near their tasting room in North Park (very close to where the dearly departed Toronado used to be), and I will be sure to check it out.

Much as I was with my recent adventure with non-alcoholic craft beer, I’ve largely been pleased with the ciders I’ve tried so far. I welcome any suggestions regarding what I should try next, if you feel so inclined.

I may have been missing out by largely ignoring ciders all these years—and I look forward to seeing what cidery surprises await me in the future.

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

Our beer expert decides to explore ciders—and likes (most of) what he finds

Famous for beer, Samuel Smith makes cider, too—and it’s good stuff. Brett Newton

3 Restaurants Unlimited Flavors

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

We get delicious gelato and then a fantastic cocktail in downtown Palm Springs

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The Toffee Granucci gelato

WHERE Gelato Granucci, 301 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 104, Palm Springs

HOW MUCH $7.50 for two scoops (as shown) CONTACT 760-318-7700; gelatogranucci.com

WHY It’s a delicious collaboration.

Gelato Granucci is a small, unassuming shop in downtown Palm Springs that serves up a whole lot of yumminess.

As the story goes (per Gelato Granucci’s website): The place is owned by Simonetta “Sam” Rainieri and Tom Allen. Sam’s grandfather, Luigi, moved from Italy to the Netherlands in 1929. Luigi started making and selling gelato, and today, that business supplies gelato to more than 50 stores in the Netherlands. Cool!

All of the gelato at Gelato Granucci is made in-house—and because of this family history, it’s no surprise that Sam and Tom know what they’re doing. I’ve been to Gelato Granucci a large handful of times now, and I’ve always gotten a different flavor. There hasn’t been a dud in the bunch.

One of my favorite flavors loops in a contribution from another local business with a cool story, where the people also know what they’re doing: Brandini Toffee. As that story goes (per Brandini Toffee’s website): In 2006, Brandon Weimer wanted to go on a high school trip to Italy with a friend. Their parents challenged them to earn at least half of the money to pay for the trip; they started selling toffee; and today, that business includes three local toffee shops, including one 2 1/2 blocks away from Gelato Granucci.

The result of this collaboration, the Toffee Granucci—toffee gelato with Brandini Toffee crumbles folded in—is packed with toffee flavor. It’s smooth, and it’s oh-so-good.

If toffee isn’t your thing, Gelato Granucci usually has about 18 flavors on offer—and about a third of those are vegan options. They all range in price from $5 for one scoop to $12 for four. You can get pints or quarts to go, too—perfect for a hot, roasty summer day.

WHAT The Owners Club

WHERE Tailor Shop, 140 W. Via Lola, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $20 CONTACT 760-537-7227; www.tailorshopps.com

WHY It’s deep and unique.

It’s well-known among my friends that I love a good craft cocktail, but I loathe pretentiousness. I am happy to pay a premium for a great drink—but if you’re snooty and/or you’re ripping me off, we have a problem.

I wasn’t quite sure whether to expect great cocktails or annoying snootiness when I recently visited Tailor Shop for the first time.

This craft-cocktail bar, with an upscale speakeasy vibe, is a project of chef Engin Onural, which gave me optimism; his local restaurants—The Venue Sushi Bar and Sake Lounge in Palm Desert, and Sandfish Sushi and Whiskey in Palm Springs—showcase quality sans affectation.

On the flip side, the Tailor Shop website reeks of pretention. It’s a complete disaster if you want useful information (like, say, an easy-to-find menu) beyond an address, hours and photographs.

I wasn’t quite sure when my drink arrived, either. I ordered the Owners Club, a cocktail with “Woodford Reserve Chef Engin’s Private Barrel,” walnut liqueur, coffee liqueur and “house chocolate.” While our server was friendly, the price tag ($20) and the fact that the “house chocolate” was not included in the cocktail—it’s literally a wrapped square of chocolate delivered along with the drink— gave me pause.

The bartender recommended taking small bites of the chocolate between sips of the cocktail—and it turns out the chocolate is no gimmick: The chocolate elevated a merely adequate bourbon drink into a deep, delicious experience.

My companions also enjoyed their drinks, and we all liked the bites of food. (Tailor Shop offers a small selection of small dishes; dumplings, meatballs, ahi tuna tostadas and a couple of other items were available during our visit.) All in all, it was a great experience—pretentious website aside.

Restaurant NEWS BITES

By charles drabkin

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR IMPENDING FESTS

Celebrate Mexican Independence Day at the new Mi Chavela Fest in Cathedral City, from 4 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16.

Luchador Brewing Company, at 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, is hosting this indoor/outdoor festival. It will feature Michelada vendors, food trucks, bands, a full lucha libre wrestling match and a lowrider car show. Tickets start at just $10. Find more information at facebook.com/michavelafest.

If you’re more into wine than micheladas, take note: Two new wine festivals are slated to soon debut. The Desert Wine Fest is slated to be held at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa, at 41000 Bob Hope Drive, in Rancho Mirage, on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28 and 29. This event (which was originally scheduled for last spring and postponed due to weather) is created by the people who run LAWineFest. Tickets range from $25 (designated driver) to $110 (VIP Garden). For more information, visit www.desertwinefest.com.

The first Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 11 and 12, at the Palm Springs Stadium Pavilion, at 1901 E. Baristo Road. Culinary luminaries including chefs Susan Feniger and Martin Yan are slated to attend; you’ll also find a global array of boutique wineries. Tickets start at $110, with discounts. (Full disclosure: I am helping organize this event.) Learn more at palmspringsfoodandwine.org.

IN BRIEF

The Greater Palm Springs Realtors are sponsoring the Drive to Survive Food Drive through Sept. 15. This effort to fill the shelves of the LGBTQ+ Community Center of the Desert’s Food Bank has real estate agents competing to raise donations. Contact your favorite agent, or donate directly at give.thecentercv. org. The Rowan Palm Springs, at 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, has a variety of new offerings from Richard Crespin, the new executive chef. You’ll find new menus in each restaurant, a Monday Industry Night at High Bar, and Thirsty Tuesdays at Juniper Table; learn more at www.rowanpalmsprings.com. … Mr. O’s BBQ Pit has replaced the Palm Springs location of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit at 5200 E. Ramon Road. This small chain, with five locations around Southern California, promises a family barbecue experience. Check out mrosbbq.com to learn more. … 533 Viet Fusion, at 1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive, No. 625, in Palm Springs, has new owners: former manager Brenda Jimenez and longtime employee Rolando Gonzalez, who say they plan to keep the staff and food consistent. The restaurant is now closed, but they hope to reopen Sept. 1, licensing issues pending. Watch www.533vietfusion.com. … New to Cathedral City: Five03 Pupusas, at 69185 Ramon Road, Suite D3, featuring five types of pupusas and three Salvadorian sweets. For those wondering, the country code for El Salvador is 503, which is how they arrived at the name. Learn more at www.instagram.com/fiveo3_pupusas. … Breakfast Republic has come to the desert, specifically 44491 Town Center Way, in Palm Desert. This Southern California minichain was born in San Diego before spreading to West Hollywood, La Jolla, Long Beach and beyond. Try the pineapple upside down pancakes, the Jurassic Pork benedict, or the breakfast jambalaya with a housemade Bloody Mary; breakfastrepublic.com … Blazing King BBQ and Hotpot is now open at 72600 Dinah Shore Drive, in Palm Desert. This all-you-can-eat dining experience offers traditional Asian hotpot and Korean barbecue fare—with a nightclub bar/lounge vibe. Find out more at blazingkingbbqhotpot. com. … There is movement at the old Lord Fletcher’s at 70385 Highway 111, in Rancho Mirage. A beer and wine service application with a new company named Afternoon Gossip has been posted— and that’s all we know. Lord Fletcher’s, which closed in 2020, was a favorite of Frank Sinatra’s and is prominently featured in the film Sinatra in Palm Springs. … New to Palm Desert: La Dolce Piccola, at 73255 El Paseo, Suite 20, serving gelato and baked goods, with a focus on fresh ingredients. Head to ladolcepiccolagelateria.com for more information. … New to Indio: Coral Sushi and Sake Bar, at 49830 Jefferson St., offers a variety of hand rolls, nigiri and grilled dishes in a casual, relaxed setting. Find out more coralsushibar.com. … Nearby, Palm Desert institution Keedy’s has opened another location, at 49890 Jefferson St., Suite 108. The original site opened in 1957 and has been serving breakfast and lunch to generations of desert-dwellers. This second location and the new Keedy’s On the Run (at 49876 Jefferson St.) promise to continue to delight with their “modern twist on the classic” soda fountain fare. Watch keedysrestaurants.com. … With more than 95 locations across California and Arizona, Ono Hawaiian BBQ must be doing something right. The new location in Indio, at 42560 Jackson St., brings an emphasis on fresh ingredients using authentic Hawaiian recipes. Their plate lunches and aloha plates are delicious; I have eaten several times at the Beaumont location. Learn more at onohawaiianbbq.com. … Indian Wells will soon have a Sprouts Farmers Market in the space formally occupied by Ralph’s, at Highway 111 and Cook Street. Watch for an October opening; it will be Sprouts’ second location in the Coachella Valley.

Got a hot tip? Let me know: foodnews@cvindependent.com.

Lazuli Bones

(formerly Blue Sun) gets set to release a new album, ‘Garden Girl’

The Coachella Music and Ink Festival melds music and tattoo creations in an all-ages setting

Three members of Ocho Ojos reform as Calmala—and get ready to release new music

THE Venue Report: WWE Supershow, ja rule, Silversun pickups—and More!

The Lucky 13: Get to better know the leader of The Desert Crows and the lead guitarist of Shark Fin

CANDID CREATIVES

MUSIC

METAL AND ART FOR ALL

By matt king

From metal/punk kids to older classic rockers, the Coachella Valley is packed with creatives—some of whom are always looking to create new opportunities, to ensure that our local scene continues to be as open and expressive as ever.

Robert Wood is one of those conscious creatives. Ever since his band In the Name of the Dead formed in 2010, Wood has been as supportive of local music as he is ferocious when performing

his death metal. In the Name of the Dead has played both backyard shows and venue concerts, and every step of the way, the band has found room to showcase and share the stage with up-and-coming bands.

This is continuing with Coachella Music and Ink Fest, happening at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8, at the Coachella Container Park. The evening will feature live performances from In the Name of the Dead and four other bands, while local tattoo booths sell art, and more.

During a recent phone interview with Robert Wood, he explained how booking metal nights at The Hood Bar and Pizza in Palm Desert led to the inception of the Coachella Music and Ink Fest.

“I’ve been booking the bands for metal night at The Hood for the last few months, and I was trying to get a band from out of town named Contortion to come play with us,” Wood said. “Because they were booking a tour, they were only available for Sept. 8, so I was like, ‘All right, that’s not one of the nights, but let’s see what I can do.’ I knew about the Container Park … and I just got the idea of, well, why don’t we try to put on a show at the Container Park? It’s a cool place to go, and we’ve always had a good time in Coachella with In the Name of the Dead.”

The Container Park is not your average music venue. It’s outside, next to a train track, and features space for more than just music.

“I was just thinking, ‘What’s going to get people to come down to see my band and these other bands in Coachella on a Friday night in September?’” Wood said. “There’s a bunch of space, and it lends itself really well to a little festival, so I said, ‘Well, why don’t we just do something like that?’ I was talking with my wife, and I was just like, ‘You know what? There’s never any tattoo stuff out here.’ Honestly, some tattoo artists or tattoo shops want to have an exposition and not do tattoos. They’ll just show off their work, maybe sell some canvases or some piercings and jewelry and stuff, and just make connections. It’s a way to have things that I like to do going on while my band is playing.”

Wood loves metal music, and loves having a thriving local scene.

The Coachella Music and Ink Festival melds music and tattoo creations in an all-ages setting

“In the valley, there is a lot of music going on, but not a lot of individual genre scenes or anything like that,” Wood said. “… Bands from out of town like coming through here, so I’ve just been trying to get as many shows going as I can. There are some other people working on it, too, to just build up a scene here for those of us who are into it, and for the younger kids coming up who want something to do besides sweat and do drugs.”

Besides In the Name of the Dead, four other metal bands will be performing at the fest, ranging in style and age.

“We have Contortion, a death metal band from Southern California, and they’re pretty awesome,” Wood said. “We’ve also got Instigator, another local thrash band. They’re quite a bit younger than us, and they’re really the young energy of the entire music scene around here, and they’re real cool guys, and they put on a great set. They’ve got great songs. They’re a lot of fun, and they tie back to a lot of old-school thrash and stuff, so that’s cool for us old guys.

“We’ve got Hollow Crown. I’m going to call them kids, because they’re younger than me, but we’ve played with them a couple of times, and they’ve got a lot of power and a lot of energy. They’re not necessarily metalcore, but more of a youth-oriented metal, which is pretty cool to see. Then we’ve got Grins and Lies, which is a local heavy rock and punk and metal band that hasn’t been doing much lately, but they’re cool guys.”

The Coachella Music and Ink Fest is being organized to appeal to all ages—and all fans of art.

“We want to try to get a good, intense, four- or five-hour experience where people can check out the bands and check out tattoo artists and piercers and maybe buy something,” Wood said. “Buy merch from the bands, or set up an appointment for a tattoo, or get some food. If they want to go across the street for a beer, they’re welcome to do that, and come back without the beer.”

Both art and music have been grouped together for a long time, and you can’t go far in the metal scene without seeing a few tattoos.

“Here in the valley, there are a lot of different events that combine the two, that I’ve noticed from all styles of art and music,” Wood said. “… While this isn’t a new idea necessarily, this particular strain of music and

art festival is a bit more focused on tattoo art and heavier music.”

When Wood isn’t performing and cultivating local music, he’s a full-time teacher at La Quinta High School. The first time I saw In the Name of the Dead, he paused one of his death-metal vocal deliveries to sweetly yell, “Hey, there’s one of my students!”

“Mostly, I’ve kept the two worlds separate,” Wood said. “Music, and just going to shows or playing shows … that’s definitely something I think is beneficial for younger people. There are a lot of little pockets in high schools of kids who are really into their genre, and every high school has got its metal kids, and it’s sad to say there are not as many punks as there used to be. I’m from an even smaller desert town, so having something (like music) is another avenue for self-expression, to find a group, or get the rage out in the pit or something like that in a safer environment than taking some pills and fighting somebody in the wash.”

The Coachella Music and Ink Fest will take place at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8, at the Coachella Container Park, 85980 Grapefruit Blvd., in Coachella. Tickets are $10; kids 18 and under get in for free with a paying adult. For more information, visit facebook.com/ inthenameofthedead.

In the Name of the Dead.

MUSIC

CANDID CREATIVES

By matt king

Local music fans may remember Blue Sun, a four-piece rock outfit whose D.I.Y. approach and nonstop work ethic helped them gain a solid fanbase in the Coachella Valley and beyond.

We last covered Blue Sun nearly two years ago. Since then, the band has made some big changes: They’re now a three-piece, with a new name—Lazuli Bones—but they’re still playing the same great tracks (and making awesome music videos). The band has released a few new

singles, and is getting ready to release a new album, Garden Girl, on Friday, Sept. 15. A few weeks later, the band will host a pair of album-release shows—on Friday, Sept. 29, at Little Street Music Hall in Indio; and Saturday, Sept. 30, at The Hood Bar and Pizza.

Lead-up singles “Love pt. 2” and “44” have shown Lazuli Bones expanding on their established reggae/punk/alternative rock mix. “Love pt. 2” features fluttery guitar chords and multi-layered vocals on top of a head-shaking reggae-funk groove, while “44” provides a jam-packed, ska-heavy punch.

During a recent FaceTime interview with vocalist/guitarist Madison Ebersole, bassist Erik Ebersole and drummer Eduardo Gallaga, the band discussed Garden Girl

“We thought to just take our time with this one, and not try to crank something out just to please people,” Madison said. “(We thought), ‘Let’s make a really cathartic experience out of this and really put our creativity and emotion into it, rather than just trying to have a finished product. Let’s take our time with it and make all the tweaks and fixes necessary to satisfy our personal interests and things like that.’ It’s been a really cool and fun process.”

The result was project that Erik said is “a lot more emotional and intimate.”

“Our last songs were more fun and dance-y, but these ones feel like you’ve got to really listen to it,” Erik said. “You really got to just feel it. If we don’t feel like making a recording, we’re not going to do it. We do it; we feel it; and we just have to be in the mood. I think that’s what is going to make the album more special.”

Added Gallaga: “This one isn’t forced. We just took it day by day.”

Lazuli Bones approached Garden Girl with a combination of strategies the band implemented in previous works.

“It was very experimental,” Madison said. “We’re kind of inspired by our EP Haunted Garden, which was completely self-recorded and self-mixed, so we’re like, ‘Let’s get back to that, and just get creative and just experiment a lot.’ Having all that extra time and not having this fire under your ass really allows

Lazuli Bones (formerly Blue Sun) gets set to release a new album, ‘Garden Girl’

me to play around and try different things.”

Added Erik: “We’re taking that creative freedom from Haunted Garden, and from (most recent album) Worst Case Scenario, that professionalism we learned, and combining both of them with the emotional writing.”

The band has been performing regularly at both backyard shows and local festivals and events. However, the band felt the need to take a big break from performing and posting on social media to focus on the album.

“You can’t help but wonder what everyone else thinks,” Madison said. “I just watched this Lauryn Hill video the other day where she says something like … you start to feel like you only have a certain window of time or opportunity to crank out content. In that sense, we’re like, ‘Man, we’re kind of losing traction. People are probably bored; people are forgetting about us,’ but that’s really all second to being creative. … We’re less peoplepleasing at this time, and more artistic and creative.”

Back in April, the band took the stage at Chella, an annual concert featuring local bands performing along with artists playing Coachella. This year, Lazuli Bones and Koka opened up for Conexión Divina, Bratty and Danny Lux.

“It felt cool playing on a big stage with good speakers and sound, and you have a team of sound engineers mixing everything,” Madison said. “Not only that, but plenty of people came, and family, and they were extremely supportive. They were just giving us so much good energy. It was a Goldenvoice event, and we got paid for it, and that was really cool. It was cool to do that for the hometown, and to see how well-received our music was by people who we have never met before.”

Moving forward, the band hopes to navigate between big stages and the backyardshow scene.

“We would love to play music festivals in general, and … get paid to travel and play places and things like that,” Madison said. “But I only want to gain that level of success by being the most authentic version of ourselves, rather than putting on this professional mask. We do try to have better-

quality content for the internet and stuff, and we’re trying to meet society halfway when it comes to content and shit like that, but the goal is still the same. We want to travel; we want to tour. We want to play big shows and … we want to gain fans; we want the whole rock ’n’ roll thing. We do want to obtain that by being ourselves, and not by bending over backward for society’s pleasure.”

Garden Girl may be Lazuli Bones’ most sincere creation yet.

“I feel like musicians end up losing their thought when they try to make a song,” Gallaga said. “They try to give themselves a deadline, then they rush it. We’re taking the time, and honestly, the songs sound great. It’s totally different, and Blue Sun is a different sound from now.”

Added Madison: “I used to be pretty vague and abstract about the things I would speak on. For instance, I’d sing a song about having psychosis and mental issues, and I would

mask that by talking about water or a couch or something like that. Now it’s a lot more vulnerable, pretty emotional, and pretty private and intimate. It just got to this point where it really started flowing, so I figured that this must be an alignment or something, if all this music is coming. … The drums and the distortion are not as heavy on this album, but it’s heavy in an emotional sense, so we’re just hoping people take to it.”

Lazuli Bones will host two album-release shows. The first takes place at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, at Little Street Music Hall, 82707 Miles Ave, in Indio. Many Moods, Los Electicos and Jully will open the evening. Admission is $10. The next takes place at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at The Hood Bar and Pizza, 74360 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. TV Screams, Cafe Canela and Jully will open the evening. Admission is $12. For more information, visit instagram. com/_lazulibones.

Lazuli Bones. Elisha Valencia

MUSIC

PURO PARTY

By matt king

Three members of Ocho Ojos reform as Calmala—and get ready to release new music

Groups often achieve great heights and craft amazing songs—before fizzling out or fading away, for personal reasons, or reasons unknown.

The opposite is also true: The musical connections between some friends and collaborators can never be broken. After creating a psychedelic cumbia groove that got the whole valley dancing, releasing an

album and a handful of singles, and playing at Coachella twice, Ocho Ojos disappeared after releasing single “Pasito” in September 2020. While it was a dormant time for music— there was that whole pandemic thing—even when venues reopened and shows started returning, the group was inactive.

“We were all kind of forced, in a way, to take a break,” said Danny Torres. He and Cesar Flores started Ocho Ojos in 2016; the band grew to include bassist James Gastelum and drummer Rafael “Rafa” Rodriguez. But in 2020, the band decided to call it quits.

“We all mutually decided that we wouldn’t continue Ocho Ojos, because Cesar moved outside of the valley, and it wasn’t going to be the same,” Torres said. “During that break period, I think we all kind of did our own thing. Some of us started a family; some of us went back to school, and we all stayed busy nonetheless.”

But the bond between the three remaining members of the band ran deep.

“Once the opportunity to start playing again came up, we all just kind of naturally, like mold, grew back,” Torres said.

Enter Calmala, While still experimenting with psych and cumbia, Calmala uses the members’ combined music skills and raw energy to craft a shifting dance sound that ranges from upbeat party to deep, heavy, mystical grooves. They are set to release their debut single, “Esta si es Cumbia,” on Sept. 13.

During a recent Zoom interview, the trio explained how their long history meant they couldn’t be kept apart.

“The three of us have been playing music since our late teen years, so I think it’s something that we all kind of naturally end up coming back to here and there throughout our lifetime,” Torres said. “Once we became no longer active in Ocho Ojos, a few years passed before all three of us just kind of naturally started jamming out. It wasn’t planned; it wasn’t like, ‘Hey, let’s start another band.’ It just kind of happened. James was having one of his Black Market Jazz gigs and borrowed some equipment for me, and when he came to pick it up, he asked me, ‘Are you down to jam on this gig?’ That’s

kind of how it started, and then from that, we called up Rafa again for these jam sessions, and then just naturally started jamming weekly. That turned into, ‘Well, let’s form a new group.’”

Added Gastelum: “It was almost inevitable that we would jam again. I think that we all can agree that we wanted to keep playing. We obviously miss Ocho Ojos a lot, and it’s a similar sound, but we have a different direction.”

Even though three of the four Ocho Ojos members make up Calmala, that doesn’t mean that the groups are the same.

“It’s a different kind of energy,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody took a break during the pandemic, and everybody was forced to reflect on their paths. I’ve had conversations with Danny and James about what we can do differently, and what was good about Ocho Ojos. It’s definitely about growth, and it’s exciting to get the reception that we’ve got thus far. It’s more motivation to keep on playing.”

One of the main differences is that the members of Calmala are working as a complete unit during every step of their musical creation.

“In Ocho Ojos, we would pre-record some backing tracks with percussion and keyboard and other sounds,” Torres said. “Now, as a three piece, we have no backing tracks, and everything is just us live. Also, in Ocho Ojos, we did backing vocals here and there, mainly just for live performances. I would do a lot of ad libs and stuff like that, but now with this new group, we don’t have like a formal lead singer. It’s made us each take a step up to the plate to sing in some of the songs where we’ve decided to have lyrics, so that’s a big change as well.”

Some heavier tones are apparent in the group’s jams, with slower beats and more mysterious effects and song structures.

“Stylistically, I would say that this group is a little more heavy than Ocho Ojos,” Gastelum said. “It’s not necessarily dark, but the riffs are a little heavier. Ocho Ojos, to me, was always a little upbeat. (Calmala) is like a deeper groove.”

Ocho Ojos made songs about dancing, the

landscape of the Coachella Valley—and even one about T.J. Maxx. Calmala wants to craft songs that are serious, satirical—and perfect for a party.

“We try not to make the lyrics too heavy, because it’s still like a party band,” Gastelum said. “The lyrics, I would say, are heavy in the sense that they’re symbolic. … On the other side of the coin, it’s also humorous, and everything is almost satirical in the way that we’re singing it. I think the point of music is to crack people up and to relate, so I would say our lyrics are relatable, and not too thought-out. It’s more just what we feel when we’re jamming; we’ll shout a phrase, or just riff off of some lyrics, or we’ll just talk to each other while we’re playing the song, like banter.”

Added Torres: “As far as lyrics, they can be pretty simple, because ultimately, it is still dance music. They can be simple—but that doesn’t mean the lyrical content can’t be meaningful or powerful.”

One meaningful song in particular has yet to be named; the band said it is about crossing the border.

“The past few times we’ve played it, I’ve kind of changed the lyrics,” Rodriguez said. “We have a definite feeling of what we’re trying to evoke or share.”

Added Gastelum: “It’s about all those migrants who recently have been coming to the Mexican border in caravans on the trains, or from South America or Haiti. It’s like an indirect reference to crossing the border. It’s a story, but we also have our own personal perspectives, with our families’ history and all that. It’s kind of like social commentary, but not trying to be super heavy.”

Although the band is fairly new, it was still invited to open up for Tropa Magica at Pappy and Harriet’s.

“We know them from the Ocho Ojos days, and we played several shows with them back in the day,” Torres said. “They’re currently on tour right now. They had that show up at Pappy’s, and they ended up hitting us up to see if we were interested and available. Shout out to them for the invite.”

Calmala has been working with a number of different local producers to record their music.

“Right now, we’re at Sunny Sounds studios in Palm Springs,” Torres said. “We recorded a song here a few weeks ago, and we’re currently here right now to work on the mix with Jayce (Levi), the owner. We also recorded a song with Emanuel Cazares. He is a guitar player for Slipping Into Darkness, and he has a side project called Cafe Canela. We’re still working on that mix. We also recorded a different song with Danny (Duran), who is the vocalist/lead singer for Facelift, which is another band from out here in the valley.”

An ambitious work ethic has helped the band get off to a quick start.

“We needed to get songs recorded. We needed some content up, so we’ve approached it very aggressively, and hit up three different studios, three different locations, three different songs just to track them and see,” Torres said. “Each song kind of has a different feeling, so we used the style of the song or the feeling of the song to go with a different producer.”

For more information, visit instagram.com/ calmalacoachella.

Calmala.

The Venue REPORT

September 2023

By matt king

Welcome to September! Let’s check out some Coachella Valley entertainment highlights.

Acrisure Arena is hosting some eclectic entertainment. At 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 2; and 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3, enjoy the high-flying artistic magic of Cirque du Soleil: Corteo. Tickets start at $55. At 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8; 12:30 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9; and 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 10, monster-truck fans of all ages can watch the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party. Tickets start at $36. Electronic-music fans can rejoice when ODESZA heads back to the valley after their surprise Do LaB set this year, at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 20. Tickets start at $45. At 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, brace yourselves for the wildly entertaining action of the WWE Supershow, featuring greats such as Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Kevin Owens, Rhea Ripley and others. Tickets start at $36. At 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, listen to the corridos and banda stylings of Luis R Conriquez. Tickets start at $47. Latin-music icon Luis Miguel will visit the valley at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30. Resale tickets start at $360. Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Road, Palm Desert; 888-695-8778; www.acrisurearena.com.

Fantasy Springs has three shows that aren’t sold out as of our deadline. Current Journey singer Arnel Pineda and “Asia’s Nightingale” Lani Misalucha will team up for an evening of song at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9. Available tickets start at $68. At 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, Jason Bonham, the son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, will perform a set of his father’s music. Tickets start at $39. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, ’70s rockers Foreigner will bring their catalog of hits and favorites

to Indio. Tickets start at $49. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort. com.

Spotlight 29 Casino is featuring one comic and one musician this month. At 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 1, funnyman Felipe Esparza returns to the Coachella Valley. Tickets start at $40. The “Queen of Latin Pop” Paulina Rubio will perform at 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 24. Tickets start at $35. You must be 21 or older to attend Spotlight 29 shows. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Morongo is offering a few diverse options. At 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8, country artist Matt Stell will entertain. Tickets start at $20. Rapper Ja Rule heads to Morongo at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9. Tickets start at $59. At 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15 and 16, soul and funk hitmakers War visits the high desert for a two-night stand. Tickets start at $49. Comedian, actor and bona fide entertainer Tracy Morgan is sure to bring the laughs at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29. Tickets start at $49. R&B musician Musiq Soulchild is set to perform at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30. Tickets start at $59. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-2524499; www.morongocasinoresort.com.

Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage is all about the music … and one speaker. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 2, ’70s/’80s funkers Kool and the Gang will bring the boogie to town. Tickets start at $45. At 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 15, Todrick Hall will grace The Show stage, after performing everywhere from Broadway to RuPaul’s Drag Race. Tickets start at $35. Late folk singer Jim Croce is being honored

Felipe Esparza

Opens September 29!

We’re Doing Business with PRIDE in the Coachella Valley.

The Venue REPORT

continued from page 34

by his son A.J. Croce during an evening of Croce Plays Croce, at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 22. Tickets start at $25. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, the Cahuilla Ballroom speaker series continues with luxury real estate agent Josh Altman. Tickets start at $35. At 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, alternative rock from the ’00s makes an appearance when Silversun Pickups head to Rancho Mirage. Tickets start at $40. Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-9991995; www.aguacalientecasinos.com.

Agua Caliente in Palm Springs features music and comedy yet again! Desert Blues Revival Wednesdays bring blues, soul and Americana from Shane Hall (Sept. 13), the soulful blues of the Jon Geiger Blues Band (Sept. 20) and the infectious beats of the Steven Taylor Band (Sept. 27). Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $10, available at eventspalmsprings.com. Jazzville Thursdays will showcase the swing and soul of Sydney Jacobs (Sept. 7), a tribute show to the music of Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond by the Jason Fabus Quartet (Sept. 14), the vibraphone stylings of Jason “Malletman” Taylor (Sept. 21) and the classic jazz and blues of Maria de la Vega and The Wayward Five (Sept. 28). Shows take place at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $15, available at jazzvillepalmsprings.com.

Caliente Comedy Fridays feature laughs from Tori Piskin (Sept. 1), Alex Hooper (Sept. 8), Joe Bartnick (Sept. 15), Kyle Rehl (Sept. 22) and Greg Behrendt (Sept. 29). Shows are at 8 p.m., and tickets start at $19.99, available at www.eventspalmsprings.com. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-999-1995; www. sparesortcasino.com.

Pappy & Harriet’s has nothing but September fun! At 8:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 10, psych-rock outfit White Denim will head to the desert. Tickets are $20. Top-notch Grateful Dead tribute group Grateful Shred will once again grace the Pioneertown Palace for a two-night affair, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16; and 9 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 17. Tickets start at $30. At 9:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 22, San Francisco rock ’n’ rollers The Stone Foxes are set to perform. Tickets start at $20. Dengue Fever (the band!) will bring their Cambodian rock stylings to town at 9 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 24. Tickets are $30. Ready for post-punk at Pappy’s Pioneertown Palace? Check out Shame, performing at 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 28. Tickets are $31.99. At 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, rap and rock music meets skaters and a half-pipe, all in the middle of the desert, for Thrasher Death Match. Tickets start at $25. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-228-2222; www.pappyandharriets.com.

Oscar’s in Palm Springs has a few one-offs amidst a sea of great residencies. At 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 15, cabaret and Latin heat will combine in full force for Hispanic Panic, featuring entertainers Jai Rodriguez and David Hernandez. Tickets start at $39.95. Colton Ford, Deven Green and Handsome Ned will team up for Under the Covers, an evening of cover songs spanning eras and genres, at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 22. Tickets start at $29.95. At 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29, international drag icon Sherry Vine is set to visit Palm Springs. Tickets start at $29.95. Oscar’s Palm Springs, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760325-1188; oscarspalmsprings.com/events.

The Purple Room is back, and picking up right where they left off before the summer hiatus! At 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1 and 2, Grammy Award winner Debby Boone will perform. Tickets start at $90. Hollywood “It Girl” Brenna Whitaker returns to Palm Springs for a night of song at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9. Tickets are $35. Great American Songbook and Hollywood film music will be combined at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 15, in a performance by Jonathan Karrant. Tickets start at $40. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16, singer Debby Holiday will pay tribute to Tina Turner. Tickets are $45. At 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23, performer Meghan “Big Red” Murphy will grace the Purple Room stage. Tickets start at $40. Award-winning singer, songwriter and comedian Sharon McNight will reflect on 40 years of entertainment at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30. Tickets are $35. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www.purpleroompalmsprings.com.

Meghan “Big Red” Murphy

Voting is now under way in the Coachella Valley Independent’s 10th annual Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll!

Voting in this readers’ poll, to determine the best of the valley’s best, will take place in two rounds:

• The First Round (nomination round) of voting will take place online at CVIndependent.com through Tuesday, Sept. 5. This round consists of fill-in-theblank voting. The voting is up to our readers, and our readers alone—there are no pre-determined “finalists” or candidates.

• The top three to five vote-getters in each category will move on to the Final Round of voting, which will take place at CVIndependent.com from Monday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Oct. 22.

• The winners and other results will be announced at CVIndependent.com on Monday, Nov. 27; on News Channel 3 the week of Nov. 27; and in the special Best of Coachella Valley section in the Independent’s December 2023 print edition.

Arts

Best Art Gallery

Best Indoor Venue

Best Local Arts Group/ Organization

Best Local Band

Best Local DJ

Best Local Musician (Individual)

Best Local Visual Artist

Best Movie Theater

Best Museum

Best Open Mic

Best Outdoor Venue

Best Producing Theater Company

Life in the Valley

Best Annual Charity Event

Best Bank

Best Bowling Alley

Best Car Wash

Best Comics/Games Shop

Best Credit Union

Best Doggy Daycare

Best Gym (Specifc Location)

Best Hotel Pool

Best Indoor Fun/Activity

Best Local Activist/Advocacy

Group/Charity

Best Local Radio Personality

Best Local Specialty Retail Shop

Best Marijuana Dispensary

Best Pet Supplies

Best Place to Gamble

Best Plant Nursery

Best Radio Station

Best Retail Music Store

Best Retirement Community/ Independent Living

Best Sex Toy Shop

Best Staycation Hotel

Best Yoga

Valley Professionals

Best Air Conditioner Repair

Best Attorney

Best Auto Dealership

Best Auto Repair

Best Carpet/Floor Cleaning Service

Best Chiropractor

Best Dentist

Best Doctor

Best Eye Doctor

Best Flooring/Carpet Company

Best Local Home Improvement Company

Best Mortgage Company

Best Orthodontist

Best Personal Trainer

Best Pest Control Company

Best Plastic Surgeon

Best Plumber

Best Public Servant

Best Real Estate Agent

Best Solar Company

Best Veterinarian

Fashion and Style

Best Antiques/Collectibles Store

Best Bridal Store/Salon

Best Clothing Store (Locally Owned)

Best Day Spa (Non-Resort/ Hotel)

Best Eyeglass/Optical Retailer

Best Florist

Best Furniture Store

Best Hair Salon

Best Jeweler/Jewelry Store

Best Nail Salon

Best Resale/Vintage Clothing

Best Spa in a Resort/Hotel

Best Tattoo Parlor

Outside!

Best Bike Shop

Best Hike

Best Outdoor/Camping Gear Store

Best Park

Best Place for Bicycling

Best Public Garden

Best Public Golf Course

Best Recreation Area

Best Sporting Goods

For the Kids

Best Kids' Clothing Store

Best Place for a Birthday Party

Best Place for Family Fun

Best Place to Buy Toys

Best Playground

Best Restaurant for Kids

Food and Restaurants

Best Bagels

Best Bakery

Best Barbecue

Best Breakfast

Best Brunch

Best Buffet

Best Burger

Best Burrito

Best California Cuisine

Best Casual Eats

Best Caterer

Best Chinese

Best Coffee Shop

Best Custom Cakes

Best Date Shake

Best Delicatessen

Best Desserts

Best Diner

Best Doughnuts/Pastries

Best Food Truck

Best French

Best French Fries

Best Frozen Yogurt

Best Gluten-Free Dining

Best Greek

Best Ice Cream/Shakes

Best Indian Best Italian

Best Japanese Best Juice/Juice Bar

Best Korean Best Late-Night Restaurant

Best Local Coffee Roaster

Best Mexican

Best Organic Food Store

Best Outdoor Seating

Best Pizza

Best Salsa

Best Sandwich

Best Seafood

Best Smoothies

Best Steaks/Steakhouse

Best Sushi

Best Thai

Best Upscale Restaurant

Best Vegetarian/Vegan

Best Veggie Burger

Best Vietnamese

Best Wings

Spirits and Nightlife

Best Bar Ambiance

Best Beer Selection

Best Bloody Mary

Best Cocktail Menu

Best Craft Cocktails

Best Dive Bar

Best Gay/Lesbian Bar/Club

Best Happy Hour

Best Local Brewery

Best Margarita

Best Martini

Best Nightclub

Best Place to Play Pool/Billiards

Best Sports Bar

Best Whiskey/Bourbon/Scotch Selection

Best Wine Bar

Best Wine/Liquor Store

Rules:

• Only one vote per person, per round, please! We’re watching IP addresses, so be honest.

• Ballots without a full name AND a working email address will be thrown out

• If you do not have an opinion in a certain category, leave it blank!

• You must vote in at least 15 categories, and for at least FIVE different nominees.

• Stuffing the ballot box is a no-no. Interested parties can engage in simple campaigning— like putting up signs, linking to the ballot or using social media to encourage fans/customers to vote—but anything beyond simple campaigning is a no-no. Any businesses, groups or individuals suspected of stuffing the ballot box may be disqualified, at the discretion of the Independent publisher.

• If you have questions, call 760904-4208, or email jboegle@ cvindependent.com

Presented by

MUSIC

LUCKY 13 the

Get to better know the leader of The Desert Crows and the lead guitarist of Shark Fin

by matt king

“Palisades Park” by Freddy Cannon, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Ray Charles, “Twistin’ the Night Away” by Sam Cooke, “The LocoMotion” by Little Eva, “Only the Lonely” by Roy Orbison, “Alley-Oop” by the Hollywood Argyles, “Theme From a Summer Place” by Percy Faith. Those were definitely great records, timeless classics in their own right!

What bands are you listening to right now?

drix. Scott Weiland. Coltrane. Jaco. They tick off the possibilities, inspire and point the way.

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

Hendrix: “Who are you jamming with today?”

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Lost a Friend Today.” That’s one of mine.

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

Rubber Soul, the Beatles; Electric Ladyland, the Jimi Hendrix Experience; Welcome to the Dance, The Sons of Champlin; Fresh Cream, Cream.

What songs should everyone listen to right now?

“Yesterday” by the Beatles, “Down in a Hole” by Alice in Chains, “Light and Gold” by Eric Whitacre, “Come Fly With Me” by Frank Sinatra.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Pop music. I’m a sucker for catchy beats and hooks.

What’s your favorite music venue? Transplants Brewing Company, Palmdale

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

“Put me in another place where I can wave at passing stars,” “Projectile Comet,” Secret Band.

What band or artist changed your life? My Chemical Romance. That band set the foundations for my understanding of music as well as story-driven concepts about love and loss.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? Amy Winehouse: “How do I get pipes like that?”

GROUP The Desert Crows

I’ve been listening to a lot of Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Mark Lanegan, STP, Scott Weiland, etc., and more recently, I’m listening to a lot of Charlie Parker, Les McCann, Yellowjackets, and Jaco (Pastorius).

NAME Joseph Gonzales

GROUP Shark Fin

MORE INFO

What song would you like played at your funeral? I actually have a playlist of liked music on YouTube. Press play, and let it ride for the whole service.

MORE INFO

The Coachella Valley loves live music and classic rock, so it’s only right that cover band The Desert Crows have been so well-received by locals. Whether the group is performing at local bars or entertaining crowds outside of Acrisure Arena before headline shows, The Desert Crows have a great set of ’60s and ’70s rock jams, matched with high-energy performances. They’re headed for Desert Blues Revival at Agua Caliente Palm Springs on Wednesday, Sept. 6. For more information, visit eventspalmsprings.com. For more info on the band, visit thedesertcrows.com. John Grounds is the founder, vocalist and guitarist.

What was the first concert you attended?

Buddy Guy at Monterey Jazz Festival. He was the one guy I had to see. My dad took me down to Monterey from Oakland, where I grew up. I was 12 or 13. I had already been a guitar player for four or so years. We were sitting up front, and I remember Buddy bending those strings so much that the E and the B strings both broke. He didn’t care at all, and left them waving in the breeze as he just continued to play on! All the mamas in the audience were shouting, “Buddy! Make it talk, Buddy!” An indelible experience that I will never forget.

What was the first album you owned?

Wow, it might have been Gábor Szabó, The Sorcerer. That was an early one. Kenny Burrell, Midnight Blue was another. Meet the Beatles! Younger Than Yesterday by The Byrds. My cousin Steven would also play me his 45s:

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? I can’t think of one musical trend where I can’t find genius in it, even if it’s stupid.

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

Charlie Parker’s Quintet.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

Playing more live shows with my band, The Desert Crows.

What’s your favorite music venue?

The Palm Desert’s beautiful new Acrisure Arena is a real gem. My band, The Desert Crows, is honored to have been asked to come back to the arena for command performances on four separate occasions, and they all happened this year so far, starting as the opening show for The Eagles in February, then Journey in April, and followed by Bryan Adams in July, and Tears for Fears in August. It is such an awesome treat to be feeling the love from this truly amazing venue in the desert! Plus I have always loved these venues as well: Winterland and Berkeley Community Theater.

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

“You can’t always get what you want.”

What band or artist changed your life?

Mike Stern. Charlie Parker. Layne Staley. Hen-

In the mood for some heavy metalcore with pulverizing riffs, growls, screams and intense breakdowns, all mixed with melodic guitar? Check out Shark Fin, another great addition to the Coachella Valley’s metal scene. Debut single “Distilled Habits” was released on May 5, and the band has already begun to make their mark on the scene, performing all over the desert. For more information, visit instagram. com/sharkfin_music. The mix of metal and melodic guitar is unique, thanks to guitarist Joseph Gonzales.

What was the first concert you attended? Acquire the Fire, which was an all-Christian show at a stadium in Pomona when I was 11 (around 2006).

What was the first album you owned? Life on the Murder Scene by My Chemical Romance, which my sister bought for me, which I still have.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Hail the Sun, Loathe, Miss Fortune, I Sank Atlantis, Maye, Dr. Acula, Knocked Loose, The Black Dahlia Murder.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? K-pop. I like pop music, but idol worship is odd.

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

I really miss the instrumental math-rock band Chon. I would love to see them live.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? Sianvar, Stay Lost.

What song should everyone listen to right now? “Distilled Habits” by Shark Fin.

NAME John Grounds

OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

“A Lack of Publicity”— two key letters are missing.

By Matt Jones

Across

1. Amorphous shape

5. Sound system setting

9. Malia Obama’s sister

14. Clue weapon

15. Friend, in France

16. Up to 17. God with a war chariot

18. “Cheerio!”

19. Job for 24-Across

20. Emptying and refilling freezer trays, perhaps?

23. Longoria of Desperate Housewives

24. Game show figures

25. Headline about an exonerated kitchen appliance?

31. Kool-Aid, e.g.

32. La ___ Opera House

33. Up to now

37. “What’s ___ for

me?”

39. Abu Dhabi dignitaries

41. Get up

42. Aquarium fish

44. Heptathlon unit

46. Image file extension

47. Run away, but end up locking lips?

50. Blood partner?

52. Former WWE rival

53. Buyer’s remorse sound?

59. Impressive layout 60. “Believe ___ Not” 61. Staff member? 63. “Filthy” riches 64. House of Havana 65. Meeting method

66. Islamic scholars 67. Literary whaler

68. A as in A.D.

Down

1. Maidenform product

2. Footloose actress Singer

3. Oil org.

4. Make an appearance

5. 1989 Prince song for a movie soundtrack

6. Key of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, briefly

7. In ___ (as found)

8. Black, Red, and Yellow, among others

9. Call to court 10. Genealogical discovery

11. Time on a job

12. Clues 13. Math subj.

21. Alamo competitor 22. Not just any

25. Bypass 26. Creeping plant 27. Go offstage

28. Given a title

29. Bartender’s garnish

30. Symbol above the 6

34. Island nation near Tonga

35. Nile biters

36. Bylaws, briefly 38. Commercial forest area

40. Alaskan entree

“That too”

Dash gadget

Weird Al’s first movie 49. Angola’s unit of currency (the holiday ends in the double letter) 50. Discussion group

Blood Wedding playwright Federico Garcia ___

12-point type

“Industry” state

Painter Bonheur

Any time now

King’s Scholars institution

Boxing champion Laila 62. Music genre for Fall Out Boy

© 2023 Matt Jones

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