2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
Deal or no deal
P
olitics are funny. If someone had told me a year ago that Rep. Mike Levin would be the gold standard of progressivism in the House, I would have scoffed. The freshman representative, who trounced Diane Harkey last year to give Democrats a win in the 49th District for the first time since the Clinton administration, was the first of San Diego County’s five congressional representatives to support the Green New Deal despite the fact that his seat is anything but safe from a Republican challenge. Almost none of this can be said for the rest of our House reps, despite the fact that the majority of them represent thoroughly bluer districts than Levin. And while a lot of attention is understandably being paid to the 50th District—what with Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter’s myriad legal problems and political has-been-turned-talkradio-jockey Carl DeMaio attempting to primary the incumbent—not a lot of attention is being paid to the incumbent Dems who likely see themselves as safe from any substantial challenge in 2020. But the natives are getting restless. Take Rep. Scott Peters, for example. Just before the news of the devastating fires in the Amazon jungles of Brazil and Peru began to garner national attention, students and young people gathered outside Peters’ office to stage a die-in to pressure him to support the Green New Deal. This came after months of Friday protests outside of Peters’ office from groups such as SanDiego350 and the Sunrise Movement. Peters also cancelled a climate change town hall in July, citing that it conflicted with one of the Democratic presidential debates. He is yet to reschedule the town hall and as this issue went to press there were no scheduled events on his website despite the House being in recess until after Labor Day. So why, exactly, is a Democratic incumbent from arguably one of the bluest districts in California (Peters has won nearly every reelection bid by more than 10 points) and who has no discernable GOP challenger (the only one with any name recognition is Famela Ramos, a pro-life zealot who is way too polarizing to be taken seriously) not get on board with legislation his local colleagues (Reps. Susan Davis and Juan Vargas)
have already co-sponsored? Well, it seems Peters isn’t exactly sure himself. In an interview with KPBS’s Erik Anderson last week, Peters touted his own “climate playbook,” a “a compendium of bills Congress can act on now to take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gases.” One blog characterized the playbook as a “recycled” “Green No Deal.” Peters’ main criticism of the Green New Deal was that it wasn’t bi-partisan and that “action means bringing Republicans to the table.” On this, Peters has a point, but not in the way he thinks. There’s no way Republicans in Congress would ever support the Green New Deal, especially when Democrats don’t even have a united front. But the logic here seems to be that while Peters agrees in principle with reducing carbon emissions, he can’t do anything if his Republicans colleagues don’t also like it. Where else have we heard this type of logic? Well, it wasn’t so long ago that the same logic was being used by fence-sitting Dems when it came to voting on the Affordable Care Act. And while Susan Davis and Juan Vargas have come around on the Green New Deal, the pressure on Peters will only intensify as the fires continue to burn in the Amazon and Trump skips climate change meetings at the G7 summit. It’s becoming increasingly clear that this is not a debate that the party of Trump is ever interested in having. How can Peters tackle climate change in a bi-partisan manner when the other party won’t even come to the table? A playbook is for naught if the other team doesn’t even want to play ball. Enter Nancy Casady, a La Jolla Democrat who officially announced on Monday that she would be challenging Peters in the March primary. Like many, she is frustrated with Peters for not supporting the Green New Deal and has made that the central message of her campaign. It will be the first time another Democrat has challenged Peters in a primary and while Casady faces an uphill battle, it is yet another example of how the incumbent may be out of touch with his constituents.
—Seth Combs
Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com
This issue of CityBeat thinks it’s too early for pumpkin spice anything.
Volume 18 • Issue 1 EDITOR Seth Combs WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Ryan Bradford Edwin Decker Alfred Howard John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore
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AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
ON THE
COVER
THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS Edwin, I have given you shit in the past when I think your colum [sic] sucks, so let me be the first to say your column on TTAPS [“Some thoughts on thoughts and prayers,” Sordid Tales, Aug. 21] was stellar. In particular , you nailed it when you noted sincere expressions of sympathy may come out (far) worse than the standard TTAPS. Even more true on social media when words can be misinterpreted... we all have friends who post the passing of a parent / grandparent etc. on FB and you start to type something (well, at least I do) and then you stop yourself and think what if somebody takes this wrong. A possibly disingenuous TTAPS is still better than silence in my book.
Craig A. Nelson Solana Beach
LARIOS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Great interview with District 7 City Council candidate, Sharon Larios [“Sharon Larios is a rebel with a cause,” News, Aug. 21]. Breath of fresh air, connecting with such a genuine candidate, especially impressed by the unique combination of the authentic and servant leadership that she demonstrates throughout the interview. Well done.
Corey, via sdcitybeat.com
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
WE WANT FEEDBACK Did you read a story in San Diego CityBeat that made your blood boil, or caused you to laugh so hard you pulled a stomach muscle? If something inspires you to send us your two cents we welcome all letters that respond to news stories, opinion pieces or reviews that have run in these pages. We don’t accept unsolicited op-ed letters. Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication, you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside. Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.
TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backwards and In High Heels. . . . . . . Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . . . .
3 4 5 6 7
FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene . . . . . . . 9 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
This week’s cover comes courtesy of Mario Cortez (instagram.com/macortez619), the winner of our annual photo contest. The photo, which Cortez titled “Contigo” (“With You” in Spanish), was taken at a benefit for a DACA advocacy group at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights. Though Cortez has been taking photos for three years, he says taking pictures was more of a necessity at first. “Photography is not my main profession,” Cortez told us over email. “I originally bought a camera when I started to do freelance writing and was asked for visuals to accompany my copy. I started to carry a camera everywhere, so taking pics became both a habit and a hobby.” Cortez wins a gift certificate to George’s Camera in North Park so he can keep his habit going.
THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Feature: Annual Photo Contest. . .13-14 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16
MUSIC Feature: Bleached . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Black Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-22
IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . 21 CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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JOHN R. LAMB
UP FRONT | OPINION
SPIN
CYCLE
JOHN R. LAMB
Fighting ‘bias’ with ‘by us’ Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper. —George Orwell
A
few weeks back, Spin Cycle was speaking to Brian Brady, a county Republican Party contrarian and occasional critic of party Chairman Tony Krvaric. We were discussing Carl DeMaio’s entry into the 50th Congressional District race when the conversation turned to San Diego News Desk, a new, Krvaric-created media outlet in town. Brady recounted an online spat he’d had with an anonymous commenter on the conservative blog San Diego Rostra, but then Spin reminded him that at least Rostra allowed comments on postings, whereas Krvaric’s newfangled San Diego News Desk does not. “You are one of the 12 people who’s reading it,” Brady jabbed.
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Brady then proceeded to describe a chat he had in January with the chairman, who was itching to set up a local right-leaning news website. Krvaric was impressed with a similar site, the feisty Times of San Diego. But Brady said Krvaric insisted that San Diego News Desk’s content be paid for and controlled by the local Republican Party, a red flag for Brady. “I said you can’t have it run by the party. There’s no credibility for that,” Brady recalled saying. “It’s going to be immediately branded fake.” Brady said Krvaric assured him the site would be clearly marked as a product of the Republican Party of San Diego County. That there would be a small print “paid for” disclaimer at the bottom of the home page and, according to Brady, Krvaric said that “we want to be able to disseminate news. We could have interns write for it.”
Brady then told Spin that he hoped Spin wouldn’t mention the web site. “It’s an embarrassment, in my opinion,” he explained. Now, Brady says he is one of San Diego News Desk’s biggest fans, at least according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. He even hopes to write a few articles for it in the future. Although no numbers were available to back him up, Brady figures readership at the party news site has increased since the UnionTribune sent Morgan Cook, one of its top investigative reporters, to report on what even Brady described as little more than an online party newsletter. In a state dominated by leftwing thinking, Brady said, “Tony put together a website that is basically an online newsletter disseminating news items with a fully disclosed center-right bias, and the U-T puts the 2017 Journalist of the Year on the deal and wants to play gotcha politics.” “Is it any wonder we can’t get a fair shake in today’s media?” Brady said. Cook’s story first appeared online last Tuesday under the headline, “Republican Party of San Diego County launches ‘news’ website for political purposes,” with a picture of Krvaric at local GOP headquarters. “You wouldn’t know that Sand-
Local Republican Party Chairman Tony Krvaric has elephantine dreams for his GOP-tilting, party-controlled media outlet. iegonewsdesk.com was a Republican Party product unless you read the fine print at the bottom of the home page,” Cook scolded in her lengthy report. Krvaric wouldn’t speak to Spin for this column, but he told Cook, “Local media routinely slants the news towards [sic] Democrats and the liberal perspective in how they cover news and what they choose not to cover. We aim to fill that void.” Krvaric declined to tell Cook why most stories on the website are devoid of bylines. He also declined to share a list of writers and editors with the U-T. In its FAQ section, the website does mention it will take submittals for consideration and states, “we will be working with high schools and colleges to offer internships to talented students… ” In her original story for the U-T, Cook delved into the legitimacy of such an endeavor as a partycontrolled news outlet. One source said the placement of the disclaimer at the bottom “raises ethical questions” but that the website otherwise seemed to be meeting state disclosure laws. Cook then quotes Brett Kappel, a Washington, D.C. attorney specializing in federal campaign rules about the rise of mock news broadcasts “that date back to the 1970s.” The attorney then shares the story of a former Texas congressman, Steve Stockman, who is spending time in federal prison after a 23-count conviction last year for stealing “hundreds of thousands of dollars from charities” and using the loot for personal and campaign expenses. Cook, whose dogged coverage of indicted campaign-money-freewheeler Rep. Duncan D. Hunter earned her well-deserved local acclaim, noted that Stockman’s campaign had also “sent out directmail advertisements that were designed to appear to be small local newspapers.” The following day, an article, attributed to no one, appeared under an “Opinion” heading at San Diego News Desk, proclaiming in
a headline that the U-T “tries and fails to smear” the website. “The piece reeked of desperation,” the unidentified writer seethed, “as most of it had little to nothing to do with San Diego News Desk.” The anonymous writer then went on to call the Stockman portion of Cook’s article “rambling” before adding, “It’s difficult to see this as anything but another miserable attempt to attack our website.” A short time later, the portion of the U-T story mentioning Stockman’s plight vanished from the online post without explanation or note of an update. (The story appeared in print editions Thursday as well, minus the Stockman reference.) Spin reached out to Cook’s editor for a response, without luck. When Spin went up the ladder to Jeff Light, the U-T’s publisher and editor in chief he responded with, “Not on my radar.” But then U-T Digital Editor Ricky Young, who oversees Cook’s Watchdog department, responded by saying he had posted answers to Spin’s questions online. Young said Watchdog reporters have a history of looking into “websites posted by institutions in town that appear like news, but aren’t,” using the County News Center and a similar City of San Diego site as examples. “Newspaper are right to keep an eye on this trend, as PR people gain a numerical edge over people like yourself who keep an eye on government and institutions.” Regarding the Stockman snip, Young said it “was not a great comparison to the local GOP website.” So Spin says let Krvaric play editor. As Chris Jennewein, editor and publisher of Times of San Diego, noted, “The staff… is flattered whenever our work can be an inspiration.” And Brady? He now applauds Krvaric’s efforts. “He’s the chairman of a committee of a dying party,” he said. “For god’s sake, you guys make us relevant with your bias.” Spin Cycle appears every other week. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | OPINION
AARYN BELFER
BACKWARDS & IN
HIGH HEELS
Keeping Kaepernick in the headlines Editor’s note: Aaryn Belfer is on a much-deserved family vacation this week. She will be back in two weeks with a brand new column. In the meantime, on the eve of the NFL season, we thought we’d republish this column from 2016. We felt it was important considering the recent agreement between Jay-Z and the NFL, and the fact that, nearly three years later, Colin Kaepernick is still ostensibly blacklisted from playing in the league.
I
t’s a scary thing to sit out a patriotic ritual in a country rabid with patriotism. I say this as a private citizen who stopped saying the Pledge of Allegiance way back in high school. I refused to pledge my life to a swath of fabric representing stolen land watched over by a god I didn’t believe in and that reserved liberty and justice for the melanin challenged. A rough proposition in Utah, land of conservatives with magic underwear. But I did it as a young teen and I’ve not changed my stance since. Never was this particular abstention so frightening as when I was elected to my community council more than 10 years ago. That first time I sat through the Pledge as an elected board member alongside 19 white, mostly-elderly community members, my heart nearly stopped. The collective heart of the cane-wielding mob that unleashed their outrage toward me almost stopped, as well. We could have died together, the blue hairs and me, right there in the library beneath the fluorescent lights and a knockoff of Betsy Ross’ tapestry. This was what I thought of when I first read about Colin Kaepernick’s lone (at the time) protest against state-sanctioned violence against Black people in America. Only he knows the full evolution of his thinking that has set his name alongside other activist athletes in our country’s history. For sure, given his notoriety and national platform, he had to be sweating his balls off when he sat out the National Anthem. The three weeks since that night have been the kind of rough I can only imagine, though he is less alone every day. (Aside from a few like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, however, white peeps are proving Kaepernick’s point about inequality and structural racism by not joining him.) He’s running the gauntlet, no doubt. There are the off-with-his-head folks who have taken to burning his jerseys, which is hilarious because they first had to buy those jerseys at what? $80 a pop? Most excellent, guys. Throw some books on there while you’re at it. There are petitioners who think Kaepernick, as an athlete and role model, should be fired for exercising his free speech. Ryan Lochte pissed his free speech all over Rio while wrapped in the flag and draped in medals. Then he lied about being held at gunpoint by Brazilian police. But he’s just a kid. Just a 32-year-old kid. We are all looking forward to his Dancing With The Stars redemption. There are half-brains who think that Kaepernick
should find another country in which to live. There are the I-agree-with-him-but-don’t-agreewith-his-method Monday morning quarterbacks. This contingent may want to guide us all on exactly the best way for Black people to move through the world to seem less menacing to their, you know, liberty. Should they jog? Stroll? Saunter? Levitate? Or maybe they should just...kneel. The (white) guy who convinced our bicep-kissing protagonist to take a knee—rather than sit—during the National Anthem is among this group. Nate Boyer should get the Pulitzer for vets-plaining and the Nobel for tone policing. There is at least one nitwit who has said Kaepernick’s not Black so he can’t possibly know the Black struggle, and many other nitwits who once championed the ambiguously biracial baller only to suddenly find his blackness unpalatable because it’s making them uncomfortable. These folks are flummoxed. After all, their former hero was raised by Good White People, with Good White People Values, and got Good White People Grades. How can he be acting like such a... such a... thug? A report late last week in USA Today featured Rick and Teresa Kaepernick’s home where “Old Glory” was flying high outside, yet the couple remains silent with respect to their son’s protest. “It’s not in our best interest or Colin’s best interest,” to weigh in, said his adoptive mom. Meanwhile, National Anthemgate has displeased Heidi Russo, Kaepernick’s birth mom who took to Twitter to publicly disagree with her son’s protest. His birth mother’s and adoptive parents’ responses have unleashed a virulent and uninformed backlash from the many people who have a Disney view of adoption as a “blessing.” Heidi Russo and Teresa Kaepernick are both moms to the quarterback—white moms, it should be noted—with white worldviews and all the white privilege. But their whiteness doesn’t go with their son into the world. In other words, the adoption narrative about saviorism is bullshit. It is impossible that Colin Kaepernick, a lightskinned Black man, hasn’t been on the receiving end of our country’s habit of racism. Black (and brown) people cannot educate their way out of it. They cannot degree their way out of it. They cannot earn their way out, or smart their way out, or play their way out. I’m guessing a lifetime of microaggressions and some identity development, and being witness to what is going on in the streets of small communities around our country are what brought Kaepernick to his knee. If we can all just get past the bullshit reactions and overt display of white fragility, maybe we can have the necessary and way-past-due conversation Kaepernick is trying to invoke. I’m all for it. I sit with Kaepernick.
It is impossible that Colin Kaepernick, a light-skinned Black man, hasn’t been on the receiving end of our country’s habit of racism.
6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.
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UP FRONT | VOICES
RYAN BRADFORD
WELL THAT WAS
AWKWARD Searching for the afterglow in Margaritaville
W
hen I first see the ad for San Diego Margarita Fest, I imagine hell. Modern hell will not be all fire and brimstone—it’ll look like heaven. It will be sweet drinks, with drunk, sunburned white men and Jimmy Buffet. I’m certain “Margaritaville” is a better portrayal of eternal damnation than “Hotel California” (both songs—in addition to “Kokomo”—would be playing on a loop in this hell, by the way). But my eyes scan farther down the ad, and I see the words “Headlined by Everclear” and my brain does this little thing where it pushes a lot of bad things out to make room for a sweet shot of nostalgic joy. I love my brain and the things it chooses to retain. Like, why can I never remember my online banking login info—arguably very important—but I can remember the first time I saw the seminal ‘90s band Everclear? Why can I remember this better than any of the Thanksgivings or Christmases over the past decade? Who knows?! But brain: You truly are a mysterious delight, and I drink to thee (which may be the reason for the memory issues). I was 13 when my dad took me and my friend Collin to see Everclear play a free show at the University of Utah in 1998. This would be my second-ever concert, and I was super into Everclear’s newlyreleased album, So Much for the Afterglow. It didn’t even matter that the show was going down on the same night as the Seinfeld series finale. I was stoked. My dad stood back while Collin and I squirmed up to the front. Collin was more experienced in life than me, so he was able to recognize the scent of weed wafting through the college crowd. I was awed by his knowledge. When the band began to play, I felt the bass drum in my chest, which—much like the stomach-drop on a rollercoaster—is a sensation that I still love. I was both thrilled and horrified by all the profanity in singer Art Alexakis’ stage banter. Imagine little Mormon me turning around and making awkward eye-contact with my dad when Alexakis said something along the lines of “This is a song about someone who loves you... and someone who fucks you!” When they played their heavy instrumental “El Distorto de Melodica,” Collin asked me if I wanted to jump, and we did. For a brief moment, I forgot about the crippling awkwardness and self-consciousness that accompanies pubescence and pogoed with the rest of the crowd. During the ensuing years, my musical tastes matured and my love for Everclear faded.
But nostalgia is such a strange phenomenon, especially when it’s increasingly on-demand. Have we been rewired by computers and social media to reward ourselves for slight remembrances, no matter how esoteric and insignificant? This would explain why reference-heavy shows like Rick and Morty are so popular, or why bands playing their classic albums in their entirety is a thing. Or is our current timeline so dark that everything from the past seems better? Whatever the case, as soon as I see Everclear’s name on the Margarita Fest ad, it takes mere seconds for my brain to dredge up happy memories, which in turn cultivates an intense want—no, need!—to see them live. Nostalgia moves fast, and there is nothing I want more than to hold a sweet drink and see a washed-up ’90s band. Margarita Fest has been going on since 11 a.m. It is now 8 p.m. and people move with the sinister sluggishness that accompanies their fifth or sixth wind. I wait nearly 30 minutes for my first margarita, which is some strawberry concoction. The hollow-eyed dude making it looks like he wants to die. Both his cargo shorts and his hands are stained red, and I watch him muddle the drink with shaking hands. I want to tell him, Let me take it from here, buddy. Why don’t you find a nice grave to sleep in? I drink two sickly-sweet margaritas before realizing that I actually don’t like margaritas. A Jimmy Buffet cover band plays in the background. I try to think of the life choices that led me here. Fuck you, brain. Fuck you, nostalgia. But then Everclear takes the stage. Singer Art Alexakis walks out, looking older, but that’s him— the same rock star I saw for free when I was 13. I will later learn that Alexakis recently announced that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but he looks strong tonight. The woman behind me yells “We love you, Art!” and he smiles. His band looks like stereotypical L.A. vampires or Motley Crue rejects, but they do a pretty good job of supporting Alexakis’ sordid tunes of addiction and recovery. They play mostly early songs, even busting out “Fire Maple Song” from their first album, World of Noise. They play slower than how I remember them, which could be because I’m no longer 13 and I’m slower, too. Honestly, it’s heartening to see them having such a good time. I realize it’s not just nostalgia—these songs are still good.
A Jimmy Buffet cover band plays in the background. I try to think of the life choices that led me here. Fuck you, brain. Fuck you, nostalgia.
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Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week. Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7
UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER
THE WORLD
FARE
The essence of ramen
T
o be honest, I was prepared to dislike HiroNori (3803 5th Ave., hironoriramen.com). After all, it wasn’t so long ago that I proclaimed that San Diego’s ramen scene had jumped the shark. Speaking of one particularly egregious example, I wrote that once place didn’t “seem to understand the essence of ramen.” HiroNori in Hillcrest proves, however, that there is still room for those who do understand that essence. The headliner at HiroNori is the tonkotsu, the thick, rich and muscular pork broth that local enthusiasts treat as the king of ramen broths. At its best, tonkotsu is the essence of pig in liquid form. That is, perhaps, because it is made from a ton of pork bones cooked down for 24 hours until they collapse under their own weight. HiroNori’s tonkotsu is a good, if not exceptional example of the dish. It’s rich and characterized by power, though it lacked the extraordinarily viscous texture of the best tonkotsu. The same is true of the thick ramen noodles: tasty, absorptive but not exceptional. The garnishes, though, were well executed; the egg was warm with a slightly soft yolk and a soy flavor, while the slices of pork chashu were well-cooked and savory without being too salty or fatty. Perhaps, though, the headliner at HiroNori ought to be the shoyu ramen. Shoyu ramen has a flavor that is characterized by soy sauce rather than pork. HiroNori’s shoyu ramen is hardly the lightest example of the genre, but has the clear broth and elegance that defines the style. HiroNori boasts about its soy sauce being aged two years in wood barrels, and the complexities of the resulting ramen broth is evidence they can back up the bragging. It is an elegant, nuanced broth that is clearly the best example of the style in town.
8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
All three of HiroNori’s ramen offerings (the third being the vegan, featuring broccolini, tofu, soy meat and kale) come with a set grouping of garnishes. There are also a number of optional additions ranging from proteins to vegetables and sauces. Perhaps the best choice is the black garlic oil (mayu) for its extra dose of richness, umami and floral, smoky notes. HiroNori recommends using the black garlic oil on the tonkotsu, not the shoyu, but I practically wanted to bathe in it. And while HiroNori is primarily a ramen house, it offers other items as well. One of the low-key best offerings at the restaurant, however, comes free and at the front end: a glass of water. More specifically, a glass of mint, watermelon and lemon-infused water. The best of the starters is the crispy chicken (aka karaage), which is essentially soy-marinated chicken nuggets coated in potato starch and fried. The spicy sauce that comes with it is, in my view, is highly optional. A squeeze of the accompanying lemon wedge, though, is not, as it brings out the chicken’s natural flavor. MICHAEL A. GARDINER
Shoyu ramen Still, HiroNori is all about the ramen. The cooks here understand the essence of the genre. It shows in the carefully balanced flavors of the broths and how they manage to be powerful, complex and graceful all at the same time. Yes, perhaps the San Diego ramen scene has, indeed, jumped the shark, but there’s always room for the excellent. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
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UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK
ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #64: Working the steps at Vistal Bar + Restaurant
BY IAN WARD
to drink. It’s about blaming every bump in the road for my poor navigation. I can honestly say that I am getting i, my name is Ian and I’m an alco- better. A few years ago, I would have drank at the airport until I blacked out and holic. As I write this, it has been roughly eventually missed my flight. This time, seven hours since my last drink. I had no however, I stopped myself at a certain intention of drinking yesterday, but that is point and switched back to coffee. Coffee pretty much how every day starts. Yester- and tea seem to be my transitional bevday, I woke up in New York City and went erages of choice when I actually do conto the hospital to see my mom. She was tain myself. I’m guessing this is the case hooked up to all sorts of tubes, pumping all for most recovering alcoholics after they stop drinking, because there aren’t very sorts of shit into her. many options out there. This is why I’m Still, this was a better day than a huge proponent of the ever-ina few days ago, because she was no creasing non-alcoholic cocktail longer hooked to a breathing tube, (or, “mocktails”) movement hapso this should have been cause for pening in bars and restaurants celebration; a reason not to drink. around the world. I’m one of those people who leans One of the best non-alcoholic toward drinking when times are cocktails I’ve came across recently bad more often than to celebrate. is the Jamaica el Jardin at Vistal Or, at least I think so. Maybe I do Bar + Restaurant inside the Inboth, I generally can’t remember. terContinental Hotel in Downtown Then it was time to fly back to (901 Bayfront Court, vistalsd.com). San Diego. In the midst of a long It’s a beautiful, refreshing and delay at the airport and with a head full of painfully sad im- Jamaica el Jardin fragrant combination of hibiscus, ginger, cucumber and ages of my sweet and loving mother in the hospital, I went to the bar. There were Seedlip Garden 108, a non-alcoholic spirit only two bars in my terminal, and the bet- made primarily from peas and hay. The ter option of the two was a Ruby Tuesday, result is an aromatic mixer that is highly which is cause to drink in and of itself. Ac- reminiscent of gin. “One of the main flavor profiles in tually, none of these things are really an excuse to drink, but like I stated earlier, Seedlip Garden is hay. There is an earthy, I am an alcoholic and part of being an al- rustic quality to it. We make the hibiscus coholic is cowardly looking for any reason syrup using dried hibiscus which couples well with the hay notes,” said Meagan Crumpley, the bar manager at Vistal, JAMAICA EL JARDIN when I asked her about the thought proAs prepared at Vistal Bar + Restaurant cess behind the seductive mocktail. The hibiscus also pairs nicely with the ginger 3 oz. Seedlip Garden 108 and the cucumber, which have always 1 1/2 oz. Lemon juice been notoriously intimate bedfellows 1 1/2 oz. Hibiscus/ginger syrup when it comes to cocktails. Cucumber ribbons All in all, the Jamaica el Jardin is a Soda water lovely, spicy beverage that has all the allure of an alcoholic cocktail without the Combine the Seedlip, lemon juice and syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins detrimental strings attached. You can glass and garnish with cucumber ribbons. Top thank me later for sharing.
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with soda.
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BY BETH DEMMON
FINAL DRAUGHT Pure and not-so-simple
W
alking into the Pure Project tasting room in Bankers Hill (2865 Fifth Ave., purebrewing. org), it’s easy to mistake it for for an ultraluxurious spa. There’s perfectly manicured foliage draping from the ceiling and soft music gently playing among the swanky decor, which includes plenty of natural pine elements and modern cement accents. Even the beers scream opulence with names such as Tropical Mist and Cloud Mountain. The menu reads more like one from a cold-pressed juice bar where a shot of organic wheatgrass runs $75. There are 20 beers on tap, none of which run less than $5.50 for a 16-ounce pour. And that $5.50 option is only for one beer—the rest ring up closer to $7 or $8. I can’t help but believe the price points reflects a need to pay for what has to be mind-bogglingly expensive real estate. Beer is traditionally made up of four ingredients: water, hops, barley and yeast. But that’s just the beginning for Pure Project. With the exception of their unfiltered pilsner (the Misty Citrus blonde ale) and a smattering of heavily-hopped pale ales and IPAs, the beers here tend to incorporate numerous adjuncts. These include things such as pink Himalayan sea salt, passionfruit and vanilla bean. Sometimes two or three of each adjunct each beer. It’s not exactly beer and it’s not exactly cheap to make. This approach to heavily flavored brews represents a new-school mentality that’s proven advantageous for breweries looking to set themselves apart from more traditionally-minded spots. It’s boundarypushing and a way to cater to those who don’t necessarily like beer-flavored beer. It’s perfect for what is a traditionally wine and cocktail-minded neighborhood. On my visit, the beertender was happy to help curate my inaugural experience. Pure Project offers a flight of five tasters for the price of four, which still costs
me over $20, but hey, I’ll take my savings where I can get them. I ordered the La Vie en Rosé saison with hibiscus and orange blossom honey, as well as the Log Cabin with Coffee bourbon-barrel aged imperial stout with cocoa and maple syrup. The beertender added the Crème de la Pêche vanilla cream ale with organic peaches and vanilla bean, along with the Formless Reflections murky IPA with oranges and Motueka and Mosaic hops. For the fifth, I went with the Tuanis imperial sour ale with Costa Rican cascara (tea made from pulped coffee berries), coffee and hibiscus. BETH DEMMON
Pure Project Overall, these were definitely an interesting batch of beers. Sour beer and coffee doesn’t always mix for me, but the Tuanis was a pretty spot-on example of that flavor profile. The Log Cabin seemed more suitable to pour over pancakes than as a standalone beverage, but that’s not so much a critique as it is a testament to the maple-heavy taste and thick mouthfeel. The La Vie en Rosé was more delicate, but still flavorful and proved to be the most refreshing of the bunch. In the end, the beers at Pure Project ranged from weird to wacky to wonderful, but all are well-made. All the place needs now is to offer a detox mud wrap and I’d never leave. Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
EVENTS
SHORTlist
ART
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
BALBOA PARK
PIECES OF RESISTANCE
The collections at the San Diego Museum of Art (1450 El Prado) are varied and expansive, but—let’s be honest—there aren’t a ton of faces of color in those paintings and pictures. But Black Life: Images of Resistance and Resilience in Southern California aims to change this, at least for a few months. A collaborative exhibition with the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Arts (SDAAMFA), Black Life will showcase the work of three photographers—Harry Adams, Charles Williams and Guy Crowder—who worked in Southern California during the second half of the 20th century. It is separated into four thematic sections: Entertainment, sports figures, activism and daily life. “It was this period that really defined a very important period of African-American life,” says Gaidi Finnie, Board Chair of the all-volunteer SDAAMFA. “From civil rights, through coming out of the civil rights era, and even prior to the actual movement when the military in World War II came back from fighting and wanted to have more representation.” The exhibition took over two years to curate and the collection was culled from over 23,000 photographs that were stored at Cal State University Northridge. Finnie says that as he was going through the archives, he kept gravitating toward the work of Adams, Williams and Crowder. Collectively, their subjects included notable politicians, activists, entertainers and athletes, as well as Black life within
NORTH PARK
COURTESY TOM AND ETHEL BRADLEY CENTER, CSUN
HSongs That Never Die at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. Artist Marnie Weber’s 2015 filmic installation about the Spirit Girls, a fictitious allfemale rock band whose members died tragically in the 1970s. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through Sunday, Oct. 27. Free-$10. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org
“Sydney Poitier and Freda Payne, Los Angeles, CA. 1976” by Guy Crowder churches, garages, cocktail lounges and schools. “What we’re trying to do is to show the importance of African-American culture and art to all the people, especially the young people coming up who are trying to make their way through society,” says Finnie. “I’m hoping personally to expand the idea that Black culture, especially Black artistic culture, is important to the whole being of all people in San Diego.” Admission to Black Life is free and the exhibition is up now through Dec. 1 at SDMA’s Fleming Sr. Gallery adjacent to Panama 66. There will be an official opening on Friday, Aug. 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. There will also be film screenings and panel discussions in the future. More info at sdmart.org.
DEL MAR
POETIC JUSTICE
GEAUX, BABY, GEAUX!
It’s the small acts that can collectively lead to big changes. Such is the spirit of Writers for Migrant Justice, a one-night-only national reading event that features some of the regions most talented writers and poets in hopes of raising funds for a good cause. On Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 7 to 10 p.m., Verbatim Books (3793 30th St.) will host over a dozen local scribes including CityBeat faves Kazim Ali, Julia Dixon Evans and Amanda Fuller. If readers still haven’t seen Verbatim’s expanded space, this would also be the perfect opportunity to do so. The event is free, but the hope is that attendees all over the country will donate to a GoFundMe page benefitting the nonprofit Immigrant Families Together. More info can be found on Facebook or by searching Writers for Migrant Justice on GoFundMe.com.
HTo Do · A Mending Project at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A new workshop-based exhibition conceived of by artists Michelle Montjoy, Anna O’Cain, and Siobhán Arnold, and which is in response to the escalation of political, social, and economic tensions in the United States. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through Sunday, Sept. 22. Free-$10. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org
Del Mar hosts a slice of the Deep South this Sunday, Sept. 1 with the Taste of New Orleans festival. And this “taste” doesn’t simply include culinary concoctions from eateries such as Louisiana Purchase and the Gumbo Pot, but there will be live music from on-theme acts such as Theo & the Zydeco Patrol, The Bayou Brothers and headliners Cowboy Mouth. But of course, there’s that classic New Orleans fare: beignets, gumbo, jambalaya, po’boys and hurricane cocktails to help wash it all down. The kid-friendly event also includes a hat-making party with the Rad Hatter and stilt-walkers. It happens from noon to 6 p.m. at the Del Mar Race Track (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.) and tickets, which includes admission to the racetrack, are $25 at dmtc.com. COURTESY OF SDS EVENTS
HMore like a Forest: Paintings and Sculptures by Richard Allen Morris at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A reprisal installation of the local artist’s 1988 show, which featured Morris’ evocative sculptural work. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through Sunday, Oct. 27. Free-$10. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HChromatic: Grounding in Color at Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Drive, FA 103, Clairemont Mesa. Artists April Rose and Katie Ruiz showcase new works rooted in vibrant colors and exuberant patterns. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Free. 619-388-2829 HBlack Life: Images of Resistance and Resilience in Southern California at San Diego Museum of Art, Fleming Sr. Gallery, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. An exhibition of photos from Black photographers Harry Adams, Charles Williams and Guy Crowder, who covered the AfricanAmerican community in Southern California. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Free. sdmart.org HSonic Yonix at Teros Gallery, 3888 Swift Ave., City Heights. Sonic Yonix (Bianca Gonzalez-Marra and Diandre Fuentes) present an immersive installation exploring the cultural and emotional commonalities between U.S./Spanish colonies Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. Free. facebook.com/Teros-Magazine-163020453812436 HAbstract Revolution at San Diego Museum of Art, Fleming Sr. Gallery, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. An exhibition of abstract expressionism works on paper from prominent women artists such as Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, and Deborah Remington. From 10 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 23. Free-$15. sdmart.org The Space Between at Basic Bar/Pizza, 410 Tenth Ave., Downtown. A solo exhibition by burlesque and fashion photographer Shdwsofdust. Opening from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday, Sept. 3. Free. thumbprintgallerysd.com
BOOKS
JUSTINE ENITSUJ
Louise Penny at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. The former CBC radio journalist and New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series of books will engage in a discussion followed by a Q&A with the audience. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. $28$46. 858-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org Gustavo Lomas at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekends with Locals
Verbatim Books 10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
Taste of New Orleans
H = CityBeat picks
program, Lomas will sign and discuss his book, The Uncertain. At noon. Sunday, Sept. 1. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com Maura Milan and Zara Libson at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The two YA authors will sign and discuss their latest novels, Eclipse the Sky (Milan) and Fake Plastic Girl (Libson). At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. Free. mystgalaxy.com
COMEDY Stand-up Comedy at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Adam Friedland from The Cumtown Podcast will headline the night’s show with featured performances from Jamel Johnson, Armando Torres, Pablo Pantaleon and more. From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. $5. 619-300-7161
FILM HSilent Movie Night at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 2125 Pan American Road E., Balboa Park. The organist and master of silent film Clark Wilson will perform a musical accompaniment for Chasing Choo Choos and Sherlock Jr. for the finale of 2019 San Diego International Organ Festival. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. Free. 619-702-8188, spreckelsorgan.org
FOOD & DRINK Stay Coastal, Drink Local with Henebery Spirits at The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa, 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad. Three-part collaboration cocktail series showcasing five drinks from local distilleries, the stories behind their spirits and seasonal produce. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. $25. 760-827-2800, facebook.com/events/492054984888074 HTaste of New Orleans at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Enjoy classic New Orleans fare including beignets, gumbo, jambalaya, po’boys and hurricane cocktails to help wash it all down. From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. $25. dmtc.com
MUSIC Seaport Sessions: Blue Economy Strategies at Seaport Village, 849 W. Harbor Drive, Downtown. Greg Murphy of Blue Economy Strategies will give a talk as part of a weekly speaker series followed by music from Dani Bell and the Tarantist and Cardinal Moon. From 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Free. seaportvillage. com HGilbert Castellanos Quartet at The Westgate Hotel, 1055 Second Ave., Downtown. The master trumpeter and bandleader will give an improvised jazz performance with his quartet as part of the weekly Sunset Poolside Jazz Series. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. $25. 619-238-1818, westgatehotel.com Steel Pulse at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Roots reggae band Steel Pulse takes the stage at the racetrack following the last race. At 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. $5-$30. dmtc. com 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Christopher Dragon conducts the finale of the Bayside Summer Nights Concert series with the perfor-
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 @SDCITYBEAT
EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 mance of five Tchaikovksy masterpieces accompanied by cannons and fireworks. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1. $27-$96. sandiegosymphony.org The Katie Cat & Cain Jazz Trio at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. The New Orleans-based group will perform melodic, cool, swinging jazz, bossa novas and blues as well as songs from their new CD, Live from Level Five. From 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. $15. 858-459-0831, ljcommunitycenter.org HBorderlandnoise Fest at Casa de la Cultura Playas, Paseo Playas de Tijuana 777, Tijuana. An experimental and electronic music festival that gathers artists and activists from all over the world to create art and dialogue centered on the border humanitarian crisis. At noon Saturday, Aug. 31 and 1:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. $7.50 facebook.com/borderlandnoise Angels and Airwaves at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The pop band, fronted by former Blink-182 member Tom DeLonge, performs after the final race of the day. At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. $5-$30. dmtc.com HThe Piano Men at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The Barn Stage Company presents a live tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel that includes a cast of piano playing vocalists, two grand pianos and a live band. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. $25-$45. artcenter.org
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HHoodstock Music Festival & Fundraiser at The National, 2292 National Ave., Barrio Logan. Day of local live music featuring headliner La Diabla, local DJs, poets performing spoken word, vendors, food and craft beer with proceeds benefiting The People’s Lot. From 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. $10-$15. facebook. com/peopleoverprofitssd
PERFORMANCE HTwisted Heart at City Heights Performance Annex, 3795 Fairmount Ave., City Heights. Step into the world of puppetry with puppetry vignettes, a puppet exhibit, poetry and live music to celebrate Twisted Heart’s sixth year anniversary. From 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Free. sandiegopuppetryfestival.org
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD VAMP: Try It, You Might Like It at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. So Say We All’s monthly curated storytelling showcase, featuring original nonfiction stories based on the life events where we might have been afraid at first, but ultimately enjoyed the experience. From 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. $5 suggested donation. sosayweallonline.com HFrom Stage to Page at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. Acclaimed local poets Karla Cordero, Jennifer Minniti-Shippey and Joe Limer read selections of their work. From 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. Free. verbatim-books. com
HSunny Rey and Autumn Mercy at Amplified Ale Works Kitchen and Beer Garden, 1429 Island Ave., East Village. Featured poets Sunny Rey and Autumn Mercy host the Poets Underground’s open mic event. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3. Free. facebook.com/ events/406303823575771 HWriters for Migrant Justice at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. Poet Jennifer Minniti-Shippey hosts this “protest reading” as part of a fundraiser for the nonprofit Immigrant Families Together. Readers include Kazim Ali, Julia Dixon Evans and Amanda Fuller and nearly a dozen more. From 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4. Free. verbatimbooks.com
SPECIAL EVENTS HNat at Night at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. The Nat’s adult-friendly after-hours event that includes food, beer and wine on the rooftop, in addition to half-off admission and access to all of the museum’s exhibitions. From 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29 and Friday, Aug. 30. $10. sdnhm.org •Barona Powwow at Barona Indian Reservation, 1000 Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside. Honor Native American heritage at the 49th annual cultural celebration featuring gourd dancing, singing, drum contests, authentic Native American foods and more. From 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30 and 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1. Free. 619-2368397, barona-nsn.gov
HMagic Hour Fest at Building 177, 2875 Dewey Road, Liberty Station, Point Loma. Film, music and food festival with screenings of films by emerging Filipino American filmmakers, live musical entertainment, Filipino food vendors and more. From 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Free$75. sdfcmagichourfest2019.eventbrite. com
enue, North Park. Hundreds of vendors show off interesting vintage or vintageinspired treasures including home furnishings, bric-a-brac, clothing and accessories, tiki-infused items and much more. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. Free. 619-239-8836, sdvintagefleamarket. com
HDiamond Street Festival at Imperial Avenue between 60th and 63rd Streets, Encanto. This fifth annual fest celebrating Southeast San Diego features arts, crafts, food, a custom car show, live music and more. From noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. Free. diamondstreetfestival. com
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS
Hawaiian Plumeria Festival at Casa del Prado, 1650 El Prado, Balboa Park. The Southern California Plumeria Society’s annual celebration offers food, live entertainment, a flower show and hundreds of potted plumeria varieties for sale. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. ������������������������������ Free. southerncaliforniaplumeriasociety.com HSand Sculpting Challenge & Dimensional Art Expo at Broadway Pier, 1000 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. World master sculptors will carve museum-quality sand sculptures reaching up to 15 feet tall and weighing over 20,000 pounds alongside artworks for sale from international artists and more. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 2. Free$15. ussandsculpting.com San Diego Vintage Flea Market at Observatory North Park, 2891 University Av-
HA Live Audience Podcast with Joanelle Romero at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. Jenni Prisk will interview the Founder of the Red Nation Celebration Institute as part of a series of live podcasts presented by the Women’s Museum of California. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. $25. 619233-7963, womensmuseumca.org HThe California Soundtrack at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. New York Times music critics Jon Pareles and Sona Parel discuss how California artists have influenced pop music and share their California master playlist. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Free. timesevents.nytimes.com/soundtrackSD
WORKSHOPS The Writers Coffeehouse at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. Author Jonathan Maberry hosts this informal group to discuss all things writing over coffee. No previous publishing experience necessary. From noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
THEATER JIM CARMODY
Train in vain
I
’ve ridden the Coast Starlight train from Los Angeles to Seattle and in the 36 hours required to make the trip, I’ve observed, as is the case with most modes of mass travel, strangers rarely talk to one another. For the most part, the characters in Keith Bunin’s play The Coast Starlight don’t talk to each other much either. The world-premiere production at La Jolla Playhouse grew out of a commission from the theater and was then workshopped in the Playhouse’s DNA New Work Series. But here’s where Bunin’s ingenuity comes to the fore: Throughout the 100 minutes, the characters imagine and even act out what they might have, or perhaps should have, said to each other. Far more than a cute device, this makes The Coast Starlight an introspective tale about what goes unspoken and what’s left unsaid; how missed opportunities or unseized moments often leave behind a feeling of emptiness. Medic T.J. (Nate Mann) boards the northbound train in L.A. after having deserted his post at Camp Pendleton. He wants no part of a deployment to Afghanistan. He ���������������������������� isn’t sure where he’s going, but T.J. encounters fellow passengers harboring their own secrets or anguish. There’s an animation artist Jane (Camila Canó-Flaviá) who is headed for Seattle to rendezvous (or break up) with her longdistance boyfriend. There’s a caustic mili-
the tenor of The Coast Starlight settles into a pensiveness that challenges us all to consider our choices, on or off a train. The Coast Starlight runs through Sept. 15 at La Jolla Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, UC San Diego. $20-$52; lajollaplayhouse.org
—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
OPENING:
The Coast Starlight tary veteran Noah (Rhys Coiro) on his way to be with his ailing mother in Redding, California. There’s also the noisy and profane Liz (Mia Barron), who has left her jerk of a husband after a tell-all weekend and is seeking refuge in Portland, Oregon. Ed (Rob Yang) is drunk and trying to escape a career of chain hotels and rental cars that’s eating him alive. Finally, there’s Anna (Stephanie Weeks), who has just identified the body of her dead, drug-addicted brother. These circumstances are revealed in what-mighthave-been scenarios reflected through the quietly tortured T.J.
12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
Tyne Rafaeli ������������������������������ directs the cast memabers on a raised, rotating stage adorned with nothing more than familiar-looking train seats. Just like the characters’ understanding of each other’s desperations, any changing scenery or other railway-car props are left to the imagination. The contemplative tone established early on, when only T.J. and the sweetly curious Jane are onstage, lasts only as long as it takes for the brassy Liz character to heighten the volume. This is followed by the laughs at the hapless (and initially hostile) Ed’s expense. Eventually, though,
Latinx New Play Festival: A series of staged readings of new plays by emerging and established Latinx playwrights. Presented by Amigos Del Rep, it happens Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 at the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lyceum Space in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org Kiss My Aztec!: This world premiere musical comedy from John Leguizamo centers on a ragtag group of 16th Century Aztecs leading a resistance against the Spanish. Directed by Tony Taccone, it opens Sept. 3 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse. org Amadeus: Peter Shaffer’s iconic play explores the life of Mozart as seen through the eyes of a jealous musical peer. Directed by Richard Baird, it opens Sept. 3 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com
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CULTURE | PHOTO CONTEST
n the era of Instagram influencers and oversaturated filters, it can sometimes be hard to judge what’s authentic when it comes to photography. With everyone walking around with an amazing camera in their pocket, the photographic medium sometimes feels dulled by the ubiquity of instantly snapped and uploaded pictures. Ooooh… another picture of someone’s food or a sunset. Yeah, we get it. But every now and again, we see something that’s worth way more than a double-tap. A moment in time and something that could not be easily replicated; photos that are not just aesthetically pleasing, but speak to us on an internal level. That’s what our photo contest is all about and from the countless submissions we received, these are the ones that particularly caught our eye. As always, special thanks to George’s Camera in North Park for sponsoring the contest and providing the winner with the prize.
“I just really like their Chihuahua/Texano danza performance and the banner creates a scene celebrating inclusion and compassion as American.”
“Taking candid photos of children has always been my favorite. They move in a way so uninhibited, free of self-consciousness. Reminds me to strive to be as free and blissful as I can be.”
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“I found myself wandering around the San Diego Museum of Art on a quiet ‘After Hours’ event last fall… [it] felt like I might be exploring a sprawling old manor house on the night of a great scandal, murder or thunderstorm.”
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13
“What I like about the photo is the composition. The jack-o’-lantern and flashlight, the posture of the individual and the cue ball make a kind of triangle that makes one’s eyes move around the image.”
“I took this photo at the Día de los Muertos procession in Barrio Logan… I think it is a nice photo because of how the lantern is lit from the inside, bringing the image of the man alive.”
“I had heard and seen photos about planes flying over S.D.—and Little Italy especially—and wanted to capture my own... It is a great representative of city life and a very unique thing about S.D.”
“I had just seen it look completely normal a few days prior, but here it was burned, partially torn down and even fenced offed. It really struck me, the suddenness of what seemed like a permanent structure was now ruins.”
14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
“Cooper saw me swimming out to where the surfers were and must have thought I was drowning. So he swam out to try and save me. It was hilarious.”
“I climbed to the high point and approached the side of them and continued taking pictures. When I thought I was done, I was leaving when I turned to see them from behind. So I saw the picture and shot.”
“I noticed the sun aligned perfectly with the California Tower and I decided to try something different and placed my sunglasses (with polarized lenses) over the camera lens as I took the photo.”
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CULTURE | FILM COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Water world
Aquarela
Viktor Kossakovsky’s new doc is an elemental experience by Glenn Heath Jr.
T
he elemental disasters associated with cli- floating islands. Whenever Kossakovsky seems dead mate change are usually discussed in theoreti- set on inferring urgency, the hard metal cello kicks in cal terms. Every few weeks there’s a new worst- for maximum effect. One can sense the anger of a darcase scenario backed up by alarming scientific data ing filmmaker who feels like he’s capturing our collecthat gets ample attention in the press. Partisan pol- tive demise. The next visual collection pivots to massive ocean itics ensue, and the proverbial can gets kicked down waves that make Godzilla look puny. It’s hard to know the road until the next outcry. Fed up with these all too familiar and frustrat- where the cresting ends and the falling begins since ing cycles of inaction, Aquarela opens with the kind Aquarela often zooms in close to magnify the water’s of booming aesthetic purpose rarely seen in nonfic- mosaic of swirling movements. The effect is hallucition cinema. Director Viktor Kossakovsky’s riveting natory and the viewer begins to lose all sense of diand experiential documentary is thunder put to film. rectionality and time. In the final act, Kossakovsky’s film jet-sets to westIt immerses the viewer in imagery of water, in all its various states, with the sole intention of destroying ern areas impacted by extreme weather events, such as the Orville Dam collapse and a flooded Miami in the humanity’s perceived superiority over nature. The film opens with an epic credit sequence that midst of hurricane Irma. These may be some of the hovers over vast landscapes of endless ice. Pristine exact same shots that have flashed across cable news drone footage shot at a higher frame rate than nor- programs, but Aquarela gives them a foreboding immediacy that depicts the disasmal seeks to capture every single trous causal ripples that touch groove and crystal in what feels the entire planet. like the desaturated terrain of AQUARELA While the politics of climate an alien planet. All this as ragchange are never discussed, the ing musical notes from Finnish Directed by Viktor Kossakovsky images themselves are inherband Apocalyptica audibly inNot Rated ently political. Kossakovsky dedtrude like battering hymns from icates the film to fellow Russian the heavens. auteur Alexander Sokurov, whose This makes the comparatively quiet sequence set on the frozen surface of South- own work strikes a unique nerve, implying not so subern Siberia’s Lake Baikal all the more harrowing. Kos- tly that humanity’s self-destructive tendencies permasakovsky and cinematographer Ben Bernhard position nently alter the natural order. Still, Aquarela (opening Friday, Aug. 30, at Landthe camera at eye level for long stretches as various men traverse the ice. They occasionally kneel down to mark Hillcrest Cinemas) isn’t as pessimistic as Sokupeer through the hard façade. Providing no context, rov’s tragedies. There’s a balance in each frame beAquarela stretches out the suspense before revealing tween the possibility of disaster and the presence of peace. This duality helps justify Kossakovsky’s jarring the devastating absurdity of their mission. With humanity skating on thin ice (quite literally, tonal shifts and singular music cues, and the serpenin this respect), it seems inevitable that the Earth will tine, elliptical journey his roving camera takes. The final sequence at Venezuela’s Angel Falls eventually swallow us all up, but the entire episode pokes fun at how adept we are as a species at killing makes for a fitting summation to the film’s obsession ourselves off. The comedic ironies in this prolonged with cycles. Raging rapids careen down a half-mile fall, first act calls to mind Romanian filmmaker Corneliu the water turning to mere vapor particles by the time it Porumboiu (The Treasure, The Second Game) and his reaches the ground. This evaporation becomes an apt metaphor for the many disappearances caused by the humorous sense of comeuppance. From there, Aquarela becomes a more immersive Earth’s increasingly irreversible climate crisis. experience, ditching mankind for montages. Greenland’s massive glaciers send off deafening subterra- Film reviews run weekly. nean rumbles before breaking apart and turning into Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
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AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15
CULTURE | FILM COURTESY OF KINO LORBER
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W
A Faithful Man
ith his second directorial feature, actor and French cinema royalty Louis Garrel delivers a decidedly benign spin on the relationship film that his father, Philippe, has been perfecting for decades. Abel (Garrel) seems perfectly content in his relationship with girlfriend Marianne (Laetitia Casta) until, one morning, she politely drops a life-changing bombshell: A nearly yearlong affair with Paul, Abel’s best friend, has produced a surprise
pregnancy, and the two are planning to get married immediately. But heartbreak is incredibly cordial in this particular version of the romantic comedy. Unlike so many of the betrayed men in the vein of Woody Allen’s self-loathing misanthropes, Abel carries on with his life rather seamlessly. Years later, after Paul’s sudden death, he gets another chance to woo the now grieving Marianne, but her creepily smart son has some menacing conspiracy theories that complicate things. A Faithful Man plays on the irony of its title through Abel’s opportu-
nistic desire to rewrite his own traumatic past with Marianne. While these intentions are never nefarious, they are ultimately proved to be wayward and flimsy, especially when the dead man’s sultry younger sister Ève (Lily-Rose Depp) comes clean about her own obsessive fantasies. Certain sequences resonate for the ways in which Garrel cleverly buries melodrama under the mundane, such as when Marianne tests Abel on where his true loyalties lie. It’s in this moment that the thin veneer of decency he’s perpetuated through voice-over narration is punctured by lust. A Faithful Man (opening Friday, Aug. 30, at the Ken Cinema) ultimately lacks the thematic weight and conceptual audaciousness of his father’s work, and the many filmmakers who’ve been influenced by it (Allen, Hong Sang-soo). Still, Garrel has some obvious talent for deconstructing the very emotional tendencies that have made him such an interesting actor for years.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
OPENING A Faithful Man: Louis Garrel’s love triangle melodrama follows a young man who tries to reconnect with an old girlfriend after her husband suddenly dies. Opens Friday, Aug. 30 at the Landmark Ken Cinema. Aquarela: An experimental documentary that traces the effects of climate change from crumbling glaciers all the way to flooding in South America. Opens Friday, Aug. 30, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles: In this beautiful animated feature, Surrealist Luis Buñuel embarks on a journey to film his iconic documentary Land Without Bread. Opens Friday, Aug. 30, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles: This documentary explores the origin story behind one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof. Opens Friday, Aug. 30, at Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain, Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas, and AMC La Jolla 12 Cinemas. Honeyland: An observational documentary about Europe’s last female beekeeper, whose livelihood is challenged when a family of nomadic beekeepers begins living on her land. Opens Friday, Aug. 30, at Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain and Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.
ONE TIME ONLY Sudden Fear: A theater actor who is denied a leading role because he’s not romantic-looking enough sets out to prove the director wrong on a cross-country train ride. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Athenaum Music and Arts Library in La Jolla. Magic Hour Fest: Live music, film screenings and food tastings all converge in this celebration of Filipino culture and art. Event runs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, at Building 177 in Arts District Liberty Station in Point Loma. For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.
16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
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NICKY GIRAFFE
MUSIC
Bleached essie Clavin is deep into a daylong quest for the perfect hard-sided vintage suitcase to take on a tour of Europe when she answers the phone for a our chat. The frontwoman of L.A. pop-rock band Bleached is less than 24 hours from boarding a flight to the United Kingdom, but that hasn’t stopped her from visiting multiple thrift shops in search of a bag that will hold her guitar pedals, as well as clothes and other items. She has already purchased three possibilities. “I’ve always traveled with my pedal board, and it’s never been quite right,” she says. “This time I said to myself, ‘I want to have it all figured out.’” Say hello to the new Jessie Clavin, whose band and life have been turned upside-down over the past couple years. Not only did Clavin decide to get sober, but her sister and bandmate Jennifer did as well. With the cobwebs of constant partying cleared away, the siblings have a clearer vision for everything about Bleached—from how they travel to the music they make. In the early days of the group, Bleached was a lauded lo-fi band, known for their bleary combo of pop melodies, punk edge and overtones of surf-rock and shoegaze. But that
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clearer vision can be heard all over the new Bleached album, Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?, which finds the Clavins stripping away much of the guitar fuzz and grimy production of their first two full-lengths (2013’s Ride Your Heart and 2016’s Welcome The Worms) for something a bit more slick.
And while those early records earned positive reviews and afforded them the opportunity to tour all over the world, Jessie Clavin now recognizes that she wasn’t able to appreciate the success. “So many people were like, ‘That’s so cool that you get to travel around the world and do this and that,’” she says. “I remember always feeling like, ‘What are they seeing that I’m not seeing? Because this is not fun.’ The fun was there, I just couldn’t see it.
“I feel like I didn’t realize how miserable I was,” Clavin continues, “and now I’m actually enjoying it.” Yes, the Clavins speak openly about their decision to get sober, but they still want to keep many of the details to themselves. Instead, they’re focusing on Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? and how they got to this point. That story includes learning to treat the band like a full-time job, committing themselves to regular hours (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) in a practice space for songwriting. The story also includes inspiration from one of the world’s biggest rock bands, Paramore, with whom Bleached toured Europe in the summer of 2017. “I was like four or five months sober at that point, and I was on such a cloud (on that tour). They were so inspirational and I was taking it all in and it was sticking,” Clavin says. “And we got back home and rather than looking for the next party, we were like, ‘How can we do this like that?’ Not really the style but the professionalism of it and how they handle themselves on the road.” A third major component of the Clavins’ recent story is their relationship with Shane Stoneback, who produced Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?. Known for his work with Vampire Weekend and Sleigh Bells, Stoneback helped create a welcoming atmosphere in the studio, where the sisters felt like they could approach making music from an entirely new angle. “We could’ve done what we were really used to and comfortable with, but I think we were really striving for growth in our lives,” Clavin remembers. “And growth in music happens when you walk into a room as if it’s your first time sitting down at a writing session.” The Clavins’ sobriety also gave them the confidence and the desire to dig deeper into their past when making the new album. “I feel like when you get sober, you go back and pull out a lot of stuff from your roots, so that was going hand-in-hand with what we were doing musically,” says Clavin. “I knew what I liked. I knew the sound I liked, and I was like, ‘I want to try and recreate this but with my own style.” As a result, Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? is bouncier, funkier and even post-punkier than its predecessors. “Somebody Dial 911” is a beautiful guitar-pop song that recalls The Cure. “I Get What I Need” moves with the syncopated swagger of The Clash. “Kiss You Goodbye” is clearly where Jessie Clavin’s steady diet of Parliament Funkadelic records comes into play. “Heartbeat Away” sounds somewhere in between The Go-Go’s gone grunge or Joan Jett gone bubblegum. And then there’s the skintight dance track “Hard to Kill,” the album’s lead single and a striking disco-flecked step away from the Bleached of the past. It’s the kind of song the Clavins probably couldn’t have written or recorded two years ago. Jessie Clavin is quick to credit Stoneback for Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?’s punch and precision, but she knows that before he was even in the picture, she and her sister did a lot of heavy lifting as well. “I was still coming out of my shell and still very fearful of a lot of things, and I feel like he just personally made me feel so comfortable to just try stuff,” she says. “It’s not bad. You’re just experimenting. Anything is possible.”
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17
MUSIC a storage locker guy I know from one of the swap meets. He wanted me to come over right away, but my shift didn’t end until 9 p.m. He agreed to wait for me, but he had to clear these records out of the storage facility by 10 at the latest. I broke as many speed laws as I could to get there and look at a huge collection of predominately Black music. The collection was filled with rare records, but I didn’t have time to check through each one. It was dark and I perused as quickly as I could with my phone flashlight and my weak 41-year old eyes. The seller wanted enough money to buy a Toyota Tercel and also had another buyer lined up. The clock was ticking so I pulled the trigger. The next day, with the benefit of light and my bifocals, I checked each individual record and cried real tears. No, not the efore I write another word, let me just say that in no way fraudulent mist that had previously come from struggling to do I want any harm to ever come to Stevie Wonder. focus at a red light, but the tears of a record collector having That being said, would I benefit financially from his to throw away an original pressing of John Coltrane’s A Love untimely demise? Possibly. More than likely. Supreme because someone had autographed the record with a Let me take a few steps back. swiss army knife. In fact, I had to throw away more than half I used to cry at traffic lights. Every time my car would come of the collection. to a complete stop, I’d look at my surroundings, stare at the I spoke to the seller when I saw him at the swap meet. I light and just start weeping. I didn’t know exactly why. I as- knew he wasn’t trying to rip me off. After all, he had offered sumed I was depressed and that the daily me a look at 4 p.m. when I could have takheadlines had culminated in a rare moment en the time I needed with them, but due where I had to confront the world’s malaise. to circumstances and terrible vision, I took I would tear up until green signaled me fora big fat loss. He did feel bad, however, ward, both physically and mentally. so he threw in an XL T-shirt I couldn’t fit I also made the false assumption that this into, a pillow with an illustration of a jazz was normal—that everyone came to a stop trumpeter, 15 cassettes and a big box of and wept like their grandma died, but I never photographs, all belonging to the previous asked another soul about this for fear they owner of the storage unit. would become acutely aware of my weirdI started to look through the items, ness. doing math in my head, massaging down Then I got an overdue physical. During the price of the Toyota Tercel with each the eye exam, I successfully read the grafsalvageable item. As I looked through the fiti-sized letters back to the examiner, but photographs, I noticed a whole section of as soon as we got a couple of lines down I Lord Shango - The Original candid photos of Stevie Wonder. I approresponded with something like, “asterisk, Soundtrack Recording priately tag the listing of rare photos of infinity sign, Stannis Baratheon, B or quite Stevie Wonder eating food at a wedding to possibly E.” maximize their value and put them in my morbid folder of rare “Cool, you need glasses,” the nurse responded. things that may appreciate in value if I outlive certain celebAt this point, I was still in prideful denial, so I said, “I’m rities. A part of me hopes that Stevie gets the last laugh and pretty sure I don’t need glasses.” Then I put on glasses and outlives us all, but most of me hopes I weep real tears at the had the instant revelation that I’d basically been blind for sev- loss of a musical genius and virtuous human being. eral years. Putting on glasses was like getting stoned for the The collection wasn’t a total loss. I was able to salvage a first time. I literally looked at a leaf for 10 minutes and reveled couple of killer records including the rare Howard Roberts’ in how beautiful it was. I had a whole list of things I wanted Lord Shango record, which is filled with drum breaks, fuzzedto take in: the ocean, my girlfriend, the first seven seasons of out psych guitars and hard-edged grooves. It’s the soundtrack Game of Thrones. I got to a red light and no tears. It turns out of a 1975 Blaxploitation film that includes scenes of ritual sacI was just trying and failing to see, and I didn’t actually give a rifice, tribal resurrection and dance routines. The whole film is shit about the state of the world. apparently on YouTube, so I’m gonna go put my glasses on and I’m still getting used to glasses. I’ve lived without them for watch that. 41 years so they’re easy to forget. Case in point: Last Thursday I was working an 11-hour shift at Cow Records in Ocean Black Gold appears every other week. Alfred Howard is Beach and had left my glasses at my mother’s house. In the always looking for vinyl and stories, and can be contacted at late afternoon, I got a call about a collection of records. It was blackgoldsandiego@gmail.com.
ALFRED HOWARD
BLACK
GOLD
THE
SPOTLIGHT As someone who grew up in the ’90s, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if I had something like Twitter to express myself in those days. Hmmm…
Half-empty glasses
B
18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
The Smashing Pumpkins play Aug. 28 at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Chris Isaak plays Aug. 28 at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay and Aug. 30 at Pechanga Resort and Casino. The Roots play Aug. 30 at Harrah’s Resort Southern California. Throwing Muses play Aug. 30 at Soda Bar. Nelly and TLC play Sept. 1 at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Korn plays Sept. 2 at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.
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MUSIC
IF I WERE U
BY CITYBEAT STAFF
Our picks for the week’s top shows
SPENCER KILGORE
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28
PLAN A: Ms Nina @ Soda Bar. Just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun when it comes to reggaeton, along comes Ms Nina. We love the Argentinian-born, Spainbased artist’s mix of crass kiss-offs and introspective confessions. The name of her debut mixtape, Twerking on the Outside, Crying on the Inside, kinda says it all. BACKUP PLAN: The Smashing Pumpkins, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, AFI @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.
THURSDAY, AUG. 29
PLAN A: The Bird and the Bee, Alex Lilly, Samantha Sidley @ The Casbah. Co-ed duo The Bird and the Bee are kind of onetrick ponies, what with their shtick of doing sexy lounge covers of iconic bands (Hall & Oates, Van Halen, etc.), but it’s still fun to sing along. However, it’s openers Alex Lilly and Samantha Sidley that push this show up to Plan A status. PLAN B: Maggot Heart, Crematory Stench @ Tower Bar. Not to be confused with the cellist of the same name, Linnéa Olsson is the one-woman force behind Maggot Heart, a hard-driving rock band that sounds like Marc Bolan fronting Mechanical Animals-era Marilyn Manson. BACKUP PLAN: Warsaw, Starover Blue, Strange Ages @ Black Cat Bar.
FRIDAY, AUG. 30
PLAN A: The Roots @ Harrah’s Resort Southern California. It’s hard to believe there’s an entire generation of kids who probably know The Roots primarily as the band from The Tonight Show. Do us a favor: Make your kids listen to Illadelph Halflife, Things Fall Apart and Phrenology, and then take them to this show. PLAN B: Sacri Monti, Volcano!, Warish @ The Casbah. A great lineup of local psych-rock bands known for jamming out and blowing minds. BACKUP PLAN: Throwing Muses, Fred Abong @ Soda Bar.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31
PLAN A: I M U R, Fluxx, SAGE @ Che Café Collective. Vancouver, Canada’s I M U R describe their music as “genre-bending makeout music,” and it’s hard to argue with that classification. Singles such as “Fever” and “Lips, Tongue and Teeth” are groovy R&B bangers that get hips swaying. PLAN B: The Young Wild, Creature Canyon, The Frets, Lean @ The Casbah. Indie-rockers The Young Wild might be the biggest local band you’ve never heard of. Their 2016 single, “Not a One,” is a piano-based pop burner complete with handclaps and over 8 million streams on Spotify. BACKUP PLAN: Stars At Night, Forest Grove, Gloomsday @ Manhattan Bar.
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Ms Nina
SUNDAY, SEPT. 1
PLAN A, Part 1: Geezer, Satanic Puppeter Orchestra, Shades McCool, Pony Death Ride @ The Casbah. We’ll admit the idea of a Weezer tribute band fronted by a bunch of guys dressed up like senior citizens does sound kind of dumb, but it’s actually quite hilarious. Same goes for a band that’s fronted by a robot singing over synthy music (Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra). Just trust us on this one. Plus, it’s an early show so there’s still time to make it to... PLAN A, Part 2: Massive Attack @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre. The iconic trip-hop group is celebrating the 21st anniversary of their masterpiece, Mezzanine, so expect to hear standout tracks like “Angel” and “Teardrop.” BACKUP PLAN: The Penske File, Western Settings, Doc Hammer, Matt Caskitt & The Breaks, Andrew Cream @ The Tower Bar.
MONDAY, SEPT. 2
PLAN A: Bosswitch, The Brankas, Plunger @ The Tower Bar. A great lineup of local punk and punk-adjacent bands. Look, it’s Monday night so we can’t honestly endorse driving to Chula Vista to see… BACKUP PLAN: Korn, Alice in Chains @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. But you can if you want to.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 3
PLAN A: Melvins, Redd Kross, ShitKid, Toshi Kasai @ The Casbah. There’s a reason Melvins were Kurt Cobain’s favorite band. They practically laid all the groundwork for all the grunge and sludge-metal bands that went on to fame and glory so let’s show up and give these guys some respect. BACKUP PLAN: The Black Market Brigade, Service Interruption, The Golden Siddhi, The Renters @ Soda Bar.
AUGUST 28, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19
MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Geezer (Casbah, 9/1), The Golden Siddhi (Soda Bar, 9/3), [Tape] (Soda Bar, 9/4), The Black Heart Procession (Casbah, 9/8), Skerfunk (Soda Bar, 9/8), Them Poehler Bears (Soda Bar, 9/9), Emo Nite (Casbah, 9/20), The Mattson 2 (Adams Avenue Street Fair, 9/21), Bobby & the Pins (Adams Avenue Street Fair, 9/22), Drug Hunt (Casbah, 9/28), Berner (Music Box, 10/3), Westcoast Podcast Expo (Music Box, 10/5), Dwarves (Soda Bar, 10/6), Cass McCombs (Music Box, 10/9), WAR (BUT, 10/9), Swervedriver (Casbah, 10/10), Havok (Brick by Brick, 10/19), Mushroomhead (Brick by Brick, 10/21), Dreamers (The Irenic, 10/24), Heartbones (The Merrow, 10/26), Steve Lacy (Observatory, 10/29), The Spill Canvas (Soda Bar, 10/30), Mac Ayres (Music Box, 11/3), Tobe Nwigwe (Music Box, 11/6), Immortal Technique (BUT, 11/10), SuicideGirls (Music Box, 11/17), Youth of Today (The Irenic, 11/17), Morbid Angel (Brick by Brick, 11/29), Tow’rs (Soda Bar, 12/7), Cash’d Out Christmas (BUT, 12/20), Pro-Pain (Brick by Brick, 4/10), Uli Jon Roth (Brick by Brick, 6/13).
ALL SOLD OUT David Grisman (BUT, 8/29), Queen Nation (BUT, 8/30), Mariachi El Bronx (BUT, 9/7), Jinjer (Brick by Brick, 9/11), Millencolin (Brick by Brick, 9/13), Phora (The Irenic, 9/13), Still Woozy (Music Box, 9/30), The Marshall Tucker Band (BUT, 9/12), Oliver Tree (Observatory, 9/18), Elder Island (Casbah, 9/21), Girl in Red (House
Of Blues, 9/27), Madeleine Peyroux (BUT, 9/29), MXMTOON (HOB, 10/2), Obituary (Brick by Brick, 10/3), Marc Broussard (BUT, 10/5), Cigarettes After Sex (Observatory, 10/5), Jonas Brothers (Pechanga Arena, 10/7), Morcheeba (BUT, 10/13), Tyler Childers (Observatory, 10/15), Caamp (BUT, 10/19), Black Pumas (Soda Bar, 10/25), Two Door Cinema Club (Observatory, 11/8), Built To Spill (Casbah, 11/14), Adam Carolla (BUT, 12/1), Stick Figure (BUT, 12/27-28).
CANCELLED Dick Dale’s Misirlou (BUT, 12/19).
GET YER TICKETS Jason Nash (Observatory, 9/7), Andy Grammer (HOB, 9/2), Carrie Underwood (Pechanga Arena, 9/10), Tony Bennett (San Diego Civic Theatre, 9/14), Chance the Rapper (Pechanga Arena, 9/18), Yungblud (Observatory, 9/19), Cigarettes After Sex (Observatory, 10/5), Lana Del Rey (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10/11), The Japanese House (Observatory, 10/11), The Who (Viejas Arena, 10/16), Judah & The Lion (Observatory, 10/17), Senses Fail (HOB, 10/19), Hozier (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10/26), Helmet (BUT, 11/7), The Maine (Observatory, 11/19), Aly & AJ (BUT, 12/8), King Princess (Observatory, 1/28).
AUGUST WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28 Protoje at Observatory North Park. Ms Nina at Soda Bar. Free Throw at Ché Café Collective. Hot Flash Heat Wave at The Irenic. Joe Wood at The Casbah.
20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 28, 2019
THURSDAY, AUGUST 29 Dub Trio at House Of Blues. Ryley Walker at Soda Bar. The Bird and the Bee at The Casbah. The Last Ten Seconds of Life at Brick by Brick.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 Pathology at Brick by Brick. The Roots at Harrah’s Resort SoCal. Red Not Chili Peppers at Music Box. Throwing Muses at Soda Bar. Sacri Monti at The Casbah.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31 Vaud and the Villains at Belly Up Tavern. The Get Up Kids at Observatory North Park. The Fooks at Brick by Brick. The Young Wild at The Casbah. Sitting on Stacy at The Irenic. High Tone Son Of A Bitch at Soda Bar. TRIDENT at Music Box.
SEPTEMBER SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers at Belly Up Tavern. The Steely Damned 2 at Music Box. Booty Bassment at The Casbah. Little Evil at Soda Bar. Geezer at The Casbah.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Korn at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Andy Grammer at House Of Blues.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 Melvins at The Casbah. Local Natives at Music Box. The Golden Siddhi at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Tessa Violet at House of Blues. Pictographs at The Casbah. [Tape] at Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 K.Flay at Observatory North Park. Enforcer at Brick by Brick. The Robert Cray Band at Belly Up Tavern. Bleached at The Casbah. T.S.O.L. at Soda Bar. Serial Hawk at SPACE.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 Band of Skulls at Belly Up Tavern. Grateful Shred at Music Box. End of Summer at Brick by Brick.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 The Blasters at The Casbah. Chris Cresswell at Soda Bar. Kalimba at House Of Blues. Jason Nash at Observatory North Park. Tassels & Tails at Brick by Brick. Black Pool at House Of Blues. Jordin Sparks at Music Box.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 Hammerfall at Brick by Brick. Mason Jennings at Belly Up Tavern. The Black Heart Procession at The Casbah. Skerfunk at Soda Bar.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Steve Grimmett at Brick by Brick. Them Poehler Bears at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Carrie Underwood at Pechanga Arena. Olivia Gatwood at The Casbah. The Loons at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Greg Laswell at Belly Up Tavern. The Tim Bluhm Band at The Casbah. DAISY at Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 That 1 Guy at Soda Bar. Hayden James at Music Box. Jay Som at The Irenic. Mr. Kitty at Brick by Brick. The Jacks at The Casbah.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 Small Town Murder at Observatory North Park. Secret Fun Club at Soda Bar. Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact at The Casbah.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Peter Bradley Adams at Soda Bar. DSB at Belly Up Tavern. Kataklysm at Brick by Brick. Tony Bennett at San Diego Civic Theatre. Surefire Soul Ensemble at The Casbah. Junior Brown at The Casbah.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Ex Hex at The Casbah. Gutter Demons at Soda Bar.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Clubz & Girl Ultra at The Casbah. Delvon Lamarr at Soda Bar. Fiesta del Sol Battle of the Bands at Belly Up Tavern.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 The Mountain Goats at House of Blues. Methyl Ethel at The Casbah. Whitney Shay at Belly Up Tavern. Jesse Marchant at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 The Selecter at The Casbah. Benjamin Francis Leftwich at The Irenic. Durand Jones at Belly Up Tavern. Brothertiger at
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
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BY CHRISTIN BAILEY
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 Soda Bar. Bob Wier & Wolf Bros at Humphrey’s. Chance the Rapper at Pechanga Arena.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 The Selecter at The Casbah. ViVii at Soda Bar. Flying Lotus in 3D at House Of Blues. Zac Brown Band at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. The Regrettes at Music Box. Yungblud at Observatory North Park. Luis Fonsi at Humphrey’s. The Brother Brothers at SPACE.
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Find Indigo, KWN, JMMRS. Fri: Johnny Luv, The Resinators, Mango Habanero. Sat: Paging the ‘90s. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘#HipHopWeds.’ Thu: ‘SUBdrip.’ Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: ‘Juicy.’ Sun: ‘Kool Katz.’ Mon: ‘Organized Grime.’ American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Hollywood Walk of Shame. Fri: T.J. Miller. Sat: T.J. Miller. Sun: T.J. Miller. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: No Public Restrooms. Fri: Spirit Machines, Kimmi Bitter. Sat: Tap and Die, Poor. Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Fri: Dateless, Boys Don’t Disco. Sat: Nick Monaco, Never Dull.
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Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: The Phantom Twins, Belladon, Orchid Mantis. Thu: The Kabbs, The Havnauts. Fri: Dethsurf, Alvino & the Dwells, Julia Sage & the Bad Hombres. Sat: DJ Mike Delgado. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Adam Block Duo. Fri: The Nineteen ‘90s. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Angels & Airwaves. Thu: David Grisman, The Dawg Trio (sold out). Fri: Queen Nation, Fooz Fighters (sold out). Sat: Vaud and the Villains, The Earful. Sun: Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, The Thieves About. Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Warsaw, Starover Blue, Strange Ages. Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique.’ Thu: Memo Rex. Fri: ‘We Are Your Friends.’ Sat: Mr. Roboto. Sun: ‘End of Summer Closing Party.’ Mon: ‘Siouxsie Nite.’ Tue: ‘Techit Easy.’ Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Sat: Big Dude. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: The Last Ten Seconds of Life, No Zodiac, Kaonashi, VCTMS, Osmium. Fri: Pathology, Narcotic Wasteland, Alpha Rex, Psycho Mantis. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: Joe Wood, Hard Fall Hearts, The Hellflowers. Thu: The Bird and the Bee, Alex Lilly, Samantha Sidley. Fri: Sacri Monti, Volcano, Warish, Operation Mind Blow. Sat: The Young Wild, Crea-
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ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): The predicament you find yourself in this week is one you saw coming weeks ago. You already made the assessment that it would be tolerable then so don’t be mad that the wheels are in motion.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Remember to follow the advice of the mother I overheard yelling at her adolescent son who was knocking everything over at the grocery store: “Stop that! Move with purpose.”
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You’re not getting a deal if you buy something you don’t want or have no use for just because it happens to be on sale.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Advertisements will try to tell you that “self-care” is purchasing products, but it can also be sitting in a room with all the lights off and drinking lukewarm water out of a coffee mug.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Making any choice is better than making no choice at all. That is, unless making no choice is a choice you’re consciously making. If that’s the case, then making no choice is possibly fine. Wait, what? CANCER (June 21 - July 22): The endless contemplation and reflection of the past five months will instantaneously snap into focus like the quick pain of stubbing your toe. It will fade away just as fast. LEO (July 23 - August 22): The best reason to do something is because you are fully committed to doing it. The second best reason is you’re bored. The third is you just have to do it. VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): This week is like when you have to take off your beat-up everyday glasses to try on new glasses that don’t have lenses. But now you can’t see your reflection in the store mirror since you aren’t wearing your glasses.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): Do you often feel like people never notice the good things you do and only notice the bad? Wow, that must be a you thing. Everybody else is getting praised constantly. CAPRICORN (December 22 January 19): When you wake up and go looking for a fight, it should come as no surprise when one finds you. AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Don’t let other people’s negative opinions of you influence your sense of self-worth. Everyone already knows what really matters is your bank account balance! PISCES (February 19 - March 20): Running away from a problem is like running away from a Sumatran tiger; it only makes it a lot more fun for it to chase you.
Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.
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MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 ture Canyon, Lean, The Frets. Sun: ‘Booty Bassment.’ Tue: Melvins, Redd Kross, Toshi Kasai. Che Cafe, 1000 Scholars Drive S, La Jolla. Wed: Free Throw, Chris Farren, Youth Fountain, Macseal. Thu: Dogbreth, Hotline TNT, Toner, Neutral Shirt. Sat: I M U R, Fluxx, Sage. Dizzy’s, Arias Hall, 1717 Morena Blvd. Sat: Christopher Hollyday Quartet. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘Take Over Thursdays.’ Fri: J-Haka, X-ray Adventures. Sat: DJ Brees. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Jeezy. Sat: DJ Scooter. Sun: Jeremih. The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave. Wed: Sonic Tonic, Sluka, A La Carte. Thu: AJ Froman, Strange Planet, Los Pinches Pinches. Sat: Sprung Monkey, Southtown Generals, SkipJack. Sun: Kick-Stomp Ensemble. Mon: Karaoke. Tue: ‘Reggae Tuesdaze.’ House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Burna Boy. Thu: Dub Trio. Fri: In The End. Sat: Los Cafres. Mon: Andy Grammer. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Tradewinds. Thu: Whiskey Ridge. Fri: Wildside. Sat: Rising Star. Sun: About Face. Mon: Billy Watson. Tue: Nathan James. The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. Wed: Hot Flash Heat Wave, Jasper Bones, Ignant Benches. Sat: Sitting on Stacy, Band of Gringos, Lefties, Mughamara. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Fri: Digital Cocoon. Sat: Fanon Flowers.
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Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Riley Whittaker. Sat: Lucier, Travis Mason, Tristian Brooks. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Comedy Night. Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Goodall Boys. Thu: Jackson & Billy. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Manic Bros. Sun: JG. Tue: Goodall Boys. Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Vicki Barbolak. Thu: Nina bel Vande. Fri: Janet Hammer Trio. Sat: Sophia Alone. Sun: Keep it on the DL. Tue: Andy Anderson. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘House of Styles: All Grown Up.’ Sat: AHTCK, Hocus, Dead Serial. Sun: ‘Burlesque Sunday Tease.’ Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Tue: Trivia. Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: California Rangers. Fri: Bonneville7. Sat: The Good Pour. Sun: ‘Tony Ortega Jazz Jam.’ Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: Gondwana, E.N. Young, Fayuca, Marujah. Fri: Red Not Chili Peppers, Aerosmythe, Jimmy Lewis Trio. Sat: Demuir, Eric Medina, Jimbo James. Sun: The Steely Damned 2. Tue: Local Natives. The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Drip Top.’ Thu: ‘Dig Deepers.’ Sat: ‘Strictly Business.’ OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Dada Life. Sat: Vice. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Wed: ‘The Wednesday Jam Session.’ Sat: Nathan & Jessie. Sun: Uptown Rhythm Makers.
Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: The Game. Sat: Roadhouse. Sun: Nelly. Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: DJ Will Ayyy. Fri: Dream Burglar. Sat: Red Wizard. Sun: Shane Hall. Mon: Trivia. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil. Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Dan Litwin. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: The Hasting Band. Sat: Give Me Back My Wig. The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: ‘High Freakquency.’ Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego.’ Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Mischief w/ Bianca.’ Thu: ‘#LEZ.’ Fri: ‘Electro-Pop!’ Sat: ‘Euphoria.’ Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz.’ Thu: Digital Lizards of Doom. Fri: Sangre. Sat: Stand Back Blues Band. Tue: ‘The Works Jam.’ Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Gaby Aparicio. Thu: Sojourn. Fri: The Spiritual Motels. Sat: Mr. & Mrs. Ford. Mon: ‘Jazz Jam w/ Louis V.’ Tue: ‘Adams Gone Funky.’ Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Ms. Nina. Thu: Ryley Walker, Wild Pink, Grampadrew & the Gut Strings. Fri: Throwing Muses, Fred Abong. Sat: High Tone Son of a Bitch, Tzimani, Graveyard Witch. Sun: Little Evil, Long Lost Suns, Blush. Tue: The Black Market Brigade, Service Interruption, The Golden Siddhi, The Renters. Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Clarian. Sat: Blackgummy, Fehrplay. Sun: Gorgon City. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Thu: ‘Burlesque Boogie Nights.’ Tue: Trivia.
Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: ‘Up All Night Thursdaze.’ Fri: Sonic Syndrome, The Nukeproofs, Jabbermouth, Safety Pins. Sat: Death Nation. Sun: ‘Pants Karaoke!’ Mon: Johnny Raincloud, Lo Fi’s. Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: ‘The Corner.’ Thu: Corey Gray & Jake Coco. Fri: Erick Tyler & the Vibe. Sat: Keep Your Soul. Sun: Karaoke. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: The Jazz Pocket Swing. Thu: Nathan James. Fri: The Sea Monks. Sat: ‘Salsa Eventt.’ Sun: ‘Salsa Event.’ Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa & Sensual Bachata.’ Tue: Sue Palmer. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Maggot Heart, Crematory Stench, Old Man Wizard. Fri: Hans Gruber & The Die Hards, Hellfire Blackout, Se Vende, Roman Watchdogs. Sat: Proyecto Makabro, Mafia Rush, The Writhers, Mad Cow Disease, Busted Coffins. Sun: Western Settings, Penske File, Doc Hammer, MC&TB, Andrew Cream. Mon: Bosswitch, The Brankas, Plunger. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park. Thu: ‘Boombox Thursdays.’ Fri: DJ Eddey. Sat: DJ Freeman. Mon: ‘#31 Flavors.’ Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Riff City Comedy Night.’ Thu: ‘Vamp.’ Fri: Haunted Horsed, Fucked & Bound, Agonista, Oh Cult. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment.’ Sun: ‘Fantasy Dance Party.’ Tue: ‘Videodrome.’ Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston.’ Thu: The Alpine Camp, Fusebox. Fri: The Moves Collective, MDRN History. Sat: Easy Wind. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Hunter Green.
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BY JACKIE BRYANT
IN THE BACK
CANNABITCH Edible arrangements
W
hen it comes to edibles, gone are the days of suspicious, danktasting brownies that grandma might accidentally eat. Nowadays, if we (and grandma) are going to get stoned, at least the potent options actually taste good. San Diego-based Kaneh Co. (kanehco. com) makes edibles that, for me, make cannabis worth eating. Even in the days of medical use only, I would still stay away from edibles because dosing always seemed like a crapshoot. When trying a new edible brand, I only jump in at very low doses (five milligrams or less) so I can gauge the effects and add more as needed. After eating a few samples of various Kaneh products over the course of the summer, it became clear to me that their dosing was among the most consistent I’ve encountered. I know exactly how a five milligram butter toffee almond milk chocolate candy is going to feel (a mildly buzzed, relaxing high) and what a 10 milligram “Best of Both Worlds” brownie/ cookie bite is going to do to me (give me the giggles and produce both a body and
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mental high akin to a bong rip). Every single time is the same! This should be a given, but nailing accurate dosing has been one of the harder parts of the ingestible cannabis industry. During the cooking and extraction process, a lot of the primary substance (usually THC or CBD) is lost, therefore whatever amount is put into the product needs to be reevaluated and tested at various stages of the COURTESY OF KANEH CO.
Kaneh Co. Fruit Jellies cooking and baking process. Home bakers often lack the equipment to do this, which is why it is important to go with a trusted baker who really knows their stuff. Sometimes edible manufacturers simply spray a
measured out dose of THC or CBD oil over the product, leaving only a topical coat that can rub off as it comes into contact with other things over time. “We have spent a sizable amount of effort in perfecting this aspect of our manufacturing,” says Rachel King, Kaneh’s culinary director. “We weigh everything to the half gram and work directly with licensed labs to make sure that our items are within specifications.” Kaneh’s edibles also taste delicious, which should generally be the point of anything we eat, save for dieting. “People remember the dry, crumbly weed brownies that they managed to choke down in high school,” King explains. “[We want to dispel the myth] that edibles taste terrible. The offerings are much different now and I believe we are at the forefront of trying to change the idea that edibles can’t be completely delicious and potent at the same time.” King should know, as she’s a trained pastry chef who has worked in some of San Diego’s best kitchens including Nine-Ten, Mister A’s, Searsucker and Herringbone. She sources the best ingredients and pairs them with California-grown cannabis.
COURTESY OF KANEH CO.
Kaneh Co. S’mores Brownies This makes Kaneh an outlier for prioritizing taste as much as potency. And because their serving sizes are small and the dosing is both accurate and potent, I can pop a few throughout the day and not worry about the caloric content or the high. The company’s product line includes everything from jellies (basically a gummy, of which the mango chile flavor is my favorite) to s’mores brownies. Best of all for locals, Kaneh’s products are available at nearly every dispensary in town and include selections for all types of diets, including gluten-free and vegan. CannaBitch appears every week. Follow Jackie Bryant on Twitter at @jacqbryant.
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