The Entertainer! - Dec. 2016 by Times Media Group

PHX METRO » DECEMBER 2016

POP& BREAK

WITH RED BULL FLYING BACH

COUNTDOWN BEGINS

BRIAN SETZER

Spend New Year’s Eve with The Chainsmokers, Ryan Sims, Roger Clyne & others

NEW YEAR’S EVE

DAVE MASON

ANDREW DICE CLAY

Saturday, December 31 In The Ballroom

ALONE TOGETHER AGAIN Saturday, January 7 In The Showroom

Saturday, January 14 In The Ballroom

STYX

TAYLOR DAYNE

DAVID SPADE

Sunday, January 15 In The Ballroom

Friday, January 20 In The Showroom

Friday, February 3 In The Showroom

GINO VANNELLI

JOHNNY RIVERS

Friday, February 10 In The Showroom

Saturday, February 11 In The Showroom

AIR SUPPLY Saturday, March 18 In The Ballroom

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 DECEMBER 2016

CONTENTS

18 ON THE COVER

ROCKIN’ NEW YEAR’S EVE

The year’s biggest act, The Chainsmokers, lead slew of bands set to celebrate.

OF PYRO AND PROFITS

Trans-Siberian Orchestra makes a career out of giving back— musically and financially.

BRINGING ENERGY TO THE STAGE

Red Bull Flying Bach melds breakdancing and classical tunes.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

ROCKABILLY CHRISTMAS Brian Setzer and his audience have

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

long-standing love affair.

publisher

Steve T. Strickbine steve@entertainermag.com

editor in chief

Robbie Peterson

rpeterson@timespublications.com

associate editor

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski christina@timespublications.com

art director

Erin Loukili erin@entertainermag.com

CONTENTS COMFORT AND THE METROPOLITAN

Top 25 • Light Shows • Lights of the World • Tilt Studio • New Year’s Eve • Sean Dillingham • Havasu Balloon Festival • Red Bull Flying Bach

CREATIVITY TapHouse Kitchen offers a touch of home in elegant atmosphere.

THE EXTRAORDINAIRE 23

Extraordinary Rides • Trans-Siberian Orchestra • Haley Lu Richardson • Steve Vai

THE TOURIST

Tour Du Jour • High Street • Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

THE ARTIST

THE CRITIC

Coming Attractions • Ask Our Experts! • The Report Card

THE DINER

FORE!

Beer Over Here • Beer Tenders • BeerFinder Directory • Yotes Pale Ale • Great Beer Pairings

THE HIGHROLLER

Tower of Power • Casino Entertainment Calendar • Best Casino Events in December • Easton Corbin

THE GLADIATOR December’s Best Sports Events • Golf Section • Goldy’s Bowling Bash

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Aaron Kolodny aaron@entertainermag.com

contributing writers Joseph J. Airdo, Alison Bailin Batz, Dave Clark, Chad Haire, Kenneth LaFave, Cassidy Landaker, Megan Marples, Carson Mlnarik, Randy Montgomery, M.V. Moorhead, L. Kent Wolgamott

The Entertainer! is circulated throughout the Phoenix Metro area, especially concentrated in entertainment districts. ©201 Affluent Publishing, LLC. A free online subscription is available to all readers simply by going to entertainermag.com/subscribe.

Check out our Golf pages in The Gladiator to read about Starfire and Foothills golf courses, and hitting the greens in Sedona.

Best Food Events in December • Happy Hour Guide • TapHouse Kitchen • Diner Insider • Taco Guild

THE CRAFTMASTER

circulation director

ONE COPY PER READER

Phoenix Festival of the Arts • Arts Calendar • Brian Setzer • Black Nativity

designer

Jaclyn Threadgill

THE YOUNGSTER

THE NIGHTOWL

The Funnel Cake • The Best Family Events in December • Zoppe Circus • “The SnowCat”

Mad Mixologist • The Best Nightlife Events for December • Golf Clap • Stooki Sound

THE SHOWMAN

THE THINKER

The Gentle Hits • Live Music Calendar • For King and Country • Lou Gramm • CRX • O.A.R. • Clay Aiken • David Archuleta

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. DISTRIBUTION SERVICES PROVIDED BY:

100

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DECEMBER EVENTS

MUST SEE

AT LEAST ONCE in YOUR LIFETIME

Connecting Heaven and Earth ALL-NEW 2017 SHOW WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

“ I’ve reviewed about 4,000 shows. None can compare to what I saw tonight.” —Richard Connema, renowned Broadway critic

“Absolutely the No.1 show in the world. No other company or of any style can match this!” — Kenn Wells, former lead dancer of the English National Ballet

“Absolutely the greatest of the great!

It must be experienced.” —Christine Walevska, “goddess of the cello”, watched Shen Yun 5 times

“This is the highest and best of what humans can produce.” —Oleva Brown-Klahn, singer and musician

“AWE-INSPIRING!”

—

“The 8th wonder of the world. People have no idea what they're missing until they come here and see the show.” —Joe Heard, former White House photographer, watched Shen Yun 6 times

MAR 7–8

MAR 14–19

MAR 21–22

Tucson Convention Center

Orpheum Theatre

lkeda Theater

260 S Church Ave., Tuscon, AZ 85701

203 W Adams St., Phoenix, AZ 85003

1 E Main St., Mesa, AZ 85201

Early Bird code: Mag17 Get best seats, waive service & facility fee by Dec.31

Tickets: 800.880.0188 ShenYun.com/AZ Prices: $70–$150

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE METROPOLITAN

PHX » CITY » LOCAL » PRIDE » DO » SEE

Valley Aglow 13

TOP25 Carson Mlnarik » The Entertainer!

ZooLights

CitySkate Ice Rink

TO JANUARY 8 CitySkate brings you that East Coast feeling of skating on your grandpa’s pond—but a lot safer and in the middle of a desert. The outdoor ice rink, featuring lights and a center Christmas tree, has become a downtown Phoenix tradition. This season brings select Santa visits, a skate clinic with the Arizona Coyotes and the first express line that allows quick access to the ice. CityScape, 1 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.550.9561, phxicerink. com, times vary, $10-$25.

TO JANUARY 8 Presented by SRP, ZooLights shines millions of lights on the Phoenix Zoo. This year features a threestory-high holiday tree, hundreds of glimmering lights that display lakeside music-in-motion shows and Jengo, the talking giraffe. Grab a date and some hot chocolate for this Phoenix holiday favorite. Phoenix Zoo, 45 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, 602.286.3800, phoenixzoo.org, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., $10.95-$19.95.

PJs in the Park

DECEMBER 2 You can take Phoenix’s very own “Polar Express” or some call it, the light rail, to this event. Underneath the stars, don your PJs for back-toback screenings of “Polar Express” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas

Tilt Studio 16 New Year’s Eve 18 Flying Bach 21

Vacation.” There might also be a visit from the Big Man himself, Mr. Claus, for the kids. Phoenix Civic Space, 424 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.262.6862, bit.ly/2g0dpVi, 5:30 p.m., free w/ three-can donation.

The Lights Festival

DECEMBER 2 AND 3 And at last you see the light! The Lights Festival, back by popular demand, is a collection of strangers meeting in the middle of the desert to light off lanterns and send them into the sky. Food vendors, music and dancing events lead up to the launch. Your ticket gets you a lantern, a marker to write a message and a keychain flashlight. Country Thunder Fairgrounds, 20585 E. Price Station Road, Florence, thelightsfest.com, times vary, $40-$55.

Taste of Arizona Festival

DECEMBER 3 All your favorites come together for the Taste of Arizona festival, benefiting the Boy Scouts of America. The festival will feature a meet and greet with gold medalists, live music, celebrity chef demonstrations and a kid’s zone. Food vendors include every type of cuisine imaginable like Famous Dave’s, Dickey’s BBQ, TWIST, Paletas Betty and Waffle Love visit the park. Mesa Riverview Park, 2100 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Mesa, bit. ly/2g0pnPK, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5-$45.

Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding

DECEMBER 3 Alice Cooper presents his 15th annual Christmas Pudding celebration, featuring Hollywood Vampires with Johnny Depp, Cooper and Joe Perry. Sammy Hagar, Korn and Gin Blossoms round out the music bill. Proceeds from the event will benefit Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Center. Other entertainment includes Las Vegas illusionist Murray SawChuck and the local winner of Alice Cooper’s Musical Talent Search. Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, 602.267.1600, celebritytheatre.com, 7 p.m., $120-$225.

Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary Screening

DECEMBER 4 AND DECEMBER 5 For the anime or classic animation fan in your family, Cinemark in Mesa is doing a special anniversary screening of “Spirited Away.” The tear-jerking Studio Ghibli classic will be shown in English at noon on the 4th and in original Japanese with subtitles on the 5th. Cinemark Mesa 16, 1051 N. Dobson Road, Mesa, 480.733.2843, cinemark.com, 12 p.m., $10.50$12.50. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Cardinals vs. Redskins

DECEMBER 4 Finally, no complaints when the University of Phoenix stadium’s roof opens. Now that the weather is finally bearable, there’s no better time to catch the Cardinals in action. They take on the Washington Redskins at their first December home game, quickly approaching the close on what has been a rocky season. University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale, 623.433.7101, azcardinals.com, 2:25 p.m., $65-$129.

Easton Corbin

Hot Chocolate 5K and 15K

Bob Saget

DECEMBER 4 You must earn that hot chocolate at this race! Runners will traverse the city and celebrate their victory with hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and a finish line party. The finish line will also offer an official Hot Chocolate medal, shaped like a candy bar and a photo op with Marsha and Mello—probably the only smiling marshmallows you’ll ever meet. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, hotchocolate15k.com, 7:30 a.m., $54-$79.

Nick Cannon

DECEMBER 4 Nick Cannon has been in the spotlight for almost his whole life. At age 15, he was performing shows at worldrenowned comedy venues and writing for Nickelodeon’s comedy skit show “All That.” Shortly after, he starred in, directed and executive produced “The Nick Cannon Show” for three seasons. Now 35 years old, he has his toes in every artistic medium and is back doing what he started: making people laugh. He’ll be at Tempe Improv December 2-3. Stand Up Live at CityScape, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 200, Phoenix, 480.719.6100, standuplive. com, 7 p.m., check site for price.

Celebration of Christmas

DECEMBER 8 TO DECEMBER 11 AND DECEMBER 14 TO DECEMBER 20 This event is the largest holiday celebration in Arizona. Held at Dream City Church, formerly known as Phoenix First Assembly, the Broadway-style musical theater performance features a live orchestra, special effects, flying angels, aerial and silk artists, Christmas carol favorites and culminates in a live nativity. Dream City Church, 13613 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, 800.431.9734, celebrationofchristmas.org, times vary, $7-$26. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

DECEMBER 9 Easton Corbin will have country fans singing along to hits like “A Little More Country Than That,” “Roll With It” and “Baby Be My Love Song” in this free show. Expect cuts from his newest album “About to Get Real” as well as some country classics and maybe a Christmas song or two. Harrah’s Ak-Chin, 15406 N. Maricopa Road, Maricopa, 480.802.5000, caesars.com/ harrahs-ak-chin, 7 p.m., free. DECEMBER 9 AND 10 Bob Saget might be everyone’s favorite television father because of “Full House,” but his 30-year stand-up career has been dark and dirty. His gig at Stand Up Live follows the release of his book “Dirty Daddy” and appearances on the “Fuller House” Netflix reboot. Stand Up Live at CityScape, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 200, 480.719.6100, standuplive.com, Phoenix, times vary, prices vary.

Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl

DECEMBER 10 Jingle all the way down Mill Avenue with the ugly sweater bar crawl, in participation with The Handlebar Tempe, El Hefe and Gringo Star Street Bar. Christmas music will be blasting all night long. Participants will receive an ugly sweater koozie, drink specials and a bar crawl map. Opt for a VIP ticket and get your very own certified Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl pullover. The Handlebar Tempe, 680 S. Mill Avenue, Suite 109, Tempe, 480.474.4888, bit.ly/2eZfpzI, 5 p.m., $15-$17.

Tamale and Dinner Festival

DECEMBER 10 TO DECEMBER 11 The Tamale and Dinner Festival, by the Friendly House, celebrates everyone’s favorite Mexican food. The Friendly House supports Arizona families, helping immigrants transition into the community. The free festival will feature a tamale cook off, margaritas, live music and a kid’s zone. The benefit dinner will be on December 10. Cesar Chavez Plaza, 201 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, tamaledinner.com, times vary, $150 per person and $1,500 per table, festival is free.

Santa Hustle 5K and Half Marathon DECEMBER 11 Jingle all the way through Glendale at the Santa Hustle 5K and Half Marathon, where Santa-dressed racers will run through a special course filled with candy, cookies, festive music and Christmas decorations. Finishers will receive a medal and a lightweight performance hoodie, as well as the customary Santa hat and beard. Westgate Entertainment District,

6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, 847.829.4536, santahustle.com/ arizona, 8 a.m., $45-$72.50.

Ugly Sweater Holiday Party

DECEMBER 12 Break out your favorite ugly sweater for 93.3’s annual alt-rock holiday show. This year’s show brings out Band of Horses, The Head and the Heart and headliner Kings of Leon. Kings of Leon may be known for hits like “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire,” but our bet is your body will be on fire rocking that wool sweater in the mosh pit. Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa, 480.644.2560, mesaamp.com, 6 p.m., $63-$68.

Christmas with Clay Aiken

DECEMBER 16 He may have placed second on “American Idol” in 2003, but Clay Aiken has gone on to sell 6 million albums, sell out 11 nationwide tours, write a New York Times bestseller and run for Congress in the past 13 years. He visits Chandler to sing his favorite holiday classics with a 22-piece orchestra; his first concert in almost four years and his only tour date this year. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter.org, 7:30 p.m., $52-$72.

Harkins Theatres Tuesday Night Classics: “A Christmas Story”

DECEMBER 20 You’ll shoot your eye out!—“A Christmas Story” documents Ralphie’s journey to convince his parents, teachers and Santa that he needs a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. The 1983 classic has become a Christmas staple on TV, but catch it on the big screen as part of Harkins Theatres’ discounted Tuesday Night Classic series. Other December choices are “Elf” (Dec. 6), “Christmas Vacation” (Dec. 13) and “Die Hard” (Dec. 27). Harkins Theatres, check website for participating theaters, harkinstheatres.com, 7 p.m., $5.

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker

DECEMBER 22 The Moscow Ballet brings principal dancers and masters from the world’s top ballet schools to perform the classic “The Nutcracker.” The show features sets designed by multiAcademy Award nominee Carl Sprague and costumes by Arthur Oliver. The production pays respects to traditional Russian folklore style as well as the excitement of the Christmas tradition. Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2888, comericatheatre. com, 7 p.m., $20-$48.

Enchanted Entertainment Character Ride DECEMBER 23

Your favorite characters like Ariel, Anna, Elsa, Captain America and Spiderman will join the Big Man himself: Santa Claus for a double decker bus tour around the East Valley. The bus will pass holiday lights while singing Christmas carols, listening to stories by Santa and enjoying cookies. At the end of the tour, there will be a photo op with all the characters. Whole Foods Market (tour pickup), 2955 W. Ray Road, Chandler, 480.229.2353, bit.ly/2g01hVu, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $28.

Motel 6 Cactus Bowl

DECEMBER 27 The Cactus Bowl is Arizona’s very own bowl game. Featuring two to-bedetermined college football teams, this NCAA Football showdown is sure to be a good game. Last year’s showdown between the West Virginia Mountaineers and ASU Sun Devils ended in a close score of 43-42. Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.514.8400, fiestabowl. org/cactus-bowl, 8:15 p.m., $30$120.

Mannheim Steamroller

DECEMBER 27 Chip Davis’ Mannheim Steamroller is a fixture on every Christmas music radio station. The show features beloved Christmas carols, reworked by Mannheim Steamroller, along with multimedia effects. The symphonic pop group has sold over 40 million albums and is known for its Fresh Aire series. ASU Gammage, 1200 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe, 480.965.3434, asugammage.com, 8 p.m., $35.50$120.50.

Music of David Bowie at the Phoenix Symphony

DECEMBER 30 Vocalist Tony Vincent and conductor Martin Herman celebrate David Bowie’s legacy with a tribute to the songs that made him famous. The full rock band will tackle hits like “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Under Pressure,” “Heroes” and “Fame.” The one-night performance vows to deliver a tribute to Bowie in a way only the Phoenix Symphony can. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 225 E. Adams Street, Phoenix, 480.495.1117, phoenixsymphony. org, 7:30 p.m., $30-$99.

Decadence

DECEMBER 30 TO DECEMBER 31 Decadence is the biggest New Year’s event a nightlifer could dream of. With a huge lineup, including The Chainsmokers, Zedd, Disclosure, Sam Feldt and Deadmau5, attendees will dance 2016 away and welcome 2017 in style. Rawhide Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, 480.502.5600, decadencearizona. com, 5 p.m., $179-$399.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

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VALLEY AGLOW

Displays light up the Phoenix sky

“That would be wasting money.”

Phoenix has a fair share of impressive lights displays every holiday season. Instead of staring from the freeway, aimlessly driving through neighborhoods or craning your neck through your car window and trying to note the cross streets, hit these infamous holiday light spots. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and a jacket—there’s lots to see. Carson Mlnarik » The Entertainer!

Mesa Arizona Temple

TO DECEMBER 31 The Mesa Arizona Temple’s garden transforms into a glow of color every holiday season. The display includes hundreds of thousands of colorful lights, uniquely painted palm trees, flowers and a nativity scene. Mesa Arizona Temple, 101 S. Lesueur, Mesa, mesachristmaslights.com, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., free.

Glendale Glitters

TO JANUARY 7 Many families will make the annual commute to Glendale for the city’s annual holiday display. Besides glittering lights, the blocks of Historic Downtown Glendale feature hand-crafted holiday gifts, a children’s winter wonderland, petting zoo and visits with Santa. More than 1.5 million LED lights line the 16 blocks, making Glendale Glitters the largest free light display in Arizona. Historic Downtown Glendale, 5847 W. Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, glendaleaz.com, times vary, free.

Phoenix ZooLights

TO JANUARY 8 The animals go to sleep as the lights switch on. Celebrating its 25th year, Phoenix ZooLights cover the Phoenix Zoo grounds with millions of lights. Besides the glowing elephant displays and decked out trees, there’s lakeside music-in-motion shows, a three-story-high holiday tree, Jengo—the

talking giraffe and a 200-feet snow tubing slide. Visit the website for peak priced nights and regularly priced evenings. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, phoenixzoo.org, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., $10.95$19.95.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

DECEMBER 9 TO- JANUARY 1 The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park offers a unique holiday display. A ride through the Paradise and Pacific Railroad takes visitors through a special winter wonderland of lights and holiday displays. Opening night features live music, a tree lighting ceremony and a visit from Santa, who makes nightly appearances through December 23. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, 7301 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, therailroadpark.com, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., train rides $4 and carousel rides are $2.

Desert Botanical Garden’s Las Noches de Las Luminarias

TO DECEMBER 31 More than 8,000 hand-lit luminaria bags and thousands of white lights turn the garden into its own kind of desert winter wonderland. The garden restaurant will be open and guests can opt for hot cider or hot chocolate. Unique southwestern performances occur nightly, including flamenco guitar, world fusion music and stargazing. Phoenix Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, dbg.org, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., $12.50-$30.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

COMING TOGETHER Lights of the World promotes cultural understanding

Tim J. Randall » The Entertainer!

anterns will shine in the night sky as the Lights of the World Lantern Festival comes to Rawhide Western Town and Event Center in Chandler through January 29. A descendant of an ancient Chinese festival, the 11 exhibits and 75 displays are contemporary fusions of tradition and technology. “The lanterns today are designed over 10 times the original size and in great detail,” says Song Yang, vice chairman of the U.S.China Cultural and Education Foundation. “Rather than paper lanterns, light festivals combine architecture, sculpture, electricity, and arts design to create truly awe-inspiring sights.” But it’s more than just a pretty event. The flagship program of the U.S.-China Cultural and Education Foundation is a conduit for showcasing cultural relations between nations and individuals. “The festival route travels throughout the country and enriches culture, global awareness and gives the visiting community a ‘hands-on’ experience of the rich history behind lantern festivals in a modern, highly entertaining setting,” Yang says.

“This festival is a perfect setting for this cultural exchange—not only for the Chinese elements and the design and production of the event, but also to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and China.” Lights of the World Lantern Festival combines the age-old Chinese tradition of lantern festivals with modern cutting-edge technology and lights. The displays extend from 18 to 60 feet, showcasing cultures and civilizations from around the globe. It hosts a litany of other entertainment, including more than 30 carnival rides and games, a daily performance showcasing acrobatics, dance and concerts. Investors spent more than $6 million on the production. “Wild Horse Pass has been selected as it is a wonderful open space in the beautiful Arizona desert that can enhance and highlight all of the amenities within the festival,” says Yang, adding 500,000 patrons are expected to attend. Beneficiaries beyond attendees include more than 30 local charities. “For each entry ticket that is sold by a charity, a portion of the proceeds goes directly to their organization,” says Yang, whose event was previewed at the Arizona State Fair. “In addition, they gain knowledge of the benefit of this cultural exchange. We are honored to work and grow with these charities.”

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Lights of the World Lantern Festival

Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, lightsoftheworldus.com, rawhide. com, various times through January 29, $14.99-$24.99.

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TILT STUDIO

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

Fun and games with a grown-up slant Marjorie Rice » The Entertainer!

tepping into Tilt Studio at Tempe’s Arizona Mills Mall is like entering Chuck E. Cheese on steroids. It’s huge—40,000 square feet—and jam-packed with lights, noise and colors. But unlike Chuck’s, it’s skewed for an older crowd. Mercifully, there are no gyrating mice characters, no long tables of hyper kids smeared with pizza and birthday cake. The frenzy level is a just-right balance of mechanized mayhem designed to bring out the kid in all of us, but without the peril of being knee-capped by a tyke running fulltilt with a handful of tokens. That’s the result of careful planning and design by Tilt’s parent company, Nickels and Dimes Inc. They call it “Fun at Full Blast,” and that it certainly is. There are about 150 games, from interactive video and race car driving games to a collection of classic and contemporary games that would enthrall any pinball wizard. There’s also an area of retro arcade games for the more nostalgic among us and a carnival area for younger kids. But what truly sets Tilt Studio apart is upstairs, with rooms fully wired for corporate meetings and events as well as private parties. There’s also a dining room with full kitchen and two full-service bars, with large-screen TVs for sports viewing and the Tilt Lounge, including a cozy area with couches and coffee tables with tops made from old pinball machines. The fare centers on pizza, burgers, chicken fingers, quesadillas and similar choices. The Tilt Lounge and dining room are open to the public, and they also serve the private events. While the game areas are a blast— literally—it’s nice to have a quiet spot to repair to for dining and drinks. The

“I knew better and so do you. They were amateurs, so I easily eliminated them.”

colorful games are visible through large expanses of glass, and bells and whistles from the machines provide a nice buzz, but it’s toned down so conversation is possible. This Tilt Studio, the newest of 10 nationwide, is the company’s first designed to focus on corporate events as well as family entertainment, says Heather Luvisi, director of special event sales. “We’re trying to reach out to the adult market,” she says. “We’re doing a lot of corporate events and parties.” The event spaces include two private rooms, which can accommodate up to a total 150 people. Groups can rent one or both rooms or the entire Tilt Studio for a blowout event for up to 400 people, Luvisi says. Events can include birthdays, holiday parties and traditional business meetings and team-building games. Corporate events can be a fun combo of serious and silly. Envision you and the boss poring over annual sales goals, then squaring off for a pinball challenge—the collection of machines here truly is spectacular—or seeing who’s best at Pac-Man, shooting hoops, foosball or the Dance Dance Revolution game (think of Wii with dance steps). All the while munching on a “backyard blast” buffet with burger and hot dog sliders and sides. Or fajitas and quesadillas. Or plenty of pizza. It sure beats bottled water and microwave popcorn at the office.

Tilt Studio

Arizona Mills Circle, 5000 Arizona Mills Circle, near food court, 480.648.1222, tiltstudio.com.

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Say farewell to 2016 with top acts like The Chainsmokers, Roger Clyne and Ryan Sims

THE FINAL

COUNTDOWN Cassidy Landaker and Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

Friday, December 30, and Saturday, December 31, $99-$399.

his year has almost come to an end, but that means it’s time to ring in 2017. Whether you want to dress up, dance to music, drink fancy champagne, or spend a night out with family and friends there is plenty to do around the Valley. Here are some of the highlights.

Ryan Sims Band

intimate acoustic shows at McDowell Mountain Golf Club. This New Year’s Eve, the Ryan Sims Band brings its show to Copper Blues in CityScape. Join them as they perform covers as well as tracks from Sims’ self-titled solo album. Copper Blues, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, December 31, 9:30 p.m., 480.719.5005, copperblueslive.com, 8 p.m., call for cover charge.

Cave Creek country artist Ryan Sims and his band are Valley favorites, packing venues ranging from Wasted Grain to

Confetti Ball New Year’s Eve Gala

This year’s biggest act, The Chainsmokers, is slipping under the radar to spend New Year’s Eve with its fans in Chandler. That sexy video for their hit “Closer” has raised eyebrows, but it’s nothing compared to the steam The Chainsmokers will generate during its set at Decadence. Decadence begins on December 30, but on New Year’s Eve, The Chainsmokers will be joined by the likes of DJ Snake and Zedd. Decadence, Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, relentlessbeats.com, time TBD WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

SHELBY VOSS PHOTOGRAPHY

Decadence

Hotel Valley Ho is hosting an upscale New Year’s Eve gala that features a fourhour premium reception, hors d’oeuvres and a midnight champagne toast and confetti drop. Hotel Valley Ho, 6850 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, ticketvibe.com, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., $129-$1,495.

Live 101.5’s New Year’s Eve Celebration

Join Live 101.5 at The Saguaro Scottsdale Hotel for a celebration of the New Year. Join more than 1,200 revelers and sip on sweet champagne, munch on hors

d’oeuvres, play casino games, bid on silent auction and dance to music by DJs Decipha and Slippe. The Saguaro Scottsdale Hotel, 4000 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, https:// newyearsevearizona.com/tickets, 6 p.m., $105-$185.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

One of the Valley’s most celebrated acts, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers will perform their last show of the year right here at the Celebrity Theatre. RCPM’s private label of ultra-premium tequila called “Mexican Moonshine Tequila” will be served for revelers to enjoy. “The

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

Celebrity Theatre is a Phoenix music institution hosting acts like Brian Wilson, Alan Parsons, George Lopez, Todd Rundgren and the first Alice Cooper Christmas Pudding,” Clyne says. “We couldn’t think of a better venue to ring in the New Year.” Partiers rejoice: Rows one through three will be removed for dancing. Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, celebritytheatre. com, 9 p.m., $43-$53.

party favors, champagne toast, as well as a balloon drop at midnight. Entertainment includes Wanted: A Tribute to Bon Jovi, DSB: A Tribute to Journey, Discolicious, DJ Jen Jones, Tranzit and Bad Boy Bill in three rooms. Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, talkingstickresort.com, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., $125 and $150.

2017 Flannel Ball Art Show

It’s fun for all ages at Topgolf with an epic night of golf and an abundant amount of glow sticks. Skip the crowded party scene and reserve a private bay for the whole family with party favors and unlimited golf from 9 p.m. to close. This event is taking place at the Scottsdale and Gilbert locations. Reserve a bay and purchase tickets online at topgolf.com. Topgolf Scottsdae, 9550 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, Topgolf Gilbert, 1689 San Tan Village Parkway, Gilbert, topgolf.com, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., various prices.

Grab a flannel shirt and head to the Roosevelt Row Arts District for a cozy New Year’s Eve celebration. Created in 2014, the Flannel Ball keeps alive the local artist tradition of adaptive reuse. Even the dumpsters are works of art, according to its website. Flavor-filled food trucks, a beer garden sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Co., lawn games, a photo booth, the New Year piñata drop and a champagne toast are all a part of the fun. Lawn Gnome Publishing, Bud’s Glass Joint and Growhouse, 905 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, flannelball. com, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., $15-$25.

Roaring ’20s New Year’s Eve Gala

Come as a flapper, a gangster or as you are to celebrate at Coup Des Tartes. The restaurant will ring in the New Year with a roaring ’20s dance party, with a band, giveaways, dinner, drinks and a ball drop at midnight. Coup Des Tartes, 1725 E. Osborn Road, Phoenix, nicetartes.com/ ticket-sales, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., $50-$150.

Westin Kierland Resort

Ring in the New Year at the Westin Kierland Resort’s signature restaurant, Deseo, during two seatings—6 p.m. ($95) or 8:30 p.m. ($125). The New Year’s Eve menus have been designed by Chef de Cuisine Roberto Madrid. But the NYE celebrations aren’t just for adults. While their parents dine in Deseo, kids can spend time at the New Year’s Eve Pajama Party or Digital Kids Party at the Westin Kids Club. Both New Year’s Eve parties are $80 per child. Westin Kierland Resort, 6902 E. Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, 480.624.1000, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., various prices

All That Glitters NYE Gala

Welcome the New Year in style at Talking Stick Resort. Enjoy a buffet spread and

New Year’s Eve at Topgolf

“When your ad is seen by over 1 million people a year who have money in their pockets... You win.”

Glitz and Glamour New Year’s Eve

Blue Martini Lounge is hosting a cocktail party with live music, hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and a champagne toast at midnight. It’s sure to be an elegant and fun night. Cocktail attire is encouraged. For reservations, contact Abbie Ratay at abbier@bluemartinilounge.com or 602.481.8126. Blue Martini Lounge, 5455 E. High Street, Phoenix, bluemartinilounge. com, 8 p.m., $50-$660.

Phoenix City Grille New Year’s Specials

Executive Chef Rory Hewitt has crafted a fine menu for New Year’s Eve, including grilled Colorado lamb chops with Meyer lemon chardonnay sauce, haricot verts and pecan-crusted sweet potato croquettes ($42). Surf and turf returns, too, featuring a juicy, wood-grilled, special cut, 18 oz. bone-in beef tenderloin filet with lobster bisque, grilled shrimp and a warm mushroom asparagus salad ($49). Pan-seared sea bass rounds out this year’s New Year’s Eve specials. It’s served with griddled quinoa cakes, strawberry-pomegranate salsa and a ginger champagne beurre blanc ($31). Phoenix City Grille, 5816 N. 16th Street, Phoenix, 602.266.3001, phoenixcitygrille. com, call for reservations, various prices.

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BRINGING HIS ‘A’ GAME

Local Comic Sean Dillingham set to appear on ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’

ean Dillingham’s life has changed. Cast as mob boss Marco Severino on the Tuesday, December 6, episode of Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Dillingham says he returned to Scottsdale a different actor. “It’s like going from throwing a baseball in your backyard, to playing in Yankee Stadium,” he says. “You’re like, ‘What the hell? How did I get there?’” The crew and cast of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” including Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher, eased Dillingham into his role. The first day, he took “surveillance photos” for the “police investigation” on the New York backlot. “For the first scene, I didn’t have any lines,” he says. “I was in the interrogation table refusing to talk. Had I dived in right away on day one, it would have been intimidating to be in a giant studio like that with all these stars around me.” Braugher, who plays Capt. Ray Holt, put Dillingham’s nerves at rest. “He said, ‘Listen, drop that star-struck stuff.

BUCKETS OF FUN

We’re all actors. We’re going to do our thing and it’s going to come out fantastic.’ “He was really a rock. After that, I said, OK, let’s do it. On day one, I was waiting to shoot my scenes. I was meandering around their ‘briefing room’ and I was looking at the bulletin board flow chart for the mob. There’s my mugshot at the top. Apparently, that whole episode is going to be about my character.” Dillingham has been involved in comedy for years and is the owner of the Comedy Spot Comedy Club in Scottsdale, where he teaches improv. (For more information, visit thecomedyspot.net.) He studied with Second City and the Groundlings. “Having a peek behind the curtain, having the opportunity to be at Yankee Stadium, having a moment to be in the big leagues, now I know what they’re looking for,” he says about his experience on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine. “I will guide people now in the right direction at my improv classes. I’m even more professional. I can bring my ‘A’ game.”

Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair bubbles in mid-January Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

ot air balloons and country music come together for a cool event this winter—the Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair January 13 to January 15 at the Nautical Beachfront Resort’s Golf Club. The Anderson Toyota-sponsored day will host 60 sport, four corporate, two tethered and 11 shaped balloons. The shapes stay tethered on the field for the first half hour after they’re inflated for photo opportunities. Visitors can also ride in tethered and untethered balloons. As the evening sun sets, attendees will WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

want to shoot photos of the night glow. The three-day festival also houses an art village, face painting, dog shows, entertainment, paper balloon launching, a carnival, beer garden, classic cars, remote control cars, an expanded kids’ zone and a food court. More than 30,000 attendees are expected, so early arrival is recommended. Bands will take the stage until 9 p.m. Friday features the big band sounds of Chuck E. Bumps, and award-winning singer-songwriter Bryan White, who recorded the duet “From This Moment On” with Shania Twain. Chart-topper Lila McCann follows with her hits

“Down Came a Blackbird,” “I Wanna Fall in Love” and “To Get Me to You,” the latter of which appeared in the movie “Hope Floats.” Saturday entertainment includes the Kid and Nic Show, which showcases a variety of music ranging from oldies to Top 40 hits. They’re best known for

their medleys of songs from movies such as “Grease,” “The Blues Brothers” and “Animal House.” The evening brings the Eagles tribute band, One of These Nights, to the stage to finish the night. The R&B band Kevin Jaxon and Midnight Sun closes the festival on Sunday.

Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair

Nautical Beachfront Resort’s Golf Club, 1000 McCulloch Boulevard, Lake Havasu City, 877.505.2440, havasuballoonfest.com, 6 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Friday, January 13, and Saturday, January 14, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, January 15, $15 and $65.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE ARTISTRY OF

BREAKDANCING

“Trust me, my friend... When you deal with the pros, your worries fade away.”

Red Bull Flying Bach blends modern dance with classical music Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

using classical music and breakdancing, Red Bull Flying Bach is one of the most original shows to come by Phoenix this year. It takes the Flying Steps award-winning dance troupe from Germany and visualizes its interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” Flying Steps Founder Vartan Bassil came up with the idea of combining these two elements, and, when he partnered with Conductor Christoph Hagel, Red Bull Flying Bach was born. More than 35 professional dancers are part of the Flying Steps crew. “The Red Bull Flying Bach national tour is an opportunity for The Flying Steps to demonstrate that our members are not just break dancers—we are artists,” Bassil says. “The product of combining urban culture with classical influences is an incredible type of street art that we are excited to share with the USA.” The show stars Uwe Donaubauer, also known as B-Boy Real. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Donaubauer is a master of mixing the different styles of breakdance.

Dance became his life after he tried it for the first time and knew this was his courses. “Breakdance is one way of expressing yourself and opens you new perspective to view of life,” he says. The company not only creates and produces international dance shows, in 2007 they also founded their own Flying Steps Academy. With its 32 teachers, it is now the biggest urban dance school in Germany. After a successful premiere in 2010 in Berlin and following a sold-out German tour, Red bull Flying Bach brought its success to the rest of the world. More than 400,000 spectators in 31 different countries have experienced Swedish ballerina Anna Holmström and the Flying Steps in a performance that is equal parts urban culture, ballet and theater.

Red Bull Flying Bach

Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, redbullflyingbach.com, 8 p.m. Friday, December 9, 8 p.m. Saturday, December 10, and 4 p.m. Sunday, December 11, $39-$79.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE EXTRAORDINAIRE

STYLE » ENVY » PASSION » FASHION » BEAUTY » DESIGN

EXTRAORDINARY RIDES

2017 Acura NSX C.A. Haire » The Entertainer!

hile a group of auto executives were enjoying our nice weather in Paradise Valley this fall, I learned they had a new NSX sports car in their possession. I thought it would be a great idea for them to loan it to me for a test drive. So, after some solid negotiating—and some begging—I had the keys in my hand, and this car on the road. This NSX is the flagship of Acura/ Honda technology and engineering. Connected to its 9-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox is a 3.5-liter twin-turbo motor cranking out 500 horsepower. Attached to the engine is an electric motor to assist in acceleration and fuel economy. Up front are two more electric motors, one turning each wheel, giving true all-wheel drive traction. Yes, you heard correct, gas and electric making this car a true hybrid. But with a total output of 573 horsepower, a claimed 0-60 mph time

of 3.1 seconds, and a computer limited 191 mph top speed, this is a bit more hybrid than your neighbors Prius. There is a bit more in the cost department as well. Base price starts at $157K. This example was loaded options like carbon fiber trim at $9K, carbon ceramic brake rotors $10.6K, and how about $3.6K for carbon fiber engine cover, or $3.3K for upgraded audio system? Added were the carbon fiber interior, machined wheels, rear deck spoiler, leather trim, black headliner and metallic paint. Total sticker was $195,200. At that point, the buyer shouldn’t be concerned with the extra $20K for shipping, tax and license. During the driving experience, I was gripping the steering wheel with my left hand, holding a video camera with my right hand, watching the road with my left eye, and watching for speed traps with my right eye. Observing the speedometer wasn’t my priority, so I can’t verify exact 0-60 times. I can verify this is one quick puppy, and while it would have been tempting to reach that claimed 191 mph top speed, the factory rep said he wanted

the car back in one piece. That thrill had to wait for another day. For those who care about fuel cost, the EPA rating is listed at 21 mpg combined. In the real world, the computer showed 18.6 mpg. I was shocked to learn the electric hybrid parts add about 500 pounds to the overall weight of 3,800. No wonder the light carbon fiber options are so numerous. Thus far, production is slated at 900 units this year, so you had better get that order in soon.

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PYROPRO

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

FITS

Trans-Siberian Orchestra celebrates 20 years of performances and giving back Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

wenty years ago, when Paul O’Neill told his parents he was going to be a musician, his mom said to God: Please don’t let him starve. “It worked out better than we ever could have imagined,” says O’Neill, the mastermind behind Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Take, for example, 2015. TSO released the album “Letters from the Labyrinth,” which marked the act’s third consecutive Top 10 debuting album. Live, it played to more than 850,000 people, grossing $41 million in 45 days. (The TSO team is split into two groups to cover the East and West coasts and Midwest.) That summer, at the Wacken Open Air music festival in Germany, TSO produced an industry first when the group performed a coordinated set across the festival’s massive two main stages, to a crowd of more than 80,000 fans. Perhaps, however, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is best known for its holiday shows that blend pyro, dramatic readings, singing and stellar instrumentation. TSO returns for two shows on December 26 at Gila River Arena. The radio station 99.9 KEZ presents the 3 p.m. show with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Operation Santa Claus. 100.7 KSLX hosts the 7:30 p.m. show with a portion of the proceeds going to the Arizona Animal Welfare League. “When we started in the ’70s, usually at the end of every year, we would write a check to a charity that we thought did good work,” O’Neill says. “Then one year our accountants audited the charity and found out something odd: 96 cents out of every dollar went to overhead, and 4 cents went to the needy. What was even scarier was that it was legal. When TSO started to tour, I think it was one of the agents who said, ‘Paul, instead of writing one check at the end of the year, why don’t you write it and take $1 or $2 from every ticket that you sell and write it for a local charity? This way if you make a mistake it won’t be a total disaster.’ I thought that was a great idea. “ Then it was suggested to O’Neill that he get radio stations involved because they know of reputable, local charities.

“I think the last time we did an audit, 97 cents out of every dollar went to the needy and 3 cents went to overhead,” he adds about locally based charities. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is celebrating its two-decade milestone by bringing back to the stage “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.” O’Neill says there was a groundswell to revive the show after last year’s successful run. “We received a lot of fan mail from people who loved it and then asked if we were going to be doing it again,” O’Neill says. “We exist for the fans. Two years in a row isn’t a lot when you consider we did ‘Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ for 13 years in a row. We decided that we were trying to shuffle them to never allow boredom to set in anyway. We do with the special effects on the flight deck to the story to the new singers.” O’Neill keeps up on all the pyro and special effects trends to make his shows top notch. “We know all the pyro companies,” he says. “We know all the lighting companies; we know all the special effects companies. They all know that if they invent great special effects that’s insanely expensive there is one band that is dumb enough to buy it—that’s us. “It’s also always important for us that we get it right away. The disadvantage of that is it’s incredibly expensive when it first comes out. The look on the kids’ faces when they see an effect that has never been done before, it’s just worth it.” To enhance the view from each seat, TSO places a stage in the back of the arena, too. “I remember the first time we did it, the accountants said ‘Paul, you can’t do this. You are killing seats. You are killing floor seats.’ I responded with, “Yeah, but it looks really, really cool.” True story. The next day when I showed up at rehearsal the accountant bought T-shirts for the crew. In the front, it just had a little TSO logo. On the back in big block letters it says, ‘Jesus Saves, Paul Spends.’ Again, it’s just worth it and you see it and the audience is safe.” O’Neill stresses that his shows are all about pleasing families young and old. He adds that there’s nothing more thrilling than seeing audience members’ mouth

agape after seeing special effects or a particularly good vocalist. But O’Neill’s rock opera takes its cues from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Who and Pink Floyd. It’s important to O’Neill that there isn’t a bad seat in the arena. “I saw Pink Floyd, I think in ’96 or ’95. The band was kind enough to give me front row seats and they blew my mind,” O’Neill says. “I simply had never seen a show that good where every time you thought you saw the ultimate gag, they had 10 more lined up. I wondered what it looked like in the nose bleed. I went all the way back to the farther seats and it was just as good. It was different, it was more cinematic but with Pink Floyd I basically learned you can design a show, if you don’t care about the budget, where there is no such thing as a bad seat in the house. God bless Pink Floyd because they were doing it in the ’90s. They didn’t have the advantage of all these computers, etc.” Once again, O’Neill says he feels lucky. “In the entertainment industry, Christmas is the Holy Grail because any other thing you’re writing about—whether it’s a painting, an album, a movie, a book—you’re competing with the best of your generation or the last two generations. “When you can write about Christmas, you’re competing with the best of the last 2,000 years. If you’re a painter, it’s not Andy Warhol, it’s Botticelli, it’s Michelangelo. If it’s a book it’s Charles Dickens. If it’s a movie, it’s Frank Capra. When you’re writing anything for the Christmas season, you’re happy to get past the ultimate critic, the only critic you can’t fool, the only critic that counts 100 years from now which is time, because every century filters out what’s really, really, really good. That can be intimidating just into itself. Again, we just lucked out.”

Trans-Siberian Orchestra: “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve”

Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale, 623.772.3800, gilariverarena. com, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, December 26, $36.50-$71.25. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Madison Rutherford » The Entertainer!

“

he Edge of Seventeen” isn’t your classic coming-of-age tale. Sure, it has its fair share of heartbreak, confusion, angst, rebellion, rivalry, premature partying and enough snark and awkwardness to be folded up neatly and placed effortlessly into the “teen dramedy” drawer. But, much like it’s hapless heroine, Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), the film is flippant, poignant and just plain real. The cast is a merry-go-round of quirky characters, though it develops each one at an unhurried pace, pausing long enough to make sure the audience doesn’t get dizzy. The film features Nadine’s aloof mother (Kyra Sedgwick), golden child brother (Blake Jenner), irreverent history teacher-cum-confidante (Woody Harrelson), elusive bad-boy crush (Alexander Calvert), shy, besotted classmate and unexpected love interest (Hayden Szeto) and long-time best friend (Haley Lu Richardson), who ultimately betrays her in the arduous struggle of adolescence. Somehow, Nadine makes it out alive, and it’s just as much of a peek into her psyche as it is into everyone’s subjective experience of being a teen with the world on their shoulders. Audiences will laugh, cry and find their own mothers, brothers, teachers, classmates and best friends, those who were along for the ride in their own saga of self-discovery. The Entertainer! caught up with Richardson, a Phoenix native, to talk about her role as Nadine’s closest (and only) companion, her severe case of Peter Pan syndrome, and why stereotypes are overrated.

First and foremost, I wanted to commend you on your performance. One thing I noticed was that it was so genuine and authentic; it felt like a high school experience: you have the best friend, the jock, the mysterious crush, the quirky history teacher. How does that parallel your high school experience and what was it like to channel your inner 17-year-old to play this role? I moved to LA when I was 16, now I’m 21. For the past five years, I’ve been playing (someone who is) 16. So, everything I do, I’m forced to go back into that whole world and mindset, so I feel like I’m still there. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

TEEN

DREAM

Haley Lu Richardson of ‘The Edge of Seventeen’ is never growing up Well, that sounds like a good thing; you’re young at heart. I never want to grow up, but I want to be like, 4. I completely agree with you; I love how real the movie is. I don’t think it’s trying to be anything. A lot of the times with coming-of-age comedies, you feel like sometimes it’s funny, but you feel like they’re just trying to get a laugh, or they’re overexaggerating something to be entertaining. I really feel like with this movie, it’s not trying to be anything, it just is very much a real representation of what high school is like. Sometimes high school is like, so over the top and so messy and so pitiful and angsty. I just feel like the movie and Hailee, her character just portrays that so well, which is something I can relate to because that’s how my high school was. I had those exact same feelings and was in such similar situations; I feel like we’ve all been in those situations.

Describe your role in your own words. You were obviously the “best friend,” and you kind of betrayed (Nadine), but you were still likable and relatable. How would you describe it? When I first met Kelly (Fremon Craig), the director and writer, we talked about how we didn’t want Krista or any of the supporting roles to be stereotypes. You kind of see them in the beginning and you see what they’re normally classified under, like the jock...the best friend that betrays her friend, but at the end of the movie, you realize that they’re not that person; no one’s bad...no one’s a villain in the movie. You kind of see each of the characters’ reasoning for why they make

the choices they make and for Krista, specifically, I went into it not wanting her to be the villain and trying to justify every choice she makes. It’s obvious that Krista is a selfless, supportive friend and she’s always had Nadine’s back and she’s kind of always given herself for Nadine. She’s not doing it to get at Nadine; she’s doing it because she’s realizing that she has to do something for herself at some point and it just so happens that it is really hard with her friendship with Nadine. Krista, she’s pretty mature for her age and I think she was able to see the big picture ... it doesn’t have to be the end of the world and the end of their friendship. I think doing that and giving Nadine the space that she needed, it makes Nadine realize that too.

You’re from Phoenix. What was it like growing up here, and when you made the transition to Hollywood, what was that like? Do you ever get homesick? I definitely get homesick because being an adult is hard. I had a very normal high school experience, but I moved to L.A. and started acting when I was 16. As a 17-year-old, I was expected to work as an adult and I had responsibilities and I was under a lot of pressure—a different kind of pressure than you’re under in school. It was weird because I want to stay a kid forever and it’s been a struggle the past few years of staying young and not making such a big deal of everything going on around you, especially when the stakes are so high.

What was it like working with the cast? It seemed very authentic and

organic on-screen, so what was it like behind the scenes? I think it was exactly the same. Everyone that was working on the movie cared about the movie, which is such a good feeling when you’re making something. Because it’s the worst feeling when you show up and you really care about it, but other people are just phoning it in and don’t seem to care. Everyone gave everything they had and wanted to make a quality finished product. That was something I really appreciated, and it was just fun.

Is there a scene from the film that stands out or is your favorite? I honestly love all of the scenes that I’m not in. It’s so fun to see because we filmed this movie a year ago and after you’ve had some time away from it, being able to watch the movie and see all of the things I wasn’t in, like all of Hailee and Woody’s stuff together, I love. It’s not a memory for me, but I love watching it because I wasn’t there when they were filming that, but I saw it brought to life even better than it was written, and it was written really well.

What is your favorite coming-ofage movie of all time? It’s so lame but it’s the only one I think of. “She’s the Man” because I literally love that movie and Amanda Bynes.

What’s next? Do you have anything in the works? I have a movie coming out in January called “Split.” It’s an M. Night Shyamalan movie.

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‘PASSION’

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

PROJECT G

Guitarist Steve Vai recalls ‘Passion and Warfare’ on anniversary tour

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uitarist Steve Vai is emotional. He says the response to his 25th anniversary “Passion and Warfare” tour has been

overwhelming. “The enjoyment that the band is having and the audience response to the shows we are playing in Europe has taken us a bit by surprise,” Vai says. “It’s actually to the point of being verklempt. The collective support for the PAW 25th, ‘Modern Primitive’ and this show is humbling. There is deep appreciation from us in having the opportunity to honor this record with this tour and we are smiling every moment of it.” Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings recently released Vai’s “Modern Primitive/Passion and Warfare” 25th anniversary edition. “Modern Primitive” includes previously unreleased material that was either recorded or written after Vai’s first solo record, “Flex-Able,” and prior to the writing and recording of the music on “Passion and Warfare.” For the tour, Vai is playing the album from front to back, something he says is somewhat challenging. “It’s not challenging, because my band is excellent,” he says. “I just give them songs and they just eat them up. They’re real professionals and very well prepared when the time comes. “However, it is challenging because I had to recall all that material more than two decades ago. It’s a bit of the kick in the pants because my style was a little different, and I had to remember it all.” It was tricky, too, to rehearse because the show has corresponding video. “We had to build video content for every song, so we have to do a good portion of the show with click tracks. I have some nice surprises, though. We jam on video with (Joe) Satriani, (John) Petrucci, Frank Zappa and some others. It’s nice. It’s fun when you hook up with the right people.” The 25th anniversary, he says, came quickly. “In one way, it seems like a really long time ago,” he says. “On another level, it seems like yesterday. But it’s a blessing to be able to tour with this years later and actually have people who are still interested in hearing it.” “Passion and Warfare” was a passion project for Vai, a former guitarist for David Lee Roth, Alcatrazz and Whitesnake. The album allowed him to spread his wings. “When you’re that young, it’s easy to have expectations,” he says. “It’s easy

to fall into the trap of catering to other people’s expectations and what you think other people want from you. “I worked with very successful artists before ‘Passion and Warfare’—all big rock ‘n’ roll stuff. Others expected me to do a record maybe in the genre of that metal kind of ’80s rock thing. I enjoyed it very much. But it wasn’t what I wanted to do.” Vai admits that defying expectations was a little nerve wracking. “However, its success was a pleasant surprise because I thought I was ending my career,” he adds with a laugh. To go along with the album release and tour, TrueFire presents Steve Vai’s Alien Guitar Secrets: Passion and Warfare interactive video masterclass is available at truefire.com. During this program, Vai shares methods to help guitarists unlock their musical identities, and offers overviews with select playing examples for each of the songs on “Passion and Warfare.” Vai is big on sharing his talents with fledgling instrumentalists. He is hosting his third Vai Academy guitar camp—Vai Academy 3.0 “Passion and Technique”— at the Asilomar Center in Carmel, California, January 2 to January 6, with special guests Al DiMeola, Zakk Wylde, Carlos Alomar and others. For more information, visit vaiacademy.com or e-mail info@dreamcatcherevents.com. “The camp is great,” Vai says. “Usually, there are 150 to 250 ‘campers.’ It actually takes place in a really lovely resort setting. I’ve kept it theme based. “Then, I have these great artists who come and teach classes. I’ve had people like Eric Johnson, Vernon Reid, Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter. The list goes on. In January, it’s based on guitar technique, playing the instrument and finding your inspiration. At night, it’s a great jam session. I play with all the campers. It’s really great.” Vai says he wants others to know the secrets behind his “amazing career as an independent musician.” “I’ve covered all these bases,” he says. “I share things that you don’t really learn about by reading or taking a class online or buying a book. You’re going to get more of it when you understand the vital aspects of being a musician.”

Steve Vai

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, 480.499.8587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org, 7:30 p.m. Monday, December 12, $35-$75; $160-$375 for VIP.

DREAM YOUR WAY OUT Calling All Dancers, Actors, Singers, Musicians and Models

Open auditions begin January 2nd, 2017 at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. If you are under 18 years of age you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

(800) 454-3966 azstartalents.com

TOUR

DU JOUR

Welcome to “The Tourist,” a section N. DOBSON ROAD, MESA, AZ 85201 | IN THE MESA RIVERVIEW SHOPPING CENTER for1033the more than 40 million visitors to our state, as well as the locals. But we’re not stopping at the border. Anything is fair game, so expect us to also clue you in to popular destinations of merit. Whether it be nightlife, natural wonders, golf, resort diversions, amazing cuisine or one-ofa-kind attractions, let us point out the best of the mileposts. 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!

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

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 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 proud and grateful for receiving the award as it comes from an organization that 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

(480) 610-2337 TheBrassTap.com

O.K. Corral Visit the actual site of Tombstone, Arizona’s legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and see Wyatt Earp and “Doc” Holliday in daily reenactments. There are life-sized animatronic figures of the eight-gun fighters, too. Experience the Corral as it was in the 1880s, with working blacksmiths, antique cowboy gear, western buggies and four museum displays. Ticket includes admission to multimedia Tombstone history show and a copy of the October 26, 1881, Tombstone Epitaph newspaper with original reports of the gunfight. 326 E. Allen Street, Tombstone 85638, 520.457.3456, okcorral.com

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9431 W. NORTHERN AVE., GLENDALE, AZ 85305 39594 DDWV Feb Entertainer Strip Ad APPROVED.indd WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

1/26/16 12:21 PM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE TOURIST

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

CrackerJax Family Fun and Sports Park

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 latenight adventurers. Closed Mondays. 2922 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, 85251, 480.990.1407, pigandpickle.com

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, 85201 480.644.2230, AzMNH.org

The entire family will be entertained at CrackerJax! Experience a variety of attractions including go karts, 18hole miniature golf course, 300-yard golf driving range with two levels and 66 bays, bumper boats, batting cages, the Bungee Dome, Alien Invasion Laser Tag, volleyball courts, Water Wars arcade, restaurant and more. Ideal for birthday parties and corporate events of all sizes. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; and 10 a.m. to midnight. Friday and Saturday. Driving range is open at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. 1601 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 85254, call 480.998.2800, CrackerJax.com

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

Come See Where We Live See Over 140 Exotic Animals! Big Cats, Bears, Primates, Wolves, Birds, Reptiles, Critters and more! Guided Tours

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

Hours

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

KeepersOfTheWild.org WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

5415 E. HIGH ST | PHOENIX, AZ 85054

HIGHSTREETAZ

DINE. DRINK. PAMPER. LAUGH. LIVE

Indulge your every whim and fancy at the Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most dynamic dining and entertainment district. One-of-kind experiences that go way beyond the ordinary. More highs. No lows. Only at High Street.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

HIGH AND MIGHTY

High Street’s diverse attractions draw lively crowds Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

igh Street provides an experience like no other, as it manages to create an eclectic and electric blend of shopping, entertainment and lifestyle businesses. Formerly known as City North, High Street boasts a comedy club, nightlife, retail, fitness, fashion, massage, beauty and nail salons, a barber shop and a chic cigar bar. Rising above the shops are several stories of office space and The Residences on High Street. High Street is 5 minutes from Scottsdale and easily accessible via State Route 51 or Loop 101, and is located next to Desert Ridge Shopping Center. Look for more eateries, shopping and entertainment options to be added in 2017, but for now, let’s explore some of the great attractions tourists and locals will find there.

Abode Fine Living

5415 E. High Street, Suite 119 Phoenix 480.659.3646 abodefineliving.com Abode Fine Living offers a mix of contemporary, Mediterranean, industrial, coastal, meditative and refined rustic home items. The staff seeks to find unique items, creating a mix of quality furniture, art, décor items, pillows, lighting, sculptures, the occasional antique or vintage item and many other accessories. With the holiday season approaching, customers will need to make two laps around the store to see all the hidden treasures. It also offers a full range of interior design services, from remodels to new construction. Abode’s mission is to help clients create their own comfortable, dream home that reflects their lifestyle, personality and taste.

AZ Body Mechanics & High Street

Medical 5415 E. High Street, Suite 105 Phoenix 480.282.8485 azbodymechanics.com A center for natural medicine, AZ Body Mechanics and High Street Medical addresses the entire body—inside and out. Treatment plans utilize natural therapies to heal the body and may include Pilates r yoga rehab, IV nutritional therapy, balancing hormones, addressing nutrient

deficiencies, medical massage, trigger point regression therapy, chiropractic treatments, natural cosmetic procedures and regenerative medicine.

The Dailey Method

5410 E. High Street, Suite 107 Phoenix 480.629.5520 thedaileymethod.com/studios/ phoenix-highstreet/overview/ The search for the best barre and cycle fitness class is over. At The Dailey Method, the staff’s inspiration is its clients’ strength. There’s no need to feel intimidated; just come as you are. New clients are welcome. The Dailey Method’s classes offer something for everybody. The staff’s priority is to ensure that bones are properly aligned before engaging muscles. Each class is a full body event, with members aligning their bodies, and strengthening and stretching their muscles to learn how to connect body and mind.

Fuchsia Spa

5410 E. High Street, Building 5, Suite 111 Phoenix 602.388.1130 fuchsiaspa.com Fuchsia Spa-High Street provides an atmosphere that is comfortable and nonintimidating, leaving clients confident, relaxed, pampered and renewed. Fuchsia offers a full range of spa treatments, including facials, massage, waxing and body treatments. Estheticians and massage therapists individualize the treatment for each guest. Fuchsia encourages clients to arrive with skin care or wellness goals, and the staff will address them. Treatment rooms are equipped with a variety of high-end products that can address hyperpigmentation, acne, dryness or wrinkles. In addition, the quiet room gives clients the space to relax and unwind before and in between treatments. Here they can sip on citrus water or snack on trail mix and M&Ms, or host baby showers, anniversaries, and bridal parties. With Primp and Blow and M3V in walking distance clients can make High Street their perfect beauty block.

Growler USA

5415 E. High Street, Suite 101 Phoenix 480.454.4354 growlerusa.com With craft beer’s appeal growing, Growler USA is the most comfortable spot in town for a premium craft beverage experience.

ABODE FINE LIVING

Opened by the husband-and-wife team George Plescia and Melissa Dollaghan in late September, Growler USA is an upscale gathering place where customers can enjoy an extensive menu of local and regional craft beers and leave with a growler of their favorite craft beer selection. Dedicated to pouring 100% American-made craft beverages, Growler USA features draft selections from Arizona brewing companies such as Four Peaks, Papago, Santan and Grand Canyon Brewing. In addition to microbrew beer, the pub serves hard cider, root beer, cold-pressed coffee and kombucha tea. Growler USA also offers beer flights, and growlers-to-go for those interested in purchasing something to enjoy at home or at tailgate parties. As a part of its commitment to provide a better craft beverage drinking experience, the Phoenix pub will offer a menu of beer bites, salads and sandwiches. The Phoenix pub welcomes guests with rustic reclaimed wood bar tops and eco-friendly bamboo tabletops. Garage doors open to the two outside seating areas, which offer comfortable seating and are also dog-friendly.

Kona Grill

5310 E. High Street, Suite 101 Phoenix 480.289.5707 konagrill.com

Using the freshest ingredients for madefrom-scratch dishes, Kona Grill has vowed to make every experience exceptional since it opened its first location in Scottsdale in 1998. The global menu features contemporary American favorites, award-winning sushi, and specialty cocktails. While the places that inspire Kona Grill’s cuisine may be far away, the ultimate hospitality and diverse choices are right around the corner. Wednesdays are special at Kona Grill. Enjoy half-off bottles of wine while listening to music from singer-songwriter Ivan Harshman. Four locations in Arizona (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert) with a new location opening at the Scottsdale Quarter early next year.

M3V-The Nail Bar

5450 E. High Street, Suite 109 Phoenix 480.659.9556 m3vnailbar.com The M3V Nail Bar is a sleek and stylishly designed spa that offers an unconventional version of classic nail services. This modern nail bar offers quality services at a great value, with the beverage bar included in the price to keep the experience relaxing and hassle free. Clients enjoy the white tea and fig scent, high-quality coffee, refreshing morning mimosas and relaxing on the couch while e-reading a book. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

MV3-THE NAIL BAR

Manicures start at $30, while pedicures begin at $35. Both include a drink, as it has a liquor license. M3V-The Nail Bar invites parties of all kinds to come in and explore. It specializes in parties of all sorts—holiday, birthday, wedding, girls night out, business functions and showers.

Ocean Prime

5455 E. High Street Phoenix 480.347.1313 ocean-prime.com Ocean Prime is a modern American restaurant and lounge from renowned restaurateur Cameron Mitchell. Located on High Street, across the street from the J.W. Marriott Resort, Ocean Prime specializes in seafood and prime steaks. An extraordinary dining destination, the menu features classic dishes crafted with a modern sensibility and an appreciation for ingredients. With lighter fare, like the shellfish cobb salad and sushi, as well as more indulgent items like the smoking shellfish tower, juicy steaks and decadent desserts, Ocean Prime offers something for every occasion. Ocean Prime Phoenix also features three stunning private dining rooms: The Prime Room 1 seats up to 10 guests and the Prime Room 2 seats up to 12 guests; both Prime Rooms may be combined to accommodate up to 24 guests. Ocean Prime Phoenix also offers a beautiful, intimate private room called The Club Room, seating up to 40 guests. Enjoy live music in the lounge Thursday to Saturday, or happy hour Monday to Saturday, featuring half-priced small plates and sushi with specially priced handcrafted cocktails, beer and wine. The Monday surf and turf menu is $55, while Monday wine night features half-priced bottles of wine at $99 and less.

Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy

5350 E. High Street, Suite 105 Phoenix 480.420.3553 az.houseofcomedy.net WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Anyone who needs an LOL ASAP can find it at Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy on High Street, Phoenix’s home for laughs. Upcoming appearances include: Adam Hunter (“Last Comic Standing” and “Chelsea Lately”) November 2 to November 6; Rocky LaPorte (“Last Comic Standing” and “The Tonight Show”) November 10 to November 13; Finesse Mitchell (“Saturday Night Live” and “Chelsea Lately”) November 17 to November 20; and Piff the Magic Dragon (“America’s Got Talent”) December 15 to December 18. “We are thrilled to be here on High Street, undoubtedly the North Valley’s next great entertainment, dining and party district,” says Bronson, owner, comedian and former Travel Channel host. “With tenants like Blue Martini, Kona Grill and Ocean Prime, High Street reminds me of some of America’s coolest streets. It won’t be long before High Street rivals famed areas such as San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, South Beach’s Lincoln Road Mall and Austin’s Sixth Street.” With its stellar patio, the adjoining Heckler Lounge offers up unique cocktails and dining delights. The menu showcases signature dishes such as poutine (French fries covered in cheese curds and smothered in hot beef gravy). The State Fare, a share platter with items like mac ‘n’ cheese bites, mini corn dogs, deep fried cheese curds, corn on the cob, Buffalo bites and mini donuts. It’s not just about fried food, though. The menu also has a plethora of flatbreads, burgers, signature salads and appetizers.

La Bocca Urban Kitchen + Wine Bar

5415 E. High Street, Suite 127 Phoenix 480.840.1799 laboccapizzeria.com/ La Bocca Urban Kitchen + Wine Bar on High Street brings together Mediterranean and Italian ingredients, with offerings ranging from fresh basil and creamy hummus to savory bruschetta boards and made-from-scratch pizzas.

In addition to the food, La Bocca boasts custom handcrafted cocktails by mixologists JT Tillman, Tony Pharis and Kyle Mason as well as custom wine flights, dozens of whiskeys and several wines from across the globe available in tastes, glasses or full bottles. The High Street location also offers half off select bottles of wine on Sundays and Mondays; $2 off craft cocktails Mondays; $2 off all whiskeys Wednesdays, and a prix fixe date night menu Thursdays that includes a select bottle of wine, full bruschetta plank, choice pizza and dessert to share for $39/couple. And, party planners take note: Book a holiday event with any of La Bocca’s family of restaurants, and for every $500 spent, you’ll receive a $50 gift card to any of its locations or sister restaurants, Modern Margarita and The Handlebar Tempe.

Modern Margarita

5410 E. High Street, Suite 115 Phoenix 602.795.8111 modernmargarita.com Since opening on High Street in 2013, Modern Margarita has become known for its urban taco and tequila bar. Specials include a taco (and tequila) fix every Taco Tuesday, with a plate of three tacos for just $6; $2 off all taco dinners; $2 off select tequilas; and $2 off all Mexican beers. Other menu highlights include carne asada tostada (grilled carne asada, lettuce, guacamole, Amarillo sauce); BYOQ (cheese quesadilla with a side of pico de gallo, shredded lettuce and guacamole, plus add ons); and the ultimate green chili OCEAN PRIME

RICK BRONSON’S HOUSE OF COMEDY

burger (two grilled patties on a toasted brioche bun with green chilies, bacon Oaxaca cheese, lime-spiked aioli, onion and tomato, topped with a fried jalapeno). A sampling of cocktail offerings, many of which are available in 12-ounce, 16-ounce and shareable 60-ounce sizes, include Sandia Rita: Altos Blanco Tequila, watermelon syrup, pineapple juice, house sour, agave, fresh lime juice $10/$13/$50; Up in Smoke: Mastro Dobel Humito Tequila, barrel-smoked maple syrup, simply syrup, house sour $11/$14/$55; and Tortuga: Avion Silver Tequila, Grand Marnier, melon liqueur, agave nectar, fresh lime juice $13/$19/$65.

Torch Cigar Bar

5450 E. High Street, Suite 115 Phoenix torchcigarbar.com Torch Cigar Bar owners Jon and Kelly Harrington say they’re not in the cigar or liquor sales business. They sell an experience. For example, two-time Super Bowl champ Ray Lewis enjoyed cigars with the energetic crowd last month. He’s not the only star who has made a presence at Torch Cigar Bar. “We have an all-star staff who is truly here to fulfill dreams,” Kelly Harrington says. “Our team, run by Austin Keane, is wired to say yes.” Hall of Famer Andre Reed will be at Torch December 16 to raise money for the Phoenix Boys and Girls Clubs. “Torch has members who represent the NFL, NBA and MLB. We are still waiting on our hockey guys to step up,” Harrington says coyly.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

THE

Princess brings North Pole to the Valley Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!

he Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is transforming into a winter wonderland in the desert during its Christmas at the Princess festival, now through Jan. 1. The AAA Five-Diamond resort glistens with a four-story musical tree, Desert Ice Rink, Princess Express Trains, Lagoon Lights, plus new holiday characters, shows and attractions, including Santa’s Secret Headquarters. Here some of the highlights of this can’t-miss holiday celebration:

NEW HOLIDAY CHARACTERS New holiday friends checking-in to the resort are the lovely Princess Angelica, a huggable yeti named Shivers and the lovable, squishable Graham, a walking s’more. All will join the resort’s other Christmas characters Peppermint Penguin, Selfie Elfie and Princess Noel, each of whom bring their special charm from the North Pole.

NEW ANIMATED “’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS’ VIDEO SHOW A new high-definition animated video show tells the story of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” projected against the resort’s façade. This 5-minute show plays on the hour from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Enchanted Plaza.

NEW SANTA’S SECRET HEADQUARTERS

Santa spends time in his new Secret Headquarters mapping his flight plans, time zones and toys. The young and young-at-heart can have their photos

taken with him nightly throughout the season. With Santa’s busy schedule, appointments for photos are recommended and can be made online. Various photo packages are available.

NEW PAW-SITIVELY CHRISTMAS – DECEMBER 11

Guests can bring their pets to Santa’s Secret Headquarters to have their photos taken with Santa from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.; appointments are available online. Here, Bixby & Gibbs, the resort’s canine ambassadors will be releasing their first book “The Golden Friends of Fairmont: The Adventures of Bixby & Gibbs” with a reading by the author Carole Gurule and paw-tographs by the pups.

NEW AT S’MORES LAND POLAR GLIDE ICE SLIDE

At S’mores Land, families can visit the s’mores-loving character Graham in his new home. While they’re there, they can roast marshmallows around the campfire, take an icy slide down the Polar Glide take a whirl on the Christmas Carousel.

ENCHANTED PLAZA MUSICAL TREE

Specially designed for the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, the resort’s Christmas tree has 70,000 LED lights that “twinkle and dance” to 17 new holiday songs in Princess Plaza, appropriately named Enchanted Plaza during December. The musical tree plays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the season while the lit palm trees lining the plaza are synchronized to complement the tree’s music. During the day, this stunning four-story tree is a visual experience, with dozens of glistening snowflakes and a 5-foot snowflake tree topper.

DESERT ICE SKATING RINK

Made with real ice and surrounded by picturesque saguaros, the rink allows skaters to experience magical snowfalls in the warmth of Arizona. The 6,000-square-foot rink is open to the public nightly throughout the festival. The price is $20 and $5 for skate rental.

LAGOON LIGHTS

With the addition of 800,000 lights this season, the resort shines with 3 million LEDs. Visitors enter the festivities through a 17-foot long infinity tunnel with ever-changing colors from special RGB LED bulbs, capable of 256 million color combinations. They can then stroll or ride the Princess Express Train through the majestic Lagoon Lights, a lit fantasy land to see graceful swans floating on the water, a buccaneer pirate ship, a whale, mermaid, Nessie the 30-foot Loch Ness Monster, 14-foot poinsettias, rocking horse, a candy cane forest and more.

RESORT TREES

Throughout the resort, 200 trees are wrapped in lights, many draped with icicles and snowflakes. Visitors will also see a 20-foot snowman, elves peeking around trees, a giant walk-through ornament as well as families of singing trees, singing snowmen and singing reindeer.

PRINCESS EXPRESS TRAINS

Guests may board a Princess Express Train nightly for a ride around the Lagoon Lights. The resort has two trains and the depot is located near La Hacienda Trellis. Overnight hotel guests receive an express boarding pass and non-hotel guests require general festival wristbands to ride.

MENORAH LIGHTING A nightly menorah lighting with latkes and applesauce takes place in the resort lobby through Hanukkah, 5:30 p.m. December 24 to January 1. To celebrate, the Lagoon Lights also feature a 25-foot menorah, a 4-foot dreidel and 4-foot gelt.

THE ICE DEN SCOTTSDALE PRESENTS “MAGICAL MOMENTS ON ICE”

Guests will enjoy watching skaters of all ages from the Ice Den showcasing their talents to holiday music at the Princess’ Desert Ice Rink. The shows feature members of the Coyotes Skating Club of Arizona who compete from regional to international levels. Shows are the evenings of December 5, 6, 12 and 13.

KRINGLE’S KORNER & HOLIDAY SHOPPING

The Christmas Shoppe at Kringle’s Korner is a charming boutique offering wintery wear such as hats, scarves, mittens and pajamas, along with seasonal décor, handpainted collectible ornaments, keepsake snow globes, Princess Express train whistles, blinking novelty items, Selfie Elfie and Elf on the Shelf toys and gourmet chocolates.

LET IT GLOW AT WELL & BEING SPA

Sparkling at the spa, holiday pampering includes Mistle-Toe Pedicures, Peppermint Manicures, Hot Toddy for the Body treatments and creating customized moisturizers and scrubs at the Sugar ‘n’ Spice Aromatherapy Blending Bar. Spa-goers can spend the day relaxing with full use of the facilities, including the exercise classes, steam room, Swiss shower, whirlpool rooftop pool and waterfall grotto. Christmas at the Princess is open to the public. General admission is complimentary for hotel guests who also receive express VIP access to the rides and attractions. For more information on “Christmas at the Princess,” call 480.585.4848, toll-free 866.540.4495 or visit scottsdaleprincess.com. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

The 12 Shows of

scottsdale center for the performing arts

CHRISTMAS

December 17

December 18

A Merry-Achi Christmas

David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown

December 8

December 9–18

Tig Notaro

Sister’s Christmas Catechism The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold

December 9

December 10

Santa’s Helpers

A Christmas Gathering

Live & Local Holidays

Danú

Kristen Drathman, Rusty Ferracane and Craig Bohmler

December 11

December 12

Tanya Bannister piano

Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary Tour

Virginia G. Piper Concert Series

Steve Vai

December 15

December 16

Holiday Concert

Pete Pancrazi Quartet

December 18

December 23

Scottsdale Philharmonic

Live & Local Holidays

The Hot Sardines

David Britton Christmas

Holiday Stomp Mesa Arts Center

Sounds of the Season

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Click ScottsdalePerformingArts.org

Live & Local Holidays

Call

480-499-TKTS (8587)

Visit

7380 E. Second St.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2016

THE ARTIST

CULTURE » THEATER » DANCE » GALLERY » DRAMA » VISION

INSPIRING

OPPORTUNITIES

Phoenix Festival of the Arts returns to Hance Park Diane Meehl » The Entertainer!

rt inspires, informs and delights. Phoenix art enthusiasts will get a chance to mingle with multimedia artisans and art purveyors as Phoenix Festival of the Arts returns to Margaret T. Hance Park Friday, December 9, to Sunday, December 11, just in time for holiday shopping opportunities. The Phoenix Center for the Arts’ fifth annual event features more than 125 art vendors and cultural organizations. Over 10,000 people are expected to attend, connect with and celebrate the local art community and take in Phoenix’s downtown vibe. If inspiration strikes, the festival offers plenty of opportunities for adults and kids to get creative and get messy. The Phoenix Mural Project, a hands-on

collaborative art project organized by acclaimed local muralist, Hugo Medina, returns as a signature component of the festival, allowing community members to paint and create alongside professional local artists. The Phoenix Festival of the Arts Family Zone, presented by the Teen Artist Guild, provides fun, free activities for families throughout the day. “It’s what makes this event so special is the focus on local artists,” says Medina, a seasoned painter, sculptor, art teacher and custom metal fabricator who created the opportunity for artists to work side-by-side. He says his love for children and community authored his inspiration to add more layers to the event. “Two artists use 4 by 8 foot pieces of plywood between them, and together they collaborate. They’re all lined up in a row, and the pieces are available for purchase after the event,” Medina shares. The festival draws in a range of people, including families and children, those who enjoy and appreciate art, and those who simply want to enjoy the season’s pleasant weather and take in the sights and sounds of downtown Phoenix, Medina says. The festival’s newest element takes the form of a sizeable 100 x 40-foot entertainment pavilion, nestled within the center of the festival grounds featuring live music and dance performances. Mainstage performances, sponsored by AZ Music Project, include local bands and solo artists, dance and hip-hop ensembles, spoken word poets, choral groups and more. Beer and wine, sponsored by Hensley

Beverage Company, can be carried throughout the festival grounds. Attendees are also invited to enjoy local fare and beverages. This year’s culinary lineup includes 2 Fat Guys Grilled Cheese, Queso Good, Satay Hut, Loca Popa, Cactus Corn, Paletas Betty, White Eyes Fresh Fry Bread, American Poutine, Spice It Up and Local Lunchbox.

Phoenix Festival of the Arts Margaret T. Hance Park, 1202 N. Third Street, Phoenix, 602.254.3100, phoeixfestivalofthearts.org, noon to 5 p.m. Friday, December 9, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, December 10, and Sunday, December 11, free.

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LAS NOCHES DE LAS LUMINARIAS THROUGH DECEMBER 31

ARTS

“A VERY HAIRY JAVELINA HOLIDAY” THROUGH DECEMBER 24

“A Very Hairy Javelina Holiday”

TO DECEMBER 24 Celebrate Christmas in Arizona with three little javelinas. Filled with holiday cheer, they bake cookies, string lights and await Santa’s arrival. Their plans are disrupted when Cousin Angelina and a tricky coyote visit. Bring the whole family for this enjoyable musical. Presented by Childsplay Tempe Center for the Arts 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe 480.350.2822 childsplayaz.org

“Twist Your Dickens”

TO DECEMBER 24 A satirical, improve-driven holiday treat for the adult crowd. Developed by The Second City and featuring writers from “The Colbert Report,” “Twist Your Dickens” offers audience participation, hilarity and a not-sotraditional take on the holiday classics. Phoenix Theatre 100 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix 602.254.2151 phoenixtheatre.com

PHOTO: ADAM RODRIQUEZ

CALENDAR “A Christmas Story, The Musical”

TO DECEMBER 28 “You’ll shoot your eye out!” You have seen the classic comedy on television each holiday season, now experience it on stage… musical style! All 9-yearold Ralphie Parker wants Christmas is an Official Red Ryder Range Model Carbine Action BB Gun. Follow his escapades on the journey to securing the coveted toy. Arizona Broadway Theatre 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria 623.776.8400 azbroadway.org

Las Noches de las Luminarias

TO DECEMBER 31 Grab a warm cup of cider or cocoa and enjoy the holidays with family and friends. Wander the grounds of the Desert Botanical Garden and experience the sights of more than eight thousand hand-lit luminaria bags. A variety of musical artists and hand bell performers can be found throughout the garden, adding to the festive atmosphere. Desert Botanical Garden 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix 480 941.1225 dbg.org THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVENT DECEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 11

The Best Christmas Pageant Event

DECEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 11 East Valley Children’s Theatre has made this hilarious holiday production an annual classic for local families. Based on the best-selling book, “The Best Christmas Pageant Event” features a couple who faces all kinds of problems when the trouble-making Herdman kids are cast in the church Christmas play. Presented by East Valley Children’s Theatre Mesa Arts Center 1 E. Main Street, Mesa 480.644.6500 mesaarts.org

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FRANCES SMITH COHEN’S SNOW QUEEN DECEMBER 3 TO DECEMBER 20

Holiday Pops

DECEMBER 2 TO DECEMBER 4 Conductor John Varineau, with vocalists Gary Mauer and Christiane Noll lead the symphony in a concert featuring a variety of season favorites and a sing-along that is guaranteed to put everyone in the holiday spirit. Presented by Phoenix Symphony Phoenix Symphony Hall 75 N. Second Street, Phoenix 602.495.1999 phoenixsymphony.org

A Show of Hands

DECEMBER 2 TO DECEMBER 26 A solo exhibition featuring the work of Constance McBride. Clay and mixedmedia sculptures created by the artist explore the complexity of human drama. Work is inspired by the natural world and subjects include the human body and the aging process. Bokeh Gallery at monOrchid 214 E. Roosevelt Street, Phoenix 602.253.0339 monorchid.com

Tempe Festival of the Arts

“TWIST YOUR DICKENS” THROUGH DECEMBER 24

beverage options round out what is consistently ranged among the “Top 100 Classic and Contemporary Craft Shows” in the nation. Mill Avenue District Downtown Tempe 480.355.6075 tempefestivalofthearts.com

DECEMBER 2 TO DECEMBER 4 Just in time for the holidays, browse 300 artists from around the country. In its 48th year, the festival will feature a local Makers sections curated by local artists. Live entertainment, street performers and a variety of food and

Frances Smith Cohen’s Snow Queen

DECEMBER 3 TO DECEMBER 20 Frances Smith Cohen’s beautiful telling of the classic story by Hans Christian Andersen has become a holiday tradition. This year, the 25th anniversary of Center Dance Ensemble’s production is celebrated. Presented by Center Dance Ensemble Herberger Theater Center 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix 602.254.7399 herbergertheater.org

This Wonderful Life

DECEMBER 4 Based on the iconic movie from 1946, “This Wonderful Life” stars actor Jeremy Kendall who tackles 32 roles in this one-man, 75-minute production. Roles performed by Kendall range from George Bailey to all the lovable townsfolk. Experience Christmas Eve in Bedford Falls like never before. Higley Center for the Performing Arts 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert 480.279.7184 higleyarts.org

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2016

“MAMMA MIA” DECEMBER 6 TO DECEMBER 11

“Mamma Mia”

DECEMBER 6 TO DECEMBER 11 A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle, you will never forget. The smash hit musical has entertained audiences around the globe. Fans come back time after time for the story based on the music from international pop group ABBA. ASU Gammage 1200 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe 480.965.3434 asugammage.com

stars in the semi-autobiographical comedy series “One Mississippi,” produced through Amazon Studios. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale 480.499.TKTS (8587) scottsdaleperformingarts.org

“The Nutcracker 2016”

DECEMBER 9 TO DECEMBER 24 Take a must-see journey with Clara and the Nutcracker Prince as they encounter dancing toys, mischievous mice, sparkling snowflakes and more. Ballet Arizona’s production is stunning and will leave you feeling enchanted. This year, recorded music will accompany the performers on stage. Presented by Ballet Arizona Phoenix Symphony Hall 75 N. Second Street, Phoenix 602.381.1096 balletaz.org

Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold

DECEMBER 9 TO DECEMBER 18 Sister is back again and ready to school and discipline you this holiday season. It will be one O-ho-ho holy night! as Sister tackles the question, “Whatever happened to the Magi’s gold?” The audience will be characters in a living nativity/crime scene. Sister is waiting for you with a sleigh full of gifts and a bundle of laughs! Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts 7380 E. Second Street, Scottsdale 480.499.TKTS (8587) scottsdaleperformingarts.org TIG NOTARO DECEMBER 8

Tig Notaro

DECEMBER 8 The writer, producer, star and comedian brings a wide range of talent to the Scottsdale stage. Currently, Tig

“Midwinter Night’s Dream”

DECEMBER 16 THROUGH 18 Southwest Shakespeare Company performs Shakespeare’s strangest and most delightful productions in a new location at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed theatre at Taliesin

“THE NUTCRACKER 2016” DECEMBER 9 TO DECEMBER 24

“Absolutely the NO.1 SHOW in the world.” — Kenn Wells, former lead dancer of the English National Ballet

ORDER TODAY!

MAR 7–8 Tucson Music Hall MAR 14–19 Phoenix Orpheum MAR 21–22 Mesa Arts Center

800.880.0188

www.ShenYun.com/AZ Prices: $70 -$150 WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

classic sound to last year’s hit “The Prayer.” Mesa Arts Center 1 E. Main Street, Mesa 480.644.6500 mesaarts.org

DAVID ARCHULETA AND NATHAN PACHECO DECEMBER 19

SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS DECEMBER 10 TO DECEMBER 18

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

DECEMBER 27 For 30 years, Mannheim Steamroller has been a holiday favorite and has sold over 28 million albums in the United States alone. This show, by Chip Davis features familiar Christmas music, along with dazzling multimedia effects. Experience the magic of the season! ASU Gammage 1200 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe 480.965.3434 asugammage.com

David Archuleta and Nathan Pacheco West. Celebrate the joy of the season as four stories intertwine with magic, mayhem and merriment. Presented by Southwest Shakespeare Company Taliesin West Pavilion Theater 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale 480.435.6868 swshakespeare.org

Spirit of Christmas

DECEMBER 19 “American Idol” pop superstar David Archuleta visits Mesa for one night to perform a medley of new and classic Christmas tunes, including those made famous from his own holiday albums. Archuleta is joined on stage by Nathan Pacheco, who lent his

CHRISTMAS WITH CLAY AIKEN DECEMBER 16

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS DECEMBER 27

Christmas with Clay Aiken

DECEMBER 10 TO DECEMBER 18 More than 100 dancers, singers, a horse and carriage and a champion hoop dancer take to the stage for a special holiday variety show. Proceeds benefit Paz de Christo – Child Crisis Center. Chandler Center for the Arts 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler 480.782.2680 chandlercenter.org

DECEMBER 16 Clay Aiken was the first singer to have a first single debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Since then, he has sold 6 million albums and sold out 11 nationwide tours. Now, Aiken comes to Chandler for a special holiday tour, accompanied by a 22-piece orchestra. Chandler Center for the Arts 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler 480.782.2680 chandlercenter.org

December 2016

10 Dmitri Matheny’s THE SNOWCAT 16 Christmas with Clay Aiken 27-31 Zoppé Italian Family Circus

PPÉ

January 2017

1-8 Zoppé Italian Family Circus 22 The King: The Music of Elvis 27 Roots & Boots: Pam Tillis, Sammy Kershaw & Collin Raye 28 Drumline Live

December 27 - January 8

11am 7:30pm Times Vary Times Vary 3pm 7:30pm 8pm

February 2017

New Acts! New Characters!

12 17 18 25 26

Rhythm of the Dance 3pm California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio 7:30pm WAR 7:30pm Pump Boys and Dinettes 7:30pm The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra 3pm

March 2017

Christmas with Clay Aiken Accompanied by a Twenty-Two-Piece Orchestra

Friday, December 16 · 7:30pm

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Full season listing

ChandlerCenter.org

3 Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood: Two Man Group 5 Golden Dragon Acrobats 11 Art Garfunkel: In Close-Up 12 Frank Ferrante in An Evening with Groucho 18 The Doo Wop Project 19 Piano Battle 24 Hypnotic Brass Ensemble 25 Stormy Weather: The Story of Lena Horne

April 2017

7:30pm 6pm 7:30pm 3pm 7:30pm 3pm 7:30pm 7:30pm

8 Recycled Percussion 7:30pm 9 Classic Albums Live presents David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 7pm

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2016

FALL 2016 CONCERT SERIES 2016 Concert Series sponsored by

ROCKABILLY

CHRISTMAS

Former Stray Cat Brian Setzer celebrates the holidays big band style Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

ockabilly legend Brian Setzer has a simple question about his holiday shows at the Celebrity Theatre: “Do you think anybody can bring down the house like we can?” The answer is pretty much no. Setzer fills the Celebrity, which features a stage in the round that revolves, with palpable energy that, in turn, bounces off the fans. “I’m not saying that other shows don’t rock at the Celebrity,” he says. “But we’re made for that place. The Celebrity is perfect for us. “Let’s face it, when the audience is up there egging you on, you put a little more into it.” Setzer is bringing his 13th annual Brian Setzer Orchestra “Christmas Rock! Tour, presented by SiriusXM,” to 32 cities this holiday season, including the Celebrity on Thursday, December 15. The show, which will be in the round, will include new songs and favorites from his catalog. “The new ones are fun because, well, they’re new,” Setzer says with a laugh. “I like the ones, too, where there are some good solos going on. I love to hear my band play. Songs like ‘Boogie Woogie Santa Claus,’ I can’t drop it from my set. I want to hear the alto sax solo. You don’t get to hear people go solo on an alto sax these days.” Fans who can’t make the show can check out the new concert Blu-ray/CD “Rockabilly Riot: Osaka Rocka!—Live in Japan,” which was filmed on February 18 at Namba Hatch in Osaka, Japan. The release includes songs from his 2014 studio album, “Rockabilly Riot! All Original,” classic Stray Cats songs, Brian Setzer Orchestra tunes and songs from his solo albums. He said there’s a key to

filming and taping a show. “The way to do it is to present you’re not making that CD,” he says. “You pretend there are no cameras, no recording equipment. If you think about it too much, you get self-conscious. ‘I want to nail this guitar solo because they’re recording it.’ Thinking like that never work.” Next year, Setzer has a few things planned. He wants to return to Europe to play for about a month. But his big tour will come in 2018, when he heads out alone, with just a guitar and banjo. “I listen to people when they tell me things—sometimes,” he says with a laugh. “Fans have said, ‘I love it when you’re by yourself.’ There are so many songs I don’t play that I’ve written. I have to do that.” Back to the Christmas show, there’s an unexpected benefit from gigging around the United States each holiday season. He gets to see his daughters, who live in Nashville, and family who is spread out throughout the United States. “With the big band, I haven’t been home in 13 years,” he says. “My Christmas is really on the road. I really get to see more of my family being on the road. “My girls are in Nashville My family is on the East Coast—from Maryland to New York. Everyone comes to see me play. That’s the way I get to see my family the most.” Fans will be pleased to see that Setzer has new bandstands, outfits and lights. He calls it theatrical. “We make it a show,” he says.

Brian Setzer Orchestra w/ Beat Root Revival Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, 602.267.1600, celebritytheatre.com, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 15, $62 and $90.

Chris Mann: A Holiday Night with the Phantom Saturday, December 17 | 7:30 p.m. Star of The Phantom of the Opera and NBC’s The Voice, Chris Mann joins us for an evening of Holiday favorites and Broadway hits.

The New Standards present “A New Holiday Tradition”

Thursday, December 22 | 7:30 p.m. This jazz-inspired, soul-filled group command the stage with virtuosity, style, and a wicked sense of humor.

Blind Boys of Alabama Friday, December 23 | 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 24 | 2:00 p.m. Living legends of gospel music celebrate the holiday season with Christmas standards and new holiday songs.

Velvet Caravan

Friday, December 30 | 7:30 p.m. An unorthodox, high-energy quintet mixing gypsy, swing and Latin jazz.

Jim Brickman – A New Year’s Celebration Saturday, December 31 | 6:00 & 8:00 p.m. Ring in the New Year with the best-selling solo piano artist of our time, Jim Brickman.

To purchase tickets or for the full concert series lineup, call 480.478.6000 or visit MIM.org/concerts. 4725 East Mayo Boulevard Phoenix, AZ 85050

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AFRICAN FOLKLORE MEETS THE BLUES IN BETHLEHEM Black Theatre Troupe stages Langston Hughes’ retelling of the Christmas story

Kenneth LaFave » The Entertainer!

allet companies have “Nutcracker.” Choirs have “Messiah.” Many theater companies have “A Christmas Carol” and even modern dance, thanks to Center Dance Ensemble, has “The Snow Queen.” But did you know Black Theatre Troupe has “Black Nativity?” “It’s a cash cow for us,” says David Hemphill, Black Theatre Troupe’s longtime executive director. “There are people we never see in the audience except for ‘Black Nativity,’ and it’s a good-size audience. Some dates are already sold out.” “Black Nativity” folds African folklore and Christmas songs into a script by the great Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes. Half a retelling of St. Luke’s Gospel, and half a gospel concert, it supplies a unique perspective on the story of the nativity. “Black Nativity” was first produced in New York in 1961, and has slowly gained traction to become an annual event in numerous WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

African-American communities across the country. Seattle has produced it every Christmas season since 1998. Boston has presented it annually since 1969. Phoenix’s Black Theatre Troupe first produced the work in 1995 and continued to do so through 2001. It then “took a break,” returning the contemporary classic to its stage three years ago. This time, it looks like the multidiscipline celebration of Christmas is going to stay. In “Black Nativity,” a narrator relates the story, while the roles of Mary and Joseph are silent. Dance is important to moving the story forward, and music— whether in traditional songs like “Joy to the World” as rewritten by Hughes, or in original numbers—is a constant. Hughes’ style, says Hemphill, “has an African feel to it,” and there’ “a lot of blues-flavored prose” as well. The song titles include “No Room at the Inn,” “Mary, Mary” and “Jerusalem in the Morning.” The shepherds and the wise men make their appearances to the accompaniment of the blues. The style of dance for Black Theatre Troupe’s production has varied over the

years from classical to jazz and modern. It’s back to ballet this year, as the talents of a classically trained choreographer came available. The once-a-year-at-holidays phenomenon that applies to “Black Nativity” is common among those other cash cows as well. Ballet Arizona’s “Nutcracker” annually attracts more people than all its other productions combined. The Phoenix Symphony gets audience for its “Messiah” that never comes out for its Beethoven. “It’s that time of year when you want to draw family close to you and do something special. I’d like to think that, with all the commercializing of the season, people look at what ‘Black Nativity’ has to offer and they say, ‘Let’s do this.’” When “Black Nativity” premiered in 1961, not everyone was crazy for it. The blues elements were deemed progressive, but the African folklore was not. “At that time, a lot of people didn’t appreciate the style of writing that related African culture to contemporary circumstances. What Langston Hughes did was to take folklore and make it relatable to a new generation of African Americans.

But many didn’t like that kind of crossover writing. They didn’t understand that to explore one’s roots is truly progressive,” Hemphill says. Unlike “Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol,” “Black Nativity” is of necessity a new production every year. The shape of the piece—a scripted first act and a second act that’s largely a concert—make it so. The success of “Black Nativity” is a boon for Black Theatre Troupe as for other companies across the country. But it contains a frustration as well. “We can’t introduce a different holiday program without losing audience. People want ‘Black Nativity.’”

“Black Nativity”

Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.258.8129, blacktheatretroupe.org, Friday, December 2, to Sunday, December 18, $36.

COMING

ATTRACTIONS joins his CTO (Jason Bateman) in rallying their co-workers to host an epic office Christmas party to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs. Opens Dec. 9.

“Passengers”

PG-13 - 100 MINUTES Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence play passengers sleeping in suspended animation on a routine journey through space to a new home who are awakened 90 years too early when their ship malfunctions. They then discover that the ship is in grave danger and, with the lives of 5,000 sleeping passengers at stake, it is their responsibility to save them all. Opens Dec. 21.

“Jackie”

R - 95 MINUTES Natalie Portman plays First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well. Opens Dec. 2.

“A Monster Calls”

“Collateral Beauty”

PG-13 - 94 MINUTES Will Smith plays a successful New York advertising executive who retreats from life after suffering a great tragedy. He seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time and Death. But it is not until his notes bring unexpected personal responses that he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty. Opens Dec. 16.

“La La Land”

“Office Christmas Party”

PG-13 - 108 MINUTES Lewis MacDougall plays a boy who, while dealing with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) illness, a less-than-sympathetic grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and bullying classmates, finds a most unlikely ally when a monster appears at his bedroom window. Ancient, wild and relentless, it guides him on a journey of courage, faith, and truth. Opens Dec. 23.

PG-13 - 128 MINUTES Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling play an aspiring actress and a dedicated jazz musician, respectively, who are struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles—a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Opens Dec. 16.

“Gold”

“Sing”

PG - 110 MINUTES Matthew McConaughey voices a koala impresario who stages a grand singing competition for the world’s animals to save his elegant theater. Other voice talents include Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Tori Kelly, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Scarlett Johansson. Opens Dec. 21.

R - 90 MINUTES Matthew McConaughey plays a modern-day prospector who, desperate for a lucky break, teams up with a similarly eager geologist (Edgar Ramirez) and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Opens Dec. 25.

R - 105 MINUTES T.J. Miller plays a hard-partying man who, when his CEO sister (Jennifer Aniston) tries to close his branch,

For more movie reviews, in-depth celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes insights, tune in to breakthrough entertainment 11 a.m. to noon Saturdays on KPHX 1480 AM and BreakRadioShow.com. Email film writer Joseph J. Airdo at joseph.airdo@gmail.com. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE CRITIC

LIGHTS » CAMERA » ACTION » SCREEN » ENCHANT » TRANSPORT

What movie should you see this month? Ask our experts!

The Report Card

Our film writers grade what’s in theaters Movie

“Trolls”

“Trolls” can most accurately be described as an instant mood booster. The new musical animated adventure inspired by the popular line of dolls introduced in 1959 spreads a substantial smile across the face of each and every one of its viewers regardless of their age. Younger audiences will be dazzled by characters who are as colorful as the film’s visuals. Older audiences will delight in the nostalgia and near-trippy-like experience. Both, however, will be blown away by a stellar soundtrack that will put sunshine in their pocket and good soul in their feet and a story that speaks volumes about the power of love and human connection to repair even the most shattered of spirits.

Joseph

Randy

M.V.

“The Accountant”

“Almost Christmas”

“American Pastoral”

“Arrival”

“Deepwater Horizon”

“Desierto”

“Doctor Strange” RANDY’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

“Moonlight”

“Moonlight” is a moving coming-of-age story set on the streets of Miami. A young boy named Chiron struggles with poverty, a drug-addicted mother, lack of a father figure and his own sexuality. We watch as life progresses and challenges mount. Ultimately, a specific act alters life’s course, his persona, and forces significant change. With strong performances by the entire cast, each actor playing the main character (throughout the years), turn in their own award-worthy performance. The standout, is the supporting role of Chiron’s mother played by Naomie Harris. M.V.’S MOVIE OF THE MONTH:

“The Monster”

Single mom Kathy (Zoe Kazan) is driving her daughter Lizzy (Ella Ballentine) down a disused stretch of road through a forest. They have an accident, and while they’re waiting for help, writer-director Bryan Bertino builds the tension and dread in excruciating increments. Very gradually the two become aware they’re under siege in their car from the title character, an unexplained fangy abomination, and gruesome and pretty grueling horrors ensue. But they’re interspersed with flashbacks to Lizzy’s home life with the alcoholic, screwed-up Kathy that are so horrific that the gory monster stuff seems almost like a nice break by comparison.

ABOUT THE FILM WRITERS JOSEPH J. AIRDO is a film critic, producer and onair personality for Breakthrough Entertainment, a talk radio show airing 11 a.m. to noon 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.

“Eagle Huntress” “The Edge of Seventeen”

A C

“The Girl on the Train” “Hacksaw Ridge”

C B

“Inferno”

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back”

“Keeping Up with the Joneses”

“The Monster”

“Moonlight”

“Queen of Katwe”

“Sully”

“Trolls”

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.

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. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE DINER

EAT » EXPERIENCE » INDULGE » SAVOR » DEVOUR » NOSH

Happy Hour Guide 48

TapHouse Kitchen 50

Holiday Dining Options 52

Taco Guild 56

DECEMBER FOOD EVENTS Megan Marples » The Entertainer!

Ladies of Kai

DECEMBER 1 Kai’s pastry chef Audrey Enriquez and mixologist Liberty Quihuis have come together to create a five-course dessert and cocktail experience. The evening begins with hors d’oeuvres at 7:30 and then seating at 8 p.m. Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, 5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler, 602.385.5726, wildhorsepassresort.com, 7:30 p.m., $65.

Tamales for the Holidays

DECEMBER 3 Learn how to make tamales to add a bit of Latin flair to the holidays. Chef BJ Hernandez shares his secrets behind making tamales with easy-tofollow recipes. Menu items include Cuban, Puerto Rican and Guatemalan vegetarian tamales. Hernandez

will prepare tamales for guests to bring home. The Farm at South Mountain, 6106 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, 602. 2766360, thefarmatsouthmountain. com, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., call for charge

Taste of Arizona

DECEMBER 3 Taste your way around some of Arizona’s most delicious food vendors at Mesa Riverview Park. Vendors include Waffle Love, Burger Amore, Bobby Q BBQ, DK Dogs and Coyote Kettle Korn. There will also be a beer and wine garden for drinks to pair with the food. VIP Tickets are available for purchase as well. Mesa Riverview Park, 2100 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Mesa, 623.692.6287, facebook.com/ events/230898190617979/, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., $5-$45.

VER 1 BILLI N S LD! SINCE 1910

KOSHER BAKERY! WE CATER!

Phoestivus Open Air Market

DECEMBER 8 TO DECEMBER 15 This isn’t about airing your grievances, but shopping for presents for loved ones. The Phoestivus Open Air Market features a variety of food from the likes of Abodo Dragon, Beignet Babe and Doctor Hummus. This event was inspired by the German Christmas markets called Weihnachtsmarkt. Phoenix Public Market, 721 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, 602.625.6736, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., free.

Breakfast and Lunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus

DECEMBER 10, DECEMBER 11 AND DECEMBER 18 Bring the family to The Farm to meet Santa and have a meal. Start out the weekend by eating at Morning Glory Cafe and visit Santa in the Botanica. On December 11, have lunch at The Farm Kitchen and see Santa in the grove. Storyteller lunch with

BREAKFAST!

Mrs. Claus at The Farm is at 11 a.m. December 18. Bring your camera for photo ops. The Farm at South Mountain, 6106 S. 32nd Street, Phoenix, (602) 2766360, thefarmatsouthmountain. com, prices and times vary

Gingerbread House Cooking Class

DECEMBER 17 AND DECEMBER 18 Join the chef from Lon’s this holiday season in making gingerbread houses. First, guests design their houses and build foundations out of gingerbread. After that they can decorate their masterpieces with candy and other treats. Food and drinks will be available throughout the event. The Hermosa Inn, 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley, 602.955.7878, hermosainn.com, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., $69.

LUNCH! Secret Menu Item!

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HAPPY HOUR GUIDE Brat Haus

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

Hard Rock Café

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

Buck & Rider

Hungry Monk

Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers

Lucky Strike Bowling

Craft 64

Luxe Lounge

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

1760 W. Chandler Boulevard, Chandler Daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. $1 off all alcohol, but ask about daily specials! For example, Wednesday is $3 pints of craft beer all day!

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

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

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

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

Dirty Dogg Saloon

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

Duke’s Sports Bar & Grill

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

El Chorro

Pure Sushi Colony

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

Rehab Burger Therapy

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

Scottsdale Beer Company

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

Stockyards Steakhouse

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

Old Town Tavern

SunUp Brewing Co.

Park Place Bar & Grill

TapHouse Kitchen

7320 E. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bucket of beers (five beers for two people): $12 domestic, $16 Mexican imports, $20 premium

7373 E. Scottsdale Mall, #6, Scottsdale Tuesday through Sunday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. See a full list of specials at www.peterscuisineaz.com.

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

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

Philly’s Sports Grill

Tutti Santi

EVO

Pig & Pickle

Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap

Gallagher’s Sports Grill

Pure Sushi Bar & Dining

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

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

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

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

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

6339 E. Greenway Road, Suite 108, Scottsdale Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Select beers $3, well drinks $3 and select glasses of wine $5

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

Wasted Grain

7295 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale Wednesday through Sunday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Scottsdale’s Longest Happy Hour $5 shared plates, $5 drink specials

COMFORT AND

CREATIVITY

TapHouse Kitchen offers a touch of home in elegant atmosphere Kenneth LaFave » The Entertainer!

Scottsdale Road between Macdonald and Lincoln is a restaurant supermall, with eateries that appeal to almost every taste. TapHouse Kitchen stands out. With an outdoor patio that opens into a high-ceilinged interior and boasts chandeliers made from wine bottles, this airy and friendly space invites you in and means to keep you here. “I looked at a lot of spaces, but when I saw this place, I thought: This is home.” So says TapHouse Kitchen’s executive chef/partner Patrick Karvis. Karvis looked for a long time, indeed. With a Valley resume that goes back to 1992 and includes chef and sous chef roles at the Arizona Biltmore, Eddie Matney’s, Drift Restaurant and Tiki Bar, the Pennsylvania-born and Florida-raised chef has run the gamut of cooking styles and techniques. He finally opened his own restaurant in 2014. “I want people to feel welcome and comfortable here,” Karvis says. There’s the chicken and dumplings

($14), which is not like any other chicken and dumplings you’ve ever had—or ever will have. TapHouse Kitchen’s best-seller, the dish starts with Italian-style potato gnocchi instead of ordinary dumplings, placing them in a white wine-and-mustard sauce with snap peas, carrots, corn and of course, shredded chicken. The result: an irresistible blend of flavors and textures. Or perhaps it’s happy hour (3 p.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week at TapHouse Kitchen) and your stomach says “sliders.” The sliders ($13) begin as expected with 100% Angus beef, but make a sharp turn toward France with a brioche bun and sauce béarnaise. Add a quail egg, easyover, and you know the world will never be the same. Brunch at TapHouse Kitchen (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays) has a special menu that includes one of the Valley’s few authentic examples of the Croque Monsieur ($13), the grilled ham-and-gruyere sandwich adorned in béchamel and a favorite of Parisians. Continue through a menu

that also includes Karvis’ takes on mac ‘n’ cheese, the Reuben and pasta primavera, and it’s as if mom suddenly went to Cordon Bleu. Karvis, however, did not go to Cordon Bleu. In fact, he didn’t go to culinary school at all. “I needed money in high school and got a job washing dishes at a place called The Fishery. One night they were short on the line and asked if I wanted to jump in. As soon as I put that first soft-shelled crab out, I knew I wanted to be a chef.” Karvis worked as a cook for a short time in New York, then decided to move to Colorado with a friend. When the friend and he stopped off in Phoenix to visit the friend’s sister, Karvis realized he

was nearly broke. Needing money had led him to his profession, now it determined the place he’d call home. He got a job, thinking to move on, but while he moved from job to job, Karvis never left Phoenix. It only took two decades, but eventually the dream of having his own restaurant came true. Karvis is a respected local chef and could’ve named his place Chez Patrick. That the name is TapHouse Kitchen, with emphasis on the “tap,” is no mistake. “Ten years ago, everything was sushi. Now, it’s craft beers.” And TapHouse Kitchen has ‘em. The 20 craft beers on tap include Arizona brews Sonoran Seasonal, Grand Canyon, Lumber Yard Red Ale, Mudshark Full Moon, Head to Tale Amber and Uncle Bear’s Mandarin Wheat. All the menu items come with suggested pairings of beer or wine. Karvis has watched the food scene in Phoenix blossom from humble beginnings to major stature—much like his own career. “In the 1990s, there were only a handful of independent restaurants in the Phoenix area, and now, look at us!”

TapHouse Kitchen

Hilton Village Shopping Center, 6137 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480.656.0012, taphousekitchen.com. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

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DINER INSIDER Pays to>> Eat Pizza! Jasmine It Kemper The Entertainer!

Holiday Dining Options Melina Zuniga » The Entertainer!

Waiting for Santa around the Christmas tree can get a little stale, just like slaving over a hot stove. Why not let someone else do the cooking? These Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed dinners are new ways to feel jolly. Drexyl Modern American

Phoenix City Grille

Serving joy on Christmas Eve from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Drexyl Modern American is the home of some of Scottsdale’s finest modern American cuisine. On the night’s special menu are seasonal, handcrafted dishes like herb-crusted lamb chops, sweet potato, cauliflower cream and asparagus. The cost is $32 per plate, and the full dinner menu will also be available. Drexyl Modern American, 8877 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 402, Scottsdale, 480.840.1861, drexylusa.com.

The Valley’s favorite neighborhood tavern is calling all meat and seafood lovers to enjoy a wide array of options from its Christmas Eve menu. Dishes vary from delectable prime rib, surf-n-turf, grilled lamb chops, diver scallops and sea bass. Full menu of specials will be provided and with prices starting at $28 a plate. Reservations are highly recommended and will be accepted on Christmas Eve until 9 p.m. Phoenix City Grille, 5816 N. 16th Street, Phoenix, 602.266.3001, phoenixcitygrille.com.

The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch Enjoy holiday classics in brunchstyle buffet in the Christmas Brunch Celebration at The Scottsdale Resort on Christmas Day. Open from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant will offer morning favorites like made-to-order omelets and crêpes; station entrees serving up brined turkey with truffle butter and gravy, aged angus prime rib roast and mesquite-glazed bone-in ham. The cost is $68 for adults, $34 for children age 5-12 and free for kids under 5. Reservations are required for holiday buffets. The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, 7700 E. McCormick Parkway, Scottsdale, 800.540.0727, destinationhotels. com/Scottsdale-resort.

Chompie’s Celebrate “Christmukkah” with Chompie’s this December. This year, Hanukkah and Christmas are in the same week, so Chompie’s is offering traditional, made-from-scratch dishes for both celebrations. With personalized dishes that start at $20.99 per person and at $10.49 for children under 10, Chompie’s dine-in dinner offers turkey breast with stuffing and cranberry relish, or oven-roasted turkey meals that serve up to 12 people. It will be available every day from 11 a.m. to close, from December 24 to January 1; pick-up order times vary. Chompie’s, 9301 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale, 480.860.0475, other locations in Glendale, Tempe, Chandler and Phoenix. For a complete list of locations, visit chompies.com.

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THE ART OF THE

TACO Taco Guild pays reverence to the traditional Mexican dish Marjorie Rice » The Entertainer!

aco Guild has soul. You feel it as soon as you drive up to the building, the former Bethel Methodist Church. Inside, much of the original interior has been preserved, most notably the stained-glass windows and open-beam ceiling. Pews from the sanctuary line one wall. Candlesticks, memorial plaques, memorabilia and photos date back more than a century. Paintings high up by the ceiling, while they were done during the modern renovation, evoke an Old World atmosphere. General manager Jason Kline loves to tell stories about the location, then and now. “It’s unique, there’s nothing like it,” he says. “We have all the elements. We have a building to show off to your outof-town friends. And the food is solid. The

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Food Network named us the 11th best place in the United States to get a taco, especially our Peking duck tacos.” (More about those tacos in a minute.) The owners were looking for a restaurant property and wanted something historic, either a church or a firehouse. They found it in this Sixth Street and Osborn Road location. “John Preston Osborn was living in Prescott and decided to move down to Phoenix,” Kline says. “He bought 160 acres north of Phoenix, growing citrus, cotton and other crops and raising cattle. The people who worked there wanted a local church and began Smith’s Congregation. They quickly outgrew that and built the church on Osborn Road in 1893 so they wouldn’t have to go all the way to Phoenix.” The building was deconsecrated in 2012, and three years ago was renovated to become Taco Guild. The builders kept as much of the original as possible, Kline says. “The beamed ceiling, originally painted white, has been stripped to reveal the wood. And there was a raised stage where the bar is now. Other than that, people tell me everything looks pretty much the same. “We had conversations with some of the church leaders about what we should and shouldn’t do,” Kline adds. “We wanted to be sensitive. The last thing you want is a bunch of angry Methodists picketing your church on opening day. When we completed the work, we brought them

back. They loved that we kept so much of the original.” During the renovation, the two cornerstones were found to contain time capsules. Papers and photos from them are framed and displayed along one wall. “People who were members of the church still come by,” Kline says. “We have one couple who were married 48 years ago. They come and get tacos on their anniversary at the church they were married at.” Even the mismatched plates and cups are vintage. It’s reminiscent of a church kitchen where members of the congregation have donated dishware over the decades. While it’s easy to focus on the setting, the star of this show is the food, traditional fare updated and given a local accent to produce winners like the chorizo meatballs made with sausage from Schreiner’s and served with chipotle prickly pear sauce. While there are excellent enchiladas and burritos on the menu, the focus here is on tacos. These are not your average tacos, with some seasoned ground or shredded beef, iceberg lettuce and pico de gallo. Taco Guild’s offerings are big, and I mean big. Fist-sized. Taco Guild makes its own tortillas, thicker than usual so they can hold all those ingredients. They’re divided into “Old” and “New” world versions. “Our Old World tacos are recipes that they’ve been using in Mexico forever,”

Kline says. “Grandmas from Mexico would immediately recognize them. The New World is twists on new ingredients.” “Old World” tacos include al pastor pork with grilled pineapple, jalapeno bacon and pickled red onion; or pork adovada with mango jicama relish, avocado and cilantro. “New World” versions include Peking duck, plum sauce, poblano-apricot compote and brie; or lamb, Creole aioli, blue cheese and sweet potato “hay” among the selections. I’m not sure how Peking duck qualifies as “new” but no matter, it’s a great combination. My favorite of the dozen or so versions is the Urban Bean coffee-braised beef with caramelized onion, mango jicama relish and Cotija cheese. The coffee-tinged beef contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the onion and relish and the salty Cotija. There’s plenty more on the menu, and the bar, with its wide selection of excellent tequilas, is worth a visit just for a tasting session. But come for the tacos. In this setting, and with this variety of combinations, they are, I can’t resist saying it, a religious experience.

Taco Guild

546 E. Osborn Road, Phoenix, 602.264.4143, tacoguild.com.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE CRAFTMASTER

SIP » BREW » RELAX » EXPERIMENT » REFRESH » TOAST

Beer Over Here

Drink up at any of these Valley beer events this month Evan Baltman » The Entertainer!

Ancient Future Neverland

DECEMBER 2 Neverland takes the best things about a party and a videogame, and combines them. Enjoy a cocktail or a beer on the patio before embarking on a pirate Nerf-gun battle or a swim with some mermaids. In addition to live music, Neverland is a great way for adults to get out and have a good time. Unexpected Gallery, 734 W. Polk Street, Phoenix, the2courtiers.com/ ancient-future/, 9 p.m., $19.

Abigail’s Lunchbox Charity Event DECEMBER 2 Sponsored by Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, this event raises money and food for Abigail’s Lunchbox, a charity to help underprivileged families in the Valley. Bring five nonperishable food items and receive your first drink for a penny. Skip and Jan’s Sports Bar, 1520 W.

Warner Road, Suite 112, Gilbert, az.crescentcrown/events/, 6 p.m., five cans of nonperishable food.

Taste of Arizona

DECEMBER 3 Celebrate all that Arizona has to offer at the Taste of Arizona, which brings together the best local food and alcohol and wraps it in a great culinary experience. All tickets are entered in a raffle and include free local celebrity chef demonstrations and a Kids’ Zone. Mesa Riverview Park, 2100 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Mesa, 623.692.6287, visitmesa.com, 11 a.m., $4-$45.

Fat Tire Sunday Funday

DECEMBER 4 Join New Belgium for $3 drafts all day, beer samples and prizes. Check out the selfie station as well. Turf Paradise, 1501 W. Bell Road, Phoenix, az.crescentcrown.com, 1:30 p.m., free admission.

for the Brew Master Craft Beer Dinner. Enjoy a four-course meal paired with San Tan’s award-winning craft beer. Black Angus Steakhouse, 10021 N. Metro Parkway East, Phoenix, 602.944.1517, santanbrewing.com, 6 p.m., $40.

Kids Very Merry Fun Faire

Cheese Puff Day at Four Peaks

Jolie’s Toy Drive

Open Mic Night at Desert Eagle Brewery

DECEMBER 10 A great place to take the kids during the holidays while providing alcohol and entertainment for adults. Lots of fun and games, kid-friendly food, specialty food trucks, a free bounce house, a gateless beer garden and for the parents. Villa De Paz Golf Course, 4220 N. 103rd Avenue, phoenix.eventbrite. com, 5 p.m., free. DECEMBER 10 Join Coors Light as the band and Jolie’s Place collect toys for underprivileged kids. Jolie’s Place, 140 W. Warner Road, Chandler, az.crescentcrown.com, 4 p.m., free admission.

Beer Dinner at Black Angus Metro Center

DECEMBER 12 Stop by the Black Angus Steakhouse in Phoenix on Monday, December 12,

DECEMBER 14 If Four Peaks’ excellent selection of craft beers wasn’t enough, the brewery is adding its cheese puff appetizer to the mix. It’s only available once a month, so check it out. Four Peaks Brewing Company, 1340 E. Eighth Street, Suite 104, Tempe, 480.303.9967, fourpeaks.com, free.

THURSDAYS If you’re a musician, a fan of live music or just a fan of great beer, then head down to The Desert Eagle Brewery in Mesa. Every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., artists are encouraged to bring their own instrument or use one of the instruments supplied by Milano Music. Solo or group performers are welcome. Desert Eagle Brewing Company, 150 W. Main Street, Mesa, 480.656.2662, deserteaglebrewing.com, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays, free admission.

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BEER TENDERS

Bartenders who really know their beer Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!

edar Byrum mans the bar at Mother Road Brewing Company. The “Mother Road” was the moniker given to Route 66 by “Grapes of Wrath” author John Steinbeck, as he shared the story of the fictional Joad family who traveled the road in hopes of trading desperation and heartache for hope and new beginnings. The Mother Road Brewery now resides along a lost portion of this storied highway in Flagstaff. It stands in homage to the lost highway (and the fictional Goad family) as well as a symbol of the brewery’s journey to find its own new beginning in the world of craft beer in Arizona. The Flagstaff favorite has craft beers available statewide. How did you get your start in craft beer? Tell us about the journey above in detail. I started with Mother Road back in 2012, about six months after its opening. I was 18, so I wasn’t able to serve beer yet. It was back in the day when we were doing pretty much everything by hand. We had to make the boxes, pre-pack all the kegs, label all the bottles, scrub drains. So, that’s where I came in handy. Once I turned 19, I was able to start working behind the bar more and continue to help the brewers out. Tell us about the approach to making beers at Mother Road? We approach each beer with creativity and a love for the provocative flavors and distinct hop aromas that you’ll find in the body of a beer. There are a lot of fun and inventive ways that you can combine unexpected ingredients, and we like to explore a lot of different infusions and fruit flavors. A love for the community is definitely central, we’re constantly keeping them in mind when making our beers. We have new taps every Friday, we like to do fun, special blends and we’re always rotating the taps. What do you think makes craft beer special? Craft beer is focused not just on getting your beers out there, but on making sure that the people who are drinking your beer are really enjoying it. It’s an opportunity to focus on the wonderful flavors WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

and aromas that you pick up from a beer. It really brings the community together by bringing people into the tap room and to a bunch of great events. Where can folks in Phoenix/The Valley pick up Mother Road—both stores and restaurants/resorts? We’re available at a bunch of places. You can find us at BevMo, Whole Foods, Total Wine, and other grocery stores and gas stations. We’re on tap far and wide— everyone is trying to get one of our kegs. If we’re not on tap at your local bar and you want us on, ask your bartender to reach out—we’d love to be in every place possible! Why is Mother Road the perfect place for craft beer? The tap room is a place to see the creation in process. It’s more than just where we do all the mechanical work and making of the beer. It’s where we make friendships and connections. It’s a place for the community to experience what the brewers go through every day and it’s an opportunity for us to spread our passion for craft beer. We like to create a personal experience for each person who comes in. We have this wonderful patio beside the taproom and a seating area inside that we try to make as homey and familiar as possible, so everyone who comes in can feel comfortable and relaxed. What are your favorite beers now? One of yours and another? And why? One of my favorites that we have on tap right now is our Experimental Session IPA. We’re on our third variation. We’ve done a few experimental batches to finetune the fine flavors and body of the rye and special roast malts. We’re really honing in on what we want from this beer. It’s been great to see it change and taste the difference in flavors along the way, and I’m excited to see where it evolves from here. It’s a wonderful light, crisp ale that sits well on your palate. I’m also really enjoying Council Brewing Co. On my most recent trip to California, I found some wonderful sours. I’m kind of a tarthead, so I really love ales that give me a pucker face. The Béatitude Raspberry Tart Saison is a delicious beer with wonderful

raspberry notes and other lovely fruit flavors. It’s going to have more of that tart tang on the tip of your tongue that’s definitely not for everyone, but I absolutely enjoy it.

Mother Road Brewery 7 S. Mikes Pike, Flagstaff 928-774-9139, motherroadbeer.com

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

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

Garage Wine and Tap

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

Thirsty Lion

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

Copper Blues/Stand Up Live

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

Brat Haus

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

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

Fox Cigar Bar

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

Philly’s Sports Grill

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

Flanny’s Bar and Grill

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

Phoenix Public Market Café

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

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

Pig & Pickle

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

House of Brews Sports Bar

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

The PERCH Pub & Brewery

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

TapHouse Kitchen

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

Ground Control

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

The Brass Tap

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

Uncle Bear’s Brewery

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

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SanTan Brewing and Coyotes come together for quite a playmaker Dave Clark » The Entertainer!

T YOTES PALE ALE

he lights go down, the sounds amplify, the crowd goes nuts and the players enter the ice as the spotlight shines on the team’s coyote logo. The words “Red Moon Rising” flash on the scoreboard. With a room full of energy, “red” is the key component here. Much like their football counterparts, the Arizona Coyotes are recognized by their distinctive red color. So when the idea of having their own beer at Gila River Arena came up, it seemed only fitting that it have a red hue. Yotes Pale Ale, however, is no ordinary red beer. Its crimson shade of red is not only eye catching, it is conversation starting. The beer features a lasting head made of very small microsized bubbles producing a pinkish hue. From a visual perspective, it’s the Arizona Coyotes uniforms in a glass. Produced by local brewery SanTan Brewing Company, of Chandler, Yotes gets its distinctive red color through the addition of organic hibiscus tea leaves after fermentation is complete. The tea leaves are soaked in the fermented beer for

36 to 48 hours to provide the floral and fruity hibiscus aroma and flavor as well as the bright color. For the beer geeks, Yotes Pale Ale checks in around 5.0% alcohol by volume and has a bitterness rating of 40 IBU. SanTan’s website says the beer is made with 2-row, Munich, Vienna and wheat malts, while utilizing a blend of Cascade, Nelson Sauvin and Citra hop varieties. These traditional ingredients take a definite back seat to the hibiscus tea, an herbal tea made from crimson colored calyces of the roselle flower. It carries a tart, cranberry-like flavor. “Tart” and “cranberry” are good descriptors of the lead flavor and aroma of the beer. This is unlike any other pale ale. “We are confident that Coyotes beer lovers will enjoy this new beverage and we hope that they will celebrate many Coyotes wins this season with Yotes Pale Ale,” says Coyotes President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc. For more information about the Arizona Coyotes, call 480.563.PUCK or visit arizonacoyotes.com.

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GREAT BEER PAIRINGS:

DREXYL MODERN AMERICAN RESTAURANT

“Years ago, when Chad Ahrendt, twins Craig and Mark McDowell and their older brother Trevor were attending Saguaro High School, they never imagined that they would open a restaurant in their hometown. They did just that, however, with Drexyl Modern American Restaurant at the Shops at Gainey Village. The culinary team designed the handcrafted menu—and I have ensured many of the items are perfectly paired with wines, cocktails and, of course, beers of every type. The resulting menu features unique and approachable starters, salads, sandwiches and entrées. Some standouts include: fire roasted Chicken Arancini ($9), Lemongrass Caesar Salad ($9), Steak Frites Salad ($18), the half-pound “D” Burger (topped with Rotterdam Gouda cheese and bacon, $15), Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($12), house smoked double cut Heritage Pork Chop ($23), Pacific Coast Sole (with freshly squeezed lemonade pan sauce, $22), and 7-ounce Filet Mignon with lobster béarnaise ($36). For the fall and winter months, don’t miss that pork chop with a great beer.” —Drexyl Modern American Restaurant Bar Manager Trevyn St. Clair

Drexyl Modern American Restaurant

8877 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 402, Scottsdale, 480.840.1861, drexylusa.com.

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BEER

Brewery: Four Peaks (Tempe/Scottsdale) Style: Porter Name: Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter

A cult classic and popular all winter long, Four Peaks’ Pumpkin Porter is spicy with just a hint of sweetness, replicating a savory pumpkin pie rather than a fruity gourd. Pumpkin Porter is the top selling seasonal beer in Arizona, in fact.

DISH

Heritage Pork Chop

We house smoke this double-cut pork chop and serve it will grilled apple butter, truffle goat cheese orecchiette pasta, candied bacon and seared Brussels sprouts. The smokiness of all the elements blends together—with that touch of sweetness at the end from the apple butter, candied bacon and pumpkin notes in the beer—for the perfect taste of fall and winter in every bite.

Brewed on in the style of an English Oldea Ale, copper-colored Based a historic recipe from Goldthis Rush-era Juneaubrew brewery balances sweet, heady aroma tipswell-balanced. with the clean, crisp this rich,the malty “alt” style ale of is spruce notably finish of hops. Handcrafted in Juneau, Alaska by Alaskan Brewing Co. alaskanbeer.com

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

WORLD’S BEST

Brewed by Unibroue: Chambly, Québec, Canada J3L 2H6 | Imported by Unibrew USA: New York, NY 10036 Please enjoy our refermented ales responsibly

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FIVE DECADES

OF POWER

Approaching its 50th anniversary, Tower of Power leader looks forward Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

he R&B act Tower of Power is quickly approaching its 50th anniversary. A halfcentury. Five decades. No matter how band cofounder Emilio Castillo looks at it, the milestone means “a lot of pressure.” “Everybody’s asking me where the celebration is,” says Castillo, a Detroitborn Valley resident. “I’m doing a record

right now. I have 28 songs. It’s a huge project. I’m trying to finish that.” As if it’s not enough, the CD will be paired with a DVD documentary for the occasion. “It’s a lot of work, but I’m blessed to have made it this far,” he contends. “It’s going to be great.” The CD is an all-original collection, says Castillo, whose band plays Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler on Thursday, December 15. Castillo received sage advice about the project. “I ran into an old manager friend of mine,” he says. “He said, ‘You need to make the best record of your career. This isn’t the time to just throw together 12 songs.’ “He said to use the ‘Michael Jackson method’—record way more songs than you need and pick the best 12. That’s what I’ve done. We’ve recorded 28 songs.” For the as-of-yet untitled album, Castillo is working with Joe Vannelli, the brother of ’70s rock star Gino Vannelli and a star producer in his own right. “He’s so meticulous and creative,” Castillo says. “I explained to him what I was doing and I asked him if he was willing to help me finish it up. It proved to be a very wise decision.” A self-professed homebody, the second tenor saxophonist and vocalist doesn’t see his career ending anytime soon. “There’s no retirement in the Bible,” he says with a laugh.

Tower of Power

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler, 800.946.4452, wingilariver.com, 8 p.m. Thursday, December 15, $39-$93.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE HIGHROLLER

PLAY » SPIN » LAUGH » GROOVE » UNWIND » WIN

CASINO ENTERTAINMENT

CALENDAR

Megan Marples » The Entertainer!

DECEMBER 1 Los Garcia Bros

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 2 Home Free

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 3 Thaddeus Rose

Gemini

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

KMLE Not So Silent Night

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Vegas Country-Shania Twain and Tim McGraw (Tribute Acts)

Christmas, Motown and More

Casino del Sol, casinodelsol.com

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Chuyen Tinh Mua Dong Concert

Jonny Lang w/Reeve Carney

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

DECEMBER 6

DECEMBER 10 Carvin Jones

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Holiday Trivia

Charlie Daniels Band

Jukebox 6

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Stanley Serano Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

DECEMBER 13 Miguel Mendoza Trio Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 14 Buddy Holly Tribute Band

DECEMBER 8

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Grupo Control with Conjunto Bravo

Stanley Serano Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Tower of Power

DECEMBER 27

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

DECEMBER 9

Tamale Fest

DECEMBER 7

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Soundwave

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 16

Easton Corbin

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 24

Grupo Massore

Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Shades of Blue

DECEMBER 15

John Eric Band

Yolanda Del Rio

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

DECEMBER 17 Checker’d Past

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 18 Motown Magic Holiday Tribute Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

DECEMBER 20 John Eric Duo

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 21 Silhouette

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Walkens Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 23 Young Country

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Hollywood U2 - A Tribute to U2

Arizona Blacktop

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 28 Guy Pennachio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Walkens Trio

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 30 Quantum

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

DECEMBER 31 Mother Mercy

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, harrahsakchin.com

Rock Lobster

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Stone Soul

Casino Arizona, casinoarizona.com

Raven’s New Year’s Eve Gala Talking Stick Resort, talkingstickresort.com

Lawrence Zubia Trio

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

DJ MV of 101.5

Lone Butte Casino, wingilariver.com

New Year’s Eve Showcase

Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino, wingilariver.com

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THE BEST CASINO EVENTS IN DECEMBER Easton Corbin

Cassidy Landaker » The Entertainer!

KIMBERLY CARRILLO

REEVE CARNEY

Jonny Lang w/Reeve Carney MAREN MORRIS

“Not So Silent Night”

DECEMBER 8 This is not your average classic holiday show. Put on your boots and come kick off the holiday season with KMLE country, Justin Moore, Thompson Square, Maren Morris, Kane Brown and Brett Young are slated to hit the stage. The catch? The only way to get in is to win! Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.7777, kmle1079.cbslocal. com, 8 p.m., free.

DECEMBER 9 The guy that first caught America’s eye playing guitar as a teen with Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and B.B. King is coming to Talking Stick Resort. Come watch the Grammy award-winner perform songs from his gospel-infused albums. Opening the show is Reeve Carney, who released his debut solo album, “Youth is Wasted,” on October 14. He also performed with Bono and the Edge on the “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” soundtrack. Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, 480.850.777, talkingstickresort. com, 8 p.m., sold out.

DECEMBER 9 Catch country music star Easton Corbin perform his hits “A Little More Country Than That,” “All Over The Road,” “Lovin’ You is Fun” and “Roll With It” at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino. Like many of the shows at Harrah’s AkChin, this one is free. The best part is, it’s a free show! Don’t miss your chance to two-step the night away. Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, 15406 Maricopa Road, Maricopa, 480.802.5000, caesars.com/ harrahs-ak-chin, 7 p.m., free.

legend Charlie Daniels. Come see the 80-year-old master perform “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again” and “In America.” Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler, 8 p.m., 800.946.4452, $47-$89.

Yolanda Del Rio

DECEMBER 16 A Mexican film actress and “ranchera” singer, Yolanda del Rio will make an appearance at Lone Butte Casino. This is a show that that fans of this genre won’t want to miss. Lone Butte Casino, 1077 S. Kyrene Road, Chandler, 800.946.4452, wingilariver.com, 8 p.m., $40.

“Motown Magic Christmas Concert”

Charlie Daniels Band

DECEMBER 10 Join Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino as it hosts country music

DECEMBER 18 Michigan transplants are a dime a dozen in the Valley this time of year, but everyone can relate to the “Motown Magic Christmas Concert.” This production captures the magic of Motown acts like The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler, 800.946.4452, wingilariver.com, 3 p.m., $20.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

LET’S RIDE

Easton Corbin brings No. 1 songs to Ak-Chin’s Masik Tas party

Kelly Potts » The Entertainer!

aston Corbin has one of those deep voices that harkens old school country. That helped Corbin crack the charts soon after entering the business. In 2009 scored two No. 1 singles, “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll with It.” Corbin doesn’t take any of it for granted. “It’s truly an honor to be out there doing what I love each and every night,” says Corbin, who appeared in a Ram Trucks commercial promoting his song “Let’s Ride.” “There are still times that I’m in awe this is what I do. I am who I am, and the fans have appreciated and accepted that throughout the year.” Corbin is gearing up to play Ak-Chin Indian Community’s annual Masik Tas—or “birthday”—celebration at Ak-Chin Circle Field at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino on Friday, December 9. Having just wrapped up a tour with Carrie Underwood, Corbin appreciates

the response that country music fans have given him. “No matter where you are playing, it’s the crowd that makes the show,” Corbin says. “I’ve had some of the best shows in Texas, Louisiana and all across the Southwest, because of the fans. I’ve learned that country fans have no bounds and they are everywhere—and some of the best fans in the world. “One of my favorite shows I’ve done is the Pima County Fair a few years back. Man, those fans were loud. It has to be one of my favorite memories. When the crowd is engaged, it makes it so much more fun on stage.” Corbin’s recent ballad, “Are You with Me,” was originally on his second studio album, but found a home on the third and most recent release. “This was a song I always believed in,” he says. “We didn’t get around to releasing it the first time around, so we threw it on this record as well. When you have a song like that, it sticks with

you. I knew I had something special on this one.” When not on the road, Corbin likes to relax and regroup. “I’ll do just about anything that’s outdoors,” he says. “For me, that’s the best way to hit reset—to be outdoors hunting, fishing, you name it. If I’m not on the road or outdoors, I’m probably writing somewhere. There’s always a new record to put out.”

Easton Corbin

Ak-Chin Circle Field at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, 15406 N. Maricopa Road, Maricopa, ak-chin.nsn.us/_masiktas/, 8:30 p.m. Friday, December 9, free. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE GLADIATOR

CHEER » HIT » HIKE » LEAD » ROOT » COMPETE

DECEMBER’S BEST

SPORTS EVENTS

Carson Mlnarik » The Entertainer!

ASU Basketball vs. University of Nevada Las Vegas

DECEMBER 3 If you have not expanded your college sports fanaticism beyond football, the ASU Men’s Basketball is a good reason to do so. The 942 Crew, ASU’s spirit squad, has garnered national recognition for its Curtain of Distraction, during which they create crazy tableaus to distract the opposing teams’ free throws. The team has been putting up a fight in its past few games; it’s going to be a close one. Wells Fargo Arena, 600 E. Veterans Way, Tempe, thesundevils.com, 6 p.m., $7-$50.

Hot Chocolate 5K and 15K

DECEMBER 4 Exercise or hot chocolate—or both? The Hot Chocolate 15K/5K is for runners and chocolate lovers alike. More than 4,000 pounds of melted chocolate wait at the finish line. Runners can choose between hot cocoa or chocolate fondue and will receive a medal shaped like an opened candy bar. Don’t let your mouth water just yet, you’re going to work for this treat. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, hotchocolate15k.com, 7:30 a.m., $49-$79.

AZ Cardinals vs. Redskins

DECEMBER 4 University of Phoenix Stadium is always packed for Cardinals games. The Redskins haven’t had a perfect season, and the Cardinals haven’t done their best, either. If the Red Birds don’t let their guard down, they may just snag a win. Make sure to grab your tickets before the game sells out. University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale, azcardinals.com, 2:25 p.m., $65-$209.

Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers DECEMBER 7 The Suns lost to the Pacers in an extremely close game last season. Now the two teams are competing once more. Will the Suns show them what they’re made of, or lose it on the court? While they have had a tough

season, it’s not over just yet. This might make the perfect pre-holiday outing, with tickets as low as $10. Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, nba.com/ suns, 7 p.m., $10-$1,725.

Arizona Porsche Club of America Driver Education

DECEMBER 10 Learn to drive your Porsche like a pro on an actual race track! The Arizona Porsche Club hosts its next Driver Education event, dividing drivers up into groups based on experience and pairing them up with an instructor. Drivers are taught the proper way to utilize their vehicle for high-performance driving. While participants don’t race, the chance to drive on the course doesn’t come every day! Families and friends are invited to camp in the stands and watch. Arizona Motorsports Track, 15402 W. Camelback Road, Litchfield Park, az.pca.org, 8 a.m., $150.

Grand Canyon University Basketball vs. University of Illinois-Chicago

DECEMBER 10 Grand Canyon University takes its men’s basketball seriously. The games are nearly sold out and the arena is filled with spirit from alumni and students. While GCU is just getting started on its season, it is looking to play some high-scoring games and give the fans lots to cheer about. Check out the team behind one of Arizona’s bustling universities. Grand Canyon University Arena, 3300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, gculopes.com, 7 p.m., $4.75-$9.

Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, santahustle.com/arizona, 8 a.m., $50-$72.50.

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Arizona Coyotes Skating Clinic at CitySkate

DECEMBER 27 Arizona’s very own NCAA Football Bowl game is back! An Arizona fixture since 1989, the bowl is usually played at Sun Devil Stadium but has been relocated to Chase Field during renovations. Last year’s game, between ASU and West Virginia, was close—West Virginia took it by a single point. While the teams have yet to be announced, this bowl game is sure to be another good match. Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, fiestabowl.org/cactus-bowl, 8:15 p.m., $30-$120.

DECEMBER 20 AND 27 Do you want to teach your kids how to ice skate, but you— for lack of a better term—suck? Let the pros take over at the CitySkate ice rink. The Arizona Coyotes Hockey Development Team will teach kids 12 and younger the basics of skating. No prior experience is required and each session is capped at 20 kids. CitySkate Holiday Ice Rink @ CityScape, 1 Washington Street, Suite 300, Phoenix, phxicerink.com, 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 12 p.m. to

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Santa Hustle 5K and Half Marathon

DECEMBER 11 Who would run a race that blasts festive music, is covered in holiday decorations and has cookie and candy stations on the course? Santa, probably, and now you can, too! The Santa Hustle 5K and Half Marathon is yet another holiday race option. Finishers will receive a hat and beard as well as medal. If you’ve been sitting on that red and green work out gear for the past year, this is the right time to bust it out.

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etting away from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season seems impossible at times. But by all accounts, Sedona Golf Resort is worth the short drive up Interstate 17 from Phoenix. Hang a left at Highway 179 and a few minutes later, you’re golfing. Designed by Gary Panks, the par-71, 6,646-yard golf course takes full advantage of the many postcard views of red-rock country. “At the first tee box you’re playing at about 3,600 feet, and as you continue farther into the golf course, you climb up to the high point of the property at about 4,200 feet,” said Jeremy Hayman, general manager of Sedona Golf Resort. “So, as your round unfolds, the views—and the golf holes—get better and better.” At the pinnacle of the ascent, players will find the iconic Par-3 10th. Playing 192 yards from the back tees, it is described as “The Most Photographed Par 3 in the World.” The view alone makes it hard to write down par on your scorecard when all is said and done, but the majestic selfie with triple-digit Facebook and Instagram likes will make it well worth your effort. And although the golf course is reason enough to frequent the place, that’s just where the fun begins. The clubhouse, overlooking the same wonderful views, is a great place for a post-round beverage. There’s also a palpable air of romance to the setting. The Sedona Golf Resort dresses up nicely as one of the most unforgettable ceremony and reception sites in the country. Over the years, Sedona has mystified and mesmerized a host of travelers with its surreal beauty, the kind that must be experienced to be appreciated. For more information, visit SedonaGolfResort.com, or call 928.284.9355 to make a reservation at this one-of-a-kind destination.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

LET YOUR GAME

Golf Digest, Palms Course

Tee it up at Palm Valley Golf Club and enjoy two of Arizona’s great courses. Just minutes from the Arizona Cardinals Stadium, Jobing.com Arena and all the West Valley Spring Training facilities. The Palms Course is an open traditional design by renowned architect, Arthur Hills. The Lakes Course designed by Hale Irwin, is an exceptional mid-length layout that emphasizes the importance of an accurate short game. Come out and enjoy these two phenomenal examples of Arizona desert golf. FOR BEST RATE GUARANTEE BOOK ONLINE AT

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GOLF SECTION

In Association with The Arizona Golf Association

Foothills Golf Club

This exquisite, par-72, championship links-style course offers nearly 7,000 yards of lush, rolling fairways, blue lakes and 65 challenging bunkers in harmony with a rocky desert terrain. One of the top courses in Phoenix, the Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish design has earned a four-star ranking from Golf Digest and with four sets of tees, appeals to golfers of all skill levels. If those skills could use improvement, enjoy a full, 300-yard, mountainside driving range with targets, a 5,000-square-foot putting/ chipping green, plus a large practice bunker/pitching area for short game refinement. If all this golf activity makes you hungry, the Sunset Grill dishes up tasty breakfast, salads, sandwiches and snacks with gorgeous course views. Foothills GC also has excellent facilities for indoor/outdoor weddings or special events, too. 2201 Clubhouse Drive, Phoenix 480.460.4653 or TheFoothillsGC.com

STARFIRE GOLF CLUB OPENS

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T Painted Mountain Golf Resort

The Painted Mountain 18-hole championship golf course offers great conditions, amazing amenities and excellent value. It features a complete golf resort experience that’s open to the public, and annual memberships are available. Our par-70, championship golf course and complete short game practice facility offers tournament and league play. Come and enjoy exceptional dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner, served daily, with live entertainment at the Painted Mountain Restaurant, Patio & Lounge. Shop at the Trends Sports Boutique for fine ladies’ and men’s golf apparel, as well as women’s fashions, unique gifts and accessories. Ask us about scheduling a charity golf tournament fundraiser as Painted Mountain is the perfect venue. Come see why we are your place to play! 6210 E. McKellips Road, Mesa 85215, 480.832.0156 (tee times), 480.832.0158 (dining reservations), PaintedMountainGolf.com

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he nine-hole golf course at Scottsdale’s Starfire Golf Club is now available for play. The Hawk and King courses will continue to be available as Starfire’s 18-hole experience. Upon reopening, the rate to play Squire will be starting at $20 to walk and $26 with a golf cart. Two special promotions will be available: a “9 and Dine” promotion offering nine holes and choice of breakfast or lunch; and a “9 and Wine” promotion offering nine holes of golf and a drink ticket. “The new routing gives us much more flexibility to accommodate a variety of golfers ranging from accomplished players pressed for time to junior golfers just getting into the game,” said Jason Brill, head golf professional for Starfire Golf Club. “The latter really goes to the heart of ‘growing the game,’ which is a huge priority for anyone involved with golf. And we highly encourage golfers to walk the course to maximize the exercise benefits.” The Squire course plays to 2,782 yards from the back tees at par 34 with two par 5s, three par 4s and four par 3s. The King/Hawk course plays to a par 70 at 6,106 yards from the back tees with four par 5s, eight par 4s and six par 3s. “Given the fact that most people are short on time as well as watching their budgets, the 9-hole course addresses those issues while also making room to enjoy the things that surround the game,” said Matt Lupton, general manager of Starfire Golf Club. “Walking the course is great exercise; it’s perfect for spending time with family and friends; and it allows more time to hang out

on the patio to enjoy happy hour. League play also is much easier to accommodate. In the coming months, we will be rolling out a number of appealing time and money-saving golf opportunities for our guests.” Located in the heart of Scottsdale, Starfire Golf Club offers 27 holes of golf designed by Arnold Palmer. The 2,782-yard, par-34, 9-hole Squire and the 6,106yard, par-70, 18-hole King/Hawk offer parkland-style golf experiences with fairways flanked by mature trees and shimmering water hazards. The Starfire Grille serves up breakfast, lunch and happy hour daily in a comfortable Arizona indoor-outdoor setting. Starfire also hosts a variety of gatherings such as group golf tournaments, weddings and receptions, corporate events and meetings, holiday parties and other special events at the newly renovated Palmer Ballroom, which opens to a spacious covered patio and manicured event lawn. To learn more, visit StarfireGolfClub.com, call 480-948-6000.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

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WE WERE THERE— WHERE WERE YOU?

Goldy’s Bowling Bash

Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt hosted his “Goldy’s Bowling Bash” to raise money for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Not only was Goldy there, but so were Luis Gonzalez, David Peralta, Miguel Montero, Nick Ahmed and Trevor Story. PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY CARRILLO

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE YOUNGSTER

FROLIC » DISCOVER » IMAGINE » FAMILY » FUN » CONNECT

THE FUNNEL CAKE BLOG: WHAT’S NEW IN SOCAL

’TIS THE SEASON SoCal theme parks go all out for the holidays Randy Montgomery » The Entertainer!

more festive than in Ghost Town. Experience wandering carolers, live holiday-themed shows, nightly snow, a tree-lighting ceremony and dozens of artisanal craft vendors. Elsewhere in the park, celebrate with Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. A large production ice skating stage show is a highlight of the season, and is not to be missed. Knott’s graciously offers free admission to law enforcement, military and veterans on select days. Check its website for details: knotts.com

SEA WORLD’S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

KNOTT’S MERRY FARM

is the season to be merry at Southern California theme parks. Each park celebrates in its own unique way, and guarantees lasting memories for your family.

’

DISNEYLAND RESORT

THROUGH JANUARY 8 The Disneyland Resort offers unique festivities at each park. New this year, is the “Disney Festival of Holidays” at Disney California Adventure. The celebration incudes an all-new “World of Color” show, called “Season of Light.” There will be a marketplace featuring holiday foods from around the globe. Musicians, dancers and performer celebrate cultures far and

wide. “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” celebrates seasonal sights, sounds and flavors with Latin flair. Across the esplanade at Disneyland, find traditional and annual offerings such as “It’s a Small World Holiday,” “Haunted Mansion Holiday” and “The Jingle Cruise.” The three classic rides have received a “merry” overlay. The popular “A Christmas Fantasy Parade” returns, as well as “Believe… in Holiday Magic,” the mesmerizing nighttime fireworks display. More information at disneyland.com

THROUGH JANUARY 1 This seaside park offers numerous ways to celebrate. New this year, meet Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and

take a family photo. Decorations can be found throughout the park, including “The Happiest Christmas Tree.” Seasonal, holiday-themed Shamu, dolphin, pet and sea lions shows are sure to delight family members of all ages. For an additional cost, have breakfast with Santa and Shamu! More information at seaworldparks.com/en/ seaworld-sandiego/ Other events include Six Flags Magic Mountain’s “Holiday in the Park,” featuring millions of lights and a Virtual Reality adventure with Santa aboard The New Revolution roller coaster. Universal Studios Hollywood welcomes “Grinchmas,” and a winter wonderland can be found at The Queen Mary’s “Chill.”

DISNEYLAND RESORT

KNOTT’S MERRY FARM

THROUGH JANUARY 8 The spirit of the season takes over the Buena Park theme park, but nowhere

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THE BEST FAMILY EVENTS IN

DECEMBER Megan Marples » The Entertainer!

SKATE WESTGATE

Hale Centre Theatre, 50 W. Page Avenue, Gilbert, 480.497.1181, haletheatrearizona.com, $18 to $36.

CIRQUE MUSICA HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR

Tumbleweed Tree Lighting Ceremony

DECEMBER 3 Help Chandler celebrate Christmas with the 60th anniversary of the Tumbleweed Tree. There will be a variety of performers, including Arizona Dance Studio, The Dance Loft, Stacy J Dancing and Gilbert singer-songwriter Rinsley. In the evening, guests can watch the stunning Parade of Lights. Downtown Chandler, 3 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, chandleraz.gov, 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., free.

Carriage Rides with Santa Lights of the World Lantern Festival

ALL OF DECEMBER Celebrate different cultures from around the world at the largest light show in North America. Eleven exhibits host 75 light displays with themes like Christmas Dream, Dinosaur Park, Trek Across Europe and Time Tunnel. There are also acrobatic performances, concerts and a carnival that boasts more than 30 rides. Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, 480.502.5600, rawhide. com, $14.99 to $24.99.

Skate Westgate

ALL OF DECEMBER Transport yourself to New York City’s Central Park during winter with this amazing outdoor ice rink. Twice a night, snow falls on the rink to create an even more magical atmosphere. Tired from skating? Take a horsedrawn carriage ride around the shopping area for free. The restaurants and shops at Westgate will have special deals and promotions throughout December as well. Westgate Entertainment District, 6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, 623.385.7502, westgateaz.com, $10-$13.

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“THE POLAR EXPRESS”

“The Polar Express”

SELECT DATES IN DECEMBER Jump into the children’s book “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg this holiday season. Travel on The Grand Canyon Railway to visit the North Pole and see Santa and his elves at work. On the return ride, Santa will board the train and give every child a special present. Throughout the journey, families are encouraged to sing along and enjoy fresh chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate. Grand Canyon Railway, 235 N. Grand Canyon Boulevard, Williams, 888.848.3511, thetrain.com, various times and days, $25-$47.

“A Christmas Carol”

DECEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 24 Watch the traditional holiday tale, “A Christmas Carol,” come to life on stage at Hale Centre Theatre. The most popular of the theater’s productions features dazzling costumes, beautiful set designs and spectacular carols.

SATURDAYS THROUGH DECEMBER 17 Listen to songs from the Deer Valley High School carolers and enjoy free carriage rides at the Village at Arrowhead Shopping Center. Children can meet with Santa and take pictures with him. Meanwhile, families are encouraged to donate toys to the Arthritis Foundation for children 7 to 17 who have juvenile arthritis. The Village at Arrowhead Shopping Center, 20050 N. 67th Avenue, Glendale, thevillageatarrowhead. com, noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays, free. TUMBLEWEED TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

I Spy Santa Artwalk

DECEMBER 8 Go on a scavenger hunt along Marshall Way and Main Street this holiday season with the help of Santa’s elves. They will help families find clues and lead them into areas with extra engagements. The art galleries hosting the event will have holiday music playing throughout. Main Street and Marshall Way, Scottsdale, scottsdazzle.com, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., free.

Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular

DECEMBER 16 Watch high-flying acrobats and aerialists perform stunts at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. The holiday-themed circus is accompanied by a live symphony orchestra and is perfect for the whole family. Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.3797800, talkingstickresortarena.com, 7:30 p.m., $25 to $85. CARRIAGE RIDES WITH SANTA

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

FAMILY

TRADITION

Giovanni Zoppé rejuvenates his circus with new ringmaster, trapeze act Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

sixth-generation circus performer, Giovanni Zoppé is a fan of mixing up his show each year. The 2017 Zoppé: A Italian Family Circus show, which comes to the Chandler Center for the Arts from December 27 to January 8, is no different. Only two elements from last year’s performances remain, the rest of them have been revamped. “That includes the opening, closing, the ringmaster and the horse act,” Zoppé says. “The dog act has changed, but it’s still my brother-in-law and sister.” The Zoppè Family Circus welcomes guests into the intimate 500-seat tent on the lawn at the Chandler Center for the Arts for a one-ring circus that honors the best history of the Old-World Italian tradition. The circus is more than 160 years old, with its roots planted in 1842 when a young French street performer named Napoline Zoppè wandered into a plaza in Budapest, Hungary, looking for work. There, he met a beautiful equestrian ballerina named Ermenegilda. Because

Zoppé: A Italian Family Circus

Napoline was a clown, Ermenegilda’s father saw him as beneath her and disapproved of their relationship. The two ran away to Venice, Italy, and founded the circus that still bears their name. Nino the Clown has been a mainstay at the circus. This year, the audience will enjoy Raoul Gomiero, the new ringmaster. Zoppè’s longtime friend was recruited from Italy, where he worked as a ringmaster and actor. “As the ringmaster, I introduce every act,” Gomiero says. “I’m always on stage while the show is going on. I don’t perform trapeze, contortionist or trampoline, I’m always there because I have to be ready for everything that is happening.” Besides Gomiero’s participation, the audience will see a flying trapeze act that’s new this year. “It’s extremely unusual to have a flying trapeze in the size of our tent,” Zoppè says. “It was hard to get somebody to do it. I haven’t been able to do this before this year. It’s one of the best flying trapeze acts I’ve ever seen and it’s inside of our tent. It takes over our whole space.”

Chandler Center for the Arts’ Lawn, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter.org, various times Tuesday, December 27, to Sunday, January 8, $15-$40.

ALL THAT JAZZ ‘ ‘The SnowCat’ encourages youngsters to explore music and reading Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

protégé of legendary trumpeter and flugelhornist Art Farmer, musician Dmitri Matheny said it’s important to persuade youngsters to listen to jazz. If he hadn’t indulged as a kid, he may not have moved on to be dubbed “one of the jazz world’s most talented horn players” or “unquestionably a master.” A former Chandler resident, Matheny is doing his part with “The SnowCat,” a heartwarming tale of a little girl’s search for her wandering white cat on a chilly afternoon. Each year, the musician and his friends bring “The SnowCat” to life in a series of performances for families, including 11 a.m. Saturday, December 10, at the Chandler Center for the Arts. “We used to do shows every Christmas, where we would take a children’s story like ‘Santa Claus’ or ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ or ‘The Grinch’ and set it to music,” Matheny says. “We did these in San Francisco just about every year for 10 years. They were pretty popular among kids and grandparents.” But when lawyers asked him to license the characters, he created an original story. “The SnowCat is based on an ancient Japanese parable about an ox herder, a little boy who goes looking for his lost ox,” says Matheny, who changed the story to a little girl and a cat. The show explores a wide range of genres, including reggae, jazz, hip hop, funk and calypso. “It’s really lively,” he says. “We’re able to keep the attention of the little kids.” There are coloring books and plush toys to enhance the experience. As vocalist Holly Pyle performs the

songs, images and text from the book are being projected on the wall behind the musicians. “It encourages literacy,” Matheny says. “Parents can read along with kids. While we’re performing, some of the people are sitting like a typical audience. Some are dancing, though, and some are lying on the stage around us, coloring. It’s a wild time, man.” Born on December 25, 1965, in Nashville, Matheny was raised in Georgia before his family moved to Tucson, where his father took a job as a teacher. Attracted to his father’s collection of jazz and classical LP records, Matheny began piano lessons at age 5 and switched to the trumpet at age 9. While in his teens, he fell in love with the flugelhorn and left home to attend Michigan’s prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy and then Boston’s Berklee College of Music. After private studies with Carmine Caruso in New York City, Matheny became the protégé of Farmer, a formative relationship that lasted over a decade. Matheny has more than 60 recordings in his discography. “We’re able to do this for a living,” he said. “It’s nice to play music for people, travel around and make friends.”

Dmitri Matheny’s “The SnowCat”

Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter.org, 11 a.m. Saturday, December 10, $8-$10.

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THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE SHOWMAN

LISTEN » JAM » INNOVATE » EVOLVE » ROCK » SING

‘DEAR’ TO HIS HEART Ian Metzger finds solace in The Gentle Hits Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

an Metzger just can’t quit music. After his Phoenix-based band, Dear and the Headlights, broke up, he tried to leave music behind. He moved to Washington, to be near his wife’s parents. Music still haunted him. “I keep getting sucked in,” Metzger says during an interview at Tempe Marketplace. “It means too much to me. It’s like being in love. After that one relationship didn’t work out, you say, ‘I’m never going to love again.’ It’s that feeling with music with me.” So the singer/lyricist, who grew up in Chandler, got back on his metaphorical horse and formed the indie rock-folk trio The Gentle Hits with drummer Mark Kulvinskas and multi-instrumentalist James Mulhern. The project follows critically acclaimed stints in the aforementioned Dear and the Headlights, along with What Laura Says. The Gentle Hits recently released its debut album, a self-titled collection on

Porch Party Records. This fulfills another of Metzger’s dreams. “I hate being solo instrumentalist guy,” he says with a laugh. “My whole life, my family has been telling me they love when I play guitar by myself. But I want that collaboration and other minds to be present for the songs. It’s so much cooler to have other creative minds added to it. James and Mark have completely transformed these ideas for me.” Metzger says his time in Dear and the Headlights was memorable. The band played the likes of Coachella, Lollapalooza and Warped Tour, and did an arena tour with hometown heroes Jimmy Eat World and pop stars Paramore. “I didn’t know what to expect at Coachella,” he says. “We were in one of the tents. We were playing early. It was a good tent, though. Mike Patton was playing later and there was some really cool stuff in there. “We must have had 1,000 or 2,000 people show up to watch us. No one shows up for the first couple bands. They were real receptive.” The last six or so years have been

trying for Metzger. When he moved to Washington, he and his wife had two daughters, and $5,000 in their bank account. Metzger tirelessly looked for a job and finally found one—in a blueberry field. “This guy hired me and eight other guys to be down on our hands and knees tending to this field,” he says, again laughing. “I did that for about two weeks. I couldn’t handle it. The other guys were migrant workers and those guys would work circles around me. I don’t even know what real hard work is. They put me to shame.” Eventually he left and headed to Trader Joe’s to support the family and pay for a wood-heated cabin in Deming, Washington. “The cabin had a glass ceiling,” he says. “We could see the whole galaxy while lying in bed. There were crazy amounts of silence, peace and serenity.” After two years, tragedy struck. He received a call from his mother saying that his stepdad had fallen at work and passed out. Blood tests revealed not only a serious infection in his foot, but pancreatic and

liver cancer. He arranged to move his family back to Arizona. His stepfather died four days after he moved back. When Metzger returned to Arizona, he was armed with songs inspired by life in the cabin, and his family issues. “I was writing the whole time I was there,” says Metzger, a Phoenix resident who works as a server at Cowboy Ciao. “Just being outside was a meditative state. I basically had this entire album sussed out acoustically. “When I got back, I couldn’t try to pretend I wasn’t into it,” he says. “Music haunts me. I get melody ideas in my head and these songs appear out of nowhere. They won’t leave me alone. I’m getting old enough to not really ignore these things. It’s the only thing that makes time disappear.”

For more information about The Gentle Hits, visit https:// porchpartyrecords.bandcamp. com/album/the-gentle-hits or thegentlehits.com. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Roger Hodgson

Henry Rollins

Johnny Boyd

YG w/ RJ, Kamaiyah, Sad Boy

Tim Polecat, The Limit Club and When Copper Was King

Bluesman Mike and the Blues Review Band

The Icebergs w/ Harper and the Moths and Wash

DECEMBER 5

Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $53-$203

LIVE MUSIC

CALENDAR

Carson Mlnarik and Cassidy Landaker » The Entertainer!

Anjunadeep

DECEMBER 2

Old Dominion w/ Steve Moakler

Teneia

Jonathan Tyler w/ Jeff Crosby and the Refugees

Desert Frostover 2016 - Day 1

The Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $12-$15

George Kahumoku Jr.

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Rebel Lounge, 7 p.m., $5

Luz

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $20-$125

Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $20

DECEMBER 1 Livewire, 7 p.m., sold out

The Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., $12-$14

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $20.50-$28.50

DECEMBER 3 O.A.R. and Blue October w/ Wrabel Livewire, 7 p.m., $35

Against the Current w/ Cruisr & Beach Weather

Alice Cooper’s 15th Annual Christmas Pudding w/ Hollywood Vampires, Korn, Gin Blossoms, Sammy Hagar and others

Marquee Theatre, 5:30 p.m., $12

Musical Instrumental Museum, 7:30 p.m., $38.50-$48.50

Pub Rock Live, 6 p.m., $15-$18

Celebrity Theatre, 7 p.m., $120-$225

Desert Frostover 2016 - Day 2

Grant Ferguson w/ Sal and The Stray Hounds

Haley Bonar

Valley Bar, 7 p.m., $13-$15

Marquee Theatre, 5:30 p.m., $12

Home Free

Gucci Mane w/ D.R.A.M.

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $12

Victory Victory, Vanessa Silberman, Lexy Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Harrah’s Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino, 8 p.m., free

Mesa Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $53

Leon Russell

Crescent Ballroom, 8:30 p.m., sold out

Talking Stick Resort, 8 p.m., $35-$60

Henry Rollins Wolf & Bear

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $10-$12

Dark Tranquility

Club Red, 6 p.m., $25-$60

Sahba Motallebi

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $33.50-$38.50

Kim Wilson & His Blues All-Stars

The Rhythm Room, 9:15 p.m., $15

Field Tripp, Snake! Snake! Snakes!, Huckleberry and Citrus Clouds Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Mesa Arts Center, 7 p.m., free w/ canned food donation

Sonata Arctica

Club Red, 6 p.m., $25-$70

DECEMBER 6 Tinsley Ellis

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m., $33.50-$38.50

Aesop Rock

Club Red, 7 p.m, $23-$25

Asking Alexandria

Livewire, 5:30 p.m., $25

Chris Tomlin

Centennial Hall, 7:30 p.m, $35-$80

The Vegabonds w/ Laxi

Last Exit Live, 8 p.m, $10-$15

DECEMBER 7 Sara Watkins and River Whyless

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m, $20-$25

Children of Bodom, Abbath and Exmortus Pressroom, 7 p.m., $25-$27

Duane Mark, Lorin Walker Madsen and JonEmery Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Warm Brew

The Rebel Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $12-$15

DECEMBER 8 The Waters w/ Jay Allan, Cameron Degurski, Whitherward

Trunk Space, 6 p.m., tickets TBA

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Sounds of Carols

Ryan Sims Band

WhyWolf, Tom Blotter, Vincent Wells, The Prison Ships and Mike and Amy

Livewire, sold out The gritty country rock boys of Old Dominion have enjoyed their fair amount of success in the past year. Their debut album alone spawned three hit singles on the country charts, “Break Up With Him,” “Snapback” and “Song for Another Time.” Singer/songwriter Steve Moakler will back up the group when they pack the house for a sold-out show at Livewire.

The Rhythm Room, 6 p.m., free

CRX

Cactus Jacks, 8 p.m., free

DECEMBER 1

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $29

Mark Farina and Sian

Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $10

Old Dominion

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., sold out

DECEMBER 4 Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $36-$40

Eamonn McCrystal & Chloe Agnew

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 7:30 p.m, $40-$65

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $15-$18

The Rhythm Room, 7 p.m., $8

DECEMBER 9 Easton Corbin

Harrah’s Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino, 7 p.m., free

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $70-$130

Jonny Lang

Talking Stick Resort, 8 p.m, $25-$75

Red Bull Flying Bach

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $39-$79

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

The Donkeys

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $12-$15

Dee-1

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $12-$15

3rd Ocean w/ The Lavish Krew Club Red, 6 p.m., $10-$12

Random Rab

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $12-$15

Kristen Drathman and Rusty Ferracane

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m., $19-$29

Mike Eldred Trio

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Ryan Sims Band

Wasted Grain, 10 p.m., free

DECEMBER 10 Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Celebrity Theatre, 8 p.m., $70-$130

Stooki Sound

Monarch Theatre, 9 p.m., $10-$30

Danú: A Christmas Gathering Virginia G. Piper Theater, 8 p.m., $29-$59

An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $43.50-$48.50

Red Bull Flying Bach

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $39-$135

Anthony Raneri

Valley Bar, 7 p.m., $13-$16

The Sounds w/ Zipper Club & My Jerusalem Marquee Theatre, 7 p.m., $25

Adrianna Marie & Her Groovecutters w/ La Jones, Kedar Roy and Brian Fahey

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10-$12

The Psychedelephants, The Woodworks and Elephant Gunn Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

J.Phlip and Kill Frenzy

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas DECEMBER 27

ASU Gammage, $35.50-$120.50 The holiday season does not end on December 25. The music of Mannheim Steamroller, the Neoclassical new-age music group orchestrated by Chip Davis, is a constant fixture around Christmastime. When the group comes to ASU Gammage on December 27, Mannheim Steamroller’s electric takes on holiday classics will fill heads like sugar plums and fairies.

Holiday Pops w/ Salt River Brass

Mesa Arts Center, 3 p.m., $15-$24

Merchandise

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $13-$15

Jim James

Marquee Theatre, 8 p.m., $33

Marmalade Skies - A Musical Tribute to The Beatles The Rhythm Room, 4 p.m., $15

DECEMBER 12 Steve Vai

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 7:30 p.m., $35-$75

Monarch Theatre, 10 p.m., $10

Metalachi

End Credits, The Rifle, Sugar Skull Explosion, Logan & Lucille, Andy Warpigs and Run-On Sunshine

Youth Symphony of the Southwest

Trunk Space, 6 p.m., tickets TBA

DECEMBER 11 Tanya Bannister

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 7:30 p.m., $29-$49

The Rhythm Room, 8 p.m., $15

Mesa Arts Center, 7 p.m., free

We Gave it Hell and Message to the Masses Last Exit Live, 7:30 p.m., $10-$13

DECEMBER 13 Joe Bonamassa

Fat Nick

Tucson Music Hall, 8 p.m., $79-$125

Red Bull Flying Bach

ASU Kerr Cultural Center, 7:30 p.m, $42-$59.95

Club Red, 7 p.m., $15-$50 Comerica Theatre, 4 p.m., $39-$145

An Irish Christmas Concert

Sims

Valley Bar, 8 p.m., $14-$15

Jane N’ The Jungle and Ghost Cat Attack

The Rebel Lounge, 8 p.m., $5

DECEMBER 14

p.m, $52-$72

The Rock Pack

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $58-$253

Cryptic Wisdom

Club Red, 7 p.m., $12-$15

Pete Pancrazi Quartet

Dave Koz & Friends

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 8 p.m., $19-$29

Rare Futures, Hearts Like Lions, Twin Ponies and Foxhound

Dave Riley, Bob Corritore, Johnny Rapp, Yahni Riley, Brian Fahey

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $56-$84

The Rebel Lounge, 7:30 p.m., $10-$12

DECEMBER 15 The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Celebrity Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $62-$90

Etienne Charles

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $33.50-$38.50

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

Ryan Sims Band

Boondocks, 9 p.m., free

DECEMBER 17 David Seabaugh’s Christmas Concert Spectacular Mesa Arts Center, 7 p.m., $29

Stitches w/ Str8Kash

Lethal Injektion Christmas Bash

Scottsdale Philharmonic

A Merry-Achi Christmas

Pub Rock Live, 7 p.m., $18-$50 Virginia G. Piper Theater, 7:30 p.m., $5-$10

Blues Harmonica Showcase The Rhythm Room, 7 p.m., $10

DECEMBER 16 Clay Aiken

Chandler Center for the Arts, 7:30

Club Red, 6:30 p.m., $10-$12

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 8 p.m., $29-$59

The Sugar Thieves

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

DECEMBER 18 Estèban

Musical Instrument Museum, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., $38.50-$53.50

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Lynch Mob w/ Tricus, Addict3d & Downhill Trend

DECEMBER 24

The Word Alive

Musical Instrument Museum, 2 p.m., $48.50-$63.50

Marquee Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $25-$45 Nile Theater, 6 p.m., $18

The Hot Sardines

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m, $30-$45

David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 2 p.m., $29$59

Buzz Fest - Tribute to Buzz Fowler The Rhythm Room, 2 p.m. $8

Jacob Acosta Band, Treasurefruit, Carol Pacey and the Honey Shakers Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

DECEMBER 19 David Archuleta w/ Nathan Pacheco

Blind Boys of Alabama

Christmas Eve Blues Party w/ Billy Watson, The Rocket 88’s and Mike Eldred The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $10

Cheap Thrills, Sean Watson and Jared Alan Crescent Ballroom, 10 p.m., free

DECEMBER 25 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

DECEMBER 26 Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Gila River Arena, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., $37.50-$71.25

Mesa Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $51-$61

DECEMBER 27

DECEMBER 21

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Asleep at the Wheel Holiday Show

Musical Instrument Museum, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $38.50-$53.50

Barb Wire Dolls

Last Exit Live, 9 p.m., $10-$15

Wax w/ The Palmer Squares Pub Rock Live, 8 p.m., $15-$20

Rocket Coma, Glass Cans, Surf and Sunday At Noon

ASU Gammage, 8 p.m, $35.50$120.50

Ainsworth, Arden Klawitter + The Powerclaps, Justin Moody, Egg Princess, MLKA Trunk Space, 7 p.m., tickets TBA

What’s the Big Idea? Jazz Trio Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., free

DECEMBER 28

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

El Ten Eleven and Bogan Via

DECEMBER 22

Genocide Pact, Sex Prisoner and Woundvac

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker Comerica Theatre, 7 p.m., $20-$85

Mary Palma and Guests

Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m, $15-$18

Fiftyonewest, 7 p.m., $8

DECEMBER 29

The Rhythm Room, 6:30 p.m., $11-$14

Man Hands, Sink, Labor Party

DECEMBER 23

Snoop Dogg, Bone Thugs-nHarmony, Warren G and Tha Dogg Pound

Blind Boys of Alabama

Musical Instrument Museum, 7:30 p.m., $48.50-$63.50

David Britton

Virginia G. Piper Theater, 8 p.m., $19$29

Cold Shott and the Hurricane Horns The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $8

2016 Winter Formal w/ Snake Burner and Slowpoke Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Ryan Sims Band

Wasted Grain, 10 p.m., free

DECEMBER 14

Musical Instrument Museum, $58.50-$68.50 With her November cabaret show rescheduled to December thanks to a gig with the Fox-TV show “Empire,” Rumer Willis is finally bringing her Over The Love Tour to the MIM. The daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore started singing at the age of 3, and is now working on her debut album with uber songwriter Linda Perry. Don’t miss the talented singer.

Yucca Tap Room, 8 p.m., free

Comerica Theatre, 8 p.m., $45-$75

DECEMBER 30 Decadence Arizona w/ Disclosure, Porter Robinson, Marshmello, Deadmau5 and others Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5 p.m., $179-$399

Ryan Sims Band

Copper Blues, 9:30 p.m., free

The Real Fits, El West, The Deadbeat Cousins, Pipelights Crescent Ballroom, 8 p.m., $8-$10

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Rumer Willis

DECEMBER 31 Decadence Arizona w/The Chainsmokers, Zedd and others Rawhide Western Town and Event Center, 5 p.m., $179-$399

Straight No Chaser

Mesa Arts Center, 8 p.m., $49-$160

Steel Panther

Livewire, 9 p.m., $42

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

Celebrity Theatre, 9 p.m., $43-$53

Jim Brickman

Musical Instrument Museum, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., $43.50-$58.50

Dirty Heads w/ Katastro, Mouse Powell, Neato & Highest Conspiracy Marquee Theatre, 6:30 p.m., $38.50$75

Soul Power Band

The Rhythm Room, 9 p.m., $15

Ryan Sims Band

Copper Blues, 9:30 p.m., call for charge

Flamenco Por La Vida

Crescent Ballroom, 6 p.m., free

I I

mmmf.com

SUCCESS ... ‘PRICELESS’

Grammy winners For King & Country celebrating holidays and ‘glorious’ year Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

or King & Country has had a “glorious” year. The Grammy-winning Christian pop duo comprised of Australian-American brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone scored a mainstream hit with “Fix My Eyes,” released an independent movie, “Priceless,” and debuted the original Christmas song, “Glorious.” But for Joel Smallbone, it’s time to take a break—after For King & Country finishes its first U.S. holiday tour. This 15-city run includes a Sunday, December 18, gig at Grand Canyon University Arena. “It’ll be the largest tour in scale and audience and production, etc., that we’ve ever done,” says Smallbone, whose family also includes his sister, renowned Christian singer Rebecca St. James. “Christmas is hands down my favorite holiday. We’re taking these really nostalgic, beautiful songs that have been songs for hundreds of years and giving them a For King and Country spin. “We’ll also naturally weave ‘Fix My Eyes’ and ‘The Proof of Your Love’ into the set. We’re going to present a brand WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

new original Christmas song that we’ve been working on since February. It’s shaping up to be a very exciting celebratory and entertaining show.” Christmas may be his favorite holiday, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. Smallbone is one of seven kids so “Christmas was always a festive affair.” His family would get together with his 24 cousins in Shannon National Park in Western Australia to celebrate the holidays. “Christmas is different in Australia than America,” says Smallbone, calling from a soundcheck in Texas. “Here, Santa puts the presents under the tree. In Australia, we designed pillow cases, left them empty and put them on the end of our beds on Christmas Eve. “At some point through the night, Santa would sneak in and he would fill these pillows. They would be overflowing with lollies (candy) and gifts and I’ll never forget that.” One Christmas was unforgettable, but not for the reasons one would think. “My dad lost his job about a month after we arrived in the United States,” he says. “I remember my mom coming to me saying, ‘I don’t think Santa is going to be able to give you anything regarding

presents this year. He’s going to get things from the dollar shop.’ “I remember laughing to myself, ‘Mom: Santa Claus is not dictated by our financial situation.’” Unbeknownst to him, a first-grade class who heard about the family’s plight approached his mother and told her to make a wish list. They purchased the presents for the family. “It was the most lovely, overwhelming Christmas we’ve ever had,” Smallbone says. Now living in Nashville and married to singer Moriah Peters, who attended GCU, Smallbone says being in a family who loves music and its impact is “beautiful.” “Nashville is very much about the song,” he says. “L.A. is about the entertainment. New York is about the business. Nashville is always about the song. “I love that. For King & Country, as an entity, is about the song. We’re writing truthfully and organically about what’s going on in our lives.” The duo was just as honest with the movie “Priceless,” which opened on 303 U.S. screens. It was the No. 1 new independent film and landed at No. 15 at the box office the weekend of October 22.

“It has been a lovely start to exposing the film to the world,” he says. “It’s very different from music, but it’s been really charming nonetheless to have that first burst of people eagerly coming out to see the picture. “I think the biggest thing in being creative is you’re always leaning on people’s response. The response—whether it’s from the L.A. Times or, more importantly, the viewers—has been overwhelmingly positive.” Looking back on 2016, Smallbone is amazed. “It’s been a wonderful year—whether it’s from ‘Fix My Eyes’ going mainstream, or the song ‘Priceless’ hitting Christian and mainstream radio, or doing Winter Jam, and now this tour,” he says. “It has been a very encouraging and exciting one. But we’re going to take a little bit of time and step back for a moment. We’ll record a third record at some point. We’re going to play some shows, but half as many. After five years of hitting it pretty hard as a band, it’ll be a nice to take a moment to recalibrate.”

A For King & Country Christmas featuring Lauren Daigle

Grand Canyon University Arena, 3300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602.639.8979, 877.552.7362, extremefaithproductions.com, 6 p.m. Sunday, December 18, $19.50-$100.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

hen former Foreigner singer Lou Gramm was approached to tour with “The Rock Pack” alongside Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, ex-Journey vocalist Steve Augeri, original Santana frontman Gregg Rollie, The Tubes’ Fee Waybill and one-time Asia singer John Payne, he knew that it was a good deal. After all, Payne, with whom he recently struck a friendship, organized the event set for Friday, December 16, at the Comerica Theatre. “I’ve known John Payne for a few years,” Gramm says. “We did ‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ together in Las Vegas. He said he was putting this together and asked if I would like to be one of the guest vocalists. “I knew everything he’s involved with is done really well. He told me whole else was on the bill and I was very excited.” Gramm has kept the Foreigner spirit alive by doing spot dates throughout the world during his hiatuses from the band. In early 1997, Gramm was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor that damaged his pituitary gland. However, during a recent multimedia show in Beverly Hills, California, Gramm sounded in true form. Gramm is hoping to bring to the Comerica Theatre this sort of “Behind the Music” slide show. “I think that would be nice,” he says. A fan of Ed Sheeran, Gramm is proud to say that he’s writing the skeletons of new songs. For him, the process feels like the first time. “The band and myself have just been putting out ideas and flushing them out

a little bit,” says Gramm, who cowrote hits like “Jukebox Hero,” “Hot Blooded,” “Cold as Ice,” “Head Games” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” “We don’t finish them right away,” he says. “Once I get a good idea, I get away from it and go on to something else. Then it’s like hearing it for the first time.” He admits that songs like “I Want to Know What Love Is” still give him the chills. It’s a pleasure to sing them, Gramm adds. “I love that,” he says about choirs coming on stage to accompany him. “The first time I heard it was right in the studio. The choir came in, formed a circle, held hands and said the Lord’s prayer. “As soon as they opened their mouths, the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up and I had goosebumps all over my body. It was so shockingly good because of the choir. The tonality they lent to the song, it immediately became more than just a love song. I’m looking forward to singing those songs in Phoenix.”

Lou Gramm w/Robin Zander, Steve Augeri, Greg Rollie, Fee Waybill and John Payne Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.379.2800, comericatheatre. com, 8 p.m. Friday, December 16, $38-$253.

DRIVING CRX The Strokes’ Nick Valensi kicks solo project into overdrive Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

he Strokes’ lead guitarist Nick Valensi found something exciting in his side project CRX. The writing and recording of CRX’s debut album, “New Skin,” was an epiphany. “When you stumble onto something that gets you kind of excited, those are usually the things worth pursuing,” Valensi says.

ICONIC SINGERS, ICONIC SONGS Classic rock heroes like Lou Gramm come together for a retrospective show “But then, there’s the whole process of refining the idea, and recording the song. You don’t really know what you’ve got until the whole thing is finished. You can get kind of a hunch sometimes. Other times, songs can surprise you.” Part of what made “New Skin” successful is that Valensi had no preconceptions going into the project. “I knew that it’d probably be guitar driven, but, past that, I was pretty open,” he says. “Some songs, like ‘Ways to Fake It,’ surprised me because they felt way more like ’80s power pop than anything I’d written in the past.” For the recording of “New Skin,” Valensi looked toward producer Josh Homme, a longtime friend and member of Queens of the Stone Age. “I love working with my friends, man,” he says. “That’s how CRX came together. I was just reaching out to my friends to play them my demos and get their feedback.” The best collaborations came from those meetings; ditto Homme. “I was like, ‘Hey man, let me play you these demos I recorded. I want to know what you think,’” Valensi says. “We started talking and he had all of these great ideas. So I just asked him to

produce it. I really trust him, and I was at a place where I needed help from someone whose taste and decision making I had complete faith in. Also, he’s very direct and straightforward, which works well for me. I don’t have patience for people who sugarcoat things or beat around the bush. So Josh and I had a really good working relationship.” It’s been a learning process for Valensi, who plays the Crescent Ballroom on December 8. That’s a good thing. He is able to bring traits from CRX to The Strokes, who are slowly demoing songs. “They’re kind of two separate things to me,” he says. “The Strokes have a pretty good work style that we’re in a groove with. But all the songwriting experience I’m getting with CRX will translate to all the other projects I work on for sure.”

CRX w/Dead Heavens and Streets of Laredo

Crescent Ballroom 308 N. Second Avenue, Phoenix, 602.716.2222, crescentphx.com, 8 p.m. Thursday, December 8, $15-$18. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

LOVE AND MEMORIES O.A.R. looks forward, not back, on 20-year anniversary Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

or O.A.R. drummer Chris Culos, his band’s 20-year career has flown by in a minute. He quickly glances through O.A.R.’s catalog and contends that the songs sound as fresh as the day they were created. But nothing makes Culos more proud than “XX,” a compilation album that celebrates O.A.R.’s two decades in music. It features previous tracks, along with two new songs and a second disc of live recordings. “We call it the 20 essential songs of the first 20 years,” says Culos, whose band plays Livewire in Scottsdale on December 3 with Blue October and Wrabel. In the late summer, O.A.R.—which stands for Of a Revolution—wasn’t sure was it was going to choose for the first single. The decision wasn’t without a struggle, either, and it was documented on Qello’s “Evolution of a Song.” “Qello is a Netflix-like platform,”

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Culos says. “It’s owned by iHeartRadio. Instead of regular TV shows and movies, it has music documentaries and TV shows about music. I admit, I subscribe to it. “‘Evolution of a Song’ is about how you narrow down the birth of a really good song. We didn’t know if we wanted a single to be flat out radio friendly, or something significant to help our momentum going into the tour; like a song that would be a new classic anthem.” O.A.R. discussed with management and the record label the possibilities for singles—what would give the band the best leverage to go to radio what song could easily be placed in movies and television soundtracks. “You see the behind-the-scenes stuff,” he says. “It was unfolding in real time.” Near the end of the series, “I Go Through” was revealed as the first single. Singles are tough for O.A.R. “We do value what opportunities a radio-friendly song can bring to the table,”

says Culos, whose wife attended ASU. “But some fans heard us for the first time on an 8-miinute-long deep cut that was a little more adventurous. “We have both of those sides. They are both important sides of the coin and allow us to do what we do. By being open and honest, it brings people on board.” Baseball fans will recognize O.A.R. from a Chase Field/Arizona Diamondbacks intro video that uses “This Town” as its soundtrack. That thrills Culos, but he says, most fans relate to the jam band’s live shows. “We have put out a live album in between every studio album,” Culos says. “We have a fan base that tends to gravitate toward our live releases. Every time we put out a live CD, fans are getting somewhat of a compilation album. “They’re getting live versions of songs that have been on different albums. Our set lists are varied—new songs, old songs, classic songs, rare songs, singles, requests.

It’s across the board. You’re not necessarily getting a greatest hits set. That’s what’s great about our live shows. We have people in the audience who do want to hear the hits.” The live sets, though, are more “off the cuff,” he adds. “Sure, three of the studio songs have been important singles for us—‘This Town,’ ‘Shattered’ and ‘Love and Memories,’” Culos explains. “On ‘XX,’ you’re getting updated versions of these songs and more.”

Blue October, O.A.R. and Wrabel

Livewire, 7320 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 480.361.9783, livewireaz.com, 7 p.m. Saturday, December 3, $35.

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE FIRST AT

COMING IN SECOND

The holidays and politics with Clay Aiken Carson Mlnarik » The Entertainer!

hirteen years ago, Clay Aiken was runner-up on “American Idol.” In the years since, the 37-year-old has started a family, published a New York Times best-selling memoir, moved 6 million albums and sold out 11 nationwide concert tours. His visit to the Chandler Center for the Arts on December 16 is his first concert since 2012 and his only show in the near future. “We’re doing it because we got asked to go and I thought, ‘You know what, it’ll be fun to sing with an orchestra,’ so I said OK,” says Aiken, who will be backed by a 22-piece orchestra. While he says he can’t help the occasional dip of the toe back into the water, he’s on a bit of a singing hiatus. “It’s not what I’m focusing on now. I’m pushing 40 and realized that everyone has a second chapter in life,” Aiken says. “I’ve have maybe seven already, but this is a new one.”

The singer’s new chapter began in 2014 when he ran for Congress in his home state of North Carolina. While he won the Democratic primary, he lost to the Republican incumbent in the general election. Aiken says he always had an interest in politics and issues. Even though he lost, he did not leave without a few lessons learned. “I learned more about politics than I ever wanted to,” he laughs. “I never necessarily expected to win because it was a very Republican district, but I hoped to be able to get enough people to pay attention to the race—and it worked!” His involvement didn’t end there. He continues to have discussions with people across the world and appears weekly on Meghan McCain’s radio show, “America Now,” to offer his opinion and listen. Listening more than talking, Aiken believes, is one of the most important things a person can do right now. “As soon as someone disagrees with us, we stop listening to their opinion,” he says. “We delete them from Facebook. We stop following them on Twitter. We

keep them out of our lives. I think what’s more important than that is trying to start discussions and get people talking to each other. That’s sort of where my focus is right now.” That doesn’t mean that Aiken will not enjoy his Chandler Center for the Arts gig. “Christmas has always been my favorite show to do,” says Aiken, who toured for five years after his 2004 Christmas album. “We often did it with a full orchestra and people are always in festive or emotional spirits when they come to a Christmas show.” As for his favorite holiday song to perform? After much deliberation, Aiken settles on “O’ Come, O’ Come Emmanuel.” “It’s an old, somewhat stale hymn if you open it up in the hymn book, but it’s a completely different arrangement of it that I just think is beautiful,” begins Aiken, before proclaiming his love for any orchestral arrangement with French horns. “If the French horns are playing, I’m happy,” he says. “That triumphant horn

sound just kind of does it for me.” Music may have taken a backseat to music, but he doesn’t forget the turns his journey has taken. On his Twitter account, he jokingly refers to himself as “America’s No.1 No. 2,” about being crowned runner-up on not just “American Idol,” but “The Apprentice.” He told “The View” that host Donald Trump was “gracious” on “The Apprentice.” When he came in second on “American Idol” he didn’t think twice about it. But after his spot on “The Apprentice,” he says he thought, “This seems to be my place in life.”

Christmas with Clay Aiken

Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, 480.782.2680, chandlercenter. org, 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 16, $52-$72. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

RETURN TO LIGHT AND LIFE

David Archuleta feeling comfortable expressing belief in God Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer!

WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

“

merican Idol” veteran David Archuleta wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue with music when he returned from his Chilean mission on behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. The mission reinforced his sense of self and his belief in God, but Archuleta

wasn’t entirely convinced that that message was coming through in his music. “I was just in a real empty place,” says Archuleta, who performs Monday, December 19, at the Mesa Arts Center. “The success was exciting, but it felt empty. I was at this writing session in Tennessee and I just thought, ‘I’m back in here trying to write songs that people like,

songs that are catchy. What’s the point in doing this? Just to please people?’” Archuleta confided in his manager and she asked if she should cancel his next writing session. He said no, and it turned out to be a profound game changer. He shared his feelings with his songwriting partners and they suggested he write about those emotions. “That was such a new concept to me,” he says. “I forgot I could do that.” He admits that, at first, he was worried about showing his true colors. “Before my mission, I wouldn’t mention that I was religious,” he says about conversations with writers and producers. “I was afraid to say I was Mormon because there’s such a taboo and misunderstanding about that. I wouldn’t mention very much about how important that was to me. “I would go into the bathroom, say a prayer and go back. Now, I’m in charge entirely. By no means am I trying to push this on anybody. This is just who I am and this is what I need. Prayer has helped me stay true to who I am.” The result is the new single, “Numb,” which will be included on an upcoming collection. Prayer among the principals involved was the key to this song. “Rather than trying to be someone else, I need to live true to who I am and what matters most to me, what I find most important in life,” he says. “I was living and feeling numb by trying to fill myself with all these things that really don’t feel you. Adrenaline and excitement, they don’t fulfill. I’m living in a way that may pose many more challenges, but am being myself.” Archuleta is quick to note that his music is not Christian music. “It’s pop music,” he says. “But it speaks the truth.” He compares what he went through before his mission to being in high school again. “I was worried about being politically correct,” he says. “I felt like I couldn’t really talk about God. There were scenarios that I didn’t feel comfortable in. I couldn’t be too shocking, but I couldn’t be too boring, either. “It was about what will get the most people to like me. I felt like I lost my identity and I got lost doing that. Everybody wanted something and I didn’t really hang on to what I needed or desired out of life. That was being close to God and my family.” His mission taught him to stick to his convictions. “The more I stuck to who I am, and what I wanted to have in life and how I wanted to express myself, the more people reacted to that,” he says. “People respect the truth.”

David Archuleta w/Nathan Pacheco

Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, 480.644.6500, mesaartscenter.com, 7:30 p.m. Monday, December 19, $51-$125.

ICONIC SINGERS, ICONIC SONGS

Lou Foreigner Gramm John Asia Payne Robin Cheap Trick Zander Gregg Santana Rolie Steve Journey Augeri Fee The Tubes Waybill The Concert of the Year The Original Voice Of

Former Lead Singer

Lead Singer

Original Lead Singer Of

Former Lead Vocalist

Lead Singer

December 16th, 2016 • Doors at 7:00pm • 8:00pm Showtime Comerica Theatre | 400 W. Washington St. | Phoenix, Az 85003

Box Office: (602) 379-2888

THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

THE NIGHTOWL

SIP » UNLEASH » MIX » MINGLE » PULSE » SHAKE

MAD MIXOLOGIST

Getting down and dirty with the Valley’s hottest shot slingers This ingredient, to this day, is still my nemesis. I would make white zinfandel martinis all day long to avoid having to attempt to make anything with this ingredient ever again.

Liquor bar next door to Bourbon & Bones; Ross Simon, the founder over at Bitter & Twisted; and Aaron DeFeo down in Tucson.

What is your No. 1 pet peeve when working?

Hey, my mom loves gin and tonics! And anything mom loves is good enough for me. But seriously, if someone orders a gin and tonic, they are usually going to get what they want whether they are at a dive bar, mixology mecca or even chain restaurant. The same can’t be said for people who always want champagne cocktails or flavored margaritas. And, because brands of gin use such wildly different botanicals from each other, it is actually kind of fun to order a gin and tonic and one venue and then at another. It is easy to pick out the completely different flavor profiles, often by brand. Not many people can do that with other spirits. For example, you might not be able to tell if a bartender is using Tito’s Vodka or Grey Goose in your mixed drink, but you can almost always tell one botanical from another in gin. One of my faves, by the way, is Nolet’s Gin.

Speed (or lack thereof ). I want people moving—fast. I always have a sense of urgency when I am working, and it is compounded because my cocktails often require lots of steps. Every second counts to me, and I need it to count to everyone else too.

What is your go-to drink when you’re at a bar other than your own? Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!

ixologist Richie Moe grew up working in the restaurant industry with his family, but sought a different

career route. A onetime aspiring amateur chemist considering a career in movie pyrotechnics, Moe moved to Phoenix after high school and began lighting up the Arizona bar scene brighter than any fake fire in Hollywood. He never looked back. Some know Moe as one of the original team members at Cowboy Ciao, where he and his team helped start the food and cocktail revolution that is so prevalent in the Valley. Others are fans from his days as one of the founders of Citizen Public House and The Gladly. With a vast knowledge of food and beverage, Moe—who has also worked with the likes of Binkley Restaurant Group and Kazimierz World Wine bar—is among the leaders when it comes to pushing the envelope of creativity in cocktails. Today, Moe is proud to be beverage director for Square One Concepts, which includes creating eye-popping cocktails and beverage programs for Bourbon & Bones Chophouse & Bar and Crab & Mermaid Fish House. The Entertainer recently sat down with this flavor (and fire)-loving mixology master to dish on drinks and more.

Tell me about the oddest drink request you’ve gotten. Well, the oddest actual drink request came from a regular of mine for years and years. Her drink of choice was a “white zinfandel martini.” I know what you are thinking. That makes no sense. But it is just what it sounds—a generous pour of white zinfandel mixed with…wait for it…olive juice. She liked it on the rocks. And while that actual request was odd, I am sure readers here are familiar with Last Slinger Standing, the annual event during Arizona Cocktail Week where we invite United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) chapters from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah to compete against each other for the coveted “Centennial Cup,” a cash prize and a donation to their USBG chapter. What readers might not know, however, is that each year several of us like to bring completely off-the-wall ingredients to challenge each other with. A few years ago, they really got me, challenging me to use salted plum vinegar to make a cocktail. Although labeled as vinegar, this horrible stuff is actually the liquid left after Japanese nanko plums (they’re called plums in Japan but are technically more like little apricots) are preserved by brining with sea salt and red or purple shiso leaves. The mixture is allowed to ferment in barrels for a year. The sea salt draws the liquid from the plums and the shiso leaves give the brined fruits and liquid their natural pink tint.

Because my go-to drinks are Irish and Canadian whiskies as well as my bourbon sippers—maybe with a little water or soda on the side—I often try to seek out the fellow bartenders I admire the most and sample anything they recommend. I especially love anything from Clint Spotleson, who just joined Second Story

What does ordering a gin and tonic say about a person?

What is one cocktail would love for us to feature in the magazine this month? Our Bourbon & Bones House Manhattan is killer.

What do you like about this drink?

CHOSEN COCKTAIL RECIPE

Bourbon & Bones House Manhattan 2.75 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon 1.25 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth 1 bar spoon Grade A Maple Syrup 3 dashes of house Blackbone Bitters

I love that we start with a good base whiskey in Woodford Reserve. Then, to bring out a little more of the sweetness in the whiskey, we actually use just a touch of Grade A maple syrup. For our vermouth, we use Carpano “Antica Formula” Sweet Vermouth, which is so good. The recipe hasn’t changed since it was developed in Italy in the 1700s. For the topper, we make our own bitters in house. For this recipe, we use our “Black Bone Bitters,” which we finish with a bit a pipe tobacco to really give the cocktail a kick. The drink is stirred and served in a 10-ounce martini glass with an orange peel and cherry. It’s smooth with an unbelievable depth and really bridges the gap between folks who’ve been drinking traditional Manhattans since WWII and those who are new to it but really to dive in to something special. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

THE BEST NIGHTLIFE EVENTS

FOR DECEMBER Anjunadeep North American Tour DECEMBER 1 Founded in 2005 by Above & Beyond and James Grant, Anjunadeep is one of the biggest electronic record labels in the game. The British label started with trance but has taken a decidedly more house music turn, partnering up with acts across the world. Their tours have become a staple for fans, showcasing new and old favorites. This year brings headliners Yotto, Luttrell and Theo Kottis. The three promise an unmissable party. Monarch Theatre, 122 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.456.1991, 9 p.m., $20-$30.

Mark Farina

DECEMBER 3 San Diego house music scene—it’s an oddly particular genre subset, but Mark Farina is the DJ people turn to when they want a taste of it. Known for wacky mixes of house, downtempo and acid jazz, Farina is known for works like Mood, the Mushroom Jazz series and recently, the El Divinio house compilations. Monarch Theatre, 122 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.456.1991, 9 p.m., $10.

Sian Ying Yang Twins

DECEMBER 2 Throw it back and toss some hip hop into the mix with the Ying Yang Twins. The duo is infamous for songs like “Pull My Hair,” “Get Low” and “Salt Shaker.” You might not know why you know every dirty lyric, but you’ll sing them especially loud tonight. Salt, 6751 N. Sunset Boulevard, Glendale, 623.772.7282, 9 p.m., $10.

DECEMBER 3 Just another the corner of one party is another. DJ Sian was born in Ireland and raised in Spain. Interested in biology, cosmology and entomology, his music is just as unique as his personality. His songs are more of a tribute to classic techno than anything else. He visits Phoenix after selling out parties in Barcelona and traveling the world playing shows with artists from his Octopus record label. Scarlet @ Monarch Theatre, 122 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.456.1991, 9 p.m., $10.

Chris Lake

DECEMBER 9 Chris Lake is no stranger to the game; he has been performing since 2002 and owns two labels. Lake has had four consecutive top 10 hits on the U.S. dance charts. The Scottish DJ, usually a fixture behind his keyboard, is known for bringing a unique and playful twist on house music with songs like “Changes,” “Only One” and “If You Knew.” Gypsy Bar, 50 W. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, 602.732.5490, 9 p.m., $10.

Stööki Sound

DECEMBER 10 DJ Lukey and Jelacee are the minds behind Stööki Sound. The Londonbased producers’ backgrounds in bass, hip hop and trap inspired the group’s unique, genre-bending sound. The group uses interactive art and immersion in their shows to present elements of, what they call, the Stööki lifestyle. A SoundCloud hit, the duo has fans all around the world waiting for their next move. Monarch Theatre, 122 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.456.1991, 9 p.m., $10-$30.

Melissa Szenda » The Entertainer!!

M ÖRIGINALITY NEVER ENDS

Stööki Sound brings steamy London noise to Phoenix WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

usic extends beyond beats, drops and synthsz, as it weaves its way into our lives. It’s a way to express ourselves; music is art. And for production duo Stööki Sound, creative expression fuels its movement. DJ Lukey and Jelacee are more than just a London-based music production duo. They are part of a larger movement. The “Stööki” movement transcends through sound, vision and play. As a collective, the artists express their creativity through fashion, music and art. “We feel like a lot of new producers/ artists are exposed to the money/branding side of music and are moving further away from creating what they love and what represents them,” Jelacee says in an interview with Billboard Dance. “We want to help influence people to do what they believe in and strive to be unique.” Stööki Sound blends DJ Lukey and

J. Phlip & Kill Frenzy

DECEMBER 10 Jessica Philippe, as she’s known on paper, has been called a musical genius. The DJ and producer regularly rifles through record stores for dusty tracks to mix into her sets rather than chopping up bits from regular radio rotations. Experienced in her travels, she knows how to work crowds across the globe, promising to “weird fans out” at times. Most importantly, though, she gives fans a “booty workout” as they dance the night away. Shady Park, 26 E. University Drive, Tempe, 480.474.4222, 9 p.m., $10.

Todd Terry

DECEMBER 17 Todd Terry has gone under many aliases—Black Riot, Swan Lake, Royal House. But his blend of hip hop and R&B has stayed consistent. He began as a DJ for house parties in the ’80s and has since appeared on EDM charts across the world and even in the Grand Theft Auto video games. Scarlet @ Monarch Theatre, 122 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602.456.1991, 10 p.m., $15.

Decadence New Year’s Eve

DECEMBER 30 AND 31 If you’re a nightlife fanatic and not at Decadence this year, what are you doing? This year’s lineup features 2016’s breakthrough act The Chainsmokers along with Zedd, Disclosure and Deadmau5. Ring in the New Year with some of the biggest names in electronic music during this two-day festival. The party goes from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. each night, but you can just sleep next year. Rawhide Event Center, 5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler, 480.502.5600, 6 p.m., $179-$399.

Jelacee’s musical backgrounds. The combination of U.K. bass, hip-hop and trap creates a new, unique sound, yet stays true to the duo’s roots. In September, they announced their long-awaited “Ösiris” EP. The EP was released on its new independent record label, Ö.N.E Worldwide (short for Öriginality Never Ends). Their EP not only showcases their new work, but also introduces Jelacee as a lead vocalist. Recently, Stööki Sound kicked off its Ösiris North American Tour in Michigan, and the jaunt will wrap up on New Year’s Eve in Denver. One of its stops in between is Saturday, December 10, at Monarch Theatre. Join Stööki Sound for a night of bass, electronica, grime and hip-hop at Monarch Theatre.

Stööki Sound w/Aazar, Monarch Theatre

122 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, relentlessbeats.com, 9 p.m. Saturday, December 10, $10-$30.

100

YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS

Bizarro facts that will stretch your noggin

During the Christmas season, nearly 28 LEGO sets are sold every second. Electric Christmas lights debuted in

1854.

CHRISTMAS PURCHASES ACCOUNT FOR

1/6

OF ALL RETAIL SALES IN THE U.S.

It is estimated that the single

“white christmas” by Irving Berlin is the best-selling single of all time, with more than

100

million sales worldwide. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM

Cassidy Landaker » The Entertainer!

America’s official national christmas tree is in King’s Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the “General Grant Tree,” is over 90 meters (300 feet) high, and was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.

Each year more than

3 billion

Christmas cards are sent in the United States.

All the gifts in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” would equal

364 gifts

The popular Christmas song “jingle bells” was written for Thanksgiving. The song was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called “One Horse Open Sleigh.”

The tallest shristmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle.

IT DOESN’T

MAKE YOU

BAD “Delicious and full bodied. A genuine, no-nonsense, 100% corn, well-made American pot still vodka that deserves every accolade.” Paul Pacult, Editor, Spirit Journal