Recap: Good Morning, From Here, September 10 – 26
Monday
Welcome to the first full day of Fall. I was going to leap into my column this morning, but saw I had a message from Petru. He had forwarded a lovely video made about his partner and my friend Jean-Guy Comeau. I have shared it on Facebook. Seeing the year he was born, 1958, gave me pause. I am seven years older and have so much more to do and say in this fragile existence of life. As I am sure Jean-Guy had and did not have the opportunity.
I often wrote about Jean-Guy’s exuberance as he played the piano, as he could barely sit still in anticipation of playing the following note. Once at Incanto, I think it was, he played a very moving piece. He was still as could be, eyes closed, intent on barely brushing the keys to hold that music softly. I wrote the next day that he was the only pianist I knew who could “make a piano whisper.” He thanked me later, saying it was the highest praise he had ever received. Rest in Peace, amigo. We will meet again.
Something wild and crazy took place at La Catrina Cantina over the weekend: “Game On! With Christian” Manly, a trivia game show to a very nearly packed house!
Several teams competed for significant prizes, all of which went to the winners. Around 500 USD’s worth of goodies! I loved how Christian introduced the prize donors throughout the two-hour show and talked about each one, often having used the product or service himself. That made it very personal, great marketing, and should encourage businesses to contribute to the cause!
A high-tech production that will be dialed back somewhat in future shows because it was fraught with timing issues, it was, however, the first trial run, so everybody learned a bunch of lessons! Overall, it is a great idea, pulled from TV shows of the past, and something Christian did before COVID struck. He is a good host and will look into incorporating some Scrabble! I know who might be on a team!
The trivia questions were difficult for me, as I don’t watch TV or pay much attention to today’s current affairs, so I was impressed by the answers from the crowd. And, the bonus round had the entire bar on high alert. It was actually quiet in there while teams planned their wagers and plotted their answers. The ooohs and aaahs were loud and long as one by one, the teams were eliminated, and the victors, aptly named “The Winners” took the stage and received their grand prize(s).
The testing ground will have two more shots to convince La Catrina Cantina owner, Juan Alvarado, that it’s something his patrons want to do on a regular basis. Stay tuned for exact dates and times as they grow nearer, but it will be every two weeks for the trial run. The next game show up will be “Name That Tune!”
Come back tomorrow to learn all about Mitchell Rivadeneyra, From Here.
Tuesday
A week ago, Maestro Bing Young was sitting right behind Patrick Henry Murray as Will Walker announced that Patrick would be joining Jason Mathis in concert at the second in the Summer Concert series to be held at Georgia Darehshori’s condo at Avida, rather than at Casa Karma. Bing told me that Patrick was very excited and happy to be doing the show with Jason.
Then, last Friday, Patrick Henry’s body was discovered in his condo. The investigation is ongoing, and after much discussion and careful thought during this distressing time, it was decided to go forward with the concert. Jason will sing the duets he and Patrick had rehearsed, solo. It is what Patrick would have wanted.
As a special moment of reflection, Georgia Dareshori will lead the gathering in the lighting and sharing of her peace candle from Wales. One more step on the road to healing.
Libations & Love Songs was created as an evening of R&B, celebrating all things love. Originally envisioned as a soulful duet with Patrick Murray and Jason Mathis, the event will now carry a deeper meaning. In honor of Patrick Henry Murray, Jason will take the stage alone to deliver the performance they had prepared together, accompanied by pianist Ruli Mayorga.
Set against the backdrop of the sunset over Banderas Bay, guests will enjoy soul classics, R&B love ballads, and even a few dance favorites—all wrapped in the spirit of love that inspired the show.
Tasty cocktails, wine, and delicious Casa Karma signature hors d’oeuvres will be served to complement the evening.
We will celebrate Patrick with one of the things he loved most—music. He often shared the stage with a close circle of fellow singers, and some may join the performance tonight in his honor. The theme remains the same: what better way to honor someone who loved well and was well loved than through an evening of love songs.
Your presence this evening will lift the burden of loss and help our community to heal through the music that Patrick Henry Murray loved to sing. To reserve your space, RSVP to Jason Darion Mathis on Facebook. (Seating is very limited.) You may pay at the door, please, 500 pesos, cash only. Cocktails and wine are also available for purchase, again, cash only.
Join me early at 6:30 when the doors open. There will be lots of hugs, many candles, and lots of flowers as we celebrate life through music. The show will start promptly at 7 pm. Bring all your love.
My fabulous encounter with Mitchell Rivadeneyra will appear in the morning tomorrow, From Here.
Wednesday
Mitchell Rivadeneyra has hung up his sequined gowns, strappy high-heeled sandals, and has put Karma the Bitch to rest. While sounding slightly less offensive in Spanish – Karma La Perra – sounds kinda sweet, doesn’t it? Her persona was the antithesis of Mitchell’s personality, and that takes its toll after years of playacting.
Unlike most of the drag queens we see here in town, Mitchell refused to let excess body fat accumulate and would often fast to fit into his slinky, sexy dresses. Nice on the eyes for us, not so healthy for his body.
And the time it takes to get ready. Every woman in the room can relate, but for guys, there are other considerations to, um, tuck away.
At any rate, Karma was a great tool, a learning experience, and a foot in the door to show business. By the time he finished telling me about his first audition as Karma, I was howling with laughter – it was one of those days when Murphy’s Law ruled – He forgot lyrics and fell off his balance board. He NEVER falls. He had to do his entire idea of a show for Danny Mininni on the Main Stage at Act2. Just him on that great, enormous stage, and a man he came to love like the father he never had. He was devastated when Danny died so unexpectedly a few years ago, and quietly mourns him, speaking his name with reverence to this day.
Mitchell, his brother, and their mother left the State of Mexico and moved to the US, hence Mitchell’s nearly flawless command of the English language. After close to a decade in California, Mitchell and his mom moved to Vallarta, leaving his brother in San Diego, and the two have been happy here, living in our city by the sea.
Recently, Mitchell won La Voz de Catrina at one of Vallarta’s most important entertainment venues – La Catrina Cantina. His show, held a couple of weeks ago at La CC, was full of curious friends to see how he fared without the layers of makeup, wigs, sequins, and gadgets.
He did beautifully, singing danceable songs – nobody did – we were too enthralled by what we were seeing and hearing. I asked him over smoothies how he would feel if everybody got up to dance instead of being still and listening. He replied that he would LOVE that! He is a singer who entertains, and I love that all the barriers are down and what you see is what you get – a long, tall, gorgeous young man with the most expressive and saucy face. He is thinking of adding a touch of eyeliner – he is still happily queer!
Incidentally, all of Karma’s clothes, accessories, and wigs are for sale. There is a ton of it!
Mitchell used to work with dolphins after a stint as a gold appraiser in Mexico City. I can see him perfectly, treading water in a warm pool surrounded by those empaths of the sea and learning so much from them.
Mitchell is back training his voice to improve and to repair itself from years of singing in a register that belonged to Karma, not him. He has a prosperous future ahead, with several projects in the works. One of which will be the John Sheppard musical, inspired by the music of the New Wave Canadian band Men Without Hats, from Montreal, opening at Act2 in late November.
Thanks for joining me, Mitchell, for a lovely hour of conversation. You are such a star, From Here.
Thursday
More than 50 people, friends and family, filled Georgia Darehshori’s living room at Avida condo, for ‘Libations and Love Songs,’ another in the Summer Concert Season Series, usually held at Casa Karma. It was also a preliminary memorial to singer Patrick Henry Murray, who should have joined the headliner for the evening, Jason Darion Mathis.
There were a lot of people gathered that I didn’t know, including the gentleman sitting beside me in the front row. I glanced down and commented on his fabulous shoes. He smiled and said he loved good-looking shoes.
A few minutes into Jason’s first song of the night, I felt this man’s hand close over mine. The odd thing was that it didn’t feel weird at all. A long while later, I looked down and was struck by how black his hand was and how white mine. I wanted to take a photograph of the beautiful contrast in color and also how our fingers were so perfectly entwined. I didn’t break the bond; that picture of unity will remain in my head for a long time.
Then Jason announced that Patrick’s brother was in the house and was going to sing, and my friend with the fabulous shoes and firm grip stood up. The enormous intimacy of that moment took my breath away, and my monkey brain instantly put myself in his place, with thoughts of whether I could sing in my sister’s or brother’s place in the same situation. The answer is not a chance.
When Roy Murray began to sing Amazing Grace I doubt there was a dry eye in the house. The box of Kleenex made the rounds and came back empty.
The evening had many more happy songs and remembrances than sad ones, to be sure. Jason shared a number of amusing stories about his friend Patrick. Some of the guest singers included Kimberly Grandi, Kevin Anthony, who sang Adele’s ‘Someone Like You,’ a cappella, and Patriz’s ‘Wild Horses’ was courtesy of the Rolling Stones.
When pianist Ruli Mayorga was not accompanying singers, Bing Young took over, and when Roy Murray sang one of the last songs of the evening, Bing was super challenged to keep up with Roy’s improvisation and did it beautifully! After the song was over, Bing looked like Jerry Lee Lewis or Levi Kreiss after a concert!
Georgia thoughtfully fed us all with Casa Karma’s wonderful hors d’oeuvres, Cesar tended bar and served drinks, and the entertainment went on for close to two and a half hours. The love was thick in the room, almost overriding our deep feeling of senseless loss.
A votive candle and a flower were presented to every person who attended, again given by thoughtful Georgia.
Kim Archer will take the stage at Georgia’s next Tuesday, the 30th, at 7 pm.
Kevin Anthony and Luis Villanueva are having a fundraiser tonight at La Catrina Cantina to help support Vallarta’s School for Girls. See you all there at 6:30, From Here.
Friday
The last weekend of September, as we roll inexorably into the days preceding Vallarta’s Tourist Season, which traditionally begins on the first Sunday following American Thanksgiving and runs until the Sunday following Easter Sunday. Or, in real time, this Season starts November 30, 2025, and concludes April 12, 2026. We LOVE those tourists the best who come before and after those dates, because we can take care of them properly. In the thick of things, every single restaurant and hotel owner, and tour company operator, is working so hard that every last one of them questions their own sanity while trying to count all the money they are making. And then that money simply evaporates into thin air just before the end of Season, then it’s summertime again, and we are all broke.
It’s a vicious cycle, necessary only because nobody has figured out a way to make it snow year-round up north. Can someone please either get on that or send us buckets of money to get through those critical months while you snowbirds are sitting, luxuriating in your backyards?
A case in point of the constant need to reinvent ourselves is singer Luis Villanueva, who is now importing and selling coffee grown in his home state of Chiapas. Luis has lived in Vallarta for nearly a decade, and I have known him pretty much from day one, when his English was non-existent and he would sing anywhere, anytime, any song to get somebody to listen. Well, we did, and he has risen over the years of hard work to rest comfortably among Vallarta’s finest entertainers.
I was at La Catrina Cantina last night to watch the first in a new series he has introduced called Voices for Change. Luis acknowledges the need to give back, both personally and on behalf of other entertainers who are bombarded every year with requests to sing, dance, or perform for free by a myriad of local charities. Luis plans to do what he can, pro bono, of course, but will take it a step further and donate 20% of his earnings to various organizations with every performance this Season.
Twenty percent of the funds raised last night will be donated to the Vallarta School for Girls. Who better to share the stage with than Kevin Anthony, a huge supporter and member of the School’s Board of Directors? Which, incidentally, has broken ground and is building a state-of-the-art school.
These two, in concert, have fun together and with the audience. Both are personable and huggable, and I am happy to call each one a dear and lovely friend.
Next Voices for Change is on Wednesday, October 01, at 6:30 pm. Alison Lo and Luis will be at La Catrina Cantina, singing, smiling, and supporting Vallarta Abuelos. Join them; there’s no cover, and they have loads of great popcorn.
It is a beautiful day out there. Enjoy, and I will catch you back here bright and early Monday morning, From Here.
