San Diego City Beat 052219

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Lane change

O

pinions are my own.”

It’s not uncommon to see this phrase or something similar on the social media accounts of journalists. The hope, or at least the intention, is that the public is smart enough to distinguish that it’s the writer’s opinion and not the overall stance of the publication itself. But most people simply don’t care to acknowledge this fact.

They’d rather assume that the writer speaks for the entire publication if they write some ridiculous opinion on Twitter.

Trust me, that’s not the case.

Take, for example, North Park’s controversy du jour: the protected bike lanes that are set to be installed along 30th Street from Juniper Street (at the border of South Park) all the way to Howard Avenue. Last Tuesday, as we were going to press, the 13-member North Park Planning Committee met to formalize a recommendation on which options they were prepared to endorse. There were a number of options to choose from, including ones for buffered bike lanes and bike lanes that were adjacent to “floating” parking spaces (away from the curb) for cars.

Judging by the residents and concerned citizens that showed up to Tuesday’s meeting, this is one of the most divisive and contentious issues I’ve seen in quite a while.

For well over two hours, the anger was palpable with complaints ranging from safety concerns for those who would now have to walk further to their apartments or homes, to why the city didn’t give residents ample opportunity to voice their concerns about what would happen after the city completed its 30th Street Pipeline Replacement Project.

To be fair to those angry and annoyed residents, their concerns are valid and it did seem like the plans were steamrolled through rather quickly. The lamentations and complaints of business owners were particularly affecting. Kent Snyder, the manager of Paras Newsstand on the corner of 30th and University Avenue, said bike lanes would “severely impact” his business.

And yet, many North Park businesses are embracing the idea of bike lanes, as evidenced by the endorsement of North Park Main Street, a business improvement organization.

In the end, the elected North Park Planning Committee voted to support the protected options. On Thursday, Mayor Kevin Faulconer all but made it official with a statement and

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a staff directive to implement the bike lanes.

But the vast majority of the contention is coming from one particular issue: the loss of an estimated 420 parking spaces all along 30th Street. I share this concern. Not only do I live in an affected area, but parking in my neighborhood is already hard to come by. What’s more, the CityBeat offices are located in the heart of North Park, a block away from 30th and University. The loss of that many spaces is bound to cause short-term problems and frustration among residents and businesses.

But. While I don’t own a bike, nor am I in the market for one, I fully support the implementation of the covered bike lanes. Many CityBeat staffers do not agree with me. I acknowledge the fact that I’m privileged enough to where I can walk to our office every day, and I know this is not the reality for the vast majority of the employees who work at North Park businesses.

However, I’ve seen this neighborhood go through a number of changes in the 20 years I’ve lived here. It wasn’t so long ago that our fine-dining establishment was a 99-cents-aslice pizza joint (now Alexander’s on 30th) and our bar options were limited (there’s now a brewery, bar or nightclub on seemingly every corner).

To get some perspective, I spoke with Katherine Hon, secretary of the North Park Historical Society. She cited a number of projects over the last century that proved to be controversial. Like many residents, she is concerned for local businesses, but she also reminded me that North Park’s inception was founded on the “seamless integration of commercial and residential,” and that past changes almost always “created tension.”

There is a lot of speculation about the bike lanes, but that’s precisely what it is: speculation. What we do have is evidence and case studies from other cities showing that these kinds of infrastructure projects actually help local businesses. They also serve to raise property values, cut down overall congestion and improve the overall quality of living.

It’s going to be frustrating. Sacrifices will inevitably have to be made. I do not speak for everyone here at CityBeat, but in the end, I think the bike lanes will prove to be an excellent implementation and one that will only make our neighborhood, and city, better.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat would like to return or exchange these chicken nuggz.

Volume 17 • Issue 40 EDITOR Seth Combs WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Andrea Lopez-Villafaña COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Ryan Bradford Edwin Decker Alfred Howard John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore

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MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

DENIAL IS NOT AN OPTION

Re: “This is Poway. This is America.,” [Backwards & in High Heels, May 8].

The [Poway] mayor’s statement denies the reality many of us have lived for decades: We experience things that remind us, almost daily, that we are indeed the “southern” part of California.

Unfortunately, while local law enforcement is quick to characterize young people of color who associate with one another as “gang members”—they prefer to ignore the coordinated hate-motivated plans and actions of “Proud Boys” and other white supremacists in our midst.

That’s white privilege: never being entered into a database, and have your future aspirations compromised by being associated with other “known gang members.”

Finally: This is not a tragedy. Tragedies are inevitable.

These actions can be prevented, but only if law enforcement and others develop the will to treat white nationalists the same as they treat other groups they deem dangerous.

Lori Saldaña via sdcitybeat.com

MO’ CARS, NO PROBLEMS

Re: “Yes in his backyard” [News, May 15] The automobile is the single greatest advance in people’s quality of life the world has ever seen.

The car allowed people to pursue employment

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

anywhere they could find it, and live wherever their life dictated, without those two things needing to be within a horse rides distance of each other. The car also allowed suburbs, those evil things most Libs hate, but most people strive to make it to. Like Scripps Ranch, where Mr Wang lives. People like suburbs because they’re a nice place to live. Most people prefer them. Most people also prefer their own cars to sharing a bus with the masses. And Libs need to stop using global warming as a reason for their car-hating, because we as a society are headed toward electric cars, and we can get there as fast as we as a society decide to, so cars will very shortly not be contributing to climate change.

Mr Wang, like most Libs, is letting his clear contempt for cars cloud his judgement [sic]. Listen, if you want to live in some urban core where you can walk anywhere close and ride the bus anywhere else, more power to you. I live where I can afford to, and work where I found a job, and those two locations necessitate a commute.

And I hate it. But you know what the answer is?

Better roads! More lanes! Reversible lanes for rush hours! And don’t tell me we can’t build our way out of this. I observe there’s less traffic at 1 p.m. then there is at 5 because there’s room for the cars on the road then. My logical deduction then is having a better situation at 5 just requires more room for the cars then on the road. Our public servants are failing us. We are being lied to.

Michael Talmadge

CATHOLIC CRIMINALS

I had the pleasure a few years ago of meeting Edwin Decker at the San Diego Public Library and have admired his writing ever since… this week sold me forever after reading his opinion piece on the criminals in the Catholic Church [“Pope Pederast XVI speaks,” Sordid Tales, May 15]… you have a hero on your staff!

Rodney Johnson

North Park

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . .4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . 8 Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . 9

FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene . . . . 11 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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.

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . 12-14

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Feature: eSports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

MUSIC Feature: Dezzy Hollow. . . . . . . . . 21 Black Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound. . . . . . . . 25 CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 COVER PHOTO BY ALEX COBIAN

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MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

COURTESY OF MARNI VON WILPERT FOR CITY COUNCIL

UP FRONT | NEWS

Marni von Wilpert enters stage left The deputy city attorney wants to bring a balanced approach to District 5 city council seat

By Seth Combs

T

oward the end of our interview, Marni von Wilpert sees someone she recognizes from the neighborhood. He is one of the servers at Bruski Burgers and Brew in Scripps Ranch. The two exchange pleasantries before the man makes a joke about seeing some photos of her from her high school days. The two share a laugh before he heads back to the kitchen.

“Photos?” I inquire. She chuckles.

“Oh, he found old yearbooks from the high school we both went to,” von Wilpert says, indicating the same sort of feigned simpering most people feel when it comes to photos from their teenage days.

The truth is that von Wilpert probably doesn’t have much to worry about. By all accounts, the deputy city attorney and city council candidate was not only a stellar student at Scripps Ranch High, but also one that went on to make her hometown proud. She went to UC Berkeley and eventually went on to serve overseas in the Peace Corps. She then attended Fordham Law School and worked at the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. She also had a stint in rural Mississippi, where she founded a civil rights legal clinic to help combat discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. She moved back to Scripps Ranch in 2017, just a few miles from where she grew up, and became a deputy city attorney last year. She currently serves in the office’s ACE [Affirmative Civil Enforcement] division, which emphasizes civil enforcement and consumer protection.

“It’s a very challenging job, for sure,” von Wilpert says of her job, which often involves suing corporations on behalf of the people of San Diego. “But I still think I can make a bigger difference on the council, using my experience.”

So yeah, Marni von Wilpert has all the requisite qualifications and qualities that Democratic and progressive voters love to see in a city council candidate. She is hoping to represent District 5, which includes neighborhoods such as Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, San Pasqual and Scripps Miramar Ranch, among others. The seat is currently held by Mark Kersey, a Republican who recently switched to being an independent, and who cannot run again because of term limits. Von Wilpert not only sees her candidacy as an opportunity to flip yet another seat on the council, but also as a means to bring a much-needed advocacy voice to the body.

“My experience as a deputy city attorney hugely informs that discussion for me. I’m seeing what happens on the backend if we don’t invest in our infrastructure and other

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

city services on the frontend,” says von Wilpert. “Millions of dollars in injuries from the fact that we’re not investing in our public infrastructure. So even if the road that has to [be] paved isn’t necessarily in my district— if it’s causing us to have so much drainage on our general city funds—that benefits my constituents to make sure we’re not wasting their money on things that shouldn’t be happening.”

Our conversation veers into finding what we both begin to refer to as a “balance.” Von Wilpert has been knocking on doors since March when she first declared her candidacy and she doesn’t miss a beat when she says that infrastructure is the number one issue on the minds of District 5 voters. From traffic on Interstate 15 to potholes in Rancho Bernardo, the district is looking for immediate solutions. For a progressive candidate like von Wilpert, it can sometimes be difficult to balance the pressing needs of constituents with the overall needs of the city. Yes, she believes that the city has to make sig-

San Diego communities in District 5 nificant strides when it comes to issues such as affordable housing, mass transit and combatting climate change. However, she stops short of calling herself a YIMBY [an acronym for “yes in my backyard”] and maintains that there are big picture issues that should be addressed before rushing into building new housing and infrastructure projects.

“Fire safety is a big deal up here,” says von Wilpert, who was in college in 2003 when the Cedar Fire broke out in San Diego.

Her dad called her to let her know they were evacuating and asked whether she wanted anything from her room. “He told me they were in the car and asked what else I wanted.

So fire safety and emergency preparedness is huge for me. We have a lot of thinking to do about where we build new housing, especial-

Marni von Wilpert ly in this area. There’s that huge proposed development going in south of Pomerado where most of the houses burned in the Cedar Fire, and the idea of putting in 400 more homes on a two-lane road so you can’t evacuate is a big concern. So thinking about that from a planning perspective is something I’m very conscious of.”

Von Wilpert re-emphasizes that she is strongly supportive of new housing, but that environmental concerns and public safety, especially when it comes to emergency evacuations, should not take a backseat.

“It’s about planning,” says von Wilpert.

“We can’t just sit on our hands anymore and not build houses so that’s the thing, but I think we need to make sure we do it right or else we’re going to find ourselves in a horrible situation in the future. I’m still mourning the fact that we lost 85 people in the [Camp Fire]. I don’t ever want people to die in a fire because we weren’t able to plan well.”

She also takes a more balanced approach to issues such as public transit and homelessness. On the latter, she acknowledges that residents of District 5 aren’t as concerned with the issue as much as residents of Downtown and the East Village. However, she does acknowledge that her district has a “big” dependency problem when it comes to prescription drugs. One of the lawsuits she filed with the city attorney’s office was against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family for “dropping opioids into our communities which then gets people hooked on other drugs like meth and heroin.”

So while her approach to homelessness is one of “housing first,” she also thinks the city needs to work with the county to emphasize mental health and addiction services.

“Cities do this all the time,” she says. “I worked in Congress and we get letters from major cities who all come together or mayors who say, ‘Hey, listen Congress, this is what we need from your funding. You need to reallocate it this way. This is what we’re

seeing.’ And if the County Board of Supervisors doesn’t want to do it directly, we’ll lean on the people who give them the paths to spending on our behalf.”

Her knowledge of the city’s mass transit system’s failings is particularly impressive and she’s able to instinctively cite a number of ideas she would like to see MTS implement in her district.

“My community isn’t like downtown where they have trolley stations and the other hubs,” says von Wilpert. “We’re not a transit hub like other areas are and so that’s what I’m trying to tell folks: that yes, I am pro-transit and I’m pro-smart urban planning and housing, but I also understand where I live and I don’t want people to feel worried or afraid about these things, because they’re trying to roll them over with these programs that work downtown. It’s very much about listening and figuring out if maybe this solution fit[s] here.”

Von Wilpert has this “listening and figuring out” approach down to a science. Sure, she’s a fighter, but the same things in her life that made her a fighter—such as her service in the Peace Corps and her legal work in Mississippi—have also taught her the fine art of patience, negotiation and compromise.

This pragmatism when it comes to hotbutton issues has already helped von Wilpert lock up key endorsements from City Councilmembers Barbara Bry and Jennifer Campbell, as well as one from former San Diego City Councilmember Marti Emerald. The recent endorsement of Melinda Vásquez, the vice chair of the San Diego Democratic Party, all but guarantees von Wilpert will have the wind in her sails when the primaries roll around in March, and the party’s official backing in November should she win the primary. When asked if she was worried if progressive voters would show up to vote for her in November, von Wilpert keeps it simple.

“Nope, I’m not worried. Not at all. Because Trump’s on the ballot.”

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JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Game of groans If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

—William Lyon Phelps

C

arl DeMaio is not a Game of Thrones fan.

“I’m so glad it’s done, it’s over,” the former San Diego City Councilmember-turned-right-wingradio-gabber snarled at the opening of his rant-heavy show on Monday.

“What happened? Nobody got the throne! So the whole damn, the whole series was on a competition for getting a throne, and in the end nobody got it!”

Chimed in his sidekick, a GoT devotee, “Well, yeah, I mean a big dragon burned it up.”

Now, readers might be asking themselves: Why is a perfectly nice alt-weekly columnist listening to the ravings of an attention-starved political has-been who seeks rel-

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evance by preening before his personal savior Donald Trump? Good question. (Let’s just say not being immersed in the GoT hubbub frees up some time.)

It all started last week when the phone rang. The number looked unfamiliar (the area code, Spin later determined, hailed from South Carolina), but something in the back of the mind seemed to whisper, answer it.

A booming recorded voice reminiscent of Mr. Moviefone immediately launched into what would become an eight-minute robocall push poll focused on San Diego’s 2020 election to replace termedout Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

The Mr. Moviefone voice wanted to know right off the bat who among four mayoral candidates had won over Spin’s heart. As the names were robo-read, Spin chuckled thinking Mr. Moviefone

doesn’t read this column too often.

The names drifted by—Todd Gloria, Barbara Bry, Cory Briggs—and then the fourth hit the ears like a brick through glass… Carl DeMaio!

That’s weird, Spin thought. No Mark Kersey, the local city councilman who recently jumped the Republican ship into independent waters. Kersey did so after DeMaio publicly dared him to face his radiowave wrath if he voted for a project labor agreement at San Diego International Airport, which Kersey did.

The pundit class is betting that Kersey will be the first conservative-leaning big-ticket entry into the 2020 mayor’s race. And it’s apparent that DeMaio—who clearly hasn’t gotten over his 2012 loss to the trainwreck that was Bob Filner—wants to be the monkey wrench in those plans.

Using eight questions, Mr. Moviefone helped lay out what DeMaio must figure is his pathway back to pertinence. The robocall opened with a dig at SANDAG, the regional planning agency currently ensconced in a battle royale over transit vs. highway funding priorities using Transnet dollars approved by voters in 2004.

“Now, 15 years later, city politicians want to cancel those road and highway projects and transfer all of the earmarked money to transit

He’s the local right-wing guru of inflammatory gab, but now Carl DeMaio may be angling to take another run for mayor in 2020. and bike projects instead, Mr. Moviefone bellowed. “Based on what you know, do you support or oppose this proposed shift of funds.”

Then the robot wanted to know how Spin felt about “a proposal to charge drivers a congestion fee for permission for them to use the roads during rush hours... Supporters of the congestion fee say it is designed to discourage people from driving cars… opponents say the congestion fee is outrageous because we already pay taxes to drive on roads.”

After a question about appropriate levels of transit funding, Mr. Moviefone moved on to Faulconer’s legacy hope: the March ballot measure to raise the city’s hotel tax to fund a convention-center expansion, homeless services and road repairs.

“Opponents say this tax increase is simply a way for the city to compensate for its budget deficit,” the voice opined.

Then a question about a proposed half-cent sales tax boost proposed for the November 2020 ballot by Metropolitan Transit System officials to, as the robot put it, “fund transit and bike programs.”

(Actually, it would fund transit and affordable housing on underused MTS parking lots, but why quibble with a robot.) “Opponents say the sales tax is regressive and unfairly hurts working families the most.”

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Team DeMaio production without a few questions about city pension reform, the subject that rocketed DeMaio onto the political scene ohso-many years ago. To be fair, the legal process has not been kind to DeMaio’s claim to fame. Proposition B, the 2012 pension-slashing ballot measure, was struck down by the California Supreme Court last year citing that it was illegally placed on the ballot by then-mayor Jerry Sanders without conferring with city labor groups. The measure was returned to a lower court to determine a remedy that could cost taxpayers, according to the robo-voice, “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Mr. Moviefone asked if city employees should receive “payout for life” pensions or “simply receive a contribution to a 401(k) defined contribution account modeled after what private-sector employees receive.”

The push poll concluded with thunder, asking if City Council members who vote “to invalidate the citizens pension-reform initiative and restore pensions” should be recalled and removed from office.

On Monday, DeMaio referred to PLA-backing Kersey as a “coward” who “wet his pants,” so who knows how he would describe such Prop.

B traitors. But Will RodriguezKennedy, the first-year chairman of the local Democratic Party, isn’t sweating a potential DeMaio entry into the mayor’s sweepstakes.

“I have no idea if Carl is running,” he told Spin. “All I know is that the Democratic Party is prepared to elect a Democratic mayor in the next cycle. We have the strongest position to get there almost regardless of which Republican candidate they throw out.”

Added the chairman: “The reality is that Carl’s policies in the past have failed San Diego and have cost us greatly. I think people will remember his signature accomplishment has cost the city millions. That’s not the type of leadership we need in San Diego.”

Spin unsuccessfully reached out to DeMaio for comment. With Briggs now out of the race and instead training his sites on unseating City Attorney Mara Elliott, DeMaio would likely be the firebrand in the room. Unfortunately for DeMaio, that brand of fire is slowly dimming. Mimicking Trump just seems so passé these days.

Still, don’t expect DeMaio to change his tune. “What’s that phrase from Game of Thrones?”

Rodriguez-Kennedy asked. “Chaos is a ladder.”

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Alabama, god damn

S

he’s had enough,” I said to my husband. “Oh, no…

Here she goes…”

The camera had closed in on every facial twitch of Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Unburnt. Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons was mad as hell and she wasn’t going to take it any more.

I didn’t relate to her rage at the time and even though it was wholly predictable Dany would flip out, I was still disappointed in her transformation from abolitionist to tyrant.

Then the good ole boys of Alabama (and Georgia before that and Missouri after)—with their shriveled, baby-making, women-hating grey worms tucked flaccid into their pleated pants—gleefully took control of every womb within the borders of their state. That’s when I flipped out. That’s when I began to relate.

These Christofacists, who enjoy endless supplies of Viagra courtesy of insurance companies, have their sights on my daughter’s uterus and generations of girls’ and women’s bodies. They say their Heartbeat Bill is about the well-being of children even as they build concentration camps to house immigrant children; as staffers at those camps rape and impregnate children.

Of course, this draconian legislation—which ’Bama Guvnuh Kay Ivey signed into law because she’s transfixed by the patriarchy—will hurt Black women more than anyone. Such laws have always had people of color in their sights. After all, denial of access is a core tenet of white supremacy. Alabama, and other states currently passing this type of legislation, have the highest population of Black women than any other U.S. states, according to policy analyst Samuel Sinyangwe. And, as Georgia state Rep. Renitta Shannon pointed out to Rolling Stone, Black women know exactly what’s happening even if the average white (m)asses do not.

“Black women know that whenever you criminalize abortion then it’s Black women who are going to be locked up,” Shannon said. “Whenever you don’t cover abortions through insurance, it’s young Black women who are going to suffer—we’re the majority of the minimum-wage earners. All this stuff is connected.”

What’s not connected? Denial of access and rich white dudes. The men and women working hard to Iranify our country have always been, and will always be, out there getting abortions.

Nah, this has nothing at all to do with abortion or fetuses or babies or children or girls or women. The Christian Taliban hates girls and women; it hates girls and women of color even more. This is about the whitening of AmeriKKKa, about puritanical control. It’s The Handmaid’s Tale made real, even as Margaret At-

“

wood’s dystopian fiction has been very real for Black and Brown women since forever.

And it is all of this, after the dirge of the last three years and the unraveling of the false image I had of America, that caused something inside me to snap. I am not the person I was before 2016. Shit. I’m not the person I was before 10 days ago.

Like nearly all the women I know, I am in a rage.

This anger is an inferno inside me and I’m not making any effort to politely hide it. The patriarchy can fuck right off with any expectation of good girl behavior on my part. I’m on fire with flames so big, so fierce, so hot and so searing, it could burn 10 Kings Landings to ashes. What I wouldn’t give to fly a dragon over Alabama, Missouri, Ohio, Georgia—and then Congress.

Yes, I’d hit that too, on my way to the White House— and reduce the buildings to rubble.

I feel like I could go full Ramsay Bolton and slice some white dick off and not feel bad about it for a second. Give me a dull, rusted chef’s knife and line up that fascist peen. I won’t do that, of course, because I’m not a monster. Anyway, I do not want to hear about a dick, see a dick, touch a dick, suck a dick or have a dick anywhere near me ever again.

Sorry, honey.

Seriously, though, my white dudes: Keep your mansplaining and Movembers. IDGAF about prostate cancer research. How about some free childcare for mothers instead?

Women are gonna need it.

These religious zealots have spent decades preparing for this moment and it’s obvious from this stunning coordinated assault.

What we are seeing is a 60-year plan coming to fruition and overturning Roe is just the start of their wet dream.

Keep an eye out for their coming attack on Griswold vs. Connecticut, which guarantees access to contraception. When this is undone (oh hai, Brett Kavanaugh!), look for the Christofascists to go after the 2003 Lawrence vs. Texas decision which struck down sodomy laws.

Good-bye privacy; hello, American Sharia Law. As writer and legislative policy analyst Kathryn Brightbill tweeted last week, “If Lawrence goes away and same sex relationships are recriminalized [sic], white evangelicals will be there to push the queer kids in their midst into conversion therapy, and then marry them off to produce lots of white babies. That’s what this is all about. A permanent white majority.”

These racist monsters are playing a long game of gleefully Iranifying America. They are the Knight King; we better summon our inner Arya and stick them in the gut with the pointy end.

Nah, this has nothing at all to do with abortion or fetuses or babies or children or girls or women…

This is about the whitening of AmeriKKKa, about puritanical control.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 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 Baby downpour

I

AWKWARD

t’s the morning of my sister-in-law’s baby shower, and I’m lying in a guest room with last night’s whiskey still coursing through my veins. In fact, a good amount of it seems to have settled in the area between my brain and the front of my skull. I breathe through my nose to keep the nausea at bay.

The shades are drawn and the fan spins lazily above.

It feels vaguely like the opening scenes of Apocalypse Now, but instead of Saigon, I’m in Kentucky.

I blame the Benchmark Whiskey.

“It’s a game-changer,” said my brother-in-law, Lewis, the night before. Lewis’ wife is Karen (my wife Jessica’s sister) and their soon-tobe son is the reason for all this celebration, and the reason we drank so much Benchmark.

“Eighteen dollars for a handle,” said Lewis. But he’s British so “eighteen” sounded like “ei’een”, and just so goddamn cooler than anything that ever comes out of my mouth.

We finished off the bottle.

Now, lying awake in the swirling guest room, I can hear commotion downstairs as people bake and decorate. I summon the power to sit up. The idea of looking like an irresponsible 34-year-old who can’t hold his liquor, and doing so in front of the in-laws and their friends, is worse than the potential upchuck. Must. Not. Be. Garbageheap, I think.

Downstairs, Lewis is preparing the smoked meat. The smoked chickens stand upright on their racks, charred and blackened, yet still more presentable than how I feel. Likewise, Lewis appears bright and chipper, as if splitting a bottle of whiskey ain’t no thing.

“I should probably feel more hungover,” I say, trying to feign chipperness, but it’s untrue because I’m the correct amount of hungover (i.e., very).

“We did a good job on that bottle last night,” Lewis says, and this optimism makes me feel a little better. He’ll be a good dad.

I watch him slice into one of the chickens. I’m suddenly aware how ravenous I am. The knife slides into the meat as if it were butter, and an aroma steams out; it’s so heavenly that I’m sure god would salivate if he, too, were hungover. I realize that both their dog and me have the same hypnotized, middle-distant stare on our faces. I wipe drool from my mouth.

Jessica asks if I can help her hang decorations.

“Sure!” I say, trying to keep up the joyful façade, which I hope conveys that I’m a perennially useful and helpful human being.

Truthfully, I have no idea what I’m doing. This is the first baby shower I’ve been to, and I can’t seem to

strike the balance of being helpful and being in everyone’s way. The hangover certainly doesn’t help, but I imagine I’d be at a loss sober. Even the general idea of baby showers seems alien to me.

I don’t have kids and am not planning to, which works for me and my relatively directionless life.

It may sound sad, but I’m fine with just existing for myself. The only times when it gets to me is when I hang out with people who have happy families, or just seem to have a modicum of their shit together. But for the most part, I like doing what I want, spending inordinate amounts of time diving head-first into vanity creative projects, drinking on weeknights and taking naps whenever I want.

And then, in the back of my mind, the global repercussions sink in. I spend so much time worrying about the world these kids are going to grow up in—a world that’s expected to literally burn from the inside out within the next century—and it feels like simply existing is actually the least selfish thing I can do. Just give everything back to the animals.

“Lewis only had to use one piece of tape when he was helping,” Jessica says, shaking me from the mental downward spiral. I’ve been absent-mindedly breaking off pieces of tape to hang an “AHOY IT’S A BOY” party banner across a door frame, but I’ve used so many pieces that it looks like a web. I give up. I probably shouldn’t be up on the ladder anyway.

Guests arrive. Something in the oven begins to burn, thickening the air of the entire house. I walk through the smoke, dumb-faced and slack-jawed. Again: serious Apocalypse Now vibes.

I walk over to the snack table to feed my hunger, eating nearly half a tub of guac. I make a tripledecker meat, cheese and cracker sandwich, and someone says, “Oh, you made yourself a little sandwich!” When I use the bathroom, cracker crumbs fall off my shirt into the toilet. Good job, me.

When lunch is served, I fill my plate. With each bite, I can feel my hangover dissipating. In fact, all weird emotions disappear. I watch Karen and Lewis open gifts with unrestrained joy (so many goddamn adorable onesies!). Friends and family smile—everyone wants to be part of this little human’s life. And it makes me excited to be part of it, too.

I just hope Benchmark is still a good deal when he’s old enough to drink.

The idea of looking like an irresponsible 34-year-old who can’t hold his liquor, and doing so in front of the in-laws and their friends, is worse than the potential upchuck.

Must. Not. Be. Garbageheap, I think.

@SDCITYBEAT

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Here comes the son

W

ith their first restaurant, TRUST in Hillcrest, owner Steve Schwob and chef Brad Wise created a special place that featured “dishes that are a cut above yet grounded, technical but unpretentious and both passionate and deeply satisfying,” as I wrote in 2016 when they first opened. They did so, however, in an environment with the sound level of a nightclub and an atmosphere that bordered on a hipster bar.

So when Schwob and Wise announced TRUST’s Mission Hills offspring, Fort Oak (1011 Fort Stockton Drive, fortoaksd.com), the question for me was whether the son could surpass the father, so to speak.

Fort Oak’s New American-style of food definitely reflects that of TRUST, what with its acid-forward flavor profiles, the distinctive kiss of live red oak fire and strong seasoning. Fort Oak’s ingredients are invariably first rate with many of them made in-house. The presentations are distinctive, frequently with an all-over aesthetic.

Take, for example, the lamb mortadella with sunny-side quail eggs, a house mustard, radish, aioli and crackers. The star of the dish is the mortadella, a classic emulsified sausage from Bologna (think the best baloney ever) with pork swapped out for lamb. But it’s the acidic mustard seeds and the yolky, fatty quail eggs that play counterpoint, balancing the dish beautifully. Yes, it has lots of ingredients, but the message is simple and elegant.

Fort Oak’s opah pastrami toast is a delicious variation on the same formula. Again, the star is the house-made products: A pastrami made from opah (a fish that can truly stand-in for meat) as well as acidic house-pickled mustard seeds that cut through the richness of the charcuturie. As he frequently does, Wise’s ingredient list for this dish is long, but it’s not a disguise for lack of conception. Rather, it’s just long enough to send a single message.

Perhaps my least favorite dish was the scallop aguachile with cucumber, onions, cilantro and coriander oil. It wasn’t bad and every element was good

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

on its own, but the scallop was hidden in green layers of herb, aguachile sauce and cucumber. It lacked the balance that most of Wise’s dishes can be counted upon to deliver.

At the heart of what Fort Oak does is the hearthgrilled branzino peperonata with salsa verde, fried herbs and grilled lemon. I freely admit to a deep love of branzino. If it’s on a menu, I’m probably going to order it and if the kitchen is competent, I’ll likely love it. The only way Fort Oak’s version differed from that paradigm was degree. The choice of that Italian salsa verde, with its acidic elements, shined a light on just what I love about branzino: its meatiness.

But, perhaps, the best dish at Fort Oak was the hearth-roasted carrots with quinoa, Humboldt Fog goat milk cheese, pickled fennel, smoky yogurt and tarragon. Again, the ingredient marathon hides the dish’s architecture: The central role of the carrots, the crispiness of the quinoa, the creaminess of the MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Opah pastrami toast cheese and yogurt, and the fresh herbal element of the fennel and tarragon. It’s a deceptively simple tour de force.

Fort Oak’s food is definitely not of the threethings-on-a-plate, minimalist school. The names of menu items read more like novellas than poems.

They’re long. They’re complex-sounding. And yet the message of Fort Oak’s food is refreshingly direct and deceptively simple. And it can all be enjoyed in a spectacular, contemporary setting that doesn’t have bar/nightclub sound levels.

The son has definitely surpassed the father.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE

BY IAN WARD

#57: A subtle impact at Louisiana Purchase

was always evident, but watching him make sauces was transportive.

I remember the first time we made béchamel sauce. I’d never made it before, but y first true bar management job was at a restaurant called Miss I was confident I already knew all that was Williamsburg. This was well involved going into it. There was a point, over a decade ago, when the Williamsburg however, when he started grating nutmeg neighborhood of Brooklyn was going into the sauce and stopped at a precise through what many referred to as a “re- point to say to me, “it needs to be subtle naissance” and what I refer to as a devas- to be impactful.” It was a passing thing for him to say, but something tating invasion. in that moment spoke to me. I There weren’t many restaurant offereventually left the restaurant, ings in Williamsburg at the time, or only to move west in order to any that were truly great other start what would be an equally ilthan Peter Luger’s and Diner. As lustrious and shameful career as a a result, Miss Williamsburg was bartender. constantly busy. The food offerHowever, no matter where I’ve ings at the restaurant, since its inworked since my time at Miss Wilception, were by no means extenliamsburg, those words still speak sive, but Chef Massimiliano Bartoli to me: “It needs to be subtle to be was from Bologna, Italy and, as a impactful.” point of pride, he made inarguably These same words came rushing the best lasagna all’Emiliana in New back to me again as I was sitting on York City at the time.

One day, I asked Bartoli to Cash Money Fizz the patio of Louisiana Purchase (2305 University Ave., louisianalet me work in the kitchen for a few days, just so I could try to wrap my purchasesd.com) in North Park, sipping on head around the passion involved in mak- their Cash Money Fizz cocktail. The cocking such dishes. I spent a few days making tail is a variation of a Ramos Gin Fizz, with pasta and cleaning sepia, but it was when grapefruit and cinnamon bark-infused gin we made the Bolognese sauce and the and a touch of honey. I’ve always been a béchamel when it all clicked in my mind. fan of replacing the soda component in a The time and care he put into everything fizz with something that adds tones and layers. My go-to substitutes are generally Champagne or beer (hefeweizens and CASH MONEY FIZZ stouts tend to work really well, with differas prepared at Louisiana Purchase ent base spirits), but the LaCroix Pamplemousse in the Cash Money Fizz is a fantas2 oz. Grapefruit 3/4 oz. Honey tic substitution. The sparking water brings and cinnamon 3/4 oz. Lemon juice a welcome brightness to what can be, at bark-infused gin 3/4 oz. Heavy cream times, a heavy or clawing cocktail.

3/4 oz. Combier 1 Egg white Still, what really makes the cocktail Pamplemousse 1 can La Croix come together is the undertones of cinRose liquer Pamplemousse namon. It’s not dominant by any means, In a tin, combine lemon, gin, combier, honey but really deepens the grapefruit notes. and egg white. Shake vigorously without That is, it is subtle but also impactful.

IA N WA RD

M

ice. Add heavy cream and ice. Shake again.

Strain into a chilled Collins glass. Add La Croix Pamplemousse. Garnish with torched ground cinnamon.

@SDCITYBEAT

Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene appears every other week. Write to ianw@sdcitybeat.com.

BY BETH DEMMON

FINAL DRAUGHT Hop heavy rotation

director of brewery operations, cites the batch made with Strata (an intensely arot’s no secret that craft beer drinkers can matic hop developed at Oregon State Unibe high-maintenance consumers. It’s versity) as his personal favorite so far. typical for fans to insist that breweries Other local breweries getting in on the regularly brew flagship favorites, as well as rotating recipe racket include Deft Brewfresh recipes, using the latest fad ingredi- ing (the DeftHop series), Karl Strauss ents. But many breweries have managed with Amplified Ale Works (Pathway dryto satisfy both demands with an inge- hopped lager), Longship Brewery (Odinnious and increasingly popular maneuver: son pale ale), Kairoa Brewing Company Releasing what appears to be a core beer, (4 Gables IPA), Abnormal Beer Combut one that uses different hops each time. pany (Turbidity double hazy IPA) and Chula Vista’s Thr3e Punk Ales Brew- Burning Beard Brewing with the Gang ing Company has gone through 12 varia- of One rotating S.M.A.S.H (single malt tions of their rotating-hop beer, Kill the and single hop) pale ale.

Pour, since first introducing it in August The benefits of launching an alter2017. Steve Garcia, owner of Thr3e Punks, nating hop series go beyond leveraging explained the series’ origin story via email brand familiarity while simultaneously to CityBeat.

SOCIETE BREWING COMPANY providing something new “It was a way to deterto consumers. Breweries mine how different hop can also aggregate marprofiles meshed with one keting assets like labels, another as well as giving helping to cut costs in a our patrons a little twist cash-strapped enterprise. on our ‘house’ IPA.” Every It’s also a way to showother aspect of the recipe case single hops or comremains the same, accordplex interplays between ing to Garcia. Their latest multiple varieties. Accordversion uses the propriing to their website, Stone etary Yakima Chief Hops Brewing’s goal for their (YCH) hop blend left over Societe Brewing Company experimental single-hop from the Pink Boots ColHop Revolver series “is to laboration Brew Day in March. demonstrate just how dramatically a sinLots of breweries rely on contracts gle hop can impact a beer.” Other brewerwith hop suppliers to ensure they’re able ies like The Hop Concept blend different to acquire certain popular hop varietals. hops to achieve a certain end result. Their Thr3e Punks doesn’t, preferring to let limited edition “Hop Freshener” series chance dictate what hops they can buy. comes out seasonally with names like “One of the perks of not having any Tropical & Juicy and Citrus & Piney, each hop contracts is the freedom to use a wide encapsulating the aforementioned charvariety of hops and making use of what we acteristics in a new way. do have,” says Garcia. “Our patrons enjoy Whatever the reason, more breweries that they get to try one of our staple beers seem to be embracing the approach. If but with a fresh twist, every time.” the only constant is change, then rotatThis isn’t a totally new trend. Societe ing hops seems to be a trend that’s here to Brewing Company debuted The Bachelor stay.

IPA in 2013 using Cascade hops and have brewed nearly two dozen variations of the Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check beer since then. Teddy Gowan, Societe’s her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

I

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

LA JOLLA

[BLANK] LOOK

Memorial Day weekend can be tough when it comes to cool cultural events.

After all, most people are way more focused on hitting up the beach and a barbecue, so it’s no wonder most cultural institutions aren’t looking to showcase any new programming.

But the new PROJECT [BLANK] concert series just might be the exception to the rule and it’s one we’re particularly excited about. PROJECT [BLANK] was founded by long-time collaborators, pianist Brendan Nguyen and mezzo-soprano singer Leslie Ann Leytham. The duo aim to produce chamber music and operatic “concert experiences that redefine the performance space.”

“Our concert series focuses on the integration between visual art, theatre and chamber music,” says Leytham. “Each concert event will be presented in collaboration with a visual artist to reconfigure the concert space.”

For PROJECT [BLANK]’s first performance, the duo teamed up with designer and intermedia artist Jason Ponce for a production of American composer Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories. One of Feldman’s last compositions, it’s known for its repeated patterns and lack of overarching structure. When it’s performed at the St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla (743 Prospect St.), the audience

DOWNTOWN

SONGS OF THE SEA San Diego’s 250th birthday is upon us, and Port of San Diego is celebrating with the inaugural Festival of the Sea. The Maritime Museum of San Diego (1492 N. Harbor Drive) will host the fest aboard several of its historic vessels, and it begins with the annual Sea Chantey Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 25. Now in its 27th year, the Sea Chantey Fest features performances of traditional folk music and sailors’ tunes by popular local artists. General admission for this event is $8-$18 and also includes a kids’ education zone, a regional art exhibition and freedom to explore all museum vessels and exhibits. Prices vary for the other parts of the Festival of the Sea, which happens through Monday, May 27, but they include a schooner gun battle ($59), early evening cruises on the San Salvador ($89), and an interactive pirate-themed performance on Sunday ($20-$30). More info and tickets at sdmaritime.org.

TINA TALLON OF SALT ARTS DOCUMENTATION

Brendan Nguyen will listen to Nguyen’s piano performance of Triadic Memories, not from the pews facing the altar, but from behind the altar facing Ponce’s projected installation of light and images on fabric. And because of the element of improvisation that comes with such a piece, it guarantees no performance will be the same as the one before it.

“If you are inspired by the process I invite you to leave your eyes and ears open as you explore these intermodal spaces,” says Ponce. “And if instead you prefer to let your ears alone guide your journey, I know you will be in excellent company.”

PROJECT [BLANK] will perform Triadic Memories on Friday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, May 25 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20-$40 at projectblanksd.org.

MISSION VALLEY

SUCK IT UP There is certainly an art to eating crayfish (aka crawfish, crawdads, mudbug, etc.), but even novices will likely find a morethan-suitable teacher at the annual LSU Alumni of San Diego Crawfish Boil. Now in its 31st year, the feast is for anyone who’s interested in authentic New Orleans-style cuisine with pounds and pounds of yummy crawfish—flown in directly from Louisiana and prepared by Cajun chefs— served all day. In addition to the red buggers, there will also be other Cajun food options as well as music from bands such as Cowboy Mouth, Euphoria Brass Band and Theo & Zydeco Patrol. It all happens Sunday, May 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the old Chargers’ Practice Field at SDCCU Stadium (9449 Friars Road). Tickets range from $14 to $665 for a table for ten at lsusandiego.org.

JOHN HANCOCK

COURTESY OF THE MARITIME MUSEUM

The Video Contingency at Porto Vista Hotel, 1835 Columbia St., Little Italy. Berlinbased curator Brunno Silver will be providing seminars, studio visits, and exhibitions examining how video art has altered the art production landscape. From 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 22 through Wednesday, July 10. Free. 1805gallery.com HPaolo Zuñiga: Lacustrine at Visual Arts Facility, UC San Diego, 252 Russell Lane, La Jolla. The local artist will debut his thesis film, an observational portrait of landscape that does not fit into the confinements of a comprehensible chronology or elaborate arcs. From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 23.

Free. visarts.ucsd.edu All Things Good at Bluefoot Bar, 3404 30th St., North Park. Thumbprint Gallery presents group art exhibition featuring Anahi Rodriguez, Hex-Ink, Kathleen McLaughlin, Mark Cahill, Rick Bramhall, Wesley the Creator and Zahra Hooshyar, with music by DJ Hevrok. From 7 p.m. to midnight. Thursday, May 23. Free. thumbprintgallery.com Empowered Art Show at Gossip Grill, 1220 University Ave., University Heights.

The Empowered Art Society celebrates creativity, identity and collaboration with the work of local LGBTQ artists. Featuring D.J. Joey, live body-painting and live art.

From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, May 23. $5. facebook.com/thempoweredart HRaza Visions at Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. A concert, art show and artisan market to raise funds for the restoration of the Centro. Music performances include Cumbia Machin, Quinteto Caballero and Fabio Alejo. From 6 p.m. to midnight. Friday, May 24. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/ events/982812731913428

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

LSU Alumni of San Diego Crawfish Boil

Summer Kickoff Authors Fest at Barnes & Noble/Bookstar, 3150 Rosecrans Place, Point Loma. Guest authors will offer lively discussions on genres from fiction to health and young adult to biography. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Free.

619-225-0465, stores.barnesandnoble. com/store/1822 HLillian Faderman at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village.

Discussion over a buffet lunch with the internationally known scholar and six-time Lambda Literary Award winner. She’ll be reading her latest book, Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death. From 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 26. $22-$25. 619-236-5800, sandiego.librarymarket.com

COMEDY HSampson McCormick at Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. The award-winning black LGBTQ comedian and writer will perform his signature stand-up that emphasizes diversity and sharing the experiences of black LGBTQ people. At 8 p.m. Thursday, May 23. $20. ma4sd.com Inside Jokes at Thorn Brewing, 1745 National Ave., Barrio Logan. Thunderbar Comedy presents a new comedy series featuring both nationally recognized and up-and-coming comics. From 7 to 11 p.m.

Monday, May 27. Free. facebook.com/ thunderbarcomedy

DANCE

HAlong the Transect Line at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way., Oceanside. Artist Audrey Carver created circular mandalas by blending art and scientific data to represent different scientific inventories, first exhibited at Cabrillo National Monument in 2017. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 25. Free. oma-online.org

HJazz & Dance: Song of Songs at Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown. Performance of a love poem set to a score by jazz legend Charles McPherson and ensemble of ballet dancers. At 8 p.m.

Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26. $35-50.

619-294-7378, sandiegoballet.org

HMinis 2019 / A Group Show at Sparks Gallery, 630 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Annual exhibition featuring local artists presenting works fewer than 12 inches long, alongside a selection of studies and sketches and a silent auction. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Free. 619-6961416, sparksgallery.com

Neisha’s Dance & Music Academy: We Are The World at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. Students of Neisha’s Dance & Music Academy explore and embrace cultures from around the world in this annual all-school recital. 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26. $20-$28. sandiegotheatres.org

Bird Invasion at 4141 Garage Gallery, 4141 Alabama St., University Heights. An art show where artists are invited to create their favorite bird in their own unique style in hopes of filling the space with a bird invasion. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Free. garage4141.blogspot.com

BOOKS HClaire Legrand at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The national bestselling author will sign and discuss the second book in her Empirium Trilogy, Kingsbane. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 22. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HChelsea Clinton at UC San Diego Bookstore, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

The bestselling author of She Persisted will sign books along with Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo, journalist Lynn Sherr and Sally Ride Science co-founder Tam O’Shaughnessy. Tickets are required and a book must be purchased at the book store. At 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.

Prices vary. ucsandiegobookstore.com

Festival of the Sea

G. Brian Benson at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The award-winning actor and four-time Ironman triathlete will discuss and sign his new book, Habits for Success: Inspired Ideas to Help You Soar.

From 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23. Free. warwicks.com

H = CityBeat picks

FOOD & DRINK HHMS Surprise Ship Pub at Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. The famous Navy frigate Rose replica will transform into a lively waterfront pub with live music by the folk rock band, John Krause & The Goers. Part of the Martime Museum’s Festival of the Sea. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. $20. sdmaritime.org South Bay San Diego Culinary Tour at Old Town Transit Center, 4005 Taylor St., Old Town. On this guided tour, patrons will learn about organic coffee, take a tour through a farm, taste seasonal offerings, enjoy a farm-to-table lunch and sip on wine. From 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25. $110. 619-289-9802, may-southbay.eventbrite.com HEthnic Food Fair at House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, 2191 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park. Enjoy food and entertainment from more than 20 cultures at this annual culinary event. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 26. Free. sdhpr.org

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

MUSIC Stephanie Richards at Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The co-curator of the Festival of New Trumpet and Yamaha artist will perform new works by herself and collaborators.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.

Free-$15.50. musicweb.ucsd.edu HAlicia Villarreal at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The Latin-pop singer is known for traditional Mexican fare and her norteño and Latin pop fusion, along with bouncy rancheras and sanguine ballads.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23. $25$75. artcenter.org HTriadic Memories at St. James by-theSea Episcopal Church, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. The first concert from PROJECT [BLANK] will feature large-scale video and sound installations from Jason Ponce and a solo performance of composer Morton Feldman’s last work from pianist Brendan Nguyen. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 24 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25. $20-$40. projectblanksd.org

cert alongside bassist Rob Thorsen and pianist Joshua White. From 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday, May 24. $18-$25. 858-459-0831

with host Asia O’Hara. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 28. $42-$120. sandiegotheatres.org

HJazz at the Creek: “A New Groove” Memorial Day Summer Festival at Market Creek Plaza Amphitheater, 310 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. Entertainment ranging from jazz performances, spoken word, R&B, pop and funk from vocalists, bands, musicians and more. From 7 p.m. to midnight.

Friday, May 24 and 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. $35-$90.

858-650-3190, jazzatthecreeksd.com

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD

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, May 25. $25-$45. artcenter.org Passione, An Opera Concert at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Performance of classical and popular opera arias by soprano Anna Belaya and baritone Gerardo de la Torre, accompanied by pianist Elena Galitskaya.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25. $40. 858459-0831, ljcommunitycenter.org

Rachmaninoff and Beethoven at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The San Diego Symphony presents season finale concert featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, Sean Shepherd’s Melt and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 conducted by Cristian Macelaru.

At 8 p.m. Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25 and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26. $20$100. sandiegosymphony.org

Quartet Luminoso Concert at La Jolla Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla.

Chamber concert featuring works by Respighi, Kodály, Beethoven, Piazzolla and Kroemer performed on the violin, cello, clarinet and viola. At 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Free. lajollalibrary.org

Christopher Hollyday: The Music of Nat King Cole at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. The alto saxophonist will perform a jazz con-

HRuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 Tour at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter. All RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 queens strut and slay the stage

PERFORMANCE

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

HJaz Coleman: Off on a Tangent at Vinyl Junkies Record Shack, 2235 Fern St., South Park. A spoken word performance from Killing joke’s iconic frontman where the audience decides the agenda. From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25. $15. casbahmusic.com

POLITICS & COMMUNITY HCandidate Forum San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1 at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center 140 East 12th St., National City. Meet and ask questions of candidates running for the important County Board of Supervisors seat in 2020 including Nora Vargas, Rafael Castellanos and Sophia Rodriguez. Wednesday, May 29. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free. www.facebook.com/ EHCSanDiego

SPECIAL EVENTS HFestival of the Sea at Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego Bay. Come aboard the historic vessels of the Maritime Museum while enjoying the scenery, a fun-filled education zone, the ability to tour all Museum vessels and much more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 25 through Monday, May 27. Free-$18. sdmaritime.org Santee Street Fair and Craft Beer Festival at Riverview Parkway and Town

Center Parkway, Santee. Browse through over 300 food and vendor booths, art, local entertainment on two stages, carnival rides, an inflatable zone and more. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 25.

Free. 619-546-5390, santeechamber.com HSan Diego Leadership Alliance 2019 Fellows Fundraiser: Drag Show & Mixer at Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest.

Local drag queens will put on a show to celebrate diversity, highlight LGBTQ history and raise money for San Diego Leadership Alliance Institute. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 24. $30-$50. sdleadership.org/2019_fellows_fundraiser HThe Loma Club Fifth Anniversary Party at The Loma Club, 2960 Truxtun Road, Point Loma. The casual golf club and course will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a clubhouse party that will include drinks and food specials, as well as live musical performances from Fish & the Seaweeds. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 24. Free. 619-222-4653, thelomaclub.com Butterfly Release at Zoro Garden, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. The Friends of Balboa Park annual event will feature four butterfly releases taking place throughout the day. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Free. friendsofbalboapark.org American Heritage Car Show at Grape Day Park, 321 N. Broadway, Escondido. A display of pre-1974 domestic and imported vintage, classic, hot rod and muscle cars.

Plus an awards ceremony, pancake breakfast, beer garden, vendors and more. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 25. $25.

760-839-4691, escondido.org HArts & Amps at Karl Strauss Tasting Room & Beer Garden, 5985 Santa Fe St., Pacific Beach. The beer-heavy event includes live music from Little Hurricane and Wild Wild Wets, as well as a gallery

art show from Creative Souls on the West Coast and Collin Worrel Photography.

From 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Free. karlstrauss.com HRun to End Youth Homelessness at Liberty Station NTC Park, 2455 Cushing Road, Liberty Station. Nonprofit organization Urban Street Angels hosts the second annual 5K to raise support for its mission of ending youth homelessness via transitional housing and work programs.

From 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 25. $10-$20. urbanstreetangels.org Vista Strawberry Festival at Vista Chamber of Commerce, 127 Main St., Vista. Live entertainment, local craft brews, food from 400 vendors, carnival rides, and contests will be at San Diego County’s only celebration of the strawberry. From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 26. Free. vistastrawberryfest.com HSan Diego Crawfish Boil at Chargers Old Practice Field, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. The 31st annual Cajun food fest features all-you-can-eat crawfish, as well as beer, dancing and live music from Cowboy Park, Theo & Zydeco Patrol and Euphoria Brass Band. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 24. $14-$665. lsusandiego.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HBorder Region Press Freedom at The FRONT Arte Cultura, 147 W. San Ysidro Blvd., San Ysidro. In support of World Press Freedom Day, the fundamental principles of press freedom will be celebrated with panel discussions from journalists and live music and performances.

From 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 25.

Free. radioaxiom.com

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THEATER These gods must be crazy

JIM COX

K

en Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy does not require its audience to have any previous knowledge of Greek mythology. They need only have a sense of humor and an affinity for farce that, from the very outset, swings for the fences.

The gods in Ludwig’s world-premiere comedy at the Old Globe Theatre are Dionysus, the god of comedy (Brad Oscar, seen last year in La Jolla Playhouse’s The Squirrels) and Thalia, the muse of comedy (Jessie Cannizzaro). The two are inadvertently summoned from Mount Olympus to the modern day by Daphne (Shay Vawn), a frazzled young academic who is wearing a magical necklace given to her by a street vendor while abroad. Frolicking and cracking wise like a seasoned vaudeville duo, the gods are there to help poor Daphne recover a priceless ancient manuscript she has misplaced.

That’s the tension of the play, such as it is, but it serves as the pretext for Ludwig’s broadly conceived characters to cut up, quip, mistake identities and make frantic entrances and exits from the stage. Devotees of Ludwig’s wackier comedies, such as Lend Me A Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo, will be right at home with this new show. So will Old Globe patrons who recall Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery and Robin Hood! ������������������� in previous engagements at the Balboa Park theater.

Predictably, Oscar and Cannizzaro walk away with The Gods of Comedy, emboldened by the go-for-broke script and some clever stage effects that allow them and George Psomas (playing the armored, uber-macho god Ares) to show off their powers. But the supporting cast, directed

by Amanda Dehnert, holds its own. The petite Vawn is thoroughly charming. Jevon McFerrin nimbly affects ex-

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Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. $30 and up; theoldglobe. org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Significant Other: A gay man in New York City begins to question his capacity to be loved after his friends all begin to get married. Written by Joshua Harmon, it opens in previews May 23 at the Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. diversionary.org Little Shop of Horrors: The classic comedic musical about a nerdy flower shop employee who develops a bizarre relationship with a talking carnivorous plant. Directed by Alan Menken, it opens in previews May 24 at the New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org

The Gods of Comedy asperation as the professor who first discovers the valuable manuscript (Euripides’ lost tragedy of Andromeda).

Steffanie Leigh and Keira Naughton shine as well, playing a vamping film actress and a donation-hungry college dean, respectively.

As is customary at the Globe, the sets are gorgeous, with Jason Sherwood designing the stage here. The autumnal playground created onstage is evocative of a prestigious eastern college that allows the visiting gods, and those in their sphere, to provide two hours of familiar but enchanting entertainment.

The Gods of Comedy runs through June 16 at the Old

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Stephen Sondheim’s dark musical about a vengeful barber who begins to kill customers. Directed by Manny Bejarano, it opens May 24 at the OB Playhouse & Theatre Co. in Ocean Beach. obtheatrecompany.com Fiddler on the Roof: The Broadway revival production of the acclaimed musical about a Jewish milkman whose newly married daughters are moving further away from traditional values. Presented

by Broadway San Diego, it opens May 28 at the San Diego Civic Theatre in the Gaslamp. broadwaysd.com A Walk in the Woods: Lee Blessing’s humorous drama about two arms negotiators—one from the U.S. and one from the Soviet Union— who meet to informally discuss relations between their respective countries. Directed by Richard Baird, it opens May 29 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

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ADAM KAZ /ISTOCKPHOTO

CULTURE | GAMING

buzz of chatter fills the room as the Super Smash Bros. tournament hits its stride. Screens line both walls, each occupied by two people locked in battle and surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, waiting for their turn. With a quiet intensity, the gamers grip their controllers, eyes intently glued to the screen. The glow of the monitors lights their faces as they brag and grumble, celebrating the highs and lamenting the lows of the match.

For the few minutes of play, the video game enthusiasts in this room are lost to the world, engrossed in the reality of their competition.

At GameSync Gaming Center in Kearny Mesa, 50 to 80 people gather on a weekly basis to compete against each other in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. GameSync is a LAN center, a place with high-speed internet typically used for multiplayer gaming. The competition, called Sync or Swim, is broadcast on the video streaming platform Twitch, and the winner walks away with around $120.

Samuel Glick, who is part of San Diego Smash Ultimate Community, has been running this tournament since December of 2018 when the game was released.

“A lot of people come here as regulars, almost every week.

We get to know each other, even if not on a real name basis— we remember each other by [our] gamertags. I recognize at least half the people, if not more,” says Glick, who goes by the gamertag, “Charger.”

“We have connected with nearly all of the eSports teams and clubs in the county. Our game center hosts practices or ‘scrims’ as well as competitions with other schools,” says Agragati Siegel, who founded GameSync in 2012. “We also have experts available for training sessions and our tournaments offer cash prize pools for competitors, which incentivizes gamers to practice at their craft.”

The San Diego eSports scene is just a small part of the growing popularity of eSports in the U.S. According to Newzoo, a gaming and eSports analytics company, the market revenue of eSports is set to exceed $1 billion in 2019. This is more than a 25 percent increase from 2018. ESports tournaments are selling out stadiums across the country, with almost 11 million people tuning in to watch the 2018 Over-

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watch League Grand Finals, according to Blizzard, a video with dexterity, making it more than just a game of the mind. game development company. Technology consulting firm Unlike most other sports, things like gender, age or size Activate estimates eSports will have the second most view- don’t determine a player’s ability to compete. There is a ers of any sport in the U.S. by 2021. sense of equality, where any person has an equal chance to Even colleges and universities are beginning to put to- be able to perform. With professionals ranging in age from gether completive eSports teams. Institutions such as UC 14 to 55, it’s also one of the most age-inclusive sports in the Irvine have even begun offering scholarships to its top play- world. ers. At UC San Diego, the Triton Gaming organization has Kaitlyn Huynh, the head of Triton Gaming’s Overwatch Dicompeted in games like Overwatch, battling other schools at vision, has been gaming since she was young and won $10,000 national tournaments for scholarships and glory. in scholarship from an Overwatch tournament. She says she Khanh Phan, current vice president of Triton Gaming, seeks to eliminate the idea that eSports aren’t real sports. was first drawn to eSports because of the team aspect and “ESports is part of this progression into becoming a more because his game of choice, Heroes of the Storm, had a col- technology driven generation. I want people who haven’t legiate tournament that promised been exposed to gaming to know MARLEE DRAKE to pay three years of tuition, up to this is something becoming serious $25,000, for the winning team. and professional,” Huynh says.

“Triton Gaming is a professional, However, gender inclusivity concompetitive and social organizatinues to be an issue within the eStion. We’re professional when we’re ports world. Huynh has faced harassworking with eSports companies ment from male players both within and the like, competitive when comthe in-game voice chat and in-perpeting across the nation, and social son at tournaments. because we’re able to be as much of “I’m glad there is an upward trend a family as possible,” Phan says. of more women being involved, but Organizing practices for teams there are instances of toxic mascuwith diverse student schedules can linity that we have to pay attention prove difficult, especially since Trito and work on ways to eliminate it.

Players at GameSync It’s unfair,” Huynh says. ton Gaming currently does not have their own on-campus space. According to Siegel, the college At GameSync, as the tournament draws to a close, every eSports scene is expanding and looking to support their player lingers around the room. Even after elimination, the teams with better facilities. room is just as packed at the end as when the tournament be“UCSD contacted me last year to explore setting up a fa- gan. They watch the different screens, rooting for the friends cility on campus, and I’ve also heard from other schools. It’s they wouldn’t have made without gaming. just a matter of time before we see this on every major colSan Diego eSports is still in its early stages, but as the inlege campus,” Siegel says. dustry continues to rapidly grow, the future is one of great Even with the rise of popularity of eSports in the U.S., potential, as it continues to create new communities globally. many still question its legitimacy as a sport. While it isn’t “The reason I’m still so drawn to it is the diversity of the most physical of events, it holds the same weight of games,” Huynh says. “They give you different experiences competition as other professional sports, with players you can’t really have in real life. Video games give multiple dedicating their lives to training. It combines strategic skill perspectives that real life can’t.”

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Dream weaver

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Bi Gan spins a formally audacious epic out of surreal memories

by Glenn Heath Jr.

L

ies can often have lives of their own. They can come before. Long Day’s Journey Into Night uses Lou’s move from mouth to mouth like an airborne distrusting recollections to show how cinema contorts virus, instilling doubt and deflecting truth. the past and shapes the future.

This fragmented approach shifts dramatically at Sometimes, they gradually evolve into something that exists between perception and reality. This holds true the halfway point, when Lou falls asleep inside a porwhether uttered in the real world or inside the narra- no theater and awakens in a 3-D world (unfortunately San Diego audiences will experience this segment in tive of a film.

Bi Gan is obsessed with lies. The talented young 2D). Bi tracks Lou’s movements from inside of a minChinese filmmaker, who turns 30 in early June, has ing shaft, all the way out into the rural city below, with already made a splash on the international festival a single 55-minute long take that quite literally defies circuit with two of the most audacious and tempo- gravity.

During the first sequence of this ambitious camera rally fluid films in recent memory. His 2015 debut, Kaili Blues, creates a web of surreal sequences out of shot, Lou encounters a 12-year-old Ping-Pong enthuone determined doctor’s dreamlike quest to locate his siast who speaks in ghostly riddles. “Don’t open my missing nephew. Moving effortlessly between past wounds,” the boy says, verbalizing Bi’s ongoing confrontation with the visions many and present, Bi provides markers of his characters so thoroughly in the form of repeating objects try to repress. and sayings, the equivalent of LONG DAY’S Long Day’s Journey Into Night an iconographic road map for a JOURNEY INTO (opening Friday, May 24, at drowsy film immersed in regret.

Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas) If Kaili Blues hints at noir NIGHT calls attention to the fact that elements hiding beneath the Directed by Bi Gan the medium of cinema is consurface, Bi’s brilliant follow-up, Starring Jue Huang and Tang Wei structed on the audiences’ abilLong Day’s Journey Into Night, Not Rated ity to suspend disbelief. The splashes them across the screen final long take roams through a in cavernous interiors and vivid sandbox of potential spaces and neon hues, ceaselessly dripping water. The central narrative once again involves characters that contradict and challenge what’s come a search; Hongwu Luo (Jue Huang) sets out to track before. Lou experiences them all very much like the down the man responsible for killing his friend Wild- narrative of a video game.

In this new world, anything is possible—magic spells cat. Bi’s love of gritty nicknames (a pivotal character in Kaili Blues is called Pisshead) is just one motif that spin houses and characters drift through the air like birds. Bi’s logic goes something like this: If millions of deepens the film’s mood.

For the first hour, Luo takes on the role of an af- people are willing to embrace the visual lies of superflicted detective searching both his past thoughts and heroes flying through the air, then they should afford the scarred buildings of Kaili itself, a city in the Gu- the same to a burdened drifter and a lovesick gun moll.

At one point, Lou compares the act of kissing a zhou province of southeastern China with uniquely subtropical weather. He keeps encountering a myste- woman to “being in a dream,” and for Bi, filmmakrious woman named Kaizhen (Tang Wei), who may or ing is a way to reconstruct those dreams and stories may not be the girlfriend of the very man he’s trying with ultimate freedom. Instead of positioning lies as a to kill. She could also be Lou’s former lover, the physi- destructive force, he sees them as natural conduits to the prickly truth permanently buried within our restcal manifestation of his own trauma.

It’s never entirely clear, and that’s because Bi is less subconscious. much more interested in symbolism and feeling than traditional narrative logic. In a way, every lush image Film reviews run weekly. and spectral awakening is defined by the lies that have Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

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CULTURE | FILM

Meeting Gorbachev

The final thaw

I

t’s hard to imagine Werner Herzog being a fanboy of anything, but Meeting Gorbachev proves he is more than capable of hero worship. In his latest documentary, the revered German director spends an afternoon with the influential Soviet politician whose reformist policies brought an end to the Cold War. Archival footage and additional talking heads interviews complement the intimate sit down conversation, helping express why Mikhail Gorbachev was such a pivotal figure in 20th century global relations.

Early segments of Meeting Gorbachev clumsily trace his formidable years growing up under Stalin’s reign. Extreme famine, political oppression and rural economics shaped Gorbachev’s understanding of governmental mechanisms.

Herzog becomes more focused once he gets to the 1970s and early 1980s, a period very close to the director’s heart. Having grown up in post-WWII Munich, he experienced the impact that Communist rule had on his divided homeland.

Reunifying Germany was one of Gorbachev’s crowning achievements as General Secretary between 1985 and 1991, which is why Herzog and so many Germans who lived through that time revere him like a saint. Ambitious nationwide governmental policies like Perestroika and Glasnost furthered Gorbachev’s progressive legacy, as did his quest for nuclear disarmament.

Herzog’s fondness for his subject infuses Meeting Gorbachev with traces of sentiment and nostalgia. Still, this doesn’t detract from the sting of monumental tragedies and institutional failures that occurred during Gorbachev’s tenure. The explosion and nuclear fallout at Chernobyl, for one, still causes him (now 88), to pause with regret and trepidation.

As do memories of late 1991 when the Soviet Union officially dissolved and Gorbachev was forced to resign after being politically exiled by opportunists on both sides of the power struggle (eventual President

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Boris Yeltsin being the worst).

Director and subject dance around naming the real villain of Meeting Gorbachev (opening Friday, May 24, at the Ken Cinema), the one who would eventually fill the Russian power vacuum left by the Soviet collapse. Fittingly, Putin only shows up once in the film—at Gorbachev’s beloved wife’s funeral.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Aladdin: A live-action remake of the 1994 Disney animated film with Will Smith taking over from the late Robin Williams as the blue genie who grants a young man three wishes. Opens Friday, May 24, in wide release.

Babylon: Franco Russo’s 1980 film depicts the hardships and challenges faced by Black youths in London. Opens Friday, May 24, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Booksmart: Having spent their entire high school career studying to ensure college admission, two graduating seniors party hard on the last night of school. Directed

by Olivia Wilde. Opens Friday, May 24, in wide release.

Brightburn: The Superman story gets a darkly sinister revision in this horror film about an alien child who crash lands on earth and grows up to be anything but heroic. Opens Friday, May 24, in wide release.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night: In Bi Gan’s surreal drama, a man drifts through a Chinese city looking to enact revenge on the man that killed his friend. Opens Friday, May 24, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

Meeting Gorbachev: Werner Herzog’s latest doc is a feature length interview with Mikhail Gorbachev, the Russian politician whose progressive policies led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Opens Friday, May 24, at the Ken Cinema.

Photograph: Set in Mumbai, Ritesh Batra’s drama follows a street photographer who convinces a stranger to pose as his fiancé after getting pressure by family to get married. Opens Friday, May 24, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

Yo no Me Llamo Rubén Blades: This doc covers the life and performance career of musician and actor Rubén Blades, whose work has greatly influenced Latin American music. Opens Friday, May 24, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

ALEX COBIAN

MUSIC

or anyone who’s ever wondered what growing up and living in Oceanside is like, it’d be difficult to find a better window into that life than rapper Dezzy Hollow’s latest album, Fireside.

The 16-track effort plays out like a hiphop opera, with G-funk bass and trap drums setting a meditative mood as Dezzy weaves stories about his upbringing in the coastal city’s San Luis Rey neighborhood, located just south of Camp Pendleton. The album is by turns stark and celebratory, psychedelic and haunting, with tracks full of local slang and spoken word skits laying out real-life scenarios experienced by him and his friends.

Even Dezzy’s mom makes an appearance.

On one interlude, she warns him to stay away from Fireside Park, the public park from which the album gets its name. It’s where kids played basketball but also got into trouble when Dezzy was a teenager in the mid-2000s.

“You had kids that go there just to hoop, and then you have people there that drink, smoke and do other things,” recalls the 26-year-old MC, born Andrew Vandereb.

“For me, it was a challenge of staying focused, on top of what I wanted to do.”

Dezzy was born and raised in Oceanside, one of four kids in a family with roots in Mexico and the Pacific Islands. His dad is disabled and his mom is a nurse, and she kept a close watch over him as he struggled to balance his passion for high school athletics and music with the lure of gangs and neighborhood drama. “Every time I’m in the street / It’s like trouble comes for me,” Dezzy raps in “Rude,” a tense ballad that describes an incident where he and his brother were attacked by an unnamed posse of assailants.

Sitting down at a coffee shop to chat with CityBeat, Dezzy is clean-cut and polite, almost shy. But with his humility comes savvy and ambition. He released Fireside on his own MadStrange imprint in collaboration

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

with San Francisco-based distribution company EMPIRE. Since dropping the album in February, he’s been rolling out a set of stylish music videos for several tracks off the album.

“People get over songs like this,” he says, snapping his fingers. “I have to keep putting out content. Just doing live shows all the time is cool, but if people can’t go on their phone and see you, what’s the point?”

Dezzy’s music is steeped in local references and slang, and its rootedness has seemed to help him as he’s vaulted to stunning levels of viral success. He got his start in high school, gaining some local buzz with a series of mixtapes. Then he attracted the attention of celebrated San Diego rapper Mitchy Slick when he dropped the video for his song “O.E.” in 2016.

“I have been listening to Mitchy since I was a kid. I was really, really into his music.

So when he reposted me, it was crazy. After that, he reached out and then he came to our shop in Oceanside,” says Dezzy, referring to the MadStrange shop, where he sells clothing and accessories. “Next thing you know, we were making songs.”

Since then, “O.E.” has garnered 1.4 million views on YouTube and 1.3 million Spotify streams, and the two artists have worked on multiple tracks together. Mitchy delivers the introduction on Dezzy’s even more popular 2017 single “EBT Boi.” On it, Dezzy spits raps about welfare benefits and stick-up kids, sounding confident but weary as he muses on the trappings of poverty and the volatile means in which people try to break out of it.

The video—which currently has 3.3 million views on YouTube—offers a beautiful tour of the neighborhood, cutting from the Oceanside Pier to bus stops and bakeries. But violence also lurks around the corners: In some shots, Dezzy wears a T-shirt bearing the face of his friend Justin Nonu, an Oceanside High School football star killed in a shooting in 2011. In a music industry increasingly de-

Dezzy Hollow fined by algorithms, an honest portrayal like this clearly resonated with listeners.

“All I was trying to do is paint a picture of Oceanside culture, and it took off for me,” Dezzy says. “A lot of people ask me, ‘what is the formula to get that song so big?’ Bro, before it hit a million, there was no money put into promotion. Nothing. We just put the video out.”

Dezzy brings that same level of truth to Fireside. Many of the songs revolve around what was going down at Fireside Park and the adjoining streets when Dezzy was a teenager. In the interlude skit featuring his mom, Dezzy argues with her about whether he should go hang out there one night. “Wait a minute, where are you going?” she says as Dezzy’s about to walk out the door. “I told

you I don’t want you at that park.”

“That’s one of my favorite skits because it’s one of the most realistic ones, for sure.

It just brings back a lot of memories,” Dezzy says. “That’s really how she was towards me.

She was really protective, as moms should be.”

The family ended up leaving the Fireside area, but Dezzy still lives in Oceanside today.

Naturally, he’s got his sights set on more distant horizons: He’s currently planning a tour that will take him up and down the West Coast, and he wants to eventually tour Europe. Still, in the end, he says he will always find his way back to O’side.

“I plan to retire in Oceanside,” he says.

“I want to travel the world of course. But I think Oceanside is home, for sure.”

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MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

BY RYAN BRADFORD

MUSIC

BLACK

Wax over facts

ALFRED HOWARD

GOLD

D

onald Trump is President of the United States of America.

I know this has been the reality for a couple years now. I’ve accepted that I’m not in a coma, dreaming this up. I’ve never been that imaginative. But still, occasionally, I utter that leadoff sentence to myself and the words still sound foreign and unnatural. Cormorant Village, Minnesota had a dog mayor and that never fazed me, but this is different.

I remember the shock of Nov. 9, 2016, walking around in an unsure malaise, feeling lost regarding how to be or what to do.

I went to buy an apple at the grocery store and I ended up just staring at all the different apple options for about 30 minutes.

Shocking as that day was, I had a couple of clues leading up to it. I remember looking through a record collection in the summer of 2016. The owner had been living in the type of rare squalor that made my life seem acceptable. He had been removed from his home and placed in hospice care, but his sister had come into town to clear out his apartment. She was overwhelmed and I swooped in to sort through the wreckage of records, which she was offering at prices that matched my frugality.

We were having a pleasant conversation while I checked the condition of the records but as I gathered up a pile, she nonchalantly mentioned that Hillary Clinton had murdered someone in Colorado. I tried my best to cage my skepticism, but I have no control over the actions of my face. She picked up on this and said, “You can look it up on the internet.”

I wanted to say, “Yeah, you can look up rainbow owls and ferrets with wings on the internet, but that doesn’t make them real.”

But I could see my left-leaning stance bal-

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

looning the price of The Beatles box set in my hands.

In the fall, I read an article in The Washington Post titled, “Finally. Someone Who Thinks Like Me,” about a woman Trump supporter in Pennsylvania. It reminded me of every Greyhound bus I’d ever taken from San Diego to New Jersey (my fear of flying

“Shinin’ in the Light” by Phoenix Sonshine and the location of my family prompted several of these trips). Something was happening in America.

Last week, I was sorting through some records in a storage unit in East County when the owner of the unit broke his silence.

“Have you ever prayed so hard that someone interrupted you and you wanted to beat the hell out of them for doing so, but you know that’s not the way?” he asked.

I had to think about this one for a little bit, or at least pretend to shuffle through my experiences for an answer. The last time I prayed at all was to receive a Voltron for Christmas in 1984. Even then, I prayed neither softer nor harder than usual. I began

to wonder what direction this previouslynormal conversation was veering toward.

“I wish my lady’s kids were more like Ivanka Trump” he said.

There’s no appropriate response for me in this scenario. Any sardonic retort could only inflate the price of these records that I didn’t necessarily want to buy in the first place. But some purchases are obligatory— a way to guarantee they’ll call you when they have more records to sell. Once you’ve dragged someone out to their storage unit on their day off only to say, “I don’t want your chud,” you don’t get a follow-up call next time they have records.

But I digress. The best way to preserve that low-low pricing was to nod, smile and agree until cash was exchanged. Politeness has often made my ears a punching bag for long-winded pugilists with lead-fisted sentences. I daydream, drift in and out of consciousness and harvest the key lines in case a more detailed response is needed.

This seller mentioned that if he were in Vegas during the terrorist shooting, he would have likely been able to take 4 bullets to the head and several to the chest and stop the shooter thanks to Jesus. Cool, but will you take $12 for this stack of records?

The world that I once knew has gone crazy as it struggles to respond to itself. Overwhelmed by technology, stressed and pulled from every angle, it’s a wonder it’s taken this long for the elastic of our beings to snap. I’m mostly trying to have a good soundtrack as I watch it all play out from the antisocial safety of my home. And in the end, I bought a huge stack of records for $12, 98 percent of which would be better utilized for target practice than anything else.

But there were a couple unexpected gems. Phoenix Sonshine was an interesting ’70s Christian psych record. Some songs were more interesting than others, but the track “He Died” was something special.

It began with racing acoustic guitars that reached an eastern frenzy before dropping into a percussive groove reminiscent of mid’60s Donovan. And to quote The Doobie Brothers, Jesus is just alright with me.

Black Gold appears every other week.

Alfred Howard is always looking for vinyl and stories, and can be contacted at blackgoldsandiego@gmail.com.

THE

SPOTLIGHT COURTESY OF EPITAPH RECORDS

T

Refused

here’s nary a hardcore kid—or any self-respecting punk, for that matter—who doesn’t cite Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come as one of the most influential albums of all time. I remember being a teen and first hearing the transition from jazz to hardcore back to jazz in “The Deadly Rhythm” and thinking, this changes everything. The 1998 album was jaw-dropping, unprecedented and far more ambitious than any of the other punk I was listening to at the time.

However, with age comes wisdom, which isn’t to say that The Shape of Punk to Come doesn’t deserve its reputation—only that it’s easier to see the seams now. For instance, I can’t be the only one to think that perhaps the band maybe reached too far while trying to stretch the boundaries of punk (those techno breakdowns sound incredibly silly today). And what I thought was ambition now sounds a little closer to indulgence. Let’s also not forget the basic Socialism 101 diatribes sprinkled throughout the lyrics.

But... goddamn, the album still fucking rules. Even if the album isn’t as smart as it pretends to be, there will never be songs as fierce as “New Noise” or “The Shape of Punk to Come.” I’ve seen them live twice since they reunited in 2012 and when they perform the classics, it's earth-shattering.

I’m also a fan of The Hives, who crank up the hubris to levels that would be annoying if they also weren’t so good live.

Refused and The Hives play Wednesday, May 29 at The Observatory.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

IF I WERE U

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

Our picks for the week’s top shows

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22

PLAN A: Candace, Sweetie Darling, Brushed @ Whistle Stop. Portland trio Candace craft gorgeous, lo-fi songs that walk the line between psychedelic folk and surrealist shoegaze. The band describes it as “witchgaze,” which is more than apt. PLAN B: Dead Boys, Forest Grove, Modern Love.

The Dead Boys are behind one of the greatest punk anthems of all time (“Sonic Reducer”).

The only reason this show isn’t a Plan A is because our web editor, Ryan Bradford, is on the bill with his band Forest Grove and we didn’t want to come across as too nepotistic. BACKUP PLAN: Inspired & the Sleep, WYO, Capyac @ Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, MAY 23

PLAN A: Downtown Boys, Spirited Away @ Che Café Collective. The co-ed, multicultural punkers in Downtown Boys are critically lauded for a reason. They’re politically outspoken, tough as nails and even incorporate killer sax solos into their singalong anthems. PLAN B: Klaus Johann Grobe, Vinyl Williams @ Whistle Stop.

German can be a course language, but Swiss band Klaus Johann Grobe make it sound downright sexy with their clever mix of post-punk, Kraut-rock and synthy pop à la Plastic Bertrand. BACKUP PLAN: New Kids On The Block, Salt-N-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Tiffany, and Debbie Gibson @ Viejas Arena. So many nostalgic hits.

Why the hell not?

Proffit, Cryogeyser, Quali, Solv @ San Diego Content Partners.

SUNDAY, MAY 26

PLAN A: Inter Arma, Thantifaxath, Necrochamber @ SPACE. With their beastly vocals and menacing guitar work, Virginia metal band Inter Arma often gets lumped into the death metal genre. But the truth is that they’re so much more than that. It’s the sound of inhumanity. After all, their name is Latin for “in times of war.” BACKUP PLAN: Sunshine Jones, Chrysocolla, Abouáv @ The Quartyard.

MONDAY, MAY 27

PLAN A: Briana Marela, Giveaway, Language of Flowers @ Soda Bar. This is a great lineup from top-to-bottom. Seattle Briana Marela’s past releases were similar to that of Circuit de Yeux and Julianna Barwick at their most vulnerable. But her latest LP, Call It Love, is a playful, almost flirtatious synth-pop gem. Show up early for poet/visual artist Lora Mathis (Giveaway) and fellow artist John Christopher Harris (Language of Flowers). BACKUP PLAN: Anna Lunoe, Golden Features, SUMR CAMP @ Spin.

ELEANOR PETRY

FRIDAY, MAY 24

PLAN A: Negative Gemini, Jack Geary @ Che Café Collective. Hopefully regular readers caught our feature last week on Lindsey French, the L.A.-based artist behind Negative Gemini. Her 2018 EP is filled with desirous synth-pop that seems destined to be used in some climactic scene in a TV teen dramedy. PLAN B: The Damned @ House of Blues. The first-wave British punk band is still neat-neat-neat after 40 years. BACKUP PLAN: La Diabla, Cumbia Machin @ Centro Cultural de la Raza.

SATURDAY, MAY 25

PLAN A: Teen Daze @ The Loft @ UCSD. Jamison Isaak (aka Teen Daze) has been making what the kids used to call “intelligent dance music” for almost a decade. It’s spellbinding electronica that’s heavy on visuals and atmospherics, but often has a killer beat as well. His new LP, Bioluminescence, might be his most cerebral statement yet. PLAN B: Joy Again, Milly @ Che Café Collective. This Philly-based band plays an uptempo-style brand of slacker rock that should appeal to fans of Mac Demarco and even The Strokes. BACKUP PLAN: Justus

@SDCITYBEAT

Briana Marela

TUESDAY, MAY 28

PLAN A: Howe Gelb, David Huckfelt, Marie Haddad @ The Casbah. Howe Gelb is probably best known as the frontman of the criminally underrated alt-county band Giant Sand. His solo material is a bit more intimate, verging on spoken-word similar to later-day Leonard Cohen. PLAN B: If We Were Turtles, Buriedbutstillbreathing, Lost Dakota @ Soda Bar. El Paso’s If We Were Turtles classify themselves as math-rock, but their music is so much more rich and nuanced then the typical technocrats that usually make up the genre. Some of their songs sound downright poppy and have an epic beauty to them. BACKUP PLAN: Sacred Reich, Cloud Rat @ Brick

by Brick.

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Jonny Tarr Quartet (Casbah, 6/4), The Shane Shipley Band (BUT, 6/6), Avolution Fest After Party (Music Box, 6/8), Be Mine Phantom Valentine (Soda Bar, 6/18), Emo Night (Casbah, 6/21), No Exits (Soda Bar, 6/24), The Schizophonics (Casbah, 6/28), Chuck Ragan (BUT, 7/7), Paragraphs (BUT, 7/18), Birdy Bardot (Soda Bar, 7/19), Miles McKenna (HOB, 7/20), Don’t Stop Or We’ll Die (Soda Bar, 7/21), Drab Majesty (Music Box, 7/24), Black Sabbitch (Soda Bar, 7/27), A Midsummer Masquerade Ball: French Follies (Observatory, 7/27), Born of Osiris (HOB, 8/1), Lil Duval (HOB, 8/2), The Molly Ringwalds (HOB, 8/3), Weyes Blood (The Irenic, 8/7), Leonid & Friends (BUT, 8/8), The Paladins (BUT, 8/9), One Drop (BUT, 8/10), Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters (BUT, 8/11), Elway (Soda Bar, 8/12), Planet Booty (Soda Bar, 8/14), Khofa (HOB, 8/17), Super Diamond (BUT, 8/24), Tuxedo (Observatory, 8/24), Ms Nina (Soda Bar, 8/28), Olivia Gatwood (Casbah, 9/10), Hatchie (Soda Bar, 9/20), Blanco White (HOB, 9/24), Blackalicious (Casbah, 9/24), Bombay Bicycle Club (Observatory, 9/27), Girl in Red (HOB, 9/27), Still Woozy (Music Box, 9/30), Starset (HOB, 10/7), Immolation (Brick By Brick, 10/10), Little Hurricane (Music Box, 10/11), Tyler Childers (Observatory, 10/15), Ride (HOB, 10/15), Todrick (HOB, 10/22), The Adicts (HOB, 10/31), Angel Olsen (Observatory, 12/3).

ALL SOLD OUT Ocean Alley (Casbah, 5/23), The Lemonheads (Casbah, 5/25), The White Buffalo (BUT, 5/24-25), Jenny Lewis (HOB, 5/26), A R I Z O N A (HOB, 5/28), Dennis Quaid and The Sharks (BUT, 6/1), Connan Mockasin (Casbah, 6/3), Oh Sees (BUT, 6/14), Local Natives (Observatory, 6/19), John Hiatt (BUT, 6/25), Sticky Fingers (HOB, 6/30), The Struts (Observatory, 7/12), Billie Eilish (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 7/13), The Psychedelic Furs (Observatory, 8/6), Death Cab For Cutie (Observatory, 8/9-10), Jonas Brothers (Pechanga Arena, 10/7), Two Door Cinema Club (Observatory, 11/8).

CANCELLED Ozzy Osbourne (North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 7/23).

GET YER TICKETS Dead Boys (Casbah, 5/22), New Kids On The Block (Viejas Arena at SDSU, 5/23), FIDLAR (Observatory, 5/30), gnash (The Irenic, 5/31), Bryce Vine (Pechanga Arena, 5/31), Brad Paisley (North Island Credit Union Ampitheatre, 6/1), Jennifer Lopez (Pechanga Arena, 6/10), Toby Keith (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/14), Rebelution (North County Credit Union Amphitheatre, 6/15), Rob Thomas (Humphreys, 6/20), Khalid (Pechanga Arena, 6/23), Aly & AJ (Observatory, 6/25), Priests (Soda Bar, 6/26), Pouya (HOB, 7/23), Blink-182, Lil Wayne (North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 8/7), Carrie Underwood (Pechanga Arena, 9/10), The Who (Viejas Arena, 10/16), Judah & The Lion (Obser-

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

vatory, 10/17), Hozier (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10/26).

MAY WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 Dead Boys at The Casbah. Conflict at Soda Bar. Capyac at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, MAY 23 Downtown Boys at Ché Café Collective.

The Bright Light Social Hour at Soda Bar. Crime In Stereo at SPACE. New Kids On The Block at Viejas Arena at SDSU. The Exploited at House of Blues.

Alicia Villarreal at California Center for the Arts.

FRIDAY, MAY 24 Teenage Bottlerocket at The Casbah.

Minnesota at Music Box. The Damned at House of Blues. Wisin y Yandel at Viejas Arena at SDSU. Jesse & Joy at California Center for the Arts. Little Feat at Humphreys. Cristian Macelaru at Copley Symphony Hall. Negative Gemini at Ché Café Collective. Mad Sin at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, MAY 25 Joy Again at Ché Café Collective. The Damned Things at Brick By Brick. Sloppy Seconds at Soda Bar. I Am Through Being Cool Fest ‘19 at The Irenic. Matisyahu at Music Box. Lee DeWyze at Humphrey’s. Cristian Macelaru at Copley Symphony Hall. Jaz Coleman at Vinyl Junkies Record Shack.

SUNDAY, MAY 26 The Steely Damned 2 at Music Box. Supersuckers at Soda Bar. Inter Arma at

SPACE. Sleep at Observatory North Park.

Cash’d Out at Belly Up Tavern. Cristian Macelaru at Copley Symphony Hall.

Booty Bassment at The Casbah.

MONDAY, MAY 27 Lion’s Law at SPACE. The Viles at Ché Café Collective. Briana Marela at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, MAY 28 Sacred Reich at Brick By Brick. Cloud Rat at Brick By Brick. Howe Gelb at The Casbah. Gadget at SPACE. Sylar at SOMA. If We Were Turtles at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 The Undertones at The Casbah. The Hives at Observatory North Park. Freddie McGregor at Belly Up Tavern. Elle King at House of Blues. THICK at Soda Bar. Radkey at Brick By Brick.

THURSDAY, MAY 30 Sego at Soda Bar. Helms Alee at The Casbah. Field Medic at Ché Café Collective. OrchidxMantis at Soda Bar. FIDLAR at Observatory North Park. Sights and Sages at Belly Up Tavern. Prong at Brick By Brick. The Specials at House of Blues.

FRIDAY, MAY 31 Justin Moore at Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Impending Doom at Brick By Brick.

Wear Your Wounds at The Casbah. BETAMAXX at Music Box. Bryce Vine at Pechanga Arena. Kidz Bop Kids at Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre. Royal Thunder at SPACE. Channel 93.3 Summer Kick Off at Pechanga Arena. Red Not Chili Peppers at Belly Up Tavern.

Branches at Soda Bar. George Benson at Humphreys. The Specials at House of Blues.

JUNE SATURDAY, JUNE 1 Knuckle Puck at Observatory North Park.

Brad Paisley at North Island Credit Union Ampitheatre. Esham at Brick By Brick.

Snarky Puppy at House of Blues. Dani Bell & The Tarantist at Soda Bar. Nikka Costa at Humphrey’s. The Creepy Creeps at The Casbah. Mariachi Divas at Music Box.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 Young Dubliners at Belly Up Tavern. JID at SOMA. Fonseca at House of Blues.

Full of Hell at Brick By Brick. Slow Caves at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, JUNE 3 Winnetka Bowling League at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 Toad the Wet Sprocket at Belly Up Tavern. Jonny Tarr Quartet at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 Spiral Stairs at Soda Bar. Toad the Wet Sprocket at Belly Up Tavern. Skints at The Casbah. Siddhartha at House Of Blues.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 The Wild Reeds at The Casbah. Father John Misty at Cal Coast Credit Union

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

@SDCITYBEAT

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 Open Air Theatre. Jackie Greene at Observatory North Park. Pleasure Fix at Soda Bar. CHALI 2NA & The House of Vibe at Music Box. The Shane Shipley Band at Belly Up Tavern.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: ‘Bringing Back Rock ‘N’ Roll’. Fri: Stay Sweet, ShineBox. Sat: SM Familia, Piracy Conspiracy. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Melapelus, Johan Malo.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘#HipHopWeds’.

Thu: ‘SUBdrip’. Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: ‘Hands & Knees’. Sun: John Penate. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’. Tue: ‘Kizomba Night’.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Sheng Wang. Fri: Nikki Glaser. Sat: Nikki Glaser. Sun: Nikki Glaser. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Delma, Berri Txarrat, Dark Globe, 22 Missiles. Fri: Lessons, Gray Weather. Sat: Archons, Nebula Drag, Bosswitch. Sun: The Red Clay Strays, Steal Your Kill. Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Dirty South. Sat: Mat Zo, Dillion Nathaniel. Sun: TJR, Rrotik.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Ron & the Reapers. Thu: DJ Dunekat. Fri: Still Ill, DJ Grimm. Sat: Fairplay, Color Til Monday, The Brain Ghost. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’.

@SDCITYBEAT

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Fri: Andy Harvey’s Dawgs Night Out. Sat: Sofa King Bueno.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Inspired and the Sleep, WYO, Capyac. Thu: The Dark Alley Dogs, Static on the Stereo, Punkture.

Fri: The White Buffalo (sold out). Sat: The White Buffalo (sold out). Sun: Cash’d Out, Nancarrow.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Sat: Dark Globe.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Disco Goth Nite’. Fri: ‘WE ARE YR FRIENDS’.

Sat: ‘I Am Through Being Cool Fest After Party’. Sun: The Talbott Brothers, Creature and the Woods. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’.

Tue: ‘Techit EASY’.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad.

Sat: Big Dude.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Sat: The Damned Things. Sun: Inter Arma. Tue: Sacred Reich.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: Dead Boys, Forest Grove, Modern Love. Thu: Ocean Alley, The Morning Yells. Fri: Teenage Bottlerockets, Nerf Herder, Tightwire. Sat: The Lemonheads, Restless Age (sold out). Sun: Booty Bassment. Tue: Howe Gelb, David Huckfelt, Marie Haddad.

Che Cafe, 1000 Scholars Drive S, La Jolla. Thu: Downtown Boys, Con∙tact, Spirited Away, Telarana. Fri: Negative Gemini, Jack Geary, Aaron Shadrow. Sat: Joy Again, Milly. Sun: Pointbreak, Lucia, Mad World, Headstone, Jumped In. Tue: Build-a-Band Showcase.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Practice moderation in all things this week, but particularly in forging cashier’s checks because you need to cool it until the FBI is off your trail.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22):

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You can be anyone you want to be, provided that the person you want to be just happens to be who you are right now.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Forgiveness is a gift that you give

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): It is important to protect the charmed relationships of your life: the mail carrier, the daddy long-legs in the corner of your bathroom and the guy at the dry cleaners.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): If you feel a sense

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You cannot continue to constantly delay the inevitable; there will eventually come a time when you have no choice but to learn how to fold a fitted sheet.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Most information is transmitted to you nonverbally, much like this horoscope.

That is, you can only properly understand it if you tear it into little pieces and eat it.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): This week, you will find all the answers you seek while falling into a hypnotic gaze and getting lost in the inanimate eyes of a sports mascot.

There are a few things that we can do: Try to make the world a little easier for everyone else or try to make the world a little harder for the people who deserve it.

yourself, much like surreptitiously buying something for yourself on the credit cards of people who have wronged you.

of unbalance this week, it may be a spiritual unbalance caused by the Earth metaphorically spinning off its axis. Or it could be an inner ear issue.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): You robustly adapt to the many

changes in your life much like a crocodile.

After all, the crocodile has never changed, not even a little, for a billion years and somehow it ended up working out fine.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Just because you can feel something

does not mean you can possess it. Much like the wind, it can’t be caught… Wait, I forgot that is the whole purpose of kites, sails, windmills, etc.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20):

If someone doesn’t like you then what can you do? Well you can cry, you can sabotage them professionally, or you can do both at once.

Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Fri: The Robin Henkel Band.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘TakeOver Thursdays’. Fri: Isaac B. Sat: Bar1ne. Sun: ‘Reggae Sundays’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Bootleg Kev. Sat: Wellman. Sun: Yella Breezy.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Patrick “BlueFrog” Ellis. Thu: The Exploited. Fri: The Damned. Sat: DSB. Sun: Jenny Lewis (sold out). Tue: A R I ZO N A (sold out).

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Josie Day. Thu: Cadillac Wreckers. Fri: Full Strength Funk Band. Sat: Platinum Vibe.

Sun: About Face. Mon: Sue Palmer. Tue: Michele Lundeen.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Sat: I Am Through Being Cool Fest.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Sat: Josta, Jesusdapnk, Nyto. Sun: ‘SD OG’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Mon: Open Mic. Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla.

Sat: Teen Daze.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Solo Jerry Gontang.

Thu: Jackson & Billy. Fri: Street Heart.

Sat: Ron’s Garage. Sun: JG Solo. Tue: 3 Guys Will Move U! Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Sampson McCormick.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: The Lucy Ring, Strange Ages,

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MAY 22, 2019

Reverie Noise. Fri: Evan Diamond & the Library, Bella Novela, Shoot the Glass.

Sun: Showstoppers Talent Contest. Mon: ‘Playground Monday Night Dance Party’.

Tue: Volorean, Total Recluse, The Ghost Dance.

Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Tue: Trivia.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Three Chord Justice. Fri: Bonneville 7. Sat: Blue Light. Sun: Tony Ortega Jazz Jam. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Thu: Digital Bath, Anesthesia, Woke Up Dead, Radd Company. Fri: Minnesota, StoiK, Shatterbrain. Sat: Matisyahu. Sun: The Steely Damned 2.

The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park.

Wed: Dunekat, Yo Colombo. Thu: ‘Dig Deeper’. Fri: ‘Facory’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’. Sun: Tribe of Kings. Mon: ‘Motown on Mondays’.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Diplo. Sat: Justin Caruso. Sun: Steve Aoki.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: ‘The Wednesday Jam Session’.

Thu: Steph Johnson Trio. Fri: Trio Gadjo, Claudia Gomez. Sun: ‘Funk Jam’.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: GEasy. Sat: Stafford Brothers.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Cadillac Wreckers.

Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Scott Mathias.

Sat: Blue Largo.

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Country Dance’. Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego’. Mon: ‘Manic Sunday’.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: ‘Mischief with Bianca’. Thu: ‘#LEZ’.

Fri: ‘Electro-POP!’. Sat: ‘Glamazon’.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’. Thu: The Spiritual Motels. Fri: Three Chord Justice. Sat: Tori Rose & the Hot Mess. Tue: ‘Everything & Anything Jam’.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: The Brothers Burns, DJ Redlite. Thu: DJ Dougie Frosh. Fri: Thump Juice. Sat: Rosa’s Cantina. Mon: ‘Jazz Jam’. Tue: Rosa’s Cantina.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: CONFLICT, The Linecutters, Therapy. Thu: The Bright Light Social Hour, SWIMM, King Shelter. Fri: Mad Sin, Stellar Corpses, The Strikers. Sat: Sloppy Seconds, Odd Robot, Se Vende. Sun: Supersuckers, Speedealer, Space Force.

Mon: Briana Marela, Giveaway, Language of Flowers. Tue: If We Were Turtles, Buriedbutstillbreathing, Lost Dakota.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Mainsail, Suburban Park, PVKE, Air Go, Glamour Waves. Tue: Sylar, Cane Hill, Varials, Ground Culture.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: Braggers, POOR, Full Blast Fun Boy. Thu: Crime in Stereo, Elder Brother, City Ghost. Fri: ‘Queer Club Night’. Sat: ‘Transmission - ‘80s New Wave Dance Night. Sun: Inter Arma. Mon: Lion’s Law, RUDE PRIDE, Midnight Track, Slaughter Boys. Tue: Cloud Rat, Gadget.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Dr. Fresch, Sinden. Sat: ‘The JuiceBox’. Sun: Anna Lunoe, Golden Features, SUMR CAMP. 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: ‘HodgePodge Sessions’.

Sat: Novareign, Macrocosm. Sun: ‘PANTS! Karaoke’.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Hull & Deez. Thu: Corey Gray & Jake Coco. Fri: DJ Jwin. Sat: Kenny & Deez.

Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Tony P. Tue: Corey Gray & Jake Coco.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: The Jazz Pockets. Thu: The Rockin’ Aces.

Fri: Whiskey Ridge. Sat: Leonard & The Troubadour Spins. Sun: Cuband4ever.

Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa & Sensual Bachata’.

Tue: The Sea Monks.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: LOWER CLASS BRATS, Grade 2. Thu: The Drowns, Squarecrow, The Petty Saints, MIT. Fri: Toothless George, Hiroshima Mockingbirds. Sat: Noisem. Sun: Jollys, Fresh Brunettes, Slay Dean & the Oxen.

U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.

Thu: ‘BoomBox Thursdays’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: JuniorTheDiscoPunk. Sun: Cityside, The Gentle Giants, DJ Daddy.

Mon: ‘#31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Candace, Sweetie Darling, Brushed.

Thu: Vinyl Williams, Klaus Johann Grobe.

Fri: ‘Death by Dancing’. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’.

Tue: Dino Archie, Dallas S. Mclaughlin, Billy Bonnell, Diya Basrai, Myles Mag. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Thu: Cali the Dreamer, Nick Gray & Sogii Johnson, TheHalFreKan, ID the Poet, Lochness, Cypher. Fri: Shred is Dead. Sat: TV Broken 3rd Eye Open, Trouble in the Streets. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The Blonde Brothers.

@SDCITYBEAT

BY JACKIE BRYANT

IN THE BACK

CANNABITCH Mothers medicine

A

quick google search of “mommy wine T-shirts” reveals a seemingly infinite amount of tongue-in-cheek graphic tees, all dedicated to addressing the rigors of motherhood using liquor or wine.

Take a popular T-shirt with the phrase “mama needs some wine.” Now replace wine with “weed.” Suddenly, it seems instantly more edgy and off-color, right?

Personally, I don’t know many moms who would dare wear a shirt like that in public, even if it accurately describes how they feel or what they do behind closed doors.

Luckily, there’s a growing Instagram and IRL subculture dedicated to changing the stigma on moms who toke up.

Laura Watson, otherwise known as Queen Canna on Instagram (@queen_ canna_), lives with her husband and three daughters in Point Loma, where she operates her cannabis lifestyle brand from their apartment. A quick perusal of her feed shows a variety of posts centered on how cannabis use makes her a better mother, lover, friend, wife and, well, a better person in general.

“Being vocal about being a mom who

@SDCITYBEAT

uses cannabis is probably my biggest mission,” Laura tells me during an interview on her couch. We are sitting and passing a joint back and forth while her homeschooled daughter plays around the house.

“I want to get everybody to understand the benefits of cannabis. But I’m a woman. I’m a mother. So that’s probably a lot closer to what I really envision when I say I want everybody—I’m really thinking of women and mothers,” Watson explains.

“Because I know how much it’s changed the way I parent and feel. I’m not even the same person that I was [before I started using cannabis].

“I remember one day after I had started using, one of my daughters who was 11 at the time said, ‘You’re just a nicer mommy now!’ and who doesn’t want that?” she recalls.

As someone who has taken prescription medication for both depression and anxiety, I think Watson makes an excellent point.

Watson also explains that her children know what cannabis is and that they’re not allowed to have it until they are adults.

Another Point Loma mother, Whitney Benjamin, agrees. “I like to microdose on weekends when I am not driving but I am with the kids. We paint, dance and make

COURTESY OF LAURA WATSON

Laura Watson and her youngest daughter music videos. I’m a kinder and more patient mother with a little cannabis medicine,” she explains.

“I recently gave up alcohol because I feel terrible on it. I wish I could hit my vape pen at a party, in my backyard, wherever, and not be judged for it,” she says.

“My husband doesn’t like me smoking in front of the kids, and I respect that. But I also think it’s okay if you expose them to using a legal substance responsibly and over time.”

“We’re all humans trying to sort this new world [of legalization] out and my hope is that my children know that cannabis is a medicine first and foremost, and also a recreational enjoyment to be used responsibly,” she adds.

Benjamin has what she calls mommy meet-ups with other like-minded caregivers who believe that cannabis helps them be the best mothers they can be, allowing them to slow down and get on their kids’ levels.

Watson hasn’t yet found that community IRL—she’s still cultivating it mostly online. On my way out of her apartment, I mentioned I knew a nearby mom with lots of cannabis-using friends who might want to meet her. Within minutes, Watson, Benjamin and I were on a group text message, making introductions, talking weed and figuring out how to take the next step.

CannaBitch appears every other week.

Follow Jackie Bryant on Twitter at @jacqbryant.

MAY 22, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27