The Entertainer! - August 2017

PHX METRO » AUGUST 2017

Coming Home VALLEY SINGERS DIERKS BENTLEY AND ALICE COOPER TALK TOURS

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TOREY LOVULLO

LEARNING TO

LET GO Idina Menzel shares personal journey on new album

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15 ON THE COVER

CONTENTS ALL HAIL THE QUEEN

Idina Menzel learns to let go—musically and professionally.

WEARING HIS BOOGIE SHOES

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Jeremy Jason Sartin slips into Tony Manero’s white suit for Saturday Night Fever.

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MOTOR CITY HORROR STORY

Algee Smith stars in the intense, controversial film Detroit.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

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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Christina Fuoco-Karasinski christina@timespublications.com

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Erin Loukili erin@entertainermag.com

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Aaron Kolodny aaron@entertainermag.com

LIFE OF PIE Blaze fires up the local pizza scene with

contributing writers Joseph J. Airdo, Alison Bailin Batz, Connor Dziawura, Daisy Finch, Dave Gil de Rubio, Israel Gonzalez, C.A. Haire, Tracy Heck, Kenneth LaFave, Megan Marples, Carson Mlnarik, Randy Montgomery, M.V. Moorhead, Eddie Poe, Madison Rutherford, Alan Sculley, Melissa Szenda, Marshall Terrill

its customized dishes.

CONTENTS THE METROPOLITAN

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Top 25 • Chris Bianco • Rick and Morty • Incubus • Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame • Idina Menzel

THE EXTRAORDINAIRE 17 Extraordinary Rides • Dierks Bentley

THE TOURIST

20

50 FORWARD

ONE COPY PER READER

THINKING

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo is proud of his guys.

The Entertainer! is circulated throughout the Phoenix Metro area, especially concentrated in entertainment districts. ©2017 Affluent Publishing, LLC. A free online subscription is available to all readers simply by going to entertainermag.com/subscribe.

Napa • Tour du Jour

THE ARTIST

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Ana Popovic • Arts Calendar • Saturday Night Fever • Dancing with the Stars

THE CRITIC

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Coming Attractions • Ask Our Experts! • The Report Card • STEP • Detroit

THE DINER

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Best Food Events in August • Happy Hour • Phoenix Cooks • Blaze • Artizen • Grubstak

THE CRAFTMASTER

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Beer Over Here • BeerFinder Directory • Great Beer Pairings

THE HIGHROLLER

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John Waite • Casino Entertainment Calendar

THE GLADIATOR

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August’s Best Sports Events • Torey Lovullo • Nolan Gorman • Kurt Warner

THE YOUNGSTER

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Marvel Universe Live! • The Best Family Events in August

THE SHOWMAN

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Brandon Decker • Live Music Calendar • Alice Cooper • Mark McGrath • Deftones

THE NIGHTOWL

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The Best Nightlife Events for August • The Van Buren • The Gaslamp Killer • 10,000 Maniacs

THE THINKER

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For calendar and news items, the deadline for submission is the 15th of the month prior to publication. Submissions are included based on available space and are used at the discretion of the editor. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations will not be returned unless it is specifically requested and submission is accompanied by a properly addressed envelope and sufficient postage. The Entertainer! makes every effort to authenticate claims and accurate times and event locations. We encourage readers to verify information prior to attending events or purchasing tickets.

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THE METROPOLITAN

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PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE

Chris Bianco 11 ‘Rick and Morty’ 12 Incubus 12

TOP25 Carson Mlnarik » The Entertainer!

Sutra Studios Rooftop Yoga

WEDNESDAYS IN AUGUST Find your inner zen with the downtown Phoenix skyline. For the summer, LUSTRE Rooftop Bar and Sutra Studios are presenting a yoga series, featuring a live DJ and stunning views of the Valley. Bring your mat and get there early to grab a good spot.

LUSTRE Rooftop Bar, 2 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 480.478.1765, lustrerooftopbar. com, 7 p.m., free.

Diamond celebrates the release of his first hit single, “Solitary Man,” and his illustrious career with a world tour. With classics like “Sweet Caroline,” expect a show-stopping performance from the legendary musician who can boast he is a member of both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.379.7800, talkingstickresortarena.com, 8 p.m., $44-$546.

Dogfight

Neil Diamond

AUGUST 4 With 50 years and 125 million albums under his sequined belt, Neil

AUGUST 4 AND AUGUST 5 It’s the closing weekend of Brelby Playhouse’s Dogfight. The musical, based on the film, features tunes and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen fame. The show centers around three Marines embarking on a night of debauchery before they ship out. Of course, things don’t go according to plan and they get more than they bargained for.

Brelby Playhouse, 7154 N. 58th Drive, Glendale, 623.282.2781, brelby.com, 7:30 p.m., $17-$25.

Porter Robinson

Ethiopian Fest

Ed Sheeran

Arizona Fashion Fitness Expo 2017

AUGUST 5 Porter Robinson has made quite the splash in the EDM world with his album Worlds and his work with Zedd, Avicii and Lady Gaga. He continues the trend with a live DJ set at Talking Stick Resort’s pool. If you haven’t hit the pool parties yet, now is your chance to see what the hype is all about.

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 1.866.877.9897, releasevip.com, 11 a.m., $30.

AUGUST 5 Whether you’re quietly humming or just “thinking out loud,” you’ve probably found it impossible to keep from singing along to this British songwriter. With a stable of love songs like “Don’t” and “Shape of You,” Sheeran always puts on a crazy live show with his guitar, loop pedal and, of course, big personality.

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, 623.772.3800, gilariverarena. com, 7:30 p.m., $99-$200.

AUGUST 5 Give burgers, tacos and pizza a break! Cafe Lalibela, an Ethiopian favorite in the Valley, celebrates 21 years with a traditional celebration of food, music and dance. Whether you’re Ethiopian or had to Google it, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn what the culture—and cuisine—has to offer.

Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa, 480.829.1939, ethiopianfest.splashthat.com, 6:30 p.m., $25-$40.

AUGUST 5 Sure, a good work out feels great, but there’s nothing like a great workout outfit to really get motivated. The Arizona Fashion Fitness Expo features the latest trends from the best designers and vendors, and the country’s top fitness models on the runway.

Phoenix Convention Center South Building, 33 S. Third Street, 602.262.6225, azffe.com, 10 a.m., $20.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

Shrek The Musical

Val Kilmer presents Cinema Twain

AUGUST 6 After selling out multiple shows in Los Angeles, Val Kilmer brings his one-man show, Citizen Twain, to Phoenix via film. The show features Kilmer as Samuel Clemens and centers around his writings as Mark Twain and his relationships with his family, God and politics. Kilmer will introduce the screening as well as conduct a Q&A after.

StandUp Live, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 480.719.6100, phoenix.standuplive.com, 7 p.m., $30-$70.

AUGUST 11 TO AUGUST 27 Valley Youth Theatre presents this family-favorite comedy with a twist—it’s a musical! Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and their fairytale friends will sing and dance their way through the heartwarming story about an ogre, a princess and finding beauty on the inside. You’ll be singing along by the time the cast hits “I’m a Believer.”

Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, 602.254.7399, herbergertheater. org, times vary, $16.50-$34.50.

AUGUST 12 The girls of Jackson, Mississippi’s Dancing Dolls hip-hop group— including Miss D—danced their way into the hearts of millions on their Lifetime reality show. Their intense routines are getting closer to fans than ever before with a live tour, featuring new routines.

Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2800, comericatheatre. com, 8 p.m., $36.25-$103.25.

AUGUST 11 Every month, families gather with lawn chairs in tow to watch a free movie under the Phoenix stars.

This month’s movie is Moana and any excuse to watch Disney’s latest musical is a good one. Moana tells the story of a daring young girl called on an adventure with demigod, Maui, to save her people and discover herself.

Patriots Park at CityScape, 1 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.772.3900, cityscapephoenix. com, 7 p.m., free.

AUGUST 12 Having written books like The Mediterranean and Sahara, it’s no mystery why author Clive Cussler is a staple in any reader’s collection. He will pull the curtain back on his career—at least a little—when he headlines the annual WriteNow!2017 conference. Held by Desert Sleuths, Phoenix’s mystery writers’ organization, the conference will also feature panels and editing and pitching sessions.

Embassy Suites, 4415 E. Paradise Valley Parkway South, Phoenix, 623.695.3203, desertsleuths. com, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., $85-$140.

AUGUST 11 TO AUGUST 13 Looking for a cheap summer date?

Take yourself out to the ballgame, buy some peanuts and Cracker Jack and root, root, root for the home team! The Diamondbacks take on World Series winners, the Chicago Cubs, for three games.

August 13 is National Trading Card Day, so head down to Chase Field and get a free set!

Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.514.8400, arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com, various times, $19-$190.

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Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Exhibition Discussion

AUGUST 13 The Heard Museum hosts a special Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition through August 20. The two painters (and lovers) were known for their innovative art, social awareness and activism. See the hit exhibition and join Claudia Mesch, an ASU art history professor, for a lively discussion about Kahlo and Rivera’s influence on contemporary art and communities.

Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.252.8840, heard.org, 1:30 p.m., $7.50-$18 admission and $7 additional for the exhibit.

Steve Martin and Martin Short

AUGUST 13 Comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short have spent years making

AUGUST 19 If you can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, settle on the Salt River! Salt River Tubing celebrates the festive, beaded party with a themed day. Grab a tube, a feather boa, if you’re feeling frisky, and lots of sun block for a Mardi Gras parade the Arizona river way.

Salt River Tubing, Tonto National Forest, 9200 N. Bush Highway, Mesa, 480.984.3305, saltrivertubing.com, 9 a.m., $14-$17.

AUGUST 23 Take a peep into downtown Phoenix’s newest performance venue, The Van Buren, as it celebrates its grand opening with indie rockers Cold War Kids. The Long Beach crew hit the alternative scene back in 2004 with fan favorites like “We Used to Vacation” but recently topped the radio with hits “First” and “Love is Mystical.”

The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, thevanburenphx. com, 8 p.m., $50-$100.

Film & Conversation: Manifesto

Tempe Adventure Run

Arizona Diamondbacks vs.

Chicago Cubs

Mardi Gras Magic at Salt River Tubing

Cold War Kids

Bring It! Live

WriteNow!2017 featuring Clive Cussler City Lights Movie Night: Moana

generations of people laugh. They join forces for An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, featuring stand-up, film clips, musical numbers and conversations about their lives in show biz.

Martin’s bluegrass pals, Steep Canyon Rangers, will perform with the two.

Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2800, comericatheatre. com, 8 p.m., $125.

AUGUST 17 Celebrate running with Tempe Adventure Runs, every third Thursday of the month. This fun run lets you go at your own pace, collecting free raffle tickets along a course before heading back to Road Runner Sports at Tempe Marketplace. At the end, runners can enjoy the beer garden while waiting for tickets to be drawn for tons of prizes. Bring a light or reflective gear and arrive early for registration.

Road Runner Sports, Tempe Marketplace, 43 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe, 480.968.2022, bit. ly/2uWE9hN, 6:30 p.m., free.

AUGUST 24 The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art presents Manifesto, starring award-winning actress Cate Blanchett in 13 different roles. Blanchett performs some of the most emotional and important artist manifestos from the 20th century. Blanchett and artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt have already received rave reviews for the film.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 7374 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, 480.499.8587, smoca.org, 7 p.m., $7.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Screening AUGUST 25 Mesa Community College brings one of National Theatre Live’s most high-profile shows of the year to Arizona. This screening of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

Are Dead, broadcast from London, features Daniel Radcliffe, Joshua McGuire and David Haig. The hilarious situational comedy is about what happens when two minor characters in Hamlet take center stage.

Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Avenue, Mesa, 480.461.7000, mesacc.edu, 7:30 p.m., $9.

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mission is to screen works that deal with rare people and cultures outside of the bustle of the city.

Taking in a Rural Route program is like choosing the road less traveled, and learning something new about the constantly amazing world.

Third Street Theater, Phoenix Center for the Arts, 1202 N. Third Street, Phoenix, ruralroute. brownpapertickets.com, 7 p.m., $10 advance online, $12 day of show, $11 with student ID.

Cinematic Pop

AUGUST 26 With a full orchestra and a 100-voice choir, Cinematic Pop made its mark on America’s Got Talent with its colorful and classical renditions of pop hits like “Everybody Wants to the Rule the World” and “More Than a Feeling.”

After selling out two shows last summer, the crew returns to perform songs from its latest album and new arrangements.

Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., $20-$39.

H2X Water Show

AUGUST 26 If you’re still looking for ways to cool down with your family this summer, give this extreme watersports show a chance. Thanks to 650,000 gallons of water, Gila River Arena will transform into a huge play pool for a group of jaw-dropping performers. With jet skis, wakeboards, flyboards and acrobatics, this rock ‘n’ roll show is sure to thrill.

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, 623.772.3800, gilariverarena. com, 7:30 p.m., $22-$70.

No Festival Required Presents: Rural Route Film Festival Touring Program AUGUST 26 The Rural Route Film Festival

THE POWER OF The Rocket Summer

AUGUST 29 Bryce Avary, of The Rocket Summer, celebrates 10 years of hit album Do You Feel with a special show. A frequenter of the indie rock and Christian charts, Avary writes and produces his own music, and plays every instrument on his collections. He will perform the album from start to finish with a few fan requests. The show will open with indie group 888.

Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, 602.716.2222, crescentballroom.com, 7:30 p.m., $17-$20.

J. Chris Newberg

AUGUST 30 TO SEPTEMBER 3 While his website calls him the funniest person that you have never heard of… yet, J. Chris has a serious reputation in the funny business. His credits include America’s Got Talent, The Tonight Show, Comedy Central and songwriting for American Idol.

It’s his quirkiness and odd sense of humor, however, that help him make an impact on audiences time and time again.

Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy, 5350 E. High Street, Suite 105, Phoenix, 480.420.3553, az.houseofcomedy.net, times vary, $13-$22.

REGIFTING Renowned chef shares his love of food in ‘Bianco’

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

W

hen renowned Valley chef Chris Bianco was prepping his cookbook, Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like, he wanted to write a book that readers liked— not one that was intimidating or technical.

“I wanted it to be something that was helpful,” says Bianco, about the book that was released July 25. “Some books take the approach of, ‘This is the last book you’ll ever need.’

“I wanted this book to be empowering. If this book gives people that pizza, pasta or salad that they connect to, that’s empowering. Maybe one day I’ll do a more technical, deep and geeky book. But I wanted it to take a simplified look at my life according to food.”

Bianco, who recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, founded Pizzeria Bianco in the back of a Phoenix supermarket in 1988. That eventually inspired the independent and artisanal pizza movement.

The James Beard award-winning chef ’s 224-page book shares the fundamentals of pizza making, from the basics of flour and water to the philosophy of Bianco’s cooking.

“You learn things when you burn things,” he says with a chuckle. “It’s always a journey. For me, it’s about

knowing the fire is greater than me.”

It also features recipes for salads, tasting plates and desserts, as well as staff meals that are cooked behind the scenes. The recipes in the book are no secret.

“I try to give recipes to as many people as I can,” he says. “There are so many ‘secret recipes’ because there are no secrets to recipes.”

For example, times can vary in the dough proofing phase, depending on the desired flavor profile. Bianco walks through it and encourages readers/ bakers to find their comfort zones.

“When I started as a kid making pizzas and working in a restaurant, I heard so much, ‘This is the only way,’” he says. “I wanted to experiment a little bit and, because of that, I found that sometimes there were other ways.

“I look forward to people finding even more ways from this book.”

It took the New York native four years to write Bianco, a project he wanted to tackle while he was “still breathing in my old age.” A publishing company approached him about penning a recipe book 12 years ago, but he didn’t think it was the right time.

“I thought, ‘Someday, maybe,’” says Bianco, 55. “That someday was now.

As chefs, we regift daily. There are few things in this world that are miraculous.

I think we do our best to illuminate their goodness.”

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

‘FAMILIAR FACES’ Incubus returns with Skrillex-produced album, ‘8’

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

PHOENIX INSIDER

DON’T EVEN

TRIP ‘Rick and Morty’ goodies are driving into Alamo Drafthouse Chandler Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

I

nspired by the Wienermobile, the animated Adult Swim sci-fi series Rick and Morty is driving into Alamo Drafthouse in Chandler from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, August 26.

Cynical mad scientist Rick has been fashioned into a truck that will follow pop-up shops in 40 U.S. cities, including Tucson and Flagstaff on Friday, August 25, and Sunday, August 27, respectively. The times and locations have yet to be determined.

“It’s a real spectacle,” says Jim Babcock, Adult Swim’s vice president of consumer marketing. “It’s built on a Ford chassis. Early on, we saw a sketch that showed it as a glorified taco truck that could be a rolling Rick and Morty store. We called it Trader Rick’s at the very beginning.”

Babcock adds that the pop-up shop offers a “great combination of items created by licensees,” ranging from socks to a Monopoly game. There will be T-shirts, a pool float and, of course, backpacks with a “profane phrase on the back.”

“Morty always tells Rick to get his (stuff) together and put it in a backpack,” he says. “Seriously, though, the Monopoly game is something that everyone’s excited about.”

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Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the series follows the adventures of Rick and his grandson, Morty, who split their time between domestic family life and interdimensional adventures. Like the show, the Rickmobile and its appeal is simple, Babcock explains.

“It’s corny, but it does bring happiness to people,” he says. “People are really excited to stand in line to take pictures with it.

“I remember seeing Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile driving down the street.

Hopefully, we’re creating memories like that for people. It was definitely a big inspiration. Two of the people touring with us, actually, are veteran Wienermobile pilots, as they call them.”

The show has heart, says Babcock, adding that it’s well written, well drawn.

“The relationship between Rick and Morty is real,” Babcock says. “There’s true emotion and it’s a funny show.

There are great jokes. It’s not just a throwaway bunch of fart jokes. There’s some depth to it.”

Rickmobile Appearance

Alamo Drafthouse, 4955 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 520.213.8129, drafthouse.com/ phoenix, rickmobile.com, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, August 26, free admission.

L

ongtime friends EDM producer Skrillex and Incubus lead guitarist Mike Einziger have studied each other’s music. When it came time for Incubus to record a new album, the duo decided to put a new spin on the alt-rockers’ music.

Skrillex co-produced and mixed the Calabasas, California-based act’s latest album, 8, which hit stores in April.

“He’s a really talented guy who has an objective set of ears,” Einziger says. “It’s nice to get somebody outside of the band to give input into our album-making process.

“The other guys in the band hadn’t really known him before that.

It was just a really interesting process, seeing how he interacted with the other guys and how they came on board with his ideas.”

Einziger says his bandmates— vocalist Brandon Boyd, keyboardist/ turntablist Chris Kilmore, bassist Ben Kenney and drummer José Pasillas II—really took to Skrillex, otherwise known as Sonny Moore. Skrillex added simple yet effective touches to the album.

“I think the end result was really good for everybody,” he says.

Einziger and Skrillex’s relationship didn’t squash the producer’s ability to be open and honest with the musicians.

“The first thing he did was edit the song ‘Familiar Faces’ a little bit differently,” Einziger says. “He took a part of the song—a recurring part of the song—out entirely and fused it with the end points. It made the song

feel different and much more cohesive, in my opinion.

“Everyone seemed to agree on it. It was very unexpected. He said, ‘Hey, check this out.’ He didn’t tell us what he was going to do. It was cool.

It was a change that definitely needed to be made.”

The road to 8 was an arduous process. It started with Boyd and Einziger writing together for about four months.

“We purposely didn’t develop those ideas very far,” he says. “We wanted to get a lot of ideas out there.

Once we had a group of musical pieces together that were interesting, we brought in the rest of the band.

“We tried a lot of different things with all of the guys present. That’s the part of the process when the music seems to come together.”

After the songs were filled out, the men decided it was time to go into the studio.

Now that the album is out, it’s time to tour. The jaunt with hometown heroes Jimmy Eat World and Judah & the Lion comes to Ak-Chin Pavilion on Saturday, August 12. Fans shouldn’t expect too many songs from 8.

“We always try to make sure that we play songs that we know people want to hear,” he says. “We want to keep ourselves entertained, too. I’m sure we’ll play some new music. We do a good job of tempering the set with new music and old music.”

Incubus w/Jimmy Eat World and Judah & the Lion Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Avenue, Phoenix, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster. com, Saturday, August 12, $22.25-$99.50.

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CELEBRITY THEATRE

Marshall Terrill » The Entertainer!

I

t’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll, as AC/DC famously sang in the 1970s.

Now, three Valley-based musical acts and a theater in the round have found their way to the top, and they’ll be enshrined later this month.

The Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame announced it will induct Nils Lofgren, Meat Puppets, Gin Blossoms and the Celebrity Theatre as part of its class of 2017.

“There are many people who are deserving of this. It’s a nice honor and I’ll take it,” says Nils Lofgren, a Valley resident since 1996, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a longtime member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. “Sounds like it’ll be a wonderful night all the way around.”

Diving headfirst into a solo career at just 17 years old, Lofgren released more than 20 albums in a career that spans a half-century. He continues to make new music and will release Blind Date Jam, an experimental record with local musicians, in a few months.

“It’s really a calling,” Lofgren says.

“It’s something that no matter of how sick and tired I am, you’re so excited that people are coming to see you.”

The ceremony will be 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 17, at the Celebrity Theatre and will include live performances by each of the artists and presentations by guest speakers. FOX 10 TV’s John Hook and Kari Lake will introduce the event.

“It seems only fitting that we hold our induction ceremony at this historic venue,” says Mark Myers, Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame president. “To have these three acts come and play on the same stage on the same night is astounding.

AMEHOF is a nonprofit organization that was created to recognize and

honor the contributions of musicians, entertainers and individuals who have impacted Arizona history and culture.

Since 2002, they’ve honored more than 85 inductees including Alice Cooper, Stevie Nicks, Wayne Newton, Linda Ronstadt and Marty Robbins.

“To be put in an institution with Marty Robbins is fine by me. I like the company,” says Cris Kirkwood, co-founder and bassist for Meat Puppets, the cult icons who rose to prominence in the early 1980s with their unique blend of punk, cowboy and psychedelia. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain also cited the band as one of his core influences, and the two acts famously collaborated on MTV’s Unplugged in 1993.

Robin Wilson of the platinum-selling band Gin Blossoms, who helped put Tempe’s 1990s music scene on the map, says he’s also filled with a sense of pride.

“I’m proud of my bandmates,” Wilson says. “Proud to be from Tempe.

Mostly though, I’m feeling nostalgic.

We have the brass ring. We’re still together after 30 years and making music, making a living, supporting our families and doing what we want.”

Concert promoter Danny Zelisko said he’s happy to see the Celebrity Theatre get star billing of its own.

“This is the most historic venue in the Valley, where thousands of the best shows ever to tour have played,” Zelisko says. “This recognition is so deserved.”

Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, 602-267-1600, celebritytheatre.com, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 17, $10-$40.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

15

IDINA MENZEL

LEARNS TO

LET GO

Star of ‘Wicked’ and ‘Frozen’ brings her ‘most personal album’ to town Kenneth LaFave » The Entertainer!

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hoenix is the last city on Idina Menzel’s list—and that’s a good thing. It means that a 56-city, threecontinent tour by the vocal artist some have called “a contemporary Barbra Streisand” will culminate here, September 3, at Comerica Theatre.

What will she be doing after September 3?

“I think I’ll need a little rest,” says Menzel over the phone, laughing lightly.

Rest has never been a high priority for the star of Broadway’s Wicked and the voice of Queen Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. After all, this is the second 50-plus city world tour she’s done. The first one, in 2015, came on the heels of Frozen and the megahit Menzel made of its Oscar-winning song, “Let It Go.” This one promotes her new studio album, titled simply, idina (without the initial capital “I”).

Menzel considers this, her fifth album, her “most personal.” Why is that?

“All my music is personal, because that’s the only way I know to make music,” she says.

This one is especially so, because…

“Two really big opposing forces were going on while the album was being made. I was going through my divorce and dealing with all the sadness and guilt that that entails, the regret of letting

down my little boy and not giving him the perfect family unit. At the same time, my career was catapulted to a new level with Frozen taking off. So many emotions combusting at once made for a really rich studio recording environment.”

Menzel co-wrote nine of the 12 tracks on idina, and their links to her life experiences are palpable. Take “Queen of Swords,” for example: “The queen of swords is a tarot card often pulled when someone is experiencing a break-up or divorce. It’s very powerful, honest and direct. We were in the studio, talking about that one day and the song happened. It’s about being a warrior.”

“Perfect Story” addresses another aspect of Menzel’s divorce: the disappointment it handed to her son, Walker, now age 8. The beautifully crafted song addresses a child whose parents are breaking up in terms of a fairy tale that didn’t end as imagined.

And then there’s the ironically titled, “I Do.” “It’s rare that I get to write an angry song,” Menzel says. “So often I try, and the song ends up with an optimistic ending, and I hate that!”

But “I Do” stays angry, lambasting the hypocrisy of betrayal.

“That song really worked through the anger I had with my past relationship,

and allowed me to say goodbye, really.”

In short, the album is, in a way, Menzel’s way of saying to herself… “Let It Go.” If you’re concerned that a tour promoting Menzel’s album will not include that iconic song, relax. In addition to songs from idina, the concert will feature it, alongside songs from the show that landed Menzel on Broadway, Rent, and the show that made her a superstar, Wicked.

The terms “Broadway” and “pop” don’t generally go together these days, but in Menzel’s case they have made a connection.

“Frozen really knocked down a bunch of doors for me,” she says. “For so long, I was told that theater people can’t have a hit song on the radio. And suddenly there it (‘Let It Go’) was, on the radio. You can’t really listen to what people tell you.”

It’s also not been usual for theater people to write their own songs, though that is changing with the likes of LinManuel Miranda (Hamilton). Menzel sticks to co-writing, so she can bring her ideas to a project while gaining the insights of collaborators: “I don’t consider myself a great songwriter. I put myself in the same room with really successful songwriters and I give them ideas. I love sitting with

people and letting the creative process happen. And I’m good with melodies.”

At age 46, Menzel is at the top of her game. It’s not an easy game to play.

“It can be exhilarating, or it can be scary. It’s work. The life of a singer is not easy. We identify ourselves with the notes we sing, and with our voices. I’ve finally come to realize that that’s not my only identity. I’m not only a singer. But that’s what people come to see.”

She says she doesn’t get bored by the repetition of material—something for which she credits the eight-shows-aweek schedule of Broadway shows.

It helps that her son is along on the tour.

“He just started really watching the show. For a long time, he didn’t have any interest. He associated the show with work and that took away mommy. But the other day, he said the sweetest thing. I asked him if he was getting bored watching the show every night, and he said, ‘Yeah, but it makes me feel closer to you.’”

Idina Menzel

Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, 602.379.2800, comericatheatre. com, 8 p.m. Sunday, September 3, $45-$250.

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THE EXTRAORDINAIRE

17

STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

2017 BMW 5-Series

EXTRAORDINARY RIDES

C.A. Haire » The Entertainer!

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MW claims its 5-Series sedan is new for 2017. The platform has been stretched, and the body is longer, wider and taller. Yet due to upgraded materials, overall weight has dropped by 140 pounds. The outside styling is nothing radical, but has been cleaned up with a leaner traditional appearance. The options include sharplooking metallic paint colors.

The factory claims the cabin is

a complete redesign, when actually they upgraded the interior of the more expensive 7-Series, and squeezed it in this smaller 5-Series car. It is a simpleyet-great idea that works, and very attractive. The seats are top of the line, and very comfortable on long trips. A console iDrive knob operates navigation, audio, vehicle settings and more.

The climate controls are simple and easy to use. The optional Harman-Kardon stereo system with 600 watts and 12 speakers sounds outstanding. A more potent 1400-watt 16 speaker Bowers & Wilkins unit is also available.

The heart of any BMW is under the hood. In this case, it is a tiny 2.0-liter four cylinder. Is it big enough? Combined with a turbocharger, it produces 248 horsepower and the 258 lb./ft. of torque that peaks at only 1450 rpm. It is certainly powerful enough. This car clocked a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds so it is quick enough,

too. Official fuel economy is listed at 24/34 mpg. On the street, the real-world figures were 21 city, 25 mixed commuting, and 36 highway trips. Buyers who want quicker acceleration can order the 540i model, with its bigger six-cylinder motor cranking out 335 horsepower.

All BMW cars are issued with run flat tires. Their stiff sidewall construction often results in a very harsh ride. Fortunately, the 530i has a comfortable ride quality on most surfaces.

Whether this is due to improved RF tire structure or modified suspension design is a guess, but the combo works well enough. Overall cornering ability is very good, and while the electric steering has little feel, the turning ratio is fast and responsive. The optional M-Series brake package brings the car to a quick halt. In spite of the obvious “softer” luxury format, the 530i is still a driver’s machine.

The base price of a 530i is $53,000. The more powerful 540i begins at $60,000. Sounds reasonable, but with options like metallic paint, leather trim, upgraded brakes, all-wheel drive, M-Sport performance package, upgraded stereo systems and other goodies we don’t really need, but want anyway, window stickers beyond $75,000 are common. This may explain why many BMWs are leased. Either way, the purchasers will be getting a great driving experience.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

FREE AND

EASY Phoenix’s Dierks Bentley doesn’t want his musical party to end Alan Sculley » The Entertainer!

F

or Dierks Bentley, it hasn’t mattered whether he was playing bars early in his music career, opening an arena show for a country superstar or playing on some level in between—the place where he’s most comfortable is on stage.

“I have some friends in NASCAR, and they’re so busy before the race,” Bentley explains. “I mean, there are so many interviews they’re doing, people are talking and pictures they’re taking.

“When they put their helmet on, that’s like the best (feeling). That’s when they’re the most free. That’s when they’re in their element. That’s how I feel, oddly, when I walk on stage in front of 20,000 people and it’s crazy, the madness, I feel the most relaxed and free and all of my worries and troubles just are gone. Just I feel the most present in that moment.”

It’s a good thing the Phoenix-born musician feels at home on the concert stage, because when it comes to music, he’s made a habit of pushing himself out of his comfort zone and looking for ways to evolve and grow with each album, including his latest release, Black.

“I think from the very start, we did something that was different,” says the

41-year-old, who returns home to play Talking Stick Resort Arena on Saturday, August 26.

“The sound of that record and the guys who played on it, like Randy Kohrs playing dobro. No one had ever heard of Randy Kohrs before. And his style of playing is like that aggressive attack on the dobro, and the way he played, that dobro solo on that song, I think we started off on our own course, carving our own path.

“And there are times when I got away from pushing and exploring and going for new stuff, and those are the low moments of my career. “The times when I have gone after stuff, especially walking away from country music for two years and making (his 2010 bluegrass album) Up on the Ridge, there might not be an immediate payoff on that. It might not be immediate chart success. But in the long term, what that does, what it did at least for my career, is it put me in a place that widened my box and what I can work in.”

Bentley’s popularity has only grown since Up on the Ridge. He returned to country with 2012’s Home, an album that included two No. 1 singles (“Am I the Only One” and the title song) and pushed him closer to joining the top tier of country stars.

His success continued with the

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2014 album Riser, which added three more No. 1 Country Airplay singles to his resume (“I Hold On,” “Drunk on a Plane” and “Say You Do”), and Black has done well so far.

“Somewhere on a Beach” became Bentley’s fastest-rising single and topped the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts. “Different for Girls” gave Bentley a second No. 1 Country Airplay hit from the album, while the song “Black” went Top 10.

“I’ve been touring for 14 years, and for me to be just now reaching my peak and playing for my biggest audiences and having my biggest hits, it’s not how I thought it would be,” Bentley says.

“I thought this would all be happening back in like 2008. But I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I’m having more fun than ever. Not only do I take it less for granted, I just put more into it.”

Especially with the latter two albums, Bentley has continued to push himself, crafting a sound that stands apart from much of what has been popular on country radio.

On Riser, he bucked the emerging “bro country” trend of hard-hitting, rock (and even hip-hop)-inflected songs about partying, the charms of hot chicks and the virtues of driving trucks with an album that leaned strongly

toward emotional ballads and midtempo songs that looked at love, loss and perseverance. Songs like (“Bourbon in Kentucky,” “Say You Do,” “Pretty Girls” and the title track) had a darkly hued, atmospheric feel that mixed guitar rock textures with twangy acoustic tones—not exactly a sound that typified country radio.

Heading into making Black, Bentley didn’t initially have a defined idea for the musical direction he wanted to take or for a lyrical theme— until he started reflecting on his 10-year marriage.

He realized that as a husband and father in a committed long-term relationship, he could tap into a rich—and largely overlooked—vein of lyrical inspiration.

The stories created by Bentley, his co-writers and several outside writers aren’t all what some might expect given that source of inspiration. Yes, there are songs that celebrate the lasting passion in a long-term relationship (the current single “Black” and “All The Way to Me”) and appreciating the ups and downs of marriage from the perspective of the fairer sex (“Different for Girls”).

But Bentley and the other writers also examine darker emotions and scenarios that can exist in a marriage, such as jealousy (“Pick Up”), deceit and deception (“I’ll Be the Moon”) and the rush and regret of chasing relationships with “the other woman” (“Freedom” and “Roses and a Time Machine”).

“I really feel like there’s a theme throughout the whole album, and it came just through kind of looking at my own life and my own relationship and trying to write something that’s autobiographical and personal, but at the same time (also) trying to be as a songwriter exploring stuff that obviously I can’t explore in my own personal life,” he says.

“I give credit to my wife for allowing me to make it all public. But I do feel like it’s an album in its entirety that really does have a start, middle and a finish.”

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

19

The songs are given a distinctive musical setting by Bentley and his studio team of producer Ross Copperman, executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr. and engineer F. Reid Shippen. Once again, the songs come with a good deal of atmosphere and tension—a feel Bentley says suits the emotional tenor of many of the lyrics. But the Black album rocks a bit more than Riser, thanks to tunes like “Freedom,” “What the Hell Did I Say” and “All the Way to Me.” “I’m not trying to do anything other than make records that interest me and reflect the stuff I’m into right now,” Bentley says. “But I do think these last two records have a theme, have a sound. It’s not intentional. It’s just who we are in a room, between me and Ross and Arturo and the musicians. I like a lot of the spaces that exist in some of the songs and not trying to fill every gap in the sound. Like a good guitar solo, it’s all about the space between the notes as much as it is the notes. It’s all the feels and the space. So I think the overall sound -- it’s a little more atmospheric at times.”

Even if Bentley has been creating a more textured sound recently, fans won’t have to worry about any lack of energy in a live show that figures to include lots of hits and a few songs from Black.

“I never want to lose the audience’s attention or break up the party, but at the same time, it would be weird not to do some new music,” he says. “So we’ll toss some songs in there we think make sense for the tour, but at the same time, we’ll still do what we do, which is try to throw a big party. It’s exciting.”

Dierks Bentley w/Cole Swindell and Jon Pardi

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster. com, talkingstickresortarena. com, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 26, tickets start at $31.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

EXPLORE NAPA NOW

Making your dream wine country vacation a reality

And now, there is a new milestone: The Southeast Valley’s Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport flies directly into the Napa/Sonoma Regional Airport.

This means getting to the premier wine country in the United States has never been easier – or more affordable.

Stay

Luxury resorts abound in Napa. And while some are pricey; there are significant discounts available to guests willing to stay Sunday-Thursday. And luckily, flights are readily available during the week.

CALISTOGA RANCH

Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!

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eginning in the 1860s, wineries including Charles Krug, Schramsberg and Inglenook began to spring up in Napa Valley, California.

In 1976, the Judgment of Paris took

place, pitting Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays from California against the best wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy in a blind tasting. Thanks to big wins by the likes of Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley earned respect as a winemaking region – and became an overnight international tourism hot spot.

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Calistoga Ranch is an exclusive resort overlooking historic Lake Lommel that features just 50 guest lodges and 22 exquisite owner lodges. Rooms range from 600 to 3,000 square feet and boast floor-to-ceiling windows as well as outdoor shower gardens where guests can (privately) shower under the stars. There is also an award-winning spa onsite as well as one of the most-acclaimed restaurants in Napa: The Lakehouse. Solely serving resort guests, the restaurant uses organic ingredients from local farmers to create evolving menus in line with the seasons.

Wine

Given the sheer number of wineries in the area, it is worth looking into the experience each one offers before booking a reservation or tour. Care to visit a cave?

Blend your own wine? Ride an air tram to a tasting? Napa offers it all – and more.

SCHRAMSBERG Not only was Schramsberg among the first wineries in the region, it was the very first to dig into Napa’s hillside to create wine caves. Yes, caves. At any given time, as many as 2.7 million bottles of sparkling wine line the 34,000-sqaure-foot Schramsberg caves, each aging two to ten years before release. The vineyard offers tours of the caves, which culminate in a candlelit wine tasting underground, seven days a week and limits each tour to just 12 guests.

CHATEAU MONTELENA “When our wine was selected as an entry to the Paris Tasting 40 years ago, we couldn’t have imagined the impact it would have on the American and global wine industry,” says CEO and Master Winemaker Bo Barrett. “After the win, Dad really said it best: ‘Not bad for kids from the sticks.’”

Kids from the sticks no more, the winery gained such acclaim those 40 years ago that its journey was profiled in

the 2008 movie Bottle Shock starring Bill Pullman, Chris Pine and Alan Rickman.

As impressive as the film and other accolades is the show-stopping Chateau itself. Draped in bright green ivy, it resembles an English Gothic castle, and its tasting room is perched on the top floor to allow for some of the best vineyard views in the world.

STERLING Sterling offers guests a sky-high winery experience – literally. The “flight” into this winery is reason enough to visit.

Perched atop a hillside, guests take an aerial tram – the only one of its kind in Napa – to the winery, which offers stunning views for miles in each direction.

From the moment visitors depart the tram, they are greeted with wine as they are ushered into one of several tour and tasting options. Elevated walkways, on-site art galleries and motion-activated flat screens that provide detailed information of all the vineyard has to offer abound. This is a great winery for those who prefer to tour at their own pace.

Other wineries to check out: Davis Estates, Mumm, the Castello di Amorosa, Bennett Lane, Frank Family Vineyards, Del Dotto and Inglenook.

Dine

Narrowing down dining options while in Napa is nearly as difficult as choosing which wineries to visit. As with the wineries, reserving experiences versus simply making reservations is key.

ROBERT MONDAVI WINERY Inspired by Robert Mondavi’s autobiography Harvests of Joy, in which the icon shares how he combined his passion for Napa and business savvy with an undeniable joie de vivre to become, perhaps, the best-known American winemaker of all time, the Robert Mondavi Winery offers an extraordinary dining experience right on property – a rarity in the region.

During the Harvests of Joy lunch, which is limited to 10 people, guests are taken on a private tour of the estate and then seated in the Vineyard Room, which overlooks the famed To Kalon Vineyard and neighboring Mayacamas Mountains. Acclaimed in-house chef Jeff Mosier then uses local ingredients to dream up a three-course menu paired with some of Mondavi’s favorite wines.

Other amazing restaurants: The French Laundry, Morimoto, Redd’s, Mustard’s Grill, Celedon, Sam’s Social Club and Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch.

For more information or to plan your trip, visit visitnapavalley.com.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE TOURIST

21

VACATION » SIGHTS » DAY TRIPS » ADVENTURE » EXPLORE » TRAVEL

TOUR DU JOUR Welcome to “The Tourist,” a section for the more than 40 million visitors to our state, as well as the locals. But we’re not stopping at the border. Whether it be nightlife, natural wonders, golf, resort diversions, amazing cuisine or one-ofa-kind attractions, let us point out the best of the mileposts.

Enjoy!

Dillon’s KC BBQ Bayou CrackerJax Family Fun and Sports Park The entire family will be entertained at CrackerJax! Experience a variety of attractions including go-karts, 18hole miniature golf course, 300-yard golf driving range with two levels and 66 bays, bumper boats, batting cages, the Bungee Dome, Alien Invasion Laser Tag, volleyball courts, Water Wars arcade, restaurant and more. Ideal for birthday parties and corporate events of all sizes. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; and 10 a.m. to midnight.

Friday and Saturday. Driving range is open at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

1601 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.998.2800, CrackerJax.com

Dillon’s KC BBQ Bayou is ready to serve its great food to diners in its new location—13 miles closer than its previous spot. Spend the day, choose a camp site or dine with us at this wonderfully huge venue that only Dillon’s Bayou and its award-winning barbecue can offer. Check out the general store, where you’re sure to find something necessary or unique. Our guests and employees are our greatest asset and we’re grateful for their loyalty. Visit one of our destination locations: Dillon’s Bayou at Pleasant Harbor and Dillon’s at The Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium.

Four Valley locations, dillonsrestaurant.com

O.K. Corral Visit the actual site of Tombstone, Arizona’s legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and see Wyatt Earp and “Doc” Holliday in daily reenactments. There are life-sized animatronic figures of the eight gun fighters, too. Experience the Corral as it was in the 1880s, with working blacksmiths, antique cowboy gear, Western buggies and four museum displays. Ticket includes admission to multimedia Tombstone history show and a copy of the October 26, 1881 Tombstone Epitaph newspaper with original reports of the gunfight.

326 E. Allen Street, Tombstone 520.457.3456, okcorral.com

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UPCOMING CONCERTS AT THE MIM MUSIC THEATER MARIANO GONZALEZ: MUSIC OF THE ANDES Saturday, August 5 | 7:30 p.m.

Mariano Gonzalez is a world class performer, an extraordinary Paraguayan harpist & composer.

MOKOOMBA Sunday, August 6 | 7:00 p.m.

The hottest new blend of raw Afro-fusion energy that is setting dance floors ablaze throughout the world.

RUAILE BUAILE Saturday, August 19 | 7:30 p.m.

With a fresh, energetic take on traditional Irish music, Ruaile Buaile will leave every audience member with a smile on their face.

MACEO PARKER Tuesday, August 22 | 7:00 & 9:00 p.m.

Maceo Parker’s name is synonymous with funky music, his pedigree is impeccable, and his band is the tightest funk orchestra on earth.

RADNEY FOSTER PETER CINCOTTI Thursday, August 10 | 7:30 p.m.

“One of the most promising singerpianists of the next generation.”

—New York Times

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

Friday, September 1 | 7:30 p.m.

“Foster’s songs are essentially country, but are charged with crackling Louisiana flavors and wiry, rootsy-rock a la The Band. Foster’s voice has a plainspoken quality akin to that of the late Levon Helm.”

—Icon Magazine

Tuesday, August 15 | 7:00 & 9:00 p.m.

ANA POPOVIC

Over the last forty-seven years, the ninetime Grammy-winning group has boldly defied the lures of the mainstream by sticking to its cause of keeping Western swing alive and kicking.

Sunday, September 3 | 7:00 p.m.

MONTY ALEXANDER Thursday, August 17 | 7:30 p.m.

“Alexander splits his work between vivacious jazz-reggae and the kind of canny trio-jazz that suggests a Sinatra lookalike is about to set a bourbon on the piano and start crooning.”

—The Guardian

“She is one of the most popular female blues guitar players in the world.”

—Huffington Post

CARBON LEAF Monday, September 4 | 7:00 p.m.

With sixteen albums and over 2,300 live shows spanning a twenty-four-year career, Carbon Leaf continues to create the music and the spirit that resonate with its fans into 2017.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE ARTIST

23

CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

STRESSING

DIVERSITY Guitarist Ana Popovic finds musical freedom in ‘Trilogy’ Tracy Heck » The Entertainer!

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na Popovic has been referred to as “one of the greatest six-string slingers of our time” and she tries to live up to those expectations with her intense live shows.

“At the end of the day, I play the shows for me and my band first,” says Popovic, who will bring her show to the Musical Instrument Museum on Sunday, September 3.

“We try to have fun with what we do and we try to go deep and forget about everything else. It’s about being one with our instruments and one as a band. Hopefully that translates over to the audience.”

Calling from a vacation in France, Popovic says she’s flattered when fans return to her shows.

“We try to put out the message that there are different songs on the records and themes that will hopefully inspire people,” she says. “I like when they come back and say you make us feel like playing music is the best thing in the world.”

Born in Belgrade, Serbia, she grew up in a house filled with music. With a diverse collection of influences, Popovic swirls them in her performances and in her recorded tracks.

Last year, Popovic took that diversity to a new level when she released her three-album collection, Trilogy, which features 23 tracks that are divided funk, rock/blues and jazz discs.

She says she was surprised by the enthusiastic response that the release received.

“When it came out, it was at the same time as a lot of incredible records and there we were in the Top 10 blues

records alongside those albums from high-end record companies,” says Popovic, who played the Mesa Arts Center with the Experience Hendrix tour.

“I mean, you could have gotten the new Eric Clapton record for $9 or Trilogy for $20 and people were out there buying it. I guess that proves that people will still go in and buy stuff if they believe it’s good.

“This project was something that I always had a mind to do and I thought it was the right time to do it. A lot of people told me that it was just past its time and that nobody wants volume anymore. They want a song or a small EP of songs. The fact that it did so well proved to be to the contrary and it’s a wonderful thing.”

Popovic has enjoyed bringing the songs from the release into a live setting, where she also splits the setlist up into sections. Although there are some mainstays, she likes to leave some room open for improvisation. She likes to get a handle on the crowd first.

“Sometimes I will come to a show and look out and say, ‘This is a biker crowd’ or ‘This is a blues crowd.’

Oftentimes, they surprise you. You would assume fans at a jazz festival want a classic jazz sound, but on the contrary, they are jumping to these blues shuffle tunes and the real rock tunes. It’s wonderful to get that mix of different audiences.”

Ana Popovic

Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, 480.478.6000, mim.org, 7 p.m.

Sunday, September 3, $30-$40.

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ARTS

CALENDAR

Randy Montgomery » The Entertainer!

Fiddler on a Hot Tin Roof TO AUGUST 10 If you have never experienced a lunchtime theater performance at the Herberger, there is no better time than now. Grab a sack lunch and join an offbeat and off-kilter cast of characters for an “askew and unusually unbalanced theatrically fun” good time (and get back to the office in time to finish out your day).

The Kax Stage/Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, 602.252.8497, herbergertheater.org, times vary, $6.

The Rennard Strickland Collection of Western Film History THE RENNARD STRICKLAND COLLECTION OF WESTERN FILM HISTORY TO SEPTEMBER 30

HERBIE HANCOCK AUGUST 17

TO SEPTEMBER 30 Western film buffs grab on to your saddles and head on out to Scottsdale to see this exhibition featuring 118 western film posters and lobby cards, highlighting the genre from the 1890s to the mid1980s. Celebrate the American West and its legacy. This is the first exhibit from a collection of more than 5,000 pieces.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, 3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, 480.686.9539, scottsdalemuseumwest.org, times vary, $8-$13, free for members.

Black White Blue Yellow (“BWBY”)

TO OCTOBER 15 Artist Steven Yazzie returns to the Heard Museum with an immersive four-channel video and sound exhibition, exploring the four sacred mountains that border the Diné/Navajo people. Visitors will be immersed into the complexities of each mountain’s symbolic nature and how it translates into the human experience.

Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.252.8840, heard.org, times vary, $7.50-$18, free for members.

Leaving Iowa

LEAVING IOWA AUGUST 11-27

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AUGUST 11 TO AUGUST 27 Change to, It’s a story of one man reconciling his past and present.

Don sets out to return his father’s ashes to his grandmother’s house,

only to find it is now a grocery store. He then sets out on a journey across Iowa searching for a proper place to leave the ashes.

Fountain Hills Theater, 11445 N. Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills, 480.837.9661, fhtaz.org, times vary, $18-$25.

Shrek The Musical AUGUST 11 TO AUGUST 27 The Valley Youth Theatre has launched numerous Hollywood careers, so round up the kids to see tomorrow’s stars today as they bring the popular DreamWorks animation film to life on stage. Your favorite green ogre, Shrek, will be there, along with Princess Fiona, Donkey and more! Presented by Valley Youth Theatre.

Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, 602.252.8497, herbergertheater. org, times vary, $20-$38.50.

DFT Cabaret Series: What She Wrote AUGUST 13 Desert Foothills Theater celebrates the contributions women have made to musical theater over the years, which is considered to be a male-dominated art form. The evening will feature the talents of Brenda Jean Foley, Scott Sowinski and James May. Desert Foothills Cabaret Theater, 33606 N. 60th Street, Scottsdale, 480.488.1981, dftheater.org, 7:15 p.m., $36.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff AUGUST 16 TO SEPTEMBER 3 Preschool-aged children and up will love The Great Arizona Puppet Theatre’s rendition of the popular tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff who must outwit a hungry troll before crossing the bridge.

The Great Arizona Puppet Theater, 302 W. Latham Street, Phoenix, 602.262.2050, azpuppets. org, times vary, $7-$10.

Herbie Hancock

AUGUST 17 Performing since the 1960s, legendary pianist and composer Herbie Hancock was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. His innovative styles in jazz, rock, funk and dance continue to influence the music scene. Joining Hancock on stage in Mesa will be Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), James Ge-

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

nus (bass), Lionel Loueke (guitar) and Terrace Martin (keyboards/ saxophone).

Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, 7:30 p.m., $38-$66.

Jan Sandwich Presents: Remembering Debbie Reynolds With Nicole Pesce on Piano AUGUST 18 Debbie Reynolds has been called “America’s Sweetheart.” Valley residents and SCPA favorites bring to the stage a new show filled with songs, humor and backstage stores.

The event is part of Live & Local Fridays – summer happenings for locals, by locals. Theater and table seating available. Cocktails and snacks available for purchase preshow.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, 480.499.TKTS (8587), scottsdaleperformingarts. org, 8:30 p.m., $12-$15.

Niki J. Crawford

AUGUST 20 Get ready for an evening with Niki J. Crawford, who along with her band, will bring the heat with high-energy funk and soul. Crawford has performed with Carlos Santana, Snoop Dogg, Aaron Neville, Macy Gray, Booker T. Jones and others.

Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter. org, 7 p.m., free.

A Tribute to James Galanos AUGUST 19 TO JANUARY 7 More than 40 ensembles and accessories from American fashion designer James Galanos are on display in this special exhibit that highlights the work of someone who dressed the Duchess of Windsor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Rosalind Russell and Diana Ross. Make sure to see the ensemble worn by former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.257.1880, phxart.org, times vary, $9-$18, free for members.

25

Jessica Fichot Band

AUGUST 25 While her hometown is Paris, Jessica Fichot draws musical influences from her multiethnic French/Chinese/American upbringing. Backed by her band, Fichot brings a fusion of styles and languages and promises numbers ranging from gypsy jazz, to exotic rumbas, combined original songs and pop classics from Hong Kong.

Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter. org, 7:30 p.m., free.

JAN SANDWICH AUGUST 18

NIKI J. CRAWFORD AUGUST 20

JESSICA FICHOT BAND AUGUST 25

Marmalade Skies

AUGUST 25 This summer, locals can chill to sounds of their favorite Arizona bands at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Marmalade Skies treats audiences to the music of The Beatles, considered the most influential rock acts of the 1960s, if not of all time.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, 480.499.TKTS (8587), scottsdaleperformingarts. org, 8 p.m., $12-$22.

Cinematic Pop

AUGUST 26 The classical crossover phenomenon took the TV world by storm and sold out performances last summer in Mesa, This return performance will feature songs from their recent studio album, and be accompanied by a full orchestra and a 100-voice choir.

Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., $20-$39.

CINEMATIC POP AUGUST 26

AUGUST 25

SONORAN SHADES AUGUST 4-29

Sonoran Shades

AUGUST 4 TO 29 Local artist Robert Meyer draws and paints the spectrum of shades and colors found in the desert southwest as he sees them in his world. His works will be on display throughout the month with a portion of sales benefiting the Herberger Theater Center’s Youth Outreach program.

The opening night reception takes place on First Friday, August 4, at 5:30 p.m. Meet the artist during the event, and enjoy live music.

Herberger Theater Center Gallery, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, herbergertheater.org/art-gallery, times vary, free.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

YOU SHOULD BE

DANCING

Jeremy Jason Sartin puts on his boogie shoes for ‘Saturday Night Fever’

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Carson Mlnarik » The Entertainer!

P

erforming has always been a passion for Jeremy Jason Sartin. His mother would say he got his start when the power went out when

he was 5.

“I proceeded to light candles and put on a 45-minute singing, dancing and comedy routine,” Sartin says laughing. “At the end of it, I said thank you and bowed and went up to my room.”

The Nashville-born Sartin is playing Tony Manero in Arizona Broadway Theatre’s production of Saturday Night Fever, which continues through August 20. He is no stranger to the Arizona Broadway Theatre stage, as he’s performed in its All Shook Up,

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Cats.

While he now lives in New York, where the humidity rivals Arizona’s dry heat, he says his past shows in the Valley have prepared him for the Sonoran Desert’s intense summer.

“I’ve kind of learned how to negotiate the heat out here,” Sartin says. “I know how to dodge it and stay in the air conditioning and run from your house to the car.”

He has performed in musicals and plays across the world, however, this is his first time starring in the musical based on the classic John Travolta movie. It tells the story of Manero, a young man in Brooklyn who feels trapped. He turns to the discotheque each week, where he is king of the dance

floor and admired by many, including Stephanie, another young dancer.

The musical follows the same soundtrack that made the film a hit, featuring songs like “If I Can’t Have You,” “Disco Inferno” and “Stayin’ Alive”— but with a twist.

“It’s the traditional Bee Gees songs you know but they’ve been put on to the characters and really made to tell their story,” Sartin says. “I think it’s a very cool new way to see the piece.”

Being a John Travolta and Bee Gees fan, Sartin says finding his inner disco dancer wasn’t a complete stretch.

It wasn’t an easy feat, though, to sing and dance each night during the emotional story.

“It’s become kind of a triple-threat role,” Sartin says. “You have to do everything so it’s exciting to play for sure.”

Before he goes out as Manero, Sartin’s preshow ritual involves physical and vocal warmups, tongue twisters and speech practice to “get into” his Brooklyn dialect.

While he loves the dance numbers and fun music, it’s the acting scenes in between that are his favorite part.

“There’s a progression (between Stephanie and Manero) you see from the beginning of the show to the end,” Sartin says. “She’s not the nicest to him in the beginning, but we get to see quite a journey of their two lives together.”

It’s a journey that Sartin says might hit audiences when they’re not expecting it—leading them to dance in their seats at some points and pulling their heart strings at others. It’s all part of the beauty that is live theater.

“On the stage, you’re performing to a live audience and they have their own reactions, sometimes surprising reactions that you didn’t even expect,” Sartin says.

“That’s kind of amazing when you can feel an audience giving energy back— that’s really what made me fall in love with theater.”

Saturday Night Fever

Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria, azbroadway.org, times vary, now through Sunday, August 20, $38.50-$95.

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27

OF FRIENDSHIPS AND FOOTWORK

‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro cherishes relationship with partner Rashad Jennings Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

O

n Dancing with the Stars, the celebrities rely on their professional partners to teach them about hitting the

ballroom floor.

But recent first-time mirror ball trophy winner Emma Slater was the one being schooled by her partner, free agent football player Rashad Jennings.

“Every season you learn about yourself as a celebrity and a pro, most definitely,” says Slater in her thick English accent.

“This time around I learned a lot from Rashad. He’s very, very inspirational. It’s easy to want to be like him. I aspire to be like him in so many different ways. I’ve spent a lot of time with him. I see how he operates and how he sees the world.”

Their bond is getting stronger while the two tour with Dancing with the Stars: Live!, which comes to the Tucson Music Hall at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 8.

“We have hours-long conversations about life,” she says. “I learn a lot more about how I want to see things.”

The tour is the perfect way to celebrate not only their friendship, but their season 24 win.

“This is the ultimate experience,” she says, calling from the tour stop in Washington, D.C. “Winning the show in itself was surreal. Doing this tour, it’s like a little victory lap. It’s so much fun.

I’m so glad that Rashad gets to come on this tour with me as well.

“It’s an experience not everyone gets. So few people get to do this entire thing—winning and going on tour.”

Dancing with the Stars: Live! is full of high-energy dance numbers, Slater explains. She and Jennings will dance a paso doble in the movie section, a freestyle to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” and the cha-cha-cha to “24K Magic.”

“There’s also an audience

participation part that goes down really well,” she adds. “There’s a love suite section. There’s an Americana section that pays homage to some great classic American songs. We have a summer/ Latin section that has summer-inspired dances to Latin music. That’s the sexier, high-energy part of the show.

“We’re getting a really great response from the audience. It’s fantastic being on stage and performing live. It gives us a chance to see people’s faces.

You don’t get to see that with a camera.

The energy is fantastic.”

The choreographer isn’t taking it easy on Jennings, either, Slater adds.

“She definitely pulls out all the stops,” Slater says with a laugh. “She makes sure he’s in the numbers with the boys and the professional dancers. She didn’t direct down at all. He’s getting the full experience.”

And, Slater adds, Jennings is “loving it. He loves a good challenge.

He’s so into it.”

One thing that isn’t challenging is their friendship, which goes deeper than the typical star-dancer relationship.

They are true friends.

“He’s one of those people who makes you feel at home,” she says. “He’s so open, so positive and so willing. He never complains.

“I tend to feel comfortable with everyone anyway. We honestly feel like we’ve known each other for years. He’s a jokester. I appreciate how almost therapeutic rehearsals were for me, in particular, as opposed to the other rehearsals. He has this calming, stressfree quality. I think that was the factor that helped us go all the way. Actually, I’m absolutely sure.”

Dancing with the Stars: Live!

Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Avenue, Tucson, 520.791.4101, ext 1, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster. com, tucsonmusichall.org, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, August 8, $46.50-$178.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

COMING

ATTRACTIONS Annabelle: Creation

Shot Caller

R - 121 MINUTES

Nicolaj Coster-Waldau plays a successful businessman who is transformed into a stoic, ruthless prison gangster after a DUI sends him down the rabbit hole of the American prison system. As he navigates the brutality of his new home, he slowly loses his previous identity and his relationship to his former life—including his wife and son. Opens August 18.

R - 109 MINUTES

Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation.

Opens August 11.

The Dark Tower

Ingrid Goes West

Idris Elba plays a gunslinger who roams an Old West-like landscape where “the world has moved on” in pursuit of a mysterious man in black (Matthew McConaughey) while also searching for the fabled Dark Tower in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world. Opens August 4.

Aubrey Plaza plays an unhinged social media stalker with a history of confusing “likes” for meaningful relationships. She moves to Los Angeles and manages to insinuate herself into the life of an Instagram-famous “influencer” (Elizabeth Olsen).

Opens August 18.

NR - 100 MINUTES

R - 97 MINUTES

Logan Lucky

Kidnap

PG-13 119 MINUTES

R - 100 MINUTES

Halle Berry plays a mother whose son suddenly disappears. Without a cellphone and knowing she has no time to wait for police help, she jumps in her own car and sets off in pursuit of the kidnappers as she risks everything to not lose sight of her son. Opens August 4.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard R - 118 MINUTES

Ryan Reynolds plays the world’s top bodyguard who gets a new client—a hitman (Samuel L. Jackson) who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time. Opens August 18.

Channing Tatum and Adam Driver play brothers who, trying to reverse a family curse, set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Opens August 18.

Leap!

PG - 89 MINUTES

Elle Fanning voices an orphan girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house. Opens August 30.

For more movie reviews, in-depth celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes insights, tune in to breakthrough entertainment 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays on KPHX 1480 AM and BreakRadioShow.com.

Email film writer Joseph J. Airdo at joseph.airdo@gmail.com.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE CRITIC

LIGHTS » CAMERA » ACTION » SCREEN » ENCHANT » TRANSPORT

What movie should you see this month?

Ask our experts!

JOSEPH’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

Rough Night

It has been a rough summer with so many films failing to meet much less exceed expectations, therefore it is only appropriate that Rough Night be selected as my pick for Movie of the Month. The R-rated dark comedy about a bachelorette party that goes horribly wrong is not really exceptional but it is at least unique enough in its approach to stand slightly above the otherwise disappointing fare at this summer’s box office. Although its setup suggests it will be a female-led Hangover, the result is actually a tense-yet-humorous single-setting, character-driven, comedic thriller in which Kate McKinnon steals the show (as she always does).

RANDY’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

A Ghost Story

A quiet, dialogue-free scene can sometimes say so much more than a good script, and there are several in director David Lowery’s latest feature. Don’t let the title make you think that this is a horror movie, or that the sheet ghost represents some silly comedy. Lowery’s feature starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck is a deeply moving and profoundly emotional take on love, life, death, loneliness and moving on. This is easily the best film of 2017, so far, and quite possibly one of the best of all time.

M.V.’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

The Big Sick

Kumail Nanjiani plays a Pakistani-American standup comic and Uber driver named Kumail, also, living in Chicago. His white grad student girlfriend Emily (Zoe Kazan) breaks up with him when she learns that he hasn’t told his strictly traditional family about her.

They want to arrange a Pakistani bride for him. Then when Emily becomes gravely ill, Kumail bonds with her parents (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) while she’s in a medically induced coma. Directed with a light but warm touch

by Michael Showalter from a script by Nanjiani and his real-life wife Emily Gordon, this gentle, low-key comedy-drama left me feeling much better.

ABOUT THE FILM WRITERS JOSEPH J. AIRDO is a film critic, producer and on-air personality for Breakthrough Entertainment, a talk radio show airing 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays on KPHX 1480 AM and BreakRadioShow.com that shines a spotlight on the practical perspectives of the topics and themes explored in movies. He has a pet duck named Frozen who is as opinionated about movies as he is.

Email him at joseph.airdo@gmail.com.

The Report Card

Our film writers grade what’s in theaters Movie

Joseph

Randy

M.V.

47 Meters Down

D

C

C

Baby Driver

A

B

The Big Sick

A

A

The Book of Henry

D

C

Cars 3

C

C

Despicable Me 3

C

C

The House

D

C

The Mummy

C

Rough Night

C

C

Transformers: The Last Knight

F

C

War for the Planet of the Apes Wish Upon

D

C D

B

C

SOUNDBITE FILM FACTS SPOTLIGHT Writer/director Christopher Nolan used real naval destroyers instead of CGI for sea battle sequences in Dunkirk. He also used cardboard cut-out props of soldiers and military vehicles placed in the far background of shots to create the illusion of a large army.

RANDY MONTGOMERY is a Los Angeles-based film critic who lived in, and still loves, Arizona. Living within walking distance of multiple major studios is a dream come true for this long-time movie buff. While not sitting in the dark and munching on popcorn with extra butter, you can find him riding roller coasters and enjoying the arts. Email him at randymwriter@yahoo.com.

“I had incredible teachers who were incredibly patient with me. The stunt guys took so many hits. I had to buy a lot of alcohol to be forgiven.

But there were no injuries. There was absolutely nothing. Or so they told me. So, I don’t know. Maybe they went home and cried.”

- Charlize Theron, Atomic Blonde

M.V. MOORHEAD has won five first-place Arizona Press Club awards for criticism. His reviews and other writings appear in Wrangler News (wranglernews. com), Phoenix Magazine and on his own blog, Less Hat, Moorhead (mvmoorhead.blogspot. com). A native of Pennsylvania, he lives in Phoenix with his wife, kid and three Chihuahuas with five eyeballs between them. Email him at mvmoorhead@cox.net.

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STEP TOWARD THE FUTURE New documentary traces the footsteps of Baltimore dance troupe Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

C

ori Grainger can’t believe she has fans.

One of the stars of the documentary STEP, Grainger noticed a change in others’ perception of her after the film debuted at Sundance.

“One day we were just regular people walking down the street,” Granger says during an interview at The Camby. “After the screening, people would walk up to us and cry and tell us how much they could relate to the movie.”

STEP, which opens on Friday, August 11, at the Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square, follows a girls’ high school step team in Baltimore.

Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they strive to win a step championship and to be accepted into college.

The film features the Lethal Ladies WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

of BLSYW (Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women) Step Team, including Grainger, Tayla Solomon and Blessin Giraldo. STEP was directed by Amanda Lipitz and produced by her and Steven Cantor.

Stepping is a performance tradition that uses the body as a percussive and expressive instrument. Footsteps, handclaps, call-and-response, songs, chants and propulsive musical rhythms all combine to become a distinctively corporeal form of storytelling.

The roots of stepping go back to African tribal dance, but in the United States, it harkens back to the slave trade, when call-and-response folk songs allowed slaves to communicate with another and to spread vital news.

By the early 20th century, as AfricanAmerican veterans of World War I began enrolling in colleges, students started combining regimented, drill-like marching with call-and-response chants and African foot dances into fraternity and sorority performances.

Lipitz is in awe of the girls in the story.

“What’s amazing is I see these 5-year-old girls and how they look at them when they walk in the room,” Lipitz says. “It’s incredible. They’re heroes. I don’t think they’ve seen girls like Cori, Tayla and Blessin on the screen before.

“I think it’s important that they see that. I also see women who are 90 years old, who see their granddaughters on the screen. It helps them understand what the girls are going through and what’s going on.”

Lipitz adds that STEP teaches parents who haven’t been to college or high school graduates who haven’t been to university that there are options and there are opportunities.

The school’s Director of College Counseling Paula Dofat says this is an important film.

“I hope that (viewers) will realize this is a movement—pun intended; that they will feel a call to action,” she says. “I want them to understand that each one of us, as human beings, has a responsibility to the people around us, especially those who aren’t family members.

“They should get involved and help in some way someone around them to

get them on their success path. I think that’s really important. Those who are in education have gotten tired, had the wind knocked out of them. They’re examples of what they do every day on that screen. I hope they feel it’s a tribute to what they do every day.”

Grainger is looking forward to the film’s opening, which occurs before she heads to college to study computer science and international studies with a minor in Spanish.

“Honestly, I am surprised that we’re getting the reactions that we are,” she says.

“But after watching the movie and seeing the whole purpose of why we did it come to life and materialize on the big screen, I understand why people are inspired by our story. It’s a really good feeling to reach people and have people relate to you.

“We’re just normal girls. You can find a Cori, Tayla and Blessin anywhere you go. Some are creative and sometimes put academic on the back burner. Others are the complete opposite. Some need that extra push to make her creativity come out. Tayla is just an everyday girl, the girl next door. She’s a straight B student, who comes from a loving, one-parent household. A lot of girls can relate to those struggles and we do go through those struggles.”

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31

MOTOR CITY Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

W

hen actor Algee Smith auditioned for the movie Detroit, all he knew was that Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow was attached to it.

The 22-year-old Saginaw, Michigan, native wasn’t familiar with the ’67 riots that destroyed Detroit, or the aftermath. Smith recalls being shocked by what he learned.

“I did my own research, not just about the Detroit riots, but about the riots that took place between 1965 and 1969,” says Smith, calling just before the movie’s premiere at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, which plays a pivotal role in the film.

“There were a bunch of uprisings.

I never knew about that. It was truly a learning experience. It’s a feeling that’s hard to express. You get tired of hearing about it, but you know the root of it. I know why my people are doing this. They’re trying to be heard.

(They’re thinking) ‘What else do I have to do to be heard? Do I have to cause a big commotion?’ It was interesting to hear the roots and why this is still going on today.”

Opening Friday, August 4, the R-rated Detroit tells the true story of a violent night at the Algiers Motel after gunshots were reported. The Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Army National Guard and a local private security guard rushed the Algiers’ annex and viciously interrogated and terrorized motel guests, to try to get a confession. The movie was written by Mark Boal, who also worked on Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker with Bigelow.

Smith plays Larry Reed, The Dramatics’ frontman who takes shelter in the annex with a friend. The singer-actor is joined in the film by John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker, Captain America: Civil War), John Krasinski (13 Hours), Will Poulter (The Revenant), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) and Jacob Lattimore (Collateral Beauty).

“We all put our soul into this, literally,” he says. “We knew the weight of this project. It wasn’t easy at all. We

HORROR

STORY ‘Detroit’ takes a vivid, intense look at the ’67 riots

were thinking about all the real-life people who went through this. It was super tough.”

The two-and-a-half-hour film aptly captures the intensity of the evening at the Algiers. Smith credits Bigelow, who kept the performers on their toes. He didn’t know which character he was playing until two weeks before filming began.

“In any field of work, you want to walk into your job prepared and know your stuff,” he says. “Kathryn was like, ‘Nah, nah.’ She threw us in there and we had to swim. I feel like it worked so well. We had nothing to go off of except real-life reactions when we walked into the (motel) rooms.

“Sometimes, she wouldn’t even tell us what or who was on the other side of the door. We’d have to be surprised while the camera was on. That’s how we made the audiences feel like that.”

Smith also didn’t meet with the real Larry Reed until near the end of filming, which, he says, worked in his favor.

“First of all, Larry is just amazing,” Smith says. “I feel like that’s me when I get older. If I would have met him earlier, I would have tried to study him and get certain things down. I would have asked him certain questions.

“This way, I already had the movie weight off my shoulders. I went to his door and he busted out laughing.

He said, ‘You’re going to play me real good. You have the swagger. You have everything.’ We had a three-hour conversation on his couch. He showed me his scars, where his skull was cracked.

We had a real heart-to-heart moment.”

Smith can relate to Reed, as the performer scored his first song in a movie soundtrack. The track “Grow” is among tunes by The Dramatics, Martha

Reeves and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Roots and John Coltrane.

“Oh man, that made me cry,” Smith says. “This is my first movie placement as a songwriter as well. This is my best work as an actor, as well, and when both of my worlds come together, it’s amazing. I’m blessed that Kathryn took a chance on me. That’s unheard of. I’m just jittery.”

Throughout the filming, though, there was something more important, more poignant that stood out.

“All police aren’t bad,” he says. “The problem is that a lot of people think all police are bad. The issue is some policemen who are hired shouldn’t be policemen.

“We have to look at who they’re hiring and where they put the policemen. You can’t put a policeman in a neighborhood with people he’s afraid of protecting. What’s the point? That was a real eye-opener for me.”

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE DINER

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EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH

Happy Hour Guide 34

Blaze Pizza 38

Artizen 39

Grubstak 40

AUGUST FOOD EVENTS Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

Ethiopia Fest

AUGUST 5 Café Lalibela is celebrating its 21st anniversary by sharing Ethiopia’s cuisine, art and music with the Valley at Ethiopia Fest. The nation’s food is characterized by bold, colorful spices and is often vegetarian, and eaten by hand using a traditional Ethiopian bread called injera.

Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa, 480.829.1939, cafelalibela.com, ethiopianfest.splashthat.com, 6:30 to 11 p.m., $40.

ingredients displayed throughout a three-course dinner. For each tasting date, Chef Dustin Christofolo creates a variety of dishes that feature seasonal vegetables from local farmers in the farmer’s foraged garden dish or Two Wash Ranch chicken fried Cornish hen with herb emulsion, eggplant chips, spiced peach chutney, tomatillo, peach, heirloom tomatoes and fried herbs. Leave a message for reservations and mention Taste of Quiessence.

Quiessence at The Farm, 6106 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, 602-2760601, qatthefarm.com, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in August, $45 per person, for an additional $20 pair wine with each course.

Grown-Ups Table

Taste of Quiessence

AUGUST 8 TO AUGUST 31 Quiessence at The Farm hosts a special chef tasting menu so locals can experience true Arizona cuisine. The annual special menu, available only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, features hyperseasonal, Arizona

AUGUST 9 AND AUGUST 16 The Grown-Ups Table returns to Beckett’s Table, which features a three-course meal and drinks

by Chef Justin Beckett enjoyed around the community table.

Each week, Beckett will release the night’s themed menu on social media. Previous GrownUps Table menus have included Spanish tapas, Baja peninsula and Asian wok.

Beckett’s Table, 3717 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, 602.954.1700, beckettstable.com, 6 p.m., $45 plus gratuity.

Wine Appreciation: Wine + Food Pairing

AUGUST 13 Join LDV Winery for a gathering that explores wine and food pairings.

The event is part of a monthly series of fun, interactive get-togethers to discuss “All About Wine.” Registration includes expert-led discussions, little bites and wine, and take-away materials. The cost includes wine tasting, nibbles and materials.

LDV Wine Gallery, 6951 E. First Street, Scottsdale, 480.664.4822, 5 to 6:30 p.m., $35 per person, $65 per couple.

Payment is required in advance.

Gluten-Free Dinner with Veuve Clicquot

AUGUST 17 This four-course, prix-fixe gluten-free dinner, part of the Chef’s Secret Garden Dinners, is limited to just 24 guests and pairs with champagne from Veuve Clicquot.

Dinners bring an interactive kitchen space to life with a multicourse dinner featuring guest wine, beer and spirit makers. This one offers: seared scallop with buttered leeks, truffle mushroom foam and chervil; salmon tartar with avocado, cucumber, caviar and potato chips; Chilean seabass, broccoli rabe, lemon puree, purple cauliflower crumb and yuzu vinaigrette; and raspberry sorbet in chocolate cup, almond cookie crumble and mint.

Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, 4949 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, 480.627.3161, sam. barraza@omnihotels.com, 6 p.m., dinners start at $110.

Empty Bowls Event of Prescott

AUGUST 27 Guests pick a locally created ceramic or wooden bowl of their choice and sample any two of 14 soups prepared by local chefs. Water and bread are also included. The money raised is distributed to local food banks.

Prescott Courthouse Plaza, 120 S. Cortez Street, Prescott, 928.765.5103, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $15 at the door.

Fitz’s Supper Club: The Grand Illusion

AUGUST 28 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Larry Fitzgerald will bring magicians, mentalists and illusionists, not to mention some of his celebrity friends, to Dominick’s Steakhouse for a night of revelry and fundraising. The dinner benefits the Larry Fitzgerald First Dow Fund. For more than a decade, the organization has supported kids and their families with gifts of time, money and special resources through numerous associations across the country.

Dominick’s Steakhouse, Scottsdale Quarter, 15169 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, larryfitzgerald.com. 7 p.m., see website for opportunities.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

HAPPY HOUR GUIDE Brat Haus

3622 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. $2 off all drafts, $1 off bottles, cans, liquor and wine and food specials

Hard Rock Café

3 S. Second Street, Phoenix Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. $3.50 domestic bottle and draft, $4.50 select craft beer, $5 premium well, house wine and double shot of Fireball

Buck & Rider

Hungry Monk

Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers

Lucky Strike Bowling

Craft 64

Luxe Lounge

4225 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix Weekdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 9:30 p.m. to close $6 signature cocktails, house pours and featured glasses of wine

1760 W. Chandler Boulevard, Chandler Daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. $1 off all alcohol, but ask about daily specials!

For example, Wednesday is $3 pints of craft beer all day!

4222 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 20831 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 117, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. $3 domestic pints, $4 local pints, domestic aluminum bottles and premium well drinks, $5 house wines

50 W. Jefferson Street, #240, Phoenix Daily 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. $2 domestic drafts, $3 craft/import drafts and well drinks, $4 premium cocktails, house wine and food specials

6922 E. Main Street, Scottsdale Daily 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. $1 off all beers and $2 off all wines

16000 N. Maricopa Road, Maricopa Monday through Friday 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and all day Sunday $3 well drinks, house wines and 16 oz. domestic drafts

Dirty Dogg Saloon

10409 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. $1 off domestic beers, well drinks and call

Duke’s Sports Bar & Grill

7607 E. McDowell, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $3.50 domestic drafts and bottles, $5.25 house wines and $8.99 domestic pitchers

El Chorro

Pure Sushi Colony

5538 N. 7th Sreet, Suite 110, Phoenix Daily from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sat/Sun 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $3 off regular-priced cocktails, wines by the glass and sake. $2 off regular-priced bottles of beer.

Wide selection of sushi, appetizers and signature cocktails and Japanese beers & bombers.

Rehab Burger Therapy

7210 E. 2nd Street, Scottsdale Daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. to close on Thursdays $1 Off all party starter appetizers, $1.50 PBRs, Domestic Pints $2.50, Premium Pints $3.50, $1 off shots, wines by glass and specialty drinks

Scottsdale Beer Company

8608 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. $1 off all Scottsdale Beer Company beers, well drinks, wines by the glass and food specials

Stockyards Steakhouse

5009 E. Washington Street, #115, Phoenix Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. $2 off draft beer and Saloon Snacks, $3 domestic bottles, $5 well drinks and $5 house wine with complimentary tenderloin sliders

Old Town Tavern

SunUp Brewing Co.

Park Place Bar & Grill

TapHouse Kitchen

7320 E. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bucket of beers (five beers for two people): $12 domestic, $16 Mexican imports, $20 premium

7373 E. Scottsdale Mall, #6, Scottsdale Tuesday through Sunday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

See a full list of specials at www.peterscuisineaz.com.

322 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix Daily 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. $5 select appetizers and $1 off beers

Hilton Village, 6137 N Scottsdale Rd #108, Scottsdale, AZ 85250 7 Days! 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. $2 off all draft beer, spirits and wine on tap. $2 off all beer flights, house wine. $2 off all Tap House Kitchen custom cocktails, Tap “House" Margaritas and $1 off all well drinks. And more!

Philly’s Sports Grill

Tutti Santi

EVO

Pig & Pickle

Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap

Gallagher’s Sports Grill

Pure Sushi Bar & Dining

5550 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley Monday through Saturday 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. $3 glass of house wine and domestic bottled beer and $5 El Chorro Margaritas and well drinks

4175 N. Goldwater Boulevard, Scottsdale Daily 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. $3 beers, $4 well drinks, $5 wines and $6 cocktails

Five locations across the Valley Daily 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight $2.75 well drinks, $3.25 domestic drafts, $3.50 house wine and several food specials

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1826 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, 1402 S. Priest Dr., Tempe, 4855 E. Warner Rd., Phoenix Daily 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday (Excludes UFC, Boxing, ASU events) 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. $4.50 Select appetizers, $3 Domestic Drafts, $3.50 Premium Drafts, $5 Guinness 20oz., $3.50 Coastal Vines Wines 2922 N Hayden Road, Scottsdale Tuesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. $5 select small dishes, select cocktail and select wine and beer

20567 N. Hayden Road, Suite 100, Scottsdale Mon-Fri, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sat/Sun 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $3 off regular-priced cocktails, wines by the glass and sake. $2 off regular-priced bottles of beer. Wide selection of sushi, appetizers and signature cocktails and Japanese beers & bombers.

6339 E. Greenway Road, Suite 108, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Select beers $3, well drinks $3 and select glasses of wine $5

9053 E. Baseline Road, Mesa, 2115 E. Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek; Brewery: 4921 E. Ray Road, Phoenix Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday through Thursday, 10 p.m. to close $3.50 Uncle Bears craft pints, domestic bottles, wells & house margs, $4.50 22 oz. Uncle Bears crafts, guest craft pints, Deep Eddy cocktails & house wine, $5.50 22 oz. guest crafts & sangria

Wasted Grain

7295 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale Wednesday through Sunday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Scottsdale’s Longest Happy Hour $5 shared plates, $5 drink specials

ntic Chicago Pizza Authe

b u P s t And Spor

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7570 E. 6th Ave, Old Town Scottsdale

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DINER INSIDER

APPETITES WANTED Phoenix Cooks celebrates food and the Special Olympics

Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!

N lS10aFF: *MINIMUM PURCHASE OF $35

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ow in its 13th year, Phoenix Cooks has cemented itself as one of the signature culinary events of the summer. Hosted by iHeartMedia, the foodie event brings together chefs from more than 50 Arizona restaurants and resorts, as well as nearly 100 beer, wine and spirit brands for a day of sipping, savoring and supporting a great cause.

This year, Phoenix Cooks is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 2, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale and will benefit Special Olympics Arizona.

“Special Olympics Arizona provides every person with intellectual disabilities a place of welcome, acceptance and the chance to be their best,” says Kelly Manders of iHeartMedia. “The practices learned in Special Olympics Arizona also impact their life skills. Sports training enhances focus and gives participants a structure for learning important lessons about perseverance, endurance and setting goals” According to Manders, SOAZ empowers more than 180,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities across Arizona. Phoenix Cooks, has raised more than $390,000 for local charities since its inception in 2004.

During the event, guests can expect small bites from popular local eateries including Match, Deseo, North Italia, Tanzy Restaurant and The Greene House as well as sips from Hensley and Breakthru Beverage Arizona, the latter of which is one of the state’s largest distributors of wine, spirits and nonalcoholic beverages. Several chefs will also take part in a friendly competition throughout the day akin to Iron Chef when they will be tasked with preparing a dish using a mystery ingredient in front of a live audience.

“We will also be handing over the stage to several famed local chefs and beverage partners – one every half hour, in fact – to allow them to give interactive cooking demonstrations, cocktail pairing advice and even pull guests on stage to cook with them throughout the day,” Manders says.

General admission tickets, which are $85 in advance and $100 at the door, include all food, wine, beer, spirit samplings and stage demonstrations.

There is also a “designated driver” ticket available for $60, which is limited to food and non-alcoholic sampling.

Phoenix Cooks

Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, 6902 E. Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, phoenixcooks.com, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 2, $60-$100.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

37

Sapporo offers you a dining experience unlike any other featuring four unique options:

interactive Teppanyaki tables, fresh sushi bar, innovative Pacific Rim dining room, and vibrant bar and lounge.

1/4 0 2 Craft Beers

Join Us For DINNER OR HAPPY HOUR

on Tap!

14344 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 (480) 607-1114 | sapporoscottsdale.com

Think BBQ!

(Or Ribs, Chicken, Pork, Brisket & Turkey) Locally Sourced

Lunch • Dinner • Brunch

3222 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85018 (602) 314-5599 www.frasherssmokehouse.com

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At Hilton Village 6137 N. Scottsdale Road #108, Scottsdale, AZ 85253 480.656-0012 www.TapHouseKitchen.com SUPPORTING LOCAL FARMS • BREWERIES • VINEYARDS BREAKFAST!

LUNCH! Secret Menu Item!

nybagelsnbialys.com | (480) 483-NYBB | 10320 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85253 | M-F 6:30am – 5pm | Sat/Sun 6:30am – 3pm

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

LIFE OF PIE

Blaze fires up the local pizza scene

Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!

B

laze Pizza has created a following with its interactive open-kitchen format, which allows guests to customize one of the menu’s signature pizzas or create their own for about $8.

Since opening its first location in California in 2012, Blaze has succeeded in finding ways to serve tasty food without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

“Look, real ingredients just taste better—period,” says Blaze executive chef Bradford “Brad” Kent. “We take great pride in that fact that we’ve ‘nixed the nitrates’ in our cured meats, removed preservatives in our garlic and salad dressings, switched to ‘true hue’ black olives and banana peppers without artificial colors and moved to barbecue sauce with no high fructose corn syrup.”

Even Blaze’s pizza dough is “clean,” meaning it’s made from scratch daily and uses only a few simple ingredients— unbleached flour, extra-virgin olive oil, filtered water, salt and a dash of sugar— that require 24-hour fermentation to produce his signature crisp crust.

Unlike many other brands, Blaze has WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

an actual executive chef, Kent, on board.

That’s a testament to its commitment to the team’s real food-first attitude.

“I started to cook at age 7, and quickly learned that food was more than just ingredients put together,” says Kent, who quickly evolved his craft from dorm room creations as a marketing major at the University of Southern California to his first business as a tapas and small plate catering company.

Thirsting for more knowledge surrounding his passion for food, Kent studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and then Cal State Long Beach, earning a food science degree. After using an opportunity as a chef on a high-end yacht to hone his pizza-making skills, he opened Olio Pizzeria in Los Angeles and then Blaze. Basketball star LeBron James owns 17 locations.

Under Kent’s direction, Blaze Pizza has developed several crowd-pleasers in addition to offering hundreds of custom pizza options. They include: • Meat Eater (top seller) - Pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, red onion, mozzarella, red sauce • Green Stripe - Pesto drizzle over grilled chicken, red peppers, chopped

garlic, mozzarella, arugula • Art Lover - Artichokes, mozzarella, ricotta, chopped garlic, red sauce dollops • Red Vine - Sauceless with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, chopped garlic, olive oil drizzle • Link In - Italian sausage, red peppers, red onions, mozzarella, red sauce Over the past 18 months, Blaze has made a significant commitment to Arizona, opening locations in North Phoenix, Central Phoenix, Tempe, Avondale, Glendale and Tucson, with a Scottsdale restaurant coming by the end of the year, as well as a second location in Tucson.

“We want to be more than an easy stop for lunch or dinner. We want to be a part of the local community,” local franchisee Joe Sawyer says.

Blaze Pizza

The local team is actively looking to host fundraisers for the Arizona schools, community centers, sports teams and nonprofits in their neighborhoods.

Those interested can visit blazepizza. com/fundraising to learn more information and schedule an event.

“Each of our Phoenix-area Blaze locations are also committed to shining a light on local partners, offering several local brews on our draft beer menu monthly,” says Kent, who is a fan of the Huss Strawberry Blonde and several Four Peaks varietals after sampling them in the Phoenix restaurants.

Each of the Blaze locations will offer free pizzas from August 6 to August 11 in honor of the beginning of the school year.

5120 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.603.2478 950 E. Bell Road, Suite 190, Phoenix, 602.633.1150 105 W. University Drive, Tempe, 480.829.3775 10155 W. McDowell Road, Suite 103, Avondale, 623.936.3957 7870 W. Bell Road, Glendale, 623.486.2155 5615 E. Broadway Boulevard, Tucson, 520.499.2739 blazepizza.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

LOCAL FLAVOR

Artizen infuses Arizona culture into four-part menu

39

Buy ANY DRINK get a

FREE GREEN TEA!

“That’s a Damn Fine Donut!”

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Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

A

rtizen Crafted American Kitchen & Bar wants to be different. The blue-and-copper-hued restaurant inside The Camby in Phoenix thrives on serving seasonal and regional offerings to keep the menu playful and approachable.

“We’re looking to be influenced by local product, local culture and local people,” says Joe Martin, The Camby’s food and beverage director.

“We’re partnered with Cartel Coffee Lab. As a matter of fact, at an event recently, we brined our lamb with cold draft coffee, whereas a lot of people rub it with coffee grounds. We infuse local culture, whether it is Cartel or Queen Creek Olive Mill or anywhere, into everything we do.”

That responsibility is left to chef Dushyant Singh, who has artfully created appetizers like white cheddar cornbread ($7), made with Hayden Flour Mill cornmeal, Crocket’s honeycomb and smoked pistachio butter, or coffee-roasted organic carrots ($9), served with toasted coriander yogurt and agave.

(The cornbread is “off the hook,” Martin reports.) The bone-in pork chop ($22) continues the agave influence, accentuated with cider-braised red cabbage, cornbread casserole and Calvados.

Arizona-raised prime steak ($52) takes center stage, served with seasonal mushrooms. The menu is separated into four

sections: snack, soil, land and sea.

“We’re really pushing for Artizen to be a standalone restaurant,” Martin says.

“We know it’s located inside a hotel. We don’t want it to be known as ‘Artizen at The Camby.’

“We think that local connection can really help us with that. The perception of hotel restaurants is there’s a higher dollar figure or it’s going to be stuffy. I think our price point is competitive across the board. Plus, The Camby is not a stuffy environment anymore like it was as The Ritz-Carlton.”

What’s important to Martin, however, is consistency and Singh’s involvement since day one.

“We really want to elevate the culinary experience to the best that the Valley has to offer,” Martin adds. “We’re going to continue our local focus for sure.

“We’re going to do as many off-property events as we can. This year is going to be a defining year for us. We have a strong culinary team. Our food is top-notch. We really put a strong focus on the service at the front and we match that with the food. We’re refining our revelry, so to speak, and performing on stage to give that respect to the back of the house with amazing food the chefs put out.”

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

EVERY DAY IS LIKE

FRY DAY

Grubstak piles tasty, locally sourced ingredients atop waffle fries Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

C

olton Grubb knew when he stepped foot into the space last winter for his Gilbert Heritage District restaurant, Grubstak, that he made the right business decision.

“Walking in and seeing the lights turned on, and the first few entrees that went out, that was amazing,” says Grubb, the grandson of Valley auto magnate Lou Grubb. “The guests really enjoy the meals. That’s probably the most rewarding part.”

Grubstak bills itself as an upscale, fast-casual restaurant serving made-toorder meals built on stackable waffle fries, roasted root vegetables and crunchy greens.

“We have eight signature stacks,” he says. “With them, we either feature a roasted root vegetable medley or waffle fries.”

The Grubstak ($9.95) serves up 50/50 waffle fries, Schreiner’s breakfast sausage, pork belly, cheddar cheese, grub gravy and fried egg. The Gold Rush ($9.95) is a mélange of gold—50/50 waffle fries, golden chicken, golden sauce, blue cheese, carrots and celery.

Grubatouille ($8.45) features roasted root veggies, Parmesan-crusted zucchini, yellow squash and tomato sauce. The Mac Attack ($9.95) is a restaurant favorite—Grubchetta macaroni and cheese, tomato “chetta” and WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

more mac served with shishito pesto.

For those who have a sweet tooth, there’s the Give Me S’More ($6.75), made with cinnamon graham-cracker bread pudding, marshmallow fudge sauce and brûléed marshmallow.

The menu is an expansion of Grubb’s dream.

“The initial idea or a-ha moment was when I thought to do something unique with French fries,” he says. “I like to be indulgent or decadent. I grew up eating very healthy, though. We always had veggies and salad at dinner. I needed to have the best of both worlds.”

Grubb then challenged himself to come up with a concept and menu that he could eat daily. He recruited the help of Gilbert resident and operations manager Seth Widdes.

The key to Grubstak is that everything is made fresh.

“Every time someone orders, we make that fresh to order,” Grubb says.

“If you order fries, we drop those. We’re not cutting food out of bags. We braise all the proteins. We do all the prep work for our roasted veggies.”

Most important to Grubb is the kids-eat-free promotion that requires the purchase of an adult entrée. It applies to children younger than 12.

“That’s something we take pride in,” says Grubb, who married wife, Katie, in November.

Recently, Grubstak added brunch on Saturdays and Sundays that features French toast sticks ($7.75) with

cinnamon and sugar, whipped cream and seasonal toppings; and farmers’ market veggie frittata ($7.99) with egg whites and seasonal vegetables from the Gilbert Farmers Market or Agritopia.

For Grubb, it was important to use local produce and artisans. He used Phoenix-based LGE Design Build to create the interior vibe. Vintage Industrial of Phoenix created three large community tables with power, purse hooks and USBs. The back wall is adorned with four photos of his grandfather farming on Long Island.

“I wanted to incorporate local as much as possible,” Grubb says. “All of our beers and wines are local. We have nitro cold-brewed coffee from the Roastery of Cave Creek. It’s on tap.

We use Shamrock Foods, which is an Arizona company. Most of the components have a local touch.”

Choosing downtown Gilbert was an easy decision for Grubb.

“Gilbert was a town that I kept hearing about for the last few years, in terms of what was growing and doing well,” he says. “I grew up in Central Phoenix and spent time in Gilbert— when it was farms and not known as a happening place for food.

“When I got into this project, I looked at every corner of the Valley and kept coming back to Gilbert. I was able to spend some quality time out here. It has a unique vibe.”

The whole project satisfied his urge to start a business. Grubb, a graduate

of Brophy and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, was previously employed in the auto business, and by the Phoenix Suns.

“I was getting out of the car business and I knew from my work experience that I wanted to hopefully have my own business and be my own boss,” he says. “I was really passionate about having food—good food.

“My brother-in-law gave me a little idea. I kept expanding on that and the idea evolved. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and went for it.”

Giving up the family legacy of working for car dealerships was fine to Grubb.

“I just didn’t have that passion working that many hours per week,” he says. “You really have to love what you’re doing. I finally made the decision not to force it anymore.”

With his family’s approval, he went forward with his plans for Grubstak.

“I learned a lot from my dad and my grandpa,” he says. “I’ve been lucky enough to have some great mentors in different businesses. It all came together for Grubstak and the next phase of my life.”

Grubstak

384 N. Gilbert Road, Suite 106, Gilbert, 480.418.9560, grubstak.com.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

41

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE CRAFTMASTER

43

SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

Beer Over Here

Drink up at any of these Valley beer events this month Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

Summer ’17 Beer Camp

THROUGH AUGUST 6 It’s the summertime staple. S’mores as you’ve never tasted them before, paired with the perfect complementary beers. Guests will sample a traditional s’mores with chocolate and toasted marshmallow on a delectable graham cracker, paired with an Ironwood Porter and a King George Ale. In addition, a PB&J s’mores, which adds dollops of creamy peanut butter and grape jelly to the traditional campfire treat, will be paired with a Biltmore Blonde and a Belgian Plum Ale. A donation of $3 from each flight sold will benefit the nonprofit act One. Proceeds will be directed to help provide arts learning opportunities and field trips in the Madison School District.

The Phoenix Ale Brewery Central Kitchen, 5813 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602.313.8713, centralkitchenaz.com, call for times, $10.

Geeks Who Drink Pub Quiz

TUESDAYS IN AUGUST Geeks Who Drink is a Denverbased company that hosts bar trivia at more than 300 pubs and restaurants in 25 states. Its quiz

Downtown Prescott on Cortez Street between Gurley and Goodwin streets, 928.776.8686, milehighbrewfest.com, 4 to 8 p.m., $25 in advance, $35 at the door.

is a collective effort of dozens of quizmasters, writers, factcheckers, graphic designers and artists. Quiz night is an Anglo-Irish tradition, but the goal is to foster friendly competition and promote social drinking on The Hotel Congress’ plaza.

The Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, 520.622.8848, hotelcongress. com, 8 p.m., free.

12 West Brewing Co.

AUGUST 4 Come meet the brewing team behind 12 West Brewing Co., Bryan McCormick and Noel Garcia. 12 West sources local ingredients like blood oranges picked from trees at Agritopia and has gone to such lengths as culturing its own yeast strains from citrus on the farm.

Dvine Bistro, 2837 N. Power Road, Mesa, 480.654.4171, dvinebistromesa.com, 6 p.m., free admission.

Four Peaks Ice Cream Social Pizza and Pints with Beer Geeks AUGUST 3 Enjoy a four-course meal while learning from some of the top beer experts in Phoenix during the Pizza and Pints with Beer Geeks class. The feast starts with a grilled romaine salad served with a watermelon ale. It continues with various pizzas paired with the likes of Goldwater Birthday Suit IPA and King George Amber. Dessert is an Ironwood Porter Brownie served with vanilla gelato, caramel and chocolate sauce. It’s paired with a Cali Creamin’ Cream Ale. The Phoenix Ale Brewery Central Kitchen, 5813 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602.313.8713, centralkitchenaz.com, 6:30 p.m., $35.

AUGUST 5 Four Peaks Brewing Co. is collaborating with Sweet Republic to make four to five beer-infused ice creams. Cool off and take a trip down memory lane at their 8th Street Brewery, originally a dairy creamery.

Four Peaks Brewing Co., 1340 E. Eighth Street, Suite 104, Tempe, 480.303.9967, fourpeaks.com, time and price TBA.

Mile High Brew Festival

AUGUST 12 Imbibe on beer samples from the Southwest’s finest craft breweries, and munch on fare from Arizona food trucks—all in the pleasant summer Prescott air. Live music wraps up the event. All proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Arizona.

Flanny’s August Tap Takeover

AUGUST 17 Flanny’s is hosting another Tap Takeover event! On August 17, guests can enjoy beers from Stone Brewing, Pizza Port Brewing and Modern Times. All beers will be priced between $6 and $10.

Flanny’s, 1805 E. Elliot Road, Suite 104, Tempe, 480.659.0870, flannys.com, 6 to 9 p.m., $6-$10 beers.

Uncle Bear’s Grill and Bar Pool Party Promo

AUGUST 26 Come try out an Uncle Bear’s favorite: Mandarin Wheat and Ocean Beach West Coast Style IPA poolside.

We-Ko-Pa Resort and Conference Center, 10424 N. Fort McDowell Road, Fort McDowell, 480.789.5300, wekparesortandconferencecenter. com, 7 to 10 p.m., call about admission charge.

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

BeerFinder DIRECTORY Where to find the best craft beer bars in town

Craft 64

6922 E. Main Street, Scottsdale Craft 64 is proud to offer 36 local Arizona beers on tap in the heart of Scottsdale. Arizona beers only!

Mellow Mushroom Pizza

2490 W. Happy Valley Road, 5350 E. High Street, 740 S. Mill Avenue Locations throughout the Valley Incredible Pizza and amazing beer make Mellow the place to go for a craft beer experience.

Papago Brewing Company

7107 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale The granddaddy of Arizona beer bars, there is something for every beer lover at Papago.

Boulders on Broadway

530 W. Broadway Road, Tempe Boulders has the appeal of a neighborhood bar with a beer list that’ll make your eyes pop.

Hungry Monk

1760 W. Chandler Boulevard, Chandler Whether you want great wings or great beer, Hungry Monk’s selection is tough to beat.

Harvey American Public House

1524 E. Williamsfield Road, Gilbert First class food and first class beer, all set away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Goldwater Brewing Co.

3608 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale This new brewery is already making waves with their desert inspired brews--and names. Check out their Scotch’Dale Scottish style ale.

Spokes on Southern

1470 E. Southern Avenue, Tempe A comfortable bike-themed grill with 24 draft handles and food made from scratch.

Culinary Dropout

5640 N. Seventh Street, 7135 E. Camelback Road Locations in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe Located at The Yard, Culinary Dropout has everything you look for in a great restaurant experience, especially great beer.

Scottsdale Beer Company

8608 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale Quality craft beer made right here in Scottsdale.

Happy hour from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with $1 off all Scottsdale Beer Company beers, well drinks, wines by the glass and all small bites and starters!

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row

4420 N. Saddlebag Trail Scottsdale Dierks Bentley has been known to kick back with a craft beer or two, and so can you at his digs.

Garage Wine and Tap

1534 E. Bethany Home Road, Phoenix With a small selection of great beers and a reputation for outstanding food, Garage should be on your list.

Thirsty Lion

2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway Tempe Plenty of great taps and plenty of room to hang out, let someone else do the shopping at Tempe Marketplace.

Copper Blues/Stand Up Live

50 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix Have a beer and a meal at Copper Blues before the stand-up show. You won’t even worry if it’s sold out.

Brat Haus

3622 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale The name says it all--brats, pretzels, Belgian fries and plenty of craft “bier” to make everyone happy.

Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers 4222 N. Scottsdale Road, 20831 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale Do we need to say more? The name spells out everything you need to know.

Fox Cigar Bar

1464 E. Williams Field Road Gilbert Cigar fans, this should be your stop for cigars and great craft beer. Enjoy a walk in the humidor, the dark wood bar and a patio that is perfect for a cigar and a beer.

Philly’s Sports Grill

1826 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, 1402 S. Priest Dr., Tempe, 4855 E. Warner Rd., Phoenix Over 20 beers on draft, 15 craft beers on tap plus more selection in cans/bottles. Happy Hour: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Daily and Reverse 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sun-Thurs (excludes UFC, Boxing, ASU events).

Flanny’s Bar and Grill

1805 E. Elliot Road Tempe Home of the Third Thursday Tap Takevoer. The rest of the month is pretty good, too.

Phoenix Public Market Café

14 E. Pierce Street Phoenix The Phoenix Public Market Café is a casual urban hangout offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and great beer.

Main Ingredient Ale House 2337 N. Seventh Street Phoenix A charming old home is the location for this Coronado neighborhood hangout spot.

Pig & Pickle

2922 N. Hayden Road Scottsdale A restaurant that focuses on balance and quality, Pig & Pickle doesn’t skimp when it comes to their craft beer selection, either.

House of Brews Sports Bar

825 S. Cooper Road Gilbert Is it a sports bar or a craft beer bar? It’s both!

The PERCH Pub & Brewery

232 S. Wall Street, Chandler Located in historic Downtown Chandler, this brewery and pub not only has delicious craft brews, but is also home to a collection of beautiful, brightly colored rescue birds!

TapHouse Kitchen

Hilton Village, 6137 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 108, Scottsdale Taphouse kitchen has 20 handles of the most sought after craft beers, mostly local brew and 2 THK selection rotating handles that change with the season and taste of what we are craving at the time.

Ground Control

4860 N. Litchfield Road Litchfield Park Fresh roasted coffee and an ever-changing selection of good beer, including a fantastic import selection, make this one of the top spots in the West Valley.

The Brass Tap

1033 N. Dobson Road, Suite 104 Mesa Over 60 Taps of great craft beers and over 300 total craft beers from around the globe available! Casually upscale atmosphere, open-air patio that is cigar-friendly, nice menu, daily specials and knowledgeable staff. What more could you ask for!

Uncle Bear’s Brewery

4921 E. Ray Road, Phoenix Stop by to enjoy some local craft beer including Uncle Bear’s and other guest taps as well as delicious bites and a great happy hour!

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

GREAT BEER PAIRINGS:

45

HEARTH ’61

“We’re proud to have recently opened Hearth ’61 at the Mountain Shadows resort in Paradise Valley. Many of our dishes are cooked on the hearth of our signature oven, which imparts a wonderful smoky flavor. We use as many local and organic ingredients as possible in our seasonal American cooking. Whether it’s our bread from Noble Bread or the chicken that comes from our friend Dave Jordan at Two Wash Ranch in New River, we’re big supporters of our local farmers and suppliers. Our beer selection includes a variety of delicious local brews from Four Peaks, SanTan and Huss Brewing, along with great national beers. We love recommending the perfect ale, wine or craft cocktail to pair with your meal. Stop in and you’ll see me and our other talented chefs preparing your meal in the exhibition kitchen. The Camelback Mountain views aren’t bad either.”

BEER

Brewery: SanTan Brewing Company Style: IPA Name: MoonJuice Galactic IPA An out-of-this-world IPA crafted with tons of Galaxy and Nelson-Sauvin hops that transcends all Earthly pleasures, emitting an aroma of peach, apricot and tropical fruit.

DISH

Dish: Organic half chicken with Meyer lemon chimichurri, featuring chicken from Dave Jordan of Two Wash Ranch in New River ($26) This year-round earthy IPA from SanTan Brewing Company has strong notes of stone fruit (peaches, apricots) and tropical fruit. The fresh, fruity flavor pairs incredibly well with our organic chicken.

The dish has a slight smokiness imparted from our wood-burning oven, and the tartness of the beer creates a nice contrast of flavors.

Christopher Brugman, executive sous chef

Hearth ’61

5445 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, 480.624.5400, mountainshadows.com

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46

THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

‘THE FULL MONTY’ John Waite will revisit his catalog with his band at Talking Stick Resort

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

J

ohn Waite is rarely at a loss for words.

However, when he played with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band in Phoenix several years ago, he was awestruck.

“I don’t often get speechless, but I was playing away on stage and I looked to the right and there was Ringo,” he says. “To play something on guitar or bass and have him follow you in or vice versa? You have to pinch yourself.”

The show was hard on Waite, but for different reasons.

“I had pneumonia and I was almost dying on stage,” he says with a laugh.

“Ringo was behind the drums laughing

at me; I could hardly sing. He liked it when it got interesting.”

The vignette offers insight into Waite’s passion for music, which remains after stints with The Babys and Bad English, as well as a successful solo career. He returns to the Valley to play Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale on Friday, August 11.

“What’s not to be passionate about?” Waite says. “It’s music. My tastes in music diversified as I got older.

I like jazz and just discovered opera— Puccini. It kills me. I still love blues and country, but my tastes as a musician have broadened as I grew up. You hear real wonderful stuff in the most unexpected places.”

Those who say they “live for rock ‘n’ roll” are limiting their abilities, he adds.

“I know how to write a song,” Waite says. “It’s about closing your eyes.

There’s not a lot to it. There are only three or four or five chords in rock.

With classical, there’s an endless stream of chords and it rarely repeats itself.

“I can listen to it without pulling it apart and knowing how somebody’s done something. It surprises me all the time. Having said that, you can take three chords and reinvent anything.

That’s the wonder of those three chords.”

Derived from the blues, the chords can be turned in any direction.

“How you voice the chords on guitar or piano can have a tremendous effect on them,” Waite explains. “There’s always the possibility of doing something original, which is staggering, if you think about it.”

Speaking of something original, the 64-year-old Waite recently wrapped up recording Acoustic Anthology, an unplugged album that revisits his collections from 1995’s Temple Bar and onward.

“I also re-recorded ‘Missing You’ and several other songs,” Waite says. “There

are six or seven songs that were recut. It’s really an insane acoustic record.”

While his similarly formatted acoustic tour has been a hit, the Talking Stick Resort show will be with a band, or the “full Monty,” as he says. The hitladen concert will feature deep tracks and a few subtle changes that make the songs different.

“The songs are written to last,” he says. “I didn’t write the songs to reflect what was in vogue at the time.

They’re rooted in very simple chord changes where the melody was on top of everything else. They were meant to be playable in 20, 30 years. The songs are always engaging and slightly different. It never gets old.”

An Evening with John Waite Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort.com, 8 p.m.

Friday, August 11, $30-$40.

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7/20/17 5:45 PM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE HIGHROLLER

47

PLAY » SPIN » LAUGH » GROOVE » UNWIND » WIN

AUGUST CASINO

CALENDAR

Megan Marples » The Entertainer!

AUGUST 8

AUGUST 1

Stanley Serrano Trio

Stanley Serrano Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 2 Yesterday Once More

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Tracy Lawrence

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 9 Swingtips

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 10

AUGUST 15

AUGUST 23

Miguel Melgoza Trio

Route 66

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 16 Bandstand Shows Chuck E Trio

The Australian Pink Floyd Show

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 17 Clint Williams Duo

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

The Walkens Unplugged

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 18

AUGUST 3

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Chuck E Baby

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

AVA Amphitheater at Casino del Sol, casinodelsol.com

XO Duo

AUGUST 11

The Walkens Unplugged

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

The Petty Breakers

Chippendales The Stilletos

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Stylistics with Carl Carlton

Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita, ddaz.com

Soul Harmony

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

4NR

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 4

Andrea & Gemini

Chippendales

Neon Circus

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

The Carvin Jones Band

AUGUST 12

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Latino Rebel Band

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Soul Persuasion

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 5 Power Drive

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Rhythm Edition

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 6 Mariachi Rodriguez

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Wynonna & The Big Noise Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Ha*Ash

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Furious George

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

4NR

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Eagleheart

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 13 Mariachi Luz del Sur

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 24

Grupo Vida with David Farias

Matchbox 20

The Walkens Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita, ddaz.com

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 19 Checker’d Past

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Andrea & Gemini

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Smokestack Lightning

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 20 Mariachi Rodriguez

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 22 Stanley Serrano Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

John Eric Duo

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Chuck E Baby

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 25 Quantum

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Latino Rebel Band

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Soundwave

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 26 The Walkens Band

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 27 Mariachi Juarez

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 29 Stanley Serrano Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Rhythm of the Sun Band

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

AUGUST 30 Silhouette

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

AUGUST 31 The Walkens Unplugged

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE GLADIATOR

49

CHEER » HIT » HIKE » LEAD » ROOT » COMPETE

AUGUST’S BEST

SPORTS EVENTS

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

ASU Sun Devil Football Pep Rally

AUGUST 4 Payson welcomes the Sun Devil Nation with a party to kick off the ASU season the night before the scrimmage at Camp Tontozona.

Activities include visits by ASU alumni and Sparky, a Sun Devil Spirit Squad presentation, football competitions, obstacle courses, motivational speakers and food vendors.

Green Valley Park, 1000 W. Country Club, Payson, 928.472.5110, paysonrimcountry. com, 5 to 9 p.m., free.

High Mountain Half Marathon

AUGUST 5 A training race for a fall marathon, the High Mountain Half Marathon is a cool, relaxing destination-race vacation. Runners will be bused from Blue Ridge High School beginning at 5 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. start. Runners will hit the ground running, winding down Porter Mountain Road and into Pinetop/Lakeside and finishing at the Blue Ridge High School track.

Peripheral events include prerace activities on August 4; family games at the finish line; and evening festivities around town.

Blue Ridge High School, 1200 White Mountain Boulevard, Lakeside, highmountainhalf. com, 6:30 a.m., $20-$75 for individuals, team pricing available.

Dave McKay Memorial Half Marathon and 5K

AUGUST 12 Dave McKay Memorial Half Marathon and 5K is the secondoldest half marathon in Arizona, and the only one that directly impacts the lives of youth in the High Country. It is considered one of the most scenic and challenging half marathons in the Southwest.

Prerace festivities include a free pasta dinner the day before the

race, which is a member of the Run Flagstaff Summer Series.

Wheeler Park, 211 W. Aspen Avenue, Flagstaff, flagstaffbigs. org/dave-mckay-run.htm, 6 a.m. half-marathon walkers, 7:30 a.m. half-marathon runners, 7:45 a.m.

5K and 7:50 a.m. kids’ dash, $80 for half marathon, $40 for 5K fun run.

The Annual World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo

AUGUST 17 TO AUGUST 19 Payson has been celebrating the history and tradition of professional rodeo for 133 years. Considered the country’s best small rodeo, the World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo features cowboys and cowgirls competing for more than $50,000 in prize money. Fearless bull riders, steer wrestlers, gorgeous bronc riders, specialty acts and colorful clowns will keep crowds entertained. The events start on August 17 with the WPRA women’s rodeo. Admission is a can of food.

Subsequently, all seven rodeo events will be presented each evening.

Payson Event Center, 1400 S. Beeline Highway, Payson, paysonprorodeo.com, 7 p.m., except 1 p.m. Saturday, gates open two hours prior to performance, pricing varies.

Arizona Reining Horse Association Summer Inside Slide

AUGUST 17 TO AUGUST 20 Reining is a judged event requiring competitors to complete one of 15 approved patterns in an arena.

These precise patterns include

small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360-degree spins done in place, and “the hallmark” of the reining horse, the sliding stops. Often called the “dressage” of Western events, reining is the ultimate blend of horse and rider, combining speed and maneuverability through this series of intricate patterns.

WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, westworldaz.com, azrha.com, 7:30 a.m., free.

the Arizona Trail’s easiest, softest, running tread. Runners will cross through a forest of spruce, pine and aspen, shallow ponds, springs and limestone canyons. There are breathtaking views of Marble Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, Saddle Mountain Wilderness, House Rock Valley and Navajo Mountain.

The Arizona Trail Marathon, Half-Marathon and Tater 7-mile start and finish on FR611, just east of State Route 67, aztrail.org, various times, $50-$85.

American Cancer Society’s Climb to Conquer

AUGUST 19 Honor cancer survivors, raise awareness about reducing cancer risk and raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease during the Climb to Conquer.

The event is a 7-mile, noncompetitive hike to fight cancer. People form teams from businesses, civic organizations, churches, families, youth groups and cancer survivors come together for one cause.

Arizona Snowbowl, 4550 E. Bell Road, Flagstaff, flagstaffclimb. com, 7 a.m. to noon, $15 youths, $40 adults.

Phoenix Rising Football Club vs. Sacramento Republic FC

AUGUST 26 Phoenix Rising FC is the highestlevel professional soccer franchise in Arizona history. Established in 2013, the club enters is in its fourth year in the United Soccer League, which has been awarded Division 2 status by the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Tickets sell out quickly, which is one of the reasons why Major League Soccer (MLS) recently announced Phoenix Rising FC is among 12 applicants being considered for a MLS Expansion Franchise.

Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, 751 N. McClintock Drive, Scottsdale, 623.594.9606, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster. com, phxrisingfc.com, 7:30 p.m., $10-$35.

Arizona Trail Marathon, Half Marathon and Tater 7 Mile

ASU Night at Chase Field

AUGUST 29 Forks up! ASU students can get a custom D-backs ASU soft-style T-shirt and a discounted baseline reserve ticket to the game for $25, by using the offer code ASU. Check out the game, too, versus the always tempestuous Dodgers.

Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.462.6500, http://m.mlb.com/dbacks/ tickets/special-events/asu, 6:40 p.m., $19-$275, or $25 for package.

U of A Night at Chase Field

AUGUST 30 All Wildcats are welcome to the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers nail-biter. Get the co-branded D-backs University of Arizona soft-style T-shirt and a lower-level baseline reserve ticket to the Wednesday, August 30, for $25 with this special ticket pack.

The offer code is WILDCATS. Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.462.6500, http://m.mlb.com/dbacks/ tickets/special-events/uofa, 6:40 p.m., $19-$275, or $25 for package.

AUGUST 27 The course features smooth, wellgraded forest service roads and WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

THE SKIPPER SPEAKS The D-backs’ Torey Lovullo looks forward after a successful first half

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

T

he 2017 Diamondbacks have gotten off to their best start in years under the direction of manager Torey Lovullo and a reunification of the players.

With the All-Star Game behind the team, Lovullo is entrenched in the second half of the season, preparing for a possible postseason run.

“Everything has been going as well as we had hoped,” Lovullo says. “It was exciting for us to get off to the start we did. It kind of validated what we did in Spring Training, how we prepared for the season.

“Things have continued from that point on. I’m very proud of the guys and very pleased with how it’s been happening since the first day of the season.”

A first-time manager, Lovullo

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attributes the remarkable season to the camaraderie of the team.

“I think the common denominator of things was that (last season) got off to a bad start,” he says. “They were unable to recover, whether it be from injuries or performances that were below average.

It resulted in a poor season.

“This year, the guys have jelled, cared for one another and relied on one another on a pretty impressive level. It’s become a very family-oriented atmosphere around our clubhouse.”

As a bench coach with the Boston Red Sox from 2013 to 2016, Lovullo was clued in to what he may encounter. He was appointed D-backs manager in November.

“I knew from playing the Diamondbacks last year in interleague while in Boston, there were some good players here,” he says. “I just didn’t know how good they were. I was pleasantly surprised by their willingness to learn, their fearless applications of the

concepts that I laid down in Spring Training, and their overall ability to go out and perform every single night.

“Those are things I was hoping for, but you don’t know until you get next to the guys. I wasn’t sure what they were going to be like.”

Although the Diamondbacks have an above-.500 season, there is always room for improvement.

“Offensively, we’ve had a very, very good year,” he says. “I think there are some downcycles when we face elite pitching. That happens from time to time. I think offensively, we just have to maintain our approach—good times and bad.

“I can’t pinpoint one thing we have to target and say we have to improve.

I really believe in what we have here each and every day. There are always small little tweaks and turns that we can make. We do that every day no matter what the circumstances are.”

The result of a winning season is an increased fanbase. The July 1 game, during which State Forty Eight T-shirts were given away to the first 20,000 fans, was a sellout.

“We really get excited when fans come out,” Lovullo says. “We represent the state of Arizona the best that we can.

We’re proud to represent. We know we have to earn fans back because of last year’s record.

“Hopefully, as we continue to perform and do our job at the level we are right now, they’ll come out to support us, and continue to support us.

We’ve had very large crowds for a few of the games. I could feel the energy falling out of the stands. Our guys love that and appreciate those moments.”

To purchase tickets, visit http://atmlb.com/2pBl68L

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

51

GOLF SECTION

Arizona Golf – Resort Style

Painted Mountain Golf Resort

The Painted Mountain 18-hole championship golf course offers great conditions, amazing amenities and excellent value. It features a complete golf resort experience that’s open to the public, and annual memberships are available. Our par-70, championship golf course and complete short game practice facility offers tournament and league play.

Come and enjoy exceptional dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner, served daily, with live entertainment at the Painted Mountain Restaurant, Patio & Lounge.

Shop at the Trends Sports Boutique for fine ladies’ and men’s golf apparel, as well as women’s fashions, unique gifts and accessories. Ask us about scheduling a charity golf tournament fundraiser as Painted Mountain is the perfect venue.

Come see why we are your place to play!

6210 E. McKellips Road, Mesa, 480.832.0156 (tee times), 480.832.0158 (dining reservations), paintedmountaingolf.com.

Happy Hour

Exceptional golf is a tradition at the Arizona Golf Resort. Well known for some of the most picturesque and challenging par three holes, the Arizona Golf Resort offers 18 holes of PGA-rated championship golf. The lush fairways are lined with massive cottonwood and eucalyptus trees, serene lake settings, mature vegetation, expansive fairways and gently sloping, well-manicured greens. The 6,542-yard, par-71 course boasts a slope of 120, a rating of 70.8 and offers an excellent test for all skill levels.

Full practice facilities include driving range, putting and chipping green area and greenside sand bunker facility. Arizona Golf Resort also offers certified club fitting, PGA staff and instructors, individual/junior lessons, and golf schools and clinics.

Its retail shop features all brand-name men’s and ladies’ apparel, accessories and merchandise. Multiple popular dining options from snacks to fine dining are available.

425 S. Powr Road, Mesa, 480.832.1661 (tee times), arizonagolfresort.com.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

A SOLID SWING

Glendale ball player stays grounded despite home run championship Israel Gonzalez » The Entertainer!

W

hen Nolan Gorman was smashing home runs in front of thousands of fans at Marlins Park in the High School Home Run Derby in Miami, he focused on one thing: having fun.

“It’s just super fun to be a part of all these things,” says Gorman, a Glendale resident and senior at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. “I just go out there and try to have fun. Focus on at-bat to at-bat, pitch by pitch. I don’t really put too much pressure on myself.”

Gorman edged out a win against Noah Naylor, a high school player from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary in Canada, to win the High School Home Run Derby prior to the big league’s AllStar Game. For Gorman, the experience is still registering.

“It’s still kind of crazy to look back at it and look at pictures from it,” Gorman says. “And it was just a couple of days ago. Seeing how many people were there. I think maybe 50,000 or something like that.”

At Sandra Day O’Connor, Gorman batted a .361 with 34 RBI and 11 home runs his junior year, according to MaxPreps. With numbers like that, it’s no surprise that Gorman has been around baseball nearly all his life.

“It all started when I was about 3 years old,” Gorman says. “I always had a bat in my hand; always swinging it around and throwing balls all over the place.”

It was at that young age that Gorman’s father, Brian Gorman, knew he would place his son into baseball. The sport allowed them to develop a special relationship, both on and off the field.

“Me and my dad are super close.

He’s my hitting coach,” Gorman says.

“We used to play catch all the time out on our street and front yard. We have a pretty special bond.”

Having a father for mental support and for baseball advice has helped a lot, Gorman says. From being selected for the 2017 Under Armour All-American Baseball Game, to winning the High School Home Run Derby, Gorman has been receiving a great deal of national attention. But it’s Gorman’s family and friends who help alleviate the stress.

“My dad and my grandpa, they remind me basically every day to go WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

have fun and play baseball and do what you know how to do,” Gorman says.

“Friends are always there for me if I’m struggling or even if I’m not struggling at all. They just keep me level-headed and make (sure) I’m doing things right and playing the game right. Friends and family are important.”

That doesn’t mean that Gorman takes baseball lightly. During the season, Gorman spends more than 20 hours a week perfecting his craft.

“I work just as hard if not harder than anybody. I’m always in the gym,” Gorman says. “If I’m not in the gym, I’m hitting with my dad. Getting some reps with bare hands for ground balls.

I’m always focused on getting better.”

Not only does Gorman work hard off the field, but on the diamond Gorman prefers to play arguably the hardest position in baseball: shortstop.

The leadership attributes are what attracts Gorman to the position.

“Just playing shortstop, you’re kind of like the head guy on the field,” Gorman says. “You’re that leader that pretty much the whole team kind of looks to, to get fired up and stuff. I like that role.”

Gorman committed to University of Arizona after visiting the campus in 2015. The school’s atmosphere and program just felt right, Gorman says.

“Going down there, I wasn’t really expecting to commit,” Gorman says. “I went down there and I just realized when I got on campus that’s the place that I wanted to be and nothing has changed.”

In case baseball doesn’t work out, Gorman has a back-up plan.

“I’ve been interested in kinesiology, the study of the movement of the body, things of that nature,” Gorman says. “I definitely want to work still with sports.”

But first, Gorman still has his senior year to play at Sandra Day O’Connor. According to MaxPreps, Gorman’s career stats in high school include batting .418 with 86 RBI and 22 home runs in 82 games played. How does Gorman plan to follow up on his previous years and go out his senior year? By having more fun.

“What I want to do most is just have fun,” Gorman says. “Have fun with my last year of high school baseball before college. And make it an unforgettable season. Just go out there and play the game. Have fun with all my friends that I’ve grown up with.”

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

53

PERSEVERANCE

AND FAITH

Kurt Warner’s journey to the Hall of Fame includes his wife by his side

Eddie Poe » The Entertainer!

T

he career of former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner isn’t just defined by his football achievements. It is shaped by faith, service, commitment and the person in Warner’s life who helped bring those together.

“Through this entire journey, all the ups and downs, all the good and bad, there’s been one person that’s been with me through it all,” Warner says.

It is his wife of 20 years, Brenda.

On August 5, she will present Warner for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. She will be one of two spouses to present, joining Gene Jones, the wife of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The ceremony will recognize a standout 12-year NFL career that includes three Super Bowl appearances, two Most Valuable Player awards and one championship ring.

“Being up on that stage, there are so many people that helped me get there, but she’s the one that I believe deserves to share that moment with me,” he says. “Someone that sacrificed as much as I did and really allowed me within our circumstances to chase after my dream.”

The two met at a country music dance bar in 1993 during Warner’s final season at the University of Northern Iowa. From the beginning, it was a match that seemed improbable.

Warner was about to graduate from college and pursue a dream of playing in the NFL. A former Marine, Brenda was a divorced mother of two, one with special needs.

That made no difference to Warner.

After meeting and dancing, he showed up at Brenda’s door the next day and quickly connected with her and her children. Through financial struggle and the uncertainty of Warner’s future in football, the two stuck together and married in 1997.

She has been a staunch supporter of her husband, and was criticized by some when she was vocal with that support, including defending him on a St. Louis radio show. But it’s that loyalty that has made their bond so strong, Warner says.

The two will be in Canton, Ohio soon, a surprising feat considering the hurdles it took to get there. After one season as the starting quarterback for Northern Iowa, he went undrafted in 1994 but received an invitation to the Green Bay Packers training camp.

He was released after just five weeks, before the season even began.

Warner continued to pursue his dream. In a story well-chronicled during his NFL career, he worked the graveyard shift stocking shelves at a grocery store so that he could stay in football shape during the day. In 1995, Warner accepted an opportunity to play in the Arena Football League for the Iowa Barnstormers.

In three seasons with the Barnstormers, he led them to two Arena Bowl appearances. Warner set a number of passing records and it was there that he caught the attention of the St. Louis Rams.

The team sent him overseas to NFL Europe, where he lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards in 1998.

Warner credits his four seasons spent in the Arena League and NFL Europe for helping take his career to the next level.

“There were so many things that I learned and that I developed during those four seasons that were vital to me being ready and prepared and able to grab the wheel and take off running when I got my opportunity with the Rams,” Warner says.

Warner was finally given that opportunity in 1998 when starting quarterback Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury in the third game of the preseason.

He stepped in for Green, who was perceived as the quarterback of the future for the Rams, and led the “Greatest Show on Turf ” to a comefrom-behind victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. He put together one of the more remarkable seasons in NFL history, resulting in a record-breaking 414 yards in the Super Bowl and MVP honors.

“To be able to step on the football field as I had dreamed about in my front yard a million times and to throw a touchdown pass late in the game to win a Super Bowl...it doesn’t get any better than that,” Warner says. “It’s what every kid who plays quarterback dreams about their entire life growing up.”

Warner led the Rams to the Super Bowl once again the following season, but came up short to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

He later made a third title appearance, leading the Arizona Cardinals on an improbable run to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2008. Warner threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald to give the Cardinals the lead with 2:37 remaining in the game. But the Steelers marched down the field and Santonio Holmes scored the go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left, sealing the victory.

Warner also spent a season with the New York Giants in 2004, backing up Eli Manning.

Now, eight years separated from the game and heading toward football

immortalization, Warner continues to reflect on the true meaning of his career and how it’s best defined.

Whether it was overcoming insurmountable odds or waiting for his opportunity, he finds value in the lessons he’s learned along the way.

“I think every opportunity that I was faced with throughout my career — good, bad, indifferent, starter, backup, mentoring role — they all helped shape me as a person,” Warner says. “I don’t look at any situation and say it didn’t benefit me in some way.

“Learning what it meant to be a great teammate or learning the rewarding part of being able to help a team be successful on Sunday afternoons, even when you don’t have the ball in your hands… it’s all rewarding.”

In Canton, Warner will have 12 to 13 minutes to deliver a speech that will best summarize his career. He views it as an opportunity to encourage and inspire people through his rags-to-riches story.

“It’ll be my chance to say, ‘Hey, I was there, I was in your boat. I found myself in the same place and here’s where I ended up,’” he says. “You can do that same thing. You’ve got the same opportunity that I have.’”

He also sees it as an opportunity to take hold of the feeling of becoming a Hall of Famer and understand the true meaning behind it. For now, he’s still trying to take it all in.

“I don’t even know if to this moment that I’ve fully grasped what it means and how I fit in,” Warner says.

“Walking into a room with the guys that I admired and looked up to and tried to emulate for so many years and hear them speak and be a part of that process, I think that’s when it will really take shape on what it means to be connected to the people who’ve laid a mark on this great game.”

Eddie Poe is a reporter for the Cronkite News Service.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

LIVING IN THE AGE OF HEROES

Kaitlin Murdock brings her magical powers to ‘Marvel Universe Live!’

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

K

aitlin Murdock has been so involved with dancing for most of her 22 years that she barely remembers her stage debut at age 4.

The feelings shared between her and her audiences, though, are unforgettable.

Murdock stars as Felicia Hardy/ Black Cat in Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes, which comes to Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix from Friday, September 8, to Sunday, September 10.

“She’s the nemesis of Spider-Man. She’s a villain,” she says. “She’s a very flirty, a very playful, a very sleek cat burglar. She’s a very fun character to play.

“My personality is playful.

Although she is a bad guy, I feel like our characters are the same. She moves like a dancer, which helps because I’m a dancer. It’s nice to have that in common with my character.”

In the live-action show, SpiderMan, the Avengers and others work to defeat Loki in his quest to crown himself ruler of Asgard and Earth. The new show features a slew of Marvel super heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Panther, Hulk and Black Widow.

“It’s good for all ages and you can also come dressed up,” Murdock says.

“I love seeing the kids dressed up in the different costumes. When we come on stage, their little faces light up. It’s the best thing ever.”

An Alabama native, Murdock is a technically trained dancer who stumbled upon auditions for Marvel Universe Live! while living in Las Vegas, where she moved to pursue a career in entertainment at age 18.

“I had a few years training in karate,” she explains. “They were looking for martial artists and tumblers. I got the job and have been enjoying it ever since.”

She admits performing in a stunt

show wasn’t at the top of her bucket list.

“I didn’t even think about this at all,” she says with a giggle. “I didn’t think about stunts at all. I just happened into it. I really enjoy performing stunts, though. My goal was to dance in a Vegas show. I wanted to be a dancer.

“I thought that if I could make someone enjoy their time watching me do what I’m doing—whether it’s dancing or stunts—and it makes them forget about their troubles, then I feel pretty fulfilled. I enjoy the great responses I get from families. The children get so excited.”

Murdock has been with Marvel Universe Live! for three years and she calls it a challenge.

“It’s very active,” Murdock says.

“It takes a lot of stamina. When you have multiple shows, the muscles can get fatigued. We have an athletic trainer who travels with us and helps keep us in check. She takes very good

care of us.”

Murdock knows she is convincing, she says, because audiences will chide her when she comes on stage.

“The audiences get really into it,” she says. “They boo me when I come on stage. I think it’s funny. It gets me going and I get really excited. ‘Yeah, I’m a bad guy. Look at what I can do.’”

Marvel Universe Live!

Age of Heroes

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster. com, talkingstickresortarena. com, 7 p.m. Friday, September 8, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, September 9, and noon and 4 p.m. Sunday, September 10, $15-$30.

ARIZONA’S LEADER IN MUSICAL THEATRE

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE YOUNGSTER

55

FROLIC » DISCOVER » IMAGINE » FAMILY » FUN » CONNECT

THE BEST FAMILY EVENTS IN AUGUST

Daisy Finch » The Entertainer!

Get Animated! Exhibit

My Favorite Monster Exhibit

TO SEPTEMBER 10 Experience the whimsical side of monsters at the i.d.e.a. Museum.

Through fun art and hands-on activities, My Favorite Monster looks at the popularity of these imaginative creatures in media and their roles in storytelling.

The i.d.e.a. Museum, 150 W. Pepper Place, Mesa, 480.644.5552, ideamuseum.org, various times, $9.

Fidget Fest

SATURDAYS Kids are invited to Rocket Fizz for its Fidget Fest, during which there will be spinning games, contests and prizes. Children and adults can also enjoy free soda and candy tastings.

Sugar-free, gluten-free and kosher candy are available.

Rocket Fizz, 13802 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 132, Scottsdale, 480.306.8144, facebook.com/ rocketfizzscottsdaleaz/, 1 to 2 p.m., free admission.

TO SEPTEMBER 4 Explore the art of animation, from hand-drawn cels to CGI and stop-motion, and give it a go yourself! Learn about Scooby-Doo, take pictures with a Shrek castle, and see how your favorite cartoons are made.

Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.716.2000, azscience.org, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $7.95 plus general admission: $18; $13 ages 3-17; free for ages 2 and younger.

Doll Hair Salon Spectacular

AUGUST 6 AND AUGUST 20 Looking for new styles for your American Girl doll? Girls ages 8 and older can learn two new hairstyles and get tips from professionals.

Cute hair accessories and goodies will be available, just in time for a photoshoot.

American Girl, Scottsdale Quarter, 15059 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 877.247.5223, americangirl. com, 11 a.m. to noon, $22, reservations required.

Murder at the Pie Auction AUGUST 5 Presented by Act One Youth Theater, Murder at the Pie Auction allows the audience to become part of the event in this comedy. After years of trying unsuccessfully, the small town of Mynute, Alaska, finally lands the famous Mother Mabel’s Pie Baking Competition — but it was all due to a typo mistaking Mynute for Minot! The contest looks to be a disaster with no media or publicity.

To add to the tension, one of the contestants is writing a tell-all book about the steamy side of competitive pie baking.

Scottsdale Congregational Church’s Bond Hall, 4425 N. Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale, 480.789.1918, actoneyouththeater.org, 1:30 p.m., $5-$7.

Prowl & Play – Dinosaurs!

AUGUST 5 Party with prehistorics and enjoy all this event has to offer, including fossil digs, waterslides, a dance party, crafts, and meet and greets with Raja the Baby T-Rex. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 602.273.1341, phoenixzoo.org, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., $8.

Sing: Movie Nights at Goodyear Ballpark

AUGUST 18 Bring your family, lawn chairs and blankets to watch a flick under the night sky in your pajamas. Concessions are available for purchase, but parking and admission are free.

Come watch Sing and dance along to a wild story about animals with fantastic talent.

Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear, 623.882.3120, goodyearbp.com, 7 p.m., free.

Back to School Jam!

AUGUST 18 Girls, it’s time to rock out and bring in the new school year with style.

Dance to a live DJ, win cool prizes, eat delicious food, and jam out with your friends! Sorry little bro, no boys allowed at this party.

Girly Girlz, 15425 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.998.4832, girly-girlz.com, 5 to 7 p.m., $24.95, reservations required.

Etiquette Workshop for Teens

The Little Mermaid TO AUGUST 19 Join Disney’s beloved mermaid, Ariel, as she adventures from the sea to land to reunite with her prince in this musical production full of your favorite tunes. But beware, danger lurks in the depths!

Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Avenue, Gilbert, 480.497.1181, haletheatrearizona.com, various times, adults: $20-$30.

Musical Auditions

AUGUST 12 AND AUGUST 13 Show off your talents and audition for Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids (ages 6-11) and The Secret Garden (ages 11 and older) at the Musical Theatre of Anthem. Audition prep workshops are available; visit the website for more information.

Musical Theatre of Anthem, 42323 N. Vision Way, Anthem, 623. 336.6001, musicaltheatreofanthem.org, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., free to audition.

AUGUST 26 Teens ages 13 to 18 can learn proper etiquette and gain self-confidence from a professional instructor during this four-hour workshop.

Refine your social skills and impress the elders.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, 10755 N. 124 Street, Scottsdale, 480. 510.6346, itsallaboutetiquette.com, 1 to 5 p.m., $200, reservations required.

H2X Water Show

AUGUST 26 Experience an indoor aquatic spectacular with watersports, fire dancers, aerialists, and live music in the world’s largest touring pool.

Fourteen acts in more than 650,000 gallons of water will thrill the entire family. Be sure to stay for the audience-interactive finale!

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale, 800.745.3000, gilariverarena. com, 7:30 p.m., $10-$22.

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Use coupon code ENTAugust when purchasing online or by phone. *Some restrictions may apply.

For more info on Hands On A Hardbody, visit azbroadway.org/event/hands-on-a-hardbody!

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE SHOWMAN

57

LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

RED

ROCK Brandon Decker takes his brand of blues ‘Into the Red’

Madison Rutherford » The Entertainer!

S

inger-songwriter Brandon Decker, better known by his musical moniker decker., is preparing for tour, which almost always includes a thorough vacuuming of his van.

“I clean it so it can instantly get dirty,” he says jokingly. “I feel like everyone’s in a better mood if they get in a clean van.”

His tour van holds a great deal of significance; it’s traversed the roundabouts of his home in Sedona, crossed state lines and roamed the roads of the Southwest. Much like his new album, Into the Red, it serves as tangible evidence of where he’s been and the journey in front of him.

Into the Red, which will be released

by New York-based label Royal Potato Family on August 25, is comprised of two new songs and eight tracks from decker.’s previous six albums.

In many ways, decker.’s distinct brand of desert rock pays homage to his Sedona home, seemingly possessing a mysticism that matches the mountains that surround his studio. Marked by fervent guitar, raw, bluesy vocals and soul-baring storytelling, decker.’s

atmospheric folk anthems are emblematic of Arizona.

Decker moved to the Grand Canyon State from Colorado in 2004 to attend NAU. He ended up in Sedona in 2008 via Phoenix, a move he attributes to not being able to handle the central Arizona heat. Decker says relocating to the red rocks was life changing. It was also a wise move for his music career.

“One of the things that changed about my life since I’ve lived in Sedona is that I began spending a lot more time in nature,” Decker says. “Sedona is just uniquely beautiful. It’s striking in the way that the ocean is when you see it; it just kind of grabs your attention.”

He says the pace and lifestyle of the sleepy desert town fuel his creativity.

“I realized recently that I don’t think I’ve ever written a Decker song outside of Sedona,” he says. “Except for one time in the van.”

Though his music is often referred to as “desert rock,” Decker claims he doesn’t intentionally inject desert themes or scenery into his songs.

“We played with a band from Manhattan the other day and as soon as we started sound-checking they were like, ‘That’s desert music!’ and I’m pretty sure these guys were not familiar with our desert propaganda,” he says

with a chuckle.

“I don’t know what is. If I spent my last 10, 15 years in Chicago, I wouldn’t be making the same kind of music I am, so I think some of it is osmosis and environmental but… I spend a lot of time driving around the desert. I’m all over the state all of the time. I’m in love with the landscape, have been since I was a kid. I guess it’s just soaked into me.”

If the saguaros and red stones of Sedona have “soaked” into him, they’ve certainly seeped into his new album as well. Decker describes Into the Red as a “retrospective album, of sorts.”

“There are 10 songs on it, but only two of them are new recordings,” he explains. “There wasn’t a ton of recording unique to this record, but the two songs we did were definitely purposeful and with intent.”

The band released one of the songs, “Matchstick Man” as a single on June 9.

He describes it as a “less flowery” version of a gritty protest song from the ’60s.

The album includes a set of tracks from last year’s release Snake River Blues, which is also the namesake of a documentary about decker. directed by Matty Steinkamp. The 22-minute film, released in May and available online, documents a year in the life of decker., including the production and release of

the album, a whirlwind tour through the Southwest and the band’s monthlong residency at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City.

Decker and Steinkamp connected in college and are currently working on their eighth music video together.

Decker says Steinkamp had always wanted to make a film about a musician chasing the American dream.

“One day, I had just got done touring the country three times for our album Patsy and he was like, ‘You need to take a break, you need to take half a year off. Let’s spend a year not doing anything stupid,’ and I was like, ‘So, I’m gonna go do a residency in New York and make another album,’” he recalls.

“Two days later, he was like, ‘I’m gonna make a documentary about this,’ and I was like, ‘Awesome.’ He just followed us along all year.”

Decker says Snake River Blues is a realistic representation of the trials and tribulations that plague traveling musicians. Though he has gathered a great amount of success through touring, it doesn’t come without struggle. He is also a single father to a 6-year-old son and supports both of them through his music.

“The finances are traumatizing.

It’s hard to be an artist or a musician,” he says. “Sometimes you can’t help but wonder if the bank account balance isn’t a reflection of your art’s merit, so that can be daunting. I’m just trying to keep these wheels turning hard, making good art and getting it out there while also keeping a roof and feeding my son and myself.”

Decker says his musical influences include everything from Louis Armstrong to Portishead. He has always been a fan of female vocalists and “foreboding undertones,” a fact he hopes is represented on Into the Red. “We’re really proud of this collection of songs,” he says. “We really feel like it’s this opportunity for the vast majority of humans who are unaware of our music to hear a good collection of what we’ve been up to.”

Decker + Paper Foxes Dual Record Release Party Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, 602.716.2222, crescentphx.com, 8 p.m.

Saturday, August 26, $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

Voltac

Mokoomba

AUGUST 5

Phora

Maya Day + Nightclub, 10 p.m., free

LIVE MUSIC

CALENDAR

Connor Dziawura » The Entertainer!

AUGUST 1 Alex Napping

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $10

Chevelle

Marquee Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $32-$52

Corey Feldman & The Angels Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $23-$100

Eyehategod

Club Red, 6:30 p.m., $18-$20

Fat Gray Cat w/ Sunn Trio, Moonlight Magic, James Brown Band Band The Goddamn Gallows

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $42-$50

Hold Close

John Mayer

Pat Roberts & The Heymakers

This Wild Life

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $15-$17

Tobin Sprout

Club Congress, 8 p.m., $13-$15

Waxahatchee

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $15-$18

AUGUST 2 Amadou & Mariam

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $30-$39

Amigo the Devil

FiftyOne West, 7 p.m., $10 Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $8

The Queers w/ The Ataris Club Red, 7 p.m., $15-$17

AUGUST 4 Alex Young

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., free

Another Grown & Sexy

Celebrity Theatre, 8:30 p.m., $35-$50

Banda MS

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $49-$149

The Linoleums

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Metallica

Underground, 7 p.m., $12

University of Phoenix Stadium, 6 p.m., $135.50-$155.50

Anthony Gomes

Neil Diamond

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Dibiase

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., $7

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 8 p.m., $44.75-$84.75

Providence

Dirty Revival

Club Red, 6 p.m., $10-$13

JD Souther

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10

Crescent Ballroom, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10

The Rocket 88s

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $42-$50

Sad Dance Party

Matchbox Twenty w/ Counting Crows

Santa Pachita w/ Funky Bonz

Ak-Chin Pavilion, 6:45 p.m., $29.50-$849.50

Rooney

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $18-$20 T.S.O.L. Club Red, 7 p.m., $12-$15 WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Underground, 6 p.m., $7 Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., free

Sara Robinson Band

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $8-$10

Taiwan Housing Project w/ Wax Castle Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $5-$7

Raul Yañez

The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, 8 p.m., $25-$55

Tantric

Ed Sheeran

Zen Mother

Gila River Arena, 7:30 p.m., sold out

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Yucca Tap Room, 7:30 p.m., $10

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

The Nash, 6 p.m., $5-$8

The Buttertones

JD Souther

The Sickstring Outlaws

Don McLean

Pressroom, 3 p.m., $20

Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $12-$14

Crescent Ballroom, 7:30 p.m., $5-$7

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 7 p.m., $35-$390

Club Red – East, 7 p.m., $25-$100

AUGUST 3

Jarren Benton

Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $16-$400

AZ Summer Jam Super Challenge

Gideon

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $32-$42

In the Valley Below

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $15-$17 LBX, 7:30 p.m., $7

AUGUST 7 George Clinton & ParliamentFunkadelic

Kid Ramos w/ The 44s

Marquee Theatre, 6 p.m., $37-$175

La Mafia w/ Shaila Durcal

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20-$25

The Make Some Noise Show

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $15

Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $10-$15 Club Red – West, 7 p.m., $10-$12

Mariano Gonzalez

James Vincent McMorrow Tyler Childers

AUGUST 8

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $27-$32

10,000 Maniacs

Mobina Galore

Hundred Suns

Scatter Their Own

Negative Approach

Un Tributo A Caifanes

Pretty Please

West Coast Cool Octet

Primus

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., $10 Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$15 191 Toole, 9 p.m., $12

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $10-$20

Wheeler Walker Jr.

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., sold out

Wuki

Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $20-$35

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $36-$39 Pub Rock Live, 7:30 p.m., $12-$15 Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$14 Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free Marquee Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $47.50-$299

Steve Earle

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $25-$39

Why Don’t We

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., sold out

AUGUST 6 Brain Dead w/ Rail Gun

Club Red – West, 6 p.m., $10-$12

AUGUST 9 2 Chainz

Carvin Jones Band

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $42.50-$192.50

DJ Bailey

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Michael Powers

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $16-$18

Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $5 Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $12

Acceptable Losses Ballyhoo!

The Nash, 3 p.m., $10-$20

On the House Free Summer Concert Series AUGUST 4 TO SEPTEMBER 9

Chandler Center for the Arts, various times For the 21st summer, Chandler Center for the Arts will be promoting five free shows spread across August and September. With such acts as Santa Pachita, Funky Bonz, Robby Roberson Band, Niki J. Crawford, Jessica Fichot Band and Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, the Chandler Center for the Arts has a stacked lineup of great free shows to entertain fans of a variety of genres.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

El Sonida De Reposa w/ Nicole Hale, The Wilt Family

Wild Earth

Free Salamander Exhibit

AUGUST 12

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $6-$8

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $5-$7 Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Kap G

Club Red, 7 p.m., $20-$40

AUGUST 10 The Invisible Teal

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Kap G

191 Toole, 8:30 p.m., $20-$40

Brick + Mortar

Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $10-$12

Brothers Gow

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Chick Magnet

191 Toole, 6 p.m., $5

Coastlands

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Kenny Holland

Dave Riley w/ Bob Corritore Juke Joint Blues Band

Nite Jewel

Dead Cross

Peter Cincotti

Fred Forney Quartet

Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $15-$50 Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $14-$16 Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $32-$40

Planes on Paper w/ Some Dark Hollow, Weelwright Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $8-$10

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25-$55 The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $10-$20

Incubus w/ Jimmy Eat World Ak-Chin Pavilion, 6:45 p.m., $29.50-$165

September Mourning

A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy

Summer Slaughter Tour 2017

Saintbreaker

Club Red, 6 p.m., $10-$13 Marquee Theatre, 2:30 p.m., $29.50-$49.50

Tom Mein and the Shuddups Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $8

AUGUST 11

Mesa Arts Center, 8 p.m., $42-$65

AUGUST 15 Asleep at the Wheel

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $35-$50

Deep Purple w/ Alice Cooper

Ak-Chin Pavilion, 6:30 p.m., $33-$600

Gente De Zona

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $37.50$67.50

Tall Tall Trees

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $8-$10

White Fuzzy Bloodbath

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

AUGUST 16 Breakup Shoes w/ Futurespeak Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $8-$10

Milo

Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $8-$10

Nick Schnebelen

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10-$12

AUGUST 17 Herbie Hancock

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $38-$66

Club Red, 6 p.m., $10-$12

In the Whale

AUGUST 13

ITSOKTOCRY w/ Lil Toenail

Artifacts

Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $12-$16

Black Vice

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free Pub Rock Live, 7:30 p.m., $13-$25

Jidenna

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., sold out

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., prices TBA

Mike Vax

Bryson Tiller

Bobby Watson Quartet, featuring Lewis Nash

Monty Alexander

Dennis DeYoung

Henry Fong w/ Bad Royale

The Edisons

J Boog

John Waite

Kings for the People

Badabing

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free Rawhide, 8 p.m., $49.50-$99 Mesa Arts Center, 8 p.m., $35-$55 Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $5 The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, 8 p.m., $30-$40

Kaytranada w/ The Gaslamp Killer, Sango Pressroom, 9 p.m., $30-$250

Las Chollas Peligrosas

Crescent Ballroom, 7 p.m., $8-$10

Lucy Dacus

Club Congress, 7:30 p.m., $10

Mike Eldred Trio

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Misha Olarrea

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $5-$15

Sharam

Maya Day + Nightclub, 10 p.m., free

Straight No Chaser w/ Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox Comerica Theatre, $79.95-$325

The Nash, 7 p.m., $20-$65

Maya Day + Nightclub, 12 p.m., free Marquee Theatre, 6:30 p.m., $25-$55 Last Exit Live, 2 p.m., $10

Robby Roberson Band

Chandler Center for the Arts, 3 p.m., free

Thermal Blues Express Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $5

AUGUST 14 Betty Who

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $17-$99

Fleet Foxes

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., sold out

Sleeping Jesus

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $8-$10

Washed Out

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $22-$37

59

The Nash, 5 p.m., $10 Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $40-$45

Outcry Tour

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 7 p.m., $21.95-$64.95

Prozak

Herbie Hancock AUGUST 17

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $38-$66 This August, the legendary jazz composer and pianist will stop at the Mesa Arts Center for a performance. During his career, Hancock has built his legend status through his involvement with a plethora of other influential jazz musicians like Donald Byrd, Roland Kirk, Roy Ayers, George Benson and Stan Getz, not to mention his time with the Miles Davis Quintet.

More recently, he appeared on experimental beatmaker Flying Lotus’ “You’re Dead!” and the Hidden Figures soundtrack.

Studebaker John

191 Toole, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Wax Motif

Maya Day + Nightclub, 10 p.m., free

Club Red – West, 7 p.m., $13-$15

AUGUST 19

Studebaker John & The Hawks

Alice Tatum

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10-$12

AUGUST 18 Dead Cross

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $25-$27

Jerusafunk

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $7-$10

Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $12-$14

Nuevos Rebeldes y Enigma Norteño

Celebrity Theatre, 8:30 p.m., $41-$101

Rasmussen/Thiefain/McClintock The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $8-$15

Sistahs Too

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $10-$20

Cristian Castro

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $35-$185

Filet Mignon Tour

Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $20-$40

Hemlock

Club Red, 6 p.m., $13-$15

The Lonesome Wilderness Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $7-$10

Micky Dolenz

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $42-$65

The R.D. Olson Blues Band Rhythm Room, 5:30 p.m., $8

Ruaile Buaile

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25 WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

Sam Hunt

Ak-Chin Pavilion, 7 p.m., $32.25-$350

Soul Power Band

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Year of the Cobra

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

AUGUST 20 Danny Long

The Nash, 3 p.m., $5-$15

Guardians

Yucca Tap Room, 7 p.m., free

Knife Party

Maya Day + Nightclub, 12 p.m., $20

Mike Ozuna

The Nash, 6 p.m., $5-$8

Niki J. Crawford

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7 p.m., free

VNV Nation

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $25-$28

AUGUST 24 Foreigner w/ Cheap Trick, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience Ak-Chin Pavilion, 7 p.m., $21.95$998.99

Murphy’s Law w/ Broloaf

Lord Huron w/ The Wild Reeds Van Buren, 8 p.m., $25-$40

Michael Kocour

The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $10-$20

The Movement

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $12-$15

Q Cabaret

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10

Rick Ross

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $48.50$78.50

Soul Power Band

Shadow Band

Rhythm Room, 6:30 p.m., $10

Skink

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

The Toasters

Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $12-$15

LBX, 8:30 p.m., $7

The Sugar Thieves

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Trey Songz

Celebrity Theatre, 10 p.m., $65-$85

AUGUST 25

AUGUST 27

Pickwick

Cafe Jaleo

3LAU

Shabazz Palaces

Jessica Fichot Band

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $12-$15 Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $17-$20

Slayer

Comerica Theatre, 7 p.m., $39.50$250

AUGUST 21 Jocelyn & Chris Arndt

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $8-$10

AUGUST 22 Birds and Arrows

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

DJ Quik + Scarface

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $27-$30

Maceo Parker

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $35-$45

Make Them Suffer

Nile Theater, 6 p.m., $15-$17

Puzzle

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Rancid w/ Dropkick Murphys Rawhide, 7 p.m., $35.50-$36.99

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $8-$10 Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., free

Marty Friedman

Rebel Lounge, 7:30 p.m., $23-$26

Pelican w/ Inter Arma

Crescent Ballroom, 7:30 p.m., $15$18

Tiki Bandits

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Vicetone

Maya Day + Nightclub, 10 p.m., free

Video Game Jazz with Emilio Vargas and Ray Lebert The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $8-$15

Watermelon Slim

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Yes w/ Todd Rundgren, Carl Palmer

Celebrity Theatre, 7 p.m., $54.50-$350

AUGUST 26 Aurelio Voltaire

Club Red, 7 p.m., $15-$17

Cinematic Pop

Maya Day + Nightclub, 12 p.m., $15

The Adicts

Marquee Theatre, 6:30 p.m., $22

¡Arriba Juarez!

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $7

Carvin Jones Band

Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $5

The Fixx

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $30-$40

loveyourself.

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $8-$10

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $20

Zander Schloss

AUGUST 30

Van Buren, 8 p.m., $24-$36 Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., $8-$10

AUGUST 28 Plini

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $15-$17

Residente

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $8-$10

The Fixx

Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra

Ital Vibes

Reagan Youth

Jackal + Luca Lush

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

GBH

OneRepublic

The Nash Vocal Ensemble The Nash, 7:30 p.m., $5-$15

Dead Country Gentlemen

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 7:30 p.m., $31 Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $30-$40 Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., $10 Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $20-$40

Ottmar Liebert

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $40-$45

Send Medicine

Rebel Lounge, 7:30 p.m., $20-$24

Herbert Walker

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $50.50$425

AUGUST 29

Dierks Bentley

Club Red –West, 6 p.m., $20-$22

Mary J. Blige

Sawyer Fredericks

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Greg Howe

Sawyer Fredericks

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $39-$44

decker. w/ Paper Foxes

Pressroom, 8 p.m., $25-$500

The Rocket Summer

Sylvan Esso

The Nash, 6 p.m., $5-$8

Cold War Kids w/ Joywave DJ Quik + Scarface

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $17-$20 It’s been more than a decade since Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler broke up his ’90s Grammy Award-winning rap outfit Digable Planets. Now known as Palaceer Lazaro, Butler has returned to music with multi-instrumentalist Tendai “Baba” Maraire to form Shabazz Palaces. Their spacey, futuristic sound is exemplified on their two 2017 albums—Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines. The collections, which were released concurrently, tell the tale of Quazarz, a sentient being and “musical ambassador from his place to ours.”

Crescent Ballroom, 7:30 p.m., $17-$20

AUGUST 23

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $10-$12

AUGUST 20

Pam Morita

Mesa Arts Center, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., $20-$39

Van Buren, 8 p.m., sold out

Shabazz Palaces

Ak-Chin Pavilion, 7 p.m., $25-$250

191 Toole, 8 p.m., $20

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

AUGUST 31 Afton Showcase

Rhythm Room, 6:30 p.m., $11-$14

Brian Chartrand & Friends Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $5

Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $28-$34

Kayzo

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo w/ Toto

Ottmar Liebert

Comerica Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $68.50-$291.50

Pink Martini

Centennial Hall, 8 p.m., $40-$95

Rialto Theatre, 9 p.m., $22-$42 Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $40-$45

Thundercat

Van Buren, 8 p.m., $20-$40

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

61

Alice Cooper brings ‘Paranormal’ to life at Ak-Chin Pavilion

WELCOME TO HIS

NIGHTMARE

Dave Gil de Rubio » The Entertainer!

A

lice Cooper’s major heyday may have been back in the 1970s, when tours behind albums like Billion Dollar Babies were breaking Rolling Stones concert attendance records, but the man born Vincent Damon Furnier is still creatively vibrant nearly four decades later.

July saw the release of the Bob Ezrin-produced Paranormal, the duo’s first collaboration since 2011’s Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Like its predecessor, the new project is a star-studded affair that features cameos from the likes of U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr., ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons and Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover.

For the Valley resident, the odd array of unlikely guests played into the notion he and Ezrin had about not wanting these songs to be united by a singular concept.

“Bob and I decided we were going to make an album that didn’t necessarily have a story line this time, but an album that got us off,” he explains. “Every song is a song that we would go, ‘Yes, that’s a great song.’ And they don’t necessarily conform to any style. Alice Cooper is always going to do guitar rock. That’s always what I do. But the styles kind of go all over the place, which is great.

“Using Larry Mullen Jr. from U2 on drums was a great idea. When we got to the studio, he asked to see the lyrics. I’ve never ever had a drummer ask me about the lyrics and he said he

plays to the lyrics and I said that I loved that. It turned it into something totally different and totally not what I was expecting, yet it works all the way. You hear the whole album and it gives it a different punch to it.”

Most interesting was a reunion of the surviving members of the original Alice Cooper lineup: bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarist Michael Bruce (guitarist Glen Buxton died in 1997).

Those four musicians played on the albums that made Cooper one of the biggest stars of the 1970s and are widely considered artistic high points of his career—Killer, released in 1971, followed by 1972’s School’s Out and 1973’s Billion Dollar Babies.

By the time Cooper decided he wanted to make what became 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare, bandmates Buxton, Dunaway, Smith and Bruce had decided the wear and tear from multiple platinum albums, relentless touring and being together nonstop all through high school and college added up to massive burnout.

But while the breakup was mutually agreed upon, Cooper pointed out the friendship the former bandmates maintained over the years helped facilitate this mini-reunion. The result was three of 20 songs the reunited bandmates worked on making the cut, about which Cooper was elated.

“We never broke up with any bad blood,” Cooper says.

“Dennis, Neal, Mike, Glen and I were all best of friends. There were no lawsuits. Nobody ever threatened anybody. I stayed in touch with

everybody. That band never got back together. Glen passed away. He was our Keith Richards. That was a huge part of the personality of that band. When that happened, that weakened the base even further. But we always stayed together.

“We worked together (on the new material) and there was never one minute where I asked who was going to play on it. We had Neal, Mike and Dennis to play on these songs and Bob absolutely agreed. They came in and nailed it. We’re very objective about it and these three songs were the ones that were good enough to make this album. I was really happy about it.”

With all this under his belt, the 69-year-old rocker continues to enjoy playing live. Even more so, he’s hooked up with fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act Deep Purple for a tour that hits Ak-Chin Pavilion on Tuesday, August 15. It’s a bill he’s convinced won’t leave attendees unsatisfied.

“I kind of like the idea of two classic rock bands playing together. I think it’s really cool for the fans,” he says. “Every single song that you hear on that stage is something that you heard on the radio. And that’s really a plus for the audience. We did that with Mötley Crüe and when we did that with them, it was really successful. We sold out every venue.”

Once his own touring commitments are fulfilled, there’s also a chance Cooper may pop up as part of his celebrated side band, the Hollywood Vampires, a group that also features Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and actor/ guitarist/recording artist Johnny Depp.

The group released its first album

in 2015. Along with a pair of originals, it includes cover versions of songs by musicians who have passed away.

Covers on the guest-filled Hollywood Vampires album included “My Generation” (by the Who), “Jump Into The Fire” (by Nilsson), as well as tunes by Jimi Hendrix (“Manic Depression”), Spirit (“I Got A Line On You”) and the Doors (“Five To One/ Break On Through”). Several guest musicians pop up as well, most notably Paul McCartney, who is featured on a version of “Come and Get It” (a song he wrote for Badfinger).

Cooper says despite having a name like Hollywood Vampires, the group’s shows will be nothing like his own highly theatrical, horror-themed concerts.

“The cool thing about the Vampires is, it’s a totally opposite thing than my show, than the Alice Cooper show,” he says. “I don’t think about theatrics when I think about the Vampires. It’s basically, when we put it together, all of us started out as bar bands. We all started out learning the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, the Who and Chuck Berry and Paul Butterfield, all the stuff we learned from, the Beatles. We said that’s basically what we are.”

Deep Purple and Alice Cooper w/Edgar Winter

Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Avenue, Phoenix, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 15, tickets start at $15.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

INTO YESTERDAY Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

M

ark McGrath is heavily rooted in ’90s nostalgia—and he’s not ashamed to admit it.

“It’s a pleasure to play this music,” says McGrath, who fronts Sugar Ray, who scored hits with “Fly,” “Every Morning” “Someday” and “When It’s Over.”

“The ’90s are so en vogue right now. It takes about 15 to 20 years for a decade to really come back. Even my highlights are coming back.”

The 49-year-old McGrath is returning to town on Friday, August 11, with another ’90s mainstay—Crystal Pepsi— for a free concert at Fourth and Jackson streets following “’90s Night” at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks and Cubs play a 6:40 p.m. game.

“Phoenix, in general, has finally been getting its due, in terms of having sports dynasties,” he says. “The Cardinals have been knocking on the door a few times. The Suns had great runs in the ’80s and ’90s. They’re getting a little more help. The D-backs are in the hunt.”

The show is part of the Crystal

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Pepsi Throwback Tour, which celebrates the August 14 re-release of the ’90s clear cola. Other shows include Busta Rhymes outside Yankee Stadium on August 1, and Salt-N-Pepa at Marlins Park in Miami on August 13.

“We’re really reminding the people why that decade was so much fun,” McGrath says. “That decade was sort of the last hurrah for recorded music.

That’s why it means so much to me.

“I was in my mom’s garage, in front of a mirror with a tennis racquet pretending to be a rock star. In the ’90s, labels had the infrastructure to find the bands and develop the bands. Albums debuted on Tuesdays and then we went out to Tower Records and bought the records. Those were the salad years, if you will, of the record industry.”

According to McGrath, the ’90s never ended for him. He still dons the frosted tips. He plays “incredible songs that mean a lot to people.” The father of 7-year-old twins, McGrath understands those landmark moments in life.

“People have told me that ‘Fly’ was the first song their daughter ever sang, or they were engaged while ‘Every Morning’ was in the background.

“Those are iconic lifetime moments. Fortunately, I’m still playing.

Sugar Ray keeps the lights on. I’ve

joined a couple ’90s tours with Salt-nPepa, Naughty by Nature and Vanilla Ice, with whom, collectively, we get to play arenas. We play our hits for 15 minutes and we get overpaid and underworked. It’s been good to me.”

It doesn’t mean he’s stuck in the ’90s. On July 4, McGrath teamed up with John Stamos and The Beach Boys’ Mike Love in Washington, D.C., for a cover of the iconic band’s 1968 single “Do it Again.” In July, the trio premiered the video for its “reincarnation” of the track.

“Obviously, The Beach Boys have had a huge influence on Sugar Ray,” says McGrath, who hosts Mark McGrath’s 120 on SiriusXM’s ’90s on 9. “In no way am I comparing myself to the Beach Boys, but the lifestyle, the cars, the girls and the emotive qualities have had such a profound influence on us.

It was a dream come true to duet with Mike Love. That was one of the highlights of my life.”

Arizona Diamondbacks vs.

Chicago Cubs

Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.462.6500, http://bit.ly/2tBuRGX, 6:40 p.m., $19-$275. The concert is free.

PHOTO BY KIMBERLY CARRILLO

The ’90s aren’t over for Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

63

WE WERE THERE— WHERE WERE YOU? Deftones at Ak-Chin Pavilion, Phoenix, on July 9, 2017 The nearly 30-year-old Deftones brought their A-game to Ak-Chin Pavilion in early July, for a show that featured support acts Rise Against, Thrice and Frank Iero and the Patience.

Lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chino Moreno commanded songs like “Swerve City,” “Change (In the House of Flies)” and “Be Quiet and Drive.” The gig supported Deftones’ eighth album, Gore.

STAFF PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY CARRILLO

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

THE NIGHTOWL

65

SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE

THE BEST NIGHTLIFE EVENTS FOR AUGUST Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

Porter Robinson AUGUST 5

Porter Robinson has made quite the splash in the EDM world with his album Worlds and his work with Zedd, Avicii and Lady Gaga. He continues the trend with a live DJ set at Talking Stick Resort’s pool. If you haven’t hit the pool parties yet, now is your chance to see what the hype is all about.

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 1.866.877.9897, releasevip.com, 11 a.m., $30.

producer, Henry Fong has established a reputation for infusing styles such as reggae/dancehall and Melbourne bounce into high-energy EDM tracks. He has since released several singles including “Scream,” “Encore,” “Stand Up,” “Wine Dem” and “Bust Dem.” Bad Royale is a four-piece DJ and producer group that combines elements of dubstep, bass and moombahton to create its own genre of music known as “kingstep.” They released their latest single, “All I Can Do,” in May. Māyā Day + Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, http:// bit.ly/2ujcfiI, mayaclubaz.com, sletickets.com, noon, free with RSVP.

Vice and Brody Jenner’s Birthday Celebration

AutoErotique

The son of Caitlyn (Bruce) Jenner and actress Linda Thompson, Brody Jenner appeared in the reality shows The Princes of Malibu and The Hills. He now DJs and will join fellow spinner Vice at The Pool at Talking Stick so the socialite can celebrate his birthday.

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 1.866.877.9897, releasevip.com, 11 a.m., women free all day, $10 cover for men after noon.

Canadian DJ/producer Keith Robertson, better known by his stage name AutoErotique, took home the 2014 Much Music Award for Dance Video of the Year for his hit “Asphyxiation.” He collaborated with heavy hitters Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike on the song “Feedback,” which reached the Beatport Top 10.

Māyā Day + Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, mayaclubaz.com, http://bit. ly/2vLAZwX, 10 p.m. free with RSVP.

AUGUST 12

AUGUST 14

SoundCloud.

Māyā Day + Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, mayaclubaz.com, http://bit. ly/25nRm2C, 10 p.m. free with RSVP.

AUGUST 13

An electronic music DJ and

AUGUST 25

The Dutch DJ and producer duo of Ruben Den Boer and Victor Pool made a name for itself by creating remixes of tracks by the likes of Adele, Calvin Harris, Zedd and Maroon 5. In 2015, Vicetone was ranked No. 50 on DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs. The following year, the duo released its latest EP, Aurora, which spawned singles, “Bright Side,” “Don’t You Run” and “Siren.”

Māyā Day + Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, http:// bit.ly/2uSha7o, mayaclubaz.com, sletickets.com, 10 p.m., free with RSVP.

AUGUST 19

Ryan Raddon, known as Kaskade, has been in the trenches of the EDM scene as an original recording artist and in-demand DJ for more than a decade. He has created chart-topping remixes for a slew of performers, including Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 1.866.877.9897, releasevip.com, 11 a.m., $35.

3LAU

AUGUST 27

AUGUST 18

Henry Fong and Bad Royale

Vicetone

Kaskade

Wax Motif Danny Chien, better known as Australian DJ and producer Wax Motif, has recorded for Diplo’s label, Mad Decent, and Steve Aoki’s company, Dim Mak. He has performed all over the world at festivals such as EDC, Holy Ship and Hard Summer. In 2015, he released his debut EP, True Joy, which features the single, “Kush Groove.” His latest single, “Used to Be,” appeared in April and has received more than 50,000 plays on

Mafia, MistaJam, Tom Staar and Steve Aoki.

Māyā Day + Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, http:// bit.ly/2uSha7o, mayaclubaz.com, sletickets.com, noon, $20.

Knife Party AUGUST 20

Australian DJ duo Knife Party found success with its 2013 EP Haunted House, which entered the iTunes Top 10 Albums Chart and peaked at No. 3. The EP was also Knife Party’s first Top 40 entry on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 37. The duo has collaborated with several prominent artists including Swedish House

Pronounced “Blau,” 3LAU is Justin Blau, whose music has been played by the likes of Porter Robinson and Bob Sinclair. He was commissioned for official remixes by Zedd. His latest release, “Hot Water,” a collaboration with Audien and Victoria Zero, appeared this year and received more than 50,000 streams on SoundCloud.

Māyā Day + Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, http:// bit.ly/2eE47mr, mayaclubaz.com, sletickets.com, noon, $15.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

COLD WAR KIDS

UNVEILING THE VAN BUREN T Charlie Levy’s new venue brings vibrancy to downtown Phoenix

Madison Rutherford » The Entertainer!

hey say “stick to what you know.” If there’s one thing Charlie Levy knows, it’s the music business.

He has been a stalwart of the local scene since the mid-’90s, when he founded the promotion company, Stateside Presents, and booked musicians at now-defunct venue Nita’s Hideaway. Levy’s recent projects include Valley Bar and Crescent Ballroom, concert halls that have quickly become the backbone of the downtown Phoenix music scene.

Besides booking some of the most sought-after bands in the biz, Crescent and Valley Bar boast diverse drink menus, inventive fare and an all-inclusive atmosphere. Now downtown Phoenix’s venue virtuoso is using that same formula for his latest venture, The Van Buren. The 20,000-square-foot structure will offer the same hospitality and vibe as his other venues, but with a larger capacity. The repurposed car dealership, located on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Van Buren, can host nearly 1,900 people—more than Crescent and Valley Bar combined.

“I think it’s going to carry a lot of WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

the same mindset, but the difference is the capacity, that it’s so much bigger,” Levy says.

“We’ll be able to do more special events and bigger concerts and have larger bands and crazier parties. The reason we did it in such close proximity of Crescent and Valley Bar is so you can go to Crescent for dinner, maybe see an acoustic show and then go over to The Van Buren and see a great concert and maybe end the night at Valley Bar.” Built in 1930, the former Ford dealership was recently added to the Phoenix Historic Property Registry.

Levy wanted to preserve the building’s wooden trusses and brick walls, while enhancing it with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, a VIP lounge, indoor and outdoor dining bars and a special events space. The stage was built in the one-time car showroom.

“We’re calling it The Showroom because it was a showroom in 1930 and it’s a showroom now,” Levy explains.

“Instead of seeing Ford Mustangs, you’re seeing Death Cab for Cutie.”

The venue’s name is a tribute to Van Buren Street’s status as the gateway to Phoenix in the ’40s.

“I think now it’s coming back to what it originally was,” Levy says.

Levy recently teamed up with

entertainment company Live Nation and local impresario Tucker Woodbury, who is behind hip hotspots like The Vig and The Little Woody.

“A team is always better than one individual or one entity,” Levy says of the partnership.

The Van Buren will open its doors on Wednesday, August 23; the first show will feature California rockers Cold War Kids, with support act Joywave. A portion of ticket sales will go to local nonprofit Rosie’s House, which provides music lessons and instruments to underserved youth. The show is sold out.

The first few months will observe an eclectic musical calendar, including The Growlers, Future Islands, Against Me!, Bonobo and Portugal the Man. “We’re really fortunate that we opened with such a strong and diverse calendar,” Levy says. “One of the things that will be the key to the success of The Van Buren is to have a really diverse musical lineup and have all genres of music in there every month. We want something for everybody and we’re going to keep grinding away until hopefully everyone looks on the website and there are at least one or two things that are right up their alley.”

Levy has also been working closely with contractors, architects and

engineers to renovate the building while preserving its past.

“Anytime you take an older building that wasn’t built from the ground up to be a venue, there are a lot of challenges,” Levy says. “From ceiling to roof to insulation to electricity, it’s a big jigsaw puzzle but at the end of the day, that’s what makes it special.”

Levy contends that repurposed historical buildings possess a magic that doesn’t exist in modern structures.

“If you have a blank canvas and you build a brand new venue and everything is perfect, there’s something that’s lacking,” he explains.

Ultimately, Levy hopes that The Van Buren will represent the renaissance that is developing in downtown Phoenix.

“It feels like every day there’s a new building going up or someone’s opening up a new shop or a new gallery,” he says.

“It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

The Van Buren

401 W. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, thevanburenphx.com, @thevanburenphx.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE AUGUST 2017

67

PLAYING

FAVORITES

These are celebratory days for 10,000 Maniacs

ELECTRIFYING

BEATS

The Gaslamp Killer bends genres while relying on live sounds Melissa Szenda » The Entertainer!

T

hey say electricity killed the gaslamp. That could be why DJ/producer The Gaslamp Killer’s performances are so electrifying.

Born William Benjamin Bensussen, GLK spent his childhood listening to “some of the greatest pop icons of all time,” who range from David Axelrod to Jimi Hendrix to Too Short. He was— and remains—enamored with music.

“The thing is, there’s so much feeling in music,” he says. “But in electronic music, there isn’t much to a computer, so there’s not that much of a human swing. I never wanted to be all the way there.”

He got his start in 2012, when he released his debut studio album, aptly named Breakthrough. The project, which he describes as “psychedelic narrative,” took him five years to complete because he was touring.

In late 2016, GLK released his second full-length album dubbed Instrumentalepathy.

“Instrumentalepathy has much less jarring and switching,” he says. “It’s much more cohesive.”

The album almost didn’t come to fruition. In 2013, he suffered internal bleeding after a near-fatal scooter accident. GLK says the crash changed his life.

“It stripped me of my entitlement,” he says. “It humbled me and made me realize just how magical life can be.”

With this new appreciation for life, GLK knew there was something he lacked: a connection with the L.A. artist community. For his previous works, GLK sampled tracks from his record collection

of nearly 50,000, but he realized he needed to change up his methods.

“I got a moment of clarity and realized I needed to just bring people over and record them, and so I started experimenting with a lot more live recording,” he says.

“I got a second chance. It made me call everyone I ever wanted to work with and start trying to make records with friends and embrace the moment.”

GLK is working on another personal album, and producing a live collection for the psychedelic jazz collective, The Heliocentrics, which is expected in 2018.

Immediately, GLK is planning a tour that comes to Phoenix’s Pressroom with Kaytranada and Sango on Friday, August 11.

“I’ve played three times with Kaytranada,” GLK says. “I love his music. I love his sets. I’m just stoked to come back to Arizona.”

GLK compares his set to those at Low End Theory, an influential Los Angeles club night dedicated to experimental hip-hop and electronic music. It will feature plenty of underground music.

“You’ll only hear these beats with me,” he says. “A lot of L.A., West Coast exclusive. A lot of unreleased music from Brainfeeder and other Low End Theory people.”

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

S

inger Mary Ramsey knows what 10,000 Maniacs fans want.

Celebrating their 35th anniversary, 10,000 Maniacs are planning to play a retrospective of hits, and a “few surprises,” when they come to Crescent Ballroom on Tuesday, August 8.

The biggest surprise? Realizing that the band has been together for more than three decades.

“When those numbers pop up, it’s surprising,” says Ramsey, who has been with the band on and off since 1995, when singer Natalie Merchant left.

“We share in this reunion with the fans because a lot of people who come to our shows have had a lot of different experiences during those years.”

Ramsey was introduced to 10,000 Maniacs through member John Lombardo. The two founded the duo John and Mary, who opened for 10,000 Maniacs.

“We did a lot of shows with them,” she says. “Then they wanted me to be a part of the show, playing violin and viola, and singing background. That’s how it all came into my life.”

Ramsey has recorded a handful of records with 10,000 Maniacs, including the live collection Playing Favorites. The album includes “Like the Weather,” “Trouble Me,” “Because the Night,” “These are Days” and “Hey Jack Kerouac,” among others.

“We had this show in Jamestown (New York) and we said, ‘Let’s bring the audience into the record,’” she says. “They make us play a bit different. It’s wonderful to go in the studio and record, but it’s wonderful to get that sense of the audience being part of the band.”

The hits will surely be on the Crescent Ballroom setlist, along with Celtic songs.

“The fun part about being an instrumentalist is that I can change things here and there,” she adds about the tone of the show. “We jam together and every show is a little different, but we still have that sound.”

10,000 Maniacs

Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, 602.716.2222, crescentphx. com, luckymanonline.com, 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 8, $36$39. The show is 21 and older.

Kaytranada w/ The Gaslamp Killer and Sango

The Pressroom, 441 W. Madison Street, Phoenix, relentlessbeats. com, 9 p.m. Friday, August 11, $40-$60.

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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER

YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS

Bizarro facts that will stretch your noggin

vincent furnier (or perhaps you know

The 41-year-old

dierks bentley was born right here in the Valley and taught himself to play guitar by age 13.

him by his stage name, alice cooper) moved to Arizona with his family when he was young and made his home in a trailer park.

The son of a Christian pastor, Alice Cooper went to Cortez High School and graduated with a fine arts degree from Glendale Community College.

Daisy Finch » The Entertainer!

Alice Cooper and Jordin Sparks go way back. In

12 Jordin Sparks won a prize in a talent show at the Arizona State Fair when she was just

2004, she collaborated with Cooper for his Christmas show.

Gin Blossoms and Meat Puppets are said to have a

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18 months old!

Frederick Bentley doesn’t sound familiar to you? That’s because Dierks is his middle name, and it also happens to be his greatgrandma’s surname.

years old. Next stop, American Idol!

“GIN BLOSSOMS” is a slang term for the skin condition rosacea. The Arizona band was inspired by its use to describe W.C. Fields in “Hollywood Babylon.”

Sandra Day O’Connor High School attendee Jordin Sparks was singing before she was speaking, at

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meat puppets

formed in 1980, and the Kirkwood brothers and Derrick Bostrom perfected their tunes in a shed behind their place in Tempe.

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