San Diego CityBeat • Feb 3, 2016

2 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

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February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | From the editor

Deano Spanos’ lame-duck Chargers

D

isregard the rose-colored cheerleading can holiday—is a four-hour bump. Our society bingfrom local media. Having a lame duck team es on it. Professional football is crack, and Deano is our El Chapo. play in Qualcomm Stadium this year with a But remember the thirds theory. Here’s how the looming departure to Los Angeles is the bad scethinking in the anything-for-a-stadium third (33 nario we’re facing. percent of voters) breaks down: San Diego is a perfect storm of equally parsed • Absolutely! Empty the city coffers for a palace ideological diversity when it comes to feelings for Mr. Spanos. Mission Valley, downtown…tear down about building the Chargers a new stadium. This the Central Library to make room if we have to. town doesn’t know how to spell consensus.

• Of course. Spending tax dollars on a stadium is A public vote on funding new stadium congood for the city’s morale. What homeless? struction would likely take place in the Nov. 8 • Yes, I love the Chargers and even though Spangeneral election (halfway through the next NFL os has treated us fans poorly, we love the players, season). But even if the Chargers are undefeated not the owner. Plus, I’ve got a Bolt tattoo. at the time, any stadium initiative that includes a Here are the thoughts hint of corporate welfare is carolyn ramos of the malleable middle not going to be approved third (34 percent): by more than 50 percent of • I like the Chargers but the electorate. A recent San have negative feeling about Diego Union-Tribune poll Spanos. But golly, now the showed 60 percent would sportswriters say he’s not reject the city’s most reso bad after all, and movcent subsidy plan. ing was the idea of that The one-third of San well-dressed, grey-haired Diegans who bleed powder spokesman guy. blue cancel out the one• I’d like to keep the third who will never-everChargers but have concerns ever approve one red cent for a wealthy private busifor all aspects of life in San ness owner.

Diego, not just football. I The Chargers are lame ducks.

That puts the ball in the drive a Prius, conserve wahands of the middle third. And who are these peoter and vote in all elections. ple? They’re folks who like football well enough but • Why should I support a team that never wins? don’t enjoy being insulted by a silver-spooned dullI’m a great fan, but I’m not going to shell out for ard of an owner. Dean Spanos’ infrequent and disa loser. Hey, what’s that about the Raiders moving ingenuous public pronouncements are reminiscent here?

And the no-way-no-how third (33 percent): of Colin Firth’s portrayal of a stammering monarch in The King’s Speech. Uninspiring.

• Sure, I watch football. But Spanos reminds me The Chargers’ billionaire owner wants to be a of Dad, who left Mom for a young real estate agent multi-billionaire. He courted a trophy stadium in in L.A….Mom and I did just fine without him!

Los Angeles and flaunted it—like an absurdist epi•I’ll never vote for one cent of public money for sode of Cheaters. We prepared for the inevitable a billionaire’s playroom. There’s plenty to do in San and held a wake at Qualcomm Stadium. But instead Diego on Sundays. See you on Cowles Mountain! of closure, The Clash’s lyrics continues to loop on • Hell no. Never. I don’t care about sports. Let’s our collective playlist: “It’s always tease tease tease build a publicly funded opera house on the bay, or / You’re happy when I’m on my knees…This indeciget a professional chess team. sion’s buggin’ me / If you don’t want me set me free.”

It all comes down to the malleable middle. To Yes, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” ought to replace turn them El Deano would have to eat crow, cough “San Diego Super Chargers” as 2016’s official team up more of his own dough and get the NFL to do anthem. the same.

It’s understandable some fans are passionate Can we all agree on that? about keeping an NFL team in town. It’s a unifying

—Ron Donoho addiction. The Super Bowl—essentially an AmeriWrite to rond@sdcitybeat.com This issue of CityBeat is dedicated to blustery winds, aka the Republican presidential hopefuls.

Volume 14 • Issue 26 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Seth Combs Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Carolyn Ramos editorial assistant Torrey Bailey Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

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4 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

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February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | Letters

LOTS OF CHUCKLES I chuckled as I read about City Councilmember David Alvarez chuckling in Spin Cycle [“Mayor Moonshot adds to his to-do list,” Jan. 20]. Councilmember Alvarez waxes eloquent about the mayor not following through on previous public pledges. If Mr. Alvarez had performed his city committee responsibility to properly monitor the activity of the BPCI [Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative] during its existence maybe, just maybe, that city-created entity would not have failed so spectacularly with a cost to us taxpayers of approximately $2.9 million and with no one being held accountable.

If the mayor didn’t act on previous pledges that failure to act was not a direct “hit” to the city’s general fund. Big difference!

Lou Cumming,

La Jolla

BEWARE POL SPEAK Regarding your (Jan. 20) editorial [“Homeless vets get mayoral pledge”], the mayor’s pledges on veteran homelessness sound like political speak, happening four or five months before the June mayoral primary election. I want to suggest insurance to protect landlords from damage caused by tenants sent to them.

As for Ken Stone’s fine article on the city attorney race [“Off and running for San

6 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

Diego City Attorney,” Jan. 20], Gil Cabrera vs. Bryan Pease would be an ideal ballot, but not likely.

On mayoral politics in Spin Cycle [“Mayor Moonshot adds to his to-do list”], who could beat Mayor Faulconer? Bob Filner? Okay, who on the city council? David Alvarez or Marti Emerald, perhaps. Mike Aguirre would make a stellar mayor.

Dr. John Kitchen,

San Diego Homeless News

On the

Cover

we want

feedback Did you read a story in San Diego CityBeat that made your blood boil, or caused you to laugh so hard you pulled a muscle in your stomach? If something inspires you to send us your two cents we welcome all letters that respond to news stories, opinion pieces or reviews that have run in these pages. We don’t accept unsolicited op-ed letters.

Email letters to editor Ron Donoho at rond@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside.

New CityBeat editorial assistant Torrey Bailey took the cover photo of downtown’s omnipresent Shirtless Guy (Don Flores). A recent graduate from San Diego State University, Bailey started with the paper as an intern and has stepped in immediately to anchor our monthly Neighborhood Watch features, beginning in January with North Park. For downtown, we asked Bailey to look for the city’s colorful characters and she hunted down Flores, who calls himself the Beast of San Diego (but also is referred to as The Shake Weight Guy because that’s one of the props he uses to get tourists to take photos with him). Read more insight about the Beast as well as more on the colorful characters Bailey found down in 92101.

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Photos by ken stone

Up Front | news

Anthony Bernal

Which Democrat for District 3?

Endorsements, 24-year LGBT hold on seat could favor Ward over Bernal

by Ken Stone

C

hris Ward came out at age 21 to his Phi Kappa Psi brothers at Johns Hopkins University.

Now 39, he’s aiming to become the fourth member of San Diego’s LGBT fraternity to represent District 3 on the city council.

Ward, Democratic chief of staff to state Sen. Marty Block, doesn’t flaunt his orientation. But he takes every opportunity to note two backers—former state lawmaker Christine Kehoe and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, both lesbians who began the 24-year gay reign in D3.

Todd Gloria, the popular, termed-out councilmember Ward hopes to succeed, hasn’t endorsed anyone for his seat. Ward delights in that because his rival, Anthony Bernal, also a Democrat, has worked for Gloria for seven years (as director of business and community projects).

Ward says: “Unlike my opponent, I have the endorsement of my boss.”

Bernal says: “Todd has done nothing but encourage me the entire time. And Todd’s running his race for state Assembly”—suggesting Gloria has other politics to weigh.

Surrogates are less polite.

Last year, longtime gay activist Nicole Murray Ramirez called on Bernal to drop out, saying in San Diego LGBT Weekly: “Would a serious Latino candidate run in the Fourth District? Would a serious African American run in the Eighth District? No!…Anthony Bernal…you can’t and will not win.”

Arguing for Bernal’s “qualifications and experience,” Franko Guillen responded by calling such pigeonholing “reprehensible.” Then Ramirez alleged that Guillen, a “popular Latina drag queen entertainer,” had a ghostwriter: “Sure, Francesca wrote that last one, just like I wrote the (U.S.) Constitution!”

Bernal spokesperson Nick Serrano says Guillen wrote the column after discussing it with Bernal.

Bernal and Ward support Hillary Clinton. But Ward claims the title of top liberal, saying: “I love, love with a capital-L Bernie Sanders.” And, he favors a $15-an-hour minimum wage for “the greater good.” Businesses would “make a minor adjustment in prices” to cope.

Bernal, 36, backs the June measure to raise San Diego’s minimum wage to $11.50, but worries about “mom-andpop” shops choking on $15 an hour.

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He has yet to use the slogan “Feel the Bernal.” But one person Ward and Bernal aren’t feeling heat from is ex-Green Beret Scott Sanborn—the braces-wearing third candidate in the race. The Iraq War veteran’s only advantage is height— he’s 6-feet tall to Ward’s 5-foot-9 and Bernal’s 5-foot-8.

Sanborn, an August graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, will take the bar exam soon. He calls himself a “pissed-off veteran” who’d devote himself to what he calls “the most severe veteran homeless crisis in the nation.” He refuses donations and labels. (But he hands out purple T-shirts with a scottsanborn.vote URL.) Registered as “no party preference,” Sanborn, 32, voted in the November 2014 election but not the June primary, according to records. He likes Donald Trump because the GOP front-runner isn’t dependent on donors.

“I think Trump is one who will make changes,” he said. “This could be good or bad.”

Sanborn won’t divulge his sexuality, but says “it’s awful you have to be gay” to vie in D3. Single, he lives in an East Village studio apartment and enjoys playing with denizens of the dog park next to the Quartyard public space.

Plans for the future: “Run for Congress and/or continue to build San Diego behind the scenes. My most important objective is to stay true to myself.”

Back to the main race.

Bernal said residents urged him to run after Gloria won re-election in 2012. Fit from years of distance running (now averaging 18 miles a week), he says he’s knocked on 5,000 doors in 20 weeks. “They remind me of the great work we’ve done together for the past seven years.”

Ward, a fellow policy wonk, hails Gloria’s work on the city’s climate action plan but wants to put “teeth” in it. A community college bond overseer, he’d support votes for tax hikes, saying he’d use “my smarts and my heart” to give people confidence in his stewardship of their dollars and “the public benefit that they are voting for.”

Chris Ward Both vow to deal with street people.

Ward: “I am pledging to make a personal commitment that at least 20 percent of my time will be devoted to homelessness solutions.”

Bernal: “I’ll spend once a month, working with the police department...getting out of the car and talking with these individuals.”

Days before disclosures were made public, the pair revealed what they’d raised in 2015.

“I’ll be over $100,000,” said Bernal, a downtown resident who married his wife, Amy, last March.

“We’ll be reporting over $150,000 raised,” said Ward of University Heights, who with his partner Thom Harpole (a human resources director at San Diego State University) adopted a daughter about to turn two.

Ward ties himself to Kehoe-Atkins as “clearly the progressive Democratic choice” in a district of 72,000 voters—50 percent Democratic, 30 percent independent and 14 percent Republican. Also in Ward’s corner: the League of Conservation Voters, almost-mayor Donna Frye and Councilmember David Alvarez.

“But I’m not so knee-jerk that that’s going to render me ineffective,” he said. “I do want to have everybody at my council table giving me the proper feedback. And sometimes, some sides are wrong—whether they’re in the business community or the environmental community or a labor organization.”

Bernal cites his “farmworker in the Central Valley” mother and grocery clerk dad, but doesn’t focus on the 11,758 Spanish-speaking voters in D3.

“I am a proud Latino,” he says, “but I’m using my results and the things I’ve done in the neighborhoods.”

Asked about endorsements, he ofScott Sanborn fers state Sen. Ben Hueso and former Councilman Tony Young. “Plus, the California Restaurant Association.”

Bernal hasn’t decided what his ballot title will be, but he clearly hopes to ride Gloria’s coattails in a district of diverse burgs surrounding Balboa Park, from Normal Heights and Old Town to downtown and Golden Hill.

“Todd worked under the leadership of (now congresswoman) Susan Davis,” Bernal said. “Susan provided the mentorship...I see myself in that same mold…I’ll tell you that this is going to boil down to the person that connects best at the doors.”

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | opinion

spin

cycle

john r. lamb

A Chargers love triangle in harsh winds Those things that hurt, instruct.

—Benjamin Franklin

B

low, blow, thou winter wind,” Shakespeare wrote in the romantic comedy As You Like It, “thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.”

And blow it did indeed in recent days, rattling foundations, flinging debris and generally making a mess of things. Not to mention the whipping Mother Nature put to San Diego.

What’s that? You thought Spin Cycle was talking about the palmsnapping, tree-tipping, gale-force winds that recently battered our fair city? Well, that’s understandable, but no.

Harsh weather here comes and goes, but as for those San Diego Chargers—they’re back, baby, with helmet in hand! Cue the fog machine!

Yep, it would seem pathetic if not true, but the Boltin’ Bolts of L.A. Dream$ have landed back in their old haunts, at least for the 2016 season. With an unspecified deal and a one-year hall pass from Los Angeles sweepstakes winner Stan Kroenke, multibillionaire owner of the soon-to-be ex-St. Louis Rams, Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos now vows to return his focus to his first love, the team’s disheveled but familiarlike-an-old-sweater home base for more than half a century.

In a statement last week, Spanos said he had met with Mayor Kevin Faulconer and county Supervisor Ron Roberts (erroneously identified in an NFL release and some news outlets, the New York Times included, as board colleague Dave Roberts, to much displeasure). “I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to re-

8 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

solve our stadium dilemma,” Spanos said. “This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve…I am committed to looking at this with a fresh perspective and a new sense of possibility.”

Faulconer and Roberts later responded to the Spanos eyelash batting with their own joint statement, cooing, “We look forward to discussing his vision for a new San Diego home for the Chargers, and will be working with him and our negotiating team on a fair and viable plan to put before voters.

We have agreed to meet again in the near future.”

Spin Cycle had only one reaction to this news: These poor Chargers fans (disclosure: as a hometown boy, that ostensibly includes yours truly), hearts ripped out one day, then surgically re-implanted the next but with an expiration date of unknown duration.

Reaction on social media to the latest kink in this long-twisted civic tale spanned the emotional spectrum. Fans seemed in ecstasy, non-fans shrugged and municipal watchdogs cried, “Wolf!” As veteran campaign consultant Chris Crotty tweeted after the release swapping, “If you believe Spanos

John R. Lamb

Stan Kroenke had his way with Dean Spanos— now it’s Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s turn. Oh the sparks! after all the crap he’s pulled, I have a bridge to sell you.”

So how should fans react to the news that’s not really news? Spin decided to find out—technically, we as San Diegans are family, so what would a family therapist have to say?

It turns out not what many are claiming can be equated with an abusive relationship. Those parallels should just stop right now.

Bad, bad analogy, folks.

“The fans do have a relationship with the Chargers,” said Rachel Moore, a former San Diego Union-Tribune copy editor now working to become licensed as a marriage and family therapist at the Therapeutic Center for Anxiety and Trauma in Bankers Hill.

(She’s logged 2,100 hours of the 3,000 hours required for licensure.) “Whether we think that’s a valid relationship or not is up to interpretation.”

But the distinction from an abusive relationship is the power fans wield, she said. “The fans are choosing to go to the games or be fans,” Moore said, “so even though the people who own the teams might have more power in this particular situation, it’s not like the fans are at risk of serious emotional or physical harm.”

Moore attributed much of the current fan angst to something similar to grieving—“anticipatory grief,” as she put it. She noted when David Bowie died, “I’ll admit I was in mourning.” Not because he was a personal friend, but for the touchstones in her life where his gift inspired her. “We get sad not because we knew them,” she said, “but because they showed us things about ourselves.”

It’s similar for Charger fans.

“And it’s hard to grieve something that hasn’t happened yet,” Moore said. “It’s almost harder when you don’t know—when someone’s dying, for example. The limbo is harder, I think, than the finality.”

And if fans feel jerked around by the experience, that’s where anxiety can blossom. Moore said she’s certain most fans would get over the team’s departure, if it came to that, but she understands the emotions. “People identify with the Chargers being in San Diego,” she said. “To some, it’s important to them, and it’s tough on their self-identity.”

Her advice to fans? “Don’t feel bad about the fact that you’re hurting,” Moore said. “If it’s making you hurt—if you’re feeling the emotion—then the emotion is valid.” She suggested that fans continue to talk amongst themselves, perhaps even in a supportgroup setting.

Not only will talking about it help, but being among others who feel the same could lead “people to feel a sense of empowerment.

Instead of being mad at players who encourage fans to come to games, maybe take that advice and encourage your friends to come,” Moore said, adding she got involved when the San Diego Opera was threatening to close.

So buck up, Charger fans. Who knows? Yet another hearty wind could blow through town in the coming weeks, delivering even more promises. Maybe a new (old?) plan for a mega-entertainment district at the Qualcomm Stadium site in exchange for development rights of the old Sports Arena property (aka Valley View Casino Center, a lease now held

by L.A. Live complex developer AEG, a mega-company that once eyed the Chargers for a downtown Los Angeles stadium.)

Either way, San Diegans need to stay engaged, Moore said: “People can make the city what they want it to be. They don’t need politicians telling them what’s important and what’s not.”

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | Opinion

Aaryn Belfer

Backwards & in

high heels Restorative justice for The Desert Vista High Six “If we are to have peace in our communities, we need a justice that heals.”

—Fania Davis

Co-founder and executive director

Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth

Y

ou may have seen it: the photo of six laughing, college-bound white girls at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, in black shirts with gold block lettering that spelled out the n-word.

Their shirts were part of a larger senior class activity in which 34 girls—all white—posed in similarly lettered shirts to make the collective statement, “Best*You’ve*Ever*Seen*Class*of*2016.” At some point on picture day, the special six mustered all the ingenuity of a cactus, reorganized themselves Wheel-Of-Fortune style, and kaPOW! Facebook feeds across the globe were aflame with outrage and indignation.

My computer screen began to melt from the heat generated when numerous media outlets reported the girls were given five-day suspensions and that college scholarships were revoked. It’s unclear whether this was true, but many well-intentioned people didn’t feel justice had been served. A petition created at change.org—demanding not just immediate expulsion, but the firing of the school’s principal as well—has 47,545 signatures as of this writing. This is highly problematic.

As blacks kids comprise only 6 percent of the Desert Vista student body (per greatschools.org), it’s no shock there isn’t a single black student in the Best*Class photo. This and the fact that these girls had zero compulsion to check themselves underscore the reality that the school environment can’t be a safe one for black students—or any students of color for that matter.

It’s all painful and ugly, and painfully ugly. But kicking the girls out of school? Revoking college opportunities? That is classic retributive justice, the dominant kind favored in our society that disproportionately affects black students from their earliest moments in school, often with devastating, life-long and multi-generational ramifications.

A white-girl suspension has precisely none of the same impact as a black-girl suspension. I’m just setting that here for your contemplation.

Retributive justice is about punishment: To suspend or expel? That is the question we ask before wiping our hands and moving along. Retributive justice focuses on the person who caused the problem and how best to punish her. It leaves little room for education, dialogue, accountability, apology and repair. While bringing down the hammer may feel good in the moment, any possibility for deep and wide learning is impossible, and Zero Tolerance policies are a stinging example of this.

Restorative justice is the alternative. Unlike retributive justice, restorative justice looks at who was harmed, at the needs and responsibilities of all who are affected, and brings everyone together to heal.

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Though relatively new by comparison (30-ish years old, according to Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth), and requiring careful training, collaboration and unwavering commitment, restorative justice has proven to be highly effective in problem solving.

It is the official form of discipline in the Oakland Unified School District, and a program right here in City Heights is overwhelmingly successful.

“The City Heights Restorative Community Conference Pilot Project,” KPBS reported last fall, “takes qualified youth offenders and puts them in face-to-face meetings with their victims and community stakeholders. Together, the parties work out customized plans designed to repair the harm done to victims, families and the community, as well as the offenders themselves.”

Restorative justice in this latter case is being used to address juvenile crime, but it can be used in one-on-one relationships, in families and of course in schools. So it is with this in mind that I cringe as I hear the witch-hunty clamor for the expulsion of the Desert Vista girls. There is a huge opportunity here for the principal, the school and the district in this Phoenix community to come together for meaningful dialogue and healing.

Rather than being kicked out of school, these girls should be in the hands of educators trained in restorative justice. They should have to sit down with black students and listen to them talk—without saying anything themselves—about how the offending photo affects them. They should be given assignments to help them learn about the history of the n-word, and about their own internalized white supremacy. They should be given reading material (here I go again, folks: Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria, The New Jim Crow, or White Like Me,…I could keep going), and then engage in facilitated discussion groups. They should write papers about what they’ve read. They should be made to do community service for the underprivileged, preferably working with organizations serving the black community. And of course, they should apologize and have genuine accountability for their actions.

This is how Desert Vista High School and the Tempe Union High School District could begin to heal their community, and also show the world that there is a better way. A five-day suspension does nothing to help these girls truly learn anything, and will eventually result in White Girl Tears.

Oh…wait. Thanks to Internet vigilantism, the focus has already shifted from the harm they caused, to whether they—the now-we’ve-gone-too-far-inshaming-them white girls—are going to be OK. And trust me: Whether retributive or restorative justice wins the day, they are going to be just fine. If it were only so for their black counterparts who are the true victims of this fiasco.

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner

the world

fare

The smoke and fire of Hunan cuisine

I

love the aroma of Texas barbecue; it puts a smile on my face. I just never expected it in a Chinese restaurant. Village Kitchen (4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.), though, is a different kind of Chinese restaurant, and its secret recipe for smoked beef is a different kind of Chinese dish.

Village Kitchen’s food is from Hunan Province in South Central China, an early adopter of our friend, the chili pepper. English author Fuschia Dunop recounts an old Chinese joke: “Sichuanese are not afraid of chili heat; no degree of hotness will afright the people of Guizhou, but those Hunanese are afraid of food that isn’t hot.”

In addition to pure, dry heat, Hunan cuisine is also characterized by seasonality, fresh vegetables and greater use of vinegar, as well as smoked and cured products.

And so the earthy smoked meat in that first dish was juxtaposed with the brightness of sliced leeks and a spicy punctuation of chilis. Instead of the limp, lifeless vegetables of American-Chinese restaurants, these were fresh and vibrant both to look at and taste. It was a fascinating dish built of familiar ingredients put together in new and unexpected ways.

Then there was the mashed eggplant and green chili pepper with Century eggs (preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls). The dish arrived in a mortar and pestle the waiter used to mash the contents tableside. Again, the familiar elements were combined in a novel way. This time it was the soft comfort of baba ghanoush combined with the chilis (Anaheims?), deep earthiness of the Century egg and funk of fermented black beans.

Another highlight was the chef’s braised pork; a traditional Hunanese dish of pork belly braised in Shaoxing wine and water with sweet spices

10 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

and chilis. Traditionally called “Mao’s braised pork” (Mao Zedong was born in Hunan), Village Kitchen’s version adds fresh green beans. One odd sounding class of dishes on the menu was the “Spicy Boils from Pozi Street” (the location of a Fire God Temple and a great street food scene in Hunan’s capital, Changsha). Our choice of three of 10 ingredients—pig ears, smoked tofu and cabbage—was “boiled” together before, apparently, a quick stir-fry in a spicy and savory sauce.

But the highlight of many Village Kitchen dishes is the vegetables. Dong’an chicken is stewed in a mild broth with hints of vinegar and ginger. But I found myself running my chopsticks through the dish looking for the fresh bamboo shoots instead of the chicken. Then there was the incredibly simple dish of veggie-fried noodles.

The noodles are great but it was those fresh vegetables, each treated with respect, which elevated the whole. The mung bean sprouts—cooked, but with a crisp texture—were the undisputed star of the dish.

Michael A. Gardiner

Secret recipe smoked beef Village Kitchen’s food isn’t high-end creative.

In fact, some of the non-Hunan dishes aren’t great. But when they stay close to home they are amazing. It is that smoky, Texas barbecue aroma.

It is heat with a disturbing half-life. It is farmer’s market-fresh veggies. It is Hunan. It is exotic.

And it is welcome to San Diego.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | Drink

final

by beth demmon

draught bill couch / flickr

The line outside of Russian River Brewing Company for Pliny the Younger

Nix the over-hyped cult releases

B

y next week (give or take a few days), some “lucky” local beer-forward establishments such as Toronado and Hamilton’s Tavern will receive their extremely limited supply of Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA from Russian River Brewing Company that’s been voted the best beer in the world several times over.

What they’ll also surely get are epically long lines of beer-chasing douchebags with major cases of #FOMO, each trying to outdo each other on Untappd and Instagram.

If you’re willing to wait in line for hours (or even weeks) for the mere chance of tasting the most overhyped beer in history, you seriously need to re-evaluate your life’s priorities. And if you’re one of the beer hoarders who used to fill up as many growlers of the Younger as you could and immediately list them online for a 300 percent markup, thanks for ruining it for the rest of us.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

It’s not that I dislike Pliny the beer. (Actually, I do, but that’s irrelevant.) What I really dislike is having to deal with the crowds who heard that “at noon, Toronado is going to tap Pliny!” and commence loitering around the bar, not even bothering to enjoy any of the several dozen outstanding beers they’ve likely never tried. And despite the fact that Pliny the Younger basically spearheaded the hop craze that California is now famous for, 12 years later it’s starting to become harder to see where the quality stops and the beer chase gimmick begins.

This annual rare beer release turns craft beer fans into the worst parodies of ourselves. There

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are so many equally good, if not better, beers to try.

Instead of demeaning yourself in a five-hour line with no guarantee of even a sip, why not expand your mind and opt for one of these?

• Any other beer from Russian River. They’re one of the most incredible breweries in the world, so why should your experience be pigeonholed to chasing PtY? Blind Pig is an out-of-control delicious IPA with a much more palatable hop bite than Pliny.

Even the most extreme hopheads are sure to enjoy.

• IPAs from Alpine, Port Brewing, Societe, Rip Current…really any San Diego IPA. Or IIIPA if you simply can’t live without an outlandish helping of hops.

• Any beer that doesn’t use Comic Sans on the label.

• Literally anything else. Try something local.

Something new. Don’t only dip your toe in the craft beer game for the biggest and baddest release of the year. If you’re a serious beer enthusiast, every pint should be an opportunity for a new experience.

If you can get the Younger this year with little to no effort, by all means enjoy a glass. If you’re going to a tapping where all the proceeds go to charity, even better! Just don’t seek it out for street cred. Craft beer shouldn’t be about bragging rights. It should be about appreciating the artistry as well as the experience.

Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or follow her on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

12 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | technology

all things

by tom siebert

tech

Super Sunday: last gasps of dying TV business model

A

s we move into Super Bowl week—Denver Broncos over the Carolina Panthers, you can take that to the bank or your bookie—it’s worth considering how much the future of television hinges on football, most particularly the NFL. It’s no secret that, thanks to technology, the only thing keeping Americans tethered to their cable or satellite companies is live sporting events. But how long can cable, and television as we know it, cling to this final vestige of the way things used to be, before its tidy racket is sacked?

According to people who are paid to figure out such things, 2022 is the apocalypse. That’s the perspective I got from Variety’s savvy television and media reporter Brian Steinberg, who’s (curiously) never written such a thing himself, but has permitted me to steal his opinion.

December 2022 is the end of the current NFL contract with the television networks: NBC, Fox, CBS and the league’s own NFL Network. The ESPN contract runs out a year earlier. DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket likewise expires end of 2022.

You don’t need to diagram your chalkboard to see where this is going. For the 2023 season, you can almost certainly expect the NFL to go it alone or strike a massive deal with a streaming service— YouTube?—or create its own, and it’ll be game over for the mainstream networks.

Once the NFL leaves what used to be called “broadcast television,” the exodus of the public from cable and satellite will be legion. Already the trickle of viewers—mostly younger, but increasingly moving up in demographics—who have “cut the cord” and moved to platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and (the unspeakable) torrent sites, has begun to turn into a stream.

There is almost surely more money to be made for the NFL and its 32 teams selling season-long subscriptions for either the entire league or specific teams and divisions, or a la carte for high-profile games.

Right now, according to Bloomberg, DirecTV has two million Sunday Ticket subscribers, who pay roughly $240 a year for it, making it a money loser on paper for the satellite service, which pays $1.5 billion annual to air the games. That’s how big a draw the NFL is—networks consistently lose money on the NFL deal to draw eyeballs for other elements of their programming.

Professional football has become so critical to mass advertising, in fact, it’s important to keep in mind that the game has legally classified itself as “entertainment” and not sport. That should give us all pause, since the only other mainstream competitive event to do so is Professional Wrestling.

Baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, etc.—all sports. NFL: entertainment.

This legal declaration came in an under-reported 2010 federal court case, when a disgruntled New York Jets fan sued the league following the Patriots’ scandal where the New England team was caught videotaping opponents to steal their plays.

#SDCityBeat

The NFL’s winning argument was based upon it’s claim the league is providing “entertainment,” not sport, and that the league’s 32 teams were not actually in competition, but working together as one business unit. The courts agreed, saying fans could vote with their dollars by not attending NFL games, but that was their only recourse.

Consider that as you watch the biggest television event of the year this weekend, where commercials cost $5 million for half a minute. And how important it is to keep viewers watching late into the game, so those commercials get bang for the buck. And how many close games there have been in the past decade, compared to the 40 years prior.

It sounds crazy, right? Like The X-Files kind of conspiracy claptrap, right? And yet, every so often, somebody says something that makes it sound not so crazy.

Like the interview iconoclastic Atlanta Falcons owner (and co-founder of Home Depot) Arthur Blank gave after his team lost the 2013 NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers after the greatest comeback in post-season history.

I remember seeing that interview on TV and doing a double take when Blank said: “It is predetermined that these two teams would be here. I wish my team was selected to be in the Super Bowl, but these two gentlemen deserve it.”

Not unexpectedly, you can’t find that interview on YouTube or anywhere—the NFL can be very picky about its video rights—but you can Google the quote at length.

Here’s another interesting comment, from before the 2015 season, from 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, who retired after a single season in the NFL. In an ESPN interview, Borland cited concerns about his long-term health in the wake of increasing concussion concerns and cover-ups, but also said the NFL is “like a spectacle of violence, for entertainment, and you’re the actors in it. You’re complicit in that: You put on the uniform. And it’s a trivial thing at its core. It’s make-believe, really.

That’s the truth about it.”

Is it the truth?

During the height of “Deflategate” another NFL player, Joe Thomas, said “embarrassing” things like the Patriots’ controversy made “the NFL relevant 365 [days of the year]. It’s become so much more of an entertainment business and it’s making so much money…But it’s an entertainment business when it comes right down to it...

But I think we’re talking about a different NFL now...before it was more about the game. Now it’s such an entertainment business. It’s turning into the WWE really. It’s like the Vince McMahon stuff. Basically [Roger] Goodell is like Vince McMahon.”

The American television business needs football. Even more as entertainment than sport. What that all means, very few of us know and even fewer dare articulate.

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

1

OOH BABY, I LIKE IT GRAS

There’s nothing like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and it’s often been said that if you remember it, then you probably weren’t really there. The commute to the Crescent City is a bit of a hike, but lucky for locals, San Diego probably celebrates the annual preLent bacchanal bigger than any other city outside of Louisiana.

Of course, there’s the mother of Mardi Gras events: the Gaslamp Quarter Mardi Gras Parade & Celebration (sdmardigras.com) on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 5 p.m. to midnight. It’s really not enough to call the annual event a block party since it takes up multiple blocks in the heart of the Gaslamp and also includes specials at neighboring bars and after-parties galore. Snag some beads when the parade starts at Fifth Avenue and E Street at 9 p.m. while also checking out multiple stages of music with artists such as The Aggrolites and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony serving as headliners. Tickets range from $35 all the way up to $90 for VIP packages. Oh, and proceeds benefit the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation.

For something a little more low-key, the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library will be hosting a

2

ANNNND...ACTION!

Women’s rights is always a political talking point come election season, but Women in Action: UN Paths to Global Equality, a new multimedia exhibition at the Women’s Museum of California (2730 Historic Decatur Road), takes a closer look at the often behind-thescenes heroes who have fought for the cause of equality since the formation of the United Nations more than 70 years ago. Opening Friday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 9 p.m., the exhibition includes photos, documents and films that highlight some of the major accomplishments of the international organization in the areas of women’s rights. The opening during Liberty Station’s Friday Night Liberty art walk should be fun, but the museum will also be holding more talks, film screenings and events throughout February and March. womensmuseumca.org COURTESY OF THE UN

Women in Action: UN Paths to Global Equality

14 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

4TH ESTATE PRODUCTION AND GASLAMP QUARTER MARDI GRAS

Changing Times: Changing Tones at Spring Valley Library, 836 Kempton St., Spring Valley. A multimedia art exhibition honoring African American History Month and featuring the photography, painting and graphic design of 10 African American student artists from Platt College.

From 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3. Free. sdcl.org *Energy: Made in Form at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 West Broadway, Downtown. A group exhibition exploring the intangible concept of energy, visualized through the creative process. DJ Professor Shadow will be spinning sounds inspired by the exhibition theme. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. Free. art.sdsu.edu *Studio Series: Sophia Narrett at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Check out resident artist Sophia Narrett’s “honest fantasy” paintings and join in on an engaging discussion about both her work and artistic process. From 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. $10. 760436-6611, luxartinstitute.org

Gaslamp Quarter Mardi Gras parade Carnaval-themed grand opening party for its new Art Center in Logan Heights (1955 Julian Avenue) on Saturday, Feb 6, from 7 to 10 p.m. There will be an art show and jazzy tunes from the Euphoria Brass Band and Radio Pulse del Barrio, as well as food and drink samples all night. Best of all, it’s a free event, but reservations are required at ljathenaeum.org.

And what would Mardi Gras be without a proper Fat Tuesday blowout in Hillcrest? Urban Mo’s Bar & Grill (308 University Ave.) will host its annual Mardi Gras Mask Off on Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. The LGBT-friendly soiree includes a mask fashion show, $6.25 Skyy Blackout Lemonade specials all night and a Bead Off contest where the partygoer with the most festive necklaces at the end of the night will win cash and prizes. Cover is $3. urbanmos.com

3

LIFE ON A SPRING

Back in 2009, Tara Donovan’s exhibition at the downtown Museum of Contemporary Art was an absolute stunner. Patrons marveled at the giant, liquid-like sculptures made from things like Styrofoam cups and polyester film. It was one of those shows you PHOTO COURTESY OF PACE GALLERY wanted to see again or told your friends about in hopes they’d go with you. Now, the New York Citybased Donovan is back, albeit in the much more intimate “Untitled” by Tara Donovan Quint Gallery (7547 Girard Ave.), with an installation that is made entirely from (wait for it…) Slinkys! Yes, Donovan has taken the springy, metallic toy and warped, bent, disassembled and reassembled them into something altogether unique and fantastical. The show will be up through April, but be the first to see it when it opens on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. Yes, it’s OK to stare. quintgallery.com

Cuba La Isla at Culture Brewing Co, 111 S Cedros Ave, Ste 200, Solana Beach. San Diego based creative duo, Falcon Related (Kestrel Jenkins and Drew McGill), unveil this photography and storytelling exhibit developed from their recent travels in Cuba.

Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5.

Free. 858-345-1144, falconrelated.com *The Book Pages Project at Sparks Gallery, 530 6th Ave., Gaslamp. A solo show from David Fokos consisting of photographs of pages from seminal novels that have been folded or shaped to highlight specific text from each selected novel.

Opening from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com *Women in Action: UN Paths to Global Equality at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. A new multimedia exhibition that includes photos, documents and films that highlight some of the major accomplishments of the international organization in the areas of women’s rights. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5. Free.

619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org Asafo Flags from Ghana at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. An exhibition of 36 flags from West Africa dating to the late 19th and 20th centuries and feature graphic folk imagery and appliqued designs on solid cotton grounds. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6. Free-$10. 619-2390003, mingei.org *Athenaeum Art Center Grand Opening at Athenaeum Art Center, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library hosts a Carnaval-themed grand opening party for its new Art Center.

Features an art show, food and drink samples, and live music from Euphoria Brass Band and Radio Pulse del Barrio. Reservations required at asykes@ljathenaeum. org. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6.

Free. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org *Chicano Park Day Fundraiser at Chicano Art Gallery, 2117 Logan Ave. #1, Barrio Logan. This fundraiser art show to support the Chicano Park Steering Committee features work from Victor Ochoa, Carmen Kalo, Coco Miller, Mario Chacon, and more. Live music sets from Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez and Cumbia Machin.

From 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6.

Free. 619-792-2815, chicano-park.com Eye for an Eye at TPG2, 1475 University Ave., Hillcrest. A group photography exhibition featuring a wide variety of styles and prints. Includes work from Alex Potter, Kevin Frayer, Phil Moore, and over a

H = CityBeat picks

dozen more. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6. Free. 619-203-6030, thumbprintgallerysd.com *Sierra Hyte and Diamond Stingily at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. The local and New York-based artist will showcase new collaborative works at this first show in the new IUD: A Place You Think About series of programmed exhibitions featuring emerging female artists. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. Free. 619-265-6842, sayingtheleastandsayingitloud.com *Tara Donovan at Quint Contemporary Art, 7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The NYCbased artist showcases new sculptural works made entirely from Slinkys, which she warps, bends, disassembles and reassembles into something altogether unique.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. Free. 858-454-3409, quintgallery.com William Newport Goodell: painter, craftsman, teacher at Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St., La Jolla. This exhibition and accompanying catalog tells the story of the late painter’s relationship with La Jolla through the presentation of his artwork, supplemented by artifacts and photographs. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. Free. lajollahistory.org heART Collection at Hess Brewing North Park, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. A group show featuring paintings inspired by love, beauty and other sentiments associated with the month. Features works from Ann Gallagher, Annie Hardy, Chris Farrington and dozens more.

Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10. Free. facebook.com/ events/975724355796811

BOOKS *Elizabeth Marro at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local author will sign and discuss her debut novel, Casualties, about a mother and son dealing with the repercussions of war. CityBeat contributor Jim Ruland will moderate a discussion with Marro. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com Jamala Rogers at WorldBeat Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. The founder of the Organization for Black Struggle will sign and discuss her new book, Ferguson Is America: Roots of Rebellion. At 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 5. $5-$10 suggested donation. 619-230-1190, worldbeatcenter.org Neal Griffin and David Putnam at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The two mystery writers will be on hand to promote their respective new novels, A Voice from the Field (Griffin) and The Squandered (Putnam). At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com *Rob Roberge at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author and lead singer of The Urinals will sign and discuss his recently released memoir, Liar. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com Michelle Gable at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local author will be promoting her new multigenerational novel about love, I’ll See You in Paris. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Michelle Adelman at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The writer and Time Out New York journalist will discuss and sign her debut novel, Piece of Mind, about a young woman dealing with the everyday struggles of a traumatic brain injury. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 #SDCityBeat

THEATER DAREN SCOTT

When Irish eyes are smiling and crying

ness by Jim Mooney, Alicia Previn and Richard Tibbits) as well as Sherrice Mojgani’s flickering projection designs that evoke rural Ireland make Outside Mullingar a comfortable—and comforting—hour and a half, even when its characters are in strife.

Outside Mullingar runs through Feb. 21 in the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lyceum Space, downtown. $33-$66. sdrep.org

—David L. Coddon

T

he San Diego Repertory Theatre’s fourth production of its 40th anniversary season, Outside Mullingar, comes with everything but four-leaf clovers sprinkling down from the rafters. There’s a cast of four sporting Irish brogues of varying degrees of authenticity; three musicians on stage playing reels and ruminate-over-your-ale folk songs from the Emerald Isle; even U2 piped in before the show as audience members settle into their seats. Playwright John Patrick Shanley’s one-act romance directed at the Rep by Todd Salovey is ohso-very-Irish, from the brooding, deathobsessed first half of the 95-minute production through the robust (and even a little weird) love story that occupies the second half.

That first half ultimately disposes of the old and dying Tony Reilly (a resonant Mike Genovese) and also old and dying Aoife Muldoon (Ellen Crawford), leaving behind Tony’s awkward but big-hearted middle-aged son Anthony (Manny Fernandes) and Aoife’s headstrong, fortyish daughter Rosemary (Carla Harting) to fall uneasily but inevitably in love. That’s when the tone of the proceedings shifts from squabbling and morbid (though the last scene between Anthony and his father

#SDCityBeat

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Tell Me on a Sunday: Actress Bets Malone stars in the one-woman, Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a young Brit looking for love in the U.S. Directed by James Vasquez, it opens Feb. 5 at the Broadway Theatre in Vista. broadwayvista.biz

Manny Fernandes and Carla Harting in Outside Mullingar is very moving) to snappy, even saucy— remember, it was Shanley who wrote that hot-blooded love story Moonstruck.

Understandably, this is the more enjoyable portion of Outside Mullingar, though Anthony’s expressed reason to Rosemary about why he hasn’t pursued her with all due ardor is a true what-the-eff plot development.

Fernandes, performing at the Rep for the first time in 16 years, is sympathetic and affable in the role of the hapless, under-confident Anthony, though he’s nearly bulldozed by Harting’s petite but strident Rosemary. Their chemistry seems still somewhat on the Bunsen Burner.

The live music that intersects changing scenes (provided with pub-crawl friendli-

The Book of Moron: Robert Dubac plays multiple roles in this one-man show exploring the hypocrisies he finds in the media, politics, religion and more. It happens Feb. 9 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

For full theater listings, please visit “T heater ”at sdcitybeat.com

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

EVENTS DANCE Moscow Festival Ballet: Cinderella at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The revered ballet company (founded by legendary Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Sergei Radchenko) returns to San Diego with a production of Prokofiev’s interpretation of the favorite children’s fairy tale. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9. $20-$80. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org *Moscow Festival Ballet: Giselle at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown.

The acclaimed company will combine the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in this production of the magical fable. From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10. $20-$80.

619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.com

FILM *San DIego Jewish Film Festival at various locations. The 26th 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&A’s, parties and more. See website for full details and times. Takes place Thursday, Feb. 4 through Sunday, Feb. 14. Various times. $33-$210. sdcjc.org

MUSIC Art of Élan at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. A special concert reception that includes works

by Dmitri Shostakovich, Missy Mazzoli and composer Nico Muhly that explores the worlds of fantasy and reality as expressed through art and music. At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 3. $15-$40. 760-4366611, artofelan.org

*Dialogue at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The Athenaeum’s winter jazz series opens with this intimate duo project featuring pianist Myra Melford and clarinetist Ben Goldberg. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. $21-$26. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org *Lisa Moore at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The virtuoso pianist will be playing solo music from three of her albums, Mad Rush, Prayers Remain Forever and Soft Loud. Part of the Fresh Sounds music series. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. $10-$15. freshsoundmusic.com Ben Folds The singer-songwriter and pianist teams up with the San Diego Symphony to perform his 22-minute classical Concerto for Piano and Orchestra along with selections from Bernstein and Gershwin. Takes place Friday, Feb. 5 at the California Center for the Arts and Saturday, Feb. 6 at Copley Symphony Hall. At 7:30 and 8 p.m. $20-$80. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org *San Diego School of Rock: The Best of San Diego at The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. The students of School of Rock San Diego will perform a set of San Diego bands and artists including Shady Francos, Inspired and the Sleep, Mrs. Magician, Octagrape, and more. At 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5. $10. sandiego. schoolofrock.com The Montrose Trio at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla. La Jolla Music Society opens its Revelle Chamber Music Series with a piano trio performance that includes music from Turina, Haydn and Tchaikovsky. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. $30-$80. 858-454-3541, ljms.org *Vinyl Junkies Record Swap at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown.

16 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

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. 6. $3.

619-232-HELL, casbahmusic.com Jesse Cook at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The acclaimed guitarist is known for cross-pollinating music that integrates flamenco, rumba, gypsy, jazz and classical motifs. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8. $45-$60. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org

SPECIAL EVENTS *Mexicali Chinatown Trek at Turista Libre Meeting Spot, 727 E. San Ysidro Blvd, Tijuana. Turista Libre’s annual voyage to the Baja California capital includes roundtrip transport from Tijuana, a guided museum tour and brief lecture on the history of the city’s Chinese community. Also includes a walking tour and stops at a Chinese cafe, market and cemetery. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. $95.

858-754-9406, turistalibre.com *San Diego Mardi Gras at Gaslamp Quarter, Downtown. The second largest Mardi Gras celebration in the nation, Fifth Avenue transforms into a carnival fest featuring five stages of music, masks, floats, stilt walkers, dancing and beads, beads and more beads. From 5 p.m. to midnight. Saturday, Feb. 6. $35-$90. 619233-5227, sdmardigras.com *Mardi Gras Mask Off at Urban Mo’s, 308 University Ave., Hillcrest. An LGBTfriendly Fat Tuesday blowout featuring a mask fashion show, drink specials all night and a Bead Off contest for cash and prizes. From 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9. $3. 619-491-0400, urbanmos.com

“The Cheshire Cat, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865” by David Fokos is on view at The Book Pages Project, a solo exhibition opening from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 at Sparks Gallery (530 6th Ave. in the Gaslamp).

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS They Lives: A Symposium on Gender Equality and Equity at Collective 1939, 1939 Friendship Drive, Ste. F, El Cajon.

Panelists such as Liat Wexler, Doris Bittar and Elissa Shevinsky will discuss whether humans are capable of being gender neutral and promoting equality and equity. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5. $10. bit.ly/theylives

WORKSHOPS Cheesemaking Fundamentals Class at Curds and Wine, 7194 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Learn the fundamental processes behind fresh cheesemaking as well as the techniques for making pressed cheeses and aged cheeses such as cheddar, gouda and camembert.

From 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. $65.

858-384-6566, curdsandwine.com

#SDCityBeat

(The latest in a series of features on San Diego’s most interesting neighborhoods)

ESPITE BEING THE HUB OF MANY A DRUNKEN ADVENTURE, downtown San Diego is maturing into adulthood. The urban core still scares some, but like most unknowns, familiarity eventually breeds appreciation or even admiration.

Omnia, a mega-club where the doors thumped open in 2015 occupies the Sixth Avenue nightclub space formerly called Stingaree. But before Stingaree was a club, it was the name of the red-light district south of Market Street, dating back to the late 1800s. You could be “stung” as badly in the Stingaree as you could [by a stingray] in San Diego Bay, according to historical lore provided by the Gaslamp Quarter Association.

This area used to house 350 prostitutes in 120 brothels and saloons with names as welcoming as First and Last Chance Saloon and Old Tub of Blood. The infamous Ida Bailey ruled the prostitution ring in her yellow-painted Canary Cottage (the current site of The Horton Grand) until the police raided the Stingaree bordellos in 1912.

Sailors eventually lost interest and downtown saw a decline in popularity and quality of life, filling with pawnshops and peep shows. Shadows ruled the street up into the 1980s, until the six-ton Gaslamp Quarter sign was installed at the base of Fifth Avenue in 1990 and reputable restaurants, bars and nightclubs started moving in. When Petco Park opened for baseball business in 2004, it marked downtown’s official ascent to a topnotch entertainment district.

ooking down, Fifth and Market is aged pavement freckled with blackened gum. Looking up, skyscrapers are the backdrops behind brick and mortar foundations, all tied together by the only diagonal crosswalk in San Diego. The people traversing it are as opposite from each other as the buildings that surround them.

On weekend nights women look like they’re walking the tightrope in their wobbly, stilted stilettos and duct tapetight bondage dresses, paying no mind to homeless souls begging for spare change. Lights from the surrounding restaurants beam down in an unnatural fluorescence, illuminating the duality of it all.

#SDCityBeat

TORREY BAILEY

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

Beast of San Diego (aka The Shake Weight Guy, aka The Shirtless Guy)

President San Diego Downtown Residents Group

Smith joined this group of municipal troubleshooters back in 2000 when his friend told him to get off his ass after “bitching” about the same issues that weren’t being fixed— like the lack of a quiet zone around the downtown railroad tracks. From then on, he started asking the city questions, playing watchdog from his downtown home. Moving up the ranks from newsletter writer to board member to president, he organizes additional resources to supplement the ones provided by the city, which he says aren’t even enough to cover the cost of cleaning Gary Smith up downtown after a Saturday night. His biggest obstacle to date is addressing the hot water surrounding the homeless. “There’s a lot of good-hearted people out there trying to solve the problem, but most of them have not played nice over the years,” he says. Now that a database has been created to track service providers, he says progress can be made, and resources can Don Flores be allocated to the most effective programs.

Posing oiled up and shirtless, sporting a wrestling mask and rattling a Shake Weight vigorously on his main stomping ground at Fifth Avenue and F Street, Flores is a local legend, and he knows it. He owns seven Shake Weights, which he rotates throughout the week during his nightly two-hour calorie-burning shift around town.

In his spare time, he has several hobbies: “I did kung fu, karate and boxing. I lift weights, body build, study medical books, watch television, fornicate.”

On average, he has 20 photos taken of him per day, netting about $10 and up. But he says baseball season is the best since he can earn three times that amount, which he in turn spends on hookers. At 64 years old, he says he’ll continue repping the Shake Weight until he is no longer winning the street fights people pick with him.

18 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

President & CEO GEM – Gaslamp Event Management, Inc. Assisting with the opening of nearly 200 bars and restaurants, she’s the one to blame for the option overload that goes hand in hand with planning a night out in the Gaslamp. Bosier spearheaded downtown’s nightlife revival back in 2000, starting up On Broadway Event Center (now Parq Nightclub) and Bitter End (now The Tipsy Crow) where she says she “brought sexy back to one of the oldest bars in San Diego.”

The Zombie Crawl, Irish 4 A Day and the upcoming Mardi Gras Block Party and Fat Tuesday in the Gaslamp are all partially her doing, too. She says the key to a successful event is a preplanned route that guides guests through the Sin Bosier night, from dining to drinking to dancing. On an international scale, she says the Gaslamp Quarter’s walkability puts San Diego in a league of its own, as does the camaraderie between businesses: “We’re not cutthroat like some other cities.”

#SDCityBeat

PHOTOS BY TORREY BAILEY

Ciro’s Pizzeria Star Bar ometimes a bite between bar hops is the difference between rallying and passing out on the curb.

Pizza works well, and two busy nighttime slice slingers are Ciro’s Pizzeria (536 Market St.) and Gaslamp Pizza (505 Fifth Ave.).

Sometimes what gets you through the night is a wrap from Doner Mediterranean Grill (823 Fifth Ave.), or a burrito from Valentine’s Mexican Food (1157 Sixth Ave.).

Gotta have a hot dog or a brat? On weekend nights Hub Market (748 Sixth Ave.) sets up a barbecue grill on the street. Bun-tastic.

#SDCityBeat

If we’re dive talking, here are three of downtown’s mainstays: (505 Sixth Ave.) Est. 1885 (423 E St.) Est. 1972 (929 Broadway) Est. 1933

(in the club scene)

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

TORREY BAILEY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH DAOUST

A trip downtown can be headache inducing. One of the biggest contributors comes via your car—driving and parking it. With a few tips, you can cut back on the ibuprofen.

Park It on Market (614 Market St.): It may not be free, but it’s a close second. This parking paradise costs just a dollar per hour, or offers the full 24 hours for $15.

Red, White and Blue curbs: Parking peril is a staple of urban America, making red, white and blue curb regulations hue fitting. These patriotic colors are like the hot lava on the schoolyard playground. Any hour of the day, any day of the week, stay away because a boy in blue is probably watching.

Green and yellow curbs: These allow for some rule bending. After the hours designated on the signs (typically 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for green and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for yellow), public parking is permissible along these colored curbs.

Green-topped meters: Parking meters with green tops offer extended parking in some areas and low-cost parking in others. With a deal as fine as $0.75 per hour for nine hours at a time, these little green fairies are peppered around East Village, Cortez, Little Italy and the Marina District.

No, not in the Gaslamp.

Horton Plaza parking: Multi-hour parking fees at this downtown mall equate to the down payment on a house. Validation kiosks inside the mall get you three hours for free. Having a 24 Hour Fitness membership (there’s one at Horton Plaza) allots free parking for two hours. However, there’s no free parking after the clock strikes 9 p.m.

These pedal-powered carriages are by no means the optimal way to travel around downtown. At night, the multicolored string lights and the boom-boxed dance music is beyond kitsch. However, looking blatantly like a tourist may beat blistered feet. If you do surrender your dignity and hail a pedicab, know this: Set a price for getting to your destination before you get in and the driver embarks on an expensive joy ride.

RON DONOHO

20 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

iving on the 17th and 18th floors of a downtown high rise, writer/ editor Sarah Daoust (pictured) has a first-class ticket for people watching. She says the best day to live in the middle of it all is Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, or, more specifically, the morning after.

Therein lies the mother lode of walks of shame.

“This past Halloween, I saw a pregnant nun, but she had her baby bump on backwards so she looked like a hunchback carrying her shoes walking to the train station at 8 a.m. with makeup smeared all over her face.”

But, the tables are turned every so often on Daoust. More than once she has exited the shower in her condo only to be surprised by window washers dangling outside her window.

#SDCityBeat

Culture | Art Christina Chomut of Luchka Photography

Seen LocaL her own devices

C

urator Maria Nicola Mathioudakis has been getting a lot of questions lately about the name of her new series of art shows at Bankers Hill space Helmuth Projects (www.sayingtheleastandsayingitloud.com). Lovingly dubbed IUD: A Place You Think About, the series will feature nearly a dozen up-and-coming female artists over the span of four weeks, but she’s more than aware that the title might make some people think of something a little more personal.

“I’ve had a lot of people ask me about it, but it’s supposed to be speaking more to this really intimate thing that you carry around with you and that’s concealed inside you,” says Mathioudakis, referring to the intrauterine device, a female contraceptive that is inserted into the uterus. “It’s about the power of creation. The uterus is this thing that creates, but you also have the choice to not create.”

Mathioudakis has assembled quite a cast of creators. The first show opens Saturday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. and features local artist Siera Hyte and New Yorkbased Diamond Stingily. That show will be collaborative, as will the Feb. 13 opening featuring artists Salomeya Sobko and Dom Jones and Famo Musa, an artist originally from Kenya who now lives in City Heights. The Feb. 20 show will include works from Luisa Luisa Martinez, Chulaface and Eva de Leon, and the closing show on Feb. 27 will showcase work from Kim Schreiber, Ellen Schafer and Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt respectively.

“They’re all 30 or under, and they’re all making work about their family, their lives and sometimes

IUD artists (from left): Famo Musa, Kim Schreiber, Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt, Maria Nicola Mathioudakis, Siera Hyte, Eva De Leon and Luisa Luisa Martinez. Not pictured: Chulaface, Salomeya Sobko, Dom Jones and Diamond Stingily even politics, so it’ll be a very interesting contrast,” says Mathioudakis.

Mathioudakis was an ethnic studies student at UC San Diego before becoming actively involved in performance art. She is more than aware that opening four art shows in four weeks is a bold if not befuddling undertaking, but she’s confident the shows will make a clear and decisive impact.

“It’s kind of crazy for everyone, but we’re excited enough about it that we decided to commit to it,” says Mathioudakis. “I want it to be a true collaborative effort. I can be the one pushing for all these ladies to come together, but it’s really about the kind of energy that’s inspired by bringing all of them together and having a conversation.”

—Seth Combs

picture pages

T

here are myriad things to notice within the new Verbatim Books storefront in North Park, not least of which are the rows upon rows of new and used books spanning every conceivable genre.

Still, it’s not inconceivable that passersby could be drawn in by the paintings on the wall. Displayed prominently near the cases displaying rare and collectible books, most of the paintings appear to be done by different artists. Nope—they were all done by local artist Ryan Tannascoli (ryantannascoli.wordpress. com). That they look dissimilar is only representative of just how varied he’s been over the years.

“I did that one in 2001, I think,” he says pointing out the very noticeable painting of a series of hands in varying stages of opening and closing. “I have some work up at Allegory Tattoo as well, but the paintings here, this is pretty much everything I have.”

Tannascoli is friends with Verbatim owners Justine Epstein and Greg Theilmann, but it’s easy to see why they thought his work might be perfect for such a space. Some of the pieces are quite striking and demand the viewer’s attention; most of Tannascoli’s oil

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paintings are subtle and complimentary. While a lot of people might find still life paintings of fruit to be boring in a museum or gallery, they work well within the context of a bookstore. Tannascoli is just grateful that he has a place to show off his work.

“It’s such a great location,” says Tannascoli, referSeth combs ring to Verbatim being near the corner of 30th Street and North Park Way. “It’s the type of place where people are going to walk by and peek in. As an artist, that’s what you want.”

Justine Epstein hopes to have some kind of art opening for Tannascoli soon and wants to use the Verbatim space to host art shows during some of North Park’s more signature art events like Ray at Night.

“Our goal is to eventually have all the walls covered in art,” says Epstein. “To have as many local artists in here as we can fit.”

When asked about whether he’d have to take down his own art to make room for other artRyan Tannascoli ists’ work, Tannascoli becomes jocular.

“Sure, they want to show other artists,” he says, laughing. “But I’m going to advise them against that.”

—Seth Combs

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Culture | Voices

ryan bradford

well that was

awkward

Staring into the abyss at America’s Got Talent tryouts I’ll show YOU talent. What’s YOUR talent?

I’ll talent YOU.

T

his is me, walking toward the San Diego Convention Center. It’s a hot day—unseasonably warm—but that’s not the reason why my internal monologue sounds like a petulant, whiny baby.

A couple days prior, my editor alerted me that the reality show America’s Got Talent was holding auditions in San Diego. He suggested that I try out.

I scoured my brain to think of a talent that I could audition but came up empty, and it’s this realization that got me upset.

I’m not mad at my editor for initiating this downward spiral of pity, but mad at the world, the universe, genetics and every vague, amorphous factor responsible for my non-talent.

By this point, the internal monologue is, like, half-sobbing: your MOM’s talented. Talented schmalented.

But this micro-tantrum isn’t really warranted, because I am talented, just not in a way that would appeal to a bored TV audience.

Back in the day, I was in talent shows all throughout high school, but I was always behind a drum set (I really wish I could send the America’s Got Talent producers back in time to 2002 when our band covered Dio’s “Holy Diver” and therefore witness the peak of my life). I still play drums, but unless you’re Neil Peart good, solo drumming is just annoying.

These days, I focus on developing my writing talent, but, again, that’s not something that necessarily translates well onscreen.

Hi, America’s Got Talent producers! Today, I’m going to sit in front of a laptop for six hours and type out my personal demons.

I’ve only been to the San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con. This afternoon, the lobby seems comparatively empty and cavernous. It accentuates my insignificance.

An usher at the front entrance stops me. “What are you here for?” she asks.

“I’m here for America’s Got Talent,” I say, trying to focus on the immediacy of her question and not its existential implications. She points me up the escalators. There’s a family coming down the opposite side, silent. The father and I make eye contact briefly and it’s the look two dudes give when they’re tacitly trying to convince the other that life is going swell.

At the top of the escalator, two production assistants make me sign a waiver, strap a wristband on and hand me a sticker with a seven-digit number on it.

Their frantic manner and loud voices make me cringe, especially considering how unpopulated the area is.

Since auditions have been going on since 8 a.m., I can only assume that the adrenaline of processing so many talented hopefuls hasn’t worn off yet.

They direct me into a giant conference room. A

lady waves a metal detector wand over me with the enthusiasm of a teenager on family vacation before pointing me toward the holding area.

Now, it’s difficult to write about the America’s Got Talent holding area without plagiarizing the descriptions of Purgatory in classic literature. A garish “AGT” stands, monolithic, in the middle of the room. There’s still a considerable amount of people still waiting to audition, but their silence in this large room makes it feel like something is dead or dying. Performers have formed into allied clusters—friendships that only exist when strangers are placed in a room without stimulus and they’re desperate. Occasionally, they’ll break away and strum a few notes on a guitar, or practice a dance move. Stage moms hog the vanity mirrors, faraway vocal practices sound like a ghost crying in my dreams, and a band of young bros practices “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on acoustic guitars.

I approach a brother and sister, slouched in chairs, thumbing on their iPhones. Jasmine is preparing to sing, and her brother Brandon is there for moral support.

The exasperation in Brandon’s voice says that he’s maybe regretting the decision.

When asked how she prepared, Jasmine says, “I go to karaoke all the time.”

At this point, she’s been waiting to audition for six hours.

“Have they served food?” I ask.

“No,” Brandon says. “If Nick was here he’d be all ‘get some pizza in here.’”

When I ask who Nick is, Brandon clarifies. “Nick Cannon. The host of the show.”

I admit that I’ve actually never seen the show.

Another production assistant announces, “We’re going to now get some outside time.” He uses a manufactured enthusiasm that tricks us into thinking that he’s doing us a favor, like we’re not adults who could step outside and see the sun on our own accord.

PAs arrange the mass of purgatorial contestants on one end of the convention center’s veranda. There’s a camera attached to a crane rig at the other end, probably 200 yards away. They tell us that they’re shooting a promo for the show, and as we march toward the camera, we need to be happy! Smiling! The sun beats down and everyone’s smiling, sweaty faces look like the result of a fire at the wax museum.

The PA yells action, and we begin to walk. It lasts forever. My face hurts from smiling and pretending like this is fun. The camera crane looms higher, glaring at us with a callous lens. All this direction, all this fake happiness, all this performance—this is not what I’m good at. I raise my arms and show my sweaty pits to the camera.

The PAs tell us that they want to do it a couple more times, which is about the point that I peace out.

Sometimes proving your talent isn’t worth it.

“

I am talented, just not in a way that would appeal to a bored TV audience.

“

22 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

Culture | Film

Only Girl (In the World)

45 Years

Andrew Haigh’s devastating two-hander about marriage is brilliant

by Glenn Heath Jr.

A

ndrew Haigh’s 45 Years surveys a marriage to sweep the past under the rug. Rampling’s Acadlong enshrouded in a cocoon of normalcy. emy Award-nominated performance goes to great Fissures begin to show almost immediately, lengths conveying the struggle Kate experiences though, and a relationship that initially seems strong through shifts in her vocal tone and facial expresis quickly revealed to be fragile and bent. The transi- sions, and quiet moments of panic that take on an tion does not occur because of some grand infidel- otherworldly sense of dread. ity or moral compromise. Instead, small deceptions Small details of language are also essential. When of communication and expectation add up quickly, Geoff first mentions the deceased he calls her, “My creating the kind of separation between spouses that Katia.” Kate’s stunned reaction speaks volumes. How feels unbridgeable. quickly we can betray the ones we have loved for so Set in the lush English countryside, Haigh’s affect- long. Similarly small daggers reappear later in the ing two-hander juxtaposes a sense of external peace film, but Haigh does not call overt attention to them. with internal duress. Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and It’s up to us, like Kate, to try and piece together what Geoff (Tom Courtenay) go about their daily routines can be done after the fact, if anything at all. happily enough—she walks the dog near The Broads The film’s potency stems from its layered perwhile he sleeps in and reads the paper. They have no formances. Courtenay is every bit Rampling’s equal, children. Their 45th wedding aninstilling Geoff with palpable niversary celebration looms on the frustration, insecurity and doubt. horizon. One day a letter arrives in Yet the film stands out for other 45 years the mail and everything changes. reasons too, most notably its use Directed by Andrew Haigh Geoff’s deceased ex-girlfriend’s of silence to convey the crippling Starring Charlotte Rampling body has finally been found 50 feeling of doubt. Watching one’s years after she fell to her death in sense of control and trust slip and Tom Courtenay the Swiss Alps. away is exactly what Kate experiRated R What follows can be described ences, especially when words are as a slow-motion psychological left unspoken. horror film that doesn’t shed a 45 Years, which is currently drop of blood. From Kate’s perspective we see Geoff playing at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas and Angrow increasingly aloof, retreating into the attic to gelika Film Center, culminates with the aforemenlook at old pictures of a woman whose presence re- tioned anniversary party. Friends and family surmains strong. “I feel like she’s in the room standing round Kate and Geoff, speeches are given, intimacy behind me,” Kate confesses as Geoff’s obsession with is feigned. The Platters’ “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” the dead woman reaches uncomfortable levels. No plays over the speakers as Kate and Geoff share a last longer the only woman in his world, Kate begins to “first” dance. What should be a drawn out joyous afquestion their entire marriage. fair ends abruptly, but not before Kate’s façade finally The key to 45 Years is distance, both emotionally breaks, unleashing a tide of crushing anxiety. and physically. As Kate feels the weight of the past Hypotheticals play an important role in 45 Years, closing in, the inverse occurs with her marriage. so it’s fitting that the viewer is left with their own to Almost every shot is static but conveys the length- consider after this great last shot. But clearly the gut ening space between the couple. Sometimes Geoff punch of its finality can’t be denied. There may have isn’t even visible in the frame as Kate tries to bal- been good times and bad times, as Geoff honestly ance a mix of emotions and reactions to his change notes in his endearing party speech, but from here in behavior. on out something will never be the same.

Haigh firmly places the audience in Kate’s shoes.

We feel her helplessness standing on the outside of Film reviews run weekly. crisis, but also understand the selfish desire she feels Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

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February 3, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 23

Culture | Film

San Diego Jewish Film Festival turns 26

I

f my admittedly flawed math skills are correct, the San Diego Jewish Film Festival is the longest running event of its kind in our fair region. Programmed and operated by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, the 26th annual event will take place at various area theaters including the Reading Cinemas Town Square and Arclight Cinemas.

Known for highlighting documentary and fiction works about

trated at the Tel Aviv airport in 1972 after terrorists stormed an airliner and took hostages.

For this preview I was able to screen Atom Egoyan’s Remember starring the great Christopher Plummer as an Auschwitz survivor with dementia and Martin Landau as his friend who sends him on a journey to uncover the identity of an SS officer living and hiding in the United States.

Egoyan has often examined the way trauma bleeds across generations (The Sweet Hereafter, Ararat) and Remember utilizes a Memento-like narrative to complicate the motivations behind Remember the theme of revenge.

While the film unfolds in a the impact and consequences of rather calm and procedural manthe Holocaust on the Jewish experience, the festival has become ner, it’s unmistakably harsh when a platform for artists trying to re- dealing with the lingering effects claim lost histories and expand of brutality on memory. Thanks awareness about culture, tradi- to Plummer’s equally vulnerable and venomous performance, Retion and identity.

The festival’s opening night member works as a tight genre film, The Price of Sugar, travels film with deep-seeded historical even farther back in time to ad- implications.

The San Diego Jewish Film dress the inequalities faced by Jews working in a Dutch Colony Festival opens Thursday, Feb. 4, in South America during the 18th and screens through Sunday, Feb. century. Sabena Hijacking: My 14. For more information visit sdVersion will close out the festival cjc.org/sdjff. with a gripping re-telling of the

—Glenn Heath Jr. stunning rescue mission orches-

24 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

Opening Hail, Caesar!: The Coen brothers travel back to the golden age of Hollywood in this crime comedy about a movie star (George Clooney) who is kidnapped and the studio executive (Josh Brolin) who must negotiate his release.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The title really says it all, right? Jane Austen must be proud.

San Diego Jewish Film Festival: This 10-day film event features narrative and documentary features, shorts programs, panels, and parties celebrating the quality and diversity of Jewish Cinema. Screens from Thursday, Feb. 4, through Sunday, Feb. 14 at various local theaters.

The Abandoned: An unstable young woman takes a night job as a security guard only to discover a menacing presence during her first graveyard shift.

Screens Friday, Feb. 5, through Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Choice: Nicholas Sparks fans (all two of you!) rejoice. Yet another one of his sappy romance novels has been adapted into a sappy, sunlit melodrama about life, romance, and of course, tragedy.

One Time Only Bridge of Spies: Tom Hanks plays a New York City lawyer who defends a Russian spy (Mark Rylance) captured on American soil in the 1950s. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut: The definitive version of Ridley Scott’s bleak scifi noir about a cop (Harrison Ford) trying

to track down robots posing as humans in the not-so-distant future. Screens at 11:55 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Ken Cinema.

Die Hard: Bruce Willis’ everyday police detective wreaks some havoc on Alan Rickman’s band of euro-terrorists in what is still one of the greatest action films of all-time. Screens at 7:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at the Arclight Cinemas La Jolla.

Cleopatra: This mega-epic about the infamous Egyptian queen and her triumphs and romantic conquests stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who most surely were trying to work out the kinds of their own romance on-screen. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at the Angelika Film Center Carmel Mountain.

Brokeback Mountain: Two cowboys played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger form a relationship while out on the range. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the Arclight Cinemas La Jolla.

Zoolander: Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson play clueless fashion models that must thwart the evil plans of a diabolical villain trying to orchestrate an assassination.

Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Wednesday, Feb. 3, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

For a complete

listing of movies, please see

“Film Screenings” at sdcitybeat.com under “E vents.”

#SDCityBeat

Music

Unfinished symphony Saintseneca’s music is in a constant state of flux //

S

aintseneca’s Zac Little says he finished making his band’s 2014 album Dark Arc not once, but twice. Little and his bandmates in the rising indie-folk-rock group recorded their sophomore full-length in an attic in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and when they were done, they fully believed they had something ready for public consumption. And that’s saying something.

“That’s a hard thing to do. It’s really difficult to get to that point where you say, ‘Alright, this thing is ready to be shared with the world,’” Little says in a telephone interview from a tour stop in Texas. “And I believed that it was.”

Before releasing the album, however, Saintseneca signed to powerful indie label ANTI- Records, and with that came an opportunity to work with producer Mike Mogis, best known for his work with Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley and a hefty chunk of the Saddle Creek Records roster.

The band took advantage of that opportunity, ultimately spending another month in the studio with Mogis re-recording some songs and tweaking others.

The extra work paid off, as Dark Arc was a breakthrough for Saintseneca, garnering positive reviews from outlets such as American Songwriter and NPR, which called the album “the product of intense care.”

So when it came time to record a follow-up, Little jumped at the chance to draw from Mogis’ expertise from day one.

“It was really exciting to work with Mike and to realize that we had really similar attitudes and philosophies about recording. And he respected the work that we had done making (the first version of ) Dark Arc,” he says. “It wasn’t

Saintseneca

like, ‘How do we take this thing and flip it on its head?’ It was like, ‘How do we serve the work and the songs that we’ve already created?’ So I thought that going back into the studio with him from scratch would be an exciting prospect. Rather than having something to feel a little bit precious about, we could start with a clean slate.”

The result of their second collaboration with Mogis is Such Things, Saintseneca’s excellent third record, which takes the artisanal acoustic stomp-pop of Dark Arc, punches it up significantly and pushes it through a filter of warm, weathered fuzz. If Dark Arc is a peek inside a promising band’s cloistered world, Such Things is the sound of that same band reaching skyward and blasting through the roof, tethered to Earth only by a network of cords and effects pedals.

That’s not to say that buzz is Such Things’ only good quality. Multi-part harmonies play a huge role here, particularly in the undulating choruses of “Sleeper Hold” and “Rare Form.” Songs like “Estuary” and “House Divided” pull back a bit and give Little’s distinctive voice space to slither around his lovely melodies. “Bad Ideas” is a funky little number that sets twinkling guitars and keyboards against a strangely dry beat and bassline, while closing track “Maya” features Eastern sounds and psychedelic strings echoing off into oblivion.

But buzz is everywhere on Such Things, and that’s by design, according to Little.

“I wanted crunchy, distorted tones,” he says. “A lot of the production decisions we made were based upon being really inspired by ’60s psychedelic rock and pop and wanting to kind of conjure up that tonal palette without resorting to throwback stuff. I’m not super interested in writing

by Ben Salmon

a song that sounds like a ’60s song, necessarily, but I am heavily inspired by that music and I’m excited by the prospect of creating something that feels contemporary (but) also finding a way to…use that motif as a way of giving the recordings their color.”

While making Such Things, Little pushed himself, he says, to find a particular groove, lock in and build songs up from there. It was a different way of working for Saintseneca, one that not only contributed to the album’s undeniable drive, but also tends to lead to a place of pure joy.

“It’s fun to just get to do a little bit of psychedelic rock drone jams sometimes. Those songs are really fun to play,” Little says with a chuckle. “I think I would become bored if that was all we did and there were no twists and surprises, but it’s exciting to find the intersection between those two worlds.”

Now, the band is out on the road, finding new intersections and watching the old ones move around and mutate.

Where Dark Arc was created in the studio without much thought of how its songs might someday be interpreted onstage, Saintseneca kept future live performances in mind while making Such Things.

Little might’ve thought he completed Dark Arc twice, and Such Things once. But that’s simplifying things, as any artist knows.

“I’d argue there are literally infinite versions of any of these songs,” he says. “You have to allow for a certain degree of spontaneity and I think ultimately, no matter what, you’re not necessarily authoring the song as much as it’s revealing itself to you. So I think you have to kind of step back and let it come out into the light a little bit sometimes and let it be what it is.”

February 5 / The Casbah / saintseneca.com

nick fancher

From left: Steve Ciolek, Jon Meador, Maryn Jones, Zac Little and Matthew O’Conke

#SDCityBeat

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Music

notes from the smoking patio E

lectronic producer Fa†e will collaborate with Los Angeles rapper Blu. Fa†e, whose real name is Griffin Lee, worked with Blu with another project of his, titled O†ion. After the positive experience from that collaboration, they’re now working on a longer and more fully realized effort that will likely be released later this year.

“We had worked together a few times in the past,” Lee says in a phone interview. “I had produced a few songs here and there. He’s usually not on the more ambient style of productions. So we kind of just decided to jump into this project together.”

The project is titled Blu and Fate present: Open Your Optics to Optimism. The EP-length project is conceptual in nature, the full scope of which, Lee says, is best understood in the context of the music.

“It’s going to be a concept-based project,” he says.

“It’s not one you can really explain until you listen to it. It’s about the journey of an individual who decides to go to space.”

Lee and Blu began work on Open Your Optics to Optimism as far back as February 2015, and they’re getting closer to finishing up the recordings. There’s no specific release date set for the EP, but Lee says they’ve been taking their time to make sure the record ends up exactly how they want it to sound.

“We mainly kind of just brainstormed where we

Blu and Fa†e wanted to go, drum patterns, tempos and whatnot,” he says. “I started making some instrumentals and sent them over. We’re kind of just taking our time with it.” *** ike Turi of Wild Wild Wets has once again changed the name of his solo project. After changing it from Emerald Rats to Gooon late last year, Turi has announced it’ll now be called Dream Joints. The change comes about because he became aware of a band from L.A. called Goon, and he wanted to avoid any confusion. Dream Joints was chosen, he says, because it sounds “romantic and dark,” like the music itself.

M

—Jeff Terich

Voice Actor Runaway (Prima Crush)

O

f all the silly sub-genres barfed onto music critics’ pages to describe the influx of lo-fi bands in the late ’00s, I’d have to say “peachfuzz” was my favorite. It was an apt description of many of the bands that were garnering buzz around the time of the Great Recession.

The hallmarks of peach-fuzz are likely what you’d expect: distorted, shoegazey guitars, show-boating bass lines and a troubled, affected singer whose voice is often treading just above the minimalist recording techniques.

Such is the case with local quartet Voice Actor who recently released their debut album on, naturally, cassette tape (it comes with an MP3 download code for those who haven’t completely doubled-down on analog romanticism quite yet).

When it comes to the lazy music review refrain of “Voice Actor sounds like _________ mixed with ______,” there are plenty of bands to choose from; Joy Division, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, early Cure or more recent acts such as Interpol, John Maus and No Joy. Album opener “Arms Break” goes through the

26 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

post-punk motions predictably enough, but it’s a testament to the band’s raw talent that they’ve somehow managed to make something so familiar sound surprisingly spry. However, it’s not until the nearly anthemic fourth song, “Extinction,” that the listener really gets a sense of just how good this band can be. While most of the song is driven by dueling bass and drums, it all breaks down into a sweeping crescendo that’s straight out of a Sofia Coppola movie. The same goes for “New Love,” a tender, somnolent ballad that slides into a droning fuzz of distortion just as frontman Timothy McCann is about to lull you to sleep.

So, yeah, Voice Actor isn’t doing anything particularly novel or groundbreaking on Runaway, but what they are doing is good enough to overlook any blatant derivativeness. To get bogged down in the band’s influences is to miss the point. Sometimes we just want to hear some fuzzed-out, heartfelt rock with some sad, low-voiced bastard singing our life in four minutes or less. And that’s a good thing.

—Seth Combs #SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda Wednesday, February 3 PLAN A: Gallows Bound, Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons, Delta Bombers, The Sickstring Outlaws @ Soda Bar. A lot of modern Americana gets under my skin because it feels like gentrified country.

Not Gallows Bound, though. Their scruffy bluegrass is the real deal.

Thursday, February 4 PLAN A: Enforcer, Warbringer, Cauldron, Exmortus, Santa Claus, Dizaster Inc. @ Brick by Brick. Sweden’s Enforcer recall an earlier, more innocent time in metal when Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate ruled. Wait, what am I talking about? They still rule, and so does Enforcer. PLAN B: Sissy Spacek, Octagrape, Monochromacy, Les Temps Barbares @ The Hideout. I like a good, weird show, and I particularly like one with a diverse lineup.

This show features L.A. noisecore outfit Sissy Spacek, plus local garage rockers Octagrape and one-man drone artist Monochromacy. This’ll be rad. BACKUP PLAN: Hills Like Elephants, Bit Maps, Dani Bell and the Tarantist @ The Casbah.

ment about how it’s kind of awesome that a pioneering hardcore punk band pays us so many visits.

Sunday, February 7 PLAN A: Shook Ones, Creative Adult, Super Unison, Atlas @ Che Cafe. No, Shook Ones isn’t a Mobb Deep tribute act (I know, I’m disappointed, too). They’re actually a melodic hardcore band in the vein of Hot Water Music or Touche Amore. If you need some quality time in the pit, you’ll be right at home at this show. BACKUP PLAN: Second Cousins, Wicked Man, Adult Films @ Soda Bar.

Monday, February 8 PLAN A: Emily King, Moorea Masa @ Soda Bar. Emily King is ostensibly an R&B singer, though her style has a little more throwback charm to it than what’s generally on the charts right now. That’s not to say it’s old hat. On the contrary, she’s got some interesting and wellwritten songs, so settle in for some jams.

BACKUP PLAN: RVIVR, Western Settings, Bainbridge, Tiltwheel @ The Casbah.

Friday, February 5

Tuesday, February 9

PLAN A: Saintseneca, Des Ark, Torches @ The Casbah. Read Ben Salmon’s feature this week on Saintseneca, who have released two great albums, two years in a row. They started out as a folkier outfit, but they’ve embraced fuzz in a big way.

You could almost say they rock. PLAN B: School of Rock presents: Best of San Diego 3 @ The Irenic. School of Rock students have covered San Diego bands in a couple of past shows, but this time they’re taking on a list of currently active groups, including The Schizophonics, Wild Wild Wets, Barbarian, Shady Francos and more.

See a generational torch passed in real time.

BACKUP PLAN: Beira, Strange Planet, Empty Gods, DJ K-Hole @ Soda Bar.

PLAN A: Philosopher’s Ray Gun, Dime

by Dime, The Fictitious Dishes @ Soda Bar. Support your local music scene and go out and hear a small chunk of it, including fuzzy guitar slingers Philosopher’s Ray Gun and punk rockers The Fictitious Dishes.

Saturday, February 6 PLAN A: DJ Quik, Warren G, AMG, Suga Free @ Observatory North Park. DJ Quik might not have technically invented g-funk, but he sure as hell owns it. The L.A. hip-hop icon somehow keeps on dropping supremely funky and endlessly listenable records as he approaches three decades in rap. PLAN B: Adolescents, Widows, The Touchies, Records with Roger @ The Casbah. The Adolescents play fairly regularly in San Diego, and that’s a state-

28 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

DJ Quik

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Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

English Beat (Casbah, 2/26), The Mother Hips (BUT, 3/4), Eliot Sumner (Soda Bar, 3/5), Santigold (HOB, 3/29), Dan Padilla (Casbah, 4/2), Geographer (The Irenic, 4/2), Tinashe (HOB, 4/4), NOFX (HOB, 4/14), Chris Stapleton (Humphreys, 5/1), Dungen (Casbah, 5/3), Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires (Observatory, 5/12), Filter (HOB, 5/19), Thrice (HOB, 6/4), Peter Hook and the Light (HOB, 11/8).

GET YER TICKETS The Growlers, Jonathan Richman (Observatory, 2/16-17), At the Gates (HOB, 2/19), Dr. Dog (Observatory, 2/20), Steve Poltz (BUT, 2/20), Metric (HOB, 2/24), Metric (HOB, 2/25), Rihanna (Viejas Arena, 2/26), Joyce Manor, Andrew Jackson Jihad (Observatory, 2/27), Julien Baker (The Irenic, 2/27), Protomartyr (Soda Bar, 3/2), Waxahatchee (The Irenic, 3/3), Wavves, Best Coast (Observatory, 3/4), John Hiatt (BUT, 3/7-8), Eleanor Friedberger (Hideout, 3/11), Slaves (The Irenic, 3/12), Magma (Brick

by Brick, 3/15), The String Cheese Incident (Observatory, 3/15-16), Intronaut (Brick by Brick, 3/16), Junior Boys (Casbah, 3/18), Dwarves, Queers (Soda Bar, 3/20), Reverend Horton Heat (BUT, 3/23), Glassjaw (Observatory, 3/24), Napalm Death (Casbah, 3/25), Black Tusk, Holy Grail (Brick by Brick, 3/25),

#SDCityBeat

Abbath, High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, Tribulation (Observatory, 3/26), Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place (Casbah, 3/27), White Denim (BUT, 4/2), Into It. Over It., The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die (The Irenic, 4/3), Amon Amarth (HOB, 4/7), Third Eye Blind (Observatory, 4/8), Operators (Soda Bar, 4/10), Lord Huron (BUT, 4/13), Chvrches (Observatory, 4/13), Steve Miller Band (Humphreys, 4/14), Beach House (Observatory, 4/15), Foals (Observatory, 4/17), The Damned (BUT, 4/19), Prong (Brick by Brick, 4/22), Deerhunter (Observatory, 4/22), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (BUT, 4/28), Puscifer (Copley Symphony Hall, 5/1), Tortoise (BUT, 5/3), Explosions in the Sky (Observatory, 5/3-4), Modern English (The Hideout, 5/17), Jewel (Humphreys, 5/21), The Cure (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/30), Leon Russell (BUT, 5/31), Brian Jonestown Massacre (BUT, 6/2), Eric Bachmann (Soda Bar, 6/5), Twentyonepilots (Viejas Arena, 7/24), Weezer, Panic! At the Disco (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/3), Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/14), Ben Harper (Humphreys, 8/23), Journey, The Doobie Brothers (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/30), 5 Seconds of Summer (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/9).

February Thursday, Feb. 4 Enforcer, Warbringer at Brick by Brick.

Friday, Feb. 5 The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Jhene Aiko at Observatory North Park (sold out).

Saturday, Feb. 6 The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). DJ Quik at Observatory North Park.

Friday, Feb. 19 At the Gates at House of Blues. Radiation City at The Casbah.

March Tuesday, March 1 Joe Satriani at Balboa Theatre.

Wednesday, Feb. 10 Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra at Belly Up Tavern. Supersuckers at The Casbah. Jess Glynne at House of Blues.

Thursday, Feb. 11 Tiger Army at Observatory North Park.

The Donkeys at Soda Bar. Aaron Neville at Balboa Theatre.

Friday, Feb. 12 STRFKR at Observatory North Park.

Thee Oh Sees at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Feb. 13 Meat Wave at Soda Bar.

Sunday, Feb. 14 Beats Antique at Observatory North Park. Built to Spill at The Casbah.

Monday, Feb. 15 Built to Spill at The Casbah.

Tuesday, Feb. 16 The Growlers, Jonathan Richman at Observatory North Park.

Wednesday, Feb. 17 The Growlers, Jonathan Richman at Observatory North Park.

Thursday, Feb. 18 The Toasters at The Casbah. Cradle of Filth at House of Blues.

Saturday, Feb. 20 Dr. Dog at Observatory North Park.

Steve Poltz at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Feb. 21 Big Business at The Casbah.

Monday, Feb. 22 Lee Ann Womack at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, Feb. 24 Lake Street Drive at Observatory North Park. Reagan Youth at Brick by Brick.

Metric at House of Blues.

Thursday, Feb. 25 Ani DiFranco at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Anti-Flag at Observatory North Park. Metric at House of Blues. Drive Like Jehu at The Irenic (sold out).

Friday, Feb. 26 Rihanna at Viejas Arena. The Infamous Stringduster at Belly Up Tavern. Mono/ Poly at The Hideout. English Beat at The Casbah.

Saturday, Feb. 27

Wednesday, March 2 Protomartyr at Soda Bar. Basia Bulat at The Casbah. Mutemath at House of Blues.

Thursday, March 3 Liza Anne at The Casbah. Galactic at Belly Up Tavern. Lewis Black at Balboa Theatre. Waxahatchee at The Irenic.

Friday, March 4 Wavves, Best Coast at Observatory North Park. Keb’ Mo’ at Balboa Theatre (sold out). Hunter Valentine at The Hideout. Agent Orange at The Casbah.

The Mother Hips at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, March 5 Atreyu at Observatory North Park. From Indian Lakes at House of Blues. Eliot Sumner at Soda Bar.

Sunday, March 6 311 at House of Blues.

Monday, March 7 John Hiatt at Belly Up Tavern.

Diane Coffee at The Hideout. Julien Baker at The Irenic. Joyce Manor, Andrew Jackson Jihad at Observatory North Park.

Tuesday, March 8 John Hiatt at Belly Up Tavern. St. Lucia at Observatory North Park.

Monday, Feb. 29 Fetty Wap at House of Blues (sold out).

Vance Joy at Balboa Theatre. Coeur de Pirate at Belly Up Tavern.

music CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Music Thursday, March 10 Pearl Charles at The Hideout.

Friday, March 11 Bongzilla at Brick by Brick. Gary Clark Jr. at House of Blues (sold out). Eleanor Friedberger at The Hideout. Astronauts Etc. at The Merrow.

Saturday, March 12 Wolf Eyes at The Casbah. Slaves at The Irenic.

Sunday, March 13 Culture Abuse at Til-Two Club.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Joe Cardillo.

Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Jetpack Mojo, The Pleasure Victims. Sat: Nothing Special, Indica Roots. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Making Incredible Time, Midnight Track.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Sat: Sexteto Sonero Del Caribe. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Breezy Bliss’ w/ DJs Luna, JanayC, Volz, Josh Taylor, Jus Sven B2b Gianna, Viking. Thu: ‘My 80s Vice’ w/ DJ Girth. Sat: ‘JUICY’ w/ DJ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJ Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Billy Bonnell. Fri: David Alan Grier. Sat: David Alan Grier.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Jeremy Olander. Sat: Absence, Two Shoes.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Simeon Flick Duo. Fri: Fish & The Seaweeds. Sat: Emotional Rescue.

Sun: Kenny Eng. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Thu: Jake Loban, Morgan Leigh, Alex Woodard, Rod Melancon. Fri: English Beat, Third Project (sold out).

Sat: English Beat, Warsaw (sold out).

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Thu: Odd Ball. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Sat: Twisted Relatives.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: Karaoke. Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, K-Swift. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Thu: Enforcer, Warbringer, Cauldron, Exmortus, Santa Claus, Dizaster Inc. Sat: Thirty 30, Dona Nova, Symbolic, Big Goat.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Aro Di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef & Co. Sat: Malamana.

Sun: Aire. Tue: Perla Negra.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Sat: Tim Weisberg Quintet.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: ‘Neon Party’ w/ Sex Panther. Sat: Bone Thugs N Harmony. Tue: Lil Wayne.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: AOK Musik. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Di-

30 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

ego. Downtown. Thu: Jack & Jack. Sat: Wild Child.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Thu: Psilo. Fri: Baby Anne. Sat: ‘Ascension’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., San Diego. Kensington. Sat: Karaoke.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Coronado. Wed: Goodall Boys. Thu: Northstar. Fri: Ron’s Garage.

Sat: 4-Way Street. Sun: Ron’s Garage.

Tue: Glen Smith.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Thu: ‘Listen Local Radio All Access Fest’. Fri: Six String Society. Sat: Jorma Kaukonen.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Wet’. Fri: ‘Uncut’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: The Upshots. Thu: The Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: Mystique Element of Soul. Sat: The Counterfeits. Sun: Johnny Vernazza. Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Bill Magee.

Rebecca’s Coffee House, 3015 Juniper St, San Diego. South Park. Wed: Storytelling.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Fri: DJs dirty KURTY, Will Z. Sat: DJ K-Swift. Sun: DJ Cros.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Fri: Hot Buttered Biscuit. Sat: Baja Bugs. Tue: Karaoke.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Gallows Bound, Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons,

Delta Bombers, The Sickstring Outlaws. Thu: Beira, Strange Planet, Empty Gods, DJ K-Hole. Sat: Jason Cruz and Howl, Jared Stinson, Brian Wahlstrom, Yotan Ben Horin. Sun: Second Cousins, Wicked Man, Adult Films. Mon: Emily King, Moorea Masa. Tue: Philosopher’s Ray Gun, Dime by Dime, The Fictitious Dishes.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Fri: I Survive, Blackcast, Shawshank Redeemed, Mandala, Victimized, Feiticeira, Vile Creations. Sat: Unicorn Death, Mursic, Empyrean Throne, Chamber Sixx, Sergulath.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Them Weary Bones, Feathers and Lead.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: ‘Darkwave Garden’. Fri: Doswing, Last Good Sleep, Kinda Rad Kinda Sad, Spcial Explosion.

Tue: Karaoke.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Thu: Hills Like Elephants, Bit Maps, Dani Bell and the Tarantist. Fri: Saintseneca, Des Ark, Torches. Sat: Adolescents, Widows, The Touchies, Records with Roger. Mon: Rvivr, Western Settings, Bainbridge, Tiltwheel. Tue: ‘Taking Back Tuesday’.

The Che Cafe, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla.

Sun: Shook Ones, Creative Adult, Super Unison, Atlas.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Sissy Spacek, Octagrape, Monochromacy, Les Temps Barbares.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Fri: San Diego School of Rock: The Best of San Diego.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Fri: Joshua White ‘Codes’.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: Surly Bonds, Setback City, Astral Touch. Fri: Cold Played, bMUSE, tADEO. Sat: Johnny Deadly Trio, The Shifty Eyed Dogs, Fanny and the Atta Boys, AK. Mon: Trivia and Karaoke.

The Office, 3936 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: ‘Cure Night’ w/ DJ Saul Q, The Imaginary Boys. Fri: ‘Nite Moves’ w/ DJs Beatnick, Steve1der. Mon: Pump House, Subtropics, DJ Mike Delgado.

Tue: ‘Trapped’.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego.

Gaslamp. Wed: Dueling Pianos. Thu: From the Cold Trio. Fri: Big Flavor, Chad & Rose, Mark Steuer. Sat: Cassie B. Band, The Aggrolites, Calphonics, The Village Squares, DJ ManCat. Sun: DJ ManCat. Mon: Rosewood & Rye. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego. Bay Park. Thu: Sue Palmer. Fri: The Distractions. Sat: Bless Your Heart Burlesque.

Tue: Zydeco Patrol.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’.

Fri: DJ Bodyrawk. Sat: DJ Kid Wonder.

Tue: Karaoke.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Wed: ‘St. Vitus Dance Party’ w/ DJs Handsome Skeleton, Adam Gimbel. Fri: The Amandas. Sat: ‘80s v. 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Simpkin Project, Crooked Coast, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Paula Boggs Band, The Glenn Thomas Band. Fri: The Devastators. Sat: EN Young, Shocks of Mighty. Sun: Karaoke.

Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The Dirty Revival.

#SDCityBeat

Last Words

Brendan Emmett Quigley

Queue and cry Across 1. Night light 5. Pitcher Santana 10. Past the scheduled stop time 14. “Hey, hombre” 15. Former pitcher Hideki 16. Like a heel 17. Some 18. Fast food sandwich that came with a hot and cold side 19. “The Distance” ‘90s band 20. The grandeur of being gay?

23. “Prairie Home Companion” gumshoe Noir 24. Done stuff 28. Marsh rush 31. 43-Across’s bailiwick 34. Some honkers 35. Soccer star Suarez 36. Brewer from Northern Spain?

38. 2014 World Cup runners-up: Abbr.

39. Listen fully 40. Coffee container 41. Bottomless parts of a Muslim’s temple?

43. Pros with radar guns 44. Poppy stock 45. “What’d I tell you?”

46. Like a beer from a bad tap 47. Fans of a team, collectively 49. Comprehend 50. Curt comment to the audience?

57. Tumbler lock’s spot 60. Sit shiva 61. Compost heap emanation 62. Spin with a pick Last week’s answers

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63. R&B singer Mary J. ___ 64. Plant in a cubicle 65. Allot, with “out” 66. Grande and Venti at Starbucks, say (but really, I just call ‘em “medium” and “large”) 67. David Bowie’s first #1 hit song

Down 1. Likely NBA Hall-of-Famer in the class of ‘16 2. Bean curd in curries 3. On the safe side 4. Stuff in a protein shake 5. Wiggle open, as with a bar 6. Boat-destroying creature 7. Call to mecca 8. Can-do 9. Cuckoo bananas 10. Not-yet-mature ova 11. Direction clarification 12. Rocky Mountain deer 13. Grain used in some breads and beers 21. Have some second thoughts about 22. Yank, as the bottom on Mommy’s dress 25. “Moby Dick” setting, with “The” 26. Takes illegally 27. Smaller than small 28. Quickly apply, as brakes 29. Jupiter moon discovered by Galileo 30. Gets really into, man 31. Ballerina’s stock 32. Home with an ocean view, maybe 33. Composed 36. Letterman’s contest?

37. “The Wheels on the ___” 39. Amy Schumer specialty 42. Minor complaint 43. Pulls in front of abruptly on a highway 46. “Moby Dick” setting 48. Deadens 49. Triplets share them 51. Opera highlights 52. Non-weekend night bar promo 53. Addict’s challenge 54. Google Keep note, often 55. Brown building 56. 32-Down resident, perhaps 57. Breakfast spread 58. “Clash of Clans” weapon 59. Reached, as a quota

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32 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

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February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

34 · San Diego CityBeat · February 3, 2016

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February 3, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 35