December 2, 2016 – OC Weekly by Duncan McIntosh Company

Former Socialist Wins South County Election—WTF?! | Pakistani Power in Costa Mesa | The Best Female Photographer You’ve Never Heard Of DECEMBER 02-08, 2016 | VOLUME 22 | NUMBER 14

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For the past 20 years, a Santa Ana man has kept the language of the Aztecs alive

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gets an unlikely council member: a former socialist. By Gabriel San Román 07 | ¡ASK A MEXICAN! | Why do pochos make Mexicans look bad? By Gustavo Arellano 07 | HEY, YOU! | Grinchy store managers. By Anonymous

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09 | NEWS | For the past 20 years, a

Santa Ana man has kept the language of the Aztecs alive. By Gabriel San Román

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Fellow Travelers

A former socialist won a San Juan Capistrano City Council seat with help from a conservative activist

“I

’ve been told you’re a militant la raza Mexican, and I’m supposed to be a complete racist,” Kim McCarthy told Sergio Farias when they met for breakfast at San Juan Capistrano’s El Maguey in August. “I think you and I should talk.” You couldn’t find two people more opposite in South County. In 2008, Farias ran for the San Juan Capistrano City Council as a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) with a defiant candidate statement defending undocumented residents against checkpoints and deportations. Meanwhile, McCarthy had railed against illegal immigration for years as a member of SJC Americans, a Minuteman Project-like community group that had fought everyone from the Mexican Consulate to community centers. But by last summer, Farias was a Democrat seeking a seat on the city council, and McCarthy was focusing more on an antiestablishment message against developers and their council lackeys in Community Common Sense, a newspaper she helps to run. Over chilaquiles, Farias told McCarthy he’s now a family man with a small landscaping business—and no longer a socialist. Though still suspicious, McCarthy supported Farias. And then history was made as Orange County elected its first former socialist. No matter how it turned out, this year’s San Juan Capistrano City Council race was going to be historic, as it was the first to use district elections. The new process follows a lawsuit filed by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project alleging voter suppression against Latinos. Plaintiff attorney Kevin Shenkman had specifically called out Community Common Sense for ginning up antiimmigrant hysteria that hampered Latino candidates, telling the Voice of OC, “By this sort of race baiting—sanctuary cities, illegal aliens and all this other nonsense— they’re able to drum up enough support to win elections.” McCarthy laughs at the claim. “I knew that [district elections were] the answer for Councilman Sam Allevato and his friends in order to get rid of three council members who all lived in the same district and swept the previous elections,” she says. How Farias and McCarthy teamed up is a classic tale of opposing sides uniting against a common enemy—but also about the unlikely alliances that district elections can create. A former Catholic choir boy, Farias’ first foray into politics was as a precinct captain for Democrat John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid. Disillusioned by

By gaBriel san román the experience, he found his true passion in the anti-war and pro-immigrant rights movements of the Dubya era. He joined PSL, which taught him how to organize and allowed him to invite party leader Gloria La Riva to San Juan Capistrano for a speaking event. But his dalliance with socialism didn’t last long; Farias left PSL and then the Peace & Freedom Party. “After Roseanne Barr was chosen as [Peace & Freedom’s] presidential nominee in 2012, I was pretty much done,” Farias says. This year, Farias got involved in the district election mapping process alongside two longstanding Latino organizations in the city: We Are San Juan and CREER, which McCarthy had accused in 2010 of helping to promote “racial division [to] fuel racial tension experienced by non-Hispanic Americans throughout our country.” The final map split San Juan Capistrano into five districts; District One, with 44 percent of its population being Latino citizens of voting age, was the first to have its seat up for election. Farias filed papers to run there and tapped a local high-school teacher to be his campaign manager. “We knew we had an issue if people Googled me,” Farias says. He tried to allay any red-baiting fears by going to political coffee chats at Hennessey’s Tavern every Friday morning. But potential voters there called him a “militant Mexican,” an “ACLU Democrat” and a “socialist.” Farias didn’t have much better luck with the Democratic Party of Orange County, which endorsed his opponent, Nathan Banda, a member of a powerful Juaneño family. And donors pulled back on promised contributions, calling him an “unknown candidate.” Community Common Sense came to rescue his campaign after McCarthy realized her daughter’s best friend was Farias’ cousin. She also became alarmed when reading in the Capistrano Dispatch that Banda served as ambassador to the local Chamber of Commerce, a group she stridently opposes. McCarthy and Farias found common ground in opposing a planned expansion of a San Diego Gas & Electric substation in District One residential neighborhoods. “We hashed out more of our differences,” Farias says of their August meeting. “Hey, who isn’t a socialist in college or in their twenties?” McCarthy adds. During a Chamber of Commerce candidate forum in October, Farias protested a simplistic “support” and “oppose” posterboard-response format. “That’s when I knew he was the right guy,” says McCarthy, who sat in the audience. “He showed

FARIAS: NO LONGER A MARXIST

ROCKOGRAPHY

courage. That was in the den of the ‘good ol’ boys.’” Community Common Sense held a fundraiser for Farias before eventually endorsing him, writing, “We believe Mr. Farias will work to represent all residents, not just the politically connected few.” Farias never stressed his ethnicity during the campaign, while Banda’s campaign logo appeared at a local concert featuring Banda Machos. McCarthy also walked precincts alongside Farias’ wife, with McCarthy speaking to residents in English and Farias’ wife in Spanish. “The majority of people in District One, regardless of whether they’re illegal or legal, white or brown, 80 years old or 20 years old, they’re all sick of the same frigging things,” says McCarthy. The District One election wasn’t even close: Farias destroyed Banda by a 17 percent margin, albeit in a turnout that saw neither candidate cracking the 1,000-vote mark. That Community Common Sense helped to make it happen has bewildered San Juan Capistrano’s political observers and activists. “That baffles me!” Shenkman says. “I still think that some of the stuff that has come out of McCarthy’s mouth and that of her colleagues in that group is abjectly racist and disgusting.”

Meanwhile, We Are San Juan doesn’t see itself working with Community Common Sense any time soon. “We did tell Farias that campaigns are not what we focus on,” says organizer Karen Huerta. Farias says that Community Common Sense hasn’t written about immigration lately, and McCarthy dismisses the idea her newspaper is the real kingmaker in town, pointing instead to the Mission Viejo Co., the Chamber of Commerce, and San Diego Gas & Electric-loving politicians. The two recently sat down for breakfast again. “We’re already looking at issues that are going to come up that I know we are going to disagree on,” Farias says. “But the alliance will hold as long as they stay true to who they believe I am, and it will be a good one benefiting the Latino community in San Juan.” “Oh, my God, we could be an example for the country,” McCarthy adds. “We’re all taxpayers, and we can’t be divided by the government. If we can get together and talk about this, then it’s less likely they can take advantage of all of us.” GSANROMAN@OCWEEKLY.COM

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¡ask a mexican!» » gustavo arellano DEAR MEXICAN: What’s up with pochos and their disrespect for their origins? I’m a Mexican, born and raised in Mexico, a proud chilango, and, well, I gotta know why do pochos—Mexican-Americans or whatever—try to make our reputation as bad as possible by acting all gangster and drug dealer, like a lazy, ignorant, person? I mean, no kidding: They represent Mexican culture in the USA, and, well, it doesn´t give us real Mexicans a good image, especially the working ones. I mean, I´m not poor, but I was born poor, and my biggest example is my dad, who busted his butt working for us to get where we are. So, why do pochos put us as lowrider drivers who do drive-bys and lazy guys who are ignorant and know nothing? I mean, I got pushed back to eighth grade again when I studied in the U.S. for a year, just because I came from Mexico; the excuse was that the school system was different. Anyway, I just hope you can answer why pochos do that. Mexico City Misfit DEAR NACO: Man, Mexicans have been fretting about the supposedly bad image MexicanAmericans give them ever since Octavio Paz was railing against pachucos in The Labyrinth of Solitude. In “The Pachuco and Other Extremes,” he ripped apart Mexican-American youth as emblematic of a “sheer negative impulse, a tangle of contradictions, an enigma” and accused them of “grotesque dandyism and anarchic behavior”—and if that doesn’t describe all the wannabe buchones who blast El Komander from their Escalade while driving to Culiacán, I don’t know what does. Too regional a reference? How about all the Mexican soccer fans who continue to chant, “Ehhhhhh . . . PU-TO” during matches despite FIFA fines and pleas from El Tri? You think

Emiliano Zapata would approve of that mierda? The years have taught me that the more “real” Mexicans say they are, the more pendejo they actually are—and, I mean, you just proved that. DEAR MEXICAN: I’m a dark Mexican with curly hair who spent my whole life defending my full-blooded Mexican-ness to people who insisted I was half-black. I married a black guy because (aside from the fact that I fell in love with him), as I explained to my grandma, no Mexican guy ever gave me the time of day while black guys did. So we have one child who is, as George Lopez says, “Chicano-plus.” Why is my family so fascinated with him? “Look at his curly hair!” I have curly hair! “Look at his beautiful skin?” We’re the same color! He looks just like me and not a bit like his black daddy. Same goes for another of my family members who also married a black guy! What gives with mixed babies and Mexicans? And why didn’t I get this kind of love growing up? Hating on My Mixed Baby DEAR POCHA: Chill out—everyone’s freaking out about your baby because he’s obviously cute, and mixed babies are the most chulos. You didn’t get that love, en el other hand, because your family was in denial about ustedes’ Afro-Mexican roots (dark skin? Curly hair? There’s an African in that family árbol . . . or at least a Moor). How to explain the contradiction? Easy: By marrying a black man, you’ve helped to push racial ambiguity and anxiety back into the chamber pot of pendejismo where it belongs, right next to Donald Trump and Mexican soccer fans who chant, “Eh . . . PUTO!” ASK THE MEXICAN at themexican@askamexican.net, be his fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or ask him a video question at youtube.com/askamexicano!

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Nati ve Tоgue

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For the past 20 years, a Santa Ana man has kept the language of the Aztecs alive by Gabriel San Román

“o

say, ‘Nanon tanecic, nanon tiotaqui, nanon tayohuah.’” Church bells ring in the background, as students recite the phrases in unison. They try their best to master the agglutinative tongue, with words cascading into one another to create strings of beautifully flowing sentences. They’re in one of the best places in the United States to practice: in the presence of Nahuatl’s unlikeliest ambassador. “The word elotl is basically the same,” he next tells the class, pointing to a sign on the wall that says “elote,” its Spanish counterpart. “Corn cobs were the first harvest at that time, and the Mexicas would make an offering from it to Coatlicue, the goddess of mother earth.” He then proceeds to hehecatl—“air.” “Think about it: Nahuatl begins with this word,” he tells his students, then asks them why. “It’s the first thing a baby does when it’s born—it breathes,” a student responds in Spanish.

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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kay, let’s start with practice!” Davíd Vázquez says in Spanish to a dozen or so students seated in the basement choir room of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana. His jet-black hair is gathered into a tightly braided ponytail; his tone is emphatic but patient. The 61-year-old proceeds to offer customary greetings in Nahuatl, the language of the Mexicas of Mexico, better known as the Aztecs. “Tanecic!” “Tiotaqui!” “Tayohuah!” The class repeats those words (which mean “Good morning!” “Good afternoon!” and “Good evening!”) as Vázquez looks on. He’s wearing huaraches and a buttoned-up, red-and-green-striped shirt whose sleeves flare slightly below the elbow. On the back is two beautifully embroidered Mexica images of half-turkey, halfeagle symbols intertwined in battle. “Now, older persons, we treat and greet with respect— a teacher, a doctor, an elder,” Vázquez continues. “So we

| ocweekly.com | 10

Native Tongue » FROM PAGE 9 Vázquez nods, then motions to a symbol found in Nahuatl codices that represents breath. “This is what gives us life,” he says. “Without air, you die.” He repeats the thought twice in a measured tone to make the point resonate. And the father of three continues like this for two hours: part history lesson, part grammar quiz, part religion discussion, part culture sharing, even part confessional. “My parents, my neighbors didn’t speak Spanish; they spoke completely in Nahuatl,” he says. “For those of you who already know English and Spanish, Nahuatl is yours.” Vázquez takes a few questions before concluding class for the day. “Here, we end,” he announces. “I’m not going to pick you up for next week’s class. If you can come by Uber, it’s fine by me.” Students chuckle before giving Vázquez a round of applause. Long suppressed, Nahuatl lives on in a million-plus speakers in Mexico and the U.S., as well as in popular culture. Words such as “avocado,” “tomato,” “coyote” and “chocolate” trace their roots to it. As with Gaelic, Nahuatl has become a fertile ground for assimilated parents when naming their children, including Xochitl (flower) and Citlali (star). Chicano activists try to sprinkle phrases into their lives; Grammy-winning band Ozomatli named themselves after the servant to the Aztec god of dance. You even get Nahuatl at your local Chipotle, which takes its name from chilpoctli—“smoked chile.” For the past 20 years, Vázquez has taught tens of thousands of students at community centers, universities and churches across Southern California. He’s held classes at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah at least monthly since 1996, when the immigrant arrived to the United States and began working as a janitor for the downtown church. Though now approaching retirement, Vázquez still has big plans for Nahuatl. He wants to create language academies in Santa Ana and Mexico that’ll continue his life’s work and propagate an alphabet he created, Sequoyah-like, in order to keep the ancient language alive. “My story is a difficult tale, but something pushes me, something obligates me to be a leader,” Vázquez says. “On one hand, I like it, and on the other hand, perhaps the divine worked through me to create something sacred, and that is in the Nahuatl writing system.”

he word “Nahuatl” translates as “clear speech.” It belongs to the Uto-Azteca linguistic group, which includes the languages of most of the Southwestern Indian tribes, lending credence to the Mexica founding myth that their homeland of Aztlán was north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Early speakers first migrated into central Mexico around the 7th century, following the decline of the Teotihuacan Empire. The language continued

through the Toltec civilization, predecessor to the Mexicas, before becoming the dominant tongue of the Valley of Mexico from the 11th century onward. “It was, in this part of the world, something like what Latin was to Western Europe, a sort of lingua franca,” explains Fermin Herrera, a Cal State Northridge professor and Nahuatl expert. The language faced its greatest threat when Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire in the mid-1500s and proceeded to destroy codices, temples and culture along with people. But despite royal decrees against speaking the language, Catholic missionaries found Nahuatl useful as a way to evangelize the indigenous, keeping it alive while phasing out its original writing system in favor of Roman script. After Mexico became independent in 1810, Nahuatl and other indigenous languages became viewed by successive governments as backward relics hindering modernization, and the tongue was suppressed anew. Yet it survives: The 2000 census found 1.5 million people in Mexico speak Nahuatl in its various dialects, accounting for a quarter of all indigenous speakers, but only 1.5 percent of the general population. Without resources or institutional support from the Mexican educational system, Nahuatl is primarily passed on as an oral tradition, which is fading as residents leave their towns in search of work, whether within Mexico or in the United States. It was into this reality that Vázquez was born on Cinco de Mayo, 1955. He grew up in the remote town of Tlalmotolo, northeast of Mexico City, in Puebla’s municipality of Ixtacamaxtitlán. Nestled in a plateau surrounded by lush green mountains, Tlalmotolo’s few hundred residents primarily spoke Nahuatl, “receiving the wisdom from the elders in the town,” Vázquez says. “All of the knowledge that I have of this language is thanks to them; this is the product of generational learning passed down through our ancestors.” Tlalmotolo suffered from poverty, like nearly every other Nahuatl-dominant community in Mexico. It was a three-hour trek across rocky hills and rivers to and from school. “I was barefoot most of my childhood, foraging for mushrooms in the hillsides to sell so that I could have money to buy food to eat,” Vázquez remembers. He also made and sold pulque, the viscous alcoholic beverage that predates the Conquest. Vázquez’s parents regularly left town for work, returning on the weekends. At times, they’d go without eating when rainfall lasted for days. He didn’t learn Spanish until age 13, but he never lost his knowledge of Nahuatl. After dropping out of school, he worked in the sugar cane, coffee and rice fields of Veracruz. In his teens, Vázquez moved to Mexico City to become a construction worker; he made it a point to strike up conversations with other Nahuatl-speaking workers. “No matter what jobs I took on, I always pushed myself to figure out how I could incorporate my language and to push myself to be bilingual,” he says.

TOP: STANDING TALL, STANDING PROUD BOTTOM: "MEXICA TIANHUI!"

PHOTOS BY ROCKOGRAPHY

After a stint in the Mexican military, Vázquez returned to Tlalmotolo to start a family and build a home. But there were simply no opportunities there, or anywhere else in Mexico. He finally joined the Great Mexican Migration to el Norte and crossed over in 1989 at 34—relatively late among men of his village to leave. But

more than just work, he searched for a way to keep Nahuatl alive. “Most people born here in the U.S. have no idea about how many languages existed at any given point in ancient Mexican history,” Vázquez says. “I have to make people conscious of that history.”

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he Episcopal Church of the Messiah's choir room speaks of Vázquez’s life work. One wall features trilingual posters with neatly written sentences in Nahuatl, Spanish and English. A poster on the opposite end of the room has the Mexica numeral system, “the most ancient on Earth and in the world,” it proudly proclaims. Next to the board is his proudest achievement: a circular alphabet of Nahuatl, one Vázquez created himself. Vázquez arrived here in the U.S. not knowing anybody. But through the kindness of church leaders, he quickly found small jobs setting up Sunday Mass and serving coffee to the congregation. His custodial work hours steadily increased, and Vázquez sent for his family eight months later. He has worked here since. “Davíd has been very important to us because he has a deep sense and knowledge about this organization,” says church rector Abel Lopez. “He’s been a great addition to this staff, and we really appreciate him both as an employee and parishioner.” While Vázquez adjusted to life in the U.S., his Nahuatl itch continued. He began showing up at open mics across Orange County to recite poetry. One night in 1992, college students heard Vázquez and recruited him to join the Chicano Poet Society; he performed with the group at schools and churches across Southern California until it disbanded. The following year, Vázquez met Lupe Lopez, a Golden West College student and founder of the community group Alianza Indígena, during a UCLA hunger strike that created the school’s Department of Chicana/o Studies. Activists were clamoring for slogans beyond “Viva La Raza!”—and in a language most had only read about in history books. Lopez asked Vázquez for an Aztec alternative; he offered “Mexica Tiahui” (“Mexica Forward”). “That became the symbol of the next generation of indigenismo, of Chicanismo,” Lopez says of the slogan that still gets chanted in rallies across the Southwest. “Many people don’t know where that came from, but it came from Davíd!” Lopez then connected Vázquez with court officials after they approached Alianza Indígena with a request for indigenous language interpreters. Tens of thousands of Mexican Indians had migrated to the United States after the collapse of the Mexican peso in 1994, speaking only their native tongues. Santa Ana, in particular, became a landing ground for Náhuatl speakers from Puebla, Hidalgo and Veracruz. “I made sure that Vázquez became known to many superior courts throughout the United States,” she says. He began teaching legal clinics before doing official interpretation. “There would be two interpreters: one hired by the court to translate from English to Spanish, and then I would translate from Spanish to Náhuatl for the defendants charged with any criminal offences,” Vázquez says. “I’ve

TRANSLATION NATION

PHOTOS BY ROCKOGRAPHY

also translated over the phone in Oregon, Washington, Florida and D.C.” Being a poet and a court interpreter allowed Vázquez to make some additional money, but teaching Nahuatl for free remained his true passion. He selfpublished La Voz de Tenochtitlán: La Lengua Azteca (The Voice of Tenochtitlán: The Aztec Language) in 1993, a SpanishNahuatl practice book with more than 500 study words. And all along, he worked with a new Nahuatl alphabet. As Vázquez tells it, one day as a young boy in Tlalmotolo, he wrote random symbols on maguey plant leaves, putting them in no particular order at first and not knowing what he was doing. He didn’t think of them as letters until finding out later that Nahuatl’s original writing system did not survive the Conquest. Once Vázquez completed the alphabet around 1968, he practiced writing it so he could memorize the new system before sharing it with Tlalmotolo’s elders; they approved. Vázquez finally revealed the alphabet to the public in 1994, writing the name of Cuauhtémoc, the last Mexica ruler, with his new letters on a sheet of paper during a ceremony before 5,000 people in Los Angeles. He held a similar inauguration in 2004 before his whole village. “I’ve reached the conclusion that I have found the sequence of the true Nahuatl language,” Vázquez says. The alphabet, which doesn’t connect directly to the ancient codices but is guided by Mexica philosophy, is depicted in a circle with a “letter zero” symbol resting at the center, followed by 20 Nahuatl letters separated by four cardinal directions and grouped in pairs of five. “Every symbol has its own profound root, MASK UP!

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sound and place. The ‘zero letter’ is like the mother of the alphabet,” Vázquez says, explaining it’s the sound that makes all other sounds possible: inhalation. “The new alphabet is absolutely necessary because the Latin letters do not complement the sounds that we need.” He plans to reveal more about his system in a book he’s currently writing. “I’ve spent more than 40 years of studying the vocabulary to be able to put it in order, for me to put it into writing the way we have it now.” Backed by a study book and an alphabet and the blessing of an Episcopalian priest, Vázquez began teaching Nahuatl at the Church of the Messiah in 1996. Lupe Lopez helped to organize classes at the El Modena Community Center in Orange, La Independencia Family Resource Center in Anaheim, and Golden West College. He began drawing up plans to self-finance a pyramid monument to his Nahuatl alphabet near Tlalmotolo, along with Nahuatl academies there and in Santa Ana. “What we have now, all of the material we have prepared, we are ready for the founding of the schools,” Vázquez says. Only one thing is preventing his plans from moving forward: money. “Some colleges have given me an honorarium, but aside from that, I teach for free,” he says. “It will be difficult for me to continue teaching because I have nowhere to sustain myself from.”

VÁZQUEZ'S ALPHABET

he need to rescue Nahuatl on both sides of the border isn’t quixotic. There’s a demand for Nahuatl instruction by second-generation MexicanAmericans seeking to connect with their indigenous heritage. UCLA and Cal State Northridge offer courses to college students. Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory (formerly known as Academia Semillas del Pueblo) in El Sereno has taught the language as part of its public charter multilingual curriculum for the past 15 years. Vázquez’s Saturdaymorning classes are the only ones in Orange County. Two of Vázquez’s most loyal students, Hector Bonilla and Mazatl Tecpatl Tepehylotzin, speak well of their temachtiani, or teacher. “I met Vázquez over 20 years ago,” Bonilla says. “He used to live right next door to me, but I didn’t even know he spoke Nahuatl.” Bonilla, who is Salvadoran, had noticed his grandfather speaking in what definitely didn’t sound Spanish. He noticed the same thing in Mexico and, later, in the United States. Once Bonilla’s brother told him of their neighbor’s secret, he started learning at Vázquez’s Santa Ana home. “He has all that experience and fatherly love that he shows for everybody,” Bonilla says. “For someone to step up and want to rescue his heritage, we need that kind of person for kids to look up to.” The electrician has gained a high level of fluency, something that has allowed Bonilla to become an assistant of sorts to Vázquez. He’s trying to help his teacher devise a system that will help future students gain fluency faster and has assisted in the creation of more than 250 trilingual posters. “Vázquez put all his knowledge and experience into that writing system,” Bonilla says. “Hopefully, it takes off and it gets recognized as a writing system that we can use for the Nahuatl language.” Tepehylotzin met Vázquez at the El Modena Community Center 15 years ago through Lupe Lopez. The lessons extended far beyond the language for Tepehylotzin, who legally changed his name from Sergio Rivera to his Nahuatl appellation earlier this year after gaining U.S. citizenship. “There were times I needed guidance

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Native Tongue » FROM PAGE 13 and had questions about life—not just history, but our culture or identity,” Tepehylotzin says. “It was a psychological thing for me, too. Because of my color, I was discriminated against by a lot of white kids in Anaheim schools.” He uses Nahuatl in occasional conversations both in Mexico and OC. “I have practiced with a lot of communities from Guerrero and Puebla here,” Tepehylotzin says. “They’re the ones cutting your grass, doing your roofing and whatever hardlabor job, and you don’t even know! When you go out there to check on them, they’ll change back to Spanish!”

n a recent Saturday morning, Vázquez is readying for a two-hour Nahuatl class in the Church of the Messiah choir room. His vibrant green shirt featuring the tricolor stripes of the Mexican flag running down the sleeves matches his light, cheery mood. He has something special planned for his students but starts the day’s lessons with the customary “Tanecic!” “Tiotaqui!” “Tayohuah!” “We should be speaking the way our ancestors really did,” Vázquez tells the dozen students in class. He writes a number of sentences on the board, upping the difficulty from past lessons, stopping during one sequence to emphasize the word Ixachilan (“America”). “Ixachi-

lan is from Alaska down to Patagonia,” Vázquez explains. “That is the continent of America.” Vázquez writes two new sentences in Nahuatl, offering a media lesson along the way. “Neha niez ce tahcuiloqueh,” Vázquez recites. “I am a writer.” He repeats the sentence again, only this time ending with the word tatelhuiqueh (“reporter”). “There’s many who write but don’t speak, and there’s many who speak but don’t write,” Vázquez says. “In these two forms, we know their important work of informing the community of what’s going to happen, what’s happening or what happened.” He continues to proselytize for his alphabet; last year, Vázquez presented during a “Nahuatl Across Borders” symposium at UC San Diego. “I don’t know if it’s gained traction just yet,” says Marcos Aguilar. The principal of Anahuacalmecac, the El Sereno charter school that’s the only one in the nation to teach children Nahuatl, attended the symposium. “I think it’s a great idea in particular, in terms of the interest in decolonizing the language.” “Hopefully, a lot more people will show up to [Vázquez’s] classes and want to learn,” Bonilla says. “We keep the pyramids alive for tourism and all, but not when it comes to the language. It would be sad if we lost something like that.” “We are decolonizing ourselves from those who came 500 years ago and colonized us,” Tepehylotzin says of returning

MEXICA CODICE

ROCKOGRAPHY

to what he calls the “B.C.” era—Before Columbus and Cortés. “It’s for us to be chicautl—to be strong.” In the meantime, Vázquez teaches. When the church bells ring out at noon, the maestro pulls out a stack of certificates from his briefcase, each reading, “For having the courage to learn and rescue our Nahuatl language in Santa Ana.” He calls up each student by name to present their certificate. “Tlazocamati,” one student said, using the Nahuatl word for “Thank you.” Both touch at the fingers of opposite hands while bowing, a traditional Mexica greeting.

The class concludes with a group photo. “Where’s Mazatl?” Vázquez asks loudly, fatherly. “Ay, that Mazatl!” His longtime student suddenly reappears in the hallway and takes a seat for the picture. “I give to my country of Mexico what it has been missing, what many intellectuals never could do: an alphabet done by an indigenous person that knows his language, working from his heart,” Vázquez says. “As a native, this is what I’m going to leave my nation, and if they don’t want to register it, I will leave it to the United States. I have my country here, too.” GSANROMAN@OCWEEKLY.COM

fri/12/02 [THEATER]

Tune In

Merry Mid-Century Before you take your seat in front of a giant Christmas bird surrounded by Grandma and the rest of the distant relatives, plop down in a theater seat for the Found Theatre’s new, limited-run performance of Merry MidCentury, a production culling together some of the greatest old-school television specials of the 1950s. The wholesomeness of the subject matter will suit audiences of all ages, and there’s free eggnog and beverages if you donate a pair of socks for the homeless. Best of all, there are no commercial interruptions. So immerse yourself in a time when there really was a Santa Claus, chestnuts roasted on open fires, and fruitcakes were a dime a dozen. Bless us, every one! Merry Mid-Century at the Found Theatre, 599 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, (562) 433-3363; www.foundtheatre. org. 8 p.m. Through Dec. 18. $8-$15. —AIMEE MURILLO

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sat/12/03 [ART]

Nightmares Before Christmas ‘Creepy Christmas’

For most, Christmas is a time of love, caroling and twinkly lights, but for others, a stranger and more unusual interpretation of Christmas cheer is far more enticing. For those who are more a fan of Krampus than Kris Kringle, don’t miss the chance to celebrate the holiday season in dark, brooding style with “Creepy Christmas” at the Dark Art Emporium in Long Beach. The art gallery and oddities shop specializes in the truly twisted all year round, but for one night only, you can witness 14 artists’ horrifying holiday-themed paintings and sculptures. Oh, come all ye fearful and be “Ho! Ho! Horrified!” “Creepy Christmas” at the Dark Art Emporium, 252 Elm Ave., Long Beach, (562) 612-1118; www. darkartemporium.com. 7 p.m. Free. —AMANDA PARSONS

fri/12/02

[CONCERT]

Later, Gram

Few musicians possess the ability to effortlessly bare their heart while blending James Brown-style funk, lo-fi blues and contemporary Southern soul. Lee Fields isn’t quite like other artists—he’s best described as a soul phenomenon.Today, with help from the younger chaps of the Expressions, Lee Fields is re-inventing a sweeping and cinematic soul sound. Witness Fields’ raucous yet tender voice for yourself and try to not let your heart ache as the legend creates an emotional intimacy that goes beyond most live concert experiences—consider it soul therapy. Lee Fields & the Expressions with Holy Hive at the Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona; www. theglasshouse.us. 8:30 p.m. $15-$18. —DENISE DE LA CRUZ

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Though iconic Southern California singer/songwriter Gram Parsons, née Ingram Cecil Connor III, died in 1973, his influential blend of country and rock remains prominent and can be heard in many bands who may not be knowingly familiar with his work. Just as it honored his 65th birthday, Don the Beachcomber will be the site for the celebration of Parsons’ 70th birthday. With 14 bands on two stages powering through his abundant catalog of hits and misses, no matter where you are in the venue, you’ll be unable to escape the sounds of Parsons. Gram Parsons’ 70th Birthday Bash at Don the Beachcomber, 16278 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (562) 592-1321; www.donthebeachcomber.com. 6 p.m. $15-$250. —DANIEL KOHN

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Gram Parsons’ 70th Birthday Bash

[CONCERT]

sun/12/04 [NIGHTLIFE]

Take Us to Church Beer & Hymns

It’s better than karaoke, more communal than an open mic, and you get to swig beers between lyrics. It’s the monthly Beer & Hymns night at the Wayfarer, an inclusive sing-along that gathers people old and young, straight and LGBTQ, to bellow classic Americana hymns without the religious overtones—whether you celebrate Jesus

or no one at all, everyone is welcome. In fact, the people in charge are so adamantly against proselytizing or preaching, they made it their tagline, to keep the event as enjoyable and judgement-free as possible. Just expect good people, good beer, and a great backing band to elevate the vibe from just another night at the bar to something more glorious. Beer & Hymns at the Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; www. wayfarercm.com. 6:30 p.m. $10. 21+. —AIMEE MURILLO

[ENVIRONMENT]

Do Your Share

Coastal Clean Up No. 19 Join the Xanadu movement for its Coastal Clean Up event, stacked with guest speakers, beach yoga and team-building activities all in the name of making the world a beautiful place. Starting with a morning yoga flow at 10 in Huntington Beach (Tower 16), the good folks at Xanadu will guide you through a day of productive and informative programs. You’ll

get to pick up litter and learn how to best dump and discard unwanted materials with a slew of guest speakers; after that, it’s playtime! Come out and embrace our coastal nature while you become inspired to keep her clean. Coastal Clean Up No. 19 at Huntington Beach (Tower 16), 1606 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach; xanadu.ticketsocket. com. 9:30 a.m. Free, but RSVP required. —MARY CARREON

mon/12/05 [FAMILY]

Keepin’ It Merry Knott’s Merry Farm

It’s snowing in Ghost Town! The perennial OC hot spot for family fun breaks out the winter garb in honor of the merriest season of all. Snoopy and Woodstock are dancing on ice with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang; Santa’s all set up in his Christmas cabin, waiting for tots to perch on his lap while parents eat Mrs. Claus’ holiday desserts; and young and old are invited to create arty things in the Christmas Crafts Village. All through the park, adventure revelers can rocket through their favorite rides, all done up in synchronized lights and holiday music—most especially, splashing through the hillbillyinbreeding fun on the Log Ride with snow! Knott’s Merry Farm at Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, (714) 220-5200; www.knotts.com. 10 a.m. Through Jan. 8, 2017. $42-$44. —SR DAVIES

tue/12/06

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[CONCERT]

Raunch Stomp

Guantanamo Baywatch Guantanamo Baywatch go back in time with more enthusiasm than ever on their recent album, Darling . . . It’s Too Late, which proves just what it says in the title by delivering a nicely nasty Dolls-style (or maybe Black Lipsstyle?) take on the Norton Records catalog: Charlie Feathers, Hasil Adkins, Bobby Fuller, injected with a little extra right-now energy. As Kris Kristofferson once told me, “Better before?! Oh, God! It was DIFFERENT before!” With openers Tracy Bryant, the Corners front man currently riding an excellent solo LP, and the newly birthed Kill a Punk for Rock N Roll, which is Josh Landau of LSD-metalloid shredders the Shrine plus heavy friends. Guantanamo Baywatch with Tracy Bryant and Kill a Punk for Rock N Roll at the Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 9570600; www.constellationroom.com. 8 p.m. $13. —CHRIS ZIEGLER

thu/12/08

[NIGHTLIFE]

[ART]

Krampusnacht!

Books on Books on Books

Krampus Kickback

Expect to see dozens of Krampus-themed festivities happening in the next couple of weeks, folks, to counter the overkill of holiday cheeriness. Tonight’s party at the Doll Hut is one such celebration of the mythical devil-goat, fittingly during the venue’s monthly doom-and-gloom night, 7ven Nightclub. Costumes are encouraged but not mandatory—although who couldn’t resist dressing up with your own pair of goat horns and demon mask (alternatively, ugly sweaters are an option, too), while you sway emphatically to music spun by DJs Gn0m3, Donovan Canales, Dominique Davila and DJ Gunblaid. Dark mistress of OC-based Goth clothing Terry Kennedy will be vending from her Fullerton-based store Ipso Facto. It’s enough to make a soul-eating, child-terrorizing Krampus feel truly at home. 7ven’s Krampus Kickback at the Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim, (562) 2770075; www.facebook.com/worldfamousdh. 8 p.m. Free before 9:30 p.m., $5 after. 21+.

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AntenaMóvil

Cal State Fullerton Grand Central Art Center artist-in-resident Sarah Rafael Garcia has brought forth all sorts of literary desmadre throughout 2016, reinvigorating OC’s Latino nerd scene in a way not seen since the heyday of Breath of Fire Theater and Librería Martinez. As part of her efforts, Garcia has brought down the AntenaMóvil project from LA: a cargo tricycle filled with books, zines and other printed material in English and habla. Buy a book, talk to onlookers, and ask about Garcia’s upcoming book of SanTanabased fairy tales—will Mike Harrah be the Grinch or Jack Jakosky? AntenaMóvil at Grand Central Art Center, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, (714) 5677233; www.grandcentralartcenter.com. 11 a.m. Free. —GUSTAVO ARELL ANO

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[THEATER]

It Stinks!

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales We’re all just a little bit tired of the holiday cheer and joy that’s been going on since, like, a week before Halloween, right? Well, there’s finally a holiday (kind of) play going on that won’t douse you with heartfelt storylines designed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. John Glore’s adaptation of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales is sure to be an extraordinarily silly, family-friendly performance that lives up to the beloved children’s book that makes fun of every fairy tale you ever heard as a kid. It’s the best story with a strong emphasis on cheese since The Boxtrolls, and this one probably doesn’t even contain any death by lactose intolerance. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales at the Garage Theatre, 251 E. Seventh St., Long Beach, (562) 433-8337; www.thegaragetheatre.org. 8 p.m. Through Dec. 17. $15-$20. —JOSH CHESLER

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The Bowers is on a roll, with a photography exhibit featuring one saint following an exhibit celebrating another. Combine a tour of the Virgin of Guadalupe show with a viewing of work by legendary American photo pioneer Imogen Cunningham for a full day in Santa Ana. A member of the California Group f/64, you’ll recognize her elegantly stark modernist early-20th-century aesthetic. Cunningham pioneered image-making featuring plants and nudes, with deceptively simple close-ups as part of a movement of realist clarity composed in scientifically artful arrangement. Later, she added to a catalog of portraits and still-lifes with documentary street shots, composing well into her nineties. “Seen & Unseen” features 60 framed silver gelatin prints on loan from the CunninghamTrust, all wonderful and until now, yes, rarely seen. “Seen & Unseen: Photographs by Imogen Cunningham” at Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 5673600; www.bowers.org. 10 a.m.Through Feb. 26, 2017. $10-$15.

The Droppers / JJ Smith and the Helm

THE EVERLY BROTHERS EXPERIENCE 12/31 LOS LOBOS NEW YEAR’S EVE!

—AIMEE MURILLO

Meant to be Seen

DAVE MASON THE DAN BAND LEE ANN WOMACK BERLIN “HOLIDAY SHOW” WHICH ONE’S PINK? (PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE) JACKIE GREENE / THE CORDOVAS CASEY ABRAMS GARY “HO HO” HOEY QUEEN NATION (QUEEN TRIBUTE) PONCHO SANCHEZ THE FERNS /

wed/12/07

HoleInTHeWall

» gustavo arellano

Keep Karahi 100 TANDOORI FRESH 1500 Adams Ave., Ste. 100A, Costa Mesa, (714) 444-4407; www.tandoorifresh.com.

The Life of Pie

BRIAN FEINZIMER

At Tim Goodell’s new Balboa Island bistro, Royal Hen, you want the chicken pot pie

inside it. It’s not that Goodell is afraid of offering offal, either. It’s just that there’s a limit to what his Newport Beach audience will swallow. The sheep hearts and lungs of real haggis? Not so much. But foie gras? Absolutely. Especially when turned into a mousse-like fluff, then smeared as the filling for fancy French macarons. I ate the first of the three chewy, sweet cookies that came in my order, waiting for it to clash with its salty goose-liver filling, but it never did. Instead, the sugar highlighted the savory. I devoured the other two in quick succession. I also loved the appetizer of chicken cracklings, although the $5 price tag was a bit high for what amounts to just three potato chip-sized flecks of crunchy skin topped with tiny dollops of avocado purée, spicy nduja and aioli. For $2 more, the Kennebec fries were a better deal. A serving came out with three dipping sauces, hot in a cone, cut into non-uniform spears, each one the perfect balance of crispy blond outer crust to steaming inner core. If Goodell ever does fish and chips, as he originally planned, he already has half the equation figured out with these fries. Until that day, and if you strike out on the chicken pot pie, an entrée of milk-braised Kurobuta pork is a worthy comfort-food consolation prize. I might even argue it’s the restaurant’s homiest dish since it’s essentially a pork pot roast—soft and warm, the meat melting on top of creamy polenta—that an Italian grandmother would serve her brood for Sunday supper. You may also want to consider

Goodell’s most expensive dish: four hand-harvested scallops patiently seared and bathed in butter, then served with asparagus and the house mushy peas. The peas, by the way, were excellent—a verdant distillation of spring and another British element from the original menu that survived the cut. The addition of it to the dish, along with salty morsels of crispy pork belly, made the scallops worth the $27 Goodell charges. But back to the chicken pot pie. It wasn’t a deconstruction, an interpretation or even an update; it’s chicken pot pie in its most classic form. It reminded me of the frozen pot pies my mom brought home from the supermarket—something I’ve always considered a treat. Royal Hen’s was better, of course, with higher quality ingredients, such as chicken that came off a whole roasted bird and gravy that tasted as if it were made from scratch. Still, this pie didn’t stray from the peas-and-carrots of pot pie canon, with a golden, flaky and buttery sealed top that I tore into like a Christmas present. After I ate its contents, I used my spoon to scrape the edges for what remained of the caked-on crust. Others did the same. “It looks like you didn’t like it at all!” a server said to the blue-haired retiree as she cleared out her spotless pie plate. “I licked it clean, didn’t I?” the retiree replied, blushing. The brunette glared with jealousy. ROYAL HEN 311 Marine Ave., Newport Beach, (949) 8735603; www.theroyalhen.com. Open Tues.Thurs. & Sun., 4-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 4-11 p.m. Dinner for two, $30-$80, food only. Full bar.

GARELLANO@OCWEEKLY.COM

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ands down, the most popular dish at Royal Hen—the brandnew bistro on Balboa Island by Tim Goodell of 25 Degrees and A Restaurant and so many other great OC restaurants over the years—is the chicken pot pie. The night of my visit, I overheard the twentysomething brunette at the next table tell her server that she’d been craving it ever since a few friends posted pictures of it on social media. But alas, the waitress had bad news: It had just sold out. She told the girl the chef only makes a limited number per day. I looked at my watch. It was 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. Apparently, I got the last one. As I guarded my pie from her envious gaze, I scanned the dining room and realized half of the customers—from a bluehaired retiree to the well-coifed socialite at the communal hightop—were finishing up their own pies. It occurred to me that Goodell probably didn’t anticipate this. From the looks of the first draft of the menu, he originally envisioned Royal Hen to be an Irish/ Scottish/English pub. Of the five pies he’d planned to bake—including a shepherd’s pie, an Irish stew pie, and a beef and Guinness pie—only the chicken pot pie survived, and it’s as American as Betty Crocker. Yet there are still hints of the U.K. on the menu. There is, for instance, “haggis,” but it’s not anything Robert Burns would recognize as such. Instead, it’s four breaded, deep-fried Ping-Pong ball croquettes that resembled Japanese korokke more than the meal immortalized by the Bard of Ayrshire. In fact, I’m not sure I found anything resembling any sort of organ meat or, actually, any meat

By Edwin GoEi

oon after it opened about six years ago, I visited Tandoori Fresh. Nothing about the shopping-plaza restaurant impressed me: bland food, bad service, bad prices, bad date—it was an unmitigated disaster. I rarely gave it a second thought as the years passed, except to scrunch my face whenever its memory came up. I made a similarly sour face when Parimal Rohit recently invited me there. He’s the new editor of the Weekly’s sister paper, The Log, which covers everything boating in Southern California. P-Mo is a good guy and knows his food—so I was shocked he wanted to visit Tandoori Fresh. But it was his birthday lunch, so off we went. Once we entered the restaurant, though, I became more excited than him. “They have karahi?!” I nearly shouted upon reading the menu on the wall, as P-Mo laughed. It’s a classic Pakistani dish, oily and spicy and taken to volcanic levels thanks to ginger, and you usually only see it in Pakistani restaurants, of which there aren’t nearly enough in OC. But Tandoori Fresh had transformed over time into an Indian-Pakistani place, a spot where you could get your chicken tikka masala as easily as you could nihari, Pakistan’s iconic dish of a beef shank with a spice level of H-bomb. We ordered a couple of plates and appetizers, and I busted out my wallet. “No need to pay right now, sir,” the register guy said. “Just sit down, and we’ll take care of you.” Great service! And the rest of the lunch went splendidly—so well, in fact, that I’ve returned a couple of times since, plowing through the menu—the luscious seekh kebab, the fluffy biryanis, the fabulous haleem (essentially a savory pudding). I’m not sure what changed— or maybe nothing had, and I really had an off day in 2010—but the Tandoori Fresh promise of offering subcontinental food for the masses hits all the time now. The dishes will please desis and nonIndians alike, with spice levels ratcheted up or down accordingly. Portions are huge, prices reasonable, and any place that sells housemade mango ice cream deserves an Indus River of compliments.

mo n th x x–x x , 2 014

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AND AN IMMACULATE CARROT, TOO!

food»reviews | listings

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Steak, Chicken, Carnitas, Adobada or Beef + tax

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18010 Newhope St., Ste C Fountain Valley | 714.427.0008 www. CANCUNFRESH.com

This is NOT ORDINARY MEXICAN FOOD, this is Authentic Mexican Food. If you are looking for imitation please flip the page and walk away. We offer our customers the Authentic Home made taste. ** MEXICAN MOTHER ON DUTY **

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EDWIN GOEI

Izakaya-Crazy in Tustin Happy hour yakitori at Kaminariya Yakitori Dining

he newish Tustin izakaya Kaminariya Yakitori Dining has a great happy hour deal: $1.50 per stick on three selected yakitori of the day and $2 to $3 on other small dishes meant for sharing, but only from 5 to 7 p.m. There were some brisk, lightly brined, “smashed” cucumbers that had hints of nuttiness from sesame oil. There was calamari, deep-fried until the porous cover of batter and rings of squid beneath crunched as if pork rinds. But the best of the lot were the kushiyaki, particularly the chicken meatball: firm and meaty orbs of what amounts to a barbecued burger made of chicken—on a stick. And it didn’t occur to me until I had it here

EatthisNow » edwin goei

that chicken skin, when wrapped around cloves of garlic, then roasted over coals, does a great impression of bacon. While Honda-Ya boasts hour-long waits mere blocks away, Kaminariya remains undiscovered, with barely a cult following. Maybe it’s better that way. Otherwise, why would it continue offering these great happy hour deals? KAMINARIYA YAKITORI DINING 14071 Newport Ave., Tustin, (714) 544-1169.

View our menu at HuntingtonRAMEN.com

7391 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach | 714-715-3631

DON’T SKEWER THESE SKEWERS

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DriNkofthEwEEk » gustavo arellano

Gin Brooklyn at Eat Chow

inally! Eat Chow—the kickass diner with spots in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach—opened its long-promised SanTana location in early November, drawing in folks for breakfast, lunch and dinner with its gallop across this new, brave, multicultural America (a menu with pancakes, ceviche, a media noche and a spectacular Thai beef salad? Yes, please). The other main attraction: This is Eat Chow’s first spot with a full liquor license. The bartenders have doubled down on the craft game, with a long roster that sees some (the Pretty In Pink, whose deep whimsy recalls the film) working better than others (as much as I love liqueurs, banana liqueur should still be relegated to rum cake) in these early weeks. But already nailing it is the Gin Brooklyn.

GUSTAVO ARELLANO

THE DRINK

As I’ve said a trillion times here, I favor bitter cocktails, and the Brooklyn Gin is akin to sipping on India ink: china-china liqueur, sweet vermouth, gin and angostura. It’s ramrod stiff, and it makes Eat Chow a must-visit if you’re in downtown SanTana. Give the staff a couple of months to work out the kinks, and the place will be ready to take on the kings and queens at Playground down the street—you heard it here first, kiddos. EAT CHOW 313 N. Bush St., Santa Ana, (657) 2660500; www.eatchownow.com.

TODO, PLEASE

SARAH BENNETT

Dawn of the Loncheras, Hopefully El Roto C.A. is helping Long Beach get closer to a taco truck on every corner

LongBeachLunch » sarah bennett

EL ROTO C.A. 1034 Locust Ave., Long Beach; also at 100-180 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach.

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are the only option for a roving kitchen slinging any cuisine. And now that a putrid orange peel is going to be president, I’m taking any opportunity I have to support them. One night, about a week after the election, I suggested a friend and I have a drink at Cielo, the new-ish rooftop bar and restaurant stop the Sky Room. The view can’t be beat, and I thought it would be a great place to fall back in love with our city (and maybe humanity). But we never made it there. As we walked down Ocean Boulevard past the performingarts center, I noticed the distinctive red-and-green flickering of an LED light board beckoning, “Tortas” and “Tacos.” I thought of how horrible the next four years without taco trucks would be. “Change of plans,” I said. After ordering a few tacos and loading my plate up with salty roasted peppers and pickled onions and carrots out of the requisite bins, my friend bought a Mexican Coke, and we sat on the edge of some planters. Cielo might have a view from the top, but tacos at the bottom taste way better. Long live the Taco Truck Party—Lord knows Long Beach needs it. #MakeAmericaAsadaAgain.

DE C EM BER 0 2- 0 8, 201 6

n Nov. 8, I voted for the Taco Truck Party. On Nov. 9, I walked to downtown Long Beach for dinner and buried my sadness in al pastor and carne asada. Because while some of the country elected an old leather boot to be our next president, at least my hometown is still one step closer to having a taco truck on every corner. When I was trying to find a silver lining in all this month’s shenanigans, the only thing I could think of is the spectacularly ironic fact that the lonchera that always parks on Locust behind the Superior market off 10th Street just doubled its empire. In the past month, a second El Roto C.A. taco truck—its logo is a cartoon of a hot dog eating a taco—started hanging out on Ocean Boulevard in front of the Loop, that multicolored monstrosity of public art (I would rather have some benches, seriously). The new truck serves the same menu as the first: a lot of different meats. Eleven different options, to be exact. These include the basics such as carne asada and al pastor (the latter you can watch being sliced off a trompo on the truck), along with long-simmered lengua, cabeza, buche, suadero, tripa and chunky, spicy chorizo. For the daring, it’s one of the few trucks I’ve seen that offers campechano, a kitchen-sink mix of multiple meats that you can get in a torta, on a taco, in a quesadilla, in a mulita or in a burrito. Or just get a fajita-topped hot dog—whatever. What’s most astonishing about los dos El Rotos is that Long Beach is in embarrassingly short supply of such things. For dinner most nights of the week, the Rotos

food»

Los Niños Are Not All Right

XLRATOR MEDIA

Mexico’s ghosts haunt the characters of Isaac Ezban’s new chiller BY Aimee muRillo

the station’s bathroom attendant, Gertrudis, becomes violently ill with a seizure and begins purging a yellow liquid from her mouth. Soon, others start to violently faint in the same way, and when they wake up, their faces begin to transmogrify into Ulises’ face, with his full beard, facial features and long hair. The rest begin to suspect a virus has infected them and start to turn on one another, as the film takes its time to draw out the real cause to be Ignacio. Until now, Ignacio has been a blabbering idiot, parroting everyone else’s words. But the torrential rain gives him the supernatural ability to play with people’s lives and control their actions. Soon, pinup posters on the wall have the same face, and the radio reports citizens’ faces transforming similarly. His idea to give everyone the same face stems from a comic book his mother read to him, and his growing sadism toward everyone knows no bounds as he fails to grasp the weight of human life against his infantile belief that he’s only playing a game. The inner pop-culture nerd in me could identify at least five or six different Twilight Zone references blended into The Similars’ narrative. Encompassing the themes of various episodes—being

stranded at a transportation depot with your evil twin (“Mirror Image”), a child monster with supernatural powers (“It’s a Good Life”), mob paranoia at its worst (“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”), and a secret villain lurking in your midst (“Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”)—there’s even a Rod Serlinglike narrator who delivers a monologue at the beginning and end of the film. The Similars’ retro film look effectively gives it an atmospheric touch, sometimes to anxiety-inducing levels. I always admire a director making a point to get his viewers to experience the film on a visceral level through creative editing, but watching this film was a real attack on the senses. Homages aside, what’s even more impressive about The Similars is how Ezban interwove a chapter of Mexican history into his story. Oct. 2, 1968, is the date of the Tlatelolco massacre, wherein a peaceful protest at the heels of months of riots and strikes was met with violent suppression by the Mexican government, with nearly 300 students killed by armed police and military. Alvaro, who was on his way to the protest, may have avoided this fate, but he fares no better here. But why this event is backgrounded in the first place could be because of some allegori-

cal meaning. As in many sci-fi films from the ’50s, The Similars channels a classic fear of forced conformity, suppression of free thought and the loss of personal agency at the hands of a crushing, repressive regime. It’s not clear when Ezban wrote the film, but coming into it with the recent baggage of Ayotzinapa, Black Lives Matter and, currently, Standing Rock (as well as a certain president-elect, cough cough), that message is as contemporary and relevant as ever, with the United States’ own future up in the air. There’s no light at the end of this tunnel, and The Similars is all the better for it. Because every good science-fiction film knows that to drive the point home, an open ending best invites viewers to come to their own conclusions and connect parallels from the film into their own reality. As with the bus that finally collects Ignacio and his mother by the film’s end, we’re in for a bumpy ride. AMURILLO@OCWEEKLY.COM THE SIMILARS was written and directed by Isaac Ezban; and stars Luis Alberti, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Pablo Guisa Koestinger and Santiago Torres. Opens Dec. 2 at the Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org.

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saac Ezban’s The Similars (Los Parecidos) sadly won’t be lighting up the Fandango calendar, but do watch it wherever you can. Pulling from 1950s and ’60s science-fiction films and television shows, the film is packaged in pastiche, from the faux graininess to the overcooked Hitchcockian musical score to the sepia-toned cinematography. Still, it delivers a solidly chilling story with some grim messages, not least of them that kids can be assholes, and when they have power, they’re especially terrifying. Billy Mumy, eat your heart out. The Similars opens on a dark and stormy night—Oct. 2, 1968, to be exact. Eight people are stranded at a bus station, waiting for any form of transportation to take them to Mexico City. They straggle into the station gradually: there’s Ulises, a shaggy-haired, bearded man who needs to reach his wife, who’s giving birth at the hospital; Irene, a pregnant woman escaping to safety from an abusive lover; Alvaro, who’s on his way to a political demonstration in Tlatelolco; and Rosa, a mother traveling with her ailing, mentally unstable little boy, Ignacio. With the stakes set and the desperation and tension within each character already felt, The Similars doesn’t waste time in setting up its first moments of panic when

mo nt h xx–x x, 2 0 14

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NICE MISE EN SCÈNE

film»reviews|screenings

Not the Land of Toys

STILL LOOKING GOOD AT 15

STUDIO GHIBLI

imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black-op missions in exchange for clemency. And then the chaos ensues. . . . Cal State Fullerton, Pavilion B, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, (657) 278-4219. Sun., 7 p.m. Call for ticket price. Sole a Catinelle (roughly translated as The Sun Is Shining Cats and Dogs). The Italian Club presents Gennaro Nunziante’s road picture about a father and son traveling from south to north. Chapman University, Argyros Forum 201, Charles and Nora Hester Faculty Senate Boardroom, (714) 9976815. Tues., 7 p.m. Free. Nerdland. An animated film about slacker best friends who have seen their super-stardom dreams fizzle. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, (714) 5329558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 4627342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents. com. Tues., 8 p.m. $15. Miracle on 34th St. These days, this 1947 holiday classic would be titled The People v. Santa Claus and begin with grainy footage of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer beating. Regency Directors Cut Cinema at Rancho Niguel, (949) 831-0446, Tues. Call for show time. $8. Home Alone. The Cinema Classics series continues with this 1990 holiday classic. Starlight Cinema City, 5635 E. La

Palma Ave., Anaheim, (714) 970-6700; starlightcinemas.com. Wed., 7 p.m. $7. Sherlock: The Abominable Bride. It’s a special encore to get you ready for the BBC show’s new season, with an exclusive introduction to Series 4 from co-creator Mark Gatiss. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844)

462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Wed., 7 p.m. $15. Saving Private Ryan. Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. Regency South Coast Village, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9. Auntie Mame. This 1958 film was a Golden Globe winner for Best Actress and Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy. The Art Theatre, (562) 438-5435. Thurs., Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m. $10. MCOKER@OCWEEKLY.COM

| ocweekly.com |

McCormick Screening Room, Humanities Gateway 1070, West Peltason and Campus drives, Irvine, (949) 824-6117. Fri., 6:30 p.m. Free. The Magic Flute. This is billed as a great introduction to opera for children and families. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, 99 S. Pine Ave., Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Sat., 12:55 p.m. $15. Batman Returns. Tim Burton’s 1992 flick celebrates its 25th anniversary. Alcohol is for sale, and feel free to dress as your favorite hero, antihero or villain at this cosplay-friendly event. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., 8 p.m. $12-$15. The Royal Opera House: Les Contes D’Hoffman (The Tales of Hoffmann). The Royal Opera’s lavish production of Offenbach’s masterpiece brings alive a 19th-century world of romance, comedy, mystery and menace. Regency Directors Cut Cinema at Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446; also at Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Sun., 12:55 p.m.; Tues., 7 p.m. $4.50-$10.50. Spirited Away. Fathom Events and GKIDS bring the classic Japanese anime back to cinemas nationwide for a special 15th-anniversary celebration. Also screening is the short film Ghilblies: Episode 2, which has never been released in North America. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, (714) 5329558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 4627342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents. com. Sun., noon; Mon., 7 p.m. $12.50. The Purple Orchid. This CambodianAmerican film makes its red-carpet premiere. Director Thien Marshall Thouch leads an audience Q&A afterward. The Art Theatre, (562) 438-5435. Sun. Red-carpet hour (appropriate attire suggested), 5 p.m.; screening, 6 p.m. $10. Suicide Squad. A secret government agency recruits a group of

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Blaxploitaitalian: 100 Years of Blackness in the Italian Cinema. Director Fred Kudjo Kuwornu is on hand for this screening. Chapman University, Argyros Forum 209A, 1 University Dr., Orange, (714) 997-6815. Thurs., Dec. 1, 7 p.m. Free. RiffTrax Holiday Special Double Feature. RiffTrax skewers two holiday classics (?): Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza. AMC Orange 30, 20 City Blvd. W., Orange, (714) 769-4288; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, 1701 W. Katella Ave., Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, 26701 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo, (844) 4627342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, 65 Fortune Dr., Irvine, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, 7501 E. Carson, Long Beach, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Thurs., Dec. 1, 7 p.m. $13-$15. She Loves Me: From Broadway’s Studio 54. This Tony-winning musical directed by Scott Ellis stars Tony winner Laura Benanti and Tony nominee Zachary Levy. AMC Orange 30, (714) 7694288; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, 2457 Park Ave., Tustin, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 4627342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents. com. Thurs., Dec. 1, 7 p.m. $18. One More Time With Feeling. Director Andrew Dominik delved into the tragic backdrop of the writing and recording of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ 16th studio album, Skeleton Tree. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Dec. 1, 8 p.m. $8-$10; also at Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St., Long Beach, (562) 438-5435. Thurs., Dec. 1, 9 p.m. $8-$11. The Polar Express. Robert Zemeckis’ 2004 computer-animated chestnut, based on Chris Van Allsburg’s book, is about a young boy who discovers the spirit of Christmas on a magical train ride to the North Pole. Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, 241 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 956-8936. Fri., 5:30 p.m. $10-$15. Following the Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony. The screening is followed by a discussion and Q&A with director Kerry Candaele and professors David Brodbeck and Catherine Liu. UC Irvine,

BY MATT COKER

film»special screenings

Bowers Museum highlights Imogen Cunningham, the best female photographer you’ve never heard of BY DAVE BARTON

BEAUTY INCARNATE

sharp whites and blacks of nature settings look like an even chillier Adams. Her most famous shot, Magnolia Blossom, is a closeup of O’Keeffeian petals resembling the soft skin surrounding the fleshy clitoral carpels. Cunningham’s magazine photos of celebrities are work she did for money: straight forward, interested in shadow, but cool, distanced, impersonal, minus any glamour. In contrast, two decades later, she’s fully vested in her portrait Stan Smoking, with the subject looking directly at her, eyes penetrating the distance between them, as cigarette smoke streams from his nostrils. The black of his skin and sweater blend into the murky background, with the white of his shirt collar, his eyes and the billowing smoke at his right breaking up the darkness around him. It’s her images focused on artists caught in the act of creation, including herself, and surreal pictures of hands and dolls that really stuns all these years later. In Three Dancers, Mills College, the perfection of the trio is caught mid-air. The woman in front has her head thrown back in artistic ecstasy, her face to the sun, one of her legs disappearing under her skirt so that she’s almost a floating torso and arms. The blank slate of the cement wall behind them is marbled with gray, as black shadows encroach on either side. In Blind Sculptor 3, the dark skin of the sculptor’s hand, veins prominent under the flesh, is

blending the wet clay he’s smoothing into his statue’s hand, tiny flecks of dried gray on his fingers. Another Arm is a side view of a row of grasping mannequin arms hanging from nails, an actual human arm thrust out from the in-between. Hands of a Hand Surgeon 2 jokingly plays with perception, with the left hand lying on a mirrored surface, doubled, alongside a rubber glove and skeleton’s arm. The autobiographical Doll With Head between Legs is just what it says it is, the dilapidated toy in a standing position, missing fingers, crotch and hips cracked and aged, decapitated head at its feet. Taken when Cunningham was in her late 80s, it’s an apt symbol for old age, a pictorial of general decline. The last image of herself in the show is another self-portrait, this time in a storefront window with several mirrored panels. Inside the window are pieces of antique lamps, disassembled. Cunningham is now gray and wrinkled, disappearing into a giant old-lady coat. Trapped in the middle of several glass panes, she’s still taking pictures. “SEEN AND UNSEEN: PHOTOGRAPHS BY IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM” at Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 567-3600; www.bowers.org. Open Tues.-Sun., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Through Feb. 26, 2017. $10-$15; children younger than 12, free.

Sparkle Your Brows

’T

is the season for all things shiny and sparkly, from tinsel on the trees to the sequins on gaudy Christmas sweaters. Besides thigh-high boots, my favorite winter look is a pair of extremely glittered eyebrows. While they’re not strictly holiday-esque, glitter brows seem as in vogue during this time as faux fur coats. The best thing is it’s so easy to pull off, and the results are nothing short of fabulous. Here are my best tips on how to accentuate those peepers and create a fun, festive look for whatever occasion:

DO your eye makeup beforehand, and make sure to highlight underneath the brow. DON’T use craft-store glitter (i.e., what you’d get at Michaels, JoAnn Fabrics, et al.), as it could easily fall into your eye and cause pain and irritation. Most makeup stores carry wearable glitter made specifically for being worn on the skin. DO get a friend to help you apply the glitter to your brows, especially if you’re a newbie. It’s a messy process, so having someone to press the product on your face while you lean back is the best possible method. DON’T think you need to go big or go home with your glitter brows. If you’re not up for the boldness (or effort) of a completely covered eyebrow, a subtle, light application of glitter will still make them shimmer. DO mix and match colors! DON’T use your normal eye-makeup brushes for this, as you’ll never be able to get all the glitter off, even if you wash your brushes regularly. I’m saying this from experience! DO use hair gel or false-eyelash glue as an adhesive. This hack comes courtesy of one of my more makeup-savvy friends. Now, go forth, and make those brows shine and sparkle! AMURILLO@OCWEEKLY.COM

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orn in 1883. Had a gig in Edward S. Curtis’ studio. One of the first women photographers to shoot a nude self-portrait. Published male nudes (of her husband) that caused controversy. Had her first solo show in 1914. Co-founded Group f/64 with Edward Weston and Ansel Adams. Her professional career in magazine photography ended her marriage. In the 1940s, she was one of the first pioneers of street photography. The Smithsonian bought her photos. She received a Guggenheim grant. She had a retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Imogen Cunningham is the best female photographer you’ve probably never heard of. Curated without clutter and with a sharp eye by Celina Lunsford, “Seen and Unseen: Photographs by Imogen Cunningham” at Bowers Museum features work from the beginning of Cunningham’s career all the way to some of her last, with several of her best images included. Her first self-portrait on display is a nude from 1906: she’s young, lying in grass, facing away from the camera, looking to a thicket behind her, a wondrous white figure in an otherwise shady, fecund setting. The next shot of her is 15 years later, Self-Portrait With Camera. She’s clothed, wearing a beret and round glasses, looking for all the world like a French librarian, camera in front of her, self-assurance in her eyes, the confidence continuing to photographs of her family and friends. Birdcage and Shadows is a dreamy photo of her son reaching out to a crushed, broken birdcage. We never see him in the flesh, just his shadow, the remains of the avian prison sitting on a table before us. The image is evocative, suggesting a trapped soul reaching out to its fragile, mangled past. A year later, she’s capturing the softfocus intimacy of Edward and Margrethe 4. Photographer Weston and his paramour are pictured in an embrace, his cheek resting on her hair, her hands on her shoulders, bent at the wrist, as if adjusting her blouse. He’s not looking at her, and her head is turned away from him; light streams in from the window at their left, adding a mournful glow to their downhearted features. Her foray into botanical photography feels derivative of the work of her fellow artists, despite their beauty and technical perfection. The close-ups, curves and sensuality are reminiscent of Weston’s soothing nudes and erotic vegetables; the

» AIMEE MURILLO

MO N TH X X–X X , 2 014

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La Femme Photographe

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JON ANDERSON, TREVOR RABIN, RICK WAKEMAN AN EVENING OF MUSIC & MORE

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music»artists|sounds|shows THE GREAT-FUL EIGHT

Full-Circle Family Flow

MATT HOBBS

Rap supergroup Living Legends emerge from all corners for Christmas By Daniel Kohn

or the past two years, the one event that has loosely reunited indie hip-hop collective Living Legends has been Camp Flog Gnaw. However, even the Tyler, the Creator-curated event has only enough cachet to attract some, but not all of the members of the underground favorites. This year was no different. While a number of the group’s MCs appeared at the two-day extravaganza on the grounds of the LA Coliseum, the Grouch at home in Maui. “Pretty Lights was there, and Eligh and I were going to perform with him,” the Grouch explains over the phone. “But the scheduling didn’t work out for that one.” The artist born Corey Scoffern has made his home on the islands for nearly a decade, which is nearly the same amount of time it has been since Living Legends have released a batch of original material. The Grouch’s absence from Camp Flog Gnaw may have been disappointing for fans, but they won’t have to wait long to see all original members onstage together, as they are joining forces to celebrate their 10th anniversary with a short tour. Formed in the 1990s, Living Legends includes the Grouch, Aesop, Bicasso, Eligh, Luckyiam, Scarub, Sunspot Jonz and Murs. Hailing from the Bay Area, the

collective became synonymous with the emerging underground rap scene that served as the undercurrent to gangsta rap and G-funk. Combining snazzy beats, powerful verses and a DIY ethos, the group became one of the most popular and respected indie outfits. Being away from the mainland has afforded the Grouch the ability to stay focused on his music, while being relatively disconnected from any type of scene and, in a sense, Living Legends. As each member has embarked on his own respective solo journey, pulling off a two-week tour even among longtime friends and collaborators was nearly a Herculean effort. “We’ve been talking about it for a while,” the Grouch says. “I did all of the groundwork behindthe-scenes before I brought this up to them. I’ve actually been talking about doing this for the past couple of years. “I made sure it was right with the money and timing so no one could say no to it,” the rapper continues. “It had to be strategically thought out before I ran it by the guys because I knew if one guy said no, it wouldn’t be right.” There are tentative plans to rehearse only days before the first show—assuming everyone shows up—where they’ll jam through the set the Grouch is putting

the finishing touches on organizing. “It’s always hard to get these guys in one room when dealing with all eight personalities,” he explains. “It’s a job and a struggle, and that’s one of the reasons why it hasn’t happened so much in the recent years. But I do believe that everyone is excited about this, and rehearsal is usually fun with all of these characters.” As with any reunion, the Grouch says there will be a lot of catching up. But they’re confident in their ability to seamlessly jump back into performing, even if it may take a few songs at the first show to get completely back into the swing of things. While the tour may be a nostalgic trip for core fans, they shouldn’t get too comfortable with grooving to Living Legends’ back catalog. It’s been a long eight years since the group released the EP The Gathering, nearly nine since they toured, but the Grouch is optimistic that once they’re all together, there will be some new song ideas exchanged. “I didn’t really want to get a tour started unless we had new music,” the Grouch says. “I put so much work into setting up the tour that I couldn’t really spearhead the music at the time. Once I got the tour set up, I got back to the new music idea, and I started collecting beats. I sent around some stuff,

and I’m just feeling it out. I’m not going to say it’s a new album because I honestly don’t know what it is.” He has passed around new music to gauge the interest and motivations of the group. “I’ve got some good things back,” the Grouch says coyly. “I can’t say we have one complete song, but we have bits and pieces of ideas that we’re starting.” As Living Legends are ready to embark on this celebratory tour, the future appears as promising as it has been in some time. “I think there’s people out there who still want to see the Living Legends, and they want to see it again,” the Grouch says. “I like to make new things, and I’m excited to connect these other guys. Working together with the people I used to work closely with following this large break, well, let’s just say it gets lonely being solo. I’m just excited at this point in my life to come back and to be in a circle with these guys.” LIVING LEGENDS perform with Evidence and special guests as part of the 10th Annual How the Grouch Stole Christmas at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; www.observatoryoc.com. Thurs., Dec. 1, 11 p.m. $25. All ages.

LOOK AT ALL THE BOARDS!

CHRIS HUBER

One Hundred Percent Chance of Punk Consistency is still Pulley’s key to 20 years of success

PULLEY perform with Implants, Sidekick and the Decline at Alex’s Bar, 2913 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, (562) 434-8292; www.alexsbar. com. Fri., 8 p.m. $10-$12. 21+; also at Karman Bar, 26022 Cape Dr., Laguna Niguel, (949) 582-5909; www.thekarmanbar.com. Dec. 17, 7 p.m. $12. 21+.

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drummer Chris Dalley, Pulley’s musicianship is at an all-time high, but the major improvement is in the songwriting process. “The songwriting has gotten better as we’ve all matured and figured out what works and what doesn’t work through trial and error,” Radinsky says. “We don’t waste as much time hashing things out anymore. We know what sounds right before we even start with something, and I think that makes the songwriting process a little easier. We’re better and faster at writing a song than we were 20 years ago.” Rather than trying to expand into new genres or tackle complicated and convoluted themes, Pulley know what they’re good at and where their limitations are. Staying within their range has kept them successful this long, and they don’t have any plans of stopping now. “I don’t think any one of us are going to sit and say we’re some superaccomplished musicians or composers,” Radinsky says. “We’ve never been afraid to take risks and do things. We have some random songs that have different sounds and styles to them, but for the most part, we’ve stuck to the same thing. We do what we do, and we’ve found a little niche that we thought we were pretty decent at. It just came easier to us than doing the other stuff that we weren’t quite as good at. That’s what comes out when we write.”

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t’s been 20 years since Pulley broke out onto the SoCal punk scene with Esteem Driven Engine, but the fivepiece haven’t exactly been counting the weeks. After a certain point, recording and going on tour just becomes a regular part of life. “There’s probably nothing more self-gratifying than being able to preserve yourself for that long,” says vocalist Scott Radinsky, who also serves as the bullpen coach for the Angels after spending well more than a decade as a Major League pitcher. “That right there in itself is an accomplishment and something to be proud of. The evolution [of Pulley] is just the natural progression of life for the most part. I’m glad that we’re able to continue to be a part of it.” But as much of a feat as keeping a band together for two decades may be, the guys in Pulley aren’t resting on their accomplishments. On Nov. 18, they released their aptly titled sixth full-length, No Change In the Weather, their first new record since Matters came out more than 12 years ago. It’s also the band’s first release on Cyber Tracks, el hefe of NOFX’s record label. The album is exactly what Pulley fans have come to expect over the decades: unapologetic and unrelenting. “[No Change in the Weather] is generally lumped in the same pile of music as some of the first stuff we ever did,” Radinsky says. “We have a sound and a style and a direction that we continue to stick with—like a formula. We know what works for us, and we stick with it.” Although the sound of the band may not have changed much over the years, creating it has certainly gotten easier for the veteran punks. With guitarists Jim Blowers and Mike Harder, Tyler Rebbe on bass, and

BY JOSH CHESLER

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RYAN MAZZEI

King of the Kings Inn

LocaLsonLy

also started to broaden his personal design firm, Within a Dream, which he had conceptualized during his first semester of art school. Tired of the DJ club scene he was constantly working at the time, Rosenthal decided to build a night that was the antithesis of those events. He called it the Kings Inn. “I had gotten back into vinyl and the classic rock stuff like Fleetwood Mac,” Rosenthal says. “I started listening to Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Then there were new bands like Calexico, Iron & Wine, and Old Crow Medicine Show. I knew this was the kind of sound I wanted, but I thought, ‘Is anyone even doing this kind of music right now?’ So the Kings Inn started with that.” The first night, hosted at Memphis Bar in Costa Mesa in 2011, focused on roadhousestyle roots, blues, rock, Americana and country music. Over time, Rosenthal expanded to other venues, including Detroit Bar, the Observatory, Alex’s Bar and the Escondite in downtown Los Angeles, featuring artists such as the White Buffalo, Restavrant and Mason Jennings. When he began pursuing filmmaking opportunities by moving to LA in 2014, the Kings Inn moved with him. After two years of booking in Los Angeles, Rosenthal has returned to Orange County, adding Casa Costa Mesa, home of the late Avalon Bar, to his rotation. Rosenthal’s intention is to bring LA artists to the OC music scene in hopes of growing the Americana, rock, and folk community he had started building years ago back at Memphis. Where will it go from here? With Rosenthal, it’s hard to imagine a limit.

ean Rosenthal’s life is a collection of strange variables too unbelievable and exhilarating to fathom, which is apparent as he tells stories of his past, his upbringing, his time spent in heavy rock and hardcore bands, artists and musicians he has hung with, and images he has photographed. After almost 20 years in the entertainment industry, Rosenthal’s media skills are razorsharp, made even better by the experience he’s gained with his production company, the Kings Inn. “I do the booking, the sound, social media, design, photography and video coverage,” he says, “and the night has been weekly or twice a week, at least, for more than five years.” Rosenthal grew up in Orange County, hanging around musicians including a young Steve Aoki, who during high school was in a band called goodhue. At 15, Rosenthal was inspired by this growing scene and decided to buy a bass for $50 from an ad in The Recycler. When he was 18, he met a couple of South County guys through local shows, and they formed the hardcore band Adamantium; they were signed to Indecision Records in 1998. “Unity was what hardcore was all about,” Rosenthal says. “The friendless become friends standing for one another, together. [That] was the spirit, anyways.” He left Adamantium in 1999, after they returned from a two-month East Coast tour. Rosenthal continued performing with hardcore, post-hardcore and screamo bands including Farside and Open Hand, as well as burgeoning acts such as Taking Back Sunday, Saves the Day and the Ataris, but after a few years, Rosenthal got burned out on the hardcore scene. Rosenthal had already been sharpening the photo and design skills he acquired in high school by making DIY band zines. Deciding to apply that artistry to a career, he began shooting event photography at local DJ nights and for publications such as OC Weekly and Riviera. He

» kim conlan

Hey, Orange County/Long Beach musicians & bands! Mail your music, contact info, high-res photos & impending show dates for possible review to: Locals Only, OC Weekly, 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Or email your link to: localsonly@ocweekly.com.

THIS WEEK FRIDAY, DEC. 2

AGENT ORANGE WITH THE GRABBERS: 8 p.m.,

$15. The Karman Bar, 26022 Cape Dr., Laguna Niguel, (949) 582-5909; thekarmanbar.com.

THE BLUE SHADOWS; MEMPHIS KINGS:

7:15 p.m., $10. Don the Beachcomber, 16278 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (562) 592-1321; donthebeachcomber.com. CHRISTMAS FANTASIA: 8 p.m., $25. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 600 St. Andrews Rd., Newport Beach, (714) 628-4828. DAVE MASON—ALONE TOGETHER AGAIN: 8 p.m. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, Ste. C, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 496-8930; thecoachhouse.com. DOYLE BRAMHALL II: 11 p.m. Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com. GOOD COP BAD COP: 9 p.m., free. The Public House by Evans Brewing Co., 138 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 870-0039; evansbrewco.com/pub/#thebrewery-1. THE HOLIDAY GEM: 8 p.m., $15-$40. The Gem Theater, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 741-9550. KITTENS: 9 p.m., $13. The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; wayfarercm.com. LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS: 8:30 p.m., $15$18. The Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-3802; theglasshouse.us. 94.7 THE WAVE’S HOLIDAY PARTY: 7:30 p.m., $39.95-$178.30. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, (714) 704-2400; hondacenter.com.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

AESOP ROCK WITH ROB SONIC, DJ ZONE & HOMEBOY SANDMAN: 8:30 p.m., $20. The Glass

House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-3802; theglasshouse.us. ARMORS: 8 p.m. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com. CHICANO SOUL LEGENDS: 7:30 p.m., $31.25-$77. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, (714) 7042400; hondacenter.com. CHRISTMAS WORSHIP FESTIVAL CONCERT:

THE ORANGE COUNTY WOMEN’S CHORUS:

7 p.m., $15-$30. St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church, 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach, (949) 451-8590. RUINFEST: 6:30 p.m., $12. Malone’s, 604 E. Dyer Rd., Santa Ana, (714) 979-6000; facebook.com/MalonesConcertVenue. 25BAND: 8 p.m. The Yost Theater, 307 N. Spurgeon St., Santa Ana, (888) 862-9573; yosttheater.com. WARM BREW AND MICHAEL CHRISTMAS:

11:30 p.m. Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com.

ESPECIMEN: 11 p.m. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor

Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com. THE HOLIDAY GEM: 2 p.m., $15-$40. The Gem Theater, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 741-9550. THE JAPANESE HOUSE WITH THE BIG MOON:

9 p.m. Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com.

LORD OF THE STRINGS CONCERT WITH THE FRET MELTERS, PEPPINO D’ AGOSTINO AND RICHARD SMITH: 3 p.m., $30. SOCO: South

BARRINGTON LEVY: 8 p.m. The Observatory,

3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com. BLOOD FOR OUR BROTHERS: 8 p.m., free. Blacklight District Lounge, 2500 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach.

BEST STRIP JOINT

ALL NEW DANCES & PRICES

in OC

FREE ADMISSION

CRX; DEAD HEAVENS; STREETS OF LAREDO:

9 p.m. Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com.

ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT

KILL THE INTERNET WITH DJ CARDIGAN & DESIRABLE D: 8:30 p.m. Que Sera, 1923 E. Seventh

BRING AD FOR ADMISSION

St., Long Beach, (562) 599-6170; queseralb.wix.com. SINATRA & DINO DINNER SHOW: 6 p.m. La Cave, 1695 Irvine Ave., Costa Mesa, (949) 646-7944; lacaverestaurant.com.

3025 LA MESA, ANAHEIM | 714.630.5069 TABOOGC.COM | FULLY NUDE | 18+HIRING DANCERS!

TUESDAY, DEC. 6

CHILDREN OF BODOM WITH ABBATH & EXMORTUS: 7 p.m. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor

Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com.

CHRISTMAS FANTASIA: 8 p.m., $25. Renee and

Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 556-2787; scfta.org.

GUANTANAMO BAYWATCH WITH TRACY BRYANT: 9 p.m. Constellation Room at the

Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com. MOJO JACKSON: 7:30 p.m., free. The Public House by Evans Brewing Co., 138 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 870-0039; evansbrewco.com/pub/#thebrewery-1. SONGWRITERS @ SUNSET: 8 p.m., $10. Schooner at Sunset, 16821 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (562) 430-3495; schooneratsunset.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

BACK CATALOG: 9 p.m., free. Kitsch Bar, 891 Baker St.,

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My boyfriend of almost two years is wonderful, and we have had very few issues. But there is one thing that has almost been a deal breaker. He fiddles with his penis almost constantly—in front of me and in front of our roommates. I’ve confronted him about it a number of times. He said he should be able to fiddle with his dick in every room of the house if he wants to, and he should feel comfortable doing so. I told him that he is being “comfortable” at the expense of the comfort of those around him. We’ve had a number of confrontations about this, and he does it a lot less, but he still does it. If he doesn’t stop when I tell him to, I just leave the room. My question to you: Is this behavior unacceptable, or am I being unreasonable? Frustrated With The Fiddling Until a few weeks ago, I would have said that neoNazis sieg-heiling around Washington, D.C., was unacceptable and any elected official or pundit who didn’t immediately condemn neo-Nazis would be finished politically and professionally. But it turns out that neo-Nazism is just another example of IOIYAR—“it’s okay if you’re a Republican”—and relativism reigns. In other words: “Unacceptable” is a relative concept, FWTF, not an objective one. That said, FWTF, I don’t think you’re being unreasonable: Fiddling with your dick in every room of the house is inconsiderate and childish. It sounds as if you’re doing a good job of socializing your boyfriend—better late than never—and I would encourage you to keep it up. I’m a straight man in a mostly healthy marriage. Our sex life is average, which I understand is better than some people can hope for, and we communicate well. For example, I felt comfortable admitting to my wife a few weeks ago that I would like more blowjobs. She in turn felt comfortable admitting to me that she would prefer if I showered more often. So we made a deal: I would shower every day, and she would blow me twice a month. But the first month came and went with no blowjobs in sight. I’ve showered every day. Should I bring this up to her? Bathe Longer Or Withhold Sex Your wife doesn’t wanna suck your cock, BLOWS, squeaky clean or stinky cheese. I would recommend outsourcing non-birthday blowjobs—if your wife is okay with that, BLOWS, which she won’t be. I’m a mid-30s bi woman in an incredible poly marriage with a bi guy. A few months ago, I learned that one of my closest friends (also poly) has a crush on me. I also have always had a crush on him. My crush-friend needed to ask his other partners how they felt about him being involved with me. Three months have gone by, and he’s not yet told me how his other partners feel. One of those partners is under a lot of stress—not the best time to bring up potential new partners to her—but my friend has dated other people in the past three months. I think if he really wanted to do something with me, he would have asked by now. I know you can’t ask someone to give you closure. I’ve also got a shit-ton of pride that prevents me from asking him directly how he feels. Should I just move on? Confused And Pathetic Yup. I am a queer trans woman in my mid-20s, and I am in a monogamous relationship with a queer cis woman. We have been dating for about three months now. We have had an absolutely amazing sex life since day one, except for one caveat: She has never in her life had an orgasm. For most of the time she has been sexually active, she has felt

SavageLove » dan savage

ambivalent about getting off. It has only been in the past month that she has started feeling a “sexual awakening,” as she calls it. We have been making progress, but she has been having issues with getting caught up in her head when I am pleasuring her. This has been causing dysphoric feelings for her. We have had a few discussions about what we can do about the situation, but we are feeling lost. We know there isn’t going to be a quick fix, but what do we do about this? Confused And Nervous Truly Can’t Overcome Much Exasperation Pot. I’ve been in a long-term relationship with the girl I’m going to marry. While I’ve had a few relationships in the past, she has had only one other relationship before me, who also happened to be her only other sexual companion. My girlfriend is very vanilla in the bedroom, which is fine for me, but the issue is that, currently, the only way for her to have an orgasm is to grind (dry hump) on my boxer shorts until she climaxes. This obviously causes her a little bit of embarrassment, along with some heavy rug burn on both of our ends. My question for you: Is there any toy or something that may help with this? Girlfriend Dryly Humping Pot and sex toys—they might not help, but they couldn’t hurt. I’m a woman with a small build who has never had children. During sex, my current partner frequently says, “Squeeze your pussy,” as in he expects me to do Kegel exercises during sex (and hold it), which I will not do because it’s not pleasurable for me to tense up like that during sex. He doesn’t have the biggest or the smallest dick I have ever had, and I have never had this comment before. I have actually been told many times how “good and tight” I feel. We both enjoy anal, so we tried that. Same request: “Squeeze.” I have no abnormalities. I’m not sure if there is a work-around for this, other than doing Kegels every minute of my life. Help! Sex Partner’s Annoying Requests You have two options: You can tell your current sex partner you aren’t going to “squeeze” his dick with your pussy or your ass, as the sensation isn’t pleasurable for you, or you can lie to him. Tell him you’re squeezing your pussy/ass—you’re squeezing so hard—without actually squeezing your pussy/ass. Odds are good he’ll notice a difference even if you’re not doing anything differently, SPAR, so great is the power of suggestion. I had to write after reading your recent Savage Love Letter of the Day from a woman who spotted a friend’s husband on Tinder and didn’t know whether she should say something to her friend. My (single and Tindering) friend has been mistaken for his identical (married and non-Tindering) twin brother more than once on the app. They live in Seattle and Los Angeles, so most people in their lives don’t realize they have a twin. My friend has freaked out his sister-inlaw’s friends by popping up on their Tinder feed. It came out after the sister-in-law posted a photo of the twins together on social media and multiple people expressed extreme relief that her husband was not a cheater but an identical twin! Deluded Acquaintances Needed Answers Thanks for sharing, DANA! On the Lovecast (savagelovecast.com), Dan chats with the kinksters from the NoSafeWord podcast. Contact Dan via email at mail@savagelove.net, and follow him on Twitter: @fakedansavage.

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VOTED

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BEST LAWYER

2016

Christopher Glew

DEFENSE ATTORNEY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Winning groundbreaking trials in the field of medical marijuana in the state of California. Called “The hottest criminal defense attorney in Orange County,” he has been recognized as one of the 2015 Top Lawyers in California by American Lawyer Media, and one of the Top 100 Criminal Trial Lawyers Southern California by the National Trial Lawyers Association.

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