January 29 to February 4, 2015
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events
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Dance, Dine and Donate
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impressed with how that all turned out. Normally when I take on doing an event like this I have a couple thousand bucks to throw around to put down on a room, rent some chairs, and take care of business but that wasn’t the case. Then Jack (Kohler) said ‘Dude let’s just keep it simple. We’ll have it here at The Hood. We’ve got the screen, we’ll get some chairs.’ I think it will be fun and very fitting for the people in the movie because of the vibe at the Hood. It’s perfectly set that it should be at a rock club. CVW: Are there plans for the movie after this viewing? Lalli: I’ve been talking to Sarah Scheideman at the CV Art Scene about a concept where we will have an extended showing of the movie maybe once a month. My cousin Larry (Lalli) is a photographer and he has some really great old photos that nobody has ever seen before. Like Kyuss’ first promo photos. And there are a couple other friends who used to take a lot of pictures back in the early days. And we will ask Chris Miller and others to contribute current photos and we could put them on the walls for people to see when they come to see the movie. Sarah could be the Curator. We could have some merch and CDs available there and make it a really cool event. When I thought about all the pictures that didn’t get used in the movie I thought this would be a great way for people to see all these groovy pics from the generator
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parties, garage parties, my old club. And people can look at them on the wall and say ‘wow! I remember being at that party or show’ and it take them back to that place. I want to involve the CV Art Scene because I have a lot of respect for what they’re doing and they are like the second generation of artists. It will be daunting to gather everything but it will be worth it. I still have flyers from shows we did back when I was 16. It’s like a scrap book of flyers. I remember when Agent Orange played here and TSOL did a show in Bermuda Dunes when I was in high school. Anyway we’re hoping to get that going in March. CVW: So Yawning Man and Fatso Jetson are both going on tour together? When do you leave? Lalli: We are flying to Germany on Feb. 3 and we’re doing the whole tour together. We scaled back both bands to be able to make it happen. My son Dino will be trading off bass and guitar with me in both bands and Tony Tornay will be playing drums for Fatso. For Yawning Man, Gary Arce will be playing guitar and Bill Stinson will be playing drums instead of Alfredo, because he’s got a bunch of other stuff going on. The last few years this desert rock thing has become a bonafide genre almost like punk or ska and there’s this scene where when we first went to Europe years ago there were metal fans and punk fans and hard rock and now it’s like the young kids my son’s age have grown up with desert
rock. When I talk about the music I grew up with I’m talking about Iron Butterfly, Jimi Hendrix and the Byrds (laughing). I mean there are festivals over there now that are devoted to the desert rock scene. It feels like now we are able to pay for our air fare and come home with some money in our pocket. We will be gone for a whole month. Josh (QOTSA) and Brant (Bjork), those guys have really opened a lot of doors for the rest of us to be able to go over there and do this. CVW: It still baffles me that most of the desert bands go over to Europe to much respect and adulation and yet they don’t have the same reception here in the States. What do you think about that? Lalli: That’s a really good question (laughing). I don’t know because I’ve never really tried. In the early 90s Fatso Jetson went on tour with Kyuss in the midwest and west coast. They had already toured with the Dwarves so they had built a solid fan base. I think that now because of all the popularity of Josh and Brant’s projects that it might be possible now to tour in the States, but it would be very different from over there. We really have the luxury of being able to go to Europe and they are prepared for us because Kyuss and QOTSA covered some of our songs and with the internet the fans over there do their homework and they are familiar with us. I’m really excited about doing a tour here in the States since we have a booking agent here now. But we will have to carve out our own path here. I wouldn’t be surprised if we rolled into Dallas to play some bar and only 15 people showed up, but I’d be stoked that 15 people in Dallas wanted to hear our music (laughing). I mean sometimes I come back to where I’m from and only 15 people show up because they’re like ‘we’re over it’. In Europe there’s like a lore to it and I am forever grateful for how we are received there. I went to a friend’s record release party a couple weeks ago and the band that was playing was amazing and they were some of the most badass musicians ever and I was talking to them and they said ‘Dude you’re going to Europe. How do you get to do that?’ And I thought honestly bro I don’t know because you just blew my fuckin mind you’re so good, you should be going.
We are really lucky. CVW: What do you credit the longevity of you career to? Lalli: I would say that we played for so many years without the distraction of being popular, being concerned about making money or the business. At the same time that kind of kept us in one spot. There are a lot of sacrifices that guys that tour all the time have to make. I wasn’t prepared to say fuck the restaurant, fuck my family, I’m just gonna go and be gone all the time. Bottom line is I think that we all just have a love for playing music together regardless of whether we made money or got famous. You can see Fatso Jetson before they leave for their European tour at The Hood Bar & Pizza in Palm Desert. The screening of Lo Sound Desert will take place on Saturday, Jan. 31 with doors opening at 6pm and Herbert performing at 6:30. Movie starts at 7pm sharp. After party with the following bands: Blasting Echo 8:35/Hellions 8:55/ War Drum 9:15/Hot Beat Pussy Fiend 9:35/ Dali’s Llama 9:55/Family Butcher 10:15/ Fatso Jetson 10:35/You Know Who 10:55/ Nick Oliveri’s Uncontrollable 11:15/House of Broken Promises 12:35. All ages until 10pm. $10.00 Cover. This show will sell out.
f you have never been to the TV show, Dancing with the Stars, this is the next best thing. One of our instructors, Van Spencer in the upcoming Dancing with Our Stars, has choreographed dance routines for the TV show troupe and appeared on the show. Now you can personally experience the pizzazz and exhilaration of the show in this multi-charity fundraiser. Produced by Lynne Bunch of A Charity Affaire, this popular event has raised $375,000 for 80 different charities since 2006. Event tickets for Dancing with Our Stars, Sunday, February 15 at 1 pm at the Agua Caliente Casino are $80 and include lunch and one vote for the charity of your choice. Votes are $20 each and can be purchased in advance of the live competition to support your favorite participating charity. The following charities and dancers providing a magical, inspiring evening of dance are Carmen Lopez & Van Spencer, Soroptomist House of Hope; Kytti St. Amand & Van Spencer, Parkinson’s Resource Organization; Traci Kaylor & Don Ramos,
All Things are Possible and Barbara Bedford & Van Spencer, Rescue Animals of the Universe. Two couples, Jennie Gerhardt & Van Spencer and Mary Anne Eason & Ismael Esquivel, both dance for Coachella Valley Horse Rescue. Also enjoy the tantalizing non-charity Pro/Am competition from our dance community featuring Elizabeth Wood & Dennis Lyle, Tim Dawson & Elvia Gomez, Barbara Bedford & Van Spencer, Rose Marie Rae & Bill Foster, Nina Beck& Amine Raif and Margaret Hines & Van Spencer. The noncharity Amateur competition has Kathleen Collins & Sonny Routt and Shirley Putnam & Nick Ingrao. Celebrate the Valentine’s Day weekend with the special person in your life and enjoy romantic entertainment by our hostess Sharon DiHaworth, lunch, the dance competition and dancing for all the guests several times throughout the show. Hosts will be on hand to dance with guests. For additional information, contact lynne@acharityaffaire.com, 760-218-1687 or go to www.dancingwithourstars.com.
January 29 to February 4, 2015
Breaking the 4th Wall
A Stage Review: “Having Our Say: The delaney sisters’ first 100 years” he first thing I heard as I took my
By Dee Jae Cox
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seat for The CV Rep’s production of, “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First Hundred Years” was the 1930, Ethel Waters jazz/blues classic “What did I do to be so black and blue?” After my initial wide-eyed realization of how racist the song was, I later realized what a perfect choice it had been to set the mood and tone for the story of two ‘colored’ sisters, (Colored being the term they preferred) who had survived a century of American history. Emily Mann’s play, “Having Our Say, The Delany Sisters’ First Hundred Years,” presented by The Coachella Valley Repertory, has got to be one of the most moving and poignant pieces of drama that I’ve seen cross the stage. Chris Brown as 101 year-old Bessie and Regina Randolph as 103 year-old Sadie, tell the story of the Delany sisters who experienced a century of American History and were proud to talk about it. These two actresses are as stellar as they come. Both were beautiful and strong as the centurion sisters, Sadie and Bessie Delany. I was captivated from the moment they entered the stage. I hung on their every story, firmly believing that I had entered their world and was now a visitor in this beautifully crafted mid-century home. It does not get better than Chris Brown and Regina Randolph if you’re looking for top notch performances. They made me laugh, cry and feel especially honored as a guest in their home. Mann’s script beautifully weaves together the pieces of two extraordinary lives. Born before the turn of the 20th Century, these two sisters experienced the world that most only read about in history books. From coming of age with Jim Crow laws in the south to the Harlem Renaissance. Meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, watching the civil rights unfold under the greatness of a man like Martin Luther King Jr., confessing that they preferred Jimmy Carter over Reagan, though Bessie did love Eisenhower. And as Bessie said with a mischievous smile, “If you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain. And I surely don’t want to miss a chance to complain.” From early Jazz to modern hip-hop, they saw it all and so did we as the audience was invited into their home while they prepared a dinner in celebration of their deceased father’s birthday. I could smell the turkey
as they chatted and shared photos with the audience like we were old friends. Jimmy Cuomo’s set is perfection. Detailed walls, furnishings and props all an ideal backdrop for the story being told. Aalsa Lee’s simple costumes and Lynda Shaeps hair and makeup, added the ideal touches of truth and to the characters as we were drawn into the lives of these 100+ year old women who moved with determination and definite control of all of their faculties. Ron Celona’s direction brought the script to its full potential; casual, yet exact. More than busy work, each move had a purpose that supported the telling of this incredible story. There is absolutely everything right about the CV Rep’s production of ‘Having our Say’. If you are looking for an excellent piece of theatre, this is the show to see. It is a personal and intimate oral history that can be appreciated and enjoyed by all ages. Coachella Valley Repertory gets a four stars on Broadway rating, for having three plays written by women in their season. Bravo to Artistic Director Ron Celona whose efforts in bringing gender equality to theatre gets a standing ovation. Having Our Say is in production at the Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre located at 69930 Highway 111, Suite 116, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 from through February 8, 2015 with evening performances on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM. For Reservations: call 760-296-2966, or visit www.cvrep.org Dee Jae Cox, is a playwright, director and producer. She is the Cofounder and Artistic Director for The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Project and the host of KPTR 1450’s hit radio show, “California Woman 411” in Palm Springs.
Look for Part 2 of Mario Lalli’s interview next week on our website at coachellavalleyweekly.com.
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