s-2018-03-08

Sheriff getS competition N E W S , 08, 12

Weed-inSpired pale ale D R I N K , 27

lee rocker hitS the harriS MU S I C , 32

s t s o c l the a loc e r i p m e l a b o l g

Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

of

|

Volume 29, iSSue 47

|

thurSday, march

8,

2018

|

newSreView.com

2

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

march

8,

2018

|

Vol.

29,

issuE

Editor’s notE

47

23 29

30 Design Manager Christopher Terrazas Creative Director Serene Lusano

Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Editor Eric Johnson News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Arts & Culture Editor Rebecca Huval Associate Editor Mozes Zarate Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Calendar Editor Kate Gonzales Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Willie Clark, John Flynn, Joey Garcia, Jeff Hudson, Matt Kramer, Jim Lane, Michael Mott, Luis Gael Jimenez, Rachel Leibrock, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Steph Rodriguez, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka, Bev Sykes

Editorial Designers Maria Ratinova, Sarah Hansel Marketing/Publications Designer Mike Bravo Web Design & Strategy Intern Elisabeth Bayard Arthur Contributing Photographers Karlos Rene Ayala, Nicole Fowler Contributing Illustrators Mark Stivers Advertising Manager Michael Gelbman Sales Coordinator Victoria Smedley Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Kelsi White Advertising Consultants Anne-Marie Boyland, Mayra Diaz, Mark Kates, Michael Nero, Allen Young Sweetdeals Coordinator Hannah Williams Facilities Coordinator/Sales Assistant David Lindsay Director of First Impressions Skyler Morris Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Assistant Lob Dunnica Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Beatriz Aguirre, Gypsy Andrews, Rosemarie Beseler, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley, Kathleen Caesar, Mike Cleary, Tom Downing,

Your Downtown Service Shop SMOG CHECK

3175

$

(reg $49.75) most cars.

Call for details. Same day.

Fast In/Out

OIL

CHANGE

2699

$

Call for details.

916 554-6471 2000 16th St Sacramento M-F 7:30-5:30 Sat 8-4 sacsmog.com

$60 EMISSIONS DIAGNOSTIC w/repairs at time of service. (reg $120) most cars.

For renewal reg. only.

Call for details.

Use your smart phone QR reader for more specials

32 Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Kelly Hopkins, Julian Lang, Lance Medlin, Greg Meyers, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Viv Tiqui, Eric Umeda, N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Associate Editor Laura Hillen N&R Publications Writer Anne Stokes Marketing & Publications Consultants Steve Caruso, Joseph Engle, Elizabeth Morabito, Traci Hukill President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Nuts & Bolts Ninja Leslie Giovanini Executive Coordinator/Publications Media Planner Carlyn Asuncion Director of People & Culture David Stogner Project Coordinator Natasha vonKaenel Finance Manager James Gonsalves Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen Accounts Receivable Specialist Analie Foland Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

05 STREETALK 07 LETTERS 08 NEwS + BEATs 12 GREENLiGhT 13 ScoREKEEpER 14 FEATuRE SToRy 18 ARTS & cuLTuRE 23 DiSh 29 STAGE 30 FiLm 32 muSic 33 cALENDAR 38 ASK joEy 43 ThE 420 5i 15 miNuTES covER DESiGN by mARiA RATiNovA AND SERENE LuSANo

1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Fax (916) 498-7910 Website www.newsreview.com Got a News Tip? sactonewstips@newsreview.com Calendar Events www.newsreview.com/calendar Want to Advertise? Fax (916) 498-7910 or snradinfo@newsreview.com Classifieds (916) 498-1234, ext. 5 or classifieds@newsreview.com Job Opportunities jobs@newsreview.com Want to Subscribe to SN&R? sactosubs@newsreview.com Editorial Policies: opinions expressed in sn&r are those of the authors and not of chico community Publishing, inc. contact the editor for permissions to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. sn&r is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or review materials. Email letters to snrletters@newsreview.com. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.

Advertising Policies: All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s standards of Acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes the responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message. sn&r is printed at Bay Area news Group on recycled newsprint. circulation of sn&r is verified by the circulation Verification council. sn&r is a member of sacramento Metro chamber of commerce, cnPA, AAn and AWn.

Jeff Sessions’ man in Sac When Sheriff Scott Jones invited Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to Sacramento for a public forum last spring, the sheriff said he meant to allay people’s fears. Homan proceeded to scare the crap out of everyone in attendance.

It was the first and only such event for Homan, who pushed the idea that his agency was mainly interested in criminals, not law-abiding undocumented immigrants. Most of the crowd in attendance refused to buy that. Facing their anger, Homan vowed to enforce the law, in a just-shy-of belligerent tone.

Homan came to town just one day after lawmakers in Sacramento decried a call from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to strip so-called sanctuary cities of federal funds. Jones, a Trump loyalist whose rhetoric on illegal immigrants is not as heated as the president’s, had recently stated strong opposition to a bill in the state Senate seeking to limit contact between ICE and local law enforcement.

As this goes to press, Sessions himself is on his way to Sacramento to make a “major sanctuary jurisdiction announcement.” The visit comes one week after ICE raids rounded up 150 people in Northern California, and 10 days after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned residents about the sweep, saying it was her “duty and moral obligation.”

This is a showdown.

We can’t do much at the moment about Homan or Sessions, but we have an opportunity to replace Scott Jones with a law-enforcement pro who is way less politically divisive. See Raheem F. Hosseini’s article about Jones and Milo Fitch, the man who has decided to challenge him, on page 8.

—Eric Johnson e r ic j@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

BEST CAR WASH SPECIALS

SNR SPECIAL WASH ONLY BEST PAINT 24.99 Full Service Wash including $ interior vacuum & wipe down PROTECTION 399* 9.00 Triple Foam Wax FOR YOUR CAR 6.00 Underbody Rust Inhibitor WITH SNR CO UPON

2 year warranty

1.00 7.00

NORMALLY $600

$47.99 VALUE

*Expires 03/31/18 • Cost may change for larger vehicles • Coupon Code 164

Air Freshener Sealant

ONLY 99

24 *

$

WITH COUPON

*Expires 03/31/18 • Coupon Code 158

1901 L Street

• 916.446.0129 (on the corner of 19th and L) • www.harvscarwash.com

03.08.18

|

sn&r

|

3

4

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

“When listening to a cover band, you can get energy off the musician ...”

asked at the CroCker art MuseuM:

Would you rather see a cover or original band at a club?

Brenda Brydie

ChaneL Bien-aiMe

concierge

nurse

Most recently, I heard “Cover Me Badd,” a local band, and they were phenomenal. … It can be a cover band. There is something about the energy. They were highenergy and it was fun. They got the kids up dancing, and if you can do that, then you got it covered.

I enjoy the cover bands.

I think they are just as good—I don’t want to say better. They can be more entertaining, because they get into it a lot more. You can tell they are there to enjoy themselves. They are more humble.

Lita Brydie

Brigid Bourke

Wendy CaLBert

analyst

art teacher

state worker

We have a couple of local bands that come through, like Mumbo Gumbo, and I like them. Some of the bands do covers and some do originals. Usually, I just like to hear the band because, if the quality is good, I really just enjoy live music.

I think cover bands are just as entertaining, as long as it is a good cover band. I really don’t have a preference of music. ... I follow a band, but I think they are not a cover band. They are more of a local band.

Mary hurLey educator

As long as they sound good, I will listen to anybody.

If I’m in the club and they sound as good as the original, I enjoy it. … I have heard local groups here. A lot of times there is music in the park and I go to see them.

It depends. I don’t think I enjoy the “name bands” as much because usually the venue is a large arena.

Whereas, when listening to a cover band, you can get energy off the musicians, and the music is in a much more intimate setting. The big bands have all lost that to a certain degree.

K POP AT

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

5

6

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

Email lEttErs to sactolEttErs@nEwsrEviEw.com

Democrats’ delegate system: ‘evil’

Will Milo really run?

Re: “Run Milo Run” by Raheem F. Hosseini (Feature, March 1): Thank you for this thoughtful piece on someone who sounds like a true leader with a core of common sense and humanity. It doesn’t sound very likely that he is interested. [See page 8 in this week’s issue.] Some of us are asking for the current inspector general and former Chief of Sac PD Rick Braziel to run for sheriff. He has indicated interest in the past and has qualities similar to those you featured in this piece. Qualities and experience that would be a welcomed contrast to Sheriff Scott Jones. danielle BeSt S a c ra m e nt o v i a n ew s r e v i e w . c o m

San Joaquin needs a renegade Re: “Run Milo Run” by Raheem F. Hosseini (Feature, March 1): Hoping we have a worthy renegade going against Sheriff Moore here in San Joaquin

County. Time to clean house. We have lost one of the best ME ever, along with his assistant due to the corruption that Sheriff Moore has inflicted on the Sheriff’s Department and Coroner’s Office.

RichaRd SelleSeth via Facebook

Re “Can California’s fourth congressional district be flipped?”

by John Flynn (News, March 1): The delegates at San Diego have successfully guaranteed another McClintock term in office. This is the problem with the endorsement: The days of anointing a candidate and expecting everyone to follow in lockstep ended a long time ago.

All of those campaign volunteers and staffers that worked for Bates and Calderon will not work for Morse after June. Many people, myself included, are not so certain that Morse could beat Bates and Calderon in a clean primary contest to be decided by voters.

The delegate system was an evil necessity before the electronic age, but its usefulness has long since passed on a state level. It feels like 2016 all over again, and the election results in November will reflect that. Please learn the lesson

that the infrastructures that support the candidates are more important than the candidates themselves, and preserving their involvement through November should be the first priority.

Scott BeRRian Ja c k so n v i a ne w sr e v ie w.c o m

Will CA-04 Dems selfdestruct?

Re “Can California’s fourth congressional district be flipped?”

by John Flynn (News, March 1): That last-ditch attack made Bateson and Calderon look ridiculous. I think Dems will get behind Morse in a big way—at least I hope so.

Jo eliza

v ia Fa c e b o o k

One Dem’s dream list Re “Tack left and boo Trump” by Ben Christopher (News, March 1):

We’re usually the maid after the Republicans wreck the hotel room, but we stand for equal rights, a living wage, the middle class, Medicare for all, an end to the drug war, common sense gun laws, a tax code that doesn’t favor the uber-wealthy and we believe in healthy school funding and that climate change is real. Tell me, what do the Republicans stand for!?!?!? TAX CUTS!!!!!

BRad oateS

read more letters online at www.newsreview .com/sacramento.

Citrus Heights’ Getaround

@SacNewsReview

@SacNewsReview

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

v ia Fa c e b o o k

Re “Rideshare on the cheap” by Mark Heckey (Beats, February 15): Odd [how] the article didn’t mention how to get more info or the name of the app. (It’s “Microtransit,” BTW).

Steve hall v ia Fa c e b o o k

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

7

Left: Sheriff Scott Jones tells an advisory committee that he’s running for a third term. Right: Milo Fitch announced this week that he will challenge Jones.

Photo by Raheem F. hosseini/Photo couRtesy oF calPia

A horse race for sheriff Corrections reformer Milo Fitch mounts credible challenge to incumbent Scott Jones’ reign

by Raheem F. hosseini

Sheriff’s candidate Milo Fitch says it was Christmastime at Sunrise Mall when the woman ran up screaming that her car had been stolen.

This was back in the mid-1990s, Fitch recalled. Then a sergeant with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Fitch was splitting his time as part of a grant-funded program that put cops on horseback in socioeconomically challenged neighborhoods. Fitch, a steady hand with bridle straps, loved the program. He’d meet people who had never touched or seen a colt before.

Sometimes they’d cry. Sometimes they’d bring their kids. Then, after a while, they would start telling him things—about the dope houses and the guns and the things that made them feel afraid.

That was happening here, with the lady, just in a much quicker fashion.

Sitting high in his saddle, Fitch spotted the victim’s car slinking onto Sunrise Boulevard and clicked his teeth in its 8

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

direction. Normally, one horsepower is no match for something with 150, but the suspects got mired in rush hour traffic. Fitch trotted up behind the car and provided onlookers with a real-life display of what it would look like if a 19th century lawman conducted a 20th century felony stop. As the two suspects knelt down with their hands raised, Fitch noticed the driver glance back at another car stalled in traffic. Fitch asked whether that vehicle was stolen, too. The man nodded.

“Ultimately, I got four bad guys and two stolen cars,” Fitch chuckled.

Two decades later, Fitch is again in an unlikely pursuit. On Monday, he formally announced that he is challenging Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones to run one of the largest law enforcement agencies in California.

Along with providing police services across a broad swath of unincorporated county territory, as well as in the cities of Rancho Cordova and Isleton, the

r a h e e mh @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Sheriff’s Department is responsible for operating two county jails bursting at the seams.

Fitch’s entry adds intrigue to what was shaping up to be a race between Jones and two upstarts lacking name recognition and money. Fitch’s supporters say he has more than enough of both.

But Jones is still the man with the badge, and he won’t give it up easily.

There was a time last fall when Jones had no political vines left to grab.

Nearly a year had passed since the sheriff came up agonizingly short in his first congressional race in November 2016. The 2-point loss to Rep. Ami Bera—the Coke Zero of Democrats— signaled that Jones wasn’t the Great Red Hope the GOP establishment had groomed him to be. Some 10 months later, Jones announced he wouldn’t pursue a third term as Sacramento’s most protested politician.

His once-ascendant political career within the Republican Party had contorted into a question mark. Then the door behind him reopened. In January, Jones’ chosen one dropped out of the sheriff’s race.

“The reality is Kris Palmer was my guy. I was happy to retire,” Jones said of the chief deputy he endorsed as his successor. “For the first time, I really had to self-reflect.”

That period didn’t last long.

On February 23, Jones filed his candidate’s statement with the county’s elections office. In a brief phone interview, Jones told SN&R that he didn’t like the pall of uncertainty hanging over his department or who would run it.

He’d heard rumors about who might try to fill the vacuum he was creating.

“Was I really willing to leave it to chance?” he said. “And the bottom line was no. … It was a pretty easy decision.”

Now things are complicated again.

Fitch is Jones’ onetime mentor. Now overseeing career technical education at the California Prison Industry Authority, a quasi-independent agency that connects prison parolees with competitive jobs, Fitch is known as a quiet-yet-formidable force who brought innovative rehabilitative programs to Sacramento County’s jails before he retired in 2013.

The lawman-turned-reformer didn’t jump into this race lightly.

“I had been struggling with it for a long time,” Fitch acknowledged on Tuesday. “I’m a private person. I enjoy what I do.”

RappeR faces the music see NeWs

10

Black female voteRs uNite see NeWs

11

Rip toWeR RecoRds fouNdeR see scoRekeepeR

13

beatS

sick stats But Fitch says he got some sage advice from Jed Scully, a law professor who has counseled Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

“He really made me realize that it’s bigger than the individual,” Fitch said of the sheriff’s office. “It’s about giving voice to the people and making sure they have a choice.”

Fitch, who will formally announce his candidacy March 8 outside of the Sacramento County Main Jail he used to oversee, knows unseating Jones won’t be easy.

Jones’ incumbency brings a windfall of expected benefits. He’s collected $120,000 in contributions since reentering the race in late January—including a $20,000 takeback check from Palmer’s campaign and $50,000 from the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, whose endorsement usually obliges surrounding law enforcement unions to back the home team’s pick.

But Jones is not without his vulnerabilities.

Over nearly two terms, he’s cost the county tens of millions of dollars in adverse legal decisions and developed an eclectic enemies list, spanning everyone from Black Lives Matter’s Sacramento chapter to California’s bookish state auditor. The Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office sued Jones over his use of cellphone-tracking spy tech. He’s also drawn condemnation from state lawmakers and local politicians for siding with the Trump administration against California’s sanctuary status. And Jones’ administration is far less transparent about officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths than the neighboring Sacramento Police Department.

“It’s on the wrong side of legacy,” said Ryan McClinton, a community organizer with Sacramento Area Congregations Together, which has clashed with Jones on immigration enforcement and his office’s unwillingness to share information with families of use-of-force victims.

“It echoes sentiments of the current commander-in-chief—a mini-Trump if you will.”

That’s not a good look, says retired political consultant Jeff Raimundo.

“California and Sacramento are not nearly as conservative as Jones is,” opined Raimundo, who has offered to assist Fitch’s campaign in a consulting capacity. “This is not a good time to be a supporter of Donald Trump.”

Raimundo may be right.

When Jones faced Bera in 2016, he drew just over 145,000 votes as a

made them during his first term. Jones registered Republican. Compare that to said he reformed the internal promotions 2010, when Jones edged opponent Jim process to be more merit-based, “rather Cooper by collecting nearly 182,000 than based on who knows who.” He votes—40,000 more than Sacramento says he also developed a strategy to find, Mayor Darrell Steinberg did that year in recruit and mentor talent from underhis final state Senate bid.

Jones believes that challenging Bera as a represented groups. “You don’t hear those complaints anymore,” he said.

Republican in the age of Trump put a target Retired sheriff’s Sgt. Donna Cox, on his back that didn’t disappear when he another candidate for office, begs to went back to being a nonpartisan sheriff. disagree.

“I have a lot of people who are Cox, 49, says she retired in August antagonistic toward me,” he said.

2016 because she grew tired of the Jones said the list includes unequal treatment of men Steinberg, “who has a and women within the particular hatred against department. She put in me,” state Sen. Kevin her papers just a few de Leon, “who I months after the couldn’t pick out of jury’s decision in the a lineup,” Elaine female employees’ Howle, California’s case. “politically “It runs rampant appointed” auditor through the departwho investigated Ryan McClinton ment,” Cox said. “A Jones’ dispensacommunity organizer, Sacramento lot of women in their tion of concealed Area Congregations Together 40s got tired and just weapons permits and retired.” accused him of breaking This is a race where the the law when he leaked his lower-tier candidates could impact responses to the audit, as well as the results. others.

Citrus Heights Councilman Bret Jones says he isn’t initiating any of these Daniels, who was fired from the Sheriff’s attacks; he’s simply responding to them.

Department in 2000, leans right of “I truly don’t pick fights,” Jones said.

Jones on concealed firearm permits and “I never start it. Never.” immigration, and could siphon votes from Jones isn’t quick to resolve them, the sheriff’s more conservative base. either.

Meanwhile, Cox’s candidacy could keep the attention on sexual harassment issues in the spring of 2016, a sacramento County jury awarded $6.9 million in Jones prefers to move past. damages and attorneys’ fees to four Jones says his accomplishments are female Sheriff’s Department employees regularly coming in under budget and the who said they had been repeated victims roll-out of an intelligence-led policing of workplace harassment and discriminapatrol strategy, designed to cut response tion. Three of the plaintiffs—Tracie times. He points to dropping crime rates Keillor, Jodi Medonca and Dawn and claims pride in his department’s Douglas—said they were demoted or developing youth services division, which passed over for promotions shortly after engages with underserved youth. reporting an inappropriate relationship “We never had that, historically, and between then-Capt. Eric Maness and a it’s hard to believe,” he said. “It’s why subordinate. many of us go into law enforcement.”

Jones later promoted Maness to be his As for the taxpayer-funded payouts undersheriff. his department has been responsible for— Jones insists the lawsuit, filed in 2010, including a $6.5 million wrongful death had nothing to do with him. Referring to judgment in the fall—Jones described it as “the unfortunate vestige of a prior them as “sensational aberrations.” time,” before he was elected sheriff, Jones “That’s the cost of doing business,” he stressed that none of the misconduct said. “We do things that affect people’s allegations centered on him. But because he constitutional rights.” was running for Congress at the time, the That is not an OK answer for commuscandal is “forever attached to me,” he said. nity organizer McClinton.

Asked what changes he’s made to “Our tax dollars are paying for it,” he ensure such discrimination doesn’t happen said. “Lawsuits aren’t ‘protect and serve,’ again, Jones says he believes he already especially of that magnitude.” Ω

“It’s on the wrong side of legacy.”

The mission to address health disparities in Sacramento may be moving in the wrong direction if officials don’t start making bold and innovative choices.

That’s the finding of a report released February 28 by the Healthy Sacramento Coalition, which documented a major decline in black home ownership, as well as rising rental costs for all lowincome areas and a striking increase in disconnected youth.

HSC is an alliance of more than 50 nonprofits, community organizations and medical groups. Its data-rich study took over one year to prepare and was authored by PolicyLink, an Oakland research center, and the University of Southern California’s Program in Environmental and Regional Equity. Its purpose is to provide a new policy agenda for improving health equity and promoting inclusive growth in the Sacramento region.

Veronica Beaty, the co-chair of the Healthy Sacramento Coalition Stakeholder Committee, said that understanding health equity means understanding the area’s history of education, employment, income, housing access, family and social support, public safety, air and water quality. She added that the report’s findings should not be ignored.

“The study calculated that our regional [gross domestic product] could grow by $19 billion if racial gaps to income and economic development are bridged,” Beaty said.

The study also provides insights into the geographic concentration of poverty and disinvestment in the region’s western urban core. Its findings suggest that Sacramento’s history of redlining, restrictive zoning and housing discrimination—starting in the 1930s—is still affecting land use patterns today.

The study recommends increasing affordable housing options, restoring inclusionary housing rules, investing new cannabis taxes in youth programs for challenged neighborhoods, championing innovative rehabilitation programs over incarceration and working with banks to incentivize savings accounts for low income families.

For Beaty and other community advocates, these recommendations aren’t just lofty goals, they’re the key to a better future.

“It means that everyone deserves a fair and just opportunity to be healthy,” Beaty said. (Mark Heckey)

leNdeR BeNdeR After allegedly applying discriminatory lending practices toward communities of color, Wells Fargo was hit with a federal lawsuit by the city of Sacramento.

The action, which was filed on February 23 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, accuses the bank of targeting communities of color—namely african-american and latino communities—with high-risk and high-cost mortgages.

According to the city, these discriminatory patterns date back to at least 2004, when plaintiffs claim African-Americans with good credit were twice as likely to be steered toward risky loans in comparison to white borrowers. A loan in minority neighborhoods is nearly three times more likely to wind up in foreclosure than in white communities. The city alleges the illegal practices forced it to divert resources meant to serve other programs—by reducing property tax revenues, suppressing property values in minority and low income communities, and raising the cost of municipal services.

The city is seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo was already in hot water last year when it admitted employees had opened more than 2 million fraudulent accounts in customers’ names, a number that has now reached approximately 3.5 million.

Sacramento joins Philadelphia, Oakland, Miami and other cities in suing Wells Fargo over discriminatory lending practices.

(Richard Ramos)

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

9

Two guns flashed in Sac rapper Lizk’s music video “No Air.”

life of a bystander, Monique Nelson, who was shielding her 2-year-old son from flying bullets. It’s a day when gang tensions run high on the streets of south Sacramento.

scReensHot via youtube.com

Loaded lyrics Trial of rapper Lizk centers on soundtrack to area gang war

by Scott thomaS anderSon s c o t t a @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Raheem F. Hosseini contributed to this report.

10

|

SN&R

Deandre Rogers doesn’t deny he’s a gang member. But the idea that he was cruising through Sacramento with highpowered, automatic weapons at the very moment his music videos were threatening rival street factions is a charge the performer does deny.

Last week, a jury was asked to consider Rogers’ fate by weighing everything from recent shootings to the success of Marvel’s Black Panther soundtrack.

Rogers, better known by his rap moniker Lizk, faces two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, along with special gang enhancements.

One of the main witnesses in his trial was Sacramento County sheriff’s gang Detective Kenny Shelton. On February 28, The investigator testified that Rogers, who belongs to the Franklin Boulevard-area gang G Mobb, was already on probation |

03.08.18

for carrying a concealed weapon when, in winter 2016, he started releasing gun-toting rap videos on YouTube that challenged gang rivals. In November of that year, Rogers dropped a video called “Double Bazk On,” in which he called out Oak Park-affiliated rapper Mozzy.

Shelton testified that the sheriff’s gang unit was already planning to locate Rogers through his GPS ankle monitor and search him when, on December 14, a new Lizk video hit Youtube. In “No Air,” Rogers can be seen flashing guns numerous times. In Shelton’s analysis, Rogers was escalating tensions between G Mobb and the Oak Park Bloods.

“No Air” posted just 24 hours before YEET Day, an annual remembrance of slain G Mobb figure Marvion Barksdale.

Barksdale was killed in 2010 during an infamous barbershop shootout on Stockton Boulevard that also took the

Shelton testified that his team accelerated plans to search Rogers after seeing his newest challenge to Oak Park gangsters. Shelton added there was “an active gang war” happening at the time.

Between February and December of 2016, south Sacramento experienced numerous drive-by shootings, which took the lives of at least five people and left at least 12 others hospitalized.

Detectives used Rogers’ ankle monitor to track him to a sushi restaurant on Howe Avenue, where he was having dinner with a group of people.

Shelton testified that, while conducting surveillance in the restaurant’s parking lot, he spotted Rogers walk over and talk to someone through the open window of a Nissan Infiniti. Not long after, Rogers left the scene with two women in a Mercedes. Shelton and other undercover deputies quickly pulled the Mercedes over and found a loaded Glock 21 .45-caliber with a “thirty stick” extended magazine. Returning to the Infiniti, they found a loaded Glock 27 .40-caliber pistol that was illegally modified to be fully automatic.

Rogers told SN&R in a jail interview—and continues to maintain—that the guns weren’t his.

“If I was anybody else, I wouldn’t be in here for this,” he said from jail.

“With the gang enhancement, it makes it violent. They’re trying to strike me out on a gang charge.”

During cross-examination, Rogers’ defense attorney Jessica Graves attacked the prosecution’s case by pointing out that detectives hadn’t considered whether the guns belonged to anyone else. “They started their investigation with the presumption he was guilty,” Graves later stressed to the jury.

Graves also attacked the prosecution’s portrayal of Rogers as a would-be killer, some of which was conveyed by playing the “No Air” video in the courtroom.

“You gave us your interpretation of what these lyrics mean, but that’s based on your experience and your best guess of what Mr. Rogers meant when he wrote these lyrics?” Graves asked Shelton. The detective acknowledged that was true.

“You could be wrong about what some of lyrics mean?” Graves went on.

“Some,” Shelton said. “But some are pretty clear.”

Graves then questioned whether the violent threats and gang symbols in Rogers’ video could be more of a persona than a reality. She asked Shelton if he’d seen the movie Scarface. The detective answered he had. Graves asked if, by appearing in film, that meant Al Pacino goes around selling cocaine and firing machine guns.

“No,” Shelton replied. “Al Pacino doesn’t do that—to my knowledge, anyway.”

But Deputy District Attorney Kristen Andersen did her best to prove Rogers is a “high-ranking” gang member with blood on his hands. She argued that one of the two guns in question—the 9-millimeter with “the 30 stick”—can clearly be seen in the video for “No Air.” Anderson also played recordings of jail phone calls Rogers made, which the prosecutor argued show him pressuring the women in the Mercedes with him to take the fall for the guns. At one point in the recordings, Rogers appears to brag about his ability to communicate with the outside world while being monitored.

“I done said some hot shit in code,” he confides.

In a different recording, validated G Mobb member Jahmal Dawson can be heard trying to talk one of the women from the Mercedes into claiming the guns. “We don’t get made like regular people,” Dawson tells her. “We do other things, you feel me?”

In her closing arguments, Graves told the jury not to mistake Rogers’ musical ambitions for proof of genuine guilt.

“Mozzy makes these same videos,” she said, adding that Rogers’ rival is currently featured on the soundtrack for the $700 million-plus grossing film Black Panther. “Mozzy was able to use his status as a rapper and gang member in Sacramento to catapult himself to worldwide popularity.”

Andersen, for her part, tried to steer the focus back to real-world tragedies.

“Hopefully this is the last time you’ll have to hear about what’s happening in Sacramento County—the violence, the murders, the assaults,” she told the jurors. “This is not a persona; this is Mr. Rogers’ life.”

On March 2, the jury convicted Rogers of being a felon in posession of a firearm, and doing so for the beneft of a gang. He’ll be sentenced in April. Ω

Fri, MArCh 23 4:0 0pm - 8:0 0pm 220 3 del pas o blv d sac ., ca, 958 15 916 .22 6.0 257

Cus tom er App rec iati on

pArty

Recognizing their bloc Black women the focus as California convenes first gubernatorial forum geared toward them

by Tashana Davis

single women, especially African-American With frontrunner Gavin Newsom missing from women, are most likely to be near the bottom of the stage, three Democratic candidates for the economic ladder,” she told attendees. “So, California governor participated in the only it is really vital that we have single-payer and forum to directly address the concerns of that we do get together and figure out how we, African-American female voters. in fact, provide health care for each and every Held at Crest Theatre in downtown Californian.”

Sacramento, the February 13 forum was the first Villaraigosa, who trails Newsom in polls, of its kind, say organizers. according to UC Berkeley’s Institute of The event was sponsored by KCRA 3; the Governmental Studies, spoke of the importance minority-and-female-run public affairs firm Gray, of accessible health care, too. But the former Greer, Shelby & Vaughn; and Black Women mayor, who has criticized Newsom’s support for Organized for Political Action Training Institute single-payer legislation as financially unrealistic, for Leadership Enrichment, whose founder and said the next California governor needs to president Dezie Woods-Jones remarked that the come between President Donald Trump and the country would be wiser to follow the lead of black Affordable Care Act. female voters. Noting that 93 percent of black “What do we need to do with respect to health women voted for Hillary Clinton in the last presicare for black women? One, we need to dential election, Woods-Jones referenced the protect the ACA,” Villaraigosa said. role black female voters played in last “Trump is proposing to cut 2 to 5 year’s Senate defeat of Republican million people from the ACA.” candidate and accused child On health care, Chiang molester Roy Moore. said he showcased an “It is somewhat amazing ingenuity for finding and to me that it took a vote in prioritizing taxpayer dollars a small region of Alabama for California’s 1,200 commufor most of this nation to nity clinics as the state’s recognize what many of us Sen. Holly Mitchell money-manager. have known for years—the Democrat, Los Angeles “As state treasurer, I was able importance of African-American to take $20 million that I found, women’s vote,” she said. repurpose it so that we can keep Heeding that message were community clinics that serve principally ex-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio women, people of color and low-income [people] Villaraigosa, California Treasurer John Chiang afloat in the state of California,” he said. “We and former state schools Superintendent Delaine need to make sure that they have access. … So Eastin, all of whom are competing to replace I’m taking the action that is required today in the termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown next year. While face of what President Trump is trying to do to Lt. Gov. Newsom didn’t participate in the forum, Californian women.” his wife Jennifer Newsom was in the audience, The candidates also shared their stances on noted emcee Dana Griffin of KCRA. The point of the “Our Time to Engage, Inform health equity, incarceration, gender-based abuse, LGBTQ issues, pipeline development and the role and Vote: 2018 Gubernatorial Issues Forum,” as African-American women serve in their campaigns. it was called, was to get the gubernatorial candiState Sen. Holly Mitchell remarked on the dates to “address policies that disproportionately importance of the forum. impact African American women such as “We will no longer be invisible,” the Africaneconomic security, jobs, housing, health, political empowerment, criminal and social justice,” stated American Democrat told the audience. “What motivates black women to vote is issues that a release from organizers. impact our families, ourselves, our communities, For Eastin, that meant underlining her support our children—and so when candidates speak for a single-payer health-care system. our language, when candidates don’t take us for “That is especially important for poorest granted, we show up and we show out.” Ω Californians, and you know and I know that

Tru nk Sho w

& Sa le

Musical performance by World Class Musicians Ahaguna Sun & Jimmy Malone Event catered by Soyna Coleman

supp rt

real

news

Donate to ’s InDepenDent JournalIsm FunD:

InDepenDentJournalIsmFunD.org

“We will no longer be invisible.”

Let’s eat!

SERVING NEW AMERICAN CUISINE HAPPY HOUR Mon-Sun 3pm-7pm Contact us to schedule your next event here!

Find us on Facebook

6241 FAIR OAKS BLVD, Carmichael, CA 95608 (916) 550-5080

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

11

We need a sheriff who is tough and smart by jeff vonkaenel

je ffv @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

As I was writing this column, I was told the experience, the temperament and that Milo Fitch would soon announce the wisdom to run the department. In his candidacy for Sacramento County last week’s SN&R article, “Run Milo Sheriff, opposing incumbent Sheriff Run,” Raheem F. Hosseini compared Scott Jones. Milo Fitch served in the Fitch to Obi-Wan Kenobi—referencing Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department the wisdom learned from experifor 33 years, retiring as Chief Deputy, ence—and noted that after spending and currently is chief of the Workforce years witnessing the failures of the drug Development Branch at the California wars firsthand, Fitch is now working to Prison Industry Authority. reform the system. He has also joined We need to replace Sheriff Jones. We “the rational forces that support sentencneed an experienced official to oversee ing and bail reform.” the Sheriff’s Department, and we need I met Fitch in 2013 when he was serva forward-thinking law-enforcement ing as commander of the Rio Cosumnes professional with real problem-solving Correctional Center, overseeing 289 fullskills. The election of Milo Fitch would time staff with an annual budget of $50 accomplish both of these goals. million, as well as 2,000 inmates.

How Jones can look During my visit, he told me in the mirror, let alone that money spent for Fitch continue in office, training and education is beyond me. In of prisoners would created 2016, a court do much more innovative programs ruling required to reduce crime to provide training Sacramento than money spent County to pay out re-arresting and opportunities for prisoners, over $10 million re-incarcerating which increased their in judgments prisoners. chances of turning against deputies Others in in the Sheriff’s law enforcement their lives around Department for sexual and social services around. harassment claims. have told me that Fitch Last year, there was a $6.5 created innovative programs million judgment awarded to the to provide education and training family of a man killed by a sheriff’s opportunities for prisoners, which would deputy. During his tenure as sheriff, help inmates leave prison with better Jones passed out concealed weapons math, reading and job skills. This would permits like Halloween candy, not increase the chances of their getting a job following his own department’s poliand turning around their lives. cies, according to the California State My impression of Fitch was that he Auditor’s office. After being elected to was a rare individual who could win the his second four-year term as sheriff, he support and respect of both the officers decided to run for Congress. In 2017, he and the inmates. After he retired from the said he would not seek re-election, but Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department later he changed his mind. He should in 2014, some of his innovative programs stick with his original plan. were eliminated. In contrast to Fitch, But elections are often less about the Sheriff Jones has argued for longer qualifications of the candidates and more sentences and less reform. about the money in the campaign war In June, the names Fitch and Jones chest. In this arena, Jones is very compewill be on the ballot, but it might as well tent. He will have a ton of money for his be Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Ω campaign. If only he was equally capable of running the Sheriff’s Department.

Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority I do not know about Fitch’s ability owner of the News & Review. to raise campaign money. But he has 12

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

IllustratIon by marIa ratInova

’s mento sacraers and wInn s—wIth loser ry poInts ra arbIt

by jo

hn fl

ynn

Get to tHe (NeW) CHoppa Check out our new

The Sacramento Police Department announced they will be getting a new, spiffily-named Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter in April. The new helicopter will replace an older model that the

police said had flown for nearly 20 years and over 30,000 flight hours.

Judging from the frequency that he hears a chopper, Scorekeeper has long suspected that the police sometimes take her out for a spin on slow nights. Hopefully, this new mechanical bird, in addition to being quicker, is also a little quieter.

map!

-30,000 World’S BeSt VetS It wasn’t the school for Lady Bird, but UC davis

has continued its domination in the fields that repulsed her: ranking first in veterinary science, second in agriculture and forestry and top-50 in five other fields, according to rankings put out

by Quacquarelli Symonds, an influential ranker of international universities. Although she didn’t take home any Oscars, Greta Gerwig announced she wants to make three more Sacramento films, wherein Scorekeeper would love to see a character that’s a proud possessor of our region’s earthy prowess.

+50 Wood-N’t it Be NiCe With the urban infill project, the Mill at Broadway, going up this year, Scorekeeper had feared the days were numbered for the affordable housing project next door, Land Park Woods. Instead, Mercy Housing finished revitalizing the 11-building complex on September 7, redoing the landscaping, upgrading dated apartment features and adding more community-oriented spaces—all while increasing water and energy efficiency. The renovations should last another 15 years and will hopefully demonstrate the viability and necessity of providing space for all our city’s residents to live.

+15

Wet HiStory After the sudden and aggressive hailstorm last Monday, a ceiling leak at the California State Library Building soaked an estimated 250 rare books, several of which were from the 1800s.

To mitigate the damage, the books have been freeze-dried, apparently an important step in the salvage and conservation process. Let’s hope they save the books that produce one of Scorekeeper’s favorite smells: the musty vanilla of old paper.

-250 Great Way to Go Perhaps the coolest, most influential Sacramentan ever, russ Solomon, passed away on Sunday at the age of 92 while drinking whisky and watching the Oscars. The founder of Tower Records, who revolutionized the music industry in the pre-iPod era, reportedly had been roasting the outfit of a celebrity when he asked his wife for a refill. When she returned, he had merged with the infinite. Rest in peace to a man who brought a beautiful thing into the world, then left in style.

+92

Ever wanted to search by location?

NOW YOU CAN.

@SNRSWEETDEALS

SNRSWEETDEALS.NEWSREVIEW.COM 03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

13

s t s o c l the a loc e r i p m e l a glob of

14

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

L

Raheem f. hosseini and eRic johnson contRibuted to this RepoRt.

by Dennis Myers

ast month, Donald Trump said, in signing the annual military expenditures bill, “In recent years, our military has undergone a series of deep budget cuts that have severely impacted our readiness, shrunk our capabilities and placed substantial burdens on our warfighters. ... Today, with the signing of this defense bill, we accelerate the process of fully restoring America’s military might.”

The military might of the United States had shrunk so much that it was only about three times that of China, only about six times that of Russia. In fact, it took the total combined spending of the next six largest national military budgets (France, Britain, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Russia) to even equal the profligacy of the poor United States.

In any other nation, comments by a national executive like that of Trump on such a budget would be considered delusional. In the United States, spendthrift extravagance on the military is so engrained in the culture that few give it any thought. And Trump thinks of the military budget as the plight of the Pentagon.

wHy are we tHere?

Maggie Jordan: “Can you think of anything about Africa that’s relevant to Americans?”

Jerry Dantana: “It’s the next place U.S. soldiers are going to go to die.”

—Newsroom Season Two, Episode Two, “The Genoa Tip” by Aaron Sorkin On October 4, 25-year-old Sgt. La David Johnson was on patrol in Niger when his patrol was attacked. He was killed, along with Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright. The attack made front page news across the United States, where most citizens likely could not find Niger on a map and did not know America had men in harm’s way there.

For those who tried to make sense of the incident, the facts are startling. Though there are competing figures, and the Pentagon tries to obscure the truth, there are more than a thousand U.S. military installations encircling a planet that has only 200 countries. In Africa alone, besides Niger, there’s a U.S. military presence in places like Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia. By most counts, though the U.S. government is cagey about its doings, there are U.S. troops in most African nations, and there are 47 of them.

More than once in our history, U.S. officials have put U.S. servicepeople in harm’s way and then seized on the killing of a U.S. serviceperson to launch a major war.

In his book, Base Nation, David Vine wrote, “While there are no freestanding foreign bases on U.S. soil, today there are around 800 U.S. bases in foreign countries, occupied by hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops. … Although few U.S. citizens realize it, we probably have more bases in other people’s lands than any other people, nation, or empire in world history. And yet the subject is barely discussed in the media.”

As best I can tell after weeks of searching, there is not one reporter in journalism, anywhere among publications covering international affairs in any nation, assigned to cover solely this empire of U.S. military installations.

That heralds a mighty lack of curiosity in an industry supposedly built on curiosity.

“Temporary” bases are not counted by the Pentagon, but once in, rarely out. It has been a quarter-century since the Kuwait war, but there are still six U.S. bases there.

This reporter was stationed in the 1970s at Panzer Kaserne, a U.S. base in Germany outside Stuttgart.

Any reason for the base had long since disappeared— Germany was a powerful country with an industrial economy that could take care of itself. But today, Panzer is one of several bases around Stuttgart serving the Army, Navy and Marines—in their Africa needs.

by 57 years.

Nick Turse of TomDispatch, a website that has carefully tracked the growing U.S. military empire, reported in 2014 on the bungling by U.S. policymakers in various nations: “A U.S.-backed uprising in Libya, for instance, helped spawn hundreds of militias that have increasingly caused chaos in that country, leading to repeated attacks on Western interests and the killing of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Tunisia has become ever more destabilized, according to a top U.S. commander in the region. Kenya and Algeria were hit by spectacular, large-scale terrorist attacks that left Americans dead or wounded. South Sudan, a fledgling nation Washington recently midwifed into being that has been slipping into civil war, now has more than 870,000 displaced persons, is facing an imminent hunger crisis, and has recently been the site of mass atrocities, including rapes and killings. Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed military of Mali was repeatedly defeated by insurgent forces after managing to overthrow the elected government, and the U.S.supported forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) failed to stop a ragtag rebel group from ousting the president.”

CompetenCe It would be nice if all this money was being used wisely and prudently.

“I know there are always some people who feel that Americans are always young and inexperienced, and foreigners are always able and tough, and great negotiators,” President Kennedy once said. “But I don’t think that the United States acquired its present position of leadership in the free world if that view were correct.”

One can only wonder what Kennedy would think today. In the last half century, the United States has had a history of blundering into regions, walking into walls and setting off unintended consequences in every corner of the globe, always while missing more serious threats.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told West Point cadets in 2011, “And I must tell you, when it comes to predicting the nature and location of our next military engagements, since Vietnam, our record has been perfect. We have never once gotten it right, from the Mayaguez to Grenada, Panama, Somalia, the Balkans, Haiti, Kuwait, Iraq and more. We had no idea a year before any of these missions that we would be so engaged.”

When the United States invented the “nation” of South Vietnam during the Eisenhower administration, it cut the north off from its food supply in the Mekong Delta. No nation could tolerate such a thing. Yet there is little evidence in the Pentagon Papers or other early records that U.S. policymakers understood what they were doing to Vietnam’s food system.

Since the United States helped invent the nation of South Sudan in 2011, that unfortunate “nation” has had two civil wars. Private armies roam the land.

There is not a lot of progress indicated by those two inventions separated

There . are U.s troops in most Africa n nation s

How we got tHe system After the Great War, as World War I was originally called, the United States disassembled its military back to a 100,000person force, and the nation enjoyed a peace dividend.

“We were proud of our small standing army,” Kurt Vonnegut wrote.

But after World War II, there was no such stand-down.

In 1951, President Truman signed a secret U.S. policy paper, NSC 68, that planned a cold war, militarized its goals, and created a global-involvement rationale allowing U.S. intervention around the world. A peacetime draft was imposed in 1948, freeing presidents from needing congressional action.

Congress approved the “Truman Doctrine” allowing the president to aid “free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”

And GOP congressional leaders overrode the Republicans who objected when Truman took the nation to war in Korea without permission from Congress.

With Democrats in thrall to a strong presidency and Republicans too cowardly to buck the patriotism police, three elements—a draft, a “doctrine” and unaccountable authority— had been assembled, the elements needed for decades of tragedy and endless war.

It also signified that the war profits that accompanied World War II would continue.

That bothered few, but in 1953, a military man became president.

Dwight Eisenhower had no need to prove his “defense” credentials to anyone. (Preparing for years in which America would intrude in every corner of the world without being threatened, Congress had changed the name of the War Department to the Defense Department.)

He had commanded Allied forces in the largest land theater of war in history. He had watched the consequences of NSC 68 and the Truman “BLOAT” continued on page 17

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

15

16

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

“BLOAT” continued from page 15

Doctrine. In his first state of the union, he cautioned, “To amass military power without regard to economic capacity would be to defend ourselves against one kind of disaster by inviting another.”

Three months after he became president, he gave a broader and more detailed warning about the evolving war economy in remarks to the American Society of Newspaper Editors that were carried live to the nation on television and radio.

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this—a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. ... Is there no other way the world may live?”

What Eisenhower famously dubbed “the military industrial complex” has since taken up bigger and bigger chunks of the federal budget. Housing and transportation rate only 4 percent of the budget, which has prompted state and local officials to scramble around the U.S. government’s imperialistic priorities.

Workarounds to pay for what the White House won’t cover are causing headaches all around the Golden State.

California Democrats are bracing for a midterm backlash thanks to their support for Gov. Jerry Brown’s legislation raising the gas tax. The first such boost in more than two decades will collect an additional $5.2 billion annually starting next year for the state’s weathered roads and bridges, and neglected transit networks.

It comes less than two years after Sacramento County voters narrowly tipped against a half-cent sales tax that would have generated $3.6 billion for a slew of local transportation and infrastructure projects. In 2012, voters in the city of Sacramento imposed a half-cent sales tax on themselves to restore vital public services gutted by the recession.

The tax—which took effect April 2013 and collects about $30 million annually for police, fire and parks—was supposed to be temporary. But ballooning pension costs are coming due and city officials want voters to extend the tax beyond its 2019 sunset to help pay for them.

A Sacramento State and Valley Vision survey last year found that area residents favor financial investments in parks and trails way more than they want to see money go to sports venues. Just imagine what they would have said if they were asked about wars.

The sysTem reaches a peak Saving this kind of money from foreign ratholes like Iraq would seem to be a popular notion.

But Eisenhower reckoned without the Democrats. He had taken office during McCarthyism and as his term of office passed, Democrats realized that one of the ways they could protect themselves from red-baiting was by taking aggressively belligerent positions on the military. Figures in the Senate like Stuart Symington, Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy and Henry Jackson began complaining loud and long about the restraint Eisenhower imposed on acquisition of hardware and buildup of the military. The tension between Democrats and the president at times became very angry, with Eisenhower on one occasion calling the criticism despicable.

Democratic Sen. Mike Monroney of Oklahoma: “The administration put a balanced budget ahead of a balanced national defense.”

All this was a prelude to Kennedy’s claim in the 1960

The Annual Cost of

EmpirE Here’s what we pay to fund the U.S. Department of Defense’s global presence.

These figures, from the National Priorities Project, reflect spending from fiscal year 2015. In his first two years in office, Pres. Donald Trump has increased Department of Defense spending by an average of 11 percent.

presidential campaign of a missile gap between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R—at a time when British and U.S. overflights of the Soviet Union showed not a single ICBM, IRBM or MRBM site.

After the election, JFK’s administration admitted there was no gap, but that did not stop it from recommending to Congress that the military spending faucet be turned on. Eisenhower did not like criticizing his successor, but in June 1962, he took on both JFK and Congress: “I personally believe—with, I am sure, very little company in either party—that the defense budget should be substantially reduced.”

If Eisenhower felt isolated in his own Republican Party, his views had the support of a similarly solitary Democrat. U.S. Food for Peace director George McGovern, a war hero from South Dakota, went to the Senate in 1963 and quickly took up the cause of weaning the country off military spending. He believed it could not be done abruptly, for fear of throwing the economy into a downturn, so dependent had the nation become on military spending. But he said then was the time to begin planning for the inevitable end of the Cold War and introduced an Economic Conversion Act requiring military industries to prepare plans for converting military economic activities to civilian works. It died repeatedly.

According to McGovern’s biographer, after President Kennedy’s murder, McGovern asked JFK aide Ted Sorensen what Kennedy had thought of the measure. “He thought it was naïve,” Sorensen said. “He didn’t think you realized the tremendous pressures there are in this country to keep defense spending high—the industries, the unions, the Pentagon and all the other special interests.” Of course, Kennedy had helped create that pressure.

McGovern was not dissuaded and plugged away. When he took the issue into his 1972 presidential campaign, Republicans sneered at the notion of McGovern being an ally of the sainted Eisenhower.

When the end of the Cold War came, the government was not ready and instead cast about for new enemies to keep military spending high—the drug war after the fall of the Berlin wall, then terrorism after September 11. A few figures floated other ideas. Bill Clinton proposed cutting operations at the Nevada nuclear test site and converting it and its workforce to high speed train technology.

Little was heard of the idea after Clinton became president.

Today, figures like Eisenhower and McGovern who speak up against the bloat are just as rare. U.S. Sen. John McCain: “In fact, the military-industrial complex has become much worse than President Eisenhower originally envisioned: It’s

California

$72,310,000,000 City of Sacramento $482,420,000 Sacramento County $1,660,000,000 Yolo County $692,830,000 Amador County $41,110,000 U.S. House District 3 $762,510,000 U.S. House District 4 $695,444,000 U.S. House District 6 $642,640,000 evolved to capture Congress. So, the phenomenon should now rightly be called, the ‘military-industrial-congressional’ complex. ... Those words describe root causes of why big programs fail— aggressive promises for ‘revolutionary’ capablity; poorly understood or fluid requirements; unrealistic initial cost estimates; overly optimistic schedules and assumptions; unreliable manufacturing and integration risk assessments; starting major production with an immature design or unproven critical technologies; and poorly performing government and industry teams.”

Finding ways to cut is not difficult. The Atlantic Monthly on why the U.S. Fifth Fleet should be disbanded: “There is no shortage of American military and even naval facilities outside the Gulf that are capable of providing a quick military response if necessary.

After all, we survived just fine before the Fifth Fleet was recreated in 1995. With the Iraq war winding down, it is time to draw down the overall U.S. presence.”

It’s difficult to know how many installations the U.S. military has around the world because it plays games with terms like bases, facilities, outposts, installations and so on. If it chose to be clear and definitive, it would find the correct words.

Few entities are more skilled than the Pentagon at using language to conceal instead of disclose.

No report er covers th e beat of U.S . military empire

Does iT maTTer? All of this is dangerous enough. There is also this: For the first time since the American Revolution, the United States of America is not paying for its wars. They are being fought on debt. With Republicans in thrall to no-new-taxes and Democrats too cowardly to buck the patriotism police after September 11, the Congress launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on credit. Debt from the Bush bailouts and the Bush wars have been piling up ever since. There are some who predict that the time is nearing when war debt will equal the cost of the wars themselves. Who knows what that will mean for the U.S. economy?

Hedrick Smith wrote a book titled Who Stole the American Dream? Toward the end of it, he identified three obstacles to the U.S. regaining its economic strength. One was endless, unaccountable military spending.

And, finally, there is this: To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Ω

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

17

Check out Wendy Lewis at Comedy Burger 6:30 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at Momo Sacramento, 2708 J Street. Tickets are $10. phoTo By NiCoLe FoWLer

18

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

HMONG NATION BEER IN SOUTH SAC See DRINK

27

KEITH RICHARDS’ STOLEN JACKET See MUSIC

32

WOOING A WINE COLLEAGUE See ASK JOEY

g n i m o o l b Late comediashnould follow

A spontAneous joker whos

I

WENDY LEWIS comedian

t’s almost a packed house at Momo Sacramento, the kind of crowd that came to laugh. But one thing is missing: burgers.

This is Comedy Burger, a monthly comedy series, where in addition to watching some of the best local comics, you can purchase $6 gourmet burgers.

The show is the brainchild of local comic and SN&R columnist Ngaio Bealum, and it’s coproduced by the underrated local comic Wendy Lewis, who should be a household name around town and maybe soon will be.

Out of everyone, she’s taking the stress the hardest.

“It’s called Comedy Burger. It’s not

e nAme you

“She loves comedy and knows all the comedians. Her stories are wicked funny and she understands the art of being herself on stage. I laugh every time I watch her.”

Her material can get crass: “Look at all the happy couples before Valentine’s Day. I hope you all get tongue cramps tonight,” she tells the people at Momo.

But she’s all about love and giving people a relief from the stresses of dayto-day life.

“I feel like if you can use humor to put a hug around people, you forget the rest,” Lewis says. “You can only think about what’s making you laugh at that moment in time.”

“DOGS ARE GREAT. THEY ONLY SHIT ON YOUR CARpET, NOT YOUR HEART.”

called Comedy Tequila,” Lewis says. “I was freaking out because I have OCD bad. I want things to go a certain way.”

Rather than staying freaked out, she drives to McDonald’s and buys a bunch of cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches, passing them out to the crowd partway through the show.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my audience,” Lewis says. “I thought it would have been funny if I went to Wendy’s—being brand loyal.”

Later in the evening, Lewis takes the stage. You would have never known how stressed she was by watching her set. She exudes the kind of confidence that fully embraces her flaws, where it almost feels like she’s bragging about them, and she adds a borderline aggressive “don’t give a fuck” attitude. Her brain goes a mile a minute. She tells selfdeprecating stories, dirty jokes, teases the audience ruthlessly and, at times, just comes up with new material on the spot, which does surprisingly well. She talks fast and switches things up with different voices. She has the best set of the night.

People bust over laughing.

“Wendy is awesome,” Bealum says.

At 43 and just about five years into comedy, Lewis not only coproduces the Comedy Burger series, which she started doing in 2016, but also hosts a weekly open-mic every Friday at Vince’s Ristorante in West Sacramento.

Back in 2014-2016, she used to be the featured comic for the Darling Clementines burlesque troupe. She gigs wherever she can.

Lewis did her first set at the urging of a coworker at Nordstrom, where she worked as a counter manager in cosmetics. This coworker was annoyed at Lewis’ nonstop joking and silliness at work. Lewis took her advice and entered into a contest at Laughs Unlimited, but she didn’t prepare for it at all.

“I know it sounds kind of weird, but I know that I’m kind of naturally funny, and I have a lot of funny stories that have happened to me that are just true that I’ll just tell somebody,” Lewis says.

She was competing against working comics—ones who had actually written down material and prepared—and held her own. She scored in 11th place of 12.

Plus, someone was so impressed with her that they offered her a gig at Punch Line.

by AAron CArnes

But she heard one piece of criticism: Her material was too self-deprecating.

Rather than change up her style, she just got better at it and developed a confidence in her foibles. At that Punch Line show, her second show, and with another unplanned set, she shared the stage with cult San Francisco comic Larry Bubbles Brown, who really liked one of her stories, where she talked about her dog accidentally getting into her cannabis edibles.

“Now he’s got the munchies all the time.”

Brown asked her: Was it a true story? The answer was yes.

“They say that comedy is 80 percent truth and 20 percent embellishment,” Lewis says. “I’m like, my life’s one whole big joke. I got plenty of material to work with. I don’t really have to embellish. If I can laugh at myself, you can laugh at yourself. We all have days when we fall flat on our faces.”

It wouldn’t be for 10 months into doing comedy that she would start writing her material down.

A lot of her style comes from working retail, specifically in the beauty industry, where she used humor to make folks comfortable. The same year she started comedy, she quit her job at Nordstrom and got hired as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics.

“As a big girl, I’ve always used to humor to buffer things,” Lewis says.

“With customers, if you can make them laugh, it disarms them right away. Some of these girls I work with are so amazingly beautiful. They would say some mean stuff to me, so I would disarm them with humor and suddenly they’re like, ‘You’re one of us now.’”

Telling jokes is one of the most natural things for Lewis. Her mind’s constantly thinking of material whether she intends to or not, and she easily finds humor in everything. Near the end of our interview, she sees a person walking their dog, gets distracted and writes a new joke.

“Dogs are great. They only shit on your carpet, not your heart,” she laughs.

“I should make that into a T-shirt.” Ω

38

51

SWIMMING TOWARD GLORY See 15 MINUTES

Boy band on demand “Who’s your favorite?” This is the essential question the boy band structure beckons: There are many members to choose from, so who is the

boy siren singing just for you?

Historically, I’ve had an aversion to boy bands. Dough-faced boy scouts dancing around like industry puppets, crooning vague romantic sentiments.

BroCKHAMPTon’s sATUrATIon II As a moody, queer, mixed-ethnicity kid growing up in a sleepy California suburb—what boy bands were selling, I wasn’t buying.

Almost two decades later, enter BROCKHAMPTON. A selfproclaimed boy band born of the internet age who connected on a Kanye West fan forum and now live in a big house together in Los Angeles, dropping albums with such speed and fervor you’d think their lifestyles depended on it. (They do.) Comprised of seven—SEVEN—unique vocalists, BROCKHAMPTON might actually have something for everyone.

It’s Monday night, a school night, and I arrive at Ace of Spades to see BROCKHAMPTON on their 2018 Love Your Parents Tour. I immediately notice how young the crowd is: There is absolutely no waiting for a drink at the bar, but the line for the merch table is teeming. These kids better love

their parents because concert tickets and the merch table are not cheap.

I grab a drink and settle into the wriggling, mixed crowd: This clearly isn’t a boy band for just girls. My iPhone buzzes, it’s an AirDrop alert, an encrypted peer-to-peer filesharing feature in which strangers can photobomb everyone in the vicinity who have AirDrop enabled. It’s from “Hanna’s Iphone6” asking me to accept a selfie of a stranger in this crowd who I can only assume is Hanna. “Like where’s BH amirite” the photo is captioned.

Finally, a figure in an orange jumpsuit—just like the ones in their music videos—takes the stage. It’s Ameer, the tall, dark and handsome figure that graces BROCKHAMPTON’s album covers. The other six members filter onto the stage to the rabid screams of the crowd: Dom, Merlyn, Joba, Matt Champion, Kevin Abstract and Bearface, who takes a seat on a beat-up mustard couch in the 1960s living room set of white tulip chairs and a campy old TV. That’s where he spends most of the concert, and where the other members occassionally took a seat to catch their breath. “‘Why you always rap about bein’ gay?’ ’Cause not enough niggas rap and be gay / Where I come from, niggas get called ‘faggot’ and killed / So I’ma get head from a nigga right here,” sings the group’s founder, 21-year-old Kevin Abstract on their song “JUNKY.” The crowd knows all the words and sings along. The white members of BROCKHAMPTON serve their verses and support the choruses, but they skip over the “n-word.” The energy is insane. For two hours the boys move fluidly and emphatically through their rhymes, passing the spotlight back and forth. I’m reminded of the masterful live performances of the once-boy rappers Beastie Boys. Holy shit, this is definitely a boy band, but

one unlike anything that has come before.

“Shut the hell up white people!” one of the boys hollers into his mic. The crowd explodes into one of the loudest cheers of the night. I don’t know if it is part of a song, or just commentary peppered in, but that is what this crowd wanted to hear. For the record, my favorite is Ameer.

—Serene luSano

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

19

! l a t i P a c t a H t l a e H r u o Y e d a uPgr

t n e m l l o r n e 85% off

t n e m t i m m o c m r + no long te d e d u l c n i s e s s a + unlimited cl exp. 03.31.18

916.442.3927 | www.capitalac.com | conveniently located at the corner of 8th & p 20

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

Q: WHAT IS ?

WENT TO PAIR OF STAGECOACH PASSES FRIDAY NIGHT WITH 92.5 THE BULL IN THE HOUSE

A: Vietnam: The Inner View shows the breaks between the battles.

Photo by Marc WaszkieWicz

Life on the frontlines A Marine and a hippie show the human side of the Vietnam War

by John Flynn

On his way to Vietnam, Marine Sgt. Marc Waszkiewicz won a camera in a poker game. Buying film every chance he could, he took photos between battles, capturing more than 4,000 images of daily life over three tours on the frontlines of a war that’s settled into a controversial place in American history. Now, Waszkiewicz showcases his work with an unlikely collaborator, a teacher and singer-songwriter named Lea Jones, whom he met in the early ’90s.

“I was a hippie kid,” Jones said. “And from 1968 on, I didn’t have any interest in interacting with Vietnam veterans. I did not hold them in high regard.

And that was not atypical. That was normal. That’s why a lot of those guys went underground, because they got so much shit when they came home.”

After some convincing by Waszkiewicz, Jones agreed to help him make a soundtrack to capture the feeling of life during the war. After listening to Waszkiewicz’s stories for months, Jones started writing songs. He would sing and play rhythm guitar while Waszkiewicz composed, played bass and rounded up accompanying musicians.

The songs span the spectrum of ’60s sounds.

“When I Had You” is a floating, melancholy soul track based on Waszkiewicz receiving a break-up letter from his girlfriend during the last month of his first tour. “Di Di Mau” is a surf rock jam about getting a debaucherous break from duty. And “Another Long Night” is a bluesy campfire song that features the clever, yet scary line, “The VC’s bite is worse than their bark,” referring to the North Vietnamese forces’ tendency to strike without warning at night.

The album struggled to gain traction and Jones and Waszkiewicz grew distant, partly due to their differing opinions on the Iraq War. They reconnected

in 2007 when Jones asked Waszkiewicz about doing a re-release of their CD to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. During their time apart, Waszkiewicz had conducted interviews with five men who served alongside him, and a sixth that served in the Navy. After he lost two friends around 2008, Waszkiewicz asked Jones for help making a documentary that would show the daily life of soldiers, to hopefully help veterans process their service and deal with post-traumatic stress disorder that also affected Waszkiewicz.

The photos, soundtrack and interviews ultimately became Vietnam: An Inner View, which Waszkiewicz and Jones bring to Sacramento this week for an event sponsored by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 500.

Waszkiewicz’s photos depict striking scenes: an aerial view of rice paddies, a Marine grimly posing next to a half-decomposed corpse of a child, and soldiers, barely out of high school, watching as a fighter jet delivers a flaming airstrike. Notably lacking are shots of firefights. The reason is simple.

“Mark was busy during combat,” Jones said of his coproducer, who served among infantry and heavy-fire support squads. “So he took pictures of everything else.”

The duo hope to raise funds to make it onto major streaming services and reach more viewers. Jones said the documentary has inspired countless veterans to speak up about their experiences, often for the first time, as Doug Mitten did after watching the documentary a few years ago.

Mitten, a Vietnam vet who lives in Sacramento, will host a discussion during the March 11 event, after his wife, Deborah Franklin, wrote Jones and Waszkiewicz a letter thanking them for their work.

“I cannot express how profoundly that presentation affected my husband,” she wrote. “He cried. And, then he started to talk. Like many Vietnam veterans, Doug had never spoken so truthfully about his experiences.

Talking with Marc after the presentation opened the door and made possible Doug’s new journey toward healing so many years after he left the military.” Ω Marc Waszkiewicz will be at avid reader sacramento, 1945 broadway, on saturday, March 10, from 1pm to 3pm, signing copies of 1000 yard stare, the hardback collection of his photographs. Vietnam: an inner View, will be presented sunday, March 11, at 1pm at the sacramento Public Library; 828 i street, West Meeting room.

STAGE COACH DANCE COMPETITION

offers gift certificates and tickets to the best businesses, restaurants, theaters and venues in town up to 75% OFF!

SATURDAY MARCH 10TH DON’T MISS STONEYS ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY BASH TWO DOLLAR COORS LIGHT GREEN BEER FIVE DOLLAR CAR BOMBS 8 TO 9 PLUS 8 DOLLAR CORN BEEF AND CABBAGE ALL NIGHT WITH FREE LATE-NIGHT SHEPHERDS PIE

FREE DANCE LESSONS

MOST NIGHTS KARAOKE UP FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 1320 DEL PASO BLVD IN OLD NORTH SAC

snrsweetdeals.newsreview.com

STONEYINN.COM

916.402.2407

March special MicroDerM & Massage Book a micro & 50 min SwediSh maSSage on the Same day for only $130 (that’S aBout 10%!)

day spa

916-482-2772 www.MellowMeout.com MellowMeout MellowMeout.com

open 7 days 9aM–9pM 3421 arden way w (Corner of Watt & arden behind burger King)

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

21

Regulation is dRiving smalleR gRoweRs into the black maRket

by Ken magri

H

eavy regulations, reluctant local governments and high application fees are keeping cannabis farmers from getting licensed, according to a new 36-page report by the California Growers association, a cannabis growers trade association. as a result, small- and medium-sized growers are quitting the business or heading to the black market. proposition 64 passed in 2016 with anti-monopoly provisions aimed at protecting smaller growers from encroachment by larger operations. But state regulators deleted those safeguards when formulating last year’s emergency regulations.

By late February, The California Department of Food and Agriculture had issued only 1,586 licenses from 3,559 applications. That’s less than 1 percent of the estimated 68,000 statewide cannabis growers. Most growers cannot afford the high cost of compliance, first with local governments, then with four statewide agencies.

most growers cannot afford the high cost of compliance, first with local governments, then with four statewide agencies.

This Pineapple Express from Shasta County gets a higher price in Mexico

“Over the last 10 years, we have had a large variety of strains,” said Kimberly Cargile at Sacramento’s A Therapeutic Alternative. “Since, January 1, we can only legally purchase from state-licensed cultivators.” Cargile says most of their dispensary’s previous suppliers haven’t yet been approved by local governments, and therefore can’t apply for state licenses. “This has severely limited the variety available for our members,” she said. meanwhile, California’s decades-old black market is re-emerging. “i’ll sell wherever someone will buy it,” said ray, a premium grower from trinity County. skirting around the legal market’s high taxes, illegal operations range from ray’s medium-sized farm to backyard gardeners that drive or mail their crops halfway across the country.

But up in the emerald triangle region, prices have dropped from $1,600 to $600 per pound. massive grow operations “and a plummet in quality” is where ray sees the industry heading. instead of trying for a license, the veteran grower just put his farm up for sale. “it’s the end of an era,” he says.

The CGA concluded its report by predicting California’s regulatory system will fail “without changes that allow small and independent businesses to enter into compliance.”

ColleCtives Caring for tHe Community.

imagine the irony of smuggling shasta-grown cannabis into mexico. Former tv reporter dave marquis recently witnessed such an operation. “Buyers along the border will pay top dollar for premium northern California marijuana in almost any quantity,” said marquis, who reported for sacramento’s KXtv news. He said transfers are arranged with a U.s. contact, eliminating the need to cross borders. “it’s a compelling alternative,” explained marquis. “Little risk, no taxes, top dollar.”

Sponsored by:

for more info:

www.Collective-giving.com CA licenses issued or pending

pa i d a dv e rt i se m e n t 100% ORGANIC

CC101

TeTra healTh cenTers

22

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

THC

Double doughnut doiSSant, Sweet dozen

ph

There are countless doughnut shops around Sacramento serving single-note confections like the ones your grandparents grabbed in their vi lunchrooms 50 years ago. a inS 6 Then there’s Sweet Dozen, tag n91 ram @Sweetdoze a small shop serving the lofty “Doissant,” a cronut-like cross between a doughnut and a croissant. But what Sweet Dozen does differently is split their doissants—sugar, chocolate, crum and maple-bacon flavored—and fill them with delectable seasonal fillings (think raspberry lemon, strawberry custard or even s’mores). Hot tip: Their doughnut cart makes biweekly visits to the Midtown farmers market with a few special off-menu options. 5207 Madison Avenue, Suite E in Carmichael. www.sweetdozen.com. ot

o

The pulled pork sliders ($13) were wonderfully sweet and smoky, with a good acid tang. photo by KarloS rene ayala

Malt, mash, middling Malt & Mash Irish Pub

by StePhanIe StIavettI

715 K Street; (916) 476-4403 http://maltmash.com Good for: a brew and a bite Notable dishes: pulled pork sliders, corned beef tacos

$$$

Irish, downtown

Bars and restaurants are sprouting up around Downtown Commons faster than indictments in the Mueller investigation. Among them is Malt & Mash, a cozy Irish-style pub that opened in the fall of 2016. With a solid beer and whiskey selection and a location right across from Golden 1 Center, this dark little bar is a convenient stop after work or on the way to a game.

Large-format TVs are situated for easy viewing from almost everywhere in the bar, so if you’re looking for your favorite sports game, Malt & Mash is a great place to watch alongside an admirable selection of beer and whiskey. Given the “hometown pride” priorities of the Sacramento area, I was disappointed to find only two local draught brews—and both were ultra-hoppy IPAs, of which I’m not a fan.

The food menu is limited to only a handful of dishes and heavy with corned beef and Russian dressing. This isn’t a bad thing, though if you’re even remotely veg in your leanings, your options are a pub salad ($7) or a side of chips ($5).

My first visit was on a Tuesday night, and we were surprised to find Malt & Mash dead-empty; we were the only patrons there, from our 5:30 p.m. arrival to our 6:45 p.m. departure. Service was quick and friendly.

The corned beef tacos ($13) were very good, with a solid smoky flavor and crispy-textured beef. While not

groundbreaking, the Reuben ($14) was satisfying, and the chips were thick-cut with more crunch than I thought possible out of a slice of potato.

The real winners of the night were the pulled pork sliders ($13). While I’m a fervent fan of pulled pork in general, I’ve had many disappointing experiences around town. These sliders, however, were wonderfully sweet and smoky, with a good acid tang coupled with cool purple (?!) coleslaw and topped with gorgeously crispy onion strings.

Our second visit was very different. Arriving at about 5 p.m. on a Thursday night, when a Kings game was scheduled at the stadium, we found the place packed with service sadly lacking. When we were finally able to flag down a server after three attempts, she was rushed and struggled to take our orders over the din of the crowd.

Once the food arrived, the Reuben was disappointing: zero sauerkraut, filled with tough, gristly meat that was impossible to eat. My beloved pulled pork sliders were still good, but slumped drunkenly sideways, their innards spilling out like they’d gotten into the Glenlivit before sloshing to our table.

The final verdict? The food selection is sparse, but the few edible offerings at Malt & Mash hit the pleasure points for a satisfying Irish-American pub grub experience. If there’s nothing happening at the stadium, it’s a great downtown stop for a drink and a satisfying bite. On game or concert nights, it’s a good refuge for grabbing a beer… but skip the food menu if it’s a full house. Ω

—StePhanie Stiavetti

Rooftop respite hang glider, revival at the Sawyer Did Sacramento need a new swanky spot? After a drink at Revival at the Sawyer, my answer is yes. The rooftop bar launched last fall and quickly became a downtown hotspot, hosting weekend dance parties and an upscale but friendly feel. The Wednesday night atmosphere is a bit quieter—perfect for sipping the sweet and smokey Hang Glider ($12) in the indoor lounge. Made with pink peppercorn-infused Hangar 1 Vodka out of Alameda, aperol Amaro Nonino and lemon, the Hang Glider is a tasty example of how Revival is elevating craft cocktails in the city. 500 J Street, revivalsacramento.com.

—kate gonzaleS

Photogenic blush Pink radicchio Once again proving that we eat with our eyes, the newest trend in greens is pink. Varieties of radicchio with rose-tinged leaves appear all over social media and restaurants these days. The pretty chicory adds a blush to salads, pizzas and pastas.

You might see it paired with equally pink watermelon radishes for a salad with zing. Or, it may be used to replace boring old romaine for a perked-up Caesar.

But what of the flavor? It has the distinctive bitterness of chicories, but not as much sweetness as other varieties. No matter though—it’s here for the photos!

—ann Martin rolke

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

23

izza in Fair Best Pizza Pizza in Fa Faiir r Oaks Oaks 2x winner Best •$ 7 wing saUCEs

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Beer pintS 5 craFt

• FreSh FreSS h douGh Fre dou G h douG made daily

• amazinG WinGS GS FEATURED PizzA:: ThE Th FiRE isl slAnD

velocity-pizza.com • (916) 844-7725 4894 San Juan avenue, Fair oakS

Thai Food & gluten free options

coconut

THE

on T

’17

Best Thai Food 10 BEERS ON TAP HAPPY HOUR 4:30-6PM $3 BEERS, WINE & APPETIZERS

Partners in wine

by John Flynn

1110 T ST. SACRAMENTO, CA 95811 | 916-822-4665

CHECK YELP FOR DAILY $2 BEER SPECIALS

drunken noodle •Midtown•

Powered by The Coconut Thai Food & Gluten Free Options

6 BEERS ON TAP

HAPPY HOUR 4:30-6PM • $3 BEERS, WINE & APPETIZERS 2502 J St. Sacramento, CA • 916.447.1855 Check Yelp for Daily $2 BEER Specials 24

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

Couple goals: As the Co-owner of Woodlake Tavern, Uptown Pizza Kitchen and the newly opened Allora (5215 Folsom Boulevard), chef Deneb Williams said he doesn’t “like taking second fiddle to anyone.” But for his newest East Sacramento restaurant, he makes an exception for his wife and business partner, Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou, the first woman in Sacramento who is a certified advanced sommelier.

“We knew we wanted a winedriven restaurant that focused on Italian wine,” Williams said. “And just traveling abroad, she and I have been dreaming for years of this concept.”

Within Allora, there’s a 22-foot tall cellar with more than 200 wines made from Italian grape varietals.

Williams said the wine list inspires his seafood-centric cuisine that he began developing at the age of 12, when he would walk down to the docks in upstate Washington to survey the fresh catches of the day. After landing at The Firehouse Restaurant (1112 Second Street), he realized that

regardless of which fish he chose as a nightly special, it’d always be the second-best seller behind filet mignon.

“What I noticed about Sacramento is there’s a lot of great sushi and there’s not a lot of great seafood,” he said. “And that was proof to me that Sacramento was ready for a seafood restaurant.”

Williams said Allora will commonly stock tuna and octopus.

Otherwise, his seafood offerings will rotate at least monthly to ensure he’s serving the right fish at the right time.

Similar to Canon East Sacramento and Hawks Public House, Allora aims to deliver top-quality food without the fine dining fuss that Williams feels is a turn-off for laid-back yet discerning Sacramento diners.

Coming up, Williams said Allora will start offering Sunday Brunch as well as weekly five-course prix fixe menus with complementary wine pairings. He envisions a versatile space where couples can go out for oysters on a whim or drop big bucks

on an anniversary. For Williams and Mandalou, it’s a concept that maximizes their talents in a way that, they feel, completes their neighborhood.

“My wife and I live in East Sac,” Williams said. “This is the kind of restaurant that we wanted to be in our neighborhood because this is where we would want to go.”

Richmond import: Originally from the East Bay, Gran Milan (1801 L Street)—an Italian cafe serving pastries, paninis and pizza—has come to Midtown. The shop imports espresso beans from Italy and serves a variety of focaccia ($6.50) topped with cherry tomatoes, potatoes and rosemary or eggplant parmesan.

Suburban shawarma: Out in Arden-

Arcade, Baghdad Nights (3419 El Camino Avenue) has opened, serving Halal, Middle-Eastern food like baba ghannouj ($3.49), beef shawarma sandwiches ($6.99) and ouzi lamb shanks ($12.49). Ω

supp rt

Q:

Champagne pong In my experience, drinking games are dominated by young men seeking to channel the competitive instincts carried over from their high school sporting career—making the contests fairly unenjoyable for anybody outside of that intense demographic. For a chiller, classier game, Lenise Mowry—owner of Lenise’s Cafe in West Sacramento—came up with a twist on a classic: champagne pong. Using pink balls and wide champagne flutes, Mowry said she debuted the event four months ago and its tickets sold out—all to women. For $35 (tickets can be bought at Eventbrite), each attendee gets unlimited champagne, either consumed as part of the game or on the sidelines while spectating. The winner of the tournament will win $75 cash and the runner-up will get a $50 gift certificate to the cafe. Mowry will be offering $5 happy hour appetizers like bruschetta, grilled sliders and cheese ravioli bites to ensure that guests get just tipsy enough to resurrect their college skills.

—John Flynn

WHAT IS

?

A:

Spring means Persian New Year

by Shoka When the clock strikes 9:15 a.m.

PST on Tuesday, March 20, it will be the year 1397. Really, 1397—on the Persian calendar. The Persian New Year, or Norooz, begins at the moment of the vernal equinox, the start of spring. Globally, millions of people celebrate this ancient holiday with traditions that are like all the holidays wrapped into one— including Easter, Christmas and Halloween. Get a humorous crash course on it via the documentary Nowruz: Lost & Found by half-Iranian comedian K-von. Locally, expand

your cultural awareness and your stomach by visiting one of the area’s Persian restaurants. At Famous Kabob (1290 Fulton Avenue, Suite C) and M. Shahrzad Fine Persian Cuisine (2931 Sunrise Boulevard, Suite 125 in Rancho Cordova), vegans can try the veg kabobs, torshi (pickled vegetables), faloodeh (noodles in icy, sweet rosewater and lemon juice), zereshk polo (Basmati rice, saffron and barberries), gormeh sabzee (green herb stew with kidney beans) and Shirazi salad, but don’t forget the tadeeg (crispy rice)!

offers gift certificates and tickets to the best businesses, restaurants, theaters and venues in town up to 75% OFF!

real

news

Donate to ’s InDepenDent JournalIsm FunD:

InDepenDentJournalIsmFunD.org

FIRE UP THE GRILL

AUTHENTIC ARMENIAN GRILL everything from grilled lamb to beef dumplings

5925 Birdcage Centre Ln Ste 109 Citrus Heights, CA | 916.9677320

Fresh food.

Local ingredients.

Lunch • Dinner • Late night

AT

CAPITOL BOWL IN WEST SACRAMENTO CApbOWl.CO M 916•371•4200

BUY 1 GET 1 1/2 OFF Buy any dinner entree at regular price, get the second for HALF OFF! Must present coupon, cannot combine with other discounts. One per table. Valid Mon-Thu only. Expires 03/21/18.

check out all deals at: snrsweetdeals.newsreview.com

Happy Hour

Monday–Friday 3–6pm

snrsweetdeals.newsreview.com

Voted “Best of Sacramento” 3 years in a row!

1315 21st St • Sacramento 916.441.7100

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

25

NOW OPEN!

26

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

Photo courtesy of Michael le

Can Roulette ROTATING CRAFT CANS FOR $3 EACH

1217 21st St • 916.440.0401 | www.KuprosCrafthouse.com

Come for the Pizza

Regulars at Anh Hong restaurant sample the new Nyiaj Kub Pale Ale, designed for drinkability.

STAY FOR THE BEER

OVER 36 CRAFT BEER TAPS OD WO FIRED PIZZA FROM SCRATCH

dRiNk

Dank beer Inspired by marijuana, a South Sacramento brewer creates Sac’s first Asian craft beer

Family Friendly • Billiards • Darts • Games

Sun-Thurs 11a-11p • Fri-Sat 11a-1a • 916-399-4217 • 8760 La Riviera Dr. A • www.CapsPizza.com

by John Flynn

Michael Le, founder of Asian Brothers Brewing Co., said he experimented for seven months to create a pale ale that would capture the “essence of the Hmong people.” Brewing the first Asian craft beer in Sacramento, he wanted to make the flavor distinct to a culture that has endured despite being scattered around the world without a nation or flag to rally around.

Then, Le had an epiphany, when his friend gave him “a really nice, thumb-sized nugget” of Mango Kush.

“I smell it and it’s like, wow this is some really good shit,” Le recalls. “And then suddenly, in my head, I’m like, this is it. This is what I want in my beer.”

The finished product is the Nyiaj Kub Pale Ale. Run—don’t walk—to try it. Although containing no marijuana, the beer smells like a top-shelf strain, contains dank and tropical hoppy notes and goes down super easy without any sticky bitterness.

After sniffing it for a week and smoking a little, Le felt the smell and taste captured that elusive cultural essence, because, he says, Hmong people are some of the most prolific marijuana farmers in America. More personal to Le is the beer’s name, Nyiaj Kub, which is also the honorary “Hmong name” given to Le, a Vietnamese man, by Hmong friends that frequent his South Sacramento restaurant, Anh Hong.

The name means “money and gold,” and Le was delighted to receive it along with traditional Hmong New Year costuming for him and his Lao wife. After being embraced by Sacramento’s Hmong community,

Le dedicated his craft beers to his friends, naming the beer label Hmong Nation Beer.

“We can’t do anything about a country, nothing about a flag, but we can make a beer,” he said.

“Wherever we drink beer, that’s our nation.”

Le said his brews are designed for the Hmong tradition of buying a whole case of beer, doing a grandiose toast, then commanding everybody with a bottle to chug. Thus, drinkability is paramount.

Le said the pale ale represents the “heart of gold” of the Hmong people, while his pilsner represents their “mind of steel,” which he equates with an unshakeable loyalty to one’s friends.

Crisp, sweet and with just a hint of maltiness, Le’s Pilsner the Bull is another winner. And the two beers represent the first wave of local craft beer that had been sorely lacking in South Sacramento.

Going forward, Le wants to increase distribution and, eventually, open a brewery with a restaurant, biergarten and acres of hop vines, so as to carve out a tiny portion of the planet for Hmong Nation...beer, at least.

But first, he wants to brew the official beer of Hmong New Year celebrations that occur internationally.

To this goal, Le noted a good omen. Reportedly, some of Le’s friends have said the Nyiaj Kub Pale Ale smelled like the “harvest time” of those inspirational buds. For outdoor growers, that comes near the end of October, just a bit before the Hmong New Year. Ω

Nyiaj Kub Pale ale is available at anh hong, 4800 florin road.

COME HELL OR

COME FOR HAPPY HOUR LIFE STAY FOR THE NIGHT

happy hour 3pm - 6pm everyday open until 2am every night 916.706.2465 ▲ highwatersacramento.com ▲ highwater916 03.08.18 | SN&R | 27

Type 2 Diabetes The SOTA studies are evaluating an investigational oral tablet compared to placebo that may help manage your blood glucose levels.

Diet, exercise, and education are important in the management of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), but many people also require drug therapy to manage their illness.

This investigational oral tablet, when combined with diet and exercise, may help manage blood glucose levels in people with T2D. Additionally, the knowledge gained from this study may help other people with T2D in the future.

You may be eligible to participate in the SOTACKD3 study if you:

» Are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes » Are 18 years of age or older » Have HbA1c levels between 7-11% » Have been diagnosed with kidney disease

/05)*/( *4 .03& *.1035"/5 5)"/ .",*/( )&3 )"11: 8*5) " (*'5 '30. 4)"3*' +&8&-&34

916-281-2262 | AlliedClinical.org

28

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

XXX 4IBSJG+FXFMFST DPN

now playing

Reviews

From book to play to book

By Jim Carnes

5

Family Cabins

A family tries desperately to help a daughter struggling with bipolar disease in this excellent original play. The four-person cast—Jennifer York and Dan Cohen as the parents, Shane Burrows as their son and Andrea Kersten as their troubled adopted daughter—delivers some of the most natural acting seen on local stages in a long time. The scenes of mania and mental distress are so real as to be discomfiting. Profits from the production benefit NAMI Sacramento, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm,

Sat 8pm. Through 3/10; $15-$20 (cash at the door);

Howe Avenue Theater in Howe Avenue Park, 2201 Cottage Way; www. familycabinsplay.com. J.C.

4 They’re just jealous of her regal dress.

Sense and Sensibility

4

fri 7:30pm, sat 7:30pm, sun 2pm, sat March 17 at 2pm. through March 18; $15-$18; sacramento city college Performing arts center, 3835 freeport Boulevard; (916) 558-2228; www.citytheatre. net.

Jane Austen probably never imagined that her novels (four published during her lifetime and two published posthumously) would be turned into stage or movie projects. It would be interesting to get her reaction to such theatrical productions as City Theatre’s Sense and Sensibility.

The theatre group, composed of student and community actors, takes a bookish approach to Jane Austen’s first published novel, staging the action upon a huge open book that is the floor of the stage. Scenic designer Shawn Weinseink delivers a perfect setting for the play, adapted by Jennifer Lee Taylor in the “Book-It Style,” which adapts literature for the stage, preserving the narrative text as spoken dialogue by the characters. It’s surprisingly effective.

This is the story of the Dashwood family— sisters Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, and their mother—women who, for better or worse (mostly worse), are dependent upon marriage to confer social standing and financial security. Hard times hit with the death of the Dashwood patriarch, and the plot illustrates the pressing need to find another man to depend upon.

With a large and enthusiastic cast, the play mostly gets the accents right, although delivery is sometimes rushed and without a feel for the words.

More of the cast spoke distinctly and in the natural rhythm, such as Dafydd Wynne (playing Edward Ferrars), Jonathan Plon (Col. Brandon) and Kim McCann-Lawson (Mrs. Jennings).

Photo courtesy of city theatre

3 Fragile Things E.M. Hodge’s new work, which premieres at the Ooley Theater under the direction of Liz Frederick, is a powerful, emotional piece about two broken people whose lives cross at a pivotal time for both of them, and how they affect each other. Hodge, who served in the U.S. Navy, explains that the work came from her own struggles, and the struggles of friends dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression and considering suicide.

While it takes a bit of time to figure out what is going on, from the first violent scene to flashbacks and then back to the opening scene, eventually with the help of actors Lindsay Eleveld (Josslyn) and Eric Craig (Tyler), the story of the former soldier suffering PTSD, his wife and their terrible relationship begins to unravel.

Tyler is a “cutter” who intends to make the final cut and end his life; Josslyn is a “fixer” determined to help him. The scene moves back and forth from a deserted cabin to a lonely bar, with the aid of a small revolving set (which can’t quite hide the technicians who turn it around). Three ghosts from the lives of each character make appearances to interject sometimes helpful, sometimes accusatory comments.

Tension mounts as Josslyn and Tyler move closer to the denouement, which is not predictable.

—Bev SykeS

fragile things: thu 8pm, fri 8pm, sat 8pm. through 3/16; $17-$20; the ooley theater, 2007 28th street; (916) 214-8255.

Gandhi!

The B Street Family Series moves into its new 380-seat home with this original show, designed for American teens, tweens and their parents.

It’s a historically based

hip-hop musical (think Hamilton) with dramatic scenes depicting Gandhi’s nonviolent campaign for India’s independence, and a racially polarized American high school today (with a white bully telling darker-skinned kids they don’t belong). It’s a well-integrated 90-minute show with a worthy message. The music (Noah Agruss) is strong, and the larger stage provides space for crowd scenes and dance numbers that weren’t feasible in the former 100-seat venue—a win/win for both artists and the audience. Sat

make this an excellent production. Wed 7pm, Thu

7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 7 pm, Sun 2pm. Through 3/18; $15-$35; Sacramento

Theatre Company, 1419 H St.; (916) 443-6722; www. sactheatre.org. B.S.

5

Celebration Arts chose Lorraine Hansberry’s iconic A Raisin in the Sun to unveil their new theater space at 27th and B streets.

This wonderful, heartfelt production of an AfricanAmerican family trying to traverse the social and racial issues of 1950s Chicago still resonates with a talented cast all under the direction of Celebration Arts founder

1pm, Sun 1pm. Through 3/11; $23 adult, $15 children; B

Street Family Series at The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave.; (916) 443-5300; www. bstreetheatre.org. J.H.

5

A Raisin in the Sun

James Wheatley. Fri

Macbeth

8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm.

Through 3/24; $10-$20;

Set in 11th century Scotland, this production of the Shakespeare classic is based on paganism and ancient ritual, with chanting witches and drums to accentuate the feeling onstage.

Strong performances by all, particularly William Elsman in the title role,

Celebration Arts, 2727 B Street; (916) 455-2787; celebrationartsacts@ gmail.com. P.R.

short reviews by Jim carnes, Jeff hudson, Bev sykes and Patti roberts.

1

2

3

4

5

fouL

fair

GooD

WeLL-DoNe

suBLiMe– DoN’t Miss

Photo courtesy of caLiforNia staGe

a game of st. Paddy’s Day charades.

Irish spirits St. Patrick’s Day is coming on March 17, of course, and California Stage can put you in the mood this weekend with Tween Earth and Sky, a one-man show that has been performed in several countries by veteran actor Mark Lyon (a native of Nevada City). He plays 19 characters in this set of historic Irish tales involving enchantment, bedevilment and supernatural happenings on the Emerald Isle. Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm. Through March 11; $15-$20; California Stage, 2509 R Street (between 25th and 26th streets, in the R25 Arts Complex); (916) 451-5822; www.calstage.org.

—Jeff HudSon

03.08.18

|

sn&R

|

29

! w no ing r i h

• advertising designer • marketing & publications consultant • advertising consultant • staFF writer - custom publications

Horse puckey

For more inFormation and to apply, go to www.newsreview.com/jobs.

SN&R is an Equal Opportunity Employer that actively seeks diversity in the workplace.

Thoroughbreds Why the long face?

2

Cory Finley’s Thoroughbreds burned up the festival circuit last year—Sundance, Palm Springs, Chicago, Toronto—where it played as Thoroughbred before becoming pluralized for general release. It’s the kind of movie that festival audiences, high-tone critics, film-studies majors and other pretentious types love to gush over. But unless you’re one of those, don’t be fooled by the picture’s 83 rating on Metacritic or the 87 on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s an artsy-fartsy crock.

It’s also the kind of movie that those ecstatic critics like to call startlingly original, one of a kind—then launch into a list of what it reminds them of: Heathers, Equus, American Psycho, The Shining, Cruel Intentions, Heavenly Creatures and so on. Exactly.

This movie isn’t the product of observing life; it’s the result of watching other, better movies.

Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy play Amanda and Lily, well-to-do teenagers in suburban Connecticut. Good friends as children, they’ve drifted apart, reunited now because Amanda’s mother bribed Lily to be an SAT tutor and “good influence” on Amanda.

Amanda is a sociopath, shunned for her treatment of the family horse, another thoroughbred. (What she did is, shall we say, the kind of thing that “no animals were harmed in the making of this picture” was invented for.) Amanda boasts that she never feels emotion and has to put out a special effort to fake it. At this she is an abject failure. She speaks in a lifeless monotone, staring straight ahead, her face as motionless as a granite statue. Nothing ever moves except her lips; she’s

by Jim Lane

like a character from a 1960s Clutch Cargo cartoon.

Lily, on the other hand, feels everything. She masks this by speaking in a lifeless monotone, staring straight ahead, her face as motionless as a granite statue.

Amanda correctly intuits that Lily hates her stepfather Mark (Paul Sparks). Mark is an implacable tyrant who speaks in a lifeless monotone, staring straight ahead, his face as motionless… oh, have you heard this one?

That’s the pattern of first-time writer-director Cory Finley’s approach. Some call it “stylish,” but what it really is, is mannered. The affectation starts in the first shot and becomes more pronounced with every one of Thoroughbreds’ 92 minutes, as Amanda and Lily hatch their deadpan plot to murder Mark.

To implement their plan, the girls turn to Tim, a small-time pot-dealing loser— and, with a hideous irony, the only sign of life in Thoroughbreds comes from the one actor who is no longer with us: Tim is played by Anton Yelchin, who filmed his scenes shortly before his tragic death in 2016.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke may be prime nominees for 2018’s Heather Donahue Flash In The Pan Award (Donahue, trivia fans, was the actress who whimpered runny-nosed into a camcorder in The Blair Witch Project), but Anton Yelchin was on his way to being a great actor. His presence here makes seeing Thoroughbreds heartbreaking—the more so since the rest of the movie isn’t worth bothering with. Ω

It’s an artsy-fartsy crock.

30

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

1 2 3 4 5 Poor

Fair

Good

Very Good

excellent

fiLm CLiPS

3

Black Panther

3

Death Wish

BY DANIEL BARNES & JIM LANE

The king of a technologically advanced African nation, who is also the superhero Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), is confronted by an embittered cousin and rival for the throne (Michael B. Jordan), who wants to use the nation’s resources to foment a worldwide race war.

Writer-director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) and cowriter Joe Robert Cole, taking off from the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby comics, deploy the standard comic-book-movie assets with aplomb and a worthy sense that it’s about time a superhero of color got a big movie of his own. That novel strain of black empowerment, and a powerhouse supporting cast (Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker) are enough to compensate for all the usual cliches and paint-by-number action scenes. J.L.

A doctor (Bruce Willis), distraught after a gang of home invaders leaves his wife dead and his daughter in a coma, and fearing the police investigation is going nowhere, embarks on his own anti-crime crusade. Writer Joe Carnahan and director Eli Roth update the 1974 Charles Bronson vigilante wet dream (from Brian Garfield’s novel), relocating it to Chicago on the theory that the present murder rate there is roughly equivalent to New York in the ’70s. The result is a satisfying melodrama, bolstered by the supporting performances of Vincent D’Onofrio as Willis’ brother, Elisabeth Shue as the illfated wife, and Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise as police detectives. A sequel is inevitable, I guess (and not especially to be looked forward to), but at least this one shoots its way to a satisfying conclusion. J.L.

3

Every Day

Teenager Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), after a wonderful day with her selfish boyfriend (Justice Smith), learns that he was really “A,” who mysteriously wakes up every morning in a different body, possessing that person for only 24 hours before moving on.

The two find themselves falling in love, so A makes the effort to find Rhiannon every day, while she must be on the lookout for him—or her, whoever A may be that day.

Writer Jesse Andrews and director Michael Sucsy adapt David Levithan’s novels Every Day and Another Day (one is written from A’s viewpoint, the other from Rhiannon’s), and the result is surprisingly enjoyable, an imaginative allegory for the physical and psychological changes involved in adolescence. The cast is generally good, but Rice’s appealing sweetness is the movie’s main attraction. J.L.

4

A Fantastic Woman

Chilean director Sebastián Leilo cowrote and directed this dreamy and deliberate Oscar winner about Santiago songbird Marina (Daniela Vega), a transgender woman reeling from the unexpected death of her much-older boyfriend Orlando. Without allies in his family or in the government, Marina gets put through the ringer of a humiliating and dehumanizing police investigation, while Orlando’s wife and son seize his possessions and shut Marina out of the official grieving process. Meanwhile, oblique visions of Orlando’s ghost and the discovery of a mysterious key seem to lead Marina toward a hidden treasure, or at least an emotional breakthrough. There is some narrative and thematic overlap between A Fantastic Woman and Tom Ford’s A Single Man, but Leilo’s film is warm and contemplative rather than cold and clinical, with light doses of magical realism and a marvelous lead performance from Vega (although Leilo makes it all too easy by turning Orlando’s family into violent, dog-napping psychopaths). D.B.

3

Game Night

A couple who are virtually addicted to board-and-parlor games (Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams), along with their

The hitchhiker’s guide to the apocalypse.

4

Annihilation

More moody and cerebral sci-fi from Ex Machina writer-director Alex Garland, this time starring Natalie Portman as Lena, a scientist and former soldier searching for answers after the mysterious disappearance and even more mysterious return of her husband Kane (Oscar Isaac). Government goons intercept the duo on their way to the emergency room and whisk them away to the outskirts of “The Shimmer,” a top-secret mutation zone of unknown origin that has been steadily expanding across the Earth for the last two years. The laws of physics don’t seem to apply in The Shimmer, and Kane was the only solider to ever make it out alive, but that doesn’t stop Lena from joining a team of female scientists led by Jennifer Jason Leigh who seek to find the source. Once again, Garland offers a provocative and reflective take on the apocalypse, with better-than-blockbuster special effects realized on a relatively low budget. D.B.

usual game-night guests (Sharon Horgan, Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury), get in over their heads when a role-playing kidnap game turns into the real thing because of the host’s freewheeling, irresponsible brother (Kyle Chandler). Mark Perez’s script has few surprises, but enough twists and complications to hold our interest. The direction by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein is unexceptional but inoffensive, and they manage to keep each other out of the way of McAdams and Bateman’s innate charm, chemistry and comic flair. A good thing, too, because McAdams and Bateman are the movie’s only real assets; they’re slumming, but they’re having fun, and it’s contagious. J.L.

3

Nostalgia

Music video director and occasional feature filmmaker Mark Pellington (The Mothman Prophecies) helms this mopey ensemble drama about grieving people taking stock of the objects that define their lives. The opening movement focuses on an insurance agent (John Ortiz) who catalogs possessions and collects life stories with a detached sense of satisfaction. From there, we follow a widow (Ellen Burstyn) as she sifts through the ashes of her burned-down house, and Nostalgia keeps playing narrative tag until landing on a sports collectibles merchant (Jon Hamm) and his sister (Catherine Keener) as they deal with deaths in the family. An intimate yet expansive examination of the ways that objects intertwine with memories to both obscure and reveal our true selves, Nostalgia wins all the awards for good intentions, but the film rarely hits a note that isn’t false. In short, Pellington is no Atom Egoyan, but then neither is Atom Egoyan anymore. D.B.

2

The Party

Writer-director Sally Potter (Orlando) roped in a solid cast for this blessedly brief yet utterly annoying black-and-white drama set during a disastrous gathering of friends and secret lovers. Janet (Kristin

Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a high government position, but the party to celebrate her promotion is demolished by unexpected news from her mopey husband Bill (Timothy Spall). Meanwhile, a lesbian couple (Cherry Jones and Emily Mortimer) learn that they are having triplets and a cocaine-snorting lawyer (Cillian Murphy) secretly plots revenge, while Janet’s acidtongued best friend (Patricia Clarkson) spews toothless one-liners. The writing is even more annoying than the lackluster visuals, just a series of lowbrow, laugh track-ready putdowns wrapped in the trappings of academia.

Cramped and predictable and far less clever than it thinks, The Party feels like it was based on a play that I would also dislike, rather than an original screenplay by Potter. D.B.

2

EXOTIC

PLANTS

Get into big plants with this sale!

Red Sparrow

The foul and flightless Red Sparrow is the seventh feature film from former music video director Francis Lawrence, and the seventh unremarkably bad one to boot.

It’s like Lawrence was created in a laboratory by mad scientists who needed to provide content for Crackle. A witless teenage sex fantasy dressed in the solemn tones of a Le Carré-inspired spy movie, Red Sparrow stars Jennifer Lawrence as Dominika Egorova, a Russian ballerina who suffers a career-ending injury during a performance. After taking a shady job and accidentally witnessing a statesponsored murder, Dominika is given a choice: get murdered, or train to become a sexually charged superspy known as a Red Sparrow.

The contemporary setting of Red Sparrow at least allows a respite from the tacky CGI that usually overwhelms Francis Lawrence’s films, but it only gives us more time to focus on his clunky storytelling skills and inability to sustain tension. D.B.

SALE 20% off

plants 4 ft & above 916.922.4769

In-store only.

No double discounts.

Some exclusions apply.

Expires 4/30/18.

1833 Howe Ave, Sac exoticplantsltd.com 03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

31

All about that bass SAC RAMENTO MUS IC AWARDS

Legendary stand-up bass player Lee Rocker of Stray Cats talks rock ’n’ roll

n ot s ure w to v o ho te fo r?

r u o t u s o e l i k of ec r h p c nd Go a b e n i l on

sammies.com 32

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

As the double bass player for the legendary psychobilly band Stray Cats, Lee Rocker has had plenty of personal encounters with larger-than-life rock stars, like one time when Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones stole his jacket.

It was 1985. The trio of Phantom, Rocker and Slick had recently formed following Stray Cats’ breakup the year before, and they were recording their self-titled debut record at Electric Ladyland Studios in New York’s Greenwich Village.

“We put the word out, sent Keith an invitation to play on this record, and we heard that Keith was going to show up at, uh, some point,” Rocker recalled. “We hear a knock on the door one night, and Keith was standing there with his Telecaster.

No case, just holding a guitar and an alligator-skin doctor’s bag.”

The bag was full of all kinds of “contraband,” as Rocker put it. Over the course of several hours, they recorded a song—“My Mistake”—and consumed the contents of the bag. Afterward, however, they realized they hadn’t discussed how to pay Richards for the session. But no matter: Richards pulled Rocker’s custom-made leather jacket off of a rack by the door, put it on and left the studio without saying a word.

“Apparently, that’s how Keith gets paid,” Rocker said.

SN&R caught up with Rocker by phone ahead of his concert at Harris Center on Thursday, March 8, which will be part performance, part presentation. With a trio, he’ll play roughly 20 songs, including some of Stray Cats’ biggest hits, and sprinkle in stories about the band’s early days.

When asked to describe the character of his instrument of choice, Rocker said the double upright bass is a big presence both physically and sonically—especially the way he plays it. His slap-happy and percussive style holds down the low end of the sound spectrum while beefing up the rhythm section, too.

“Those slap techniques where you’re knocking out eighth notes and sixteenth notes, it really propels everything and drives it forward,” he said. “It’s the engine for the music, and everything else fits around it.”

The instrument may have taken him around the world and paid his bills for the past 40 years, but any long-term relationship has its ups and downs.

For example, he curses its size and weight when he’s lugging it through an airport terminal at 6 a.m.

“It’s a commitment,” he said.

At 56 years old, Rocker plays about 50 to 60 shows a year, drawing on material from his solo career as well as Stray Cats’ catalog. Perhaps the band’s farthest-reaching song is “Rock This

Photo courtesy of Lee rocker

by Howard Hardee

Is he going to play bass or peekaboo?

Town,” a rockabilly banger defined not only by frontman and guitarist Brian Setzer’s iconic vocals (“We’re gonna rock this town / Rock it inside out”), but also Rocker’s distinctive walking bass line. The song was written in 1980 in Rocker’s dad’s garage in Long Island, New York, and became the band’s breakout hit.

“That was one of the megahits that still looms large,” he said. “That one, I’m damn proud of.”

Stray Cats made a total of 23 gold and platinum records. Though Rocker’s bass playing is elemental to them all, his handiwork is especially apparent in the swagger of “Stray Cat Strut” and the feverishly paced “Rockabilly Rules.” Such songs also demonstrate that the trio played with uncanny cohesion: The bass was the engine, but the greater machine hardly ever flew apart, even at breakneck speeds.

It’s been about a decade since Stray Cats played a show together, but they’re set to headline Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend in April. And in the spirit of rock ’n’ roll, they’re going to pretty much wing it.

“We’re going to run these songs once,” Rocker said, “and then we’re going to walk out on stage.” Ω

catch Lee rocker at 7:30 p.m. on thursday, March 8 at harris center, 10 college Parkway in folsom. tickets are $24-$49; premium $54. Learn more at www.harriscenter.net.

for the week of march 08

by kate gonzales

snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Online listings will be considered for print. Print listings are edited for space and accuracy. Deadline for print listings is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for NightLife listings is midnight Sunday.

Send photos and reference materials to Calendar Editor Kate Gonzales at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.

poSt EVEntS onLInE For FrEE At

www.newsreview.com/sacramento

FESTIVALS

BEAt BoMBtAStIC: With Deadwood Revival.

8pm, $8. Shine, 1400 E St.

GrInd HIp-Hop SHoWCASE: Performances by Charlie Muscle, Hennessy, K-Town, Jcreep and more. 8:30pm, $12-$15. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

SLAVES: Album release tour. With Ghost Town,

Dayshell, Kyle Lucas. 6:30pm, $15-$17. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

VIVA VIVALdI!: See event listing for 3/9. 7:30pm, $20-$30. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

CHAMBEr MuSIC FroM ItALY: Carrie Hennessey is the guest artist with The Chamber Music Society of Sacramento, which will perform Tartini, Paganini, Bottesini, Puccini and Respighi. 4pm, $12-$30. Capistrano HallCalifornia State University, 6000 J St.

Sun run, Sac, run

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLEET FEET

11

Esther Black, Crucial Measures, Dolores 5000, Watching Things Burn. Benefit show for the National Police Accountability Project.

4:30pm, $5 minimum donation. The Colony, 3512 Stockton Blvd.

GYAX: With Wilderness Dream, Shotgun Sawyer,

THURSDAY, 3/8 JoE KYE In ConCErt: Violinist-looper and

composer in concert. 7:30pm, no cover. The University Union at Sac State, 6000 J St.

LEE roCKEr: Bassist, formerly of Stray Cats.

7:30pm, $24-$54. Harris Center, 10 College

Parkway in Folsom.

FRIDAY, 3/9 CoMrAdES: With The Last Titan, Hemispheres, Lucky/You and Revolution Bummer. 7pm, $10. Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd.

SATURDAY, 3/10 that will enhance research. Angela Walton-Raji (of Afrigenas, African-Native American Blog, African Roots Podcast) will be the keynote speaker. 8am, $10-$28.

Sacramento Branch Genealogical Library, 2745 Eastern Ave.

SHAVE-A-tHon For St. BALdrICK’S At rIVErSIdE SportS BAr: Shave your head, volunteer or donate to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which fights childhood cancer. noon, no cover. Riverside Sports Bar, 6401 Riverside Blvd.

SUNDAY, 3/11 SACrAMEnto AntIQuE FAIrE: 300 vendors from

rHApSodY & rHYtHM: Folsom Lake Community

California, Nevada and neighboring states selling antiques and collectibles including vintage clothes, art, jewelry, toys and more.

6:30am, $3. 21st & X Streets, 2350 21st St.

MONDAY, 3/12 St. BALdrICK’S: See event highlight on page 36.

VIVA VIVALdI!: See event listing for 3/9. 7:30pm,

5pm, no cover de Vere’s Irish Pub, 1521 L St.

$20-$30. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway

ging rights (and a cool medal to show off on Instagram) and a free beer at the end of the run. And of course, doing something healthy for a good cause. The Sunday race tends to sell out, so if you didn’t have a chance to sign up (or just aren’t a runner), come out to cheer on the runners with signs, high-fives and encouragement. It’s free, and you’re helping the runners reach their goal. 400 Ballpark Drive in West Sacramento, www.shamrocknhalf.com.

in Folsom.

FOOD & DRINK

MONDAY, 3/12 oLEtA AdAMS: Soul/R&B artist comes to

FRIDAY, 3/9

Sacramento. 7:30pm, $37.50-$42.50. The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave.

trEEHouSE dInnErS WItH KEVIn o’Connor: A pop-up, family-style dinner in an intimate environment, hosted by City Scout Magazine and Cobram Estate. Ticket includes a drink ticket, four savory plates and dessert. 7pm, $75. Location announced upon purchase.

TUESDAY, 3/13 StonE tEMpLE pILotS: Rock band. 7pm, sold out. Ace Of Spades, 1417 R St.

SACrAMEnto StAtE SYMpHonY orCHEStrA: The

SATURDAY, 3/10

Sac State Symphony Orchestra performs

under the direction of Leo Eylar. 8pm, $5$10. Sacramento State, 6000 J St.

’90S BAr CrAWL: See event highlight on page 35.

2pm, $22.50-$40. Mango’s, 1930 K St.

tHE tEn tEnorS: See event highlight on page

MUSIC

employers with those looking for work.

Outreach for workers with management experience, entry-level applicants, youth, apprenticeship opportunities and more.

10am, no cover. Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.

Blue Lamp, 1400

Concert Association presents this multimedia concert that celebrates the music and legacy of George and Ira Gershwin. 2pm, $35. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

Raley Field, 7:45 a.M., $15-$89

How often do you get to own the streets of Sacramento with more than 10,000 of your neighbors SportS & outdoorS and friends? If you’re a runner, that opportunity comes once a year with the Shamrock’n Half Marathon. The half-marathon, along with Saturday’s 5/10k runs and Leprechaun Dash, is a fundraiser for the Triumph Cancer Foundation and Project FIT. Runners get the benefits of the camaraderie, brag-

EnSo AnIMA: With Jesus & the Dinosaurs,

Sky Pig. 8pm, call for cover.

Alhambra Blvd.

dIVErSItY JoB FAIr: An opportunity to link

FAMILY HIStorY SEMInAr: A day of seminars

SUNDAY, 3/11

A sea of green will take to the streets Sunday in the region’s largest half-marathon.

THURSDAY, 3/8

I SEt MY FrIEndS on FIrE: With Kissing Candice, Awaken I Am, Oh The Horror, Focara.

6:30pm, $13-$15. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

LAdIES roCK CAMp SHoWCASE: A showcase of ladies who rock, including Coyote Creates (formerly Xochitl). Proceeds benefit Girls Rock Sacramento 8pm, $10. Shine, 1400 E St.

ModErn MAn: With Drug Apts, Shame Waves.

8pm, $10. Red Museum, 212 15th St.

nEW poLItICS: The band that calls themselves “Danish as fuck” performs with DREAMERS, the Wrecks. 6:30pm, $25. Ace Of Spades, 1417 R St.

tHE pHILHArMonIK ALBuM rELEASE pArt 2: See event highlight about the SAMMIES-

nominated performer on page 36. 7pm, $10.

Gold Standard Sounds, 955 Venture Court.

VIVA VIVALdI!: Sacramento Baroque soloists present a program of Vivaldi Concertos.

7:30pm, $20-$30. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

tHE WInEHouSE EXpErIEnCE: Tribute to Amy

Winehouse. 9pm, $20-$35. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

SATURDAY, 3/10 BABES And BuLLEtS rEunIon BASH: The 2018 SAMMIES Nominee The Ariel Jean Band with the Beasts of Blackburn Bullet 9pm, $15.

Opera House Saloon Roseville, 411 Lincoln St. in Roseville

A dr. And tHE CHEF dInnEr: A dinner to salute

35. 7:30pm, $39-$74. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

health, connection and slowing down.

Dr. Antonella Aquilera-Ruiz hosts this family-style dinner of herbed almonds, buttermilk roast chicken, lentil garbanzo salad and hazelnut brownies. 6:30pm, $45.

Community Learning Center & Cooking School, 2820 R St.

WEDNESDAY, 3/14 BoYCott Sn&r SHoW: BlackArtsMatter and Black Lives Matter Sacramento host a two-night anti-SAMMIES show featuring Spacewalker, Sparks Across Darkness, Ani Maul, Jonah Matranga and more. 7pm, $5$10. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

CoFFEE BrEWInG SEMInAr: Many variables

tHE LASt GAnG: With Urban Wolves, Riot Radio.

8pm, $8. Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd.

affect the final cup of coffee, including water temperature, grind size and flow rate. This seminar reviews these variables, touches on the science of coffee extraction and shows how to use different brewing devices. 12pm, no cover. Insight Coffee Roasters, 1901 8th St.

CALEndAr LIStInGS ContInuEd on pAGE 34

03.08.18

|

SN&r

|

33

SATURDAY, 3/10

’90s Bar crawl Mango’s saCraMento, 2 P.M., $22.50-$40

Who were my ’90s icons from childhood?

Glad you asked! Daria (though I wanted to be Jane), Elaine Benes (those moves though) and Angela Chase (the food & drinK angsty, burgundy-headed teen phase I’m still working out). Whoever you idolized in the 1990s, you can embody them for one night. The ’90s Bar Crawl will travel from Mango’s to the Press Club, stopping along the way at participating bars for drink specials, music from the era and more. So throw on your grungiest overalls and sunflower crop top, grab your friends and relive the days of Lisa Frank, JNCOs and pogs. 1930 K Street, www.90sbarcrawl.com.

calendar listings continued from page 33

music from the soundtrack and readings from Waszkiewicz’s memoir will open the event. See story on page 21. 1pm, no cover.

Sacramento Public Library, 828 I St.

dinner and a drag sHoW: Feast your eyes on some queens while enjoying a dinner special for the event. The regular menu with regular prices will also be available. Bring singles so you can tip your queens! 7:30pm, $5-$25.

Capitol Garage, 1500 K St.

midtoWn farmers marKet: Weekly farmers

empire records: A snapshot of growing up in the 1990s and a love letter to the record store experience. 8pm, no cover. The Red Museum, 212 15th St.

saBrina: In this Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart film, a playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family’s chauffeur, although it’s his brother who may be a better fit for her. 6pm, $8-$10.

Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

market features more than 50 food and art vendors, monthly chef demos and a free bike valet. 8am, no cover. Midtown Sacramento, 20th Street, between J & K streets.

sactoWn union BreWerY second anniVersarY partY: Music, food trucks, a patio market with local vendors and an anniversary beer mark the second year in business for Sactown Union Brewery. 2pm, no cover.

Sactown Union Brewery, 1210 66th St., Unit B.

COMEDY BlacKtop comedY: Game Night Improv for Everyone. Jump on stage and be part of the show. First time is free. 7pm thursday, 3/8. $10. Laugh Out Loud Comedy Showcase.

An all-star lineup of comics join Morty the Mortician. 8pm saturday, 3/10. $10. 3101 Sunset Blvd., Suite 6A in Rocklin.

MONDAY, 3/12 emptY BoWls: The largest fundraiser for River City Food Bank, which is celebrating 50 years helping to feed folks in Sacramento County. Each attendee will select a handmade bowl donated by professional artists. Dinner guests get wine, appetizers, gourmet soup, breads and dessert.

Luncheon guests get a simple meal of soup, breads, cookies and beverages. 5:30pm, $30-$70. Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.

sacramento comedY spot: The Gateway Show.

Stand-up comedians tell their best jokes, go to an undisclosed area, get high AF, then try to tell more jokes. 9pm friday, 3/9. $12$15. 1050 20th St., Suite 130.

Harris center: Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood—Scared Scriptless. Armed only with their wits, stars of Whose Line is it Anyway? create original scenes, songs and more from audience suggestions. Attendees may even get to join the fun onstage. 8pm friday, 3/9. $35-$49. 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

TUESDAY, 3/13 emptY BoWls: See event listing on 3/12.

11:30am, 12:30pm, $30-$70. Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.

urBan roots YoutH maKer space: Youth will create a Southeast Asian-inspired dish of seasonable vegetable spring rolls and create dipping sauces. 5pm, no cover. Oak Park Multiservice Center, 3425 Martin Luther King Junior Blvd.

FILM

Gaxiola. Featuring Ryan Chan. through 3/11. $10. 1207 Front St.

puncH line: Chad Daniels. through 3/10. $17.50$19.50. Sacramento Comedy Showcase. Top

area comedians and up-and-coming pros take the stage, breaking boundaries and showcasing their best and most original material. 8pm Wednesday, 3/14. $10. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.

serpentine foX proHiBition grille: Fem Dom Com. The long-running comedy show featuring local and traveling comedians features a mostly female lineup. 8pm saturday, 3/10. no cover. 2645 El Camino Ave.

SATURDAY, 3/10 e.n.d. fr8 proJect: Witness a heavy concentration of graffiti styles on freights from the West Coast while enjoying the latest underground music. 7pm, $15. The Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Blvd.

tHree pennY tHeater: 30th Annual Comedy Festival. An evening of funny short comedy plays, sketches and monologues. through 3/18. $20. 1723 25th Street.

tommY t’s comedY cluB: Lavell Crawford.

SUNDAY, 3/11 Vietnam: an inner VieW: A documentary featuring 1960s-style rock ’n’ roll originals

by Lea Jones and Marc Waszkiewicz and original photography by Waszkiewicz. Live

|

SN&R

ooleY tHeatre: Fragile Things. An Iraqi War vet and the woman he inadvertently kidnaps become trapped not only with each other, but by their own personal demons, as the worst snowstorm in history isolates them in a cabin in the woods. through 3/16. $40. 2007 28th Street.

performing arts center auditorium at sacramento citY college: Sense and Sensibility. In the wake of their father’s untimely death, the Dashwood sisters find that love is an unpredictable struggle against the most important social values: family, honor and wealth. through 3/18. $18. 3835 Freeport Blvd.

ON STAGE B street tHeatre: GANDHI!. A middle school

Queen sHeBa: Black History Reloaded. Music, art, performance poetry and dance to support enrichment for youth and families. 3pm sunday, 3/11. no cover. 1704 Broadway.

boy in detention learns deeper values in life when forced to read the life of Mahatma Gandhi. through 3/11. $11-$23. 2700 Capitol Ave.

california stage tHeatre: Tween Earth

sac state plaYWrigHts’ tHeatre: Les Blancs.

This performance of dance and music examines the relationships among African, European and American people. through 3/18. $10-$18. 6000 J St.

and Sky Irish Tales of the Supernatural.

A dramatization of six Irish tales of the supernatural. through 3/11. $12-$20. 2509 R St.

celeBration arts: A Raisin in the Sun. The

sacramento communitY center tHeater: The Book of Mormon. Two straight-laced Mormon missionaries visit Uganda, where an offensive musical comedy ensues. through 3/13. 1301 L St.

classic family drama revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of a black family in Chicago. through 3/24. $10-$20. 4469 D St.

fruitridge auditorium: 7 Women 7 Stools.

This inspirational musical introduces the struggles of seven women to cleverly expose real life challenges. 7pm saturday, 3/10. $40. 4625 44th St.

sacramento tHeatre: Macbeth. Shakespeare’s haunting tragedy demonstrates the corrupting power of unchecked ambition. through 3/15. 1419 H St.

tHe sofia: One Man, Two Guvnors. An outof-work skiffle player becomes separately employed by two men who can’t learn the truth about one another. through 3/11. $27$46. 2700 Capitol Ave.

green ValleY tHeatre companY: Side Show The Musical. A show about the true story of conjoined twins and famed entertainers, Daisy and Violet Hilton. through 3/11. $18. 3823 V St.

tHeater one, main Hall, uuss campus:

Jean Henderson performing arts: Carousel.

The second Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, and the duo’s personal favorite. through 3/24. $14-$18. 607 Pena Drive in Davis.

Treasure Island. The boy Jim Hawkins become a man while following a dead pirate’s map to riches in the Caribbean, only to face betrayal and murder. through 3/24. $13-$15. 2425 Sierra Blvd.

neVada tHeatre: A New Brain. A medical tragedy as seen through the iris of a Looney Tunes short. After a struggling

ART arcHiVal gallerY: Richard Freese. Enjoy refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artist in this reception celebrating the German painter’s works. 6pm saturday, 3/10. no cover. 3223 Folsom Blvd.

tHe arterY: Storytellers. Pyrography by Shannon Moore and paintings by Leslie DuPratt. through 3/25. no cover. 207 G St. in Davis.

aXis gallerY: Leaves, Series II. Linoleum and monotype prints based on the leaf shape by gallery artist Dixie Laws. 6pm saturday, 3/10. no cover. 625 S St.

e street gallerY & studios: Color Fields.

Abstract paintings and sculpture by Matt Rhoades and Cherie Hacker. Reception will be at 6pm Saturday, 3/10. through 3/25. no cover. 1115 E St.

gallerY 1855: Not So Far Away. A photography exhibit with works by Susan Scholey and Mark Howell. An opening reception will be at 1pm Sunday, 3/11. through 3/30. no cover. 820 Pole Line Road in Davis.

gallerY at 48 natoma: Local Color SAQA fiber art exhibit. The Gallery at 48 Natoma starts out the New Year with an outstanding exhibit of art quilts of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) in an exciting bi-coastal fiber exchange in January 2018. through 3/9. no cover. 48 Natoma St. in Folsom.

JaYJaY: Monumental. Large-scale works by artists including Suzanne Adan, Mark

Emerson, Anne Gregory and more. through 4/28. no cover. 5524 Elvas Ave., Suite B.

KennedY gallerY: Conversations in Abstract.

Works by Michael Misha Kennedy. through

4/7. no cover. 1931 L St.

micro gallerY: Energy of the Exchange.

Impressionist paintings by Robert Bajorin.

A Second Saturday reception will be at 6pm on 3/10. through 3/31. No cover. 1200 S St., Suite D.

pence gallerY: Sense of Time and Place. Work

by Joe Kabriel. Reception at 6pm Friday, 3/9. through 3/25. no cover. 212 D St. in Davis.

recluse arts: Recluse Arts Custom Rummage & Arts Show. Artists including Xenia Smith, Laurel Larsen and Steven Berroteran will display and sell their work. noon saturday, 3/10. no cover. 1817 5th St.

laugHs unlimited comedY cluB: Dennis

WEDNESDAY, 3/14

34

composer collapses into a plate of pasta, he is diagnosed with a brain tumor and is forced to come to terms with his creative ambitions and the people in his life. through 3/17. $20-$35. 401 Broad St. in Nevada City.

|

03.08.18

Comedian and actor from the show Better Call Saul. through 3/11. $25-$35. 12401 Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova.

TUESDAY, 3/13WEDNESDAY, 3/14

the ten tenors: Wish You Were Here Harris Center, 7:30 P.M., 2 P.M., $39-$74

Every music lover has at least one act they’d like to bring back for a final performance. Many of us have several. For 20 years, The TEN Tenors have delivered their talent from their homeland Australia to stages worldwide. Now, they’re reliving some of music the greatest hits of our time in celebration of artists who have died. Their tribute to Amy Winehouse, Freddie Mercury, Prince, David Bowie and others will allow you to live out your fantasies of seeing these icons perform. 10 College Parkway in Folsom, www.harriscenter.net.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRIS CENTER

Monday, 3/12

St. Baldrick’s Day de Vere’s IrIsh Pub, 5 P.M., no coVer

It takes guts to go bald, but knowing that you’re losing your locks for a good cause makes it a bit easier. Each FeStivalS year, de Vere’s Irish Pub becomes the site of a shave-a-thon to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which combats cancer affecting children. Raise funds and get buzzed individually or as part of a team, or if showin’ some scalp isn’t your thing, just come have a pint and root on the bald beauties.

1521 L Street, www.stbaldricks.org.

SaC State liBRaRY GalleRY: Concurrent/ Conventions. Contemporary ceramics including utilitarian items, pop-culture objects, classically inspired pieces and large installations. through 5/18. No cover. 6000 J St.

MUSEUMS aeROSPaCe MUSeUM OF CaliFORNia: Art of the Airport Tower. A photographic journey to 50 striking airport towers, with works

by Smithsonian photographer Carolyn Russo. through 7/16. $15. 3200 Freedom Park Drive.

CaliFORNia MUSeUM: And Still We Rise— Race, Culture and Visual Conversations.

Dozens of story quilts chronicle 400 years of significant events that have transformed social justice for AfricanAmericans. through 5/27. $9. Kokoro—The Story of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown.

Explore Sacramento’s old Japantown through rare family photos. Closing weekend. through 3/11. $9. 1020 O St.

CaliFORNia State RailROaD MUSeUM: Off The Clock. An exhibit focused on the variety of sports clubs, teams and athletic competitions that many Southern Pacific employees participated in during the early to mid-1900s. through 6/1. $10-$15. 111 I St.

CROCKeR aRt MUSeUM: ArtMix | Fierce. A celebration of the strong women and their allies, with artist exhibits, a Rituals of Mine DJ set, drink specials and more. 6pm thursday, 3/8. $10. 216 O St.

FOlSOM HiStORY MUSeUM: Vintage Quilt & Fashion Exhibit. This annual exhibit features a collection of pre-Civil War era quilts from Carole Gebels private collection, along with others from the Victorian era into the 1930s. through 4/22. $10. 823 Sutter St.

aLL aGES SaTURday, 3/10 aRtiSt tRaDiNG CaRD WORKSHOP: Learn how to make miniature masterpieces the size of a baseball card that you can collect and trade with other artists. 10am, no cover. Gifts from the Heart of Elk Grove, 9685 Elk Grove Florin Road in Elk Grove.

COMMUNitY DaY at tHe SaCRaMeNtO aDveNtURe PlaYGROUND: Children get to create their own play structures and spaces by repurposing everyday items such

PHoTo CoURTESy oF dE VERE’S IRISH PUB

as cardboard boxes, plus household wares, natural elements and unexpected items.

11am, no cover. Sacramento Adventure Playground, 3301 37th Ave.

tOUGH 1000—OBStaCle COURSe FUNDRaiSeR FOR KiDS: A 1000-yard obstacle course with a mud crawl, inflatables, foot race and more. Fundraiser for Homeless Youth in NorCal. 9am, $40-$45. 5449 E. Levee Road.

WEdnESday, 3/14 SaN FRaNCiSCO SHaKeSPeaRe COMPaNY’S ROMeO aND JUliet: Enjoy sword fights, poetry and more in this school-age appropriate adaptation, with walk-on rules to include the audience in the show. 3:30pm, no cover. McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd.

SPoRTS & oUTdooRS THURSday, 3/8 SaCRaMeNtO BOat SHOW: The largest powerboat show in Northern California with houseboats, accessories, fishing seminars and more. 11am, no cover-$12. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.

FRIday, 3/9 SaCRaMeNtO BOat SHOW: See event listing

for 3/8. 11am, no cover-$12. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.

SaTURday, 3/10 COlORS iN NatURe: Spend the day in the Koobs Nature Area to celebrate the theme “Colors in Nature” with children’s activities and more. 10am, no cover. Earl J Koobs Nature Area in Carmichael.

CRONaN RaNCH HiKeS: Hike a challenging loop at the Cronan Ranch Trails with an American River Conservancy hike leader.

8am, no cover. American River Conservancy, 348 State Highway 49 in Coloma

DaYlONG MeDitatiON RetReat: Meditation, a movement class, walking meditation and instructor talks. 9am, $25-$60 sliding scale. Sacramento Dharma Center, 3111 Wissemann Drive.

FRee YOGa ClaSS: Experience the grounding, calming effects of yoga while increasing your strength, flexibility and balance. 1pm,

CaleNDaR liStiNGS CONtiNUeD ON PaGe 36

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

35

see moRe evenTs And submiT youR own AT newsreview.com/sacramento/calendar

o u r

biggEsT

EvEr

music

issuE THE full lisT of sammiEs winnErs insidE! 36

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

cALendAR LisTinGs conTinued FRom PAGe 35

no cover. Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave.

sAcRAmenTo boAT sHow: See event listing

for 3/8. 10am, no cover-$12. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.

TuRneR syndRome AwAReness wALK: Bring awareness for the genetic disorder Turner Syndrome and help raise money for medical research. 9am, no cover-$15. Southside Park, 2115 6th St.

sUnday, 3/11 An eveninG wiTH diAnA nyAd: An evening with long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad. See story on page 51. 7pm, $15.50-$71. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

mini moTo swAP meeT And Ride evenT: A meetup for owners of scooters, mopeds, choppers and more to enjoy music, food, drinks and vendors before heading to Clarksburg at 3pm. 11am, no cover. The Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Blvd.

ways to heal. 8am, $25. Congregation B’nai Israel, 3600 Riverside Blvd.

mARcH AGAinsT GenTRiFicATion: A march to

#TakeBackSac from gentrification. 5:30pm, no cover. Paragary’s Midtown, 1401 28th St.

satUrday, 3/10 RenT conTRoL cAnvAs: Join the effort to gather more than 40,000 signatures in support of rent control. noon, no cover.

Winn Park, 1616 28th St.

Know youR RiGHTs woRKsHoP: Learn about workers’ rights in the workplace in the context of AB450. 10am, no cover. SEIUUHW Sacramento Union Auditorium, 1911 F St.

sUnday, 3/11 THe decoLoniZATion PRoJecT oRGAniZinG PoTLucK & meeTinG: Learn how to get

involved in The Decolonization Project. 5pm, no cover. The Washington Neighborhood Center, 400 16th St.

classes

sAcRAmenTo boAT sHow: See event listing

for 3/8. 10am, no cover-$12. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.

sHAmRocK’n HALF mARATHon: See event

highlight on page 34. 7:45am, $89. Raley Field, 400 Ballpark Drive in West Sacramento.

take action tHUrsday, 3/8 inTeRnATionAL women’s dAy RALLy: A lineup of speakers hosted by Women’s March Sacramento, the California State Capitol and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. 10am, no cover. California State Capitol, 1315 10th St.

Friday, 3/9 HeALinG ouR communiTies: THe imPAcT oF PosTTRAumATic sLAve syndRome: Dr. Joy DeGruy examines the ways the legacy of slavery continues to shape our communities in 2018.

She will cover multigenerational trauma and

tHUrsday, 3/8 AsTRoLoGy 101 Pisces: This monthly class covers one house and one sign each session.

7pm, no cover. 418 Lodge, O.T.O., 1723 25th St., Loft E.

Friday, 3/9 FLoRAL desiGn & wine: Create a beautiful bouquet like a florist, learning the steps of prepping, cutting and arranging flowers.

6:30pm, $45. CK Art, 2500 J St.

satUrday, 3/10 sAc dAnce LAb’s AudiTion PReP: A four-hour dance class intensive designed for aspiring pro-dancers and cheerleaders. 11am, $50.

Obra, 215 24th St.

tUesday, 3/13 FiGuRe dRAwinG sTudio: A professional adult artist will provide basic instruction and occasional feedback for our participants.

Attend five sessions and the sixth one is

Friday, 3/9

The Philharmonik Album Release Part 2 Gold Standard SoundS, 8 P.M., $10

Something tells me this guy’s going to get out of his mama’s house. Sacramento is already buzzing about the recent release of the self-titled debut album of local talent The Philharmonik, who blends hip-hop, funk and electronic to produce songs that are genuine and soulful. music During the first album release party at Sol Collective, the performer shared how depression impacts his work before introducing the song, “Good Day.” He also had folks shakin’ PHoto coUrtesy oF kenny trey their asses and yelling, “Fuck you, pay me,” with his anthem for everyone who is sick of being under paid. You get a second chance to catch him ride the energy of this album release—don’t miss it! 955 Venture Court, www.facebook.com/thephilharmonik.

submiT your calenDar lisTings for free aT newsreview.com/sacramenTo/calenDar THursday 3/8

friday 3/9

saTurday 3/10

sunday 3/11

mOnday-Wednesday 3/12-3/14

The acousTic den cafe

Songwriters in the Round, 7pm, $5

Ellen Roots & The Harvest, 7:30pm, $10

SoLunAire, 7pm, $5

The Music of the Eagles, 2pm, no cover

Open-Mic Wednesday, 6:30pm, W, no cover

Badlands

PopRockz ’90s Night, 9pm, no cover

Outword Magazine’s Liquid Therapy Happy Hour Mixer, 5pm, no cover

Spectacular Saturdays, 9pm, call for cover

Sunday Tea Dance & Beer Bust, 4pm, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm, T, no cover; Trapacana, 9pm, W, no cover

10271 fairWay driVe, rOseVille, (916) 412-8739 2003 k sT., (916) 448-8790

BaR 101

101 main sT., rOseVille, (916) 774-0505

Steve Stizzo Trio Featuring Aja Ritchie, 6:30pm, no cover

Trivia, 6:30pm, M, no cover; Open-Mic, 7:30pm, W, no cover

Blue lamp

1400 alHambra blVd., (916) 455-3400

The BoaRdwalk

9426 Greenback ln., OranGeVale, (916) 358-9116

Particle Kid and more, 8pm, $10

capiTol GaRaGe PHOTO cOurTesy Of kanOn madness

Doyle with The MOANS 6:30pm Monday, $15-$18 Holy Diver Punk

1500 k sT., (916) 444-3633

The cenTeR foR The aRTs

314 W. main sT., Grass Valley, (530) 274-8384

Grass Valley/Nevada City Joint Chamber Mixer, 5:30pm, no cover

faces

RuPaul’s Drag Race, 5pm, no cover

Punk Rock Karaoke, 8pm, $10

Grind Hip-Hop Showcase with Charlie Muscle more, 8:30pm, $12-$15

Eye of Solitude and more, 8pm, M, $10-$12

Lil Yee and more, 8:30pm, $20

Frank Hannon and more, 8pm, $20

Norma Jean, Gideon and more, 7:30pm, W, $16

Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5-$25

Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover

Pug Skullz, 7pm, $5 (Off Center Stage Location) Decades, 9pm, call for cover

faTheR paddY’s iRish puBlic house Andrew Little, 6pm, no cover

Whiskey & Stitches, 7pm, no cover

High Card Drifters, 7pm, no cover

fox & Goose

Jessica Malone, Alyssa Mattson, 9pm, $5 James Israel, Nolan Erck, 9pm, $5

All-Vinyl Wednesdays with DJ AAKnuff, 8pm, W, no cover

Golden 1 cenTeR

Magic v. Kings, 7pm, $18-$217

Lorde, Run the Jewels, 7pm, M, $38$100; Heat v. Kings, 7pm, W, $18-$198

halfTime BaR & GRill

Mullet Mechanix, 9pm, $5

Rash (Rush Tribute), 9pm, $7

The Winehouse Experience, 8pm, $20-$35

Rudy Colombini & The Unauthorized Rolling Stones, 6pm, $18-$22

435 main sT., WOOdland, (530) 668-1044

Michael B. Justis, 8pm, no cover

1001 r sT., (916) 443-8825 500 daVid J sTern Walk, (888) 915-4647 5681 lOneTree blVd., rOcklin, (916) 626-3600

haRlow’s

Shoreline Mafia, 6:30pm, $20-$40

2708 J sT., (916) 441-4693

hideawaY BaR & GRill holY diVeR

Harm’s Way, Ringworm and more, 6:30pm, $13-$15

1517 21sT sT.

The Deer

jackRaBBiT BRewinG co.

8pm Friday, $15 Palms Playhouse Indie folk

kupRos

1323 Terminal sT., WesT sacramenTO 1217 21sT sT., (916) 440-0401

luna’s cafe & juice BaR 1414 16TH sT., (916) 737-5770

Sunday Morning Coming Down, 4pm, no cover

Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Cactus Pete, 8pm, T, no cover; Trivia, 8pm, W, no cover

I Set My Friends on Fire, Kissing Candice and more, 6:30pm, $13-$15

Slaves, Ghost Town and more, 6:30pm, no cover

We Came As Romans, The Plot in You and more, 6pm, $20-$22

Doyle, The Moans, 6:30pm, M, $15-$18;

Amanda Gray, 6pm, call for cover

Bottomless Beer Brunch, 11am, call for cover

Live Music (Musician TBD), 9:30pm, no cover

Live Music (Musician TBD), 9:30pm, no cover

MAR 8 STEVE STIZZO TRIO MAR 16 TODD MORGAN MAR 17 ST PATTYS DAY

NOON - JAYSON ANGOVE 2:20PM - SCOTTY MAC 4:40PM - WARREN BISHOP 7:00PM - CHRISTIAN DEWILD 9:30PM - GROUNDWAVE

mar 24 COMEDY ROAST mar 30 BONGO FURYS 33 BEERS ON DRAFT MONDAY PINT NIGHT 5-8 PM, TRIVIA @ 6:30 PM TACO TUESDAY $1.25 TACOS NOON – CLOSE WEDNESDAY OPEN MIC – SIGN-UPS @ 7:30 PM 101 MAIN STREET, ROSEVILLE 916-774-0505 · LUNCH/DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK

FRI & SAT 9:30PM - CLOSE 21+

/BAR101ROSEVILLE

Taproom Trivia, 6:30pm, W, no cover Open-Mic, 8pm, T, no cover; Ross Hammond, 7:30pm, W, no cover

Kupros Quiz, 7:30pm, no cover

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm, M, $10; Open-Mic Comedy, 7:30pm, T, no cover

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com

2708 J Street

LIVE MUSIC

Let’s Get Quizzical Trivia Game Show, 7pm, T, no cover

Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys with others, 8pm, $12

2565 franklin blVd.., (916) 455-1331 PHOTO cOurTesy Of micHael scHaffer

Noche Latina, 9pm, T, no cover; Purgatory, 9pm, W, no cover

Absolut Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

2000 k sT., (916) 448-7798

COMING SOON

www.momosacramento.com 3/8 6:30PM $20ADV

3/8 8PM FREE DISCOVER THURSDAY

THE HIGHWAY POETS, SCOTTY MAC & CHRISTOPHER GENE

SHORELINE MAFIA (ALL AGES)

3/15 8PM $20ADV

PREZIDENT BROWN & CHEZIDEK

3/10 10PM $5ADV

GROOVE LINE ALL VINYL PARTY 3/11 6:30PM $10

COMEDY BURGER

HOSTED BY NGAIO BEALUM

3/16 9PM $15ADV

3/14 5:30PM $8 BOURBON $ BLUES

MUSTACHE HARBOR YACHT ROCK EXPLOSION

KYLE ROWLAND BLUES BAND

3/15 8PM FREE DISCOVER THURSDAY:

MUD FOLK & INTHE KNOW

3/9 8PM $20ADV

THE WINEHOUSE EXPERIENCE

3/16 6:30PM $8ADV

SAINT SOLITAIRE

GRENADES & HAM, JMSEY, KY SACRAMENTO’S FAVORITE DJS EVERY FRI AT 10PM

For booking inquiries, email Robert@momosacramento.com

3/10 6PM $18ADV

RUDY COLOMBINI & THE UNAUTHORIZED ROLLING STONES

3/17 8PM $15ADV

METALACHI

WHISKEY AND STITCHES

3/20 Aubrey Logan 3/21 Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy 2/24 Petty Theft 3/24 Sene 3/27 Mac Lethal & Wax 3/28 G. Love & Special Sauce 3/29 Turkuaz 3/30 The Sugar High Band 3/31 Bob’s Child 3/31 Wonderbread 5 4/4 The Lil Smokies 4/5 Don Carlos 4/6-7 Tainted Love 4/8 Roy Wood$ (sold out) 4/10 Alvvays 4/13 Bilal 4/14 Peter Asher & Albert Lee 4/15 John 5 & The Creatures 4/18 Chaos Chaos 4/19 The Drums 4/19 Moneybagg Yo 4/20 Luniz 4/21 Foreverland 4/22 Moonchild

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

37

Submit your CAlendAr liStingS for free At newSreview.Com/SACrAmento/CAlendAr THursDay 3/8 momo sacramento

MOnDay-WeDnesDay 3/12-3/14

Comedy Burger with Ngaio Bealum, 6:30pm, $10-$25

Kyle Rowland Blues Band, 5:30pm, $8-$28

Nerd night, 7:30pm, $10

Zen Arcadia, California Riot Act and more, 8pm, $7

The Ghost Town Rebellion and more, 8pm, $7

on tHe Y

Open-Mic Comedy, 8pm, no cover

Wurmflesh, Zephira and more, 8:30pm, $10

Jay VanMeter Memorial Show with Unprovoked and more, 3pm, donation

John Reischman & The Jaybirds, 8pm, $20

The Deer, 8pm, $15

Palms PlaYHouse

13 Main sT., WinTers, (530) 795-1825

PowerHouse Pub

Roadside Flare, 10pm, $10

614 suTTer sT., fOlsOM, (916) 355-8586

tHe Press club

2030 P sT., (916) 444-7914

red museum reVIVal at tHe sawYer 500 j sT., (916) 545-7111

socIal nIgHtclub

1000 K sT., (916) 947-0434

stoneY’s rockIn rodeo

1320 Del PasO BlvD., (916) 927-6023

Country Thunder Thursdays, 9pm, no cover

Birds of Fortune, 9pm, $6

Open 9-Ball Tournament, 6:30pm, M, $5 buy-in; Karaoke, 9pm, T, no cover

Mick Martin, 3pm, $10 Reggae Night, 9pm, T, no cover; Eighties Night, 9pm, W, $5

Empire Records Screening, 8pm, no cover

Groove on Fridays, 9:30pm, call for cover

Rooftop Tropics, 9:30pm, call for cover

Khalasic, 10pm, no cover before 11pm

Serafin, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm, $5 after

Hot Country Fridays, 7pm, $5-$10

Stagecoach Dance Contest, 9pm, call for cover

Sunday Funday, 9pm, no cover

Cripple Creek, 2pm, call for cover

Third Sunday Country with Rachel Steele, noon, call for cover

Ian Moore, 50 Watt Heavy, 9pm, $12

You Front the Band Karaoke, 8pm, no cover

Peter Petty and His Double P Revue, 9pm, W, $6

NF, 7pm, sold out

Stone Temple Pilots, 7pm, sold out

5871 garDen HigHWay, (916) 920-8088 904 15TH sT., (916) 443-2797

Open 8-Ball Tournament, 7:30pm, $5 buy-in

DJ Larry’s Sunday Night Dance Party, 9pm, no cover

swabbIes on tHe rIVer tHe torcH club

Cheeseballs, 10pm, $12

Shame Waves, Drug Apartments, Modern Man, 8pm, $10 Tasty Thursdays, 9pm, no cover

Heath Williamson, 5:30pm, M, no cover; Karaoke, 9pm, T, no cover

David Lindley, 7pm, W, $27

Revenge of the Mighty Tiki, 8pm, $7-$10

212 15TH sT.

with Ladies Rock Camp Showcase 8pm Friday, $10 Shine Singer/songwriter

sunDay 3/11

The Groove Line All-Vinyl Party, 10pm, no cover-$5

old IronsIdes

670 fulTOn ave., (916) 487-3731

Xochitl of Coyote Creates

saTurDay 3/10

2708 j sT., (916) 441-4693

1901 10TH sT., (916) 442-3504

PHOTO cOurTesy Of cHrisTina ung

friDay 3/9

The Highway Poets, Scotty Mac, Christopher Gene, 8pm, no cover

AfroFunk Experience, 9pm, $10

College Wednesdays, 8pm, W, $5-$10

All ages, all the time ace of sPades

New Politics, DREAMERS, The Wrecks, 6:30pm, $25

cafe colonIal

Comrades, Lucky You, Last Titan, 7pm, $10

Anti-Social

tHe colonY

with Punk Rock Karaoke 8pm Friday, $10 Blue Lamp Punk

Captain 9’s and the Knickerbocker Trio, 8pm, $5-$10

sHIne

1417 r sT., (916) 930-0220 PHOTO cOurTesy Of jOrge garcia

38

|

SN&R

3520 sTOcKTOn BlvD., (916) 718-7055 3512 sTOcKTOn BlvD., (916) 718-7055 1400 e sT., (916) 551-1400

tHe sIlVer orange

922 57TH sT., (916) 228-4169

|

03.08.18

The Shine Jazz Jam, 8pm, no cover

Ladies Rock Camp Showcase, 8pm, $10

NF, 7pm, sold out

Bodysnatchers, 7pm, M, $10; The Last Gang, 8pm, W, call for cover

Beat Bombtastic, 8pm, $8 Mammoth, Pacific 415, An American Tragedy, 6pm, call for cover

Trivia, 8pm, T, no cover; Open-Mic Night, 8pm, W, no cover

www.Goldclubcenterfolds.com

Print ads start at $6/wk.

(916) 498-1234 ext. 2

great food

lunch

’17 s p e c ia l s

Tiffany WaTson March 7 – 10 Wed. - Sat.

Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm.

Deadlines for print: Line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Display ad deadline: Friday 2pm

Online ads are

STILL FREE!

*

All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message. *Nominal fee for some upgrades.

Dish Network-Satellite Television Services. Now Over 190 channels for ONLY $49.99/mo! HBO-FREE for one year, FREE Installation, FREE Streaming, FREE HD. Add Internet for $14.95 a month.

1-800-373-6508 (AAN CAN) MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855-732-4139 (AAN CAN)

IF YOU HAD HIP OR KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY AND SUFFERED AN INFECTION between 2010 and the present time, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles H. Johnson 1-800-535-5727 Denied Credit?? Work to Repair Your Credit Report With The Trusted Leader in Credit Repair.

Call Lexington Law for a FREE credit report summary & credit repair consultation. 855620-9426. John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC, dba Lexington Law Firm. (AAN CAN)

AIRLINE CAREERS begin here - Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students.

Job placement assistance.

Call Aviation Institute of Mainetenance. (800) 725-1563 (AAN CAN)

Oriental Magic Hands Jason Shimomura CMT 6011292 (9am-9pm daily) A Delightful massage from a Latin expert Special rates for seniors. By appt only in Fair Oaks 916-961-3830

PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 a Week Mailing Brochures From Home! No Experience Required. Helping Home Workers Since 2001!

Genuine Opportunity. Start Immediately! www.IncomeStation.net (AAN CAN)

chat Livelinks - Chat Lines Flirt, chat and date! Talk to sexy real singles in your area. Call now!

(877) 609-2935 (AAN CAN) ALL MALE HOT flirty GAY HOOKUPS! Call FREE! 916-480-6210 or 800-777-8000 www.guyspyvoice.com 18+ Connect instantly with Sexy Local Singles FREE Now! 916480-6227 or 800-926-6000 www.livelinks.com 18+

KILL BED BUGS & THEIR EGGS! Buy Harris Bed Bug Killers/KIT Complete Treatment System Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot.com (AAN CAN)

WHERE REAL GAY MEN MEET for UNCENSORED fun!

Browse and Reply for FREE 916-273-8207 www.megamates.com 18+ Your Sexual Fantasy is Calling come Play! Call FREE! 916-480-6200 or 800-700-6666 redhotdateline.com 18+

Started at Walmart, moved on to Porn. Winner of “Daisy Dukes”.

America’s Porn Sweetheart. Filming with Evil Angel, Brazzers, Jules Jordan, Bank, Devil’s, Naughty America, Wicked, and Many More!

Hot Young Beautiful XXX Porn Star with over 160 XXX Movies!

stage times:

wednesdays & thursdays 10:30pm & 12:30am Fridays noon, 10:00pm, 12:00pm & 2:00am Saturdays 10:00pm, 12:00pm & 2:00am

store signing fri & sat 6-8pm amateur contest/auditions every monday

pure gold

totally nude showgirls

$5 off admission

10:30 pM - $450.00 CaSh prize

w/ad $5 off after 7pm 1 drink minimum exp 03/31/18. not valid on ufc fight nights

free admit

earlybird admission $11 before 7pm

friendly attractive dancers contracted daily. call 858-0444 for sign up info

w/ad $5.00 value

valid anytime with drink Purchase

store open 10am club open 5pm SUPER SALE ON CLASSIC DVD $2.69

ginger lynn sharon mitchell bridgette monet nina hartley ona Z

free couples

sex toy w/ tHiS ad/One/PerSOn/year

BacHelOr / divOrce PartieS 916.858.0444 Full Service reStaurant

OPen wedneSday - Saturday

SPOrtS actiOn On Our Giant Screen tv

11363 Folsom Blvd, rancho cordova (Between Sunrise & Hazel)

858-0444

M-Th 11:30-3 • Fri 11:30-4 • Sat 12-4 • Sun 3-3 Gold club centerfolds is a non-alcohol nightclub featuring all-nude entertainment. adults over 18 only.

voted best prices

mag packs barely legal.......$13.99 over 40 ................$8.99 young & ready....$8.99 super 4 pack ......$10.99

dancer 5 pack dvds auditions

$9.69

daily 3000 SUNRISE BLVD. #2 w/coupon Reg. $12.69 AD EXps 03-31-18. 1 pEr customEr

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA

916.631.3520

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

39

by JOEY GARCIA

@AskJoeyGarcia

One sip at a time

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

All massage advertisers are required to provide News & Review a current valid business license or somatic establishment permit issued by either the city or county in which they are operating in in order to run a printed advertisement.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US, PLEASE CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338.

THE BEST MASSAGE YOU CAN GET

NEW STAFF!

5 OFF

$

• 7 Days a Week 10am–10pm • Sauna & Shower Available • Free Chinese therapies • Reflexology • Deep Tissue • Swedish

massa

916.395.7712 7271 55th St. #D |

SN&R

All Credit Cards Accepted |

Actual CMT Not a model

BESgeT!

GOOD DAY SPA

40

916.216.8886

the

*this is a model

Sacramento 95823

Certified Massage Practitioner Maggie

03.08.18

SENSES MASSAGE

7328 WINDING WAY • FAIR OAKS• 9AM-9PM DAILY

What is the right way to ask out a coworker? She is a wine salesman and I am a wine buyer. I’ve had this job for five years and have never mixed work with my personal life. I am at a position of power since I decide if I buy what she is selling or not. I would like to get to know her more and see where it goes. What is your advice?

Approach the relationship like you would a fine cabernet: one sip at a time. Don’t overwhelm her with romance. Focus on establishing a friendship first. Get off-site with outings that relate to your shared interest in wines, but keep the conversation personal. Ask her questions about herself and open your heart to reveal the truth about who you are.

Need help brainstorming questions? Read The New York Times article, “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.” It’s a guide to the kinds of conversations that build emotional intimacy. These questions work equally well for platonic friendships or for relationships that hope to develop into a romantic commitment. In general, people who opt out of these questions either aren’t capable of emotional intimacy or don’t want intimacy with the person inquiring.

Be certain to use the questions skillfully. Notice the intentional progression of the questions on this list and stick to it. Don’t fire questions like an investigative reporter, either. Be chill.

After all, this is about love, right? One or two questions per outing is probably enough. You can even share the questions with your crush as a way to let her in to your desire to understand, appreciate and connect with her.

If your dates don’t lead to a commitment, be mature about it. Return to interacting with her as a professional.

Reserve your disappointment for a conversation with a trusted friend or life coach. Don’t be a downer, and don’t try to blame her for your feelings when interacting with her at work. My book, When Your Heart Breaks, It’s Opening to Love: Healing and finding love after an affair, heartbreak, or divorce, is one resource that can help.

Thanks for the column on social media platforms (“How to be creepy,” February 22). One confusing thing about Bumble is that many women include their Instagram address in their profiles. I was unclear on the protocol for this since Bumble requires women to reach out first. Even so, your column helped me understand the “creep factor.” Any thoughts about those Instagram handles?

I’ve noticed Instagram handles included occasionally in men’s profiles, too.

When I type those handles into Instagram (I’m loathe to click on links), the accounts are inevitably related to a business or service. I’ve seen multilevel marketing schemes, promotional accounts for massage, tatts and photography services, fee-based social clubs for singles and even international tours.

And, yes, I’ve seen links to Instagram accounts filled with seductive photos of a guy who appears to be selling his personal escort services using a dating profile as the entry to his sales funnel. Hey, there’s a schemer born every minute. Don’t be a target. Ω

If your dates don’t lead to a commitment, be mature about it.

Return to interacting with her as a professional.

MEdITATIOn OF THE WEEk “There are still so many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made,” said Michelle Obama. To sacrifice means to make holy and whole.

What fears can you sacrifice so our history becomes inclusive, honest and honorable?

Write, email or leave a message for Joey at the News & Review. Give your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 1360; or email askjoey@newsreview.com.

SN&R’s SN&R’s

What’s What’s inside: inside: The 420 The 420 43

49

Product Review 53 Concentrates 101 Capital Cannabis Map 47 57 For more For cannabis news, More deals, updates deals and&listings, visit Listings Visit www.capitalcannabisguide.com & sign up for the newsletter. and the at newsreview.com

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

41

2018

SN&R’s

hosted by the california cannabis industry association

MARCH 20TH | SACRAMENTO

SHERATON GRAND FOR TICKETS & SPONSORSHIP INFO: WWW.CACANNABISINDUSTRY.ORG Questions: Katie Kerner, 916-292-2457 or katie@kmkstrategies.com SPONSORED IN PART BY 42

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

Medical patients welcoMe

A10-18-0000147-temp

@ Zen_Garden916 Open 10am-9pm 7 days a week

EIGHTH SPECIAL WITH ANY $40 MIN DONATION

MUNCHIE MONDAYS ........BUY ANY 2 EDIBLES GET 1 (FREE OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE) TOP SHELF TUESDAYS ....$10 OFF ALL TOP SHELF 1/8THS WAXY WEDNESDAYS......$10 OFF $40 GRAMS + CONCENTRATES VAPE THURSDAY ..............BUY 3, GET 1 FREE MIX N MATCH (OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE) FREE J FRIDAY ..................GET A FREE JOINT WITH ANY $10 MIN DONATION SUNDAY FUNDAY ..............4 GRAM 1/8THS ALL DAY Cannot be combined with other offers. Strain determined by HHWC. Expires 03/14/18.

gle

hin

50

Rd

d k RParking on

c ro

4020 DUROCK RD, STE 1 • SHINGLE SPRINGS, CA (916) 757–0980 • OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY 10AM TO 8PM • SATURDAY 10AM TO 8PM • SUNDAY 10AM TO 6PM Du

Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert.

Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com.

2201 Northgate Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95833 www.zen916.com 916.292.8120

SS

—Al Amo Better than before. I finally found a weed man in Austin, and they had like a mini dispensary with like eight different strains, some dabs and even some vapor pens. It used to be that you had to meet a person in some shady spot and buy whatever they had. It was nice to see the Texas weed man enter the modern age. Ω

21+, STATE ID OR PASSPORT REQUIRED

To get the latest info, coupons & deals

Heard you just got back from Texas. How was the weed?

sign up now! text weed to 42828

—E. Nuffleready You know, I have been asking that question for more than 20 years.

I am sure there are more than a few different factors, but from what I can tell, the whole cannabis-prohibition thing was started because of racism, perpetuated and amplified by President Richard Nixon, and now the system of prohibition is maintained because when given the choice between doing the right thing or having large sums of money, people prefer large sums of money. The private prison industry would lose billions of dollars if cannabis were legal nationwide. So would the recreational alcohol industry, big pharma and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA has maintained cannabis as a Schedule I drug for decades, in the face of all the evidence indicating that cannabis is a relatively harmless drug.

A few months ago, a group of citizens composed of medical marijuana patients and pro-cannabis businesspeople challenged federal cannabis prohibition in court. Last week, presiding Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ruled against the plaintiffs because they “need to petition the DEA first.” This is a terrible decision. Cannabis activists have been petitioning the DEA for years, and despite all evidence, the DEA still continues to insist that cannabis is as bad for you as heroin. Why? Because The DEA would lose hundreds of millions of dollars if they couldn’t go after cannabis users. I am reminded of the quote from Upton Sinclair: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

In the meantime, states are taking the lead. Alabama (Yes, you heard me) is working on a law to decriminalize cannabis possession.

I am sure U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pleased. Texas is working on a law. The entire West Coast has legalized cannabis. Smart people understand that weed isn’t the If I was making evil monster Harry Anslinger (he was the first Commissioner of the Federal a list of dangerous Bureau of Narcotics, starting under drugs, I would put President Herbert Hoover in 1930) and “greed” and “willful Nixon made it out to be. Weed is not a gateway drug. It doesn’t make people ignorance” at the top violent. It has many medicinal uses of the list. And that’s and is less addictive than coffee and about it. nicotine. There is no reason for cannabis to be anywhere near the list of dangerous drugs. If I was making a list of dangerous drugs, I would put “greed” and “willful ignorance” at the top of the list. And that’s about it. However, our president just floated the idea of using the death penalty to go after drug dealers.

This country is so weird right now. I hope we can figure it out.

We have recreational cannabis!

SATURDAY

Seriously, why can’t marijuana just be legalized at the federal level?

capital cannabis newsletter

Follow the money

Oakmont Drive

Compliant with California Proposition 215, S.B. 420 & Attorney General Guidelines. Must have doctor’s reccomendation and California ID to join.

03.08.18 03.08.16

||

SN&R SN&R

||

43 43

SN&R’s

44

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

WWW.FLORINWELLNESSCENTER.COM PRE-ORDER ONLINE ANYTIME

916 - 706 - 0563 03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

45

SN&R’s

l a n o i t a e r c e R w e No m o c l e W + 21

p a c $10 s m a r g l l A on r e w o l f f o s e c n u O 5 7 $ tonic, Cherry Pie,

Cannaour sherbet s

*while supplies last.

1008849-24-TEMP

$12 grams of crumble and shatter

916.254.3287

Grams starting at $3

Proud Sponsor of

135 Main Avenue • Sacramento CA, 95838 • Open Mon-Sat 10AM–7PM • Now Open Sun 12-5 46

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

Photo by Ken Magri

Cannabis concentrates come in different textures and potencies.

keep your CArd! lower tAxeS, Stronger produCtS, purChASe more

ReNewalS

• MeNtioN SN&R foR fRee Photo id • Mon-Sat 10aM-6pM, Sun 11aM-5pM • CultivatorS welCoMe

New PatieNt

35 $45

$

w/ couPoN exP. 03.14.18 SNR

w/ couPoN exP. 03.14.18 SNR

caNN-Medical

ConCentrates 101 If you’re thinking about dabbling in shatter and wax, consider this primer

by Ken Magri

concerns some. Rosin eliminates that problem using a heat-press method without solvents. Live resin can be made as simply as placing freshly dried buds inside parchment paper, squishing them in a hot curling iron, and scraping off the resin that oozes out.

Prices for concentrates are based on strain, taste, potency and purity. A nice-tasting concentrate may not be the most potent, and the purist one may not be the most expensive. To decide which concentrate works best for your needs, lean on the knowledge of an experienced budtender.

9719A Folsom Blvd. Sacramento, CA 916-822-5690 • www.cannmedical.org

420 MED E VALUATIONS

$ 45

$ 35

NEW PATI E NTS O N LY V A LID A T 18 00 2 1 S T .

PATI E NT R E N E WAL S ONL Y V AL I D AT 180 0 2 1 S T .

VALID THROU GH03.1 4. 1 8

VA LID T HRO UG H 03 . 1 4. 1 8

ST

’13

’13

’13

ST

’13

’13

’13

’13 ’14

WINNER 4 YE ARS IN A ROW! B E ST M E D I CAL MAR IJ UANA C LI N I C

Concentrates are really strong — like face-rubbing, shake-your-head strong.

- SACRAMENTO NEWS AND REVIEW READERS’ POLL -

Smoking devices called “dab rigs” work well, but aren’t necessary. If the concentrate is sticky, it can be smeared into a glass pipe bowl. If it’s crumbly, place it on top of a bud, or work some into a joint. When smoking concentrates for the first time, take one hit and wait. After 15 minutes, if you can remember how many hits you took, take another.

NOTICE TO CONSUMERS: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ensures that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use cannabis for medical purposes where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Recommendations must come from an attending physician as defined in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug according to the federal Controlled Substances Act. Activity related to cannabis use is subject to federal prosecution, regardless of the protections provided by state law.

GET APPROVED OR NO CHARGE! 24/7 VERIFICATIONS! • HIPAA COMPLIANT 100% DOCTOR/PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY

1800 21 ST ST • (916) 476-6142 MEDEVAL420@GMAIL.COM • 420MEDEVAL.COM R ST.

Produced by N&R Publications, a division of News & Review

2 1 S T ST .

R

ecreational users who are new to dispensaries may be curious about the vast selection of cannabis concentrates and the apparatus that goes with them. For those who want to try it, here is a quick primer.

The first thing to know is that concentrates are really strong — like face-rubbing, shake-your-head strong. With potencies ranging from 60 percent to 98 percent, cannabis users typically switch to concentrates after building up a tolerance for flower. Concentrates also make a good choice for those who want to inhale less plant matter.

Terms like sauce, shatter, crystal, crumble and wax describe a concentrate’s texture. A good sauce will handle like warm, caramelized sugar. Shatter, on the other hand, resembles broken glass, with sticky slivers flying everywhere. Crystals and crumbles almost pour out, while waxes require more troweling.

The terms nug-run, trim-run, and single-source describe the type of cannabis used. A nug-run comes from cannabis buds (or nugs), rather than a trim-run, which is made from clippings. Singlesource means that strains weren’t blended together.

Finally, the terms rosin and live-resin describe solvent-less extraction processes.

Many concentrates use solvents, typically butane, which burns off at the end of the process. But it can leave a residue, which

NOTICE TO CONSUMERS: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ensures that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use cannabis for medical purposes where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Recommendations must come from an attending physician as defined in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug according to the federal Controlled Substances Act.Activity related to cannabis use is subject to federal prosecution, regardless of the protections provided by state law.

OPEN MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY 11AM TO 6PM OPEN FRIDAY 11AM TO 5PM 03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

47

SN&R’s

Dreams do come true...

SMOKIN’ Deals

THIS WEEK

48

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

$99 OUNCE SPECIAL

while supplies last

Building a grow room?

t n 1EcIGeHTH THE F O E M HO

AC & COOLING SOLUTIONS

OPEN TO RETAIL PUBLIC/WHOLESALE PRICING PARTS & INSTALLATION • CANNABIS INDUSTRY EXPERT CONTRACTORS AIR FILTRATION • AIR MOVEMENT/FANS • DEHUMIDIFICATION

916.444.6650 | www.StandardAppliance.com

2416 X ST., SACRAMENTO, CA 95818 | OPEN M-F: 8A-5P, SAT: 9A-1P, CLOSED SUN.

capitol cannabis newsletter

sign up now!

To get the latest info, coupons & deals Text weed to 42828

WITH PUR

15% OFF

any edib le

Discount with ad.

Exp. 03.14.18

3 OR MO CHASE OF

RE EIGHTH

S

15% OFF ANY CBD product Discount with ad.

Exp. 03.14.18

M10-17-0000139-TEMP

9 1 6 . 7 0 6 . 0 4 8 9 • 1 404 28t h St re e t • w w w.G re e nSo lut io nsSa c .c o m Corner of 28th & N, Midtown Sac • Open 9am-9pm 7 days a week /greensolutions916

/greensolutions420

RECREATIONAL WELCOME

21+ ONLY • NO DOCTORS REC REQUIRED

8112 Alpine Ave, Sacramento • 916-739-6337 • Open Mon - Sun: 10am-8pm • Lic. A10-17-0000079-TEMP 03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

49

SN&R’s

50

|

SN&R

|

03.08.18

FRee will aStRology

by Skye Cabrera

by rOb brezSny

FOR THE WEEk OF MONTH 8, 2018 ARIES (March 21-April 19): The men who work on offshore oil rigs perform demanding, dangerous tasks on a regular basis. If they make mistakes, they may get injured or befoul the sea with petroleum. As you might guess, the culture on these rigs has traditionally been macho, stoic, and hard-driving. But in recent years, that has changed at one company. Shell Oil’s workers in the U.S. were trained by Holocaust survivor Claire Nuer to talk about their feelings, be willing to admit errors and soften their attitudes.

As a result, the company’s safety record has improved dramatically. If macho dudes toiling on oil rigs can become more vulnerable and open and tenderly expressive, so can you, Aries. And now would be a propitious time to do it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): How will you

celebrate your upcoming climax and culmination, Taurus? With a howl of triumph, a fist pump, and three cartwheels? With a humble speech thanking everyone who helped you along the way? With a bottle of champagne, a gourmet feast and spectacular sex? However you choose to mark this transition from one chapter of your life story to the next chapter, I suggest that you include an action that will help the next chapter get off to a rousing start. In your ritual of completion, plant seeds for the future.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On April 23, 1516, the

Germanic duchy of Bavaria issued a decree.

From that day forward, all beer produced had to use just three ingredients: water, barley and hops. Ever since then, for the last 500-plus years, this edict has had an enduring influence on how German beer is manufactured. In accordance with astrological factors, I suggest that you proclaim three equally potent and systemic directives of your own. It’s an opportune time to be clear and forceful about how you want your story to unfold in the coming years.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): What’s your most

frustrating flaw? During the next seven weeks, you will have enhanced power to diminish its grip on you. It’s even possible you will partially correct it or outgrow it. To take maximum advantage of this opportunity, rise above any covert tendency you might have to cling to your familiar pain. Rebel against the attitude described by novelist Stephen King: “It’s hard to let go. Even when what you’re holding onto is full of thorns, it’s hard to let go. Maybe especially then.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his book Whistling in the

Dark, author Frederick Buechner writes that the ancient Druids took “a special interest in in-between things like mistletoe, which is neither quite a plant nor quite a tree, and mist, which is neither quite rain nor quite air, and dreams, which are neither quite waking nor quite sleep.”

According to my reading of the astrological omens, in-between phenomena will be your specialty in the coming weeks. You will also thrive in relationship to anything that lives in two worlds or that has paradoxical qualities. I hope you’ll exult in the educational delights that come from your willingness to be teased and mystified.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The English word

“velleity” refers to an empty wish that has no power behind it. If you feel a longing to make a pilgrimage to a holy site, but can’t summon the motivation to actually do so, you are under the spell of velleity. Your fantasy of communicating with more flair and candor is a velleity if you never initiate the practical steps to accomplish that goal. Most of us suffer from this weakness at one time or another. But the good news, Virgo, is that you are primed to overcome your version of it during the next six weeks. Life will conspire to assist you if you resolve to turn your wishywashy wishes into potent action plans—and then actually carry out those plans.

scene. The lead actor, Tobey Maguire, allegedly accomplished it in real life—although it took 156 takes before he finally mastered it. I hope you have that level of patient determination in the coming weeks, Libra. You, too, can perform a small miracle if you do.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio

mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot was a connoisseur of “the art of roughness” and “the uncontrolled element in life.” He liked to locate and study the hidden order in seemingly chaotic and messy things. “My life seemed to be a series of events and accidents,” he said. “Yet when I look back I see a pattern.” I bring his perspective to your attention, Scorpio, because you are entering a phase when the hidden order and secret meanings of your life will emerge into view. Be alert for surprising hints of coherence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I suspect

that in July and August you will be invited to commune with rousing opportunities and exciting escapades. But right now, I’m advising you to channel your intelligence into well-contained opportunities and sensible adventures. In fact, my projections suggest that your ability to capitalize fully on the future’s rousing opportunities and exciting escapades will depend on how well you master the current crop of wellcontained opportunities and sensible adventures.

Making the most of today’s small pleasures will qualify you to harvest bigger pleasures later.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you saw the

animated film The Lion King, you may have been impressed with the authenticity of the lions’ roars and snarls. Did the producers place microphones in the vicinity of actual lions? No. Voice actor Frank Welker produced the sounds by growling and yelling into a metal garbage can. I propose this as a useful metaphor for you in the coming days. First, I hope it inspires you to generate a compelling and creative illusion of your own—an illusion that serves a good purpose. Second, I hope it alerts you to the possibility that other people will be offering you compelling and creative illusions—illusions that you should engage with only if they serve a good purpose.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I do a lot of

self-editing before I publish what I write. My horoscopes go through at least three drafts before I unleash them on the world. While polishing the manuscript of my first novel, I threw away over a thousand pages of stuff that I had worked on very hard. In contrast to my approach, science fiction writer Harlan Ellison dashed off one of his award-winning stories in a single night, and published it without making any changes to the first draft. As you work in your own chosen field, Aquarius, I suspect that for the next three weeks you will produce the best results by being more like me than Ellison.

Beginning about three weeks from now, an Ellison-style strategy might be more warranted.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to my

assessment of the astrological omens, you’re in a favorable phase to gain more power over your fears. You can reduce your susceptibility to chronic anxieties. You can draw on the help and insight necessary to dissipate insidious doubts that are rooted in habit but not based on objective evidence. I don’t want to sound too melodramatic, my dear Pisces, but THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! YOU ARE POTENTIALLY ON THE VERGE OF AN UNPRECEDENTED BREAKTHROUGH! In my opinion, nothing is more important for you to accomplish in the coming weeks than this inner conquest.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the 2002 film SpiderMan, there’s a scene where the character Mary Jane slips on a spilled drink as she carries a tray full of food through a cafeteria. Spider-Man, disguised as his alter ego Peter Parker, makes a miraculous save. He jumps up from his chair and catches Mary Jane before she falls. Meanwhile, he grabs her tray and uses it to gracefully capture her apple, sandwich, carton of milk and bowl of jello before they hit the floor. The filmmakers say they didn’t use CGI to render this

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785. And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.

A marathon life When the alarm goes off on a Sunday because you said you’d get to the gym, and instead you scroll through Kim Kardashian’s Instagram and puppy memes for the next hour, telling yourself, at 32, “I’m getting old,” I want you to stop and think: What would Diana Nyad do? “I’m pressed for time,” Nyad nicely warns before our interview, “but I’m always pressed.” She’s got just 15 minutes to chat on the phone about being the first person

to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage (which she did in 2013, at the age of 64), about some ideas from her book Find a Way, about traveling the globe doing TED Talks, and being at the forefront of the #MeToo movement. She’s a committed activist, a lesbian icon, a pioneer in many fields. So when you’re feeling like it’s too late to start that course, or that new career, or run that marathon… ask WWDND?

You’ll be talking at Folsom College soon. What is your intention for that event?

I speak all over the world. I can make a long list of things I have no talent for, but I do stand onstage and weave a series of stories that are compelling, somewhat entertaining and inspiring. People at the end spring to their feet. What’s really happening is they are extrapolating from [my] story. They are taking that into their own lives. When I arrived on that beach in Key West, after 35 years of chasing that epic dream, life or death, out there in that epic ocean, those people were weeping. Those thousands of people on that beach, what they saw was the tower of the human spirit. They are chasing dreams of their own—they’re fighting cancer, they’re looking for work, they’re up against the wall. They want to live the biggest life they can. I never look out in the audience and say, “Hey, you can live a big life too! Here are the secrets to success.” I’m just a storyteller. And that’s what I’m going to be doing at Folsom.

You talked about singing the John Lennon song “Imagine” as you were out there in the ocean. Can you tell us a little bit about some artists or music that inspires you?

I had a goal to sing Janis Joplin, “Me and Bobby McGee,” a thousand times and never lose count. I sing the entire song, from the first note to the last note, and all I’m doing is hearing it in my head, but I’m in it. I’m on

PHOTO COURTESY Of DIANA NYAD

number 722. Number 767. It tells me, “keep in the present.” I’m ready to hear my trainer Bonnie’s whistle, the shark team talking to me. And when I sing 1,000 “Me & Bobby McGee”s—it’s a metronome—I am exactly at nine hours and 45 minutes. That’s how long it takes me to sing, 1,000 versions of “Me and Bobby McGee.”

You mentioned that you aren’t a religious person. When you’re out there in the azure of the ocean with Mother Earth, do you feel more connected or engaged to your spirituality?

I don’t think that’s the word I would use.

“Spirituality” is a very broad term—I’m not sure what people mean by it. All I know is, Skye, I can stand on a beach at sunrise, with the most devout of religious people. I have friends who are devout—Christians, Jews, Buddhists—and I can weep with awe at this beautiful planet we live on.

At this blue jewel of a planet that I got to swim across. I can feel the responsibility of leaving this Earth a better place, with any Christian who does good work for it. But I don’t use those words. I don’t use “God” and I don’t use “spirituality.” Those aren’t my particular terms. But “awe” is a good word that I do feel.

I know some people who have retired or are in their 60s and have sort of given up on themselves. How do you think you were able to complete your feat at age 64, versus 32?

Every expedition, every trip up Mount Everest, every big Mother-Nature expedition comes back with knowledge. With new science, with new technology, with new ways to tap the human spirit. We learned more about the behavior of the gulf stream, and how to try to predict it and get across it. Maybe because we were willing to go five times, and not give it up, we got a little luckier on that fifth time. I do think as an athlete, I was better at 64 than I was in my

20s. I was stronger. I wasn’t faster—that’s for sure—but speed isn’t the point here. I was better as an athlete, and I knew more, and that was the reason I made it this time and not last time.

You’re from New York City. I’m from the Bronx. You moved to Florida as a teen. Do you think your geographic location shaped how your life panned out?

Of course. Here you are around beautiful semi-tropical weather and semi-tropical ocean. So I was a little fish in the water, of course. The truth is, that’s not what I fell in love with. I fell in love with chasing big, difficult dreams that make you discover who you are. If I had grown up in Vienna, I might have been a violin player. I had that drive since early on that I’m just gonna live it large, I’m gonna chase dreams that are big. And that’s what it’s all about, more than swimming or geography.

You are a pioneer in the Me Too movement, and you’ve been talking about it for a long time, since before it became so public. Thank you for doing that work. Can you talk more about it?

I’m at the forefront on that movement.

You know, it’s an epidemic in our society.

I’m working with Reese Witherspoon on the Time’s Up campaign. We’re not gonna stop the epidemic all the way. It’s part of the human condition, unfortunately, abuse and sexual abuse. But I’m here to stand up and try to bring that epidemic down to its knees in numbers. I’m hopefully gonna put a lot of hope out there. Ω See Nyad at her talk, “An Evening with Diana Nyad,” on Sunday, March 11 at 7pm, as part of the folsom Lake College Speaker Series. Tickets are $29-$64, $12 with a student I.D. Harris Center at folsom Lake College, 10 College Parkway in folsom. for tickets, visit www.harriscenter.net.

03.08.18

|

SN&R

|

51