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THE LATEST

1 2 “Safe From the Streets”The Nevada Partnership for

Homeless Youth provides more than

just shelter. By EMMILY BRISTOL

1 4 “Beyond Magic”Pagan center Haven Craft seeks to

educate a modern world with ways

of the old. By AMANDA LLEWELYN

1 6 “The Emperor’s New Groove”Caesars’ room art gives guests

something to gawk at. Green Felt

Journal by DAVID G. SCHWARTZ

Plus … Limits on the payday-loan

industry gain momentum, standing

with Orlando, Style, Seven Days,

Ask a Native and The Deal.

NIGHTLIFE

2 9 “The Most Popular Guy at the Party”Lil Jon has always been cooler than

all of us. By CAMILLE CANNON

Plus … Seven Nights, a Q&A with

Burns, and photos from EDC.

DINING

4 9 “The Bird Between the Bread”Elevating the humble chicken

sandwich to superstar status.

By MELINDA SHECKELLS

Plus … The debut of Marisa Finetti’s

Dish & Tell, Al Mancini on Pier 215

and Geoff Carter on themed bars.

A&E

5 5 “Tell All the Boys and Girls”Funk legends Cameo are serving

up ‘Candy’ at the Westgate.

By LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS

Plus … Seven’s 14, obscure TV

channels deliver rarities and Vanity

Plates serves up election-year satire.

6 5 “Excelsior!”Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. completely

entranced this DisneyBound Thor.

The Most Fabulous Thing

by CHARLIE STARLING

SEVEN QUESTIONS

7 4 Las Vegas 51s pitcher Chasen

Bradford on attending high school

here, the challenges of Triple A and

his brother’s inspiration.

FEATURE

Bar Hall of Fame 2016Our city has thousands of places to drink. Here’s to the best.

J U N E 2 3 – 2 9 , 2 0 1 6C O N T E N T S

The Sage Bar at Aria.

Photo by Krystal Ramirez.

20Tom Sheckells, son of the owner of Pioneer Saloon, one of this year’s Bar Hall of Fame nominees.

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP

Vegas Seven, 702-798-7000, 302 E. Carson Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada

c 2016 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 U B L I S H E RMichael Skenandore

E D I T O R I A LEDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nicole Ely

MANAGING EDITOR Genevie Durano

SENIOR EDITORS Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman

SENIOR EDITOR, A&E Geoff Carter

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Hubble Ray Smith

SENIOR WRITER Lissa Townsend Rodgers

STAFF WRITER Emmily Bristol

CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana

S E N I O R C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O RMelinda Sheckells (style)

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R SMichael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining),

David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)

A R TCREATIVE DIRECTOR Ryan Olbrysh

SENIOR DESIGNER Cierra Pedro

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Krystal Ramirez

V E G A S S E V E N . C O MTECHNICAL DIRECTOR Herbert Akinyele

ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Zoneil Maharaj

SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala

WEB PRODUCER Jessie O’Brien

ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson

P R O D U C T I O N / D I S T R I B U T I O NDIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION Marc Barrington

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jimmy Bearse

S A L E SBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Christy Corda

DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Nicole Scherer

ACCOUNT MANAGERS Brittany Quintana, Steven Kennedy

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Robyn Weiss

DIRECTOR OF SALES, BILLBOARD DIVISION John Tobin

I N T E R N SJasmina Salas, Ally Tatosian

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger

PRESIDENT Michael Skenandore

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Keith White

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Sim Salzman

CONTROLLER Jane Weigel

LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE | FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010

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➜ YOUTH OFTEN BECOME HOMELESS suddenly and unpredictably, the reasons more complex than adult homelessness and the consequences frequently more tragic. That’s why those who work with homeless youth must move quickly.

A growing group of minors is get-ting kicked out because of how they identify their gender or sexual ori-entation, says Arash Ghafoori, ex-ecutive director of Nevada Partner-ship for Homeless Youth (NPHY). “When [they] hit the streets, there’s all kinds of bad things that can happen. There are sex traffickers. There are pimps and labor traffick-ers. Gangs. Drug dealers. They’re all out there. They’ve made a busi-ness, essentially, of finding these youth and luring them into their worlds,” he says.

Ghafoori, who spent much of his childhood in Nicaragua helping his grandmother provide services to needy people, takes the stories of the kids served by NPHY very seriously. With a background in political science, international business and economics, he left behind a lucrative career in the corporate world to focus on run-ning the nonprofit.

“I’m not one to go for the tear-

jerker, but the stories are freak-ing heartbreaking. You will cry,” Ghafoori says.

He recalls the story of a girl who called because her pimp was passed out with a needle in his arm. She only had 15 minutes before he would wake up. The NPHY emer-gency dispatch team directed her to one of their Safe Places, a pro-gram in which all Terrible Herbst gas stations, RTC buses and Clark County fire stations participate. They function as safe sites where at-risk youth can get help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“She came in here, closed the door and slept,” Ghafoori says. “We had to wake her up to take her to our shelter. When she woke up, she said, ‘This is the first time I’ve slept with both my eyes closed, where I wasn’t scared for my life the entire time.’”

Since taking the helm of the now 16-year-old organization in 2011, Ghafoori has helped boost servic-es—a 25 percent increase in the number of shelter beds and over-seeing a $650,000 renovation of their drop-in center that doubled its size. The demand on the center jumped by 15-20 percent after the renovation, Ghafoori says.

The drop-in center, the only one of the nonprofit’s nine facilities publicly labeled, peaks at about 30-50 underage people a day. This translates to 400-500 undupli-cated minors a year who use the programs. Life-skills classes, music and art therapies, computers and laptops, GED and job prepara-tion, mental health services and immigration services are offered. The drop-in center is set up like a home, with a kitchen, laundry and shower facilities. They are invited to take whatever they need, including food and clothing, from supplies on hand.

Nevada ranks fourth in homeless youth, with more than 23,000 esti-mated on the streets. That includes an estimated 11,000 homeless chil-dren in the Clark County School District. In the most recent federal data, Las Vegas has the second-larg-est population of homeless minors in the country, right after Los Ange-les, says Ghafoori, who cautions against stereotyping those affected by this issue.

A national 2012 Williams Institute study estimated that as many as 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT. According to the Adminis-tration for Children and Families, 26 percent of LGBT youth are re-jected by their families and kicked out of their homes.

“With [homeless children], it is all cross-sections of society. It is not just the socio-economically disadvantaged. We have kids whose parents are multimillionaires. We have kids of rappers, who are on TV, who have been at this shelter because of domestic violence. We have kids who come from West Point-graduated families. We have kids of medical doctors. It doesn’t discriminate,” he says.

All of NPHY’s caseworkers are licensed social workers to help with IDs, Social Security cards and school enrollment. The drop-in center (4981 Shirley Street) provides them with a home address and per-sonal voicemail, so they can enroll in school or apply for jobs without stigma about their status.

“These youth have no one. They don’t have families. When they come to us and they’re with us, we become their families in many ways,” Ghafoori says. “We imagine homelessness as being tattered and raggedy, but they don’t look at themselves like that, even in their situations. And many won’t even say they’re homeless, even if they’re in this program. They just won’t. They won’t even look you in the eyes. ... They’re brave enough to walk in here, but they’re still scared.”

News, deals and

Caesars' new room art.THE LATEST

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Safe From the Streets

The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth provides

more than just shelter By Emmily Bristol

THU 23 If you run a business or are

just interested in the economic

health of this region, you’ll want to attend

UNLV’s Mid Year Economic Outlook Con-

ference, 8 a.m., at the Venetian. Experts

from the Lee Business School will fill you

in on trends that will shape the regional

and national economies in the coming

months. Registration required. UNLV.edu.

FRI 24 Sports have helped shape this

community, and tonight you

can pay tribute to that legacy at the Or-

leans Arena, 5 p.m., at the Southern Ne-

vada Sports Hall of Fame induction cer-

emony. This year’s honorees include Sig

Rogich, Marty Cordova and the 1997-98

UNLV golf team. OrleansArena.com.

SAT 25 Regular readers know that we

are big MMA fans, so it’s no

surprise that we’re pumped about Pack

the Mack, a Tuff-N-Uff bout at 6 p.m., at

the Thomas & Mack. What makes this

one special is the fact that you can score

free tickets at UNLVtickets.com.

SUN 26 You know it’s getting hot out

when the arts and crafts festi-

vals get cranked up. Case in point: the

Las Vegas Artisan Craft Festival Expo,

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Sam’s Town. There

will be 65 vendors selling everything

from fine art to jewelry, with games,

prizes and gifts. ArtisanCraftFestival.com.

MON 27 If you hike around here, you

know the name Branch Whit-

ney. He’s the author of Hiking Las Ve-

gas, the most comprehensive guide to

local foot travel, and he’s coming to the

Rainbow Library, 6:30 p.m., to talk about

what to bring, where to go and how to

stay safe on the trail. LVCCLD.org.

TUE 28 The yo-yo. The monkey paw.

The top-bottom joint. If you

know what these are, you may be a slot

machine cheater. If not, you may want to

learn how from a man who used to do it.

Dick Charlesworth will be talking about

his former career, 7 p.m., at the Mob Mu-

seum. TheMobMuseum.org.

WED 29 Thanks to thawing relations

with the U.S., life is changing

quickly in Cuba. Get a glimpse of embar-

go-era island life via Havana: In the

Times of Fidel, a photography exhibit by

Armand Thomas, through July 10 at the

West Las Vegas Library. LVCCLD.org.

Seven DaysThis week in your cityBy B O B W H I T B Y

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What odds of long-term success do you give an NHL team in Las Vegas?This Twitter query from @oyvegas arrived

after recent news that Las Vegas looks likely

to land a professional NHL hockey team. Full

disclosure: While a sports fan, I am neither

an oddsmaker nor have I ever placed a

sports bet. But given my long-term observa-

tion of Las Vegas and Las Vegans, I’d put the

odds of almost any pro team seeing Vegas

success at 20-to-1 or worse.

It’s been discussed to the point of cliché

that Las Vegas residents bring deep-seated

professional team loyalties when they move

here. Perhaps this is why (despite varying

rates of success for baseball and hockey)

some of Las Vegas’ biggest sports stories

have been in individual sports: tennis, golf,

auto racing, boxing and the UFC.

Soccer, pushed by city management desir-

ing a Downtown stadium, has been widely

debated. Despite the Las Vegas Quicksilvers

pro soccer team surviving just one year

(1977), our city has since grown and its de-

mographics diversified to the point that soc-

cer may show success.

Still, if I were the one pushing for a pro

team, I’d look to our city’s brightest team

sports success, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

basketball program, and what that means.

Yes, UNLV’s championship was 26 years

ago. But between 2009-2014, UNLV’s

average attendance was 14,000 per game.

Compare that with the Wranglers hockey

team, which corralled just 4,300 attendees

per game (2010-2014). Having an NBA

team here is a natural extension of that

inherent fan base, offers continuity to

potential UNLV breakouts, and is a natural

fit for both old-timers and newcomers. Plus,

the NBA aligns with the style and character

of Las Vegas—a flashy, action-packed city

raised on basketball.

What do you think of paid parking on the Las Vegas Strip?My one experience so far has been asking

an apologetic valet at Aria if locals receive

any discount (we don't), then paying $13 for

three hours (plus tip), followed by $42.18 for

three Jack and Cokes (plus tip). In summa-

ry? If someone can afford to spend the night

at Aria, they can likely afford to pay to park.

Of larger concern? The likely spillover of

parking fees at nearby resorts. As happens

Downtown, when one property charges for

parking, those offering free parking nearby

get overrun. They react by charging as well.

Have a question about Las Vegas,

past, present or future? Send it to

askanative@vegasseven.com.

J A M E S P . R E Z A

No Reckoning for Payday Loans➜ Nevada State Treasurer Dan

Schwartz hears moans and groans

whenever he brings up the subject

of payday loans, a financial trap for

many borrowers who get buried by

enormous interest rates and can

never repay their debt.

It’s a vicious cycle of borrowing

from Peter to pay Paul, with some

people taking out multiple short-

term loans to pay off the original

amount they needed to pay rent, buy

groceries and make ends meet until

their next paycheck arrives.

Nevada legislators in 2015 tried to

pass a law to cap interest rates on

payday loans at 36 percent and limit

the number of loans one person can

take out, but the proposed legislation

was “kiboshed at the highest level”

before it ever came to the floor,

Schwartz said during a June 8 sum-

mit at the Sawyer State Building.

With nothing currently in the

works at Carson City, Schwartz

says he wants to focus on financial

literacy and what consumer protec-

tions can be put in place during the

next legislative session.

“Once you start taking out these

loans, you just can’t get rid of

them,” he says. “This is clearly a

huge issue. Most, if not all, who use

these loans find (themselves) in

a worse place than the place they

began financially.”

Current law says payday lenders

can’t loan more than 25 percent of

a person’s gross monthly income,

but there’s no limit on the number

of payday lenders from which that

person can borrow. And with no

requirement to evaluate expenses,

it leaves a lot of vagaries over the

person’s ability to repay.

“It’s like someone is in a hole and

you’re helping them out by handing

them a knife to grab hold of the

blade and get out,” says A.J. Buhay,

field director of Progressive Lead-

ership Alliance of Nevada, one of

about a dozen consumer advocates

who attended the summit.

It’s evident that payday lenders

target lower-income, military and

minority populations who are most

vulnerable to falling into the trap,

adds Justin Gardner, a doctorate’s

degree candidate at

UNLV’s School of

Environmental

and Public

Affairs. You

see payday

loan store-

fronts on nearly every corner in the

east Valley and North Las Vegas, but

never in upscale communities such

as Summerlin, he notes.

The most common reason for

using payday loans are: unexpected

expenses (24.3 percent); paying

monthly bills (20.1 percent); paying

for housing (14.8 percent); paying

credit cards, car loans and student

loans (14.2 percent); money for

school supplies (8.9 percent); money

for leisure expenses (6.5 percent);

holiday gifts (5.9 percent); and

medical emergencies (5.3 percent),

according to a UNLV study.

Federal regulators are taking ac-

tion to rein in the $50 billion payday

loan industry, but some say the

restrictions will hurt the very people

who need the loans the most.

“There’s a capital access is-

sue here,” Schwartz says.

“There’s just no access

for some of these

people.”

–Hubble Ray

Smith

Standing With Orlando➜ It may have been the hottest day of the year, but that didn’t stop more than 1,000 people from turning out for Monday’s We Stand With Orlando march on the Strip. The mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub on June 12 left 49 dead and devas-tated the LGBT community. What started as a modest Facebook event spurred a massive turnout and mani-fested the need for people from all walks of life to come together and heal.

Among the legion were babies in strollers and senior citizens on Rascals, people wearing badges from the Human Rights Campaign and the Leather Uniform Club, straight couples waving signs and gay couples holding hands. Drag queens rocked stilettos and wigs in 100-plus-degree heat and still looked glam, and men with beards and tattoos lugged coolers of water to share. A Scoo-by Doo posed with two kids holding a homemade rainbow-letter sign, while a Chewbacca growled appreciatively and gave a double thumbs-up. “The Wookies are with us!” shouted one marcher.

“I’m absolutely thrilled the turnout is so large,” said Rick Taylor, a Las Vegas resident. “When the chips are down, we are a community that rallies.” And it wasn’t only locals who wanted to stand with Orlando.“I saw [the march] on TV, and I thought I would show my support,” said John Meloche, visiting from Canada. “It’s a terrible

tragedy, but doing this keeps it in front of people and hopefully makes them think about what needs to happen.”

The reason for the gathering was somber as it gets, but the tone was distinctly not funereal. Old friendships were affirmed, and new ones created. Passengers in cars and buses erupted in cheers and waves that were enthusiastically returned by the marchers; the majority of casinos flashed rainbows and messages of support on their LED screens. One woman carried a sign that read, “We will dance for them. We will not give in to fear.” Indeed: When the Bellagio fountains danced to the tune of “Uptown Funk,” many began waving their signs and stepping in time. The Las Vegas community showed love and generosity in the face of hate and loss. There is no more powerful message. –Lissa Townsend Rodgers

➜ THE FULL MOON HUNG LOW in the midnight sky, its incandescent glow illuminating the quiet forest below. The old woman swayed slowly in the circle, her naked body covered in a ritual ointment designed to invoke a doorway to another world where an archetypal initiation of sorts awaits all those who participate. The other naked women in the circle swayed to the same unsung rhythm, drawing down the moon with the power of their collective will. The young woman entered the circle, a Romani head scarf hiding her golden hair, the only material covering her naked flesh. She’d successfully completed the fire walk, and now her initiation would continue. Her great-grandmother stepped forward and slathered the girl in the hallucinatory herbal concoction known in magical circles as “flying ointment.”

It’s the last thing Las Vegas resident and Haven Craft proprietor Melissa Eggstaff recalls from that night nearly 16 years ago in the Appalachians, the night she became a witch.

“I was 14, and this was just the way that it was done in my great-grandmother’s circles,” says Eggstaff, who came to refer to her as simply grandmother. “It was incredible to see all of these women, some of them in their 90s, in the woods like that. Their energy was incredible. There’s a lot that I remember before the ointment, but after that, it was like my mind broke wide open.”

When she was a child, Eggstaff had languished in California’s foster care system. When her great-grandmother on her father’s side found out, she retrieved the girl and raised her as her own. The pair spent some time in Las Vegas through the years so that Egg-staff could visit her father, but mostly they traveled the country, spending a great deal of time in the Ozarks, the Appalachian Mountains and the Lim-berlost, where Eggstaff learned about a plethora of magical traditions, some Romani in origin and others, such as the Appalachian Conjure, which were the traditions of those around her.

The Romani are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group of many natsiya (small nations), each with its own culture. The Romani live mostly in Eu-rope, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, but originated as a diasporic culture from India and the Middle East. “I have this rich tapestry of experience to pull from in my own practice, and I owe that to my grand-mother and to our people,” Eggstaff says. “The Romani are a brave but per-secuted people. We’ve been driven from every country and city you can imagine. But we are strong, and our roots run deep. We will never be broken.”

It was her great-grandmother’s unbreakable spirit that has had the greatest influence on Eggstaff. She de-scribes the woman, who died in 2010, as someone who was steeped in Old World ways, but also a savvy chame-leon who could interact with people outside of her own traditions.

Eggstaff credits her great-grand-mother with being the first person to acknowledge she had special gifts.

“She recognized that I sort of have one foot in this world and one in the other. I can feel things others can’t feel. Sometimes I know things before they happen. I can communicate with spirits. It was my grandmother who discovered that I was touched. That’s when she decided that she should be the one to raise me.”

Eggstaff is known in Romani and Appalachian Conjure traditions as a “clever woman.” In non-magical terms, this equates to being an energy worker, alternative healer and an educator, all under the rubric of paganism. Pagan-ism is a wide and varied path that can be secular or spiritual in focus. The practice comprises a diverse commu-nity that embraces a variety of beliefs. Like Christianity, there are branches within paganism that incorporate different beliefs, ideologies, traditions and practices. Various traditions may include elements of nature worship, witchcraft, Goddess worship or the acknowledgment of polytheistic or pantheistic deities, to name a few.

The opportunity to educate and build the pagan community in Las Vegas served as a sort of siren’s call to Eggstaff and her partner, Ian, who opened the city’s only pagan com-munity center, Haven Craft, in 2014. They opened the Downtown center with their own savings, and have committed to using the proceeds from the metaphysical store inside to help offset event costs.

“We never draw a salary from the center,” Eggstaff says. “It is purely a place of learning, growth and community.”

The center, which offers Sabbat events and regular classes on topics from cartomancy to tools in the witch’s handbag free of charge, is designed to provide a safe space, education and community resources for people of all traditions, according to Eggstaff.

“You don’t have to be pagan to en-joy what we have to offer,” she says. “Everyone is welcome.”

As someone who grew up travel-ing the country and interacting with people from all walks of life, Eggstaff feels Haven Craft is carrying on one of the most important lessons her great-grandmother taught her.

“The stories we tell ourselves change the face of the divine and the divine changes us,” she says. “Every-one will and should be able to connect to that energy in their own way, without fear. We’ve created something special here, specifically for the pagan community in Las Vegas, which has so few outlets. One of the greatest les-sons I learned from my grandmother and her eclectic friends was that once you learn your own story, you learn your direction as well. Know who you are—study and learn and connect and pull from everyone around you. Learn your own story, and then you can learn everyone else’s. I know mine, and it’s all thanks to her.” 14

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Beyond MagicPagan center Haven Craft seeks to educate a modern world with ways of the old

By Amanda Llewelyn

CHARACTER STUDY

Haven Craft’s Melissa Eggstaff.

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Your city after dark, photos from EDC and Burns is so hot right now

NIGHTLIFE

➜ THE AVERAGE DJ starts his set behind the booth. Lil Jon is different. The 45-year-old rapper/produc-er’s catalog comprises some of the biggest pop, hip-hop and dance records of the last two decades—from co-producing “My Boo” (which is charting again 20 years after its release date thanks to the #Running-ManChallenge) to popularizing Crunk music with his Eastside Boyz and collaborating with the biggest names in EDM. So it’s only fitting that he does a little bit of everything at his AboutLastNight party at Hak-kasan, scheduled for June 26. The energetic emcee will start the party from your table, spray Cham-pagne with you and surprise you with dancers. He

might preview his upcoming singles with Becky G and Yandel, or Hardwell and W&W. But he will definitely stop the music during “Get Low” if you do not know where the windows and walls are. Oh, and he also loves tea.

Rapper Too $hort recently said when you produce,

you have a “magic ingredient that makes you move no

matter the tempo.” What do you think that is?

I produce music differently than the average person. I try to use different sounds. I have a particular kind of ear, a particular kind of energy that I put into the track. My spirit is in each piece, as well as when I do

my vocals on tracks. My spiritual energy is captured on the track also. That just makes people wanna party and get crazy when they hear my voice. I believe that’s why God put me here—to help people forget about their problems, loosen up and have a good time. So that’s what I do.

How did you develop your ear for music?

I was skateboarding in the early ’80s. At this time, black people weren’t really skating; it just wasn’t cool in my neighborhood. I was around so many differ-ent kids, so many different races, and it opened my ears up to different things. If I’m skating over at this

The Most Popular Guy at the Party

Lil Jon has always been cooler than all of us By Camille Cannon

BORGEOUSMON 27 JUN

JEWELNIGHTCLUB.COM \ OPEN MONDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY \ 702.590.8000

LIL JON DJ SETSAT 25 JUN

THE CHAINSMOKERSFRI 24 JUN

4T H O F J U LY W E E K E N D

THURSDAYS

LIL JON DJ SET

INGROS SO

STE VE AOKI

THU 30 JUN

FRI 1 JUL

SAT 2 JUL

MON 4 JUL

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➜ MATTHEW BURNS OPTS for simplicity and goes by his last name on festival and nightclub

rosters. He frequents Las Vegas hot spots such as Omnia Nightclub, where he will play on July

5. But just because he’s playing the biggest room at the biggest nightclub in Las Vegas doesn’t

mean he only plays big-room house. The DJ and producer is interested in multiple genres, in-

cluding radio pop (yes, even Britney Spears) and hip-hop, which he tries to work into his sets

because he believes that in Las Vegas, anything goes.

Burnin’ UpAfter the fireworks are in ashes, Burns will heat up the dance floor

July 5 at Omnia By Kat Boehrer

You recently talked about going into the studio with

Britney Spears. Can you divulge any details about

your work with her?

I can’t say too much about it, but we’ve been in the studio a bunch of times over the last three or four months. She’s working on stuff for her new record. All I can say is that hopefully we’ll hear some of it soon.

What is it like working with her?

It’s crazy for someone like me, because she’s such a massive legend. She’s this crazy entity [with a] huge, ridiculous fan base. She’s been doing it for so long, since she was so young. So it’s such a privilege for a producer like me to meet someone of that stature. I’m excited by it. I’m just glad to be able to be doing it right now.

I assume the music you two have worked on

together will be targeted toward the mainstream

music consumer. Would you rather make

mainstream pop music or music that caters to the

dance-music crowd?

I never like to stick to one kind of sound or genre. I like to dabble, which keeps things in-teresting for me. Most producers would agree with that. If you repeat yourself too much, it can get boring doing the same kind of things over and over. If I can do club records one day and then the next day be in the studio with a pop act making something for the radio, that’s great for me. Over the last year I’ve been pro-ducing club records and then stuff that’s pop records for radio and hip-hop stuff and R&B stuff. I just like making music.

Your Spotify playlists make it seem as if you like pop

and hip-hop music, but people who see you listed

alongside such acts as Calvin Harris might assume you

play EDM. Do you ever try to work in the pop and hip-

hop sounds into your sets?

I do that quite often, in Las Vegas especially. Vegas is great, because you can do that kind of stuff; you have such a mixed crowd. People are coming from all over, and they’re not necessarily EDM fans or dance music fans. A lot of people are hip-hop and commercial radio fans. So I feel more free, actually; I can blend different genres together. I can play an EDM record and then I can play a Drake record or play a Bryson Tiller song and it will work, because everyone’s so diverse in Vegas. It’s not just one fan base.

Do you believe that Vegas nightlife fans are interested

in music that is different than what

the headlining EDM DJs typically produce?

People think that Las Vegas is very narrow-minded. But you actually have such an open crowd here. You can be more experimental. Sometimes it annoys me a bit when I hear DJs playing the same sets as each other, and I think, “Come on.” You need to try to play around with things out in Las Vegas a lot more. You can get away with it.

I like to try to see what’s happening, know what’s fresh at the time and what’s trending, and see what the kids are listening to. I’m a big fan of digging for stuff that maybe not everybody’s heard of, and then testing things out and seeing how crowds react. It’s impor-tant to listen to a lot of different music if you’re a producer or a DJ. Even if you’re just working in music, you should be skilled in every aspect of it rather than being like, “Oh, I DJ EDM, so all I listen to is EDM.” You should definitely broaden your musical taste.

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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

PARTIES

EDC 2016Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Photography by

JESSE J SUTHERLAND

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Restaurant reviews, news and newfound respect for Soave

The care that goes

into the oft-overlooked

components of rice and

the grilling of unagi is

apparent at first bite.

PIER 215 | PAGE 52

DINING

➜ When David Chang opened his fried chicken sand-wich shop Fuku last year in New York City’s East Vil-lage, the line went out the door, and not just because of its shoebox-size space. Hipsters and culinary trend trackers went crazy for the menu, which only offered one thing: a chicken sandwich. And Chang did it to perfection—a single breast fried in spicy breading, cradled in a smashed bun, adorned with four pickles and swiped with “Fuku butter” secret sauce.

When I visited this spot right after opening, what struck me was the line of more than 10 cooks, crammed into the miniscule kitchen, building the sandwiches with tweezers and the kind of precision and skill that one would expect to find in the kitchen of a French master like Joël Robuchon. It was then that I knew the chicken sandwich would be a trend to be reckoned with in the coming year, and the trickle-down effect into the Las Vegas dining scene is in full swing. Take a bite out of the city’s seven best chicken sandwiches—sadly, Fuku not included.

CHICK’N SHACK AT SHAKE SHACK

It may be missing an ‘e’ in name, but it’s not missing anything else in terms of flavor. This addition to the Shake Shack menu—now with three locations in Las Vegas at New York-New York, T-Mobile Arena and Downtown Summerlin—came on the scene in early 2016. A cage-free chicken breast is slow-cooked in creamy buttermilk marinade. Then, it’s dipped in batter, dredged through seasoned flour and fried crisp. The Chick’n Shack is dressed with pickles, let-tuce and buttermilk herb mayo made with chives, parsley and thyme, and served on a potato roll, like the ShackBurger. You will completely forget to ask, “Where’s the beef?” $6.30 at the New York-New York location, 725-222-6730, ShakeShack.com.

NIGHT MARKET FRIED CHICKEN BAO AT FLOCK & FOWL

At his Hainanese chicken joint adjacent to Down-town, chef Sheridan Su is obsessed with the sim-plicity of good fowl. And while the star here is the

traditional poached chicken dish, Su does a creative take on the chicken sandwich with the Night Market fried chicken bao. Chicken tenders are marinated in buttermilk and seven Asian spices, then dredged in flour and fried. Each is nestled into a puffy bao bun and topped with baby pea shoots, kale and pre-served mustard greens, then finished with sweet soy sauce. $3.80 one piece, $7 two pieces, 380 W. Sahara Ave., 636-626-6632, FlockAndFowl.com.

SECRET SUNDAY CHICKEN SANDWICH

AT CARSON KITCHEN

John Courtney, culinary director for Simon Hospital-ity Group and Carson Kitchen, makes a mean chicken sandwich, especially after recently introducing the pasture-raised free-ranger from Crystal Lake Farms in Decatur, Arkansas, to his menu. The Secret Sunday chicken is dipped in rice flour, potato starch, dehy-drated buttermilk, a blend of dried chive, parsley, and tarragon, onion and garlic powder, salt and white

The Bird Between the BreadElevating the humble chicken sandwich to superstar status By Melinda Sheckells

The Secret Sunday Chicken Sandwich at Carson Kitchen.

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DRINKING

The Taste of Themed America

DRINK AROUND THE CLOCK

9 A.M.

BLOODY MARY EYE-OPENER

Las Vegas loves a Bloody Mary—the blast

of vitamins, the buzz of vodka. The range

runs from $1 well drinks to $35 chicken

wing-topped monsters, but our standard

is the Peppermill’s tall glass, garnished

with enough veggies to feel healthy.

1 P.M.

MARTINI POWER LUNCH

The midday martini has been favored

by movers and shakers since before

Oscar. At the Wynn Country Club, sip

yours while overlooking the 18th hole

and truly feel as though you are taking

care of business.

3 P.M.

MULE BY THE POOL

When it’s triple digits, the Moscow Mule refreshes without

causing sugar shock. The rooftop Citrus Pool at the

Downtown Grand makes a version touched with basil

from the rustic wooden planters.

5 P.M.

HAPPY HOUR MAI TAI

A mai tai has rum for your pirate side and a paper parasol

for the hula girl in you because you ain’t a working stiff no

more. Suck down a few in the demented Disneyland of the

Golden Tiki and leave the office behind.

7 P.M.

GAME-TIME BEER

Whatever your sportsball, it’s best enjoyed

on a few dozen screens with a cold one

in your hand. Whether you’re an IPA fan, a

Hefewiezen lover or into Imperial Stout,

Aces & Ales has it on tap—and, yes, they’ll

pour a Bud Light, too.

9 P.M.

AFTER-DINNER LIQUEUR

The proper finale for a fine meal is

rich and amber and swirled in a snifter.

Andre’s Restaurant & Lounge has more

than 100 varieties of Cognac, Armagnac

and other brandy, from Courvoiser to

Hardy Vintage Reserve 1777.

MIDNIGHT

PARTY-TIME COCKTAIL

Everyone has their go-to party starter, but something a bit

more exotic makes a night special. Peruse Velveteen Rab-

bit’s cocktail menu for a Desert Marigold or Goblin King—

the perfect match for the bar’s hip Downtown crowd and

eccentric decor.

3 A.M.

BOOSTER SHOT

Call it a night or carry on through

dawn? Either way, go strong. The

Double Down’s Ass Juice shot has

been delivering a swift kick to Vegas

drinkers for more than two decades: It’ll

knock you in whatever direction you’re

headed. –Lissa Townsend Rodgers

➜ THERE ARE SOME depths to which we functional local drunks simply won’t descend, and most of them are located on Las Vegas Boulevard. Cabo Wabo, Margaritaville, Dick’s Last Resort, Gilley’s, Señor Frog’s … there are a number of party bars concentrated on the Strip, and while we’re not opposed to them on principle—hey, if you can sell $44 pitchers of mai tais to tourists, just keep doin’ you—they’re not places locals would ever go, or tell visiting friends to check out. Last week, I visited two of them and sampled the closest each had to a signature drink.

I went to Cabo Wabo Cantina, the Sammy Hagar-owned bar and grill at Planet Hol-lywood, with the full intention of drinking my way through several such bars. My dream was snuffed out a mere two sips into Sammy’s Toasted Colada, described on the menu thus: “Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, Coco Lopez and pineapple juice, served on the rocks; garnished with freshly toasted coconut.” It was the color of nonfat milk and easily the sweetest thing I’ve ever had in my mouth. My palate, toughened by years of Campari drinking, telegraphed a mes-sage to my brain: What the living fuck is this?

Duly chastened, I took in my surroundings. Cabo Wabo is at once a tribute to its owner—I ac-tually liked Sammy’s stint in Van Halen, shut the hell up—and homage to the sort of beach-town bars run by American expats. It features murals of anatomically impossible women on the walls (alongside a borderline-offensive caricature of a Mariachi band), and a band on its patio crank-ing out legacy rock cover tunes to the delight of a crowd—yes, a crowd; the outdoor patio was packed—drunk on the power of American indi-

vidualism. And as we paid our check, a group of young men approached the bar and ordered shots of … sambuca. Whatever Cabo Wabo is trying to do—whatever they hope to accomplish by serving drinks the flavor of diabetes—it’s plainly working, and I commend them for it.

I needed a full 24 hours of recovery before I returned to the Strip, and to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at the Flamingo. I was predis-posed to dislike it, because I dislike Jimmy Buffett’s music. But something funny happened: I kinda liked it, in all its high Floridian cheesi-ness. The fiberglass whale hanging from the ceiling and the ship’s prow with the boob-job mermaid figurehead—they’re no worse than the kitschy crap you’ll find just a couple of miles away at the Golden Tiki. And there was no Buf-fett music playing, always a plus.

I ordered one of Margaritaville’s “Boat Drinks,” the 5 O’Clock Somewhere, because those exact words appear on the front of the menu. Made of Margaritaville Silver Rum, Paradise Passionfruit Tequila, Bacardi 151, sweet and sour, orange and pineapple juices and “a splash” of grenadine, it made the roof of my mouth sting like I’d drunk a shot of peroxide. It wasn’t sickly sweet, like my Cabo Wabo colada, but it was sweet enough to make its sour elements taste uncomfortably like medicine. I didn’t finish that one, either.

I don’t deny either of these places their appeal. I’ve seen plenty of Strip-side bars with better cocktails shut down over the years, so if Cabo Wabo and Margaritaville know what it takes to stay afloat, bless them. But holy crap, those were some terrible drinks. For a moment, I almost forgot that it’s always Campari hour somewhere. –Geoff Carter

THU6/23 / /

SAT7/9

FRI8/12 40oz. TO FREEDOM - SUBLIME TRIBUTE BAND

SAT6/25 / / /

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F R I7 / 1

S U N7 / 1 0 BROOKLYN BOWL LAS VEGAS + LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL PRESENT BATTLE OF THE BANDS

SUN7/3 THE SETLIST VOLUME II - PERFORMING VAN HALEN�S �VAN HALEN� & �1984"

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THU7/14 B I G F R E E D I A

FRI7/15 CRAIG ROBINSON + THE NASTY DELICIOUS

FRI7/15 EMO NIGHT BROOKLYN LATE SHOW

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FRI7/29 C O W B O Y M O U T H

SAT7/30 PROTOJE + THE INDIGGNATION

SUN7/31 T H E C L A Y P O O L L E N N O N D E L I R I U MSAT

8/13 L I O N B A B E

MON8/15 K U R T V I L E + T H E V I O L A T O R S

THU8/18 T H E F I X X

FRI8/19 D I G A B L E P L A N E T S

SAT8/20 S I L V E R S U N P I C K U P S

FRI8/26 M I C H A E L F R A N T I + S P E A R H E A D

SUN8/28 E X P L O S I O N S I N T H E S K Y

FRI9/9 B A Y S I D E WITH THE MENZINGERS

FRI9/16 O . A . R .SAT

9/17 S T . P A U L + T H E B R O K E N B O N E S

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FRI10/7 T H R I C E

SAT10/8 DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT / BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

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THE OUTLAWZ WITH THA DOGG POUND

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J U S T A N N O U N C E D

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➜ THE POLITICAL VISAGES that have been haunting every social media feed of late come under close artistic scrutiny at Vanity Plates, an exhibition curated by local artist Diane Bush, now open

at the Sahara West Library Gallery. The show is the sixth installment of Bush’s Dishing It Out 2016 series, a chain of monthly exhibits leading up to election night. Inspired by Judy Chicago’s 1974 piece

The Dinner Party, Vanity Plates serves up commentary to the political personalities American citizens are being force-fed, whether they like the meal or not.

The political imagery of

Vanity Plates covers a range of topics, from the character of our current candidates to a broader commentary on the state of the nation. Grimacing Donald Trumps and sedate Hillary Clintons are prominently featured. Blurred and scratched, Trump and Clinton peer out from within the nebulous gloom of Lowest Common Trump and Lowest Common Hillary, respectively—the poor photographic resolution functioning as an analogy for appealing to the basest desires and fears of the masses, as well as enacting the limited knowledge obtained from the face of a candidate.

In Dayo Adelaja’s Humpty Trumpty, a florid close-up of Trump’s lips forms the sur-prised “O” preceding a mis-take or fall. And the bricks of the wall he’s fated to fall from are boxed up in a nearby work by Sandra Chamomile: The glazed ceramic bricks are Trump-packaged as the “best bricks in the world,” but a more careful inspection of the work reveals bricks marked “revolution.”

The highlight of Vanity Plates is, fittingly, a series of 16 different artist renderings of current politicians hot-stamped onto gilded white porcelain plates. A Joseph

DeLappe collage layers the features of Trump, culminating in a bellowing mouth full of teeth. Ben Carson naps upon the gleaming white surface of his Brian Duffy plate. And Bush’s plate, which portrays Clinton with a classic black-marker mustache, goatee and eyebrows, is titled Can Hillary Sew This Up?

Bush will display the plates again during the final installment of the exhibit series, coming to UV Gal-lery in November. And with a touch of feminine outrage aimed squarely at Republican Trump, the final perfor-mance piece of the Dishing It Out 2016 series, The Final Tally, will be held on election night, November 8, immediately af-ter the polls close at 7 p.m. At that time, Bush says, she will offer up extra plates for visi-tors to smash, providing us with a way to “physically vent our frustrations” through “therapeutic means.”

[ ART ]

Good ChinaVanity Plates takes and bakes what this election year is dishing out

By Jenessa Kenway

VANITY PLATES

Through July 24

at Sahara West Library

Gallery, 9600 W. Sahara

Ave., 702-507-3630,

DianeBush.net.

GENRE

Jean-Michel Jarre, Electronica 1: The Time Machine; Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise (Columbia Records)

Getting two records from electronic music pioneer

Jean-Michel Jarre within the space of a year is an

accomplishment in itself; October’s Electronica 1

was his first album of all-new material since 2007

(a thought he completed with May’s Electronica 2).

But Jarre, who has every right to take a victory

lap—he’s been inspiring musicians and science

nerds since 1972, and even has an asteroid named

after him—went big with the Electronica twofer,

collaborating with every artist he inspired and/or

inspired him. The results are hit-and-miss, but the

good stuff is truly great, beginning at the top with

two should-be singles: the moody Pet Shop Boys

collaboration "Brick England" and the euphoric M83

team-up, "Glory." In fact, if you cherry-pick the right

tracks from the two records—say, “Automatic Pt. 1

and 2” (with Erasure’s Vince Clarke), “Immortals”

(with Fuck Buttons), “Watching You” (with Massive

Attack’s 3D), “A Question of Blood” (with John Carpenter), “What You Want” (with Peach-

es), and “Exit” (with Edward Snowden!), maybe a few others—you can assemble what

is easily one of the better records of Jarre’s long career. Or, you can listen to these two

records on Spotify and use them as a gateway to Jarre’s earlier stuff, such as Les Chants

Magnétiques (1981) and Zoolook (1984). If the collaborations of Electronica do nothing but

get you onto Zoolook, they’ll have done their job. ★★★★✩–Geoff Carter

GENRE

Eagulls, Ullages (Partisan Records)

Expansion—not reinvention.

Expansion is what English

rockers Eagulls have set out

to accomplish with the sound

of their sophomore record,

Ullages. In that regard, they

succeed: The quintet trades its

gritty post-punk for a cleaner,

refined guitar-driven sound

reminiscent of the Chame-

leons—and, at times, early The

Cure records. But while the

intention was to expand, the

band fails to keep its focus

and loses itself in the shoegaze-y, reverb-soaked haze they’ve created. “Heads or Tails”

and “Psalms” are monotonous tracks that reach dead ends; “My Life in Rewind’s” syn-

copated swagger doesn’t justify its drawn-out length. There are moments of redemp-

tion, however. The droney eighth notes of “Skipping” recall those of The Smiths’ “This

Charming Man,” and Eagulls builds them into a slow-burning anthem. “Lemontrees,”

Ullages’ lead single, pairs a driving rhythm section with illustrious Stone Roses-esque

pentatonic riffing. Singer George Mitchell’s voice blends well within the wall of sound,

and his smart, introspective lyrics hit like a sharpened knife. Share a nation’s conscious-

ness and just drown our thoughts to sleep, he sings on “Lemontrees.” OK, but let’s just

make it through this album first. ★★✩✩✩–Ian Caramanzana

ALBUM REVIEWS

THE MOST FABULOUS THING

EXCELSIOR!Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. completely entranced

this DisneyBound Thor By Charlie Starling

➜ HOT ON THE VIBRANIUM-CLAD

heels of one of Marvel’s highest-grossing movies to date, Captain America: Civil War, a brand-new attraction offer-ing guests the chance to im-merse themselves in the world of their favorite heroes is now open at Treasure Island. (By the way: I gave Civil War a sec-ond chance, and I admit I was wrong when I said in a previ-ous column that it “sucked.” I’m still missing Joss Whedon terribly, but I’m fascinated by the character-building work that the Russo brothers did with the Vision character. Plus, Ant Man’s cameo is perfectly tuned, the new Spider-Man is brilliant, and I could watch Black Widow and Falcon’s witty banter all day long.)

Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Sci-entific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network) is an immersive exhibit that affords you the opportunity to get up close and personal with props and costumes from the original mov-ies, while embarking on your own Avenger training.

I got to rock the press opening, and I attended in style. Fabulousness, one might say. Wanting to keep it chic, I decided to DisneyBound the event as Thor. DisneyBounding, for the unversed, is the creation of an outfit based on, or alluding to, a certain character. Leslie Kay created this fun-as-hell art form when she blogged a trip to Disneyland, and it has turned into a global phenomenon. (Follow @disneybounding on Instagram, or Leslie’s blog, disneybound.tumblr.com, for hours of eye candy.)

I decided to take my DisneyBound Thor in the direction of the 1950s, with a gray pencil dress for armor, a red shrug cardigan for a cape and a hand-made Mjolnir brooch. (Swarovski’d to the nines, of course.) It perhaps goes without saying that I snapped a selfie in front of every picture of Thor I could find—and I kind of lost my shit when I discovered his actual armor in Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.’s Asgard room.

You begin your visit by setting up your agent profile, either via mobile app or with a rented handset. You pick your team (I chose Thor, obvs), take a picture for your ID card and follow a S.T.A.T.I.O.N. operative down to the “Training Area,” where Agent Maria Hill gives you a briefing followed by a stern warning from Tony Stark to not break anything.

Once you’re briefed, you’re free to make your way through a maze of rooms dedicated to the Avengers, documenting and being assessed on your findings as you go. The higher your score, the higher your S.T.A.T.I.O.N. security clearance. (I got one question wrong, and won’t be forgiving myself any time soon.) The whole thing takes about 80 minutes, and the scorecard keeps you focused.

I managed to grab a minute with creative director Nicholas Cooper, a former actor and master storyteller who clearly has poured his heart and soul into this project, and he regaled me with tales of the exhibit in New York, Paris and Korea and showing Joss Whedon around his creation. His passion is very evident.

Aside from the suits and weapons from Ant Man, Falcon and Black Wid-ow, the full-size Hulkbuster, Vision’s birth cradle and Captain America’s motorbike, I’d say my favorite element of Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. was Bruce Banner’s lab, which came complete with smoking equipment and a guy in a lab coat asking us to come forward if we experienced any unexpected hair loss or change in skin pigment.

Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is definitely worth the trip. I’ll be back again to beat my terrible score on the simula-tor. That shit is hard. Iron Man just leveled up in my respect-o-meter.

By the way, look out for the requi-site Stan Lee cameo!

See Charlie Starling in Absinthe, twice nightly in the Spiegeltent at Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wed.-Sun. Visit AbsintheVegas.com for tickets. Follow her on Twitter: @charlistarling.

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You were raised in Vegas, and you’re

a 2008 graduate of Silverado High School.

What’s it like playing for the 51s in front of

friends and family?

Oh, it’s awesome. I grew up here and attended games at Cashman Field, and throughout my professional career I played out on the East Coast the whole time. My family gets to see me play professionally, which is a really cool thing. My parents (Lauren and Doug) are here all the time, my close friends, high school friends, college friends. Every day there’s somebody.

You were drafted in the 35th round

in 2011 by the New York Mets out of

Central Florida University, and you’ve

played for five minor league teams.

What has been your favorite city?

Savannah [Georgia.] Just the history there. I’m a big history guy, I love history. There are some bugs in Savannah. That was one of my favorite years of playing pro ball because I had

a good group of guys with me. We just had a good time there and enjoyed it. I had buddies who are no longer with the organization who were there. I went to both their weddings in the past few years. We were roommates and everything, so we’d stay up all night playing Call of Duty, hanging out or relaxing. We had a good time.

What did you like about growing up in Vegas?

It’s a big town with a small-town feel. Where I grew up, everybody knows everybody, especially in the Henderson area. I played baseball with kids who went to five different high schools, so I played against them at Green Valley, Coronado, Spring Valley, places like that. I played with Paul (Sewald) for a while and he’s back here (with the 51s), so it’s cool.

How tough was it to get to Triple A?

It was definitely tough for me. There’s a certain amount of talent involved,

but a lot of luck is also involved—being in the right spot at the right time and taking advantage of opportunities I was given. It’s been a great ride. I love it. Being one step away from the big leagues is what every kid imagines. You don’t realize how hard it is to play minor league baseball. Just the transparency, all the friends you make and the next year they’re gone, something like that. Every year there are new guys, new teammates you have to get used to and new talent. [There’s] a lot of traveling. Triple A is better than (Double A) Binghamton (New York). You get to fly places. At Binghamton, we had 16-hour bus rides, so … that’s a long time to spend with 25 other guys.

What’s your favorite baseball movie?

Bull Durham. You can’t really go wrong with that one. It’s just actually the closest baseball movie you’ll get to mi-nor league baseball. It’s what you see

around the nation for minor league baseball. You can’t beat it.

When did you start dreaming about the

major leagues, and how close are you

to realizing that dream?

It was after my first major league spring training when I got invited (in 2014). That’s when I thought, well, they see something in me that can help them. That’s why they invited me. How close? I have no idea. You can’t really tell. You can’t guess or anything like that. All I have to do is go out and do my jobevery time, and that’s all that matters to me. If it happens, it happens. If not, you know, I gave it my all. That’s it.

What’s your most memorable moment

on the baseball field?

It was in Savannah when my brother (Mark) threw out the first pitch, and then he did it last year here. The rea-son I’m where I am is because of him and what he’s taught me throughout my life, that hard work will get you anywhere, and to just keep your nose to the grindstone. And, you know, it’s really cool because my brother played baseball, and he’s really ex-cited that I’m at this level, knocking on the door of the big leagues. So for him to come out here and throw out the first pitch a couple times, it’s fantastic. That’s probably the best memory I’ve ever had.

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Chasen BradfordThe Las Vegas 51s pitcher on attending high school here, the challenges of Triple A

and his brother’s inspiration By Hubble Ray Smith