PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP

Vegas Seven, 302 East Carson Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada

c 2015 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.

LETTERS AND STORY IDEAS Comments@VegasSeven.com

ADVERTISING Sales@VegasSeven.com

DISTRIBUTION Distribution@VegasSeven.com

P UBL ISHERMichael Skenandore

EDI T ORI A LEDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nicole Ely

MANAGING EDITOR Genevie Durano

SENIOR EDITORS Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman

SENIOR EDITOR, A&E Geoff Carter

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon

SENIOR WRITER Lissa Townsend Rodgers

CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana

SENIOR CON T RIBU T ING EDI T ORMelinda Sheckells (style)

CON T RIBU T ING EDI T ORSMichael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining),

David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)

A R TCREATIVE DIRECTOR Ryan Olbrysh

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Cierra Pedro

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Anthony Mair, Krystal Ramirez

V EGASSE V EN.COMTECHNICAL DIRECTOR Herbert Akinyele

ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Zoneil Maharaj

SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala

ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson

PRODUC T ION / DIS T RIBU T IONDIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION Marc Barrington

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jimmy Bearse

DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Jasen Ono

S A L ESBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Christy Corda

DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Nicole Scherer

ACCOUNT MANAGER Brittany Quintana

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Robyn Weiss

IN T ERNS

Kayla Dean, Troy Fosgate, Tia Keys, Sierra Lomprey,

Jonmaesha Shadrick, Mitchell Weiss

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger

PRESIDENT Michael Skenandore

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Keith White

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Michael Uriarte

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Sim Salzman

CONTROLLER Jane Weigel

LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE | FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010

PH

OT

OS

BY

KR

YS

TA

L R

AM

IRE

Z

21

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

➜ MEDUSA’S ANTIQUES and Col-lectibles in the Arts District is a wonderland of strange artifacts, furniture, art and repurposed rari-ties. Owner Dave Fontani, a former high-rise window cleaner for Strip resorts, started the business four years ago after selling a seven-string Ibanez guitar on eBay and doubling his proft. “I love buying shit. I wish

I would have done that instead of sitting on a bar stool for 20 years,” he says. Fontani’s purchasing strategy is simple: He buys what he fnds uncommon or interesting.

When you walk inside Medusa’s, you feel as though you’ve entered the storage room of a museum. Your eyes jump from a large piano transformed into a table to stun-ning stained glass panels from an old church to a massive brass ship’s horn from the USS Inchon. There is furniture, too, such as a 1930s Paul T. Frankl orange art deco chair or a 1950s mosaic table in the shape of an artist’s palette. Need a wall hanging? How about 3-foot walrus tusks or Sammy Davis Jr.’s T-shirt?

Hayley Hunter, a Las Vegas design stylist and furniture designer whose portfolio includes Lavo Casino Club, Park on Fremont, El Cortez and Com-

monwealth, is a regular at Medusa’s because she is always on the hunt for unusual conversation pieces. “An-tiques provide an element of depth and culture that are not offered when buying something from a franchise store,” Hunter says. “However, it’s good to be cautious on the amount of antiques being used for the space. Knowing how and when to incorpo-rate the old into the new is key.”

Fontani’s home is also flled with strange items, such as Wayne New-ton’s jumpsuit that he bought from an old groupie and a 1967 photo of Jerry Garcia without facial hair. He suggests buyers do their research, and he encourages purchasing antiques rather than modern pieces. “I tell people when they walk in and really like something that they are never go-ing to fnd this again,” he says. “This is one-of-a-kind.”

➜ John Barry of Kevin Barry Fine Art specializes in procuring art for hotels, businesses and residences across Las Vegas. And since no one wants to stare at a white wall, he gives recommendations on how to get the right pieces for the space and at the right price.

Dilemma: I just bought my first house,

and I am not an art collector but I need

something to hang on the walls. What

is my first step? Art is such a personal thing, and being able to figure out what you don’t like is just as important as what you do like. Be aware of what you’re gravitating toward—a color palette, an overall design scheme, even a detail that stands out or something that inspires you.

How do you know if you’re getting

a good value when you purchase

art? Artwork is not like a showerhead where you can go on Amazon and compare price points. Two artists could paint the same subject and the price points could be so different. I advise people to buy what they like, and if it goes up in value, great.

How do you recommend starting an art

collection? With the Internet the way it is today, you can find artists whether you’re on a budget or looking for something that is an investment. An investment for someone just out of college might be a $300 limited-edition print. Collection-grade for someone with young money could be a Damien Hirst-type of piece that costs $50,000. For someone with a substantial art collection, it could be $100 million. It’s all relative.

Do you have any tips for choosing

and displaying art? If you’re not sure what is going to look best in a space, use butcher paper or cardboard and cut it to desired sizes and shapes to see what works on the wall. Not everyone can digest abstract art or contemporary work. Photography is what it is, and can be more [familiar]. Framing can make or break a piece, helping it go from a timeless look and feel to current décor and help it work from home to home.

Any art trends you can tell us about?

It really depends on the home, style and aesthetic of the space. There’s a lot of industrial art and different media such as wood and metal right now. Pinterest and Etsy have helped people explore their DIY side. There are some great graphic artists out there doing fun things like large-scale digital work on vinyl, which can be really powerful. –Jaymi Naciri

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERT

Buying ArtA Cabinet of Curiosities

By J E S S I E O ’ B R I E N

25

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

PH

OT

O B

Y K

RY

STA

L R

AM

IRE

Z

The Assistant’s Assistant

Nightlife veterans Kalika Moquin and Jennifer Tramaglino go

from clubs to apps By Ian Caramanzana

Moving from the nightclub to the office park, Jen Tramaglino (holding Bob, the office pup) and Kalika Moquin have their hands full.

Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and the Cosmopolitan’s new Clique

NIGHTLIFE

➜ PUT YOURSELF in these shoes: It’s the tail end of a major holiday weekend. You’ve got out-of-town guests, and the seemingly endless river of alcohol has been fowing since Thursday evening. While fring up the grill, it hits you—you forgot to run that pressing errand. In a panic, you ditch your guests and get the deed done with just minutes to spare. If only there was a ser-vice—maybe an app—that could have taken care of this for you.

We’ve all been there. Luckily, there actually is an app for that. “Urban PALM is basically the as-sistant’s assistant. We can take on

any request or run any errand at any time,” says Kalika Moquin, Las Vegas local and co-creator of Urban PALM (Personal Assis-tance Life Management).

When it comes to nightlife, Moquin has done it all—from managing talent to marketing. As she progressed in her career, her free time dwindled, leaving less family time for the mother of two. This laid the foundation for Urban PALM. Since launch-ing in Las Vegas in September, the nightlife and hospitality vet-eran’s app/website has attracted more than 400 clients and even more downloads. The idea

26

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

stemmed from sort of a “hangover hotline.” “We had this idea to bring soup and

Pedialyte to those who were hungover after a long night of partying on the weekends,” Urban PALM co-creator and business manager Jennifer Tramaglino says. “But we thought, “Why stop at people who are hungover? Why not make these services available to everyone, for everything?”

Here’s how it works: Clients reveal their locations and submit requests through Urban PALM’s website or app. From there, personal assistants known as PALMs are notifed within seconds, and tasks are com-pleted as needed. Typical errands include picking up dry cleaning, waiting in line at the DMV and booking travel reservations. It doesn’t stop there, though. Urban PALM offers remote services such as creating spreadsheets for contacts, processing electronic invoices and party planning. “One time, we got a request from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to plan a barbecue, and we totally did it,” Moquin says.

All of these tasks are carried out by ex-perienced PALMs who, like Uber drivers, are “fully vetted,” and who go through a rigorous training process. The fee for the service is a fat rate of $20 per hour, and, like Costco, you can save if you buy in bulk. Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The idea for Urban PALM might sound similar to other on-demand, app-based services, but Moquin argues it’s a differ-ent concept. “We’re not Uber, we’re not Postmates, but we can certainly help you make arrangements for those services. Think of it as the Uber for everything else.” The difference can be seen in the nature of some of the requests—they’re not all offce-related, especially in a town with a sprawling nightlife industry. “We like to keep our list of clients confdential, but we may or may not have gotten a request to deliver ping pong balls to a big-name DJ’s party at 3 a.m., because he wanted to play beer pong,” Moquin says.

Tramaglino says the service comes in handy for busy weekends—especially holi-days and major events, such as the reccent Life Is Beautiful festival. She utilized the service, as well. “I tried calling for a limo, but it was so busy—nobody was available. I ‘PALMed’ somebody, and [he/she] was able to get me a limo near me, and for even cheaper than what the other guys were ask-ing. It really comes in handy for big things like that.” Moquin and Tramaglino are already preparing for what they expect to be a very busy Halloween weekend. “We’re here in case anybody needs an emergency candy refll—just PALM it!”

As for the more distant future, the wom-en have ambitious plans for Urban PALM. “Our goal over the next few months is to examine the market [via the requests], fnd out what it needs and tailor services to ft those needs. [Eventually], we’d like to take Urban PALM worldwide,” Tramaglino says.

The duo says that most of their clients are the elderly, the disabled and other busy moms. Moquin, who gave birth to her sec-ond child in September, says she uses the services now more than ever. “Urban PALM is actually Urban PALM’s biggest client. I used it a bunch after I gave birth,” she says. “Mostly to deliver coffee.” P

HO

TO

BY

KR

YS

TA

L R

AM

IRE

Z

NIGHTLIFE

28

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

THU 15At Hakkasan, you can witness a hip-hop icon team up with one of the hottest DJs in the game. Rev Run and DJ Ruckus switch off on the ones and twos tonight, and given the fact that both are tastemakers, you should expect an eclectic set. We hope to hear modern tunes, such as Future and Drake’s “Big Rings” mixed in with timeless rap classics along the lines of Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks”! (In MGM Grand, 10:30 p.m., HakkasanLV.com.)

FRI 16At the other end of the music spectrum, you can catch EDM sweethearts Krewella pull a DJ tag team with British trance producer Mark Eteson at Omnia. This one should be a little more accessible for the fans of the untz. Given that the

Krewella sisters sing, we’re already thinking about a future collaboration from the trio. Perhaps they will give us a preview tonight—or even better, riff on their current jams. We hope Krewella will take vocal duties on Mark Eteson’s bumpin’ reimagining of Imogen Heap’s “Canvas.” Meanwhile, Turbulent causes … turbulence in Heart of Omnia. Sorry—had to do it. (In Caesars Palace, 10 p.m., OmniaNightclub.com.) If you prefer to focus your energy on one singer rather than two, hit up Drai’s for a performance by R&B singer Ciara. The 29-year-old “Goodies” hitmaker paired the release of her latest album Jackie with a steamy relationship with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. With Ciara’s album sales dwindling, and the Seahawks struggling, hopefully the power couple trend can help both out. But for now, at least we can “One, Two Step” to her hits

including “Body Party” and “Like A Boy!” (In the Cromwell, 10:30 p.m., DraisNightlife.com.)

SAT 17Remember when “Scary Mon-sters and Nice Sprites” came out in 2010? The EP turned ex-From First to Last member Sonny Moore—a.k.a. Skril-lex—from emo kid to world-famous producer. The release garnered two Grammys and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Five years later, Moore has gone on to produce songs for artists including mega-star Justin Bieber, rapper Vic Mensa and nu-metal band Korn. See how far he’s come when he blows the speakers up at XS. (In Encore, 10 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.)

SUN 18The group efforts continue at The Sayers Club with a

performance by Minneapolis hip-hop collective/record label Doomtree. The group is comprised of seven members—most notably rapper and multi-instrumentalist P.O.S. and female rapper/singer/spoken-word artist Dessa. See the septet come together to create a musical mixture full of clever wordplay and good vibes. Jacksonville, Florida, rapper Astronautalis opens. (In SLS, 10 p.m., TheSayersClubLV.com.)

MON 19Did you catch Porter Robinson’s stunning live performance at Life Is Beautiful? The Atlanta producer closed out the frst day of the festival with a set that sounded just as good as it looked. The bright, anime-inspired visuals were the perfect complement to the lush, mellow soundscapes of songs, such as “Polygon Dust” and “Sad Machine.” Hopefully we get both tonight when Robinson mans the decks at Marquee. He won’t be playing keys or triggering drums, but at least we can enjoy some stunning visuals via the club’s screens. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)

TUE 20The only thing we like more than alliteration and good music is delicious tacos. Thanks to Techno Taco Tuesday at Tacos & Beer, we can indulge in all three. DJs serve up the techno

tunes while the chefs get cookin’. And you can also indulge in a wide selection of craft beers. It’s probably the only place where you can pair Gessaffelstein’s abrasive techno with savory carne asada tacos and fresh CraftHaus’ brews. With a party like this, it’s fair to call Tuesday the new Friday! (3900 Paradise Rd., 9:30 p.m., TacosAndBeerLV.com)

WED 21Make your Hump Day memorable by hitting up a party at a venue with one of the city’s most memorable views. Enter Infamous Wednesday at Hyde. Tonight, Los Angeles’ DJ Skratchy works the decks. The SKAM Artist is known for his eclectic mixes, where he seamlessly transitions between the hottest EDM hits to the latest hip-hop bangers. Get ready to get wild at this midweek party; they don’t call it Infamous Wednesday for nothin’. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., HydeBellagio.com.)

By IanCaramanzana

Rev Run and

DJ Ruckus.

Ciara.

Doomtree.

NIGHTLIFE

32

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

➜ IF THERE IS ONE THING you need to know about Andy Masi, it’s that he’s the guy that pretty much established bottle service as an industry standard in Las Vegas during his tenure as CEO of the Light Group. And now he’s breaking that paradigm with a new lounge in the Cosmopolitan, Clique.

2015 has been an incredible year for Masi. Since stepping away from the Light Group, a company he helmed for more than a decade, Masi’s new venture, Clique Hospitality, has been forging full steam ahead, taking over Hearthstone at Red Rock Resort and open-ing Salute in the adjacent former Terra Rossa space. Along for the ride are many of his for-mer executives, including Clique Hospitality partners Shane Monaco and chef Brian Massie.

Masi says that after many successful months off the Boulevard, he’s ready to return to his old stomping grounds. “We are over the moon about Clique [lounge],” he says. “The Cosmo-politan is just an awesome place. I worked with [Cosmopolitan CEO] Bill McBeath for the last 15 years, when he was at MGM Resorts.”

Clique will open mid-December, occupy-ing the former Book & Stage space on the casino foor. The venue will be partially en-closed, and will have a distinct identity from the resort’s other bustling watering holes. It will also serve food in the form of the ever-popular small bites—a tuna dish, gourmet wings, tacos—as Masi calls it, “drinking food.” Comparison can be drawn to such places as NoMad Bar in New York City, which has con-sistently been voted one of the best drinking establishments in America. Clique will open at 3 p.m. to capitalize on the Cosmopolitan’s convention business, and will close at 3 a.m.

“They have incredible bars throughout the Cosmopolitan. The food and beverage program, the cocktail program—everything they do is phenomenal. We wanted to do something really cool that complemented the rest of the hotel,” Masi says.

Clique will offer patrons an alternative to bottle service by way of tableside mixology, with a cocktail program created by longtime collaborator Michael Monrreal. “We want to take mixology to another lev-el. I believe that bottle service is great, and it’s great for nightclubs, but I don’t think that is something a lot of consumers want any more,” Masi says. “The mixologist comes over, makes some great cocktails at your table [on a custom-built cart], talks to you, shows you what they are doing and teaches you how to make a drink. We bring the mixology right to the

customer as opposed to them going to the bar and watching it happen.”

He hopes that social interaction will solve the lack of connection between patrons that is common in nightlife venues. “Back in the day, you went to the bar, you got a place to sit and you hung out,” Masi says. “Guy meets girl, girl meets guy. [Then] people started going to nightclubs, where they are forced to buy a table, and they are only interacting, really, with the people next to them.”

Don’t expect to hear EDM at Clique either. With music from a DJ or a band as its centerpiece, genres will range from the 1950s on. The approach will be

to let the crowd’s vibe dictate what is played, versus a set playlist. “I will probably mix in one or two nights of some sort of live entertainment, and our DJs will be like curators of music in the space,” he says.

It is important to note that before Masi made his way to Las Vegas and before opening his frst night-club or restaurant, he worked as bartender. Still, when asked if patrons will see Masi behind the stick at Clique, the answer is a pretty frm no.

“I only poured tequila and handed people beer. The mixologists of today have far surpassed my skill set. But if you want a really chilled shot of Jägermeister, I’m in.” P

HO

TO

BY

KR

YS

TA

L R

AM

IRE

Z

NIGHTLIFE Down

With My CliqueNightlife and restaurant

impresario Andy Masi shares

details on his return to the Strip

with Clique in the Cosmopolitan

By Melinda Sheckells

CENTERBARR E D E S I G N E D . R E D E F I N E D .

T H E A L L N E W

H A R D R O C K H O T E L . C O M

A true rock legend.

PARTIES

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

36

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

PH

OT

OS

BY

TH

OM

AS

TR

AN

AN

D T

ON

Y T

RA

N

HAKKASANMGM Grand

[ UPCOMING ]

Oct. 15 Rev Run and DJ Ruckus spin

Oct. 16 Bingo Players spins

Oct. 17 Dada Life spins

NIGHTLIFE

C A L E N D A R L A U N C H

AFTER-PARTYOFFICIAL

LAUNCH PARTY

J.B. Mauney

Shane Proctor

Cooper Davis

Tanner Byrne

Reese Cates

and moreCome mingle with celebrities and the ladies of FANTASY.

Must be 21+ with valid ID. Subject to capacity. Schedule subject to change without notice. Management reserves all rights.

DOORS OPEN AT 10:30 P.M. • FOR VIP TABLE RESERVATIONS, CALL 702.262.4529.luxor.com |

SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY:

FEATURING DJ CUTT

PARTIES

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

40

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

PH

OT

OS

BY

KA

RL

LA

RS

ON

XSEncore

[ UPCOMING ]

Oct. 16 Tommy Trash spins

Oct. 17 Skrillex spins

Oct. 19 Hudson Mohawke spins

NIGHTLIFE

48

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

➜ CHEF SANDRA MALLUT has endured a lot of bad luck in the decade since she graduated culinary school, but she has never let that dampen her spirit or her drive.

The latest came on August 17 while she was serving as culinary coordinator for Life Is Beautiful. Mallut was walking down her front steps when her shoe

got stuck and she lost her footing. She shattered the bones in her left hand in the fall, resulting in surgery and the insertion of three pins.

Mallut tried to keep working, hoping the injury would heal in time for the festival. But when her doc-tor told her that the bones weren’t fusing properly, requiring another surgery that would only be more

complicated if she delayed it, she told her boss. “‘I don’t know what to do. I’m not going to be able to do the job to the best of my ability. It’s too big an event.’”

So, less than two weeks before Grills & Guitars, the festival’s kickoff party that Mallut was helming, she stepped down from the position. But she’s still posi-tive about the future. Because over the course of her life and her culinary career, the chef has faced other setbacks, crises and even tragedies and used them as inspirations to move forward.

When she was 35, while working as a mortgage bro-ker in Southern California, Mallut began moonlight-ing with pastry chefs at friends’ restaurants simply because she loved it. But when her mother and best friend were both diagnosed with terminal illnesses, she had an epiphany.

“When you’re faced with that, you’re like, ‘OK, if there’s anything I want to do in the world, what do I want to do?’ Because you can make that choice.” She’d always loved cooking, so after seeing a TV commercial for Le Cordon Bleu, she quit her job as a broker and went in to apply.

After graduating from the school in 2005, Mallut began working with a French chef in a tiny pastry shop. “And I ended up falling in love with doing wed-ding cakes,” she says.

Some other pastry work followed. But eventually the chef’s interest turned to event catering—par-ticularly for TV and movie sets. A friend, engaged to someone working on Grey’s Anatomy, suggested she contact the show’s craft-services coordinator.

“It took me fve months to get the guy to actually let me come visit him on set,” she says. “And I came in with seven culinary students and enough food for 300 people. No one ever does that. I walked in there, and I said, ‘I’m gonna get this account.’ Because I knew it was my best shot. So I brought all kinds of goodies. I brought gluten-free, I brought vegan—all kinds of crazy stuff. And he hired me on the spot.”

Other Hollywood gigs followed. Mallut’s com-pany, Henrietta Poodlestone’s Bake Shop (the name inspired by stories Mallut’s grandfather told her as a little girl), provided food to the sets of Desperate Housewives, Private Practice and Weeds, among other shows. “In fact,” Mallut says, laughing, “for Weeds I had some special orders, which was fun, because I used to knock them on their butts.’”

Building on that success, Mallut was preparing to purchase her own bakery when tragedy struck once again. On January 9, 2010, she was in an auto ac-cident in which she broke her hip, ankle and arm. As a result, she was unable to walk for a year and a half. While she healed, her injuries convinced her to shift her career into event planning. Her new company, the Culinary Butler Consulting Services, was involved with such events as the Disney Food & Wine Festival, the World Pastry Championships and the Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival.

In October 2013, Mallut was asked if she would be willing to move to Las Vegas to take over as culinary director at Southwest Career & Technical Academy. “I’d never taught class. I’d never wanted to teach class.” Nonetheless, she sent in her résumé, and within three weeks found herself helping high school juniors and seniors prepare for careers in the culi-nary world. Under Mallut, the program was intense, but successful. Graduates have gone on to jobs at Bazaar Meat, Freed’s Bakery, the Bacchanal Buffet and other notable Las Vegas restaurants.

So, what’s the future hold once her hand heals? Mallut is already back to work, developing a new culinary program, classes and a largescale barbecue competition for Galaxy Outdoor kitchens in 2016. “I’m rethinking it now, like when I broke my hip,” she says. But even as she rattles off ideas, there’s no doubt that, having changed her course before, this determined chef will fnd her way—or blaze a trail—once again.

Rolling With the Punches

Chef Sandra Mallut responds to life’s setbacks with career-changing advances

By Al Mancini

PH

OT

O B

Y K

RY

STA

L R

AM

IRE

Z

DINING

51

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

One of the book’s strengths

is how well rendered its

world is. Did you do a lot

of research?

I needed to create the appearance of expertise, as close as I could get to actual expertise! I studied the language of water management, the bureaucracies and organizations that become involved in addressing drought. I kept what were essentially models for each of the big speculative inventions. For instance, when developing the evacuation procedures I read a lot about the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II, the propaganda that went along with it and the logistics of forcibly moving people away from their communities. I studied the Dust Bowl, and the way Okies were treated.

For each character, I wanted to create a specifc frame—the way they might process what was happen-ing around them. Luz, one of the main characters, is a former model. So I ended up watching a lot of docu-mentaries about modeling. I didn’t really click with that material until I had my picture taken for Vogue to accompany a piece that ran when Battleborn came out. That was a profoundly weird and physically tax-ing experience. You’re sort of out of your body, and people are talking about you like you’re not there and are moving you around. The work was so much more de-manding than I’d imagined!

You teach for the Helen Zell Writer's

Program at the University of Michigan.

Do people in the Midwest—and, more

generally, the rest of the country—talk

about the fate of the West differently

than its residents?

I’ve been trying to coin this term: schadenfornia, a mixture of schadenfreude and California—a name for the particular type of pleasure you derive from observing the misfortune of Californians. I’ve noticed a kind of puritanical undertone to some of the coverage of the West’s drought crisis, as though these “decadent” Californians are fnally getting what they deserve, that they never should have been there in the frst place. This kind of attitude contributed to my understanding of how people might react to the so-called Mojavs in my novel—that

they’d have a word, a disparaging shorthand, for people from California and the Southwest. That this would be part of the process by which they’d invent a subclass of people, how it might develop in response to something like a refugee crisis.

I fnd it funny, too, the way we talk about the “California Drought”—as though drought respects state boundaries. This is an issue for the whole Western U.S.; climate change and sustain-able consumption are not region-specifc. It might be a way for us to displace our anxieties about the way we live now. We can tell our-selves that Californians are simply getting what they deserve and that we will be fne.

The media seem preoccupied with

the ideas of apocalypse and post-

apocalypse—films, television shows,

video games. Did you consume any of

this when writing the novel?

I defnitely don’t seek that stuff out. I fnd a lot of the work in the “post-apocalyptic” genre to

be extremely dishonest. I don’t like how often it pretends to be an unfinching look at how bad things could be when it’s actually escapist—it’s the opposite of honest. There is narcissism, too, in fantasies of the apocalypse. The survivors are represented as the pinnacle of our species, and are exaggerated, glorifed. The truth is that we’re no different than other species: we’ll most likely die and go to dust like everything else. That’s the really scary thing.

Drew Cohen is co-proprietor of the Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., Suite 100, TheWritersBlock.org.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VEGAS VALLEY BOOK FESTIVALBRAD MELTZER The New York Times-

best-selling author of The Inner Circle and

The Book of Fate delivers the festival’s

opening keynote speech at Clark County

Library (1401 E. Flamingo Rd., 702-507-

3400), 7 p.m. Oct. 15. Meltzer is prolific and

versatile—he’s written everything from

thrillers to children’s books to comics—and

hosts an investigative history program,

Decoded, on the History Channel.

LAS VEGAS WRITES RELEASE

PARTY

The latest volume of the Las Vegas Writes

book series, The Anarchy of Memories,

gets a release party at the Writer’s Block

(1020 Fremont St., Suite 100, 702-550-

6399), 6 p.m. Oct. 16. The local fiction

and nonfiction writers who make up

this year’s compilation—including Doug

Elfman, Sonya Padgett and C.J. Mosher—

will read from their contributed works

and sign copies afterward.

LAURA MCBRIDE Reeling from the

success of her acclaimed Las Vegas

novel We Are Called to Rise (“Ardently

told,” says Kirkus Reviews; “[A] universal

story about the messy wonders of

community,” says Entertainment Weekly),

Laura McBride has a conversation with

Desert Companion’s Andrew Kiraly at the

Historic Fifth Street School (401 S. 4th

St., 702-229-3515) 11:15 a.m. Oct 17.

RECYLING, UPCYCLING AND THEFT:

POETS IN CONVERSATION WITH

POETRY Las Vegas expat Gregory

Crosby—now a creative writing teacher

living in New York—returns home to talk

(and probably recite) poetry with Claudia

Keelan, Olivia Clare and Laura Mullen

at the Historic Fifth Street School, 11:15

a.m. Oct 17. Fun fact: One of Crosby’s

poems is cast in bronze mere feet away,

in the Lewis Avenue Pedestrian Corridor.

COLUM MCCANN A National Book

Award-winner for his metaphorical New

York City novel Let The Great World Spin,

Colum McCann is scheduled to deliver

the festival’s closing keynote address

at the Historic Fifth Street School, 4:15

p.m. Oct. 17. Let The Great World Spin has

been optioned for the big screen by J.J.

Abrams, so there’s a good chance that

McCann will share some stories from the

faraway galaxy of Hollywood.

–Geoff Carter

For more information on these

and other Book Festival events,

visit VegasValleyBookFestival.org.

NEVADA HUMANITIES

PRESENTS

CLAIRE VAYE WATKINS

At Vegas Valley Book Festival,

3 p.m. Oct. 17,

Historic Fifth Street School,

free, 702-229-6469,

VegasValleyBookFestival.org

52

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

mA&E

50

CE

NT

BY

JE

SS

E J

SU

TH

ER

LA

ND

; D

OO

MT

RE

E B

Y C

HA

D K

AM

EN

SH

INE

Nostalgia Couldn’t Save 50 Cent and G-UnitLas Vegas Village for Wine Amplified, Oct. 10

How does a once-popular-now-struggling New

York rapper and his street-bred cohorts entertain

a crowd comprised mainly of drunk dads at a

wine festival? By giving them a heavy dose of

nostalgia to supplement the booze. Unfortunately,

that wasn’t enough. 50 Cent and G-Unit tried their

best to entertain an audience of maybe 200 people

by performing hits from yesteryear, but nostalgia

alone wasn’t enough to satisfy a buzzed crowd.

G-Unit, comprised of five members and a DJ,

began its set with guns ablaze by performing some

of its rowdiest hits first. 50 and company swung

their sweat rags around their heads and splashed

water on fans during “What Up Gangsta,” and “I Get

Money.” The members appeared just as they did

in their heyday—50 still sports a flat-brim hat and

hulk-like stature, Lloyd Banks still bounces across the

stage while rapping like a madman and Young Buck

still provides comic relief by chanting “muthafucka!”

every now and then. But the focus remained on 50.

He was all smiles during performances of “P.I.M.P.”

and “21 Questions” and he wasn’t afraid to hand the

mic off to his buddies; Lloyd Banks yelled through his

verse in “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley” and Young Buck

squawked like a chicken during “Not This Time.”

Unfortunately, the energy was not reciprocated

by the crowd, which in turn, hindered the

momentum generated from the hits. Newer

G-Unit material, such as “I’m Grown” and Rotimi’s

“Lotto,” left the crowd nearly comatose. After

a pointless outfit change and two-song encore,

the crew returned to give two more lackluster

cuts, closing the set on a weak note. Sorry, 50

Cent—not even your infectious grin could save this

performance. ★★✩✩✩ – Ian Caramanzana

CONCERT

[ MUSIC ]

DOOMTREE IS ‘ALL HUNGER, NO THIRST’There’s rap that makes you want to light up a spliff. Then there’s rap that makes you want to light up a Molotov cocktail and chuck it toward the next Lamborghini you see cruising down Las Vegas Boulevard.

Minneapolis’ Doomtree tips toward the latter.

The seven-member crew, which per-forms at the Sayers Club at SLS on Oc-tober 18, has a knack for bone-rattling production, a disdain for authority and lyrics that rip into you (and require lengthy Rap Genius annotations).

Comprised of emcees Cecil Otter, Dessa, Mike Mictlan, P.O.S, and Sims and producers Lazerbeak and Paper Ti-ger, each member of the crew has his (or her, in Dessa’s case) own voice, style and disparate infuences (“I’m really real,

half Built to Spill, half Kill at Will,” Sims raps on “Gray Duck”), yet they maintain a cohesive, impenetrable bond.

“We’re friends frst,” P.O.S. says. “It’s always been friendship, music, business, in that order. We’ve never really tried anything else, never really thought about it.”

It’s a good thing, then, that they’re good at what they do.

Armed with a punk energy and

ethos, Doomtree has done things on their own terms for more than 10 years, running their own label, throw-ing a music festival and releasing a 500-page book of their history. Their latest outing, All Hands, stands out as one of their best works yet and builds on their gritty sound, featuring more electronic productions and epic hooks.

“I don’t think anyone has ever said, ‘This is how it has to be’ so much as

that’s kind of who we all are,” P.O.S. says of the band’s music. “Outside of the Doomtree crew music, Dessa will make some things that are bordering on straight-up pop music and Lazerbeak thinks of things in terms of straight-up pop music but even those two come from being fans of harder music, or just things that are generally aggressive.”

Having spent the last year on the road, Doomtree is now on a “victory lap” with their Off in the Deep tour, hit-ting a few spots they didn’t get to the frst time around. That means Las Vegas will fnally get hip to what the Midwest and die-hard indie rap fans have known for years: that Doomtree is one of the sharpest, electrifying hip-hop groups out today. And they’re not holding back when they get here, either.

“Everyone’s putting their balls on the table. Except Dessa; she doesn’t have balls,” P.O.S. says. – Zoneil Maharaj

Doomtree is lookin'

right at ya.

DOOMTREE

WITH ASTRONAUTALIS

9 p.m. Oct. 18, The Sayers Club

at SLS, $22, 702-761-7618,

TheSayersClubLV.com.

M A R K E T P L A C E

M A R K E T P L A C E

M A R K E T P L A C E

66

Oct

ob

er 1

5–21

, 20

15 |

Veg

asS

even

.co

m

for everyone who visits the museum—a personal and intimate experience with the collection. Every person involved with this organization, from the board to the staff to the volunteers and everyone in-between, has a sincere love for what we’re doing. That was the case when I started here [in 2008], and I know it to be the case as I leave.

Before running Neon Museum,

you taught art at UNLV and

wrote art criticism. Has running

the museum changed your

artistic perspective?

I’ve loved neon signs for a long time, ever since I lived in Portland. Portland offers such a specifc experience of signs; it’s very flm noir. But having taught at UNLV and having been a part of this cultural community, I saw in this collection of signs a wonderful opportunity to show people how valuable Las Vegas’ native culture is. Special things happened in this city that didn’t happen anywhere else.

It’s been life-changing to have been able to spend so much time with the signs. The curation of the Neon Boneyard changed my molecular makeup. It’s been so meaningful.

Was there ever a moment in

your time here where you

thought it could all fall apart?

A bunch of times. This organization is The Little Engine That Could. Right before I joined, the recession hit. And I thought, “Not only is no one going to come to Las Vegas, but no one’s going to spend money.” But it just continued to grow. You just chug along, and it works out. As big as we’ve always dreamed, our implementation of plans has always been very conservative in order to protect the organization.

What are your best memories of

working here?

Saving the Moulin Rouge sign. Meeting Wayne New-ton, who was just so charm-ing and elegant; I blushed the whole time I was with him. Conan O’Brien came to the museum once; that was a pretty big deal for us. He’s so funny, and extremely tall. He called us up and said, “I don’t know about Vegas, but I’ve heard that I’ve got to see you guys.” And I’ll remember the time when the Stardust letters got put back together.

That was a “pinch me” kind of thing. Prior to that, they’d been all folded up, so you couldn’t see them all.

When I was a kid, I played in the dirt every single day. Every day I’d build a new city in our backyard. My whole life has been preparing to do this—to be out in the dirt, moving giant signs all over.

Who’s going to succeed you as

executive director?

I’m serving as interim director while the museum conducts a national search for my replacement. But this organization attracts amazing people. And I have no doubt that, in the hands of this team and whoever comes in to work with them, it’ll only continue to thrive.

Do you feel like you’re leaving

behind any unfinished business?

Oh, a million things! Right now I’m just making sure that all the things we’ve put in mo-tion or thought about putting in motion are moving before I go. For example, we just sent out the Desert Rose sign to get painted. We didn’t raise all the money we wanted to do that, but we have faith that the community will continue to support that project and help us to offset our costs. And I want to make sure that the Las Vegas Club signs are OK. The property recently changed ownership, and it’s in purga-tory right now. That baseball player [sign] needs to live here (laughs). We can’t lose that guy.

And, of course, I worry about the Blue Angel. [I’ve had] many nights of no sleep, worrying about that sign. This is actually a very stress-ful job. Until we have signs in our possession, we don’t rest. Tiny obstructions can build up, and the next thing you know, a sign is just gone and you don’t know where it is.

Soon you’ll be gone, and we’ll

miss you. You’ve lived here

since 2001. What will you miss

most about this town?

The resilience of its people. There really is a pioneer spirit here. There’s a sense that you could do anything … any-thing! You could be anything you want to be here. And I’ll miss the signs, of course.

But you’ll come back to visit.

Yes, of course I will! What they say is true: You always fnd your way back here. Las Vegas gets under your skin, because there’s no place like it. It’s incomparable.

What made you decide it was time to move on from

the Neon Museum?

My husband [David Sanchez Burr] was offered a tenure-track teaching position in Las Vegas, New Mexico. It’s not just about him; it was a family decision. He’s been very supportive of me while I’ve been terrifically career-focused here. This is a great opportunity for him, and

the museum is in a great place. I’m ready to try new things.

You’re leaving on a high note. Not that long ago, this

was just a storage yard for old casino signs.

Nothing but beautiful things are happening here. And we’ve grown so much without losing the personal attention. We want a quality experience

Danielle KellyThe outgoing executive director of the Neon Museum on playing in the dirt and a memorable visit from Conan O’Brien By Geoff Carter

SE

VE

N Q

UE

ST

IO

NS

PH

OT

O B

Y K

RY

STA

L R

AM

IRE

Z