San Diego CityBeat • Jan 31, 2018

2 · San Diego CityBeat · January 31, 2018

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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Acknowledge their humanity

T

hroughout his time as mayor, and some people are allowed to receive food in even well before that, Kevin Faul- the park, but some people aren’t, then what coner has had a law-and-order ap- we’re essentially saying is that some people proach when it comes to dealing are more human than others. I know that with homelessness. That as long as we keep people like to say, ‘why don’t they try to do taking their stuff, throwing it in the garbage things that have more permanent, long lastand shooing away those who most need our ing effects, as opposed to just feeding a man help, then maybe, one day, they won’t come for a day?’ But when you have a statute like back. Maybe they’ll finally learn their les- this in place—when you’re saying that some son or get back on their feet; find a job, kick people are deserving of sharing food, that some people are considered our neighbors drugs and get the help they need.

This has been the logic for years despite and some people aren’t—then you’re setting the fact that it’s been proven time and time up a stigma and creating a different class of again that police sweeps of homeless com- citizens that we start to dehumanize. This munities do nothing but provide a proverbial means we’re going to be much less likely to band-aid to a wound that is already infected. pass more laws and put more resources into I found it ironic that just this past week- someone that we deem is apparently less imend, the Union-Tribune ran COURTESY OF MICHAEL MCCONNELL portant than other citizens.”

Things seem poised to a horrifying story about a get better. Just this week, homeless person (it’s not yet the council and the mayor been confirmed whether this celebrated the long overdue person was a man or a womcreation of a central Housan) who was almost crushed ing Navigation Center in to death when city workers downtown. But these recent threw their tent into a garpolicies came at too heavy of bage truck with that person still inside it. We see videos of these types of a cost, and it’s important to remember that sweeps regularly on the news and on social it wasn’t until the non-homeless public was media pages like Homeless News San Diego. at risk that the mayor decided to get serious One can only imagine if someone had been about addressing the problem.

With the city officially declaring an end around to capture this particular incident.

Unfortunately, this story was in the same to the hepatitis A outbreak this past week, paper as an ugly and one-sided column by it is up to us as citizens to keep the pressure Michael Smolens titled “Why You Shouldn’t on our elected representatives and especialFeed the Homeless in Public Parks.” Basical- ly our mayor. We have seen how a collective ly Smolens was playing devil’s advocate for mindset can change policy and make a difthe recent homeless feeding ban in El Cajon, ference. We must not revert back to an atattempting to apply the logic that indepen- titude of complacency or annoyance when it dent feedings only enable and encourage comes to our homeless brothers and sisters. people to remain homeless. He even went so We must always remind ourselves that these far as to propose that anti-feeding laws be people need our help. We should and must see and acknowledge their humanity before permanently enacted.

Here’s a newsflash, Michael: No one they’re in mortal danger, not after.

And this begins with our leader. So far wants to be homeless! And at a time when someone was almost crushed to death be- he has said nothing about the garbage truck cause of these uncaring and ineffective laws, incident. To not even acknowledge someone you want more laws to punish those who ac- who almost died one of the most horrific deaths imaginable—caused by an outdated tually care enough to help? GTFO! Last week, I talked to one of those people, and ineffectual policy of homeless sweeps Blair Overstreet, who was one of the Break for the sake of law and order—then, well, the Ban protestors arrested for feeding that is not acknowledging the humanity of homeless people in El Cajon’s Wells Park. I’ll our homeless community at all. To say nothing is essentially to say they are not even let her words speak for themselves: “I think it’s a slippery slope. If we cre- worthy of acknowledgment. ate a situation where we are saying that

—Seth Combs

This issue of CutyBeat thinks the Stait of the Uniom is stronge.

Volume 16 • Issue 24 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos

CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Rachel Michelle Fernandes, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Jen Lothspeich, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Kinsee Morlan, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Amy Wallen, Ian Ward

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JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

CAN’T BE BOTH

herself in the path of your bombastic contempt is the real question.

Surprised to see that the thoughtful Mr. Decker seems unaware that there is a distinct difference between atheism and agnosticism [“Should a believer date or marry an unbeliever?,” Jan. 24]. One is a declaration of certainty, the other an understanding of the unknowable.

John Whiteman Mission Hills

CULTIVATE SOME OPEN-MINDEDNESS

Kristen Faris, RN Del Mar

YES, WE’RE VERY PROUD Your columnist Alex Zaragoza has repeatedly and fully exposed herself as an anti-white racist and an anti-male sexist. She topped herself this last time by coming out against white women [“Why I’ve decided to stop marching in the Women’s March,” Jan. 24].

She seems a perfect fit for your Beat. You must be very proud.

Ed, no doubt your territorial closet tendencies combined with your corpulent, aging habitus make you a less-than-desirable potential partner [“Should a believer date or marry an unbeliever?,” Jan. 24]. Sadly, what makes you especially unlikely to attract a mate lies in your pomposity. Your assumption that any affection-worthy woman is entrenched in an antithetical spiritual milieu is nothing short of misogynistic. The fact that you are a proudly self-described “heck-ularist” belies an immaturity typical of middle school. Worse yet is your Trumpian need for homogeneity and intolerance of divergent belief systems. I consider myself decidedly secularist and am thoroughly repulsed by this pious bit of self-aggrandizement. Cultivate some open-mindedness, Mr. Decker. That anyone would willingly put

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

Marshall Mallory North Park

ON THE

COVER “Photographing Hilary and her bees is interesting to say the least,” says Cam Buker, who is the photographer behind this week’s cover shot. Buker is a freelance photojournalist based in San Diego.

His portfolio ranges from black and white portraits of young City Heights baseball players to snapshots of a family raising a daughter with Down syndrome. And then, of course there’s the photos he takes of local beekeeper Hilary Kearney. “I try my best to treat photographing bees the same as any other ‘normal’ photoshoot, except, I’m wearing a big white bee suit... with less visibility.” Readers can see more of his work at cambuker.com.

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.

UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Spin Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . . . . . . 7 Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Beerdist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 FEATURE: Local Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Seen Local. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

MUSIC FEATURE: Phoebe Bridgers . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . 22 About Last Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

LAST WORDS Advice Goddess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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NEWS | OPINION

HAM OF THE WEEK

Guess who’s back? Yes, instead of showing solidarity with the mayors of New Orleans, Los Angeles and Denver, Mayor Faulconer went to a meeting with President Trump regarding infrastructure while attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in D.C. The other mayors were protesting Trump’s threats to punish “sanctuary cities” but Faulconer’s office doubled down on Wednesday telling the U-T that “San Diego is not a sanctuary city and it never has been.”

By Torrey Bailey and Seth Combs

THE ISSUE: As this issue went to press, the President’s State of the Union speech was

just beginning and many local representatives in Congress are gearing up for a showdown over immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program [DACA].

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “Karen is a remarkable San Diegan who embodies the American mentality that if you work hard and play by the rules, then you will have an opportunity to prosper in this country… Outstanding contributors to society like Karen should not be forced out of our country, instead, they should be embraced and celebrated for making the United States a better place. A clear path forward for Dreamers must be Congress’ top priority before it is too late.”

—Rep. Scott Peters, on bringing local DACA recipient Karen Bahena as his guest to the State of the Union

Coming down the pipe Previews of the important or idiotic items possibly coming to a ballot or legislature near you.

“I continue to stand with the brave #DREAMers who represent the very best of our country. Thank you to Alliance San Diego for bringing these remarkable young people to my office & sharing their stories. I will keep fighting for you and our broader immigrant communities. #DACA” —Rep. Susan Davis, via Twitter “……”

—Rep. Duncan Hunter, whose 50th District stands to lose the most in gross domestic product should DACA recipients stop working according to the Center for American Progress.

OUR TAKE: The majority of voters want Congress to vote on a clean DACA bill, and the

vast majority of the country supports the DREAMers and thinks they should be able to stay.

Hell, even most Republicans in Congress believe in DACA. Even GOP Rep. Darrell Issa recently introduced the DACA Compromise Act (HR 4873), which makes visas available to DACA participants who have been vetted by the Department of Homeland Security. So what’s the holdup? Simple: Trump and the GOP are holding the bill hostage to force the Democrats to give them hardline immigration reform, which would include money for Trump’s ineffectual border wall. Republicans are counting on Dems to cave again like they did when the government temporarily shut down, but Democrats must stand their ground and insist on a vote for a clean DACA bill. No more compromises. People’s lives hang in the balance.

This month Democratic Assemblymember Ian Calderon introduced AB 1884, aka the Straws Upon Request legislation, which would make it illegal for restaurant servers to provide straws unless a customer asks for one. The bill would only apply to sit-down restaurants and would not ban straws outright. Calderon hopes it will reduce plastic use, citing that Americans use 500 million single-use straws daily, many of which end up in landfills and eventually oceans. Calderon says after his proposal was sent to the state legislative rules committee, health and safety code penalties were automatically added to make a violation punishable by six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000 for dine-in restaurants.

The Verdict: Considering the overall state of our oceans, CityBeat thinks this bill is a no brainer, if not a wee bit harsh. Straws were the sixth most common item collected during California’s Coastal Cleanup Day between 1989 and 2014.

And some of those straws are getting stuck in the noses of sea turtles. Google that removal process and try not to think about it the next time a server offers a straw.

As far as the harsh punishment, Calderon later clarified that his intent is not to imprison restaurateurs, and amendments will adjust for appropriate penalization.

But that hasn’t stopped conservatives and climate change disbelievers from slinging statements that this is the “final straw” for liberal policies. *Cue eyeroll* Calderon’s bill only furthers a trend seen in San Diego where more than 100 restaurants have already voluntarily agreed to cut down on straw wastage, according to Snopes.com. Other cities in California, including Davis and San Luis Obispo, have already passed straws-upon-request ordinances as well.

NEWSY BITS All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week 1/25 BEST DAY EVER!

1/25

Hells bells! Trevor Hoffman voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Memo from City Attorney Mara Elliott reveals that other bike-sharing companies can operate in San Diego, not just Decobike.

FML

@SDCITYBEAT

Running on a “social equality and justice for all” platform inspired by the #MeToo movement, attorney and Air Force vet Christina Prejean becomes fifth Democrat to run for 49th district congressional seat.

1/26

Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher says she will introduce a bill preventing gun buyback programs that offer gift cards to stores that sell guns such as Walmart.

Medical Examiner’s Office reports 126 homeless deaths in 2017, up 17 percent in one year, according to iNewsSource.

Rep. Darrell Issa appears on Fox News to declare that the Mueller investigation needs to end soon, because it’s distracting Trump.

1/27

1/28

1/29

1/30 Sen. Toni Atkins introduces SB 945, which would remove treatment caps for patients suffering from breast or cervical cancers.

Teenage girl and her dog escape house fire in Rancho Bernardo home but…

...the cat dies in the fire.

U-T story reveals a homeless person was thrown into the back of a garbage truck along with tent last month during an encampment sweep.

Girl scout cookie season started and Bruno Mars won every Grammy and some guy who isn’t Tiger Woods won some golf tournament in La Jolla and OMG, there’s a rat that looks like it’s taking a shower! #showerrat

New report finds San Diego infrastructure gap of… wait for it… $1.57 billion dollars, but…

City Council rejects Scott Sherman’s proposal to rotate Council president position based on seniority.

U-T Watchdog story reveals former Attorney General Bonnie Dumanis hired a legal team to ensure she would keep getting her $268,800 annual pension despite the fact she’s running for Board of Supervisors’ seat.

Former Padres GM Kevin Towers dies after a long fight with cancer.

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Kick it in gear, San Diego Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.

—H.G. Wells

R

ep. Scott Peters stood firm— there would be no venturing outside in the chilly Washington, D.C. weather to track down and pose on an electric dockless bicycle.

Given the proliferation of bike sharing in the nation’s capital, Spin Cycle had the idea to ask the congressman and potential 2020 mayoral candidate to head outside and pose on the newest craze in the bike-sharing universe: an electric version that smoothly assists riders on challenging terrain.

“It’s too cold for this dude. In a suit,” he wrote Monday afternoon from brisk D.C. “I honestly just started noticing the bikes. I will pay more attention.”

Spin will take the congressman

at this word. And once the weather warms up a bit, perhaps Peters will come through with the photo.

Why wouldn’t any forward-thinking politician jump at the chance to hop on what’s been hailed as a game changer in the alternativetransportation world?

The city of San Diego appears closer itself to hopping on the dockless-bike phenomenon, thanks to a memo issued last week

by City Attorney Mara Elliott’s office. Councilmemer David Alvarez, an avid cyclist himself, had asked Elliott if the city’s 10-year exclusive corporate-partnership agreement with DecoBike—currently San Diego’s only bike-sharing service and known for its bulky docking stations—precludes other companies from operating within city limits.

In a word, no.

“The DecoBike agreement,” the City Attorney response noted, “does

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

not insulate DecoBike from competition.”

The agreement, approved by the San Diego City Council in 2013, allowed DecoBike certain marketing rights and the title “official bike sharing provider of the City of San Diego” in exchange for developing and maintaining the bikeshare service.

“City conduct that is inconsistent with the agreement could expose the city to liability for breach of contract,” the City Attorney’s memo said. “A bike sharing program run by the city would likely be inconsistent with the agreement. A program run by a third party with no city support or participation, other than legally required reviews and approvals, is not.”

“Who’s ready for more bikes?!?!”

Alvarez tweeted after the memo’s release. Within days, he issued his own memo to Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilmember Georgette Gómez, newly minted head of the council’s Smart Growth & Land Use Committee, requesting that “staff prepare a regulatory framework proposal for bike-share programs to operate in the city and that it be docketed for discussion” at an upcoming committee meeting.

A spokesman for Gómez said Monday “there is no timeline yet on this” but it could become clearer after this week’s Smart Growth committee meeting. An Alvarez

COURTESY OF LIMEBIKE

Electric, dockless bike sharing — such as LimeBike’s Lime E — could be in San Diego’s transit future. spokesperson said he is hopeful dockless bikes will be on San Diego streets before 2019.

Mayor Serge Dedina of Imperial Beach, the first county city to adopt dockless bike sharing last September, seems more excited every time he talks about the service. “It’s insane,” he said recently, adding that more than 40 percent of LimeBike riders appear to be transit users, given where the GPS-tracked bikes travel. In a recent presentation in Imperial Beach, a LimeBike representative said more than half of the rides began or ended within 150 feet of a bus stop.

Dedina said ridership in National City, which recently signed up with LimeBike as well, is “blowing up, too.” The mayor added that a quarter of Imperial Beach residents have already tried the bikes, which can be parked anywhere and locked and unlocked using a mobile-phone app.

There are several bike-sharing companies interested in the San Diego market, although most, when contacted by Spin, had little to say. The exception was LimeBike, a San Mateo-based company that already has a presence in Barrio Logan, where the company set up a repair and distribution warehouse.

“We are aware of the news from the city attorney, and are excited about the future of smart, dockfree bike share in San Diego,” said Zack Bartlett, the local general manager of LimeBike, in a statement. He said the response in Imperial Beach so far has been “outstanding,” with nearly 20,000 trips logged.

“Our goal is to provide cities, campuses and communities throughout San Diego with a first, last mile solution,” he said, “and with over 50 percent of our San Diego-area rides starting or ending near a bus stop, we are well on our way.”

LimeBike recently unveiled its

own electric, pedal-assisted version called the Lime E in D.C. and in San Francisco, and reviews so far appear to be, well, electric. Bartlett said his company is in discussions with Imperial Beach and National City about including e-bikes in their fleets but did not have specifics on timing.

In current markets, the electric bikes are slightly pricier than the human-powered versions—Lime E bikes cost $1 to unlock and $1 per 10 minutes of riding versus $1 per half-hour for a regular bike—but they’re still considerably cheaper than DecoBike, which charges $5 a half-hour or $7 an hour and must be returned to a docking station.

The electric bikes are throttleless, meaning the bike knows when a rider is struggling and gives a boost to assist. Riders in San Francisco have cooed on social media about the experience.

A recent story on SANDAG from KPBS noted that San Diego is lagging on construction of its bicycle infrastructure. Dockless bikes, tracked by GPS, provide invaluable data to determine where people are riding and where cities should focus their attention.

Nicole Capretz, executive director of the Climate Action Campaign who helped author the city’s Climate Action Plan, said elected officials still need to focus on making streets bike-friendly with separated bike lanes to get more people to bike.

However, she added, “I think dockless bike share can finally bring the number, convenience and flexibility of bikes we need to actually move the needle on mode shift and likely tackle the first and last mile to bus/transit. That has been the result in Imperial Beach—lots of young people using it for first/ last mile.”

Get with it, San Diego.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

The miseducation of Helix Charter

T

Oh, the child isn’t doing what we want her to do in here’s been a lot of chatter lately about believing women when we speak, largely in relation the way we expect her to do it? We’ll put her in her place.

Since when did this become a normal occurrence? to the #MeToo movement. I’ve been thinking about it in broader contexts, though, particularly as Since forever, is the real truth of it.

So of course the La Mesa Police Department had it pertains to Black women and their truths. Take the situation of the Helix Charter High School student their own statement on what happened and said the who was physically assaulted on her campus by a La student was non-compliant. “To prevent the student from escaping, the officer forced the student to the Mesa police officer 10 days ago.

As reported in The San Diego Union-Tribune, this ground,” is how they put it.

It is impossible to tell from the video whether the student, a senior at Helix, was on in-school suspension for tardiness. (Other than to demonize the student, student was trying to “free herself,” as the police said this widely-reported information is wholly irrelevant to she did. Regardless, we should question whether an what transpired). When she reported to a teacher that officer should be wearing a badge if he cannot handle she didn’t feel well, the teacher suspected her of be- walking a handcuffed teenage girl to his car without ing on drugs. The teacher asked to search the student’s making a bid for a WWE title.

As of this writing, the officer in question has been backpack—which the student allowed—and no drugs were found. The teacher did, however, find pepper spray re-assigned, but this is not enough. He should be fired. and told the student that it was considered a weapon. And the La Mesa Police Department needs to institute This, even though pepper spray isn’t prohibited by ei- mandatory de-escalation training for all its officers.

But more to my original point ther the school handbook or state are questions about what brought education code. Nevertheless, the this child to be in police custody in teacher told the girl she needed to These otherwise small infractions fall squarely the first place. vacate the premises.

Responsibility lies at the feet Feeling discriminated against, into the normal-teenageof the educator who assumed the the student refused to leave; she behavior column, but for student was on drugs when she was didn’t feel she’d done anything seeking support. The responsibility wrong. When she spoke up for her- Black girls these offenses is on the educator for deciding to self, the police were called, the stu- are reason enough not the student home for carrying dent was detained and subsequently just to arrest them, but for send the pepper spray even though pepassaulted. And like so many acts of per spray isn’t expressly prohibited police violence in this era, this one beating them as well. by the school. The responsibility was also caught on cell phone video.

In it, viewers can see the white officer walking with is on the educator who, when the student refused to the handcuffed Black student when he suddenly lifts leave, thought calling the police was in any way the her up and throws her over his shoulder like they’re appropriate solution.

The ramifications of this kind of decision making swing dancing. Except they’re not swing dancing. The girl’s body whips around and lands hard on the con- on young Black girls and boys cannot be overstated.

According to a family spokesperson, this student crete; the officer moves in the direction he threw the girl and drops down on top of her. Two other adults takes the trolley from Southeast San Diego to Helix Charter every day and carries the pepper spray for are standing by as this unfolds. protection. I can’t say that I blame any woman for carPolice violence is a disturbing thing to witness. rying pepper spray at any time and in any part of this Police violence against kids is worse.

Watching the video, I was reminded of numerous city. So it isn’t unreasonable that the student would other videos of young Black girls being violently as- feel unfairly targeted.

Further problematic is a school policy that feasaulted by police officers. Like when a police officer in McKinney, Texas dragged a 14-year-old to the ground tures suspension as a means of problem solving. Getby her hair following a pool party in 2015. The girl, ting sent home means missing class; missing class barefoot and in a swimsuit, cried out for her mother. means missing lessons; missing lessons means falling Her offense? She didn’t leave quickly enough after the behind; falling behind means failing; failing means officer told her to. Or later that same year when a po- dropping out; and dropping out means a greater likelice officer put a student in Columbia, South Carolina lihood of negative outcomes, including (but not limin a choke hold, violently flipped her to the ground ited to) incarceration. Our education system actively from her desk, and then dragged her across the floor feeds this cycle when it should be working to stop it. of her classroom. The reason for the aggressive acThis school—all schools, really, but especially this tions? The teacher had asked the student to put her school right now—should invest in training for and cell phone away, and she didn’t do it quickly enough. move to a model of restorative justice for resolving McKinney, Columbia, La Mesa... these situations disciplinary issues. Helix Charter High School has an make me boil. These girls were already presumed guilty opportunity to make amends here, to take a close look of who-knows-what and punishment was handed down at its practices, and to make significant changes so that in the moment. These otherwise small infractions fall something like this doesn’t ever happen again. squarely into the normal-teenage-behavior column, but for Black girls these offenses are reason enough not Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. just to arrest them, but for beating them as well.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

Baby’s first nuclear scare

I

’m doing the most Hawaiian thing one could ever do when the threat of nuclear death descends upon us: snorkeling around a reef, looking at tropical fish. It’s dawn, supposedly the best time to to be in the water if you want to see a turtle, and boy, do I want to see a turtle. The sun is peeking out from behind the misty mountain top. Ukelele music isn’t playing per se, but the scene is so goddamn idyllic that it might as well be.

Back on the beach, my wife Jessica, along with my friends Lindsay and Steve, and Steve’s cousin James, are drying off. It’s the day before Lindsay and Steve are getting married, and this morning dip is supposed to be a brief calm before the deluge of stress that’s common with most weddings.

Sometime during the 20 minutes I’ve spent in the water—which accounts for the total amount of time I’ve ever snorkeled—I’ve already taken on an air of superiority toward the little creatures swimming underneath me. Life must suck in the ocean, I think, observing the tropical fish as they’re pushed around by current. How annoying it must be to have so little control.

I look toward the shore and notice James wading out toward me. He’s motioning me to come in, but there’s a noted calm in his movements. The kind of movements that people get when they want to break news gently. I’m immediately certain that James is warning me about a shark in the water, and that his subdued body language is an attempt to keep me from panicking. This does the exact opposite of its intended purpose and I half-swim, half-flail like an injured seal toward the shallows.

My mind races through all the other fearsome creatures of the deep: jellyfish, sting ray, Jaws, Godzilla.

Or it could just be a a riptide warning, I think, trying to calm myself, but jump back into panic mode: Or maybe a tsunami is headed our way.

I finally get close enough to hear what James is saying. It’s not the response I’m expecting.

“There’s been a—” he misspeaks: “a mallistic bissile warning.” The flub is a betrayal of his own attempts at keeping his shit together and it’s then that I realize the gravity of the situation. Even if James was trying to calm me with his body language, he just completely dismantled it.

A ballistic missile warning.

“There was a man running down the beach screaming, ‘Take cover! There’s a bomb coming!’” my friends say when I make it to shore. “We thought he was just crazy, but then we got this message.”

Jessica shows me her phone, displaying a text that does not fuck around.

“BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HA-

WAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” It’s a strange feeling to face potential sudden and violent death. It feels too far-fetched to be real, and yet this is the world that we’re all living in—a world where a madman plays nuclear chicken with another maniac via the comfort of a Twitter account. (PS: Fuck you, Trump. Fuck you, Kim Jong-un. And fuck you, @jack, for enabling all this). My thoughts pingpong between this can’t be real and this is absolutely real, and underneath the mental deliberations, the confusion becomes fear.

No, not just fear, but seeds of hysteria. Do I call my family and tell them I love them, or is that too dramatic? Have I lived a good enough life? Have I done everything that I wanted to do? Will people miss me after I become particles? Will my death be eulogized by an idiot who uses my death to justify going to war with North Korea?

We start walking back toward Steve and Lindsay’s beachside hotel, although that seems as protective as the open water.

Where is one supposed to take shelter from a nuclear blast? It doesn’t seem likely that poolside canopies will protect us from disintegration, but at least the trek gives us purpose. We’re mostly silent. Steve takes a phone call from a family member and ends it with “I love you.”

I’m not ready to utter those words in distress yet, since it feels like doing so is complete acceptance of our fate.

I look out to the sky, expecting to actually see the glowing harbinger of our doom. By now, the sun has risen and the ocean shimmers. I guess Maui is as good of a place as any to get blown to bits. Paradise by the nuclear light.

Everyone we pass on the way up to the resort is either glued to their phone or has the ashen look of doom on their face. All I want to do is make it back to the hotel room and bust out the rum. Anything to keep this terror at bay.

By the time we make it to the lobby, however, the warning has been proven to be a false alarm.

It’s a relief, but not really. That night, during a cocktail party, we laugh about it, and only when we’re drunk do we, in hushed voices, admit to how scared we really were. We do this—speak quietly—because we feel like chumps and fools. It’s a reminder of how little in control we are and how we’re increasingly like those fish in the reef being pushed by waves we cannot control.

And it sucks.

There was a man running down the beach screaming, ‘Take cover!

There’s a bomb coming!’ my friends say when I make it to shore.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER MICHAEL A. GARDINER

dishes arrayed around it. Each diner rips off a bit of crepe and uses it to scoop up the food. As the meal is eaten, the sauce from the dishes soaks into the injera to be enjoyed as a special treat at the end.

Perhaps the best approach to take on a first trip to Awash is to order one or both of the combinations. The meat combination platter consists of up to six dishes of beef and lamb and the vegetable combination up to eight dishes.

The lamb was particularly good. The flavor of that lamb especially shined in the Yebeg Alicha Wot, a bone-in lamb stew with garlic, turmeric and ginger.

Its slight gaminess also paired well with the Yebeg Siga Wot, in which cubed chunks of the lamb are stewed in berbere, Ethiopia’s signature spice blend (red chili peppers with garlic, ginger, basil, nigella, fenugreek and other spices), along with onion, garlic and ginger.

The meat combination offers beef versions of both of those dishes as well Meat and vegetable combo with yedoro wot as Minchet Abish Wot, ground beef marinated in berbere. A more delicate take on the theme, Minchet Abish Alisha Wot, has turmeric swapped in for the berbere.

Ethiopian food is definitely vegetarian friendly with a wide array of legumes (split lentils, chickpeas and split peas, for example) and greens (kale and collard greens, for example) on the injera.

The stewed carrots and cabbage was particularly A hidden gem good. But the real vegetable star was the Shiro f I didn’t know it was there, I would never think Wot: ground chickpea flour, berbere and tomatoes.

Spiced clarified butter ties the other ingredients it was there.

From the street, there’s just a huge sign into a single, complex, beguiling whole.

My favorite dish at Awash—indeed my favorite reading “AWASH MARKET AND LIQUOR,” which implies a market rather than a restaurant. Even Ethiopian dish, period—is the Yedoro Wat. It is, at a step inside doesn’t suggest otherwise. But take the most basic level, just the drumstick of a chickthe trouble to navigate past the cash register and en and a hard-boiled egg simmered with onion in sacks of predominantly Ethiopian grocery items to berbere. But there is something magical about the the little hall in back labeled “RESTAURANT” (both way it all comes together. I could even compare it in Amharic and English). Hidden? Perhaps. But to a Mexican mole or an Indian curry. It’s a deep the food at Awash Ethiopian Restaurant & Café dish that seems to capture everything the cuisine is about.

(2884 El Cajon Blvd.) is worth finding.

It may not be easy to find and, once there, Awash As at other Ethiopian restaurants, Awash features injera, the spongy sourdough crepes made of may look like nothing more than a somewhat dingy predominantly teff flour (plus some wheat, though room at the back of a market, but it’s a hidden gem a gluten-free version is available with proper no- that diners should seek out. tice), and which serves triple duty as plate, utensil and bread. The actual plate is covered by a big The World Fare appears weekly. round of injera dotted with little piles of various Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

THE WORLD

FARE I

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JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #24: Feeling honored at Whisknladle

S

o, this is the 24th installment of this column, which means I’ve been writing about cocktails here for a year now. That’s a full year of sours, flips and spirit-forward ramblings. I rarely find it to be a challenging task. I understand cocktails, I understand the people who make them and I understand the bars and restaurants in which they are served. I get it.

However, I found this particular cocktail rambling to be, well, unusually difficult.

The challenge was mostly due to the fact that the place in which it was served. You see, it was at Whisknladle (1044 Wall St.) in La Jolla, some ten years ago, where I cut my teeth. I was the first bar manager for Whisknladle.

It was a job I loved and one that came to define me and, in a way, the bar itself. I helped to give that bar its identity and in return, it did the same for me. It is a place that holds the biggest piece of my heart.

So when I was trying to write about my most recent cocktail experience there, I try to honor it, with honesty.

I had stopped in on a whim last Mon-

CHEF’S CUP

as prepared at Whisknladle 1 1/2 oz. Sexton Irish Whiskey 1/2 oz. hazelnut orgeat 1 oz. of St. George NOLA coffee liqueur 3 oz. hot water Earl Grey whipped cream Shaved 70-percent dark chocolate

Combine all ingredients (except whipped cream) in a thermal glass. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

day, and sat with Eddie Avilla, the current bar manager, who happened to be going through a list of old cocktails that I had created.

“We are going to be re-using some of your old cocktails for the anniversary coming up” he said.

I’ll be honest, this statement made me sad.

I have known Eddie Avilla for several years and have watched him come up through the ranks of the restaurant industry. It’s been an honor to watch him. He’s passionate. He’s talented. I found it to be a bit of a waste of his talents to IAN WARD be fixing up the old jalopies of my cocktail past.

He then served me one of his current creations, the Chef’s Cup. It was an Irish Coffee riff with hazelnut orgeat, St. George NOLA coffee liqueur, Sexton Irish whisky, Earl Grey whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate. I knew it was going to be good, because nothing in there Chef’s cup could have made it bad.

I was hesitant to write about it, because I had just written a column about Irish coffees, but then I took a sip. This cocktail is what Whisknladle has always been about.

Classic, yet creative. A re-envisioning of everything that is right, but with homemade ingredients and some TLC. It far surpasses the last Irish Coffee that I had written about. It’s luscious and rich, yet soft.

Looking around the bar, everything had been moved from when I was there, but only slightly. Everything had changed, but, was also familiar, much like the drink in front of me and the man who had served it to me. It was a privilege to sit there and write this and I raise my glass to another year of honoring the rest of the cocktails in this most finest of cities.

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

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

BY BETH DEMMON

BY IAN WARD

FINAL DRAUGHT Beer and yeast and Vikings, oh my!

Oceanside’s Bagby Beer Company (601 South Coast Highway) also recently started its “Beerleaders” initiative. Although it sounds like an oddly named street team, rewing beer isn’t just ruggedly Beerleaders is a 21-and-up “community handsome brewers sensually pourbeer education program” that will take ing hops into a steaming kettle as place over six Saturdays throughout 2018. buxom female beertenders wipe their “Beerleaders is for anyone: from a home sweaty brows. The actual brewing procebrewer who wants to peel back the curtain dure tends to be slightly more scientifion a pro-brewing operation cally-oriented and precise.

COURTESY OF LONGSHIP to someone brand-new (Paddles are for stirring, not to beer who wants a solid spanking!) foundation upon which to The less sexy reality may launch their beer journey,” not interest everyone, but says Dande Bagby, co-owner there’s a rising number who and director of operations at are deeply passionate about Bagby.

Longship Brewery the techniques, history and Each full-day, handsmethod behind the brewing on course starts at 7:30 a.m. and will go process. In-depth programs like the through intensive educational topics Professional Certificate in the Business of ranging from food and beer pairings Craft Beer at San Diego State University to history and context of beer styles. are valuable, but time-consuming options Each session will culminate with a for the hardcore beer student. Obviously, collaborative brew day guided by conot everyone can enroll in a multiowner/head brewer Jeff Bagby. semester program just to satisfy their Tickets also get attendees Bagby swag, curiosity, leading a few breweries to take a tasting flight, lunch and future discounts it upon themselves to launch independent on beer, but group size is “severely limited initiatives geared toward the casual, yet to allow a personal, hands-on experience.” curious beer drinker.

The first round of classes have already The viking/Norse-themed Longship sold out, but Bagby has already opened a Brewery (10320 Camino Santa Fe, Suite waitlist for additional dates.

C) recently kicked off its “Pint-Sized White Labs’ (9495 Candida St.) Lectures” program, slated to take place educational programs are hardly new, from 7 to 7:30 p.m. every other Thursday but they’re arguably the best for more through May. Over the past year and a experienced brewers and beer nerds. half, Longship owner Dan Jachimowicz Their next full-day workshop is Thursday, realized that more and more patrons Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Titled were expressing interest in learning not “Yeast Essentials 2.0”, the two-day just about the beers, but the inspiration workshop will cover a more advanced behind them. analysis of yeast and its effects in beer via “We're really hoping to deepen the two hands-on lab components as well as appreciation of beer and where it came lectures led by White Labs scientists. At from,” explains Jachimowicz. $550, it’s not for the casual homebrewer, Future topics include “Vikings & but there’s also a live broadcast webinar Beer,” “San Diego Beer’s Myths & Fables” version available for $400. and “Viking Religion.” $10 gets students two full pours and priority seating, but Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com. Follow her the 21-and-up program is free. on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

B

@SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

LA JOLLA AND CLAIREMONT

BEAUTIFUL MINDS

There have been plenty of acclaimed of all things comic books, but who also suffers novels over the years with protagonists from anxiety. When he scores tickets to a large that fell on the autism spectrum or who were deal- comic convention in San Diego (sound familiar?), he must go on a comics-trivia treaing with issues of anxiety. Such is sure hunt around familiar locations the mission of local author Sally such as Petco Park and the downJ. Pla, who has written two novels town library. that feature characters dealing “It’ll be fun for local families and with autism (The Someday Birds) readers just for that,” says Pla, who and anxiety (the newly released hopes the book inspires other chilStanley Will Probably Be Fine). dren suffering from anxiety. “It’s While both books are aimed at really hard and it’s scary for Stanyounger audiences, Pla hopes ley, but what happens is when you that adults will also read them get out there, you find to better understand what their out all kinds of new own kids may be dealing with. things about yourself “It’s my mission to try to and the world. It’s not populate children’s lit with always perfect, but it books featuring characters whose shows that if you push brains operate differently,” says yourself a little bit, Pla, from her home in Encinitas. sometimes it’s a good “When I go into schools and ask Stanley Will thing.” kids how many kids they know Probably Be Fine Pla will be signing who are on the autism spectrum and discussing Stanor who are suffering from ADHD, every single hand Sally J. Pla ley at a book release goes up. It touches every kid and every family’s life.”

While last year’s The Someday Birds was event on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m., at the La geared more toward general audiences, Pla says Jolla Riford Library (7555 Draper Ave.), as well as at Stanley Will Probably Be Fine is “much more a Mysterious Galaxy (5943 Balboa Ave. Suite 100) in kid’s book.” The story centers on Stanley Fortin- Clairemont on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. More bras, who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge dates and info can be found at sallyjpla.com.

DOWNTOWN

OLD TOWN

MADE IN CHINA

AMERICAN TALES

Maybe it’s the growing popularity, or maybe it’s the overabundance of advertising that has people talking, but either way, Shen Yun’s San Diego arrival is intriguing.

The touring show was created by a group of Chinese artists who wanted to share their heritage with an international audience, since they say the Chinese government has seen its traditional culture as a threat and often tried to suppress it. Shen Yun explores this through 5,000 years worth of authentic costumes, orchestral music and traditional dancing. The show will take place at the San Diego Civic Theatre (1100 Third Ave.) at various times on Friday, Feb. 2, Saturday, Feb. 3, and Sunday, Feb. 4. Tickets range from $76 to $176. shenyun.com/sandiego © SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS

There are plenty of spoken word events in town to choose from, but Write Out Loud is committed to engaging and inspiring audiences through live story concerts performed by professional actors. Its latest production, American Mosaic, is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Old Town Theatre (4040 Twiggs St.) and is the fourth installment of American Season XI, a series designed to explore various themes of the American experience. This particular performance will trace the common thread of immigration throughout our country’s cultural fabric. A variety of narratives and poems have been chosen to reflect diverse yet universal perspectives on the immigrant tale. The program includes readings from The New Arrival by Adrianne Harun, The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende and Blue Wind Dancing by Thomas S. Whitecloud. Tickets can be purchased for $25 at writeoutloudsd.com.

Art Show at Little Dame, 2942 Adams Ave., North Park. Curated by High Tech High media arts student Tuesday Motch, this show features several young female artists including Violet Ross, Yulianna Izaguirre and CityBeat’s very own intern Kyla Wyllie. There will also be a button making station and snacks available. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Free.

925-457-1020, littledameshop.com HContribution II at City Gallery, 1508 C St., AH 314, Downtown. An exhibit showcasing the works of local urban contemporary and new contemporary artists, such as Andrew Alcasid, Bradford Lynn, Carly Ealey and others. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Free. 619-501-5585, visualshopsd.com HRob Benavides at Project Reo Collective, 2335 Reo Drive #6, Paradise Hills. An event showcasing works by the founder of Flying Panther Tattoos, specializing in western and Japanese traditional style tattooing. Coffee will be available. Opening from 3 to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3. Free. 619-434-8464, prjctreoco.com Sticks Versus Stone at Linksoul, 530 S Coast Hwy., Oceanside. Curated by The Hill Street Country Club, this event highlights the works of Joachim Castañeda, a mixed media artist who draws inspiration from the abstraction of language and the perception of its messages. Opening from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. Free.

760-385-3743, thehillstreetcountryclub. org The Crow Show at The Studio Door, 3750 30th St., North Park. The fourth annual exhibition includes artwork from a variety of artists that represents the many faces of the crow in reality and fantasy. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. Free. thestudiodoor.com HFemme + Folk at Misfit Gallery, 565 Pearl St. #100, La Jolla. Three local women with Peruvian roots will showcase their respective art. Artists include Melissa Montoya (photography), Carolina Arrieta (illustrations) and Chef Daniela Perez-Reyes (food). Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. facebook.com/ events/142521129869489 HInto at Art Produce, 3139 University Ave., North Park. A showcase of the works of artist Dean Ramos and his use of different mediums, which explore the contrast between light and shadow, balance and movement. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3. Free. 619-584-4448, artproduce.org Run the Pixels at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. This collective of multi-disciplinary artists from Southern California focuses on storytelling and documenting through a shared interest in photography. There will also be sounds by DJ Tanner, Mike Virusss and more. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3. Free. 619-255-7036, labodegagallery.com The Invisible World at Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center Art Gallery, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, Lake Murray.

Works from wildlife and nature photographer Luciano Demasi, who focuses on “capturing the uniqueness of each moment nature provides with its immense and stunning endless beauty.” Opening from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4. Free.

619-668-3281, mtrp.org HBy(e) Default at Art Gallery at Mesa College, Mesa College Drive, Clairemont.

In this new show curated by Andrea Chung, five contemporary artists and three poets will examine white anxieties and the

Shen Yun @SDCITYBEAT

American Mosaic

H = CityBeat picks

role of whiteness in the revision and celebration of Black History. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5. Free. sdmesa. edu/campus-life/galleries-and-attractions/ mesa-college-art-gallery All Decked Out! at Basic Bar/Pizza, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. An exhibit featuring custom skateboard deck art from more than 15 artists, including Jamie Dougherty, Sabin DePierro and more. Opening from 7 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, Feb. 6. Free. 858-354-6294, facebook.com/ events/1513303955390816 The Melting Pot at Mike Hess Brewing Company North Park, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. Hanalei Artworks presents a 30-day art exhibition that celebrates the variety and diversity of local artists and the San Diego community. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7. Free. 607-349-9599, facebook.com/ events/161000088003014

BOOKS HJunot Díaz at San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao will be reading and signing copies of his books.

From 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. Free. 619-594-1516, facebook.com/ events/135176330508675 Sarah Tarkoff at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The screenwriter of the popular TV series Arrow will sign and discuss her debut novel, Sinless, a scifi novel where the entire world has accepted a single religious being. At 2 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Natasha Josefowitz and Irwin Zahn at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The two writers will discuss and sign their new book, He Writes, She Writes, where he writes from a male perspective and she responds from a female point of view. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com HMatt Haig at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed writer will sign and discuss his new book, How to Stop Time, about a 41-year-old who’s actually been alive for centuries. At 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 6. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HSally Pla at La Jolla Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. The local author will hold a book release event for her new YA novel, Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, about a young boy suffering from an anxiety disorder. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

COMEDY Steven Wright at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. The iconic comedian, known for his deadpan delivery, will perform new material. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. $34-$42. sandiegotheatres.org HA Single Lady at Finest City Improv, 4250 Louisiana St., North Park. Special guest Stacey Owens recruits the Finest City Improv cast to discover her perfect match in a modern take on the traditional dating show. At 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. $15. 619-306-6047, finestcityimprov. com HLewis Black at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave, Gaslamp. The acerbic comedian known for his manic political and social diatribes will stop by on his current “The Joke’s on Us” tour. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. $46-$66. sandiegotheatres.org

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS FOOD & DRINK Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle 5th Anniversary at Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle, 1776 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island.

The popular seafood restaurant will celebrate its fifth anniversary with eighteen rare sour ales on tap all weekend long.

From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. Free. 619-222-5835, facebook.com/ events/2029229913989116 Girl Scout Cookie and Beer Pairing at Thorn Brewing, 1745 National Ave., Barrio Logan. Pair four types of Girl Scout Cookies with four five-ounce tasters of Thorn Brewing beers. From 3 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3. $14.72. 619-255-9679, thornstreetbrew.com

MUSIC HRoland Auzet at Mandeville Auditorium at UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

As part of the San Diego Symphony’s It’s About Time festival, Auzet will play a percussion piece entitled “bare hands,” which focuses on sounds we hear in the car. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. $9-$35. artpower.ucsd.edu Art of Élan Pop Up Concert at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

As part of the Modern Masters from Latin America exhibition, a screening of the classic 1943 film Doña Barbara will be shown, as well Diego Rivera’s painted portrait of lead actress María Félix. At 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. $20-$25. 619-232-7931, sdmart.org Zukerman Plays Tchaikovsky at the San Diego Symphony, 750 B. St., Downtown. Pinchas Zukerman conducts a program featuring the music of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as well as Felix Mendelssohn’s high-spirited Symphony No. 4. The

performance will also feature violin solos from Maestro Zukerman. At 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 3. $25-63, 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org HAngelina Réaux Sings Bernstein: “I Hate Music” at The Scripps Research Institute Auditorium, 10620 John J. Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. The first in the new season of Bodhi Tree Concerts series of philanthropic performances, the acclaimed singer will perform a selection of Leonard Bernstein songs. Benefits the Alliance for African Assistance. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. $25. bodhitreeconcerts.org Pink Martini at the California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Formed in 1994 by aspiring politician Thomas Lauderdale, this miniature orchestra was originally conceived as a means of providing entertainment at political events. Today, the ensemble performs neoclassical takes on a wide array of genres. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7. $30-$85. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org

PERFORMANCE HShen Yun at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Gaslamp. A live orchestra and a cast of hundreds of dancers transport audiences to an ancient world through this world-renowned celebration of Chinese culture. Various times. Friday, Feb. 2, Saturday, Feb. 3, and Sunday, Feb. 4. $76-$176. shenyun.com/sandiego Jessica Fichot at California Center for the Arts, 340 N Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The Chanteuse accordionist and songwriter is known for fusing the sounds of Paris, China, and America. At 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7. Free. 760-8394138, artcenter.org

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

A Night with Janis Joplin at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave, Gaslamp. A live tribute to the music of the iconic ‘60s singer complete with special effects, strobe lights, hazers and moving lights. At 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 7 and Thursday, Feb. 8. $32-$72. sandiegotheatres.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HReVAMP Storytelling Showcase at Public Square Coffee House, 8278 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. A quarterly night of stories audiences might have missed from So Say We All’s Whistle Stop VAMPs, community college VAMPs, veteran writing division and more. Readers include Dario Banchetti, Kersten Deck, Adam Gimbel and more. At 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 1. $5 suggested donation. sosayweallonline.com HAmerican Mosaic at the Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town. This fourth installment of American Season XI traces the common thread of immigration throughout our country’s cultural fabric via stories read by professional actors.

At 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5. $25. writeoutloudsd.com

SPECIAL EVENTS First Thursday at the Lafayette at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. San Diego Made’s evening of music, makers and libations. Includes local makers and live music performances. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. Free.

619-296-2101, sandiegomade.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HPeople Over Profits: Genevieve Jones-Wright at Border X Brewing, 2181 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. A discussion with the San Diego district attorney candidate as moderated by People Over Profits, an organization aimed at ending legal slavery and liberating oppressed sectors of society. The event will culminate with a Q&A. At 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. Free. facebook.com/ events/1587354568008182 Lessons from a Master Printmaker at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Lenore Simon discusses the lessons she learned throughout her artistic career and shares her printmaking stories and techniques. There’s also an artist demo and refreshments. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 1. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com HHelen Edison Lecture Series: Luis Urrea at the San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., Downtown. The prolific writer hailed by NPR as a “master storyteller with a rock and roll heart,” will discuss his dualcultural life experiences and how they’ve informed novels like The Hummingbird’s Daughter and Into the Beautiful North. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. Free facebook.com/events/1994885220796313 From Hurston to Solange: Black Women’s Art and Activism at Pillars of the Community San Diego, 6431 Imperial Ave., Encanto. Join San Diego City College professor Ebony Tyree for the first part of a series on political education, with particular focus on women and social justice. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Free. 619-752-6859, facebook. com/events/376256102845324

HThe History and Current Struggle of Chicano Park at San Diego Justice Center, 4410 Glacier Ave. #101, Grantville. Learn about the history of Chicano Park and how the community plans to protect it in the face of current threats of racism. This is the San Diego Party for Socialism and Liberalism’s first in an ongoing commitment to host weekly public forums. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. Free. 619-508-6756, facebook.com/ events/2087841674768024 The Writer’s Coffeehouse at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. Author Jonathan Maberry hosts this informal group to discuss all things writing over coffee.

No previous publishing experience necessary. From noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy. com HWomen In The Cross-Border Music Scene at Tiger!Tiger!, 3025 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Hosted by local podcast Cura Caos, Monica Mendoza and Haydee Jimenez will discuss being part of a growing bi-cultural community of music and art. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6. Free. facebook.com/curacaosradio

WORKSHOPS HCrafting Your Personal Story at San Diego Writers Ink, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 202, Point Loma.

An interactive workshop lead by Nathan Young, a public speaking coach and storytelling consultant, that teaches how to pull a story from your mind and onto paper. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4. $45-$54. 619-696-0363, sandiegowriters.org

@SDCITYBEAT

THEATER KEN JACQUES

Love, actually

The Full Monty runs through Feb. 25 at the Horton Grand Theatre, downtown. $30-$70; sdmt.org

V

alentine’s Day is a couple of weeks away, but love is already in bloom at Scripps Ranch Theatre, which is staging a quaint and shamelessly romantic production of John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar. This four-person play set on adjoining cattle and sheep farms in the Irish countryside was presented two years ago by the San Diego Rep. The Scripps Ranch version—a co-production with Oceanside Theatre Company and directed by Kathy Brombacher—is a reiteration of the 2014 love story’s charm. It’s also a reminder of the script’s fatal flaw in the motivation department. No spoilers forthcoming.

Nevertheless, the Scripps Ranch cast is great. Stephen Schmitz (so memorable in last year’s Falling from InnerMission Productions) and Vanessa Dinning play two lonely neighbors approaching middle age, and both ideally suited to the prevailing sentimentality, right down to spot-on Irish accents. Jim Chovik and Dagmar Fields complement this pair as two oldsters on the doorstep of death. When Dinning and Schmitz’s characters eventually connect, hankies will come in handy.

Outside Mullingar runs through Feb. 18 at Scripps Ranch Theatre. $31-$34; scrippsranchtheatre.org

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—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Wrestling Jerusalem: Aaron Davidman’s one man show about his personal journey to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Presented by the Center for Jewish Culture, it happens Feb. 1 at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theater in La Jolla. sdcjc.org I Love You Because: A card writer’s life is turned upside down after meeting a photographer in this modern, musical interpretation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Directed by Justin Tuazon, it opens Feb. 2 at the O.B. Playhouse. obtheatrecompany.com

Stephen Schmitz and Vanessa Dinning in Outside Mullingar

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he Full Monty is a whoo-hoo-hoo show, especially for the women in the audience. Always has been. Always will be. That’s not to say that The Full Monty, now nearly 18 years old after first opening at the Old Globe Theatre, isn’t likable or enjoyable. Sure, it’s a one-bit wonder, as in “Wonder when the guys will take their clothes off?”

Yet the musical’s story of six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo who decide to dancestrip to make ends meet and to validate

themselves is an undeniable crowd pleaser.

So it is at the Horton Grand Theatre downtown, where San Diego Musical Theatre’s winning ensemble earns its hoots and hollers. Steven Freitas, Jonathan Sangster, Danny Stiles and Ron Christopher Jones lead the way, with Joy Yandell and Jeannette Burmeister ensuring that the men don’t completely steal the show.

Choreographer Paul David Bryant and director Neil Dale orchestrate all the antics nicely on an undersized stage that gets crowded but never out of control.

The Cake: A baker is forced to reexamine her longheld beliefs on marriage when she is asked to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. Written by Bekah Brunstetter, it opens Feb. 6 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org A Raisin in the Sun: Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece about a Black family living on the South Side of Chicago struggling to decide how to spend an insurance check. Presented by the UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance, it opens in previews Feb. 7 at the Mandell Weiss Theatre at UCSD in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu

For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

14 · San Diego CityBeat · January 31, 2018

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january 31, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

MIKEY HOUSTON

CULTURE

researcher told me that what we have down here is special,” says Daletron Eblacas, the founding chairman of the San Diego Seed Library. “The average seed librarian is a 50-year-old white woman, whereas I am a young, dark male. Completely the opposite.”

Eblacas learned of this statistic right before he walked into the National Seed Library Summit in 2016.

“It was almost kind of like a warning for what to expect,” Eblacas says. “And when I got there, it was just as she’d explained it. I was the darkest person there, and I represented the younger end of the spectrum as well... What I realized is that farming organically and sustainably in this country, to a point, was for the privileged.”

Of San Diego County’s 5,732 farms, more than 5,400 have white operators, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2012 census of agriculture. On a national scale, the 2012 census showed that ethnic diversity among farm owners is growing. But the industry as a whole is declining because of an age gap.

“I think the average age [of a farm owner] is in the early 60s,” says San Diego County Farm Bureau Executive Director Eric Larson. “A lot of people get into farming after they’ve made the accumulated financial assets or maybe after they retire, and they go into farming as a secondary career.”

Only six percent of local farm operators are younger than 35.

“The information is being lost between the baby boomers and the last great growing farming generation,” Eblacas says. “Less and less people have been wanting to become farmers.”

CAM BUKER

Hilary Kearney He says it’s a responsibility of his age group, Gen-Xers, to bridge that gap because they understand the value in social media and can act as mediators between the baby boomers and millennials. “[Baby boomers] don’t understand the technology, whereas you approach young kids today and it’s like, look let’s get this campaign going, boom,” Eblacas says. “They can get things rolling. They can get followers, they can get the word out.”

Hilary Kearney is one example. The 31-year-old San Diego beekeeper has more than 47,000 followers on her Ins-

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

Eblacas and a young volunteer at Wild Willow Farm tagram, which she started in 2012. Her account has become a photographic collection of the hives she tends and selfies she takes in her astronaut-like protective suit.

“I started using my photos and the captions on Instagram to teach people,” Kearney says. “No one was doing that at the time that I know of, and so it kind of blew up.”

Now, beekeeping is her full-time career. Kearney travels around San Diego, tending to hives on properties ranging from rooftops to farms to backyards. She only needs a 10by-10 foot space to beekeep, which has been one key to her success in a metropolis where land is limited and expensive.

Sixty-eight percent of San Diego farms are less than 10 acres. And no other county in the nation has more of these small-sized farms, according to the San Diego County Farm Bureau. Some such farms take volunteer help, such as Wild Willows in the South Bay or Coastal Roots in Encinitas, to involve emerging farmers. But jumping from volunteering to land owning or leasing is challenging.

“Mostly it’s the cost of the land and the cost of putting the land into production,” says Larson. “So a place like San Diego County, that’s extremely difficult because land here is very, very expensive, so that’s probably the biggest barrier for age trying to get into farming here.”

However, the San Diego Food System Alliance has a working group called Reducing Barriers to Farming, which will begin a program in 2018 that aims to ease those complications. The group, which Larson co-chairs, pushes for food equity, the concept that all economic classes should be able to affordably purchase or grow healthy food. The Reducing Barriers to Farmers program would help young and emerging farmers locate and lease available land.

“A lot of people who want to get into farming don’t come

from farming backgrounds, and so there’s a learning curve that they’ve got to go though,” says Larson. “Purchase is a very difficult barrier to entry, but perhaps the starting point for some of these younger farmers could just be to get some leases on land.”

Meanwhile, Eblacas uses his position at the Seed Library to expand interest in farming among youth, particularly in underserved areas and demographics. He says he strategically chooses to host free seed giveaways in communities of color. His last giveaway was during a Kwanzaa celebration at the WorldBeat Cultural Center, and others have taken place in Tijuana.

“We try to raise the awareness where it’s needed most, with people who are unaware of it,” he says. “It’s not a coincidence that the poorest neighborhoods in our country are where you find fast food places and a lack of fresh food.”

Luckily, access for one local underserved community is opening up. In July 2019, National City is getting a community garden, where residents will be able to tend their own food under the guidance of local organization Mundo Gardens.

“To take control of an area with such a high poverty rate and a high population of Latinos and immigrants is such a big deal considering this political climate that we’re living in today,” says Sandy Naranjo, a policy advocate for the Environmental Health Coalition.

But Eblacas says that when this isn’t readily available in all communities, there’s no reason why everyone can’t grow something in a pot.

“With the rise of [organic and sustainable farming] popularity, the tides are turning,” he says. “The reason for that being is because food freedom and seed sovereignty is everybody’s issue.”

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | ART TORREY BAILEY

SEEN LOCAL IN MOTION

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ccess to public art spaces is inarguably problematic in San Diego. When The Roots Factory was kicked out of its Barrio Logan space in 2014, relocating to Bread & Salt meant downsizing and vamping up online efforts under a new name, Barrio Network. “[With] our Roots Factory project, we had live shows, workshops and things of that nature,” says Bob Hernandez. “It was really fun, but I felt that it was only accessible to those who knew about us and who were following us.”

Hernandez is launching the Art Carts Project this month as a potential solution. Using a grant from the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, Hernandez, who’s also known as DJ Air Nandez, has been repurposing paleteros, or street vending carts. There are currently two that are almost complete. One cart’s lid bears solar paneling, and, when flipped open, there’s two turntables and a mixer inside.

“We also want to include a recording lab in it so we can actually record people performing, people making beats, doing productions and also broadcast live from it if we get WiFi capabilities,” says Hernandez.

“We’re still trying to build on this and see how far we can maximize its capabilities.”

The second paletero is a screen print cart for making free posters, which local tattoo artist Sergio Hernandez will be collaborating on. They anticipate building more carts for various purposes, including one for

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Art Carts Project distributing plant seeds and others that they will use to host art-making workshops. As the carts are finished, they are going to host pop-up events throughout southeast San Diego, including Paradise Hills, Encanto and Skyline from February through March.

“Southeast San Diego is really rich with art and culture, but it’s just so underground and so underserved that people aren’t able to see it,” Hernandez says. “This is a way to go into these public spaces and actually bring out the artists that are from the neighborhoods and let them showcase some of their work and hopefully inspire other people.”

All the pop-ups are free with the first one taking place on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Chollas Lake Park (6350 College Grove Drive) from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be a beat set by AbJo of Soulection and DJ sets by Chulita Vinyl Club SD, DJ Inform and DJ Victor. Hernandez says the mic and DJ table will also be open to attendees to try out.

“People don’t get the opportunity to even try to use it or to dream that they could ever do something like that. We just want to plant seeds in people so they can know if there’s something they can get into.”

—Torrey Bailey

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Documentary now

Blood is at the Doorstep

Human Rights Film Festival returns to San Diego with immediate and relevant stories

by Glenn Heath Jr.

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ocumentary features and shorts screen in multiple San Diego film festival programs, but the Human Rights Film Festival is one of the only local events that dedicate every slot to non-fiction cinema. This year, the traveling showcase screens at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park from Thursday, Feb. 1 through Sunday, Feb. 4, premiering six new feature documentaries ranging in topic from online privacy to workers’ rights.

“After the hundreds of films are viewed by the staff, we only select films that really tell a compelling story on human rights,” says Jennifer Nedbalsky, the HRFF’s Associate Director of Audience Engagement. “The films we chose this year, they were topically relevant to what’s happening in the larger world and political climate. And we purposefully sought out films that would be relevant to a city like San Diego.”

One particular film, however, has a special local connection. Erik Ljung, now a Milwaukee-based filmmaker, graduated from San Diego State University and worked as a photojournalist for the Daily Aztec.

He will be premiering his new documentary The Blood is at the Doorstep as the Closing Night selection. The film intimately details how police violence impacts disenfranchised communities, both from a collective and personal vantage point, while also addressing institutional failures and systemic racism without being preachy.

It begins with an all too familiar headline: the killing of an unarmed Black man by a white police officer.

On April 30, 2014, Milwaukee beat cop Christopher Manney shot Dontre Hamilton 14 times after an apparent altercation in front of a local Starbucks, sparking citywide protests and public outcry. Ljung follows Dontre’s family, including mother Maria and brother Nate, as they grapple with both the grieving process (and further misinformation perpetrated by police), legal delays and becoming part of the national Black Lives Matter protests.

The Blood is at the Doorstep unfolds in mostly conventional fashion, mixing talking heads interviews with B-roll footage of various protests and court hearings. But within this familiar construct, Ljung subversively tackles the prickly war of public perception, and more specifically, how certain stakeholders craft narratives from tragedy in order to fuel an agenda.

Police chief Edward A. Flynn mistakenly conflates Dontre’s schizophrenia with justifiable cause for Manney to shoot, even though the diagnosis was not

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

known until after the shooting. Local activists trying to use Dontre’s death for their own gains are equally opportunistic. Nate and Maria find themselves caught in the middle under the constant threat of being victimized again. Both refuse to validate these trajectories by taking action.

Nate forms The Coalition for Justice to promote various civil rights causes, while Maria establishes a meet-up group for mothers who’ve lost their children to police violence. The Blood is at the Doorstep could be faulted for not dedicating more coverage to these elements. Instead, the film favors a more balanced approach to the subject matter by interviewing multiple subjects that are of varying importance.

Still, Ljung provides the necessary context to show how the Hamilton Family has been reborn by trauma, forced to turn their understandable rage into political fortitude. That they do this on their own terms separate of outside influences is a testament to their strength, both as individuals and as a family unit.

Nate in particular becomes the film’s distinctive central voice, resolute in his dedication to getting his brother’s story properly investigated by police and truthfully covered by the media.

The Blood doesn’t carry the emotional heft or scope of Quest, another recent documentary that gives voice to a modern Black family confronting the disenfranchisement and injustice in their community. Coming on the heels of San Diego’s own recent police shooting last year, Ljung’s film is a worthy addition to the ongoing conversation about the epidemic of violence on Black and Brown bodies, especially since it beautifully portrays how the grief-stricken can reclaim power by becoming active participants in social change.

Also premiering at this year’s Human Rights Film Festival: Opening Night selection Lindy Lou, Juror Number 2 detailing the regret and sorrow felt by one woman who helped hand down a death penalty verdict years before; Black Code, a documentary about the “Internet sleuths” behind the Toronto-based group Citizen Lab; Complicit, which profiles the secret activism of a Chinese factory worker; Silas, a portrait of Liberian activist Silas Siakor; and Home Truth, an exploration of the trauma produced by a horrific domestic violence case. For more information visit ff.hrw.org.

Film reviews run weekly.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

In the Fade

Hot button misfire

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ain drenches much of In the Fade, as if modern Germany was experiencing its own personal end of days. The torrential downpour helps to hammer home an obvious tonal seriousness usually reserved for Hallmark Channel tragedy. But in this case, it frames Katja (Diane Kruger) who’s suffering greatly during the weeks after her husband and son are killed in a terrorist bombing.

Director Fatih Akin (Head-On) uses the central character’s lingering trauma to confront Europe’s current identity crisis from a personal perspective.

Kruger commits wholeheartedly, exhibiting genuine vulnerability despite derivative dialogue and plot points that feel rehashed from other revenge films.

When asked about potential suspects, Katja instantly knows that “Nazis” committed the crime. Her suspicion is never explained in any way by the film’s script or directorial choices, but she’s proven right a few scenes later when the perpetrators are revealed to be hardline right-wing extremists. Such abrupt rationale is indicative of In the Fade’s lazy approach to topical filmmaking, and one that persists throughout.

This sets the stage for a lengthy court battle in which Katja watches as inefficient bureaucracy and manipulative lawyering lead to a cycle of injustice. Not satisfied, Akin tacks on a half-assed third act where she attempts to enact revenge in the most symbolic way imaginable.

In the Fade (opening Friday, Feb. 2) is meant to be a blunt object against the recent tide of nationalism and racist ideologies, but it’s almost completely ineffective at achieving those goals. Akin clumsily handles Katja’s personal reckoning; her descent into madness has all the formalities of the standard issue breakdown (attempted suicide, complicated vengeance, moral reckoning).

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If Inglorious Basterds and FX’s The Bridge have proven anything, it’s that Kruger can be a force on screen when given the right material. In the Fade may offer a juicy leading role on paper, but it doesn’t come close to doing her talents justice.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING 12 Strong: In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the first wave of U.S. Special Forces confront the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Den of Thieves: An elite and brutal tactical unit in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department must track down a new crew of bank robbers with nothing to lose. Stars Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. Félicité: A singer in a bar in the Congo capital of Kinshasa has her life thrown into turmoil when her 14-year-old son gets into a terrible car accident. Opens Friday, Jan. 19, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool: Screen icon Gloria Grahame lives out her final days having an affair with a younger man in this biopic from director Paul McGuigan. Opens Friday, Jan. 19, at Landmark Hillcrest at Angelika Film Center—Carmel Mountain.

Hostiles: Christian Bale stars as a brutal Army captain based in New Mexico tasked with escorting a Cheyenne chief back to his native Montana in Scott Cooper’s classical Western.

Phantom Thread: In Paul Thomas Anderson’s ravaging twohanders, Daniel Day-Lewis plays a renowned London dressmaker who begins a complicated relationship with an equally stubborn waitress (Vicky Krieps).

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

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

FRANK OCKENFELS

MUSIC

hoebe Bridgers is only 23 years old, but according to her math she’s been playing music for half of her life. Her Bandcamp bio says that she wrote her first song at 11, which is around the time she first started learning to play guitar. She released her first EP, Killer, at just 20 years old. And after a dozen years of honing her skills as a musician, she’s grown into a performer whose music is haunting and soulful well beyond her years.

And as much as it might seem like Bridgers was born with the gift of chill-inducing songwriting talents, it actually took a relatively long time to get to this point. She spent much of her teenage years playing open mic nights, developing her voice and forming the skeletons of her earliest songs.

The first few tries, however, didn’t go so well.

“The first time I played a show and felt like I was playing my own songs was when I was 14 or 15,” Bridgers says from her home in Los Angeles. “I totally had to get used to it. I played a Bob Dylan cover at an open mic night and there was this lyric about having a dry throat and, literally, my voice cracked, and I couldn’t continue to play the song.

Then I dropped my pick at one show and it just stopped me playing completely. There were just all these things that shouldn’t get in the way of playing a show.”

Stranger in the Alps, Phoebe Bridgers’ debut album, is an emotionally draining work of a far more mature artist than the teenager who first found her feet at open mics. Most of the album consists of stark ballads that balance deeply moving narratives with light touches of humor. On one end of the spectrum is a song like “Funeral,” in which Bridgers tries to gain perspective on her own sadness while being reminded that “someone’s kid is dead.” The song “Smoke Signals,” however, juxtaposes memories of an ex with imagery of recently departed musicians, such as David Bowie and Lemmy from Motorhead.

Yet there are some silly Easter eggs to be found as well; the title, for instance, is a reference to a TV-friendly edit of a particularly profane scene in The Big Lebowski.

There’s an old cliché about how artists have their entire life to make their first album, and indeed some of the songs on Stranger in the Alps date pretty far back in Bridgers’ own life. She says she wrote “Chelsea” when she was 15, for instance. Yet the way some of the songs ended up on Stranger in the Alps are considerably different than the way she originally envisioned them. Standout track “Motion Sickness” is one of only a few full-blown rock songs on the album, with live drums and some dirty, distorted guitar.

It stands out against a batch of otherwise slow, spacious songs, and listeners can thank some heated debates between Bridgers and her producer for how it ended up.

“I was sifting through voice memos the other day and was like ‘holy shit! That’s what the song sounded like before I recorded it?’” she says. “I think a lot of it had to do with the producer, Tony Berg. He’s very opinionated... and there were a lot of days when we left the studio fighting, but we came back in

reaching some common ground. At first, it was very emo-sounding on a baritone guitar in an open tuning. Tony would be like ‘Phoebe! Every fucking song on the album does that!’ And I’d say, ‘that’s what I like!’

Eventually, I was listening in my car and was like, ‘hey I kinda like this.’ So, once the album was done I thought, ‘shit, I should have recorded more songs like that!’”

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

Phoebe Bridgers While Bridgers is still in the relatively early stages of a career as a performer, she’s already crossed paths with some notable names in the industry. She found an enthusiastic fan early on in Ryan Adams, who released one of her early singles on his label, Pax-Am, and even went so far as to compare her to Bob Dylan. Likewise, Conor Oberst lent his vocals to her song, “Would You Rather.” And while she’s still getting used to the idea of meeting her musical heroes, she’s also enthusiastic about many of her peers, from Mitski and Jay Som to previous tourmate Julien Baker. Bridgers sees these young singer/songwriters as part of a “a bigger thing” happening in indie music right now.

“It’s extremely intimidating, but all those people are all very sweet and supportive, so I think it’s all pretty rad,” she says. “At the same time I’m surrounded by people who haven’t been making music for as long and are all very exciting. When I toured with Julien Baker, I didn’t miss a show. I liter-

ally watched her every single night. Even if I haven’t eaten dinner or whatever, I’d end up making an excuse to see her every night.”

It’s conceivable that Bridgers will be the one on the other side of those exchanges in just a short amount of time. After receiving critical acclaim for Stranger in the Alps in recent months, she’s likely headed for some larger stages as well. And based on her recent tour experiences, she seems to have worked out the kinks that cut some of her early performances short.

“The most rewarding thing ever was playing a show in London having the room be completely silent and everyone knew all the words,” she says. “All my reservations about playing these songs live have completely disappeared, and I’ve only had nice experiences. I feel like I have a lot of freedom, and it’s very fun.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff

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january 31, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

MUSIC

AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

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iberty Station is about to get weird. On Saturday, March 31, an experimental music showcase titled Hand of God, will take place at the North Chapel at Liberty Station (2881 Roosevelt Road), featuring performances by San Francisco-based guitarist Bill Orcutt and Japanese-born, New Mexico-based gong artist Tatsuya Nakatani. The even will also include performances from local artists such as Monochromacy and no know (sound band).

The show is being organized by Sam Lopez of tape label and noise-show entity Stay Strange, and it came to fruition after a chance encounter at a panel discussion on vanishing arts spaces last year.

“Alan [Ziter, executive director of Arts District Liberty Station], was sitting right next to me. So I leaned over to him and said, I’d like to put on a show in one of the abandoned buildings in Liberty Station,” Lopez says. “And right away he says, ‘let’s do it!’”

Hand of God, true to its name, is a show that’s loosely spiritual in nature and originally planned to be held in a cemetery. When that idea didn’t come to pass, however, Lopez saw the chapel space at Liberty Station as a per-

ALBUM REVIEW Con-tact Distortion (Self-released)

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on-tact likely weren’t going for any deep symbolism or metaphors when they named their new album Distortion. There might be some hidden meaning to it that I’m not aware of, but when listening to the album, I sure as hell notice all of the fuzz they slather all over their hook-laden, melodic alternative rock. All of the 13 songs on Distortion are thick, noisy, blown-out slices of grungy pop that sound on the verge of blowing a speaker.

As gnarly as the fuzz is on the record, it’s still not enough to mask the fact that Con-tact is, at their core, writing melodic pop music that wouldn’t have been out of place on college radio in the ‘90s. This album is loud, noisy and fairly abrasive in parts, but it’s far from un-

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

fect venue for some acoustically powerful, drone-heavy music. Additionally, Michael Zimmerman will be giving a dystopian sermon, Codex Confiteor will sing audience members’ sins (as submitted to an anonymous box), and an adjacent building will feature tarot readings.

“I wanted to do something that encompassed spirituality, the afterlife, religion,” he says. “I had this idea for a chapel show, and when I put this CYNDI FELTON idea out there, they loved it.”

The show is free to the public, which is made possible from funding from Arts District Liberty Station that ensures the artists will be paid. It will also be the first in what Lopez hopes will be many more collaborations between Liberty Station and Stay Strange, which will most likely take place in other venues. For now, Hand Bill Orcutt of God is the beginning of bringing noise into an unlikely space.

“I could be caveman-ish and say this is a noise show in a church, but it’s much more than that,” Lopez says.

“Being able to put all of these artists together on one bill, it’s a dream. And if I hadn’t been sitting next to Alan, this wouldn’t even be happening.”

—Jeff Terich

approachable. In fact, some of the most off-putting moments are fleeting introductions or samples between tracks, such as the sound of a dial-up modem or the sound of a rapidly accelerating tape loop. But on a track like “Liars,” it’s the band’s knack for hooks that stand out most.

All that being said, Con-tact aren’t without their idiosyncrasies. Each track features simultaneous male-female vocal pairings, and it takes a little bit of getting used to. When they’re perfectly harmonized, as on the outstanding “Desolution,” they make an already good thing better. On leadoff track “Fixed,” however, the clipped delivery has a bit of a robotic cult chant sound about it. It’s not altogether unappealing, but it’s definitely weird.

The literal distortion that Con-tact wields is more of a means to an end than an end in itself. These songs would still sound good if they were cleaned up and made more conventionally pretty. But what would be the fun of that?

—Jeff Terich

Free pass

CHRIS LEE / FLICKR

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n Jan. 1, Assembly Bill 711 went into effect, allowing beer manufacturers to provide consumers with free or discounted rides from transportaGaslamp Quarter tion companies, such as taxis, and even ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The bill, which was introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low, aims to reduce drunk driving. In a county like San Diego, where drinking options are abundant, it’s long overdue that an option like this was available.

However, California is pretty late to the game. More than 44 states already have such a law, according to the office of Assemblymember Low. And in September, Lyft announced it was entering its second year of partnering with AnheuserBusch. Together the companies offer discounted rides in 10 states, including New York, Colorado and Washington, D.C., according to Lyft’s website. The program prompted people to head to Budweiser’s Facebook page each week to find a code for two $10 credits that could be applied to a ride between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Thursdays, Friday or Saturdays.

The vouchers, however, cannot be handed out as an incentive to consume a particular product, such as Budweiser, for example. Still, the fact that both big beer and Lyft were proponents of the bill comes as no surprise. Whether Lyft will be adding California to its list has yet to be publicly announced, but local venue owners are supportive.

“People would enjoy more areas instead of staying in their neighborhoods,” says Eric Johnson, co-owner of the Gaslamp bar The Smoking Gun. “Exploring more bars and restaurants. Paying for people to come enjoy your place that usually wouldn’t, I can see some positive in that.”

However, Rob McShea, part owner and bar manager of Duck Dive, Park 101 and Miss B’s Coconut Club, says the law won’t make a significant difference in the way his venues treat public safety.

“This law reinforces the ideals that responsible alcohol purveyors try, or have been trying to do for a while now,” he says. “I know, personally, we have worked with many different groups in the past to help our patrons get home safe.

We have participated with MADD, ride-sharing groups, and local interest groups to decrease drunk driving.”

Time will tell whether Assembly Bill 711 is financially feasible for San Diego’s small-time brewers, or if this city of beer snobs would vouch for coupons from the likes of Budweiser. None of San Diego’s largest breweries, including Karl Strauss, Stone Brewing and Green Flash, commented on their intentions by the time this article went to press.

“In general, I’m not sure if all alcohol purveyors are aware of the new law,” says McShea. “But as responsible operators, guest safety should be a priority.”

—Torrey Bailey

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MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, JAN. 31

PLAN A: Prawn, Caravela, Quali @ Soda Bar. Prawn makes indie rock that ranges from angsty, abrasive anthems to more atmospheric post-rock sounds. And they’re quite good at both. Make sure to show up on time to catch local shoegazers Quali, who are one of my favorite bands in town right now. PLAN B: Pinback, The Color Forty Nine @ The Casbah. If anyone somehow missed the first couple Pinback shows this week, here’s chance number three. Don’t pass it up. BACKUP PLAN: Beevil, Waldo Oswaldo, Kitty Plague @ Tower Bar.

recreational use in California, one can have a government-sanctioned toke before seeing some stoner rock. And there’s going to be lots of heavy riffs at this show full of loud, fuzzy, stoner-y goodness. BACKUP PLAN: Belle Game, WENS @ Soda Bar. STEVE PERCAPIO

THURSDAY, FEB. 1

PLAN A: Passion Pit @ Observatory North Park. Passion Pit have made a dynamic ascent from indie darlings to a more mainstream, but still interesting pop group.

Bigger budgets suit them quite well, and they’ve got enough stellar songs to make this a potentially great show. PLAN B: Bad History Month, Longface, Miss New Buddha, Young Jesus @ Soda Bar. Bad History Month was previously known as Fat History Month, and while I’m not sure why they changed the name, they thankfully didn’t change anything about the fuzzy, lo-fi rock they make. BACKUP PLAN: The Banditos, Liquorsmiths, Summer Knowledge @ SPACE.

FRIDAY, FEB. 2

PLAN A: Birdy Bardot, The Heavy Guilt, The Havnauts @ Soda Bar. Birdy Bardot’s shows are always a great time, and on this particular bill she’s joined by longtime local favorites The Heavy Guilt, as well as The Havnauts, which features Shelbi Bennett of The Midnight Pine. There will be no shortage of fun, earthy, gritty rock sounds.

PLAN B: STRFKR @ Observatory North Park. As much as the band-name-withoutvowels thing annoys me, STRFKR (pronounced “starfucker”) is pretty fun. Their synth-laden indie disco sound is infectious as fck.

SATURDAY, FEB. 3

PLAN A: The Creepy Creeps, Ford Maddox Ford, The Loons, Thee Allyrgic Reaction @ The Casbah. These days my garagesurf-rock fatigue is pretty debilitating, considering that’s a go-to sound for most SoCal bands. But Creepy Creeps are an exception, in large part because they’re just so much better at it than everyone else. PLAN B: Loom, Flying Hair, Nebula Drag @ Tower Bar. Given that marijuana is now legal for

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Prawn

SUNDAY, FEB. 4

PLAN A: Shaun Reeves, Halo Varga, Lefthook, Ra.Mod, Oboe @ Blonde. Most venues are taking the night off because of the Super Bowl, but for those looking to groove after the game is over, the best bet is Detroit producer Shaun Reeves. CityBeat associate editor Torrey Bailey will be pleased to know I acknowledged a techno event.

MONDAY, FEB. 5

PLAN A: Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy @ Soda Bar. Read my feature this week on Phoebe Bridgers, whose album Stranger in the Alps is one of my favorite debuts of the past year. It’ll break your heart. PLAN B: Western Scene, State to State, The Anomaly @ The Casbah. Western Scene are an L.A. band with San Diego roots, and their catchy, easy-going indie rock is easy to like. It’s a little dreamy, a little bit power pop and a whole lot of fun.

TUESDAY, FEB. 6

PLAN A: Polux, Ariel Levine, Hail Hail @ The Casbah. Tuesday night is a good night to get acquainted with some new local bands. Polux have only been around for a couple months, but their style of psychedelic and hazy pop is one worth watching. PLAN B: Dent, Twin Ponies, Shades McCool @ Soda Bar. Phoenix-based Dent are sort of hard to describe. They essentially make melodic rock music slathered in tons of heavy distortion and weird effects, and it sounds really cool.

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Denim Robot (Casbah, 2/8), ‘One Giant Leap Music Fest’ (Brick by Brick, 2/9), Sully & the Blue Eyed Soul Band (BUT, 2/11), ‘Awesome Pre-Fest 11’ (Soda Bar, 2/15), ‘Musicians United’ w/ Taz Taylor Band (Brick by Brick, 2/16), Montalban Quintet (Casbah, 3/22), The Night Game (Soda Bar, 3/22), ‘Musicians United’ w/ Loose Cannon Band (Brick by Brick, 2/24), Exhumed (Brick by Brick, 2/25), Wage War (Soda Bar, 2/27), ‘Wacken Metal Battle - Round 1’ (Brick

by Brick, 3/2), Matt Costa (Casbah, 3/4), Halfnoise (Soda Bar, 3/11), The Garden (Soma, 3/29), ‘Wacken Metal Battle Round 2’ (Brick by Brick, 3/30), Slothrust (SPACE, 3/31), Chromeo, Phantoms (Humphreys, (4/10), The Steely Damned 2 (Music Box, 4/13), King Krule (Observatory, 4/20), The Moondoggies (Soda Bar, 4/21), Grendel (Casbah, 4/27), The Sherlocks (Casbah, 4/28), LAYNE (Soda Bar, 5/2), Ekolu (Music Box, 5/2), Rainbow Kitten Surprise (Observatory, 5/12), Aghori (Brick by Brick, 5/12), Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite (BUT, 5/12-13, 5/15-16), Rufus Wainwright (BUT, 5/24), Belle and Sebastian (Observatory, 6/22).

GET YER TICKETS Phoebe Bridgers (Soda Bar, 2/5), AllahLas (BUT, 2/8), Dua Lipa (HOB, 2/10), Miranda Lambert (Viejas Arena, 2/15), Mary Timony plays Helium (Casbah,

2/15), Dan Auerbach (Observatory, 2/19), Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled (Viejas Arena, 2/26), Margo Price (BUT, 3/2), Gogol Bordello (Observatory, 3/3), 311 (HOB, 3/5), Antibalas (BUT, 3/8), Protomartyr (SPACE, 3/8), American Nightmare (Brick by Brick, 3/9), Talib Kweli (Music Box, 3/9), Wolves in the Throne Room (Brick by Brick, 3/11), Flogging Molly (Observatory, 3/14), Lucy Dacus (Casbah, 3/21), George Clinton (HOB, 3/28), Titus Andronicus (Soda Bar, 4/2), Ty Dolla$ign (HOB, 4/5), Matt and Kim (Observatory, 4/9), Frankie Cosmos (Quartyard, 4/10), The Soft Moon (Casbah, 4/14), Dashboard Confessional (HOB 4/18), Big K.R.I.T. (Music Box, 4/20), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 4/22), ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ (Observatory, 4/25), Art Garfunkel (Balboa Theatre, 4/27), Bunbury (HOB, 4/29), Baths (BUT, 5/3), Keb’ Mo’ (BUT, 5/6-7), Weird Al Yankovic (Humphreys, 5/12), Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness (Humphreys, 5/13), Franz Ferdinand (Observatory, 5/13), Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Mattress Firm, 5/13), Nada Surf (BUT, 5/14), Earth, Wind and Fire (Harrah’s SoCal, 5/18), Madeleine Peyroux (BUT, 5/28), King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Observatory, 6/1), Kesha, Macklemore (Mattress Firm, 6/12), Weezer, The Pixies (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/11), Charlie Puth (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/20), The Eagles (Petco Park, 9/22).

JANUARY

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 31

Tower of Power at Belly Up Tavern. Gilberto Santa Rosa at Music Box. Pinback at The Casbah. Prawn at Soda Bar.

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

FEBRUARY

THURSDAY, FEB. 1

Steven Wright at Balboa Theatre. Passion Pit at Observatory North Park. Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Belly Up Tavern.

The Stone Foxes at The Casbah. Bad History Month at Soda Bar. Banditos at SPACE.

FRIDAY, FEB. 2 STRFKR at Observatory North Park. Wild Child at Belly Up Tavern. Exmag at The Casbah. Birdy Bardot at Soda Bar. Kristin Chenoweth at Music Box. Core 10 at Brick by Brick.

SATURDAY, FEB. 3 Fetty Wap at House of Blues. Lewis Black at Balboa Theatre. ALO at Belly Up Tavern. Belle Game at Soda Bar. Joe Lynn at Brick by Brick.

MONDAY, FEB. 5 Howard Jones at Belly Up Tavern. Phoebe Bridgers at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, FEB. 6 Majid Jordan at Observatory North Park.

Kathryn Cloward at Belly Up Tavern. Polux at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7 Lights at Observatory North Park. The Wind and the Wave at The Casbah. Joey Cape at Soda Bar. Daring Greatly & Friends at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, FEB. 8 tobyMAC at Viejas Arena. Walk the Moon at House of Blues. Allah-Las at Belly Up

Tavern. The Eiffels at Soda Bar. Zebra at Brick by Brick. Open Oscillator Showcase at The Casbah. Denim Robot at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, FEB. 9 Ja Rule and Ashanti at Observatory North Park (sold out). ‘One Giant Leap Music Fest’ at Brick by Brick.

SATURDAY, FEB. 10 Dua Lipa at House of Blues. Fu Manchu at The Casbah. Stelouse at Soda Bar. Typhoon at Music Box. Tim Ripper Owens at Brick by Brick. The Green at Observatory North Park.

SUNDAY, FEB. 11 Caifanes at Observatory (sold out). David Dondero at Soda Bar. Andres Lopez at House of Blues. The Phenomenauts at The Casbah. Sully & the Blue Eyed Soul Band at Belly Up Tavern.

TUESDAY, FEB. 13 Killswitch Engage, Anthrax at House of Blues. Valley Queen at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 Lettuce at Observatory North Park. Chuck Ragan at The Casbah. Pearl Charles at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, FEB. 15 Lana Del Rey at Valley View Casino Center. Miranda Lambert at Viejas Arena.

Mary Timony plays Helium at The Casbah. Black Pussy at Brick by Brick. ‘Awesome Pre-Fest 11’ at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, FEB. 16 ‘Awesome Fest 11’ at various venues.

Ghostemane at House of Blues. Gameface at The Casbah. Sweet and Tender Hooligans at Observatory North Park. The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern. ‘Musicians United’ w/ Taz Taylor Band at Brick

by Brick.

SATURDAY, FEB. 17 ‘You Are Going to Hate This Fest’ w/ The Frights, Jeff Rosenstock, Diet Cig at SOMA. Gramatik at Observatory North Park. G Perico at House of Blues. Dorothy at Music Box. Ha Ha Tonka at The Casbah. Trauma at Brick by Brick. ‘Awesome Fest 11’ at various venues. The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern. Trauma at Brick

by Brick.

SUNDAY, FEB. 18 Beth Hart at Balboa Theatre. The Delta Bombers at The Casbah. ‘Awesome Fest 11’ at various venues. Lotus at Music Box. Betamaxx at Belly Up Tavern.

MONDAY, FEB. 19 Bully at The Casbah. Grails at Soda Bar. Dan Auerbach at Observatory North Park.

Mike Gordon at Belly Up Tavern.

TUESDAY, FEB. 20 Theory of a Deadman at House of Blues.

Tune-Yards at Observatory North Park.

Palehound, Weaves at Soda Bar. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at The Casbah.

Shovels and Rope at Belly Up Tavern.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 Motionless in White at House of Blues.

Superchunk at The Casbah. Alex Cameron at Soda Bar. Icon for Hire at House of Blues Voodoo Room. Julian Lage Trio at Music Box.

THURSDAY, FEB. 22 Keys N Krates at House of Blues.

1000Mods at SPACE. Willie Watson at The Casbah. Adan Jodorowsky at Soda Bar. Sevdaliza at Observatory North Park. Mike Pinto and Josh Heinrichs at Music Box. The Wood Brothers at Belly Up Tavern. Eyehategod at Brick

by Brick.

FRIDAY, FEB. 23 X Ambassadors at SOMA. Missing Persons at The Casbah. All Pigs Must Die at Soda Bar. The Spits at SPACE. Septicflesh at Brick by Brick. Bahamas at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

SATURDAY, FEB. 24 The Spits, Beehive and the Barracudas at SPACE. Bruno Major at The Casbah.

Steve Poltz Birthday Bash at Belly Up Tavern. The Aggrolites at Music Box. ‘Musicians United’ w/ Loose Cannon Band at Brick by Brick.

SUNDAY, FEB. 25 Crooked Colours at Soda Bar. Enter Shikari at The Irenic. Busty and the Bass at The Casbah. Herb Alpert & Lani Hall at Belly Up Tavern. Exhumed at Brick by Brick.

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MONDAY, FEB. 26 Snarky Puppy at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Jacob Sartorius at House of Blues.

Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled at Viejas Arena.

Year of the Cobra at Brick by Brick. Janiva Magness at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, FEB. 27 The Coathangers at Belly Up Tavern.

Real Estate at Music Box. Wage War at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 Dengue Fever at Music Box. Thurston Moore Group at The Casbah. Spafford at Belly Up Tavern. I The Victor at Soda Bar.

MARCH THURSDAY, MARCH 1 The Dears at The Casbah. Soft Kill at SPACE. Money Chicha at Soda Bar. They Might Be Giants at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 Langhorne Slim at Music Box. Theo Katzman at Soda Bar. Margo Price at Belly Up Tavern. ‘Wacken Metal Battle Round 1’ at Brick by Brick.

rCLUBSr 710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Karaoke.

Fri: Irieality, Kill Babylon Coalition. Tue: Calphonics.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St.,

Normal Heights. Thu: ‘Centerpiece’ w/ DJ Eliasar Gordillo. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice.

Mon: ‘Organized Grime’.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Noah Gardenswartz. Fri: Noah Gardenswartz. Sat: Noah Gardenswartz.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: Jerk! Sat: Smomid, Poor. Sun: The Floor is Lava, Lightning Rules, Mortar. Tue: Karaoke.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Love Like Blood’ w/ DJs Brandy Bell, Carrie Gillespie Feller. Sun: Dead on the Wire, Homeless Sexuals.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: J. Worra. Sat: Pete Tong.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Frank Cope. Fri: dB Jukebox.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Tower of Power (sold out). Thu: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ole Sankale. Fri: Wild Child, Dazed and Confused. Sat: ALO, John Craigie. Mon: Howard Jones, Rachael Sage (sold out). Tue: Kathryn Cloward, Cherry Road, Heather Nation, Lee Coulter.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: Blonde Sugar, Exile. Fri: ‘Dance From Above’. Sat: ‘The Smiths vs. The Cure vs. Joy Division’.

Sun: Kill Quanti’s Silver x Gold. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘T is 4 Techno’.

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

Thu: Red Wizard. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: Core 10, Squirrelly Arts, The Flood, Finding Thetis. Sat: Joe Lynn, Symbolic, RDG, Sledd.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Pinback, The Color Forty Nine.

Thu: The Stone Foxes, The Andrew McKeag Band, The Bassics. Fri: Exmag, Bass Physics. Sat: The Creepy Creeps, Ford Maddox Ford, The Loons. Mon: Western Scene, State to State, The Anomaly. Tue: Polux, Ariel Levine, Hail Hail.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Fri: Chris Vitas, Peter Sprague. Sat: The Christopher Hollyday Quartet.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Bar1ne. Sat: Dre Sinatra.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., Downtown.

Wed: Ride the Mule. Thu: DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: ‘Rock Star Saturday’.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: DJ Mike White. Thu: Wallows. Fri: ‘Pardi Gras’ w/ The Bayou Brothers, Lola Demure’s Burlesque & Variety Show, Steve & Ginie Jackson. Sat: Fetty Wap. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Tradewinds. Thu: Johnny Deadly Trio. Fri: Sue Palmer. Sat: Funk’s Most Wanted, Michele Lundeen. Sun: Stellita. Mon: January Berry Band. Tue: Backwater Blues Band.

Java Joe’s, 2611 Congress St., Old Town. Fri: Frank Lee Drennen, Timothy Joseph, Shane Alexander, Gregg Stewart.

Sat: Billy Galewood.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Leonce, Ganesa, Kelman Duran, Umenos, Nastea, Weird Hues. Thu: ‘Midnight Wave’. Fri: ‘Minimal Sessions’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Mon: Open mic.

Tue: Comedy night.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Timmy Trumpet.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Jackson & Billy.

Plaza Bar at Westgate Hotel, 1055 2nd Ave., Downtown. Fri: Gilbert Castellanos.

Sat: Allison Adams Tucker. Mon: Julio de la Huerta.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Dina Martina. Thu: Joe Posa as Joan Rivers. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess.

Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Andy Anderson, Nathan Fry. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: The Hazytones, Mortar, Sixes, Captain Howdy. Thu: EndCastle, Ned And The Dirt, Pinkeye. Fri: The Gorgeous Boyscouts, The Paragraphs, Turtle Turnip, Thea!. Sat: ‘Bear Night’ w/ DJ Jon Williams. Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore. Mon: Karaoke. Tue: Heir Gloom, Jara, Battery Point.

Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Fri: Christian Taylor.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Rick Elliot. Sat: Mind Cell.

Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam. Tue: Karaoke.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Gilberto Santa Rosa. Thu: Maiz, LAYNE & The New Nation, Ginger Roots Acoustic, DJ Carlos Culture. Fri: Kristin Chenoweth. Sat: Rebel SoulJahz, The Steppas, CRSB. Mon: Bermuda Triangle.

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

Wed: ‘1,2,3’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: NGHTMRE. Sat: DJ Politik.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Fri: Michael Borowski Quartet. Sat: Besos Trio. Sun: Sue Palmer.

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JANUARY 31, 2018

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: ‘Blues Jam’ w/ Lady Star.

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, K-Swift. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops.

Thu: Barbuto, DJ K-Swift, Myxzlplix, John Vilotti. Fri: ‘Electro-Pop’ w/ DJ Dirty Kurty, DJ Moody Rudy. Sat: ‘Voltage’ w/ DK K-Swift, DJ Taj. Sun: DJ Cros, DJ Wayne G. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Swing Thing. Fri: Flipside Burners. Sat: Baja Bugs.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: BlackCherry Lightnin’.

Sat: OrchidxMantis.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: Nathan Hubbard Trio.

Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Prawn, Caravela, Quali.

Thu: Bad History Month, Longface, Miss New Buddha, Young Jesus. Fri: Birdy Bardot, The Heavy Guilt, The Havnauts. Sat: Belle Game, WENS. Mon: Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy. Tue: Dent, Twin Ponies, Shades McCool.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Air Go, PVKE, In Blue, Jara. Sat: Distinguisher, Castaway, Born a New, Seconds Ago, Victimized.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Thu: Banditos, The Liquorsmiths, Summer Knowledge. Fri: ‘Rituals’ w/ DJs Israel, Deadmatter, Disorder.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Middletown. Fri: Roygbiv, DJ T. Sat: Destructo.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Batlords, Dum Cumpsters, Good Time Girl, The Petty Saints. Sat: VVomen, 22 Missiles, The Newports, Atlas.

Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Kenny and Deez. Thu: Evan Diamond Goldberg. Fri: Cassie B Band, Chad and Rosie. Sat: Cassie B Band, Chad and Rosie. Tue: Scott Porter.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: Graceland, Marlon Von Ratibor. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band. Tue: Sue Palmer and her Motel Swing Quintet.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: Beevil, Waldo Oswaldo, Kitty Plague. Fri: ‘Hip-Hop vs. Punk Rock’.

Sat: Loom, Flying Hair.

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

Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: Kid Wonder. Sat: DJ Freeman.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Riff City Comedy. Thu: ‘Vamp’.

Mon: ‘Fantasy’ w/ DJ Mario Orduno.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: Synyrgy, Iriefuse, DJ Carlos Culture.

Thu: Roxy Roca. Fri: Ocean Beach Comedy. Sat: TNERTLE, Ghost Party. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

@SDCITYBEAT

LAST WORDS | ADVICE

AMY ALKON

ADVICE

GODDESS

Burden of “Poof!”

Out of the blue, my boyfriend of two years broke up with me. Not long afterward, I saw pix on Facebook of him with some other girl. It’s been two months since our breakup, and he wants to reconcile, so whatever he got into obviously tanked. We were planning on moving in together in the spring.

(Maybe he got cold feet?) I still love him, but I’m worried. Did he just break up with me to be with this girl? How do I know this won’t happen again?

—Fighting Uncertainty

We crave certainty, and we get freaked out by uncertainty. If we weren’t like this, there would be no horror movies, because somebody would say, “Whoa…

I hear this weird, unearthly growling in the basement,” and their friend would say, “Yeah, whatever” and keep playing chess, and the monster would cry itself to sleep off camera.

Interestingly, there are some lessons for dealing with potential romantic horror from actual horror fare. Evolutionary researcher Mathias Clasen, author of Why Horror Seduces, believes that one reason we appreciate horror movies is that they allow us to have an intense scary experience under safe circumstances—basically acting as a sort of mental training to help us protect ourselves in dire situations. For example, from a list of horror movie survival tips at the website Slasher Mania: “As a general rule, don’t solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.”

Because horror movies are “evolutionarily novel”—meaning they didn’t exist in the ancestral environment that shaped the psychology still driving us today—our brains tend to respond to fictional slasher/zombie/demon stuff as if it were real. So, upon entering a tall building, I occasionally flash on a helpful life lesson I picked up from The Shining: If the elevator opens and a flood of blood comes out, take the stairs.

Research by Clasen and his colleagues (presented at a 2017 academic conference I attended, but not yet published) appears to give preliminary support to his horror-movies-as-life-prep hypothesis. There is also published research showing benefits from what I’d call “preparative worrying.” For example, social psychologist Kate Sweeny found that law students who worried more about taking their bar exam felt much better about their results—whether they passed or tanked the thing—compared with those who didn’t fret or didn’t fret much.

Sweeny notes that findings from her research and others’ support two benefits of worry. Worry amps up motivation—spotlighting “the importance of taking action” to head off some undesirable outcome. Worry also leads people “to engage in proactive coping efforts”— providing an emotional airbag should things go badly.

As for your situation, sadly, Apple and Amazon have been remiss in giving Siri and Alexa a crystal ball feature, so there’s no way to know for sure whether this guy would just end up bouncing again. But there is a helpful way to “worry” about a possible future with him, and it’s to do it like a scientist, estimating “probabilities”—what seems likely to happen based on prior experience and information.

To do that, ask yourself some questions: Is he generally a person who feels an obligation to be careful with other people’s feelings? How in touch is he with his own? Is he easily bored, and does he have a big lust for novelty and excitement (called being “high in sensation-seeking” by psychologists)?

Next, factor in your own temperament—how emotionally fragile or resilient you are. Practically speaking, the question to ask yourself: “If he left again, how crushing would that be for me?” However, in answering that, it’s important to get specific about the actual worst-case scenario; for example: “I’d spend four months deforesting the Pacific Northwest by binge-weeping into Kleenex.” This might be a price you’re willing to pay for a shot at being with the man you love, especially if you hate trees.

Ultimately, as psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, who studies decision-making, writes: “Understand that there is no certainty and no zero-risk, but only risks that are more or less acceptable.”

If you conclude that you can accept the potential downsides of trying again with him, consider that his aborted jaunt off into Otherwomanland may have been a good thing. Sometimes it takes a wrong turn to point us in the right direction. Or, putting that another way, perhaps through your boyfriend’s going for what he thought he wanted, he figured out what he really wants.

To avoid being resentful over this little detour of his, maybe use the experience as a reminder to appreciate what you have as long as you have it. As we’ve seen, there are no guarantees in life—not even that the government has safeguards on the missile strike warning system stronger than your grandma’s AOL password. (Hi, Hawaii—glad you’re still with us!)

I occasionally flash on a helpful life lesson I picked up from The Shining: If the elevator opens and a flood of blood comes out, take the stairs.

@SDCITYBEAT

(c)2018, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

E-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com. @amyalkon on Twitter.

JANUARY 31, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27