New Tecopa cafe hosts weekly blues and art event

TECOPA — Art and music collide in this hot springs community in California each weekend, as a new cafe hosts a weekly gathering combining the two.

The recently opened Death Valley Internet Cafe and Bakery, located at Delight Hot Springs, hosts two nights of blues music, every Friday and Saturday.

82-year old blues musician Eddie Roscoe strums his guitar, playing the soulful tunes with his group, Sunsets. But each week various artists join in, making each night a new experience.

“We play blues, country, and boogie,” Roscoe said. “A lot of the songs I’ve written.”

In addition to the music, the cafe’s resident artist, Alex Gjestvang, 22, displays his latest works of art.

Gjestvang, who is autistic, paints various images from cartoon favorites The Simpsons and Family Guy to various musical acts and pop culture symbols such as the Miller Lite and Jack Daniels logo.

“He is just phenomenal,” Mike Whalan of Delight Hot Springs said. “People say his work kind of reminds them of Andy Warhol, but he is super prolific. He’s a trip.”

The cafe opened up two weeks ago, and is owned by Gjestvang’s older brother, Robert Surel and his business partner Eric Scott, who moved away from high-paying chef position in Las Vegas to open up the establishment.

The menu is compiled of fresh ingredients and handmade items, consisting of baked pastries, desserts and more.

“We make all of our bread in-house for our sandwiches,” Scott said. “We have patty melts, chicken paninis, hamburgers, and we have our pizzas. Meat pizza, veggie pizza, and a shrimp pizza. That dough is also all made in-house.

“We serve breakfast. We got a breakfast burrito, biscuits and gravy, waffles, and a parfait.”

They are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Scott joked they were voted best new restaurant in Tecopa, being that they are the only new one to open there in the last decade.

The event is free to the public and is an all ages affair. Music begins at 7 p.m. each night, with Roscoe playing his tunes with various musicians, including Surdel on guitar, until 9 a.m.

The weekend event has been going on since the cafe opened up, and usually sees 40-50 people in attendance.

If you are interested in the event and need more info call The Death Valley Internet Cafe and Bakery at 760-852-4345 or visit them in Tecopa at 420 Hot Springs Road.