No one would stay at the same job without pay or benefits for 15 years, right? But that’s exactly what radio DJ Dani Cutler has done at KWSS 93.9 FM, Phoenix’s volunteer-run indie station. As she marks a decade and a half of hosting The Dani Cutler Show and the retro-themed Dani’s Diner, she shares with us why she’s proud of her time there. You’ve been at KWSS since MySpace was popular. What do you...
“Grief is itself a medicine,” wrote 18th-century English poet William Cowper. Phoenix psychotherapist – and fellow poet – Gigi Veasey knows this deeply. As a counselor and grief consultant, she has spent years shepherding countless clients through the loss of parents, siblings, children, friends and pets. Her experiences led her to develop her own therapeutic processes, which she shares with readers in Me After You: Surviving the Loss of a Loved One (Hopes Road Publishing,...
Dog lover Laurie Stephens always wanted to find a way to help the animal rescue community. Rather than start a nonprofit, she wanted to sell goods that would attract and benefit consumers while supporting the community. In 2020, she launched Love Dog Republic and its flagship subscription box. Whereas most canine subscription boxes focus on toys and treats for dogs, Stephens wanted to show “dog moms” a little love, too. “I thought, ‘Somebody needs to...
Destroyer | Photo by Ted Bois Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley. This week we’re taking a look at indie music. May 17 King Hannah This Liverpool-based band doesn’t sound like they’re from England at all. The duo’s sound is rooted in Southern blues with a little trip-hop thrown in for good measure. In its review of their debut album, Pitchfork described their...
Best regular season team in Suns history turns in all-time worst Game 7 performance.
If you’ve always wanted to experience Meow Wolf, a series of large-scale immersive art installations in Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Denver, consider a visit to Artopia, where you can step into a different dimension in which light, color and sound intersect. Imagine that this creative universe is right in your backyard – and designed by local artists. Artopia opened in Phoenix in March and features murals, sculptures and interactive art pieces by some of...
To chef/restaurateur Marcellino Verzino and his wife and business partner, Sima Verzino, Italy is more than a vacation destination – it’s their home away from home. The owners of Marcellino Ristorante in Old Town Scottsdale take a yearly trip to Rome, where they lived for many years and have property and a second home. For 25 years, they’ve been following their Roman sojourn with a jaunt to the Greek island of Poros. The couple takes...
Burned by one too many Facebook Marketplace transactions gone awry? Download Oana, the “pay-it-forward marketplace” developed by Phoenix friends Maggie Fearnow and Tom Hutchison to create an easier, friendlier way to buy and sell goods online. You can even barter or offer goods and services for free or at a deep discount. The free app is available on Apple and Android devices.
Dozens of eager golden retrievers and their volunteer caregivers gathered at the Arizona Biltmore on April 30 for a one-of-a-kind happy hour event where attendees could meet the pups while sipping on specialty cocktails. Dubbed “Golden Hour with the Goldens,” the event took place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the iconic resort’s outdoor bar area. The event was a partnership between the Biltmore, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Arizona Golden Rescue, a Glendale-based nonprofit dedicated...
Head to Ventura for a beach-lover’s paradise full of sun, sand and surf. Even if you’re not frolicking in the waves, this ocean community north of Los Angeles offers the perfect getaway full of unique dining and entertainment experiences. Ventura Music Hall This new music venue aims to bring major musical acts to an intimate space. Enjoy live music of all genres while chowing down on local craft food and drinks for an authentic taste...
“Sustainable” and “plant-based” aren’t just buzzy menu descriptors anymore. With Phoenix company DYPER, even baby tushes are getting the eco-treatment. It offers subscriptions to unscented bamboo diapers (also available: cloth diapers) sans alcohol, chlorine, latex and lotions. “I started the company to solve three problems: never running out of diapers, treating my daughter’s bum with no harmful chemicals and leaving a better planet behind for my three children,” owner Sergio Radovcic says. The company’s REDYPER...
In a world full of deadlines, stress and social media, sometimes you need to refresh by unplugging for a little bit. “If you want to find a place to disconnect with your day-to-day life, you come here and right away you disconnect [with the world] and you reconnect with yourself,” says Bixente Pery, general manager of Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe. The resort, situated on 57 acres in the Sangre de Cristo foothills,...
“The party is here on the west side,” quoth hip-hop poet Montell Jordan. With the April debut of Heritage at Sportsman’s Park, that lyric is ringing true. The tri-level, 10,000-square-foot venue on the Great Lawn adjacent to State Farm Stadium in Glendale boasts a garden patio and chef-driven kitchen. “Heritage has so much to offer the West Valley,” says general manager and executive chef Marshall Reichert, who will run it as a restaurant open to...
Pearl Jam | Photo by Danny Clinch Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres all around the Valley. This week we’re taking a look at cinematic music. May 9 Pearl Jam The Seattle grunge group behind the hits “Jeremy” and “Evenflow” were among the first bands to stop touring as the pandemic shut everything down. Two years later, they’re ready to make the arenas shake with...
The muralist, vehicle painter and graffiti maestro Javier Cordova has a core specialty: lettering. Cordova, who grew up in South Phoenix and goes by “Spawk,” sprays and brushes scripts around Phoenix, often tagging his curvaceous letters on murals and vehicles with gold leaf. His work appears in skate parks, bars, barbershop windows and even Phoenix Suns murals. But you’d never know it. Spawk doesn’t sign his work. “I’m doing it for me,” he says. “If...