9 Sets, 7 Days, No Cover
By Noe Gutierrez
On any given night you can witness the finest in entertainment at Vicky’s of Santa Fe at 45-100 Club Drive in Indian Wells, California. With live music every night and a to die for fine dining menu, there’s no doubt that Vicky’s is the best spot in the valley for food and fun. There are no reservations in the lounge as Vicky’s provides open seating and no cover charge. You can call (760) 345-9770 for dining room reservations 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and their Happy Hour is 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. “Vicky’s is a great dinner spot because it’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name,” says owner Marc Laliberte. “If you love good food, wine and music and want to be surrounded by people you enjoy, Vicky’s has all that.”
The magnificent music lounge is flanked by dual fireplaces and centered with a 9-foot concert grand piano and built-in dance floor. Majestic music director John Stanley King has spearheaded this season’s program at Vicky’s to a level of excellence. When you see the list of performers, you will agree…Vicky’s is the place to be in 2020.
2020 List of Performers:
Sundays — John Stanley King & Trio
Mondays — John Stanley King’s Country Cowboy Songs
Tuesdays — The John McCormick Band featuring singer, songwriter John McCormick
Wednesdays — 2019 CVMA Winner for ‘Best Jazz Vocals’ Slim Man and his Slim Man Band featuring Craig Chesnut on drums, Enrique Hernandez on percussion, Chase Huna on sax, Nick Sosa on guitar and the Thrilla from Manila, Tateng Katindig on piano.
Slim Man: “Playing every week at Vicky’s with the same band members is really wonderful, because Vicky’s is such an excellent venue. The band has the opportunity to keep improving from week to week and we get to keep adding new material, most of which are originals.”
Thursdays — Lisa Lynn and the Broken Hallelujahs featuring multi-CVMA Winner Lisa Lynn Morgan on vocals, percussion and keys, James St. James on drums, Bobby Furgo on keys and fiddle, Bobby Moses Nichols on guitar and vocals and Arnold Mitchem on bass and vocals.
Lisa Lynn Morgan: “JSK asked us to cover a few Thursday nights at Vicky’s in early October and November and we had a blast! The vibe in that room is amazing, with a fun and very diverse crowd of all ages. They are so attentive to the music that it forces you to be on your ‘A’ game, which isn’t hard because they readily show their appreciation. We must be doing something right, because we were asked to headline every Thursday for the rest of the season 2020 season. Vicky’s has a long standing reputation with a regular lineup of absolutely stellar, storied music pros, so of course we were fully appreciative of the opportunity. That being said, my guys are absolutelydeserving, they too are amazing musicians with incredible backgrounds. I’m the rookie, I’ve only been fronting a band for five years, but with their encouragement and support, I’m beginning to find my own voice and discover who I am as a performer. I am seriously fortunate. The residency happened just as we had decided to change the name of the band so it’s our first booking under Lisa Lynn and the Broken Hallelujahs.” reverbnation.com/lisalynnmorgan
Fridays (5:30-7:30 p.m.) — Meet the Corwins with Bob Corwin on concert grand piano, Danny Flahive on bass, Craig Chestnut on drums and vocalist Samantha Corwin.
Fridays (8 p.m.-Midnight) — The John Stanley King Show featuring vocalist and multi-instrumentalist King, Norman Merten on guitar, Craig Chesnut on drums and percussion, Malcolm Turner on bass and vocals and Richard Turner on piano.
Saturdays (5-7p.m.) — Rose Mallett & Company
Saturdays (7:30-11 p.m.) — Kal David * Lauri Bono and the Real Deal
In addition to the above performers, JSK has artists like Faults of Andreas to “fill-in” when necessary. We spoke with jimi FITZ and Jimmy Palmer of FoA about the allure of Vicky’s.
Jimi FITZ: “We love playing Vicky’s! The last year or two we’ve been working our stuff out in guitarist JP’s living room and drummer Jeff Bowman’s music room. We’re always honored to play, if they need us we’re there. Vicky’s is a one-of-a-kind place where we can have people come and have a beautiful night; the staff, Marc and Marc, and JSK are so supportive. We currently feature Jeff on drums, Mark Fry on bass, JP on guitar and Sergio Villegas on guitar. We’ll have people sit-in from time to time like Kal David and John Carey. It’s a very unique venue, an amazing melting pot, like a music Cheers. All the credit goes to JSK.”
Jimmy Palmer: “Vicky’s is like a musical event in your living room where we create a show that generates an atmosphere. We try to design something special each show. We added Sergio Villegas, which instills that Latin flavor into our music. We like to play Vicky’s because it’s a classy environment and everybody loves the music that comes there and is grateful. It’s an important place for music, great musicians go there, it’s cool.”
Vicky’s has been open for over 30 years and is a destination restaurant for locals, part-timers and visitors alike. Their filet steak with melted bleu cheese and the seasoned twice-baked colossal potato are highly recommended. With the music lounge in full swing and the food on point, Vicky’s has become the nucleus of the desert.
Marc Lodovico, Director of Sales and Marketing shared, “The level of music that goes through this venue is the best in the valley. There’s never a night when there’s no live music. We switched music programs about five years ago and made a big commitment to live music; because of this, bar sales have risen. So now, every week through June 2020, we will have some of the desert’s finest musicians perform in our lounge. We also have a supper club series that benefits the Assistance League Palms Springs Desert Area’s Arts Scholarship Program and features an array of Broadway style song and dance dinner shows.”
