The Entertainer! Magazine - March 2020

PHX METRO » MARCH 2020

‘BONAFIDE’ Star

Jammin’ Lee Perreira runs for charity

NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS The Black Moods crack the charts

LA DOLCE VITA The Italian Festival comes to Phoenix

AWAKEN YOUR INNER CREATURE OF THE NIGHT!

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Give yourself over to the absolute pleasure of this beautifully twisted rock musical masterpiece.

Dynamic tension is on the menu as naive new fiancees Brad and Janet discover a world where nothing is taboo. Awaken your inner creature of the night and explore your most sensational, interplanetary fantasies with Rocky, Eddie, Dr. Scott, Columbia, Magenta, Riff Raff and, of course, Frank-N-Furter.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

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CONTENTS

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ON THE COVER

NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS

The Black Moods crack the charts, Phoenix radio and rock fans

ONE MORE LIGHT

Chester Bennington’s friends illuminate Grey Daze

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‘BONAFIDE’ Jammin’ Lee Perreira runs for charity

Star

on the cover: Lee Perreira Cover photo courtesy Ethan Risvik

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

Times Media Group 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282 Phone 480.348.0343 Fax 480.348.2109 entertainermag.com

UNIFIED BY FILM

Phoenix festival sets ‘inclusive’ slate for 20th year

publisher

Steve T. Strickbine

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Managing Editor

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Assistant Editor Connor Dziawura

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designer

Shannon Mead

production manager Courtney Oldham

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CONTENTS UPFRONT

circulation director Aaron Kolodny

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contributing writers

Top 25 • The Black Moods • Lee Perreira • Grey Daze • Jim Louvau • Mills End • Fervor Records

CITY

Alison Bailin Batz, Lila Baltman, Megan Child, Sara Edwards, Hayley Lorenzen, Carson Mlnarik, Randy Montgomery, Taylor O’Connor, Bridgette Redman, Haley Smilow, Annika Tomlin

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Phoenix Film Festival • FuelFest • Phoenix Fashion Week • Phoenix Pride Festival • Cave Creek Bike Week

ARTS

Arts Calendar • “Footlight Frenzy” • Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Festival

DINING

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Dining Calendar • Italian Festival of Arizona • Cock N’ Tails

BEER AND WINE

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Beer and Wine Calendar • Great Beer Pairings

CASINOS

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Casino Entertainment Calendar • Larry the Cable Guy

SPORTS

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Sports Calendar • Carson Kelly • Phoenix Rising • Archie Bradley

FAMILY

Staff Photographers

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Chris Mortenson, Pablo Robles

Contributing Photographers

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LA DOLCE VITA!

The Italian Festival brings its culture to Downtown Phoenix

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Live Music Calendar • Marc Ford • Montell Jordan • Rob Base • Yachtley Crew • Soul Asylum

NIGHTLIFE

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Nightlife Calendar • Mad Mixologist

IN CLOSING Celebrity Waiters

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The Entertainer! is circulated throughout the Phoenix Metro area, especially concentrated in entertainment districts. ©2020 Affluent Publishing, LLC. A free online subscription is available to all readers simply by going to entertainermag.com/subscribe.

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Blake Shelton: Friends and Heroes

Sondheim on Sondheim

MARCH 1 TO MARCH 31 Musical theater geeks, rejoice!

Finally, a revue finely attuned to your Stephen Sondheim faves.

Featuring tracks from “West Side Story,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Follies” and other gems, the setlist even includes filmed commentary from the famed composer himself.

Phoenix Theatre, 1825 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.254.2151, phoenixtheatre. com, times vary, $61-$91.

Great Arizona Puppet Theater’s “Grand Canyon Condor”

MARCH 4 TO MARCH 15 This lesson in wildlife comes from the talking heads—literally! Teach the little ones about critically endangered species with a special puppet show with Baby Boo, a condor who learns about vultures just like him from over 10,000 years ago in the Grand Canyon. For ages 5 and older.

Great Arizona Puppet Theater, 302 W. Latham Street, Phoenix, 602.262.2050, azpuppets.org,

MARCH 5 It’s a country-fried good time when “The Voice” star and country giant Blake Shelton rolls through the West Valley with friends the Bellamy Brothers, John Anderson, Trace Adkins and special guest Lauren Alaina. Yee-haw! You might want to break out the cowboy boots for this one!

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, gilariverarena.com, 7 p.m., $44.25-$125.25.

McDowell Mountain Music Festival

MARCH 6 TO MARCH 8 Spring is coming, and that’s reason enough to celebrate at this annual Phoenix fave. The communityand charity-focused fest features yoga, live art, a silent disco and a local marketplace. This year’s musical lineup is stacked with artists like Bon Iver, Rüfüs Du Sol, Lany and The Growlers.

Margaret T. Hance Park, 67 W. Culver Street, Phoenix, 602.343.0453, m3ffest. com, times vary, $80-$150.

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PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE activities and all-day performances.

Melrose District, Seventh Avenue between Indian School and Camelback roads, Phoenix, 480.620.4415, m7streetfair. com, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” 35th Anniversary Tour MARCH 7 What happens when Pee-wee’s beloved red bike goes missing?

Audiences found out 35 years ago when this quirky Tim Burton flick hit theaters. Peewee rides again with this special anniversary screening, featuring a talk from star Paul Reubens.

Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2800, arizonafederaltheatre.com, 7:30 p.m., $39.50-$59.50.

Zoo Move and Groove 5K

MARCH 7 Unleash your inner animal with the Phoenix Zoo’s 5K run and 1-mile walk. Participants can sign up as individuals or teams, with proceeds benefiting the zoo’s new meerkat habitat. After your run, head to the Fit Festival, featuring family fitness classes, a Zoolympics, animal presentations and youth circus arts.

Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 602.286.3800, phoenixzoo.org, 8 a.m., $35-$45.

Melrose on Seventh Avenue Street Fair

MARCH 7 Fall in love with Phoenix’s Melrose District during its annual street fair celebrating local art, business and music. The free event includes a classic car show, food trucks, more than 200 booths from local artists and crafters, as well as kids

Bernadette Peters

MARCH 7 In the world of Broadway, Bernadette Peters needs no introduction. The three-time Tony Award winner

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hits the stage backed by a 10-piece orchestra. Audiences can expect hits from every era of her expansive career, with cuts from shows like “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Hello, Dolly” and “Into the Woods.”

Chandler Center of the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter. org, 7:30 p.m., $68-$128.

Groovin’ Thru the ’60s

MARCH 8 If you’re dreading “Monday, Monday” or feeling in need of a “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” this ’60s tribute show is just for you. Drift into a groovy daydream alongside hits from artists like Simon & Garfunkel; Peter, Paul & Mary and The Mamas & the Papas.

Chandler Center of the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter. org, 3 p.m., $30-$40.

Disney on Ice’s “Celebrate Memories”

MARCH 12 TO MARCH 14 The whole family will love watching their favorite Disney stories come to life, courtesy of stunning ice skaters, larger-than-life sets and their favorite tunes. This Disney on Ice jaunt features performances from Moana, Woody and the “Toy Story” gang, as well as the “Frozen” crew and Disney princesses.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2000, talkingstickresortarena. com, times vary, $20-$95.

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see what the epic production is all about! This traditional performance brings the spirit of ancient China to life with classical dance, original compositions and decadent scenery.

Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, times vary, $83-$153.

Disney in Concert: Magical Music from the Movies

MARCH 13 TO MARCH 15 The Phoenix Symphony transcends your favorite motion picture musical moments with this Disney concert spanning hits from “Frozen,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “The Little Mermaid.” Alongside Broadway vocalists and scenes projected on the big screen, it’s a sing-along soiree for the whole fam.

Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second Street, Phoenix, 602.495.1999, phoenixsymphony.org, times vary, $48-$116.

Scottsdale Arts Festival

MARCH 13 TO MARCH 15 This annual Scottsdale fixture is celebrating 50 years highlighting the best local artists in ceramics, drawings, painting and mixed media. The three-day celebration also features yard games, museum visits, live music, a marketplace and plenty of grub.

Scottsdale Civic Center Park, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480.874.4607, scottsdalefestival.org, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 13 and March 14, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 15, $12 single day and $20 two-day pass.

Arezzona

MARCH 14 Canadian DJ Rezz may only be 24 years old, but she’s taken the EDM world by storm since signing to Deadmau5’s label in 2016. She takes over the desert with Arezzona, featuring acts like G Jones, Of the Trees and CHARLESTHEFIRST set to warm up the crowd.

Rawhide Event Center, 5244 S. 48th Street, Chandler, 480.502.5600, rawhide. com, 6 p.m., $49-$1,500.

Arizona Aloha Festival

MARCH 14 TO MARCH 15 Say “aloha” to a Hawaiian vacation in your own backyard with this

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annual festival celebrating hula and Hawaiian culture. You’re sure to find your island in the sun, whether you’re looking to indulge in island foods—ribs, pork chops, pineapple, oh my—watch the finest in hula performance or snag a ukulele to take home.

Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, 602.697.1824, azalohafest. org, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

JoJo Siwa’s D.R.E.A.M The Tour

MARCH 15 If you have spent any time around children younger than 10, you’ve probably heard about a little pop star named JoJo Siwa. The former “Dance Moms” star has her own YouTube channel, Nickelodeon web series, EP and enough hair bows to shake a very sparkly stick at. She brings her D.R.E.A.M. The Tour—and tons of glitter—to Glendale for one night.

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, gilariverarena.com, 7 p.m., $34.50-$64.50.

Post Malone

MARCH 15 With introspective lyrics, hip-hop and country sensibilities, and face tattoos, 24-year-old Post Malone has carved out a niche for himself in music. He hits the road to tour his latest release “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” featuring hits like “Sunflower,” “Circles” and “Take What You Want.” Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh are set to open.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2000, talkingstickresortarena. com, 8 p.m., $93.50-$375.

“Something Rotten!”

MARCH 16 TO MARCH 31 In the 1500s, the Bottom brothers struggled to put up a performance that rivals the success of their contemporary William Shakespeare.

Left to their own devices, they come up with a wild idea: the first “musical!” With rambunctious dance numbers, farcical happenings and larger-than-life characters, this Broadway hit is not to be missed.

Phoenix Theatre, 1825 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.254.2151, phoenixtheatre. com, times vary, $41-$91.

Phoenix Suns vs.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Tyler Henry

MARCH 27 The resident E! Network psychic behind “Hollywood Medium” hits the road with a new live show providing hope, healing and closure.

Tyler Henry will share secrets from the show, as well as perform live readings and an audience Q&A. Talking Stick Resort, 9800 Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort. com, 8 p.m., $35-$125.

MARCH 18 The Suns have had a tough season, but they always go hard when it comes to home games. With three wins against the Timberwolves so far this season, all signs point to a win when they square off again this spring. Not our fault that wolves don’t do well in the heat!

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2000, talkingstickresortarena. com, 7 p.m., $12-$1,000.

“Dancing with the Stars: Live!”

Great Arizona Puppet Theater presents “Urashima Taro” MARCH 18 TO MARCH 22 For one week, the Great Arizona Puppet Theater plays host to internationally renowned puppet group Yumemi Trunk from Japan.

See puppetry magic with the troupe’s performance of “Urashimo Taro,” a popular Japanese folk tale.

Great Arizona Puppet Theater, 302 W. Latham Street, Phoenix, 602.262.2050, azpuppets.org, $8 children and $12 adults.

Grouplove

MARCH 20 Grouplove is back in business, and they’re here to save indie pop as we know it! The joyous group behind “Tongue Tied,” “Colours” and “Welcome to Your Life” is set to drop its fourth studio album, “Healer,” on March 13, so fans can expect to hear bops from the past, present and future.

The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, 480.659.1641, thevanburenphx. com, 8 p.m., $30-$35.

Iliza: The Forever Tour

MARCH 21 Comedian Iliza Shlesinger may have a last name that’s hard to pronounce, but fans have no problem falling in love with her unique brand of comedy. Blending pop culture, social commentary, politics and feminism, Shlesinger won NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2008, and has numerous Netflix and Comedy Central specials to show for it.

Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2800, arizonafederaltheatre.com, 8 p.m., $43.50-$68.50.

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MARCH 27 You’ve seen them transform celebs into Mirrorball champions, now you can see the performers behind “Dancing with the Stars” up close and personal. Featuring dancers like Lindsay Arnold, Sharna Burgess and Artem Chigvintsev, the production touches on every type of ballroom and modern dance from the show, in addition to steamy duets and group numbers.

Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2800, arizonafederaltheatre.com, 8 p.m., $43.50-$579.

“The Office!

A Musical Parody”

MARCH 27 TO MARCH 29 Dwight! You might have seen this hit NBC sitcom multiple times thanks to Netflix, but you’ve never seen it like this! This unauthorized musical parody follows what begins as an ordinary day in the life of Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin—until a documentary crew shows up and begins filming the workers’ lives for no apparent reason.

Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, 7:30 p.m., $45.

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Bollywood Boulevard The Folk Legacy Trio MAR 28

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La Santa Cecilia

Boz Scaggs: Out of the

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NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS The Black Moods crack the charts, Phoenix radio and rock fans

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

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rammed in Scottsdale’s Old Town Tavern, The Black Moods’ Josh Kennedy, Chico Diaz and Jordan Hoffman are whipping songs from their forthcoming album, “Sunshine.”

Sure, fans know every word to the hits “Bella Donna,” “Whatcha Got” and “Bad News,” but thanks to relentless touring, lyrics to songs like “Sunshine” are rote as well.

The Tempe-based band has become one of the Valley’s favorites, but it goes beyond the music. They’re nice guys, among other things.

“We like to party,” says Kennedy, as Diaz and Hoffman laugh at Ra Sushi Bar in Old Town.

“Seriously, we hang out with our fans.

We make friends. I think that goes a long way,” Hoffman adds.

“We like people,” Diaz chimes in.

“Plus, a lot of people want to hear rock ’n’ roll again. I know I do.”

Kennedy’s chugging guitars, Hoffman’s aggressive bass and Diaz’s muscular drums are behind the three songs that landed on the Billboard rock charts. But there’s something different about the song “Sunshine,” which Kennedy dubs “our home run.”

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The album of the same name is due out Friday, May 8.

“Right now, we’ve been pushed into the active rock genre,” Kennedy explains.

“We feel like we’re more along the line of alternative rock. This song is built better for alternative radio. We didn’t write it that way on purpose. It just has more of an alternative feel than active rock.”

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Kennedy was bred in the most unlikely of spots for a rock singer—Wheaton, Missouri, in the Ozarks, where his head was filled with Southern rock and country music. Wheaton has a population of only 700.

He found his calling when his dad summoned him to the living room to see a band he liked.

“They didn’t have MTV,” he says.

“This one day I was in my room playing and my dad says, ‘Hey, bub’—he calls me ‘bub’—‘come check out this band.’

It was the Gin Blossoms playing ‘Hey Jealousy’ on an awards show.”

Kennedy’s dad told him he could write music like that because it wasn’t virtuosic.

“I decided when I was 13 that I was going to play guitar for the Gin Blossoms,” he says. “On my 21st birthday, I was on tour with the Gin Blossoms. They invited me onstage and I got to play guitar.”

Flashback to when he was a teen, when he met the Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson after a show with his side project Gas Giants.

“I was a super fan,” Kennedy says with a laugh. “I talked to him after the show.

His advice? Go to college. He was playing 200-seaters to 50 people. Of course, I didn’t listen. I came out here. I found him playing Long Wong’s and I hit him up for a job. I worked at his studio.”

The Gin Blossoms have proven to be a huge influence on Kennedy’s songs like “Someone to Save Us” from The Black Moods’ 2016 album, “Medicine.” “‘Someone to Save Us’ is an example of a song that has the Gin Blossoms kind of feel,” he says. “It also has a harder rock sound than those guys have.

“We take elements of stuff I grew up on—Bad Company, Led Zeppelin. I listen to them just as much as I did the Gin Blossoms.”

Now he has the jangly alterna-pop musicians’ phone numbers on speed dial.

“The 13-year-old me would be freaking out,” he muses.

Kennedy is impressed by the business acumen of local rocker Roger Clyne, who has hosted The Black Moods at his shows in Rocky Point.

“He brought us to Mexico and made us part of what he’s created, which we are super grateful for,” Kennedy says.

“Initially, I went down by myself when he

heard my record. He invited me to sing a song with him, me and the Peacemakers.

Then, he invited us as direct support and we gained many fans from that.”

Music is all the trio does. When they return from touring, they get right back into their Tempe studio. Usually, they’re joined by producer Johnny Karkazis, to whom The Black Moods were introduced

by Adelitas Way singer Rick DeJesus.

“We wanted Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age to produce the album, but Johnny K’s awesome. He’s got a great track record. He’s a really good dude, and when Rick arranged a call with us, he was all southside Chicago and intimidating.”

Not much has changed since then.

“He’s quick to tell us that’s stupid,” Kennedy says about Karkazis, who has worked with Disturbed, Plain White T’s, 3 Doors Down and Megadeth.

How does Kennedy handle it?

“Drink and cry,” Kennedy adds without cracking a smile. “He’s just trying to get the best out of us. He really lets us have it. It wears us out eventually.

By the end of the session, the song is great. We love him to death—seriously.”

Diaz, who grew up in Tolleson and Phoenix, says Karkazis brought the music out of them.

“He pulled the pieces out of each one of us,” Diaz says. “He turns over every stone. We get it and it pays off. But he

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

records the edge we have.”

Hoffman aids with the backbeat.

Raised in Toledo, Ohio, Hoffman was living in Los Angeles, working as a musician and server, when he auditioned for The Black Moods. He joined September 25, 2017.

“It’s nice because we collaborate with the songwriting,” Hoffman says. “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I didn’t want to just play for somebody. I wanted to play with somebody.”

Hoffman also lends background vocals to the songs, something that’s new to The Black Moods.

BREAKING THE CHARTS “Bella Donna” was the first song by The Black Moods to crack the charts and the nation’s radio stations. The relentlessly addictive, Doors-influenced song hit streaming services June 1, 2019.

“We were working on music and our producer, Johnny K, was in town,” Kennedy says. “But my granddad passed away. I had to go back to Missouri.

When I was leaving, he was trying to bring out a Doors-esque style groove, ‘Love Me Two Times.’

“When I went back to Missouri, I was sitting by myself in my grandparents’ house. Nobody was there, and it was the first time I had been there alone. I was playing the acoustic. When I returned, we talked about what we were working on.”

He played the song for Diaz and Hoffman.

“We lit into it and everything started falling into place,” Kennedy says. “A case of beer later and 3 a.m. came around and we were doing back-up vocals. I was

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nervous. I didn’t know if Johnny would like it or hate it. He said, ‘This is great.’”

“Bad News” came next, followed by “Whatcha Got,” the latter of which finally landed on Phoenix rock radio.

Coming with the “Sunshine” album is a white wine to complement the red wine “Bella Donna.” The release take is TBA. The Black Moods are on the road with Royal Bliss and then will join up with Otherwise for a 15-date tour that ends at Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale on Friday, April 10. A record release party for “Sunshine” is expected to follow an appearance at Epicenter with Metallica and The Darkness, among others, on Friday, May 1, near Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Black Moods will fit snugly on that three-day festival that also includes Royal Blood, Godsmack, David Lee Roth, Disturbed, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Cypress Hill. It all goes back to The Black Moods’ good old rock ’n’ roll.

“It’s just what happens when we play,” Kennedy says. “It’s not like we looked around at radio right now and decided there wasn’t a lot of rock on the radio.

We’ve been on the same path since we started.”

Diaz adds, “It’s not like we’re adjusting because rock’s coming back. People want to hear guitars, bass and drums again—and people actually playing them again.”

Otherwise, The Black Moods and Saul Pub Rock Live, 8005 E. Roosevelt Street, Scottsdale, pubrocklive. com, 8 p.m. Friday, April 10, $15.

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‘BONAFIDE’ STAR

Helping others is musician Lee Perreira’s new goal Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

L

ife is a marathon, not a sprint.

That phrase has been used tirelessly to describe an effort, but for Phoenix singersongwriter Lee Perreira, it

rings true.

Known for his latest single, “Bonafide,” Perreira is preparing to run 16 marathons in 16 days—from his front door in Glendale to Ellen DeGeneres’ studio in Burbank. His goal is to raise $1 million and present the check to the talk show host. He begins March 29.

Last year, he raised $15,000 for charities that deal with cancer, abuse and long-term care. They’re all close to his heart.

“Three years ago, I never thought about running a marathon,” he says.

At that time, he was serving time in prison for a DUI. Since his release, he’s become sober, went vegan and continued running, the latter of which he started in prison.

“Last year, I expected to raise some money. I didn’t know how much,” Perreira says after a gig in Phoenix.

“What I didn’t anticipate was the level of inspiration it would give to people.

It’s not just with the nonprofits that I represented, but the people who followed along.

“A couple weeks ago, I was playing here and somebody I didn’t know showed up. He said a friend of his who lives in another state followed the marathons and it inspired her to finish writing a book. She always wanted to write, so she mailed it to him and asked him to give it to me. I was touched.”

Perreira is doubling down with the runs.

In October, he launched his own 501(c)(3) named after his runs, 16x16inc.org.

This year isn’t all about running, though, unless it’s sprinting toward a No. 1. On January 31, he released his single “Bonafide,” an ode to his fiancée.

“It’s a pretty straightforward song, like musically and structurally,” he says.

“When I wrote it, I knew it would be a full-band song and it would be a lot of

Banana Gun w/Rachel Bachman and Lee Perreira The Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, rhythmroom.com, 9 p.m., $10 at the door. Lee Perreira’s charity can be reached at 16x16inc.org.

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fun to play.

“It’s about how she stood by my side through a bunch of ups and downs. She lifted me up when I was down and then cheered me on when I was doing well.”

He has two other singles slated for release: “Firing Range” on April 3 and “Doctor’s Orders” on July 3.

The music is part of Perreira’s rebirth.

He never felt like he was a bad guy, but “I definitely could have done better.”

His downward spiral began when his brother, who was struggling with heroin, died unexpectedly.

“If you would have asked me if I was OK, I probably would have told you, ‘I’m fine,’” he says. “Then I got three DUIs in less than six months.

My brother died right in the middle of that. He was living on the streets. He had stolen from our family. It was a hard thing to go through, to have your brother reaching out to you. I told him I would pay a bill, but I wasn’t going to give him money. That wears on you.

“Then, for him to die, it just really rocked our family. Then, here I am (screwing) up my own life, getting three DUIs. That was weighing on my family, too. Obviously, it needed to happen because I fought this case for three years.

I lost and had to go to Florence West for four months.”

In prison he ran his first marathon.

After all, he wasn’t trying to make friends there.

“I was this crazy white gringo running laps all day, but I needed to focus on something,” he says. “I said, ‘Let me break this down. What would a marathon be? Oh, 26.2 miles. That would be 102 laps.’ On Father’s Day 2018, he ran 26.2 miles in prison.”

When he got out, he figured he would promote his record by running and performing at the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon. Forty-five minutes after he

finished, he was on stage performing with his band.

“I was devastated afterward,” he says now with a laugh. “My feet were throbbing, and the band was like, ‘Are we doing this again?’ I said, ‘Hell no.’

Then I came up with the Ellen idea.

“Last year, it was completely unknown. I had no expectations of what each day would look like. That helped me get through each day. Now I know what it looks like and there’s that little bit of fear and daunting nature to it because I can recall those crazy roads through the Mojave Desert.”

That, in turn, has lifted up every other aspect of his

life.

“My business has gone up. My songwriting has gone up. My original music reach has gone up.

My relationship with my fiancée has improved.

“She’s on a similar parallel journey herself,” Perreira says. “She’s becoming a better person and creating a different mentality. I have been getting better, little by little, by committing to do small daily things every day, like meditating and affirmatios and reading and listening to inspirational YouTube videos. I really want to surround myself with positive people and people who are moving in a certain direction.”

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ONE MORE LIGHT Chester Bennington’s friends illuminate Grey Daze Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

W

hen Chester Bennington died in 2017, he left behind a slew of broken hearts, unrealized dreams and half-finished projects.

Sean Dowdell knows each very well.

Dowdell and Bennington were in the Valley band Grey Daze together before the singer joined Linkin Park. Prior to Bennington’s death, he announced via social media that he and his Grey Daze bandmates were reforming, taking a select number of songs from their independently released, mid-’90s albums and re-recording them in a proper format. That never came to pass.

For the last two years, Dowdell (drums and backing vocals), Mace Beyers (bass), Cristin Davis (guitar) and a group of Bennington’s friends worked on fulfilling that dream to finish the work titled “Amends,” which is due out April 10.

They used Bennington’s original vocal tracks with re-recorded music, modernizing the music and bringing it to a level they feel Bennington would be proud of.

telling him he had to finish it.

“I woke up one day and told my wife, ‘Look, I’m just going to finish the record,’” recalls Dowdell, a partner in Bennington’s Club Tattoo. “I wasn’t trying to get a record deal or anything like that. I’d just pay for it. I am a successful entrepreneur. I figured we’d get this thing done and put it out there.

“Completing it was a personal mission.

It was a friendship mission and it was a musical mission. Once I set my mind to that, I was going to complete it. I pretty much set aside a chunk of money and said, ‘We’re going to get this thing done and I don’t care who stands in the way.”

Listening to Bennington’s voice over and over was painful, Dowdell says. But after about three months, it proved to be healing.

listening to it over and over and over again. I understood that Chester had some dark pain. I had to come to terms with that all over again and I understood

NEVER COMING HOME Dowdell spoke to Bennington two days before he died by suicide.

Bennington traveled to Los Angeles and he never made it back to Phoenix to start Grey Daze rehearsals.

After a six- to eight-month mourning period, Dowdell started working on the project again. He says it was an emotional process, but one that was necessary. Dowdell says the project “gnawed” at him every day, with a voice

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The album title comes from the pianodriven “Morei Sky.” “That song embodied the entire mood and emotion of the project,” he says. “I think it’s a way for closure. He’s not with us, but we can put this music out there for his fans to hear.”

Dowdell could have released the unfinished Grey Daze music as it was, but it didn’t feel right. The songs were recorded without proper production.

Bennington’s voice needed to be perfected just the way he would have recorded an album today.

“The goal was to make this music to where it sounded modern and relevant in today’s environment,” Dowdell says.

“I needed to keep his original vocal integrity and emotional intensity there.”

CULT STATUS

“I started to have this understanding of my friend, even on a much deeper level, even though he and I wrote the lyrics together and I knew these lyrics for 20 years,” Dowdell says.

“It just came to a deeper understanding,

it a little bit better. Once I did that, I started enjoying the process of working on this and finishing it.

“I almost felt guilty, like I shouldn’t be enjoying this. Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute. Of course he would want me to enjoy this. I’m still working with him. He just happens to not be standing here.’”

Dowdell says he felt Bennington’s presence as he finished the record.

“There were certain times where I felt him almost pushing me like, ‘Oh, do it this way.’ My wife is very spiritual, and she would get messages. She kept telling me, ‘Chester is trying to tell you that he needs you to be patient.’ We were very, very patient and we did it the right way.”

The music has a plethora of special guests. On the starkly poignant “Soul Song,” Bennington’s son Jaime joins him on vocals for the first time along with Bush guitarist Chris Traynor.

Meanwhile, a twin guitar collaboration with Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Shaffer of Korn gives “B12” a push-and-pull drive.”

Bennington was amazed by the fans who had Grey Daze memorabilia, Dowdell says. He recalls Bennington phoning from Germany after seeing 10 fans with Grey Daze T-shirts, hats and posters.

“He’s like, ‘Where do these people get this stuff ?’” Dowdell recalls with a laugh. “‘I’m seeing pirated shirts in Russia and they’re showing up with old CDs.’ “People really didn’t get to hear the music after Linkin Park exploded. That was bittersweet because we had worked so hard. We had a couple of record deals and we were drawing huge, sellout crowds. The band should have gone to that next level and we just imploded. We got in a big fight and broke up. The rest is history.

“He went on to Linkin Park fame and they crushed it. I’m super proud of him for what he did there.”

But Bennington called Dowdell in 2016 wanting to reform Grey Daze for the Club Tattoo anniversary party in the fall of 2017. He suggested rerecording the music when he had time.

“One of the things he said on the

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

phone was, ‘I just miss having a rock band that’s my own. Where it’s mine. I miss playing with you and hanging out with you.’ As we got older, we had kids and we weren’t able to hang out as much as we used to. But we’re the closest of friends.”

Dowdell recalls pranks he and Bennington would pull on each other, thanks to their “stupid sense of humor.”

“We love to mess with each other,” he says. “I would send him a big Sasquatch statue for Christmas and put it in his yard. We lived in nice neighborhoods and the neighbors were like, ‘What?’ We would mess with each other like that.

“We had that type of loving relationship. I’d send him this gigantic crate and he would think it was something awesome. Instead, it was a statue of a naked chimpanzee holding a Budweiser with a cowboy hat. He was truly like my little brother.”

Dowdell admits he’s getting “crazy offers” to bring Grey Daze to the stage.

But he’s said no to all of them.

“The only way we would play live— and we’ve discussed this internally—is if we had a guest vocalist who would come and sing in true Chester fashion,” Dowdell says.

“That’s the only way we would consider doing it. They would have to be in a respectful way that included Chester throughout the entire process.”

That’s been the mantra of the Grey Daze project.

“There’s an immense sense of responsibility of doing this right and not being exploitative and making sure that everything we do has the intention

of keeping it true to the form of what we would have done had he been sitting right next to me,” he says.

“I get a lot of questions like, ‘Are you guys giving this money to charity?’ We made sure and carved out a large portion of everything for Chester’s children in perpetuity so his kids will be taken care of long term.”

Other monies will go to 320 Changes Direction, the charity run

by Bennington’s widow, Talinda Bennington-Friedman.

A Queen Creek resident, Dowdell says he’s ready for the major amount of attention this album will generate.

“It’s not going to change who I am, especially because I get to make it all

GILBERT CIVIC CENTER PARK

17

about him and not me,” he says. “It’s not about my ego. The 20-year-old version of me would have focused on me, me, me.

Now the 46-year-old version is focusing just on my friend who passed.

“Now it’s a gift I get to give to his fans and people who want to listen to him. If they find there’s some talent in the rest of the band, great. That’s fine.”

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Musicians come together for Valley photographer’s ailing daughter Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

V

alley photographer Jim Louvau was playing with his toddler daughter Mars when he saw a little bruise on her back.

He took notice of it and continued to watch it surface and swell. Startled, he and his wife Melissa took Mars to the doctor. Initially the physicians couldn’t agree on a diagnosis, but when they did, it wasn’t good. It was leukemia.

“They did the biopsy and within 5 minutes of them testing it, they said it was leukemia,” Louvau says. “It was rough. That was on May 21, 2019, and our lives have not been the same since.”

The Louvaus have health insurance, but there are plenty of copays for appointments, medication and testing left uncovered. With the help of Club Red, Louvau is hosting a benefit with his former band Victims in Ecstasy and his current band There is No Us, along with Opiate for the Masses, N17 and Sipping Soma on Saturday, March 28.

“For the most part, all of the bands who are on the show haven’t been active for quite some time,” Louvau says.

“When I first started toying around with the idea of putting something together, I didn’t really want to do a reunion because it’s something I did 20 years ago.

It feels very foreign at this point. I’m not the same person. I’ve done a lot of things musically since then.

“But I thought if I could get other bands to reunite, it would make sense.”

Louvau admits he was initially uncomfortable, too, to ask for help.

“I typically don’t like to ask for help, no matter what,” Louvau says. “In this case, the promoter at Club Red, Kim LaRowe, asked about a benefit as soon as the news broke that my daughter was sick.

“At that point, I was just so overwhelmed with the news that I couldn’t think about music. I knew it was going to be quite some time before I was going to be in any position to rehearse with my own current music.

The idea of reaching out to all of these people and making this whole thing happen seemed super overwhelming.

Once I started reaching out, though, I thought, ‘This is a no brainer.’”

Louvau has a special connection to N17, who played a vital role in his formative years. He learned of the industrial metal band as a student at Glendale’s Ironwood High School when he just picked up a camera.

“The first concert photos I took in the 11th and 12th grades were N17,” he says. “I was fortunate enough to become friends with those guys. We all know how valuable that is when you’re trying to really share different sides of a band or an artist.

“I wasn’t even old enough to go to a bar. I went to their band practice and I saw how hard they worked. It taught me what we had to do to be in a band. It was a blueprint for us to go off of when we were starting. It was like a big brother thing.”

MARS’ JOURNEY As for Mars, who turns 3 on March 7, she’s doing great, Louvau

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says. The family is following a 2 1/2-year treatment roadmap.

“We’re working through it and doing the best we can,” says Louvau, as Mars cries for “Charlie Brown” videos. “The outlook is positive. We’re experiencing something that no parent or kid should have to deal with. It’s been nothing short of difficult.”

Louvau has also raised funds through his photographs. Musicians and the photography community have been supportive.

“I’m thankful,” says Louvau, whose wife works in the service industry.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with and meet a lot of people along the way who have been really helpful.

“I’m giving people something back that they’re excited about, whether it’s art for their homes or going to a show they never thought would happen. That’s really cool. If I hadn’t been doing all the things I had been doing, we would be in more of a 9-to-5 family situation. We’re just not that family. I never wanted to be those people.”

N17 w/Opiate for the Masses, Victims in Ecstacy, Sipping Soma, There Is No Us Club Red, 1306 W. University Drive, Mesa, 480.200.7529, clubredrocks.com, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 28, $17-$20.

DOING IT FOR THE MUSIC Mill’s End loves performing while sending a message THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

19

Taylor O’Connor >> The Entertainer!

A

fter 10 years in Tempebased Mill’s End, lead singer Jeffrey Bump makes music because he loves it.

It’s an honest approach to honest songs.

“It’s energy and emotion,” Bump says.

“We have the opportunity to deliver a message and art to people. It’s a very emotional, intense thing for us.”

Mill’s End performs with Roger! and Big Finish at the Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, on Thursday, March 19.

“Give us a chance. We practice a lot to make sure our sound is as tight as it can be, and we put our heart into it,” Bump says.

Mill’s End formed 10 years ago when Bump was taking a break from his previous act. He was working on a solo career when he met a drummer at a party. That led to a jam session and the realization that Bump missed being in a band.

With Bump, bassist Geoff Butzine, drummer Mike Eckert and guitarist Alan Clark, Mill’s End recently released the single “A Peaceful Gathering,” an ode to the Red for Ed movement. The Red for Ed movement happened in April 2019, when teachers across the whole state walked out in record numbers for six days in protest. This forced several schools across the state to shut down because there weren’t enough teachers to run classes.

Each musician has children in school,

and they believe teachers need to be paid more.

“We have a lot of friends who are teachers, and my mom was a teacher,” Bump says. “I was so touched by the way the teachers organized and wanted to make change in a positive way. We were just so blown away and we still stand by the movement. We believe they need

quality pay. It just affected us.”

“A Peaceful Gathering” was a full band effort. Over the years, Bump says Mill’s End’s sound has changed lyrically and musically, with each musician’s blessing.

“Not once has a person said no when we were going to try something different,” Bump says.

“We started out as a straightforward Americana country/rock band. And as we’ve gone on, we’ve taken on different styles. We did acoustic and then heavy stuff. We decided to do different things within the song musically. We are not afraid to try something just for the heck of it.”

“A Peaceful Gathering” is one of a handful of singles Mill’s End hopes to release to adapt to the record industry norm.

“We did three albums,” Bump says.

“The last several songs we have might go into a compilation. There will probably be at least one more single before

another album.”

In response to the singles trend, Bump hopes fans increase their attention span.

“There’s such a long period from when you (record an album to when you) put out an album,” he says. “We found it to be very important to release music periodically. People lose attention quickly and we wanted to be present.”

As for music becoming more of a fulltime experience, Bump isn’t sure.

“This is our softball. We are not expecting anything to happen, we just like to play,” he says. “We take it very seriously and do anything we can to perform, but if we’re not opening for the Stones it’s not the end of the world.”

uide to The Insider ’s G

Roger!, Big Fish and Mill’s End Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, rhythmroom.com, 7 p.m., $10 at the door.

nment

Arizona Entertai

.com

entertainermag

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Passionate about Music

David Hilker of Fervor Records shares his knowledge about the biz Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

D

avid Hilker has made music his life. He dropped out of 10th grade to pursue it and hasn’t looked back.

“Ever since I was a little kid, it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do,” Hilker says. “Fortunately, I kind of knew what I wanted to do in life and I just kept pursuing it.”

This year, he’s celebrating 30 years of success with his label, Fervor Records.

Hilker releases indie and heritage bands’ works, and licenses music to films, TV and advertisers.

“I started the label 30 years ago and it’s taken us into licensing land, which is more lucrative than selling pieces of plastic these days,” Hilker says.

These days, Hans Olson, The Pistoleros, Black Nostalgia and Francine Reed are among those on Fervor Records.

He’ll share his knowledge with the public for free during the third annual Music Biz Summit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 4, at the Glendale Public Library, 5959 W. Brown Street.

“One of the things we want to do is give back,” Hilker says. “I’ve learned a lot over my many years in the biz and if

I can help some people figure out how to navigate the rocky waters of the music industry, I’ve accomplished something.

It’s fun to bring some of our clients from L.A. here.

“We pick up the tab because we wanted it to be free. Musicians, etc., would pay hundreds of dollars to see these people at various seminars around the United States.”

Among the executives speaking at the summit are Whitney Pilzer of Lionsgate, Andy Gowan of Metalman Media and Greg Sweeney, who specializes in music supervision and clearance.

PROFITABLE BUSINESS Hilker, who moved to Arizona at age 18 from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has eight full-time employees and another six contractors. For the future, he doesn’t see Fervor selling out.

“We don’t want to sell upstream,” Hilker says. “We don’t want to sell to Universal or Warner or Sony. We’re an independent publisher and label.

“What we do is aggregate all those rights. There are a lot of rights associated with music and those need to be cleared to get into film and TV shows. We just want to keep growing the business, both the label side of working with indie bands and artists and songwriters. Then we want to create opportunities for all

FERVOR MUSIC BIZ SUMMIT 2020 TENTATIVE LINEUP KEYNOTE: FALL DOWN SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT Presented by David Hilker (CEO, Fervor Records) and Jeff Freundlich (COO, Fervor Records)

BUILD YOUR MARKETING TOOLBOX: GETTING READY FOR A CAREER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Presented by Hunter Scott (Owner, Trend PR) Whether you’re interested in being a publicist, manager or label owner, you’ll need to understand the fundamentals of marketing in order to have a lasting career in the music industry. Hunter discusses the tools needed to promote up-and-coming artists in today’s ever-changing landscape.

WHAT THE HELL IS MUSIC CLEARANCE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? Moderator: Jeff Freundlich (Fervor Records) Panelists: Suzi Barry (EMG), Matt Lilley (MLC), Christy Spencer (Fervor Records) Learn about the nuances of music clearance for film, television, advertising, sampling and more.

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the artist and songwriters we work with.”

Hilker was once one of those artists, having been a member of the band Trout Fishing in America and 1933.

“I came back to Phoenix after touring, opened a recording studio and started the label,” he says. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”

He doesn’t have time to play in bands any longer, but he finds his current job of running Fervor just as creative.

“I’ve always wanted to learn how the business side of things worked in music and how music made money,” he says. “I had the opportunity to get a lot of songs in TV shows, which generate royalties every time that show airs. It literally changed my life because I was able to make enough money from just royalties where I could close the door on my recording studio.

“I just focus on producing more music to try to get into film and TV. The people I’ve been able to work with are just great people. We have a great team. I certainly couldn’t do it on my own.”

Hilker says he’s proud to perpetuate legacies like those of Waylon Jennings, Al Casey and Connie Conway.

“What’s interesting about this is I’ve really gained an appreciation for every genre of music,” he says. “I enjoy the nuances. It’s been fun.”

Fervor Music Biz Summit 2020 Glendale Public Library, 5959 W. Brown Street, Glendale, fervormusicbizsummit.com, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 4, free admission.

BREAKING THROUGH: THE INCREDIBLE SUCCESS STORY OF CARLY PAIGE Moderator: Otto D’Agnolo Panelist: Carly Paige What does it take to get a publishing deal, chart on Billboard, get millions of spins on Spotify, and make records and music videos in Los Angeles? The Valley’s own Carly Paige gives you insights on her incredible journey.

MUSIC SUPERVISION ROUNDTABLE Moderator: Greg Sweeney Panelists: Lauren Fay (Lost and Sound), Andy Gowan (Metalman Media), Whitney Pilzer (Lionsgate) Why do we have a music supervision panel every year at MBS? Because music in film and television is a great way to grow your audience and earn income. Learn from the best as they explain their creative process, how they find music and how to approach them!

2 MINUTE DRILL Moderator: Otto D’Agnolo Ask any experts anything you like.

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CITY

STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

UNIFIED

BY FILM

“The Lovebirds”

(Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures)

Phoenix festival sets ‘inclusive’ slate for 20th year Connor Dziawura >> The Entertainer!

O

rganizers behind what’s billed as Arizona’s largest annual gathering for movie lovers, the Phoenix Film Festival, are looking to boost representation with this year’s bout. So, festival director Jason Carney says, it will feature a diverse lineup of filmmakers.

“We try to be an inclusive festival and try to program as much as we can,” Carney explains.

A program of the Phoenix Film Foundation, the 20th annual event runs consecutively with the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, both from Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, April 5, at Harkins Scottsdale 101 14.

The Arizona Student Film Festival will also be wrapped in on Saturday, April 4.

Over the full 11 days, the foundation will screen hundreds of short and feature-length films, topped off with a variety of seminars, parties and other events. Awards will be presented in categories like best picture, documentary, screenplay, director

and ensemble as well as in localized, international, horror and sci-fi categories, among others.

“We have our regular categories, but we also have a unified-by-film category, so we’re showcasing films directed by African American directors, Native American directors, Latino American directors as well as LGBTQ programming,” Carney continues of the inclusive slate, adding, “And we’ve made a concentrated effort to include a lot more women directors, as we can find those films as well.”

With the 2019-20 awards season having recently come to a close, Carney emphasizes that the foundation is looking forward. Despite some classics and older titles here and there, the festivals will focus primarily on films that haven’t yet opened in the Phoenix market.

“We’re always trying to find those next films, those films that maybe will pop up on some of those Oscar lists in 2021,” Carney explains.

A viewing committee of around 70 volunteers sifts through an approximate 1,400 film submissions, Carney estimates. When the committee

“The Personal History of David Copperfield” (Photo courtesy Searchlight Pictures)

members make their choices, the films with the highest scores move along to program directors, who Carney describes as the “gatekeepers.”

“Those program directors are not only looking for the best films, but they’ve got to put together a nice, healthy program that flows,” he explains.

Many of the submitted films are independent features, still lacking distribution. The festival circuit is where many filmmakers garner the attention necessary to bring their works to a larger audience. Still, some come with a strong backing.

That includes Paramount Pictures’ “The Lovebirds,” directed by Michael Showalter and starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae. The romantic comedy—the second collaboration between Showalter and Nanjiani, who previously worked together on 2017’s “The Big Sick”—will be screened on the opening night.

Searchlight Pictures’ “The Personal History of David Copperfield” will come later—on Saturday, March 28.

A comedic re-imagining of Charles Dickens’ literary classic, it comes from writer/director Armando Iannucci, who created the HBO series “Veep” and the 2017 political satire film “The Death of Stalin.” The cast includes Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie.

Also in queue is writer-director Rose Glass’ debut feature, “Saint Maud,” a horror film distributed by A24 and starring Jennifer Ehle and Morfydd Clark. It will be screened on Wednesday, April 1.

“We have a little bit of a mix of the down and the early films that are just coming out from independent filmmakers, some films that have already been picked up for distribution on the smaller level, and some titles you’re going

to see in theaters over the summer,” Carney explains.

11 DAYS OF PROGRAMMING Carney describes the 16th annual International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival as “a festival within a festival.”

Once its own standalone event, festival producers decided it would be best to meld the two.

“It’s great to give those genres their due, that sometimes they struggle to find a place,” Carney says. “That’s the beauty of having them as part of the Phoenix Film Festival, is you’re bringing together so many worlds in one festival.”

The half-day Arizona Student Film Festival will screen short films of fewer than 8 minutes, shot by grade school and high school students from around the state. Awards will follow, and the best high school film will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the filmmaker’s school of choice.

Education is a hallmark of the foundation, which throughout the year offers a variety of programs and events, including summer camps. Carney calls it “the most unique student education program of any festival in the country.”

So, among the Phoenix Film Festival’s extensive programming is a kids’ day on Saturday, March 28, featuring film-inspired activities. As part of the child-friendly day, the foundation has partnered with the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council for a special activity and patch.

“Typically, a lot of festivals do their routine panel discussions throughout the event, but what we wanted to do was really do a focus on youth because there wasn’t a program like this when we were growing up in the Valley,” Carney explains.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

23

“Saint Maud” (Photos courtesy A24)

To top the programming off, the Foundation is working on bringing guests, including filmmakers, to Phoenix.

“We want to have really good films, first and foremost, and if there happens to be a really strong filmmaker or a really good guest that we can bring along with that film, then that’s a bonus to us,” Carney says.

With 2020 marking 20 years of the Phoenix Film Festival, Carney says the upcoming program will include a sort of retrospective. Despite primarily featuring new titles, some older ones from previous years will be screened, with filmmakers representing them as well.

“We want to continue to see the event grow,” Carney says. “It’s grown so much from being a three-night, two-day event back in 2001 to the 11-day beast it is now.”

Phoenix Film Festival Harkins Scottsdale 101 14, 7000 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, phoenixfilmfestival. com, horrorscifi.com, azstudentfilmfestival.org, various times Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, April 5, single screening tickets start at $15; costs may be applicable for activities; festival passes range from $45 to $450.

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FuelFest blends art, cars and music Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

C

ars are a true artform.

Inspired by “The Fast Saga,” FuelFest takes that into consideration.

Now in its second year, the family-friendly festival blends autos—live action drag and drift racing—with celebrities, live music, food, drinks and art. FuelFest comes to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park on Saturday, April 4.

“I created FuelFest because I absolutely love cars and I wanted to create a really cool experience for enthusiasts around the world to come on out and experience,” says co-founder/actor Cody Walker, the brother of the late Paul Walker.

“I was influenced by my older brother Paul into the car scene. I’m much younger than him, so he had quite the impact on me and my love of cars.”

FuelFest offers interactive exhibits and a VIP lounge with appearances by celebrities like Walker and “Fast and Furious” star Tyrese Gibson.

Walker wanted the show to pay tribute to Paul and benefit his charity, Reach Out WorldWide, which he founded in 2010 after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti. The charity’s mission is to fill the gap between the availability of skilled resources in post-disaster situations.

“We’ve raised over $100,000 for ROWW since 2018,” Walker says. “I’m really proud of that.”

FuelFest brings the passion of the automotive community to major cities across the globe, showcasing and eclectic collection of modified, exotic and performance cars. It also features offroad cars and trucks as well as rare cars from various movies and franchises.

“My supporters and followers and I took a look at Phoenix and agreed there’s an incredible facility at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park and there’s just a big enthusiast community there,” Walker says.

He adds this multifaceted event is different than a regular, static car show.

“You’re seeing cars. You’re smelling the

tire rubber. You’re hearing the cars going fast,” Walker says. “It’s just a surreal experience.”

The festival brings together the loves of art and the automotive world.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of really cool and amazing artists who are influenced by the automotive industry,” Walker says. “I thought it would be a really cool dynamic to bring both to the show.”

FuelFest has had an effect on fans who have attended, he adds.

“FuelFest dominated 2018 and 2019

when we took over L.A. and the U.K., with over 25,000 fans showing up to support,” Gibson says. “2020 is coming with more energy. FuelFest Phoenix is going to be unbelievable.”

FuelFest Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, 20000 S. Maricopa Road, Chandler, fuelfest.com, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday April 4, tickets start at $20, VIP and drag/drift racing tickets are available.

Fashionistas Rejoice Scottsdale Fashion Week returns this March Sara Edwards >> The Entertainer!

S

cottsdale Fashion Week takes over the city with fabrics, designs and high fashion, but it wasn’t always as luxurious.

Before the event was bought out in 2014, Scottsdale Fashion Week was dormant and not quite what it was built up to be.

“It was an event that we felt needed to be resurrected because the name is sexy.

People love fashion in Scottsdale,” says Jamie LeVine of LeVine Entertainment and public relations and CCO for Scottsdale Fashion Week.

To bring back fashion week, LeVine Entertainment paired with Ford/ Robert Black Modeling Agency and J Group Media to “bring it back to the forefront and make a big name for itself,” according to LeVine.

“We decided to come together and, with our background of event planning and production, this would be a really amazing event to bring back to the ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Valley,” she says.

The plan called for transforming it from a traditional runway event in one location to a variety of venues around Scottsdale.

This year it takes place from Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, March 29.

The opening night runway event is at Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale, with Saks Fifth Avenue showing off its best collections and designs.

It then moves to the W Scottsdale’s Wet Deck, showing off the designs of Akosha Swim from Miami, and Avery Rose Lingerie from Los Angeles Both will have pop-up shops where guests can buy the looks right off the runway.

The third night’s location will be announced soon. LeVine says it will be at a private residence in Paradise Valley.

Previous years, the homes have turned into “a whimsical, backyard runway party.”

“The theme has been different, but we always get a very high-end designer,” she says. “Last year we had Michael Costello and he actually came out and did a popup shop and showed his new collection

and it was just incredible.”

The final night takes place in the luxury wing near Dillard’s of Scottsdale Fashion Square, with brunch and mimosas for the Crystal Court Brunch Show.

Designers for the final two nights are still being determined, but previous designers include Pena Lush swim, Brie and Nikki Bella’s Birdiebee activewear and alice + olivia. The entertainment part will be announced closer to the start of Fashion Week.

“We incorporate a lot of live entertainment into our shows because you’re coming for an experience,” LeVine says. “There’s always something different and exciting and new that keeps the night moving along at a great pace.”

Scottsdale Fashion Week is a little different than the Valley’s other fashion week, as it highlights big-name brands.

“Scottsdale Fashion Week is a different level of designers and fashion shows because it is those household names,” LeVine says. “It’s not your traditional fashion week. It’s very different.”

Scottsdale Fashion Week Various locations and times Thursday, March 26, to Sunday, March 29, scottsdalefashionweek.com.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

Phoenix Pride celebrates 40 years in the community Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

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his year’s Phoenix Pride has special meaning.

The festival—set for Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, at Steele Indian School Park—will celebrate its 40th year and the $1 million it has given back to the community through grants and scholarships.

“We’re trying to get the message out that Phoenix Pride is more than just a festival,” says Mike Fornelli, Phoenix Pride executive director since January 1, 2018. Prior to that, he was on the board.

“It’s actually a foundation that does things year long.”

In mid-February, Fornelli was in the throes of planning the 2020 event. The Phoenix Pride Festival will feature six performance stages with 150 shows.

Performers include Neon Trees (“Everybody Talks,” “Sleeping with a Friend”), R&B singer Melanie Fiona, singer Deborah Cox and drag queen

Jessica Wild. The Latin stage will feature Sonora Tropicana, Los Horscopos de Durango and headliner Maribel Gaurdia.

The festival also offers 180 exhibitors in the marketplace, a dance pavilion, and food and drink.

“We really wanted to be more inclusive in our entertainment,” Fornelli says. “I feel it’s important to have and support LGBT artists.”

Each stage has a sign-language interpreter, thanks to Phoenix Pride’s accessibility manager, who guides the team.

“We are very cognizant that everyone who shows up is going to enjoy themselves equally,” Fornelli says. “That’s what a lot of festivals don’t do or don’t think about, which is really important.”

This year’s VIP area will be near the lake, while the former location will feature a bar in front of the main stage access.

On Saturday night, Phoenix Pride will host an official afterparty.

Fornelli’s favorite part about the

festival is seeing everyone happily being themselves.

“The festival is a place where people within the community feel safe and can be their authentic selves without being judged and without worrying about being harassed,” Fornelli says.

Sunday marks the Phoenix Pride Parade, which attracts between 15,000 and 16,000 people.

“I love when everyone starts to show up in the morning and the excitement before the party starts,” Fornelli says.

Nearly 4,500 participants from the 300 parade entries walk/ride in the Bank of America-presented parade. The grand marshals will be past board members of the organization.

“I feel it’s important to remember where Phoenix Pride came from and who the people were who helped build it to what it is today, so including them is really important,” Fornelli says.

The Phoenix Pride Parade begins at Third Street and Thomas Road and ends at the festival’s entrance at Steele Indian School Park.

The 31-year owner of the Scottsdale gay bar BS West, Fornelli is proud of the

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work he has done with Pride.

“Obviously for 31 years I was part of the community, but this job allows me to be way more involved in the community,” Fornelli says. “My favorite part about it is being able to help make change.”

Phoenix Pride Festival Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, 602.277.7433, phoenixpride.org, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, tickets start at $30, VIP tickets available.

Kids Tickets Start at $18!

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Ages 2-12. Limit of two (2) kids tickets CM with purchase of a full-priced adult ticket.

Restrictions, exclusions and additional MY charges may apply. Subject to availability.

Purchase tickets at venue box office CY or ticketmaster.com.

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SUNDAY SERVICE Motorcycles are religious to those who hang at The Hideaway Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

“

Wild” Mick Brown walks into The Hideaway Grill in Cave Creek and he immediately elicits smiles.

With his blond, spiked hair and his black leather vest emblazoned with “Wild Mick,” Dokken’s 39-year drummer is the mayor of motorcycling in this North Valley town.

Accompanied by his modified custom big dog, Sweety, Brown is constantly approached by fellow bikers—and he remembers all of their names. Just like a great politician.

“See how these people are?” Brown says with his bright smile. “You know what? Right back at them. I love them.”

Brown—who also played in Lynch Mob and with Ted Nugent—retired from touring April 5, 2019. He is dedicated to spending his time in the Arizona sun.

“I just don’t need to do it anymore,” he says about touring. “I wish I could, but I had a lot of pain. I’ve been playing drums since I was 8 years old. I was in my first band at 10. I’m 63 now.

Now I’m relaxed, and when I ride my motorcycle, that’s awesome.”

THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY Brown is looking forward to Cave Creek Bike Week, Friday, March 27, to Sunday, April 5. The Hideaway and The Roadhouse’s owner, Mark Bradshaw, is just as passionate about bikes. He founded Cave Creek Bike Week in 1998, as one of three motorcycle events in the town.

“I’ve been in the motorcycle community my whole life,” Bradshaw says. “As a kid growing up, we’d dump our dirt bikes at Seventh Street and Bell and come out to Cave Creek. Later, I opened my bars up here because it was a destination. You come out, have a hamburger and listen to some music and head home. The first day I was open, I had 600 motorcycles here.”

Bradshaw has a knack for attracting celebrities. Brown and his music peers Mark Gus Scott of Trixter and Bobby Mason of Warrant hang out on Sundays.

Dan Haggerty and Dan Aykroyd have stopped by as well.

“They come and sing at my place and it’s a damn good time,” Bradshaw says.

“You never know who’s going to show up. We do about 75,000 people in 10 days for Bike Week.”

Bradshaw has a simple reason for the success of his bars.

“There’s nothing special about it,” he says. “It’s very basic. It’s the best way to be. There’s nothing hoity toity about it.

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It’s clean and there are good people. The customers are the best.”

Brown is one of those customers. He moved to Cave Creek in 1985 and he noticed it was void of motorcycles.

“I would ride to all these places, and with the town as small as it is, I got to know all the owners of these places,” he says. “They would all tolerate me, but they said, ‘Listen, why do you park your bike here?’ Some of the places said ‘no biker attire’ on top of the door.

“Why did I park my bike right out front? I am damn proud of it. They giggled. Over time, I went, ‘What am I missing?’”

The state was recovering from motorcycle gangs that ruined the fun for others.

“They didn’t want bikers in this town,” he says. “And then I show up proud and loud. The owner of this bar said if I parked mine out front, then another guy might come by and see that and he’s going to park out front. I said, ‘Isn’t that the idea?’”

Fifteen years went by and nobody except for him and a few others flexed their motorcycle muscles throughout the town.

“I kept saying this seems like a great destination. Even if you’re just a weekend warrior from Phoenix who wants to come up and have a good burger and ride your bike to somewhere, it’s worth it,” he says through drags of his cigarette.

Thousands of bikes line Cave Creek Road, with foot traffic going between The Hideaway, The Horny Toad, The Roadhouse and Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse.

“This is just a normal weekend,” Brown says. “Cave Creek Bike Week is coming up where this turns into a miniature Sturgis, but that’s fantastic.

I’m really pleased to have others around.

“People discovered this, and the town was open minded enough to let everybody come in and have their time,” he says. “Do you know how much money is coming into this town? For 15, 20 years I was looking for someone to

ride with, and no one would come to this town on a motorcycle.”

Scott, Mason and Brown all agree that riding motorcycles is relaxing, cathartic and therapeutic. Brown’s parents bought him a minibike when he was 10, and a Honda at 12. In 1985, he bought a Harley-Davidson, and now he has a chopper.

“I enjoy the actual feeling of riding one. There are some feelings about going down a road on two weeks,” Brown says.

“It’s the weightlessness, the smells, the seeing, the feeling, the hearing. If you have something on your mind that’s bothering you, all your troubles come out through your handlebars and to the exhaust pipe and out. You get a fresher look. It’s very relaxing.”

Cave Creek Bike Week Throughout Cave Creek, hideaway-usa.com/cave-creekbike-week, Friday, March 27, to Sunday, April 5.

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ARTS

CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

ARTS

CALENDAR Randy Montgomery >> The Entertainer!

“Richard II”

TO MARCH 7 The prequel to Shakespeare’s most famous historical trilogy is a thrilling political drama that still resonates today, with themes of leadership, loyalty and legitimacy. An all-female cast brings new life and vision to this classic work, reimagining the usurpation of Richard’s throne by the banished upstart Henry Bolingbroke. Presented by Southwest Shakespeare Company.

Piper Repertory Theater, Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, times vary, $13-$48.

“The Last Romance”

TO MARCH 7 A crush can make anyone feel young again. On an ordinary day in a routine life, widower Ralph decides to take a different path on his daily walk; one that leads him to an unexpected second chance at love.

As he attempts to woo the elegantbut-distant Carol, Ralph embarks on the trip of a lifetime and regains a happiness that seemed all but lost.

Stage Left Productions, 11340 W. Bell Road, Surprise, stageleftaz. com, times vary, $25.

Clay and Bamboo: Japanese Ceramics and Flower Baskets

TO MARCH 29 This exhibition of contemporary Japanese ceramics examines how artists transcend functionality, gender and material to create pieces that are modern yet rooted in tradition. Examples of basketry used for ikebana floral arrangements are also showcased and share a similar rustic and natural aesthetic.

Art of Asia Galleries, Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.2571880, phxart.org, times vary, free-$23.

“Elephant & Piggie’s ‘We are in a Play!’”

TO MARCH 8 Gerald the Elephant and Piggie are the best of friends, which means they have lots of fun together. But sometimes they face tough questions.

What do you wear to a fancy party?

Should you share your ice cream?

Can two friends play with just one toy? Get ready for a hilarious musical experience as two of Mo Willems’ most delightfully amusing characters come to life on stage in their first play. Presented by Childsplay.

Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, 602.252.8497, herbergertheater. org, times vary, $12-$35.

“Night Chicken”

TO MARCH 14 Life isn’t easy when you go to Ronald Reagan Junior High. The teachers are weird, the crosscountry team doesn’t have funding and the cafeteria doesn’t have the right food. But for Andrea Deandrea Hafferton, typical teen suckiness gets ratcheted to a new level after an accident in the school science lab curses her with the world’s most awkward disorder: She mutates into a ferocious “werechicken.”

Space 55, 1524 N. 18th Avenue, Phoenix, space55. org, times vary, $10-$20.

“Once on This Island”

MARCH 3 TO MARCH 8 Experience the sweeping universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, who is ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, she sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart.

ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe, 480.965.3434, asugammage. com, times vary, prices vary.

Native Trails

MARCH 5 Native Trails takes audiences on a cultural journey to the First Nations of Arizona and North America through Native music, dance and art. These performances highlight traditional instruments, colorful dances and customary attire to share the stories of Southwestern tribes, including the Hopi, Diné (Navajo), Hualapai and San Carlos Apache.

Scottsdale Civic Center Park,

3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480.499.TKTS (8587), scottsdaleperformingarts. org. 11 a.m., free.

Tour d’ Artistes Studio Tour and Sale

MARCH 6 AND MARCH 7 What started with a small group of passionate artists has grown into an annual event, with 13 studios and galleries showcasing over 60 artists.

The public is invited to interact with local artists and observe them in the process of creating original artworks.

There will be a wide variety of art media including painting, mixed media, glass, metal sculpture, digital photography, fiber art and jewelry available for purchase. Presented

by Fountain Hills Art League.

Various Locations, fountainhillsartleague.com, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Festival

MARCH 6 TO MARCH 8 This year, the 16th annual festival will feature stone sculptor and artist Carlos Moseley. After viewing his works, patrons can stroll throughout the juried festival and see more than 130 nationally acclaimed, awardwinning artists from throughout the country and abroad. Presented

by Thunderbird Artists.

North side of Avenue of the Fountains, from Saguaro Boulevard to La Montana, Fountain Hills, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 480.837.5637, thunderbirdartists.com, free-$3.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, 602.252.8497, herbergertheater. org, times vary, $59-$69.

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“La Cage aux Folles”

MARCH 6 TO MARCH 22 Jean-Michel and Anne are newly engaged, and now her straight-laced parents want to meet his. What’s the problem? His birthmother is out of the picture, his dad owns a drag nightclub and his mom is the star of the show. Jean-Michel wants just one night with his parents playing it “straight” to impress Anne’s parents. Presented

by Arizona Broadway Theatre.

Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, 602.252.8497, herbergertheater. org, times vary, $44-$73.

“The Mysterious Disappearance”

MARCH 7 AND MARCH 8 Agatha Christie must finish her autobiography and the final novel, but she is fixated on an event in her past—when Nancy Neele stole her husband. With Mary Westmacott’s help, they contemplate what it would be like to kill Nancy. When Nancy turns up dead, the duo investigates. Did Agatha do it, or is her reality disappearing?

Phoenix Theatre, Hormel Theatre, 1825 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.254.2151, phoenixtheatre. com, times vary, $10.

“My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy”

MARCH 12 TO APRIL 12 The show is actor/comedian Brad Zimmerman’s hilarious and inspiring story about the grit and passion required to make it as an artist and the sweet rewards that come from never giving up on your dream. Zimmerman moved to New York City and “temporarily” waited tables for 29 years, while continuing to pursue his dream of comedic acting. Many years later, he now has his own touring show.

Herberger Theater Center, 222

Scottsdale Arts Festival

MARCH 13 TO MARCH 15 For 50 years, the Scottsdale Arts Festival has brought world-class art, live music and tasty eats to the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. Attracting nearly 20,000 visitors annually, the festival boasts the best in visual, culinary, cultural and performing arts throughout the beautiful 20acre Scottsdale Civic Center Park.

Scottsdale Civic Center Park, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, scottsdaleartsfestival. org, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $6-$20.

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Theater Works Gala Event

MARCH 14 Enjoy an evening of pure imagination where guests will enjoy local cuisine, silent and live auctions, dancing and a special original theatrical performance to benefit the theater’s educational, adaptive and artistic programs.

The evening concludes with a party under the stars with delicious eats, dancing and entertainment by local musician Lee Perriera.

Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, 10580 N. 83rd Drive, Peoria, 623.815.7930, theaterworks.org, 5 p.m., $200.

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David Hockney’s Yosemite and Masters of California Basketry

TO APRIL 5 The exhibit highlights the impact Yosemite has had on artistic production, from the Valley’s original indigenous inhabitants to one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. This is the first showing of Hockney’s work in Arizona.

Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.252.8840 times vary, free-$25.

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LAUGHING IT UP

Everything goes wrong in footlight farce Bridgette M. Redman >> The Entertainer!

P

eter Hill, the artistic and technical director of Fountain Hills Theater, knows what audiences like.

He ought to, having spent decades heading up theater companies all around the country and earning widespread recognition for his dedication to the arts, including being inducted into the Verde Valley Hall of Fame for his artistic achievements.

It’s why he’s chosen “Footlight Frenzy” for the March show, following up the more modern and critically acclaimed musical “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” which played at the theater in February.

“Footlight Frenzy” is a farce by Ron House, Alan Shearman, Diz White, Bud Slocumb, Mark Blankenfield, Brandie Kemp and Mitchell Kreindel—also known as the Low Moan Spectacular theatre company from San Francisco.

Hill saw the original company perform it many years ago, as it premiered in October 1980.

“I saw them do it and it was so

hilariously funny that when I saw it had become available, I knew we had to do it,” Hill says. “It’s a very funny show.”

It fits in perfectly with the mix he’s trying to create for the main stage at Fountain Hills—a couple musicals, a good drama and a comedy. Th is one fi lls the comedy slot. It’s also very similar to two other popular shows—“The Play Th at Goes Wrong,” a Broadway comedy that is currently on tour and not available to regional theaters, and “Noises Off,” a British farce.

“I’ve referred to this show as the American ‘Noises Off,’ even though it was written before ‘Noises Off,’” Hill says. “It’s a terrific little play, but no one has ever heard of it.”

“Footlight Frenzy” is one of those “let’s put on a play to save the day” shows that have had enduring popularity. In this story, it is an inexperienced PTA group that is mounting an ambitious benefit play to save their bankrupt “School for Unusual Children.” The play within a play was written by a has-been Broadway director who gives near-hysterical direction to a group of performers with questionable talent.

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Like “Noises Off,” the scenes move from the stage where the show is being performed to backstage where everything is going wrong. To facilitate this, Hill says the Fountain Hills technical staff has built an upstage fake audience that can applaud so that the real audience can watch everything from behind.

“It’s a fun show in that the entire show is performed in reverse,” Hill says. “The whole show is played as if it were playing to the audience upstage. We have a very small stage, and this is a one-set show.

It is an elaborate one-set show—things collapse and fall down, but we’ll fit it in our little space and it’s only an eightcharacter show.”

“Footlight Frenzy” will be set in modern times, as Hill says there is nothing to tie it to the 1980s or date the show in any other way. It’s something he feels people can relate to, as schools still have PTA groups that turn to the theater to raise money for their financially strapped educational institutions and programs.

“That’s what this is—a bunch of parents putting on a show to save their school,” Hill says. “It is questionable which is worse—what’s going on backstage or onstage.”

He has directed the show two other times at other theaters, and he says this show gets more laughs per minute than any other show he’s ever worked on. One

MARICOPA COUNTY

APRIL 11-15, 2020

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

critic wrote that he needed to show the slow down a little bit because people in the audience were gasping for air from laughing so hard.

There is much in the show that inspires people to laugh, he says. People enjoy watching things go wrong and seeing what people do in crazy situations to try to set things right.

“What makes them laugh the hardest is watching the actors, the performers within the show, attempting to salvage the whole situation,” Hill says. “When something goes sideways and they try to cover it up or make it look like they meant that to happen, that’s the most fun.”

A director and actor, Hill says while everyone can laugh at this show and appreciate the things that go wrong, it is especially appealing to one particular group of people.

“It’s hilarious to everyone, and it is ridiculously funny to the family,” Hill says. “And by that, I mean people who do theater. There is nothing in it that we haven’t seen happen.”

“Footlight Frenzy” Fountain Hills Theater, 11445 N. Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills, 480.837.9661, fhtaz.org, various times Friday, March 6, to Sunday, March 22, $37 for adults, $17 for children.

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A ROCKY DISPLAY OF ART

Carlos Moseley describes how his hobby evolved into a career Megan Child >> The Entertainer!

B

asking in the breathtaking nature around him, Carlos Moseley scours the earth for native stones to incorporate into his masterpieces known as “Rustic River Rock Art.” Each year, he travels to Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado to showcase his pieces. This March, he’s the featured artist at the Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Festival.

“I have been showcasing my artwork at Fountain Hills for several years now and I can’t express how much I enjoy it,” he says. “I have a lot of customers who come back to buy another piece of my art each year.”

In addition to the customers’ loyalty, Moseley has received numerous awards and accolades for his prestigious art compositions, including best of show.

Moseley has created rustic river art for 16 years, since he moved to his ranch in Texas Hill Country. One early morning, Moseley decided to build a face with minerals. A couple weeks later, he had five finished pieces.

“I didn’t know I could create pieces like this. It was a complete surprise that art came so naturally to me,” Moseley says.

After his friends and family responded favorably, Moseley decided to sell his artwork, attending his first show later that month. A former real estate investor, Moseley admits he was a bit nervous and insecure, but he forged on.

Moseley usually spends hours

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searching and collecting different types of pebbles, organizing them into the broader layout of his artwork.

Moseley must fi nd various colors that match and contrast with each other, similar to painting a picture on a canvas. After gathering the stones, he sorts them. If he fi nds a rock that doesn’t fit quite right within the piece, he sculpts it to make it work. He then prepares a slate or mesquite-wooden background in his studio, sometimes working from 3 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Depending on the size, an art piece can roughly take about three hours to two weeks to complete.

“Nobody else produces the kind of artwork I do, so it tends to ‘pop’ because people have never witnessed anything like it before,” Moseley says.

When he began designing artwork, Moseley only forged Westernized pieces filled with cowboys, horses and Native Americans representing the old country and the Wild West.

However, Moseley now receives a wide variety of requests such as sports, animals and specific settings from customers all over the globe, including in Spain, Great

Britain, and Germany.

“Whatever my customers want, I can make it,” Moseley says.

For inspiration, Moseley simply takes a stroll outside and walks toward the river near his house, viewing the gorgeous landscape around him. He enjoys using slate backgrounds, and the bigger the piece, the better.

“I’ll see a particular color or shape of rock and say, ‘Oh, what about that?’ and ‘Boom!’ I get an idea,” Moseley says.

Every year, Moseley spends more time with the rock compositions he creates, adding fresh new elements. He notices customers are joyful when they see his works, which are meticulous. Over time, Moseley realizes when he begins to construct a piece, his artwork starts to morph into something completely different, replacing his initial idea.

“But that’s the beauty of creating art. I start with a picture in my head, but most of the time, that’s not what it’s always going to end up becoming.

Something always changes, whether it’s the characters or the layout of the piece,” Moseley says.

Moseley enjoys when his artwork elicits a smile or laugh from a passerby.

Others say his pieces resemble or remind them of a loved on. That makes Moseley

smile.

“Sometimes serious-looking men will walk near my stand, and when they see my artwork they’ll start laughing, leaving them happy,” Moseley says.

However, he knows he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of his wife, Carol, and their family.

While Moseley works on developing his art compositions, Carol handles the inventory, business logistics and reservations.

“It’s nice to have someone in something like this with you. That’s probably why we’ve been so successful.

I definitely could not have done this field of work by myself. She’s extremely supportive and now we’re a part of this business together,” Moseley says.

When he and Carol return home after showing his art, Moseley is ready to start again. Moseley buckles down into the comfortable space of his studio and immediately gets into work mode, unable to stop until he’s finished completing the piece. Last year, Moseley spent nearly two months in his studio, refusing to travel anywhere. However, Moseley plans on traveling with Carol to Colorado later this year to display his artwork in various fine-art shows for about three months.

“When you love your line of work, it’s never really work,” Moseley says.

Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Festival Avenue of the Fountains, between La Montana and Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills, thunderbirdartists.com, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 6, to Sunday, March 8, $3, free parking.

AN EVENING WITH CHRIS BOTTI

Fri., April 24 | 7 & 9 p.m. | $85.50–$155.50 Sat., April 25 | 7 p.m. | $115.50–$155.50

Iconic jazz trumpeter Chris Botti is one of the most important figures in contemporary music.

“Mr. Botti’s work functions both on the level of flickering intimacy and thundering grandiosity. He’s adept at exuding human warmth on a sweeping scale.”

—New York Times

Upcoming Concerts Dreamers’ Circus March 10 Tinsley Ellis March 11 Red Baraat March 13 Cherish the Ladies March 14 Altan March 15 Alpin Hong March 19 The Manhattan Transfer March 22 & 23 Charles Lloyd and Gerald Clayton March 24 Triveni With Zakir Hussain, Kala Ramnath, and Jayanthi Kumaresh March 31 And many more!

2020 Concert Series sponsored by

MIM.org | 480.478.6000 | 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ

34

DINING

EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH Gilbert Pizza Festival

DINING

CALENDAR Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

Italian Festival of Arizona

The Pleasure Feast

SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS One of the staple pieces of the Arizona Renaissance Festival is the Pleasure Feast. Patrons can savor five courses of fine foods, ample amounts of drinks served in a souvenir goblet and a side order of live entertainment. Be treated like royalty as the king’s kitchen and the boisterous serving maidens dish up a roaring good time.

Arizona Renaissance Festival, 12601 E. U.S. Highway 60, Gold Canyon, 520.463.2600, arizona.renfestinfo.com, noon and 2:30 p.m., $75.95.

The Dinner Detective

MARCH 7 The Dinner Detective offers an amazing murder-mystery show paired with a four-course plated dinner.

Organizers hide actors in the audience, and anyone in the room may become a cast member. The dinner includes the chef’s choice appetizers, house salad, entrée (grilled chicken breast, seared cod or grilled zucchini) and dessert.

Moxy Hotel TempePhoenix, 1333 S. Rural Road, Tempe, 480.968.3451, thedinnerdetective.com, 6 to 9 p.m., $59.95.

Peoria’s Second Saturday

Southern Rail Jazz and Jambalaya

SUNDAYS The Jazz and Jambalaya Series invites guests to take full advantage of Arizona’s ideal springtime weather by sipping Sazerac and half-priced bottles of Arizona wine while enjoying Chef Beckett’s signature jambalaya.

Jazz artists like Adam Clark, What’s the Big Idea and Andy Galore provide the soundtrack.

Southern Rail, 300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602.200.0085, southernrailaz. com, 5 to 8 p.m., $9-$25, reservations are recommended.

MARCH 14 The second Saturday of each month, Peoria hosts dinner at a local restaurant with live music.

March features two dinners: sushi

by Chef Will Perlaza (sunomono salad, sunshine spicy tuna roll and yellowtail nigiri) and AZ Delights

by Chef Darrick Krause (shrimp ceviche, carnitas pepper boats and Arizona orange butter cake).

Downtown Peoria, 8301 W. Washington Street, Peoria, eventbrite.com, AZ Delights 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., sushi 6 to 7 p.m., $30.

The Wigwam St. Patrick’s Day Party

MARCH 14 Devour Irish dishes like corned beef sandwiches and Irish nachos on St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to wear green to match with green beer.

The Wigwam, 300 E. Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park, 866.976.6894, wigwamarizona. com, 5 to 8 p.m., free admission.

MARCH 14 AND MARCH 15 The seventh annual Italian Festival of Arizona features a variety of vendors selling pizza, meatballs and sausage sandwiches, among other things. Festivalgoers can also watch a Galbani cooking demonstration; peruse Italian artifacts, artwork and artists; drink wine and learn about olive oils.

This is a family-friendly event.

East Jackson Street between First and Fourth streets, 480.745.7020, italianfestivalaz. com, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, $15.

Taste of the World International Food Festival

MARCH 15 This festival showcases extraordinary cuisine from around the world. Attendees can cote for their favorite vendor, listen to music, spend time with family and friends and get to know a little more about the cultural food diversity here in Phoenix.

SoHo63, 63 E. Boston Street, Chandler, 480.878.5663, eventbrite.com, noon to 6 p.m., $15-$35.

Bao and Dumpling Festival

MARCH 21 Bao is a form of dumpling that range from takoyaki to potstickers.

The festival will also include free games, boba, desserts and other Asian specialties.

Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, bit.ly/2tdDigE, facebook. com/azbaodumpling, 12:30 to 5 p.m., $4-$13.

MARCH 21 This event is a slice of heaven in the most delectable way. Think about having 15 to 20 of the best local pizza makers serving pizza the entire afternoon. The Gilbert Pizza Festival also includes local craft beer, wine, live music, lawn games, a kids’ zone with pizza-making crafts and festival vibes. Also, don’t miss dessert vendors offering everything from gelato to ice cream.

Gilbert Civic Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, 480.503.6871, eventbrite. com, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $10.

LPGA Founders Cup Food Truck Festival

MARCH 21 AND MARCH 22 The LPGA Founders Cup will launch its first food festival during the tournament’s 10th anniversary. This festival will have 12 food trucks— including Short Leash Hot Dogs, 2 Fat Guys Grilled Cheese, Chef Wade’s Bistro on Wheels and Wok This Way—on Saturday and Sunday of the tournament week. With a special event ticket, guests will receive a food “passport” that can be stamped after picking up a dish from each stop on the mini tour. Once the passport is completed, guests can redeem additional drink vouchers to be picked up at the 1950s Club.

Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, 5350 E. Marriott Drive, Phoenix, thefounderslpga.com, $65 per day or $125 weekend pass

Scottsdale Tacos Event

MARCH 27 Scottsdale Tacos Event is a new festival that features five to 10 restaurants/food trucks showcasing their wares.

Commons on Shea, 6451 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480.991.9878, bit.ly/2U6dPRa, free admission.

36

UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE | IN CLOSING

La Dolce Vita!

The Italian Festival brings its culture to Downtown Phoenix Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

T

he Italian Festival of America is bringing its celebration of food, culture and entertainment to Downtown Phoenix after several years in Scottsdale.

Italophiliacs can experience la dolce vita with two stages of entertainment, including cooking demonstrations; musical entertainment featuring Italian flag wavers and dancing; Peroni Nastro Assuro’s interactive displays; Classico Fine Wines & Spirits’ drinks; and the Italian Auto d’Eleganza showcase of fine Italian automobiles.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Italian Association of Arizona and its mission to build an Italian Cultural Center.

“We moved to Phoenix for a lot of reasons, the biggest being the crowds were getting bigger and we were running into space issues,” says Frank Guzzo, Italian Association of Arizona executive director.

“We don’t want to move it every year.

We want to be in one location and build it from there. We started talking to the city of Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix Inc. and we all made the decision to move the festival to Downtown Phoenix.

“Downtown Phoenix is exploding. It’s become such a vibrant place, compared to 10 years ago. We do want to capture the same people who have been coming to our festival for the past six years, plus a whole new demographic.”

The organization also partnered with the Scottsdale Airpark’s R Entertainment to help with the event’s production.

“They’re responsible for some of the

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

bigger events,” Guzzo says. “We brought them on board through one of our board members.”

Guzzo says the flag wavers—A.S.T.A. Gruppo Sbandieratori del Palio di Asti—have been a crowd favorite. This year, the group is flying from Italy with 18 performers.

“It’s a whole new choreographed program,” he says.

The Sicilian Band will play Italian folk music and The Phoenix Tenors featuring Johnny Huerta will hit the stage as well for the seventh year.

The breakout star of The Italian Festival of America is Enrico Di Lauro, who appeared on “X Factor Italia” last year.

“He’s this super nice, young kid. This is his U.S. debut,” he says. “We’re excited to have him here. We just got some of his music. Because of his age, he’ll not only capture the Italian grownups, but a whole new audience. He does sing and speak in English as well.”

After Di Lauro’s performance, DJ Paul Amendola will spin from about 7:30 to 9 p.m.

“We’ll be dancing and having a good time,” he says. “We’re really making it a street party, which is what we were hoping to achieve from the start. This year will be the one year we capture that essence.

“Every year, we look for ways to make it bigger and better and more exciting.

We’ve had people coming for years, who have never missed a festival. Every year we want to change it up.”

Last year’s pop-up Italian cultural museum with Francesco Corni’s work will return. Unfortunately, he will not appear at this year’s festival, as he died earlier this year.

“When we spoke to his family—as heartbroken as they are—they wanted to let his legacy live on,” Guzzo says.

“They’re bringing his artwork, which is fantastic to see on its own.”

Galbani is bringing back the demonstration stage for the second year with its celebrity chef. A spaghetti-eating contest will be a featured event on that stage.

A lucky winner will receive a $3,000 trip for two to Rome. Peroni will host a beer garden.

“Everybody, though, comes here for the food,” Guzzo says. “I love the food, even though I’m running around like a chicken without a head. I don’t have time to eat, but that makes the festival.

The food is quality Italian food. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

Italian Festival of Arizona Jackson Street between First and Fourth streets, Downtown Phoenix, italianfestivalaz.com, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 14, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 15, $15 in advance, $20 day of.

SUNSET STRIP SLIDES INTO THE VALLEY THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

37

Kurt Johnson shares his LA experiences with Cock N’ Tails Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

K

urt Johnson spent seven years in the LA music scene, working the Sunset Strip bar scene and recording music at his North Hollywood studio.

“Those years were some of the most amazing times in my life,” Johnson says.

“I grew so much.”

Now that the Arizona native has returned home, Johnson is bringing the Sunset Strip vibe to Phoenix with Cock N’ Tails, which he calls a place for rock stars and groupies to drink, dine and grab late-night snacks.

“I want to be a little different,” Johnson says. “The name kind of states that.”

Johnson and his wife, who live in Ahwatukee, developed the name and logo for the restaurant years prior to returning to the Valley.

“It all kind of clicked. Name and logo idea all at once,” Johnson says. “We held on to it for three years and it’s cool to see it come to life.”

Johnson says he was determined to

not have a place in a shopping center.

After a few bumps, he found a spot on Seventh Street and Bethany Home Road—thanks to a birthday party. It’s the former home to Hatter and Hare.

“Two weeks later my chef (Donna Sites) drove me here saying she had an in on the place and I said, ‘This is exactly what I want,’” Johnson says.

He and Sites have known each other since he was 14, when she worked as a caterer for his mother’s design events.

Since then, they tossed around ideas for an Arizona restaurant.

The restaurant’s theme is a rustic recording studio. Johnson studied recording in North Hollywood, where he laid down tracks and learned about creating music. The walls are lined with music memorabilia, similar to the school’s recording studio.

“I loved the feeling of a studio—dark, comfy, plush,” Johnson says. “I really really wanted to focus on the furniture with having that cool rock ’n’ roll vibe with it. But I still understand that we’re in Phoenix.”

His mother helped Johnson put together color boards and pick out the décor.

As for the food, the chef-driven menu lists an array of classic American dishes like steak, salmon, pasta, burgers, chicken pot pie and flatbread pizzas. This is no ordinary menu; it boasts music industry terms like openers (which includes Badto-the-Bone Marrow), B-flat (flatbread pizza), headliners (entrées) and encore (desserts, which include apple torte with pistachio gelato, chocolate mousse with berry bourbon compote, root beer float and vanilla bean gelato).

Cock N’ Tails will offer beers from

Catholic Community Foundation ring Featu artin is M Curt OCUS of F ries t Minis

three local breweries including San Tan Brewery, PHX Beer Company and Mother Road.

“We’re trying to use as much local stuff as we possible in terms of food,” Johnson says. “Just trying to find any stuff I can use to help a neighbor and support local businesses.”

Cock N’ Tails 6101 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 480.702.0662, cockntails.com

32nd Annual

Join Event Chairs

Jill & Brian O’Sullivan

on SATURDAY, APRIL 25th 2020 Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch

For ticket and sponsorship information, please visit ccfphx.org/crozier-gala or contact Chrissy Pate at 480.651.8806 or cpate@ccfphx.org

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

38

BEER AND WINE

SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

BEER AND WINE

CALENDAR Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

Roars & Pours

MARCH 5 Guests 21 and older can sip and stroll select zoo trails while enjoying craft brews, wine and food. Plus, animal encounters, yard games including the infamous “chicken poop bingo,” live music and entertainment. Enjoy happy-hour pricing on Stingray Bay ($2), Camel Rides ($4) and Safari Cruiser featuring an “After Hours” Cruiser Talk ($4). Featured happy hour beers: JuicyJack, Moon Juice, AZ Lager and Mr. Pineapple from San Tan Brewing Company.

Cayman Jack will offer margaritas.

Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, phoenixzoo. com, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., $10.

Fountain Hills Art & Wine Festival

MARCH 6 TO MARCH 8 This juried fine art and wine festival hosts more than 125 acclaimed, award-winning artists from throughout the globe. The event lines the north side of Avenue of the Fountains and integrates fine art and crafts with a vast selection of imported and domestic wines, local microbrews, flavored spirits, food, sweets and live musical entertainment. For $10, attendees will get an engraved souvenir wine glass, with six tasting tickets.

Avenue of the Fountains, 16810 E Avenue of the Fountains, Fountain Hills, thunderbirdartists. com, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $3.

Southeast Arizona Wine Growers Festival

MARCH 7 TO MARCH 8 More than 18 Arizona-based ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

wineries and vineyards will be in attendance at this two-day festival that also features performances by four local bands, gourmet food from local eateries and a variety of retail vendors. Wine lovers from across the state are invited to enjoy wine tasting, new wine releases, meet and greets with winemakers and local fare from The Ciao Down Food Truck, Las Vigas Steak Ranch Mexican Cuisine and Russell Compton Texas BBQ. Kief Joshua Vineyards, 370 Elgin Road, Elgin, eventbrite. com, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $20-$45.

Litchfield Park Art & Wine Festival

MARCH 7 TO MARCH 8 This event combines irresistible festival eateries, wine tastings and great entertainment with more than 250 extraordinary artists and craftsmen exhibiting works of art and exquisite handcrafted creations. So, whether you love superior wines, extraordinary art or the relaxed ambiance of outdoor festivals, this is your destination.

An assortment of Arizona’s best wineries and local microbreweries and distilleries will be sampling wine and rum, beer will be served and wine or cocktails by the glass.

You can even purchase bottled wine and spirits to take home.

Downtown Litchfield Park, 101 W. Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park, vermillionpromotions. com, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free.

Cocktails Under the Cosmos

MARCH 9 Celebrate all things celestial with an astrology-themed cocktail reception on Mountain Shadows Resort’s scenic Camelback Overlook rooftop deck. This event features a signature cocktail themed around the Aries astrological sign. Savor bites and drinks under twinkling lights and the beautiful night sky, seen brighter in Paradise Valley with its low-light pollution and dramatic desert backdrop. Explore

the galaxy through the lens of a telescope with an expert astronomer as your guide. Your ticket includes bites along with two cocktails, glasses of wine or beer. This month guests will see a super moon.

Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale, 5445 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, mountainshadows. com, 480.624.5400, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., $45.

Trail during St. Patrick’s Day. Five wineries will offer clues to riddles, and when they’re solved, groups will receive shamrocks. Teams’ times are logged when they start and finish. Registration includes a three-wine taste at each winery and a Scottsdale Wine Trail wine glass. Fastest and most accurate teams are entered to win prizes once the scavenger hunt ends.

Starts at Carlson Creek, 4142 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, scottsdalewinetrail.com, noon to 6 p.m., $30.

The Gem City Sours & Ciders Festival

Downtown Mesa Brew Fest

MARCH 14 For the sixth year, Downtown Mesa is bringing breweries from around the Valley to one spot for beer lovers to drink with their family and friends. Dogs are even welcome.

Not a fan of beer? There will be a cocktail lounge with liquor from Arizona Distilling Co. and unique mixers from Iconic Cocktail Co. Polar Beverages will keep guests hydrated with its natural seltzerflavored waters. Bands and DJs will provide the soundtrack. Beer tickets are available for purchase at the event for $5 each for a full 12-ounce pour. This is a cash-only event.

Downtown Mesa, 1 N. MacDonald, Mesa, downtownmesa. com, 1 to 6 p.m., free.

Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl

MARCH 14 Pull the green apparel out of the closet and head to Tempe. This bar crawl includes two complimentary drinks/items, drinks specials at all participating bars and a professional photographer to capture all the fun moments. The participating bars include: 414 Pub & Pizza, Fat Tuesday, Handlebar and Loco Patron and check-in starts at Mill Cue Club.

Mill Cue Club, 607 S. Mill Avenue, Tempe, crawlwith.us/tempe, 4 p.m. to midnight, $20-30.

Shamrock & Shenanigans: Wine Scavenger Hunt MARCH 17 Jump on the Scottsdale Wine

MARCH 21 Sample and learn about sour beers and craft ciders at this new event in Downtown Mesa.

More than two dozen Arizona breweries and regional cideries will offer their goods. The event also features live music on two stages stages, food trucks, pub games and other activities.

Cider Corps, 31 S. Robson, Suite 103, Mesa, eventbrite. com, 2 to 8 p.m., $10-$50.

Agave on the Rocks

MARCH 27 Celebrate tequila, food and music through the garden’s desert trails. Sip a refreshing margarita in a glowing glass, while tasting culinary treats prepared by some of the Valley’s best restaurants and caterers. Throughout the night, dance and sing along with bands and other live entertainment.

Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, dbg.org, 6 to 10 p.m., $75.

KNIX BBQ & Beer Festival

MARCH 28 Celebrating 11 years of family fun in Chandler. This year, the event will feature national country artists—Lee Brice, Craig Morgan, Caylee Hammock and Locash— on the main stages across the main lawn for uninterrupted, continuous live performances.

With over 20 barbecue pit masters, beer, spirits and novelty food items, the 11th anniversary event will be a day to remember.

Tumbleweed Park, 745 E. Germann Road, Chandler, chandlerbbq. com, noon to 10 p.m., $10-$125.

GREAT BEER PAIRINGS

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

39

CLUBHOUSE AT MAYA Alison Bailin Batz >> The Entertainer!

“Clubhouse at Maya is having a season-long party, and everyone is invited.

Now open in the heart of the Entertainment District in Old Town Scottsdale, the 14,000-square-foot, dogfriendly party palace is a complete reimagining of the Maya Day + Nightclub.

The reimagining begins with the covering of the pool—no easy feat!—and the transition of each cabana into an interactive game or entertainment experience.

In place of the pool, we’ve built a treehouse-themed bar, which specializes in shareable cocktails, beer cocktails and food meant to be enjoyed with friends.

But then, for those who prefer beer without the cocktail portion, there are more than two dozen

beer and cider options BEER BREWERY: MOTHER ROAD including Tower Station IPA, Leinenkugel’s Seasonal BREWING CO. STYLE: IPA Wheat, Estrella Jalisco, NAME: TOWER STATION IPA Papago Orange Blossom, About the beer: In 2015, the Flagstaff Red Bird Lager, Longboard, brewery launched this IPA, making Heineken and many more.” it the first beer it released in cans.

—Clubhouse at Maya’s Nolan Odal

Clubhouse at Maya 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 480.625.0528, mayaclubaz.com/ clubhouse

This super-popular local option is an unfiltered IPA known for its copperorange hue and fluffy white head. It bursts with tropical aromas of tangerine and pineapple. There are clear grapefruit peel and pine notes to the taste, and it has just the right amount of hops.

DISH

DISH: FUEGO FRIES COST: $16 About the pairing: For our Fuego Fries, we cut our own potatoes in house and then fry and heap chopped boneless Buffalo wings on top along with ranch, parsley and green onion.

When you have hot wings, a beer with some hoppines—like an IPA—is a best bet. It often, and especially here, helps to play up the spice flavor in the wings, yet the residual sugar in the beer keeps it from being an over-the-top, tongueburning bomb.

THURSDAYS, MARCH 5 & 19 3PM-5PM

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CASINOS

PLAY » SPIN » LAUGH » GROOVE » UNWIND » WIN

CASINO ENTERTAINMENT

CALENDAR Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

MARCH 1 Spotlight

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 2 & 3 DJ Ray

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 4 DJ Fred

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 5 Southbound

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 6 DJ Fred

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Nineball

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

KMLE Country Double Header with Brett Eldredge and Parmalee Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

MARCH 7 Route 66

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Rhythm of the Sun

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

JD Madrid

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 8 Marble Heart

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

December ’63

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, playatgila.com

MARCH 9 & 10 DJ Ray

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 11 DJ Fred

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 12 Walkens Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

War

MARCH 15 Quantum

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Piano Man: Tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

MARCH 16 & 17 DJ Ray

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 18 DJ Fred

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 19 Spotlight

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Tennessee River: A Tribute to Alabama

DJ Fred

Uncorked

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Larry the Cable Guy

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, playatgila.com

Daughtry

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, playatgila.com

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Corazon De Mana

MARCH 21

Vee Quiva Casino, playatgila.com

Air Supply

Talkig Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

MARCH 14 Jukebox 6

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Rhythm Edition

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Walkens

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Cameron Degurski

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Soul Persuasion

Steven Wright

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Dan Schultz

MARCH 22

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

John Fogerty

MARCH 13 Western Fusion

DJ Ray

MARCH 25

MARCH 20

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 23 & 24

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, playatgila.com

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, playatgila.com

DJ Ray

caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Harry Luge

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino,

DJ Fred

MARCH 26 Stanley Serrano

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 27 DJ Ray

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Dynamite Draw

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Tracy Morgan

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, playatgila.com

Tyler Henry: The Hollywood Medium Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

MARCH 28 Jukebox 6

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Andrea and Gemini

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

JD Madrid

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

Engelbert Humperdinck Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

MARCH 29 Rhythm Edition

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

MARCH 30 & 31 DJ Ray

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, caesars.com/harrahs-ak-chin

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

41

GET-R-DONE Larry the Cable Guy talks golf and new album Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

L

arry the Cable Guy is always “on.”

He answers the phone, “Please hold for Larry the Cable Guy,” and quickly

returns.

“Ah, this was me all along,” he says with a hearty laugh.

Born Daniel Whitney, Larry the Cable Guy is known for his line “GetR-Done,” and his travels on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. He’s coming to Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler on Friday, March 20.

“I love those casinos,” he says. “They’re good places to stay. They have good golf.”

He says he’s an “OK” golfer, as he got into it about 10 years ago. He’s trying to improve his scores, though.

“I started out horribly, but I’ve been working hard at it. I have a 14 or 15 handicap,” he says.

Larry the Cable Guy is definitely going to golf while he’s in Arizona, a state that has a special place in his heart. Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) anointed him an ambassador and sent clubs to him.

“Those clubs are unbelievable,” he says. “They really helped my golf game.

They’re fitted really nicely, and they feel good. So, if I didn’t golf when I came to Arizona, that would be almost communist.

“I’ve always been athletic, believe it or not. I love competition. I’m too old to play sports anymore. I’m fat. I got out of shape. I can’t bend down to get a ground ball. Golf still keeps me competitive and it challenges myself. Every time I get on stage, I challenge myself to be funnier, to write better jokes.”

As for his show, he calls it “PG-13” and filled with one liners, the latter of which is a rarity these days. He says he enjoys jokes—how they’re written, the setup and the timing. As for comics who focus on politics or long, drawn-out stories, not so much.

“I think everybody thinks they’re smarter than everybody else,” he says.

“When I read Steve Martin’s book, back in the ’70s, Vietnam was going on. They were having protests and all these comics

were coming up.

“Everybody was political. Steve Martin said he was going to be goofy, in the other direction—and that’s what he did. He went a completely different direction than the other guys were doing. Regardless, funny is funny. There are comedians who I don’t like personally, but if they’re funny, I like their comedy. I’ve never not went out to see anybody because I didn’t like their politics.”

The avid Atlanta Braves fan— who loves its legendary player Dale Murphy—has slowed down these days.

Instead of touring incessantly, Larry the Cable Guy performs 30 dates a year.

“I don’t want to miss my kids growing up,” he says of his 12- and 13-year-old children. “I lived on a tour bus 285 days a year for 10 straight years, back in my heyday. I started slowing down right after I finished my History Channel show.

“I was sitting on a bus one day and I remember Jeff Foxworthy telling me he had one regret: He wished he would have been able to attend more of his kids’ school functions. He said, ‘If you can do it, if you don’t need to go out and do this, you should spend time with your kids.’ That’s what I do.”

Larry the Cable Guy is touring to promote his new stand-up comedy special, “Remain Seated,” through the Comedy Dynamics network, its hybrid distribution system composed of Comcast, Amazon Prime Video, Spectrum, Apple TV, Dish, Google Play, DirecTV, Vimeo and YouTube, on April 7. The album follows on April 10 through SiriusXM, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora and SoundCloud.

“Out of all the albums I’ve done— they’re all really awesome—this one is my all-time favorite,” he says. “I think the material is awesome. I guarantee it’ll make you laugh very hard every 20 seconds.”

Larry the Cable Guy Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler, playatgila.com, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 20, tickets start at $37.

THE FUN RISES IN THE WEST. NOW OPEN! DDCAZ.COM

An Enterprise of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

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SPORTS

CHEER » HIT » HIKE » LEAD » ROOT » COMPETE

SPORTS

CALENDAR Haley Smilow >> The Entertainer!

ASU Men’s Basketball vs.

Washington State

MARCH 7 For the final game of ASU’s men’s basketball season, it will be a Pac-12 game against Washington State. In the reverse fixture, Wazzu picked up the win in the final seconds of the game. Coach Bobby Hurley talked about his Devils not reacting to pressure very well after the game, and that could make all the difference on March 7. ASU will have some time to prepare, and on the 7th, fans will see if time helped or hindered it. ASU will have to watch out for Wazzu’s forward CJ Elleby, as he’s the clutch player and the one to score the game winner.

Desert Financial Arena, 600 E. Veterans Way, Tempe, 480.965.3482, thesundevils.com, 4:30 p.m., tickets start at $7.

Phoenix Rising vs.

Portland Timbers 2 FC

MARCH 7 After a record-breaking season that ended in sorrow, Phoenix Rising returns from the offseason looking to get their hands on the USL Cup. To get there, the team has brought in new players, while keeping the core from last season.

The match should be a win for Phoenix Rising as last season it landed a win at home and on the road. This match will be a chance for Phoenix Rising to get out on the right foot and show its fans what they’ve been missing.

Casino Arizona Field, 751 N. McClintock Drive, Tempe, 623.594.9606, phxrisingfc.com, 7:30 p.m., tickets start at $12

Phoenix Suns vs.

Milwaukee Bucks

MARCH 8 Giannis Antetokounmpo and his dominant Bucks enter the Valley of the Sun looking to pick up yet another win on their journey to the NBA playoffs. The Suns won’t

let it be a cake walk as Oubre, Booker and Ayton have been hot all season, scoring an average of 113 points per game. The Bucks outscore the Suns with an average of 120 points per game and their defense is just a bit stronger, too.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, 602.379.2000, nba.com/suns, 3 p.m., tickets start at $38.

ASU Gymnastics vs.

Pittsburgh

MARCH 8 ASU’s gymnastics team will round off its season against Pittsburgh before going on the road one more time to take on LSU. It will be a chance for the Devils to relax from conference play and take some time away from the Pac-12.

Desert Financial Arena, 600 E. Veterans Way, Tempe, 480.965.3482, thesundevils. com, 1 p.m., tickets start at $10

ASU Baseball vs. UA

MARCH 10 It’s not football or basketball, but it’s still the Territorial Cup. On March 10, the Sun Devils face off against the Wildcats with the current Territorial Cup score 5-4, Sun Devils, as of mid-February. It’s a close score, but the Sun Devils have the upper hand. In the last five games, the Sun Devils have gone 4-1. The Wildcats are going to have to shut down Spencer Torkelson, if they want one back.

Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 5999 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, 602.495.7240, thesundevils.com, 6:30 p.m., tickets start at $10.

This game will be a chance for the Yotes to make a push back into the top of table and start to challenge for a spot in the NHL playoffs.

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, 623.772.3800, nhl.com/coyotes, 7 p.m., tickets start at $23.

with 48 players competing to win the $21,600 grand prize.

Proceeds from the event benefit Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Phoenix Country Club, 2901 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, arizonatennisclassic.com, various times, tickets start at $25.

Fulton Homes’ Kiss Me I’m Irish Run

LPGA Tour’s Bank of Hope Founders Cup

MARCH 13 AND MARCH 14 With live music, four runs and more than 2,300 runners, the Kiss Me I’m Irish Run is Arizona’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Festival and benefits local prostate cancer research and cancer charities. It starts on March 13 at Westgate Entertainment District and aims to break the world record of Most People Running in Kilts in the 1K run. The event continues on March 14 with the half marathon, 8K and 4K Four Leaf Clover Run. Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, irishrunaz.com, various times, $25-$70.

Dinner of Champions

MARCH 16 Join four-time World Serieswinning manager and Baseball Hall of Famer Tony La Russa and former quarterback Brock Osweiler for Dinner of Champions. The celebrity-filled event benefits La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation.

Its Pets and Vets program matches veterans with specially selected shelter dogs, who are then trained as psychiatric service animals.

Guests will have Steak 44’s fivestar cuisine, including vegetarian options and a complimentary bar, while visiting with La Russa, Osweiler, MLB celebrities and NFL players and coaches.

Steak 44, 5101 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, 602.271.4400, arf.ejoinme.org/doc, 6:30 p.m., call for ticket info.

Arizona Coyotes vs.

Vancouver Canucks

MARCH 12 In the extremely competitive Western Pacific Division where only three points separate all the teams, the Coyotes face off against the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have found more luck this season, as they are sitting a couple of points over the Yotes at the top of the table.

The Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour MARCH 16 TO MARCH 22 The Arizona Tennis Classic offers tennis fans seven days of matches

MARCH 19 TO MARCH 22 For the 10th consecutive year, the LPGA Tour’s Bank of Hope Founders Cup returns to Phoenix.

For four days, the tourney gives female golfers a chance to unite and show their talent. The LPGA will also honor its 13 founders.

Wildfire Golf Club, 5350 E. Marriott Drive, Phoenix, thefounderslpga.com, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., tickets start at $25 online and $30 at the gate

ASU Women’s Water Polo vs.

Marist Red Foxes MARCH 21 With the Olympics coming up this summer, now is the time to start getting familiar with Olympic sports. On March 21, ASU’s water polo team faces off against the Marist Red Foxes. It is a nonconference match that will be a part of the Sun Devil’s final tournament at home. The Foxes and the Devils have only faced off once previously and the Devils won at a score of 16-8.

Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex, 601 S. College Avenue, Tempe, 480.965.4040, thesundevils. com/sports/womens-waterpolo, 3:30 p.m., tickets are free.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs.

Atlanta Braves

MARCH 26 Hot dogs, Cracker Jacks and peanuts are back, as baseball kicks off March 26. The D-backs find themselves in a bit of a pickle after almost making it to the Wild Card games last season.

After a busy offseason, Mike Hazen has made sure his team is ready for competition adding ace Madison Bumgarner and outfielders Starling Marte and Kole Calhoun to the lineup.

Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.514.8400, mlb.com/dbacks, 7:10 p.m., ticket prices vary.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

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SEASON

AHEAD

Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day is 7:10 p.m. Thursday, March 26, against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field. For information, visit dbacks.com.

Carson Kelly is looking forward to this year’s competition Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

W

alking into the Salt River Fields clubhouse on one of the first days of Spring Training, Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly is revved up for the 2020 regular season.

“We’ve got a good team,” Kelly says.

“I feel like, from the first few days of camp, that we’re going to have a lot of competition, but it’s going to be a fun year.”

Dodgers General Manager Andrew Friedman was quoted as saying the Diamondbacks’ GM, Mike Hazen, did an impressive job of rebuilding the team with off-season acquisitions like Madison Bumgarner, Starling Marte and Kole Calhoun. Kelly is equally as taken.

“Mike and everybody on that side has really put us in a position to go out and compete,” Kelly says. “That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go out there and come together, give it our all and we’ll see.”

Kelly, 25, played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2016 to 2018, when he was traded for Paul Goldschmidt along with his good friend pitcher Luke

Weaver. The catcher didn’t get much playing time behind the plate, as priority went to the All-Star Yadier Molina.

Since the trade, he played 111 games in 2019, as opposed to the 19 he played with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018.

He’s looking forward to the new vibe D-backs.

“We have a lot of great players,” Kelly says. “From what we’ve had here and the great players we’ve added, I could just see the excitement in this clubhouse and the excitement in the community.

“That’s a huge thing. We’re going to take that momentum and take it with us through Spring Training and into the new season.”

QUICK HIT

Carson Kelly spent the 12 days of the offseason touring England and Scotland with his fiancée. “We went to London and we went to Edinburgh, Scotland,” he says. “Edinburgh was really pretty. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip. We were there for four days or so. We drove around a bit.

It’s a big enough city.

There’s a lot to see.”

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

PHOENIX RISING

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UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE | IN CLOSING

Fighting for a chance at another record year Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer!

P

hoenix Rising head coach Rick Schantz and his players are gearing up to start the 2020 season Saturday, March 7, against Portland Timbers 2 FC at Casino Arizona Field. The pressure for success is felt by everyone as they try to regain their title of regular season USL Championship winners.

The team had a record-breaking 2019 season with the longest winning streak (20 games). Other accolades for the 2019 season include Schantz winning USL Championship Coach of the Year and forward Solomon Asante winning the USL Championship Most Valuable Player and the Golden Boot awards.

“To follow what we did last season will be difficult, but I think it’s a challenge that all the guys have accepted,” Schantz says. “They know that we have some unfinished business. Here at Phoenix Rising we want to win trophies.”

Following last year’s regular championship win, the team doesn’t see itself as having competition.

“I can’t single anyone out as far as competition, but I know that everyone wants to be Phoenix Rising,” says Schantz, whose contract was extended in January for three years.

“Knowing that I get to be here for at least three more years is kind of a dream,” Schantz says.

Schantz looks forward to building stronger relationships with his players and having a mutual trust and respect.

“I think of these guys all as like sons or brothers,” Schantz says. “Knowing that I’m 20 years older than them, maybe I can impart some wisdom on them.”

In the offseason, Phoenix Rising added nine players to the squad, including midfielder Jordan Schweitzer.

“I think my expectation for this season is that we make playoffs,” Schweitzer says. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here. I wanted to be on a team that not only has the quality to get in the playoffs, but to push toward the USL Final.”

Schweitzer previously played for Seattle Sounders (2016), Orlando City B (2017) and Colorado Springs Switchbacks (2018-2019) before joining Phoenix Rising in December.

“I’ve been around to a couple of clubs before, and obviously when an opportunity comes up like this to join the Rising, you look at it very seriously,” Schweitzer says. “I’m happy to be here.”

Zac Lubin is returning to the goal for the third season. He’s eager to see how ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

the season plays out.

“Last year obviously was a recordbreaking year, but I think expectations are a little higher because there were 14 games that we didn’t do so well,” Lubin says. “I think we’re going to be more consistent this year.”

As the 2020 season starts, Schantz and the players shared why they love soccer.

In addition to building close relationships with his players, Schantz’s favorite part about soccer is being on the freshly cut grass in the morning.

“We’ll walk out here in Phoenix every day and look around and say, ‘This is work?’” Schantz says. “I just love being on the field.”

Schweitzer enjoys traveling around the United States and Canada and meeting new people from around the world.

“I think at the end of the day, when I’m done playing, it’s going to be the people who I have met through the game, the places that I’ve been and the experience I’ve had that I’ll remember,” Schweitzer says.

Lubin loves the frantic feeling on the field during a game. He considers it as a form of meditation.

“We enjoy the games with 70,000 people here,” Lubin says. “When you’re in the action playing, you’re just out there by yourself and you don’t even realize it.”

The players agreed that the day after training sessions.

“I’m already thinking about what I have to do to be at my best the next day,” Lubin says. “It’s my nutrition, hydration and recovery. Everything. It’s 24 hours a day.”

Schweitzer and his teammates are required to constantly take care of their bodies on and off the field to be able to perform at a high level.

“I think the toughest thing in being a soccer player, especially being a professional athlete, the toughest thing is that when you’re done, we’re not done,” Schweitzer says. “For 10, 11 even 12 months of the year, depending on how dedicated you are to this, there is no off time.”

When the coach and players do get some off time, they enjoy spending it with family and being outdoors.

“I’m usually spending time with my daughter and my wife,” Schantz says.

“Being home for dinner and spending time with family is probably the most important thing—and an occasional round of golf.”

Schweitzer is getting used to living in Arizona and finding new places to go and experience new things.

“I do a lot of reading,” Lubin says. “I

love the outdoors: hiking and camping.

Anytime I get a day off I try to get myself into the mountains or on a trail somewhere.”

The 2020 season sees the return of the Friday $1 Beer Night matches starting May 1 against Rio Grande Valley FC. It proved to be good lucky, as the club won or tied 16 beer nights.

Phoenix Rising Football Club will give back to the community during four Supporter Cause Nights—March 28 vs. Austin Bold FC, April 25 vs.

OKC Energy FC, June 6 vs. El Paso Locomotive FC and September 12 vs.

LA Galaxy II. The identified community causes for this season include one that helps people with vestibular disorder and then for organizations Phoenix Children’s Hospital, PFLAG Phoenix and Arizona T.O.P.S. The 2020 Phoenix Rising season starts March 7 against Portland Timbers 2 FC here in Arizona and ends October 17 against Sacramento Republic FC in Sacramento.

‘NOTHING SEPARATES US’ Archie Bradley tears down the wall between him and the fans THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

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Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

A

rizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley doesn’t like this assumed barrier between fans and celebrities.

“The Beard,” as he’s called, would rather mingle.

To give fans the chance to meet him, teammates and other athletes and celebrities, Bradley is hosting ArchiePalooza 2.0 on Sunday, March 15, in the courtyard of Arizona Boardwalk, formerly known as OdySea in the Desert.

“I understand I’m a pro athlete, but anyone should be able to talk to me and shake my hand,” Bradley says. “I want to be accessible. Nothing separates us. I understand the platform I have. People pay money to come watch us play. You and I both have jobs to do. I just get paid a little more.

“I’m in a position where I have the ability to give back. I realize how blessed I am, and how fortunate and lucky I am.”

Partial proceeds go to the OdySea Aquarium Foundation to help kids visit on fieldtrips. The other half will be saved for “activations” throughout the year, he says.

“We really try to spread the love,” Bradley says. “Kids are important to me. I want to be a dad one day. We have the ability to improve lives just a little.”

The event is dubbed a “street carnival,” with Bradley’s favorite games and visits by athletes and celebrities who are in town for Spring Training.

In honor of the first ArchiePalooza at LumberJaxes, the competitions will include axe throwing, archery, puttputt, pop-shot and cornhole. Kids are admitted free.

“Last year’s ArchiePalooza was a great start; an unbelievable event,” he says. “To be able to roll it back to

2.0 is humbling. It’s exciting to give back.”

Often met by chants of “Arch-ie” when he comes in as a reliever, Bradley is aware of the effect he has on the Valley.

“It’s flattering,” he says. “I consider myself very lucky and blessed. My

parents helped me grow into the person I am today. This state helped me grow into the person I am today. I came to this state at 22 years old. I was drafted at 18.

I’m talking to you at 27. For almost 10 years, I’ve been a Diamondback. This city, this state, this team contributed in helping me grow up.”

ArchiePalooza Arizona Boardwalk Courtyard, formerly OdySea in the Desert Courtyard, 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, archiepalooza.com, 4 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, March 15, $10-$100.

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FROLIC » DISCOVER » IMAGINE » FAMILY » FUN » CONNECT

FAMILY

CALENDAR Sara Edwards >> The Entertainer!

Mermaid Lagoon & Mermaid Cove at Sea Life Aquarium

MARCH 5 TO MARCH 29 Mystical and magical creatures— mermaids—will visit Sea Life Arizona Aquarium this month.

The Mermaid Lagoon is the perfect viewing spot to watch the mermaids swim underwater alongside stingrays, sea turtles, fish and even a few sharks. There will also be an interactive dive show with an opportunity to meet the mermaids after the performance for a FINtastic photo in the cove.

SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium, 5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle, Suite 145, Tempe, 855.450.0559, visitsealife. com, various times and pricing.

Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts

MARCH 7 AND MARCH 21 The Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts features the work of established and emerging artists, including those who create woodwork, metal crafts, food items, jewelry, art, photography, handmade soaps and gifts. Macdonald is closed to traffic, but parking is available throughout Downtown Mesa. Festivals are the first and third Saturdays of the month from October to April.

On Macdonald, off of Main Street in Downtown Mesa, dtmesafest.com, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission.

Archaeology Month at Pueblo Grande Museum!

MARCH 7 TO MARCH 27 Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix will host events and tours in March to celebrate Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month.

The museum is the only preserved archaeological site in Phoenix and, through activities, will honor the science and practices of archaeology. From tours about water conservation and behind the scenes of the museum to Discovery at the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, there’s fun for everyone at the museum during March.

Pueblo Grande Museum, 4619 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.495.0901, pueblogrande.com, various times, tickets start at $6.

Chandler Ostrich Festival

MARCH 13 TO MARCH 15 Chandler’s annual Ostrich Festival is back for its 32nd year and with concerts (98 Degrees among them), activities and food. Don’t miss the ostriches!

Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road, Chandler, 480.588.8497, ostrichfestival. com, 11 a.m. to midnight March 13, 10 a.m. to midnight March 14, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. March 15, $8-$65.

Spring Break Basketball Camp Archie Bradley’s ArchiePalooza

MARCH 15 Join Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley as he hosts his annual charity event ArchiePalooza 2.0. This family-friendly community event will feature appearances

by Bradley, his teammates and other local athletes from around the Valley in this street festival with games, food and activities.

Proceeds from this event will go to the OdySea Aquarium Foundation and other charities.

Arizona Boardwalk, formerly known as OdySea in the Desert Courtyard, 9500 E. Vía de Ventura, Scottsdale, archiepalooza.com, $25-$100

Arizona Aloha Festival

MARCH 14 AND MARCH 15 This yearly festival celebrates and honors Hawaiian and South Pacific Islander culture and heritage. The Aloha Festival has activities and attractions for everyone, with traditional performances, special activities like ukulele lessons, and a raffle with the chance to win a trip to Hawaii. There will also be shopping booths and vendors where attendees can buy T-shirts, Hawaiian jewelry and art.

Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, 602.697.1824, azalohafest.org, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission is free.

Gilbert Pizza Festival

MARCH 21 Downtown Gilbert is going to be a little cheesier this month for Gilbert’s inaugural Pizza Festival. The festival of this cheesy pepperoni goodness will take place in the Civic Center just outside Downtown Gilbert, with about 15 pizza makers, desert stations, lawn games and live music.

Whether you want to try a $2 to $4 slice of pizza or want a whole pie for yourself, it’s pizza paradise in Gilbert.

Gilbert Civic Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, gilbertpizzafestival.com, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $10.

MARCH 9 TO MARCH 13 MARCH 16 TO MARCH 20 When the kids are on Spring Break, the DreamTeam Academy will host Spring Break Basketball Camps for ages 6 to 12. Camp days include three hours of basketball skills development training in the morning and two hours of opencourt playing time. Kids will also play dodgeball and socialize in the upstairs lounge area where there are movies, video games, board games and chess.

DreamTeam Academy, 5955 N. Dial Boulevard, Suite 3, Scottsdale, 480.800.8326, dreamteamacademy.com, various times, $50-$325.

Art of the Story

TO MAY 24 Experience stories and tales told through a variety of mediums and methods for the “Art of the Story exhibit” at i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa.

These stories are told by artists from North America and Europe.

Enjoy 70 works of art made from mediums like glass, fiber, paints and ceramics. Kids can participate in fun, art-driven activities like a puppet theater and storyboard building. i.d.e.a. Museum, 150 W. Pepper Place, Mesa, 480.644.2468, ideamuseum. org, various times, $9.

Global Village Festival

MARCH 28 Sponsored by Helping Hand for Relief and Development, the Global Village Festival features global cuisine; bazaar-style shopping including art, merchandise, gifts and clothing; a stage with cultural performances; and kidfriendly activities. The event raises funds for HHRD’s mission to feed orphans worldwide.

South Mountain Community College, 7050 S. 24th Street, Phoenix, 480.773.4862, hhrd.org, noon to 5 p.m., free admission.

CELEBRATE MEMORIES WITH DISNEY ON ICE THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

Annika Tomlin >> The Entertainer

S

ome of your childhood’s most iconic and beloved animated characters are coming back to the Valley for a chance to reinvent their enchanting onscreen moments.

Disney on Ice is presenting “Celebrate Memories” from Thursday, March 12 through Saturday, March 14, at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Grant Marron, a third-generation skater, is keeping the skating tradition going as he gears up to perform in his old stomping grounds.

“This is going to be very special to me because I actually started my skating career in America West Arena, which is now Talking Stick Resort Arena,” Marron says. “That’s exactly where I started my career, and I’m very excited to come full circle and play for my hometown audience.”

Growing up in Phoenix, Marron started skating with the Coyotes Skating Club of Arizona at a young age—and hasn’t looked back since.

“I’ve been skating since I was 8, which is a bit late for most figure skaters,” Marron says.

Since 2012, Marron has been in other Disney on Ice productions such as “Mickey’s Super Celebration” and “Passport to Adventure.”

He has played several Disney characters including Prince Eric from “The Little Mermaid” and Prince Hans from “Frozen.”

For “Celebrate Memories,” Marron will portray Prince Charming from “Cinderella.”

“Being able to do that, to get into a production number is very special because I get to bring everyone’s favorite Disney characters to life and make a very special memory for somebody,” Marron says.

“Celebrate Memories” brings to the rink stars from “Toy Story,” “Moana,”

“Frozen,” “Fantasia,” “Inside Out” and Finding Dory,” as well as the Disney Princesses, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goof—all recreating iconic memories from their on-screen characters.

While on the road for nine months, Marron misses the ease of having on-demand access to his kitchen and laundry.

“I can cook and wash whenever I want,” Marron says. “When you are living out of a hotel with two suitcases, those things become a challenge.”

When he’s not a prince skating around the rink, Marron enjoys playing cards with his cast mates and watching movies on his laptop.

Marron has traveled around the world to perform in the various Disney on Ice productions for the past eight years.

“I’ve played for millions of people in 25 different languages on every inhabitable continent,” Marron says.

Because the skating lifestyle is demanding on the body, Marron has had two knee surgeries on the same knee.

“Thankfully no arthritis in the knee,” Marron says, adding that he still pops his knee as a pre-performance ritual before every show.

Marron hopes that the audience will appreciate the effort and work that goes into putting on the performances.

“I’m at the point in my career where I’m a seasoned performer and I try to share my experience with other people in my unit,” Maron says. “I also want to bring my love for skating and my love for performances to other people.”

Disney on Ice presents “Celebrate Memories” Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.379.7900, disneyonice. com, various times Thursday March 12 to Saturday March 14, tickets start at $20, with VIP Experience tickets available.

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En uide to Arizona G s r’ e id s In e h T

2020

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FA L C O N F I E L D A I R P O RT

Open House

9 AM - 3 PM • Free Admission & Parking

• Aviation Careers Information

• Airplanes & Helicopters • Classic Car Show & Model Railroads on Display • Historical Exhibits

• CAF Museum & Southwest Military Transport Show open 9 a.m.-4p.m.

• Discount admission $5/person or $10/family of four

.com

entertainermag

• Free Flight Simulators • Helicopter/Airplane Rides For Sale

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CAMPERS

Friendly Pines celebrates 80 years of summertime fun Lila Baltman >> The Entertainer!

W

hen the school year ends in May and summertime officially begins, hundreds of kids across Arizona will do exactly what generations have done before them.

They’ll pack up pillows and sleeping bags, sweatshirts and flashlights, give mom and dad a hug goodbye, and then board a bus to Friendly Pines Camp in Prescott.

For 80 years, Friendly Pines Camp in the Bradshaw Mountains has become a favorite, summertime tradition for thousands of Arizona families.

“We’re now seeing a fourth generation of campers,” says Kevin Nissen, the longtime codirector who has worked full time with the camp for 30 years.

“Many of our former campers, who are now the parents and even grandparents of current campers, tell us that they love that we’re still teaching the same, classic camp songs and square dances, still cooking Dutch-oven biscuits over a campfire, and offering many of the same outdoor sports, activities and camp traditions that they remember doing.”

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Founded in 1941 by Bud and Isabelle Brown, Friendly Pines Camp is the longest-running family-owned summer camp in Arizona. The founders’ greatgranddaughter, Megan May, is the camp’s other codirector.

Designed for ages 6 through 14, this coed sleepaway camp continues to offer a wide range of traditional camp activities like horseback riding, waterskiing, rock climbing, performing arts, fine arts, pet care, fencing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, sewing and outdoor ball sports. Children get to select which new activities they want to participate in.

“Sleepaway camp is the ideal training ground for developing resilience or grit,” Nissen says. “At sleepaway camp, boys and girls are encouraged to try new things like riding a horse or waterskiing, or scale the climbing wall. Camp is also a place where children can discover their own inner strength. They learn that maybe, for the first time, they can make their own way in the world. And isn’t that what we really want our kids to know?”

Being “unplugged” and away from device screens is another big reason why parents choose to send their children to Friendly Pines for a couple of weeks.

Nissen says he hears from parents every year that they want their children to socialize and play with other kids face to face, not on social media. They want their kids to enjoy being outdoors. Every afternoon during “siesta,” children read and relax in outdoor hammocks that swing between the pine trees.

While many of the camp’s activities and traditions have remained the same over 80 years, all of the main buildings and cabins have been remodeled and upgraded over the years. Each cabin has its own bathroom and shower. Plus, while many of the same classic camp foods continue to be served, the kitchen staff today is very willing and able to accommodate any child’s dietary needs or restrictions. Unlike back in 1941, today’s cooks regularly prepare foods for campers who are vegan, gluten free and lactose intolerant.

One former camper who is now sending his own three children to Friendly Pines is Jack Murphy, UA’s associate head basketball coach. Murphy was 13 years old and living in Las Vegas when his mother signed him up for two weeks of camp. Murphy enjoyed the experience so much he returned as a camp counselor during the summers of

’98 and ’99.

“Sleepaway camp definitely teaches kids many valuable life lessons that they can’t learn in a classroom,” Murphy says.

“I can’t say enough great things about Friendly Pines Camp.”

This summer, camp will operate from May 23 through August 2. There are four-day, one-week, two-week, fourweek and six-week sessions available.

The camp is also accredited through the American Camp Association and is a member of the Western Association for Independent Camps.

“What we really try to offer kids, though, in addition to lots of new experiences and learning, is a great deal of fun,” Nissen adds. “Unlike a school setting, summer camp is primarily designed to be fun. In fact, most former campers will recall their time at camp as being the most singularly fun time of their lives.”

Friendly Pines Camp Open House, March 28th Friendly Pines Camp, 933 E. Friendly Pines Road, Prescott, 928.445.2128, friendlypines.com, free admission, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

49

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Rodeo Scottsdale continues for the 67th year Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

R

odeo is in Dave Alford’s blood. He rode in the late ’60s and early ’70s, until he fell into rodeo production.

Four decades later, he’s producing the Rodeo Scottsdale, which has bucked its way through town for 67 years. This year’s event is Thursday, March 5, to Sunday, March 8, at WestWorld of Scottsdale.

“We look forward to the rodeo each year, adding more talent and creating a buckin’ fun weekend for all ages that you won’t forget,” says Alford, Rodeo Scottsdale’s general manager. “Over the past six decades, the only thing that

that has changed about the rodeo is the location. We sustain the roots and tradition to keep the rodeo spirit alive.”

Beginning Thursday, March 5, Rodeo Scottsdale’s professional all-bull riding event jumps out of the chute with roping, riding, thrills and spills. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event showcases more than 50 top bull riders competing for their 8 seconds of glory of trying to stay on top of the most highly ranked bulls.

More than 20,000 fans from all over the country will witness more than 500 contestants competing Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoon for tens of thousands of dollars in prize money. The full, traditional rodeo will have seven events, including roping,

barrel racing, bronc and bull riding.

“It’s the rodeo you would have seen in the ’50s and ’60s,” Alford says. “There are not a lot of fireworks and explosions.

It’s a good, clean, wholesome traditional rodeo.”

Other events include the lively Coors Hoedown, which takes place after the rodeo on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and features popular country music for kids of all ages. Country music band Jason Boland and the Stragglers highlights the music scene with a performance on Saturday.

Thursday will feature 50 bull riders, while Friday and Saturday there will be traditional seven events. This is Alford’s 37th year with the rodeo.

“I grew up in Scottsdale,” he says. “I’m

one of those rare natives. As a young kid going into it, when I was a teenager, I competed in rodeo.

“My father was on the original committee that started the rodeo in 1953. It’s pretty much in my blood.”

The tradition of rodeo is what keeps him motivated and inspired.

“Rodeo is a good American tradition,” he says. “With hard work and practice, you get results. My kids are all involved.

I have five kids and they’re very involved in putting on the rodeo, and now my grandkids are, too.”

He remembers the days when Scottsdale schools excused kids from school early to attend the rodeo.

“When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s, they let us out of school early on Fridays to go to the rodeo,” he says. “My sisters and all the girls in school loved it. It was the only day they could wear jeans because there was a dress code.

It’s changed. There aren’t many people raised in the agricultural world or the rodeo world.”

Nevertheless, the event sells out on Saturday night because the interest is there.

“I see a lot of the younger kids getting into rodeo,” he says. “Some make money at it. They work hard and stay healthy and practice. The future of rodeo is bright.”

Rodeo Scottsdale WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480.648.4369, paradadelsol.net, various times Thursday, March 5, to Sunday, March 8, $5-$45.

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50

MUSIC

LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

LIVE MUSIC

CALENDAR Connor Dziawura >> The Entertainer!

MARCH 1 Buddy, Ritchie & The Big Bopper Chandler Center for the Arts, 3 p.m., $30-$40

Francine Reed

The Nash, 3 p.m., $16-$36

Harry Connick Jr.

Arizona Federal Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $48.50-$299

Il Volo

Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater, 7:30 p.m., $65-$125

Innings Festival w/Weezer, Death Cab for Cutie

Tempe Beach Park, 1 p.m., $99-$1,200

James Supercave w/Bogan Via Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

Janiva Magness

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $28.50-$38.50

Jam Session: Dave Henning

The Nash, 6 p.m., $5-$10, or free for instrumentalists and vocalists who sit in

Marmalade Skies

The Rhythm Room, 4 p.m., $15

Olivia O’Brien w/Hey Violet, drumaq

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $22-$42

Overkill

Crescent Ballroom, 7 p.m., $25-$35

Spencer Brown

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

SOB X RBE

Neon Dreams

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $10

One Night in Memphis

MARCH 3

MARCH 6

Beach Bunny

Aaron Loveless

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., sold out

December ’63

Highlands Church, 7:30 p.m., $26-$69

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6 p.m., free

Mesa Arts Center’s Piper Repertory Theater, 7 p.m., $16

Alassane

Mark Zubia

The Allman Betts Band

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Stacey Kent

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $46.50-$56.50

The Wonder Years

Crescent Ballroom, 7 p.m., $25-$35

MARCH 4

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $5 Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $48.50-$63.50

An Awful Mess

Club Red — West Theater, 5:30 p.m., $10-$12

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Blockhead

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $15-$18

A Bowie Celebration

Celebrating Billie Holiday

Chris Renzema

City Morgue

Josh Caballes

Edge Happy Hour: Us 4

Moonmen w/Rocket Steadman, Pop Icons

M3F Fest w/Bon Iver, LANY, Local Natives, San Holo

Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater, 7:30 p.m., $27-$52 Valley Bar, 8 p.m., sold out The Rebel Lounge, 7:30 p.m., $10

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $28.50-$44.50

The Waters

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

The Wood Brothers

MARCH 2

MARCH 5

Highlands Church, 7:30 p.m., $34-$79

Neon

Club Red — West Theater, 7 p.m., $20-$23

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 5 p.m., free

Ann Hampton Callaway

Microwave

Lee Perreira

Walter Trout

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

Club Red — East Theater, 6 p.m., $20-$25

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $22-$32

Sunday A’Fair w/Benjamin Cortez Band, Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns

Anna of the North

DragonForce

Jamestown Revival

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10

Wonder

Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater, 7:30 p.m., $37

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $16-$18

Shady Park, 3 p.m., $20

Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, noon to 4 p.m., free

Davina and the Vagabonds w/Hot Club of Cowtown

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $30-$40

Blake Shelton

Gila River Arena, 7 p.m., $291.97-$493.25

Cal Scruby

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15-$35

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Stage 2, 7:30 p.m., $25 Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., sold out Tempe Center for the Arts, 6 p.m., free

Margaret T. Hance Park, 2 p.m., $80-$475

Palehound

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $13-$15

Yachtley Crew

Marquee Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $20-$40

MARCH 7 The Battle for Officially Unofficial: The Music Industry Showcase South and West of the Other Fest w/Arboroth, Embrace the Sun, None to No One, Better Than Club Red — West Theater, 6 p.m., $13-$15

Bernadette Peters

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., $68-$78

Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10

Drake Bell

Mesa Amphitheatre, 4 p.m., $28-$100

East Valley Jazz Cooperative The Nash, 3 p.m., $5-$15

Escape the Fate

Club Red — East Theater, 6 p.m., $18

Full Moon Festival

The Pressroom, 8:45 p.m., $15-$30

The Higgs

Last Exit Live, 10 p.m., $12-$15

I Love the ’90s w/Montell Jordan, Tone Loc, Young MC, C+C Music Factory feat.

Freedom Williams

Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $40-$155

M3F Fest w/Rüfüs Du Sol, The Growlers, Sofi Tukker Margaret T. Hance Park, 2 p.m., $80-$475

Michael Land

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6:30 p.m., free

Nick Finzer’s Hear & Now The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $11-$36

Repeat Offenders

The Rhythm Room, 5:30 p.m., $10

Social House

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20-$85

The Stone Foxes

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $20

West Valley Jazz Cooperative The Nash, 1 p.m., $5-$15

Yacht Rock Revue

The Van Buren, 9 p.m., $18-$43

MARCH 8 Carvin Jones

The Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $10

Groovin’ Thru the ’60s

Chandler Center for the Arts, 3 p.m., $30-$40

M3F Fest w/Stick Figure, Greensky Bluegrass, The Green, Cory Wong of Vulfpeck Margaret T. Hance Park, 1 p.m., $80-$475

Masters of Hawaiian Music featuring George Kahumoku Jr., Nathan Aweau and Jeff Peterson

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $38.50-$49.50

Miguel Melgoza

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 5 p.m., free

Patrick Topping

Shady Park, 3 p.m., $20

Seratones

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Yves Tumor

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20-$30

Tempe Center for the Arts, 6 p.m., free

MARCH 12

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Ásgeir

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20

Sunday A’Fair w/Rising Sun Daughter, The Senators

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$15

Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, noon to 4 p.m., free

Ultimate Tributes

Mesa Amphitheatre, 12:30 p.m., $28-$100

Uniform w/The Body

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$14

MARCH 9 Avi Kaplan

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $28.50-$38.50

Bambara

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$13

Joel Maze

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Orville Peck

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $25-$125

MARCH 10 Clan of Xymox

Club Red — West Theater, 6:30 p.m., $25-$30

Dan Deacon

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $16

Dreamers’ Circus

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $33.50-$44.50

Jay Allan

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Edge Happy Hour: I Am Root Collective

Buddy Culture Neon

The Elovaters

Fred Forney Quintet

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $11-$31

The Gatlin Brothers

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7 p.m., $42.50-$55.50

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Lane 8

Skerryvore

The Music of Cream

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $33.50-$44.50

Swarthy Pirates

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10

The Van Buren, 9 p.m., $21-$36 Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $35-$45

Whitacre

Valley Bar, 7 p.m., $10

Banana Gun w/Rachel Bachman, Lee Perreira

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10

Buddy Guy

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., $58-$68

Edge Happy Hour: Dirty Sunset Tempe Center for the Arts, 6 p.m., free

Chandler Center for the Arts, 3 p.m., $26-$48

Great Grandpa

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $30.50-$40.50

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $7-$10 Pub Rock Live, 7:30 p.m., $16-$18

Paul Thorn Band

Powerman 5000

Mesa Arts Center’s Piper Repertory Theater, 7:30 p.m., $42

Matthew Thornton

Club Red — West Theater, 6 p.m., $20-$25

The Waters

Nicole Bus

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $38.50-$49.50

Noizu

Elohim

Patrick Sweany

G Herbo

Post Malone

Lee Perreira Reverie

Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $8-$10

The Official Blues Brothers Revue

Highlands Church, 7:30 p.m., $26-$69

Pancho Barraza

Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $45-$120 The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $11-$36

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $33.50-$44.50

Scylla

Club Red — West Theater, 7 p.m., $10

Shining Star Band

Cameron Degurski

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6:30 p.m., free

Cherish the Ladies

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$54.50

Dance Gavin Dance

Trippie Redd The Waters

Dave Riley / Bob Corritore Juke Joint Blues Band

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $11-$42

MARCH 19

Marquee Theatre, 6:30 p.m., $29.50-$39.50

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., sold out

Allan Chase — The Music of Charlie Parker

Melissa Aldana w/The SCC Jazz Orchestra

Young Guv

Tinsley Ellis

MARCH 18

North by North

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $15

MARCH 14

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $45-$99

The Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $18-$20

Good Morning

Vérité

Ivy Queen

While She Sleeps

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 5 p.m., free

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6 p.m., free

MARCH 11

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $49.50-$55

Live from Laurel Canyon

The Nash, 7 p.m., $11-$42

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $18-$69 Shady Park, 3 p.m., $20

Soul Asylum w/Local H

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$14

Third Eye Blind

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $41.50-$46.50

Red Baraat

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $14-$69

Club Red — East Theater, 6:30 p.m., $30-$35

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $13-$15

Lucky Devils

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $28-$30

Lords of Acid

Off with Their Heads

The Nile, 7 p.m., free

Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $10

Thundercat

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15-$80

Cherish the Ladies

AJ Odneal

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 8 p.m., $93.50-$183.50

Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $20-$25

Lauren Sanderson

Apollo Suns

Rebel Shakedown

Pop Smoke

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20

Musical Instrument Museum, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., $38.50-$49.50

Knuckle Puck

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., free

Gashi

MARCH 13

Altan

The Peter & Will Anderson Trio

The Underground, 8 p.m., $25

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10-$12

MARCH 15

Jeffrey Foucault

Last Exit Live, 7:45 p.m., $15-$18

Delta Bombers

Telefon Tel Aviv

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10

51

Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

The Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $15

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Alpin Hong

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20 The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $25-$28 Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25-$99

Pub Rock Live, 9 p.m., $15-$35

MARCH 16

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $8-$10

Hot Chelle Rae

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $26.50-$101.50

Whiskerman

MARCH 20 Casey Hensley

Shooter Jennings

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10-$13

Wonder

The Rebel Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $10-$15

MARCH 17

Tempe Center for the Arts, 6 p.m., free

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $22-$25 Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Amanda Shires

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $38.50-$49.50

André Rieu

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 8 p.m., $69-$119

Brian Chartrand

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and

Dierdre

Edge Happy Hour: Phoenix Conservatory of Music Funk Ensemble Gladys Knight

Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $40-$125

Grouplove

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $30-$35

Spanish Brass w/Chano Domínguez Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Virginia G. Piper Theater, 8 p.m., $36-$55

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE | IN CLOSING 52 Prince Royce “With a Song in My Heart,” MARCH 26 Arizona Federal Theatre, 8 p.m., a Tribute to Doris Day Galactic feat. Anjelika Jelly Joseph $39.50-$778.50 Scottsdale Center for the Performing

Arts’ Stage 2, 7:30 p.m., $25-$28

Young Country

Sunday A’Fair w/Lelea Fonua, Hot House Orchids

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Bloodline

The Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $8-$12

Sarah Peacock

Gila River Arena, 7:30 p.m., $124.75-$1,016.47

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6 p.m., free

Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, noon to 4 p.m., free

MARCH 21

MARCH 23

Brittany Howard

Devin Townsend

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $15

The Van Buren, 7 p.m., $27-$30

Dumbo Gets Mad

Marquee Theatre, 7 p.m., $37-$179

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $14

Edge Happy Hour: Optimystical Tempe Center for the Arts, 6 p.m., free

Hot Club of San Francisco: “John, Paul, George & Django” Tempe Center for the Arts Lakeside, 7:30 p.m., $30-$38

J. Forte

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6:30 p.m., free

Johnny Burgin (a.k.a. Rockin’ Johnny)

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Legends of Freestyle w/Coolio, Rob Base

Killswitch Engage

The Manhattan Transfer

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $33.50-$69.50

Mark Zubia

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

TOMM¥ €A$H

Chandler Center for the Arts, 3 p.m., $28-$48

MARCH 27

Los Amigos Invisibles w/Aterciopelados

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

Bossa Nova 77—A Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $19

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $23-$27

MARCH 24 Buckcherry w/Wade Cota, Black Mountain Project, My Life Sentence, Stereo Rex

Charles Lloyd and Gerald Clayton

Slow Caves

A Step Ahead

Flipturn

The Sugar Thieves

Karen Holloway

The Pressroom, 6 p.m., $28-$30 Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $10-$13 Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Stage 2, 7:30 p.m., $25

Edge Happy Hour: Grupo BombAZo

Tempe Center for the Arts, 6 p.m., free

Eric Rasmussen Quintet

Brent Faiyaz

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $13

MARCH 28 A Concert for Mars w/N17

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $14

Drive-By Truckers

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $17-$27

Tommy Castro & the Painkillers

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $16

MARCH 25

The Rebel Lounge, 7:30 p.m., $10-$13

The Nash, 6 p.m., $5-$10, or free for instrumentalists and vocalists who sit in

The Manhattan Transfer

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $33.50-$69.50

Marc Anthony

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 7 p.m., $61-$499

The Mattson 2

The Rebel Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $13-$15

Miguel Melgoza

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 5 p.m., free

Pax

Shady Park, 3 p.m., $15 ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $18-$20

Corb Lund

Pub Rock Live, 7:30 p.m., $18-$22

Saint PHNX

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $14

Silverstein

Marquee Theatre, 7:15 p.m., $25-$55

Squirrel Nut Zippers

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $30-$40

Thy Art is Murder

Club Red — East Theater, 6:30 p.m., $18-$20

The Waters

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Matthew Thornton

Bad Religion w/Alkaline Trio

MARCH 22

Beach Slang

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $26-$30 Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$14

Jam Session: Stan Sorenson

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 5 p.m., free

The Warning

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $30-$34

Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater, 3 p.m., $16-$25

Sunday A’Fair w/The Tumbleweeds, The Haymarket Squares

MARCH 30

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $23-$27

Shady Park, 3 p.m., $25

The Sugar Thieves

Club Red — East Theater, 6 p.m., $17-$20

Bandemonium

Pan-Pot

Wonder

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6 p.m., free

Kurt Rosenwinkel Caipi Band

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25-$41

The Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $8

Michael Land

Tiger Army w/Twin Temple, Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones

The Nash, 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., $16-$56

Matt Vandal w/Radio Brazil Band

Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, noon to 4 p.m., free

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $40

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $14

Magic Sword w/Dance with the Dead

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $11-$21

Katie Pruitt

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., $38-$58

Folk Legacy Trio

Tommy Castro & the Painkillers

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

The Decibel Magazine Tour w/Mayhem, Abbath

The Tap Pack

Last Exit Live, 6:30 p.m., $15-$75

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Stage 2, 2 p.m., $25-$25

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., $48-$58

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $49.50-$69.50

The Nile, 7 p.m., free

Sunny Sweeney

Charles Lewis Quartet featuring Alice Tatum

Squirrel Flower

Peace Frog — The Doors Tribute

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $10

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $35-$40

Marquee Theatre, 6:15 p.m., $25-$45

The Rebel Lounge, 6:30 p.m., $8-$10

Solace

Celine Dion

Amy Grant

Tempe Center for the Arts Theater, 7:30 p.m., $20-$30

Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $19.95-$25

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

The Van Buren, 8 p.m., $31-$36

Club Red — West Theater, 6 p.m., $20-$23

The Van Buren, 7:30 p.m., $44.99-$47.99

MARCH 29

Flora Cash Gladie Gwar

The Pressroom, 7:30 p.m., $20

Hovenweep

Club Red — West Theater, 7 p.m., $10-$13

Phoenix Symphony: Music of David Bowie

Mesa Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $39-$99

Soul Power Band

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10

Sugar Thieves

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 6:30 p.m., free

Nap Eyes

White Denim

MARCH 31 AJJ

The Pressroom, 8 p.m., $20-$25

Austin Plaine w/Anthony da Costa

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $8-$10

Best Coast

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $22-$32

The Dollyrots

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $15

Jay Allan

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa’s Center Stage Bar, 7:30 p.m., free

Origin

Club Red — West Theater, 6 p.m., $18-$20

Pears

Pub Rock Live, 7:30 p.m., $13

Yip Yops

Young Nudy

Zac Brown Band

Zakir Hussain

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $10-$12 Ak-Chin Pavilion, 7 p.m., $36.50-$700

Club Red — East Theater, 7 p.m., $20-$25 Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $49.50-$69.50

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GOING SOLO Marc Ford is happy doing

UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE | IN CLOSING

his own thing Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

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fter a decade as The Black Crowes’ lead guitarist, Marc Ford is happy to be on his own.

He’s teamed with Eric Lindell for West Coast Reunion, a new project that blends California country, blues and soul. He has a new publishing deal and he’s producing Red Shahan’s record “Fuzz Machine.”

On Friday, March 27, he’ll bring his band to Roosters in Mesa.

“This is very exciting,” Ford says. “It’s wide open. There’s a lot of possibilities.

It feels good after putting so much effort into one area. It’s nice to have these other venues—producing, gigging and writing. It keeps things interesting.”

Ford became interested in guitars in elementary school in Cerritos, California, when he saw his teacher playing during recess.

“I hung around, watching him, and I kind of dug it,” Ford says. “My grandmother then got me a guitar at a swap meet. From then on, I loved it. This is all I wanted to do.”

Ford began his career in Los Angeles in the 1980s with his group Burning Tree, which showed off his guitar virtuosity and songwriting. In 1991, he joined The Black Crowes, for whom he recorded and toured on “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” “Amorica” and “Three Snakes and One Charm.” He rejoined The Black Crowes in 2005 for two-album set “The Lost Crowes.”

His solo career has been just as fruitful. Ford has a handful of albums under his belt as well as an NAACP award for his work on the Ben Harper and Blind Boys of Alabama album “There Will Be a Light.”

A prolific producer, Ford has also performed and recorded with Izzy Stradlin, Gov’t Mule, The Jayhawks, The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, Federale, Widespread Panic, Blue Floyd, Booker T. Jones, Ivan Neville and Heartbreaker Mike Campbell.

Ford says he never goes out looking for bands to play with or to produce. They

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find him.

“I tend to just come across them through mutual contacts, or I happen to hear or see somebody,” he says. “I have to understand what the artist is trying to do. If I get a sense of what they want and the feel of the thing and I feel I can add something, I get involved.”

Ford is excited about his project with Americana singer-songwriter Lindell.

“I thought we’d give it a try and do some shows together, and that’s looking promising,” he says. “We hadn’t seen each other in quite a few years. We started moving forward, without any plans or any knowledge of what it’s going to sound like. We spent the last weekend together and everything went really well.

“We did one song Saturday morning, just to see what would happen. It’s a cool, mellower vibe that we came up with.”

Ford doesn’t find it easy to write, especially on the road. So he needs sessions like these.

“I find that most of my real writing— because it’s a chore for me to concentrate on something and settle down—has to be a crisis situation,” he says.

“Sometimes it has to bubble up so much that I need to sort it out or get it out. I have to be pressured to concentrate, I guess.”

Although he’s doing the solo thing right now, Ford admits being a sideman isn’t all that bad.

“I dig being a sideman, too,” he says. “I get to where I need to do the other thing to keep things fresh. It becomes too rote.

Then I don’t do anybody any service, just standing there playing, and I don’t want to be there.

“I’m excited to play behind other folks. I like to play with anybody I can learn from, really. That’s the whole thing about being a musician. It’s never ending. I love finding new people who have something fresh to share. Those things move me.”

Marc Ford Band w/Jim Bachmann and the Day Drinkers Roosters Country, 3731 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.985.4088, 7 p.m., $15.

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This is How He Does It—Now Montell Jordan is a man of faith, not partying Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

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ontell Jordan promises the hits during the “I Love the ’90s Tour” stop with Tone Loc, Young MC and C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams.

But it’s not all about fun and games any longer.

“With the tour, I only have a little time to share a lot of information,” Jordan says. “You’ll get the nostalgic Montell Jordan party records like ‘This is How We Do It’ and the ballads.

“You’ll also hear songs off my new album called ‘Masterpeace.’ It’s a new album that’s the soundtrack to the marriage ministry my wife and I have been doing over the past few years.”

“Masterpeace” features gospel rapper Lecrae; Tedashii; Jordan’s wife, Kristin; and his child, Skyler. The ministry promotes and encourages couples to keep dating in their marriage and spiritually strengthen their faith in God to have more faith in each other.

Jordan says the album is filled with R&B songs from the heart of a man who loves God, his wife and his family. The project is designed to reach beyond the four walls of the church and to inspire love and closer relationship in marriages by intentionally sharing thoughts from a more spiritual perspective.

“My wife and I wrote a book a couple years ago, ‘This is How We Do It! Making Your Marriage a Masterpeace,’” he says. “It’s designed to help couples desire to be married, go into marriage with an eternal strategy, as opposed to an exit strategy.”

The Jordans have been married for 26 years and have encountered welldocumented ups and downs.

“A lot of people are ready to pull the ripcord on the relationship,” Jordan says.

“God blessed us to stay together. We feel like we share so much we can make it last forever.

“A lot of that is my wife and I speaking

together, touring together and doing marriage conferences and date nights.

We’re equipped to have better lives together. People who are single can have a greater love for themselves and those who aspire to be married in the future, if that’s something they want. Living a married life is a beautiful thing.”

Jordan went into full-time ministry in 2011, and that changed his career and his world. He says it was necessary to continue living, as he really “wasn’t alive.”

Music defined Jordan, and outside of that, he didn’t know who he was, he explains.

“I’m writing from a different standpoint,” he says. “A lot of my prior songs were songs I was using to glorify and bring fame and notoriety to myself.

Now it’s geared toward notoriety to the name of Jesus. I’m a Christian. I’m refocusing.

“I was writing about a bunch of women—multiple women. Now I write about one woman. It’s changed for me.

The perspective I write from is a guy who loves God, his wife, his family, his children and his legacy.”

The change allowed him to see himself without a mic.

“I am a son, a husband, a father, friend and a giver,” Jordan adds. “There are songs I don’t sing. I don’t drink anymore.

I’m buzzed all the time because of God. The songs are customizable. I’ll say, ‘This is how we do it, Phoenix.’

“I do love these nostalgia tours, though—not for the sake of touring, but for the sake of letting me sing the praises of God and how he did something really cool with me. God changed me and made it so amazing now. I’m alive.”

Montell Jordan w/Tone Loc, Young MC and C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, 602.267.1600, celebritytheatre.com, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 7, $40-$80.

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UPFRONT | CITY | TRAVEL | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | CASINOS | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE | IN CLOSING

RIDING LIKE THE WIND

Yacht rockers bring choreography and singalongs to the Marquee Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

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rummer Rob Jones of Yächtley Crëw—who docks at the Marquee Theater on Friday, March 6—hears one thing about his shows: they’re fun.

Donning sailor garb, the Los Angelesbased band plays soft rock and top-shelf hits of the late ’70s to the early ’80s.

Think Christopher Cross, Hall & Oates and Toto.

“Whether we’re doing small corporate events or a theater or an amphitheater or festivals or smaller clubs, everyone says it’s fun,” Jones says.

“We didn’t set out here to try to win a Grammy. We just want to entertain and have fun. The songs are referred to as ‘soft rock,’ but we bring a little more energy to them, especially live. We’re not a ‘party band,’ but it’s a fun, festive show with choreography, wardrobe changes and audience participation, which I think is really important.”

It’s “soft rock,” but there’s nothing simplistic about the music, Jones says.

Bands like Toto are virtuosic musicians.

“A lot of these songs are very challenging,” Jones adds. “When we were coming up with songs, I said, ‘Let’s do Toto. That sounds like fun.’

Jesus, these songs are a little more challenging than I thought. Songs by Toto and Kenny Loggins, they are pretty challenging. The guitar player says even some of the chords are jazz structured.”

Before it was selling out clubs and theaters, Yächtley Crëw had problems booking gigs. Nobody was playing its type of music, which many find to be guilty pleasures.

“It’s the mixtape you’d never put in your car if you were going on the hottest date in your life,” Jones says with a laugh. “What hot date wants to hear ‘Maneater’ or ‘Ride Like the Wind’?

“When we started the band, it was really for fun. We were just musicians and it was just a side band, if you will, that just dominated everything we do, including our day jobs.”

Jones explains that Yächtley Crëw isn’t a parody.

“That’s not it at all,” he says. “We just try to take it to a different level of showmanship. We want there to be value in the show. We’re entertaining.

We’re not trying to rewrite ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’

“We’re playing feel-good music for people who enjoy that.

They aren’t looking for $2 Pabst Blue Ribbons. We have a good demographic who enjoys having a good time. If you can get 500 or 5,000 people singing ‘Africa,’ that’s awesome.

It’s not our song, but we’re doing our best to rep that and do it justice.”

Yächtley Crëw provides the light moments for the divided nation, Jones says. When fans hear nostalgic songs, it automatically brings a smile.

“When we’re performing and everyone is singing along, no one cares about politics or any issues going on because they’re having so much fun,” he says.

“We provide that escape for a couple hours.”

Yächtley Crëw w/Wide Awake: A Tribute to U2 and Vintage Clothes The Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe, 480.829.0607, luckymanonline.com, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 6, $20-$40.

LEGENDS OF FREESTYLE Rob Base and Coolio will party like it’s 1988 Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

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apper Rob Base didn’t think his 1988 hit with DJ E-Z Rock, “It Takes Two,” would ever be a hit, let alone a legendary smash, when they wrote it.

“When we were putting our records together, we were putting them together for the neighborhood we grew up in, maybe the tri-state area,” Base says with a laugh about New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“Then it (‘It Takes Two’) got bigger than big. We didn’t know it would be all over the world. Hip-hop was still building up. Songs like that weren’t around at that time. We just wanted to be different.”

Base will perform the song with a coheadlining show “Legends of Freestyle,” with Coolio at the Tempe Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 21.

“It should be fun,” he says. “We’re definitely going to bring back the old school. There’s going to be a lot of audience participation and we’ll be

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hitting them with the classics. It’s going to be a good time. Every time I hit that stage, it feels like 1988 again.”

The only thing missing is DJ E-Z Rock, who died in 2014 after a diabetic seizure at age 46.

“I definitely miss him,” Base says. “We were best friends since the fourth grade.

He’s not physically there with me, but it feels like he’s still with us.”

At “Legends of Freestyle,” Base says it’s fun mingling with the crowd, which is a healthy dose of those who grew up listening to Base and Coolio and their children.

“What’s so special is some of the kids weren’t even born when the records came out,” Base says. “They know the songs word for word. They know the songs from their parents playing it around the house. Like, for example, when I was growing up, my parents played James Brown and stuff like that.”

He’s looking forward to visiting Arizona.

“I love being in Arizona,” he says.

“They always show me mad love out there. They definitely know how to party.”

“Legends of Freestyle” with Coolio and Rob Base Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, 480.350.2822, tempecenterforthearts.com, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, $20-$30.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

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Dave Pirner gets emotional on Soul Asylum’s new record Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> The Entertainer!

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ave Pirner is frustrated.

He has very little time to prepare for Soul Asylum’s tour with Local H but he has much to do.

“It’s difficult to psyche myself up about it, I suppose,” Pirner says. “It’s a long tour and I have a lot of crap I’m trying to take care of like going to the dentist.”

Once that’s out of his system, he lightens up and becomes excited about the jaunt—even joking around about Soul Asylum’s set.

“It’s a 90-minute show and quality entertainment at least,” he says with a laugh. “We are playing some new stuff and some different old stuff. We’re going to come out guns a blazing.”

Soul Asylum, who comes to the Marquee Theater on Sunday, March 15, is touring in support of its new single, “Dead Letter” (Blue Elan Records). The single will appear on its forthcoming album “Hurry Up and Wait,” due out April 17.

“It’s a little on the acoustic side,” Pirner says about “Hurry Up and Wait.” “It’s very straightforward. It’s pretty raw.

I didn’t really try to overthink it. It’s just very unguarded. It’s a little more emotional and less angry.”

“Dead Letter” marks the first new music from the Minneapolis-based act since the release of 2016’s “Change of Fortune.”

“Dead Letter is contemplative and certainly not a party anthem, but there are other sentiments in life that frequently go unspoken for,” he says. “It’s the message of the unheard people whose voices often fall on deaf ears.”

Spanning three decades, Soul Asylum’s indie success led to the band entering the major-label mainstream with 1988’s “Hang Time” and its 1990 follow-up “And the Horse They Rode In On,” before achieving a platinum-level commercial breakthrough with 1992’s “Grave Dancers Union” and 1995’s “Let Your Dim Light Shine.”

“Grave Dancers Union” featured Grammy-winning “Runaway Train” and “Black Gold.” “Let Your Dim Light Shine” spawned the hit “Misery.” After

1998’s “Candy from a Stranger,” Soul Asylum returned to action in 2006 with “The Silver Lining,” “Delayed Reaction” six years later and most recently with 2016’s “Change of Fortune.”

For “Hurry Up and Wait,” Pirner— who’s joined in the band by drummer Michael Bland, lead guitarist Ryan Smith and bassist Wynston Roye—says his musician friends helped him focus on the task at hand.

“That made it a pretty good experience,” he says. “It came together in a way that was effortless at this point in my life. I tried not to worry so much.”

Soul Asylum worked with producer John Fields, who has collaborated with the Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot, Pink, Har Mar Superstar, Miley Cyrus, Drake

Bell, Andrew W.K., Busted and Demi Lovato.

“John Fields is very fluid,” he says.

“There’s not a lot of dicking around. He likes to move fast and that helps with the flow and the spontaneity. We keep with each other pretty good.”

“Hurry Up and Wait” kicks off with the song “The Beginning,” which Pirner says is his favorite right now.

“We were going to put it at the end of the album because that’s how stupid our sense of humor is,” he adds. “It has a different vibe to it. It’s electric and up tempo. It doesn’t remind me of anything I’ve ever written.”

Pirner is also gearing up to unveil his new book entitled “Loud, Fast, Words,” an annotated collection of lyrics with

an essay about each of his albums set to release in February 2020 via MNHS Publishing (Minnesota Historical Society).

Thinking about his lyrics and the stories they tell often gets Pirner choked up.

“I get into the head of a song so much that it starts to make me feel too much like I did when I wrote it,” he says. “I fall into some sort of weird time vortex.”

Soul Asylum w/Local H 9 p.m. Friday, March 13 Marquee Theater, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe, 480.829.0607, luckymanonline.com, 7 p.m., tickets start at $25.

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NIGHTLIFE

SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE

AREZZONA w/Rezz

NIGHTLIFE

CALENDAR Haley Lorenzen >> The Entertainer!

Spencer Brown

MARCH 1 At only 24 years old, this DJ’s magical-sounding, fresh dance tracks provide a unique escape in the world of EDM. Based in San Francisco, Spencer Brown made his live debut at Avicii’s 2013 Hollywood Bowl show, and since then has played festivals around the world.

Brown is also renowned for his three- to six-hour extended sets.

Shady Park, 26 E. University Drive, Tempe, 480.474.4222, shadyparktempe.com, 3 p.m., tickets start at $25, 21 and older.

Sango

MARCH 5 This Seattle-based producer is known for his creative blend of hip-hop, soul, chill-hop and even Brazilian funk. Producing music since he was only 12 years old, Sango is well known for his remixes of artists such as Aaliyah, Drake and The Weeknd, as well as his own original tracks. Not only does he work as a music producer, Sango is also known for his work as a graphic designer, and has designed all of his own album art.

The Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, 602.716.2222, crescentphx.com, 8 p.m., tickets starting at $22.

Patrick Topping

MARCH 8 With techno and house tracks that burst with energy, this British DJ’s sets are sure to have you shuffling all night long. After beginning his

career in his hometown of Newcastle in 2012, Topping has racked up plenty of awards, including one DJ Mag “Best of British” award.

Recently, he has also created his own music label, TRICK. Shady Park, 26 E. University Drive, Tempe, 480.474.4222, shadyparktempe.com, 3 p.m., tickets start at $20, 21 and older.

Autograf

MARCH 13 Since releasing its debut EP in 2016, this trio has made a name for themselves in the dance music scene with their futuristic, emotive house tracks. Composed of Jake Carpenter, Louis Kha and Mikul Wing, the three haven’t always been music producers, with Carpenter and Wing both formally working as artists, and Kha as a stock trader.

Sunbar, 24 W. Fifth Street, Tempe, facebook.com/ sunbartempe, 9 p.m., tickets start at $15, 21 and older.

Louisahhh

MARCH 13 Louisahhh isn’t subtle. Born in Paris, this DJ is known for hard-hitting acid techno, and often provides vocals on her own songs. Although her debut album was only released a few years ago, she is no stranger to the dance music scene, having found her way into the scene after sneaking into New York City nightclubs beginning when she was only 17 years old.

Dvina Modern Fare, 918 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, 10 p.m., Tickets start at $15, 21 and older.

MARCH 14 One of the hottest DJs on the scene right now, Rezz is coming to the Valley for her own headlining show at AREZZONA, along with support from G Jones, CharlesTheFirst, Of the Trees and Youms. Rezz is known for her hard-hitting yet minimal bass tracks and selling out her headlining shows across the globe. This Canadian DJ’s fan base is so loyal, they’ve earned the moniker “Cult of Rezz.”

Rawhide Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, 480.502.5600, rawhide.com, 6 p.m., tickets start at $40, 16 and older.

Lane 8

MARCH 14 Blending dreamy house beats and woozy flows, this Denver-based producer makes tracks that both make you want to sit back and relax, and dance at the same time.

Born Daniel Goldstein, his work transcends typical EDM music, having received support from artists such as The Magician and Odesza.

Lane 8 is also known for banning phones at his shows and encourages fans to focus on the music instead.

The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, 480.659.1641, thevanburenphx.com, 9 p.m., tickets start at $21, 18 and older.

Noizu

MARCH 15 As one of the newer names in dance music, Noizu has sure made a name for himself. After signing to Skrillex and Chris Lake’s label HOWSLA in 2017, the Los Angeles-based DJ has released a slew of singles, both original and remixes. At this show, Noizu will be supported by another up-and-coming DJ, Kyle Walker.

Shady Park, 26 E. University Drive, Tempe, 480.474.4222, shadyparktempe.com, 3 p.m., tickets start at $20, 21 and older.

The Insider’s Guide to Arizona Entertainment

12th Planet

MARCH 20 For over a decade, 12th Planet has been one of the most influential DJs in dubstep, having once been called the “Los Angeles dubstep god” by Rolling Stone. Born John Dadzie, he got his start in Los Angeles in 2006, and is known for his heavy, industrial combination of dubstep and trap.

Sunbar, 24 W. Fifth Street, Tempe, facebook.com/ sunbartempe, 9 p.m., tickets start at $20, 21 and older.

Pax

MARCH 22 This U.K.-based duo smashed their way into the EDM scene five years ago and have shown no signs of stopping since. Composed of Aaron Taylor and Charles Robinson, the two are known for their danceable, rhythmic tech house tracks, as well as their dozens of popular remixes.

Shady Park, 26 E. University Drive, Tempe, 480.474.4222, shadyparktempe.com, 3 p.m., tickets start at $15, 21 and older.

Odd Mob

MARCH 28 Since his debut in 2013, this Australian producer has developed his own genre-bending style of future bass, bright techno and danceable house. Although he is yet to release a full-length album, Odd Mob has racked up millions of streams on Spotify and has played festivals across the globe, including Coachella and EDC Las Vegas.

Dvina Modern Fare, 918 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, facebook.com/ dvinamodernfarephx, 10 p.m., tickets start at $10, 21 and older.

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MAD MIXOLOGIST M THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

Alison Bailin Batz >> The Entertainer!

itch Lyons is part of the brain trust that recently opened Century Grand, which is already earning acclaim as one of the major upand-coming food and beverage concepts in the country. We recently sat down with Lyons to learn a little bit more about both his ascent in Arizona’s cocktail culture as well as the space, which has three separate concepts under one roof.

LET’S TALK CENTURY GRAND ITSELF FIRST—THREE CONCEPTS? Yes! There are three concepts inside of the Century Grand space. And… they are all thanks to a wholly different concept called CounterIntuitive. While no longer around, CounterIntuitive was essential to us because it allowed us to ideate concepts with a very different point of view, concepts with history and fictional narratives at the heart of each bar and menu idea. Each of our three unique experiences inside Century evolved from the same philosophy we garnered at CounterIntuitive. First, there is Century Grand’s dining room, which has seating for 32 inside and 20 on the patio and is designed to transport all who enter into an art deco version of 1920s train station. There, guests

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can enjoy both food and drink inspired by that period. Then, there is Platform 18, the immersive, elevated cocktail bar. Platform 18 is a replica of a 1926 Presidential Pullman train car, complete with 16 “windows” that take guests on a journey through snowy Colorado terrain, thanks to modern technology. Finally, there is Grey Hen, a period-themed whiskey bar and retail bottle shop with 85 single barrels of whiskey from across the United States as well as a total of 400 different whiskies for purchase.

NOW, BEFORE WE GET BACK TO YOUR WORK BEHIND THE BAR, SHARE A BIT MORE ABOUT YOU. I was born and raised in the Southeast Valley, primarily Mesa and then Gilbert for high school. While I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I entered Northern Arizona University upon graduating from Gilbert High School in 2009.

While living in Flagstaff, I took on my first bartending jobs, first at Buster’s and then at Collins and Maloney’s. After school, things got interesting. Though I studied business and marketing, I took about a year to travel the world, helping restaurateurs open bars in Costa Rica, Australia and New Zealand. Once back, I did attempt to work in marketing, which lasted all of one week before I made my way back behind the bar for good. In the Valley, I worked for Fox Restaurant Concepts and Breadfruit Rum Bar—where I really fell in love with the true craft of food and drink— before helping to open UnderTow in 2015, and now Century Grand in late 2019.

TELL US ABOUT THE ODDEST DRINK REQUEST YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN. While working in Australia, there was a big sandcastle competition near our bar. So, for some reason, we were tasked with using seawater— as in, taken from the actual ocean and then distilled—as a

HCP 1 oz. Holy Grass Scented Lustau Mazanilla Sherry 1 oz. R. Jelínek Fernet 1 oz. Sazerac 6 Year Rye Whiskey 3/4 oz. Aperol Aperitivo Dragon’s Blood Sap Masala Chai Tea Red Apple Essence Strawberry Lemon Juice

primary ingredient in a cocktail. Talk about earthiness and minerality, and not necessarily in a good way! As an added challenge, all of the accompanying ingredients were required to be local to Australia as well.

WHAT IS YOUR NO. 1 PET PEEVE WHEN WORKING? My job is to help you create your own adventure. So, it’s always vexing when guests come in and don’t want to have a full experience, allowing us to have some fun and be creative with them.

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO DRINK— OR DRINKS—WHEN YOU’RE AT A BAR OTHER THAN YOUR OWN? I will honestly drink anything that my brother Casey, who is also in the business and is leading a concept in Huntington Beach, dreams up. Locally, I am partial to UnderTow and So Far, So Good’s cocktails. Oh, and I’ve had a sneak peek

at some of the recipes that will debut at the almost-open Killer Whale Sex Club on Roosevelt and Sixth Street Downtown, and they are impressive.

WHAT IS ONE COCKTAIL YOU WOULD LOVE FOR US TO FEATURE IN THE MAGAZINE THIS MONTH? HCP ($12)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS DRINK? It is on our low-ABV menu, which is a term for low alcohol. Because there are so many great bars so close to ours, we want to inspire folks to explore around various menus and have some fun, but we want them to do it responsibly.

Century Grand 3626 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, centurygrandphx.com, 602.739.1388 (text only) ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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IN CLOSING

FUN » FACTS » LEARN » SHARE » PLAY

CELEBRITY WAITERS

Arizona Coyotes players traded their hockey sticks for serving trays on January 27 at the team’s Celebrity Waiters event at Maple & Ash in Scottsdale. Hockey headliners served food and wine as patrons dished about the 2019-2020 season. A cocktail reception, dinner, silent and live auction benefitted the Arizona Coyotes Foundation, which funds charities that help kids and first responders. Photos by Janelle Etzel.

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1. Coyotes players pose for a shot before the charity evening began; 2. Clayton Keller, Jakob Chychrun and Christian Dvorak pose for a photo; 3. Alexandra Davis, Sydney McClure, Rachel Rush, Claire Stewart and Ashley Dazel had dinner with the Coyotes for charity; 4. Oliver Ekman-Larsson breaks for an interview; 5. Vinnie Hinostroza tries his hand at pouring drinks; 6. Derek Stepan channels Tom Cruise in “Cocktail” with a few tricks; 7. Ilya Lybushkin smiles for the camera.

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BEST LUNCH UNDER $7.00 (Total Bill)

THE ORIGINAL FISH & CHIPS

Family Owned & Operated Since 1947

Pete’s Has Been Serving Deep Fried Goodness For Over 73 Years!

March 23rd is our 73rd Anninversary The fish we serve is mild, flakey & delicious!

Even the kids love it!

Crispy white meat chicken tenders & nuggets Our onion rings are made fresh daily, never frozen!

Burgers, Dogs & Burritos too!

22 South Mesa Drive, Mesa • 480.964.7242 3920 South Central, Phoenix • 602.268.1828 1017 East Apache Blvd, Tempe • 480.968.6265 4121 North 44th Street, Phoenix • 602.840.0630 1111 East Buckeye, Phoenix • 602.252.9341 5516 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale • 623.937.6001 2628 West Van Buren, Phoenix • 602.278.3351 9309 West Van Buren, Tolleson • 623.936.3111 Our Prices Can’t Be Beat! 8 Convenient Locations Drive-Thru/Take-Out Our Specialty

www.petesfishandchips.com

April 15-19, 2020 Available at this price through April 15, 10, 2020 2019.

Buy yours online. $30 onsite during fair.

Does not include fair admission or fees.

APRIL11-15, 2018 Available at this price through April 12, 2018.

Buy yours online. $30 onsite during fair.

Does not include fair admission or fees.

MARCH 11-14, 2020 • 1,500 VEHICLES STATE FARM STADIUM • GLENDALE, AZ

1967 DODGE CHARGER RESTO MOD 528/651 HP, Professional Build

CONSIGN OR REGISTER TO BID

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For Complete Auction Consignment or Bidding Information go to Mecum.com or call 262-275-5050