2 · San Diego CityBeat · february 1, 2017
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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
Time to go
I
t can be a truly heartbreaking experience to learn that someone who has otherwise fought for workers’ rights and progressive values could potentially be a genuine creep. Most readers will remember the sinking feeling when it was revealed that former mayor Bob Filner had a sordid history of sexual harassment. We didn’t want to believe it, but as time went on and more accusers stepped forward, it became abundantly clear that Filner’s repeated denials could no longer save him. While most San Diegans were understandably distracted by Trump’s tumultuous first week in office, there were disturbing developments in the case of Mickey Kasparian, the president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135, a labor union that represents 12,500 workers including grocery and drug store employees. For those unfamiliar with the ongoing saga, Kasparian is legally accused of quid pro quo sexual harassment, gender discrimination, physical disability discrimination and wrongful termination of a former employee. He’s also had a formal complaint filed with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing accusing him of discrimination, harassment and wrongful demotion. Some accusations that came to light in the lawsuits are truly disturbing. One of the plaintiffs, Isabel Vasquez, has accused Kasparian of demanding sexual acts in his office and in hotel rooms paid for with union funds. Another complaint, filed by Sandy Naranjo, accuses Kasparian of firing her for skipping work to supposedly conspire against his political agenda when she says she was at a medical appointment to deal with a workrelated injury. Last week, a UFCW Local 135 employee (Anabel Arauz) filed a complaint that she was wrongfully demoted for supporting her former colleague’s accusations. This is in addition to a number of other informal accounts of Kasparian being verbally abusive and discriminatory in the office. Things came to a head last Wednesday (Jan. 25) when Arauz, along with former city councilmember Donna Frye and Filner vic-
tim Irene McCormack, showed up to a labor council delegate meeting to show support for the women accusing Kasparian and to call for his resignation. CityBeat was there and spoke to all three women as they protested outside the union hall (they were not allowed inside, and Frye and McCormack were subsequently kicked off the premises). “What is he hiding? Why doesn’t he want the rest of the unions to know that a current employee filed this complaint?” asked Arauz after she was taken off the delegates list and not allowed to attend the meeting. “I know I’m not doing it for attention. I’m not doing it for anything else, but I’m standing up for the right thing because enough is enough. He can’t silence us anymore. He will probably try to fire me for being out here, but at this point, honestly, I’ll get fired for doing the right thing.” This note isn’t meant to demonize or pile onto what has already become a hot topic, but it’s become increasingly clear that Kasparian needs to step down from his role as president. It’s our opinion that, with all the litigation and the increasing amount of complaints that seem to now pop up daily, there is simply no way that Kasparian will be able to continue to serve effectively in his current role. While most media outlets probably don’t consider this story to be on the same scale as the Filner debacle, the Kasparian accusers should be taken just as seriously. Positions of power, be they in the mayor’s office or a union hall, should never be abused. At the time this issue when to print, there were murmurs of a letter circulating among prominent democrats and labor activists requesting an independent investigation of Kasparian. At this point, the momentum is with the accusers, and the sooner Kasparian realizes this, the less heartbreaking it will be for everyone. “People need to speak up,” Frye said at last week’s meeting. “They have to speak up when they see something wrong, when they see people being abused and when they see gross abuse of power, which is what we are witnessing right now.”
—The Editors
Volume 15 • Issue 27 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker Minda Honey John R. Lamb Alex Zaragoza CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Baldwin, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lara McCaffrey
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FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
TO-DO LIST Thank you for putting women’s issues front and center, literally [“The Women’s March,” Jan. 25]. I am not one to normally write letters to the editor, but considering we have a pedophile running the country, we are living in extraordinary times. Patriarchy needs to be in our public discourse. All genders (cisgendered men and women, trans and binary) need to link arms together and become soldiers in the fight against patriarchy because right now, more than ever, we need it. I agree with your personal stance on how you will support women, but here are some concrete ways that all cisgendered men can fight against patriarchy: 1. Read Start with The Will to Change by Bell Hooks. 2. Speak up • When a woman at your workplace has a good idea, back her up. Don’t let her feel like she is speaking into dead space. • When you agree with a woman on social media, support her • If she is being berated on social media, support her • If people in your life say nonchalantly sexist things while they are speaking, call them on it. “You think she’s ugly because she doesn’t wear makeup? You know that’s kinda sexist bro.”
3. Look inward. How does patriarchy affect you personally? • Do you want to cry, but instead react in anger? • Do unapologetic, powerful women who are not afraid to speak their minds threaten or annoy you? Why? • Do you want to do femininely attributed things but you feel uncomfortable doing so? (Housework, child care, sewing, arts and crafts, yoga or dance classes, expressing your true feelings to another man?) 4. Don’t assume • When a person addresses your partner with a question, don’t answer it for her. Even if you have been married for 25 years and you really do know the answer. Let her speak for herself. • Ask a woman before you assume she needs help, instead of physically jumping in and taking boxes, suitcases, baby strollers, bags or bicycles out of her hands. 5. SHUT UP • Allow women to be experts on something you may (or may not) know something about (i.e., don’t mansplain) whether it be IT, power tools, bike maintenance, astrophysics or even feminism, it is possible that a woman may know something about this (or even more than you do). • Don’t make everything into a debate. If you don’t agree, sit back and listen for once. Women and trans people do this all of the time. Our lives depend on it. • If you are in a group of people or in a
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
work meeting, don’t be the first person to respond, or always have the last word. Allow other voices to be heard. 6. Get your shit together • Find your own keys. Cook your own dinner. Pay your child support. Do you own finances. Do your own laundry. Clean your own house. Take care of your kids. Do this on your own without reminders from the women in your life. 7. Don’t be abusive • Give women physical space. • Don’t look at women’s asses as they walk away from you. • Don’t stalk women who aren’t interested in you. • Don’t troll ex-girlfriends and your child’s mother on social media. • Don’t tell a woman she is crazy when she reminds you of something you said or did that you don’t like to be reminded about or don’t want to do (gaslighting). • Don’t make women feel like they need to apologize around you. • Confront your abusive friends or family members. You may save a life. If every cisgendered man begins to take some of these small simple steps toward leveling the field for everyone, we will be in a much better place than where we are now.
In solidarity, Michelle Luellen Logan Heights
TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spin Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backwards & In High Heels . . . . . . . . . . . Well, That Was Awkward. . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 4 5 6 7
FOOD & DRINK The World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bottle Rocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Final Draught . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FEATURE: El Cajon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-18 Seen Local. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-22
MUSIC FEATURE: Spooky Cigarette . . . . . . . . . 23 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . 24 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-29
LAST WORDS Advice Goddess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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UP FRONT | OPINION
SPIN
JOHN R. LAMB
CYCLE
JOHN R. LAMB
The unsustainable “martini glass” The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow. —H.G. Wells
N
ow that barware has entered the lexicon of San Diego’s long-festering housing-affordability crisis, can a solution be far behind? Spin wouldn’t bet a swizzle stick on it. Two San Diego city councilmembers, frequently political polar opposites, have joined forces in an effort to find answers to a housing-cost problem that is only worsening each day. “The status quo in San Diego is no longer acceptable; we must come together to create access to housing,” Democrat David Alvarez and Republican Scott Sherman said in a joint invitation earlier last month to what they called a “housing summit,” held last week. “This goal is crucial to our workforce, to
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our constituents, and to our families.” The summit itself—actually part of the first meeting of the council’s Smart Growth and Land Use Committee with Sherman as chairman and Alvarez as vice chairman—seemed designed to highlight not only the urgency of the discussion but a willingness to find common ground. “In order to keep the next generation of San Diegans from moving to other regions and attracting innovative entrepreneurs to contribute to our local economy, much work is needed,” the joint statement added. “Low, middle and moderate income unit development is needed at a much higher level.” During his State of the City address last month, Mayor Kevin Faulconer also touched on the need for more housing—although
his emphasis seemed more focused on market-rate homes, with vague incentives to encourage construction of middle- and low-income housing. “We have quite enough homes for the wealthiest in our city,” the mayor did acknowledge. “It’s about time we encourage builders to make homes for all of us.” On that meek assessment, all sides can apparently agree. This is where glassware enters the conversation. First described as an “hourglass,” developers’ tendencies to build high-end housing rather than more affordable living quarters resembles more of a “goblet,” said Stephen Russell, executive director of the San Diego Housing Federation. That is, more than enough supply at the top end for wealthy folks, woefully less for middleincomers and only slightly better than that at the low-income level. At the high end, “our housing market is catering to markets outside of San Diego,” Russell said. “There’s a lot of cash coming here from other places. Second homes, international money. So the top third has plenty of choices available to them.” And as rents continue to rise while income remains flat, middle-income folks are moving into poorer neighborhoods, further displacing less-fortunate residents
in communities such as City Heights and Barrio Logan. “So now you have poorer, lower-income families competing against higher-income families for a finite amount of housing,” Russell said. “Year upon year, we have under-produced for our families.” Even Borre Winckel, president and CEO of the local Building Industry Association, agreed that “as far as the housing ladder is concerned, you don’t have a housing ladder anymore in San Diego. It’s broken. It’s gone.” Winckel, who’s been known to refer to the “goblet” as a “martini glass,” said the only ladder that remains has only two rungs—“some affordable, subsidized housing at the bottom and uber-expensive housing at the top. Nothing in the middle.” Agreeing why that is will be the challenge for Alvarez and Sherman. Developers prefer to blame an over-zealous regulatory environment that a 2015 Point Loma Nazarene University study suggested accounts for 47 percent of the total cost of a dwelling unit. Shaving those costs by even 3 percent, the study concluded, could boost local home construction by nearly 7,000 units a year. Others aren’t so sure. Activist attorney Cory Briggs, speaking before the committee last week, said he attempted to broker a deal several years ago with the BIA. Briggs said he agreed to get environmentalists and affordable-housing advocates on board to allow the BIA to “write the regulations” for lowincome housing if builders would agree on constructing a verifiable amount of affordable-housing stock. If the goal wasn’t met in an agreed-upon time period, Briggs said, the BIA would be required to support increased fees on marketrate housing to subsidize low-income housing. “Want to know how long it’s been since we got a callback from the BIA? Never,” Briggs said. “So be very skeptical when you hear developers coming in here telling you that they’ve got solutions and these are the problems. The biggest problem is a lack of funding.” That’s not to say there weren’t some intriguing proposals. Councilmember Georgette Gomez suggested that the city might want to consider bringing back the position of city architect to help shepherd in reforms and help educate communities on their role in solving the housing crisis. Mike Stepner, the last person to hold that position at the city nearly 25 years ago, said he was pleased with the proposal. “It’s a good idea to have it, and I’d love
Can two San Diego councilmembers share a “martini glass” without driving each other crazy? to help somebody become it. What it really requires is a planning staff that’s proactive, pushing some of these things, and not reactive,” he said. “It really requires a lot more engagement with the community and a lot more ability to talk about what makes quality development and what we agree are good neighborhoods.” The council’s Smart Growth and Land Use Committee will have many ideas to wade through as it moves forward. These ideas include reductions in parking requirements to cut development costs, targeting city land suitable for development, allowing denser projects by right and potentially reforming community planning groups to increase public participation and professionalism, an idea certain to irk some volunteer planners. Joe LaCava, former chairman of the Community Planners Committee, urged councilmembers to be bold. “San Diego has a habit of kicking the can down the road so our city’s challenges are so immense that we don’t know where to start,” he said, noting the city’s struggles with pensions, infrastructure and homelessness. “With all due respect, the table has been set this afternoon not to tackle the housing crisis but to nibble around the edges…Take a real bite out of the housing crisis.”
Spin Cycle appears every week. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | OPINION
AARYN BELFER
BACKWARDS & IN
HIGH HEELS
Rounding up my cousins
L
et’s be real about who gets to protest peacefully. To all m’ladies of the Caucasian persuasion: Can we talk for just a sec about peaceful protests like we didn’t invent them? Because we did not. Since more than 40,000 predominantly-white San Diegans joined millions of others around the country (and world, but I’m focusing on AmeriKKKa today) for the Women’s March, there’s been much back-patting and unintentional patronizing about how peaceful it all was. As if we’re saying, “See, every-other-groupof-protesters ever? This is how to do it.” And I’m here to say, to my melanin-deficient tribe—with our Zara blanket scarves and Sperry Duck Boots and mindless appropriation with most excellent intentions—Nyet! Sure, the various Women’s Marches were peaceful. But not because participants did anything differently than, say, Black Lives Matter activists. (And we all know this is the implied comparison when we point to photos of white-lady marchers with smiling policemen wearing pink pussyhats). No, my kind white ladies, gents and theys, the marches were peaceful because police allowed them to be peaceful. But I’ll unpack that statement in a minute. For now, let’s take a step into Black History Month since that is the only time wypipo generally give two Fun-Dip sticks and a lick about Black history. Which, btw, is regular old history. But since Black history doesn’t, by definition, feature white people at its core, it makes us white folks uncomfortable. So we often rewrite it and segregate it to protect our supremacy. Whew. You still with me, or did you shut down? Please. If you marched on Jan. 21st, make the effort and absorb these CliffsNotes: On Feb. 1, 1960, four Black college students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter at F.W. Woolworth’s in Greensboro, N.C., and ordered coffee. Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond weren’t served, of course, and were instead asked to leave. They refused, bravely staying put for 30 minutes until closing time. “I had pre-concluded,” said McCain in a 2008 interview with NPR, “If I were lucky, I would go to prison for a long, long time. If I were not so lucky, I would come back to my university campus in a pine box.” All of the Greensboro Four made it safely back to their campus that evening and returned to Woolworth’s the following day with 21 friends. (Among them were four Black women whose names we do not know, whose metaphorical—and literal, perhaps?— ancestors were among us during the Women’s March, rightly mistrustful of our newly-claimed “intersectional feminism.”) This time, the students sat unserved for four hours, studying and enduring the verbal harassment of white diners. By day three, the protesters had tripled in number with Black women making up a third of those taking shifts at the lunch counter. By Saturday (resistance doesn’t take weekends off), the number of nonviolent
Black protesters had swelled. So, too, had the contingent of racist antagonists. There were roughly 1,000 people packed in when a bomb threat forced the closure of Woolworth’s that afternoon. Throughout the spring and early summer, these peaceful sit-ins led predominantly by Black people grew in size and number. They spread throughout cities in the south, and to a few in the north, and by the end of July, Woolworth’s was desegregated. This most famous of sit-ins forced all kinds of desegregation. The risks were beyond any that American white people, save perhaps Holocaust survivors and refugees, have ever faced or can truly fathom today. The benefits, too, seem to evade our comprehension. “Fifteen seconds after I sat on that stool, I had the most wonderful feeling,” said McCain, who died in 2014. “I had a feeling of liberation, restored manhood. I had a natural high. And I truly felt almost invincible. Mind you, just sitting on a dumb stool…It was a feeling I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to have again. And I felt as though I wouldn’t have been cheated out of life had that been the end of my life at that second, at that moment.” That description is something else, isn’t it? Liberation and humanity. That is what Black and brown people want and deserve. That is what the non-violent Black Lives Matter marches are about; what Standing Rock is about. And that is what white people are not participating in. The protests and marches on behalf of Black and brown lives are as non-violent as the Women’s March. I’ve been to many of these marches, in different cities and in different states, and I can tell you: They are non-violent. That is, until the police show up to instigate with rubber bullets, tasers and protective masks, not to mention masks, billy clubs, fire hoses and riot gear. People, there were no cops in pink pussyhats at the Alfred Olango protest marches. But, there was a white agitator in a Trump trucker hat. There were no friendly officers giving hugs to the peaceful activists at the spot where Olango was murdered. But there were riot-clad officers threatening peaceful vigil-holders with arrest. There was no light police presence keeping a friendly eye on participants. But there was an El Cajon Police Department watchtower erected in the parking lot to keep tabs on the almost uniformly non-white peaceful crowd. Any violence taking place at marches and protests led by people of color are, by and large, intentionally instigated by police. Fact: This would not be happening if our powerful tribe of white folks participated. The biggest difference between the peaceful Women’s March and Black Lives Matter is one of melanin privilege. Women’s Marchers claim their causes are intersectional. So, I’ll see you all out in big numbers at the next march for Black Lives or refugees or DREAMers. Right? Right?
There were no cops in pink pussyhats at the Alfred Olango protest marches. But there was a white agitator in a Trump trucker hat.
6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
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UP FRONT | OPINION VOICES
RYAN BRADFORD
WELL THAT WAS
AWKWARD
An evening out with the El Cajon space cult
P
“
romise that you won’t let me spend any money tonight,” I tell my wife. We hit the 94 East, en route to El Cajon. “Even if they guarantee me a spot in the spaceship, or increased enlightenment, or a higher level of consciousness, or something.” “Deal.” We’re on our way to the Unarius Academy of Science (145 S. Magnolia Ave.) to sit in on one of its “Past Life Therapy” classes, which are held every Wednesday and Sunday. I’m not sure what to expect, but I do know that I’m a sucker who can be tricked into paying for things such as eternal happiness, enlightenment and—if I’m to believe the Unarius website—a ride in a UFO. This UFO ride is just one of the fringe beliefs of the Unarians. However, the language on their site is so vague that, even after some full-assed perusing, I’m no closer to understanding what their deal is, apart from a couple bullet points: • Unarius is not a religion, it’s a science (they have nonprofit status). • It was founded in the mid ‘50s by Ernest L. and Ruth E. Norman (also known as Uriel) • They believe in UFOs, past lives, self-healing, Atlantis, higher planes, and interdimensionality • They’re super into Nikola Tesla (but, to be fair, who isn’t?) Since Unarius is not a religion (well, sort of), it’s not really accurate to call it a cult. As noted in this column before, I was raised in the Mormon Church, so I know about cults. Diet cult might be a better description for Unarius. We get to their academy—a conspicuous building with an intergalactic mural painted on the side. “They have ample parking!” my wife says, excited. Inside, a group of about ten people have arranged chairs into a circle with three microphones in the center, pointing outward. Two cameras are aimed at our group, which will stream each session online to (allegedly) thousands of members worldwide. A large lighting rig suffuses the room with cinematic illumination. They’re the most technologically savvy diet cult I’ve ever seen. “Welcome, you must be Ryan,” says a woman with a soothing, one-of-us voice, and before I get freaked out about her apparent clairvoyance, I remember that I RSVP’d on the Unarius Facebook page. The woman introduces herself as Lani, who facilitates the discussion. “With this class, I thought it would be a good idea…to give you a little introduction,” Lani says. “What is Unarius?” She has everyone explain what Unarius means in one sentence. “It’s an acronym,” says the man next to me. “Universal Articulate Interdimensional Understanding Of Science.” Yes, those are definitely all words—I’ll give them that—but together they mean nothing to me, and he
thinks my visible confusion comes from not knowing what an acronym is. He proceeds to tell me how acronyms work. “You see, the ‘Un’ is the first part of ‘universal’…” “Unarius is love in action,” the next woman says. “It’s an understanding of energy in action,” says the next man. “It’s a self-healing science.” Mmhmm mmhmm, I think. A little vague, but not too weird. I can hang. After everyone’s given their pitch, Lani asks if I have any questions. “I’m noticing a lot of space planetary motifs.” I point to the spaceships, the numerous murals of blazing worlds and galaxies arranged in a starfish configuration. “How does that relate to Unarius?” “Well, we’re not alone in the universe,” one man says. Mmhmm mmhmm. Wait, what? The guy sitting across from me jumps in. I can tell he’s eager to talk aliens. I mentally deem him Alien Guy. “UFOs have been buzzing our planet since 1945 because they were able to detect the atomic bomb detonations, and that alerted them. All their alarms went off. And they started sending ships here to investigate what the heck we were doing… They keep buzzing our planet because they’re raising our consciousness… and Unarius is trying to meet their frequencies.” He is completely serious. We move on from aliens. We talk about how Earth is part of a 33-planet confederation waiting to be saved by the aliens. We talk about the fourth dimension, or what happens after you die. At one point, Alien Guy says that scientists don’t understand the sun, not really. But it’s during the past-life testimonials when the members really get excited to talk. One woman claims that between the ages of 20 and 30, she had “a temperature.” It turns out that in a past life—which was revealed to her in a dream—she was burned at the stake, and this awareness made the temperature go away. And her daughter, who has asthma, was the one who burned her. Halfway through another man’s testimonial about how his past-life revelation healed his sister’s heart problem, I realize that all these people have been hurt—or are hurting—and this is their support. Group therapy for people who don’t believe in therapy. And if it’s healing for them, who am I to judge? Who am I to say that anyone’s beliefs are wrong because they don’t align with mine? Well, except for that thing about scientists and the sun. That’s just wrong.
I was raised in the Mormon Church, so I know about cults. Diet cult might be a better description for Unarius.
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Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com. Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7
UP FRONT | FOOD
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER
THE WORLD
FARE
Giving it a go at Mission Valley’s cursed corner
E
very neighborhood has a cursed corner: The place that’s seen more restaurants come and go in a decade than the number of years any actually stayed. Sometimes it’s the neighborhood, sometimes a tragedy, and other times it could certainly be seen as a jinx. Those are the odds facing 356° Korean BBQ (1640 Camino Del Rio N.) in the Mission Valley mall. The space originally housed Seau’s of San Diego, the sports bar/restaurant created by the San Diego Chargers Hall of Famer until it shuttered two weeks after Junior’s death. The next time its doors opened was to welcome worshippers to Eastlake Church services. That use ended shortly (if coincidentally) after the filing of a fraud lawsuit involving acquisition of the restaurant. Next up was Buffalo Wild Wings, which took a portion of the old Seau’s space. 356° has since taken the rest. The Mission Valley mall is not, intuitively, the place you’d expect to find a Korean barbecue restaurant, much less a relatively highend place. Fast casual Chinese or all-you-can-eat sushi? Sure. But Korean barbecue? And it doesn’t exactly look the part either. But while the interior of 356° retains a bit of “sports bar” feel and stadium-style décor, its defining interior features are the immense brass ventilation systems over the intable barbecues. And that is what 356° is all about: meat. The place is named for the supposed perfect temperature for cooking meat (Korean barbecue doesn’t lend itself to the “run the cow by me and I’ll cut my own” approach). That’s what Korean barbecue is: quickly grilled, thin slices of meat, often but not always marinated in sweet, spicy or salty preparations. Beef is king, but 356° also offers pork, chicken and seafood. While meat is the feature attraction, a 356°
8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
meal starts with salad (with a more acidic dressing than you’d find at a Japanese place) and a series of mostly fermented side dishes called banchan. The best of these was the kimchi, but a sweet potato with raisin banchan was quite good too. The salad was a refreshing counterpoint to the carnivorous protein-fest that was the rest of the meal. While the all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue places popping up around town tend to be easier on the pocket book, the quality of the meat sometimes suffers. That’s not a problem at 356°: The quality of the meat was good (if not, perhaps, at the level of Dae Jang Keum or Buga Korean Barbecue). My favorite choices were the thinly sliced beef brisket and tongue as well as the thin-cut pork belly and sensuous pork jowl (think Italian guanciale). It may seem strange to have to cook the meat on MICHAEL GARDINER
Tongue and brisket the tabletop yourself (though that’s common in Korean barbecue). But that’s not a flaw, it’s a feature. An essential part of the style’s appeal is the way it taps into our deep, essential, elemental connection to meat and fire. And that may—just may—be the magic that allows 356° to beat the curse of the corner. It may be the thing that allows the restaurant to succeed where Junior Seau’s star power didn’t, bible pounding lasted less than a half year and Buffalo Wild Wings is just holding on next door.
The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
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UP FRONT | DRINK
BOTTLE
BY JEN VAN TIEGHEM
deliveries also include an interview with a musician or band and a handwritten note from that quarter’s featured artist. This unique dual focus of Revolt means its wines pop up in unexpected settings. It has participated in 91X’s Ye Scallywag fesRevolting against wine world norms tival, poured at Warped Tour Ventura and Hard Rock Las Vegas and, most recently, was a beverage sponhen readers think about where to get a sor for Springboard West—a music conference and good glass of wine, they may picture a industry showcase. Through that event, Hudson conquiet lounge atmosphere or a wine bar nected with headlining hip-hop star Warren G and COURTESY OF REVOLT WINE CO. subsequently interviewed him for with acoustic music playing softa future wine club package. ly in the background. They probRevolt’s other featured artists ably don’t envision a live music have included Atlas Genius, Peplocale or beer festival, but those per, Yellowcard and Less Than are some of the unconventional Jake. Hudson hopes to work with venues where Revolt Wine Co. independent and local bands as Owner Heather Hudson wants well in the future. you to enjoy her wines. Just as Revolt’s message is Hudson, who owns the comabout breaking boundaries, the pany with her husband, looks to wines themselves break the mold buck the norm when it comes to Heather Hudson of traditional styles. Revolt’s how and where wine should be enjoyed. She started the company under a differ- Chardonnay is a crisp variety aged in stainless steel, ent name several years ago and first focused on in- the Moscato is lighter than most, and its Cabernet home tastings. When some trademark issues arose Sauvignon—while still big and bold—can be enjoyed in late 2016 over the original name, Hudson decid- without food. “Perfect wine to be rocking out with at a coned to take the hiccup in stride and move forward cert,” Hudson says. with a renewed vision and a rebranded product. Revolt Wine Co.’s wines can be found at AmpliThe freedom of a new name also allowed Hudson to marry her love of wine with her passion for mu- fied Ale Works, The Music Box, Café Bar Europa, sic. Revolt’s wine club members now receive more Splash Wine Lounge and online at revoltwines. than just wine with their quarterly shipment; their com.
ROCKET
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FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
UP FRONT | DRINK
FINAL
BY BETH DEMMON
DRAUGHT Come ale away—or don’t
along four beers meant to pair with a gourmet menu planned by Flagship chefs. I’m not sure what its definition of “gourmet” is, but dry chicken here’s still time to get off the boat,” I whiscordon bleu and overcooked broccolini don’t tend pered to my husband as we looked around to whip my tastebuds into a frenzy. the nearly empty dining room aboard the At least the beer was good. Finest Made presented California Spirit, one of Flagship Cruise and its pilsner dry-hopped with Mosaic hops (the best of Events’ yachts that hadn’t quite departed for its the bunch), a blonde ale (meant to pair with salmon, sail around San Diego Bay for Hops on the Harbut I sincerely doubt that pink-twinged blob of bor. “We could leave and BETH DEMMON “fish” was actually salmon), nobody would ever know an American stout (a bit that we were here.” thin, but nice overall), and “They took our picture its Hefeweizen described as when we boarded,” he “lightly hazed,” but looked shushed me. “We can pretty clear to me. handle two-and-a-half “We’re working on hours of beer and food.” making it cloudier,” I didn’t share his chuckled Rey Knight, chef/ optimism, but sighed and brewmaster at Finest Made. attempted to tamper my Attendees receive one immediate spike in anti6-ounce taster of each beer, social anxiety by eyeballing but additional tasters are the nearby charcuterie $5 apiece. One could also board and wondering if opt for a 14-ounce draft of anyone would notice if I Bud Lite, Saint Archer Pale commandeered the entire Ale or Stone IPA for $7, but wheel of Brie. Luckily, the that just seems like an odd sole other couple seated way to support the featured at our table seemed as brewery. Clearly, this event uninterested in socializing isn’t exactly geared toward with us as we did with them, serious or knowledgeable mercifully sparing me the beer aficionados, despite Finest Made Ales flight and antipasto exact type of inane chitthe high-quality breweries aboard Hops On The Harbor chat I’d been dreading. it managed to line up for Hops on the Harbor’s 2017. February brings dinner cruise departs from 990 North Harbor Drive Coronado Brewing Company, followed by Duck every Friday at 7:30 p.m. and features a different Foot Brewing Company in March, Mason Ale local craft brewery every month. At $64.50 a pop, it Works in April and Alpine Beer Company in May. sounds like an upscale way to spend an evening, but If basic banquet fare and swaying alone to beneath the brass trappings and white tablecloths, Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” under a it’s mostly couples huddled in various corners multicolored strobe light sounds like a pretty scrolling through Facebook to avoid any potential kickass Friday night, by all means go for it. I’ll stick social interactions with strangers, with the to drinking on dry land where I can escape awkward occasional announcement from the aggressively small talk at any time. enthusiastic party director inviting guests to the dance floor. Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com, check her out on The dinner we attended was the inaugural event Instagram at @thedelightedbite, or via Twitter at @ of 2017 featuring Finest Made Ales, who brought iheartcontent.
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10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
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SHORTlist
EVENTS
ART
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
BALBOA PARK AND CHULA VISTA
1
GET AMT!
Any event that attempts to incorporate cutting-edge technology and music could seem, on the surface, to be a little too fringe for your average culture vulture. But that’s certainly not the case with the inaugural AMT Festival (the AMT stands for art, music and techonology), a three-day, multi-venue event that will feature performances, music, art and technologydriven talks and demos. In fact, organizers went out of their way to make the fest as accessible as possible without dumbing it down. “We wanted to make sure it was accessible to more of a variety of access points,” says co-organizer Ginger Shulick Porcella. “It’s not just a passive, ‘hey we’re listening to this specialist’ event. It’s hands-on, so people will hopefully learn something from it.” The festival begins at the Fleet Science Center (875 El Prado) on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. with a cocktail reception, concert and panel discussion. The fest then moves to the San Diego Art Institute (1439 El Prado) on Friday, Feb. 3 with a full day of panels, workshops, performances and
lectures. Highlights include a panel discussion on using video game hardware and software in art, science and music, as well as a workshop that allows patrons to construct light-controlled oscillator instruments. Most of the participants are culled from the local scene, and Shulick Porcella says this was certainly intentional. “We wanted to make sure that people know that there’s a really great experimental and electronic music scene here,” she says. The fest wraps up on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Chula Vista’s Southwestern College (900 Otay AMT Festival Lakes Road) with panels on “Data Visualization and Sonification” from local artists and musicians, as well as a lunch presentation from artist and educator Margaret Noble. Even if readers have but a passing interest in the A, the M or the T, chances are there’s something on the schedule that will prove to be fascinating. Times vary from day to day, and tickets (which range from $10 for individual events and $25 for individual days) can be purchased online at amtfestival.com.
MIDDLETOWN
BALBOA PARK
2
THE RIGHTS STUFF
Women’s rights, migration crises and press freedoms are just a few of the issues that are explored at the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Featured films include Academy Award nominee I Am Not Your Negro, a profound look at race in America from the Civil Rights Era to the present day, and Almost Sunrise, the heart-wrenching journey of two Iraq veterans trying to move past their combat experiences with a 2,700-mile trek. The series addresses important topics from around the world, including the rural U.S., Syria and Afghanistan. Screenings for all six films will be held between Thursday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 5 at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. Festival passes cost between $25 and $35 and individual tickets range from $6 to $10. ff.hrw.org/san-diego
3
GET ON UP
Who says social activism and dance parties don’t mix? Rise Up Get Down will bring together local politicians, activists and DJs at The Casbah for a night of progressive politics and dancing. City councilmembers Georgette Gomez and Chris Ward will be two of the featured speakers, along with Greisa Martinez, advocacy director at the United We Dream Network. Speakers will be discussing how to get involved in progressive politics and sharing stories of their experiences in the political arena. To get attendees up and dancing, Records with Roger, Mr. Mazee, DJ Claire and Milky Wayne will spin throughout the evening. Anthem Vegan will be catering the event. All proceeds will go toward Raise Progress, an organization that supports vulnerable populations through education, policy reform, and advocacy. It gets down on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m, and tickets are $25. casbahmusic.com DAVID BROOKS
HAn Ecosystem of Excess at Calit2 Atkinson Hall Auditorium, Voigt Drive and Equality Lane, UCSD campus, La Jolla. A solo show from artist Pinar Yoldas that explores what kinds of life forms would emerge out of the contemporary, plastic debris-filled oceans. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. 858-822-5307, qi.ucsd.edu/events HLynda Koolish: A Retrospective Exhibit Of 45 Years at Women’s Museum Of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road #103, Point Loma. A survey of the renowned portrait photographer’s earliest photographs, which focused on women working on the land in Northern California. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. 619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org Louis M Schmidt: Persons Unknown at Japanese Friendship Garden Inamori Pavilion Hall, 2220 Paseo de Oro, Balboa Park. Schmidt will be presenting select images from his ongoing series that introduces his unique vision of a way of looking at people in a city and expressing the curiosity of life in Japan. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. $5. 619-232-2721, niwa.org
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FOOD & DRINK HSan Diego Fermentation Festival at San Diego County Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, Downtown. This fest features artisanal foodmakers and brewers, keynote speaker Dr. Rob Knight (American Gut Project), workshops and presentations from fermentation experts. Also includes do-it-yourself stations and a fermented beverages garden. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. Free-$39. sandiegofermentationfestival.com
MUSIC
BOOKS
HBlack Violin at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The two virtuoso violinists Wil B. and Kev Marcus meld highbrow and pop culture through a fusion of classical, jazz, hip-hop, blues, and R & B. at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. $25-$40. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org
Brunonia Barry at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author behind The Lace Reader will sign and discuss her new book, The Fifth Pedal. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Jahja Ling will conduct the the inimitable Russian composer’s symphony. Also features Dmitri Shostakovich’s famous “Festive Overture.” At 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. $28$65. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org
Leah Thomas at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The local YA author will sign and discuss her second novel, Nowhere Near You. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com Kelly Parsons at at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author and urologist will sign and discuss his new thriller, Under the Knife. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HSarah Pinborough at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The suspense author known for endings with a twist will be promoting her latest effort, Behind Her Eyes. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com
DANCE HThough It May Shift at Sheila & Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. Director Erin Tracy presents her dance and theatre performance which includes solo and group pieces intended to explore intimacy. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. $10-$20. theatre.ucsd.edu Stars of the Russian National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. Notable ballet names perform Tchaikovsky’s classic interpretation of the famed fairy tale. At 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. $30. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org
HHuman Rights Watch Film Festival at the Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. The annual festival focuses on films and documentaries dealing
DJ Claire
HSan Diego Jewish Film Festival at various locations. The 27th annual fest showcases filmmakers from around the world and reflects Jewish life and identity. Tons of screenings across multiple venues as well as director Q&As, parties and more. See website for full details and times. Takes place Wednesday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb. 19. Various times. $15.25$275. sdcjc.org
April Smith at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author will sign and discuss Home Sweet Home, about a family that’s attacked in ‘80s small town Iowa. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com
FILM The Crossing at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival
in themes of women’s rights, migration crises and press freedoms, among other topics. See website for full details and times. Takes place from Thursday, February 2 to Sunday, February 5. $6-$35. ff.hrw. org/san-diego
H = CityBeat picks
Michelle Cann and Zahari Metchkov at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The two renowned pianists/organists will perform works by Bach, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Gershwin. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. $40-$45. 858454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HVinyl Junkies Record Swap at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Vendors selling thousands of collectible and vintage records in all genres, plus DJs spinning throughout the day. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. $3. 619-232-HELL, casbahmusic.com
PERFORMANCE HOrdinary Magic at Joan B. Kroc Theatre, 6611 University Ave., Rolando. An original spoken word opera written by its artist-inresidence Gill Sotu about a young drummer who is forced to choose between her family and community or her dreams. At 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4. $15$20. 619-527-6161, jacobscenter.org
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Storytelling: Love at Rebecca’s Coffee House, 3015 Juniper St., South Park. Linda Whiteside, David Schmidt, Mindy Donner, Jim Dieckmann and Aunt Li-Anne present traditional folktales, literary works and original stories on the topic of love. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1. $5 suggested donation. storytellersofsandiego.org
SPECIAL EVENTS HFirst Thursday at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. A monthly event on the first Thursday of the month
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
EVENTS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
AFTER DARK: ABOUT LAST NIGHT Unarmed forces
A
“Migrant Labor did not exist in the Wonderland of Knowledge Encyclopedia, 1938” by Anna Stump is now on view at Transnational Struggles: Intersectionalities Across Borders, a group show at Luxe Gallery on the San Diego City College Campus (1080 16th St.) in the East Village. There will be an artist’s reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10.
EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 that features local crafters, extended happy hour prices and live music. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2. Free. 619296-2101, sandiegomade.org HAMT Festival at various locations. The inaugural festival explores developments and intersections in the worlds of art, music and technology. Includes panels, workshops, lectures, concerts and more. See website for full schedule and list of venues. From Thursday, Feb. 2 through Saturday, Feb. 4. $10-$25. amtfestival.com
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HFake News and the Media: PostElection Forum at Scripps Miramar Ranch Library Center, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive, Scripps Ranch. Panelists Brooke Binkowski (Snopes.com), Scott Lewis (Voice of San Diego), and Karen Reilly (San Diego Public Library) will discuss how to approach information to ensure we’re getting the facts. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8. Free. fake-news. eventbrite.com
12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
fter shootings scathed Orlando’s Pulse in June, Istanbul’s Reina on New Year’s Eve and Playa Del Carmen’s Blue Parrot earlier this month, discussions about armed security have been stirring in the nightlife industry. While Mexican officials have not confirmed whether guards at Blue Parrot Nightclub carried guns, the Pulse bouncer shot at the attacker. Still, that didn’t keep the attack from occurring, and Manny Marquez, vice president of San Diego-based Nightclub Security Consultants, says properly training officers to “run, hide, fight” overshadows a need to equip them with weapons. “If I see a guy carrying a gun in my way, I run,” he says. “If I’m trapped somewhere, I hide, barricade, and I stay quiet and turn off my cell phone. And the last result, if my back is to the corner, I fight and find makeshift weapons.” Marquez wonders whether security could have subdued the attack in Orlando this way. “In the instance of Pulse, [the attacker] reloaded,” Marquez says. “Reloading that magazine, while talking on his cell phone, takes a few seconds. Why didn’t anybody tackle him?” Generating a course of action for these scenarios is key, he says. For example, his client, Sycuan Casino, periodically conducts staff-wide safety drills so they’re as prepared as they can be for an active
shooter situation. But considering the rarity of these attacks, Marquez says hiring armed guards for day-to-day security should be a last resort. “If you think you need armed security all of the time, then there’s something else systemically wrong with what you’re doing, be it the crowd that you’re attracting or the overall security of the venue as you enter,” Marquez says. If a San Diego venue owner ignores his advice, Marquez encourages them to select an off-duty police officer over a firearm-permitted private patrol officer because off-duty officers have more experience. However, he says there are still downsides. “There are a lot of fantasTORREY BAILEY tic cops out there doing great jobs, so I say this very delicately. When you use an off-duty officer, you normally get him after an eight- or ten-hour day. He gets a great wage because it’s prime pay, he’s making a little extra money for him and his family, and that’s great. But, you don’t necessarily have an individual who has the capacity or the will Manny Marquez to do what he’s supposed to do.” Hiring armed security could also prompt people to question why an establishment needs someone with a gun. “We feel there’s just more chances for things to happen with a handgun in the venue that are negative than positive.”
—Torrey Bailey
@SDCITYBEAT
@SDCityBeat
February 1, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 13
THEATER Requiem for a Russian
DAREN SCOTT
Good People runs through Feb. 26 at Scripps Ranch Theatre. $15-$31; scrippsranchtheatre.org
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iotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life in all its triumph and all its torture exemplifies the longstanding notion that an artist must suffer. As Hershey Felder’s one-man show Our Great Tchaikovsky makes movingly clear, nothing came easily for the Russian composer behind timeless works such as The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. Approval from his peers was grudging, acclaim came in spite of itself, and Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality, which he was forced to conceal, broke his heart and his spirit. As with Felder’s other solo tributes to the masters (Beethoven, Chopin, George Gershwin among them), his show at the San Diego Rep through Feb. 12 is part performance of Tchaikovsky’s music, part portrayal of the tormented Russian and part commentary by Felder for the benefit of the audience’s education. The powerful music rises above all else. Scenic design by Felder and lighting and projection design by Christopher Ash emotively facilitate changes in the telling of Tchaikovsky’s story: the mood of its often traumatic events and the compositions created during them. Felder when narrating can seem self-important, but his piano is sublime and his motives certainly noble.
—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
OPENING: On Golden Pond: The classic dramedy about a retired couple whose yearly sojourn to their summer home is upended by a visit from their daughter and her teenage son. It opens Feb. 2 at the Broadway Theatre in Vista. broadwayvista.biz Perfect Arrangement: Two employees are tasked with identifying sexual deviants in the ‘50s U.S. State Department during the Red Scare. Problem is that they’re both gay. Making its West Coast premiere, the play opens in previews Feb. 2 at the Horton Grand Theatre in the Gaslamp. intrepidtheatre.org
Hershey Felder in Our Great Tchaikovsky Our Great Tchaikovsky runs through Feb. 12 at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, downtown. $61-$102. Sdrep.org ••• obility is in short supply in David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People, which Scripps Ranch Theatre is staging over four years after its local premiere at the Old Globe. Working-class Boston “Southie” Margie fairly wallows in her bad luck, while the play’s antagonist, former Southie-turned-affluent doctor Mike, is about as likable as a prostate
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14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
exam. The unpalatable characters aside, Scripps Ranch’s production’s cast is composed of good people on stage, with Heidi Bridges as Margie and Ted Leib as “Mikey” sincerely carrying the load of the drama. The majority of that drama doesn’t play out until the second act. Good People, you see, takes its sweet time covering its intended territory, that being the tension endemic to the American class divide, in this case in Boston. By the time you’re in the thick of it, you’ve had it up to here with bingo games and Beantown accents.
Urinetown: After a 20-year drought, the government bans all private toilets and, as expected, the shit hits the fan in this Tony-winning satire. Directed by Jennie Gray Connard, it opens Feb. 2 at the O.B. Playhouse in Ocean Beach. obtheatrecompany.com Picasso at the Lapin Agile: Set inside a bar in 1904 Paris, this comedy features Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso discussing art, science and everything in between with the locals. Written by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin), it opens Feb. 4 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org
For full theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com
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TORREY BAILEY
F
ifteen miles inland, El Cajon isn’t one of those up-and-coming hotspots that remains undiscovered. Its appeal lies in its gritty suburbia feel that relies more on hole-in-the-wall restaurants and corporate chains, with a little in between. Its nicknames, “The Big Box Valley” and “The Corners,” refer to the city’s early development as a modern, commercial region. Despite San Diego County’s proximity to the Mexican border and El Cajon’s Spanish name, Arabic is prevalent in the city. The region’s Chaldean population has opened up numerous markets where you can get Middle Eastern delicacies to go while also grabbing a new cell phone case or porce-
lain plates. There’s also an overflow of sit-down restaurants with menus that make East Main Street the Convoy of Mediterranean food. In the past, El Cajon has also succumbed to less flattering designations. From the ‘80s into the ‘90s, it was a self-proclaimed meth capitol of the world, a title that several cities have surprisingly tried to grab. However, downtown El Cajon is a charming contrast to the city’s shady past. String lights zig-zag between historic, one-story buildings and large retail storefronts offering everything from formal wear to health care. Within the city’s 14 square miles, you can find almost anything, even a rockabilly-themed hair salon.
THE CORNER
Magnolia Avenue and Main Street collide at the start of El Cajon’s downtown district, which is flagged by the towering landmark sign. This intersection saw the city’s first stoplight in 1960 and is now a major crossroads for traffic, leading into a cluster of hair salons, restaurants, parks and the East County Performing Arts Center.
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FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15
EL CAJON NOST-MALL-GIA
LIKE A ROLLING STONE CHARLES AUDINGER
“Come on. This is the dirt mall. Cops don’t come here.” —Brodie, Mallrats Who knew that when Kevin Smith made Mallrats (his only good movie, in my opinion), he would be creating a time capsule of nostalgia for kids who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s? Sure, malls are still alive and kicking, but for the most part, they’re fancified with upscale stores and gourmet eateries. That’s not the case at El Cajon’s Parkway Plaza, a bleak-albeitpotent reminder of the repulsive magic that malls once possessed. First off, it’s completely housed indoors—none of that open-air shit found at Fashion Valley or Mission Valley malls. I mean, c’mon: I’m going to the mall to buy a Misfits tshirt at Hot Topic that will complement my deathly pallor, not get a tan. It’s also not a true experience into consumer purgatory unless you’re breathing
the germs of the millions of dirtbag teenagers who came before you. Wal-Mart, Hot Dog on a Stick and Spencer’s Gifts are also at Parkway Plaza. Or as I like to call it, the Holy Trinity of Bad Taste. In an era where Millennials are increasingly exposed to craft and hoity-toity culture, it’s nice to know there’s still a place for the degenerates. —Ryan Bradford
16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
TORREY BAILEY
Ryan Bradford: mall aficionado
There’s a scene in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous in which dejected protagonist William Miller calls up legendary music writer Lester Bangs, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. By the end of the pep talk, Miller says, “I’m glad you were home.” To which Bangs, almost proudly, declares, “I’m always home—I’m uncool!” His revered writing in Creem, Rolling Stone and other publications, in addition to decades of imitators, might have proven that supposed absence of cool demonstrably false. As for where Bangs called home, that was El Cajon. Originally from Escondido, Bangs lived in El Cajon as a child up until he was 23 years old and relocated to Detroit and eventually New York. However, El Cajon is where he began his writing career and penned notoriously negative MC5 and Black Sabbath reviews for Rolling Stone while living there. As a result, he’s become one of the most famous exports from the city, even inspiring the documentary film A Box Full of Rocks: The El Cajon Years of Lester Bangs in 2013. Though his legacy was cut short when he died in 1982, his impact remains. “When you come from El Cajon you don’t have many role models,” says the film’s director Raul Sandelin in a 2013 San Diego Troubadour ar-
Lester Bangs ticle. “Lester Bangs, for my generation, was sort of that older idol we wanted to be.”
—Jeff Terich
@SDCITYBEAT
EL CAJON ON A SCALE OF ONE TO DRUNK
MIDDLE FEAST
1. Downtown Cafe Bar and Grill (182 E. Main St.)
2. URBN
(110 N Magnolia Ave.)
3. El Cajon Grand
(351 West Main St.)
4. Main Tap
(518 E. Main St.)
5. Nice Rack
(1246 E. Main St)
6. The Landing
(1185 E. Main St.)
7. La Fiesta Nightclub (533 E. Main St.)
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Editor’s Note: Rankings determined by how wasted you need to be in order to withstand each bar. Visit at your own risk!
PHOTOS BY TORREY BAILEY
“El Chal-jon,” as I call it, has San Diego’s best Middle Eastern cuisine options. You can dine for days on Main Street, a veritable Baghdad Boulevard. First timers should feast at Ali Baba (421 E. Main St.), a local favorite, but here are some options for the more adventurous palate. Nahrain Fish and Chicken Grill (1183 E. Main St.) is popular with seafood lovers—especially the whole pompano or sea bass served on a bed of rice or burghul. Try the masgouf, which is grilled fish served with tomatoes, onions and tanoor bread. For breakfast, head to Sagmani’s (478 W. Douglas Ave.) for makhlama, a dish of ground beef, onions, diced tomatoes and onions served with soft-boiled eggs. It’s $8 including veggies and pita and a great start to the day—especially with complimentary chai tea. Harvest International Market (733 E. Main St.) is a grocery store with a kitchen, but it’s a great place to get picnic goodies. A laham bajine with egg (basically a Syrian pizza) is only $1.99, and the potato chop, basically ground beef wrapped in deep-fried potato flour, is wonderful and only $5.99 for six. I like to stock up at the olive bar or get lots of flavor-coated pistachios at the bulk bins.
—James Vernette
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17
EL CAJON COLORFUL CHARACTERS CANDY SCHOEN & BROOKE SEEBOLD
SHERI NEWQUIST
Owners of Rock a Betties Beauty Salon
Owner of The Yogurt Mill
Candy Schoen and Brooke Seebold are family, although their relationship is unconventional: Schoen was married to Seebold’s father years ago, and though the marriage didn’t last, her relationship with Seebold did. The two decided to open Rock a Betties (158 E West Main St.), a retro beauty salon where the walls are lined with unique vintage items, many of them gifts from clients. “We’re a little eclectic,” Seebold said. “We wanted a place that was a little more relaxed than your normal salon.” A huge part of the aesthetic is based around Seebold and Schoen’s respective passions PHOTOS BY TORREY BAILEY for music and cars. A piano soundboard and vintage car door are two of their favorite decorations. Clients who stop by on a Friday might be lucky enough to catch one of the salon’s signature “Gangsta Rap Fridays.” And while Candy Schoen & Brooke Seebold you’re enjoying the likes of N.W.A. and Tupac, you can also sip a beer and browse locally-made jewelry, art and accessories. The whimsical vibe of the salon seems to suit the clients, many of whom opt to transform their hair with fiery reds, vivid blues and every color of the rainbow in between. “Funky colors are really going mainstream,” Seebold said. “It used to be only punk kids or rockabilly kids,” Schoen added. “Now, it’s everyone. Moms have purple hair. I dig it.” —Jamie Ballard
“We kind of do business like we’re back in the ‘80s,” said Sheri Newquist, referring to her cash-only, coupon-collecting, old-school style shop The Yogurt Mill (935 Broadway). “I always joke that we’re held together by scotch tape and construction paper.” This July, Newquist will celebrate The Yogurt Mill’s 40th anniversary. Its Leaning Tower of Pisa-like structure has become a city icon, along with Sheri Newquist the desserts served inside. In the summer, the line extends out the door and into the next parking lot. While it’s not a family-owned business (Newquist is one of three owners), it might as well be. “My four children worked here. My grandchildren have worked here. I think all my kids’ friends worked here through high school and college, and I have a lot of families where I’ve had all the kids. In fact, I have some kids now whose parents I had over 30 years ago.” Some of her employees first set their eye on the job during the school tours Newquist often hosts, where she takes the kids into the freezer and teaches them about what qualities employers seek. Newquist doesn’t get behind the counter much anymore, but she’s still there seven days a week. Some customers ask if she ever goes home. “I tell them that I turn into a pumpkin at five o’clock and go home, but I’m a just phone call away.” —Torrey Bailey
18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
CHRISTOPHER VAN STELLE Executive Director of Air Group One and Coordinator of AirShow
In Hangar 13 at Gillespie Field, Christopher Van Stelle’s passion transcends the limits of El Cajon. The licensed pilot and executive officer of Air Group One (1915 North Marshall Ave.), a nonprofit organization that commemorates veterans through the maintenance and operation of antique aircraft, explains that aviation is something he simply grew up with since his father, too, was a pilot. “My father, on a Sunday morning, would wake up, and he’d pull out a chart of Southern California and say, ‘Where do you want to go? Where have we not been? Let’s go there,’” Van Stelle says. After growing up and learning under the wings of his father, Van Stelle developed a strong liking for aerobatics and, later, antique aircrafts. Now, the management of Air Group One keeps him busy, particularly the planChristopher Van Stelle ning that goes into the annual AirShow San Diego, whose cancellation this year came as a disappointment to Van Stelle who had been coordinating the show in past years. After living in El Cajon for so long, he admits that a lot has changed, but the relationships he’s developed with community since childhood endures. “I fly a lot out of other places, but this is just a whole different field and yes, time marches on and things will change, but there’s something special here.” —Sofia Mejias-Pascoe
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February 1, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 19
CULTURE | ART
SEEN LOCAL ART AS A DOOR-OPENER
T
here are plenty of studies that say teaching kids art—and teaching other subjects using art—can have a measurable and lasting impact that follows kids their entire lives. Many tech giants, for instance, have found that liberal arts degrees aren’t so worthless after all and have hired hordes of former theater geeks and other arts majors. “There’s been quite a bit of research out there that says basically that kids who participate in the arts do better,” said Merryl Goldberg, a music professor at California State University San Marcos. “But what I found is that the research isn’t enough.” Goldberg said what’s missing is public awareness. She said there’s an ingrained feeling that the arts are fluff. With reports that President Donald Trump may have plans to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, she said it’s more important than ever to emphasize arts’ power to educate. Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Stuart Foun-
dation, Goldberg’s set out to do just that. Alongside a team of other arts, education and business leaders, she’s helped launch ART=OPPORTUNITY (csusm. edu/centerartes), a campaign to help spread the message that the arts matter, big-time. The new program will include a series of summits throughout the San Diego region, special events, arts residencies and training for parents and teachers. At 4 p.m. next Thursday, Feb. 2, for example, ART=OPPORTUNITY will host a discussion for local teachers on the power of music with Black Violin artists Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste at the California Center for the Arts, EsconCOURTESY OF ART=OPPORTUNITY dido. A performance by Black Violin will follow. “It’s just crazy cakes out there,” Goldberg said. “The bottom line is we want to change public opinion, and we’re hoping our campaign will be kind of like the next ‘Got Milk?’” Goldberg said the campaign, plus other similar projects funded by the Stuart Foundation, could eventually Merryl Goldberg lead to a far-reaching message that might start by influencing educators and parents, and spreading from there. “I’m hoping after a while it will become something we don’t even own,” she said. “A national awareness campaign that hopefully will translate into more arts opportunities for kids in schools and communities.”
—Kinsee Morlan, Voice of San Diego
RADICAL CHANGES
rian Tom Mullaney, who holds the world’s largest collection of Chinese typewriters. The show will be on hen Tiffany Wai-Ying Beres stepped in view through April 16 before heading off on an interas executive director of the San Diego national tour. Chinese Historical Beres is in her 30s—young for Museum (sdchm.org) in August, an executive director of a historione of her first orders of business cal museum—and she took the was to find out what people rereins from the museum’s longally wanted from the 21-year-old time founding director. She said institution. For the entire month she hopes to bring new energy to of September, she enticed people the museum and reach a bigger, to the museum with various offers more diverse crowd with Radical and free admission in exchange for Machines and upcoming exhibifilling out a survey. tions and events. She said she real“We found that people really izes the museum’s reach has fallen wanted a more dynamic museum short in years past, and that she’ll that explored in-depth themes and be working to expand awareness things that tied to everyday life,” and get people talking about what Beres said. her institution is doing. Beres said she thinks Radical “We are a Chinese-themed muMachines: Chinese in the Informaseum, but we really believe that tion Age, the new exhibition that what we’re doing is for everyone,” opened this month, is exactly what Tiffany Wai-Ying Beres she said. “For me, this is a really people said they wanted. The show exciting moment because it shows uses rare artifacts and historical off a new direction for our museum, which is to film footage to explore the history and importance make it as accessible to the public as possible and to of Chinese technology and information technology. increase our footprint in San Diego.” Rare Chinese typewriters, word processors and other objects and multimedia displays will help explain —Kinsee Morlan, Voice of San Diego how innovative inventions found ways to quickly input the Chinese language, which has more than 70,000 unique characters and no alphabet. The tech- Kinsee Morlan is the Engagement Editor at Voice of San nology in some of the old machines eventually led Diego and author of the Culture Report. Contact her to the handy predictive text or autocomplete feature directly at kinsee.morlan@voiceofsandiego.org. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/kinseemorlan or Twitused by smartphones today. Radical Machines was curated by Stanford histo- ter at @kinsee.
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20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
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CULTURE | FILM
Island time
Fire at Sea
Gianfranco Rosi’s new doc looks at European refugee crisis from ground level by Glenn Heath Jr.
O
n Friday, Jan. 23, President Trump issued dressing the social realities of this burgeoning immian Executive Order that temporarily halted gration crisis. Rosi’s camera pins our attention to imadmission of refugees from seven predomi- ages so often discarded by mainstream news media. nantly Muslim countries. Families were separated During one wrenching scene refugees from Nigeria with the stroke of a pen, and foreign allies of the U.S. chant an oral history of their horrific journey that bemilitary were sent home despite years of loyal service. gins with a single man’s powerful prologue, “This is This egregious and unconstitutional #MuslimBan has my testimony!” Later, Rosi’s camera captures bodies rightly sparked protests at airports around the coun- stacked upon each other on the lower floorboards of a try, sending a strong message of resistance to a cow- refugee boat, documenting the potentially devastatardly administration that is quickly descending into ing end result of such an inhuman journey. moral chaos. And we’re only in week two. Freshly nominated for the “Best Documentary” Considering the current political climate it’s en- Oscar, Fire at Sea tackles hot button community istirely fitting that Fire at Sea, an observational docu- sues through a restrained, almost maudlin approach. mentary about the European refuIt dovetails between moments of gee crisis set on the Sicilian island intense stress and languid stasis, a FIRE AT SEA of Lampedusa, opens on Friday, Feb. pattern that eventually enables a 3 at Digital Gym Cinema in North clear dichotomy to emerge. Being Directed by Gianfranco Rosi Park. Director Gianfranco Rosi’s soable to control one’s own destiny is Starring Pietro Bartolo, bering film oscillates between the a privilege that not everyone is afSamuele Pucillo quiet lives of locals and the tumulforded. Experiencing this reality from and Mattias Cucina tuous experiences of incoming imthe ground level, without politicians Not Rated migrants from Africa and the Middle regurgitating talking points or the East. Little political or social context sensationalism of news media, is a is given, aside from opening title cards describing the woozy reminder of the freedoms westerners often take island’s small size and the increasing casualty rate of for granted. those refugees fleeing famine and war. Fire at Sea is an unabashedly minimalist teaching Considering Lampedusa’s limited terrain, proximity moment, organically attuned to the small but potent plays a key role in Fire at Sea. Many wide shots capture details of human interaction that transcend nationalthe rocky coast in full, presenting a serene picture of na- ity and class. It demands the same kind of patience ture mostly untouched. Young Samuele Puccilo roams and empathy that so many first responders have been the island crafting his own adventures from the mossy forced to master with each distressed new arrival. surroundings. He builds a slingshot and proceeds to use During a rare confession, Dr. Bartolo says, “It is the thriving cacti as target practice. There’s a destructive duty of every human being, if you are human, to help quality inside him born from lifelong lethargy. these people.” These scenes stand in contrast to the suffocatPresident Trump obviously doesn’t feel the same ing closeness felt when Rosi’s camera boards a navel way, but the word is still out on whether or not he’s ship off the coast preparing to help a sinking migrant even human. That being said, Fire at Sea deserves vessel. Lifeless technology engulfs the frame—moni- your attention for this very reason. Rosi humanizes a tors, helicopters and turret guns all stand as witness global political issue out of the most essential images to Lampedusa first responders processing those souls of people in transition. It destroys the distance besuffering from dehydration and diesel-fuel burns. tween your world and the emotional and physical triHere, the camera often adopts the empathetic per- age being performed onscreen. You can’t look away, spective of Dr. Pietro Bartolo, a community physician and why should you? tasked with treating the migrants when possible. Film reviews run weekly. Fire at Sea suggests there is no escape from ad- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
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FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21
CULTURE | FILM
The Red Turtle
Castaways
T
he Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli has long been connected with the great work of its co-founders, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Films such as 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies and 2001’s Spirited Away are just two of the many impressive features by these master directors where realism and fantasy converge in poetically resonant ways. Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle, a Studio Ghibli co-production with two other European companies, marks a transition of sorts. The dialogue-less film, which revolves around a desert island castaway who is befriended
22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
by a giant red turtle, unfolds quietly with a special attention to the details of flora and fauna. It’s like a minimalist watercolor version of a Pixar silent where monsters and villains are entirely absent, replaced by the inevitable ebb and flow of seasons and time passing. Gorgeously rendered in sharp primary colors, The Red Turtle doesn’t overcomplicate its simple setup. The bearded European who finds himself marooned on a lush islet experiences the many stages of grief, slowly going mad after months of time alone. After trying to escape by DIY raft he is continuously halted by the underwa-
ter actions of the titular tortoise, a supernatural animal that seems hell-bent on keeping him trapped. As the man’s fragile mind devolves into hallucination, the red turtle eventually becomes a stabilizing mirage that enables him to move forward with this new reality. The Red Turtle’s onslaught of metaphors eventually becomes tiresome, but de Wit’s tender approach to the natural evolutions of family and mortality keep the story grounded in universal truths. While never reaching the heights of previous Studio Ghibli masterworks, the film sublimely contemplates the process of transformation in all things—mind, body, nature and family. The Red Turtle opens Friday, Feb. 3, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
OPENING Alone in Berlin: Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson star in this stirring drama about parents who begin spreading anti-Nazi slogans after their son is killed in the battle lines. Opens Friday, Feb. 3, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Fire at Sea: Gianfranco Rosi’s observational documentary follows the lives of locals and incoming African migrants on
the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Opens Friday, Feb. 3, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Mifune: The Last Samurai: This documentary explores the life and career of Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, who became a legend playing samurai characters in the films of Akira Kurosawa. Rings: In this third entry of the popular horror franchise, a young woman is handed a terrifying curse that threatens to take her life in a week’s time. Strike a Pose: Seven backup dancers from Madonna’s iconic 1990 “Truth or Dare” tour look back on their experiences after 25 years. Opens Friday, Feb. 3, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. The Comedian: An aging comic icon (Robert De Niro) finds redemption and renewed success after meeting a younger woman while on probation. The Red Turtle: This dialogue-free animation follows the experiences of a castaway marooned on a desert island populated by various animals and a mysterious presence. The Space Between Us: Out to discover information about his past, the first human born on Mars teams up with a streetwise young woman during a visit to Earth.
For a complete listing of movies, visit our F ilm section in C ulture on sdcitybeat.com.
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GABE GUSSIN
MUSIC
Clockwise from left: Jakob McWhinney, Skylar Eppler, Pepe Gonzalez, Daniel Gallo and Frank Mindingall t’s a weird thing for a young band to discover fans they didn’t even know they had. Or, weirder yet, to have no idea how they even found their music. That very thing happened for San Diego quintet Spooky Cigarette just weeks ago, during a D.I.Y., all-ages house show in South Bay. The group broke into their ultra-catchy new wave anthem, “Normal,” when to their surprise, the teenagers at the show all seemed to be waiting to sing along to its hook-heavy chorus: “All I want is to be normal.” “We recently started playing more house shows and all ages shows,” says guitarist Jakob McWhinney over a round of beers at the Live Wire in North Park on a rainy Tuesday night. “And we played this house show in Chula Vista...but we have a row of people in the front singing the words to ‘Normal’—it’s bizarre. And I know it’s bizarre for Frank, too.” “Even songs that we didn’t record, they know the words,” adds frontman Frank Mindingall. “I genuinely don’t get it—how did you hear
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the words to these songs?!” says McWhinney. The members of Spooky Cigarette didn’t expect the band to take off like it has. In fact, the group was never actually intended to be a long-term thing. It began as a solo showcase for Mindingall, who was also playing bass in Trips when he first introduced Spooky Cigarette. The four members of Trips— Mindingall, McWhinney, guitarist Ren Rogers and drummer Skylar Eppler—started a rotation of individually-helmed EPs and live shows backed by the other three members, starting in 2014. First up was McWhinney’s Space Heat, followed by Rogers’ Kooties. When it came time for Mindingall to debut Spooky Cigarette in fall of 2015, however, it quickly began attracting a lot of positive attention. And when the band’s shows started getting bigger (and included
fan sing-alongs, natch), it lit a fire under the reserved frontman to put more of his energy into building up what started with some lo-fi recordings on his laptop. “It just seemed like the one opportunity I had to have my own true artistic expression,” Mindingall says. “I didn’t think anything would come of it other than putting out music I liked, which was the main purpose. So I was just like, fuck it, this is what I want to do. “If I thought there was anything gonna come out of it, I probably wouldn’t have gone this route,” he adds, reflecting on being more reserved about promoting the project, “but I’m glad it did.” In May of 2016, the group—which now comprises Mindingall, McWhinney, Eppler, bassist Daniel Gallo and guitarist/keyboard-
ist Pepe Gonzalez—released their four-song EP, As Loud As I Can, which comprises 11 minutes of dreamy, synth-heavy new wave and post-punk jams. It stands apart stylistically from much of what’s happening in San Diego right now, which has seen an abundance of fuzzy garage bands in recent years. Though going against the grain has been a winning strategy so far; “Normal,” which is included on the EP, is—by underground D.I.Y. standards—turning out to be the band’s hit. That same month, Spooky Cigarette were featured in a cover story for Gay San Diego magazine, which was not only the biggest exposure the band had received up to that moment, but the most personal as well. Mindingall is gay, and he revealed that the name of the band is a clever, pun-heavy reflection of his identity, “spook” being a derogatory term for a black person and “fag” being British slang for a cigarette. For Mindingall, who had previously played bass in Beaters, Northern Tigers and Ale Mania, this level of attention took some adjustment. Yet the fact that he’s not the type to indulge in rock-star behavior or crave the spotlight is exactly what his bandmates find so endearing. “I remember him getting on the cover of Gay San Diego and him being a little freaked out about that,” says Gallo. “I remember meeting Frank and seeing how humble he was. And when I listened to the music, I thought, ‘this is as honest as this guy is.’ He just wears his heart on his sleeve.” “Frank’s the last person who’d want to be in the spotlight,” McWhinney adds. After playing what the band estimates as 40 to 50 shows in support of As Loud As I Can, Spooky Cigarette are looking toward the next step, namely recording a full-length. What started as a short-term project is now a full-time band, with a reluctant frontman in the spotlight. Mindingall didn’t plan on any of this, but however accidental it is, the experience has allowed him to embrace his creative freedom. “Whether it’s about finding out what’s true or makes you happy, don’t get stuck in this platform where you’re a puppet,” says Mindingall. “All we know is that we live once. Maybe that’s not true. Maybe this is hell. But those are all reasons that you should do what you fucking want to do.” Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23
MUSIC
NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY
A
long list of San Diego bands are being featured on the soundtrack of a new film called 66 & Nowhere. The film, directed by Eric McClanahan, premieres on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Ken Cinema. It includes music from Transfer, Blackout Party and Cash’d Out, among many others, and executive producer Chad Boyer says in a phone interview that the motivation to bring these bands together came from some of his favorite movie soundtracks of years past. “It’s a film-noir style piece,” he says, citing Quentin Tarantino as an influence on the film’s style. “I’m a big fan of Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs… And with Pulp Fiction, it’s all about the soundtrack.” A couple bands, Jason Hanna and the Bullfighters and Blackout Party, actually make appearances in the film, and the entirely locally shot movie features scenes at Tower Bar and Riviera Club. For Boyer, it was important to showcase some of the local musical talent in the film since he sees San Diego as having a unique music scene. “It’s kind of a little bit like a ‘Greatest Hits of San Diego,’” he says. “It really comes down to there being such great bands that make up an eclectic scene. People who have heard the songs we’ve collected for
the movie are saying ‘I want this soundtrack!’” There will be an afterparty on the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 4, immediately following the screening of the film, featuring live performances by Jason Han-
66 and Nowhere na and the Bullfighters, Tori Roze and the Hot Mess, and Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels. And while the film won’t be in wide release immediately, Boyer says he hopes it ends up introducing people to some good new music. “Movies help bands break,” he says. “If you look at Reality Bites, Lisa Loeb was an unsigned artist at the time, and then she had a hit. So much music has been introduced to us that way.”
—Jeff Terich
TAG IT AND BAG IT
I
f you search for albums tagged “San Diego” on Bandcamp, you’ll find some interesting stuff. In this semi-regular report, we sift through recent postings and relay the findings. Make Your Mark by Color Til Monday: Color Til Monday exist in that weird space in alternative music that isn’t quite emo, isn’t quite post-punk and isn’t quite anything else. But it’s not bad. The group’s hooks and chunky guitar riffs remind me a lot of Jimmy Eat World, which is a plus, though their vocals veer a little too far into nasal pop-punk territory for my tastes. Nonetheless, this is a well-made EP with many impressive moments. We All Have Desires by Refuse: This band is running the risk of being confused with the more famous Swedish band with a very similar name. And considering Refuse plays a pretty intense style of hardcore, that’s potentially by design. But Refuse, as opposed to Refused, is a much crustier, much more aggressive hardcore band whose music is made for bruising ribs in the pit. It’s gnarly, but it’s good. Voodoo Man by Reignpath: This release was tagged as “horrorcore,” aka the genre of hip-hop so extreme it makes Eminem look like Raffi. That’s, uh, not what this is. It’s basically witch house, with really
24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
corny Auto-Tune vocals. It’s basically like a goth version of Twenty One Pilots, which is a pretty big disappointment. Anyway, it’s not horrorcore. Red States by Red States: The picture of a redneck on a toilet on the cover, coupled with the somewhat topical band name, made this release an absolute necessarily listen for this round. And it’s incredibly dumb. Intentionally so, I should note, which makes it kind of fun to listen to. For instance, the first track is called “Jesus Tossed My Sausage,” and comprises a simple, sloppy folk ditty with goofy sound effects and a narrative about going to a place “where sausages will fly like bluebirds.” I mean, yeah, it’s incredibly stupid. But that’s OK. Sometimes you need songs about Jesus tossing sausages. Real One Player by Real Real One Player One Player: I had my doubts about this one at first, considering the first track is titled “Acqua di Gio.” Something about naming songs after high-end fragrances doesn’t sit well with me, but that particular track turns out to be some very cool downtempo electronic music with ethereal synths and a solid groove. Even more interesting is “Que Cool,” which quickly builds up into a dense wall of ambient effects.
—Jeff Terich @SDCITYBEAT
@SDCityBeat
February 1, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 25
MUSIC
JEFF TERICH
IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1
PLAN A: Mike Doughty, Wheatus @ Belly Up Tavern. I first got into Mike Doughty’s music in the ‘90s when he was the frontman for genre-mixing alt-rock group Soul Coughing. As a solo artist, his material is more faithful to singer/songwriter folk fare, but dude’s got some gems. BACKUP PLAN: The Walcotts, Quel Bordel @ Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, FEB. 2
PLAN A: The Bassics, Gloomsday, Bad Kids @ The Casbah. The Bassics have been putting in some work for a couple years now, and their high-energy mod-garage rock is always a good time. The same goes for Gloomsday, who remind me with every live show why they’re one of my favorite local bands. PLAN B: SØLVE, Hexa, Wire Spine @ The Hideout. Alternately, you can make your Thursday super goth. Headliners SØLVE make bleak, ominous industrial music that moves slowly and will darken any room.
Likewise, Hexa (nominated for a San Diego Music Award this year) explore pop melodies within exquisite gloom. BACKUP PLAN: Lotus, El Ten Eleven @ Belly Up Tavern.
FRIDAY, FEB. 3
Traitors, Bosswitch @ Tower Bar. Russian Tremors blend the intense post-hardcore of Drive Like Jehu with burly stoner rock. They just released a new album, and a cursory listen reveals that it’s totally badass. Go check them out.
SUNDAY, FEB. 5
PLAN A: Down by Law, Pulley, Skipjack, Hurricane Kate @ Soda Bar. One thing I love about San Diego is that no matter what day of the week it is, there’s probably a punk show happening that’ll be a lot of fun. Like this one with punk lifers Down by Law, who share their name with my favorite Jim Jarmusch film.
PLAN A: Birdy Bardot, Imagery Machine, The Strawberry Moons @ Soda Bar. Birdy Bardot’s self-titled debut was my favorite local album of 2015. I recently revisited it, and its mixture of soulful grooves and vintage psychedelic textures still sounds as great as it did the first time I listened. PLAN B: Night Club, DJ Robin Roth @ Kava Lounge. This edition of Club Ascension features a live performance by the dark electro duo Night Club, who bring a little sass and danceability to their industrial-inspired rhythms. It earns the goth seal of approval. BACKUP PLAN: Sacri Monti, Petyr, Volcano @ Til-Two Club.
26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
PLAN A: Lilys, Dead Heavens, Travis Trevisan @ Soda Bar. I once saw Lilys at a far-too-empty Casbah in the early ‘00s, so San Diego, make me proud and don’t let that happen again. They’ve released some of the best shoegaze and psych-pop records of the ‘90s, and even after all this time they’re criminally underrated. PLAN B: Bit Maps, Subtropics, Nite Lapse @ The Casbah. Last year I wrote a profile on Bit Maps, primarily about how frontman Drew Andrews is endlessly fascinated by the apocalypse (and the Doomsday Clock is inching toward midnight as we speak). As a band, however, they play catchy, wonderful indie pop that sounds good in both times of crisis and celebration. BACKUP PLAN: Old Man Wizard, Witch Ripper, Cryptic Languages @ Tower Bar.
TUESDAY, FEB. 7
SATURDAY, FEB. 4
PLAN A: Russian Tremors, Rebels and
MONDAY, FEB. 6
The Bassics
PLAN A: Irata, Freedom Hawk, Lord Howler, Nebula Drag @ Soda Bar. North Carolina band Irata are part of a southern tradition that stretches from Corrosion of Conformity to Kylesa, namely in that they pair strong melodies with heavy as fuck riffs. I personally enjoy heavy bands that can appeal to pop listeners, and Irata is just such a band. PLAN B: Boy Harsher, Vakoum, Hexa (DJ set) @ The Hideout. Savannah, Georgia group Boy Harsher does synthheavy coldwave that’ll immediately transport you into a French warehouse in 1983. Very cool...er, make that very cold stuff.
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MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real (BUT, 3/2), Death Valley Girls (Hideout, 3/2), Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (BUT, 3/6), Mike Pinto (BUT, 3/8), Portugal. The Man (Observatory, 3/16), The Routine (Soda Bar, 3/17), Crystal Fighters (BUT, 3/29), Richard Ashcroft (Spreckels, 4/1), Billy Bob Thornton (BUT, 4/4), Acid Mothers Temple (Soda Bar, 4/6), Banks (Humphreys, 4/13), Steely Dan (Humphreys, 4/17), Tech N9ne (HOB, 4/17), Lila Downs (Humphreys, 4/20), David Crosby (Humphreys, 4/23), Willie Nelson (Humphreys, 4/26), Sallie Ford (Casbah, 4/28), Kings of Leon (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 4/28), Flaming Lips (Observatory, 5/7), Cashmere Cat (Observatory, 5/13), Sam Outlaw (Casbah, 5/31), Lewis Del Mar (BUT, 6/3), Bad Suns (Observatory, 6/17), Day Wave (Observatory, 6/27), Sam Hunt (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/10), Courtney Barns (HOB, 8/10).
GET YER TICKETS Alcest (Brick by Brick, 2/8), Austra, The Range (Casbah, 2/8), D.R.A.M. (Music Box, 2/9), Branford Marsalis Quartet (Balboa Theatre, 2/10), ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ (Observatory, 2/13), Weyes Blood (Soda Bar, 2/16), Erykah Badu (Observatory, 2/17), Reel Big Fish, Anti Flag (HOB, 2/17), Adam Ant (Observatory, 2/18), Alejandro Escovedo (BUT, 2/20), Circa Survive (HOB, 2/21-2/22),
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Tennis (The Irenic, 2/22), Pinback (BUT, 2/23), Vince Staples (Observatory, 2/24), Black Marble, Uniform (Hideout, 2/24), Steve Poltz (BUT, 2/24-25), Pinback (Irenic, 2/25), Stevie Nicks (Viejas Arena, 3/2), Bon Jovi (Viejas Arena, 3/5), Temples (BUT, 3/5), Immolation (Brick by Brick, 3/5), Shiner (Casbah, 3/5), Six Organs of Admittance (Soda Bar, 3/8), Social Distortion (Observatory, 3/8-9), Bash & Pop (Casbah, 3/9), Ghostface Killah (HOB, 3/10), G. Love and Special Sauce (BUT, 3/11-12), Menzingers (Irenic, 3/12), Matisyahu (BUT, 3/14-15), Anna Meredith (Soda Bar, 3/15), Teenage Fanclub (BUT, 3/16), Julieta Venegas (HOB, 3/17), James Chance and the Contortions (Hideout, 3/18), ‘San Diego Music Awards’ (HOB, 3/21), Modern English (Casbah, 3/22), Common (Observatory, 3/24), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Casbah, 3/25), Oathbreaker, Khemmis (Soda Bar, 3/27), Why? (Irenic, 3/30), Nashville Pussy (Brick by Brick, 3/31), The Old 97s (BUT, 3/31), The Damned (HOB, 4/7), Green Day (Valley View Casino Center, 4/8), The Maine (HOB, 4/8), Aaron Neville Duo (BUT, 4/9), Power Trip (Casbah, 4/10), A Perfect Circle (Open Air Theatre, 4/11), Vanessa Carlton (Casbah, 4/14), Local Natives (Observatory, 4/17), Reverend Horton Heat (BUT, 4/20), The 1975 (Open Air Theatre, 4/25), Foreigner, Cheap Trick (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 4/29), The Wedding Present (Casbah, 4/30), Lionel Richie (Viejas Arena, 5/8), Train (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/14), Testament (HOB, 5/16), Robin Trower (HOB, 5/19), Rodriguez (Humphreys, 5/23), Brian Wilson (Civic Theatre, 5/24), NKOTB, Paula Abdul, Boyz II Men (Viejas Arena, 6/1), The Primitives (Hideout, 6/6), Def Leppard (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/16), Nick Cave and the
Bad Seeds (Civic Theatre, 6/26), 2Cellos (Open Air Theatre, 7/18), Third Eye Blind (Open Air Theatre, 7/21), Green Day (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/13), Coldplay (Qualcomm Stadium, 10/8).
FEBRUARY WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1 Mike Doughty at Belly Up Tavern. Camila at House of Blues. The Dead Ships at The Casbah.
THURSDAY, FEB. 2 Kitchen Dwellers at Soda Bar. Black Violin at California Center for the Arts. Lotus at Belly Up Tavern. Carnifex at SOMA. SOLVE at The Hideout.
FRIDAY, FEB. 3 Paul Stanley’s Soul Station at Belly Up Tavern. Birdy Bardot at Soda Bar. Metalachi at The Casbah. Dashboard Confessional at House of Blues. Z-Trip at Music Box.
SATURDAY, FEB. 4 Vokab Company at Music Box. Sweet and Tender Hooligans at Observatory North Park. ‘Banding Together Fundraiser’ w/ Tim Flannery at Belly Up Tavern. Pablo Sainz Villegas at California Center for the Arts. Killing the Messenger at SOMA.
SUNDAY, FEB. 5 Down by Law at Soda Bar.
MONDAY, FEB. 6 Henry Kapono at Belly Up Tavern. Lilys at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, FEB. 7
TUESDAY, FEB. 14
Irata at Soda Bar. The Revivalists at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8 Alcest at Brick by Brick. Austra, The Range at The Casbah. Juicy J at House of Blues. Shane Hall at Belly Up Tavern. Nots at The Hideout.
THURSDAY, FEB. 9
Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra at Belly Up Tavern. Milemarker at The Casbah.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15 Lucero at Belly Up Tavern. Jake Shimabukuro at Music Box. Amigo the Devil at Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, FEB. 16
The Lemon Twigs at The Casbah. Joan of Arc at Soda Bar. You Blew It! at The Irenic. D.R.A.M. at Music Box. Alesana at Soda Bar. Drab Majesty, Body of Light at The Hideout.
FRIDAY, FEB. 10
Galactic at Belly Up Tavern. Weyes Blood at Soda Bar. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox at Balboa Theatre. Billy Crystal at Copley Symphony Hall.
FRIDAY, FEB. 17
Branford Marsalis Quartet at Balboa Theatre. Legendary Shack Shakers at The Casbah. Anuhea at Music Box. Dead Man’s Party at Belly Up Tavern. The Relationship at The Hideout.
SATURDAY, FEB. 11 Wax Tailor at Music Box. The Chain Gang of 1974 at The Hideout. Griffin House at Soda Bar. Boogarins at Soda Bar.
SUNDAY, FEB. 12 Falling In Reverse at House of Blues. Authority Zero at Brick by Brick. David Duchovny at Music Box. The Griswolds at The Casbah. Save Ferris at Belly Up Tavern.
MONDAY, FEB. 13 Hot Tuna at Belly Up Tavern. ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ at Observatory North Park. Tyvek at Soda Bar.
Reel Big Fish, Anti Flag at House of Blues. Slim Cessna’s Auto Club at Soda Bar. Crocodiles at The Hideout. English Beat at Bellly Up Tavern. Cut Chemist at Music Box. Penn and Teller at Harrah’s SoCal. Erykah Badu at Observatory North Park. Kevin Garrett at House of Blues.
SATURDAY, FEB. 18 La Luz at The Hideout. Steam Powered Giraffe at California Center for the Arts. The Coathangers at The Casbah. Surfer Blood at Soda Bar. ‘Funk Soul Social’ w/ The Routine at Music Box. Jose Feliciano at Poway OnStage. ‘You Are Going to Hate This Fest’ w/ The Frights, The Garden, Antwon at SOMA. Adam Ant at Observatory North Park. English Beat at Belly Up Tavern.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27
MUSIC CLUBS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 SUNDAY, FEB. 19 Blanks 77 at Soda Bar. Cheetah Chrome of Dead Boys at The Hideout. Organ Freeman at The Casbah.
MONDAY, FEB. 20 Alejandro Escovedo at Belly Up Tavern. AFI at Observatory North Park (sold out). Leon at The Casbah.
TUESDAY, FEB. 21 Cody Canada and the Departed at Belly Up Tavern. Circa Survive at House of Blues. AFI at Observatory North Park (sold out). Adia Victoria at The Casbah.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22 AFI at Observatory North Park (sold out). Circa Survive at House of Blues. Priests at Che Café. Tennis at The Irenic. Landlady at The Hideout. Crystal Fairy at The Casbah.
THURSDAY, FEB. 23 Pinback at Belly Up Tavern. Captured! By Robots at Soda Bar. Radical Face at The Irenic. Kim and the Created at The Hideout.
FRIDAY, FEB. 24 Black Marble, Uniform at The Hideout. Archgoat at Brick by Brick. Moose Blood at The Irenic. Jojo at House of Blues. The Staves at The Casbah (sold out). Vince Staples at Observatory North Park. Creedence Clearwater Revisited at Harrah’s SoCal. Steve Poltz at Belly Up Tavern. Gavin Turek at The Casbah.
28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
SATURDAY, FEB. 25 Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park. Pinback at The Irenic. Hazel English at Soda Bar. Suicide Silence at SOMA. Moon Duo at The Casbah. Steve Poltz at Belly Up Tavern. The Palms at Soda Bar.
SUNDAY, FEB. 26 Elektric Voodoo at The Casbah. Hideout at The Whistle Stop.
MONDAY, FEB. 27 Louie Anderson at Belly Up Tavern. Susy Sun at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, FEB. 28 Supersonic Dragon Wagon at The Merrow.
MARCH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1 Alina Baraz at Observatory North Park.
THURSDAY, MARCH 2 Mondo Cozmo at The Casbah. Wood Brothers at Observatory North Park. Stevie Nicks at Viejas Arena. Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real at Belly Up Tavern. Death Valley Girls at The Hideout.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 Miya Folick at Che Café. Senses Fail at Observatory North Park. Redwoods Revue at The Casbah.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4 ‘Experience Hendrix 2017’ w/ Bud-
dy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Harrah’s SoCal. Laura Stevenson at The Casbah.
SUNDAY, MARCH 5 Immolation at Brick by Brick. Shiner at The Casbah. Temples at Belly Up Tavern. Sinkane at Soda Bar. Isaiah Rashad at Observatory North Park. Chase Rice at House of Blues. Red Hot Chili Peppers at Valley View Casino Center (sold out). Bon Jovi at Viejas Arena.
MONDAY, MARCH 6 The Shins at Observatory North Park (sold out). Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Belly Up Tavern.
TUESDAY, MARCH 7 Mykki Blanco, Cakes da Killa at Soda Bar. The Shins at Observatory North Park (sold out).
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Fri: Roman Watchdogs, Los Shadows, Avenue Army, Fake Tides. Tue: Aveona. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Breezy Bliss’ w/ DJs MyStro, Josh Taylor, Jus Sven, Giana, Viking. Thu: ‘Libertine’ w/ DJs Jon Wesley, 1979. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road. Spring Valley. Thu: Bye Bye Sierra. Sat: Neck Down, Jovi and the Issues, Skidmarks of Society.
Bang Bang, 526 Market St. Downtown. Fri: Hotel Garuda. Sat: Sirus Hood + Sacha Robotti. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. Wed: Mike Doughty, Wheatus Thu: Lotus, El Ten Eleven. Fri: Betamaxx, High Tide Society. Sat: ALO, The Brothers Comatose. Mon: Henry Kapono, Kinnie Dye. Tue: The Revivalists, Magic Giant (sold out). Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St. Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Ivan Gregory. Thu: ‘Coast to Coast’ w/ DJs Dunekat, Jon Strader. Fri: Goose Mavrk, Memo Rex, Sam Wild. Sat: Manganista, Unsteady, Tape Heads. Mon: Cat Signs, The Nude Party, Minor Gems, Fake Tides, DJ Mike Delgado. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave. Carlsbad. Thu: Grim Slippers. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Sat: Twisted Relatives. Brick 15, 915 Camino del Mar. Del Mar. Fri: Lowell Levinger. Sat: Sean Watkins, Willie Watson. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave. Bay Park. Wed: Gemini Syndrome, A Hero Within, Sight Unscene, Killing Tyranny. Fri: Rough Cutt, Uncle Junkie, Snew, Rattz. Sat: Sons of Kaos, Time Machine, Naked Sunday. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: Abner, Dab, Chasing the Fall. Thu: The Bassics, Gloomsday, Bad Kids. Fri: Metalachi, Spitfire Torpedo. Sat: ‘Rise Up Get Down’ w/ DJ Claire, Records With Roger, Mr. Mazee. Mon: Bit Maps, Subtropics, Nite Lapse. Tue: The Lucy Ring, Miklo, Cosmics. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway. Lemon Grove. Fri: Cheap Date. Sat: DJ Alex.
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MUSIC BRUNO O’HARA
Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive. Mission Bay. Fri: Wendell Brunious. The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave. Wed: Adrian & Marisa Duo. Thu: Pat Hilton. Fri: Quel Bordel. Sat: Lifelike Band. Sun: Chris Del Priore. Mon: Stacy Antonel. Tue: Pat Hilton. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown, Downtown. Fri: DJ Scooter. Sat: DJ Advance. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Deejay Al. Sat: Brett Bodley. The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd. City Heights. Wed: ‘The Meaning of Love: 80s Dance Party’. Thu: SOLVE, Hexa, Wire Spine. Fri: ‘Hide and Go Freak’. Sat: ‘Boogie Down’. Tue: Boy Harsher, Vákoum, Hexa (DJ sets). The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. Wed: Major Powers, Bleeskiez. Thu: Iron Horse, MohaviSoul, Chugboat. Fri: The Fooks, DJ Ofier. Sat: Drunken Punkin Idiots, The Hangzeros, DJ OMZ. Sun: Hellogoodbye, American Tomahawk. Mon: Kerry-Oke. Tue: DJ Reefah, Maiz.
SPOTLIGHT Ten years after the height of emo, Dashboard Confessional still remains a punchline. But for those of us who were there, the ones who went to those shows, we remember having an outlet for the heightened sadness that comes with being young. Sure, it was probably the hormones that were running rampant through us all, but Dashboard’s music still feels like it aims for genuine connection instead of a cynical cash-grab. I mean, whatever. No, you’re crying. Agh, it’s just fucking allergies, man. Dashboard Confessional plays Friday, Feb. 3 at House of Blues.
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—Ryan Bradford
House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Camila. Thu: Jerry ‘Hot Rod’ Demink. Fri: Dashboard Confessional, Vinyl Theatre, This Wild Life. Sat: Common Kings, Mayday. Tue: San Diego Cajun Playboys. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: ‘Family Matters’. Thu: ‘Yoga For Your Ears’. Fri: ‘Archetype’. Sat: ‘Ascension’ w/ Night Club, DJ Robin Roth. Sun: ‘Heart Beats’. Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave. Kensington. Fri: Jake La Botz, Fanny and the Attaboys, The Hotshot Drifters. Sat: Mittens, Phantoms, Pennies.
Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. Fri: Little Heroine, Family Thief, Wanderer. Sat: Raena Jade, Haviia, Luke Fallon. Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Sat: Rockin’ Roulette. Tue: Muna, Lo Moon. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave. Hillcrest. Thu: Hot Mustard, Palomino, Sights & Sages. Fri: Jovias, Matchbox Twenty Too, Steal Dawn. Tue: Grim Slippers, Surly Bonds, Astral Touch. Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St. Ocean Beach. Thu: DJ Dub B. Fri: DJ K Reed. Sat: DJ Dom King. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Fri: Z-Trip. Sat: Vokab Company, Mimi Zulu, Tah Rei. The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘Nite Moves’ w/ DJs Beatnick, DeLa Chappelle. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’. Mon: ‘Metal Monday’. OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave. Downtown. Thu: Illenium. Fri: Matoma. Sat: Gareth Emery. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado. Balboa Park. Fri: Sue Palmer. Sat: Gaslamp Quarter Jazz Orchestra. Parq, 615 Broadway. Downtown. Fri: Obscene. Sat: Riz. Plaza Bar at Westgate Hotel, 1055 Second Ave. Downtown. Fri: Gilbert Castellanos. Sat: Allison Tucker. Mon: Julio De La Huerta. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Fri: Gino & The Lone Gunmen. Sat: Baja Bugs.
Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. Wed: The Walcotts, Quel Bordel. Thu: Kitchen Dwellers, Gipsy Moon. Fri: Birdy Bardot, Imagery Machine, The Strawberry Moons. Sat: Dead Feather Moon, Oh Spirit, Grim Slippers. Sun: Down by Law, Pulley, Skipjack, Hurricane Kate. Mon: Lilys, Dead Heavens, Travis Trevisan. Tue: Irata, Freedom Hawk, Lord Howler, Nebula Drag. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd. Midway. Thu: Carnifex, Fallujah, Rings of Saturn, Lorna Shore, She Must Burn. Sat: Killing The Messenger, Don Vedda, SLNCR, ASCENSIONS, Everything Undone, Shadow Nerve. Sun: Mon: Tues: Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave. Normal Heights. Sun: ‘Too Sad to Be Mad’. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Sacri Monti, Petyr, Volcano, Operation Mindblow, DJ Mikey Ratt. Sat: Our Frankenstein, Darks of Haven, Dark Altar, Black Market Theory. Sun: Phrenelith, Necrot, Impure Consecration, Skeletal Remains, Morfin. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: ‘Hip Hop vs. Punk Rock’. Sat: Russian Tremors, Rebels and Traitors, Bosswitch. Mon: Old Man Wizard, Witch Ripper, Cryptic Languages. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Stigmata’ w/ Warsaw DJs. Thu: ‘Kiss and Make Up’ w/ DJs Jon Blaj, Kyle Badour. Fri: Heavy Hawaii, Smokescreens. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: SYNYRGY, Tunnel Vision, DJ Carlos Culture. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: DJ Williams, Shots Fired.
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29
LAST WORDS | ADVICE
AMY ALKON
ADVICE
GODDESS Get Off My Yawn!
morgue for Squeaky the hamster, until you can give him a proper burial. I’m a 61-year-old guy who’s been married It turns out that the goo-goo-eyed “Granny four times. I love the security and accep- and I are still so in luvvv!” and the bug-eyed tance of marriage, but after several years, “Wowee, that’s new and exciting!” can have either my wife du jour or I will get bored, some brain parts and neurochemicals in comand we’ll agree to move on. Clearly, I like mon. Social psychologist Arthur Aron and his being a husband, but I do a poor job of colleagues did a brain imaging study of couples remaining one. Can I change that? who were still passionately in love after being —Chairman Of The Bored married for 10 to 29 years. Surprisingly, the results looked a lot like their previous results on So, you just want the security of marriage couples who’d just fallen madly in love, with with all the excitement of dating somebody intense activity in regions of the brain “associnew—which is kind of like wanting a latex ated with reward and motivation.” hood and ball gag that are also a comfy old The neurotransmitter dopamine is a cenpair of slippers. tral player in this reward circuitry. Though Though, no, you can’t have it all, you dopamine is still widely known by its outdatmight manage to have a good bit of it all— ed nickname, the “pleasure chemical,” curthe security and the excitement—by bring- rent research by neuroscientist Kent Berridge ing in the neurochemistry of the chase when suggests that it doesn’t actually give you a you’re in the cuddly-wuddly long-term at- buzz (as opioids in the brain do). It instead tachment stage. This probably sounds com- motivates you to do things that might—like plicated, but it’s basically the brain version eating cake, smoking a doob and making of how your freezer can serve as both an ice moves on that girl with the hypno-hooters. cube manufacturing area and a makeshift
30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 1, 2017
Dopamine-secreting neurons are especially on the alert for what researchers call “novel rewards”—any yummy, sexy, feelgood stuff you haven’t tried before. Neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz finds that “unpredictable rewards” may be even three or four times as exciting to us as those we’re used to. The problem is, when there’s nothing new on the horizon, there’s no reason for your dopamine to get out of bed. In other words, there’s a neurochemical explanation for why your marriages often go dullsville. But, there’s also good news: Aron and his colleagues note that “if partners experience excitement” from, say, “novel and challenging activities” that they do together, “this shared experience can reignite relationship passion by associating the excitement with the relationship.” Obviously, these should be unanticipated good experiences—like alternating who plans date night and surprising each other with the week’s event—not having your spouse find you in bed with the cleaning lady. You might also try to delight your spouse with small, unexpected gestures every day. Ultimately, you should find bringing in surprise much more fun than simply hoping the relationship won’t die—kind of like a paramedic just staring down at a heart attack victim: “Not lookin’ good, dude! Hope you didn’t have any big weekend plans!”
Wishful Sinking
The girl I’m in love with has a boyfriend. She and I have already fooled around, but
she can’t bring herself to break up with this guy. She insists she doesn’t want to lose me and promises we’ll date eventually. I’m confused. Do you think she’s playing me? —Lost It’s nice to hope for the best about people— but still put a note, “tofu-kelp casserole,” on that foil-wrapped plate of brownies you stuck in the break room refrigerator. However, especially when our ego is involved, we’re prone to believe the best about people, because of what psychologists call “optimism bias.” This is a form of selectovision that leads us to overestimate that things will turn out wonderfully for us and underestimate the likelihood of our experiencing bad stuff, like being in a flaming car wreck or a flaming car wreck of a relationship. In short, we believe that bad things happen to other people. For example, that cheater we’re in love with is only cheating because the other dude’s such a fuckbuckle, not because she has the ethics of a dust mite. Because optimism bias is ego-protecting, understanding that we’re susceptible to it typically isn’t enough to dig ourselves out. What might help you, however, is telling yourself your story, but about some other girl and guy. Then advise that guy on his prospects. For example: Yes, here’s a woman you can trust completely to be faithful—whenever she’s trapped, totally alone, 2,300 feet below ground in a Chilean coal mine.
(c)2016, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.
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February 1, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 31