San Diego CityBeat • Feb 13, 2019

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Words mean something

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Without getting too geeky about the tenets of neohere’s a common misconception about the word “chauvinism.” While most believe it to be a liberalism and even fascism, it’s important to point pretty straightforward synonym for a man dis- out that liberalism itself is rooted in the idea of indiplaying sexist tendencies (which it can be), the origin viduality and an openness to new ideas. Somewhere of the word has nothing to do with gender. It’s more along the way, it became almost an insult to be labeled closely related to the word “jingoism” or “sectarian- a liberal, which would seem ridiculous considering ism,” or someone who is blindly patriotic or exces- the meaning of the word. I mean, being open to new ideas… shouldn’t we all be striving for such a mindset? sively prejudiced.

Politically speaking, however, being a liberal has In fact, the word itself originates from a person, Nicholas Chauvin, a French soldier who supposedly often been equated to being soft (soft on crime, soft served under Napoleon and who was so devoted to on morality, etc.) and generally more forgiving. In the him that he clung to the cause long after Napoleon past three years, we’ve seen the modern GOP become increasingly more tolerant of infidelity, fiscal policies had been defeated and exiled.

In the broadest parameters of the word itself, chau- and free speech of all stripes. After all, when the leadvinism simply means that you’re a blind follower of a er of the party unabashedly checks all those boxes, it makes sense that morals may shift. cause even after it’s clear that cause is a lost cause.

Being open to new ideas; by that logic, Donald It’s not unfair to call the president a chauvinist, whether we’re using the word to describe his nativism Trump is a liberal when he proposes big, or bigly, new or his sexism. My dad recently visited San Diego and ideas such as a border wall to help combat illegal imdescribed Trump as a chauvinist, peppering in a few migration. The idea of tax cuts for corporations and more expletives before adding, J GALLONE / ISTOCKPHOTO the wealthy is also a liberal tenet when you think about it, as the “he’s not my president.” idea would have been completely While I could parse the origin abhorrent just a few decades ago. of words with my dad, my main Conversely, and just in the issue was with his last statement. past few years, Democrats have “Actually, dad, he is your presbeen sliding toward policies that ident.”

Republicans once owned. As the He looked at me as if I’d lost president rails against “ridicumy mind or betrayed some cause. lous partisan investigations” When he was done questioning and the FBI, Dems have rallied my sanity, I dutifully did my best to defend federal law enforceto explain to him that I found ment agencies. And whereas it to be just as repugnant when progressives claim, “Trump is not my president” as Republicans used to be the so-called party of fiscal when conservatives used to claim “Obama is not my prudence, they now have no problem adding trillions to the national debt via tax cuts and governmental president.”

Now while there are plenty of apples-and-orang- spending.

Yes, I’m often the type that gets bogged down with es-type arguments when it comes to the differences between the two men, the fact remains that Trump the literal meanings of words, but my main point here is, quite literally, our president. Yes, all of us. And just is that we could all stand to be a little more tolerant because someone says it ain’t so, it doesn’t make it of one another. Actually, that’s not true. The meaning any less true. There’s a word for that: it’s called denial. of the word “tolerance” still implies that we’re just reAnd while it’s fun to pretend the past two years didn’t luctantly putting up with something or someone, and really happen, to deny it only serves as a convenient not fully accepting of it. So yeah, we could all stand excuse to keep burying our progressive heads in the to be a little more accepting. Wait… no, sorry, I’m not going to accept the racist ideas of Trumpism. But hold sand.

I also watched my dad squirm as I mentioned that on, if I don’t accept them, does that mean I’m not it was my belief that the Republican Party had actu- actually a liberal and, in fact, a chauvinist because I blindly follow progressivism? ally become more liberal under Trump.

Fuck it. He may be our president, but don’t let him “What are you talking about?!” he exclaimed, possibly pre-emptively echoing the sentiments of any- build that stupid wall, OK? one reading this column right now. Again, it all comes

—Seth Combs down to the meaning of the word itself.

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com This issue of CityBeat will never get excited about Padres trade rumors again.

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FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

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

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

THINGS TO DO

The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Feature: CityBeat Oscar Picks. . . . . . . . 15-19 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

MUSIC Feature: The Marías . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Black Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Fossils vs. the New Green Deal Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power.

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—Barbara Jordan

ell, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer can’t say he didn’t ask for it.

Only a month ago, Faulconer ended his State of the City address with this declaration: “We treasure our beaches, bays and healthy environment. Now we must lead the climate action revolution to protect them!”

Last week, that revolution attracted the national spotlight in the form of the Green New Deal, a phrase that has simultaneously made progressive hearts swoon and conservative minds explode in hallucinogenic spasms of futurehellscape flatulence. No planes! No cows! No flying cows!

Faulconer has remained mum on the 14-page, data-driven congressional resolution unveiled late last week by first-year Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and U.S.

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Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts that makes the case for a 10-year, moonshot-like “national mobilization” to attack climate change and societal inequities.

“Climate change and our environmental challenges are one of the biggest existential threats to our way of life, not just as a nation but as a world,” Ocasio-Cortez declared at a press conference last Thursday. “And in order for us to combat that threat, we must be as ambitious and innovative in our solution as possible.”

Added Markey, whose congressional career began 13 years before Ocasio-Cortez was born: “We are talking about jobs and justice.

We are talking about the greatest blue-collar job creation program in a generation. We are talking about repairing the historic oppressions of frontline and vulnerable communities which have borne the worst burdens of our fossil-fuel economy.”

Two local members of Congress, the veteran Juan Vargas and newbie

Mike Levin, stood before cameras with Markey and Ocasio-Cortez at the Thursday presser. Not anywhere in the vicinity were Democratic colleagues Scott Peters and Susan Davis. The pair would later release statements that oozed caution.

“Activists supporting a Green New Deal have brought a new level of attention and enthusiasm to the issue of climate change,” Peters told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“Our challenge now is to translate that enthusiasm into bipartisan action on climate.”

Echoed Davis: “As legislative details of the Green New Deal are released, I look forward to working with Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Markey on a comprehensive approach to addressing climate change.”

The hesitant reactions were not a surprise to Nicole Capretz, executive director of the Climate Action Campaign and one of San Diego’s leading warriors against the fossilfuel industry. Of Peters and Davis, she said, “I think their political style has always been more centrist and incremental. We can’t afford to tweak at the margins and go slow— the science and data show that we don’t have much time. So I think their political style doesn’t match what’s needed in this moment in time, which is unfortunate. I don’t see them changing, I’ll be honest.”

Although she has yet to speak to Ocasio-Cortez (“I’d love to!”), Cap-

No time to joke or waddle. Will local congressional Democrats Scott Peters and Susan Davis jump on board Alexandria OcasioCortez’s Green New Deal? retz senses that this new national groundswell may have roots back to San Diego and its well-publicized Climate Action Plan, which legally binds the city to a host of environmental goals, including 100 percent renewable-energy use and 50 percent greenhouse-gas reductions by 2035.

“I think she saw that we started the movement for 100 percent renewables. We were the largest city to make that goal,” Capretz said.

“That got national attention. I think we’ve been ground zero for the call for 100-percent clean energy, absolutely.”

And while Republicans do their best to paint the New Green Deal as a socialist plot to end air travel and eliminate cow farts, Capretz sees a real opportunity for an honest debate about our environmental future.

“Propelling the national conversation forward is invaluable,” she said. “The calculation there is beyond measure because we’ve been stymied from getting the climate crisis on the mainstream national agenda in a meaningful way.

That alone is a huge shift in the right direction.”

The oil and gas industry remains a powerful force on both sides of the aisle in Congress, Capretz noted, but local victories still come, like the Climate Action Plan and the recent embrace of community choice aggregation, a fancy term for local control of energy procurement.

Politicians in the downtown echo chamber vigorously opposed both initially. Now, those folks are on board.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Capretz said. “There’s just some core, fundamental belief that this is the right thing to do and that most Americans get that. Obviously with a younger generation coming up and owning their political power in

a way that we never did, it feels like there’s legitimate hope.”

At a council committee meeting last week, Councilmember Monica Montgomery made it clear that she’ll be watching the progress of the New Green Deal, particularly its focus on addressing inequalities that have burdened underserved communities for decades. “How we could somehow make that a local incentive would be awesome for me,” she said.

Councilmember Chris Ward agreed. “I like what we’re seeing,” he said, adding that from “a conceptual standpoint… we should get behind that as well.”

Maybe Peters and Davis will warm up to the revolution. Certainly there will be potholes along the way. “Is it going to be one step forward, two steps back?” Capretz asked. “Yes.” Republican leaders apparently think they can fear-monger their way out of a legit conversation, while Democratic honchos giggle and scoff, calling it a “green dream.” But come 2020, if this environmental groundswell evolves into a tsunami, the shift in political power could be monumental.

“The Green New Deal concept polls high among Republicans, Democrats and independents,” Capretz noted. “We don’t have any other climate solution that seems to transcend ideology.”

One area that Capretz feels will remain “vexing” if not added to the deal? Land use. “I haven’t seen sprawl mentioned,” she said. “But I think it will be part of the conversation.”

Spin asked Capretz if Faulconer should chime in.

“He did call for a climate action revolution,” she said. On the other hand, she added, “It’s appropriate for the youth to lead the climate revolution. They’re fearless, with nothing to lose.”

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

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UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Kevin don’t care, but I do

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lackface is always wrong.

With that out of the way, it’s time for an update on my Bubble Boi, my lemon puppy, my now-nine-month-old labradoodle doggie named KEVIN!!!. Regular readers will remember that I wrote about our pup back in August of last year. To recap: My family and I brought home the cutest dang puppy we ever did see with the explicit expectation he would spark joy. Yes, such gargantuan amounts of joy that we’d be able to forget for a while the fascist trauma we’d been (and still are) enduring. It’s fair to say now that, perhaps, this was too much for KEVIN!!!’s tiny labradoodle shoulders.

Upon KEVIN!!! we placed the full weight of all our hopes and dreams of beach days, dog parks and endless cuddles on the couch. Not long after he came home, however, he contracted a gruesome and near-fatal autoimmune disease known as puppy strangles.

It was awful. I won’t go into it here because I already covered the gory details, but we spent three months getting him well.

During that time, and because of the disease, KEVIN!!!’s vaccination schedule came to a screeching halt. The vet put him on several rounds of steroids, which suppressed his immune system.

This also meant that we had to quarantine him to our home, away from other dogs for fear of developing some other Godawful sickness, Parvo being the most concerning. It also meant he got all kinds of other bacterial infections: Both ears, both eyes, the lungs… And then there was the Cone of Shame. Dog lovers everywhere can attest to the horrors of the Cone of Shame.

We got through that painful time together and what came out of it was—is—a super cool and alternately dopey muppet of a dog who lives up to every inch of his name. It begs to be yelled out. I take extra special pleasure when I have to scold him in public spaces filled with humans named Kevin; that always makes for a good time. “KEVIN!!! Leave it!” I said as he sniffed the crotch on a guest at our annual holiday party in December. One of the DJs we’d hired to play was named Kevin and he looked like he’d just been busted stealing his dad’s vodka.

When KEVIN!!! eats, his kibble goes flying in every direction and he doesn’t bother to clean it up. We had to buy a thing called the Slobber Stopper to replace his water dish because he likes to dunk his entire furry face into the water and empty every last drop onto our floors. He digs in the grass when it rains and has made several Jackson Pollack-worthy mud paintings on the walls and cupboards of our kitchen. He jumps up on the bed and walks over my body to wake me up

or lays on my head when he wants to sleep. And when he runs through the house, he slides around corners and slams into walls, collects himself and continues on. He is a combination of Cookie Monster and Kramer from Seinfeld. Kevin don’t care.

So things have gone swimmingly with KEVIN!!! since the puppy strangles had a stranglehold on our house. All the joy we’d anticipated has come to fruition even as we still suffer under the weight of... well, you know.

Feel like there is another shoe about to drop? If so, that’s very observant.

Because KEVIN!!! is a wild beasty, he managed to get himself a little hot spot on his rear right leg in late January and did not pass “GO” on his way back to the doggie jail known as the Cone Zone. Who would think a tiny little sore would warrant the dunce cap? But that’s how it went down; one vet visit and $220 later, and KEVIN!!! was like a person without peripheral vision, banging into walls and getting his head stuck in our dog door because he’s not a puppy anymore and his cone is an XL. And seeing as how the shortest distance between two points is a straight line—and because KEVIN!!! recently tried to hump not just my leg but my face—I reasoned that it was as good a time as any to take his balls.

He’s already wearing the cone, I thought. Might as well kill two birds by excising the two stones.

So we had our little boy neutered. And as life in Belferland goes, his testicles—wait, scratch that; his scrotum—is swollen with a hematoma. I had to be the one to call the vet and talk about my dog’s nutless bag and the shaft of his peen where the sutures are. For fuck’s sake, wasn’t the dripping pus of puppy strangles enough? What did I do in my last lifetime to deserve this?

My gag reflex may be working overtime and KEVIN!!! may be humiliated in the Cone, but I’ve got his back. As I write this, he’s sleeping next to me on the bed, and together we’re waiting on Jeff Bezos (I can’t believe I’m actually cheering for that nutbag right now) to deliver a Suitical Recovery Suit for my fourlegged friend. A doggy bodysuit with modesty snaps has got to be less embarrassing and more comfortable than the Cone, right?

I love this dog, y’all. But I’m ready for smooth sailing, long dog walks and uneventful trips to dog beach.

Oh! And there’s the doorbell! Suitical Recovery Suit is here. Wish me luck...

Also: Blackface is always wrong.

And seeing as how the shortest distance between two points is a straight line—and because KEVIN!!! recently tried to hump not just my leg but my face—I reasoned that it was as good a time as any to take his balls.

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Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

All the small things

W

hy do things have to be normal sized? This is a question I’m constantly asking myself.

I’ll begrudgingly drink a 12-ounce can of soda even though I know, in my heart, it’d be better as a 20-ouncer. On the opposite side of the spectrum, regular-sized carrots can go to hell. Baby carrots or bust, baby! And while I’ve never received a large novelty check, I can only imagine the life-affirming joy of holding one of those beauties.

Clowns have it correct: Things are better when they’re really small or really big. Big shoes, tiny cars— no normal sizes for clowns.

For this reason, I can only imagine the bountiful goodness that lies within the San Diego Miniatures Show & Sale, which takes place at the Marriott in Mission Valley. (Side note: I discover there are three hotels owned by Marriott in Mission Valley, and accidentally go to the wrong one which is actually a bigsized inconvenience and makes me feel like a regular-sized idiot.) Also, the Miniatures Show goes down on the same day as the Super Bowl, aka “The Big Game,” and to participate in something so oppositely opposed to sports’ biggest day infuses me with bigly feelings of self-righteousness.

On our way to the show, I ask my wife, Jessica, if there’s a musthave mini item that she’s going to buy if she finds it. I only half-listen to her answer (was it a tiny cat? A tiny grandfather clock?), because my mind becomes immediately and savagely focused on the prospect of finding an itty-bitty hamburger.

Why? Who knows. I don’t even really eat a lot of burgers and I have no particular affinity for them. In this moment though, it feels like maybe my life would just be an eensyweensy bit better if I owned a miniature hamburger.

The Miniatures Show is surprisingly hopping. I don’t think I’ve seen this many elderly women in the same room—and I’ve been to cat shows! Presenters appear friendly when we approach their tables, but there’s an undercurrent of distrust to their smiles, as if I’m going to dirty their models with the grime of my hands. I’m 34 years old, but they regard me like I’m a five-year-old with both hands and face covered in chocolate.

I’m immediately sucked into their little world. I gawk at tiny furniture, beer cans, cats, dogs, bento boxes, sushi, superheroes. My voice raises an octave in relation to how small each new discovery is, and pretty soon my voice is so high that it’d send dogs into hysterical howls if any were nearby. I find a table that sells tiny Halloween decorations! Why have I lived this long without owning a small Jack-O-Lantern?

Can I even call it a life?

I think about the psychology behind our general interest in miniatures. Sure, small things are cute, but what do they say about us? From a maker’s standpoint, there’s the obvious tactile, technical challenge of creating a miniature recreation, and it seems the smaller the model, the more skilled the craftsperson.

But for a collector, does it imbue a sense of power?

Do we cherish more the things we can reign over? I suppose my desire for some itty-bitty burger could speak volumes about a deep-seated yearning for control in an otherwise chaotic world, but it’s an insight that’s hard to fathom while neck-deep in this world filled with so much cute shit.

I lean down to take a photo of a woman’s collection of Christmas figurines, and she swiftly approaches me.

“I hope you’re not going to post that on the internet,” she says, curtly. “Personal use only.” It’s a strange and frightening experience to be chastised in public by an elderly woman, and I’m scared to bring my phone out again. A miniature-sized kernel of rage develops in my stomach. We continue walking and Jessica’s talking about memories of her late grandparents’ miniature sets or something, but again, I’m not listening because my mind races with teeny-tiny revenge fantasies.

Listen, lady, I think, playing out what I should’ve said to the woman who yelled at me. I’d be doing you a favor by posting this! In hindsight, she’s right: I’m playing tourist, demanding access to and enjoyment of her art without paying for it. But in the moment, her reaming makes me want to break a set of mini dishes.

“What are you hunting for?” asks a woman at another table. I’m too in my head to respond, so Jessica says, “Cats.”

“We have dogs!” the woman says.

“And dog portraits!” She grabs a couple small squares depicting dogs wearing clothes, and fans them out in front of us. “This dog is sitting in papa’s chair, waiting for papa to come home,” she says.

This is when I decide I’m not a fan of these people.

Whatever control I thought I had entering this place— the control that I thought miniatures would offer—is gone. This isn’t a world for me.

But on the way out, I see it: A little hamburger.

Smaller than an aspirin. I can’t get my money out fast enough.

And it does make me feel better to have it in my pocket. This little burger represents a lot of grand things—regaining a modicum of control in life, feeling bigger than petty annoyances, the general cuteness of tiny things—I’m for all of them. Big time.

Why have I lived this long without owning a small JackO-Lantern?

Can I even call it a life?

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

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FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE Jumping the shark

T

here are a lot of local choices when it comes to ramen. It doesn’t seem all that long ago when that was not the case. But around 2015, San Diego experienced what could be described as a bona fide ramen boom. Tajima, Ramen Yamadaya, as well as a few more, were joined by Rakiraki, Jinya, Nishiki and many, many more. At least one of those new shops (Menya Ultra) is excellent, but most of the new wave of ramen joints aren’t even good.

Ramen Ryoma (9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., with two more local outposts coming soon) is a Beaverton, Oregon-based ramen spot that has chosen San Diego for their first expansion, and it just may be the most cynical of the recent crop.

Ryoma (ramenryoma.net) claims to make “Sapporo-style ramen.” That generally means miso ramen with thick, robust noodles. The broth is on the rich, almost tonkotsu side and is flavored with red miso. Common garnishes include chashu pork, bean sprouts, green onion, soft-boiled egg, sweet corn and—believe it or not—a tab of butter.

The miso ramen is, indeed, Ryoma’s signature broth, but there are shio (salt) and shoyu (soy) versions as well. Each is offered with various garnish packages and extra options. The best part of the ramen at Ryoma is the temomi noodles, which Ryoma bills as “hand massaged” (they’re more likely run through a rippled rolling chamber on the production line yielding alternating thinner and thicker segments). The resulting noodles do have a pleasant texture, as well as good elasticity and spring.

Those temomi noodles marry particularly well with the thick miso broth, where they both flavor and cling to the noodles.

Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there.

The biggest problem with the dish was an overlygingered broth. It seemed the back-of-the-house staff had sought to compensate with a radical dose of MSG that was both insufficient to balance the ginger and way over-the-top. The chashu was a little better, but also managing to be both too dry and fatty at the same time.

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Ryoma’s spicy miso broth wasn’t quite as gingered and didn’t have as much MSG, but was overly salty and too spicy. Again, it was another ramen where the flavor was out of balance. The shoyu broth, similarly, suffered from a heavy hand of salt. So much so, in fact, I couldn’t make it through the extra-large size, which arrived despite the fact I’d ordered a smaller bowl. On the bright side, the shio broth was neither too salty nor had too much MSG. What it lacked, though, was flavor. It was, in a word, bland.

The broths—indeed, the food—at Ryoma is not particularly good, but it absolutely shines compared to the service. On two of my three separate trips, the wait staff got orders wrong. On the third try, my table was ignored for lengthy stretches of time while MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Deluxe shoyu ramen the next table over had food arrive before we’d even ordered even though they’d been seated after us.

And this was in a half empty restaurant. Moreover, when questioned about the food, the waitstaff was less than knowledgeable, not that it stopped them from offering “information” despite not knowing the answers to my questions.

Given San Diego’s ramen glut, it’s becoming clear that not every new place is going to be able to survive. Yamadaya (one of the good ones) has, sadly, already closed. If there’s any justice, a place like Ryoma won’t survive when Yamadaya didn’t. They don’t seem to understand the essence of ramen and clearly haven’t sussed out the nature of service.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE

BY IAN WARD

#51: A buzzy barfly at The Cordova Bar

last column), but also kind of a grey area, because, again, food.

Which brings me to The Cordova Bar fter living in San Diego for nearly a (1319 Morena Blvd., facebook.com/moredecade, I decided to move back to nablvd). It’s a tucked away little gem on New York City in 2015. I was there Morena Boulevard that is, for all intents and purposes, just a bar. Very rare these for a couple years until I was ofdays, yet so refreshing. fered a job in Del Mar, so I deNot only is the Cordocided to move back. Upon my va a bar, but it’s a damn return, I was eager to check good and sexy one. The spirout all the fantastic new bars its list is crowd-pleasing and that had opened up in my abfar-reaching, the service is sence. Naturally, I sought the warm and kind, and the space advice of my fellow bartenders. is moody and intimate. It is what “Have you been to Polite ProI was looking for when I returned visions or Sycamore Den?” they’d from NYC. As for the cocktail often ask. list itself, I found it to be a good Both great bars, by the way, Figetaboutit combination of originality and but both had opened before I had thoughtfulness without the pretention of left.

After a brief search, I realized, much to other bars who shall remain nameless.

I ordered the Figetaboutit, a nutty my surprise, that no craft cocktail-focused bar had opened in the two fucking years I sweet-tart cocktail. I kind of had to order it after reading the menu description which had been gone.

To be fair, Kindred had opened around included Old Grand-Dad bourbon and figs, that time, but I don’t include them because two out of three of my favorite things (the they are also a restaurant. I was looking for third being either Chester’s Flamin’ Hot a bar—just a bar—and I couldn’t find one. Fries or strippers. I can’t decide).

As for the cocktail, it was well balIsn’t that fucking crazy?

But 2018 and now 2019 have proven anced with amaretto and fig jam offsetto be a great year for crafty bar openings. ting the tart lemon, while lending nosFernside, Fort Oak and Tahona are great talgic nuttiness, richness, depth and high examples of quality-focused, cocktail-for- berry tones. I love seeing amaretto makward bars that have recently opened, but, ing a resurgence in cocktails. I know it’s again, they are also restaurants. Realm of kind of sugary garbage, but really, what 52 Remedies is fantastic (please see my truly great thing isn’t?

I asked Lauren, one of the owners, “why Old Grand-Dad?” She informed me that her other two partners in the business FIGETABOUTIT were Chad and Marie, former bartenders as prepared at The Cordova Bar at Aero Club Bar. Her exact response was that “Chad and Marie, after years of work2 oz. Old Grand-Dad bourbon ing at Aero Club, are both rich in history 1/4 oz. amaretto and passion when it comes to dark spirits.

1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice Old Grand-Dad, is one of their favorites.”

1 bar spoon of “Jackie’s Jams” fig jam And I concur.

2 dashes of Angostura bitters IAN

WA RD

A

Combine all ingredients, shake and strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

@SDCITYBEAT

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

BY BETH DEMMON

FINAL DRAUGHT Something kiwi this way comes

popular styles. He names New Zealand pilsner as his personal favorite style of beer, ew Zealand is to Australia what and one of the few that he plans to keep on University Heights is to North regular rotation.

Park: comparatively underrated “It’s kind of like a Northern German and somewhat overlooked in favor of the pilsner. It’s a little more hop-forward, but bigger, glitzier neighbor. But each is gradu- not super hoppy, and uses New Zealand ally evolving into a well-curated desti- hops instead of German hops, so it’s more nation even if there’s a finite amount of lemon-limey character,” Peach explains. room to develop either area. To keep with After years of constantly churning out the comparison, the commercial heart of the same recipes at production brewerUniversity Heights is only a few blocks long ies, Peach is looking forward to flexing his and New Zealand is roughly half the size of own brewing ingenuity.

California so the limited availability forces “We’re going to make different beers new projects to innovate in order to survive. all the time, so you can come in and alThat’s what Kairoa Brewing Company ways get something different.” He also (4601 Park Blvd., kairoa.com) is aiming to mentions barrel-aging and plenty of onedo. The New Zealand-inspired brewpub is off releases in the works. a mammoth undertaking; the Although the grand openBETH DEMMON two-story, 10,500 square foot ing isn’t until March, Kairoa space now dominates the inopened for regular brunch, tersection of Park and Madlunch and dinner service in ison. In this case, size does late January. Only five house matter. The building can acbeers are currently available commodate 450 guests at a (two IPAs, a Belgian blond, a time—far more than the averhoppy wheat and an oatmeal age University Heights eatery. stout), but there are plenInside, the 10-barrel brewty of guest beers to help pad ing system is sizeable but still the tap list in the meantime. small enough for one brewer to Of the initial five house handle. Brewer and co-foundbeers, the oatmeal stout was Kairoa’s 4 Gables IPA er Joe Peach cut his chops at particularly robust and comLightning Brewery and Bitter Brothers be- plex. (I recommend pairing it with the fore moving to Kairoa when it was still in crème brûlée French toast for brunch.) the nascent stages.

The 4 Gables IPA is another standout that “Initially, we [he and co-founder Shan- Peach plans to tinker with by brewing it an Spearing] were just looking to do with different hop combinations. Some of something small, not anywhere near this those hops will eventually come from his size,” says Peach. cousin’s hop farm in Central Otago, an agBut being in that space was meant to ricultural area in southern New Zealand be. Spearing also owns the neighboring Red known for Pinot Noir grapes.

House Pizza, giving them an in to the develWhile Peach initially strikes me as a opment opportunity. Even so, it took around reserved guy, once he starts talking about four years from concept to completion.

Kairoa’s beer potential, it’s easy to see Peach and Spearing both originally hail his excitement grow. When I ask what he from New Zealand and plan to incorporate wants to brew, he just smiles. its influence within every aspect of Kai“Everything.” roa. When it comes to the beer, Peach anticipates utilizing plenty of New Zealand- Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check grown hops as well as brewing classic and her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

N

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

WE

ART

Society. At 6 and 7 p.m., patrons can explore the museum’s exhibitions while the professionals in It makes sense that Valentine’s week the Society perform romantic sonnets and passages would be filled with romantically themed from The Bard. Admission is $5 and more info can art events and openings. After all, “art and love are be found at sandiegoshakespearesociety.org. the same thing,” as critic Chuck The moon won’t be full COURTESY OF THE ARTIST Klosterman once put it. “It’s the on Saturday, Feb. 16, but it process of seeing yourself in will be pretty close and the things that are not you.” woods surrounding A Ship in We often see ourselves in the Woods (3007 Felicita Road, the work of Fifi Martinez, a loshipinthewoods.com) in Esconcal “emotional cartoonist” who dido will make for a nice North is unafraid to put her romantic County date. The moon is often trials and tribulations on full disseen as both a mysterious figure play in her work. Whether it’s on that can inspire wonder or one her Instagram account (@baby_ that can fill us with dread, and misery) or in her comic zines, her artist Kyle Ranson explores this work is equal parts vulnerable contradictory nature in his new and relatable. Martinez will have art show, WAX/WANE. Joined comics and new paintings for

by Christine Shields and Walsale at her eponymous solo show ter Sutin, the exhibit walks the at Little Dame Shop (2942 Adline between the conscious and ams Ave., littledameshop.com) unconscious, and the light and in North Park on Thursday, Feb. darkness that may lurk there.

A page from “Why Would You 14 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Local band The Color Forty Tell Me That???”by Fifi Martinez On Friday, Feb. 15, stop Nine, whose haunting music by the San Diego Museum of Art (1450 El Prado) pairs perfectly with the surrealist paintings, will in Balboa Park for Romantic Art Stops, a collab- also be performing. It happens from 5 to 9 p.m. orative tour event with the San Diego Shakespeare and admission is $10.

POINT LOMA

PACIFIC BEACH

GO SEA IT

IN THE AIR TONIGHT

Now in its 24th year, the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University isn’t just for aspiring writers, but for anyone who has a deep appreciation for literature. This year’s theme of “Writing that Imagines” is evident given the lineup of appearances such as filmmaker/broadcast journalist Jody Hassett Sanchez (More Art Upstairs) and former Poetry Magazine editor Christian Wiman. But we’re particularly excited about the appearance of Nnedi Okorafor, best known for her work on the Black Panther comics and the novel, Who Fears Death, which is being adapted into an HBO show. All three authors and more will offer a behind-the-scenes look at their work in Q&A sessions, which begin Monday, Feb. 18. All sessions begin at 7 p.m. at PLNU (3900 Lomaland Dr.). Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for everybody else. pointloma.edu/writers

When it comes to the West Coast Air Sex Championships, the event’s own tagline pretty much sums it up: “It’s like air guitar, but sex… with yourself.” Like, wow, does it get more romantic than that (wink, wink)?

From simply dry-humping the stage to more elaborate miming, readers can pretend to do the nasty or just watch others do it from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on, naturally, Thursday, Feb. 14 at The Local (809 Thomas Ave.). There will be $5 beer and shot specials to get people, eh, loose and (bonus!) CityBeat columnist, staff writer and overall awkward dude Ryan Bradford will serve as one of the judges. Admission is $5 and more info is at thelocalpb.com.

HRomantic Art Stops at the San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Bring a loved one to tour works of art while hearing and seeing live performances of sonnets and passages of Shakespeare from the San Diego Shakespeare Society.

At 6 and 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15. $5. 619607-8094, sandiegoshakespearesociety.org HWAX / WANE at A Ship in the Woods, 3007 Felicita Road, Escondido. Showcase of art centered around the cycles of the moon, accompanied by music from The Color Forty Nine. Artists include Kyle Ranson, Christine Shields and Walter Sutin. $10. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16.

818-857-2196, shipinthewoods.com Carol Lindemulder: Color Story at San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. A new exhibition from the local artist known for her vibrantly colored depictions of the urban and rural landscapes of the Southwest. Opening from 4 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16. sandiegohistory.org HTe Lo Explico Federico at Linksoul Lab, 530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside. Group exhibition featuring new artworks including photographs of working people, handpainted lowrider bike installations and more. Includes a live DJ, classic cars and ice cream. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16. Free. facebook.com/ events/321859848444468 Deviate/Landscape at San Diego Art Institute,1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Showcase of contemporary art dealing with the idea of landscape as a constructed and deconstructed space. Artists include Miguel Arzabe, Remi Dalton, Eleanor Greer and more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16. $5. sandiego-art.org Return of the Cult Films Group at Subterranean Coffee Boutique, 412 University Ave., North Park. Group exhibit which celebrates cult films, presented by Thumbprint Gallery and curated by Jennifer Cooksey. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16. Free. facebook.com/ events/1146961235466724 Focus on Nature at Mission Trails Regional Park 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos. Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation will present the photos of award-winning photographer Gerald Tietje in the visitor center art gallery. Tietje has been photographing nature for 20 years. Opening from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday Feb. 17. Free. mtrp.org

BOOKS Gregg Hurwitz at at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling thriller novelist will be promoting his new novel in the Orpahn X series, Out of the Blue. At 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HWriter’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University Crill Performance Hall, 3900 Lomaland Drive, Point Loma.

Three days of workshops, seminars and lectures from featured authors such as Jody Hassett Sanchez, Nnedi Okorafor E.J. Dionne and more. See website for full schedule and times. Various times. Monday, Feb. 18 through Thursday, Feb. 21. $5-$10. 619849-2200, pointloma.edu/writers

WIKI COMMONS

Nnedi Okorafor

HFifi Martinez at Little Dame, 2942 Adams Ave., North Park. A solo show of new paintings and comics from the local artist known for her emotional illustrations.

Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. Free. littledameshop.com

West Coast Air Sex Championships

HMarlene Wagman-Geller at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local writer and author will discuss and sign her new book, Great Second Acts: In Praise of Older Women. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19. Free. warwicks.com

H = CityBeat picks 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Andrea Moriarty at Solana Beach Library, 157 Stevens Ave., Solana Beach. The local writer will sign and discuss her new book, Radical Inclusion: What I Learned About Risk, Humility, and Kindness from My Son with Autism. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Free. andreamoriarty.com

COMEDY HHillcrest Comedy with Jaleesa Johnson at Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Celebrate a night of comedic diversity with one of the voices of the Mueller, She Wrote podcast, as well as Billy Orem from The Comedy Place and more. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19. $10-$15. ma4sd.com

DANCE HRitmos Latinos at Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown. The annual celebration of Latin music will have three local ballets perform to scores of Mariachi music, jazz music and more. Showtimes vary.

Friday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 17. $35-$50. 619-294-7378, sandiegoballet.org

FILM HAn Opera of the World at UC San Diego Social Sciences Building, Room 101, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. A film screening of and lecture by NYU professor Manthia Diawara, who will reflect upon the perils of migration and the hopes and dreams of refugees fleeing from Africa to Europe. From 3:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. Free.

858-822-0265, facebook.com/AAASRC HSan Diego International Jewish Film Festival at various locations. Showcase of contemporary Jewish-related films ranging from comedy to documentary films.

Various times. Through Sunday, Feb 17. $15-$275. sdcjc.org

FOOD & DRINK HCarnival of Caffeination at Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. The best of beer and coffee will come together to offer unlimited samplings from over 40 breweries and coffee roasters alongside treats. Benefits local nonprofit, BikeSD. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $55. moderntimesbeer.com HLocal Brews Local Grooves at San Diego House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp. Catch 12 local bands performing on two stages while enjoying beer and food at this annual festival. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 $10-$60. houseofblues.com

MUSIC HThe Choir of Man at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. The hit show from the UK comes to San Diego on its first U.S. tour. The nine performers sing songs of all genres, from rock n’ roll to Broadway tunes, all while dancing away in a pubbased set. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. $35-$45. sandiegotheatres.org HRock, Paper, Toy Pianos at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Showcase of new works that feature an eclectic mix of toy pianos and found objects. Artists and musicians include Kari Besharse, Niloufar Iravani, Oktawia Pączkowska and more. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15. $5-$15 suggested donation. 862-2026077, figmentummusic.com Augustin Hadelich + Brahms Hungarian Dances at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Acclaimed violinist Augustin Hadelich and conductor Cristian Măcelaru will lead a concert of Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dances. At 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17. $20-$100. 619-2350804, sandiegosymphony.org

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

songs. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $10-$35 sacraprofana.org

Bach and Rock at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 890 Balour Drive, Encinitas.

Pianist Maksim Velichkin performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, juxtaposed with rock classics by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Yes. From 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 15. $30-$35. 858-366-2423, hutchinsconsort.org

HTribute to the Reggae Legends at WorldBeat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Formerly known as Bob Marley Day, this annual festival features two days of performers including big names like Sly & Robbie, Pato Banton, Brigadier Jerry and many more. See website for full lineup. At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 and Sunday, Feb. 17. $35$50. bobfestsandiego.com

Panic! At the Disco at Pechanga Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Point Loma. The glam-rock/emo band of the ’00s returns on their new tour to promote their comeback album, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die!.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $30.50-$70.75.

619-224-4171, pechangaarenasd.com HJazz in the Key of Ellison at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp.

Inspired by American Writer Ralph Ellison, the show features jazz music from several of his favorite artists including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles. The concert includes performances from Grammy -winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton and R&B jazz vocalist Will Downing. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $25-$57 sandiegotheatres.org Emmet Cahill at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. The award winning Irish tenor and lead singer of Celtic Thunder is on tour to promote his new album, Blessing of Music. His music focuses on a blend of Irish and liturgical songs. At 7:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $30-$45. emmetcahill.com HeXchange at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave., Balboa Park. The L.A. Choral Lab and SACRA/PROFANA join together for one concert as both celebrate their fifth and tenth anniversaries, respectively. The pairing will tackle some of the L.A. Choral Lab’s previously performed

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The Best of Motown at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The California Center of the Arts partners with The Barn Stage Company to celebrate Black History Month with the sounds of Motown. Expect to hear popular songs such as “My Girl” and “Heard it Through the Grapevine.” At 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 $25-$45. artcenter.org HeXchange at First United Methodist Church, 1200 E. H St., Chula Vista. The L.A. Choral Lab and SACRA/PROFANA join together for one concert as both celebrate their fifth and tenth anniversaries, respectively. The pairing will tackle some of the L.A. Choral Lab’s previously performed songs. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17. $10-$35. sacraprofana.org

PERFORMANCE HWest Coast Air Sex Championship at The Local Pacific Beach, 809 Thomas Ave., Pacific Beach. Watch contestants impersonate, mime and just generally get freaky with themselves as they compete for simulated sex supremacy. Drinks specials all night. From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14. $5. facebook.com/ events/754760604891282

HSomebody to Love at Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. America’s Got Talent finalist and San Diego native Kirsten Bloom Allen features in this Queen musical with a ballet twist, which features dance and music to show different facets of love. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. $40$100. musicboxsd.com HSuper Awesome Showdown: Space Love Adventure at Tango Del Ray, 3567 Del Ray St., Pacific Beach. Intergalactic professional wrestling tournament in which heroes and villains collide when the Space Romanians invade the Love Planet. From 8 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $5-$20. superawesomeshowdown.com A Oscuras Me Da Risa at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. This Spanish comedy show staged like a telenovela follows a seemingly happy marriage that ends up in jeopardy when both of the pair lie about going away for the weekend while planning on bringing their lovers home. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17. $35-75. sandiegotheatres.org Murphy’s Celtic Legacy at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway. Original choreography, created by Chris Hannon, which combines traditional Irish dance with modern dance and live music. From 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17. $25-$75. powaycenter.com HShen Yun at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Performances of traditional Chinese dance accompanied by animated backdrops, hand-made costumes, acrobatics, and live orchestra music. Various times.

Through Sunday, Feb. 17. $80-$210.

760-839-4190, artcenter.org HCircus Vargas at Westfield Mission Valley, 1640 Camino del Rio North, Mission

Valley. The legendary circus celebrates its 50th anniversary with a new show features top aerialists, acrobats, contortionists, magicians, clowns and more. Various times. Through Monday, Feb. 18. $15$72. 877-468-3861, circusvargas.com

POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD Breakthrough: The Roaring Twenties at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Quarterly spoken word series themed around catalytic moments in the history of art, science, fashion, music, pop culture and more. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. $25-$40. vanguardculture. com

SPECIAL EVENTS HRomantic Victorians: Dating, Marriage, and Love at Chuang Archive and Learning, 541 Second Ave., Downtown.

Sandee Wilhoit, GQHF Historian, and Jamie Laird, GQHF Visitor Services Coordinator, delve into the traditions surrounding romance in Victorian Era. From 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13. Free-$5. 619233-4692, gaslampfoundation.org HPause|Play at Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park. The public opening for the new exhibition for kids that features playground activities with a scientific twist like hide-and-seek with color-distortion lenses and a tricycle with square wheels. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 15. $18.95-$21.95. 619-2381233, rhfleet.org H5K Paw Walk in the Garden at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Benefitting both the Botanic Garden and the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, this is the one time of year

dogs are allowed in the 37-acre garden. Enjoy contests, pet products and bites to eat with your furry friend as you walk thorough the garden. From 8 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Feb, 16. $14-$32. sdbgarden.org HSan Diego Chinese New Year Fair at 428 Third Ave., Downtown. Celebrate the Year of the Pig with traditional culture and entertainment, kung fu, lion dances, acrobatic performances, lantern parade and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 and Sunday, Feb. 17. Free. sdcny.org HTantrums & Tiaras: Battle of the Bar Queens at The Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., North Park. The annual, over-the-top drag pageant where contestants with little to no experience in drag “try to strut around the stage in stilettos and not fall over.” Benefits The San Diego LGBT Community Center. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17. $35-$100. 619239-8836, tantrumstiaras.org HFungus Fair at Casa Del Prado, Room 101, 1650 El Prado, Balboa Park. Join mushroom experts and enthusiasts for a day of mushroom identification, cooking demonstrations, lectures and vendors.

Presented by the San Diego Mycological Society. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 17. Free. sdmyco.org

TALKS AND DISCUSSIONS Black Comix Day: Heroes Rise 2 at Valencia Park/Malcolm X Library, 5148 Market St., Lincoln Park. Celebration of professional Black comic book writers and artists for Black History Month with panels, discussions and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. Free.

619-540-3327

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER SIMPATIKA

Death in Bethlehem

I

n Diversionary Theatre’s world-premiere presentation of Miranda Rose Hall’s The Hour of Great Mercy, the shadow of death darkens the already limited daylight in the fictitious town of Bethlehem, Alaska. Married couple Maggie and Roger are grieving the loss of their daughter, Rachel, who is accidentally killed in a hunting accident by her female lover, who later commits suicide. Maggie (Dana Case) tries to cope by teaching gun safety classes and clutching a self-help book as if it were The Bible. Roger (Tom Stephenson), who believes his daughter was murdered by her lover, has channeled his grief into bitterness, rage and hatred. He broadcasts his feelings to the Bethlehem few from a shed he’s converted into a one-man volunteer radio station.

When Roger’s brother Ed (Andrew Oswald), a Jesuit priest who’s on Roger’s hate list for having memorialized both Rachel and her lover, turns up in Bethlehem, he has numbing news: He’s been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and plans to shoot himself to death “by the river.” The river, of course, will loom metaphorically throughout The Hour of Great Mercy, both in words and song.

Complicating the circumstances but providing uplift is Ed’s encounter with a young nurse named Joseph (Patrick Ma-

OPENING: V-Day 2019: Productions of The Vagina Monologues and The MENding Monologues in celebration of V-Day, a global day to bring attention to violence against women and girls. Presented by InnerMission Productions, it happens Feb. 16 at the Diversionary Black Box Theatre in University Heights. innermissionproductions.org The Finish Line: The annual festival features staged readings of new plays from Leah Nanako Winkler, Herbert Siguenza and Kate Hamill. Presented by Cygnet Theatre, it happens Feb. 17 and 18 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com Diana: The world premiere musical tells the story of Princess Diana from her humble beginnings as a kindergarten teacher to her death in 1997. Written by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, it opens Feb. 19 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org

The Hour of Great Mercy yuyu) in the church where they’ve both gone to pray. They quickly fall in love, and when Roger scorns Ed’s gentle plea to reconcile their family ties, Joseph becomes both Ed’s lover and caretaker. For almost total comic relief there is the unfiltered, plain-spoken Irma (Eileen Rivera), who is connected to almost everyone in some way and who milks all the humor from the play’s depictions of Catholic rituals.

Hall’s storytelling is packed with intimations about forgiveness, as well as the fragility of life and, blatantly, the complications of spiritual faith. And The Hour of Great Mercy is a showcase for a couple of exceptional performances; Oswald’s acting, especially in the second act when Ed

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

is in the throes of his insidious disease, is subtly powerful. Inhabiting the devastated Roger, Stephenson’s tortured silences are as startling as his eruptions. Rosina Reynolds directs a production that is best when immersed in its contemplative moments and not trying to be ironic or, as with Irma, in search of easy laughs.

The Hour of Great Mercy runs through March 3 at the Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. $22.50-$50; diversionary. org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

R + J: A 45-minute one-act that “remixes, recycles, and riffs on” Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. Presented by the SDSU Theatre Department, it opens for six performances Feb. 18 at the SDSU Experimental Theatre in the College Area. ttf.sdsu.edu Aladdin: The Disney musical production of the classic tale of a young boy who finds a magic lamp with a wisecracking genie. Presented by Broadway San Diego, it opens Feb. 20 at the San Diego Civic Theatre in the Gaslamp. broadwaysd.com Gabriel: Four women attempt to protect a mysterious stranger after finding him washed ashore on an island under Nazi occupation. Written by Moira Buffini, it opens Feb. 20 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

E

very year, the Oscars and its preceding awards season gauntlet produces celebratory highs, cringe-worthy lows and many momentum swings. This year’s iteration, set to air on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 24, has been an altogether different kind of melee.

It all started last year with the fumbled announcement of a brand new category: Best Popular Film (huh?). Then the Kevin Hart hosting debacle happened, which is somehow still controversial since no replacement host has been found.

Rumors that certain categories (like Best Cinematography) will be presented during commercial breaks leaked. Then word spread that only two of the Best Song nominees would be performed live. They have since rejected that gem of an idea for an even better one: 90-second renditions of each tune!

The nominees themselves haven’t been particularly scandal-free either. Key figures of the Green Book contingent have made racist and insensitive comments (Viggo Mortensen and Nick Vallelonga need to just stop talking) or have been called out for past sexist behavior on set (zip up your fly Peter Farrelly).

But none of the bad and ugly stuff will deter us from making some good predictions about this year’s eventual winners.

Best Animated/Live Action/Doc Short: Weekend/Marguerite/Period.

End of Sentence.

Covered in last week’s issue. Here’s hoping quality prevails.

Best Film Editing: Vice Vice is a blunt satirical object that feels like it was released either too soon or too late for audiences to engage with the evil of its subject. Nevertheless, its editing choices are sly and experimental, and truly establish the film’s sense of rhythm. Through this lens, history becomes an unfolding tsunami of power grabs and manipulations.

Best Visual Effects/Sound Mixing/Sound Editing: First Man If the Academy looks past the obvious blockbuster standards for these three categories (exemplified by Avengers: Infinity War, Bohemian Rhapsody and Solo: A Star Wars Story), it will go for Damien Chazelle’s sobering and minimalist portrait of Neil Armstrong, a mesmerizing feat of sound and visual fury.

@SDCITYBEAT

Best Song: “Shallow,” A Star is Born No offense to Kendrick Lamar, RBG, or Lin Manuel Miranda, but Lady Gaga has this one in the bag. The emotional and creative anthem of Bradley Cooper’s sterling remake perfectly embodies the film’s swirling melodrama. Also, it’s achieved crossover success on mainstream radio.

If Beale Street Could Talk Best Score: If Beale Street Could Talk Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk uses music to great affect in telling the temporally pliable story of two young black people trapped by systemic injustice. Don’t count out the kinetic scores from Black Panther or BlacKkKlansman (the great Terence Blanchard’s first ever nomination is one of the season’s best storylines.)

Best Production Design/Costume Design: Black Panther The construction of Wakanda is itself a political act, and Ryan Coogler’s film dutifully represents every textured detail, elaborate pattern and vibrant hue that makes it a singular place.

Best Makeup & Hairstyling: Vice If the Academy had any collective guts, Border would be the choice. But imagining stodgy old Oscar voters sitting through that strange, unsettling Swedish film and thinking, “Yeah, that’s my choice,” seems next to impossible. Christian Bale, on the other hand, is a known quantity having gained and lost weight for roles countless times.

And the makeup job used to turn him into Cheney is indeed uncanny.

Best Cinematography: Roma Alfonso Cuarón’s stunning black-and-

white long takes are both technically impressive and emotionally hollow. Oscar’s electorate doesn’t care about the latter.

Best Documentary Feature: Of Fathers and Sons Disclaimer: This will probably go to RBG, a formally basic movie of the moment.

Minding the Gap and Hale County This Morning, This Evening are far superior films, aesthetically dynamic and tonally raw. The dark horse in this race, which imbeds itself in the family of Syrian jihadists, feels like the perfect combination of form and function that adventurous voters can get behind.

Best Animated Film: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse It’s just the most impressive, mind-bending and heartfelt superhero film to come around in a long time.

Best Foreign Language Film: Roma Cold War has a puncher’s chance considering Pawlikowski’s previous win for Ida (2013), but this is Roma’s category to lose considering the love it received in countless other categories.

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Green Book He is a staggeringly great as the conflicted protagonist in the latest season of HBO’s True Detective, and Ali plays pianist Don Shirley in his sleep. Still, he emerges as the most complex, tormented character in an otherwise cartoonish film.

The Wife Best Actress: Glenn Close, The Wife She’s due! Close’s ham-fisted performance as a woman of talent, disregarded by her pompous Nobel Prize-winning husband, is the front-runner for a reason. If there were any justice in the world, Olivia Colman would stroll up onstage and accept this in character as The Favourite’s manic Queen Anne.

Best Actor: Christian Bale, Vice Rami Malek’s fake teeth will reign supreme, but Bale has a long career of immersive performances and his deep dive as Dick Cheney is as disturbing as it is dedicated.

Let’s stay optimistic people.

Roma Best Original/Adapted Screenplay: Green Book and BlacKkKlansman The irony of pairing these two particular films together should not be lost on anyone.

Green Book won’t get shut out and this is the most likely place for it to be victorious (that is, if the apocalypse doesn’t happen and it wins the big prize). BlacKkKlansman’s script is adventurous and brazen, and a completely suitable winner.

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk The depth, empathy and force of King’s performance is immediately apparent the second she appears onscreen. Not a flashy turn by any means, but it is deeply human.

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma The merry-go-round of Mexican auteur’s winning this award continues for a second time, and why shouldn’t it? Cuarón’s intimate, nuanced direction is a master class in layered blocking and mise-en-scène.

Best Picture: Roma If Green Book wins (and it very well might), this would be the ultimate cherry on top of a disastrous Academy Awards season that also saw fit to nominate the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody in multiple categories. Odds are that Roma is victorious. This sweeping, personal and gorgeous film is the perfect out for sensible Oscar voters trying to avoid lasting embarrassment. Question is, are there enough of them?

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

CULTURE | FILM

Warrior spirit

Alita: Battle Angel

Classic Japanese manga becomes a James Cameron/Robert Rodriguez spectacle

by Glenn Heath Jr.

J

ames Cameron and Robert Rodriguez share direc- tery and violence.

Iron City, the sprawling urban megalopolis Ido torial origin stories that perpetuate the calling card myth of Hollywood. With his low budget, calls home, offers her a crash course in rediscovery. trendsetting The Terminator, Cameron made most Street urchin Hugo (Keean Johnson) teaches her how every genre auteur of 1984 look wasteful and unimag- to navigate the streets and the intricacies of Motorinative by comparison. It also further expanded the ball, the gladiator game of the moment spearheaded cult of Arnold Schwarzenegger and redefined modern by a local gangster (Mahershala Ali). As more details emerge regarding Alita’s identity and particular skill action cinema.

Rodriguez burst onto the festival scene in 1992 with sets, the script (written by Cameron, Rodriguez, and El Mariachi, a violent south-of-the-border revenge yarn Laeta Kalogridis) keeps adding layers of backstory and that cost a mere $7,000 to complete. It went on to win context onto an already bloated setup.

Visually, much of Alita: Battle Angel is predictably the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Since then, Rodriguez’s name has been synonymous vibrant and dense with specific mechanical and physwith the type of guerilla filmmaking that challeng- ical details. Cameron’s strengths lie in the construces mainstream trends while remaining squarely in the tion of environments, while Rodriguez’s economic category of escapist entertainment. From a production action flourishes during close contact fight sequences, standpoint, Rodriguez is the rare filmmaker that’s both like when Alita battles an entire saloon’s worth of vigilante assassins. The film exhibpop and indie at once. its a uniquely ruthless streak Of course, such beginnings during such sequences where no functioned as mere entry points ALITA: creature (no matter how small into an industry designed for BATTLE ANGEL or innocent) is free from experiand catered to male viewers.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez encing a brutal death. One charBoth Cameron and Rodriguez acter snickers, “There’s no room have since expanded their scope Starring Rosa Salazar, for innocence in Iron City.” and gaze exponentially, creatChristoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali Ultimately, Rodriguez and ing not just films, but “experiand Jennifer Connelly Cameron find it difficult to pinences” (Titanic, Avatar, Sin City).

Rated PG-13 point the right tone for Alita’s Here, narrative and technological dramatic awakening. They cluminnovation are mutually exclusily shift between highlighting sive. This unbridled formalism her individuality (and desires) with the symbol she usually comes at the cost of substantive storytelling.

Alita: Battle Angel is the purest synthesis of their becomes for the impoverished masses, who bow at the shared aesthetic virtues and unchecked disdain for altar of an unseen elite living high above in the last complexity. With Cameron filling the role of produc- great sky city of Zalem.

Alita: Battle Angel (opening Thursday, Feb. 14) er and Rodriguez directing, this new big budget spectacle adapted from Yukito Kishiro’s classic manga cre- fumbles much of its political and social allegory, feelates an elaborate future dystopia in 2563 where hier- ing more at home grappling with the interpersonal archies of class and wealth are even more apparent relationships of characters that fear change and their than ever. Considering their humble beginnings, it’s a stalwart need to support each other during times of conflict. Themes like these make the shockingly savcreative partnership steeped in irony.

The story begins in a massive mechanical scra- age violence all the more unsettling.

But it remains a lumbering blockbuster with more pheap that could very well house the leftovers from some of Cameron’s own Skynet killing machines. spectacle than soul. One wonders what will it take for While scavenging for spare parts, Dr. Dyson Ido both Rodriguez and Cameron to rediscover the pro(Christoph Waltz) stumbles across a fractured female ficiency and economy of spirit that made their first cyborg with a still functioning human brain. Waking works so impactful. to a fully intact body and pubescent emotions, Alita (Rosa Salazar) begins the long road toward remem- Film reviews run weekly. bering her past memories, which are shrouded in mys- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

Never Look Away

Germany year zero

F

lorian Henckel von Donnersmarck became a household name in art film circles with his auspicious debut film, The Lives of Others, an intense character study about a KGB surveillance officer working in 1980s East Berlin.

A date with Hollywood did not go well for the German director and, by most accounts, 2010’s Johnny Depp/Angelina Jolie vehicle, The Tourist, was an unmitigated disaster.

It’s taken von Donnersmarck nearly a decade to return to the director’s chair with Never Look Away, the kind of sprawling, predictable, and ultimately contrived historical drama that Oscar voters love (it garnered nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography).

The film follows young German artist Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling) from his childhood during the rise of Nazism and on through the Communist post-war era. His relationship with fashion designer Ellie (Paula Beer) both complicates and deepens the lingering traumas that persist over the years.

A parallel narrative unfolds involving Dr. Carl Seeband (Sebastian Koch), one of the men responsible for helping facilitate Hitler’s final solution. With the stroke of a pen, he sends mentally ill patients to their deaths in the gas chamber.

His complicity gets pushed under the rug thanks to some high-ranking Soviet connections.

Both characters show an ability to weather the changing ideologies represented by both cultural and governmental institutions, but to varying results. Eventually, von Donnersmarck conveniently overlaps them to maximize the melodrama.

The film is many things at once; political critique, love story, tragedy and artist origin story. Yet, it fails to conjure any momentum with any of these specific identities. The result is a bloated, contrived portrait of creative crisis and patriarchal malpractice.

Apparently, Never Look Away

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(opening Friday, Feb. 15) is loosely based on the life of painter Gerhard Richter, who has gone on record chastising the film’s gross manipulation of his biography. With something this tedious, it’s easy to see why he’s so pissed off.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Alita: Battle Angel: Set hundreds of years in the future, this sci-fi action film follows a young cyborg named Alita who gradually discovers her true purpose. Directed by Robert Rodriguez. Opens Thursday, Feb. 14, in wide release.

Arctic: Mads Mikkelsen stars as a man who gets stranded in the freezing tundra and must make an impossible decision regarding his own survival. Opens Friday, Feb. 15, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

Happy Death Day 2U: The sequel to a time-travelling horror film about a college student who must try to understand why she keeps dying on her birthday. Opens Thursday, Feb. 14, in wide release.

Isn’t it Romantic: Rebel Wilson plays a woman who’s completely fed up with relationships, but then finds herself trapped in a romantic comedy of her own. Opens Wednesday, Feb. 13, in wide release.

Never Look Away: A young artist trying to find his voice in communist East Berlin is informed by the traumas of his time growing up under Nazi rule. Opens Friday, Feb. 15, at the Angelika Film Center Carmel Mountain and Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

The Gospel According to Eureka: Love, faith and civil rights collide in a southern town as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes. Opens Friday, Feb. 15, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

ONE TIME ONLY Interview with the Vampire: Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt star in this sultry adaption of the Anne Rice novel about a vampire telling his life story to a journalist. Presented

by FilmOut San Diego. Screens at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

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

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

DANIELLA FEIJÓO

MUSIC

From left: Jesse Perlman, Edward James, María, Josh Conway and Carter Lee ome may say The Marías are quite literally a product of true love. They wouldn’t be wrong.

The first meeting between drummer Josh Conway and vocalist María (note: she only goes by María) was nothing short of serendipitous. Within that serendipity, the two unveiled common passions and nurtured their inspiration.

“We met while I was running sound at a venue in Los Angeles,” Conway explains. “[María] was performing that night. At the time, I was a producer and engineer, so I asked her if she wanted to record. She was down, so we met shortly after just to hang out. We found love, and we began writing just for fun.”

The love the two developed quickly infected their music. It impregnated their notes, it influenced their lyrics and it eventually pushed Josh and María to put a band together.

“It wasn’t until we started getting airplay [on SoundCloud] that we were like ‘Wow, people are asking about it. Let’s do something. Let’s make a band.’ The other guys in the band had been friends of ours, and here we are,” Conway says.

The duo turned into a quintet—with Jesse Perlman on guitar, Carter Lee on bass and Edward James on keys—and released their first EP, Superclean Vol. I in 2017. By that point, the flame between María and Josh Conway had been burning insatiably for a while, and the band’s sound reflected the development of their relationship.

In a phone interview, Conway describes his relationship with María as symbiotic, essential and, well, quite domestic.

“We love taking our dog on walks. We spend as much time as possible with our dog when we’re not on tour,” Conway says. “We love going to the movies… I am a big soccer fan, so I watch a lot of football. We cook a lot… maybe I like cooking a little more.”

“We listen to a lot of vinyl. We just got a new record player over the holidays, and we’ve been nonstop buying records and dancing,” Conway continues. “Music is a part of our everyday life one way or another. We share a lot of music with each other, and we dance together when the curtains are closed.”

When composing, The Marías draw freely from dreamy ’90s bands such as The Cardigans, but are not afraid to evoke bossa nova

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

classics that go as far back as Antonio Jobim and João Gilberto. Their sound is vintage, but not dated.

The songs that Conway and María wrote together for their first and, most recently, their sophomore EP (Superclean Vol. II), are an extension of the intimacy the duo shares.

Sometimes, they are a resolution to the conflicts each couple inevitably faces; other times they are mere compromises.

“María and I got into an argument one time, and she said ‘You’re so clueless’ while we were driving home,” Conway says while recounting how the song “Clueless” was born. “And I stopped and didn’t say anything because in my head I just heard ‘clueless’ on repeat. Right when we got home, I

went straight to the piano and played that to María. After that, we were totally fine. It was only the music that mattered, and just being there for each other.”

But what Conway tries to convey over the phone is really all in the lyrics.

“If I say something that comes out all wrong/Please forgive me/For feeling this strong,” sings María in “Ruthless,” apologetically trying to mend a misunderstanding and begging her lover to stand by her.

“I’ll be your baby/There’s nothing better I’d rather do/I’m lost completely/I might as well be over the moon,” she tenderly recites in “Over the Moon.”

María always keeps the tone soft while singing—whispering words, pouring emotions into a cocktail best savored on a lazy, hazy day. You wouldn’t expect anything different from the person whom Conway portrays; María was born in Puerto Rico, he says, and her dad is from Spain. That kind of old-fashioned flair—which sparkles through her black bob cut and her red lipstick—is simply in her DNA. Conway says María never forces his hand, and he doesn’t force hers, not even when it’s time to decide whether they should write their lyrics in Spanish or English. When they are together, everything just seems to effortlessly flow.

“We don’t go into the studio saying ‘We want this amount of English songs, or this amount of Spanish songs,’” Conway says.

“For example, ‘Cariño’ didn’t originally have any lyrics. It was just María singing this melody and then I was playing chords underneath, and immediately we went, ‘This should be in Spanish,’ and it worked.

We both always agree on what language the song should be in or how it feels.”

Perhaps, this band succeeds precisely because they don’t seem to be trying too hard.

Talking to Conway, it’s clear he and María have the same logic when it comes to their relationship.

“Every relationship always has arguments and compromises. There’s no difference here, with María and I,” Conway says. “But we’re both very easygoing with each other, so that makes it very easy to get past that.”

“That’s why we’re a really great team together, as well,” he adds. “There needs to be a level of maturity in a relationship as well as being able to compromise and being level-headed. I think María and I are a great team in that regard because we understand each other very well. We almost speak telepathically.”

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FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

MUSIC

BLACK

THE

SPOTLIGHT

ALFRED HOWARD

haired guy was already crouched down and thumbing through the box on the left. I assumed the position at the box on the right and started pulling out titles like Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, Bob Marley, Rolling Stones, etc. Longhaired guy looked at me like I had just run over all his pets with slow methodical purpose. All of them. It was clear: He had crouched before the wrong box. My longhaired rival had no apparent need for John Phillip Sousa marches.

“Hey, could I grab that Doors Soft Parade record?” he asked. vealed, they dart over to get their names on I said, “Naw, son” and felt pretty proud the sign-up list, because the first rule of es- that I didn’t say, “Hell no, don’t look over tate sales is “if you’re not first, you’re last.” here at what I’m doing.”

This may seem like a lot of work, but when About a minute later I went to reach for you’re buying antiques that may have some the one 45 in a crate, but another record significant Antiques Road Show-type value, guy I know grabbed it first. He knew it was it’s worth it. rare and then looked at me. He asked me if The address for a particular estate sale it was something I realwent live on a recent ly wanted. It was. The 45 Wednesday morning and in question was San DiI had a friend who was in ego’s own Soma. The Athe neighborhood sign me side, “Tell Mama,” plays up. I was number 11 in the like a feel-good California queue. My friend took a coastal drive with pleasphoto of the list and sent it ant harmonies, bar-room over for me. I was trying to twang and a monster, outsee if there were any familof-the-blue drum break iar names of the 10 folks that’s ripe for sampling. preceding me in line; wonThe B-side is a soulful dering if number three, Jucover of Neil Young’s lie Dong, was buying re“Southern Man.” I had a cords or jewelry. I saw a copy of it years ago before couple other record guys the vinyl cracked. whose numbers were on My fellow collector par with Trump’s approval handed it to me. ratings in West Virginia, so “Karma,” he said, and they were no threat. walked away.

When I arrived, they let At this point, I searched the first 10 people in. Now out the multiple rooms at the front of the line, I of the spacious property looked over each person as until I found longhaired they frantically hustled in. guy. I gave him The Doors There was one longhaired “Tell Mama” by Soma Soft Parade record he had guy I didn’t know, but I asked about earlier and felt a mentally cursed him since everything about little more even with the universe. his demeanor screamed “record collector.”

“Can I have that copy of Bob Marley’s ExThe fatal flaw one commits in an es- odus as well?” tate sale is having too much pride to ask “Hell no,” I replied. where specific items might be. Because if you guess left and someone else guesses Black Gold appears every other week. right and they guessed right, then please see Alfred Howard is always looking for vinyl rule number one of estate sales. and stories, and can be contacted at I found two boxes of records. The long- blackgoldsandiego@gmail.com.

GOLD

The rules of estate sales

I

’m a casual estate sale shopper. I don’t necessarily ferret them out, but I’d probably drive off a cliff if the arrows on a highlighter-green poster board directing me to an estate sale told me to.

Mostly though, I’m a creature of habit. I bully the swap meets, Craigslist and OfferUp. Thrift stores aren’t the honey hole they were in the ’90s, but once a year, I experience a thrift store miracle that usually coincides with a really hip elderly person dying.

Recently, however, I’ve been dipping into the world of estate sales to see how the other half lives. When I was a novice, my approach to estate sales involved me accidentally rolling up on one on a Saturday morning. I’d thumb through some truly disheartening swing-music box sets, Barbara Streisand and Engelbert Humperdinck records, and end up buying a cribbage board and a 25-cent deck of cards.

I recently learned that some estate sales start as early as Wednesday or Thursday, so what I was seeing by the weekend had already been picked to the bone by all the resale vultures. I like the idea of this as it gives this addict a weekday place to dig.

Estate sales are the ultimate tease. They show a little leg when the estate sale organizers start posting delectable photographs of the contents on the website weeks in advance. They light a candle and strip off another layer of clothes when they reveal the address the day before. Sometimes they may tell you two weeks prior what part of the city they’re in, but they don’t give you an address until the morning before. Once you show up, you can get on a numbered list and that’s your position in the queue to get into the sale. The result of this system is that the professional shoppers are like sharks circling that area of town and hitting refresh until they get the address. Once re-

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

The Three Tremors

F

ull disclosure: we never, ever run a flyer as a photo for an article. If people want their flyer in the paper, run an ad. It’s just not professional and if we’re anything here at CityBeat, it’s professional.

But seriously, look at this flyer. It’s pretty much the most metal flyer we’ve ever seen. Let’s just table the fact that it’s for a group called The Three Tremors, a play on the ’90s opera supergroup The Three Tenors. So that’s just awesome in itself, but check out that metal AF font! The dystopian landscape and The Matrix-meets-WWE outfits! The explosion and the piles of demon-chud corpses littered at their feet! Why is Tim “Ripper” Owens’ sword glowing?! He has the voice of a hell bent-for-leather angel, but could he truly be wielding some heaven-sent blade as well?

But really though, this is a pretty cool show. It features three old-school metal singers (Ripper, along with Sean Peck and Harry Conklin) combining forces like some kind of heavy metal Voltron. Audiences will surely hear hits from bands such as Cage, DeathDealer, Judas Priest, Jag Panzer and more throughout the night. We cannot guarantee nor confirm the appearance of any demon-chuds, but if there are any, these guys have it handled.

The Three Tremors play Saturday, Feb. 16 at Brick by Brick.

—Seth Combs

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

IF I WERE U

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

Our picks for the week’s top shows

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13

PLAN A: Dreamgirl, Acid Tongue, Bad Vibes @ Soda Bar. Kansas City’s Dreamgirl sound exactly what you’d expect them to sound like: dreamy ballads punctuated

by Lacey Hopkins’ forlorn vocals. This might be the best anti-Valentine’s show this week.

PLAN B: Laura Gibson @ Grand Ole BBQ, Flinn Springs. We ran a feature on Gibson and this show back in December, but apparently that show didn’t happen. Let’s hope it does this time, as we’re all huge fans of Gibson’s vulnerable alt-country. BACKUP PLAN: Broncho, Pinky Pinky @ The Casbah.

Key of Ellison’ w/ Nicholas Payton, Will Downing, Nona Hendryx and more @ The Balboa Theatre. An all-star night of jazz centered around songs and artists that inspired legendary writer Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man, Junteenth) that will include covers of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk and more. BACKUP PLAN: The Aces, joan @ House of Blues San Diego.

SUNDAY, FEB. 17

PLAN A: Ron Gallo, Post Animal, Stuyedeyed @ The Casbah. Ron Gallo is a total weirdo, but we mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Think Ariel Pink or Of Montreal, but with a predilection for gaPLAN A: Daniel Romano, Thayer Sarra- rage and glam rock. Naturally, his live shows no, Trouble in the Wind @ Soda Bar. The are something to behold and often have a prolific Daniel Romano busts out plaintive carnival-like atmosphere. PLAN B: Awakejams and countrypolitan ballads like he has butstillinbed, Sundressed, Alien Boy, Suna sad-boy assembly line in his head. It’s like sleeper @ Soda Bar. In case readers didn’t catch our feature last week a young, drunk Ryan AdLAUREN SPEAR on emo music, we’re here to ams had a baby with Rufus say that the genre is as big Wainwright and was raised as ever and San Jose band in a Laurel Canyon comAwakebutstillinbed are dopound. PLAN B: Elizabeth ing it better than any curCook, Kendell Marvel @ rent band out there. Even The Casbah. Speaking of their album is called, what countrypolitian, Nashvillepeople call low self​-e​steem is based artist Elizabeth Cook Daniel Romano really just seeing yourself the has been at it for nearly 20 way that other people see you. years, threading the line between Lucinda Williams-type realism and Miranda Lam- That’s emo AF. And show up early for Alien bert-esque pop. BACKUP PLAN: Creepx- Boy, who have some pretty great shoegazey sounds despite having one of the worst band otica @ Seven Grand. names in recent memory.

THURSDAY, FEB. 14

FRIDAY, FEB. 15

PLAN A: Mike Krol, Vertical Scratchers @ Soda Bar. Our original Plan A (The Marías, see this week’s feature) is sold out, but no matter; Mike Krol will serve as a nice replacement. His new album, Power Chords, certainly lives up to its name with its 11 garage-rock jams that fans of Black Lips and Oh Sees will surely appreciate. PLAN B: Sheila E. @ Sycuan Casino. Come on, she played with Prince and wrote “The Glamorous Life,” which is still an absolute bop. Bonus: gambling and buffets. BACKUP PLAN: Flower Animals, Retra, The Brain Ghosts @ Manhattan Bar.

SATURDAY, FEB. 16

PLAN A: Pedro the Lion, Tomberlin @ The Irenic. Much like his contemporaries Sufjan Stevens and Damien Jurado, singer-songwriter David Bazan (aka Pedro the Lion) put out some indie-folk masterpieces in the early ’00s that were so gorgeous, it was easy to overlook that many of the songs were steeped in Christian themes. Bazan briefly abandoned the Pedro moniker, as well as his religion, but now he’s back with a new album (Phoenix) and a more spirited sound. PLAN B: ‘Jazz in the

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MONDAY, FEB. 18

PLAN A: The Red Pears, Beach Bums, Bad Kids @ Ché Café Collective. The Red Pears play that ear-friendly brand of indiepop made by kids who grew up listening to the Beach Boys, but who never actually got to go to the beach. Speaking of which—and despite the goofy name—Beach Bums also play a highly energetic blend of post-punk and lo-fi indie-pop. BACKUP PLAN: Cherry Road, Flower Animals, Sweet Myths @ The Casbah.

TUESDAY, FEB. 19

PLAN A: Half Waif, Whitney Ballen, Rosie Tucker @ Soda Bar. The music of Nandi Rose Plunkett (aka Half Waif) often begins with the Massachusetts native solemnly singing over a minimalist beat only to have it build up to a devastating crescendo. The perfect show for any post-Valentine’s blues. PLAN B: The Nels Cline 4 @ The Loft @ UCSD. The longtime Wilco guitar hero stops by with his quartet for a performance of instrumental, six-sting-heavy jazz songs that are as melodic as they are technically impressive. BACKUP PLAN: The Paragraphs, The Gift Machine, The Oxen @ The Casbah.

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Within A Week (Soda Bar, 2/26), Wicked Echoes (Brick By Brick, 3/2), Dead Feather Moon (Casbah, 3/11), Lazerpunk (Brick By Brick, 3/14), Veronica May Band, Ariel Levine, The Havnauts (Casbah, 3/22), Jade Jackson (Soda Bar, 3/27), Epic Beard Men (Soda Bar, 4/25), Run River North (Soda Bar, 4/26), Show Me The Body (Che Cafe, 4/28), The 69 Eyes (Brick By Brick, 5/2), Liz Cooper & The Stampede (Casbah, 5/8), Camp Cope (Che Cafe, 5/9), Boogie (Music Box, 5/16), Dark Funeral (Brick By Brick, 5/17), The Dickies (Soda Bar, 5/18), The Lemonheads (Casbah, 5/25), The Hives (Observatory, 5/29), Oh Sees (BUT, 6/14), VINCENT (Soda Bar, 6/15), The Felice Brothers (Casbah, 6/16), Billie Eilish (Cal Coast Credit Union, 7/13).

GET YER TICKETS Justin Timberlake (Pechanga Arena, 2/21), Albert Hammond Jr. (BUT, 2/24), Sharon Van Etten (Observatory, 2/28), Saves the Day (Observatory, 3/2), CRSSD Festival (Waterfront Park, 3/23), Waxahatchee (Soda Bar, 3/3), Muse (Pechanga Arena, 3/5), Band of Horses (Observatory, 3/6), Hatebreed (HOB, 3/7), YG (Pechanga Arena, 3/7), Action Bronson (HOB, 3/13), Cold Cave (BUT, 3/19), Boy Harsher (Casbah, 3/20), Mike Doughty (Soda Bar, 3/23), Queensrÿche (Casbah, 3/27), Black Moth Super Rainbow (BUT, 3/31), Vince Staples

(Observatory, 4/2), Anvil (Brick By Brick, 4/4), San Holo (Observatory, 4/5), Taking Back Sunday (Observatory, 4/6-7), Meat Puppets (Soda Bar, 4/7), T-Pain (Observatory, 4/9), David Archuleta (California Center for the Arts, 4/17), Passion Pit (Observatory, 5/1), Priests (Soda Bar, 6/26), Billie Eilish (Cal Coast Credit Union, 7/13).

FEBRUARY WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13 Dreamgirl at Soda Bar. Cuco at Observatory North Park (sold out). Broncho at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, FEB. 14 Hockey Dad, Hunny at SOMA. Elizabeth Cook at The Casbah. Daniel Romano at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, FEB. 15 Mike Krol at Soda Bar. Louis XIV at The Casbah. The Expendables at Observatory North Park. The Soul Rebels at Music Box. Dead Man’s Party at Belly Up Tavern. Powerman 5000 at Brick By Brick.

Ja Rule, Ashanti at SOMA. The Marias at The Irenic.

SATURDAY, FEB. 16 Panic! At the Disco at Valley View Casino Center. Pedro the Lion at The Irenic.

ALO at Belly Up Tavern. CANCELLED! at Soda Bar. Louis XIV, The Slashes, Demasiado at The Casbah. Caifanes at Observatory North Park. The Grinns at SOMA. Red Not Chili Peppers at Music Box. The Three Tremors at Brick By Brick.

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

SUNDAY, FEB. 17 Kongos and Fitness at Music Box. Los Lonely Boys at Belly Up Tavern. Jake “The Snake” Roberts at Brick By Brick.

Post Animal at The Casbah. Awakebutstillinbed at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, FEB. 18 The Red Pears at The Irenic. Dalton & the Sheriffs at Soda Bar. Cherry Road at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, FEB. 19 Half Waif at Soda Bar. The Paragraphs at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20 Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel at Observatory North Park. Smoking Popes at Soda Bar. Justin Nozuka at Music Box. Secret Lynx, Veronica May, Nate Donnis Trio at Belly Up Tavern. Spear of Destiny at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, FEB. 21 Houses at Soda Bar. Amy Grant at California Center for the Arts. Kimmi Bitter at Belly Up Tavern. Leftover Crack at Brick

By Brick. Justin Timberlake at Pechanga Arena. Bob Seger at Viejas Arena. Kolars at The Casbah. iDKHOW at Music Box.

FRIDAY, FEB. 22 Mother Hips at Belly Up Tavern. Aurora at Observatory North Park. Brasstracks at Music Box. King Tuff at The Casbah.

The Black Queen at Brick By Brick.

SATURDAY, FEB. 23 Thumpasaurus at House of Blues (sold

out). King Tuff at The Casbah. Lords of Acid at Brick By Brick. Madball at Soda Bar. The Como La Flor Band at Music Box. Kaleena Zanders, Friendz, SiLVA at Music Box. Banding Together, The Shift at Belly Up Tavern.

SUNDAY, FEB. 24 Private Island at Soda Bar. Crumb at Soda Bar. Albert Hammond Jr. at Belly Up Tavern. Aziz Ansari at Copley Symphony Hall. Un at Brick By Brick. Abbey Road’s George Harrison Celebration at Music Box. MDRN HSTRY at The Casbah. John 5 at Brick By Brick. Body Void at SPACE.

MONDAY, FEB. 25 Graveyard Witch at The Casbah. Malachi Henry and the Lights at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, FEB. 26 Red Dragon Cartel at Brick By Brick.

Joy Williams at Belly Up Tavern. DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot at The Casbah. Robert DeLong at Music Box. Within A Week at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27 Coco Montoya, Tinsley Ellis at Belly Up Tavern. Darlingside at Music Box. Nights Like Thieves at The Casbah. Lil mosey at SOMA.

THURSDAY, FEB. 28 Sharon Van Etten at Observatory North Park. Mushroomhead at Brick By Brick.

The Wood Brothers at Belly Up Tavern.

Bryce Vine at SOMA. Bob Mould at The Casbah. Gina Chavez at California Center for the Arts.

MARCH FRIDAY, MARCH 1 Lettuce at Observatory North Park.

Junior Brown at The Casbah. Sarah Brightman at Viejas Arena. Stepping Feet at Music Box. Zomboy at House of Blues. Men I Trust at Soda Bar. Clairvoyants at California Center for the Arts.

Trappist at Brick By Brick.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Saves the Day at Observatory North Park. Creature Canyon at Soda Bar. Lukas Graham at House of Blues. Transfer at The Casbah. CRSSD Festival at Waterfront Park. Wicked Echoes at Brick By Brick.

SUNDAY, MARCH 3 Waxahatchee, Single Mothers at The Irenic. CRSSD Festival at Waterfront Park. Marshall Tucker Band at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). OM at Brick By Brick.

Scars On Broadway at Observatory North Park. Mobina Galore at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, MARCH 4 Beirut at Observatory North Park. Trippie Redd at SOMA. Ripe at House of Blues.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5 Adia Victoria at The Casbah. Metric at Open Air Theatre. Muse at Pechanga Arena. Twiddle at Belly Up Tavern. Novo Amor at Music Box.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 Naked Giants at The Casbah. Band of

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

@SDCITYBEAT

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Flamingosis. Sat: Autograf.

Horses at Observatory North Park. G. Love, Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern.

Nightly at Soda Bar. Joe Jackson at Balboa Theater. Tyler Carter at House of Blues. Black Midi at SPACE.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Wild Wild Wets, Sol Orchid. Thu: ‘Funk Valentines Day’. Fri: Spirit In The Room.

Sat: ‘Neon Beat’. Sun: Rat Sabbath. Mon: Ba’bete, Tragedy. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 The Bellrays, The Atom Age at The Casbah. YG at Valley View Casino Center. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds at Belly Up Tavern. Soft Kill at Soda Bar. The Real McKenzies at Brick By Brick.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Electric Mud. Fri: Aviator Stash, Headphone, Dive Vibe. Sat: The Anodynes, North By North, Hiroshima Mockingbirds. Sun: Karaoke.

Tue: The Gravities.

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

Thu: ‘CoolLikeDat’. Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: ‘JUICY’. Sun: ‘Phantasy Lounge’. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’. Tue: DJ Elevate.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: ‘The Come-Up’.

Thu: Colin Kane. Fri: Colin Kane. Sat: Colin Kane. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: The Spooky, Sutratma, 13th Sky, God Collider, Darling Dead, Gutter. Sat: OFF the RAILS. Sun: The God Bombs, BARK, AL1CE. Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Aquile. Fri: Born Fighters.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Tom Curren Band & the Uncut Footage. Thu: Casey Hensley. Fri: Dead Man’s Party, The Black 52’s. Sat: ALO, Horseshoes, Hand Grenades. Sun: Los Lonely Boys. Tue: Mark Hummel’s Golden State, Lone Star Blues Revue.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Zeptune, Dark Sarcasm.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: Lonely Boy. Thu: ‘Jeff Buckley Night’. Fri: ‘WE ARE YR FRIENDS’. Sat: Hugo Capablanca, Bryce Hackford. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: Powerman 5000. Sat: The Three Tremors.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: Broncho, Pinky Pinky. Thu: Elizabeth Cook, Kendell Marvel. Fri: Louis XIV, Nicky Venus, Ignant Benches.

Sat: Louis XIV, The Slashes, Demasiado.

Sun: Ron Gallo, Post Animal. Mon: Cherry Road, Flower Animals, Sweet Myths.

Tue: The Paragraphs, The Gift Machine, The Oxen.

Che Cafe, 1000 Scholars Drive S, La Jolla.

Fri: Mother Grundy, Sitting on Stacy, Fever Machine, Lucid Dreams. Sat: ‘Second Chance to Dance’. Sun: Ignant Benches,

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

@SDCITYBEAT

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): The secret to working hard is looking like you’re working hard. The secret to looking like you’re working hard is walking around really fast holding loose papers in your hands.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Rewards Points programs are psychological manipulation tactics to make you buy stuff! But how they really get you is with those emails saying how important you are to them.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): This week, let your spirit be guided by the industrious dog. That is, even though you’re not allowed, wait for everybody to leave the room and then go ahead and sit at the table.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Find love before the Thwaites Glacier breaks because, once it does, you’ll never know whether it’s true love or the two of you are just chaos-bonded by the decline of human civilization.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): If everyone stole a piece of petrified wood from the petrified wood forest, then there would be no petrified wood left for anyone to see. Just wanted to remind you!

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): Honesty is not always the best policy. Do you really think anyone would like Mickey Mouse if he wasn’t wearing his gloves?

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): This week will be marred by an embarrassing problem, which I know nothing about. You will have to suffer minor humiliations, which—again—I have absolutely no experience with that.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Once something is done it can never be undone. But sometimes, like when you’re making a selection from a hotel vending machine, once you make that selection, it doesn’t really do anything anyway.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Everything you believe will be called into question this week as if you’re being accused of adolescent vandalism by a vindictive vice principal. (But to be fair, they are right.)

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Asking the stranger next to you to watch your things when you go to the bathroom never has any impact on what happens next, but sometimes it helps to pretend.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): It is important to trust your instincts except the very small one in your brain that tells you to stick your tongue out and grab a cricket with it.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): This week will feel like the emotional equivalent of when you get a cold and you lie in bed thinking about all the times you took breathing through your nose for granted.

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

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 Leave Lucy, Creature Culture, Teachers with Guns. Mon: The Red Pears, Beach Bums, Bad Kids.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Thu: Valentines Day tribute to “Pops & Ella’’. Sun: B3 Organ Trio Summit.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘TakeOver Thursdays’. Fri: DJ Dynamiq. Sat: ‘ShowOut Saturdays’. Sun: ‘Reggae Sundays’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: MoGotti. Sat: Shabazz.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Robert Allen Shepherd. Thu: Michael Head “Moneymen”. Fri: Emo Night Brooklyn. Sat: Michael Head “Moneymen”. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Roni Lee Group. Thu: Strunz & Farah. Fri: Republic of Music. Sat: Full Strength Funk.

Sun: Major Interval. Mon: January Berry Band. Tue: Sue Palmer.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Fri: The Marias. Sat: Pedro The Lion.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Fri: Dave Seaman. Sat: Balcazar Live, Armanino Live, Broderic. Sun: Alice Clark.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Fri: Ritual Potion, Ringo Kid, The Rock and Rollies.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Samer Bakri, Becca Jay. Sat: Ritt Momney, Leon Canoe, The Sardines, WIZAERD. Sun: Dan Gindling, Mark Montijo. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: ‘Comedy Night’.

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Fri: Punto y Raya Festival. Tue: The Nels Cline 4.

tard Pie. Sat: NuVintage. Sun: The Night Howls. Mon: Trivia. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Jackson & Billy. Thu: North Star. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Patt Ellis & Blue Frog Band. Sun: Gonzology.

Tue: The Sophisticats.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Janice Edwards.

Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Mercedes Moore Band. Sat: Flipside Burners.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Steve Grand. Thu: Steve Grand. Sat: Rayme Sciaroni, Peter Kalivas. Tue: ‘Hillcrest Comedy Night’.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Night Bloomers: HeartBreakers Ball’. Fri: Bouquet. Tue: The Overdrives, Wolftron, Taking On Towers.

Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Thu: DJ Dub B. Tue: Trivia.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Fri: Blue Light. Sat: Lindy Crandall. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Thu: Somebody to Love. Fri: The Soul Rebels, The Routine, DJ Bar1ne. Sat: Red Not Chili Peppers, Fooz Fighters, United Rage. Sun: Kongos, Fitness.

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

Wed: ‘Rhythm & Booze’. Thu: ‘No Limits’.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Lil Jon. Sat: Eric Dlux.

Sun: Illenium.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: ‘The Wednesday Jam Session’.

Thu: Besos Trio w/ The Garners. Fri: Uptown Rhythm Makers. Sat: Mochilero Allstars.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: DMiles. Sat: Markus Schulz.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Fri: Cus-

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Country Dance’. Fri: ‘Finesse Fridays’.

Sat: ‘Sabados En FUEGO!’. Sun: ‘Noche Romantica’. Mon: Trivia.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: ‘Mischief with Bianca’. Thu: ‘LEZ + Bass’. Fri: ‘Dirty POP!’. Sat: ‘Fuel’. Sun: ‘Stripper Circus’.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’. Thu: Chloe Lou & Davies. Fri: Chickenbone Slim & the Biscuits. Sat: Taryn Donath Duo. Tue: ‘Everything & Anything Jam’.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Bonnewille 7. Mon: ‘Jazz Jam’.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Thu: Creepxotica.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Dreamgirl, Acid Tongue, Bad Vibes. Thu: Daniel Romano, Thayer Sarrano, Trouble In The Wind. Fri: CANCELLED! Sat: CANCELLED! Sun: awakebutstillinbed, Sundressed, Alien Boy, Sunsleeper. Mon: Dalton & the Sheriffs. Tue: Half Waif, Whitney Ballen, Rosie Tucker.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Thu: HUNNY, Hockey Dad. Fri: Ja Rule, Ashanti. Sat: On Drugs, Mikey Carnevale, The Grinns, Tina Fake, Buddha Trixie.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Love Jamz’. Thu: ‘Love in a Trashcan’. Sun: ‘Goth Swap’. Mon: ‘For The Yohs’. Tue: Karaoke.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Lee Foss.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Sun: Clinton Davis. Tue: Trivia.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: ‘50 Shades of Bass: A Valentines Day Soiree’. Fri: ‘Taste the Breaks’. Sat: Old Blood. Sun: ‘PANTS Karaoke!’.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: ‘Sky Zada’. Thu: Keep Your Soul Duo. Fri: Keep Your Soul Duo. Sat: ‘90s Dance Party’. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Tony P. Tue: Keep Your Soul Duo. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Wed: ‘Hoots is Home Wednesdays’.

Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: Funks Most Wanted. Sat: The Rhythm Shakers, The Sleepwalkers. Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa and Sensual Bachata’. Tue: The Tourmaliners.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin, Silver Scout Thunder Head, Weasel Dust.

Sat: He Who Cannot Be Named, Bite & Shades McCool and Bold Flavors, Space Force. Sun: Cement Shoes. Tue: Vandalorum, Francis Roberts.

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

Wed: DJ MoLyon. Thu: ‘BoomBox Thursdays’. Fri: Kid Wonder. Sat: Eddey Hyatt.

Sun: ‘Live Reggae’. Mon: ‘#31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Open Mic. Thu: ‘Love Affair’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Thu: Capyac & Chugboat. Fri: SUNSQUABI, Yak Attack. Sat: Daring Greatly, Miss Violette.

Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Scott Pemberton Band.

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FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

IN THE BACK

BY JACKIE BRYANT

CANNABITCH The (other) C-word

One morning, I picked her up and we drove to OutCo in El Cajon. I consider it the best medical dispensary in San have good news and bad news,” my friend Marisa said Diego County for their high quality, in-house developed to me over the phone two months ago. She lives in Italy products, a thorough and knowledgeable sales team, and a but visits her family in Point Loma twice a year and had fleet of on-staff scientists working behind the scenes. I was just returned for Christmas. My heart sank, anticipating confident they would have what Marisa needed to manage what was coming next. her jaw and other bone pain, as well as her anxiety, lack “The cancer is back, which is obviously bad news,” she of sleep and the hot flashes due to early onset menopause. continued. “But I’ve decided to undergo treatment in San But alas, maybe all this cannabis consumption of mine Diego! So I’ll be around for a while.” has affected my memory because it wasn’t until we walked In 2017, when she was just 37, Marisa was diagnosed with into OutCo that I remembered one needs a medical cannaductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a type of early-stage, non- bis recommendation from a licensed doctor to shop there. invasive breast cancer. For treatment, she opted for a double I am lazy and let my recommendation lapse sometime last mastectomy. Subsequent scans showed she had beaten her year, and Marisa had no idea that such a thing even existed. cancer but, unfortunately, the celebration lasted just a year.

“She has cancer!” I awkwardly blurted out, hoping that JACKIE BRYANT would inspire them to skirt the law, which they obviously did not. I was proving to be a shitty guide.

Just as we were going to give up, one of OutCo’s budtenders offered to chat with us in the waiting room. What followed was a detailed examination of Marisa’s various symptoms and side effects, followed by a digest of the products the shop offers, which include tinctures, salves, sublingual tablets and much more. We walked out emptyhanded but resolved to remedy our own medical statuses and return soon, as OutCo was clearly equipped to meaningfully help cancer patients.

No shopping trip is gratifying without actually purchasing something, so we went to San Diego Recreational Cannabis (SDRC) in Mission Valley, which has a wide selection and the line moves quickly. The SDRC budtender was friendly but not particularly well-versed in the use of cannabis as medicine, so I steered Marisa toward brands I Marisa at San Diego Recreational Cannabis could personally vouch for. I also urged her to buy edibles In addition to the rounds of chemotherapy and radia- as they are a sure-fire way to guarantee she passes the fuck tion she had signed on for, Marisa wanted to explore us- out come bedtime, bone pain be damned. ing cannabis to manage side effects and supplement her My friend settled on Select’s CBD oil, some 10-miltreatment. She couldn’t think of anyone better than me, ligram Indica edibles made by District and two packagshe said, to show her the ropes. I have never had cancer, es of Plus brand gummies—one filled with 5-milligram and I am certainly not a doctor, but navigating the world of sour blueberry-flavored THC gummies and the other with weed? That I can do.

5-milligram pineapple coconut-flavored CBD gummies.

At this point, Marisa had been to two San Diego dispen- Smoking and vaping are out of the question for Marisa saries. The first was Torrey Holistics, which was suggested since, well, smoking can cause cancer and she has certainto her by her oncological nurse at UC San Diego. She liked ly had enough of that.

Torrey Holistics for its one-on-one service and boutique “I can’t believe how many products are available,” feel. She also visited MedMen, but felt it was too corporate. Marisa marveled on our way out of the dispensary. “I feel Besides that, Marisa has had limited experience with lucky that I have access to this. It’s hard even to get CBD in cannabis. So, she was understandably curious and nervous. Italy,” she added.

Did she want to feel high or just manage her pain? Would Even after our shopping spree, I couldn’t shake the feelshe even like being high? What is the difference between ing that she still had no idea what she was doing nor what Indica and Sativa? Where should she even start? products she really needed. Like most aspects of medicine,

I

“

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 13, 2019

finding the correct treatment cocktail is a matter of trial and error—so it is with adding cannabis to the mix, especially for those who had never used before.

However, there remains a steep disconnect between mainstream medical practitioners and those who advocate for integrating products such as cannabis into treatment protocols. For example, though her doctors have signed off on her cannabis use, nobody had suggested she look into obtaining a medical cannabis recommendation, which JACKIE BRYANT

Clockwise from top left: Select lavender CBD oil; District Edibles Indica Peach edibles; Plus sour blueberry THC gummies; Plus pineapple and coconut CBD gummies would allow her to pay less tax, skip long lines and, in some cases, access better products. People shouldn’t have to rely on for-profit dispensaries and well-meaning stoner friends for medical advice even if they are as knowledgeable as yours truly.

I’m confident that Marisa will find more answers as time goes on. But for entirely successful and integrated treatment options, doctors and lawmakers need to start reading the room. It’s hard enough for patients to access the care they feel they need. Why make it any more difficult or murky for them than it already is?

CannaBitch appears every other week.

Follow Jackie Bryant on Twitter at @jacqbryant.

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FEBRUARY 13, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27