Coachella Valley Weekly - June 4 to June 10, 2015 Vol. 4 No. 11

News

Music

Movies

Dining

Community Events

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com • June 4 to June 10, 2015 Vol. 4 No. 11

DESERT ICON

Miramonte Staycation

pg 5

Derby Baby

pg 5

Transgender In America

pg 6

Desi Makes A Wish

pg 6

Charlie Daniels

pg 9

June 4 to June 10, 2015

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John Garcia: A Desert Icon Goes Solo

June 4 to June 10, 2015

by Esther Sanchez

Coachella Valley Weekly

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com publisher@coachellavalleyweekly.com facebook.com/cvweekly

760.501.6228

Publisher & Editor Tracy Dietlin Art Director Robert Chance Sales Team Alaina Majiros, Jorge Gutierrez, Edward L. Prichard III Classified Manager & Nightlife Editor Phil Lacombe Features Writer Lisa Morgan, Judith Salkin, Denise Ortuno Neil, Heidi Simmons, Kira Golden, Rich Henrich Writers/Contributors: Robin Simmons, Rick Riozza, Craig Michaels, Bronwyn Ison, Haddon Libby, Rachel Montoya, Angela Janus, Janet McAfee, Dale Gribow, Raymond Bill, Jack St. Clair, Rob Brezny, Eleni P. Austin, Noe Gutierrez, Sunny Simon, Karen Creasy, Richard Weiss, Dr. Peter Kadile, Dr. Maria Lombardo, Bruce Cathcart, Julie Buehler, Flint Wheeler, Laura Hunt Little, Rebecca Pikus, Monica Morones, Lola Rossi, Dee Jae Cox, Edward L. Prichard III, Jean Chariton, Patte Purcell, Esther Sanchez Photographers Laura Hunt Little, Scott Pam, Lani Garfield, Chris Miller/ Imagine Imagery, La Maniaca Distribution Phil Lacombe, William Westley

Contents John Garcia......................................... 3 Miramonte Staycation........................ 5 “Derby Baby” Film Screening............ 5 Transgender in America..................... 6 Dsei Cechin.......................................... 6 Backstage Jazz.................................... 7 Tilted Kilt Open Mic............................ 8 LMS - Q&A with Desert Rockers......... 8 LMS - Charlie Daniels.......................... 9 Consider This - Shelby Lynne...........10 Art - Chris Granillo............................11 Pet Place............................................12 The Vino Voice...................................13

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quick google search for Coachella Valley native, John Garcia will immediately bring you a plethora of results about a singer/songwriter who was the frontman and founding member of historic, game-changing bands such as Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida & Vista Chino. Garcia is a humble, yet direct guy whose contributions to music in the Coachella Valley are undeniable, and those of us who pay attention understand that he has helped pave the way for a continuously blossoming music scene that inspired Blender Magazine to list Palm Desert as, “One of the Top 7 Rock & Roll Cities in America.”

Although reluctant to admit so, Garcia was an integral part of the creation of what is now considered by many, a distinct musical sub-genre called, “desert rock” also known as “stoner rock.” The sound that has put the desert on the musical map was unintentionally conceived amongst classmates, neighbors and family friends in their parent’s garages & evolved into something that none of them could have possibly foreseen.

Although my parents would never have dreamed of letting me attend, as a local girl from a certain generation I remember hearing about the awesome bashes out in the desert at places like the “nude bowl” which was basically an empty swimming pool out in the desert that was utilized by skaters & eventually became a party spot for bands to perform.

The “generator party” tales have resonated internationally with desert rock fans over the years to such a point that they have met almost folkloric proportions which is a fact that Garcia finds amusing and somewhat bewildering.

Garcia: “They were just parties. The stories have really been over glamorized over time.

We didn’t throw parties in the desert to create legendary stories. We did it because we didn’t have much of a choice. Back then, there were no venues in the area who were interested in giving bands like ours a place to perform.

Club Crawler Nightlife......................14 Screeners...........................................18 Book Review......................................19 Haddon Libby...................................21 Dale Gribow......................................21 Safety Tips.........................................22 ShareKitchen.....................................22 Sports Scene.....................................22 Free Will Astrology...........................23 Life & Career Coach...........................24 Ask The Doctor..................................24

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Photo By esther sanchez

Photo By esther sanchez

Necessity being the mother of invention, we made our own places to perform.”

After decades of blessing us with music from shared projects, Garcia has released his long-time coming, self-titled solo album and this Friday, June 5th, he will be giving a rare, home-town performance at Schmidy’s Tavern.

Although Garcia has plans for an overseas tour very soon, this is the only show he has scheduled in the US and it promises to be a night to remember.

While doing my pre-interview research I discovered that the internet can tell you all sorts of things about John Garcia as a singer/ songwriter and his cult-phenom bands. What the internet won’t tell you about Garcia is that his “rock-star” persona is only a small part of a complex guy who actually cringes at the mention of such terms. Interestingly enough, although being a musician is a huge part of his identity, these days it runs pretty low on his list of priorities.

Garcia sat across from me at an ornately carved, dark-wood, Mexican dining room table and pointed towards the living room where we could see his wife tending to their five yearold son. As though my presence was briefly forgotten, he stared in their direction and smiled adoringly….

Garcia: “This. Them. They are why I do everything I do nowadays. I truly mean that. If I were to achieve success beyond my wildest imagination, play to the largest crowds in the greatest venues on the planet and make a ton of money…... what would it matter without them? To me? Nothing! As much as I love being blessed with the opportunity to perform in other countries, I think about them constantly when I am gone. The incomplete feeling that I have when I am separated from my family makes the experience bitter-sweet.”

Within minutes of meeting the Garcias at their secluded hillside home in the high desert I could clearly see what a remarkably doting husband John is to his lovely wife and “best friend,” Wendy with whom he is raising 2 children a dog and a cat. Part of the reason why Garcia misses his family & Wendy in particular so much while touring overseas is likely due in part to the amount of time the affectionate couple is accustomed to spending together. It might surprise a lot of his fans to know that when he isn’t recording or touring abroad, Garcia works side-by-side with Wendy at a local animal clinic and both of them share a sincere passion for veterinary medicine.

Garcia couldn’t say enough about how much Wendy’s love, support and partnership means to him. Theirs’ is the most precious of many partnerships in the life of John Garcia that have made it possible for him to do what he does.

Garcia: “You must give credit where credit is due. This solo project is something I have pretty much always wanted to do but there are a lot of people that have made this happen for me. Probably the most significant partner on this album would be my producer and advisor; owner of Thunder Underground Recording Studio in Palm Springs, Harper Hug. In all seriousness, he really is the mastermind behind the JG project. He is an amazing guy who helps me turn my wishes and ideas into reality. He’s a doer. He helps me get things done.”

Garcia continues: “It’s been really fun writing songs with all these different guys who contributed to the JG project. I have been working with Ehren Groban from War Drum, Dave Ingstrom and Danny Brown from Armano, Mark Diamond from The Dwarves, Tom Brighton and Trevor Whatever……….those guys all deserve credit for this project becoming a reality. This album is something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember and these guys are what made it happen.”

Although Garcia is quick to praise those who collaborated with him on this record, the reality is that it is indeed a solo project, and with that comes a new found sense of artistic freedom. Garcia: “It’s very liberating.

I mean, I am happy to consider everyone’s ideas but with bands there are sometimes too many cooks in the kitchen. With this project, ultimately, it’s all my decision. I can sit back and say, ‘This is how I envisioned my record to be.

This is my creation. It’s my painting and I get to use the colors that I want to use.’ It really is liberating and it’s also been a lot of fun.”

John Garcia will be performing along with fellow desert rock faves, Waxy, War Drum and You Know Who this Friday, June 5th at Schmidy’s Tavern in Palm Desert. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to experience John Garcia live on his home-turf.

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

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local business

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by chris clemens

Miramonte Resort & Spa Offers Residents Incredible Staycation Deal

King Estate Rooms for $109 Include $25 Resort Credit

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iramonte Resort & Spa introduces the “Stay Free” package for summer, which awards a third night free and resort credit. The package affords Coachella Valley residents desiring a getaway close to home a luxury resort experience. The Mediterranean village-inspired resort features a recently renovated pool, an award-winning spa and delectable dining, as well as special events scheduled throughout the summer. The “Stay Free” package is available Monday through Friday now through September 30th with rates starting at $109 for a King Estate room – when booking two-nights the third night is free.* Situated at the base of the awe-inspiring San Jacinto Mountains, the resort is recognized by Orbitz with a “Best In Stay Award.” Two-story bougainvillea-covered villas are designed with romantic architecture, fine-crafted stonework, tranquil piazzas, and complemented with Italian fountains and outdoor fire pits. In addition, the 11 expansive acres feature olive trees, fragrant citrus groves, rose, and herb and flower gardens.

The signature pool was recently renovated and is graced with luxury lounge chairs and private poolside cabanas. The richly appointed cabanas are reminiscent of a small living area featuring couches, chairs, and a coffee table, along with a radio with an enhanced sound system. A stocked refrigerator of water, soda and fruit is included in the $200 per day cabana rental. At the signature pool bar service is offered and a full menu is available with poolside service. In addition, the more intimate Piedmont pool area was created with serenity in mind for adult guests only.

With the “Stay Free” package guests receive a $25 resort credit for THE WELL Spa. THE WELL® Spa, consistently named in the Top 100 Resort Spas in North America by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine and selected as a Top Urban Spa Retreat by Yahoo! Beauty, features 12,000 square feet of decadent relaxation. The spa was designed as a Tuscan Villa with 13 treatment rooms, an impressive coed courtyard, four outdoor cabanas complete with open air showers, an Aqua Well pool and a signature river bench pool.

June Spa Specials include three specials for Father’s Day: Stress-Less Quench Massage – 60 minutes Get back to your best self with this medium to firm pressure massage designed to relieve tension and improve mobility while treating your skin to an antioxidant rich specialty massage oil in our most popular scents for men of Earth or Ore. $120.00 Gentlemen’s Facial – 60 minutes Customized facial for men infused with Vitamin C. Packed with a powerful punch of antioxidants Vitamin C will freshen and revitalize your skin while stimulating collagen to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. $120.00 Father’s Day Beer Man-icure/Pedicure – 75 minutes Treat those manly hands and Feet! Relax with a cold beer, munch on some pretzels, and enjoy this macho service. Nails are buffed and filed for a sporty look. Calluses are smoothed, and skin is rehydrated. $75.00

Other June Specials include: Renewal Quench Massage – 60 minutes This fully tailored body quench melts away tensions and deeply nourishes your skin with a powerful infusion of organic shea butter and Vitamin E and the luscious aromas of our signature blend of Sun + Petal + Fresh. $120 Lavender Salt Scrub – 45 minutes Rejuvenate tired dry skin with our Honey Lavender Scrub that increases circulation, promotes detoxification, and helps skin retain moisture. A lemongrass body butter application completes the experience leaving your skin ready for Summer! $99 Sun Kissed Tips and Toes- 75 minutes Organic Shea Butter Manicure/Pedicure This ritual begins with a detoxifying Epsom and sea salt soak to restore and revitalize tired hands and feet. Dry skin is sloughed away during a cleansing exfoliation with gentle fruit extracts, while Shea butter replenishes and hydrates skin. Following the exfoliation is an intensive Shea butter cuticle and skin treatment that will smooth, plump, and transform skin leaving a beautiful glow. An ultra-hydrating organic Shea butter mask is applied to seal in this hydration for a soft, cashmere feel.

Nails are impeccably groomed and polished. $110 with a glass of Bubbly For updated spa specials throughout the summer, visit www.miramonteresort.com/ thewellspa.

The Grove Artisan Kitchen is known for its “farm to table” fresh seasonal California cuisine featuring ingredients from local artisan growers simply prepared with time honored techniques.

The menu features organic produce, fresh herbs grown on the property, farm raised meats and poultry, fresh Pacific seafood, house-made pastas, prime dry-aged meats and innovative vegetarian dishes.

They are participating in the Palm Springs Restaurant Week which ends this June 7th! Enjoy a 3 course meal for just $26!

The Vineyard Lounge offers cocktails and appetizers, and for summer offers a daily happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. that includes $5 well drinks and wine along with a variety of discounted appetizers. On Taco Tuesdays margaritas are just $6 and tacos are $2. Live entertainment is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday nights through the summer with the phenomenal Gennine Jackson, known for her Whitney Houston tribute tour and recognized

by Orange County as Performer of the Year.

For additional info on the “Stay Free” package visit miramonteresort.com/stayfree.

Use promo code STAYFREE when making reservations by using this link or by calling (800) 237-2926. Miramonte Resort & Spa is located at 45000 Indian Wells Lane, Indian Wells, California. For more info about the resort visit miramonteresort.com *Disclaimer - Subject to availability and based on double occupancy. Not applicable to existing confirmed reservations or group bookings. Tax and resort fees are additional. This special offer cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions.

Blackout dates and other restrictions apply. Be sure to select three nights when booking online.

June 4 to June 10, 2015

Film Movie Screening “Derby Baby!”

June 7, 11AM at Camelot Theatres

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ounded in 2012 by a small group of determined local women, The Coachella Valley Derby Girls (CVDG) has grown into a strong, full- roster team of certifiable derby girls. CVDG will host their first ever movie screening event to raise funds and visibility for the team.

The Movie – “Derby Baby!” is the story of women’s roller derby covered from both a national and international perspective, as Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Robin Bond and Dave Wruck take you with them on their international quest to learn why women’s flat track roller derby is the fastest growing sport in the world. “Derby, Baby!” explores the drama, the friendships, and the addictive nature of the women’s flat-track roller derby, including never-before-seen bout footage of the international flat-track roller derby champions. Come share the love, the pure addiction that drives tens of thousands of women around the globe to don fishnets and pseudonyms for the privilege of kicking each other’s asses.

Narrated by Whip It star and actress/ musician Juliette Lewis, who also appears oncamera, the “Derby, Baby!” story looks at the many incarnations of the sport since its invention 77 years ago, and explores the

WWF-like legacy and over-played television coverage of the past that threatens the sport’s image even today. Super-fans, critics, sponsors, prominent sports writers, authors and sociologists weigh in on the phenomenon that is roller derby, and the sport’s organic - and possibly short-lived - growth as a unique athletic expression of women’s empowerment.

Screening June 7, 2015, 11:00AM at Camelot Theatres, 2300 E Baristo Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

For more on the film visit: www. derbybabythefilm.com This matinee presentation is a family friendly event where you can meet your local derby girls, buy your CVDG gear, and support a growing sports team in the Coachella Valley. Individual tickets are $10 (available for purchase at Camelot box office), and will include entrance into a raffle drawing at the screening for a chance to win some great prizes.

Contact: Jeni “Von Doom” Matcham CVDG Board President (760)835-9618/ jenmatcham@gmail.com Nikki “Hitzcarraldo”Gordon CVDG Events Coord. (310)696-9860/ nicolehollygordon@gmail.com

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for Transgenders in America and Our Community

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n June 1, 2015, Vanity Fair revealed the world renown athlete, father, reality show star, formerly known as Bruce Jenner as Caitlyn Jenner. The surgically enhanced, stunning, 65 year old transgender woman was photographed by famed photographer, Annie Leibovitz, and it set the internet on virtual fire.

The support from the entertainment industry, the media, both social and traditional, was overwhelmingly positive. An auto-bot was even in place to correct anyone tweeting her as him. Two of her children publicly tweeted their support, as did the White House. In her own words, Jenner shared, “I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can’t wait for you to get to know her/me.” GLAAD president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, publicly messaged, “By sharing her journey with the world, Caitlyn Jenner is accelerating the acceptance of transgender people everywhere and reminds us all how important it is to live as your most authentic self.”

While Jenner will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2015 ESPY Awards in July (an award granted to people “possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost”), there is no doubt, that a percentage will silently and not so silently look at all of this with dismay, fearful concern and even contempt. And based on statistics, some have and will respond violently.

THE VIOLENT STRUGGLE: According to the Office for Victims of Crime (www.ovc.gov), statistics documenting transgender people’s experience indicate shockingly high levels of sexual abuse and assault: One in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted at some point in their lives. Some reports estimate that transgender survivors may experience rates of sexual assault up to 66 percent, often coupled with physical assaults or abuse. This indicates that the majority of transgender individuals are living with the aftermath of trauma and the fear of possible repeat victimization. Sexual violence has been found to be even higher in some subpopulations within the transgender community, including transgender youth, transgender people of color, individuals living with disabilities, homeless individuals, and those who are involved in the sex trade.

The 2011, Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, found that 12 percent of transgender youth report being sexually assaulted in K–12 settings by peers or educational staff; 13 percent of African-American transgender people surveyed were sexually assaulted in the workplace; and 22 percent of homeless transgender individuals were assaulted while staying in shelters; 15 percent of transgender individuals report being sexually assaulted while in police custody or jail, which more than double (32 percent) for African-American transgender people.

HATE CRIME: According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), acts of hate violence, such as harassment, stalking, vandalism, and physical and sexual assault, are often supported by more socially

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sanctioned expressions of transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia and are intended to send a message to LGBTQ communities. It goes on to state that many LGBTQ people also face substantial bias because they belong to other traditionally marginalized groups such as race, class, incarceration history, immigration status, or ability. In the NCAVP 2009 report on hate violence, 50 percent of people who died in violent hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people were transgender women; the other half were male, many of whom were gender non-conforming.

Sexual assault and/or genital mutilation before or after their murder were a frequent occurrence.

In 2009, 17 percent of all reported violent hate crimes against LGBTQ people were directed against those who identified themselves as transgender, with most (11 percent of all hate crimes) identifying as transgender women.

The remainder identified as transgender men, genderqueer, gender questioning, or intersex.

FAMILIES AND CHILDREN: In February, GLAAD released its “Accelerating Acceptance” report, which surveyed thousands of Americans on their feelings toward the LGBTQ community from their stance on marriage equality to their level of comfort with LGBTQ people in different settings of everyday life. “The results, presented in cold, hard statistics, were a sobering reminder that despite a general move toward embracing LGBTQ civil rights under the law, there remains a layer of uneasiness and discomfort with LGBTQ people for much of the American public.”

Roughly a third of non-LGBTQ parents polled said they would be uncomfortable sending their children on a playdate at the home of an LGBTQ parent, and nearly half said they would be uncomfortable bringing their child to the wedding of a same-sex couple. For transgender parents, the reality is even more unwelcoming, with the rate of discomfort jumping to 40 percent if a playdate were to take place in one of their homes.

“These statistics rocked me, and say nothing of the troubling views many Americans hold toward children who display gender nonconforming behaviors,” stated the GLAAD president. “For a truly accepting society, all parents should be supportive of both their own children and other families in their community.

With the country now at the doorstep of full marriage equality, these are the types of negative sentiments and prevailing attitudes that we must work to overcome. Closing the gap on full acceptance of LGBTQ people will not come from legislation or judicial decisions alone, but from a deeper understanding and empathy from Americans themselves.” www. glaad.org/blog/glaad-president-acceleratesacceptance-lgbtqfamilies-around-country WORKING TOWARD A SOLUTION: There are some important events coming up here in the Coachella Valley that will not only be educational and informative, but historical.

The Second Annual Transgender L.A.T.E. Festival June 6, 2015, at 7:00 p.m., at The Tolerance Education Center located at 35147 Landy Lane, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. The Transgender L.A.T.E. Festival will be showcasing documentary films, and local transgender singers and musicians. Tickets are $10.00, and there are only 72 seats available. This will provide

By lisa Morgan a positive forum for learning and understanding more about our transgender community.

Opening will be a Q & A about Transgender life in India with Transgender Activist Kalki Subramaniam from the Sahodari Foundation.

Short films and documentaries will include: 1. IDAYINAM- A Transgender Tribute to India 2. The Silent Conversation 3. Transmormon 4. The Pearl of Africa Ending will be a Q & A about Transgender life in Uganda by director of The Pearl of Africa, Jonny von Wallstrom. Wallström is a Swedish cinematographer turned self-shooting director.

His debut documentary film Zero Silence was official selection at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2011, a film that captured the Arab Spring before, during and after the 2011 revolutions. His documenting of the struggles of transgenders in Uganda and Russia are nothing short of riveting.

Tickets can be purchased, while available, at www.transcc.org.

TRANS-PRIDE PICNIC, Sunday, June 28th, 1pm @ Ruth Hardy Park, Palm Springs In hopes of deterring the growing number of trans-youth suicides, Transgender Community Coalition and TDOR Palm Springs have initiated the first Trans-Pride event in Coachella Valley.

With the main focus on Trans-Youth and their struggles to be accepted for who they are, the event will celebrate and promote pride of individual uniqueness. There will be face painting for the children, fresh fruits and water, a grill for food, music, songs, and

Community

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Backstage Jazz

June 4 to June 10, 2015

By patte purcell

Slim Man, Chris Bennett (grammy nominated jazz singer), Maestro Dino Zonic (Palm Springs Orchestra), Harry Manigian (aka Benissimo), Sheree Lillie (Lillie PR).

Paparazzi: Out and About

proclamations recognizing Trans-Pride from cities within the Coachella Valley. At 2 pm, the local governments will come and present their proclamations showing their support for this cause. Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming people and their allies are all welcome.

“This is an opportunity to educate families on a large scale about acceptance and emotional support of their children and friends, and enabling them to be the person they were meant to be in hopes of averting youth suicide,” shares Thomi Clinton, event founder and coordinator.

(June 28th, is also the anniversary date for the Stonewall Riots that sparked the human rights movement in 1969)

LOCAL GIRL AND CANCER® FIGHTER, DESI CECHIN, RECEIVES WISH TO GO TO AULANI , A DISNEY RESORT AND SPA

n Monday, June 8 Make-A-Wish® Orange County and the Inland Empire will present 6-year-old Desirae (Desi) Cechin with her wish to go to Aulani®, a Disney Resort and Spa. The wish presentation will include a party at Desirae’s favorite restaurant, and will be a celebration of her upcoming wish.

Desi Cechin, a native of Indio, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in April of 2014 and has been fighting a tough battle ever since. Before Desi’s diagnosis, her family discussed taking a trip to Aulani®, a Disney Resort and Spa, but those plans were put on hold. Instead, the 6-year-old has spent more than a year in and out of the hospital, enduring numerous medical tests and traveling for treatments.

Laura, Desi’s mother explains that treatment has been rough but her daughter’s positive outlook and spirits have kept them going. To stay calm, Desi thinks about time spent camping near the ocean with her family or she will play sounds of waves crashing to drown out the sounds of medical machines as she sleeps. “She has always loved the ocean,” said Laura. “It calms her.”

When approached by Make-A-Wish, Desi explained that she wished to go to Aulani, to play on the beach, meet the characters and learn more about the creatures from the sea.

“This wish is an amazing opportunity,” said Laura. “We all need something positive in our life, as we have been in and out of treatment for so long. It will be nice to be away from the medical environment and have time with our family for a few days in a row.”

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Follow Desi’s inspiring, incredibly tenacious fight against cancer at facebook.com/ Believingfordesi Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire grants the wishes of children with lifethreatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Find out how you can donate money, airline miles and your time volunteering by visiting ocie.wish.org.

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s the summer heats up, so do the parties and the stars come out at night. I’ve been out and about the last week soaking up the experiences at some of the cool jazz spots in the desert.

Shanghai Reds is zeroing in on their goal of being ‘The Live Music Spot’ in Palm Springs. The guests have included Smooth Jazz icon Art Good, and sax prodigy Chase Huna. Sheree Lillie of Lillie PR brought the Maestro of the Palm Springs Symphony, Dino Zonic and his wife, Grammy nominated jazz singer, Chris Bennett, and they loved the music. Joe told me that Chris kissed his hand, a first for him!

Sony Producer John Gefrom and John Stavros (Playboy Production Designer) came to see Joe Baldino (Gefrom is shooting a documentary on Baldino).

The surprise of the week was the great show by Bobbie Eakes at Purple Room and then the best after party I’ve been to in a long time at Melvyn’s. Susan Anton and her hubby Jeff Lester along with some of the Hollywood crowd made it a very fun party.

Thanks to Sheree Lillie of Lillie PR for the invite!

Patte Purcell - Muze Muzic pattepurcell@yahoo.com 702-219-6777

Sheree Lilly (Lilly Pr), Ruth Ruiz (RR Class Act Entertainmment) and Patte Purcell

John Gefrom (Sony producer), Joe Baldino, John Stavros

Smooth Jazz radio icon, Art Good, and local super sax player, 15 year old Chase Huna

Bobbie Eakes, star of “the Bold and the Beautiful” and “All My Children”, will be appearing at Purple Room again in July.

Susan Antone and Jeff Lester (Purple Room Sept. 11, 12, and 13th)

Tristen Rogers, star of ”General Hospital” and currently on “The Young and The Restless”

Mel Haber of “Melvyn’s” and Patte Purcell

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

Local Music Spotlight

Tilted Kilt Open Mic

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eek #4 of The Tilted Kilt Open Mic Competition Summer edition 2015 brought on a great big crowd of supportive fans! The $100 weekly cash prize for 1st place, fantastic prizes for 2nd and 3rd places, plus local celebrity to judge Rob Lawrence of Upper Class Poverty, upped the quality of performances! DJ Alex Updike kept the crowd grooving in between performances. Once everyone performed and the judge vote (50%) was tallied and added to the audience applause score (50%), it was newcomer and folk music band, Old Doc Rickenbeck who won 1st place and the $100 cash. Old Doc Rickenbeck will now be moving on to one Semi Finals on 7/29 & 8/5. If the band wins there, they’ll compete in the finals 8/12 for a shot at a $500 trip to Las Vegas from Crater Lake Spirits, an Artist Development Workshop from Producer Ronnie King, and 8 hours of studio time plus a mix and master from JEM Productions.

2nd place went to Nuclear Cowboys who took home a $20 Stuft Pizza gift card. 3rd place was awarded to Will Kelly and Rick Dame who both chose movie tickets. to the Mary Pickford Theatre.

THANK YOU to our performers at the Tilted Kilt

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Open Mic Competition for putting on a great show AND for being so supportive of the other artists: Mike Sick-boy, Daniel Scopelitis, Rick Dame, Will Kelly, Gustavo Gonzalez, Bino Sotelo, Marco Thoma, Porsia Camille, Benny de la Meir, Darell Riddick aka T-Peace, David Hertsgard, Rebecca Hertsgard, Rick Eisenhart, and Jim Holiday. I hope to see you all next week! Look for coverage of this week’s event and the announcement of winners in the next issue of Coachella Valley Weekly! SPECIAL THANKS to all of our sponsors: JEM Productions, Ronnie King Music, Crater Lake Spirits, KAM Studios, CV Weekly, Canyon Copy & Print, DJ Alex Updike, and the Mary Pickford Theatre.

ALL AGES ALLOWED and YOU may compete EVERY week! PLEASE NOTE: Due to our overwhelming number of interested performers, sign in starts at 7pm and will be closed at 7:45pm.

BRING YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY and FANS and note that the competition usually ends by 10:30pm so be sure your friends and family know to stay until the end to voice their vote!!!

For questions or info about sign-up, VISIT & LIKE Facebook.com/TiltedKiltOpenMicCompetition or contact creator and host, Morgan James at MorganAliseJames@gmail.com or (714)651-1911

Q&A with Veterans of Desert Rock

Local Music Spotlight

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Photo By esther sanchez

Photo By steve young

Robbie Waldman (Waxy) “I would tell myself to only make music with people you trust…..with your life!”

Arthur Seay (House of Broken Promises, Unida) “I would first say to always remember that this is the “music business.”

You must be willing to take the “Leap of Faith” and sacrifice a lot, if not everything.

You must be willing to give up comfort and convenience in order to achieve success.

Practice instead of going out every night drinking. Practice instead of going to the river to look at tits!

But, don’t ever forget it’s a business like any other business and if you don’t pay attention and learn the business side then you will get f****d. Even if you do pay attention, you’re still gonna get f****d, but you can minimize that. Get a good entertainment lawyer and pay attention to the contracts. Ask questions and learn so you can look over contracts yourself and know what is going on, then maybe you won’t have to pay a lawyer every damn time!”

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”

-Hunter S. Thompson (Quote submitted by Arthur Seay)

June 4 to June 10, 2015

by Lisa Morgan

AComing Conversation with the Legendary Charlie Daniels to Spotlight 29 Casino, Friday, June 12th, 2015 / 8pm

n the spirit of celebrating the heritage of rock music that finds its roots in our beloved Coachella Valley, I thought it might be cool to contact a few guys who have performed internationally and have well established roots in the desert rock scene & ask them a question.

“If you could go back in time and give advice to your younger self regarding the music business, what would you say?”

Photo By chris miller

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By esther sanchez

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

James Alexander Childs (Lakota, Airbus, Vic du Monte’s Idiot Prayer) “I would tell myself to get on the road earlier…to not just stay in one area for too long. I would have said to play for yourself, not for others, because if you don’t like what you are doing you can’t expect that anyone else will like it.”

Charles Pasarell (Lakota, Waxy) I would say, don’t be afraid to branch out.

It took me a few years before I really decided to take the plunge to learn different styles of music…..to really challenge myself. Once I started doing that it was a really beneficial thing that caused me to be able to play with different bands and get out of my comfort zone.”

Landerra (Lakota, Odyssey 9, Waxy) “I would say, focus more! Also, find people who you connect with spiritually and musically to build solid goals with. It’s important to be on the same page. It’s also important to check your ego at the door and remember to have fun. It’s not rocket science! It’s rock n roll and it writes itself if you listen!”

Photo By esther sanchez

John Garcia (JG Project, Kyuss, Slow Burn, Unida, Vista Chino) “It’s funny because my first instinct would be to say, ‘Don’t do it!’ Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I have any regrets. I do think though I would tell myself to go to school and get my education first. I would tell myself to become a veterinarian. Because you can always sing.

But, I would also say if you insist on getting into this business then commit…all the way. Be dedicated as much as humanly possible.”

C

harlie Daniels didn’t want to talk about his list of over 50 awards that include multiple awards from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, the Gospel Music Association and even a Grammy. Nor did he mention his induction as a lifetime member of the Grand Ol’ Opry. He didn’t even mention that time all the top stars and two former Presidents paid tribute to Daniels when he was named the recipient of the Pioneer Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards. And we never got around to him being named BMI’s Progressive Artist of the Year in 1979. You will have to Google all the accolades and accomplishments yourself, because there isn’t enough room to write it all here, and he would rather talk about his life today. And sadly, we never got around to talking about the books he’s written and his skydiving hobby.

“When it gets right down to the nitty gritty, I’ve just tried to be who I am,” says Daniels. “I’ve never followed trends or fads.

I couldn’t even if I tried. I can’t be anybody but me.”

“Charlie’s love of music is only surpassed by his love of people, especially the American people,” former President Gerald Ford said of Daniels. “He’s traveled this land from coast to coast singing about the

things that concern the American people.

The Academy of Country Music’s Pioneer Award is presented to a supremely talented compassionate and proud American, and a fair to middlin’ golfer, too!”

When Daniels graduated from high school in 1955 as a skilled multiinstrumentalist (guitar, fiddle and mandolin), he formed a rock and roll band, and hit the road. While in Texas, the band recorded “Jaguar,” an instrumental produced by Bob Johnston, which was picked up for national distribution by Epic. Johnston and Daniels co-wrote “It Hurts Me,” which became the B side of a 1964 Presley hit. In 1969, Daniels moved to Tennessee to find work as a session guitarist in Nashville. Among his more notable sessions, were the Bob Dylan albums of 1969-70: Nashville Skyline, New Morning, and Self Portrait. Daniels produced the Youngbloods albums of 196970: Elephant Mountain and Ride the Wind.

He toured Europe with Leonard Cohen and performed on records with artists ranging from Al Kooper to Marty Robbins.

Daniels broke through with his own record with 1973’s Honey In the Rock and its hit hippie song “Uneasy Rider.” His rebel anthems “Long Haired Country Boy” and “The South’s Gonna Do It” propelled his 1975 Fire On the Mountain to Double Platinum. Following stints with Capitol and Kama Sutra, Epic Records signed him to a contract worth $3 million, the largest ever given to a Nashville act up to that time. In the summer of 1979, Daniels rewarded the company’s faith by delivering “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which became a Platinum single, topped both country and pop charts, won a Grammy Award, became an international phenomenon, earned three Country Music Association trophies, became a cornerstone of the Urban Cowboy movie soundtrack and propelled Daniel’s Million Mile Reflections album to Triple Platinum.

CVW: You’ve accomplished and done so much...what’s left? What would you like to do that you haven’t done yet?

Daniels: (Laughing) I want to catch a 10lb largemouth bass, and I want to shoot an 8 point buck. But you’re probably wanting to know about music. As far as music goes, I just want to keep playing music with my band.

I love what I do. I really enjoy entertaining people. The high point of my day is when I go on stage at night. That’s when I shine. I try to save the best part of myself for when I walk out on that stage. I thank God I get to make living doing something that I enjoy so much. I’ve reached a point where I go in the studio pretty much any time I want to.

CVW: Your last album, Off the Grid Doing it Dillon, came out in 2014. Is there another album in the works?

Daniels: We did a live album down at

Billy Bob’s in Texas end of last year that will be released pretty soon. I’ve always got ideas for albums and songs, and all kinds of projects in my head. When I get around to doin’ em, I get around to doin’ em.

CVW: Where do you go for inspiration?

Daniels: Song writing - creative stuff it’s a God given talent. It’s always there; it just takes something to wake it up once in a while. You get an idea and it lays dormant until it’s ready. I write a lot of lyrics when I go to bed at night and before I get out of bed in the morning. That just seems to be one of the things that work best for me. I am never short of ideas it just takes time to bring them into fruition.

CVW: When you first started playing music, did you ever imagine that your place in music would get so big?

Daniels: My first aim was to make a living playing music. That’s what I wanted to do.

And it was a much more involved task in that day than it might seem it would have been.

There was no place to play in North Carolina where I was from, or at least there weren’t very many. I had to leave the area and head up to Washington DC and ultimately to Nashville in 1967. Your parameters and what you were trying to do were constantly changing. When you accomplished one thing, you moved on to something else. I’m still doing that now. There are still mountains I want to climb and things I want to do. I’ll never get it all done, I know that. It’s just fun trying. You always have something to get out of bed for in the morning. I get up and I can work on my biography, finish a song I started...I’m never ever bored. If I’m home, I could go ride a horse; I can work or not work. If I don’t work I can go shoot some guns...I haven’t been bored in many, many, years, and that keeps life interesting.

I am very much a family man. I get to spend a lot of time with my family. I just have no reason to ever feel like I’m not engaged in something that I enjoy.

CVW: How do you stay in such a positive and energetic frame of mind?

Daniels: Surround yourself with the people that you like and who aren’t going to aggravate you on a daily basis. There are people that are just a drain on life. Every time you see ‘em, they’re complaining.

That’s especially true with bands and musicians. I don’t have a lot of people in my life that really cause me a lot of trouble. I get a long great with my family, my band, my employees, my neighbors - I try to cut stress out of my life. Life is just too short.

It takes effort. One of the worst and most wasteful things we ever do is try and impress other people. Our home here is built to suit us. It’s full of Hazel’s antiques and my western art, guns hanging on the wall - it’d drive an interior decorator nuts, but we like it. I’ve got a fishing dock, a putting green, a tennis court and a shooting range. Nobody else in the world likes it. They don’t like the way it looks, where it’s at. It don’t make any difference. We are where we want to be and we’ll be content here for the rest of our lives.

That’s the thing with life too- you’ve GOT to follow your own star. Don’t let daddy tell you what to do for a living if you’re not going to be happy at it. That’s a mistake a lot of people make. If I had listened to my folks who had the BEST intentions in the world for me, I wouldn’t be here. If I had not followed my star, I would have been miserable. It’s that way in all of life.

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

by Eleni P. Austin

SHELBY LYNNE

“I Can’t Imagine” (Rounder Records)

B

ack at the turn of the 21st century, Shelby Lynne released I Am Shelby Lynne. The album was such a revelation it topped critics’ year end lists and was a modest commercial success. She even won a Grammy for Best New Artist. The irony was that Shelby Lynne began her music career in 1987, and she had already recorded six albums. She even addressed the incongruity when she accepted the award, noting it took “thirteen years and six albums to get here.”

Lynne had definitely travelled a hard road getting there. She was born Shelby Lynn Moorer in Virginia and raised in Jackson, Alabama, with her younger sister, Allison. Her father taught English and also worked as a juvenile corrections officer, her mother was a legal secretary. Both were musical, dad played guitar and mom had a beautiful singing voice. Books and music filled nourished their childhood.

But Shelby butted heads with her dad. Both of them tended to rebel against authority. Also, her father had a temper, which was exacerbated when he drank too much. In August of 1986, when Shelby was 17 and Allison was 14, their father shot and killed their mother and then turned the gun on himself.

The sisters survived this harrowing experience and Shelby took charge of raising Allison until they both came of age. She also briefly married her high school sweetheart. By the time she was 20, she had dropped her last name and moved to Nashville as Shelby Lynne to pursue a career in music.

After shopping some demos around, she ended up recording a duet with Country legend, George Jones. The song, “If I Could Bottle This Up,” reached the Top 50 on the Country charts and scored Lynne a deal with George Jones’ label, Epic.”

Shelby Lynne’s debut, Sunrise arrived in 1989, produced by Billy Sherrill. A veteran hitmaker, he was behind such classics as “Stand

By Your Man” from Tammy Wynette and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones.

But his Countrypolitan production style didn’t mesh with Lynne’s Neo-Traditional vibe.

WESTFIELD MALL 72840 Hwy 111 #171 Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-341-2017 www.recordalley.com

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Her next two Epic albums were all over the map. On 1990’s Tough All Over the label seemed intent on turning her into the next Reba McIntyre. Meanwhile, 1991’s Soft Talk was slick Country-Pop. Lynne was also chafing at Music City’s need to control what she sang, how she looked and what she wore. So she jumped ship.

She landed at the tiny Morgan Creek label and released Temptation in 1993. While the album sported a glam cover shot worthy of Vogue magazine, the music was a throwback to Bob Wills-style Western Swing.

When Morgan Creek folded, she signed with the even tinier Magnatone label and recorded Restless in 1995. Critics gave her high marks, but the music buying public remained indifferent.

She had promise, but it seemed like no one understood how to harness her idiosyncratic talent.

Shelby considered quitting music business, but somehow couldn’t. So she took charge of her career. First she relocated to Palm Springs for a little creative hibernation. She had been a recording artist for 10 years, but none of those albums felt personal.

Although she was between record labels, Shelby persuaded Bill Bottrell to produce her sixth album. Bottrell had enjoyed enormous success a few years earlier with Sheryl Crow’s debut, Tuesday Night Music Club.

Shelby had a couple of co-writing credits of previous albums, but she was determined her new music would be a reflection of her. So she and Bottrell collaborated, co- writing 10 tracks and recording them in a variety of locations.

The result was a definitive declaration of independence, I Am Shelby Lynne.

The album had touches of Blues, Soul, Gospel and Rock & Roll. Island Records released it in Great Britain in 1999 and in the U.S. nearly a year later, Spring of 2000. Suddenly, Lynne was anointed by the Rock cognoscenti as America’s answer to British chanteuse Dusty Springfield.

Unfortunately, critical accolades and even a Grammy didn’t translate into sales. The record label demanded a quick follow up and paired Shelby with proven Pop producer, Glen Ballard.

He had worked his magic on Alanis Moristette’s breakthrough, Jagged Little Pill, but he had also tampered with Dave Matthews’ winning formula. (The result was the wan DMB album, Everyday).

Consider This

To capitalize on her Grammy momentum, Love, Shelby was released in late 2001. It wasn’t a bad record, but it wasn’t as great as I Am Shelby Lynne. Critics were confounded by the more Pop oriented style. It didn’t help that Shelby appeared on the cover looking like Brittney Spears’ slightly sluttier older sister, wearing a wife-beater and jean cut-offs.

Shelby bounced back by moving to Capitol Records and releasing the sparse (and aptly titled), Identity Crisis in 2003. The equally impressive Suit Yourself arrived in 2005 and featured “Johnny Met June” a sweet encomium written the day Johnny Cash died. Her reverence for Cash took another form when she portrayed his mother, Carrie, in the feature film,“I Walk The Line.”

Following a suggestion from (fellow desert denizen) Barry Manilow, Shelby’s next album, Just A Little Lovin’ tackled the Dusty Springfield songbook. She and Dusty always felt like kindred spirits and the album confirmed that ethereal connection. Released through Lost Highway Records in 2008, it was met (predictably) with rave reviews and modest sales.

Having grown tired of the arbitrary expectations of record labels, Shelby started her own, Everso Records. Through that imprint she released three more excellent editions to her impressive body of work. Tears, Lies & Alibis and Merry Christmas came out in 2010, Revelation Road arrived in 2011.

Now Shelby has returned with her 13th effort, I Can’t Imagine. Despite her antipathy for established record labels, it has been released through the Rounder label. The album kicks into gear with the painterly lament, “Paper Van Gogh.” Spare acoustic guitars, subtle piano flourishes and a hushed Greek chorus magnify her artistic angst; “I threw these colors down in a fit of rage, my feelings hardly fit onto the page/Cloudy memories make for darker days, but blue is how I paint myself today.”

“Son Of A Gun” and “Better” offer nuanced portraits of less fortunate lives. On the former, Shelby easily slips into the skin of an itinerant musician. The melody is equal parts intimate and expansive. Lap steel, 12 string, acoustic and electric guitars intertwine with warm piano notes. All provide ballast for this bleak tableau; “The heat burned my shoulders in the noon day sun, started out walkin’ and I prayed some/Hoping for shelter when the night went to shade, I’d bet on the weather but my hand’s been played.”

On the latter, the mood is subdued and desolate, accented by layered acoustic guitars, angular bass lines and subtle organ fills. The lyrics offer a cryptic account of a forgotten life.

“Mystery keeps the lady in the gloom, freedom keeps her crazy as a loon.”

Shelby Lynne is almost as famous for her prickly persona as she is her protean talent.

Insisting, “I give away so much in the songs, man,” her private life and family history are off limits. The best tracks here offer glimpses into that closed-off world.

The melody on the verses of “Back Door Front Porch” shares some musical DNA with Bob Dylan’s “You’re A Big Girl Now,” but the

chorus feels like an emotional exhale. Repeating the refrain “backdoor, front porch, window,” like a mantra, it seems to transport her to her childhood home. She’s as homesick as Dorothy in “The Wizard Of Oz,” clicking the heels of her ruby red slippers.

“Down Here” is the biggest revelation, both musically and lyrically. The melody is raw and wanton, the instrumentation gritty and grungy, echoing the sonic collages that Neil Young and Crazy Horse pioneered. The lyrics are a not-sosubtle paean to the love that dare not speak its name. “I love you like I’m not thinking ‘bout it… it’s a natural thing/Even in my dark Dixie closet, it’s easy to see.”

“Love Is Strong” follows “Down Here” and acts as a loving coda to the other, more revelatory song. Jazzy, relaxed and contented, it feels wildly optimistic (for Shelby). It’s as though a crushing weight has been lifted. She admits “It’s like I’m newly born, any sign of weakness won’t last for long.” Each song feels like epiphany.

Other interesting tracks include the warm, languid groove of “Sold The Devil (Sunshine).”

“Be Here Now” is a rueful carpe diem powered by slap-back syncopation and vibrant Wurlitzer colors. “Following You” opens with a lone n’goni intro from Jazz artist, Leni Stern. The notes of the West African string instrument unfold like a taxim before a more measured and bluesy melody takes hold.

The album closes with the title track. The lush melody is anchored by a propulsive rhythm and accentuated by lonesome pedal steel, graceful piano, acoustic and electric guitars. Attempting to comfort a troubled friend, Shelby is endlessly empathetic, but confesses she’s ready to return to her own life. “The voices pass, fading off the coast/The Desert skies calling me home.”

Shelby Lynne produced I Can’t Imagine herself, with help from multi-instrumentalist Ben Peeler. Christopher Joyner handled keys, Ed Maxwell provided bass, Michael Jerome played drums, Clarence Greenwood was a one-man Greek chorus on backing vocals and Brendan Buckley added percussion. Pete Donnelly was the album’s MVP, tackling guitars, piano, Wurlitzer and even co-writing two songs.

Shelby Lynne’s music cannot be defined or quantified by conventional terms; Country, Blues, Rock, Gospel, Alt.Country, Americana.

Those labels have all been applied but haven’t really stuck. She lays it all on the line every time.

Plain and simple, Shelby Lynne has soul.

art Scene By

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

June 4 to June 10, 2015

monica morones

Chris Granillo

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3 year old Palm Springs native Chris Granillo is a muralist, painter, sculpter, street artist, curator, print maker; basically anything that has to do with art, he does. He is the epitome of what it is to be an artist. I recently met up with him in Cathedral City, and we talked about his growing up in the desert and upcoming projects, one being with the Agnes Pelton Society where he is being hired to paint a mural for a large mural project they are starting in the Cathedral City Cove.

Granillo grew up in the cove and didn’t have a lot of resources when he first started learning how to paint so he would always visit the thrift stores and would recycle canvas or any kind of reusable material and started out using house paint. He began painting outdoors in 1998 and was influenced by graffiti and street art from all around. Granillo attended College of the Desert and had hopes of attending art school in San Francisco but the tuition was too expensive so he did what every real artist out there does when they don’t go to art school, he kept painting, “I kept on and realized you didn’t have to go to art school to be an artist.”

Granillo left the valley and moved to Oakland in 2002 and comes back to the desert to visit his mother frequently. When I asked him why Oakland, he explained that 90% of his family lives in Oakland so that’s where he decided to move. His mother migrated to Oakland from Mexico and she met his father in the Coachella Valley where she eventually moved to. He tells me, “I remember telling my mother I don’t see my wings spreading

here and growing in the desert and not a lot of opportunities, so I packed everything I owned in the back of my truck and left. I got to spread my wings in Oakland and it the best experience I have had.”

His style is a mixture of surreal and abstract with animals, shapes, and clever characters that makes you wonder what goes on in that mind of his to create such interesting content.

I have many favorites of his for I am a huge fan of his work, but I really like his humming-bee characters which he adds in his murals and is also one of his signature pieces that people know him by. If you happen to see a yellow bee looking thing with a cool helmet face, guaranteed its Granillo’s work. Another one of his main characters is the masked woman who people confuse with being a ninja but is really inspired by the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico.

He is inspired by many muralists and especially the work of Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, “I really like the way he warped his characters basically stretching the whole building, working with the materials.”

Granillo learned the basics of how to paint a mural through graffiti and street art, “Working with a building without all the materials like a scaffold means you have to adapt to what you do have and made me aware of making the imagery bend with the architecture.”

If you follow Chris Granillo on social media you can see he posts a drawing or sketch almost every day. He is extremely active in the art community hosting drawing nights, curating murals, and has shown his work in continue to page 19

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

PET PLACE

Sparky Lights Up Their Lives!

R

ebecca Pikus spotted this tiny Terrier puppy on Facebook on a San Bernardino City Shelter networker’s page. She contacted Loving All Animals with an offer to foster him if we would rescue him. When someone offers to be part of the solution to save an animal’s life through fostering, we spring into action. Rebecca recalls, “I fell in love with the Facebook photo showing his scruffy adorable little locks, and his intense incredible hazel colored eyes.”

This pup was a 7-pound package of fun and frolic the moment he exited his kennel cage. His tiny size belied his mega biggerthan-life personality. When I delivered him to the Pikus’ lovely studio home, the confident dog pranced around happily as if he’d never lived anywhere else. I was surprised when Rebecca advised me her husband Mario did not know they were getting a foster dog, but she assured me she knew her husband well, and this was the best way to proceed. Guess who was the first to fall in love with the new dog? Within a couple days Mario sealed the deal to adopt declaring, “There is no way he is going anywhere. He is my dog.”

The couple named the dog Sparky because he’s like a sparkplug full of energy. Sparky was an instant hit with the Pikus’ other two rescue dogs, Shadow and Whitecloud. Mario Pikus is an award winning painter and sculptor, and Sparky loves his colorful, love filled life at their studio home.

A month later, Mario and Rebecca learned of a teacup Chihuahua puppy

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by Janet McAfee abandoned in the desert and offered to foster her as well. Sparky was overjoyed with the arrival of another canine, and the two twirling joyous animals were the subject of dozens of entertaining videos on Facebook. Leila Blue, the adorable teacup, had other horizons awaiting her. Rebecca’s son, an artist in Berlin, Germany, recently lost his dog, and his mom who was planning to travel to Berlin for his birthday decided to include Leila Blue as a birthday present. This pup is now the toast of Berlin.

Back in California, spunky Sparky quickly got over his grief at Leila’s departure. He has a beautiful half acre estate on which to run around chasing his brother pups, Shadow and Whitecloud. The trio chase after the birds that flock to the grounds in the early morning, and run after tennis balls during their afternoon outing. They run with abandonment and joy, making wide circles around the trees and around Mario’s sculptures that dot the landscape.

Sparky’s humans are the recipients of an upcoming Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars for their activism, humanitarianism, and promotion of the arts. If he could, Sparky would surely put his paw print in the cement in the fashion his paw print is embedded in everyone’s hearts.

While a team of a dozen networkers daily photograph, videotape, and post the animals

Meet Tiki This 5-lb pint size fellow has a giant size heart full of love!

House trained, obedient, and cuddly, TiKi could be your new best bud. Handsome Chihuahua blend, rescued by Paws Ranch Rescue. Contact RJ@PawsRescueRanch.org or (760) 832-3040.

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like Sparky at the San Bernardino shelters, our Riverside county shelter cats and dogs in Thousand Palms are sequestered away in an industrial area, often unseen. A Facebook page designed to promote them, “Coachella Valley Animal Campus Adoptable Dogs and Cats” is not being utilized.

Coachella Valley’s shelter dogs deserve the kind of Facebook networking that goes on in San Bernardino County. The shelter needs volunteers with photography skills to take quality photographs that capture the animals’ beautiful souls and touch the hearts of potential adopters. You can locate our county shelter’s volunteer application online at www.rcdas.org.

Loving All Animals hopes that more folks will see the animals at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus shelter on social media and offer to foster them. The snow birds are leaving the valley, and our list of available foster homes has dwindled. Won’t you open your heart and home and foster a sweet dog or cat? Veterinary care and related expenses are provided. Contact Saleen Rowan, Loving All Animals’ adoption coordinator, at (760)834-7009. We don’t mind if you become “foster failures” like Mario and Rebecca Pikus. Take a look at adorable Sparky, and consider fostering a pup as precious as him.

Jmcafee7@verizon.net

June 4 to June 10, 2015

by Rick Riozza

The smooth suave Soave of summer

A

s the wine world is fast becoming aware, the popular Italian white wine, Soave [Swah-Vay] will no doubt be making an appearance on your patio table soon. Those of you who have visited Venice certainly fell in love with soft but crisp Soave that always found its way on lunch tables.

It is one of the top selling wines in Italy and so well known that sometimes it gets thrown in the “pinot grigio syndrome” where it simply gets little respect because of its commercial success. But as opposed to usual Pinot Grigio—with its light flavor profile, Soave can be terrific alternative.

Unlike pinot grigio, which is the name of a grape that can come from anywhere in Italy, Soave is an actual place, in the northeastern province of Veneto. And the grape that produces the best Soave is Garganega—along with small portions of local trebbiano (aka Verdicchio), Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc.

As with a lot of wines from Italy back in the 70s, emphasis on high volume and use of the dull trebbiano Toscana dampened the quality of the wine. But integrity now reigns high with the Italian winemakers as they’ve drastically reduced yields and renewed their focus on Garganega resulting in wines of greater character and intensity.

Legend has it that Dante, the famous Italian poet of the 13th century, gave Soave its name (meaning “smooth”), because of its mildness. Soave is a straw yellow color, almost green sometimes. It’s known to be delicate and light, perhaps with a hint of almonds.

Think perfume and gentle flowers; it carries a gentle acidity to keep things fresh and it has a slightly bitter finish to keep things interesting.

Soave, served chilled at around 48°F., is a great aperitif with hors d’oeuvres or soups and can be paired with light summer dishes.

Soave falls into two distinct styles: crisp and straightforward, lightly aged in steel tanks to emphasize a fresh fruity liveliness, while others are denser and richer, fermented in oak barrels, which adds texture, depth, and complexity. But they all maintain an energy that refreshes and inspires further sips.

That’s the key element—way beyond Pinot Grigio, these more energetic Soave wines seem clearer and more precise with focused flavors that include almond-like nuttiness, dry mineral tones as well as citrus, stone fruit, honey and dried sage.

A great entry level Soave at less than $10 a bottle is Cantina di Soave Re Midas. It’s one of the tastiest great buys of the summer with pretty summer aromas of yellow flowers.

The bright palate delivers zesty citrus, pear and some great melon flavors alongside crisp acidity.

Speaking of melons, salty white cheese is a savory component that complements melon

quite nicely. A very easy and exciting summer Soave pairing would be a Savory Melon Tartare. Google it for the recipe; it brings together fresh sliced melons sprinkled with lime zest and minced pickled ginger around fresh greens doused with rice vinegar and crumbled Ricotta Salata. You’ll have set the bar in your neighborhood with this combo.

Another really tasty Soave that will pair wonderfully with the melon tartare as well, is the Montresor “Capitel Alto” Soave DOC Classico, at around $15. This is the “richer, denser” version we just wrote on. Fifty percent of the wine spent time in oak.

This wine has some fun history; the Montresor family boasts illustrious ancestors, like the Count Claude de Montresor, the prime counselor of Duke D’Orleans in France in 1600. At the beginning of 19th century a branch of the family moved to Italy in the Veneto region near the lake of Garda—this Soave area was renowned for its soil. Here they found the proper environment where to continue and improve the 200 year family winemaking tradition.

This is a complex Soave. It’s still quite

refreshing with mineral, white flowers and red apple aromas. And a palate of peach, pear, and citrus, with lively acidity, finishing with hints of honey and the pervasive almond aftertaste. Seriously, this is a fun wine to enjoy at brunch, lunch, or dinner. Bon Appétit and Cheers!

This wine is available at Total Wine & More, in Palm Desert for around $17.

Rick is the wine steward at Haggen Market in Rancho Mirage and wittily titles

himself the “somm-about-town” in this Vino Voice column, where his beat is to eat, drink, and cover the gustatory scene of the CV. A freelance writer and contributor to Tasting Panel Magazine, a wine reviewer for palmspringslife.com, he is also the Brand Ambassador for the historic Galleano Winery. Rick conducts & entertains locally at wine tastings, food & wine pairing events and fun wine seminars. Contact winespectrum@ aol.com

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

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­­THUR JUNE 4

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29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Rojer Arnold & Bobby Furgo 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Reunion w/ DJ Day 10pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Paul Elia 7pm AZUL; PS; 760-325-5533 Piano Bar 6pm BAR; PS; 760-537-7337 Eevaan Tre 8pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Hip Hop 4pm-2am BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Live Entertainment 6-10pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CORK TREE; PD; 760-779-0123 Live Entertainment 6pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm DESERT FOX; PS; 760-325-9555 Thirsty Thursdays 7pm DHS SPA LOUNGE; DHS; 760-329-6787 Karaoke w/ DJ Scott 9pm ESCENA LOUNGE & GRILL; PS; 760-9920002 Courtney Chambers 5pm EUREKA; IW; 760-834-7700 TBA 6pm THE GRILL ON MAIN; LQ; 760-777-7773 T.B.A. 7:30pm THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm HOODOO COCKTAIL GARDEN @ THE HYATT; PS; 760-322-9000 Chris Lomeli 6:30pm HUNTER’S; PS; 760-323-0700 Open Mic 9pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Frank DiSalvo 6pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-366-2250 Punk Rock Night 9pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Karaoke 7pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Hot Rox LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-3452450 Country Night w/ Rob Staley 8pm THE LOUNGE, AGUA CALIENTE; RM; 888999-1995 Quinto Menguante 8-1am MARGARITA’S; PS; 760-778-3500 Live Music 6pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Ron Greenip 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Blues and Supper Club Night w/ Kal David 7pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 The Mountain Goats and Aimee Mann 9pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 Party Game Night w/ The Deep Ones 8pm PURPLE ROOM@CLUB TRINIDAD; PS; 760-327-1161ext.230 Pat Rizzo 6:30pm RED BARN; PD; 760-346-0191 Live DJ 9pm RIVIERA RESORT & SPA; PS; 760-327-8311 Martin Ross Starlite Lounge 6pm SAMMY G’s; PS; 760-320-8041 Evaro Brothers 8pm

SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; PS; 760-322-9293 The Smooth Brothers 7pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760-3413560 Dude Jones 6pm TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 Karaoke w/ T-Bone 8-12am THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Tony DiGerlando 6:30pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 Flyer 4-6pm, Carolyn Martinez 6:30-10pm VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 DJ Khodi Rayne 4:30-9pm, Nite Fixx 9-2am WESTIN MISSION HILLS; RM; 760-3285955 Michael Keeth 6-10pm WILLIE BOYS; MV; 760-363-3343 TBA 8pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 Laurie Morvan Band 6pm ZELDA’S; PS; 760-325-2375 Locals Night 9pm

FRI JUNE 5 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 The Bob Garcia Band 6pm 19TH HOLE; PD; 760-772-6696 Karaoke w/ T Bone 9pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Fuck Cancer Celebrates the Life of Linda Gerard 6pm, The Full House Band w/ Nena Anderson 8pm AGAVE LOUNGE@THE HYATT REGENCY; IW; 760-776-1234 Art of Sax 8pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 TBA 7:30pm AZUL; PS; 760-325-5533 Fleet Easton 7:30pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 DJ and Dancing 4pm-2am BISTRO 60 @TRILOGY; LQ; 760-501-0620 The Carmens 6pm BLUE BAR, SPOTLIGHT 29; INDIO; 760-7755566 DJ PWee 8pm BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 The Stanley Butler Trio 6-10pm CAFÉ DES BEAUX- ARTS; PD; 760-3460669 Linda Peterson 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE, SPA RESORT CASINO; PS; 888-999-1995 DJ Michael Wright 9-1am CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CLEMETINE; PD; 760-834-8814 Gina Carey 6pm CORK TREE; PD; 760-779-0123 Live Entertainment 6pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm DATE SHED; IND; 760-775-6699 Alchemy CD Release Party w/ CIVX 8pm EL MEXICALI CAFÉ 2; IND; 760-342-2333 Cesar Daniel Lopez on the harp 6-9pm EUREKA; IW; 760-834-7700 TBA 6:30pm THE GRILL ON MAIN; LQ; 760-777-7773 House Band 8:45pm HARD ROCK HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9676 “Jump Off” DJ 9pm Lobby THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 ChellaFre$h w/ J Patron, DJ Luthergates, Lootenant, Phillie & Buck, Tip Toe Stallone and more 9pm HOODOO COCKTAIL GARDEN @ THE HYATT; PS; 760-322-9000 Kal David 6:30pm

HUNTER’S; PS; 760-323-0700 Live VJ 9pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Frank DiSalvo 6pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-366-2250 Live DJ 8:30pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 The Larry James Band 8pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Palm Springs Sound Company in the afternoon, Hot Rox in the night LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-3452450 Kool Breeze 9pm THE LOUNGE; AGUA CALIENTE; RM; 888999-1995 DJ 9pm MARGARITA’S; PS; 760-778-3500 Live Music 6pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Ron Greenip 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Mark Gregg & The Horde 9pm PALM DESERT COUNTRY CLUB; PD; 760345-0222 Roadrunners 6:30pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 Nocona and New American Farmers 8pm PJ’S SPORTS LOUNGE; YV; 760-228-1199 T.B.A. 9pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm PURPLE ROOM@CLUB TRINIDAD; PS; 760-327-1161ext.230 Avenida 6:30pm RED BARN; PD; 760-346-0191 California Celts 9pm RIVIERA RESORT & SPA; PS; 760-327-8311 Martin Ross Starlite Lounge 7pm, Triple Threat Sidebar Lounge 10pm SAMMY G’s; PS; 760-320-8041 Evaro Brothers 8pm SCHMIDY’S; PD; 760-837-3800 John Garcia, War Drum, Waxy and You Know Who 9pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; PS; 760-322-9293 Barry Baughn Blues 8-11pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; LQ; 760-777-1601 Smooth Brothers 8-11pm SHELLY’S LOUNGE@TORTOISE ROCK CASINO; 29 Palms; Rojer Arnold & Bobby Furgo 9pm SMOKIN’ BURGERS; PS; 760-883-5999 Ron James 6pm SOUL OF MEXICO; IND; 760-200-8787 Latin Rock 10pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760-3413560 Demetrious and Co. TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 TBA 9pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Pat Rizzo 6:30pm TILTED KILT; PD; 760-773-5458 Tilted @ Night 10pm TRILUSSA ITALIAN RISTORANTE; PS; 760-328-2300 Julius & Sylvia Music Duo 6-10pm VIBE; MORONGO CASINO; CAB; 951-7555391 The Rick Whitfield Band 10pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 John Stanley King 8pm

June 4 to June 10, 2015

VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 T.B.A. 1:30-4:30pm, Nite Fixx 9-2am, DJ Anwaar Hines 9-2am VUE GRILLE & BAR; IW; 760-834-3800 Slim Man Solo Show 5:30pm WILLIE BOYS; MV; 760-363-3343 TBA 9pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 Rose Mallett 6:30pm ZELDA’S; PS; 760-325-2375 Girl’s Night Out w/ The Men on the Hollywood Strip 9pm

SAT JUNE 6 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Bev & Bill 6pm 19TH HOLE; PD; 760-772-6696 Karaoke w/ T-Bone 9pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 DJ Short Shorts noon poolside, Stronghold Reggae 10pm AGAVE LOUNGE@THE HYATT REGENCY; IW; 760-776-1234 Art of Sax 8pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Cabaret on the Green Open Mic w/ Les Michaels and Wayne Abravanel 7:30pm AZUL; PS; 760-325-5533 Denise Carter 7:30pm BAR; PS; 760-537-7337 Abe spinning funk, soul and disco 10pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 DJ and Dancing open 4pm-2am BISTRO 60 @TRILOGY; LQ; 760-501-0620 The Carmens 6pm BLUE BAR; SPOTLIGHT 29; IND; 760-7755566 DJ PWee BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Gina Carey 6-10pm CASCADE LOUNGE, SPA RESORT CASINO; PS; 888-999-1995 DJ Michael Wright 9-1am CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 5:30pm CORK TREE; PD; 760-779-0123 Live Entertainment 6:30-9:30pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm DATE SHED; IND; 760-775-6699 DHS SPA LOUNGE; DHS; 760-329-6787 Karaoke w/ DJ Scott 9pm EL MEXICALI CAFÉ 2; IND; 760-342-2333 Cesar Daniel Lopez on the harp 6-9pm FIRESIDE LOUNGE; PS; 760-327-1700 T.B.A. 9pm THE GRILL ON MAIN; LQ; 760-777-7773 T.B.A. 8:30pm THE GROOVE LOUNGE; SPOTLIGHT 29; INDIO; 760-775-5566 DJ 8pm HARD ROCK HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9676 “Solid” Guest DJs, 11am poolside, 9pm Lobby THE HOOD; PD; 760-636-5220 Rockabilly Night w/ The Deadbeat Daddies 9pm HOODOO COCKTAIL GARDEN @ THE HYATT; PS; 760-322-9000 Bill Ramirez 6:30pm HUNTER’S; PS; 760-323-0700 Live VJ 9pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Frank DiSalvo 6pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-366-2250 T.B.A. 8pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Karaoke 8pm

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Movie Reviews with Robin E. Simmons

BANG! BANG! YOU’RE DEAD

SLOW WEST Scottish writer-director John M. Maclean’s feature film debut is a disturbing but compelling western that embraces the brutality of the genre with post-modern tweaks.

The film begins with a voice over from Irish immigrant bounty hunter Silas Selleck (Michael Fassbender). Using arcane prose, he tells of the quest of naïve, smitten, 16-year-old Scottish aristocrat Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) for Rose Ross (South African actress Caren Pristorius), a young woman he considers his lost love. For $2,000, Silas negotiates a deal to be Jay’s guide and protector. But what he

really wants is to collect the “dead or alive” reward (another $2,000) for Rose and her dad – who stand accused of accidentally (?) murdering Lord Cavendish – Jay’s father – in the Scottish Highlands. Meanwhile, the unlikely duo is hunted by a band of outlaws seeking the same reward. In the midst of great natural beauty, sudden death and danger lurk -- especially in the waving fields of golden grass.

That’s really all you need to know to enjoy this film, shot in New Zealand and Scotland, that’s rich with distinctive landscapes and structures that do not conjure up memories of American westerns and familiar

Screeners No.167

locations. New Zealand production designer Kim Sinclair deserves special mention.

Especially effective is the striking evocative score -- sweet guitar refrains and sad violin riffs -- from Jed Hurzel.

Fair warning: There’s bloodshed and surprises in a world we almost recognize.

It’s a beautiful canvas more contemporary than historical where human desires play out across a horizon of pain, greed, love and hope. This austerely beautiful film will likely disappear quickly. Catch it now on the big screen at Cinema Palme d’Or in Palm Desert. (Soon on iTunes or Vudu.)

NEW FOR THE HOME THEATER:

WILD TALES Home video pick of the week. Don’t miss this fresco of rage, fury, deception and revenge. Made up of six stories, this jaw dropping film about people crossing the line into madness when faced with perceived injustice will linger long in the mind after final fade out. A lover’s betrayal, a return to the repressed past, and the violence woven into ordinary, everyday encounters drive the characters to lose control and cross the line that divides civilization and barbarism.

Superbly written and directed by Damian Szifron, this was big hit at our last PSIFF. In Spanish with English subtitles. Sony. Blu-ray.

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FOCUS Written and directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa (CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE) and starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie (WOLF OF WALL STREET), this film might better be called a “rom-con” for lack of a better definition. The contrived plot has Nicky (Smith), a seasoned master of misdirection getting romantically involved with beautiful novice con artist Jess (Robbie). Nicky teaches jess the tricks of the trade, but she gets a little too close for comfort and he breaks it off. Three years later, Jess – now a professional femme fatale and seasoned grifter – shows up in

Book Review Summer Reading List 2015

JUPITER ASCENDING Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse her true fate. It turns out that her genetic signature marks her as the next in line for an extraordinary inheritance – that of the earth itself! But it could also alter the balance of the cosmos for good or ill. This great looking film cannot hide the muddled mess of a story as written and directed by the Wachowski siblings. My solution: Turn down the sound, play Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” Op 32 and watch it in 3D and make up your own story. Warner Bros. Blu-ray 3D.

robinesimmons@aol.com

June 4 to June 10, 2015

By Heidi Simmons

t’s that time of year when we are encouraged to relax and travel. And a great way to do that is to escape into a book.

This summer is filled with new books. Here are some of the books on my summer reading list. Whether on a beach or in the mountains or in the comfort of your own home, I encourage you to make your own list and enjoy some quality, summer entertainment with the printed word.

OLD PROS To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee’s old but new book, Go Set A Watchman (HarperCollins, 288 pages) is the sequel (?) to the beloved classic. Written in the mid 1950s, this book is what Lee first submitted (first draft?) before it became the Pulitzer Prize winning bestseller. No matter what Watchman turns out to be, it will be great to spend time with Scout once again. This book debuts mid July.

Stephen King’s Finders Keepers (Scribner, 488 pages) is the sequel to last year’s Mr. Mercedes. Not sure if psycho Brady will rear his bashed head again, but certainly we should see Retired Detective Hodges along with his unlikely side-kicks Holly and Jerome as they pursue some kind of hideous criminal. Out this week.

BIOGRAPHY Elon Musk is a hero of mine, so I can hardly wait to read Ashlee Vance’s biography Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (Ecco, 400 pages). Vance had full access to Musk so I’m eager to discover the real man and if he is indeed the guy who can save the planet and the human race with technology and space travel. Fingers crossed!

This book is available now.

Over the years, I have enjoyed and been amazed by neurologist turned author Oliver Sacks’ fabulous oeuvre. Oh the places I have gone with this man! In On The Move (Knopf Doubleday, 416 pages) Sacks recounts his own story and personal journey.

ART SCENE continued from page 11 galleries in Northern, Southern California and in France. He travels a lot and considers himself a gypsy. Last year he spent some time in France, painting with the local street artists for 2 weeks. One day I was checking my Instagram and happened to come across a picture of Solano Alley in Oakland on Nat Geo’s Instagram and saw Granillo’s work posted. They had covered Solano Alley which is a project Granillo started with a team of people and his company called Project Elefont who he co-owns with friend Manny Fresh.

The alley was a rundown alley in a poverty stricken area of East Oakland where people threw trash and prostitutes and johns used to frequent, but since the project started a few years back the community has been more open to the street art and cleaning up of the neighborhood and it has become an outdoor art gallery that the community is proud of.

Granillo walked door to door and asked tenants if they could paint on their back walls and he says some were receptive to the idea and some were not, but they would paint on the walls of those that approved and would go back to those who had said no and they sometimes changed their mind. If you type in “Nat Geo Solano Alley” on Google and go through the article, there is a picture of Chris Granillo in front of one of his murals that he did; such an accomplishment for an artist.

He tells me he’s starting to build a good career now, “I’m getting there, but I feel like financially I don’t have the amount of energy or funding to build a great art studio. I come

back to the desert a lot to come visit my mom, she’s getting older and I want to be around more and also to get involved with the community here. The desert is growing so fast.” His goal is to have an art studio here in the desert and up in the bay.

Granillo will be one of the local artists to paint in the new mural project put together

by The Agnes Pelton Society in the Cathedral City cove. They want artists that grew up there to bring the community together and show that the desert was and still is a community where artists congregate and find inspiration.

Granillo also has a show coming up July 2nd at the Tilde Oakland boutique and a couple of group shows at the Coachella Valley Art Scene in June and August.

I asked Granillo what he wanted people to know about him, “I’m very passionate about the desert, it’s my home. There is a mysticism from being from here. A lot of artists and musicians came out here to inspire them to create. It adds a lot of inspiration towards my work too. I want to be able to work in the desert and have an art studio here and in the Bay and to live in both locations. I want to have a relationship with musicians and artists that are putting in work here. I did some work for Gisele Woo, she’s a very talented individual. I want to work with people that are local and are putting in the effort.”

You can see more of Chris Granillos work at: chrisgranillo.tumblr.com instagram: @chrisgranillo facebook.com/chris granillo

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Buenos Aires during the high stakes racecar circuit and smack dab in the midst of Nicky’s latest scheme where she throws his con for a loop. Robbie is a stunner. The movie, however, is a snore. Who to root for? Who cares? And so what? Warner Bros. Blu-ray.

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NON FICTION Mark Hasskell Smith’s Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist’s Adventures in the ClothingOptional World (Grove Atlantic, 320 pages) should be loads of fun as the author shares his experience blending in as a globe-trotting nudist. Always smart and super witty, Smith will certainly deliver a revealing and provocative subculture with insights and self-deprecating laughs.

David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers (Simon & Schuster, 336 pages) tells the story of the brave and ingenious men who brought flight to the world.

Both these non-fictions books are in stores now.

SHORT STORIES I love short stories and they make for terrific summer reading. You can read one while floating in the pool and then read another while drying off.

On my list are David Gates A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me (Knopf Doubleday, 336 pages), Amelia Gray’s Gutshot (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 224 pages), and Karen Joy Fowler’s Black Glass (Putnam, 304 pages). It’s great to get so many provocative stories in one book. All of these books are available now.

FICTION Oh the beautiful universe of fiction. Like a vacation in a foreign land, getting lost in a novel is a wonderful and sometimes terrifying experience.

On my list are: Nell Zink’s Mislaid (Ecco, 256 pages), Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Water Knife ( Knopf, 384 pages) and Laura Lippman’s Hush Hush ( HaperCollins, 320 pages).

Also on my fiction list: Aleksandar Hemon’s The Making of Zombie Wars (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 320 pages), Diana Wigman’s Life #6 (Ig, 296 pages) and Andi Teran’s Ana of California (Penguin, 368 pages).

From girlie to gross, I can hardly wait to dig in and find my way through these eclectic and colorful stories.

NEW VOICES It’s exciting to read new talent and Putnman’s literary debuts look intriguing and perfect for a summer escape.

On my list are: Michelle Miller’s The Underwriting: Get Rich, Get Laid, Get Even, (available now) Brian Panowich’s Bull Mountain (out first week of July) and Louise Walter’s Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase (in stores August 4). I’m looking forward to reading a new voice of fiction every month.

THRILLERS & MYSTERIES Skilled storytellers return with series that can be read without reading their previous novels.

The nice thing about these books is, if you like one, you can indulge in the series.

On my list are: Ace Atkins’ The Redeemers (Penguin, 384 pages) and Alex Kava’s Silent Creed (Putnam, 336 pages). Both are available the later part of July.

Ian Caldwell’s The Fifth Gospel (Simon & Schuster, 448 pages) is available now.

Yes, this is an ambitious list. And I hope yours is too. After all, isn’t summer all about over planning and getting as much done as possible, but in a relaxed, stress-free manner?

Look for my reviews of these books over the next 16 weeks.

What are you reading this summer? If you would like to share your list and favorite summer reads with me, please email Heidi@ coachellavalleyweekly.com Let summer begin. Enjoy!

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

CLUB CRAWLER NIGHTLIFE continued from page 17 LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Palm Springs Sound Company,in the afternoon,Hot Rox,in the night LIT@FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; 760-3452450 Kool Breeze 9pm THE LOUNGE, AGUA CALIENTE; RM; 888-999-1995 Fresh 9pm MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Ron Greenip 8pm MARGARITA’S; PS; 760-778-3500 Live Music 6pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 8th Annual Anniversary Bash 4pm PALM DESERT COUNTRY CLUB; PD; 760345-0222 Gennine Francis 6:30pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 Shadow Mountain Band 5pm, Moonsville Collective 7pm PJ’S SPORTS LOUNGE; YV; 760-228-1199 TBA 9pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 Drop Mob, Viva Kura, Elektric Lucie, Gojiro Island and more 8pm PURPLE ROOM@CLUB TRINIDAD; PS; 760-327-1161ext230 Luck Be a Lady w/ Darci Daniels & Francesca Amari 5:30pm RENAISSANCE PALM; PS; 760-322-6100 Art of Sax featuring Sax Man Will Donato & Eddie Reddick 7-10pm RED BARN; PD; 760-346-0191 212 Band 9pm RIVIERA RESORT & SPA; PS; 760-3278311 Martin Ross Starlite Lounge 7pm, Triple Threat Sidebar Patio 7pm, Michael Keeth & Martin Barrera Sidebar Lounge 10pm ROCKYARD @ FANTASY SPRINGS; IND; Steel Rod and Damage Inc. (Metallica Tribute) 7:30pm SAMMY G’s; PS; 760-320-8041 Evaro Brothers 8pm SCHMIDY’S; PD; 760-837-3800 The Road Less Traveled Comedy Tour 8pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; PS; 760-322-9293 Barry Baughn Blues 8-11pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; LQ; 760-777-1601 Smooth Brothers 8-11pm SHELLY’S LOUNGE@TORTOISE ROCK CASINO; 29 Palms; Rojer Arnold & Bobby Furgo 9pm SIDEWINDER GRILL; DHS; 760-329-7929 Karaoke w/ Milly G 6pm SMOKIN’ BURGERS; PS; 760-883-5999 Ron James 6pm SOUL OF MEXICO; IND; 760-200-8787 Latin Music 10pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760341-3560 Dude Jones 6pm TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 TBA 9pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Darci Daniels 6:30pm TILTED KILT; PD; 760-773-5458 T.B.A. 9pm TRILUSSA ITALIAN RISTORANTE; PS; 760-328-2300 Julius & Sylvia Music Duo 6-10pm VIBE, MORONGO CASINO; CAB; 951755-5391 DJ Hektik 10pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 Pat Rizzo & All That Jazz Band 6:30-10pm VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 Rob & JB 1:30-4:30pm, Nite Fixx 9-2am, DJ Anwaar

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Hines 9-2am VUE GRILLE & BAR; IW; 760-834-3800 Chris Lomeli 8pm WILLIE BOYS; MV; 760-363-3343 TBA 8pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 Stanley Butler Trio 6:30pm ZELDA’S; PS; 760-325-2375 DJs 9pm

SUN JUNE 7 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Bob & Allison 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 DJ Adam Mayes noon poolside, Slacker Sunday w/ DJ Aaron Castle 10pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Jazz Brunch 11:30am AZUL; PS; 760-325-5533 The Judy Show 7:30pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Motown, R&B and Funk 4pm-2am BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Steve Madaio 6-10pm CASCADE LOUNGE, SPA RESORT; PS; 888-999-1995 Nash with Quinto Menguante 9pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Joe Jaggi 6pm DHS SPA LOUNGE; DHS; 760-329-6787 Karaoke 9pm EL MEXICALI CAFÉ 2; IND; 760-342-2333 Cesar Daniel Lopez on the harp 6-9pm HARD ROCK HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9676 “Fusion” Pool Party 11am poolside INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Ted Herman’s Big Band 6pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-3662250 Open Jam 6pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Palm Springs Sound Company, in the afternoon, Hot Rox, in the night MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 Sunday Jam 4-8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Golden Era Karaoke 4-7pm, Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 7:30pm THE NEW YORK COMPANY RESTAURANT; PS; 760-778-7789 Lili Rose 7pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Longest Running Jam Session in the valley. Hosted by JB, Sign up 6pm PAPPY & HARRIET’S; PT; 760-365-5956 The Hot Fudge Sunday Band 7pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 The Jam Session 5-9pm PURPLE ROOM@CLUB TRINIDAD; PS; 760-327-1161ext.231 Francesca Amari 5:30pm RIVIERA RESORT & SPA; PS; 760-3274080 Art of Sax Sidebar Patio 5pm SAMMY G’s; PS; 760-320-8041 Eddie Gee 7pm SCHMIDY’S; PD; 760-837-3800 The Peace and Awareness Concert Series 6pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760341-3560 Smooth Brothers TACK ROOM TAVERN; IND; 760-347-9985 TBA 4pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Luck Be a Lady w/ Francesca Amari and Darci Daniels 6:30pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 Jazz Time Band 2-5pm, John Stanley King 6-9pm VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 Scott Carter 1:30-4:30pm, Rob & JB 4:30-9pm,

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com DJ Idol Eyez 9-2am VUE GRILLE & BAR; IW; 760-834-3800 The Toast & Jam Band 6pm WILLIE BOYS; MV; 760-363-3343 Line Dancing w/ Tina 5:30-9pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 The Smooth Brothers 5:30pm

MON JUNE 8 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Bonny Jean 6pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Mood Deep House Lounge 4pm-2am CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Joe Jaggi 6pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Ron Kalina’s Jazz 6pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Hot Rox NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 7pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Kevin Quinn 8pm SCHMIDY’S; PD; 760-837-3800 Trivia Night Hosted by Chelsea Sugarbritches 7pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760341-3560 T.B.A. 6pm VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 DJ Khodi Rayne 4:30-2am, Michael James & 3sum 9-2am VUE GRILLE & BAR; IW; 760-834-3800 Tony Grandberry 6:30pm WILLIE BOYS; MV; 760-363-3343 Family Karaoke hosted by Joleene 6pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 Barney McClure Jazz 6pm

TUE JUNE 9 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Paul & Jo 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Ace Karaoke with Kiesha 9pm AZUL; PS; 760-325-5533 Bella da Ball Dinner Revue w/ guest performers 7:30pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Rock & Roll 4pm-2am BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 Stanley Butler Trio 6-10pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Joe Jaggi 6pm CORK TREE; PD; 760-779-0123 Michael Keeth 6-9pm CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm

ESCENA LOUNGE & GRILL; PS; 760-9920002 Jesse Sweitzer 5pm FIRESIDE LOUNGE; PS; 760-327-1700 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke 9pm HUNTER’S; PS; 760-323-0700 Karaoke hosted by Phillip Moore 9pm INDIAN CANYONS GOLF RESORT; PS; 760-833-8700 DJ Randy Johnson 6pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760345-6466 Michael D’Angelo 6:15pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-3662250 Ted Quinn’s Open Mic Reality Show Jam 8pm KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Karaoke 7pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Palm Springs Sound Company NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Tim Burleson 7:45pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Acoustic Guitar Jam 8pm PURPLE ROOM@CLUB TRINIDAD; PS; 760-327-1161ext.230 Darci Daniels 6:30pm RIVIERA RESORT & SPA; PS; 760-3274080 Martin Ross Starlite Lounge 6pm SCHMIDY’S; PD; 760-837-3800 Open Mic Hosted by Josh Heinz 9pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760341-3560 Demetrious and Co. TILTED KILT; PD; 760-773-5458 Karaoke w/ T-Bone 9pm VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 Live entertainment VUE GRILLE & BAR; IW; 760-834-3800 Chris Lomeli 6pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 John Bolivar 6pm

WED JUNE 10 29 PALMS INN; 29 Palms; 760-367-3505 Dan Horn 6pm ACE HOTEL; PS; 760-325-9900 Trummors 7pm AJ’S ON THE GREEN; C.C.; 760-202-1111 Jazz Jam 7:30pm AZUL; PS; 760-325-5533 Piano Bar 6pm BART LOUNGE; C.C.; 760-799-8800 Beer Pong Contest 4pm-2am BLUEMBER; RM; 760-862-4581 T.B.A. 6-10pm CAFÉ DES BEAUX- ARTS; PD; 760-3460669 Brian Nova 6pm CASTELLI’S; PD; 760-773-3365 Patrick Tuzzolino 6pm

CUNARD’S SANDBAR; LQ; 760-564-3660 Bill Baker 6pm ESCENA LOUNGE & GRILL; PS; 760-9920002 Jesse Sweitzer 5pm HUNTER’S; PS; 760-323-0700 Live VJ 9pm INDIAN WELLS RESORT HOTEL; IW; 760-345-6466 Open Mic w/ Rich Bono & Poupee Boccaccio 6pm JOSHUA TREE SALOON; JT; 760-3662250 Live Music KOKOPELLI’S; YV; 760-228-2589 Open Mic hosted by Amy Angel 6:30pm LAS CASUELAS TERRAZA; PS; 760-3252794 Hot Rox MELVYN’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE; PS; 760-325-2323 “Sing Jam” w/ Michael Healy 8pm NEIL’S LOUNGE; IND; 760-347-1522 Golden Era Karaoke 4-7pm, Karaoke 8pm-1:15am THE NEST; PD; 760-346-2314 Kevin Henry 6-8pm Tim Burleson 8pm PALM CANYON ROADHOUSE; PS; 760327-4080 Billy Erickson & Matt Barnes Show 6:30pm PJ’S SPORTS LOUNGE; YV; 760-288-1199 Karaoke w/ KJ Ginger 8pm PLAN B LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COCKTAILS; TP; 760-343-2115 Red’s Rockstar Karaoke Talent Quest 9pm PURPLE ROOM@CLUB TRINIDAD; PS; 760-327-1161ext.230 The Michael Holmes Trio 6pm RED BARN; PD; 760-346-0191 Live Music 9pm SCHMIDY’S; PD; 760-837-3800 T-Bone Karaoke 9pm SHANGHAI RED’S @ THE FISHERMAN’S MARKET; PS; 760-322-9293 Slim Man Band 7pm SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE; PD; 760-3413560 Straight Ahead Jazz 6pm THREE SIXTY NORTH; PS; 760-327-1773 Open Mic w/ Les Michaels 6:30pm TILTED KILT; PD; 760-773-5458 Open Mic Competition hosted by Morgan James 8pm VICKY’S OF SANTA FE; IW; 760-345-9770 Lizann Warner 6:30-10pm VILLAGE PUB; PS; 760-323-3265 DJ Khodi Rayne 4:30-2am, Nite Fixx 9-2am WILLIE BOYS; MV; 760-363-3343 Karaoke 9pm WOODY’S BURGER; PS; 760-230-0188 Deanna Bogart 6pm

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Corporate Cannibals

C

orporate Cannibals consume their consumers. Ethics are a slogan and not an ethos. They pretend to be responsible Corporate Citizens by giving token amounts of their ill-gotten gains as donations to worthy charities. By making these charitable donations, they give an impression that they are responsible members of the communities that they serve.

Most people who work for these cannibals are good and wholesome - it is just that the corporate ethos puts profit ahead of everything else.

As part of my ongoing efforts to make our community a better place, I want to start acknowledging the companies that hurt our community in significant ways. From there,

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each of us can decide whether we want to support those companies by doing business with them or owning their stocks.

To make the Corporate Cannibal list, the company must have done something that is either illegal or highly unethical against a large portion of their customers or employees.

Seem fair? Now where to start?

The easiest pickings are in the financial industry. Industry practices caused the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Over the last seven years, the twenty largest banks in the world have paid onequarter of a TRILLION dollars in fines with another $185 BILLION of fines pending. Of this, one bank represents one-third of all penalties.

The worst of this motley bunch is Bank of America/Merrill Lynch having paid $80 billion in fines. In second is JP Morgan/Chase at $40 billion. If this were the Olympics, the bronze would be a tie between Citgroup (Citibank/ Travelers) and Wells Fargo with $14 billion in fines each. Also ranked in this bad boy competition includes BNP/Bank of the West, HSBC, UBS, Morgan Stanley, Rabobank and Barclays.

Bank of America is the poster child for Corporate Cannibalism as bad behavior can be found in most business units. Their mortgage unit led by Countrywide engaged in practices

Dale Gribow On The Law

RAIN FLOODS TEXAS AND Palm Springs

O

kay so PS did not have much flooding but we did have May showers. We all know they bring April flowers or something like that. Showers bring slick roads… which leads to more accidents. We have all heard the admonition that the first shower of the season means slick roads which means more accidents.

If you have been in an accident be ready to face a jungle out there. You will not know what to do and when to do it to protect your rights as an accident victim. As a matter of fact we have more DUI fatalities in PS than anywhere else in California PER CAPITA. So what do you do if you or a loved one has been in an accident?

The first thing is to get the police to take a traffic accident report. That report coupled with your immediate medical attention is very important to support you were injured.

Next use your cell phone to take pix of the damage to both cars; your observable injuries and those of the other parties and try to get witnesses statements.

Documentation is the name of the game.

Get a three holed notebook, like the one you used in school, to summarize all the facts of the accident. Include the name, address, cell and email of all parties and witnesses. Start with the top of your head and work down to the bottom of your toes and list what hurts you. Do this each day as there may be new

pains every day. Also include your loss of enjoyment of life. That way you can take the notebook to the doctor and not forget to tell him/her all of your medical complaints.

If you do not relate all your medical symptoms to the doctor it is as if you did not have that symptom. You need the doctor to include your symptoms in the resulting medical report. That is why you should see a doctor (you have not seen before) that knows how to handle a med/legal case and prepare a proper report. If the medical problem is not in the report you will not be compensated for it.

Include in your summary what were you NOT able to do because of the accident? For instance did you have to cancel a party you were throwing or attending? Did you cancel a vacation, were you unable to lift your two year old child or grandchild etc.

Do NOT admit liability or talk to the other party’s insurance company. You are best advised not to talk to your own insurance company until you have retained a lawyer. If the other side does not have auto insurance or enough insurance, you will be presenting an uninsured motorist claim and your insurance company becomes the entity from whom we look to collect. The insurance company will size you up when you personally make a claim.

Initially they assign a nice adjuster to your file and later transfer it to a less understanding adjuster.

that brought the world economy to the brink of collapse. Beyond Countrywide, Bank of America received nearly $300 million in illegal kickbacks from mortgage loan insurers yet no one landed in jail for these RICO Act violations. Let’s not forget their fraudulent conveyances on homes that they foreclosed on. They have also used deceptive marketing practices on nearly two million credit card customers by charging them for credit monitoring and reporting services - services never delivered to those customers. Bank of America was also one of the firms fined for illegal foreign exchange rate manipulation.

As for how they treat employees, the bank has repeatedly paid fines for making their hourly workers work off the clock for free - a major violation of state and federal labor laws. There have been countless claims of age discrimination as well although Bank of America has defended against these claims by saying that they were simply eliminating the most expensive workers.

In an attempt to be viewed as a good

If you talk or meet the adjuster they will try to pump you for information. Living in the desert it is common to be asked if you are a golfer or a tennis player. They will try to elicit from you when you last played. If you were well enough to play a sport they will later argue you were not injured like you claimed to your doctor. In addition when they come out to look at the property damage they might say they want to take a picture of the damage to the car and at the last minute ask you to stand next to the car and point to the damage. Sometimes that involves bending to point to the dent and right before they take the picture they say “smile”. Now they have a picture of you bending and smiling when you are complaining your pain is so bad you cannot bend and certainly would not be smiling.

The reality is that a case has a different value for different people. My first job was with an insurance defense firm and I had to write a summary for the insurance carrier of each claimant who came into the office. I explained how they were dressed, whether their clothes were pressed and whether their nails were clean and shoes were shined etc.

Please understand you will not be treated fairly by the insurance company without an attorney. In California we previously had “bad faith laws” that required the insurance company to deal fairly with the claimant, but in reality that is long gone.

The contingency fee used on all accident cases levels the playing field so that you can

June 4 to June 10, 2015

corporate citizen, Bank of America gives approximately 0.2% of their revenues to charity annually.

Besides calling out corporate scum, we need to recognize companies that are doing things that benefit the communities that they serve while improving life for their consumers and employees. Generally speaking, community banks are your best choice.

The lesson that we can learn from Corporate America in the 21st century: people who know their customers and employees on a personal level are less likely to abuse those relationships. Using local businesses also helps to keep your community stronger financially as the large, faceless organizations pay the local workforce a fraction relative to executive pay.

As you think of other Corporate Cannibals and/or Corporate Citizens in any field of business, drop me a note and we will incorporate them into a future column.

Haddon Libby is Managing Partner of Winslow Drake, an investment advisory practice and co-founder of ShareKitchen. He can be reached at hlibby@winslowdrake.com.

afford to hire the best. This lawyer will assist you in finding a medical provider who will treat you on a lien basis. Thus you do not have to pay for treatment as it is incurred but rather after the case settles.

When selecting a lawyer, look at the AVVO legal rating system and choose a lawyer who is rated 9.0 or higher. In addition, look for a lawyer who has been recognized in the community such as having Palm Springs Life Magazine list him/her as a TOP LAWYER. The lawyer’s involvement in the community also is important because it is symbolic of the respect the insurance company and or defense attorney will have for the attorney.

Dale Gribow TOP LAWYER - Palm Springs Life 2011-2016 Perfect AVVO Perfect 10.0 Peer Review Rating “Preeminent” Rating by Martindale Hubbell Legal Directory Selected Rue’s “Best Attorneys of America” (Limited to Top 100 Attorneys per state) 2015 Client Appreciation Award/ 2015 Martindale Hubbell Client Distinction Award DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE, CALL A TAXI OR UBER…IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN CALLING ME! If you have any questions or ideas for future columns please contact Dale Gribow at 760 837 7500 or dale@dalegribowlaw.com

21

June 4 to June 10, 2015

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safety tips

by Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

The Real Final Exam

I

ts Graduation time and many young graduates will be celebrating, reminds Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. We all know underage drinking which can result in tragedy. Make sure your graduate passes the real final exam by talking to them about the dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving.

Know who’s driving all evening. Are your kids or a friend driving, is there a designated driver, or will they be renting a limo? Make sure your graduate has a way of contacting you and you can contact them; warn them of the dangers of talking or texting while driving.

Get the evening’s itinerary as well as a list of names and phone numbers of each person with your teen. Make sure they know how to handle difficult situations; avoiding accepting a ride from a drunk driver, rejecting offers of alcohol or legal & illegal drugs, or not succumbing to pressure to engage in sexual activity.

Insist that no changes be made to the evening itinerary unless you grant permission. Know who is supervising all events in which your teen is participating.

Make sure your teen has money to cover

alternative transportation costs (cab?), if necessary.

Oh, and parents, there are always those High School Reunions... Same rules apply to YOU! Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

sports Scene

Coming Home To Make A Difference

W

hen Jeff Webb was a La Quinta High School football player, people who watched him knew he was special. Just watch one of his catches, and you’d know he was a gamechanging wide receiver.

And he was.

That’s why the San Diego State Aztecs offered him a full ride scholarship and why the Kansas City Chiefs made him one of their 2006 draft picks.

It’s a known fact that 1.7% of high school football players earn college scholarships. .08% of high school football players are drafted into the NFL. Webb beat those odds because he was a) a freak athlete b) worked hard and c) trained hard.

That last element he says was the biggest key to his NFL career, the fact his father invested in professional training for him before and in high school, turned the $10,000 dollar investment through those years into a $130,000 return in a college education and hundreds of thousands more in an NFL career.

Webb is thankful his parents chose to invest in him and he’s opening his own training facility, 101 Athletics, to invest in the local high school athletes.

Funny thing is Webb could have chosen

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to open his facility in San Diego, where high school sports are a massive part of the community. He could have opened his facility in Kansas City where his NFL connections run through the city and the BBQ joints are the best on the planet. He could have opened his facility in a number of cities, towns or communities where it would thrive, but he chose to open it in the Coachella Valley because this is where he grew up and where he wanted to give back.

There’s just something about the Coachella Valley. I’m not originally from here, but I love this community and I’ve lived here for more than a decade, carved

sharekitchen

SHOP LOCAL

A

s you know, things get a lot quieter in the Coachella Valley during the summer months. Snowbirds depart while locals leave the area on holiday attempting to beat the heat.

Excluding air conditioning companies, most local businesses struggle during these months as they do not have the revenue from other markets like larger, national businesses.

Strong local businesses are critical to the growth of better paying and more jobs for you and me. The reason for this is because local businesses spend more of their money locally than national businesses that have core businesses relationships somewhere else. Additionally, the people who run local businesses and typically have the best paying jobs live locally. National companies pay the local workforce a mere fraction of that paid to their management teams who live far away.

To quantify the difference, CivicEconomics compared the spending of a chain restaurant to an independent, local restaurant. A chain restaurant spent one in three dollars earned locally while the local restaurant spent two in three dollars locally. More money was made by workers at the local restaurant than their chain competitor. Local charities received dramatically more support from the local

business than the one run from afar.

If everyone in the Coachella Valley spent just $10 a day more with a local company from June through November, our local economy would have an additional $150 million circulating throughout it. Think what an extra $150 million means in terms of jobs.

With more jobs in this area, wages would increase as there would be a greater demand for human capital.

Instead of going to Starbucks, go to Koffi.

Why eat at Five Guys when you can go to Burgers & Beer? Shopping locally is a simple way that you can make the Coachella Valley a better place to work and live.

by Julie Buehler a life and career out of the mountains and sand and am proud to proclaim the Coachella Valley as my home.

Years ago, this WASN’T the place to live.

It was often thought as Sinatra’s Playground- aka- where old people ventured to retire and expire.

But that’s changed. Dramatically.

More and more young people are coming to the valley to build their careers, dreams and families and Webb is evidence of that.

More and more vibrant, dynamic individuals have chosen to settle here and grow businesses and marquee events have chosen the Coachella Valley as the only place to find one of the highest per capita of golf courses AND Coachella AND Stagecoach and so much more.

SO much has changed in our community over the past decade I’ve lived here and in some ways Webb is entirely emblematic of that. He found success beyond the mountains, but came back to help other chasing dreams find their success.

101 Athletics boasts functional and sport-specific training for athletes of all sports and Saturday, June 6th, it will open it’s doors in Thousand Palms with former NFL head coach Herm Edwards, former Oakland Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison and more dignitaries in attendance. (You can get more information at www.101Athletics.net)

Webb has been training athletes for years after his 6 seasons in professional football and it’s a “dream come true” to be able to open his own gym in his hometown.

He told my radio show, that he trained in the summer heat, understands the subtle insults from kids boasting LA or big-city ties that are directed to athletes from “Indio” or “Palm Desert” or “Palm Springs” and the Coachella Valley and wants to bridge that gap for parents and kids alike.

It’s great to hear of the success story from La Quinta high school and even better to know Webb wants to share his experience with this incredible community.

Julie Buehler hosts the Coachella Valley’s most popular sports talk radio show, “Buehler’s Day Off” every day from 2-4 on 1010 KXPS, the valley’s all sports station.

She can also be seen every morning between 6-7am on KMIR sharing the coolest stories in sports. She’s an avid gym rat, slightly sarcastic and more likely to recite Steve Young’s career passing stats than American Idol winners. Tune in M-F 2-4 pst at www. team1010.com or watch “Buehler’s Day Off” on Ustream and KMIR.com for her sports reports.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Week of June 4

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Persian scholar Avicenna was so well-rounded in his knowledge that he wrote two different encyclopedias. Even as a teenager he was obsessed with learning all he could. He got especially consumed with trying to master Aristotle’s Metaphysics, which did not easily yield its secrets to him. He read it 40 times, memorizing every word. When he finally understood it, he was so excited he celebrated by giving out money and gifts to destitute strangers.

I suspect you will soon be having an equivalent breakthrough, Aries. At last you will grasp a truth that has eluded you for a long time. Congratulations in advance!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When it’s rush hour in Tokyo, unwieldy crowds of commuters board the trains and subways. They often need help at squeezing in. Railway workers known as oshiya, or pushers, provide the necessary force. Wearing crisp uniforms, white gloves, and neat hats, they cram the last stragglers into each car. I foresee the possibility of you being called on to perform a metaphorical version of the service these pushers provide. Is there a polite and respectful way for you to be indelicate in a worthy cause? Could you bring light-hearted tact to bear as you seek an outcome that encourages everyone to compromise?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Nobel Prize-winning physicists Wolfgang Pauli and Niels Bohr were both amused at how counterintuitive their innovative theories seemed. Once Pauli was lecturing a group of eminent scientists about a radical new hypothesis. Bohr got out of his seat in the audience and walked up to the front to interrupt his colleague.

“We all agree that your theory is crazy,” Bohr told Pauli. “The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct.

My own feeling is that it is not crazy enough.” Pauli defended himself. “It is crazy enough!” he said.

But Bohr was insistent. “It’s not crazy enough!” he argued. I’m going to pose a comparable query to you, Gemini. Are your new ideas and possibilities crazy enough to be true? Make sure they are.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You’ve wandered into an awkward phase of your cycle. Missed connections have aroused confusion. Disjointed events have led to weirdness. I’ve got a suggestion for how you might be able to restore clarity and confidence: Make a foray into a borderland and risk imaginative acts of heroism. Does that sound too cryptic or spooky? How about if I say it like this: Go on an unpredictable quest that will free your trapped vitality, or try a mysterious experiment that will awaken your sleeping magic. P.S. For best results, ask for help every step of the way.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Gesamtkunstwerk is a German word that can be translated as “total art work” or “all-embracing art form.” It refers to a creative masterpiece that makes use of several genres. The 19th-century composer Richard Wagner had this in mind when he produced his opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung, which included orchestral music, singing, theater, and literature. I’m invoking the spirit of Gesamtkunstwerk for your use, Leo. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to synthesize and coordinate all the things you do best, and express them with a flourish.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Defender was a popular video game that young people played in video arcades during the 1980s. Fifteen-year-old Steve Juraszek was profiled in Time magazine after he racked up a record-breaking 16 million points while playing the game for 16 hours straight. But when his high school principal found out that Juraszek had skipped classes to be at the arcade, he was suspended. I’m wondering if there may soon be a similar development in your own life, Virgo. Will you have to pay a small price for your success? You should at least be prepared to risk an acceptable loss in order to accomplish an important goal.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): People I meet are sometimes taken aback by the probing questions I ask them. Recently an acquaintance said to me,

June 4 to June 10, 2015

© Copyright 2015 Rob Brezsny

“Why don’t you feel driven to talk about yourself all the time, like everyone else?” I told him the truth: “Being curious is just the way I was made.

Maybe it’s because of my Mercury in Gemini, or my seventh-house sun, or my three planets in Libra.”

I suspect that you are due to go through a phase similar to the mode I’m so familiar with. If it doesn’t happen naturally, I suggest you coax it out. You need to be extra inquisitive. You’ll benefit from digging as deeply as you dare. The more information you uncover, the better your decisions will be.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I love to watch an evolved Scorpio get his or her needs met by helping other people get their needs met. It’s thrilling to behold the paradoxical Scorpio assets in action: the combination of manipulativeness and generosity; the animal magnetism working in service to the greater good; the resourceful willpower that carries out hidden agendas and complex strategies designed to make the world a better place. I expect to see a lot of this idiosyncratic wisdom from you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Would that life were like the shadow cast by a wall or a tree,” says the Talmud. “But it is like the shadow of a bird in flight.” That’s a lyrical sentiment, but I don’t agree with it. I’ve come to prefer the shimmering dance over the static stance. The ever-shifting play of light and dark is more interesting to me than the illusion of stability. I feel more at home in the unpredictable flow than in the stagnant trance of certainty. What about you, Sagittarius? I suggest that in the immediate future you cultivate an appreciation for the joys and challenges of the shimmering dance.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The core of your horoscope comes from the poem “A Color of the Sky” by Tony Hoagland. Imagine that you are the “I” who is saying the following: “What I thought was an end turned out to be a middle. What I thought was a brick wall turned out to be a tunnel. What I thought was an injustice turned out to be a color of the sky.” Please understand, Capricorn, that speaking these words might not make total sense to you yet. You may have to take them on faith until you gather further evidence. But I urge you to speak them anyway. Doing so will help generate the transformations you need in order to make them come true.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Lessons in luck are coming your way. Will they help you attract more luck? Maybe. Will they show you how to make better use of your luck? Maybe. A lot depends on your ability to understand and love the paradox of luck. I’ve assembled a few enigmatic teachings to prepare you. 1. “Luck is believing you’re lucky.” Tennessee Williams. 2. “It is a great piece of skill to know how to guide your luck even while waiting for it.” - Baltasar Gracián. 3. “Sometimes not getting what you want is a brilliant stroke of luck.” - Lorii Myers. 4. “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Samuel Goldwyn. 5. “You’ve got to try your luck at least once a day, because you could be going around lucky all day and not even know it.” - Jimmy Dean. 6. “Go and wake up your luck.” - Persian proverb.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The word “boudoir” means a woman’s bedroom. But hundreds of years ago, it had a more specific definition. It was a room where a well-bred girl was sent when she was pouting. “Boudoir” is derived from the French verb bouder, which means “to sulk.” If it were in my power, Pisces, I would send you to the sulking room right now. In fact, I would encourage you to sulk. In my opinion, a good long sulk would be just the right prescription for you. It would trigger brainstorms about how to change the soggy, foggy conditions that warranted your sulking in the first place.

Homework: I dare you to bestow a blessing on a person you’ve considered to be beneath you.

Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com Rob Brezsny Free Will Astrology freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

Life & career Coach

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

by Sunny Simon

Inspiration in a Tube

M

y husband sighed and watched me with his “there she goes again” grin as I skillfully maneuvered another squeeze of toothpaste out of the totally flattened tube. Not really a super frugal person, but getting the last dab of paste out of every tube that finds its way into the Simon household is a challenge I rise to meet.

As I press down hard, managing to anoint my brush with a final dab of a cool mint fluoride-free paste promising to rid my teeth of plaque while whitening, brings to mind a speech I heard in a staff meeting long ago. The passionate talk, given by one of my colleagues, did much to inspire a leadership group facing some dim financial results. I do not remember his name, but I will never forget the essence of his message. It was about always being able to squeeze out what you need.

I often use the toothpaste analogy for inspiration. Whether you are running a marathon, or burning the midnight oil trying to finish an important report with an early morning due date, if you push hard enough you can find the extra steam required to complete the task at hand. Is bringing the last drop of energy to the surface an easy feat? No, it takes a large dose of grit and some solid mental prodding. Stated differently, you must draw on your willpower.

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Dictionary.com defines willpower as a noun meaning “the ability to control oneself and determine one’s actions.” Well, pardon me Mr. Webster, but I think your definition is only half right. Staying the course when you question how to keep going involves the will to powerthrough (verb).

One way to keep going when you want to throw in the towel is what I call “channelchanging.” Let’s take running the marathon, or any physical activity as an example. If your negative mental chatter pipes up trying to convince you that you’ll never reach the finish line, forget the finish line and think about a motivating subject. Visualize the glass of cold water waiting for you and the joy of hugging your five year old when the race is over. I employ that strategy with my fitness trainer. When I’m ready to say uncle and he calls for more reps, I conjure up an image of the new sundress I bought. No way can I rock that beautiful skyblue outfit with flabby arms.

So, the next time you need to power-through an activity when your tank registers empty, change the channel and think of squeezing that tube of paste. I know you can do it!

Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com

Ask The Doctor

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

by dr peter kadile

Dr. Peter M. Kadile is Board Certified in Family Medicine. He has an integrative, osteopathic medical practice and is also known as the local, house call doctor; Desert House Call Physician. He is on staff at Eisenhower Medical Center and medical director for Serenity Hospice. His office is located in beautiful Old Town La Quinta, 78-100 Main Street, Suite 207, La Quinta, CA 92253. (760) 777-7439. DesertHouseCalls@aol.com. www.deserthousecalldoc.com.

advice from the heart

Dr. Kadile, I exercise and try and follow a healthy diet. I don’t take any medication and my doctor hasn’t diagnosed me with any significant medical problems. Should I take a daily aspirin to play it safe and prevent a heart attack? -Walter, Palm Springs

Walter, I frequently will encounter new patients that have been taking a daily “baby aspirin” for years thinking it will help prevent a heart attack or stroke.

Aspirin interferes with the clotting of blood. If there is damage to a blood vessel wall, a clot can form and that clot can block an artery that supplies blood to the heart.

This blockage of a coronary artery results in a heart attack. Blockage of an artery that supplies blood to the brain can result in a stroke.

The general thinking would be that everybody should simply just take an aspirin a day to prevent a heart attack or stroke, but it isn’t that simple. Aspirin has side effects and the risk associated with these side effects can frequently outweigh the potential benefits of taking a daily aspirin.

Aspirin can cause bleeding in the stomach and is contraindicated in a person who has a history of stomach ulcers. Aspirin can cause a hemorrhagic stroke resulting in bleeding in the brain. People can be sensitive to aspirin and easily bruise or have bleeding gums.

So who should take a daily “baby aspirin”? Obviously you should discuss this with your physician who is familiar with your medical history. Your physician may recommend a daily aspirin if you have had a heart attack or stroke in the past. If a person has documented coronary artery disease, aspirin may be indicated. If a person has significant risk factors for heart

attack or stroke such as diabetes, high blood pressure or is a smoker, aspirin may be beneficial. Aspirin can also interfere with other medications or supplements.

Walter, it sounds like you are a healthy individual without any risk factors, so a daily aspirin for you wouldn’t be indicated.

Dr. Kadile, should I take fish oil capsules for my heart? -Ken, Indio.

Ken, you should have regular check ups with your physician to determine your risk for heart disease and of course maintain a healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise and proper diet.

The Omega-3 Fatty Acids found in fish oil have repeatedly and consistently been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk in multiple types of scientific studies. If you do not regularly eat 2-3 servings of fish a week, daily supplementation of omega-3 fish oil capsules is a good way to help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

www.coachellavalleyweekly.com

June 4 to June 10, 2015

Full Service Feline Only Veterinary Clinic

Dr. Rebecca Diaz

760-325-3400 Dr. Rebecca Diaz is a cat-loving veterinary professional, dedicated to keeping your cats and kittens happy and healthy with top-quality care in a stress-free environment.

Feline Veterinary Service

Every aspect of our clinic is designed with the special needs of cats in mind.

From the quiet serene waiting room to the relaxing exam rooms and cat-friendly cages for hospitalized patients, our goal is to promote a peaceful, stress-free environment for your cats.

Services include: • Routine Care • Geriatic Care • Spay/Neuter

• Digital Radiology • Laboratory Services • New Kitten Care

• Vaccinations • General Surgery • Dentistry

67870 Vista Chino Cathedral City, CA 92234

www.catcitycat.com

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June 4 to June 10, 2015

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