The Entertainer! - April 2016

PHX METRO » APRIL 2016

15+ WAYS TO BE

ENVIED

ZACK ATTACK! D-BACKS’ GREINKE CORNERSTONE OF TEAM’S MAKEOVER

GRAHAM NASH

ROGER CLYNE & THE PEACEMAKERS Saturday, April 2 - AT THE POOL

HOLY HOLY PERFORMING DAVID BOWIE’S “THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD” PLUS GREATEST HITS!

GRAHAM NASH THIS PATH TONIGHT TOUR 2016

Saturday,April April 23 Saturday, 23

Friday, April 22

Showroom TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE BOX OFFICE OR ONLINE AT TICKETMASTER.COM

NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER

LISA LAMPANELLI

Saturday, April 30

Thursday - Saturday, May 5-7

Sunday, May 29

3 DOORS DOWN

FEATURING THE TURTLES, CHUCK NEGRON, MARK LINDSAY, THE COWSILLS, GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION GAP AND THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP

THE RIDES FEATURING STEPHEN STILLS, BARRY GOLDBERG AND KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD

Saturday, June 4

Friday, June 10 AT THE POOL

Saturday, July 16

For tickets call the box office at

480.850.7734 or visit ticketmaster.com 101 & Talking Stick Way • Scottsdale • talkingstickresort.com Locally owned and caringly operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

CONTENTS ON THE COVER

IN FULL

SWING Newly signed Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke is bringing some excitement to the field this season. Come see this former Los Angeles Dodger during Opening Day at Chase Field on Monday, April 4.

TIM SEALY

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GENTLE GIANT

Larry Fitzgerald is more than just an Arizona Cardinal. Flip to the Gladiator section to read all about how this wide receiver, father and philanthropist pays tribute to his late mother through nonprofit events and benefits such as the Double Play Celebrity Softball Game.

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FINE AND FANCY

You’ll be the envy of all of your friends with some of the luxurious items we found for this issue. From cashmere to carry-ons, you’re sure to find something that tickles your fancy.

on the cover: Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

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POSITIVE PITCH In a time where celebrity social media portrays celebrities with little to

no flaws, Pentatonix singer Kirsten Maldonado wants to be a role model for young girls. Catch Maldonado and the rest of Pentatonix crew when they bring their A (cappella) game to Comerica Theatre.

Times Media Group 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282 Phone 480-348-0343 Fax 480-348-2109 www.entertainermag.com

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editorial director Robbie Peterson

executive editor

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski christina@entertainermag.com

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Top 25 • Jurassic Brew • Arizona Bike Week • Kathleen Madigan • Phoenix Insider

THE EXTRAORDINAIRE 23 Pentatonix • Spring Cleaning Apps • Zack Greinke • Kentucky Derby Parties • Pattie Boyd • Extraordinary Rides • Fine and Fancy

THE TOURIST

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i.d.e.a. Museum • Tour du Jour • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

THE ARTIST

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The Nash • Arts Calendar • Falstaff

THE CRITIC

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art director

Erin Loukili erin@entertainermag.com

designer

Jaclyn Threadgill

RALLYING FOR SUCCESS

circulation director

Aaron Kolodny aaron@entertainermag.com

The Red Bull Global Rallycross is making its debut in the Valley, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Watch as racers battle for the top spot in 600-horsepower Supercars through dirt, pavement and 70foot jumps. Talk about intense!

staff writer Jasmine Kemper

contributing writers

Ken Abramczyk, Joseph Airdo, Dylan Arndt, Dave Clark, C.A.Haire, Kimberly Hosey, David Isaac, Kenneth LaFave, Randy Montgomery, Tim J. Randall, Marjorie Rice, James Swann

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INTERNS

Coming Attractions • Our Experts’ Movie Picks of the Month • “Everybody Wants Some!!” • Phoenix Film Festival

THE DINER

Tierra Beasley, Nicole Choksi, Damir Lolic, Megan Marples

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ONE COPY PER READER

The Best Food Events in April • Happy Hour Guide • Village Tavern • K O’Donnell’s • Great Southwest Cajun Fest • Diner Insider • Fiesta Mexicana

THE CRAFTMASTER

Beer Over Here • Beertenders • Beer Finder • Great Beer Pairings • Beer Gear • Firemans Brew • Chandler Craft Spirits Festival • SunUp’s Uwe Boer • Dave Clark

THE HIGHROLLER

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Sinbad • Casino Calendar • The Best Casino Events in April • Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers • Hard Rock Hotel

THE GLADIATOR

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April’s Best Sports Events • Red Bull Global Rallycross • Larry Fitzgerald • Esprit de She • Rugby Bowl

THE YOUNGSTER Disney California Adventure • The Best Family Events in April

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DIVERSE DINING

Village Tavern in Scottsdale serves up a fresh and delicious menu that keeps customers coming back for more. Its passion for the food is what’s kept them in business for 15 years...and counting.

THE SHOWMAN

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Blackberry Smoke • Live Music Calendar • Parachute • Country Thunder • The Summer Set • Echosmith • The Darkness • Erin Kalin • Heart • Skylar Grey

THE NIGHTOWL

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THE THINKER

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Oddly Accurate Astrology • You’re Not Gonna Believe This

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

Kathleen Madigan 16 Top 25 Things to Do 9 Arizona Bike Week 14

TOP25

Parkway, Tempe, http://bit. ly/1UKHvO1, 2:30 p.m., free

Arizona Diamondbacks Home Opening Series

Nicole Choksi » The Entertainer!

Twelfth Night

APRIL 1 THROUGH APRIL 9 Shakespeare classics still have a way of being fitting today. With love, pride and celebration, and even a plot of who really loves who, it is known to be one of his most romantic comedies.

Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main Street, Mesa, swshakespeare.org, times vary, $12.50-$37

Of Mice and Men

APRIL 1 THROUGH APRIL 17 Watch as John Steinbeck’s classic comes to life. Follow two friends as they travel across the country to California in the 1920s, and trying to live the American dream.

Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, arizonatheatre.org, times vary, starts at $33

for days after a night full of laughter.

Two of the funniest men in comedy today come together for one event. It’s bound to be a night to remember.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, talkingstickresortarena.com, 7:30 p.m., $30 to $55

Future Sun Devil Family Day in Glendale

APRIL 2 All parents want their little ones to go to college. It’s never too young to start. Family day allows the whole family to interact with college students and learn all the benefits of attending college and learn all ASU traditions as well.

ASU West Campus, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale, eventbrite.com, 9 a.m., free

Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME)

Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy

APRIL 2 Be prepared to be holding your sides

APRIL 3 The Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) presents a concert of works for small ensemble, soloists and electronics. Composed within the past few decades, the works performed in this concert are a sample of modern variety and creativity.

Katzin Concert Hall, 50 Gammage

APRIL 4 THROUGH APRIL 6 Spring Training may have ended in the Valley, but baseball is still here.

Come out to cheer on the D-backs as they begin their home season by hosting the Colorado Rockies.

Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, arizona.diamondbacks. mlb.com, 6:40 p.m., starts at $10

Happy Hours Around the World APRIL 7 Experience the culture and cuisine of all seven of Scottsdale’s sister cities in one location.

The Saguaro Scottsdale, 4000 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, scottsdalefest.org, 7 p.m., $50-60.

42nd Street

APRIL 5 THROUGH APRIL 10 Based on the 1933 movie, “42nd Street” tells Peggy Sawyer’s story as she leaves the comforts of home and moves to the Big Apple to pursue her dream of being on Broadway.

ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe, asugammage.com, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., starts at $20

Tori Kelly

APRIL 6 When Tori Kelly was 16, she auditioned for and was eliminated from “American Idol.” She has since proved them wrong. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 58th Grammy Awards, and scored major hits with “Nobody Love” and “Should’ve Been Us.” Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe, luckymanonline.com, 7:30 p.m., $26-$41.

Disney on Ice Treasure Trove Phoenix

APRIL 7 THROUGH APRIL 10 Time to round up the troops and head down to Phoenix for family night out.

Join all your Disney favorites as they captivate you for a night that is bound to be one for the memory books.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, disneyonice.com, times vary, starts at $20

The Diary of Anne Frank

APRIL 7 THROUGH APRIL 30 Follow the story of Anne Frank as she hides from the Nazis during World War II. The play allows patrons to follow her hardships and courage.

Hale Theatre Centre, 50 W. Page Avenue, Gilbert, haletheatrearizona. com, times vary, $18-$28

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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

Spring Paintout Sale and Show

APRIL 8 THROUGH APRIL 10 Discover the garden through the eyes through local artists as they make art with oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel paints.

All of the artwork, as well as photography, from Paintout will be on display and for sale. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Desert Botanical Garden as well as the Scottsdale Artists League’s Scholarship Fund.

Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, dbg.org, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $10-$22

Scottsdale Culinary Festival in Scottsdale

APRIL 16 AND APRIL 17 Come hungry but leave happy. With 40 local restaurants and 30 craft breweries, there will be something to please everybody’s taste buds. Spread over 25 acres of park, there will be plenty of exercise to work off all the munchies you get along the way.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, scottsdalefest. org, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, starts at $10

Eat, Drink & Be Pretty Party

APRIL 15 Walk the red carpet as you enter a fashion-forward event full of food from 25 restaurants throughout the Valley. End the night with a spring fashion show. Must be 21 or older to attend the event.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, scottsdalefest.org, 7 p.m., $100

Ellie Goulding

Carrie Underwood: The Storyteller Tour

APRIL 14 It’s time to be “Blown Away” by Carrie Underwood and her always breathtaking performances. She’s bringing along Easton Corbin and The Swon Brothers as support.

Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, carrieunderwoodofficial.com, 7 p.m., starts at $41.25

APRIL 16 The English pop star responsible for the song “Love Me Like You Do” is coming to the Valley. This show might just make for the perfect girls’ night out.

Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, elliegoulding.com, 7 p.m., starts at $40

Phoenix Improv Festival

APRIL 14 THROUGH APRIL 16 Performing is hard enough, now imagine being in front of an audience and having to make up stories on the fly. The audience—and the actors—will never know what will come out of the comedians’ mouths. It is bound to be full of laughs for not only the actors, but the audience as well.

Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe, St., Phoenix, phoeniximprovfestival.com, times vary, $10-$15

Shrek the Musical Jr.

APRIL 22 THROUGH APRIL 24 Everyone’s favorite Ogre and talking donkey are back—this time live. Don’t miss all the trouble that Shrek and his band of fairytale misfits cause.

Cortez High School, 8828 N. 31st Avenue, Phoenix, eventbrite.com, 2 p.m. or 7 p.m., $12

Great Southwest Cajun Fest

APRIL 16 AND APRIL 17 Come find new toys and treats for those fur babies in your life. There will be demonstrations for obedience training and great prizes. Even bring the pets with you for the day.

WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, phoenixpetexpo.com, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, free

APRIL 23 This year’s Earth Day celebration is all about pollinators. You can even come dressed as your favorite pollinator and partake in the pollinator parade through the Garden.

Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, dbg.org, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., $10-$22

Beer and Bones at AzMNH

APRIL 24 It’s the perfect mix of history with fresh brews. The “Speed Dating with Scientists” will allow patrons to have all of their science questions answered.

Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, Mesa, azmnh.org, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., $10

Lunch with a Keeper— African Carnivore Keepers

APRIL 24 If you have an animal lover between the ages of 6 and 10, then this is a must-attend event. Not only do you get to hear stories from the keeper and ask questions, but there will be a behind-the-scenes tour.

Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, phoenixzoo.org, 1:45 p.m., $75

APRIL 23 The Great Southwest Cajun Fest is sure to take you to New Orleans for the night. There will be Cajun cuisine, handcrafted beer and live music in zones themed for Bourbon Street, French Quarter and the Garden District.

Dr. AJ Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, southwestcajunfest.com, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., $10

The Fiesta Bowl Rugby and Balloon Classic in Scottsdale

Phoenix Pet Expo

PLANeT Celebration – Earth Day

APRIL 23 After drawing a crowd of about 5,000 people, the Fiesta Bowl Rugby and Balloon Classic is back with some pretty big additions. What’s bigger than hot air balloons? A post-match balloon glow will feature a giant Yoda and Darth Vader.

Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Road, Scottsdale, therugbybowl.com, 12 p.m., $8-$55

Pete, Or the Return of Peter Pan

APRIL 24 THROUGH MAY 22 Peter Pan is back, this time like you have never seen him. Wendy wants to go on an adventure and she will get one when Peter takes her and her brother away from Neverland to battle pirates and ninjas, and maybe cause a little trouble.

Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, childsplayaz.org, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday, $12-$26

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BREW

Beer ‘N Bones helps museum with programs, exhibits Ken Abramczyk » The Entertainer!

S

peed dating with scientists on a Friday night may not sound appealing to some, but the odds are these meetups will lead to revelations and knowledge

about science.

If that’s not hunky or hot enough (and perhaps a little too geeky) for you, there will be the tasting of craft beers that night, too.

Featuring a 5-minute visit for guests with scientists, Beer ‘N Bones offers local craft beer and savory fare from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, April 11, at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald in Mesa.

Kathy Eastman, the museum’s curator of education, says this “speed dating” event is “like a game show.”

“We get scientists from ASU, University of Arizona and we even had a scientist come in from Salt Lake City,”

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Eastman says. “You get 5 minutes and then the bell rings and you move onto another scientist. You meet a lot of scientists and you have a chance to talk to them later about their research.”

Topics can range from archaeology, entomology, paleontology and space to even rocket science, as a Boeing scientists appeared at the event one year.

Scientists at this year’s event include City of Phoenix archaeologist Laurene Montero, Dr. Dawn Gouge, entomologist in integrated pest management at U of A, and Charles Rolsky, a marine biologist at ASU. The event, open to those 21 and older, also includes science-related activities, food, beverages and raffle prizes. For additional separate food tickets, guests will get tastes of chocolate from Cerreta Chocolate Co. of Glendale.

Don’t leave out the beer, and the chance for about 10 local brewers to present their latest lagers and ales to the public. The museum works with the Arizona Home Brewers Association on craft beers showcased for the event.

“We have a variety of beer, and guests have a chance to taste local craft beer,” Eastman says. Guests can discuss different flavors with the brewers and even smell the actual hops used in the beers.

Admission is $15 in advance at azmnh.org or $20 at the door. A VIP ticket costs $40 and provides extra perks, such as early admission at 6 p.m. and a souvenir pint glass. Wine and nonalcoholic beverages will be available

for those who do not want to drink beer.

Food and beverage tickets also can be purchased for $3 each or four tickets for $10.

Proceeds from the cash bar, food, raffles and silent auction will fund exhibits and programming.

Funds raised in previous years helped the museum purchase new dinosaurs for a display depicting them on a mountain.

“This year the funding is for educational programs,” Eastman says. Funds also help the museum conduct a “free day” (no admission) for the public. Last year the museum held a Pluto Party on a free day.

The event brings together

demographics that may not have an appreciation of science, but develop one once they visit the museum.

“It’s fun to do,” Eastman says. “I have discovered that the people in the beer community are really in the spirit of showing off their product.”

Beer ‘N Bones

Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, Mesa, 480.644.2230, azmnh.org, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, April 11, $15-$40

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LEATHER AND CHROME

Valley gearing up for Arizona Bike Week

Tim J. Randall » The Entertainer!

F

or the last 20 years, Arizona Bike Week has offered motorcycle aficionados the opportunity to celebrate the biker culture during one heck

of a party.

Sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale, this year’s Arizona Bike Week, set for April 6 through April 10, promises to be the biggest rally yet, with concerts, races, a bike auction, stunt shows, vendor expos and bike shows at WestWorld in Scottsdale.

“Our goal is to provide an experience that anyone can enjoy,” says Lisa Cyr, vice president of Arizona Bike Week. “While our attentions are primarily focused on the motorcycle community, even nonriders find our event to be a fun, friendly and welcoming environment.

“Anyone who is looking to have a great time—with a lot of really great people—will discover ABW to be a unique and entertaining way to spend a weekend.”

This year, attendees will find a plethora of established events along with new elements designed to thrill. That begins with a doubling of the number of concerts in The RockYard, presented by Go AZ Motorcycles.

“Since we started doing nightly headliner concerts in 2006, we have never duplicated any of the bands from previous years. This year, we are doing a ‘Best of Arizona Bike Week’ lineup,” Cyr says. “We’re excited to welcome back six incredible concert bands—Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Warrant, Blues Traveler, Social Distortion, Ratt and Buckcherry. In addition, we’re welcoming a couple newcomers to the event who haven’t played at ABW before—Blackberry Smoke and

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Reverend Horton Heat.”

Two attractions will make their debut this year. The “Legends Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Auction” at the Legends Pavilion at WestWorld will allow sellers to showcase their nostalgic wheel for buyers to peruse. At the Flat Track Racing in the “HellRacers Dome,” registered riders can dazzle with their speed and skills as they compete on dirt tracks.

Of course, the traditions that so many attendees love are not forgotten.

Each day features a unique ride around the Valley, including the Peace Out, Prostate Cancer; T-Bar Trail; Saddle Up For Kids and the Hand in Hand rides, along with Hamsters Charity “Dry Heat” Run. Cyr emphasizes that many of the week’s events benefit charitable causes.

“The biker community is well known for its philanthropic nature. The charity rides and other fundraising aspects of our event are a big part of what we do,” Cyr says. “Giving back to the community that has been so supportive of us is of monumental importance to us.”

Beyond designated charity events, ABW also has a designated charitable arm, which works on causes throughout the state.

“Our vision is to delivery happy memories to the community,” says Kevin Rhode, head of Arizona Bike Week Charities Group. “Our mission is to focus on addressing the needs of local children, adults, military and foster families within our community. We provide assistance in hopes of achieving a happy memory for those we serve while inspiring individuals to do good things and give back.”

In 2015 the ABW Charities Group raised more than $19,000, according to Rhode. “Our goal is to have over $21K available for the upcoming year, with

$17K of that allocated for distribution in the community,” he says.

Since 2005, when the rights to the ABW event were purchased by FX Promotions of Orlando, Florida, attendance has skyrocketed from 12,000 in 2004 to nearly 100,000 in 2015. Cyr hopes to break the 100,000 barrier this year.

“Our goals have been and will remain the same—to bring new and exciting elements to our attendees while keeping ticket prices affordable,” she says. “This year we were actually able to lower ticket prices from last year, while still adding more concerts and events than ever before.”

One of the reasons for the ongoing success of ABW is the partnership and sponsorship of Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale, as well as WestWorld, Cyr says.

“The tremendous support from HarleyDavidson of Scottsdale as our presenting sponsor enables us to continue to present a bigger and better rally each year, while keeping the cost for attendees at a low, all-inclusive price,” she said. “We are fortunate to have a home at WestWorld that will be able to continue to accommodate our growth and to be located in a city that has the infrastructure to support it as well.

“We hope ABW exceeds patrons’ expectations, and hope that they will continue to party with us for many years to come.”

Arizona Bike Week

WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480.644.8191, azbikeweek.com, various times, Wednesday, April 6, through Sunday, April 10, $20-$58

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IT’S

MADIGAN AGAIN Comic returns to Arizona for two shows Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

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D

ubbed one of the funniest women in the United States, comedian Kathleen Madigan didn’t follow any comics while growing up in St. Louis, Missouri.

“I knew more about music,” she says.

“I knew the people who were headlining when I started and that’s who I really watched. This whole career really was an accident. I was lucky to walk in a bar.

Maybe I’ll put that on my tombstone.”

Eventually, she asked the Funny Bone, a comedy club chain in St. Louis, if she could be an opening act. As soon as she started getting paid, she knew she could make this a career.

“It was terrible money, but I told myself it can get better. I started at 23 and I figured if I’m not doing well by 26, I was still young enough to regroup and figure out what I wanted to do,” says Madigan, whose 2013 standup special, “Madigan Again,” is available on Netflix.

She’s quick to add that she didn’t exactly have a back-up plan. If she wasn’t working, she might be golfing with Lewis Black.

But she has no plans of stopping. The 50-year-old comic has been in the business for half of her life, playing 300 shows

a year. Among those shows are Friday, April 8, at the Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts in Wickenburg, and Saturday, April 9, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.

For someone who didn’t think about going into comedy, Madigan has been successful. She won the American Comedy Award for “Best Female Comedian” and the Phyllis Diller award for “Best Female Comedian.”

She also wrote for and produced Black’s “Root of all Evil” on Comedy Central and for Gary Shandling’s Emmy monologues. She’s done two USO tours to Iraq and Afghanistan with Black, Robin Williams, John Bowman and musicals acts Kid Rock, The Zac Brown Band, Kix Brooks and Kellie Pickler.

A top three finalist on season two of “Last Comic Standing,” Madigan is modest about her success. Black is the one who dubbed her the “funniest woman in America.”

“That’s very flattering, that’s not ever in my mind ever,” she says. “That’s wonderful that someone wants to write that. I just go about my way. I’ll read that and I’ll go, ‘That’s nice.’ It doesn’t have a bearing on anything I’m actually doing.”

Her latest gig was filing a comedy

special in Milwaukee in February. She hesitates when asked if she was nervous.

“Not really,” she responds. “It went great. It was a ton of fun. You work for a couple years to get it going. Hopefully you luck out and have a great crowd. I lucked out.

“There was concern though. The crowd is great. If the camera goes wrong or the lighting, it’s hard to reset that energy. But the crowd was really into it and we didn’t have to stop.”

Kathleen Madigan

Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts, 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road, Wickenburg, 928.684.6624, http://dewpac.org/event/ kathleen-madigan/, 7:30 p.m.

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Have fun while saving the Earth Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

While protecting our planet is important, it doesn’t have to be boring! Earth Day is April 22, and there are plenty of ways to help clean up and recycle all around the Valley. Check out some of these cool spots that are going green during this annual holiday.

Zero Waste Day

on site teaching about sustainability and recycling as well.

Tempe residents can celebrate Earth at the 25th annual Zero Waste Day. Now is the chance to recycle anything you can’t throw in your recycle bin at home. Grab your tires, hazardous waste and documents to shred for a morning of zero-waste fun.

Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 480.941.1225, dbg.org, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., included with admission

APRIL 16

Tempe Fire Training Facility, 1340 E. University Drive, Tempe, tempe.gov, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., free

‘A’ Mountain Restoration APRIL 22

You can help restore the hiking trails on “A” Mountain this Earth Day. Breakfast and a food truck lunch will be served before and after the cleanup. Grab your sun block and water bottle and make the trek up “A” Mountain for a good cause.

Hayden Flour Mill, Rio Salado Parkway and Mill Avenue, Tempe, sustainability.asu.edu, 8:30 a.m., free

PLANeT Celebration APRIL 23

Learn all about pollination at the Desert Botanical Garden this Earth Day. Walk along the trails, meet with pollinator experts and buzz around the garden all morning long. Other organizations will be

Phoenix Zoo APRIL 23

Reduce, reuse and recycle with the Phoenix Zoo by donating old clothes, learning how to recycle from the animals and watch the lady bug release. There will be plenty of wildly eco-friendly events throughout the day.

Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 602.286.3800, phoenixzoo.org, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., included with admission

Earth Day Phoenix APRIL 23

Join PHX Renews for the seventh annual Earth Day Phoenix. Take a mini-eco class, visit exhibitors and hang out in the beer garden with SunUp Brewing Company.

This is a zero-waste event will be 100 percent recyclable and compostable.

PHX Renews, 4221 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.262.4820, earthdayphoenix.org, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free

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STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

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ADVICE

Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado encourages young women through blog, social media Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

S

ince entering the industry in 2011, thanks to the show the “The Sing-Off,” the a cappella group Pentatonix has won Grammys, garnered more than 1.4 billion views on its YouTube channels and appeared in “Pitch Perfect 2.”

Its debut studio album, Pentatonix, sold more than 2.8 million albums in the United States alone.

Still, singer Kirstin Maldonado alludes to self-esteem issues, something that carries over from a childhood issues.

“When I had a bad day, a bad breakup or a happy day, I listened to the songs by people I looked up to,” says Maldonado, whose group plays the Comerica Theatre on Wednesday, May 4.

“I know the songs were a soundtrack to

my life back then. To think that we are in a position to impact people today, it’s crazy but it’s important. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel small, too.

“I tell fans to be strong. I empower them and let them know they can be strong and they can have big dreams.

If anyone had spoken to me on Twitter when I was younger, I would have totally freaked out. I’m in this because of them.”

In this day and age of the media flaunting actors’ and actresses’ good looks on social media, Maldonado says she believes it’s more important than ever to be a positive role model.

“Everyone says that all these celebrities like Kylie Jenner are so young and so famous and so beautiful,” she says. “It can be negative to a woman growing up now.

I’m only 23 and I’m making it sound like I’m 80.

“But I can’t imagine cyberbullying

being more of a thing. Social media is filled with posts about the amazing, great things that happen. Someone who may not have that life may look back on theirs and be sad about it. I think every single person in the world has their hard time and difficulties. I think every single person is important. I know the most important thing is to believe in yourself. I know this.”

She wouldn’t have this ability or this voice without her success with Pentatonix.

Known primarily for a cappella covers, Pentatonix scored big with its first original single, “Can’t Sleep Love.” That was the cornerstone of a successful 2015.

“We have a lot of big dreams, and we want to take it as far as we can go,” she says. “It’s really awesome to start out as a cover band by being on the show and then wanting to be an artist who has a lot to say. It’s cool to be able to transition to that

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and still have people accept it. That was going to be our big worry, but it’s going really well.”

So what else can Pentatonix achieve?

“I don’t think any of us really have a cap on it,” Maldonado says about goals.

“We just put a lot of goals in front of us and, if we’re fortunate enough to accomplish them, then we continue on to the next goal. We continue making goals. We long as we can continue to do it, we’ll do it well.”

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24

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

10 SPRING CLEANING APPS Organize your life with the help of your phone David Isaac » The Entertainer!

Spring Cleaning Checklist

Home Routines

FullContact

Evernote

Fitness Pal

Spring

Mixology

Spring Flowers Live Wallpaper

Flic

Out of Milk Shopping List

Does the thought of spring cleaning overwhelm you? The Spring Cleaning Checklist app simplifies this seasonal ritual by organizing everything with detailed checklists. You’ll know what to do in every room and how best to do it thanks to app-supplied videos with cleaning tips and household tricks.

This app even provides music for while you clean.

Clean out that closet of your winter clothes. Bring in spring fashion. The aptly named Spring app includes 800-plus brands. Buy with a single swipe.

Enjoy free shipping and free returns. Follow your favorite brands and get insider info on the newest arrivals. Vogue says it “will change the way you shop forever.”

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

If spring cleaning inspired you to stay clean year round, we have the app for you. Home Routines organizes your daily tasks. You create “focus zones” with detailed lists for each room. And you can schedule daily, weekly and monthly reminders to stay ahead of the mess. For each task you complete, you get a gold star. Who doesn’t like that?

Mixology isn’t so much for the spring cleaner as it is the spring breaker. Although, after you’ve cleaned your house, you’re entitled to a drink, too!

This app offers thousands of drink recipes—cocktails, martinis, shooters, you name it.

Search by ingredient or hit the “Random Tab” and find drink recipes in slot-machine fashion.

It’ll even teach you bartending terminology and techniques.

Why stop at the closet? Clean up your contacts. FullContact tidies up your address book. It syncs your phone, social media, professional contacts and more. By merging duplicates and keeping everything synced across multiple devices, you’ll never have to worry about your contacts getting messy again.

Celebrate spring by giving your phone a new seasonal look. The Spring Flowers Live Wallpaper app beautifies your screen with gorgeous high-definition images of tulips, lilies, daisies and other beautiful blossoms. Even if you’re stuck inside for the day, you won’t miss springtime with these sunny floral sceneries.

Spring clean your office with this wildly popular app.

Evernote takes the clutter off your desk and digitizes it.

Snap photos of your Post-Its. Create shopping, to-do and other check lists. Attach files.

Create agendas. If Evernote won’t organize your office life, nothing will!

Odds are you’ve amassed thousands of photos on your smartphone. But how many do you really like? It’s an important question as photos gobble up space. Free that storage with Flic. This app makes it easy to clean out your camera roll.

Simply swipe left to delete a photo and swipe right to keep it.

Spring isn’t only about getting your house in shape. You need to shape up physically, too. Summer is around the corner and you want to look good out by the pool. Fitness Pal is designed to be an all in one fitness app.

It includes animations of gym exercises, workout routines and diet plans. Keep track of your progress and calculate your BMI all with a single app.

Spring is the perfect time to clean up your grocery shopping habits. The Out of Milk Shopping list app lets you create shopping, to-do and pantry lists digitally. You can sync and share with others.

Inventory everything so you know what you have. No more buying three jars of mayonnaise!

Not all apps are available for all operating systems.

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26

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WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

ZACK

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

27

ATTACK!

Pitcher Zack Greinke brings excitement to the D-backs

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

PHOTO BY TIM SEALY

N

ew Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke stands before a roomful of reporters who hang on his every hushed and paused word.

The former Los Angeles Dodger had just finished his first bullpen session for the D-backs during Spring Training at Salt River Fields. The team’s CEO and President Derrick Hall hasn’t seen anything like the attention that Greinke has been receiving.

“I’ve never seen that many cameras for a bullpen session,” Hall says. “I think it shows [the D-backs are] going to draw the media attention and capture the excitement of the fans. But, we have to go out and get our jobs done; we haven’t done anything yet.”

That may be relative. The press conference and interview with Hall took place just before Spring Training. The team sat atop the standings as of press time at 20-6-3.

Part of the fascination about Greinke is his contract—$206.5 million for six years, one of the highest in the MLB— and his skill. Greinke finished the 2015 season with a 19-3 record, 200 strikeouts and a 1.66 ERA, the second lowest in Dodgers history. How does he build on his best season? Greinke isn’t quite sure.

“It could be as good as it’s going to get for me and I probably won’t be that good again,” Greinke says. “Last year, I for the most part, thought about one pitch at a time.

“Hopefully the results take care of themselves. That’s how you really do it. I just keep a simple mindset.”

NEARLY GIVING UP There’s another side to him; one in which Greinke suffers from social anxiety disorder. It’s something that so affects him

that he temporarily left baseball to treat it.

However, his awards and wins are testaments to his ability and talent.

“I guess I had just gotten pretty good dealing with what I have to deal with,” says Greinke, whose fourth at-bat ever was a home run against the Diamondbacks.

“I’m just not getting worked up over stuff if I don’t like, maybe. I’m not anticipating anything being an issue.”

Whether it’s because of the social anxiety or shyness, Greinke isn’t going out and being sociable with his new teammates. He allows relationships to develop at their own pace.

“Sometimes I end up not talking to people too much,” Greinke explains. “It slowly develops. I would imagine that with [others], with most people it’s similar.

I could talk to someone and then go the next month without talking to them too much. I just take it all one day at a time.”

Two of the people he is getting to know well are Welington Castillo and Tuffy Gosewisch, a pair of Diamondbacks catchers.

“Sometimes it’s a little tougher when you have two catchers and you don’t know who’s going to be catching,” he says. “I don’t know what the plan is completely with how much they’re using each catcher.

Most times you know who you’re going to throw to, because there’s a catcher who’s going to catch more often. In Milwaukee, I knew it was going to be [Jonathan] Lucroy. Two years ago, it was A.J. Ellis, and last year it was [Yasmani] Grandal.

I’m not really worrying about, but I’m getting prepared for it.”

Greinke is slated to start Opening Day at 6:40 p.m. Monday, April 4, against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. He is trying not to worry about that, either.

“I just focus on making each pitch good and not worry about when I’m

pitching too much,” Greinke says. “When they tell me to pitch, I get ready to pitch as much as I can for that day. If they move it a day or so back or forward, I try to get as ready as possible for that day.”

Personally, Greinke is married to Emily Kuchar, whom he met while attending Apopka High School in Florida.

Kuchar is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and was Miss Daytona Beach USA 2008. Last July, Kuchar gave birth to son Bode.

The family recently purchased a $6.25 million compound in Paradise Valley. The nearly 12,000-square-foot house, for which he paid cash, sits on more than 6 acres at Camelback Lands. It features an equestrian facility with a basketball court, batting cage, putting green, citrus orchard and views of Camelback Mountain.

L.A.-ARIZONA RIVALRY The 34-year-old Greinke is obviously aware of the rivalry, which was recharged when the Dodgers jumped in the Chase Field pool and, reportedly, urinated in it while celebrating the National League West title. Going forward, let’s just say Dodgers fans aren’t too pleased about Greinke signing as a free agent.

“I feel like it’s pretty positive from the Arizona side, and not as positive from the L.A. side. I don’t know if I think about [the rivalry].”

He’s also trying not to think about his pitching history at Chase Field.

“It was the worst game of my career,” he says. “I gave up 11 runs. Since then, I’ve done good here. It’s not an easy park to pitch in but it’s the same thing I’ve been saying all [press conference] long: The other pitcher on the other team has to face the same situations. If you pitch better than them, your team should have a

better chance of winning. If you do better than their guy, you have a better chance. I just try to pitch good as possible.”

EXCITEMENT AMONG FANS, PLAYERS Because of the D-backs stellar Spring Training record, there are high expectations and excitement among fans—and players.

Second baseman Chris Owings just returned from the Fan Fest stage where he participated in a Subway sandwich competition with Nick Ahmed and Jake Lamb. He steps off stage for an interview and his mood immediately turns serious.

Owings says the added attention on Greinke and the team doesn’t necessarily put any pressure on him.

“Looking back at all the Spring Trainings I’ve been through, and I look at the first Spring Training I had, taking batting practice in front of Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell,” he says about the former manager and coach, respectively.

“Now that was pressure. You learn how to deal with it. You’re just as excited.

There’s no pressure I don’t think. It’s exciting even though you’re putting pressure on yourself.”

But Derrick Hall summed it up best.

“This is about the most positive energy and excitement that we’ve had at any Fan Fest,” he says. “The anticipation for the season is up there according to the interaction we have had with the players and fans.”

Opening Day, Diamondbacks vs. Rockies Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson, Phoenix, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster.com, 6:40 p.m.

Monday, April 4, $19-$275

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28

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

FASHION STATEMENT

Kentucky Derby is about much more than mint juleps

Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

You won’t have to hold your horses much longer, because the Kentucky Derby is back for another year of hats, horses and a whole lot of fun on the racetrack! In anticipation of May 7, we invite you to take a gander at some of these Kentucky Derby events happening around town. Get ready to sip on a refreshing mint julep, bet on your favorite stallion and saddle up to watch “the most exciting 2 minutes in sports.”

Hooves and Heroes

Horse around for a good cause with Scout, Ashley, Cayanna and the other therapy horses at Camelot during the 15th annual Hooves and Heroes event. Kids can enjoy pool noodle pony races, snow cones, face painting and hat-making while parents watch a live broadcast of the race and participate in a Kentucky Derby hat contest! You’ll also have a chance to participate in a raffle and silent auction throughout the afternoon.

Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship, 6250 E. Jomax Road, Scottsdale, 480.515.1542, camelotaz.org, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free

Kentucky Derby Party at Turf Paradise

You’ll need a reservation to get into this snazzy establishment on Derby day, and it’s totally worth it. Turf Paradise throws one of the biggest Kentucky Derby parties around town with free hat and costume contests and traditional mint juleps.

You can choose one their many Derby WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

packages from the “Party on the Rail” to “Turf Club Buffet” for some delicious food and a gorgeous view.

Turf Paradise, 1501 W. Bell Road, Phoenix, 602.942.1101, turfparadise. com, times vary, prices vary

Bourbon Steak’s Kentucky Derby Lawn Party

Party it up Southern style at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess this Kentucky Derby.

Guests will feel like they are at the races with mint juleps, Bulleit Bourbon tastings and a “Winner’s Circle” lawn. While watching the race, you will also indulge in a tasty Bourbon Steak brunch menu from Executive Chef Jeremy McMillan, full of Kentucky Derby staples such as buttermilk oyster sliders, Andouille sausage, pickled shrimp toasts and more. There will also be contests for the most stylish derby wear, “selfies” with a thoroughbred race horse and more!

Bourbon Steak, 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale, 480.585.2694, scottsdaleprincess.com, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., $95

Southern Rail Kentucky Derby Party

Chef Beckett is back at it again for another Kentucky Derby party hosted at the Southern Rail. More details about this year’s event are coming soon, but last year they had fashion contests, live race coverage, delicious Kentucky Derby cuisine and plenty of mint juleps. What better place to pamper yourself for race day than somewhere with the word “Southern” in its name?

Southern Rail, 300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602.200.0085 southernrailaz.com, time and price TBA

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FAME IN FRAME

Harrison, Clapton among Pattie Boyd’s photographs

S

Ken Abramczyk » The Entertainer! he is best known for her marriages to George Harrison and Eric Clapton, which she chronicled in her book,

“Wonderful Tonight.”

But Pattie Boyd is also known for her photography as a member of the Royal Photographic Society and her photographs of Harrison, Clapton and The Beatles, among others.

She joins another iconic photographer, Henry Diltz, at “Behind the Lens with Pattie Boyd and Henry Diltz” Friday, April 1, at the Musical Instrument Museum, 723 E. Mayo Blvd. in Phoenix.

Diltz is known for shooting more than 400 album cover images in a career that spanned decades and more than 400,000 images. Fans were connected by his visual photos to the band’s music, as he shot the Morrison Hotel cover for The Doors, the famous front porch cover for Crosby, Stills and Nash and another iconic cover of James Taylor.

Boyd was a successful Vogue model in the 1960s and 1970s. As the wife of Harrison and Clapton, and the inspiration of Harrison’s “Something” and Clapton’s “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight,” her marriages put her in the WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

position of photographing not just her two husbands, but fellow Beatles, members of Cream and friends such as Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood.

According to the Morrison Hotel Gallery, which is presenting “Behind the Lens,” she has many unique Polaroids and vintage prints never seen before.

Boyd also experimented with printing techniques and studied great master photographers of the past as a member of the Royal Photographic Society. Today she explores many avenues in color and black and white photos, which besides musicians, includes landscapes, travel and flowers.

Boyd’s collection showcases photographs. She will discuss stories about the photos with the audience during the live tour and PowerPoint presentation. The photographs will not be displayed in an exhibit setting, but Boyd and Diltz will present a one-time live tour and discussion.

“It’s a talk about my life in photographs,” Boyd says. She adds that it was difficult to choose which photographs to discuss on the museum tour.

“Some are funny, some are nice to look at, but it’s really my story in photographs.”

Among them are her classic “Rose Garden” photo of Boyd and Harrison.

Harrison is shirtless and standing behind Boyd, looking off to the side and slightly

downward, while she looks straight ahead at the camera, wearing a blue top that is very colorful against a backdrop of roses.

Of course, she took many shots of the Beatles in the late 1960s including their much-heralded trip to India in 1968.

She took several photos in the city of Rishikesh at the maharishi’s ashram, where The Beatles studied meditation. In some of the photos, she employed a technique that mimicked a gold/sepia tone process.

Her photos of Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr showed a relaxing time for the Beatles.

In one of the photos, she captures Harrison and the maharishi and in the background, a roofer works on the construction of a building in anticipation of the many meditators who are expected to visit. “The maharishi gave us a private talk,” Boyd says. It was a relaxing time, she adds. “We were slightly privileged,” Boyd says.

Later during her marriage to Clapton, she shot several of him performing and also seated by himself, playing guitar. She also had photos of Clapton with Mick Jagger and with Cream’s Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

“I shot my friends, I just shot all my friends,” Boyd said. “I took a few with the Beatles, because it was a wonderful time.

My photos of Eric were also fun. I enjoyed

taking photographs of him.”

Ronnie Wood, who played with Rod Stewart and the Faces and joined the Rolling Stones, used Boyd’s photographs for a painting he was working on for Andrew Lloyd Webber, Boyd says. In the foreground of the painting, one of the figures is Elton John.

She enjoys black and white and still uses her dark room. She can spend hours on one image, she says. In terms of her favorite photos, it changes “depending on what mood” she’s in.

Several of her photos capture the solemn and meditative Harrison. One she particularly likes in which he is looking at her, and “he looks so beautiful,” she says.

Boyd hopes museum visitors will enjoy the live show and presentation. “I would like for people to enjoy my photographs, and if they are inspired to buy my photos, I will even be more thrilled,” Boyd says.

“Behind the Lens with Pattie Boyd and Henry Diltz” Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, 480.478.6000, themim.org, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, $28.50-$41.50.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

EXTRAORDINARY RIDES

W

The 2016 Mercedes GLE450 AMG

hen Mercedes executives gave me the keys to this jet-black Mercedes GLE450, I was impressed with the list of equipment packed on this rig.

It starts out with a price tag of $65,000, but you know they aren’t going to let you drive off the lot that cheaply.

The list of extra cost options was long: black metallic paint, leather seats, carbon fiber trim, 22-inch AMG wheels, panorama sunroof, three-zone climate control, and heated/cooled cup holders are just a beginning. There is also something called the active curve system, which adjusts the anti-roll bars depending on driving conditions, that tacks on another $2,910. In the end, the total tab was raised to $84,085.

Under the hood is a twin-turbo V-6 cranking out 362 horsepower, hooked to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. For off-road dirt trails, the Mercedes 4-Matic all-wheel drive provides grip. A console-mounted knob provides five different driving modes—from comfort to supersport. It also adjusts exhaust noise level.

C.A. Haire » The Entertainer!

31

Driving the GLE450 on the street is a blast. Even with a mass of 5,000 pounds, the turbo engine can pull a heavy boat to 60 mph in just over 5 seconds. Cornering ability is very good, and the brakes work perfectly. However, there are some practical concerns to deal with. Yes, you can take this vehicle off-road, but don’t plan on taking very many passengers. The rear seats are cramped and better designed for small kids. Don’t plan on bringing much gear either, as most of the rear cargo space is taken up by a giant spare tire. Mercedes lists the cargo area at 23 cubic feet, but they are being generous with their math.

The interior controls are very confusing—even adjusting the climate controls will be a pain unless you have an engineering degree. And while the EPA lists fuel economy at 17 mpg in the city, don’t count on it.

Overall, the GLE450 is not very practical to drive or own. I say, so what? It provides thrilling performance and onlooker street status, which is exactly why I want one, and why you should, too.

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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

What you need to be the envy of the town

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Kate Spade at Scottsdale Fashion Square, $428

Breanne DeMore » The Entertainer!

We can’t be the only ones envious over our cover boy’s mega-mansion he just bought outright after his record-breaking contract with the D-backs. We bet you’re just as jealous. Be green no more, here are a few of the Valley’s most envious items that will have others jealous of you!

BURBERRY CLASSIC CASHMERE SCARF IN HERITAGE CHECK

MANOLO BLAHNIK PLATAIA SNAKESKIN POINTED-TOE PUMP

Burberry Scottsdale Fashion Square, $475

Neiman Marcus in Scottsdale, $1,035

PERSOL 3046S POLARIZED ROUND SUNGLASSES

Solstice Sunglasses Kierland Commons, $360

BEATS PRO OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

Brookstone Chandler Fashion Center, $400

MICHAEL KORS MEN’S LEATHER BOMBER JACKET

Michael Kors Kierland Commons, $995

TIFFANY VICTORIA MIXED CLUSTER RING

Tiffany & Co. at Scottsdale Fashion Square, $6,000

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2016 PORSCHE 718 BOXTER S

Porsche Chandler, $68,400

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The Art of Shaving at Chandler Fashion Center, $120

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Tumi Store at Biltmore Fashion Park, $495

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Cartier Scottsdale Fashion Square, $5,600

LOUIS VUITTON DRESS UP DERBY

Louis Vuitton Scottsdale Fashion Square, $1070

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Nordstrom at Scottsdale Fashion Square, $640

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

THE TOURIST

35

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

LIFE IS JUST A

‘FANTASEA’

i.d.e.a.

Museum invites visitors to dive in with recent exhibit

Kimberly Hosey » The Entertainer!

S

ometimes sticking close to home is the best vacation. Families can get a taste of the ocean right in the Valley, as the i.d.e.a.

Museum goes below the waves with its latest immersive exhibit—pun intended. In addition to the Mesa museum’s regular offerings, “Underwater FantaSEA” will showcase stunning artwork, engage imaginations of all ages and emphasize the value of oceans to our world and to each of us.

The exhibit runs through Sunday, May 29, and will also feature activities to enhance your oceanic explorations. As you and your little marine biologists and art lovers explore “FantaSEA,” you’ll also be embarking on an expedition to “discover” various mysterious sea creatures. Along the way, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the oceans’ importance, biodiversity, history and more, as well as meet scientists who have made crucial discoveries and still study the oceans today.

Among the activities available, kids will be inspired to create their own oceanic art masterpieces, can “become” jellyfish or suit up to explore the ocean in make-believe play stations, and can view live underwater webcams in the Atlantic

Ocean. They can even hear sounds of marine mammals “talking” to one another and can pick up enough knowledge on our seas to wear the mantle of marine biologist, if only as a beginner. They’ll hardly realize they’re learning.

The i.d.e.a. Museum, standing for “Imagination. Design. Experience. Art,” is a destination for art, learning and discovery for kids of all ages—a place where families can work across generations to play and create imaginative experiences.

Any time you visit, the museum will offer its exhibition as well as studios, rooms for crafts and physical play, an outdoor area perfect for grabbing a snack or picnic lunch while the weather is still nice, and the “Hub” near the front of the museum. The busy, brightly colored fan-favorite area features 11 interactive stations to trigger imagination and creativity, like “Face Frames” where guests create decorative glasses by first choosing frames (using pipe cleaners, pre-printed frame patterns or 3-D glasses), and then decorating them with materials like feathers, glitter, gems and stickers. If ever you wanted to craft with your kids without the hassle of gathering all the materials, i.d.e.a. is the place for you.

The museum also features an art studio, rooms for food crafts and physical play, an outdoor area for picnic lunches.

One of my son’s (and OK, my) favorite areas is the Black Light Room. Bathed in ultraviolet light and with toys and painting that picks it up, the room evokes a campsite experience. A “fire” glows in one corner, one entire wall is devoted to a black-light mural of clouds, moon and moonlit water; and tents are set up for enthusiastic campers, complete with handcranked lanterns. Wear clothes with white, and you’ll really glow.

Regular admission to the museum is $8; members and children younger than 1 are free. The museum is open 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

i.d.e.a. Museum

150 W. Pepper Place, Mesa 85201, 480.644.4332 (recording), 480.644.2468 (live), ideamuseum.org 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

TOUR

DU JOUR

Welcome to The Entertainer!’s newest section, “The Tourist,” a great addition for the more than 40 million visitors to our state, as well as locals, most of which come to us from all over the country. But we’re not stopping at the border. Anything within a day’s drive is fair game, so expect us to also clue you in to popular destinations of merit which may only be a tank of gas away.

Whether it be nightlife, natural wonders, golf, resort diversions, amazing cuisine or one-of-a-kind attractions, let us point out the best of the mileposts. As we peel back the first few pages of what’s in store, we’ll bet you find more than one item that should be on your bucket list. Enjoy!

Arizona Hummer Tours Whether you’re looking for a simple sightseeing excursion, or a great adventure, let Arizona Hummer Tours give you the experience of a lifetime!

AHT has been offering unique treks through the famous Sonoran Desert for the last six years. Feel the thrill of the H1 Hummer or Polaris Ranger®/ Rzr on challenging terrain. Explore mountains, canyons, rivers and breathtaking vistas. See ghost towns, Native American ruins, desert wildlife, flora & fauna. Go places that most people will never see! Receive a digital photo CD of your personal extreme adventure!

Call 602.692.7124 for more info.

AZHummerTours.com

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 12 a.m.

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, 85254, Call 480.998.2800, CrackerJax.com

Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy Enjoy the best comedy club in the city, showcasing the absolute brightest stand-up comedy stars! Experience a world-class showroom, delicious food and full-bar service. Arrive early and visit The Heckler Lounge, a great place to meet, see live close-up magic and later, hang out with the comics after the show. The club is located on High Street (formerly City North) in Phoenix’s North Valley—one of the country’s hottest entertainment districts. Open Tuesday through Sunday, with additional performances on Fridays and Saturdays. The Heckler opens for happy hour daily.

5350 E. High Street, Suite 105, Phoenix, 85054, Call 480.420.3553, HouseOfComedy.net

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 85638, 520.457.3456, okcorral.com

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

37

Come See Where We Live See Over 140 Exotic Animals!

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CRAFT BEER | WINE FOOD | LIVE MUSIC 4 color with rich black

Big Cats, Bears, Primates, Wolves, Birds, Reptiles, Critters and more!

Guided Tours

The Brass Tap The Brass Tap at Mesa Riverview has 60 taps and more than 240 different beers in bottles and cans making it the best craft beer experience in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Come on in and enjoy great beer, music on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and fantastic pub fare. It opens at 11 a.m. daily. The Brass Tap was recently awarded the Arizona Society of Home Brewers ASHy Award for Arizona Best Craft Beer Bar—East.

The owners of The Brass Tap are extremely proud and grateful for receiving the award as it comes from an organization that truly appreciates craft beer. So, if you haven’t been to The Brass Tap, stop in and check out its constantly rotating 60 handles of great craft beer.

1033 N. Dobson Road, Suite 104, Mesa Riverview, Mesa, 85201. 480.610.2337 (BEER), brasstapbeerbar.com/Mesa

10am, 1pm, 3:30 (feeding tour!)

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch

Hours

Since 1999, you’ve seen Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch on TV—“Larry the Cable Guy—Only in America,” “Extreme Roadside Attractions,” “Chef vs. City,” “Amazing Animals,” “Arizona Highways” and many more.

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch is a three-generation, family-owned, working ostrich ranch. It also boasts Miniature Sicilian Donkeys, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Fallow Deer, Peking Ducks, “The Goat Penthouse” and the “Hole in the Wall Gang” featuring Boar Goats and Rainbow Lorikeets.

On Saturday and Sunday, as well as holidays, experience the Picacho Peak Monster Truck Tours. It’s affordable family fun for all ages. Open daily from 9 a.m. 5 p.m.

Located between Tucson and Phoenix at Picacho Peak, Interstate 10, Exit 219, 520.466.3658, roostercogburn.com

Wed – Mon, 9am-5pm Closed Tuesdays

13441 E. Highway 66 Valentine, AZ 86437

Located on Historic Route 66 at mile marker 87, 29 miles east of Kingman, AZ.

(928) 769-1800

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

Best Western Inn of Chandler Pig & Pickle Looking for an eclectically different place to dine and drink? There’s no better place to go than Pig & Pickle, where there are no “me too” dishes or boring bar food. The best local craft beers, a fantastic wine selection, hand-crafted cocktails and fresh baked bread compliment a menu that defies a brief description. At the famous P&P, the knowledgeable staff helps you blend a variety of tastes to create a unique dining experience.

Open for lunch, dinner, happy hour and late-night adventurers. Closed Mondays.

2922 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, 480.990.1407, pigandpickle.com

The comfort and conveniences of a luxury hotel for the business traveler or a vacationer are offered by the Best Western Inn of Chandler.

Free high-speed Internet access and complimentary HOT breakfast.

All rooms include microwave refrigerator, iron, ironing board and coffee maker. Seasonal pool and year round spa. We are close to Chandler Fashion Square Mall, Golf Courses ASU and much more. We are also only minutes from Downtown Chandler and 15 minutes to Sky Harbor Airport. AAA, AARP and Corporate Discounts apply.

950 N. Arizona Avenue Chandler, Arizona, 85225, 480.814.8600, bestwesternarizona.com

Dillon’s KC BBQ Dillon’s Bayou is now open at Pleasant Harbor Marina, Lake Pleasant. Dillon’s great food is now on the menu at this newest location, 13 miles closer to you! 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 BBQ can offer.

Check out our General Store. 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.

4 Valley Locations, dillonsrestaurant.com

Taste It Tours - Food Tour Our city is home to world-class cuisine, but why limit yourself to one restaurant? With Taste It Tours, we sample the best food from five restaurants, including alcohol samplings and Old Town history/fun facts from award-winning guides.

Walking food tours run six days a week in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Mention discount code ET-12 for $6 off each ticket!

Call 480.274.3569 or visit tasteittours.com to learn more.

Arizona Museum of Natural History What’s cooler than an indoor mountain with a waterfall and simulated flash flood? Dinosaurs of course! You’ll marvel at Cretaceous Seas, an exhibit about the ocean over 66 million years ago. Pan for gold in the History Courtyard, visit a real territorial jail, learn about Arizona’s geological wonders and much more!

53 N. McDonald, Mesa, 480.644.2230, AzMNH.org

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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

MUGGLE FUN The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is worth every bit of the hype

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

T

he view of Universal Studios Hollywood is menacing from our 22nd-floor room of the Hilton Los Angeles/ Universal City. We see the bright lights of the Simpson’s Krustyland, which stay illuminated all night. The Transformers ride, WaterWorld and Universal CityWalk are also easily spied.

But rising from the middle of the park is the intimidating, black Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is part of the forthcoming attraction The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Although it’s slated to open Thursday, April 7, there were several points recently when the theme park opened the gates for various guests.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter lives up to every bit of the hype.

Hogsmeade Village is straight out of a Christmas card, with its snow-laden thatched cottages from which “icicles” hang. Muggles, as we average folks are called, can peruse the shops and the rides.

It’s just an easy walk down the cobblestone streets.

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Upon entering the attraction, we were greeted by the Hogwarts Express train and its loveable engineer outside of the Hogsmeade Station. Quickly, we were fully immersed in Diagon Alley, home to a slew of shops, including Zonko’s Joke Shop, where we scored Robot Lilliput, a tin wind-up robot.

Diagon Alley also boasts confectionaries from Harry Potter’s world in a shop called Honeydukes. Fudge, chocolate frogs, “candy floss” (the English term for cotton candy) and assorted jellybeans are found there. Really, anything you need to satisfy a sweet tooth is within reach.

(And, believe me, we took advantage of the chocolate marshmallow fudge, which rivaled the treats from Michigan’s Mackinac Island.)

Just outside Honeydukes is probably some of the more anticipated treats— Butter Beer, Pumpkin Juice and Gilly Water. A nonalcoholic drink, Butter Beer tastes like a mixture of vanilla and butterscotch with a consistency of a root beer float. It’s a little sweet, but it’s a must-try for any Harry Potter fan.

Proceed through Diagon Alley and you’ll see a long line snaking through Hogsmeade. It’s a queue of Muggles

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

yearning to try English meals like Shepherd’s Pie, bangers and mash (OK, sausage and mashed potatoes), fish and chips and a variety of desserts at Three Broomsticks.

I tried the lemon herb half chicken and it was the juiciest meat I have had in a long time. My niece was equally as impressed with her fish and chips, while my English husband and my mother had to naturally try the Shepherd’s Pie. All four meals were great, but it totaled more than $80.

Now, don’t let the verbiage on the attraction’s map fool you. It mentions that sampling of beer is available at the Hog’s Head Pub. There’s no sampling to be had, but there’s plenty of alcoholic drinks to purchase—domestic and imported beer, Wizard’s Brew, Dragon Scale, Fire Whiskey, wine, spirits and mixed drinks.

Across the cobblestone pathway is seemingly one of the hot attractions. It’s the Owl Post in the center of Hogsmeade where fans can send letters with a Hogsmeade postmark, purchase stationery and stamps from the gift shop, along with owl-related toys and gifts. This elderly, robe-wearing couple was so enamored with their owls that

the man filmed himself for about 20 minutes playing with his stuffed animal.

Presumably his wife, the woman took extra care in setting up their owls for a “photo shoot” with their cellphones.

Adjacent to Owl Post is the store Dervish and Banges, which offers such magical items as Sneakoscopes, Spectrespecs, Omnioculars and The Monster Book of Monsters. Muggles can give into their Quidditch needs by purchasing T-shirts, Quaffles, Golden Snitches and brooms including the Nimbus Two Thousand and One and the Firebolt. Hogwarts school uniforms and clothing—including the $109 robes—are available here as well.

One of the highlights is Ollivanders, which has been selling fine wands “since 382 B.C.” Shopkeepers and wandkeepers help visitors choose the appropriate wand by measuring customers’ dominant hands.

These wands, which average at $49, aren’t just showpieces. Point them at the different shops and attractions to activate a few tricks that we’ll leave to your imagination.

It may be simple, but I found the Frog Choir to be especially fun. A couple times a day, the Frog Choir—three “students” who sing and one beat-boxing young man, all of whom are accompanied by croaking frogs—hits the stage. Their voices, as well as that of the choir director, were incredible, but the beat-boxing student stole the show.

But now it’s time for “the” ride.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey made the news when, shall we say, it made plenty of riders ill. My niece and

husband fared just fine as they made their way through the familiar classrooms and corridors of Hogwarts, courtesy of a 3-D movie. The Muggles and students encounter plenty of characters, including the spooky Death Eaters. Harry, Hermione and Ron lead riders through the adventure, which includes the chance to get advice from Dumbledore.

That’s all we’ll say about that. You’ll have to experience is for yourself.

The Flight of the Hoppogriff is Universal Studios Florida’s first outdoor, family-friendly coaster. It spirals and flies around the pumpkin patch and swoops past Hagrid’s Hut. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is just a shuttle bus away from the stunning, 24-story Hilton Los Angeles/ Universal City, which boasts a scrumptious prime rib and seafood buffet on the weekends.

But, as my 21-year-old niece, who describes herself as a “huge Harry Potter fan,” says, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is “a dream come true.” That applies even to lukewarm Harry Potter fans.

But the Harry Potter love doesn’t end there. Check out the Warner Bros.

Studio Tour where memorabilia from the beloved films sits on the second floor of a museum on the tour, which costs $62 a person. But there’s even more fun. Studio Tour, Stage 48: Script to Screen gives guests the opportunity—for a charge—to “fly” on Harry Potter’s broomstick. It employs the same green screen technology used in the “Harry Potter” movie productions.

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Universal Studios Hollywood

100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 800.UNIVERSAL or 800.864.8377 universalstudioshollywood.com

Hilton Los Angeles/ Universal City

555 Universal Hollywood Drive Universal City, CA 91608-1001 818.506.2500 http://bit.ly/S5UUmr

Warner Bros. Studio Tour 3400 W. Riverside Drive Burbank, CA 91522 877.492.8687 wbstudiotour.com

Barrel and Ashes

11801 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604 818.623.8883 barrelandashes.com

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Featuring rock classics like, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “Here I Go Again” and so many more!

may 27 - june 19 SHOW SPONSORED BY:

SEASON 11 SPONSORED BY:

623.776.8400(TC)| AZBROADWAY.ORG | 7701 W. PARADISE LN. | PEORIA, AZ 85382

PLEASE REVIEW: (BR)

ENTERTAINER HALF PAGE | LAST MODIFIED: MARcH 25, 2016 1:25 PM | DUE: 03-25 | INSERTION:

“This lively tall tale, told with music, wit and wily storytelling, kindles a bonnie cheerful fire inside.”

– Austin Chronicle

“ … one of the greatest humorists writing today.” – Chicago Tribune

The National Theatre of Scotland Presents

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart created by David Greig and Wils Wilson April 19–24 Season Sponsor

Anarchic theater, live music and strange goings-on.

ScottsdalePerformingArts.org 480-499-TKTS (8587) | 7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale

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Orpheum Theatre Phoenix

David Sedaris Saturday, April 30, 8 p.m.

Back by popular demand, a reading and book signing with the best-selling author and public radio personality, known for his sardonic wit and incisive social critiques.

Phoenix.TicketForce.com 602-262-6225 | 203 W. Adams St., Phoenix

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

THE ARTIST

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CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

‘MUSICAL DEMOCRACY’ ‘America’s classical music’ is alive and well at Jazz Day at The Nash Kenneth LaFave» The Entertainer!

E

very month is jazz month to the lovers of “America’s classical music,” as Wynton Marsalis has called it. But some months are more so than others, and April reigns supreme among them. April is National Jazz Month, and April 30 also happens to be International Jazz Day. Phoenix’s premiere jazz venue, The Nash, is celebrating both. Joel Robin Goldenthal—since 2000 the executive director of Jazz in Arizona, the nonprofit that runs the downtown concert site—says the Nash has taken off with unexpected success since opening four years ago in April 2012.

“The Nash has created a real cross-pollination between musicians, students, teachers and the public, breaking up the silo mentality and creating a real community,” Goldenthal says.

The “silo mentality” refers to the isolation felt by jazz musicians and jazz fans who lack a focal point for their passion.

Until the Nash came along, that isolation was painful. But now, every weekend, the intimate, 126-seat facility is home to a range of jazz talents, local, national and international. Sunday nights are home to an open jam session that attracts saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, pianists, guitarists, bass players and drummers from all over the state.

It’s an outlet like no other.

“Everybody tells me, ‘I get to play the music I want to play.’ The most important thing is playing with other people and listening to each other. A lot of value in the jazz experience goes way beyond the music.”

To return to Marsalis, the country’s unofficial ambassador for jazz and the head of the jazz program at Lincoln Center in New York, jazz is “musical democracy,” in which musicians alternate playing solos with backing up others in their solos.

Goldenthal expands on the theme: “The hallmarks of jazz capture the

spirit of America: cooperation, sensitivity to others, but also creativity and ultimate self-expression. If you want to create your own musical voice, jazz is the vehicle for that, not pop music.”

Jazz was born in New Orleans, when Africans and Creoles began to use Western European instruments in unique new ways, re-experiencing traditional harmonies in fresh combinations, and adding African-based rhythms. Its popularity spread across America, reaching a peak in the early- to mid-20th century. The rise of rock and contemporary pop eclipsed jazz, which is today heard by only a small percentage of music-lovers.

Popularity aside, however, the form’s intrinsic value cannot be denied.

Goldenthal says he believes that education and exposure are paths to jazz’s re-emergence as a widespread cultural force.

“I’ve seen the decline of jazz in American culture,” says Goldenthal, a jazz pianist. “But it is still revered worldwide.

It is really our patriotic music.”

To help teach young Americans on their native music, The Nash runs an educational arm. Every summer, more than 300 Valley students participate in its jazz day camps, where they learn about aspects of jazz not taught in the public schools.

As for exposure, that’s ingrained in The Nash’s very origins.

“The Nash began when Herb Eli, who’s a prominent local attorney, civil rights advocate and jazz lover, called me up one day and said, ‘Joel, I would like you to open a jazz venue in downtown Phoenix for the purpose of giving young musicians performance opportunities and building a new audience for jazz.’”

The mission has never changed.

Musicians gather to share their takes on jazz standards or to play new music, and audiences gather to hear things that simply aren’t available anywhere else. The Nash is building that new audience very slowly, but if crowded Friday and Saturday nights are any indication, it is succeeding.

The Nash’s name is no random moniker. Lewis Nash, Phoenix-born drummer, is currently one of jazz’s most esteemed artists.

“We decided to name the venue for Lewis Nash because he embodies everything we stand for. He’s a revered musician and educator and, above all, he is highly regarded for his personal values and the man he is.”

Nash plays twice a year at his namesake venue and consults on the facility’s artistic direction.

The Nash’s success has surprised its sponsors, but there is no time to rest on laurels.

“Our success has surpassed our human and financial resources, so we thought a consultation would help us

build our infrastructure,” Goldenthal says.

The board hired Marty Ashby, a prominent jazz consultant, who has previously worked out jazz programs for such institutions as the Smithsonian in D.C. and Phoenix’s own Musical Instrument Museum.

The future is looking good for The Nash, but the present is already fairly amazing.

“It’s just one amazing day after another at this place.”

The Nash

110 E. Roosevelt Street Phoenix 85004 602.795.0464 thenash.org WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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Confluence: Inter-generational Collaborations

ARTS

CALENDAR THE VON TRAPPS APRIL 1

THROUGH APRIL 17 This unique exhibit at the Heard includes textile/fiber arts, film, metal, painting and fashion design. Each creation comes from a collaborative effort between a pair of artists; one an established mentor, the other an up-and-coming artist. Each Native American artist is from the Southwest.

2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix 602.252.8840 heard.org

Of Mice and Men

APRIL 6 - MAY 1 FASHION BY DARYLENE MARTIN (NAVAJO). COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST. PHOTO BY JEWEL CLARK, HEARD MUSEUM.

CONFLUENCE THROUGH APRIL 17

THROUGH APRIL 17 John Steinbeck’s literary masterpiece comes to the stage. Set in Central California in the 1920s, two friends drift from job to job while learning about friendship, loneliness and the human condition. Contains mature language and themes.

Presented by Arizona Theatre Company Herberger Theater Center 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix 602.256.6995 arizonatheatre.org

Glengarry Glen Ross

KATHLEEN MADIGAN APRIL 8

THROUGH MAY 15 Desert Stages’ production of the electrifying drama asks the question, “How far will someone go to get ahead and how low is a person willing to go to survive in this world?” Debuting on Broadway in 1984, the story has won numerous awards including a Tony and a Pulitzer. A film adaptation was released in 1992.

Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre 4720 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480.483.1664 desertstages.org

The von Trapps APRIL 1 Hailing from Montana, The von Trapps have been performing together since 2001. Since then, they have traveled the globe, singing with symphonies, other performers and promoting their numerous albums.

Concerts feature a variety of music and instruments in a variety of languages. This is their last area show, as they recently announced they were breaking up to chase individual pursuits.

Chandler Center for the Arts 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler 480.782.2680 chandlercenter.org

OF MICE AND MEN THROUGH APRIL 17

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Play It Again, Sam APRIL 1 THROUGH APRIL 17 Having been just dumped by his wife, Allen Felix turns to the coolness of his role model Humphrey Bogart to attract a new romantic interest. Written by Woody Allen and produced locally by Fountain Hills Community Theatre.

Fountain Hills Community Theatre 11445 N. Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills 480.837.9661 fhct.org

42nd Street APRIL 5 THROUGH APRIL 10 The musical comedy that shows what happens backstage on Broadway. Based on a novel by Bradford Ropes and the 1933 movie, this Tony Award-winning musical features some of the most memorable songs to come from the stage, including “We’re in the Money,” “I Only Have Eyes For You” and more.

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

The All Night Strut!

APRIL 6 THROUGH MAY 1 Paying homage to the era of The Dirty ‘30s to the Post-War Boom, Phoenix Theatre’s latest product features the music of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, the Gershwins and more.

This slice of yesteryear celebrates the American experience.

Phoenix Theatre 100 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix 602.254.2151 phoenixtheatre.com

Elvis Costello APRIL 8 With a guitar and piano in front of a giant television, Costello performs to family photos, mysteries, mottos and other mischief. Expect to hear his popular songs and the hits of tomorrow. The show promises to be intimate and emotional.

Mesa Arts Center One E. Main Street, Mesa 480.644.6500 mesaartscenter.com

Kathleen Madigan APRIL 8 The American Comedy Award Winner for “Best Female Comedian” brings 25 years of comedy to Wickenburg. You may know Madigan from her performances on Leno, Letterman and Conan.

Her stand-up includes commentary on politics, family and American culture.

Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road, Wickenburg 928.684.6624 dewpac.org

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

APRIL 8 Celebrate 40 years of Michael Jackson’s career. The Phoenix Symphony along with tribute artist James Delisco bring to the stage a variety of Jackson’s most memorable hits, including “ABC” and I’ll Be There” through “Beat It,” “Thriller,” “Rock With You,” “The Way You Make Me Feel” and many, many more.

Presented by the Phoenix Symphony Phoenix Symphony Hall 75 N. Second Street, Phoenix 602.495.1999 phoenixsymphony.org

Boeing Boeing APRIL 8 THROUGH APRIL 24 Mesa Encore Theatre presents a laugh-out-loud farce set in the 1960s.

Bernard, a Paris-based womanizer has numerous fiancées, each an airline flight attendant. All seems well, until they all show up at his apartment at one time.

Mesa Arts Center One E. Main Street, Mesa 480.644.6500 mesaencoretheatre.com

VANYA & SONIA & MASHA and SPIKE APRIL 8 THROUGH APRIL 24 The winner of the 2013 Tony for Best Play promises to have you laughing out loud. This Broadway sensation is full of comic twists. Three sisters and one of their “boy toys” spend a hilarious weekend together that you will never forget.

Presented by TheaterWorks Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, 8355 W. Peoria Avenue, Peoria, 623.815.7930 theaterworks.org

Peter Pan APRIL 15 THROUGH APRIL 18 Introduce young audiences to live theatre and a classic at the same time.

Based on the Disney film, you will be singing favorites such as “Follow the Leader,” and “You Can Fly.” A perfect production for kids and kids at heart.

Queen Creek Performing Arts Center, 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek 480.987.SHOW (7469) qcpac.com

Camille A. Brown and Dancers

THE MUSIC OF MICHAEL JACKSON APRIL 8

APRIL 8 THROUGH APRIL 24

APRIL 16 BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play depicts the complexities of carving out a positive identity as a black female in urban American culture. The show features African-American social dancing, rhythmic play and musical compositions.

ASU Gammage 1200 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe 480.965.3434 asugammage.com CAMILLE A. BROWN AND DANCERS APRIL 16

Paula Cole APRIL 17 Paula Cole was offered her first record deal in 1990. While she declined that offer, she went on to win the Grammy for Best New Artist just a few years later. Her music is hard to classify, but is based on jazz and rock roots.

The MIM Music Theatre 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix 480.478.6000 themim.org

Stradivarius THROUGH JUNE 5 Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the violin at The MIM. This special exhibition explains how early violin makers from the Italian city of Cremona shaped global music from the 16th century onward.

Musical Instrument Museum 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix 480.478.6000 themim.org

42ND STREET APRIL 5 THROUGH APRIL 10

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3-D ONGOING Learn about nature’s greatest explorers—the lemur—while Morgan Freeman narrates this 3-D IMAX documentary.

The film is projected on the Arizona Science Center’s five-story screen.

Arizona Science Center 600 E. Washington Street, Phoenix 602.716.2000 azscience.org

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

STRADIVARIUS THROUGH JUNE 5

APRIL 15 THROUGH MAY 8 It is the 1970s and a TV news reporter focuses his attention on a popular “attraction” in a small Texas town. The “Chicken Ranch” was made popular

by Dolly Parton’s film version of the stage play.

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

The “Violino Barocco” inlaid violin made in the United States in 1941 by a modern master, Simone Fernando Sacconi

COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF STRADIVARI

The Music of Michael Jackson

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ISLAND OF LEMURS ONGOING

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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

COMEDIC TWIST

Kenneth LaFave» The Entertainer!

S

hakespeare in Italian? An opera that’s genuinely funny? What’s going on here?

“Falstaff” is what’s going on. To be specific, it’s going on April 1 through April 3 in Phoenix, and again April 9 and April 10 in Tucson, courtesy Arizona Opera. Verdi’s last opera and only comedy, “Falstaff” spins a tale of the plump, jolly, farcical title character who is featured in several of Shakespeare’s plays, but never given a play of his own. With librettist Arrigo Boito, Verdi fashioned a single story line from episodes in “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Henry IV” parts I and II, and “Henry V.” “Verdi and Boito combined scenes from Shakespeare’s plays to create a multidimensional ‘Falstaff’ that Shakespeare himself probably wouldn’t have recognized,” says Chuck Hudson, the New York-based director who has staged the work for Arizona Opera.

The famous saying in theater, that “dying is easy, but comedy is hard,” certainly applied to Verdi, who had previously composed some of opera’s greatest tragedies, including “Aida,” “La Traviata” and WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

“Rigoletto.” In those operas, characters die in ways ranging from knife wounds to suffocation, but the laughs are hard to find.

Verdi had even set two of Shakespeare’s tragedies as operas: Macbeth and Othello.

He once considered opera-tizing the Bard’s early comedy, “The Taming of the Shrew,” but found himself lacking in the ability to compose comic scenes.

So what turned Verdi, approaching the age of 80, at last to comedy?

“It took him a long time to figure comedy out,” Hudson says. “It took him a long time to write and he made many changes in a series of productions that were almost like workshops.”

“This was no game for him. He took comedy seriously.”

Comedy takes special insights that sometimes more serious theatrical artists lack.

“Comic actors can often do dramatic roles well, but dramatic actors seldom can do comedy well,” Hudson notes.

Hudson is taking his comedy pretty seriously, too. Instead of placing it in the late medieval era in which the action purportedly takes place, Hudson decided to set it in the Elizabethan environment of Shakespeare’s England. He even asked the designer to re-create the

Globe Theatre—the theater in which Shakespeare’s plays were originally produced—onstage. It is possible to buy tickets and actually sit on the stage of the venue as if one is sitting in the Globe itself.

“Pushing this production to Shakespeare’s time allowed us to create the Globe Theatre as a focal point,” Hudson says.

“It also meant we could do much more more interesting costuming. The medieval era of the Henry plays was drab and dark, but Elizabethan dress was colorful in design and style.”

The story of Falstaff concerns middle-class morality and how it played out among the people of high, middle and low status in that era.

Believe it or not, that can be funny.

“I love doing comedies. I love the timing involved, and the intricacies.

Comic operas are incredibly specific as far as action and movement. Every black dot on the page”—every note in the opera’s musical score—“has something exact and specific for the singer to do.”

Staging an opera, as opposed to a play, also means that a director must bow to the music for its sense of timing.

“In a play, I might be able to move people around the stage faster. But if I do

Falstaff brings Shakespearian laughs and lyrical grandeur to Arizona Opera

that in the middle of an aria, the singer will get winded.”

The trick to staging opera, Hudson says, is hearing the music and then “sensing the people and the action” based on the music. That, and “staying out of the way of the singers.”

“Falstaff” concludes the 2015-16 season for Arizona Opera, which recently announced its 2016-17 season. Following a benefit concert, Arizona Opera will open with one of its first Dvorak opera, “Rusalka,” to be performed in Phoenix November 11-13. The remainder of the Phoenix season follows: “Madama Butterfly,” Puccini’s masterpiece and one of the most popular operas ever composed, February 3 through February 5.

“Riders of the Purples Sage,” the world premiere of an opera by local composer Craig Bohmler, March 3 through March 5.

“Cinderella” (La Cenerentola), Rossini’s take on the timeless fairytale, April 7 through April 9.

Arizona Opera was founded 45 years ago in Tucson as the Tucson Opera Company, and expanded to Phoenix shortly after. For tickets and more information, go to www.azopera.org.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

May 7 at 7pm

Mesa Performing Arts Center

47

Phoenix Boys Choir Sings Disney Favorites From the southern charm of "Zip-a-dee Doo Dah" and the endearing Mary Poppins "Feed the Birds," to the chill-inducing thrill of Disney's newest blockbuster Frozen, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”

Tickets $18-$28 www.phoenixboyschoir.org • 602-264-5328

BAKER PERFORMING ARTS SanTan Village, Gilbert Clyde Baker, Director Tiffany Selene, Musical Director

THE BAND PERRY and Logan Mize • March 5th HEART • April 16th TICKETS ON SALE NOW at TheGoodLifeFest.com Join the Conversation! #TGLF TEN_EntertainmentMag_digital.indd 1

2/24/16 8:59 AM 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

COMING

ATTRACTIONS “God’s Not Dead 2”

“Hostile Border” R - 88 MINUTES

Veronica Sixtos plays an undocumented immigrant who, raised in the United States, is arrested by the FBI for credit card fraud and quickly deported to Mexico where she reluctantly takes refuge at her estranged father’s cattle ranch. Her attempts to return home to the United States thrust her into a dangerous bond with a foreign smuggler as she navigates a tightrope of impossible choices. Opens April 15.

PG - 100 MINUTES

Melissa Joan Hart plays a high school teacher who is asked a question in her public classroom about Jesus. Her reasoned response lands her in deep trouble and could expel God from the public square once and for all. Jesse Metcalfe, David A.R. White and Ray Wise also star. Opens April 1.

Smith and Anthony Scott Burns.

Opens April 22.

“Precious Cargo” R - 100 MINUTES

Bruce Willis plays a murderous crime boss who, after a botched heist, hunts down the seductive thief (Claire Forlani) who failed him. To win back his trust, she recruits her ex-lover (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) to steal a cargo of rare precious gems.

But when the job goes down, allegiances are betrayed and lines are crossed. Opens April 22.

“The Invitation” NR - 100 MINUTES

Logan Marshall-Green plays a man who shows up at the dinner party of his ex-wife (Tammy Blanchard) and new husband (Michiel Huisman).

Amid her suspicious behavior and mysterious house guests, he becomes convinced that his invitation was extended with a hidden agenda.

Opens April 8.

“Mr. Right” “High Strung” PG - 97 MINUTES

Nicholas Galitzine plays a violinist busking in the New York subway who encounters a classical dancer (Keenan Kampa) on scholarship at the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts.

With the help of a hip-hop dance crew, they must find a common ground while preparing for a competition that could change their lives forever.

Opens April 8.

R - 95 MINUTES

Anna Kendrick plays a young woman who falls for a seemingly perfect guy (Sam Rockwell) who just happens to be a professional assassin.

His services are solicited by a dubious client being sought by an equally dubious FBI agent (Tim Roth). As the bodies pile up, she needs to decide whether to flee or join in the mayhem.

Opens April 8.

“Holidays” NR - 100 MINUTES

An anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions. Featuring segments by Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, Matt Johnson, Scott Stewart, Nick McCarthy, Dennis Widmyer, Kevin Kolsch, Sarah Adina

“Term Life” R - 94 MINUTES

Vince Vaughn plays a desperate man who, wanted around town by various hitmen, takes out a life insurance policy on himself payable to his estranged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld).

However, the policy does not take effect for 21 days... and he may not live that long. Opens April 29.

For more movie reviews, in-depth celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes insights, tune in to breakthrough entertainment 9 a.m. to 12 p.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 APRIL 2016

THE CRITIC

LIGHTS » CAMERA » ACTION » SCREEN » ENCHANT » TRANSPORT

What movie should you see this month?

Ask our experts!

Our film writers grade what’s in theaters Movie

JOSEPH’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

“Eddie the Eagle”

“Eddie the Eagle” is the epitome of inspirational cinema.

The new biographical sports dramedy is the best movie of the year so far and a strong contender for one of the best movies of 2016 period. The urge to stand up and cheer is overwhelming as is the tendency to draw comparisons to your own obstacles that will suddenly seem surmountable if only to prove people wrong. Actor Taron Egerton seamlessly disappears into the title character while director Dexter Fletcher brings ski-jumping to very vivid life on the big screen. Never before have I experienced such an explosion of emotions than while watching this gold medal worthy motion picture.

RANDY’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

“Zootopia”

A good animated film should appeal to all ages and all types of audience to succeed at the box office and leave a legacy. Disney Animation Studios’ latest release does all of that. Not only does “Zootopia” deliver too many laughs to even begin to describe, it tackles a level of social commentary that is not only topical, but well stated. One of the best films (of any kind) in years.

Joseph

“10 Cloverfield Lane” “Barney Thomson”

“Race”

ABOUT THE FILM WRITERS

M.V.

A

B

“The Bronze”

B

“The Brothers Grimsby” “The Confirmation”

C C

“The Divergent Series: Allegiant” “Eddie the Eagle”

C A

“Eye in the Sky”

B B

“Hello, My Name is Doris”

C

“Jack of the Red Hearts”

C

“Knight of Cups”

F

“Miracles from Heaven”

C

“The Program”

It’s sort of surprising that the triumphs of Jesse Owens, the African-American track and field great who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics--literally under the nose of Adolph Hitler, and in the face of his racial ideologies—haven’t gotten the standard inspirational screen treatment sooner. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, “Race” is conventional sports-movie uplift, but Stephan James, as Owens, has a dulcet voice and a charming callowness, and Jason Sudeikis has a likable brassy manner as coach Larry Snyder. More than any of this, however, Race works simply because of the thrilling story it tells.

Randy

C

“The Other Side of the Door”

M.V.’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

JOSEPH J. AIRDO is a film critic, producer and onair personality for Breakthrough Entertainment, a talk radio show airing 9 a.m. to 12 p.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

B

D

B C

“Race”

B

“Triple 9”

B

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”

C

“The Witch” “Zootopia”

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.

B

B B

B

A

B

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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BROTHERLY LOVE T

Nicole Choksi » The Entertainer!

The cast of ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ has an undeniable chemistry

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

he men of “Everybody Wants Some!!” are clearly like brothers.

The chemistry between actors Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell, Quinton Johnson and Forrest Vickery is undeniable.

During a recent interview at the Camby Hotel, there was constant laughter and jokes flying between the four.

They genuinely cared about what the others were saying, which was evident from their intensity.

In the R-rated “Everybody Wants Some!!” the brotherhood came to light in a different way. Powell, Russell, Johnson and Vickery play college baseball players who pull pranks on younger students. The bond on screen was believable.

Considered to be a sequel to Richard Linklater’s films “Dazed and Confused” and “Boyhood,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” follows the athletes as they learn to adjust to college life the first week of school. From parties to girls to baseball, the movie maneuvers through unsupervised adulthood.

“Freedom,” says Powell, who plays Finnegan. “It’s all about learning from the newfound freedom.”

The four men don’t associate their friendships with the film’s potential success. They give all the credit to

Linklater. In fact, Powell even said that if the movie been in the hands of any other director, there may be a different outcome.

Linklater allowed them to experiment during the filming, which may have led to the impromptu expressions on screen. The actors were able to bring themselves into their characters, down to the clothing.

“They set up a shopping center almost,” says Russell, the son of actor Kurt Russell. “We got to go and pick out outfits we thought our character would wear, or even what we thought others might wear.”

They channeled their inner character during the two weeks before filming when the group spent time at Linklater’s ranch.

That was Vickery’s favorite part of the process. Like their visit to Phoenix, they were able to bond and make the connections that a real team would have.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

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ROLL FILM Phoenix Film Festival showcases stellar films for 16th year

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

A

s the 16th annual Phoenix Film Festival approaches, event director Jason Carney admits that his job can get a little stressful.

“Once January hits, it’s nonstop crazy until the festival comes,” Carney says. “I’m good for a couple of meltdowns. My wife, she usually talks me down and then it’s not so bad.”

The crunch time is just about over, as the Phoenix Film Festival hits the Harkins Scottsdale 101 14 from Thursday, April 7, through Thursday, April 14.

The Phoenix Film Festival annually screens more than 150 films, holds parties and provides filmmaking seminars to capacity audiences. Carney says he expects more than 23,000 attendees over the eight days.

“I think we have a really strong lineup this year,” he says. “We have really solid films through and through.”

To help film lovers navigate through the schedule, Carney offered a list of films to which he’s looking forward.

“Morris from America,” starring Markees Christmas and Craig Robinson, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7.

“Craig Robinson is in a more serious role,” Carney says. “It’s a feel-good movie that won awards at Sundance. It’s about this kid who’s engrained in the hip-hop culture and DJing, then his family moves him to Germany. It’s a sweet film.”

“The Man Who Knew Infinity,” starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, 7 p.m. to 8:55 p.m. Friday, April 8. The movie tells the story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a mathematical genius. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about that film.”

“Sing Street,” featuring Ferdia WalshPeelo, Lucy Boynton, Aidan Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10. “It comes from Tom Carney, who directed “Once.” It’s about an Irish kid in Dublin who sees a girl he likes and decides to get a rock band together. He doesn’t have any musical experience, but he does it to get the girl. It looks super charming.”

“Colin Hay: Waiting for My Real Life,” 6:25 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. Sunday, April 10, and 2:50 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, April 13. “It’s about the Men at Work singer and it shows his life in general. It’s a great story about how he rose to fame.

When the bottom dropped out and there was a lawsuit, he plays a lot of clubs and small theater. He’s an amazing storyteller and so charming, this documentary’s great.”

“Five Nights in Maine,” starring David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest and Rosie Perez, 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

“It has a really strong cast. It’s about a guy whose wife passes away and his motherin-law invites him to Maine. It’s a very dramatic film. That’s our closing night movie.”

“We have more films than we ever played before,” Carney says. “It’s a busy week, that’s for sure. Once you come to the festival, you get hooked.”

Phoenix Film Festival

Harkins Scottsdale 101 14, 7000 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, phoenixfilmfestival.com, various times Thursday, April 7, through Thursday, April 14, $13-$300 WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

THE DINER

53

EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH

Happy Hour Guide 54 K O’Donnell’s 58 Village Tavern 56

THE BEST FOOD EVENTS IN

APRIL Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

Agave on the Rocks APRIL 1 Come experience delicious fare and tequila among the garden. Delicious cuisine will be prepared by local restaurants paired with refreshing margaritas. Suerte Tequila will have a sampling station available. There will also be food sampling from the caterers and restaurants including Arizona Taste, Gertrude’s, Los Sombreros, Copper Square Kitchen and more. Start your weekend at the Desert Botanical Garden with an evening of food, drinks and Latininspired music.

Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 480.481.8188, dbg.org, 6 p.m.-10 p.m., $75

Polish Festival APRIL 9 AND APRIL 10 Celebrate Polish culture and cuisine at the 13th annual Polish Festival.

For two whole days, you can listen to traditional music from Poland, see

Scottsdale Culinary Festival

folk dance performances, partake in kid’s activities and, of course, indulge in authentic Polish dishes such as perogies, grilled polish sausage, potato pancakes, polish crepes and more. It’s sure to be a delicious weekend!

Our Lady of Częstochowa Parish, 2828 W. Country Gables Drive, Phoenix, 480.442.9765, polishfestivalaz.org, times vary, free

APRIL 16 AND APRIL 17 Satisfy your taste buds and wet your whistle at the weekend-long Scottsdale Culinary Festival. There will be 40 local restaurants, 30 breweries, 20 bands, chef demonstrations, family zones, wine gardens and more during this food-filled weekend. Walk along the 25 acres of food and drink zones and find restaurants like Grimaldi’s, Pita Jungle, SanTan Brewing Company, The District and many others. Don’t forget to check out the new Culinary Experience Tent to see some of the best chefs, cooking challenges, culinary discussions and more.

Scottsdale Civic Center, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480.945.7193, scottsdalefest.org, times vary, $10-$140

Dinner with Wolves

Bon Vivant

APRIL 10 You’ve heard of “Dances with Wolves,” now it’s time for Dinner with Wolves.

The Mexican gray wolf is considered the most endangered mammal in North America, and this event wants to bring awareness to that. Tickets include transportation, a cocktail reception and delicious dinner, a silent auction and a guided tour to see Mexican gray wolves, bears, leopards, coyotes and more.

Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, 27026 N. 156th Street, Scottsdale, 602.374.3906, dinnerwithwolves.com, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., $250

VER 1 BILLI N S LD! SINCE 1910

APRIL 17 It’s time to celebrate all things food and drink at the 31st annual Bon Vivant.

More than 30 of the Valley’s best restaurants, kitchens, resorts and caterers will come together to share samples from their delicious menus. The event will also feature than over 700 wines, liquors, ales, microbrews and nonalcoholic beverages such as tea, coffee and sparkling water. These beverages will be paired with the restaurants to give the guests the ultimate culinary experience.

Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, 480.502.5600,

BREAKFAST!

clubzona.org/bonvivant2016, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., $75-$125

$5 Food Festival APRIL 23 If you love food but don’t have much to spend, the $5 Food Festival has got your back. Every vendor at the festival will offer a delicious dish for just $5 all day, making this an affordable and tasty event for the whole family.

Along with the reasonably priced food, there will be craft beer, margaritas, mixed drinks, soda and waters.

The vendor list will be up about a week days before the festival, so be sure to check back on its website to see if your favorites will be there!

Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 W. Alameda Drive, Tempe, fivedollarfoodfest.com, 12 p.m. -7 p.m., $5-$15

Sausage Fest APRIL 24 Get ready for an all-day Sausage Fest at Brat Haus! Head to the beer garden to see a 100-foot brat and the largest pretzel. Guests can purchase a portion of the big brat for $1 an inch benefitting the ALS Association of Arizona.

There will also be many exotic brats for tasting, a sausage “selfie zone,” sausage-making demonstrations, beer pong and many other exciting activities.

Brat Haus, 3622 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.947.4006, brathausaz.com, 12 p.m.-8 p.m., $8-$10

LUNCH!

KOSHER BAKERY! WE CATER!

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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HAPPY HOUR GUIDE Brat Haus

Gallagher’s Sports Grill

Pig & Pickle

Buck & Rider

Hard Rock Café

Rehab Burger Therapy

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

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

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

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

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

Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers

Hungry Monk

Craft 64

Lucky Strike Bowling

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

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!

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

Creole Cajun Bistro

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, $4 well drinks and $5 house wine with complimentary tenderloin sliders

Luxe Lounge

5070 S. Gilbert Road, Suite 400, Chandler Monday through Friday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. $1 off all wines by the glass, $2 off all signature drinks and $1 off all appetizers

SunUp Brewing Co.

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.

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

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

The Mission at Minder Binder 715 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe Daily 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. $2 domestics, $4 quality wells, $2 off all pizzas

Tandoori Times

Tandoori Times Indian Bistro

8140 N. Hayden Road, Suite H-115, Scottsdale 5626 W. Bell Road, A-103, Glendale Tuesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. $1 off wine and liquor, $2 off all beer and happy hour appetizers from $3.99

Duke’s Sports Bar & Grill

Old Town Tavern

Tutti Santi

El Chorro

Park Place Bar & Grill

Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap

EVO

Peter’s

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

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

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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.

8320 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Wine and Champagne are $5 and appetizers are $6

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 Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. $5 small plates and The Drink Exchange-prices vary based on supply and demand

COME CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO WITH US SPECIALS ALL DAY, AT ALL THREE LOCATIONS

AWARD-WINNING MEXICAN FOOD FOR OVER 38 YEARS! Family Owned and Operated In Arizona Since 1978 HAPPY HOUR & LUNCH SPECIALS DAILY • DINE IN - CATERING & TAKE OUT

CENTRAL PHOENIX

SCOTTSDALE

AVONDALE

1133 E. Northern Ave.

7000 E. Mayo Blvd. Building #21

765 N. 114th Ave.

(602) 274-5881

(480) 367-0469

(623) 266-6003

carlosobriens.com

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EXPECT THE

UN-EXPECTED Village Tavern stands the test of time

Marjorie Rice » The Entertainer!

S

ome of the best advice I ever got from a fellow fresser was to pick a restaurant, preferably one with a good bar, and become a regular.

It seems like quite a few folks have followed that advice and picked Village Tavern in the Shops at Gainey Village as the place where everybody knows their name.

You can find them packing the bar and patio for happy hour, arriving early to snag a table and spilling out the door as they wait for booths in the capacious, open-beamed main dining room.

Some really make a habit of it, like the Chicago snowbird I shared a bar table with one recent afternoon. “What’s your favorite restaurant?” I asked. “Here,” he said, punching the tabletop with his index fingers. “I’m here two or three times a week.”

It’s an easy-going atmosphere where people seem happy to share space when it’s crowded—which is most of the time.

At my tablemate’s suggestion I tried the Southern shrimp and grits, $18.50, a luscious combination of stone-ground grits laced with Gruyere and topped with a sauté of Applewood-smoked bacon, mushrooms, scallions, garlic and shrimp.

It hearkens back to the chain’s Southern roots in Winston Salem, where the first Village Tavern opened in 1984.

“Guests don’t know what to expect,” says manager Paul Apana. “Once they try it, they keep coming back for more.”

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

I’d also come back for the crab cake, served with a miso-dressed salad, $11.95.

It brought back memories of a sunny afternoon in Baltimore and a fat sandwich brimming with lump crab just picked from the shell.

“We make everything fresh every day,” Apana says. “It’s a long process but well worth it.”

A large core menu is supplanted by more local flavors. So you’ll find the Duo appetizer, $9.95, pairing guacamole with a new offering—pimento cheese—and tortilla chips. South meets Southwest.

And don’t miss the warm buttercake, $7.50, crispy outside, chewy and dense inside, topped with vanilla ice cream, raspberry puree, raspberries and blueberries.

“There are certain things I always make my friends try when they come here,” Apana says. “Grouper Hemmingway is one, prime rib is another, and buttercake—none of my friends leaves without trying one. It’ll never happen.”

Grouper Hemingway, $18.95, fresh from the Atlantic, is sautéed with a white wine and lemon butter sauce, tomatoes, capers, parmesan and angel hair pasta.

Another seafood winner is firecracker shrimp tacos, $14.95, tempura-battered shrimp in an assertive Thai chili sauce and served with mango-cilantro slaw. It’s an unusual take on street tacos that I’ll want to have again.

Burgers run $10.95 to $13.50—a

good value in this town. And that is part of Village Tavern’s appeal—the swank of a Scottsdale address but at less lofty prices than at many other area eateries.

Customers aren’t the only regulars.

Apana came on board a couple of months after the restaurant opened 15 years ago.

The bar manager has been here since day one and the executive chef has been here 10 years.

That’s also been key to Village Tavern’s success.

When I open up a menu as diverse as the Village Tavern’s, I wonder if they can bring it all home. That’s a lot of dishes to prepare well. Apana says it helps that his kitchen staff has long years—five or more for most of the team—to master them.

Many of the servers also tend to stay for years.

Apana was born in Maui, and he works to instill Hawaiian-style hospitality in his staff. “From top to bottom, they take pride in who they are and where they work,” he says. “And they treat guests like family.”

Like the couple who came in for the first time about a month ago to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The server asked Apana if he could buy them dessert.

“What an honor for them to celebrate here,” Apana says. “I told the server, ‘Why just dessert? If they were your family wouldn’t you want to buy their whole dinner?’ So we comped them the whole meal.”

One more word about the setting: The main dining room features high-sided booths down the center for an almost clubby atmosphere. It’s a pleasure to be in a place that understands that you might want to put down your fork and have a quiet conversation now and then.

Several regulars have “their” booths, Apana says.

“One gentleman used to come in three nights a week with his wife. She passed away and there’s a small plaque there that says, ‘In loving memory of Sue.’ Another booth has one in memory of Doc. When their families come in, that’s their booth too.”

Those are the traditions that keep a place busy for 15 years in a trendy scene like Scottsdale, where diners seem attached at the hip, traveling en masse from one new hot spot to the next.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do,” Apana says. “I’ve seen 11 restaurants open and close in this complex alone.”

Village Tavern

The Shops at Gainey Village, 8787 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 85258 480.951.6445 villagetavern.com

57

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 THE LEGENDARY® BURGER

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ing Available for Onsite or Off-site Cater

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12/23/15 3:04 PM

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

ONE FREE APPETIZER Signature Chicken Drummies Offer valid with coupon only.

Expires 4-30-16 Expires 3-31-16

HOURS Monday – Saturday 4PM – 10PM Happy Hour Every Day Open to Close at the Bar

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

7042 E. Indian School Rd., Scottsdale AZ 85251 480.946.1622 www.eddieshouseaz.com

AUTHENTIC IRISH AND AMERICAN FOOD JOIN US FOR: 1744 S Val Vista Dr

Dueling pianos EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT

Live Music SATURDAYS

Mesa 85204 480-507-7827 theharpaz.com

LARGE SELECTION OF BEERS • PATIO DINING WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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ONE-TWO

PUNCH

‘KO’ delivers a knock-out in food, drink and ambiance

Kenneth LaFave » The Entertainer!

F

or a sports bar and grill, K O’Donnell’s is a size that fits nearly all.

“KO,” as the popular Airpark hangout is called, is many things to many people.

Thinking of a bar and grill that really emphasizes the grill? KO’s prides itself on its scratch-made cuisine. Looking for a WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

place to watch your game, uninterrupted by people watching theirs? KO’s has 55 TVs and at-table sound-boxes for up to eight different games at once. And if brunch is your thing, KO’s has that, too.

“We have business people who come in from meetings at the Airpark during the week, and then bring their families back for brunch on the weekend,” says Jennifer O’Donnell, co-owner of KO’s with partner Don Stremme.

O’Donnell is clearly the “O” in KO’s.

But who is the “K”?

“That was my dad, Kevin O’Donnell, who started it in 2005,” says daughter O’Donnell.

“He retired in 2011 to play professional poker.”

It’s a tough life, but Kevin O’Donnell went off to lead it, and his daughter and Stremme bought the business from him.

“Dad was always a poker player, so

when he got the opportunity to play professionally, he took it. When I was a kid, I learned to play Texas Hold ‘Em before I learned to play Go Fish,” O’Donnell says.

Dad O’Donnell returns to his namesake establishment from time to time, O’Donnell says, for one of KO’s poker nights, which are held Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings.

Patrons come in for KO’s extensive drink menu or poker night or to watch a game, but when they taste to food, O’Donnell says, that becomes a major reason to return.

“We do a lot of focus in the food.

Usually in a sports bar, you’re going to get fried food made from frozen ingredients.

Everything we do is fresh. We have fresh bread and produce delivered every day.

Our French fries and ice cream are the only frozen items,” O’Donnell says.

Even the potato chips and salad dressings are made from scratch.

One of KO’s most popular menu items is its grilled wings, which are fried like most wings, but then thrown on the grill for extra crispiness. Of course, they make their own sauce, a Buffalo-based concoction with something special added that O’Donnell calls the “K O Secret Sauce.”

Fans of typical sports bar cuisine will not be disappointed here: You can still order nachos and cheese fries. But KO also features casual fine dining, with entrees that include Alaskan salmon, NY Strip steak and a Jambalaya made with an in-house blend of seasonings. The brunch menu features omelets, a variety of Benedicts, steak and eggs, and something called “King Cakes,” described as “oven cakes with peanut butter, chocolate chips and bananas baked in and served with maple syrup.” Brunch drinks are a buildyour-own Bloody Mary and the “tableside Mimosa,” with a choice of juices including pear and cranberry in addition to the usual orange.

The food is only one side of KO’s popularity, says O’Donnell.

“We’re known as the ‘Cheers’ of the area. We try to talk to people at every table.”

KO recently began making lunch deliveries to Airpark businesses. There’s plenty of seating inside, but the patio is especially popular, and dog-friendly.

K O’Donnell’s

14850 N. Northsight Boulevard Scottsdale 85260, 480.922.7200, kodonnells.com

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BIG EASY

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 TASTE OF THE

Great Southwest Cajun Fest comes to Chandler Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

A

t the Great Southwest Cajun Fest, you’ll get a taste of the Big Easy in the desert.

Celebrate the Cajun culture, cuisine and craft beer, as well as live jazz, contemporary swing and blues bands to set the mood.

Presented by Abita Brewing Company and Angry Crab Shack, the Great Southwest Cajun Fest will transport you to the heart of New Orleans.

There will be live entertainment all day long from bands like the Urban Renewal Project, as well as food vendors like JJ’s Louisiana BBQ, Creole Cajun Bistro, Honey Bear’s BBQ and many others serving up traditional Cajun dishes blended with Arizona flavors.

Sink your teeth into authentic Cajun barbecue, jambalaya, shrimp étouffée, crawfish mac ‘n’ cheese and more. After chowing down on some good eats, wash it all down with some Lousiana brews from Abita Brewing Company, a Louisiana-based brewery founded in 1986 that is located just 30 miles north of New Orleans.

Other activities include shoebox floats, the New Orleans craft corner for the kids and a parade complete with dogs dressed in feathers, tutus and other

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Lousiana-esque garb. If eating is your specialty, you can test your skills at the eating competitions featuring Cajun wings, watermelon and crawfish.

The themed zones will immerse you into the culture with iconic names like Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Garden District, Lafayette Street, Central City, Canal Street and the VIP Gentilly Terrace.

Now in its second year, the fest is moving from Margaret T. Hance Park to Downtown Chandler at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park. The festivities will run from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 23.

General admission tickets to the fest are $10 and children 12 and under are free. VIP tickets are $65 and include six alcoholic beverages, unlimited soft drinks and water, catering from Angry Crab Shack, front stage access and private restrooms and seating. Join in on the fun and purchase your tickets today at southwestcajunfest.com.

Great Southwest Cajun Fest Dr. A. J. Chandler Park, 3 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 602.276.2499, southwestcajunfest.com, Saturday, April 23, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., $10

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

Tandoori Times

61

Indian Bistro

Ethnic Indian Fine Dining Restaurant & Bar “International food brings people close, Tandoori Times brings them closer.”

Belly Dancing every Friday & Saturday, 7:30 pm onwards “Best of Phoenix” Winner “Readers Choice Award Winner 2014”

LOCATIONS:

SCOTTSDALE 8140 N. Hayden Rd. #H-115 Scottsdale, AZ 85258 480.794.1404

GLENDALE 5626 W. Bell Rd. #A-103 Glendale, AZ 85308 602.993.1422

Weekend Reservations Recommended:

www.TandooriTimes.com

HUNGRY? COME EAT AT SCOTTSDALE’S BEST HIDDEN GEM!

Stargazing, Homemade Tortillas, Fresh Southwestern Cuisine & AZ’s Best Margaritas offered nightly on our award winning Patio.

Proudly Celebrating 15 Years of the Valley’s Finest Margaritas & Tortillas

5070 S. Gilbert Rd., #400 (Located behind the CVS)

Chandler (480) 895-1655 www.creolecajunbistro.com HOURS: Tues.-Sat. 11am-10pm Sun: 11am-7pm, Closed Monday

Featured on the Food Network’s “Best Of” Show (480) 945-4567 6910 EAST MAIN STREET, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85251 WWW.OLDTOWNTORTILLAFACTORY.COM

MARDI GRAS MADNESS

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR LIVE MUSIC: BANDS & DATES WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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DINER INSIDER

Multiple locations tempt diners throughout the Valley Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

䰀䔀吀ᤠ匀 䠀䄀嘀䔀 匀伀䴀䔀

䘀甀渀 匀甀渀⸀ 䤀一 吀䠀䔀

If you’re craving your favorite eatery but aren’t close to home, you might not have to drive all the way across town to grab your favorite grub.

Plenty of local restaurants have more than one location around the Valley, so why not check out some of their other equally delicious spots?

Matt’s Big Breakfast

Culinary Dropout

Pizzeria Bianco

Chop Shop

Downtown Phoenix: 825 N. First Street, Phoenix, 602.254.1074 Biltmore Plaza: 3118 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602.840.3450 Sky Harbor: 3400 E. Sky Harbor Boulevard, Phoenix (Gate B5 in Terminal 4)

匀䤀䜀䠀吀 匀䔀䔀䤀一䜀 䈀 伀 䄀吀 䌀 刀 唀 䤀 匀 䔀 匀 䰀䤀嘀䔀 䴀唀匀䤀䌀 䘀 䤀 吀 一 䔀 匀 匀 ☀ 䘀 唀 一 伀 一 吀 䠀 䔀 圀 䄀吀 䔀 刀 ℀ 䈀 伀 䄀吀 刀 䔀 一 吀䄀 䰀 匀 䨀 䔀 吀 匀 䬀 䤀 匀 ☀ 圀 䄀 䬀 䔀 䈀 伀 䄀 刀 䐀 䈀 伀 䄀吀 匀 䘀 䰀夀 䈀 伀 䄀 刀 䐀 䤀 一 䜀 倀䄀䐀䐀䰀䔀 夀伀䜀䄀 匀䄀䤀䰀䤀一䜀 䰀䔀匀匀伀一匀 䄀一䐀 䴀伀刀䔀℀

Downtown Phoenix: 623 E. Adams Street, Phoenix, 602.258.8300 Town and Country: 4743 N. 20th Street, Phoenix, 602.368.3273

Rice Paper

Phoenix: 2221 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602.252.3326 Downtown Phoenix: 202 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.252.1223

Barrio Queen

Old Town Scottsdale: 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Suite 105, Scottsdale, 480.656.4197 Gilbert: 388 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert, 480.634.5025

⠀㤀㈀㠀⤀ 㔀 ㄀ⴀ㔀㄀ ㄀

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㘀 ㈀ⴀ㐀㔀㘀ⴀ㤀㤀㔀㔀 䔀堀⸀㄀

倀䰀䔀䄀匀䄀一吀 䠀䄀刀䈀伀刀 䴀䄀刀䤀一䄀 㠀 㜀 㠀 圀 䠀 愀 爀 戀 漀 爀 䈀 氀瘀 搀 Ⰰ 倀 攀 漀 爀 椀 愀 Ⰰ 䄀 娀 㠀 㔀 ㌀ 㠀 ㌀

VISIT OUR NEW LOCATION! SCOTTSDALE

7000 E. Mayo Blvd.

Building #21, Phoenix, Az 85054

(480) 367-0469

carlosobriens.com WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Tempe: 149 S. Farmer, Tempe, 480.240.1601 Phoenix: 5632 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602.680.4040 Scottsdale: 7135 E. Camelback Road, Suite 125, Scottsdale, 480.970.1700

Scottsdale: 7158 E. Fifth Avenue, Scottsdale, 480.794.1536 Tempe: 222 E. University Drive, Tempe, 480.307.9336 Chandler: 35 W. Boston Street, Chandler, 480.426.0216

Cornish Pasty

Tempe: 960 W. University Drive, Tempe, 480.894.6261 Mesa: 1941 W. Guadalupe Road, Mesa, 480.838.3586 Scottsdale: 3800 N. Goldwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480.945.1220 Downtown Phoenix: coming soon!

Hopdoddy

Scottsdale: 11055 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.348.2337 Phoenix: 2033 E Camelback Road, Suite A13, Phoenix, 602.242.2337

NEW MENU ITEMS Our talented chefs recently introduced several exciting

WINE & DINE WEDNESDAY Our expanded, award-winning wine list features

new options from our scratch kitchen, including the

more than 70 wines by the glass, all half-priced

Tavern Burger made with all-natural ground chuck, Pimiento Cheese Deviled Eggs, Cubano Sliders and Habana Mexican-Style Grilled Corn.

HAPPY HOUR 4 to 6:30 PM Monday - Friday Bar and Patio Only

on Wednesdays.

WEEKEND BRUNCH 11AM to 3 PM Saturday-Sunday Our popular brunch features new items such as Huevos Rancheros, served with Tavern Hash Browns, and Freshly-Baked Apple Walnut Muffins.

The Shops at Gainey Village 8787 North Scottsdale Rd. | Scottsdale, AZ 85258 www.villagetavern.com | 480.951.6445

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ALL IN THE

FAMILY

Marjorie Rice » The Entertainer!

A

s any lover of Mexican food knows, chiles rellenos can come in quite a range of guises.

There’s the typical Anaheim chile stuffed with cheese, battered and fried and cloaked with red sauce. Substitute a poblano or pasilla chile. Change up the cheese—Monterey Jack, asadero or other melting varieties.

Or skip the cheese and stuff the chile with picadillo—diced pork, raisins and nuts.

Batter the chile with anything from masa to an egg white-lightened near soufflé, fry and bring on the sauce.

Lots of possibilities. But the other week I came upon an entirely new—to me, anyway—variation on the relleno theme. It’s the Crispy Relleno, $13.59, at Fiesta Mexicana in Chandler.

The cheese-stuffed chiles weren’t battered at all. Instead, they were rolled in spicy egg roll wrappers and fried. It’s a customer favorite, says manager Kevin Rangel.

After sampling it, I can see why.

The egg roll wrappers stay crisp, a WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Recipes are wellkept secrets at Fiesta Mexicana

nice change from more traditional coatings, which can get soggy. And they’re not afraid of seasonings here, so the zippy sauces have a long, warm finish without searing your interior.

This was just one of the pleasant discoveries during recent visits to Fiesta Mexicana, a chain of family-owned restaurants with Arizona locations in Page, Chandler, Avondale and, the newest, Lake Havasu City.

I spoke recently with Kevin, 22, and his brother Edwin, 25, about their family’s entrepreneurial path. The men have worked in the family business since they were tall enough to reach the sinks and wash dishes. Edwin manages the Lake Havasu location.

“My dad really believed that to build character we had to learn from the bottom up,” Kevin says. “We all started as dishwashers. We had to learn how to be a buser, server, host and bartender and to do all the jobs in the kitchen.”

Dad is Martin Rangel. He and wife, Patricia, immigrated to the United States in their late teens. Their story is an inspiring tale of hard work and entrepreneurial spirit paired with culinary traditions and

strong family ties.

They came to the United States when they were just teens and immediately set to work, first picking fruit in California and Washington. They saved enough to open a travel agency, where Patricia worked while Martin held various jobs, including in restaurants and automotive repair.

“There was a long period of time where us kids wouldn’t see our dad at all,” Edwin says. “He worked from 5 or 6 in the morning and would not come home until midnight.”

In 2000 their uncle asked the Rangels to join him to open the first Fiesta Mexicana, in Woodland Park, Colorado.

It did well, but didn’t turn enough profit to support both families, and the Rangels decided to start their own Fiesta Mexicana.

“My dad would always say a man without a dream isn’t worth anything,” Edwin says. “My parents are by no means the type to be complacent. After the first restaurant, they wanted to keep growing.”

In the first two years they opened up four restaurants, and the chain eventually grew to 14. Four subsequently were

sold, two were franchised, and the Rangel family continues to manage the remaining eight. At the same time, they raised five children. Kevin and Edwin are the most active in the family business.

Kevin was manager for the Durango, Colorado, location before taking on the Chandler site. “As I was growing up, all my free time I would go and help my parents with the restaurant,” Kevin says.

“Little by little I was getting bigger roles.”

Fiesta Mexicana still is very much a family concern.

“My mom is the brains of the operation,” Kevin says. “She’s an incredible lady—very smart and very driven. Mom’s role was licensing, the office part, and my dad’s role was construction, team-building, hiring and firing.”

The whole family helped develop the recipes.

“When I was growing up my dad would taste something and say ‘This needs this. If this were mine, I would do this.’”

Kevin says. “I hated going to restaurants with him because he was the worst critic.

I’d say, ‘Just eat, enjoy.’”

I took his advice, trying the Mariscada a la Diabla, $19.99, one of Fiesta Mexicana’s long list of seafood offerings. I am always glad when I come upon a big selection of mariscos along with the usual enchiladas, tacos and combo plates.

After all, Mexico has almost 6,000 miles of coastline, so you’d expect seafood to play a major role.

Martin Rangel’s love for seafood is the reason for its prominent place on the menu, Kevin says. “Dad would live on a boat if he could.”

My only issue with the dish was that it made for some very slippery and hardto-handle crab legs. Next time I’ll ask the server to have them cracked before they go into the sauce. And I hope they order some tiny forks to make it easier to pull out the crabmeat.

Oh, and I have to mention the margaritas, which Fiesta Mexicana says were voted “Best” in some competition or other. There are plenty of those to go around and allow for a lot of places to make that claim, but these were excellent, “best” or not. The goblet I enjoyed, fragrant with fresh lime instead of bottled mix, invited long, slow savoring on the sunny patio.

A word about that patio. I’d swipe a couple of the vividly hand-painted chairs if I could have snuck them into my car.

The Rangels buy them by the hundreds from a factory in Mexico, and they are so colorful and fun that they put you into a good mood just looking at them.

The Rangels hope to start Sunday brunch buffets in the next month or two, and possibly begin making their own tortillas in-house. I’ll be back to try that, and to savor another of those great margaritas.

Fiesta Mexicana

4949 S. Alma School Road, Chandler 85248 (480) 895-8323 fiestamexicanarestaurants.com

COMING UP IN THE MAY ISSUE OF

THE DINER INSIDER ISSUE! Deadline April 22

THE DINING SECRETS OF OUR CITY! TO ADVERTISE, CALL (602) 405-2630

Award-Winning Beer from the Last Frontier

Brewed and bottled in Juneau, Alaska. alaskanbeer.com

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THE CRAFTMASTER

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SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

Beerfinder Directory 70 Beertenders 68 Culinary Dropout 72

Beer Over Here

Drink up at any of these Valley beer events this month Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

Great Arizona Beer Festival

APRIL 2 Get your drink on at the Great Arizona Beer Festival. Sip on over 200 craft beers from 50 breweries from all over the globe. Breweries include Full Sail Brewing, Boulder Beer, Coachella Valley Brewing, Uncle Bear’s Brewery and more. Don’t forget to take a break from the brews to enjoy some delicious food, nonalcoholic drinks, games, contests, entertainment and much more throughout the day.

Sloan Park, 2330 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Mesa, 602.271.4000, azbeer.com, 5 p.m.-9 p.m., $45-$50

Zia Records & Dogfish Head Brewery Charity Dinner & Silent Auction APRIL 9 There’s no better combination than beer, music and vinyl records. Zia Records and Dogfish Head Brewery are making their way to Brat Haus to benefit the Arizona Cancer Foundation Children. There will be

a four-course beer and food pairing dinner with Dogfish Head beer infused into the menu. The dinner will also include a silent auction featuring concert ticket bundles, staycation packages, a Dogfish Head turntable and many other items! Guests will also receive a “Music to Drink Beer to” and a Dogfish Head Record Store Day 2016 poster. Purchase your tickets online or at any of the Zia Records locations around the Valley.

Brat Haus, 3622 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.947.4006, brathausaz.com, 5 p.m.-7 p.m., $33.30

North Mountain Blues Brews & Arts Festival APRIL 10 The North Mountain Blues Brews & Arts Festival brings music, art and beer all in one place! Throw back an ice-cold beer while you browse the products from local artists, grab some grub and listen to the local musical talent from bands like The Sugar Thieves, The Rocket 88’s and JC & The Juke Rockers.

North Mountain Brewing, 522

E. Dunlap Avenue, Phoenix, 602.861.5999, northmountainbrewing.com, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $12.50 advanced, $15 doe

The Blue Moon Southwest Festival of Beers

APRIL 16 AND 17 As part of the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, The Blue Moon Southwest Festival of Beers brings together 200 craft brews from 40 breweries for a whole weekend. Inside the beer garden you can talk to the brewers, distributors and restaurant owners and enjoy tasty food, wine and music throughout the day. Grab your beer tasting mug and explore the 5 acres of beer festivities all weekend long.

Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, scottsdalefest.org, 12 p.m.-7 p.m., $40

Birds ‘n Beer

APRIL 21 Every third Thursday of the month, you can join the Audubon Center for their monthly Birds ‘n Beer event.

Come learn new things about Arizona

birds and wildlife while enjoying an ice-cold Four Peaks brew. This month’s theme is “Bird’s Life Lessons” from Audubon Arizona’s Dr. George A. Martinez.

Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, 3131 S. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.468.6470, riosalado.audubon.org, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., free

Beers ‘n Bones

APRIL 22 This fundraiser for the Arizona Museum of Natural History will be a prehistoric party! Guests will participate in bug tasting, hop smelling, a beer tasting trail and speed dating a scientist. You can also meet the brewers behind the delicious craft brews, eat some food and join in on a raffle to raise funds for the museum.

At Beers ‘n Bones, you can drink beers all night for a good cause, what’s not to love?

Arizona Museum of Natural History, 53 N. Macdonald, Mesa, 480.644.2230, arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org, 7 p.m.-11 p.m., $15-$40

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BEERTENDERS Bartenders who really know their beer Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

H

alf Moon Windy City Sports Grill is where Chicagoans come to feel at home and where Arizonans can experience a taste of Chi-town in the desert. With eight beers on tap that are constantly rotating, it’s the best place to grab your favorite Chicago beer or local Valley brew.

We asked Half Moon bartender Sally Alpernas about her love for craft beers and learned how Half Moon at Biltmore is dedicated to bringing their customers only the best brews in town.

What makes craft beer special?

It’s exploded over the recent years. It’s become almost like a trendy thing in the beverage community. I think it allows people to get creative with what they make depending on seasons and certain ingredients. It’s a creative outlet for a lot of breweries.

How did you get interested in craft beer?

I’m originally from Portland, Oregon, which is like the Mecca of craft beer, and it’s a foodie city as well. I think that

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beer is very food-friendly and versatile.

From a bartender’s perspective we tend to judge people on what they’re drinking and I feel like if you’re drinking beer you’re either a laid back person or in a laid back mood. It’s easy to drink, whenever, wherever.

Why is Half Moon the perfect place for craft beer lovers?

We always make sure to listen to our customers and take note of their requests and what they like. We are good at noticing trends through the market and we pay attention and get in touch with vendors that carry whatever’s in season and whatever’s popular. We make sure to rotate it. We always have a seasonal tap and a rotating tap.

What is your favorite part of the craft beer culture?

Especially now with the weather getting warmer I feel like people gravitate more towards beer. It’s refreshing. It quenches your thirst. It’s easier to drink. It’s affordable. It’s accessible. You have to sip it leisurely so it’s kind of a social drink of choice.

What is your favorite beer right now?

Right now I really like our Citradelic IPA, I feel like it’s really well-balanced.

It has that bitter, hoppy character but it’s also rounded out by a little bit of maltyness. I always like to recommend pairings, and I tell people to have carrot cake with IPA. It’s the Eli’s Carrot Cake from Chicago, it gets flown in.

Half Moon Windy City Sports Grill

2121 E. Highland Avenue, Phoenix 85016, 602.977.2700, halfmoonsportsgrill.com

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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 and Scottsdale 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!

Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row

Phoenix Public Market Café

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

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.

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

Pig & Pickle

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!

Union Barrel House

3636 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale Look for a changing selection of taps along with great food.

Ground Control

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.

World of Beer

526 S. Mill Avenue, 2224 E. Williamsfield Road Locations in Tempe and Gilbert Let these fine folks take you around the world with over 50 taps and 400 bottles. You are bound to find your favorite beer.

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

craft 64

Main Ingredient Ale House

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.

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.

Flanny’s Bar and Grill

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

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, live music 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!

Artisan Wood Fired Pizza 36 all LOCAL Arizona beers on tap In the heart of Scottsdale

6922 E. Main StrEEt, ScottSdalE aZ • facEbo ok.coM/craft64 • craft64.coM • 480-946-0542

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BEER GEAR

GREAT BEER PAIRINGS:

CULINARY DROPOUT

Forget about wine pairings! We hail the hop. We’re all about pairing our favorite craft brews with delicious dishes from Valley restaurants.

Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

“At Culinary Dropout, we have a great selection of antipasti where guests can essentially pick and choose their own chef’s board. One of the cheeses we serve is Tete de Moins, a type of Swiss cheese. It starts really mild and then has this sharp, earthy, funky finish that pairs really well with dried fruit—or something a bit sweeter to counter that sharp bite. The Lynbrook Wild Sour by Destihl goes really nicely with this because of its tart yet sweet raspberry flavor. It’s the right amount of sweetness to balance the tanginess of the cheese.”

—Mat Snapp, master mixologist at Culinary Dropout

BEER

Brewery: Destihl Brewery (Chicago) Style: Berliner-Style Weisse Name: Wild Sour Lynnbrook

We carry Destihl Wild Sour Lynnbrook by the can at Culinary Dropout Tempe. This beer has a beautiful fuchsia color and an aroma that will remind drinkers of picking ripe raspberries off a bush in the woods.

There is basically no bitterness in this beer, instead, there is mainly a tart sweetness with a nice dry finish that helps cut through that sweetness.

DISH

Tete de Moins cheese and crusty bread

This Swiss cheese has a very pungent and earthy flavor and is best served when shaved into ribbons to maximize these flavors. The cheese starts out mild and then finished with that nice musty, earthy bite.

Culinary Dropout

149 S. Farmer Avenue, Tempe, 480.240.1601, culinarydropout.com

on in r e m o c you r o f t & roo rite team favo

4921 e. ray rd phoenix az 85044 (480) 961-2374

MLB HEADQUARTERS

MLB PACKAGE WITH OVER 25 TVS - ALL IN HD DOGS EAT FREE SATURDAY KIDS 10 & Under EAT FREE EVERY WED WITH PURCHASE OF AN ADULT ENTREE

the weather is just right!

UB's mandarin wheat

ENTERTAINER

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ENTERTAINER

Growler On Board

Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

The Growler On Board Growler Carrier from the creative minds at KegWorks keeps your brews protected from accidents and damage during their journey home. The growler carrier holds up to three 64-ounce growlers and keeps them snug in place until your destination is reached. For your convenience, each compartment includes a hole at the bottom that can be used as a growler collar to properly dry your growlers after being washed. The carrier can be easily placed on your car floor, seat and trunk, making transport easier than ever.

Available at kegworks.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

73

COMING UP IN THE JUNE ISSUE OF

THE STAYCATION ISSUE FOR ARIZONA’S HOTELS & RESORTS

ENJOY $10 OFF THE PURCHASE OF $40 OR MORE. *Valid at dinner only.

CALL

(602) 405-2630

Valid at Gordon Biersch San Tan, Tempe and Scottsdale only.

TO ADVERTISE OR BE FEATURED EDITORIALLY

$10 OFF $40 DINNER DINING ROOM ONLY/ NO HAPPY HOUR Void where prohibited by law. No cash value. For promotional purposes only. Not valid towards gift card purchases. One per table.

Valid at participating restaurants only. Not valid at airport locations. Alcohol purchase may be prohibited. Not valid with any other offer or discount. No stored value. Must be used in a single visit. A printed copy of this offer or a digital copy via mobile device must be presented to your server to qualify for this discount. Excludes tax and gratuity. Must be 21 years or older to consume alcohol. Valid in San Tan, Tempe and Scottsdale only. EXPIRES: 8/31/16

®

6 1 0 2 , 2 2 L I R P A pm 6 p m -1 0 ent 21+ Ev

53 N. Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201

BUY ONLINE AT:

AzMNH.org

For Event Details check out - Facebook at

facebook.com/azmnh1

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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

HOT FIRE, COLD BEER

Battling a brushfire leads to Firemans Brew Ken Abramczyk » The Entertainer!

R

ob Nowaczyk, Ed Walker and other Los Angeles County firefighters once battled a brushfire in 2000 that was fierce and quick enough to leap a freeway onto mountains near Glendale, California.

They successfully extinguished it.

Afterward Nowaczyk and Walker discussed how thirsty they were.

“Wouldn’t it be really cool to brew a beer?” Nowaczyk asked Walker.

After they returned to the fire station, they photographed themselves, each holding up a beverage, which was, of course, nonalcoholic.

That day they decided to brew their own beer.

Nowaczyk’s first attempt to brew his own beer was in college. He laughs as he remembers the beer’s strength and taste, which left little to be desired, he says.

Nowaczyk says he wanted to brew

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something that was “not too hoppy.” “We wanted a smooth tasting beer that wasn’t too heavy.”

This time, Nowaczyk was far more successful.

First, they brewed a lager (a “blonde,” as brewers often reference it), then Nowaczyk and Walker created their own labels, bottled the brew themselves in small batches, then began taking the bottles to firefighter retirement parties and gatherings.

After the blonde, they developed the redhead with the flavors of caramelized malt and the brunette, the essence of chocolate and espresso, Nowaczyk says.

Nowaczyk shelved the company until after 9/11, because he didn’t want to look like he was exploiting the tragedy that killed 343 firefighters. He and Walker didn’t let go of the craft brewing idea because “nobody was doing it” at that time.

When Nowaczyk wanted to create a new company name, he was stunned when “Firemans Brew” was available.

“We couldn’t believe it wasn’t taken,” Nowaczyk says.

Nowaczyk also wanted a percentage of proceeds from every product sold donated to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Word soon spread about the beer brewed by firefighters for firefighters.

Roger Baer, who was working in the liquor industry at the time, heard of the Firemans Brew from a friend of his who knew Nowaczyk. When Baer heard about the craft beer and the need for business partners to expand the products inside and outside California, it didn’t take long for him to decide whether to join them. “It took me about 30 seconds. It sounded exciting.”

They received a distributor license in California and they were off to the races.

“We did what we had to do,” Baer says.

Baer says the early days were a challenge. He would get a phone call, and was asked to pick up 10 cases and drive it to Bristol Farms, a California food store. The staff would have “packing parties,” filling four or five pallets with six packs of bottles.

The brews also evolved and grew. The company developed an amber ale (redhead)

and a German doublebock (brunette) to join the pilsner-style lager (blonde).

The business plan also included expansion out of state. That eventually required a move of the brewery near Ukiah in Northern California. The corporate offices are in Canoga Park, California.

Today the beer is available in 15 states, including Arizona, and licensed in 23.

The Firemans Brew recently switched distributors to Crescent Crown Distributing in the Phoenix area. At the time of this interview, the brews were available at Total Wines, but Baer and Nowaczyk expect availability to grow as they meet with representatives from grocery stores and other outlets to expand in the Phoenix area.

Beer customers enjoy new flavors and beers that taste good, which is why the craft brewing industry is booming, Baer says.

“We’re what the customer is looking for.”.

Baer watches customers in the “Pick 6” section of stores, who will read labels, ask questions and try the new flavors, which adds to their knowledge of the beers, what ingredients they like and keep them returning to those flavors. “They are very experimental,” Baer says.

“It’s pretty gratifying to see people trying these beers.”

Baer and Nowaczyk are confident beer lovers will enjoy and buy their products, especially when they learn the story about Firemans Brew and its support for the foundation, a cause that was important to the company’s co-founder. “We chose to give back to firefighters all over the U.S.,” Nowaczyk says.

Nowaczyk says Yarnell fire which killed 19 firefighters in 2013 hit firefighters hard across the country. Nowaczyk saw the tragedy hit close to home. Nowaczyk is friends with Joe Woyjeck, a fire captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The captain’s son, Kevin Woyjeck, was one of the 19 Yarnell fire victims.

The foundation helped support the families of those firefighters.

“One of the firefighters had four small children, and the foundation will help the children through college,” Nowaczyk says.

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IN GOOD SPIRITS W

Mingle and sip through liquor fest’s new Ocotillo location Tim J. Randall » The Entertainer!

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ith aerial bartenders, craft liquors to sample and demonstrations, the 3-yearold Chandler Craft Spirits Festival is moving to Ocotillo to enhance the experience.

“In previous years, we were in downtown Chandler and now we have moved the event to downtown Ocotillo and will feature an indoor/outdoor venue with a VIP area overlooking the lake,” says Tiffany Shultz, event producer.

The event, set for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, April 30, celebrates enthusiasts’ enjoyment of craft liquors, including bourbon, vodka and tequila while providing a fine mix of wine, beer and assorted cocktails. Activities range from demonstrations and seminars to aerial bartenders.

“We have also invited top bartenders in the state to participate in a variety of demos,” says Shultz.

There will be numerous entertainment opportunities and a designated VIP area offering guests access to perks.

Patrons will also be treated to a delicious assortment of food options.

“Attendees can expect a variety of food from small plates to full menus. We have food trucks and local restaurants,” she says. “In addition, we have partnered with San Marcos hotel to offer a full

experience. The San Marcos food will be featured in our VIP area.”

Of course the craft liquors are at the forefront of the festival and this year’s edition offers an even greater roster of alcohol artisans.

“We are so excited that we have many new local distilleries that will be involved in the event this year including: Caskworks, Hamilton, Arizona Distilling and O.H.S.O. but we have also invited boutique distilleries from across the region,” Shultz says. “We will have a judging panel of industry people come out from 3:30 to 4 p.m. to select a winner in several categories.”

Jon Lane, owner of O.H.S.O. Eatery + Brewery + Distillery, says he is excited about participating.

“We are just getting started in Arizona, most (distilleries) are under 5 years old and making high quality products already,” he says. “Arizona has already done well in national competitions and soon you will see us grow dramatically in state and national. We are just beginning.”

Attendance for the event is expected to be robust with about 3,000 visitors attending, according to Shultz. Patrons will be contributing to a great cause as they imbibe—Southwest Human Development, a nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development serving

135,000 children and their families.

“We’re excited to be teaming up with the Chandler Craft Spirits Festival to help create greater awareness of the importance of early childhood development and raise funding for these critical programs and services in our community,” says Jake Adams, chief development officer for Southwest Human Development.

“This year’s festival is going to feature so many great tastings, demonstrations, food, music and more, and we can’t think of a more fun way for the community to come together to support Arizona kids and their families.”

Shultz sees exciting future for the festival.

“We see the event growing and supporting more and more local distilleries as they open up,” she says. “We love to support local distilleries, breweries and our local wineries.”

Chandler Craft Spirits Festival

Downtown Ocotillo, 2475 W. Queen Creek Road, Chandler, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 30, http://bit.ly/1Rytn3F, chandlercraftspiritsfestival.com, $10-$60.

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MOVIN’ ON A

UP!

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James Swann » The Entertainer!

t the recent Arizona Strong Ale Festival I was fortunate to have a chat with Uwe Boer, pronounced “uva boar”—longtime brew master at SunUp Brewing in Phoenix— concerning future plans and latest developments. I was surprised to hear about all the new things going on there and just had to share it.

First things first. After recently moving up to a large 15-barrel brew house, SunUp will begin canning its popular White Russian Imperial Stout in just a few months. For those unaware, this beer recently won an award for best new Arizona brew and has become popular in the local craft beer bars and restaurants around town. It’s a strong imperial stout style with hints of vanilla and coffee sitting at a brisk 9.4 percent ABV. It’s not for the faint of heart but has become an overnight sensation among the local beer community. Expect to see it in stores near you in May or June.

Next, in cans, comes the Trooper IPA. Described as a balanced, foodfriendly IPA, Trooper is a crowd favorite at the SunUp Brewery pub and one you don’t want to miss.

Next, the brewery has adopted a new logo which will debut very shortly on the White Russian can as well as the brewery.

It’s a fresh new look for a brewery that has been in operation since 2004. The artist who created the logo is named Mads Berg, best known for his art deco designs seen throughout Europe as well as Vanity Fair.

As new brews go, Boer is excited about their Marzen-style beer named Melrose Marzen, which debuted at the Melrose street fair on March 5.

Beyond that, SunUp is brewing beers for Scottsdale hot spot Craft 64, including an IPA called Smooove Hoperator and a double IPA aptly named BONKERS. It’s the first partnership SunUp has forged in quite a while. It’s already garnered great results as these beers have been featured at the Arizona Strong Beer Festival and the Brewers Bowl Beer Festival in Scottsdale.

I am sure everyone has noticed that the craft beer market here in Arizona has exploded over the last five years and it’s great to see SunUp, one of our most storied and prolific breweries having so much success and so much fun movin’ on up.

CRESCENT CROWN MOBILE APP LOCATE EVENTS, BRANDS & BREWS ANYWHERE. App Available on iTunes & Google Play

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MASS

Does it really matter who owns your favorite brewery?

APPEAL

Dave Clark » The Entertainer!

W

ith the recent flurry of acquisitions in the beer industry— especially a very notable one here in the Valley—it’s time to ask the question of whether or not it truly matters who owns the brewery that makes your favorite beer. The craft beer community has prided itself on differentiation from mass produced beers made by giant conglomerates. Craft lovers have shunned “big beer” for years, rather aiming to support smaller, local breweries. The question that should be asked is twofold.

Does this really matter anymore and where does one draw the line?

Though beer companies have been bought and sold with regularity throughout history, within the past year it has become

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a hot topic of discussion because we have seen many changes of ownership within the craft beer community. In many cases, the buyer is a large conglomerate such as ABI (Anheuser-Busch InBev). The craft beer landscape began to change when Goose Island was purchased by ABI a few years ago and a recent flurry of activity continues to change the craft landscape. St. Archer of San Diego was acquired by MillerCoors, Ballast Point by Constellation and Breckenridge, Ten Barrel, Golden Road and Arizona’s own Four Peaks were acquired by ABI. There were also some “craft centric” deals that occurred. Alpine Brewing was acquired by fellow California craft brewery, Green Flash. And both Boulevard and Firestone Walker were given significant cash infusions by respected Belgian beer giant Duvel. Southern Tier and Victory joined forces to create a new brewing powerhouse.

The question to ask is does any of this really matter? Does the beer still taste the way it did before the acquisition? And, is it at least as readily available as it was before?

There is something noble, one could argue, in supporting the “small local guy” who faces enormous challenges against the “big guy” in a marketplace. But at what point does someone draw the line? If a consumer takes the stand that they will not support any company owned by “big beer” then a number of other questions come to mind. For example, where do they shop? If the answer is Walmart, then is that person disingenuous? If they buy groceries at Fry’s, is it OK that they are supporting the Kroger chain, the third largest retailer in the country? Where do they eat? Applebee’s, McDonald’s? Is it OK to patronize these mega-conglomerates yet not purchase beers owned by large companies?

Where should someone buy their craft beer? If the answer is Total Wine, where the selection is huge and reasonably priced, then again the consumer is buying from a nationwide conglomerate.

So is it OK to buy beer from Total Wine as long as it’s not a beer owned by a macro-producer?

It’s not up to this writer to answer the question; only to start the conversation.

At the end of the day, it should be more about whether or not your beer tastes good. Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA, Goose Island’s Bourbon County and Four Peaks’ Kiltlifter remain great beers regardless of who owns them. If it tastes good; drink it.

If it doesn’t, there are plenty other options to choose from.

Dave Clark is a certified Cicerone and nationally ranked BJCP judge who lives in Gilbert.

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REPORTING FOR DUTY

Sinbad brings his ever-evolving comedy show to Wild Horse Pass Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

D

avid Adkins got his start in comedy by joining the U.S. Air Force. Today, you know him as Sinbad, the stand-up comedian and actor who has been making people laugh for close to 40 years.

During his time in the military, Michigan-bred Sinbad was part of Tops in Blue, a touring performance group comprised of active duty U.S. Air Force members, and that’s how he got his start on the stage.

“They’ve traveled the world,” he says about Tops in Blue. “They’ve done halftime at Super Bowls. It was like superstars for the military and it was musicians and singers and everything. I saw this comedian and I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to do that.’ I got obsessed with it.”

That obsession led to a successful career later in life. Throughout his career, he’s always been inspired by the big names in comedy.

“I was inspired by all the greats.

Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Jerry Lewis, Jonathan Winters, Red Skelton, Flip Wilson. All of these people were a part of what I wanted to be,” Sinbad says.

His influences are varied and so is his ever-evolving style of comedy.

“I don’t know what the style is called.

It’s called ‘Sinbad,’” he says. “When you get me, you get me. There is no style to describe. You know what? You have to come experience it. It’s like the Jimi Hendrix Experience,” Sinbad says.

Sinbad’s talent expands beyond comedy. As an actor, he’s had roles in major motion pictures like “Necessary Roughness,” “Houseguest,” “Jingle All the Way,” “First Kid” and “Good Burger.”

He’s also had major roles in television series like “The Red Foxx Show,” “A Different World” and his own sitcom “The Sinbad Show.”

Sinbad also integrates his comedy and acting skills into his funk outfit called Memphis Red and the Stank Nasty Band.

“When I do music I call it ‘funkedy,’” he says. “I mix comedy with music so I think the best thing is that I don’t have

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to choose. When I first started comedy I was always opening up for bands, which is kind of a natural way to go. So I was able to feel both sides of it. I’m a funk man.

Funk is it.”

With stand-up comedy, acting and music under his belt, Sinbad is clearly a triple threat. As someone who has ADHD, doing a lot of things is a way to keep himself busy.

“I’m playing guitar and learning bass right now, saxophone, a little trombone, trumpet, trying to learn keyboard and percussion. So I’m always doing something,” Sinbad says.

His favorite thing about stand-up comedy is the independence and control he has over his own success.

“When you’re on stage you’re by yourself, you’re like a boxer. Somebody can coach you or whatever, but once you’re in the ring, it’s just you. When you’re doing movies, sometimes you don’t know how a movie is going to turn out, it’s more than just you and you’re on a team. But when you do comedy, it’s straight up you. If you fail, you fail. If you succeed, you succeed,” he says.

For Sinbad, the secret to staying relevant in the comedy world after all these years is simple: “Always try to find something new. I still love comedy as much; it’s fun because it changes. If you see me today and tomorrow, it’s two different things. It never stays the same. That would be boring.”

Come prepared to have a good time during Sinbad’s hilarious show at Wild Horse Pass at 8 p.m. Friday, April 8.

“When people come to my show, you’re going to have some fun and you just might get some music also, you never know. I’ll see how I’m feeling that day.”

Sinbad

Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler, 800.946.4452, wingilariver.com, Friday, April 8, 8 p.m., $33-$72

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

THE HIGHROLLER

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PLAY » SPIN » LAUGH » GROOVE » UNWIND » WIN

APRIL 15 Led Zepagain: Tribute to Led Zeppelin

CASINO ENTERTAINMENT

CALENDAR

Megan Marples » The Entertainer!

APRIL 1 House of Floyd: The Music of Pink Floyd The Showroom at Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Belinda Carlisle

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Shining Star

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

New Frequency Band

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

APRIL 2 Steve Hackett: North American Tour 2016

The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

AB Quintanilla and Elektro Kumbia Allstarz

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Shining Star

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

The Walkens

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

The Showroom at Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

The Piano Men: Generations Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Andrea & Gemini

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Born Jovi

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Sound Wave

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Rhythm Edition

The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Soul Patrol Tribute to Soul Music

Vee Quiva Casino, wingilariver.com

Tyme Will Tell

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Los Apson

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Andrea & Gemini

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Catch A Wave - Beach Boys Tribute

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

APRIL 16

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

APRIL 9

Beny Mena & Narcizo Gonzalez

APRIL 25

DVBBS

Rhythm of the Sun Band

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Kathleen Madigan

The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Pacquiao vs Bradley Viewing Party

The Arizona Room Patio Grill at Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Pacquiao vs Bradley Viewing Vee Quiva Casino, wingilariver.com

Air Supply

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Smooth Groove

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Rhythm of the Sun Band

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Vee Quiva Casino, wingilariver.com Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Soundwave

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

APRIL 22 Holy Holy performing David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” and Bowie’s greatest hits

The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Wanted: The Ultimate Tribute to Bon Jovi

Rhythm Edition

APRIL 3

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Pima Express

Eagleheart

Smooth Groove

APRIL 8 Sinbad

Swingtips

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Clint Black

The Hamptons

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Lil Jon

APRIL 11

APRIL 29

Premonition

APRIL 10

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

The Showroom at Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Jukebox 6

APRIL 17

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Graham Nash: This Path Tonight Tour 2016

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

APRIL 23 Diplo

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

The Walkens

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Mistresses of Reality: Black Sabbath Tribute Band The Showroom at Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

APRIL 30 Nitty Gritty Band

The Showroom at Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Mistresses of Reality: Black Sabbath Tribute Band The Showroom at Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Tick Tick Boom

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Soul Persuasion

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.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 BEST CASINO EVENTS IN APRIL Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort.com

Tierra Beasley » The Entertainer!

Kathleen Madigan

APRIL 9 Comedic veteran Kathleen Madigan brings her hilarious brand of observational comedy to Talking Stick Resort. In the business for over 25 years, Madigan has won the American Comedy Award for “Best Female Comedian” with one of the top-selling comedy albums (Madigan Again) in 2013. Don’t miss the chance to see a performance that’s earned Madigan praise from peers, fans and critics alike.

Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort.com

Graham Nash: This Path Tonight Tour

APRIL 23 One-quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Graham Nash will take fans on a journey through his career as well as his upcoming album This Path Tonight when he visits Talking Stick Resort. A true pioneer in the world of music, Nash and his innovative style have influenced entire generations of songwriters, carving out his place in musical history.

Holy Holy Performing David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World and Bowie’s Greatest Hits

APRIL 22 Super group Holy Holy was formed by dynamic drummer Woody Woodmansey and music producer Tony Visconti, both original members of the late David Bowie’s band. Along with a team of talented vocalists, guitarists and a keyboardist, Holy Holy performs the entire Bowie album The Man Who Sold the World and other classic hits from 1963 to 1973.

Celebrate the life and revolution that was Bowie as Holy Holy recreates Bowie’s finest moments on the next stop of its sold-out tour.

Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort.com

Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Vindication III

APRIL 9 Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley face off for a third time in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand to see who will be the next welterweight champion. The pay-per-view undercard will feature

four contenders in three title fights.

The co-event will feature “King” Arthur Abraham defending his world title against undefeated, World Boxing Organization’s No. 1 middleweight contender Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.

Watch the show on pay-per-view at Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino.

Vee Quiva Hotel and Casino, 15091 S. Komatke Ln., Laveen, 1.800.946.4452, wingilariver.com

Clint Black

APRIL 29 Clint Black is back. The multimillion-selling country mega-star released On Purpose, his first fulllength album of new songs in a decade. Black has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and racked up 57 charted singles, 31 Top 10 hits and 22 No. 1 smashes. Recordings such as “A Better Man,” “Like the Rain,” “When I Said I Do” and “Nothin’ But the Taillights” have led to honors from the Country Music Association, Grammys, and the American Music Awards, as well as membership in the cast of the Grand Ole Opry.

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler, 1.800.946.4452, wingilariver.com

Sinbad

APRIL 8 David Atkins, better known as Sinbad, has been making people laugh for over two decades with his lively humor. Sinbad’s first HBO special in 1991, “Brain Damage,” was one of HBO’s most successful “Comedy Hour” presentations. Since then, Sinbad has continued to entertain across the country as he takes his comedy on the road.

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler, 1.800.946.4452, wingilariver.com

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

APRIL 30 Country legends The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are here performing timeless hits like “Mr. Bojangles” to “Fishin’ in the Dark.” These living legends have been performing for 50 years, winners of multiple Grammys and CMA Award nominations, they don’t plan on slowing down now.

Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, talkingstickresort.com

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Experience the possibilities.

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3/22/16 4:34 PM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

TWENTY-YEAR

‘BUZZ’

Audience keeps the Peacemakers’ career alive

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

F

izzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy was a landmark album for the now-defunct Tempe band The Refreshments. But more than the collection’s success on the charts and in stores, it taught Roger Clyne’s band a thing or two about the music industry.

“It was such a blur, such a frenetic time,” Clyne says. “After the major label release of Fizzy Fuzzy, we went on tour with the Gin Blossoms and Dead Hot Workshop.

“We got to see what it was like in the big show—the staging, the trusses, the lighting at front of house. We were still in a van, but it was really thrilling to see how the big show worked. Step by step, The Refreshments worked their way out of the van and into a tour bus. That first glimpse into touring was really exciting.”

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are revisiting that era by celebrating the 20th anniversary of Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy with a show at The Pool at Talking Stick Resort on Saturday, April 2.

“I love that venue,” he says. “We’re ushering in Spring in the desert. There are very few states where you can be poolside in the first weeks of Spring. We’re one of them. We’re lucky.”

The Peacemakers will perform Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy from front to back, track by track, as well as that band’s crowd favorites. Clyne says he wanted to capture the nuances of the album, which was released in February 1996.

“When we’re rehearsing, we even focus on the amount of time between the songs, the same as it was sequenced on the

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album,” Clyne says. “We want fans to hear the live version of the album coming off the stage. We want to keep it as verbatim as possible. It’s been challenging, but I really love it.”

Typically, Clyne doesn’t go back and listen to his albums once he’s finished mixing them. It’s an uncomfortable situation, one in which he would find himself criticizing every note.

“I listened to Fizzy Fuzzy, however, and I thought, ‘I’ve really changed these songs a lot,’” says Clyne, who hopes to release a Peacemakers album by year’s end.

“I went back to the way I recorded them, and lo and behold, I really liked the way we finalized those recordings. There’s not a lot I would change now. They’re pretty pure in their simplicity.”

Clyne says he feels he has been successful for 20 years because of the way the music resonates with the audience. He owes his longevity to his fans and he’s not afraid to share that.

“Our audience is the catalyst for keeping our career moving,” says Clyne, who penned and sings the D-backs’ theme song “D-backs Swing.”

“I’m very, very grateful for all of their support in a lot of ways. When the music paradigm changed from recorded music being a way to support rock ‘n’ roll bands and other musicians, our audience stepped up and bought more tickets and T-shirts. That’s kept the business viable for us to keep making the art.

We have a great relationship with the audience with a symbiosis that’s pretty rare in this ‘industry.’”

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 800.745.3000, ticketmaster.com, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2, $30-$100.

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AND ROCK,

YOU WILL

L

as Vegas is a city where change is inevitable, until a hotel and casino reaches a point where it literally defines its own niche and swims in its own lane of dominance. Such is the case with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

While it may be normal to succumb to the siren song of the Las Vegas Strip and find yourself shopping for a good time amongst the corporate monoliths of late, the HRH seeks no such affiliation and inherits no light from the power-soaking neon of the strip less than a mile away.

It simply stands self-aware. Sorry Vegas Strip—the Hard Rock Hotel doesn’t need you.

The premise for our weekend stay was to become “Prisoners in Las Vegas.”

Our mission was to never set foot off hard rocking property lines and become a willing hostage to all this renegade prison had to offer. In a city where transient tourism is the mainstay, we had to remain loyal to our host and contain our 48-hour stay to the billion-dollar funhouse that rock ‘n’ roll built.

Check in? A breeze. No small feat considering the hotel was sold out with WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

The Joint more than 1,500 rooms. If you hate long lines, you’ll love it at Hard Rock Hotel.

Once fully incarcerated, we approached the main floor, we found one of the HRH’s most hallowed shrines: The iconic Center Bar. This newly renovated bar is one of the few places you can rub elbows with bona fide rock stars and it has been that way since the HRH opened. Even the Center Bar’s bartenders have been there for 20 years or more and they’ll make you a signature drink and regale great tales if you decide to warm a bar stool there.

Perhaps no other casino is like the Hard Rock Hotel in that as soon as you enter, the music becomes part of your experience. This hotel has a soundtrack like no other and you cannot—and should not—break free of it. There is no way to have a bad time with decades of the best music ever-massaging your eardrums.

Even the rooms have built-in digital jukeboxes in the walls playing the best hits from any decade you specify.

The hotel is part museum with more than $4 million in memorabilia, costumes and guitars from idols current and

past. They could have installed more slot machines instead of display cases, but hey, life-sized KISS figures in full regalia is way better. Once you walk around, you’ll be stunned at the amount of artifacts inside.

The hotel employs a full-time curator to maintain the musical museum.

ROCKIN’ EATS You might expect standard Hard Rock Café fare to be dominant here but it’s not even in the building. Flagship products such as 35 Steaks + Martinis, NOBU, Culinary Dropout, Pink Taco and The Ainsworth Bar will compare with anything in Vegas or elsewhere.

35 STEAKS & MARTINIS Recently anointed as “Best Steakhouse”

by The Las Vegas Weekly, we had to see if the claims could be true. After all, Vegas is known for great steak and seafood places. Try the Mohawk Crab Cakes especially if you are not a big fan of crab cakes. They are deliciously unique.

Likewise, the beet salad would maybe not be a first choice for some, but its greatness stunned us.

Executive chef Marty Lopez has a masterpiece here. The flavor-filled 22-ounce ribeye steak, smashed potatoes and succulent 8-ounce lobster tail could really not be any better. We followed our meal with house martinis and sinful desserts and noted that “35-S&M” could become how insiders might refer to this place—a perfect mixture of gastronomic pleasure and decadent pain as we stuffed ourselves to the brink and beyond.

NOBU Japanese and South American Peruvian influence? This is another must-try.

NOBU is a small-plate experience. In any other restaurant, each small plate would be a signature dish, but here, the exotic tastes just keep coming and you won’t order something you’ve tasted before.

We tried to order something boring, but our omniscient waiter, Shane, promptly spanked us into NOBU diner-jail and offered to order for us all night.

This is the best way to experience NOBU as the wait staff has a depth of knowledge about the menu that defies any previous dining experience. Shane had us

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

HRH Tower Suite

Center Bar

Reliquary Spa & Salon

NOBU

35 Steaks + Martinis

Rehab enjoying sea bass, lobster and vegetarian tacos for starters, yellowtail sashimi and king crab ceviche for cold plates, and seared salmon and rock shrimp tempura for hot dishes.

Make sure to experience the sake at NOBU—the kind of sake rock stars fly in to their Malibu mansions. Speaking of rock stars, while enjoying our sake, Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil and NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip sat next to us for dinner.

Celebrity sightings are common here.

OTHER GOODIES No trip to Las Vegas should be without a pampering massage or salon treatment and Reliquary Spa and Salon is the peaceful eye in Hard Rock Hotel’s hurricane. Gorgeous pools, a full-service salon, beauty treatments, upscale ambiance and even tasty snacks and luxury libations will take you away. Surprisingly, all this luxury comes with a very reasonable price tag and guests should take advantage of that.

PINK TACO & CULINARY DROPOUT These restaurants have a lot of fun with a casual atmosphere. If Mexican food is your ticket, try Pink Taco’s absolutely delicious Churrasco skewers (shrimp, beef and chicken). We also tried the chicken enchiladas tasty to the last bite.

Also recommended are the Cadillac margaritas. Culinary Dropout was our breakfast destination and the “to-diefor” dish was the Cap’n Crunch Crusted French Toast with a custard drizzle; truly amazing! The folks at Culinary Dropout continued serving us an amazing brunch with eggs, potatoes and all the trimmings.

THE JOINT Here is where the HRH pretty much plays one of its most dominant cards.

Most places with “joint” in the name don’t seat more than 4,000 folks, but this one does. No wonder Billboard Magazine (and everyone else) has ranked it the “No. 1 hottest club in America.” Imagine a monster concert stage with oversized video screens on both sides, and a few mega-gigawatts of power filling a cavernous room with three balconies of VIP seating rising up 60 feet in the air. It’s really impressive. So were the drinks they brought to us right at our seats all during Rascal Flatts’ set, so you never miss a moment waiting in line at a bar. See hardrockhotel.com for upcoming shows.

Culinary Dropout

Pink Taco

THE ROOMS We stayed in the HRH Tower, where the rooms are entourage-ready suites with separate living rooms, bedrooms and a large bath and shower areas. As for the beds, there is no way you’re getting up early once you crawl into one of these slumber-chambers.

really their fault.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 48-hour “imprisonment” at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and were never once tempted to even gaze in the direction of the strip.

If this is what being held hostage in Las Vegas is like, we’ll definitely return. We’ll be sure to wear shades, hope for plausible deniability and remember the time-honored Hard Rock Hotel phrases, “I plead the fifth” and “I’m sorry Senator, I don’t recall the incident”.

THE THREE POOLS AND REHAB The Hard Rock Hotel is, of course, famous for Rehab, the sexy, pool-soaked pilgrimage that could serve as sole inspiration the city’s “What happens in Vegas...” slogan. The pools are semiconnected, jungle-laden, grotto-like sanctuaries with VIP cabanas, sandy beaches and swim-up bars where EDM parties happen each weekend. The privacy of the design, gives you just enough seclusion to jettison your inhibitions—if you have any—and no one is apologizing for what happens within this Eden of irreverence. Like all things Hard Rock Hotel, it’s simply better.

WHAT ABOUT MOM AND DAD? Who? Leave ‘em at home; unless of course, they don’t remember the ‘60s or ‘70s. In that case, they’re somewhat responsible for this whole thing and it’s

Hard Rock Hotel

4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89169 Reservations: 800.473.7625 Main Phone: 702.693.5000 The Joint Box Office: 702.693.5222 35 Steaks + Martinis: 702.693.5500 NOBU: 702.693.5090 Reliquary Spa & Salon: 702.693.5520 Rehab: rehab@hrhvegas.com HardRockHotel.com WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

@Dbacks // @LosDbacks

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THE GLADIATOR

CHEER » HIT » HIKE » LEAD » ROOT » COMPETE

Arizona Rattlers vs. Tampa Bay Storm

APRIL’S BEST

SPORTS EVENTS Damir Lolic » The Entertainer!

Arizona Coyotes vs.

Washington Capitals APRIL 2 Flock to Gila River Arena and catch the Coyotes battle the visiting Washington Capitals. The Caps have been cruising through the regular season owning the league’s best record, but the ‘Yotes will look to skate away victorious in the final home game of the season.

Gila River Arena 9400 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale coyotes.nhl.com

Arizona Diamondbacks vs.

Colorado Rockies APRIL 4 Featuring new players and updated uniforms, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ evolution has sparked excitement across the Valley. Arrive early for this home opener as it’s celebrated with the annual Opening Day Street Festival featuring food trucks, music, tailgate games and more outside of Chase Field on Fourth Street.

Chase Field 401 E. Jefferson Street Phoenix arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com

Arizona Bike Week

APRIL 6 THROUGH APRIL 10 Bike enthusiasts unite! Arizona Bike Week is celebrating its 20th anniversary and this year it has added more elements. Among the activities are motorcycle racing, flat track racing, charity rides, entertainment, and food and motorcycle demo rides.

WestWorld of Scottsdale 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale azbikeweek.com

AAE Arizona Cup

APRIL 16 The stat-stuffing Arena Football League stars are ready for another season. Week three marks the Rattlers’ first home game of the campaign where they will face a formidable foe in the Tampa Bay Storm.

Both clubs boast a rich tradition of winning with 10 championships between them. Only one will come away with an important early season victory on Sunday.

Talking Stick Resort Arena 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix azrattlers.com

Pat’s Run APRIL 23 Celebrate and honor the life of Pat Tillman through Pat’s Run, a 4.2mile run/walk through the streets of Tempe to Sun Devil Stadium. Since 2005, Pat’s Run has grown from 5,000 to 35,000 participants and all funds will benefit the fallen soldier’s foundation.

Sun Devil Stadium 219 Packard Drive, Tempe patsrun.com

APRIL 7 THROUGH APRIL 11 More than 300 of the world’s elite archers will be competing for glory at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.

The first nomination shoot of the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials will be at stake.

Ben Avery Shooting Facility 36990 N. Archery Drive, Phoenix arizonacup.net

ASU Baseball vs. University of Washington APRIL 9 Come out and support the storied Sun Devil baseball program as it hosts Pac-12 rivals University of Washington on Saturday afternoon.

This will be the second of a threegame home stand against the Huskies and the Sun Devils will aim to cement a sweep.

Phoenix Municipal Stadium 5999 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix thesundevils.com

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers APRIL 13 Division rivals take to the hardwood on Wednesday evening when the Clippers battle the Suns. The home team is seeking revenge after its last encounter resulted in the Clippers routing Phoenix 124-84 at the Staples Center. This time home court advantage is on our side.

Talking Stick Resort Arena 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix nba.com/suns

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RED BULL GLOBAL

RALLYCROSS P

TO MAKE PHOENIX DEBUT

hoenix’s reputation as a motorsports hotbed expands even further in 2016 as locals will get to experience the thrill of Red Bull Global Rallycross action for the first time on May 21 and May 22 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler. The doubleheader event will serve as the series’ season opener, the first and second of 12 rounds that will take place across the United States this year.

But fans might be surprised at exactly what they get to see. Rallycross is its own unique breed of motorsport: It isn’t NASCAR, it’s not IndyCar, it’s not the NHRA, and it’s not even shortcourse racing.

So what, exactly, is Red Bull Global Rallycross?

Imagine international racing superstars strapping into 600-horsepower Supercars. Imagine them battling side by side over dirt, pavement and 70-foot jumps in frenetic, fast-paced heat races,

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

with every driver fighting for a spot in the final. Then, imagine a 10-lap, winnertake-all, no-holds-barred cage match on wheels for the overall victory.

In short, it’s all of the best parts of racing thrown in a blender and served up for fans to enjoy.

Local race fans will recognize many of the teams on hand: they’re owned by such auto racing legends as Chip Ganassi, Michael Andretti and Bryan Herta, among others. But unlike their stock car and open-wheel exploits, the cars they campaign in Red Bull GRC are totally different: Ford Fiestas, Subaru WRX STIs, Honda Civics, and even Volkswagen Beetles that start life on the production line before being outfitted with turbocharged engines and safety advancements.

The drivers come from every possible motorsport or action sport background, from drifting (Tanner Foust) to freestyle motocross (Brian Deegan) all the way to skateboarding (Bucky Lasek). Defending Supercar champion Scott Speed, who

races for Andretti’s two-car Volkswagen squad alongside Foust, has 26 Formula 1 starts and multiple years in NASCAR under his belt.

But the Supercar stars aren’t the only drivers on track—also competing is the spec GRC Lites class, Red Bull GRC’s equivalent to the minor leagues. In Lites, it’s all about driver talent, as each driver races a spec vehicle with roughly half the horsepower of its Supercar counterpart.

It’s designed to teach drivers how to handle an all-wheel drive car at the highest level, and it does it to great effect: Joni Wiman won every race of the inaugural Lites season in 2013, then won the Supercar title as a rookie the very next year.

And while these cars and drivers would be an unapproachable vision in the distance in most other racing series, in Red Bull GRC, even general admission race tickets are a pit pass. Fans can walk the paddock between heats to check out the vehicles as the mechanics prepare, while it’s not uncommon to catch drivers

roaming the paddock and catching up with fans of all ages. There’s a serieswide autograph session every weekend, so you’re guaranteed to meet all of the sport’s biggest names.

As a first-time host to Red Bull GRC in 2016, Wild Horse Pass will boast an all-new track for the series, roughly a mile in length and wide open with plenty of passing opportunities. But facing new tracks is part of the game: track layouts change in the series from year to year, even at returning venues. The driver who figures out the new layout quickest gives their team an upper hand on the rest of the field.

Early bird tickets for Red Bull Global Rallycross Phoenix at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park are on sale through April 16. To purchase, visit redbullglobalrallycross.com/tickets; to learn more about the series, visit the official website at RedBullGRC.com or follow along on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @ RedBullGRC.

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GENTLE

GIANT Larry Fitzgerald honors late mother through fundraisers, positive attitude

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

S

oft spoken and humble, Larry Fitzgerald says he believes in carrying on the legacy of his mother, Carol, who died during a battle with breast cancer in 2003.

Subsequently, he established the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund, an organization that offers support to causes she believed in like educating urban youth about HIV/AIDS and breast cancer issues.

“My mom was an unbelievable woman and she’s worth honoring,” says Fitzgerald while he was suffering from a cold. “I try to live positive and I try to honor her legacy as best I can.”

The sixth annual Larry Fitzgerald Double Play Celebrity Softball Game backs one of those causes—nonprofit missions that assist children and their families here and abroad—via The Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund. The game is Saturday, April 23, at Salt River Fields, while a new Larry Fitzgerald Charity Classic is the day before at Talking Stick Golf Club.

“I really get excited this time of year because I’m able to go out and participate in an event that I really enjoy,” he says. “I have friends from across the league and multiple entertainment circles getting actively involved. It means a great deal to me and I really appreciate the support of the community.”

Celebrity softball players and coaches will be announced closer to date.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m.; the Home Run Derby begins at 6 p.m. and the game begins at 7 p.m.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 215-pound Arizona Cardinals wide receiver explains the game is just as fun for the participants as it is the fans.

“The guys get kind of competitive,” Fitzgerald says. “I think everybody really enjoys it. The fans get to see some of their favorite celebrities, meet them, take pictures and get autographs. I think they really enjoy that and I think I really enjoy it myself.”

The competition heats up for the first Larry Fitzgerald Charity Classic.

“We’ve added a component on Friday, golf,” Fitzgerald explains. “That’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I really enjoy playing golf. I think it’s going to be a wonderful opportunity for people who like to play golf and like to do it in a charitable manner. I’m thinking it’s going to be something that’s going to raise a lot of awareness, different kind of clientele, a different kind of donor, a different kind of volunteer. I’m really excited about that.”

Anyone who follows Fitzgerald’s social media accounts knows he’s into golf and traveling. He was even on the cover of Golf Digest in October.

“Golf is something I picked up a few years ago,” he says. “It’s taken me by the horns and given me the opportunity to go out and compete, but compete in a way

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that’s not taxing. You have the burn inside of you, but you don’t have to get tackled.”

The golf tournament may be new, but the overall theme and purpose of the event has stayed the same.

“We try to follow the same model year after year,” he says. “We’ve sustained success with the way we’ve done things, but we’re honoring some of the wounded warriors who participate over the years.

“We use YouTube videos for the person to sing the national anthem. We make sure we’re honoring the people in the community who work so hard, whether it be singing or military service. We like to keep the grassroots of what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years.”

Although it’s easy to get participants, the logistics can be difficult.

“You have to get flights and hotels and a lot of different things of that nature,” he says. “In terms of guys participating, they really are supportive and want to help me. They really do come out and support me.”

The First Down Fund is a 501 (c)(3) organization that was established in 2005.

For a list of beneficiaries, visit larryfitzgerald.com/helpingpeople/firstdownfund/.

Larry Fitzgerald Double Play Celebrity Softball Game

Salt River Fields, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, http://bit. ly/1Rkq7NP, 6 p.m. Saturday, April 23, $20-$500.

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GIRL POWER T Esprit de She combines running and biking for a fabulous morning Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

Esprit de She

Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, espritdeshe.com, 4:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Sunday, May 8, $30-$130

ake girl power to the next level at the Life Time Gildan Esprit de She. This multisport event made for all women will take place at Tempe Beach Park on Sunday, May 8, with more than 900 women participating.

The dualthon combines running and biking into one fabulous athletic event. The race begins with a 1.5-mile run, moves to a 12.4-mile bike ride and finishes off with a 1.69-mile run. There is also a newly added 5K race for those who prefer running, jogging or walking.

Registration is $30 for the youth 5K, $40 for the 5K, $85 for the sprint dualthon and $130 for the spring dualthon relay.

For this event, Gildan Esprit de She is partnering with Girls on the Run, an organization that works toward inspiring young girls to be healthy by incorporating running into their curriculum. They want to encourage a positive and happy lifestyle. Participants can donate to Girls on the Run at any time.

Registration includes an official Moxie Cycling commemorative jersey, a finisher’s medal and event photos. After the race, reward yourself at the postrace rendezvous complete with delicious and healthy tapas, live music and the Panasonic Beauty Bar by LifeSpa with mini-massages and manicures and a champagne bubbly bar.

This motivational race will also include a community market jam-packed with fresh produce, creative projects, local artisans and much more. Spend your Sunday working out with inspiring ladies, drinking some bubbly and having an all-around good time at this empowering all-women’s event.

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ROUGH AND Ken Abramczyk » The Entertainer!

ASU prepares to scrum against Mexican team at Rugby match

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READY

G

ary Lane, coach of the ASU rugby team, was asked how he compares rugby to football.

Rugby is much like football’s option play, Lane says. Players often pitch backward laterals, so the players can navigate and run forward to advance and score.

“The tackles occur on a consistent basis with one tackle about every 15 seconds,” Lane says. “There’s a lot of hard hitting going on and a lot of running.”

Fans who don’t want to wait for football season but are itching to see some tackling and hitting­—and some scrums and rucks to boot—can head to Scottsdale Stadium Saturday, April 23, to see ASU play the Mexico National Team in the Rugby and Balloon Fest Classic.

As the event name indicates, bowl organizers added this year a Hot Air Balloon Glow, set for 7 p.m. featuring Star Wars-themed balloons of Darth Vader and Yoda created by Benoit

Lambert of Belgium. The rugby match begins at 5:10 p.m.

Ryan Spiwak, an outside center on the ASU team, says playing a national team like Mexico and competing at an international level is an honor for him and his teammates.

“Our schedule shows that we have played the top level of competition against top five and top 10 [college] teams,” Spiwak says. “We’ve improved as a team.” Playing Mexico gives the team a chance “to see where we are against a top-level team.”

Rugby doesn’t draw the hundreds of thousands of spectators in a season like football, basketball or baseball, but the game is growing in popularity as more young athletes play the game.

Spiwak, a senior majoring in biochemistry playing his fourth season of rugby, says the sport’s “physicality” appealed to him. He played football in high school, and wanted to keep competing in a sport with similar hard-hitting contact.

Rugby doesn’t require that the ball is only handled by players in certain skill positions, like football. “Everyone can touch the ball in rugby,” Spiwak says.

Lane grew up around the corner from a rugby club in London, and as a 7-year-old boy, wondered what that game was with “the funny ball.” He played recreationally as a child and enjoyed it, eventually developing his skills as a teen.

He attended ASU and played on the rugby team from 1987 to 1992.

Lane coached the first women’s rugby team at ASU in 1998, moved to an assistant coach’s position with the men’s team in 2001 and shortly thereafter became the men’s coach.

Lane has watched the game grow at all levels. When he started coaching, there were only two high school teams in Arizona. “Now there are junior, intermediate leagues and high school championships.

It is quite a large organization.”

ASU team’s program and its reach also has grown on a regional level. Lane

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

estimated that 80 percent of the players now come from out of state to play rugby at ASU. “We get a lot of players from northern California and southern California,” Lane says.

Lane’s team’s success continues this season, as it is one of 16 teams playing for the Varsity Cup, a single elimination tournament of the nation’s top teams. ASU opens against Brigham Young University April 9 with the winner advancing to the next round. ASU’s season will conclude with the Rugby Bowl.

Lane looks forward to taking his team to the Rugby Bowl for the third time.

“The venue is first class,” Lane says about Scottsdale Stadium. “It’s a great way to end the season. We’ll be playing for the national championship as one of 16 teams two weeks before. [The event] is an exciting way to end the season and the last opportunity for them to wear the maroon and gold.”

Spiwak looks forward to the game and the hot-air balloons. “That’s kind of cool.”

Spiwak references this game with a take on the description of another Davidagainst-Goliath battle, when a seemingly outmatched group of college and young players on the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union’s national team in the 1980 Olympics, remembered as the “Miracle on Ice.” “We’re trying to make history. We’re trying to pull out a ‘Miracle on Grass.’ It will be a game we will remember the rest of our lives.”

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The Fiesta Bowl Rugby & Balloon Classic Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Road, Scottsdale, 5:10 p.m. Saturday, April 23, therugbybowl.com, $12 in advance.

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THE YOUNGSTER

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FROLIC » DISCOVER » IMAGINE » FAMILY » FUN » CONNECT

PAUL HIFFMEYER/DISNEYLAND RESORT

A NEW LIFE

THE FUNNEL CAKE BLOG: WHAT’S NEW IN SoCAL

Cousins from Italy visit Radiator Springs Randy Montgomery » The Entertainer!

W

hen Cars Land at Disney California Adventure opened in 2012, guests were excited to see how Disney Imagineers reinvented old technology from Disneyland Park’s early days. The Luigi’s Flying Tires attraction featured ride vehicles that hovered over the ride floor. This technology has been used previously in Tomorrowland in the early 1960s. That ride was plagued with technical problems. The Cars Land version performed without any difficulties.

Unfortunately, guests were not impressed.

The ride was often a “walk-on” attraction with little to no wait.

To spice things up a bit, giant beach balls were added to give guests an interactive component, to the slow moving and difficult to navigate ride vehicles.

The beach balls did liven things up a bit—maybe too much. Mischievous guests

would hurl the balls at other guests when the ride began. The balls immediately became a nuisance and, of course, a safety concern. They were later removed. Early last year, the ride was shuttered. The intricate and well decorate queue line remained, signaling a new attraction was in the works.

Recently, without much fanfare, the attraction location reopened with a new concept. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters is inspired by the late-1950s micro cars.

The theme is based on one of the characters from the popular Disney/Pixar film series “Cars.” The ride vehicle cars are 20 of Luigi’s “cugini” (cousins). They are visiting from Caroli, Italy, to help celebrate Race Day in Radiator Springs.

When the ride begins, guests hop aboard the vehicles and the music and “dancing” begins! The vehicles perform dance moves above a trackless floor. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters is the first Disney

attraction in the United States with a trackless ride system.

“Here at Luigi’s, the roadsters seem to have a mind of their own,” says Kevin Rafferty, executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering, “When you come back to ride again, chances are you’ll enjoy an experience that’s different than the last time you rode—especially since each of the cars has a signature move they love to perform.”

In true Disney fashion, significant detail was put into each cugini (ride vehicle). All of Luigi’s family members have their own names and unique look.

The exception can be found with just two cars. Although they are identical sisters, you may notice that Rosa has green eyes, and Gina has blue eyes. Each roadster performs his or her own routine, offering a different ride experience depending on which car a guest boards and which song is playing.

Disney California Adventure

1313 Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, CA 92802 714.781.4565 http://bit.ly/1EEbBJs

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THE BEST FAMILY EVENTS

IN APRIL

Megan Marples » The Entertainer!

Redneck Run

APRIL 2 Ya’ll better get ready for the third annual Redneck Run! There will be a 5K, 10K, Plunger 10K relay (yes, the plunger is your relay baton) and a Country Mile Walk/Run. It’ll be a rootin’, tootin’ good time with plunger decorating and tons of other activities in the Honky Tonk Village. After the run, your little buckaroos can enjoy live music, cow milking, bean bag toss, cactus ring toss and much more!

Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, 480.609.3978, redneckrunaz.com, 8 a.m., prices vary

Three Little Pigs

APRIL 6 THROUGH APRIL 30 Kids will love seeing one of their favorite fairy tales come to life on stage at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. Come see the big bad wolf huff and puff and blow the houses down of the three little pigs like never before during this fun show for kids in prekindergarten and older.

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

Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts APRIL 8 THROUGH APRIL 10 Immerse yourself in the art culture at the Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts.

Head to Mill Avenue to see more than 400 national artists and craftspeople, as well as a diverse selection of foods, live entertainment and street vendors.

The kids can enjoy interactive art programming like the Brickyard Creation Station, Chalk-a-Lot Street and tons of street performers all day long.

Mill Avenue District, 310 S. Mill Avenue, Tempe, 480.921.2300, tempefestivalofthearts.com, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., free

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Awesome Fest

THREE LITTLE PIGS APRIL 6 THROUGH APRIL 30

APRIL 9 Come join Eastmark for another exciting Awesome Fest. The festival includes anything awesome like Velocity Circus Roaming Acts, a Ferris wheel, giant slides, interactive trapeze, neon face paint, yummy food trucks and more. Join the crowd dance-off and catch some rockin’ performances from bands like Thaddeus Rose, Jared & The Mill and Liquid Blue.

Eastmark Great Park, 10100 E. Ray Road, Mesa, 480.625.3005, eastmark.com/awesomefest, 5 p.m., free

Experience India

APRIL 16 AND APRIL 17 Join the MIM in celebrating another year of East Indian music, dance, tradition and more. Listen to a live sitar and tabla performance and learn all about the Hindustani style of music. There will also be colorful dance performances by the students of Sampradaya Dance of India, a special lunch menu at Café Allegro and you can even get beautiful henna body art. Don’t miss out on all of the hands-on activities and learn about a new culture.

Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, 480.478.6000, mim.org, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., price included with museum admission

Chalk Art Festival

APRIL 30 The whole family can experience the sidewalks turn into works of art during the Chalk Art Festival.

Eight local artists will spend the day transforming the sidewalks with original masterpieces using only chalk. There will also be a KidZone area where the little ones and community can participate in the community mural with the assistance of art teachers.

Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, 623.385.7502, westgateaz.com/ chalk, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free

AWESOME FEST APRIL 9

CHALK ART FESTIVAL APRIL 30

EXPERIENCE INDIA APRIL 16 AND APRIL 17

GIRLS ON THE RUN 5K APRIL 30

Girls on the Run 5K

APRIL 30 The Girls on the Run 5K works toward inspiring young girls to live confident and healthy lives. All of the proceeds from the run go straight to Girls on the Run. The race will feature 1-mile and 5K courses, music, a “happy hair” station, snacks, free pictures, massages and many other exciting activities. Men, women and children of all ages can come make a difference in young girls’ lives during this fun-filled 5K. Wesley Bolin Plaza, 205 S. 17th Avenue, Phoenix, 602.795.6572, gotrmc.org, 8:30 a.m., $35-$40

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THE SHOWMAN

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LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

The Darkness 112 Country Thunder 108 Live Music Calendar 104

SMOKING HOT

Blackberry Smoke pumped about forthcoming album Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

I

t’s ironic that the Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke is playing Arizona Bike Week at WestWorld.

The father of singer Charlie Starr put the fear of go into him anytime he considered riding a motorcycle.

“I’ve only ridden a motorcycle twice in my life,” he says with a laugh. “I was always into old cars rather than motorcycles. When I was a kid, my dad had a good friend who had been in a really bad wreck when he was young. He had an arm he couldn’t use. To try and discourage me from getting on a motorcycle he’d say, ‘Look at Frank’s arm. See what happens when you ride a motorcycle?’”

That doesn’t mean that Starr and Blackberry Smoke aren’t excited about the festival. It’s a good thing whenever Blackberry Smoke can play its music, especially from its latest album Holding All the Roses. “[The show] will hopefully be good and loud,” he says. “We’ll play a little bit from each album.”

Starr is quick to add that Blackberry Smoke is working on a new album.

Although cliché, he shares his thoughts on the as-of-yet untitled record.

“It’s awesome,” he says. “I know I say that every time, but I feel it’s our best yet—but you can’t trust me. If it was OK, I wouldn’t tell you.”

At the time of the interview, Blackberry Smoke had just finished the Outlaw Country Cruise, which is right up its alley. The trip

featured more than 2,500 cruisers and six stages of music with the likes of Lucinda Williams, The Mavericks, Bobby Hare, Steve Earle, Shooter Jennings and Mojo Nixon.

“It’s like walking around a floating hotel every day,” he says. “The fans get the chance to meet all of us throughout the trip.”

That’s the dream of every music listener, and recently, Starr’s wish was fulfilled

when Blackberry Smoke’s 2009 album Little Piece of Dixie was released on vinyl.

“If you have truly a nice turntable and speakers, you hear the ghosts in that vinyl,” he says. “I like to listen to our records specifically. I hear the magical things that happened when we were making the record. Vinyl really does let you hear what it’s supposed to sound like.”

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts w/ Blackberry Smoke

WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, 480.312.6815, azbikeweek.com, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 6, $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

Phoenix Lights w/Kaskade, Jai Wolf, Yellow Claw

Margaret T. Hance Park, 3 p.m., $109-$199

LIVE MUSIC

CALENDAR

Jasmine Kemper » The Entertainer!

APRIL 1 Decker.

Rebel Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $8-$10

Belinda Carlisle

Spafford

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Run Definitely Run Porches

Bleached

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $12

Mickey Avalon & Dirt Nasty Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $20

Mac Sabbath w/Okilly Dokilly

Slaine

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., $15-$17

I Set My Friends On Fire

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $12-$15

Bad News Blues Band

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Club Red, 6 p.m., $17-$22 Nile Theater, 6:30 p.m., $13-$15

Masta Ace

The Effects

Arlo Guthrie

Unearth w/Ringworm, Culture Killer

The von Trapps

Indigenous

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8 Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $25-$55 Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., $22-$36

Brainwave!

Yucca Tap Room, 9 p.m., free

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $14-$16

Nervo

Maya Day + Nightclub, 12 p.m., $25-$45

Heated Sole Summit

The Pressroom, 12 p.m., $10-$25

The New Kings Tour

Authority Zero

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., $15-$18

Defeater

APRIL 2

Rebel Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $12-$15

Hot Buttered Rum

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., sold out

Digitour Spring Break 2016

Club Red, 4:30 p.m., $10-$15

Marquee Theatre, 6 p.m., $20

The Killers

Wild Horse Pass, 8 p.m., $36-$87

Chris Pureka

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $12-$15

APRIL 3

Nile Theater, 6 p.m., $15-$18

Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $18-$20

Trace Bundy

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $31-$36

Crescent Ballroom, 4 p.m., $25-$129 Club Red, 7 p.m., $10-$13

Gethen Jenkins & The Freightshakers Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $35-$75

Supersuckers

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall

Musical Instrument Museum, 8 p.m., $53$78

Phoenix Lights w/ Bakermat, Claude VonStroke, Cut Snake

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., sold out

APRIL 7 Lindi Ortega

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$14

Dead Winter Carpenters Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $8-$10

Lacey Sturm

Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $15-$20

Chris Gramazio

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $5-$7

APRIL 8 Source Victoria

Rebel Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $5-$8

Little Green Cars

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $12-$15

Shaun Frank

Maya Day + Nightclub, 9 p.m., $10

Amon Amarth

The Pressroom, 8 p.m., $25-$28

Painted Bones

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $5

Elvis Costello

Into It. Over it.

Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $16-$18

The Cave Singers Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $12

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $13-$15 Mesa Arts Center, 8 p.m., $49-$89

Phoenix Blues Society Showcase Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $8

White Denim

APRIL 9

APRIL 5

The Cure vs. The Smiths Dance Party

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $14-$16

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Hippie Sabotage

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $17-$40

Gnash: Me And My Friends Tour Club Red, 7 p.m., $13-$15

Greyhounds

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Mike Brown

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., sold out

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Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10-$15

APRIL 4

Mothers

The Pressroom » 6:30 p.m. » $23 Ghostface Killah rose to fame as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan in the early ‘90s before pursuing his successful solo career in 1996. Don’t miss your chance to see this storyteller dropping some sick rhymes at The Pressroom.

Hayseed Dixie

B Dolan

Rebel Lounge, 6:30 p.m., $25

APRIL 2

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $5-$7

Margaret T. Hance Park, 3 p.m., $109-$199

We The Kings w/AJR, She Is We

Ghostface Killah

East Cameron Folkcore

APRIL 6 Swami John

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Tori Kelly

Marquee Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $26-$41

Sunlaand w/Fishes Circle Club Red, 7 p.m., $5

Rebel Lounge, 9 p.m., $3

Cullen Omori

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $10-$12

Killswitch Engage

Marquee Theatre, 5:30 p.m., $26

Peelander-Z

Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $10-$15

The Black Moods

Yucca Tap Room, 7 p.m., free

Wrvth

Nile Theater, 6:30 p.m., $10-$12

2Cellos

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $35-$250

Wendy Dewitt w/Kirk Harwood Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $12

Cold Shott & The Hurricane Horns Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Air Supply

Wild Horse Pass, 8 p.m., $43-$99

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

APRIL 10

Brick + Mortar

Soft Deadlines w/The Hill In Mind, Speakeasy

James Bay

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $5

Headhunterz

Maya Day + Nightclub, 12 p.m., $15-$35

An Evening with Dana Gould The Pressroom, 9 p.m., $20

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $10-$12 Livewire, 7 p.m., $25

Next Step To Stop Childhood Cancer Benefit Concert The Pressroom, 6 p.m., $20

Beach House

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $30-$40

Mr. P. Chill

Kirk Franklin

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Cameron Degurski w/The Waters Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $8

Comerica Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $30-$50

Savages

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $25-$28

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus w/Sunday At Noon

APRIL 11

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $15-$20

Operators

Afton Showcase

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $11-$13

Cinderella’s Tom Keifer Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25

King Columbia

Rhythm Room, 7:30 p.m., $5-$7

Rhythm Room, 6:30 p.m., $11 adv, $14 dos

APRIL 15 Highly Suspect

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., $15-$18

APRIL 12

Mount Moriah

Escondido

Lost Frequencies

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $12-$14

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Carrie Underwood APRIL 14

Talking Stick Resort Arena » 7 p.m. » $41-$71 The All-American country singer we all know and love is coming to the Valley. Since being crowned your “American Idol” in 2005, Underwood has won seven Grammy awards, 11 ACMs, nine AMAs and has had multiple chart-topping hits. Come sing along to all of your favorite hits and catch some songs from her newest album Storytellers.

Maya Day + Nightclub, 9 p.m., $14

Acid Dad

Melanie Martinez

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Marquee Theatre, 7:30 p.m., sold out

The Used

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $28-$38

The Brothers Comatose

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $10-$12

Crown Larks

WYVES

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Sugar Thieves

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Jeff Bernat

Brothers Gow

Red Sun Rising

Hatchet

The Scorched

Sol Tribe

Stan Ridgway

The Johnny Clegg Band

Last Exit Live, 8 p.m., $15 Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $12-$14 Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

APRIL 16

APRIL 13

Acid Mothers Temple

Frankie Cosmos

Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $12-$14

APRIL 19

The Darkness

Laura Stevenson w/Crying

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $28-$38

M83

Comerica Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $33 Pub Rock Live, 6:30 p.m., $15-$18

Bane w/Burn

Nile Theater, 7 p.m., free

Jimmy Thackery

Sarah Peacock

Rhythm Room, 7 p.m., $12-$15

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., $20-$22

APRIL 20

Broloaf

Say Anything w/ Mewithoutyou

Caskey

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $19

Foals

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Old Salt Union

Nile Theater, 6 p.m., $14-$16

The Summer Set

Yucca Tap Room, 8p.m., free

Dave Riley

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

APRIL 17 NOFX

The Pressroom, 8 p.m., $22-$350 Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $22 Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

APRIL 21

APRIL 14

ABC’s Nashville In Concert

Sam Gellaitry

Chon

Chronixx

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $13-$16

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $37

TJR

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25-$40

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $15

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., $5

A-Mac D.Z.

Marquee Theatre, 8:30 p.m., $20

The Used

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $10-$15

APRIL 22

The John Kadlecik Band

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

Rhythm Room, 7 p.m., $18-$20

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $8-$10

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$14

Livewire, 7 p.m., $23-$28

Joywave

Intervals

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Comerica Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $38-$58 Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $23-$26

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15-$18

Ha*ash

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25

Maya Day + Nightclub, 9 p.m., $15

Romen Buffalo

Beings As An Ocean The 44s

Rhythm Room, 9:20 p.m., $10

APRIL 23 FestivALT w/Nate Ruess, JR JR, Never Shout Never Downtown Phoenix, 2 p.m., $61

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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

APRIL 27

Atlas Genius

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

Orgone

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $15-$17

Human Ottoman

Last Exit Live, 8:30 p.m., $5-$8

Cut Up

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Lisa Mann Band

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $10

APRIL 28 Kyle Gass Band w/Fairy Bones Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Dizzy Wright

The Pressroom, 8 p.m., $22-$75

Dirty Fences

Ellie Goulding

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Dale Watson

APRIL 16

Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $15-$18

Comerica Theatre » 7 p.m. » $35-$65 Ellie Goulding is the English vocalist who captured our attention back in 2009 with her unique folktronica style. Today, she has three successful studio albums and plenty of hit singles like “Love Me Like You Do,” “Anything Could Happen,” ad “I Need Your Love.” Head to Comerica Theatre to see this Grammynominated singer and songwriter in action as part of her Delirium World Tour.

Diplo

Marmalade Skies

Vetiver

Mark Croft Trio

Talking Stick Resort, 11 a.m., $30 Valley Bar, 7:30 p.m., $13-$15

Katchafire Parachute

Aubrie Sellers

Bear Ghost

Allah-las

Larry June

Chelsea Wolfe

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $15-$35

Fe’la Iniko w/Trap Society

Snog w/The Labrynth, Aon

Soul Power Band

Har Mar Superstar Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $25-$125

Make Them Suffer

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Enter Shikari

Nile Theater, 6 p.m., $14

APRIL 30 Small Leaks Sink Ships Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

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Celebrity Theatre, 8:30 p.m., $22-$25

Le Ley

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $35-$45

The Mowgli’s w/Julia Nunes, The Rebel Light

APRIL 29

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., $15-$17

The Hood Internet

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $12-$15

CVII Animatronica

The Pressroom, 9 p.m., $20-$100

The Decline

Adrianna Marie & Her Grovecutters

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Whitey Morgan w/Cody Jinks

Alejandro Escovedo Duane Mark

Wild Horse Pass, 8 p.m., $34-$90

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

Sugar Candy Mountain

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20-$30

Clint Black

Rebel Lounge, 9 p.m., $14-$17

Chvrches

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $25

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $18-$20

Leroy Miller

APRIL 24

Buddy Reed Homecoming Show

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $15

APRIL 26

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $10-$12

Nile Theater, 6 p.m., $11

Rhythm Room, 5 p.m., $15

U.S. Bastards

Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8-$10

APRIL 25

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $7-$10

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $10-$12

Rhythm Room, 4 p.m., $15

Marquee Theatre, 6 p.m., $20 Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $23-$25

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., $20-$23

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free Nile Theater, 6:30 p.m., $10

Boyce Avenue APRIL 29

Marquee Theatre » 7:30 p.m. » $25

If you’ve listened to song covers, there’s a good chance you’ve heard Boyce Avenue in the mix. With over 8 million subscribers and over 2 billions views, brothers Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian Manzano have quite an audience in the online universe with covers, collaborations and original music. See them beyond the computer screen when they head to the Marquee Theatre this month.

THE BAND PERRY and Logan Mize • March 5th HEART • April 16th TICKETS ON SALE NOW at TheGoodLifeFest.com Join the Conversation! #TGLF TEN_EntertainmentMag_digital.indd 1 WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

2/24/16 8:59 AM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

A MUSICAL F

LIFELINE

Parachute vocalist calls latest album an emotional investment Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

or Parachute vocalist Will Anderson, making music is an investment—an emotional investment. Like other artists, his songs are like a diary to him, but his band’s latest album, Wide Awake, was just that—an awakening of sorts.

“I worked with a level of detail that I didn’t know I necessarily had in me,” Anderson says. “I didn’t know if other people do. Once ‘Without You’ came out, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, not to sound too epic or cliché.

I didn’t know I was so invested in the songs until I took a step back and people told me, ‘You’re really getting surgical with these ones.’”

“Without You,” for which Anderson and company were joined by a gospel choir, is an “upbeat love anthem,” he says.

Anderson is especially proud of Wide Awake because he wrote the majority of it himself, instead of co-writing with other musicians. But the songs on which he did collaborate offered a new perspective.

“It was funny because I didn’t co-write too many songs during this process,” he says. “But it was really nice to have a few people in town in L.A. when I got stuck and sick of myself. I would go to the writers and say, ‘Let’s write something together.’

“Four of them made record out of the 70-plus songs that I wrote. They came at exactly the right time when I needed a new perspective. I got to work with good buddies of mine Dave Barnes and Nathan Chapman. They’re the kind of guys where we can call it a day or we can write a song together.”

Some songs came easier for Anderson, like “Without You” and “Crave.”

“Those are the two songs where I was like the Kool-Aid guy breaking through

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the wall; here we are. This is what we’re doing. They’re great songs and we’re all excited about them.”

He’s equally as thrilled about Parachute’s Saturday, April 23, show at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix.

“It should be a good time,” Anderson explains. “We were able to play it the last time acoustically with a sit-down kind of quieter show. It was just [keyboardist/ saxophonist] Kit French and me. We said that would be a really fun place to do a full band set, standing up, rocking out to a fully packed audience.”

The highlights of the show are the bigger production and the opener, Jon McLaughlin.

“Jon took us out on our first tour ever,” Anderson says. “He taught us a lot about the touring side of the music business like how to conduct yourself. He’s been a big help to all of us. For him to be willing to come on the road for us, it’s really a dream come true.”

A self-proclaimed McLaughlin “fan boy,” Anderson has high hopes for this jaunt.

“I think we’ll do some collaborations,” he says. “There’s bigger and better production and we have four albums to pull from now. We’re so ready to go out and play some shows. I can’t imagine that that energy won’t find its way to the stage.”

Parachute w/Jon McLaughlin

Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, 602.716.2222, crescentphx.com, 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23, $23-$25.

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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

Festival rookies look forward to the sun and the stage in Florence

A

must-see event in Arizona, Country Thunder has hosted nearly every major artist on its stage in Florence. But at least two acts will make their Country Thunder debut—Cam and Chase Bryant.

The festival is known for its party atmosphere and great music for all four days, Thursday, April 7, to Sunday, April 10. Cam wants to maintain that feeling.

“You get to know how to reach a group of people who’s really hot and drinking and having a good time,” Cam says. “You want to keep it going.”

As much as she wants the crowd to enjoy her, she is yearning to enjoy herself.

Cam has been taken by other acts she’s seen at similar events.

“I remember standing and watching Kacey Musgraves at a festival and our jaws just being on the ground. I was so impressed with her stage setup.

“There’s a reason why they’re at the top of the game.”

Cam is no slouch. She is the most-nominated female on this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards with a tally of six. The flaxen-haired singer is nominated for ACM New Female Vocalist and her platinum-certified No. 1 song “Burning House” is up for ACM Single, Song and Video of the Year. The show will air at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 3, on CBS. “The nominations are unreal,” she says. “I remember watching the ACMs and thinking about the women who were nominated multiple times. It’s weird that I’m somehow in this. I’m super grateful.

“I’m definitely proud. I feel like there were a lot of years where my manager and I slept on a mattress and had no money. It makes it really gratifying when people say you’re doing a good job. It feels good.”

No stranger to award shows, Cam recently presented a prize during the Grammys in a tight dress.

“That was nerve-wracking. My dress was so tight I couldn’t walk up the stairs,” Cam says. “At the last minute, they set me up at the top of the stairs and said, ‘Go, go, go.’”

Naturally, said dress was yellow, her favorite color.

“I wear yellow every time I’m performing,” explains Cam, who will marry in the fall. “It’s my California sunshine coming through. It’s my positive outlook on things that I can bring along with me everywhere. People seem to be nice to me if I’m dressed in yellow.”

Her perkiness even bubbled to the top when she arrived in Nashville and was WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer! frequently told “no” by record labels.

“I was then going to be a writer,” she says. “My first publishing deal was a horrible deal. You definitely cry a lot but it’s a blank plate to fill your dreams in.”

CHASE BRYANT Known for his successful debut single “Take It on Back,” Chase Bryant couldn’t be any more excited about Country Thunder.

“Yeah, Country Thunder, we’re excited to be out there,” says Bryant, calling from his Nashville home. “I’m a big fan of Country Thunder, but I’ve never played out there before. We’re really excited about that.

Festivals are always a blast, too, but hopefully I won’t drink too many beers in the heat.”

Early last year “Take It On Back” became a top 10 single on the Country Airplay chart, which is published weekly

by Billboard.

“Having my first Top 10 hit ‘Take It on Back,’ and the second one, ‘Little Bit of You,’ that’s still climbing really well is too cool. It’s a moment you don’t forget. I’ve dreamed of that since I was a child. It’s one of those moments you can’t explain or fathom how it happened. I’ve had a blast with these songs. It’s a pleasure to have them played on the radio.”

Bryant is an acclaimed guitarist with a unique guitar playing style, as he is lefthanded but plays a right-handed guitar upside-down.

“A lot of people don’t understand how all that works,” he says. “I play righthanded guitar upside down and backward.

I’ve had a tough time. It was one of those things that took a while to grasp how it was going to work. I played that way since I was a kid. It’s like trying to speak Spanish backward. Everything is so inverted that way. It’s my own things and not a lot of people do that.”

His talents have certainly been appreciated, given the success of “Take It on Back.” He’s working on a new album.

“I’ve been a lot more serious with it lately,” he says. “I’m not sure it’ll be done soon. I’m just trucking away.”

Bryant calls the studio his “happy place.”

“It’s a fun place to be creative,” he says. “It’s like a canvas. You can throw all these different colors at it.”

Country Thunder

20585 E. Price Station, Florence, arizona.countrythunder.com, various times, Thursday, April 7, through Friday, April 10, starts at $50.

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A NEW CHAPTER

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After a two-year hiatus, hometown heroes The Summer Set are back at it with a new album and tour

Damir Lolic » The Entertainer!

T

here is a certain sound of sunshine that stems from being a desert-bred band, and homegrown pop-rock five-piece The Summer Set perfectly captures that.

Frontman Brian Dales grew up in Scottsdale, meeting bandmates and brothers John and Stephen Gomez in 2007.

Shortly afterward, he joined their band and they got to work immediately.

“We were workhorses playing shows all the time in Arizona and Southern California trying to build a community amongst the fans and other bands,” Dales says.

By 2009, they started touring nationally and soon the Vans Warped Tour was calling their name.

Their third studio album Legendary lived up to its title featuring popular singles “Boomerang” and “Lightning in a

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Bottle” which rapidly gained momentum.

Following the album’s success, The Summer Set won Macy’s iHeart Radio Rising Star competition in 2013. The perks included sharing the stage with Sheryl Crow and the Backstreet Boys at the iHeart Radio Music Festival as well as Macy’s Glamorama events.

“Our third album kind of felt like our first one,” he says. “A lot of different doors were opened once we won that competition putting us on a platform we had never experienced. Things got really interesting because even though we had been a band for six years, it felt like the beginning all over again.”

The Summer Set continued touring rigorously and, at one point, was on the road for 16 months straight. But the last year and a half have been quiet except for a few rumors circulating that the band split up in 2015.

Those rumors were squashed in January when they announced a fourth

studio album, Stories for Monday, which was released April 1. Dales touches on The Summer Set’s hiatus, admitting he was overwhelmed by the pressure of writing hit songs at first, but explaining how a journey to self-discovery revved his creative engine.

“I was submerged by the strain I put on myself to write music so I kept shying away from working on the album,” he says. “I decided to take a break and traveled to Mexico, Alaska and Bali when this weird thing happened where I got in tune with myself enabling the words to flow out.”

The record took more than a year to write but the production was wrapped up in five weeks at John and Stephen’s house.

“We went from nothing to everything and the record was done out of nowhere,” he says.

The lead single released off of Stories for Monday is titled “Figure Me Out,” a second single titled “Missin’ You” quickly followed. Prior to these releases, it had been over two years since they put out any music.

“We forgot what it was like to have people tell you what you did was good. I’m really thankful that we have a couple songs out there and people seem to like them.”

Dales feels as though it’s the most honest album they’ve made and is happy they took a long break to start a new chapter.

The Summer Set

Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, crescentphx. com, Saturday, April 16, 7 p.m., $20-$22

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COOL KIDS

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Cultivate Festival

WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, chipotlecultivate.com, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 30, free admission. There is a charge for food and drinks.

E

chosmith’s song “Cool Kids” carries the message of selfworth and self-acceptance.

But sometimes, lead singer Sydney Sierota says, it’s hard to subscribe to that belief.

Her band—which includes her brothers Jamie, Noah and Graham—has toured for three years, mostly on its 2013 debut album Talking Dreams, and announced in the Fall that it’s going on a break to record a new collection. The three years have been educational.

“I think learning that having your own identity is a big deal,” Sierota says.

“There are so many other artists and bands out there. It’s easy to feel like, ‘Man, maybe I should try avoiding that kind of music because that’s working. Or maybe I should look like this.’

“Naturally, in this world, you’re going to compare yourself to others. That does relate to the message of ‘Cool Kids.’ It’s funny because we’re finding that we relate to the song more so now than when we wrote it.”

Sierota says she and her brothers have continued to learn self-acceptance over the last three years.

“It’s important to be yourself,” she says. “That what people really fall in love with. That’s what they connect to.”

But Sierota says her profession isn’t any different than others.

“Every profession has its own differences and challenges,” she says. “In the

Echosmith finds its own identity

end, I’m not complaining, but everybody has their thing and their stuff they have to deal with and work through and address in their personal life and professional life.

I think everyone goes through it. There are plenty [of ] things that people have to deal with in this industry and a lot more maybe sometimes.”

Echosmith’s profession brings it to Chipotle Mexican Grill’s free Cultivate Festival at WestWorld from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Young the Giant and Lukas Graham are among the other acts slated to perform throughout the day. Arizona shows are meaningful for the California-based band.

“I love Arizona. Plus, we have family there, and that makes it even better—my grandparents, a few of our cousins and aunts and stuff. There are quite a few people, actually.”

The family has shared in Echosmith’s success, which includes three hits—“Cool Kids,” “Let’s Love” and “Bright.”

Echosmith hopes to replicate that success on a forthcoming album.

“Lots has happened to us in life, and musically I hope we’ve improved,” Sierota says with a laugh. “It’ll be interesting to see what comes out.”

Those experiences include being a surprise guest during two of Taylor Swift’s shows.

“Taylor’s super sweet and obviously talented,” she says. “It was a great experience both times that we did it. It was

really cool. Her crowds are so excited and they scream louder than you’ve ever heard.

She’s a great person and to have that opportunity is great. I’m really thankful that she wanted us to sing with her on her tour. She could have asked anybody. It’s something we’ll never forget.”

Perhaps her biggest thrill was playing on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

“That was a big step for us,” she says with a smile that transcended the phone line. “That was always on our bucket list.

We would watch it every night. It was such a dream come true.

“It’s hard to determine which are the biggest deals out of the three years of doing things. I would say playing ‘The Tonight Show’ was probably the biggest one.”

But she admits to being uneasy on TV stages.

“I don’t normally get nervous,” she says. “But I’m nervous for TV performances. It’s live and, well, a normal show is live, too. But you’re only playing one song. It’s not a normal concert setting.

“The crowd isn’t right in your face.

It’s completely different. They’re having to act cordial because they’re on TV. It’s a really interesting environment.”

That hearkens back to her comments about insecurity.

“Over the three years, I did need to have my own identity and try not to find it in anybody else’s opinion of you.”

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INTO THE LIGHT

Rockers The Darkness pull from Queen, call themselves ‘better looking’ Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » Interview Hub

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nglish rockers The Darkness are about to return to the Valley, and bassist Frankie Poullain said fans can expect the usual—a rocking show, great vocals, etc. But, he added, there is more to it than that.

“You can expect new looks. Justin’s got a new look; his hair’s a bit shorter,” Poullain says about singer Justin Hawkins.

“He shaved his beard off, too. He looks much younger. You can expect some old stuff we hadn’t played before. We’ve been hitting the gym as well. We’re suntanned, lean and mean.”

Poullain is most excited, though, about the band’s recent addition in drummer, Rufus Taylor, the son of Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor.

“We have a little bit of Queen genes in the mix there,” he says.

“Through the miracle of osmosis, we’re all 15 percent younger and better looking when we stand next to him. He also brings propulsion, rhythm, urgency and, excuse the word, spunk. We have to raise our game because of his vibe and his thing and his background.”

The band will come to Livewire in Scottsdale on Saturday, April 16, to push its May 2015 release, Last of Our Kind, which was inspired by a tumultuous time in which The Darkness was embroiled.

“There was a backdrop of problems we had with our management and our drummer and with our record company,” Poullain explains. “That’s why there’s an intensity and a passion. It’s very emotive, this album. I think we were trying to escape from all of the problems we had.”

The collection’s title, he said, is symbolic of how The Darkness’ musicians felt at the time.

“Justin always stresses that the album is a photograph of a memento of a time that we went through,” he said.

“The album captures a particular, emotional landscape. Even though this is The Darkness and there’s a sense of fun involved, it still comes from the heart.

“There are really cool melodies as well. We’ve just opened things up a lot more. I sang one of the songs on the album. Justin sang a song in character in a completely different voice. People when they hear it think it’s Vince Neil. He was creating a character.”

So how did The Darkness, who is best known for its worldwide hit the falsetto “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” make it through this dark time?

“We just did it through friendship and love through each other,” Poullain said. “The three of us, we dug deep and we were resolute and defiant. If I had to use one word to describe the record, it would be ‘defiant.’”

The Darkness

Livewire, 7320 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, livewireaz.com, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 16, $23-$28.

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Country singer thriving after tumultuous time Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

FINDING HERSELF A

turbulent life often leads to the best songs. Valley-raised country singer Erin Kalin was able to find her voice after a divorce, and all signs point to a potentially successful album in the forthcoming You Found Me. “I think that for artists working on an album it’s exciting and they’re grateful,” Kalin says. “It’s bittersweet for me in a way. I didn’t know if I was going to go back into music. I went through a very hard time in my personal life. I felt really broken. I didn’t feel worthy. I didn’t feel like myself at all.

“But many people championed me. The president of EMI Records [Bill Hearn] championed me. He really encouraged me to get back into this. I told him that as a single mom, I didn’t feel I emotionally had it in me. I fought it kicking and screaming. It wasn’t like I was trying to be rebellious.”

(Hearn was unavailable for comment.)

Eventually that rebellion eased and Kalin started writing again. She wrote from the viewpoint of “If I was a woman

listening to a song, what I wanted to hear.

I wanted to be as transparent as possible, and I was completely vulnerable as a person. I wrote about my past life in a couple songs, a lot about the broke times and when I wasn’t treated right. I wrote about being in relationships you shouldn’t be in. As a woman, we all know that.”

Music is in the blood of Kalin, who attended Horizon and Desert Mountain high schools before moving to Monterrey, California, with her family.

“My dad is an amazing singer and musician,” she says. “When he was younger, he even played with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. He taught me everything I know about music and I grew up loving watching him.

“He really put such great music around us. I grew up listening to everybody—Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross—anybody who had amazing voices and incredible songs. The sounds are pretty epic and big and moved you.”

She slowly moved toward country in her teens.

“I liked Reba McEntire,” Kalin says.

“I remember loving her and looking up

to her for her charity work. I watched a special when she went to Africa. I was crying and saying to my mom, ‘I want to be like her.’ She did it all. Her and Dolly were the first women to do it all.

“They paved this incredible way for us. Martina McBride, Shania Twain and Faith Hill were game changers when it came to me falling in love with country music. Keith Urban was one of those people who made me love it even more. I fell in love with the storytelling.”

Kalin, who lives in Cave Creek with her children, hopes to carry on that storytelling legacy with You Found Me. “I can honestly say that I was so incredibly grateful to do this album,” she says. “I know what it’s like to work in corporate America, and to work two, three, four jobs to make ends meet. The fact that I got to focus on making this album and music was amazing. It was like a dream come true. I didn’t take it for granted. It was opening up some places of me that I didn’t want to go back through, though.”

For example, “I Need You” is literally a journal entry, while “In the Dark” talks about being in a toxic or abusive

relationship. Her hope is that she’ll be able to ease the pain of women going through similar situation.

“I just didn’t want other people who were hurting to think they were the only ones feeling these feelings. I want them to think, ‘If she can get through it, I can get through it.’

“The other thing is I wanted people to know you can get through it. There are a few songs that deal with the brokenness.

I’m in such a great space. I’m so grateful to be here. I wanted to write to that and say to others that everyday gets better. You get through that pain and it gets better.”

Erin Kalin

Scottsdale Culinary Festival, Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, scottsdalefest.org, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 17, $10-$40. Erin Kalin’s set is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

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LIFELONG

DREAM

Heart’s Nancy Wilson reflects on 40-year career Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer

Heart

Encanterra Country Club, 36460 N. Encanterra Drive, San Tan Valley, 888.856.3727, thegoodlifefest.com/festivaltickets, 6 p.m. Saturday, April 16, $32-$70.

Heart, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Cheap Trick

Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Avenue, Phoenix, 602.254.7200, ticketmaster.com, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 21, $25.25$125.50.

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F

or Nancy Wilson of Heart, her 40-year career has gone by in the blink of an eye.

It’s been four decades since the release of Heart’s debut album, Dreamboat Annie, which spawned the singles “How Deep It Goes,” “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and the title track.

Heart continued topping the charts through the ’80s and ’90s with huge hits like “These Dreams,” “Alone,” “What About Love,” “If Looks Could Kill,” “Never,” and a string of other hits that showcased the sisters’ talents as musicians, singers and songwriters. This new millennium showed them back in the charts again, with the albums Red Velvet Car and Fanatic.

“It doesn’t seem that long at all since Dreamboat Annie,” says Wilson, who is joined in the band by sister/singer Ann Wilson. “It seems like a lot of personalities ago, not four decades. You kind of live a few lifetimes in your life. You look back on life in your 20s and say, ‘What was I thinking.’”

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Heart is getting a second chance at its music with the forthcoming album Beautiful Broken. The Wilsons and their band are reimagining and rerecording hits and their favorite songs for the collection, which will also feature new tracks.

“We’re working on a new album for Concord Records,” says Wilson, who will perform with Heart twice this summer, including Saturday, April 16, at Encanterra Country Club.

“They came to us with an idea to have the chance to redo some gems from albums past to rerecord them and rerelease them. We’re doing a couple of our favorite songs that got lost in translation in the ‘80s. There are some of the all-time favorites that we wish we could have redone.

Some of these songs come to life the way we wish they would.”

The project has breathed new life into the songs—not that the Wilson sisters were tired of them.

“The way things are turning out now, it sounds like one of our first albums before the digital stuff started happening,” she says. “The band came together in studio. We played together in the same room. We took a real human direction

with it. It’s a really good sound.”

Wilson expects to perform some of the new songs and reimagined tunes at the Encanterra show.

“It’s just really nice to have some new things,” says Wilson, who frequently listens to the college music channel Sirius XM’s XMU. “So we’re not going to go out and do the same stuff all the time. We’ll do the familiar stuff that everybody wants to hear. I think it’ll be special, though, with the new stuff. That’s for sure.”

While recalling her last 40 years, Wilson says she owes her longevity to her family, actually, as fans.

“Our mom told us one time that however deep into this entertainment industry you get, always remember who you are,” Wilson recalls. “The tendency is to let it affect you, believe your own hype, and don’t let it turn you into an egomaniac.

“The important thing is to remember yourself and who you are. You should keep things real. If you’re so driven by success, you will compromise your own artistic integrity to the point that it’s not you anymore.”

She admits, however, that she and Ann went “through our various rollercoaster rides.”

“Most of that was about substance in the ’80s in particular,” she says. “We’re a strong family dynamic. Me and Ann and our sister, Lynn, who travels with us, too, have a very strong family. We keep our band close to us like a family. We all act like a family. It’s a good way to be.”

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DRIVING

SUCCESS

Skylar Grey gets that California feeling when she listens to music Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

S

kylar Grey loves the feeling of listening to music in the car.

She’s hoping her fans will experience the same joy when she releases her third album later

this year.

“I wrote it to be an album that I would like to listen to if I was driving up the 101 in California,” Grey says via telephone about the as-of-yet untitled album.

“That’s my favorite drive in the country.

Some of my favorite albums are by Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar. I love to listen to those albums while I’m driving. I wanted to make an album that would sit alongside those.”

Formerly known as Holly Brook, Grey compares the collection to childbirth.

“I feel like I’ve been in labor for the last week,” she says with a laugh. “I have a million songs to choose from. But I want to pick an album that’s cohesive, not all over the map.

“It’s about picking a few really great songs and surrounding it with stuff that complements it, and also create a vibe for the whole thing.”

Grey, who plays the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix on Friday, April 29, may not sound familiar, but fans would know her work. In 2010, she co-wrote Eminem and Rihanna’s hit single “Love the Way You Lie,” alongside Eminem and British record producer Alex da Kid, who signed her to his label. Two years ago, she won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for “Clarity,” a song she co-penned with EDM artist Zedd.

She also served as a guest vocalist on Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go,” Diddy’s “Coming Home,” Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor” and Nicki Minaj’s “Bed of Lies.”

“I learned something different from every session,” Grey says. “I think Eminem has always been my No. 1. I feel he really understands my artistic instincts.

“It’s easy to work with him. He’s very

appreciative of what I do and that’s really nice because I’m a huge fan of his. It was a huge dream to work with him and then I did and I continue to. It’s still kind of mind-blowing.”

She enjoys working with Eminem because he stays grounded by remaining in suburban Detroit, and she in Utah.

She’s happy to be disconnected from the formulaic process in Los Angeles.

“I love to just purely rely on my creative instincts, versus to trying to chase something that’s not necessarily authentic.

When I lived in L.A., I kept getting pulled in all of these different directions.

“Being in Utah, I can rely on the pure creative juices that I have, instead of being swayed by opinions and people.

I can stay authentic to who I am as an artist.”

Grey’s artistic career began in tiny Mazomanie, Wisconsin, where she was reared by a musical family who schooled her on Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.

After writing her first song at age 14, she became obsessed with songwriting.

“I’ve been doing this professionally since I was 6,” explains Grey, whose mom was a Celtic harpist and her dad was in a barbershop quartet. “If you work hard at something for that long, it’s just a matter of time before [you’re successful].

“I think a lot of people get discouraged. It’s a very discouraging industry to be in. Also, I have a really eclectic musical background. I can walk into a lot of different rooms and genres and work there.

I’m not limited by one genre. When I was

a kid, though, I never thought I’d end up working in hip hop.”

Her eclectic tastes and talents have allowed her to work with a range of artists from Moby to Kaskade and T.I. Kaskade revealed during a recent interview with The Entertainer! that he thoroughly enjoyed working with Grey.

“I’ve spent so much time in the studio and worked over the years with so many inspiring musicians,” he says. “It’s hard to say what would be the most. What comes to mind and does stand out is when I worked with Skylar Grey. The first night I met her and talked to her about music, I knew there was something special there.

Collaborating with her was incredibly fun, and came together beautifully.”

Grey’s latest collaboration is with labelmates X Ambassadors on the high-energy anthem “Cannonball.” Her follow-up single, “Moving Mountains,” is expected to be released soon. It’s a gentler song about living in the moment.

“The thing with writing is I like to try new things all the time,” Grey says.

“All of the songs end up sounding different. I have to be marketable.”

Skylar Grey and Atlas Genius

Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, 602.716.2222, crescentphx.com, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 29, $20-$23

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THE NIGHTOWL

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SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE

MAD MIXOLOGIST

Getting down and dirty with the Valley’s hottest shot slingers hurricane just blasted through the space, it grinds my gears.

What is your go-to drink when you’re at a bar other than your own?

A whisky a day keeps the doctor away—or something like that, right?

I love a whisky neat, usually cask strength and/or of the single barrel, small batch variety. But I am not a snob when it comes to brands. I love to try it all. In fact, I probably have 100 various whiskies at home.

That may sound like a lot, but a couple of years ago when I won the Jack Daniels Bartending Competition, they flew me to Tennessee to visit their distillery. While there, I had the chance to experience downtown Nashville. The only thing more amazing than all of the live music was the eye-popping selection of whiskies.

Breanne DeMore » The Entertainer!

A

s beverage director for Handlebar, Modern Margarita and La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar, JT Tillman has a lot

on his plate.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t make time for a good cocktail. We sat down with this expert on all things booze and chatted about his oddest drink request and his own drink of choice.

Tell me about the oddest drink request you’ve gotten of all time.

I take the odd requests as more of a challenge than anything. The oddest happened recently, actually, when someone approached me with miso bean paste and asked me to use the ingredient in a custom cocktail.

What is miso bean paste, you ask?

A traditionally Asian ingredient, it looks a lot like hummus and is very salty, almost briny. If you have ever tasted miso

soup, you know what I mean.

It just so happens, however, that I love Asian flavors—not to mention using saltier characteristics in cocktails when appropriate—so I mixed the miso with some classic Asian flavors including fresh lemon, lemongrass and ginger root. I finished it with gin, and the result was a great alternative to a dirty martini. A miso martini, if you will.

What is your No. 1 pet peeve when working?

When you work behind a bar, you are usually assigned a well—your own station behind the bar with all of the main tools you need for the night, from ice and shakers to mixers and spirits. I always build my well for speed, and organize it just so. We think of our wells as our home bases each night.

There have been times when other bartenders have come over to use or share my well—ripping through the space like the Tasmanian Devil. When that happens, and I am left with a well that looks like a

What does ordering vodka soda say about a person?

Now that is a loaded question—with so many good answers.

While it could simply mean that the guest is counting calories, more often than not it means one of three things: 1. He or she is underage. They order the drink because they’ve heard it on TV or in movies and sounds “adult.” I always catch them.

2. He or she is going to be operating heavy machinery or heading back to the office after the cocktail (or two) and doesn’t want the boss to smell alcohol on their breath.

3. He or she wants help from someone like me on finding their signature cocktail or cocktails. Sometimes, people just don’t know what to order and go with something safe like a vodka soda.

When I spot those people, I talk to them about their favorite flavors and try to direct them to something fun or outside of the box they may not have considered.

What do you like about this drink, The Modern Margarita Cocktail?

First, it’s fresh. We only use fresh juices in our cocktails—so the grapefruit and lime juices really pop.

Second, Aperol is a highly underrated spirit. It’s a traditional Italian aperitif, with

hints of orange and rhubarb. It elevates so many cocktails, but isn’t often thought of when making a margarita.

Third, we use Tequila Herradura, which is a premium, 100 percent agave tequila. Tequila can make or break any margarita—and Herradura makes this one special.

And finally, understanding the ever-evolving needs of our consumer, the drink is gluten free. Actually all of our cocktails at Modern are now gluten free.

MAKE YOUR OWN

MODERN MARGARTIA COCKTAIL

1 1/2 oz. Tequila Herradura Blanco 1 1/2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice 1/2 oz. Aperol 1/2 oz. simple syrup Shake and pour in salted margarita glass over ice. Express orange peel over glass then add as garish.

Modern Margarita

5410 E. High Street, Phoenix, 602.795.8111, modernmargarita.com WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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THE BEST NIGHTLIFE EVENTS FOR APRIL Damir Lolic » The Entertainer!

Nervo

APRIL 3 The two Australian sisters began their careers as models, but soon struck a passion for songwriting that would propel them to new heights. They’ve penned hits for the likes of David Guetta, Miley Cyrus, Ke$ha and Nicole Scherzinger. The duo has also proven it’s capable of spawning its own hit songs with “Hold On” and “The Other Boys,” topping Billboard’s Dance chart on separate occasions. Maya will open its doors at 12 p.m. so arrive promptly and secure yourself dancing room.

Maya Day + Nightclub, 733 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 480.625.0528, mayaclubaz.com, 12 p.m., $25-45

Lil Jon

APRIL 6 After leaving his duties as the frontman for the heavily successful hip-hop group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, Lil Jon took to the DJ booth. His instantly recognizable voice made him an immediate success after

collaborating with DJ Snake to release the party anthem “Turn Down For What.” The rapper/DJ will be joining Talking Stick Resort’s epic pool party series lineup so get your ticket before time’s up.

The Pool at Talking Stick, 9800 Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, relentlessbeats.com, $15

Headhunterz

Lost Frequencies

APRIL 15 This Belgian newcomer solidified his status as a force to be reckoned with through his remix of “Are You with Me” by country artist Easton Corbin.

After topping the charts in seven different countries, he followed up with the release of “Reality” in 2015, peaking at No. 1 in Belgium, Austria and Germany. Serving up his own take of tropical house music with a splash of deep house, the 22-year-old visits Maya for the first time.

Maya Day + Nightclub, 733 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 480.625.0528, mayaclubaz.com, 9 p.m., $14

Diplo

APRIL 10 The Dutch DJ and producer is one of the grandiose figures of hardstyle music. You might also recognize him from his voice acting duties on movies like “High School Musical” and the “Harry Potter” franchise. Within the last decade, Headhunterz has continued to embody the hardstyle scene collaborating with all of its major players and releasing track after track of intense basslines accompanying the beat.

Maya Day + Nightclub, 733 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 480.625.0528, mayaclubaz.com, 12 p.m., $15-35

APRIL 23 The Grammy-Award winning visionary DJ has made an imprint in all facets of the music business. Whether he’s rocking international shows, Snapchatting at a Los Angeles Clippers game or directly working with A-list artists, Diplo is always in demand. The party starts at 11 a.m. as the turntablist takes over the Talking Stick pool.

Ticket prices will only rise as the date arrives, make sure to get yours early.

The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, 9800 Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, relentlessbeats.com, $30-45

Chvrches

APRIL 24 There’s a reason the Scottish electronic trio is mentioned alongside some of Britain’s greatest electronic music exports. All three members have extensive experience playing in various bands before forming Chvrches. Their songs have featured on some of the hottest TV shows and movies released in recent memory such as “CSI,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1” Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe, 480.829.0607, luckymanonline.com, 8 p.m., $25

TJR

APRIL 22 The American turntablist is known for his wicked mixing skills and extraordinary persona. Responsible for quite a few number one hits, TJR has a knack for packing a dancefloor to its brim. On Friday, Maya will be the site of his set and with megahits like “Don’t Stop the Party” in circulation.

Maya Day + Nightclub, 733 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 480.625.0528, mayaclubaz.com, 9 p.m., $15

TIPSY DRINK OF THE MONTH A refreshing drink from TIPSY to welcome the summer heat

EL PEPINO MARGARITA

1.5 oz. Cabo Wabo Plata ½ oz. Cucumber monin syrup ½ oz. Lime juice 2 oz. sweet and sour mix 1 oz. Cucumber (about 1 square inch) 1 oz. Watermelon (about 1 square inch) Splash of soda water

O

ur state is heating up, and Tipsy, a mobile app for iPhones and Android that offers complimentary drinks, front-of-the-line passes and no cover charge entry to over 35 venues in Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix, is making sure your summer is fresh and entertaining.

Partner restaurant Salty Senorita is known to mix up a mean margarita, and the El Pepino Margarita, crafted by bartender Derrick Chavez, is no exception.

Derrick has been bartender at Salty’s for the past three and a half years. During the summer, he beats the heat by spending some time at the pool with cocktails and going to outdoor patios with misters.

Salty Senorita is known for handcrafted margaritas with an original menu and awesome

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

outdoor patio. The El Pepino is one of the freshest margaritas served that is not too sweet and can be enjoyed by everybody.

It’s always a celebration at Salty Senorita, and with the Tipsy app there is a bigger reason to celebrate, along with amazing tacos and great daily specials.

Tipsy has over 800 users getting access to complimentary drinks, daily promotions and VIP experiences. The app is available for both Android and iOS. For benefits, simply show your redeem page on the app to a bartender or server and the price of one drink is deducted from your bill.

For more information about Tipsy, visit imtipsy.com.

Muddle fruit with cucumber syrup, lime juice and a splash of soda in bottom of a glass. Top with tequila and sweet & sour mix. Shake vigorously!

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Salty Senorita

3748 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.947.2116, saltysenorita.com The Pepino Margarita is normally $9, but free with your Tipsy membership!

For $15 a month, the Tipsy app gives you five vouchers, redeemable for complimentary drinks and VIP experiences at over 35 venues in Scottsdale, Tempe and Phoenix.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016

119

WE WERE THERE— WHERE WERE YOU?

Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix, Sunday, March 13

Featuring The Avett Brothers, Bird Dog, Gary Clark Jr. and Kaleo, the McDowell Mountain Music Festival is a good time with a cause. The M3F, as it’s called, supports Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation and UMOM New Day Center.

PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY CARRILLO

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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 TO

AMERICA After sweeping Europe, Lost Frequencies is making headway in the U.S. Damir Lolic » The Entertainer!

F

elix Safran De Laet, better known as Lost Frequencies, grew up in the fertile valleys of Belgium. The western European country is historically known for its Flemish renaissance architecture, but has proven to provide euphonious exports such as Jacques Brel and Stromae.

Interestingly enough, neither of those two influential figures have been able to claim the top spot on the U.K. singles chart.

The 22-year-old DJ can proudly say he’s accomplished that feat. The young mixologist can also add Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Switzerland to the mix of countries in which he’s hit No. 1. These days, instead of curating songs in his room, Lost Frequencies is presiding sets at some of the hottest cities on the sphere. Last month, the young DJ caroused a crowd of 15,000 people in Hyderabad, India, but the outpour of international love is still very surreal.

“Sometimes I go somewhere and wonder do people really know my music?” he beams via Skype. “But then I get to the club where people are going crazy, singing my songs and wanting to take pictures.”

In 2014, he besieged European dance charts by masterfully mixing Easton Corbin’s country megahit “Are You with Me,” to originate its dancing deep house sibling.

The simple fact that he took an American genre with the least global reach, and transformed it into a chart-topping phenomenon, is significant in its own right. His second single, “Reality,” was no slouch either, peaking at No. 1 in three of the aforementioned countries dance charts.

“I still get the same excitement playing it now as I did when it first came out,” he says.

Enamored by the deep house movement his hits are frequenting, Lost Frequencies doesn’t believe in fitting a certain musical mold.

“People like to put music in boxes and say this is house, this is EDM, or this is rock, but when I start to WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

produce music I don’t think about genre, I just make something that has a groove and sounds cool.”

Lost Frequencies is releasing the groove we lust, attributing the generational diversification at his shows to the spreading sound of deep house. He’s even got his grandma blasting her speakers.

“The deeper sounds are really hot right now because it’s so easy to listen to,” he says. “It’s really cool to see people from different ages and places having a good time at my shows.” The music I make, my grandma, mom and friends all enjoy.”

Now shifting his gear toward the United States, the young DJ picked up English while vacationing in Santa Barbara for three months. Kicking off his debut set at New York’s Webster Hall on January 29, he’ll make his way to Maya Day and Nightclub on April 15, giving Valley house-goers more than a few chances to dance. The following day will showcase the turntablist overseeing a colorful Coachella mob, surely cavorting at the Belgian’s authority.

“I don’t know much about Arizona, but when I think of Arizona, I imagine myself baking in a sweater in the heat,” he says with a laugh.

There probably won’t be a need for him to bring anything long-sleeved.

On the morning of March 25, about a week after the interview with Lost Frequencies, tragedy shook the Belgian’s homeland in the form of a terrorist attack at a subway station and the Brussels Airport. The bombing senselessly claimed at least 31 lives and left 300 more wounded. Lost Frequencies was unavailable for a second comment about the tragedy.

Lost Frequencies

Maya Day and Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, http://bit.ly/1WNNpf, 9 p.m. Friday, April 15, $10

TAKE A DIP, TAKE A SIP RELEASE pool parties make their long-awaited return to Talking Stick Resort Dylan Arndt » The Entertainer!

T

he time has come for RELEASE, Arizona’s hottest pool parties, to return to Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale. Starting April 9, a poolside Long Island iced tea or margarita

couldn’t taste any better.

But the events are more than hanging out by the pool imbibing in drinks. International and national EDM artists are slated to take over the pool stage.

April is jam packed with a slew of steaming hot DJs looking to supply the music that bleeds ferocity. Kicking off the season is Canadian electro-house brothers DVBBS on Saturday, April 9. Famous for its relentless bangers and high-energy personalities, DVBBS is sure to get everyone in the pool splashing. On Sunday, April 10, a massive turnout is expected for the King of Crunk, Lil Jon. Lil Jon has been taking a break from the mic, and placing his hands on the decks instead to deliver fans’ favorite club tracks.

The following week, patrons will be treated to a little Dutch House music from Firebeatz, who made its last appearance in the state almost a year ago to the day.

Firebeatz will take over the stage on Saturday, April 16, as one of the last acts of the month to prepare music lovers for a massive show.

Grammy Award-winning producer Diplo defines Arizona pool parties. Coming off of his historic performance as Major Lazer in Cuba, this frequent Skrillex collaborator (Jack U) has been dominating electronic music news releasing hit after hit with tracks like “Be Right There” and “Set Me Free” as himself, “Where Are U Now” as Jack U, and “Lean On” as Major Lazer. This will likely be the first of many shows in the Grand Canyon State from Diplo, as he recently announced a partnership with Arizona United SC as a lead investor in the club.

RELEASE is set to be this summer’s place to be, so do it right and make your way to Talking Stick Resort starting April 9.

RELEASE

Talking Stick Resort 9800 Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, (866) 877-9897, releasevip.com/, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through the summer, various prices

TE CELEBRivAersary nn

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THE

THINKER

ODDLY ACCURATE

ASTROLOGY

What does April hold for your social life?

Weiss Kelly, PMAFA » The Entertainer!

ARIES »

March 21 – April 20 Although you’ve been indecisive the past few weeks, this month you will take charge. An unexpected event or development will take place by midmonth and will have you being more social and romantic. The new moon on April 7 is the perfect time for a transformation—physical, mental or career-wise!

TAURUS »

April 21 – May 20 Money may seem to be the source of all your concerns, including a more active lifestyle. You may need to reevaluate or alter a few things to make ends meet, but that shouldn’t be too difficult for you this month. Those in creative industries may be making some positive changes this month. Ride them out.

GEMINI »

May 21 – June 20 You should make the most of social and business contacts so you can extend your social field this month before some planets retreat backward and slow things down a bit. Remember the times between April 18 and April 30. This time period will begin a waiting game that should last about three weeks.

CANCER »

June 21 – July 22 Most of the patterns of this month (including Mars, the planet of action) support an increase in energy and motivation related to your every day routine and plan. There may be an increase in travel-related activities and some unexpected developments may bring about some frustrations but a good sense of humor will solve all of your problems.

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

LEO »

July 23 – August 22 The beginning of April will see an increase in demand from your personal finances, career and lifestyle, so prepare for that. The good news is that your social and personal encounters take on a positive twist, especially for those looking for romance.

Once Mars swings into another sign, everything will get back on track.

VIRGO »

August 23 – September 22 April is a more active and productive month and this personally rewarding cycle will continue into most of the year. Better not ignore any offers or turn your back on any social invites or introductions you can book. April 7 through April 22 will see you being especially productive so take advantage of that.

LIBRA »

September 23 – October 23 This month’s early social calendar complements your one-on-one relationships. The new moon on April 7 will introduce you to that special someone or an area of romantic and creative interests. Pay attention to this important cycle of emphasis that could change your life or lifestyle in the months ahead.

SCORPIO »

October 24 – November 21 This year in general is a socially active year for you and is full of new people and social settings. The second week of April will present a number of opportunities to move into a new circle of friends or expose you to new interests. The next two and a half years will be an intense time of learning so pay attention and settle into that!

SAGITTARIUS »

November 22 – December 21 Expect to be able to express that need for freedom until the middle of the month. Make the most of the many opportunities to do some freelancing. Curb your impulsiveness when it comes to spending and slow down in the romance department. Take your time to get to know one another before jumping in too deep.

CAPRICORN »

December 22 – January 19 Circumstances may force you to complete some project or make a decision

by April 22. Do it. The last few years have been somewhat of a turnabout in attitude, personal affairs and sense of self. Utilize the surrounding creative arts and challenging month ahead to reflect on your personal goals including extending your social life.

AQUARIUS »

January 20 – February 18 You are known for making some sudden changes, and that is exactly what you may be doing in April. Not one to get too emotionally involved, relationships are based upon friendships first. April is friendly until the last week or so. That network of friends and creative activities widens this month.

PISCES »

February 19 – March 20 Your creativity is in high gear until April 17 or so. Your professional life may get some recognition or encouragement while others enjoy their own interests and space. Some Pisces might have already met someone special while others have plenty of time to find romance.

124

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

A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH,

with a portrait of the

VIRGIN MARY,

sold for $28,000.

A corn flake shaped like Illinois went for

$1,350

in 2008.

William Shatner’s kidney stone

fetched $25,000 in 2006, raising money for a housing charity “I have discovered the reason for existence, and will be happy to share this information with the highest bidder.” North Carolina man sold the meaning of life for

$3.26

Ad space on a guy’s forehead, in the form of a temporary tattoo, went for $37,375 in 2005.

Justin Timberlake’s half-eaten French toast, left behind after an interview with a New York radio station, sold for $1,025 in 2000.

Clippings of Justin Bieber’s hair fetched

$40,668

in 2011. Proceeds went to an animal rescue organization.

TWINKIES

sold for $59.99 in 2012, following the announcement that Hostess was closing its factories.

Ian Usher sold his

LIFE

on eBay for more than $300,000, which included his home, car, his friends and even a potential position as a sale associate at his job.

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

A box of 10

Ghost in a jar went for $55,992.

A jar found in an abandoned cemetery reportedly haunted by a ghost was put up for auction by an Arkansas seller who said he was tormented by the jar

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LIL JON April 10 April 16 April 17 April 23

April 24 April 30

May 1 TALKING STICK RESORT 101 & TALKING STICK WAY SCOTTSDALE RELEASEVIP.COM Must be 21 years of age or older to attend. Credit card required for all cabana reservations.