PET LOVE AND ROCK & ROLL BENEFIT CONCERT FOR AMY’S PURPOSE (1)

                                                             PET LOVE AND ROCK & ROLL BENEFIT

                                                                   CONCERT FOR AMY’S PURPOSE

What: “Pet Love and Rock & Roll,” a benefit concert and pre-show reception for Amy’s Purpose to raise funds for scholarships to the College of the Desert Partnership and Community Education course in Veterinary Assistant Certification.

Who: John Garcia and his Band of Gold will headline a mostly acoustic set of Kyuss classics and newer originals following an opening act with Billy Steinberg singing his Songwriters Hall of Fame catalog with vocalist Angie Rodriguez. Garcia and Bruce Fessier will do a short Q&A between sets. The hosted reception will feature wine and light hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and a presentation of the first Amy Award to Lori Weiner, owner of the Pet Hotel at Barkingham Palace in Palm Desert and founder of the California Paws Rescue adoption service.

When: September 17, 2022. Reception starts at 6:45 p.m. The concert begins at 8 p.m.

Where: The reception will be held in the Atrium among the art galleries of the main floor of the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 N. Museum Drive, Palm Springs. The concert will be downstairs at the museum’s Annenberg Theater.

Tickets: $50, $100 and $250 with half-off discounts to the latter tickets for veterinarians.  Individuals making a $3200 donation for scholarships to the veterinary assistant course will receive two front-row seats. The hosted reception is sponsored by Willie Rhine, owner of the Eight4Nine and 1501 Uptown Gastropub restaurants in Palm Springs and Willie’s in Rancho Mirage. On sale April 13 at the Annenberg box office, by going to https://www.psmuseum.org/events/amys-purpose-22 or calling the box office @ (760) 325-4490. To make a donation without buying a ticket, send checks to Amy’s Purpose, P.O. Box 1427, Morongo Valley, CA 92256 or call (760) 831-3090 about electronic transfers.

More information: info.amyspurpose@gmail.com or Amyspurpose.net.

Recognizing an unprecedented crisis in veterinary care services in the Greater Palm Springs Area, the new nonprofit organization, Amy’s Purpose, has embarked on a mission to train and put more veterinary workers in desert offices by 2023. 

One of the leaders of the charge is John Garcia, a founding voice of the Coachella Valley’s internationally renowned desert rock scene. The husband and father of two from Morongo Valley has sung at music festivals around the world, from Coachella to OzzFest. But he and his wife, Wendy, also are veterinary technicians. Garcia says he gets as much satisfaction assisting on animal procedures as he does from performing internationally before thousands of rock fans. 

“There is a crisis in veterinary care in this desert,” says Garcia, who supervises the veterinary technician staff at the Palm Springs Animal Hospital. “Many veterinarians and veterinary hospitals are not accepting new patients. We are all overwhelmed by the demand for our services. We must do something to relieve the pressure on veterinarians and put more veterinary assistants in the field to care for people’s pets and help our veterinarians.” Garcia came to international attention as the lead singer of the desert rock band, Kyuss, touted by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters as his favorite group of the early 1990s. He sang with Crystal Method at Coachella and Slo Burn at OzzFest. Now he’ll join his group, The Band of Gold, as headliner of “Pet Love and Rock & Roll,” a benefit concert for Amy’s Purpose Sept. 17 at the Annenberg Theater in the Palm Springs Art Museum. His acoustic set of Kyuss classics and newer originals will climax with the band plugging in for stunning encores in the intimate theater that has previously hosted concerts by the likes of Liza Minnelli and Barry Manilow.

Proceeds will help fund scholarships for a course training veterinary assistants through College of the Desert’s Partnership and Community Education (PaCE) wing. Veterinary assistant jobs pay only $12 to $15 an hour, but the 150-hour course costs $3,195 plus additional fees for scrubs and a National Association of Veterinary Technicians (NAVTA) exam that students must take to qualify to work with a veterinarian after another 100 hours of an on-the-job “externship.”

Tickets, go on sale April 13th at the Annenberg box office and psmuseum.org. Ticket prices start at $50 and some of the $3,200 donations will be matched by the College of the Desert Foundation, and donors will receive a Gracie Award of two front-row seats. Amy’s Purpose founder and president DeAnn Lubell said the charity hopes to fund a dozen scholarships to PaCE students committed to working for local veterinarians and possibly continuing their education to advanced levels of veterinary care.

Amy’s Purpose founder and president DeAnn Lubell said her charity hopes to fund up to a dozen scholarships to PaCE students committed to working for local veterinarians and possibly continuing their education to advanced levels of veterinary care. COD Foundation Director Catherine Abbott said, “The College of the Desert Foundation is happy to support students who are interested in enrolling in the College of the Desert veterinary assistance course.”

“Pet Love and Rock & Roll” also seeks to create a climate of appreciation for the veterinary community to inspire new veterinarians to practice in the desert. All doctors of veterinary medicine will receive half off discounts for the best seats and be recognized at a hosted, pre-concert reception for all ticket-holders on the museum’s main floor. Lori Weiner, owner of the Pet Hotel at Barkingham Palace in Palm Desert and founder of the California Paws Rescue adoption service, will receive the first Amy Award at the wine and light hors d’oeuvres reception starting at 6:45 p.m. The party also will include a silent auction and recorded music from the vast catalog of songs about dogs, cats and birds.

The concert starts at 8 p.m. with a 40-minute set by Palm Springs High School alumnus Billy Steinberg & Trio performing songs from his Songwriters Hall of Fame career, that has produced some of the greatest songs of the past half-century, including “Like A Virgin” by Madonna, “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper, “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles, “I'll Stand By You” by The Pretenders, “Falling Into You” by Celine Dion, “How Do I Make You” by Linda Ronstadt, “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls, “Give Your Heart A Break” by Demi Lovato and “So Emotional” by Whitney Houston. The singer-guitarist will be joined by a combo from Los Angeles including a female vocalist, a keyboards player and another guitarist.

Event producer and former Desert Sun columnist Bruce Fessier will lead a short Q&A with Garcia between sets – exploring the veterinary crisis and the thrills Garcia has experienced working on animals and performing on bills with the likes of Metallica and Black Sabbath.

Everyone involved with the benefit, from Garcia and Steinberg to the sound technician and stage manager, are donating their services for this vital cause for the community. Willie Rhine, owner of the Eight4Nine and 1501 Uptown Gastropub restaurants in Palm Springs and Willie’s in Rancho Mirage, is underwriting the catering for the reception.

Veterinarians Alexis Rambaud and Shakira Jamison of Paws & Claws in Palm Desert have committed to encouraging fellow veterinarians to join and mingle with pet lovers at the reception. Steinberg has recruited a veterinarian friend from Sun Valley, Idaho, to meet people at the reception to consider opening a winter practice in the desert.

Dr. Rebecca Diaz, head of the Cat Clinic in Cathedral City, blames the pandemic for today’s veterinary crisis. Many staff workers stopped coming into the workplace when the CDC advised people to isolate, she said, and demand for veterinary services was simultaneously exploding. “It was always busy,” said Diaz, “but, ever since the pandemic it’s been incredibly busy. A lot of animals were adopted during the pandemic and both dogs and cats got a lot more services than they normally would have because people were paying more attention to them. They were home with them all day.”

Several websites provide online education for veterinary assistants, but a PaCE official said it will resume in-person instruction of the course in its classrooms of the lower level of the Palm Springs Mall in October. COD also is considering adding a course to train veterinary technicians, who are required to have an Associate of Arts degree in addition to NAVTA certification.

Amy’s Purpose was founded in 2020 to provide programs in animal safety, including predatory awareness, and grief counseling for pet owners who have suffered traumatizing loss. But Lubell said helping to mitigate the veterinary crisis has taken on greater importance since the peak of the pandemic. That’s why Amy’s Purpose is seeking support for “Pet Love and Rock & Roll.” “It is extremely important to entice graduating students and adults wanting to go into a second career to become interested in the field of animal sciences,” Lubell said. “Support to raise funds for the ‘Pet Love and Rock & Roll’ concert will greatly benefit the health of pets in our desert communities.”

“Pet Love and Rock & Roll” also seeks to create a climate of appreciation for the veterinary community to inspire new veterinarians to practice in the desert. All doctors of veterinary medicine will receive half off discounts for the best seats upon showing documentation at the box office and be recognized at a hosted, pre-concert reception for all ticket-holders on the museum’s main floor. Lori Weiner, owner of the Pet Hotel at Barkingham Palace in Palm Desert and founder of the California Paws Rescue adoption service, will receive the first Amy Award at the wine and light hors d’oeuvres reception starting at 6:45 p.m. The party also will include a silent auction and recorded music from the vast catalog of songs about dogs, cats and birds.