The Entertainer! Magazine - October 2020

PHX METRO » OCTOBER 2020

AMPLIFIED SUCCESS

Drew Foppe’s work ethic is an 11, musicians say

THE STRUTS

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

CONTENTS

5

AMPLIFIED SUCCESS

8

ON THE COVER

Drew Foppe’s work ethic is an 11

7 POLO WITH A PURPOSE

World-renowned event returns with social distancing and new charities

15

BOLD, BRAZEN AND BRILLIANT

B3 Theater taps JP Clemente for new role on the cover: Drew Foppe Cover photo by Tim Sealy

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

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

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Michael Hiatt mhiatt@timespublications.com

Executive Editor

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

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Assistant Editor Connor Dziawura

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designer

Shannon Mead

SAYING ‘THANK YOU’

Carefree Restaurant Week celebrates its dedicated following

production manager Courtney Oldham

production@timespublications.com

circulation director Aaron Kolodny

aaron@entertainermag.com

CONTENTS UPFRONT

6

Michael Des Barres • The Stella Artois Polo Classic • Drew Foppe • Vessl • Material Issue

CITY

28

Contributing Photographers

15

A TRIBUTE TO HIS MOM

B3 Theater • Arizona Broadway Theater • Faly Rakotohavana • Alwun House • Phoenix Art Museum

DINING

22

Carefree Restaurant Week • National Cookie Month • How to Eat European

BEER AND WINE

26

Beer Pairings • Hello Merlot

SPORTS

28

Patrick Peterson • PCH Virtual 5K • D-backs Race Against Cancer • DreamTeam Academy

FAMILY

Patrick Peterson feeds the less advantaged on Tuesdays

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31

Pumpkin Patch Roundup • Schnepf Farms

MUSIC

33

Aloe Blacc • The Struts • The Verve Pipe • The Beach Boys

NIGHTLIFE Stefan Pruett

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

37

Staff Photographer Pablo Robles

12

Otto D’Agnolo • Matt Lloyd • Scottsdale International Film Festival

ARTS

contributing writers

Alison Bailin Batz, Adianna Bermudez, Kristine Cannon, Andrew Checchia, Griffin Fabits, Kamala Kirk, Bridgette Redman, Kendall Rooker, Victoria Stibrik, Annika Tomlin.

FALL HAS ARRIVED

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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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UPFRONT

PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE

CARVING A PATH Michael Des Barres just wants to be himself

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

S

inger Michael Des Barres doesn’t see success as a trophy or an award. The Pasadena, California, resident considers it something very different.

“What is success?” he says rhetorically.

“It’s not a gold, symbolic prize. It’s not double platinum. It’s being able to love yourself enough to be loved. That’s the ultimate award.”

That’s also the takeaway from the new documentary, “Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be?,” which is available on multiple on-demand platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play/YouTube Rentals, Comcast, Cox, Spectrum, Cablevision, iTunes, Microsoft Store and Vudu.

He’s found happiness with his third wife, Britta Hayertz, owner of LA’s Britta Morgan Pilates, and he calls his son, Nick, his confidante.

“I trust him more than I trust everybody,” says Des Barres, who was formerly married to Nick’s mother, Pamela Des Barres, reportedly one of the inspirations behind the “Almost Famous” character Penny Lane.

“I trust everybody until they become untrustworthy. You can see the disguise very quickly and then you reassemble your thoughts.

“We can tell each other what time it really is. I don’t have to boost his confidence and he with mine. One of the greatest spiritual functions is making amends. You call them up, send a pigeon, say, ‘Yeah, my bad. I love you.’”

Loving himself came with sobriety, which came in June 1981. In the mid-1980s, he co-founded Rock Against Drugs, and he later did volunteer addiction counseling and worked with homeless teens.

PARENTLESS “Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be?” tells the entertainer’s story. He’s the son of a junkie aristocrat (Marquis Philip Des Barres) and a schizophrenic showgirl (Marquise Irene Des Barres), as he says. He was born and raised in Hove, Sussex, England, and attended a boarding school in Derbyshire.

“When you’re born into a world with

no parents, you tend to really be very, very conscious and aware of what’s going on around you,” Des Barres says. “There’s nobody to tell you what’s going on around you or explain to you what’s happening.

You discover the joy of people and the foibles of people and the animalistic side of human nature. And one learns quickly how to take care of yourself.”

A host of eyewitnesses, including Gabriel Byrne, Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols), Don Johnson, John Taylor (Duran Duran), Nigel Harrison (Blondie), Allison Anders, Ed Begley Jr., Pamela Des Barres and Steven Van Zandt all join in to corroborate Des Barres’ tale.

Director J. Elvis Weinstein, a veteran television writer/producer (“MST3K,” “Freaks and Geeks”), says, “I’d never met anyone quite like Michael, he confounded my expectations. In an age of ‘toxic narcissism,’ I found instead in Michael what I would call ‘a benevolent narcissist,’ someone who rewards your attention by reflecting his attention and enthusiasm back on you.”

Des Barres has carved a path through show business with record deals over the last 50 years, and acting in more than a hundred TV and movie appearances.

His roller coaster career began with acting in “To Sir, With Love,” with Sidney Poitier, and includes lead roles in “Ghoulies” and “MacGyver.” He was signed to Led Zeppelin’s label by Jimmy Page; wrote the omnipresent hit “Obsession,” later covered by Animotion; and performed at “Live Aid,” fronting the Power Station.

He replaced the great Robert Palmer in the Power Station—which also featured Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, bassist John Taylor and drummer Tony Thompson—when the “Addicted to Love” singer preferred not to tour.

“I knew him 10 years before, when he was in Vinegar Joe,” Des Barres says. “I loved him. We were quite close, but he was in the Marvin Gaye world and I was in the Steve Marriott world.

“It was two very different things. He was very subdued and a crooner. When I was in Chequered Past, I opened for Duran Duran and Andy said he remembered me. They watched us because they loved Jonesy (Jones of the

Sex Pistols). When Robert said, ‘Look, I don’t think I’m comfortable singing to 60,000 topless girls,’ he recommended me. They called me to come to New York, I met John and Tony, met Andy, who had the final say as he was the leader of that pack. Boom, boom, boom, my first gig was Live Aid.” He says he wasn’t nervous at all about taking Palmer’s place after The Power Station scored the hits “Some Like It Hot” and “Get It On.” “I jumped up on stage fearless,” he says. “What else are you going to do? I had big shoes to fill, but I wasn’t going to do an impersonation of Robert Palmer.

‘Some Like It Hot’ just got hotter.”

Des Barres continues to act and preach the “rock ’n’ roll gospel” on Sirius XM on “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” to an audience of millions.

“They’re my friends out there,” he says.

“There are 5 million every day. I use the same vibe for them as I do to myself.

It’s a wonderful educative, entertaining feeling. Whatever happened to me in those younger years paid off.

“I’m lucky. I get to work here in my house. I have a studio in my house. I’ve been doing a lot of music, and it’s the

best music I’ve ever made—but I always think like that. The song I wrote this morning is the greatest thing I’ve ever written. I’ve been writing this book of poetry for years. I love the romantic Lord Byron, Keats and Shelley.”

Des Barres has lived in Pasadena for three years, leaving “horrible” Hollywood behind.

“It’s a rat race of ambition and poison, on top of which is coated in dust,” he says.

“I lived there for years. When I got this wonderful gig with Stevie, I said I was going to buy a (expletive) huge house and put a studio in it and stay right there. I’ve been lucky. I said, ‘Let’s get acreage and trees and hammocks.’ I did that.

“It was prescient because of what was going down, this dreadful fight that we’re having with both culture and division, the pain, the inequality, the injustice and the COVID. This is a double header—a punch to the stomach and the heart. The birth of Hollywood really was here. All the great stars all have houses out here. Life is what you learn from it. That’s been my credo and why I’m still here. I’m 72 years old. I’m Lestat’s brother. I’m a vampire with a heart in the right place.”

POLO WITH A PURPOSE

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

7

World-renowned event returns with social distancing and new charities

By Kamala Kirk

S

ince 2011, the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships has been the United States’ premier polo event, attracting thousands of people from around the world, including top polo players, sponsors and celebrities.

This year’s event will return on Saturday, November 7, under a new name The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented by Ketel One, accompanied by socially distanced safety measures and a focus on helping charities, schools and nonprofits.

“This year we wanted to send a different message to everyone,” says Jason Rose, the event’s co-founder and co-owner. “We still want people to come

out and have a great time, but things are going to be a little different due to the current environment. We’ve had to balance everything in order to put together this year’s event. Next year, we expect to return to our original name and event.”

The Polo Classic will be held at WestWorld of Scottsdale at 10:30 a.m. with three polo matches. Arizona Polo Club and Andres Camacho Castilla will play Colombia in the featured match.

The signature charity match—The EPR Polo introduces The Celebrity Cruises Match Up supporting Arizona Equine Rescue and Southwest Wildlife—will be the day’s highest-goal polo match and will feature pro polo players John Gobin and Jared Sheldon.

“We have some professional polo players participating in our featured match that have never played at the event before, so we’re very excited that some of the best polo players in the world will be able to experience this unique event for the first time,” Rose says.

For the first time, Morehouse College Polo Club, from the private historically Black college in Atlanta, will play in the event against the Women’s All-Stars for a “Battle of the Sexes” match.

“Our event has always been progressive, and we partner with the African American community every year in innovative ways,” Rose says. “We’re happy to have Morehouse College, which Martin Luther King Jr. attended and was the first historically Black college to have a polo team, joining us this year.”

Attendees can also look forward to the presence of local restaurants and food trucks; a selection of unique sculptures by acclaimed artist Pete Deise; the Molina Fine Jewelers VIP Lounge; Sanderson Lincoln Black Label Lounge; the Barrett-Jackson Outdoor Polo & Jazz Lounge; and a display of collector cars, including McLarens. Between matches, The World’s Longest Catwalk Fashion Show will be presented by Phoenix Fashion Week, as well as The Lugari Canine Couture Dog Fashion Show.

New sponsors for this year’s event include Celebrity Cruises, Mark-Taylor Residential, Bud Light Seltzer and McLaren Scottsdale. Another sponsor is the “Million Dollar Mingle,” a highprofile luxury fundraising organization led by former NFL player AC Caswell, which brings together pro athletes,

celebrities and others to raise money for nonprofits.

Due to COVID-19, limited tickets will be available for the 2020 event and must be purchased in advance as a result of new safety protocols. In lieu of its oversized tents, the Polo Classic will be entirely open air with umbrellas and feature an extensive social distancing plan that includes expanded sideline parking and lawn seating, an elevated South Road seating option, and reserved seating areas with more space between tables. Other measures and protocols will include mandatory masks, temperature checks and sanitation stations.

In addition to rigorous reviews by the Scottsdale police, fire and tourism officials, the event was also certified

by HealthyVerify, a medically based, scientific and professional full-service certification company that has partnered with ASU and Barrow Neurological Institute to help minimize the spread of infectious diseases. By going a step further with the additional verification, Rose wants to ensure guests’ comfort, safety and confidence during the event.

“This year we want to let the event breathe, and we’ve expanded our sideline parking, which people love because you can drive your car right up to the field,” he says. “We’ve also done away with our Birds Nest area at the entrance, where people would dance and drink amidst all the action. We still have some spectacular VIP sections, and we’ve also created space for charities so they can raise money at the event.”

Charities and nonprofits are the other main focus of this year’s event, which

is dedicated to helping schools and organizations whose fundraising and operations were devasted in the past months. The Polo Classic is offering the chance for local charities to raise money utilizing its unique platform and event, and all participating organizations will keep all of the revenue generated from ticket and table sales.

A post-event concert with local rocker Roger Clyne will take place adjacent to the field and is being produced by Scottsdale Airparkbased R Entertainment. Tickets for the concert are available separately at scottsdaleconcertseries.com.

“We’re really excited about the concert and are planning to include that as part of our program in the upcoming years,” Rose says.

“When we created this in 2011, our goal was to create the Phoenix Open of polo, and now people around the world know about our event. Some of the best and most famous polo players have played here, and we’ve been blessed to have wonderful partners and sponsors throughout the years. Every year we’ve been audacious and creative, putting things out there that have created an atmosphere that is unlike anything else in the world of polo.”

The Stella Artois Polo Classic: Presented

by Ketel One 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 7 WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale Tickets start at $20 thepoloparty.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

AMPLIFIED SUCCESS

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

Drew Foppe’s work ethic is an 11, musicians say

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

A

s a child in Scottsdale, Drew Foppe was constantly dismantling toys and rebuilding them.

It didn’t matter if it was a Nintendo or Lego, Foppe simply wanted to know how they worked.

“I remember having the Nintendo in pieces and my mom walking in my room,” he says. “I thought she was going to kill me. I had it back together by the end of the day, and we never spoke about it again.”

His tinkering led to Foppstar, a North Phoenix-based boutique music company that builds small-batch and limited-edition amps and pedals. The company uses Mallory 150, Orange Drop, Sprague and Jupiter Capacitors as well as Carbon Composite Resistors that are hand matched and hand tested for reliability and consistency. Once the amps and pedals are sold out, they are not made again.

Employed as a guitar tech, Foppe started Foppstar seven years ago because the musicians with whom he worked ended up being clients.

“I’ve built a lot of amps in hotel rooms and on days off,” Foppe says. “Last year, I was with Whitesnake for a little bit and we were in South America. I would build circuit boards for my amps, so I had less to do at home.”

YOUNG LEARNER A Scottsdale Christian Academy and Grand Canyon University graduate, Foppe received his first acoustic guitar at age 10. Through high school, he was an avid athlete, but his love of music never went away.

“My mom was big into music when I was little,” he says. “She loved her classic rock.”

His most notable band was Leo’s Invention, which was promoted by Jagermeister.

“They did all of our promo photos and made promo CDs for us to hand out to venues,” Foppe says.

“We recorded a radio single. Not too long after that, I left the band. I wasn’t into it anymore.”

Soon thereafter, Chico Diaz and Josh Kennedy, then of Chalmers Green, now of the Black Moods, suggested Foppe work for their friend Jim Kaufman in the band Opiate for the Masses.

“I said, ‘And do what?’” Foppe recalls.

“They said I could fix their stuff. I didn’t know that was a job. Eventually, that’s how I became a guitar tech, and I haven’t really stopped. Jim has bought No. 2 of ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

everything to support what I do. He’s always believed in me.”

Now a highly regarded producer, Kaufman uses Foppstar products on his records.

A decade ago, Foppe entered the music business as a guitar tech for the rock band 10 Years, which later opened for Korn, Deftones and Stone Sour on the Family Values Tour in 2006.

When the jaunt traveled to Canada, the guitar techs for Stone Sour and the Deftones couldn’t make the gigs. Foppe was asked to cover for them.

“That one tour led to a bunch of other opportunities,” he says. “I looked after Stephen (Carpenter, Deftones) on that tour, and Frank (Delgado, Deftones) on the DJ rig until we got back in the U.S. “For Stone Sour, I ended up working for Jim Root. Ultimately, Jim remembered me, and when he needed a tech in the studio in 2007, he called me and asked if I could come out and work for Slipknot. I worked with Slipknot until 2009; 2010 is when I officially jumped over to Deftones. Those two

bands have taken up my last decade.”

Foppe’s resume also includes a 10-year intermittent stint as Lindsey Buckingham’s amp tech and guitarist/ keyboardist Brett Tuggle’s guitar tech.

“It’s weird, bouncing between classic rock and hard rock,” he says about Fleetwood Mac and the Deftones. “The personalities are so drastic, but that’s what I like about the job.”

TURN IT UP Foppe’s side business has paid off.

Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac uses his amps. Sheryl Crow’s band and Halestorm use his pedals. Deftones’ musicians use amps and pedals. The Black Moods’ Kennedy exclusively uses Foppstar amps.

“He’s the man,” says Kennedy, whose band recently scored the Top 20 rock hit “Sunshine.”

“His amps are pieces of art. I’m pretty hard on my gear. When it comes to my rig and my tone, he’s my parental unit.

He’s the guy you don’t want to let down, because he’s just so smart. He’s like Doc

Brown from ‘Back to the Future’ in his garage. He’s a mad scientist for sure. You cannot meet a better guy.”

Foppstar became even more of a priority during COVID-19, when touring came to a halt.

“I’m not touring anytime soon,” Foppe says. “I have all my touring tools at home. The last time I was in California, I picked up my work boxes and drove all my stuff home. I do guitar and amp repairs, setups and restrings—whatever people want in instruments. Touring isn’t going to start until sometime next year. I’m attempting to make this happen.”

Deftones’ Carpenter believes it’s going to work. He calls Foppe an “electronics genius.”

“Whenever equipment fails, he doesn’t have an attitude that defeats him,” he says. “He sees it as a challenge and says, ‘I can fix that.’ He does incredible work.

“He goes above and beyond, gets everything done and that’s it. He doesn’t brag about it or anything. He wants you to be happy, and he wants the work to be

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

right. He has that good work ethic. He doesn’t have to do it again. I’ve told him over the years to take a break.”

Bassist Sergio Vega met Foppe as a member of Deftones.

“He’s seriously just incredible,” he says. “On a technical level, he’s probably the all-around most knowledgeable person I’ve ever dealt with in terms of repairing and setting up all aspects of our equipment. The people we work with are knowledgeable, but he stands out in that group of people who are really good.

It’s a passion for him.”

A former member of Quicksand, Vega says Foppe’s talents go beyond repairing and setups. He balances Vega’s eight to 10 basses, lead singer Chino Moreno’s six to eight guitars, and keeps everything in top shape.

“He’s an amazing player as well,” he adds. “He makes my instrument sing.

They’re easy to play when he’s in charge of them. He works very quickly and in adverse conditions. He’s fixed basses that have broken, where the body has split or the neck has broken off. He’s been able to repair it and have it sound good, if not better.”

Joel Hoekstra is Whitesnake’s guitarist, and Foppe acted as his guitar tech. The former Night Ranger axman, who’s prepping an album under the name Joel Hoekstra’s 13, says Foppe went above and beyond.

“He needed to miss a portion of the tour, and we needed someone to fill it,” Hoekstra says, laughing. “Drew created a manual for the entire gig with colored pictures of the whole entire rig. He put that in on a day off. We’d head down to the lobby bar and drink beer all day.

“He came up with this unbelievable

PDF that described the entire gig for someone to use when he filled in. It was remarkable. It was so noteworthy—in a good way. We were all blown away. He’s amazing at his job.”

Hoekstra says the admiration is mutual.

“I would do anything for him after the job he did,” he says. “I was blown away by his performance and personality. I like to be around people who are positive and overachievers. Those are the kinds

of people you want to be around because they inspire you and everybody pushes each other then. It can change the culture of a tour.”

Erik Kertes is just as enamored with Foppe’s work and personality.

The musician behind Michael Bublé’s “Nobody But Me” says Foppe is a “very special being.”

“I’ve worked with a lot of guitar techs, but I personally have to say Drew is by far the best,” says Kertes, who has

9

performed with Shakira and Bublé, among others.

“His aspirations to be the best guitar tech are so clear. I remember one night during Shakira rehearsals, she wanted a gold guitar. He stayed up all night gold plating a guitar in his hotel room. It’s amazing what he can do. He’s one of the most pure, sweetest human beings you’ll ever meet. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

SAVING THE EARTH

Miguel hops on board Vessl as corporate ambassador

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

S

aucy R&B singer Miguel is furthering a cause during the pandemic: sustainability.

He’s hopped on board Vessl as its corporate ambassador and adviser. The Tempe-based company is dedicated to eliminating disposable bottles and redefining ecommerce. “When I heard of the company and its solutions, I couldn’t believe it,� Miguel says. “When I saw it, it completely blew my mind how such a small change has the ability to massively transform the Earth in so many ways.�

Vessl will collaborate with Miguel across its entire product portfolio, global brand relationships and product development efforts. Miguel will serve as an ambassador for Vessl’s reusable bottle campaign launching this fall, where the singer’s company, Schedule 1 Concepts, will lead the design of limited-edition reusable bottles that support all Vesslpowered beverages. “Miguel’s insights and creativity will support us in ways we could not accomplish on our own,� says Vessl CEO Walter Apodaca, a Chandler resident. “He has a deep passion for sustainability and will ignite awareness of the Vessl platform to reduce carbon emissions and eliminate single-use plastic bottle waste.

Together we will drive positive change in a quantifiable way.�

Vessl, which also owns the ready-todrink tea brand Tea of a Kind, is run by Apodaca, who calls himself a “career beverage guy.� He moved to the Valley as a market unit vice

president for Coca-Cola. “A friend of mine introduced me to Vessl,� he says. “It’s a really exciting and interesting technology. It’s a bottle cap, but there’s a tank in it that holds a concentrated liquid. The liquid evacuates into the bottle.

A lot of products are primarily water, right?

Why ship that water?

Why put that water in bottles? The consumer can use a reusable water bottle.�

Apodaca says Vessl is reducing 30 to 60 truckloads of product, carbon emissions and plastic.

Neither flavor nor strength is compromised.

Found at QuikTrip, Fry’s, AJ’s and Bashas’, Tea of a Kind comes in peach ginger black tea, pineapple coconut yerba mate, raspberry yerba mate black tea, pomegranate acai black tea, berry basil yerba

mate and mango yerba mate. Miguel was a natural choice for the product. “We spent some time with Miguel through a friend in Marina del Rey,� says Apodaca, an audiophile and musician. “We had lunch with him, and we fell in love with one another through the technology. We fell in love with his passion with what we’re doing. We were specifically targeted and supported by Miguel.�

Miguel says the changes Vessl is making can lead to massive transformation, in terms of carbon footprint and plastics in the ocean. “It’s one of those unicorn solutions that is good all around,� Miguel says. “It’s rare you come across those. “I’ve been really blessed to do what I’m

The Insider’s Guide to Arizona Entertainment

passionate about. It’s really awesome to come upon people who are as passionate about what they’re doing. We share similar priorities. Obviously, the main thing is how to come up with solutions that are beneficial for the user and the Earth.�

Vessl drinkteaofakind.com kalvara.com

Miguel officialmiguel.com @Miguel @S1C.la s1c.la PHX METRO Âť JANUARY 2020

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THEY WERE ‘EVERYTHING’ THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

Material Issue’s light dimmed when singer Jim Ellison died

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

M

aterial Issue was one of Chicago and alternative pop’s brightest stars in the 1990s when singer Jim Ellison couldn’t take it anymore.

The man behind songs like “Valerie Loves Me” and “Diane” committed suicide when Material Issue was on the cusp of superstardom.

The band will be remembered early next year when “Out of Time: The Material Issue Story” hits screens.

It tells the story of the group, which searched for its identity in the gritty world of rock in the early 1990s. The documentary stars original band members Mike Zelenko and Ted Ansani, along with Gilby Clarke, Matt Pinfield, Steve Albini, Rick Nielsen and Mike Chapman. “Out of Time” debuts interviews with Ellison’s family.

“The story is so interesting,” producer/ director Balin Schneider says.

“This band who’s on this path toward stardom, and everything was going alright, but for some unknown reason never made that leap of other bands at the same time. Maybe their sound was not correct for the time, when you had bands like Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Nirvana at the forefront.”

Material Issue channeled bands of the 1960s in the 1990s with twinges of what

was to come: Green Day. “They are a very similar band to Material Issue,” Schneider says. “Green Day became superstars, though.”

At 90 minutes, “Out of Time” will emphasize the third album that Ellison was alive to see: “Freak City Soundtrack,” which was produced by Chapman.

“The record was one of their best, but for some reason, a lot of reasons, Jim committed suicide,” Schneider says. “That record just didn’t sell. It had some of Jim’s best songs. A lot of the film focuses on that era and some of Jim’s suicide.”

Schneider is a latecomer to Material Issue, as he was born in 2000. He discovered the band and pondered why they weren’t more popular. Material Issue had all the trappings: a photogenic lead singer, relentlessly hooky songs and major label backing.

“I was like, ‘Wow, there’s someone who’s committed suicide and can’t tell their own story,’” he adds. “This story needed to be told so more people know about how important their music was to Chicago and a lot of people. I really wanted to explore that story, because it’s very important that people hear them. Their music means a lot to a lot of people.”

“Out of Time: The Material Issue Story” materialissuedoc.com

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CITY

STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

VIP ACCESS

Scottsdale producer Otto D’Agnolo shares the recording experience

By Kristine Cannon

M

usic venues may be closed, but one Scottsdale engineer and producer is providing a new, virtual outlet for local musicians and fans to, in a way, get their live music fix.

It’s called TheRecordingArtist.com.

Every Wednesday, Otto D’Agnolo invites bands into his studio, MIA Studio, to record one of their tracks—all the while livestreaming the interactive experience for fans and followers.

“All of it is just absolutely fun to me.

That’s really what I get out of it—that and providing this opportunity for bands to watch the impact it has for them to be produced,” D’Agnolo says.

Here’s how it works: TheRecordingArtist.com offers two membership tiers: $3.99 a month for the basic memberships, which allows members to watch the recording sessions and the mixdown sessions the following day; and $6.99 a month for the A&R (artist and repertoire) membership, which allows them to choose the bands invited to the studio and the song they record, as well as chat live during the recording session.

So far, D’Agnolo says, they have about 60 subscribing members and another 50 or 60 who were brought on as beta testers—for more than 100 members who watch and participate intermittently.

“The fact that (bands) have two hours to get done, they love the pressure that has been put on a creative process to move it forward,” D’Agnolo says. “They have to commit, and they feel that it really gives them something that feels a little bit more alive, like a concert, like a live show. It has the energy of that, but it has, tucked in, polish of a record.”

Bands get two hours to set up and soundcheck prior to the live session, which includes a basic track performance followed by some overdubs.

Bands are also treated to dinner from one of TheRecordingArtist.com’s sponsors, Il Bosco Pizza.

While members must pay to watch, bands are invited in to participate and record for free.

“I think they’re just happy to have somebody who can help them be better,” D’Agnolo says.

With more than 30 years of experience in the music business, D’Agnolo is an award-winning recording engineer and music producer who has worked on projects for the likes of Kenny Rogers and former Glendale resident Jordin Sparks.

With TheRecordingArtist.com, D’Agnolo has worked with 15 bands so far, including popular Phoenix indierockers Vinyl Station and fellow Valley rockers Paper Foxes.

“Initially, I was skeptical,” Paper Foxes singer and guitarist CJ Jacobson said of TheRecordingArtist.com. “It seemed like a very short amount of time to try to record anything; but after hearing about the experience from some friends, it sounded like fun.”

Paper Foxes recorded two songs during a session, and Jacobson described the band’s time working with D’Agnolo as “fun and loose.”

“We had a great experience,” Jacobson says. “It felt like he pushed us in ways we never expected. The time crunch and crowd interaction made the entire experience very exciting and had a similar energy to performing a live show.”

D’Agnolo adds, “They knocked it out of the park.”

According to D’Agnolo, what members enjoy most about TheRecordingArtist.com is not so much the music but the process.

“We happen to be making music, but it’s about the process and the personalities. And when they watch it, they get it. They go, ‘I don’t care what the music is. That’s not my music, but I love the show,’” he said.

That’s why, when it comes to choosing bands for the show, D’Agnolo looks for not only energetic music but also— and more importantly—interesting personalities.

“I want people who like to look fun, whether it’s the costumes or their personalities or the way they work,” he says. “(Members) don’t care what the music is, because it’s more about the process and the personalities for them.”

The membership website launched in June, but it was a concept D’Agnolo

initially introduced years ago.

“In 2014, when I finally launched the website, we did it for one year,” D’Agnolo says, adding that they worked with 35 bands over 42 weeks.

“Everyone was telling me, ‘Oh, this subscription service will never work,’” he continues. “Everybody said, ‘Nobody watches music on their computer,’ but now everything’s changed.”

TheRecordingArtist.com’s demographic is two very different groups—women older than 30 and recording students in the their 20s.

“It’s been incredible to see how interactive they are, how ingrained they are,” D’Agnolo says.

D’Agnolo offers a 25% discount to recording students.

“Just talk to your instructor and have them reach out to us, because we give them a special link to a special page,” he says.

As D’Agnolo continues to grow TheRecordingArtist.com—his goal is to reach 1,500 to 2,000 members and start traveling to bands out of state—the Scottsdale resident recently premiered the first episode of his Amazon Prime TV series, “The Recording Artist,” on September 14.

He plans to release one new episode a

month.

“We’re already shooting the second episode now,” says D’Agnolo, an Amazon Prime content provider who handles all the shooting, editing, postproduction and closed captioning.

“Besides doing all that, I’m booking all the bands. I’m recording all the sessions.

I’m mixing all the sessions. I’m shooting video for the rehearsals. I’m doing all the interviews with the bands. It’s a full-time job,” he says.

D’Agnolo is also in the midst of working on two country albums, one for San Diego-based musician Jay Tighe and the other for Arizona City singer Josh Scott.

So, needless to say, D’Agnolo is one busy man.

“There’s nothing I like more than editing video and making music,” he says. “So, I’m really spending 100% of my life doing stuff I love.”

For each new subscribing member between now and the end of the year, TheRecordingArtist.com will donate $1 to local charities benefiting music education.

Information TheRecordingArtist.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

13

Gilbert guitarist Matt Lloyd releases music book

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

M

att Lloyd was never one for guitar instruction books.

He’d rather teach himself or fiddle around until he got it.

He considered writing a book but found it hard to balance it with his bands.

Once the pandemic hit and teaching guitar became more of a full-time effort, he found time to finish “Guitar for Beginners: A Different Way of Learning Guitar.”

“I always just said, ‘Bring a blank notebook,’ and I’d hand write my lessons for each student,” says Lloyd, a Gilbert resident.

“Last year, I was thinking it would be so much easier to have a template, a book, so I can share the way I teach with other people if they want to learn.

Lloyd has been teaching guitar for about 15 years, on and off. He moved to Gilbert from Nashville in 2016 and his business picked up.

“I have 50 students now. It turned out to be a full-time thing here now during the day,” Lloyd says.

He wrote “Guitar for Beginners: A Different Way of Learning Guitar” with illustrator/graphic artist Josh Campbell.

“The quarantine was a weird blessing for us. Obviously, it’s not for everybody.

I started using Zoom for a lot of my lessons and for Josh and me. We couldn’t meet up anyway. We just hopped on our computers and spent three to four hours

at a time communicating.”

In about 60 pages, “Guitar for Beginners” goes over everything a fledgling guitarist needs to know, including diagrams of the instrument, how to read guitar tabs, major scales, and public domain songs like “Twinkle Twinkle,” “Happy Birthday” and “You Are My Sunshine.”

“The book is the way I’ve been teaching for the last several years, and I’ve put all of those thoughts into a book,” he says. “I’ve tried to fill in the gaps anyway and make each page to where if someone’s sitting down on their own and they don’t have a teacher to help them, they’ll still learn.

“It takes you right from the beginning and explains the parts of the guitar. It’s very simple and very basic, and hopefully builds you up.”

The first pressing of the book, which sells for $14.99, sold out quickly. He’s grateful for the community he’s built in the Valley.

“I taught about 200 to 250 students in three or four years,” Lloyd says. “All those students have families. It’s been cool to interact with so many families in the community. I don’t do much promotion for my teaching. I have a big enough network where I get one or two recommendations a week through text or email.”

“Guitar for Beginners: A Different Way of Learning Guitar” mattlloydmusic.com

Inspire The World Publish Your Book Today Your book made available at all major secular and specialty Christian bookstores including: Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and many more.

Call today for your Free Publishing Kit!

480-378-8183

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

Scottsdale’s annual film festival to celebrate 20 years remotely

By Connor Dziawura

W

ith the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, the film industry was quick to adapt. Theaters found themselves shuttered, while some renowned events canceled this year’s festivities. Still, some festivals made the jump to a virtual format, allowing films to be seen from the comfort and safety of viewers’ own homes.

Now half a year later, the 20th Scottsdale International Film Festival will continue that trend, running from November 6 to November 10 online.

Amy Ettinger, the festival’s executive director, was one such person who took to the idea of an alternate plan early in the pandemic. In late February, a month before Gov. Doug Ducey issued a temporary stay-at-home order, Ettinger recalls a board meeting in which she felt there was an “impending coronavirus invasion of our shores.” The board didn’t come to a consensus, so the idea was tabled. Weeks later, everything changed.

“It was shocking—the March board meeting—how much had unfolded in 30 short days,” Ettinger recalls, noting meetings had switched to a virtual format.

“There still were no clear options at that moment in the March meeting,” adds Ettinger, who admits to having been concerned about the festival’s future.

“Suddenly, we were offered an opportunity with the Film Festival Alliance (FFA), which is a peer group of film festivals who network throughout

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the United States, to do a streaming event—and it was called Film Festival Day,” she says.

“More than dipping our toes in the pond, we really got our feet wet (and) could see that, ‘Wow, our audience is really willing to do this.’ We didn’t think our patrons would ever go along with it. To the contrary: Out of all the film festivals that participated across the entire country, I think we were No. 3.

“I think word travels fast, because suddenly we had various distributors knocking on our door, asking us would we consider ‘this’ or ‘that’ or the other streamer?” she continues. “They were all different price points and all different kinds of content, and as time has gone by, we’ve seen what works, what doesn’t work, what people will do, what people won’t do.”

Observing the FFA and other film festivals holding streaming events, Ettinger began researching the idea and having it tested, including the annual Scottsdale event hosting streamers on its website. It’s now a reality for the annual November event.

“We had garnered a considerable amount of momentum from last year as a film festival,” Ettinger says. “We finally hit our stride and had, gosh, 11 really high-profile premieres. It just would have been a real shame to not do something this season to, A. celebrate the 20th, but B. also acknowledge that we are force now to be reckoned with.”

‘BUILD YOUR OWN FESTIVAL’ The festival’s streaming slate has been reduced and duration cut by half—to make scheduling more manageable for viewers, Ettinger says. Set for five days, this year’s festival is expected to feature 20 to 25 films from around the world.

Every filmmaker will get an opportunity to participate in a virtual Q&A. Phoenix Film Critics Society awards will also be presented on the first night, to allow festival attendees to plan their schedules accordingly. The audience can then vote on the films they see.

Some films will be available in what Ettinger calls a “24/5” format, allowing them to be watched at the viewers’ leisure over the five days, while select other films may only be available within specific windows. The goal, Ettinger hopes, is to get as many to sign on for the full duration.

“You can basically build your own festival to watch things in any timeframe that you want, so long as they’re a 24/5 participant, but we will notate all those films that are not participating,” Ettinger

explains.

Once confirmed, films could include anything from comedies, dramas and thrillers to documentaries. Full details will be announced Monday, October 5.

In 2019, Ettinger told The Entertainer!

Magazine the festival had added more light, humorous and accessible fare than previous years in response to audience feedback. This year, she contrasts, the festival isn’t holding back—despite Ettinger having considered going lighter in response to the mood surrounding the pandemic.

“I’m not shying away from the super challenging this year,” Ettinger says, explaining that to mean anything from thrillers, suspense and murder mysteries to psychologically and emotionally challenging works—or even just those with a message.

“So, whatever it was I said last year, that was then and this is a whole new now,” Ettinger says. “I’m going full bore into those films that I feel are deserving of a platform and are very prestigious events.”

A WIN FOR CINEPHILES Even with the switch to a virtual format, Ettinger says it’s just a victory to be able to continue.

“We really just consider it a massive victory to still be on our feet. … We just think the 20th anniversary celebration is we live to see our 20th anniversary,” she says. “There are a lot of festivals this year

that didn’t happen. ... One was South by Southwest. And so the celebration for us is we didn’t have to miss our 20th year.”

She feels the pandemic has even opened the door to new opportunities that can continue when the festival returns to an in-person format. That includes a new balloting system for the audience to vote, and the platform with which the organizers are partnering has an app the festival can continue to use. Ettinger says having an online component allows participation from those who otherwise would miss out.

“This year we understand that there are challenges that we could never have imagined prior to COVID-19 reaching our shores. That being said, we are still here,” she says.

“We are still taking probably one of the biggest risks we’ve ever taken in mounting this festival, and participating by way of buying a single ticket or a package of five or 10 films or even a VIP pass cannot be more appreciated on our part. And the more people to participate in the festival the better. We really need everybody in the community on board with us this year so that we can do better than limp into to 2021.”

Scottsdale International Film Festival For more information, visit scottsdalefilmfestival.com.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

ARTS

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CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

BOLD, BRAZEN AND BRILLIANT B3 Theater taps JP Clemente for managing director role

By Bridgette M. Redman

W

hen art is in the blood, it takes more than a pandemic to drain the vitality out of

an artist.

This is why JP Clemente finds this to be a perfect time to take on the role as managing director at B3—“Be Bold! Be Brazen! Be Brilliant!”

“I’m honored and excited to be a part of B3,” Clemente says.

He considers this a new chapter in his life, which has seen Clemente perform around the world.

“How we play in it, how we maneuver—it’s pretty exciting stuff,” Clemente says. “When there are new challenges, you adjust. Theater is not going to go away.”

He took his first steps of this journey with Artistic Director Ilana Lydia on “Reason to Be,” when they were searching for what they felt was missing during the pandemic.

“I was noticing how the theater atmosphere was changing in the Valley when the pandemic hit,” Clemente says. “All these things (that theaters were doing) are great, but something to me was missing. It’s not that I have the answers, but something was missing. I started questioning, am I just getting together with a group of people and doing a virtual Zoom reading? That’s a book club to me.”

He and Lydia found they had similar philosophies of theater. A couple months later, Lydia asked if he would take on the associate artistic director role.

Clemente responded with, “Why not?”

He says their goal is to help B3 obtain nonprofit status and take its place among Valley theaters.

“B3 is truly on the fringe,” Clemente says. “We’re not here to compete at all with any other theater. We want to partner with them and support them in any way that we can.”

They are working on a night of monologues and encouraging Valley actors to select unpublished monologues from local playwrights.

LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE Clemente brings a lifetime of experience as an artist to the role of managing director. From a young age, his parents, family and childhood mentors paved the way for him to lay claim to being bold, brazen and brilliant.

“I immigrated here when I was 7,” says Clemente, who was born in the Philippines. “So, I was a child of color, a child that was not your normal little boy.

I gravitated to the arts and I was taught that if this is who you are, embrace it.

Be bold. Be brave enough to be who you are, and if you attack it with truth, that will make it brilliant.”

He says half of the people he auditioned for in his youth never saw that he was of a mixed race, that he was a person of color, that he was a part of the LGBT community.

“They just saw the artist that can create the product they were looking for,” Clemente says.

And the other half? He says those were the groups who helped him become even more bold, brazen and brilliant.

When they told him that they couldn’t use him because of his skin color, his reaction was: “Then watch what you have missed.”

“I want that for everyone,” Clemente says. “Everyone should be that bold and brazen and that brilliant.”

His first foray into theater was when he was very young and living in Wisconsin.

He had seen “The Sound of Music” on film and fallen in love with it.

He auditioned, but the director told him and his mom that he didn’t look Austrian, which was required for the part. However, the director added, he should keep auditioning for the right roles. Clemente did, and since then he’s played nearly every major male ingenue role, from Tony in “West Side Story” to Curly in “Oklahoma.”

From Wisconsin, Clemente went to school in New York and then commuted between Milwaukee and Chicago doing professional theater. Then his younger brother, who was directing in the Valley, asked him to direct “Man of La Mancha” for Desert Stages. He did, spending a summer in Phoenix and

having a great experience.

Nine months later, the artistic director called and asked him to come back to direct “The Wedding Singer.” In 2010, he made the move to the area and, with the encouragement of his brother, put down roots.

“He was like, ‘JP, why don’t you do it—not because of the show but because I think it is time for you to uproot yourself from where you are, because you’re not growing,’” Clemente says.

“Replant yourself and we will be here to help nurture that growth.”

That is what he did, and for years he spent time acting, directing and choreographing. A few years ago, he was asked to manage the Black Box space at Mesa’s Encore Theatre.

“I gravitated to it,” Clemente says. “It was very similar to B3—a smaller space, very experimental and exploratory as far as theater. Once a month, we did play reading. It was a very nurturing and growing environment.”

Life changes then brought him to a new job outside of theater, so he started freelancing again when the pandemic hit and everything changed.

Clemente says the public needs to know theater hasn’t stopped. It’s paused and finding new ways to express itself.

He says people who transformed their costume shops to make and donate masks are being brilliant. Families who are pretending their homes are restaurants with moms and dads being

the servers and serving their kids are making theater.

The pandemic brought Clemente to Lydia, and their conversation blossomed.

“I’m really thankful and honored to be working with her,” Clemente says.

“It’s just a really nice balance, and that balance happens because we are always talking about something. The communication is always there.”

Following the “Reason to Be” project, they started working on a project called “Voices.” The premise is to get people to tell their stories. They’ll share those stories with playwrights who will create a monologue that a third person will perform. They are hoping the project will be ready in early 2021.

He says they are filled with plans to help the company grow and eventually find its own space. As of early September, they were looking at a space in Scottdale.

They created a mission, but now they have to fulfill it.

“A year from now, we want to look back and say we established a YouTube channel that has now grown to productions that we are running in rep with live shows. They are ambitious and lofty goals, but if we obtain half of it, there will be a smile on my face,” Clemente says.

B3 Theater b3theater.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

LIVE THEATER RETURNS Arizona Broadway opens

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

doors for safe performances

By Bridgette M. Redman

W

hen the Arizona Broadway Theatre staff started planning for the fall, there was something they knew they needed to do—provide a place for patrons to see shows in person.

Kiel Klaphake, ABT’s CEO and executive producer, says when they shut down, they created virtual cabarets and youth programs.

“As time went on, we were exploring whether there was the ability to do (continued) virtual programming,” Klaphake says. “I talked to my colleagues, and while virtual programming is a really awesome thing, it is not what we do and who we are.”

ABT built its reputation on large musicals served with multicourse meals.

Now, it has mostly canceled food service and scaled down audience sizes— without losing the ambition. The fall interim programming, from October to December, includes six shows: ABT Broadway Concert Series: Set on the mainstage, these concerts pay homage to Broadway, Hollywood and holiday melodies. Concert themes will include “Music of the Night: A Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber,” “Hooray for Hollywood: A Salute to the Movie Musical” and “Home for the Holidays: Celebrating the Spirit of the Season.”

TAD Management Concert Series: Also on the mainstage, there will be eight tributes with TAD Management.

Concerts pay tribute to Billy Joel, Elton John, Journey, Eagles, Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Garth Brooks and “Jersey Boys.”

Broadway Bingo!: Set in the Encore Room, this is a new cabaret concept where the song list will be determined by the bingo numbers called. Winners get to pick their favorite Broadway hit along with other prizes.

The “Unplugged” Concert Series: Also in the Encore Room, this series showcases local musicians including Nicole Pesce, Jared Mancuso, Nick Gallardo, and Josh and Lexy Condon.

Midweek Movie Musicals: David Appleford, a Valley film and theater critic, will host these matinee performances in the Encore Room. After a discussion on the differences between the movie and stage musicals, patrons will watch such classic movie musicals as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “Paint Your Wagon,” “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “White Christmas.”

Murder Mystery Series: The one exception to the no-food rule, Murder & a Meal Mystery Theatre is coming to the Encore Room to present a fully interactive entertainment experience.

It will do “Clue” and “Murder on the Movie Set.” Klaphake hopes these shows will pave the way for when they are able to get back to big musicals, with “Chicago” set to return in the winter of 2021. This is a chance for audiences to get used to new protocols and ways of seeing theater.

“We are giving smaller audiences something to do and hopefully help grease the skids for the community to get used to coming to our theater with a mask on and have to be spaced out from each other so when we get to our main productions, they’re more familiar with what to expect,” Klaphake says.

Behind the scenes, there will be stringent sanitation protocols. The building will be aired out between each show using a modified ventilation system to recycle air when patrons aren’t there, and they will choose shorter shows.

Patrons will notice they can’t linger in the lobby, and fewer people in the audience and on stage. The plan is to have only four or five artists on stage so ABT can control the aerosol spread.

ABT will have a mask mandate.

“We hope people are eager to come out and have live experiences so

that they will accept some of these inconveniences,” says Klaphake.

As more temperate weather rolls in, they are brainstorming outdoor activities.

“It will allow people to sit on a blanket in the grass,” Klaphake says.

“We’re exploring this to give people a real, live shared experience that I think is fundamental to what theater is all about.”

Meanwhile, interim programming is being billed as fundraisers to help keep the theater alive at a time when its big revenue makers are on hiatus.

“We all need to make money,” Klaphake says. “Fortunately, with the collaboration we have, everyone has been very cooperative in finding creative solutions to putting things on stage.

Obviously, we’re having to pare things down to some basic fundamentals.

Our concerts will be focused on talent, which is a really great thing for us as a company.”

The series starts October 14, but Klaphake says the response was enthusiastic as soon as tickets went on sale in September. If they sell out, he says they have capacity to add shows, but they won’t increase occupancy so they can maintain safe distances between patrons.

No matter what the challenges, Klaphake knows that people still need to be together and to experience art together.

“It is the great thing about our industry,” Klaphake says. “This pandemic is not going to be the end of theater. It’s going to create more of the thirst to go out and see people again.

That can’t be replaced.”

Arizona Broadway Theatre 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria 623.776.8400, azbroadway.org ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

17

Entering the

‘Secret Society’

Jovial Faly Rakotohavana turns meek for new role

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

W

hen Faly Rakotohavana was a child in Ahwatukee, he had a serious stutter— so much so, it nearly derailed his dream of entertaining.

“I always had a lot on my mind, so much I wanted to say,” says the effervescent Rakotohavana. “I wanted to say it all at the same time. It was an overload of thoughts. My tongue would just stop operating. (Speech therapists) taught me to order my thoughts. It took a lot of patience and hard work to improve it.”

Rakotohavana has now landed a lead role, Prince Matteo, in the recently released Disney+ film “Secret Society of Second-Born Royals” alongside Skylar Astin of “Pitch Perfect” and Niles Fitch of “This is Us.” “Matteo is very shy and awkward and antisocial,” he says. “He is very meek. He doesn’t like social situations. I’m pretty much the polar opposite. Getting to play

someone opposite of me was a challenge.

“I had to learn to undo everything I am and build a new version of myself.

As social as I am, getting to do that was really fun. As far as how Matteo and I are the same, we both see the best in people. We see the world as a glass half full. We’re very optimistic. We do try to fit in, and we want everybody to love us.

We want people to see the best in us, as we see the best in everyone.”

Astin and Fitch, Rakotohavana says, were the real hits of the film, though.

“They really are the life of the party on set,” he says. “Skylar loves to sing and dance around the set. We’d share AirPods. Niles brought his sense of humor to the set and a standard to set that all of us really tried to live up to.

They were all so great, and so fun to be around.”

The 17-year-old Rakotohavana—who lived in Ahwatukee when he was 6 to 9, after moving here from Madagascar— also had recurring roles on “The Mick” and “Raven’s Home.” Astin famously sums up “The Secret Society” near the beginning of it, “They are the heirs. We

are the spares.” “‘Secret Society of Second-Born Royals’ is a film about these second-born royals,” he says with a laugh. “They don’t inherit the throne. Instead, they inherit this gene that gives them superpowers.

Summer school is a super-secret training facility for superheroes.”

The movie was filmed in Toronto, a city that Rakotohavana fell in love with.

He adored the universities he visited, the CN Tower and the gothic revival mansion Casa Loma.

“We were in that castle for a couple weeks,” he says. “It was huge, and it was beautiful.”

He’s just as excited to play Matteo in “Secret Society.” In the second grade, he attempted to audition for a role, but his stutter got in the way. So, he took a break, did speech therapy in Phoenix and moved to Reseda, California, with his family.

“It’s still just so bizarre to me to wrap my head around the fact that I’m a part of a Disney+ project,” he says. “I forget, and when people remind me, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m on Disney.’ I’ll forget

sometimes. It’s so crazy to be a part of something this huge.”

As for future roles, Rakotohavana says those have quieted down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, he’s focusing on skateboarding, the violin and the piano.

“I’ve been playing the piano for about 11 years,” says Rakotohavana, who listens to Michael Jackson with his dad, a Malagasy musician/drummer. “That’s a craft I’ve been working on. I play violin as well. I’ve been playing that for about six years. Hopefully, I’ll be able to bring my passion into music.

“I got a skateboard for my birthday.

I’ve been practicing religiously. I have nothing better to do. I go to school from 9 to 2 and then I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. I don’t want to waste it on video games or TV. I have a skateboard, and I want to be good at it.

I’ve accomplished tricks.”

“The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals” Streaming on Disney+ ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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FINDING COMMUNITY IN ART The Alwun House resumes operations with ‘Monsters Menagerie’ UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

By Andrew Checchia

A

s the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to play out in broad global strokes, local impacts often get overshadowed by the high-stakes national conversation.

The Alwun House, a museum and off-kilter arts events space, has witnessed these effects firsthand as it weathered the financial and cultural storm of the past six months. Now it plans to emerge from its own isolation and reopen its doors to the Valley, aiming to welcome the public on October 2.

“You’re in withdrawals. You had this junkie feeling of social contact,” says Kim Moody, the founder and director of the Alwun House, of the loneliness felt during long closure.

The Alwun House’s reopening will feature its annual “Monsters Menagerie,” a diverse and macabre display of works from local artists. This year’s show has the unfortunate timeliness to directly comment on the current morbid state of affairs. The show will culminate in a socially distanced “Masked Monsters Ball” on Halloween, a previously planned event that just happens to promote safe mask protocol.

“We’ve been engaged with our neighborhood,” Moody says. “Art is a social as well as a personal experience.”

In addition, the Alwun House’s outdoor space will enter its final stages of construction, moving Phoenix closer to its first art park. Upon completion, the park aims to become a community hub—a space to host museum events, food trucks and a bimonthly

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neighborhoodwide garage sale.

“I’m looking forward to the absolute joy of being with other people.

We’ve all been raised on affection for humankind,” Moody says.

But even without the in-person experiences, the Alwun House maintained contact with the community. To keep artistic efforts active, it hosted a student competition through quarantine as part of an “Artists Initiative Scholarship Fund.” It ultimately selected three pieces to display in the “Monsters Menagerie” opening exhibit. The winners and their work will be honored at a ceremony on October 3.

Fortunately, because of its close neighborhood ties, the Alwun House also managed to remain financially stable, but institutions both larger and smaller benefited greatly from continued donor support and government funding passed down from the National Endowment for the Arts.

With careful preparations and adherence to socially distant protocol, the Alwun House hopes to resume operations safely and rejuvenate the lost sociality brought in person arts experiences. As it and other museums take the necessary steps to reopen to the public, institutions across the country continue to adapt to the constantly shifting challenges of sharing the fine arts with their local communities.

“Monsters Menagerie” Various times Friday, October 2, to Saturday, October 31 Alwun House Foundation 1204 E. Roosevelt Street, Phoenix 602.253.7887, alwunhouse.org

ART’S FRAGILE PROCESS Phoenix Art Museum goes globally conscious for reopening THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

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By Andrew Checchia

I

n light of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading members of Phoenix’s fine arts scene have been planning a strategy to safely reopen museums. After intense deliberation, the Phoenix Art Museum aims to resume public operations in October.

“It’s been a little crazy, to be honest,” says Dr. Tim Rodgers, the new Sybil Harrington director and CEO of the Phoenix Art Museum.

“I haven’t been able to meet the staff outside of a little box on Zoom. Their bodies, their eyes. It kind of flattens all of us. People don’t react to you. That for me is like all of sudden being blind.”

Phoenix Art Museum, which spent the summer closed, plans to open its doors to paying members on October 1 and the general public on October 14 at the discretion of local health officials and the pandemic’s progression. Rodgers took up his leadership role in July and has been working to bring in-person arts experiences back to Phoenix.

“The closure of all of our cultural institutions has been really depressing for those of us that enjoy it. I think that we’re all a little bored and depressed,” he says of the national closure of museums during the pandemic. “Art has always been more of a live experience.”

Despite the hiatus, the Phoenix Art Museum boasts an impressive returning lineup of exhibitions—some new, some extended from before the

shutdown. Highlights include “Ansel Adams: Performing the Print,” “Stories of Abstraction: Contemporary Latin American Art in the Global Context” and a show from Teresita Fernández titled “Elemental.”

“I’m really happy we’ll be able to reopen the museum with such strong exhibitions. The museum is looking at the entire world and trying to bring it to Phoenix,” says Rodgers about the

globally conscious returning lineup.

While this and other museum reopenings will provide the community with its first major in-person fine arts experiences since the pandemic, Phoenix Art Museum made concerted efforts to maintain what Rodgers called “the ecology of art” in the absence of social contact. The museum ran a weekly artist spotlight, highlighting the work of a variety of local artists on their social media and mailing list.

The museum also managed to learn

about the opportunities and challenges of sharing art in the digital landscape.

“A lot of museums were already investing in online experiences. We see the potential they have but also see the limitations,” Rodgers says of Phoenix Art Museum’s remote operations and efforts to share fine arts experiences over the internet.

But even with these efforts and the

reopenings, fine arts institutions have struggled to make it through these near universally devastating circumstances.

While bigger facilities like Phoenix Art Museum could count on regular membership payments, many fine arts institutions lost significant income without visitors.

“A lot of nonprofits are thinking about how fragile they are financially. I think we all are thinking very hard and fast about how to create more stability moving forward,” Rodgers says.

For those involved with institutions that have stayed afloat, they look ahead to the pandemic’s artistic impact with cautious optimism. Aside from just a renewed public appreciation for inperson experiences, Rodgers hopes “to see some brighter, happier art in the near future,” perhaps in a similar motion to the Art Deco movement’s bold aesthetic rejection of the tragedy surrounding the Spanish flu in the early 1900s.

As the Phoenix Art Museum prepares for its October reopening, only time will tell the nature of the inevitable fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the meantime, the Phoenix community can once again enjoy in-person arts experiences, even in a socially distanced capacity.

Phoenix Art Museum 1625 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix 602.257.1880, phxart.org ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

PIQUING CURIOSITY

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

TheaterWorks celebrates 35 years of creating community access

By Bridgette M. Redman

I

n its 35 years, TheaterWorks has never embraced the concept of “taking it easy.”

Upon its September 1986 launch, the company introduced seven Main Stage productions, a high school show and a nine-week children’s musical workshop. Led by founding artistic director David Wo, TheaterWorks, within four months, secured financial backing, leased a facility and put together a board of directors with several volunteer committees.

“There was such an immense passion for theater by the founders,” says Managing Director Cate Hinkle. “David Wo had been working on theater for a while before he formed TheaterWorks.

They had really sown their seeds and created a community behind them, so when it came time to have that theater company, they knew they had the demand there, the help there and they were just ready to jump both feet in.”

TheaterWorks is now the resident theater of the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, a $13 million facility that includes a 270-seat main stage theater and an 80-seat Black Box theater along with classrooms, a set construction shop, a costume shop and dressing rooms.

Hinkle calls it “a community theater that is a theater of the community.”

It boasts programs like MasterWorks, PuppetWorks, YouthWorks, AdaptiveWorks, Broadway Senior, SummerWorks Academy and Kids Alive!

In 2019, it was given the Arts Advocate Organization Award by the National Society of Arts & Letters, Greater Arizona Chapter because of its AdaptiveWorks program.

As TheaterWorks celebrates its 35th anniversary, the staff looks back and forward with pride.

Hinkle attributes the growth to three factors: fewer artistic offerings in the West Valley, a population increase there and the city of Peoria’s support.

“They really recognized that TheaterWorks added to the community and that the community needed an artistic organization to be a part of our arts and culture,” Hinkle says.

The city and TheaterWorks were bonded in 2007 through a voter initiative.

“The partnership has been instrumental in our growth in the last 13 years,” Hinkle says. “I feel that we have such a great relationship with the mayor and the council. They are incredibly supportive. The community is incredibly supportive.”

TheaterWorks’ mission is to create art for all areas of the community.

“We feel like we are there for the community so we can fulfill their needs and give them access to the performing arts,” Hinkle says. “That has been ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

our motivating call. Anyone can have access from being a part of an education program to being on stage.”

From the beginning, youth shows were important. TheaterWorks started with four family shows and built on it from there.

Chris Hamby, the current producing artistic director, started PuppetWorks as a way of reaching out to those younger than 6.

“This program was meant to specifically target our youngest community members,” Hinkle says.

“Puppet shows are 40 minutes and targeted to 3 to 6 year olds. We want to really be that first beginning theatrical exposure to young children and to spark their imagination and get them interested in the arts.”

Then they saw a need in the adaptive community. Hinkle says Hamby had been connecting with the adaptive community in his role as a teaching artist.

“We decided this is something really important to us as an organization,” Hinkle says. “We began our AdaptiveWorks to provide a genuine theatrical experience for those with disabilities. They go through the same process as anyone. It’s a no-cut program. It’s about skill building, getting that time on stage. Each of them sets personal goals throughout the process.”

Those goals might mean walking across the stage once or participating in a dance number. Goals are individualized.

Their newest addition has been Broadway Senior, a creative aging

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

program for adults 50 and older. The program’s goal is to provide cognitive stimulation, physical activity and social interaction for those 50 to 85.

“It’s really just to provide access to people who may not think they have time in the spotlight left,” Hinkle says. “To give them something to look forward to.”

COVID-19 CLOSURE They were in the midst of their second season when COVID-19 hit and the program went on hiatus. TheaterWorks canceled its gala, three shows and three community outreach programs.

“Life as we knew it came to a screeching halt,” Hinkle says. “When you get that hamster wheel going, it takes some time to get it to stop. We had to bring our season to a close and consign ourselves that the (anniversary) season we had planned was not going to happen as we had planned.”

However, Hinkle says, she and Hamby didn’t want to wait things out. They wanted to find something to do for the community. Hamby is interested in immersive theater. So they developed an immersive version of “Alice in Wonderland” called “Curiouser and Curiouser,” which runs through Sunday, November 1.

“What we’ve done is literally taken every room in the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts and converted it to allow audience members to walk through them and experience a production,” Hinkle says.

Like Alice, the audience tumbles down the rabbit hole and has adventures in the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party to the Rose Garden, where they will paint roses red

to the Ocean Room, where they will meet the Walrus and the Carpenter.

They’ll get to meet Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and the Queen of Hearts.

“It’s a really different way to experience theater,” Hinkle says.

“There are still actors and designers. It’s multidisciplinary. Humpty Dumpty is a puppet—that’s one of the things we do.

We’re a puppet company. We have visual artists, we have multimedia designs, set designs, props designs.”

The staff will only bring through groups of up to 10, and they must wear face coverings. The theater will provide gloves and take guests’ temperatures.

They’ll clean each area between groups and do a deep cleaning each night. Everything is set up for social distancing, so people are always at least 6 feet away from others who are not in their party.

Other celebrations are on standby.

“No one knows when it will be safe to do theater again the way people are accustomed, to have people in a theater watching a show,” Hinkle says. “Who knows when that will happen. Right now, we’re celebrating the small things we have been able to get to the place where we are. This is our 35th year, and that’s a long time for some theater companies. We will do something when it is safe and when it really feels right.”

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A TABLE FOR TWO? Phind it

“Curiouser and Curiouser” Various times through Sunday, November 1 Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, 10580 N. 83rd Drive, Peoria 623.815.7930, theaterworks.org ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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DINING

EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH

SAYING ‘THANK YOU’

Carefree Restaurant Week celebrates its dedicated following

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

J

o Gemmill believes there’s power in numbers.

Collectively, Carefree’s restaurants and coffeehouses— including her English Rose Tea Room—will make their mark with the third annual Carefree Restaurant Week from October 1 to October 11.

“It’s a chance to say ‘thank you’ to all the folks who have supported us through the pandemic,” says Gemmill, who also serves as the Carefree Restaurant Association’s chairwoman.

Restaurant week offers participating restaurants the chance to showcase their menus at discounted prices. Some restaurants will offer a special lunch menu, others a three-course dinner for dine-in or takeout customers.

The prices—per person, excluding alcohol—are $18 for a two-course lunch; $35 or $45 for a three-course dinner menu.

Gemmill will serve a two-course lunch menu of cottage pie, pumpkin spice scones and a seasonal tea, as English Rose Tea Room at 201 Easy Street, Suite 103, isn’t open for dinner.

“It’s a little different than the cucumber sandwiches that people expect us to provide,” she says with a laugh.

“We’re hoping a lot more gentleman callers will come by because of the meatand-potatoes menu.

“Unlike many other towns, Carefree’s restaurant base is made up of independent, family-owned businesses.

Therefore, no large corporate chains

dictate menu, pricing or marketing campaign. Rather, the individual business owner can determine the look, feel, style, concept and brand their own restaurant based on their own individual culinary expertise.”

Gemmill says Carefree Restaurant Week piggybacks off Arizona Restaurant Week, which was in September.

“Arizona Restaurant Week is sometimes cost prohibitive for smaller, independent restaurants to take part,” she adds.

“When we started Carefree Restaurant Association, we decided there would be free membership, no dues. We just work on the goodwill of our community and neighbors. Carefree Restaurant Week is a free event to take part in for the restaurants. We’re offering a discounted menu and a chance to say, ‘Hey, we’re still in business.’”

Adele Giordano owns one of those businesses—Giordano’s Trattoria Romana at 7275 E. Easy Street. The Italian eatery has been in her family since 2004.

“During this pandemic, I have to say, I’ve had the most supportive regulars and all of the customers were consistently taking out prior to May 12, when we were allowed to have indoor dining with all the CDC guidelines.

“I love restaurant week. It’s a way to give a special menu to the people and thank them for all the support throughout the years.”

Giordano’s Trattoria Romana’s menu will feature escargot, house or Caesar salad; pollo gorgonzola, linguine con

vongole, lasagna Bolognese, cannelloni Florentine, pollo parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana or gluten-free penne pasta ($35); or salmon fra diavalo, vitello francese, vitello marsala, vitello piccata, pork chop voldostano or cioppini frutti de mare ($45); and tiramisu or New York cheesecake.

Paul Keeler, of Keeler’s Neighborhood Steakhouse at 7212 Ho Hum Drive, says the overriding theme of Carefree Restaurant Week is “great.”

“We feel that Carefree has just so many great community- and independent-driven restaurants that need awareness, especially in these times,” he says.

“It builds awareness. The awareness is good within the greater Carefree/Cave Creek/North Scottsdale area, but this reaches out a little bit farther and gives people a great cross section of offerings.”

Keeler’s offers high-quality steaks at a lower cost than most standard steakhouses, like Capital Grille or Morton’s The Steakhouse, he says.

During restaurant week, it will offer three courses for $45 per person— tomato bisque, Keeler salad or French onion soup; 8-ounce prime rib, California sea bass, baseball cut steak or half chicken; and chocolate cake a la mode.

“In our area, they like the fact that they don’t have to go ‘down the hill,’ so to speak, to get a good steak,” Keeler says about Carefree residents. “It’s a very versatile menu. Our happy hour is robust. We have several different venues—a courtyard, patio that’s adjacent to us, a rooftop deck that opens on October 1.”

During the event, participating restaurants will follow all CDC guidelines regarding safety measures and limited dine-in capacity. Keeler’s has taken COVID-19 so seriously that the Arizona and Carefree restaurant associations have used it as an example of how to operate during the pandemic.

“We adhere to 50% occupancy,” he says. “People have the option to dine in or dine out on the patio. More people are comfortable with open air. We have a good curbside to-go program as well.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of Carefree Restaurant Week. We feel we have a lot to offer with the independent restaurants. Kudos to Jo, who’s the president, for organizing it.”

Carefree Restaurant Week Thursday, October 1, to Sunday, October 11 carefreerestaurants.com

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HAVE YOUR COOKIE DOUGH AND EAT IT, TOO THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

Five places to get your fix

By Victoria Stibrik

O

ctober is National Cookie Month. That’s right. One entire month—31 days—to celebrate the dearly beloved cookie. And what better way to do just that than by starting where all cookies begin? Cookie dough. So, here’s a list of places where you can indulge in the tasty treat. Don’t worry: You won’t find anybody telling you not to eat raw cookie dough here.

SCOOPWELL’S DOUGH BAR The cookie dough is safe at Scoopwell’s because it has pasteurized eggs in it.

So, it is safe to eat raw but is still able to be taken home and baked into a cookie. Co-owner and “Vice President of Dough-ification” Kendra Scheer says, “We do have the occasional customer who is like, ‘I don’t know about this.

My mom told me I shouldn’t eat the dough. I don’t think I’m going to like this.’” But after friendly reassurance and

a sample, Scheer says, “Almost always they’re converted to dough lovers after they taste it.” While cookie dough is the main attraction, Scoopwell’s also offers ice cream; ice cream sandwiches; cookie dough truffles called duffles; and fancy, gourmet ice cream cones from Konery Cones that come in vibrant colors to match the flavors.

Scoopwell’s Dough Bar, 100 E. Camelback Road, Suite 164, Phoenix, 602.296.5146, scoopwells.com, $2-$10

DOUGHLICIOUS DESSERTS DoughLicious has all the regular flavors, like chocolate chip and sugar cookie, but it also has fun offerings, like birthday suit and granny apple.

On keto? No problem. It makes a keto dough, and it changes the flavor every six weeks. “Now, in the store, we do offer more, because cookie dough isn’t for everybody,” says owner and operator Brandi Airey. “So, we do ‘fire style’ is what we call it, and it’s kind of like a mini pizookie. So, they can pick any dough and get it half-baked and top it with ice cream.” DoughLicious also has dough shakes, which is like a regular milkshake but with a 2- or 3-ounce chunk of cookie dough added to make it extra thick and doughy. There’s a

DoughLicious store location in Queen Creek, and there’s also a mobile unit that visits events or neighborhoods.

DoughLicious Desserts, 20784 E. Victoria Lane, Queen Creek, 480.590.1866, doughliciousdessert. com, $2.49-$8.49

NAMI Many know Nami as a vegan breakfast, pastry and coffee place, but it also has cookie dough that it calls “Namidoh.” It comes in three regular flavors: chocolate chip; gluten-free, soyfree chocolate chip; and cosmic, which has chocolate and white chocolate, potato chips and coffee. “Cosmic dough just kind of seemed extra special because the coffee we use in the cookie dough, it would turn the dough a little bit green, which is kind of funky, so we used to say it was, like, glowing from outer space,” owner Damon Brasch says. “So, that’s where the ‘cosmic’ thing came from.”

Namidoh can be bought at Nami or participating Whole Foods in Arizona.

Nami, 2014 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602.258.6264, tsoynami. com, $9-$10

UNCLE BIFF’S CALIFORNIA KILLER COOKIES The original Uncle Biff’s is in San Diego, but John Van Borssum, Uncle Biff’s brother-in-law, opened a location in Phoenix about two and a half years ago, “and we serve what we think, as we put it, quite possibly the best cookie on the planet,” Van Borssum says.

Uncle Biff’s is famous for cookies, but guests can buy the cookie dough by the pound—but not in all the flavors.

For example, its Oreo-stuffed cookie is handcrafted, as are its salted caramel and macadamia cookies, so the cookie dough

cannot be purchased. But let’s talk about this “California Killer cookie.” “The signature cookie. It’s what made Uncle Biff a legend,” Van Borssum says. It’s a semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie dough with chocolate chunks, pecans and walnuts. “Sometimes there’s not enough room for dough,” Van Borssum jokes.

Besides cookies, Uncle Biff also has chip shots—shot-glass-shaped cookies with white chocolate coating the inside—and cookie bouquets for that special, cookieloving someone in your life.

Uncle Biff’s California Killer Cookies, 6239 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602.888.8990, unclebiffsarizona.com, $10 per pound.

TOASTED MALLOW So far, we’ve learned that you can eat cookie dough raw, or bake it and eat it as a cookie. OK, cool. But what if I told you, you could eat cookie dough— raw—on a gourmet s’more? Because you can. At Toasted Mallow, the cookie dough comes in two regular flavors, chocolate chip and s’morelicious, and other flavors rotate throughout the year.

But what does a gourmet cookie dough s’more even look like? Well, the graham cracker is bowl shaped and filled with the messiest, fluffiest marshmallows you could ever imagine and cookie dough.

And owner and marshmallow-maker Tricia Arce says there’s no wrong way to eat them. “People can enjoy the s’more by breaking off the cookie and dipping it into the marshmallow or holding it in your hand and biting into it like a cupcake, or just eating it straight out of the bowl and saving the cookie for last.”

Toasted Mallow, 1034 N. Gilbert Road, Suite 3, Gilbert, 480.686.9071, thetoastedmallow.com, $6.94 ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

PASSPORT NOT REQUIRED

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

How to eat European without traveling abroad

By Victoria Stibrik

T

raveling to Europe may not be in the cards right now, but the good news is the cards say nothing about eating like a European. Here’s a list of restaurants where one can go to get that authentic European experience without straying too far from home or making a huge mess in the kitchen. (Mimes and gondola rides down Venetian canals not included.)

ENGLISH George and Dragon Pub “Like I tell customers, you leave your passport at home. When you walk in the pub, you feel like you’re in England,” owner David Wimberley says. If one does go to G&D, they simply must try the fish and chips ($13.99), which Wimberley says has won the award for best in the Valley many times. And for those who just aren’t in a fish and chips kind of mood, Wimberley recommends their bangers and mash ($13.49).

George and Dragon Pub, 4240 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.241.0018, georgeanddragonpub.net English Rose Tea Room But maybe something a little more

Le Zinqué

George and Dragon Pub

sophisticated is the mood, like eating finger sandwiches and sipping tea with pinkies out. Then English Rose Tea Room is the place to go. “It’s a little oasis in the middle of the desert where one can sit and relax and enjoy the utterly civilized pleasure of taking the time for tea,” says owner Jo Gemmill. The Duchess of Bedford’s Formal Afternoon Tea ($32) is the recommended item on the menu, and it comes with a variety of tea sandwiches, scones, petit fours and a pot of tea. There’s no required dress code, and reservations aren’t mandatory but are recommended because guests at the English Rose Tea Room are expected to stay for an hour and a half to two hours. “It’s not a fast-food cafe where you just come in and grab and go,” Gemmill says.

English Rose Tea Room, English Rose Tea Room

201 Easy Street, Suite 103, Carefree, 480.488.4812, carefreetea.com Cornish Pasty Co. At the Cornish Pasty Co., the pasty that must be ordered is the Oggie ($11), which is the traditional pasty with “steak, potato, onion and rutabaga, which lots of people won’t know what rutabaga is,” right-hand-man Lauren Almeter says. “It’s basically a root vegetable that doesn’t taste like anything enough for you to know what rutabaga is. And then we serve that with our house-made red wine gravy, or some people prefer ketchup.” And if you’re really looking to get that full, authentic English experience, be sure order a side Cornish Pasty Co.

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of mushy peas ($4.50). “It’s salted and seasoned a little bit, but it’s definitely a regional favorite that Americans may not ever think to order. But it’s definitely a traditional side dish,” Almeter says.

Cornish Pasty Co., 960 W. University Drive, Tempe, 480.894.6261, cornishpastyco.com, see website for other locations

FRENCH Le Zinqué Le Zinqué, pronounced zin-kae, is a French play on the word “zinc,” which is what neighbor hubs are referred to as in France because the counters are primarily made from zinc, co-owner Kristin Dossetti says. But the name isn’t the only thing taken straight from the French lifestyle.

“We do have some very special products that come directly from France,” Dossetti says. “The best example of that is our poilâne bread, and it comes directly from a bakery in Paris that has been a family bakery for generations, and we have it overnighted

by Federal Express three times a week to all of our restaurants.” The bread is a mixture of flour and spelt, and it’s used in their tartines ($13-$17). Another special thing about the recipes at Le Zinqué is that they are all tested out at

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020 Voila French Bistro

Tomaso’s

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combinations of shells and filling, filling and shells, Maggiore says the traditional cannoli with chocolate and candied fruits is second to none.

The Sicilian Baker, 15530 N. Tatum Boulevard, Suite 140, Phoenix, 602.612.5590, thesicilianbaker.com, see website for other locations

GREEK

the Dossetti home before making it on the menu.

Le Zinqué, 4712 N. Goldwater Boulevard, Suite 110, Scottsdale, lezinque.com, see website for other locations Voila French Bistro Voila French Bistro has “more of a casual ambiance,” as described by coowner Ségolène Gros. She recommends that customers order their le foie gras de canard ($39) because it’s her favorite.

“I would also recommend our fish. All of our fish are fresh,” Gros says. “We’ve got a new supplier from Rungis from close (to) Paris, and all of our fish come from there, and it’s really high quality.”

One can get their full seafood fix in one dish called La Choucroute ($34), which has scallops, shrimp, mussels, cod and salmon.

Voila French Bistro, 10135 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, 480.614.5600, voilafrenchbistro.com

ITALIAN Tomaso’s “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie,” or even if you’re just in the mood for some kind of Italian cuisine, then do go to Tomaso’s. “It’s like eating the food over there, but it’s made over here, meaning we use the same ingredients, the same techniques

as they do in Italy, but we serve it in the American palate in our restaurant. It’s really as close to Italy as you can come,” chef and owner Joey Maggiore says. “All of the pastas are made (from) scratch, daily,” he says. It may be hard to choose from the nine handcrafted pasta dishes ($20-$42), but that’s just more incentive to go back and try the others.

Tomaso’s, 3225 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602.956.0836, tomasos.com

place.” A quick glance at the menu and one can see that the Sicilian Butcher is the place to go if it’s a meatball kind of night. Maggiore says the Tomaso’s Sicilian meatballs ($18) are the most popular. “You eat that dish, sit outside with a bottle of wine—you might think you’re in Italy.”

The Sicilian Butcher, 15530 N. Tatum Boulevard, Suite 160, Phoenix, 602.775.5140, thesicilianbutcher.com, see website for other locations

Olive and Ivy “It’s a relaxed, warm and inviting atmosphere,” executive chef Jimmy Kenny says. “Olive and Ivy’s approach to life and dining are always to enjoy everyday moments with those who matter the most. Everything on our menu is slow cooked and prepared carefully so you can savor all the appetizing flavors in every bite.” And Olive and Ivy does not run short on appetizing flavors. “I would definitely recommend that you start your dining experience with the bacon-wrapped dates ($12),” Kenny says. “Those are The Sicilian Butcher

The Sicilian Baker

The Sicilian Butcher But if Tomaso’s is a little too formal, there’s always the Sicilian Butcher, also owned by Joey Maggiore. “We bring in only the best meats and prosciutto and imported cheeses from Italy, so we’re really trying to be the neighborhood Italian restaurant that serves exactly what you would get in Italy but at our Olive and Ivy

The Sicilian Baker And right next door to the Sicilian Butcher is the bakery, with Sicilian cakes and pastries and a build-yourown cannoli bar—the best kind of bar. “Everything is just like you would find if you were in the streets of Sicily,” Maggiore says. It offers 12 different flavors of cannoli cream, including Oreo and fig, and they come in a range of sizes, from mini ($2) to the Sicilian ($13).

But out of all the endless delectable Agápi Pita

one of my personal favorites.” And one cannot forget about the bruschetta ($5-$14), hummus ($12) or dessert ($3.25-$8).

Olive and Ivy, 7135 E. Camelback Road, Suite 195, Scottsdale, 480.751.2200, oliveandivyrestaurant.com Agápi Pita “It’s very welcoming. You feel like you’re on an island,” owner Nikki Zai says. “The whole ambiance, it just gives it a nice affect. It’s authentic. We have a fusion of Mediterranean, Greek, Middle Eastern. It’s a nice blend of countries.”

The homemade lentil soup ($3.95) is very popular, as well as the gyros salad ($11.50). But let’s not forget: It’s all about the hummus, and Agápi Pita has just that, and it comes with two pitas ($5.95).

“You can never go wrong with that,” Zai says.

Agápi Pita, 13802 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.626.9224, agapipita.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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BEER AND WINE

SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

GREAT BEER PAIRINGS

PITA JUNGLE

By Alison Bailin Batz

“Pita Jungle, a local restaurant hinged on the Mediterranean diet, serves up fresh and healthy fare influenced by flavors from around the globe. Pita Jungle’s creative energy and comfortable environment ensure good times for all. Our food pairs very well with different style beers that we feature on our beverage menu. Most of the beers we offer are from Arizona, as we love supporting local whenever possible. Pita Jungle’s bestkept secret is our happy hour, when guests can enjoy our signature tapas with our beers on special.

We have something for everyone when it comes to great beer and delicious cuisine, including a variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes.”

- Bassel Osmani, co-founder of Pita Jungle

BEER

NAME: BEER TUCSON BLONDE BREWERY: BARRIO BREWING CO. STYLE: BLONDE AMERICAN ALE Light and crisp, with a hint of malt and just enough Czechoslovakian Saaz hops to balance out the sweetness. Three decades after its creation, Tucson Blonde is one of

ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

the smoothest brews in all of Arizona.

DISH

PAIRING: SPINACH AND PESTO LAVASH PIZZA COST OF DISH: $10.99 Thin lavash crust is the base for any delicious pizza at Pita Jungle. A type of Mediterranean

flatbread that is thinner than a pita and similar to a tortilla, this fan-favorite vegetarian pizza is layered with baby spinach, roasted mushrooms, wood-fired tomatoes, pesto, herbs and mozzarella and is sprinkled with feta on thin lavash crust. Cooked to crispy perfection in Pita Jungle’s wood-fired oven and served alongside Barrio Brewing’s

Tucson Blonde, it’s the recipe for a delicious meal. The Tucson Blonde is light, crisp and refreshing, making it the ideal pairing for a pizza, especially a healthy one.

Pita Jungle 23 Arizona Locations • pitajungle.com

HELLO, MERLOT! I THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

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A versatile red that pairs fantastically with fall

By Alison Bailin Batz

n “Sideways,” the iconic 2004 movie on all things wine, Paul Giamatti’s character, Miles, famously hates merlot. During the film, he goes so far as to say, “If anyone orders merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any (expletive) merlot.”

A few years after the film, Sonoma State University did a study, finding the movie was directly responsible for a massive blow to the merlot market, which flourished at an unprecedented level just prior.

Well, forget “Sideways,” at least when it comes to its thoughts on the varietal, which explodes with dark fruit flavor and is one of the softest red wines on the palate. Here are some of the lushest expressions of the delightful grape available today, each especially perfect as we move into fall.

2017 Crusher Merlot The deep red of this bottle is reminiscent of cherry pie, which is fitting because every sip bursts with mixed berry pie filling, dark cherry, currant, warm vanilla and a subtle spearmint note. The wine is medium bodied and loaded with juicy fruit flavors, spice rack notes and a silky finesse. $16 2014 South Coast Winery Wild Horse Peak Merlot This Los Angeles International Wine

Competition gold medal winner will have blueberries dancing your palate upon tastings. Then, it gets pleasantly earthy, almost with a hint of coffee, followed by just the slightest bit of rose petals. $26 2014 Oak Mountain Merlot This wine is perfect for a (socially distanced) dinner party, as it goes with any dish you can dream up. Some will taste chocolate, while others get plums and licorice, and even others will get black cherry and a big ole jammy finish.

Everyone will love the velvety finish. $30

Swanson 6016 Merlot, Napa Valley Deep in color and rich in aroma— you won’t soon forget the combination blue fruit, pie crust and a touch of coconut husk on the nose. This fullbodied merlot delights with ripe plum along with cassis flavors. There are also secondary flavors present, predominantly a touch of cigar box and maybe graphite. $32 2016 Long Meadow Ranch Napa Valley Merlot Stunning in every sip, it starts with bright fruit aromas of dark and red fruits—even a bit of berry—which then give way to subtle plum notes and even what tastes like Crème de Cassis (a sweet, dark red liqueur made from black currants). The grand finale of each sip is the big, rich aroma and then taste of

cherry followed by raspberry. $40

Midnight Cellars 2017 Estate Merlot Eerily dark in color and richly provoking with its nose of smoky, earthy, plum and leather all at once. The mouthfeel is full of structured tannin from the black fruit, ripe plum, earth and mineral flavor profiles. Dense and dusty tannins carry into the impossibly long finish. $44

2017 Rombauer Napa Valley Merlot This wine should be a staple in all homes.

Upon opening, the aromas of fresh, ripe blueberries, ripe plum and black currants are enchanting, heighted by the secondary aromas of cedar and vanilla. Upon tasting this medium-bodied merlot, you will be delighted by the flavors of plums and blueberries again, but this time with figs sweetening the experience. $45 Prospice 2017 Walla Walla Valley Merlot Vibrantly juicy up front, but then seductively earthy and a bit spicy as it finishes, this Washington wine surprises in every sip. Some have notes of dark chocolate, while others red fruit, and others a combination of both flavors, all balanced with the earthy heat. $50 Dusted Valley 2017 BFM This merlot gets a little bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, making it one of the biggest and boldest options at

this price point. All of the lush red and dark fruits are there, but with some hefty richness in every sip. $55 2015 Leoness Cellars VS Merlot: Los Caballos Aged for 24 months in small French and European oak barrels, this merlot is well balanced and well structured, with beautiful layers of blackberry, black cherry and plum complemented by earthy aromas typical of this vineyard.

Enjoy the subtle nuances of tobacco and vanilla that develop as the wine finishes long and smooth. $60

Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Merlot 2017 This famed merlot is a love letter to blackberries, black cherries and black plums. The juiciness of these fruits is perfectly balanced by bright and refreshing acidity as well as defined minerality. Bold and complex, this elegant merlot would change even Miles’ mind. $69.99 Beringer Vineyards 2016 Bancroft Ranch (Howell Mountain) Merlot Distinctive, even decadent, this fullbodied plush wine is well structured and balanced with complex aromas and flavors of dark fruits, milk chocolate, black cherry and licorice. It is then accented with herbal notes and baking spices. Soft but potent, it delivers a memorable, spicy finish. $90

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SPORTS

CHEER Âť HIT Âť HIKE Âť LEAD Âť ROOT Âť COMPETE

A TRIBUTE TO HIS MOM Patrick Peterson feeds the less advantaged on Tuesdays

By Kendall Rooker

P

atrick Peterson’s mom told him when he “makes it big,� he’ll be a great father and giver with a big heart.

He has been charitable since joining the Arizona Cardinals. He kicked off P2 Tuesdays on September 8.

Each Tuesday for a year, Peterson will provide meals to UMOM clients. The first menu items were fried chicken, mac and cheese, yams and peas. “It is one of my favorites,� he says of the meal. “My grandma used to cook it on Sundays. Next week will be something different and fun as well. The meal was like a ‘First Supper.’ It was a family favorite, and I thought it would be a great welcome dinner.�

Peterson chose Tuesdays on the recommendation of the Cardinals front oďŹƒce and in honor of Kobe Bryant. “I was motivated one day surfing, and I ran across the link about the legacy Kobe Bryant left behind,â€? Peterson says. “On Tuesdays he reached out to homeless shelters to help them on a meal that they can remember it for a lifetime.â€?

Regularly charitable, Peterson had to cancel his other fundraising efforts through his charity, Patrick Peterson Foundation for Success, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He felt continuing his mission was important to his legacy. “With my foundation, my main focal point is the golf tournament,� he says. “The big fundraising outings were put on hold due to the pandemic. Not being able to do those events, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to help the community, giving out backpacks, school supplies and find a way to get these kids need at home for their virtual learning. I want to stay involved in the community for my legacy like Kobe did.�

Peterson wants to pave the way for

other athletes to give back. He will continue to do better. “I want to find a way to help people in need. If there was anything I was able to do to provide meals it makes me feel better. You never know what something as small as a meal can do for someone. I don’t take this lightly,� Peterson says.

The same goes for his teammates. He says the front oďŹƒce does a good job by bringing in players who fit their “knit.â€? “Guys like me Larry Fitzgerald, D.J. Humphries, Chandler Jones and guys who been around the block a couple times who understand what our platform means.

Other players that fit in to our knit we created here it makes it easy for us. “Ownership does a great job of making sure we get the right guys in our locker

room who aren’t a distraction and are here for the common goal, which is winning and grabbing that Super Bowl trophy.�

Peterson says new signee DeAndre Hopkins will help with this mission. “Now that the business side is done, he can play stress free,� Peterson says. “All he has to worry about is ball and not worry about proving a point. He understood his worth and got what he deserved. I know that’s something he was looking for in Houston. Arizona fulfilled his wishes,�

Having a high-caliber receiver like Hopkins benefits the offense led by quarterback Kyler Murray. “It’s awesome. Having a caliber receiver like him here another four more years makes it easier for Kyler and our

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offense,� Peterson says. “The future is bright for our organization. We have a great cast of weapons on the offensive side of the ball.

Kyler has the opportunity to pick his poison. It’s on us to stay healthy, stay COVID free and injury free.�

For his part, Peterson is hopeful his Tuesday program will motivate others to do better. “You never know when something so small as a meal on Tuesday can go,� he says. “It may give them motivation to want to do better. It’s my commitment to my mom.�

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2020

IN THE SPIRIT

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

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Celebrate Halloween with PCH’s virtual 5K

By Adianna Bermudez

T

his Halloween weekend, Phoenix Children’s Hospital is hosting a free virtual 5K event, and participants have their

choice of how and when to complete the event.

“Some people may go out and do a run on their own, or maybe do a Peloton bike,” says Tim Harrison, the vice president of corporate partnerships and special events at PCH. “Some may just be a family going out on a hike or walk.”

Social distancing is encouraged during the event.

Participants have from October 30 to November 1 to complete it. To register for the free event, visit PCH5K.org.

There, participants can choose to register as an individual, start a new team or join an existing team. Then they can set their fundraising goal, which starts at $250. This becomes their donation page.

It is encouraged that participants form teams and dress up in costumes to get in the Halloween spirit. They can share photos and videos on social media with #PCH5K. “It makes it more fun,” Harrison says.

The first 1,000 registered adults will receive a PCH-branded cooling towel

and an event bib to wear on their shirt.

The first 150 registered children 12 and younger will receive a commemorative medal and Kid’s Dash bib.

Phoenix Children’s hosts a 5K run every year to fundraise for its Hope fund, which finances over 60 hospital programs and services.

According to the PCH Foundation website, “Very often the funds are used to support areas that promote familycentered healing, such as pet-assisted therapy, child life services or pastoral care.”

Other programs include a school, library and summer camp.

Harrison says the virtual run has always meant to bring people together in support of an important cause. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an in-person 5K was not possible.

“We’re lucky the Phoenix Children’s brand is big around the Phoenix market place. People already have a connection to the hospital,” Harrison says.

The 5K was switched to a virtual setting to ensure the safety of community members and to continue to

raise money for children and families.

“The need of the hospital is so great.”

Harrison says.

“I hope people can really feel like they’re helping those stuck in the hospital and going through really hard times.”

PCH 5K PCH5K.org

COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY

D-backs pivot Race Against Cancer to virtual run

By Kendall Rooker

D

iamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall says cancer does not sleep. It isn’t going to go away, even though the world is plagued with coronavirus.

“It is vital right now to give back,” says Hall, a cancer survivor himself. “Many areas in the community are screaming for help. It’s our responsibility to help people out. It’s ongoing. We need to battle it every day.”

Events like the D-backs’ Race Against Cancer create promise, and Hall wasn’t about to stop it because of COVID-19.

The D-backs pivoted the Race Against Cancer to a virtual run in the fall. The race will take place October 17 and October 18, but participants have the flexibility to skip, hop, run or walk the 5K before October 31.

Participants will record their own times on the Runkeeper app, as they run through neighborhoods, parks or even a treadmill. Not in Arizona? No problem.

Athletes can run anywhere.

Hall says it was a challenge for the team to host the run this year.

“Even though we have economic struggles, it was more important to give back to the community during these times,” Hall says.

“We were committed to doing more. We (will) give back more during a pandemic.”

Fans will continue to support the D-backs and its charitable endeavors, he adds.

“They’ve always been so supportive,” Hall says. “It’ll be different from looking at the crowd and coordinating teams. Most important is awareness and education about the disease. It’s about research, treatment and early detection of cancer.”

Each registrant will receive swag bags that include a T-shirt, drawstring bag and a medal. D-backs Race Against Cancer packets can be picked up at various locations around the Valley— including Chase Field and Fry’s grocery stores—the week of October 12. More details will be announced shortly.

Packets will also be mailed by October

12 via USPS for $5.

Hall and the Diamondbacks encourage participants to map their course and practice it to improve their times. A special hashtag is being created to promote the event.

Out of the postseason, the D-backs expect their players and coaches to be involved, too. Their last game is September 27.

“The next best thing to all being

together is keeping this race intact and allowing to let it grow,” Hall says.

“When it is back, we’ll have record numbers—all of it is almost because of our fans.”

D-backs Race Against Cancer dbacks.com, then click on “Community” ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

BOUNCING TO SUCCESS

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DreamTeam Academy finds success in reworked business model

By Griffin Fabits

O

f all of the ways the coronavirus pandemic flipped the world on its head in early March, Mimi Sommers knew the services and opportunities she provides for children needed to remain a constant.

Her basketball training organization, DreamTeam Academy, offers skills and sports performance training to kids aged 6 and older. And Sommers knew she needed to provide kids and families with a refuge, as everyone was quarantined and confined to their homes.

“I had this feeling that kids would suffer being at home,” Sommers says.

“We went to the drawing board and said, ‘How can we reorganize our business model to accommodate our clients’ wishes?’

“They still wanted to come in. We had to find that happy medium during this troubled time in our history.”

The plan Sommers and her team devised effectively allowed children to continue getting basketball instruction—under strict and unprecedented health and safety concerns. Known for hosting group trainings, sessions and leagues, DreamTeam Academy has since pivoted to small-group and individual training sessions.

It slashed its prices—by a near 50%— and hoped the Scottsdale community

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was comfortable to return to their gym.

Sommers has since been delighted by the response.

“For me, as a business owner, it’s rewarding beyond during these unprecedented times,” she says. “I’m ecstatic. I’m hopeful for our future.

I think this pandemic has brought our clients closer, and I’m hoping the community closer, so that once we can return back to a normal state, we will prevail.”

Another draw to the academy, founded

by Sommers and her husband in 2017, is the impressive list of coaches and trainers it boasts, led by Loren Woods, who played six years in the National Basketball Association in the early 2000s.

Woods feels it’s necessary, as a former professional, to give back to kids in the

community who want to improve their basketball fundamentals.

“It’s an obligation or duty,” he says.

“We all feel that way, all my friends who’ve played high-level college or professional or who have been coaches for decades. We all feel like it’s our job, our duty, our obligation to give back.”

Woods joined the DreamTeam staff by happenstance. Earlier this year he stumbled upon Sommers’ son playing in a club tournament and was impressed by his size and potential.

“I just went up to his dad and gave him a few pointers on some things I thought would be good for him to work on,” he says. “And once everything happened with COVID-19, we just felt it was a great idea to partner up and try to bring the best possible training to the kids that we have in our academies.”

Besides the professional expertise Woods brought with him, he’s also helped attract more high school-aged players to the academy, after it was originally targeting younger kids.

“Through travesty comes the rainbow,” Sommers says. “We found someone who can help complement DreamTeam so that we can offer services to everybody and grow and expand.”

In cooperation with welcoming young athletes back into the building, Sommers is doing so under extreme safety measures. Upon entrance, everyone goes through a health screening, gets their temperatures taken and washes their hands. Throughout training sessions, the basketballs are sanitized and a 6-foot

distance between coach and player is implemented.

“We took pride in wanting to help our community stay safe and have the kids have a fun, safe environment to let off some steam and build some basketball fundamentals,” she says.

The rapport Sommers has tirelessly worked to build with the community since her organization’s inception never wavered during the early months of the pandemic, when families were wary of sending their children to basketball training sessions.

Instead, it only strengthened.

It kept the doors open and the lights on at the DreamTeam Academy. And for that, Sommers is grateful, even as she weighs all that’s been thrown her way this past year.

“We put way too much heart and soul into our company to just throw it away.

We slashed our prices just to get people in the door, and they came. Luckily, we had loyal followings.

“If this happened right when we opened, I don’t think we’d be talking right now. We established an amazing client base in our area, and we reached out to them and said, ‘Hey, we want to keep our doors open. Who wants to come for training?’”

DreamTeam Academy 15955 N. Dial Boulevard, Suite 3, Scottsdale 480.800.8326, dreamteamacademy.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

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FROLIC » DISCOVER » IMAGINE » FAMILY » FUN » CONNECT

FALL HAS ARRIVED

Celebrate Halloween safely at local farms and venues

By Adianna Bermudez

G

et ready to celebrate all things warm and cozy this fall.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pumpkin patches and other Halloween events will operate differently than normal. Masks will be required and encouraged when social distancing is not possible. Guests who prefer to stay indoors can take part in virtual happenings.

Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party

OCTOBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 1 At the Pumpkin and Chili Party, families can enjoy delicious chili dinners and succotash and ride the Hyper Loop, Schnepf Roller Coaster and zipline. With games and two corn mazes, everyone can find fun at Schnepf Farms, which encourages guests to wear masks when social distancing is not possible. Every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. is Grandparents Morning. Masks are required for everyone during this time.

Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek, 480.987.3100, schnepffarms. com, various times, $23.

Pumpkin Nights at the Princess

TO OCTOBER 31 The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is hosting various Halloween activities, including a pumpkin patch, a jack-o’-lantern lawn with rides, a hay maze and a haunted plaza.

Each night, guests can decorate and release a lantern during the Lanterns of Hope ceremony and watch fireworks. Masks are required.

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale, 480.585.4848, scottsdaleprincess.com, 6 to 10 p.m., $10.

Corn Maze and Pumpkin Days OCTOBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 1

Come over to Tolmachoff Farms and enjoy walking through a familyfriendly, 6-acre corn maze—or a mini corn maze for younger children. The courageous can enter the haunted corn maze if they dare. The farm also offers a petting zoo, train ride, hay pyramid, corn box, pedal cart track and jumping pillow. The farm asks that customers wear masks when social distancing is not possible.

Tolmachoff Farms, 5726 N. 75th Avenue, Glendale, 602.999.3276, tolmachofffarms.com, various times, $15.

Halloween Drive-Thru

OCTOBER 23 AND OCTOBER 24 Guests can trick or treat at Goodyear Ballpark from the comfort and safety of their vehicle. Visitors will drive through the decorated parking lots and receive free candy and pumpkins along the way. Visitors also have the chance to win prizes in a virtual costume contest. Registration is required for this event.

Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear, 623.932.3910, goodyearaz. gov, 6 to 9 p.m., free.

Dia De Los Muertos Virtual Festival

OCTOBER 24 Celebrate Latin arts and culture virtually with the Mesa Arts Center. Families can watch cooking demonstrations and participate in at-home activities including paper flower making and altar making. Viewers can also shop on the online Mercado, which offers art, jewelry and other crafts. La Luz de Luna, Mariachi Passion and other artists will perform.

Mesa Arts Center, online only, 480.644.6560, mesaartscenter. com, noon to 3 p.m., free.

Fall Market Sip and Shop Event

OCTOBER 23 AND OCTOBER 24 Vintage and Vino Market is hosting a shopping event that includes wine and beer tasting, loaded mimosas

and kid-friendly activities. Shop antiques and sip on popular drinks while local musicians perform.

Photo ops and make-and-take classes will also be available.

Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center, 20464 E. Riggs Road, Queen Creek, 602.341.5724, vintageandvinoaz.com, various times, $5.

Pumpkin Splash at Mesa City Pools

OCTOBER 24 Swim in a floating pumpkin patch at Mesa Aquatic Center and Brimhall Aquatic Center. Each ticket comes with one pumpkin to decorate. Forty participants can swim in the heated pool for 45 minutes at a time. Employees will clean between allotted times.

Limited to 500 people total.

Mesa Aquatic Center, 1630 E. Southern Avenue, Mesa Brimhall Aquatic Center, 4949 E. Southern Avenue, Mesa, 480.644.7529, mesaparks. com, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., $8.

Cooler Days in the Corn Maze OCTOBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 1 At Vertuccio Farms, families can participate in fun activities including a 5-acre corn maze, pumpkin bowling, a spider web climb and more. For $6, visitors can participate in a pumpkin paintand-take on certain dates. To control crowd size and maintain social distancing requirements,

re-entry will not be permitted, and group rates are not being offered.

Vertuccio Farms, 4011 S. Power Road, Mesa, 480.882.1482, vertucciofarms. com, various times, $12.

Anthem Autumnfest

OCTOBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 30 This year, the Anthem Autumnfest was adjusted to ensure public safety.

Starting on October 1, residents can submit a picture of their decorated pumpkin to the Anthem Community Council’s Facebook event page for the Virtual Pumpkin Display. Use #AnthemPumpkins2020 on the post. Three random participants will be chosen to win a prize. Support local vendors virtually this year.

The Arts and Crafts Fair will be hosted on the Anthem Community Council website from October 16 to November 30. Pumpkin picking at the community ballpark on October 23 and October 24 will look different this year. The pumpkin patches will be split up in four mini-patches, and each family will be reserved to one patch to maintain social distancing requirements. Participants must register online and reserve a time slot. Complimentary pumpkins, decoration kits and treats will be provided. Masks are required under the Maricopa County mask mandate.

Community Ballpark Softball Field No. 4, 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem, 623.879.3008, onlineatanthem. com, various times, free.

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

Schnepf Farms brings fall fun to the Valley with annual party

By Adianna Bermudez

C

arrie Schnepf knows her community needs fresh country air and a little bit of fun.

“I thought, a couple months ago, as far as COVID-19 goes, things were on the up and up,” Schnepf says. “But there is still a lot of concern out there, so whatever we can do to ease those concerns and let people enjoy the farm is the most important thing for us.”

Schnepf Farms is hosting its annual Pumpkin and Chili Party from Thursday, October 1, to Sunday, November 1. Visitors can pick pumpkins, eat food and play games at the farm in Queen Creek.

“We want visitors to enjoy the farm without feeling stressed,” Schnepf says.

Schnepf Farms has taken precautions to ensure all visitors are safe while they participate in activities. These include limited attendance, hand sanitizer stations, social distancing and mask requirements.

All rides and all frequently touched surfaces will be sanitized daily. Schnepf says that “as much as you can sanitize dirt” they will.

“We really are taking it a step up,” she says.

Schnepf urges everyone to purchase their tickets online so the farm can better manage attendance.

Masks are required on Grandparents Morning on Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is to cater to those who have

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underlying health conditions, Schnepf says.

Masks are required when social distancing is not possible, such as on the hayride and in food lines. Schnepf says limited capacity will shorten the food and ride lines significantly.

“We’re looking forward to our attendance dropping 35% to what we usually get,” Schnepf says.

Rides include the Hyper Loop, the Flying Farmer Ride and the Honeybee Adventure.

At the Main Food Grill, visitors can try the farm’s famous chili and chicken dinners or the farm favorite succotash.

For dessert, visitors can try the funnel cakes and pies.

Visitors are encouraged to preorder their food to prevent long lines. There will be additional food service areas as well. All seating will be distanced 6 feet apart.

To better accommodate everyone during the pandemic, the farm is offering curbside pickup for food orders.

“We’re looking to give the public an incredible experience during this time,” she says.

The bakery and U-Pick garden are open to the public and will continue to be throughout the rest of the year.

Drive-in movies will continue every Friday and Saturday night throughout October.

“We appreciate all the support,” Schnepf says. “We are seeing things move forward, which is a huge thing for everyone in the entire Valley.”

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

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LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

It’s All About Love Aloe Blacc dedicates new music to his wife

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

A

loe Blacc doesn’t spend a lot of time writing love songs or ballads.

But when his 10th wedding anniversary came around, he decided it was time to start. So, he rounded up co-writers who were good at “that sort of thing” and collaborated.

“The song ‘I Do’ I wrote and dedicated to my wife,” Blacc says about the track that appears on his album “All Love Everything” due out October 2.

“I decided the 10th anniversary was a great moment to dedicate a song to her. The music video is film footage from our wedding ceremony. The song is from the universal standpoint of the process of finding love.”

Blacc married Maya Jupiter—a Mexican-born rapper, songwriter, MC and radio personality who grew up in Australia—in 2010.

“We are from two different continents and were an ocean apart,” says Blacc, who grew up in Laguna Hills, California. “We realized that love is something that ultimately chooses you, rather than you choosing it. The odds of us finding each other was amazing.

She was raised in Sydney and born in Mexico only two weeks apart from me. Potentially, we could have met on the same soil in the same coast, but her parents moved to Australia and she was raised there.”

“I Do” was supposed to be a surprise, but Jupiter heard their daughter singing it.

“She said, ‘This is your song. Daddy made it for you,’” he recalls about a conversation Jupiter had with their daughter. “It hadn’t been finished yet.

I wanted to present it in the final form.

She didn’t spoil the surprise, though.”

Blacc believes “All Love Everything” is “important for this time,” as it focuses on family and togetherness, a sentiment shared by many because of the pandemic.

The album is peppered with different

genres, including Americana, Latin, soul and R&B. “I just wanted to take the production in the direction that best suited the story I was telling,” he says. “The song ‘My Way’ is definitely a classic soul feel and it has elements of hip-hop with the sonic fidelity of the drums and bass.

“I have a lot of flexibility with my voice. I tend to use my voice how it best

serves the song. The vocal producer on the track will get me to perform in a way that best communicates the sentiment and the energy. They’re two different kinds of energies.”

While awaiting the release of “All

Love Everything,” Blacc was focused on transforming the justice system.

“The House of Representatives passed a justice reform bill, and I’m looking at the possibility of getting that bill passed in the Senate,” he says. “We need to find

a way to weed out the bad apples. That’s what everybody’s interested in—from the law enforcement side to the public side.

We need to find a way to promote the good cops and get rid of the bad cops.”

Blacc, who lives in Los Angeles, says some police officers were agitating crowds during protests.

“I saw some images of police leaving bricks on corners so that people outside the community could come and do damage,” he says. “That’s completely not the way peaceful protests are done. It upset outside agents and provoked doing damage to these businesses who had nothing to do with these issues.

“The peaceful protests were exercises of the First Amendment, right to speak your voice. There were a lot of people out there, though, who wanted to make the peaceful protests look bad.”

Aloe Blacc aloeblacc.com ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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The Struts acknowledge ‘Strange Days’ with upbeat album

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

T

he Struts guitarist Adam Slack says the recording of the English band’s forthcoming album, “Strange Days,� very much aligns with 2020.

Due out October 16, “Strange Days� sees the Struts and singer Luke Spiller pairing with English pop star Robbie Williams, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen. “Luke and Robbie sang it (the title track) together, socially distanced outside his (Williams’) house in LA,�

Slack says. “For the safety of everyone, we just sent Luke and the producer. I have not met Robbie, but I look forward to the day I can. It was a very 2020 style of recording.�

The whole album’s process was similar.

After getting tested for COVID-19, the band moved into the Los Angeles home of Jon Levine, a producer who worked on their acclaimed sophomore album, “Young & Dangerous.� Within 10 days of “couch crashing� at Levine’s house, the Struts laid down nine original songs and their cover of Kiss’ “Do You Love Me.� The project was meant to be an EP, but they produced an album’s worth of songs in the sessions. “We quarantined for 10 days in Jon Levine’s house, and we wrote and recorded the whole thing in 10 days,� he says. “It was very bizarre. We were sleeping on floors, and all this creativity came out of nowhere. “We didn’t second guess anything. All the songs started writing themselves. We had been touring for five years. We had a chance to rest and recuperate.�

Levine proved to be a valuable partner once again. “Jon was in the room with us and writing with us the whole time,� Slack says. “He was a mediator when we were writing something. He’d say, ‘Why don’t you try this?’ He’s an amazing piano player, and he’d jam along with us. We worked so well together. “He really gets us. He says ‘Strange Days’ was one of his favorite things he’s never done in his career. It was like

summer camp. He let us crash at his house, which was really gracious. We were waking up every morning with no idea what we were going to write that day.�

With Morello, the Struts sent tapes back and forth until the song was finished.

The act previously worked with him in person for another project. “He’s a friend of ours now really,� he says. “It was crazy to say because we listened to Rage when we were kid. It was a real honor. The song ‘Wild Child’ had the heaviest riff I’ve ever come up with.

If anyone would do it best, it would be Tom Morello. “We just wanted to get as many guests on it as possible because it would be really fun to do. Whilst we were writing, we said this would be cool for this person. We did it, asked them and they said yes. Not everyone is doing a lot at the moment. They couldn’t really say they were too busy.�

Slack sees “Strange Days� as a gift to fans. “We wanted to make something for the fans because we can’t tour, basically,� he says. “We went through our phone book and people we met over the years of touring. Joe’s been a fan of ours, and he’s given us too much praise in the press.

We’re grateful for that. It was lovely. He and Phil wanted to do the song, and that was amazing. “If it wasn’t for this whole coronavirus, we wouldn’t have this album. So, in one aspect, thank you for that.

It’s nice to turn something so negative into a positive. It’s a really happy album, a feelgood record.�

The Struts thestruts.com

The Insider’s Guide to Arizona Entertainment

PHX METRO Âť JANUARY 2020

PHX METRO

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Summer

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MERRILL KELLY

SPOOKY’S SWIRLS

Handcrafted e for meats mak treats delectable

BIG DREAMS

‘Americano!’ is the show of the year

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Supermod Erin Naas el can't live without her Arabians

D-BACKS FAN FEST

slides into Chase Field

Dave Kindig is selling his ‘bitchin’ rides’ at Barrett-Jackson JULIANA HATFIELD

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2020

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

35

COLORFUL RETURN

Happiness to the Verve Pipe is returning to the stage

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

T

he Verve Pipe lead singer Brian Vander Ark has been building a pond, painting the house and doing “artistic stuff” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now it’s time to get to the music.

The Michigan-based outfit has brought together two of its favorite venues, The Ark (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and The Listening Room (Grand Rapids, Michigan), to co-host a livestreamed experience to be filmed at The Listening Room on Saturday, October 10.

The event will feature the band grouped in the round with multicamera HD video and concert-quality audio, allowing fans an insider look at the band’s creative process and friendship as it plays recognizable hits from its discography—such as 1997’s No. 1 single “The Freshmen”—and share the stories behind them. The act will debut new material, too.

“This will be a livestream like no other,

an inside look at the band’s creative process,” Vander Ark says.

“In addition to playing the favorites and telling some of the stories behind them, I’ll be introducing two new songs to the band for the first time, and we’ll work them out live in front of the virtual audience.”

The Verve Pipe formed in 1992 and is known for its radio hits “Photograph,” “Happiness Is” and “Hero,” as well as being featured in the movie “Rock Star” with the song “Colorful.”

The pandemic has been somewhat creative for Vander Ark. He and his brother, Brad, a former member of the Verve Pipe, have written songs for a different kind of Police tribute band.

They’re songs that sound like the Police would have recorded them—not direct covers.

“It’s more of a ‘nod’ than a ‘tribute,’” Vander Ark says with a laugh. “Brad never leaves the house anymore. He’ll come up with a musical idea and send it to me. I’ll have to try to get Sting’s voice in there. It sounds like the way he would

write a melody. We have three songs that sound pretty Police. It’s a definite nod to the Police.”

In early September, Vander Ark had given up on the notion of touring in 2020. Then, the Verve Pipe signed on for a performance in front a crowd at Orpheum Theater in Omaha on Saturday, October 17. It is a socially distanced event with strict COVID-19 safety protocols enforced. The venue will be reduced to a limited capacity of 450 from 1,100 to comply with local regulations and provide a safe environment for the audience, staff and artists.

“Like most of our peers, we’re creating, creating, creating—songs and videos mostly,” Vander Ark says.

“It’s also been a good time to revisit our instruments, better ourselves as players for when the pandemic lifts.

We’re tweaking the live show, finding new ways to make performances more interesting and impactful for an intimate audience. I, for one, am looking forward to the new challenges we have to face.”

These days, the band is lead guitarist

Lou Musa; keyboardist/backing vocalist Randy Sly; bassist Joel Ferguson; drummer/percussionist Sam Briggs and backing vocalist Channing Lee. They plan to release a new album in 2021.

Fans who subscribe to Vander Ark’s Patreon page for $3 to $25 per month may have been introduced to the songs already. He has 176 subscribers so far.

“The Patreon page has kicked me in the butt,” says Vander Ark, who’s writing a book. “It’s this odd collection of fans from little kids to guys who are retired.

For $3, they get certain things. For $10 they get VIP tickets when we’re back in session doing live shows, birthday shoutouts. It helps pay the mortgage, which is fantastic during these times.

“I’m tied to creating content until I die, frankly. I don’t see any reason to stop.”

The Verve Pipe livestream Tickets start at $20 thevervepipe.com or https://bit.ly/3mTwTxQ ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

CONCERTS IN YOUR CAR The Beach Boys will have ‘fun, fun, fun’ at the fairgrounds

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

T

he Beach Boys’ Mike Love knows the formula for a perfect concert—play the hits. The iconic band will do just that when it performs a drive-in concert at the Arizona State Fairgrounds.

“We don’t like to disappoint,” he says. “‘California Girls’ is an iconic song.

‘Good Vibrations’ is an iconic song.

‘Kokomo’ is our biggest-selling single; it came out 32 years ago in the movie ‘Cocktail.’ ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ comes to mind. ‘Surfin’ USA’ comes to mind.

‘I Get Around.’ We’ll be doing all of them.”

The “Concerts in Your Car” performance will also include new material, like Love’s latest single, ‘This Too Shall Pass,” which he released at the start of the pandemic to encourage positivity. All royalties from the song, which features John Stamos on drums, go to Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund.

“It’s a brand-new song I wrote after being at home for a couple weeks,” Love says. “If you purchase it on Amazon or anything else, the proceeds go to Feeding America, which is a nationwide food bank organization that does a fantastic job.”

The Beach Boys have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and have received over 33 RIAA platinum and gold record awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were also honored at the 2001 Grammy Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award. With more than five decades of touring under their belts, the Beach Boys have performed more concerts than any major rock band.

“Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of The Beach Boys,” Capitol/EMI’s 30-track collection of the band’s biggest hits, has achieved triple-platinum success with sales of more than 3 million copies in the Unites States since its release.

At the Arizona State Fairgrounds, Love will be joined by longtime member Bruce Johnston, musical director Scott Totten, Brian Eichenberger, Christian Love, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill, Keith Hubacher and Randy Leago. This concert will not feature Brian Wilson, Al Jardine or David Marks.

“We are more than rested,” he says about the forced break from touring the Beach Boys took due to the pandemic.

“We’re all energized and really looking forward to doing the drive-in shows.

“We had the biggest year of our career planned, and it all disappeared due to the pandemic. About 90% of the shows were postponed until next year, and 10% are gone because they were date specific.”

The year was the Beach Boys’ biggest because of the extensive tour it had planned in North America and Europe.

“Our music has carried us around the world,” he says. “Basically, we had the attendance records for the nation of Australia, which is one big surfin’ country.”

Love says the drive-in shows are a perfect fit for the Beach Boys.

“I think the Beach Boys became famous because of car radios,” Love adds. “Yes, we did ‘Ed Sullivan’ and ‘Johnny Carson’ and other things. We performed with Bob Hope and Jack Benny in a show in 1965. That was intimidating. Bob Hope—he was an icon.

“Other than that, the majority of our music was heard by all the kids tuning

into their car radios, and ones at home, of course.”

The “Concerts in Your Car” events are designed to comply with official restrictions. The shows are in the round with four oversized screens.

“This is awesome doing these drive-in concerts,” he says. “They’re not proper drive-ins. They’re setting up the stage and the video. We’ll do our performance and show our videos. There are going to be great songs—a whole cross-section of

songs from the Beach Boys, from ‘Surfin’ Safari’ in 1962 to ‘Kokomo’ in 1988.”

“Concerts in Your Car” w/the Beach Boys 8 p.m. Sunday, October 25 Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix Tickets, in advance only, start at $99 per car. concertsinyourcar.com

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NIGHTLIFE

37

SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE

AN UNBELIEVABLE SOUL Stefan Pruett was someone everyone needs in their corner

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

F

or as long as Paula Pruett can remember, her son, Stefan Pruett, was obsessed with two things—basketball and music.

His heart condition pushed him out of basketball, so his mother persuaded him to pursue music. The Carefree musician was just about to turn music on its head as The Guidance when he was found unresponsive in his Downtown LA apartment at age 35 in June. He died of natural causes.

“When things like that happen, you really have to wonder what people know ahead of time,” says Tommie Sunshine, who had just signed The Guidance to a record deal.

“He was living on borrowed time his entire life. He knew that from the time he was very, very young. He didn’t think he was going to make it out of being a teenager. Every minute of every day was bonus points. He knew it and he lived in such a way that he never made you forget it.

“He made you feel how important life was and how important it was to do the things you want to do and not hesitate.

Having somebody around who’s that much a cheerleader is such a positive thing. You really want someone like that in your corner.”

Stefan’s music was about his brother, a race car driver.

“His work, music and songs were directed to Alex,” Paula says. “In 2008, he wrote ‘You Matter’ that he composed with David Jackman. It was about Alex mattering after he died. Stefan alone wrote ‘Carefree.’ He really missed Alex.”

Stefan was born with a congenital heart condition, transposition of the great arteries, and survived three openheart surgeries, starting at age 2 at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Stefan, who moved to Arizona as a child with his family, had a pacemaker.

According to the Mayo Clinic, transposition of the great arteries changes the way blood circulates through the body, leaving a shortage of oxygen in blood flowing from the heart to the rest of the body. Without an

A LOVING BROTHER Paula lost her other son, Alex, to an accidental overdose in 2007, and a lot of

adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood, the body can’t function properly, and a child faces serious complications or death without treatment.

It’s usually detected either prenatally or within the first hours to weeks of life.

Corrective surgery soon after birth is the usual treatment for transposition of the great arteries.

Stefan started having arrythmia when he was 9. He still played his beloved sport—basketball.

“He learned to perfect a three-pointer,” Paula says. “He really loved basketball and was really good at it. With the heart problem and the arrythmia, I sat him down. I said I really thought it was a better idea to pursue music.

“At 14, we put him in bass lessons, and he started a few bands as a bassist.

He never could find a singer. So, I said, ‘You know, singing would be really good considering the heart situation.”

Stefan took voice lessons at home with Anita Bakey of Fountain Hills for 13 years. He became the frontman because he didn’t have to worry about finding a singer any longer. Bakey trained him to sing so he could balance his breathing.

Because of this, Paula says, Stefan became a physical performer.

“He was known for a lot of very colorful activity on stage and off stage,” she says.

At age 15, Stefan, using his music business interests, started a band promotion company called Caustic Summer Productions. He booked bands in local venues in the Phoenix area throughout high school. Stefan graduated from Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek in 2003.

“He was about 17 and I asked him if he was going to go to prom,” Paula recalls. “He said, ‘I don’t think so, mom.

I think I’m going to go to Coachella.’”

After high school, he attended Scottsdale Community College, where he studied the business of music. In 2003, he founded Peachcake with longtime friend Johnny O’Keefe. The electronic pop band toured the United ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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UPFRONT | CITY | ARTS | DINING | BEER AND WINE | SPORTS | FAMILY | MUSIC | NIGHTLIFE

States and Canada and released a plethora of songs.

HEADED WEST Pruett moved to LA after playing in Peachcake. When he arrived, his medical condition was followed by Keck Medicine of USC, where he underwent a series of tests to see if he was eligible for a heart transplant. His stress test showed his heart was strong, so he did not qualify for a transplant, Paula says.

The following year, in 2016, he created The Guidance and opened for She Wants Revenge and MXMS, a project from Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns.

“That was early 2016, and we just sort of connected,” says Dawson, who found Stefan unresponsive. “We made an entire record, and I ended up managing him for the next three years or so.”

Dawson calls Stefan a “very unique artist” who was ensconced in music that reflected Shiny Toy Guns.

“I said, ‘That’s cool; however, it’s 2017,’” Dawson says with a laugh.

“I thought, ‘How can we bring The Guidance to now?’ A lot of the music we made was collaborative. He would write something and translate that forward into something that’s more of a modern aesthetic that he still really liked a lot.

“His sword was his lyric. He was brilliant, a poet, lyrically. He would come to the table with a completed song.

Once I connected to his vision, I could take risks. There’s a whole bunch of music coming out by him this year. He allowed me to really push the boundary and take risks. A lot of musicians, they want to stay in the lane and flow with the stream, not against. Stefan was trying to get out of the way of the herd.”

Tommie Sunshine of the dance label Brooklyn Fire/Brooklyn Blue inked a deal with Stefan as The Guidance and released the retro-inspired “She Likes the Dance Music.”

“I saw his star power,” Sunshine says.

“This project is everything I’ve ever liked

about dance music. It’s cheeky in all the best ways. It has a very, very firm sense of humor and is just really nailing the psyche of where we’re at.”

Sunshine was hooked since first note.

Even more so, they became fast friends.

“He would sign his notes with two black hearts,” Sunshine recalls. “He said to me, at one point, ‘I think I’m going to change these hearts to blue because he was so enamored with Brooklyn Blue.

He was so invested in this.

“He was an insomniac like me. He would text me late at night. I was always awake. We would get into these exponentially long conversations about Scott Walker, Donovan, Talking Heads—all of the influences who made us who we are.

“He was my insomnia buddy. We’d send tracks back and forth. I would send an album and say, ‘Please go listen to this album cover and cover and let’s talk about it tomorrow. He was a sponge. As a record label and as an A&R person, it’s so rare to come across an artist who is so willing to learn.”

He quickly aligned himself with his fellow artists on Sunshine’s labels.

“He would reach out to all the artists and congratulate them on their releases,” Sunshine says. “He’d say, ‘Aren’t you

excited? It’s release day.’ That next release day after he passed was devastating for me. There was this deafening silence.

A NEW LABEL During the quarantine, Dawson proposed the idea of starting a label for electronic music that wasn’t for clubs. It was merely listening music, background music. The genre didn’t fit into Sunshine’s Brooklyn Fire, so they dubbed it Brooklyn Blue.

“Suddenly, we had a destination, a home, for this stuff,” Sunshine says.

“Stefan and Jeremy embarked on a seven-track EP for Brooklyn Blue, which was, basically, all ambient or wholly modular electronic music that Stefan sang on. It was very different than the other stuff he was working on. This was a new channel, and he was so excited about this. His level of excitement about this Brooklyn Blue sublabel was immense.”

Just before he passed away, Stefan ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

signed with Handwritten Records.

Dawson says Brooklyn Blue is releasing three four-song EPs, “7 Grams,” “14 Grams” and “21 Grams.”

“He wanted to do it this way because 21 grams is the amount of weight that mysteriously leaves the heart when a human passes on,” Dawson says.

Handwritten Records will release a pop-forward collection by The Guidance later this year.

“He wanted to make a difference, and he did that through his music,” Paula says. “A lot of his lyrics are quite profound. He was very, very versed in music. He was really inspired by what would occur in his life, by the loss of his brother. He loved passionately. He gave all of himself not only to his music but his friends and girlfriend (Jessica Biatte), too.”

Dawson says the shock of Stefan’s passing is “tremendous.”

“He didn’t fully elaborate about his condition, but he really danced with risk and just took it in stride,” Dawson says.

“Looking back on his lyrics, he would openly defy death and write about his heart—but never in a negative way. It was a playful way. He acknowledged the fact that there’s probably a clock ticking and it’s going to be a different clock than yours or mine—but not in an emo, sad way.”

Sunshine sums it up, saying Stefan’s music will live on.

“The music he made was incredible,” he says. “I was such a fan. But I was so much more interested in him as a friend and as a person.

“The music remains. That’s the beautiful part of being an artist. If you do it right—and he definitely did—you leave behind these things that go on forever.”

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